D-backs sign top international catching prospect
Venezuelan Herrera, ranked seventh overall, agrees to deal worth $1.06M
The D-backs on Tuesday signed Venezuelan catcher Jose Herrera to a deal worth slightly more than $1 million, MLB.com confirmed.
The 16-year-old switch-hitter ranked as the seventh-best international prospect and top catcher in this year's class, according to MLB.com. Tuesday was the first day of the 2013-14 international signing period, when eligible players could begin signing with teams.
This is the first year organizations are operating under a new set of guidelines that allows them to work with a base of $700,000, plus a bonus pool made up of four slot values based on their 2012 record. The D-backs used $1.06 million of their $1,655,700 total on Herrera.
Herrera has modest size at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, but he has a strong arm and the potential to develop into a good defensive catcher. He has shown the ability to hit for power, batting cleanup and earning all-tournament honors for Venezuela's 15-and-under team that won a gold medal last year in Mexico.