One of the greatest things about baseball is the level of diversity among players. In the major leagues there are players from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Mexico, Japan, and various other countries.

What do you think Jose Altuve, Nelson Cruz, and Miguel Cabrera have in common? If you thought they are some of the best hitters in baseball or some of the best all-around players, then you would be correct. But was the fact they are all immigrants even a notion to you?

Due to the immigration executive orders that President Donald Trump has signed, immigrants have been ostracized and their physical safety as well as peace of mind in the United States has been threatened. Fear among immigrants will linger regardless of the new executive order’s legal fate.

27.5% of baseball players on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2016 were immigrants.

Among that group of players there is one Triple Crown winner, one Cy Young Award Winner, multiple home run leaders and Cy Young caliber pitchers, and various other rising stars.

Many of these players come to America to play baseball and escape the struggles of their home countries. President Trump’s executive order has many of these immigrant players doubting how much better life actually will be for them once they get to the United States.

While the ban is aimed at Muslim-majority countries, President Trump’s general anti-immigrant sentiments have been known since before campaigning started.

Yasiel Puig, an outfielder for the Dodgers, was smuggled into the United States from Cuba. He escaped Cuba in 2012 to play professional baseball in the United States where the pay is higher, the government censorship is non-existent, and freedom truly means freedom.

Although hot-headed, Puig is an exciting player to watch. No one can ever really predict what will happen when he gets into a game. If Puig never came to the Dodgers, the Dodgers’ clubhouse energy would be significantly diminished. In 2013, the year Puig joined the Dodgers, the team had their best season in five years, which is a lifetime in professional sports.

Puig’s entry into the major leagues meant a lot for fans too. He was arguably the first electric player the Dodgers had since the outfield trio of Manny Ramirez, (healthy) Matt Kemp, and (healthy) Andre Ethier in 2009.

If President Trump’s executive order is upheld, we the people growing up with these players, and the fans of tomorrow, will potentially lose the chance to see athletes with the caliber of Puig, Altuve, Cabrera, and others.

It’s a lack of memorable performances that will be most haunting.

We won’t get to see some of the highlight plays that have made the sport exciting like Yoenis Cespedes’ powerful arm or Vladimir Guerrero’s bad ball homeruns.

The Sportscenter top plays of the week are what every child remembers as they grow up. They are probably the biggest influence in jersey number choice in little league.

They are also a big factor in how the game is played. When kids see David Ortiz hit a monster home run they want to do the same thing, so they start modeling their batting stance and plate approach after the techniques they see him use.

Kids want to play when they see players like Cespedes fire a ball 375 feet to home plate to get a runner out. It’s what makes baseball exciting, but with a smaller talent pool with only American players, those exciting moments will be harder to come by.