Padres add depth with international prospects

ST. LOUIS -- It was a busy day on Thursday for Padres international scouting director Chris Kemp as he presided over his first international signing day.

The Padres were able to sign five players and agreed to terms with another, shoehorning them into their pool of $2,691,800 during this signing period.

The team signed infielder Kelvin Melean from Venezuela ($500,000), right-handed pitcher Henry Henry from the Dominican Republic ($400,000), left-handed pitcher Jose Cabrera from Venezuela ($400,000), infielder Kelvin Alarcon from Venezuela ($425,000) and infielder Reinaldo Illaraza from Venezuela ($300,000).

The team agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Andrew Munoz from Mexico ($700,000). He's expected to sign either Monday or Tuesday.

"I'd say we're extremely happy," Kemp said of his first international class. "Three blue-chip arms and three gamer shortstops."

Kemp said the team had Munoz ranked as the top pitcher in Mexico, Henry as the top right-handed pitcher in the Dominican Republic and Cabrera as the top left-handed pitcher in Venezuela.

Because the Padres stayed below their pool number, they won't have any restrictions during the 2016-17 signing period while upwards of 10 teams could essentially be left on the sidelines for exceeding their pool number during this period.

Kemp, hired in October, hasn't spent much time at his home in Charlotte since being hired. He told MLB.com in March that he had spent all but a handful of days on the road looking for players to add to the Padres' system.

By March, Kemp and the Padres had already signed 12 players, all ages 16 to 19. Most of those players signed for between $5,000 and $100,000.