Indians Scout Centeno Dies in Crash

Indians.com
By MLB.com Staff

Monday January 12, 2009

Henri Centeno, a longtime scout for the Cleveland Indians, was killed in a car accident in Venezuela on Monday, according to Venezuelan Winter League sources.

Centeno, 39, reportedly was scouting players in Guarenas, a city in Miranda, Venezuela, when the accident occurred.

No further details were immediately available.

Centeno was one of the first players signed by the Houston Astros out of their Venezuelan academy in 1990. In his book about Venezuelan baseball, Milton Jamail said he envisioned Centeno as a "Rickey Henderson clone."

Centeno played in the Astros' Minor League system from 1992-'95 before becoming a scout for the Indians.