Forgotten Heroes - Center for Negro League Baseball Research

Forgotten Heroes - Center for Negro League Baseball Research

Forgotten Heroes:
Alejandro “El Caballero” Oms
by
Center for Negro League Baseball Research
Dr. Layton Revel
and
Luis Munoz
Copyright 2014
Santa Clara (Cuba) (1922-23)
(Oscar Charleston – back row second from left and Alejandro Oms – front row first on left)
Alejandro “El Caballero” Oms Signs with the Habana Leones (1927)
Alejandro “El Caballero” Oms was born on March 13, 1895 in Santa Clara in the Las Villas
province of Cuba.
An outfielder his entire career, Alejandro stood 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 190 pounds. Oms
was an outstanding left-handed line drive hitter who hit to all fields for both average and power.
On the base paths, Oms had excellent speed that enabled him to take an extra base when the
opportunity presented itself and was always a threat to steal. In the field he was an excellent
defensive player who had exceptional speed, excellent range, a great glove and often entertained
the fans with acrobatic catches behind his back. Oms caught everything hit in his direction.
He earned his nickname “El Caballero” or “The Gentleman” by his soft-spoken demeanor
especially when talking, exquisite manners, kind nature and gracious behavior. Alejandro also
had a reputation of never arguing with an umpire and always presented himself as a gentleman
both on and off the field.
Early Baseball Career
Oms started his baseball career in Cuba as a young teenager playing with local semipro and
sandlot teams. From 1910 to 1914 Oms played for local teams that included Pastora and
Dobargans. During this time Alejandro also played in the Cuban sugar mill leagues for El
Chicago and Boston. In 1915 he moved up the semipro ladder to play for El Tosca. From 1915 to
1920 Oms played primarily for El Tosca and his hometown team of Santa Clara. In 1917, Oms
did come to the United States to play one season for the barnstorming Cuban Stars (East) before
returning home to play baseball in Cuba. Oms played for Villa Clara and the Matanzas Los
Pirates from 1920 to 1922. Playing for Matanzas was a real move up for Oms because he got to
play on the same team as Pelayo Chacon, Martin Dihigo and Tinti Molina.
1923 Cuban Stars (Eastern Colored League)
(Bernardo Baro, Alejandro Oms, Oscar Levis, Pablo Mesa and Bartolo Portuando)
1
Alejandro Oms – “Star” of the Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
(Oms – kneeling first on left)
1922 Cuban Stars (East)
(Back row left to right – Pelayo Chacon, Vicente Rodriquez, Barcel, Jose Junco, Alex Pompez, Pablo Mesa, Isidro
Fabre and Juan Padrone. Front row left to right – Recurvon Terna, Tatica Campos, Juanelo Mirabal,
Alejandro Oms, Oscar Levis and Julian Fabelo.)
2
Oms came back to the United States in 1921 to play for
the All Cubans barnstorming team. After the summer
season in the United States, Alejandro returned to Cuba
to play for Santa Clara. With the four Oms brothers Alejandro (right field), Tito (first base) Eleuterio
(pitcher) and Pedro (team mascot) - Santa Clara
dominated league play and easily won the Cuban
regional championship. In 1922 Oms returned to the
United States to barnstorm with the Cuban Stars (East).
The highlight of his 1922 season was hitting three
homeruns off Negro League ace Huck Rile of the New
York Lincoln Giants on July 23.
Alejandro Oms
1923-24 Nacionales Baseball Card (Cuba)
Negro League Career
Alex Pompez took over control of the Cuban Stars (East) in 1922 and was determined to take
them from being a barnstorming team to playing in a legitimate “league.” The Cuban Stars
entered the Eastern Colored League (ECL) for its inaugural season in 1923. With Oms playing
center field, he teamed with Pablo “Champion” Mesa and Bernardo Baro to form the best outfield
in Eastern Colored League history. The Cuban Stars had an excellent season in 1923 finishing in
second place with a 23-17 record. The Hilldale club under Ed Bolden won the Eastern Colored
League championship with a 32-17 record in 1923. Oms played a major role in the Cuban Stars
success that year hitting .367 with a slugging average of .523 in thirty-one “league” games. His
complete hitting statistics for the 1923 Eastern Colored League season were as follows:
Year
Team
1923
Cuban Stars
Games
31
AB
128
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
27
47
5
3
3
26
10
.367
SLG
.523
Oms returned to the United States every year to play for the Cuban Stars in their Eastern Colored
League seasons from 1924 through 1928. Even with Oms in the lineup, the Cuban Stars would
never finish above the middle of the pack in the Eastern Colored League final standings from
1924 through 1928.
In the six years that Alejandro Oms played in the Eastern
Colored League (ECL), he never hit below .300. This is
particularly impressive because from 1924 to 1928 he
played while still suffering from the after effects of
having contracted the deadly disease tuberculosis in
Cuba during the winter of 1923-24.
Afro American
06-23-28
In addition to their Eastern Colored League schedule, the
Cuban Stars also played a significant number of ball
games against “non-league” opponents. Newspaper
accounts indicate that the Cuban Stars led by Alejandro
Oms dominated their lower level opponents. An example
of this can be found in the research of James Riley who
credits the 1928 Cuban Stars with a won-loss record of
93-22 (.809).
3
New York Cubans - Negro National League Playoff Series (1935)
The New York Cubans were formed by Alex Pompez (former owner of the Cuban Stars) before the start of
the 1935 Negro National League season. To bring experience and a solid bat to his line-up Pompez signed
Alejandro Oms as his right fielder. The 39 year old Oms had a great season with New York posting a .354
batting average and a .494 slugging percentage. Besides Oms, Pompez put together a star studded line-up
of players that featured the hitting of Lazaro Salazar (.390), Martin Dihigo (.335), Dick Lundy (.337), Dave
“Showboat” Thomas (.333) and Clyde Spearman (.333). The pitching staff for the Cubans included Martin
Dihigo (7-3), Luis Tiant (7-5), Johnny Taylor (6-4) and John “Neck” Stanley (4-5).
The New York Cubans started the season slowly, but by mid-season they had caught fire. The Pittsburgh
Crawfords won the first half of the Negro National League split season and the New York Cubans easily
won the second half of the season with a record of 20-7 (741). In September Pittsburgh and New York met
in a seven game play-off series to crown a Negro National League champion. The Cubans took three of the
first four games, but Pittsburgh came back to win the last three in a row and claim the Negro National
League title. A summary of the series is as follows:
Winning
Losing
Game Location
Date
Winning Team
Score
Pitcher
Pitcher
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Paterson (NJ)
New York City
New York City
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Sept 13th
Sept 13th
Sept 15th
Sept 18th
Sept 19th
Sept 22nd
Sept 23rd
New York
New York
Pittsburgh
New York
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Afro American
09-14-35
9-3
4-0
3-0
6-1
3-2
7-6
8-7
Frank Blake
Harry Kincannon
Neck Stanley
Sam Streeter
Leroy Matlock Johnny Taylor
Martin Dihigo Leroy Matlock
Roosevelt Davis Frank Blake
Jimmie Crutchfield Martin Dihigo
Roosevelt Davis Luis Tiant, Sr.
4
From 1929 to 1932 the Cuban Stars played in a different “league” each season: American Negro
League (1929), Negro National League (1930), independent schedule (1931) and East-West
League (1932). During this period, Oms played all but one season with the Cuban Stars. Prior to
the start of the 1929 season Oms along with six (6) other starters (Augustin Bejerano, Ramon
Bragana, Pelayo Chacon, Millito Navarro, Basilio Rosell and Tetelo Vargas) did not report in
April to the Cuban Stars for spring training in Jacksonville (FL). Their failure to report resulted in
them being suspended by both the team and the American Negro League. This was a real blow to
Cuban Stars owner Alex Pompez because he had already paid for their travel to Florida and given
salary advances to several of the players. With no job in the United States, Alejandro signed with
the Escogido Leones in the Dominican Republic for $ 1,000 pesos a month.
New York Cubans (1935)
Spring Training (Jacksonville, Florida)
(Oms – kneeling fourth from left)
After the East-West League folded in 1932 the Cuban Stars returned to a barnstorming schedule
in 1932 and 1933. Oms spent the regular baseball season of 1934 in Venezuela before returning
to New York to play for Alex Pompez and the New York Cubans in 1935. At the age of 39, Oms
was in the starting lineup for Alex Pompez’s 1935 New York Cubans in the Negro National
League. The Cubans were loaded with Latin talent. Besides Oms, the team included: Martin
Dihigo, Horacio Martinez, Lazaro Salazar, Ramon Bragana, Luis Tiant Sr. and Rodolfo
Fernandez. The New York Cubans won the second half of the Negro National League season
with a record of 20-7. By all accounts, Oms had an outstanding season in 1935. Records do vary
on Oms’ final 1935 batting average. According to Negro League researcher James Holway Oms
hit .396 and James Riley reports Oms with a batting average of .381. Holway and Riley took into
consideration both “league” and non-league games in which Oms played. Research by Dick Clark
and Larry Lester reports Oms’ statistics for Negro National League games only as:
Year
Team
1935
New York
Games
45
AB
164
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
32
58
10
2
3
21
2
.354
SLG
.494
5
1935 New York Cubans (Negro National League)
(Cando Lopez, Alejandro Oms, Martin Dihigo and Lazaro Salazar)
Oms was selected for the 1935 East-West All Star game in Comiskey Park (Chicago) and went 2
for 4. At the end of the Negro National League season, the New York Cubans played the
Pittsburgh Crawfords for the Negro National League championship. Pittsburgh made a dramatic
come back in the series winning the final three games and defeated the Cubans 4 games to 3.
Alejandro Oms had an outstanding Negro League career. Oms had a career batting average of
.328 and an outstanding slugging percentage of .505 in “league” games. His career hitting
statistics in “league” games are as follows:
Alejandro Oms - Negro League Career Hitting Statistics
Year
Team
1917
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1930
1931
1932
1933
1935
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
New York
Totals
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
25
8
11
31
32
44
46
29
13
7
1
4
45
95
37
46
128
120
162
103
170
115
53
28
4
15
164
13
13
6
27
22
34
13
36
27
14
1
2
2
32
23
18
18
47
39
51
31
54
36
19
5
3
5
58
1
2
4
5
6
13
5
8
8
6
2
1
0
10
1
1
1
3
3
1
1
3
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
4
0
3
2
7
4
7
4
2
1
0
1
3
11
15
8
26
25
23
16
24
33
8
3
0
3
21
10
2
3
1
7
3
0
0
0
0
2
.242
.274
.486 .919
.391 .522
.367
.523
.325
.475
.315
.537
.301
.485
.318
.524
.313
.487
.358
.623
.179
.357
.750 1.000
.333
.533
.354
.494
296
1240
242
407
71
11
38
216
28
.328
.505
If “non-league” games were taken into consideration his numbers would be significantly higher.
One example of this is that Oms is reported to have hit 40 homeruns in one season in the early
1920’s when the Cuban Stars were an independent team.
6
Cuban Winter League Career
Alejandro Oms entered the Cuban Winter League
with the Santa Clara team in 1922. Oms had played
for Santa Clara for several seasons, but this was Santa
Clara’s first season in the Cuban Winter League. The
Cuban Winter League was the highest level of baseball
played on the island. Also in the outfield for Santa Clara
were Oscar Charleston and Pablo “Champion” Mesa.
Together with Oms they formed perhaps the greatest
outfield in Cuban baseball history. In his first year
in the Cuban Winter League Alejandro hit .436 and
finished just behind teammate Oscar Charleston (.446)
for the Cuban League batting title. Santa Clara dropped
out of the league at the mid point of the season, but the
team returned to play the 1923-24 season. Santa Clara
dominated the three other league teams winning the
Cuban League championship by eleven and a half games
with a record of 36-11. The Santa Clara team was loaded
with Negro League stars besides Oms. Negro League
players on the 1923-24 Santa Clara roster were: Oscar
Charleston, Frank Duncan, Bill Holland, Oliver “The
Ghost” Marcelle, Dobie Moore, Pablo Mesa, Alejandro
Oms and Frank Warfield. Oms had another excellent
season hitting .381 and finishing in third place for the
league batting championship just behind fellow teammates
Dobie Moore (.386) and Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle (.393).
1923-24 Santa Clara
(Mesa, Charleston and Oms)
1923-24 Santa Clara Leopards (Cuban League Champions)
(Standing left to right – Jose Mendez, Oscar Charleston, Oliver Marcelle, Mayari Montavlo, Frank Warfield and
Julio Rojo. Middle row left to right – Frank Duncan, Alejandro Oms and Pablo Mesa. Seated left to right –
Rube Currie, Dave Brown, Walter “Dobie” Moore, Pedro Dibut, Matias Rios and Bombin Pedroso.)
7
During the 1924-25 season, Santa Clara could not repeat
its league dominating performance from the year before.
With dwindling attendance and no hope of catching the
“league” leading Almendares club, Santa Clara owner
Abel Linares moved the team’s home games to
Matanzas at the mid point of the season. Santa Clara’s
off year did not affect Alejandro, as he won the Cuban
League batting championship with a .393 batting
average. Santa Clara did not field a team for the
1925-26 season. Oms signed to play with San Jose who
were a new entry into the league. After getting off to a
slow start, San Jose disbanded its team on December 22,
1925. Oms was picked up by the Habana Leones for the
remainder of the season. Oms finished the season with a
.324 batting average and a .485 slugging percentage.
Oms moved to another new team for the 1926-27 season.
His new team played under the name “Cuba.” In a
shortened season, team Cuba finished in second place in
the league. With a short regular winter league season, a
new independent league was formed by the name of
“Triangular.” The league was called “Triangular”
because it had only three teams: Alacranes
(Almendares), Habana Reds and Marianao. Alejandro
Alejandro Oms
played for the Marianao team and finished the season
1925-26 San Jose (Cuba)
with a .366 batting average and a slugging percentage
of .495. The 1927-28 season would find Oms with his
sixth different team in five years. Oms played for the Habana Leones for the 1927-28 season and
helped lead them to a Cuban Winter League championship. Like always Alejandro hit over .300
(.324) and had a slugging percentage of .549. Oms returned to the Habana Leones for the 1928-29
Cuban Winter League season.
1926-27 Cuba (Cuban Winter League)
(Oms – front row second from right)
8
Oms had another outstanding season over the winter of 1928-29, winning another batting title
(.432) while also leading the league in hits (76), doubles (18) and slugging percentage (.619).
During the 1928-29 season Oms established two Cuban hitting records by collecting six (6) hits
in one game on December 20th and had the longest hitting streak in Cuban baseball history
(30 games - from October 1st to December 24th). Besides Oms, the Habana team featured several
other Negro League stars: Martin Dihigo (.303), Chino Smith (.333), Augustin Bejerano (.378),
Jud Wilson (.397), Cliff Bell (9-3), Oscar Levis (6-2) and Oscar Estrada (7-4 and .368). Habana
dominated league play and won the championship by ten and a half games with a 43-12 record.
Manuel Cueto, Unknown, Alejandro Oms and Unknown
Habana Leones (Cuban Winter League) (1927-28)
When Santa Clara fielded a team for the 1929-30 season, Alejandro was back with his hometown
team. Oms won his second straight batting title with a .380 batting average and also led the
Cuban League in slugging percentage with a .572 average. This was the eighth straight year that
Oms hit over .300 in the Cuban Winter League. The 1930 season consisted of only five games as
a contract dispute between the teams and the owners of La Tropical Stadium in Habana forced the
season to be cancelled. The Santa Clara Leopards dropped out of the Cuban League after the illfated 1930 season and Oms returned to play for the Habana Leones in 1931. Alejandro was
outstanding for the Leones during 1931-32 season. Oms came in second in the league in batting
championship with a .389 batting average just behind Ramon Couto (.400). Oms led the Cuban
League in five offensive categories during the 1931-32 season: slugging percentage (.593), hits
(44), runs (28), stolen bases (14) and homeruns (3). Unfortunately for Habana, Oms was all they
had and they finished in last place with a 9-21 (.300) record. Habana would rebound for the 193233 season and win another championship with a 13-9 (.590) record. Alejandro continued to put up
great numbers and posted a batting average of .368 for the 1932-33 season.
9
Oms did not play in Cuba for the 1933-34 or 1934-35 winter league seasons. When the Santa
Clara Leopards re-entered the Cuban League for the 1935-36 season with Martin Dihigo as the
playing manager, Oms was in their starting line-up. Dihigo put together a virtual all-star team of
Negro League players and won the league championship with a 34-14 record. Negro League
players that played for Santa Clara during the 1935-36 season were: Alejandro Oms (.311), Bill
Perkins (.323), Willie Wells (.356), Horacio Martinez (.255) and Martin Dihigo (11-2 and .358).
Oms did not play in Cuba during the 1936-37 season, but returned to the team to help Santa Clara
win another Cuban League championship during the 1937-38 season with a 44-18 (.710) record.
Alejandro did not play baseball in Cuba during the 1938-39 winter league season. The Puerto
Rican Winter League had just been organized for its inaugural season and was attempting to bring
the finest ball players possible to the island. Oms was one of the players that league owners went
after. Oms played for the Guayama Witches of the Puerto Rican League during the 1938-39
winter league season. During the 1938-39 season Oms established the Puerto Rican League
record for most hits in one game with six (6). Along with Perucho Cepeda and Tetelo Vargas,
Oms helped lead Guayama to 27-12 (.690) record on their way to winning the “league”
championship.
1938-39 Guayama Brujos (Puerto Rican League Champions)
(Standing left to right - Teofilo Iraola, Enrique Anglada, Charlie Rivero, Valentin Villegas, Alejandro Oms,
Menchin Pesante, Ina Cailimano, Carlos Serrano, Perucho Cepeda, Miguel El Zurdo, Monchito Acosta,
Marcelino Blondet, Trompi Garcia and George Britt. Seated left to right – Guzman, David Vasquez, Guillio Pillot,
Radames Lopez, Cefo Conde, Juan “Tetelo” Vargas, Rafaelito Ortiz and Crucito.)
When he returned to Cuba to play winter ball in 1939, he signed with the Almendares Alacranes.
Now in his mid 40’s, Oms’ best years as a player were behind him. Oms struggled at the plate for
the first time in his career and hit a mere .223 in 101 plate appearances. While his production on
the field suffered, he did help provide a veteran leadership role in the dugout and clubhouse. The
Alacranes with Adolfo Luque as their manager had a strong season and won the league title with
a 28-23 (.550) record. The 1940-41 season would be Oms’ last full season in the Cuban Winter
League. Alejandro started the season with Almendares and was traded to Habana, where he was
part of the Leones team that won the Cuban League championship.
10
Alejandro Oms’ Cuban League career spanned from 1922 through 1941. He would also make one
token appearance in 1947. During his Cuban Winter League career, he played for Santa Clara
(8 seasons), San Jose (1925-26), Cuba (1926-27), Marianao (1926-27), Habana (6 seasons),
Almendares (2 seasons) and Cienfuegos (1945-46). With his bat and leadership on the field, he
was an integral part of nine (9) Cuban League championship teams: Santa Clara (1923-24,
1924 Special Season – Gran Premerio and 1935-36), Habana Leones (1927-28, 1928-29, 1932-33
and 1940-41), Almendares (1939-40) and Cienfuegos (1945-46).
Alejandro Oms was one of the greatest baseball players in Cuban League history. He finished his
Cuban League career with a career batting average of .343. This put him in second place behind
Cristobel Torriente (.352). His career statistics in Cuban League play were as follows:
Career Statistics – Cuban Winter League
Games
-
AB
1826
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
373
627
99
35
21
100
66
.343
.470
It is important to note that if his last two years with Almendares (when he was in his mid-40’s
and blind in one eye) are factored out, his career batting average would have been an
unbelievable .362.
For all his contributions to Cuban baseball, Alejandro was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of
Fame in 1944.
1923-24 Santa Clara Leopards
Cuban League Champions
(Top row: Oscar Charleston, Matias Rios, Walter “Dobie” Moore and Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle
Second row: Augustin “Tinti” Molina - Manager
Bottom row: Oscar “Heavy” Johnson, Bill Holland, Pablo Mesa and Alejandro Oms)
11
Alejandro Oms – Funeral Announcement
Date: 11-10-46
Place: Pueblo Villa Clara
Cuba
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Cortejo Funeral Home
Calle de Toscano
12
Venezuelan Baseball Career
Oms started going to Venezuela to play baseball in the early to mid 1930’s. In 1934 he played in
Venezuela with Almendares (Serie Concordia-Almendares), Puerto Rican Stars, Santa Marta and
Concordia. The Serie Concordia-Almendares pitted two great teams against one another.
Concordia was loaded with Negro League stars that included: Josh Gibson, James Williams,
Martin Dihigo, Herbert “Rap” Dixon and Juan “Tetelo” Vargas. The Almendares squad was
equally talented with: Pedro Arango, Isidro Fabre, Jose Maria Fernandez, Cando Lopez,
Alejandro Oms and Lazaro Salazar. After the series, Oms joined the Puerto Rican Stars to play a
series against Concordia. When this series was concluded, Oms joined the Concordia team.
Alejandro returned to Venezuela in 1935 to play a second
season with Concordia. Also playing on the 1935 Concordia
team were Negro League stars: Pedro Arango, Martin Dihigo,
Manuel “Cocaina” Garcia, Millito Navarro and Juan “Tetelo”
Vargas. Starting in 1936, Oms played virtually his entire regular
season baseball for the remainder of his career in Venezuela.
The only exception was the 1937 season when Oms joined Tetelo
Vargas and Ramon Bragana to play for the Estrellas Orientales
team of the Dominican League.
Over the years, Oms played with several other teams in
Venezuela: Santa Marta (1936), Centauros (1937), Vargas
(1939), Estrellas de Chacon (1942), Magallanes (1944) and
the Cuban Stars (1944). Speculation is that Oms was still
playing in Venezuela when he returned home to Habana shortly
before he passed away in 1946.
Alejandro Oms
Venezuelan Super Star
Even though the records of Venezuelan baseball history are very fragmented, some of the
highlights of Oms’ Venezuelan baseball career include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Batted .538 in the Serie Concordia-Almendares in 1934.
Hit over .400 in his two seasons with Concordia in 1934 and 1935.
While playing for Santa Marta won the Venezuelan League batting title with a .433
average in 1936.
Hit .368 during his 1937 Venezuelan season with Centauros.
Won a second Venezuelan League batting championship with a .474 batting average
while playing for Vargas in 1939.
At the age of 48 he was voted the top defensive player in the Venezuelan League in
1943.
At the age of 49 hit .306 for Magallanes in 1944.
Passing of a Legend
Alejandro returned home to Havana in late 1946 after completing yet another season playing
baseball in Venezuela. Oms passed away on November 09, 1946 at the age of 51. He died sick,
almost blind and destitute. Oms had been a ball player all his life and that was all he knew. It was
a sad ending to a brilliant career. When Alejandro Oms passed away, one of the great Latin
baseball players of all time was gone.
13
Touring the East with the Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars on the Road (c. 1920’s)
(Oms – standing second on the left)
Cuban Stars (c. 1920’s)
(Standing left to right – Isidro Fabre, Unknown, Unknown, Bernardo Baro, Juanelo Mirabel, Pablo “Champion” Mesa,
Alejandro Oms, Pelayo Chacon, Oscar Levis, Bartolo Portuando, Eustaquio “Bombin” Pedroso
and Jose M. Fernandez)
14
Assessing Alejandro Oms’ Career
•
Alejandro Oms was one of the best Negro League and Latin hitters of all-time.
Current research has identified 304 box scores for games that Oms played in the
United States. He compiled a career batting average of .337 (428 for 1271) for these
304 games.
In 645 games for which box scores have been found for him playing against all levels
of competition which includes his Latin career, Alejandro Oms has a career batting
average of .344 (1219 for 3540).
•
Research by nine (9) leading Negro League researchers has identified the following
yearly batting averages for Oms’ career in the Eastern Colored League (ECL) and
Negro National League (NNL).
Year
CNLBR
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1935
Career
Average
.367
.325
.315
.301
.318
.313
.354
Baseball
Reference
.338
.306
.357
.301
.350
.307
.361
.328
.324
Lester
and
Clark
.345
.325
.315
.277
.318
.313
-
John
Holway
.349
.281
.376
.321
.287
.362
.396
James
Riley
.400
.326
.318
.342
.348
.308
.381
Seamheads
.367
.325
.307
-
MacMillan
Baseball
Encyclopedia
.400
.326
.318
.342
.348
.308
.203
.330
.332
.343
.306
Note: CNLBR stands for Center for Negro League Baseball Research and Lester & Clark denotes the research of Larry
Lester and Dick Clark. The primary reason for the difference in yearly batting averages in the above chart is that not all
researchers analyzed the same or same number of games. In addition some researchers like John Holway combine both
“league” and “non-league” games together while other researchers like the CNLBR and Lester & Clark only report
“league” games in their totals.
•
According to research by the Center for Negro League Baseball Research, Alejandro
Oms never hit below .300 during his six (6) years in the Eastern Colored League
and in his one season in the Negro National League.
•
When analyzing his Negro League batting average one must keep in mind that Oms
had a disastrous season in 1917 which was his first year in the United States. In the
25 games for which box scores have been found for Oms playing for the Cuban Stars,
he hit a mere .242 (23 for 95). When he returned in 1921 he dominated opposing
pitchers with a .486 batting average and a .919 slugging percentage.
If his 1917 season is factored out of his career batting average in the Negro Leagues,
his career batting average would be raised seven (7) points from .328 to .335.
•
In 1923 Alejandro Oms was stricken with tuberculosis. It is believed that he
contracted the disease in his native country of Cuba. The same disease would take the
life of his friend and teammate Pablo Mesa in February of 1928. While Oms survived
the disease, the effects of tuberculosis can linger for years. The disease had to have
had a dramatic impact on his overall health, strength, energy and his ability to play
baseball on a daily basis. Even though he did hit over .300 each season between 1924
to 1928, Oms did not regain his previous level of performance until the 1929 season.
One can only wonder what kind of numbers he would have put up if he had been
healthy and at the top of his game during those seasons in the mid-late 1920’s.
In addition he lost sight in one eye in the early 1940’s, but still continued to play
baseball.
15

In Cuba where Alejandro Oms spent the
majority of his career, he finished his
Cuban Professional League career with a
career batting average of .343 which is the
second highest of all-time right behind
Cristobal Torriente (.352). Leading Cuban
researcher Jorge S. Figueredo credits Oms
with a .345 career batting average for his
Cuban career.
It is important to note that when Alejandro
Oms played his last two seasons (1939-40
and 1940-41) in Cuba he was basically blind
in one eye. Blindness in one eye had to have
had a dramatic effect on his ability to see the
ball and hit. If these two seasons (1939-40
and 1940-41) are factored out of his career
batting average for Cuban League play, Oms
would have had an unbelievable career
batting average of .362 for his Cuban career.
From a practical perspective Alejandro Oms
could easily be considered the best Cuban
hitter of all-time.
Alejandro Oms
Almendares Alacranes

Alejandro Oms played professional baseball
in Venezuela for at least seven seasons.
Unfortunately, baseball statistics in
Venezuela especially for the years that Oms
played there are very limited. Our research
has identified 48 games he played in
Venezuela. In these 48 games, he had 110
hits in 273 at bats for an amazing batting
average of .403 against Venezuelan
pitchers.

In his one season in Puerto Rico he went
27 for 58 for a .465 batting average.
•
There is also a significant problem with missing hitting statistics. Some examples
of missing statistics are as follows: all of his semi-pro statistics from Cuba, virtually
all of “non-league” games in the United States, most all of his statistics when he was
playing for independent teams and the vast majority of his records for Venezuela.
•
In short, Alejandro Oms was just an amazing hitter.
•
In addition to being a great hitter, Alejandro was also an excellent defensive player.
His speed enabled him to get to anything hit in his direction and once he got to it he
caught the ball. Newspaper accounts marvel at Alejandro’s acrobatic catches and
how he would often entertain fans by catching the ball behind his back. The best
example of his defensive abilities in the outfield can be seen during his career in
Venezuela, when in 1943 at the age of 48 he was voted the top defensive player in
the Venezuelan League in which he played.
16
•
In his native Cuba, Alejandro Oms played on ten championship teams (1923-24
Santa Clara, 1924 Santa Clara, 1927-28 Habana, 1928-29 Habana, 1932-33 Habana,
1935-36 Santa Clara, 1937-38 Santa Clara, 1939-40 Almendares, 1940-41 Habana
and 1945-46 Cienfuegos).
•
Oms played on three of the greatest teams in Latin American baseball history:
Santa Clara (1923-24), Habana Leones (1928-29) and Concordia (1934-35).
•
The longevity of Alejandro Oms’ career is amazing. All he ever did was play
baseball. His career started in Cuba playing semi-professionally for local, regional
and sugar mill teams. After he turned professional, he never had another job. Oms’
baseball career spanned over 30 years from 1910 until when he passed away in 1946.
Alejandro played well past his prime and was still playing baseball when all of his
other contemporaries from the Negro Leagues and top level Latin leagues had long
been retired. In the later part of his career which was mostly played in Venezuela he
appears to have still been very effective on the field of play.
Alejandro Oms
1895-1946
•
Alejandro Oms was one of the thirty-nine (39) Negro League players and executives
who were selected in 2006 for consideration for induction into the National
Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He fell just short of induction in the final
voting. One major issue that prevented his election from this researcher’s perspective
is that the panel voting on the players did not have all the information presented here
on his career. Had they had more information, the voting may have been quite
different.
•
In conclusion, Alejandro Oms was truly a complete ball player who could do it all.
He was one of the best hitters in the history of Negro League and Latin baseball, he
also had outstanding speed and he was an outstanding defensive player. Oms is truly
a Forgotten Hero.
17
Alejandro Oms in the Dominican Republic
1929 Licey Tigres
(Oms – front row third from right)
1937 Estrellas Orientales (Dominican Republic)
(Oms –front row fourth from left)
18
Playing Career
Year
Team
1910-1914
Pastora
Dobargans
El Tosca
Santa Clara
El Chicago
Boston
Cuban Stars (East)
Matanzas Los Piratas
All Cubans (East)
Cuban Stars (East)
Villa Clara
Cuban Stars (East)
Escogido Leones
Licey Tigres
Stars of Cuba
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban House of David
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Santa Marta
Almendares
Puerto Rican Stars
Concordia
Concordia
New York Cubans
Santa Marta
Estrellas Orientales
Centauros
Gavilanes
Vargas
Estrellas Venezolanas
Estrellas de Chacon
Estrellas de Chacon
Magallanes
Magallanes
Cuban Stars
Venezuela
1915-1920
1917
1920-1922
1921
1922
1922
1923-1928
1929
1929
1929
1930
1931
1931
1932
1932-1933
1934
1934
1934
1934-1935
1935
1935
1936
1937
1937
1938
1939
1939
1942
1942
1942
1944
1944
1945-46
League
Local Team (Cuba)
Local Team (Cuba)
Semi-pro Team (Cuba)
Semi-pro Team (Cuba)
Sugar Mill Team (Cuba)
Sugar Mill Team (Cuba)
Independent
Semi-pro Team (Cuba)
Independent
Independent
Cuba
Eastern Colored League
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
Independent
Negro National League
Independent
Independent
East West League
Independent
Campeonato de Baseball de Primera Division (VZ)
Series vs Concordia (VZ) in Puerto Rico
Barnstorming (Venezuela)
Venezuelan League
Serie vs San Juan Giants
Negro National League
Venezuelan League
Dominican League
Venezuelan League
Commision de Zuliana de Beisbol (CZB) (VZ)
Campeonato de Baseball de Primera Division (VZ)
Serie vs Gold Sox All Stars (VZ)
Venezuela
Serie vs Cerverceria (Venezuela)
Primera Division (Venezuela)
Venezuelan League
Venezuela
Cuban Stars vs Hilldale (1927)
19
Alejandro Oms in Cuba
Santa Clara Leopards
(Oms – seventh from left)
Cuba (1929)
(Oms – front row second from right)
20
Winter Leagues:
Year
Team
League
1922-23
1923-24
1924
1924-25
1925-26
1926
1926-27
1926-27
1927-28
1928-29
1929
1929
1929-30
1930
1930
1931-32
1932-33
1935-36
1936
1937-38
1938-39
1939-40
1940-41
1940-41
1945-46
Santa Clara
Santa Clara Leopards
Santa Clara
Santa Clara-Matanzas
San Jose
Habana Leones
Cuba
Marianao Tigres
Habana Leones
Habana Leones
Estrellas Cubanos
Cuba
Santa Clara
Santa Clara
Habana
Habana Leones
Habana Leones
Santa Clara Leopards
Almendares Alacranes
Santa Clara Leopards
Guayama Witches
Almendares Alacranes
Almendares Alacranes
Habana Leones
Cienfuegos Elefantes
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Special Season – Gran Premio (Cuba)
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Post Season Play (Cuba)
Cuban Winter League
Special Season – Triangular (Cuba)
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Exhibition Tour of Dominican Republic
Post Season Play
Cuban Winter League
Cuban League
Special Season - UNICO (Cuba)
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Puerto Rican Barnstorming Tour
Cuban Winter League
Puerto Rican Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Habana Leones (1926)
(Standing left to right – Alejandro Oms, Pablo Mesa, Eugenio Morin, Pelayo Chacon, Paito Herrera, Mike Gonzalez,
Luther Farrell, Martin Dihigo, Ramon Gonzalez, Juio Rojo, Cristobal Torriente and Oscar Levis.
Seated left to right – Ricardo Torres, Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle, Jesse “Nip”Winters, Rafael Quintana,
Juanelo Mirabal, Jud Wilson and David Gomez.)
21
Alejandro Oms in the Negro Leagues
New York Cubans (1935)
(Alejandro Oms, Unknown, Unknown, Martin Dihigo and Lazaro Salazar)
Dyckman Oval
Home of the New York Cubans
22
Career Statistics – Hitting (Regular Season – Negro League Games)
Year
Team
Games
1917
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1930
1931
1932
1933
1935
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
New York
Totals
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
25
8
11
31
32
44
46
29
13
7
1
4
45
95
37
46
128
120
162
103
170
115
53
28
4
15
164
13
13
6
27
22
34
13
36
27
14
1
2
2
32
23
18
18
47
39
51
31
54
36
19
5
3
5
58
1
2
4
5
6
13
5
8
8
6
2
1
0
10
1
1
1
3
3
1
1
3
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
4
0
3
2
7
4
7
4
2
1
0
1
3
11
15
8
26
25
23
16
24
33
8
3
0
3
21
10
2
3
1
7
3
0
0
0
0
2
.242
.274
.486 .919
.391 .522
.367
.523
.325
.475
.315
.537
.301
.485
.318
.524
.313
.487
.358
.623
.179
.357
.750 1.000
.333
.533
.354
.494
296
1240
242
407
71
11
38
216
28
.328
.505
Career Statistics – Hitting (Regular Season – Non-League Games)
Year
Team
Games
AB
1925
1928
1929
Cuban Stars
Cuban Stars
Stars of Cuba
1
4
2
2
18
7
Total
7
27
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
2
3
2
14
3
0
1
-
0
1
-
2
2
-
-
2
5
19
1
1
4
-
2
BA
SLG
1.000 4.000
.778 1.280
.429
.703
-
Career Statistics – Hitting (East-West All Star Games)
Year
Team
1935
East
AB
4
Runs
1
Hits
2B
3B
2
0
0
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
0
0
0
.500
.500
Career Statistics – Hitting (Regular Season - Venezuela)
Year
Team
1934
1934
1934
1934
1935
1936
1937
1939
1942
1942
1944
Games
Runs
Hits
Almendares
13
Puerto Rican Stars - 2
Santa Marta
8
28
Concordia
1
4
Concordia
29
Santa Marta
15
60
Centauros
16
60
Vargas
6
20
Estrellas
1
4
Magallanes
1
4
Magallanes
49
4
2
8
1
7
12
7
0
0
-
Totals
41
48
AB
273
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
7
1
11
2
12
26
22
10
2
2
15
0
1
2
1
-
2
2
-
-
1
-
1
-
.538
.500
.392
.500 1.500
.414
.433
.368
.500
.500
.500
.306
-
110
4
4
-
1
1
.403
-
Career Statistics – Hitting (Regular Season – Dominican Republic)
Year
Team
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
1929
1937
Escogido
Estrellas
26
13
99
10
4
23
4
Total
26
112
10
27
4
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
2
0
9
-
.308
.232
.313
2
0
9
-
.241
-
Career Statistics – Hitting (Winter League Season - Puerto Rico)
Year
Team
1938-39
Guayama
Games
AB
-
58
Runs
-
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
27
-
-
-
-
-
BA
.465
SLG
-
23
Alejandro Oms in Cuba
Santa Clara (1923)
(Top row left to right - Pedro Dibut, Dave Brown, Jose Mendez, Rube Currie, Bill Holland and Bombin Pedroso.
Middle row left to right – Frank Duncan, Oscar Johnson, Frank Warfield, Dobie Moore and Oliver Marcelle.
Bottom row left to right- Oscar Charleston, Pablo Mesa, Esteban Montalvo, Alejandro Oms and Julio Rojo.)
Pablo “Champion” Mesa, Martin Dihigo, Alejandro Oms and Pepin Perez
24
Career Statistics – Hitting (Winter League Season - Cuba)
Year
Team
1922-23
1923-24
1924
1924-25
1925-26
1926-27
1926-27
1927-28
1928-29
1929-30
1930
1930
1931-32
1932-33
1935-36
1937-38
1939-40
1940-41
Santa Clara
Santa Clara
Santa Clara
Santa Clara
San Jose
Cuba
Marianao
Habana
Habana
Santa Clara
Santa Clara
Habana
Habana
Habana
Santa Clara
Santa Clara
Almendares
Almendares
Habana
Cienfuegos
1945-46
Games
Total
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
27
37
46
18
5
21
41
1
14
31
25
-
94
139
76
145
68
18
101
71
176
166
7
55
113
57
180
92
101
166
26
33
7
32
10
5
28
11
38
37
1
7
28
13
38
22
15
22
41
53
22
57
22
9
37
23
76
63
2
10
44
21
56
29
23
39
7
7
13
7
2
3
3
18
9
0
0
8
4
10
2
2
4
3
4
4
2
0
2
2
6
4
0
0
3
0
3
0
0
2
1
1
0
0
0
267
1826
373
627
99
SLG
0
2
1
0
0
2
3
1
5
0
0
3
0
2
2
0
0
17
12
30
19
9
13
7
3
1
3
2
1
10
1
5
3
2
14
4
1
5
4
.436
.381
.290
.393
.324
.500
.366
.324
.432
.380
.286
.182
.389
.368
.311
.315
.228
.235
.574
.532
.559
.485
.611
.495
.549
.619
.572
.286
.182
.593
.439
.417
.402
.248
.283
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
35
21
100
66
.343
.470
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
Career Hitting Statistics (Totals)
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
Negro Leagues
Non-League
East-West All Star Game
Dominican Republic
Cuba
Venezuela
Puerto Rico
296 1240
7
27
1
4
26
112
267 1826
48
273
58
242
5
1
10
373
41
-
407
19
2
27
627
110
27
71
1
0
4
99
4
-
11
1
0
2
35
4
-
38
4
0
0
21
-
207
0
9
100
1
-
28
2
0
66
1
-
.328
.703
.500
.241
.343
.403
.465
.505
.500
.470
-
Totals
645
672
1219
179
53
63
317
96
.344
-
3540
Juan “Tetelo” Vargas, Radames Lopez and Alejandro Oms
1938-39 Guayama Brujos (Puerto Rico)
25
Habana Leones – Cuban Champions
During the 1928-29 Cuban Winter League season, Alejandro Oms played right field for the
Habana Leones. The Leones started the season by winning 14 of their first 16 games. Habana
dominated “league” competition the entire season and easily walked away with the Cuban Winter
League championship at the end of the season. They finished the season with a won-loss record
of 43-12 (.782) and were 10 ½ games ahead of the second place Alemendares Alacranes (31-21).
The 1928-29 Habana Leones are considered one of the greatest teams in Latin American baseball
history.
Alejandro Oms led the Habana Leones in hitting and led the Cuban Winter League in batting
average (.432), slugging percentage (.619), at bats (176), hits (76) and doubles (18). Oms’ .432
batting was the highest batting average (100 or more at bats) for a single season in the history of
Cuban professional baseball. Alejandro also recorded six (6) hits in a game and had a Cuban alltime record 30 game hitting streak that went from October 31st to December 24th.
Other top hitters on the Habana club were Jud Wilson (.397), Augustin Bejerano (.378), Oscar
Estrada (.368), Charles “Chino” Smith (.333), Martin Dihigo (.303) and Miguel Gonzalez (.284).
The pitching staff for the Habana Leones included William Bell (9-3), Oscar Estrada (7-4), Jose
Acosta (6-2) and Oscar Levis (5-2).
1928-29 Habana Leones
Cuban Professional League Champions
(Oms – back row fifth from left)
26
Batting and League Leader Hitting Titles
Category
Year
League
Number
Batting
1924-25
1928-29
1929-30
1936
1939
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Venezuelan League
Venezuelan League
.393
.432
.380
.433
.474
Slugging Percentage
1923-24
1924-25
1928-29
1929-30
1931-32
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
.532
.559
.619
.572
.593
At Bats
1928-29
Cuban Winter League
176
Hits
1928-29
1931-32
1936
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Venezuelan League
76
44
26
Runs Scored
1931-32
Cuban Winter League
28
Doubles
1924-25
1928-29
1932-33
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
Cuban Winter League
13
18
4
Homeruns
1931-32
Cuban Winter League
3
Stolen Bases
1931-32
Cuban Winter League
14
1926-27 Cuba
(Oms – front row third from right)
27
Newspaper Coverage
Oms Collects 6 Hits
Cuban Stars vs Hilldale
Afro American
06-26-26
Oms Hits Goes 4 for 4 with 2 HR
Cuban Stars vs Lincoln Giants
Afro American
07-28-28
Oms Goes 2 for 4 w/ 2 Triples
Concordia vs Norfolk
Venezuela
1934
28
Selected Career Highlights
•
Alejandro Oms posted a career batting average of .328 with a slugging percentage of .505
in Negro League games and a career batting average of .344 in games against all levels of
competition.
•
He won five (5) batting titles and led his league five (5) times in slugging percentage.
•
Oms had the second highest career batting average (.343) in Cuban League history
behind Cristobel Torriente (.352).
•
Hit over .300 in eleven (11) of the thirteen (13) full winter league seasons he played in
Cuba. This included a record eight (8) straight winter league seasons in Cuba from 1922
to 1930.
•
He led the Habana Leones (43-12) to a Cuban Winter League championship for the 192829 season. The 1928-29 Leones were one of the top Latin American teams of all-times.
•
Oms’ batting average of .432 and his 30 game hitting streak during the 1928-29 season
for the Habana Leones are both Cuban Winter League baseball records.
•
Selected as the Cuban Winter League Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 1928-29.
•
Along with Perucho Cepeda and Tetelo Vargas helped lead the Guayama Brujos to the
1938-39 Puerto Rican Winter League championship. Oms also hit .465 for the season.
•
Selected to the Venezuelan All Star Team in1939.
•
Selected to the Negro League East-West All Star team in 1935.
•
At the age of 39 he batted .354 while playing everyday for the New York Cubans of the
Negro National League.
•
Oms helped lead the New York Cubans to the second half 1935 Negro National League
title. The Cubans lost a seven game play-off series to the Pittsburgh Crawfords.
•
At the age of 48 he was voted the top defensive player in the Venezuelan League in 1943.
•
Selected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1944.
Habana Leones (Cuba)
(Oms – back row first on left)
29
30