Charlie Luis

Charles J. Luis

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 195 lb.
• High School Saint Louis High School

• Born May 30, 1925 in Hawaii USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Catcher Charlie Luis played two years in the minor leagues and two years in Japan, making the Best Nine each year he was in Asia.

A Portugese-American, Luis debuted professionally with the 1947 Salt Lake City Bees, hitting .301 with one homer and 37 RBI. In 1948, Charlie batted .311 with six homers and 83 RBI for the Bisbee-Douglas Miners. He moved to Japan in 1954 with the Mainichi Orions. He produced at a .293/.362/.484 clip in 130 games for Mainichi, with 15 homers, 90 RBI and 31 doubles. He was a Pacific League All-Star and Best Nine pick at catcher. He was the first foreigner to start in a NPB All-Star Game and remains the only foreign catcher to do so (as of 2023).

In 1955, Luis hit .261/.305/.395 with 9 homers, 31 doubles and 73 RBI. He tied Kazuhiro Yamauchi for the PL lead in two-baggers. Additionally, Luis made 22 errors in one of his seasons, setting the all-time Pacific League record for a catcher.

Sources: Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland, Charlie Luis thread at Agatetype