Astros Sign Three International Free Agents

The Astros have agreed to terms on contracts with three international free agents. They are catcher Victor Tavarez, shortstop Kristian Trompiz and outfielder Luis Payano, general manager Jeff Luhnow announced today. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Payano and Trompiz were the first two signed and are both sixteen years old. I won’t pretend to know anything about these guys but I’ll give you a quick scouting report after the jump.

Astros General Manager, Jeff Luhnow, had the following to say:

"“The Astros have actively scouted this year’s international prospect class. These players are a good start and a continuation of our attempts to aggregate the best young talent in baseball.”"

Victor Tavarez, who is the oldest of the threesome at 17 years of age and also hails from the Dominican Republic, stands 6’1 and weighs 193lbs. He was signed by Astros Dominican scouting supervisor Rafael Belen and Felix Francisco, who is Houston’s special assistant to the general manager/Latin American operations as well as scout Jose Ortiz.  Francisco had the following to say about Tavarez:

"“We have scouted Tavarez for some time and feel he has developed quickly in recent months. He’s a good receiver who can throw well and his bat continues to impress our scouts.”"

Kristian Trompiz, a Venezuela native who stands 6’1 and weighs 170lbs, was signed by Francisco along with Venezuelan scouting supervisor Oscar Alvarado and Venezuelan Scout Daniel Acuna. Francisco had the following to say about Trompiz:

"“Trompiz is a plus defender who can play shortstop. He has good instincts to play the game and is advanced for his age. He also has the ability to make consistent contact and will improve as he gets stronger.”"

Finally we have Luis Payano who is my favorite of the group. He also hails from the Dominican Republic and stands 6’1 and weighs 175lbs. He too was signed by Belen and Francisco. Francisco had the following to say about Payano:

"“Payano is a high-energy player and can be a five-tool player in center field. He has the ingredients to become a complete player.”"

For those wondering, no, none of these three will crack the Astros list of top prospects. Hopefully each of them will see their time there in the future, but given their ages, it will be a while before we see either of them talked about as a top prospect. All three players will report to the Astros Academy in the Dominican Republic.