Major League Baseball’s 2026 international signing period opens on Jan. 15, giving prospects from around the world, primarily Latin America, an opportunity to make their baseball dreams come true.
As of last month, Francys Romero reported that 1,011 players signed a contract with MLB organizations during the 2024-25 signing period. Six of those players hailed from Nicaragua.
There will be at least three members from Nicaragua in the 2025 class, as 8DeportivoTN8 reported on Sunday that three prospects from the Central American country will sign contracts on Jan. 15.
Right-hander Evans de Souza will join the Miami Marlins, according to 8Deportivo8’s report. Beisbol de Nicaragua confirmed Souza’s contract with the Marlins this past July with a post on their official Facebook page. The soon-to-be 17-year-old allowed three earned runs, walked 11 batters, and struck out five in 2 2/3 innings at the U-15 Baseball World Cup in Colombia in August 2024.
Left-hander Miguel Molina will sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates. John Dreker wrote on X in December that while Molina’s parents are both Nicaraguan, his birth country is Costa Rica. If the 16-year-old reaches the Major Leagues, he would become the first Costa Rican professional in MLB history. Dreker added that his average fastball velocity is at or around 90 mph.
Infielder Juan Diego Holmann will sign with the Minnesota Twins. He spent the last two seasons playing in a semi-professional baseball circuit in Nicaragua known as the Campeonato Nacional de Béisbol Superior Cmte. Germán Pomares Ordóñez. The 17-year-old primarily plays shortstop and hit .284/.388/.418 with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 69 games in 2025 with the Indios del Boer.
Twenty-eight players from Nicaragua have made at least one appearance in an MLB game. The most famous of the group are Dennis Martinez, Marvin Bernard, and Jonathan Loaisiga.
Photo: Jonathan Loáisiga is one of the best MLB players to come from Nicaragua. Three young prospects from the central American country will sign with MLB teams when the international free agent signing period opens in a few weeks. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
