Awesome - Baseball 'Prodigy' Was Ready To Take The World By Storm, Until People Discovered His Secret
It was June of 2008, and Danny Almonte was growing desperate. Once touted as a can't-miss prospect with a slider sweeter than sugar, the 21-year-old pitcher sat as silent as his telephone, with each round of the MLB Draft slowly slipping past. His mind raced — what could've happened? Where did he go wrong? But Danny knew: August 30, 2001. That was the day one impossible secret threatened to rob him of everything.
"Little Unit"
In those days, however, Danny was known by a different name: "Little Unit," a nod to imposing Hall-of-Fame pitcher Randy "Big Unit" Johnson. The moniker made sense. At 5'9", Danny was one 12-year-old you didn't want to mess with on the monkey bars.
Professional Prowess
But the place people dreaded seeing Danny most wasn't on the jungle gym; it was on the pitcher's mound. After all, his repertoire featured the kind of stuff you only saw in the pros, including a slick slider and a 76 mph fastball — equal to, at that distance, a 102 mph major-league pitch.
Pitching Phenom
The batters he faced could hardly do long division, let alone make contact with the kind of gas Danny was throwing. Pitch after pitch, strikeout after strikeout, the Dominican-born Bronx native had quickly become the next great Little League phenom.
The Big Stage
Backed by the "Baby Bombers" — nicknamed for their home field's place in the shadow of Yankee Stadium — Danny dominated the circuit en route to a Little League World Series berth, pitching a no-hitter in the 2001 Mid-Atlantic Regional finals in the process. "Almighty Almonte" appeared unstoppable — the LLWS, however, would be his biggest challenge yet.
Making History
But Danny was hardly fazed by the big stage, and in front of a crowd of over 20,000, he pitched the first perfect game in the Little League World Series since 1979. His next matchup — a squad from Oceanside, California — seemed just as lopsided, though a 4'10", 82-pound 11-year-old begged to differ.
David vs. Goliath
The boy's name was Matthew Cerda, and what he lacked in size he made up for in good old-fashioned baseball IQ. On top of that, his batting skills were remarkable for a kid his age. As he crossed to the plate to face the "Little Unit," he was ready.
Don't Blink
Yet before Matthew could even blink, he'd struck out. Danny's pitches looked almost supersonic, whizzing past in a formless blur only to land perfectly into the catcher's mitt. It was almost as if a grown man was hurling on the mound.
Still in the Game
When it came time for Matthew's second at-bat, three pitches was all Danny needed to once again send the 11-year-old back to the dugout. Even as Oceanside batters fell left and right, however, the Baby Bombers were only up one run as the final hitter squared up against Danny.
Matthew's Moment
That hitter, of course, was Matthew, who took the rival ace to a 2-2 count before making contact for the first time — and fouling the ball into the dugout. Finally, Danny pulled out his slider, sending the ball hurtling toward the plate. Matthew swung hard...
Fates Intertwine
And struck out again. The Bombers rushed the mound in celebration, and Matthew retreated to the team van to cry over his missed opportunity. Nevertheless, something happened in that moment that shifted the cosmic balance indefinitely — soon enough, both of these boys' fortunes would change forever.
The Next Big Thing
While Matthew disappeared into the quiet comfort of his Oceanside backyard to continue training following the loss, Danny became nothing short of a celebrity. Baseball analysts touted him as one of the best young prospects in decades, and several major-league clubs even began recruiting him.
Hometown Hero
He also became a hometown hero of sorts, with the Yankees inviting him to games and Mayor Rudy Giuliani giving him a key to the city. Danny relished in his newfound fame, though he never anticipated that the spotlight would uncover the one thing he'd kept hidden for years: the truth.
Searching For Scandal
Shortly after his Little League World Series run, several rival teams hired private investigators to dig up dirt on Danny's seemingly squeaky-clean past. Initial inquiries turned up little, though after two Sports Illustrated reporters traveled to the pitcher's Dominican birthplace, Danny's secret was revealed.
Fraud
While Danny's "birth certificate" had listed 1989 as his birth year, he'd actually been born in '87, making him 14 at the time of the LLWS — and therefore ineligible. The scandal shook the baseball world to its core, though it was Danny himself who paid the steepest price.
Falling Apart
After his father was extradited to the Dominican Republic to be prosecuted for falsifying his birth record, Danny floundered on his own. Lacking willpower and motivation, his pitching skills deteriorated, and in a bid for some stability he married a 30-year-old hairdresser shortly after his 18th birthday.
Short-Lived Career
Once a "sure thing" draft choice, Danny was passed over in the 2006 MLB Draft and ultimately signed to play for the Southern Illinois Miners of the independent Frontier League. He posted a 5.29 ERA in six appearances before being released — his professional career lasted just 34 days. Though he didn't give up.
Bouncing Back
Danny managed to bounce back in a big way after joining the Western Oklahoma State junior college team, giving up his slider to perfect his other pitches. Behind his arm and a red-hot bat, Danny led his team to the Juco World Series — his big-league dreams were still within reach.
Nothing But Silence
In fact, the Kansas City Royals had even expressed interest in taking him in the 2008 MLB Draft. Yet on that fateful June day, the phone never rang for 21-year-old Danny Almonte — the same, however, couldn't be said for another Little League star.
Hard Work Pays Off
Following his fateful LLWS appearance, young Matthew Cerda trained rigorously to prove he was more than just another Danny Almonte strikeout. Growing to 5'9", 165 pounds, the young infielder smashed Oceanside records to become one of the nation's most promising prospects — and, not long after, a professional ball player.
The Best Revenge is Massive Success
While Danny's phone sat silent, Matthew received a call from the Chicago Cubs, who drafted him in the fourth round as a catcher. For five years Matthew tore up the minor leagues, though after missing a season due to injury and working through multiple position changes, the 23 year old decided to hang up his cleats for good.
No Regrets
Danny also put aside his pro dreams, choosing instead to serve as an assistant baseball coach at his high school alma mater. Believe it or not, the former pitching prodigy says he's glad his secret got out — if it hadn't, he might've wound up like one of the most infamous cheaters of all time.
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