It seems that the Dominican Republic isn’t just a hot tourist destination for bankers trying to maximize their last dollars. It seems that everyone—like renegade scouts and ex-major league ballplayers like former Dodgers Jose Lima and Ramon Martinez—are descending into Bizzaro Puerto Rico to try to find that hot young prospect before Major League scouts do. And when these buscones do, those dollars start rolling in—although whether any of the kids actually see some of the money is yet to be determined.

Last year, the 30 big league teams signed 511 Dominicans for an average bonus of $65,821 — double the average teams paid only three years ago and more than 30 times what the Oakland Athletics paid to sign former American League most valuable player Miguel Tejada in 1993.

“Buscones are now helping to change that,” said Frank Cabrera who, like many Dominican talent scouts, likens the old system to exploitation. “Before a player signed for $1,000, $1,500, because there was nobody to judge his value. It’s going to be much better now.”

“Everybody has a program. Nuns I know have said to people, ‘Hey, I’ve got somebody for you,’ ” said Klein, who estimated there are as many as 2,500 buscones working on the island.

Hey, leave them alone. They’re just trying to save up money to build their new monastery, Our Father of the Full Count.

Dominican scouting shifts in baseball [LA Times]
Image [homeruncards.com]