Rafael De Paula’s isn’t the first name that comes to mind when thinking of Yankees prospects. His name was part of the problem.
The right-hander from the Dominican Republic was named to the World team roster for tomorrow’s Futures Game (2 p.m., ESPN2) at Citi Field, the Yankees’ lone representative in the annual showcase of minor league talent held in conjunction with the All-Star Game. De Paula’s stellar Single-A results in his first pro season on American soil is making a multi-year saga of identity questions, MLB probes and visa hangups into more of a prologue.
The Yankees inked De Paula for $500,000 in late 2010 after he served a one-year suspension over inconsistencies in the name and age appearing in his documentation. The consequent confusion made it take upwards of a year for the youngster to acquire his visa. The waiting produced a drudgery of bullpen sessions and simulated games, far removed from the lights and thrills of real competition.
“Once my visa issue was behind me, I felt good and knew I would be able to pitch in games,” De Paula said, according to the Charleston RiverDogs website. “I was just so thankful to finally get that opportunity.”
He made 14 appearances (1.46 ERA, 12.4 K/9) in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League in 2012.
DePaula, now at the advanced but confirmed age of 22, debuted in the U.S. this spring at Charleston. He mowed through the junior hitters of the low-A South Atlantic League: In 13 starts covering a restrained 64 1/3 innings, he struck out 96 and allowed 23 walks and 44 hits while pitching to a 2.94 ERA, before a mid-June promotion to High-A Tampa.
The 6-foot-2, 212-pounder features an easy mid-90s fastball and what onlookers describe as a hard-breaking curveball. He went five shutout innings in his first Florida State League exposure, then was cuffed around a bit in his next two tries.
On the strength of his 2013 showing, De Paula made it into Baseball America’s midseason list of baseball’s top 50 prospects at No. 45. Yankees catching prospect Gary Sanchez was there at No. 34, but none of their outfield trio of Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin made the list, highlighting De Paula’s increasing relevance in the Yankees’ farm system.
* The Mets landed three prospects in the Futures Game, including a pair of fast-rising right-handers.
Noah Syndergaard, whose ascendance may yet make him, not Travis d’Arnaud, the jewel of the R.A. Dickey trade, is a candidate to start the game for the U.S. team. He was pulled from his start Thursday night after just two innings in anticipation. The 20-year-old Texan has a 1.34 ERA and 26 K/4 BB in four games at Double-A Binghamton, the youngest pitcher in the league with that many appearances.
Rafael Montero, 22, was likewise limited to two frames Thursday at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he has made seven starts after excelling to the tune of a 7/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Double-A. The Dominican native is on the World team.
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the Mets’ 2011 first-round pick currently at low-A Savannah, won a fan vote for the final U.S. roster spot.