Armando Vazquez
Career: 1944-1952
Positions: 1b, of, 2b, 3b, ss
Teams: Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns (1944), Cincinnati Clowns (1945), Indianapolis Clowns (1946-1952), Havana La Palomas (1947), New York Cubans (1948), Canadian League (1949-1951), minor leagues (1954), Mexican League (1955)
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Height: 5' 8'' Weight: 160
Born: August 20, 1923, Juines, Cuba
A light-hitting left-handed line-drive hitter with modest power, this Cuban first baseman began his career during the wartime era as a regular with owner Syd Pollock's Clowns, hitting .239 and .246 in 1944-1945. A smooth fielder, he stayed with the franchise as it relocated in Indianapolis, but left after the 1946 season.
Prior to joining the Clowns, he had gained professional experience playing with Almendares in the Cuban winter league after having been discovered playing semi-pro ball in Olbay Cerato. After joining the Clowns he played with the Havana La Palomas team in 1947, and the following season he was a utility player with the New York Cubans.
After the demise of the Negro National League following the 1948 season, he traveled North to Canada for three seasons, hitting .244 and .209 in the first two seasons and returning to the Clowns early in 1952, when Hank Aaron was the shortstop. In 1954 he played with Thibodaux in the Evangeline League and hit .259, and played briefly with the Mexico City Tigers the following season, batting .250 in 16 at-bats to close out his career.
Baseball Career Highlights:
Vazquez, followed in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Martin Dihigo, and came to the U.S. to become a Negro Leagues baseball player in 1944.
Professional/Personal Accomplishments:
Vazquez left the Negro Leagues in 1949 and played in Canada for three years. Upon returning to the States, Vazquez resumed playing with the Indianapolis Clowns as a first baseman while rookie, Henry Aaron, played shortstop. In 1954, Vazquez played with the Evangeline League and with the Mexico City Tigers in 1955 before concluding his baseball career.
Sources:
NLBM Legacy 2000 Players' Reunion Alumni Book, Kansas City Missouri: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Inc., 2000.
James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.
Armando Vazquez