Aparicio, Luis E. Jr.
Baseball
b. April 29, 1934, Maracaibo, Venezuela
He had a lifetime batting average of only .262, but Aparacio's great defensive skill and base stealing ability got him into the hall of fame.
Aparicio's father was considered Venezuela's greatest shortstop, though he never got a chance to play in the major leagues. "Little Luis" joined the AL's Chicago White Sox in 1955 and immediately replaced another Venezuelan, Chico Carrasquel, at shortstop. He batted only .266, but led the league in stolen bases with 21 and was named rookie of the year.
The 5-foot-9, 160-pound Aparicio was the AL's leading base stealer the next eight years in a row, with highs of 64 in 1957, 61 in 1953, 60 in 1951, and 56 in 1959. He led the league's shortstops in fielding percentage eight consecutive seasons, from 1959 through 1966, and won nine Gold Gloves.
The White Sox won the pennant in 1959, when Aparicio finished second to his double-play partner, second baseman Nellie Fox, in the most valuable player voting. He was traded in 1963 to the Baltimore Orioles, where he played on another pennant winner in 1966.
Aparicio returned to the White Sox from 1968 through 1970 and finished his career with the Boston Red Sox from 1971 through 1972. In his 18 major league seasons, he batted .262 in 2,599 games, with 506 stolen bases in 642 attempts.