Friday, July 04, 2008
A's Sign Coveted Dominican Teen
The Oakland Athletics have signed 16-year-old Michel Inoa out of the Dominican Republic, giving the flame-throwing righty a $4.25 million bonus. Widely considered the top international prospect available, the 6-foot-7 hurler already boasts a 96 mph fastball to go with a polished breaking ball and a serviceable changeup. This represents the largest bonus ever awarded to a non-Cuban prospect from Latin America. Inoa projects as a top of the rotation starter and was pursued by several other teams including the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds. Sources familiar with the negotiations report that Inoa turned down a larger bonus from the Reds due to his preference for Oakland's history of developing young pitching. Inoa will see his first professional action in the Dominican Summer League where he will go about adding weight to his 205-pound frame.
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Doctor X -- the 'Baseball Medic' -- is an anonymous U.S. government trauma specialist with a Duke University sports medicine background and more than 20 years experience in emergency medicine. From time to time he considers MLB rumors, events and news reports as they pertain to baseball players' injuries, illnesses and various other disabilities, both on the field and off.
MLB Rumors editor Greg Fieg is a former sports news editor and award-winning writer whose bylines have appeared on the wires of the Associated Press and in numerous publications, including San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio Light, Houston Chronicle and Philadelphia Bulletin. He formerly was posted in various positions on the U.S.-Mexican border with Freedom Newspapers, and was a regular, independent contributor to United Press International.