By Tamar Chalker
January 18, 2022
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The Yankees kicked off the international signing period by making a big splash and signing the class’ top prospect, Roderick Arias. Reports have the Yankees signing the young shortstop for a $4 million bonus, out of their base international signing pool of $5,179,700. If the scouting reports are accurate, the Yankees won’t regret spending the bulk of that money on him.
Arias is a 17-year-old Dominican player who has been training with Daniel Paulino and Luis Schecker, members of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program. Much like Jasson Dominguez, Arias has the potential to be a five-tool player. Defensively, he has a plus arm with good accuracy and strength. He also has good footwork and positioning, displaying above-average range at shortstop.
A switch-hitter, Arias has a good eye for the strike zone, great plate disciple, and rarely swings and misses. He’s demonstrated solid power from both sides of the plate, with the potential for him to develop into a plus-plus hitter. He has above-average speed, too, rounding out a pretty impressive scouting report.
I’m guessing the next few years will see Arias and Dominguez compared quite a bit given their potential and their hefty signing bonuses (Dominguez got $5.1 million in 2019). Dominguez is slated to start the season with the Tampa Tarpons, and I’m not sure whether we will see Arias stateside this year. Still, if these two players develop as they are expected, the Yankees will have a pretty powerful pair in their lineup in a few years.
