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The 1972 Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame ballot was a relatively unremarkable group with only three players even above 50%. Pitcher Sousa Marques was the lone inductee, receiving 72.5% on his second attempt. SP Jon Mancilla got 56.0% on his third try and RF Nando Gasper had 50.3% on his tenth and final attempt.



For Gaspar, he got tantalizingly close in the 61% range on three different occasions and bounced anywhere between the mid 40% range to low 60%s. He was a six-time Gold Glove winner and five time Silver Slugger winner in right field and won three Copa Sudamerica rings with Buenos Aires. In 19 years with the Atlantics, he had 2411 hits, 1212 runs, 403 doubles, 487 home runs, 1489 RBI, a .253/.297/.475 slash and 105.7 WAR. As of 2037, he has the highest WAR of any eligible player not in the BSA Hall of Fame. Gaspar is often the first name cited on lists for the best player sitting on the outside.

Also dropped in 1972 after ten attempts was pitcher Lauro Almeida, who had a 16 year career with seven teams. He had a 197-160 record, 2.57 ERA, 2828 strikeouts, 3420.1 innings, and 69.6 WAR. He got as high at 50.9% on his sixth ballot and ended at 35.1%. With no major accolades, Almeida was banished to the Hall of Very Good.



Sousa Marques – Pitcher – Rio de Janeiro Redbirds – 72.5% Second Ballot

Sousa Marques was a 5’10’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Vitoria, the capital of Brazil’s state of Espirito Santo on the southeastern coast. Marques was known for having terrific control along with very good movement and stuff. His velocity peaked at 95-97 mph with an arsenal of a slider, curveball, cutter, and knuckle curve. Stamina issues and later durability were the major problems with Marques, who very rarely went deep in games. He was signed as a teenage amateur free agent by Rio de Janeiro in 1953 and made his debut at age 21 in 1956 with 73 innings.

Marques would see a mix of starts and bullpen action from here on out with the Redbirds. In his second full season in the rotation in 1958, Marques led the Southern Cone League in ERA (1.68), WHIP (0.77), K/BB (14.4) and FIP- (46). He led in ERA and WHIP four times, K/BB three times, and FIP- six times. 1960 was the first time he got award consideration, taking second in Pitcher of the Year with a career-best 1.40 ERA in 186.0 innings. He would take third in 1962, second in 1963, and third in 1964. Lack of innings and being stuck on a struggling Rio team ultimately kept Marques from betting stronger consideration for the top honor. Marques was also on the Brazilian national team in the World Baseball Championship from 1958-65, posting a 4.01 ERA over 107.2 innings with 127 strikeouts and 2.5 WAR. In the 1964 run, he had a remarkable 40 strikeouts to only one walk in 31.2 innings.

1964 began his troubles with injuries as the 29-year old Marques suffered a torn rotator cuff in late August. He was back ready to go for the 1965 campaign, but suffered a damaged elbow ligament and needed reconstruction surgery. He became a free agent during this time, but was assumed to be healed up by the 1966 season MLB’s Houston Hornets gave the 31-year old Marques big money with a six-year, $1,210,000 deal. Only two weeks after signing the deal, he had a setback in recovery and required another surgery. This put Marques out an additional 15 months, causing him to miss the entire 1966 campaign.

Marques finally made his Houston debut in 1967 and was respectable in 24 starts, although not dominant. But in late August, he blew out his elbow again and required another ligament reconstruction surgery, putting him out 12 months. He made two starts in late 1968 and had smaller injuries put him out in chunks of early 1969 and Houston cut him, only getting 165.1 innings out of their million-plus investment. San Diego signed him to a minor league deal in Chula Vista, but in late July, a torn UCL put Marques out another calendar year. He made 15 relief appearances in the minors in 1970, retiring at the end of the season at age 35.

For his Beisbol Sudamerica run with Rio de Janeiro, Marques had a 137-74 record, 35 saves and 69 shutdowns, a 1.94 ERA over 1718.1 innings, 2132 strikeouts, 219 walks, 176/220 quality starts, a FIP- of 55 and 59.8 WAR. Of Hall of Fame starters, only Timoteo Caruso has a lower ERA. His rate stats are impressive, but he essentially had only eight seasons worth of real production without any postseason appearances or major awards. Marques had by far fewer innings pitched than any other Hall of Fame starter. Had his arm not fallen off and he pitched another few years in BSA, he would’ve been a slam dunk. Enough were enamored with his peak and felt sympathy towards his injuries, giving him 60.1% on his debut ballot and 72.5% on his second attempt, enough to put Marques into the Hall.