The Arizona Diamondbacks entered the International Signing period with $8,034,900 in international bonus pool money, tied for the most in the league with Baltimore, Cleveland, Colorado, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Market size, revenue, free agents turning down the qualifying offer, and trades all impact the size of a team’s bonus pool. There’s not a ton of information available on some of these prospects, but I’ve done my best to provide a summarized version of what I could find.
Headlining the Diamondbacks 2026 international signees is SS Ruben Gallego, who ranked #17 by Baseball America, #31 by Fangraphs, and #42 according to MLB Pipeline. Gallego signed for $1.75M as reported by Baseball America, although MLB Pipeline has him at $1.8m. Gallego is of no relation to Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego
As a player in the top 50, MLB Pipeline conveniently has a scouting report that isn’t stuck behind a paywall, which I’ve quoted below, but you can also view here.
“Gallego has been known to hammer the ball at a high frequency, particularly from the left side of the dish. A switch-hitter, he understandably gets fewer reps against southpaws, but his lefty swing shows much more feel for loft and the ability to drive the ball for extra-base power. He’ll need to add weight and muscle as he faces advanced pitching in the pros but his bat-to-ball skills rate as above average, while he can also generate a good bit of thump from a well-timed leg kick.
A gifted defender, Gallego has the smooth actions to stay at the premium position for the foreseeable future. His arm slots can vary, hampering its overall strength, but he has the quick first step and lateral movement that often portends to success. His long legs allow him to cover ground quickly on the basepaths, seamlessly taking extra bases. If he can improve his physicality, Gallego has the look of a big league infielder.”
The D’Backs signed a second switch hitting Cuban shortstop, Leonardo Sevilla for ($750,000 per Baseball America) Although Sevilla is older (18) and took less money than Gallego, that’s not a reflection of him as a prospect, but instead largely a result of coming over later in the process, after many teams have already committed nearly all of their bonus pool money. Sevilla is actually a fairly advanced hitter, especially tor his age. He has a compact swing and great bat to ball skills from both sides of the plate, on the athleticism and the tools to stick at shortstop. Based on the scouting reports I’ve read, Sevilla is a great sleeper pick for a breakout Dbacks prospect in 2026.
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Dominican shortstop Brayan Figueroa isn’t nearly as polished, but he has two stand out tools in raw power (especially for his age) and a cannon for an arm. A righthanded hitter, Figueroa will need to make adjustments to make more frequent contact if he’s going to succeed as a hitter, right now his approach trades contact for power. He has a plus arm and will likely slide over to third base in the near future.
Landing right outside the Top 50 list is Yohendi Hernandez ($547,500), a lefthanded center fielder from the Dominican Republic. Hernandez has a hit over power profile offensively, but considering he’s only a 16 year old, there’s a lot of physical projection left.
Venezuelan catcher Jhosep Villarroel could end up being one of the better value signings of the class for the D-backs. He has the tools and the baseball IQ to stick at catcher, but he is somewhat undersized for a catcher at just 5ft’9in. He’s got a short simple swing and already shown great contact ability, while hitting the ball with surprising authority.
Cuban outfielder Loidel Amaya ($560,000) is a 6-foot-1 righthanded hitter with a quick stroke, a simple lower half move to the ball and fast bat speed to drive the ball with impact. An average runner, Amaya likely projects to end up as a corner outfielder long term.
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Outfielder Joscar Hernandez from Venezuela is a plus runner who defends his position well in center field, but has a lot of development left as a hitter.
