Domingo Carrasquel

Domingo Eloy Carrasquel Colón (December 1, 1937 — September 4, 2016) was a Venezuelan baseball player, manager, and scout. He played in Minor League Baseball and the Mexican League, and later managed in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, leading Cardenales de Lara to its first championship in 1991. He was the brother of major league shortstop Alfonso "Chico" Carrasquel.

Playing career Domingo Carrasquel began playing amateur baseball in his youth, with the Policía de Caracas and Tropical de La Guaira clubs. He made his professional baseball debut at the age of 17, during the 1955–56 season with the Leones del Caracas (where his brother, Chico Carrasquel, was already a star player). After just four games, he was traded to the Licoreros de Pampero, where he played five seasons.

He was recruited by the Chicago White Sox organization, playing with the Madisonville Miners, and later moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the Dodgers system, he made it as high as the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1960, finishing his career with the Single-A Greenville Spinners in 1962. He then moved on to the Mexican League, playing with the Broncos de Reynosa (1963–1964) and Rojos del Águila de Veracruz (1966–1968).

In Venezuela, Carrasquel returned to Leones for the 1960–61 season, moving to Navegantes del Magallanes in the 1964–65 season and to Cardenales de Lara in the 1967–68 season, where he finished his playing career in 1971.

Managerial career After his retirement, Carrasquel stayed involved with the Cardenales de Lara organization. He was hired as manager of Lara for the 1989–90 season, leading the team to the finals, where they were defeated in seven games by the Leones del Caracas. The following year, he again led the team to the finals, this time defeating Caracas in six games. He also piloted the team in its failed bid to qualify for the 1998 Baseball World Cup.

Carrasquel managed in Mexico during the 1993 season, skippering the Industriales de Monterrey. Before the season, he led the team in an exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins at Monterrey's Palacio Sultán (a 9–2 loss).

Legacy Carrasquel, a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, was responsible several for signings out of Venezuela, including Luis Sojo, Oswald Peraza, Luis Leal, Tony Castillo, and Fred Manrique.

Along with Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Famer Dionisio Acosta, Carrasquel was one of the creator's of Venezuela's player's union, the Asociación Única de Peloteros (Asopeloteros).

The 2018–19 season of the LVBP was played in honor of Carrasquel.