Signings:
| Name | Position | DOB | Country | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlyn Castillo | RHP | 2/24/2002 | Dominican Republic | $1,600,000 |
| Fernando Ortega | RHP | 10/10/2001 | Dominican Republic | $500,000 |
| Joalbert Angulo | LHP | 10/30/2001 | Venezuela | $425,000 |
| Alexeis Azuaje | 2B | 4/24/2002 | Venezuela | $450,000 |
| Andrick Nava | C | 10/6/2001 | Venezuela | $400,000 |
| Javier Vina | C | 3/25/2002 | Venezuela | $300,000 |
| Kelvin Pichardo | SS | 10/15/2001 | Dominican Republic | $100,000 |
| Victor Diaz | C | 11/25/2001 | Dominican Republic | $250,000 |
| Eiberson Castellano | RHP | 5/9/2001 | Venezuela | |
| Wilson Gherbaz | RHP | 9/30/2000 | Venezuela | |
| Jonathan Rivas | RHP | 9/1/2001 | Venezuela | |
| Luis Vegas | RHP | 8/5/2001 | Venezuela | |
| Neykar Ibarra | LHP | 3/30/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Jeury Corona | OF | 9/7/2001 | Dominican Republic | |
| Reiberth Gil | OF | 4/9/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Leandro Pineda | OF | 6/4/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Chi-Ling Hsu | RHP | 8/9/1999 | Taiwan | |
| Bruce Wang | C | 9/6/1999 | China | |
| Hermes Astudillo | RHP | 3/2/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Cristofer Adames | RHP | 8/31/1999 | Dominican Republic | |
| Joel Valdez | LHP | 4/28/2000 | Dominican Republic | |
| Carlos Rondon | SS | 4/18/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Ezequiel Ventura | RHP | 6/20/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Carlo Reyes | RHP | 7/4/1998 | Dominican Republic | |
| Victor Cairo | C | 4/17/2001 | Venezuela | |
| Jose Guaramaco | RHP | 11/16/2000 | Venezuela | |
| Derek Escobar | OF | 1/28/2002 | Cuba | |
| Carlos Valero | RHP | 4/10/1999 | Venezuela | |
| Camilo Brazoban | RHP | 10/15/1998 | Dominican Republic | |
| Erick Brito | SS | 5/25/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Adony Mejia | C | 6/9/2001 | Dominican Republic | |
| Raulyn Blanc | SS | 7/10/2001 | Dominican Republic | |
| Jhongel Malaver | RHP | 1/27/2001 | Venezuela | |
| Christopher Soriano | LHP | 9/17/2001 | Dominican Republic | |
| Jonathan Rodriguez | C | 5/17/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Fausto Pediet | RHP | 12/4/2000 | Dominican Republic | |
| Miguel Tejada Jr. | OF | 12/17/2001 | Dominican Republic | |
| Saul Alcala | RHP | 11/7/2000 | Venezuela | |
| Victor Lopez | RHP | 9/2/1999 | Dominican Republic | |
| Douglas Mijares | RHP | 4/27/2000 | Venezuela | |
| Jonathan Petit | RHP | 4/19/2001 | Venezuela | |
| Fernando Lozano | RHP | 1/11/2000 | Mexico | |
| Camilo Hinestroza | LHP | 1/7/2000 | Panama | |
| Oswald Medina | RHP | 12/2/2001 | Venezuela | |
| Raul Mendoza | RHP | 12/9/2000 | Dominican Republic | |
| Norman Anciani | RHP | 4/23/2002 | Venezuela | |
| Josh Gessner | RHP | 6/25/2000 | Australia | $850,000 |
| Jhorjan Guevara | ||||
| Uziel Vilora |
Bonus Pool: $3,949,000
Pool Spent: ~$3,925,000
Baseball America International Review
- Starlyn Castillo, RHP, Dominican Republic
- Fernando Ortega, RHP, Dominican Republic
- Joalbert Angulo, LHP, Venezuela
- Alexeis Azuaje, 2B, Venezuela
- Andrick Nava, C, Venezuela
- Javier Vina, C, Venezuela
- Kelvin Pichardo, SS, Dominican Republic
- Victor Diaz, C, Dominican Republic
- Eiberson Castellano, RHP, Venezuela
- Wilson Gherbaz, RHP, Venezuela
- Jonathan Rivas, RHP, Venezuela
- Luis Vegas, RHP, Venezuela
- Neykar Ibarra, LHP, Venezuela
- Jeury Corona, OF, Dominican Republic
- Reiberth Gil, OF, Venezuela
- Chi-Ling Hsu, RHP, Taiwan
- Leandro Pineda, OF, Venezuela
- Bruce Wang, C, China
- Hermes Astudillo, RHP, Venezuela
- Cristofer Adames, RHP, Dominican Republic
- Joel Valdez, LHP, Dominican Republic
- Carlos Rondon, SS, Venezuela
- Ezequiel Ventura, RHP, Venezuela
- Carlo Reyes, RHP, Dominican Republic
- Victor Cairo, C, Venezuela
- Jose Guaramaco, RHP, Venezuela
- Derek Escobar, OF, Cuba
- Carlos Valero, RHP, Venezuela
- Camilo Brazoban, RHP, Dominican Republic
- Erick Brito, SS, Venezuela
- Adony Mejia, C, Dominican Republic
- Jhongel Malaver, RHP, Venezuela
- Christopher Soriano, LHP, Dominican Republic
- Jonathan Rodriguez, C, Venezuela
- Fausto Pediet, RHP, Dominican Republic
- Miguel Tejada Jr., OF, Dominican Republic
- Josh Gessner, RHP, Australia
Rumored Signings:
- Starlyn Castillo – RHP – 5’11” 203lbs
- Generally, the top 16-year-old pitching prospects in the Dominican Republic are wiry, athletic pitchers with quick arm speed and the potential to throw harder once they fill out. Castillo is different. While he’s not that tall, Castillo is built like a young linebacker with a physically mature frame, a wide back, strong legs and little physical projection remaining. He’s also the hardest thrower his age in the Dominican Republic and one of the hardest throwers in the 2018 class, with a fastball that reached 97 mph shortly before his 16th birthday when he pitched in the MLB international showcase in February. and struck out four of the nine batters he faced. His fastball sat at 92-96 mph that day, up a bit from where it had been previously. Between that event and the MLB Dominican national showcase in November, Castillo struck out seven of the 17 batters he faced. Castillo’s fastball alone is enough to overpower most hitters his age. He’s more than just a thrower, flashing feel for a power breaking ball and a solid changeup at times, though they are both inconsistent and disappear on him at times. His control is the same, as he’s a solid strike-thrower sometimes but can be erratic at others when he flies open with his front side. Castillo hasn’t shown the same level of pitchability as fellow 2018 righthanders Osiel Rodriguez and Richard Gallardo, and while he doesn’t match Cuban righthander Sandy Gaston’s pure velocity, Castillo throws more strikes and has better secondary stuff than Gaston. Castillo is projected to be the top-paid Dominican pitcher this year with a bonus likely around $1.5 million. He trains with Mejia and is expected to sign with the Phillies. (Baseball America)
- Castillo, who started the first game of the showcase, is expected to land a bonus north of $1 million next year and will likely be the top-paid pitcher in the market, though the emergence of Cuban righthander Osiel Rodriguez could change that. Castillo has a strong frame with a thick lower half, so while he’s relatively filled out already for a 15-year-old, he has some of the best present stuff in the class. At the MLB showcase, batters went 1-for-8 against Castillo, who struck out three, hit one batter and didn’t walk anyone. Castillo’s fastball parked at 91 mph and reached 93. He has topped out a tick higher than that in previous outings. He mixed in a solid slider for his age in the low-80s and generally threw strikes. – Ben Badler (Baseball America)
- Gaston and Castillo, who turned 16 shortly after the showcase on Feb. 24, both blew up the radar gun. Castillo sat at 92-96 mph and hit 97 once, with armside run and late riding life when he pitched up in the zone. He generates velocity with a quick arm and strong legs on a relatively filled out, physically mature frame for his age.Castillo showed a tremendous fastball for his age and did strike out four of the nine hitters he faced, but he threw scattered strikes with bouts of wildness and lacked feel for his slider. The Phillies are the favorites to sign Castillo, whose bonus is expected to end up in the $1.5 million area. – Ben Badler (Baseball America)
- Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50
Here’s what we know about Castillo: His fastball has been clocked at 97 mph and many scouts believe he has the best arm in the class. Whether he is the best overall pitcher is up for debate.
Castillo’s fastball usually sits in the 93-96 mph range and he has an emerging changeup and slider. Like many young prospects with a strong arm, Castillo can sometimes overthrow his pitches up in the strike zone, but he’s working on his command. He’s still learning how to mix all of his pitches and command the zone.
Castillo has a reputation for being a competitive and extremely confident pitcher. He is fearless, which means like many pitchers his age, he is still learning how to channel his emotions on the mound. The talented pitcher will do well once he enters a team’s academy and receives daily instruction.
Castillo is from Pimentel, Dominican Republic, and trains with Luis Pereira. The Phillies are the front-runners to sign him. (#8 MLB Pipeline)
- Fernando Ortega – RHP – 6’4″ 161lbs
- Ortega has a tall, skinny build that screams projection. He already throws 87-91 mph and has topped out at 93 mph. With Ortega’s loose arm action, quick arm speed and room to add another 50 pounds or more, he could reach the upper-90s eventually. Ortega has a good assortment of offspeed pitches as well. He throws his curveball in the mid-70s with sharp break, good shape and tight rotation. When he snaps it right out front, it can be a putaway pitch. Ortega’s low-80s changeup is also advanced for his age. It’s inconsistent but it has good fade, with the confidence to throw it to both lefties and righties. With three pitches that have a chance to be average or better in the future, Ortega has the arsenal of a starter. His control, however, will have to improve. Similar to a lot of long, lanky, physically underdeveloped young pitchers, Ortega has trouble repeating his delivery to throw from a consistent release point, so at times his control escapes him. Just getting stronger should help somewhat with Ortega’s ability to keep his mechanics together better and throw more strikes. Ortega trains with Chapita and is expected to sign with a Phillies for a bonus just north of $500,000. (Baseball America)
- Ortega started the showcase struggling with his control. After getting a groundout to third base to start his day, he walked three straight hitters. Then he settled in, getting a flyout to center field followed by three straight strikeouts to end his outing, including shortstops Alejandro Pie and Noelvi Marte back-to-back. In all, Ortega was arguably the most impressive pitcher of the group, with a lot of arrows pointing in the right direction. He has a tall, underdeveloped frame. Once Ortega gets stronger, that should help him repeat his delivery better to throw more strikes. At 16, Ortega already throws 87-91 mph. Given his arm speed and plenty of room to add weight to his frame, Ortega should gain more velocity over the next few years. Ortega’s secondary pitches also stuck out. His best offspeed weapon was his curveball, a swing-and-miss pitch in the mid-70s with sharp break and good shape. His changeup was inconsistent but he showed feel for that pitch too, getting a swing-and-miss on it against righthanded-hitting Agustin Ramirez. – Ben Badler (Baseball America)
- Joalbert Angulo – LHP – 6’5″ 165lbs
- Two years ago on July 2, the Phillies signed a 6-foot-5 righthander, Francisco Morales, for $720,000 from Yasser Mendez’s program. Morales had a promising pro debut in 2017 and is one of the organization’s best young arms. With Angulo, Mendez has another 6-foot-5 pitcher this year who appears likely headed to the Phillies. While Morales had a stronger build when he signed, Angulo is long and extremely lanky with a physically underdeveloped build. Despite his slender frame, Angulo already throws 87-91 mph and has recently topped out at 93. With his arm speed and room to easily add another 50-plus pounds, Angulo could eventually throw in the mid-to-upper 90s, especially as he learns to incorporate his lower half more in his delivery. Angulo has feel for both his breaking ball and changeup. The breaking ball has slurvy, three-quarters break, and scouts are split on which secondary pitch they prefer, but they both flash average or better potential. Angulo has the repertoire of a starter if he can make mechanical adjustments to throw more strikes. Like a lot of young, tall and thin pitchers, Angulo has trouble keeping his long arms and legs in sync in his delivery, so he doesn’t have the body coordination right now to repeat his delivery. Angulo’s athleticism should help him, but it might take time to make adjustments. (Baseball America)
- Alexeis Azuaje – SS – 5’10” 160lbs
- Azuaje, a 15-year-old connected to the Phillies, ran the fastest 60-yard dash at the showcase. Azuaje showed plus-plus speed and good athleticism, making a nice diving catch on a ball hit to his right at shortstop. Azuaje hit solid line drives during batting practice but had trouble making contact in games. – Ben Badler (Baseball America)
- Javier Vina – C
- Andrick Nava – C
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