9 MLB Teams With Strong 2025 International Signing Classes

A season of official games behind us gives us a better picture of how teams fared with their 2025 international signings.

The signing period opened this year on Jan. 15, with most players getting their first pro experience in the Dominican Summer League. We have reports on players as amateurs from when they signed, but the DSL provides a better barometer to evaluate their current talent level and how they project, especially given how early clubs are agreeing to sign players and how that limits other teams’ ability to scout them as amateurs.

Projecting players who mostly played this year at 17 or even 16 and are several years from reaching the big leagues isn’t a precise exercise. Sign a Framber Valdez for $10,000 who turns into a perennial Cy Young candidate, and it’s a great signing class even if all the team’s big-money signings are busts. We do have a better sense now, though, of which teams are off to strong starts with their 2025 signings.

Below, we’ve compiled a rundown of organizations with encouraging early returns on their international signings this year. There are a couple of teams on this list largely because of one player. For example, if shortstop Elian Peña turns into Rafael Devers for the Mets or if Blue Jays shortstop/third baseman Juan Sanchez or Braves center fielder Diego Tornes develop into stars, the signing classes for those teams will be a huge success. For most of these teams, there’s at least one headliner of the group and a host of quality prospects beyond their main guy.

Here are nine teams with strong early returns on their international signings for 2025.

Kansas City Royals

Coming into 2025, we expected righthander Kendry Chourio to be one of the elite pitching prospects in the Dominican Summer League. That proved true—at least until the Royals promoted him to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, then to Low-A Columbia, an incredible acceleration for a 17-year-old who signed for $247,500 in January. The Venezuelan righthander has long been an elite strike-thrower, but his stuff spiked before signing and has continued to get better since. His arsenal is led by a fastball that touches 98 mph, a high-spin curveball and an advanced changeup to give him a starter look.

Chourio and Dominican righthander Freddy Contreras (signed for $147,500) make for one of the most exciting pitching prospect duos any team signed this year. Contreras, who is 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, doesn’t jump out physically, but he just turned 17 on Aug. 10, so he pitched nearly the entire DSL season as a 16-year-old. He’s also another pitcher whose stuff has trended up over the past year. Signed as a pitchability righthander whose fastball would touch the low 90s coming into the year, Contreras now sits in the mid 90s and touches 98 mph with a fastball that has good carry. He’s also shown a curveball and changeup that both got a high dose of swing-and-miss this season.

Among position players, 17-year-old shortstop Ramcell Medina showed a good mix of hitting ability, athleticism and physical upside. Signed for $947,500 out of the Dominican Republic, Medina hit .260/.398/.404 in 186 plate appearances, showing a mature approach for his age to control the strike zone and the barrel maneuverability that helped him make frequent contact. He will need to grow into more power, but his lean 6-foot-2 frame offers significant physical projection.

Kansas City’s biggest international bonus went to Dominican shortstop Warren Calcaño, who signed for $1,847,500. Calcaño stood out as an amateur for his defensive actions, instincts and arm strength. He was off to a strong start in the DSL but had his season cut short by injury after hitting .346/.514/.538 in 35 plate appearances.

Venezuelan catcher Moises Marchan is another name to know. An athletic catcher who projects to stick behind the plate, Marchan hit .296/.369/.388 in 31 games, though he will need to get stronger to do more damage.

Boston Red Sox

Center fielder Harold Rivassigned for $950,000 and showed why he was one of the top prospects this year out of Venezuela. Rivas is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with quick-twitch athleticism, plus speed, a plus arm and excellent defensive instincts to project as a plus-or-better defender at a premium position. He hit .258/.393/.384 in 196 plate appearances, drawing as many walks (35) as strikeouts. He made consistent quality contact and could grow into a 20-plus home run hitter once he learns to drive the ball in the air to his pull side more often.

Dominican shortstop Hector Ramos ($500,000) was one of the more well-rounded prospects in the DSL. He hit .254/.384/.443 in 151 plate appearances, showing good hand-eye coordination at the plate and in the field, where he has good actions and above-average arm strength. He’s a 6-foot-1, 175-pound switch-hitter who put together consistent quality at-bats, made frequent contact and has the physical projection to grow into a 15-20 home run hitter.

Dorian Soto drew Boston’s biggest bonus ($1.4 million) this year, and the 17-year-old Dominican shortstop hit .307/.362/.428 in 186 plate appearances. There’s explosiveness to his bat speed and a big frame (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) with room to get even more physical and grow into plus-or-better raw power. He played shortstop this season but probably ends up at third base or an outfield corner at higher levels.

Two lower-dollar signings—Jostin Ogandofrom the Dominican Republic and Jhorman Bravo from Venezuela—emerged as intriguing sleepers. Ogando is a physical righthanded hitter (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) who has the most raw power of any hitter the Red Sox signed this year and some of the best power of any hitter in the DSL, as his exit velos were up to 114 mph as a 17-year-old. But he’s limited defensively, with most of his time coming at first base and occasional action in the outfield corners. Bravo didn’t light it up with his slash line—he hit .241/.328/.336—but he struck out in just 6.7% of his 134 plate appearances, a testament to his bat control, albeit with limited power.

Venezuelan righthander Sadbiel Delzine made just three starts, but showed high-end stuff for a 17-year-old. He has a fastball up to 96 mph and feel to spin multiple breaking pitches, with the look of a pitcher who could end up throwing 100 mph once he fills out his huge 6-foot-6 build.

Miami Marlins

The Marlins signed shortstop Andrew Salas for $3.7 million and moved him extremely aggressively, skipping him over not just the Dominican Summer League but also the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. Instead, Salas went to Low-A Jupiter, where as a 17-year-old who would be a high school junior in the United States, he understandably struggled. He hit .186/.319/.245 in 453 plate appearances. A lack of strength limited his offensive output, though his selective approach led to 72 walks, which tied for fourth in the Florida State League.

Even setting Salas aside, the Marlins have a promising class. Miami spent more heavily on pitching relative to other teams in 2025 and came away with an outstanding group of young arms.

It starts with Dominican righthander Kevin Defrank, who got $560,000—the No. 3 bonus for any Latin American pitcher signed this year. Defrank didn’t turn 17 until Aug. 11, so he pitched nearly the full DSL season as a 16-year-old. Even so, he stood out for his physicality (6-foot-5, 205 pounds), stuff and results, posting a 3.19 ERA with a 34-10 K-BB mark in 31 innings. His fastball sits at 95-98 mph and touches 100. He throws a firm changeup around 88-90 mph for which he shows advanced feel with good fading action. He also throws a short-breaking slider in the mid 80s.

Righthander Pedro Montero, signed out of the Dominican Republic for $35,000, had a 3.00 ERA, 44 strikeouts and 14 walks in 36 innings as an 18-year-old. He’s a quick-twitch athlete with a wiry 6-foot-1 frame and a fast arm from a low-effort delivery. He came into the year with a fastball touching 94 mph but now reaches 97 with good carry. He complements it with a sweeper that has tight rotation and typically gets 14-15 inches of horizontal break. He also throws a changeup that’s a third pitch, but he shows feel for it, as well.

The Marlins paid $350,000 to sign 17-year-old Cuban righthander Adriano Marrero, who held down a 3.82 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 12 walks in 33 innings. Marrero is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds and saw a slight uptick in his velocity this summer to reach 94 mph with the physical projection for more to come. It’s an east-west attack, and he generates tremendous wiggle on his sinker/sweeper combination. He throws a sinker that averages 18-19 inches of horizontal break and a 3,000+ rpm sweeper that bends 23 inches in the opposite direction.

Righthander Adrian Peña, a $400,000 signing from the Dominican Republic, is 6-foot-7, 195 pounds at 17, touches 99 mph and has the look of a pitcher who should be throwing triple digits in the near future. He pitched three brief outings in June, then came back and made a couple of quick appearances in August, so he only threw 8.2 innings and walked 13 batters. He will have to prove his durability and improve his control, but there’s plenty of upside to dream on.

Much of the Marlins’ top talent in their 2025 international class is in their pitching, but Venezuelan switch-hitting shortstop Luis Arana looks like a bargain for $30,000. Arana hit .297/.419/.476 with five home runs and more walks (30) than strikeouts (18) in 227 plate appearances. At 5-foot-10, he isn’t that big, but he’s an explosive athlete and a contact machine with a good sense of the strike zone, plus speed and a plus-plus arm.

Houston Astros

The Astros did well with their top signing, but their 2025 class has quality beyond Cuban outfielder Kevin Alvarez, who got $2 million. Alvarez is the headliner of the group, though, and he hit .301/.419/.455 with 23 walks and 19 strikeouts in 192 plate appearances. He’s a lefty with a polished, high-contact bat and a hit-over-power profile, though at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, there’s plenty of space left for Alvarez to fill out and grow into bigger power in his prime.

Sami Manzueta trained in the same program as Alvarez as an amateur, though he was a later addition to Houston’s class when the Astros signed him for $847,500. Manzueta’s overall slash line doesn’t leap out—he hit .224/.405/.392 in 195 plate appearances—but he walked (42) more than he struck out (36), hit five home runs and played the entire season as a 16-year-old. He has a medium build (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) and consistently took quality at-bats with an advanced approach for his age to go with good plate coverage. He played a bit at shortstop but spent most of his time at second and third base, which are positions he’s more likely to play at higher levels.

Venezuelan center fielder Anthony Millan combined sharp defense at a premium position and a promising foundation for a 17-year-old hitter. Millan hit .279/.407/.419 in 167 plate appearances, making consistent contact with a quick righthanded swing. His flatter bat path lends itself more toward line drives than big loft power, but there’s sneaky raw power in there that he could unlock more in games with adjustments.

On the mound, Dominican righthander Omar Damian had a 5.17 ERA and 5.6 walks per nine innings, but he struck out 48 in 38.1 innings, showing the mix of stuff and projection that helped him draw a $397,500 bonus. His fastball has jumped from touching 90 mph when he signed to now sitting in the low 90s and reaching 95. There’s more strength projection remaining in his lean 6-foot-2 frame for him to add even more velocity, especially for a pitcher who just turned 17 in July. He’s also adept at changing speeds, especially with a changeup that flashes plus potential.

A 19-year-old from Mexico, righthander Juan Fraide didn’t miss a ton of bats, but he drew a promotion to the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and showed promising raw stuff. At 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, he isn’t that big, either, but his fastball touches 97 mph. He has feel to spin multiple breaking balls above 3,000 rpm, including a curveball and two versions of a slider, one of which has wider sweeping action.

Los Angeles Angels

Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Davalillo showed one of the best combinations of contact and impact of any hitter in the DSL. Signed for $2 million—the highest bonus for any catcher in 2025—Davalillo hit .302/.408/.518 in 169 plate appearances with 23 walks, 21 strikeouts and seven home runs. He takes an aggressive righthanded swing looking to do damage and has the hand-eye coordination to make contact at a high clip. There’s potential plus raw power, as well, with a chance to be a 20-25 home run hitter. Listed at 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, Davalillo has a heavy frame he will have to work on to improve his mobility. With 10 passed balls in just 16 games behind the plate, he will also need to bring along his blocking. But Davalillo’s high baseball IQ, hands and above-average arm strength are all assets behind the plate.

A switch-hitting shortstop signed out of the Dominican Republic for $900,000, Yilver De Paula only played in 10 games, but he impressed while on the field, hitting .387/.525/.484. He’s an athletic, quick-twitch shortstop with above-average speed and arm strength who defends his position well. He also boasts a mature offensive approach for his age with a high-contact bat and mostly gap power.

Yojancel Cabrera signed out of the Dominican Republic for $400,000 after training as a shortstop, but he moved to right field in the DSL. The Angels signed him because of his offensive ability and that was on display in 2025, as he hit .339/.445/.472 in 219 plate appearances. He turned 17 in June, so he’s on the younger end of the class. There is significant projection left in his 6-foot-2 frame and the bat speed to drive the ball with potentially average-or-better power from the left side.

On the mound, 17-year-old Venezuelan righthander Wilner Berroteran maintained a 1.64 ERA with a 23-8 K-BB mark in 22 innings. He mixed four- and two-seamers in the low 90s up to 93 mph with more velocity that should come given his projectable 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame. He also mixes a low-80s slider for which he shows feel to spin as his best swing-and-miss pitch.

Minnesota Twins

Dominican outfielder Teilon Serrano was a late addition to Minnesota’s class for $847,500 and became one of the more dangerous power hitters in the DSL. He hit .258/.386/.426 in 189 plate appearances. And while he did strike out at a 25% clip, if he can keep his contact to a manageable rate, there’s plenty of explosiveness behind his lefthanded swing to grow into a 25-plus home run hitter. At 6 feet, 200 pounds, Terrano is strong, athletic and shows a solid sense of the strike zone for a 17-year-old. He’s a plus runner who spent most of his time in center field, though with the way he’s built, he could slow down and fit in a corner.

Venezuelan righthander Santiago Castellanos was one of the best pitchers signed in 2025. The recipient of a $247,500 bonus, Castellanos, who’s on the younger end of the class having turned 17 in July, is 5-foot-11 with big stuff, pitching off a fastball that has good carry that he dials up to 97 mph. He throws an upper-70s curveball that spins in the 2,400-2,500 rpm range and generates an abundance of empty swings. Castellanos held down a 2.79 ERA over 29 innings with 36 strikeouts and nine walks.

Venezuelan shortstop Haritzon Castillo, signed for $947,500 and lived up to his reputation as a hitter who rarely swings and misses. A 17-year-old switch-hitter, Castillo batted .283/.395/.428 in 167 plate appearances with 24 walks and 22 strikeouts, stringing together consistent quality at-bats and outstanding barrel accuracy, especially when swinging at strikes. He’s 5-foot-10, 175 pounds and doesn’t project to be a huge power threat, though he showed more impact than Santiago Leon, another high-contact Venezuelan shortstop and big Twins signing this year.

Outfielder Joyner Perez is an intriguing mid-range signing ($397,500). He has limited defensive value—he mostly played left field with some time at first base—but he continued building upon what was a strong offensive track record as an amateur. Perez, a righthanded hitter who is 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, batted .313/.457/.494 in 105 plate appearances.

San Francisco Giants

There are some classes that look like their outcome will depend heavily on one player. That’s the case with the Giants, who signed Dominican shortstop Josuar Gonzalez—a player many scouts considered the best Latin American prospect in the 2025 class—for $2,997,500.

Gonzalez is athletic, explosive and a plus-plus runner with a quick first step and acrobatic defense at shortstop. His explosiveness is evident in the batter’s box with his hand speed, and it translated in games with a .288/.404/.455 line in 228 plate appearances to go with four home runs, 37 walks and 36 strikeouts. A lean, 5-foot-11 switch-hitter, Gonzalez’s tools were easy to see as an amateur, but the boxes he checks as a hitter with his swing, contact skills from both sides, ability to stay within the strike zone and power—including exit velocities up to 110 mph—have already vaulted him into becoming a Top 100 Prospect in the game.

Venezuelan catcher Miguel Caraballo, who signed for $172,500, hit .264/.432/.442 with five home runs in 169 plate appearances. A switch-hitter at 6 feet, 190 pounds, Caraballo has some swing-and-miss to his game, but he also showed some of the best power of any catcher in the DSL. That’s especially intriguing given that he played all season as a 16-year-old.

New York Mets

The Mets spent $5 million of their $6,263,767 bonus pool to sign Dominican shortstop Elian Peña. It started ugly. Through his first 31 plate appearances, Peña hit .000/.167/.000. But he flourished after that, finishing at .292/.421/.528 in 228 plate appearances with 36 walks, 36 strikeouts and nine home runs, tied for third in the league.

Peña showed why he received the largest bonus for any Latin American prospect this year and why he’s one of the elite prospects in the DSL. He’s a polished lefthanded hitter who recognizes spin and controls the strike zone. While his swing can get steep at times, he has the hand-eye coordination to help him manipulate the barrel and make contact at a high clip. At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Peña makes plenty of hard contact and looks like a potential 25-plus home run hitter. He played shortstop primarily, though he’s always been an offensive-minded infielder more likely to end up at third or possibly second base.

Most of the success for the Mets’ 2025 international class hinges on what Peña becomes. There isn’t a ton of depth beyond Peña, though 18-year-old Venezuelan righthander Jose Vielmais an intriguing sleeper for $10,000. He’s 6-foot-1 with a fastball up to 95 mph and tight rotation on a slider that generated a lot of empty swings. That said, he finished 2025 with a 6.53 ERA in 20.2 innings.

Detroit Tigers

Dominican center fielder Cris Rodriguez signed for $3,197,500, the No. 3 bonus for a Latin American player in 2025 and the highest for any outfielder. He looked as advertised in his pro debut, showing tantalizing bat speed and power with a free-swinging approach he will have to tame.

Rodriguez hit .308/.340/.564 in 188 plate appearances with 10 home runs that ranked second in the DSL and were the most among 2025 signings. Rodriguez, 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, is an athletic righthanded hitter who has a case that he had the most raw power of any hitter in the league. It’s all-fields power with exit velocities already up to 113 mph for a chance to be a 30-plus home run hitter if everything clicks.

The approach, however, is still scary. He’s a swing-happy hitter who will expand the zone, walking in just 6% of his plate appearances with a 22% strikeout rate. That could ultimately catch up to him at higher levels if he can’t make better swing decisions, but the upside is considerable if he improves his approach.

While Rodriguez is a player of extremes, Angel De Los Santoshas a well-rounded skill set and stood out as one of the top shortstops in the DSL. Signed for $387,500, De Los Santos has a wiry 6-foot-1 frame and is an athletic defender with good range and a strong arm to stick at shortstop. He hit .370/.465/.543 in 99 plate appearances, putting together quality at-bats from the right side of the plate with a good mix of contact skills and plate discipline. It’s a hit-over-power offensive game right now, but De Los Santos showed the ability to drive the ball with surprising authority in his pro debut and could grow into bigger power once he fills out.

The Tigers paid 17-year-old Anderson Diaz $447,500, the highest bonus for any Venezuelan lefthander this year. Diaz did not perform well, but there are still a lot of promising foundational traits in place. He had a 9.00 ERA in 24 innings and struggled with control, posting a 30-25 K-BB mark. However, he’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with significant physical projection remaining to add to a fastball that has trended up to reach 94 mph with good extension. He has feel for two secondary pitches that can be swing-and-miss weapons, including a sharp, big-breaking curveball with tight spin and good depth and a changeup with good fade.