Baseball is an entertaining and exciting game in the Dominican Republic. It has produced many talented Major League baseball players as compared to other countries apart from the United States. Here, we will discuss the ten best Dominican baseball players of all time.
The 10 Best Dominican Baseball Player of All Time
1. George Bell:
The player was born on October 21, 1959, in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. He played as a left fielder in three teams Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox.
He began his career with the Blue Jays on April 9, 1981. He has a total experience of 12 years from 1981, 1983 to 1993. He was one of the major league beasts in the 1980s.
In 1987, George had played the best season with .308 batting average, .608 slugging percentage, 47 home runs, 111 runs, and .352 on-base percentage. He was introduced to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 and Canadian & Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
2. Johnny Cueto:
He was also a famous Dominican Republic player who was born on February 15, 1986, in San Pedro de Macorís. He played as a starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals.
He began his baseball career with Reds from April 3, 2008, and has an experience of 11 years. Cueto struggled for the first three seasons, but in 2012, he made 19-9 records with 2.78 ERA, which is enough for NL Cy Young Award.
He won 20 baseball games in 2014 with 2.25 ERA and was also a runner-up for the Cy Young awards. In 2015, he began Game 2 of the World Series and also pitched a dominant complete game. He gave two hits and one run against the New York Mets and made Kansas City win by 7-1 and 2-0 series lead.
3. Julio Franco:
Julio was born in Hato Mayor, the Dominican Republic, on August 23, 1958. He played as a shortstop, first and second base with an experience of 23 years. He played for many teams like Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves.
He began playing baseball for the Phillies on April 23, 1982. Franco became the oldest player at the age of 48 who hit two home runs, a grand slam, a regular-season home run, and pinch-hit homer. His last game was in 2007. He won the American League batting title with a .341 average.
4. Felipe Alou:
He is one of the best Dominican baseball players of all time. He was born in Haina, the Dominican Republic, on May 12, 1935. He had an experience of 17 years. He played for several teams like Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Oakland A’s. He started his baseball career on June 8, 1958, for the Giant’s team.
He belonged from a baseball family and the oldest Alou brother with outfielder and first base positions. In 1966, he finished fifth in National League MVP voting with .327 batting percentage and scored 218 hits, 122 runs, 31 home runs, and 32 doubles. He became the successful manager in Expo’s history.
5. Rico Carty:
He is another baseball player from San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. Carty was born on September 1, 1939. He had an experience of 15 years in baseball with teams like Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Toronto Blue Jays.
He made a major league debut in 1964. In 14 complete seasons, Carty hit .300 eight times. In 1970, he won the NL batting crown with the highest average of .366. Carty posted a .454 OBP, 25 homers and 101 RBI. In 1970, Carty compiled a 31-game hitting streak.
6. Nelson Cruz:
The famous baseball outfielder and a designated hitter were born on July 1, 1980, in Las Matas de Santa Cruz, Dominican Republic. He has an experience of 15 years. He played for many teams like Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, and Baltimore Orioles. He started his career on September 19, 2005, for the Breers.
He won the title of MVP 2011 in the American League Championship Series. In 2014, he played his best season and scored 40 home runs, 32 doubles, and 101 RBI along with .271 batting average. Cruz was selected in the Dominican Republic National Baseball team for playing 2009 2013, and 2017 World Baseball Classic.
7. Sammy Sosa:
The baseball player was born in San Pedro de Macorís, the Dominican Republic, on November 12, 1968. He was positioned as a right fielder with 18 years of experience. He started his debut with Texas Rangers and played with teams such as Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Baltimore Orioles.
In 1992, he became the best hitter when he joined the Chicago Cubs. He was one of the nine MLB players to hit 600 career home runs, and the only player who hit more than 60 home runs three times in a season.
8. Juan Marichal:
Juan was born on October 20, 1937, in Laguna Verde, Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. He played as a starting pitcher for 16 years. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox.
He is famous for the fullest windup deliveries in modern baseball. He is the most intimidating pitcher of all time. He had completed 244 baseball games. He was the winning pitcher and a star in the Giants team.
9. David Ortiz:
David was born in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, the Dominican Republic, on November 18, 1975. He played as a hitter and first base in Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox teams. His experience in baseball is 21 years.
He was a 10-time All-star, World Series Champion and seven-time Silver Slugger winner during 14 seasons of the Red Sox. He was an all-time leader in MLB with 485 home runs, 2,192 hits, and 1,569 RBI.
10. Albert Pujols:
Albert was born in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, on January 16, 1980. He played baseball for 19 years as a first base and hitter with the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles teams. Albert was the greatest Dominican-born player of all time, a three-time National League MVP and nine-time All-Star.
