• Born: May 25, 1905, Matanzas, Cuba
• Died: May 20, 1971, Cienfuegos, Cuba
• Bats: right
• Throws: right
• Height: 6'3"
• Weight: 210 lbs
• Elected to Hall of Fame by Committee on Negro Leagues: 1977

Comparable major league players: Pete Rose

     Martín Dihigo was the most versatile of the Negro leagues' stars.  Early in his career he played for both the U.S. black leagues and for his native winter loop in Cuba, and later he began a long career in Mexico.  In a poll conducted in the early 1980s among ex-Negro League players and other experts on black baseball, Dihigo gathered votes as best all-time outfielder and third baseman, and was voted to the first team all-time black all-star team as a second baseman.

     An example of his all-around ability came in 1938 when, as a pitcher/infielder/outfielder, he paced the Mexican League with an 18-2 record and a 0.90 ERA, while also winning the batting crown with a .387 average.  Dihigo played for 24 seasons in Cuba (1922-29, 1931-46).  The record of his Cuban career is somewhat fragmentary, but for the years which are documented (1922-29, 1931, 1935-46), he hit over .300 nine times, finishing with a lifetime .291 batting average.  As a pitcher he was 93-48 in 1935-46.

     Dihigo was primarily a pitcher in Latin America, where he was known for his blazing fastball.  His Mexican League totals show a lifetime .317 batting average in 10 seasons (1937-44, 1946-47), including a league-leading .387 in 1938.  He was 119-57 as a pitcher in Mexico, going 18-2 with a 0.90 ERA in 1938 and 22-7 with a league-leading 2.53 ERA in 1942.  He threw the first no-hitter in Mexican League history, and also had no-hitters in Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

     The graceful athlete had an exceptionally strong arm, great range in the field and very good speed on the bases.  Whether playing the outfield, the infield, or pitching, he was awesome.  His incredible skills gained him the unique honor of being elected to the Mexican, Cuban, and American Halls of Fame.  Endowed with great speed and an exceptionally strong arm, Dihigo was a star performer at every position.

     Statistics documenting Dihigo's American career exist for 1923-31, 1935-36, and 1945.  In those 12 years, Dihigo hit over .300 six times, including .325 in 1926 with a league-leading 11 home runs in 40 games, and .333 in 1935 with a league-leading 9 home runs in 42 games.  His overall American statistics show a .295 career batting average and a 6-1 record as a pitcher in 1931.  Combining his Dominican, American, Cuban and Mexican statistics results in a lifetime .302 batting average with 130 home runs (11 seasons worth of home run totals are missing) and a 218-106 (.673) pitching mark.  Dihigo often showed his versatility in Negro League competition by playing all nine positions in the course of a single game.

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