It so happened that one of the Castillo team members became sick and when the coach saw Navarro jump the fence he asked him to play.

[5] After graduating from high school, Navarro was offered a grant to attend the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, which he turned down.

As a consequence of this policy, a group of white and black businessmen joined forces and organized their own Negro leagues.

The experience was bittersweet for Navarro, especially when they played in the South — he felt discriminated against due both to his skin color and his lack of English.

[5] After Navarro retired from active baseball, he worked as administrator of the Francisco "Paquito" Montaner Stadium in Ponce,[7] a position that he held for 10 years.

[8] In 1938, Puerto Rican sportswriter Emilio Huike voted Navarro as the "Ideal Professional Baseball Player".

His life and experiences in baseball were part of an American documentary called "Beisbol", on the contributions and influence of Hispanics in America's national pastime.

[10][11] In 2010, Navarro was honored by "Experience Works" who recognized him as an outstanding active Senior Citizen in the United States.

[14] On May 1, 2011, the New York Yankees held a moment of silence to honor Navarro before the start of their game against the Toronto Blue Jays.