Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Major League Baseball’s international amateur free agent signing period will be kicking off on Monday, January 15th, and the Dodgers will have $5.925 mil in bonus pool money to divvy up among this year’s crop of promising teenagers from all around the world (and perhaps even set aside some money for the Monster of the Reiwa Era, just a little more on that at the bottom).
While the class headliner for the Dodgers, Emil Morales, has long been known, information is just trickling out on whom else will be joining the organization, and sources have told me that physically-advanced 17-year-old Rafy Peguero will also be a Dodger.
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Peguero, who is listed at 6’2, 185 lbs (though sources put him closer to 6′ even, that’s how these things go), hails from New Jersey originally, but moved to the Dominican Republic at a young age, where he eventually began training at the Elian Rodriguez Baseball Academy in the capital of the country, Santo Domingo. And although he’s just recently turned 17, he puts his athletic frame to good use, showing a quick bat and getting an excellent sound off his lumber:
Some much-needed mid-Winter ASMR.
Peguero shows impressive power from pole to pole, with the ability to generate pop while pulling his hands way in already present:
As well as keeping his head down and on it while parking one the other way:
As for the outfielder part — for those unfamiliar with the how the IFA period works, just about every position player is marketed as a catcher, shortstop, or a centerfielder. And, indeed, the best athletes on every team in America tend to gravitate towards those spots as well, until they have a teammate who pushes them off the spot.
That said, as physical as Peguero is, he is currently posting 60-yard dash times of 6.8 seconds. Via FanGraphs, that time puts the Jersey kid as a 55 runner. Plus, if just. With that in mind, while he is listed as a centerfielder, he isn’t done growing or filling out, so the expectation is that he will slide over to a corner, and the Dodgers are confident that he has enough arm to stick in right.
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As always, there’s the money. Sources have Peguero receiving a signing bonus of $300k (per Hector Gomez, he is signing for $350k) in part due to circumstance. The erstwhile centerfielder missed a couple of months at an inopportune time due to a groin injury, and without having gotten enough in-game looks, other clubs were a little gun shy when it came to committing significant bonus pool dollars. The Dodgers, who have had tremendous success with trusting their scouts on pop-up guys (folks will complain about Kody Hoese, but that process also yielded Will Smith, Dalton Rushing, Josue De Paula, etc), were all too eager to welcome one of the players they feel is one of the best gets in the class into their organization.
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Along with Peguero’s expected $300k, the Dodgers are expected to sign the aforementioned Morales for $2.4 million, putting the club at $2.7 million committed from their $5.925 million pool total. Big dollars are known by now, and the Dodgers always dabble at the top of IFA classes:
Taking this a step further, here’s Pipeline’s IFA class ranks of the top two prospects the Dodgers signed from 21-23:
— Josh Thomas (@jokeylocomotive) January 12, 2024
2023: 3, 23
2022: 7, 37
2021: 2, 7
They’re always on multiple top guys. In a year when the club has $5.925M to spend, this is definitely conspicuous. https://t.co/jQunZCbGog
The absence of a second very big bonus, when taken in concert with the crunch the organization is feeling on the Domestic Reserve List, certainly makes it seem like the club is bringing in a smaller class than normal. They’re also potentially setting aside enough money for a certain flame-throwing righty to buy a modest home within reasonable commuting distance of Dodger Stadium, should he so choose. It’s all blather until the posting is official, but it is impossible to look at how things are shaping up and avoid speculation, especially when Andrew Friedman is showing up on video with Will Ireton as his interpreter, respectfully flirting with the elephant in the room, Roki Sasaki:
Is that Roki Sasaki with Andrew Friedman? pic.twitter.com/EV8mY6TeLE
— sky (@GonsolinRBW) January 12, 2024
This offseason has already been one for the ages, and this IFA period, while already set to deliver two more impressive talents to the second-best farm in baseball, is at least shaping up to allow something spectacular to happen come December as well.
If you’re giggling at the idea of Shohei Ohtani as your number three starter, Tyler Glasnow as your four, and Bobby Miller as your five, you’re not alone. Dodgers, keep ruining baseball, please and thanks.
