Agency Representation
At Top 10 often we will train and represent International Players who are eligible to sign a professional baseball contract.
Santo Domingo is the heart of International Baseball as MLB has established offices and staff there to monitor the marketplace.
Players from all of the other Latin American countries come to the DR to sign.
All 30 MLB teams operate developmental academies here in the Boca Chica and San Pedro area where they house, educate, train and develop upwards of 60 to 140 recently signed prospects.
In the summer, MLB runs the Dominican Summer League which is for rookie players aged 17 -19 preparing them for A ball in the USA.
In addition the DR features numerous other hi profile leagues designed to showcase top talent and MLB prospects such as the Dominican Prospect League, the MLB Trainer Partnership Program, Dominican Prospect League, International Prospect League and the Tricky League.
International Players are eligible to sign a contract at 15 years and 6 months of age. These players are famously called July 2 players as the first day of International signings and bonus pool allotments occur on that day just a few weeks after the draft in the USA. Covid has pushed those dates back somewhat but the idea remains the same.
Due to the speed at which this market moves, players are often verbally committed to an MLB team at the age of 13 or 14 which becomes risky as players evolve greatly between age 13 and 16 but that is the nature of the intensity of the competition to locate and sign a player as early as possible.
There is no draft for Cuban, Dominican or Latin American players right now but that might change in the future. It is an open marketplace as each MLB team is free to negotiate with every player independently which creates for a very competitive and dynamic marketplace.
