The Esmailyn Gonzalez story wasn't a huge shock to people in the industry who had previously questioned Gonzalez's age and criticized the Nationals for giving him a $1.4 million signing bonus, but I don't think anyone believed that Gonzalez was four years older than he claimed to be and thus was barely a prospect, if at all.
The obvious next question is whether the apparent age/identity fraud extends to anyone inside the Nationals' organization, as both Jose Rijo and general manager Jim Bowden have been questioned in connection with the investigation into embezzlement and kickbacks of signing bonuses paid to amateur players in Latin America.
In a conference call with the media Wednesday afternoon, team president Stan Kasten refused to speculate whether it was an inside job: "I'm not gonna say anything right now while the investigation continues … I'm gonna let all conclusions be reached; I want it pursued to the very end. The chips will fall where they may. I just want to cover everything I can possibly uncover."
Kasten also indicated he did not wish to take any questions about the possible involvement of specific members of the organization, which seemed to be a preemptive strike designed to protect Rijo and Bowden.
Kasten took issue with the Sports Illustrated claim that the Nationals had paid Gonzalez $700,000 more than any other team (Texas) was offering, saying that it "has not been determined truthfully, but it will be." As for the allegation that Rijo chose to bypass Rob Plummer, the agent who represented Gonzalez before the player signed with Washington, to negotiate with a "buscón" with whom Rijo was friends, Kasten demurred entirely, saying that it "is nothing I can talk about just yet."
Amazingly enough, Gonzalez (whose real name is Carlos David Alvarez Lugo and was born in November 1985) has obtained a new passport, and Kasten indicated that the organization believes the player will be able to secure a visa, but said that he was "not ready" to announce what the organization has decided for the player's future or any legal recourse against the player for what he indicated was an "elaborate" and wide-ranging fraud.
Legal issues aside, the age change all but ends Gonzalez's status as a prospect; a 23-year-old prospect should be in Double-A, not the Gulf Coast League, and his performance as a 23-year-old GCL repeater is completely unimpressive. I had listed Gonzalez as the third-best prospect in the Nats' system; their new top five would read:
- Jordan Zimmerman, RHP
- Michael Burgess, RF
- Ross Detwiler, LHP
- Chris Marrero, LF
- Derek Norris, C
Washington would still rank 29th among the 30 farm systems, thanks to the sad state of Houston's organization.
It hurts to lose a top prospect, but Gonzalez alone wasn't key to the rebuilding process, as he didn't project as a star and was still far away from the majors. It's simply another black eye for an organization that is already a laughingstock in the industry, and a cautionary tale to organizations ramping up their scouting operations in the Dominican Republic, where you really are only as old as you feel.
Keith Law
