Víctor Mesa

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mesa and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

Víctor Mesa
Mesa at the 2013 World Baseball Classic
Outfielder / manager
Born: (1960-02-20) February 20, 1960 Havana, Cuba
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Stats at Baseball Reference
Managerial record at Baseball Reference
Career highlights and awards
Amateur World Series MVP (1984)
Medals Men's baseball Representing Cuba Olympic Games Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona Team Baseball World Cup Gold medal – first place 1984 Havana Team Gold medal – first place 1986 Amsterdam Team Gold medal – first place 1988 Rome Team Gold medal – first place 1990 Edmonton Team Gold medal – first place 1994 Managua Team Intercontinental Cup Silver medal – second place 1981 Edmonton Team Gold medal – first place 1983 Brussels Team Gold medal – first place 1987 Havana Team Gold medal – first place 1989 San Juan Team Gold medal – first place 1993 Italy Team Gold medal – first place 1995 Havana Team Pan American Games Gold medal – first place 1983 Caracas Team Gold medal – first place 1987 Indianapolis Team Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana Team Gold medal – first place 1995 Mar del Plata Team Central American and Caribbean Games Silver medal – second place 1982 Havana Team Gold medal – first place 1986 Santiago de los Caballeros Team Gold medal – first place 1990 Mexico City Team Gold medal – first place 1993 Ponce Team Goodwill Games Gold medal – first place 1990 Seattle Team

Víctor Mesa Martínez (born February 20, 1960) is a Cuban baseball manager and former player. Nicknamed "El Loco," he played 19 seasons in the Cuban National Series from 1978 to 1996, all with Villa Clara, and was a longtime fixture of the Cuba national baseball team. He has since managed in the National Series and with the national team, including at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Playing career

Mesa earned a reputation as an aggressive baserunner, leading the SNB in stolen bases on six occasions (1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1989, and 1992). He also participated in several Selective Series with Las Villas, earning eight more stolen base titles for a total of 14 over the course of his playing career. In the National Series, he posted a .318 batting average and slugged 273 home runs. His showmanship and aggressive style of play was polarizing on the field, but earned him many fans in Cuba even outside his home province of Villa Clara.

Mesa played with the Cuba national baseball team from 1981 to 1995. He was named most valuable player at the 1984 Amateur World Series, and is a one-time Olympic gold medalist for baseball, won at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona; he led all hitters at the 1992 Games in batting average (.560) and RBIs (9). Over the course of 20 appearances at major international tournaments, he batted .365 with 30 home runs and 169 runs batted in.

Managerial career

After his playing career ended, Mesa managed Villa Clara from 2000 to 2008, leading it to deep playoff runs in 2001 and 2002.

Mesa also managed in Mexico, steering the Rojos del Águila de Veracruz club in the 2010 Mexican League season and the Petroleros de Minatitlán in the 2011 season. He also piloted the Cafeteros de Córdoba of the Veracruz Winter League. Mesa left Minatitlán after posting an 11–15 record.

In 2011, Mesa took the reins of Matanzas, leading the team to the finals twice, in 2013 and 2014; it lost both years, to Villa Clara and Pinar del Río, respectively. After six seasons with Matanzas, he left to manage Industriales in the 2017–18 Cuban National Series; Mesa led the team to a fourth-place finish, but resigned after he alleged he was overlooked by the Baseball Federation of Cuba for a coaching position with the national team.

Personal life

His sons, Víctor Víctor Mesa and Víctor Mesa Jr., defected from Cuba in 2018. Both became professional baseball players in the Miami Marlins organization.