Cuba will be well represented in the inaugural class of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.
Nine of the 25 to be inducted on May 29 at the Altos de Chavon Amphitheatre in Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic will be Cuban.
All the inductees will be divided into three groups -- Cooperstown Historic, Veterans Committee (active before 1959) and Permanent Induction Committee (active after 1959). Here's the breakdown of the Cuban inductees:
Cooperstown Historic
Atanasio "Tony" Pérez, first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" teams of the 1970s. He hit 379 home runs with 1,652 RBI in 23 major league seasons with Cincinnati, Montreal, Boston and Philadelphia before his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Martín Dihigo, a versatile -- he excelled at nearly every position -- star of the Cuban League and Negro Leagues who compiled a 104-56 record in 18 seasons in Cuba pitching for Habana, Marianao Almendares, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos and was the first Cuban-born inductee at Cooperstown. 
Jose de la Caridad Méndez, a Cuban League and Negro Leagues star who compiled a 76-28 record in 13 seasons in Cuba, pitching for Almendares, Santa Clara and Matanzas. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by a special election of Negro League players in 2006.
Cristóbal Torriente, perhaps the Cuban greatest position player of the first half of the 20th Century. The power-hitting outfielder was known as "The Cuban Babe Ruth," and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by a special election of Negro League players in 2006.
Alejandro Pompez, a Cuban-American who became one of the most influential figures in the Negro Leagues as owner of the New York Cuban Stars. A Harlem numbers runner with ties to gangster Dutch Schultz, Pompez was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by a special election of Negro League players in 2006.
Rafael "Felo" Ramirez, the Spanish-language radio voice of the Florida Marlins, has called baseball games in Latin American since 1945, working many years with Buck Canel on the Cavalcade of Sports. Ramirez won the Ford Frick Award in 2001.Veterans Committee
Orestes "Minnie" Miñoso, the former Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox all-star batted .298 and stole 205 bases in 17 major league seasons. He was also a star in the Negro Leagues with the New York Cubans and in the Cuban League with Marianao.
Bobby Maduro (Special Award for Outstanding Latino Baseball Personality) was the owner of the Havana Sugar Kings of the International League and Cienfuegos of the Cuban League. He was part of the corporation that built the Gran Stadium of Havana.Permanent Induction Committee
Camilo Pascual, a two-time 20-game winner who deserved better than his 4-games-above .500 174-170 record in 18 major-league seasons, mostly with the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins.The hype surrounding Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman continues to ratchet up after his first spring training start for the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
After hitting 102 mph on the radar gun in his Cactus League debut on March 8, the 22-year-old lefty -- after allowing a home run to the first batter he faced -- was "almost untouchable," striking out five batters in three innings in his first spring training start on Wednesday.
Whether Chapman will become the next star Cuban major league pitcher remains to be determined. While we wait to find out the answer, here's my top 5 pitchers who were born in Cuba:
A versatile player who played multiple positions, Dihigo -- known in Cuba as El Inmortal, The Immortal One -- compiled a 104-56 record in 18 seasons in Cuba pitching for Habana, Marianao Almendares, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos, according to Jorge S. Figueredo's book, Who's Who in Cuban Baseball, 1878-1961.
2. Jose Mendez: Born in Cárdenas in 1887, El Diamante Negro, the Black Diamond, also was denied a career in the majors because of the color of his skin, but he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by a special election of Negro League players in 2006.
In 13 seasons in Cuba, pitching for Almendares, Santa Clara and Matanzas, Mendez compiled a 76-28 record, according to Figueredo's research.
3. Luis Tiant: The four-time 20-game winner leads all Cuban-born pitchers with 229 career major-league victories (229-172) to go with a 3.30 ERA and 2,416 strikeouts.
Tiant's best season came in 1968 with the Cleveland Indians, when he went 21-9 with an American League-leading 1.60 ERA and nine shutouts, while striking out 264 batters.
His best season came in 1923 with the Cincinnati Reds. After losing 23 games despite a 3.31 ERA the previous season, Luque (left) led the National League with 27 wins (eight losses), a 1.93 ERA and six shutouts.
5. (tie) Mike Cuellar and Camilo Pascual: Cuellar was a four-time 20-game winner, posting a career 3.14 ERA in 15 major-league seasons while winning 185 games with 130 losses. His best season came in 1969 when he went 23-11 with a 2.38 ERA with the Baltimore Orioles.
Given his 3.63 career ERA, Pascual, a two-time 20-game winner, deserved better than his 4-games-above .500 174-170 record in 18 major-league seasons. His best season came in 1963: 21-9 with a 2.46 ERA and an AL-leading 202 strikeouts with the Minnesota Twins.
