Higinio Vélez Carrión (July 27, 1947 – May 12, 2021)[1] was a Cuban baseball manager and executive.

In June 2008, he was elected president of the Cuban Baseball Federation, a position which he would hold until his death.

[4] Despite his success as a manager, Vélez's legacy as head of the Cuban federation is polarizing.

However, Vélez also sought to open up Cuban baseball by permitting more players to pursue professional contracts in Japan and elsewhere in the Caribbean.

[5] He also brokered an agreement that would have allowed Cuban baseball players to sign with MLB teams without having to defect, but the deal was revoked by the Trump administration in April 2019.