LOS ANGELES, CA — In the beginning, God said: “Let there be light.” And so there was light.
As for baseball, some people feel the light shines its brightest in the spring when all the hopes and dreams of being the next World Champion and winning the last game fill the hearts of players, coaching staff, owners, and especially fans. On Opening Day, every club begins the season, even with the rest of the league, and by the end of the day, fifteen teams are tied for first place, and fifteen are only one game back in the standings.
MLB’s Opening Day is just over a month away! – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
But that is just the start of a grueling 162-game schedule that grinds its way through eight months of ups and downs, complete with incredible plays, games, and individual performances. There will also be awful games, plays, and forgettable performances. Angels manager Ron Washington will tell you: “It’s a grind, and it becomes a struggle for the young players. If they can get through it, they become major leaguers.”
This 2025 season will look different for several clubs vying for that pot of gold. Some of them have made solid moves with trades and free agent signings, and if their players returning from season-ending injuries over the past two years return to form, they could change the landscape of the divisional races.
Willy Adames signed a massive $182 million deal with the Giants this offseason – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
One factor in making a team more competitive is the influence of Latinos in the sport. Over the years, nearly 2,000 players of Hispanic descent have been featured on big-league rosters.
The Houston Astros, who won the 2017 and 2022 World Series, have the most Latinos on their roster at seventeen, almost half the team’s total in 2024.
2015 Gulf Coast Astros – Image Credit: William Coppola/Latino Sports
While covering the old Gulf Coast League games in Florida in 2015, I remember seeing a young Kyle Tucker sitting on the bench in Clearwater, Fla., along with his new Astro teammates. He was one of the few who didn’t speak Spanish. At that moment, I knew it was different from any other rookie team I had seen that summer. The Astros were on to something. They knew where to find and sign the best prospects, which has helped them dominate over the past 10 years.
Astros 2022 American League Pennant celebration at Yankee Stadium – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
I guarantee you one thing: Whoever wins the last game of the 2025 season will do it because of Latino players, and that is where the light shines brighter.
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