Gilbert Varona

Gilberto Varona

• Bats Right, Throws Right

• Born ~1930 in Cuba

BR Minors page

Gilbert Varona was a light-hitting infielder in the dying days of the Negro Leagues. He never played in his country's Cuban Winter League.

Varona debuted with the 1950 Memphis Red Sox, hitting .211 and striking out often. He still started at first base for the West in the 1951 East-West Game, going 0 for 2 before Casey Jones pinch-hit for him in a 3-1 loss. He was hitting just .220 yet was chosen for the 1952 East-West Game. A late defensive substitute for Willie Patterson, he drove in a run in a 7-3 win. He remained with Memphis through 1955, except for a brief stint with the 1954 Del Rio Indians (6 for 34, 2 2B).

Sources

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History by Jorge Figueredo