Baseball officials are considering several reforms, including deploying a full-time staffer to the Dominican Republic. The Royals admit that it's difficult to verify the ages of players because some try out under false names. A fake birth certificate hangs on the academy bulletin board as proof of the challenge. With word about Infante spreading, the Silverios see a personal sales pitch as their only hope. They pull up to the Infante home in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Santiago, the country's second-largest city.
Kids play stickball in the streets.
Houses, many with bars on the windows, are crammed together along narrow, pothole-covered streets. Franklin's father, Rafael, warmly shakes hands with the Silverios. The men sip Pepsi around a coffee table next to a shelf full of baseball trophies. Franklin, the team's object of desire, is noticeably absent. The Royals can't offer the Infantes much money.