José Pérez Colmenares

José Pérez Colmenares (July 14, 1914 – July 25, 1944) was a baseball pioneer in Venezuela and a member of the National Team that captured the Baseball World Cup in its 1941 edition. Pérez batted and threw lefthanded. He was born in Villa de Cura, Aragua.

In his playing days, Pérez was regarded by his versatility to play both outfield corners and first base. A solid average defender with a strong throwing arm, he showed good footwork around first base and was able to pick throws out of the dirt well. Strictly a line-drive hitter with little power, he placed more emphasis on speed and running the bases aggressively. where Pérez drove in five runs and scored 11 times, while hitting a .275 batting average in the nine contests.

Following his productive performance in the World Cup, Pérez joined the debuting Cervecería Caracas club during the 1942–43 and 1943–44 First Division tournaments. He won the batting title in his second season for Cervecería, hitting a .456 average in 18 games. He also led the league in hits (31) and runs batted in (13), during what turned out to be his last baseball appearance.

Besides, José Pérez Colmenares and his teammates on the 1941 World Cup champion team were enshrined as a unit in the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2006.