The Leones del Caracas have hired Lipso Nava as the club’s manager for the 2026-27 season in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional, which will begin in October, according to a report from Venezuelan baseball journalist Georgeny Perez.
Nava, 57, won the LVBP’s Manager of the Year award for the second time following the 2024-25 season after leading the Aguilas del Zulia to a 30-26 record in the regular season and a berth in the league’s 16-game round robin playoff. He first won the award in the 2016-17 season when he led Zulia to the league title after a 33-30 regular season, sweeping Aragua in the first round and beating Anzoategui four games to one in the second round before taking the crown with a four games to one victory over the Cardenales de Lara in the league final.
Lipso Nava regresa a los #Leones del Caracas, ahora como mánager del equipo por las próximas dos temporadas.#LVBP pic.twitter.com/NmltNVSf7T
— Georgeny Pérez (@GeorgenyPerez) May 7, 2026
He previously served as the Leones’ bench coach for three seasons, including 2022-23, when the Leones won the LVBP title and advanced to the Caribbean Series. At winter ball’s biggest event, the Leones advanced to the championship game, where they lost to the Dominican Republic’s Tigres del Licey 3-0.
In addition to his experience in the LVBP, Nava is a long-time coach in the San Francisco Giants organization, where he has managed at Low-A Augusta in 2011 and 2012 and High-A San Jose in 2016, 2018, and 2022. He is in his 19th season with the Giants, serving as the fundamentals coach at Double-A Richmond under manager Dennis Pelfrey.
The hiring of Nava comes not long after the Leones parted with manager Jose Alguacil, who led the club to the 2023 league championship, but missed the finals the next year, and then failed to achieve a winning record in 2025-26, finishing dead last with a 24-32 record and missing the playoffs entirely.
Photo: Venezuela’s Aguilas de Zulia Manager Lipso Nava, argues with the umpire, during a Caribbean Series baseball semifinal game against Puerto Rico’s Criollos de Caguas in Culiacan, Mexico, Monday, Feb. 6, 2017. Puerto Rico held off Venezuela 9-6 on Monday to reach the Caribbean Series championship game. (AP Photo/Luis Gutierrez)
