Washington DC Baseball

[GeoPoto]

Player #165: Joseph C. "Joe" Cambria Part 2. "Papa Joe" (born Carlo Cambria) was an American professional baseball scout and executive who was a pioneer in recruiting Latin American players. From 1929 through 1940, he owned several Minor League Baseball teams, as well as the Negro league Baltimore Black Sox. He is best known, however, for his work as a scout for Major League Baseball, especially for his work in Cuba. From the mid-1930s until his death in 1962, he recruited hundreds of Cuban players for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins. Cambria was described as the first of many scouts who searched Latin America for inexpensive recruits for their respective ball clubs.

This approach led Joe Cambria clear out of the country to explore talent in Puerto Rico, Panama, and Mexico. In 1911, he had played in Cuba and recalled having been impressed with the ability of the players and the overall quality of play. He would eventually sign a great number of Cuban players for the Washington Senators on behalf of Clark Griffith.

The first of those was Bobby Estalella, a powerful hitter who packed 185 pounds on a 5' 6" frame. Discovered by Cambria in the Havana winter league while in his early twenties. Estalella could hit the ball a long way, when he connected. Unfortunately, his fielding average at third base risked dropping to the level of his batting average. In his debut with the Senators, in 1935, he got into 15 games and hit a couple of homers. In the field, he was knocking balls down any way he could, and the Griffith Stadium fans loved him. He faded back to the minors, but nearly four years later, Estalella was brought back to spend the better part of six seasons in the big leagues. In '39, the Nats made use of him in about half their games, but only in the outfield, and he managed to hit a creditable .275 with eight homers. Estalella was not destined to ever become a star, however.