Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas

The Dominican Deer

Juan Esteban Vargas (April 11, 1906 – 1971), better known as Tetelo Vargas, was an internationally known baseball player from the Dominican Republic.

Baseball career

An athletic teenager, Vargas spent his early years playing pick-up baseball games, which helped him develop ability and strength.

By 1927, when Vargas was 21, scouts from the United States and the Dominican Republic had noticed him. Vargas was Black, however, and he became a member of the Negro leagues' famed New York Cubans. Meanwhile, at home, he was signed by the Leones del Escogido, one of the four original Dominican Republic winter baseball league teams that remain in competition.

Nicknamed "The Dominican Deer", Vargas gained recognition around the Caribbean and in New York City. He established a Negro league record by hitting home runs in seven consecutive at bats. In 1932, Vargas went to play in Venezuela, where he became a star and remained until 1938, when the New York Cubans re-signed him.

In 1940, Vargas went to play at the Puerto Rican winter baseball league. He would eventually become an established resident of Puerto Rico. Vargas was once again signed by the New York Cubans from 1941 to 1944, his last year as an active player in the Negro leagues. Meanwhile, in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Vargas established himself as an All-Star, playing in the Puerto Rican All-Star game multiple times during the 1940s. At the time, a series of different sports competitions preceded the All-Star game in Puerto Rico, all of them involving baseball players and for the All-Star game's public's enjoyment. Vargas, who won various stolen base titles through his career, won a number of sprint races as an All-Star player in Puerto Rico. He went on to play with the Guayama Witches and the Santurce Crabbers before heading to the Mexican winter baseball league in 1952. Vargas, in the twilight of his career, returned to the Dominican Republic's winter league also in 1952, this time with the Estrellas Orientales team. At the age of 46, he led the Dominican Republic league with a batting average of .350. Vargas retired from baseball in 1953, after having played 27 seasons in five countries.

Statistics

Apart from hitting .350 in 1952 in the Dominican Republic's winter league, Vargas also led the Puerto Rican winter league in batting average three times, hitting .410 in 1943, and winning back to back titles in 1946 and 1947, when he hit .382 and .362, respectively. Vargas played a number of exhibition games against Major League Baseball's New York Yankees, averaging .500 against Yankees pitchers.

Positions

Vargas played a number of positions on the baseball field, including right field, left field, center field, shortstop and second base.

After baseball

Vargas was idolized both in the Dominican Republic and in Puerto Rico, but he decided to settle in the Puerto Rican city of Guayama, where he had previously starred for the local team. Vargas was elected to the Puerto Rican baseball Hall of Fame, and he led a rather quiet life until he died in 1971.

Because of his involvement as a player with the New York Cubans, Vargas is also a member of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame.

He remarried in 1954 in PR and lived a humble life in Guayama with his wife, Violeta Enchautegui de Vargas and three daughters Carmen, Ana and Iris and son Juan Esteban Vargas Jr. He died Dec. 30, 1971 after battling lung cancer and is now resting in peace next to his wife in Guayama's main cemetery (Cementerio Municipal de Guayama).
It is said to believe that Tetelo also beat Olympic track runner Jesse Owens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetelo_Vargas

#4 - Posted 3 March 2009, 9:27 AM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3390	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas quotes about TETELO VARGAS by the baseball personalities of the time. Tetelo Vargas (Dominican Republic) considered by many to be the “Father of Dominican Republic.” Long before fellow countryman Juan Marichal (elected to Hall of Fame 1987), Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero there was Vargas. He was known as the “Dominican Deer”. He excelled in defense, was a consistent hitter, good speed, base stealer. When you see Ramirez’s power, Guerrero’s arm, you see Vargas in spirit. Vargas (b.1906-d.1971) played forever. He turned pro in 1923 and played until 1955. In the late 1920s, he was hitting .380 with power and speed in the Negro Leagues. baseballbigmouth Vargas is extremely comparable to Cool Papa Bell. He was incedibly fast, though not as fast as Bell. He played forever and would have played in the Majors for at least 20 years. He was great defensively (early on he played shortstop before becoming a CF). In my opinion, Vargas was a better hitter than Bell, though it's close (and only because Bell became a switch-hitter). Vargas even won the Dominican Summer League Batting Championship once. In 1954. At the age of 48. With a bunch of Major League caliber Negro and Latin players in the same League. John Murphy Hall of Merit — A Look at Baseball's All-Time Best TETELO VARGAS is the most sensational player in the world. Joe Ling official scorer of the St. Louis Cardinals. TETELO VARGAS is the star that's at the top of my list. Syfe Polluck general manager of the New York Cubans TETELO VARGAS is essence of effectiveness, efficiency and performance. As a baseball player he might have a equal, but exceed him, never. Manolo el Leñero baseball columnist of El Mundo, Puerto Rico. There are no American or Cuban player that can exceed or even match, this good product of Latin America Guillermo Pl Sports Columnist of The Marina Cuba. In Cuba there is no outfielder that could exceed him , there will not be one within the next 10 years. Ramón Bragaña Bragaña was one of the greatest Cuban pitchers of the 1940s Outfielder TETELO VARGAS is the brightest of the current tournament, and The most sensational player The Dominican Republic has ever produced, no one place faster. Julio C. Julio C. Linval Linval sports director.of The Opinión Deportivo Ciudad Trujillo (Santo Domingo) A good all-around player, this hustling New York Cubans' center fielder hit for average and with power, excelled defensively, had a good arm, and was a good base stealer who had a sprinter's stride and could "run like a deer," especially when going from first base to third base on a hit. He starred for the Cubans during the early 1940s, hitting in the heart of the batting order, and made back-to-back All Star appearances in 1942-1943. He began his career in the Negro Leagues as a reserve shortstop with Alejandro Pompez's Cuban Stars in 1927 and had won the starting shortstop position and was batting leadoff for the team in 1931. In 1939 he had moved to the outfield and was the star of Pompez's New York Cubans. In 1941 he paired with Frank Coimbre to provide the offensive thrust to help the Cubans take the second-half title before losing to the Homestead Grays in the playoff for the Negro National League championship. He also played in Puerto Rico, batting .410 in the winter of 1943-44, then stringing together consecutive seasons of .382 and .362 in 1946-1948 and finally batting .301 in 1949-1950. He also excelled in Mexico, batting .297 and .355 in 1952-1953 with the Estraeilas Orientals ballclub. In 1923 he and two older brothers (Guagua and Juan) were ballplayers on the Escogido team in Santo Domingo, with Tetelo playing shortstop. Thirty years later, at age forty-six, while playing in the 1953 winter league in his home country, he batted over .350 to out-hit Ray Dandridge and win the batting title. Tetelo Vargas remains one of the best baseball players of all time from the Dominican Republic. Source: James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994. Comentaba "Durante toda mi carrera como pelotero antes de levantarse le pedía a Dios, por años y años, que me diera salud para poner el nombre de República Dominicana en alto cuantas veces saliera al terreno de juego a competir con empeño de ganar y enfocar con ahínco la caballerosidad que corresponde a la talla de lo que se llama ser hombre". Some links: Spanish use Google translator Juan Esteban Tetelo Vargas http://www.1800beisbol.com/baseball/Deportes/Deportes/Juan_Esteban_Tetelo_Vargas/ Juan Esteban "Tetelo" Vargas EL GAMO DOMINICANO http://www.diariohorizonte.com/view/?a=8950&z=11 TETELO VARGAS..UN GRAN SEÑOR DEL BEISBOL http://www.1800beisbol.com/baseball/Deportes/Latino_Sports/TETELO_VARGAS..UN_GRAN_SE%D1OR_DEL_BEISBOL/ Beisbol Dominicano: Las grandes hazañas de Tetelo Vargas http://www.elpregonerocristiano.com/webpos/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=144:beisbol-dominicano-las-grandes-hazanas-de-tetelo-vargas&catid=75:edwin-kako-vazquez&Itemid=154 Edited on 3/5/2009 4:41 PM by yumnuk3.
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#2 - Posted 1 March 2009, 2:41 PM
gouletcolonial Location: Cuba, it is a secret the censors are looking for me Join date: December 2007 Member #: 9 Posts: 13560	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas thanks yummy very interesting.....when I was a young kid I remember the Havana Sugar Kings of the international league my team was the Toronto Maple Leafs owned by Jack Kent Cooke long before the Blow Jays.....how about the forgotten member of the Alou family Boog what a story lets get ready to RUUMMMMMMBBBLLLEE
	Post IP: 66.98.33.1*

#6 - Posted 4 March 2009, 9:50 AM
gouletcolonial2 Location: Canada, Toronto ,Cabbagetown,Parliament and Gerrard Join date: March 2009 Member #: 2233 Posts: 146	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas Hard to imagine the hardships this guy and Hiram Bithorn and Minnie Minoso and the early pioneers of latino ball had to deal with
	Post IP: 66.98.33.1*

#9 - Posted 30 June 2009, 8:24 PM
JEVIII Location: United States Join date: June 2009 Member #: 3041 Posts: 1	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas I first like to thank Yumnuk for posting Tetelo Vargas' awesome career and keeping his name alive. Tetelo's name will never be forgotten. My father as well as other people will tell me what a humble gentleman he was whether on or off the field. He embodied the sport of baseball, but he also loved and cherished those around him.
	Post IP: 166.137.133.16*

#1 - Posted 1 March 2009, 2:00 PM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3390	Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas The Dominican Deer Juan Esteban Vargas (April 11, 1906 – 1971), better known as Tetelo Vargas, was an internationally known baseball player from the Dominican Republic. Baseball career An athletic teenager, Vargas spent his early years playing pick-up baseball games, which helped him develop ability and strength. By 1927, when Vargas was 21, scouts from the United States and the Dominican Republic had noticed him. Vargas was Black, however, and he became a member of the Negro leagues' famed New York Cubans. Meanwhile, at home, he was signed by the Leones del Escogido, one of the four original Dominican Republic winter baseball league teams that remain in competition. Nicknamed "The Dominican Deer", Vargas gained recognition around the Caribbean and in New York City. He established a Negro league record by hitting home runs in seven consecutive at bats. In 1932, Vargas went to play in Venezuela, where he became a star and remained until 1938, when the New York Cubans re-signed him. In 1940, Vargas went to play at the Puerto Rican winter baseball league. He would eventually become an established resident of Puerto Rico. Vargas was once again signed by the New York Cubans from 1941 to 1944, his last year as an active player in the Negro leagues. Meanwhile, in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Vargas established himself as an All-Star, playing in the Puerto Rican All-Star game multiple times during the 1940s. At the time, a series of different sports competitions preceded the All-Star game in Puerto Rico, all of them involving baseball players and for the All-Star game's public's enjoyment. Vargas, who won various stolen base titles through his career, won a number of sprint races as an All-Star player in Puerto Rico. He went on to play with the Guayama Witches and the Santurce Crabbers before heading to the Mexican winter baseball league in 1952. Vargas, in the twilight of his career, returned to the Dominican Republic's winter league also in 1952, this time with the Estrellas Orientales team. At the age of 46, he led the Dominican Republic league with a batting average of .350. Vargas retired from baseball in 1953, after having played 27 seasons in five countries. Statistics Apart from hitting .350 in 1952 in the Dominican Republic's winter league, Vargas also led the Puerto Rican winter league in batting average three times, hitting .410 in 1943, and winning back to back titles in 1946 and 1947, when he hit .382 and .362, respectively. Vargas played a number of exhibition games against Major League Baseball's New York Yankees, averaging .500 against Yankees pitchers. Positions Vargas played a number of positions on the baseball field, including right field, left field, center field, shortstop and second base. After baseball Vargas was idolized both in the Dominican Republic and in Puerto Rico, but he decided to settle in the Puerto Rican city of Guayama, where he had previously starred for the local team. Vargas was elected to the Puerto Rican baseball Hall of Fame, and he led a rather quiet life until he died in 1971. Because of his involvement as a player with the New York Cubans, Vargas is also a member of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame. He remarried in 1954 in PR and lived a humble life in Guayama with his wife, Violeta Enchautegui de Vargas and three daughters Carmen, Ana and Iris and son Juan Esteban Vargas Jr. He died Dec. 30, 1971 after battling lung cancer and is now resting in peace next to his wife in Guayama's main cemetery (Cementerio Municipal de Guayama). It is said to believe that Tetelo also beat Olympic track runner Jesse Owens. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetelo_Vargas
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#3 - Posted 3 March 2009, 9:26 AM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3390	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas Goulet, The Dominican Deer was one hell of a ballplayer.
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#5 - Posted 4 March 2009, 9:32 AM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3390	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas Tetelo Vargas Stadium in the Dominican Republic
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#7 - Posted 4 March 2009, 2:48 PM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3390	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas It's a crime this great man is not going to get into the baseball Hall of Fame. His resume, though, spells out loud and clear how great a player he was. He's the Dominican Jackie Robinson, It takes a special man to go out every day and play under death threats and have every player on the other team calling you names and taunting you to fight, but you don't for the good of the team and for the good of those who would come after you. That's what is so great about him. Tetelo was probably the most important athlete in Dominican history all Dominican players were discovered through him. Proclaiming him to be the greatest Dominican ballplayer of all time is not off base, The real shame is that Dominican ballplayers largely choose to ignore him. Tetelo A Great ballplayer and an Even Greater Man.
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#8 - Posted 4 March 2009, 8:27 PM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3390	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas Quote: gouletcolonial2 previously said: Hard to imagine the hardships this guy and Hiram Bithorn and Minnie Minoso and the early pioneers of latino ball had to deal with it's amazing the man was never angry or bitter. Edited on 3/10/2009 12:50 PM by yumnuk3.
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#10 - Posted 3 July 2009, 10:46 AM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3390	RE: Dominican Legend Tetelo Vargas Quote: JEVIII previously said: I first like to thank Yumnuk for posting Tetelo Vargas' awesome career and keeping his name alive. Tetelo's name will never be forgotten. My father as well as other people will tell me what a humble gentleman he was whether on or off the field. He embodied the sport of baseball, but he also loved and cherished those around him. The man single-handedly put Dominican baseball on the map. Dominican baseball became internationally because of Vargas. He was a great player on the field.... You won't find a better person. He's was a a super guy. Great character.
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

May 25, 2012, Updated 6:47 AM
Search

Login \| Not a member? Create your account \| Lost your password?
User		Password

Advertisement
Sponsored Links