Players placed on restricted list...

[JPN366]

Catcher Francisco Hernandez and LHP Eric Stephenson have been placed on the restricted list. This means they either went AWOL from the organization or retired.

[NorthSideSox72]

Catcher Francisco Hernandez and LHP Eric Stephenson have been placed on the restricted list. This means they either went AWOL from the organization or retired.

Wow. Wasn't Hernandez looked at as a catcher of the future, at one point? He just never seemed to live up to the hype.

 

 

[JPN366]

Wow. Wasn't Hernandez looked at as a catcher of the future, at one point? He just never seemed to live up to the hype.

 

He was exposed to the Rule 5 draft back in December. Reading between the lines, I've gathered he is a bit flaky, so he may have gone AWOL.

[Balta1701]

Any chance that's an immigration issue?

[JPN366]

Any chance that's an immigration issue?

 

Could be, good point. Another part of the definition of the restricted list is an unexcused absence.

Edited April 6, 2009 by JPN366

[Balta1701]

Could be, good point. Another part of the definition of the restricted list is an unexcused absence.

The specific reason I ask is that a week ago I posted an ESPN piece suggesting that the U.S. was going to use immigration law to go after some of the people involved in the Wilder scam.

[Chisoxfn]

I initially thought immigration as well in regards to Francisco. I know the org has really soured him too though.

[JPN366]

The specific reason I ask is that a week ago I posted an ESPN piece suggesting that the U.S. was going to use immigration law to go after some of the people involved in the Wilder scam.

 

So, the players are here illegally? I thought they were here on work visas?

Edited April 6, 2009 by JPN366

[Balta1701]

So, the players are here illegally?

Based on that report, in some sense yes. What would have happened was people like Wilder were falsifying their ages so that they'd appear to have developed at a younger age than they actually were. Thus, you see a kid who's raking, he's actually 21 years old, you write down that he's 17 and everyone's jaw drops because of how big he is at such a young age. Entering this country with falsified documents would be an immigration violation and yes, if that were the case, they'd be here illegally.

[JPN366]

Based on that report, in some sense yes. What would have happened was people like Wilder were falsifying their ages so that they'd appear to have developed at a younger age than they actually were. Thus, you see a kid who's raking, he's actually 21 years old, you write down that he's 17 and everyone's jaw drops because of how big he is at such a young age. Entering this country with falsified documents would be an immigration violation and yes, if that were the case, they'd be here illegally.

 

Gotcha. I figured the players were to some extent the victims, but if they were culpable, then they should have legal trouble.

[Balta1701]

Gotcha. I figured the players were to some extent the victims, but if they were culpable, then they should have legal trouble.

Yeah, it was a 2 way street. The players signed contracts with fairly large bonuses and then passed along a portion of those bonuses to the guys doing the scouting and falsifying their ages. There's also rumors of significant doping involved.