Baltimore Orioles 2025 International Signings Review
Image credit: Jose Pena (Photo via Ben Badler)
In some years the Orioles have spent big on one player, like they did when they signed catcher Samuel Basallo, who has become the highest-ranked catching prospect in baseball. This year, the Orioles had one signing for a hair under $1 million, but it was a class where they spread their money around. That should give them a depth of intriguing position prospects in the lineup on their two Dominican Summer League teams, along with some lesser-known arms with promising traits.
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Here are scouting reports on 15 players to watch from the Orioles’ 2025 international signing class. You can find international reviews for all 30 teams here.
Top Of The Class
The top signing this year for the Orioles was Jose Peña, a 16-year-old Dominican shortstop who got $997,500. Peña will be 16 until the final week of the DSL season in August, so he’s one of the youngest players in the 2025 class. He stood out early in the scouting process for his athleticism and contact skills, albeit without much impact yet coming from his thin frame. Now he’s 6-foot-2, 160 pounds, still wiry but with more speed and higher exit velocities.
He has shown good hittability for his age with sneaky pull power for a player who isn’t that strong yet but has lots of space left to fill out and grow into significantly more home run juice. He’s a plus-plus runner with a good chance to stay at shortstop, where he is a fluid mover with good hands and a tick above-average arm that could get stronger as he fills out.
Names To Know
Meykel Baro, SS, Cuba: Baro has been an up-arrow prospect over the past year. He hit .315/.458/.463 in 73 plate appearances in Cuba’s 16U national league in 2022, trended up while training in the Dominican Republic and then signed for $497,500. Baro is 16 until Aug. 14, so he’s one of the youngest players in the class. He’s 6-foot-1, 172 pounds with wide shoulders and more strength projection remaining to add to what’s already a good blend of tools and skills.
Baro’s a righthanded hitter who has performed well in games with a balance of both hitting ability and power that should continue to climb as he fills out. He’s an athletic shortstop with plus speed, a solid-average arm and a chance to stick at the position, though if he does move to third base, he could have the offensive profile to fit there too.
Johanse Gomez, OF, Dominican Republic/Virgin Islands: Born in the Virgin Islands, Gomez grew up there but signed out of the Dominican Republic for $747,500. He’s a lefthanded outfielder who stands out for his offensive upside and power potential, especially once he fills out his 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame. He’s an average runner who could see some time in center field but most likely will slide into an outfield corner.
Ronald Terrero, INF, Cuba: The Orioles signed Terrero for $397,500. In Cuba’s 16U national league in 2022, he ranked fifth in batting average and seventh in OBP by hitting .440/.561/.580 with 14 walks and three strikeouts in 66 plate appearances, then later that year played for Cuba in the U-15 World Cup. Now 17, Terrero is 6 feet, 190 pounds, a righthanded hitter whose bat is his calling card. He has a smooth swing and a good offensive track record of making good swing decisions and putting the ball in play at a high clip with mostly alleys power. Terrero trained as a shortstop before signing but projects more as an offensive-minded infielder, likely at third or second base.
Yeison Acosta, C, Cuba: Previously linked to the Mets before they made changes with their international scouting department, Acosta signed with the Orioles for $372,500. He’s 5-foot-11, 190 pounds at 17, a switch-hitting, offensive-minded catcher. Acosta doesn’t have a textbook swing, but he has good hand-eye coordination with a knack for barreling balls in games and the power potential to grow into a 15-plus home run hitter. He will need to improve his defense but his athleticism gives him a chance to stay behind the plate.
Lisandro Sanchez, OF, Dominican Republic: Sanchez might be the most tooled-up player the Orioles signed this year. There’s a lot of rawness that comes with those tools, but he’s a strongly-built 6 feet, 198 pounds with plus-plus speed and the physical maturity that helps him drive the ball with impact from the right side of the plate that could turn into plus raw power. His arm earns plus or better grades as well, so while the Orioles signed him for $297,500 as a position player, if things don’t click offensively, pitching could be a backup plan.
Kelvin Zapata, LHP, Dominican Republic: There’s a lot to like with the way Zapata is trending. He’s a wiry 6-foot-1, 155-pound lefty who was throwing 89 mph earlier in the scouting process and, since signing for $287,500, has been touching 95 mph in preseason action. Zapata has shown good control and feel for a slider with good lateral break. He’s also on the younger side of the class having just turned 17 days a couple days before the start of the DSL season.
Frandy Guillen, 3B, Dominican Republic: Playing as a 16-year-old in the U-18 World Cup Americas Qualifier in Panama last year in August, Guillen led the tournament in hitting when he slashed .462/.600/.462 with six walks and three strikeouts in 20 trips to the plate. Guillen, now 17, signed with the Orioles for $247,500. He’s an offensive-oriented corner outfielder with an advanced bat from the right side of the plate and flashes of over-the-fence power to his pull side. Guillen is 6-foot-1, 190 pounds and will need to work on his defense and mobility to stick at third base and avoid a shift to first base, but he should be one of the Orioles’ better hitters in the DSL this year.
Jose Flores, C, Venezuela: Flores doesn’t have one standout tool, but he has a balance of steady skills at the plate and behind it. He’s 5-foot-11, 165 pounds at 17, a righthanded hitter who performed well in games as an amateur with gap power. Signed for $247,500, Flores has good catch-and-throw skills for his age with good lateral agility, footwork and a fringe-average arm.
Jorge Drullard, INF, Dominican Republic: Drullard is a middle infielder who signed for $247,500 on the strength of his speed and athleticism. He’s 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, a line-drive, spray hitter from the right side of the plate with plus speed and the versatility that could fit in the infield or outfield.
Rayner Herrera, OF, Dominican Republic: The bat is what stands out most with Herrera, who signed with the Orioles for $222,500. He’s 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, a 17-year-old with a sound lefthanded swing and a good approach for his age to discern balls from strikes with gap power. Herrera is an average runner who could move around all three outfield spots and might land in a corner outfield spot, so getting stronger to grow into bigger power will be key for him.
Samuel Teran, RHP, Venezuela: Teran, who signed with the Orioles for $207,500, will pitch all season as a 16-year-old. He’s one of the youngest players in the 2025 class—had he been born eight days later, he wouldn’t have been eligible to sign until 2026—but he’s already a good strike-thrower with lively stuff. He mostly pitches in the upper 80s and can tickle 90 mph. It’s not elite velocity for his age, but his fastball gets excellent carry up in the zone that helps it play up and he should have more power to come behind that pitch once he fills out his projectable 6-foot-2, 168-pound frame. He shows feel to spin his curveball and mixes in an occasional changeup, promising traits if he’s able to throw harder.
Emmanuel Peña, RHP, Dominican Republic: Peña is an athletic, wiry 6-foot righthander with an extremely fast arm. Peña doesn’t have much size or strength yet, but his fastball has already jumped to reach 94 mph as a 17-year-old, an increase from a year ago when he was scraping 90 mph. He shows solid pitchability for his age with his fastball and curveball his two main pitches. Peña signed with the Orioles for $157,500.
Benjamin Vasquez, RHP, Dominican Republic: Vasquez, signed for $152,500, is an athletic, 17-year-old righthander with the strength projection in his frame to add to a fastball that touches 93 mph. He’s still learning to harness his stuff in the strike zone with more frequency, but shows feel to manipulate both his slider and changeup, giving him starter traits.
Sleeper Watch
Outfielder Fabian Cordero had a low profile training in a smaller program in Venezuela and could end up a bargain for $67,500. At 5-foot-10, 176 pounds, Cordero is a 17-year-old, lefthanded outfielder who has been performing at a high level in games. It’s not tools that immediately jump out with Cordero, but he is a promising hitter with a low swing-and-miss rate and makes consistently quality contact to drive the ball for doubles and home runs against live pitching.
