20 Top Pitching Prospects From The 2025 International Signing Class

Predicting the future of amateur pitchers when theyâ€re 16 or 17 is one of the more imprecise exercises in scouting.

Thereâ€s an enormous amount of uncertainty with pitchers who are that young and that far from the majors. Their stuff and control can quickly change, and they have to prove they can stay healthy enough to reach MLB and sustain a career there. Itâ€s why teams largely avoid spending big money for young international pitching prospects and why so often there are all-star pitchers from Latin America who signed for smaller bonuses.

The Dominican Summer League offers an effective first filter to help us identify who the top pitchers are from the 2025 class that signed starting this year on Jan. 15. Some of them were players who received bonuses on the higher end of the scale for a pitcher, while others were players who didnâ€t get as much but were already starting to generate buzz at top pitchers in their class leading into their signing dates. Others still were more under the radar and used the DSL to make a bigger name for themselves.

Today, weâ€re breaking down 20 of the top pitchers from the 2025 international signing class. Weâ€ve broken these players down into four categories:

Best Of The Best: These were the elite pitching prospects in the class. These players combined high-end stuff with feel for pitching and performance.Â

Pitchers Trending Up:These pitchers all impressed in different ways. Some are power arms, some are high-end strike throwers. These players arenâ€t in the same tier as the elite arms, but they are all quality pitching prospects who raised their stock in 2025 and are emerging as some of the better pitching prospects in the lower levels of their organizations.Â

Stuff & Projection, But Control Needs Work:These are pitchers who showed great stuff and/or high-level physical projection with traits to like but struggled throwing strikes. While it’s a risky group, with players who were pitching at 17 or even 16, we can see players make big strides with their control once they get more experience and more body control when they stop growing. Frankie Montas spent two seasons in the DSL when he was 17 and 18 and had a combined 30-30 K-BB mark in 34.1 innings with a 7.60 ERA, so there are success stories from this group.Â

Small-Sample Arms:These are pitchers who stood out and are definite prospects to follow but werenâ€t able to log many innings this season.Â

Best Of The Best

Kendry Chourio, RHP, Royals

Chourio came into the season with big expectations. He signed out of Venezuela for $247,500 in January, though by that time, he already looked like one of the best pitchers in the 2025 class. At 6 feet, 165 pounds, Chourio wasnâ€t that big, but he had long stood out for his control and pitchability. As his signing date approached, he started to throw harder, reaching 96 mph.

Now, Chourio combines power stuff with feel to manipulate his secondary stuff and outstanding polish for a 17-year-old. It led the Royals to promote him from the DSL to the Rookie-level Florida Complex League to the Low-A Carolina League in one year. He posted a combined 3.51 ERA in 51.1 innings with 63 strikeouts and five walks for a minuscule 2.3% walk rate.

Chourio sits at 93-96 mph and touches 98. He also has a high-spin curveball at 2,600-2,800 rpm and feel for a changeup. Beyond prototype size, Chourio has everything else that would make him fit with the high-end high school pitchers in the 2026 draft who are his peers, except that Chourio next summer could finish his year in High-A or Double-A.

Kevin Defrank, RHP, Marlins

Defrank pitched nearly the entire season as a 16-year-old, but he looked like a man among boys at 6-foot-5 with a strong, physically-mature build and a fastball he ran up to 100 mph.

Defrank signed out of the Dominican Republic for $560,000—the third-highest bonus for a Latin American pitcher in 2025—and he looked the part of an elite pitching prospect between his stuff and performance, which saw him post a 3.19 ERA in 31 innings with 34 strikeouts and 10 walks.

After topping out at 95 mph coming into his signing, Defrank sat in the mid-to-upper 90s this season. He threw his fastball for strikes at a high clip, too, showing heâ€s more than just a raw thrower. He throws a hard mid-80s slider with short break along with a firm changeup at 88-90 mph that has good fade and could be his best secondary pitch long term.

Some scouts had durability questions with Defrank when he was an amateur, but he has the potential to be a high-end starter if he can handle the workload. Â

Santiago Castellanos, RHP, Twins

Castellanos signed with the Twins for $247,500, though by the time he signed, his stuff was already trending up to where he looked like one of the better pitchers this year from Venezuela. He has a medium 5-foot-11 frame that limited some of the attention he got as an amateur, but heâ€s a good athlete with excellent arm speed.

Castellanos pitches at 92-94 mph and can touch 97 with good carry. He shows feel to spin a breaking ball that projects to be an above-average or better pitch. He will mix in a changeup he has some feel for, but it is behind his breaking stuff.

Castellanos only turned 17 on July 17, so he was one of the youngest pitchers in the DSL, where he posted a  2.79 ERA with a 36-9 K-BB mark in 29 innings.Â

Pitchers Trending Up

Freddy Contreras, RHP, Royals

Coming into the year, we had big expectations for Royals righthander Kendry Chourio to be one of the best pitchers in the DSL. While Chourio flourished, Contreras ended up being a pleasant surprise, too.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $147,500, Contreras is physically unassuming at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, and he came into the year with a fastball that would top out in the low 90s. It was a different story in the DSL, where he parked in the mid 90s and reached 98 mph with good carry, averaging 20 inches of induced vertical break.

Contreras did that all as one of the youngest 2025 signings—he turned 17 on Aug. 10—and got lots of swinging strikes on both his curveball and changeup. He finished with a 3.30 ERA in 30 innings and a 37-13 K-BB mark.Â

Carlos De La Rosa, LHP, Giants

The Yankees signed De La Rosa for $400,000—their biggest bonus for a pitcher this year—then moved him to the Giants in the trade deadline deal that brought righthander Camilo Doval to New York. De La Rosa, 17, finished the DSL season with a 51-10 K-BB mark in 32.1 innings and a 4.73 ERA.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound lefty was up to 93 mph coming into the season, but during the year, his velocity jumped to sit 91-94 mph and reach 96. The pitch has excellent carry, averaging 20 inches of induced vertical break. De La Rosa filled the zone with his fastball and a low-80s slider that he shows feel to spin with good lateral break.Â

Pedro Montero, RHP, Marlins

Montero signed for just $35,000 this year and quickly looked like a bargain. He was a previously-eligible player in 2024, so he turned 18 in July, but itâ€s high-end stuff for his age from the wiry 6-foot-1 righthander who finished the DSL season with a 3.00 ERA and a 44-14 K-BB mark in 36 innings.Â

That stuff has only gotten better over the past year, as Montero threw 94 mph when he signed and is now reaching 97 with 19 inches of induced vertical break. He has good feel to spin a sweeper (his best secondary pitch) that will get above 15 inches of horizontal break at times. While his changeup isnâ€t as advanced, itâ€s a pitch he shows feel for, as well.

Adriano Marrero, RHP, Marlins

Marrero was one of several prominent pitchers the Marlins signed in their 2025 class, with Marrero getting a $350,000 bonus. The Cuban righthander pitched well in his first season with a 3.82 ERA, 35 strikeouts and 12 walks in 33 innings.

Marrero is listed at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds and has a fastball that inched up to touch 94 mph with more likely in the tank. His lively stuff breaks wide to both sides of the plate, with lots of armside run on his two-seamer and lively fade on his changeup going the same way. His sweeper spins above 3,000 rpm and breaks 23 inches the other way.Â

Geremy Villoria, RHP, Twins

Villoria emerged as one of the top pitchers in Venezuela by the time he signed with the Phillies for $425,000. Traded to the Twins along with outfielder Hendry Mendez in the deadline deal for outfielder Harrison Bader, Villoria had a cumulative 3.68 ERA, 24 strikeouts and seven walks in 22 innings.

Villoria was one of the youngest pitchers in the DSL—he didnâ€t turn 17 until Aug. 14—but he showed advanced stuff and feel for pitching with a starter look. Heâ€s 6-foot-3, 180 pounds—a projectable frame to add more velocity to a fastball up to 94 mph that he controls well. He has feel to spin a curveball around 2,600 rpm thatâ€s a potential above-average pitch and ahead of his nascent changeup.Â

Kevin Martinez, RHP, Rockies

Martinez, 17, signed with the Rockies for $200,000 out of the Dominican Republic after standing out for his pitchability. He came as advertised in his pro debut, maintaining a 2.15 ERA with 40 strikeouts and just seven walks in 46 innings. Among 17-year-old pitchers signed in 2025 with at least 20 innings, Martinez ranked third in the league with 1.4 BB/9 thanks to his ability to repeat a sound delivery and throw all three of his pitches for strikes at a high clip.

At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Martinez doesnâ€t have the raw stuff of some of the other top pitchers in the DSL. His fastball sits at 87-91 mph and tops out at 92, though it has good riding life. His low-80s changeup is an advanced pitch for his age and helps him disrupt hitters’ timing, while his curveball is a pitch he has some feel for but is more notable for his ability to control it than its raw movement.Â

Wilner Berroteran, RHP, Angels

The Angels signed Berroteran out of Venezuela for $220,000 and the 17-year-old pitched effectively in his pro debut with a 1.64 ERA, 23 strikeouts and eight walks in 22 innings

At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, he sports a frame with room for growth that should allow him to add velocity to a fastball that sits at 89-92 mph and touches 93. Heâ€s a good athlete who repeats his mechanics to throw strikes and shows feel to spin a slider.Â

Stuff & Projection, But Control Needs Work

Kelvin Zapata, LHP, Orioles

When teams were scouting Zapata as an amateur, he was a wiry 6-foot-1 lefty with a fastball that scraped 89 mph. The Orioles signed him for $287,500, and his velocity has spiked since signing.

Zapata, 17, now sits in the low 90s and reaches 96 mph from a low release height with the look of a pitcher who should be able to squeeze out a few more ticks to reach the upper 90s. He has good feel for a mid-80s slider that spins in the 2,400-2,700 rpm range and misses a lot of bats. His upper-80s changeup comes in firm off his fastball, but its sink and fade make it an effective pitch.

Zapata has bat-missing stuff—he struck out 48 in 39 innings—but he will need to improve his control after walking 39 with a 4.62 ERA.Â

Anderson Diaz, LHP, Tigers

The highest bonus for a Venezuelan lefthander this year was the $447,500 the Tigers paid Diaz, who had a 9.00 ERA in 24 innings with 30 strikeouts and 25 walks. Despite the bloated ERA and high walks, there were still plenty of promising traits evident with Diaz this year.

Diaz stands in at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, giving him a projectable frame to grow a fastball thatâ€s already up to 94 mph as a 17-year-old and features good extension that helps it play up. His ability to manipulate multiple bat-missing secondary weapons also stands out, led by a high-spin curveball (2,500-2,800 rpm) with huge depth and a lively changeup.

If he improves his control, the other pieces are there for Diaz to be a starter, but the strike-throwing is still raw.Â

Carlos Alvarez, LHP, Padres

Thereâ€s a lot to dream on with Alvarez—a 17-year-old whose $1 million bonus was the highest of any lefthander this year—even though the results werenâ€t good.

Alvarez touched 93 mph before signing, then in the DSL sat in the low 90s and reached 95 with a mix of four- and two-seam fastballs. Heâ€s 6-foot-5, 200 pounds—a huge frame that screams projection for a pitcher who should eventually get into the upper 90s to go with long limbs that help him generate good extension.

Alvarez’s breaking ball was his most effective offspeed pitch as an amateur, but in his pro debut he leaned more on the changeup, which got better results with lively fade. Thereâ€s more upside for his changeup to improve once he mirrors his fastball release point more consistently.

The stuff and projection with Alvarez stand out, but he had more walks (31) than strikeouts (23) in 23 innings and a 9.78 ERA, so thereâ€s still a long way to go in terms of touch and control.Â

Omar Damian, RHP, Astros

Damian had a 5.17 ERA in 38.1 innings with 24 walks, six hit batsmen and threw 19 wild pitches. He will need to dial in his control, but there were a lot of things still to like with what Damian showed this year.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $397,500, Damian is on the younger end of the class—he turned 17 in July—and has lots of space left to fill out his wiry 6-foot-2 frame. He already has seen his fastball rise from tickling 90 mph coming into the year to now sitting in the low 90s and reaching 95. Thereâ€s another gear that should be in there with his fastball, which already plays well thanks to 20-plus inches of induced vertical break. His changeup is a potential plus pitch thatâ€s ahead of his curveball.Â

Raudy Reyes, RHP, Braves

Reyes emerged later in the scouting process throwing north of 100 mph as a 16-year-old with a physically mature 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame. With a huge fastball and shaky control, he drew a $1,797,500 bonus from the Braves, making him by far the highest-paid Latin American pitcher this year.

Reyes looked about as expected in the DSL, where he pitched at 94-98 mph and touched 100 with good carry on his fastball. Some scouts had concerns about Reyes†secondary stuff as an amateur, but the progress of his mid-80s slider, which spins around 2,600 rpm, has been encouraging.

Reyes pitches with a lot of effort and is figuring out how to repeat his release point to throw more strikes. He had a 3.67 ERA and struck out 35 in 27 innings, but he also walked 29 and uncorked 11 wild pitches. There’s a high probability he ends up a bullpen arm.Â

Diego Perez, RHP, White Sox

On the surface, Perez didnâ€t have a standout year, as he logged a 5.12 ERA and 33-22 K-BB mark in 31.2 innings. But he was one of the younger signings this year—he turned 17 on July 3—and threw one of the better curveballs in the DSL.

A later addition to the White Sox class and signed for $80,000, Perez is a wiry 6-foot righthander who pitches off a riding fastball thatâ€s up to 93 mph. The separator for Perez is a big-breaking curveball that has tight rotation, good depth and misses a lot of bats. He also throws a changeup thatâ€s still in its infancy.

Small-Sample Arms

Adrian Torres, LHP, Dodgers

For some scouts, Torres was the best lefthander available in the 2025 international class when the Dodgers signed him out of Panama for $362,500.

After pitching in the upper 80s for much of the scouting process as an amateur, he coming into his signing date reaching 96 mph, and in the DSL, he hit 97. Itâ€s already a huge fastball for a 17-year-old lefty and thereâ€s room for him to add more velocity as he fills out his 6-foot-3 frame.

Torres throws a high-spin slider (above 2,800 rpm at times) with good depth and sweep to project as a potential out pitch. Control, however, plagued him in the DSL, where he had a 7.71 ERA with more walks (15) than strikeouts (9) in 9.1 innings over five outings.Â

Adrian Peña, RHP, Marlins

Do you like 6-foot-7 righthanders who throw 99 mph at 17? Peña should be throwing north of 100 soon with lots of space left to fill out his lanky frame and add to an already-electric fastball that shows good carry from his high arm slot.

Signed for $400,000 out of the Dominican Republic, Peña is still developing feel for his secondary stuff and will need to throw a lot more strikes—understandable for a pitcher his age with extremely long limbs heâ€s still learning to coordinate—after he walked 13 batters in 8.2 innings.Â

Sadbiel Delzine, RHP, Red Sox

Delzine made just three starts in the DSL, but there was a lot to like in his brief look.

Signed for $500,000—the top bonus for a Venezuelan pitcher this year—Delzine is 6-foot-6, 200 pounds with a fastball that sat 93-95 mph, touched 96 and should have upper-90s or better velocity in his future. Itâ€s a good combination of size, athleticism and power stuff with feel to spin a curveball in the 2,400-2,700 rpm range along with a shorter slider and a changeup to give him a starter look.Â

Yordan Rodriguez, RHP, Athletics

In Cuba in 2023, Rodriguez led the countryâ€s 15U national league with 58 strikeouts in 47.1 innings. Signed this year for $400,000, Rodriguez has good physical projection remaining in his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame and starter traits, but the Aâ€s used him judiciously in a relief role. The 17-year-old posted a 2.93 ERA with 20 strikeouts and eight walks in 15.1 innings, pitching off a fastball that had reached 92 mph coming into the year but was up to 96 in the DSL.

Rodriguez has a low-effort delivery with good extension and tight rotation on a slider he spins at 2,500-2,800 rpm to miss a lot of bats when heâ€s able to corral the pitch.

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