It's open season on this year's class of July 2nd international prospects and we'll be keeping track of all notable signings. You can get familiar with the top guys this year by checking out the rankings from Baseball America and MLB.com. Here are the latest deals..
- The A's inked Nicaraguan shortstop Jesus Lopez to a $950K contract, tweets John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group. BA has him ranked as the 14th best player in this class and speaks highly of his bat. Lopez has been switch-hitting for only a year or so and some scouts already like his left-handed swing better than his natural right-handed stroke.
- The Angels signed Venezuelan left-hander Ricardo Sanchez for $580K, according to Kiley McDaniel of FOX Sports (via Twitter). BA had him ranked as the No. 27 player in this year's class and says that the undersized Venezuelan lefty reminds scouts of Rays left-hander Alex Torres. Boston also had interest in signing Sanchez.
- The Rangers signed Dominican shortstop Michael de Leon for $550K. The 16-year-old switch-hitter,who is ranked as the No. 26 international prospect by BA, stands at 6'1", 160 pounds and boasts a strong line-drive swing. While he makes the routine plays at shortstop, some scouts think his future could be at second base.
