Jaime Navarro Cintrón (born March 27, 1967) is a former Puerto Rican

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player and current pitching coach for the

Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

for the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

in Taiwan. Navarro was a 6-foot, 4-inch tall right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), 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, ...

in the major leagues from to , playing for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, and

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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. He is the son of 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 ...

pitcher Julio Navarro.

Baseball career

Early years

After graduating from Luis Pales Matos High School in Santa Rosa,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, Navarro was drafted by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

in the 2nd round of the January amateur draft, but did not sign. On June 2, 1986, Navarro was drafted again by the

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and early ...

in the 2nd round, but he still did not sign. Exactly a year later, in the June amateur draft, Navarro was drafted by the

as the 71st overall pick in the third round, and he signed with the team two days later. Navarro spent the rest of the season and the following two seasons playing in the Brewers minor league system, working his way up from rookie-level ball with the

Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee ...

to Triple-A (AAA) ball with the

Denver Zephyrs The Denver Zephyrs (formerly the Denver Bears) were a Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They were a Triple-A team that played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to ...

Milwaukee Brewers

Only weeks into the minor league baseball season, Navarro was called up to the majors. He made his debut on June 20, , starting in front a crowd of 17,185 fans at

County Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opened in 1953, it was primarily a baseball park for Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Braves and later the Milwaukee Brewers. It was also used for Green Bay Packers fo ...

in a pitching duel against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Charlie Leibrandt Charles Louis Leibrandt Jr. (; born October 4, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1979 to 1993 for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, and Texas Rangers. Leibrandt was a member of the ...

. Navarro tossed six innings of quality baseball, giving up eight hits and one

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

, while walking two and striking out two. Leibrandt pitched equally well and the game was ultimately decided by each team's relief pitchers. Brewers pitcher Mark Knudson gave up six runs in the 11th inning, and cost Navarro his first major league win. Navarro eventually picked up his first major league win five days later in a 3–1 victory against pitcher Jerry Reuss and the

at home. Navarro continued as Brewers starting pitcher for the rest of the season, pitching in a total of nineteen games during the season. He posted a 7–8 record, with a 3.12

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

, 56

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

, and a complete game on September 26. The following season, Navarro was sent back to the Class-AAA ball with the

. Navarro was called up to the majors after a starting the season in the minors, and he spent the rest of the season as a starter/reliever for the Brewers. The Brewers took note of Navarro's skill, and the 24-year-old was one of the team's five starting pitchers for the following season. In his first full season as a starter, Navarro posted a 15–12 record and a 3.92

. He also had ten complete games, two shutouts, and 114 strikeouts. Navarro had an even better season the following year, finishing with a 17–11 record, a 3.33 ERA and 100

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s. However, the following two seasons proved disastrous for Navarro, as he gave up a league-high and Brewers team record 127

earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any Run (baseball), run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the ...

and 254 hits in 214.1 innings of work. With an 11–12 record and a 5.33 ERA in , the Brewers decided to split Navarro between starting and relieving jobs for the season. In his first start of the season, on April 11, 1994, Navarro was the winning

for the inaugural Texas Rangers baseball game at The Ballpark in Arlington. Through the season, Navarro showed no sign of improvement, finishing the season with a 4–9 record and 6.62 ERA. Left with few options, the Brewers granted Navarro free agency on April 7, .

Chicago Cubs

Two days after being granted free agency, Navarro signed with the

. Navarro started in 29 games for the Cubs that year, and posted much-improved numbers on the season. He led the team in many pitching categories that year, such as wins and innings pitched. Navarro was granted free agency on November 1, but on December 8, , he accepted the Cubs' salary arbitration offer, and then agreed to a $3.4 million contract for the season. Navarro led the team again in 1996 with a 15–12 record, 3.92 earned run average, four

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s and 158 strikeouts. Oddly enough, Navarro also led the league in batters faced and hits allowed. On October 28, , Navarro was again granted free agency by the Cubs and he signed to a four-year, $20 million contract with the crosstown rivals of the Cubs, the

White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The club plays its home games at Rate Fie ...

, on December 11.

Chicago White Sox

The three years (–) that Navarro spent with the White Sox were far from a success. Along with a lowly 9–14 record and a league-high 5.79 ERA, Navarro led the league in

wild pitch In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third st ...

es, hits allowed,

s allowed in . One of Navarro's only highlights of the 1997 season was his surprising dominance against 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

; most memorable is a 10–1 victory against the team on May 20, which gave Navarro his 10th straight win against the Red Sox, dating back to September 28, . The season was just as disappointing for Navarro, as he finished with a dismal 8–16 record and a league-high 6.36 ERA, and led the league in wild pitches and losses. Navarro showed no improvement the following year either, and the

traded Navarro and fellow pitcher John Snyder to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Cal Eldred and

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

José Valentín José Antonio Valentín (born October 12, 1969) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers (–), Chicago White Sox (–), Los Angeles Dodgers (), and New Y ...

AAA baseball

Navarro became another addition to the starting rotation of the Brewers for the beginning of the 2000 season. In five starts with the team, he only pitched 18.7 innings, posted an 0–5 record, gave up eighteen walks, and had an ERA of 12.54. Less than a month into the season, the Brewers released him. Sixteen days later, he was signed as a free agent by 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. The Rockies sent Navarro back down to Triple-A baseball with the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. He showed some improvement in Triple-A, but he was released by the Rockies a month after being signed by the team. The next day, the

picked up Navarro as a free agent, and he agreed to be sent back down to AAA ball with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, after Indians manager

Charlie Manuel Charles Fuqua Manuel Jr. (born January 4, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. During his playing career, he appeared over parts of six Major League Baseball seasons for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angel ...

suggested he learn to be a

reliever In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

. He was later called up to the big leagues in a role as a starter/reliever, and he did not fare well in his return to the big leagues. This was the last time he played in the major leagues, as Navarro was later designated for assignment to clear up space on the Indians' 40-man roster. He played with the Bisons for the remainder of the season before being granted

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the Indians on October 2. He was signed by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

on December 13, and subsequently released on March 11, . Nearly a year later, on January 31, , 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

agreed to terms on a minor league contract with Navarro and assigned him to the Triple-A

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 Redbird ...

of the

. More than a year later, Navarro signed with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

to play for the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

of the

. Navarro looked much better after only giving up three earned runs in ten innings of work in two starts for Louisville. However, he was released by the Reds on June 6, . Later, he played with the unaffiliated

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

of the

Atlantic League The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are loc ...

as a starting pitcher. After his stint with the Bears, Navarro did not play professional baseball in the U.S. again.

Italian baseball

Navarro spent three years pitching in Italy for Bbc Grosseto of the

Italian Baseball League The Italian Baseball League (IBL, ), officially known as the Serie A (), is the top-level baseball league in Italy. Founded in 1948, it is governed by the Italian Baseball & Softball Federation (FIBS), which has its headquarters in Rome. Many o ...

. His 18 wins and 1.76 ERA helped his team win the 2004 Italian League and play in the European Champions League, which Grosseto won in 2005 and Navarro was named MVP. In the early months of the 2005 season, Navarro had a serious bike accident that cost him the rest of the season, but he managed to come back for the 2006 season, finishing 9–7 with a 2.03 ERA.

Coaching career

Days after the 2006 season's finale, he had a rough discussion with Grosseto management and decided not to pitch again in Italy. In , he was the

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decision ...

for the

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton in the Fox Cities, and are nam ...

of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. On January 13, , he was named the pitching coach for the Single-A

High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight d ...

. After the '09 season Navarro was named as the pitching coach for the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

of the

. Navarro was the Mariners bullpen coach from 2011 to 2013. Navarro was released by the Seattle Mariners organization, along with 9 other coaches, after the 2015 season. From 2016 to 2019 Navarro was the pitching coach for Pericos of Puebla and Acereros of Monclova for the Mexican Baseball League. In 2020, he was the pitching coach for the Uni-President 7/11 Lions of the CPBL.

Record

The Navarros (Jaime and his father

Julio Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: *Julio (given name) * Julio (surname) * Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation al ...

) were the first father and son to each record a major league save. They were followed by

Pedro Borbón Pedro Borbón Rodriguez (December 2, 1946 – June 4, 2012) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won four National League pennants ...

and Pedro Borbón, Jr.;

Steve Grilli Stephen Joseph Grilli (born May 2, 1949) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. Grilli played for six seasons in baseball, but only played in t ...

and

Jason Grilli Jason Michael Grilli (born November 11, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Ange ...

; and

Jeff Russell Jeffrey Lee Russell (born September 2, 1961) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played 14 years from 1983 to 1996. Russell played for the Cincinnati Reds of the National League and the Texas Rangers, Oakland A's, Boston R ...

and James Russell. In 2014 Navarro was inducted into the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Navarro, Jaime 1967 births Living people Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Denver Zephyrs players El Paso Diablos players Grosseto Baseball Club players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Helena Brewers players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Lobos de Arecibo players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Mexican League baseball pitchers Miami Dade Sharks baseball players Milwaukee Brewers players Minor league baseball coaches Newark Bears players Baseball players from Bayamón, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Mexico Seattle Mariners coaches Stockton Ports players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Italy Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions coaches

Baseball career

Early years

Milwaukee Brewers

Chicago Cubs

Chicago White Sox

AAA baseball

Italian baseball

Coaching career

Record

See also

References

External links