Sal Artiaga

Salvatore B. Artiaga

• Born August 4, 1946 in Los Lunas, NM USA
• Died February 15, 2019 in Palm Harbor, FL USA

Biographical Information

Sal Artiaga served as the President of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (i.e. Minor League Baseball) from 1988 to 1991. He had joined MiLB in 1983, after starting his career in 1965 as associate business manager of the El Paso Sun Kings. He then moved to the Tampa Tarpons, rising to the position of General Manager, and then worked in the player development department of the Cincinnati Reds. he succeeded John H. Johnson as President of the National Association when the latter passed away from cancer in 1988.

His time at the helm coincided with a strong growth of attendance in the minor leagues and a rise in the value of franchises, as the decades-long slump that had started in the 1950s came to an end. he also worked on starting the Dominican Summer League. He placed particular focus on education efforts aimed at Latino ballplayers to help them integrate into life in the United States.

After retiring from the position, Arteaga was President of the Arizona Fall League for one season and worked in player development for a number of major league teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals. He retired in 2012 and passed away in 2019 at the age of 72

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