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This Baseball Fan from Venezuela is watching the Venezuelan players in the World Series

  • Sally Tippett Rains

    • St. Louisan Franco Ferrer, originally from Venezuela is enjoying watching the World Series this year

    By Sally Tippett Rains

    Game three of the World Series will be played tonight (Monday) at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida where the Tampa Bay Rans will. host the Milwaukee Brewers.  Franco Ricci, an immigrant from Venezuela loves baseball and will be watching from his home in Affton with a special interest– there are four players from Venezuela playing for the Brewers.
    He and his wife Susana Ferrer are U.S. Citizens but that doesn’t stop him from feeling the pangs of “home” when he hears about players being from his native country.
    “I have an interest in watching the Venezuelan players play because they have worked hard to get where they are,” said Ricci, “They are good players and it reminds me of how we play baseball in Venezuela.”

    He has been watching every game in the World Series.The Ricci-Ferrer family have been in the Unites States for 10 years.

    Susana and Franco and their children and Stephanie and Francesco.

    “We came to this country because my wife was a US Citizen,” said Franco.  “We wanted a better future for our two children in this amazing country, since things weren’t working so good in our country.”

    Though he lives in America and he loves it, he pointed out that there are four players playing in the World Series with roots in Venezuela who he is cheering for.

    “The 2026 MLB World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, has a large  presence of Venezuelan players on the teams’ active major-league rosters,” he said. “This includes the following players from the  Brewers: Jackson Chourio, William Contreras,  Luis Lara, Antonio Senzatela.”

    Four players from Venezuela  is significant as only twice before has a single World Series team had at least four Venezuelan players: the 2012 (5) and 2014 Giants.

    Baseball is very popular in Venezuela. It has been the “national pastime” since  the 1920’s when American oil workers brought it with them.  In 1989 when the Houston Astros opened MLB’s first official player development academy in Venezuela; and other teams followed.
    There had been a few good players from Venezuela between 1930 and the ’80’s but then when MLB saw the opportunities,  more teams started investing in baseball academies in there, where they could identify, sign and train teenagers before bringing them to the United States.
    It was from this system that major league stars, including Miguel Cabrera, Johan Santana, Félix Hernández and José Altuve were discovered.

    In the 2000s and 2010s  political upheaval, economic crises, and safety concerns escalated in Venezuela caused most MLB teams to leave Venezuela and most relocated to the Dominican Republic.

    But Venezuelans were already sold on baseball. The country is full of baseball fans and there are some private and independent academies there and the country continues turning out good players.

    “I have relatives watching the World Series in Venezuela,” said Ricci, “My brother, who knows a lot about the MLB and the Venezuelan baseball is watching it and I talk to him about it.”

    Venezuela won the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Chourio and Contreras were both members of Venezuela’s championship team so they would have the opportunity to win both the World Baseball Classic and World Series in the same year if the Brewers keep going.

    In the 2012 World Series, the San Francisco Giants had five Venezuelan players: Pablo Sandoval, Marco Scutaro, Gregor Blanco, Héctor Sánchez, José Mijares and the Detroit Tigers  had four: Miguel Cabrera, Omar Infante, Aníbal Sánchez, Avisaíl García

    Though it was only two years later the 2014 Giants had five Venezuelan players, but only two were on the 2012 team. On the 2012 and 2014: Pablo Sandoval, Gregor Blanco New Venezuelan Players on the Giants in 2024: Yusmeiro Petit, Jean Machí, Juan Pérez

    As far as the Cardinals are concerned Franco’s favorite player is Pedro Pages and most recently Everson Pereira, the  outfielder the Cardinals claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox in August. He was sorry to see Yohel Pozo go.

    “In all of baseball, past and present, My favorite players are, Ronald Acuña Jr. Luis Arraez, Wilson Contreras, William Contreras, Salvador Perez, Jackson Chourin and Jose Altuve, just to mention a few.”

    Venezuela ranks second behind Dominican Republic as foreign countries with the most MLB Players as of Opening Day Rosters (Besides United States)
    Dominican Republic-93
    Venezuela-60
    Cuba- 20
    Canada-19
    Japan- 14
    Puerto Rico (U.S. Territory) 14
    Mexico-7

    It’s interesting to think about how just watching a player who is from where you are can make you feel like “home.”

    “We watch all the games,” said Susana. “Franco loves baseball.”

    It’s easy to know  why they are rooting for the Brewers in this World Series, but Franco is hoping it’s the Cardinals he will be rooting for next year.

    Author

    • Sally Tippett Rains started her sports media career at KMOX Radio Sports (writing/producing for Bob Costas, Jack Buck, Bill Wilkerson) in the late 1970′s, early ’80′s then switched to book writing and charity work while raising their children.

      Currently she is content manager for STLSportsPage.com and author of 11 books, many in the sports genre.

      She also wrote "Choose Happy; Find Contentment in Any Situation," which comes in Black & White or Color versions.

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