Before Jackie Robinson debuted in 1947 with the Brooklyn
Dodgers, there were very few Hispanic ballplayers and no black players. The first Latin
American to play in the major leagues was Luis Castro from Colombia who pioneered for
his race in 1902. Also, Cuban Aldopho Luque, who won 27 games in 1923 and 194 in his
career, left a mark for his race. But, until Robinson's break through black Hispanics
were not allowed in baseball.
According to a report
released by the Commissioner of Baseball's office, there are 246 players from 15
different foreign countries on the rosters of major league teams this 2010 season. Of
these, 210 come from Latin America, with 98 from the Dominican Republic, and 51 from
Venzuela. Puerto Rica, Mexico, Panama,Cuba, Colombia, Aruba, Curacao, and Nicaragua also
have representatives.
Since 1947 there have been 16
Hispanics who have won Most Valuable Player awards, 9 Cy Young awards, 16 Rookie of the
Year, and 3 Manager of the Year. In the Hall of Fame there are such greats as Roberto
Clemente from Puerto Rico (1970), Juan Marichal of the Dominican Republic (1983),Luis
Aparicio from Venzuela (1984), Rod Carew of Panama (1991), Tony Perez of Cuba (2000),
Jose Mendez of Cuba (2006), and Cristobel Torriente of Cuba
(2006).
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