Thanks to a special committee, the Cubans were chosen to enter the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022 along with four other players.
Read Also: All ready! Players confirmed for the Pepsi Home Run Festival in Caracas
Two Cuban baseball glories, Tony Oliva and Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso, were elected to the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame along with six other players, as part of the Early Baseball Committee and Golden Era Committee voting. Sunday night during an MLB Network broadcast.
In addition to Oliva, 83, and Miñoso, who passed away in 2015, who were among the candidates evaluated by the Golden Era Committee, Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat and Buck O’Neil were also selected. They will be inducted to Cooperstown on July 24 as part of the 2002 Class, along with anyone chosen in this year’s Ballot for the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
Oliva and Miñoso join Atanacio “Tany” Pérez, Martín Dihigo, José Mendéz and Cristóbal Torriente as Cuban-born players in the Hall of Fame.
Minoso, one of the pioneers among Latino players, was called up to seven All-Star Games and finished his career in the majors with 186 home runs, 83 triples, 205 stolen bases and an .848 OPS. The Havana native played parts of 12 seasons with the Chicago White Sox in his 17-year MLB career and won three Gold Gloves as an outfielder.
Oliva had a brilliant career between 1962 and 1976, always with the Minnesota Twins. In his lifetime, he hit .304 / .353 / .476, with 1,917 hits, 220 home runs, 947 RBIs and 86 stolen bases. He was American League Rookie of the Year in 1964, when he won the first of his three batting titles (1965, 1971). He went to the All-Star Game eight times, led the Young Circuit five times in hits and four times in doubles, won a Gold Glove and twice (1965, 1970) finished second in the MVP voting.
The Early Baseball Committee vote weighted candidates whose main contributions were made before 1950. Seven of those 10 were stars in the Negro Leagues or pre-Negro Leagues: John Donaldson, Fowler, Vic Harris, Grant “Home Run” Johnson, O ‘ Neil, Dick “Cannonball” Redding and George “Tubby” Scales. American and National League Major Leaguers Bill Dahlen, Lefty O’Doul and Allie Reynolds round out the vote. All 10 candidates have passed away.
