Identity Fraud Among Dominican Players Worries Baseball Officials When Sandy Alderson traveled to the Dominican Republic in 2010 to investigate identity fraud for the commissioner's office, he went armed with a message. Alderson had previously served as the chief executive of the San Diego Padres, and related his experiences. "I had personally been burned on a number of occasions by identity fraud," said Alderson, now the general manager of the Mets. One has to ask if one is prepared to make the same investment again. If you get burned too often, you may decide to go elsewhere. I think that hit home with them. Since Ozzie Virgil made his debut for the New York Giants in 1956, the Dominican Republic, with a population of less than 10 million, has produced 542 major leaguers, according to Baseball-Reference.com. That figure includes 68 All-Stars, including Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Jose Reyes and Robinson Cano. One of those former All-Stars, Fausto Carmona of the Cleveland Indians, was arrested Jan. 19 outside the United States consulate in Santo Domingo, charged with using a false name and birth date. The authorities say that his real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia, and that he is 31, or three years older than he had claimed. Since Carmona signed with Cleveland in 2000, his listed birth date has been Dec. 7, 1983. The Indians placed him on the restricted list Thursday, so they do not have to pay his $7 million salary or use a 40-man roster spot for him until he reports. Carmona is free on bail but cannot leave the country until his case is settled. The case is similar to that of another pitcher, the Miami Marlins" reliever formerly known as Leo Nunez, who returned to the Dominican Republic last September after admitting to using fake documents and identity. His real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo, and he is said to be 29, not 28, as the Marlins had believed. Nunez stands to make $6 million this season, but like Carmona, he is on the restricted list and unable to leave the country. Few in baseball were surprised that two well-established players had misrepresented themselves. The fear is that the problem could be much more widespread. One agent said more than a dozen players could soon lose their contracts because of age and identity issues. "These are like time bombs," Mark Newman, the Yankees" senior vice president for baseball operations, said by telephone from the Dominican Republic while scouting there last week. But people are absolutely getting the message. Major League Baseball, the consulate and the major league clubs are all committed to this, and it will get better. Last March, the Yankees signed a pitcher named Juan Carlos Paniagua for $1.1 million, enthralled by his 100-mile-per-hour fastball. But there were already warning signs about Paniagua. A previous investigation had led to his suspension from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had signed him in 2009 as Juan Carlos Collado. The suspension - and subsequent free agency - appeared to be a boon for Paniagua, who stood to make a lot more from his Yankees bonus than he had from Arizona. But before he could pitch in the minors for the Yankees last season, he was suspended again, for unspecified reasons. Newman said Paniagua was now a free agent. "Great arm," he said. But we're not surprised. Baseball is so entrenched in the Dominican Republic, and the talent pool runs so deep, that nearly every team has an academy there. But Newman, like Alderson, said fraud had become so pervasive that teams were becoming increasingly frustrated about misplaced opportunity costs - investing money and scouting manpower to chase players with uncertain identities. Alderson said the government in the Dominican Republic had been more vigilant in response. "I think they have come to realize that baseball is an important contributor to their economy in a variety of ways; you can kill the golden goose," Alderson said. I think they understand that it's important for them to create an attractive environment for baseball to continue to invest in their country - an environment where clubs can rely on what's represented to be the case. Rob Manfred, an executive vice president in the commissioner's office, called it "extremely rare" for baseball to investigate the age and identity of established major leaguers like Nunez and Carmona. Baseball, he said, focuses its efforts almost entirely on entry-level amateurs. Manfred called that "a huge issue," perhaps more important than ever because of the possibility of a worldwide draft, or drafts, included in the new collective bargaining agreement. Prospects in most foreign countries, including the Dominican Republic, are not subject to the draft. Manfred and Michael Weiner, the executive director of the players union, are the co-chairmen of the newly created International Talent Committee, which includes Alderson and held its first meeting this month. "We look at it this way: If you get a draft, you have to have transparency on who these players are," Manfred said. But even if you don't get a draft, as the Nunez and Carmona cases make clear, there's value in these reforms either way.