The most expensive guy this season was Tony Ramirez, who was signed a minor league deal with a $16.5M bonus. Listed as a catcher on the Scranton roster, Ramirez has the potential to be a fantastic player for years to come. Offensively, he does not possess a ton of power, but his eye at the plate, and his knack for making contact with the ball, should help him be a lifetime .300+ hitter at the ML level. In rookie ball this season, he was two points shy of hitting .400, while having more walks than strikeouts. Behind the plate, the 18-year-old has the potential to be one of the best pitch-callers in the history of the Dream League. He helped his pitchers keep an ERA of 3.78, while he caught more than one-third of the attempted base stealers. He doesn't have the strongest or most accurate arm, and he will never play a full 162 game season, but his pros certainly out-weight his cons.
Julio Manzanilla was the second most expensive IFA this season, going to Chicago for a $16.2M bonus. Slightly overrated, Manzanilla was signed early in the season, when many teams had a large sum of money in their prospect pools. Did Chicago get into a bidding war for a player who could have been had for less money later in the season? Maybe. He threw in 19 games this season, compiling a 7-5 record with a 4.07 ERA at the AA level. He pitches well against lefties and righties alike, and has three above average pitches, but his lack of control and his tendency to give up the long-ball are troublesome. He will be a starter in the ML, maybe even a SP1 or SP2, but he will always have those problems following him.
The Red Wings of Rochester signed Jolbert Morales late in the season for $15.1M, before he was assigned to the rookie squad. A 2.74 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 23 innings of work, Morales only managed a 1-2 record in four starts. Great stamina and control, with an outstanding first pitch, Morales could be a solid starter in the ML someday. His splits against righties and lefties are remarkably similar, despite being a right-handed thrower. His groundball/flyball rating is not great, and his lack of velocity might catch up with him at the higher levels, but he should still be a top starter for the Rochester franchise in a few years.
Listed as a catcher, and immediately signed to the ML roster after being given a big league deal with a $15M bonus, Francisco Ortiz is a weird kid. I don't know who the New Orleans brass think they're fooling, but this guy is not a catcher. Maybe a 1B. Maybe a DH. But not a catcher. His pitch calling rating is on par with most LF's, and that's not saying much. In 143 games this season, his pitchers managed a 6.00 ERA, well above the league average. The team did not do well as a whole, but there are some good pitchers on that team, so some of the blame for the high ERA has to lie with the catcher. But.....he can hit the crap out of the ball, and maybe NO is willing to overlook his lack of skill behind the plate, because of his ability AT the plate. He's only 21-years-old, so he still has room to grow, and should be a dominant hitter for NO for many years.
Always looking for offense, Colorado signed a power-hitting 2B in Carlos Mangual. A three-year ML deal with a $12.6M bonus, Mangual hits for power and average, and attacks lefties and righties alike. He lit up the LoA and HiA this season, and should start season 5 at the HiA level. So what are we worried about? His health, for sure. It's just a matter of time before he makes a trip to the DL for an extended period. But IF he can somehow stay healthy, he'll be a very solid player at the ML level someday, especially if he remains in Colorado, which makes average hitters look good, and good hitters look great.
The most interesting signing this season: Javier DeJesus. Scranton signed him with a $0 signing bonus. That's not a typo. $0. Zero dollars. Cero pesos. All DeJesus wanted was a couple million for a bonus. So what did Scranton's management do? They gave him a long-term big league deal, worth $5M per year for five years. He's only 18-years-old, but he already has the skill-set to play at the HiA or AA level, so he should have no problem joining the ML squad by the time he is 21 or 22. If they can extend his contract before he becomes a free agent, they could lock him up all the way through his prime years. And those will be some prime years. Great stamina and control, he is great against righties and above average when it comes to lefties at the plate. His lack of velocity and his tendency to allow batters to put the ball in the air might come back to haunt him, but his pros strongly out weigh his cons. This guy will be a force for years to come, and he will have staying power. If management takes care of him, he'll be an ace well into his 30's.
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