Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez will be Twins' top international signing

OAKLAND, CALIF. – Lefthander Lewis Thorpe, who made his Twins debut Saturday, was a member of the Twins' 2012 international signing class. Shortstop Wander Javier, from the 2015 class, and righthander Brusdar Graterol (2014) are two of the Twins' top five minor league prospects.

And the 2009 class, during which Miguel Sano, Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco were signed, could go down as a franchise-energizing haul.

The Twins have not mastered scouting and signing international talent by any means. But the organization, from Mike Radcliffe, vice president in charge of player personnel, to senior scouting adviser Deron Johnson to Latin America scout Fred Guerrero are experienced and can point to past successes as evidence that they can find gems.

That makes days like Tuesday — the annual start of the international signing period — an exciting time of year for the Twins.

While the club has a policy of not announcing deals until physicals are complete and all necessary paperwork has been completed, sources have confirmed agreements they have reached with some prospects.

The Twins' big-ticket signing will be Dominican outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, who will sign for around $2.7 million once the deal is official. MLB.com has him listed as the eighth-best prospect in this year's class. He's described by the publication as a potential Eddie Rosario-type player. But Rodriguez is bigger than Rosario with better strike zone judgment with the potential of being a power threat like Rosario.

In fact, most of the players the Twins will sign this period will be corner outfield and corner infield types with power potential.

The Twins also have an agreement with Malfrin Sosa, another outfielder from the Dominican Republic, who will eventually sign for around $1 million. He is another player with good size who projects as a power hitter.

Yonardy Soto is listed as a shortstop but already is being referred to by one Twins officials as a third baseman. Another thinks Soto could end up anywhere on the corners in the infield or outfield. But Soto, who is from the Dominican Republic, is lanky with strong legs and is expected to fill out with age. These are just a few of the prospects the Twins will sign during this period. They have $5,939,800 in their bonus pool, and could sign prospects at any time over the next several months.

And, of course, the ones with the big bonuses don't always come through. Some are late bloomers.

The Twins have such a player in first baseman Lewin Diaz, who signed in 2013 for around $1.4 million. His progress has been deliberate, but he batted .290 with 13 homers — three in one game — and 36 RBI at Class A Fort Myers in 57 games before being promoted to Class AA Pensacola. All he's done there in 12 games is hit .340 with two home runs and 10 RBI — including four RBI in one game.

Diaz has to be placed on the 40-man roster this offseason or could be lost in the Rule 5 draft. He's making a case to be added to the roster, or he could be someone the Twins try to add in a trade before the July 31 deadline.

The Twins have several players they need to add to the 40-man, so they might look to lighten that inventory.

And it doesn't take a lot of money to land a prospect. Twins fans are watching that in action right now as second baseman Luis Arraez will start at second base on Tuesday against the Athletics.

The Twins signed him for all of $40,000. Arraez was small and wasn't fast as a teenager, not making him a hot prospect. But one scout, Jose Leon, believed in his bat and convinced the Twins to cut a check.

Big check or small check, teams hope they hit on a future star during the international signing period.