Daniel James Nava (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for 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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
,
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
,
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
,
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) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
, and
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
. Nava is only the fourth player in MLB history to hit a
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
in his first major league at bat and the second to do it on the first pitch.
Early life
Nava was born in
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...
. He played baseball at
St. Francis High School in
Mountain View,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and received his Psychology degree from
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...
. He was and in his freshman year in high school and grew to and by his senior year.
After an opportunity to walk-on to the
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...
baseball team, he failed to make the team as a player and became the team equipment manager.
He left Santa Clara after two years because he could no longer afford the tuition.
He then enrolled in the
College of San Mateo
College of San Mateo (CSM) is a public community college in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo County Community College District. College of San Mateo is located at the northern corridor of Silicon Valley and situated on a 15 ...
(junior college).
He tried out for the baseball team on the encouragement of an old friend he happened to run into at a gym.
While at the College of San Mateo, he became a Junior College All-American. Later Santa Clara wanted him back and eventually offered him a full scholarship. He hit .395 with an on-base percentage of .494 in his lone season with the Broncos, both tops in the West Coast Conference, and earned first-team All-WCC honors. He stole 15 bases without being caught, and he had more walks (31) than strikeouts (29).
Professional career
Minor leagues
When Nava graduated from college, he went undrafted and signed with the
Chico Outlaws
The Chico Outlaws were a professional baseball team based in Chico, California, in the United States. The Outlaws were a member of the Northern Division of the independent North American League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Ba ...
of the
Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico.
The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the orga ...
. The Outlaws cut him after a tryout, only to bring him back a year later to fill a void.
In 2007 Nava hit 12 home runs for the Outlaws, with a .371 batting average and a 1.100 OPS.
Nava was named the number one independent league prospect by ''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' in 2007.
Red Sox assistant director of pro scouting, Jared Porter, recommended the Sox sign Nava from the Chico Outlaws in 2007. The Red Sox paid the Outlaws $1 for the rights to Nava, with an agreement that the Outlaws would receive an additional $1,499 if the Red Sox kept Nava after spring training.
In 2008, Nava played for high Single-A Lancaster and hit .341 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI in 85 games. His
on-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...
percentage was .948. In 2009, he hit .339 at high Single-A Salem before being called up to Double-A Portland, where he batted .364 with four home runs and a 25-to-12 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His OPS was .991.
In 2010, Nava spent two months in AAA. At that time he was quoted as saying, "I know I have the talent and the ability, and I can keep playing at the next level," he said. "If I didn't think I could, I would have been like, ‘You know what? There’s no point.’ … I definitely thought I could perform and perform well. That’s why I kept on going. Quitting’s just not much of an option for me."
Boston Red Sox
2010
Nava made his
Major League debut with 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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
on June 12, 2010, at
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...
as the starting left fielder against the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
. He was called up to help with the team's outfield situation, with
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ( ; born September 11, 1983) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2 ...
and
Jeremy Hermida
Jeremy Ryan Hermida (born January 30, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres, and i ...
on the
disabled list
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL).
General guidelines
...
(DL) and
Josh Reddick
William Joshua Reddick (born February 19, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder who plays for the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League. The Boston Red Sox selected Reddick in the 17th round of the 2006 MLB draft, and he m ...
optioned to the minor leagues for more playing time.
Taking the advice of Red Sox radio broadcaster
Joe Castiglione
Joseph John Castiglione (born March 2, 1947) is an American radio announcer for the Boston Red Sox baseball team,[Joe Castigl ...](_blank)
, who before the game told him to swing as hard as he could on the first pitch because "that's the only first pitch in the majors you'll ever see," Nava did swing at the
first pitch he saw and hit a
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
off Phillies pitcher
Joe Blanton
Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals, Pi ...
into the Red Sox bullpen. Nava became only the fourth player to have hit a grand slam in his first at-bat, joining
Bill Duggleby
William James Duggleby (March 16, 1874 – August 30, 1944), nicknamed "Frosty Bill", was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. He played from 1898 to 1907. He also played two games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1902 and nine games for th ...
in 1898,
Jeremy Hermida
Jeremy Ryan Hermida (born January 30, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres, and i ...
in 2005, and
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Kevin Kouzmanoff (born July 25, 1981) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers.
Kouzm ...
in 2006. Nava became only the second player, after Kouzmanoff, to do so on the first pitch of his Major League career,
and the first player in Major League Baseball history to achieve a grand slam on his first-ever MLB career at-bat while in
interleague play
Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. Pr ...
. His second at-bat, an inning later, was also with the bases loaded, but he struck out, losing the opportunity to become the only player to hit a grand slam in his first two at bats. He was the tenth player in Red Sox history to hit a home run in his first plate appearance with the club, the prior being
Darnell McDonald Darnell is a unisex given name and surname. The surname refers to a group of people in medieval ages who grew a plant called Darnel, which had intoxicatory properties. The last name originated in France, the plant can only grow in Mediterranean clim ...
on April 20, 2010, against the
Texas Rangers.
Creighton Gubanich was the only other player in Red Sox history to hit a grand slam for his first big league hit; however, it was not in Gubanich's first major league at-bat.
Bill LeFebvre
Wilfred Henry "Lefty" Lefebvre (November 11, 1915 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional baseball player and scout, and college baseball head coach. A southpaw pitcher and native of West Warwick, Rhode Island, LeFebvre had a nine ...
was the only other player in Red Sox history to hit a home run on the first pitch thrown to him in the big leagues, doing so June 10, 1938.
Due to his outstanding debut, Nava continued to start for the Red Sox. On June 17, he had his first three-hit game, two of those hits being doubles, against the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
. Nava reached base safely in his first 13 MLB games.
Nava was sent back to Triple-A
Pawtucket on July 22 to make room for Hermida, who came off the DL.
[McDonal]
Nava's magical run done for now
ESPNBoston.com. Accessed July 31, 2010 He was recalled to Boston on August 2 to replace
Mike Cameron
Michael Terrance Cameron (born January 8, 1973) is an American former professional Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Bos ...
, who was placed on the DL,
then optioned two days later to make room for Ellsbury. On August 17, he was again recalled after Ellsbury re-injured his ribs.
2011
Nava was
designated for assignment
Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...
and removed from the Red Sox'
40-man roster
A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...
on May 20, 2011. He passed through waivers unclaimed and was outrighted back to the Pawtucket Red Sox.
2012
Nava was not invited to major league training camp in 2012, but was recalled to the major league in May of that year, due to the absences of
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ( ; born September 11, 1983) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2 ...
and
Carl Crawford
Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "The Perfect Storm", is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He ba ...
.
Nava's debut grand slam was the only major league home run to his credit in his first 188 at bats, until May 14, 2012, when he hit a two-run home run for the Red Sox at
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...
against the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
.
In 88 games played in 2012, Nava batted .243 with 6 home runs and 33 RBI. He was also the recipient of the Red Sox'
Lou Gorman Award.
2013
Nava hit a three-run home run which proved to be the winning margin on April 20, the first Red Sox home game after the
Boston Marathon bombing
The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Two terrorists, brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs, w ...
earlier that week. On July 29, 2013, Nava fell victim to a controversial call at home plate in which he was ruled out by umpire
Jerry Meals
Gerald William Meals (born October 20, 1961) is an American retired Major League Baseball umpire. After serving as an NL reserve umpire from 1992 to 1997, he became a full-time umpire in 1998. Meals was promoted to crew chief in 2015, and worked ...
, who later admitted that the call was incorrect.
Nava
platooned with
Jonny Gomes
Jonathan Johnson Gomes (; born November 22, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and coach. He is the minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He playe ...
in left field throughout the Red Sox' championship season of 2013, posting career highs in games played and all offensive categories. He placed eighth in the American League in batting average (.303) and fifth (.385) in on-base percentage. With the Red Sox finishing 97-65, the team won the AL East and eventually the
2013 World Series
The 2013 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 season. The 109th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Lea ...
over 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 (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
.
2014
Despite winning the World Series the previous season, Nava batted only .136 with 2 homers and 3 RBIs in the first 17 games in 2014. He was demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket on April 23, 2014. He was recalled on May 27, 2014, after Shane Victorino went on the disabled list. Nava still failed to improve and was again demoted to Triple-A on June 1, 2014. He was again recalled on June 2, 2014. On September 14, 2014, Nava hit his second career grand slam off of
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) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
pitcher
Aaron Crow
Aaron James Crow (born November 10, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Early life
Crow was born on November 10, 1986, in Topeka, Kansas to parents Kev ...
.
2015
On July 30, 2015, Nava was designated for assignment after struggling throughout the season with injuries and inconsistency at the plate.
Tampa Bay Rays
Nava was claimed off waivers by the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
on August 5. He made his debut with the Rays two days later, facing the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
and starting in
right field
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
. Batting 7th, he went 0 for 2, before being lifted for a pinch hitter. After the season, he was designated for assignment.
Los Angeles Angels
Nava signed a one-year deal with the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
on December 16, 2015. After spring training ended, Nava ended up on the 15-day DL. He was activated towards the end of May and, after struggling offensively and in a platoon role, the Angels designated him for assignment in July. He would finish his tenure with the Angels hitting .235 with 1 home run in 45 games.
Kansas City Royals
On August 29, 2016, the Angels traded Nava to the Royals for a player to be named later.
Philadelphia Phillies
On December 12, 2016, Nava signed a minor league contract with the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
. He made the Phillies' major league roster, and in his first game with the team on April 6, 2017, he homered in his first two at-bats. He appeared in 80 games total for the
2017 Phillies, batting .301 with four home runs and 21 RBIs.
Late career
On February 6, 2018, Nava signed a minor league contract with the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. On February 28, it was announced Nava would be sidelined 10 to 12 weeks after back surgery. He was released on March 20, and signed a new minor league contract with Pittsburgh on March 23. Nava did not play professionally during 2018.
[ He became a free agent on November 6, 2018.
On June 2, 2019, Nava signed with the ]Kansas City T-Bones
The Kansas City Monarchs are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas. Formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones, they are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball; which, in 2020, became designated as a Majo ...
of the independent American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
. During the 2019 season, he appeared in 71 games for the T-Bones, batting .288 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs. Nava was released by the T-Bones on March 5, 2020.
During the 2019–20 winter baseball season, Nava played briefly for Algodoneros de Guasave
The Algodoneros de Guasave ( en, Guasave Cotton Growers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Guasave, Sinaloa. They won the league championship in 1972.
The team was purchased in April 2014 by a group of inve ...
of the Mexican Pacific League
The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule run ...
, appearing in seven games while batting .148 (4-for-27) with one RBI.[
]
Awards
* 2007 Independent Leagues Top Prospect (''Baseball America'')
* Red Sox Minor League Player of the Month (Aug/Sep 2009)[
* Red Sox ]Lou Gorman
James Gerald "Lou" Gorman (February 18, 1929 – April 1, 2011) was an American baseball executive, and the former general manager of the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He spent more than three decades in baseball op ...
Award (2012)
Personal life
Nava's father, Don, is a fitness instructor and a coach. Nava was married in the early offseason of 2012; he and his wife, Rachel, have one daughter.
From 2008 to 2010, Nava left a ticket at every minor league home game for ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
sportscaster Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster, television personality, and actress. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sp ...
.
See also
*
References
External links
*
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nava, Daniel
1983 births
Living people
People from Redwood City, California
Baseball players from California
Major League Baseball left fielders
Boston Red Sox players
Tampa Bay Rays players
Los Angeles Angels players
Kansas City Royals players
Philadelphia Phillies players
San Mateo Bulldogs baseball players
Santa Clara Broncos baseball players
Chico Outlaws players
Lancaster JetHawks players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
Portland Beavers players
Salem Red Sox players
Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players
Salt Lake Bees players
Omaha Storm Chasers players
Reading Fightin Phils players
Lehigh Valley IronPigs players
Kansas City T-Bones players
Algodoneros de Guasave players
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Minor league baseball coaches