Royals notebook: Agreement reached with Dominican teenager for $3.05 million
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
Chris Schneider
Starter Kyle Davies was back on the mound for the Royals on Saturday night, but he lasted only three innings against the Rockies.
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DENVER | The Royals reached agreement with outfielder Elier Hernandez of the Dominican Republic for a club-record $3.05 million bonus early Saturday on the first day of the international signing period.
The International Prospect League, where Hernandez plays, first reported the signing.
The Royals did not officially confirm the agreement, which is typical procedure for all clubs on international signings until the player passes a physical exam and all paperwork is completed because of possible legal ramifications.
But club officials privately confirmed an agreement is in place.
Hernandez, 16, bats and throws right-handed and has good size for his age at 6 feet 4 and 200 pounds. Baseball America touts him as a “quick-twitch athlete with explosive bat speed and a major-league body.”
The signing would mark the club’s second major move in less than a month to acquire a multi-talented, teen-age outfielder. The Royals previously selected Gardner Edgerton’s Bubba Starling with the fifth overall pick in the draft.
Hernandez projects as a corner outfielder and is characterized by scouts, according to Baseball America, as “high-risk, high-reward player.”
The Royals are also pursuing Dominican shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who is eligible to sign later this month when he turns 16. He is the son of former big-league outfielder Raul Mondesi. The signing bonus for Mondesi is expected to $1 million or more.
The club is also linked to Venezuelan catcher Luis Lara.
The Royals have been increasingly active in Latin America in recent years.
“We’ve made a huge investment there,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “We got Kelvin Herrera and Salvador Perez (in 2006), two guys who have a chance to be on our roster at the end of the year.”
Perez, a 21-year-old Venezuelan, is generally viewed as the organization’s catcher of the future because of his advanced catch-and-throw skills. He is batting .263 in 59 games at Class AA Northwest Arkansas.
Herrera is a 21-year-old Dominican picked recently to pitch for the World team in the All-Star Futures Game after going a combined 4-1 with a 1.22 ERA in 23 games for Northwest Arkansas and Class A Wilmington.
“It often takes six to eight years to get those guys to the big leagues,” Moore said. “It’s high-risk, and the market is tough, but we’re fortunate because (club president) Dan Glass has been a driving force behind our Latin American program.”
It’s also become increasingly expensive.
The Royals shelled out $1.4 million for third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert in 2009. Last year, they paid $1.1 million for Venezuelan shortstop Humberto Arteaga, and $1 million for Dominican shortstop Orlando Calixte.
Cuthbert’s bonus is the previous club record for a non-pitcher in the international period. Now 18, he is batting .314 with a .369 on-base percentage, five homers and 18 RBIs in 31 games at Class A Kane County.
Calixte, 19, is batting .225 in 26 games at Kane County. Arteaga, 17, is batting .212 in seven games at Rookie Surprise.
The Royals also spent $6.9 million in January 2010 to sign left-handed pitcher Noel Arguelles, a Cuban defector, to a five-year contract that included a spot on their 40-man roster.