The best Latin American starting pitcher in baseball signed out of Venezuela for just $25,000. He never ranked as a Top 100 prospect, he’s never made an All-Star team, and like many of his peers, turned to pitching as a matter of pure practicality. Suárez, 28, leads the Majors with a 1.70 ERA. After 13 seasons of professional baseball, he has slowly but surely traced an increasingly rare path: one that goes from Latin America to the top of a Major League rotation. The imbalance defies surface-level expectations, with less than 15 percent of starting pitchers belonging to the Latin American and Caribbean demographic.
The top American players often pitch and hit, further developing their skills in college. Latin American players, on the other hand, sign as young as 16 years old and are often pushed towards a specific position early on. This leads to a disparity in the proportions of Latin American players in pitching roles versus position player roles. Latin American players are often seen as safer bets in terms of potential. This risk-averse approach has caused teams to favor hitters, especially when scouting and signing teenagers who may not have fully developed their pitching skills.
The financial aspect of scouting and signing Latin American players also plays a role in the lack of Latin American starting pitchers in the Majors. Bonuses for pitchers have decreased since the cap on international amateur spending, causing teams to become more hesitant to invest in pitching prospects. Additionally, the cultural emphasis on hitting and playing specific positions, such as shortstop and center field, has led to a lack of focus on developing Latin American pitchers. The investment in pitching talent is seen as risky due to potential injuries and developmental challenges.
The developmental infrastructure for pitchers in Latin America is also lacking compared to the resources available in the United States. Few Latin American players have access to elite college programs or organizations like Driveline that focus on pitching development. As a result, many Latin American pitchers may not have the opportunity to fully develop their secondary pitches and reach their full potential. The imbalance in resources and opportunities further contributes to the disparity in Latin American starting pitchers in the Majors.
Teams tend to invest more in promising hitters than pitchers in both the domestic amateur draft and the international market. The handlers, known as buscones, often train and promote Latin American players as position players to maximize their earning potential. This has led to a trend of elite Latin American players being pushed away from pitching roles in favor of hitting positions. The emphasis on hitting and positional players has created a culture where few Latin American players pursue careers as starting pitchers in the Majors. Despite success stories of Latin American starting pitchers in recent years, the overall trend points to a lack of representation and opportunities for pitchers from the region.
