Since the World Baseball Classic is one of the top stories of the baseball year, let’s take a moment and visit one of the countries represented: Puerto Rico. This small island nation certainly packs a punch regarding diamond legends. The search for Puerto Rico’s best baseball player is rife with Cooperstown mainstays and household names. However, you’ll find only one of these players on the mound. Yes, nine of the ten candidates did all their career damage with a bat or glove. In any case, these players deserve their slot among the island’s very best.
In total, Puerto Rico ranks third to the Dominican Republic and Venezuela as far as non-U.S. WAR totals go (1,635.79). Among nations that have had at least 100 big leaguers, they have the best batting average (.265). They are second internationally in homers (10,397), third in RBI (47,928), and third in hits (99,345). The top five rankings in most offensive categories betray a nation obsessed with hitting the ball with expert consistency and pristine precision. Many of the ten names below have helped contribute to this outstanding performance. So, without further ado, here is the map of Puerto Rico’s best baseball player.
Top Puerto Rico Baseball Players
Jorge Posada
Born: Santurce
42.67 WAR
Jorge Posada currently ranks as the second-best catcher in Puerto Rican history by WAR. This is no big surprise, as the New York Yankees legend ruled their backstop for 17 seasons. It took a while, but Posada finally found his footing by 1997. From there, he took off, posting eight 20+ home run seasons and winning five Silver Sluggers. He made five All-Star teams and had two top-10 finishes in MVP voting. He ranks ninth among all catchers in career homers (275) and has more career doubles than legendary backstops Mike Piazza and Gary Carter. Topping it all off are his four World Series championships, helping him etch his name into pinstripe history.
Carlos Delgado
Born: Aguadilla
44.37 WAR
The search for Puerto Rico’s best baseball player does not include known power hitters. Carlos Delgado, along with one or two others, is an exception. His blistering bat helped make him one of the franchise faces of the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Not only that, but he holds the home run record for Puerto Rican players (473). However, never a World Champion, Delgado did more than enough to cement his legendary status. He’s a two-time All-Star, a three-time Silver Slugger, and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting four times. In 2000, he led the league with 57 doubles and 378 total bases. His 145 RBI in 2003 also topped the junior circuit. However, his most astounding trait was overwhelming consistency. From 1997-2006, he posted ten straight years of 30+ homers.
Javier Vázquez
Born: Ponce
45.60 WAR
Javier Vazquez is the only pitcher on this list. He never won 20 games in a year and only posted a sub-three ERA once. So, what makes him a candidate for one of Puerto Rico’s best is reasonably apparent. Vazquez was one of the best around when he was on his game. If he wasn’t, there could be great rough patches. His career had some significant loops, yet he’s still here. A 14-year career yielded 165 wins and a 4.22 ERA. Those numbers aren’t exactly explosive. However, he was a strikeout machine, recording 2,536 punchouts with five seasons of 200 or more. No other pitcher in Puerto Rico’s history has cracked 2,000. True, Vazquez’s overall win-loss record may not be spectacular. But his positives do just enough to put him on this list.
Bernie Williams
Born: San Juan
49.57 WAR
The Yankees signed Bernie Williams in 1985, and he toiled in the minors for five seasons before getting called up. Much like Posada, he became another face of the Yankee dynasty of the 90s. This is no wonder, as the outfield mainstay made five consecutive All-Star Games. He also won four straight Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and finished in the top ten in MVP voting once. In 1998, he won the AL batting title with a .338 mark. Though never known as a premier power hitter, he did manage seven seasons of 20+ homers. His 2,336 hits are sixth in Puerto Rico history, and his 1,257 RBI are eighth.
Orlando Cepeda
Born: Ponce
50.10 WAR
The first Hall of Famer in the search for Puerto Rico’s best baseball player, Orlando Cepeda spent the 1960s winning nearly every award there was to win. He began his legendary career with the San Francisco Giants in 1958, when they moved to California from New York. He won the Rookie of the Year Award after hitting .312 with 25 homers and a league-leading 38 doubles. In 1961, at age 23, Cepeda finished second in MVP voting after crushing 46 home runs and driving 142 runs, both of which were the best in the league. His only career MVP came in his first season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967, as he helped lead them to a title. Officially, Cepeda is an 11-time All-Star and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting three times.
José Cruz
Born: Arroyo
54.38 WAR
José Cruz spent 18 years in the big leagues. However, he is only known for 13 of them. He broke in with the Cardinals in 1970, yet he didn’t hit his stride until 1976 with the Houston Astros. He then spent the next decade as one of the game’s best pure-contact hitters. From 1976-1986, Cruz hit .297 with 1,768 hits, 303 doubles, 780 runs scored, and 128 OPS+. He did all this while striking out fewer than 800 times in over 5,900 at-bats. His speed topped off his excellence at the plate, as he stole 278 bases during the stretch. He was selected to two All-Star teams, won two Silver Sluggers, and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in back-to-back seasons. His 317 steals are second in Puerto Rico history, and his batting average is fifth among players with at least 2,000 games.
Roberto Alomar
Born: Ponce
67.04 WAR
Roberto Alomar could hit and run, full stop. His 474 stolen bases are the highest among all Puerto Rican players, and he ranks fourth in hits (2,724). He made it to 12 consecutive All-Star teams, and his defense netted him 10 Gold Gloves. After breaking in with the San Diego Padres in 1988, he became involved in one of the more significant trades before the 1991 season. He and Joe Carter went to Toronto in exchange for Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff. Once in Toronto, Alomar cemented his status as a perennial All-Star, helping guide the Blue Jays to World Series titles in 1992 and ’93. In total, Alomar found success with seven different franchises over 17 seasons. He’s a four-time Silver Slugger, an All-Star Game MVP, an ALCS MVP, and genuinely worthy of inclusion on this list.
Iván Rodríguez
Born: Manati
68.71 WAR
The search for Puerto Rico’s best baseball player would not be complete without the man affectionately known as “Pudge.” For 20 seasons, Iván Rodríguez was one of, if not the, best catchers in the game. He is best known for his 13 years with the Texas Rangers. Both his overall WAR (50.0) and dWAR (21.2) are the highest in franchise history. He hit .304 with the team, tying him with Adrián Beltré for sixth all-time. He’s fourth on their home run list (217) and second on their hits list (1,747). However, his overall work as a catcher lands him here. His career WAR is third most among all catchers in baseball history. Only Gary Carter and Johnny Bench are higher. His dWAR of 29.6 barely squeaks past fellow Puerto Rico legend Yadier Molina for the best at his position. In short, everything Pudge did, he did well, and that’s why he’s here.
Carlos Beltrán
Born: Manati
70.09 WAR
Like Delgado earlier, Carlos Beltrán represented real power in an age of shadow dealing. Beltran plied his craft for two decades at an extremely high level, retiring with the most home runs ever hit by a Puerto Rican player (435). He’s third in the nation’s history in hits (2,725), second in doubles (565), and first in RBI (1,587). His 1999 campaign with the Kansas City Royals netted him the AL Rookie of the Year. However, his 2006 with the New York Mets was his best year by WAR (8.2). He also posted career highs in homers (41) and RBI (116) while helping guide the team to the NLCS. His feet were no joke either, as he stole 317 bases and came two homers shy of a vaunted 40/40 season in 2004.
Roberto Clemente
Born: Carolina
94.83 WAR
One of the greatest pure hitters of a generation, Roberto Clemente deserves his title as Puerto Rico’s best baseball player. He has all the hallmarks of a Hall of Famer who would top a list like this. He’s a 15-time All-Star, a two-time World Champion, a 12-time Gold Glove winner, an MVP, a World Series MVP, and a four-time batting champion. Each of those accolades correlates with being one of the best, regardless of nationality. That said, in terms of Puerto Rican baseball, he is the equivalent of Pete Rose. He’s the only baseball player in the nation’s baseball history to crack the 3,000-hit club. The final hit of his career brought him this legendary status. Tragically, his life was cut short due to a plane accident at age 37. But nothing can erase his incredible legacy. Puerto Rico has had no more remarkable testament to the talent on the diamond.
Photo Credit: © Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Jorge Posada, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, Carlos Delgado, Javier Vázquez, Bernie Williams, Orlando Cepeda, José Cruz, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, Tony Fernandez, Fred McGriff, Iván Rodríguez, Adrián Beltré, Johnny Bench, Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltrán, Roberto Clemente, Pete Rose
