White Sox international class comes into focus
Starting a new job generally isn’t easy but it was amplified for David Keller after being hired in September to oversee the international operation of the Chicago White Sox. As a special assistant to the general manager, the veteran scout has been tasked with cleaning up a department that has fallen behind the rest of the industry in recent years. That starts with a new academy in the Dominican Republic being built and an influx of resources to give the organization an honest chance in the marketplace.
“The starting point for me and this group was to develop a thorough process that would aid us in our pursuit of talent. A whole undertaking of really utilizing different parts of our organization. We wanted to leverage resources across the organization and help us make evaluations,” said Keller in reference to the change in the international department. “We wanted to take a holistic approach to player evaluation within that process”.
Keller made sure to note that funds have been used to beef up the international operation as well. The White Sox have purchased portable Trackman units that can be used to track data and information on any field in the Dominican Republic or elsewhere and video cameras and other things that weren’t previously fixtures of the department have been added to improve efficiency as well.
“We want to see players but we also want to measure and collect objective data that can inform our decisions as well,” Keller said. “We believe talent comes from anywhere and everywhere and we must be exhaustive and make our presence felt in the areas where talent is coming from.” Keller believes that the way to do it is by building relationships with trainers and agents and becoming trusted partners in the marketplace.
White Sox Continue Pipeline to Cuba
18-year-old Alejandro Cruz is the top signing in the 2025 international class for the White Sox. It was obvious that Keller hadn’t seen Cruz a ton in person which explained his reticence in projecting scouting grades on the player who is expected to begin his professional career in the Dominican Summer League this year. The Cuban teenager ranked as the #33 overall prospect in the class according to MLB Pipeline while his bonus is the 17th largest overall according to Baseball America.
Unlike recent signings for the club out of Cuba, Cruz is younger and more athletic than the players the White Sox have typically acquired from the country. Keller praised the youngster’s makeup and mentioned that he takes “professional at-bats” already at a young age. “He has a tall, athletic and lean frame with the ability to add strength,” said Keller.
“He’s a polished defender at third base” as well and scouting reports from other publications are similarly noted on Cruz’s defensive abilities. The 6-3, 180 pounder hits from the right side and has had a plethora of tournament success in his young career. Some scouts believe that he’ll hit in the middle of an order down the road. He received the largest bonus in the White Sox’s signing class; inking for $2 million.
While much of this signing class comes via the previous regime under the stewardship of Marco Paddy, Keller and his revamped staff were able to land 16-year old Cuban righty Yobal Rodríguez back in December and they officially signed him in this signing period. Rodríguez hails from Ciego de Āvila, Cuba and baseball writer Francys Romero listed him as one of the dark horses of the signing period.
Keller also noted that more signings would be announced in the near future and referenced an evolving market that the White Sox are still competing in. Romero broke the news that another Cuban teenager would be holding a showcase in the Dominican Republic this week and the White Sox are expected to be in attendance.
Cristian Rego is a 16-year-old former member of the Cuban 18-U team and he throws his fastball in the low 90’s already while commanding multiple pitches. This is the type of prospect who the White Sox will look to acquire with the funds remaining in their bonus pool for this signing period.
White Sox Navigating and Evolving Market
The presence of Roki Sasaki is being felt across the baseball industry and it has offered a unique change with some opportunity during the opening of the 2025 international signing period. Sasaki’s camp has announced that the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays are the finalists to land the young phenom. Those clubs have between $5-$6.5 million respectively in their bonus pools and they may need to acquire more funds to actually secure a commitment from the player.
Those clubs haven’t officially announced any of their agreements with players for this signing period despite the fact that these “handshake arrangements” have been in place for years. Because of the uncertainty, some of these players are back available on the market. Three players originally committed to the Dodgers have signed with other clubs and the White Sox were one of those teams who saw an opportunity.
Venezuelan outfielder Orlando Patiño is the latest member of the White Sox international class with a deal for $570K. Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote that the teenager has a “linebacker build” at 6-2, 203 pounds with big strength and power in his right-handed swing. Keller noted that the White Sox were the first club to see Patiño in person after he returned to the market.
“This was an opportunity that was presented; again as a reflection of some really diligent work by our group in Venezuela and put us in a position that when his agent decided to make him available, we were able to see him,” Keller said. The White Sox believe that the outfielder can impact the baseball and they believe in his power potential.
“Patiño is a physical athlete and we are very excited about his athletic ability,” said Keller. He also stated that the teenager isn’t a “power only type” because he displays limited chase, limited swing and miss and the athleticism to start his career in center field. The White Sox think Patiño possesses a future hit and power combination that would translate to an outfield corner as well if necessary down the road.
The organization also added eight more position player prospects to open up the international signing period. Yordani Soto is a 6-1 switch-hitting infielder from the Dominican Republic who possesses “good bat speed and power from a lean frame” and he also displays a strong arm. He signed for $350K. Frank Mieses is a Venezuelan outfielder who signed for $200K. Outfielders Alan Escobar and Jeremias Aponte ($200K), infielders Jelfrank Silva and Igor Escobar ($70K), and catchers Diego Natera ($250K) and Jose Mendoza all hail from Venezuela as well.
Pitching Remains a Priority for White Sox
In recent years, the White Sox have actively searched for more pitching on the international market. Cristian Mena was a success story out of the Dominican Republic and he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks last off-season for outfielder Dominic Fletcher. The club agreed to terms with the top Dominican pitcher in the 2023 class in Luis Reyes as well and he was one of the top young arms that the White Sox sent to the instructional league this past fall. Venezuelan right hander Yhoiker Fajardo had a stellar debut season in the DSL last year and he was traded this off-season for Cam Booser in an attempt to create value down the road.
The White Sox have added six pitchers so far as the international signing period opened with more on the way. David Keller was effusive in his praise about the work done regarding the pitching acquisitions in the market. “From our vantage point, we took a look at the marketplace and tried to identify opportunities where we could take advantage of having dollars remaining to spend in our budget,” said Keller.
“I’m particularly excited about the crop of pitchers that we were able to acquire. I think we have a number of exciting arms. Pitchers that display not only starter traits and characteristics but the stuff and secondary weapons to back that up, that will eventually turn them into legitimate prospects for the White Sox organization”, Keller said.
16-year-old Cuban Yobal Rodríguez seems to be the prize of the signing class. “I like Yobal quite a bit,” the veteran scout said. “I’m very excited to see him on the field. It’s a good frame with a body that can add additional weight and muscle. We’ve seen him up to 93 mph and he’s an athletic mover with a repeatable delivery who throws an elite amount of strikes.” Keller also noted that the young righty possesses a changeup that projects as a plus pitch in the future while being a competitor with a special makeup as well.
There isn’t much information available on the other signers other than their expected bonuses; originally reported by Francys Romero. César Familia out of the Dominican Republic will receive the largest bonus at $350K. Dominican righties Albert Múñoz, Félix Doroteo and Nathanael Valerio will receive $50K, $30K and $15K respectively. Right hander Jhonny Morao out of Venezuela will receive $300K as well and Romero also reports that the White Sox will sign Roderick Medina out of Panama for $275K. That deal hasn’t been announced by the club.
What’s Next for the White Sox?
The White Sox entered the international signing period with $6,261,600 to spend on amateur talent. The club has spent $4,685,000 so far with a few minor signing bonuses unaccounted for. Despite the fact that the department has undergone quite a bit of change in recent months, David Keller was able to convey the fact that the day was special overall. He lauded his international staff and mentioned Louis Silverio (Assistant International Director), Grant Flick (Manager of Player Development/International Operations), Ruddy Moreta (Scouting Supervisor) and new addition Adrian Puig (International Cross-Checker, formerly of Miami Marlins).
“It’s a special day for the franchise and one that represents a culmination of a lot of hard work by a number of different individuals, both past and present and I’d be remiss not to mention the hard work that was contributed by the people that were in this department and in this role prior to me coming on board,” said Keller. “But it’s also important to give credit to our staff and a staff that has been built out over the last several months and the hard work that they put in because without the guys on the ground here, days like today; celebratory days of talented young players and their families don’t take place.”
Keller made it clear as well that the White Sox aren’t done adding talent. They have more signings to announce and there is also the possibility that more players currently in limbo will also re-enter the marketplace. The White Sox could trade their remaining bonus pool space for prospects as well but its seems much more likely that the club will use their leftover resources on international amateurs. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the decision makers look to acquire more international funds as well, rather than trading what they have left.
The White Sox want to be where the players are according to Keller and that’s a significant change for the organization. They’ve lacked gumption in the Dominican Republic and haven’t had any meaningful impact in the pacific rim. Chris Getz apparently has the backing of ownership to make this department a more significant priority than it has been over the past decade.
“Data, trackman information and video alone doesn’t help make good decisions but the implementation of that and the ability to take the information to analyze and leverage it over time will help to make better decisions over time,” Keller said. “I feel very fortunate that Chris {Getz} and Jerry {Reinsdorf} believe in the vision and the plan that we have here.”
