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MLB Opening Day Rosters feature 223 Players born outside the United States

Press Release Major League Baseball

26.1 Percent of Players Born Outside the U.S., Spanning 16 Countries and Territories – Two-hundred twenty-three players on 2014 Opening Day 25-man rosters and inactive lists were born outside the 50 United States, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

The 223 players born outside the U.S. (26.1 percent) come from the pool of 853 players (750 active 25-man roster players and 103 disabled or restricted Major League players) on March 30th rosters and represent 16 countries and territories outside the U.S., the highest total since 16 countries were also represented in 2008.

As it has each year since MLB began releasing this annual data in 1995, the Dominican Republic again leads the Major Leagues with 82 players born outside the United States. Venezuela ranks second with 59 players, marking its fourth-highest total of all-time. Cuba places third with 19 players, setting a new all-time high and surpassing last year’s record-high of 15. Rounding out the totals are Puerto Rico (11); Canada (10); Japan (9), Mexico (9); Curaçao (5, surpassing its previous high of four set in 2009 and 2012); Colombia (4, matching its previous high set last year); Panama (4); Nicaragua (3, matching its previous high set in 2012); Australia (2); South Korea (2); Taiwan (2); Aruba (1); and Brazil (1). Boston Red Sox infielder Xander Bogaerts is the first player from Aruba to make an Opening Day roster since Sidney Ponson of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007. Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes, who became the first Brazilian-born player in Major League history in 2012, now becomes the first Brazilian to make an Opening Day roster.

The Texas Rangers have the most foreign-born players with a total of 15 on a roster that spans a Major League-record nine different countries and territories – Canada, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Venezuela. The previous individual team-high on record of eight different countries and territories represented on Opening Day had been accomplished seven times. The San Francisco Giants have the next highest at 13, followed by the Chicago White Sox (11), Seattle Mariners (11), Chicago Cubs (10) and Milwaukee Brewers (10). The Giants have the most players from one nation outside the U.S. with eight Venezuelan players. The Cubs have seven Dominican players, while the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays have six Dominican players apiece.