International signing period starts today's. The Rangers are projected to sign the #3 prospect (OF Bayron Lora) and the #17 prospect (SS Maximo Acosta).
Lora
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50
The word "big" is most often used when scouts describe Lora. He's a big kid with big power and big potential. At 6-foot-3 and almost 200 pounds, Lora is tall, strong and what evaluators like to see in corner outfielders. At the plate, he has lots of raw power and excellent bat speed. He hits everything hard, high and often far to all fields. Like most players his age, Lora is still tweaking his swing, but he has good mechanics at the plate and feel for the strike zone.
On defense, he reads the ball well off the bat and has shown flashes of solid-to-average arm strength. He displays proper mechanics in the outfield and has the potential to be an overall average defender in the future.
He can also run -- he's been clocked at 6.7 seconds in the timed 60-yard run -- and he's a smart base runner that does not clog up the bases. Scouts love his makeup and his ability to make adjustments on all sides of the ball. There is some swing and miss, but he could also end up with plus-plus power.
Lora trains with Hector Evertz in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. He is expected to sign with the Rangers.
Acosta
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50
There's certainly a lot to like when it comes to Acosta, whom some have compared to Gleyber Torres. The 16-year-old shortstop is among the best players in his class as scouts think highly of both his instincts and his tools.
Acosta stays inside the ball well and is a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter now, but many believe the power will come as he continues to grow and mature. Acosta has a plus hit tool and the potential to be a .300 hitter in the future with his balanced approach and ability to use the entire field.
An average-to-plus runner, Acosta runs a 6.60-second 60-yard sprint and has a strong feel for the game at shortstop, a position scouts feel he'll be able to stick at long term. A plus defender with a plus arm, Acosta has natural talent with both his glove and his feet. Acosta trains with Roberto Vahlis, a member of MLB's Trainer Partnership, in Caracas. The Rangers are the current frontrunner to sign him.