Nats hope they found future stars in large international signing class

There’s no right way to approach the signing of teenage Latin American ballplayers, nor is there a wrong way. Whether they devote millions of dollars to top-rated prospects or spread the wealth out among a couple dozen lesser-touted kids, the Nationals’ goal is always the same: Sign talented young players and hope you can develop at least a few of them into successful big leaguers.

Fausto Severino has seen both approaches work and fail during his 15 years with the organization. And given the ages of these players when they’re signed, it’s impossible to know how it’s all going to work out for many years.

So, there’s no telling how the Nats’ international class of 2024 will be remembered. Perhaps one or both of the top-rated players they signed for big bucks – outfielder Victor Hurtado ($2.8 million), shortstop Angel Feliz ($1.7 million) – will become stars in D.C. many years from now. Perhaps one or more of the 18 lesser-touted players who signed Monday for lesser amounts will develop into the better players. And perhaps nobody will emerge from the pack.

All the Nats can do today is trust they scouted well and made the right decisions with the 20 newest members of the organization, who face a long road ahead to reach the major leagues.

“Try to get the best players,” Severino said. “And we had the budget for it, so we went and got some guys aside from those two prospects.”

Hurtado and Feliz combined were given about 85 percent of the $5.284 million the Nationals were limited to giving out this year in their international signing pool. They’re the big names, and they will be watched closely from the moment they begin playing at the team’s Dominican academy in Boca Chica, then eventually at the club’s various minor-league affiliates in the United States.

Hurtado, a 16-year-old outfielder who was ranked seventh among all international prospects by Baseball America, is a flashy left-handed hitter who profiles as a middle-of-the-order bat, according to Severino. Feliz, a 17-year-old shortstop who was ranked 16th by Baseball America, has an advanced hitting approach, a strong arm that should keep him from having to move to third base and natural leadership qualities that stood out to Severino.

But the Nationals have been high on similar prospects before who never realized their full potential. They’ve seen the likes of Yasel Antuna ($3.9 million signing bonus in 2016), Andry Lara ($1.25 million in 2019) and Armando Cruz ($3.9 million in 2021) stall in the lower levels of their farm system. They’ve seen Victor Robles and Luis Garcia reach the big leagues with significant promise but struggle to stick as bona fide long-term pieces of the team’s rebuild.

There are others whose outcomes have yet to be written, from Cristhian Vaquero ($4.925 million in 2021) to Jeremy De La Rosa ($300,000 in 2018).

“Those guys are very young,” Severino said. “We get a little impatient with these kids sometimes, because we get spoiled with some of the guys who get to the big leagues in two or three years. We’ve got to remember that these kids sign at 16 years old, and they have a long climbing ladder to go through. You have to be patient sometimes with them. We saw something in them, and I still believe in a lot of those kids.”

Severino has been doing this for a long time, but this is his first signing class leading the Nationals’ international scouting department, having been promoted in the fall to replace the departing Johnny DiPuglia (who oversaw the department since 2009).

While the process didn’t change much from the past, Severino admits it felt a little calling the shots for the first time.

“Not a lot different, but being the person in charge now, you do have a bit of added pressure to perform and to bring in guys,” he said. “I’ve always been a part of the process since entering the organization. But now you’re in charge and have the full responsibility for the department.”