North Gwinnett News

The Atlanta Braves recently signed two of the top international prospects they had their eyes on to their minor league system.

Diego Benitez — ranked as the No. 10 prospect on MLB.com's Top 50 International Prospects list — and Douglas Glod were among the 14 young players who signed with the Braves, the team said recently.

"The Atlanta Braves today announced the organization signed 14 international players," the Braves said in a press release.

Benitez earned a $2.5 million signing bonus, while Glod signed for $1.3 million, accounting for a large part of the team's approximately $5.2 million signing bonus pool, MLB.com reported.

Glod, 17, is an outfielder who was captain of the 2019 Venezuelan team. He was ranked 31st on Baseball America's 2022 Top 100 Prospects list.

Benitez, also 17, has the power to hit the ball over the fence and the accuracy to direct the ball to all parts of the field. He also brings solid fielding tactics and speed on the bases.

That said, Benitez is expected to use his time in the Braves' minor league system developing the ability to identify pitches and lay off ones that would be outside the strike zone, MLB.com reported.

The period to sign international players this year ends on Dec. 22. The signing period typically is six months, but for the past two years it has been almost a year due to COVID-19.

While Benitez and Glod won't contribute to the major leagues for a while, the Braves recently announced that their top three pitchers, based on last year's postseason performance, will all be on the roster this year. Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson and Max Fried started 11 of the team's 15 postseason games. Their solid pitching helped the Braves win the World Series for the first time since 1995.