Hal Naragon

Harold Richard Naragon (October 1, 1928 – August 31, 2019) was an American 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.

Hal Naragon
Catcher
Born: (1928-10-01)October 1, 1928 Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.
Died: August 31, 2019(2019-08-31) (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
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
As player Cleveland Indians (1951, 1954–1959) Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (1959–1962) As coach Minnesota Twins (1963–1966) Detroit Tigers (1967–1969)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (1968)

Early life and career

Naragon was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and graduated from Barberton High School in Ohio.^[1] After signing with the Cleveland Indians organization, he began his career in 1947 with the Pittsfield Electrics. He split the 1948 season between the Watertown Athletics and Harrisburg Senators. He spent 1950 with the Oklahoma City Indians, and 1951 with the San Diego Padres.^[2]

Professional career

Naragon was promoted to the Indians late in the 1951 season and played in three games. After the season, he entered the United States Marine Corps and was stationed at Quantico during the Korean War.^[1] He returned to the Indians in 1954, where he remained through the beginning of the 1959 season. His best season with the Indians was 1955, when he played in 57 games and had a .323 batting average.^[3][4] He also caught one inning for the Indians in Game 3 of the 1954 World Series against the New York Giants.

On May 25, 1959, Naragon was traded to the Washington Senators with Hal Woodeshick for Ed Fitz Gerald. He spent the remaining four years of his career with the Senators, who became the Twins in 1961.^[3] He spent much of his career backing up starting catchers Jim Hegan in Cleveland and Earl Battey in Washington/Minnesota.^[4] He was released from the Twins after the 1962 season, ending his playing career.^[5] 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.^[3]

Later life

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. After his baseball career ended, he operated a sporting goods store in Barberton, where he lived with his wife and daughter.^[1] Naragon died August 31, 2019, at the age of 90.^[6]