Detroit Tigers sign international prospects Nestor Miranda and Jesus Pinto, among others

The Detroit Tigers signed numerous players on the first day of the 2024 international signing period, which started Monday and ends Dec. 15, but Dominican Republic third baseman Nestor Miranda is the most noteworthy player because he is the highest-ranked prospect.

Miranda, who turns 18 in late February, finished at No. 25 on Baseball America's top 100 list and No. 45 on MLB Pipeline's top 50 list. He received a $1.5 million signing bonus from the Tigers, according to sources with knowledge of the agreement. The expectation is that Miranda will continues to hit for above-average power as he develops.

The Tigers received a $6.52 million signing bonus pool for the 2024 class, tied for the seventh-highest spending limit with the Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins.

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Miranda trained under Enrique Soto in Bani, Dominican Republic.

The Tigers also signed Venezuelan outfielder Jesus Pinto, ranking as the No. 41 prospect on Baseball America's list. Pinto, who turns 17 at the end of March, received a $900,000 signing bonus, according to sources with knowledge of the agreement.

On Miranda, here's what Baseball America reports: "Miranda has a hulking, physically mature build for his age, with the strength in his swing that leads to big power displays. His power comes from a short swing and he taps into that home run power in games at times, though like a lot of young sluggers he tends to get too pull-oriented. Miranda should start his career at third base, where he does have a strong arm, though given how big he is already, there’s a good chance he could end up at first base."

On Pinto, here's what Baseball America reports: "Pinto is an athletic outfielder who packs a lot of tools into a strong 6-foot frame. He’s a plus runner with a quick first step and a strong arm in center field. Pinto loads his swing with a big leg kick and has quick hands that he keeps short to the ball, helping him drive the ball for hard contact that’s mostly doubles power now but should turn into more over-the-fence juice in the coming years."

For Miranda and Pinto, the Tigers spent $2.4 million (or 36.8%) of their $6.52 million bonus pool.

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As for unranked players, the Tigers signed Dominican Republic shortstop Jose Dickson ($400,000), Venezuelan catcher Armando Lao ($300,000), Dominican Republic outfielder Jonathan Moya ($270,000) and Dominican Republic shortstop Ronald Ramirez ($200,000).

The Tigers went outside of the typical Venezuela and Dominican Republic pipelines to sign right-hander Branell Anderson from Nicaragua for a $250,000 bonus. (Only 11 pitchers born in Nicaragua have played in MLB, most notably 1983 World Series champion and four-time All-Star Dennis Martínez.)

It's not the first time the Tigers signed a player from Nicaragua in recent history.

Nicaraguan right-hander Duque Hebbert, who struck out MLB superstars Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez and Rafael Devers in the World Baseball Classic, signed with the Tigers in April 2023, less than two months after his WBC performance. The 22-year-old posted a 4.58 ERA with six walks and 41 strikeouts across 37⅓ innings in 14 games (eight starts) in the Dominican Summer League last season.

The No. 1 overall international prospect, Dominican shortstop Leo De Vries, signed with the San Diego Padres.

The rest of the top five prospects from the 2024 class, according to MLB Pipeline: Dominican outfielder Paulino Santana to the Texas Rangers (for $1.3 million), Venezuelan shortstop Jose Perdomo to the Atlanta Braves (for $5 million), Dominican shortstop Fernando Cruz to the Chicago Cubs (for $4 million) and Dominican outfielder Adolfo Sanchez to the Cincinnati Reds (for $2.7 million).

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In the 2023 class, the Tigers signed four top-ranked international prospects: Venezuelan catcher Enrique Jimenez, Dominican Republic outfielder Cristian Perez, Venezuelan outfielder Anibal Salas and Venezuelan second baseman Maikol Orozco.

All four players competed in the Dominican Summer League last season.

Jimenez, an 18-year-old switch-hitting catcher who signed for $1.25 million, hit .277 with one home run, 24 walks and 30 strikeouts in 46 games. He ranks as the No. 18 prospect in the Tigers' organization, according to MLB Pipeline.

Perez, 17, hit .319 with one home run, two walks and 24 strikeouts in 29 games. Salas, 18, hit .281 with five home runs, 33 walks and 36 strikeouts in 42 games. Orozco, 18, hit .256 with two home runs, 23 walks and 29 strikeouts in 43 games.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign international prospects, including 2 among top 50