International outlook the Cubs are currently favored to sign

January 15 is the date scheduled for the international day of the signing. It was agreed last year that the signing date for international prospects would be moved, as opposed to July 2.

According to Sports Illustrated, because these deals involve prospects who are not on the current 40-player rosters, are not part of the MLBPA, and the contracts are treated as minor league deals, teams will still be able to sign these children despite the lockdown. . There was speculation that this would be affected by the work stoppage, but it appears to be not.

The Chicago Cubs have their eyes on several international prospects, and according to MLB.com are favored to sign two of the group’s top 50 players.

2 international prospects the Chicago Cubs are currently favorites to sign

Alexis Hernandez – 17 years old – Dominican Republic

Last year, the Cubs signed a kid named Cristian Hernandez from the Dominican Republic for $ 3 million, and he’s currently among the team’s top prospects. Alexis is Cristian’s younger brother and is currently ranked 18th international prospect.

Hernandez can play both shortstop and center field, and according to MLB.com’s scouting report, has a potential five-tool. They even say he could be slightly more athletic than his older brother. He’s an overall 55-degree player with 50-degree stroke, power, and field, and 55-degree stroke and arm. These scout scores are quite similar to his brother’s, given that they are both said to have a potential of five tools and are praised for their baseball IQ. The two Hernandez brothers trained with Mejia Top 10 Baseball Academyby Luis Pereira.

It would be pretty cool to see two brothers with high ceilings growing up together in the Cubs system. Adding more raw potential like this gives the organization even more depth and the ability to see over 100 top guys in the Cubs farm system. Cristian has already reached the top 100 in Baseball America – maybe Alexis could follow?

Adán Sánchez – 16 years old – Panama

Currently ranked 43rd international prospect, Sánchez has an overall scouting rating of 50, with power and arm of 55. His shot is ranked 50, but his power is what stands out most among scouts in terms of offensive ability. In terms of defense, he can play in several positions. He played catcher, third base and even the pitch. However, probably expect him to be a position guy.

He’s a pretty big guy for his age, listed at 6’0 ″ and 190 pounds on MLB.com. The Scouts seem to appreciate his potential as a receiver with his build, his athleticism and his arm. It’s also worth noting that it was in Panama that the Cubs signed the hope of catching Miguel Amaya several years ago.

Sánchez was part of the Panamian Little League World Series squad in 2018 at the age of 14. He had five hits, one homerun and four RBIs in three games. Now that he is of age, he will be able to sign. The fact that he was playing in the Little League World Series gave the international audience the opportunity to see what he was capable of from an early age. It would be a nice addition to the farm, another versatile power bat and a solid pedigree.

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These two children are obviously far from seeing the majors. Probably looking at ETAs around 2026-ish. This is if all is well and they are developing properly, of course. Both of these prospects are still in their teens and will need a long time to develop in minors. That said, there will be more reason to pay attention to the Cubs’ farm system if / when these guys do actually sign with the organization.