List of countries with their first Major League Baseball player

The globalization of baseball has been occurring since its inception. The early years saw an influx of players from western Europe. Major League Baseball eventually saw fewer European players, but more players from Latin America. Today Major League Baseball has players from five continents. The following is a list of countries and the first person born there that played Major League Baseball.

These players are not necessarily the first citizen of each respective country to play in Major League Baseball as nationality is determined under a nation's nationality law and may differ. Also, these players are classified strictly by the countries of their birth; this does not reflect the following issues:

  • Political change: A number of the countries listed here no longer exist, such as South Vietnam and West Germany (respectively absorbed into Vietnam and reunified Germany). By contrast, the convention of the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is generally followed for purposes of nationality classification in ice hockey, is to classify players by the currently existing countries in which their birthplaces are located.
  • Where players were trained in baseball:
    • Some players on this list, despite their birth location, are or were Americans or Canadians who returned to their parents' home country as children and were raised there.
    • Most of the European-born players on this list moved to North America as children. For example, the first Netherlands-born player in MLB was John Houseman, who made his debut in 1894, but it was not until 1979 that Win Remmerswaal became the first player born and raised in the European portion of the Netherlands to make his MLB debut.[1] The case with Italy is similar; the first player born and raised in the country to play in MLB was Alex Liddi in 2011—almost 80 years after the first Italian-born Major Leaguer made his debut.
CountryNameDebut Year
AfghanistanJeff Bronkey1993[2]
ArubaGene Kingsale1996[3]
AustraliaJoe Quinn1884[4]
AustriaKurt Krieger1949[5]
BahamasAndre Rodgers1957[6]
BelgiumBrian Lesher1996[7]
BrazilYan Gomes2012[8]
CanadaBill Phillips1879[9]
ChinaHarry Kingman1914[10]
ColombiaLuis Castro1902[11]
CubaArmando Marsans
Rafael Almeida		1911[12][13]
CuraçaoHensley Meulens1989[14]
DenmarkOlaf Henriksen1911[15]
Dominican RepublicOzzie Virgil, Sr.1956[16]
EnglandAl Nichols1876[17]
FinlandJohn Michaelson1921[18]
FranceLarry Ressler1875[19]
German ConfederationGeorge Heubel1876[20]
GreeceAl Campanis1943[21]
HawaiiJohnnie Williams1914[22]
HondurasGerald Young1987[23]
IndonesiaTom Mastny2006[24]
IrelandAndy Leonard1876[25]
ItalyLou Polli1932[26]
JamaicaChili Davis1981[27]
JapanMasanori Murakami1964[28]
LithuaniaDovydas Neverauskas2017[29]
MexicoMel Almada1933[30]
NetherlandsJohn Houseman1894[31]
NicaraguaDennis Martínez1976[32]
NorwayJohn Anderson1894[33]
PanamaHumberto Robinson1955[34]
PhilippinesBobby Chouinard1996[35]
PolandHenry Peploski1929[36]
Puerto RicoHiram Bithorn1942[37]
RussiaJake Gettman1897[38]
Saudi ArabiaCraig Stansberry2007[39]
ScotlandJim McCormick1878[40]
SingaporeRobin Jennings1996[41]
South AfricaGift Ngoepe2017[42]
South KoreaChan Ho Park1994[43]
South VietnamDanny Graves1996[44]
Soviet UnionVictor Cole1992[45]
SpainAl Cabrera1913[46]
SwedenCharlie Hallstrom1885[47]
SwitzerlandOtto Hess1902[48]
TaiwanChin-Feng Chen2002[49]
United States(See footnote)1871[50]
VenezuelaAlex Carrasquel1939[51]
WalesPeter Morris1884[51]
West GermanyRob Belloir1975[52]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Schaerlaeckens, Leander (13 September 2011). "American pastime rising in Europe". ESPN. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Jeff Bronkey Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  3. ↑ "Gene Kingsale Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Players by birthplace : Australia Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  5. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Austria". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  6. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Bahamas". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  7. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Belgium". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  8. ↑ "Griffin: Confused Adam Lind optioned to AAA-Las Vegas". Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  9. ↑ "Players by birthplace : Canada Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  10. ↑ "Harry Kingman Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Colombia". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  12. ↑ "Armando Marsans Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  13. ↑ "Rafael Almeida Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  14. ↑ "Hensley Meulens Baseball Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  15. ↑ "Olaf Henriksen Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  16. ↑ "Players by birthplace : Dominican Republic Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  17. ↑ "Al Nichols Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. 18 June 1936. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  18. ↑ "John Michaelson Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  19. ↑ "Larry Ressler Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  20. ↑ "George Heubel Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  21. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Greece". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  22. ↑ "Players by birthplace : Hawaii Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  23. ↑ "Gerald Young Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  24. ↑ "Tom Mastny Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  25. ↑ "Andy Leonard Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. 21 August 1903. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  26. ↑ "Lou Polli Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  27. ↑ "Chili Davis Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  28. ↑ "Masanori Murakami Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  29. ↑ "Dovydas Neverauskas Stats". MiLB. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  30. ↑ "Mel Almada Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  31. ↑ "John Houseman Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  32. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Nicaragua". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  33. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Norway". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  34. ↑ "Players by birthplace : Panama Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  35. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Philippines". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  36. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Poland". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  37. ↑ "Hi Bithorn Stats". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  38. ↑ "Players by birthplace : Russia Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  39. ↑ "Craig Stansberry Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  40. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Scotland". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  41. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Singapore". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  42. ↑ Africa "Major League Baseball Players Born in South Africa" Check |url= value (help). Baseball-almanac.com. 18 August 1999. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  43. ↑ Korea
  44. ↑ Vietnam
  45. ↑ "BASEBALL; A's Enjoy a Romp With 10-Run 3d – New York Times". The New York Times. 24 June 1992. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  46. ↑ "Al Cabrera Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  47. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Sweden". Baseball-almanac.com. 18 August 1999. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  48. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Switzerland". Baseball-almanac.com. 18 August 1999. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  49. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Taiwan". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  50. ↑ http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1871/05041871.htm American-born players from the first National Association of Professional Base Ball Players game – Others would argue for the first National League game, in 1876.
  51. 1 2 "Alex Carrasquel Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  52. ↑ "Pete Morris Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.