O's international program adds more talent in busy week

The Orioles emerging international program, a program that can now boast of 13 ranked players on the MLBPipeline.com Orioles’ top 30 prospects list, added more talent this week.

On Wednesday, the first day to sign international amateurs this signing period – a period that runs through Dec. 15, 2025 – the O’s added 22 players.

By signing bonus, the most prominent of the group signed was shortstop José Peña, who got a $1 million bonus. He was ranked No. 42 by Baseball America (which ranks players by bonus amounts) and No. 47 by MLBPipeline.

He gives the Orioles now six players signed to bonuses of $1 million or more since 2021.

He is now added to this group of players:

$2.3M – SS Luis Almeyda, 1-15-23.
$1.7M – OF Braylin Tavera, 1-15-22.
$1.3M – C Samuel Basallo DR on 1-15-21 and SS Emilio Sanchez, DR on 1-15-24.
$1.2M – SS Maikol Hernández on 1-15-21.

Here is the current updated listing of the 13 international players currently ranked in the MLBPipeline.com O's top 30 list:

No. 2 - C Samuel Basallo

No. 8 - LHP Luis De León

No. 9 - OF Stiven Martinez

No. 14 - OF Thomas Sosa

No. 15 - OF Braylin Tavera

No. 19 - IF Joshua Liranzo

No. 20 - IF Leandro Arias

No. 23 - IF Emilio Sanchez

No. 25 - RHP Esteban Mejia

No. 26 - RHP Keeler Morfe

No. 27 - OF Jordan Sanchez

No. 28 - IF Aron Estrada

No. 30 – IF Luis Almeyda

Having nearly half of this list at a time when most clubhouses feature around 30 percent international players, is a nice number for the Orioles. Basallo, at some point this year, should be the first international amateur since Mike Elias and his staff took over in Baltimore, to make the majors. He surely won’t be the last.

As the Orioles look to produce a long window to compete for AL East and World Series titles, having a strong international program will be a real plus. It will also help the O’s farm stay ranked among the top farms in the sport.

Back in October, I noted that Baseball America had released its list of the top 31 prospects in the Dominican Summer League for the 2024 season. This is from a league that sports 52 teams with multiple clubs, including the Orioles, having two squads.

That is a lot of players to try and rank and pick the top 31. Of that group, four of their top 31 are Orioles. No other club had that many in the top 31 with St. Louis and Cleveland next with three each.

In that listing of the DSL top 31 prospects, O’s right-handed pitcher Esteban Mejia is No. 8 while shortstop Elvin Garcia is No. 13, right-hander Keeler Morfe is No. 14 and outfielder Jordan Sanchez is No. 28.

Only three of the 13 ranked international players on the O’s top 30 are pitchers, but I do think the day is not that far away when the O’s produce a big league pitcher from their international program. And that will be very welcome and a big day for the organization.

It takes longer to get a player signed at age 16 to the majors than a player drafted at age 21 out of college. But they are younger when they get there. Basallo, for instance, could make the bigs this year at age 20. Adley Rutschman was 24 when he made his MLB debut.

This week was another good one for O’s International, a program now brimming with ranked prospects and one also with a brand, new sparkling new facility in the Dominican Republic as well.