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Over the weekend, ESPN reported that an MLB investigation found that a top prospect in the Dominican Republic had falsified his age. The San Diego Padres verbally agreed to sign the player for $4 million, but discovered he was 19 years old instead of 14. This isn’t the first time this type of issue has impacted baseball, and it will hardly be the last. Here’s a look back at the controversy surrounding Miguel Sanó’s age and how baseball can make changes with the international player signing process.
When Sanó signed with the Twins, many questions about his age were swirling. In 2009, MLB completed an investigation into this issue, but the results were inconclusive. Because of the age issues, Sanó lowered his asking price to sign, and some teams were still scared away by his high price tag. The Twins were the team to pull the trigger, and they gave him $3.15 million, which was then the second-highest signing bonus in team history, behind Joe Mauer’s $5.15 million in 2001.
Sanó ranked as one of baseball’s top prospects during his time in the minor leagues and played eight years for the Twins. He accumulated 7.6 WAR and posted a 116 OPS+ while being selected to one All-Star team. Inconsistent offensive performance limited Sanó, and he could not reach the superstar status that some had predicted for him at the time of his signing. Perhaps he was older than people thought at the time of his signing, but he still had plenty of opportunities to prove himself at the big-league level.
So, why is age fraud an issue in baseball? For players in (especially) the Dominican Republic, there is plenty of pressure to get a slice of teams' international free-agency pies, and age is a key factor in teams' evaluations of prospects. There is a big difference between a 16-year-old signing for millions and an 18-year-old getting tens of thousands of dollars. A player who shows any promise will try and "adjust" their age, to put their family in a better place for the future.
Here are some potential solutions that could address this complex issue:
1. Enhanced Verification and Documentation: MLB could partner with government agencies, healthcare institutions, and independent investigators to improve birth certificate verification. A central database of prospect information, created with help from local governments, could track athletes from a young age, making documentation more transparent and difficult to forge.
2. Expanding League-Run Academy System: MLB has already established academies in multiple countries, so expanding these academies could give teams more oversight. It could allow MLB to directly oversee players’ development and documentation. Players enter these academies early in their teens, making verifying ages easier and tracking individual growth while providing consistent training and education. This would have to involve some shift toward a league-sponsored set of academies, though. Right now, teams operate academies individually and try to gain advantages over opponents, and the league has had to maintain rules limiting how much time young people can spend at a team's academy based on age.
3. Uniform International Draft: Transitioning to an international draft would bring more structure to the international signing process, with set eligibility requirements that could include age checks and verified documentation. Teams could allocate resources for thorough background checks as part of the draft process, similar to scouting for domestic players.
4. Incentivizing Age Transparency: MLB could introduce policies that reward players and teams for transparency. For instance, teams could receive international signing pool bonuses for properly verified age documents or for signing players who pass age verification steps. Penalties for violations, such as banning players from signing for multiple years, could also deter fraud.
5. Third-Party Oversight: Hiring independent organizations to verify the identities and ages of international signees would bring an unbiased layer to the process. This could be done through partnerships with companies specializing in forensic document analysis, background checks, and biometrics to build more reliable records.
6. Increased Investment in Education and Awareness: Often, young players and their families are pressured into age fraud by agents who promise financial rewards. MLB and teams could invest in educational initiatives in the Dominican and beyond, explaining the risks and long-term consequences of age fraud and helping families and players make informed decisions.
7. Stricter Penalties for Teams and Agents: MLB could impose stricter penalties on teams and agents caught participating in age fraud schemes, such as restricting signing rights or imposing fines. This would create a more accountable system and pressure teams to conduct thorough background checks and uphold ethical standards.
Each of these solutions has its own challenges, but combined, they could help create a more transparent and fair system that protects both teams and international players from exploitation and fraud. The international signing process has improved since Sanó signed with the Twins, but the news over the weekend points to the flaws that still exist in the system.
What path should MLB take to reduce age fraud? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.
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