Ramón Hechavarría

Ramón Hechavarría Yate (Chava)

• Born August 29, 1936 in Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Cuba

Ramón Hechavarría was a catcher for the Cuban national team for about a decade. He appeared in the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games, going 1 for 3, then won Gold with Cuba in the 1963 Pan American Games (.333), 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games (3 for 5), 1969 Amateur World Series (2 for 13), 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games (.300), 1970 Amateur World Series (.316) and 1971 Amateur World Series (1 for 6). He also was with them for the 1967 Pan American Games, when they won the Silver Medal, but did not play apparently.

Chava drove in 19 runs for the Orientales in the 1962 Serie Nacional; he tied Pedro Carvajal and Tomás Soto for the league lead. He drew 9 intentional walks in 1963-1964 to pace the loop. Overall, he played for 17 seasons in Cuba, hitting .263/.355/.373. He fielded .981 and allowed 471 steals in 775 tries (60.8%).

Sources: 2005 Guia Official de Beisbol, A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman