Pirates lefty Felipe Rivero will henceforth be known as Felipe Vázquez after undergoing a legal name change, Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. That modification will be reflected on the back of his uniform in short order.
You’ll need to read the article for the back story, but the new surname will match that of the southpaw’s sister, Prescilla Vázquez. The siblings are very close; she is said to have played a notable role in advising her brother on his agency decisions and working out the long-term deal that he signed over the winter.
As the Bucs order up some new jerseys, they’ll hope that the newly renamed Vázquez can maintain the form he showed last year as Rivero. In 75 1/3 innings, the power lefty allowed just 14 earned runs on 47 hits while compiling an 88:20 K/BB ratio. He also racked up 21 saves after moving into the closer’s role.
That performance led to a four-year extension in January. The deal promises Vázquez $22MM for the 2018 through 2021 seasons and also leaves the club with two option years.
WTH
Really?? Unless you own a Felipe Rivero jersey, who the hell cares??
And even then, you’re an idiot for spending money on a Felipe Rivero jersey.
Why would u be an idiot he’s a great pitcher?
great?
He was a 2.7 b-win relief pitcher last year. That’s pretty elite for a reliever.
This would suck if you own a rivero Jersey. And honestly buying a rivero jersey this offseason would’ve been a smart move. He signed a long term extension. I bought a Dylan Bundy jersey in 2012 or 13 right before he changed his number.
Love this move
Giancarlo might want to try this to stop the boo birds in New York
Does the name change come with the ability to not strike out 5 times a night?
He’d have to wear a mask as the Yankees don’t have names on their jerseys. Maybe a Judge mask?
What is a judge mask?
Maybe he can go back to being Mike Stanton instead of Giancarlo
Giancarlo used to go by mike Stanton, I don’t know why he’d change again
He already did. He used to be Mike Staton.
Reminds me of when Carlos Sanchez changed his name to Yolmer. I was racking my brain trying to figure out where Yolmer came from.
why did I not know he was carlos…. I knew Carlos Sanchez. And I know yolmer. I just. Didn’t put two and two together…
lol
“Henceforth”, making it sound like he just got promoted to sith lord.
Ha. I’m going to change my name to Kershaw. It couldn’t hurt my curveball.
he clearly doesn’t want to be associated with the Pirates, who can blame them
Ummmm….he’s not changing the name on the front, just the back.
1) how does him changing his name have anything to do with the team
2) he just signed a multi year team friendly extension, thereby associating himself with the club.
Huh?
Also, he’s 4 years older than he says he is.
Pretty sure MLBers have work visas and green cards, hombre.
Hasn’t stopped them from lying and claiming to be someone else before. Fausto Carmona ring any bells?
Miguel Tejada was actually older than he really said he was.
Juan Carlos Oviedo is another
“El duque” Orlando Hernandez is my favorite. The guy technically pitched till he was like 50, but we never knew his real DOB.
And Grizzly Adams didn’t have a beard.
Seeing as anyone playing in the major leagues has a visa to be in the USA, extremely doubtful… I wish you’d keep these types of bigoted comments to yourself
You do realize there have been multiple MLB players who have indeed lied about their age, right?
Wandy Rodriguez comes to mind
That all happened under old rules and the lies were exposed after new rules driven by 9/11 went into effect. To accuse Vazquez of lying about his age in 2018 may not seem like the definition of bigotry, but it’s pretty much just libeling someone based on nothing more than his ethnicity, so yeah, it’s bigoted.
That escalated… If thats bigoted id like to see how you react to something that is actually bigoted
Hey I’m not saying he’s lying about his age but your an idiot if you think that changed after 9/11 there was that pitcher like 2 years ago on the Indians they found lied about his age…
There have been plenty of post-9/11 cases of fraud by players claiming to be someone else. That would take two seconds to Google, instead of claiming bigotry.
*you’re
Playing the race card means you’ve lost the argument
People lie about their age because a 16 year old who throws 95mph is more likely to generate a bigger signing bonus then a guy who is actual 21 years old. The thinking is they can develop them when their younger.
It’s kinda bigoted sorry to say guys, but in all honesty I too would lie about my age if my government did a poor job of keeping records about my date of birth. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars that are being handed out simply because someone lies about their age.
Lying about age has been ongoing for years. Beltre used to be born in 1980, same with Rafael Furcal. This has plenty of factors when it comes to altering your birth certificate. Also been cases of fraudulent birthdates with teams participating in the Little League World Series. It’s not bigotry and not sure why it was mentioned.
There was a comment that instigated plenty responses, considerably worse than anything here, and removed.
Why do people insist on Politicizing what we watch, to get away from…
Fausto Carmona signed with Cleveland in the year 2000. The post=9/11 visa changes did not occur until after 9/11. Go figure!
Maybe because Felipe didn’t alter his records or lie about anything, ever, but people turned it into a joke based on nothing but his ethnicity.
Explain to me how this is bigoted? Snowflake much? My good friend played under someone else’s identity. It happens, prob less now, but it still happens.
Nobody is ever going to accuse a non-hispanic guy of being younger then they actually are because it’s way harder for a guy in the United States or Canada to lie about their age when the governments are pretty hand on when it comes to keeping records on that. In Latin America, you’re more likely to have governments that don’t keep good records on these types of things so it’s much easier to pretend to be younger then you actually are.
Felipe never lied about his age! He never played under someone else’s identity!
What is so hard to understand about this? The dude changed his name voluntarily.
If you want to say the name/age liars are no-good criminals, whatever. But to lump a guy in with bad actors and accuse him of something that has no basis in reality? Making a mean joke based on nothing besides his nationality is bigoted.
Will he be changing his age too?
In reading the limited back story in the Bloom article, this is kind of strange. I hope it’s genuine sibling love, but it sounds like he blindly does whatever his sister says.
Like I said, just hope it’s all genuine and doesn’t turn ugly. Best of luck to Felipe.
I’m guessing there’s some parental relationships at play. The name must also be his stepparent’s last name, I assume, but he’s changing it to have the same as his sister rather than to honor the stepparent.
Reminds me of that time a few years ago Leo Nunez turned out to be some guy named Javier Habeebo Olga who was 3 years older I think.
Juan Carlos Oviedo is the name you are looking for
No, I believe bigbubsfan is correct…Juan Carlos Oviedo, frankly, sounds made up.
Or the name of someone who is grows coffee
CareBear is correct
Full Name: Juan Carlos Oviedo
Pronunciation: \oh-vee-YAY-doh\
Name Note: Played under the assumed name Leo Nunez through 2011
link to baseball-reference.com
I’m going to go on believing that Javier Habeebo Olga is a real major league baseball player. Where can I get a jersey?
Didn’t this guy already change his name to Fausto Carmona?
No. Fausto Carmona changed his name to Roberto Hernandez.
Fausto Carmona/Roberto Hernandez is a different person. He is one of numerous Latino players in recent years who had been playing under an assumed identity in order to start playing at a younger age than is allowed. Fausto Carmona was actually someone else, but Hernandez used Carmona’s name until a few years ago, when he either got caught or admitted it (I forget which one). Leo Nunez/Juan Carlos Oviedo is another recent example of this who I can remember.
Jairo Asencio/Luis Valdez is another. I always felt that it should be a permanent ban from MLB to do that. It really is a case of fraud. Younger players get more money than older players and by doing that they are fraudulently obtaining money from MLB organizations. How is that any different than players taking PEDs?
I agree, but banning the player further punishes the team when they did nothing wrong. A better solution would be a very stiff financial penalty, as in >50% of that player’s salary goes to charity or to somehow try and prevent this type of fraud. Unfortunately slaps on the wrist for the players defrauding their teams only further encourage this type of dishonesty.
It`s different because it doesn`t affect the integrity of the actual playing of the sport like PEDs do. It`s a civil matter between the team and player.
“This is a free country, and if a man wants to be called Muhammad Ali, you should respect his wishes and call him Muhammad Ali!”
“His mama named him Clay. I’m gonna call him Clay.”
=== barbershop scene in “Coming to America”
Great minds think alike.
Easy on the Eddie Murphy justifications, watch his homophobic bits from the 80’s, it’s painful uncomfortable.
Some people prefer comedy (and understand it for what it is) over a humorless life of relentlessly monitoring for opportunities to be aggrieved as a means of feeling morally superior.
Josh – I don’t always agree with your posts but I would upvote this 100x if I could – well said.
WHERE’S THE SPOON.
This is another sport^ (NBA)
Reminds me of when J.R. Smith attempted a name-change from “J.R.” To “Earl” He changed his mind, eight hours later.
This is another sport^ (NFL)
Chad Ochocinco changed his name back to, Chad Johnson for his new wife Evelyn Lozada. (His wife needed to make same name change, she was legally an Ochocinco too, Lol)
Finally, we have Fuasto Carmona’s “name change” to Roberto Hernández. I’ll never forget this one, and don’t know if this one counts, but when it comes to name changes in MLB (and probably all sports) this one comes as the most bizarre and unforgettable.
Especially bizarre because he went from a unique MLB name to a common one, and his performance fell off a cliff not long after the name change.
As Carmona: 934 2/3 IP, six seasons, 4.59 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 5.4 K/9, seven complete games, three shutouts
As Hernandez: 330 IP, three seasons, 4.61 ERA, 1.37, 6.0 K/9, one complete game, zero shutouts
Wasn’t there also a Marlins closer Leo Nunez who changed his name as well? Can’t recall at the time.
Leo Nuñez was an assumed name that he played under. He was revealed to be Juan Carlos Oviedo, same as the likes of Wandy Rodriguez and Roberto Hernandez (Fausto Carmona).
He and Conor Sheary should hang…
He can change his name to whatever makes him happy but his new nickname might have to be “Rivero”.
Risky move, but I like it. Lots of upside here.
I nominate for comment of the season
In five years, he’ll either go by:
a) Felipe Ochocinco
b) Felipe World Peace
You know, this comment has inspired me. I think I might go change my name to “Felipe Ochocinco Felipe World Peace” as my full name.
For older fans, remember Jose Uribe nee Gonzalez? Find an old Donruss baseball card from the 1980s. He changed his name because there were too many Jose Gonzalez’s in baseball. I have no other point. The story is the point.
Does this mean he’s taking on his brother-in-law’s last name? How does that guy feel about that? Pretty sure my sister’s husband would be creeped out if I tried to take his last name
Witness protection.
Santiago Casilla approves of this decision.
Surprised nobody invoked Carlos Cabrera, aka Alfredo Simon. That guy had “killer” stuff
Heard he was quite the ladies man too.
How has no one remarked that he is literally the player to be named later?
I see what you did there…
Felipe Rivero was a cool name though.
I agree but wondered why, now I see it…he had the word “River” in his name. We like rivers here.
The name “Rivero” just flows.
Anyone else feel his relationship with his sister seems a bit odd?
I mean this article closes with, “ when she says it’s time to change my number, I’ll change it.”
And it’s begun !
were any of those other name changes mid-season?
im claiming Felipe Vazquez as a free agent in my league- nobody drafted anybody by that name.
Estevez=Sheen