Vincent Irwin "Sandy" Nava (April 12, 1850 – June 15, 1906) was an American 19th century Major League Baseball player for five seasons from 1882 through 1886.
[2] Born as Vincent Irwin in San Francisco, California, Sandy made his Major League debut for the 1882 Providence Grays as a catcher.
[3] Nava's history in professional baseball showed two sides; when he was growing up in San Francisco, he apparently tried to hide his Mexican heritage and went by names like Irwin Sandy or Vincent Irwin, but when he came to the East Coast, he returned to his name of Nava and the Providence team tried to promote his "Spanish" heritage.
He returned to the Grays for two more seasons, continuing to be the back-up catcher to Barney Gilligan, having his best year in 1883 when he batted .240 and scored 18 runs in 29 games.
He was listed as Vincent Nava, white and single, born April 1850, and working as an upholsterer, in a neighborhood with a large black population.