Braves Make Another Splash In The International Market
by gondeee on Jul 3, 2010 7:00 PM EDT
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PrintFrom Baseball America, the Braves continue their good international signing year:
The Braves have signed Dominican righthander Mauricio Cabrera for a high six-figure bonus, according to an international source. Cabrera, who at 16 is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, is the younger brother of Alberto Cabrera, a 21-year-old righthander with the Cubs in Double-A Tennessee. Baseball America subscribers can read more about Cabrera and more than 30 of the other top prospects from Latin America as well. Here is some of what Baseball America has on Cabrera: [...] the younger brother of Alberto Cabrera, a 22-year-old righthander pitching for Double-A Tennessee with the Cubs. At around 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Mauricio Cabrera is also a righthander, and he's been able to get his fastball up into the high-80s. Cabrera also throws a curveball but his changeup is advanced for his age and might be his best pitch.
Cabrera joins Edward Salcedo as the two big Dominican bonus players the Braves have signed this year.
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None that I could find
What Badler wrote (quoted above) is all I saw. He didn’t make their “top 33 projected bonuses” list.
Beyond the Box Score / Capitol Avenue Club / shwitter: @CapitolAvenue
I can’t remember where, but I read that the BoSox were in on him as well..
Alone in the world of the little CatDog...
MLBTR:
Cabrera, a slender 16-year-old, drew interest from several other teams, including the Red Sox, Mets, Rockies and Rangers, before agreeing to terms with the Braves.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 3, 2010 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I asked about this yesterday in one of the comments I made.I knew teams started to sign these prospects but until today I didn’t see anything from us which I thought was kind of odd being we usually get a few of these guys.
by LakersMania on Jul 3, 2010 7:09 PM EDT reply actions
the dominican market has been slow developing this year, presumably because of the recent age and steroid scandals and the work that sandy alderson is doing down there. A lot of teams are waiting to make sure these players pass through all the checks that they have to go through before they make the announcements. Based on what I’ve seen from baseball america, this is probably one of only about 10 or 15 announcements made so far.
I just like the name Mauricio.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
This
"Tony Gwynn made sacrifices. Cal Ripken made sacrifices. I'm not sure Derek Jeter made sacrifices given the ungodly deep pockets the Yankees have." - Chipper Jones
by MBL1 on Jul 3, 2010 7:45 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He’s 16 and he should add more zip to his fastball,his curve should get better and his change-up is already plus so he should be a good one hopefully.
by LakersMania on Jul 3, 2010 7:43 PM EDT reply actions
sounds interesting...
the important thing is that our excellent scouting program thought highly enough of him to make the move, which is enough to get me excited!
"Sometimes I think it is a great mistake to have matter that can think and feel. It complains so. By the same token, though, I suppose that boulders and mountains and moons could be accused of being a little too phlegmatic."
-Kurt Vonnegut, "The Sirens of Titan"
by Bravely going forward on Jul 3, 2010 8:59 PM EDT reply actions
Just Stupid!!
To sign these international kids for so much money at such a young age! Something really needs to be done to regulate this. Maybe 1 out of every 10 work out to be a legit MLB prospect. I know a lot of money is changing hands down there and one can only hope the kid gets something! What really gets me is these same teams come to the draft pick guys and say “hey we can only offer you $30,000” and then they turn around and sign one of these guys for crazy money, then put out a press release and act like they got a steal! I just don’t get it!
well i know the dominicans reallly need the money
alot more than the draftees just for living purposes. these kids have been living in poverty most likely. i know thats a bad reason.
American $$$
This is the main reason the number of African American athlete’s are focusing on other sports! Very sad we are losing the battle to keep our best athlete’s playing the great game of baseball!
I doubt that’s the main reason that young African Americans aren’t gravitating toward baseball. If anything, there’s a lot more money to be made in baseball, and it’s guaranteed money. And there are more chances to make that money with the extensive Minor League system.
I think the real reason that young African Americans don’t gravitate toward baseball is that it doesn’t have the flash that popular culture tells them they want. I hate to go down this line of argument, because it just ends up sounding racist, but the majority of popular culture focused toward influencing young African American males is focused on flashiness and bravado, having expensive stuff and showing it off, quick, easily recognizable symbols of how much better you are than everyone. Sports like basketball, with dunking, and football, with hard tackles and long TD runs, have the kind of immediate flash that resonate with this type of pop culture. All baseball has is the home run, which isn’t anywhere near as flashy because, at the end of things, it ends up being the player vs. the ball, not a player dunking on another or a player hitting another. The reasons that young African American males don’t lean toward baseball has much more to do with the nature of the game and the nature of the cultural overtones aimed toward them through marketing campaigns that have spanned decades than it does to do with a difference in money.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
by cbwilk on Jul 4, 2010 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
from personal experience
some of my african american friends say it’s just too “boring,” though, to be fair, that’s really how a lot of people seem to feel, regardless of their background.
"Sometimes I think it is a great mistake to have matter that can think and feel. It complains so. By the same token, though, I suppose that boulders and mountains and moons could be accused of being a little too phlegmatic."
-Kurt Vonnegut, "The Sirens of Titan"
by Bravely going forward on Jul 4, 2010 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions
I think a large amount of the difference is lack of quality high school programs in urban areas.
I live in DC, and DC public schools are broke. Are they going to go with basketball, where all you need is a gym and a ball or baseball? Are they going to go with baseball, that requires more field maintenance and an endless supply of baseballs, bats, and equipment or are they going to with football that has national cache and tremendous parental push?
The independent side of things is equally a struggle. Schools have organized year round football that run like small armies in most situation and don’t really need a develop AAU, little league, or Babe Ruth league situation. Baseball can be expensive at the lower levels and there isn’t as much of a payoff in the minds of kids because the championships for baseball aren’t the kind one game glory that basketball offers.
Let’s say your an African-American player looking at your best options preprofessionally: you can go to college with dreams of playing in the BCS; you can got to college with dreams of playing in March Madness; or you can dream of playing in the college World Series in Omaha or playing in relative obscurity in the low minors. You’ve got to be an elite prospect like Destin Hood or Michael Burgess to command the high hundredsK signing bonus to choose baseball over those sports.
Remember that Heyward came out of the Atlanta area which has a far more developed youth baseball culture than DC seems to and even there he may have been the exception not the rule playing in the shadows of Georgia Tech football in others.
If baseball were extremely shrewd and wanted to get more public dollars behind it, they would fund more middle school little league stuff and try to amplify it with math related programs that would convince No Child Left Behind stuff that baseball aptitude and interest can be connected to some kind of mathematical test prep observed statistics/percentage/counting stats results. In other words, many of the nerdy guys gravitate toward baseball these days. Why not use it the other way too and try to get baseball to help provide more math literate folks?
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
A lot of good points, but trust me, the actual player aren’t math nerds. Or at least an insanely small percentage of them are.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Oh, I know that.
Nyjer Morgan ain’t exactly the sharpest tack in the box. What I’m saying is that there’s a potential to use baseball as the “What will I ever use this stupid math for?” answer in the math class that many students, especially black male students use, when they are at risk for losing interest in school.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
You can't go pro out of high school in either basketball OR football anymore.
Unless you want to play in the D-League, which is even worse than the affiliated minors.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 5, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Right
but also it takes a longer time to develop and make it to the bigs.
I think that goes for young American males in general...
not just specific ones. Plus, unlike football or basketball, you need more than just a ball so it’s not as easily played.
You can play football with "just a ball?"
Waht kind? Long toss?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 5, 2010 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, you can throw it around...
or even play considering pads are preferable but not mandatory. I’ve played plenty of football with just a ball, no pads, etc.
Unfortunately for those "best athletes..."
They’re usually not as good a long-term prospect at 22 as a fourth-year college player as these kids are at 16 and 17.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 4, 2010 2:09 AM EDT up reply actions
These guys get more money because they have the right to negotiate with whoever they want. The only way to regulate this would be to institute an international draft and the loss of leverage by the players would lower their money and drive away talent from the sport just as has already happened in puerto rico since it fell under the umbrella of the draft.
umm
First of all, the international free agent market and the draft are the most cost-efficient markets in baseball. It makes more sense to spend half a million dollars on a very highly-touted prospect than it does to spend $5 million on a middling, old middle relief pitcher.
Secondly, the guys that are being signed for so much money would be considered 1st or 2nd round draft picks. Teams don’t offer high draft picks $30,000. The minimum would be like $300,000 going into the millions. The $30,000 would be offered to much lower picks with much less of a future than the international players.
The Jordan Schafer Fan Club.
Cool.....
I always wondered how Atlanta “sales pitches” these latin players?
I guess it helps that Yunel, Prado, Infante, Blanco, Jair, and a buttload more in the system are from South America?
Perhaps similar languages and upbringing aids our team more than we think?
Opps
Let’s not forget middling utility players like Wilson Betemit, Andy Marte and numberless others that we have thrown big dollars at that were too young to even be drafted. If I remember correctly Betemit lied about his age and we almost lost him.
Just tired of the American players not being on a level playing field and watching these guys turn to the NFL and NBA. Are there really anymore true lead off batters? If so please let the Braves know! It’s hurting our game and it’s time to make some changes!!
And how is that any different...
from numberless draft picks we’ve thrown big money at that never amounted to anything?
Matt Belisle: $1.75 million
Jung-keun Bong: $1.70 million
Macay Mcbride: $1.34 million
Troy Cameron: $875K
A.J. Zapp: $650K
Jacob Shumate: $500K
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 4, 2010 2:16 AM EDT up reply actions
+1...>WOW
Scouting is an inexact science and the thought of signing international players is no different than drafting the most highly sought after American player. Great examples Michael!
"Just because we fall from a different tree,
doesn't mean we're not created equally"
by deester11 on Jul 4, 2010 9:58 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
The Braves seem to always be on the front lines of player development
Putting money in the international market consistently is a must for any midmarket teams that wants to compete. Mets have Wilmer Flores in low minors and Jose Reyes on the big club. You’ve got to spend in the international market if you want to be as efficient as possible. Yes, some of these guys would be busts and they probably cost a little bit more than draft picks due to the competition involved. On the other hand, they are still cheaper than going out and bidding on the open market for free agents.
Personally, this is the kind of reason that the Braves are the scariest team in the NL East going forward. They are currently in first place and they are relentless in the draft and international scouting. I think the Mets have the capability to go after the internationals, but are pennywise and pound foolish when it comes to the draft. The Nats will probably spend in the draft but seem to be utterly incapable of handling the international market, first spending foolishly with Smiley Gonzales (who is still playing for them in the DSL since he can’t get a visa!!!!) and now spending almost nothing at all.
Do the Phillies have any home grown international players on their current roster? Marlins are broke and cheap and inept anyways.
I’m a Nats fan and don’t have but so much of a dog in this fight, but I would be ecstatic if my organization signed two guys like those highlighted in this post.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
for what it's worth, here's what baseball america had to say about the nationals international efforts
Washington Nationals: Dominican shortstop Carlos Alvarez is third in the Dominican Summer League in OPS, but that’s not what the Nationals were expecting when they signed him four years ago for $1.3 million under the assumption that he was Esmailyn Gonzalez and four years younger than his real age, which is 24. The Nationals have since fired former general manager Jim Bowden and special assistant Jose Rijo and took the first major step toward turning around their program by hiring Johnny DiPuglia, one of Boston’s top talent evaluators in Latin America. DiPuglia and his staff could bolster Washington’s international program but it probably won’t show this year. The Nationals are probably saving cash for next month anyway to sign No. 1 overall pick Bryce Harper.
Wow, so “Smiley Gonzalez” is actually playing? That’s hilarious. I figured they’d just cut him and rid themselves of the whole nonsense. I follow the Nats a lot living here in VA and their farm system is so lily white it’s scary. They have pretty much no originally signed international talent.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
I don't think their racist.
They’ve offered big bonus contracts to Michael Burgess, a high schooler they drafted who is at Potomac . They have also spent big bucks on Destin Hood who is at Hagerstown. I don’t know what their 2009 and 2010 drafts will look like from a diversity standpoint but I don’t think their drafts are racially biased.
But either ownership, scouting personnel, infrastructure, or dollars are not being adequately devoted to the international market. They better get it right next year.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
I don’t think they’re racist either, I just think they’re woefully bad at signing foreign players. And man, let me tell you, that money they spent on Burgess is going to be a waste.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
The Nationals are not as smart as they think they are.
They sit out the International market. They use a signability pick on Trever Holder. They seem to be aiming for signable guys in rounds 2-5.
On the flip side, all signs are that we are going to pony up for Adam Dunn at 4 years 48M.
Trade Dunn. Save cash, spend it on the draft and the internationals and servicable transitional options until you see whether you need to go prospects or deep into the expensive free agency pool to decide whether to contend or not.
You invest in the draft and the international markets and save your powder until you feel you can really contend, like the Reds and Braves are doing by not worrying about Heyward or Leake’s Super Two status.
Some of the Nats issues are extrabaseball ones like trying to broaden a season ticket holder base that doesn’t exactly get it when they don’t pony up the cash to resign the guy that reminds them of their beloved Frank Howard from yesteryear.
But if you go cheap in the internationals, you’re no better than the Mets going cheap in the draft and blowing their money on the Luis Castillo’s and Ollie Perez’s of the world.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
IFA market is even more important for teams that are succesful.
There’s a big difference from being in the late teens and 20s in draft position every year like the Braves typically are and the top ten on a year in and year out basis.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 5, 2010 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I seen on www.scout.com and www.foxsportssouth.com that we signed 12 international players all together.
by LakersMania on Jul 4, 2010 11:50 AM EDT reply actions
Shanks mentions...
2 others. A Venezuelan SS described as similar to Infante, and a 16 yr old Panamanian C.
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