Inoa Axed From 2008 Bowman Sterling Baseball
Tuesday afternoon officials at Topps confirmed that Blue Chip Pitching Prospect Michael Inoa has been pulled from 2008 Bowman Sterling Baseball. Inoa had previously been included in the set's official checklist, which was released by Topps just prior to the release of the product. Collectors began to suspect that something was affoot soon after the release of 2008 Bowman Sterling Baseball when no Michael Inoa Bowman Sterling cards surfaced on the secondary market for sale.
This announcement means that Inoa will have but one Officially Licensed 2008 MLB Rookie Card on the market - his 2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Autograph. Collectors looking for more Michael Inoa cards are still in luck however, as there are a number of unlicensed autographed rookie card alternatives available on the market. Inoa has unlicensed autographed rookie cards that are currently available in the following sets:
- 2008 Playoff Prime Cuts IV Baseball
- 2008 Playoff Contenders Baseball
- 2008 Leaf Limited Baseball
- 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Baseball
- 2008 Tristar Prospects Plus
Inoa already looks the part of a big league pitcher, currently measuring 6 foot 7 inches tall, and weighing in at 210 pounds - and he is only 16! The Dominican-born right hander has already developed a very impressive three-pitch repertoire that consists of a mid 90's fastball fastball, a changeup and a curveball.
Up until he signed with the A's last July, the 16 year old pitching phenom had been known by his given name, Michel Inoa, but acting on the advise of his new MLB employer he opted to change the spelling of his first name to Michael - a much more Americanized pronunciation and spelling then "Michel". During an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle last summer, Inoa confirmed that he had agreed to the A's request and was Ok with it.
