This year's Little League World Series has been especially fruitful for Venezuela, one of four semifinalists in the 2024 iteration of the competition.
Venezuela's players have received much of the attention, and rightfully so. Its roster is bursting with talent, possessing some of the tournament's liveliest arms in Luis Yepez, Willian's Mora, Samuel Carrasquel, and Diego Biarreta.
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The side swept through all comers en route to the Latin American regional crown. Now, it finds itself two games away from international glory.
Domingo Carrasquel's side has all the makings of a championship-caliber side. If it can capture what it so desperately yearns for — a Little League World Series crown — not only would this year's squad join Venezuela's 1994 and 2000 teams as LLWS champions. It would also add another accolade to the Carrasquel family's glittering collection.
Domingo Carrasquel is not the first Carrasquel to make a mark on the diamond. He isn't the second, either. Rather, baseball swirls in his blood, having been the pastime that afflicted many of his predecessors, including his father, uncle, and cousin.
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Without further ado, here's what you need to know about Domingo Carrasquel's family tree, a verdant willow that continues to bear fruit in 2024.
Who is Venezuela Little League’s manager?
Cardenales Little League is helmed by Domingo Carrasquel, a former minor league player who played A+ and A ball in the Brewers organization during the early 1990s.
Carrasquel dreamed of baseball success while growing up in Venezuela, hoping to parlay his skills on the diamond into a scholarship and perhaps selection in the MLB Draft.
Carrasquel had the chance to be taken by the Pirates while attending a community college in Illinois. However, he rejected the organization's inquiry; Pittsburgh had refused to include education expenses in his contract.
Eventually, Carrasquel landed at Southern University, starring on the school's baseball team and earning a degree in Business Administration.
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Domingo Carrasquel family tree
A handful of Carrasquel men young and old have taken to the diamond over the past 75 years or so, including former minor leaguers Martin Carrasquel and Alfonso Collazo and former Rangers infielder Cris Colon. Domingo Carrasquel's son, Samuel, is the latest in the family's line of ballplayers, featuring on Venezuela's Little League team.
Domingo Carrasquel father: Domingo Carrasquel Sr.
The Carrasquel name holds plenty of weight in Venezuelan baseball. A big reason why is Domingo Carrasquel's namesake, his father, Domingo Sr.
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela's capital city, Domingo Carrasquel Sr. was part of a growing number of Venezuelan baseball stars who left their beloved country in the hopes of making it to the Big Leagues. Domingo Carrasquel Sr. played parts of eight seasons in the U.S., featuring for teams in the White Sox and Dodgers' organization.
Carrasquel Sr. was a patient hitter who regularly racked up more walks than strikeouts during his career. He never made it to the bigs but he did impress at different points during his minor league career, even claiming a batting title for himself with the Great Fall Electrics, one of the Dodgers' many minor league affiliates during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Carrasquel Sr.'s career in America came to an end after the 1962 season. He continued to showcase his skills across Latin America over the next decade or so, popping up in Mexico and his beloved Venezuela until his retirement in 1971.
Carrasquel Sr.'s baseball journey didn't end after he hung up his spikes. Instead, he opted to continue to make an impact in the dugout, taking the reins of one of his former employers, Cardenales de Lara. In 1991, he led los pájaros rojos to its first Venezuelan league title. Cardenales de Lara retired his famous No. 9 jersey 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, becoming one of the first Venezuelan stars to make it big in MLB.
His uncle, Alex Carrasquel, was the first Venezuelan to play in the bigs. Chico Carrasquel did him one better, becoming one of MLB's best shortstops over the course of his glittering 10-year big league career.
Initially signed by the Dodgers ahead of the 1949 season, it wasn't until Chico Carrasquel went to the White Sox that fans got to bear witness to his impressive play. A sure-handed fielder at shortstop — one of the sport's most premium positions — Carrasquel was handed the starting role in 1950, supplanting Hall-of-Famer Luke Appling in the process.
It was an inspired choice. Chico Carrasquel finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting (and 12th in AL MVP votes!) in his maiden season. He followed that up with All-Star caliber campaigns in four of his next seasons, becoming the first Latin American player to appear and start in an All-Star Game in the process.
Chicago opted to hand the reins at shortstop to his fellow Venezuelan — and 1984 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee — Luis Aparicio. Chico Carrasquel was sent to Cleveland in 1956. He made stops in Kansas City and Baltimore before calling it quits in the U.S. following the 1960 season.
“Chico was my hero and mentor," Aparicio said, per the Society of Baseball Research. "He took me under his wing, and I’m grateful to him for making me the ballplayer that I turned out to be.”
receiving the reins at short. He finished his odyssey in the bigs with a .258/.333/.374 line, garnering more praise for his glove than his bat.
“I had seen so many good shortstops," Minnie Minoso told Tim Wendel, per Baseball Reference. "But Chico played like no one I had ever seen. Gee whiz, this guy never misses a ball! What a glove. What hands. Perfect throw to first base all the time.”
Chico Carrasquel received a treasure trove worth of accolades after his career, including induction into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame (2003), Latino Baseball Hall of Fame (2010), and Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame (2020). He served as a scout for the Royals and Mets and a Spanish-language commentator for the White Sox, before dying in 2005 after suffering cardiac arrest in Venezuela. When his death was announced, former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez declared two days of mourning.
"I don’t think he was the greatest player ever to come from the country,” former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said, per the Chicago Tribune. “But to me, he was the greatest man to come from Venezuela.”
Domingo Carrasquel cousin: Emilio Carrasquel
Rounding off the collection of famous Carrasquels is Domingo's cousin, Emilio. Emilio Carrasquel didn't quite reach the heights of his uncle, Chico Carrasquel, when he was a player. However, he has played a pivotal role in the Mariners' front office, lending his chops as a talent evaluator of sorts.
Emilio Carrasquel reached as high as Double-A during his stateside playing career. He played in the Tigers organization and flashed an all-seeing eye, recording 81 walks in 706 plate appearances as a minor leaguer.
His career in the United States came to an end in 1983. Emilio Carrasquel carried on playing professionally with Cardenales de Lara before embarking on a career in the front office, both in Venezuela and the United States. Emilio became Cardenales de Lara's assistant general manager in 1996. He subsequently joined Seattle as the M's coordinator of Venezuelan operations.
Under his tutelage, the Mariners have picked up countless gems, including former AL Cy Young winner (and the franchise's greatest-ever pitcher) Felix Hernandez, Asdrubal Cabrera, and the late Luis Valbuena. Carrasquel was more than a scout when it came to Hernandez. He was a family friend, too. So much so that he was invited to Valencia, Venezuela (Hernandez's hometown) to celebrate his first-career MLB win back in 2005.
"With the job we do," Carrasquel told Jon Morosi in 2005, "those are the greatest moments."