Carlos Santeliz

Carlos Alberto Santeliz

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 208 lb.

• Born April 5, 1948 in Carora, Lara Venezuela
• Died March 16, 1969 in Maracaibo, Zulia Venezuela

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Carlos Santeliz spent a couple of years in the professional ranks before his untimely death.

Santeliz was 1 for 6 for the 1966-1967 Cardenales de Lara in his debut as a pro. He hit .262/.321/.372 for the 1967 Lexington Braves. In 1967-1968, he was named the Venezuelan League Rookie of the Year after batting .293 and slugging .353. Despite being a teenager, he had finished second on Lara in average behind Domingo Carrasquel Sr. and ahead of Cito Gaston, Bobby Cox and Dave Roberts, all much more experienced players. In the summer of '68, he slumped to .226/.321/.263 for the West Palm Beach Braves; it was in the context of an extreme pitcher-friendly season and his average was better than the team average, one point ahead of Oscar Brown. He hit .273 and slugged .413 for the 1968-1969 Cardenales, again holding his own with more experienced former and future major leaguers. He died in a plane crash along with Nestor Chavez, Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez and 152 others; the plane went down in a residential neighborhood shortly after takeoff. 84 people who died were passengers, the rest people from the area where the plane crashed.

Sources

• Purapelota
• 1969 article on the crash
• 1968-1969 Baseball Guides