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SAN DIEGO - With two more signings still awaiting approval from the
commissioner's office, interim General Manager Jerry Dipoto wouldn't speak in
specifics about the Diamondbacks' recent haul of international players.
But he was willing to speak in general - and glowing - terms about the crop
of international talent the club has acquired this year, which includes last
week's Venezuelan signees, Ronny Mejia and Yorman Garcia.
"We feel like we've had as successful a signing year in the international
market as we've ever had, and we're excited about the group we were able to
put together," Dipoto said. "I don't think we're done yet."
Once the contracts of Mejia ($315,000) and Garcia ($200,000) are approved,
the Diamondbacks will have spent close to $1.5 million in international
signing bonuses this year, believed to be the most the team has spent since
at least 2005.
Early in the year, they signed Dominican outfielder Socrates Brito for
$90,000, an amount less than what they had originally negotiated because
Brito failed his initial drug test. Then came the signing of Dominican
outfielder Wagner Mateo, whose $512,500 bonus was a significant drop from the
$3.1 million bonus St. Louis voided last year due to concerns about his
vision.
In Mejia, the club is getting a switch-hitting 16-year-old who the
organization believes has a sweet swing, particularly from the left side.
Signed as a shortstop, he is expected to shift to another infield position or
possibly left field.
Garcia, also 16, is a speedy and athletic outfielder with a line-drive swing
that the club expects will produce at least gap power.
The groundwork for these signings was set under previous GM Josh Byrnes, but
Dipoto's philosophy on the international market sounds a little more
aggressive than that of his predecessor, who was cautious in doling out big
bonuses.
Part of the reason the club was able to spend more this year was because it
did not have any extra picks in the June draft.
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