The Philadelphia Phillies made the most of the opening of international free agency last week by coming away with one of the top free agents from the international class. The Phillies used a whopping $4 million in bonus pool money to secure MLB.com’s No. 3 international prospect, outfielder Francisco Renteria out of Venezuela.
This appears to be a huge win for Philadelphia as Renteria has drawn rave reviews for his power and potential already despite being only 17 years old.
More significantly, it just so happens that the Phillies’ newest international free agent stud has a hidden World Series bloodline in his veins. Renteria is in fact the son of former MLB player Edgar Renteria, who spent 16 seasons (1996-2011) in the major leagues over his illustrious career.
Son of former MLBer Edgar Renteria, Phillies' new international prospect Francisco Renteria already has World Series lineage
As a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glove winner, Renteria was instrumental in leading the teams that he played on to the MLB playoffs. In fact, he played in seven different postseasons, helping three different teams reach the World Series: the Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants.
He won the Fall Classic twice, with the Marlins in 1997 and the Giants in 2010. Some fans may remember him as the Game 7 hero in 1997, when he delivered an 11th-inning World Series-winning base hit. Renteria finished his career with a .286 average and a .741 OPS, with 1,200 runs scored, 140 home runs, 923 RBIs, and 294 stolen bases in 2,152 games.
With his father having made significant contributions during his time in the major leagues, the younger Renteria is expected to have that potential and more with the winning vibes in his blood. His scouting report practically says it all: great bat speed, can hit to both parts of the field, explosive rotation, a solid glove and above-average speed, per various sources according to Joseph Canmisa.
On top of that, MLB Pipeline calls him a contact monster with an excellent understanding of the strike zone with plus-plus raw power. In fact, Renteria has also been compared to No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin, which speaks volumes of his utmost potential.
So unlike his father, who played primarily as a shortstop for his entire MLB career, Renteria will develop in a power position in the field as an outfielder, given that Baseball America projects him to be a 30-home run threat in the future (subscription required).
With the sons of former star MLB players excelling in recent years such as Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and others, the Phillies will be hoping that Renteria will follow in that path and develop into an unstoppable force in the majors. With the Phillies trying to find the ideal solution for their outfield, eventually Renteria could help solve a lot of problems.