Archive for the ‘Latin Baseball History’ Category

 

A short-lived club which sent more than its share to the majors

(So titled because the club represented several New Jersey and New York cities at varying times –most popularly known as the Long Branch Cubans)

The Henriquez family, natives of Columbia, arrived in New York on June 14, 1886. They quickly settled in Manhattan and would stay there. The party included Louis Napoleon Henriquez, wife Maria, three daughters and three sons. The boys:

• George, born March 1876
• Carlos Louis (later referred to as Carlos, Carl or Charles, born 5 December 1878
• Ricardo Antonio (later referred to as Richard or Dick), born November 6, 1879

At familysearch.com, the brothers list their mother as Carolina Morales. There are indications – such as the 1900 U.S. Census – that Carolina was from Cuba and perhaps Maria was as well. This may suggest that the family lived in Cuba at some point, which is further strengthened by the sons’:

• Affinity for the island in baseball associations
• Life-long identification as hailing from the country
• Even, in Carlos’s son’s sporting promotions there

From the gap in the children’s ages, Carolina must have died within a few years after Richard’s birth and Louis then remarried to Maria. The new couple later had another son, Louis, as well as a daughter in 1884.

Louis Sr. is listed as retired from the real estate field in the 1900 Census. (He would die later that year.) It is not clear if that is how he made his money initially in Latin America, or just in Manhattan. Whichever is the case, Louis had a good deal of money before emigrating. By the end of 1886, he had purchased two properties in Manhattan for a total of $30,000.

The sons (did not track the youngest Louis) each attended Seton Hall College in East Orange, New Jersey. They then attended medical school at the Ivy League Columbia University in Manhattan: George, Columbia Class of 1901; Carlos, 1900; Richard 1903. George and Carlos practiced medicine but it doesn’t appear that Richard did. He is listed in the real estate business. The brothers each played sports in college and were competitive whist, a card game, players:

• George, ran track
• Carlos, light-heavyweight wrestling champion at Columbia
• Richard, baseball and football at Columbia

New York Times 6/22/1902

(Carlos’ son, by the same name, also went to Columbia and starred in wrestling. He became a renowned professional wrestler in the late 1920s, through the mid 1930s. Later, he served as a wrestling and tennis coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and New York University. He was also a sports promoter, working in the U.S., Cuba and Spain.)

Baseball

Carlos and Richard both married in 1906 to young women that were cousins, Janet Long and Gretchen Whitney, respectively. Richard was the best athlete of the bunch and, without a medical practice to hold him back, played ball well into his 30s. He caught and played third base for Columbia in 1901 and 1902 (and probably did so for the Seton Hall Alerts). Soon thereafter, he settled at first base. In 1903, he played for the Madison Athletic Association. He continued to play ball, perhaps as an amateur or semi-pro. In 1907, he played at least one game (on August 10) for Newark in the Eastern League.

Sporting Life 8/17/1907

New York Times 8/11/1907

Long Branch Baseball, 1911-1912

In 1911 and 1912, Richard played for the Long Branch, New Jersey team. Long Branch, like other resort towns, fielded clubs during the summer, often from June to September, for the entertainment of vacationers and, of course, year-round residents. Many Brooklynites and Manhattanites made the short trip to Long Branch each summer for fun, rest and recreation.

Brooklyn Eagle, 1911

As noted in the Brooklyn Eagle article, Richard managed the club. The one 1911 roster (New York Evening Telegram 6 August 1911) found shows all American-style surnames except of course Richard’s. That game, Long Branch played an all-star squad headed by Ty Cobb.

A change was made in 1912. Latin names begin to appear, specifically Cuban ballplayers, creating the genesis of a very strong club:

• Tomas Romanach
• Menditta
• Ramos
• Mike Gonzalez, future major leaguer
• Dolf Luque, future major leaguer

New York Times 6/17/1912

The team was already known as the Cubans. The financing or connections that brought the Cuban ballplayers to Long Branch is not readily known. Carlos Henriquez was intimately involved with the club after 1912. He may have also been a part of the club in 1912, at least financially.

Over the next few years, the Cubans would play a great deal of games versus major league clubs. Considering the Blue Laws in New York City, Brooklyn and New York clubs could conveniently hop to Long Branch for Sunday contests, as would other major league clubs stranded in the area over a weekend. The Henriquezes quickly developed a relationship with the Boston Braves. In fact, Gonzalez made his major league debut on September 28 with the Braves. Luque would do likewise in 1914.

From the fact that Henriquez’s players traveled in and out of Organized Baseball, as did the team in the future, it’s clear that they were lighter-skinned inhabitants of the island nation.

Tomas Romanach

Romanach was initially the shortstop of the Almendares club of Havana. In February 1913, Garry Herrmann of the Cincinnati Reds had his outfielder Armando Marsans, also a Cuban, ink Romanach to a contract. The deal fell through, as did subsequent attempts to sign Romanach over the next couple years. He was hesitant to go without the potential club signing other Cuban players.

For example, Brooklyn business manager, of the Federal league, Dick Carroll tried to sign Romanach in July 1915 – calling him the best shortstop outside the big leagues – but the player wouldn’t go without another Cuban player.

Another matter had to be cleared up by the National Commission:

Sporting Life 2/17/1917

Long Branch Cubans, 1913-1914

In 1913, the Long Branch Cubans joined the new six-team, Class-D New York-New Jersey League. Carlos formally took over the presidency, thus administration, of the club. Richard continued to be field manager and play first base. The Cubans joined the league in March, completing the circuit. Carlos was named league vice president.

On May 11, Luis Padron defeated the New York Giants.

Jersey Journal, 5/12/1913

The Cubans ran away with the pennant, posting a 65-29 record. Luque went 22-15 and Angel Villazon 20-8. The team also included future major leaguers Angel Aragon, Jack Calvo and Mike Gonzalez. Luque’s 22 wins led the league, as did Juan Viola’s 131 hits.

New York Age 7/17/1913

A controversy arose in August. On the 6^th, the Boston Braves purchased Luque, Aragon, Padron and Villazon, a tremendous crew, from the Henriquezes. Frank Farrell of the New York Yankees immediately protested, claiming he had a verbal agreement for $1000 each for Luque, Aragon and Padron. Boston ended up winning the argument but only Luque ever appeared on its roster.

Trenton Evening Times 1/8/1914

In 1914, the Cubans performed in the Class-D Atlantic League (one of several unrelated leagues by that name). They entered the league as representatives of Newark, amassing a 26-11 record as such. They moved back to Long Beach on June 29. Newark already had the Indians of the International League and, with two clubs in the city, the Cubans weren’t drawing well. They finished with a 59-32 record, good enough for second place. The nine included future major leaguers Jose Acosta, Aragon and Ricardo Torres. Some of the aforementioned Cubans were among the list of men that played in both black baseball and the majors. Aragon led the league with a .443 batting average.

Jose Acosta’s No-Hit or Perfect Game vs STL Browns, or perhaps not

Jose Acosta was the brother of Melito Acosta who made his major league debut with Clark Griffith’s Washington Senators in June 1913. Jose would do the same seven years later.

On July 19, 1914, Jose Acosta tossed a no-hitter, or perhaps perfect game, or perhaps neither, versus the St. Louis Browns of the American League. The Browns played the Yankees on the 18th and 20th in New York. The 19^th was a Sunday; in order to skirt blue laws, the Browns hopped to Long Branch, New Jersey for the exhibition contest.

New York Times 7/20/1914

Sporting Life 7/25/1914

Washington Post 8/9/1914

Oakland Tribune 7/20/1914

I exchanged emails with Larry Lester of SABR’s Negro League Committee in 2007. He was kind enough to provide me with another box score that was found:

(reference details lost)

Regardless of the specifics of the contest, Acosta had a great season if he defeated the Browns twice and the Giants once. Here are a couple of other close games:

New York Times 6/22/1914

New York Times 8/9/1914

The Cubans played major league clubs quite often. Under the Long Beach moniker, they played major league clubs an estimated 34 times, claiming 10 victories. (Reference Gary Ashwill and David Skinner)

Long Branch Cubans 1915

The Atlantic League folded after the 1914 season. Carlos Henriquez led the drive to revamp the circuit; it would play on the weekends as an independent league. Carlos served as league president. The Cubans withdrew from the league in mid May. Some familiar names were on the club:

New York Times 3/27/1915

A few other competitive contests:

New York Times 6/7/1915

New York Times 6/28/1915

New York Times 7/5/1915

New York Times 7/26/1915

A subsequent article in the Schenectady Gazette (22 July 1916) claimed that the Cubans defeated major leaguers seven times (out of 14) in 1915 including wins over the Giants, Dodgers and Phillies. Also, “the Cubans lost but 23 out of 186 games played…”

Poughkeepsie Cubans 1916

Henriquez reinserted his Cubans into the independent Atlantic League in 1916; this time representing Poughkeepsie, New York. He was once again named president of the league. In July, he tried to purchase Troy of the New York State League, but that fell through (and Troy moved to Harrisburg).

The Cubans, whether representing Poughkeepsie or not, were usually referred to as the Long Branch Cubans. They played any and all comers – professional, amateur, semi-pro, black clubs, industry or university nines.

New York Sun 7/31/1916

Middletown Cubans 1922-1923

Carlos Henriquez sponsored the Middletown (NY) Cubans during the 1922 and ’23 seasons.

SOURCE LIST

• Ancestry.com
• Baseball-reference.com
• Brooklyn Eagle, 1911
• Familysearch.com
• Gary Ashwill’s Agate Type website  
• Jersey Journal, Jersey City, New Jersey, 12 May 1913
• Johnson, Lloyd and Miles Wolff. Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, Third Edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007.
• New York Age, 17 July 1913
• New York Daily Tribune, 7 June 1901
• New York Evening Telegram, 6 August 1911
• New York Sun, 9 August 1913, 31 July 1916
• New York Times, 1886, 1900-1907, 1913-1917, 1980
• Schenectady Gazette, New York, 22 July 1916
• Sporting Life, 1907, 1911-1917

 

Early barnstorming tours by major league baseball clubs into Cuba. 

1879 

The first American professional team to visit Cuba played its first game on the island in Havana on December 21, 1879. The club called itself the Hop Bitters. It was led by Cincinnati promoter and recently-named manager of the National League’s Worcester (Massachusetts) club Frank Bancroft.

Bancroft would led future tours to the island as well and play an instrumental role in bringing the first Cubans to the major leagues, Armando Marsans and Rafael Almeida. 

The Americans easily won. 

The American club was composed of mainly the soon-to-be Worcester NL club of 1880 which was ascending from the minor National Association where it had played in 1879. 

The following players took part in the tour, leaving the U.S. in late November:

• George Wood
• Alonzo Knight
• Charlie Bennett
• Art Whitney
• J. F. “Chub” Sullivan
• C. J. “Curry” Foley
• A. J. “Doc” Bushong
• Arthur Irwin
• Frederick “Tricky” Nichols 

The players arrived back in the U.S. via New Orleans on December 31. The trip was financed by a Mr. Soule of Rochester, New York and was not a financial success. They may have played as little as two games in Cuba.

New Orleans Passenger List (from Havana), 12/31/1879, Ship: Ellie Knight

 

1879-80 

The first U.S. ballplayers to play in the Cuban League were Jimmy Macullar and Hick Carpenter during the 1879-80-season for the Colon Baseball Club. 

1886 

Lew Simmons, manager of the 1886 American Association Philadelphia Athletics took 19 men with him to Cuba at the end of the season. They sailed for Cuba on November 6, 1886. They were scheduled to play two exhibition games a week through the end of the year. 

Simmons brought enough men for two nines which would compete against each other. The following major leaguers were among the contingent: 

• Wilbert Robinson
• Ed Greer
• Chippy McGarr
• John Irvin
• Denny Lyons
• Cyclone Miller
• Ed Flanagan
• Sam Wise
• Ed Crane
• Ed Knouff
• Tony Cusick
• Cub Stricker
• Art Irwin
• Tom Poorman 

The unidentified others include:

• James P. Scott
• J. Tate – perhaps Pop Tate
• A. Nash – perhaps Billy Nash
• T. Shaffer – perhaps John Shaffer
• A.T. Stuart 

The men returned to the U.S. prematurely on November 22 complaining of a bleak financial disaster. They played only a few games before cutting the trip short. 

1891 

Al Lawson and a young John McGraw went to Cuba in early 1891 with a barnstorming club dubbed the All-Americans. The tours actually occurred in two parts, one in January and February. Lawson planned another tour for December 1891 but he backed out; the tour went on though. McGraw was the only player on both tours. The American roster had to be filled out with Cuban talent. 

In January/February a mixture of major and minor leaguers defeated Matanzas, Progreso, and Almendares, but lost to Habana, Fe, and an all-star team known as the All-Cubans. 

Bill Dahlan joined McGraw in December 1891. The club cruised to five straight wins by the scores of 17-0, 14-0, 11-4, 14-3, and 10-1. Cuban Antonio María García was lent to the All Americans; he led all hitters in the series. Supposedly McGraw tried to sign him for the Orioles, but Garcia refused citing better pay in Cuba.

For more information see Lawsonsprogress.com 

From the former http://www.lawsonsprogress.com/chapglory.htm:

From Jacksonville’s team, Lawson enticed veterans Ed Mars (Syracuse, American Association), George Kurtz (Cleveland, Player’s League), and S. E. Stratton (Michigan League) for his Cuban tour. Lawson also found Jake Wells, formerly with the St. Louis Browns; Roger Connor Jr., a teammate from Cobleskill in the New York State League; Pat Luby, a starting pitcher from Anson’s Chicago Colts; and Dan Minnehan, who later made the Louisville Colonels roster. Rounding out the troupe were Milt West and Will White, a veteran of the Cincinnati Red Stockings. From Ocala the All-Americans caught a steamer from Tampa to Havana, Cuba.

Lawson’s Ocala All-Americans played a series of games against Cuban League clubs, with uneven results. On January 31, 1891, the All-Americans lost a close game against Habana (Havana). They won the next three games from Matanzas, Progreso, and Almendares. On Feb. 5, they lost to Fe by the lopsided score of 17-6.  This was followed by a loss to a team of All-Cuban stars by an embarrassing 11-0 tally.  Lawson had judged correctly that his team’s bright yellow uniforms would create a sensation (everyday fashions in Cuba’s upper crust society were very conservative.) John McGraw’s scampering style at shortstop earned him the nickname of “El mono amarillo,” the Yellow Monkey.

The series drew respectably sized and enthusiastic crowds, but Lawson miscalculated the total expenses of the trip, because they soon found themselves without enough funds to get back to Tampa. It does not take a great deal of imagination to conjecture how they raised the money to get back to the States. The temptation to lay bets against themselves and throw games would have been irresistible. After making enough to get from Havana to Key West, the squad was split in two and recruited other American and local players to form two complete teams and played games there. Once again, within a few days they had raised enough to get back to Tampa. On their arrival, Lawson found himself being asked questions by the Tampa papers about his team’s drinking and wagering—his denials were indignant, but the printed charge that they had thrown three games on purpose seems too specific to be spurious.

After arrival back in Florida in Late February, 1891, the team did not return to Ocala.

In November, 1891, Al Lawson tuned up his rested arm pitching for Mobile, Alabama; but he was soon involved in a scheme to round up another team of players to tour Cuba. The team he formed included more seasoned major leaguers than had made the Cuba trip ten months earlier: Billy Alvord, a third baseman most recently with NL Cleveland Spiders; also from Cleveland were Ed Seward and Big Ed McKean; John Dolan, a pitcher from the Cincinnati Reds; and Billy Earle, of the St. Louis Browns. Earle’s nickname was the “Little Globetrotter,” and had been one of the “All-Americas” on A.G. Spalding’s baseball world tour in 1888. The teams’ second baseman was John Newell, who broke into the majors earlier in 1891 on the Pittsburgh club. Newell brought along his teammate Doggie Miller. Also on the roster were Johnny McGraw, Bob Champion, Charlie Frank, and Lawson himself.  Three other newcomers were invited: Bad Bill Dahlen was persuaded to come south to rendezvous with the others in New Orleans; John Dolan from the Columbus club was brought on to alternate pitching duties with Lawson; and Joe Neale, a lightly-used pitcher most recently with St. Louis. John McGraw was the only player on this second Cuba tour roster who had been with Lawson on his first tour. The ballplayers met in New Orleans in late November. They played a few exhibition games against Lawson’s recent Mobile teammates; the local New Orleans club; and Pensacola to get in shape. They then waited while Lawson arranged booking to Cuba from Mobile.

Lawson’s Cuba trip hopes were pinned on advance backing from a shady New Orleans investor named P. H. McTague. Lawson had arranged to meet McTague at his hotel in New Orleans on the day following McTague’s withdrawal of the trip funds from the bank. According to Lawson, McTague failed to appear, and Lawson investigated and found McTague drugged and robbed. Lawson told the players about the loss, and they were understandably upset. Lawson contacted his recent manager at Mobile, John F. Kelly, to ask for help in backing the trip. Kelly told Lawson that he would be willing to front one-way tickets to Havana. Lawson relayed that offer to the players, but they had heard the story of Lawson’s first Cuba trip and demanded round-trip tickets. Lawson washed his hands of the affair at that point and packed his bags, and took the first steamer he could find going to Tampa, Florida. Kelly, meanwhile, talked to the owner of the Mobile team, oyster magnate J. E. “Jack” Hooper, who agreed to fully fund the trip. The ballplayers sailed from Mobile on Dec. 4, 1891 as “Hooper’s All-American Base Ball Club,” with John F. Kelly as their manager.

These “All-Americans” were much more talented than the Ocala  All-Americans that Lawson had brought to the island eleven months earlier. They had little problem defeating the Cuban League teams. Against Habana, the score was 17-0. Against Fe, the game ended 11-4. In a second game against Habana, the All-Americans won 10-1. Kelly’s men beat Almendares, 14-0; and finally beat the All-Cubans 14-3. To solve the problem of being shorthanded playing under the Cuban League’s ten-man rule, Kelly recruited their biggest star, batting champion Antonio Maria Garcia, to play right field for the All-Americans. Garcia’s nickname was “El Ingles.” He spoke flawless English and had refined tastes, and was considered the best Cuban player of the nineteenth century.

The Hooper All-Americans returned from Cuba with a tidy profit. News of Lawson’s abandonment of the team spread through the community of major league players, and was recalled in later years as the first public example of Lawson’s tendency to solve his troubles by leaving the area where they occurred. Lawson tried to defend himself with impassioned letters to editors of sporting papers: Sporting News  published one under the headline “Honorable (?) Al Lawson.”  Lawson argued, in fact, that he was due some thanks for paving the way for a venture that, after all, ended profitably; and for putting the players in touch with John F. Kelly. He claimed that he was bringing suit against McTague.

John McGraw returned from Cuba and pleaded with Baltimore team owners to sign the man most responsible for the popularizing what came to be known as the “American Series” in Cuba. The player that McGraw was lobbying on behalf of was not his mentor Alfred Lawson…it was Antonio Maria Garcia. The recruitment failed. For his part, Garcia claimed he could earn more playing in Cuba; but it should be noted that it would be several more years before the first Latino player appeared in the major leagues.

1892 

Pittsburgh National League manager Al Buckenberger announced plans in March 1892 to organize a barnstorming tour of Cuba at season’s end. I found no indication that the trip occurred. 

Charlie Duffee accompanied a ball club of lesser players to Cuba in November 1892; they were still there in January. 

1893 

Likewise, Jim Hart of the Cubs planned a similar trip for early 1893 but it was cancelled. 

1895 

Frank Bancroft planned another trip to Cuba in January 1895. He gathered Bid McPhee, Short Fuller and Jack Boyle among others to play their way to Cuba, first stopping in New Orleans and Florida. 

The team played one game in New Orleans and abandoned the tour by January 4 due to the cold and a bleak financial outlook. 

1898 

On September 17, 1898 Ted Sullivan announced his intentions of forming two teams and traveling to Cuba to put on an exhibition tour at the end of the season. He was eying potential profits due to the fact that 50,000 Americans soldiers were now stationed on the island. I found no indication that the tour took place. 

1899 

A group of players calling themselves the All-American Baseball Club left New Orleans for Cuba on December 28, 1899. The club was made up of talent from the majors and minors and one man named Beecher that they picked up at the last minute in New Orleans to play shortstop. 

The major leaguers included:

• Harry Steinfeldt
• Jake Beckley
• Cupid Childs
• Dan Phelan with New Orleans at the time
• Jim Delahanty with New Orleans at the time
• Sporty McAllister
• Doc Nance with New Orleans at the time 

Others:

Johnny Gonding, a New Orleans local, catcher with Reading in the Pennsylvania League 

Abner Powell, skipper of New Orleans of the Southern League, managed the club. The All-American club played the Havana Reds and other clubs. 

1900 

Twenty-two members of the Brooklyn and New York National League clubs took off for Havana from New York on October 27, 1900. The trip was a financial failure in Havana, prompting ten members of the group to return home to New York on November 17. They are:

• Tom O’Brien
• Jesse Tannehill
• Tom Daly
• Pop Foster
• George Davis
• Cy Seymour
• Willie Keeler
• Mike Grady
• Charlie Hickman
• Pop Schriver 

The rest returned home on November 30, among them:

• Jim Sheckard
• Win Mercer
• Bill Donovan
• Bill Dahlen
• Bill Gleason
• Shad Barry
• Harry Howell
• Hughie Jennings
• Thomas C. Simpson 

From Steven Holbrook: 

In November of 1900, a more prominent group ventured to the island. Led by Thomas C. Simpson, secretary of the Brooklyn National League team, who arranged the trip, the Brooklyn and New York National League ball clubs played a series of games against each other in Cuba. Hughie Jennings played first base and managed the trip for the Brooklyn team while George Davis managed the New York team and played shortstop. The tour was in jeopardy shortly after the arrival of the U.S. teams, when Abel Linares, the Havana newspaperman who had offered the Americans $5,000 for the tour, did not live up to the contract in making arrangements for games and game sites. The Cuban players were engaged in a labor dispute with their local team owners and did not initially support the tour. The Americans were ready to leave, but a payment of “$2,000 in American gold” to Simpson kept the tour going. The $5,000 total never materialized and the Americans decided to split the receipts with their Cuban hosts and the tour ended with the U.S. team losing about $500. Ten of the touring team returned home early, disappointed with the experience. But those who stayed found the Cubans to be enthusiastic about seeing the top American professional players. The Americans also played some games against the best Cuban teams and at least two games against the U.S. troops still stationed on the island. 

20^th Century Contests:

http://www.cubanball.com/american.html 

http://www.cubanball.com/timeline.html

 

Tetelo Vargas, the Dominican Deer 

Tetelo Vargas was the premier Dominican ballplayer of the first half of the 20^th century. Often called the “Father of Dominican Baseball,” he was a four-plus-tool player, perhaps not as dominant in the power department. As his nickname suggests, Vargas was extremely fast and was known as the fastest man in baseball after setting the record for circling the bases in 1931. 

A righthander, he played middle infield and the outfield. He was a smooth fielder with a cannon arm. Naturally, his speed allowed him to cover a great deal of ground. He was a solid batter and a terror on the base paths, often taking an extra base or two. 

AKA

• Jose Vargas
• Estanto Jose Vargas
• Juan Esteban Vargas Marcano 

BR, TR, 5’10”, 160 pounds 

Juan Esteban Vargas was born on April 11, 1906 in Santo Domingo, the largest city in the Dominican Republic. He grew up playing baseball in Ciudad Nueva just off the Caribbean Sea with his older brothers Guagua and Juan. In 1921 Vargas was the mascot of the Santo Domingo-based Licey Tigers, the strongest club on the island – founded in 1907. 

In 1922 three local clubs melded to form one team, the Escogido Lions, to take on the strong Licey team. At age 17 in 1923, he joined Guagua with Escogido. The Lions still exist today. A list of former Lions includes the Alou Brothers, Juan Marichal, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. 

Baseball had long since been played in the Caribbean. The first formal clubs were formed in the mid 1890s. In the 1920s, the local countries began playing each other competitively during the genesis of professional play in the area. Vargas skills were coveted by local clubs and abroad as well. 

NEGRO LEAGUES 

He caught the eye of American promoter Alex Pompez whose Cuban Stars fielded mainly Latin talent. Dark-skinned like 85% of his countrymen, Vargas was relegated to the black leagues in the United States. In 1927, he joined the Stars (not to be confused by a western team of the same name). The Stars were a member of the Eastern Colored League and they also barnstormed extensively like all black clubs. He played as a reserve middle infielder. 

In 1929 he rejoined the Star, who now played in the American Negro League. In 1931, Vargas joined Abel Linares’ independent Cuban Stars – the western club. In September in Sioux City, Iowa, Vargas set the world record for rounding the bases, 13:25 seconds during the Southwestern Iowa baseball tournament which was won by his club, Cuban House of David, owned by Syd Pollack. Like, the original House of Davids of Benton Harbor, Michigan, Pollack crew donned full whiskers. The club’s main pitcher was Luis Tiant Sr. Vargas batted leadoff and played shortstop. Also in 1931, Vargas hit seven consecutive home runs in two games versus semi-pro clubs.

Vargas rejoined Alex Pompez in 1938 with the New York Cubans. He played with the club through 1944, save 1940. In 1941, the Cubans won the second half title but lost to the Homestead Grays in the playoffs. In early March 1942, Vargas and the Cubans took three out of five games from the Brooklyn Dodgers in Havana. He appeared in two east-West All-Star Games in 1942 and one in 1943. In the latter year he batted .479 for the Cubans. His Negro League career mark is .342. 

1942 New York Cubans

CUBA 

Vargas played in the Cuban League with the Habana club. 

• 1929-1930 season, poor club, main pitcher Adolfo Luque
• 1942-1943 season, outfielder, .257 in 191 at bats, Martin DiHigo was teammate 

PUERTO RICO 

Dominican by birth, Vargas essentially relocated to Puerto Rico in the 1930s – settling in Caguas and Guayama (nearby towns) outside San Juan. The city is located about 250 miles by plane, east of Santo Domingo. He lived much of the rest of his life in the area. Vargas first played ball in Puerto Rico in 1931. He naturally played ball there during the summer but the Puerto Rican Winter League was the highlight as it attracted top flight players from the United States, particularly Negro leaguers. 

• 1938-1939 season, Guayama Witches, .415, 68 for 164
• 1939-1940 season, Guayama, set league record with 33 stolen bases, league champs, led league in runs with 69 and stolen bases with 19
• 1943-1944 season, Santurce Crabbers, .410, 55 for 134
• 1944-1945 season, Mayaguez Indians
• 1947-1948 season, Caguas-Guayama Creoles
• 1949-1950 season, Caguas-Guayama, manager Luis Olmo
• 1950-1951 season, Caguas-Guayama
• 1953-1954 season, Caguas-Guayama, manager Mickey Owen 

In 1940, Vargas played in the Semi-pro World Series in Puerto Rico. He was the top hitter in the tournament, going 16 for 24 with an inside-the-park home run. Foreigners were temporarily banned by the PRWL in 1941, except for Vargas. His career batting average in the PWRL was .320 and he led the league twice in triples and stolen bases and four times in runs scored. In February 1947, Vargas went 7 for 14 versus the New York Yankees during a series of preseason games in San Juan. 

VENEZUELA 

Vargas played with the Concordia Eagles of Venezuela in 1934. It was a traveling club, hopping between Caribbean cities. The team is considered by many to be the best Latin clubs of all-time. It featured center fielder Vargas, catcher Josh Gibson, Rap Dixon, shortstop Luis Aparicio Sr. and pitcher Martin DiHigo. 

1934 Concordia Eagles

(top row: 2 players then Aparicio, two more then DiHigo and Vargas)

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 

In 1936, Vargas played for the Estrellas Orientals (originally formed in 1911) of San Pedro de Macoris in an informal Dominican Summer Baseball League. The wealthy club won the championship. Noting of popular season, Dictator Rafael Trujillo started taking an interest in the game. Trujillo wasn’t particularly a great baseball fan but his son Ramfis was enamored with it. Trujillo used baseball as a tool of his 1937 re-election campaign. He immediately merged two of the best clubs in Ciudad Trujillo (as Santo Domingo was called from 1930-1961) – Licey and Escogido – for the season. The new club was known as the Ciudad Trujillo Dragons. 

Trujillo then raided the American Negro Leagues. Satchel Paige, Gibson, Cool papa bell and Sam Bankhead were added to the Dragons, as was the Dominican Vargas. Tetelo batted .283 (30 for 106) as the team won the championship, posting an 18-13 won-loss record. After the 1937 season, the dictator cut spending for American players; however, he continued funding for baseball programs. Pretty soon Trujillo’s military clubs became the best in the country and a pathway to the major leagues. 

The Dominican Summer League formally kicked off in 1951. Forty-five years old at the time, Vargas once again joined his countrymen on the diamond. He played five years with Estrellas, batting a combined .322. In 1953 at age 47, he was the league batting champ with a .353 mark. The team won the championship in 1954. In March 1955, he was part of a Dominican all-star squad that took on the Tokyo Giants in Ciudad Trujillo. 

1937 Ciudad Trujillo Dragons (Gibson, top left; Paige, middle right; Bell front center)

MEXICO 

Vargas played winter ball in Mexico for two season from 1952-1954. He batted a combined .326. 

LATER LIFE 

Vargas settled in Guayama. He married in 1954 to Violeta Inchastegui and had four children: Carmen; Anna; Iris; Juan Esteban Jr. 

Vargas passed away in Guayama on December 30, 1971 from lung cancer. The current home of the Estrellas Orientals in San Pedro de Macoris was named in his honor. He is a member of Hall of Fames in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. 

SOURCE LIST 

• 1800beisbol.com 
• Alton Telegraph, Illinois, 1984 
• Baltimore Afro-American, 1931, 1942 
• Baseball-reference.com 
• Baseballthinkfactory.com 
• Bjarkman, Peter C. Diamonds Around the Globe: The Encyclopedia of International Baseball. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005. 
• Chicago Defender, 1931, 1933 
• Clark, Dick and Larry Lester. The Negro Leagues Book. Cleveland, Ohio: Society for American Baseball Research, 1994. 
• Figueredo, Jorge S. Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878-1961. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2003. 
• Gedda, George. Dominican Connection: Talent from the Tropics changes Face of National Pastime. New York: AEG Publishing Group, 2009. 
• Holway, John. The Complete Book of Baseball’s Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishers, 2001. 
• Klein, Alan M. Sugarball: The American Game, the Dominican Dream. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1993. 
• Kurlansky, Mark. The Eastern Stars: How Baseball changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris. New York: Penguin Group, Inc., 2010. 
• McNeil, William F. Baseball’s Other All-Stars. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2000. 
• McNeil, William. Black Baseball Out of Season: Pay for Play Outside of the Negro Leagues. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2007. 
• New York Amsterdam News, 1932, 1944 
• Riley, James A. The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers, 1994. 
• Ruck, Rob. The Tropic of Baseball: Baseball in the Dominican Republic. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1999. 
• The Sporting News, 1949, 1951, 1954 
• Titusville Herald, Pennsylvania, 1931 
• Van Hyning, Thomas E. and Eduardo Valero. Puerto Rico’s Winter League: A History of major League Baseball’s Launching Pad. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2004. 
• Wikipedia.org

 

Until recently it was assumed that Esteban Bellan was the only Latin player in the NABBP. But, there may have been three Latin-born men in the NABBP.

ESTEBAN BELLAN

Esteban Bellan was the first Latin-born player in the professional major leagues, the National Association, 1871-1873.

Prior to that he played in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) with the Unions of Morrisania (Bronx, NYC) in 1868 and with the Unions of Lansingburgh – better known as the Troy Haymakers – from 1869-1870.

The NABBP was a loose association of ball clubs originally formed in New York City in 1857.

RAFAEL DE LA RUA

Rafael de la Rua played for the Unions of Lansingburgh in 1868 – making him the first Latin in the NABBP, as he pitched before Bellan joined his club.

De la Rua is merely identified as “Rua” in Marshall D. Wright’s The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870. He was recently identified by Peter Morris and John Thorn. below you’ll find more information on Rua at Agate Type Baseball.

Gary Ashwill on Rafael de la Rua

CRISTODORO

While researching Esteban Bellan recently, I discovered a college teammate of his named Christodoro or Cristodoro or Cristadoro.

They played on the Rose Hills club which is the school team of Fordham University, then known as St. John’s College (Bronx, NYC).

New York Times 6/19/1868

Note Bellan at catcher and two Latin outfielders “Christodoro” and “Esendoro.”

Also, notice the umpire – George Wright – who, I believe, was responsible for bringing Bellan and perhaps Cristodoro onto his team, the Unions of Morrisania, a couple weeks later.

Brooklyn Eagle 6/29/1868

At this point, it’s not clear whether Cristodoro actually played with the Unions or not – but of course the possibility is there.

 

I seen two sources lately which have noted the burnout of Latin baseball talent. The first was the movie Sugar. Good movie in my opinion – did not end like I thought it would. The second is a book called Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit by Matt McCarthy.

McCarthy says that about half a team in A ball is filled with Latin players. That drops to a 1/4 in AA and 1/8 in AAA.

I wonder were these men are going. Home? Sugar had an interesting take on the plight.

For decades now, many have thought that Sandy Nava, the first Mexican-American player in major league baseball history, was in his thirties when he joined the major leagues in 1882, as the enclopedias have listed his birth date as April 12, 1850.

Nava was born Vincente Simental. Here he is in the 1860 US Census living in San Francisco.

Ancestry.com, California, SF District #2, page 198 of 253, line 12

He’s living with his mother Josefa and brother Octivano. Though the family name seems to say Simentas, it was Simental. Note that Vincente is 3/12 years old or 3 months. The Census information was inputted in July 1860.

Also, notice the family above, also from Mexico. Their family name seems to be close to “Nava,” the name that Vincent or “Sandy” adopted upon joining the Providence Grays.