According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, the Philadelphia Phillies have signed 16-year-old right fielder Jhailyn Ortiz out of the Dominican Republic.
Ortiz was first linked to the Phillies in an early March article on FanGraphs.com, where he was described as the eventual replacement to first baseman Ryan Howard.
OF/1B Jhailyn Ortiz signs $4.0MM deal with the #Phillies. pic.twitter.com/qaKhHVhCXE
— DPL (@DPLBaseball) July 10, 2015
Phillies' assistant general manager, Benny Looper, said the following regarding the 6'-3", 240-pound power hitter:
“We have been scouting Jhailyn since he was 14 years old. Since that time, our scouts have gotten to know the family and have a strong conviction of not only his ability to play baseball, but his strong character and desire to be a Major League player. We are excited to add the power potential Jhailyn possesses to the Phillies Organization.”
Despite the Phillies having long been interested in the young slugger, they were not able to sign him until July 2 at the earliest, when the international signing period began.
CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury wrote the following regarding Ortiz in early April:
"Like many young power hitters, Ortiz apparently kills a fastball but needs a lot of work hitting the breaking ball. At his age, he will have time to develop the skill and if he succeeds … well, there’s your opening day first baseman/cleanup man at some point down the road."
In addition to signing Ortiz, Zolecki reports that the Phillies have also reached an agreement with three other international prospects:
Phillies also signed Venezuelan catcher Rafael Marchan, Dominican infielder Kuedy Bocio and Dominican left-hander Manuel Silva.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) July 10, 2015
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
