Luis Aparicio (1984)


Date of Birth: 4/29/1934
Birthplace: Maracaibo, Venezuela

Luis Aparicio came from a Venezuelan baseball family and he started his professional career in the Venezuela league. His father, also a shortstop, owned a winter league team in Venezuela.

After six years in the Venezuela league, Aparicio was signed by the Chicago White Sox in 1954. He played in the minors for two years before joining the White Sox in 1956.

Chicago White Sox

Aparicio was immediately successful with the White Sox, winning the American League Rookie of the Year award and the Sporting News Rookie of the Year award in 1956. That year, he led the league in stolen bases with 21. He had 142 hits, 19 doubles, 56 RBIs, and a .266 batting average in 152 games. He walked 34 times and struck out 63 times. He also played well defensively, leading the AL in assists with 474 and leading AL shortstops in putouts with 250.

Aparicio continued to lead the AL in stolen bases from 1957 through 1964. A very good defensive player, he won consecutive Gold Gloves from 1958 through 1962, and he led the AL in assists from 1958 through 1961, with 463 assists in 1958, 460 in 1959, 551 in 1960, and 487 in 1961.

In 1957, Aparicio batted .257 in 143 games. He had 148 hits, 22 doubles, 28 stolen bases, and 41 RBIs. He had very similar numbers in 1958, batting .266 with 148 hits, 20 dobules, 29 stolen bases, and 40 RBIs in 145 games. He won his first of nine Gold Gloves in 1958, and he led AL shortstops in putouts that season with 289.

Aparicio played in 152 games in 1959, and he batted .257. He had 157 hits, 18 doubles, 56 stolen bases, and 51 RBIs. He won his second Gold Glove and he again led AL shortstops in putouts with 282. The following season, his batting average improved to .277. He finished the 1960 season with 166 hits, 20 doubles, 51 stolen bases, and 61 RBIs in 153 games. That year, he earned another Gold Glove for leading AL shortstops in double plays turned with 117.

Aparicio played in a career high 156 games in 1961. He finished the season with 170 hits, 24 doubles, 53 stolen bases, 45 RBIs, and a .272 batting average. His batting average dropped to .241 in 1962. That year, he had 140 hits, 23 doubles, 31 stolen bases, and 40 RBIs in 153 games.

Baltimore Orioles

Although Aparicio played well for Chicago, they traded him to the Baltimore Orioles on January 14, 1963. In his first season with the Orioles, he batted .250 with 150 hits, 18 doubles, 40 stolen bases, and 45 RBIs in 146 games.

In 1964, Aparicio had a career high 57 stolen bases. He batted .266 with 154 hits, 20 doubles, and 37 RBIs in 146 games. He won his sixth Gold Glove that year.

Aparicio struggled in 1965, batting just .225 in 144 games. He had 127 hits, 20 doubles, 26 stolen bases, and 40 RBIs. He had a much better season in 1966, batting .276 in 151 games. He had a career high 182 hits, 25 doubles, 25 stolen bases, and 41 RBIs that year. He led the AL in putouts with 303 and he won his seventh Gold Glove in 1966.

Aparicio batted just .233 in 134 games in 1967. He had 127 hits, 22 doubles, 18 stolen bases, and 31 RBIs. The Orioles traded him back to the White Sox on November 29, 1967.

Return to White Sox

In his first year back with the White Sox, Aparicio batted .264 in 155 games. He finished the 1968 season with 164 hits, 24 doubles, 17 stolen bases, and 36 RBIs. He won his eighth Gold Glove, again leading the AL in assists with 535 and leading AL shortstops in double plays turned with 92.

Aparicio played in a career high 156 games in 1969. He batted .280 with 168 hits, 24 doubles, 24 stolen bases, and 51 RBIs. He walked a career high 66 times while striking out just 29 times.

Aparicio had a strong season in 1970, when he batted a career high .313. He had 173 hits, a career high 29 doubles, and 43 RBIs in 146 games. He won his ninth and final Gold Glove that year.

Boston Red Sox

The White Sox traded Aparicio to the Boston Red Sox on December 1, 1970. He played in 125 games with Boston in 1971, and he batted just .232 with 114 hits, 23 doubles, and 45 RBIs. The following season, he batted .257 in 110 games.

In 1973, his final season as a major league player, Aparicio batted .271 in 132 games. He had 135 hits, 17 doubles, and 49 RBIs. The Red Sox released him on March 26, 1974.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Gold Glove (9 times)
  • Al Rookie of the Year
  • Sporting News Rookie of the Year
  • Led AL in stolen bases (9 times)
  • Led AL in assists (6 times)

Career Statistics

Career batting statistics for Aparicio include:

  • 2,599 games played
  • 2,677 hits
  • 394 doubles
  • 506 stolen bases
  • .262 batting average
  • .311 on-base percentage
  • .654 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Aparicio as a shortstop include:

  • 2,581 games played
  • 8,016 assists
  • 1,553 double plays
  • 4,548 putouts
  • 366 errors
  • .972 fielding percentage

Post Playing Years

Aparicio was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 on the sixth ballot with 84.6% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Luis Aparicio
ESPN - Luis Aparicio
Baseball Reference - Luis Aparicio

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