Giants sign 11 international prospects

January 17th, 2022

The Giants added one of the top infielders in this year’s international signing class and a well-known catching prospect to their farm system.

San Francisco announced the signing of 11 international prospects on Saturday as the 2022 international signing got underway. Among the new Giants prospects are Bahamian shortstop Ryan Reckley (No. 9 on MLB.com’s Top 50 International Prospects list), Venezuelan catcher Juan Perez (No. 30) and Venezuelan shortstop Dennys Riera.

Terms were not disclosed, but according to industry sources, Reckley signed for $2.2 million, Perez signed for $1.1 million and Riera for $700,000. The Giants have a base signing pool of $5,179,700.

The athletic Reckley has an excellent feel for hitting and an understanding of the strike zone. He uses a short and compact swing with above-average bat speed to make hard contact.

Overall, he might be a better hitter from the left side than the right side of the plate, but, for now, he shows more power as a right-handed hitter. He has the speed to steal bases, and on defense he shows good footwork, quick hands and enough arm strength to stay at shortstop.

As for Perez, the teen has a chance to be an above-average defender, but his offensive potential is not far behind. On defense, he shows good hands and above-average arm potential. He has emerging blocking and receiving skills. At the plate, he shows good bat speed and drives the ball across the outfield, primarily to right-center.

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association finalized a deal in March 2020 that addressed the international signing period during the pandemic. The 2022 international signing period runs through Dec. 15, 2022, the second year in a row the period, which previously began July 2, started in January.

The current rules also state that teams are not allowed to trade any of their international pool money. Signing bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count toward a club's bonus pool, and foreign professional players who are at least 25 years of age and have played in a foreign league for at least six seasons are also exempt.

Here are the prospects who have agreed to deals with the Giants in the 2022 international signing period:

Ryan Reckley, SS, Bahamas -- $2,200,000
Juan Perez, C, Venezuela -- $1,100,000
Dennys Riera, SS, Venezuela -- $700,000
Alessandro Duran, C, Venezuela -- $397,500
Erick Arosemena, CF, Panama -- $369,700
Moises De La Rosa, OF, Dominican Republic -- $272,500
Alfonso Perez, RHS, Dominican Republic -- $97,500
Mauricio Estrella, RHS, Dominican Republic -- $10,000
Carlos Gomez, RHS, Colombia -- $10,000
Audie Jimenez, SS, Venezuela -- $10,000
Deifran Yriarte, RHS, Venezuela -- $10,000