New York.– Cuban exile Felix Perez, who had been in negotiations with the Yankees earlier this spring, has been suspended for falsifying age documents.
According to press reports, it was confirmed the suspension of Perez, an outfielder who was believed to be close to agreeing to a signing bonus of US$3-3.5 million with the Yankees in April. Talks broke off when Perez had difficulty obtaining a visa due to a discrepancy with his listed age.
Perez claimed to be 20, but sources revealed he may be 24 or 25. Prospects who lie about their age are subject to a mandatory one-year suspension. Perez established residence in the Dominican Republic after defecting from Cuba last year. He was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball in November.
Because Perez is a native of Cuba and MLB does not have access to birth records in that country, no official league investigation could be conducted to verify his age claim. However, the U.S. Consulate discovered discrepancies with Perez's passport during an analysis of his visa application.

they won't take him if he's too old...
Danny Almonte is hardly a top prospect, he is now 22 and will more than likely be unchosen yet again in the MLB June Draft. While his numbers are good as a Junior College player for Western Oklahoma State, the scouts take into consideration that he is playing against much younger competition, just like the old days. The velocity of his fastballs are in the mid to high 80's and the break on his off-speed pitches are not major league quality. The reality is that he will most likely get looked over in this years draft as he had every year. I hope you are right about his academics and that he may be successful in another endeavor because he is not a top baseball prospect, not even in the top 600 as the draft will show, yet again.
* When I was a boy growing up in Cuba, Luis Tiant was a national hero. Now I'm thirty-six and he's thirty-seven "