For 19 seasons, Dave Concepci¨®n dazzled in Cincinnati. The club¡¯s primary shortstop for the majority of his run, he won five Gold Gloves at the premium spot and was named a National League All-Star nine times. It¡¯s lofty to bestow those expectations on any young player, but it¡¯s the lineage established by one of Venezuela¡¯s most electric defensive performers to ever play in the big leagues.

Liberts Aponte -- MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 18 prospect in the 2025 international class -- is a similarly defensive-minded shortstop, one with ¡°magic in his hands,¡± according to one scout. He joined the Reds as their top international signing Wednesday, adding to a farm system with considerable depth up the middle.

Aponte¡¯s deal is worth $1.9 million. The Reds received $7.56 million in international bonus pool money for 2025.

A right-handed hitter who employs a simple toe tap as a timing mechanism, Aponte has solid bat-to-ball skills and traditionally uses the middle of the field to spray line drives. He¡¯s added some good weight to his lean frame over the past few years, and while he won¡¯t be confused for a masher who sells out to tap into power, he draws positive reviews for his ability to do the little things at the plate -- bunt, move runners and limit the swing-and-miss.

Aponte trains with Kevin Moscatel at Caribes Top Players in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, a member of MLB¡¯s Trainer Partnership Program.

Cincinnati¡¯s farm system is dotted with talented shortstops. Beyond having Elly De La Cruz (a $65,000 signee in 2018) holding down the six at the big league level, top-ranked position player Edwin Arroyo (MLB No. 65) has the makings of a long-term glove man up the middle for years to come. In addition to that, the club has six other members of its Top 30 list having seen time at short; the one in most direct competition to Aponte in 2025 will be No. 25 Reds prospect Naibel Mariano, who signed with the Reds for $1.65 million last year as the No. 43 international prospect and will likely be getting another look in the Dominican Summer League.

The Reds are also high on Enry Torres, a left-handed-hitting catcher from Venezuela, who joins Aponte as part of the club¡¯s signing class. (He will reportedly receive an $800,000 signing bonus, a figure not confirmed by the club.)

Even at a young age, Torres draws high marks for his work ethic and ability to handle a pitching staff. His premium athleticism first indicated that a move off catcher may be in his future, but he¡¯s made considerable gains at the position, which include significant improvements in the catch-and-throw aspect of his work.

In addition to his work behind the dish, Torres earns the ¡°pure hitter¡± moniker for gap-to-gap approach and ability to hit the ball to all fields. Power may be slow to come due to his smaller frame, but he¡¯s regarded as one of the premier bats at any position to come from Venezuela in this year¡¯s international class.

Overall, Cincinnati signed 18 players -- nine from Venezuela, seven from the Dominican Republic and one each from Colombia and Nicaragua.

An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between Jan. 15 and Dec. 15. He must turn 16 before he signs and be 17 before Sept. 1 the following year.

That means players born between Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2008, will be eligible to sign in the current signing period. Players must be registered with Major League Baseball in advance to be eligible to sign.

Additional notable Reds signees and their bonuses:

Isaac Garcia, OF (Venezuela) -- $700,000
Angel Salio, INF (Dominican Republic) -- $500,000
Jealmy Frias, INF (Dominican Republic) -- $350,000