The Orioles rode a dynamic young crop of talent to back-to-back postseason appearances over the past two years. They¡¯re now set to further restock their pipeline with the signing of shortstop Jos¨¦ Pe?a, MLB¡¯s No. 47 international prospect in the 2025 class.

Pe?a¡¯s deal is worth $997,500 of the $6.9 million in pool money that the club received this year.

The O¡¯s signed 22 players on Wednesday, the first day of the 2025 international signing period. The group includes 11 from the Dominican Republic, six from Venezuela, four from Cuba and one from St. Thomas:

"I am very ecstatic to welcome these remarkable individuals and their families to Birdland,¡± Orioles vice president of international scouting and operations Koby Perez said in a statement. ¡°We believe that we were able to introduce a new wave of exciting, young players this signing period. These efforts continue to be made possible only through the hard work and commitment of our staff, as well as the continued support of our international operations from [general manager] Mike Elias and the partnership group.¡±

Prior to 2021, Baltimore had never given a seven-figure signing bonus to an international player. The club¡¯s efforts have improved in recent years, with Pe?a joining catcher and No. 2 prospect Samuel Basallo ($1.3 million in ¡®21), infielder Maikol Hern¨¢ndez ($1.2 million in ¡®21), outfielder Braylin Tavera ($1.7 million in ¡®22), infielder Luis Almeyda ($2.3 million in ¡®23) and infielder Emilio Sanchez ($1.3 million in ¡®24) as those to receive $1 million or more.

Evaluators have long been excited by the projectable frame of Pe?a, who is already 6-foot-2 at age 16. Also working in his favor is that the Dominican shortstop won¡¯t turn 17 until August, giving him significant leeway as it pertains to his development.

¡°Being so young, it gives me time to display my potential and really grow into that,¡± Pe?a said via O¡¯s team interpreter Brandon Quinones on an introductory Zoom call.

Equipped with a solid hit-and-power combination as a right-handed hitter, Pe?a has double-plus bat speed that helps the ball jump off his bat. Primarily a gap-to-gap hitter at this stage, he checks in at only 155 pounds, with the club looking forward to getting him experience against pro pitching.

While Pe?a projects as a potential solid everyday regular at the next level, his standout tool figures to be his wheels. His feet are quick, supporting the idea that he could spend significant time at shortstop, especially when coupled with a plus throwing tool.

¡°He¡¯s a plus runner. We love his arm strength from shortstop, we think he can maintain at shortstop,¡± Perez said. ¡°And his power, we think, has a chance to be average power in the future. Any time you¡¯re talking about a premium shortstop who¡¯s an athlete and can run, and you¡¯re projecting average power, it¡¯s something to be excited about.¡±

But reps up the middle are precious in pro ball. Last year, Baltimore handed out a $1.3 million bonus to Sanchez (Orioles¡¯ No. 23 prospect), who started 75 percent of his games in the field at short last year in the Dominican Summer League. It¡¯s possible that Sanchez repeats the DSL this summer, which could mean that Pe?a will begin to get his feet wet at second or third base, the latter spot a better fit for his 55-grade throwing arm.

Looking up the organizational ladder, 2023¡¯s No. 20 international prospect Almeyda (Orioles¡¯ No. 30 prospect) and 2024 sixth-round pick DJ Layton (Orioles¡¯ No. 29 prospect) figure to command much of the time at shortstop in the Florida Complex League, or even potentially Single-A Delmarva, furthering the idea that Pe?a will likely see reps at positions beyond short.

Pe?a is a long way from Camden Yards or challenging Gunnar Henderson or Jackson Holliday for at-bats up the middle. But Baltimore¡¯s renewed efforts in the international market under Perez and Elias have yielded the organization another exciting player to add to its bountiful Minor League crop.

A youngster who said he models his game after former big leaguer Robinson Can¨®, Pe?a is eager to join the Orioles¡¯ farm system.

¡°I think they¡¯re a really good organization,¡± Pe?a said. ¡°I think we have a lot of really good coaches here. They¡¯re constantly on top of you, and they want you to continue to get better. Even through some of those failures, they continue to be on you and work with you to get past those mistakes and help you improve each and every day.¡±

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.

Perez said the O¡¯s still have some available pool money, so they could add more to their international class. But at this point, they¡¯re pleased with the group they¡¯ve assembled.

¡°It takes a lot of hard work from our scouts and everyone involved to get these deals done,¡± Perez said. ¡°We feel that our talent within those 22 players is going to be really good and should show its way up our line, hopefully, in the near future.¡±

Additional notable Orioles signees and their bonuses:

Johanse Gomez, OF, U.S. Virgin Islands -- $747,500
Meykel Baro, INF, Cuba -- $497,500
Ronald Terrero, INF, Cuba -- $397,500
Yeison Acosta, C, Cuba -- $372,500