The Santurce Crabbers : Sixty Seasons of Puerto Rican Winter League Baseball [Hardcover]

Thomas E. Van Hyning (Author), Herman Franks (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999

The Santurce Crabbers from 1939 on: one of the most storied franchises in the Caribbean. Their first owner, Pedrin Zorrilla, was a visionary, with many Negro league and big league contacts. Zorrilla signed up such eventual Hall of Famers as Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, Ray Dandridge and Leon Day during the team's first decade. Santurce was the most successful winter league team of the 1950s, with three Caribbean Series titles. Roberto Clemente, Ruben Gomez, Willie Mays, Willard Brown and Bob Thurman played for the Crabbers during those glory years. Tom Lasorda used to pitch for them. Santurce set up working agreements with the Giants, Orioles, Dodgers and Astros, among other teams. Earl Weaver and Frank Robinson were team managers and Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Reggie Jackson and Robin Yount were early-career Crabbers. Orlando Cepeda and Tony (Tany) Perez played their entire winter league careers with Santurce. Lee Smith, the Major Leagues' all-time saves leader, pitched for them. Juan Gonzalez and Jose Cruz, Jr., are two of the teams Puerto Rican stars in the 1990s.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"recommended for larger collections" -- Library Journal

About the Author

Thomas E. Van Hyning, fluent in Spanish and a research manager for the Mississippi Division of Tourism, served 1991-1995 as U.S. correspondent for the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball Hall of Fame and is a member of SABR's Latin American Committee. He writes for The National Pastime and the Baseball Research Journal. Mr. Van Hyning is also the author of Puerto Rico's Winter League (1995). He lives in Florence, Mississippi.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 279 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786406623
• ISBN-13: 978-0786406623
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #977,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great collector's item for baseball history buffs, August 14, 2004

By 

E. Nieves (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Santurce Crabbers : Sixty Seasons of Puerto Rican Winter League Baseball (Hardcover)

An excellent and well-written book. Van Hyning does a great service to the only baseball dynasty the Caribbean has ever known. The book, not only brings to light obscure anecdotes, but it also provides the reader with a wealth of baseball stats on the team througout its history. Few folks know that many of major league's most famous players got their start with the Santurce Crabbers. I've been fortunate to have grown up with the Crabbers and seen some of the history relived in the book. This book is especially important in 2004, the year the Santurce franchise was sold to another city in Puerto Rico.