Next Wave of Latino Stars Is On En Route to MLB
ALSO: ALL-STAR SNUB OF MICHAEL HARRIS II WAS UNJUSTIFIED
Pregame Pepper: the National Anthem
Whether God Bless America should replace The Star-Spangled Banner as our National Anthem is always a point of contention, especially in baseball . . .
Most ballparks play the latter during the Seventh Inning Stretch but the former before the game starts . . .
George Steinbrenner, born on the Fourth of July, insisted fans stand and sing God Bless America during the seventh-inning stretch at Yankee Stadium . . .
The Star Spangled Banner, first connected to baseball when played before the opener of the 1918 Cubs-Red Sox World Series, did not become the National Anthem until 1931 and was not routinely played before all games until 1942, with the country at war . . .
Babe Ruth, then a pitcher, took the mound for Boston before the first in-the-ballpark playing of The Star-Spangled Banner.
Leading Off
Next Latin Wave Is Already Knocking on MLB’s Door
By Miguel Riera
Every generation of Major League Baseball has its defining Latin stars.
For more than a decade, players such as Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr., Fernando Tatís Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Julio Rodríguez, José Ramírez and Yordan Álvarez have carried that torch, becoming All-Stars, MVP candidates and franchise cornerstones. They represent the present of the game and continue to shape baseball at its highest level.
But while those stars remain firmly established, another story has quietly unfolded throughout the first half of the 2026 season.
The next generation has already begun arriving.
The latest mid-season Top 100 Prospects rankings released by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America offer perhaps the clearest snapshot of where the game’s future is headed. While nearly two-thirds of both rankings are still made up of players born in the United States, approximately one-third of the Top 100 comes from Latin America, an impressive figure that becomes even more significant when looking at the very top of the lists.
Four of the Top 10 prospects in baseball are Latin American.
That is not a coincidence.
It is another reminder that the region continues to produce some of baseball’s most exciting young talent.
Leading that group is Jesús Made, the switch-hitting Dominican shortstop in the Milwaukee Brewers organization who has become the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. Behind him are fellow Dominican Leo De Vries, Venezuelan shortstop Franklin Arias, and Dominican outfielder Josue De Paula, four players who represent the new face of international scouting and player development.
Perhaps even more interesting than their rankings is what they have in common.
They are premium athletes.
Most began their professional careers as shortstops.
They combine advanced plate discipline with defensive versatility.
And they were identified, signed and developed through Latin America’s increasingly sophisticated baseball academies.
The pipeline remains remarkably strong.
The next tier is equally impressive.
Dominican catcher Rainiel Rodríguez continues to emerge as one of baseball’s most intriguing offensive catching prospects. Fellow Dominicans Jarlin Susana, Josuar González, Luis Peña and Emil Morales remain firmly inside the industry’s elite, while Venezuelans Ethan Salas, Alfredo Duno and Luis Hernández continue reinforcing their country’s reputation for producing premium baseball talent.
The first half of the season also reminded us that prospect rankings are not simply projections.
They eventually become Major League players.
That reality became evident this week when Venezuelan outfielder Luis Lara earned his promotion to the Milwaukee Brewers, becoming one of the latest members of this new Latin generation to reach baseball’s biggest stage.
His arrival serves as a reminder that every Top 100 ranking is constantly evolving. Every promotion opens a new opportunity. Every debut creates room for the next prospect to climb.
One organization that deserves special attention is the Seattle Mariners.
While several of their young stars have already reached the major leagues, Seattle’s international pipeline continues to produce impact talent. Cuban slugger Lázaro Montes and Colombian infielder Michael Arroyo both earned promotions to Triple-A Tacoma during the first half of the season after outstanding performances with Double-A Arkansas. Their advancement places both prospects just one step away from the majors and reinforces the Mariners’ reputation as one of baseball’s strongest player development organizations.
Add Dominican shortstop Felnin Celesten, who remains one of the organization’s highest-ranked prospects, and Seattle once again finds itself developing one of the deepest international prospect groups in the game.
The rankings themselves will continue to change.
Players will rise.
Others will graduate.
Some names will inevitably disappear.
That is the nature of prospect evaluation.
The larger story, however, remains remarkably consistent.
Latin America continues to provide a substantial share of baseball’s elite young talent. More importantly, many of those players are not simply appearing somewhere inside the Top 100—they are occupying the very top of it.
That should not only excite fans in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia and throughout Latin America.
It should excite baseball.
Because while today’s stars continue writing their own legacies, tomorrow’s stars are already knocking on the door.
And judging by the latest prospect rankings, many of them still speak Spanish.
Miguel Riera is the founder of Lineup al Día, a Spanish-language baseball media platform covering Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and player development. Based in the Seattle area, he regularly covers the Seattle Mariners organization, including the Tacoma Rainiers and Everett AquaSox. He is a member of the IBWAA and SABR, with a professional focus on scouting, analytics and international player development.
Cleaning Up
Omission of Michael Harris II was Top All-Star Snub
By Dan Schlossberg
Like Rodney Dangerfield, Michael Harris II doesn’t get any respect.
Since winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2022, he’s been overlooked for both a Gold Glove and an All-Star berth. Repeatedly.
He’s unquestionably the best center-fielder in the National League — if not all of baseball — and has better offensive stats than Juan Soto, James Wood, or Pete Crow-Armstrong, all of whom were picked to the 2026 team.
The rule that each team needs a representative worked against Harris, though it’s hard to ignore his numbers.
Someone from the hapless Mets had to be picked, with Soto the only logical choice. But certainly not as a starter.
The guy is a defensive liability, doesn’t run out infield grounders, and seems closer to his coaches than his teammates. The Mets have turned cartwheels to deny his dugout contretemps with the always-pleasant Francisco Lindor.
Selection as an All-Star should be earned rather than awarded. Money Mike, an Atlanta area native who went to high school within walking distance of Truist Park, has earned the honor.
Juan Soto hasn’t.
Just because his 15-year, $765 million contract is the largest and longest in professional sports history shouldn’t include an automatic ticket to the All-Star Game.
Harris, 25, hasn’t even reached his prime. But he’s certainly a five-tools player, almost as good if not better — though less flamboyant — than the currently-injured Ronald Acuña, Jr.
A bad first-half in 2025 may have soured some observers on Harris II but he parlayed a solid second half into an All-Star season in 2026.
It’s too bad the league and the fans haven’t noticed.
HtP weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers baseball for Sports Byline, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Lucas Communications, and Here’s the Pitch, among other outlets. He’s also the author of 43 baseball books and a popular after-dinner speaker. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Extra Innings: All-Star roster remarks
This marks the seventh straight All-Star Game with at least five Dodgers — tying the 1942-49 Cardinals for the third-longest similar streak but trailing the 1956-65 Yankees (10) and the 1936-43 Yankees (8) . . .
Raisel Iglesias will be going to his first All-Star Game, along with Atlanta teammates Drake Baldwin, a fellow first-timer, and returning All-Stars Chris Sale, Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson . . .
Iglesias had converted 35 consecutive save opportunities — longest active streak in the majors — before blowing one against the Mets Monday night . . .
Olson, a runaway winner over Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) in the meaningless player vote, has yet to start an All-Star Game . . .
Albies, the shortest man in the National League, will be starting for the first time . . .
As he himself admits, skidding Paul Skenes (Pirates) did not deserve his All-Star spot over snubbed pitching star Zack Wheeler (Phillies) or even teammates Braxton Ashcraft, Brandon Lowe, and outfielder Bryan Reynolds . . .
On pace to set new career-highs across the board, Junior Caminero hit 25 home runs through 85 games and 323 at-bats, along with 55 RBIs, a .557 slugging percentage, .376 OBP, and .288 batting average . . .
The Tampa Bay third baseman was a first-time All-Star last year, his third in the majors, with 45 home runs with 110 RBIs and 28 doubles in 154 games and 602 ABs . .
The American League All-Stars will miss Toronto first baseman Vlad Guerrero, Jr., who has declined the invitation so he can rest an ailing back . . .
In the midst of his worst season to date, he didn’t deserve election anyway but Blue Jays fans stuffed the ballot boxes in the ill-conceived, poorly-executed fan vote.
Know Your Editors
Here’s the Pitch is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste