Who is Danny Almonte? Exploring identity of LLWS phenom who was involved in 2001 age scandal

Danny Almonte took the world by storm at the Little League World Series in 2001. The phenom was dominating hitters for the Bronx two decades ago. The pitcher threw a no-hitter and a perfect game in the tournament thanks to a 76-mph fastball that the other Little League players just couldn't catch up to.

Part of the reason that Danny Almonte was playing so well is because 12-year-olds, which is the maximum age for players in the LLWS, aren't supposed to be able to throw that hard.

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Who is Danny Almonte from the 2001 LLWS?

Bob Laterza, an opposing coach, said this about Danny Almonte via Sporting News:

"No 12-year-old physically can throw 75 mph. We had [former big leaguer] Jason Marquis in our Little League when he was 12 years old, and his top speed was 65 mph, maybe 67. So what Almonte was doing was physically impossible. But nobody wanted to hear that. Everybody wanted the superhero. The city fell in love with the whole thing, that's why they let it go."

As it turned out, Almonte wasn't 12 at all. It later came out that he was actually 14 and that his parents and coaches had lied about his age. He dominated the game because he was two years older and bigger than his counterparts- but that was illegal.

Who is Danny Almonte?

His documents stated that he was 12, but upon further inspection, it was revealed that he was 14 and thus too old. The reason he was so dominant a player is because he was cheating. His future in the MLB as the best 12-year-old in the country at the Little League World Series was suddenly gone since he wasn't actually 12.

He said that he regretted what his superiors had done with him:

"The bad thing is, my coach Paulino and my dad, they knew what they were getting into. I wish this never happened. But it happened to me and God knows what he does to me."

Almonte is currently assisting at a high school, so he's remained in the game. He went on to play briefly at the collegiate level despite the scandal that followed him. He played for the Western Okahoma State College and pitched and hit with middling success.