Books and articles about Armando Marsans

Marsans was not the first Cuban in the major leagues, but he was the first successful and highly popular one. Half black, he was light-skinned enough to cross baseball's rigid color line, and could be considerd the first black in 20th-century major league ball. He was discovered by Clark Griffith, Cincinnati manager and the principal exploiter of the world of inexpensive Latino players. A swift outfielder, Marsans could also play the infield when needed. Though only an average hitter, he was an audacious baserunner. His slide was a thing of beauty. He was also an early challenger of baseball's restrictive contracts, giving Cincinnati ten days' notice in 1914 and jumping to the Federal League. An injuction barring him from playing for the St. Louis Feds was eventually dismissed, but by the time he was free to play again, he was nearing the end of the trail. (ADS)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 3, 1912: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants score runs on two solo homers by Fred Merkle and one by Beals Becker, off Art Fromme, to beat the Reds, 3–2. In a typical game, Christy Mathewson scatters 10 hits and walks none for the win. Armando Marsans is 4-for-4 for the Reds. » July 15, 1917: The Yankees send Lee Magee to the Browns for Armando Marsans.