| José Leblanc | |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 1894 |
| Birth Place: | Cienfuegos, Cuba |
| Death Place: | Santiago, Cuba |
| Debutdate: | 1920 |
| Debutteam: | Cuban Stars West |
| Finalyear: | 1921 |
| Finalteam: | Cincinnati Cuban Stars |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 26–21 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 2.31 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 220 |
| Teams: | |
José Leblanc Vargas (1894 – January 31, 1922), nicknamed "Cheo" and "Count", was a Cuban baseball pitcher in Negro league baseball. He played most of his career with the midwestern Cuban Stars, including in the first two seasons of the original Negro National League.[2] His career earned run average of 2.31, as well as 7.8 wins above replacement (WAR) per 162, are among the best marks for qualified pitchers in the recognized Negro major leagues.[3]
Despite his dominance of Negro league baseball, little trace of Leblanc exists in the historical record.[4] In the Cuban League, he played for Almendares (also managed by the Stars' Tinti Molina) and Habana. He died during a winter game in Santiago, after being struck in the head with a bat by Antonio Susini during an extended argument and later altercation between both teams and the umpires over a close play at home in a local championship series.
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