A MLB investigation found a teenage prospect from the Dominican Republic falsified documents and is five years older than originally believed, according several media reports. The results of the investigation led to the Padres withdrawing their agreement of over $3 million to sign the player, per the report.
The news was first reported by Nathanael Perez Nero of Diario Libre.
The shortstop, who assumed the name Cesar Altagracia according to ESPN, was considered one of the top prospects in the 2027 class. He would’ve landed one of the group’s top overall bonuses when he became eligible to sign in January of 2027. He was believed to be 14 years old. Instead, MLB’s investigation determined he is currently 19.
MLB typically suspends players who have been found to have falsified their age for one year before allowing them to apply for reinstatement. The Dominican Baseball Federation is investigating the situation as well, according to ESPN.
The player represented the Dominican Republic this summer at the U-15 Pan American Championship. The 6-foot-2 lefthanded hitter impressed scouts with his quality of contact, mature approach and extra-base impact potential.
As Baseball America’s Ben Badler wrote at the time, the current international signing process is broken. MLB teams frequently reach signing agreements with players when they’re 13 years old or younger. Most of the top players in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 classes are already committed to sign with teams. For the most part, scouts and trainers alike aren’t happy with the current signing system, and it’s been an ongoing source of frustration for the better part of the last decade.
According to ESPN’s report, the league has seen an uptick in players falsifying their ages to appear younger and potentially command larger signing bonuses over the last year.
