Posted By:
NickinvegasRyan,
I do not believe that Almeida and Marsans were the first latins to play in MLB, "Jud" Castro was:
"According to the McMillan Encyclopedia, the official record of organized baseball, the first Latin American to enter the big leagues was Luis Castro, an infielder who played 42 games with the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1902 season." - 100 Years & Counting : The Latino Baseball Legacy
The first Cubans were Almeida and Marsans. Although Almeida did bat first, so he would be considered "the first"; Marsans was the first to have a major impact on the game. He was a great ball player. And some would argue, because he was a dark skinned Cuban he should be considered the first black player to play baseball.
Link for Casto: http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/castrlu01.shtml
Link for Marsans: http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/marsaar01.shtml