HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros have agreed to terms on contracts with nine international free agents, including five players from the Dominican Republic, two players from Cuba, and one player each from Venezuela, Panama, and the United States. The announcement was made by Astros Assistant General Manager Charles Cook. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

“Today is an exciting day for the organization, as we welcome the newest crop of prospects to the Astros in the first wave of our 2024 international signing class,” Astros International Scouting Director Brian Rodgers said. “Not only is this a talented and deep group that we expect to bolster our farm system, but it is made up of young men who have worked hard to reach this first milestone along the path to the ultimate goal of making an impact at the Major League level. They have truly earned the opportunity to become professional ballplayers, and we could not be happier for them and their families. The process of acquiring standout international talent is the ultimate team effort. These signings would not be possible without the support of ownership, the tireless work of our field scouting staff, the diligence of our office contingent, and the contributions of other departments within Baseball Operations. We are excited to continue supporting these players on their journey to Minute Maid Park.”

The current MLB International signing period, which began today, runs from January 15 through December 15, 2024.

Among today’s signings are two Cuban outfielders, Cesar Hernandez and Luis Rives. Hernandez is a 20-year-old left-handed hitter and Rives is a 19-year-old switch hitter.

“Cesar Hernandez is a strong, twitchy, and muscular center fielder with a rare combination of hit-ability, power, and speed,” Astros Senior Scouting Advisor Charlie Gonzalez said. “His impact ability from the left side and elite straight-line speed stood out during the scouting process, the latter of which will rank towards the top of our system. A humble player with a strong work ethic, we expect Cesar to have power to all fields and are excited to make him an Astro.”

“Luis Rives is a strong, well-proportioned, switch-hitting outfielder that can generate power from both sides of the plate,” Astros Assistant Scouting Director** Raymon Sanchez** said. “An advanced hitter who excels at driving in runs, Luis generates hard line drive contact to all fields, knows the strike zone, and attacks fastballs. With the ability to play all three outfield positions, Luis provides defensive versatility and shows an accurate arm. We expect him to move quickly within our organization.”

The Astros also signed 17-year-old right-handed hitting Dominican infielder Franchely Silverio.

“Franchely Silverio caught the attention of our international staff thanks in large part to his strong build and advanced bat,” Astros Dominican Republic Scouting Supervisor Alfredo Ulloa said. “Silverio shows good hand-eye coordination and contact skills, and we expect his growing power to continue to develop as he adds strength to his projectable frame. Defensively, Franchely displays above-average natural defensive instincts at shortstop, with the anticipation to make difficult plays look easy and enough arm strength for the left side of the infield (50-grade on the 20-80 scout scale). We are very excited about how he projects as a future infield prospect for the Astros.”

Below is the full list of international free agents who were signed by the Astros today:

NAME/HOMETOWN/AGE/POS/HT/WT/B/T

Alexi Quiroz Maracay, VZ 17 C 6-0 193 R/R

Amauri Ramirez Lancaster, PA, USA 16 OF 6-2 203 L/L

Angel Peralta Santiago, DR 17 RHP 6-1 155 R/R

Cesar Hernandez Sancti Spiritus, CUB 20 OF 6-0 197 L/L

Cristian Navarro Chiriqui, PAN 16 RHP 5-9 149 R/R

Eduardito Lopez Nagua, DR 16 IF 5-10 148 R/R

Franchely Silverio Santo Domingo, DR 17 IF 6-2 190 R/R

Kevin Santana Miches, DR 16 RHP 6-4 180 R/R

Luis Rives Sancti Spiritus, CUB 19 OF 6-2 216 S/L