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The Explosion of Latino Players in MLB
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Today in Major League Baseball, players of Latino origin are on the rise more than ever before. When looking at a recent 15 year span, it is easy to see the increase in players of Latin origin. In 1991, Latino players made up 14% of MLB. In 2006 that number more than doubled to 29.4%. Latino players now make up 30% of all of baseball when including both major and minor leagues . In 1990, only 5 All-Stars out of 58 were Latino players. In 2006 23 All-Stars out of 71 were born of Latin origin. Also, 6 of the top 10 batting averages in MLB were Latino players. Many debate the reasoning for this recent explosion . Latino Players Gain Recognition ---- In the 1990’s, MLB inducted Rod Carew (1991), Tony Perez (1999), and Orlando Cepeda (2000) to its Hall of Fame. These inductions alone almost doubled the number of Latino players currently in the Hall of Fame at the time . Marketing MLB in Latin America ---- Major League Baseball has expanded its game to the foreign market in multiple ways over the last few years. Examples include playing pre-season games in Mexico and other Latin countries as well as broadcasting regular season games in Spanish. Nineteen of the thirty MLB teams currently offer broadcasting in Spanish. MLB games are also broadcast via television by ESPNdeportes, ESPN’s Spanish language programming channel, to Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The Decline of the African-American Player ---- Many agree that the rise in Latino players is directly in correlation with the decline of the African-American baseball player. In 1977, African-American players made up an all time high 19% of MLB . In 1995, that number had dropped to 19%. Today the number has dropped to its lowest level in the last two decades, 8.2% . The rise in the number of foreign-born players (many of whom are black themselves) has lowered the percentage of African-American players. The appeal of basketball and the rising popularity of the NFL have also affected the African-American athlete. 
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