Shortstop, Chicago
White Sox
Age: 22
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’9” Weight: 160
Prior to 1956:
A native of
Maracaibo, Venezuela, Aparicio was the son of a shortstop who was a star
nationally in the 1930s and ‘40s. Introduced to baseball at an early age, he turned
professional in 1953 at age 19 and excelled at shortstop with his speed on the
basepaths and quickness in the field. Aparicio signed with the White Sox for
$10,000 in 1954. Chicago already had a star Venezuelan shortstop in Chico
Carrasquel. Aparicio, who spoke little English at the time, played in 94 games
with Waterloo of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in ’54 and batted .282 with
20 stolen bases. He moved up to Memphis of the Class AA Southern Association in
1955, where he hit .273 and played well enough in the field that the White Sox
traded Chico Carrasquel to Cleveland after the season to open a spot for
Aparicio for 1956.
1956 Season Summary
Appeared in 152
games
SS – 152
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate Appearances
– 583
At Bats – 533
[14, tied with Mickey Mantle]
Runs – 69
Hits – 142 [18]
Doubles – 19
Triples – 6 [14,
tied with five others]
Home Runs – 3
RBI – 56
Bases on Balls
– 34
Int. BB – 2
Strikeouts – 63
Stolen Bases – 21
[1]
Caught Stealing
– 4 [20, tied with nine others]
Average - .266
OBP - .311
Slugging Pct. -
.341
Total Bases – 182
GDP – 9
Hit by Pitches
– 1
Sac Hits – 14 [1,
tied with George Kell]
Sac Flies – 1
League-leading
stolen bases were +1 ahead of runner-up Jim Rivera
Midseason
snapshot: HR - 1, SB – 4, RBI - 28, AVG - .258, OBP - .286
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 6 AB) vs. KC Athletics 9/22
Longest hitting
streak – 9 games
Most HR, game –
1 (in 3 AB) at KC Athletics 5/28, (in 4 AB) at Boston 8/22, (in 4 AB) vs.
Washington 9/16
HR at home – 1
HR on road – 2
Multi-HR games
– 0
Most RBIs, game
– 3 at NY Yankees 6/13, vs. Cleveland 8/8 – 13 innings, vs. Washington 9/16
Pinch-running –
1 SB
Fielding
Chances – 759
Put Outs – 250
Assists – 474
Errors – 35
DP – 91
Pct. - .954
Awards & Honors:
AL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
25th
in AL MVP voting (7 points, 2% share)
AL ROY Voting:
Luis Aparicio,
ChiWS.: 22 of 24 votes, 92% share
Rocky Colavito,
Clev.: 1 vote, 4% share
Tito Francona,
Balt.: 1 vote, 4% share
---
White Sox went
85-69 to finish third in the AL, 12 games behind the pennant-winning New York
Yankees while leading the league in stolen bases (70), fielding percentage
(.979), and fewest errors (122).
Aftermath of ‘56:
Aparicio
followed up his fine rookie season by again leading the AL in stolen bases with
28 in 1957 to go with his .257 batting average. He combined with second baseman
Nellie Fox to create an excellent double play combination. In 1958 Aparicio was
named an All-Star for the first time and was awarded his first Gold Glove while
topping the league in stolen bases for the third (of an eventual nine)
consecutive seasons. The White Sox benefited from their emphasis on pitching,
speed, and defense, of which Aparicio played a key role, by winning the AL
pennant in 1959, although they lost the World Series to the Dodgers. Aparicio,
who finished second to Fox in the league MVP voting, contributed 98 runs, 157
hits, and a league-leading 56 stolen bases to the pennant-winning effort (and
he batted .308 in the World Series). He was once again an All-Star and Gold
Glove recipient. The player known as “Little Louie” spent three more years with
the White Sox in his first stint with the club and was an All-Star each season
as well as Gold Glove winner and league leader in stolen bases. With the White
Sox seeking to revamp the roster after the 1962 season, Aparicio was dealt to
the Baltimore Orioles as part of a seven-player trade. He continued to excel
with the Orioles, who were developing into a contender, adding speed to the top
of the batting order and defensive excellence. He was an All-Star in 1963 and
’64 in addition to being a Gold Glove performer at shortstop. His string of
nine straight AL stolen base titles lasted through ’64, after which his totals
dropped off significantly. He was a key player for the Orioles as they topped
the AL and won the World Series in 1966. Following one more year in Baltimore,
Aparicio was traded back to the White Sox, where he won his last two Gold
Gloves in 1968 and ’70. No longer as fast on the basepaths, Aparicio remained a
solid performer who hit a career-high .313 in 1970, after which he was traded
to the Boston Red Sox where he spent the final three seasons of his career,
which came to an end at age 39 in 1973 with his release by Boston. Overall in
his major league career, he batted .262, with 2677 hits, 1335 runs scored, 394
doubles, 92 triples, 83 home runs, 506 stolen bases, and 791 RBIs. Of that,
1576 hits, 223 doubles, 54 triples, 43 home runs, 318 stolen bases, and 464
RBIs were compiled during his two stints with the White Sox, with who he batted
.269. Adept at all aspects of the shortstop position, Aparicio was a nine-time
Gold Glove recipient. An All-Star selection 13 times, he was voted to the
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, the first Venezuelan to be so honored. The White
Sox also retired his #11. Aparicio returned to Venezuela following his
retirement where he became a winter league manager and later, a commentator for
baseball telecasts.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of
the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
(1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from
its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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