Mets sign 16-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Andres Gimenez

The Mets have agreed to sign Venezuelan shortstop prospect Andres Gimenez to a contract.

Gimenez, 16, was ranked the second-best international prospect this year by Baseball America. He has reportedly signed for a $1.2 million bonus. This signing comes on the first day that teams are eligible to sign international free agents.

Gimenez has earned the praise of several scouts. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs called him "the poster child of this year's class of identifying, scouting and locking up prospects early" while Ben Badler of Baseball America called Gimenez "one of the best pure hitters available." Badler added that some scouts believe he can develop into a .300 hitter in the major leagues because of his solid bat speed and quick hands. He is said to have good speed and fields "steady to above average at shortstop."

The Mets have now signed two of Baseball America's top ten international prospects today. Early this morning, they signed Dominican shortstop Gregory Guerrero, who was ranked sixth-best international prospect on the list.