Professional Baseball Player. The first Cuban baseball player to make an impact in the Major Leagues, Marsans played for 7 years with the Cincinnati Reds, the St. Louis Browns, and the New York Yankees. Known for his defensive prowess and aggressive base running, he was also an excellent contact hitter who rarely struck out. He was the son of a wealthy Havana tobacco merchant and began playing professionally in Cuba in 1905. In 1908, he came to the United States and played in the minor leagues with New Britain in Connecticut. His contract was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds in 1911 and he made his Major League debut that year when he was 23 years old. Mostly an outfielder, he also played games at every infield position except for pitcher and catcher. He quickly became a popular player during his first season as a starter in 1912 when he hit .317 and stole 35 bases. While playing in Cincinnati, he ran a successful cigar store and also managed a tobacco factory in Cuba during the off season. In 1914, his quick temper engaged him in an argument with the club's manager, Buck Herzog, that resulted with his leaving the team. Marsans demanded to be traded, but the request was refused by the team's owner, and so Marsans "jumped" his contract, and went to play in the outlaw Federal League with the St. Louis Terriers. He spent much of the next two years in legal battles over contract and eligibility disputes. When the Federal League folded in 1916, Marsans signed to play with the St. Louis Browns and led the American League with 46 stolen bases. Soon after he was traded to the New York Yankees in 1917, he was sidelined with a broken leg and was never able to recover enough to play successfully and quit after the 1918 season. Briefly trying a comeback, he played in 1923 in the minor leagues with the Louisville Colonels. Later that year, he signed a contract to play in the Negro Leagues with the Cuban Stars. The following season, he became a player manager with the Elmira Colonels of the New York-Penn League. Marsans then returned to Cuba and continued to play a few more seasons in his native country. He was inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. He died in Havana, Cuba in 1960 when he was 72 years old. His name appears on a monument dedicated to members of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in another section of the cemetery.