Mets Sign Venezuelan Pitcher Throwing 100 MPH On July 2
The international signing period is delayed, but the Mets made a splash on July 2 anyway.
The Mets today signed Richard Brito, a 21-year-old righthander out of Venezuela with a fastball that has reached 100 mph. By conventional signing standards in Latin America, where the signing age starts at 16, Brito is a relatively late developer, but he’s the same age as the college juniors who were just picked in the draft last month. At 6-foot-4, 198 pounds, Brito complements his riding fastball with a tight-spinning slider. He trained with Norberto Rivas.
Today would have been the beginning of the 2020-21 international signing period, but Major League Baseball delayed the start date until Jan. 15, 2021. MLB in turn extended the window for the current 2019-20 signing period, which would have normally ended on June 15, to last until Oct. 15, so Brito’s signing falls within the Mets’ 2019-20 bonus pool.
Brito is the latest under-the-radar flamethrower the Mets have signed out of Venezuela over the past year. Last year the Mets signed righthander Robert Dominguez, who was 17 and threw 97 mph at the time of his deal, then shortly before he turned 18 in November touched 99 mph. Dominguez ranked as the No. 1 international pitcher signed in the 2019 class and entered the season as the organization’s No. 15 prospect.
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