I love Baseball-Reference, and there are lots of great features on it. One of the things I like to look at is the foreign-born players who have played Major League Baseball. While doing my search today, I came across a link from B-R listing players born in England.
So, because I can, and because I want to, I thought I would take a look at foreign-born players and how some of them have done. The criteria I will use will be 500 games played or 150 games pitched. That gives around 5 years as a minimum, and that seems like a good cutoff. I'm not going to go in depth with the stats, just some basic information. It easy to look up on B-R.
I'm going to look at everyone born outside the US, but will skip over countries like the Dominican Republic, Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela, because it has become common place for these countries to be well-represented. I'm looking for, for lack of a better phrase, people outside of the box.
So here goes.
Australia:
Dave Nilsson - Brisbane - 1969
8 seasons
C-1B-OF-DH
837 games
110 OPS+
1 All-Star game
Joe Quinn - Sydney - 1864
17 seasons
2B (SS-OF-1B)
1768 games
76 OPS+
1 post-season
2-time league leader in Games Played
managed 2 seasons
The amazing thing about Quinn is that he was born in 1864, and immigrated to the states. I'll have to do some research on it, but he was probably the first foreign player not born in Europe. In fact, there is a 99-year gap between Quinn and the next Aussie, Craig Shipley. His entire career was spent in the dead-ball era, so his OPS+ should be considered accordingly.
Craig Shipley - Parramatta - 1963
3B-SS (2B-1B-OF)
11 seasons
582 games
80 OPS+
Graeme Lloyd - Victoria - 1967
RP
10 seasons
568 games
114 ERA+
7 post-season series
Grant Balfour is 19 games short of making the list, but doesn't fit into the criteria yet. The thing that surprised me is that only 4 Aussies make the list. It's not uncommon for Australians to play in the majors right now. It’s no longer a curiosity, but for some reason they just don't have the staying power. I would have thought this number would be higher.
Bahamas
Andre Rogers - Nassau - 1934
SS (1B-3B)
11 seasons
854 games
90 OPS+
Ed Armbrister comes in second at 224 games, but doesn't qualify.
Columbia
Jolbert Cabrerra - Cartagena - 1972
LF-2B-CF-3B-RF-SS-1B
8 seasons
609 games
76 OPS+
1 post-season series
(still active)
Orlando Cabrerra - Cartagena - 1974
SS
12 seasons
1572 games
86 OPS+
2 Gold Gloves
7 post-season series
2-time league leader in Games Played
2-time league leader in Sacrifice Flies
(still active)
Edgar Renteria - Barranquilla - 1975
SS
13 seasons
1860 games
96 OPS+
5-time All Star
3-time Silver Slugger
2-time Gold Glove
12 post-season series
league leader in Sacrifices
(still active)
Curacao
Randall Simon - Willemstad - 1975
1B
8 seasons
537 games
95 OPS+
2 post-season series
Andruw Jones - Willemstad - 1977
CF
13 seasons
1836 games
111 OPS+
Silver Slugger
5-time All Star
10-time Gold Glove
17 post-season series
league leader in Games
league leader in At Bats
league leader in Plate Appearances
league leader in Home Runs
league leader in RBI's
(still active)
Czechoslovakia
Elmer Valo - Ribnik - 1921
OF
20 seasons
1806 games
115 OPS+
England
Dave Bain - Hereford - 1879
3B (SS)
7 seasons
679 games
100 OPS+
league leader in Home Runs
Tom Brown - Liverpool - 1860
OF
17 seasons
1786 games
100 OPS+
2-time league leader in At Bats
league leader in Plate Appearances
league leader in Runs
league leader in Hits
league leader in Total Bases
league leader in Triples
2-time league leader in Stolen Bases
Hobe Ferris - Trowbridge - 1874
2B (3B)
9 seasons
1287 games
84 OPS+
1 post-season series
league leader in Games
Danny Cox - Northampton - 1959
SP
11 seasons
274 games
104 ERA+
7 post-season series
Lance Painter - Bedford - 1967
RP
10 seasons
314 games
92 ERA+
1 post-season series
France
Steve Jeltz - Paris - 1959
SS (2B-3B)
8 seasons
727 games
61 OPS+
Charlie Lea - Orleans - 1956
SP
7 seasons
152 games
102 ERA+
All Star
Germany
Bill Kuehne - Leipzig - 1858
3B (SS)
10 seasons
1087 games
league leader in Games
Fritz Mollwitz - Coburg - 1890
1B
7 seasons
534 games
72 OPS+
Charlie Geitzen - Unknown - 1864
SP
9 seasons
296 games
99 ERA+
1 post-season series
league leader SO/W Ratio
Mike Blowers - Wurzburg - 1965
3B (1B)
11 seasons
761 games
97 OPS+
3 post-season series
Glenn Hubbard - Hahn Air Force Base - 1957
2B
12 seasons
1354 games
85 OPS+
All Star
2 post-season series
league leader in Sacrifices
Craig Lefferts - Munich - 1957
RP
12 seasons
696 games
108 ERA+
5 post-season series
league leader in Games
Will Ohman - Frankfurt - 1977
RP
6 seasons
303 games
107 ERA+
Ireland
Jimmy Archer - Dublin - 1883
C (1B)
12 seasons
847 games
80 OPS+
2 post-season series
Patsy Donovan - County Cork - 1865
OF
17 seasons
1821 games
97 OPS+
1 post-season series
league leader in Stolen Bases
Jack Doyle - Killorglin - 1869
1B (C-OF-2B-SS-3B)
17 seasons
1564 games
105 OPS+
Andy Leonard - County Cavan - 1846
OF (2B-SS)
9 seasons
501 games
110 OPS+
league leader in Games
Reddy Mack - Unknown - 1866
2B
6 seasons
550 games
105 OPS+
Jimmy Walsh - Kallila - 1885
OF
6 seasons
541 games
96 OPS+
2 post-season series
Tommy Bond - Granard - 1856
SP (OF)
10 seasons
417 games
111 ERA+
league leader in Games
2-time league leader in ERA
2-time league leader in Wins
league leader in W/L Pct
2-time league leader in WHIP
league leader in Hits Allowed
3-time league leader in BB/9
league leader in SO/9
league leader in Innings
2-time league leader in Strike Outs
league leader in Complete Games
3-time league leader in Shut Outs
and even more
Tony Mullane - Cork - 1859
SP (OF-3B-1B)
13 seasons
784 games
118 ERA+
87 OPS+
league leader W/L Pct
league leader Hits Allowed
league leader in Games
5-time league leader in Saves
league leader in Strike Outs
league leader in Starts
2-time league leader in Shut Outs
many others
Ireland is the country with the most players on the list 8. It seems like it would have been more than that, but it’s not enough to even make a full team.
Italy
Reno Bertoia - St. Vito Udine - 1935
3B-2B
10 seasons
612 games
72 OPS+
Marino Pieretti - Lucca - 1920
LR
6 seasons
194 games
82 ERA+
Netherlands
Bert Blyleven - Zeist - 1951
SP
22 seasons
692 games
118 ERA+
2-time All Star
5 post-season series
league leader in WHIP
2-time league leader in Innings Pitched
league leader in Strike Outs
league leader in Games Started
league leader in Complete Games
3-time league leader in Shut Outs
3-time league leader SO/W Rations
many more
Nicaragua
Marvin Bernard - Bluefields - 1970
OF
9 seasons
891 games
96 OPS+
2 post-season series
Dennis Martinez - Granada - 1955
SP
23 seasons
692 games
106 ERA+
4-time All Star
6 post-season series
league leader in ERA
league leader in Wins
league leader in Innings
league leaders in Games Started
2-time league leader in Complete Games
league leader in Shut Outs
Vincente Padilla - Chinandega - 1977
SP
10 seasons
279 games
100 ERA+
All Star
Russia
Eddie Ainsmith - Unknown - 1890
C
15 seasons
1078 games
76 OPS+
Scotland
Jim McCormack - Glasgow - 1856
SP (OF)
10 seasons
492 games (pitching)
534 games (batting)
118 ERA+
70 OPS+
2 post-season series
2-time league leader in ERA
2-time league leader in Wins
2-time league leader in Games
2-time league leader in Innings
2-time league leader in Games Started
3-time league leader in Complete Games
league leader in Shut Outs
many more
Hugh Nicol - Campsie - 1858
OF (2B)
10 seasons
888 games
78 OPS+
post-season series
league leader in Games
league leader in Stolen Bases
Bobby Thomason - Glasgow - 1923
OF (3B)
15 seasons
1779 games
111 OPS+
3-time All Star
post-season series
South Korea
Byung-Hyun Kim - Gwangju - 1979
RP (SP)
9 seasons
394 games
106 ERA+
All Star
5 post-season series
Chan Ho Park - Kongju - 1973
SP
15 seasons
378 games
98 ERA+
All Star
2 post-season series
league leader H/9
Taiwan
No one qualified
Virgin Islands
Jerry Browne - Christiansted - 1966
2B (OF-3B)
10 seasons
982 games
94 OPS+
post-season series
league leader in Sacrifices
Joe Christopher - Frederiksted - 1935
OF
8 season
638 games
97 OPS+
post-season series
Horace Clarke - Frederiksted - 1940
2B (SS)
10 seasons
1272 games
83 OPS+
2-time league leader in At Bats
2-time league leader in Singles
Ellie Hendricks - Charlotte Amalie - 1940
C
12 seasons
710 games
90 OPS+
9 post-season series
Jose Morales - Frederiksted - 1944
DH (1B-PH)
12 seasons
733 games
102 OPS+
post-season series
Al McBean - Charlotte Amalie - 1938
RP
10 seasons
409 games
110 ERA+
Who would have thought 6 players from the Virgin Islands would have made had long enough careers to make the list. I’m not knocking the VI, but they seem well-represented for such a small island.
Others
John Anderson - Sarpsborg, Norway - 1873
OF-1B
14 seasons
1635 games
114 OPS+
league leader in Slugging
league leader in Triples
league leader in Stolen Bases
league leader in Extra Base Hits
Jimmy Austin - Swansea, Wales - 1879
3B (SS)
18 seasons
1580 games
90 OPS+
league leader in Sacrifices
Chili Davis - Kingston, Jamaica - 1960
OF (DH)
19 seasons
2435 games
120 OPS+
2-time All Star
9 post-season series
Jack Quinn - Stefurov, Austria-Hungary - 1883
P
23 seasons
756 games
114 ERA+
3 post-season series
2-time league leaders BB/9
20time league leader in Saves
league leader in SO/W
Tony Solita - Nuuuli, American Samoa - 1947
1B (DH)
7 seasons
525 games
120 OPS+
Devon White - Kingston, Jamaica - 1962
CF
17 seasons
1941 games
98 OPS+
3-time All Star
9 post-season series
Gerald Young - Tela, Honduras - 1964
OF
8 seasons
640 games
82 OPS+
Moe Drabowsky - Ozanna, Poland - 1935
RP
17 seasons
589 games
101 ERA+
2 post-season series
Danny Graves - Saigon, South Vietnam - 1973
RP
11 seasons
518 games
109 ERA+
2-time All Star
Otto Hess - Bern, Switzerland - 1878
SP
10 seasons
198 games
98 ERA+
league leader in Saves
Ted Lewis - Machynlleth, Wales - 1872
SP
6 seasons
183 games
113 ERA+
league leader in W/L Pct
Sidney Ponson - Noord, Aruba - 1976
SP
11 seasons
284 games
91 ERA+
post-season series
league leader in Complete Games
league leader in Shut Outs
So we have the following positions represented:
Catcher - 4
First Basemen - 4
Second Basemen - 5
Third Basemen - 5
Shortstops - 2
Left Fielders - 3
Center Fielders - 3
Right Fielders - 2
Utility Infielders - 6
Utility Outfielders - 6
Starting Pitchers - 14
Relievers - 9
Managers- 2
And this is my all-time foreign born line-up (using the listed criteria only):
Edgar Renteria SS 96 R
Jack Doyle 1B 105 R
Chili Davis RF 120 S
Elmer Valo LF 115 L
Andruw Jones CF 111 R
Dave Nilsson C 110 L
Dave Brain 3B 100 R
Glenn Hubbard 2B 85 R
Bert Blyleven SP 118 R
Tony Mullane SP 118 R
Dennis Martinez SP 106 R
Tommy Bond SP 111 R
Ted Lewis SP 113 R
Byung-Hyun Kim RP 106 R
Al McBean RP 110 R
Danny Graves RP 109 R
Graeme Lloyd RP 114 L
Craig Lefferts RP 108 L
Moe Drabowsky C 101 R
Ellie Hendricks C 90 L
Eddie Ainsmith C 76 R
Jose Morales 1B-PH 102 R
Jimmy Walsh OF 96 L
Jerry Browne IF 94 S
Andre Rogers IF 90 R
And for your manager, you can choose from Patsy Donovan, from Ireland, or Ron Gardenhire from Germany.
Think I’ll go with Gardenhire.
It's not a great team, but its not a bad one. Some speed, some power and some leather up the middle. And actually a pretty good pitching staff. Put this team in the NL West and they could compete. Somebody who knows how to do this run a simulation for me and find out. I'm curious.
So what would your teams be?
Now, there are a lot of reason why these guys played baseball in the states after being born elsewhere. The most obvious one is a lot of these guys were military brats, and there fathers were stationed in other countries. They’re really American, but were born outside the US. Hey, I’m an American and I was born outside the states because I’m a military brat. I’m true-blue, but my birth certificate does say England. So we’ll go for it.
There are others who immigrated to the states as kids or as young adults and found they had the skill to play the game. Others played the game at home and were discovered by scouts and brought to the states.
I think I picked some pretty easy criteria, but I'm surprised by the number of foreign-born players to make this list based on the criteria, the main one being from traditionally non-baseball playing countries. countries.
Anyhow, the list doesn’t really mean anything. I just thought it was kind of interesting.
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