The Major League of Baseball is one of the oldest sports organizations. Over 30 teams from all over America compete yearly to become the World Series champions.
However, only a few players have earned the title. Since the funding of the MLB, there have been several athletes who aren’t from the U.S., like these remarkable British players who left a mark in American baseball.
10. Walter Carlisle
Walter “Rosy” Carlisle was born in Yorkshire and mainly played in minor league games. However, he spent one season with the Boston Red Sox as a left fielder in 1908, when he had one stolen base and one hit. Still, Carlisle’s mainly known for his time with the Vernon Tigers, as he had a crucial role in their victory against the Los Angeles Angels after executing an unassisted triple play.
9. George Hall
George Hall has a long list of teams under his sleeves, including the Washington Olympics, the team where he made his MLB debut, and the Louisville Grays, the last team he played until he was banned in 1877 due to a gambling scandal. Nevertheless, Hall had an extensive career with a batting average of .322, along with 13 home runs, even receiving the NL Home Run Leader award in 1876. Hall was born in Stepney, England, but started his professional career in New York, where he lived until he passed away.
8. Hobe Ferris
World Series champion Hobe Ferris was a native of Trowbridge, though he was raised in Rhode Island. Ferris had a record of 40 home runs during his 8-year-long MLB career, which started in the Boston Americans and finished in the St. Louis Browns.
He played as a second baseman and stood out for having a slugging percentage considerably higher than the average at the time. However, he still holds the record for the lowest on-base percentage in MLB history.
7. Al Reach
Al Reach was one of the first stars of the National Association, thanks to his four seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics. Reach was born and raised in London, England, and already had a champion reputation before his MLB debut.
Though he never had a home run, he had a batting average .247. He became a legend in Philadelphia’s baseball history as he later became a league manager of the team and sports executive, so much so that he received a historical marker in Pennsylvania.
6. Lance Painter
Lance Painter’s career started in the early 90s when he joined the Colorado Rockies as their reliever pitcher for three seasons. Click here to find more famous players from Colorado.
Painter batted and threw with his left hand and had 331 strikeouts across his 65-game career, which included his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Painter was born in Bedford, England, so when he retired from playing in 2003, he returned to the U.K. To become the Great Britain national baseball team’s pitching coach.
5. Marty Hogan
The Wednesbury native played for the Cincinnati Reds and the St.Louis Cardinals for two years as an outfielder from 1894 to 1895. Marty Hogan was known as The Indianapolis Ringer, and he had an excellent career with a .241 batting average in only 40 games, even rumored to set a baserunning record at the time; however, he abruptly ended his MLB career and spent some time as a manager, becoming a key person in the training of future stars, such as Stan Coveleski and Sam Jones.
4. Dick Highman
Highman’s career was somewhat controversial, as he remains the only umpire banned from the League in MLB history. Dick Highman was a native of Ipswich, England, though he spent most of his childhood in New Jersey, where he started getting into baseball.
Highman played in several positions, such as right fielder and catcher, but he also served as manager in the New York Mutuals in 1874. The athlete played for other National League teams, like the Chicago White Stockings and the Baltimore Canaries. Still, after he retired, he worked as an umpire for two years until it was revealed that he was fixing games.
3. Jim Halpin
This shortstop was born in England and had a thriving three-year career in the Major Leagues. Jim Halpin was initially drafted by the Worcester Worcesters in Massachusetts, also known as the Ruby Legs, during their last year in the League, still, he also played with the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Wolverines for a year each. Though Halpin had a short career with a total of 63 games, he had a batting average of .165, having 38 hits overall.
2. Danny Cox
Before becoming a coach in Illinois, Danny Cox enjoyed a successful eleven-year career as one of the best pitchers in the MLB. Cox was born in Northampton but moved to the U.S. when he was two years old, and from a young age, he played baseball, which led him to get drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983. He was with the Cardinals until 1988 and went to play with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 90s.
Cox retired in 1995 after two years with the Toronto Blue Jays, after winning the World Series in his first season with the team; overall, he had 74 wins and 723 strikeouts. Cox was a baseball coach for several years and was introduced to the St.
1. Dave Brain
Brain was a baseball legend at the beginning of the last century. Born in Hereford, England, David Brain stood out in several American Baseball teams as an infielder and outfielder, such as the New York Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago White Sox, the Boston Beaneaters & Dovers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals.
His professional career started in 1901, and he retired in 1908. during 679 games career, he had 27 home runs along with a .252 batting average thanks to his right-handed batting.