by Australian Baseball Federation
McDonald signed with the Texas Rangers while Mitchell signed with the Cincinnati Reds
Todd McDonald has signed with the Texas Rangers while Dakota Mitchell has signed with the Cincinnati Reds becoming the 23rd and 24th Australian signees of the 2012 International Signing Period breaking the previous record of 22 from the 2004 signing class that included Shane Lindsay, Tim Kennelly and Drew Naylor.
In breaking the record, the 2012 class has tallied an aggregate signing bonus of just under US$3 million, which shatters the previous record of US$1,755,000 in 1998.
McDonald, a Seventeen-year-old Queenslander, currently plays for Redlands Baseball Club and represented QLD at the 2013 U18 National Youth Championships (NYC) where he won the U18 Golden Bat and was named to the U18 All-Star Team.
McDonald turned heads at the NYC with an impressive offensive performance. He scored 18 runs and drove in 16 RBI, as he batted .439 and slugged two doubles, three triples, and two home runs.
Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old South Australia native, Dakota Mitchell is a Right Handed pitcher out of Goodwood Baseball Club in Adelaide.
Mitchell attended the Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program (MLBAAP) the past two years where the Reds originally spotted him in 2010.
Mitchell made five appearances at the 2012 MLBAAP including four as a starter. He finished with a 1.38 ERA recording 12 strikeouts while allowing only 7 hits in 13 innings of work.
Both McDonald and Mitchell will report to the States to join their MLB organizations and continue their development over the upcoming months.
