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Victor Pellot

Victor Pellot: Encyclopedia - Victor Pellot

Victor Felipe Pellot Pove, a.k.a. "Vic Power" (November 1, 1927 – November 29, 2005) born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico), was the second black Puerto Rican to play in Major League Baseball and the first Puerto Rican to play in the American League. He is considered by many to be the greatest first baseman to have been born in Puerto Rico. Another Puerto Rican baseball player, Ruben Gomez, went as far as saying once that Pell ...

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Victor Pellot: Encyclopedia - Victor Pellot

Victor Pellot

Victor Felipe Pellot Pove, a.k.a. "Vic Power" (November 1, 1927 – November 29, 2005) born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico), was the second black Puerto Rican to play in Major League Baseball and the first Puerto Rican to play in the American League. He is considered by many to be the greatest first baseman to have been born in Puerto Rico. Another Puerto Rican baseball player, Ruben Gomez, went as far as saying once that Pellot was "the best Puerto Rican athlete of all times".

He was the second child in a family of six, his father died when he was only 13 years old. This turned out to have added significance in his life because his father didn't want him to play baseball and would punish him if he caught him doing so. After his father passed away, he was able to play the game he loved. When his mother moved to the City of Caguas, he went to school and graduated from the José Gautier Benítez High School.

In 1946 he started to practice with a local baseball team called the Senadores de San Juan (San Juan Senators) where he learned many of his baseball skills. He was later invited to play for the Criollos de Caguas, where he was spotted by a New York Yankees scout. In 1949, he left for the City of Chicago and was sent to play for a team in Drummondville, Quebec.

He was signed by the Yankees in 1951, but was sent to the Triple-A Syracuse. In 1953, even though he was the minor league batting champion, he was not invited to spring training. If the Yankees wouldn't have picked Elston Howard over him, he would have been the first black and Puerto Rican to have been a Yankee. Many Blacks and Puerto Ricans protested in front of Yankee Stadium in response to what they believed was a racially motivated decision.

Power's choice of name caused resentment and alienation, particularly in his home land of Puerto Rico. In a letter to historian Bill Haber in 1993, Power gave his real, full name as Victor Felipe Pellot Pove; Pove being his mother's maiden name and Pellot his father's surname (as is traditional in Hispanic culture; see Roberto Clemente Walker). However, when Maximina Pove was in the first grade, her teacher mistakenly corrected her last name, changing the "v" to a "w" and adding an "r" at the end.

During Power's first two professional seasons, in the French-Canadian town of Drummondville, Quebec, Power went by the name Victor Pellot. When his name was announced at the ball park, there was much laughter among the crowd: apparently the word "pellot" has a less than wholesome meaning in French. After that incident, he used the name Vic Power when playing in the United States, and Pellot when playing winter ball in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, many of the locals either didn't realize that "Pellot" and "Power" were the same player, and many who did thought Vic had "sold out" to the culture and lifestyle of the USA. Also, he was often criticized by the press and his peers for fielding the ball using only one hand instead of using both hands; this was to become his trademark.

In 1954, he was recruited by the Philadelphia Athletics and thus became the first Puerto Rican to play for that team. Suffering from the racial discrimination which was so rampant in the nation at that time, he could neither stay with the rest of the team at the same hotels nor be allowed to eat at the same restaurants.

The Athletics moved to Kansas City in 1955, where he finished in second place in the batting race that season. In 1958, he was then sent to the Cleveland Indians.

In his 12-season career, he played with the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics (1954-58); Cleveland Indians (1958-61), Minnesota Twins (1962-64), Los Angeles Angels (1964), Philadelphia Phillies (1964) and California Angels (1965).

Before retiring, he won seven Gold Glove Awards and was selected a seven-time All-Star. He was also voted the Minnesota Twins MVP in 1962. He has the record of having made one or more assists in 16 consecutive games; he shares the record of making two unassisted double plays in one game, and he is one of 11 players to steal home plate twice in one game, and he also shares the record of being assists leader for six years in a row and of double plays in a single game.

Among his career totals are the following: 1,716 hits and 126 home runs, and he was only struck out 247 times out of 6,046 at bats.

He spent his retirement in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The City built a ballpark, which he could see from the window of his apartment, and named it after him. During summers, he helped the youngsters of the community in their sports skills development. He believed that many among modern youth would stay away from trouble and have the chance to enter college on sports scholarships. Pellot also coached, and among his pupils, either as a coach or talent developer, he taught many future Major League Baseball players, such as Roberto Alomar, Jose Oquendo, Jerry Morales, Guillermo Montanez and Jose Cruz.

Victor Pellot Power is considered by many to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest baseball players and a living legend. His baseball career will be part of an American documentary titled Beisbol, directed by Alan Swyer and narrated by Esai Morales, which will cover the early influences and contributions of Hispanics to baseball. In 2000, the Cleveland Indians honored him by declaring him to be among its 100 all-time greatest players.

Quote

"When I was playing at the minors, our team went to the hotel after a game and I was sent to sleep on the second floor of a funeral home. Just in case, I took along one of my bats. But that night, I discovered that dead people don't talk or walk"-Victor Pellot, 2005.

Victor Pellot Power died on November 29, 2005 in San Juan, Puerto Rico from cancer at the age of 78.

Reactions after his death

"...There is a lot to be thankful about to Pellot"-Orlando Cepeda.
"The Puerto Rican Olympic Committee and sports (community) are saddened by the death of who, in his prime, was the best first baseman of the world. I am sure his name will be remembered alongside Roberto Clemente's in the future"-Hector Cardona, Puerto Rican Olympic Committee president.
"In a way, his relationship with the press could be compared a little to Yogi Berra's, but Berra had crazy lines and Pellot had anecdotes"-Joaquin Martinez Rousset, well known Puerto Rican sportswriter.
"Had he played (either) during Cepeda's era or the modern one, he would have been a hall of famer. There should be a legitimate and justified movement to induct him in the Hall of Fame"-Israel Roldan, president of the Puerto Rican baseball federation.
"Many of the things I learned about baseball fundamentals, I (learned from) him"-Jose Oquendo.
"I had the privilege of being in a team with him and it was like going to a university"-Mako Oliveras, well known Puerto Rican professional baseball coach.
"Victor Pellot Power, who managed first base as well as racial discrimination with grace and elegance in the United States during the 1950s, died yesterday morning, victim of Cancer"-El Vocero, Puerto Rican newspaper.