2007 International Signings

[Padres]

The Cardinals have signed 21 year old Mexican right handed reliever Fernando Salas from Saltilla of the Mexican League. Between the 2005 and 2006 season, including winter ball as a teammate of Troy Cate’s for Mazatlan, Salas has a 2.47 ERA in 97 innings. He struck out 88 and walked 41. He’ll be heading to AA.

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... pid=477569

Major league teams negotiate directly with Mexican League teams to obtain players with only a portion of the deal reaching the player. Because of the costs involved, the contacts required and more plentiful talent in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, teams have been reluctant to invest heavily for Mexican talent. Luhnow says he intends to cross those barriers.

"It is expensive," Luhnow said. "But for me, it at least signals the beginning of us getting involved so we know how to do it the next time an Oliver Perez or Rodrigo Lopez becomes available. It at least puts us at the table."

Salas played for Mazatlan of the Mexican Winter League, where Cardinals instructor Sid Monge served as pitching coach. Luhnow dispatched Chuck Fick to watch Salas and he seconded Monge's opinion. As part of the deal with Saltilla, Salas would be allowed to return to Mexico to pitch in its playoffs this July, Luhnow said.

Salas was 8-2 with a 3.02 ERA for Saltilla last summer before going 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 26 appearances for Mazatlan. He allowed opponents a .168 average this winter.

If Salas starts the season at Double-A, he likely would be the youngest pitcher on Springfield's roster.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports ... enDocument

[Padres]

Philadelphia Phillies scout Kevin Hooker wasted no time getting down to business at the recent Financial Wealth 'AAA' National Championships in Geelong. The Club, which has a strong presence in Australia, and Hooker, were delighted when 16 year old Sturt Baseball Club outfielder Angus Roeger agreed to terms and signed a lucrative Minor League Contract last week. The South Australian native was the first player to sign from the championships, an event which has been well established as one of the best talent showcases on the Australian baseball calendar.

Hooker and Phillies compatriot Tim Kissner first noticed Roeger when he played in the Australian U/17 team that toured Japan in August 2006. According to Hooker, 'the first thing we noticed about Angus was his strong and powerful physique. Angus has an athletic frame, is a good runner for his size and tracks the ball well in the outfield'. These first impressions were reassured for both scouts when they saw Angus at the Nationals in January and prompted them to make an offer that the young outfielder couldn't refuse.

With his final year of schooling at Unley High to complete in 2007, Angus is happy to have his baseball future set so he can focus on his studies and doing well in his Year 12 exams. Angus will attend the Major League Baseball Academy Program on the Gold Coast this winter under the watchful eye of the Phillies with a view to beginning his minor league experience in the USA in 2008. Right now though, his focus is on making a strong contribution to his club for the remainder of the season and on preparing himself for the Gold Coast Academy.

http://www.sa.baseball.com.au/site/base ... ralian.pdf

[Padres]

The Cincinnati Reds were able to break into the Taiwanese market by signing 19 year LHP Tzu-Kai Chiu. Chiu received an estimated $200,000 signing bonus + additional money for his education. Chiu stands around 6'0" tall and weighs close to 200 pounds. Chiu has been on the MLB radar for quite some time now - refer to this Jan. '06 post to read more about Chiu. Chiu is currently in his first year of college but will be heading to the US shortly for a physical. Chiu throws comfortably in the 85 to 87 mph range with touches of 89 mph on his fastball - Chiu's best pitch is his curveball. Congrats to Chiu!

http://taiwanbaseball.blogspot.com/2007 ... -reds.html

[Padres]

The Nationals announced the signing of a 17-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic yesterday, another step toward increasing their presence in Latin America. According to scouting director Dana Brown, Luis Castillo "has a chance to really hit." A switch hitter, he worked out at the Nationals' Dominican complex outside San Cristobal in front the club's top officials -- including Brown, vice president of player development Bob Boone and special assistant Chuck LaMar.

The club made a commitment to player procurement in Latin America last summer when it signed shortstop Esmailyn Gonzalez for $1.4 million. Castillo, who will report to the team's rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate in Viera, Fla., received only a fraction of that bonus. Brown and vice president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo also have made scouting trips to Venezuela.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01088.html