July 2, 2012 International Signings - Mets likely to sign Germán Ahmed Rosario(SS)

[NYMetropolitans]

good job international scouts!

[Gideon]

Did we really just sign a kid for 1.75 mil? Our FO must really like him. Especially, when there are guys ranked higher signing for significantly less.

[Sick Of It All]

It pretty much means that their were other teams involved who really liked him too.

This is a guy that with his built may turn into a guy that may show excellent power potential at SS, but because of his built he is a prime candidate to move out of there. He has the build of a Wilmer Flores when he signed, but seems to be a better athlete and might just stick there.

[Sick Of It All]

@AdamRubinESPN
Mets also signed Dominican 2B Franklin Correa and Venezuelan SS Miguel Patino.


http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/...miguel-patino/

The Mets have signed Miguel Patiño, a shortstop from Venezuela.

Patiño, 16, is small (5-foot-7) but handles the bat well (more here for BA subscribers). Some teams think he could end up moving to catcher. The Mets also announced the signing of Dominican second baseman Franklin Correa.

[Sick Of It All]

http://www.metsblog.com/2012/07/02/m...miguel-patino/

The Mets agreed to contracts with Dominican second baseman Franklin Correa and Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Patino as international free agents.

Correa and Patino will report to the Mets Dominican Complex.

Correa, 16, bats and throws right-handed. The 5-9, 176-pounder grew up in Santo Domingo.

Patino, 16, also bats and throws right-handed. The 5-11, 155-pounder resides in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. Patino is set to graduate from Liceo Jose Maria Espana Secondario High School.

...so they signed a SS, 2B and a C. The trend from the draft continues.

[Sick Of It All]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...tnerId=rss_nym

NEW YORK -- The Mets moved quickly to make a splash on the first day of Major League Baseball's international signing period, investing more money in one player than ever before.

The Mets announced Monday that they have signed 16-year-old Dominican shortstop German Rosario to a $1.75 million contract, topping the $1.3 million they paid for former top prospect Fernando Martinez in 2005. Compare those figures to the $2.3 million the Mets paid for shortstop Gavin Cecchini, their top pick in last month's First-Year Player Draft.

The Mets also inked Dominican second baseman Franklin Correa and Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Patino, both 16 years old, to deals. All three will report to the organization's Dominican Complex.

Though Rosario did not rank among MLB.com's list of the top 20 international prospects, Mets vice president of player development and amateur scouting Paul DePodesta called him an "extremely athletic, very instinctual and highly intelligent" shortstop.

"He has the chance to impact the game offensively, defensively and off the field," DePodesta said in a statement.

The move may signal an increased willingness for the Mets to splurge on amateur talent. Baseball America estimated that the Mets spent a total of $2.86 million on international bonuses in 2011, the 12th-ranked figure in baseball.

[Nymfan87]

I really dislike the logic that up the middle players are more valuable than ones from other areas. If you have a great CF, SS, 2B, and C and are bad at 1B, 3B, LF, and RF, it's the same as the opposite. The goal should be to get the best players, regardless of position, not draft/sign for need.

[Angry Norwegian]

I really doubt it's "for need", considering these guys are like 5+ years away.

[Dugmet]

I really dislike the logic that up the middle players are more valuable than ones from other areas. If you have a great CF, SS, 2B, and C and are bad at 1B, 3B, LF, and RF, it's the same as the opposite. The goal should be to get the best players, regardless of position, not draft/sign for need.

They are more valuable, apparently, for the following reasons:

• Teams that are strong up the middle are generally more successful.
• It's easier to find players at corner positions.

There ya go. That's all I got for ya.

[Sick Of It All]

I really dislike the logic that up the middle players are more valuable than ones from other areas. If you have a great CF, SS, 2B, and C and are bad at 1B, 3B, LF, and RF, it's the same as the opposite. The goal should be to get the best players, regardless of position, not draft/sign for need.

Is not really not about need, but more of a philosophy, the Mets farm has been at the bottom even when they have gotten good depth through out their system why?

They lacked up the middle talents.

Some of these guys will have to move to a corner spot eventually anyways because they might outgrow the position anyways.

[NYman15]

I'm very happy to see the Mets spending some money in the international market. Rosario definitely sounds like an intriguing player with a lot of potential, although, he's still very young and he's very far away from the majors.

[WrightStuff82]

I really dislike the logic that up the middle players are more valuable than ones from other areas. If you have a great CF, SS, 2B, and C and are bad at 1B, 3B, LF, and RF, it's the same as the opposite. The goal should be to get the best players, regardless of position, not draft/sign for need.

If the FA pool of quality CF, SS, 2B, and C is more shallow (it definently is), doesn't it make sense to focus your player development there?

[KingsOfQueens]

I like the philosophy of drafting up the middle talent because thats where the most value is.

But I'm not so fond of the idea of looking for smaller players. (If that is in fact what they're doing, could just be a coincidence).

[Sick Of It All]

I think is mostly a coincidence, but then again you never know.

[Sick Of It All]

Enrique Rojas/ESPN ‏@Enrique_Rojas1
Top bonus #July2 Rosario $1,75 million, Barreto $1,45, Cabrera y Torrens $1,3 #Mets #BlueJays #Yankees #Giants