Ricardo Nanita
From BR Bullpen
Ricardo Michael Nanita
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 205 lb.
- School Florida International University
- Born June 12, 1981 in Santo Domingo D.R.
[edit] biographical Information
Ricardo Nanita has played as high as AAA.
Nanita began his career by being drafted out of a US college, an unusual start for a Dominican native. He hit .388 as a senior at Florida International University, putting him third in the Sun Belt Conference. The Chicago White Sox chose Nanita in the 14th round of the 2003 amateur draft; he was their only pick between #10 and #18 who wound up signing with the team, being signed by Jose Ortega.
Nanita made his pro debut with the Great Falls White Sox and made an immediate impact. He hit .384/.445/.546 with 38 runs and 37 RBI in 47 games before a wrist injury ended his season on August 12. He had a 30-game hitting streak, setting a Pioneer League record. Nanita finished second in the league in average (behind Lou Palmisano) and in OBP (.007 behind Joey Votto). Baseball America rated him as having the best pro debut (along with one other player) among all 2003 White Sox draftees. He was also rated as the league's #19 prospect, between Carlos Gonzalez and Juan Morillo. Nanita was named to the All-Star outfield alongside Warner Madrigal and Terry Trofholz.
Ricardo looked much more human in 2004 but still did well for the Kannapolis Intimidators (.316/.400/.391 in 61 G) and the Winston-Salem Warthogs (.241/.326/.327 in 55 G). Had he qualified, he would have ranked 7th in the South Atlantic League in average, right behind Delmon Young and Ian Stewart.
Nanita put up a .292/.392/.453 line for the 2005 Warthogs with 36 doubles and 73 runs. He was 11th in the Carolina League in average. Ricardo was 3 for 10 that winter with the Licey Tigers. Baseball America rated him as having the best strike-zone discipline of a ChiSox farmhand going into 2006. In '06, the Santo Domingo native hit .286/.372/.407 for the Birmingham Barons. He was 5th in the Southern League in OBP (.034 behind leader Votto) and was 9h in average. He made the All-SL outfield alongside Jerry Gil and Christopher Walker.
Despite having led Birmingham in average and OBP in 2006, he returned to the same club in 2007 and produced at a .260/.316/.344 rate for a significant drop-off. He hit .286 that winter with Licey. In 2008, Ricardo finished his time in the Chicago chain by batting .286/.351/.415 with the Barons. The Washington Nationals took him in the minor league section of the Rule V Draft.
In the 2009 Caribbean Series, he was 4 for 13 with two walks for Licey, outhitting all of his ten former major leaguer teammates except Ronny Paulino.
Nanita battled injury in his time in the Nationals system, hitting .286/.353/.429 in 9 games for the GCL Nationals and .294/.338/.508 in 41 contests for the Washington Senators. He also played for two Mexican League teams in 2009, the Veracruz Eagle (.297/.338/.344 in 15 G) and the Monterrey Sultans (.313/.343/.422 in 14 G).
Ricardo started 2010 very well with the Olmecas de Tabasco, hitting .341/.399/.493 through July 18. He was put on the Dominican national team roster for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games.
