The Pirates have signed four international players since the peak signing period began early last month, including Daniel Juan, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic they say could become a gem.

"He's a great hitter. I mean, he can really rake," said Rene Gayo, director of Latin American scouting. "Of all the high-profile kids I've seen get taken, I've not seen anyone with the pitch recognition and ability to get the bat on the ball like this kid."

Juan, 18, is 6 feet 1, but Gayo's staff is optimistic that he will grow another 3 inches and develop power to go with his sound approach.

"When you look at him, build-wise, he looks like Vladimir Guerrero," Gayo said. "We think there's more there and, even if there isn't, we love his bat."

Juan's $75,000 bonus is the largest paid by the Pirates in the period to this point, but it is a far cry from the megabucks being given by an increasing number of teams this year, chief among them the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers.

The most expensive signing was the Yankees' industry-jarring $2 million bonus to Venezuelan catcher Jesus Montero last month, a $600,000 increase from the largest given by any team in 2005. Eight teams are known to have paid bonuses of $500,000 or more.

Only amateurs in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico are included in Major League Baseball's annual first-year player draft. The rest are available to the highest bidder and can be signed as early as age 16, making for a market that can leave low spenders behind.

"I don't think it's a problem for us," Gayo said. "You can see things get out of control in some cases, but we have kids that we find at a very early age and work with them, stick with them until it's time to sign," he said.

He mentioned Juan.

"The Mets and Red Sox came in and were interested, but we've known Daniel and his family for a long time, and we did a good job, I think, of sticking with him. It's still about identifying players and their abilities."

The signing period for 16-year-olds new to the international pool runs from July 2 to the end of August. Players 18 or older can be signed at any time.

The Texas Rangers have signed 18 Latin American players in this period, and most teams have signed more than the Pirates. But Gayo downplayed that, too.

"There's a lot of hype about this period, but we look at it as a year-round process."

The Pirates' top pitcher signed to date, Gayo said, is left-hander Eliezer Navarro of Panama, an 18-year-old spotted at a tournament in Guatemala. He is 5-10.

"He's throwing 88-91 mph, and he's got a good breaking ball," Gayo said.

The other two signees are 16-year-olds:

Shortstop Eric Avila, from Venezuela, is 5-11 and, according to Gayo, "there's no telling how good he can be defensively. He has a solid arm and hands. But he also has a ways to go as a hitter."

Right-handed pitcher Rickelvin Cedano, from the Dominican Republic, is 6-3 and, Gayo said, "is already up to 88-92 mph at a very young age with good life on the fastball. He can be wild, but he's got a good arm and a good body."

All four prospects will remain in their home countries for the next year.