The Dominican Summer League opens today with the Phillies fielding two clubs — Phillies Red and Phillies White — and several of their most exciting international signings are set to take the field. The DSL is the entry point into professional baseball for players from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and across Latin America, with rosters typically made up of teenagers getting their first taste of professional routines. The Phillies have a long history in the league, and their DSL Phillies White club won the 2022 championship.
Francisco Renteria, Juan Parra are the Crown Jewels
The headliner of the entire group, Renteria is the highest-ranked international prospect the Phillies have ever signed, coming in at number three overall on MLB Pipeline’s international rankings on a $4-million deal. A Venezuelan outfielder, he is described as a “contact monster” with plus-plus raw power and a genuine feel for the strike zone — one of the highest offensive upsides in the 2026 international class. He’s also an above-average runner capable of impacting the game on the bases, and has drawn comparisons to Konnor Griffin, the Pirates’ 2024 first-rounder who shot to the top of baseball’s overall prospect rankings in his first professional season.
Read the PBN scouting report on Francisco Renteria
The Phillies signed Parra, who is ranked 39th in the international class, for $550,000. A shortstop by trade with the potential to play center field, Parra is one of Bobby Abreu‘s standout pupils from MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program in Venezuela. He’s a plus runner with exceptional hands, body control, and easy actions at shortstop. While his bat doesn’t project for big power, it’s considered solid enough to keep him at a premium defensive position long-term, and his makeup and work ethic have drawn consistent praise from scouts. If he and Renteria both progress as expected, Parra is a candidate to move to center field thanks to his speed and athleticism.
Please note, that the Phillies have two players named Juan Parra. One is a left-handed pitcher who played in the DSL last season for the DSL Phillies White. The other is the Juan Parra mentioned here, who will be playing in his first professional season.
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A Deep Group Beyond the Top Two
The rest of the group reinforces just how active and deliberate the Phillies have been on the international market. Anderson Araujo, a 17-year-old catcher/first baseman from the Dominican Republic, ranks 31st in the organization with a strong bat tool and enough upside that he’s expected to be promoted to the FCL to challenge pitchers there as an 18-year-old at some point this summer. Fellow Dominican Dayber Cruceta, an outfielder ranked 34th, showed impressive contact ability in his DSL debut last summer and projects to add more pop as he physically matures. Venezuelan shortstop Romeli Espinosa (35th in the system) rounds out what is quietly becoming a noteworthy cluster of teenage shortstop prospects in the Philadelphia pipeline. On the pitching side, Justin Burgos is a projectable 6-foot-5 Dominican right-hander who already sits 92-93 mph and fits the mold of Geremy Villoria, last year’s mid-range international arm investment who developed quickly enough to be included in the Harrison Bader trade with Minnesota.
Youth and Projection Define This Class
The overarching theme across all of these players is youth and upside — nearly all of them are 17 years old and still a long way from the majors. But the depth of the group reflects a Phillies organization that has been investing both heavily and wisely on the international market, with an eye toward replenishing a system that has been consistently graduating talent to Philadelphia in recent years. Renteria is the name to know, but the players around him make this a DSL group well worth following all summer.
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