As we all know in June the MLB Amateur draft is held, where young players get the chance to be drafted and continue their dream of playing professional baseball. What some may not know is that there is a similar process for our International players. On July 2nd the MLB opens up an International Free Agency for 16 year-old players to sign with any team.

For a number of years the Blue Jays were never major players in this process but when Alex Anthopolus took over as General Manager, GM, he promised fans that he would look to acquire top end talent any where he can. He instantly became a major factor in players defecting from Cuba by going after Aldoris Chapman and signing Adeiny Hechavarria. He then went out and gave Adonis Cardona a $2.8M signing bonus at last year’s International Free Agency.

On July 2nd AA went out and signed Dominican SS Dawel Lugo, to a $1.3M signing bonus and Nicaragua RHP Osman Gutierrez, to a $210 000 signing bonus. Bonus are confirmed by Shi Davidi, of Sportsnet. Lugo and Gutierrez have been assigned to the Dominican Summer League and will begin their pro career there. He then went out and signed 2 more Venezuelan products SS/OF Wilmer Becerra and OF Jesus Gonzalez. Bonuses were not announced but deals are confirmed by MLB Trade Rumours.

In depth Scouting Reports for Dawel Lugo, Number 6, Osman Gutierrez, Wilmer Becerra, Number 5, and Jesus Gonazlez, Number 21, are by Baseball America, have to be a subscriber. For those that don’t have that luxury I will give a synopsis Scouting Report for each player.

SS Dawel Lugo: A 6” 175lbs Bani native, is one of the better hitters in Latin America. He posses a solid swing, good bat speed and makes consistent contact with a natural loft. He is showing potential for plus power down the road. He can get pull-happy sometimes and is a bit of a free swinger. He was a below average runner in the spring but has improved to flash average speed, although this has said to be not a part of his game. Some scouts say Lugo could be a playable, bigger-bodied shortstop along the lines of Jhonny Peralta, but the strong majority believe he’ll move to third base early in his career.

RHP Osman Gutierrez: A 6’4 200lbs right-handed pitcher is considered to have a power arm. Not much information is available on him.

SS/OF Wilmer Becerra: A 6’3 175lbs Venezuelan native worked out for teams at both short stop and outfield, but his future resides in the outfield. He is a good athlete with size and speed. Some scouts are mixed on his bat, some say he is considered one of the best right-handed hitters available with good plate coverage and projectable power and others say he is better in tryout situation versus game situations where his swing gets a little long at times.

OF Jesus Gonzalez: A 6’1 190lbs Venezuelan, was getting attention early as one of the top players available here in 2011, some of the hype has cooled. His best tools are his power and arm strength. He arm has said to be the strongest arm among position players in Venezuela and is a plus tool. He is an average runner and has said to stick at right field because of his arm strength. He has shown above average power in batting practice but some scouting are mixed on his bat, like Becerra, some say they like it and some say he has a long swing.

Some other notable names that the Jays have been tied to by Baseball America are: RHP Manuel Cordoba, C Eric Otanez, RHP Victor Sanchez, C Marck Malave.