Abstract

GULIN GONZALEZ, Jorge. Quantitative analysis of the territorial origin of Cuban players in the major leagues (1871-1961). Universidad y Sociedad [online]. 2022, vol.14, n.1, pp. 640-647.  Epub Feb 10, 2022. ISSN 2218-3620.

Until the breakdown of relations with the North American professional circuit, Cubans constituted the majority of Latin Americans in the Major Leagues Baseball (MLB). Due to socioeconomic reasons and the origin of the sport in Cuba, players from the western provinces, mainly from the capital, prevailed in the national presence. Despite the fact that the literature has tangentially dealt with the influence of the territory in the development of Cuban baseball and its presence in the United States, there are no quantitative studies on this subject. Here we present a statistical investigation of the Cuban presence in the MLB in the period 1871-1961. The main objective is to obtain quantitative evidence on the role of the region of origin in the Cuban presence in the MLB and its evolution over time. The distribution of players by provinces was studied, considering parameters such as age and time spent in the tournament. The temporal evolution of the proportion of capital players and the rest of the country was considered. There is a preponderance of western players, especially of Havana; however, the percentage progressively decreases over the period. It was found that Havana players debuted 2 years earlier, although they averaged fewer seasons.

Keywords : Cuban baseball; history of the major league baseball; Cubans in the major league baseball.

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