Texas Rangers Sign 23 International Prospects

The Texas Rangers made a big splash on the first day of the International prospects signing window. The club has agreed to terms with twenty-three International prospects. The signing window for International prospects opened on January 15th, 2024, and will not close again until December 15th, 2024, so while these are the first, they may not be the last. Eligible players must be born between September 1st, 2007, and August 31st, 2007, and must have registered with the MLB in advance. The twenty-three international prospects hail from the Dominican Republic (12), Venezuela (8), Curacao (1), Mexico (1), and Haiti (1).

The Rangers have landed three of the top fifty International prospects as ranked by MLB.com. Paulino Santana (OF), ranked as the number 2 prospect, is a 16-year-old native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His skills in the outfield and front of the plate have been compared to Ethan Salas, 2023’s number-one prospect.

Curley Martha (SS), ranked 29th, is a native of Curacao. He appeared in the 2019 Little League World Series for his home country, leading his team to the World Champion Game. His strengths in front of the bag and diverse skill set may make him a versatile player in the future.

Yolfran Castillo (SS), ranked 46th, hails from Venezuela. While less highly ranked than the players mentioned above, he still breaks the top fifty international prospects. He has a great understanding of the strike zone and a quick bat. Only time will tell just how good he will be.

The remaining twenty, of which we currently have little information on, are as follows: Nathaniel Palacios (SS, Venezuela), Daniel Flames (SS, Venezuela), Angel Arredondo (SS, Mexico), Jose Marcano (C, Venezuela), Manni Ramirez (CF, Dominican Republic), Joaquin Arias Jr (CF, Dominican Republic), Andry Batista (CF, Dominican Republic), Winder Linares (CF, Venezuela), Jovensley Hilaire (CF, Haiti), Yeisy Celesten (SS, Dominican Republic), Claudiel Lantigua (SS, Dominican Republic), Johmphy De La Cruz (SS, Dominican Republic), Javier Sanchez (C, Venezuela), Ariel Yean (RHP, Dominican Republic), Jesus Lafalaise (RHP, Dominican Republic), Jose Silvestre (RHP, Dominican Republic), Gilberto Lopez (RHP, Dominican Republic), Ulife Caraballo (RHP, Dominican Republic), Keiber Armas (RHP, Venezuela), Jesus Lopez (RHP, Venezuela)

Rangers fans may recognize one name among the list of rising stars. Joaquin Arias Jr. is the son of former Rangers infielder Joaquin Arias, who played for the Rangers in 2006, 2008-2009, and 2010. These young players will grow the Rangers farm system and increase the prospect of more World Series wins in the future.