All-Latino baseball team: The best all-time lineup of players born in Mexico
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Paste BN Sports put together All-Latino baseball lineups from throughout Latin America.
The pipeline of baseball talent from Mexico to the majors has been steady.
But no one captured the attention of the baseball world like Fernando Valenzuela.
The 19-year-old from rural Mexico emerged on the scene in 1980 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and sparked a phenomenon known as “Fernandomania.”
In 1981, he led the Dodgers to their first World Series title in a generation and became the only pitcher in history to win the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.
The eccentric left-hander retired from baseball after the 1997 season and still remains the most distinguished player to hail from Mexico.
LINKS: Dominican Republic | Venezuela | Cuba | Puerto Rico | Panama | Rest of Latin America
Here are the players who made the team:
Catcher: Álex Treviño, 1978-90
First base: Rubén Amaro, 1958-69
Second base: Bobby Ávila, 1949-59
Third base: Aurelio Rodríguez, 1967-83
Shortstop: Vinny Castilla, 1991-2006
Outfield: Karim García, 1995-2004
Outfield: Alfredo Amézaga, 2002-11
Outfield: Jorge Orta, 1972-87
Designated hitter: Erubiel Durazo, 1999-2005
Utility: Juan Castro, 1995-2011
Starting pitcher: Fernando Valenzuela, 1980-97
Starting pitcher: Teddy Higuera, 1985-94
Starting pitcher: Esteban Loaiza, 1995-2008
Relief pitcher: Joakim Soria, 2007-current