James Leslie “Hippo” Vaughn appeared in two games for the New York Highlanders (later to be the Yankees) in 1908, and after a full year in the minors, he had a promising 1910 campaign with a 13-11 record and an ERA of 1.83.  It wasn’t quite the springboard to greatness, as he struggled over the next three seasons, going back and forth from the minors, and bouncing to the Washington Senators and then the Chicago Cubs.  In the Windy City, he would live up to that potential that New York fans saw in 1910.

Camilo Pascual left Cuba in 1951 at the age of 17, and a year later, he was part of the Washington Senators farm system. Pasucal was impressive, and he made the main roster in Washington in 1954.

Matt Williams was a cornerstone of the San Francisco Giants for a decade (1987-96), where he played in the infield, switching between Third Base and Shortstop. 

Many of the early baseball players suffered from an addiction to alcohol, but we have to wonder if any of them had anything on Pete Browning, an Outfielder who once quipped, "I can't hit the ball until I hit the bottle."   He hit the bottle a lot, but he also hit the baseball at a high level.