Jonathan Weeks - Latino Stars in Major League Baseball: From Bobby Abreu to Carlos Zambrano

Latino Stars in
Major League Baseball

From Bobby Abreu
to Carlos Zambrano

Jonathan Weeks

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Weeks, Jonathan, author.

Title: Latino stars in major league baseball : from Bobby Abreu to Carlos Zambrano / Jonathan Weeks.

Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016045966 (print) | LCCN 2017002777 (ebook) | ISBN 9781442281721 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442281738 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: Hispanic American baseball playersBiography. | Baseball playersLatin AmericaBiography. | Hispanic American baseball playersHistory.

Classification: LCC GV865.A1 W4197 2017 (print) | LCC GV865.A1 (ebook) | DDC 796.3570922 [B] dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016045966

TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

As usual, Id like to thank my editor at Rowman & Littlefield, Christen Karniski, for vastly improving the quality of my work. Id also like to extend my gratitude to the ever-patient and helpful staff at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Felipe Alou

Matty Alou

Tony Batista

Jose Bautista

George Bell

Adrian Beltre

Armando Benitez

Robinson Cano

Rico Carty

Santiago Casilla

Luis Castillo

Starlin Castro

Cesar Cedeno

Bartolo Colon

Francisco Cordero

Nelson Cruz

Johnny Cueto

Edwin Encarnacion

Tony Fernandez

Julio Franco

Pedro Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero

Juan Marichal

Pedro Martinez

Jose Mesa

Raul Mondesi

Manny Mota

David Ortiz

Tony Pena

Jhonny Peralta

Placido Polanco

Albert Pujols

Aramis Ramirez

Hanley Ramirez

Manny Ramirez

Jose Reyes

Carlos Santana

Alfonso Soriano

Sammy Sosa

Miguel Tejada

Juan Uribe

Roberto Alomar

Carlos Beltran

Orlando Cepeda

Roberto Clemente

Carlos Correa

Jose Cruz

Carlos Delgado

Juan Gonzalez

Francisco Lindor

Javier Lopez

Javy Lopez

Mike Lowell

Felix Millan

Bengie Molina

Yadier Molina

Jorge Posada

Vic Power

Ivan Rodriguez

Benito Santiago

Ruben Sierra

Danny Tartabull

Bernie Williams

Bobby Abreu

Edgardo Alfonzo

Jose Altuve

Elvis Andrus

Luis Aparicio

Tony Armas

Miguel Cabrera

Chico Carrasquel

Dave Concepcion

Alcides Escobar

Andres Galarraga

Freddy Garcia

Carlos Gonzalez

Ozzie Guillen

Felix Hernandez

Victor Martinez

Miguel Montero

Magglio Ordonez

Salvador Perez

Martin Prado

Francisco Rodriguez

Johan Santana

Manny Trillo

Omar Vizquel

Carlos Zambrano

Jose Abreu

Bert Campaneris

Jose Canseco

Jose Cardenal

Leo Cardenas

Yoenis Cespedes

Aroldis Chapman

Mike Cuellar

Jose Fernandez

Tony Gonzalez

Livan Hernandez

Orlando Hernandez

Dolf Luque

Minnie Minoso

Kendrys Morales

Tony Oliva

Rafael Palmeiro

Camilo Pascual

Tony Perez

Yasiel Puig

Alexei Ramirez

Cookie Rojas

Tony Taylor

Luis Tiant

Zoilo Versalles

Rod Carew

Carlos Lee

Hector Lopez

Omar Moreno

Ben Oglivie

Mariano Rivera

Carlos Ruiz

Manny Sanguillen

Rennie Stennett

Bobby Avila

Vinny Castilla

Yovani Gallardo

Jorge Orta

Aurelio Rodriguez

Joakim Soria

Fernando Valenzuela

Orlando Cabrera

Jose Quintana

Edgar Renteria

Julio Teheran

Dennis Martinez

Kenley Jansen

Andruw Jones

Jonathan Schoop

Andrelton Simmons

Gerald Young

Yan Gomes

Billed as a charity event to benefit a new Latin American Hall of Fame, two teams composed of Latino players squared off in the first and only Latino All-Star Game on October 12, 1963. It was an important moment in baseball history, signifying the arrival of Latin Americans as a legitimate force in Major League Baseball.

The crowd of 14,000 must have appeared rather sparse considering that the Polo Grounds had a capacity of 56,000. But in spite of the low turnout, players took the game very seriously. It didnt matter that it was for charity and that it wasnt a real All-Star Game, Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda remembered years later. When you put on your uniform, you played hard and you tried even harder to win.

In addition to Cepeda, three other Hall of Famers played that day: Juan Marichal, Roberto Clemente, and Luis Aparicio. Marichal stole the show, pitching four scoreless innings and striking out six in a game won by the National League squad, 52. It was the last game ever played at the Polo Grounds.

* * *

Some of the best players in major-league history were born outside the United States. According to an ESPN article, Latin American ballplayers held 27 percent of major-league contracts and 40 percent of minor-league contracts in 2013. In fact, Latino players represent one of the fastest-growing ethnicities in baseball. But the road to The Show has not been easy for many.

MLBs dreaded color barrier prevented many of the greatest players of all time from competing on baseballs grandest stage. Although Cuban luminaries Cristobal Torriente, Martin Dihigo, and Jose Mendez were elected to Cooperstown, none of them saw major-league action. The abolishment of the color barrier did little to alleviate other problems faced by Latin American ballplayers. Many grow up in poverty using improvised materials (for example, milk cartons for gloves and tree branches for bats) to learn the rudiments of the game. Language barriers leave many feeling isolated and misunderstood once they reach the United States.

Recognizing the depth of the talent pool in Venezuela, major-league teams began establishing training camps there during the 1990s. At one point, 23 major-league clubs had set up operations in the South American country. But by 2016, only four camps remained. Economic troubles, political unrest, food shortages, and rising crime rates have made it difficult for the surviving facilities to function.