By the numbers

Firsts: Every Country's First Major Leaguer, All-Star, MVP and Hall of Famer

From Esteban Bellán in 1871 to Peru's first big leaguer in 2019, the milestones of every Latin American baseball country, and how long each one waited.

Latinos en Baseball · October 15, 2026 · 3 min · Leer en español

1871first Latin American major leaguer (Cuba)

11countries and territories with a major leaguer

96years Colombia waited for its first All-Star

2019newest: Peru's first major leaguer

Every country’s baseball history has a first: the first player to make it, the first All-Star, the first award winner, the first Hall of Famer. Here they are, country by country, in the order each nation sent its first player to the majors.

One thing to know before you read: several countries’ first major leaguers played in the Negro Leagues, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. Where that’s the case, we also list the first player from that country in the American or National League.

Cuba: 1871

First major leaguer: Esteban Bellán, 1871, the first Latin American in any major league
First All-Star: Martín Dihigo, 1935 (Negro Leagues East-West Game)
First Rookie of the Year: Tony Oliva, 1964
First MVP: Zoilo Versalles, 1965, also the first Latin American-born MVP
First Cy Young: Mike Cuéllar, 1969, also the first Latin American-born winner
First Hall of Famer: Martín Dihigo, 1977

Colombia: 1902

First major leaguer: Lou Castro, 1902
First All-Star: Édgar Rentería, 1998, 96 years later
First Gold Glove: Orlando Cabrera, 2001

Puerto Rico: 1918

First major leaguer: Rafael Cruz, 1918 (Negro Leagues)
First in the American or National League: Hiram Bithorn, 1942
First All-Star: Pancho Coimbre, 1941 (Negro Leagues East-West Game)
First Rookie of the Year: Orlando Cepeda, 1958
First MVP: Roberto Clemente, 1966
First Cy Young: Willie Hernández, 1984
First Hall of Famer: Roberto Clemente, 1973, the first Latin American-born Hall of Famer

Dominican Republic: 1926

First major leaguer: Pedro San, 1926 (Negro Leagues)
First in the American or National League: Ozzie Virgil, 1956
First All-Star: Rabbit Martínez, 1940 (Negro Leagues East-West Game)
First Rookie of the Year: Alfredo Griffin, 1979
First MVP: George Bell, 1987
First Cy Young: Pedro Martínez, 1997
First Hall of Famer: Juan Marichal, 1983

Mexico: 1933

First major leaguer: Mel Almada, 1933
First All-Star: Bobby Ávila, 1952
First Rookie of the Year and Cy Young: Fernando Valenzuela, both in 1981
Still waiting for its first MVP and first Hall of Famer

Venezuela: 1939

First major leaguer: Alex Carrasquel, 1939
First All-Star: Chico Carrasquel, 1951
First Rookie of the Year: Luis Aparicio, 1956
First Cy Young: Johan Santana, 2004
First MVP: Miguel Cabrera, 2012
First Hall of Famer: Luis Aparicio, 1984

Panama: 1941

First major leaguer: Victor Greenidge, 1941 (Negro Leagues)
First in the American or National League: Humberto Robinson, 1955
First All-Star: Frank Austin, 1945 (Negro Leagues East-West Game)
First Rookie of the Year, MVP and Hall of Famer: Rod Carew: 1967, 1977 and 1991

Nicaragua: 1976

First major leaguer and first All-Star: Dennis Martínez, debuted 1976, All-Star 1990

Honduras: 1987

First major leaguer: Gerald Young, 1987
First Gold Glove: Mauricio Dubón, 2023

Brazil: 2012

First major leaguer and first All-Star: Yan Gomes, debuted 2012, All-Star 2018

Peru: 2019

First major leaguer: Jesús Luzardo, 2019

The longest waits

Colombia: 96 years from its first major leaguer (1902) to its first All-Star (1998).
Venezuela: 73 years from its first major leaguer (1939) to its first MVP (2012).
Dominican Republic: 31 years from its first American or National League player (1956) to its first MVP (1987), and then the floodgates opened.

Firsts are by year. Statistics and awards from the SABR Lahman Baseball Database, through the 2025 season. “All-Star” includes the Negro Leagues East-West All-Star Game where noted.