MLB Opening Day: Lowest International Player Share Since 2002

0:00It's March 26th, from first pitch to the final out. This is MLB News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Major League Baseball's opening day rosters show the small the share of players born outside the 50 states since 2002. Out of 948 players on active lists, injured or restricted, just 247 hailed from 16 other nations and territories. That works out to 26.1 percent, down from 27.8 percent last year. This marks a drop of 23 players from 2023 when numbers peaked under the new 26-man roster rules. The overall high was 29.8 percent back in 2017, but countries represented fell to 18 this season from a peak of. 21 in 2018. Fans and teams still celebrate the global mix, with the Dominican Republic topping the list of 93 players followed by Venezuela at 60. After their World Baseball Classic win, Canada matched its best since 2013 with 17,

1:02while Cuba saw a dip to 20 from a record 26. Japan stands out with 14 players, the most since 2010. Thanks to newcomers like Tatsuya Mai, Munataka Murakami, and Kazuma Okamoto. Joining stars, Shohei Otani, and Yoshinobu, Amamoto. Atlanta and San Diego led teams with 15 international players each, and Houston stayed strong after years at the top. Diversity remains a big part of the game, even as number shift, setting the stage for another exciting season ahead.