Latino Legends Team

The Latino Legends Team was an all-time all-star baseball team selected in 2005 to honor the history of Latin American players in Major League Baseball. The players were chosen by fan voting. Ballots were available both online at MLB.com and at Chevrolet dealerships, and over 1.6 million total votes were cast. The team was announced at a ceremony hosted by actor Edward James Olmos prior to Game Four of the 2005 World Series,^[1] a game in which Ozzie Guillen became the first Latino manager to win the series as his White Sox clinched their first title since 1917.

The team

• Iván Rodríguez (catcher)
• Albert Pujols (first base)
• Rod Carew (second base)
• Edgar Martinez (third base)
• Alex Rodriguez (shortstop)**
• Manny Ramirez (outfield)**
• Roberto Clemente (outfield)
• Vladimir Guerrero (outfield)
• Pedro Martínez (starting pitcher)
• Juan Marichal (starting pitcher)
• Fernando Valenzuela (starting pitcher)
• Mariano Rivera (relief pitcher)

Controversy

Despite being the only native of South America in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Venezuela native Luis Aparicio was not selected.^[2][3] Other significant players not selected were Puerto Ricans Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar and Carlos Delgado, Cubans Minnie Miñoso, Tony Oliva and Tony Pérez, and the Negro leagues star Martín Dihigo.

Dominican Sammy Sosa, a then still-active member of the 500 home run club was left off, as were Rafael Palmeiro and José Canseco, renowned Cuban-born sluggers caught up in the steroid scandals at the time. In February 2009, Latino Legends shortstop Alex Rodriguez was reported to have tested positive for steroid use during Major League Baseball's 2003 survey testing. After the report was released, Rodriguez confessed in an interview with ESPN that he used banned substances between 2001 and 2003. On July 30, 2009, Latino Legends outfielder Manny Ramirez was also reported to have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during Major League Baseball's 2003 survey testing.^[4]

See also

• Baseball awards § One-time awards

References

1. Sanchez, Jesse (2005-10-26). "Latino Legends Team Announced: Clemente, Carew, Manny, Pedro, Pujols Among 12 Honorees". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
2. Baxter, Kevin (2005-10-26). "Much Debate over Latino Legends Team". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
3. Arrellano, Gustavo (2005-11-10). "The Splendid Pocho: The Latino Legends Baseball Team Is neither Latino nor Legendary". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
4. Schmidt, Michael S. (2009-07-31). "Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on '03 Doping List". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-07.

External links

• Latino Legends Team ballot
• Press release with full vote results
• Beisbol Latino Legends List