Carlos Delgado

Carlos Delgado was born on June 25, 1972 in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. At a very young age he showed strength of character, determination and leadership in all areas of life, particularly in baseball.

Guided by his father, Carlos “Cao” Delgado, Carlos began the difficult task of learning to bat from the left side. And not only did he learn to bat left-handed, his powerful bat consistently overwhelmed the pitchers he has faced, as first baseman of the Toronto Blue Jays in the major leagues, in Puerto Rico with the San Juan Senadores, and in all teams he has played with.

Delgado holds the all-time Major League Baseball home run record among Puerto Rican players, with 473. He is one of only six players in Major League history to hit 30 home runs in ten consecutive seasons, becoming the fourth player to do so.

Carlos has never forgotten his roots in the streets of his native Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. He knows first hand the social problems that affect Puerto Rico and other neighboring countries and has a genuine desire to help solve these problems, especially those that affect children and youths. His will to make a difference was the driving force behind the creation of Extra Bases, Inc., a not-for-profit organization created in 2001 and based in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico that has helped charity groups in Puerto Rico and other countries like Canada, US and Venezuela, among others.

Extra Bases, Inc. began operations with a $100,000 personal donation from Carlos Delgado, amount that each year he contributes to maintain the organization solvent. In December 2001 he produced the first edition of “A Palo Limpio” (in 2003 was the second edition), a home run competition that featured major league stars Juan “Igor” González, Shawn Green, Troy Glaus, Carlos Beltrán and José Vidro, among others. “A Palo Limpio” produced over $80,000 that was donated to social organizations such as Hospital del Niño, Fundación San Jorge, Centro Ayani, Casa Juan Bosco and Hogar Jesús de Nazareno.

Through Extra Bases, Inc. and out of his own pocket, Carlos has given thousands of dollars to different causes in Puerto Rico and abroad. In 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, he donated $50,000 to New York city police and fire fighters children’s fund.

Recently, through his life insurance policy, he made a 1 million dollars donation to Special Olympics Canada. Through Extra Bases, Inc. Carlos has also helped the tiny island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. There, he has made personal donations of over $50,000 to help underprivileged children and has given baseball clinics and motivational talks in schools. He sponsored various activities during their “Festival de Reyes de Vieques”, an annual celebration who has honored his generosity by selecting him as Ambassador four times, three of them consecutively. Also, he supported the people’s struggle against the US Navy occupation of the island by placing full-page ads in the Washington Post and New York Times.

In Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Carlos has made it a personal mission to make sure a local hospital benefits from the expertise of one of the most prestigious hospitals in the U.S. mainland. He has pledged five personal annual donations of $50,000 – for a total of $250,000 – to finance a live teleconferencing/ telemedicine program so that physicians at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Aguadilla can connect, interact and learn new procedures from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Carlos Delgado and Extra Bases, Inc. have made a difference in many people’s lives through their charitable work. And as long as Carlos Delgado is at the head of this organization they will continue in this path.