The Sordid Tale of Juan Silvestre
I’m going to pull out a blast from the past today, and talk about one-time Mariners’ outfield prospect Juan Silvestre. After a 2000 season in which he was named MVP of the California League thanks to near Triple Crown numbers, prospect hunters did plenty of salivating over this diminutive Dominican power prospect.
And why not? A 22-year-old kid who just belted 30 homers, drove in almost 140 runs and hit .304 is sure going to garner attention.
The problem was, he wasn’t actually 22.
When baseball’s AgeGate ensued (a crack down on the liberties being taken with international players’ ages), it was revealed that Silvestre was born in 1976, not 1978 as long assumed.
The feats he accomplished at High-A were actually done at the age of 24 — significantly affecting his prospect status. It just took a couple of years before that came to light.
By then, Silvestre had pretty much weeded himself out of the mix with his performance. He was never able to make the leap to Double-A with any success.
The story of Juan Silvestre should serve as a cautionary tale for prospect followers in Fantasy keeper leagues. It’s so important to look beyond the numbers. And while it’s easy in retrospect to see the warning signs that Silvestre wasn’t going to cut it, the reality is we had no reason to suspect his birthdate was pure fiction. We also had no reason to wonder how a kid that was just 5′11″, 180 pounds was capable of mashing 30 homers. Now, I have no cause to suggest that Silvestre had “a little extra boost” to help him put up such prodigious power totals, but history has taught us to wonder, if nothing else.
At any rate, poor strike zone judgment that was evident as far back as Low-A (22 walks, 98 strikeouts in 1998 in the Midwest League) was going to doom him at the higher levels. And right on cue, Silvestre’s line in his first taste of Double A (.228/.270/.328) told us plenty.
It also told the Mariners plenty, and by next season, Silvestre was in the Rangers’ organization. He lasted just one year in the Texas system, batting .146 in 96 at-bats at Double-A Tulsa, and that was it for Silvestre’s run at organized ball. The following season, he played briefly with Bangor of the Independant Northeast League, but a .224 BA and no homers in almost 100 at-bats spelled the end of his diamond days.
Did we learn nothing from Danny Almonte? I mean when the coach goes to the mound for a conference and he and the pitcher have a smoke break, there is something wrong there. I love the diversity in the game of baseball, but if these guys can’t get honest about their birthdate, then baseball is going to have to get real serious about the age problems.
Ha ha…Danny Almonte! Good one. Well, I think the problem has been fixed now. It was Adrian Beltre that really helped open up people’s eyes as to how big this problem was. But who could blame them for trying? Wouldn’t you lie about your age if it meant the difference between a $1 million signing bonus or a two-for-one coupon for the Red Lobster?
I guess here in the states we don’t have the same problems with age. We are the age we say we are. Very easy to find out how old someone is here. But, when you come from a country that is littered with corruption and under the table deals, things are not so easy. Makes you wonder how old that 8 foot gorilla who played in the Little League World Series this last season really was.
Well, I don’t know think corruption is the issue…it’s poverty. If your son is 18, he’s the meal ticket out of that life, but if he’s 20, no one is interested. It’s easy to see why this became such a problem. But like I said, it’s no longer an issue, thankfully. Scouts and agents alike are far more diligent now when checking the ages of international players.