CHICAGO -- One was considered the best pitcher available among international prospects. Another dominated a Cuban team in a tournament in Colombia. And the three position players selected all are considered good baseball players who also are stellar athletes.
The Cubs signed right-hander Richard Gallardo, outfielder Jose Lopez, lefty Joel Machado, shortstop Rafael Morel and outfielder Yohendrick Pinango on July 2, international signing day. All are teenagers, though, so don't start penciling them into the Cubs' lineup yet.
Louis Eljaua, the Cubs' international scouting director, knows about potential. In 1999, he was a scout with the Marlins and called his boss, Al Avila, now the Tigers general manager, raving about a 15-year-old who Eljaua saw in Venezuela.