Mario Luis Pino is the latest baseball star to defect from Cuba. Pino hails from Matanzas, Cuba and has been a member of the Cuban Junior National Team. Pino has solid power and has been clocked in the 6.5 second range in the 60 yard dash. The 16-year-old outfielder is an above average runner but has been described as a “tweener.” He currently plays center field, but could end up in right field long-term and has the arm to profile there. Pino traveled legally from Cuba to the Dominican Republic and he’s eligible to sign with a professional team.
Kylie McDaniel of ESPN asserted that Pino showed “more power than some scouts expected” during his workout last week in San Pedro de Macoris on the eastern side of the Dominican Republic. Pino worked out in front of scouts early this week with the White Sox expected to be in attendance. Pino was eligible to sign a contract in July, but he’s elected to wait and sign a contract when the 2020-2021 period opens up on January 15.
According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN, the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays have emerged as the leading candidates to sign the teenager. The Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants have varying levels of interest in Pino as well.
The White Sox will have $5,398,300 to spend on international prospects during the next scouting period. The upcoming international period was supposed to start back in July. Most teams already have significant amounts of cash allocated to players in expected deals. The White Sox agreed to sign 20-year-old Cuban right hander Norge Vera for $1.5 million and that deal will become official in January. The club also has six additional signings that FutureSox reported on back in February. Ben Badler of Baseball America has detailed descriptions of those players as well. The players are from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic and are expected to receive between $1.5-$1.8 million in total.
Highlights courtesy of Futura Estrella de Beisbol
The White Sox have over $2 million in international bonus pool space available to them. There’s plenty of money available to take a run at Luis Pino if the organization decides to go that route. There are also strong rumors that the club is in heavy pursuit of Cuban outfielders Yoelqui Cespedes and Oscar Colas as well. The 23-year-old Cespedes is ranked as the top international prospect available on the market according to MLB Pipeline.
Cespedes is a plus runner, solid defender and possesses a plus arm as well. He was always considered to be a line drive hitter that peppers the gaps, but he’s added 15-20 pounds of mass to his frame and altered his swing path since his defection. He’s expected to sign on January 15 and could move quickly through a minor league system.
Colas is a 22-year-old slugger who bats and throws from the left side. He has pitched in the past, but would likely be signing for his left-handed power. He’s currently under contract with the Fukuoka Soft Bank Hawks of the Japanese League. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder has been working hard to get his body in shape during his time away from the game. Colas defected last January and he’s looking to sign with a big league club. He hasn’t been cleared to sign by Major League Baseball to this point and he’s currently in a contract dispute with the Japanese club.
Colas is friendly with many White Sox players on social media and has a history with some other Cuban players in the organization. Colas is represented by Alex Cotto of the Movement Management Group. Yoan Moncada, Norge Vera and Duke Ellis are other White Sox connections to the agency. The White Sox would likely need resolution to the situations regarding Cespedes and Colas before they’d commit money to Pino.
The 2020-2021 international period will begin on Friday January 15 and it’s something to monitor. The White Sox are expected to be active and we’ll have you covered here at FutureSox.
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