¡Viva Baseball!
On Cinco de Mayo, an ode to Mexico in the MLB
Baseball has the unique distinction of being both “America’s Favorite Pastime” and an international game. The sport has roots in Mexico dating back to the 1880’s, with it’s current major league; the Mexican Baseball League, being founded in 1925. Mexico, like many Latin-American countries, has produced its fair share of talent in the MLB. Mexican baseball has helped define both the impact of the game across the globe, and the influence of Latin-America on the MLB here in the USA. On this Cinco de Mayo, I do a deep dive into Mexico in the MLB.
Growing Influence
Mexico has been represented in the MLB since 1933, when Mel Amada debuted with the Boston Red Sox, and its representation has steadily grown since.
The first big surge of Mexican-born players came in the mid 1970’s, capped-off by “Fernandomania”. Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela debuted in the league with the Dodgers in 1980, emerging from relative obscurity and into stardom by becoming the first and only player to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.1 After a brief drought, we saw another surge of Mexican talent beginning in the late-1990’s and continuing through the first decade of the 21st century. After another brief spike from 2020-2023, this year we have the lowest number of Mexican-born players in the league since 19902 .
The Best
I have ranked the top pitchers and position players, based on Wins Above Replacement (WAR), to come out of Mexico. Unsurprisingly, Mexico’s most famous product, Fernando Valenzuela, has generated the most career WAR among Mexican-born pitchers.
While the strength of Mexico has been on the mound, our neighbors to the south have produced their fair share of quality position players as well. Bobby Avila, who played the majority of his career at second base for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), is far and away the best position player to come out of Mexico in terms of Wins Above Replacement.
An International Game
Among the 59 countries that have put a player into the MLB, Mexico has given us the 6th most players.
When looking at what international countries have put the best product on the field, the rankings are very close. Puerto Rico stands out, as it had generated 11.7% of international WAR with just 6.9% of foreign-born players.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, folks! Enjoy some béisbol today, and pay some respect to the influence Mexico has had on the MLB.
"Fernando Valenzuela". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
Although this could change as the season is young, and more Mexican-born players could make their debut.