Inside The Mariners

Seattle Mariners Sign 13 International Prospects First Day of 2025 Signing Period

The Seattle Mariners utilized their-league best signing pool money and inked five players included on Baseball America's top 100 international prospects list.
Teren Kowatsch|
A Seattle Mariners Armed Forces Day hat is pictured in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves on May 20, 2023, at Truist Park.
A Seattle Mariners Armed Forces Day hat is pictured in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves on May 20, 2023, at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners missed out on the sweepstakes for Japanese ace Roki Sasaki.

And although the Mariners whiffed on one of the best young pitchers available in the last several years, there is a glass-half full midset to it: Seattle could use all of its international signing bonus on other foreign prospects.

And the Mariners did exactly that.

On the first day of the 2025 international signing period on Jan. 15, the Mariners signed or agreed to terms with 13 players. Several of those athletes were featured on MLB Pipeline's top 50 prospects list and Baseball America's top 100 list.

The full list of prospects signed by Seattle are: Yorger Bautista, outfielder (Venezuela); Kendry Maritnez, shortstop (Dominican Republic); Henry Alcantra, right-handed pitcher (Venezuela); Manuel Almeida, catcher (Venezuela); Cesar Farias, right-handed pitcher (Venezuela); Wisler Infante, right-handed pitcher (Venezuela); Randal Munoz, right-handed pitcher (Dominican Republic); Elias Perez, outfielder (Dominican Republic); Ismanuel Pina, right-handed pitcher (Dominican Republic); Christopher Quiroz, right-handed pitcher (Dominican Republic); Darwin Ramos, right-handed pitcher (Dominican Republic); Maikol Rodriguez, outfielder (Cuba); Lin Po-Chun, right-handed pitcher (Taiwan).

Seattle Senior Director of International Scouting Frankie Thon Jr. had the following comment on the 2025 class in a news release sent out by the organization:

"Today is special not only for the players and their families, but also for the members of our scouting staff who have been present throughout the entire evaluation process," Thon Jr. said. "There's no better reward than watching these players' dreams come true right in front of our eyes. Not only are we signing two of the top 20 overall prospects (Bautista, Martinez), but this position player group in general is also deeper than most years, in regards to both their offensive impact and their overall potential."

Five of the players the Mariners signed (Bautista, Lin, Martinez, Perez, Rodriguez) are on Baseball America's top 100 international prospects list. Bautista and Martinez are both top 20 international players according to MLB Pipeline.

Bautista is the most hyped prospect of the whole signing class. Bautista, nicknamed "the beast," is 17 years-old and is listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. Many international scouts think he has the potential to be a five-tool player.

"Yorger Bautista is an exciting and explosive athlete, with arguably the highest upside of any player available in the entire 2025 international player pool," Thon Jr. said in the news release. "He brings elite bat speed and top of the scale strength relative to this age group. He's also a plus runner, with a good glove in center field and a cannon of an arm."

Bautista is the second-highest MLB Pipeline-ranked international player in the last 13 years behind only Felnin Celesten (signed 2023). He reportedly agreed to a contract with a $2.1 million bonus.

If Bautista has one of the highest ceilings in the class, Martinez has one of the highest floors. Martinez is viewed as a hit-over-power batter with a high defensive upside in the middle infield.

"Kendry Martinez is a natural hitter with an easy swing, who already does a lot of what is usually hard to teach," Thon Jr. said in the news release. "He controls the zone, recognizes pitches early, makes a lot of contact and uses the whole field. He's a versatile infielder with solid defensive tools to go along with good instincts. Kendry performed very well in the showcase circuit."

Martinez was the No. 19 prospect on MLB Pipeline's list and earned a $2.5 million signing bonus.

Lin is an 18 year-old right-handed pitcher with a fastball already touching 95 miles an hour. He has a promising splitter and changeup. He received some world-stage experience when he pitched for the U-18 Taiwanese national team. He signed for $350,000 according to Francys Romero.

Seattle's international scouting department has been one of the best in the major leagues at identifying and landing talent the last several years.

And it seems like the organization has kept that trend going for 2025.

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Teren Kowatsch
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