D-backs land No. 15 int'l prospect Robinson
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The D-backs have landed the top player from the Bahamas, who is one of the most athletically gifted in this year's international class.
According to industry sources, the club and outfielder Kristian Robinson on Sunday agreed to a deal worth close to $2.55 million. Robinson, who ranked No. 15 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 30 International Prospects list, is from Nassau, Bahamas.
The club did not confirm the deal.
• Complete breakdown of where Top 30 international prospects landed
The athletic teenager is considered a plus runner. He moves well in the outfield for his size and makes all of the routine plays on defense. His arm is playable in center field, but he could end up in a corner position in the future. On offense, Robinson has shown raw power, good hands and is working on improving his timing against breaking balls and offspeed pitches. There are no major flaws in his game, and he has the potential to be a breakout star in this year's class.
The D-backs also inked shortstop Neyfy Castillo ($600,000) catcher Sergio Gutierrez ($565,000), shortstop Liover Peguero ($475,000) and outfielder Jorge Barrosa.
According to the new rules established by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, every team gets at least $4.75 million to spend on international prospects. Any team receiving a Competitive Balance Round A pick in the Draft gets $5.25 million in international bonus pool money. Additionally, teams receiving a Competitive Balance Round B pick get $5.75 million to spend.
A club can trade as much of its international pool money as it would like, but there is a limit -- 75 percent of a team's initial pool -- to how much one team can acquire.
Arizona's pool total for this year's signing period is $5.75 million.
Here's a list of players the D-backs have agreed to terms with for the 2017-18 international signing period so far:
Kristian Robinson, CF, Bahamas, $2,550,000 - No. 15 on MLB Pipeline Top 30 list
Neyfy Castillo, SS, Dominican Republic, $600,000
Sergio Gutierrez, C, Venezuela, $565,000
Liover Peguero, SS, Dominican Republic, $475,000
Jorge Barrosa, CF, Venezuela, $415,000
Roman Ruiz, SS, Venezuela, $80,000
Jhosmer Alvarez, RHP, Venezuela, $65,000
Alex Valdez, RHP, Dominican Republic, $37,500
Jhonatan Jaquez, RHP, Dominican Republic, $30,000
Ramses Malave, C, Venezuela, $25,000
Juan Padron, SS, Venezuela, $15,000