On December 13, 2025, Fernando Díaz Pedroso will be one of 13 inducted into the Puerto Rico (PR) Pro Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF). Pedroso was born in Marianao—a borough of Havana, Cuba—on May 30, 1924. He passed away at age 70, on November 20, 1994, in Villahermosa, the capital and largest city of the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco. He qualified for his 2025 induction by virtue of playing five PR seasons—two more than the minimum of three required for imports, for Stateside or Cuban ballplayers. Five of the 13 inductees were imports (Easter, Billy Byrd, Díaz Pedroso, Roy Partlow, and Roger Freed).

Pedroso, retroactively, became a big leaguer on December 16, 2020, when his 1945-1947 seasons with the New York Cubans achieved MLB status, as a result of the official position taken by Commissioner Rob Manfred. This positively affected players in seven Negro Leagues, in existence from 1920 to 1948. His most famous HR came for the Ponce Lions, versus Joe Page of the New York Yankees (NYY), on February 24, 1947, in a San Juan, Puerto Rico (PR) spring training game, at Sixto Escobar Stadium. The 5’11” and 180-pound second baseman also played SS-3B and LF professionally in the Cuban Winter League, Puerto Rico Winter League (PRWL), Negro National League II, and Mexican League. He is one of over 200 Negro Leaguers who saw action in the PR Professional Baseball League. https://negroleaguerspuertorico.com/list-of-negro-leaguers-in-puerto-rico/  Pedroso contributed to the success of these championship teams:

• 1946-47 Ponce Lions, PRWL (manager George Scales)
• 1947 New York Cubans, Negro National League II
• 1950-51 and 1951-52 Havana Lions, aka Reds, Cuban Winter League
• February 1952 Caribbean Series Champs (Havana)
• 1954 Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes, Mexican League (manager Adolfo Luque)
• 1956 Mexico City Red Devils, Mexican League.

His PRWL experience included four seasons (1945-49) with Ponce (PON), as well as the 1949-50 season with the San Juan (SJ) Senators. Table I reflects Pedroso’s PRWL hitting stats.

Table I: Pedroso’s PRWL Hitting Stats, 1945-1950

1946-47 D and T not available. Source: https://beisbol101.com/jugador/fernando-diaz-pedroso/

PRWL Success

Eight-year-old Freddie Thon Jr. was the batboy for 1945-46 SJ when his dad—Freddie Thon Sr.—played RF for them, with Luis Rodríguez Olmo patrolling CF and Félix “Fellé” Delgado in LF. Monte Irvin played second base for SJ, the same position Pedroso covered for Ponce, a municipality in southern PR. Pedroso won the batting crown despite just 95 AB (35/95), at .3684, versus Irvin’s .3677 BA (55/157).

Thon Jr. remembered the 1945-46 batting race “very well” between Irvin and Ponce’s Pedroso, noting: “Pedroso’s PR nickname was ‘Pajarito’ [Birdie].” SJ (23-18) emerged as league champs, defeating the Mayagüez Indians in the finals. Pedroso was the first Cuban to win a PRWL batting title. Table II includes him and other Cubans who earned this honor. Tony Taylor, the last Cuban honoree in 1967-68, narrowly won a batting crown.

Table II: Cuban-born Batting Champs plus PRWL Runner-Ups, 1945-46 through 1967-68

#Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh) and Oliva (Minnesota) were 1964 NL and AL batting champs, respectively. Clemente’s lifetime PRWL BA was .324, versus Pedroso’s .323. ARE: Arecibo; CAG: Caguas; PON: Ponce, SAN: Santurce; SJ: San Juan. Source: José Crescioni Benítez.

Memorable 1946-47 Season

Pedroso propelled Ponce to a 38-22 record, 1946-47, with 35 runs, team-leading .348 BA, 12 HR, 35 RBIs, and 19 SB. Projected to 162 games, Pedroso had 32 HR, 95 RBIs, and 51 SB! His 19 steals tied Santurce’s Cocó Ferrer for first. Ponce’s four starters had 20-win seasons, prorated to 162 games—Tomás “Planchardón” Quiñones (9-4), Juan Guilbe (8-2), José “Pantalones” Santiago (8-4), and Johnny Wright (8-5), in a 60-game regular season. Luis “Tite” Arroyo, Pat Scantlebury, and Gilberto “Foca” Valentín were a combined 5-7. 

Epic HR versus Bronx Bombers (February 24, 1947)

Pedroso´s famous home run against the New York Yankees at Sixto Escobar Stadium.

SJ batboy Freddie Thon Jr. saw the 1947 Yankees in person, Saturday, February 22, 1947, at Sixto Escobar Stadium, home of his Senators and Santurce Crabbers. NYY routed SJ, 16-3, behind Floyd Bevens, Allie Reynolds, and Spec Shea. Barney Brown took the loss. Thon recalled Bevens threw his dad a “strike three curve ball that fell off the table.” New York bested Caguas and starter Dan Bankhead, 6-4, the next day. 

On February 24, Clarence Marshall started for the Yankees as one of four pitchers. Ponce coach Raymond Brown scattered a bunch of hits (NYY line score was 8-16-2) and tired in the eighth. In the sixth, Pedroso enriched himself by at least $70 when rabid fans made sure he was rewarded with bills and coins, after his three-run HR off Joe Page. Ponce mayor Andrés Grillasca ran to home plate to shake Pedroso’s hand. New York tallied four in the eighth thanks to three errors. Ponce manager George Scales summoned Pantalones Santiago, who fanned two Yankees to end the inning before retiring the side in the ninth for the save. A five-column heading in the sports section of the February 25, 1947, New York Times said: “To the consternation of manager Bucky Harris and the frenzied delight of 5,000 onlookers, the bombers came down with a terrific crash as they blew their game with the Ponce Club of the Puerto Rican League by a score of 12-8.”

March 2-16, 1947, Serie de los Lechones (Roasted Pig Series)

Ponce was the only PRWL team to win a best-of-seven finals after losing the first three games. Caguas fans roasted pigs in “lechoneras” on local highways, after the Criollos won the first three games, but it was for naught when the Lions roared back to win four straight in twin-bills on Sunday, March 9, and Sunday, March 16.

Pedroso went 11-for-30, .367 BA, in this series. Carlos Lanauze (.385), Marzo Cabrera (.323), Francisco “Pancho” Coimbre (.320), and Howard Easterling (.296) also produced. Planchardón Quiñones (2-0) and Juan Guilbe (2-1) combined for Ponce’s four wins. George Scales won his fifth title at Ponce’s helm (1941-45 and 1946-47). Pedroso’s heroics also included fine defensive plays at second base. https://www.1800beisbol.com/baseball/deportes/beisbol_puerto_rico/puerto_rico_la_serie_de_los_lechones_1946_1947/   

Thanks to Freddie Thon Jr., Jorge Colón Delgado did the editing and photo placements.