Antonio Briñez

Antonio Briñez

• Bats Left, Throws Left

• Born September 17, 1917 in Maracaibo, Zulia Venezuela
• Died September 3, 1999 in Maracaibo, Zulia Venezuela

Biographical Information

Antonio Briñez played for the Venezuelan national team and in the Venezuelan League.

He hit .422/~.435/.467 when Venezuela won the 1944 Amateur World Series. He led the event with 19 hits (3 ahead of Tetelito Vargas) and was second in average (.056 behind Leonard Roberts). He tied Stanley Cayasso's record for hits in an Amateur World Series; the mark was broken the next year by teammate Ramón Fernández. He was on the Venezuelan team that won the 1945 Amateur World Series as well.

When the Venezuelan League formed in 1946, the 28-year-old Briñez hit .264/?/.273 for Cervecería Caracas. In 1946-1947, the infielder batted .344 and slugged .398. Among players with 100+ AB, only Parnell Woods had a better average. He tied Guillermo Vento for 6th in hits (44). He hit .328/?/.344 in a reduced role when the team won the title in 1947-1948. He moved to the Navegantes del Magallanes in 1948-1949 and hit .282 with a .355 slugging. His playing time fell from there. He split 1949-1950 between Caracas (2 for 10, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B) and Magallanes (3 for 20, R, 2 RBI). In 1950-1951, he was 1 for 1 for Caracas and hit .242/?/.258 for the Sabios de Vargas. He was 3 for 12 for Magallanes in 1951-1952 to end his career. He had hit .288 and slugged .326 in 161 games as a pro. He managed the Leones del Caracas for part of 1960-1961, taking over for Tim Thompson.