Royals Sign 19 International Players, Including Three Top-50 Prospects

On Thursday, January 15th, the MLB International Signing period opened, and the Royals announced 19 signings for their 2026 class on social media. 

All of the Royals' signings this year came from Latin America, with the country breakdown as follows:

• Nine from the Dominican Republic
• Seven from Venezuela
• One from Colombia
• One from Panama
• One from Cuba

The Royals have always had a strong ability to find talent from Venezuela, thanks to their ties with Salvador Perez, a legend in that country. However, it seems like the Royals have made strong inroads in the Dominican Republic since Daniel Guerrero took over as Director of International Scouting in 2023. In addition to nine signings hailing from the Dominican Republic, the top recently signed shortstop prospects, Yandel Ricardo, Warren Calcano, and Ramcell Medina, are all Dominican as well. 

The Royals Player Development account (Raising Royals) also covered the Royals' International Signing Day class, highlighting the celebration at the Royals' academy in the Dominican Republic (where the two Dominican Summer League teams play and train). 

Raising Royals also provided a short video introduction to all 19 players on social media, with scouting videos of those players coming in the coming days. 

Three prospects particularly stand out from the Royals' 2026 International class: Venezuelan outfielder Angeibel Gomez, Cuban infielder Jaider Suarez, and Venezuelan catcher Adrian Lunar. Gomez, Suarez, and Lunar were ranked 4th, 22nd, and 43rd in this year's international class, according to MLB Pipeline. 

Let's take a look at those three prospects and their scouting reports from MLB Pipeline.

Angeibel Gomez, OF, VEN

From MLB Pipeline:

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Maracay, Venezuela, is a city of around 1 million residents that sits near the Caribbean coast and has birthed 45 Major Leaguers (including Miguel Cabrera and Jose Altuve) as of the 2025 season. Gomez, who calls the "Garden City” home, garners top-of-the-charts reviews for his off-the-field acumen and makeup, which helps to enhance his already impressive tool package. His large, physical frame at a young age led to one evaluator believing that had Gomez been born stateside, he would be an SEC-caliber wide receiver recruit on the football field. He trains with Alexis Quiroz of AQ Sport Agency, a member of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program.

Equipped with a right-handed swing that repeatedly generates hard contact, Gomez has shown proficiency in getting to his extra-base power, primarily to his pull side. He won MVP of the Amateur Scouting League in 2024 by hitting .370 with a 1.216 OPS, leading the circuit with 10 RBIs and 21 total bases across eight games. Gomez has a patient and mature approach at the plate, as evidenced by his ‘25 performance in the same league where he walked more than he struck out. There’s even more juice in the tank to come as he adds weight and continues to hone his swing.

Gomez plays an excellent center field with the chance to stick there long-term. His knowledge of routes allows his athleticism to play up even more, and he has occasionally ripped off throws nearing triple digits when throwing to bases. Gomez’s overall baseball IQ also works in his favor on the basepaths as he is a savvy runner who has both the speed and intuitiveness to know when to pick his spots, as evidenced by going 11-for-11 on stolen-base attempts during his two turns through the Amateur Scouting League.

 

Jaider Suarez, IF, CUB

From MLB Pipeline:

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A longtime standout in his native Cuba as an amateur, Suarez moved to the Dominican Republic in 2023 and began to train with the renowned Javier Rodríguez in Santo Domingo East. A member of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program, La Alianza also oversaw the development of former Top 100 prospect Kevin Alcántara and 2025’s No. 3 international talent, Elian Peña. Known for his hard-nosed style of play, Suarez won a silver medal with Cuba as the youngest member of its roster at the U15 World Cup in Mexico in 2022.

Even at a young age, Suarez has the physical look of a potential impact talent. His right-handed swing routinely produces loud contact and his consistency in keeping his head still at the point of impact allows him to get to extra-base pop. In over 100 plate appearances in Cuba’s U16 National League back in 2023, Suarez – despite being just 13 at the time – slashed .355/.495/.605 and walked nearly twice as many times as he struck out.

Suarez has a solid chance to stick at shortstop in pro ball as he has showcased sound actions and the lateral movement to captain the infield. He has a strong throwing arm that could even take a step forward as he continues to add muscle to his growing frame. In addition to his savvy in-game instincts, Suarez blends wheels that have been clocked as fast as 6.5 seconds on 60-yard dash times.

 

Adrian Lunar, C, VEN

From MLB Pipeline:

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Miguel Montero was a left-handed-hitting catcher from Venezuela who had more than 3,800 at-bats in the big leagues over the course of a 13-year career. Now he trains Lunar, a fellow Venezuelan and converted infielder who has taken quickly to the nuances of catching. There’s an up arrow next to Lunar’s all-around prospect pedigree, as he draws positive reviews from evaluators for his ebullient personality and mind for the game from behind the dish.

Also a left-handed hitter like Montero, Lunar has a flat, level swing that he utilizes to almost never swing and miss. He has top-of-the-charts bat-to-ball skills and has the look of a high average bat in the future. Of course, that tradeoff means that he often eschews power for contact, although it’s an interesting profile, especially as a catcher where the reliance on offensive output won’t be as high.

While Lunar’s receiving is still developing, he’s already posted some elite pop times in the range of 1.8-to-1.9 seconds on throws down to second. Having utilized those quick hands to his benefit from his time on the dirt, Lunar is also extremely aggressive and athletic behind the plate, consistently trying to back pick runners and manage basestealers. He’s not a burner and has just an average throwing arm (one that’s boosted by his lightning-quick release) but his work ethic figures to help him acclimate to the rigors of the pro game.

 

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What to Take Away from the Class?

First off, International Signing Day can be an overhyped event. The players who sign are extremely young and have a long road of development ahead of them, and the odds are often stacked against them. For every Perez, Maikel Garcia, or Yordano Ventura success story, there's an Erick Pena, Wilmin Candelario, or Yefri Del Rosario example who fails to live up to the hype.

It is interesting to see the Royals focus more on "quality" signings rather than "quantity", which was the strategy under former GM Dayton Moore. For context, in 2022, the Royals signed 28 international players. However, none of them reached the $1 million signing bonus threshold.  

Conversely, Gomez signed for $2.9 million, Suarez signed for $1.7 million, and Lunar signed for $1 million. Hence, while the number of signings is lower than in years past, it appears the Royals are willing to shell out more for the top available international talent on the market, something they weren't always prone to do (especially before Guerrero came over). 

Even though expectations are high for the three, as well as the 16 other Royals signings to a lesser degree, it will be a long time before any of these players are ready for the MLB level. So Royals fans should keep their expectations tempered with this group. It likely won't be until 2027 or 2028 that we hear their names again or see them playing in affiliated ball (even the high-profile ones). 

Still, it's exciting to see the new talent coming into the Royals organization, who will play and develop over the next year or two at the Royals facility in the Dominican Republic, especially in the Dominican Summer League (the Royals have two teams that compete in the league). 

Interested in learning more about the Kansas City Royals' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!