(Trenton, NJ) -- Your Trenton Thunder, presented by NJM Insurance Group, are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by calling back on the Thunder alumni that have played on Trenton soil and made it to Major League Baseball.
A total of 425 Thunder players and coaches have received the call up to the big leagues, with 122 of them being of Hispanic origin or descent. This equates to 28.7% of Thunder alumni in the majors.
The 1st Latino Thunder player with Major League experience is Eddie Zambrano, hailing from Maracaibo, Venezuela. The utility man played for Trenton in 1995 after manning the outfield and hot corner for the Chicago Cubs in 1993 and 1994.
One of his teammates and the starting shortstop for the 1995 Thunder, Mexican-American Nomar Garciaparra was the 1st Latino Thunder Player to get the call up to MLB. The 1994, 12th overall draft pick played 125 games in the Thunderbird retro uniforms, batting with an average of .267, with 47 runs batted in and 35 stolen bases.
Co-hosts, Spencer Reyes and Chris Pierce of the official Trenton Thunder podcast, the Thunder Country Podcast, took a deep dive into the Hispanic representation from Thunder alumni in the latest episode (click here).
There is a long list of Thunder players with Hispanic descent that have moved up the ranks to MLB featuring:
Bernie Williams, Robinson Cano, Dellin Betances, Gary Sanchez, Edgard Clemente (Nephew of Roberto Clemente), Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes, Gleyber Torres, Aroldis Chapman, Thunder Manager, Shawn Chacón, and so many more.
If you are looking to learn more about the Thunder’s rich history, get behind-the-scenes access, expert stat breakdowns and special guest interviews, tune into the Thunder Country Podcast (click here), your all-access pass to Trenton Thunder Baseball. Episodes are released bi-weekly on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
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About the Trenton Thunder
The Trenton Thunder have drawn over 11 million fans over 32 years and have won the three major awards that Minor League Baseball teams can win; the Johnson Trophy for the "Nation's Best Franchise", the Larry MacPhail Trophy for Outstanding Club Promotion, and the Bob Frietas Award for Long-Term Success (Given by Baseball America). The team has given back over $9.8 million worth of goods, services, and monetary donations through the Grand Slam We Care Foundation.
