Leo Najo
Encyclopedia
Leo Najo was one of the first Mexican-born players to play professional baseball
in the United States, debuting in 1924 with the San Antonio Bears
of the Class A Texas League
. After early success in the minor leagues, he was drafted by the major league Chicago White Sox
in 1925. Although a leg injury, and possibly racial prejudice, stifled his major league career, Najo moved on to enjoy a lengthy and productive career both in the U.S. minor leagues and in the Mexican League. In 1939, he became the first player selected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, known as Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
. In 2001, Minor League Baseball
named Leo Najo's 1932 Tulsa Oilers team as one of the top 100 minor league teams of all time, in part because of his contributions."
, located across the border from Zapata, Texas
.
When Najo was 10, his mother moved the family to the nearby town of Mission, Texas
, where she purchased a small tavern and operated it successfully for many years afterward. Najo lived in Mission for the rest of his life. The family's financial stability allowed the youth to spend much of his time playing the relatively new game of baseball, which was very popular along the Texas-Mexico border at the start of the 20th century.
In the early 1920s, Najo and several other young men in Mission formed a town semi-pro team, the Mission 30-30s, named after the Winchester Model 1894
rifle, which was popularly known as the 30-30 rifle. The 30-30s became a baseball institution in Mission, existing until the mid-1960s. A number of famous South Texans besides Najo played on the 30-30s team, including future Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry
and future U.S. Congressman Kika de la Garza
.
Because playing semi-pro ball in Mission was only bringing in about $6 per week, Najo also played for other South Texas teams, including the Milmo Bank team of Laredo, Texas
. Najo also played with some of the very earliest organized teams in Mexico, including the Cuauhtemoc Brewery team of Monterrey
in 1922. The Cuauhtemocs are viewed by baseball historians as an important early Mexican franchise and a forerunner of the highly successful Sultanes de Monterrey in the modern Mexican League.
It was during Najo's early, semi-pro playing days that he began using "Najo" as his playing name. Relatives believe the name derived from the Spanish word for rabbit, "conejo", given to Najo by fans because of his fast base running.
Because of his natural speed and catching ability, Najo mostly played center field, although he often played the other outfield positions and, rarely, the infield. In addition to being an above-average hitter (.321 lifetime batting average), Najo excelled at drawing walks and stealing bases, and he was often the team's lead-off hitter. In his twenties, he stood 5-foot-9 and weighed 144 pounds.
for games against semi-pro teams there. During one of these visits, Najo was "discovered" by a scout with the San Antonio Bears
of the Class A Texas League
. He was signed in December 1923 and played his first pro game on April 16, 1924 at San Antonio's League Park, leading off and playing right field for the Bears against the Galveston Sand Crabs. By his participation in that game, he became one of the first Mexicans to play U.S. professional baseball. Baseball historians also believe Najo was the first Mexican to play in the Texas League
, which was established in 1888.
Later in 1924, forced to reduce their roster, the San Antonio Bears "lent" Najo to the Class D Tyler, Texas
Trojans, where he led the team to the championship of the East Texas
League, finishing third in the league in batting and earning a .992 fielding average. Najo received recognition for his fast base running and acrobatic catches in the outfield.
Najo played almost the entire 1925 season on loan from San Antonio to the Class C Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Drillers of the Western Association
. He played in 142 games, mostly at center field, hit 34 home runs, made 213 hits, and compiled a .381 batting average. After the season, league president J. Warren Seabough told the Chicago Daily Tribune, "Leo Najo ... is one of the greatest players of all time in the Western Association."
Drillers, the Chicago White Sox
drafted him in the winter of 1925, and thus he became, most historians agree, the first Mexican player ever taken by a major league team. A November 8, 1925 Washington Post article refers to Najo as “one of the greatest baseball players of all time.”
He appeared in a number of spring training games for the White Sox in 1926, seven years before Mel Almada
officially became the first Mexican player to earn a regular roster spot in the U.S. major leagues. According to newspaper accounts of the day, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
, baseball’s first commissioner, watched Najo play in exhibition games in 1926. Decades later, in 1973, another baseball commissioner, Bowie Kuhn
, attended Najo's induction into the Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
in Monterrey
.
Najo's spring training statistics indicate that he played well enough to make the major league team. However, on the final day of spring training, Najo was released to the San Antonio Bears. The Chicago Daily Tribune reported, "The Sox squad was cut down by one today when Najo ... was shipped to the San Antonio club to which he has been released outright. There are others tonight awaiting the signal to move."
Although the exact reason for his dismissal remains a mystery, Najo's family suspects that the decision was due, at least in part, to racial prejudice among the major league players and team officials. The White Sox attempted to portray Najo, who was of dark complexion and spoke limited English, as a native American ("Chief Najo") due to prevailing racism against Mexicans. Najo family members say that, although he remained upbeat and dedicated to his love of baseball, racial prejudice did adversely affect his career.
On July 7, 1926, Najo was seriously injured during a game with the Houston Buffaloes when another outfielder, Ping Bodie, collided with him while both players were running full speed to catch a fly ball. The burly Bodie, who normally played first base and had only been with the team for a month, ran over the much smaller Najo and landed on top of him. The result was that Najo's leg was severely broken midway between the knee and the ankle, ending his season and also ending his chances of returning to the major leagues.
San Antonio's Spanish-language newspaper, La Prensa, reported, "Najo's collision with Bodie, plus the fact that Bodie landed on top of him, caused the popular Mexican player to break his left leg below the knee. Najo had to be helped off the field on the shoulders of other players.... In reality, this is a death blow to San Antonio's chances of winning the championship of the Texas League. Not only was Najo one of the best outfielders in the league, but he was a consistently excellent hitter with a batting average above .300. In addition, his incredible speed made him a top base stealer."
Some Najo admirers say that Najo's injury may have been the result of a conspiracy to damage his baseball career. These conspiracy theorists say that Najo was actually only days away from rejoining the Chicago White Sox and that Bodie deliberately plowed into Najo due to jealousy, racism, or because somebody paid him to injure Najo. They point out that Bodie had recently joined the team, that he was unaccustomed to playing in the outfield, that he was much taller and heavier than Najo, and that he left the team shortly after injuring Najo.
. He batted around .300 and had a fielding average of .960 or better in two seasons with San Antonio (1927, 1928), two seasons with the Omaha
Crickets / Packers of the Western League
(1929, 1930), and a season split between Omaha and San Antonio in 1931.
On May 27, 1928, playing at League Park in San Antonio against the Beaumont Exporters, Najo set a Minor League record for most outfield putouts (12) in one game. Although the record has since been broken, it stood for many years.
Prior to the start of the 1932 season, Najo was traded to the Tulsa Oilers of the Western League
. Baseball historians believe that Najo's contributions to this historic Tulsa team are an important reason it having been named one of Minor League Baseball
's 100 best teams of all time. Baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright wrote, "The 1932 Tulsa Oilers were a one-season wonder, entering and exiting the Western League in a short few months. However, despite their brief stay, the team left a lasting legacy, finishing with the top winning percentage (.671) in league history.... Center fielder Leo Najo, who hit .323, was one of the first Mexican players in Organized Baseball. Najo, a native La Lajilla, Nuevo Leon, had a career average of.321 in 1,318 games, mostly with San Antonio and Omaha."
The peak of Najo's playing career coincided with America’s Great Depression
, during which the industry of professional baseball, like most others, fell on hard times. Members of his family believe that the Depression
was a significant factor in keeping Najo from attempting a return to the major leagues.
Although expected to return to Tulsa for the 1933 season, Najo had a salary dispute with the team and left minor league baseball at age 33. He returned to Mission, Texas to look after his family's business interests, including the tavern handed down to him by his mother, along with several rental properties. The Depression was at its height, and Najo finally grew tired of being away from home for long periods and of playing for very small salaries.
Palms of the Class D Texas Valley League. He played in 137 games, collecting 130 hits, a .354 batting average, and a .976 fielding average. He followed that up with two seasons as a player-manager in the Mexican League, with the Alijadores de Tampico
of Tampico
in 1939 and the Diablos Rojos del México
of Mexico City
in 1940.
In 1939, Najo was the first player elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame (Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
), although he was not officially inducted until 1973, after an actual Hall of Fame building was constructed in Monterrey, Mexico. An exhibit about Najo in the Hall of Fame features a bronze statue in the "Temple of Baseball’s Immortals."
After his career as a pro player ended, Najo used his regional fame to promote the game of baseball throughout South Texas and Northern Mexico. He continued playing, managing, coaching, and umpiring in semi-pro and youth leagues for decades. As a manager, even well into his fifties, he often inserted himself into games as a pinch hitter. Many players that he coached went on to become successful professional baseball players and coaches.
After a lengthy battle with cancer, Najo died on April 25, 1978 at the age of 79, following complications resulting from gall bladder surgery. In his honor, the street in Mission where he lived most of his life was renamed "Leo Najo Street," and the Mission High School baseball stadium was also named for him.
Every October since Najo's death, a large group of fans and admirers has hosted a "Leo Najo Day" in Mission's Community Center. The annual gathering draws hundreds of baseball aficionados and features displays and programs about the history of baseball in South Texas.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in the United States, debuting in 1924 with the San Antonio Bears
San Antonio Bears
The San Antonio Bears were a minor league baseball team located in San Antonio, Texas. The team played in the Texas League. Their home stadium was League Park.-External links:*...
of the Class A Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. After early success in the minor leagues, he was drafted by the major league Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in 1925. Although a leg injury, and possibly racial prejudice, stifled his major league career, Najo moved on to enjoy a lengthy and productive career both in the U.S. minor leagues and in the Mexican League. In 1939, he became the first player selected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, known as Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
The Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México , commonly called the Salón de la Fama is a baseball hall of fame and museum located in Monterrey, Nuevo León. It is dedicated to recognizing people who have either contributed greatly to baseball in México...
. In 2001, Minor League Baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
named Leo Najo's 1932 Tulsa Oilers team as one of the top 100 minor league teams of all time, in part because of his contributions."
Early life and career
Leo Najo was born Leonardo Alanis on February 17, 1899 in the small town of La Lajilla, Nuevo LeonNuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, located across the border from Zapata, Texas
Zapata, Texas
As of the census of 2010, there were 5,089 people, 4,328 households, and 1,265 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 629.9 people per square mile . There were 2,239 housing units at an average density of 290.4 per square mile...
.
When Najo was 10, his mother moved the family to the nearby town of Mission, Texas
Mission, Texas
Mission is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 77,058 at the 2010 census Mission is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Mission is located at ....
, where she purchased a small tavern and operated it successfully for many years afterward. Najo lived in Mission for the rest of his life. The family's financial stability allowed the youth to spend much of his time playing the relatively new game of baseball, which was very popular along the Texas-Mexico border at the start of the 20th century.
In the early 1920s, Najo and several other young men in Mission formed a town semi-pro team, the Mission 30-30s, named after the Winchester Model 1894
Winchester Model 1894
Winchester Model 1894 is a lever-action rifle which became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles...
rifle, which was popularly known as the 30-30 rifle. The 30-30s became a baseball institution in Mission, existing until the mid-1960s. A number of famous South Texans besides Najo played on the 30-30s team, including future Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
and future U.S. Congressman Kika de la Garza
Kika de la Garza
Eligio “Kika” de la Garza, II was the Democratic representative for the 15th congressional district of Texas from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1997....
.
Because playing semi-pro ball in Mission was only bringing in about $6 per week, Najo also played for other South Texas teams, including the Milmo Bank team of Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
. Najo also played with some of the very earliest organized teams in Mexico, including the Cuauhtemoc Brewery team of Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
in 1922. The Cuauhtemocs are viewed by baseball historians as an important early Mexican franchise and a forerunner of the highly successful Sultanes de Monterrey in the modern Mexican League.
It was during Najo's early, semi-pro playing days that he began using "Najo" as his playing name. Relatives believe the name derived from the Spanish word for rabbit, "conejo", given to Najo by fans because of his fast base running.
Because of his natural speed and catching ability, Najo mostly played center field, although he often played the other outfield positions and, rarely, the infield. In addition to being an above-average hitter (.321 lifetime batting average), Najo excelled at drawing walks and stealing bases, and he was often the team's lead-off hitter. In his twenties, he stood 5-foot-9 and weighed 144 pounds.
From the semi-pros to the pros
During the early 1920s, Najo's Milmo Bank team occasionally traveled to San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
for games against semi-pro teams there. During one of these visits, Najo was "discovered" by a scout with the San Antonio Bears
San Antonio Bears
The San Antonio Bears were a minor league baseball team located in San Antonio, Texas. The team played in the Texas League. Their home stadium was League Park.-External links:*...
of the Class A Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. He was signed in December 1923 and played his first pro game on April 16, 1924 at San Antonio's League Park, leading off and playing right field for the Bears against the Galveston Sand Crabs. By his participation in that game, he became one of the first Mexicans to play U.S. professional baseball. Baseball historians also believe Najo was the first Mexican to play in the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
, which was established in 1888.
Later in 1924, forced to reduce their roster, the San Antonio Bears "lent" Najo to the Class D Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
Trojans, where he led the team to the championship of the East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
League, finishing third in the league in batting and earning a .992 fielding average. Najo received recognition for his fast base running and acrobatic catches in the outfield.
Najo played almost the entire 1925 season on loan from San Antonio to the Class C Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek...
Drillers of the Western Association
Western Association
The Western Association was the name of five different leagues in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries.The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western Association on October 28, 1887...
. He played in 142 games, mostly at center field, hit 34 home runs, made 213 hits, and compiled a .381 batting average. After the season, league president J. Warren Seabough told the Chicago Daily Tribune, "Leo Najo ... is one of the greatest players of all time in the Western Association."
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox
Following Najo's success with the OkmulgeeOkmulgee Drillers
The Okmulgee Drillers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Western Association from 1920 to 1927. They were based in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. In 1922, they played at Athletic Park, and from 1923 to 1927, they played at Petrolia Park....
Drillers, the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
drafted him in the winter of 1925, and thus he became, most historians agree, the first Mexican player ever taken by a major league team. A November 8, 1925 Washington Post article refers to Najo as “one of the greatest baseball players of all time.”
He appeared in a number of spring training games for the White Sox in 1926, seven years before Mel Almada
Mel Almada
Baldomero "Mel" Almada was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Red Sox , Washington Senators , St. Louis Browns and Brooklyn Dodgers...
officially became the first Mexican player to earn a regular roster spot in the U.S. major leagues. According to newspaper accounts of the day, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
, baseball’s first commissioner, watched Najo play in exhibition games in 1926. Decades later, in 1973, another baseball commissioner, Bowie Kuhn
Bowie Kuhn
Bowie Kent Kuhn was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, , to September 30,...
, attended Najo's induction into the Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
The Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México , commonly called the Salón de la Fama is a baseball hall of fame and museum located in Monterrey, Nuevo León. It is dedicated to recognizing people who have either contributed greatly to baseball in México...
in Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
.
Najo's spring training statistics indicate that he played well enough to make the major league team. However, on the final day of spring training, Najo was released to the San Antonio Bears. The Chicago Daily Tribune reported, "The Sox squad was cut down by one today when Najo ... was shipped to the San Antonio club to which he has been released outright. There are others tonight awaiting the signal to move."
Although the exact reason for his dismissal remains a mystery, Najo's family suspects that the decision was due, at least in part, to racial prejudice among the major league players and team officials. The White Sox attempted to portray Najo, who was of dark complexion and spoke limited English, as a native American ("Chief Najo") due to prevailing racism against Mexicans. Najo family members say that, although he remained upbeat and dedicated to his love of baseball, racial prejudice did adversely affect his career.
Suspicious injury
In releasing Najo to San Antonio, Chicago retained the right to call him back up to the majors as the season progressed. It appears likely that Najo would have gotten another shot with the White Sox as long as he continued to play well in San Antonio ... and remained healthy.On July 7, 1926, Najo was seriously injured during a game with the Houston Buffaloes when another outfielder, Ping Bodie, collided with him while both players were running full speed to catch a fly ball. The burly Bodie, who normally played first base and had only been with the team for a month, ran over the much smaller Najo and landed on top of him. The result was that Najo's leg was severely broken midway between the knee and the ankle, ending his season and also ending his chances of returning to the major leagues.
San Antonio's Spanish-language newspaper, La Prensa, reported, "Najo's collision with Bodie, plus the fact that Bodie landed on top of him, caused the popular Mexican player to break his left leg below the knee. Najo had to be helped off the field on the shoulders of other players.... In reality, this is a death blow to San Antonio's chances of winning the championship of the Texas League. Not only was Najo one of the best outfielders in the league, but he was a consistently excellent hitter with a batting average above .300. In addition, his incredible speed made him a top base stealer."
Some Najo admirers say that Najo's injury may have been the result of a conspiracy to damage his baseball career. These conspiracy theorists say that Najo was actually only days away from rejoining the Chicago White Sox and that Bodie deliberately plowed into Najo due to jealousy, racism, or because somebody paid him to injure Najo. They point out that Bodie had recently joined the team, that he was unaccustomed to playing in the outfield, that he was much taller and heavier than Najo, and that he left the team shortly after injuring Najo.
Najo's career resumes after injury
Despite the serious setback to his career, Najo returned to action in 1927 with the San Antonio BearsSan Antonio Bears
The San Antonio Bears were a minor league baseball team located in San Antonio, Texas. The team played in the Texas League. Their home stadium was League Park.-External links:*...
. He batted around .300 and had a fielding average of .960 or better in two seasons with San Antonio (1927, 1928), two seasons with the Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
Crickets / Packers of the Western League
Western League (defunct minor league)
The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American minor league baseball. Its earliest progenitor, which existed from 1885 to 1899, was the predecessor of the American League...
(1929, 1930), and a season split between Omaha and San Antonio in 1931.
On May 27, 1928, playing at League Park in San Antonio against the Beaumont Exporters, Najo set a Minor League record for most outfield putouts (12) in one game. Although the record has since been broken, it stood for many years.
Prior to the start of the 1932 season, Najo was traded to the Tulsa Oilers of the Western League
Western League (defunct minor league)
The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American minor league baseball. Its earliest progenitor, which existed from 1885 to 1899, was the predecessor of the American League...
. Baseball historians believe that Najo's contributions to this historic Tulsa team are an important reason it having been named one of Minor League Baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
's 100 best teams of all time. Baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright wrote, "The 1932 Tulsa Oilers were a one-season wonder, entering and exiting the Western League in a short few months. However, despite their brief stay, the team left a lasting legacy, finishing with the top winning percentage (.671) in league history.... Center fielder Leo Najo, who hit .323, was one of the first Mexican players in Organized Baseball. Najo, a native La Lajilla, Nuevo Leon, had a career average of.321 in 1,318 games, mostly with San Antonio and Omaha."
The peak of Najo's playing career coincided with America’s Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, during which the industry of professional baseball, like most others, fell on hard times. Members of his family believe that the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
was a significant factor in keeping Najo from attempting a return to the major leagues.
Although expected to return to Tulsa for the 1933 season, Najo had a salary dispute with the team and left minor league baseball at age 33. He returned to Mission, Texas to look after his family's business interests, including the tavern handed down to him by his mother, along with several rental properties. The Depression was at its height, and Najo finally grew tired of being away from home for long periods and of playing for very small salaries.
Later life and death
After being out of pro baseball for six years, Najo, at age 39, staged a short-lived "comeback" in 1938 with the McAllen, TexasMcAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
Palms of the Class D Texas Valley League. He played in 137 games, collecting 130 hits, a .354 batting average, and a .976 fielding average. He followed that up with two seasons as a player-manager in the Mexican League, with the Alijadores de Tampico
Alijadores de Tampico
The Alijadores de Tampico were a professional baseball team from Tampico, Tamaulipas that played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol . In the 1940s, they were an excellent team and won titles in 1945 and 1946. However, the team was not very profitable and from 1949 through 1970, the team was not a...
of Tampico
Tampico
Tampico is a city and port in the state of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, directly north across the border from Veracruz. Tampico is the third largest city in Tamaulipas, and counts with a population of 309,003. The Metropolitan area of...
in 1939 and the Diablos Rojos del México
Diablos Rojos del México
Diablos Rojos del México is a professional baseball team in the Mexican League.This team is located in Mexico City. The team name, Diablos Rojos del México, means Mexico City Red Devils. It is often believed that they are named after the Cincinnati Reds. That is, however, not the case...
of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in 1940.
In 1939, Najo was the first player elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame (Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
The Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México , commonly called the Salón de la Fama is a baseball hall of fame and museum located in Monterrey, Nuevo León. It is dedicated to recognizing people who have either contributed greatly to baseball in México...
), although he was not officially inducted until 1973, after an actual Hall of Fame building was constructed in Monterrey, Mexico. An exhibit about Najo in the Hall of Fame features a bronze statue in the "Temple of Baseball’s Immortals."
After his career as a pro player ended, Najo used his regional fame to promote the game of baseball throughout South Texas and Northern Mexico. He continued playing, managing, coaching, and umpiring in semi-pro and youth leagues for decades. As a manager, even well into his fifties, he often inserted himself into games as a pinch hitter. Many players that he coached went on to become successful professional baseball players and coaches.
After a lengthy battle with cancer, Najo died on April 25, 1978 at the age of 79, following complications resulting from gall bladder surgery. In his honor, the street in Mission where he lived most of his life was renamed "Leo Najo Street," and the Mission High School baseball stadium was also named for him.
Every October since Najo's death, a large group of fans and admirers has hosted a "Leo Najo Day" in Mission's Community Center. The annual gathering draws hundreds of baseball aficionados and features displays and programs about the history of baseball in South Texas.
Books
- Torres, Noe. Baseball's First Mexican-American Star: The Amazing Story of Leo Najo. Llumina Press, 2006. ISBN 1-59526-579-1.
- Torres, Noe. Ghost Leagues: A History of Minor League Baseball in South Texas. Llumina Press, 2005. ISBN 1-59526-086-2.
- King, David. San Antonio at Bat: Professional Baseball in the Alamo City. Texas A&M University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-1585443765.