Act

The people from Curaçao have baseball in their blood. Amazingly, this small island has the most big league players per capita of any country in the world. Players like Kenley Jansen, Andruw Jones, Ozzie Albies, Andrelton Simmons, Jonathan Schoop, Jurickson Profar and Didi Gregorius all made it into Major League Baseball.

According to the two most common theories, Curaçao owes its baseball success to the local baseball fields, which are largely rock-strewn dirt lots and are therefore ideal for sharpening reflexes and building toughness, and the other explanation is that the Curacao players have a relatively high educational level and the ability to speak multiple languages. This makes it easier for them to adapt to the requirements of living and playing in the USA.

The pioneer of Curaçao’s baseball miracle is Hensley Meulens. He was the first Curaçao-born MLB player, and later went on to become a very successful coach.