David Keller believes that talent comes from anywhere and everywhere.
“And as a part of that, we want to make our presence felt in the areas where talent is coming from,” said Keller, a special assistant to the general manager for the White Sox, during a videoconference call Wednesday.
The Sox announced agreements with players from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba on Wednesday as part of the international signing period.
They came to terms with 16 international players, including Cuban third baseman Alejandro Cruz and Venezuelan outfielder Orlando Patiño, who are ranked by Baseball America as Nos. 17 and 81 prospects in the 2025 international class.
The signings also include six right-handed pitchers.
“I’m particularly excited about the crop of pitchers we were able to acquire,” Keller said. “We have a number of exciting arms, pitchers that display not only starter traits and characteristics but the stuff and secondary weapons to back that up that will hopefully eventually turn them into legitimate prospects for the White Sox organization.”
That group includes 19-year-old Félix Doroteo (from La Romana, Dominican Republic), 17-year-olds César Familia (Dajabón, Dominican Republic), Nathanael Valerio (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) and Jhonny Morao (Porlamar, Venezuela) and 16-year-olds Albert Múñoz (Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic) and Yobal Rodríguez (Ciego de Ávila, Cuba).
Keller described the 6-foot-2, 155-pound Rodríguez as someone with “a good frame.”
“I like Yobal quite a bit,” Keller said. “I’m very excited to see him on the field for a variety of reasons. It’s a body that can add additional weight and muscle. We’ve seen him up to 93 (mph). On the mound, he’s an athletic mover with a repeatable delivery. Throws an elite amount of strikes. And he’s got a changeup that, in my estimation, projects to be plus when it’s all said and done.
“I think the part that cannot be underestimated with Yobal is that he is a competitor. He’s got special makeup from what I’ve experienced being around him in a short period of time and watching him compete on the mound. And I’m very, very excited to watch his development and progress once we’re able to get him to the academy and going.”
The Sox signed four infielders in Cruz, 17-year-old Jelfrank Silva (Maracaibo, Venezuela) and 16-year-olds Yordani Soto (Baní, Dominican Republic) and Igor Escobar (Macuto, Venezuela). Speaking broadly, Keller said Cruz — an 18-year-old from Sancti Spiritus, Cuba — is “a good-looking young guy.”
“It’s a tall, athletic, lean frame, one that has room to add strength,” Keller said of Cruz, who is 6-2 and 165 pounds. “He’s a polished defender at third base. The thing that stands out in my short period of time watching him play is that he puts together professional at-bats.
“We are going to find out very quickly how that translates into the DSL (Dominican Summer League) and into pro baseball. But obviously, it’s our hope those things carry over and allow him to be successful on the field.”
The Sox signed four outfielders in the 17-year-olds Patiño and Jeremías Aponte (Caracas, Venezuela) and 16-year-olds Frank Mieses (Higüey, Dominican Republic) and Alan Escobar (Caracas, Venezuela).
Keller described the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Patiño — who is from Porlamar, Venezuela — as a “physical athlete.”
“We’re very excited about this young man’s athletic ability,” Keller said. “He’s someone who can impact a baseball we believe in the power potential and the bat. But we don’t think it’s a power-only type of package. Currently there’s limited chase, there’s limited swing-and-miss and we think that he has a chance to be a dual-threat bat combo, hitting and power.
“And enough athleticism and run tool to begin in center field. And if at some point he would have to slide (to a corner outfield spot), we are confident and we believe that the power is going to translate to a corner if that has to happen.”
The Sox also added two catchers in 17-year-old Diego Natera (Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela) and 16-year-old José Mendoza (Barquisimeto, Venezuela).
Keller didn’t want to go too deeply into the topic, but he saw an impact throughout the game from teams pursuing Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki.
“Across the industry, we’ve seen some things that we don’t normally see in an international signing period,” Keller said. “As a result, there have been opportunities for us and for other teams to potentially take advantage of those opportunities.
“I give a lot of credit again to our staff on the ground with having a firm understanding of what the marketplace looked like. I give (general manager) Chris (Getz) a ton of credit for giving myself and (assistant director, international scouting & Latin America operations) Louis Silverio and others the ability to be nimble in the marketplace and take advantage and capitalize on those opportunities when they are presented.”
