Texas Rangers 2025 International Signings Review

Top Of The Class

When Sasaki informed the Rangers they were no longer in in the mix to sign him, the Rangers proceeded with the rest of their signing class as normal on Jan. 15, but they were left with more than $2 million in their bonus pool. They used $1.2 million of that to sign Seong-Jun Kim, an 18-year-old two-way player out of Gwangju Jeil High in South Korea.

Kim will get the opportunity to start his career as both a pitcher and shortstop, and while should be able to get to the Rangers’ complex in Arizona this year, he isn’t scheduled to make his official minor league debut until next year. He’s 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and teams who saw him generally leaned toward preferring him on the mound.

Kim has a loose, fluid arm stroke into a low-effort delivery with the arm speed to run his fastball up to 95 mph. He has shown feel for a hard slider and a splitter that rounds out his arsenal. His athleticism plays on the mound and at shortstop, where he’s a good defender with an above-average arm.

Kim is a righthanded hitter who has shown some flashes with the bat, but he has been an up-and-down performer who will have to prove he can deliver enough consistent offensive impact to continue as a hitter at higher levels. 

Prior to signing Kim, the Rangers’ top signing in the class had been Elorky Rodriguez, who got $1,097,500 out of the Dominican Republic. Primarily an outfielder as an amateur, Rodriguez will split time between center field and second base. What stands out most about him, though, is his hitting ability.

He’s 5-foot-10, 175 pounds with a polished look for a 17-year-old from the left side of the plate. Rodriguez has excellent strike-zone judgment, recognizes spin and a compact, direct swing with good bat-to-ball skills. He’s an intelligent player who regularly puts together quality at-bats with an offensive skill set that should translate to a high OBP this year the Dominican Summer League. Rodriguez isn’t that big, and while he makes quality contact for a player his size, growing into more extra-base damage will be important for him, though he probably won’t be a big home run hitter.

Rodriguez is a solid-average runner, which isn’t prototype speed for center field, so he could move around all three outfield spots. He started to get exposure to second base as an amateur and he will continue getting time there this season, something that could enhance his value if he’s able to flex between the infield and outfield. 

Names To Know

Jhon Simon, 3B, Dominican Republic: Simon has the offensive skill set that should translate to immediate success in the Dominican Summer League. Signed at 17 for $497,500, Simon isn’t tall but he has an extremely strong, boxy frame (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) with the bat speed to hit long, screaming line drives. Unlike taller hitters with long limbs, Simon generates his power without much length to his swing, staying short and explosive to the ball to be a high-contact hitter. He has the patience to take his walks as well, though he is physically mature for his age without much projection remaining. Simon is an offensive-driven player. He has the arm strength for third base, so enhancing his quickness and range to stay there would significantly enhance his value, but he has experience in the outfield as well and could end up in left field. 

Emil Martinez, SS, Dominican Republic: Once connected to the Yankees, Martinez ended up signing with the Rangers for $397,500. It’s a wiry 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame at 17 with significant physical upside remaining as an athletic, offensive-oriented middle infielder. Martinez has a whippy righthanded swing to drive the ball out of the park to his pull side with the strength projection for more to come and solid bat-to-ball skills in games. Martinez is athletic and runs well with enough tools to get a chance to stick at shortstop if he can refine his actions and learn to slow the game down defensively, with second or third base other potential fits. 

Oliver Guerrero, OF, Dominican Republic: Guerrero, 17, is 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, a strong lefthanded-hitting outfielder who can drive the ball out of the park to his pull side. It’s a steep path geared to lift the ball in what will likely be a power-over-hit game in a corner outfield spot. He signed for $397,500. 

Carlos Torres, C, Venezuela: Torres is the best defensive catcher the Rangers have signed internationally in several years. A $297,500 signing, Torres is 5-foot-10, 200 pounds with a thicker lower half. He will have to work to maintain his conditioning and mobility, but he defends his position well and has a strong arm. At the plate, Torres is a righthanded hitter with strong hands, a short swing and good bat speed. It’s an aggressive approach with good bat-to-ball skills and the strength to project potential 15-plus home run power. 

Alex Rodriguez, OF, Cuba: The Rangers signed Rodriguez for $297,500. He’s a 17-year-old lefthanded hitter with a sound swing, a patient approach to draw walks and didn’t swing-and-miss much as an amateur. His best defensive fit is in an outfield corner, so growing into more power will be important for his development. 

Jaylin Pinder, SS, Bahamas: Pinder is the 17-year-old brother of Rashawn Pinder, an 18-year-old center fielder with the Rangers in the Rookie-level Arizona League who signed last year. Jaylin has similarities to his brother as a slender, athletic player in the middle of the field with some understandable rawness as a lefthanded hitter relative to his peers in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, but he’s a quick-twitch mover with plus speed. Pinder is 5-foot-10, 160 pounds and should get a chance to develop at shortstop but could also end up in center field. He signed with the Rangers for $250,000. 

Daniel Rodriguez, SS, Venezuela: Rodriguez, who signed for $247,500 has been on an upward trend over the past year. Rodriguez is listed at 6-foot-1, 165 pounds but has packed on good weight since signing to 178 pounds. A headsy, instinctive player for a 17-year-old, Rodriguez has a good mix of contact skills from the right side of the plate and defense at shortstop. He’s an average runner with good actions, hands and field awareness at shortstop. He has good hand-eye coordination to make frequent contact with a good sense of the strike zone. Rodriguez had mostly occasional doubles power, so how much home run juice he grows into will be key for his development, but the added strength gains are an encouraging early sign. 

Sleeper Watch

Dominican outfielder Saivel Zayas signed for $97,500 but doesn’t have tools typical of a lower bonus player. He’s 6 feet, 180 pounds at 17, athletic and has a plus-plus arm with time in center and right field. Zayas has high-end bat speed from the right side and can put a strong charge into the ball when he connects. His baseball skills are still on the raw side, but the pure tools are exciting if he’s able to hit enough. 

Shortstop Fabelin Volquez had a higher profile earlier in the scouting process before ultimately signing with the Rangers for $27,500. It’s a mature look at the plate for a 17-year-old righthanded hitter, combining a sound swing with a good approach for his age. He’s 6 feet, 165 pounds with a hit-over-power profile and enough juice to occasionally pull one over the fence.  Volquez has the actions to stick in the infield with a chance to remain at shortstop. 

The Rangers signed 17-year-old Dominican center fielder Jhostin Genao for $97,500. He’s an athletic player with experience at shortstop and the outfield who has settled in at center field, where he looks comfortable, has plus speed to cover a lot of ground and a strong arm. Signed at 6-foot-2, 160 pounds, Genao has gotten stronger, which could enhance an offensive profile that’s based around his strike-zone judgment and solid bat-to-ball skills with gap power.