Adam Berry
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Jesse Sanchez
@JesseSanchezMLBThe Pirates added the top teenage outfielder in the 2020-21 international class to the organization.
The club announced that it agreed to a deal with Dominican center fielder Shalin Polanco, No. 11 on MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 30 International Prospects list. Terms were not disclosed, but a source told MLB.com the deal was for $2.35 million.
Polanco headlined a class of 15 players signed by the Pirates on the first day of the international signing period. He received what is believed to be the second-largest signing bonus given by the Pirates to an international amateur free agent, behind only the $2.6 million deal for right-hander Luis Heredia.
Polanco, a 16-year-old who boasts a projectable body, shows good bat speed with loose and free hands. The combination results in a balanced swing with some power. He has an aggressive approach with a good feel for the strike zone, and he makes tons of hard contact. Polanco drives the ball to all fields and shows power potential.
¡°We are excited to add Shalin to the Pirates organization,¡± Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement. ¡°He¡¯s an athletic outfielder and promising left-handed hitter with power potential. Junior Vizcaino and our international scouting group did a terrific job getting to know Shalin and his family, and we look forward to seeing him in a Pirates uniform.
¡°We are equally as excited about our entire international signing class and look forward to the time we can be on the field with them.¡±
On defense, Polanco shows average arm strength with plus potential. He consistently makes proper reads and takes good routes. His entire defensive package has above-average potential at center field.
¡°He¡¯s a very projectable kid,¡± said Vizcaino, the Pirates¡¯ international scouting director, ¡°sort of a five-tool player. Can run. We think he¡¯s going to stay in center field. Plus defender. Hopefully, hit in the middle of the order. And he has the makeup to be a leader on the team.
¡°We really like his makeup. We think he¡¯s a great kid, works hard, kind of an over-worker. ¡ He¡¯s that type of player. He¡¯s going to be somebody that¡¯s going to come in and get dirty, and he¡¯s going to lead by example.¡±
Among the Pirates¡¯ other signings Friday were Colombian right-hander Jose Garces ($350,000) and Dominican shortstop Rubel Lebron ($350,000).
According to the rules established by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, clubs that receive a Competitive Balance Pick in Round B of the MLB Draft have the most money to spend on international prospects, with a pool of $6,431,000. Clubs like the Pirates that receive a Competitive Balance Pick in Round A of the Rule 4 Draft receive the second most at $5,889,600.
Unlike in previous years, teams are not allowed to trade any of their international pool money. Signing bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count toward a club's bonus pool, and foreign professional players who are at least 25 years of age and have played in a foreign league for at least six seasons are also exempt.
Acquiring international talent has always been a focus for the Pirates, but they have shown a willingness to take bigger swings since Vizcaino took over -- and especially under Cherington. Rather than trying to make up for the unpredictability of scouting 16-year-olds by shying away from high-cost signings, Pittsburgh has in the past year spent big on Australian outfielder Solomon Maguire ($594,000), Taiwanese pitcher Po-Yu Chen ($1.25 million) and now Polanco ($2.3 million).
Vizcaino credited Cherington and Pirates management for allowing his group to pursue potential impact players.
¡°It¡¯s awesome, because it allows us to compete,¡± Vizcaino said. ¡°There¡¯s no player that comes on the market that, as a staff, we feel like we can¡¯t compete on.
¡°If another team gets a player that we like, it¡¯s not because anyone in the front office has told us that, ¡®No, that player, we can¡¯t go after him because of resources¡¯ or anything like that. It¡¯s just because that happens sometimes in this market. That¡¯s been the biggest, knowing that they have our back and knowing that they support us 100 percent. That¡¯s been huge.¡±