Former teams

• Azucareros del Este, 1983–2008, a former name of the current Toros del Este
• Caimanes del Sur (San Cristóbal), during 1983–1989
• Delfines del Atlántico (Puerto Plata), this team was never officially in the league and did not play
• Pollos del Cibao / Pollos Nacionales / Pollos Béisbol Club (San Francisco de Macorís) during 1999–2002, previously Gigantes del Nordeste, currently Gigantes del Cibao

Founding teams

In the early 1900s, four Dominican teams formed. These teams still exist today, and form the foundation of Dominican professional baseball:

• Tigres del Licey (1907)
• Estrellas Orientales (1911)
• Leones del Escogido (1921)
• Sandino, later renamed Águilas Cibaeñas (1937)

Community-level impact

As a cultural icon of the Dominican Republic, baseball holds a strong presence in many parts the country. Surrounded by working class neighborhoods, baseball stadiums in larger Dominican cities are routinely maintained. Owners of big businesses like sugar refineries funded the construction of these fields to benefit from the games. Games in these stadiums attract major crowds and a sense of community can be observed.^[5] Like their American counterparts, these "latinized" games exude free-spiritedness, social cohesion, and festivity from the fans and players alike.^[6] In the Dominican Republic, baseball players are regaled as sports heroes and function as role models to their fan base. This idolization is covered by the media more so than in the United States.^[4]

The Dominican Republic has the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region. The country has the fastest growing economy in Latin America, and a growing middle-class population.^[7] However income inequality persists in this developing nation, according to statistics in 2016, 30.5 percent of Dominicans lived below the nation's poverty line, while 5.5% of Dominicans were unemployed.^[8] With poverty preventing certain segments of the Dominican population a chance to get a higher education, many look up to the success of those who become famous baseball players, and see baseball as an escape from poverty.^{[citation needed]} Because of this, children begin playing organized baseball as early as six years old,^[6] and compete with others in leagues with the hopes of being recognized by baseball scouts.

Some argue that the perception of baseball as economic salvation is in reality detrimental to the youth of the Dominican Republic, as it promotes seeking baseball success at all costs, at the expense of pursuing higher education.^[6]

American hegemony inside Dominican baseball

After Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuba and the subsequent U.S. blockade, scouts of the majors turned their sights towards the Dominican Republic.^[4] Posed with the opportunity to acquire quality talent at a reasonable price, major league teams established "working relationships" with Dominican professional teams.^[9] Since the 1950s, all 30 MLB franchises have established baseball training academies in the Dominican Republic^[10] which are tasked by their respective teams to condition and prepare young Dominican prospects for a chance at further developing in the United States. Having produced many successful athletes from these academies, these academies undercut the reliance of U.S. teams on Dominican baseball organizations.^[9]