Not One Of Fidel Castro’s Baseball Teammates

The Havana Baseball Monkey 1950s

There is a myth that the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was an excellent baseball player during his collegiate years. It was claimed he was so good that major league scouts were following him. He was even offered a major league contract.

The whole story is untrue. There is one known photograph of Fidel Castro in a baseball uniform.

One thing Fidel Castro did do with baseball was effectively kill off the flow of major league talent from Cuba to the United States.

So how does this monkey photograph relate to Fidel Castro? Was the baseball monkey a mascot of one of Fidel’s teams?

There is no relationship except we thought it was a very strange photograph.

This 1950s news photograph above has lost its original caption. the note on the back says “Havana baseball monkey.”

Several things to ponder:
If this is your mascot, what is the name of your team?
That is one terrible place to lay out a baseball field.Someone went to the trouble of custom tailoring the uniform for the monkey.
He is wearing a wristwatch, and has not one, but two rings on his fingers
The monkey has a chain device similar to what you would use to measure the exact distance from base to base. That is not what it is. if you look carefully the chain runs up his leg and goes around his neck.
He looks rather angry.

Intriguing isn’t it?

Maybe not.  If any reader can provide more information please do.

So for your consideration here is a news-press photograph of another Cuban rebel named Castro with Minnie Minoso.