International Amateurs
We just completed our monthly private practice with many young international amateur free agents who we hope can aid our club in the coming years. It was great to meet the players in-person and get to know them better, and I was able to improve my scouting assessment on all invitees.
In fact some of the players impressed me, since they showcased a higher potential than I had previously expected from them:
David Yepiz, 17 year-old CF out of Panama
David Yepiz is a long, lean athletic center fielder who was born in San Miguelito, Panama. He has tons of raw power and someday he'll challenge for home run titles. He projects to have an impeccable eye at the dish. With a short, line-drive swing he stays inside the ball. He will challenge defenses if he can keep his strikeouts in check. Yepiz is projected to be an elite starting center fielder.
However, a few invitees left me disappointed as they did not appear to match my previous assessment, although they may still end up being future stars:
Frank Cervantez, 16 year-old CF out of Dominican Republic
Lean and athletic, Frank Cervantez hails from San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. He has raw above average power. He has a solid combination of speed and acceleration. He shows good pitch recognition at the plate. Cervantez has the talent to flourish as a center fielder.
Lodovico Alfieri, 16 year-old CF out of Venezuela
Lean and athletic, Lodovico Alfieri hails from San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela. He has a plus-plus eye that should place him among the leaders in walks. He has Improving pitch recognition, and projects to have a .250 batting average. He has the potential to display above average power to all fields. If Alfieri fulfills his potential, he could make multiple trips to the All-Star Game.
Development Lab – Progress Update
Financial Summary
After seeing how the off-season has gone, I have decided to raise your team's budget from $270,000,000 to $280,000,000.
Transactions
Two significant moves from the Giants in January started with the signing of RP Josh O’Neal to a one-year deal at $1.35m, which saw 2B Chris Herman DFA, although he did make it through waivers and is set to start the season at AAA. The second move was the signing of International Amateur David Yepiz. A late addition to training camps, Yediz offers average contact potential but may end up with 80 power to go with plus-plus gap and eye. The Giants have $750k and will wait to see if there are any high potential prospects not offered a deal who might settle for a lower figure.
Wednesday, January 7th , 2054
Signed international amateur SP Juan Villalobos out of Dominican Republic to a minor league contract.
Sunday, January 11th , 2054
Signed international amateur SP Wilson Curiel out of Dominican Republic to a minor league contract.
Tuesday, January 13th , 2054
Signed free agent RP Josh O'Neal to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,350,000.
Tuesday, January 20th , 2054
2B Chris Herman was designated for assignment and placed on waivers.
Saturday, January 24th , 2054
Signed international amateur CF David Yepiz out of Panama to a minor league contract with a $4,500,000 signing bonus.
Friday, January 30th , 2054
Signed international amateur SP Luis Garza out of Dominican Republic to a minor league contract.
Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame welcomed two new first ballot members in 2054 as Grady Emerson (99.1%) and Dan Nichols (87.6%) were inducted at the first time of asking.
Bobby Witt Jr. once again finished third in ballots, but in his 9th year and with 63% of votes he looks set to miss out on election. Edgar Mir was the next Royal on the list, polling 59.1% in his first year is a good starting point but 16% is a lot of extra ballots to find.
