Philadelphia Phillies 2024 International Review

Top Of The Class

The top bonus for the Phillies this year went to Dominican outfielder Jalvin Arias, who signed for $1.45 million. He has grown into a physical corner outfielder with a strong, relatively mature build (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) and can blast balls in batting practice with plus raw power from the right side. If a pitcher makes a mistake with a fastball, Arias can drive the ball out of the park, but he will have to make adjustments with his swing and his plate discipline to cut down on the swing-and-miss in his game. Earlier in the scouting process, Arias stood out for his power and his speed when he was running plus. He still moves well for his size, but as he’s gotten bigger, his speed has ticked down, which will push him to a corner. 

Names To Know

Anderson Navas, C, Venezuela: Navas wasn’t the biggest bonus player in the class—he signed for $250,000—but he developed into one of the top catchers available in 2024, with upside that stacks up against anyone the Phillies signed this year. He’s a tooled-up, 6-foot-4, 180-pound catcher with phenomenal arm strength. The arm is a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, a grade that might be conservative. It’s a longer release at times with his long limbs but it’s elite arm strength with pop times consistently under 2.0 seconds and into the 1.8s on his best throws.

Navas is an excellent athlete especially for a catcher his size, running plus underway, though that tool figures to back up. There are things he needs to polish with his receiving, but he’s flexible and folds up well behind the plate. At the plate, Navas has length to his righthanded swing, but he has over-the-fence power now and a chance for even higher exit velocities once he fills out. 

Cesar Mujica, C, Venezuela: Mujica, 17, signed for $700,000. He’s 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and projects to stay behind the plate. He blocks and receives well, he has an above-average arm and is a smart player with the leadership skills and intangibles that managers love having in a catcher. He’s a solid hitter for a catcher his age, with some length to his righthanded swing in a power-over-hit profile and a chance to hit 20-plus home runs if everything clicks. 

Jose Familia, SS, Dominican Republic: The Phillies signed Familia for $600,000. He will play the full Dominican Summer League season at 16 with an Aug. 16 birthday that makes him one of the youngest players signed in 2024. He has high-end physical projection with his lean, athletic build at 6-foot-2, 165 pounds and the look of a player who might still be growing. He’s an average runner with good hands and an above-average arm. His bat speed enables him to drive the ball for extra-base impact from the left side right now and his strength potential points to more power coming, with possibly a power-over-hit profile.

Nathan Cijntje, OF, Curacao: At 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, Cijntje isn’t the biggest player on the field, but he has been trending up. Cijntje signed at 17 for $337,500, the No. 2 bonus this year for a player from Curacao, and has hit well in games with a compact righthanded swing. For a smaller player his age, Cijntje hits the ball with surprising exit velocities, so he’s not just a slap hitter either. His plus-plus speed is a weapon both offensively and in center field, where he has an average arm. He’s a smart player with good instincts that helps everything play up in games.

Julio Polanco, RHP, Dominican Republic: Polanco had been training as a third baseman, where he showed big power and arm strength but was up and down as a hitter. He moved to the mound and boosted his profile, signing at 17 for $275,000. Polanco has a strong build already at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds with a fastball up to 94 mph. He shows feel for a slider that’s ahead of his changeup, but his secondaries and pitchability are still understandably a development focus given his lack of time on the mound.

Ibrahim Ruiz, OF, Venezuela: Ruiz, a 17-year-old, signed for $250,000, is a center fielder with plus speed. He’s 5-foot-11, 170 pounds with a righthanded swings geared for line drives with doubles power. 

Maylerson Casanova, SS, Dominican Republic: Casanova has bounced between shortstop and center field with athleticism that could fit at either spot. He’s at shortstop now, where he has good hands and arm strength, with plus speed that could work in center field if he needed to move. Signed at 17 for $225,000, Casanova’s speed, athleticism and up-the-middle profile stand out more than his offensive game at the moment. He’s a 5-foot-11, 165-pound switch-hitter with gap power who is more advanced from the right side of the plate. 

Josueth Quinonez, OF, Venezuela: Quinonez, 17, signed for $125,000. His bat-to-ball skills stand out from the right side, with a knack for hitting line drives all around the field. Quinonez (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) is likely a corner outfielder, so adding more strength and power will be important.

Sleeper Watch

The Phillies added a pair of power arms who were previously eligible to sign. One of them is Eligio Arias, a 21-year-old, 6-foot-7 Dominican righthander who has been up to 97 mph and still has room to fill out, so he could end up throwing even harder. Arias is still learning to synchronize his delivery more consistently, but it’s a power fastball that he pairs with a hard slider into the mid-80s. [Note: This report previously referred to Eligio Arias as Yael Arias, a different pitcher the Phillies signed this year.]

The Phillies also gave $10,000 to righthander Darling Reyes. He’s a 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic who is 6-foot-1, 175 pounds and has also touched 97 mph. He shows feel for a slider but is still learning to throw more strikes, possibly landing as a power reliever.