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By Jon Vankin
Contributing Sports Writer
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Just two seasons after signing one of the most highly ranked international prospects in his class and paying him a $1 million signing bonus — nearly 20 percent of their entire bonus money pool that year — the Boston Red Sox last week abruptly handed Vladimir Asencio his release, according to a Tuesday report by Brendan Campbell of SoxProspects.com.
Ranked No. 34 overall among 2024 international prospects by MLB Pipeline, Asencio was cut loose by the Red Sox just one month shy of his 19th birthday. The $1 million signing bonus Boston bestowed upon him on Jan. 15, 2024, was the largest given to any Red Sox signee in that year's international class.
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Touted by Baseball America as "one of the most difficult hitters to strike out from the Dominican Republic in this year’s class," Ascencio never even made it to a Boston farm team in the United States, instead playing his first two seasons with the Dominican Summer League Red Sox.
The young prospect had yet to show the promise that scouts saw in him before he was signed, compiling just 40 hits in 212 at-bats over 68 games in the DSL, for a batting average of .189. Scouts had always been skeptical of his power potential, and at least so far in his very young career, Ascencio has given them no reason to doubt their initial assessment, managing a grand total of zero home runs in his two DSL seasons.
Nonetheless, scouting reports remained favorable on the teenage prospect, with SoxProspects.com describing him as "not overly physical, but moves well and should add strength as he matures. Contact-oriented approach featuring a line-drive swing. Rarely strikes out; has an advanced approach for his age and has solid pitch recognition skills already."
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MLB Pipeline described him as "armed with a sound bat path and slight uppercut stroke, Asencio has a knack for utilizing the opposing field. He has made consistent hard contact during games, and evaluators believe he will grow into more power as he matures."
So why did the Red Sox reportedly give up on Asencio in such a hurry? The reasons remain unclear, though it appears worth noting that the organization cut the 18-year-old's season short this year on July 23 by placing him on the restricted list, according to his MiLB.com transactions page.
Players can be placed on the restricted list for a variety of reasons, disciplinary issues among them. But the Red Sox never made public their reasons for rendering Ascencio ineligible to play. Whether the organization's reported decision to cut ties with Asencio was related to whatever reason landed him on the restricted list also remains a matter of speculation.
Asencio trained at Mejia Top 10 baseball academy in Santo Domingo, which also produced current No. 15 overall Red Sox prospect Miguel Bleis, a 21-year-old outfielder now at the Double-A level.
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