Little League World Series 2011: Top 10 Biggest Stars in World Series History

The Little League World Series has produced some great players who have gone on to play professional baseball in their careers, but there are also some kids who although never made it to the MLB, their performances in the LLWS will never be forgotten.

There are others however, whose stardom has been riddled in controversy.

The LLWS is one of the few chances for young kids to appear on the national stage, and many of them have turned in all-time performances that will never be forgotten in the towns, cities and nations they represented.

Let's look at the 10 biggest stars in the history of the Little League World Series.

10) Jason Bay, British Columbia, Canada , 1990

Jason Bay was one of the leaders on the 1990 team from Trial, British Columbua (Canada), who made the semifinals but lost to eventual champion Taiwan.

Bay's team was one of the few Canadian teams to have so much success in the LLWS.

Bay went on to play in the MLB and is currently a member of the New York Mets.

9) Ken Hubbs, Colton, California, 1954

Ken Dubbs played in the 1954 Little League World Series for Colton, California and displayed unbelievable defense and range for a young kid.

Dubbs would go on to play second base for the Chicago Cubs later in his life, and his life was tragically cut short in 1964 when he was killed in a plane crash. 

8) Sean Burroughs, Long Beach California, 1992-93

Sean Burroughs was one of the best players on the 1992 and 1993 Little League team from Long Beach California, who won back-to-back titles in those seasons.

They were awarded the title in 1992 after a team from the Philippines was found to have players ineligible and were stripped of their title.

With Burroughs again one of the leaders on the team, Long Beach returned to the title game in 1993 and won.

7) Gary Sheffield, Belmont Heights Florida, 1980

Gary Sheffield's baseball stardom began in the 1980 Little League World Series, when he helped lead the Belmont Heights team from Florida reach the title game but were beaten by Taiwan.

Sheffield was once kicked off his little league team for chasing his coach with a bat after being benched, and it's safe to say this rage was a common theme of his in the MLB.

6) Jason Varitek, Altamonte Springs Florida , 1984

Jason Varitek led the Altamonte Springs Little League team from Florida to the championsip game of the 1984 LLWS, but his team was beaten 6-2 by South Korea.

Varitek was a versatile player for his team, playing three positions (shortstop, catcher and first base).

He's also one of two players in the history of the sport to ever to play in the the LLWS final, a College World Series championship game and a World Series.

5) Derek Bell, Belmont Heights Florida, 1980-81

Derek Bell played in the 1980 and 1981 Little League World Series and became the first player to play in two Series'.

He played on the same team as Gary Sheffield in 1980, and both of them were strong offensive players for Belmont Heights.

Bell would go on to player in the MLB for many seasons and was one of the "Killer B's" on the Houston Astros in the 1990s with Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio.

4) Angel Macias, Monterrey, Mexico, 1957

Monterrey Mexico had two amazing Little League World Series appearances in 1957 and 1958.

The 1957 team had a pitcher named Angel Macias who pitched a perfect game in the championship game, and no player has ever done that in a title game since.

Macias is forever rememered in the book and movie, The Perfect Game.

3) Carlos Pineda, Curacao, 2004

Carlos Pineda was a dominating force on the mound in the 2004 LLWS and led the tiny Caribean nation of Curacao to the title.

At 5'11" tall and 168 lbs, Pineda was an imposing figure who had a great fastball, which he used to overpower opposing hitters.

2) Cody Webster, Kirkland, Washington, 1982

The boys from Kirkland Washington capitvated America in 1982 by defeating Taiwan in a major upset.

Cody Webster was put into elite LLWS status after his two-hit, 12-strikeout game against Taiwan in the final.

He also hit the longest home run in LLWS history in the same game.

Unfortunately, Webster never became a professional talent.

1) Danny Almonte, Bronx, New York, 2001

Danny Almonte is arguably the most dominant player and biggest controversy in LLWS history.

In 2004, Almonte led his Bronx, New York team to the U.S. championship and pitched a no-hitter and a perfect game along the way.

His intimidating 5'8" frame and 70 mph fastball made him almost unhittable.

Many people started to wonder if Almonte's dominance was in fact due to his age, and Sports Illustrated investigated the matter and found he was actually 14 and not 12 (the Little League age limit).

Almonte never recovered from the controversy and never made it to the MLB.