The Most Famous
BASEBALL PLAYERS from Puerto Rico
This page contains a list of the greatest Puerto Rican Baseball Players. The pantheon dataset contains 91 Baseball Players, 3 of which were born in Puerto Rico. This makes Puerto Rico the birth place of the 4th most number of Baseball Players behind Japan, and Dominican Republic.
Top 4
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Puerto Rican Baseball Players of all time. This list of famous Puerto Rican Baseball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Roberto Clemente (1934 - 1972)
With an HPI of 58.09, Roberto Clemente is the most famous Puerto Rican Baseball Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈβeɾto enˈrike kleˈmente (ɣ)walˈkeɾ]; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. On December 31, 1972, Clemente was killed when his Douglas DC-7 airplane, which he had chartered for a flight to take and deliver emergency relief goods for the survivors of a massive earthquake in Nicaragua, crashed and plunged into the water off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. He was 38 years old. After his untimely death, the National Baseball Hall of Fame changed its rules so that a player who had been dead for at least six months would be eligible for entry. In 1973, Clemente was posthumously inducted, becoming the first player from the Caribbean and second of Hispanic descent (after Lefty Gomez in 1972) to be honored in the Hall of Fame. He is widely referred to as "The Great One." Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Clemente was a track and field star and an Olympic hopeful in his youth before deciding to turn his full attention to baseball. His professional career began at the age of eighteen, with the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League. He quickly attracted the attention of the Brooklyn Dodgers who signed him to a bonus of $10,000. However, due to the bonus rule under which Clemente had signed and the Dodgers' decision to send him to the minor leagues, they lost Clemente to the Pittsburgh Pirates who drafted him after the 1954 season. Clemente was an All-Star for 13 seasons, selected to 15 All-Star Games. He was the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1966, the NL batting leader in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and a Gold Glove Award winner for 12 consecutive seasons from 1961 through 1972. His batting average was over .300 for 13 seasons and he had 3,000 hits during his major league career. He also was a two-time World Series champion. Clemente was the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to win a World Series as a starting position player (1960), to receive an NL MVP Award (1966), and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971). During the offseason, in addition to playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, Clemente was involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries. In 1972, he died in a plane crash at the age of 38 while en route to deliver aid to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake. The following season, the Pittsburgh Pirates retired his uniform number 21. In his honor, Major League baseball renamed the Commissioner's Award, given to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", to the Roberto Clemente Award.
2. Iván Rodríguez (b. 1971)
With an HPI of 44.97, Iván Rodríguez is the 2nd most famous Puerto Rican Baseball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Texas Rangers (in two separate stints, comprising the majority of his career), Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals. Rodríguez is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in MLB history and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. Rodríguez was awarded the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1999. He won the 2003 World Series with the Florida Marlins and played in the 2006 World Series while with the Tigers. In 2009, he set an MLB record by catching his 2,227th game, passing Carlton Fisk for the most. He had the best career caught-stealing percentage of any major league catcher, at 45.68% (versus a league average of 31%), and he had nine seasons with a caught-stealing rate of 50% or higher. Only one major league catcher (Yadier Molina) has more putouts. Rodríguez recorded 2,844 hits in his career, the most of any catcher in MLB history. In October 2024, he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in Detroit. After retiring from baseball, he served as a Shadow Representative from Puerto Rico.
3. Carlos Beltrán (b. 1977)
With an HPI of 42.16, Carlos Beltrán is the 3rd most famous Puerto Rican Baseball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Carlos Iván Beltrán (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos βelˈtɾan]; born April 24, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for seven teams from 1998 to 2017. A 9-time All-Star, he hit 20 home runs twelve times and 30 doubles eleven times, with eight seasons of 100 runs batted in (RBI) and seven seasons of 100 runs scored. He was named the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 1999 with the Kansas City Royals after batting .293 with 112 runs and 108 RBI, and leading the league's center fielders in putouts and assists. He led the Royals in runs, RBI, triples and stolen bases every year from 2001 to 2003, always with over 20 home runs and twice batting over .300. In June 2004 he was traded to the Houston Astros in the National League (NL), and became the first player in major league history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases after changing leagues midseason. After joining the New York Mets as a free agent, he led the team to a tie for the best record in the major leagues in 2006, posting career highs in home runs (41), runs (127), RBI (116), walks (95) and slugging percentage (.594). Beltrán was an outstanding player in the postseason, batting .307 with 16 home runs in 65 games and hitting .400 in four different series, which earned him nicknames such as "the New Mr. October", "Mr. October Jr.", "Señor Octubre", and "the real Mr. October" from the media. He scored 21 runs in 12 games during the 2004 playoffs to set a record for most runs scored in one postseason, despite falling short of the World Series (Jose Altuve tied the record in 16 games in 2021), and 13 years later returned to the Astros for his final season, helping the team win the World Series for his first championship. Beltrán was a member of the Puerto Rico national team that won silver medals in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classics, and was named to the all-tournament team in 2017. Beltrán won three Gold Glove Awards for his defense, leading AL center fielders in assists three times and NL center fielders once, and leading both leagues in putouts and double plays once each. His totals of 1,334 games, 3,538 putouts, 88 assists and 25 double plays in center field in the 2000s led all major leaguers, with his 108 career assists in center field ranking eighth among players since 1960, and his 28 double plays tied for ninth. With 312 career steals in 361 attempts, Beltrán has the highest stolen base percentage (86.4%) of any major league player with 300 or more career attempts, and he became the fifth player to hit 400 home runs and steal 300 bases. His 273 home runs as a center fielder ranked ninth in major league history when he retired. He ended his career with 565 doubles and 1,078 extra base hits, both the second highest totals in major league history for a switch hitter, and also ranked third in RBI (1,587), fourth in home runs (435), total bases (4,751) and at bats (9,768), and sixth in hits (2,725) and slugging percentage (.486). Beltrán was hired as the manager of the Mets for the 2020 season, but stepped down without managing a game after the Astros sign stealing scandal broke in late 2019. While Beltrán was the only player to be named in the investigation report, the extent of his involvement in the scheme has been disputed. He was briefly an analyst for YES Network in 2022, and has been a member of the Mets front office since 2023.
4. Yadier Molina (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 41.01, Yadier Molina is the 4th most famous Puerto Rican Baseball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Yadier Benjamín Molina (Spanish pronunciation: [ɟʝaˈðjeɾ moˈlina]; born July 13, 1982) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball manager and former catcher who is the manager of the Águilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Professional Baseball League. He played his entire 19-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB) and he is currently the team's Special Assistant to the President of Baseball Operations. Widely considered one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time for his blocking ability and caught-stealing percentage, Molina won nine Rawlings Gold Gloves and six Fielding Bible Awards. A two-time World Series champion, he played for Cardinals teams that made 12 playoff appearances and won four National League pennants. Molina also played for the Puerto Rican national team in four World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournaments, winning two silver medals. When he retired after the 2022 season, Molina ranked first all-time among catchers in putouts and second all-time among catchers with 130 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS); among active players, he ranked first with 845 assists, 40.21% of runners caught stealing, and 55 pickoffs. Along with pitcher Adam Wainwright, Molina holds the records for most games started and won as a battery. As a hitter, Molina accrued more than 2,100 hits, 150 home runs, and 1,000 runs batted in (RBIs); he batted over .300 in five seasons. Other distinctions include selection to ten MLB All-Star Games, four Platinum Glove Awards, and one Silver Slugger Award. He was a two-time selection to the All-WBC Tournament Team and was a member of the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series. The product of a baseball family, Molina was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. His father was an amateur second baseman and the all-time hits leader in Puerto Rican baseball, and his two older brothers, Bengie and José, also developed into standout defensive catchers with lengthy MLB careers. The Cardinals' fourth-round selection in the 2000 MLB draft, Molina entered the major leagues in the 2004 season and quickly showed one of the strongest and most accurate arms in the game. Over his career, he earned a reputation as a team leader, eventually formulating pregame plans to handle opposing hitters, including pitching strategies and fielder positioning. Molina appeared on five NL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) ballots, including finishing fourth in 2012 and third in 2013. When Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico in September 2017, Molina began relief efforts for victims of the catastrophe, consequently receiving the Roberto Clemente Award in 2018.
People
Pantheon has 4 people classified as Puerto Rican baseball players born between 1934 and 1982. Of these 4, 3 (75.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Puerto Rican baseball players include Iván Rodríguez, Carlos Beltrán, and Yadier Molina. The most famous deceased Puerto Rican baseball players include Roberto Clemente. As of April 2024, 1 new Puerto Rican baseball players have been added to Pantheon including Yadier Molina.
Living Puerto Rican Baseball Players
Go to all Rankings
Iván Rodríguez
1971 - Present
HPI: 44.97
Carlos Beltrán
1977 - Present
HPI: 42.16
Yadier Molina
1982 - Present
HPI: 41.01
