We have been mostly in the dark about the Marlins’ plans for international amateur free agency. With the January 15 signing date fast approaching, that’s beginning to change. Fabian De Pablos of the KPL Baseball academy in Venezuela shared on Thursday that left-hander Julio Mendez has committed to a deal with the Fish.
According to De Pablos, the 16-year-old currently maxes out at 95 miles per hour with his fastball (sits 91-93 mph) with an intriguingly high spin rate of 2700 revolutions per minute. As is the case for any player that age, there is the potential for his velocity to continue increasing in the coming years.