Another Dominican prospect with a fake name: Michel Inoa is now Michael Ynoa

by xbhaskarx on Feb 21, 2009 9:39 AM PST Comment 53 comments

Remember Michel Inoa? Well, don't get used to that name.

The A's have announced they will hold a news conference this morning at the Hotel Jaragua in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. They will then introduce their prize amateur addition: 16-year-old Dominican right-hander Michel Inoa, who was not allowed to officially sign a contract until 9:01 p.m. (PDT) on Tuesday. Inoa's signing bonus is $4.3 million according to a source, breaking the A's record for an amateur signing as well as all records for non-Cuban Latin American amateurs.

The A's might introduce the 6-foot-7 pitcher as "Michael" Inoa, as there have been thoughts about anglicizing his name after he signed.

02/21/09:

Right-hander Michael Inoa, considered the top prospect in Latin America when the A's signed him last summer, is scheduled to arrive in Phoenix on March 9 and will stay four or five days for an orientation. Inoa, 17, will return April 9 for extended spring training. And according to A's director of player development Keith Lieppman, Inoa will start going by the original spelling of his last name, "Ynoa." Somewhere along the line, there was a mixup on the spelling, and the pitcher's name made its way into the public forum with an "I."

And he's really 37 years old.

But seriously, all of baseball had his last name wrong? And he and his family didn't bother to correct them until now?

Also, here is the paragraph on #20 overall prospect Michael Inoa from Baseball Prospectus 2009:

It's hard to get a PECOTA projection when you've yet to pitch a pro inning, and even more difficult when you've barely pitched a competitive inning at all. But Inoa is deserving of far more than just a comment at the tail end of the chapter. The talk of scouting circles all spring, the Dominican wunderkind signed for $4.25 million, more than doubling the previous high-water mark for a Latin American pitcher. Many who saw him called him the best 16-year-old arm they've ever seen; he already touches 94mph, has a very good breaking ball, and with a long, loose six-foot-seven frame, his potential is almost immeasurable. Obviously he's very young, and countless things could go wrong between where Inoa is now and potential stardom, but his talent is borderline historic and deserves mention.

Feel free to post your Jairo Garcia --> Santiago Casilla and Mychael Urban jokes below.

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i think when i was 17

i wouldn’t have gone round telling mlb that they’d misspelled my name, Ynoaimean?

what have i got myself into this time... http://damiansthirtyyearchallenge.blogspot.com/

by alea iacta est on Feb 21, 2009 9:53 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

+1

by HigherPie on Feb 21, 2009 9:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

really, why not?

what are they going to do, not sign you because your last name starts with a Y?
and what about his parents? they were reportedly heavily involved in the entire process.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Feb 21, 2009 9:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Did they even know?

Do they get American TV or American papers or the internet? Maybe they didn’t know from the beginning that the name was mixed up.

I really, really hope we don’t find out he’s actually 19. He’s already terribly overrated as a prospect; him being 2-3 years older would make it so much worse.

by thejd44 on Feb 21, 2009 10:14 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

surely they must have signed some paperwork, or at least looked at the back of his uniform.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Feb 21, 2009 10:18 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No one in that picture looks particualry happy

Not a good sign for what’s to come.

Bob Geren and Ken Macha both enjoy jai lai.

by CarGon's Jock on Feb 23, 2009 2:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The guy on the far right looks smug and Ynoa looks puzzled.

Beane’s clearly thinking ‘I really hope this guy doesn’t turn out to be 25.’

by OldhamA on Feb 23, 2009 7:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think it would be that bad

Less time for him to get injured, and he would still throw hard and be really tall.

With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery

by mikeA on Feb 21, 2009 11:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe they just assumed

that this was the correct English spelling. I’m certain they were more concerned with the check clearing the bank.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Feb 21, 2009 9:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I went to school with the same class of people

for 7 years through junior high and high school. They never knew my real name. Not because everybody hated me, but because I always said it was Peters or Peterman or Peterson or Petter or Sheldon. Nobody still knows. Some people like having a bit of mystery about them.

by NateHST on Feb 21, 2009 10:13 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

so he liked having a bit of mystery about him back in june, but not seven months later.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Feb 21, 2009 10:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Sarcasm...

by NateHST on Feb 21, 2009 11:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Better hope nobody had an Inoa jersey made for them

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Feb 21, 2009 10:22 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

ynoa did

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Feb 21, 2009 10:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Let's see, you are 16 and you sign a $4.25 million dollar contract

This contract takes you out of a little town and promises you and your family more than you could have ever dreamed and you are going to even think about how they are spelling your name? Maybe 21 or 29 but at 16, I would not really care, the world is out there for me and they can call me BOB as far as am concerned.

Also, This is not even in the same ballpark as Jairo Garcia / Santiago Casilla as I really don’t believe that Ynoa tried to fool anyone.

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, either way, YOU'RE RIGHT !"

by Eastbayjim on Feb 21, 2009 10:24 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

no one said it was in the same ballpark

jokes

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Feb 21, 2009 10:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I was waiting for that one as soon as I wrote it.

I thought of why his name has changed and it makes total sense.

After signing with the A’s his mother came up to him and told him that his father was not Mr. Inoa but it was Carlos Ynoa. She waited to tell him because now, with that much money, he can afford good counseling.

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, either way, YOU'RE RIGHT !"

by Eastbayjim on Feb 21, 2009 10:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

that makes total sense...wait til you get the $$ before you correct them and risk offending

not everybody would do that but lots of people would

by OaklandSi on Feb 21, 2009 11:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I've done that before

Let people continue to spell my last name wrong (which is remarkably easy thing to do) and then simply write it correctly on all forms I sign/fill out until someone gets the hint and starts spelling it right. Eventually they all do.

In search of a new signature. Say something funny and you may see your comment here!

by DMOAS on Feb 21, 2009 11:20 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I too have often accepted a $4.3million contract

before correcting the spelling on my name.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 21, 2009 1:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You have? In that case

Can I have $10?

by thejd44 on Feb 21, 2009 9:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No. I didn't get rich giving away money.

That’s actually a true statement.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 21, 2009 10:25 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Happened to me all the time and I hated having to correct people that misspelled my last name.

Ex: Rodriques/Rodriquez= Incorrect

Rodriguez=Bingo!

"God made Majnun love Layla so much that just her dog would cause confusion in him."

The Many Wines-Rumi

by mrod on Feb 22, 2009 11:40 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So can we call you "mbin"?

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 22, 2009 1:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

"Winner, winner...chicken dinner!"

"God made Majnun love Layla so much that just her dog would cause confusion in him."

The Many Wines-Rumi

by mrod on Feb 22, 2009 6:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You owe David Stein a dollar

by thejd44 on Feb 23, 2009 12:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The new spelling is way cooler.

Almost as cool as “Ygnacio”.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Feb 21, 2009 12:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Good point, yglew.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 21, 2009 1:53 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Agree

“Ynoa” like “Ysabel” has cache (internet spelling= “cashay” (sic).

Officially awaiting the 2009 season.

by One won lost won on Feb 22, 2009 11:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

cannot wait for the inevitable

“Why No "A”? from network TV.

Officially awaiting the 2009 season.

by One won lost won on Feb 22, 2009 11:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

(correct spelling= "cachet")

black dirt live again

by andeux on Feb 23, 2009 10:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

"he muffs the easy grounder, then kicks it, then..

throws it away!!"

Oh my!

8^))

Officially awaiting the 2009 season.

by One won lost won on Feb 23, 2009 1:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You're missing the bigger story

This is just a small first step. A few years and surgeries later, she’ll be Michelle Ynoa, the tallest gal with the hottest fastball on the East side of the bay.

"There is a sense of tragic destiny associated with people who have large noses." --Bucky Wunderlick

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Feb 21, 2009 12:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

now

that’s just ~~-arousing~~ wrong

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Feb 21, 2009 12:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

she could be a real ynnings eater

Neapolitan

by Ice Cream on Feb 22, 2009 8:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Not with that WHYP

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 22, 2009 8:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Beat me, whyp me, make me throw bad pitches

cuz cros will swing at ’em anyways

Stewart 7, Clemens / McNamee 1

by eastcoasta'sfan on Feb 23, 2009 8:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

if pro baseball doesn't work out,

there’s always The Real World.

Batting 4th for the 2014 San Jose A's: 26-year-old RF Justin Upton, in the 1st season of a nine year, $250M deal.

by notsellingjeans on Feb 21, 2009 1:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well I hope he's 19

cause he might be ready for a June callup

"Not in your wildest alcoholic nightmare would you ever imagine such events unfolding!" Bill King

by Buck Turgidson on Feb 21, 2009 4:58 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Huh...

I would be terribly disappointed to suddenly find that we have a 19 year old pitcher with a 94mph fastball and a good curve. Horrible news.

Oh wait…

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Feb 21, 2009 9:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

We traded for Felix Hernandez? Woo hoo!!!!

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 21, 2009 9:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Fake name???

Its seems to me like his name was spelled incorrectly by 1 letter. A far cry from a whole name.

Green and gold in the freezing cold!!!
Buffalo NY.

by waxman on Feb 22, 2009 10:32 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

internet: serious business .gif

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Feb 22, 2009 11:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

since a Y sounds like I and are sometimes interchangeable

as in Santa Ynez and Santa Inez, it’s not that much of a stretch to tolerate a misspelling.

Eric Chavez, who purportedly speaks no Spanish, let everyone say his name with the wrong EMphaSIS for quite some time….. whatever they wished to use.

Then some use their mother’s surname right after the father’s….and then use one, then the other…pretty soon you call yourself “Jairo” even if you admit that you “hate that name”. :^)

Officially awaiting the 2009 season.

by One won lost won on Feb 22, 2009 10:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Then he signed with the right team!!!

Now Iona can go into AN archives along with “Bean”, “Hardin”, etc

by buddahead9 on Feb 22, 2009 7:34 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

And Daryc!

Oops, I mean Dale.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 22, 2009 7:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

♫ Mee-shell, EE-no, sont les mots qui vont (tres bien ensemble)2

The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus

by The Dogfather on Feb 23, 2009 11:33 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

You typed that off pitch.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 23, 2009 7:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Aw, you're just drunk with the power of your new HMFIC appointment.

So, when will you give your State of ANation speech?

The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus

by The Dogfather on Feb 24, 2009 9:15 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

As soon as I'm sober

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 24, 2009 5:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

latest facepalm

slusser:

According to Lieppman, Ynoa had not pitched in a game until signing with the A’s.

at any level? does he even know how to play baseball?
on a positive note his arm can’t have too much wear and tear.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Feb 23, 2009 11:44 PM PST reply actions 0 recs