Ben Badler of Baseball America is reporting that the Twins have signed Dominican righty Felix Jorge for $250,000. Jorge became eligible during last years international free agent period which began July 2nd and Baseball America had him projected for the 31st largest bonus international bonus. However Badler states that concerns over inconsistent velocity readings scared teams off. After pitching in the Domincan Propsect League's All-Star game however, it would appear the Twins have decided to take a chance on him.
At 17 years old and standing 6'4" 170lbs, there is plenty of projection left in Jorge. Given time to add bulk and strength, it's likely that he'll add a couple miles per hour to fastball said to currently be in the 88-91mph range. The video included in Badler's report shows a kid with a pretty raw delivery and spotty command. Still, he struck out four of the nine batters he faced in the game and he features a slurvy curveball.
The Twins have done a good job developing raw Latin pitchers and along with some of their other recent signings helps reinforce their presence in the nation where, until recently, they hadn't been as active as some other teams.
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