American Association Daily provides insights, features, and recaps of the action from around the American Association of Professional Baseball League, as well as player and coaching profiles and transactions. In today’s edition, Robert Pannier looks at the suspicious circumstances fueling an early season conspiracy in the American Association.  

When You Simply Can’t Ignore It

Many, many years ago when I was in the army, there was a sergeant who would say, “I was just walking around picking up nickels, when…” The expression meant that he was just minding his own business when someone dropped some information on his lap that he simply had to address. That is where I find myself.

The situation involves the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, the team that is in first place in the West Division. That is part of the reason that the issue must be addressed. The other primary reason is that the league already had to discipline a team this season for a violation of this nature, so it presents the appearance of unfairness.

Just the Facts, Sir

Let’s begin with the details of the story. Juan Fernandez opened the season with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and got off to a fast start, hitting .352 with 10 runs scored and eight RBI through the first 13 games. He was rolling but then simply did not play. On June 2, Fernandez was placed on the inactive list retroactive to May 27.

The last day he played in a uniform was on May 26, when he went 0-4 in Cleburne. Was Fernandez hurt? This is where the story takes some odd turns.

According to a few players, during the 10-day road trip, Fernandez told a friend that he was not eligible to play, but that he was doing so anyway. The statement was that his visa was not fully approved for him to be working in the United States during the time (Fernandez is from Venezuela) because his visa had not been approved.

The statement quickly spread around the league. It was not long before many on all the teams were aware of the statement, thus, the conspiracy quickly developed.

Now, it should be noted that I do not use the word “conspiracy” as many in our mainstream media do. The truth is that all kinds of theories of what is going on in the world are proposed, the media blasts them as a “conspiracy,” but many wind up being correct. However, the word is used to try to silence or make fun of those proposing the theory. My use of this term is in no way intended to mock or cast doubt on the assertion. It is simply being used according to the truest form of its definition.

Fueling the Fire

Could Fernandez have been exaggerating? Sure. Could the other player or players have Fernandez wrong? Yes, that is entirely possible. Could there be a miscommunication or misunderstanding going on? That is possible as well.

What is fueling the speculation are the circumstances surrounding Fernandez. The story about Fernandez being ineligible spread quickly. Then, he suddenly was not playing. Was he hurt? He could have been. He had been hit by a pitch on May 24. He did play the next two days, but went a combined 0-6, so the effect of the hit by pitch could have made it necessary for him to sit for a time.

That would make sense, but to place him on the inactive list meant that he would not be eligible to play for a month. That he played for two days and then was not going to be able to do so for a month seemed odd. Nothing appeared to happen on May 26 either, so there was no injury that was visible to the public. Why did he need a month off was a reasonable question to ask.

Adding fuel to the fire was that, around this time, Lake Country had to forfeit a game because an illegible player was on their roster for that contest. Many questioned why the RedHawks were not disciplined in the same way, forced to forfeit the 13-games.

If It Were True…

If Fernandez was ineligible because of visa issues, the result would seem clear. Fargo-Moorhead would have to forfeit those 13-games, nine of which were victories. That would move the RedHawks from 20-12 to 11-21, putting them in last place in the division.

That is a pretty drastic action I admit. It would take the top team in the division and move them to the bottom in one fell swoop. That is not an action that should be taken lightly. However, it would be the only fair thing that could be done. The league would have to demonstrate that all teams are dealt with in the same manner, and a long-established franchise is no exception.

It would also send this very important message. If any team was to violate league rules and U.S. Labor Laws, they would be dealt with severely. There would be no exceptions made.

We Must Also Consider

The biggest concern that many had in relation to this issue was the response (or lack of response) by the American Association itself. This conspiracy spread throughout the league and was becoming a distraction at all levels. A statement by Commissioner Josh Schaub could have quickly doused the fuel that was spurring this conspiracy.

Maybe the Commissioner felt that such a statement was unnecessary, however, he did give one to me. Mr. Schaub stated that the league had found that Fernandez was “eligible to play.” No further information was provided and maybe none was necessary.

I am providing the statement so that there is a response from the league. What this tells me is that the Commissioner’s office was aware that an issue had been raised and that they had investigated to clarify whether Fernandez was eligible to play. Thus, they were aware that there were some concerns throughout the league, so a statement addressing these concerns would have put this issue to rest.

Let’s Make One Thing Clear

I should make it clear that I have nothing but the deepest amount of respect for Manager Chris Coste and the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks organization in general. From ownership through the clubhouse guy, during my time covering the league, I have found that the organization always acted with incredible integrity. So, I am inclined to believe the better scenario in this issue.

Still, it is also important to recognize that issues like this do not simply disappear. Even if they are not being openly talked about, there are those who will still be harboring resentment and anger about the perceived “inconsistency” in the way that the league dealt with this issue. That presents a problem, and may be one that the Commissioner’s office needs to address moving forward, if they have not already done so.

In my time covering Independent/Partner League Baseball, there has always been rampant speculation of impropriety. Players being paid under the table, special incentives being offered, tinkering with the salary cap or roster rules, and other such issues have long been speculated upon. In some instances, they were even true. This is why these rumors always had some teeth to them – because, in some instances, they were true.

This is why the speculation about Fernandez is important for the league to address. If it is true, the league needs to address this and the RedHawks need to be disciplined to be fair. Then, let’s play ball. If this is not true, then the league needs to make it clear that Fernandez was eligible to play. Then, let’s play ball.

At Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association, we have come to love American Association baseball. Kevin Luckow and I do 25+ shows every Monday night during the offseason and then offer nearly 50 shows during the regular season and playoffs for the best baseball league in the world. We love the American Association because it offers the truest form of professional baseball.

We support this league and sing its praises because of the play on the field and the way it is administered off. In the eight years we have been doing the show and the 11 years in which I have covered the league, there have only been a handful of instances where Kevin and/or I have been critical because of the off the field decisions that were made. So, I do not write this story lightly looking to create controversy. I write it because there are instances where fairness and integrity trumps everything else. So, let’s get this right and let’s play ball.

By Robert Pannier