Navegantes del Magallanes B.B.C., commonly known as Navegantes del Magallanes (; Magellan Navigators), or simply Magallanes, are a professional baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), based in Valencia, Carabobo.

Originally founded in Caracas in , Magallanes relocated to Valencia in . The team is one of oldest and most successful clubs in Venezuelan baseball, winning 14 LVBP championships, most recently in 2026 under manager Yadier Molina, as well as 2 Caribbean Series. Its chief rival are the Leones del Caracas; the two are known as Los Eternos Rivales ("the Eternal Rivals").

History Early years The Magallanes Base Ball Club was established on October 26, 1917, in Caracas. The name Magallanes, referring both to Ferdinand Magellan (known as Fernando Magallanes in Spanish) and the Strait of Magellan, was chosen by the founding members in a polling to select the club name; other proposed names were Colón (honoring Christopher Columbus) and Diego de Losada, the founder of the city of Caracas. Antonio Benítez, one of the team's owners, proposed the name Magallanes in reference to the geographical location, suggesting that other teams would founder against them (as ships do in the difficult-to-navigate strait).González and Ruiz, p. 139 The Magallanes Base Ball Club debuted the next year, 1918, in the National Baseball Championship. The club, however, would soon fold due to several problems including internal disputes.González and Ruiz, p. 141

It would be ten years until the next team under the name Magallanes debuted, refounded by Benítez, as an amateur club part of the new Venezuelan National League in 1927.González and Ruiz, pp. 185–86 The team played in a neighborhood of Caracas populated by immigrants from the former Ottoman Empire, earning them the nickname "Turcos" (Turks).González and Ruiz, p. 44 During this period, it developed a fierce rivalry with the cross-town Royal Criollo club, which would later evolve into the modern rivalry between Magallanes and Leones del Caracas.González and Ruiz, pp. 198–212 In 1930, the team won its first first division title, thanks to the pitching of Pancho Coimbre and Balbino Inojosa.González and Ruiz, pp. 225–26 However, the club again folded before the 1933 season.González and Ruiz, p. 248

The Magallanes name was again revived in 1941 by Carlos Lavaud.González and Ruiz, p. 248 The club signed Vidal López, who had won 12 games in Cuba, and Carlos Ascanio, who had been playing in Cuba, as well as Dalmiro Finol, José Pérez Colmenares, and Jesus "Chucho" Ramos. Magallanes won the 1943–44 tournament.

Professionalization Magallanes was one of the four original clubs (along with Cerveceria, Vargas, and Venezuela) to form the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League on December 27, 1945.

In 1969, Magallanes were acquired by a group of businessmen based in Carabobo state and moved to the city of Valencia, which had recently lost its team, Industriales de Valencia, before the 1969–70 season.

Mascot

The Capy is the official mascot of the Navegantes del Magallanes baseball team. The bird wears a navigator costume. He has a girlfriend named Lola, a very charming parrot.

Current roster

https://www.lvbp.com/roster.php?team=696

Venezuela 2022 Caribbean Series Roster Players CoachesPitchers

updated on 31 January 2020 Catchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Coaches

Championships Season Manager Record Seriesscore Runner-up 1949–50 Lázaro Salazar 32–14 — Cerveceria Caracas 1950–51 Lázaro Salazar 34–19 — Cerveceria Caracas 1954–55 Lázaro Salazar 32–18 — Leones del Caracas 1969–70 Carlos Pascual 32–28 3–0 Tiburones de La Guaira 1976–77 Don Leppert 35–30 4–2 Tiburones de La Guaira 1978–79 Octavio Rojas / Willie Horton 39–31 4–1 Águilas del Zulia 1993–94 Tim Tolman 35–25 4–3 Leones del Caracas 1995–96 Tim Tolman / Gregorio Machado 29–31 4–3 Cardenales de Lara 1996–97 John Tamargo 33–17 4–1 Leones del Caracas 2001–02 Phil Regan 30–32 4–1 Tigres de Aragua 2012–13 Carlos García / Luis Sojo 36–37 4–3 Cardenales de Lara 2013–14 Luis Sojo / Carlos García 33–30 4–1 Caribes de Anzoátegui 2021–22 Wilfredo Romero 33–30 4–3 Caribes de Anzoátegui 2025–26 Yadier Molina 29–27 4–2 Caribes de Anzoátegui

International competition Caribbean Series Year Host Finish Wins Losses Win% Manager 1950 San Juan 4th 1 5 Vidal López 1951 Caracas 3rd 2 4 Lázaro Salazar 1955 Caracas 2nd 4 2 Lázaro Salazar 1970 Caracas 1st 7 1 Carlos Pascual 1977 Caracas 2nd 3 3 Don Leppert 1979 San Juan 1st 5 1 Willie Horton 1994 Puerto La Cruz 2nd 4 2 Tim Tolman 1996 Santo Domingo 4th 1 5 Gregorio Machado 1997 Hermosillo 3rd 3 3 John Tamargo 2002 Caracas 4th 2 4 Phil Regan 2013 Hermosillo 4th 2 4 Luis Sojo 2014 Margarita Island 3rd 3 2 Carlos García 2022 Santo Domingo 4th 3 3 Wilfredo Romero Total 40 39

Serie de las Américas Year Host Finish Wins Losses Win% Manager 2026 Gran Caracas 1st 7 1 César Izturis Total 7 1

Notable players

Retired numbers 11SSRetired15IFRetired21SSRetired23OFRetired

Navegantes del Magallanes Hall of Fame Magallanes established a team Hall of Fame in 2012.

+KeyClassYear of induction Bold Inducted into Major League Baseball Baseball Hall of Fame Inducted into Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Navegantes del Magallanes Hall of Fame Class Name Position Tenure P 1941–1945 1946–1955 OF 1946–1956 Manager 1949–1959 P 1953–1956 3B 1949–1965 2B 1968–1977 3B 1969–1975 OF 1974–1977 OF 1968–1976 OF 1977–1980 Executive 1941–1956 Executive 1969–2007 Executive 1969–1992 Broadcaster 1B 1972–1989 P, Coach 1969–1974 1974–2010 OF, 1B 1969–1974 Executive P 1972–1983 OF, 1B 1976–1979 Executive Executive SS 1992–1996 IF, Manager 1987–1998 2009–2014 P Executive 1977–1979 P 1993–2003 UTIL 1991–2004 Executive 1982–1989 OF 1991–2012 P 1987–1998 UTIL 1991–2012 Executive 1964–1969 3B 1996–2011 2B SS 1949–1953 P 1998–2002 OF / Manager 1978–1980 C 1986–2005 P 1964–1968

Other notable players

Jose Altuve, infielder Sam Nahem (1915–2004), Major League Baseball pitcher Endy Chávez, MLB outfielder Luis Arráez, MLB infielder Leonardo Reginatto, infielder Reynaldo Rodríguez, infielder Ezequiel Carrera, outfielder Elvis Andrus, infielder Pablo Sandoval, infielder Johan Santana, pitcher Freddy Garcia, pitcher Luis Raven, infielder Mario Lisson, infielder Emilio Cueche, pitcher Barry Bonds, outfielder Luis Aparicio Sr., infielder Luis Rengifo, infielder Félix Hernández, pitcher Billy Bean, outfielder Cito Gaston Kenny Lofton

Attendances

In the 2015–16 season, the Navegantes del Magallanes became the club with the second-highest average home attendance in the league, with an average of 8,759. In the 2023–24 season, the Navegantes drew an average home league attendance of 3,257, the third-highest in the league.https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=d97ba3c4&

References

Bibliography

External links Official site Viento en Popa. Non-Official site