{"id":112383,"date":"2026-01-17T00:04:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T05:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=112383"},"modified":"2026-01-17T00:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T05:04:33","slug":"mlb-top-international-signees-for-the-2026-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/01\/17\/mlb-top-international-signees-for-the-2026-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Top MLB International Signees for the 2026 Class"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><span>The international signing period for MLB officially opened this week. Now, players from around the world can sign their first professional contract and pursue their passion. While this can be an exciting time for teams to get their next big stars, these MLB international signees are a long way away from making their debuts, unlike <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/01\/14\/top-college-baseball-prospects-2026-draft-winter\/\" target=\"_self\">college prospects<\/a>. These players range in age from 16 to 17 and primarily originate from the Dominican Republic or Venezuela.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<h2>The Top MLB International Signees Ahead of 2026<\/h2>\n<h3><span>\u200b<\/span><span>Luis Hernandez &#8211; SS (Venezuela)<\/span><\/h3>\n<div>\n<p><span>The top international signee of the 2026 class hails from Venezuela and plays up the middle. Luis Hernandez is a 17-year-old shortstop and the pupil of former big leaguer <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/guillca01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carlos Guill\u00e9n.<\/a> He signed with the San Francisco Giants for nearly $5 million. Hernandez debuted in the Venezuelan professional league, hitting .346 in 100+ at-bats at just 15 years old. Coming in at 5 &#8217;10&#8221; and 170 pounds, Hernandez has a projectable frame that should allow him to put on more muscle and take even more advantage of his premier bat speed. Athletically, Hernandez is a plus runner who should have the ability to steal bases at the professional level. Soft hands and quick feet allow Hernandez to field his position well at the time being, but an average arm might limit the international signee&#8217;s time at short in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">For the second straight year, the Giants are signing a player many scouts have atop their list in the entire class.<\/p>\n<p>This year, it&#8217;s Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernandez, whose $5 million bonus is the highest for any 2026 player.<\/p>\n<p>More on the exciting class:\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6OK9PnWD1i\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/6OK9PnWD1i<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BaseballAmerica\/status\/2012253565390033309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<h3><span>\u200b<\/span><span>Wandy Asigen &#8211; SS (Dominican Republic)<\/span><\/h3>\n<div>\n<p><span>One of the younger international signees, Wandy Asigen, is another shortstop. The New York Mets&#8217; newest international signing calls the same city home as former All-Star <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cruzne02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nelson Cruz<\/a>. While Cruz has a much bigger frame than Asigen, Asigen looks to add weight once in pro ball. Currently, at a thin 6&#8217;0&#8243; and 180 pounds, there is plenty of room to fill out for the young shortstop. At the plate, Asigen demonstrates above-average bat-to-ball skills and should add more power as he puts on weight. The left-handed hitting shortstop holds his own in the field as well. Additionally, thanks to 6.50 60 speed and good angles, Asigen\u2019s ability to play shortstop is seen as a plus tool, as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;Arguably the most advanced offensive profile among his class&#8221; \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>The <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@mets<\/a> are getting an electric player in Wandy Asigen \u26a1\ufe0f <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Pn0bGAMRT8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Pn0bGAMRT8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MetsPlayerDev\/status\/2011886101116699050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><span>\u200b<\/span><\/div>\n<h3><span>Francisco Renteria &#8211; OF (Venezuela)<\/span><\/h3>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>The Philadelphia Phillies used $4 million of their bonus pool on Francisco Renteria. This Venezuelan international signee is the second-highest-paid player in this year\u2019s class. Renteria\u2019s size may have affected his price tag. By far the biggest player on the list, Renteria is 6&#8217;3&#8243; and 215 pounds fresh after turning 17. Advanced physically and working with top-end bat speed, Renteria profiles as an offensive juggernaut. Recently, in the Venezuelan Major League, he showcased this talent, getting two hits off former big leaguers. The power should only increase with more development and time with the Phillies. Renteria may even remind scouts of a better-hitting <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/solerjo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jorge Soler<\/a>. Unlike Soler, Renteria should have the ability to play center field at the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Phillies are signing, international prospect, OF Francisco Renteria for 4M. Some quick notes (various sources):<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 17 years-old, ~6&#8217;4&#8243; , 200lb. Son of former big-leaguer, Edgar Renteria<br \/>\n\u2022 ++ raw power, great bat speed &#8212; possessing some of the best pop, in the 2026 class<br \/>\n\u2022\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WWK4OW6AQO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/WWK4OW6AQO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Joseph Cammisa (@jcammisabsbl) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jcammisabsbl\/status\/2011845450622804008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Main Photo Credit: Dylan Buell\/Getty Images<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The international signing period for MLB officially opened this week. Now, players from around the world can sign their first professional contract and pursue their passion. While this can be an exciting time for teams to get their next big stars, these MLB international signees are a long way away from making their debuts, unlike [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5736,"featured_media":56535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1071,926,22,35,23,31],"tags":[780,745],"class_list":["post-112383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","category-milb","category-mets","category-news","category-phillies","category-giants","tag-jorge-soler","tag-nelson-cruz"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5736"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112383"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112392,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112383\/revisions\/112392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}