The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed four players out of Colombia, according to El Universal (link in Spanish). Pirates Prospects has learned a bit more about the signings, including the addition of a fifth player. Gustavo Barrios Goez, Fredy Padilla Jr., Jesus Mena, Angelo del Castillo, and Tito Polo were all signed by Orlando Covo and Daniel Espitia, with all five players expected to report to the Pirates’ Dominican facility next month.
Barrios, Mena, and Padilla are all shortstops, while del Castillo and Polo are center fielders. The standouts of the group are Padilla and Polo.
Padilla is a strong hitter who could develop some power as he matures. He’s listed as a shortstop, although his defense is poor, and he might be slated for left field or first base duties down the line, with his bat being the key to his value.
Polo was the player who wasn’t listed in the article. He is a strong hitter, and has plus speed. His arm is only average, which could hurt his value in center field, although his bat/speed combo is a good mix.
Polo was mentioned as signing in an article back in August, reported by Caribe Sports (link in Spanish). Also listed in the article was Richard Mitchell, a right handed pitcher. Pirates Prospects has learned that Mitchell threw 89-91 MPH at the age of 15, although he doesn’t have a quality breaking pitch to pair with the fastball.
Barrios, Mena, and del Castillo are projectable players, with the hope that they develop better tools as they grow and mature.
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement limits all teams to spending $2.9 M in the international market starting on July 2nd. Since these signings took place prior to July 2nd, they don’t count against the 2012 spending cap.
