Leonardo "Leo Najo" Alanís (17 February 1899 – 25 April 1978) was one of the first Mexican-born players to play professional baseball in the United States, debuting in 1924 with the San Antonio Bears of the Class A Texas League.

"[1] Leo Najo was born Leonardo Alanís on February 17, 1899 in the small town of La Lajilla, located in the municipality of Doctor Coss in Nuevo León, Mexico.

When Najo was 10, his mother moved the family to the nearby town of Mission, Texas, where she purchased a small tavern and operated it successfully for many years afterward.

The family's financial stability allowed the youth to spend much of his time playing the relatively new game of baseball, which was very popular along the Texas-Mexico border at the start of the 20th century.

After the season, league president J. Warren Seabough told the Chicago Daily Tribune, "Leo Najo ... is one of the greatest players of all time in the Western Association.

"[2] Following Najo's success with the Okmulgee Drillers, the Chicago White Sox drafted him in the winter of 1925, and thus he became, most historians agree, the first Mexican player ever taken by a major league team.

According to newspaper accounts of the day, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, baseball’s first commissioner, watched Najo play in exhibition games in 1926.

The Chicago Daily Tribune reported, "The Sox squad was cut down by one today when Najo ... was shipped to the San Antonio club to which he has been released outright.

"[2] Although the exact reason for his dismissal remains a mystery, Najo's family suspects that the decision was due, at least in part, to racial prejudice among the major league players and team officials.

Najo family members say that, although he remained upbeat and dedicated to his love of baseball, racial prejudice did adversely affect his career.

On July 7, 1926, Najo was seriously injured during a game with the Houston Buffaloes when another outfielder, Ping Bodie, collided with him while both players were running full speed to catch a fly ball.

Baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright wrote, "The 1932 Tulsa Oilers were a one-season wonder, entering and exiting the Western League in a short few months.

However, despite their brief stay, the team left a lasting legacy, finishing with the top winning percentage (.671) in league history.... Center fielder Leo Najo, who hit .323, was one of the first Mexican players in Organized Baseball.

"[1] The peak of Najo's playing career coincided with America’s Great Depression, during which the industry of professional baseball, like most others, fell on hard times.

After being out of pro baseball for six years, Najo, at age 39, staged a short-lived "comeback" in 1938 with the McAllen Packers of the Class D level Texas Valley League.

"[3] After his career as a pro player ended, Najo used his regional fame to promote the game of baseball throughout South Texas and Northern Mexico.