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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-08-2023, 08:14 AM

The 1951 Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame class had two players get in, although both barely crossed the 66% threshold in a weak field. On his third attempt, first baseman Mason Mick made the cut at 67.8%. On his fifth try, pitcher Dusty Louis crossed the line at 66.9%. Pitcher Hugo Aguilar almost joined them on his first attempt, just missing it at 64.4%. No one else was above 50% and no one was dropped after 10 tries.

Notably dropped on his 8^th try was pitcher Yusdel Ximenez, the 10^th pitcher in CABA to cross 200 wins. He had a 211-213 record over a lengthy career with 3.21 ERA, 3109 strikeouts, and 61.1 WAR. He peaked at 23.2% on the first attempt.

Mason Mick – First Baseman – Hermosillo Hyenas – 67.8% Third Ballot

Mason Mick was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from the tiny Maine town of Bar Harbor. Mick would become known as someone with a tremendous eye and the ability to draw walks like none other. He still did strike out a lot and was at best an average contact hitter. He would eventually hit for respectable home run power. He was a poor baserunner and played the vast majority of his career at first base and was considered an above average defender.

Mick had an unusual path to the Central American Baseball Association as a guy from Maine who played college baseball at Kent State. He wasn’t at all highly touted as a prospect, but did get drafted by Boston in the third round, 140^th overall, in the 1919 MLB Draft. He was a bench player in minor league Providence in 1920 and was then cut before the 1921 season. In May, he went to Mexico and signed with Hermosillo. He was a reserve roster guy who didn’t play for two seasons, then spent three seasons with the Hyenas as a bench player. A late bloomer, Mick finally became a full-time starter in 1926 at age 27 and would remain a full-time starter until his mid 40s.

Mick won his three Silver Sluggers in 1926, 1927, and 1929. In his second season as a starter in 1927, Mick won the Mexican League MVP, leading the league in home runs (37), walks (76), OBP (.374), slugging (.547), OPS (.921), and wRC+ (204). He won again the next season with a league lead 8.7 WAR and drew 106 walks, which was second-most in a season at the time. Mick would lead the league in walks nine times in his career.

In 1930 and 1933, Hermosillo won the Mexican League title and Mick had a big postseason in both. In 1930, he had five home runs, 15 RBI, and five doubles. In 1933, he added three homers and eight RBI. As he entered the 1930s, Mick was no longer an MVP candidate, but he consistently was a solid starter throughout his 30s and into his 40s as a reliable ironman. Torn ankle ligaments put him out for most of 1935, but outside of that, he regularly started full seasons or close to it. In his time with Hermosillo, Mick had 1514 hits, 803 runs, 279 home runs, 826 RBI, 794 walks, and 60.8 WAR. His #22 jersey would get retired at the end of his career.

After his injury shortened 1935, Mick was traded to Jamaica for three players. When the Jazz got him at age 37, they probably didn’t expect to get solid production for another eight seasons. The Jazz weren’t a playoff team in his time, but he was a bright spot with a reliable 3-4 WAR, 25 home run, 125 hits or so each year. He finally played his last year at age 44 in 1943, posting 985 hits, 562 runs, 189 home runs, 627 RBI, and 23.3 WAR in his time in Jamaica.

The final stats for Mick: 2499 hits, 1365 runs, 361 doubles, 468 home runs, 1453 RBI, 1350 walks, a .263/.359/.458 slash and 84.1 WAR. At retirement, no player in CABA had drawn more walks and he’d hold the career record until the 2020s. Still, walks aren’t sexy and with that as his calling card, it would take three tries to get Mick into the CABA Hall of Fame. He barely missed at 65.7% in his second year and just got over the hump at 67.8% in his third try to join the greats in 1951.

Dusty Louis – Starting Pitcher – Jamaica Jazz – 66.9% Fifth Ballot

Dusty Louis was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. At his peak, Louis had 97-99 mph velocity with four pitches; his most dangerous being a splitter. He added a fastball, slider, and changeup and had respectable movement and control. He was also generally thought off as a good defensive pitcher and someone great at holding runners.

After his amateur career in his native Haiti, he was drafted in the 1927 CABA Draft by Jamaica in the second round with the 44^th overall pick. He spent two seasons on the reserve roster, making his debut as a part-time starter in 1930 at age 22. He struggled in four postseason starts, but the Jazz prevailed anyway and won the CABA title in 1930. In 1931, Louis won the Pitcher of the Year with the league lead in ERA (2.08), wins (23), quality starts (30), and WAR (8.6). A biceps strain in late September kept him out of the postseason run.

Jamaica would make the playoffs five straight seasons from 1930-34, also winning the CABA title in 1933 and Caribbean title in 1934. Louis was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1933 and third in 1932. He was much stronger in these later postseason runs with a sub 1.50 ERA in eight starts between 1932-34. Jamaica would go into a playoff drought for the rest of the 1930s, but Louis kept a warm spot in Jazz fans’ hearts as a big part of a mini dynasty. His #7 jersey would be retired after retirement.

In late May 1935, a partially torn UCL put Louis out for 13 months, ending his season and putting him out for a chunk of 1936. He was back pitching full seasons in 1937 and 1938, but the now 30-year old Louis was no longer a dominant pitcher. At the end of the 1938 season, Louis was traded to Monterrey for prospects. He spent 1939 with the Matadors, then signed with Puerto Rico in 1940 and Juarez in 1941. In summer 1941, Louis suffered a partially torn labrum and after going unsigned in 1942, retired at age 34.

His final statistics: 173-88, 2.76 ERA, 2386.1 innings, 2025 strikeouts, 450 walks, 214/312 quality starts, and 45.2 WAR. His peak with Jamaica was electric, but he was never the same over the UCL injury. He was impressive in a short burst, but his career numbers were thought by many as a “Hall of Very Good” type. But Louis had enough defenders to keep him around the 50% mark in his first four ballots. In a relatively weak 1951 field, he got enough of a bump to barely cross the 66% threshold at 66.9%.

04-08-2023, 08:14 AM	#228
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,992	1951 CABA Hall of Fame The 1951 Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame class had two players get in, although both barely crossed the 66% threshold in a weak field. On his third attempt, first baseman Mason Mick made the cut at 67.8%. On his fifth try, pitcher Dusty Louis crossed the line at 66.9%. Pitcher Hugo Aguilar almost joined them on his first attempt, just missing it at 64.4%. No one else was above 50% and no one was dropped after 10 tries. Notably dropped on his 8^th try was pitcher Yusdel Ximenez, the 10^th pitcher in CABA to cross 200 wins. He had a 211-213 record over a lengthy career with 3.21 ERA, 3109 strikeouts, and 61.1 WAR. He peaked at 23.2% on the first attempt. Mason Mick – First Baseman – Hermosillo Hyenas – 67.8% Third Ballot Mason Mick was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from the tiny Maine town of Bar Harbor. Mick would become known as someone with a tremendous eye and the ability to draw walks like none other. He still did strike out a lot and was at best an average contact hitter. He would eventually hit for respectable home run power. He was a poor baserunner and played the vast majority of his career at first base and was considered an above average defender. Mick had an unusual path to the Central American Baseball Association as a guy from Maine who played college baseball at Kent State. He wasn’t at all highly touted as a prospect, but did get drafted by Boston in the third round, 140^th overall, in the 1919 MLB Draft. He was a bench player in minor league Providence in 1920 and was then cut before the 1921 season. In May, he went to Mexico and signed with Hermosillo. He was a reserve roster guy who didn’t play for two seasons, then spent three seasons with the Hyenas as a bench player. A late bloomer, Mick finally became a full-time starter in 1926 at age 27 and would remain a full-time starter until his mid 40s. Mick won his three Silver Sluggers in 1926, 1927, and 1929. In his second season as a starter in 1927, Mick won the Mexican League MVP, leading the league in home runs (37), walks (76), OBP (.374), slugging (.547), OPS (.921), and wRC+ (204). He won again the next season with a league lead 8.7 WAR and drew 106 walks, which was second-most in a season at the time. Mick would lead the league in walks nine times in his career. In 1930 and 1933, Hermosillo won the Mexican League title and Mick had a big postseason in both. In 1930, he had five home runs, 15 RBI, and five doubles. In 1933, he added three homers and eight RBI. As he entered the 1930s, Mick was no longer an MVP candidate, but he consistently was a solid starter throughout his 30s and into his 40s as a reliable ironman. Torn ankle ligaments put him out for most of 1935, but outside of that, he regularly started full seasons or close to it. In his time with Hermosillo, Mick had 1514 hits, 803 runs, 279 home runs, 826 RBI, 794 walks, and 60.8 WAR. His #22 jersey would get retired at the end of his career. After his injury shortened 1935, Mick was traded to Jamaica for three players. When the Jazz got him at age 37, they probably didn’t expect to get solid production for another eight seasons. The Jazz weren’t a playoff team in his time, but he was a bright spot with a reliable 3-4 WAR, 25 home run, 125 hits or so each year. He finally played his last year at age 44 in 1943, posting 985 hits, 562 runs, 189 home runs, 627 RBI, and 23.3 WAR in his time in Jamaica. The final stats for Mick: 2499 hits, 1365 runs, 361 doubles, 468 home runs, 1453 RBI, 1350 walks, a .263/.359/.458 slash and 84.1 WAR. At retirement, no player in CABA had drawn more walks and he’d hold the career record until the 2020s. Still, walks aren’t sexy and with that as his calling card, it would take three tries to get Mick into the CABA Hall of Fame. He barely missed at 65.7% in his second year and just got over the hump at 67.8% in his third try to join the greats in 1951. Dusty Louis – Starting Pitcher – Jamaica Jazz – 66.9% Fifth Ballot Dusty Louis was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. At his peak, Louis had 97-99 mph velocity with four pitches; his most dangerous being a splitter. He added a fastball, slider, and changeup and had respectable movement and control. He was also generally thought off as a good defensive pitcher and someone great at holding runners. After his amateur career in his native Haiti, he was drafted in the 1927 CABA Draft by Jamaica in the second round with the 44^th overall pick. He spent two seasons on the reserve roster, making his debut as a part-time starter in 1930 at age 22. He struggled in four postseason starts, but the Jazz prevailed anyway and won the CABA title in 1930. In 1931, Louis won the Pitcher of the Year with the league lead in ERA (2.08), wins (23), quality starts (30), and WAR (8.6). A biceps strain in late September kept him out of the postseason run. Jamaica would make the playoffs five straight seasons from 1930-34, also winning the CABA title in 1933 and Caribbean title in 1934. Louis was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1933 and third in 1932. He was much stronger in these later postseason runs with a sub 1.50 ERA in eight starts between 1932-34. Jamaica would go into a playoff drought for the rest of the 1930s, but Louis kept a warm spot in Jazz fans’ hearts as a big part of a mini dynasty. His #7 jersey would be retired after retirement. In late May 1935, a partially torn UCL put Louis out for 13 months, ending his season and putting him out for a chunk of 1936. He was back pitching full seasons in 1937 and 1938, but the now 30-year old Louis was no longer a dominant pitcher. At the end of the 1938 season, Louis was traded to Monterrey for prospects. He spent 1939 with the Matadors, then signed with Puerto Rico in 1940 and Juarez in 1941. In summer 1941, Louis suffered a partially torn labrum and after going unsigned in 1942, retired at age 34. His final statistics: 173-88, 2.76 ERA, 2386.1 innings, 2025 strikeouts, 450 walks, 214/312 quality starts, and 45.2 WAR. His peak with Jamaica was electric, but he was never the same over the UCL injury. He was impressive in a short burst, but his career numbers were thought by many as a “Hall of Very Good” type. But Louis had enough defenders to keep him around the 50% mark in his first four ballots. In a relatively weak 1951 field, he got enough of a bump to barely cross the 66% threshold at 66.9%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)