| Luis Aparicio | |||||||||||||||
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 Luis Aparicio in 2012 | |||||||||||||||
| Shortstop | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1934-04-29)April 29, 1934 (age 91) Maracaibo, Venezuela | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| April 17, 1956, for the Chicago White Sox | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| September 28, 1973, for the Boston Red Sox | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .262 | ||||||||||||||
| Hits | 2,677 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 83 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 791 | ||||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 506 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Member of the National | |||||||||||||||
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||
| Induction | 1984 | ||||||||||||||
| Vote | 84.6% (sixth ballot) | ||||||||||||||
Medals
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Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel (born April 29, 1934), nicknamed "Little Louie", is aVenezuelan former professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as ashortstop from 1956 to 1973 for threeAmerican League (AL) teams, most prominently as a member of theChicago White Sox. During his ten seasons with the team, he became known for his exceptional defensive and base-stealing skills.[1][2] A 13-timeAll-Star,[1][a], he made an immediate impact with the team, winning theRookie of the Year Award in 1956 after leading the league instolen bases and leading AL shortstops inputouts andassists; he was the first Latin American player to win the award.
From 1956 to 1962, Aparicio and second basemanNellie Fox formed one of the most revereddouble play duos in major league history.[3][4][5] As the team'sleadoff hitter and defensive star, he provided a spark to the "Go-Go" White Sox, helping to lead them to their first pennant in 40 years in 1959, finishing second to Fox in theMost Valuable Player (MVP) voting. His 56 stolen bases that season were more than twice as many as any other major league player, and the most by any player in 16 years; he tied the White Sox club record, with the mark not being surpassed until 1983. Aparicio led the AL in stolen bases a record nine consecutive seasons to begin his career, becoming the first player since the 1920s to steal 50 bases four times. Traded to theBaltimore Orioles before the 1963 season, he set a franchise record with 57 steals in 1964, then played a major role in helping the club to its firstWorld Series title in 1966. Aparicio won nineGold Glove Awards,[6][1] setting a league record since matched only byOmar Vizquel; he led the AL infielding percentage eight consecutive years, and in assists seven times, putouts four times anddouble plays twice, and in 1960 became the first AL shortstop in 25 years to post 550 assists.
When he retired, Aparicio ranked second toTy Cobb in AL history in careerat bats (10,230), fifth in games played (2,599) and seventh insingles (2,108); his 506 stolen bases trailed only Cobb andEddie Collins among AL players. He set major league records for careerhits andtotal bases as a shortstop that were later broken byDerek Jeter andCal Ripken Jr. respectively. His 2,581 games as a shortstop were a major league record until 2008, and the AL record until 2014. He held the major league records for career assists (8,016) and double plays (1,553) untilOzzie Smith passed him in 1994 and 1995; he still holds the AL records for assists, putouts (4,548), andtotal chances (12,930), though Ripken broke his AL double play mark in 1996. Aparicio's career fielding percentage (.972) ranked second in AL history when he retired, one point behindLou Boudreau. Legendary hitterTed Williams called Aparicio "the best shortstop he had ever seen".[7]
He was inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in1984, the first Venezuelan player to be so honored. He is currently the oldest living Hall of Fame player, following the death ofWillie Mays in 2024.[8]
Aparicio was born inMaracaibo, Zulia State,Venezuela.[2] His father,Luis Aparicio Sr. (nicknamed Luis Aparicio "El Grande"), was a notable shortstop in Venezuela and owned a Winter League team with Aparicio's uncle,Ernesto Aparicio.[9]
At the age of 19, Aparicio was selected as a member of theVenezuelan national team in the1953 Amateur World Series held inCaracas; Venezuela took the silver medal in the tournament.[2] He played mainly third base and left field, though took the field at shortstop in the climactic game againstCuba; his selection by managerJosé Antonio Casanova was criticized (especially because his father was on the team's coaching staff).[10][11] Nevertheless, Aparicio finished the tournament with a .350 batting average with sevenruns batted in, third best on the team.[11]
He signed to play for theGavilanes de Zulia, the local professional team in Maracaibo, alongside his father in 1953. In a symbolic gesture during the team's home opener on November 18, 1953, his fatherled off as the first hitter of the game, took the first pitch, and had Aparicio Jr. take his place at bat.[2][12]
TheCleveland Indians had been negotiating to sign Aparicio, but Indians General ManagerHank Greenberg expressed the opinion that he was too small to play in the major leagues.[2] Chicago White Soxgeneral managerFrank Lane, on the recommendation of fellow Venezuelan shortstopChico Carrasquel, then signed Aparicio for $5,000 down and $5,000 in first-year salary.[13] After only two years in theminor leagues, he made his major league debut at the age of 22, replacing Carrasquel as the White Sox shortstop in1956.[2] Aparicio would lead theAmerican League in stolen bases, assists and putouts, and won both theAL Rookie of the Year andThe Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards.[6][14][15] He was the first Latin American player to win the Rookie of the Year Award.[2]
Aparicio quickly became an integral member of theGo-Go White Sox teams of the mid-1950s, who were known for their speed and strong defense. Over the next decade, Aparicio set the standard for the spray-hitting, slick-fielding, speedy shortstop.[9] He combined withsecond basemanNellie Fox to become one of the bestdouble play combinations in the major leagues.[16][17] Aparicio once again led the AL in stolen bases and assists in 1957 as the White Sox held first place until late June before finishing the season in second place behind theNew York Yankees.[16][18] On September 7 against theKansas City Athletics, he hit twohome runs for the only time in his career, leading off the game with aninside-the-park home run and adding a three-run shot in the 4th inning as the White Sox won 8-2.
In1958, Aparicio earned recognition as one of the top shortstops in the major leagues when he was selected to be the AL's starting shortstop in theAll-Star Game.[19] The White Sox once again finished the season in second place behind theYankees, after being in last place on June 14.[20] Aparicio again led the league in stolen bases, assists and putouts, and won his firstGold Glove Award.[6][21]
Aparicio was the team leader when the"Go-Go" White Sox won the ALpennant in1959, finishing the regular season five games ahead of theCleveland Indians.[22] After stealing 56 bases to tieWally Moses' 1943 team record, he was runner-up to Fox in theMost Valuable Player Award balloting.[23] Aparicio was selected as a starting All-Star for the second time and also won a second Gold Glove Award.[24][25] He posted a .308batting average in the1959 World Series as the White Sox were defeated by theLos Angeles Dodgers in a six-game series.[26] The White Sox record stood untilRudy Law stole 77 bases in 1983. When Aparicio stole 50 bases in his first 61 attempts in 1959, the term "Aparicio double" was coined to represent awalk and a stolen base.[27] Since the 2019 death of teammateJohnny Romano, Aparicio has been the last surviving player to play with the White Sox in the 1959 World Series.
In 1960 and 1961, Aparicio continued to be one of the top shortstops in the league, finishing at or near the top infielding percentage and assists. His 1960 total of 551 assists was the highest in the major leagues since 1943, and the highest AL total since White Sox starLuke Appling recorded 556 in 1935; the last season above 550 previous to that had been in 1911. In1962, Aparicio showed up overweight and had an off year, and the White Sox offered him a reduction in salary for the 1963 season.[28] An enraged Aparicio said that he would quit rather than accept a decrease in pay and demanded to be traded.[28] The White Sox eventually traded him to the Baltimore Orioles withAl Smith forHoyt Wilhelm,Ron Hansen,Dave Nicholson andPete Ward in January 1963.[29]
Aparicio regained his form in Baltimore and continued to lead the league in stolen bases and in fielding percentage, producing a career-high .983 fielding percentage in1963.[6] Together withBrooks Robinson andJerry Adair, he was part of one of the better defensiveinfields in baseball.[30][31] In1964, he led the league in stolen bases for a ninth consecutive year, with his 57 steals breakingGeorge Sisler's franchise record of 51 set with the 1922St. Louis Browns, and won his sixth Gold Glove Award.[6][32] Aparicio posted a .276 batting average with 182 hits in1966, tied with teammateFrank Robinson for the second-most hits in the league behindTony Oliva and won a seventh Gold Glove Award as the Orioles clinched their first American League pennant.[33][34][35] He finished ninth in the MVP balloting, in which teammates took the top three spots, and helped the Orioles sweep theLos Angeles Dodgers in the1966 World Series.[36][37]
With the emergence ofMark Belanger at shortstop, Aparicio was traded back to the White Sox along withRuss Snyder andJohn Matias forDon Buford,Bruce Howard andRoger Nelson on November 29, 1967.[38] He continued to play well defensively, leading the league inrange factor in 1968 and 1969.[6] On May 15, 1969, he picked up his 2,000th hit in a 10-inning, 2-1 loss in Detroit. Aparicio had his best overall offensive season in1970, scoring 86runs and finishing fourth in the ALbatting race with a career-high .313 average.[6] In addition, he earned his eighth All-Star berth that year, as well as his ninth Gold Glove.[39][40] On September 25, in the first game of a doubleheader against theMilwaukee Brewers, Aparicio brokeLuke Appling's team record of 2,218 games at shortstop as the White Sox won 5-1; it was his last game of the season. Despite the White Sox finishing in last place, Aparicio finished 12th in the MVP balloting.[41][42]
After three seasons with the White Sox, Aparicio was traded to theBoston Red Sox forLuis Alvarado andMike Andrews on December 1, 1970.[43] In1971, Aparicio had a career-high sixruns batted in (RBI) on April 10 against the Indians in Cleveland, hitting a 2nd-inninggrand slam followed by a 2-run double in the seventh inning.[44] In late May, he was one at bat from tying the longest major league hitless streak for non-pitchers, held byBill Bergen with 45 in 1909 with theBrooklyn Superbas, by going without a hit in 44 at bats.[45] He ended the streak with a 2nd-inning single against theKansas City Royals on June 1. During the season, he broke Appling's record of 1,424 career double plays. He hit only .232 for the year, the second-lowest average in his career.[6]
In1972, Aparicio broke Appling's major league record of 3,328 total bases as a shortstop, andBill Dahlen's record of 7,505 assists; he also made his 2,500th hit on August 15 in a 3-0 road win over theTexas Rangers. However, he also made a late-seasonbaserunning blunder that contributed to the Red Sox losing the 1972American League Eastern Division title by a half-game to theDetroit Tigers.[46] In an October 2 game against Detroit, Aparicio fell while rounding third base on an apparenttriple byCarl Yastrzemski, leading to Yastrzemski being tagged out as he tried to retreat to second base.[47] In his last year as an active player in1973, Aparicio hit for a .271 average and stole his 500th base, against theNew York Yankees on July 5.[48] He also broke Appling's major league record of 2,594 hits as a shortstop. Aparicio retired at the end of the season at the age of 39.[6]
Aparicio played for 18 major league seasons in 2,599 games, accumulating 2,677 hits in 10,230 at bats for a .262 career batting average along with 394doubles, 83 home runs, 791runs batted in, 1,335runs and 506 stolen bases.[6] He ended his career with a .972 fielding percentage.[6] Aparicio led AL shortstops eight times in fielding percentage, seven times in assists, and four times inrange factor and putouts.[6] He led the league in stolen bases in nine consecutive seasons (1956–1964) and won theGold Glove Award nine times (1958–1962, 1964, 1966, 1970).[6][49][50] Aparicio was also a ten-time All-Star[6][51] (1958–1964, 1970–1972); he was named to 13 out of 14 All-Star Games (two All-Star Games were held from 1959 through 1962), was the starting shortstop in six All-Star games and played in 10 games (he didn't play in the second All-Star game in 1960 and was injured and replaced in the 1964 and 1972 games and didn't play).
At the time of his retirement, Aparicio was the all-time leader for games played, assists and double plays by a shortstop and the all-time leader for putouts and total chances by an American League shortstop.[8] His nine Gold Glove Awards set an AL record for shortstops that was tied byOmar Vizquel in 2001.[50] He tied the record of most seasons leading the league in fielding average by shortstops with 8, previously set byEverett Scott andLou Boudreau.[52]
His 2,583 games played at shortstop stood as the major league record from his retirement in 1973 until May 2008, when it was surpassed byOmar Vizquel.[52] His 2,677 hits was also the major league record for players from Venezuela, until it was surpassed by Vizquel in 2009.[53] His 2,673 hits as a shortstop were a record untilDerek Jeter broke it on August 17, 2009.[54] He had 13 consecutive seasons with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title and anon-base percentage less than .325, a major league record (his career OBP was slightly better than the shortstop average during his era; .311 vs .309). A more impressive streak was his 16 straight seasons with more than 500 plate appearances, tied for fifth best in major league history. Aparicio never played any defensive position other than shortstop.[55]
Aparicio was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in1984, the first native of Venezuela to be honored.[8] The White Sox also retired Aparicio's uniform number 11 that year. In 2010, the White Sox gave number 11 to shortstopOmar Vizquel, with Aparicio's permission. Vizquel said that wearing the number would preserve the name of a great Venezuelan shortstop. Aparicio commented, "If there is one player who I would like to see wear my uniform number with the White Sox, it is Omar Vizquel. I have known Omar for a long time. Along with being an outstanding player, he is a good and decent man."[56]
In 1981,Lawrence Ritter andDonald Honig included Aparicio in their bookThe 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. In 1999,The Sporting News did not include him on their list of The Sporting News list of Baseball's 100 Greatest Players, but Major League Baseball did include him that year as one of eight shortstops nominated for theirAll-Century Team.[57]
The2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was dedicated jointly to Aparacio,Orlando Cepeda,Juan Marichal, andTony Perez. Along withFerguson Jenkins, they threw out the ceremonial first pitch to end the player introduction ceremonies.
In 2003, Aparicio was inducted into theVenezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[58] In 2004, the first annualLuis Aparicio Award was presented to the Venezuelan player who recorded the best individual performance in Major League Baseball, as voted on by sports journalists in Venezuela.
He threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Game 1 of the2005 World Series, the first World Series game to be played in Chicago by the White Sox since the1959 World Series, when Aparicio had been their starting shortstop.[59]
In honor of Aparicio's stealing abilities, a walk and a stolen base was known as an "Aparicio double"[60]
In 2006, two bronze statues depicting Aparicio and former White Sox second basemanNellie Fox were unveiled on the outfield concourse ofU.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Fox's statue shows him flipping a baseball toward Aparicio, while Aparicio's statue shows him preparing to receive the ball from Fox.[61] ArtistGary Tillery sculpted the statue of Aparicio.[62]
In 2007, Aparicio was inducted into theHispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame.[63]
There is a stadium inMaracaibo, Venezuela, bearing his father's name. The full name of the stadium isEstadio Luis Aparicio El Grande (Luis Aparicio "the Great" Stadium) in honor to Luis Aparicio Ortega.[64] Also, the sports complex where the stadium is located is named Polideportivo Luis Aparicio Montiel. There are also several streets and avenues bearing his name throughout Venezuela.
In 2015, Empresas Polar and Fenix Media released a documentary,Thirty Years of Immortality, which features testimonials from many major leaguers, friends, and family, on the day that Aparicio was announced as being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Director Isaac Bencid said, "It was a good time to honor Mr. Aparicio because it was the first time he had a documentary made of his life. I want to make people know in Venezuela. I think sometimes that you in the United States know more about Mr. Aparicio than many Venezuelans. Baseball is very important down there but a lot of young people in Venezuela don't know Mr. Aparicio. What we want to do is honor him and make people know about him."[65]
Following the death ofWillie Mays on June 18, 2024, Aparicio is the oldest living Baseball Hall of Famer.[66]
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