MLB

Giants sign top international prospect, Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernández

ballervisions 2026年1月15日

Giants sign top international prospect, Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernández appeared first on NBC Sports Bay Area.

SAN FRANCISCO – For the second year in a row, the Giants began the international signing period by selecting the best player available.

Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernández signed Thursday morning during a ceremony at the Felipe Alou Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic. Hernández signed one year behind Josuar Gonzalez, who is already ranked in the top 100 overall and is considered the organization’s second best prospect.

Hernández will receive an estimated $5 million signing bonus, per source, the second-largest international bonus in franchise history. The Giants offered Lucius Fox $6 million in 2015 before the cap hit, and Gonzalez signed for less than $3 million last year.

A right-handed hitter, Hernández is the No. 1 prospect on both the Baseball America and MLB Pipeline boards. He has long been linked to the Giants, who originally had him and didn’t doubt Hernández would sign for months.

“He’s very mature for his age as a player,” executive director of international scouting Joe Salermo said recently. “He can play a little bit with plus skills, he’s a good hitter, he’ll have more power. The only thing you can knock him is that he’s an average runner, but the way he controls the game is amazing for a young kid.”

Hernández rose to the top of the class in part because of an eye-opening performance in the professional league in Venezuela last summer. Playing against former major leaguers and pitchers ten years his senior, the youngster hit .346 and struck out just 11 times in 114 plate appearances.

Salermo visits Venezuela four or five times a year and the Giants also have a good relationship with the Carlos Guillen Academy in Maracay, where Hernández trains. The longtime major league shortstop played for the Seattle Mariners with Randy Winn, who now runs the Giants’ player development department.

“Our inspectors [in Venezuela] he did a great job of identifying the player and feeling comfortable with the player,” said Salermo.

The Giants were impressed not only with Hernández’s physical abilities, but also with his build. Because he has improved so much at the plate, he will likely skip the Dominican Summer League and head to Arizona this summer to begin his professional career.

The signing of Hernández will continue to add to a surging farm system. In addition to Gonzalez and Hernández, the Giants will add the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft this July after winning the December lottery. Now officially a Giant, Hernández joins one of the best young center field teams in the minors.

Scouts are also high on Johnny Level, signed in Venezuela in 2024. In the first round of last year’s draft, the Giants took Tennessee linebacker Gavin Kilen. When Bryce Eldridge graduates from the prospect list this summer, it’s likely that four of the organization’s top prospects will be middle infielders, including three freshmen.

The two potential frontrunners – Gonzalez and Hernández – come with similar standards but bring different characteristics. Gonzalez draws Francisco Lindor comps and is a very athletic and flashy player with what is considered a high ceiling. Hernández, the Giants believe, has a very high floor. There’s no guarantee when dealing with 17-year-olds, but Hernández is considered as safe a bet as you get for a player his age.

“It’s amazing how different these two guys are, but we feel they can both play the top position,” Salermo said. “We are glad to see you.”

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