Cobb Reporter

The Atlanta Braves are casting a wide net to better their chances of reaching the World Series more consistently in the future. The team recently signed a group of international players, with prospect Diego Benitez headlining the group.

"The Atlanta Braves [Sunday] announced the organization signed 14 international players," the Braves said in a news release. 

Benitez, 17, plays shortstop and has been compared to a young Manny Machado. He is being considered as a future third baseman and has received a $2.5 million signing bonus. He is from Venezuela.

At the plate, he has shown power and the ability to pepper the ball to all parts of the field. He’ll be expected to improve his plate discipline and pitch recognition when he gets into the team’s minor league system.

Another Venezuelan, Douglas Glod, a 16-year-old outfielder, received $1.3 million to sign on with the Braves. Glod captained the Venezuelan team in 2019 as an under-15 player. He is expected to be a solid hitting-for-average player who has power.

Those two players accounted for a large part of the club’s almost $5.2 million set aside for signing bonuses.

The signing period for international players this year runs through Dec. 22. The signing period typically is six months, but for the past two years it has been almost a year because of COVID-19 pandemic adjustments.

While the new signees won’t be in a major league uniform immediately the Braves recently came to terms with three pitchers, Charlie Morton, Max Fried and Ian Anderson. Their solid mound performances helped the team earn their first World Series title since 1995. They combined to start 11 of the team’s 15 postseason games.