Extremidades Del Dedo (Finger Tips) – The response to the last DRSEA INFORMER has been interesting, to say the least, with numerous people commenting on the suggestion of implementing a fingerprinting system in the Dominican Republic when children reach fifth grade, the last mandatory grade of education in the country. Such a system could help address the escalating issue of age and identity fraud among baseball prospects in the Dominican Republic by providing a way to match fingerprints to prospects, pretty much assuring identity and age. As I pointed out, the idea is not flawless, but many of the flaws could be addressed if the plan were activated, which would take the cooperation of both Major League Baseball and the Dominican government.
Most readers who responded thought the idea was a good one and worth exploring, but doubted that there would be much interest in cooperation from the Dominican government, mainly because there are other priorities that need to be addressed in the country, like health and education. One thought technology in fingerprinting is not advanced enough, an opinion I disagree with, but he added, “Let's think priorities.....after all, we Dominicans are cheaters of the game of baseball; none of these scandals happen elsewhere.” He did admit his sarcasm.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear from a top Major League Baseball official who told me that baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has assembled a task force to look at a wide variety of issues in the Dominican Republic affecting baseball. That effort is headed by Sandy Alderson, who has a long and distinguished career in baseball, including working with the Oakland A’s, the San Diego Padres, and in the Commissioner’s Office where he was executive vice president of baseball operations. He is considered an expert on sabermetrics, the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, particularly statistics, especially as it pertains to acquiring undervalued players.
Alderson’s stellar reputation has me optimistic that he will at least develop some plausible solutions to the problems that plague Dominican baseball, including age/identity falsification and steroid usage. Alderson has reportedly met with Dominican government officials to discuss
problems and solutions, which is a prerequisite.
I am told that Alderson and his colleagues on the committee, including Minnesota Twins General Manager Bill Smith, New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, and Larry Beinfest, President of Baseball Operations for the Florida Marlins, are examining the issue of buscónes, the street agents who broker deals between young prospects and Major League Baseball teams, and are often responsible for encouraging their clients to lie about their ages and identities, or take steroids to enhance performance. They are also known for extracting large amounts of money from young and naive prospects.
Sandy Alderson
The buscónes are certainly part of the problem, but I don’t see why baseball could not address it today by simply insisting that buscónes register with the Major League Baseball office in the Dominican Republic and agree to abide by a set of rules that includes limitations on the amount of money they can receive, and that they won’t encourage lies about age and identification or steroid use. Major League Baseball pays upwards of $14 million a year just for the right to operate in the Dominican Republic; surely that should entitle the league to know who its teams are dealing with and that they behave in an honorable manner.
I am also told the committee is looking at potentially raising the signing age of prospects from 16 to 18, perhaps feeling that will cut down on age falsification. I have my doubts. Back in 2000, when I first took a look at baseball academies here, I was approached by a father seeking help. Turned out his 17-year-old son was developing into quite a pitching prospect and he wanted to get his son out of a contract with one team. The reason he wanted to void the contract: His son had lied about his age and was only 15 when he signed; voiding the contract would permit the pitcher to sign with another club for more money.
I think changing the age of consent to 18 will simply change the scenario from lying down about age to lying up; 16-year-olds will pretend to be 18. More frightening is what a 16-year-old might resort to in order to have the size and strength of an 18-year-old.
There is also talk about subjecting Dominican players to an international draft to eliminate some of the scams being run to increase the value of a player, but I don’t think this will fly. It would help baseball contain some of its costs in the Dominican Republic, but that is exactly what advocates for Dominican players want to protect against. Currently, any team can go after any player, so it becomes a bidding war that has increased the average signing bonus, which is good for the players. Entering Dominicans into an international draft might mean that a top Dominican prospect would only be in the top 100 in such a draft, seriously reducing initial earning potential, and diminishing the signing power of all Dominican prospects.
I have always been impressed with Alderson and there is probably no better person in baseball to evaluate the Dominican situation. The problems are obvious, but concrete solutions need to be developed to address them. Not all proposed solutions will work, of course, but at least someone is looking in the right direction. Without action, I think it will continue to be the Bad News Biers, and the nails of controversy will continue to be hammered into the coffin of Dominican baseball.
One amusing note. In early 2008, evidence surfaced that one country has become known as the location to go to get fingerprints altered. That country? You guessed it – the Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy - Dominican Baseball Academy, Student Athletes,
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MLB Evaluating Dominican Baseball Issues
