In 2015, the Washington Nationals signed a skinny 16-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic with $1.5 million from their international bonus pool, a franchise record at the time. There were hopes and projections for Juan Soto at the time, but he was no sure thing.
DiPuglia, who ran the Nationals’ international operations since 2009, resigned in September. His replacement, Fausto Severino, who worked under DiPuglia for 14 years, signed his first international class Monday afternoon, a group of 20 prospects from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Haiti.
While it’s too early to tell whether there is a Soto in this bunch, Severino is optimistic. Two players in particular — left-handed outfielder Victor Hurtado and infielder Angel Feliz — stand out. The pair’s bonuses took up $4.5 million of the nearly $6 million the Nationals are allowed for international signings.
“We have guys that we think can impact the organization both offensively and on the pitching side,” Severino said Monday, the first day of the international signing period. “We obviously got two players that are in the top 50 prospects in all major publications. Aside from them, I think we have a good group of guys.”
Hurtado, 16, is a 6-foot-3, 175-pounder who signed for $2.7 million. He is No. 20 in the MLB Pipeline ranking of the top 50 international prospects. Severino said the team’s scouts fell in love with Hurtado because he did “everything with ease” and has a “sweet left-handed stroke.”
“He’s someone that you could dream of as far as upside,” Severino said. “He’s somebody that we’re projecting to hit in the middle of the lineup when it’s all said and done.”
Feliz, 17, signed for $1.8 million. Severino said Feliz, ranked 23rd by MLB Pipeline, could stick at shortstop instead of moving to third despite his size (6-3, 185). He said Feliz has an advanced approach at the plate.
Washington has $5,925,000 to spend in the 2024 international signing period, which runs through Dec. 15. Any player who signs for $10,000 or less doesn’t count toward the total. Players must turn 16 before they sign and be 17 before Sept. 1 the following year. Twelve of the players signed by the Nationals are from the Dominican Republic, seven are from Venezuela, and one is from Haiti.
We've agreed to terms with 20 International Free Agents. https://t.co/PbmHuPkDqP pic.twitter.com/ajGd1PCEx3
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) January 15, 2024
“You have a different plan of attack for each year,” Severino said. “A lot of the kids in this market are very young, and you end up getting a lot of late bloomers, kids that come out later that we really liked and we pursued them. That’s kind of our mentality, always trying to get the best players.”
Last season, Washington signed 14 players. This year, though they gave $4.5 million to two players, the Nationals signed 18 others. For comparison, they signed 11 players in 2021 and 10 in 2022.
The Nationals’ recent international classes haven’t been as fruitful as some of the earlier ones under DiPuglia. Some of their top recent signees — Yasel Antuna ($3.9 million in 2016), Andry Lara ($1.25 million in 2019) and Armando Cruz ($3.9 million in 2021) — have struggled, with Lara and Cruz still at high Class A and low Class A.