Joe Cambria
American baseball scout
Joseph Carl Cambria, also known as "Papa Joe," (born Carlo Cambria; July 5, 1890 – September 24, 1962) 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."
Early life
Cambria was born in Messina, Italy on July 5, 1890. In 1893 he and his two older brothers were brought to the United States by his father; his mother did not make the trip and may have died in Italy. They settled in Boston, where Cambria attended public schools. He played professional baseball as an outfielder for the Newport team of the independent Rhode Island League in 1909–1910 and for the minor league Berlin Green Sox of the Canadian League in 1911–12. His career as a baseball player ended after he broke his leg, and he returned to Massachusetts, worked in Boston and Lowell, and married Charlotte Kane. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1916 and served in the military during World War I.
Baltimore
After his military service, Cambria moved to Baltimore where he eventually owned a laundry business, the Bugle Coat and Apron Company.
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