Alex Pompez

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Alejandro "Alex" Pompez (May 14, 1890 - March 14, 1974) was an American executive in Negro league baseball who owned the Cuban Stars and New York Cubans franchises from 1916 to 1950. He later served as a scout, and as director of international scouting, for the Giants franchise in Major League Baseball.

Born in Key West, Florida to Cuban immigrant parents, he signed numerous Latin American players for his Negro League teams, including Martín Dihigo, Minnie Miñoso and Alejandro Oms. He also helped organize the first Negro League World Series in 1924.

Alex Pompez is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Pompez, like many Negro League owners, was involved with organized crime figures. His connections with Dutch Schultz's organization led to his indictment in 1936 for involvement in policy rackets when New York County District Attorney Thomas Dewey selected him as one of the targets in a crackdown on New York City racketeering. Pompez fled to Mexico after being tipped off to his arrest; he was eventually arrested by Mexican authorities, but Mexican officials refused to extradite him. Pompez decided to return to the U.S. as a state witness in the investigation.

Pompez served on the Baseball Hall of Fame's special Committee on Negro League Baseball in the early 1970s. He died at age 83 in New York City. He was himself elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006.

[edit] External links

• Baseball Hall of Fame bio

[edit] References

• Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 978-0-7867-0065-3.