Lou Melendez

Lou Melendez is presently Vice-President of International Baseball Operations in the Office of the Commissioner for Major League Baseball.

He has held this position since March 2000. In this position, Lou oversees Major League Baseball’s satellite office in the Dominican Republic, administers the Winter League Agreement between Major League Baseball and four countries that make up the professional winter baseball leagues, regulates Major League Baseball teams’ activities outside the United States and assists in assembling teams comprised of Major League Baseball players that participate in international events including the Olympics. In 2006, Lou was the General Manager of Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and will occupy that role once again during the World Baseball Classic to be held in 2009.

Prior to moving into his Vice-President’s role, Lou spent 16 years in Baseball’s Labor Department where he assisted in the negotiation, administration and enforcement of the collective bargaining agreement between the Major League Clubs and the Major League Players.

Before joining the Commissioner’s Office, Lou spent 3 ½ years with the National Labor Relations Board and 1 ½ years with the New York State Attorney General’s Office. Lou did his undergraduate study at the City College of New York and received a law degree from Rutgers University of Law in 1978. He lives in northern New Jersey with his wife Yolanda.