One of the top arms still remaining in Latin America from this year’s July 2 signing class is no longer on the market.

The Rockies have signed 16-year-old Venezuelan Alving Mejias, a righthander with an advanced feel for pitching.

"For 16 years old, he’s got a good delivery, he’s got three pitches and he knows to pitch," said Rolando Fernandez, the Rockies’ director of international operations. "Usually kids who are 16 years old, their pitchability is not that good. For his age, he’s pretty advanced."

Mejias works at 88-91 mph with his fastball, and scouts from other teams have seen him top out at 93. Mejias already has a mature body and might not develop much more velocity, but his arm works relatively cleanly and he shows command of a mid-70s curveball and feel for a changeup with some sink and deception.

International scouts from other teams have said they believe the signing bonus is around $250,000, though the Rockies declined to comment on the bonus. That amount would match what the club gave Dominican third baseman Miguel De Leon in May as the club’s largest signing bonus given to a Latin American free agent in 2008.