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Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico
The Reds released the 2026 spring training schedule that includes an exhibition game against the Cuban National team on March4 before the Cuban team opens the World Baseball Classic in Puerto Rico on March 5.
The Cuban national team has always been a top contender in international baseball competition. The Major Leagues boasted 26 players on major league rosters in 2025, the most ever from the island and more than the previous high of 23 in 2016.
Two Cubans played in the 2025 World Series. Outfielder Andy Pages for the Dodgers and Yariel Rodríguez a right handed pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Cuban Players History
There are three distinct periods for Cubans who longed to play in the Major Leagues.
The early 1900’s when Major League owners barred black players from participating. Several players from the Negro Leagues tried to get around it by claiming Cuban citizenship. Satchel Paige famously tried this angle.
The pre Castro ERA in the mid 1950’s through the revolution in 1960.
The defection era Castro’s pride in baseball played on the island allowed Cuban teams to compete internationally. It led to players abandoning their teammates and their families.
The Cuban Work Around the Color Line
Adolfo “Dolf” Luque pitched for the Reds in the 1919 World Series against the Chicago White Sox. He pitched five scoreless innings with no walks and six strikeouts in the series, (known for the Black Sox scandal. Eight Chicago players were bribed by gamblers to throw games.) Luque is in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. He led baseball with 27 wins and a 1.93 ERA in the 1923 season. Luque won 154 games for the Reds in 12 seasons.
Mike Gonzalez, a catcher who played for the Reds in 1914. He hit .333 in 95 games for the Reds and managed the Havana Reds in the Cuban winter leagues.
Manuel Cueto played in 151 games for the Reds in three seasons from 1917 through the 1919 World Championship season, in which he hit .250 in 29 games.
Rafael Almeida played in a total of 102 games for the Reds at third base from 1911 through 1913 with a .270 batting average with three home runs. He also hit six triples.
Pedro Dibut, a right hander pitched in parts of 1924 and 1925. He started in two of his nine appearances with a 3-0 record and 2.21 ERA. He pitched to three batters on April 22, 2025 and never pitched another Major League game.
The Havana Sugar Kings Pipeline
The Reds have always been strapped for cash. With the reserve clause and few roster limits, the team looked to Cuba for players. Branch Ricky had more minor league teams than the Reds had funds. The New York Yankees could outbid everyone for amatuer players and stock pile them. It was a practice that shut out poor teams from signing talent. It also kept players who deserved to be in the Major Leagues a chance to compete.
The Sugar Kings began life in 1946 as the Havana Cubans, founded by Washington Senators scout Joe Cambria. That year, they (rather than a Cuban League side) represented Cuba at the inaugural Interamerican Series, the predecessor to the modern Caribbean Series.
Roberto "Bobby" Maduro bought the team during the 1953 season with aspirations of bringing Major League Baseball to Havana. After the 1953 season, the Springfield Cubs folded, leaving an opening in the Triple-A International League. Maduro moved his franchise to the IL and renamed it the Sugar Kings. After playing the 1954 season as an independent club, the franchise signed an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds for the 1955 season and the Sugar Kings became Cincinnati's top farm club for the remainder of their existence. When Castro nationalized businesses in Cuba, Maduro moved the team to Jersey City.
Tommy de la Cruz pitched in 34 games, 20 starts in 1944. He had a 9-9 record with a 3.25 ERA. De la Cruz's big break was World War II. On September 16, de la Cruz pitched a one-hitter, the first ever pitched in the major leagues by a Latin American pitcher—against the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 2–1.
Leo Cardenas, the Reds shortstop from 1960 through 1968, had a double in three at bats against the New York Yankees in the 1961 World Series. He still lives in Cincinnati today and at the age of 86, the native of Matanzas Cuba, attends Reds events. He played for the Sugar Kings before playing for the Reds. Cardenas was a National League All-Star in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968. He hit 20 home runs in 1966 and had a career-high .287 batting average in 1965.
Tony Perez, a key player for the Big Red Machine, is the only Cuban native in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He immigrated to the United States in 1960 and played in the Reds minor leagues along with Pete Rose and Tommy Helms. He made his debut with the Reds on July 26, 1964 and played for 16 seasons with the Reds. Perez, known as “Doggie" or the “Big Dog” was an All-Star seven times, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975 and 1976. He was the All-Star MVP in 1967. Perez finished third in the National League behind teammate Johnny Bench and the Cubs Billy Williams in 1970. That season he posted career-highs with a .317 batting average, 40 home runs and 129 RBI.
The native of Camaguey, Cuba, played in four World Series with the Reds, hitting three home runs in the 1975 World Series win against the Boston Red Sox, including the key home run in game seven that put the Reds on the scoreboard in a 3-0 game the Reds eventually won.
Perez left Cincinnati after that season and played for the Montreal Expos, the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies (he played in the 1980 WS) before returning to the Reds in 1984 to finish his playing career on October 5, 1986. He coached first base for the Reds and was the Reds’ manager for 44 games in 1993. His son Eduardo played three seasons for the Reds.
Mike Cuellar joined the Reds from the Sugar Kings in 1959. His three brothers worked in the sugar fields. Cuellar joined the Army, allowing him to play baseball on weekends. He pitched two games with the Reds in 1959. He pitched four innings in two games and allowed seven runs. The Reds lost track of him and he struggled playing minor league baseball in Nicaragua and Mexico for five years, Teammate Ruben Gomez taught him to throw a screwball and he resurfaced in 1964 with the Cardinals. They traded him to Houston, who dealt him to Baltimore where he became a star. Starting in 1969 Cuellar won 23,24,20,18,18 and 22 in straight seasons. His 24 wins and 40 starts in 1970 led the majors. He completed 172 games over 15 years.
Miguel de la Hoz played in one game for the Reds in 1969 after being a starter for the Cleveland Indians and a utility player for the Braves in Milwaukee and Atlanta.
Tony Gonzalez broke in with the Reds in 1960 as part of the Havana Sugar Kings pipeline along with Cardenas, Cuellar and Perez. He played 39 games with the Reds in 1960 before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Wally Post, who was a key player for the 1961 Reds.
Vicente Armor, a right hander, broke in with the Chicago Cubs in 1955. He appeared in four games for the Reds, starting four of them. He had a 1-2 record with a 5.92 ERA. Amor started four games for the Reds in 1957.
Raul Sanchez pitched for the Reds in 1957 and 1960. He appeared in 46 games over those two seasons, all in relief.
Danny Morejon played 12 games for the Reds in the outfield in 1958. He hit .190.
Orlando Pena started his 14-year career with the Reds in 1958. In his three seasons with the Reds, Pena was 6-10 with a 4.27 ERA in 59 games. He appeared in 427 big league games with eight teams. Pena started 93 games. He had a career 3.27 ERA and a 56-77 record. He also saved 40 games.
Rogelio Alvarez played first base for the Reds in 17 total games during the 1960 and 1962 seasons. He hit .189.
Joe Azcue broke in with the Reds in 1960. He caught in 14 games for the Reds that season and hit .097. The Milwaukee Braves purchased his contract that winter and traded him to the Kansas City Athletics where he started a 10-year career in the American League in 1962. He played seven seasons in Cleveland.
Hiraldo Sablon “Chico” Ruiz started his career with the Reds in 1964. He played a utility role with the Reds and famously said, “bench me or trade me,” in jest after he started 64 games of his career-high 105 to cover injuries to Tommy Helms, including 31 in a row. In his six seasons with the Reds through 1969, Ruiz hit .239 in 466 games. Ruiz stole home with Frank Robinson at bat to beat the Philadelphia Phillies on September 21. It was the only run in a 1-0 game. Ruiz was on third base with two outs in the sixth inning after a single by Vada Pinson. Pinson was thrown out at second trying for a double. He stole home. Robinson had no idea he was coming. Robinson grounded out to end the inning. The game was the second win in a nine-game winning streak that saw the Reds erase a 6 ½ game lead to take over the NL lead from the Phillies on September 27.
Camilo Pascual was a 20-game winner for the Minnesota Twins in 1962 (20) and 1963 (21). He pitched in five games for the Reds in 1969 with one start.
Pedro Ramos pitched for the franchise that was the Washington Senators in 1955 and moved to Minnesota to become the Twins in 1961. Ramos led the American League in losses from 1958 through 1961. He had a high of 20 losses in 1961. Ramos pitched for the Reds in 38 games in 1969. He was 4-3 with a 5.16 ERA. He also saved two games. The Reds were the only team among the six that he played for which he had a winning record. Ramos lost a total of 160 games while winning 117 in his 15-year career. However, he logged 2,355 ⅔ innings, including the 66 ⅓ in a Reds’ uniform. He led the American League in hits allowed, 277 and runs allowed 222 in 1958.
Infielder Cookie Rojas played for the Sugar Kings in 1959. He also started the season with them but left Havana after Castro took over in January of that year. Rojas was with the team when it moved to New Jersey.. He broke in with the Reds in 1962, joining the defending National League champions. Rojas hit .229 in 39 games for the Reds. Rojas was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Jim Owens in November. He played for the Phillies, Kansas City Royals and briefly with the St. Louis Cardinals over a 16-year career. Rojas played in 1,822 games and had a .263 career average. In 1988 after a long stint as a coach at Kansas City, he managed the California Angels and had a 75-79 record before he was fired. Rojas managed the Florida Marlins for one game in 1996 between Rene Lachemann and John Boles. He won that game.
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