Orlando Varona

Orlando Clemente Varona y Fleitas

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut 1948
• Final Game 1948
• Born December 8, 1925 in Havana, Havana Cuba
• Died March 2, 1977 in New York, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Orlando Varona played in the Cuban Winter League, Negro Leagues, minor leagues and Mexican League.

Varona debuted in 1948, hitting .176 as the shortstop for the Memphis Red Sox. He improved to .226 in 1949. In the 1949 East-West Game, he went 0 for 1 with an error as a backup shortstop for the West, replacing Jose Burgos in a 4-0 loss. Varona batted .273 for Memphis in 1950. He debuted back in Cuba in 1950-1951, going 0 for 2 for Habana. He did not bat in the 1951 Caribbean Series but scored one run; he backed up Gil Torres at short for Habana. In 1951-1952, Varona split the shortstop role for Habana, his most action ever in Cuba; he hit .215 and slugged .289. Orlando did not bat in the 1952 Caribbean Series, backing up Lou Klein at shortstop.

During the summer of 1952, Varona moved from Memphis to the Tampa Smokers and hit .211/.270/.259 in 44 games. He was 8 for 45 for Habana in 1952-1953, backing up Damon Phillips. He did not bat and had one run for Habana in the 1953 Caribbean Series. The light-hitting shortstop spent '53 in Mexico, putting up a .270/.337/.333 line for the Monterrey Sultans. The veteran was 7 for 24 for Habana in 1953-1954. He played with the '54 Abilene Blue Sox, hitting .277 and slugging .378, then ended his career back with Memphis in 1955.

Sources

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• 1953 Baseball Guide
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History by Jorge Figueredo
• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros

Related Sites

• BR Minors page