Medardo Nava

Medardo Nava Sánchez

• Bats Right, Throws Right

• Born July 29, 1938 in Maracaibo, Zulia Venezuela
• Died January 7, 2016

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Medardo Nava hit .289 and slugged .356 for the 1958-1959 Licoreros de Pampero to win Venezuelan League Rookie of the Year, outhitting fellow Pampero catcher Clay Dalrymple, a major leaguer. He was the first catcher to win the award. He was 2 for 3 for the 1959 Tampa Tarpons, his lone stint in the US pro ranks. In 1959-1960, he batted .282/?/.296. His 10 RBI were second on Pampero, behind Gene Collins.

Moving to Oriente, he slumped to .148/?/.148 in 1960-1961 and was 2 for 14 in the finals. In 1961-1962, he hit .344 in 13 games for the Leones del Caracas, backing up Joe Azcue, then was 0 for 1 in the finals. In his last season, 1962-1963, he hit .286/?/.405 as a backup for Caracas while backing up Dave Ricketts. He was 0 for 2 in the semifinals. He finished his LVBP career with a .264/?/.304 line in 123 games.

He later coached for the Universidad del Zulia.

Sources

• Purapelota
• Noticia Al Dia