The day started off slow for international signings for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the news has really picked up at night. The first day of the July 2nd signing period has now seen the Pirates sign four players for six-figure bonuses. The latest one announced by Ben Badler is left-handed pitcher Domingo Robles. He is a 6’2″, 170 pound, 16-year-old from the Dominican. Badler describes him as having good arm action that produces an 87 MPH fastball that has good sink and downhill action to it. He also projects to add velocity in the future. He signed for a $175,000 bonus.
The Pirates have now spent $925,000 on their top four announced picks. That amount equals almost 50% of their total bonus pool for this signing period.