Luis Casanova (baseball)

Luis Giraldo Casanova Castillo (born December 5, 1956) is a former baseball player in the Cuban National Series who had a successful career in international tournaments.[1] He led 7 major international tournaments in home runs, over half of the competitions he appeared in. Casanova's teams won many titles in Cuban league play and he led the league in all three Triple Crown statistics at least once.

Luis Casanova
Medal record
Representing  Cuba and  Nicaragua
Men's Baseball
Baseball World Cup
1978 Italy Team
1980 Tokyo Team
1984 Havana Team
1986 Amsterdam Team
1988 Rome Team
1990 Edmonton Team
1998 Italy Team
Intercontinental Cup
1979 Havana Team
1981 Edmonton Team
1983 Brussels Team
1985 Edmonton Team
1987 Havana Team
1991 Spain Team
Pan American Games
1979 San Juan Team
1987 Indianapolis Team
Central American and Caribbean Games
1978 Medellín Team
1986 Santiago de los Caballeros Team

Personal life

He was born in Bahía Honda, Cuba. He was nicknamed El Señor Pelotero. He is the brother of Leovigildo Casanova and uncle of Reinier Casanova.

1970s

Casanova made his debut on the international stage in the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games. The 21-year-old outfielder helped the Cuban national team win a Gold Medal, going 20 for 33 and tying for the most doubles (5).

In the 1978 Amateur World Series, Casanova hit .444 with 12 runs and eight RBI in ten games. He was second in the tournament in batting average behind Roberto Espino. His 3 homers tied for 4th, behind Antonio Muñoz, Tim Wallach and Ernesto Lopez. Cuba won Gold.

In the 1979 Pan American Games, Casanova had 13 hits in 35 at-bats to hit .371 and help Cuba win Gold. He tied Terry Francona for the most triples (3) and tied Francona and Agustin Marquetti for the most hits. In the 1979 Intercontinental Cup, Casanova hit .375 as Cuba cruised to victory.

Casanova had his first great season in domestic play in Cuba in the 1979-1980 Serie Nacional, leading in runs (64) and walks (57). He tied for the most sacrifice flies (5) and his 18 home runs tied Pedro José Rodríguez, Sr. for the most.

1980s

Casanova tied Antonio Muñoz for the 1980 Amateur World Series lead in home runs with seven as Cuba won Gold. In the 1981 Serie Nacional season, Casanova led the league with 9 times hit by pitch. In the Selective Series of 1981, he hit .363, leading the league in batting average. He also tied for the league lead in triples, with four. During the 1981 Intercontinental Cup, Casanova's Cuban team failed to win Gold for the first and only time of his career. He was 19 for 37 at the plate and led in average (.514), home runs (6), runs (12), hits (15) and RBI (19). Casanova won MVP honors though the USA took home the Gold Medal.

In the 1982 Selective Series, he led the league in runs scored with 49. He also tied for the league lead in triples, with four. It was the only year from 1978-1986 that Casanova did not play on the international stage, as Cuba sat out the 1982 Amateur World Series. During the 1982-1983 Serie Nacional, Casanova tied Alejo O'Reilly for the most walks, with 34.

Casanova batted .389 in a backup role in the 1983 Intercontinental Cup, as Cuba won Gold. In the 1983-1984 Serie Nacional, the 27-year-old veteran tied Lázaro Junco for the league lead in home runs, with 20. He tied for the most doubles (19) and led with 67 RBI. That won him the MVP award, the only time he took home that honor for a Serie Nacional. In the 1984 Selective Series, he hit .391, leading the league.

In the 1984 Amateur World Series, Casanova hit .364 with 6 home runs, 12 runs and 15 RBI in 13 games. He tied Pedro José Rodríguez and Roberto Bianchi for the home run lead, tied Bianchi for third in hits (20) and tied Muñoz for third in RBI. Casanova helped Cuba to Gold; among those he outslugged was American Barry Bonds. He was to appear in the 1984 Olympics, but did not because Cuba boycotted them. Casanova batted .429 in the 1985 Intercontinental Cup, which he led in home runs (6) and RBI (19).

During the 1986 Amateur World Series, Casanova hit .409 with a tournament-leading 19 RBI and six home runs to help Cuba win Gold. He tied Italy's Giuseppe Carelli for most RBI. In the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games, the outfield superstar hit .500 and led the tournament with 16 runs scored. Cuba claimed another Gold.

Casanova made the All-Star outfield in the 1987 Intercontinental Cup as Cuba won it all. In the 1987 Pan American Games, Casanova hit .433 with four home runs and 12 runs scored to help Cuba take Gold.

In the 1988 Baseball World Cup, he led the tournament in home runs with seven while hitting .392 with 15 runs and 21 RBI in 13 games. He tied Tino Martinez for second in the tournament in RBI, behind Robin Ventura's 32. He was 4th with 20 hits. Casanova had two assists and no errors in right field. He made the tournament All-Star team, joining Lourdes Gourriel and Daisuke Tsutsui in the outfield. Though Cuba won Gold, the US's Martinez beat out Casanova for MVP honors.

1990s

In the 1990 Baseball World Cup, Casanova hit .462 with eight RBI and three home runs in five games, splitting right field action with Ermidelio Urrutia. He hit all of his home runs in a single game, becoming only the second person to hit three home runs in a Baseball World Cup game (the other was Antonio Muñoz, who did it in 1980).

In the 1991 Intercontinental Cup, Casanova tied Prospero Baca and Wei-Cheng Chen for second in the tournament in RBI, with 12, as Cuba won yet another Gold. Furthermore, he hit .364 with nine walks, ten runs and four home runs in 11 games. He was second in home runs, one behind Jose Ramon Padilla.

Casanova was a coach for Nicaragua in the 1998 Baseball World Cup.

Cuban Series career statistics

Overall, Casanova hit .322 in 17 seasons in Cuba. He belted 312 homers in 5,288 AB, scored 1,144 runs, drove in 1,069 runs and drew 1,049 walks.[2]

21st century

In the 2008-2009 Cuban National League, Casanova managed Pinar del Rio to a second-place finish, three games behind La Habana. They finished with a 54-36 record. It was Luis's managerial debut, having previously been a coach in Cuba following his playing career.[3]

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References
  1. A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman
  2. Statistics
  3. BR Bullpen
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