The Texas Rangers didn't spend a whole lot in the 2011 MLB Amateur draft in June, leaving many Rangers fans perplexed if not annoyed. The Rangers, though, appear to be making up for that by signing Dominican Republic native Nomar Mazara. Mazara's five million dollar signing bonus is the most that an international signee has received.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has a quote from Jon Daniels on the subject:
According to ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas, the Rangers have agreed to a record bonuse of approximately $5 million for 16-year-old OF Nomar Mazara of the Dominican Republic . Rangers GM Jon Daniels didn't confirm the signing, but certainly left open the possibility of a big push by the Rangers in Latin America.
"It's our policy not to address specific players until they've signed contracts and passed physicals," Daniels said. "However, it's fair to say we planned to be active in the international amateur market this year, consistent with our goal of adding the best talent possible in all arenas. Our scouts have put in a lot of work to put us in position to do just that, and ownership continues to support us. Can't say enough about both groups' commitment to seeing us win."
The signing of Mazara is in conjunction with another rumor from Enriqe Rojas: that the Rangers are close to signing Ronald Guzman, an outfielder from the Dominican Republic. Guzman ranked second on Baseball America's top 40 expected bonuses list, which can be found here. Interesting that Mazara was supposed to only have the tenth highest bonus of any international signee this year, but instead winds up with a record bonus.
We'll see what Daniels and the Rangers have up their sleeve as the rest of the weekend pans out.