A's Land Inoa

mid 90’s at 16! this kid is going to be fun to watch!

Our Savior! Maybe he can replace Blanton in the 2008 Rotation!!!! j/k

that means we’ll need to put him on the roster when he’s 21, or he’ll get poached in the rule 5 draft like Johan.

Then again, maybe we’ll want to start him at 19, like Felix.

He could very well be our Felix.

I’m amazed we outbid anyone, much less the whole league.

I’m quite glad that they’re showing a willingness to spend money in latin america.

We plopped down 4.25 million to control a “once-in-a-generation” type talent.

If he flames out, we lost all of 4.25 million in a season where we’re the 28th highest payroll in the league and Emil Brown makes like 1.8 million.

There just isn’t downside with this. It exists only in the form of money, and a considerably unimportant amount at that.

I don’t see any downside to this, either

If anything, it shows a new dedication to Latin baseball, which is a GREAT thing

From all reports, if Inoa is really a “once in a generation” talent, what’s there to lose? $4.25 million?

His upside, and the upside of a renewed commitment to Latin baseball, are huge pluses

He has great size, which to me sounds A LOT better than signing a 5’7”, 160 pound flamethrower. SOUNDS less injury prone, but who knows how true that holds.

1. Michel Inoa, RHP, Dominican Republic
There has certainly been much said about Inoa in recent weeks, so I’ll stick to reporting what I’ve heard rather that what you can already read there. Inoa is 6′7 and an athletic 205 pound right-handed pitcher whose fastball has been as high as 96, but sits in the 91-93 range presently.

He is especially noted for his outstanding frame: he’s already enormous for a 16 year old, but has plenty of remaining projection, amazing body control, and mechanics that translate into borderline unbelievable command for his age and size. Most 6′7 teenage pitchers (there aren’t that many to begin with) are gangly, all arms and legs, raw, lack command and body control, and generally just a long way from being a finished product. One source termed Inoa frame as, "a basketball body with some definition—he’s still skinny—but he’s projectable and has basketball athleticism."

These qualities have some projecting him to hit 100 in a few years, and that isn’t too far-fetched considering the fact that he’s had little to no high-level coaching. Inoa’s mechanics are clean and the ball "comes out of his hand shockingly easy," according to another source. Inoa comes from an athletic family, has a clean and fluid arm action, and earns high marks for his makeup and work ethic.

Inoa has advanced feel a curveball that already flashes above-average and most project for plus, along with a splitter than one insider called "dirty." He’s been called a , "once in a decade talent," by more than a few. The first source said that elements of Inoa remind him of Dellin Betances as a high school prospect, with the big projectable frame, lack of high-level instruction, easy velocity, and feel for a potential plus curveball, but then points out the differences that make Betances a $1 million bonus 18 year old and figure to make Inoa a $4 million plus bonus player at 16 years old.

Inoa has superior body control, command, and third pitch with an overall more polished package, and obviously is two years younger. He could very well be Rick Porcello in two years and that would seem to make $4 million a bargain. I’ll get into more detail about the logic and risk of amateur bonuses and Latin versus draft spending an article after the Latin scouting reports

FROM: http://www.saberscouting.com/2008/06/26/michelinoareport/

Personally, I’m GIDDY

a phenomenal talent and people complain. Its just money, which we saved 30mil or so from this year. No better way to spend it then on the draft and international free agents. This is win/win. All A’s fan should be very very happy we signed him.

i don’t know anything about inoa but it’s great to see the A’s go after somebody that is suppose to be a once-in-a-generation type talent!

this kid must be really special if billy beane is pushing this hard to get him!

I’d like to find a picture of him next to other people, so as to get a better idea of how big he is.

on a super prospect, than lots more $$ on an aging free agent based on what he could do in his prime

when was the last time the A’s were in the same conversation regarding money with the Yankees and Red Sox? i find it mind-boggling.

I see this as an extension of what PT pointed out above- our movement towards mixing in more high risk/reward players at the bottom. but still, this one sets the bar WAY higher than it’s ever been before.

i like this new philosophy. I dont mind the A’s saving some money by passing up on (trading etc.) free agents when I see them put more money into the talent base. Keeping aging free agents is a risk too, albeit a significantly smaller risk than a 16 year old, but a free agent contract these days still dwarfs the $4m this guy is getting.

I think a lot of this is about picking and choosing where you spend your money.

Over most of the past decade the A’s have been known for having excellent pitching and a strong minor league system. They got a little thin down on the farm in recent years but the Swisher and Haren trades immediately helped them replenish much of the talent they’d either called up or traded.

When you look at the way posting works for players from Japan, there is a major difference in the amount of money spent just to try to bring someone in. Teams like the A’s can’t really make a run at those players because of that, plus the Japanese League is at a more professional level than a player like Inoa, who’s still just a kid. At one time this is what the A’s did. Instead of signing one or two players for big bucks, they took that money and spent it in the Dominican Republic and surrounding areas, signing a number of players instead. Some of them would pan out, some not.

With Inoa, nobody can really say what he’ll end up being yet. There’s a lot of hype with all this once-in-a-generation stuff, but I can say one thing: I’m glad to see the A’s are the ones taking a shot at him. This ought to be interesting.

and international signings because “they’ve never done that before”, what more would it take to satisfy you? So far we have:

Michel Inoa
Rashun Dixon
David Thomas

A bunch of high-upside draftees—Hunter, Berroa, Elgie, Warren

http://mvn.com/milb-yankees/2008/06/29/shady-dealings-in-the-inoa-sweepstakes/

It’s really difficult to have any sympathy for the Bronx Bombers. To me this is a triumph of the Green n’ Gold over the Evil Empire.

We’ve been losing at the international game for quite a while. Now who knows if it’s going to work out but it’s nice to have our team at the table when it comes to acquiring the incredible high upside guy.

6’7” and throws in the mid 90’s AND is 16 years old. Wow.

But BlameChannel53 does have a good point in that a young pitcher can most definitely break hearts. I’m just really excited about the A’s future and the fact that they’re willing to spend to ensure the future is bright.

... on doing a FanPost this offseason titled “Inoa What You Did Last Summer.”

Anyone wants it, it’ll cost ya $20. You can PayPal it straight to mikeA.

off the ol’ Huston Street commercial about driving to the HOF ceremony.

—this guy could buy her Haiti.

that im feeling compelled to start working on a devil’s-advocate/wet-blanket perspective just to cause trouble.

...i cant really think of anything that doesnt have a good counter. anybody?

Is his name pronounced eye-noa or eee-noa?

then watch the FA class of 08 go to work, pull out of the bidding in the future and let the rest of the rich teams have to severly overpay in the future when we are gone from the market. that will teach them to be rich

If he is really 16 and really 6”7, im owrried about what happend to his body control and repeatable mechanics when he actually puts weight on his frame? Thats the true problem with kids this age, its all projection of the body growth at this point.

I love the idea of signing him, but i still thikn im giving less than 50% to make the show until its shown how he will physically mature.

Im just terrified of how the discussion with Iona refers to his clean mechnics now, which can easly be wrecked for taller pitchers, well before hes had any true physical changes that come with age,