In baseball, a midcareer name change often happens when a player is found to have used a false identity, usually to appear younger when signing his first contract. At least five major league pitchers within the last decade — Santiago Casilla, Roberto Hernandez, Carlos Martinez, Juan Carlos Oviedo and Wandy Rodriguez — started their pro careers with different names.
Another pitcher has just changed his name, but not because of an investigator's revelation. Felipe Rivero, the hard-throwing lefthanded closer of the Pittsburgh Pirates, legally changed his name to Felipe Vazquez last month. The Pirates made the change to his uniform Monday.
"I want to apologize to all the fans that brought stuff with my name," Vazquez wrote on Twitter, explaining that it was a long process and he could not announce his decision until the change was official.
Vazquez told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he wanted to have the same name as his sister, Prescilla Vazquez Cosme, who helped with negotiations when he signed a four-year, $22 million contract in January.
"[My sister] decided it's time," Vazquez said. "If she says something, I just get it done. That's the way it is."
New York Times
