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Baltimore Orioles haven’t always been big players when it comes to international baseball

The Baltimore Orioles haven’t always been big players when it comes to international baseball. But, lately, general manager Mike Elias and the organization are stepping up their efforts in the Caribbean.

Most notably, the team unveiled a new Dominican Republic baseball academy this winter.

Concurrent to that, the franchise invested heavily during the winter’s international signing period, as the Orioles handed out 16 bonuses of $100,000 or more.

The biggest went to an infielder, Emilio Sanchez, who received $1.3 million to sign.

The next biggest went to an outfielder, Stiven Martinez, who received $950,000.

Martinez is the player MLB Pipeline recently identified as the player with the fastest-rising stock among the franchise’s Top 30. Right now, Martinez is No. 28.

He’s only 17 years old.

Major League teams opt to keep their young, international prospects overseas for player development and to participate in the Dominican Summer League.

Martinez was no exception, as he’s played for the Orioles’ DSL team this summer.

He’s put up quality numbers.

In 31 games he’s slashed .284/.414/.441/.855 with four doubles, three triples, two home runs and 24 RBI.

He’s drawn 20 walks and struck out 41 times.

It’s not clear how far Martinez will rise in MLB Pipeline’s rankings.

The site is releasing its overall Top 100 on Tuesday, with revised Top 30 rankings for each team to follow.

 Baseball America had Martinez as the franchise’s No. 20 prospect in its re-rank last week.

At 6-4 and 200 pounds, MLB Pipeline described him as a player with “raw power” who can “add strength as he matures.”

He’s not expected to be MLB ready until 2029 and may fill out enough to move into a corner infield position.

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