Hispanic Heritage Month is here!

From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, the United States takes the time to honor the contributions made by many Latinos in this country. Sport has always served as a critical connection for Latin Americans to the United States, especially baseball.

The most exciting play in baseball is the home run. Numerous Latin American baseball players throughout Major League Baseball history have proven to be elite home run hitters.

Here are the top 10 Latin American-born home run hitters of all time.

1. Sammy Sosa: 609 (Dominican Republic)

"Slamming Sammy" has the eighth most home runs in MLB history, and the most by any Latin American-born player ever. He never did lead the Chicago Cubs to a World Series, but Sosa was an excellent power hitter. Three times in Sosa's career, he hit 60 home runs or more in a season. He is the only player in MLB history to achieve that feat.

2. Rafael Palmeiro: 569 (Cuba)

The most home runs hit by a Cuban-born player in MLB history belongs to Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro didn't just hit home runs at a high rate. He is also a member of the 3,000 hit club. The first baseman out of Havana finished his career with 569 home runs.

3. Albert Pujols: 555 (Dominican Republic)

What a great player Albert Pujols is. He made his mark with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning multiple World Series titles, and he is an excellent defensive player. Maybe even more impressive than his 555 long balls, Pujols is a career .313 hitter. He is certainly a lock for the Hall of Fame.

4. Manny Ramirez: 555 (Dominican Republic)

Ramirez is definitely the most entertaining Latino player ever. "Manny being Manny" gave us so many memorable moments over the years, mostly with the Cleveland Indians and Red Sox. Not only is he tied with Pujols in all-time home runs, but he has a very similar batting average (.312) as well.

5. David Ortiz: 500 (Dominican Republic)

Ortiz is the newest addition to the 500 home run club. "Big Papi" has won three World Series championships with the Boston Red Sox. Even this year, at the age of 39, Ortiz has 34 home runs. Ortiz has had at least 30 home runs the last three consecutive season despite his veteran age.

6. Carlos Delgado: 473 (Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rico has always been known for giving MLB quality base hitters and great defensive players. Carlos Delgado, Sosa and Pujols are the only three Latin American-born players to hit 30 home runs in 10 consecutive seasons. 336 of Delgado's 473 career home runs came with the Blue Jays.

7. Jose Canseco: 462 (Cuba)

The second player from Cuba to be featured on our list, Jose Canseco is known well for what he did (and wrote about in "Juice") after his playing days, but he really was a great player. Canseco hit more than 30 home runs in his first three season in the league with the Oakland Athletics, and twice (1988, 1991) led the league in home runs hit. Even with the Toronto Blue Jays, Canseco smashed 46 balls out of the park in 1998.

8. Vladimir Guerrero: 449 (Dominican Republic)

One of the most underrated hitters ever, Vladimir Guerrero was voted into nine All Star games, and he did win a home derby contest in 2007. Guerrero never once hit 45 home runs in a season, but he was consistent at the plate with his unique batting stance. When it was all said and done, Guerrero finished his career with 449 home runs and an impressive .318 batting average.

9. Juan Gonzalez: 434 (Puerto Rico)

Juan Gonzalez was one of the most underrated power hitters of the 1990s. In 1992 and 1993 he hit a combined 89 home runs, and he would later win the MVP award in 1996 and 1998 with the Texas Rangers. Like so many other great Latino players before him, Gonzalez played in the Caribbean Series when he was young.

10. Alfonso Soriano: 412 (Dominican Republic)

Alfonso Soriano helped the New York Yankees reach the World Series four times and won two championships in his career. Soriano hit a career best 46 homers in 2006 with the Washington Nationals, and he was an excellent base runner. Soriano also had more than 1,100 RBI.

 Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1