The Blue Jays have announced the signings of seven international free agents today, headlined by Roberto Osuna and Jairo Labour. Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star.
The other five international signings were of teenagers Wuilmer Becerra (OF), Jesus Gonzalez (OF), Manuel Cordova (RHP), Alberto Tirado (RHP), and Yeyfry Del Rosario (RHP), as reported by Scouting reports on Osuna, Labour after the jump.
Baseball America's Ben Badler writes Osuna, a right-handed pitcher from Mexico, considered by many scouts to be one of the top 16-year-old international free agents on the market this summer. There's an excellent and lengthy scouting report on Osuna, including how the young pitcher performed under the bright lights; here are the highlights of the scouting report:
- Osuna has a quick arm, advanced feel for pitching and a fastball that ranges from 88-94 mph, and his velocity has been inconsistent.
- He has an advanced curveball for his age, though it can get slurvy, and he shows feel for a changeup.
Toronto also announced the signing of left-hander pitcher Jairo Labour, Ben Badler filed this in January. Labour received a $350,000 signing bonus. Here's what Badler had to say on Labour:
Labour, who is 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, became eligible to sign when the 2010 international signing period opened on July 2, but he developed into a better prospect later and has run his fastball up to 92 mph. Labour, who is from Azua, is a good athlete with a solid delivery and feel for spinning a breaking ball.