International Signings: Why Detroit needs to get this right.

When it comes to the Detroit Tigers and the international side of things, you can point to three scouts people who have been instrumental in the team’s foray into it. The first being Ramon Pena, who signed players in America like Bobby Higginson and Frank Catalanotto but, the amount of Latin players he has signed who made it to the Detroit in, is pretty huge. 

From 1985-2006, he worked for the Detroit Tigers as a scout, signing Danny Bautista, Bobby Francisco Cordero, Jose Lima, Fernando Rodney, Ramon Santiago, Freddy Dolsi, Omar Infante, Eulogio de la Cruz, Guillermo Moscoso, Randor Bierd, Luis Marte, Lester Oliveros, Maikel Cleto, Gorkys Hernandez, Wilkin Ramírez, Rhiner Cruz, Audy Ciriaco, Brayan Villarreal, and during his time in Cleveland, he was responsible for bringing over one of the biggest Tigers killers of all time, José Ramírez, 

The second would be Miguel Garcia, who is the Latin American scouting director for the Detroit Tigers. Garcia spent four years as the Boston Red Sox coordinator for Latin American scouting before joining Detroit in late 2005.

He and Tom Moore were both hired by the Tigers on November 30, 2005. Garcia was brought in to oversee Venezuelan operations and Central American scouting, reflecting his expertise and experience in those regions. His name, as the names that come up later, will be important to remember.

Prior to joining Boston, Garcia had worked under the same front office group while they were with the Florida Marlins, and had a role as scout / supervisor in Venezuela. Notably, he contributed to the signing of Miguel Cabrera while with the Marlins, which would benefit the Tigers later on. There are others who have played roles in the system currently 

Recently, the contributions of the international signings can be seen with two players from the same year, Wencell Perez and Keider Montero, both from the 2016 signing class. However, there has been a significant gap over the last decade in which occasionally would see relievers like Bruce Rondon or Jose Oretga. Even positional player wise, the Tigers have not had any players of significant impact since Omar Infante and Ramon Santiago. 

Now before you say something along the lines of “well, what does it matter?”. Imagine watching a pile of money burn. That’s what the Tigers have been doing. Make no mistake, they are making efforts to change this and to get production from their international signings. Before we look at the current crop of players that have been progressing, let’s take a look at the past.

Combined WAR Summary for Featured Players

• Total WAR in DET (All Players Listed): 27.4

• Standouts:

  • Omar Infante (7.3 WAR)

  • Ramon Santiago (7.0 WAR)

  • Felipe Lira (6.5 WAR)

  • Juan Encarnación (4.5 WAR)

Tigers International Signings: 2000s Era

This group includes a wide range of players, some with brief stints in Detroit, others with notable careers elsewhere. While the WAR totals are modest, a few names here eventually made significant MLB impacts, albeit often after leaving Detroit.

WAR Summary (2000s International Signings)

• Total Career WAR in DET (2000s signings): -2.0

• Notable WAR Contributors:

  • Freddy Dolsi (0.7 WAR)

  • Alfredo Figaro (0.6 WAR)

  • Wilkin Ramirez (0.1 WAR)

  • Brayan Villarreal (0.1 WAR)

• Negative WAR Contributors (time in Detroit):

  • Dixon Machado (-1.3 WAR)

  • Hernan Perez (-0.9 WAR)

  • Steven Moya (-0.6 WAR)

  • Avisail Garcia (-0.4 WAR)

  • Bruce Rondon (-0.2 WAR)

Summary:

Despite the high volume of signings, the 2000s era yielded little lasting value at the MLB level for Detroit. The total WAR from this group is actually negative, largely due to underwhelming or brief stints by players who struggled in their time with the Tigers or used for trades, which was the case for Garcia and Suarez.

While players like Eugenio Suárez and Jair Jurrjens became valuable, their success came with other organizations. This group emphasizes how difficult international scouting can be, and how development is just as crucial as talent identification.

Tigers International Signings: 2011–2015 Era

The 2011 to 2015 international signing period reflected the transition from the Ramon Peña years to the Miguel Garcia-led scouting department. Despite signing dozens of players, few have made a significant impact in the majors, with a couple notable exceptions. Please note that the international signing landscape shifted dramatically in 2012, when MLB and the MLBPA introduced strict bonus pool caps under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Prior to this, teams like the Tigers operated in a largely unregulated international market, relying on long-standing scouting connections and volume signings. Starting with the 2012–2013 signing period, however, every club was given a capped signing budget and exceeding it came with steep penalties. This change reshaped how teams approached international scouting and development.

Total Production (2011–2015 Signing Classes)

• MLB players signed: 7

• All-Stars: Gregory Soto (2×)

• Please note that Joe Jimenez was signed after a tryout after he wasn’t drafted in 2013.

• The 2012 class stands out as a high-point in this period, especially given Gregory Soto’s All-Star turn and Adames’ success post-trade.

• Despite the sheer number of signings, most players did not reach the majors, reflecting development pipeline issues or scouting misses.

Tigers International Signings: 2016 Class

After years of underwhelming returns, the 2016 class may represent a turning point for Detroit’s international program.

Tigers International Signings: 2017–2025 Summary

While the 2016 international class has already yielded MLB talent in Pérez and Montero, the signings from 2017 onward remain largely speculative: high on projection, but short on production.

These are the names across the most recent classes that you may have heard about

• Roberto Campos – The most high-profile signee of the Al Avila era ($2.85M in 2019), shows raw power but remains inconsistent and has struggled as of late in Erie.

• Cristian Santana – Another big-money signing, with solid bat speed and approach but is still stalled at the lower levels, struggling to hit for average or power consistently.

• Rayner Castillo, Gabriel Reyes, Cris Rodriguez, Franyerber Montilla, and Kelvis Salcedo are names that may break out but it’s still early. Castillo has struggled at West Michigan and Montilla is out for the year but was hitting well in Lakeland.

The Tigers are making strides by expanding their Dominican Republic academy and improving the transition process for Latin American players to the United States, supported by increased staff at all levels of the organization. Let’s hope that we can see players like Glayber Torres, who was signed by the Cubs, come up through the system instead of free agency.

Hey Detroit Tigers fans! If you enjoy Tigers Minor League Report and want to help us keep bringing you the latest updates and in-depth analysis, consider contributing to our efforts. We operate entirely on a volunteer basis, and every bit of support goes a long way. You can donate to us directly via our GoFundMe or become a valued member by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Or take your fandom to the next level by joining our Patreon community. Additionally, you can shop for some awesome gear at our TMLR store. Your support helps us continue our mission to provide you with quality content on all things Tigers Minor League. Thank you!