July 2nd: MLB's International Signing Period Begins

​​​July 2nd is not just any day in the Dominican Republic. It's the day magic happens, dreams come true, and lives change.  

Finca Vigía-Los Tanquecitos, Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. ©2016 EBGallardo

Or so we hope. Today, July 2nd, opens Major League Baseball's (MLB) signing period for international players.  Latin American baseball talent is funneled through the DR, so it's an emotionally heightened day for all. There is no international draft for now. Territories outside of the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico are not under the limitations or strictures - or protective rules - of the MLB draft. 

​The ​international signing period has it's own set of rules, only touched on in this post:

• "An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between July 2 through June 15 of the next year if he is 17 or will turn 17 by the end of the first season of his contract."  

In practice, MLB fudges this to age 16.  And it appears to be going younger again.

• "Additionally, any prospect who is already 17 or older and has not previously signed a Major or Minor League contract, resides outside of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and has not been enrolled in a high school or college in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico within the previous year is eligible to sign during the period."

That means you can move to the DR and try out as an international player. 

Finca Vigía-Los Tanquecitos, Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. ©2016 EBGallardo

The lack of an international draft is a good thing in many ways. For one, international players compete in a smaller pool of talent. In other ways, not so much good. Without strictures and oversight, signing talent can be a pretty sketchy business.  But this is a story for another post.

July 2nd is the biggest of days. It sets the tone for the signing season. Not everyone will experience magic, or have their dreams come true, or have their lives change today. But I hope these hardworking Dominican baseball players vying for an MLB contract this season will receive something for their efforts.  And at a fair price, ethically given.