Toolshed: 2018 AFL Roster Rankings

And now back to your regularly scheduled prospect action.

MiLB Official Site

Evan Kruczynski Named Texas League Pitcher Of The Week For Period July 30-August 6, 2018

Ian Anderson didn't think he had a no-hitter going for Class A Advanced Florida last Wednesday, until he did. Even when he combined with relievers Justin Kelly and Brandon S. White to throw 10 hitless innings, the Fire Frogs still hadn't technically finished off the feat. (They eventually lost, 6-3, to Charlotte in 12 frames.) Regardless, he now has an award to show for his nearly special outing.

MiLB Official Site

Blue Jays Tapping Into New Markets For Talent

When people think about baseball talent in the Caribbean and South America, it's usually about the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, and rightfully so. But there are some interesting emerging markets starting to produce some exciting young players.

Toronto Official Site

2017 Midwest League Best Tools: Mike O'Reilly & Stefan Trosclair

Baseball America asked the men with the best seats in the house to break down the best players in each minor league in a variety of categories. Full-season managers, often with input from their coaching staffs, completed our Best Tools surveys in July.

Baseball America

Jack Flaherty Named To 2017 Futures Game Roster

The 2017 All-Star Game festivities, like they have every year since 1999, get rolling with the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. The prospect-laden exhibition takes place on Sunday, July 9, at Marlins Park in Miami at 4 p.m. ET. On Thursday, the rosters for the 19th edition of the game were announced.

MLB Official Site

Alvaro Seijas Ranks #30 & Raffy Ozuna #35 In 2015 International Signings Bonuses

Baseball America has compiled data on the top 40 signing bonuses of 2015. The first chart does not include Cuban players—more on them in a second chart below—to focus on the more traditional international amateur signings, primarily from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Baseball America

Which Teams Signed The Most International Prospects?

Every team wants to be able to add a blue-chip international signing to its farm system. Miguel Sano, Franklin Barreto, Gleyber Torres and Rafael Devers were all highly touted players ranked at or near the top of their class when they signed, and those seven-figure bonuses have yielded a good return on investment so far.

Baseball America

Jonathan Machado Has Cardinal Attention

As the Cardinals consider their next significant move into the Cuban market since signing shortstop Aledmys Diaz, they apparently have a 16-year-old center fielder ready to join them later this summer.

Bird Land

Edmundo Sosa Ranked 39 Among Baseball America's Top 2016 Shortstop Prospects

Baseball America

Dodgers, Giants Scheduled Workouts With Eddy Julio Martinez

It's been exactly one week since the international signing period began, and Cuban outfielder Eddy Julio Martinez remains on the market.

San Francisco Official Site

Giants Sign Bahamas SS Lucius Fox For $6.5M

Jesse Sanchez Twitter

Giants Emerge As Frontrunners To Sign Lucius Fox

Jesse Sanchez Twitter

Top 30 International Prospects For July 2, 2015

Putting together a ranking with scouting reports on the top July 2 players is one of the most fun and challenging projects we do. I know general managers, team presidents and owners read these rankings and reports, so we owe it to the people who dedicate themselves to international scouting to be as thorough and comprehensive as possible. This year, while I’m confident we have more information than ever before, the puzzle is especially challenging to piece together.

Baseball America

Vladimir Guerrero Jr Makes His Own Name

There are some players you should never use as a comp. They have such singular tools and skill sets that anyone compared to them will inevitably fall short, lacking the unique abilities that allowed those players to be who they were.

Baseball America

Comparing Four Top Shortstops For July 2, 2015

In Latin America, “shortstop” tends to be a loose term, with trainers tending to keep all sorts of players at the position.

Baseball America

Ten Top International Prospects For July 2, 2015

When the international signing period opens on July 2, there could be at least 25 players signing for $1 million or more this year. That doesn’t include Cuban players, who will certainly push that total up as more of them become eligible to sign.

Baseball America

Shakeup Atop Top International Prospect List

Three top prospects have officially changed the landscape of the international market.

MLB Official Site

Dodgers, Cubs, & Rangers May Target Lucius Fox

As I tweeted yesterday, Bahamas-born and recently but shortly American-educated shortstop Lucius Fox was declared an international free agent by Major League Baseball. He won’t be eligible to sign until July 2nd when the 2015-16 signing period opens and the team bonus pools reset, but he would’ve waited until then to sign anyway, since most of the 2014-15 signing pool money had been spent.

Fangraphs

Lucius Fox Declared Free Agent By MLB On Tuesday

Kiley McDaniel Twitter

The International Signing Market: Part One

Now that I’ve finished the organizational prospect lists, it’s time to circle back to the amateur baseball coverage and give some updates on what’s happening there. Before I jump into the international signing (most often referred to as the July 2nd group, because that’s the date players become eligible to sign) news, I’ll first give some updates on two Cubans and a Bahamianian that should sign deals around that time as well, but don’t fit perfectly into the player pool.

Fangraphs