The Baltimore Orioles have signed Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia to a minor league contract, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.
The Orioles have signed Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia to a minor league contract with a bonus of $778,500.
A 6-foot-3, 180-pound switch-hitter, Urrutia is a corner outfielder with a solid, level stroke that produces line drives, with a better swing plane from the left side. He has solid bat-to-ball ability and average power.
The 25-year-old Urrutia batted .397/.461/.597 in 305 at-bats in his final season in Cuba in 2010. While his numbers appear otherworldly at first glance, his .461 OBP ranked just ninth in the incredibly offense-heavy league.
Because Urrutia is over 25 and played at least three seasons in Cuba's national league, the signing will not count against the Orioles' $2.9 million international bonus pool allotted for the 2012-2013 season.
The fourth Cuban outfielder to sign a big league contract in the past several months, Urrutia is significantly older than the last two to sign, Jorge Soler (20) and Yasel Puig (21).
Urrutia will likely begin his professional career at the Double-A level.
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Will the 25-year-old Urrutia make it to the Orioles' big league roster?
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