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After voting started in the 1940s, the first Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Famers were elected in 1946. Pitchers Mauricio Vargas and Wagner Santos both made it in on their first ballot with Vargas at 77.0% and Santos at 72.9%. CF Nelson Coelho was the next closest with a distant 33.4% on his first try.



Mauricio Vargas – Starting Pitcher – Valencia Velocity – 77.0% First Ballot

Mauricio Vargas was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Lima, Peru. Vargas had excellent movement and solid stuff with a 96-98 mph fastball mixed with a good slider and forkball, plus a rarely-used changeup. He was also considered a great defender, as he won six Gold Gloves during his tenure.

Vargas bounced around the amateur and semi-pro ranks in Peru before Beisbol Sudamerica was formed. He was 27 years old when BSA began, signing with Valencia for the 1931 season. The Velocity had some solid seasons in the 1930s, but was unable to win the North Division. Still, Vargas was excellent for nine seasons.

Vargas led the Bolivar League in ERA in 1932 (1.96) and 1934 (1.65). He also posted an incredible 13.4 WAR in 1934 and 11.1 WAR in 1937. Vargas earned Pitcher of the Year in 1934 and finished third in both 1936 and 1937. In 1940 at age 36, he returned to his native Peru by signing with Callao. Unfortunately in late May, a partially torn UCL would end his career.

Vargas’s final statistics were 165-96, 2.24 ERA, 2792 strikeouts over 2500 innings, 235/311 quality starts and 80.7 WAR. His #20 was retired by Valencia and he was considered one of the top pitchers of BSA’s first decade. His totals are low by comparison to later HOF pitchers due to his later start and earlier retirement, but Vargas is well deserving as a member of the first Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame Class.



Wagner Santos – Starting Pitcher – Buenos Aires Atlantics – 72.9% First Ballot

Wagner Santos was a 5’9’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher born in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, part of greater Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was known for stellar control with 95-97 mph velocity when he came into Beisbol Sudamerica with a fastball, slider, and changeup. He was already a very seasoned pro when he started his official BSA career, signing with Buenos Aires at age 32 for the 1931 season.

Santos won the Southern Cone Pitcher of the Year in his Atlantics debut with the league lead in ERA at 1.64. He led in ERA again in 1934, led in WAR (11.5) in 1932, led in WHIP thrice and K/BB four times with his remarkable 210 walks over 2053.2 career innings. In May 1933 against Salavdor, Santos threw the second BSA perfect game with 15 strikeouts. He was second in Pitcher of the Year in 1934 and was third in 1933 and 1932.

The veteran pitcher didn’t stay anywhere very long. His first three and best seasons were with Buenos Aires. He signed with Brasilia from 1934-36 and won Copa Sudamerica with the Bearcats in 1935. Santos was with Fortaleza in 1937. The Foxes traded him to Salvador, where he played two seasons, followed by a final season back with the Bearcats.

His final stats: 137-72, 2.05 ERA, 2053.2 innings with 2121 strikeouts, 198/284 quality starts and 64.6 WAR. The fact that this stat line came from ages 32-41 is especially impressive and if he had been able to start earlier, Santos might have been thought of as an inner-circle level player. Still, this run earned him a first ballot selection at 72.9% in Beisbol Sudamerica’s first Hall of Fame class.