In the fall of 2014, then-Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro sent out special assistant Bart Braun to the Dominican Republic to scout a Cuban catcher named Lednier Ricardo. Ricardo worked out at the team’s academy in Boca Chica, and team scout Luis Garcia brought some pitchers with him so Ricardo could take batting practice.
By the time the workout ended, Braun left impressed with one of the players, but it wasn’t Ricardo. It was then-16 year old pitcher Sixto Sanchez. What was meant to be a scouting trip for a catcher turned into a $35,000 bonus for Sanchez.