Osvaldo Castellanos

Osvaldo Castellanos
Manager
Born: c. 1919
Regla, Cuba[1][2]
Died: March 6, 1984(1984-03-06) (aged 64–65)
Coro, Falcón, Venezuela[3]
Medals
Men's baseball
Manager for  Cuba
Amateur World Series
1953 Caracas Team
Manager for  Venezuela
Amateur World Series
1973 Havana Team

Osvaldo Castellanos (c. 1919 — March 6, 1984) was a Cuban baseball player and manager. He managed the world champion Cuba national baseball team at the 1953 Amateur World Series in Caracas.[4]

Castellanos played as a shortstop in the Cuban Amateur League, with the Rifleros de Regla and later with Cubaneleco.[3] He took the role of Regla's manager in 1944, and went on to helm the team for several seasons. He never won a top-level amateur title with Regla, but managed the team to a second place finish in 1945 and four third place finishes. Before managing Regla, he won a pennant in the Campeonato Obrero, a minor amateur competition, with the Ruta 29 club.[1] He mentored several prominent amateur players including a future Cuban National Series star Jorge Trigoura, as well as Rogelio Valdés.[5]

Castellanos was first selected to coach the Cuba national baseball team for the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games, held in Barranquilla, Colombia.[6] However, he was ultimately replaced in the role by Víctor "Vitico" Muñoz.[7][8] He finally managed Cuba at the 1953 Amateur World Series in Caracas, leading the team to a world championship.[9][4][10]

After his appearance at the 1953 series, he moved to Venezuela permanently as a baseball instructor.[3] He later managed Venezuela at the 1973 Amateur World Series held in Havana, steering the team to a bronze medal.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b "Manager: Osvaldo Castellanos". Digital Library of the Caribbean. Diario de la Marina. 6 September 1953. p. 19. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  2. ^ Miranda, Fausto (26 March 1985). "Polvo de estrellas". Newspapers.com. El Miami Herald. p. 9. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Miranda, Fausto (20 March 1984). "Correo del martes". Newspapers.com. El Miami Herald. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b Bjarkman, Peter C. (2007). A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864–2007. McFarland. p. 200. ISBN 0786428295.
  5. ^ "Castellanos y el Club Regla". Diario de la Marina. 18 March 1954. pp. 40–41. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Un Acierto de la Liga Nacional Amateur". Digital Library of the Caribbean. Noticias de Hoy. 28 August 1946. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  7. ^ Bjarkman, p. 227
  8. ^ "El bronce de Barranquilla 46". Play Off Magazine. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  9. ^ "La XIV Serie Mundial de Béisbol Amateur (Caracas 1953)". Deportes Cine y Otros. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Osvaldo Castellanos, el manager victorioso". Diario de la Marina. 10 October 1953. p. 20. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  11. ^ Memoria de los Campeonatos Mundiales de Beisbol Aficionado. Havana: Ediciones Deportivas. 1971.