MLB Opening Day rosters feature 269 international players

[April 01, 2023]  (Reuters) - The number of players born outside the United States that featured on Opening Day rosters dipped 2% to 269 compared to last year, Major League Baseball (MLB) said on Friday. 

Mar 30, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; General view of T-Mobile Park during the national anthem before an Opening Day game between the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The number of internationally-born players represents 28.5% of a total pool of 945 players and trails only the 2020 (291) and 2022 (275) seasons.

As has been the case each year since MLB began releasing the data in 1995, the Dominican Republic led the way among countries and territories outside the United States with 104 players, its second-highest total since 2020 (110).

Venezuela (62), Cuba (21) Puerto Rico (19) and Mexico (15) rounded out the top five.

For the third consecutive season, the Houston Astros have the most internationally-born players with 16, followed by the Minnesota Twins (15), San Diego Padres (15), Miami Marlins (13) and New York Yankees (13).

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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