| Hal Naragon | |
|---|---|
| Catcher | |
| Born: October 1, 1928 Zanesville, Ohio, U.S. | |
| Died: August 31, 2019 (aged 90) Barberton, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 23, 1951, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 5, 1962, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .266 |
| Home runs | 6 |
| Runs batted in | 87 |
| Teams | |
| As player
As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Harold Richard Naragon (October 1, 1928 – August 31, 2019) was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians (1951; 1954–59) and Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (1959–62). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, and was listed as 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and 160 pounds (73 kg). Naragon was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and graduated from Barberton (Ohio) High School.
In his 10-season MLB career, Naragon was a .266 hitter, with 262 hits, 27 doubles, 11 triples, six home runs and 87 RBI in 424 games played. He recorded a .991 fielding percentage. His most productive season came in 1959, when he posted career-highs in games (85) and hits (57) while dividing his playing time with Cleveland and Washington. He also caught one inning for the Indians in Game 3 of the 1954 World Series against the New York Giants. He spent much of his career backing up starting catchers Jim Hegan and Earl Battey.
Following his playing career, Naragon was the bullpen coach for the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers from 1963 to 1969. He was closely associated with pitching coach Johnny Sain, and was a member of the 1965 American League champion Twins and the 1968 world champion Tigers.[1]
He participated in the 50th anniversary commemoration of the 1968 Detroit Tigers World Series championship in 2018 at Comerica Park.
Naragon died August 31, 2019, at the age of 90.[2]