2012 MLB International Preview

by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

This is a very early look at the players available starting on July 2nd. While there are surely more players that will sign than this, these are the players that I am aware of and what I have seen of them. I will likely have another article with more information about these guys as I learn more, this is just something to whet the appetite a little.

Rank	Name	Pos.	City	Birthday	Bats	Throws	Height	Weight
1	Gustavo Cabrera	OF	La Romana, DR	1/23/1996	Right	Right	6'2"	190
	Speedy with pop in the bat. Good arm, bit of a funky swing but very, very good prospect. Will likely get the largest bonus of the year.
2	Frandi Delarosa	SS	Comendador, DR	1/24/1996	Both	Right	6'1"	180
	Huge ceiling. Good actions up the middle will be plus at 3B or really good at SS. Bat will play at corners. Enormous potential if he can stick at SS.
3	Luis Torrens	3B		5/2/2026	R	R	6'	171
	Very good defensively. Solid bat with a lot of offensive potential.
4	Jairo Beras	OF		12/25/1995
	Somewhat awkward in the field. A lot of moving parts in his swing but huge power potential.
5	Wendell Rijo	SS	La Romana, DR	9/4/2026	Right	Right	5'11"	170
	Carries himself well on the field. Knows how to play the game. Player more than tools.
6	Alexander Palma	OF		10/18/1995	R	R	6'	200
	Smooth swing, good power potential. Solid defensively. One of the more polished players in this years crop.
7	Nathanael Javier	3B	Santo Domingo, DR	10/10/2025	R	Right	6'3"	185
	Nice swing, athletic. Has a few bad habits defensively. Could be very good all around player.
8	Amaurys Minier	3B	San Cristobal, DR	1/30/1996	Both	Right	6'2"	190
	Quick bat creates power. Not sold on the contact ability. Good defense at 3B.
9	Kelyn Jose	P	Nagua, DR	5/19/1995	L	L	6'4"	185
	Big velocity on the lefty. Needs a ton of work but very high ceiling.
10	Yancarlos Baez	SS	San Cristobal, DR	9/21/1995			6'2"	165
	The best defensive outfielder of the class has room to grow at the plate and could be an average or better CF.
11	Deivy Grullon	C	Bonao, DR	2/17/1996	Right	Right	6'	180
	Better defensively than offensively. Bat has potential. If he can hit .26 with 15 homers, he could be a top 15 MLB catcher.
12	Luis Barrera	OF	Tamboril, DR	11/15/1995	Left	Left	6'1"	180
	RAW. He has a lot of potential with the bat but is RAW in all parts of his game. Just awkward defensively. Swings out of his shoes.
13	Jose Pujols	OF	Santo Domingo, DR	9/29/1995	Right	Right	6'3"	175
	Big athletic RF with good arm and range. Plus bat speed will create power but will swing and miss a lot with current swing.
14	Ronny Carvajal	OF	Bani, DR	10/9/2025	Right	Right	6'3"	180
	Will grow into a monster. Should add 4-5 LBS in a few years in the states. Who knows what that will do to him. Power will be his game.
15	Jose Mujica	P		6/29/1996	R	R	6'2	180
	Good arm action. Nice movement on fastball. Not sure about the rest.
16	Branly Crisotomo	P		10/25/1994	R	R	6'1	180
	Polished for a Dominican, he only hits upper 8's on the gun. Need to see what happens before expecting a lot.
17	Julo De La Cruz	3B	Yamasa, DR	10/5/2025	Right	Right	6'1"	190
	Average defensively at 3B. Bat may be light for that spot but he has bat speed and could improve to show more power.
18	Felix Suarez	SS	Santo Domingo, DR	1/9/2025	Right	Right	6'1"	175
	Suarez has solid actions up the middle and could end up as a reliable SS with a solid bat.
19	Euri Minaya	OF		10/11/2025	R	R	6'4"	202
	Has one swing and the ball needs to find his bat. Needs a lot of AB's but could pay off if he can figure things out.
20	Juan Carlos Arias	1B/3B			r	r	6'3"	199
	Big raw power but will likely need to really hit with future 1b profile.
21	Richard Urena	SS	SF Macoris, DR	1/26/1996	Left	Right	6'1"	160
	More of a slap hitter than anything. Looks like a solid ss defensively.
22	Leury Vargas	1B		8/30/1996	Left	Right	6'3"	210
	Massive kid and not overly athletic. Bat plays well and will have to play really well because he is a 1B all the way.
23	Joel Gonzalez	C	San Cristobal, DR	8/1/2026	R	R	6'1"	175
	Very good defensively. Will need to see what the bat does.
24	Franklin Barreto	SS		2/27/1996	Right	R	5'9	174
	ok bat, ok at short. Looks like a utility guy or a 2nd tier 2B at best.
25	Luis Castro	3b		9/19/1995	R	R	6'1"	187
	Future 3B. Not a fan of the bat at this point.
26	Jose Castillo	p		1/10/2025	L	L	6'4	199
	Poor mechanics and upper 8's fastball. Will need work to get anywhere.
27	Juan Uribe	P
28	Ignacio Valdez	OF		7/16/1995			6'3"	185
29	Joaquin DelaCruz	3B	Santo Domingo, DR	10/13/1995	Right	Right	6'3"	170
30	Rafael Santana	OF		10/24/1995	Right	Right	6'	160
31	Rafael Uribe	P
32	Wilfredo Magallanes	P
33	Alberto Uceta	P	Montecristi, DR	9/21/1995	Right	Right	6'2"	170
34	Bienvenido Morales	P	Cibao, DR	6/26/1996	L	L	6'2	170
35	Bryan Munoz	P	Pimentel, DR	7/26/1995	Right	Right	6'0"	187
36	Alberto Sanchez	3B	Oviedo, DR	2/14/1996	Right	Right	6'1"	180
37	Lugo Octavis	SS	Neyba, DR	11/19/1995	Right	Right	6'1"	170
38	Emmanuel Tapia	OF/1B	Santo Domingo, DR	2/26/1996	L	L	6'2"	220
39	Luis Guzman	OF		9/10/2025	L	L	6'	190
40	Jean Carlos Mejia	P	Gaspar Herandez, DR	8/26/1996	Right	Right	6'2"	170
41	Johnny Rodriguez	OF	Mao, DR	7/20/1996	Left	Left	6'3"	170
42	Miguel Munoz	OF	Samana, DR	12/27/1995	Right	Right	6'2"	175
43	Natanael Delgado	OF	Los Cacaos, DR	10/23/1995	Left	Left	6'1"	160
44	Winder Novas	P	Vicente Noble, DR	3/6/2025	Right	Right	6'1"	165
45	Alvaro Castillo	P	Santo Domingo, DR	9/26/1995	Right	Right	6'6"	195
46	Raivy Barias	SS	Bani, DR	9/25/1995	Right	Right	6'1"	175
47	Richard Nunez	C	Santaigo, DR	3/14/1995	Right	Right	6'1	185
48	Andres DeAza	OF		11/17/1994	Right	Right	6'4"	190
49	Angel Heredia	P
50	Angel Moreno	SS		10/13/1995
51	Crucito Mieses	P	Santo Domingo, DR	4/18/1996	Right	Right	6'3"	175
52	Francis Peguero	SS		10/4/2026
53	Francisco Castro	C		1/0/1900
54	Grofi Cruz Martinez	SS		5/3/2026
55	Hector Morales	P
56	Juaquin DelaCruz	3B		10/13/1995
57	Kelvin Esteves	3B		11/17/1995	Right	Right	6'1"	170
58	Luis Castillo	3B		7/12/2025
59	Michael Medina	OF		8/24/1996	Right	Right	6'2	185
60	Natanael Javier	3B		10/10/2025	Right	Right	6'3"	185
61	Neivi Pelier	3B		8/1/2026	Right	Right	6'1"	180
62	Nelson Alvarez	OF		3/10/2025
63	Oliver Toribio	C		6/18/1996	Right	Right	5'10"	175
64	Vicson Graciano	SS		11/23/1995	Both	Right	6'1"	180
65	Yairo Munoz	SS
66	Yamil Echevarria	p	Miami, Fl	9/16/1990		L	6'4"	215

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Comments

Props

on the aggressive Wendell Rijo position. Demerit for Urena write-up. NOT a slap hitter! Currently drives the ball well and is still growing, very advanced approach at plate. Surprisingly strong hands and wrists, so don’t let the frame fool you. Defense is close to enough to Yancarlos Barez’s that the questions about Baez’s bat should drop him behind Urena imo.

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 11:19 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks for the info.

Most of what I see is short video clips. Hard to judge them all well. The swing doesn’t lend itself to power in what I saw but if he drives the balls to gaps, he could have a better bat and be rated much higher.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions

What video are you looking at?

Check Urena’s BP, especially the DPL stuff, and you’ll see strong hands driving through the ball with some good noise. Is it Wendell Rijo-quality BP? No, but Rijo is also a lot closer to physically maxed out. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Urena develop into a more wiry, left-handed Starlin Castro type. There’s lots of room for positive physicial growth with him, and if you read the game reports of the U.S. tour from sources like the Perfect Game Scout Blog, Urena was regularly lauded for being one of the best game hitters, showing better ptich recognition and barrel ability than the toolsier players. The danger is overlooking Urena’s tools because he’s not the typical D.R. stud profile (e.g. 6’3" teenager with room to add 4o lbs of muscle).

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Jhonny Rodriguez might be a little light as well

He has power that belies his frame, and projects big time. It’s easy to get hung up on guys like Minier and Javier because they’re already closing in on their mature physiques.

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I saw a bullpen banter

video. Weight transfer during the swing made me think it wouldn’t work well in game action and if he quieted down, he would loose a lot of his power. Didn’t hit the ball consistently. Just wasn’t a huge fan from that clip.
I can see where some would like him, especially if his in-game results were good.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Well,

I got to see that clip before just about anyone, and you have to remember that that was shot the last day or two of the Spring Tour when most of the kids were gassed, which is exactly why I asked. Do yourself a favor and go watch the DPL video on him (it’s on their site and youtube IIRC) and read the Perfect Game blog on the DPLTour.

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Will do. Thanks.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Pretty short,

but here’s Urena’s DPL vid. I went and watched the Steve’s BB vid again, and the first BP isn’t all that bad, and the fielding is even better than the DPL stuff, with improved throws. Love the athletic position and footwork as he gloves the ball. Very soft hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myCZ_2BB76U&feature=related

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Lots of game reports at PG,

but they ranked and wrote up the the 2012 DPL kids as well. Unlike many DPL prospects his hitting actually shows up in games on a regular basis:

“Urena is the most patient hitter of the DPL hitters and has the best bat control. Most of his hard contact comes up the middle and to the left side, but it wasn’t soft contact, as he drove one ball over the left fielder’s head against a very good Yankees minor league pitcher and consistently drove the ball to the left centerfield gap. He had another at-bat against a Red Sox minor leaguer where he fouled off four straight 2-2 pitches, then took two additional pitches just off the plate to draw the walk.”

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Honestly.

is anyone is a slap hitter right now it’s Delarosa, who is a bit younger than a lot of the class admittedly — I assume this may be a factor in his ranking above as you factor that in significantly IIRC, but then Urena’s DOB is within a few days, so perhaps not. Delarosa is also questionable to stick at SS. Where are you getting that report?

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Jairo Beras

Didn’t he sign with the Rangers already?

by Gunnarthor on May 18, 2025 11:19 AM EDT reply actions

sort of

I think the MLB is still trying to figure this out.

by Cainyoudigit on May 18, 2025 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions

It isn't approved yet.

Not sure if it will get approved or not. Some say he’s 17, others 16.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, but whichever way it goes, he’s not going to be available to be signed on July 2nd or anytime this summer. Either the MLB office will approve the Ranger’s contract or they’ll void it and suspend Beras for a minimum of 3 months (more likely for a full year if past patterns are followed).

My son, Adalberto Mejia. He's got the goods - he just needs a cool nickname.

"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner

by Fla-Giant on May 18, 2025 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Definite lack

of clear impact pitchers this year, and the list speaks to that.

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 11:21 AM EDT reply actions

Some prospects from Curaçao

Juremi Profar,16-year-old in 2012, 5-foot-11, is a switch hitting shortstop prospect out of Curacao. Profar has a very good range as shortstop and is a good hitter with a power bat. Juremi Profar is a true athletic infielder, now shortstop, but as he keeps growing, can be move to the thirdbase. Profar has already a lot of international experience playing at the Littleleague World Series, at Williamsport.

Another prospect from Curacao is Carlton Daal.

Carlton Daal is a 18y/o,6-foot-2,140-pounds, lanky athletic shortstop prospect, who also can play the secondbase. Daal is a smart and natural shortstop with good range and soft hands, who can fly very high playing defence. He has a good bat and ocassional homerun power. Daal has already some international experience playing at the U18 Panamerican Baseball Championship 2011, in Cartagena,Colombia.

Other prospects from Curaçao to watch are;

OF/LHP/1B-Alexander Rodriguez, Trinity Christian Academy LW Florida
OF-Sherman Lacrus, Western Oklahoma State
SS/2B-Sorick Liberia, Western Oklahoma State
C-Phildrick Llewellyn,Trinity Christian Academy LW Florida
SS/2B-Jonathan Polonius, West Virginia University
LHP-Quinton Willems, Curacao

by gio2chat on May 18, 2025 12:01 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks for the info

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Comparison

how would you compare this class to last years class?

by mighty_triton626 on May 18, 2025 1:33 PM EDT reply actions

slightly better

but not a great year.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Already signed - no longer available

16 Branly Crisotomo P 10/25/1994

- SIGNED BY KC Royals ($98.5K) about 3 months ago

35 Bryan Munoz P Pimentel, DR 7/26/1995

- SIGNED BY DODGERS on 3/23 for ???

65 Yairo Munoz SS 1/23/1995

- SIGNED BY OAKLAND ($280k) a few months back

My son, Adalberto Mejia. He's got the goods - he just needs a cool nickname.

"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner

by Fla-Giant on May 18, 2025 1:38 PM EDT reply actions

Good calls

Yairo Munoz was at the 2011 Under Armour game ( as was Ronald Guzman) and signed, and Bryan Munoz signed with the Dodgers toward the end of the DPL Spring Tour. He doesn’t have a ton of projection, but I’d have him a quite a bit higher than 35. Just my opinion.

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah,

past 26, it is more of a list than a ranking. Hard to find good info on some of these guys.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions

any scouting reports on yairo munoz?

Snoochies
You gotta Fister, Recker, then Parker outside

by guessatomo on May 18, 2025 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions

strong arm

good glove, above average speed, decent not great bat.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions

awesome

thanks, saw that video that DPL had posted but that didn’t really give much

Snoochies
You gotta Fister, Recker, then Parker outside

by guessatomo on May 18, 2025 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions

"more of a list than a ranking"

Totally understandable. I’d have a hard time ranking with any objectivity past 15-20, so I applaud your efforts as always!

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Juremi Profar?

Is this Jurickson’s little brother? The Jur to start the first name as well as the country and LLWS make me think so.

by mattp31 on May 18, 2025 2:08 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Yes, younger brother. He has a stronger body and probably is going to end up at 3B.

by gio2chat on May 18, 2025 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions

What's the deal with Soler?

I’m sure the info on this is out there if I wanted to look, but I really don’t feel like it so I’m just gonna post the question and see if anybody knows the answer off the top of their head (or wants to do the necessary legwork to figure it out). Last I heard, he was still trying to establish residency in order to be declared a free agent. If/when this happens, the numbers tossed around seemed to be in the $20M range. However, I believe (and this is where I could be way off) the IFA signing cap starts this summer and because of his age, Soler would count against that cap if he doesn’t sign soon. Is this really the case or am I forgetting/misunderstanding/just plain wrong about something. Otherwise, I’d imagine Soler will get about 20 offers for the max ($2.9M IIRC) and a handful of others that offer more and will just bite the bullet on fines and taxes that go with it.

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by KentuckyPirate on May 18, 2025 2:18 PM EDT reply actions

You are correct

that he is still working on paperwork. The cap kicks in July 2nd and after that he will be counted against a teams cap. I don’t know that any team would take the penalty, so he may have to sign for $2.5 mil +/- if it is after July 2.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks for the help!

Just curious though, while I can’t remember if there are other penalties that come with going overbudget besides just the fines, if there aren’t, why wouldn’t team’s be willing to pay the fines? If the Cubs (who I remember being linked to Soler before) were willing to give him ~$20M before why wouldn’t they be willing to offer him $10M now knowing that they’d have to pay a $5M fine (or whatever the % is)? If they really want him that badly, it seems like that would be worth it, especially if the option is being one of 10 teams (or however many really want him) to offer him a max-ish deal in the neighborhood of $2.5M and then watching him just sign with his favorite team…

Also, where would you rank Soler on this list? Would he be #1 or do you get the impression that he was just overhyped because of the mystery associated with Cuban defectors?

Buried Treasure - As long as we're jumping to conclusions

by KentuckyPirate on May 18, 2025 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Off the top of my head,

It’s a spending penalty where you can’t spend over 500K if over 5%, over 250K if over 10%..probably not right about the #‘s but that’s the idea to restrict overspending.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions

If available for the Rule 4 Draft...

would any of these guys slot in the 1st round? And if so, where? Thank you!

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." (Hemingway)

by jmoultz on May 18, 2025 5:24 PM EDT reply actions

The top 4

would get consideration. Cabrera in the 15-20 range. The others in the 30-70 range or later. Its hard with guys two years younger than the prep players.

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by Matt Garrioch on May 18, 2025 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Cabrera's reports are really intriguing

Questions about the game hitting, but he steals at will and was gunned at 90 mph from the OF. Totally agree with Matt that the swing has some funk, but he shows excellent raw power. Comps reasonably well to Elier Hernandez as a talent for me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h91HEOzQMqo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrnf7mCDNnA

And if you want to know why people are intrigued by Wendell Rijo, check out his BP, which according to reports is consistently like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf3kmpYvrOU&feature=related

by charles wallace on May 18, 2025 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions