A $4 million bonus for a 17-year-old shortstop is not a subtle signal. When the Athletics signed Johenssy Colome out of the 2026 international class, that bonus tied for the second-highest of the entire class and set the record for the largest ever given to a Dominican player in a single signing period.
Colome ranks as the No. 5 international prospect in his class, and the buzz around him extends beyond the bonus figure. He's the son of former major leaguer Jesus Colome and the nephew of Alex Colome, giving him a baseball pedigree that adds to the storyline collectors are already following.
That combination, a record-setting bonus, a recognizable last name, and a genuinely strong scouting profile, has made his 2026 Bowman Chrome Prospects cards some of the more discussed pulls from this year's release.
This spotlight breaks down what scouts like about Colome's game, why his long-term position projection matters for collectors, and where he fits into the broader Chrome Prospects checklist.
Colome is a Dominican shortstop who trended up late in the scouting process before signing with Oakland's system. He's described as a superb athlete with above-average power already evident in his right-handed swing, a rare combination for a middle infielder this early in his development.
His family baseball background, a father and uncle who both reached the majors, gives evaluators and collectors alike an extra layer of storyline that a typical first-year international signee doesn't carry.
Colome's $4 million signing bonus tied for the second-highest bonus handed out anywhere in the 2026 international class, and it stands as the largest bonus ever paid to a Dominican prospect in a single class. Teams don't commit that kind of money speculatively, and the size of the bonus itself became part of the story collectors latched onto.
A bonus at that level typically reflects a scouting consensus, not just one team's optimism, which is part of why Colome's name carries weight beyond a typical mid-tier international signee.
Scouts have flagged real, present power in Colome's bat, an unusual trait to already be able to project this confidently in a 17-year-old. The bigger open question is where he ends up on the infield long-term, since his size and strength profile could eventually push him off shortstop.
A move to third base is considered a real possibility as he fills out physically, and Oakland's system would happily take a power-hitting third baseman if that's how his defensive profile ultimately shakes out. Either outcome still leaves him as a legitimate everyday-caliber bat to build a card collection around.
A recognizable last name doesn't change a prospect's tools, but it does change how a card gets talked about and searched for. Colome's connection to two former big leaguers gives his rookie-era cards a storyline hook that pure stat-line prospects without that pedigree don't automatically get.
That kind of narrative pull tends to widen a card's audience beyond pure prospecting collectors to include fans simply interested in baseball bloodlines, which can meaningfully affect demand on the secondary market.
Colome's rookie-era cards appear across the 2026 Bowman Chrome Prospects checklist, carrying the same full Refractor parallel ladder documented in EVORETRO's confirmed checklist coverage, from the base Refractor through the 1-of-1 SuperFractor. As with every prospect in this year's international class, chase autograph variations add another layer collectors are pursuing on top of the base parallel run.
Given the size of his signing bonus and the attention already surrounding him, early Colome Chrome pulls are reasonably likely to see faster price movement than a similarly-tooled prospect who signed for a fraction of the money.
Position changes make some collectors nervous, but for a bat-first prospect like Colome, a shift from shortstop to third base is a common, low-risk development path rather than a red flag. Third base still demands a strong arm and quick reactions, both traits already part of his current profile at shortstop.
If anything, a confirmed move to a position better suited to his eventual frame could stabilize his long-term outlook, since it removes the lingering question of whether he'll physically outgrow the shortstop position altogether.
The Athletics, for a $4 million bonus during the 2026 international signing period.
It tied for the second-highest bonus in the 2026 class and set the record for the largest ever paid to a Dominican prospect.
His father is former major leaguer Jesus Colome, and his uncle is Alex Colome.
Shortstop, though a future move to third base is considered a real possibility as he matures physically.
A record-setting bonus and a strong scouting profile rarely stay under the radar for long. Protect an early Colome pull the moment it's out of the pack with EVORETRO's Perfect Fit Sleeves.
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