First MLB Player by Country 2025
Total Major League Players
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5 Countries with the Most MLB Players
Country | First Major League Player | Team | Total Major League Players | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | United States | Bobby Mathews | Fort Wayne Kekiongas (National Association) | 16,751 |
 | Canada | Bob Addy | Rockford Forest Citys (National Association) | 250 |
 | Netherlands | Rynie Wolters | New York Mutuals (National Association) | 12 |
 | Cuba | Steve Bellan | Troy Haymakers (National Association) | 201 |
 | Ireland | Andy Leonard | Washington Olympics (National Association)/Boston Red Stockings (National Association, now Atlanta Braves) | 47 |
 | Germany | David Lenz/Marty Swandell | Brooklyn Eckfords (National Association) | 29 |
 | France | Larry Ressler | Washington Nationals (National Association) | 7 |
 | Portugal | Frank Thompson | Washington Nationals (National Association) | 1 |
 | Czech Republic | John Stedronsky | Chicago White Stockings (now Chicago Cubs) | 3 |
 | Australia | Joe Quinn | St. Louis Maroons (Union Association) | 30 |
 | Sweden | Charlie Hallstrom | Providence Grays (no longer active) | 4 |
 | Norway | John Anderson | Brooklyn Grooms (now Los Angeles Dodgers) | 3 |
 | Russia | Jake Gettman | Washington Senators (no longer active) | 8 |
 | Ukraine | Bill Cristall | Cleveland Blues (now Cleveland Guardians) | 3 |
 | Colombia | Lou Castro | Philadelphia Athletics (now Oakland As) | 20 |
 | Switzerland | Otto Hess | Cleveland Bronchos (now Cleveland Guardians) | 1 |
 | Denmark | Olaf Henriksen | Boston Red Sox | 1 |
 | China | Harry Kingman | New York Yankees | 1 |
 | Philippines | Claudio Manela | Cincinnati Cuban Stars (Negro National League) | 1 |
 | Finland | John Michaelson | Chicago White Sox | 1 |
 | Jamaica | Oscar Levis | Cuban Stars East (Eastern Colored League) | 4 |
 | Austria | Frank/Dutch Ulrich | Philadelphia Phillies | 5 |
 | Dominican Republic | Pedro San | Cuban Stars East (Eastern Colored League) | 717 |
 | Puerto Rico | José "Gacho" Torres | Newark Stars (Eastern Colored League) | 264 |
 | Poland | Henry Peploski | Boston Braves (now Atlanta Braves) | 5 |
 | Italy | Lou Polli | St. Louis Browns (now Baltimore Orioles) | 7 |
 | Bahamas | Ormond Sampson | Atlanta Black Crackers (Negro Southern League) | 6 |
 | Mexico | Mel Almada | Boston Red Sox | 125 |
 | Latvia | Joe Zapustas | Philadelphia Athletics (now Oakland As) | 1 |
 | Venezuela | Alex Carrasquel | Washington Senators (now Minnesota Twins) | 382 |
 | Panama | Victor Greenidge | New York Cubans (Negro National League II) | 60 |
 | Greece | Al Campanis | Brooklyn Dodgers (now Los Angeles Dodgers) | 1 |
 | United States Virgin Islands | Alfonso Gerard | New York Black Yankees (National Negro League II) | 14 |
 | Japan | Masanori Murakami | San Francisco Giants | 66 |
 | American Samoa | Tony Solaita | New York Yankees | 1 |
 | Nicaragua | Dennis Martinez | Baltimore Orioles | 14 |
 | Spain | Bryan Oelkers | Minnesota Twins | 3 |
 | Honduras | Gerald Young | Houston Astros | 1 |
 | Curacao | Hensley Meulens | New York Yankees | 15 |
 | Afghanistan | Jeff Bronkey | Texas Rangers | 1 |
 | South Korea | Chan Ho Park | Los Angeles Dodgers | 23 |
 | Vietnam | Danny Graves | Cleveland Indians (now Cleveland Guardians) | 1 |
 | Belgium | Brian Lesher | Oakland Athletics/As | 1 |
 | Singapore | Robin Jennings | Chicago Cubs | 1 |
 | Aruba | Gene Kingsale | Baltimore Orioles | 5 |
 | Taiwan | Chin-Feng Chen | Los Angeles Dodgers | 14 |
 | Indonesia | Tom Mastny | Cleveland Indians (now Cleveland Guardians) | 1 |
 | Guam | John Hattig | Toronto Blue Jays | 1 |
 | Saudi Arabia | Craig Stansberry | San Diego Padres | 2 |
 | Brazil | Yan Gomes | Toronto Blue Jays | 5 |
 | Hong Kong | Austin Brice | Miami Marlins | 1 |
 | South Africa | Gift Ngoepe | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 |
 | Lithuania | Dovydas Neverauskas | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 |
 | Peru | Jesus Luzardo | Oakland Athletics/As | 1 |
- The list of major league players includes not only players in the modern Major League Baseball (MLB) league, but also players in earlier major leagues, including the following:
- The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), which was the world’s first fully professional baseball league.
- The National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), which succeeded the NAPBBP.
- The American Association of Base Ball Clubs (AA), which would merge with the NABBP to form the MLB.
- The various Negro leagues, whose stats and records were later incorporated by the MLB.
- When the Negro leagues were retroactively reclassified as fully professional leagues, a handful of countries found their major league debut moved earlier. For example, the first Jamaican player in the MLB was Chili Davis in 1981. But once the Negro league stats were incorporated, the first Jamaican player became Oscar Levis in 1923.
- Players are listed according to the first team for which they played in an official game. For example, Jeff Bronkey was drafted by both the Philadelphia Phillies and the Minnesota Twins, but did not actually play for either team, and so is listed with the Texas Rangers, for whom he debuted.
- A few names have been used by multiple teams in multiple leagues. For example, three different teams have used the name Washington Senators. The first dissolved in 1899, the second became the Minnesota Twins in 1961, and the third became the Texas Rangers in 1972.
Baseball has years of history leading to it becoming the Major League Baseball we know and love today. Along the way, players have joined the pros from all over the world. In the past, not all professional teams were respected as such, especially when it comes to racially segregated teams. Today, we include these players, teams, and leagues as we examine the first pro baseball player from each country.
Baseball is considered a very American sport, so it is no surprise that the United States had its first professional baseball player in 1871, the year the first professional baseball league began. Bobby Matthews was a pitcher for the Fort Wayne Kekiongas and the first of over 16 thousand players from the United States to go pro.
Several other countries also boast 1871 as the year they had their first MLB player. Bob Addy from Canada played for the Rockford Forest Citys. He was the first of 250 professional Canadian players. Rynie Wolters played for the New York Mutuals, the first of only 12 players to go pro from the Netherlands. Cuba’s Steve Bellan played for the Troy Haymakers, and Ireland’s Andy Leonard played for the Washington Olympics and the Boston Red Stockings. Interestingly, The Boston Red Stockings are now the Atlanta Braves and not the Boston Red Sox. 201 professional baseball players have been from Cuba and 47 from Ireland.
Most recently, Jesus Luzardo of the Oakland As became the first baseball player from Peru to play in the majors. 2017 saw the first players from Lithuania and South Africa: Dovydas Neverauskas and Gift Ngoepe respectively. Both played for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Several countries have first players who were born within their borders to American parents. China’s Harry Kingman played for the New York Yankees in 1914 and was born to missionaries in Hong Kong. Vietnam’s Danny Graves played for the Cleveland Indians in 1996 and was born in South Vietnam to a Vietnamese mother and an American father. Singapore’s Robin Jennings played for the Chicago Cubs in 1996, Saudi Arabia’s Craig Stansberry played for the San Diego Padres in 2007, and Hong Kong’s Austin Brice played for the Miami Marlins in 2016.
