Cuba Announces First National Team Selection of Summer Season

by Peter C. Bjarkman

Jun 11, 2012
Veterans Alfredo Despaigne and Yordanis Samón lead the latest version of Team Cuba into the Nicaragua friendly series.

A much-delayed announcement of the Cuban roster for an upcoming “friendly” series with Team Nicaragua when finally released this past weekend has now provided one of the most intriguing and refreshing Cuban squads of recent memory. INDER press secretary Antonio Diaz – writing on the official INDER website – has touted the current 24-man squad as representing “un equipo Cuba con sangre joven” (“a Team Cuba with young blood”) but there is indeed plenty of well-seasoned blood represented here as well, and a complete collection of rather familiar faces. Two of three catchers (Yosvany Alarcón and Yulexis LaRosa), a full trio of infielders (first sackers Alexander Mayeta and Yordanis Samón, plus shortstop prospect Erisbel Arruebarruena), the bulk of the starting outfielders (Alfredo Despaigne, Alexei Bell and Rusney Castillo), and three hurlers destined to front the starting rotation (Freddy Asiel Alvarez, Ismel Jiménez and Dalier Hinojosa) are all recognizable veterans who have appeared regularly on various national squads over the past three or four summertime international seasons.

But this Team Cuba, for all the old guard it contains, is most definitely a squad with a distinctly novel look. Gone from the picture for the moment at least are such dependable stalwarts of the past half-dozen years as Ariel Pestano behind the plate, Yulieski Gourriel and Héctor Olivera in the infield, and Freddie Cepeda manning the designated hitter slot. The nine-man pitching corps represents the greatest turnover, with such regulars as Yadier Pedroso, Jonder Martínez, Vlad García and Norberto González nowhere to be found here. But perhaps the biggest surprise in the pitching selection is the noteworthy absence of both Vladimir García (Ciego de Avila) and Odrisamer Despaigne (Industriales) – arguably two of the best arms of the just completed National Series and also stellar performers in the action-packed National Series finale between the champion Tigers and runner-up Blue Lions.

Also rather notable for their unexpected absences are Industriales stalwarts Frank Camilo Morejón (backup receiver on last fall’s silver medal Panama World Cup team) and popular infielder Rudy Reyes (a frequent national team utility player now coming off his most productive offensive season ever with a .353 BA – fourth best in the circuit). But perhaps no absence is less expected and therefore more puzzling than that of slugging Cienfuegos first baseman José Dariel Abreu. Also to be noted is the fact that this team will feature the same weakness that has plagued so many other Cuban squads of recent vintage – a nearly complete absence of both pitching southpaws (Yoannis Year is the single “portsider”) and left-handed batting (Mayeta alone swings for the left side of the plate).

This is obviously not the squad that will face the USA collegiate all-stars in Havana in early July (July 5-9 in Latin American Stadium) and then move on to Haarlem Baseball Week tournament action in Europe (July 13-22). Last March the Cuba Federation formally agreed to a series with the Americans that would feature essentially university teams – which for Cuba would mean players of no more than 26 years of age. Obviously a significantly large number of players from the Nicaragua-bound squad do not meet the age qualification and would thus not be expected to face off with the Americans in either Havana or Holland. It is not clear at this point whether another entire pre-selection roster will be sent into training during the next two weeks, or if instead only token adjustments will be made to the currently assembled squad. LaRosa, Mayeta, Samón and Bell clearly must be replaced if the Cubans are to stick to their earlier agreement to field the equivalent of a collegiate all-star squad for the Haarlem games.

Collegiate all-stars manning the Cuban roster would obviously not mean the absence of a strong contingent of National Series all-stars. The powerhouse Cuban squad that walked off with gold during the most recent World University Games in Tokyo (August 2010) was a solid team that boasted such sluggers as Abreu, Despaigne and the now-departed Yoennis Céspedes, plus such noteworthy Team Cuba hurlers as Miguel Alfredo González, Vlad García and Yadier Pedroso – plus Hinojosa and Ismel Jiménez from the present Nicaragua-bound roster. The Cubans won the event – their last face-off with a USA collegiate squad – on the strength of Despaigne’s dramatic walk-off “Schiller Rule” extra-inning home run. A squad similar to the one sent to Tokyo two years back can be expected for the renewal of hostilities with the Americans, and Abreu, García and Pedroso are all most likely additions to the Cuban arsenal for the July festivities.

Meanwhile, the upcoming set of exhibition games with Team Nicaragua will begin this coming weekend and stretch over nine calendar days. The “friendly”-style series has been arranged primarily to help the Nicaraguans prepare for an upcoming World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament date later this fall. Team Nicaragua will square off at Panama City in mid-November with Colombia, Brazil and host Panama – all vying for a single Western Hemisphere WBC 2013 at-large berth. Yet if these early summer exhibitions hold little at stake for the Cuban contingent other than an element of pride, they will in fact provide a test-by-fire for a number of potential future Cuban stars now getting their first taste of international overseas action. Such emerging national team candidates as outfielder Guillermo Heredia, shortstop Yordán Manduley, third baseman Raúl González and hurlers Yoanni Year and Yander Guevara – among others – will all be under the microscope in what might be their single opportunity to remain in the running for a cherished slot in the 2013 Cuban WBC lineup.

Some pretttttty good ballplayers in that grouping.

Top DPL guys head to PG National

Posted June 13th, 2012 by DPL & filed under DPL News, Featured Post.

Jeff Dahn/PG
MINNEAPOLIS –

Dominican Prospect League (DPL) founder and president Brian Mejia confirmed late Tuesday that two of the DPL’s top prospects will be here Thursday and will take part in the final four days of the 2012 Perfect Game National Showcase June 14-18 at the downtown Metrodome.

Middle-infielder Richard Urena and first baseman Leury Vargas have secured travel visas and will be here for the most prestigious amateur baseball showcase in the country. Several other top Dominican prospects were invited to attend, but ran into problems with travel visas or had other obligations.

The addition of the two Dominicans further enhances a dynamic field of prospects that already includes almost all of the top 50-ranked prospects from the class of 2013. Dozens of the players on hand will also receive invitations to the 2012 Perfect Game All-American Classic at PETCO Park in San Diego on Aug. 12.

What follows are the scouting reports compiled by PG’s David Rawnsley, Ben Collman and Todd Gold after a group of DPL prospects completed a swing through Florida and Arizona in March. Urena and Vargas were part of that traveling contingent:
IF RICHARD URENA

6-0/170, L/R, 1/26/96, San Pedro de Macoris, DR

PG Grade: 10

Urena is a nice combination for scouts, a left handed hitting middle infielder with some polish to his bat and all the tools to stay at shortstop for a long time. He’s a 6.8 runner, and while he may not be a big base stealer at the upper levels, his speed will turn plenty of singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Urena is the most patient hitter of the DPL hitters and has the best bat control. Most of his hard contact comes up the middle and to the left side, but it wasn’t soft contact, as he drove one ball over the left fielder’s head against a very good Yankees minor league pitcher and consistently drove the ball to the left centerfield gap. He had another at-bat against a Red Sox minor leaguer where he fouled off four straight 2-2 pitches, then took two additional pitches just off the plate to draw the walk.

At shortstop, Urena doesn’t lack for either flash or tools. He throws from a quick side arm release but consistently registered 85-88 mph on the gun without really letting the ball go. He showed outstanding range up the middle on a couple of plays. If there is any fault to his defensive game it’s that he’ll get a bit casual and flashy on routine plays and his hands will swipe at the ball instead of taking it in. But all the tools are there to be a top flight big league shortstop.
1B LEURY VARGAS

6-3/210, L/R, 8/30/96, Haina, DR

PG Grade: 10

It’s somewhat ironic that the youngest player on the DPL roster, Vargas, is also the biggest and most physically imposing. The 15-year old is listed at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, but that appears to be on the conservative side. If you’ve seen Keon Barnum from the 2012 class, you have an idea of what Vargas’ body looks like physically.

Vargas isn’t as good an athlete as Barnum, with 7.32 present speed that is going to slow down and arm strength that will likely limit him to first base. He will be challenged to maintain his mobility defensively as he gets older, although he shows very good hands on low throws at first base and maintains his balance well.
The offensive comparison between Vargas and Barnum is very tight. The bat speed and power potential are obvious, but Vargas has a surprisingly short game swing and has the ability to stay inside the ball and square it up to the middle of the field. He lined two singles off Boston Red Sox minor league pitchers, both solid line drives registering in the mid-90s off the bat over the shortstop’s head, which was impressive work for a 15-year old facing A and AA pitchers. Vargas can unleash a power swing with more length and lift during batting practice and the results are impressive, especially given his age. But he doesn’t show that approach in games and there is really no reason for him to worry about doing it now. The tool and ability are there when he starts learning more about hitting.

Two Cuban pitchers closing in on MLB deals

By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | 06/18/12 1:58 PM ET

Two more Cuban prospects could be coming off the market.

Right-handed power arm Armando Rivero, 23, a former member of the Cuban national team, and left-handed pitcher Omar Luis Rodriguez, 19, have drawn interest from several Major League clubs and are on track to sign in the next two weeks, according to an industry source.

The Cubs, Dodgers, Indians, Mets, Yankees and White Sox have all expressed interest in the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Rivero, according to the source. Rivero, who has a body type similar to Texas reliever Mike Adams, starred for the Havana Industriales as a closer and was a teammate of Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes and Texas Minor Leaguer Leonys Martin at the World University Baseball Championships in Japan in 2010.

The right-hander's fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s and his repertoire also features a two-seam fastball, slider and changeup.

The Dodgers, Royals and Phillies are among the teams that have expressed interest in Rodriguez, who projects to be a starter. He burst onto the international scene during the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship when he struck out eight batters during a complete-game, 144-pitch outing to eliminate Team USA in the semifinals. He led Cuba to a bronze medal and was named to the competition's all-tournament team.

The teenager must sign with a Major League club before July 2, or he will be subject to new CBA guidelines that will limit spending on international prospects to $2.9 million per team without penalty.

Rivero and Rodriguez, along with Cuban outfielders Henry Urrutia and Gerald Sanchez, were declared free agents at the beginning of the month when outfielder Jorge Soler also came on to the market. Soler, considered the second-best Cuban prospect behind Cespedes this year, signed a nine-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs last week.

Cespedes signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the A's in February.

Jesse Sanchez is a national reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @JesseSanchezMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Cuban outfielder Puig defects

Workout for Major League scouts expected this week

By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | 06/19/12 4:25 AM ET

The latest Cuban prospect expected to hit the market just might be the most coveted young outfielder to leave the island in the last 12 months.

Outfielder Yasel Puig, 21, has defected from Cuba and is in the process of establishing residency in Mexico, the first step to becoming eligible for free agency, his agent Jaime Torres said.

A showcase for Major League scouts is tentatively scheduled for later this week in Mexico City.

"As of Monday morning, I submitted information to Major League Baseball and the Players Association that he has taken up residency in Mexico and will shortly establish legal permanent residency in Mexico," Torres said. "We should have documentation of his legal permanent residency in Mexico soon and as soon as I have that, I will submit it to Major League Baseball and I hope and expect that he will be declared a free agent immediately."

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Puig is a known commodity in international circles. He played two seasons for Cienfuegos in the island's top league, Cuban National Series (Serie Nacional), and was a member of the country's national team that finished second in the 2011 World Port Tournament in The Netherlands.

"There has not been a player as proven and as young to come to the States from Cuba," Torres said. "It's one thing to come to the United States at 19 or 20 years old with a few at-bats or some experience on a national level but this guy has years of national experience under his belt."

Puig is not as seasoned as fellow Cuban Yoenis Cespedes, a familiar member of Cuba's National team who signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the A's in February, but he has more experience on the country's highest level than outfielder Jorge Soler, who signed a nine-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs last week.

Soler made a name for himself playing for Cuba's Junior National team and in the country's Junior circuit but saw limited action for Havana in Serie Nacional.

"You have heard the other names because Puig was in Cuba and Soler and Cespedes were out of the country, it's that simple," Torres said. "Before Soler got to the Dominican Republic, very few people knew who he was outside of his Junior experience. Puig played in the Serie Nacional and was projected to be the right fielder for the national team for the upcoming years. Scouts know who Puig is."

Puig hit .276 with five home runs during his first campaign with Cienfuegos in 2008-09 and had a breakout year the next season, hitting .330 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI. He did not play for Cienfuegos during the 2011-12 seasons because he was being disciplined, Torres said.

"He's been planning to leave Cuba for more than a year and I am told he has been caught trying to leave Cuba several times," Torres said. "When he left The Netherlands last year, they suspected he was going to defect and he was suspended. He was reinstated to the reserve team for Cienfuegos, basically Triple-A, and then he was caught trying to leave the country again and suspended from the reserve team again."

Puig's value, in addition to his status, is to be determined.

Once he gains residency in Mexico, Major League Baseball can declare him a free agent, but he still must be legally cleared by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control before he can sign a contract.

He must also sign with a Major League club before July 2, or he will be subject to new CBA guidelines that will limit spending on international prospects to $2.9 million per team without penalty.

Soler was declared a free agent June 2 and signed with Chicago nine days later. Cespedes signed with Oakland 19 days after he was declared a free agent.

"We should all be on the same page by July 2nd in order to have the clubs evaluate him and sign a contract before the new rule kicks in," Torres said. "Under the CBA, if the player receives documentation that he has established residency in a third country he will be declared a free agent immediately just like Cespedes. Cespedes supposedly established residency and the next day he was declared a free agent. I expect the same thing to happen with Yasel Puig."

It's already been a busy year for Cuban prospects. In addition to the signings of Cespedes and Soler, pitchers Armando Rivero and Omar Luis Rodriguez, along with Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia were also declared free agents at the beginning of the month when Soler became available.

Luis Rodriguez, like Puig, must sign before July 2 or be subjected to the new CBA rules.


Jesse Sanchez is a national reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @JesseSanchezMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Yanks agree with Cuban teen Rodriguez

By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | 06/20/12 2:13 PM ET

Left-handed pitcher Omar Luis Rodriguez, 19, and the Yankees have agreed on a Minor League deal worth an estimated $4-5 million, according to an industry source.

Rodriguez, who projects to be a starter, burst onto the international scene during the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship when he struck out eight batters during a complete-game, 144-pitch outing to eliminate Team USA in the semifinals. He led Cuba to a bronze medal and was named to the competition's all-tournament team.

The southpaw has to sign with a Major League club before July 2, or he will be subject to new CBA guidelines that will limit spending on international prospects to $2.9 million per team before penalties kick in.

Rodriguez, pitcher Armando Rivero and with Cuban outfielders Henry Urrutia and Gerald Sanchez, were declared free agents at the beginning of the month when outfielder Jorge Soler also came on to the market. Soler, considered the second-best Cuban prospect behind Yoenis Cespedes this year, signed a nine-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs last week. Vespers signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the A's in February.

Yasel Puig, who recently defected from Cuba, is in Mexico and seeking residence, the first step before he can be declared a free agent and sign with a Major League club.

That didn't take long, did it?

Soler, considered the second-best Cuban prospect behind Yoenis Cespedes this year, signed a nine-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs last week.

I'd beg to differ with that opinion. I think Alfredo Despaigne should be considered the second best Cuban prospect after Yoenis Cespedes.

Cuban players are appealing to MLB

por Ray Otero



June 20, 2012

The latest news of Cuban baseball comes to us with regard to the entry of Cuban National Series players in the system of U.S. Major League Baseball.

First we must mention several names after left Cuba in different years that have finally managed to get permission to become free agents and thus be able to sign contracts with the teams of the MLB (Major League Baseball) U.S..

In this case it is the right-hander Armando Rivero, a former industrialist, who after his first season in Cuba with Industrial, decided to try his luck in American professional baseball out of Cuba. With him are men like outfielders Henry Urrutia, Las Tunas, and Gerald Sanchez, Holguin, with the young ex-juvenile Jorge Soler, Havana. For Soler, he managed a contract last week for a total of $ 30 million with the Chicago Cubs National League, which thus becomes the second outfielder to reach this figure, after that achieved by the Granma Yoennis Cespedes in the last preseason of northern baseball.

This week new names enter the fray. This is the left-hander Omar Luis Rodriguez, a former team member of Sancti Spiritus in the Cuban National Series as well as the Cuban youth team, who announced Wednesday that he received a contract between $ 4-5 million with the Yankees of New York team, and who will start in the category of Double A baseball with a great future for he is only 19 years old.

Another player that has drawn much attention is the ex-gardener of the team from Cienfuegos in the Cuban National League, Yasiel Puig, who after a year's suspension for an incident in the Netherlands at the Port of Rotterdam Tournament in 2011, was caught trying to rob a store - in fact kept secret by the Dutch National Baseball association out of respect for the Cuban delegation - but later sanctioned by the National Baseball in Cuba, left the country and went to Mexico in search of a professional contract in the U.S. Major League baseball.

When Puig joined the Cuban team for the tournament in Holland, was considered one of the top prospects in the country, much like when the Cuban Alfredo Despaigne stood during the same Netherlands Port Tournament in 2007.

Other players still have the attention of American baseball talent scouts. It is a reality that becomes more valid every day simply because of the quality the Cuban players have in comparison with the rest of the players in the world.

Among the top prospects that draw attention from the scouts of Major League baseball, we can speak of a shortstop as Arruebarruena Erisbel of the team Cienfuegos, who at just 21 years old threatens to become a future shortstop of some major league team.

Along with Arruebarruena, we find ourselves at the Nicaragua tournament, two very interesting men. The first is an outfielder Guillermo Heredia, just 21 years old, who has only played three seasons in Cuba, but bats from both sides and is a very good defender and spectacular player in any of the outfield positions, and who attained great prominence playing centerfield for his team, Matanzas.

Finally, the second man that is of great attraction is the outfielder, also a centerfielder for Ciego de Avila and a member of the Cuban National team since last year, Rusney Castillo.

Castillo, 24 years old, has been a star for Ciego de Avila and the Cuban National team the past two years. This year Castillo of team Ciego de Avila helped to achieve their first title in the 52 year history of Cuban tournaments after 1962, connecting 21 homers with 84 RBIs and also a total of 27 stolen bases.

Either way and despite the fact that each year more talent is leaving this country, the Cuban Series continues to generate enough quality players to be selected to the Cuban National team. These players still inspire the respect of scouts as the some of the best players in the world.

From left to right, Luis Omar Rodriguez, pitcher of only 19 years old who gets a contract with the New York Yankees today, and Yasiel Puig, Cienfuegos outfielder who is one of the promises of Cuba for most U.S. baseball.

Throughout this winter, I've posted some articles concerning Guillermo Heredia and Rusney Castillo. Although the Cubans keep losing players to major league baseball, the talent keeps coming. Heredia and Castillo along with Alfredo Despaigne will be players to keep an eye on. Defection or No Defection? That is the question.

Dominican Baseball as it stands

Posted June 21st, 2012 by DPL & filed under Down on the Farm, DPL News, Featured Post.

The DPL website has had frequent questions asked by guest concerning the process in which a player is procured and the development stages soon after. Here’s a little information for you to know about the Dominican Baseball landscape, I hope this helps answer your questions.
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Over the last 100 years, baseball in the Dominican Republic has become much more than a national pastime. Ozzie Virgil. Juan Marichal. Sammy Sosa. Pedro Martinez. Albert Pujols. David Ortiz. Robinson Cano. Melky Cabrera. The names of the great players that the Dominican Republic has supplied to Major League Baseball Since 1958, this tiny Caribbean nation, with a population of about 9 million, has sent more than 550 players to the majors, and it produces about a fourth of all players in the U.S. minor leagues.

During the last decade, the baseball industry has consistently expanded in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is second only to the United States in delivering players to Major League Baseball. This season, 95 Dominican players were listed on Major League Baseball Opening Day rosters; the percentage of Major League Baseball players born outside the United States rose to its third-highest level. Among the 856 players on opening day rosters, 243 were born outside the 50 states. The 28.4 percentage is up from 27.7 last year and trails only 2005 (29.2) and 2007 (29.0). Of 7,278 players with minor league contracts, 3,382 were born outside the 50 states. The 46.47 percent figure was down from 47.41 at the start of last season.
Major league teams began to establish academies in the Dominican Republic in the late 1970s. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays were among the first teams to do so. Today every Major League team has a fully functioning professional development facility in Dominican Republic with lodging, meals and education included in the day to day baseball activities. All teams have a full scouting department scouring the island for potential Major League talent. Prospects that are selected to sign contracts get both a salary and a signing bonus. Since high school baseball is nonexistent on the island, the Dominican Prospect League lends a helping hand to identify talent for MLB organizations, providing a weekly venue for scouts to evaluate players during the year, as well as, videos, reports and showcases that create a more functional evaluation process. Academies are official farm teams for major league organizations located on the island as the first professional league Dominican players will experience is the rookie level Dominican Summer League.
Practically at birth, Dominican boys are enticed by the dream of a professional career in baseball. Many perceive this as their only opportunity to escape a life of poverty. International players must be at least 16 years old to sign a professional contract; July 2 is the first day that MLB teams can sign 16-year-old international free-agent prospects that will NOT turn 17 years old by Sept. More than 300 players are signed in Latin America per year, most being Dominican born. Once an MLB organization signs a player in the Dominican Republic, the player is immediately inserted into the team facility to develop and prepare both physically and mentally, for the responsibilities and demands of playing professional baseball. Once he proves he is ready to make the transition, the player is sent to the United States to the team’s minor league Spring Training facility, where he starts his quest through the minor league system. (Rookie League, High Rookie League, Low Class A, High Class A, Double A, Triple A) before making it to the Major Leagues. This development process takes an average of 5 years.
The DPL evaluates and recruits more than 150 of the top Dominican amateur players every year from 4 different regions in the country (North, South, East, and Central) to play in a 25-game season, including players from Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Curacao, Cuba, and Panama. The DPL is not an academy, we have baseball events throughout the year providing players the opportunity to be scouted by MLB organizations. Games are played once per week at a different MLB facility in the Dominican Republic. All games are officiated by professional umpires and stats keepers. Rosters vary from week to week, as only the most talented players will be asked to remain in the League.

The principle goal of the Dominican Prospect League (DPL) has been to help protect the long-term health and growth of the amateur baseball industry in the Dominican Republic by implementing a new process for evaluating and signing amateur talent on the island and throughout Latin America. In successfully revolutionizing the industry, the DPL has established itself as the premier amateur baseball prospect league in Latin America. In less than 3 years, the DPL has helped over 200 players sign contracts for an aggregate total of approximately US$40,000,000 in contracts. These DPL alumni will undoubtedly become the future stars of Major League Baseball, the Dominican Republic and Latin America.

The Dominican Prospect League has been featured in the United States press by Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Baseball America, and HD Net’s Dan Rather reports. The official Dominican Prospect League website (http://www.dplbaseball.com) has had more than 3 million hits from visitors from across the globe. The League is operated by Fundacion Dominican Prospect League, a registered non-profit entity established by the laws of the Dominican Republic.

Outlining New Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) International Rules For 2012-13

With July 2 weeks away, baseball officials are still operating without finalized language of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but teams do have an outline of the new rules for international amateur signings.

By now, players who will be old enough to sign on July 2 must have registered with Major League Baseball by May 1. Otherwise they will have to wait until July 2, 2013, to sign. Players who were already eligible to sign—mostly anyone 17 or older, or anyone born before September 1995—do not have to register, but if they sign after July 2, their bonuses will count against a team’s bonus pool.

Until July 2, teams can spend whatever they want on international bonuses and none if it will count against their bonus pool. After that, the new spending rules will be in effect.

Every team has a $2.9 million signing bonus pool for the 2012-13 signing period. Any team that spends more than $2.9 million will be subject to a variety of penalties:

• Teams that go 0-5 percent over will pay a 75 percent tax on the overage.
• Teams that go 5-10 percent over will pay the 75 percent tax on the overage and won’t be able to sign any player for a bonus of more than $500,000 in the 2013-14 signing period.
• Teams that go 10-15 percent over will pay a 100 percent tax on the overage and won’t be able to sign any player for a bonus of more than $500,000 in the 2013-14 signing period.
• Teams that go 15 percent or more over will pay a 100 percent tax on the overage and won’t be able to sign any player for a bonus of more than $250,000 in the 2013-14 signing period.

The 2012-13 signing period begins July 2, 2012 and ends June 15, 2013. The dates from June 16, 2013 through July 1, 2013 will be considered a “closed period” when no one will be able to sign. MLB said it will need time to calculate each team’s total spending and potential penalties. Also, due to the new mandatory registration system, the commissioner’s office will need time to prepare and disseminate information about registered players to clubs.

The $2.9 million bonus pool does have a few exemptions that will allow a team to spend a little bit more. A team’s six highest signing bonuses of $50,000 or less will not count toward its total. For 2012-13, players signed for $7,500 or less also won’t count (in 2013-14 that number goes up to $10,000). So there’s enough wiggle room to spend up to $3.2 million without facing any penalties. All players must sign a standard minor league contract, so no major league deals are allowed.

The bonus pool limits probably won’t affect the majority of teams, because only a handful have gone well beyond $2.9 million-$3.2 million in 2011 or in 2010. Teams like the Rangers, Blue Jays, Royals, Pirates and Cubs may have to scale back, but even those teams will have to make small adjustments rather than drastic changes.

The international signing pool includes any player not subject to the draft, which includes anyone from outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico—with a couple of exemptions. One is that any player who had previously signed with a major league club will not be subject to the bonus pool. It’s a corollary to the draft rule, where if a player has already signed with a team out of the draft, he’s no longer draft eligible and any contract he signs thereafter will not count against an organization’s draft bonus pool. So a Dominican player released out of Triple-A who signs as a minor league free agent won’t have his contract count against his new team’s international pool.

The other exemption involves players coming to MLB from foreign professional leagues. Players who are at least at least 23 and have played five years in a recognized professional league, such as Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, will be exempt.

For the next two years, Cubans will be exempt as long as they are 23 and have played in a Cuban professional league for at least three seasons. Beginning in 2014-15 Cubans must have five years of pro experience to be exempt. So if Yoenis Cespedes had still been unsigned by July 2, he would have been exempt from the new rules anyway, where 20-year-old outfielder Jorge Soler will be subject to the new rules unless he can get all of his paperwork pushed through and sign before July 2.

One area of confusion among international scouts is how the league will treat Mexican League transfers, including players like Blue Jays righthander Roberto Osuna and Pirates righthander Luis Heredia, who were acquired from their Mexican League teams at 16 years old.

According to an MLB official, the league will count only the amount that goes to the player against the team’s bonus pool. Typically, that is 25 percent of what a major league team pays to a Mexican League to purchase his rights. So a club paying $400,000 to a Mexican League team for a player would only have $100,000 count against its pool. The rule applies to Mexican citizens only, the official said, so teams can’t send a Dominican or Venezuelan player to a Mexican League team to try to get around the new bonus rules.

MLB officials have said that any team that attempts to circumvent the new signing regulations to get around the bonus limit will be subject to severe penalties.

Yomiuri to sue weekly over Hara gangster story

TOKYO, June 20 (20:33) Kyodo

The Yomiuri Giants on Wednesday denied a report linking manager
Tatsunori Hara with organized crime, saying they will sue the Shukan
Bunshun magazine for libel and seek damages.

According to a report in the weekly's issue due out Thursday,
Hara, in 2006, paid 100 million yen to gangsters who blackmailed him
over an extramarital affair he had back in 1988.

In a statement released by the team, Hara admitted to having the
affair as well as paying the money to two men, but denied having any
ties to the underworld, past or present.

The Giants said police have told them the two men -- who have
since been arrested -- are not part of the mob.

Hara also accused the team's former general manager Hidetoshi
Kiyotake, who is embroiled in a legal battle with the Giants over his
dismissal last year, of leaking information to Shukan Bunshun, which
stood by its story.

"We have full confidence in our article," the magazine said.

At Wednesday's practice, Hara apologized for the fuss caused by
the story and said he would leave the matter for the Giants to deal
with.

"I apologize from my heart to the fans for this kind of
situation," said Hara, admitting that paying off the men with 100
million yen was a "tough choice."

"With regards to the content (of the article) I have told the
club everything. I want to leave the club to deal with it."

Tatsunori Hara is the current manager for the Yomiuri Giants baseball team in Nippon Professional Baseball. He also played for the Yomiuri Giants during his professional baseball career from 1981 to 1995. Hara led the Japan national baseball team to victory in the final of the 2009 World Baseball Classic.