The Detroit Tigers Add a New Crop of Prospects
January 15th is a day of celebration for the Detroit Tigers and their international free agent signees. For teams, it is the culmination of a lengthy and difficult scouting process. And for the players it marks the first step on a journey to realize their dreams of becoming an MLB star.
Of course the process of getting to January 15th is skeevy at best, and tragic at the worst. It’s easy to get preachy (and wordy) about the IFA process, because it’s bad, and broken. But it’s all we have right now. And if teams don’t play the game they risk losing out on the next Juan Soto or Miguel Cabrera.
But, as we celebrate these new signings, we want to caution fans: most of these players won’t even make it above A-ball. And many will be released before their 21st birthday. It’s an unfortunate reality, and a natural byproduct of trying to project future success for players who reach handshake agreements as young as 12.
The good news is the Detroit Tigers seem to be getting much better and finding players on the IFA market. Wenceel Perez and Keider Montero, both members of Detroit’s 2016 IFA class, played key roles for the team last year. And our top prospect list is dotted with international signings like Josue Briceno, Roberto Campos, Rayner Castillo, and Franyerber Montilla.
A quick reminder. International bonus pool spending is capped based on the competitive balance tax and free agent signings. The Tigers were one of eight teams in the highest bonus pool bracket, with $7,555,500. Now let’s see how they used it.
Detroit Tigers 2025 International Signings
Cris Rodriguez – OF – 6-foot-3, 203 pounds – Bats: Right – Throws: Right Â
Rodriguez reportedly signed for a Tigers IFA bonus record $3.2 million, and most outlets consider him one of the ten best prospects in the class. You can read scouting reports on him at MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs, and Baseball America($). Everyone seems to agree Rodriguez has enormous power potential, a strong arm, and some hit tool questions. The Tigers love his physical traits and his mental makeup.
“Obviously the physical ability we believe to be special,” assistant general manager Rob Metzler said. “We love the bat speed, the power, the bat path. We love the athleticism, the frame, the natural projection. I’d follow that up by saying we feel strongly about the kid. This is a kid we’ve gotten to know really well. The work ethic, character, aptitude we believe to be pluses. That’s what he’s shown us over a significant amount of time.”
It’s not unusual for tall players to take longer to iron out their swing, and Rodriguez may struggle to make consistent contact early in his career. He’s also likely to get much heavier, and possibly taller. Rodriguez’s career could head in a million different directions, and fans may need to be patient. If you want to dream, his 99th percentile outcome might look something like Jorge Soler or Teoscar Hernandez. But there’s a long, long way to go to reach that ceiling.
Cris Rodriguez takes batting practice today, signs with the #Tigers tomorrow.
The outfielder from the Dominican Republic, who turns 17 on Jan. 28, ranks as the No. 4 international prospect in the 2025 class, according to @MLBPipeline and @BaseballAmerica. pic.twitter.com/NSOqQU2BCe
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) January 14, 2025
Jose Ramirez – OF – 6-foot-0, 173 pounds – Bats: Right – Throws: Right Â
Good luck to us all trying to find information and video on Jose Ramirez. Ben Badler’s scouting report($) at Baseball America says Ramirez is a very good athlete with above-average speed and arm strength, and that he’s a line-drive hitter who makes good swing decisions. The Tigers think he has the athleticism to one day play center field at Comerica Park. His bonus is about $900,000.
Carlos Benavides – C – 5-foot-10, 195 pounds – Bats: Right – Throws: Right
The Tigers usually stock up on catchers on the international market, and it has served them well. We haven’t seen an international backstop reach the big leagues, but players like Eliezer Alfonzo, Eduardo Valencia, and Ricardo Hurtado have been valuable members of the organization. And other catchers like Enrique Jimenez and Steven Madero are on the rise. Badler writes that Benavides “has the tools to develop into an above-average defender.” The Tigers consider his bat to be his calling card. His bonus is about $800,000.
Anderson Diaz – LHP – 6-foot-3, 190 pounds – Bats: Left – Throws: Left
Anderson Diaz sports a prototypical pitcher’s frame, and, according to the Tigers, he already shows close to average velocity and a good feel for pitching. His $450,000 bonus is the largest the Tigers have given to a pitcher since Castillo in the 2020/21 class. Diaz signed his contract with his right hand, which is mildly interesting. Sorry, there’s just not much out there on these kids.
Angel De Los Santos – SS – 6-foot-1, 161 pounds – Bats: Right – Throws: Right
Hey, we actually have some video of this kid! It’s from a year ago, but he looks suitable athletic to play shortstop. And there’s definitely a ton of room on his lanky frame to get stronger. His bonus is $390,000.
Sterling Bazil – SS – 5-foot-10, 164 pounds – Bats: Switch – Throws: Right
Bazil’s bonus wasn’t announced when he signed, and the Tigers said he has a chance to develop into a utility player. That suggests a relatively low ceiling. But you can never have enough switch-hitting infielders. He’s the player in this class most likely to have his name mispronounced. It’s just so close to Brazil. But it’s not Brazil, so no Pelé references, please.
After January 15th
We may come back to this post periodically to update with new information. The Tigers are likely to continue signing/announcing IFAs well into 2025, though most won’t be big deals. They announced another group of five today:
We have signed the following international amateur free agents:
C Fabian Dorta (Venezuela)
INF Jhonger Ochoa (Venezuela)
INF Enny Rodriguez (Venezuela)
RHP Sheroky Rodriguez (Venezuela)
OF Angel Roso (Venezuela)— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) January 16, 2025
There are a few videos of Jhonger Ochoa on YouTube, but we couldn’t find much for the others. If you’re really into the international market we highly suggest you follow our Mets friend on Twitter and/or Bluesky. It’s because of him that we can also tell you the Tigers have agreements with the following players from future classes (though nothing is set in stone):
2026 – Manuel Bolivar (C), Randy Santana (OF), Douglas Olivo (OF), Roman Silgado (C), Yojan Coronel (C), Eduardo Tusen, Santiago Ventura
2027 – Sebastian Cervantes (SS), Rene Suarez (OF), Juan Acurero (INF), Ricardo Batista, Enyerbel Ginez
2028 – Daniel Duarte Bermudez (C)
2029 – Luis Rodriguez (IF)
And if you STILL want more international talk, check out our podcast from last night.
Rogelio Castillo