Giants official: Dominican prospect loses US visa

By DIONISIO SOLDEVILA, Associated Press Writer Nov 13, 7:07 pm EST

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP)—A top prospect for the San Francisco Giants has been stripped of his U.S. visa after he was charged with killing a man in his Caribbean homeland.

Pablo Peguero, the Giants’ representative for Latin America, said Friday that 19-year-old Angel Villalona can’t join the team in the United States because the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic has revoked his visa.

Dominican prosecutor Jose Antonio Polanco said Tuesday that Villalona offered the family of the man he allegedly killed nearly $140,000 to drop the case against him. He alleged the first baseman paid $55,000 and expected to offer another $83,000.

Polanco said the family viewed the payment as compensation for the killing of 25-year-old Mario Felix de Jesus Velete.

The family has not returned repeated calls seeking comment. Villalona, who has pleaded innocent to the murder charge, also has declined to speak to reporters.

Police say Villalona, who received a $2.1 million signing bonus in his 2006 deal with the Giants, turned himself in 12 hours after the Sept. 19 bar shooting in La Romana. He could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

Villalona was released last week on $14,000 bail after the family issued a statement saying it had accepted the money, Polanco said. A Dominican judge is expected to hear the case in about a month.

Villalona hit .267 with nine homers and 42 RBIs in 74 games for Class-A San Jose this season. Baseball America selected him as the Giants’ top prospect before the 2008 season, and the 6-foot-3, 200-pound slugger was selected for the Futures Game during All-Star festivities that year.

Updated Nov 13, 7:07 pm EST
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37 Comments

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  1. Gabriel Rockman
    37. Posted by Gabriel Rockman Fri Nov 20 9:53am EST

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    Chad N - apparently you didn't see what his age is (although there's always reason to doubt the ages of players from that area of the world, apparently). He was playing with 23 year olds and 24 year olds and holding his own as a 19 year old. He did much better at age 19 than the stars coming out of college and into the MLB draft would have done at that age. Look at the ages of all of his teammates & the opponents in the league he played in.

    He could have been a great player, but I don't think he'll be allowed back into the US for a while, which will most likely end his career.
  2. Andrew C
    36. Posted by Andrew C Mon Nov 16 1:55pm EST

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    #31 Debbie-

    You don't know anything about baseball...so why don't you go back into the kitchen where you belong??

    The Giants gave Villalona a $2.1 million signing bonus which is hardly, "peanuts." And why are you singling out the Giants and Rockies?? Every pro team has a great deal of international prospects... It doesn't matter where you come from, if you have potential to do well in the bigs, a team will give you money.
  3. Chad N
    35. Posted by Chad N Mon Nov 16 12:54pm EST

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    Angel Villalona obviously ain't that great anyway .267 with 9 homers in A ball. Give me a break. Last thing we need is another guy with average hitting ability and no pop. If he can only hit .267 with 9 homers in A ball he is NOT the future at first base. Hell Ishikawa can do that in the majors. In fact he did.
  4. Chad N
    34. Posted by Chad N Mon Nov 16 12:48pm EST

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    Hey Backpacker if you think Yahoo's comment practices are so racist why are you here on Yahoo giving them viewership that leads to ad dollars commenting on their stories. If you think Yahoo is racist and you don't like their reporting practices don't go to yahoo for your news. Btw, Yahoo has done plenty of stories on White people that have committed crimes and left them open for comment. I have commented on a few of those. I have also seen stories about Angel Villalona and this specific charge that they have not allowed comments on. It is Yahoo's perogative which stories Yahoo allows comments and which ones they don't. Again if you have a problem with the way Yahoo reports don't go on Yahoo that simple. I'm sure you can get the same stories elsewhere.
  5. Miguel D
    33. Posted by Miguel D Mon Nov 16 10:07am EST

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    here we go agian w all the stupid racists....if there no latin player or player from another countries ,there wont be no winer
  6. 4:20 is where its at
    32. Posted by 4:20 is where its at Mon Nov 16 12:51am EST

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    he's going to have to get used to holding bars !
  7. Debbie
    31. Posted by Debbie Sun Nov 15 5:36pm EST

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    We should do what Japan does and limit the number of foreigners on their teams.I'm sick of teams like the Giants ,Rockies ect. who go after these guys because they can buy them for peanuts and hope one out of a 1,000 makes it to the MLB team.Baseball should be investing in our inner cities to make it strong again and help our economy by giving jobs to Americans or legal imigrants who make America their home year round.
  8. basterisk
    30. Posted by basterisk Sun Nov 15 4:56pm EST

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    what is with the Giants and these latin killers?

    Maybe they like need to do background checks before they sign peeps
  9. woody
    29. Posted by woody Sun Nov 15 4:24pm EST

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    thug, prison goodbye.
  10. Frank
    28. Posted by Frank Sun Nov 15 3:50pm EST

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    You don't walk your way off that island, and apparently you don't shoot your way off it either. Write the contract off now and move on Sabean.
  11. Fullmetal X
    27. Posted by Fullmetal X Sun Nov 15 2:20pm EST

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    Well he not going to be our 1B of our future Sandoval is.
  12. Alexander R
    26. Posted by Alexander R Sun Nov 15 12:23pm EST

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    What does a 6'3", 200 pounder need a gun for, couldn't he just kill people with his bare hands?
  13. NY SUX
    25. Posted by NY SUX Sat Nov 14 11:20pm EST

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    #16...huh??...wtf???
  14. <i>hycland</i>
    24. Posted by hycland Sat Nov 14 8:15pm EST

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    WHAT STUPIDITY

    According to the headline peguero lost his visa for what??? yeah lets trust stupid media outlets
  15. "Sonny" Spagnoli
    23. Posted by "Sonny" Spagnoli Sat Nov 14 7:22pm EST

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    My question is IF, he was really defending himself, why did the D.R. Prosecutor charge him with murder and not manslaughter? He has to be charged with something a man was killed, so what do the authorities know that you genius's who are defending this kid don't know? There has to be more than this to the story.
  16. Jerichon
    22. Posted by Jerichon Sat Nov 14 7:12pm EST

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    Killing a man trying to rob you shouldn't be a crime. The stupid thing is that once you get money, you should never go back to these 3rd world countries, because the people can't help but target you.
  17. cashman bashman
    21. Posted by cashman bashman Sat Nov 14 7:02pm EST

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    This is the way it should be,you commit a crime anywhere and since your not a U S citizen you do not get to come back.I cant understand why these guys on temporary Visas get to commit crimes in the states yet are allowed to stay.Commit a crime get deported,cleanup time.
  18. the hero
    20. Posted by the hero Sat Nov 14 6:31pm EST

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    no loss
  19. Eugenio G
    19. Posted by Eugenio G Sat Nov 14 6:13pm EST

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    Even though he may say he was defending himself, he is 19 or 20 yrs old, and the legal age for a gun permit in Dominican Republic is 25.
    BTW he is no angel. He was in a bar, in a very shady part of town. Some of these young baseball players think because they have talent and are signed by MLB, they own the town. I hope the SF Giants learn and make better decisions on where to invest there money.
  20. J.
    18. Posted by J. Sat Nov 14 6:01pm EST

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    Was this guy legit in defending himself in a situation, or is he just another sleaze ball with a gun ??
  21. John H
    17. Posted by John H Sat Nov 14 4:12pm EST

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    Nice slander in the headline.

    I am sure the Peguero family isn't too happy about it.
  22. Roy B
    16. Posted by Roy B Sat Nov 14 4:03pm EST

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    To the person who says that yahoo only allows posts about minorities i remember pitinos sex scandle i posted to it and i am white from ky. you do something stupid expect people to criticize white black brown ect
  23. <i>danwalsh411</i>
    15. Posted by danwalsh411 Sat Nov 14 1:57pm EST

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    I just could"nt be a giants fan anymore if the front office welcomed this guy, if he was even to get a 2nd chance. Like another post said giants just take the loss.
  24. backpacker
    14. Posted by backpacker Sat Nov 14 1:46pm EST

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    Some stories Yahoo lets readers post to, others they don't allow it, but whenever we have a minority who is alleged to have committed a serious crime, Yahoo lets the readers post. The problem is, Yahoo knows a lot of racist buillsh1t will be posted, which means Yahoo encourages this racist activity. Yahoo should either let readers post to all stories or none at all, not choose stories like this that panders to the racist mob.
  25. buttonflyguy469
    13. Posted by buttonflyguy469 Sat Nov 14 1:17pm EST

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    yeah, everybody is out for a buck. see stallworth's checking account after he kills a man with his car, drunk at 7 am in the morning. justice is served once again.
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