So, who is Matt Ginter?

[Cyberlibrarian]

The Mets traded outfielder Timo Perez to the Sox for Matt Ginter. Timo can't hit lefties if his life depended on it, but his glove is serviceable. From what I've read, Ginter's not much more than a scrub. The Mets website says that, in 3 2/3 innings, he managed an ERA of 13.50. Not exactly what the blue-and-orange needed. I'd rather have Magglio, but something tells me you guys would want more for him than just Timo. ;)

Anyone here know anything about him? :confused:

[Chisox73]

Ginter has really never had a chance to make the parent club.Those numbers you quoted are his totals from last season.He has been up and down with the club since 2000.He saw a majority of his action in '01 and '02.His best season was in '02 when he appeared in 33 games as a reliever and had a 4.47 ERA.

Career wise,Ginter has a 3-0 record with a 5.82 ERA in 106.2 innings.not exactly numbers that will make you rush to the ticket window.At 29 years old,I don't know what he could bring to the table for the Mets.

I hope this answers any questions you had on Matt Ginter.

[Toy Cannon]

I thought he turns 27 this coming Christmas.

[Chisox73]

You're right.My bad,he turns 27 on Dec. 24.

[Toy Cannon]

Maybe he grew up in the Domenican Republic. The SFG have a guy who they found out is 30 and not 23. Straight from prosrect to suspect. :flush:

[Chisox73]

Didn't the same thing happen to Alfonso Soriano after he got traded? didn't they find out he was really 28 instead of 26?

[Toy Cannon]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Deivis Santos stared at the walls as an immigration officer looked over his papers. What was his name? When was he born? Why doesn't his information match?

Santos knew he wouldn't make his connecting flight from Miami to Phoenix. He wouldn't stay in the country much longer, either. And the Giants wouldn't like what he now unavoidably had to tell them.

That his real name was Francisco. That Deivis was his younger brother. That he was 29, not 23.

"What would happen? I don't know," Santos said. "I know it was not good."

Santos wasn't the only player from the Dominican Republic who falsified birth records to appear younger. When INS and the U.S. Customs Agency cracked down on visas and vital records after the Sept. 11 attacks, 540 players magically aged by months or years.

On the Giants alone, shortstop Neifi Perez aged two years. So did infielder Pedro Feliz.



But Santos wasn't trying to shave off a year or two. He had a young face, and 23-year-old first basemen don't sign pro contracts in the Dominican Republic. He had to stretch the truth a little further, and he had the baby face to pull it off.

So back in 1997, when a scout offered him $8,000 to sign and asked his age, Santos gave the only answer he could.

"I tell him 17," Santos said, "and he say OK."

The scout was former Giants great Matty Alou, the brother of Giants manager Felipe. Santos was playing on a hastily assembled squad to provide competition for a top youth team in San Pedro de Macoris. Santos hit a couple of line drives, and Matty liked his smooth, left-handed swing.

Santos' sprint time was unimpressive, but Matty liked something about the fresh-faced kid. He promised to call the Giants and come back with an offer.

Matty wound up talking Santos into taking $5,000.

Of the 540 age changes documented by Baseball America, Santos has the second largest discrepancy. When he signed the contract, he presented his brother's birth records. Deivi Santos was 5 years, 11 months younger.

**I have no idea,** Santos said. **His name is not Deivis. That was on my baseball card. So that was me.**>

In the Dominican, many boys are full-time baseball apprentices. The minimum signing age is 16, and the pro contracts go to those who develop the earliest. Competition is fierce.

Santos was a late-bloomer. He played Little League but spent most of his teenage years in a classroom. After finishing secondary school in Santo Domingo, he couldn't continue at the university. His parents didn't have money for shoes, uniforms or books.

"That's why I throw the school away," Santos said, "and go play baseball."

After the chance meeting with Matty Alou, Santos made the most of his opportunity. He steadily rose in the Giants system over six years, all the while hiding his true identity. Teammates and coaches called him Deivis. He got used to it.

After hitting .312 at Double-A Shreveport in 2002, he was called up to Triple-A Fresno and finished the season well. He was a step away from the major leagues, and with the Giants still believing he was 22, he had become a top prospect.

The Giants placed him on their 40-man roster and invited him to big league camp for 2003 spring training.

Then came Miami. Santos was supposed to arrive Feb.19. By the time his visa issues were settled and he made it to Scottsdale, it was March 23.

Santos went to Fresno and was called up in June due to a rash of injuries in the outfield. He played in eight games with three hits in 15 at-bats -- two doubles and a homer.

But Santos was no longer a prospect. He turned 30 on March 9. After the season, the Giants took him off the roster but gave him a chance to re-sign.

"Last year I feel relaxed for the first time," Santos said. "People know. I don't care what people say. It doesn't matter anymore.

"The Giants, they know everything about me. I want to stay here."

Santos is doing everything this spring to make that happen. He had two more hits Friday for a team-leading 15 and is hitting .313.

The Giants need a left-handed reserve, and Santos still has a chance to make the roster.

"This is my big chance for making the team this year," he said. "If I tell the truth, I don't have this chance. When you are 23 years old in the Dominican Republic, nobody wants you."

[Chisox73]

540 players! Wow.I guess baseball is really a cutthroat business down in the DR.

[bd811]

Yeah Chisox is right. Don't get too excited about Ginter. This is kind of a nothing trade IMO.

[Cyberlibrarian]

Yeah Chisox is right. Don't get too excited about Ginter. This is kind of a nothing trade IMO.

Timo aged a year or two also. And yes, he's from the Dominican.

Thanks for corroborating what I thought about Ginter. I just don't get it. :notme: