Astros sign top Dominican shortstop as international free agency gets underway

For years now, the Houston Astros have been at the forefront when it comes to finding young amateur talent and turning that talent into quality big leaguers. While the draft has been where the bulk of the Astros' damage has been done, international free agency has still been an important part of Houston's talent pipeline with Jose Altuve being an obvious example here.

Now that January 15 has mercifully arrived, the international free agent signing period is open and that means teams can finally sign the international amateurs that they have (probably) had handshake deals in place with for years now. Mostly teenagers, these international prospects often have the widest variance when it comes to success, but the upside is insane if you get it right.

Last year, the Astros were able to sign one of the class' biggest names in Kevin Alvarez. This year, it feels like Houston won't allocate so much of their small $5,440,000 international bonus pool to just one player this time. However, the Astros are still signing one of the better prospects in the entire class in shortstop Albert Fermin.

Astros kick off international free agency by making their signing of shortstop prospect Albert Fermin and others official

It has been known for a while now that the Astros were going to sign Fermin to a bonus in the neighborhood of $2.3 million. That implies a certain amount of confidence from the Astros that he could develop into a full-fledged star down the line. With a balanced offensive game that is already dangerous and the fact that he seems to be growing a LOT, Fermin is now one of the more projectable bats in the entire class. There is a chance that he outgrows shortstop and moves to third, but his bat should still play there and he is plenty quick enough to play short for now.

Fermin is not the only name to keep an eye on if you are an Astros fan that enjoys following prospects. Shortstop prospect Randy Arias is getting $1.4 million and is known more for his defense than his offense at this point, but he is a real athlete that moves around very well which gives him a chance to develop into being a plus hitter. Houston is also signing outfielder Imanol Feliz for $700,000 who is super speedy and some scouts thinks he will grow into decent power, although that power is definitely not there right now.

Just like that, the Astros have some more quality prospect clay to play with in the lower minors. Houston's farm system has fallen on hard times in recent years, but IFA classes like these are great to get back on track and help continue the steady flow of talent to the big leagues assuming they did their jobs here.