16 year-old Dominican baseball phenom Miguel Sano was signed today by the Minnesota Twins, marking the end of a virtual lottery amongst several contending baseball teams interested in the services of talented young shortsop from San Pedro de Macoris, also known as the Cradle of Shortsops for its reputation as the top recruiting ground in the world of young position players.Sano's signing marks the continuity of a rise in bonuses for poor, young Dominicans that are barred from the annual amateur draft, as well as the continuity in the struggle to ascertain accurate birth records from Dominican authorities and agents keen on falsifying ages in order to secure prime contracts. Sano was the subject of NY Times story in July regarding the use of DNA tests on the island.
From Baseball America:
Sano, 16, is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound shortstop from the Dominican Republic. Excluding Cuban defectors, Sano’s bonus is the largest bonus given to a player this summer for an international amateur player. (Sano's $3.15 million signing bonus is) the second-largest Latin American signing bonus ever behind Dominican righthander Michael Inoa, who signed with the Athletics last year for $4.25 million, and the largest ever for a Latin American position player.
From MLB.com:
"Miguel Sano's age and identity have probably been scrutinized more than any player in history in the Dominican Republic. We certainly won't do anything until we have a fair assurance that he's going to be able to play for us."
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