Opening Day: Over 28 Percent of MLB Players Are Foreign-Born

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 2: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers hits a single against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium on October 2, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) (2012 Getty Images)

Twenty-eight percent of Major League Baseball players on the 25-man opening day rosters were born outside of the 50 United States, according to the commissioner's office.

It's the fourth-highest number in big leagues' history, trailing last season, 2007 and 2005.

There were 241 players born outside the U.S., out of the 856 players on 30 big league rosters, the disabled list and restricted list.

The Dominican Republic, recent winner of the World Baseball Classic, was the best represented country with 89 players, including New York Yankees All-Star Robinson Cano. Venezuela was second with 63, which includes Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, then Canada (17), Cuba (15) and Mexico (14).

Puerto Rico had 13 players, Japan had 11 and Colombia and Panama had four each. Australia, South Korea and Nicaragua each had two.

Milwaukee had the most foreign-born players with 14 and Texas was next at 13.

Fox News Latino did the math and found out that 24.2 percent players on this year's MLB rosters are foreign-born players from Latin American countries. Only 4 percent of the league is Canadian, European or Asian.

Major League Baseball officials also told Fox News Latino that 27.1 percent of its players are of “Hispanic background.”

This includes players such as pitcher Sergio Romo of the San Francisco Giants and Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are of Mexican descent but born in the United States and are not included on the foreign born list.

According to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, last year’s Latino percentage was 27.3 percent.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.