One of the areas GM Mike Elias promised to address when arriving with the Baltimore Orioles was presence in the international market.
The previous front office, lead by then-GM Dan Duquette, was not involved much in the international side of the game, often trading away international slots and having next to no showing on the international stage.
Since Elias has taken over, the Orioles have been highly active in that market. Under his first year as GM, Elias, along with O’s international scouting director Koby Perez, signed 27 international free agents (IFAs).
The duo would follow that up by signing current MLB Pipeline No. 46/Orioles’ No. 5 prospect, catcher Samuel Basallo, and shortstop Maikol Hernández to the first seven-figure contracts in team history. And they showed no sign of stopping, signing other top talents such as Braylin Tavera and Luis Almeyda.
“His experience, connections and reputation built across a fast-rising career in multiple successful organizations will immediately elevate our capabilities in this critical market.”
– GM Mike Elias on Koby Perez in January 2019
The new approach is a complete 180 from the philosophy of the previous regime and has played a key part in the Orioles’ organizational rebuild. Currently, the Orioles have six of their top 30 prospects all coming from international free agent signings.
The Orioles’ current crop of IFAs are expected to be around 20 young men, headlined by 16-year-old shortstops Emilio Sanchez and Elvin Garcia, along with outfielder Stiven Martinez from the Dominican Republic.
Sanchez has signed for $1.3 million, with Martinez signing for just under $1 million. Garcia, who is a switch-hitter, is expected to receive a bonus of around $500K.
This past October, Koby Perez was promoted to vice president of international scouting and operations. While he continues to oversee international scouting operations and management of the bonus pool, Perez will also take on the supervision of operations of the training academy in the Dominican Republic.
First breaking ground for the state-of-the-art facility in 2021 in Guerra, Dominican Republic, the O’s new facility officially opens this Tuesday with a ceremony from 10 a.m. to noon that will include Elias, Perez, D.R. President Luis Abinader, vice minister of sports Elvis Duarte and commissioner of D.R. Baseball, Junior Noboa.
Two current Orioles will join the grand opening celebration, with closer Félix Bautista and shortstop Jorge Mateo making the trip. They will be joined by former Orioles Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Nelson Cruz, Miguel Tejada, Hanser Alberto, Daniel Cabrera, Melvin Mora and Radhames Liz.
“This academy is the culmination of years of hard work by so many people, and I’m grateful to everyone who made this a reality.”
– GM Mike Elias on the opening of the new D.R. facility
The 22.5 acre complex will be home to the Orioles’ regional facility for Caribbean, Central and South American player development. It includes three fields, a sports turf agility field, batting and pitching tunnels, dormitories, educational facilities and administrative offices.
The facility will be able to host 100 players, coaches and staff, with amenities that include three classrooms, a computer lab that provides learning and educational plans for players and a dining area that provides daily nutritional-based meals for the players.
“For the last several years, one of the main goals of our partnership group and front office has been to excel in Latin America, and I’m very pleased by what we as an organization, led by Koby Perez, have accomplished in this sector. This grand opening marks another major milestone in scouting and player development that will keep our minor league pipeline flowing and preserving winning baseball in Baltimore for years to come.”
– GM Mike Elias on the new D.R. facility
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