International Free Agent: Luis Guanipa
Major League Baseball has what’s called the “International Signing Period”. It’s the legal window for Major League Baseball teams to sign young international baseball players to a professional baseball contract. Day 1 of the International Signing Period is by far the busiest of calendar days in terms of the number of signings.
Isn’t it odd that the very first day that 16-year old baseball players can sign a contract, they often do?
Don’t fret though, these players have been in talks with MLB teams for extended periods of time leading up to Signing Day, some even for two or three years.
Thanks to the Dodgers for embarking on the international scouting journey in the 1970’s, international free agents are now some of the most anticipated prospects in baseball.
For the longest time, the International Signing Period ran from July 2nd to June 2nd every year. COVID changed all that, shifting the signing period to Jan 15th through December 15th of the same calendar year.
Who is eligible to sign as an International Free Agent?
Any amateur baseball player who legally resides outside of the United States, Canada, & Puerto Rico; who is at least 16 years old & has not attended high school in an MLB Draft-eligible country within the last calendar year (U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico).
The first day of the 2023 International Signing Period came & went on the 15th of January. The Braves used Day No. 1 to sign 21 international free agents. Over the coming weeks I’ll go through each of them as best I can.
As you can imagine, not all of the international prospects have accessible information, scouting reports, video, data, etc.; but I will bring the ones with enough accessible information to you.
Having said that, it’s only right to begin this endeavor with the headline signing for the Atlanta Braves 2023 International Signing Class:
Luis Guanipa
Guanipa is a 17-year old outfielder from Venezuela. Right now he’s 5’9” 145 pounds, but he’ll obviously measure differently by the time he reaches MLB, if he makes it. He’s currently the 34th-ranked prospect in the International Prospect Pool according to MLB.com. Nipa is the highest-paid IFA in this years class for the Braves, coming in at $2,500,000. The next-highest paid (reported) was fellow Venezuelan countryman outfielder Carlos Monteverde at $700,000.
Nipa’s an outfielder with plus instincts defensively & speed to track balls in the gaps. He swings VIOLENTLY, in an almost spitting image of his Venezuelan Braves predecessor Ronald Acuña Jr.
His tools suggest he’ll stick in center field as a big leaguer, but with the numerous contract extensions given out this past season, you have to wonder if there will be an opening for Nipa when he’s ready.
It’s not completely unwise to distance yourself from becoming enamored with Atlanta’s position player prospects until further notice. For the foreseeable future, they’re likely more valuable as trade assets than they are developing through the system as fast as they can.