baseball in Mexico question

[Richard]

1. I've always wondered why Mexico seldom produces quality position players of MLB calibre? They've produced very talented pitchers though. I know baseball is not the primary sport yet it does have two baseball leagues and well more than 100 million inhabitants. Any theories? I reviewed the Mexican WBC roster and was underwhelmed.

2. And to those who have traveled to Latin America, is baseball really that popular in Latin America north of Brazil? When I read Baseball Ameerica the vast majority of international players come from either the Domincan, Venezuela and more recently Cuba (probably more than ninety percent). Just curious. Or is the popularity exagerated or is it just popular in these three countries? The Puerto Rico Baseball League seemingly is declining and always seems to be on the verge of bankruptcy.

[titorondon]

1- I believe it is easier to teach pitching than to teach hitting; only God gives you the ability to hit 95-miles per hour fastballs.
If you throw 90, and you can move the fastball with control and add a slider, you can at least relieve.

2- In a nutshell, soccer has a governing body that knows how to make deals with television and sacrifice to popularize their sport. If it's a "FIFA day", even the mightiest European teams have to lend their players so Spain can play Puerto Rico, to cite a recent example. Baseball used to be number one in Mexico up to tje 40s, declined in the 50s as it became less international and more local, and perished in 1980 whren they did not allow televised games for free, while the TV chains purchased soccer clubs.
Actually, international baseball as envisioned by Bud Selig should be dead by now, but somehow it is growing marginally. Now there are dozens of Europeans in the minor leagues, 13 Haitians compared to zero three years ago, the first native born and learned Italian and Brazilian made their debuts in the Majors, soon we will see Germans in MLB. The coutries with academies will of course dominate the minors, as baseball is a sport of repetitions and can be taught. The Majors haven't caught on yet to the thinking of geniuses like Rafael Avila and Andres Reiner...