Blue Jays: Recapping the offseason’s international signings
Recapping the Blue Jays’ international signings from the 2018 offseason, including a host of young pitchers from various Central American countries.
The Blue Jays made a ton of international signings this offseason, inking a plethora of young arms to minor-league deals ahead of the 2019 season. Having a strong presence in the international market is crucial to succeeding long-term in today’s baseball climate, and the Blue Jays are among the leaders in that department.
Though there isn’t much public information available about these young pitchers, here is a short recap of the names that’ll be joining the minor-league system in 2019:
Note: All information is taken directly from MLB.com’s transactions page; per Baseball America, no signing bonuses for Venezuelan players were able to be published.
RHP Fernando Chacon
Age: 17
Born: Valencia, Venezuela
Date Signed: October 3, 2018
RHP Joneivy Polonia
Age: 16
Born: Bonao, Dominican Republic
Date Signed: October 13, 2018
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RHP Winder Garcia
Age: 17
Born: Caracas, Venezuela
Date Signed: October 30, 2018
RHP Edgar Castro
Age: 17
Born: San Felipe, Venezuela
Date Signed: October 30, 2018
LHP Alcindo Pontes
Age: 16
Born: La Guaira, Venezuela
Date Signed: October 30, 2018
RHP Pedro Acosta
Age: 17
Born: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Date Signed: November 21, 2018
RHP William Gaston
Age: 22
Born: La Habana, Cuba
Date Signed: December 20, 2018
Additional Information: More information on Gaston (cousin of Tampa Bay Rays prospect Sandy Gaston) can be found here.
LHP Junior A. Guzman
Age: 19
Born: Caracas, Venezuela
Date Signed: December 20, 2018
RHP Francis Mercedes
Age: 19
Born: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Date Signed: March 5, 2019
Signed before conclusion of the 2018 season (date signed in brackets): LHP Wilgenis Alvarado, C Javier D’Orazio, DH Willfrann Astudillo, C Gary David, LHP Yaifer Perdomo, RHP Jorman Gonzalez, IF Gustavo Gutierrez, OF Abner King, IF Leonal Callez, IF Adrian Montero (July 2, 2018), CF Juan Pizarro (July 3), LHP Argeny Ortiz (Sept. 13) and RHP Jose Quintana (Sept. 17)