Germán Mesa

Germán Mesa Fresneda (born May 12, 1967, in Havana) is a Cuban baseball manager and former player. A shortstop who played for the Industriales of the Cuban National Series and for the Cuba national baseball team, Mesa was known as "El Imán" ("The Magnet") for his superior fielding skills, compared by international scouts to the likes of major leaguers Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel.

In Olympic competition, he won a gold medal with the Cuban national team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. However, he was dropped from Cuba's roster before the 1996 Olympics, to be held in Atlanta, replaced at shortstop by Eduardo Paret.

In October 1996, less than two months after missing the Olympics, Mesa was banned from Cuban baseball, along with Orlando Hernández and Alberto Hernández (no relation), for allegedly taking money from an American sports agent. His suspension was lifted in March 1998, and he returned to play for Industriales at the beginning of the 1998–99 Cuban National Series. Mesa's selection was controversial, with critics pointing to his opposition to including defectors in National Series tournaments; one commentator described his selection as "possibly the worst thing that has happened to Cuban baseball in its history." Mesa was also named Cuba's manager for the 2025 Copa América in Panama, though the tournament was ultimately cancelled. He made his debut as national team manager at the 2026 Serie de las Américas.