Dan Parra

Daniel Parra

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 7", Weight 135 lb.

• Born 1920 in Caibarién, Las Villas Cuba
• Died August 15, 1998 in Havana Cuba

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Biographical Information

Dan Parra won two world titles with the Cuban national team then won over 80 games in the minor leagues.

Parra was 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA for Cuba when they won the 1940 Amateur World Series. He did not play in the 1941 Amateur World Series, when Cuba finished second. He had a 1-0, 2.38 record when they won the 1942 Amateur World Series; had he qualified, he would have been 9th in the event in ERA. He threw a no-hitter for the Fortuna Sports Club 8/16/42 against Circulo Militar y Naval.

He turned pro in 1944, going 15-9 with a 3.66 ERA for the Williamsport Grays, walking 48 in 224 IP. He tied John Moore and Wilbur Reeser for 8th in the Eastern League in wins. He led Washington Senators farmhands in wins in the World War II-condensed minor leagues, 3 ahead of fellow Cuban Baby Ortiz; the Senators were noted for their Cuban ties in that era. He was 0-1 with a 3.98 ERA for Almendares when they won the 1944-1945 Cuban Winter League.

The little lefty posted a 16-14, 2.98 record back with Williamsport in '45, issuing only 40 walks in 251 innings. He again led Washington's farmhands in wins (one ahead of Larry Brunke). He also tied for 3rd in losses, pitched the most innings (38 ahead of Luis Aloma) and was second to Brunke in ERA. In the EL, he tied Harry Petty and Brad Trine for 5th in wins, tied for 2nd in losses (one behind Jose Traspuesto) and tied Petty for the most innings. The war-ravaged Senators did not call him as he missed his best opportunity at the majors.

Daniel was 2-0 for Marianao in 1945-1946. He saw limited action in '46, going 0-1 with a 7.88 ERA for the Gadsden Pilots and pitched one game for Oriente in the Cuban Federation league in 1946. He was back in form in 1947, going 11-4 with a 1.85 ERA for the Havana Cubans as they won the Florida International League. He was 3rd in the FIL in ERA behind Connie Marrero and Antonio Lorenzo, ahead of 11 future or former major leaguers and was also 3rd in the Washington chain in ERA (behind Marrero and Lorenzo).

Parra was 7-6 with a 2.65 ERA for Havana in '48 as they took another FIL crown. He next appeared in 1950 for the Laredo Apaches, going 16-12 with a 5.45 ERA and hit .276/.408/.388. He tied Harold Jackson and Jesse Priest for 7th in the Rio Grande Valley League in wins. He followed with a 11-11, 4.13 record for Laredo. He split 1952 between Laredo and the Corpus Christi Aces (a combined 14-5). He tied for 7th in the Gulf Coast League in victories. He had a 5-9, 5.17 record for the 1953 Aces and was 0-1 for the 1954 Corpus Christi Clippers to finish at 81-65 in the minors.