The Pittsburgh Pirates added two more international signings this week, bringing in two pitchers from the Dominican Republic. They are 17-year-old lefty Yoldin De La Paz and 21-year-old right-hander Yunior Thibo.
De La Paz is 6’0″, 176 pounds and comes from Bani, DR. He turned 17 in May. De La Paz currently sits 85-89 MPH with his fastball, mixing it with a 69-74 MPH curve, a 72-75 MPH slider and a 78-81 MPH changeup. He’s very athletic, with good arm speed and arm action, along with the stamina to be a starting pitcher.
Thibo is obviously old for an international signing, but he has a chance to move quickly through the system, so he won’t be on the same schedule as your average international signing. He stands in at 6’4″, 185 pounds, with a strong frame, good arm and room to still add muscle. He already sits 91-95 MPH with the fastball and mixes it with a 77-83 MPH curve. He’s going to be developed as a bullpen arm because he has two strong pitches now and there is potential for plus velocity as he fills out. He’s already fairly advanced, with the ability to throw strikes, repeating his delivery well.
The international class now sits at 38 players signed since July 2nd, with 22 of them being pitchers.
