But during the last several years, Hispanic players have become a more dominant force than ever, and settling on the very best player at any position means choosing from several all-stars.

Want players who hit for average? In 2004 five of the top nine in the major leagues were Hispanic. You want power? The Dodgers’ Adrián Beltre led everybody in home runs, while in the American League (AL), three of the top five sluggers were born in Latin America. How about run production? No one had more RBIs than Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada, and in the AL the top four RBI men were born in Latin America. Pitching? Minnesota’s Johan Santana led the AL in ERA and strikeouts, and in the latter category four of the top five in the AL were Latinos.

After the season ended, five of the top six vote-getters for the AL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award were from Latin America, including the winner, Vladimir Guerrero, the third Hispanic in a row to win it. Also Hispanic were two of the top three in the National League’s (NL) MVP list and three of the top four vote-getters for the AL Cy Young Award, including winner Johan Santana.

Today, an all-star team of Hispanic players is as good as any team anybody could put together

It’s a long way since Cuban-born Esteban Bellán made his debut in 1871 with the Troy Haymakers of the old National Association, then considered a major league.

Forty years passed until the Cincinnati Reds signed the next two Hispanic major leaguers, third baseman Rafael Almeida and outfielder Armando Marsans. New players debuted just about every season after that, and by the end of the 1940s, some 40 Hispanic players (nearly all Cuban) had played major league ball. Only one, pitcher Adolfo Luque, could be called a star.

That began to change in the 1950s, as more Cubans, more Hispanics from other countries, and—after Jackie Robinson ended racial segregation—more black Latin Americans arrived. In that decade, Mexico’s Bobby Avila won a batting title, Cuba’s Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso played in six all-star games, and Puerto Rico’s Roberto Clemente made his debut.

Then, beginning in the 1960s, even more Latinos were regularly picked for the annual all-star game: Clemente; Dominicans Juan Marichal and the Alou brothers; Cubans Tony Oliva, Tony Pérez, Luis Tiant, and Mike Cuellar; and Venezuela’s Luis Aparicio.

The Latino contingent continued increasing in quantity and quality over the next decades. Today, an all-star team of Hispanic players is as good as any team anybody could put together.

Click here for one all-Hispanic all-star team. It includes players from every Latin American nation as well as those born in the United States of Hispanic roots. The choice was based strictly on performance in the 2004 season, and team affiliation refers to where a player played that year.