Ariel Pestano

{{short description|Cuban baseball player (born 1974)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{family name hatnote|Pestano|Valdés|lang=Spanish}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name = Ariel Pestano

|image =

|image_size =

|caption =

|position = Catcher

|bats = Right

|throws = Right

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|1|31}}

|birth_place = Caibarien, Cuba

|debutleague = Cuba

|debutdate =

|debutyear = 1991

|debutteam = Naranjas de Villa Clara

|finalleague = Cuba

|finaldate =

|finalyear = 2014

|finalteam = Naranjas de Villa Clara

|statleague = Cuba

|stat1label = Batting average

|stat1value = .292

|stat2label = Hits

|stat2value = 1,262

|stat3label = Home runs

|stat3value = 126

|stat4label = Runs batted in

|stat4value = 753

|teams=

• Naranjas de Villa Clara ({{mlby|1991}}–{{mlby|2014}})

|medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport | Men's baseball }}

{{MedalCountry | {{CUB}} }}

{{MedalCompetition | World Baseball Classic }}

{{MedalSilver | 2006 San Diego | Team }}

{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games }}

{{MedalGold | 2004 Athens | Team }}

{{MedalSilver | 2000 Sydney | Team }}

{{MedalSilver | 2008 Beijing | Team }}

{{MedalCompetition | Baseball World Cup }}

{{MedalGold | 2001 Taipei | Team }}

{{MedalGold | 2003 Havana | Team }}

{{MedalGold | 2005 Rotterdam | Team }}

{{MedalSilver | 2007 Taipei | Team }}

{{MedalSilver | 2009 Nettuno | Team }}

{{MedalCompetition | Intercontinental Cup }}

{{MedalSilver | 1999 Sydney | Team }}

{{MedalGold | 2002 Havana | Team }}

{{MedalGold | 2006 Taichung | Team }}

{{MedalGold | 2010 Taichung | Team }}

{{MedalCompetition | Pan American Games }}

{{MedalGold | 1999 Winnipeg | Team }}

{{MedalGold | 2003 Santo Domingo | Team }}

{{MedalGold | 2007 Rio de Janeiro | Team }}

{{MedalBronze | 2011 Guadalajara | Team }}

{{MedalCompetition | Central American and Caribbean Games }}

{{MedalGold | 2006 Cartagena | Team }}

}}

Ariel Osvaldo Pestano Valdés (born January 31, 1974), better known as El Veterano ("The Veteran"), is a Cuban baseball catcher, and is known as one of the greatest catchers in Cuban history. He has won both silver and gold medals in the Olympic Games and also played catcher on Cuba's World Baseball Classic team in March 2006 and March 2009. In Cuba, Pestano plays with the Villa Clara Naranjas of the Cuban National Series.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/ariel-pestano-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417045940/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/ariel-pestano-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-17}}