Ozzie Apolinario helped fuel GCL win; Saw four pro seasons

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Ozzie Apolinario 1990 Burlington Braves card
Ozzie Apolinario helped fuel the Gulf Coast League Braves offense on this day in August 1989.

Apolinario went 3 for 5 against GCL Yankees, knocking in three runs in the Braves win. Two of those runs came on a single, according to The Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Apolinario kept up that hitting through the year, ending with a .326 average over 59 games. But he couldn't keep it up going forward. His next year was his last as a pro.

Apolinario's career began in 1987, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent, out of his native Dominican Republic. Apolinario is also known by his formal name, Oswaldo Apolinario.

Apolinario started that year in the rookie GCL. In 14 games, he picked up a single hit in 22 at bats. He returned to the GCL in both 1988 and 1989.

In 1988, he hit .257 over 41 games. In 1989, Apolinario hit that .326 mark, knocking in 28. He also stole 26 bases.

Apolinario made it out of the GCL in 1990, making single-A Burlington. He got into just 42 games, hitting .211 and stealing six. In an April game, he went 0 for 4, but scored two runs. Overall, he scored 16. It was his final year as a pro.
Originally published Jan. 25, 2014

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