After a long wait, the Atlanta Braves are free from sanctions and will be able to participate in the 2022 International Signing Period without restriction. The signing period was pushed back to January 15, 2022 as a result of the pandemic. The Braves operated with a limited signing pool last year inking infielder Ambioris Tavarez.
Baseball America’s Ben Badler released an updated big board for the 2022 period on Thursday and have the Braves slated to sign a pair of position players in infielder Diego Benitez and outfielder Douglas Glod.
Benitez is ranked seventh on Baseball America’s list as a shortstop although moving to a corner spot could be in his future. He is described as having excellent bat speed with gap power that has the chance to develop to average or better as he continues to grow.
Glod checks in at No. 31 and is the former captain of the U-15 Venezuelan team that took part in the World Cup Americas Qualifier back in 2019. He is described as having a line drive swing and is a good defensive outfielder who has the ability to play center now along with a right field caliber arm.
Here is some video of Glod from 2019.
Atlanta has been severely limited in their participation in the international market since 2018. Jumping back into the market now will help revitalize the lower level depth that is currently lacking in their minor league system.