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Giants’ Top-Ranked International Prospect Already Getting Serious Attention
General view of a San Francisco Giants cap and glove during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are gearing up to make another big splash in the international signing period, which opens on Thursday.

San Francisco should have $5.4 million to spend this year, which is tied for the lowest amount with Houston, the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. The Giants have until Dec. 15 to spend the money. They can acquire more bonus pool money via trade, or trade some of it away.

San Francisco hit the jackpot in last year’s international class as they signed the top prospect on the board and he is currently the organization’s top-ranked international prospect, per MLB.com.

San Francisco Giants’ Top International Prospect

The Giants signed shortstop Josuar Gonzalez last January, a player most scouts considered the best position player in the class. San Francisco snagged him for only $2.997 million out of the Dominican Republic. He is the Giants’ No. 2 prospect behind first baseman Bryce Eldridge. He is also MLB Pipeline’s No. 82 overall prospect.

Most international prospects begin their professional careers in the Dominican Summer League. Prospects spend either a year or two there before coming stateside. After how he performed in 2025, a move to the Giants’ Arizona Complex League team in 2026 seems in order.

He had an impressive slash in the DSL — .288/.404/.455 — with four home runs and 24 RBI. With 10 doubles and five triples, he finished with 19 extra-base hits, scored 52 runs and stole 33 bases. Perhaps most impressive for an 18-year-old was that he walked (37) more than he struck out (36) in 191 at-bats.

He’s already proved to be a disciplined hitter at such a young age, which bodes well for how quickly he could move through the system.

San Francisco has six more years of Willy Adames under contract, so for now San Francisco is set at the position. That means Gonzalez has plenty of time to develop. He won’t be Rule 5 draft eligible until after the 2029 season. By then, he could be ready for the Majors, though he may need a new position by that point. Many shortstops can play second base, too. He hasn’t cross-trained there yet, as San Francisco chose to keep him consistently at shortstop, with six games at designated hitter.

The Giants will bring in another class of international players next week. They can only hope that those players show the level of promise that Gonzalez has shown after one season.


This article first appeared on San Francisco Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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