Christopher Gregg Narveson (; born December 20, 1981) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

, and

Miami 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 club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formatio ...

(NPB) for the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Y ...

Baseball career

St. Louis Cardinals

Narveson was originally drafted out of

T.C. Roberson High School T.C. Roberson High School is a high school in the Buncombe County Schools System in Asheville, North Carolina. It is located at 250 Overlook Road, Asheville, NC 28803. TC Roberson High School was founded when Valley Springs High School and Biltmor ...

in Asheville, North Carolina by the

in the 2nd round of the

2000 MLB Draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

. He remained in the Cardinals' farm system through 2004, including appearing in the 2003

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National Le ...

for the USA Team.

Colorado Rockies

Narveson was traded by the Cardinals to the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

on August 11, 2004, along with Luis Martinez, to complete an early trade for

Larry Walker Larry Kenneth Robert Walker (born December 1, 1966) is a Canadian former professional baseball right fielder. During his 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. ...

. He made four starts in AA for the

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

Boston Red Sox

On March 30, 2005, Narveson was traded by the Rockies to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

, with Charles Johnson, for

Byung-hyun Kim Byung-hyun Kim (; or ; born January 19, 1979) is a South Korean former professional baseball pitcher. He had his most successful years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox. Kim is remembered for his role in the 2001 World Ser ...

. He made 21 appearances (20 starts) for the AAA

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

, with an ERA of 4.77.

St. Louis Cardinals

Narveson returned to the Cardinals on August 8, 2005, when they selected him off waivers from the Red Sox. He made 15 starts in 2006 for the AAA

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redb ...

with a 2.81 ERA and was called up to the big leagues for the first time when rosters expanded in September. He made his Major League debut by working 2 innings of relief on September 8, 2006 against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

, allowing two earned runs. He made his first start on September 22, 2006 against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

but only lasted 4 innings. Overall, he made 5 appearances (with the 1 start) for the Cardinals in 2006 and had an ERA of 4.82 with no decisions. He only made 12 minor league starts in 2007 due to a left shoulder injury.

Milwaukee Brewers

Narveson signed as a minor league free agent with the

on December 4, 2007 and spent the 2008 season with the AAA

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry, ...

, where he was 6–13 with a 5.43 ERA in 28 appearances (22 starts). He was recalled by the Brewers from Nashville on June 14, 2009 and pitched in his first game with Milwaukee on June 15. He was outrighted to Nashville on July 13 after being designated for assignment. He was called up again on August 21 and appeared in a game the next day, earning his first major league win. He entered the Brewers starting rotation on September 13 making a spot start in place of

Manny Parra Manuel Alex Parra (born October 30, 1982) is an American professional baseball player who is a free agent. He has played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. Early life Parra graduated from Ca ...

and gained his first major league win as a starter on September 23, striking out 10 in the process. Narveson made the Brewers roster in 2010 with the intention of him being a long distance reliever and a spot starter. However, the struggles of Manny Parra gave Narveson the chance to start and he ended up being the Brewers 5th starter for the second half of the season. Narveson finished the season with a 12–9 record in 28 starts, a 4.99 ERA, and 137 strikeouts in 167.2 innings pitched. Narveson was named the 5th starter on a revamped Brewers starting rotation for 2011. He started 28 games for the Brewers in 2011 and finished with an 11–8 record, with a 4.45 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 161 innings pitched. Narveson just missed starting 30 games on the season, but due to an injury on his left thumb caused by a pair of scissors, Narveson missed 2 of his scheduled starts. Narveson missed almost all of the 2012 season due to an injury to, and surgery on his throwing arm's torn rotator cuff. He had a 1–1 record in 2 starts, with an ERA of 7.00. He was replaced as a starter by Marco Estrada. He became a free agent on October 1, 2013.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

Narveson pitched in the Tokyo league in 2014, finishing his first season in Japan with a 4–11 record in 24 starts.

Miami Marlins

On December 6, 2014, Narveson signed a minor league deal with the

. He was designated for assignment on April 21, 2016.

Cleveland Indians

Narveson signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

on February 14, 2017 that includes an invitation to major league spring training. Narveson announced his retirement on Twitter on September 3, 2017.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Narveson, Chris 1981 births Living people People from Englewood, Colorado Baseball players from Colorado Major League Baseball pitchers Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers American expatriate baseball players in Japan St. Louis Cardinals players Milwaukee Brewers players Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Miami Marlins players Johnson City Cardinals players Potomac Cannons players Peoria Chiefs players Palm Beach Cardinals players Tennessee Smokies players Tulsa Drillers players Pawtucket Red Sox players Memphis Redbirds players Nashville Sounds players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Tigres del Licey players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Jupiter Hammerheads players New Orleans Zephyrs players Columbus Clippers players