The Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (Spanish: Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe), 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.[1]
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.[2]
History
CBPC was formed in Havana on April 12, 1948 by representatives from the winter leagues of Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico.[3] This group would be joined shortly thereafter by Venezuela. At the time, the group considered expanding its membership to Nicaragua, Honduras, and Colombia,[3] though this did not occur before the firstCaribbean 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.[4]
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).
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.[5] Salzedo also alleged that the regime of Daniel Ortega offered $1 million to secure the participation of a Nicaraguan team in the 2024 tournament.[6]
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."[7]
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 Curacao).[8][9][10] 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."[11]
^"Anunciaron la primera sede de la Serie de las Américas de Beisbol: los detalles" (in Spanish). El Diario de Caracas. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024. '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.
