Jays International Signings

The Jays spend some money on international signings:

• Juan Caricote is a Venezuelan catcher who signed for $1.96 million. He’s 17 and said to be a good defensive catcher. Baseball America has him as the 17th-best international FA. He’s a left-handed hitter. BA says he could develop into a 15-home run type. He joins Edward Duran as their top catching prospects right away.
• Juan Sanchez is a shortstop from the Dominican Republic. He’s 18 and signed for $997,500 MLB Pipeline has put him at #18 on their top Jays prospect list. Baseball America #7. He’s played SS in the Dominican but will likely move to third in the Jays system. He’s 6’3” listed at 180 pounds but will likely add muscle to that as he moves up the ladder. Juan hit .341/.439/.565 with 8 home runs in the Dominican Summer Leagues. Baseball America tells us he hit a ball at 115.8 MPH this summer. BA also called him the number 5 prospect in the DSL. He isn’t fast and doesn’t have a lot of range at short, but will like be fine at third and has a strong arm. He’s a power hitter who strikes out a bit more than average.
• Michael Mesa is a left-handed hitting outfielder from the Dominican Republic, who the Jays signed for $900,000. He’s 6’1”, 190, and he plays all three outfield spots, but likely will be a corner outfielder in the majors (presuming he gets there). The phrase ‘whippy” appears a lot with people talking about his swing. He should have decent power as he moves up the minors.
• Aneudy Severino is a 5’9” outfielder from the Dominican. Baseball America mentions his ‘high-end exit velocity’. He’ll likely end up a corner outfielder. He’s 17. Listed as an above-average runner and muscular. He signed for $700,000.
• Sebastian Casanova is a shortstop from Venezuela. His main tool is speed, and he would be expected to play up the middle, short or center or second. Right-handed, line drive hitter. His signing bonus wasn’t listed but is likely around $100,000.
• Gabriel Porras is a 5’7” Venezuelan SS, just 5’7”, 160 pounds. BA says line drive hitter with gap power. He’d likely end up in the middle infield. He’s 16. Signed for $75,000.