Major League Baseball’s international signing period opens today for the 2026 class, which means prospects can officially sign their contracts.
For Baseball America subscribers, we have full breakdowns of the signing classes for all 30 teams, including scouting reports on the top players for each organization, other big names to know and lower-profile players to watch who could be sleepers.
It’s hard to find a team that has done as well as the Brewers in Latin America over the last five years. The crown jewel for them—at least right now—is outfielder Jackson Chourio. Shortstop Jesús Made, Milwaukee’s No. 1 prospect and one of the elite prospects in all of the minor leagues, could end up being another franchise cornerstone with just as much impact. Infielder Luis Peña is another top 50 prospect in baseball, while center fielder Luis Lara is a top 10 prospect in the organization and one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. The organization has signed a slew of other promising international players throughout the farm system and others who have become trade chips. Milwaukee’s typical strategy has been to avoid the priciest, $2 million-plus players—an approach that will hold true again this year for a class that is again heavy on quality hitters
The best player the Brewers are signing is Venezuelan shortstop Diego Frontado, who is getting $1.6 million. Frontado offers a promising blend of quick-twitch athleticism, tools and righthanded hitting ability. He has a strong, compact build (6-foot-1, 178 pounds) with broad shoulders and a sound righthanded swing. Frontado has a good track record of game performance, putting the ball in play at a high clip with a mature plan at the plate for his age and the ability to recognize spin. Frontado has good bat speed and drives the ball well for his age with power that is trending up and the potential to grow into a 20-plus home run hitter. A high-energy player, Frontado is a plus runner with an average arm. He has the hands and footwork to stay in the infield, with a chance to stick at shortstop, though he could be an above-average defender if he were to move around to second or third base.
Venezuelan shortstop Jose Rodriguez ($1.5 million) is one of the best defensive players at the position in the 2026 international class. He’s a wiry 6-foot-1, 160-pound shortstop who shines in the field, where he’s light on his feet with good body control and has soft, secure hands. He’s able to make the acrobatic plays and is more reliable than most players his age when it comes to turning the routine plays into outs and finishing plays with a plus arm. A tick-above-average runner, Rodriguez is a defensive-oriented player who grabs the most attention for his smooth fielding, but he has a short righthanded swing with the hand-eye coordination to produce solid bat-to-ball skills, though he doesn’t project to be a big power threat.
Power is the calling card for Dominican shortstop Ricky Moneys, who is signing for $1.15 million. He’s a strong, thickly-built infielder (6 feet, 175 pounds) with big righthanded bat speed for his age that leads to loud rockets off his bat. It’s a power-over-hit offensive profile for Moneys, who has some bigger moving parts to his swing and will need to improve his breaking ball recognition, but his present raw power stacks up among the best in the class and should be at least plus as he continues to get stronger. He showed that power last year in the MLB Amateur Scouting League, where he hit three home runs in 14 at-bats with seven walks and only one strikeout. Moneys is an average runner underway, but he doesn’t have typical quickness for a shortstop at higher levels and has a body type that suggests he will slow down as he gets older. He should get an opportunity to start his development at shortstop, but it looks more likely that he will eventually slide to third base, where his plus arm fits well.
Venezuelan catcher Moises Salazar, signing for $700,000, has the tools to become a plus defender behind the plate and is one of the best defensive catchers in the 2026 international class. He’s an athletic catcher who’s an average runner underway, and while his speed will likely back up, his athleticism translates on defense. He’s an agile defender with good hands and an arm that draws plus to plus-plus grades already with the ability to cut his pop times down to 1.9 seconds on his best throws. Salazar has strong hands and fast bat speed that could eventually translate to 20-plus home run power. He’s a switch-hitter who is more advanced as a righthanded hitter, the side that stays more compact with good rhythm and an all-fields approach.
Dominican shortstop Argenis Fernandez ($500,000) turns 17 in August, making him one of the youngest players in the 2026 international class. He has an extremely thin build at 6 feet, 145 pounds, yet he’s able to generate startling bat speed for a hitter with limited strength and weight. Fernandez whips the barrel through the zone with good leverage and bat-to-ball skills from the right side. It’s mostly gap power, but he delivers impressive contact quality for his frame. He’s athletic and an above-average runner who could end up moving around the infield and also has experience in center field.
Dominican third baseman Osiris Ramirez ($450,000) has a strong, wide build at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds. He stands out for his raw power and arm strength. It’s a fast bat from the right side and he can drive the ball with impact when he connects. He could grow into above-average raw power, though he will have to tighten his strike-zone discipline and will likely be a power-over-hit player. He has an average arm and has a chance to stick at third base if he can make strides with his range and actions.
Shortstop Manny De Los Santos from the Dominican Republic, signing for $325,000, immediately becomes one of the fastest players in the organization. He’s a 5-foot-9, ultra-quick-twitch athlete and at least a plus-plus runner who might have top-of-the-scale speed. His speed and instincts give him the chance to be an elite stolen base threat. For his size, De Los Santos has some sneaky bat speed from the left side, though it’s mostly doubles and triples power and he doesn’t project to be a big home run hitter. He’s more likely to play second base than shortstop, though his speed would also be an asset in center field.
While the bats are the headliners of the class for the Brewers, they do have two pitchers in this class who stick out. One is Alexander Mercedes, a Dominican lefthander who is 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, just turned 17 in December and is already up to 95 mph. It’s a huge fastball for a lefty his age, there’s projection for more in the tank and it already plays up because of his great extension and the riding life on the pitch. His curveball plays well off his fastball from his high slot, giving him the stuff to miss bats.
An athletic, flexible righthander from the Dominican Republic, Marcos Veras is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds with a fastball that has ticked up to 93 mph. There’s significant physical projection remaining, so he should be into the mid-90s in the near future. There’s some feel for a curveball, but his changeup is his best secondary pitch, and it has a chance to be an above-average, swing-and-miss weapon.
Santiago Garcia is a 5-foot-9 Venezuelan shortstop with a mix of athleticism and hitting ability in the middle infield. Garcia has shown good feel for hitting with sneaky bat speed for his size to juice balls out to his pull side. He stays inside the ball well with a short swing that has good rhythm and uses the whole field. Garcia is a plus runner with an above-average arm and is a steady defender at shortstop. He has a chance to stick at the position, though he could end up an above-average defender if he goes to second base or could end up in a utility role with his ability to play anywhere in the infield.
Sebastian Franeites is a lefthanded-hitting catcher from Venezuela with good feel for the barrel. There are some unconventional parts to get his swing started, but he’s typically on time and has performed well in games with a good mix of both contact and power for a young catcher. Franeites is a smooth defender who plays under control behind the plate with a clean transfer and an average arm.
Dominican infielder Leander Matos ($300,000) is young for the class with great strike-zone discipline. He’s a patient hitter who walks a lot and is a high-contact bat from the right side of the plate with gap power at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds. There isn’t a standout tool with Matos, but his offensive polish for his age stands out, with third base or second base being his most likely defensive fits.
Enrique Lovera is a Venezuelan outfielder at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds with a good mix of offensive track record and game acumen. A high-energy player, Lovera is a righthanded hitter with good contact skills and instincts that show up at the plate, on the basepaths and in center field.