Kansas City Royals 2020-21 International Signing Preview

Their top targets in the 2020-21 class that opens on Jan. 15 are a pair of shortstops from the Dominican Republic. One of them is Daniel Vasquez, one of the top prospects in the class with a bonus that should come in the $1.5 to $2 million area. Vasquez has trended in the right direction as he’s grown into a taller, lean frame with high physical upside and athleticism in the middle of the diamond. He moves around well at shortstop with fluid actions and body control, along with a short righthanded swing with good bat-to-ball skills and power that should come as he fils out his 6-foot-2, 158-pound frame. He trains with Jaime Ramos.

 

A second Dominican shortstop the Royals are expected to sign is Yosmi Fernandez from the MB Academy, with Fernandez likely signing a bonus around $800,000. Fernandez has good actions at shortstop and solid instincts for the game. He’s a switch-hitter with a swing geared for line drives, but he will need to get stronger to be able to do more damage.

 

 

The Royals are also expected to sign a pair of Venezuelan hitters who train with Yasser Mendez. One is Sebastian Ramirez, a lefthanded outfielder with impressive raw tools between his speed, arm strength and raw power, though he’s still learning to translate it into games at the plate. The other is 5-foot-10 shortstop Diego Guzman, an instinctive player with soft hands and good actions in the field along with a contact-oriented offensive game from the right side.

Angel Parra, a lefthanded outfielder from the Dominican Republic with good bat control and a short, quick swing is another Royals target, with a bonus in the low six-figure area.

 

 

 

Other expected signings for the Royals include catchers Steven Cespedes (Dominican Republic) and Osman Bravo (Venezuela) and Venezuelan outfielder Junior Marin.

 

 

 

 

Dominican shortstop Yeison Vargas also looks to be in line for a low six-figure bonus from the Royals.