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Via MLB Trade Rumors, we get info from ESPN's Jorge Arangure:
DePaula is still mulling over an offer from the mariners
Seattle started to make a hard push last week.
i just don't think [the Yankees] value him as highly as Seattle does right now.
plus i heard that Seattle was super aggressive in going after him.
DePaula was suspended by MLB last year for (allegedly) misrepresenting his age. Since DePaula wasn't actually affiliated with MLB, what I gather is that this means he had to remain unsigned even though he was an eligible free agent. So, hey, whoops.
Anyway, he's not suspended anymore, and as such, he's got a number of suitors. The M's are among them. MLBTR claims he's the equivalent of a first-round pick, for whatever that's worth, so he's clearly a talented son of a bitch. Here's the scouting report:
If that sounds familiar, it's because it's the same scouting report you get for every young Latin arm. Which isn't to say that DePaula isn't especially interesting, but rather that I don't know much about him and neither Mariners Minors nor Pro Ball NW have checked in yet with anything. The proper conclusion here: if the Mariners like him, it's probably because they think he's really talented, so if the Mariners get him, you should be happy. And if the Mariners don't get him, whatever, he's just another Yankee hype job, and screw those guys and their damn propaganda. Nice call on Eric Duncan, morons.
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Update: Jay from Mariners Minors has a post!
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Update #2: Jon from PBNW has a post!
0 recs | 84 comments
So just to clarify how old is he exactly?
KarateManChan37 - February 23, 2010
17
Jeff Sullivan - February 23, 2010
What was he claiming?
SethGrandpa - February 23, 2010
Dunno
Maybe he was like Beltre and lying that he was older so he would be signable
Trenchtown - February 23, 2010
if I remember correctly, and don't quote me on this because I might be thinking of the wrong person
but they never really said his age was wrong, but rather they couldn’t confirm it. Either way, he’s extremely talented.
200tang - February 23, 2010
They accused him of trying to steal his sister's identity. She was younger.
MarinerHawk - February 23, 2010
Do we know how tall he is?
Marinerfanjake - February 23, 2010
6'3
JY - February 23, 2010
I smell King Felix V.2
KarateManChan37 - February 23, 2010
I've heard the age concerns are not yet behind him.
There is speculation he may have visa issues down the road. Apparently a little white-out on a birth certificate raises red-flags..
Also, does anyone else find the US vs. Swiss women’s curling match strangely erotic? I’m watching it without sound and listening to the LL podcast. I’m hoping it’s the curling that’s causing the semi..
MarinerHawk - February 23, 2010
I think it was the talk about Bowden's lady friend's
STATS
JonBBT - February 23, 2010
Speaking of Visa issues, does anyone know if Mikhail Cleto ever figured his stuff out?
joof - February 24, 2010
He showed up and played at the end of the season.
and it’s Maikel, not Mikhail.
JY - February 24, 2010
I needed to figure out a way to kill the next hour or so anyway while I'm waiting for laundry.
I’ll see what I can dig up.
By the way, the fact that literally every international prospect of even minor interest has “(name) yankees” come up in their top Google searches? Super frustrating.
JY - February 23, 2010
When I want to find all the scouting reports and info about IFAs I just go to NYYfans forums..
I just read a few pages on their site and they are about to lose their minds at the thought of losing Depaula. It’s quite comical.
Rudy4three - February 23, 2010
It's the combination of informed and arrogant that's truly mindblowing to me.
I’d like to think I get on these a bit earlier than most people, but they’re usually days ahead of me, and already flipping shit about it.
JY - February 23, 2010
I've now posted.
Telling you all little this thread doesn’t already contain
JY - February 23, 2010
Been working on something as well.
Still trying to sort through this mess.
JonBBT - February 23, 2010
Right.
You might be able to speak slightly better to the mechanical aspects than I did. I agree with the reports that he looks good, though, and there isn’t a whole lot about the motion that screams injury to me. He seems to repeat his release well too. It’s just one of those things that’s hard to judge without more footage. There was enough out there to warrant devoting a lot of energy to Yusei Kikuchi or Aroldis Chapman. Such is not commonly the case with Dominican prospects.
JY - February 23, 2010
Been trying to look at that analysis more from a performance/deception angle rather than injury prevention
except for the really goofy/painful looking stuff. The popular warning signs (inverted W et al) are so common that there are bound to be plenty of injuries, I figure. That’s not to say I don’t think the analysis is completely invalid as many would, but I don’t get as into it as I used to.
JonBBT - February 23, 2010
That's fair.
Plus we’re still not entirely certain about correlations. I think there’s easily more work to be done there, and it varies so much from pitcher to pitcher. That Nageotte was able to survive for so many years throwing sliders for nine out of every ten pitches is kind of freakish.
He doesn’t look terribly deceptive, but with the kind of heat the throws he might not need it all that much.
JY - February 23, 2010
Brings the elbow up fairly high, which will help hide the ball.
Nothing weird that makes him impossible to pick up, but batters should have a hard time picking it up early. From where I sit, anyway.
JonBBT - February 23, 2010
Tsk.
There will be no mechanical injury speculation on this blog >:(
Graham MacAree - February 23, 2010
Was waiting for this...
JonBBT - February 23, 2010
Even the little frownie face?
Graham MacAree - February 23, 2010
Nope, you got me there!
JonBBT - February 23, 2010
Good man.
Can I get away with saying his motion doesn’t look “violent”, or will that cause you to get “violent”?
JY - February 23, 2010
Sure, why not
Graham MacAree - February 23, 2010
So he was 15 and the minimum age for signing is 16?
Also, I didn’t realize Mariners Minors was back up so thanks for the linky.
wazzu93 - February 23, 2010
I've only been back up for about three weeks, so you haven't missed much.
JY - February 23, 2010
This is supposedly from a tryout at the Marlins complex
Here.
Some shots of his wind up and release.
And essential footage of him flipping a tire.
Finally, something sure to produce a rational response.
John Morgan - February 23, 2010
He fucked that tire up good
OlSalty - February 23, 2010
So he has zero stride?
abender20 - February 23, 2010
Before I wash up and hit the sack
Looks like he has a mid-90s fastball, a curve and a slider.
John Morgan - February 23, 2010
And an "excellent change"
abender20 - February 23, 2010
Also, a scout said his motion is clean, short, and similar to that of Josh Beckett.
So that’s neat and useless.
abender20 - February 23, 2010
Blister-forming?
Matthew - February 23, 2010
Damn, he really took it to that tire.
They can’t afford gays in the Dominican Republic?
CapSea - February 23, 2010
So I kinda understand the flipping of the tire part, but hitting it with the sledgehammer?
Goose - February 23, 2010
This is the same exercise that was supposed to prove Branyan's back was healthy.
JonBBT - February 23, 2010
"I swear my rotator cuff is fine. Never better. Watch me lance."
Jeff Sullivan - February 23, 2010
They do it on the Biggest Loser, so it must do something.
Wilder. - February 23, 2010
Have you ever swong a sledgehammer repeatedly pretty amazing workout.
InSpokane - February 24, 2010
Yeah, but how often are you going to need to need to do that?
Chopping wood isn’t bad though, if you happen to have a wood burning stove or fireplace.
JY - February 24, 2010
That is one shiny teenager
Jeff Sullivan - February 23, 2010
Searches for "shiny teenager" just bumped traffic by .04%
lemonverbena - February 23, 2010
There are a lot more Twilight fans in the world than that
seattlebruin - February 24, 2010
Watching him hit that tire I was fully expecting the sledgehammer to bounce back up and hit him in the face
OlSalty - February 24, 2010
If it doesn't happen to the landmine .gif, it doesn't happen here.
JY - February 24, 2010
More according to MLB Trade Rumours, he has maxed out at 97 MPH with his fastball, apparently
6’ 3" and expecting a million+ deal
OlSalty - February 23, 2010
This headline seems dirty
Trenchtown - February 23, 2010
Mariners In, On 17 Year Old Rafael DePaula
lemonverbena - February 23, 2010
Well, maybe he's not really 17
I don’t know how much we should trust the credibility of this site at all, so take it with a grain of salt, but here it is.
It sounds like the 17 year old figure is the claim that’s in dispute.
OlSalty - February 23, 2010
There are things the world needs more of but it doesn't need another Yankee getting way too much hype.
Image if the Yankees got Steven Strasburg.
mark sobba - February 23, 2010
They nearly signed Felix!
katal - February 23, 2010
Steinbrenner was willing to trade a lot for Edgar in the mid-90s!
katal - February 23, 2010
I was in NY in 2008 and there was an yankee ad on the side of a bus featuring Ian Kennedy!
katal - February 23, 2010
Rafael De Paula, future star of the box
Well ok!
lemonverbena - February 23, 2010
cambia = changeup, not contrast, in this context.
abender20 - February 23, 2010
The translation is pretty funny. "Control fuera de serie" basically means "crazy good control".
abender20 - February 23, 2010
I'd like it. Any thoughts on potential signing bonuses?
perfectstrat - February 23, 2010
Seven figures!
Jeff Sullivan - February 23, 2010
I hope they take it from Baron to give to him.
abender20 - February 23, 2010
Baron didn't quite make seven figures.
JY - February 23, 2010
Then the rest can come out of the pockets of a different catcher.
abender20 - February 23, 2010
I say we sell Rob Johnson into sex slavery
Poochie - February 23, 2010
We should've done that with Ben Davis back in the day.
JY - February 23, 2010
A switch-hitting catcher would have to command a pretty penny.
abender20 - February 23, 2010
HE WAS NOT THAT HANDSOME
Jeff Sullivan - February 23, 2010
The Padres ad campaign certainly thought he was a looker.
JY - February 23, 2010
I never understood that
Girls down here were all over him when they should’ve been all over me, or Kory DeHaan
Jeff Sullivan - February 23, 2010
You weren't wearing your uniform pants tight enough
or running slowly up and down beaches.
msb - February 24, 2010
Aw you guys why is everyone always picking on ol Rob
Dewey N - February 24, 2010
Only because he is ugly and bad and we hate him
Poochie - February 24, 2010
Ugly?
Dewey N - February 24, 2010
Seven figure.
JY - February 23, 2010
Good grief. What did Felix get when he was signed as a baby?
wazzu93 - February 23, 2010
Six figures.
But that was back in a period of time when our Venezuelan scouting was leagues ahead of everyone else’s. It still is better than just about anyone (Rockies have a case), but back then it was more glaring.
I don’t remember the exact details, but my gut says $680k
JY - February 23, 2010
Snap. I was off by $30k
He go $710k
JY - February 23, 2010
I think I made around $3.50 an hour when I was 16. :)
wazzu93 - February 23, 2010
To show you how much things have changed..
Jim Abbott, with all of his college accolades, only received a $207,000 bonus as a first round draft pick in 1988.
Well, in fairness, they paid him $414,000 but he dropped half of it..
MarinerHawk - February 24, 2010
How does MLB get around Child Labor Laws?
Just wondering.
philosofool - February 24, 2010
I don't believe there are any work-hour restrictions for a 17-year-old.
Teej - February 25, 2010
I can confirm that this is true
;)
Jeff Sullivan - February 25, 2010
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