Natilla Jiménez

Pedro Jiménez Díaz (1918 – March 8, 1979), nicknamed "Natilla", was a Cuban baseball pitcher. During his prime, he was considered one of the best amateur baseball players in Cuba.

Born in Santa Cruz del Norte, Jiménez debuted with the Hershey Club on May 16, 1936, after being discovered by Joaquín Viego, Hershey's manager. Jiménez led Hershey to three consecutive championships (1938, 1939 and 1940) in Cuba's amateur baseball league, which at the time enjoyed more popularity than the professional Cuban League. He turned professional in 1944, playing with Habana, being named rookie of the year despite a 6–6 record. The following season, also with Havana, he finished with a record of 13–7. That season, he led the league in wins (13) and in games pitched (32).

In the United States, he played with the Portsmouth Cubs (affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) and the Indianapolis Indians (affiliate of the Boston Braves), working to a 3.77 earned run average with the Indians in 1945. He reportedly rejected an offer to sign with the major league Cleveland Indians and went to play in Mexico for the 1946 season. Cuban manager León Rojas named Jiménez as one of the "pitchers of caliber" of international baseball in the 1940s.

After his playing career ended, Jiménez went on to manage the Orientales team of the Cuban National Series, which replaced the professional league after the Cuban Revolution. After three seasons with Orientales, he went on to work as a pitching coach with Pinar del Rio and later with the Azucareros, of Las Villas Province, where he coached and scouted under Servio Borges. A stadium in Santa Clara, Cuba is named in his honor.