On Thursday, the 2026 international signing period opened and the Miami Marlins inked deals with 21 players, highlighted by shortstops Santiago Solarte and Ronny Muñoz. They each received a $1M bonus, per sources.
This is the organization’s second international signing class since David Hernandez-Beayne was named director of international scouting.
The following players officially signed Thursday on their first day of eligibility, with more to follow in the coming days:
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Santiago Solarte ($1M)
Solarte, a 17-year-old out of Caja Seca, Venezuela, is ranked 16th on MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 international prospects list. He’s a 50-grade prospect overall with 45-hit, 65-power, 55-run, 50-arm and 55-field tools.
“Physical specimen type of build with raw explosiveness and top-of-scale strength,” said one scout. “Advanced body control and athletic actions for someone that size and age.”
Solarte briefly participated in Venezuela’s professional summer league (LMBP), where the average player was more than a decade older than him. In nine games with Samanes de Aragua (mostly off the bench), he slashed .143/.250/.143 with one hit, one walk, two strikeouts and one stolen base.
Solarte has been trained at Academia Carlos Guillén. New Marlins outfielder Raunny Figueredo ($350k bonus) trained at that academy as well.
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Ronny Muñoz ($1M)
Muñoz, who ranks as the #27 prospect on MLB Pipeline, is another 50-grade prospect (55-hit, 55-power, 60-run, 60-arm and 45-field).
“He’s probably the most talented player in this class,” said David Hernandez-Beayne. “The way that I would describe him as short as possible would be traits-based prospect. Very tooled up, explosive and athletic. He’s very strong within his frame. He’s a plus runner, he’s got a plus arm, he’s got plus impact, plus hand speed. He’s one of those guys that, for us, in terms of the raw tool package of having that skill set to be able to progress, improve, get better, become that impactful prospect we think he can, he has it all.”
Muñoz had already seen action in what are called “committed games,” hitting a home run to straightaway center field.
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Eliezer Peralta ($275k)
The Marlins view Peralta as this class’ top international pitching prospect. The 17-year-old pitcher out of the Dominican Republic throws a fastball which sits 90-92 mph with a spin rate between 2,176-2,220 rpm. His changeup averages 82 mph with a spin rate between 1,601-1,834 rpm. His final pitch, a 77-80 mph slider, has a spin rate between 2,239-2,341 rpm.
“We have a lot of things that we look for when it comes to pitching,” said Hernandez-Beayne. “Obviously, a big part of it is the size, projection and athleticism. We believe heavily in biomechanics traits that create outliers for pitchers being able to bend pitches and generate future velocity. There’s a lot of specific things that we care about, but makeup is also very important.”
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Maikel Acosta ($225k)
One Marlins scout called Acosta the most underrated signing of the class. His exit velocity already averages 90 mph. He has a 40-yard dash time of 4.96 seconds. He possesses a strong arm at shortstop, averaging 90 mph on max-effort throws (the MLB average at the position is 85.7 mph).
Ben Badler of Baseball America adds, “The foundation of his right-handed swing works well, and he has a knack for putting the ball in play, so getting stronger will be key to do more damage on contact.”
Acosta will be making his professional debut as a 16-year-old.
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Francisco Del Campo ($400k)
Out of the four catchers that the Marlins signed, Del Campo seems to be the best of the bunch.
“He recognizes pitches well, has good bat-to-ball skills and strength, though with a flatter path that doesn’t lend itself to much loft yet,” Badler writes. “His hands work well behind the plate, he has a clean transfer and his arm strength has ticked up considerably over the past couple years to become at least an average tool.”
He represented Mexico in the 2024 U-15 World Cup in Colombia. More recently, Del Campo trained with the Mexican League’s Leones de Yucatan. He appeared in one game for them last summer.
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Other standouts
Right-hander Batista already spins his fastball above 2,500 rpm. He signed for $100k.
“Batista is an interesting case, because very rarely do you find players that are slight frame like he is,” said Hernandez-Beayne. “He’s 6’0″, 130 pounds right now…He’s truly a unique case, a real outlier, someone we’re incredibly excited about.”
Onardi Santos, who stands at 6’5″ and is a left-handed pitcher, signed for $220k.
Right-hander Evan Da Souza, a native out of Nicaragua, is committed to sign for $250k. The deal will become official on Sunday, according to Nicaraguan journalist Fernando Rayo. Da Souza’s agent brought him to the Dominican Republic to give him more exposure and that is when the Marlins discovered him at a big showcase in Punta Cana.
“Immediately stood out by the guy with elite size, elite frame, high projectability traits, unique outlier pitch characteristics and that ability to really calm the strike zone, and so all those elements made teams really want to get involved within that process,” said Hernandez-Beayne.