Los Rojos Exhibit: More of the Story

Take a deeper dive into the stories behind the impact of Latinos on the game of baseball.

The minor league club that became the Reds’ primary conduit for bringing talent from Cuba to Cincinnati was founded in 1946 by Washington Senators scout Joe Cambria. Cambria and the Senators dominated scouting in Cuba and his Havana Cubans, as the team was originally known, was a high-profile manifestation of Cambria’s influence. Cambria sold the club in 1954 to Bobby Maduro, who moved the team into the Class AAA International League from the Class A Florida International League, and re-named the club, the “Sugar Kings.” The next year, the Reds entered into a formal affiliation agreement with Maduro’s club becoming the first major league team with a minor league affiliate in Latin America. Over the next six seasons, the Reds leveraged the Sugar Kings location within the Cuban baseball environment to sign and develop dozens of future major leaguers, including Reds Hall of Fame shortstop Leonardo “Leo” Cardenas and major league all-star pitcher Miguel “Mike” Cuellar, and all-star infielder Octavio “Cookie” Rojas. Unfortunately, the Communist Revolution of 1959 ultimately brought an end to the formal involvement of major league teams with Cuban baseball. Despite the uncertainty and occasional discord resulting from the Revolution, the Sugar Kings won the 1959 minor league championship. The next year, as Cuban dictator Fidel Castro began nationalizing all private holdings on the island, the Sugar Kings were forced to flee Havana in the middle of their season. Transplanted to Jersey City, NJ, the franchise would later move multiple times in the ensuing decades, and currently resides in Norfolk, VA, serving as the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.