On Monday, the first day of baseball's international signing period, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed four 16-year old players, including the son of a former Dodger.
Victor Gonzalez and Lenix Osuna are two pitchers from Mexico signed by the Dodgers. Osuna is the son of former Dodgers relief pitcher Antonio Osuna, who pitched for the Dodgers from 1995-2000. The other 16-year old pitcher signed by the Dodgers was Venezuelan hurler William Soto.
"We are pleased to announce we have been extremely active in the July 2nd signing period and have signed multiple players with more on the horizon. We are able to get three fine young arms with bright futures," said Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White.
In addition, the Dodgers signed 16-year old catcher Julian Leon from Mexico.
"Leon was highly regarded as one of the best catching prospects on the International market and he should follow a long list of quality catchers to come from Mexico," White said.
The total for the four players was roughly $1 million, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
This represents a departure for the Dodgers, who spent next to nothing on the amateur level, especially internationally, under Frank McCourt. But under new ownership, the Dodgers are looking to make an impact on their infrastructure, and their biggest splash came last week with the signing of 21-year old Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig to a seven-year, $42 million contract.
General manager Ned Colletti on Friday said the Puig signing represented a shift for the Dodgers.
"This represents for us the first piece of many," Colletti said. "We're going to continue to look forward, continue to look to sign players after July 2. It's a long-term play for us, to continue to build the farm system from every place we can."
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