Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation
{{Short description|International regional sports federation}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation
| image = Caribbean Baseball logo.png
| map =
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| founded = 1948 in baseball
| founding_location = Havana, Cuba
| type = Sports federation
| purpose =
| headquarters = Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| coords =
| leader_title = President
| leader_name = Juan Francisco Puello Herrera
| main_organ =
| subsidiaries =
| affiliations =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| size =
| abbreviation = CPBC
| region_served = Caribbean and Latin America
| membership = 4 countries
| languages =
| num_staff =
| website = {{URL|https://www.seriedelcaribe.net/|seriedelcaribe.net}}
}}
The Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation ({{langx|es|Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe|link=no}}), or CPBC, is the body responsible for organizing the Caribbean Series, an annual club baseball tournament contested by the winter league baseball champions of the Caribbean and Latin American region. Four professional winter leagues are full members of the CPBC, and various others have been invited to participate in the tournament. It also administers the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.{{cite web |url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2001/02/06/dep_art_06302FF.shtml |title= ElUniversal.com – Salón de la Fama acrecenta prestigio del béisbol caribeño |language=es}}
The CPBC is an independent organization, not affiliated with the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), which is otherwise recognized as the authority for international baseball tournaments.{{cite news |title=After being spurned by the Serie del Caribe, Cuba looks to the WBSC for help. |url=https://cubanbaseballdigest.com/2023/05/20/after-being-spurned-by-the-serie-del-caribe-cuba-looks-to-the-wbsc-for-help/ |access-date=20 February 2024 |agency=Cuban Baseball Digest |date=May 20, 2023}}
History
CBPC was formed in Havana on April 12, 1948, by representatives from the winter leagues of Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico.{{cite news |title=Make Latin-American Dream Reality? |url=https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&RecordId=1&PageId=7617410 |agency=The Sporting News |date=April 21, 1948}} This group would be joined shortly thereafter by Venezuela. At the time, the group considered expanding its membership to Nicaragua, Honduras, and Colombia, though this did not occur before the first Caribbean Series was hosted in 1949. Its creation was sponsored by National Association president George Trautman, who ensured that the various winter leagues were affiliated with MLB-affiliated Organized Baseball.{{cite web |title=Historia de la Serie del Caribe |url=https://www.beisboldelcaribe.com/home/2013-12-19-20-51-14/2013-12-19-20-52-56/historia-de-la-serie-del-caribe/ |website=beisboldelcaribe.com |publisher=CPBC |access-date=21 February 2024}}
After the Cuban League was dissolved in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Caribbean Series was suspended, and the confederation went dormant. However, it was reorganized for the 1970 Caribbean Series with three teams, the Dominican Republic replacing Cuba and Panama (whose professional league had also ceased operations).
Membership
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Country ! League ! First edition |
| {{flag|Dominican Republic}}
|Dominican Professional Baseball League |style="text-align:center"|1970 |
| {{flag|Mexico}}
|style="text-align:center"|1971 |
| {{flag|Puerto Rico}}
|Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente |style="text-align:center"|1949 |
| {{flag|Venezuela}}
|Venezuelan Professional Baseball League |style="text-align:center"|1949 |
The original Cuban League and the Panamanian Professional Baseball League were both founding members of the federation in 1948, but their membership lapsed when the Caribbean Series was suspended after 1960.
= Controversies =
The confederation has drawn controversy over the participation of non-CPBC members in the Caribbean Series. After Colombia was not invited to the 2024 Caribbean Series in Miami, the Colombian Baseball Federation (FCB) claimed that the CPBC had requested a fee of $200,000 to enter the series, after Colombia had already paid a $100,000 fee with the expectation of joining the CPBC as a full member. FCB president Pedro Salzedo Salom accused the CPBC of selling invitations to the highest bidder.{{cite news |title=Colombia no va a la Serie del Caribe por diferencias en pago |url=https://issuu.com/diariolibre/docs/diariolibre6548 |agency=Diario Libre |date=25 April 2023 |language=es}} Salzedo also alleged that the regime of Daniel Ortega offered $1 million to secure the participation of a Nicaraguan team in the 2024 tournament.{{cite news |title=El régimen garantiza un millón de dólares para que Nicaragua participe en Serie del Caribe 2024 |url=https://www.despacho505.com/el-regimen-garantiza-un-millon-de-dolares-para-que-nicaragua-participe-en-serie-del-caribe-2024/ |agency=Despacho 505 |date=24 April 2023}}
Reportedly, CPBC organizers were unhappy with Cuba and Colombia's participation in the 2023 Baseball Champions League Americas, a WBSC-sponsored club tournament.{{cite news |title=CPBC officially explains why Cuba will be excluded from the Caribbean Series. |url=https://cubanbaseballdigest.com/2023/07/25/cpbc-officially-explains-why-cuba-will-be-excluded-from-the-caribbean-series/ |agency=Cuban Baseball Digest |date=25 June 2023}}
Commenting on the exclusion of Cuba from the 2024 tournament, CPBC President Juan Francisco Puello Herrera acknowledged that commercial factors were taken into account, but denied that they were the main reasons. "Economic factors are essential, as is the sporting aspect, since good baseball will make this stadium fill up again like it did during the World Baseball Classic."
The CPBC also saw backlash after it announced in June 2024 that the 2025 Caribbean Series would include a team from Japan. Many commentators noted that the organization invited an Asian team while neglecting to invite other winter league champions from the Caribbean (including those of Cuba, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and Curaçao).{{cite news |title=Confederación del Caribe deja fuera a Panamá de la serie 2025 |url=https://www.prensa.com/deportes/confederacion-del-caribe-deja-fuera-a-panama-de-la-serie-2025/ |access-date=20 June 2024 |agency=La Prensa |date=19 June 2024 |language=es}}{{cite news |title=Japón se suma a la Serie del Caribe 2025, pero 3 recientes campeones quedan fuera |url=https://elemergente.com/2024/06/japon-se-suma-a-la-serie-del-caribe-2025-pero-3-recientes-campeones-quedan-fuera.html |access-date=20 June 2024 |agency=El Emergente |date=19 June 2024 |language=es}}{{Cite tweet |author=Jeff Duda |user=INTLBaseball24 |number=1803558748168004040 |date=19 June 2024 |title=Caribbean Series has been pushing out Caribbean nations for this event and then brings in an Asian nation. A Caribbean Series without Cuba/Nicaragua/Curaçao/Colombia/Panamá but has Japan makes little sense for what the tournament is supposed to represent.}} In response, the excluded countries announced the formation of the Americas Baseball Association (ABAM) on September 20, 2024, to organize a rival competition to the Caribbean Series (the "Serie de las Americas"); ABAM president David Salayandia said that its members were free to attend the Caribbean Series "if they receive an invitation," but added that "it will now be under different circumstances."{{cite news |title=Anunciaron la primera sede de la Serie de las Américas de Beisbol: los detalles |url=https://eldiario.com/2024/09/20/anunciaron-primera-sede-serie-de-las-americas-beisbol/ |access-date=21 September 2024 |agency=El Diario de Caracas |date=20 September 2024 |language=es |quote='Si alguno de los miembros de la Asociación de Beisbol de Las Américas recibe una invitación a la Serie del Caribe, posiblemente dirán que sí, pero en esta ocasión será bajo unas nuevas situaciones,' indicó el presidente de ABAM.}}
Commissioners
- {{flagicon|CUB}} Rafael Inclán (1948)
- {{flagicon|PRI|1952}} Rodrigo Otero Suro (1970–84, 1985–86)
- {{flagicon|PRI|1952}} Santiago Soler Favale (1987)
- {{flagicon|MEX}} Horacio López Díaz (1987–91)
- {{flagicon|DOM}} Juan Francisco Puello Herrera (1991–present)