BRONX, NY — Carlos Estévez of the Kansas City Royals is one of 100 Dominican-born players to appear on Major League Baseball’s Opening Day team rosters for 2025, the most by any country and territory outside of the United States this year as well as in each season since 1995 which is when MLB began tracking the annual data.
“Wow, that’s great for my country,” said Estévez with a smile when Latino Sports first detailed him on the information prior to the Royals’ 4-3 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday night.
“I believe those guys that are in baseball right now are giving a big impact to the game. I love to see that—we are a part of the game but we are a big part of the game. We come from such a small island and we are here to prove that we are here and we are here to stay. I am so proud of every single one of those guys out there.”
Carlos Estévez receives his commemorative LatinoMVP T-shirt given to each finalist of the 35th Annual LatinoMVP Awards. Carlos was a nominee for the 2024 NL LatinoMVP Reliever/Closer of the Year Award – Image Credit: Latino Sports
It’s long been known that the Dominican Republic dominates all of baseball—on a quantity and quality standpoint. Just last season, there were approximately 12 Dominicans to be named to the 2024 American/National League All-Star teams.
Not to mention, two of the top three players to receive the largest contracts in MLB history are none other than Juan Soto of the Mets ($765 million/15 years) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays ($500 million/14 years)—two Dominicans and LatinoMVP award winners.
Yet on the down side, with such a high number of star-proven MLB athletes hailing from the D.R., are worthy individuals who may unfortunately miss out on the opportunity of being chosen to represent their homeland and loved ones in the sport’s most exciting global event, the World Baseball Classic.
Team Dominican Republic lines up at the foul line prior to game time in 2023 World Baseball Classic – Image Credit: World Baseball Classic/MLB
As each respective team in the WBC is filled in with a 30-man roster, including 14 pitchers and two catchers, a stacked lineup, rotation and bullpen loads up quickly especially when viewing the potential squad for the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
“I would love to go,” replied Estévez when asked about the importance of playing in a World Baseball Classic, an event the 32-year-old Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native has never participated in.
“I would love to represent my country. Have the Dominican Republic name on the front of my jersey and then my name on the back—representing my family. That would be great. So many great players have gone through and played. I would love to be on that big stage.”
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