Grading the Dodgers' five most recent international signees, in a fun way

The Dodgers announced on Tuesday the signing of five international prospects. I'm here to grade the signings.

No, I'm not grading them on the strength of their baseball talents -- I've never heard of any of these guys before Tuesday. I'm grading them on the strength of their names.

We can easily say there's no "80" name here like Pratt Maynard or Osiris Ramirez, but there are a couple of plus-plus names.

Shakir Albert, 16, outfielder, Curacao

Grade (present/future): 70/70

- Albert would have graded higher if he had a, shall we say, better last name tool. It starts off so strongly with "Shakir," but it falls off a bit with "Albert." He's reached his maximum potential, but his floor is much higher than everyone else's.

Hendrik Clementina, 16, catcher, Curacao

Grade (present/future): 65/70

- Clementina gave Albert a run for his money, but comes up just a tad short. The hockey-style first name grades out as "plus," but don't sleep on the last name -- it's a bit underrated.

Julio Lugo, 16, outfielder, Dominican Republic

Grade (present/future): 50/55

- Lugo is hurt by the fact there's already been a Julio Lugo in the majors. That isn't the younger Lugo's fault, just unfortunate for him. Now, if a middle name or suffix emerges, that could boost his grade.

Gersel Pitre, 17, catcher, Venezuela

Grade (present/future): 65/70

- File this under combinations of letters I have never seen. I read "Pitre" as "Petrie," the last name of former Sacramento Kings' general manager Geoff Petrie. It's probably wrong, but that's what I'm going with. Gersel is quite the unique first name. He definitely challenges Albert for highest grade of this quintet, and has the upside of Albert's name.

Misja Harcksen, 18, right-handed pitcher, Netherlands

Grade (present/future): 65/75

- I don't even know where to begin here. Both names are fantastic on their own, but together they lack a little projection. Still, Harcksen can thrive with his last name alone. I might be underrating the name a bit at present, but it has the most upside of any on this list.

Here's a video of Harcksen throwing in a bullpen.


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I'm not sure what to make of these guys, really. I just thought this would be a fun take on looking at some international prospects the Dodgers signed. I wouldn't expect to hear much from these guys next season, but when you see a unique name pop up in a box score, you can say, "Oh yeah!" (but not like the Kool-Aid Man).

Dodgers add international free agent pitchers Maximiliano Gooding and Geovanny Barrios

The Dodgers signed 17-year-old Panamanian lefty Maximiliano Gooding on Monday. The bonus amount was undisclosed, so it probably wasn't a big-money signing.

I couldn't find much on the youngster, but the information from this link states he throws a 4-seam fastball (as every pitcher does) and a 12-6 curveball. He's 5'11, 159 pounds, which almost mirrors the frame Julio Urias had when the Dodgers signed him out of Mexico as a 16-year-old last year. He's probably not the next Urias, so don't get your hopes up.

I can tell you one thing: that's an 80-name if I've ever seen one.

The Dodgers also signed 18-year-old Geovanny Barrios out of Venezuela. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything on him. He's right-handed and presumably has a 4-seam fastball.

The team has been active on the international front again. It isn't as impressive as 2012-13's haul, but it's still early in the signing period -- and too early to judge the 2013-14 class.

Graphic credit: CIA World Factbook

Dodgers sign Moises Perez, Venezuelan shortstop, for $250,000

The Dodgers made another international signing on Thursday, inking Venezuelan shortstop Moises Perez to a $250,000 bonus.

The 16-year-old is the sixth prospect the Dodgers have signed on the international market -- three of whom have been shortstops (Alberto Estrella, Lucas Tirado), one an outfielder (Daniel Padilla) and two pitchers (Sven Schuller, Alvaro Trillo).

From Ben Badler of Baseball America:

"The Dodgers have signed 16-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Moises Perez for $250,000.

Perez, 16, is an athletic player who stands out in the field with clean hands, good actions and an above-average arm. He’s a 6-foot righthanded hitter whose advanced glove is ahead of his bat. Perez trains with Carlos Rios."

Here's a couple shots of the youngster signing his contract.

Firma de nuestro pupilo Moises Perez con los Dodgers de Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/VPKl4cbIVB
— Wondy De Los Santos (@wondytop) July 18, 2013

"Manos de Ceda Perez" pic.twitter.com/560adDpFUZ
— Wondy De Los Santos (@wondytop) July 18, 2013

It seems Perez is a glove-first shortstop, which isn't a bad thing. With his signing, the Dodgers have $269,600 remaining to spend until June 15 (barring any trades). If Schuller's bonus is more than $50,000, it will count toward the cap. I reported on Tuesday his bonus was for "less than $100,000." I'm guessing it won't since it hasn't been formally announced yet.

I could see the Dodgers acquiring more space, especially with the July 31 trade deadline rapidly approaching. They've acquired $406,700 in trades thus far and can acquire up to $649,750 more under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. I suspect they'll get a little more.

Dodgers sign Alberto Estrella, Dominican shortstop, for $600,000

The Dodgers spent another $600,000 on the international market today by signing infielder Alberto Estrella out of the Dominican Republic.

From Ben Badler of Baseball America:

"Estrella, a 16-year-old who has played in the International Prospect League, stands out for his size (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) and righthanded power potential. Estrella, who has spent time at shortstop, might be able to play third base but with his build he could end up at first base or an outfield corner spot. He trains with Arquimedes Guerrero, whose nickname is 'Pla,' and was also represented by Rob Plummer."

That's one big kid. Odds are, he moves off shortstop and ends up in a corner, as Badler said. It'd obviously be great if Estrella could stick at third base, as it would increase his overall value. But if he ends up at first or a corner outfield spot, it won't be the end of the world.

The Dodgers have now spent more than $2 million on five international prospects thus far (Daniel Padilla, Alvaro Trillo, Sven Schuller, Lucas Tirado). Schuller's bonus is expected to be less than $100,000, according to a source. If his bonus was more than $100,00, it would have been announced. Barring any further cap acquisition, the Dodgers have less than a half-million bucks left to spend on the market, if Schulles bonus is more than $50,000. If it's less than $50,000, it won't count toward the team's cap. It doesn't sound like a lot, but that kind of money can buy a lot of international talent.

Dodgers eye SS Lucas Tirado early in 2013-14 international signing period

The new international signing period begins Tuesday (July 2) and the Dodgers have been tied to one player who could garner a bonus of more than a million bucks.

Lucas Tirado, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic, is the guy the Dodgers reportedly have an eye on. Kiley McDaniel of Scouting Baseball projects the Dodgers to ink Tirado to a $1.2 million bonus. He also ranks Tirado as the 14th-best prospect available.

Tirado, 16, is a shortstop for now, but Matt Garrioch of Minor League Ball thinks he might have to move off the position eventually. He lists second base and left field as possibilities. I’d be perfectly fine if Tirado ended up as a second baseman.

Garrioch also had this to say about Tirado: 

“Interesting hitter. Polished. Not sure he can stick at SS. Might be a LF/2B.”

Tirado’s a lefty swinger with decent bat speed. He isn’t the fleetest of foot, which could lead to a position change. Tirado’s hit tool is his best, with everything else grading out as average in the future (at best).

Tirado won’t be 17 until Dec. 13. At 6’2, 175 pounds, he’ll fill out physically, which could also determine his long-term position.

For what it's worth: Ben Badler of Baseball America doesn't have Tirado ranked in his Top 30 international prospects list. Badler is one of the foremost authorities when it comes to international players, but he isn't the be-all, end-all, either. Also, he didn't have Julio Urias ranked in his Top 20 last year (hat tip to Jared Massey).

I don’t think Tirado is a future star, but, if his development goes according to plan, could be an everyday player in the majors in a handful of years.

Here's some video of the youngster.

The Dodgers have $2,112,900 to spend on international talent this year. That’s down from the $2.9 million they had last year. Badler reported on Wednesday the Dodgers are among a handful of teams looking to trade for more international cap space (trading for cap space explained here by Badler).

The fact the Dodgers could commit more than half of their available pool to one guy -- who isn’t even regarded as the top two or three guys available -- says one of two things:

1. The Dodgers are really high on this guy
2. They will acquire more cap space

I won’t question the Dodgers’ methods, as they’ve gotten back into the international market by signing roughly 46 players since the new ownership group took over in May 2012.

The team made waves last year by signing Yasiel Puig and Hyun-Jin Ryu -- neither of whom counted toward the cap spending limit. The Dodgers are interested in a couple other guys who fall into this category this year: right-handed pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez (26 years old) and outfielder Dariel Alvarez (23) -- both of whom are Cuban defectors.

I wrote about Gonzalez for Yahoo! Sports last week. The Dodgers should go all out for this guy. He could pitch in the majors this season and profiles as a middle-of-the-rotation guy long-term.

“Gonzalez has fastball that sits in the low-90s and routinely touches 94-95 MPH. He also has a changeup, curveball, cut-fastball and the rare forkball. Dodger fans remember a great forkball thrown by Hideo Nomo oh so many years ago.

Many believe Gonzalez is near-MLB ready. He might need a month or so in the minors to get back into the rhythm, but he should pitch in the majors this season. He profiles as a middle-of-the-rotation starter with No.2 upside.”

Alvarez would be a nice get for nothing other than depth, because the last thing the Dodgers need is more MLB-ready outfielders. But I’d rather the Dodgers focus efforts elsewhere.

It should be an interesting signing year. I want the Dodgers to acquire more cap space after a lackluster draft. Chris Anderson is the only player with impact potential from the Dodgers’ 2013 draft.

These international prospects -- save Gonzalez and Alvarez (to a certain extent) -- are lottery tickets. If the Dodgers hit on just one per year, the investment will have been well worth it.

If the Dodgers come out of the signing period early on with Gonzalez and Tirado, I'd call that a win.