The New York Mets announced Saturday that they have signed international free agents Francisco Alvarez, a catcher from Venezuela, and Freddy Valdez, an outfielder from the Dominican Republic.
"We are excited to welcome Francisco and Freddy to the Mets family," Vice President of International and Amateur Scouting Tommy Tanous said. "They both possess great tools at their respective positions and have very bright futures ahead of them. We look forward to seeing them develop and hone their skills in our system."
Alvarez, 16, hails from Guatire, Venezuela and was the ninth-best prospect in Baseball America's Top-50 International Prospects list. The 5-11, 220-pounder was the 13th-best prospect on MLB.com's Top-30 International Prospects list.
Valdez, 16, is from Santo Domingo, DR and was tabbed as the 25th-best prospect in MLB.com's Top-30 list. The 6-3, 212-pound Valdez was listed as the 29th-best prospect on Baseball America's Top-50 list.