Thanks for all those pointing this out in the comments. Paul Hagen from the Philadelphia Daily News has the scoop on the Phillies’ latest international signing: Miguel Nunez, a 6’6″ right-hander from the Dominican Republic, who signed recently for a $220K bonus.
Analysis? Well, that’s a projectable frame. Seriously though, we don’t know much yet, so I’ve sent an email to Ben Badler from Baseball America, who’s their international guy. What we do know is that this follows in the organization’s habit of inking medium-range international signees: both Lino Martinez ($325K) and community #6 prospect Domingo Santana ($300K) were signed via this route in the past year.
Hagen also reports the Phillies’ “mild interest” in Taiwanese outfielder Chia-Jung Lee, a 21-year old from Leader University who would receive in the neighborhood of a $100K bonus.
Phuture Phillies 
I’d be interested in his age. I’ve tried to Google him but there’s nothing I could find. If this kid is 16 or 17, I’d be really excited. Do you think they’ll start him state-side or in the DSL?
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Do we have any information on this kid Nunez? Like maybe a scouting report?
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I haven’t been able to find anything yet. Ben Badler from BA said he doesn’t know anything about him at this point, but that he’ll pass along any information if he gets it.
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Wasn’t there a rumor of a 16 year old international catching prospect the Phillies were working to sign?
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Did anyone email Paul Hagen to see if he knows Nunez’s age?
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There was a rumor about Colombian catcher Jorge Alfaro, but it was never confirmed.
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Small article with video on Lee.
http://taiwanbaseball.blogspot.com/2009/12/phillies-to-sign-of-cj-lee.html
Does not seem to be a top prospect and we are really loaded at his position.
No updates on Alfaro, the Colombian catcher that I have seen.
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Thanks Junior/andyby for the memory jog on his name. An Alfaro signing could help replace the loss of catching prospects from our farm system, which is why I was insterested.
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The Phillies really like them some tall projectable pitchers!
I really love the mid and low level signing philosophy. There’s a few guys that meet that criteria on our top 30 list already (Santana, and Valle), and a few more to come (Flande, Castro, Galvis, Villar, etc). Sure most low and mid-level guys won’t pan out, but your’re not out of that much money. Plus the Phillies seem to have a knack for finding the diamonds in the rough.
Good job Phils – keep signing em Ruben!
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Regardless of his actual baseball ability, we will easily have the best pickup basketball games of any minor league system.
Keep up with the signings, Rube!
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What diamond in the ruff did they find from international market who made a impact????????????????????????
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was Ruiz considered a diamond in the rough?
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Ruiz was definitely a diamond in the rough, cost us only $8K and took years to develop with the bat. Other than Ruiz, the biggest impact was made in trades. Carrasco the lead guy in getting Lee. Silva. But I take your point MikeMike, the number of Phillies international signees who have had a significant major league impact is quite small.
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He’d be my new #2 prospect, after D. Brown.
Drew (New York): Arodlis Chapman seems to be on a roller coaster. Have his workouts changed some views, or is it more a function of interest going up as his rumored bonus demands go down? Where do you see him in a Top 100 list?
Kevin Goldstein: The second he sings, he’s a single digit on my Top 100 list (well, per Steven Goldman, it’s now a top 101). His workouts have been very good, and while it’s still the usual suspects, there are some interesting sleepers staying in the process, like Toronto, Oakland and Philadelphia.
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Going back to Pope Paul Owens, the Phillies have always liked tall, teenage pitchers with loose arm actions. It is not a bad place to put money. They got away from it during the 90’s somewhat.
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Alfaro would make my day. Love his swing and pop time. I would consider him on par with D’arnaud. D’arnaud I think is a better defensive catcher at this point, but I think Alfaro could be better. Certainly a better bat IMO and I like D’arnaud bat.
Chapman would be another story. I put a lot of trust in the Phillies scouts. If they sign him then I will be happy. If they don’t I certainly won’t be disappointed.
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Regarding Chia-Jung Lee, $100,000 seems like a lot for a marginal prospect, which is how he is described in the the Daily News article.
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I’m intrigued.
Of course we won’t know anything about his abilities until he actually plays a game, but if hes 17 or 18 and already 6’6, then im definitely interested in knowing more.
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Signing Chapman would go a long way in bolstering our thinning system after all the trades. They certainly saved enough money from last years draft to warrant making a big splash internationally.
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Maybe I’m jaded from years of being a Philly fan, but I would be stunned if the Phillies signed Chapman.
I would love to see it because they could use the prospect, they didn’t spend a whole lot in the draft last year, and its the type of higher risk very high reward move that the perennial contenders seem to make.
So here’s to hoping.
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wow if they could nab chapman would he be the #1 prospect in the system at this point? here’s to hoping.
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Chapman would be #2 on my list behind Brown. I have doubts though that he would be worth the money needed to sign him.
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If Rube believes that you cannot leave the cupboard bare, and thus needed to trade Lee for legitimate prospects, then I see no reason why the Phillies would not pursue international prospects with a bit more vigor. I think signing either Alfaro or Chapman is not something I expect – but would be nice.
On a side note, I don’t know why the Phil’s would not dive into the Japanese market a bit more – getting a high profile Japanese player to come to Philadelphia would do a ton towards marketability… I know we don’t have the T.V. rights to sell to Japan like the Sox and Yankees – but more merchandise sold may be incentive enough… yu darvish isn’t coming over anytime soon, right?
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I see most international nonlationo signing was window dressing. Have any come close to the majors?
The Phillies have always been behind the curve in “rights money”. It hasn’t been too many years ago the signal on their
flagship station didn’t reach King of Prussia.
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sandberg: Darvish has recently said he doesn’t want to leave Japan. Even if he does come over, there is no way in hell that he winds up in Philly
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Like the size of recent DR signings. Saw Santana last spring in the minor league camp and Bonilla in the FIL though his lean, lanky frame looked taller than his listed 6’1″. Look forward to seeing Nunez this spring. These guys are still growing into their bodies. On the other hand the Venezuelan guys looked more like small teener leaguers.
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They won’t sign Chapman. I have to imagine that they were interested before the Halladay trade / extension, and lost interest after that. They are at their payroll budget for this year (and at about $140 million for next year already).
Would be a truly shocking (though welcome) move to sign Chapman.
I hope he ends up in Oakland.
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Chapman won’t end up in Oakland – spending really big dollars on an unknown quantity is not part of their business model. I would expect him to end up with a very high budget team such as the Red Sox, Yankees, Giants, Dodgers, Mets or some team of that ilk. I’ll tell you what – if I were the Nationals, I’d strongly consider it. Strasburg and Chapman together would create quite a buzz.
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Didn’t Oakland spend big dollars on an unknown quantity in Inoa last year?
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****They are at their payroll budget for this year (and at about $140 million for next year already). ****
Well, technically it would come out of their developmental budget (something separate from their overall payroll) so maybe they could swing it that way. Though I admit our chances of signing Chapman are about 0.0001%.
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Well, there’s big dollars and then there’s BIG DOLLARS. Chapman is going to want at least $15-20 million and he may get it. I think that will price teams like Oakland (and probably even Philadelphia) out of that market.
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Spending huge dollars on a pitching prospect is somewhat understandable, but incredibly risky. Dice-K was pretty risky and he was a young, established star in Japan at the time. Pitchers coming out of college, high school or a smaller foreign league/program always carry a huge question mark. I don’t think I’d pay all that money for Chapman – I’d rather build the system by busting slot and getting a bunch of higher tier minor leaguers rather than blowing it all on one pitching prospect.
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NEPP-
Any idea what their developmental budget is on a yearly basis? I imagine Chapman would blow that out of the water either way.
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Nowheels – your point about the radio station is both interesting and funny. That was one of the most unbelievable things I can remember. I was sitting in Havertown and I couldn’t get the Phillies game on the radio. I could hear the Mets’ games with more clarity.
One of the most famous, stupid, “money-saving” schemes (it had to be about money, why else would you ever do that?) ever cooked up by the front office.
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The development budget is probably in the $10-$12 million yearly range. The draft budget ranges from $3-$6M depending on slots. The international budget has been less than $2M in bonuses and then more money to run the complexes. Add in a couple million for scouts and you get to the $12 million level most likely.
A Chapman signing would be closer to their major league budget than their player development budget however. He might need a little time in the minors but is very close to a finished product.
I am not sure he makes sense for the Phillies at $20 million however. The Nationals are an interesting case however. They are making a profit because their major league budget is very low. They had the $$ to sign Strasburg and Harper next year because of that. They may not have had the dollars if their major league budget was $100M. Above all they need high ceiling major league ready younger players. Chapman would fit that mold and their low payroll makes him less of a risk.
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biggest worry with Nunez? birth certificate
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Dude when I pointedthat out before was told it doesnt happen anymore, and a week later 4 guys were caught, I just dont trust the ages on these kids either. But chapman for 15 million is nuts, to me he is a polished pitcher, in his workouts he had some people guestioning his breaking stuff. I would pass on him and look to use that money in this years draft.
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In Zolecki’s column today Phillies .com, he says that Ryan Vogelsong will compete for 5 th starter. I assume he signed a minor league contract, says he pitched in Japan last year. Just curious if anyone remembers anything about him
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If Ryan Vogelsong is truly competing for the 5th starter spot then we’ve got bigger problems than even I imagined. He’s the ultimate journeyman nobody (as a ballplayer that is). My guess is that he is (or should be) extra depth at LhV and nothing else.
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Oh c’mon he’s a KU Golden Bear!!
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Vogelsong – the offspring of someone I knew back when. Seems I recall he was rather tall, have to look it up.. Back when with the Pirates , seems they lumped him and Kris Benson together as up-and-comers. Maybe I confuse some facts between him and Kris Benson on the height thing, have to look it up. On the 5th starter— I reckon it is Kyle Kendrick, Moyer (who may not be ready at the start due to injuries) and Vogelsong as realistic options. I figure Vogelsong has a chance to outperform Kendrick, so maybe he sticks.
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The report is that Moyer will not be ready by opening day. Based on what I saw last year, Kyle Kendrick should be fully ready to assume the 5th starter role to begin the season. Kendrick had more pitches, better velocity (at least another 2-3 MPH) and greater command than at any time during his first stint with the team. I think Kendrick could surprise us all and become a pretty solid back of the rotation pitcher. He opened my eyes at the end of the year, that’s for sure.
Vogelsong, if he really is competing, will just be there to: (a) be Kendrick’s mechanical rabbit, creating a false competition that will stir Kendrick’s competitive juices; and (b) provide a body to make a few starts should both Moyer and Kendrick be injured.
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Vogelsong is kind of like a Rodigo Lopez signing. Very low risk, with some upside, and at worst a filler for LHV.
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Vogelsong is listed at 6′ 3″. He last pitched in the US in 2006. He last start in the Majors was in 2004. He did start in the minors in 2006. Last year he played in 30 games and started 2 or 3 in Japan. I’m not sure how many starts he had in previous years in Japan. I’m surprised that he’d get a look at #5 starter. He was traded along with Armando Rios (who’s that?) for Jason Schmidt and John Vander Wal back in 2001.
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vogelsong is he lefthanded? pitched for oakland? cant remember
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Ryan is a righty.
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“Kendrick had more pitches, better velocity (at least another 2-3 MPH) and greater command”
Agreed. I much prefer Kendrick to Moyer based on what I saw last year. And Kendrick, as a sinkerballer, is especially valuable in a hitter’s park, so long as he has other pitches to set up the sinker.
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soy hermano de miguel nuñez espero que sea la proxima estrella del picheo de los phillies ya mide 6,7
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Buena suerte con tu hermano.
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