Germán Mesa Fresneda (born May 12, 1967, in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

manager and former player. A

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

who played for the

Industriales Industriales is a professional baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Located in Cerro, La Habana, it is known as the only team representing the country’s capital, Havana. Industriales is historically the most successful team in the Nat ...

of the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, or SNB) is a domestic baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the National Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. For most ...

and for the

Cuba national baseball team The Cuba national baseball team () represents Cuba at regional and international levels. The team is generally made up of players from the domestic Cuban national baseball system, though it has at times included professional players who defect ...

, Mesa was known as "El Imán" ("The Magnet") for his superior fielding skills, compared by international scouts to the likes of major leaguers

Ozzie Smith Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National ...

and

Omar Vizquel Omar Enrique Vizquel González (; born April 24, 1967), nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. During his 24-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Vizquel played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indi ...

. He was also an exceptional hitter and base runner who led Cuban baseball in

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

triples TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...

, and

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s during his career. He has managed in the National Series, and was named skipper of the Cuban national team for the

2026 World Baseball Classic The 2026 World Baseball Classic is an upcoming international professional baseball tournament, planned to be the sixth iteration of the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The pool play rounds will be played in Miami, Florida; Houston, Texas; San Juan ...

Playing career

Mesa played his entire Cuban National Series career with Industriales. He led the league in stolen bases three times (1988, 1989, and 1991). In the Selective Series, a summer-schedule competition, he led in hits in 1988, runs in 1993, and triples in 1988. In Olympic competition, he won a gold medal with the Cuban national team at the

1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

. However, he was dropped from Cuba's roster before the 1996 Olympics, to be held in Atlanta, replaced at shortstop by

Eduardo Paret Eduardo Paret Pérez (born October 23, 1972, in Santa Clara) is a Cuban baseball player. He is a shortstop for Villa Clara of the Cuban National Series, and for the Cuban national baseball team. Paret was the starting shortstop on the Cuban ...

. In October 1996, less than two months after missing the Olympics, Mesa was banned from Cuban baseball, along with

Orlando Hernández Orlando Hernández Pedroso (born October 11, 1965), nicknamed "El Duque" (Spanish for "The Duke"), is a Cuban-born right-handed former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Industriales of the Cuban National Series, the New York Yan ...

and Alberto Hernández (no relation), for allegedly taking money from an American sports agent. While the other two players defected, Mesa elected to remain in Cuba.Bjarkman, p. 266 His suspension was lifted in March 1998, and he returned to play for Industriales at the beginning of the

1998–99 Cuban National Series The 38th Cuban National Series saw Santiago de Cuba, which qualified for the playoffs, win three close series to take its first title in ten years. Standings Group A Group B Group C Group D Source: Playoffs References Further readin ...

. Mesa won another silver Olympic medal with Cuba at the

2000 Sydney Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. He retired in 2002, and eventually became a trainer for the national team.

Coaching career

After his retirement, Mesa managed Industriales from 2008 to 2011, leading them to a championship in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. He has also managed in the

Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League The Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League ( or LBPN), known as the Campeonato Claro for sponsorship purposes, is the professional baseball league of Nicaragua. The league consists of five teams with a 30-game regular season schedule that runs ...

, winning three titles — two with the

Gigantes de Rivas The Gigantes de Rivas (English: Rivas Giants) are a professional baseball team based in Rivas, Nicaragua. They compete in the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League (LBPN). The team plays at the Estadio Yamil Ríos Ugarte. Established in 2013, t ...

(2016, 2024) and one with the

Tigres de Chinandega The Tigres de Chinandega (English: ''Chinandega Tigers'') are a baseball club that competes in the Nicaragua Professional Baseball League (LPBN), representing the city of Chinandega. The team has won the league championship four times, in 2006, 2 ...

(2013). Mesa managed the El Salvador national team at the 2017 Central American and

Bolivarian Games The Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'', full name ''Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos'') are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (''Organización Deporti ...

. He was a bench coach with the Cuban national team at the

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...

, where the team finished fourth. On June 18, 2025, the

Baseball Federation of Cuba The Baseball Federation of Cuba (, FCB) is the governing body of the sport of baseball in Cuba. History The Baseball Federation of Cuba was established in 1938. The professional Cuban League was dismantled in 1961, following the Cuban Revolutio ...

announced that Mesa would manage the Cuban national team at the

, replacing Armando Johnson. Mesa's selection was controversial, with critics pointing to his opposition to including defectors in National Series tournaments; one commentator described his selection as "possibly the worst thing that has happened to Cuban baseball in its history."

References

Bibliography

External links