This year’s Little League World Series was particularly successful for Venezuela, which is one of the four semifinalists in the 2024 edition of the competition.
Venezuela’s players have attracted a lot of attention, and rightly so. The squad is brimming with talent and boasts some of the tournament’s liveliest shooters in Luis Yepez, Willian Mora, Samuel Carrasquel and Diego Biarreta.
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The team beat all its competitors on its way to the Latin American regional title and is now just two games away from international glory.
Domingo Carrasquel’s squad has all the makings of a championship. If it can achieve what it so desperately seeks – a Little League World Series title – this year’s team would not only join Venezuela’s 1994 and 2000 teams as LLWS champions. It would also be another accolade for the Carrasquel family’s glittering collection.
Domingo Carrasquel is not the first Carrasquel to leave his mark on the field. And he is not the second. Rather, baseball is in his blood, as it was the pastime that plagued many of his predecessors, including his father, his uncle and his cousin.
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And now, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Domingo Carrasquel’s family tree: a green pasture that will continue to bear fruit in 2024.
Who is the manager of the Venezuela Little League?
The Cardenales Little League is led by Domingo Carrasquel, a former minor league player who played in the Brewers A+ and A organizations in the early 1990s.
As a child in Venezuela, Carrasquel dreamed of success in baseball and hoped to parlay his skills on the field into a scholarship and perhaps a selection in the MLB Draft.
Carrasquel had a chance to be signed by the Pirates while attending a community college in Illinois, but he turned down the organization’s offer because Pittsburgh refused to include the cost of education in his contract.
Carrasquel eventually ended up at Southern University, where he starred on the school’s baseball team and earned a degree in business administration.
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Family tree of Domingo Carrasquel
A handful of Carrasquel men, young and old, have played on the field over the past 75 years, including former minor league players Martin Carrasquel and Alfonso Collazo and former Rangers infielder Cris Colon. Domingo Carrasquel’s son Samuel is the youngest member of the baseball family and played on Venezuela’s little league team.
Domingo Carrasquel Father: Domingo Carrasquel Sr.
The name Carrasquel carries a lot of weight in Venezuelan baseball. One important reason for this is Domingo Carrasquel’s namesake, his father Domingo Sr.
Born and raised in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, Domingo Carrasquel Sr. was one of a growing number of Venezuelan baseball stars who left their beloved country in hopes of making it to the major leagues. Domingo Carrasquel Sr. played parts of eight seasons in the United States, pitching for White Sox and Dodgers teams.
Carrasquel Sr. was a patient hitter who regularly had more walks than strikeouts during his career. He never made the major leagues, but impressed at various points in his minor league career, even capturing a batting title with the Great Fall Electrics, one of the Dodgers’ many minor league affiliates in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Carrasquel’s career in America ended after the 1962 season. He continued to showcase his skills throughout Latin America over the next decade, performing in Mexico and his beloved Venezuela until his retirement in 1971.
Carrasquel’s baseball career did not end after he hung up his spikes. Instead, he decided to continue making an impression in the dugout and took over the management of one of his former employers, Cardenales de Lara. In 1991, he managed the red pajamas to his first Venezuelan championship title. Cardenales de Lara retired his famous number 9 shirt in 2014, two years before his death.
Domingo Carrasquel Uncle: Alfonso “Chico” Carrasquel
Chico Carrasquel is one of the most important figures in Venezuelan baseball history. The older brother of Domingo Sr., Chico was a trailblazer and one of the first Venezuelan stars to make it big in the MLB.
His uncle, Alex Carrasquel, was the first Venezuelan to play in the major leagues. Chico Carrasquel surpassed him, becoming one of the best shortstops in MLB during his illustrious ten-year major league career.
He was originally signed by the Dodgers prior to the 1949 season, but it wasn’t until Chico Carrasquel joined the White Sox that fans were able to witness his impressive play. Carrasquel was a steady outfielder at shortstop – one of the most coveted positions in the sport – and was named to the starting lineup in 1950, displacing Hall of Famer Luke Appling.
It was an inspired choice. Chico Carrasquel finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting (and 12th in AL MVP voting!) in his first season and made All-Star campaigns the next four years, becoming the first Latin American player to appear and start in an All-Star Game.
Chicago decided to give the role of shortstop to fellow Venezuelan Luis Aparicio, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. Chico Carrasquel was sent to Cleveland in 1956. He made stops in Kansas City and Baltimore before retiring in the United States after the 1960 season.
“Chico was my hero and mentor,” Aparicio said, according to the Society of Baseball Research. “He took me under his wing and I am grateful to him for shaping me into the baseball player I became.”
took the reins at shortstop. He finished his major league odyssey with a .258/.333/.374 record and earned more praise for his glove than his bat.
“I’ve seen so many good shortstops,” Minnie Minoso told Tim Wendel, according to Baseball Reference. “But Chico played like nobody I’d ever seen. My goodness, that guy never misses a ball! What a glove. What hands. Always a perfect throw to first base.”
Chico Carrasquel received a wealth of honors after his career, including induction into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame (2003), the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame (2010), and the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame (2020). He was a scout for the Royals and Mets and a Spanish-language commentator for the White Sox before dying from cardiac arrest in Venezuela in 2005. When his death was announced, former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez declared two days of mourning.
“I don’t think he was the best player the country ever produced,” former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “But to me he was the best man to come out of Venezuela.”
Domingo Carrasquel Cousin: Emilio Carrasquel
Rounding out the collection of famous Carrasquels is Domingo’s cousin Emilio. As a player, Emilio Carrasquel didn’t quite reach the heights of his uncle Chico Carrasquel. However, he played a crucial role in the Mariners’ front office, lending his skills as a sort of talent evaluator.
Emilio Carrasquel made it to the Double-A during his playing career in the USA. He played in the Tigers organization and had an eye for everything: He recorded 81 walks in 706 plate appearances as a minor leaguer.
His career in the United States ended in 1983. Emilio Carrasquel continued to play professionally with Cardenales de Lara before beginning a front office career in both Venezuela and the United States. Emilio became assistant general manager of Cardenales de Lara in 1996. He then moved to Seattle as coordinator of the M’s Venezuelan operations.
Under his leadership, the Mariners have acquired countless gems, including former AL Cy Young winner (and the franchise’s all-time best pitcher) Felix Hernandez, Asdrubal Cabrera and the late Luis Valbuena. Carrasquel was more than just a scout when it came to Hernandez. He was also a family friend. So much so that in 2005 he was invited to Valencia, Venezuela (Hernandez’s hometown) to celebrate his first career MLB win.
“In the work we do,” Carrasquel told Jon Morosi in 2005, “those are the greatest moments.”
