Spanish Baseball
From SoSH
Although it is not well-known, Spain does have two baseball leagues. Due to the overwhelming popularity of soccer, however, Spanish and indeed European baseball in general gets relatively little attention.
The Spanish baseball leagues are broken down into 2 classes: the Division de Honor (2 divisions of 6 teams each) and the Primera Division (Division A has 3 teams, Division B has 4).
Division de Honor has the better teams, as Spanish baseball follows a system of promotion and relegation between the two leagues much the way soccer is handled. Teams play a 48-game season during the spring. At the end of the season, the top 3 teams in each division compete in sets of 7-game playoff series to crown the Spanish Baseball Champion, which usually represents Spain in international baseball tournaments (such as the European Cup).
Interestingly, most Spanish baseball teams are confined to Catalan and Basque provinces, both ethnic and linguistic minorities in Spain. There are 2 teams on the Canary Islands and only one team in Madrid.
To date, only 3 Spanish-born players have played in the majors: Bryan Oelkers, Al Pardo, and Danny Rios. None have been in MLB since 1998.
