A top baseball prospect from the Dominican Republic who received a $1.4 million signing bonus from the Washington Nationals lied about his age and name in what team president Stan Kasten called “an elaborate scheme.” “Make no mistake: This wasn’t a college kid with a fake ID,” Kasten said Wednesday. In July 2006, the Nationals signed a 16-year-old shortstop named Esmailyn “Smiley” Gonzalez and compared him to Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. He wound up leading the rookie-level Gulf Coast League with a .343 batting average in 2008. But while the Nationals have been listing his date of birth as Sept. 21, 1989 — which would make him 19 now — Kasten said an investigation determined Gonzalez is actually Carlos David Alvarez Lugo, born in November 1985 — meaning he is really 23. The Associated Press/AP photo
