Luis Aparicio
Position: Shortstop
Bats: Right • Throws: Right
5-9, 160lb (175cm, 72kg)
Born: April 29, 1934 in Maracaibo, Venezuela ve
High School: Lico Baralt (Maracaibo, Venezuela)
Debut: April 17, 1956 (11,333rd in major league history)
vs. CLE 3 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 28, 1973
vs. MIL 3 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1984. (Voted by BBWAA on 341/403 ballots)
View Luis Aparicio’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Nicknames: Little Louie
Pronunciation: \ap-pa-REES-ee-oh\
Twitter: @LAparicio11HOF
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Nine Players Who Debuted in 1956
Frank Robinson
Luis Aparicio
Bill Mazeroski
Curt Flood
Don Drysdale
Moe Drabowsky
Tito Francona
Charlie Lau
Whitey Herzog
The Luis Aparicio Teammate Team
C: Carlton Fisk
1B: Boog Powell
2B: Nellie Fox
3B: Brooks Robinson
SS: Mark Belanger
LF: Minnie Minoso
CF: Jim Rivera
RF: Frank Robinson
SP: Jim Palmer
SP: Luis Tiant
SP: Billy Pierce
SP: Bill Lee
SP: Early Wynn
RP: Hoyt Wilhelm
RP: Sparky Lyle
M: Al Lopez
Notable Events and Chronology
Luis Aparicio
Playing side by side with Nellie Fox during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Aparicio helped form the nucleus of one of the slickest-fielding infield combinations in baseball. His 506 stolen bases ranked him seventh all-time when he retired, and he holds the lifetime shortstop records for games, double plays, and assists and the AL records for putouts and total chances. He dominated on a season-to-season basis too; in the first thirteen years of his career, he led AL shortstops eight consecutive years in fielding, seven times in assists, four times in putouts, twice each in total chances per game and double plays, and only once in errors.
Luis Aparicio Career highlights
Aparicio succeded Chico Carrasquel, continuing the Venezuelan connection that gave the White Sox amazing depth at shortstop for years. Chicago was so confident in him as a rookie that they traded Carrasquel, a perennial fan favorite, to Cleveland for Larry Doby. Named Rookie of the Year in 1956, Aparicio lead the league in stolen bases for the first of nine straight years. White Sox manager Marty Marion advised Aparicio to shorten his stance and stride into the pitch. Then he was told to play deeper to gain more range. His cannonlike arm took care of the rest. Bill Veeck arrived on the scene in 1959 and was amazed. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen. He makes plays which I know can’t possibly be made, yet he makes them almost every day.”
Always a steady hitter, but never on of the great ones, Aparicio relied on his speed to make things happen in an era known for lead-footed sluggers. With Aparicio leading off followed by Fox in the lineup, Chicago had a deadly hit-and-run duo that helped catapult them to their first pennant in 40 years. Fittingly, it was Aparicio who fielded the ground ball off of Vic Power’s bat that clinched it on September 22, 1959. In 1963, a new general manager decided a house-cleaning was in order, so Aparicio was sent to the Orioles. He established a since-broken AL shortstop record for fielding percentage that year (.983) and remained long enough to get into another World Series in 1966. He had lost some speed, but compensated by becoming a better hitter. Returning to Chicago in 1968, he enjoyed some of his finest years. He topped the .300 mark for the only time in his career in 1970, a year in which his team finished dead last in the standings with 106 losses.
Aparicio played his 2,219th game on September 25, 1970 in front of a mere 2,000 fans to break Luke Appling’s record of games played at shortstop. Rumors abounded that he was to be the Sox manager at the start of the 1971 season, but instead the club traded him to Boston for Mike Andrews. Aparicio finished his career in 1973, and in 1984 he took his place in the Hall of Fame. Now residing in Venezuela, his son’s name is Nelson, after Luis’s long-time sidekick Nellie Fox.
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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Played For
Chicago White Sox (1956-1962)
Baltimore Orioles (1963-1967)
Chicago White Sox (1968-1970)
Boston Red Sox (1971-1973)
Similar: Ozzie Smith, Rabbit Maranville
Linked: Nellie Fox
Best Season, 1959
Led the AL with 56 steals, helping the ChiSox garner the pennant. Finished second in MVP voting to teammate Nellie Fox, the only time, as far as I know, that a double play duo did so.
Awards and Honors
1956 AL Rookie of the Year
1958 AL Gold Glove
1959 AL Gold Glove
1960 AL Gold Glove
1961 AL Gold Glove
1962 AL Gold Glove
1964 AL Gold Glove
1966 AL Gold Glove
1968 AL Gold Glove
1970 AL Gold Glove
Post-Season Appearances
1959 World Series
1966 World Series
Where He Played: Shortstop, exclusively.
Feats: Aparicio strung together a 15-game hitting streak toward the end of the 1957 season, finally being stopped on September 23 as a pinch-hitter. Aparicio batted .379 during the streak and raised his season average 13 points. He finished at .257 in his second big league season.
Notes
One source claims that Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox, both of small stature, had a pre-game habit involving their height, or lack thereof. It’s said that the two infielders would race from the dugout, and the first one to reach second base got to stand on the bag during the National Anthem, so as to appear taller.
Hitting Streaks
17 games (1966)
17 games (1966)
16 games (1961)
16 games (1961)
15 games (1966)
15 games (1966)
Transactions
Before 1954 Season: Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent; January 14, 1963: Traded by the Chicago White Sox with Al Smith to the Baltimore Orioles for Hoyt Wilhelm, Dave Nicholson, Pete Ward, and Ron Hansen; November 29, 1967: Traded by the Baltimore Orioles with John Matias and Russ Snyder to the Chicago White Sox for Don Buford, Bruce Howard, and Roger Nelson; December 1, 1970: Traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox for Mike Andrews and Luis Alvarado; March 26, 1974: Released by the Boston Red Sox.
Luis Aparicio, Hall of Famer!
In January 1984, during a winter league game played at Pan Am Stadium in Caracas, Venezuela, the announcement was made that native son Luis Aparicio had been elected to the Hall of Fame. The 10,000 fans attending the game erupted in a deafening applause that lasted several minutes. Shortly, several scattered groups throughout the stadium began singing the Venezuelan national anthem. Soon, everyone in the stands was singing, and play was stopped on the field. Players on both teams stood at attention and faced the flag pole in center field.
Hits Leaders, American League (1961-1971)
Brooks Robinson… 1,845
Carl Yastrzemski… 1,832
Luis Aparicio… 1,669
Al Kaline… 1,495
Harmon Killebrew… 1,479
All-Star Selections
1958 AL
1959 AL
1960 AL
1961 AL
1962 AL
1963 AL
1964 AL
1970 AL
1971 AL
1972 AL
Replaced
Chico Carrasquel was the White Sox shortstop from 1950 to 1955, and then Aparicio emerged. Also from Venezuala, Carrasquel was a comparable defensive player, perhaps even better than Aparicio, but he lacked his speed. His career batting average was about the same.
Replaced By
In 1974, the Red Sox used Mario Guerrero and Rick Burleson at shortstop. Eventually, Burleson won the job.
Best Strength as a Player
Speed, which he utilized out of the batters box, on the base paths, and in the field.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Pitch selection. Had Aparicio worked to draw more walks, it could have made him an even more valuable offensive weapon. He drew as many as 50 free passes just four times in his 18-year career.
Other Resources & Links
