Which players made the starting lineup of our All-Mexico Team?
On Friday night, the Dodgers and Padres will begin a three-game set in Monterrey, Mexico, the first regular-season game to be played south of the border since 1999.
Of course, Major League games or not, Mexico has always had a big impact on baseball history. The country has produced some of MLB's most iconic names, past or present -- enough to make a pretty great lineup out of them, in fact.
C: Alex Treviño
That tilde up there was important: At every stop in his 13-year Major League career, Treviño insisted that it be sewn onto his uniform -- just like Minnie Miñoso before him.
Not that Treviño had much trouble making a name for himself. He was a true Renaissance man, playing every position but shortstop and center field. He was most often found at catcher, though, where he logged quality seasons for the Mets, Reds, Dodgers and Astros -- while not taking any nonsense from the San Diego Chicken:
1B:
Gonzalez was born in San Diego, but both of his parents hailed from Mexico, and he spent his childhood in Tijuana before returning to California for high school. ("I'm Mexican and I'm American," he told the L.A. Times back in 2013.)
Speaking of high school: Gonzalez batted .654 in his senior year, becoming one of the most prized hitting prospects ever in the process. In 2000, he became the first prep position player to go No. 1 overall since A-Rod, and he developed into one of the most consistent stars of his generation -- posting an OPS+ of 125 or higher in every season from 2006 to 2015.
2B: Bobby Avila
Whereas most of the Mexican Major Leaguers that came before him had grown up at least partially in Southern California, Avila was born and raised in Veracruz. And he was good: He became the first Latin player to win a batting title in 1954, beating out Ted Williams and Miñoso at .341 -- despite playing with a broken thumb for most of the year. His Indians went on to face Willie Mays and the Giants in the World Series, marking just the third time that a Fall Classic featured each league's batting champion (and inspiring the picture above).
He finished third in AL MVP voting that season, and went on to make three All-Star teams in his 10 years with the Indians.
SS: Aurelio Rodriguez
Rodriguez broke into the Major Leagues at just 19 years old, and while he was never much of a threat with the bat, he developed a reputation as one of the surest third basemen around. He spent nine of his 17 big league seasons in Detroit, where he won the Gold Glove Award in 1976 -- the first time anyone had beaten out Brooks Robinson since 1959. But he also played shortstop in a pinch, and with a glove like that, we're confident he can handle it.
But enough about that: Let's talk about how he boasted one of baseball's most historically underappreciated mustaches.
3B: Vinny Castilla
Castilla began his Major League career as a Brave, but he became famous with the Rockies, who selected him in the 1992 Expansion Draft. It was a pretty good decision: Over seven seasons in Colorado, Castilla averaged 29 homers a year, making two All-Star teams. And when the Rockies opened the 1999 season in Monterrey, he celebrated his homecoming by going 4-for-5.
LF: Hector Espino
First, we should note that Espino never played a game in the Major Leagues. Not because he couldn't, mind you: After becoming a star in the Mexican League, a 24-year-old Espino was invited to the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .300/.388/.450 in 32 games ... before promptly heading home, deciding that he liked playing in his home country instead.
He went on to become the Babe Ruth of Mexico, setting countless records -- including the all-time North American Minor League home run mark of 484, which still stands to this day.
CF: Mel Almada
Almada wasn't the best Mexican Major Leaguer of all-time: He slugged just .367 over parts of seven big league seasons, never posting an OPS+ higher than 91. But he was the first, making his debut with the Red Sox all the way back on Sept. 8, 1933.
It made him a hero in his native country, where he returned that offseason to play a series of promotional exhibition games. "[His] visit undoubtedly will result in a better kind of baseball being played in this country and a better knowledge of the game by the Mexican players," the Sporting News wrote at the time.
But it also wasn't the only bit of baseball history Almada can claim: He was also the last batter to get a hit off of Babe Ruth.
RF: Jorge Orta
Orta was a very solid player, making two All-Star teams and hitting .278/.334/.412 over 16 seasons spent mostly with the White Sox and Royals. He was never the greatest fielder, but he was a consistently good hitter, putting up double-digit homers seven times in the pitcher-friendly 1970s (and even posting a six-hit game in 1980 with Kansas City).
If you've heard the name Jorge Orta, though, chances are it's because of one play: He was the runner that Don Denkinger called safe at first in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series:
DH: Erubiel Durazo
Durazo only averaged 89 games a year over his seven big league seasons. But what he did, he did really well: Durazo absolutely mashed, especially against righties, retiring with a career 123 OPS+. He was a big part of the 2001 World Series champion D-backs, for which a field at Arizona's Spring Training complex now bears his name:
SP: Fernando Valenzuela
No list like this would be complete without the man synonymous with Mexican baseball. All these years later, Fernandomania is still just jaw-dropping: Five of Valenzuela's first seven starts as a rookie in 1981 were shutouts, three of which featured double-digit K's. He ended the year with a whopping 11 complete games, a 2.48 ERA and the NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards.
Of course, Valenzuela was much more than a pitcher -- he became a cultural icon, a phenomenon and inspiration to L.A.'s Mexican fans:
(If you wanted to build a full All-Mexico rotation, Teddy Higuera, Esteban Loaiza,
Closer:
It seems like just yesterday the baseball world was being introduced to Osuna, carving teams up in his first postseason at age 20. He's 23 now, but his stuff is as nasty as ever: So far this season, he's posted a 2.02 ERA with 11 K's in 13 1/3 innings and eight saves, and he became the youngest closer in history to reach the 100 saves plateau.
