Thursday, December 31, 2009

2008 Long Island Ducks Ray Navarrete


Who is this?
Ray Navarette, a minor league baseball player

What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 Long Island Ducks team set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a Newark Bears game last year

How much did it cost? The team set cost about $8

Why is this so special? I'm finishing out the year with an autograph from a ballplayer most of you won't recognize.

Navarrete is a New Jersey native, and I first met him when he signed with the Somerset Patriots during their 2005 championship season. He contributed when called upon, but the team really didn't have a set role for him. He didn't seem to get along with everybody on the coaching staff, either.

He signed a minor league contract with the Mets' organization and started the 2006 season in AAA. I went to see the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons' final opening day that year, and got to see Navarrete suited up with the Norfolk Tides. He saw me in my Somerset jacket and said hello, which was kinda neat.

When things didn't work out with the Mets, Navarrete signed with the Long Island Ducks. There, he became an Atlantic League star - a .300 hitter with home run power, speed and the versatility to play any position on the field except catcher.

Navarrete is also the co-founder of a clothing company.

This is another of the cards I had gotten signed in green before I lost that Sharpie.

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