The Twins have landed one of the most coveted prospects from Venezuela in this year's international class.
:: 2018 International Signing Period ::
According to industry sources, Minnesota agreed to a $2.75 million bonus with outfielder Misael Urbina, No. 3 on MLB.com's Top 30 International Prospects list. There's also an additional $300,000 for college.
The club has not confirmed the deal.
On offense, the 16-year-old Urbina is a line-drive hitter with a high baseball IQ and projects to have plus speed and a plus hit tool. He has been clocked in the 6.5-6.6-second range in the 60-yard timed run. Urbina is already an advanced defender for his age and he's expected to improve. Scouts like his experience against high-level competition.
According to the rules established by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, clubs -- like the Twins -- that received a Competitive Balance Pick in Round B of the MLB Draft received a pool of $6,025,400, while clubs that received a Competitive Balance Pick in Round A of the Draft received $5,504,500. All other clubs received $4,983,500.
Teams are allowed to trade as much of their international pool money as they would like but can only acquire 75 percent of a team's initial pool amount. Additionally, 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 and have played in a foreign league for at least six seasons are also exempt.