About 28% of major league baseball players are foreign-born, which is a far higher percentage than a generation ago, and a higher percentage than in professional football and basketball.
The best players in Major League Baseball are American-born. In 2015, for example, all six out of the six top award recipients were born as American citizens. So why is such a high percentage of the teams foreign-born?
Owners may prefer recruiting foreigners to play in the United States for the same reason that big corporations prefer foreign-born engineers: the visa system makes it easier to control foreign-born labor compared with American citizens.
2022 World Series starting lineups
As television ratings for baseball continue to decline and many ballparks are like ghost towns during games, these were the immigrant-dominated starting lineups for the final Game 6 of the World Series:[1]
Losing Phillies:
1) LF Kyle Schwarber .218/.323/.827
2) 1B Rhys Hoskins .246/.332/.794
3) C J.T. Realmuto .276/.342/.820
4) DH Bryce Harper .286/.364/.878
5) RF Nicholas Castellanos .263/.305/.694
6) 3B Alec Bohm .280/.315/.713
7) 2B Jean Segura .277/.336/.723
8) CF Matt Vierling .246/.297/.648
9) SS Edmundo Sosa .227/.275/.644
SP Zack Wheeler (12-7, 2.82 ERA)
Winning Astros:
1) 2B Jose Altuve .300/.387/.920
2) SS Jeremy Pena .253/.289/.715
3) LF Yordan Alvarez .306/.406/1.019
4) 3B Alex Bregman .259/.366/.820
5) RF Kyle Tucker .257/.330/.808
6) DH Christian Vazquez .274/.315/.714
7) 1B Trey Mancini .239/.319/.710
8) CF Chas McCormick .245/.332/.739
9) C Martin Maldonado .186/.248/.600
SP Framber Valdez (17-6, 2.82 ERA)
World Series MVP: rookie Jeremy Pena, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic
All Latin American Lineup
On Roberto Clemente Day on September 14, 2022, the Tampa Bay Rays had an all-Latin America starting lineup.[2]