As usual, I don't see major international players myself, but have spoken to sources who have, whether scouts or directors, asking whom they view as the top half-dozen or so players on the market this year. This is my compilation of their thoughts on the best players who will sign Tuesday, the start of the 2019-20 international signing period. The consensus among these folks is that it was a good year for hitters, less so for pitchers, while teams may also be less willing to shell out top-end bonuses for pitchers who commit to deals when they're as young as 13.
Jasson Dominguez was the unanimous top guy in this year's class among scouts I asked, even with questions about his physique and projectability. He has a very fast bat and a good left-handed swing, and he's very strong already, with wide shoulders and plenty of muscle. He's a plus-plus runner with a plus arm and plus power now, and unlike many players in the July 2 market, he has performed against decent competition, so he's more than just a set of tools and some crossed fingers. He's 5-foot-10 at most, and there's no physical projection left; everyone described him as "maxed out" or questioned if he was even too jacked up already. He's a center fielder now with uncertainty if he'll stay there. I know one team considered putting him behind the plate but thought he was too rough back there. The Dominican outfielder is signing with the Yankees.
Robert Puason, who also comes from the Dominican Republic, was the more famous name in the class until Dominguez emerged, and he has bigger tools with a lankier, taller, way more projectable frame. He has a 70 arm now, with one scout telling me he thought it could get to an 80, and is a plus runner with quick actions in the field who'll stay at shortstop. He has a quiet approach at the plate and a beautiful left-handed swing, but he's a hacker who loves to go after first-pitch fastballs and hasn't shown any evidence of plate discipline yet. He's signing with Oakland.
Luis Rodriguez is a strong kid with a nice right-handed swing, showing good bat control even when the rest of his body isn't well-synced up with his hands, and still has plenty of room to fill out and add future power. He's a center fielder now who has a chance to stay there but doesn't project to be plus on defense. He's signing with the Dodgers.
Bayron Lora had the biggest power of anyone in this class and moves well for a corner outfielder, with a chance to hit. It's 40 homer potential if he gets to it, with huge exit velocity, but he's very big and maintaining his conditioning will be a chance. The Dominican outfielder has a plus arm and should be fine on defense in right. He's signing with Texas.
Reggie Preciado was the best player in Panama in this signing period, but he came on a little bit later than some other players, allowing the Padres to swoop in and sign him. He's a switch-hitting shortstop with great instincts in the field, good hands, and a plus arm. He's 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-4 with a Carlos Correa kind of frame. His dad played briefly in the Yankees' system.
Arol Vera is less tooled-up than the other players on this list but is more advanced as a player and started to mature physically later than most players in the class. The switch-hitter from Venezuela has a simple, easy swing from both sides of the plate. He's a shortstop now, with plenty of arm to handle third base if he gets pushed off the position. He's signing with the Angels.
Erick Pena, from the Dominican Republic, is a more raw-tools guy with plus raw power, an average chance to hit, a fair athlete overall who probably moves from center field to a corner but could be above-average in left or right. He's signing with the Royals.
It's a poor class for pitching this year, but Jose Corneill was one of the better arms available, with a good arm, feel to pitch, and a promising breaking ball that could end up plus. The Dominican right-hander is signing with Seattle for around $630K-$650K, which probably won't get him into the top 30 or 40 bonuses this year.
Cuban shortstop Yiddi Cappe could choose to sign in this period, but it sounds like he's going to sign with Miami on July 2nd, 2020, instead, for something like $3.5 million. He has good potential with the bat and possible future plus power, but scouts were mixed on whether he'd stay at short, with many thinking he'd have to go to second base or even center field because his actions could be long and slow.