Rollercoaster. If there is one word to describe Fausto Carmona's/Robert Hernandez Heredia's career it would be Rollercoaster.

Carmona broke into the leaugue back in 2006 and struggled, posting a 5.42 ERA. The year after he put up a Cy Young performance going 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA. Carmona regressed in 2008 and 2009, made the All Star game in 2010. And last year he had some quality starts and some awful starts.

And now, before the 2012 season starts, Carmona is arrested in the Dominican Republic for using an alias name. It's easy to be frustrated with Fausto for his current situation but you have to realize that he is a product of crooked system. Tony Lastoria of IndiansProspectInsider.comsaid it best...

"Carmona’s situation brings to light an ever growing problem in the Latin American countries. Players and their families are so desperate to get away from rampant poverty in their countries that identities are often altered to help their chances as a professional baseball player. Every year players that sign professional contracts as alleged 16-17 year olds are voided as teams find through the verification process that they falsified their information, and even for the ones who clear inspection there is always a feeling of uncertainty for teams.

A lot of people may fault Carmona, but he is a product of a bad system. Major League Baseball is doing their best to police the problems with age and name falsification and the rampant use of steroids. On top of that players are often bribed by buscones (street agents) where they are promised food, shelter, training, and help with getting a signing bonus in exchange for a pre-arranged sum of money. There is only so much the league can do to control it."

The Dominican Republic is an impoverished country, they have an ineffective electricity system that experiences frequent blackouts, the country heavily involved with traffiking of cocaine and Columbian drug cartels. Dengue plague is rampant, the HIV/AIDS rate nearly twice as much as the United State's, shelters are in horrible condition and those who commit violent crimes receive light sanctions.

Who wouldn't pass up the opportunity to play baseball in the United States?

Today, we (the fans), complain when players leave for bigger contracts. They go from x-sum of millions to an even greater x-sum of millions. Can we really be mad at Latin American players obtaining contracts to escape the harsh realities of their home country?