Question for Gregg

[bluehens45]

Gregg, looking to get your thoughts on the crop of int. players about to hit the market. Micheal Inoa 16 years old 6-foot-7, 200-pound righty throws around 92 and Yorman Rodriguez two best tools are his power and speed, as both grade as 70s on the 20-80 scouting scale. What do you think of these guys? Any chance at all we are in the mix? Any other interesting players? Also 2 other questions any news on Salcedo and how about Dayán Viciedo? any word on any of these guys? I was hoping to hear we are in the mix. Im liking the draft more and more every day so now if we could turn our attention to the int. market both in the pacific rim and latin america, things could be really looking up. I just dont understand why we are not more involved. The 2 players we have signed from Latin America have turned out to be very good ball players. DCab and Liz are both great. I really hope this is the year we make a splash. Thanks in advance Gregg.

[laxtonto]

Gregg, looking to get your thoughts on the crop of int. players about to hit the market. Micheal Inoa 16 years old 6-foot-7, 200-pound righty throws around 92 and Yorman Rodriguez two best tools are his power and speed, as both grade as 70s on the 20-80 scouting scale. What do you think of these guys? Any chance at all we are in the mix? Any other interesting players?

Also 2 other questions any news on Salcedo and how about Dayán Viciedo? any word on any of these guys? I was hoping to hear we are in the mix. Im liking the draft more and more every day so now if we could turn our attention to the int. market both in the pacific rim and latin america, things could be really looking up. I just dont understand why we are not more involved. The 2 players we have signed from Latin America have turned out to be very good ball players. DCab and Liz are both great. I really hope this is the year we make a splash. Thanks in advance Gregg.

Im not Greg, but as far as Viciendo is concerned, its looking like MLB is going to treat him as a foriegn national that defected strait to the US. Therefore, he goes into next years draft most likely. This is more the agents fault that anyone else.

On Salcedo, the questions on his age and true ability level are great enough that so far no one is willing to touch his asking price. With as many as talenterd or more talented youngsters avaliable this yuear, he will eventually back off his demands.

Iona has been linked with several clubs with suprsingly the A's offering him around 4M as the top bidder supposedly.

Rafael Rodriquez may already have a deal in place, and has pretty much stopped doing private workouts, but there is no real proof until the signing period starts. The Giants seem to be linked with this kid alot.

Yorman on the other hand, has some questions at the plate that will definately reduce his signing bonus. He seems to lunge at the breaking stuff and still struggles aginst offspeed pitches in general. Linked to Reds, M's, Sox, and Cards.

As far as Latin American siginings go in general, some teams go with more of a shotgun approach and tend to sign several mid teir guys vs. the top names. This so far seems to be a more effective approach if you a LA summer league team that orginization uses as a low teir instructional league. Iona may end up being the next Felix Hernandez who signed for 710K, but he can just as easily be a flame out that never makes it out of the Dommincan Summer Leagues.

Hopes this helps

[Tony-OH]

I can tell you that unless the Orioles have changed their philosophy since February, they will not be involved with any of these high profile guys.

[Greg Pappas]

Gregg, looking to get your thoughts on the crop of int. players about to hit the market. Micheal Inoa 16 years old 6-foot-7, 200-pound righty throws around 92 and Yorman Rodriguez two best tools are his power and speed, as both grade as 70s on the 20-80 scouting scale. What do you think of these guys? Any chance at all we are in the mix? Any other interesting players? Also 2 other questions any news on Salcedo and how about Dayán Viciedo? any word on any of these guys? I was hoping to hear we are in the mix. I'm liking the draft more and more every day so now if we could turn our attention to the int. market both in the pacific rim and Latin America, things could be really looking up. I just don't understand why we are not more involved. The 2 players we have signed from Latin America have turned out to be very good ball players. DCab and Liz are both great. I really hope this is the year we make a splash. Thanks in advance Gregg.

With many Latino player's falsifying their ages over the years it has left a bad taste in the scouting community... Are any of these kids really only 16? It bothers me to bring it up, but it's like the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. Our culture is so overly PC-scared that issues such as these are swept under the rug.

Salcedo seems to have dropped off the planet after MLB investigated his and Boras' claims to be only 16. Sixteen? I highly, highly doubt it after seeing pictures of him. Regardless, none of these kids are overly impressive from the scouting reports that I've read, but every team sees things a bit differently... perhaps the reports I've read are underestimating them. Hard to say, but I'm not enamored with anyone in particular, and hopefully we can find a diamond in the rough for a tenth of the cost.

I am a big advocate of international scouting, truly, but I'd only make an offer if I were comfortable that they are legitimately aged and have the skill-set necessary to make a future major leaguer. Pay them what they'd make were they high schoolers or collegians here, no more, no less. MLB teams have always short-pocketed the South American and Caribbean youngsters This unfair practice has always been an issue and has been an underlying reason for the untruthfulness. The perpetration is two-sided, let there be no doubt.

FWIW, it's Greg, with one 'G' at the end.

My apologies if I went a bit political, but I felt an open and honest response was appropriate.

[bluehens45]

Great stuff across the board. Some interesting stuff i never really considered. I didnt realize just how prevalant falsifying ages was. Im with you on hopefully finding a couple diamonds in rough. Tony, if you dont mind me asking do you see us increasing our presence in Latin america and the Pacific Rim? I can understand not giving out huge bonuses to the high profile guys, but what about signing more of the low-risk high reward types that dont expect the high bonuses? I would love to see us get involved more and sign some young foreign talent. Thanks fellas, good stuff.

[bluehens45]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3433834 Here is a link to all the top players. Gammons said landing Micheal Inoa is like getting another top ten pick. Also said every team in baseball has scouted him, with the A's leading and probally offering around $4 million. Hoping we get involved with a few of these players.

[Greg Pappas]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3433834 Here is a link to all the top players. Gammons said landing Micheal Inoa is like getting another top ten pick. Also said every team in baseball has scouted him, with the A's leading and probally offering around $4 million. Hoping we get involved with a few of these players.

Inoa's athleticism is outstanding and reading BA's take on him as a 16 year old, I would say he's worthy of a mid-first round selection, and possibly higher. I wouldn't go 4 million to get him though. The other two stud prospects drawing the most attention are both named Rodriguez, Rafael and Yorman, both outfielders with power and speed but serious questions about their ability to hit.

[bluehens45]

Thanks Greg. The three that really stood out to me beside Inoa of course were.

Elvin Tavarez RHP 16 (Sept. 7, 1991) Dominican Republic Comment: Tavarez (6-2, 170 pounds) is a diamond in the rough that, once properly polished, can become a great pitcher in the majors. Right now he has an 87-90 mph fastball that may speed up with more maturity. He has great presence on the mound.

Yorman Rodriguez OF 16 (N/A) Venezuela

Comment: Many scouts compare Rodriguez with his countryman Miguel Cabrera. Like the Detroit star, Rodriguez is not fleet-footed, but his bat is extremely powerful and fast. His agent stopped showing him around awhile ago, which presumably indicates that he already has an oral agreement with a club.

Adis Portillo RHP 16 (Dec. 20, 1991) Venezuela

Comment: A big guy (6-3) with big hands and fingers, Portillo can toss a mean fastball (88-92 mph), changeup and curve with great command. He keeps the ball around the plate and is not afraid to throw his changeups in the dirt. Many clubs want him, but none of them will get him for less than $2 million.

Rafael Rodriguez OF 16 (N/A) Dominican Republic

Comment: To many, he is a duplicate of Vladimir Guerrero because of his size and power with the bat. Rodriguez can work the entire outfield and drive the ball anywhere.

A couple SS too.

Alvaro Aristy SS 16 (Dec. 9, 1991) Dominican Republic

Comment: A great middle infielder with good legs and average arm. Aristy has solid mechanics in his swing but lacks power. He has a solid build (6-0, 155) with room for growth in weight and strength. San Diego is closing in on him.

Gustavo Pierre SS 16 (N/A) Dominican Republic

Comment: Many scouts suggest Pierre's big frame (6-2) could cause teams to move him to third base early in his career. An agile player with a great swing, he has looked better in batting practice than in games. Rumors say he may have agreed to a deal with Toronto for almost $700,000.

This was also taken from the article on ESPN. "Inoa, Rodriguez, Yorman and Portillo would [challenge] the first selection if they were eligible for the American draft this year; I have no doubt about that," said a top AL executive. Inoa (6-foot-7, 210 pounds) is a right-handed hurler with a three-pitch repertoire consisting of a fastball (93 mph), changeup and curve.

"His most attractive asset is the fact that he has a lot of control for such a tall guy, and he knows what to do once he gets on the mound," said Ezequiel Sepulveda, a scout for the L.A. Dodgers in the Dominican Republic. "Inoa is every scout's dream. He has it all."

Inoa has been evaluated by every MLB organization. Atleast we know he exists.