Dodgers sign four amateurs from Dominican Republic

The Dodgers on Monday announced the signing of four players from the Dominican Republic. The new players in the system are outfielders Deivy Castillo and Ariel Sandoval, shortstop Ravel Hernandez, all 17 years old, and 19-year old right-handed pitcher Miguel Urena.

The signings of the four players are the Dodgers' first reported dip into the amateur international pool since the Nov. 1 hire of Bob Engle as vice president of international scouting.

Sandoval cost a reported $150,000, as was reported last week. The costs of all four players count against the amateur international spending cap of $2.9 million, for the period which runs from July 2 through June 15.

The cap is a soft one, with taxes ranging from 75 to 100% on any overages plus penalties including the loss of the ability to sign players to bonuses over $500,000 or $250,000 in subsequent international signing periods.

There has never been a Deivy in major league baseball, though there has been a Deivi, as in Deivi Cruz, who played nine years in the majors. Cruz was drafted by the Dodgers from the Giants in the 1996 Rule 5 draft, but was immediately traded with Juan Hernaiz for infielder Jeff Berblinger, a trade that we are of course all familiar with.

There also has never been a Ravel play in MLB, though Ravelo Manzanillo pitched in parts of three seasons for the White Sox and Pirates.