The international signing period starts each year on July 2nd and the Pittsburgh Pirates were very busy this year. Just like every previous signing period, there are some players who are announced on July 2nd, then others we find out about down the line. This year, we posted six players in our international signing tracker, all of them being announced on July 3rd. Then last week, the Pirates assigned two players to the GCL Pirates, so we gathered information on them.
Today we got the full list of players signed on July 2nd, which includes another ten names. It’s important to remember that just because no one announced these signings, it doesn’t mean that they are just roster fillers. The Pirates signed 16-year-old pitcher Yeudry Manzanillo for $150,000 last year on July 2nd and there was no information available for him until this February. He has already been to the Fall Instructional League in Bradenton, which is a good indicator that he will start the 2017 season in the U.S.
Here’s a list of the players signed, along with their current age (some players have had birthdays since signing), position, height/weight and country. We will attempt to get more information on these players, but worst case scenario is that we will just have the better players listed in our 2017 Prospect Guide. The links above include information on the other eight players signed, including bonus information where available.
Francis del Orbe, 18 years old, right-handed pitcher, 6’4″, 190, Dominican Republic
Luis Gonzalez, 18 years old, right-handed pitcher, 6’2″, 187, Dominican Republic
John Lantigua, 19 years old, outfielder, 6’1″, 170, Dominican Republic
Jose Marcano, 17 years old, left-handed pitcher, 6’1″, 180, Venezuela
Ronaldo Paulino, 18 years old, third baseman, 6’4″, 200, Dominican Republic
Julio Rosario, 17 years old, right-handed pitcher, 6’2″, 185, Dominican Republic
Pablo Santana, 17 years old, right-handed pitcher, 6’1″, 180, Dominican Republic
Emison Soto, 20 years old, center fielder, 5’9″, 175, Venezuela
Angel Suero, 17 years old, right-handed pitcher, 6’4″, 187, Dominican Republic
Noe Toribio, 17 years old, right-handed pitcher, 6’2″, 185, Dominican Republic
