SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC -- The San Francisco Giants signed one of the premium position players on the international market, when they agreed to terms with 16-year-old outfielder Rafael Rodriguez, the club's Special Assistant to the General Manager John Barr announced at a press conference in the Dominican Republic today.
Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.
A 6-5, 198-pound right handed-hitting slugger, Rodriguez became eligible to sign as an undrafted free agent with a Major League club today on his 16th birthday. Tabbed by ESPNdeportes.com as the fourth-best Latino Prospect, the Bani, Dominican Republic native has drawn universal praise for his athleticism, power, bat speed and running ability.
"We are very excited to come to an agreement with such a fine young man and player as Rafael," said Barr. "He is one of the better position players on the international market this year. We scouted him extensively this season with many people on our staff evaluating him. To a man, we all agree that Rafael is the type of player that we want to bring into the Giants organization."
The Giants were one of the first organizations to tap into the talented player pool from Latin America and for many years used that pipeline to stock their big league roster. Today's signing coupled with securing Angel Villalona two years ago signals that the Giants are once again establishing themselves as one of the top players for talent on the international market.
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