Jose Cruz wasn’t a big slugger or run producer, but over a 19-year major league career, 13 of them with the Houston Astros, the Arroyo, Puerto Rico native was renowned for his consistent hitting, solid defense, and excellent base-running skills, making him one of the best all-around players of his era and a fan favorite when players from Puerto Rico were a rarity. Affectionately known as "Cheo," Cruz began his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1970, but it was with the Astros that he made his mark. He played in Houston from 1975 to 1987 and was a

He wasn’t known for his prowess at the plate, but Benito Santiago didn’t need to be. The Puerto Rico-born catcher enjoyed a 20-year career in the majors on the strength of his skills behind the plate — especially his ability to throw out would-be base thieves. Santiago made his MLB debut in 1986 with the San Diego Padres and quickly established himself as one of the top young catchers in the league due mostly to his defense. At 22, he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1987 (18 HR, 79 RBI .300), becoming the first NL

Most baseball fans fondly recall pitcher Dennis Martinez as a solid, if unspectacular starter long overshadowed by big-name aces in Baltimore (Jim Palmer, MIke Flanagan and Scott McGregor among them). But even though Martinez was never considered a No. 1, any team would have been happy to have a pitcher who finished a 23-year career at age 44 with 245 wins, a respectable 3.70 ERA, 30 shutouts, four All-Star game appearances and a World Series ring in 1983 with the Orioles. The 245 wins by the Nicaragua native for the Orioles, Expos, Indians, Braves and Mariners stood for 20 years

Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara has a losing career record, plays for a perennial bad team, and few baseball fans outside of Florida can pick him out of a lineup. Yet for the past few seasons, the Dominican Republic-born righty has been considered one of the best pitchers in baseball. Alcantara finally put together the season Miami — and the MLB — have been waiting for. In 2022, he went 14-9 with a stellar 2.28 ERA — the National League now uses the DH, remember — and a league-leading 228.2 innings pitched. Not to mention hurling six complete games, a

When pitcher Orlando Hernandez joined the New York Yankees rotation in 1998, Major League Baseball fans soon discovered what fans in his native Cuba had known for more than a decade. The right-handed hurler nicknamed “El Duque” (The Duke) was a very special player. It wasn’t just his unorthodox and unforgettable delivery — a high leg kick that brought his bent knee next to his head — or the way he deceived batters with an array of pitches that made him stand out. Hernandez was simply a winner, an unflappable clutch performer both as a star in Cuba who won

After weeks of speculation — and Mets fans dreaming of the team’s first World Series win since 1986 — Carlos Correa didn’t end up going to New York after all. The star shortstop instead returned to the Twins on Jan. 11, 2022, on a six-year deal worth $200 million. It’s a far cry from the Mets’ 12-year, $315 million mega-contract offer that was pulled back due to concerns over Correa’s surgically repaired ankle. But no one should feel sorry for Correa, who will still earn upwards of $33 million a year in Minnesota, where he hit .291 with 22 HR