Inside the Dominican Baseball Machine

Dominicans are the most significant minority nationality of Major League Baseball players. Of the 264 foreign-born players on MLB rosters this past Opening Day, 108 (40%) were from the Dominican Republic. That means that nearly 15% of MLB players are Dominican!And many of these Dominican peloteros are stars. In July’s MLB All-Star game in Texas, 11 Dominicans were on the roster. Dominican superstars in today’s game include Juan Soto of the New York Yankees, Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres, Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners, Elly de la Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds, Jose Ramirez and Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. These players will eventually join the all-time Dominican greats in Cooperstown: Adrian Beltre, Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Albert Pujols (slated for induction in 2028).400-500 Dominican prospects sign contracts with MLB teams every year. All of this talent is from a country with a population of less than 11 million! In an impoverished country with limited educational opportunities, baseball is the golden ticket for many Dominicans.And not just for the players – the “Dominican Baseball Machine” is well-oiled with sweat and money, and countless parties benefit from it. There has been extensive coverage on this controversial topic. A google search will give you endless results. I curated a selection of them for you below.