Juan Francisco Delis

Juan Delís. Cuban baseball player. He performed in Cuban professional baseball, in the Major Leagues, and in the Mexican Baseball League.

He served as director of the national team in several World Championships of youth baseball.

In 1985 he was awarded by the IBAF as one of the best directors along with Servio Borges.

Known as Cachano. Selected for the Hall of Fame of Aztec Baseball.

In Cuba, Delís stood out as director of youth teams and is the only mentor who accumulated four consecutive titles in World Championships of that category, from 1984 to 1987, in which he directed players as renowned as Omar Linares and Germán Mesa.

He was born in Santiago de Cuba. He began playing for the Báguanos central, entering professional baseball in the 1953-1954 period.

In 1953 he made his debut in the Cuban Professional Baseball League, then did so in the Major Leagues with the Washington Senators and in the Mexican Baseball League. At the end of his active playing career, he became a coach, commissioner, and director.

He started in 1951, playing in the leagues of the sugar centrals, that year he played for Báguanos, a team with which he won the national championship, participating in the American Baseball Congress, an event played annually in Michigan, United States.

In 1952 he was signed by the Washington Senators, making his debut in Cuban professional baseball, in the 1953-1954 season with Marianao, being elected Rookie of the Year; in 166 times at bat, he scored 24 runs, drove in 14, connected 41 hits, five doubles, two triples and two home runs, with three stolen bases, averaging 247.

In the Minor Leagues, he played for Danville, a Class B team, playing third base and shortstop, on offense, he participated in 66 games, achieving an average of 298.

In the 1954-1955 season, he played for the Havana Cubans of the International League of Florida, participating in 131 games, achieving an average of 287. The following year also with the Sugar Kings, he achieved an average of 260 in 128 games.

In the 1955 season, he was called up by the Washington Senators, participated in 54 games, playing mainly third base, on offense, averaged only 189 in 132 times at bat, connected 25 hits, three doubles and one triple, drove in 11 runs and scored 12.

In 1956 he was assigned to the Cubans Sugar Kings, a team with which he participated in 93 games, achieving an average of 270. That season and the next he played for Marianao, participated in the Caribbean Series, the first held in Havana and the second in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In the Mexican Baseball League, he played for the Sultanes de Monterrey, leading in hits in the 1960 season with 43 and in 1962 with 37, this last year guided by Cuban manager Clemente "Sungo" Carreras, they achieved the title. Delís achieved a batting average of 365.

Retired from professional baseball, he returned to Cuba, working as a coach. He also served as commissioner of this sport in the former province of Oriente.

In the 1980s he was appointed director of the national youth team, winning the title in the editions of Kindersley, Canada, in 1984; Albany, United States, in 1985; Windsor, Canada, in 1986 and Australia, 1987.

In Cuba, he stood out as director of youth teams, being the only mentor who accumulated four consecutive titles in World Championships of that category, from 1984 to 1987, in which he directed players like Omar Linares and Germán Mesa.

In 1985 he was awarded by the IBAF as one of the best directors along with Servio Borges.

He died on July 23, 2003 in Havana at the age of 75.