Angels to sign Dominican catcher Mario Martinez, per reports

The Los Angeles Angels signed Dominican Republic catching prospect Mario Martinez for $70,000, DPLbaseball.com reported on Friday.

The 17-year-old Martinez was a Dominican Prospect League All-Star in 2012 and just finished playing in the DPL Santiago circuit. Martinez was scouted by the Angels Dominican Republic Supervisor Roman Ocumarez, who followed the catcher over this season.

Martinez is said to have good bat speed, a compact swing, raw power and does a good job at making contact. He reportedly has solid defensive skills, but is considered to have slightly below average arm strength for a catching prospect. At 6', 180 pounds he is believed to improve his arm with future development.

The DPL recruits more than 200 of the top Dominican amateur players every year to play in a 25-game season. Games are played once a week at a different MLB facility in the Dominican Republic with varying rosters on each team week to week.