Dodgers swipe international prospect right from under rest of MLB's nose at public event

International free agency can be a guessing game in Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers are finding that out with Roki Sasaki, who hasn't exactly carved out a defined role on the Opening Day roster.

While Sasaki signed with the team with the expectation of contributing to immediately, his case was unique. More often than not, it's a matter of projecting how a teenager will develop once the organization gets their hands on them.

To the Dodgers' credit, they have become the definition of player development. It's why, when they make a call on an international free agent, chances are they might know something that the rest of the league doesn't.

The hope is that it applies to their latest international signing. The Dodgers have signed 18-year-old pitcher Delio Centeno after he had a showcase in New Balance's Future Stars Series last month.

The Dodgers were among a handful of teams at the event, and apparently, saw enough to sign him immediately. Being 18 years old, Centento is still a few years away from being on the radar of even the most keen Dodgers' prospect insiders, but he should make a handful of appearances in the rookie complex league.

Delio Centeno's signing isn't quite like the Dodgers' previous international signings

The Dodgers certainly have made noise on the international scene in recent years. Between Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, when a player is making the jump to Major League Baseball, the Dodgers are the first team that gets mentioned. The signing of Centeno isn't quite that.

When Sasaki and Yamamoto joined the Dodgers, there were clear expectations based on their track records overseas. With Ceneno only being 18 years old, there's very little to go on. Besides, his profile as an 18-year-old pitcher is likely to be different than the profile he has once he ascends through the Dodgers' farm system.

For now, Centeno is a lottery ticket. Best case, he turns into a dude and becomes the next top pitching prospect in the Dodgers' system. If not, the Dodgers will chalk this gamble up as a loss and move to the next project.