"40 in 40" - Nava, Daniel

by BobZupcic on Jan 9, 2011 1:07 PM EST

Daniel Nava - #60 (OF)

Bats: Both, Throws: Left

Age: 28, Size: 5'10" 200 lbs

Acquired: Purchased from Chico of the Independent "Golden League" in January 2008

Contract: Pre-Arbitration

Comments: Injuries in the Red Sox outfield opened a door for Nava, the former independent league player, to make his mark in the big leagues, He started out with a bang - knocking a Grand Slam in his first major league at bat. Unfortunately that was to be his only major league homerun in 2010 in his 188 PAs. Nava posted a 0.711 OPS largely on the back of his 0.350 OBP. In the minor leagues, Nava haas put up some impressive numbers. In 2008 with high-A lancaster he posted a slash-line of 0.341/0.424/0.523 and in 2009 between A+/AA he posted a line of 0.352/0.458/0.533. The stats look great, but bear n mind that he was at an advanced age for his league for both years.

Career Stats (minors): Includes 2007 Chico IL stats

PA: 1292

BA: 0.337

OBP: 0.431

SLG: 0.532

OPS: 0.963

HR/SB: 37/26

Unique Stats/Facts: Nava is only one of four players to hit a GS in his first at bat in the majors. Two of the other players are still playing - Jeremy Hermida and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Hermida and Nava were on the same team last year putting 2 of the 4 players to have accomplished the feat on the same team.

Analysis: Nava is a nice part to have, not your starting OF type but he doesn't kill you out there as a 4th/5th outfielder. He will likely spend time between Pawtucket and the Sox in 2011, filling in for the occasional 15-Day stint. At this point in his career (due to his late start) its really hard to see him as a starter unless he's moved to a lower tier ML team like KC or Pittsburgh.

Projection (James):0.277/0.369/0.438 - 0.345 wOBA in 152 PA

Tomorrow: Yamaico Navarro

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Comments

Better him than Kalish or Reddick as the 5th OF

I’d rather have Kalish and Reddick playing every day in Pawtucket than riding the pine in Boston.

by RSNexile on Jan 9, 2011 2:11 PM EST reply actions

Prefer McDonald

but agreed with Reddick/Kalish in AAA instead of MLB to start year.

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by gizmosandy on Jan 9, 2011 7:39 PM EST up reply actions

Gotta figure

That the Pawtucket OF will run Nava-Kalish-Reddick from Left to Right

by BobZupcic on Jan 9, 2011 8:04 PM EST up reply actions

think this is right

and who gets the first call up will probably depend on who gets injured.

by mmmmm on Jan 9, 2011 8:44 PM EST up reply actions

Re: Unique Fact

Kouz is the only other player to have done it on the first pitch.

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by TheLoneDavid on Jan 9, 2011 7:40 PM EST reply actions

didnt Nava also get his on first pitch?

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by Dustin's #1 Fan on Jan 9, 2011 9:52 PM EST up reply actions

That's correct.

Which is why he said “other”.

I’m mildly surprised this wasn’t mentioned as a unique stat. Maybe to include Jeremy Hermida in the statement?

by OzTiger on Jan 9, 2011 10:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

sigh oh, Hermida...

such promise, such heartbreak.

by superdaveyboy on Jan 10, 2011 12:16 AM EST up reply actions

Well we can't pretend we expected anything major

not after the crap-fest in Atlanta.

I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
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by TheLoneDavid on Jan 10, 2011 12:41 AM EST up reply actions

I'd say

Maybe to include Jeremy Hermida in the statement?

Reminds us not to get our hopes up for Nava.

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by Bloggy on Jan 10, 2011 9:32 AM EST up reply actions

I like Nava a lot, actually

His approach at the plate is very advanced and he has decent power to go with it. If he was 23 and had the season he had last year as a part time MLer, there would be tons of hope for his future. His defense isn’t what you want from a bench OF but I think his bat will be well above McDonald’s. It is a huge luxury to have both. Either one could start on a decent NL team.

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by Mattsullivan on Jan 10, 2011 10:14 AM EST reply actions

I like his approach a lot

I think if he had more power, his bat could justify his defense, but I can’t see him ever been more than a 5th outfielder.

by wolf9309 on Jan 10, 2011 12:43 PM EST up reply actions

to be fair, he's shown more power in the minors

So while I would never expect him to hit more than a handful of HR in a season, its not unreasonable to expect his doubles to increase with more MLB experience.

Though he really stands out mostly for some ridiculous OBP numbers.

by mmmmm on Jan 10, 2011 5:37 PM EST up reply actions

yeah it's hard to say exactly since he hasn't played too much against age-appropriate competition

I’d expect it to be closer to the Pawtucket numbers than anything else. Definitely more than we saw in Boston, just in my eyes a poor fielding corner outfielder can only be justified with a whole bunch of power.

by wolf9309 on Jan 10, 2011 6:07 PM EST up reply actions