Samuel Woody Narron (August 25, 1913 – December 31, 1996) was an American Major League Baseball player and coach. Born in Middlesex, North Carolina, Narron batted and threw right-handed; he stood 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) (178 cm) tall and weighed 180 pounds (81.7 kg). He was the uncle of Major League catcher, coach and manager Jerry Narron and MLB coach Johnny Narron,[1] and the grandfather of pitcher Sam Narron.
| Sam Narron | |
|---|---|
.JPG) | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: August 25, 1913 Middlesex, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: December 31, 1996 (aged 83) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 15, 1935, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1943, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .286 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 1 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Narron spent almost his entire playing career in minor league baseball. Originally an outfielder, he led the Class D Georgia–Florida League in batting average with a .349 mark in 1936. The following year, he became a catcher and twice batted over .300 for the Rochester Red Wings of the AA International League.
In the Major Leagues, Narron appeared in parts of three seasons (1935, 1942 and 1943) with the St. Louis Cardinals, playing in 24 games and hitting .286 with one run batted in in just 28 at bats.
A protégé of longtime MLB executive Branch Rickey, Narron continued in baseball after his playing career ended in 1948. He was the bullpen catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers[2] during 1949 and 1950, the last two years of Rickey's tenure there, then followed him to the Pittsburgh Pirates as the Buccos' Major League bullpen coach from 1951 through 1964.
He was inducted in the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. Sam Narron died in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the age of 83.
References
edit- ^ Ringolsby, Tracy (March 24, 2014). "Oh, Brother! Narrons Living Baseball Dream Together". MLB.com. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ The Associated Press (January 5, 1997). "Sam Narron, Catcher and Coach, 83 [obituary]". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference
- Baseball Almanac
- Sam Narron at Find a Grave