Wendel: The Cuban Connection, Martin Dihigo
From SABR member Tim Wendel at The National Pastime Museum on September 23, 2013:
Martin Dihigo was the best player who never reached — or more accurately was never allowed to reach — the major leagues. Despite such a fate, he is enshrined in four Halls of Fame: Cuban, Venezuelan, Mexican and U.S.
Born in 1905 in Matanzas, Cuba, where the island’s first ballpark was built, Dihigo made his Negro Leagues debut at 17 and soon demonstrated that he could play any position, including pitcher. As one Cuban baseball official once told me, “Imagine a player like Vladimir Guerrero, who could pitch. That was Martin Dihigo.”
The legend never became a household name in America because he played in the era before the color barrier was broken. But with some digging, one can realize what a marvelous player he truly was.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/cuban-connection
Originally published: September 23, 2013. Last Updated: September 23, 2013.