After the conclusion of the World Series, the MLB does not play until the beginning of Spring Training. But, when the World Series concludes, several leagues in the Caribbean are just getting their season underway, with winter leagues being played all across the globe. Some of the main leagues where several MLB players head to keep themselves in shape are Liga de Beisbol Profesional Republica Dominicana (LIDOM), Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC), Liga ARCO Mexicana del Beisbol (LAMP), and Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional (LVBP). Some other countries that hold professional winter leagues are Colombia (Liga Profesional de Beisbol Colombiano), Nicaragua (Liga de Beisbol Profesional Nacional), and Australia (Australian Baseball League).
These respective winter leagues have been going on for several seasons, with the LBPRC in Puerto Rico being founded the earliest in 1938. LIDOM was founded in 1951, and LAMP and LVBP were founded in 1945. Before the integration of having MLB players join these teams during the offseason, this is where tons of Hall of Fame caliber players would play before becoming superstars. Players like Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda took the stage that winter in 1952, and this would help with their cases of getting contracts and heading to the MLB.
Although LIDOM was founded in 1951, the first attempts came around the 1920s, but by 1937, Licey and Escogido were merged into one team, where they signed several players from the Negro Leagues, including “Cool Papa” Bell, Josh Gibson, and Satchel Paige. Many teams went bankrupt after the season, leading to a 14-year baseball hiatus in the Dominican Republic.
These leagues all start around the same time, in late October or early November, as the champions of each respective league are crowned in January. Once a winner is crowned, those champions are invited to the Serie del Caribe, where each league is invited to a venue, and they compete in a tournament organized by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. The first Serie del Caribe took place in 1949, and the team with the most titles is the Tigres del Licey in LIDOM, who have won the Serie del Caribe 11 times. As the winter progresses, it will be exciting to see each winner come together this February to compete to see who had the top team from their respective league this winter.
