Dodgers Reach Deal With Highly Touted Dominican Shortstop, 18 Other International Amateurs
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Emil Morales, a 6-foot-3 shortstop from the Dominican Republic, was the headline name among 19 international amateurs who signed or agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
Morales ranked as highly as second overall in this year's signing class, according to FanGraphs.com. MLB.com ranked Morales 14th overall, while Baseball America ranked him 10th.
Among the other new Dodgers: Rafy Peguero, the nephew of former major league outfielder Melky Cabrera.
The team also announced the signing of catchers Eduardo Rojas (Venezuela), Francisco Espinoza (Venezuela), Euri Rosa (Dominican Republic) and Allan Atoji (Uganda); shortstops Yojackson Laya (Venezuela) and Heudy Pena (Dominican Republic); infielders Reyli Mariano and David Romero (Venezuela); outfielders Leider Padilla and Erny Orellana (Venezuela); and pitchers Michael Ramirez (Venezuela), Carlos Sardina (Venezuela), Angel Ramirez (Mexico), Christian Muniz (Mexico), Axel Perez (Dominican Republic), Alexis Dominguez (Dominican Republic) and Jose Lopez (Venezuela).
Among the publicly available videos of Morales, it's easy to appreciate his smooth right-handed power stroke at a glance:
Newly eligible players for this signing period must turn 17 by Sept. 1, 2024.
Photo credit: Los Angeles Dodgers
