Orioles add 22 players to open international signing period

As Baltimore continues to develop its reputation in the international scouting realm, the Orioles signed 22 players Wednesday, including a trio of top-100 ranked prospects.

The Orioles’ top signing, shortstop José Luis Peña, is a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic who was one of the youngest players eligible. Born Aug. 16, 2008, Peña projects to remain as a middle infielder as he grows because of his speed and glovework, according to a scouting report from Baseball America. The website considers Peña to be the No. 44-ranked prospect in the international signing period that opened Wednesday.

Peña signed for $1 million, a source said, making him the recipient of the highest bonus from Baltimore this signing period. Outfielder Johancel Gomez and shortstop Meykel Baro signed for $750,000 and $500,000, respectively, the source added. Baseball America first reported the signing bonus figures.

“We’re extremely excited about this class,” said Koby Perez, the Orioles’ director of international scouting, in a video call. “We spread out our dollars, with the majority of the players being from the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Venezuela. As you guys know, this process to get to today takes three years before today’s here. It takes a lot of hard work from our scouts and everyone involved to get these deals done.

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“We feel our talent within those 22 players is going to be really good and should show its way up our line hopefully in the near future.”

In an email, Brian Mejia, an agent at Octagon and the president and co-founder of the Dominican Prospect League, wrote that Peña is a “gap-to-gap hitter with power projection and a high projection ceiling.”

Perez agreed. He said Peña is “a plus runner. We love his arm strength from shortstop. We think he can maintain at shortstop and his power, we think, has a chance to be average power in the future. Any time you’re talking about a premium shortstop who’s an athlete and can run, and you’re projecting average power, it’s something to be excited about.”

Peña, speaking through team interpreter Brandon Quinones, said he is excited about the opportunity to join the Orioles’ organization because of the coaching staff.

“I think they’re a really good organization,” Peña said. “I think we have a lot of really good coaches here, and they’re constantly on top of you and they want you to continue to get better. Even through some of those failures, they continue to be on you and work with you to get past those mistakes to help you improve each and every day.”

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Peña said he watches Robinson Canó and is impressed by how the eight-time All-Star has all-around skill. “I know I can reach that point one day,” Peña said. “I put that objective, and I work really hard to get to that point.”

Gomez and Baro are also in Baseball America’s top 100 for international prospects this signing period, slotting in at No. 66 and No. 86, respectively.

Perez said Gomez, a 17-year-old born in St. Thomas but who grew up in the Dominican Republic, projects to be a corner outfielder with power. Perez said the Orioles “feel good about the bat.”

Baro, one of four players signed from Cuba, is a shortstop who the Orioles feel has “all the ingredients” to be a special player, Perez said.

The Orioles also signed catcher Ricardo Chirinos, the nephew of bench coach and former player Robinson Chirinos.

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The signing bonus for Peña doesn’t match the recent heights doled out by Baltimore, but it continues a strong run of international signings under Perez. In 2023, the Orioles signed 16-year-old shortstop Luis Ayden Almeyda for a club-record $2.3 million. Since 2021, the Orioles have paid six signing bonuses worth more than $1 million, including the $1.3 million deal for highly touted catching prospect Samuel Basallo in 2021.

Basallo and Venezuelan shortstop Maikol Hernández, who signed for $1.2 million, became the first international prospects the organization signed with seven-figure bonuses.

Part of Baltimore’s increased success stems from the opening of a training academy in the Dominican Republic. The Orioles were behind the curve in international facilities and scouting before Perez was hired in 2019. Now the pipeline is filling with international talent that is nearing the major league level.

Basallo could be the first to break through. He ended 2024 as Baseball America’s 13th-best prospect, and he could debut later in the 2025 season after reaching Triple-A last year.

The Orioles entered this signing period with $6,908,600 in their bonus pool, per MLB.com. Perez said Baltimore retains some of that money. It’s a strategy Perez likes to employ in case there’s a late bloomer or a situation arises in which a player unexpectedly becomes available.

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“Years ago, we signed César Prieto with the remaining amount that we had,” Perez said. “Last year, we were able to do Jordan Sanchez, who’s one of our good prospects, with the remaining balance of our pool. So we always like to have some extra after this date.”

Here is the full 22-player signing class.