The Detroit Tigers are closing in on a deal with 17-year-old German outfielder Emilio Götz, one of the top prospects in Europe, according to Beisbol FR‘s Francys Romero.
Born March 29, 2009, Götz is described by Romero as a “versatile two-way player,” splitting time between the outfield and the mound as an amateur. Evaluators, however, see his path running primarily through the position player route, even after he touched 92 mph on the mound this month at a tournament in Regensburg, Germany.
“He has a chance to develop into a true five-tool player, and that’s clearly his stronger path,” one scout said, as quoted by Beisbol FR.
Götz stands 6-foot-2, hits and throws left-handed, and profiles primarily as a center fielder. He has consistently clocked the 60-yard dash between 6.9 and 7.0 seconds, according to the Beisbol FR report. His arm currently grades as a 55 on the 20-80 scouting scale, with some evaluators projecting it could climb to a 65. Scouts who watched him at the MLB European Showcase in Barcelona saw him as the best talent on the field, according to Romero. His father was born in Cuba, and his mother is German.
Emilio Götz’s Signing Bonus and Historical Context
Götz is set to become the third German-born player to sign with an MLB organization during the 2025-26 international period. Germany has not generated much high-profile international talent. Max Kepler signed with the Minnesota Twins for $800,000 in 2009, and remains the most successful German import to date. More recent German-born signees include Kenny Fermin, who got $200,000 from the Athletics, and Tom Apfelbaum, who received $197,500 from the Los Angeles Dodgers, both earlier in 2026, along with Donald Lutz, who signed with the Cincinnati Reds for $115,000 in 2007.
Götz’s agreement with Detroit totals a half-million dollars, including a $400,000 bonus and an additional $100,000 scholarship package. The signing is set to become official in August or September.
Götz turned in a strong showing at the recently completed U-18 European Championship, hitting .455 with a .520 on-base percentage and a .773 slugging mark, adding two doubles, a triple, a home run and nine RBIs. He also appeared at the 2025 U-18 World Cup in Okinawa, Japan, at age 16, and posted a .250/.308/.292 line with four stolen bases in eight games there, according to World Baseball Softball Confederation records.
He plays domestically for the Paderborn Untouchables in the Deutsche Baseball Liga, Germany’s top professional league, with a level of competition similar to High-A.
The latest prospective Tigers signing was hitting .322/.447/.529 with nine stolen bases across 24 games this season and earned DBL Player of the Week honors. In his 2025 debut season with the Paderborn club, at age 16, he hit .260/.365/.411 and was named the team’s Most Improved Player. Götz first drew notice on the international circuit at the 2022 Perfect Game Endless Summer Classic in Florida, where he earned All-Tournament Team honors.
@dbl.baseball Der Titel ‘Batter der Woche’ geht am 7. Spieltag an Emilio Götz von den Untouchables Paderborn 💪⚾️ 🔥 Hier gibt’s noch einmal einige seiner besten Szenen vom vergangenen Wochenende! 👀 🎥 Untouchables TV + Wanderers TV 🔊 Stinger-Sound: www.musicfox.com #baseball #dbl #baseballdeutschland #dblbaseball #baseballsoftballmadeingermany #baseballgermany
Detroit Tigers’ Remaining International Bonus Pool
Detroit opened the 2026 international signing period, which runs from Jan. 15 through Dec. 15, with a bonus pool worth $7,357,100, according to Baseball America‘s Ben Badler.
The Tigers committed roughly $5.75 million combined across their top four international signings earlier in the period, headlined by a deal worth about $2.3 million for Venezuelan catcher Manuel Bolivar, according to The Detroit News, leaving the club with roughly $1.6 million at that time. As of early July the Tigers had $434,100 remaining, according to figures posted by Romero. The $400,000 bonus for Götz counts against the pool. Scholarship money does not count against MLB bonus pools.
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