René Nodarse

René Nodarse Fraga

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.

• Born 1936 in Cardenas, Matanzas Cuba

BR minors page

Biographical Information

René Nodarse played as high as AA and won a minor league ERA title; he later managed in his native Cuba.

Nodarse debuted in 1954 in El Salvador then played in Nicaragua in 1955. When the Liga Nicaragüense de Béisbol Profesional was formed in 1956, Nodarse was one of the players in the first pro baseball league in Nicaragua. He spent most of the year, though, with the Washington Senators' Fort Walton Beach Jets farm club, going 11-6 with a 2.26 ERA. He tied for 7th in the Alabama-Florida League in wins and led the league in victories.

The Matanzas native made his Cuban Winter League debut in 1956-1957, tossing one shutout inning for Cienfuegos. He slumped that summer, going 10-17 with a 4.19 ERA for the Kinston Eagles/Wilson Tobs (he also tossed three games with no decisions for the Charlotte Hornets). He led the Carolina League in losses.

René pitched four innings for Cienfuegos in 1957-1958, his last pitching stint in Cuba. In 1958, he was 11-12 with a 4.31 ERA for the Fox Cities Foxes while hitting .316 with 6 HR in 95 AB. He was 10th in the Three-I League in wins, tied for 4th in losses and was 5th with 150 K (between Ed Rakow and Bob Hendley). He split 1959 between Fox Cities (2-3, 4.08) and Charlotte (5-6, 4.99). In 1960, he was with the Columbia Reds (5 G, no decisions), the Puebla Parrots and the Mexico City Red Devils (a combined 2-5, 5.26 between the two Mexican League clubs). He was 41-51 for his minor league career.

After the Cuban Revolution, Nodarse managed Matanzas to a 13-53, last-place finish in the 1972 Serie Nacional.

Sources

• Ecured
• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History by Jorge Figueredo