Checking in on the Phillies' recent top international signings
The new international signing period opens on Jan. 15, but how are the Phillies' most recent top international signings faring in the system?
The 2024 international signing period is right around the corner, with teams eligible to sign players starting Monday, Jan. 15 and running all the way until Dec. 15. Per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have $4,652,200 in their signing pool after forfeiting $1 million for signing Trea Turner last offseason.
Before the new signing period begins, let's take a look back at the Phillies' recent top international signings and check in on where they are in the system.
Yhoswar Garcia, 2020
After signing for $2.5 million in 2020, Yhoswar Garcia ran into visa and injury issues — including a broken leg in 2022. Going into 2023, he hadn't gotten enough reps to figure things out at the plate. Before the season, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs said that Garcia looked lost at the plate.
The Venezuela native was one of the top signings of his class and has tools like plus-plus speed and above-average defense in the outfield; he just needs to develop them and hope his bat catches up.
At least Garcia did something in 2023, not that it was much. He slashed .235/.300/.324 with one home run, 22 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 35 games in the Florida Complex League. Despite his speed, Garcia will have to figure out how to get the ball off the ground a bit more after running a 55.1 percent ground ball rate last year.
Yemal Flores, 2021
The Phillies signed outfielder Yemal Flores for $1.3 million in 2021 as their top signing that year. Unfortunately, the Dominican-born Flores hasn't been able to put it together since signing. He struggled to hit in the DSL in 2021 with a .171 average and a .623 OPS in 37 games. He didn't fare any better in 2022 in the Florida Complex League, where he hit .160 with a .549 OPS.
Repeating Rookie ball in 2023, he managed to slash .282/.417/.513 in 14 games, but that's all he played due to injury. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs doesn't think Flores will hit enough to make an impact — at least, he didn't when he released his Phillies prospect rankings going into the 2023 season. Flores didn't even get a mention in FanGraphs' Top 26 Phillies prospect article for 2024.
NEXT: Checking in on William Bergolla and Starlyn Caba
William Bergolla, 2022
In 2022, the Phillies used $2.05 million of their $5,179,700 base signing pool to ink Venezuelan shortstop William Bergolla, who was the No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 50 International Prospects list. He was ranked as the team's No. 10 prospect by Pipeline during the 2023 season.
https://t.co/NjVZXhfxq0 pic.twitter.com/2CT18hedwH
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) January 15, 2022
As a 17-year-old, Bergolla impressed in his debut season in the Dominican Summer League, slashing 380/.470/.423 with 14 RBI and 18 runs scored in 24 games. He faced a little more adversity in his 55 games with the Low-A Clearwater Threshers in 2023, slashing .255/.351/.286, with 20 RBI and 26 runs scored.
He doesn't pack much power, without a home run in his two professional seasons, but the kid can flat-out hit. The left-handed hitter has shown his bat-to-ball skills with more walks than strikeouts in his two years in the Phillies organization. He ran a 13.3 percent walk rate and 3.6 percent strikeout rate in the DSL and followed that up with a 13.2 percent walk rate and 7.5 percent strikeout rate in the Florida State League last season.
FanGraphs ranks him as the team's No. 13 prospect going into the 2024 season but thinks his lack of athleticism will limit his ceiling.
Starlyn Caba, 2023
With their 2023 signing of Starlyn Caba, the "Phillies might have discovered the next great Dominican shortstop," according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The team used a $3 million chunk of their $4,644,000 signing pool to sign MLB Pipeline's No. 13 international prospect.
Touted as a future plus defender at short, and with top-tier contact skills, Caba slashed .301/.423/.346 with 17 RBI and 16 steals in 38 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2023. Per FanGraphs, his "3% swinging strike rate and 90% contact rate in 2023 were both among the best in all of the minor leagues."
The switch-hitting Caba hasn't shown home run power, but hits the ball hard gap to gap. But the biggest takeaway for the 18-year-old is his elite defense, "with excellent side-to-side range to go along with good footwork, soft hands and a good internal clock," per his Pipeline scouting report.
Starlyn Caba, the #4 Phillies prospect according to @baseballpro.
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) January 9, 2024
"A bouncy athlete with above average speed, Caba has every chance to play shortstop long term and could be a plus defender at the premium position in the future."
Just 18 years old, Caba hit .301/.423/.346 on… pic.twitter.com/9TucxYtIBL
An elbow injury ended his season early, but he should make his stateside debut this year in Low-A Clearwater. After landing at No. 13 on the Phillies' MLB Pipeline prospect rankings last season, he's already up to No. 3 on FanGraphs, No. 4 on Baseball Prospectus, and No. 5 on Baseball America's (subscription required) rankings for 2024. He has also recently been picked as the Phillies' top international prospect by Pipeline.
More Philadelphia Phillies news and analysis
manual