Jaime Navarro

Jaime Navarro Cintrón (born March 27, 1967 ) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher who is the current pitching coach for the Wei Chuan-Dragons of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). Navarro was a 6-foot, 4-inch tall right-handed pitcher in the major leagues (MLB) from to , playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians. He is the son of former Major League Baseball pitcher Julio Navarro.

Playing career Early years After graduating from Luis Pales Matos High School in Santa Rosa, Puerto Rico, Navarro was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round of the January amateur draft, but did not sign. On June 2, 1986, Navarro was drafted again by the Orioles in the 2nd round, but he still did not sign. Exactly a year later, in the June amateur draft, Navarro was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers as the 71st overall pick in the third round, and he signed with the team two days later. Navarro spent the rest of the season and the following two seasons playing in the Brewers minor league system, working his way up from the rookie-level with the Helena Brewers to Triple-A with the Denver Zephyrs. Navarro eventually picked up his first major league win five days later in a 3–1 victory against pitcher Jerry Reuss and the Chicago White Sox at home. Navarro continued as Brewers starting pitcher for the rest of the season, pitching in a total of nineteen games during the season. He posted a 7–8 record, with a 3.12 earned run average, 56 strikeouts, and a complete game on September 26. The following season, Navarro was sent back to the Class-AAA ball with the Denver Zephyrs.

Navarro was called up to the majors after a starting the season in the minors, and he spent the rest of the season as a starter/reliever for the Brewers. The Brewers took note of Navarro's skill, and the 24-year-old was one of the team's five starting pitchers for the following season. In his first full season as a starter, Navarro posted a 15–12 record and a 3.92 earned run average. He also had ten complete games, two shutouts, and 114 strikeouts. Navarro had an even better season the following year, finishing with a 17–11 record, a 3.33 ERA and 100 strikeouts.

However, the following two seasons proved disastrous for Navarro, as he gave up a league-high and Brewers team record 127 earned runs and 254 hits in 214.1 innings of work. With an 11–12 record and a 5.33 ERA in , the Brewers decided to split Navarro between starting and relieving jobs for the season. In his first start of the season, on April 11, 1994, Navarro was the winning pitcher for the inaugural Texas Rangers baseball game at The Ballpark in Arlington. Through the season, Navarro showed no sign of improvement, finishing the season with a 4–9 record and 6.62 ERA. Left with few options, the Brewers granted Navarro free agency on April 7. Navarro started in 29 games for the Cubs that year, and posted much-improved numbers on the season. He led the team in many pitching categories that year, such as wins and innings pitched. Navarro was granted free agency on November 1, Navarro led the team again in 1996 with a 15–12 record, 3.92 earned run average, four complete games and 158 strikeouts. Oddly enough, Navarro also led the league in batters faced and hits allowed. On October 28, , Navarro was again granted free agency by the Cubs The season was just as disappointing for Navarro, as he finished with a dismal 8–16 record and a league-high 6.36 ERA, and led the league in wild pitches and losses. Navarro showed no improvement the following year either, and the White Sox traded Navarro and fellow pitcher John Snyder to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Cal Eldred and infielder José Valentín. and he agreed to be sent back down to Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons in the International League, after Indians manager Charlie Manuel suggested he learn to be a reliever.

Navarro was later called up to the big leagues in a role as a starter/reliever, and he did not fare well in his return to the big leagues. This was the last time he played in the major leagues, as Navarro was later designated for assignment to clear up space on the Indians' 40-man roster.

Nearly a year later, on January 31, , the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to terms on a minor league contract with Navarro and assigned him to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds of the Pacific Coast League. More than a year later, Navarro signed with the Cincinnati Reds to play for the Triple-A Louisville Bats of the International League. Navarro looked much better after only giving up three earned runs in ten innings of work in two starts for Louisville. However, he was released by the Reds on June 6. Later, he played with the unaffiliated Newark Bears of the Atlantic League as a starting pitcher. After his stint with the Bears, Navarro did not play professional baseball in the U.S. again.

Italian baseball Navarro spent three years pitching in Italy for Bbc Grosseto of the Italian Baseball League. His 18 wins and 1.76 ERA helped his team win the 2004 Italian League and play in the European Champions League, which Grosseto won in 2005 and Navarro was named MVP. In the early months of the 2005 season, Navarro had a serious bike accident that cost him the rest of the season, but he managed to come back for the 2006 season, finishing 9–7 with a 2.03 ERA.

Record The Navarros (Jaime and his father Julio) were the first father and son to each record a major league save. They were followed by Pedro Borbón and Pedro Borbón, Jr.; Steve Grilli and Jason Grilli; and Jeff Russell and James Russell.

In 2014, Navarro was inducted into the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor.

Coaching career Days after the 2006 season's finale, Navarro had a rough discussion with Grosseto management and decided not to pitch again in Italy. In , he was the pitching coach for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League. On January 13, , Navarro was named the pitching coach for the Single-A High Desert Mavericks. After the 2009 season, Navarro was named as the pitching coach for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.

Navarro was the Mariners' bullpen coach from 2011 to 2013. Navarro was released by the Seattle Mariners organization, along with 9 other coaches, after the 2015 season.

From 2016 to 2019, Navarro was the pitching coach for the Pericos de Puebla, winning the championship in 2016 and Acereros de Monclova for the Mexican League. In 2020, he was the pitching coach for the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, winning the Taiwan Series in 2020.

On March 5, 2025, the Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican League hired Navarro as their pitching coach. After the 2025 season he left the Mexican League and become the pitching coach for the Wei Chuan Dragons of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League.