International Notes (March 2025)
On Video 🎥: Jefferson Sanchez "top prospect".
March is always the month of spring training and the first sounds of the game, but it is also the month of cuts.
Hundreds of international players lose their spot in the farm system only to be handed over to someone else. Opportunities for players signed via Amateur or International drafts have been shortened to 2 seasons nowadays. Five years ago, we saw a high percentage of players with two rough seasons at the Rookie or Class-A level still surviving within the system; they had more chances to make it.
Nowadays, this is becoming a trend within the system. As we begin the 2024 season, the number of spots in Minor Leagues has been reduced from 180 to 165, not counting the rosters of the Dominican Summer League, which is a whole world of its own.
What consequences does this have for baseball? Here, I’ll note what I believe are the most visible ones in 2025. Perhaps over time, other new ones will emerge:
International players have no development time: A player who wants to thrive within the MLB system needs to have his talent completely developed by the time he enters. They can’t start from scratch in an environment that demands immediate results and progress. If they used to train once, now they need to work three times as hard.
Many players with potential will be excluded from the system: Some players require more time for development and understanding than others within a long-term process. This has been evident in numerous cases. Yet, with the current reduction in roster spots, we will lose players who were perhaps destined to become stars or everyday contributors.
Age is a factor: The reduction in roster spots has turned a player’s age into their worst enemy. Take, for example, the case of Venezuelan Luis Garcia, signed by the Houston Astros in the 2017-2018 class for a $10,000 bonus. When Garcia debuted at the Rookie level in 2017, he was 20 years old. He was able to move between Rookie and Advanced A for over two years. That is not a journey that will happen so easily now. In today’s environment, a player aged 20-22 in levels like Rookie or Advanced A is 75% likely to be virtually released.