Cristobal Torriente
| Birthdate | 11/16/1893 |
| Death Date | 4/11/1938 |
| Debut Year | |
| Year of Induction | 2006 |
| Teams | Negro Leagues |
| Position | Center Field |
A native of Cienfuegos, Cuba, Cristobal Torriente played 15 years in the Cuban Leagues and was in the Cuban HoF inaugural class of 1939.
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Negro Leaguer Cristobal Torriente was elected to the Hall in 2006, 8 decades after making the Cuban HoF
Negro Leaguer Cristobal Torriente was elected to the Hall in 2006, 8 decades after making the Cuban HoF
Cristobal Torriente was a five-tool player – he could hit for average and power, field, throw, and run with the best of them. Known as “The Black Babe Ruth” Torriente was a powerful man built like a fire hydrant.
Baseball Reference lists him with a career .340 average, .427 on-base percentage and .537 slugging percentage. The Cuban-born centerfielder still holds the Cuban Winter League record for highest single-season average. One of the island’s brightest stars, Torriente was inducted into his country’s baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
Torriente also starred in America. A performer in the Negro Leagues first season, he led the Chicago American Giants to the league’s first three pennants. Later he also starred for the Kansas City Monarchs. Torriente’s skillset allowed him to remain a productive player into his late-30s.
He battled alcoholism for most of his adult life. In his early 40s Torriente contracted tuberculosis. He passed away in New York on April 11, 1938 at just 44 years of age.
Nearly 70 years after his death, Torriente was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.
2006 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum yearbook with Cristobal Torriente on the cover
2006 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum yearbook with Cristobal Torriente on the cover
In 2005, the Hall of Fame put together a special screening committee to find people associated with the Negro Leagues who were most deserving of induction. An original list of 94 nominees was cut to 29 candidates on the ballot.
Cirstobal Torriente was among the 17 inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. The cover of the 2006 Hall of Fame yearbook shows those 17 and closer Bruce Sutter.
