MLB: More Than Just a Ball Game

It is well known that players from the Caribbean and South America have made significant contributions to the game of baseball. What may come as a surprise to some is that Venezuelan players have made a huge presence in the last decade. Venezuela is now only second to the Dominican Republic as the country with the most foreign-born players in Major League Baseball!

Two of the most notable players are Miguel Cabrera and Felix Hernandez. Cabrera is a 10 time All-Star player who is currently leading the League in batting average and on-base percentage. Hernandez is a Cy Young Award winner who has been the most recent pitcher to pitch a perfect game.

Miguel Cabrera, 2015 All-Star Game

For many of these players, playing in the Majors goes way beyond living the American dream. It represents their only ticket out of a grim situation. They are torn between their dedication to a country that has given them an desirable opportunity, and the memories of a country that they could only hope return to one day.

These players left their families and homes to come to a country where they do not know the language or the people. Some have had to give up entirely on the idea of returning home due to safety issues in Venezuela and have had to relocate their whole families to the States.

Such is the case with  Wilson Ramos, a catcher for the Washington Nationals, who was kidnapped four years ago when he returned to his hometown in Santa Ines, Venezuela to visit his mother. He was released a week later after his family paid the ransom and he is now again part of the Nationals' lineup.

For many of the up and coming young talents, the chance to play professional baseball will never come. The delays in scheduling visa appointments have resulted in these prospects missing Spring Training and has forced the League to look elsewhere in order to maintain their tight schedules. The safety concerns have also kept away some of the scouts and baseball academies have decreased by 50 percent.

This represents another of the many roadblocks faced by talented young Venezuelans who are trying to find a new opportunity elsewhere.