Robert Marcel Natal (born November 13, 1965) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

. He is an alumnus of the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

Career

Natal attended Hilltop High School in

Chula Vista, California Chula Vista ( ; , ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is the second-most populous city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the Largest cities in Southern California, seventh-most populous city in Southern California ...

. As a

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in 1993, he batted .430 and was named the '' Chula Vista Star-News'' Player of the Year. Natal helped the Lancers win the CIF San Diego Section Division 3A title, hitting a grand slam in their 9–1 championship game victory over Poway High School. He also played football as an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

, earning first-team all- Mesa League honors and an invite to the inaugural Fellowship Bowl all-star game played at DeVore Stadium. Natal was inducted into the inaugural class of the Hilltop High Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. Natal attended the

(UCSD), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the Tritons. As a senior in 1987, he earned second-team honors on the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

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team after setting school records in batting average (.465),

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(74), RBIs (67),

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s (18) and runs (50). In 200 games played, Natal also set career marks with a .368 average, 257 hits, 208 RBIs, and 53 home runs, leading the ''

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'' to describe him as "probably the best player in UCSD history". Natal was drafted by the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

in the 13th round of the 1987 MLB amateur draft. He made his major league debut with the Montreal Expos on July 18, , and appeared in his final game on September 26, . Natal was a member of the inaugural

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

team that began play in Major League Baseball in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

and won a World Series with the team in 1997. He currently serves as the minor league catching instructor for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

References

External links

1965 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from Long Beach, California Charlotte Knights players Durham Bulls players Edmonton Trappers players Florida Marlins players Harrisburg Senators players Hilltop High School (Chula Vista, California) alumni Indianapolis Indians players Jamestown Expos players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball catchers Montreal Expos coaches Montreal Expos players Baseball players from Chula Vista, California UC San Diego Tritons baseball players Washington Nationals coaches Jacksonville Expos players West Palm Beach Expos players {{US-baseball-catcher-1960s-stub