GaryMrMets
03-01-2002, 12:29 AM
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Original Actual Actual +/-
Birthdate Birthdate Age
Wilmy Caceres 10/2/78 10/2/73 28 +5
Jesus Colome 6/2/80 12/23/77 24 +3
Ramon Soler 7/6/81 9/19/77 24 +4
Esteban Yan 6/22/74 6/22/75 26 -1
Enger Veras 6/9/81 TBD TBD TBD
************************************************** **
Ok, so who's next to tell their real age?
http://tampabay.devilrays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/tb/news/tb_news_story.jsp?article_id=tb_20020228_agediscre pancies_news&team_id=tb
News
2/28/2002 8:00 pm ET
Five players have birthdates adjusted
Spring Notes: Lineups for weekend games announced; Sturtze, Rolls sign one-year contracts
By Damon P. Young
MLB.com
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Devil Rays may not be able to claim the title as the youngest team in baseball this season.
Chuck LaMar, senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager, announced Thursday during the club's afternoon workout at Tropicana Field that he was notified by the Comissioner's Office that pitcher Jesus Colome and infielders Ramon Soler and Wilmy Caceres are older than originally believed. And reliever Esteban Yan is actually younger than previous records indicated.
A fifth player, pitcher Enger Veras, who has not been able to report to camp because of visa complications in the Dominican Republic, will also likely to be found be older than his reported age of 20.
The five players join a growing list of Dominican players who have been found to have age discrepancies. The Dominican Consulate has initiated a strict verification process in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Little League World Series scandal involving pitcher Danny Almonte.
According to LaMar, the consulate has asked all people coming to the United States to produce their original birth certificates for passport verification.
"It's a process that all of Major League Baseball is going through," LaMar said. "Many teams have been affected by this and it's a process the Commissioner's Office is going through to get the correct ages of the players. Throughout the years of scouting Latin America, especially the Dominican Republic, it's been very hard to verify any type of age.
"I think everybody wants to be as accurate as they possibly can whether dealing with players in the United States or internationally. ... I don't think it's something MLB has turned its back on. I'm not so sure an individual club or Major League Baseball as an entity could have done all of this without the help of the Dominican Republic."
Caceres, who was born in Santo Domingo, has aged the most so far of any player, going from 23 to 28 years old. He outpaced Anaheim's Ramon Ortiz and San Diego's Deivi Cruz, who both aged three years.
Lamar insisted the discovery of Caceres' real age should not be a problem. "I think you'll see, not only with the Devil Rays, but in all of baseball, that if a player can prove he's a major leaguer, then we made a fine trade.
"They will be judged strictly on ability. They still have to produce on the field and, if they do, this is just an exercise in getting their birthdays right. If they don't produce on the field then maybe their timetables are a little shorter."
Manager Hal McRae echoed those sentiments, saying, "If they can play, it doesn't matter how old they are."
Through an interpreter, Caceres indicated he was responsible for making the decision to change his birthdate before signing his first professional contract with Cincinnati in December 1996 as a free agent.
Acquired from Anaheim in exchange for pitcher Mickey Callaway in December, the infielder has never played in the Major Leagues in five professional seasons.
Colome, a native of San Pedro de Macoris, is now 24 years old instead of 21. He made his Major League debut last season with the Rays, completing 30 relief outings. The hard-throwing right-hander, who reached triple-digits several times on the radar gun last season, was 2-3 with a 3.33 ERA, allowing 18 earned runs on 37 hits in 48 2/3 innings while striking out 31 and walking 25.
"It makes little difference to us," LaMar said. "That 100-mile-per-hour fastball is just as hard to hit at 24 as it is at 22."
Colome was acquired from Oakland along with cash considerations in exchange for pitchers Jim Mecir and Todd Belitz on July 28, 2000.
Yan, born in Campino Del Seibo, surprisingly gained a year, dropping from 27 to 26 years old. Yan went 4-6 with 22 saves last season, posting a 3.90 ERA in 54 relief appearances.
With the adjusted dates, Yan was only 15 years old when he originally signed with Atlanta as a free agent on Nov. 21, 1990.
Soler, who was born in Las Caobas, is in major league camp for the first time. Last year, he hit .263 with 14 doubles, four triples, 27 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 103 games for Single-A Bakersfield. At the time, Soler, recently named the organization's Best Defensive Infielder by Baseball America, was thought to have been the youngest player in the California League.
LaMar suggested that when minor league camps open later this month that more age discrepancies will probably surface with an influx of foreign-born players.
Original Actual Actual +/-
Birthdate Birthdate Age
Wilmy Caceres 10/2/78 10/2/73 28 +5
Jesus Colome 6/2/80 12/23/77 24 +3
Ramon Soler 7/6/81 9/19/77 24 +4
Esteban Yan 6/22/74 6/22/75 26 -1
Enger Veras 6/9/81 TBD TBD TBD
************************************************** **
Ok, so who's next to tell their real age?
http://tampabay.devilrays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/tb/news/tb_news_story.jsp?article_id=tb_20020228_agediscre pancies_news&team_id=tb
News
2/28/2002 8:00 pm ET
Five players have birthdates adjusted
Spring Notes: Lineups for weekend games announced; Sturtze, Rolls sign one-year contracts
By Damon P. Young
MLB.com
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Devil Rays may not be able to claim the title as the youngest team in baseball this season.
Chuck LaMar, senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager, announced Thursday during the club's afternoon workout at Tropicana Field that he was notified by the Comissioner's Office that pitcher Jesus Colome and infielders Ramon Soler and Wilmy Caceres are older than originally believed. And reliever Esteban Yan is actually younger than previous records indicated.
A fifth player, pitcher Enger Veras, who has not been able to report to camp because of visa complications in the Dominican Republic, will also likely to be found be older than his reported age of 20.
The five players join a growing list of Dominican players who have been found to have age discrepancies. The Dominican Consulate has initiated a strict verification process in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Little League World Series scandal involving pitcher Danny Almonte.
According to LaMar, the consulate has asked all people coming to the United States to produce their original birth certificates for passport verification.
"It's a process that all of Major League Baseball is going through," LaMar said. "Many teams have been affected by this and it's a process the Commissioner's Office is going through to get the correct ages of the players. Throughout the years of scouting Latin America, especially the Dominican Republic, it's been very hard to verify any type of age.
"I think everybody wants to be as accurate as they possibly can whether dealing with players in the United States or internationally. ... I don't think it's something MLB has turned its back on. I'm not so sure an individual club or Major League Baseball as an entity could have done all of this without the help of the Dominican Republic."
Caceres, who was born in Santo Domingo, has aged the most so far of any player, going from 23 to 28 years old. He outpaced Anaheim's Ramon Ortiz and San Diego's Deivi Cruz, who both aged three years.
Lamar insisted the discovery of Caceres' real age should not be a problem. "I think you'll see, not only with the Devil Rays, but in all of baseball, that if a player can prove he's a major leaguer, then we made a fine trade.
"They will be judged strictly on ability. They still have to produce on the field and, if they do, this is just an exercise in getting their birthdays right. If they don't produce on the field then maybe their timetables are a little shorter."
Manager Hal McRae echoed those sentiments, saying, "If they can play, it doesn't matter how old they are."
Through an interpreter, Caceres indicated he was responsible for making the decision to change his birthdate before signing his first professional contract with Cincinnati in December 1996 as a free agent.
Acquired from Anaheim in exchange for pitcher Mickey Callaway in December, the infielder has never played in the Major Leagues in five professional seasons.
Colome, a native of San Pedro de Macoris, is now 24 years old instead of 21. He made his Major League debut last season with the Rays, completing 30 relief outings. The hard-throwing right-hander, who reached triple-digits several times on the radar gun last season, was 2-3 with a 3.33 ERA, allowing 18 earned runs on 37 hits in 48 2/3 innings while striking out 31 and walking 25.
"It makes little difference to us," LaMar said. "That 100-mile-per-hour fastball is just as hard to hit at 24 as it is at 22."
Colome was acquired from Oakland along with cash considerations in exchange for pitchers Jim Mecir and Todd Belitz on July 28, 2000.
Yan, born in Campino Del Seibo, surprisingly gained a year, dropping from 27 to 26 years old. Yan went 4-6 with 22 saves last season, posting a 3.90 ERA in 54 relief appearances.
With the adjusted dates, Yan was only 15 years old when he originally signed with Atlanta as a free agent on Nov. 21, 1990.
Soler, who was born in Las Caobas, is in major league camp for the first time. Last year, he hit .263 with 14 doubles, four triples, 27 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 103 games for Single-A Bakersfield. At the time, Soler, recently named the organization's Best Defensive Infielder by Baseball America, was thought to have been the youngest player in the California League.
LaMar suggested that when minor league camps open later this month that more age discrepancies will probably surface with an influx of foreign-born players.