Oscar Prieto Ortiz (1905–1983) was a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n baseball executive and promoter.Salón de la Fama y Museo del Béisbol de Venezuela
(Spanish). ''MuseodeBeisbol.com.ve''. Born in

Ciudad Bolívar Ciudad Bolívar (; Spanish for "Bolivar City"), formerly known as Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana, is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolívar State. It lies at the spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about in width, is the si ...

, Prieto grew up in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in th ...

and attended public schools, where he learned and developed his skills as a salesperson to advertise and sell products. Over time, he became a visionary entrepreneur and helped lay the groundwork for the expansion of baseball in Venezuela and its consolidation through the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League in 1946. At an early age, baseball was a central part of Prieto's life. He worked as a promoter for the Cardenales la Guaira BBC and then became part of the leadership of the Sabios de Vargas, clubs that participated in the ''Liga Nacional de Béisbol'', which had stabilized the first national championship of first division in Venezuela since its inauguration in 1930.Gutiérrez, Daniel; Álvarez, Efraim; Gutiérrez (h), Daniel (2006). ''La Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela''. LVBP, Caracas. . Additionally, Prieto broadcast baseball games on radio and worked closely with

Pablo Morales Pedro Pablo Morales Jr. (born December 5, 1964) is an American former competitive swimmer. He set world records in the 100-meter butterfly in 1984 and 1986. He was the 100-meter butterfly gold medalist at the 1992 Olympic Games, as well as winn ...

, a businessman and baseball team owner, managing operations in regards to team events and planning budgets. Afterwards, Morales served as president of the International Baseball Federation in a span of four years between 1946 and 1952 and also headed the organizing committee of the VII Amateur Baseball World Series held in Caracas in 1944. As a result, the first ever Caribbean Series tournament played in 1949 was the brainchild of Morales and Prieto, who devised the idea after seeing the success of the Serie Interamericana organized by them in 1946. Morales later bought the Cervecería Caracas BBC franchise in 1952 and renamed it as the Leones del Caracas, one of the most popular teams in Venezuelan professional baseball history. Morales would remain the sole owner of the team until shortly before his death in 1969, when he included Prieto as legal partner.Un día como hoy debutan los Leones
(Spanish). ''Diario de Los Andes''. Retrieved on August 10, 2015. Oscar Prieto died in Caracas in 1983 at the age of 78 years. He was enshrined into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2008.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prieto Ortiz, Oscar 1905 births 1983 deaths People from Caracas People from Ciudad Bolívar Venezuelan sportspeople