# List of countries with their first Major League Baseball player

The following is a list of countries with their first Major League Baseball player. Listed are each country that at least one current or former major league player was born in, along with the name of the first person born in that country to play in a major league game, and the year and sports league of that player's major league debut.

## Background

The globalization of baseball has been occurring since its inception. After an influx of players from western Europe in early years, the major leagues came to see fewer European players and more players from Latin America. Players born in over 50 countries and on every continent except Antarctica have now appeared in major league games. Considerations:
* The list is based on players' birthplaces and each location's current country, per detailed records at Baseball-Reference.com.
** For example, a player born in Berlin would be included with other players born in present-day Germany, even if when the player was born it might have been part of East Germany or West Germany.
* The countries listed are generally consistent with those that compete in the Olympic Games. For example, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands appear in the list.
* The players listed are not necessarily the first citizen of a country to play in a major league game, as nationality is determined under a country's nationality law and may differ.
* The list does not reflect where players grew up and learned to play baseball.
** Some players on the list, despite their birth location, are or were Americans or Canadians who returned to their parents' home country as children and were raised there. One example is Harry Kingman, who was born in China but grew up in California.
** Many European-born players on the list moved to North America as children. For example, the first person born in Italy to play in the major leagues, Lou Polli in 1932, moved with his family to Vermont at seven months of age.

## List

Listed players appeared in at least one game of a professional baseball major league (commonly referred to as Major League Baseball, although that entity did not exist before 1903), which encompasses:
* American Association (1882–1891)
* American League (1901–present)
* Federal League (1913–1915)
* National Association (1871–1875)
* National League (1876–present)
* Players' League (1890)
* Union Association (1884)
* Negro National League (I) (1920–1931)
* Eastern Colored League (1923–1928)
* American Negro League (1929)
* East–West League (1932)
* Negro Southern League (1932)
* Negro National League (II) (1933–1948)
* Negro American League (1937–1948)
The seven major Negro leagues from 1920 to 1948 were officially recognized as "major leagues" in December 2020. Note that the status of the National Association as a major league is in dispute. National Association players are included in the major league records of sites such as Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet, thus are also included here.
| Country | Player | Debut | Debut | Ref. |
| Country | Player | Year | League | Ref. |
| Afghanistan | Jeff Bronkey‡ | 1993 | American League | |
| American Samoa | Tony Solaita | 1968 | American League | |
| Aruba | Gene Kingsale | 1996 | American League | |
| at sea | Ed Porray‡ | 1914 | Federal League | |
| Australia | Joe Quinn‡ | 1884 | Union Association | |
| Austria | Joe Hovlik‡ | 1909 | American League | |
| Bahamas | Ormond Sampson | 1932 | Negro Southern League | |
| Belgium | Brian Lesher‡ | 1996 | American League | |
| Belize | Chito Martinez | 1991 | American League | |
| Brazil | Yan Gomes | 2012 | American League | |
| Canada | Bob Addy | 1871 | National Association | |
| China | Harry Kingman‡ | 1914 | American League | |
| Colombia | Lou Castro‡ | 1902 | American League | |
| Cuba | Steve Bellán | 1871 | National Association | |
| Curaçao | Hensley Meulens | 1989 | American League | |
| Czech Republic | John Stedronsky‡ | 1879 | National League | |
| Denmark | Olaf Henriksen‡ | 1911 | American League | |
| Dominican Republic | Pedro San | 1926 | Eastern Colored League | |
| Finland | John Michaelson‡ | 1921 | American League | |
| France | Larry Ressler‡ | 1875 | National Association | |
| Germany | George Heubel‡ | 1871 | National Association | |
| Greece | Al Campanis‡ | 1943 | National League | |
| Guam | John Hattig | 2006 | American League | |
| Hawaii | Johnnie Williams | 1914 | American League | |
| Honduras | Gerald Young‡ | 1987 | National League | |
| Hong Kong | Austin Brice‡ | 2016 | National League | |
| Indonesia | Tom Mastny‡ | 2006 | American League | |
| Ireland | Andy Leonard‡ | 1871 | National Association | |
| Italy | Lou Polli‡ | 1932 | American League | |
| Jamaica | Oscar Levis | 1923 | Eastern Colored League | |
| Japan | Masanori Murakami | 1964 | National League | |
| Latvia | Joe Zapustas‡ | 1933 | American League | |
| Lithuania | Dovydas Neverauskas | 2017 | National League | |
| Mexico | Mel Almada | 1933 | American League | |
| Netherlands | Rynie Wolters‡ | 1871 | National Association | |
| Nicaragua | Dennis Martínez | 1976 | American League | |
| Norway | John Anderson‡ | 1894 | National League | |
| Panama | Victor Greenidge | 1941 | Negro National League (II) | |
| Peru | Jesús Luzardo‡ | 2019 | American League | |
| Philippines | Claudio Manela | 1921 | Negro National League (I) | |
| Poland | Skel Roach‡ | 1899 | National League | |
| Portugal | Frank Thompson | 1875 | National Association | |
| Puerto Rico | Gacho Torres | 1926 | Eastern Colored League | |
| Russia | Jake Gettman‡ | 1897 | National League | |
| Saudi Arabia | Craig Stansberry‡ | 2007 | National League | |
| Singapore | Robin Jennings‡ | 1996 | National League | |
| Slovakia | Jack Quinn‡ | 1909 | American League | |
| South Africa | Gift Ngoepe | 2017 | National League | |
| South Korea | Chan Ho Park | 1994 | National League | |
| Spain | Al Cabrera | 1913 | National League | |
| Sweden | Charlie Hallstrom‡ | 1885 | National League | |
| Switzerland | Otto Hess‡ | 1902 | American League | |
| Taiwan | Chin-Feng Chen | 2002 | National League | |
| United Kingdom | George Hall† | 1871 | National Association | |
| United Kingdom | Harry Wright† | 1871 | National Association | |
| United States | multiple players | 1871 | National Association | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Alphonso Gerard | 1945 | Negro National League (II) | |
| Venezuela | Alex Carrasquel | 1939 | American League | |
| Vietnam | Danny Graves‡ | 1996 | American League | |
† Hall and Wright both made their debut on 5 May 1871. ‡ Immigrated to, raised in, and/or developed in the United States.