Baseball: ALL-TIME TOP 10: CUBA

[El Presidente]

ALL-TIME TOP 10: CUBA

FEARSOME HITTERS, CRAFTY PITCHERS, LEGENDS AND A HALL OF FAMER

https://www.lavidabaseball.com/top-10-cuba-palmeiro-tiant-minoso-perez/

 

By Efraín Ruiz Pantin

It’s a pity that the lasting memory of Rafael Palmeiro is that of him wagging his finger during a 2005 Congressional hearing, asserting unequivocally that “I have never used steroids, period.” He later tested positive for stanozolol, ruining his reputation and chances to enter Cooperstown. But Palmeiro was so productive over 20 seasons that even when we deduct a penalty of 50 points from our WAR and Hall of Fame Monitor aggregate, he still finishes on top. Palmeiro did it all: He hit for average, hit for power and won three Gold Gloves at first base.

I’ll note that this ranking includes only Cubans who played Major League Baseball. Interestingly enough, there’s no one on the list who was born after 1964. The pipeline closed when Fidel Castro came to power and didn’t open up ever so slightly until the wave of defectors in the ’90s. And those who have arrived since, including Yoenis Céspedes, Aroldis Chapman and José Abreu, haven’t played long enough to catch their pioneering countrymen.

1. RAFAEL PALMEIRO

 

1987 TOPPS Rafael Palmeiro card

 

.288/.371/.515 — 71.6 WAR — 178 HOF Monitor

Midway through that 2005 season, while he secretly appealed a positive drug test, Palmeiro became the fourth player in history to reach 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, joining Babe Ruth, Henry “Hank” Aaron and Eddie Murray in the most exclusive of clubs, one that today also includes Álex Rodríguez. Palmeiro didn’t waste an at-bat. He retired with more walks than strikeouts and 1,835 RBI. That’s good enough for 17th all-time, right behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Ted Williams. It goes without saying that among Cuban major leaguers, Palmeiro ranks No. 1 in hits, runs, RBI, doubles, home runs, walks and OPS, and is tied with José Canseco in slugging.

2. LUIS TIANT

 

1974 TOPPS Luis Tiant card

 

229-172/3.30 ERA/2,416 K — 66.7 WAR — 97 HOF Monitor

Which Cuban major leaguer leads his countrymen in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts, shutouts and games started? The same guy who was beloved for his style and competitive spirit, the master of multiple pitches and deliveries. El Tiante was a three-time All-Star who won 20 games four times and led the American League twice in ERA. In 1968, when he lost out on the Cy Young Award to 31-game winner Denny McLain, Tiant finished 21-9 and led the league with a 1.60 ERA and nine shutouts. In the 1975 World Series, he recorded two complete-game wins for the Boston Red Sox and then pitched the first seven innings of the legendary Game 6 that teammate Carlton Fisk won in the 12th inning with a home run. Tiant is as good as you can get without reaching Cooperstown.

3. TONY OLIVA

 

1966 TOPPS Tony Oliva card

 

.304/.353/.476 — 43.0 WAR — 114 HOF Monitor

Oliva struck fear in pitchers’ hearts, a left-handed batter who smashed line drives as hard as anyone. Despite balky knees, he’s the only Cuban with more than 1,000 at-bats to average .300 in a major league career. The 1964 AL Rookie of the Year, Oliva won the batting title his first two full seasons and three times overall. He also led the league in hits five times and in doubles four times. Only six other Latinos have averaged .300 with a 130 OPS+ over their careers: Rod Carew, Miguel Cabrera, Pedro Guerrero, Vladimir Guerrero, Albert Pujols and Manny Ramírez. That’s how good Oliva was.

4. ORESTES ‘MINNIE’ MIÑOSO

 

1952 TOPPS Orestes Miñoso card

 

.298/.389/.459 — 50.2 WAR — 87 HOF Monitor

Minnie was the Latino Jackie Robinson, the first black star from Latin America. He broke the color barrier in Chicago in 1951 and remains among the most beloved White Sox players in history. Despite enormous hostility and prejudice, Minnie was a nine-time All-Star outfielder who ran like the wind and sprayed the ball to all corners, three times leading the league in triples. From 1951 to 1961, he hit .305/.395/.471. While true that the White Sox humored Minnie so he could play three games in 1976 at 50 and two more in 1980 at 54 and become the first and only five-decade player in modern baseball, it’s also testament to his athleticism, dignity and drive.

5. ATANACIO ‘TONY’ PÉREZ

 

1966 TOPPS Tony Pérez card

 

.279/.341/.463 — 53.9 WAR — 81 HOF Monitor

Pérez was durable and steady, playing 23 seasons without going on the disabled list. While hitting 379 home runs and 505 doubles, he drove in 90-or-more runs 11 straight seasons and 12 overall for a total of 1,652 RBI in his career. On Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine of the 1970s — a two-time world championship team that included all-time hits leader Pete Rose and Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan — Pérez was known as “Big Dog.” He’s the only Cuban who played in the majors enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

6. DAGOBERTO ‘BERT’ CAMPANERIS

 

1969 TOPPS Bert Campaneris card

 

.259/.311/.342 — 53.0 WAR — 76 HOF Monitor

Campaneris never hit .300 except for his last season nor did he manage double-digit home runs except once, yet he beat you with his legs and speed. He led the league in steals six times while totaling 649 over his 19-year career, good enough for 14th all-time. A six-time All-Star, Campaneris holds several unique distinctions: The first Latino to hit a home run in his first career at-bat; the first major leaguer to play all nine positions in a game — capping the feat by pitching to one batter as a righty and to another as a lefty — and a steady influence at shortstop when the raucous Oakland A’s won three straight World Series from 1972 to 1974.

7. MIKE CUÉLLAR

 

1975 TOPPS Mike Cuéllar card

 

185-130/3.14 ERA/1,632 K — 27.2 WAR — 96 HOF Monitor

Cuéllar was a late bloomer who learned the screwball when he was close to 30. Once he mastered the pitch, the lefty won 18-or-more games six straight seasons, including 20-or-more four times. A four-time All-Star, his claim to fame is being the first Latino to earn the Cy Young Award, going 23-11 with a 2.38 ERA and five shutouts in 1969. The following year, Cuéllar won a career-high 24 games and the Baltimore Orioles won the World Series.

8. CAMILO PASCUAL

 

1961 TOPPS Camilo Pascual card

 

174-170/3.63 ERA/2,167 K — 41.3 WAR — 66 HOF Monitor

Let’s start with his curve, a breaking ball so good that Ted Williams claimed, “It was the most-feared curve in the American League for 18 years.” Pascual had the bad luck of signing with the lowly Washington Senators, losing 66 games in his first five seasons. But the following six years, he was as good as gold, going 100-66 with a 3.04 ERA and becoming the first Latino to lead a league in strikeouts. Between Washington and Minnesota, he earned seven All-Star selections, leading the league in complete games, shutouts and strikeouts three times each.

9. JOSÉ CANSECO

 

1989 TOPPS José Canseco All-Star card

 

.266/.353/.515 — 42.2 WAR — 103 HOF Monitor

Like Palmeiro, he gets docked 50 points for steroid abuse. Unlike Palmeiro, he pays for his sins, dropping way down in this Top 10. Canseco broke in with the Oakland A’s with a bang. He was voted AL Rookie of the Year in 1986 and AL MVP in 1988, when he became a charter member of the 40-40 club. In fact, his 162-game averages for his first seven seasons made him look like the Cuban Babe Ruth: 40 home runs, 30 doubles, 24 steals and 123 RBI. Unfortunately, Canseco couldn’t stay healthy and in some quarters his career is remembered more for his tell-all book and a baseball that bounced off his head for a home run.

10. ADOLFO ‘DOLF’ LUQUE

 

1933 Goudey Adolfo Luque card

 

194-179/3.24 ERA/1,130 K — 47.6 WAR — 44 HOF Monitor

A true pioneer who debuted with the Boston Braves in 1914, Luque was the first Latin American baseball star — the first to pitch in the majors, to reach the World Series, and to lead a league in wins, ERA and shutouts. Light-skinned, but dark-tempered, Luque played 20 seasons, notching 27 wins in 1923 with the Cincinnati Reds. He won two World Series, pitching in relief for the Reds during the notorious “Black Sox Scandal” of 1919 and again for the New York Giants in 1933, going 4.1 scoreless innings at age 43 to clinch the championship in Game 5. Luque’s legacy extends across the Caribbean, where he won eight Cuban league titles as a manager and nurtured future stars like Camilo Pascual and Beto Ávila.

[bigben]

My buddy came back from Boston a couple years ago (he's a huge red sox fan)with some Luis Tiant cigars. I was not familiar with him so he filled me in on the history.

He said he was a very nice guy and appreciative when he bought a box.  Cigars were great at the time, pretty sure the manufacturer has changed since then, though.

[JohnS]

Yeah, well...Rafael Palmiero would be easily in the Hall of Fame if it wasn't for the Balco Drug Scandal and playing in that era. But he can't complain as he has Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez (coming up) for company who are waiting or will never get there.

Tony Perez's contributions to the Big Red Machine era of the 70s, when the Cincinnati Reds dominated baseball ensured his eventual right to be there.

[dvickery]

Martin dihigo

could not play MLB because he was black ... probably should be ranked #1 .

derrek

[wabashcr]

Palmeiro was a dirtbag who had an affair with Ryne Sandberg's wife in Chicago and was then exposed as one of the biggest hypocrites of the steroid era.  But he could hit.

Most of these guys played before my time, so it's hard for me to compare them to contemporary players.  But I'm surprised neither Orlando or Livan Hernandez made the list.  Orlando (El Duque) won 4 World Series, and was integral in 3 of them.  His brother Livan was a World Series MVP, and was an effective starter for 15 years.  Neither will make the Hall of Fame, but they were also pioneers in a way, in that they helped spark the market for Cuban defectors.  As the article points out, there weren't many Castro-era Cuban players in MLB until the 90s.  Not only did the Cuban government make it very difficult for elite baseball players to defect, but MLB teams were hesitant to invest in Cuban defectors for a number of reasons.  The success the Hernandez brothers had certainly helped open the door for many other Cuban players to get big opportunities.  Obviously that won't show up in a statistically driven analysis like this, but it's important to acknowledge nonetheless.

[Danimalia]

The Luque addition is interesting. At the time, baseball had a strictly, self-enforced ban on players of color. I'm not sure if Luque was one of them, but there were some early Cuban players (pre-1947), who were admitted as they had "only the purest Castillan Spanish blood." You can see how dumbass this segregation is when it resorts to quantifying the genetics of Latino ballplayers. 

As for the current generation, there is a lot of talent.  I saw Cespedes live in Oakland during his rookie year, and he was built like a tank. Even his foul balls were electric.