Fernando Graterol is a catcher by trade.
“But he’s more athletic than most catchers,” said Chicago White Sox special assistant to the general manager David Keller, who oversees international scouting. “We’re talking about a guy who runs a 6.8 60 (yard dash). He’s got plus bat speed, raw power is — I would say, especially for the position — at the top of the class.
“We feel like he’s one of the best catchers in the 2026 international crop.”
The Sox came to terms with the 17-year-old from Guacara, Venezuela, one of 18 international signings they announced Thursday. The 2026 class includes nine right-handed pitchers, three catchers, three shortstops and three outfielders. Nine of the prospects are from the Dominican Republic, seven from Venezuela and one each from Colombia and Mexico.
“We’re excited about all of these guys,” Keller said during a videoconference call Thursday. “The headlines are going to go to the higher-bonus-dollar players, but we’re equally excited about guys who maybe didn’t receive quite as much money.
“We think they have a chance with our player development group to blossom and grow and provide value to the White Sox.”
Graterol is top-ranked catcher for the 2026 international class (No. 31 overall) by MLB Pipeline. He received the team’s top signing bonus at $1.6 million, followed by 17-year-old outfielder Sebastián Romero ($1.5 million).
“He’s a very fluid athlete,” Keller said of Romero, who is from Guatire, Venezuela. “Another guy who has a good body, has a chance to defend the position, a premium position in center field, and consistently puts together good at-bats (and) makes contact.”
The list of outfielders also includes Héctor Hernández, a 16-year-old from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and 17-year-old Stiwarts Valdez, who is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds and from La Vega, Dominican Republic).
Keller noted Valdez had exit velocities that topped 109 mph and added, “He’s someone who, every time that I have had the opportunity to watch him play in games or face live at-bats, he’s hit a home run. So I think that means that I need to attend close to 20 DSL (Dominican Summer League) games this year.”
The two other catchers are 16-year-old Ronald Cardoso (Maracaibo, Venezuela) and José Suárez, a 16-year old from San Felipe, Venezuela. The three shortstops are Carlos Vielma (16, from Bobures, Venezuela), Félix LeBron (17, La Haina, Dominican Republic) and Samuel Luis (16, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic).
Keller said the pitching group “has a chance to be a real strength of this class for us.”
“I think we have a group generally speaking that they’re tall, they’re long, they have the physical attributes that we look for,” Keller said. “The majority of them are athletic and they move well with their deliveries. And then they have stuff. I think for the first time that I can remember, we’re signing a group where the majority of them have already touched 90 miles an hour and there is still room to grow with each and every one of them.
“They all bring something unique to the table and they all have traits that we think can be developed into valuable members of our organization.”
There are four 17-year-old pitchers in Roderick Ramírez (Dajabón, Dominican Republic), Franchel Crisóstomo (Las Matas de Farfán, Dominican Republic), Ronald Kelly (Cartagena, Colombia) and Erlyn Lauriano (San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) and four 16-year-old pitchers in Yordany Marté (Bonao, Dominican Republic), Emmanuel Rodríguez (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic), Jefferson Timaure (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) and Beinel Adón (San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic).
The group also includes 18-year-old Ander Guzmán, who is from Guanajuato, Mexico.
“Good players come from everywhere, it’s our job to identify them,” Keller said. “Our scout who lives in Panama was able to see (Guzmán) play in a showcase. He brought him to our attention. We made a concerted effort to get data on him. Ultimately when we saw him we liked what we saw.
“He’s a little bit older but talented nonetheless. I think 2017 was the last time that we signed a Mexican-born player. This allows us to raise our profile in places where talented players are coming from, and Mexico is one of those places.”
