An investigation by Major League Baseball found that a prominent teenage prospect in the Dominican Republic falsified documents and is five years older than previously believed, resulting in the withdrawal of a verbal agreement with the San Diego Padres, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.
The prospect, who went by the name Cesar Altagracia and plays shortstop, had verbally agreed to sign with the Padres for about $4 million in January 2027, according to ESPN, which first reported the news of the MLB investigation. The source said the league found that Altagracia is 19, not 14, as his paperwork had stated.
The Padres and MLB separately declined comment.
As the size of the now-nullified verbal agreement indicated, the teenager was seen as one of the top prospects in his international signing class. The teenager, under a false identity, represented the Dominican Republic in the 2022 U-12 Baseball World Cup and at the U-15 Pan American Championships this past summer, ESPN reported.
MLB typically suspends players found to have falsified their age for one year before they are allowed to apply for reinstatement.
The practice of signing amateur international players, particularly in the baseball-crazed Dominican Republic, has attracted increasing scrutiny in recent years. Corruption is rampant, and in some cases, teams allegedly strike verbal agreements with players as young as 12. Eligible international prospects are not permitted to sign with major-league organizations until they are 16.
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‘A failed system’: A corrupt process exploits Dominican baseball prospects
(Photo: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Associated Press)
