Oakland A’s sign seven international prospects

The Oakland A’s may have been shut out on the top 50 international prospects on Saturday, but that did not mean they did absolutely nothing. Sometimes, the best prospects to come out of a system are those players who were initially overlooked by prognosticators and talent evaluators.

The A’s are hoping that is the case this year. They signed seven players at the start of the international signing period, hoping to have found an unheralded star in the making.

Oakland A’s sign seven international prospects

The A’s did not focus on any one position, spreading their signing bonuses around different positions. Outfielder Carlos Pacheco received the largest bonus, receiving $1.2 million to sign on the dotted line. Two other players, Cesar Gonzalez and Bryan Andrade, received bonuses of more than $500,000.

The international signing period is a crapshoot at best. While teams and fans can dream on a prospect based on their tools, it will take years at best before those players are ready to make an impact at the major league level. That is, if they ever reach the majors.

There are plenty of reasons as to why those prospects may not pan out. Injuries can derail a career. Those tools may not translate as well as hoped. Plenty if things can happen between when a player is signed and their career comes to an end.

But it is still possible to dream. That is the case here, even if none of these players are considered to be amongst the top international prospects. The A’s may have still found pieces for their future core.

The Oakland A’s have signed seven international prospects. Although none of them are on the top 50 prospect list, they could still make a difference.