I love seeing baseball stadiums from the sky, when I'm in an airplane. So, naturally, I love to waste time looking at ballparks on Google Maps. I enjoy seeing what part of the city the park is in, and noticing any quirks about the layout or construction. So, I thought it would be neat to create a custom Google Map with pins for every major league and minor league park in the country to go along with Matt Eddy's feature on minor league park factors ($). Enjoy!

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The Cubs have signed Cuban righthander Armando Rivero to a contract with a $3.1 million bonus.

International sources last year in July said the Cubs were going to sign Rivero for the same terms, so it appears the agreement may have been in place for several months. However, the Cubs did not officially submit the contract until this month. BA correspondent Phil Rogers first reported Rivero's signing.

Rivero was among the Praver Shapiro Sport Management clients who were living and training in the Dominican Republic but used permanent Haitian residency papers to sign, causing visa delays for players like Yankees lefthander Omar Luis and Orioles outfielder Henry Urrutia. Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler, another Cuban player of Praver Shapiro Sport Management, signed with Chicago last year in June. 

Rivero, 25, has middle relief potential. Rivero was a reliever in Cuba's Serie Nacional for Industriales, where was a teammate of Cubs lefthander Gerardo Concepcion. In his final season in Cuba in 2010-11, Rivero had a 3.06 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 21 walks in 47 innings. Rivero also pitched briefly at the FISU World University Championships in Japan in 2010, when he threw 10 pitches and struck out two batters in a scoreless inning for Cuba.

At 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Rivero's best pitch is his fastball, which sits in the low-90s and peaks at 96 mph. He doesn't have a plus secondary pitch but he has a solid splitter with late tumble. He'll drop to a low three-quarters arm slot, which may be why he has trouble throwing a reliable breaking ball. Some scouts have said Rivero throws a curveball and a slider, while others think he's just manipulating the same pitch. His low slow makes it difficult for him to stay on top of the ball, giving his breaking ball more side to side action. He also has a slight hook in his arm action that affects his command.

Since Rivero is 25 and has four seasons of professional experience in Cuba's top league, his bonus will be exempt from Chicago's 2012-13 international bonus pool. For the current signing period, Cuban signings are exempt from the international bonus pools as long as they are at least 23 and have played in Serie Nacional for at least three seasons.

The Cubs haven't said where Rivero will begin his career, but he's advanced enough that Double-A Tennessee would seem to be an option.

Remember the unnamed converted catcher profiled in Baseball America last month from a recent private workout in the Dominican Republic? His name is Jose Santiago, and he has signed with the Mariners for $205,000.

Santiago, a 19-year-old righthander, is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and has only been pitching for less than a year but has shown impressive aptitude in picking it up fairly quickly. He throws a heavy 91-93 mph fastball and the ball comes out of his hand without much effort. His 77-81 mph breaking ball has three-quarters break that may eventually turn into a true slider. He throws a firm changeup, but given how new he is to pitching he's mostly a two-pitch guy with his fastball and his breaking ball. Santiago's trainer in the Dominican Republic is known as "Titico."

The proliferation of advanced analytical tools in the past decade has enhanced the enjoyment level of baseball for many fans. Yet one overlooked aspect of the data explosion is the benefit derived by major league clubs, particularly in the fields of player development, advance scouting and performance forecasting.

Research presentations and panel discussions at last week's SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix fully illustrated, in particular, the harmonious relationship between data collection and analysis, traditional scouting and player development. All endeavors strive to predict players' future value by weighing many inputs and assessing the probability of various outcomes.

Baseball America reported from the Analytics Conference, focusing on presentations and discussions with obvious currency in the field of scouting and player development, and this blog post collects all the links in case you missed them the first time.

Day One

• Research Confirms Hard-Throwers' Advantage. Analysis of a batter's point of contact, as measured by Hit f/x, tells us a lot about his expected power output.

• Observations From Day One Of The SABR Analytics Conference. Pitchers Javier Lopez and Brandon McCarthy discuss the role of detailed analytical information in major league clubhouses. [...] Continue Reading »

As an accompaniment to our Top 20 Rookies list, we're taking an in-depth look at rookie candidates for every club. In this installment, it's the American League clubs, highlighting those with the most real-life and the most fantasy impact potential. If you missed yesterday, click to read our National League Rookie Preview.

• Rookies: Players who have reached the major leagues but still have rookie eligibility.
• No MLB Experience: Players on the 40-man roster who have not reached the major leagues. A single asterisk (*) denotes a player added to the 40-man last offseason, while a double asterisk (**) signifies a Rule 5 draft pick.
• Who You Calling Rookie?: Players who appear in the 2013 Prospect Handbook yet are not eligible for the Rookie of the Year balloting because they have too much major league service time. Not every team has a player in this category.
• On The Horizon: Players who were on a Top 10 Prospects list but are not yet on a 40-man roster, yet have sufficient experience (200 plate appearances or 200 batters faced at Double-A or higher) to forecast at least a cup of coffee in 2013.

We also identify each team's top rookie—right out of the Prospect Handbook—and the rookie with most potential for fantasy impact in 2013. Bear in mind that with few exceptions, such as Mike Trout and Bryce Harper last year, rookies are poor percentage plays in fantasy sports. That's why we recommend most rookies only in keeper or deep single-league formats.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Rookies (6)
RHP Dylan Bundy, RHP Steve Johnson, C Luis Exposito, OF Xavier Avery, OF Russ Canzler, OF L.J. Hoes
No MLB Experience (5)
LHP Mike Belfiore*, RHP Zach Clark*, LHP T.J. McFarland**, LHP Tsuyoshi Wada, 2B Jonathan Schoop*
On The Horizon
RHP Mike Wright

Top Rookie: Steve Johnson laid claim to a big league job for 2013 by going 4-0, 2.11 in 12 appearances with Baltimore last year.

Fantasy Impact: The Orioles signed Dylan Bundy to a major league contract out of the draft, so even with his youth he's on an accelerated timetable to Baltimore. A month or two in Double-A and he could be ready to join the big league rotation, where his athleticism and precociousness could rival the 20-year-old version of Zack Greinke. (Leagues: prime keeper target) [...] Continue Reading »

The annual American League and National League media guides, the so-called Red (AL) and Green (NL) books, offer a wealth of contemporary and historical information on all 30 major league clubs: 2012 league leaders, comprehensive managerial registers dating back to the Deadball Era, and listings for all-time league category leaders and award winners, to name just a few.

Of the greatest interest to BA readers of the Red and Green books, however, is the inclusion of each organization's official list of rookies for 2013. This takes the guesswork out of service-time considerations, particularly for relievers, who can log weeks of big league time while making few appearances. The Red and Green books even include an official definition for rookie qualifications (which we have conveniently included at the bottom of this post).

So as an accompaniment to our Top 20 Rookies list, let's take a closer look at rookie candidates for every National League club (we'll do the American League tomorrow). We've broken each club's rookie candidates into one of four groups:

• Rookies: Players who have reached the major leagues but still have rookie eligibility.
• No MLB Experience: Players on the 40-man roster who have not reached the major leagues. A single asterisk (*) denotes a player added to the 40-man last offseason, while a double asterisk (**) signifies a Rule 5 draft pick.
• Who You Calling Rookie?: Players who appear in the 2013 Prospect Handbook yet are not eligible for the Rookie of the Year balloting because they have too much major league service time. Not every team has a player in this category.
• On The Horizon: Players who were on a Top 10 Prospects list but are not yet on a 40-man roster, yet have sufficient experience (200 plate appearances or 200 batters faced at Double-A or higher) to forecast at least a cup of coffee in 2013. This group includes elite prospects such as the Cardinals' Oscar Taveras and the Pirates' Gerrit Cole.

We also identify each team's top rookie—right out of the Prospect Handbook—and the rookie with most potential for fantasy impact in 2013. Bear in mind that with few exceptions, such as Mike Trout and Bryce Harper last year, rookies are poor percentage plays in fantasy sports. That's why we recommend most rookies only in keeper or deep single-league formats.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Rookies (4)
LHP Tyler Skaggs, SS Didi Gregorius, OF Adam Eaton, OF A.J. Pollock
No MLB Experience (8)
RHP Chase Anderson*, RHP Charles Brewer*, LHP Eury de la Rosa*, RHP Starling Peralta**, RHP Eric Smith*, RHP Zeke Spruill*, OF Keon Broxton*, OF Alfredo Marte*
On The Horizon
LHP David Holmberg, 3B Matt Davidson, SS Chris Owings

Top Rookie: Tyler Skaggs made three strong starts for Arizona before tiring in September and has a good chance to win a rotation job in spring training.

Fantasy Impact: A blend of speed and patience in the minors makes Adam Eaton a safe bet to accumulate runs and double-digit stolen bases for the Diamondbacks, and batting average risk is mitigated by a high contact rate. Just don't expect any contributions in home runs or RBIs. (Leagues: deep mixed) [...] Continue Reading »

Former Red Sox top prospect Ryan Westmoreland announced his retirement from baseball today in a statement he emailed to members of the media.

Westmoreland, 22, hadn't played in a game since doctors detected a cavernous malformation in his brain in March 2010, and performed five hours of surgery to repair it. After making significant progress in his comeback and targeting a return to the diamond by the end of last season, he developed complications related to the malformation (an abnormal cluster of blood vessels) and had a second surgery last July.

"With a clear mind and heart, as well as the unwavering support and friendship of my family, friends, agent(s), doctors, therapists and the Boston Red Sox, I have decided to voluntarily retire as a professional baseball player," Westmoreland said in his statement. "Although it is a very difficult decision for me, it has become clear that the neurological damage caused by the most recent cavernous malformation and surgery leaves me with physical challenges that make it impossible to play the game at such a high level."

A fifth-round pick out of Portsmouth (R.I.) High in 2008, Westmoreland signed for $2 million. He played his lone pro season in 2009, when he batted .296/.401/.484 at short-season Lowell and rated as the New York-Penn League's No. 1 prospect. We ranked him as Boston's No. 1 prospect after that season, filing this scouting report:

Background: Westmoreland drew relatively little interest as a high school senior in 2008. He showed interesting athleticism at the Area Code Games the summer before, but didn't stand out. His commitment to Vanderbilt, $2 million asking price and the weather-related difficulties of scouting a Rhode Island prep player meant that few teams focused on him in the spring. One of just four clubs to talk to him directly, Boston selected him in the fifth round. Westmoreland joined the Bayside Yankees, one of the nation's top amateur teams, for the summer, giving the Red Sox more time to evaluate him. After watching him hit .557/.658/.918 for Bayside, they considered him the equivalent of a top-five-overall pick and gladly paid him $2 million at the Aug. 15 signing deadline. A pre-existing injury to his throwing shoulder turned out to be a torn labrum and required surgery in November, so Boston had him mostly DH during his pro debut at short-season Lowell in 2009. Westmoreland rated as the New York-Penn League's top prospect after exuding five-tool potential. The only negative came on Aug. 28, when he broke his collarbone crashing into the outfield wall while making a catch. Westmoreland didn't do any further damage to his shoulder and should be healthy for spring training.

Strengths: Former Red Sox scouting director Jason McLeod says Westmoreland has more upside than any player the club selected in his five years running its drafts. His skills are just as impressive as his considerable tools. Westmoreland has an advanced approach for a teenager, with a short stroke, control of the strike zone and a willingness to use the entire field. His hand-eye coordination allows him to barrel balls consistently, and he has above-average power potential. He has plus-plus speed and knows how to use it, swiping 19 bases without getting caught at Lowell. Westmoreland has above-average range and should be a quality defender in center field. He also starred as a pitcher in high school, and his arm should grade as at least average once it's back to 100 percent. He's an intelligent player with the makeup to succeed.

Weaknesses: Westmoreland basically just needs to get healthy and soak up pro experience. An all-state soccer player and basketball star, he never concentrated on baseball year-round before turning pro. Boston has had him take it easy on his shoulder, so his arm isn't back to full strength yet. He used a low-three-quarters delivery when he pitched in high school and needs to raise his arm angle as an outfielder. While he has the tools for center field, he has yet to play there in pro ball.

The Future: After watching the hype get to their last two No. 1 prospects, Clay Buchholz and Lars Anderson, the Red Sox are trying to temper expectations for Westmoreland. That's hard to do with such a polished athlete, especially one with New England roots. He'll probably open 2010 at low Class A Greenville but is talented enough to force a promotion to high Class A Salem by season's end. He's a potential 30-30 player who one day could bat third in the Boston lineup.

Drake Britton, a lefthanded pitching prospect in the Red Sox system, was arrested Saturday morning in Estero, Fla., and charged with driving under the influence.

According to a report from weei.com, Britton also faces charges of reckless driving and property damage. The arrest report states that he drove his pickup truck 111 mph in a 45-mph zone and swerved among other vehicles before jumping a curve and knocking over a barbed-wire fence. He continued down a dirt road for another quarter-mile and attempted to drive into a wooded area before stopping.

Britton refused to take a breath test but told the arresting office he had been drinking.

Britton, 23, signed for $700,000 as a 23rd-round pick out of Tomball (Texas) High in 2007. He went 7-12, 4.44 with 118 strikeouts in 130 innings last year between high Class A Salem and Double-A Portland, and he ranked No. 11 on our Red Sox Top 30 Prospects list in the 2013 Prospect Handbook.

Britton had been attending Boston's major league camp for the first time this spring, but the team optioned him to Portland on Monday.

Major League Baseball's investigation into the age of Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz is still ongoing, according to multiple sources.

Diaz, who is represented by Jaime Torres, has been presenting himself as a 23-year-old born on Jan. 8, 1990, which would make him exempt from the international bonus pools. However, Baseball America reported last month that there were multiple sources that listed Diaz with a different date of birth from his time in Cuba.

A December 2007 story on the website of Cuba's top league referred to him being born Aug. 1, 1990, which would make him 22 and match several stories from Cuban media outlets in July 2012 that referred to him as 21 when news surfaced that he had left Cuba. Another roster from the 2010 Pan-American games says that Diaz was born in 1991, although the roster only provides the year and no specific date of birth. A third roster from Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands last July lists Diaz with an Aug. 1, 1991 date of birth, which would make him 21.

Diaz has already submitted official documentation to MLB with his Jan. 8, 1990 date of birth and used that date to obtain permanent Mexican residency papers, according to Torres. Now MLB must determine Diaz's true age, whether he's subject to the international bonus pools and whether he's going to face any penalties for potentially submitting false information to the league about his age. 

The Rangers have signed Australian outfielder Todd McDonald for $475,000, the largest bonus of the 2012-13 international signing period for an Australian hitter.

Scouts described McDonald, 17, as one of the toolsier players in Australia. At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, McDonald is athletic, has excellent plate discipline and a line-drive stroke from the left side. Scouts were mixed on his power, with some saying he's more of a gap power guy, but he's shown he can go over the fences in games. He projects as a corner outfielder with an average arm.

McDonald, who recently traveled to the Dominican Republic and worked out there for the Rangers, dominated at Australia's 18U National Championship last month. He hit .432/.519/.750 in 54 plate appearances over 12 games for Queensland, won the tournament's "Golden Bat" award and made the all-star team after ranking first in total bases.

The Rangers have been relatively quiet during the current international signing period. They signed Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras for $4.5 million last year on Feb. 29, but Major League Baseball did not announce its decision on whether it would approve Beras' contract until July 12, at which point several of the top 16-year-old players who became eligible to sign on July 2 were already off the board. They did sign Juremi Profar, the younger brother of Jurickson Profar, to a $150,000 bonus, but they otherwise have the majority of their $2.9 million international bonus pool still available.

Lefthander Lewis Thorpe, who signed with the Twins for $500,000 in July, was the biggest Australian signing of the current international signing period.

Angel Villalona has received his work visa and will be in big league camp with the Giants for spring training, a team official confirmed today. He will travel to Arizona next week to join the team.

Villalona, a 22-year-old first baseman who signed with the Giants for $2.1 million in 2006, was on the restricted list in 2010 and 2011, then was unable to obtain a visa to enter the United States last year. Villalona had been charged with the September 2009 murder of 25-year-old Mario Felix de Jesus Velete in the Dominican Republic at a bar in La Romana, where Villalona is from. Villalona eventually settled with de Jesus Velete's family, reportedly for around $139,000. A prosecutor was planning to move forward with the case, but the charges were dropped.

Villalona had reportedly sued the Giants for breach of contract for $5 million in a Dominican court, but the two sides reportedly settled. The Giants placed Villalona on their 40-man roster and Major League Baseball removed him from the restricted list, so Villalona spent last season playing in the Dominican Summer League, where he hit .303/.430/.497 with seven home runs in 44 games.

Prior to his legal troubles, Villalona had reached high Class A San Jose in 2009, hitting .267/.306/.397 with nine home runs in 74 games that season in the California League.

The Dodgers have signed Michael Medina, a 16-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, for $275,000.

Medina, who is from Santo Domingo and trained with Amauris Nina, is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and played in the International Prospect League all-star game last week. He showed a projectable frame with good bat speed from the right side, power and the ability to use the opposite field. He most likely projects as a corner outfielder, with a solid arm that could fit in right field.

Medina was one of the youngest players who became eligible to sign in 2012, as he didn't turn 16 until Aug. 24. Had he been born a little more than a week later, he wouldn't have been eligible to sign until July 2, 2013. 

Last month the Dodgers also added another Dominican outfielder for a six-figure bonus, signing Ariel Sandoval for $150,000.

After watching him pitch in the International Prospect League all-star game on Friday, the Reds have signed Dominican lefthander Jacob Constante for $730,000.

Constante, who turns 19 in March, is 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and threw 92-94 mph with good life on his fastball at the IPL event. He showed solid mechanics for his age and flashed a potentially above-average slider at 80-83 mph. He also threw a below-average 83-84 mph changeup that he had trouble keeping out of the dirt. Constante, who is from Santo Domingo and trained with Rudy Santin, is also already fluent in English.

The Constante signing is the biggest bonus bonus the Reds have agreed to with an international player during the 2012-13 signing period, which began on July 2. The only amateur lefthanders who have signed for more money during the current signing period were Venezuela's Jose Castillo, who signed for $1.55 million with the Rays, and Brazil's Luiz Gohara, who landed with the Mariners for $880,000.

The Mariners have signed Luis Liberato, a 17-year-old Dominican outfielder, for $140,000.

Liberato is 6-foot-1, 175 pounds and has flashed a mature approach to hitting from the left side with gap power and advanced baseball instincts for his age. Like many young Dominican amateur hitters, he'll try to sell out for power at times, but when he's at his best he's shown a solid swing. The Mariners believe he can stay in center field, though he has the arm for right field if necessary.

Liberato is from Santiago and trained with Mackey Moreno. He also worked with Franklin Taveras, the father of Mariners Dominican scout Franklin Taveras Jr., who was influential in the signing. It's the first six-figure international signing for the Mariners since they hired Tim Kissner as their international director after the 2012 season and brought in Eddy Toledo as a scout from the Rays. 

The Dodgers have signed Ariel Sandoval, a 17-year-old center fielder from the Dominican Republic, for $150,000.

Sandoval is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and impressed the Dodgers with his potential to hit for both average and power from the right side of the plate. He's an above-average runner who should begin his career in center field, though he has the arm strength to play right field if he outgrows the position. 

Sandoval, who became eligible to sign on July 2, trained in Haina with Jaime Ozuna. Sandoval is the first six-figure international amateur signing for the Dodgers since vice president of international scouting Bob Engle and Latin American coordinator Patrick Guerrero arrived from Seattle after the 2012 season. 

The Orioles have released their top-paid Latin American signing from 2011, 18-year-old righthander Elvis Duran, after only one professional season.

Duran, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound righthander from the Dominican Republic, signed with the Orioles in August 2011 for $150,000, the largest bonus the Orioles paid to an international amateur free agent in 2011. Duran pitched in six games as a reliever last season in the Dominican Summer League, allowing nine runs in eight innings with seven walks, eight strikeouts and two home runs. Prior to signing, Duran had touched the low-90s, but evaluators had concerns about his stiff delivery and arm action, and according to one source, Duran was released due to an elbow injury.

Duran was signed under the previous regime before general manager Dan Duquette took over and put Fred Ferreira in charge of the team's Latin American scouting. Aside from Henry Urrutia, a 25-year-old professional Cuban outfielder who signed in July for $778,500 using permanent Hatian residency papers and is still awaiting his visa, Duran was Baltimore's most expensive Latin American signing since they landed Dominican third baseman Hector Veloz for $300,000 in July 2010.

Two of the top Cuban players signed in 2012 are having trouble acquiring visas after using documents claiming permanent Haitian residency, according to multiple international sources.

Omar Luis, a 20-year-old Cuban lefty who signed with the Yankees for $4 million on July 1, and Henry Urrutia, a 25-year-old Cuban corner outfielder who signed with the Orioles for $778,500 on July 6, have not yet been able to acquire their visas. Both of them, according to Baseball America's sources, are still stuck in Haiti.

To sign with a major league team, Cuban players must first present either an unblocking license from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) or two permanent residency documents from another country. Luis, Urrutia and Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, who signed with the Cubs in June, all presented permanent Haitian residency papers. Soler, who signed a nine-year, $30 million major league contract that included a $6 million signing bonus, was able to acquire his visa this summer and play in the United States. Their agency, Praver Shapiro Sports Management, did not respond to a request for comment.

Industry insiders are not surprised that Luis and Urrutia are having visa trouble. In addition to Haitian documents being notoriously unreliable, the players were well-known to be living and training in the Dominican Republic for several months.

The Rangers have signed Ronny Carvajal, a 17-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, for $80,000.

Carvajal, who became eligible to sign this year on July 2, has a projectable 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame with good bat speed, solid athleticism and close to average speed. A corner outfielder, Carvajal's righthanded swing will have to be ironed out as he's still raw at the plate. Carvajal is from Bani, played in the Dominican Prospect League and trained with Miguel Delgado, who is known in the Dominican Republic as "Billiyo."

Texas has been one of the most aggressive and successful teams in the international market in recent years, but they have spent very little of their $2.9 million international bonus pool for the 2012-13 signing period, perhaps because they were hoping to be able to land righthander Shohei Otani, who announced he is staying in Japan.

Other than the $4.5 million signing of Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras on Feb. 29, a deal that doesn't count against their bonus pool, the Rangers' biggest international bonus this year has gone to Juremi Profar, a 16-year-old third baseman from Curacao (and the younger brother of top prospect Jurickson Profar) who signed for $150,000 in September. The Rangers also signed Dominican shortstop Luis Terrero for $75,000 in August.

The Astros have signed Junior Garcia, a 17-year-old lefthander from the Dominican Republic, for $200,000.

Garcia, who trained with Ramon Genao (known as "Papiro"), played in a few different events run by Major League Baseball. At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Garcia is a strike-thrower who has seen his fastball climb from 83-85 mph to 86-88 mph as he's gained weight. He stands out for his pitchability, mixes in a curveball that has a chance to be an average to solid-average pitch as well as an occasional changeup.

Garcia, who became eligible to sign on July 2, is the most significant signing yet for the Astros under international director Oz Ocampo, who left his role as a specialist in international baseball operations at MLB to join the Astros in September. The Astros still have the majority of their $2.9 million bonus pool for the 2012-13 signing period available, and they will have the biggest signing pool for the 2013-14 signing period that begins next year on July 2 after finishing with baseball's worst record in 2012.

The Cardinals have signed righthander Alex Reyes out of the Dominican Republic for $950,000, one of the biggest bonuses of the year for an international amateur pitcher and the top international bonus of 2012 for the Cardinals.

Reyes, 18, took an unconventional path to pro ball. Born in the United States, Reyes grew up with his parents in Elizabeth, N.J. and played high school baseball there, but he moved to the Dominican Republic to stay with extended family last winter, then waited one year to be eligible to sign. He lived in Palenque and trained with former Nationals scout Juan Valera and Basilio Vizcaino (known as "Cachaza"), the same duo that worked with Padres $700,000 outfielder Franmil Reyes (no relation).

Even though Reyes worked with Vizcaino, one of the most high-profile trainers in Latin America, very few teams appear to have scouted him. According to international sources, Felix Francisco had heavily courted Reyes while he was in charge of Houston's Latin American program this summer. When the Astros let Francisco go and he joined the Royals as a special assignment scout, Kansas City showed strong interest in Reyes and he had spent time at their academy, but Reyes opted to sign with the Cardinals instead.

Those who have seen Reyes say he is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds and has had his fastball increase in recent months, going from the high-80s to sitting 90-93 mph and touching 94. A converted shortstop, Reyes' best offspeed pitch is his changeup, which he already sells with good arm speed, and he mixes in a curveball as well. Given his age, Reyes, who is fluent in English and Spanish, could start his career in the United States, likely in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

Reyes' bonus is the second-biggest of the year for a Dominican pitcher, behind only Cubs righthander Juan Carlos Paniagua ($1.5 million). Venezuelan lefthander Jose Castillo ($1.55 million from the Rays) and Venezuelan righthander Jose Mujica ($1 million from the Rays) were the only other international amateur pitchers who signed for more money this year, excluding Cubans.