Armando Marsans : The First Cuban Major League Baseball Player

Armando Marsans joined the Cincinnati Reds in 1911, the first Cuban to play Major League baseball. Events in baseball have often mirrored the social development of the United States; Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier is one such example. Armando Marsans' story is that of Americans view of Latinos during the early 20th century. In detailing Marsans' baseball career, this work also recapitulates baseball history in Cuba and describes the early development of professional baseball in America. Examples of how Americans reacted to Marsans as a player and a person, and the prevalence of Latino stereotypes during this era are fully explored. Part biography, part sociological study, this book introduces the reader to a physically gifted player while also examining a young, powerful America struggling to find its own identity in its new ethnic makeup.