All-Puerto Rico Team: Hall Of Fame Crew Leads Legendary Lineup

In honor of Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month, NESN takes a look at the best Major League Baseball players from Hispanic and Latin American nations. Today we compile our picks for the all-time Puerto Rican team.

In Puerto Rico, baseball’s popularity has spread all across the island since first being introduced in the late 19th century, producing some of Major League Baseball’s all-time (and current) bright stars.

That includes six Hall of Famers and a plethora of All-Stars to choose from, making the process of assembling an all-time roster that much more difficult. There are the obvious names such as Roberto Clemente, who MLB honors each year with an award dedicated to the legend’s unmatched humanitarian efforts. Then, the modern-day flashy stars like Francisco Lindor. Either way, you’ll find that Puerto Rico has (and continues to) lend baseball a huge helping hand in terms of birthing some more than noteworthy talent.

With that being said, let’s begin with the all-time lineup:

C Iván Rodríguez
1B Orlando Cepeda
2B Roberto Alomar
SS Francisco Lindor
3B Mike Lowell
RF Roberto Clemente
CF Carlos Beltran
LF Juan González
DH Edgar Martínez

BENCH Bernie Williams
BENCH Yadier Molina
BENCH Carlos Delgado

To say the lineup is stacked would be an understatement.

Clemente, aside from racking up 15 All-Star appearances, 12 Gold Glove Awards and two World Series titles, also joined the 3,000 hits club. That’s the golden standard for any Puerto Rican-born player, whether it’d be Clemente’s cannon of an outfield arm or his unselfish conduct off the field.

That’s just the start of a dream outfield, leaving room for Williams, a five-time All-Star and four-time World Series champ with the New York Yankees, on the bench; even though the argument for a starting spot can be made. The same goes for Pudge Rodríguez and Molina, whom many young catchers such as Christian Vázquez, aspire to emulate.

“Everybody wants to be like Pudge, you know?” Vázquez told ESPN in 2015.

Delgado and Martínez finished their respective careers as some of the game’s greatest power threats. Delgado fell short of the 500-home run club (473) and was debatably robbed of the 2003 American League MVP after crushing 42 homers with 145 RBIs and a 1.019 OPS for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Lowell played 13 seasons and flourished when playing for one of baseball’s biggest markets the Boston Red Sox. Lowell was reliable from the hot corner at the batter’s box, winning Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. The important box — a Fall Classic title — is checked off too, plus Lowell was named 2007 World Series MVP, giving him more than enough to be proud of.

Now, for the pitching.

SP Javier Vázquez
SP Juan Pizarro
SP José Berríos
RP Edwin Diaz
RP Roberto Hernández

The staff isn’t as strong as the lineup, but still filled with several notables.

Vázquez and Pizarro were All-Star starters during their time, each finishing their MLB careers with 130-plus wins. Vázquez represented Puerto Rico playing in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, falling short in Pool C. Behind those two is youngster Berríos, who’s made two All-Star appearances in his ongoing eight-year career. The right-hander, like Vázquez, has also played for Puerto Rico in the WBC, participating in each of the last three tournaments.

Coming out of the bullpen, Puerto Rico also has plenty of All-Star-caliber relief arms.

Hernández, a UConn product, proceeded to last 17 seasons in the big leagues. In 1999, Hernández’s second All-Star campaign, the right-hander recorded 43 saves with a 91.5 save percentage and 2.94 ERA.

Diaz, who’s grown into one of baseball’s most dominant closers, has amassed an ongoing list of credentials. That list, soon to place Diaz in the conversation for Puerto Rico’s greatest relief pitcher, includes two Reliever of the Year awards, an AL saves leader notch and an All-MLB First Team nomination.

Years from now, that Hall of Fame list is sure to grow.