Global Game Changers: The International Influence on America's Pastime
Think of the United States in 1902. The Bureau of the Census was established, the first modern air conditioner was invented, and the American public experienced its first public radio broadcast.
Source: Unsplash
1902 was also the first year an international athlete played on an American sports team. Born in Colombia, Luis Castro was scouted to play in the MLB for the Philadelphia Athletics. He was the first Colombian-born player in the league and the first Latin American to play in a recognized Major League game.
In 2024, 264 players represented 19 different countries and territories outside of the United States on Opening Day rosters and inactive player lists. From the Dominican Republic to Japan, international talent now plays a central role in shaping the league’s competitive landscape.
International Signing Day started on January 15th, 2025, lasting until December 15th, 2025. However, most talent is signed within the first few months.
Any amateur player who resides outside of the United States and Canada can sign with the MLB as long as they’re at least 16 and haven’t attended a high school in a draft-eligible country within the last year.
With the urge to play in the MLB as soon as possible, most players signed are 16 and 17-year-olds. The signed players aren’t guaranteed a spot on the 40-man roster, and typically spend years in the minor leagues before they debut.
Although there aren’t many exceptions when it comes to a player being 40-man roster-ready after signing, there are oddities. This year, 23-year-old Roki Sasaki is ready to enter the lineup due to his pitching experience with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan.
Sasaki has been a hot topic in the league. He broke Shohei Ohtani’s Japanese high school record at age 17, throwing a 101-mile-per-hour fastball. At 19, Sasaki had a 1.84 ERA over 16 starts. A year later, he pitched a perfect game with 13 consecutive strikeouts, setting a Nippon Professional Baseball record.
In 2023, Sasaki played in the World Baseball Classic alongside Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two current Japanese MLB players on the Dodgers. He sat at 100.5 mph with his pitches, keeping scouts curious.
When he became available to the MLB, all 30 teams jumped at the opportunity to sign him, however, he committed to the Dodgers on a six-year contract for a $6.5 million bonus.
"I spent the past month both embracing and reflecting on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to choose a place purely based on where I can grow as a player the most," Sasaki said to ESPN through team interpreter Will Ireton. "Every organization helped me in its own way, and it was an incredibly difficult decision to choose just one."
Each team has an “international signing bonus pool” to make offers for international talent. There is a hard cap on how much they can spend, which is determined case-by-case. Smaller teams have the highest budgets, so they can compete with the larger clubs.
In recent years, organizations have shown some leniency with their funds. MLB draft order, organization size, and the number of players traded can impact their international spending.
Teams can also spend beyond their bonus pool allotment if they sign players for $10,000 or less and acquire in trades up to 60% additional allotment above their initial figure.
Not only do these players have skills that scouts want, but once they’re implemented on the 40-man roster, they bring in a larger audience and cultural richness to their organization.
The Texas Rangers have “Mexican Heritage Night” and “Hispanic Heritage Month” with exclusive merch and food stands. It didn’t originally stem from the players, though many have been honored and highlighted during these games.
“One of the important things, when I came on board, was to be better at [creating] things like Heritage Night,” senior vice president of marketing for the Rangers, Travis Dillon, said in an AOL article, noting the team has also added a Multicultural Marketing Coordinator.
Ohtani created an opening for players in Japan after his first contract in 2017 with the Los Angeles Angels. Since signing with the Dodgers before the 2024 season, the franchise has brought in large, undisclosed numbers of new fans, merch items, and revenue from Ohtani.
Five-time All-Star in Japan’s Pacific League, Hideo Nomo, was the first Japanese-born player for the Dodgers on May 2, 1995. This started a long legacy that Ohtani continues today.
Since then, the Dodgers have had many talented Japanese pitchers come and go. Kenta Maeda, Kazushi Ishii, Hiroki Kuroki, Yu Darvish, and Takashi Saito are just a few who have worn the Dodgers jersey.
With the ever-growing popularity of Major League Baseball in Japan, the league started hosting a series of games in countries outside of the USA and Canada. In 2024, the Dodgers and Padres played at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, on Opening Day. South Korea joined Mexico, Japan, and Australia on the list of host countries for Opening Day MLB games.
To kick off the 2025 season, there was another series in Tokyo, Japan. The Chicago Cubs and Dodgers played two Nippon Professional Baseball teams, the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers. After those games, they stayed in Tokyo to start the Major League season.
As Major League Baseball continues to break international barriers, the game is no longer just America's pastime. With talent flowing from all corners of the globe, Major League Baseball’s international footprint is expanding, weaving a global tapestry that blends cultures, showcases diverse talent, and attracts new fans worldwide.