The Orioles' long-awaited entrance into the market for international amateurs began in earnest July 2 when the team signed 27 Latin American prospects from five different countries.
The signings, which included players between the ages of 16 and 19, are a sign the Orioles have finally started to catch up to the other 29 teams in Major League Baseball that have had a scouting presence in Latin America for years, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
"It's a pretty significant shift from anything that they've done before and that's a pretty low bar to clear," Badler said on Glenn Clark Radio July 3. "Up until this year, they've been operating like -- I don't even want to say 2009, maybe like 1999. I mean, such an antiquated approach from the top of the Orioles' organization to almost completely ignore the international market."
