The Astros announced today that they signed Dominican shortstop Wilson Amador for $400,000. Amador was Baseball America's 24th ranked international free agent and, so far, the only member of the top 30 to sign with the Astros. BA's Ben Badler reports that Amador originally agreed to sign for $875,000 before an elbow injury caused the sides to renegotiate the deal. Badler writes:
Amador, 16, is 6-foot-1, 160 pounds and had shown inconsistent tools prior to July 2 after recovering from a couple of injuries to his throwing arm and hamstring, but at his best he’s shown above-average speed and arm strength while still learning to play a more controlled game. A righthanded hitter, Amador played in the International Prospect League and trains with Juan Herrera, who is known as “Mon.”The Astros' director of international scouting, Oz Ocampo, had this to say about Amador:
“Amador is a premium athlete, and one of the top shortstops in this year’s class,” said Ocampo. “Our scouts have observed Amador in numerous workout and game situations in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Florida since he was 14 years old. Amador projects to have three future plus tools, as he is a 6.4 runner with a strong arm and quick fielding actions. Defensively, he’s nicknamed “El Gato” because of his quick feet, soft hands, and a quick transfer. Offensively, Amador shows the physical tools to hit and has a very aggressive approach. His plus-plus speed and aggressive base running will be offensive weapons in the future.”The Astros started the July 2 signing period with the biggest available signing pool. They traded away their 2nd and 3rd slots to the Cubs for minor leaguer Ronald Torreyes. Although not all international signings are reported or have their signing terms disclosed, we can estimate that the Astros have a little more than $2,000,000 left in their pool to spend prior to the end of the signing period next June.
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