Blue Jays announce signing of 16-year-old prospect

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays announced the signing of Dominican prospect Bryan Lizardo for $250,000 on Friday.

Lizardo turned 16 on Friday and is the 21st-ranked international prospect according to MLB.com.

The Santiago, Dominican Republic native is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound third baseman who was selected to the 2013 Dominican Prospect League Elite Travel Team in March.

Lizardo is a switch-hitting power bat, with a good rhythm and approach at the plate. However, it's believed that he's better from the left side and may be better suited to hit purely from that side.

Defensively, he is athletic with good hands and a strong throwing arm, and is considered one of the top defenders in the Dominican Prospect League. However, he still needs some work on his footwork and defensive actions, but his overall game is expected to mature and improve with more instruction.