Adolfo Domingo De Guzman “Dolf” Luque was a Cuban baseball legend who played in the Cuban Winter League from 1912 to 1945.  For our purposes, Luque played in the Majors from 1914 to 1935 and was a long-time star for the Cincinnati Reds.

While prejudice ran rampant in baseball, Luque gained a pass as a fair-skinned, blue-eyed Cuban.  After a few games with the Boston Braves (1914 & 1915), he found a home for a dozen years with the Cincinnati Reds.  Luque had a phenomenal year in 1923, where he led the National League in Wins (27), ERA (1.93), and FIP (2.94).  He would later win a second ERA Title in 1925.  From 1919 to 1928, Luque would always have at least 10 Wins.

The Cuban would finish his career with the Brooklyn Robins and New York Giants.  He retired in 1935 with a record of 194-179.

Wilbur Wood began his first five seasons in the Majors with Boston and Pittsburgh, but he did not accomplish much of note.  He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1966, and after a year in the minors and developing the knuckleball, he would become one of the better Pitchers in ChiSox history.

Wood essentially had two careers in Chicago, where he began as a closer, leading the American League in Games Pitched annually from 1968 to 1970, and in the bookend years, he was first in Games Finished.  Wood moved the starting rotation, and from 1971 to 1974, he was a 20 Game winner, with three All-Star Games.  During this period, he twice led the AL in Wins and twice in Innings, and from 1970 to 1972, he finished in the top five in Cy Young voting.

Wood’s career was derailed when a line drive cracked his kneecap in 1976, and while he managed to carve out two more years, he wasn’t the same.  Wood retired in 1978 with a record of 164-156 with 1,411 Strikeouts and 57 Saves.

In 1981, a "mania" took over Los Angeles.  Some would say it took over the entire baseball world.  That was "Fernandomania" in honor of Mexican hurler, Fernando Valenzuela.

The Dodgers discovered Valenzuela by accident, as they were in Mexico scouting a Shortstop.  They were dazzled by the rotund hurler and signed him, buying out his Mexican League contract in 1979.  A year later, he was a September callup, and in 17.2 Innings, he never allowed a run.  It didn’t take a clairvoyant to see what might happen in 1981.

Valenzuela was the opening day starter, and everyone in Los Angeles took the Mexican star.  That season, he won the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young, making him the first player ever to accomplish that in the same year.  "El Toro" helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series.

The mania surrounding Valenzuela cooled, but he was still an elite pitcher for many years.  He was an All-Star each year from 1981 to 1986, and he had three more top-five finishes in Cy Young voting.  Valenzuela would have three 200 Strikeout seasons, and he was also a decent batter, winning two Silver Slugger Awards.

The All-Star years were over by 1987, and he played until 1997, with stops in California, the Mexican League, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Diego, and St. Louis.  He retires with 173 Wins and 2,074 Strikeouts.

Pitchers had better careers, but many of those never captured the imagination of baseball fans like Fernando Valenzuela.

Alvin Dark had an excellent start in baseball, as he was the Rookie of the Year in 1948 with the Boston Braves.  He was a huge part of Boston’s surprise run to the World Series (they lost to Cleveland), but he was traded to the New York Giants two years later, a move that proved beneficial for both sides.

With the Giants, he would go to three All-Star Games, have three .300 years, and take them to the World Series in 1954, which they would win.  That year and the season before, he was able to show off some power with at least 20 Home Runs.  Dark was also an above-average defensive player. 

Dark had stops in St. Louis, Chicago (Cubs), Philadelphia, and Minnesota before retiring in 196 with 2,098 Hits.

He would later become a successful Manager, winning pennants in both leagues and the World Series in 1974 with Oakland.