Position:catcher Bats: right Throws: right

Juan Armenteros was born in Havana, Cuba. He was just a young boy when his father died. His childhood was subsequently short-lived. Juan left school in search of a job to help his mother provide food and shelter for his siblings. Money was not easily made. Although the family lived in poverty, the relationships within the Armenteros family were rich; blessed by the abounding love they felt for each other. Juan was never able to make his way back to school. His desire to pursue further education was not an option, however, he made time to fulfill his dream to play baseball. His love for the game ultimately led him to the baseball diamonds Negro Leagues.

It was 1953 when the Kansas City Monarchs called on Juan. Buck O'Neil, the legendary Kansas City Monarch, was Juan's manager and soon after a very close friend. Juan grew quite fond of the Kansas City organization and their loyal fans. What he did not seem to grow fond of was the struggles to which men of color were so frequently subjected. Buck tried to share with Juan a coping mechanism, a "state of mind" that might enable him to be free from his overwhelming sadness. There was no explanation that could make any sense of the senseless oppressive conditions that these men had to endure. With Buck's help, Juan rose above the wrath of Jim Crow and made his baseball dreams a reality. The Kansas City Monarchs continued to call Juan back from Cuba each and every season through 1955. As each season came to a close, he returned to his family in Cuba and his winter baseball teammates.

Negro Leagues Baseball, as well as Major Leagues Baseball, was a moneymaking business. Teams within the league worked hard to achieve financial success. Managers often booked several games a day to maximize profits. Players hurried to board the team bus at the conclussion of one game, raced across the countryside to make the start a second game in another city. The only time alloted for the players to eat, sleep and change clothes coincided with the tome they spent on the bus. By the end of the 1956 season, Juan had played in three East-West All-Star Games and been scouted by the Cardinal's organization and was off to El Paso, Texas to play ball there. In 1957, he traveled to Winnipeg, Canada to play ball north of the border as so many other Negro League players did. He returned to Winston Salem, North Carolina to finish out his baseball career in 1958.

Juan was married in 1959. He pursued a career in contracting, roofing, and siding. He and his wife are proud parents of a daughter and a son. In 1978 Juan moved his family to Miami, Florida.