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So I'm sure most of you remember him from the Little League World Series several years ago... well he popped onto ESPN again on Sunday. Seems he has been playing ball down in Oklahoma at a JUCO and is now looking to possibly play NCAA baseball?

He played, for at least a short period of time, in the Frontier League. That's independent professional baseball.

How would he be able to go play NCAA baseball after playing professional baseball?

Did anyone else see that story on ESPN Sunday morning? Maybe I heard something wrong?

"Every Athlete Deserves an Athletic Trainer"

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I saw Almonte pitch in the Frontier leagues, he was sub par in velocity and control and was quietly released...

I remember at the time he went to the JUCO route it was based on a NJCCA rule....and this is not word for word...but something like..

Student athletes are permitted to participate in professional baseball for no more than 90 days at a level no higher than Class A. If this can be confirmed by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the student-athlete shall be eligible to compete in baseball at an NJCAA member college.

Now the Frontier League is an independent league and not a member of the NAPBL which is now known as Milb....

I do not know if the NCAA has a similar codicil.....would hope that 3 Finger Glove will be by soon with the relavent NCAA ruling as he has the best NCAA knowledge on site today...

Best wishes to the young man, but the last time I saw him he was a below average Frontier League pitcher...
Last edited by piaa_ump
I watched the E-60 clip on ESPN.

I believe they stated he was looking to move on to play at an NAIA school.

He also was not pitching, but playing outfield and they talked about how well he had hit this season.

My biggest problem with the piece is this; Almonte has been in this country 6 or 7 years now; he only spoke Spanish throughout the interview. He has had plenty of time to learn English. Whether he plays baseball or not, learning the language will help him be a more productive part of society.
quote:
My biggest problem with the piece is this; Almonte has been in this country 6 or 7 years now; he only spoke Spanish throughout the interview. He has had plenty of time to learn English. Whether he plays baseball or not, learning the language will help him be a more productive part of society.

Agree completely. I had the exact same thoughts.
Here's my understanding of amateur status for a player who played professionally briefly before entering college:

D1: Ineligible.
D2: Eligible since the professional affiliaton occurred before entering college full-time.
D3: Ineligible
NAIA: Can be reinstated by losing a season of competition, and serving a year of residency.
NJCAA: Already covered by piaa_ump above.

NCAA rule is 12.2 for all 3 divisions
NAIA in Article 7D
NJCAA in in Section 11.A.5
Last edited by 3FingeredGlove
Though Almonte has torn up junior college ball with the Western Oklahoma State Pioneers, scouts have shied away from him, partly because he's no longer the fresh-faced teenager with the golden arm that he was when he played at Monroe High in the Bronx.

"He's kind of old now," said one scout. "There are guys in the major leagues who are 22."

In his second year at Western Oklahoma, a small school in Altus - about 140 miles southwest of Oklahoma City - Almonte has posted impressive numbers, helping his team to the Junior College Division II World Series, which begins today.

In 58 games, Almonte has hit 17 home runs, driven in 75 runs and hit 22 doubles and five triples while posting a .485 batting average.

Though primarily an outfielder, Almonte is still dominant when he takes the mound. In 12 starts this season, he is 8-0 with a 4.07 ERA. In 48-2/3 innings, he has fanned 62 batters.

But the lefthander whose 70mph Little League fastball was the equivalent of a 92 mph big-league heater is no longer a flamethrower. His fastball has rarely reached the 90s, more often hitting the mid-to-upper 80s. He also throws a curveball and a changeup but doesn't have the eye-opening "stuff" that scouts are looking for.

One scout who monitors talent in the Southwest said that even though Almonte's pitching numbers are impressive, most players he competes against are significantly younger than he is - just like the old days. Eight years ago, Almonte was found to be 14 years old - not 12, as he had purported to be - in the Little League World Series, forcing his team to forfeit its victories.

"(He's) a little bit old for a junior college player so I would say if the right team saw him on the right day, he may have a chance to get drafted. But he's more of a free-agent sign type guy for most teams," said the scout. "Obviously with any player, as you get older your window starts to close, but especially a guy like him. At least for me, he's not really a prospect at this time."

As for Almonte's batting statistics, the same scout said they are "a little bit misleading because they play on a field that's not real big and out here in Oklahoma the winds blow hard."

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