Internationally Known

Armando Verdugo - Cobb Times Herald

It is only 16 games into the season 7, and already it is looking like a bonanza year for international signings. There have to date been two 17 million plus signings, and two 8 million dollar men. Last season there were only 8 players total who brought home more than 8 million in signing bonus money, and the highest was Jose Ordaz's 13.8 million. Sioux Falls owner FW_Kekionga commented on the large amount of dollars being spent for internationals, "I remember back in season one when you were able to get a star player for less than 5 million dollars. Now, you are lucky if 8 million gets you a bench player!" Indeed, the price of internationals has been rising higher than the inflation rate in a third world country.

Cobb Times Herald statistical guru Igor Gallindo spent some time researching the trends in the international prospect market, focusing specifically on the big money prospects of 3 million or more. Here are his results by season:

3-5.9 Million Dollars

1. 11
2. 11
3. 12
4. 13
5. 9
6. 10
7. 3

6-7.9 Million Dollars

1. 2
2. 7
3. 1
4. 5
5. 2
6. 6
7. 0

8-10.9 Million Dollars

1. 0
2. 2
3. 4
4. 5
5. 5
6. 3
7. 0

11-13.9 Million Dollars

1. 0
2. 0
3. 0
4. 4
5. 0
6. 5
7. 0

14+ Million Dollars

1. 0
2. 0
3. 0
4. 0
5. 4
6. 0
7. 2

In looking at the data it is quite evident that the top end international salaries are increasing. Here is a look at the top internationals from season one onward.

Season 1

1. Rico Estrada - $7.1M
2. R. J. Cubillan - $7.0M
3. Jolbert Macias - $5.7M

Season 2

1. Victor Gandarillas - $8.4M
2. James Gao - $8.2M
3. Diego Villa - 7.7M

Season 3

1. Javier Alvarez - $9.7M
2. Phil Chang - $9.1M
3. Luis Velazquez - $8.5M
4. Josias Lopez - $8.5M

Season 4

1. Tony Cho - $12.5M
2. Rafael Borges - $10.1M
3. Max Xiao - $10.0M
4. Yorvit Hernandez - $10.0M

Season 5

1. Victor Johnson - $15.0M
2. Alfonso Vega - $14.5M
3. Jung Lee - $14.5M

Season 6

1. Jose Ordaz - $13.8M
2. Virgil Dominguez - $11.5M
3. Rico Cruz - $10.6M

Season 7 (Thus Far)

1. Paul Jung - $17.8M
2. Quilvio Suarez - $17.0M
3. Juan Uribe - $8.8M

With the salary bonus money for internationals increasing for the players at the top, the question of whether or not the players are worth it will come into play. Only time and the production of the players at the major league level will be able to determine it.