Former MLB Players You Didn’t Know Played in Mexico (LMB)

Fernando Rodney #56 of the Washington Nationals celebrates. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Liga Mexicana de Beisbol played its first season in 1925, making it Mexico’s oldest-running professional sports league.  

Due to LMB’s lengthy history in the professional baseball world, countless Major League Baseball players have made appearances in the league and thrived.  

Here are 10 former MLB players you may not have known who played in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.  

 

10. Dominic Brown, OF, Sultanes de Monterrey, Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos 

 

Brown never met expectations with the Philadelphia Phillies but was an NL All-Star in 2013, hitting a career-high .272 with 27 home runs.  

Brown left MLB after 2015 and signed with the Sultanes de Monterrey in 2018. However, he was let go after 30 games and signed with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, where he posted a .936 OPS with 25 home runs in 88 games in 2019.  

 

9. Keon Broxton, OF, Acereros de Monclova 

 

In five seasons in MLB, Broxton struck out in 38.6 percent of his at-bats, a prominent reason why he played on five different teams in a short period. However, Broxton was speedy, stealing 20 or more bases twice in his MLB career.  

Broxton was a monster for the Acereros de Monclova in 2022, hitting .356/.486/.664 with 20 home runs and 12 stolen bases.  

 

8. Derek Dietrich, 2B, Acereros de Monclova

 

Dietrich is well known for having big biceps and admiring home runs during his time in MLB (2013-20). He hit 84 home runs in his MLB career.  

However, before his release, he managed only five hits in 40 plate appearances with the Acereros de Monclova in 2023. Dietrich works with the New York Yankees as the club’s culture and accountability coordinator.  

 

7. Kyle Farnsworth, RHP, Pericos de Pubela, Broncos de Reynosa 

 

Farnsworth’s MLB career lasted 16 seasons from 1999-2004. He appeared in more games (343) with the Chicago Cubs than with any other of his eight teams.  

After playing in 2014 with the Houston Astros, the righty finished his career in Mexico with the Pericos de Puebla and Broncos de Reynosa. Farnsworth retired after the 2016 LMB season and posted a 5.40 ERA with only 23 strikeouts in 56.2 innings during his two seasons in the LMB.  

 

6. Jeremy Guthrie, RHP, Acereros de Monclova

 

Guthrie was burnt out in MLB after the 2015 season, leading the American League with 29 home runs allowed. Despite that, he made pivotal starts in his career, including two in the 2014 World Series for the Kansas City Royals and one in the 2009 World Baseball Classic for the United States.  

Guthrie made the last appearance of his career for the Acereros de Monclova in 2017, giving up seven runs and 16 hits in 7.2 innings.  

 

5. Brian Goodwin, OF, Leones de Yucatan

 

Goodwin is technically an MLB free agent but has not appeared in a game since 2021 with the Chicago White Sox. Baseball America ranked Goodwin as the Washington Nationals No. 5 prospect ahead of the 2012 season.   

In 32 games with the Leones de Yucatan in 2022, Goodwin batted .239 with six home runs before his release. He last played one game for the Tigres del Licey during the 2023-24 LIDOM season.  

 

4. Desmond Jennings, OF, Acereros de Monclova

 

Jennings spent his seven-year MLB career with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2010-16. From 2008-11, Jennings was a top-100 prospect in baseball, reaching as high as sixth in Baseball America’s rankings in 2010.  

Despite good speed and decent power, Jennings dealt with some injuries and lost playing time to Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton. He played the final 34 games of his career in 2018 with the Acereros de Monclova, hitting .300 with 10 home runs.  

 

3. Matt LaPorta, 1B, Piratas de Campeche

 

LaPorta played four seasons in MLB with the Cleveland Guardians. He hit 31 home runs with a 92 OPS+, which indicates he was eight percent worse than the average MLB hitter. In 2005, he led NCAA Division I with 26 home runs for the Florida Gators and played for the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.  

LaPorta played the final 32 games of his career in 2014 with the Piratas de Campeche, hitting .286 with seven home runs before announcing his retirement at 30 in 2015.  

 

2. Fernando Rodney, RHP, Toros de Tijuana, Diablos Rojos del México, Leones de Yucatán 

 

Rodney lasted 17 seasons in MLB with 11 teams, which is remarkable. In 2019, following Ichiro Suzuki’s retirement, he was the oldest player in MLB.  

He played two seasons for the Toros de Tijuana (2021-22) and split the 2023 season with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico and Leones de Yucatán. Rodney was lights out for Tijuana in 2021, recording 16 saves in 28 games and striking out 40 in 30 innings. Even at 46, Rodney threw 17 innings for the Gigantes del Cibao during the 2023-24 LIDOM season.  

 

1. Monte Irvin, OF, Azules de Veracruz

 

Irvin, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and two-time World Series champion, played the first 10 seasons of his career in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles. He became a superstar with the New York Giants.  

Following the 1941 season with the Eagles, Irvin was denied a raise. Instead, he took his talents to the LMB in 1942, where he won a Triple Crown for the Azules de Veracruz, leading the league with a .397 batting average, 20 home runs, and 79 RBI in 63 games.