List of active Major League Baseball players by country of birth explained

Major League Baseball is a professional baseball league in Canada and the United States, and is widely regarded as the best league for the sport in the world.[1] [2] In addition, MLB is the best baseball league in the world in terms of revenue, and 85 countries are active in international competition per WBSC.[3] [4] Unlike FIFA, players do not register with a country, so nationality is often disputed when international fixtures come around, such as Manny Machado representing the Dominican Republic instead of the United States in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[5] Similarly, Alex Rodriguez played for the United States in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, but before the 2009 World Baseball Classic he announced his intention to play for the Dominican Republic (though ultimately he didn't play in the 2009 tournament due to injury).[6] [7] And in another example, Marcus Stroman played for the United States in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but played for Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[8] As such, player representation by birth spans to 25 countries as of the 2022 MLB season, with the United States topping the list at 1,057 players called up to 26-man rosters. The most represented overseas country is the Dominican Republic, with 171 players called up to 26-man rosters. The ranking for countries for most MLB players by birth matches well with the WBSC World Rankings, although East Asia and Australia underperforms in MLB and European nations have little to no representation, likely due to acquisition fees, travel to home soil, and/or professional baseball leagues in their home country with good revenue.[9] [10]

Number of MLB 26-man players by country (or possession) (2022)[11] [12]
RankCountry (or possession)
1 1,057
2 171
3 106
4 33
5 28
6 24
7 15
8 13
9 9
10 7
11 6
12 5
13
3
15 Multiple 2
18 Multiple 1

Africa

See also: WBSC Africa.

South Africa

See also: South Africa national baseball team.

Americas

See also: WBSC Americas.

Aruba

See also: Aruba national baseball team.

Bahamas

See also: Bahamas national baseball team.

Brazil

See also: Brazil national baseball team.

Canada

See also: Canada national baseball team.

}|-| || San Diego Padres || R || R || 17 December 1987|-| || Chicago Cubs || R || R || 27 January 1991|-| || Detroit Tigers || R || R || 11 October 1991|-| || Cleveland Guardians || L || R || 15 February 1997|-| || Los Angeles Angels || R || R || 10 October 1998|-|}

Cuba

See also: Cuba national baseball team.

Curaçao

See also: Curaçao national baseball team.

Dominican Republic

Honduras

See also: Honduras national baseball team.

Mexico

See also: Mexico national baseball team.

Nicaragua

See also: Nicaragua national baseball team.

Panama

See also: Panama national baseball team.

Peru

See also: Peru national baseball team.

Puerto Rico

See also: Puerto Rico national baseball team.

United States

United States Virgin Islands

See also: U.S. Virgin Islands national baseball team.

Venezuela

Asia

See also: WBSC Asia.

Hong Kong

See also: Hong Kong national baseball team.

Japan

See also: Japan national baseball team.

South Korea

See also: South Korea national baseball team.

Taiwan

See also: Chinese Taipei national baseball team.

Europe

See also: WBSC Europe.

Germany

See also: Germany national baseball team.

Netherlands

See also: Netherlands national baseball team.

Oceania

See also: WBSC Oceania.

Australia

See also: Australia national baseball team.

Guam

See also: Guam national baseball team.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Teams of MLB . . 8 April 2022.
  2. Web site: Professional Baseball Leagues Around the World . 26 March 2020 . Betting Site . 8 April 2022.
  3. Web site: WBSC Rankings - Men's baseball . . 8 April 2022.
  4. Web site: 11 Most Profitable Sports Leagues – Their Value Will Surprise You. 13 January 2020 . Athletic Panda . 8 April 2022.
  5. Web site: Why I'm Playing for the Dominican Republic . 9 March 2017 . The Players Tribune . 8 April 2022.
  6. Web site: This Day in Yankees History: A-Rod picks a side in the 2006 World Baseball Classic . 17 January 2021 . SB Nation . 9 April 2022.
  7. Web site: Alex Rodriguez switches to Dominican Republic for WBC . Mister Baseball . 9 April 2022.
  8. Web site: 'It felt right': Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman joins Puerto Rico for the 2023 World Baseball Classic after representing the US in '17 . Chicago Tribune . 5 April 2023.
  9. Web site: Differences between Nippon }} Baseball and Major League Baseball ]. . 8 April 2022.
  10. Web site: Why Haven't We Had More Japanese Players in the Majors? . Baseball Guru . 8 April 2022.
  11. Web site: MLB Players by Birthplace During the 2022 Season . Baseball Alamanac . 9 December 2022.
  12. Web site: 2022 Major League Baseball Team Statistics (Compiled from Team Rosters) . Baseball Reference . 9 December 2022.