The first day of the international signing period is one of the most anticipated days on the baseball calendar. It's the day dreams come true for teenage prospects across the globe. The day they take their first big step toward become a professional baseball player.
And the class of international prospects this year did not disappoint.
Welcome to July 2, unofficially known in baseball circles as "international signing day." When the window opened at 9 a.m. ET today, there were a flurry of agreements.
The Rays landed the No. 1 player on MLBPipeline.com's Top 30 International Prospects list, 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Wander Samuel Franco, the newphew of Padres shortstop Erick Aybar. The Red Sox came to terms with Venezuelan catcher Daniel Flores, the No. 2 prospect, along with two other Top 30 prospects. Two more American League East teams -- the Yankees and Blue Jays also -- also made big splashes. A full breakdown of our Top 30 is below. Clubs have not confirmed deals unless noted otherwise.
In addition to prospects from the usual places like the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela, there are also teens from places like Aruba, Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea and Taiwan eligible to sign during the current 2017-2018 international signing period. This year's crop also features teens from Belarus, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Czech Republic, Curacao, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, South Korea, Spain and Sweden.
In all, nearly 6,000 international prospects have registered to sign with big league clubs during the current period. More than 600 prospects signed during the last international signing period, which ends June 15, 2018.
Here's a look at which top international prospects from MLBPipeline.com's Top 30 International Prospects List have agreed to terms with clubs, and for how much. Unless otherwise noted, clubs have not confirmed the deals. The market is still to be determined for players like outfielder Raimfer Salinas (No. 6), catcher Antonio Cabello (No. 8), shortstop Osleivis Basabe (No. 24) and outfielder Stir Candelario (No. 29), who have yet to agree to deals. Stay tuned here throughout the day Sunday, as we'll update the list with the signing bonuses and teams for each top 30 prospect who agrees to a deal. And follow @JesseSanchezMLB and @MLBPipeline for all the details.
1. Wander Samuel Franco, SS, Dominican Republic - Rays ($3,825,000) More »
2. Daniel Flores, C, Venezuela - Red Sox ($3,100,000) More »
3. Jelfry Marte, SS, Dominican Republic - Twins ($3,000,000) More »
4. Everson Pereira, OF, Venezuela - Yankees ($1,500,000) More »
5. Eric Pardinho, RHP, Brazil - Blue Jays ($1,400,000) More »
6. Raimfer Salinas, OF, Venezuela
7. Luis Garcia, SS, Dominican Republic - Phillies ($2,500,000) More »
8. Antonio Cabello, C, Venezuela
9. Julio Rodriguez, OF, Dominican Republic - Mariners ($1,750,000) More »
10. Ronny Mauricio, SS, Dominican Republic - Mets ($2,100,000) More »
11. Ronny Rojas, SS, Dominican Republic
12. Ynmanol Marinez, SS, Dominican Republic - Marlins ($1,500,000) More »
13. Danny Diaz, SS, Venezuela - Red Sox ($1,600,000) More »
14. Larry Ernesto, OF, Dominican Republic - Brewers ($1,800,000) More »
15. Kristian Robinson, OF, Bahamas - D-backs ($2,550,000) More »
16. Roberto Chirinos, SS, Venezuela - Yankees ($900,000) More »
17. Miguel Hiraldo, SS, Dominican Republic - Blue Jays ($750,000) More »
18. Adrian Hernandez, SS, Dominican Republic - Mets ($1,500,000) More »
19. Keyber Rodriguez, SS, Venezuela - Rangers ($1,000,000) More »
20. Antoni Flores, SS, Venezuela - Red Sox ($1,400,000) More »
21. George Valera, OF, Dominican Republic - Indians ($1,300,000) More »
22. Aaron Bracho, SS, Venezuela - Indians ($1,500,000) More »
23. Alvaro Gonzalez, SS, Venezuela - Tigers ($1,000,000) More »
24. Osleivis Basabe, SS, Venezuela
25. Wildred Patino, OF, Venezuela
26. Juan Querecuto, SS, Venezuela - Mariners ($1,225,000) More »
27. Damian Mendoza, RHP, Mexico - Rangers ($1,000,000) More »
28. Carlos Rodriguez, OF, Venezuela - Brewers ($1,355,000) More »
29. Stir Candelario, OF, Dominican Republic
30. Luis Verdugo, SS, Mexico - Cubs ($1,000,000) More »
The Rules: There are specific guidelines for signing international prospects An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between July 2 through June 15 of the next year if he is 17 or will turn 17 by the end of the first season of his contract.
The rules for signing international prospects have changed. According to 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 on international prospects.
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.
The Teams: The A's, Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Nationals, Padres, Reds and Royals will not be able to sign international prospects for more than $300,000 during the 2017-2018 period because they are in the maximum penalty. They will still be able to use all of their pool money. The Angels, Blue Jays, D-backs, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees are now out of the penalty and no longer limited to signing players for $300,000 or less.