The Yankees agreed to sign Rafael DePaula for $500k back in November 2010, but the 20-year-old right-hander is still waiting for his visa to be approved so he can come to the U.S. and finalize his contract. He was one of the top arms on the international market back in the day, but was suspended for a year after lying about his age and his identity. Apparently the government doesn’t like to let people into the country after they do that.
As we wait for DePaula to secure a visa, the always resourceful Andy in Sunny Daytona dug up some quality (and recent!) video of the 6-foot-3 right-hander throwing a bullpen at what appears to be the Yankees’ complex in the Dominican Republic. The video above is all fastballs, a pitch that can touch 97 mph according to reports from back when he agreed to his contract. The video below is primarily low-effort breaking balls from in front of the mound. It’s pretty slurvy, looking like a slider one pitch then a curveball the next. It’s still February though, he’s just getting back into the swing of things like everyone else .
DePaula will turn 21 in March according his official documents, so while he’s still very young, he’s also lost a lot of development time over the last few years between the suspension and visa-related hiatus. He’s not allowed to participate in any games because he’s not officially under contract, so he’s just been working out at the team’s complex for the time being. That’s all well and good, but he’s got to get into games and face actual hitters to make real progress in his development. For now, the Yankees and DePaula can’t do anything but continue to wait.
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