Heron managed
Chiriquí to its first national championship in Panama's amateur league in 1978. He repeated the feat in 1979. He won another title with
Herrera in 1997, and in 2001 as assistant to Aníbal Relúz on the
Panamá Metro team. Heron was a longtime manager of the
Panama national baseball team, starting with the
1981 Intercontinental Cup in Edmonton, and the
1981 Bolivarian Games in Barquisimeto, Venezuela (earning a silver medal). He managed Panama to a historic upset over Cuba at the
1982 Central American and Caribbean Games, earning the team a third place finish. Heron managed Panama at various other international tournaments, including the
Pan American Games on
1983 (in Venezuela) and
1999 (in Canada). Under Heron, Panama's second place finish at the
2002 Central American and Caribbean Games was the country's best performance in 64 years. Shortly after, though, Heron's bronze medal at the
2002 Intercontinental Cup was stripped after it was found several Panamanian players (including
Roberto Kelly) tested positive for
performance-enhancing substances. As a scout, Heron is best known for discovering future
Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, who signed with the
New York Yankees. Heron first saw Rivera play as a shortstop for a Panamanian amateur team and later watched him pitch as a 20-year old in 1990. He subsequently recommended Herb Raybourn sign him, resulting in Rivera signing with the Yankees for a $2,000 bonus. Heron eventually became a mentor for Rivera, who described him as a second father figure. Other major league players scouted by Heron include Mariano's cousin
Rubén Rivera, as well as
Ramiro Mendoza,
Fernando Seguignol, and
Rafael Medina. ==Notes==