By: Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

Luis Aparicio was one of the first. Then there was Dave Concepcion. There were a favourite of mine, Big Cat, Andres Galarraga, from his days with the Expos.

I remember little-known Johnny Paredes of the Expos from years gone by.

They were Venezuelans, who made it to the majors. That country has enjoyed a long history of sending players to North America and the big leagues. Victor Martinez, Magglio Ordonez, Pablo Sandoval, Ugueth Urbina, Omar Vizquel, Ozzie Guillen, Freddy Garcia, Tony Armas Sr., Tony Armas Jr., Vic Davalillo, Cesar Tovar, Carlos Gonzalez, Kelvim Escobar and that villain from the Texas Rangers, Rougned (Stinky) Odor.

The list goes on and on. It’s impossible to list all of them.

Last but not least -- one of the most exciting Venezuelans of all time, Jose Altuve, all 5-foot-6 of him. He’ll be in Toronto this weekend with the Astros to play the Blue Jays.

Venezuela isn’t all bad from what you read in newspapers or online. They can play baseball there, too.

The country on the northern coast of South America isn’t safe to visit apparently and has an inordinate shortage of food that leaves most people in that country lining up for basic goods that are largely unaffordable.

Then there’s the feud that has been going on for over 100 years between Venezuela and tiny neighbour Guyana over land, an issue that has escalated recently over oil reserves discovered by Exxon Mobil. Last year, U.S. president Barack Obama labelled Venezuela a national security threat.

Yet, people like Altuve make Venezuela worth talking about in a positive way. He is in solid contention to win his second batting title. He’s sitting in top spot with an average of .366. He also won the batting title in 2014.

Altuve is the only player in major-league history to represent both the American and National leagues in the All-Star Game while a member of the same team. Of course, that happened because the Astros played for decades in the National League before being moved to the American league in time for the 2013 season.

So here’s your rare chance to see this Venezuelan specimen in action in Toronto. It’s the Astros’ only visit to Toronto this season. Altuve is worth the price of admission.