Michael Inoa

by GuyinNY on May 2, 2008 12:34 PM EDT

In his latest Rumblings and Grumblings, Jayson Stark had this to say :

"The next big thing?: It's 10 years ago now since the Yankees handed a $1.52-million signing bonus to a 16-year-old Dominican pitcher by the name of Ricardo Aramboles. It's believed that no Latino pitcher (non-Cuban division) has topped that bonus since. But there's so much buzz about a Dominican right-hander named Michel Inoa, it looks as if Aramboles' record is in serious danger this summer. More than a dozen teams are in on Inoa, who is already hitting 94 on the gun -- at age 16."

I'm wondering if there's anything you guys know about Inoa? Anything you could enlighten me with in terms of what else he compliments his fastball with, his projectability (which I imagine is terrific), and things of that nature would be appreciated.

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Inoa

He’s very projectable. A 6’7’’ 16 year old with easy low 90s velocity who can touch 94 mph could turn into a series flamethrower. He also throws an inconsistent breaking ball and has toyed with a splitter, but he’s pretty much just a fastball pitcher right now. The obvious projectability is why he is such a sought after guy.

by SBcaptain2 on May 2, 2008 1:08 PM EDT reply actions

lol

Stark must have changed that recently—it originally said no Latino pitcher has been paid more than Liriano for 900k.

Rowdy Hardy Fan Club member.

by doublestix on May 2, 2008 1:17 PM EDT reply actions

must have

I read the article when it mentioned the Yankee pitcher, but the number of teams interested jumped from ~6 to more than a dozen.

by astrosfan76 on May 2, 2008 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions

hmmm

16 and already 6’7?

hmm…. the majority of the time, super tall pitchers, while tantalizing, don’t work out. Inconsistent mechanics due to so many moving parts leads to injuries; especially for a kid just starting out learning to pitch.

Obviously, I have not seen him pitch so a blanket statement is kind of ignorant on my part but most likely, he’s someone I would pass not as a not worthwhile investment.

by npurcell on May 2, 2008 1:42 PM EDT reply actions

Potential

Inoa seems to be far too potential laden to pass up without a fight. If his age is correct, then he sounds like a monster prospect to me and getting an arm that special this early in its development is definitely worth a major premium. Obviously, Inoa would have to be handled with kid gloves initially. Still, the potential of who he could become (Drysdale? Unit? JR Richard?) is too much to pass up. That’s a phenomenal fastball on what sounds like a tremendous prospect, and I’d be loathe to let him slip away without a major fight.

Sounds great, and thanks for the help. I really hope he goes into a system like the Cards, where he will be allowed to test his limits.

by GuyinNY on May 2, 2008 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions

As a basketball coach

Can I get him? I’ll give him a signing bonus of buying him dinner once a week.

by kennythered on May 2, 2008 2:54 PM EDT reply actions

Yankee Bonus Babies

The mention of Aramboles takes me back. Remember when he, Jackson Melian, and Wily Mo Pena were the three million dollar babies for the Yankees? It’s weird to look back on that-or any other-group and think of Wily Mo as by far the most successful one.

by aap212 on May 2, 2008 6:02 PM EDT reply actions