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 ink RHP Osiris Ramirez, 17, to $100,000 deal

The Dodgers signed Dominican teenager Osiris Ramirez to a deal that includes a $100,000 signing bonus.

Ramirez, 17, is one of the better prospects the Dodgers have signed on the international market in the last 10 months.

From Ben Badler of Baseball America:

"At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Ramirez has most recently been throwing his fastball 87-91 mph with good armside life. Scouts were mixed on his curveball, but some have seem him show feel for the 75-79 mph offering, which is more advanced than his low-80s changeup."

That's a pretty favorable scouting report for a teenage, international prospect.

Badler also writes the 6'3, 185-pound pitcher used to play shortstop, so he has lots of athletic ability.

The Dodgers just bought another lottery ticket. The law of averages dictates at least one of these international signees will pan out. Maybe it's Ramirez, maybe it's someone else. Bottom line is, this is another fantastic signing for the organization.

With international signing period winding down, the Dodgers will look to the next batch of prospects and -- of course -- prospects for the No. 18 overall pick I. June's MLB Draft.

Oh, and that's easily a 70 -- borderline 80 -- name.