Latin America and Baseball

Last Night's All-Star Spotlight!!
{Updated: Wednesday, July 11th, 2017}

       America's 88th All-Star Baseball Game is now history. Hosted last night by the Miami Marlins, the American League squeaked out a 2-to-1 win over the National League in 10 innings. It reaffirmed the emerging dominance of Latin America in the multi-billion-dollar sport invented in the U. S. and still with a strong U. S. identity.

        A solo home-run in the 10th inning by Robinson Cano gave the American League the 2-to-1 win over the National League in Miami last night. Cano was born 34 years ago in the Dominican Republic's most famed baseball town -- San Pedro de Macoris. From age 22 till age 30, from 2005 till 2013, Cano was the star second baseman for the New York Yankees. But he shocked the baseball world when he left the Yankees entering his 30s to accept a whopping $240 million guaranteed contract with the Seattle Mariners and that is the 5th all-time largest guaranteed baseball contract, trailing only the $325 million deal 27-year-old Giancarlo Stanton has with the Miami Marlins, two contracts Alex Rodriguez signed with the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees, and the current $248 million deal Miguel Cabrera has with the Detroit Tigers. Robinson Cano, with the 5th largest all-time contract, was the MVP of the 2017 All-Star Game, which was an extra-inning, crowd-pleasing nail-biter.

     
     A solo home run by Javier Molina had enabled the National League to take a 1-1 tie into extra innings setting the stage for Cano's 10th inning game-winning blast. Javier turns 35-years-old tomorrow, July 13th, 2017. He was born in Puerto Rico. His parents, Gladys and Benjamin Molino, taught Javier and his two older brothers -- Bengie and Jose -- how to play and to love baseball. Incredibly, all three Puerto Rican brothers have had long and lucrative careers in the Major Leagues. Bengie and Jose are now retired but at one point all three were starting catchers in the Major Leagues at the same time. When he retires, Javier will be elected to Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

       As his key homer in last night's All-Star game proved, Javier Molina remains a great clutch hitter prior to his 35th birthday tomorrow. But his Hall of Fame credentials are enshrined more because he is perhaps the all-time best all-around catcher in baseball history, meaning his defense and the way he handles his pitchers.

       Baseball's Hall of Fame is now well-stocked with former Puerto Rican stars like Roberto Clemente, Ivan Rodriguez, etc. In addition to Yadier Molina, the proliferation of new superstar Puerto Ricans in the U. S. Major Leagues is just beginning to explode, as evidenced by the montage above that depicts three new superstars aged 23, 22, and 24 -- Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and Javier Baez.

       Not surprisingly, Cuba was well-represented at last night's All-Star game in Miami. Yonder Alonso, for example, had two hits and a stolen base. He spent his first ten years in Cuba and then his last 20 years in Miami-Coral Gables and, after being a first-round draft pick out of the University of Miami, Yonder, now 30, has been in the Majors the past ten years and, so far, 2017 is his best year in baseball.

     And, of course, the Dominican Republic was well represented at last night's All-Star in Miami. Jose Ramirez started at Third Base for the American League and slammed base hits his first two at bats. He entered the game with a .332 batting average and 49 extra-base hits during the regular season. Last year at age 23 the switch-hitting Jose led the Cleveland Indians to the 7th game of the World Series where they barely lost 8-7 in 10 innings to the now reigning-champ Chicago Cubs.

       The All-Star Game in Miami last night spotlighted anew how Latin American nations -- especially the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela -- are beginning to dominate American baseball, the truly great American pastime. 

       Born 30 years ago in Havana, Cuba, Yonder Alonso last night in Miami made his first All-Star appearance, collecting two hits and a stolen base. Yonder, who played baseball at the University of Miami, is now the First Baseman for the Oakland A's but his Major League career started with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010 and he's been a Big Leaguer ever since...with stints in Cincinnati, San Diego and now Oakland. At the All-Star break this year he is hitting .275 with 20 homers. To illustrate how United States baseball has changed the lives of so many Cubans and other Latin American families, the Cuban-born Yonder Alonso has a sister with far more baseball All-Star connections than Yonder himself has, which is interesting to contemplate.

       The beautiful Yainee Alonso Machado, the sister of Havana-born Yonder Alonso, is married to Manny Machado, the young SUPERSTAR Third Baseman for the Baltimore Orioles. At age 25, Manny is already a 3-time All-Star although, unlike Yonder, he didn't make it this year. But he and his wife Yainee cheered for Yonder.

     Manny was only 20 when he got engaged to Yainee. She followed her brother Yonder to the University of Miami. He had left as a Junior as a first-round draft choice but she stayed from 2008 till 2012 to earn her bachelor's degree in psychology.

  Manny & Yainee got married in Paris in 2014.

Yainee & Manny are now proud parents.

      Like dozens of other multi-millionaire young baseball families, Yainee and Manny are celebrities in Miami and throughout the Major Leagues. 

       Born in Hialeah, Florida, Manny Machado turned 25 a few days ago -- on July 6th. Despite serious knee injuries that ended two of his seasons, he has already been an All-Star for three seasons. He became a multi-millionaire in 2010 when he was the First Round draft choice for the Baltimore Orioles. Manny in 2017 is making a very modest 11.5 million dollars but by 2019 he will be a Free Agent, meaning all 30 Major League teams can bid for him. That's when his very next contract and those of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are expected to soar way above 400-million-dollars each!!

       A Dominican-American, Manny Machado this year chose to play for the Dominican Republic, not the U. S., in the World Baseball Classic. He is shown above in his Dominican Republic hat. The Dominican Republic, a poor Caribbean nation, has more Major Leaguers than any foreign nation and it is gaining fast on the United States itself. Every one of the 30 Major League teams now have ostentatious state-of-the-art year-around stadiums and practice facilities in the Dominican Republic staffed with Major League coaches and trainers. That, of course, is in stark contrast to the way Cuba, also a baseball goldmine, is treated by the United States, which always induces Cuban-produced stars to defect before they can sign Major League contracts.

     Check the profile above of Yoan Moncada. He was born on May 27, 1995 in Abreus, Cuba. As a teenager he played for Cienfuegos in Cuba's top league. In February of 2015, after defecting Cuba, he signed with the Boston Red Sox for a signing bonus of $31.5 million. Boston later traded him to the Chicago White Sox so they could get ace lefty pitcher Chris Sale. Now playing for the top 3-A White Sox minor league team, Yoan will soon be called to the Majors and, as noted above, he is listed as Major League baseball's "#1 overall prospect." He, of course, got to keep that $31.5 million signing bonus but, uh, his big paydays lie ahead of him. Not bad for a poor boy from Abreus but many Cubans before him and many Cubans after him have or will become instant millionaire U. S. players...and not only the MLB teams, Miami Cubans, and the U. S. government but also a vast and greedy pipeline of human traffickers help them to defect. Yoan will soon be a speedy power-hitting switch-hitter for the White Sox. 

    Born 27 years ago in Los Angeles, Giancarlo Stanton was a Right Fielder for the Miami Dolphins the last night's All-Star game. Giancarlo grew up in LA idolizing two Puerto Rican Hall of Fame Major League superstars -- Roberto Clemente and Ivan Rodriguez. He played for Puerto Rico, not the U. S., in this year's World Baseball Classic. The Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is a U. S. Territory but it is now famously bankrupt and unable to pay its bills. But Puerto Rico, as a baseball mecca, is still churning out multi-millionaire baseball stars; 22-year-old Houston Shortstop Carlos Correa and 23-year-old Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor were in Miami as All-Stars and both, for example, are expected to soon sign contracts worth up to a half-billion-dollars each and, if so, that would top Giancarlo Stanton's current guaranteed contract with the Miami Marlins. In 2015 Stanton signed a 13-year contract with the Marlins that guarantees him $325 million. From 2015 till 2027 Stanton is guaranteed exactly $154,320.99 PER GAME. And remember that he was already a millionaire many times over when he signed that contract. Every penny is guaranteed even if the oft-injured Stanton is unable to play. In addition, like other superstars, Stanton makes millions more from endorsements and investments. Now ponder Giancarlo Stanton's extreme personal wealth with that of his beloved and totally bankrupt Puerto Rico.

       The two photos above are reminders that Latin American players are now beginning to dominate the best U. S. Major League teams. Both these young superstars were in last night's All-Star Game in Miami. Both were First Round draft choices and thus became teenage multi-millionaires. On the left is Carlos Correa. At the tender age of 22 he is the shortstop and leader of the best U. S. Major League team, the Houston Astros. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. On the right is Francisco Lindor. At the tender age of 22 last year he led the Cleveland Indians to within an eyelash of winning the World Series. He was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. A powerful switch-hitter, Lindor is the reigning AL Gold Glove shortstop and Platinum Glove winner as the best defensive player regardless of position. This season the Indians offered him $100 million if he would allow them to extend his contract another five years, but he turned down the offer well knowing, once he hits free agency, his next contract will be worth a lot more than a measly $100 million. Correa at age 22 probably has a financial future that will exceed Lindor's. Now consider their wealth in the U. S. with their native country of Puerto Rico, a U. S. Territory that is so poor it is begging the United States Congress to bail it out so it doesn't have to close more social necessities such as schools.

          Born 34-years-ago in Venezuela, Miguel Cabrera is the First Baseman for the Detroit Tigers. He signed with the then-Florida Marlins {now the Miami Marlins} in 2003 and at age 20 starred for the Marlins in the 2003 World Series. With the Tigers he has now won two MVP awards and four Batting Titles.

        In 2012 as indicated above, Miguel Cabrera became the first Major Leaguer in 45 years to win the Triple Crown with his .330 batting average, 44 homers and 139 runs-batted-in. He is making $31 million this year and that is based on a $248 million guaranteed contract he signed with Detroit, a contract that runs through 2023 when he will be 41-years-old. Now 34 and slowed by injuries, the Tigers, if they cannot trade Miguel, still owe him a guaranteed $192 million. Meanwhile, his native oil-rich Venezuela is famously in such dire financial and political shape that food, medicine and other essentials are so scarce that many Venezuelans are flocking across the border to Colombia to purchase what they can while thousands more are joining many other Venezuelans in the Latin American capital of Miami. Miguel Cabrera is currently one of 77 Venezuelans on the rosters of U. S. Major League teams, meaning 77 very rich Venezuelans.

       Giancarlo Stanton's current $325 million contract with the Miami Dolphins is the biggest in baseball history while Miguel Cabrera's current $248 million deal with the Detroit Tigers is the fourth biggest. The sometimes controversial Alex Rodriguez garnered the second and third biggest contracts ever. A-Rod signed a $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers in 2001 and later signed a $275 million dollar contract with the New York Yankees. Though he is retired from baseball now, the Yankees are still having to pay A-Rod $21 million this year. He is also a high-priced network sports announcer and still garners millions in endorsements. He is interested in purchasing his own Major League team, especially the for-sale Miami Marlins in his hometown where the University of Miami baseball stadium bears his name.

      This photo shows Alex Rodriguez with his girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. {I suspect you have heard of both of them}. He is a Dominican-American born in New York City 41-years-ago; she is a Puerto Rican-American born in New York City 47-years-ago. Three-times married, she is not after A-Rod's money. In 2014 Forbes listed Jennifer's worth at $320 million and it since has exceeded $500 million with her ownership and production of hit shows in addition to her ultra-superstar status in the entertainment stratosphere.

  A-Rod & Jennifer -- superstar couple.

      This Neilson Barnard/Getty Images photo shows Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez as headliners anywhere they jet to. They buzzed from New York to Miami for the All-Star game. Here's how the INQUISITR website depicted their arrival: "Jennifer Lopez partied it up with her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez in a tight, nude dress for an MLB All-Star event in Miami. The 47-year-old singer, actress and producer held her boyfriend very close as they posed for photos together at the party. Rodriguez, 41, looked stylish in an olive brown suit with a crisp white shirt underneath." The website supported its report with some photo proofs.

      This photo is courtesy of Jennifer Lopez/Instagram so it's obvious she is proud of it. Before flying to Miami for the All-Star Game, it shows Jennifer flanked by Aaron Judge and Alex Rodriguez at Yankee Stadium earlier this week. Judge is the Right Fielder for the Yankees and this year's most sensational rookie, which means he may soon be as rich as Jennifer and A-Rod. Judge already has an amazing 30 home runs this year, breaking the rookie FULL SEASON homer record set by the all-time great New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio. And then, televised live all across America and Latin America, Judge lived up to his rookie reputation by winning the coveted All-Star Home Run Derby. Could the Yankees conceivably make Judge a billionaire? Sure, the multi-billion-dollar Yankees, playing in New York as baseball's richest and most fabled team and the owners of their own YES TV network, don't mind paying A-Rod $21 million this year not to play so they won't quibble about paying Judge, their young slugger, perhaps a billion to play.

         So that brings me back around to this magnificent family photo, the one I used to illustrate my point that every Cuban boy wants to play Major League baseball and every Cuban girl wants to marry a Major League player. I don't think many on the island will dispute that premise. On the left above is Havana-born Yonder Alonso, the First Baseman for the Oakland A's. He was on the American League All-Star team in Miami. In the middle is Yonder's Cuban sister Yainee Alonso. She is married to Manny Machado, the young Dominican-American Third Baseman for the Baltimore Orioles and already a 3-time All-Star although he just turned 25 this month. Yes, indeed. If you are born poor in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela or Puerto Rico, I bet your dream is to play baseball in the U. S. Major Leagues OR MARRY A U. S. MAJOR LEAGUER.

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