There's been plenty of hype this week on Yoenis Cespedes, a Cuban center fielder who defected this summer and could command Aroldis Chapman money or more. But yesterday, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez provided more interesting names.
19-year-old outfielder Jorge Soler and 23-year-old right-hander Armando Rivero participated in a showcase at the Yankees' complex in Boca Chica last week. Like Cespedes, both players are in the process of becoming eligible to play in the United States.
One year ago, Baseball America's John Manuel had this to say about Soler: "Soler has a strapping 6-foot-3, 205-pound body and has five-tool potential. Soler has bat speed and what one scout called 'explosive power' to go with above-average arm strength." He's on the Yankees' radar, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. Sanchez writes that Rivero "features a slider, split-finger fastball, sinker and changeup in his repertoire and reached 98 mph with his fastball in the showcase." King says he's viewed as a reliever.
Sanchez notes that outfielders Henry Urrutia and Gerald Sanchez and lefty Omar Luis also participated in the showcase.
