MEXICO CITY – There are several familiar names inscribed in Mexico’s Baseball Hall of Fame, located in Monterrey. Latino legends, the likes of Mexicans Fernando Valenzuela and Bobby Avila and Cuban Minnie Miñoso are dutifully honored for their contributions to the game in Mexico. Even a notable group of Negro League-era standouts also appears in Monterrey: Roy Campanella, Josh Gibson and Monte Irvin are enshrined south of the border, as they are in Cooperstown.

Others, like Satchel Paige, were not inducted but did play in Mexico's baseball league as part of a massive migration of American during the 1930’s and 40's. It is not an unpopular belief among Mexican baseball historians that the raid of black talent forced MLB’s hand into integration, a feat famously achieved in 1947 with Jackie Robinson. The breaking of the color barrier, plus the threat of permanently banning those who jumped to Mexico for juicier salaries, abruptly ended the flow of high-caliber players south of the border.

Nowadays, the relationship between American and Mexican professional leagues is much less adversarial. MLB scouts will often request information and confer with officials in Mexico’s summer and winter leagues in order to talk about prospects. A combination of factors like baseball’s popularity in both countries, along with consistent, historic migration of Mexican nationals to the United States, has also yielded multiple generations of Mexican-American baseball players who grace the sport’s highest levels, infusing the game with a special blend of talent and passion.

Take, for instance, the unique case of the González brothers, Adrián and Edgar. Throughout their childhood, Los Angeles Dodger Adrián González and brother Edgar would skip back and forth from the U.S.-Mexico border for a myriad of reasons. Like many residents of Tijuana and San Diego, the Gonzalez clan habitually enriched their lives within the two countries.

Edgar González, four years Adrián’s senior and currently the manager of Team Mexico at the World Baseball Classic, said experiencing both nations as a youngster consistently put him and his brother ahead of the curve when competing.

“In Mexico, they’re already pitching to you when you’re four years old,” he recalled in a recent interview with ESPN.com in Mexico City. “[We] were already learning that, while in the States, we would’ve been playing T-ball.”

The brothers cut their teeth in the highly competitive Tijuana youth leagues before continuing their amateur experience on the American side of the border. In 2000, both would be drafted by MLB teams, Edgar by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Adrian by the Florida Marlins. Playing ball in the San Diego area, after years in Mexico, afforded them a clearer path to the professional game, a plan set in place during their formative years.

“High school baseball was big for us,” said Edgar. “After a certain age, baseball in Tijuana just stops. We were able to keep playing and have scouts look at us.”

So when the World Baseball Classic roster for Mexico was first announced in late January, Edgar figured to manage at least nine U.S.-born players --including his brother. Among those, most are California-born: Brandon Laird, Efren Navarro, Vidal Nuño, Chris Roberson, Sergio Romo, Jake Sánchez and Carlos Torres. Alex Verdugo is from Tucson, Arizona and two 'standby' players --Carlos Fisher and Rafael Martín, are from Southern California.

Since the outset of the competition in 2006, dual nationals have been a fixture for the team, with San Diego-born Adrián González suiting up for all editions. Then in 2013, Mexican-American and current White Sox manager Rick Rentería became the team’s skipper.

In many circumstances, natural curiosity and the presence of Spanish surnames has made these players identifiable to Gonzalez and his team’s officials.

“I know in my case, I will often ask [players] directly when I meet them, if they have Mexican or Latino heritage,” said Eduardo Ortega, a Mexican-American himself and the Spanish radio voice for the San Diego Padres since 1986. “Other times, when I’m talking to them, they might bring it up in conversation.”

That’s how Sergio Romo, now with the Dodgers following a long stint in San Francisco, came into the fold. A native of Brawley, California, the pitcher is deeply honored by his Mexican roots, evidenced by his longstanding commitment to Team Mexico. This winter, as a free agent, Romo pitched for the country as it looked to qualify for the upcoming tournament, despite potentially risking his value on the market with an injury or a string of bad outings.

“In his case, I think it could’ve hurt him more than help him,” González said of Romo. “Everyone knew what [Sergio] was capable of from his time with the Giants.”

At his introductory press conference with the Dodgers, the reliever echoed his pride. “Being Mexican is the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” he said.

Though González confirms the use of a database Team Mexico officials created to scout and assess eligible players in various leagues, more often than not, the “discovery” of a Mexican-American ballplayer –especially one without a Spanish last name– comes straight from the horse’s mouth.

“In Khris Davis’ case, he told us [his mother is Mexican],” said Gonzalez, noting the desire to represent the country is often embedded in those reveals.

Though Davis, the A’s outfielder who hit 42 HR in 2016, bowed out prior to the World Baseball Classic to focus on Spring Training, his initial choice to represent the country was well received. Similarly, Brandon Laird, a former New York Yankees draft choice and now the reigning home run king in Japan’s top league, reached out to González in order to be considered, citing the fact that his mother Victoria, was a citizen.

For some fans in Mexico, the idea of dual nationals is still startling, especially when confronted with anglicized names on the back of jerseys, leading to speculation about using the tournament to lobby for a job in MLB. Those close to the team disagree.

“In cases of players like Laird, they want to play for pride, because it means something to them to represent a part of their heritage,” said Ortega. Brandon Laird’s older brother, Gerald, ventured into the country to finish out his pro career, catching for the Toros de Tijuana in 2016.

In the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, the country’s top summer circuit, the debate on how to regulate foreign-born players in order to bolster local talent has reached a high level of intensity. One historic team, the Tigres de Quintana Roo, briefly left the league in protest because of a perceived failure to protect national talent. Under the current rules, American-born players of Mexican descent, all of them eligible for citizenship under the country’s constitution, are still considered foreign, though there is no limit on how many a team can employ.

In all, Team Mexico will field about a dozen dual nationals (including players and coaches) by the time the first pitch is thrown on March 9 in Group D play in Guadalajara. On the field and in the clubhouse, Spanish stands to be the dominant language, according to Gonzalez, regardless of place of birth or accent.

As Ortega puts it, “baseball is its own language”.