Puerto Rico Baseball League
From BR Bullpen
The Puerto Rico Baseball League, formerly the Puerto Rican League (Spanish: Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League) or LBPPR is the top professional baseball league in Puerto Rico. It is a winter league that consisting of six teams with the league's champion participating in the Serie del Caribe. The league canceled the 2007-2008 season due to financial concerns. It returned to play in 2008-2009 with a new name (the Puerto Rico Baseball League).
The league was established in the winter of 1938-1939 as a semi-professional baseball league. The league featured 6 teams, but only two of their players, Hiram Bithorn and Luis Olmo would make it to the US Major Leagues. The six original teams were the Mayaguez Indians, San Juan Senators, Ponce Lions, Caguas Criollos, the Humacao Oriental Grays and the Guayama Brujos. The following year, two expansion teams, the Santurce Crabbers and the Aguadilla Sharks were added. The league became an official "professional" league in 1941.
In 1949 the league helped co-found the Caribbean Series and it has been a major winter league for over 65 years. Puerto Rican teams have won 14 Caribbean Series titles, one behind the Dominican Republic for the all-time lead. Many high profile players have been a part of the league, including Hall-of-Famers Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Leon Day and Willie Mays, Negro League stars Monte Irvin, Ed Stone and Bill Byrd and Puerto Rican natives Luis Olmo, Perucho Cepeda, Luis Marquez, Ruben Gomez, Juan Pizarro. Roberto Clemente, Ivan Rodriguez, Roberto Alomar, Juan Gonzalez, Bernie Williams, Edgar Martinez and Orlando Cepeda.
Other would be Major league starts played for one or more winters on their way to "making it" in the Major leagues, including Tommy Lasorda, Don Zimmer, Roy Campanella, Sandy Koufax, Denny McLain, Gary Carter, Steve Carlton, Rickey Henderson, Mike Schmidt, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Vince Coleman.
Contents |
[edit] Current Teams
[edit] Former Teams
- Vaqueros de Bayamón: based in Bayamón
- Caguas-Guayama
- Guayama
- Senadores de San Juan: based in San Juan
- Cangrejeros de Santurce: based in Santurce, San Juan
[edit] League Champions
[edit] Championships by Team
- Indios de Mayagüez: 15 (1949, 1957, 1963, 1966, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005)
- Cangrejeros de Santurce: 12 (1951, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1991, 1993, 2000)
- Leones de Ponce: 10 (1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1982, 2004)
- Caguas-Guayama: 9 (1941, 1948, 1950, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1968, 1974)
- Senadores de San Juan: 8 (1946, 1952, 1961, 1964, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1995)
- Criollos de Caguas: 5 (1977, 1979, 1981, 1987, 2001)
- Vaqueros de Bayamón: 4 (1975, 1976, 1980, 2002)
- Guayama: 2 (1939, 1940)
- Lobos de Arecibo: 2 (1983, 1996)
- Gigantes de Carolina: 2 (2006, 2007)
[edit] Seasonal Champions
| Team won the Serie del Caribe |
[edit] MVP list (incomplete)
- 1947-1948 Johnny Davis
- 1949-1950 Willard Brown
- 1960-1961 Luis Arroyo, San Juan
- 1968-1969 Ellie Hendricks, Santurce
- 1985-1986 Wally Joyner, Mayaguez
- 1987-1988 Bryan Harvey, San Juan
- 1988-1989 Lonnie Smith, San Juan
- 1989-1990 Edgar Martinez, San Juan & Carlos Baerga, San Juan (tie)
- 1990-1991 Hector Villanueva, San Juan
- 1991-1992 Wil Cordero, Mayaguez
- 1992-1993 Juan Gonzalez, Santurce
- 1993-1994 Carlos Delgado, San Juan
- 1994-1995 Carlos Delgado, San Juan
- 1995-1996 Doug Glanville, Mayaguez
- 1997-1998 José Hernández, Mayaguez
- 1998-1999 Jose Vidro, Ponce
- 1999-2000 Ivan Cruz, Ponce
- 2000-2001 Yamil Benitez, Carolina
- 2001-2002 Ramon Vazquez, Caguas
- 2003-2004 Alexis Rios, Caguas
- 2004-2005 Jose Munoz, Caguas
Missing many seasons prior to 1985 as well as 1986-1987, 1996-1997, 2002-2003, 2005-2006, 2006-2007
