LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers signed 22 players on the first day of the international signing period on Thursday, including four of the Top 100 international prospects ranked by Baseball America.
A year ago, the Dodgers spent nearly all of their international signing bonus pool on one player – Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, who was categorized as an international free agent because of his age. This year, the Dodgers had approximately $6.7 million to spend on signings.
The two most highly-regarded signees were outfielder Rubiel Arias and shortstop Ezequiel Melburne, both from the Dominican Republic.
Arias got the highest bonus in this year’s class ($997,500). He was ranked 46th on Baseball America’s ranking of international prospects. Melbourne received a signing bonus of $747,500. The 6-foot-3 switch-hitter was ranked 67th.
The Dodgers’ other top-rated signees were also out of the Dominican Republic – infielders Ariel Reynoso (86th on the Baseball America rankings) and Jose Victorino (93).
Another interesting signing was left-hander Tom Apfelbaum from Cologne, Germany. Apfelbaum was considered the top European pitching prospect after a strong showing in the World Baseball Classic’s under-18 tournament.
