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One such player for the future is Dominican 16-year-old outfielder Juan Soto. He has not played one game as a professional with the club but is already listed as one of the Nationals' top 30 prospects, according to MLB.com. Soto is ranked No. 15. He is not at the early camp, but could be in Florida very soon.The Nationals signed the potential corner outfielder last July for their highest signing bonus for an international prospect in the club's history. Soto is a reported 6-foot-1 and 175 lbs. out of Santo Domingo. Scialabba said the staff is very impressed with the tools Soto brings to the field."He is a natural hitter with good leverage to swing, size, strength," Scialabba said. "He has a short swing, extension through the zone, exciting barrel awareness. You see upside there as a potential impact bat down the road, someone that is just getting his feet wet in professional baseball. He was in the instructional league games last year."The organization has not made a decision yet where Soto will begin this season. The Nationals signed him to a reported $1.5 million signing bonus. It is a large investment, but the club says they like his potential.There is a possibility he would begin in the Dominican Summer League, but the club doesn't want to limit Soto, his age not being a factor. It's all about how good he is at his craft. The Nationals will get a chance to see him play at their facility this spring and that's when they will get a better gauge.
The Nationals signed him to a reported $1.5 million signing bonus. It is a large investment, but the club says they like his potential.
it's decent money, but there are enough deals north of $2 million, that calling it a large investment feels like a stretch
I can't think of many bonuses over $200K, outside of Maya and Smiley.
I'm thinking about in the general scheme of international amateur signings. To me $1.5 million signals a player who should be a good prospect, but is shy of the elite tier. It's nice that they are finally spending internationally, but I'd like to see them target some of the talent at the top of the market
6'3" 180 or 6'1" 175?
Depends on the Afro.
Word is we're the favorites for yasel antuna, the top player out of the DR this upcoming signing period. He's likely to get a $3-$5M bonus
With the potential int'l draft coming soon, this would be the year to blow off the cap. Very good, if true.
are we already in purgatory for having blown the cap on an earlier signing this year? If yes, then it makes sense to double down b/c next year we would not be able to offer any significant bonuses anyway.
There was a report on mlbtraderumors a couple weeks ago mentioning the Nats as one of the teams looking to go big in this next class.We've done well with less heralded guys. Hopefully the same eyes are watching the big names. If we can develop those guys well, the obvious talents could be big time.
going a little LAC here, but I don't see the FO really going above the cap ever (which basically means no signings over ~$2-$2.5M).