KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In 1995, the Royals scouted a young outfielder named Carlos Beltran out of Puerto Rico, and drafted him in the second round. In 2006, the Royals signed Salvador Perez from Venezuela. In 2011, they signed shortstop Adalberto Mondesi from the Dominican Republic.



So it’s safe to say KC has had some success scouting players in the Latin-American market, considering these are just three (of many) examples.



Unlike the NBA and the NHL, Major League Baseball does not draft international players each year on draft night; unless those players are in the U.S., Canada or a U.S. territory, they must acquire them the old-fashioned way. And each year, MLB teams receive a hard-capped amount of money to spend on international prospects, which they can begin spending each year on July 2.



Because the Royals receive a competitive-balance-round pick in the MLB Draft due to market size, they also are in line for a healthy amount of international...