10 Top International MLB Prospects To Watch For 2026 Signing Period

Image credit: Angeibel Gomez (Photo by Ben Badler)

The 2026 international signing period opens next year on Jan. 15. Looking at the Top 100 Prospects in the game, it doesn’t take long to see the importance of these international signings and how quickly the best ones can rank among the game’s elite prospects.

Brewers shortstop Jesús Made and Padres shortstop Leo De Vries are top 10 prospects. They’re both 18-year-olds who signed last year.

Right behind them is Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott, who’s already in Double-A after signing in 2023.

Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo is a top 20 prospect. He’s in Triple-A and on schedule to make his major league debut before his 21st birthday.

Made signed for $950,000, the lowest of that group, but all of them were prominent, high-profile international signings at the top of their class who have quickly drawn rave reviews in pro ball.

The signing period for the next international class can officially sign their contracts on Jan. 15, 2026. Players will be 16 or 17 by then but will often reach agreements to sign with clubs when they’re 13 or 14—sometimes younger. The bonus amount can change leading up to the player’s signing date, and there are always agreements that fall apart, but generally the highest-profile players in each class have a signing commitment in place for years before they sign.

Below are 10 of the top 2026 international prospects—all of whom are expected to sign for more than $2 million—with scouting reports and the future team for each player, along with videos from seeing these players in person.

Luis Hernandez, SS, Venezuela

Team: Giants

In 2025, the Giants signed Dominican shortstop Josuar Gonzalez, a player some scouts considered the best player in the class. Now the Giants look like they will pay the biggest bonus of the 2026 class to sign Hernandez, another talented shortstop with a different skill set than Gonzalez.

Hernandez is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds with maturity to everything he does, especially at the plate. He’s a righthanded hitter with an advanced approach for his age. He makes good swing decisions, has good pitch recognition and bat-to-ball skills and it’s come with strong game performance against players his age and those significantly older. It’s a fast, compact swing, regularly squaring up good fastballs and staying on breaking balls, and he drives the ball with impact to both gaps with the upside to develop into a 20-25 home run threat.

Hernandez is a fringe-average runner. While he’s not a speedster, he’s a steady defender who has a good chance to handle shortstop, where he has good footwork, soft hands and a plus arm.

Angeibel Gomez, OF, Venezuela

Team: Royals

Gomez offers an exciting blend of both tools and skills at a premium position. He’s 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, with an athletic frame, broad shoulders and a good mix of present strength and physical upside still remaining.

Gomez is a righthanded hitter with a strong offensive track record in games, including MLB’s Amateur Scouting League, where he ranked third in OPS by hitting .370/.438/.778 in 32 plate appearances last year. He has impressive raw power, too, that he’s able to tap into against live pitching, projecting as a potential 25-plus home run threat who can already drive balls out of the park from center field over to his pull side.

Gomez is a talented hitter who’s also one of the best defensive center fielders in the class. He’s a plus-plus runner with terrific instincts for his age, he takes clean routes with good range to both gaps and he has a plus arm.

Johennsy Colome, SS, Dominican Republic

Team: Athletics

Colome has grown up around baseball. His father is righthander Jesus Colome, who pitched 10 years in the major leagues, and his uncle is righthander Alex Colome, an 11-year big leaguer. Johennsy has a strong arm, too, but it’s his offensive upside that makes him one of the premier players in the 2026 class.

Colome is 6-foot-3 with powerful, explosive bat speed to produce some of the best raw power in the class. He isn’t an all-or-nothing hitter, either. He shows a sound righthanded swing with the ability to string together quality at-bats and tap into his power in games, drawing offensive comparisons to Rays infielder Junior Caminero.

Because of Colome’s size, some scouts think he will fit best at third base, but he has a chance to stick at shortstop. He’s an average runner whose hands and feet work well in the dirt, and he has a plus-plus arm.

Wandy Asigen, SS, Dominican Republic

Team: Yankees

Asigen has played for the Dominican Republic in multiple international tournaments, including the U-15 World Cup in 2024, where he ranked second in the tournament in walks.

Asigen has a fast, compact swing from the left side with high-end bat speed to drive the ball with impact. It’s big power for his age, at times with some swing-and-miss, but the power shows up in games with the ability to hammer baseballs from center field over to his pull side.

Asigen has attributes to stick at shortstop. Like a lot of young infielders, he’s still learning to be more consistent on routine plays, but he’s a plus runner and a quick-twitch athlete with an above-average arm. He’s still 15 until Aug. 21, so he’s one of the youngest players in the 2026 class.

Francisco Renteria, OF Venezuela

Team: Phillies

Renteria has represented Venezuela at multiple international tournaments, including the U-15 World Cup in 2024. He’s a strong, physical righthanded hitter at 6-foot-3 with an exciting blend of power and athleticism.

Renteria’s combination of strength and bat speed helps him produce some of the best raw power in the class with the ability to launch balls over the fence to the middle of the field. Renteria can hammer a fastball, though better breaking balls have given him trouble, leading to a likely power-over-hit offensive game.

Renteria is built like a corner outfielder, but he’s an above-average runner underway with an average arm. That speed and athleticism gives him a chance to start his career in center field, though depending on his physical development, he could end up in a corner.

Victor Valdez, SS, Dominican Republic

Team: Rays

Valdez stands out as one of the top offensive threats in the 2026 class. He’s a 6-foot-2 righthanded hitter with a good mix of hitting ability and power. It’s a solid swing with an aggressive approach to hunt pitches for damage with the ability to make adjustments to navigate the strike zone and different counts. He has the bat speed to drive the ball out of the park now and the physical upside to grow into 25-plus home run juice.

Valdez is an offensive-minded infielder, and given how big he could get, a lot of scouts early on viewed him as a likely third baseman. That could still end up the case, but his defensive actions have improved to give him a better chance to continue at shortstop. He’s now an average runner with better quickness, good body control and an above-average arm.

Emanuel Luna, OF, Dominican Republic

Team: Cardinals

Luna is extremely strong for his age with the look of a player who could have plus-plus raw power in his prime. He’s 6-foot-2, 196 pounds with a lean, athletic build and the strength behind his righthanded swing to put on a huge show during batting practice, launching balls deep out of the park. It’s not a textbook swing, and some scouts think it’s a power-over-hit profile, but he’s also a disciplined, patient hitter who will draw walks and is selective waiting for a pitch he can drive for damage.

He’s a potential 30-plus home run threat if everything clicks and made more exciting as a player with the tools to play a premium position. He’s a plus-or-better runner underway and moves around well in center field.

Angel Nuñez, OF, Dominican Republic

Team: Reds

Nuñez offers a good blend of skills across the board. At 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, he’s not as physical as some of the other players on this list, but he has hit well in games with an aggressive approach and an accurate barrel.

Nuñez will flash occasional home run power to his pull side now and should have more of his doubles go over the fence as he fills out, though it’s likely to be more of a hit-over-power offensive game. He’s a plus runner and a good athlete who moves around well in center field with a strong arm.

Jose Luis Acevedo, SS, Dominican Republic

Team: Orioles

Acevedo is expected to sign for more than $2 million. That would be a big bonus for any team, but for the Orioles, it would be a franchise record (their record is currently $2,297,500 for shortstop Luis Almeyda in 2023).

It’s a well-rounded skill set for a player who projects to stick at shortstop with an advanced offensive approach for his age. Acevedo has a mature offensive approach with a balance of hitting ability and power, using a sound righthanded stroke to stay through the middle of the field and not have to sell out to generate that power.

Acevedo is an instinctive, savvy player, which is evident at shortstop, where he has a good internal clock. With average speed, he isn’t a burner, but he has quick-twitch actions, a nose for the ball and can finish plays with a plus arm.

Juan Rijo, OF, Dominican Republic

Team: Mariners

Early in the scouting process, Rijo wasn’t that big physically, but he consistently hit well, even facing older competition. He has since grown to 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, added more strength and continues to impress with his hitting ability.

Rijo takes a tight turn of the barrel into an easy, short lefthanded swing. He tracks pitches well, stays balanced and has a knack for finding the sweet spot in games and using the whole field. Rijo has the foundation to be a high on-base threat and has layered on more power as he’s gotten stronger, flashing over-the-fence juice to his pull side with the bat speed and body type that suggests bigger power still to come.

Rijo is an average runner with a strong arm whose offensive ability stands out more than his raw athleticism, likely fitting best in an outfield corner.