Whether it's current players such as Miguel Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval and Víctor Martínez, or past greats like Luis Aparicio or Omar Vizquel, one thing's for sure: Venezuela has represented well on the baseball field over the years.

Located on the north end of South America, Venezuela has served as a huge gateway for up and coming talented baseball players for decades. Alex Carrasquel made history when he became the first Venezuelan-born player to play in Major League Baseball when he joined the Washington Senators in 1939.

Today, there are 68 Venezuelan-born players in MLB, the second most of any country outside of the United States of America behind only the Dominican Republic, which has 83.

Unfortunately, the future does hold quite a bit of doubt for Venezuela and MLB.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Seattle Mariners have pulled out of Venezuela because of the conditions. The academy has been abandoned, and many other MLB teams have already done so as well. There was a time when as many as 20 MLB teams were in Venezuela with a scouting presence and an academy, but now, just four MLB teams remain. Those four teams are the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers.

One of the biggest issues with having an MLB presence in Venezuela has been crime. Venezuela has the second highest crime rate in the entire world behind only South Sudan, making it the most dangerous nation in all of Latin America, although it should be mentioned that Honduras has the highest homicide rate in the world.

That same Wall Street Journal report also cites a few incidents some years ago at the Mariners' academy in Venezuela. Gunmen took to the field and robbed scouts and players. The St. Louis Cardinals left Venezuela after 2010 when several gang fights were taking place near team scouts.

With Venezuela having such a big crime issue, and Cuba still not on great terms with the U.S., the Dominican Republic has easily become the No. 1 source for Latino talent in MLB. So many great Dominican-born players have made the transition into MLB with far less hassle when compared to Cuba and Venezuela. The Mariners have since relocated to the Dominican Republic.

"If it’s two comparable guys, I’ll just go with the Dominican guy,” said Rene Gayo, Pittsburgh Pirates director of Latin American scouting.

Although Venezuela is home to so many great ball players, it's become obvious that most MLB teams just aren't willing to deal with the hassle and inconvenience. Baseball has been one of the biggest connections between the United States and Venezuela since the 1980s. In recent years, many Venezuelan players who got signed have had to go through the Dominican Republic to get to MLB.

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