Colombian Professional Baseball League
SportBaseball
Founded1948
PresidentPedro Salzedo Salom
No. of teams4
CountryColombia
Most recent
champion(s)		Caimanes de Barranquilla (13th title)
Most titlesCaimanes de Barranquilla (13 titles)
TV partner(s)Telecaribe
Related
competitions		Caribbean Series
Official websitelpbcol.com.co

The Colombian Professional Baseball League (Spanish: Liga Profesional de Béisbol or LPB), is a professional baseball league based in Colombia. It is a four-team winter league that plays during the Major League Baseball offseason. In the past, the league's champion has taken part in the Caribbean Series.

History

The history of Colombian professional baseball is commonly divided into three eras: from 1948 to 1958, from 1979 to 1988, and from 1993 to the present.

Professional baseball in Colombia has its origins in 1948, when two foreign teams — the Havana Sugar Kings of the Florida State League, and Chesterfield of the Panamanian League — played an exhibition series against the Colombian national team. Shortly thereafter, business interests in Cartagena created the country's two first professional teams: Torices of Cartagena and Indios of Cartagena. Indios would go on to be the league's most successful club in its early years, winning seven championships.[1] The first era of Colombian professional baseball continued until the 1957–58 season, when a national currency devaluation forced it to cease operations.[2]

The Colombian league returned to operation in 1993 on a semi-pro basis, known as the Copa Kola Román-Davivienda, with seven brand-new teams from different departments of Colombia.[3] In 1994, it returned to a fully professional format, with Caimanes, Vaqueros, and Rancheros returning from the previous era as well as a new team, Tigres, based in Cartagena.[4]

The league added two teams for the 2010–11 season, both in non-traditional baseball markets in the country's central regions: Potros, based in Medellín, and Águilas, based in the capital of Bogotá. Additionally, the Toros moved from Sincelejo to Cali for economic reasons. These changes were reversed in the 2012–13 season, after Toros moved back to Sincelejo and the two expansion teams folded.

The league again added two new expansion teams for the 2019–2020 season: Gigantes de Barranquilla and Vaqueros de Montería. Vaqueros went on to become league champions in their inaugural season. They would also become the first team to represent Colombia in the Caribbean Series, after the LPB made its debut in the tournament's 2020 edition (replacing the Cuban National Series, which could appear due to visa issues).[5]

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LPB established a "bubble" format for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons, with all games being played in Barranquilla. The pandemic also saw both Leones and Toros withdraw from the league. Gigantes were expected to fold after the 2021–22 season, but managed to return the next year.[6]

For the 2022–23 season, the league announced it was considering adding an expansion team in Bolívar.[6] This was confirmed in September, when it was announced that the expansion team would be placed in Cartagena. Getsemaní Leones de La Trinidad, founded in 1933 as an amateur team, had petitioned to join the league for over a year, but their entrance was delayed by COVID-19.[7][8] However, before the start of the season, the league announced that both Getsemaní and Gigantes would not play due to financial difficulties; instead, Toros returned after a two-year absence, keeping the league at four teams.[9] In 2023, the league announced that Leones and Gigantes would return for the 2023-24 season, bringing the number of teams back to six.[10]

International competition

In 2004, the Colombian Professional Baseball League was provisionally accepted into the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CPBC). However, the league was not allowed to participate in the Caribbean Series until the level of play and the quality of baseball facilities improved.[11]

LPB first participated in the Caribbean Series in 2020, and appeared in four editions of the tournament until 2023. In the 2022 Caribbean Series, Caimanes became the first Colombian team to win the championship, defeating the Dominican Republic's Gigantes del Cibao. Despite this victory, controversy ensued when the Colombian league was again denied full membership into the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CPBC).[12]

On April 22, 2023, it was announced that LPB would not participate in the 2024 Caribbean Series; it was dropped from the tournament along with Cuba's Elite League and Panama's PROBEIS league. The Colombian Baseball Federation said that the league refused to pay a $200,000 participation fee to enter as a guest, alleging that it had previously been promised full membership into the CPBC.[13] Instead, the league champion was slated to participate in a new Intercontinental Series organized by the Team Rentería Foundation, to take place in Barranquilla in January 2024; however, that tournament was ultimately canceled[14][15]

League structure

The league is organized by the Colombian Professional Baseball Division (Diprobéisbol), under the auspices of the Colombian Baseball Federation.[16] The season is played from October to January.[17] The top four teams at the end of the regular season, a first round robin phase of 50 games per team, advance to another round-robin (12 games for every team) with the two best teams contesting a best-of-seven final series to determine the league champion.[18]

The league was previously owned by the Renteria Foundation, an organization run by former Major League Baseball shortstop Édgar Rentería.[19] Its president was Edinson Rentería (brother of Édgar), whose management of the league was controversial.[20] Rentería was eventually replaced as the league's administrator by Pedro Salcedo Salom, causing a dispute that has been cited as an issue preventing Colombia's entry to the CPBC.[21]

Players such as former Major League Baseball shortstop Orlando Cabrera have owned teams.[20]

Teams and stadiums

Four teams from the country's Caribbean region compete in the league.

Team City Stadium Capacity Founded
Caimanes de Barranquilla Barranquilla, Atlántico Estadio Édgar Rentería 12,000 1984
Leones de Barranquilla[a][b] Barranquilla, Atlántico Estadio Édgar Rentería 12,000 2003
Tigres de Cartagena Cartagena, Bolívar Estadio Once de Noviembre 12,000 1994
Vaqueros de Montería Montería, Córdoba Estadio 18 de Junio 7,300 1984
Colombian Professional Baseball League is located in Colombia
Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Tigres
Vaqueros
Barranquilla teams: Caimanes Leones
Barranquilla teams:
Caimanes
Leones
Locations of the LCBP teams

Former teams

Colombian baseball stadiums

Nº Stadium City Capacity Home Team
1 Estadio Once de Noviembre Cartagena de Indias 12,000 Tigres de Cartagena - Indios de Cartagena
2 Estadio 20 de Enero Sincelejo 10,000 Toros de Sincelejo - Rancheros de Sincelejo
3 Estadio Édgar Rentería Barranquilla 8,000 Caimanes de Barranquilla – Leones de Barranquilla – Eléctricos de Barranquilla – Vaqueros de Barranquilla
4 Estadio Luis Alberto Villegas Medellín 8,000 Potros de Medellín – Pumas de Antioquia
5 Estadio Miguel Chávez del Valle Cali 4,500 Azucareros del Valle
6 Estadio 18 de Junio Montería 4.500 Vaqueros de Montería – Leones de Montería
7 Estadio Distrital Hermes Barros Cabas Bogotá 2,700 Águilas de Bogotá/Metropolitanos de Bogotá
8 Wellingwourth May San Andrés 2,000 Piratas de San Andrés
9 Estadio Rafael Naar Turbaco 1,200 None
10 Estadio Rafael Hernández Pardo Santa Marta – Tiburones de Santa Marta
11 Estadio Júlio Silva Bolaño Ciénaga 3,000 None
12 Estadio Luis Támara Samudio Tolú 1,000 None

Champions

Season Champion Record Final
Series 		Runners Up Manager
1948 Indios de Cartagena 11–7 – Filtta de Barranquilla Juan González Cornett
1949 Filtta de Barranquilla 20–6 – Torices de Cartagena Rafael Alvarado
1950 Indios de Cartagena (2) 32–17 – Cerveza Águila de Barranquilla Juan González Cornett
1951 Filtta de Barranquilla (2) 18–12 – Indios de Cartagena Gil Garrido Sr.
1952 Indios de Cartagena (3) 29–13 – Hit de Barranquilla Juan González Cornett
1953 Torices de Cartagena 18–33 – Willard de Barranquilla Pedro Pagés
1953–54 Torices de Cartagena (2) 34–26 – Indios de Cartagena Pedro Pagés
1954–55 Willard de Barranquilla 41–24 – Torices de Cartagena Spud Chandler
1955–56 Indios de Cartagena (4) 33–32 – Vanytor de Barranquilla Gaspar del Monte
1956–57 Kola Román de Cartagena 37–29 – Willard de Barranquilla Frank Scalzi
1957–58 Vanytor de Barranquilla 35–25 – Hit de Barranquilla Ted Narleski
No professional baseball from 1958 to 1979
1979–80 Indios de Cartagena (5) 18–32 4–2 Torices de Cartagena José Martínez
1980–81 Indios de Cartagena (6) 34–26 4–3 Olímpica de Barranquilla Rigoberto Mendoza
1981–82 Café Universal de Barranquilla 31–25 4–2 Cerveza Águila de Barranquilla José Martínez
1982–83 Café Universal de Barranquilla (2) 39–25 4–3 Willard de Barranquilla José Martínez
1983–84 Cerveza Águila de Barranquilla 39–21 4–3 Torices de Cartagena Carlos Alfonso
1984–85 Caimanes de Barranquilla 38–22 4–2 Indios de Cartagena José Tartabull
1987–88 Indios de Cartagena (7) 29–20 4–1 Rancheros de Sincelejo Curtis Wallace
No professional baseball from 1988 to 1993
1993–94 Phillips Atlántico – 4–0 Pilsen Antioquia Boris Villa
1994–95 Caimanes de Barranquilla (2) 22–14 4–2 Tigres de Cartagena Tomás Soto
1995–96 Tigres de Cartagena 23–24 4–2 Caimanes de Barranquilla Jolbert Cabrera
1996–97 Rancheros de Sincelejo 30–17 4–1 Cerveza Águila de Barranquilla José Tartabull
1997–98 Caimanes de Barranquilla (3) 18–13 4–1 Indios de Cartagena Édinson Rentería
1998–99 Caimanes de Barranquilla (4) 17–7 4–2 Indios de Cartagena Édinson Rentería
1999–00 Vaqueros de Barranquilla 13–14 4–2 Indios de Cartagena Noe Maduro
2000–01 season canceled due to financial concerns
2001–02 Eléctricos de Barranquilla 20–10 4–1 Caimanes de Barranquilla Noe Maduro
2002–03 Eléctricos de Barranquilla (2) 22–14 4–1 Aguila de Cartagena Brent Bowers
2003–04 Tigres de Cartagena (2) 16–14 4–2 Leones de Cartagena Bill Madlock
2004–05 Tigres de Cartagena (3) 13–17 4–3 Toros de Sincelejo Bill Madlock
2005–06 Tigres de Cartagena (4) 17–13 4–1 Caimanes de Barranquilla Neder Horta
2006–07 Tigres de Cartagena (5) 28–26 4–0 Caimanes de Barranquilla Neder Horta
2007–08 Caimanes de Barranquilla (5) 33–20 4–0 Indios de Cartagena Walter Miranda
2008–09 Caimanes de Barranquilla (6) 28–25 4–3 Leones de Montería Walter Miranda
2009–10 Caimanes de Barranquilla (7) 30–24 4–2 Leones de Montería Boris Villa
2010–11 season canceled due to weather conditions
2011–12 Toros de Sincelejo 25–17 5–3 Leones de Montería Neder Horta
2012–13 Caimanes de Barranquilla (8) 26–16 4–2 Tigres de Cartagena Wilson Valera
2013–14 Tigres de Cartagena (6) 32–9 4–1 Leones de Montería Donaldo Méndez
2014–15 Leones de Montería 20–22 4–1 Caimanes de Barranquilla Luis Urueta
2015–16 Caimanes de Barranquilla (9) 26–16 4–2 Leones de Montería Luis Urueta
2016–17 Leones de Montería (2) 22–19 4–2 Toros de Sincelejo Jair Fernández
2017–18 Leones de Montería (3) 24–18 4–3 Toros de Sincelejo Jair Fernández
2018–19 Caimanes de Barranquilla (9) 29–12 4–1 Toros de Sincelejo Fred Ocasio
2019–20 Vaqueros de Montería 21–19 4–1 Gigantes de Barranquilla Ozney Guillén
2020–21 Caimanes de Barranquilla (10) 13–11 4–3 Vaqueros de Montería José Mosquera
2021–22 Caimanes de Barranquilla (11) 23–13 4–1 Vaqueros de Montería José Mosquera
2022–23 Vaqueros de Montería (2) 27–15 4–1 Tigres de Cartagena Ronald Ramírez
2023–24 Caimanes de Barranquilla (12) 26–15 4–1 Vaqueros de Montería José Mosquera

Championships by team

Rank Team Wins Years
1 Caimanes de Barranquilla 13 1984–85, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24
2 Indios de Cartagena 7 1948, 1950, 1952, 1955–56, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1987–88
3 Tigres de Cartagena 6 1995–96, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2013–14
4 Leones de Montería 3 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18
5 Filtta de Barranquilla 2 1949, 1951
Willard de Barranquilla 1953, 1954–55
Café Universal de Barranquilla 1981–82, 1982–83
Eléctricos de Barranquilla 2001–02, 2002–03
Vaqueros de Montería 2019-20, 2022–23
9 Torices de Cartagena 1 1953–54
Rancheros de Sincelejo 1996–97
Kola Román de Cartagena 1956–57
Vanytor de Barranquilla 1957–58
Cerveza Águila de Barranquilla 1983–84
Vaqueros de Barranquilla 1999–00
Toros de Sincelejo 2011–12
Phillips-Atlántico 1993–94

Notes

  1. ^ Founded as the Leones de Cartagena (2003), before relocating to Montería (2008–19) and Santa Marta (2019-20)
  2. ^ Leones did not play in the league from the 2020-21 to 2022-23 seasons.

References

  1. ^ "El béisbol de Colombia: todo lo que necesitas saber al respecto" (in Spanish). La FM. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  2. ^ Lou Hernández. The Rise of the Latin American Baseball Leagues, 1947-1961. p. 2.
  3. ^ "EL TURNO ES PARA LA PELOTA CALIENTE". El Tiempo. December 17, 1993. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  4. ^ "MUCHOS CAMBIOS Y POCOS PROGRESOS". El Tiempo. 28 November 1996.
  5. ^ "What Colombia has to offer in the Caribbean Series – LatinAmerican Post".
  6. ^ a b "Esto es lo que se sabe del béisbol profesional colombiano 2022–2023" (in Spanish). El Heraldo. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Getsemaní hace swing para el béisbol profesional" (in Spanish). El Universal. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  8. ^ "El béisbol colombiano tiene listo su calendario y un nuevo equipo, Getsemaní" (in Spanish). Peloteros Colombia. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Solo cuatro equipos pudieron inscribirse a la Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombiano 2022/23" (in Spanish). Nov 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Liga Profesional de Béisbol: confirmados los seis equipos para la edición 23/24" (in Spanish). Antena 2. 22 August 2023.
  11. ^ Jesse Sanchez. "Caribbean Series facing a youth movement". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09.
  12. ^ "Liga colombiana molesta por carta rechaza su ingreso a Confederación" (in Spanish). Diario Libre. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  13. ^ Edward Gonzaga. "Por no pagar 200 mil dólares, Colombia se perderá la Serie del Caribe 2024" (in Spanish). Diario AS.
  14. ^ "Colombia albergará la Serie Intercontinental de Béisbol Profesional en 2024" (in Spanish). Caracol TV. 24 September 2023.
  15. ^ "Serie Intercontinental de Béisbol con equipo Cuba libre es cancelada" (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes.
  16. ^ "DIPROBEISBOL". LPBcol.com.
  17. ^ LCBP Official Site http://teamrenteria.info/teamrenteria/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1148&Itemid=262 Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-01-26.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ Adams, David. "Edgar Renteria Online". www.edgarrenteria.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  20. ^ a b Jorge Arangure Jr. (Apr 21, 2008). "NOW IT'S PERSONAL". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  21. ^ "Si no se resuelve disputa de dos Ligas de béisbol, Colombia no ingresará a Confederación del Caribe" (in Spanish). Zona Cero. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2024.

External links

Colombian Professional Baseball League
Top-level baseball leagues
Professional baseball leagues
Categories