SF Giants sign 20 international prospects at start of IFA window
MLB teams International Free Agent (IFA) pools were reset on Monday, January 15th, officially beginning the 2024-25 signing period. Since the league has chosen not to enforce rules preventing teams from negotiating with players prior to their eligibility, teams announced dozens of signings, many of which had been agreed to months (if not years) prior. The SF Giants announced agreements with 20 different players from throughout Latin America (11 from Venezuela, 5 from the Dominican Republic, and one player from Panama, Cuba, Brazil, and Aruba), pending physicals. The Giants have a $5.284 million signing pool, and general manager Pete Putila told The San Francisco Chronicle that the organization has retained enough space to add quality players who become available over the next year.
As expected, the class was headlined by switch-hitting shortstop Jhonny Level and right-handed hitting catcher Yohendry Sánchez, two of the top Venezuelan prospects in this year's class. A source informed Giants Baseball Insider that no other players received a signing bonus worth $500,000 or more.
Sánchez, who received a $1.4 million bonus, has drawn comparisons to Gary Sánchez in terms of their skillset. His biggest tool is his power given his already physically mature frame. According to MLB.com, Sánchez has flashed the potential to hit home runs "in all directions". There are swing-and-miss concerns and a tendency to expand the strike zone but there are hopes that it will improve due to his high marks in terms of makeup and work ethic. Even though he's already a physical athlete, Sánchez has shown good mobility for his size with an above-average arm to stick at the position. He will likely receive the biggest signing bonus from the Giants in this cycle.
Level, who received a $1 million bonus, has shown more of a hit-over-power in his offensive profile, per MLB.com and Baseball America's reports. He's a switch hitter whose already shown plenty of bat speed and twitch on both sides of the batter's box. Both of his swings look aesthetically pleasing and should generate plenty of contact. While he's yet to fill in his 5'10", 160 lbs. frame, Level has the potential to hit double-digit home runs once he physically matures. He has the potential to stick at shortstop long-term with his above-average speed, arm strength, and excellent instincts on both sides of the ball. He was also compared to Guardians prospect Brayan Rocchio and former big leaguer Rafael Furcal.
Level and Sánchez highlight the Venezuela-heavy class from the Giants. Right-handed pitcher Argenis Cayama is an early favorite to be the sleeper of the class. A source informed GBI that the teenager has a projectable frame, a fastball that has already reached 96 mph, and some intriguing flashes of feel for a secondary offering as well.
Righty Omar Calcurian was the only other pitcher the Giants signed out of Venezuela. They also signed catchers Fernando Peña and Santiago Camacho, infielders Juan Colorado, and Anthony Marqeuez, and outfielders Ricardo Crespo, Howard Gonzalez, and Brandon Vasquez.
Second baseman Yoxander Benitez was considered by many to be the best prospect out of Aruba. According to Baseball America, he is an excellent athlete and plus runner who has the potential to add some strength to his current frame.
Boris Sarduy defected from Cuba a couple years ago and was declared a free agent by MLB. Set to turn 17 next month, Sarduy left Cuba before he had an opportunity to receive any playing time in the island's top professional league. He was a member of the 12-and-under Cuban National Team in 2019, going 3-for-7 with two doubles, a walk, a hit by pitch, and zero strikeouts in the 2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup.
Center fielder Vinicius Dos Santos became the first amateur prospect signed by the Giants out of Brazil. Dos Santos has been a member of Brazil's U-15 and U-18 teams. Dos Santos struggled at the 2023 South American U-18 Championships last year, only recorded a pair of singles in 16 at bats with five strikeouts.
The Giants signed right-handed pitcher Elkyns Villareal as well, the lone prospect the team signed out of Panama.
The Giants have been consistently trending toward a heavier and heavier lean toward amateur prospects outside of the Dominican Republic under international amateur scouting director Joe Salermo. The 2024-25 class is the most dramatic yet, with more than twice as many prospects signed out of Venezuela than the DR.
With that said, there were still some noteworthy signings out of the historic baseball hotbed. The two prospects from the Giants class out of the Dominican Republic with the highest stock at the moment are right fielders Evan Estévez and Oliver Tejada, who both have power potential. They joined shortstop Jeyson Moya, third baseman Albert Jiménez, and right-handed pitcher Kendry Castro as the team's signings out of the Dominican Republic.
Given the cap on an organization's minor league players, it is a bit surprising to see the SF Giants bring in 20 players without exhausting their entire bonus pool. In fact, it seems to be a bit of a deviation from previous seasons, when the franchise has seemingly already exhausted the bulk of their pool. It will be interesting to see what the team does with that remaining money. Perhaps a verbal agreement with a prospect fell through at the last minute, or the team's scouts have their eyes on another international prospect that could become available in the coming months. Japan, Taiwan, and Cuba would be the most likely spots in that scenario.
