Cuban Elite League

Cuban Elite League
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2023–24 Cuban Elite League
SportBaseball
Founded2022
PresidentJuan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo
Organising bodyINDER
No. of teams6
Country Cuba
Most recent
champion(s)		Cocodrilos de Matanzas
(1st title)
TV partner(s)Tele Rebelde
Cubavision International
Level on pyramid1
Related
competitions		Caribbean Series
Official website[1]

The Cuban Elite League (Spanish: Liga Élite del Beisbol Cubano, or LEB), is a winter baseball league in Cuba. It debuted in 2022 as the highest level of the Cuban baseball league system. Beginning with the 2023-24 season, the Elite League comprised the top six teams from the summer-time Cuban National Series.[1][2]

The league was formed in an effort to increase the quality of Cuban baseball, to bring it closer to the other professional winter leagues of the Caribbean. Professional baseball was abolished in Cuba in 1961. A desire to bring together the best players from the National Series, as well as address the drain of Cuban talent from the island to more competitive foreign leagues, contributed to the change of format in the league's second season (2023-24).[3]

International competition

In 2023, the winner of the 2022-23 Elite League (Agricultores) represented Cuba at the 2023 Caribbean Series in Venezuela. However, in part due to fallout from the Cuban national team's appearance at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the 2023-24 league champion was not invited to the 2024 Caribbean Series in Miami.[4]

The 2023-24 LEB champion was invited to the prospective Intercontinental Series, to be held in Barranquilla in 2024, but the league declined the invitation, in part due to the inclusion of FEPCUBE, a team composed of Cuban expatriate and defected players.[5] Pressure from the Cuban government eventually saw that tournament cancelled.[6] Instead, LEB announced that it would take part a tournament labeled the "Copa Antillana" in Puerto Rico; however that tournament never materialized.[7]

Teams

For the full list of teams eligible to qualify for the LEB, see Cuban National Series § Current teams.

2023–24 season

Six clubs competed in the 2023–24 season.[8] These six occupied the top spots in the 2023 Cuban National Series.[9][10]

2023–24 Team SNB
Position 		First season
in LEB 		No. of seasons
of current spell
in LEB 		Top
division
titles 		Most
recent top
division title
Cocodrilos de Matanzas 6th 2023–24 1 1 2019–20
Industriales de La Habana 5th 2023–24 1 12 2009–10
Avispas de Santiago de Cuba 2nd 2023–24 1 8 2007–08
Gallos de Sancti Spíritus 4th 2023–24 1 1 1978–79
Leñadores de Las Tunas 1st 2023–24 1 1 2018–19
Cazadores de Artemisa 3rd 2023–24 1 0 –

2024-25 season

In the Elite League's third season, out of the 16 teams that form part of the Cuban National Series, only six of them qualified into the new league. These six teams occupied the top spots in the 2024 Cuban National Series.

Team Ranking (Cuban National Series) City Stadium
Las Tunas TBD Las Tunas Julio Antonio Mella Stadium
Pinar del Río TBD Pinar del Rio Estadio Capitán San Luis
Granma 3rd Bayamo Mártires de Barbados Stadium
Industriales 4th La Habana Estadio Latinoamericano
Santiago de Cuba 5th Santiago de Cuba Estadio Guillermón Moncada
Ciego de Ávila 6th Ciego de Avila José Ramón Cepero Stadium

2022–23 season

In the Elite League's inaugural 2022-23 LEB season, the 16 teams of the Cuban National Series were grouped into six regional teams. However, this format was considered unpopular, and for the league's second season, the decision was made to include National Series teams.[3]

Team SNB Grouping City Stadium Capacity
Agricultores Las Tunas
Granma		 Bayamo Mártires de Barbados Stadium 10,000
Cafetaleros Santiago de Cuba
Holguín
Guantánamo		 Holguín Calixto García Íñiguez Stadium 30,000
Centrales Matanzas
Cienfuegos
Villa Clara		 Matanzas Victoria de Girón Stadium 22,000
Ganaderos Sancti Spíritus
Ciego de Ávila
Camagüey		 Sancti Spíritus José Antonio Huelga Stadium 13,000
Portuarios Industriales
Mayabeque		 Havana Estadio Latinoamericano 55,000
Tabacaleros Pinar del Río
Isla de la Juventud
Artemisa		 Nueva Gerona Estadio Cristóbal Labra 5,000

Champions

See also: List of Cuban baseball champions
Season Winning team Manager Record Games Losing team
2022–23 Agricultores (Las Tunas/Granma) Carlos Martí 30–19 4–3 Portuarios (Industriales/Mayabeque)
2023–24 Matanzas Armando Ferrer 25–15 4–2 Artemisa

References

  1. ^ "Sharp Direction Change: First Six Teams in Cuba's National Series Will Play the Elite Baseball League". Periodico 26. June 16, 2023.
  2. ^ "Clasificados los seis equipos para la II Liga Élite del Béisbol Cubano" (in Spanish). Diario del Cuba. July 16, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "La Liga Élite: Segundo capítulo en busca de fijador" (in Spanish). Cubadebate. November 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "RÉGIMEN CONFIRMA QUE CUBA NO ESTARÁ EN SERIE DEL CARIBE DE MIAMI". ADN Cuba. Nov 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "RÉGIMEN CONFIRMA QUE CUBA NO ESTARÁ EN SERIE DEL CARIBE DE MIAMI". ADN Cuba. Nov 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "Serie Intercontinental de Béisbol con equipo Cuba libre es cancelada" (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes.
  7. ^ "¿Por qué el régimen cubano necesitaba la suspensión del torneo en el que habría un equipo de peloteros del exilio?" (in Spanish). Diario de Cuba. January 17, 2023.
  8. ^ "II Liga Elite del Béisbol Cubano 2023-2024". BeisbolenCuba.com (in Spanish).
  9. ^ "Inicia hoy Liga Élite del Béisbol Cubano" (in Spanish). Radio Rebelde. November 7, 2023.
  10. ^ "Cuban Baseball Elite League begins". Radio Habana Cuba. November 7, 2023.