The Orioles signed 19-year-old Chinese infielder Gui Yuan “Itchy” Xu to an international free agent deal for next season, the club announced Monday.
Xu (pronounced “SHOO”) is the first player signed by a major league team to come from the MLB’s international developmental centers. Xu has been a member of MLB’s developmental center in Wuxi, China, since 2010.
Xu, who is 6 feet, 188 pounds and throws left handed, received a $10,000 signing bonus, according to MLB.com.
Major League Baseball opened its first development center in China in Wuxi in 2009. The facility provides baseball training to middle- and high school-aged students in an academic environment.