The Senators of San Juan have been announced as the newest team to join the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, the Puerto Rican winter baseball league. The Senators were approved unanimously to join the league in a recent LBPRC Board of Directors Meeting, and Puerto Rican legend Roberto Alomar will manage the squad.
The Senators are a legendary team from years past. They played in what was formerly the top division of Puerto Rican winter baseball, the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, before a strike in 2008 and the renaming of the league to honor Puerto Rican legend Roberto Clemente in 2012. The Senators were expelled for the 2011-2012 season and have played outside the league ever since.
Senadores de San Juan were among the greatest teams at the top of Puerto Rican baseball, with eight league championships. Now rejoining the top echelon of teams, they will be the 7th team total in the league. This return marks the revival of the historic rivalry in San Juan against the Cangrejeros de Santurce for the coveted “City Champ,” with the two signature franchises of the capital being able to reignite the historic rivalry at Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
The most well-known venture of the Senators in their original run was their dominance in 1995. That season, they were called “The Dream team” of Puerto Rican professional baseball and claimed the Caribbean Series championship with a record of 6-0.
Managed by Luis Melendez, the team featured future MLB All-Stars such as Carlos Delgado, Edgar Martinez, Bernie Williams, Ruben Sierra, and the man who will be their manager in the winter, Roberto Alomar. Internationally, the franchise is renowned in baseball, notably for their 1993 game as the first professional team to compete against Cuba’s national team.
Alomar, the son of MLB great Sandy Alomar Sr., continued the family legacy, carving his legend as a great Puerto Rican ballplayer. Through 16 MLB seasons with eight different teams, Alomar racked up 12 straight All-Star appearances, 10 Gold Glove awards, 4 Silver Sluggers, and 2 World Series championships.
The return of the Senadores marks a storied Puerto Rican franchise returning to the top of winter baseball in the entire country. It will surely be entertaining to watch in the 2024-25 season of the Roberto Clemente Liga de Béisbol Profesional.
Photo Credit: Puerto Rican second baseman Roberto Alomar, who recently became a Hall of Famer, shows the recognition received on behalf of Puerto Rican players. (OMAR TORRES/AFP via Getty Images)
