Twins add to international scouting staff, slated to sign highly rated prospect

Jan. 15 isn't a date that carries much significance for many baseball fans, but it's a day that carries massive ramifications for all 30 teams.

It's the beginning of a new international signing period, and most top prospects sign with clubs on the first day. The Twins' list of expected signees is headlined by Dominican shortstop Daiber De Los Santos (ranked as the eighth-best player in the signing class by MLB.com), Dominican outfielder Eduardo Beltre (ranked No. 39) and Venezuelan catcher Victor Leal Jr.

Most international prospects sign at 16 or 17 years old, and it takes many of them a few years before they reach Class A in the minor leagues. It's a high-risk, high-reward area of scouting — attempting to project which players will make the majors when they're the equivalent of high school sophomores — but there are years such as 2009 when the Twins added Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sanó in the same signing class.

The Twins had a major change to their international scouting department when Fred Guerrero, their director of Latin America scouting, departed after nearly two decades in the organization. The Twins brought in Roman Barinas from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"A lot of teams have access to the same information," Barinas said. "Your competitive advantage ends up becoming how to use that information or who can digest and make the best use of it. I think in the international world, there are still some questions as to what is the good information, and what are the things we need to go out and try to figure out. I think that's where there are a lot of opportunities to do things differently and have an impact."

Derek Falvey, the Twins president of baseball operations, says the Twins aren't necessarily overhauling their international strategy with Barinas. They adjusted their approach over the past two years with assistant general manager Daniel Adler overseeing international scouting and hiring Kevin Goldstein as a special assistant after he worked with the Houston Astros.

Barinas was recommended by several members of the front office who have Dodgers connections.

"It's already been a really nice fit," Falvey said. "He integrates well with our scouts. He knows the markets. He knows the dynamics. He's spent plenty of time in Latin America. It's been a really good setup."

Beyond Barinas' duties leading the scouting staff in Latin America, he will maintain an active role in player development at the Twins' complex in the Dominican Republic. It's one thing to scout a pitcher, for example, and think how much he could improve with a small tweak. The Twins need their coaches to agree that the changes can be implemented.

"We're talking about projecting them to what we hope they will be in five to 10 years," Barinas said. "I think you really have to have an eye on the player development side and how you envision their path forward. For me, that's definitely helpful to bring it together."

Said Falvey: "If we acquire that player, he comes in and [player development staff] is like, 'sorry, we can't make that change,' then we've missed. We're doing that at the pro, amateur, and now, international level in a really, I think, effective way, and Roman's had that experience in Los Angeles, too."

The Twins are allotted $6.52 million to spend on international free agents this year. FanGraphs reported De Los Santos will sign for around $1.9 million and Beltre will receive a $1.5 million bonus.

De Los Santos, listed at 6-1, 160 pounds, is considered an electric athlete. He possesses a huge arm, good speed and quick bat speed. He's not as polished as a hitter, though, and the primary question surrounding him is whether he can improve his plate discipline.

Beltre is more of a power athlete. Listed at 5-11, 170 pounds, he displays big power when he pulls the ball, but the key will be watching how his swing develops against better pitching. He currently has the speed for center, but he does have a strong enough arm to move to a corner outfield spot.

Leal is a righthanded hitter with a strong arm and good leadership skills that give confidence he can remain behind the plate. Baseball America noted he has good strike zone judgment for his age.