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Harold Richard Naragon
Cleveland Indians
Catcher
Born: October 1, 1928, Zanesville, OH
Signed: Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1951, 1954-59; Washington Senators 1959-60; Minnesota Twins 1961-62
Died: August 31, 2019, Barberton, OH (age 90)
With his career interrupted two full years by military service in the early 1950s, Hal Naragon played in 10 major league seasons, mostly with the Indians. Naragon appeared in only two roles during his years in the majors, catcher and pinch-hitter, and was a back-up for Jim Hegan (#48) and Earl Battey during his years in Cleveland and Washington/Minnesota. Naragon caught the final inning in Game 3 of the 1954 World Series, in which the Indians lost to the Giants in four games. His best season came in 1955 when he appeared in 57 games, batting .323 with a home run and 14 RBIs. He'd eclipse that RBI total in 1956 with 18, and his most action during a season came in 1959 when Naragon appeared in 85 games between the Indians and Senators. He was an original Minnesota Twin, starting 30 games behind the plate during the club's first season in 1961. As a pinch-hitter, Naragon batted .159 (20 for 126) for his career. Overall, he batted .266 in 424 games, with 262 hits, six home runs and 87 RBIs.
Naragon spent seven more seasons in the majors as a coach with the Twins (1963-66) and Tigers (1967-69). He'd go to back to the World Series with the 1965 Twins and 1968 Tigers, with the Tigers prevailing over the Cardinals in seven games.
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| December 25, 2007 |
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #338
I last shared this full story with the Foster Castleman (#271) post in late December, but I'll repeat myself, in an edited version, here. The way my Dad and I finished the 1956 Topps set was somewhat anti-climatic but nevertheless a joyful memory. Leading up to the Christmas of 2007, my Dad (with the help of my Mom) scoured eBay and other online baseball card stores for the remaining 29 cards we needed to complete the set. Throughout the weeks and months leading up to the holidays, he knew we had completed the set but he kept it quiet, wanting to surprise me on Christmas morning. I have no idea, and I'll never know, what the true last card was that he acquired to finish off the set. And I have no record, nor was he able to tell me, how much they had paid for any of these final 29 cards.
This Naragon card was one of the final 29. It was one of the commons included in a memorable haul that included the cards of Pee Wee Reese (#260), Roberto Clemente (#33), Whitey Ford (#240) and a spotless checklist card for the 1st and 3rd Series.
The Card / Indians Team Set
Naragon's rookie card can be found in the 1955 Bowman set, and this is his first Topps card. There's no telling whether or not that's actually Naragon sliding into second base, under the tag of what looks to be a Yankees infielder. The cartoons on the back explain Naragon's role as the Indians' back-up catcher, and highlight his 1955 season. The final panel focuses on his ability to catch base stealers. For his career, Naragon threw out 35% of would-be base stealers, or 54 out of 153 attempts. By comparison, current Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto has a career success rate of 32%, as of this writing.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #129
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1956-62
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2011 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-HN
27 - Naragon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/17/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #308 "Chuck" Harmon - Cincinnati Redlegs / #324 "Rocky" Bridges - Cincinnati Redlegs
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