The Braves set a new franchise record on Monday, inking 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Jose Perdomo to a $5 million signing bonus.
With a $5 million price tag, Jose Perdomo is #Braves' largest international amatuer free-agent signing ever. He is arguably the top talent available in this year's crop of prospects. https://t.co/WY5EC8PXPY
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) January 15, 2024
Perdomo will instantly become one of the Braves top prospects in the organization, and his hit tool is what stood out to scouts.
“Perdomo, first of all, I think the most important thing to talk about here is his bat,” Braves Latin America Scout Jonathan Cruz said. “Obviously, these kids are very young. We think the hardest thing to teach, if you can teach at all is to hit. That’s his calling card.”
Cruz also said that Perdomo’s performance at a showcase featuring much older players that were already experienced in the minors is what sold the Braves on him.
“He had a big showcase side-by-side with Ethan Salas, prospect with the San Diego Padres, and the competition was well above their talent levels. They were throwing pitchers that had been in AA and AAA — 97, 96 MPH fastballs, hard breaking balls. And with our whole process, I think that’s where we were kind of blown away with the adjustments he was making and the performance, and we said this is the guy we have to go after.”
For the Braves, this is an exciting moment because of all the international restrictions that had been placed on the organization for years stemming from incidents under former general manager John Coppolella. They can finally be involved with the top guys available each cycle again, and they have the ultimate recruiter in Ronald Acuña Jr. He’s a king in Latin America, especially Venezuela, and Jose Perdomo wears the #13 for a reason.
“I asked him maybe like three or four times if he was sure what he was doing with the #13, and he was confident in that’s his number, that’s the number he likes,” Jonathan Cruz said. “He said himself, we’ll address that number when we get in the bigs. He’s not out for Acuña’s number. It doesn’t work that way. He sees him more as an idol. Does Acuña know about the kid? I don’t know, probably. They’re Venezuelans. We’ve had an edge with Venezuelans because of that Acuña effect. Are we calling Acuña and telling him, ‘Hey, help us out with these guys?’ No, he’s an MVP. We don’t have to ask for help. These kids dream about being on the same field with him.”
https://twitter.com/BravesOnBally/status/1747373248898088977
Acuña’s the best bargain in baseball for his results on the field. He’s an MVP making less than $20 million annually. However, the dividends extend much further than just his impact during season. He’s one of the biggest international superstars in the game, particularly south of the United States. That may have not been the only reason Jose Perdomo chose the Braves, but it had an impact and will continue to help Atlanta with international prospects as long as Acuña remains with the Braves.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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