Armando Marsans

Armando Marsans (October 3, 1887 in Matanzas, Cuba – September 3, 1960 in Havana, Cuba) was a Major League Baseball outfielder from 1911 to 1918. He played in three different major leagues in his career: with the Cincinnati Reds in the National League (1911 to 1914), with the St. Louis Terriers in the Federal League (1914 to 1915), and with the St. Louis Browns and New York Yankees (1916 to 1918).

Biography

Marsans and Rafael Almeida debuted together with the Reds on July 4, 1911. They are sometimes named the first major league players born in Cuba, which is untrue since Havana-born Chick Pedroes played in the National League in 1902. (Cuban-born Steve Bellán played from 1871 to 1873 in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, whose status as a major league is disputed by baseball historians).

Playing career

Six years before Cincinnati, Marsans and Almeida played "Negro baseball" in the United States as 1905 members of the integrated All Cubans. Marsans also played Negro league baseball in 1923 for the Cuban Stars (Riley, 514). He is buried at Colon Cemetery, Havana.