Luis Aparicio, Sr.

Luis Aparicio Ortega (August 28, 1912 – January 1, 1971) was a Venezuelan professional baseball personality for 40 years, serving as a player, coach, field manager, and club organizer. (Spanish) Aparicio was the father of Baseball Hall of Fame member Luis Aparicio.

Baseball career

Born and raised in Maracaibo, Zulia, Aparicio came from a family whose name is synonymous with baseball in Venezuela. He was the son of Leónidas Aparicio and Adelina Ortega, who introduced their children to sport activities within the local community at an early age. As a result, the young Luis excelled both in soccer and track and field before deciding to play baseball. His older brother Ernesto developed into a successful baseball manager, coach and team owner, while his son Luis Jr. spent 18 years in the Major Leagues and is a Baseball Hall of Fame member. (Spanish)

Basically a line-drive hitter and speedy base runner, Aparicio was never a dominant hitter, but his defense was what made him great, as he is widely regarded as the best Venezuelan shortstop of his era. He was prized by his wonderful range, smooth hands, and a quick and strong arm, while showing a great ability to make plays on the move and throw base runners out from all over the infield. He has been described as an intelligent player that possessed exceptional baseball sense and instincts to anticipate the play.La Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela

Engaged in any sport activities as a teenager, Aparicio Sr. was introduced to the soccer environment in the late 1920s, playing as a forward for several First Division clubs of Caracas and Maracaibo, but devoted himself to baseball when he was hired to play in the National Baseball Series tournament, where he performed for seven different teams in eleven seasons spanning 1931–1945. A few years before, in 1928, he had founded with his brother Ernesto the baseball team ''Los Muchachos'' (The Boys), which was later renamed Gavilanes de Maracaibo. Over time, the Gavilanes ( Sparrowhawks) would become the most successful team in Zulian Professional Baseball annals, winning 15 of 20 summer tournaments held between 1932 and 1957.

In between, Aparicio was signed by the Tigres del Licey club of the now extinct Dominican Republic Summer League in 1934, becoming the first Venezuelan ballplayer to play professionally outside of his country. He also gained international exposure as a member of the Venezuela national baseball team during the 1942 Baseball World Cup tournament played in Havana, Cuba