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Phillies, Dominican Jhailyn Ortiz agree to terms

The 16-year-old slugger is projected as an everyday first baseman with big-time power.

LOS ANGELES - The Phillies may have an eventual replacement for Chase Utley with the hot-hitting Cesar Hernandez. Shortstop Freddy Galvis has handled himself well in Year One and top prospect J.P. Crawford will also vie for the heir to Jimmy Rollins' throne before too long, too.

Have the Phillies found the eventual heir apparent to Ryan Howard at first base?

Last night, the Phillies announced that they had come to an agreement with 16-year-old Dominican slugger Jhailyn Ortiz.

In the news release, the team referred to the 6-3, 240-pound righthanded-hitting Ortiz as a rightfielder. But many in the industry believe he'll eventually wind up as a first baseman.

Terms of the deal were not released, but according to MLB.com last week - when the two sides had a handshake agreement on the first day of the international signing period - the contract could be as much as $4.2 million.

Ortiz was signed by Sal Agostinelli, the Phillies' director of international scouting.

"We have been scouting Jhailyn since he was 14 years old," assistant general manager Benny Looper said in the press release. "Since that time, our scouts have gotten to know the family and have a strong conviction of not only his ability to play baseball but his strong character and desire to be a major league player. We are excited to add the power potential Jhailyn possesses to the Phillies organization."

Baseball America recently rated Ortiz's power tool a "70" on the 20-80 scouting scale.

In addition to Ortiz, the Phillies also announced agreements with Venezuelan catcher Rafael Marchan and two more Dominican players, infielder Kuedy Bocio and lefthanded pitcher Manuel Silva.

Last weekend, the Phillies widened their budget for international signing by completing a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies sent minor league pitchers Chris Oliver and Josh Taylor to Arizona, along with the ninth overall international signing slot, in exchange for the No. 1 overall international signing slot.

The trade gave the Phillies more than an additional $1.5 million to spend during the international signing period, which allowed them to sign Ortiz without incurring a penalty that could have affected them for the next two years. Any team that exceeds their pool by 15 percent or more cannot sign a player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods.

Additionally, those teams that spend beyond their slot have to pay a 100 percent tax on the pool overage.

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese