International News, Rumor and Signing Thread

Here is a top 10 list by Matt Powers. How is Maitan listed at 40 speed by MLB?

1.Kevin Maitan, SS

Kevin Maitan is the consensus top prospect of the July 2 crop. He’s a kid compared to the Miguel’s, Sano and Cabrera, because of his advanced feel for hitting and power potential. That’s led to some talk that he’s a generational talent, though others think he’s more of just a good player in a great class. Some have even said he’s not the best player in this class as they believe his early maturity could mean there isn’t a ton of projection left.

Either way Maitan is a special player. He’s big, but could potentially stay at shortstop as a pro. If he does have to move, he would still be projected as a solid third baseman defensively, unlike Sano, because of his athleticism and big arm. Offensively he’s a switch hitting Venezuelan who projects to hit for both average and power- MLB.com slaps 60 grades(20/80 scale) on both his hit and power tools.

There is no reason that he can’t develop into the prototypical #3/4 hitter in the middle of a lineup. He is my top bat available this summer including everyone in the draft, though being only 16 and not being able to play until 2017 makes him further away than a Mickey Moniak, Kyle Lewis, or Corey Ray. It’s no secret that Maitan is expected to sign with the Braves. I don’t care how old he is, I would pick him up immediately. Here’s some video courtesy of Baseball America’s YouTube channel.

[video=youtube;-s4X-tmBV0Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4X-tmBV0Q[/video]

2.Lazaro Armenteros, OF

Also known to some by his nickname, Lazarito, Armenteros has seen an odd few months. He was cleared to sign prior to the start of the season and was thought to be close to signing, but decided not to. This led to his agent receiving death threats and dropping him as a client.

The Cuban outfielder is still a big time prospect despite the off-field concerns around him. He projects to be a guy with an excellent power/speed combination, getting a 60 grade from MLB.com on his power and a 65 on his speed. He’s got some stuff to work out with his swing, but for a 17 year old he’s extremely impressive. The Padres are a team that has been heavily linked to him, but that’s not a sure thing. Lazarito is another guy worth grabbing quickly.

4.Vladimir Gutierrez, RHP

Vladimir Gutierrez is a Cuban righty who had success in Cuba, though pitching more out of the pen. He’s got good stuff with a pair of pitches already grading out at 60+, but he’s already 20 years old.

He’s a guy that has the tools to start, but according to MLB.com he’s also a guy that teams are looking at as a reliever since he could be a back end of the bullpen guy. They also say many teams see him as a better prospect to Yadiel Alvarez, who got a $16M bonus from the Dodgers. Gutierrez is still being linked to multiple teams. He’s worth grabbing in a deeper league.

10.Abrahan Gutierrez, C

Venezuelan catcher Abrahan Gutierrez was compared to Mike Piazza by former Fangraphs analyst Kiley McDaniel last year. McDaniel left FanGraphs to join the Braves front office and the Braves are rumored to be signing Gutierrez this summer.

Gutierrez has seen his stock drop a bit since last year as he hasn’t made the necessary steps forward that everyone expects, but the tools are still there and the Braves are going to be paying him a large bonus. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues.

http://www.faketeams.com/2016/6/19/11970732/july-2-international-free-agency-preview-top-10
 
auyushu said:
Wood averaged 5.9 IP per start last year. So he was essentially a 6 IP per game pitcher, not 5. I'm not sure why this keeps coming up to try and say Wood wasn't a decent pitcher, there are very few pitchers that hit 200 IP. There were a whopping 28 pitchers that hit 200 IP last year, and 10 of those barely hit the mark. Most of those who hit 200 IP are Aces and #1 starters, or at the least top end #2 starters. Nobody has claimed Wood is that, so not sure why that's a knock against him.

If you seriously think that averaging 5.9 IP per start versus 6.1 IP per start makes the difference between Wood being a decent pitcher, I don't know what to really say there.
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he tends to get lit beyond the 5th inning, if he makes it that far. he's a pretty good #4, but 2.6 WAR for what he does? meh. Hell, according to fWAR, he's only .2 wins behind Teheran this year. that's pretty absurd.
 
yeezus said:
he tends to get lit beyond the 5th inning, if he makes it that far. he's a pretty good #4, but 2.6 WAR for what he does? meh. Hell, according to fWAR, he's only .2 wins behind Teheran this year. that's pretty absurd.
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Again, if you think Wood has #4 numbers then your idea of a #4 starter is pretty absurd.
 
Preacher said:
Interesting that people seem to be pumping the brakes on Maitan the closer we get to July 2nd.
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Yes and no. People are excited about him, but understand that the pen to paper method is always iffy until it's done. Talent wise, he's the one prospect where any nitpicking is just that: nitpicking. His star is bright.
 
this thread has derailed to an Alex Wood debate. Alex career numbers 1.2+ Whip, 3.80+ ERA, 3.33 FIP, almost 6 innings a start suggest a solid to good #3 starter. However, he is trending in the wrong direction IMO.. But you can't cast someone with #3 numbers a #4 until he has those numbers. Wood is benefited by his really good 2014.. So I think I agree that he will be a #4 to #5 in a few years... if he can stay healthy enough to make it that long.
 
Deester11 said:
Yes and no. People are excited about him, but understand that the pen to paper method is always iffy until it's done. Talent wise, he's the one prospect where any nitpicking is just that: nitpicking. His star is bright.
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I agree with this. I haven't seen anyone really suggest he isn't an elite J2 prospect, just that maybe we shouldn't suggest a 16-year-old kid from Venezuela is far enough along to put him ahead of the best prospects taken in the draft this year. Nearly everyone seems to think it's at least reasonable to put him near the top 100 prospects in the game from the moment he signs. I'll consider that good enough.
 
Deester11 said:
Yes and no. People are excited about him, but understand that the pen to paper method is always iffy until it's done. Talent wise, he's the one prospect where any nitpicking is just that: nitpicking. His star is bright.
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Sure it's nitpicking, but it does seem people have started to shift from generational talent to just a really good prospect. Someone who maybe matured a little earlier than his peers
 
bravesfanMatt said:
this thread has derailed to an Alex Wood debate. Alex career numbers 1.2+ Whip, 3.80+ ERA, 3.33 FIP, almost 6 innings a start suggest a solid to good #3 starter. However, he is trending in the wrong direction IMO.. But you can't cast someone with #3 numbers a #4 until he has those numbers. Wood is benefited by his really good 2014.. So I think I agree that he will be a #4 to #5 in a few years... if he can stay healthy enough to make it that long.
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His stint with the Dodgers last year wasn't good at all. However he is striking out well a batter an inning with his FIP at 3.25 right now. Compared to his ERA of 3.99 that suggests a little bit of bad luck and actual progression from his time with the Dodgers last year. So outside of the 70 innings with the Dodgers last year there isn't much to complain about or anything suggests he's falling off.
 
Preacher said:
Sure it's nitpicking, but it does seem people have started to shift from generational talent to just a really good prospect. Someone who maybe matured a little earlier than his peers
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Some people may have shifted, but that is certainly not a consensus. There are plenty who still view him as the best international prospect in years.
 
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