Could the Angels invalidate Pujols' contract on the basis of fraud?

[Chadwick]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Pujols cleared of these charges years ago? Secondly, if Pujols lied about his age, it was when he signed his first baseball contract (with the Cardinals organization); the Angels didn't see fit (after allegations came out) to do their due dilligence.

Perhaps most importantly, how can David Samson ever be viewed as a credible source on anything?

[Chadwick]

Incidentally, if Pujols lied about his age early in his career, would it have any impact with BBWAA voters in his Hall of Fame case?

[Bothrops Atrox]

Incidentally, if Pujols lied about his age early in his career, would it have any impact with BBWAA voters in his Hall of Fame case?

Nopers.....

[64Cards]

Uhh, no. He was 78 in 2001, I'd imagine he also had a legitimate birth certificate. My guess is Whitey was perhaps exaggerating just a tad, but implying Pujols may be in his mid 20's. I don't know, just passing on a story, a rather entertaining one.

[Bothrops Atrox]

Uhh, no. He was 78 in 2001, I'd imagine he also had a legitimate birth certificate. My guess is Whitey was perhaps exaggerating just a tad, but implying Pujols may be in his mid 20's. I don't know, just passing on a story, a rather entertaining one.

Really? I thought for sure he was 130. Thanks for the clarification.

[willshad]

I'm no expert, but aren't there laws against employers or potential employers discriminating against someone based on age anyway? It not only seems silly,but also kind of illegal to tell a kid that you won't sign them because they are 19 and not 16.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I'm no expert, but aren't there laws against employers or potential employers discriminating against someone based on age anyway? It not only seems silly,but also kind of illegal to tell a kid that you won't sign them because they are 19 and not 16.

An interesting question. I wonder if this applies to signing young prospects? It's not like anyone can apply to to a minor league prospect job like you're applying to regular job. Teams scout players and then decide if they want to make the player an offer, It's not like a player is applying to a job with a specific team.

[Bothrops Atrox]

I'm no expert, but aren't there laws against employers or potential employers discriminating against someone based on age anyway? It not only seems silly,but also kind of illegal to tell a kid that you won't sign them because they are 19 and not 16.

I know there are no law against falsifying resumes...but it is usually frowned-upon by most employees.

[Chadwick]

I know there are no law against falsifying resumes...but it is usually frowned-upon by most employees.

It's also an almost universally fire-able offense, if not a career killer in many industries.

[UnderPressure]

You want to give Pujols the benefit of the doubt because he’s not the typical player out of the DR. Meaning, he was not signed as a teenage free agent. He was drafted out of a US college so he didn’t get his visa through getting signed by a professional sports franchise.

[Rilesey09]

Pujols still looks great for his age. Ageless like David Justice.

https://www.sportsbetting3.com/mlb/mlb-betting

Angels don't really have a chance but they really need someone hitting better than .240 to get on base!

Matt Thaiss has not looked good in 21 AB

[Ubiquitous]

Albert came to America as a complete unknown. If he was truly 19 when he came to America it would have made his baseball career very very hard to happen. But if he's 16 and in high school he's got a couple of years to attract the attention of scouts.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Albert came to America as a complete unknown. If he was truly 19 when he came to America it would have made his baseball career very very had to happen. But if he's 16 and in high school he's got a couple of years to attract the attention of scouts.

According to wiki Pujols came to America in 1996. Why would his family purposely lie about his age unless they somehow knew he was destined to be a professional baseball player? If he truly was 19 why would he go to high school instead of finding a job and go to work? The Pujols were poor and having a 19 year Albert go to school rather than go to work and make money for the family seems implausible to me.

[Ubiquitous]

For the same reason that 19 year olds in the Dominican Republic lie and say they are 16. So they can have a chance to get a lot of money.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

For the same reason that 19 year olds in the Dominican Republic lie and say they are 16. So they can have a chance to get a lot of money.

Except the difference is that those 19 year old Dominicans are about to sign their first contract so lying about their age makes sense. Why would Pujols family lie about a 19 year old being 16 when entering the US? As far as I know Pujols was not a known baseball entity before he came to the US. If he was any good when he arrived in the US why wouldn't he play juco ball at the very least as he would get more exposure and play against higher level competition?