Omar Carrero

Omar Pedro Carrero Moreno

• Throws Right
• Weight 163 lb.

• Born May 13, 1950 in Florencia, Camagüey Cuba
• Died September 12, 2012 in Florencia, Ciego de Ávila Cuba

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Omar Carrero was a star pitcher in Cuba in the 1970s.

Carrero first made a splash for Camagüey in the 1973-1974 Serie Nacional, tying Oscar Romero for the lead with six shutouts. He also led with 17 intentional walks and tied for the most hit batsmen (12). In 1974-1975, Omar tied Gregorio Pérez for the lead with eight complete games. In the 1975 Series Selectivas, he led with 10 wins for the Camagüeyanos.

Carrero debuted for the Cuban national team in the 1975 Pan American Games, posting a 2.86 ERA and getting no decisions for the Gold Medal winners. The right-hander had an amazing campaign in 1975-1976 for the Ganaderos, going 8-0 with more shutouts (5) than earned runs allowed (4), for a 0.46 ERA. He led in shutouts, strikeouts (94), ERA and wins (tied with Lázaro Santana) for a pitching Triple Crown to power the Ganaderos to their only title. He was named not only the Most Valuable Pitcher but also Serie Nacional Most Valuable Player. He then led in ERA (0.62) in the Series Selectivas. Carrero wrapped up his big year by going 4-0 with a 0.61 ERA in the 1976 Amateur World Series to carry Cuba to a Gold. Through 2009, this remains tied with a number of other pitchers for the Amateur World Series/Baseball World Cup record for wins in a tourney.

Carrero pitched six innings in the 1978 Amateur World Series with eight strikeouts and one run (unearned) as Cuba took the Gold. In 1980, the right-hander had a 1.87 ERA to lead the Series Selectivas, his third ERA title.

On January 27, 1981, Omar no-hit Las Tunas for the first Serie Nacional no-no of the 1980s. He was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games as Cuba took the Gold, 8 years after his most recent stint with the national team.

Overall, Moreno pitched 17 seasons in Cuba, going 149-105 with 22 saves, 49 shutouts and a 2.27 ERA, allowing a .226 average. He only walked 460 in 2,058 innings pitched. Through 2009, he was 10th in Serie Nacional history in complete games (146) and 3rd in shutouts (behind only Braudilio Vinent and Rogelio García).

Carrero was a coach for Cuba in the 1998 Baseball World Cup and for Brazil in the 2003 Pan American Games, 2003 Baseball World Cup and 2005 Baseball World Cup. His son Osmar Carrero later pitched in Cuba as well. He died of liver cancer in 2012.

Sources

• A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman
• Defunct IBAF site