Camila Sosa
The 3,000-hit mark is one of the most difficult marks to achieve in major leagues baseball, with only 32 batters in history capable of doing so. And the Latino presence is well represented, as 6 Spanish speakers have made it into this legendary club over the years, with perhaps the next member on the way.
On this list we bring you the top 6 best Latin American baseball players with most hits in the history of the major leagues plus a special mention: the next big name to be added.
Special Mention: Miguel Cabrera
The Venezuelan first baseman is still active after 19 years of career, and will be present in the Detroit Tigers’ roster for his 20th season, where he will try to reach the 3,000-hit mark, becoming the seventh Latino to reach that mark, and the 33rd overall in MLB history.
Miggy has 2987 to date, along with 502 homers, 1804 RBIs and a .310/.387/.532 lifetime line. Reaching 3,000 hits would assure him a place in the Hall of Fame, as his individual accolades only help his case: 2 MVP awards, a Triple Crown, 11 All-Star Game selections, 7 Silver Sluggers, 4 batting titles and the 2003 World Series.
5.- Rafael Palmeiro
Reaching 3020 lifetime hits during the 2005 campaign as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, the 40-year-old Cuban would end a solid career with 569 homers, 1835 RBIs, 1663 runs scored and a .288/.371/.515 batting line in 2831 games played.
Palmeiro also has 4 All-Star Game mentions, 3 Gold Gloves and 2 Silver Sluggers. Unfortunately, he also has a blemish on his record for steroid use during the 2000s, which he strongly denies to have done it intentionally.
4.- Rod Carew
With 7 batting titles and 18 All-Star Game selections, the Panamanian is one of the most decorated Latin players of all time, as he is an icon for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels at the time. Carew finished his career with 3053 hits in 19 MLB years and a .328/.393/.429 line, 353 stolen bases and 1424 runs scored.
Rod ranks 27th all-time in MLB and is the fifth Latino with the most hits in history. In conjunction with these honors, he also won an MVP award (1977) and Rookie of the Year award in 1967.
3.- Alex Rodríguez
The Dominican finished his 22-year career with 3115 hits in 2784 cumulative games, which ranks 22nd all-time and fourth among Latinos.
A-Rod has been one of the most successful and controversial figures in MLB in recent decades, due to his six-figure contracts, his involvement in doping and substance abuse scandals, and his personal life.
Nonetheless, Rodríguez won 3 MVP awards, 14 All-Star Game appearances, 2 Gold Gloves, 10 Silver Sluggers and the 2009 World Series.
2.- Adrián Beltré
The third baseman had 21 successful years in the major leagues, and is considered one of the best shortstops in modern baseball history. Beltré finished his career with 3166 hits in 2933 games, what ranked him 17th overall and second all-time with the most accumulated hits in the statistic.
The Dominican also hit 477 homers, 1707 RBIs, 636 doubles and a .286/.339/.480 line. He also received 4 All-Star Game selections, 5 Gold Gloves and 4 Silver Slugger awards.
1.- Albert Pujols
Still active, the Dominican first baseman continues to extend his numbers through 21 seasons, and looks to continue to widen this gap during the 2022 season at the age of 42. Pujols has 3301 hits (before the start of the 2022 season), which ranks him 17th all-time and the lone leader among all Latinos.
In addition to this, he also won 3 MVP awards, 10 All-Star selections, 2 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers, 2 World Series and the Rookie of the Year award. With a .297/.375/.544 line and 672 homers, 2150 RBIs and 1872 runs scored, Pujols will sooner or later enter the Hall of Fame and the history books as one of the best hitters in history.
