Top international players in MLB for 2016

Cabrera is clearly a first-ballot Hall of Famer, with two MVP Awards and 10 All-Star appearances through his age 32 season. He's arguably the best Venezuelan baseball player to ever play the game already.

King Felix is coming off one of his worst seasons but already might have a Hall of Fame résumé. Hernandez has thrown at least 200 innings in eight consecutive seasons and has a career 3.11 ERA in 334 starts. While he has only one Cy Young Award, Hernandez has finished top two in the voting three times and has made the All-Star Game in five of the last six seasons.

The catalyst of Houston's lineup, the diminutive Altuve has made three All-Star teams in the last four seasons. He also has won Silver Sluggers in consecutive seasons and is the defending AL Gold Glove winner. He led the AL in stolen bases in 2014 and 2015.

Abreu earned a six-year, $68 million contract after defecting from Cuba and has been a bargain for the White Sox in his first two seasons. He won AL Rookie of the Year in 2014 after hitting .317-36-107 and followed up that campaign by hitting .290-30-101 last season.

Correa was the first overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Puerto Rico and has lived up to the hype in short order. The Astros shortstop won the AL Rookie of the Year Award last season after hitting .279-22-68 with 14 stolen bases in only 99 games.

Cespedes had a legendary workout video put out by his agency after defecting from Cuba, and his athleticism has transferred to the majors. He helped the Mets to the World Series in his fourth MLB season after hitting .291-35-105 during the regular season and cashed in on a three-year, $75 million contract.

A late bloomer, Cruz has aged like a fine wine. He didn't show much in the Majors until his age 28 season in 2009 and has produced his two best home run outputs in each of the last two seasons. He's made three consecutive All-Star appearances and has 84 home runs over the last two years.

While Encarnacion's defense isn't acclaimed, his bat is one of the best in baseball. He's hit at least 34 home runs in each of the last four seasons and has an OPS above .900 in each of those seasons. Encarnacion has also averaged 106 RBI over the last four years.

Pujols immigrated to Independece, Mo., from the Dominican Republic while in high school and was a 13th-round pick by the Cardinals from Maple Woods Community College in 1999. A surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer, Pujols has three MVP Awards and 560 career home runs through his age 35 season.

CarGo has seen his share of injuries in recent seasons, but he's always produced when he's been healthy. Gonzalez is coming off a career-best 40 home-run season and has a career .870 OPS, albeit with the help of Coors Field as his home stadium for most of his career.

The youngest of the Molina catcher brothers, Yadier is known as the heart and soul of the Cardinals. He's won eight consecutive Gold Gloves and made seven consecutive All-Star appearances with the Cardinals. Molina is also a career .283 hitter, but his body has started to break down over the last two seasons.

Arguably the best relief pitcher in the game, Chapman has more than 100 strikeouts as a reliever in each of the last four seasons and made the All-Star Game in each season. His ERA over that time is a minuscule 1.90 with 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The Yankees acquired him from Cincinnati in the offseason.

Cueto won the World Series with Kansas City and earned a six-year, $130 million deal this offseason. The former Red finished second in the NL Cy Young voting in 2014 and fourth in 2012, and has finished with an ERA below 3.00 four times.

A likely future Hall of Famer, Beltre has put together an impressive career that includes four Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers and four All-Star appearances. He broke into MLB in 1998 at age 19.

Darvish signed a six-year, $56 million contract with the Rangers in 2012 after seven seasons in the Japanese League. Over his first three seasons in Texas, Darvish went 39-25 with a 3.27 ERA and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He's expected to return from Tommy John surgery as early as May.

Marte has gone from a top-of-the-order hitter to a middle-of-the-order hitter in his short career. Last season he had a career-high 19 home runs and 81 RBI on top of his .287 batting average and 30 steals. He also won his first Gold Glove.

The dominant Carrasco has overcome arm injuries early in his career and is now on the cusp of stardom. He went 14-12 with a 3.63 ERA in 30 starts last season and most impressively had 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He finished 13th in the AL Cy Young voting, and some prognosticators have him as a sleeper for the 2016 award.

Familia emerged as one of the best closers in baseball last season, finishing with a 1.85 ERA, 43 saves and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Over the last two seasons, he's finished 81 games and has a combined ERA of 2.03.

Born in Montreal, Martin became even more of a Canadian national hero after signing with the Blue Jays in 2015. He's had an impressive career, making four All-Star appearances and winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 2007. 

One of the most important players on Kansas City's World Series team in 2015, Perez had a career-high 21 home runs and won his third consecutive Gold Glove and made his third All-Star appearance. His home run total has grown in every season of his career.

Gomez is coming off an injury-plagued season, but he made the NL All-Star team in 2013 and 2014. He also won a Gold Glove in 2013 and averaged .284-24-73 with 37 steals and 88 runs scored in 2013-14.

Choo came up to the Majors with the Mariners in 2005 but broke out with Cleveland in 2008. He's hit at least 20 home runs four times and earned a seven-year, $130 million contract with the Rangers in 2014. He has an impressive .382 on-base percentage for his career.

Despite elbow issues, Tanaka has been as advertised in his first two seasons in the States after signing a seven-year, $155 million contract with the Bronx Bombers. He's 25-12 with a 3.16 ERA over his first 44 MLB starts. He pitched seven seasons in Japan, capped up by going 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 28 appearances in 2013.

One of the hardest-throwing starters in baseball, Salazar has been dominant for the Indians since he arrived to the Majors in 2013. Over his first 60 starts, Salazar has a 3.66 ERA and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Liriano has found consistency over the last three seasons in Pittsburgh, posting a 3.26 ERA in 86 starts with 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He has a 3.97 ERA for his career.

Martinez is coming off a breakout season with the Cardinals, his first year as a full-time starter. He went 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA and more than one strikeout per inning, earning himself an All-Star appearance.

A former shortstop, Ramirez won the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year and also has two Silver Sluggers and three All-Star appearances. He's a career .296 hitter with 210 home runs but struggled in his first season of a four-year contract with Boston in 2015. The team is expected to move him to first base in 2016.

Chen was awarded handsomely by the Marlins with a five-year, $80 million contract this offseason after four good years in Baltimore. He pitched five seasons in the Japanese League before arriving to MLB.

Born in Curacao, Simmons was a second-round pick in 2010 by the Braves after attending Western Oklahoma State College. He's widely considered the best defensive shortstop in the game with Gold Gloves in two of the last three seasons and fetched a huge package of players in return when the Angels traded for him this offseason.

The polarizing Puig has shown immense talent in his first three seasons in the Majors since defecting from Cuba but has also rubbed some players and media the wrong way. He struggled with injuries in 2015 but is a career .294 hitter with an .858 OPS through his first three seasons.