Luis Aparicio was born on Sunday, April 29, 1934, in Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela. Aparicio was 21 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 17, 1956, with the Chicago White Sox. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Luis Aparicio baseball stats page.
"Various teammates over the years said they were awestruck by the ground balls that Aparicio reached with sprawling dives, great flexibility, and tremendous instinct. The ball shot off the bat, a fielder shrugged at the realization that the opponents had a hit, and then all of a sudden Aparicio would glove the ball and throw the man out at first. ... Aparicio and (Nellie) Fox gave the team extraordinary fielding strength up the middle and manager Al Lopez, himself a Hall-of-Famer-to-be, raved about the duo. Lopez touted the Aparicio-Fox entry as the greatest keystone combo of all time. 'I have been around a few spectacular second-shortstop machines,' Lopez said, 'but never have I seen any better than Fox and Aparicio.'" - Freedman, Lew H. Author. Latino Baseball Legends: An Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing. 11 August 2010. Page 75.
Luis AparicioLuis Aparicio Autograph on a 1962 Topps Baseball Card (#325 | Checklist) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Luis AparicioLuis Aparicio Pitching Stats |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Luis AparicioLuis Aparicio Hitting Stats |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1956 | 22 | White Sox | 152 | 533 | 69 | 142 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 56 | 34 | 2 | 63 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 9 | .266 | .311 | .341 |
1957 | 23 | White Sox | 143 | 575 | 82 | 148 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 52 | 1 | 55 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 7 | .257 | .317 | .332 |
1958 | 24 | White Sox | 145 | 557 | 76 | 148 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 35 | 2 | 38 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 8 | .266 | .309 | .345 |
1959 | 25 | White Sox | 152 | 612 | 98 | 157 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 53 | 1 | 40 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 11 | .257 | .316 | .332 |
1960 | 26 | White Sox | 153 | 600 | 86 | 166 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 43 | 3 | 39 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 12 | .277 | .323 | .343 |
1961 | 27 | White Sox | 156 | 625 | 90 | 170 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 45 | 38 | 0 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 12 | .272 | .313 | .352 |
1962 | 28 | White Sox | 153 | 581 | 72 | 140 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 40 | 32 | 1 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 11 | .241 | .280 | .334 |
1963 | 29 | Orioles | 146 | 601 | 73 | 150 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 36 | 2 | 35 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 10 | .250 | .291 | .331 |
1964 | 30 | Orioles | 146 | 578 | 93 | 154 | 20 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 37 | 49 | 0 | 51 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 13 | .266 | .324 | .363 |
1965 | 31 | Orioles | 144 | 564 | 67 | 127 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 40 | 46 | 0 | 56 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 11 | .225 | .286 | .339 |
1966 | 32 | Orioles | 151 | 659 | 97 | 182 | 25 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 33 | 2 | 42 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 10 | .276 | .311 | .366 |
1967 | 33 | Orioles | 134 | 546 | 55 | 127 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 29 | 2 | 44 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 8 | .233 | .270 | .313 |
1968 | 34 | White Sox | 155 | 622 | 55 | 164 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 33 | 3 | 43 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 10 | .264 | .302 | .334 |
1969 | 35 | White Sox | 156 | 599 | 77 | 168 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 51 | 66 | 1 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 14 | .280 | .352 | .362 |
1970 | 36 | White Sox | 146 | 552 | 86 | 173 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 43 | 53 | 1 | 34 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 | .313 | .372 | .404 |
1971 | 37 | Red Sox | 125 | 491 | 56 | 114 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 35 | 0 | 43 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 7 | .232 | .284 | .303 |
1972 | 38 | Red Sox | 110 | 436 | 47 | 112 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 26 | 0 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 8 | .257 | .299 | .351 |
1973 | 39 | Red Sox | 132 | 499 | 56 | 135 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 43 | 1 | 33 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 12 | .271 | .324 | .309 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
18 Years | 2,599 | 10,230 | 1,335 | 2,677 | 394 | 92 | 83 | 2 | 791 | 736 | 22 | 742 | 161 | 76 | 27 | 184 | .262 | .311 | .343 |
Luis AparicioLuis Aparicio Fielding Stats |
||||||||||||||||
Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1956 White Sox | SS | 152 | 151 | 3,899 | 759 | 5.0 | 724 | 250 | 474 | 35 | 91 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 5.01 |
1957 White Sox | SS | 142 | 139 | 3,738 | 715 | 5.0 | 695 | 246 | 449 | 20 | 85 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 5.02 |
1958 White Sox | SS | 145 | 145 | 3,798 | 773 | 5.3 | 752 | 289 | 463 | 21 | 90 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 5.35 |
1959 White Sox | SS | 152 | 150 | 4,016 | 765 | 5.0 | 742 | 282 | 460 | 23 | 87 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .970 | 4.99 |
1960 White Sox | SS | 153 | 152 | 4,035 | 874 | 5.7 | 856 | 305 | 551 | 18 | 117 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .979 | 5.73 |
1961 White Sox | SS | 156 | 151 | 3,993 | 781 | 5.0 | 751 | 264 | 487 | 30 | 86 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 5.08 |
1962 White Sox | SS | 152 | 141 | 3,842 | 752 | 4.9 | 732 | 280 | 452 | 20 | 102 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 5.14 |
1963 Orioles | SS | 145 | 145 | 3,823 | 690 | 4.8 | 678 | 275 | 403 | 12 | 76 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 4.79 |
1964 Orioles | SS | 145 | 144 | 3,815 | 712 | 4.9 | 697 | 260 | 437 | 15 | 98 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .979 | 4.93 |
1965 Orioles | SS | 141 | 139 | 3,809 | 697 | 4.9 | 677 | 238 | 439 | 20 | 87 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .971 | 4.80 |
1966 Orioles | SS | 151 | 151 | 4,098 | 761 | 5.0 | 744 | 303 | 441 | 17 | 104 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .978 | 4.90 |
1967 Orioles | SS | 131 | 128 | 3,440 | 579 | 4.4 | 554 | 221 | 333 | 25 | 67 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .957 | 4.35 |
1968 White Sox | SS | 154 | 151 | 4,069 | 823 | 5.3 | 804 | 269 | 535 | 19 | 92 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 5.33 |
1969 White Sox | SS | 154 | 153 | 3,965 | 831 | 5.4 | 811 | 248 | 563 | 20 | 94 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .976 | 5.52 |
1970 White Sox | SS | 146 | 140 | 3,588 | 752 | 5.2 | 734 | 251 | 483 | 18 | 99 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .976 | 5.52 |
1971 Red Sox | SS | 121 | 121 | 3,171 | 548 | 4.5 | 532 | 194 | 338 | 16 | 56 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .971 | 4.53 |
1972 Red Sox | SS | 109 | 108 | 2,807 | 503 | 4.6 | 487 | 183 | 304 | 16 | 54 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 4.68 |
1973 Red Sox | SS | 132 | 129 | 3,314 | 615 | 4.7 | 594 | 190 | 404 | 21 | 68 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .966 | 4.84 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
SS Totals | 2,581 | 2,538 | 67,220 | 12,930 | 5.0 | 12,564 | 4,548 | 8,016 | 366 | 1,553 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 5.05 | |
18 Years | 2,581 | 2,538 | 67,220 | 12,930 | 5.0 | 12,564 | 4,548 | 8,016 | 366 | 1,553 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 5.05 |
Luis AparicioLuis Aparicio Miscellaneous Stats |
||||||||||||
Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1956 White Sox | 21 | 4 | .840 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 177.7 | 8.5 | 9.5 | - | - | - |
1957 White Sox | 28 | 8 | .778 | 1 | 1 | n/a | 191.7 | 10.5 | 14.0 | - | - | - |
1958 White Sox | 29 | 6 | .829 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 278.5 | 14.7 | 13.9 | - | - | - |
1959 White Sox | 56 | 13 | .812 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 102.0 | 15.3 | 12.0 | - | - | - |
1960 White Sox | 51 | 8 | .864 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 300.0 | 15.4 | 9.8 | - | - | - |
1961 White Sox | 53 | 13 | .803 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 104.2 | 18.9 | 13.9 | - | - | - |
1962 White Sox | 31 | 12 | .721 | 1 | 4 | n/a | 83.0 | 16.1 | 14.5 | - | - | - |
1963 Orioles | 40 | 6 | .870 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 120.2 | 17.2 | 13.4 | - | - | - |
1964 Orioles | 57 | 17 | .770 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 57.8 | 11.3 | 15.6 | - | - | - |
1965 Orioles | 26 | 7 | .788 | 1 | 4 | n/a | 70.5 | 10.1 | 14.1 | - | - | - |
1966 Orioles | 25 | 11 | .694 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 109.8 | 15.7 | 16.1 | - | - | - |
1967 Orioles | 18 | 5 | .783 | 2 | 1 | n/a | 136.5 | 12.4 | 17.6 | - | - | - |
1968 White Sox | 17 | 11 | .607 | 2 | 1 | n/a | 155.5 | 14.5 | 17.3 | - | - | - |
1969 White Sox | 24 | 4 | .857 | 1 | 2 | n/a | 119.8 | 20.7 | 11.7 | - | - | - |
1970 White Sox | 8 | 3 | .727 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 110.4 | 16.2 | 12.8 | - | - | - |
1971 Red Sox | 6 | 4 | .600 | 2 | 2 | n/a | 122.8 | 11.4 | 10.9 | - | - | - |
1972 Red Sox | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 145.3 | 15.6 | 11.2 | - | - | - |
1973 Red Sox | 13 | 1 | .929 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 15.1 | 10.2 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
18 Years | 506 | 136 | .788 | 14 | 18 | 0 | 123.3 | 13.8 | 12.9 | - | - | - |
Luis AparicioLuis Aparicio Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
||||
Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1956 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $6,000.00 | - | - |
1957 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $12,000.00 | - | - |
1958 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $18,000.00 | Stats | - |
1959 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $25,000.00 | Stats | Stats |
1960 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $18,750.00 | Stats | - |
1961 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $28,500.00 | Stats | - |
1962 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $35,000.00 | Stats | - |
1963 Baltimore Orioles | 11 | $35,000.00 | Stats | - |
1964 Baltimore Orioles | 11 | $35,000.00 | Stats | - |
1965 Baltimore Orioles | 11 | $40,000.00 | - | - |
1966 Baltimore Orioles | 11 | $37,500.00 | - | Stats |
1967 Baltimore Orioles | 11 | $50,000.00 | - | - |
1968 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $38,000.00 | - | - |
1969 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $38,000.00 | - | - |
1970 Chicago White Sox | 11 | $38,000.00 | Stats | - |
1971 Boston Red Sox | 11 | $100,000.00 | Stats | - |
1972 Boston Red Sox | 11 | $100,000.00 | Stats | - |
1973 Boston Red Sox | 11 | $100,000.00 | - | - |
Luis Aparicio Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Luis Ernesto Aparicio was a Major League Baseball player with the Chicago White Sox (1956–1962), Baltimore Orioles (1963–1967), Chicago White Sox (1968–1970), and Boston Red Sox (1971–1973). Little Louie, his nickname, was a truly outstanding defensive shortstop with exceptional baserunning skills. After his 18-year career ended, he was sent to Cooperstown, becoming the first Venezuelan-born player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame!
Luis Aparicio Rookie Card | 1956 Topps Baseball Card (#292 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library
Did you know that Luis Aparicio hit his first career home run on May 28, 1956, and the pitcher was a future hall of fame manager named Tommy Lasorda? Did you know the last career homer hit by Little Louie, on September 29, 1972, was off a future hall of fame pitcher named Jim Palmer?
Did you know that Luis Aparicio led the American League in fielding percentage by a shortstop from 1959, through 1966, including a record setting .983 fielding percentage in 1963? Do you know what junior circuit shortstop now holds the single season fielding record (.998 in 2002)? [Answer]
Did you know that Luis Aparicio was the all-time Major League leader for most games played, assists and double plays by a shortstop and the all-time leader for putouts and total chances by an American League shortstop when he retired in 1973?
Did you know that Luis Aparicio won nine Gold Glove Awards, setting a still-standing record for most Gold Gloves by an American League shortstop? Do you know what junior circuit shortstop tied Little Louis in 2001? [Answer]
Did you know that Everett Scott, who played in the majors from 1914 through 1926, and Lou Boudreau, who played in the majors from 1938 through 1952, each hold the record for most seasons (8) leading the league in fielding percentage by a shortstop? Why mention this here? In 1966, Luis Aparicio tied them and this fielding record has yet to be broken!
Did you know that after Luis Aparicio retired, his 2,677 career hits were the most by any player from Venezuela, a mark that remained unmatched until Omar Vizquel (Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela) passed Little Louie on June 25, 2009.
Did you know that after Luis Aparicio retired, his 2,673 career hits while playing shortstop (the other four hits came while he was pinch hitting), were also a major league record that remained unmatched until Derek Jeter passed Little Louie on August 17, 2009?
Did you know that when Omar Vizquel took the field for the White Sox on April 9, 2010, he was wearing #11, which was quite unique as it had been retired on August 14, 1984, for Little Louie? Aparicio himself gave the Pale Hose permission to temporarily un-retire his number so it could be worn by Vizquel!
Did you know that Hall of Fame umpire Bill McKinley once said, "I saw so many outstanding players, but it isn't too hard to pick an All-Star team of fellows who played in the American League during my time. Jim Hegan would be my catcher. Brooks Robinson was the most fantastic third baseman, no doubt about that. George Kell was great too. The best shortstop was Luis Aparicio. I would put Joe Gordon at second base, he was late in his career when I got there, but he was still great. Bobby Richardson was also a fine player, and he never said a word to umpires. Nellie Fox was a tough little bugger, he would do more things to beat a ball club than anybody I ever saw. Then at first I'd have Mickey Vernon. The outfield, of course, would be Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle."
Did you know that Luis Aparicio not only led the American League in stolen bases nine times, but did so in a record setting nine consecutive seasons — the most by any baserunner in baseball history through today? [Stolen Base Records]
Did you know that members of the Baseball Writers Association of America chose not send Luis Aparicio to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 (only 27.8% voted for him), or 1980 (32.2%), or 1981 (36.9%0, or 1982 (41.9%), or 1983 (67.4%)? In 1984, Little Louie finally received enough votes (84.6%) to send him to his rightful place in Cooperstown.
Little Louie Aparicio was the first Latin American player to win the Rookie of the Year Award, an integral member of the Go-Go White Sox teams of the mid-1950s, who were known for their speed (Aparicio was a 9-time stolen base champion) and strong defense (Aparicio and second bagger Nellie Fox were easily one of the best double play combos in the majors), and part of an Orioles' infield — along with Brooks Robinson and Jerry Adair — that was one of the best defensive infields ever (Aparicio fielded .983, a new record for shortstops in a season).
Luis Aparicio | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1984 (HOF)
The Luis Aparicio Award is given annually to a Venezuelan player in Major League Baseball who is judged to have the best individual performance in that year. The winner of the award is determined by a vote conducted by Venezuelan sports journalists and Spanish-language media around the world. It is named in honor of Luis Aparicio and since its inception in 2004, it has been preserved here on Baseball Almanac.