The Pursuit of Latin-ness

La La La La La La Bamba, scratch that, Pirates!
After all the years of sitting back, watching other teams find incredible talent in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Pirates fans have felt very left out. The Pirates organization has been, in a sense, out of the loop when it comes to international signings-they were underequipt with horrible and out of date facilities, and had no motivation to pursue the talent that many teams have treated as a gold mine in Latin America.

Me oh my, how management can change things.

The pirates are now equipped with a state-of-the-art facility, supposedly capable of luring latin long-ballers to the Pirate ballclub. They've also stepped up their recruiting game in other fashions, going after the top guys and getting the Pirate name out there to kids that may only know the big names and big players-rodriguez, ramirez, the list goes on. Instead, these kids are seeing the Pirates facilities, seeing the Pirates efforts, and it's getting the Bucs closer and closer to landing big talent in Latin Land.

We're already seeing results.

Today, with the start of the International Signing Period, the Pirates have confirmed that they've offered Miguel Angel Sano, the top prospect from Latin America, a contract with the ballclub. Don't take your shirt off, don't down a shot of tequila, but this is surely some promising news. The MLB is still concerned about this young buck's age, so they're doing a super high-profile investigation. While that takes place, hopefull the Bucs can convince this kid to make a tentative agreement, given that his age is approved.

Here is a blurb about Sano from SI.com
"Dominican Republic; Bats: Right; Throws: Right; 6-3, 190
Sano is an unusual talent, as many international scouting directors say they have never seen a 16-year-old player who is built like Sano or who can hit like him. Sano, who is from San Pedro de Macoris, has an athletic, projectable body with broad shoulders and a strong lower half. He stands out at the plate with a right-handed stroke that he's able to repeat in games, showing good bat speed and the ability to hit for power to all fields. Some scouts have said he's better in batting practice than in games, while others say he has dominated against live pitching. He can get caught out front against good breaking balls, but he doesn't have a long swing and scouts have seen him drive off-speed pitches for home runs. Sano's current position is shortstop, but scouts are nearly universal that he'll end up at either third base or in right field. Sano has shown above-average speed in the 60-yard dash for some teams, but his range is already questionable at shortstop and he's expected to slow down as he adds another 20 to 30 pounds to his frame. Though he doesn't have a particularly quick release, Sano's arm is a 65 or a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Scouts expect Sano to sign with a team that doesn't typically sign players for big money in Latin America, with the Pirates believed to be the leaders."

Notice that Sano is the top International signee on SI's list.

He's a young guy, definitley with a lot a room for improvement and growth, but he's a great start for this organization to get their name out there in the international market. He'd also be a great addition to a Pirates team that's looking more, and more ready to compete in the next decade.