The Cuban Amateur League (, "National Amateur Baseball League") was a baseball circuit active in Cuba from 1914 to 1960. At its peak during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, it was a major competitor to the professional Cuban Winter League in terms of talent and popularity.

History Baseball in Cuba originated at the amateur level; storied winter league teams like Almendares and Habana originated as social clubs before evolving into professional sides. Though this circuit evolved into the professional Cuban Winter League by the turn of the 20th century, which was largely played in Havana, there continued to be baseball played by amateur, semi-pro, and sugar mill teams that, according to historian Peter C. Bjarkman, was in many cases at the same level of play as the professional leagueBjarkman, p. 156–159

The "Liga Nacional" was originally formed as the top-level nationwide amateur tournament in 1914, with Vedado Tennis Club taking the inaugural pennant. In 1917, the league received official government sanction, bringing under the Unión Atlética Amateur de Cuba in 1922.

The Amateur League produced a high level of talent, including several players that would go on to play in Major League Baseball such as Conrado Marrero, Julio "Jiqui" Moreno, Sandalio Consuegra, Rogelio "Limonar" Martínez, and others. Other players, such as Pedro "Natilla" Jiménez and Antonio "Quilla" Valdés, had fleeting pro careers or eschewed professionalism entirely, but were nevertheless stars of the game in Cuba, rivaling their professional counterparts. After the Boston Red Sox lost to a Cuban amateur team in 1941, manager Joe Cronin reportedly said, "They may be amateurs, but many are better than our players."

Unlike the professional Cuban League, the amateur league was segregated for much of its existence. This partially stemmed from the fact that the exclusive social clubs that initially made up the league had their membership excluded to whites.González Echevarría, pp. 190–191 However, amateur clubs would periodically play exhibitions against racially-integrated sugarmill and semi-pro teams.

The Amateur League enjoyed its peak of popularity in the early 1940s, when its best players formed the basis of the Cuba national baseball team at the Amateur World Series tournaments, held in Havana from 1939 to 1943. However, the league began to decline towards the end of World War II due to a variety of factors: MLB scouts such as Joe Cambria made it a priority to sign Cuban ballplayers, including those from the amateur leagues, leading to many star players turning pro.

Records and statistics for the Amateur League are incomplete, and, according to Bjarkman, historical studies of Cuban baseball have largely marginalized the amateur league in favor of the professional Cuban Winter League. However, the league was recently commemorated when the Vedado Tennis Club site was chosen for the re-establishment of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.

Teams Vedado Tennis Club (the "Marqueses") and Central Hershey ("Azucareros") tied for the most championships in the Amateur League, with seven each. The University of Havana team, fielding a collegiate team nicknamed the "Caribes", won five titles over the course of the league's existence.

Vedado Tennis Club Instituto de La Habana Sociedad de Marianao Club Atlético de Cuba Fortuna BBC Regla BBC Central Hershey Deportivo Matanzas Club Telefónos Círculo Militar y Naval Círculo de Artesanos

Champions (1914–1960) Season Champions Record Manager 1914 Vedado Tennis Club 13–3 Gustavo de Zaldo 1915 Vedado Tennis Club 12–3 Gustavo de Zaldo 1916 Vedado Tennis Club 16–4 Ignacio Zayas 1917 Atlético de Cuba 9–2 Gustavo Gutiérrez 1918 Club Bellamar de Matanzas 13–3 E. González 1919 Atlético de Cuba 18–4 Gustavo Gutiérrez 1920 Cienfuegos Sports Club 19–4 C. Esquivel 1921 Fortuna Sports Club 15–3–1 Juan Albear 1922 Fortuna Sports Club 14–5 Alfonso Peña 1923 Universidad de La Habana Caribes 16–1–2 G. Kendrigan 1924 Atlético de la Policía 14–4 Horacio Alonso 1925 Vedado Tennis Club 17–5-2 Rafael Almeida 1926 Vedado Tennis Club 20–7-1 Rafael Almeida 1927 Vedado Tennis Club 16–5 Rafael Almeida 1928 Vedado Tennis Club 17–4 Rafael Almeida 1929 Universidad de La Habana Caribes 23–5 Oscar Ortiz 1930 Universidad de La Habana Caribes 12–3 Oscar Ortiz 1931 Club Telefónos 18–3–1 Octavio Diviño 1932 Hershey Sport Club 18–2–1 Joaquín Viego 1933 Regla Base Ball Club 15–7-1 José López 1934 Hershey Sport Club 17–3 Joaquín Viego 1935 Hershey Sport Club 20–5 Joaquín Viego 1936 Fortuna Sport Club 14–5-2 Reinaldo Cordeiro 1937 Fortuna Sport Club 13–6–1 Reinaldo Cordeiro 1938 Hershey Sport Club 21–3 Joaquín Viego 1939 Hershey Sport Club 21–5–1 Joaquín Viego 1940 Hershey Sport Club 20–5 Joaquín Viego 1941 Cienfuegos 18–6-1 Candido González 1942 Círculo Militar y Naval 22–5 Evelio Miranda 1943 Deportivo Matanzas 23–5–2 Pipo de la Noval 1944 Círculo de Artesanos 26–3-1 José R. Castañeda 1945 Deportivo Matanzas 27–4-2 Pipo de la Noval 1946 Universidad de La Habana Caribes 26–5-2 Víctor Muñoz 1947 Deportivo Rosario 23–3 Lorenzo Fernández 1948 Hershey Sport Club 17–4-2 Joaquín Viego 1949 Universidad de La Habana Caribes 20–4 Víctor Muñoz 1950 Club Telefónos 20–3-1 Oscar Reyes 1951 Club Telefónos 20–3 Oscar Reyes 1952 Cubaneleco 20–4-1 Manuel de le Fuente 1953 Cubaneleco 25–5 Manuel de le Fuente 1954 Cubaneleco 24–7-1 Manuel de le Fuente 1955 Liceo de Regla 9–1–1 Jesús Mera 1956 Santiago de Las Vegas 26–2–1 Oscar del Calvo 1957 Artemisa 20–5-1 Abelardo Gómez 1959 Regla Baseball Club 19–5-1 Antonio Suarez 1959 Artemisa 20–3–1 Francisco Quicutis 1960 Club Telefónos 15–2–1 Oscar Garmendia Source:Bjarkman, pp. 189–193

See also Cuban baseball league system List of Cuban baseball champions

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