Los Angeles Dodgers 2026 International Class Scouting Report

Major League Baseball’s international signing period opens today for the 2026 class, which means prospects can officially sign their contracts.

For Baseball America subscribers, we have full breakdowns of the signing classes for all 30 teams, including scouting reports on the top players for each organization, other big names to know and lower-profile players to watch who could be sleepers.

More 2026 International Signing Day Coverage

It’s a much different feeling for the Dodgers heading into Jan. 15 this year. A year ago, Los Angeles ultimately signed righthander Roki Sasaki, though in the chaos and uncertainty that led up to his signing, they ended up losing multiple prominent players who would have been part of their 2025 class. This year will be more business as usual for the Dodgers as they look to add talent to a farm system whose top two prospects—outfielders Eduardo Quintero and Josue De Paula—are homegrown international signings, while shortstop Emil Morales is another international signing ranked in their Top 10.

The Dodgers signed Morales as the top player in their 2024 international class. Dominican outfielder Rubel Arias, who trains in the same program (Jaime Ramos) that Morales did, is a well-rounded, lefthanded outfielder signing for $1 million. He gets his swing started with a leg kick, cranks his back elbow up high and unleashes a fast swing with the bat speed to drive the ball over the fence to his pull side. Scouts highest on Arias praised his feel for hitting, as well—some scouts think it will be a hit-over-power profile—and given the physical projection remaining in his lean, high-waist frame, there should be more power still in the tank. Arias is an average runner who moves well in the outfield and should settle into an outfield corner with an average arm.

Dominican shortstop Ezequiel Melbourne, signing for $750,000, jumps out quickly for his actions at shortstop. He’s a fluid, graceful mover at the position, where he’s light on his feet with good range. He’s not a burner runner, but he’s athletic and looks comfortable at shortstop, where he can finish plays with a plus arm. Young for the class—Melbourne turns 17 on June 2—he’s a switch-hitter with a slender 6-foot-2 frame. He gets more contact from the left side and more damage from the right side, though it’s a hit-over-power game overall.

Dominican shortstop Ariel Reynoso is an offensive-minded middle infielder with a strong, thicker 5-foot-10 build. He shows a good balance of both hitting ability and extra-base impact from both sides of the plate. Reynoso isn’t a big runner but he has the tools to stay in the infield, with second base a potential fit for him long term.

Another shortstop from the Dominican Republic, Jose Victorino, has grown several inches throughout the scouting process and is now 6-foot-3 with longer limbs and a chance to hit for power from the right side of the plate with physical upside for that power to jump more once he fills out his rangy build. Victorino has a strong arm to play on the left side of the infield, though as he continues to get bigger, he could ultimately shift over to third base.

One of the up-arrow players for the Dodgers in this class is Tom Apfelbaum, a 17-year-old lefthander from Germany. Apfelbaum, who pitched for Germany in the U-18 World Cup last year, is 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and has seen his fastball steadily rise over the last few years to now sit in the low-90s and touch 94 mph. There’s still significant room for him to fill out, so there should be more velocity still in the tank. Pitching from a funky, deceptive delivery, Apfelbaum complements his fastball with a changeup that has good traits and is ahead of his breaking ball.

Another lefty, Miguel Herrera from Venezuela, is 6-foot-1 with good pitchability for his age. He’s up to 91 mph, throws an advanced changeup for his age that projects as a swing-and-miss pitch and shows feel for a breaking ball, which along with his control gives him a starter look.

Jose Requena is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, a strong corner outfielder from Venezuela with a power-over-hit offensive game from the right side of the plate. Raw power and a plus arm that should fit in right field are his two best tools.