With signings in the International Free Agent market becoming official today, ESPN reports that the Yankees have officially signed outfielder Francisco Vilorio to a $1.7 million deal. The right-handed hitting outfielder turned 16 years old this past October and will be their top signing in this IFA signing period. He ranks as MLB Pipeline’s #15 prospect, and with his 6’2 frame, he projects to have excellent power from the right-handed side.
The Yankees weren’t expected to have an extremely active year with signing international free agents due to their pool for spending being lesser than years past, but their ability to find talent internationally should allow them to still walk away with some impressive talent.
Yankees Ink Their Top IFA Target
The Yankees won’t be signing a prospect of Jasson Dominguez or Roderick Arias’ caliber this time around, but Francisco Vilorio fits the profile of a toolsy position player that the team has been infamous for acquiring not just in the International Free Agent market, but also in the Amateur Draft as well. When you’re constantly in a contention window, acquiring high-upside talent is of the utmost importance, as teams like the Yankees already feature plenty of solid players on their roster.
Power is what Vilorio is known for, sporting a muscular frame that should allow him to generate high exit velocities and plenty of game power, and that’s right in the Yankees’ wheelhouse. From Spencer Jones to Everson Pereira, the Yankees are known for having outfield prospects who can crush the baseball, and Vilorio will fit in nicely in that regard. Still only 17 years old, the right-handed outfielder has plenty of time to grow into his frame and get stronger, and that should bring plenty of excitement around his profile.
It should be noted that trying to project the outcomes of high school-age teenagers is impossibly difficult and that we won’t truly know the prospect he is until he reaches affiliated ball and gets a solid sample size there. For the Yankees, they continue to bolster a farm system that has collected a lot of talent through International Free Agency, with MLB.com voting them as the best-performing organization on that market.
They’re expected to have more signings agreed to in the coming hours, but Francisco Vilorio serves as the headliner for their 2024 IFA class.