The Dominican Republic is heading to the 2026 U-15 Baseball World Cup in Mexico with something no other youth roster in the tournament can match: over $30 million in verbal agreements with MLB organizations, distributed among 14- and 15-year-olds who haven’t signed an official professional contract in their lives. The tournament opens September 25 in Mérida, Yucatán, and Cancún, Quintana Roo — but this team’s story started months ago, inside Dominican academies where MLB scouts have been watching very closely.
The Names and What They’re Already Worth
Analyst @wilberdata published the breakdown on September 15, and the number stops you cold: six prospects with verbal agreements totaling over $30 million, all part of the 2028 international signing class — the official signing period that opens in January of that year.
- Ángel Montás — Toronto Blue Jays ($5.7M)
- Norky Sánchez — Tampa Bay Rays ($4.4M)
- Ransiel Herrera — Chicago White Sox ($4.0M)
- Carlos Marrero — Texas Rangers ($3.0M)
- Yeiden Herrera — Seattle Mariners ($2.5M)
- Milfre Figueroa — Los Angeles Dodgers ($2.5M)
Leading the group is Ángel Montás, a 15-year-old third baseman from Santo Domingo with a reported verbal agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays in the $5.5M–$5.7M range — the figure varies by source, as these are not yet signed contracts. If confirmed at that level, it would be the highest international signing bonus ever recorded for a player at his position. He stands 6’2″, weighs 185 pounds, bats left-handed, and Perfect Game grades him with 70+ raw power.
One important note before going further: none of these players have signed yet. The agreements are verbal — real, and backed by insiders including Héctor Gómez and Jeff Passan in Montás’s case — but no money changes hands until January 2028. Calling these figures «paid bonuses» would be inaccurate. What exists is a level of commitment that MLB organizations almost never walk back once it reaches this stage.
What This Says About Dominican Baseball
The Dominican Republic has been the top pipeline for international MLB prospects for decades, but a U-15 roster carrying this volume of commitments signals that the market is accelerating. Organizations are betting bigger and earlier — $30 million on players who, in many cases, are still in middle school.
The FEDOM spent about a month and a half assembling this group, running evaluations and scrimmages across programs from all over the country. The result is a team that will compete in Group A alongside Japan — the reigning champions, who won the title in Barranquilla 2024 over Puerto Rico — plus Cuba, Mexico, Germany, and South Africa.
The Dominican Republic opens on September 25 against Cuba at 2:30 PM at Parque Kukulcán Álamo in Mérida. The top three teams from each group advance to the super round; the rest move to Cancún. Japan is the standard to chase in this tournament.
But the real competition for the Dominican Republic already happened: convincing six MLB franchises that it’s worth committing tens of millions of dollars to players who still can’t vote.
Why It Matters Right Now
The international signing market runs by its own rules. Verbal agreements close years before the official signing date, scouts evaluate 13- and 14-year-olds, and dollar figures move based on private scouting reports — not stats from organized leagues. A national team publicly displaying those numbers is unusual, and it says as much about the caliber of the talent as it does about the transparency insiders are now willing to provide.
For Dominican fans, this roster is something concrete to be proud of: not «we have good prospects,» but six names, six MLB teams, and six verifiable figures. For the organizations involved, it’s a long-term bet on the most productive pipeline in international baseball. And for the tournament in Mexico, it’s the best possible argument for why U-15 baseball is no longer a minor affair.
