Rangers agree to deal with prospect Garcia
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The Rangers have had success on the international market in the past and the club hopes that trend continues this year.
According to industry sources, the club has agreed to an $800,000 signing bonus with 16-year-old Venezuelan catcher David Garcia, ranked No. 11 on MLB.com's Top 30 International Prospects list.
The Rangers have not confirmed the deal.
• Complete list of all Top 30 international prospect signings
A solid defender with all of the tools to develop into a top catcher in the future, Garcia has soft hands and quick reflexes. He also made an impression on scouts with his ability to call a game from behind the plate and work with pitchers on their game plan.
On offense, Garcia has displayed a balanced approach with quick hands. He's shown good bat speed through the zone and he makes lots of hard contact.
In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allotted a $700,000 base and a bonus pool with four slot values based on the team's record in 2015 for the international signing period, which started Saturday. The Rangers' overall pool total for this year's signing period is $2,157,400.
Garcia was the Rangers most notable signing of the day. In addition, the Rangers announced the signing of outfielder Angel Aponte, infielder Emir Velasquez and shortstop Jember Gutierrez from Venezuela, outfielder Danny Drullard from the Dominican Republic and outfielder Daniel Quiceno from Colombia.