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One player was inducted into the Central American Baseball Association’s 1946 Hall of Fame Class. Pitcher Paul Garcia made the cut on his first ballot with 77.7% of the vote. Fellow pitcher Aitor Moreno came incredibly close again at 63.4%, barely under the 66% threshold. That was Moreno’s ninth try, meaning he’ll have one more opportunity to make the cut next year. Two others were above 50%, 2B Junior Mota on his seventh try and SP Rayan Montes on his first.



Two players were dropped after lasting ten seasons on the ballot. Pitcher Carlos Cartagena was the 1922 Mexican League Pitcher of the Year, posting 174-145, 3.09 ERA, and 38.0 WAR with mostly Guadalajara. He peaked at 27.7% on his first try on the ballot, ending at 11.3%. Reliever Philippe L’Amour was the 1921 Caribbean League Reliever of the Year with 202 saves in his CABA career. He peaked at 17.8%.



Paul Garcia – Starting Pitcher – Hermosillo Hyenas – 77.7% First Ballot

Paul Garcia was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Acapulco, the coastal beach city in southern Mexico. Garcia had 96-98 mph velocity with a five-pitch arsenal of a curveball, forkball, changeup, sinker, and splitter. Garcia was considered a respectable defensive pitcher and someone who could reliably eat innings, leading the Mexican League in innings pitched thrice. He was a “sparkplug” player with an infectious energy.

After a strong amateur career, Garcia was picked fourth overall in the 1925 CABA Draft by Hermosillo. He became a full-time starter by his third season and was a regular starter for the Hyenas. He led Mexican in wins in 1931 and 33, strikeouts in 1933 (292), and WAR in 1932. Reliable, but he only made the top three in Pitcher of the Year once with Hermosillo, taking third in 1933. He helped lead the Hyenas to the Mexican League title in 1930 and 33, falling short of the CABA title in both seasons because of Jamaica.

Hermosillo began to struggle into the mid 1930s, as did Garcia. At age 31, Hermosillo traded Garcia for prospects to Haiti in July 1935. His contract was up after only a few months with the Herons and he signed back up with the Hyenas the next year. After spending 1936 there, he was traded again, this time to Santiago.

After a forgettable year with the Sailfish, he went back to Haiti as a free-agent and was part of the Herons’ 1938 CABA championship season. Garcia had a career resurgence in 1939, finishing third in Pitcher of the Year voting at age 35 with a 21 win, 2.88 ERA season. Still, the Herons traded him that offseason to Monterrey, where Garcia pitched his final season. He picked up his 200^th career win with the Matadors and opted to retire after the 1940 season at age 37.

Garcia’s final line: 213-163, 3.05 ERA, 3249 strikeouts over 3462.2 innings, 284/424 quality starts and 62.5 WAR. His #12 was retired by Hermosillo in 1941. Not dominant, but a reliable starter in the late 1920s and into the 1930s. This led to Garcia’s induction at 77.7% on the first ballot as the only 1946 CABA Hall of Fame pick.