Duanel Jones and Wagner Mateo

by Calvn n Hobbs on Dec 20, 2009 5:34 PM EST

According to Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus, the San Francisco Giants agreed to terms with Dominican 3B Duanel Jones. Numbers not completely confirmed but multiple sources have indicated its $1.3 million.

Does anyone know anything about Duanel Jones? Can't find any info on the net.

Have the Giants signed Wagner Mateo? Last month it was rumored that the Giants and Mateo had agreed to a contract but haven't heard anything since

Thanks

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Mateo

His current vision quality is 20/30, and it was said that he had a degenerative problem with his eyesight that will lead to further reduction of vision quality in the future.

He won’t make it past short season ball, and I will guarantee that.

There is a reason why the Cardinals bailed.

by CoolCat23 on Dec 20, 2009 6:58 PM EST reply actions

I know plenty of people who have "degenerative problems with their eyesight"

Do they not have glasses in the Dominican Republic? Or is this some bizarre “the kid will be blind within 5 years” sort of syndrome?

by mrkupe on Dec 20, 2009 8:02 PM EST up reply actions

Mateo

The reason I bring up his eyesight problem is not to comment about his life post baseball, and potential disabilities that could arrise from it. Which is quite terrible to think about though. And most likely his eyesight probably won’t decline to the point where contacts couldn’t solve the problem.

I bring it up because something around 95% of major league baseball players have 20/20 vision or better. If you can’t see the ball out of the pitchers hand, you can’t hit it.

by CoolCat23 on Dec 20, 2009 9:35 PM EST up reply actions

Abbot

99% of baseball players have two arms, but that didn’t stop Jim Abbot from throwing a no-hitter. I am hesitant to cast a death sentence on the kid’s career before he sees a professional pitch. I am not a doctor and have no idea what condition he has, but it seems a little early to pronounce a kid won’t make it out of SS ball, when scouts were raving about his bat with his current condition. I can’t say that he is going to have a 15 year career, but I bet he makes it out of short season if he has the type of talent that scouts say he did. He may be even better with some better medical care that could help his sight right now. He probably isn’t an elite prospect anymore, but I would sure give him a chance to prove people wrong.

by NMUWildcat027 on Dec 20, 2009 10:02 PM EST up reply actions

You’re probably right that he won’t make it as a baseball player, but that can be said about most IFAs. I’m not sure I’d write him off solely because of the eye issues though. He has been able to hit with the condition and there have been major leaguers who wear contacts. I’m not sure how rare it is. The one name that immediately comes to mind is Brian McCann.

by Jeff Reese on Dec 20, 2009 10:06 PM EST up reply actions

Abe Alvarez

2nd round pick by the Sox a few years back was basically blind in one eye.

Not exactly a success story, though….

by alskor on Dec 20, 2009 10:12 PM EST up reply actions

Tiger Woods

Most successful golfer on earth, and has, since birth, been afflicted w/ permanent beer goggles.

by gogotabata on Dec 20, 2009 10:27 PM EST up reply actions

Mark McGwire had terrible eyesight

Just awful. But he just used contacts. Plenty of players wear contacts; “sports” contacts can even improve eyesight beyond 20/20. Plenty of players also get Lasik (Brian McCann just recently comes to mind). I don’t see what precludes Mateo from doing the same.

by aCone419 on Dec 21, 2009 10:29 AM EST up reply actions

Pitchers vs. Hitters

Hitters need good eyesight way more than pitchers do. Obviously you can’t be blind and pitch but it’s a lot easier to see the catchers mitt and throw the ball there than to hit a small object traveling at 90 MPH or with 12-6 break with a thin bat.

As for Mateo’s issue, his problem is suspected(by the Cardinals docs) to be degenrative which means it’s getting worse. In 5 years will he be close to blind or will contacts work? Cards made the right move getting their 3 mil back. They just need to put that money towards the extra draft picks they’ll have next year ;).

by UncleBuck44 on Dec 21, 2009 2:59 PM EST up reply actions

I didn't mention any pitchers?

Plenty of hitters wear contacts.

by aCone419 on Dec 21, 2009 5:24 PM EST up reply actions

I was...

replying to the person who mentioned Abe Alvarez(and I thought I was just replying in a long string of replies).

And plenty of hitters do wear contacts but is their eye sight getting worse or staying the same? Cardinal doctors seemed to think his problem was degenerative so he may have by far the worst eyesight in pro ball in 3 years for all we know. Bad enough that contacts won’t come close to helping him hit a 90 MPH fastball. Of course he could be just fine. With 3 million on the line, Bill DeWitt made a good move to get his money back. The success rate for top Latin prospects isn’t that great anyways just like with draft prospects. Give a raw player 16 year old bad eyesight and the odds get even worse.

by UncleBuck44 on Dec 22, 2009 2:27 AM EST up reply actions

Most people with glasses have "degenerative" eyesight

That’s why so many people without glasses as kids get them as they age. “Degenerative” is a very vague term.

by aCone419 on Dec 22, 2009 9:33 AM EST up reply actions

20/30?

Where did you get this information from? I just spoke to somebody with a lot of information on Mateo and did not pain nearly this bleak a picture.

Mike Newman
http://scoutingthesally.com
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by ScoutingTheSally on Dec 20, 2009 11:32 PM EST up reply actions

Well, I will say

That the Cards did fail his physical due to the eyesight. No formal release was ever made whether the poor eyesight was due to some degenerative condition though.

Sounds like a case where the poor kid likely could not afford corrective lenses. But give him a $5MM contract and he definitely could. I still question why the Cards voided his contract over an eyesight issue. He sure looked good after the fact.

by guru4u on Dec 21, 2009 10:50 AM EST up reply actions