Cuban Leaguer Angel Scull never played a single game in the majors, but his 1954 Topps bubblegum card (issued somewhat prematurely before a spring training injury ended Scull’s career) may be the most artistic Cuban baseball card ever published.

Tommie de la Cruz was an Afro-Cuban journeyman pitcher who reached the “all-white” majors three full seasons (1944, Cincinnati) before Afro-American Jackie Robinson.

The colorful legends surrounding the unpredictable onfield behaviors of Victor “El Loco” Mesa as both an outfielder (1980s-1990s) and manager (2000s) are unpassed in an epoch of Cuban baseball history.

Martin Dihigo (DEE-Go) of blackball fame remains the popular choice as Cuba’s greatest ballplayer ever, twice leading a circuit (Cuba and Mexico) in batting average and pitching ERA in the same season.

Agustin Marquetti was the first great slugger of the modern era (post-revolution) and was far better known for the towering blasts he often stroked than for the actual numbers of home runs amassed.

“El Gigante de Escambray” was a slugging sensation of the 1970s who lasted a record 24 seasons of National Series playand slugged 370 career roundtrippers.

Omar “El Nino” Linares was unquestionably Cuba’s best performer of the post-revolution era and has his supporters (alongside Martin Dihigo) as the biggest Cuban talent of any era (professional or amateur).