KEY POINTS:
There's one each from Aruba, Curacao and Guam, as well as Guatemala and Ireland.
There's never been one from New Zealand.
Travis Wilson came closest, spending eight years with the Atlanta Braves but narrowly failing in his ultimate goal of playing Major League Baseball.
Scott Campbell hopes to
go that step further and become the first Kiwi to play in what devotees call 'America's pastime'.
The 23-year-old is the first Kiwi drafted into the MLB. Last year he was a 10th round pick and 300th overall for the Toronto Blue Jays (Wilson was signed as a free agent, not drafted). He signed a seven-year contract with the Blue Jays, one step on the journey to the majors.
Campbell was soon farmed out to play for Auburn Doubledays in the short-season New York-Penn League.
He then stepped out for the A-class Lansing Lugnuts, where he helped them to a franchise record number of wins before a first-round playoffs exit.
Campbell played 107 of the Lugnuts' 142 games in seven months this year. The second-baseman spent 70 nights in hotels around the country, scored 68 runs and smacked 109 hits.
His batting average of .297 is handy while, as a lead-off man (or first batter), his on-base percentage of .397 is impressive.
It's why Toronto called Campbell at the end of the season for a chat.
"They told me at the end of the season that I had put myself on their radar," Campbell says with a slight American drawl on a flying visit home. "They said 'we see a future in you.' That's awesome. They don't say that to anyone. They think in the next two or three years I will be in the big leagues, but it depends on my development."
It also depends on what thousands of other players are doing.
Baseball is a national obsession in the US. As many as 1500 players enter the draft each year and there are free agents trying to break into one of the 30 teams. Millions attend during the 162-game season and millions more watch on television.
"I have to believe I'm going to make it," Campbell says. "I have to. If you're not your No 1 fan, what chance have you got? I've always thought I can do it and I still do.
"It's a rough lifestyle. You're on the road a lot and, no matter how much sleep you get, you're always tired. It's tough, but it's worth it."
The financial rewards make playing in the majors worthwhile. The minimum wage is US$400,000 a season, while Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has a 10-year deal worth $252 million.
Campbell currently earns US$1300 a month, but only if he's playing. Next year he's hoping for a $200-a-month raise.
Baseball in New Zealand started in the late 80s, early 90s and there are now about 650 registered players.
There is talk, though, of a sustained push in schools to boost playing numbers and profile and Campbell's possible rise through the American ranks can only help.
Although few countries play men's softball, it is strong in New Zealand. Campbell says 50 per cent of people assume he means softball when he says he's a baseballer.
He would love to tell them he's a major league baseballer. And then the game will have to add another country of origin for its players.
