Tag: vladimir asencio

Red Sox release former top international signing after just two seasons

The Red Sox released minor league outfielder and former top international signing Vladimir Asencio after reinstating him from the restricted list last Friday, per the MiLB.com transactions log.

Asencio, who turns 19 next month, spent just two seasons in the Red Sox organization after originally being signed for $1 million out of the Dominican Republic last January. The Santo Domingo native and Mejia Top 10 product received the largest signing bonus in Boston’s 2024 international free agent class but was unable to make it to the United States.

At that time, Asencio was ranked as the No. 34 prospect in the 2024 international signing class by MLB Pipeline, which described him as having “a sound bat path and slight uppercut stroke” as well as “speed [that] should enable him to maximize his tools defensively.”

Asencio debuted in the Dominican Summer League last June but proceeded to struggle in his first professional season. The right-handed hitter batted just .165/.317/.195 with two doubles, one triple, 13 RBIs, 21 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 21 walks, and 39 strikeouts in 43 games (164 plate appearances) for DSL Red Sox Blue. He made 29 starts in center field, six starts in left field, and six starts in right field.

Unlike others from his signing class, Asencio repeated the Dominican Summer League and returned to DSL Red Sox Blue for the start of the 2025 campaign. Another year older at 18, Asencio still scuffled to a .228/.253/.253 slash line with two doubles, 10 RBIs, nine runs scored, two stolen bases, two walks, and 18 strikeouts in 25 games (83 plate appearances). He made 18 starts in left field, two starts in center field, and two starts at DH before being placed on the restricted list for the remainder of the season on July 23.

Though it is unclear why he was placed on the restricted list in the first place, a team source described Acensio’s release last week as “a baseball decision we make with players all the time.”

Having said that, Asencio is a career .189/.296/.217 hitter through two seasons in the Dominican Summer League and is still in search of his first professional home run. Assuming he is now free to sign with another club, it will be interesting to see how much interest, if any, Asencio garners on the open market.

Asencio is the second notable member of Boston’s 2024 international class to be cut loose this year, joining Venezuelan infielder Carlos Carrasquel. The 18-year-old Carrasquel received a $590,000 signing bonus last January but was released in May.

(Picture of Vladimir Asencio: Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Red Sox expected to sign Dominican outfield prospect Vladimir Asencio later this month

The Red Sox are expected to sign Dominican outfielder Vladimir Asencio when the 2024 international signing period opens on January 15, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler.

Asencio is slated to receive the 39th-highest bonus this year, per Badler. The 17-year-old is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 33 prospect in the 2024 international signing class.

Like top Red Sox prospect and fellow outfielder Miguel Bleis, who signed with Boston three years ago, Asencio also trained with Mejia Top 10 baseball academy in Santo Domingo.

According to his Baseball America scouting report, Asencio “is one of the most difficult hitters to strike out from the Dominican Republic in this year’s class. He has excellent hand-eye coordination with the bat control to consistently put the ball in play. Asencio isn’t that big, with even scouts who were high on him still uncertain about how much power he will end up developing.”

In similar fashion, MLB Pipeline describes the right-handed hitter as follows: “Armed with a sound bat path and slight uppercut stroke, Asencio has a knack for utilizing the opposing field. He has made consistent hard contact during games, and evaluators believe he will grow into more power as he matures. He remains very much hit-over-power at this stage of his development, but he does sport some sneaky pop.”

Listed at 5-foot-10 and somewhere between 160-170 pounds, Asencio ” boasts loads of physical projection,” per MLB Pipeline. The outlet notes that “athleticism is the first thing that jumps off the page with Asencio. Although he has just average arm strength from center field with fair footwork and range, his speed should enable him to maximize his tools defensively. That same quickness figures to play to his advantage on the basepaths with his medium-sized frame.”

Baseball America adds that while Asencio “isn’t a burner,” he runs “well enough to get a chance to play center field.” To that end, MLB Pipeline grades all of Asencio’s tools, including a 55-hit, as a 50 or better on the 20-80 scouting scale.

While it is not yet known how much money Asencio will be receiving from the Red Sox, it should be noted that the 39th-ranked player on Badler’s 2023 bonus board, Anibal Salas, signed with the Detroit Tigers for $1 million last year. That same dollar figure would account for roughly 18.9 percent of Boston’s $5.284 million bonus pool for the 2024 international signing period, which runs through December 15.

With all that being said, Asencio — who does not turn 18 until December — will presumably make his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League alongside other members of the Sox’ 2024 international signing class at some point later this year.

(Picture of Dominican Republic flags: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)