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The 1956 Besibol Sudamerica Hall of Fame class was a big one with four players inducted for the second straight season. All four were first ballot picks and all four were pitchers with three starters and one reliever. Timoteo Caruso was the leader of the class at 98.9% with big numbers as well from Ilalio Lopez (95.5) and Freddie Sandoval (94.7%). R.J. Figueroa at 83.8% was the fourth member.



No one else was above 50% and no one was dropped after a tenth ballot. Notably dropped after falling below 5% on his ninth try was pitcher Lucas Jesusinho with a 2.29 ERA, 144-90 record, 61.0 WAR, and 2237 strikeouts. His official career started at age 28 and he might have gotten in had he had a chance to add his earlier 20s to the tally.



Timoteo Caruso – Starting Pitcher – Rio de Janeiro Redbirds – 98.9% First Ballot

Timoteo Caruso was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Para de Minas, a town in the southeastern Brazil state Minas Gerais. Caruso had excellent stuff with 99-101 mph velocity, plus terrific movement on his pitches and good control. He had four pitches with a fastball, slider, sinker, and changeup. After his amateur career, Caruso was picked third overall by Rio de Janeiro in the 1935 Besibol Sudamerica Draft.

His entire pro career would be with the Redbirds, who were a bottom-tier franchise for much of his run with his only playoff appearance in 1941. Still, Caruso was an immediate star, posting 9.9 WAR and a 1.62 ERA to earn Rookie of the Year honors in 1936. He then led the Southern Cone League in WAR in the next six seasons. In his second season, Caruso threw a perfect game, striking out eight against Cordoba on 9/12/37. He led in the league in ERA five times, strikeouts three times, WHIP eight times, and FIP-10 times.

Competing with the legendary Mohamed Ramos meant despite these accolades, Caruso won Pitcher of the Year only four times. He took it in 1939, 40, 41, and 44. He took third in 1938, second in 1942 and 1946, third in 1947, and third in 1948. In 1942, he posted a stellar 16.0 WAR season and somehow wasn’t Pitcher of the Year. That is the third-best single season in BSA history. In 1941, Caruso won a Triple Crown with a 24-6 record, 1.20 ERA, and 358 strikeouts.

Caruso continued to roll into his early 30s and played for the Brazilian national team in the first three World Baseball Championship Tournaments. He had 13 straight seasons of 8+ WAR to start his career. 1947 saw his second no-hitter on 7/11/47 against Rosario. In 1949, injuries began to derail him with a partially torn labrum in 1949 and a herniated disc in 1950. Caruso retired at age 37 after the 1950 season. Unsurprisingly, his #19 uniform was the first to be retired by Rio.

The final stats for Caruso: 219-99 record, 119 saves, 1.56 ERA, 3184 innings, 4290 strikeouts, 459 walks, a 0.74 WHIP, 319/379 quality starts, a FIP- of 39, and 138.6 WAR. He has the best ERA of any Beisbol Sudamerica starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame. Had he been on a better team and not a contemporary to Mohamed Ramos, Caruso may have been the undisputed best pitcher of his era. Still, few pitchers in any professional league had the dominance that Caruso did in his prime. He’s a no-doubt inner-circle Hall of Famer, getting in at 98.9%.



Ilalio Lopez – Starting Pitcher – La Paz Pump Jacks – 95.5% First Ballot

Ilalio Lopez was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Sucre, the judicial capital in central Bolivia. Lopez was a hard thrower with 98-100 mph velocity along with above average movement and control. His fastball was excellent and his best pitch. Lopez mixed it with a respectable curveball and changeup. He was a rare draft pick coming out of high school, picked by his home country team La Paz sixth overall in the 1933 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft.

He made a few relief appearances as a teenager, not becoming a full-time starter until the 1938 season at age 22. As he became a solid starter, the Pump Jacks started a dynasty. La Paz had eight straight division titles from 1939-46, making it to Copa Sudamerica in seven of those eight years and winning it in 1939, 40, 43, and 46. In his postseason career, Lopez had a 12-6 record, 2.49 ERA, 148 innings, and 154 strikeouts.

Lopez was the clear #2 to Mohamed Ramos in his early years, but Ramos began to age and Lopez started to improve. Lopez took third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1943, then finally won it in 1945 and 1946. From age 27 to 32, he had six straight 7+ WAR seasons. As he entered his 30s, the Pump Jacks dynasty ended. Lopez was able to play in the first four World Baseball Championship tournaments with Bolivia with a 2.58 ERA in 83.2 innings. At age 33 in 1949, the generally durable Lopez had his first major injury with a torn rotator cuff. He returned for 1950 but a suffered another torn rotator cuff in his second start of the year, ultimately ending his career at age 35.

The final stats for Lopez: 200-136 record, 2.43 ERA, 2995.2 innings, 3282 strikeouts, 263/340 quality starts, 198 complete games, and 72.0 WAR. With guys like Ramos and Caruso also in the Southern Cone League, Lopez’s stats may seem unremarkable. But he was a very good pitcher nonetheless and an important part of the La Paz dynasty, earning induction on his first ballot at 95.5%.



Freddie Sandoval – Closer – Fortaleza Foxes – 94.7% First Ballot

Freddie Sandoval was a 5’9’’, 200 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Cagua, a northern Venezuelan city that is part of metropolitan Maracay. Sandoval had an incredible fastball that regularly was at 100+ mph. He mixed it with a screwball and splitter with solid movement and decent control. The stocky Sandoval was very talented, but was thought of by many teammates as disloyal and greedy.

Sandoval was a fourth round draft pick, selected 92^nd overall in the 1934 CABA Draft by Fortaleza. He had a decent rookie season in the closer role, then missed most of 1936 with a torn back muscle. When he returned in 1937, he emerged as an elite closer. He was Reliever of the Year in 1937 with a blistering 6.9 WAR season with 156 strikeouts in 86.1 innings and 47 saves.

He won Reliever of the Year again in 1938, took third in 1939, second in 1940, and second in 1942. In 1940, Fortaleza finally broke through and won the Southern Cone League title with Sandoval picking up two saves and 13 strikeouts in 8.2 playoff innings for a 2.08 ERA. In total with the Foxes, Sandoval had 271 saves and 336 shutdowns for a 1.33 ERA over 581 innings, 939 strikeouts, and 35.5 WAR. His #24 uniform would ultimately be retired as well for his success with Fortaleza.

Sandoval left for free agency to begin his 30s and would play for another six teams with varied results. In some stops, he remained in the closer role and was a setup man in others. He had a one-year deal in 1943 with Barquisimeto, then spent 1944 in Caracas. He joined Maracaibo in 1945 and was traded during the summer to Medellin, but he was good enough between the stops to earn his third Reliever of the Year award. In the 1946 offseason, he went back to the Mariners and took third in Reliever of the Year voting.

In 1947 at age 35, the still solid Sandoval signed with Valencia. He was again traded at the deadline, this time to Cali. In that short stint, he picked up his 400^th save, joining Chano Angel as the only Beisbol Sudamerica relievers to reach the mark. Sandoval signed back with the Velocity in 1948 and had his last great season, taking second in Reliever of the Year honors. He began a third stint with Maracaibo in 1949 and was traded in the summer for the third time in his career, this time to Rio de Janeiro. He saw limited action in 1950 with Caracas, opting to retire at the end of the year at 1950.

The final stats for Sandoval: 459 saves and 578 shutdowns, 1.44 ERA, 1047.1 innings, 1655 strikeouts, 204 walks, a FIP- of 25 and 61.3 WAR. He was a league leader six times in saves and seven times had 5+ WAR seasons, not an easy task for a closer. His stats hold up among the all-time great relief pitchers in BSA and he was second all-time in saves at retirement. Sandoval was well worthy of his first ballot selection at 94.7%.



R.J. Figueroa – Starting Pitcher – Fortaleza Foxes - 83.8% First Ballot

R.J. Figueroa was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Guayaquil, Ecuador. He was not highly touted as an amateur, but eventually honed his skills with good control and stuff, although lackluster movement. His fastball topped out at 95-97 mph, but he was good at placing it, along with a curveball and changeup. Some felt Figueroa was unmotivated , but he put up reliably consistent numbers and was very durable, putting up 200+ innings in all 17 years of his pro career.

Figueroa would be drafted in the fourth round, 98^th overall, in the 1932 Besibol Sudamerica Draft by Santiago. He quickly found a spot in the rotation of a strong Saints squad which had postseason success in BSA’s first decade. Figueroa was third in Rookie of the Year voting and put up a 1.06 ERA in 17 postseason innings for Santiago, The Saints won Liga Cono Sur in 1934, and 36 and in 1936 took the Copa Sudamerica title. Figueora had a 7.1 WAR season in 1937 and 8.0 WAR in 1938. In seven seasons with Santiago, he had a 109-87 record, 2.92 ERA, 1861.1 innings, 2110 strikeouts, 156/225 quality starts, and 39.6 WAR. With the Saints, Figueroa got to play in the 1934 and 1936 Copa Sudamerica, helping them win the title in 1936. He had a 3.31 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 54.1 playoff innings. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t see the playoffs again after leaving Santiago.

At the end of the 1940 season, the 30-year old Figueroa was traded by a rebuilding Santiago to Fortaleza. Figueroa would go into the Hall with the Foxes as he spent the next nine seasons there. They had been the Southern Cone champ the year prior and managed a few 90+ win seasons during Figueroa’s time, but they never got over the hump throughout the decade. With Fortaleza, Figueroa had a 118-124 record, 2.54 ERA, 2235.2 innings, 2533 strikeouts, 204/27 quality starts, and 54.9 WAR. He also picked up a no-hitter on 8/29/47 with eight strikeouts and one walk against his former team Santiago.

Figueroa did play for his native Ecuador in the first four World Baseball Championship tournaments, going 3-5 in nine starts over 65.1 innings with 60 strikeouts and a 3.17 ERA. He was still reliably productive in his 30s, although he never was a top-three vote getter for Pitcher of the Year. In 1950, he left Fortaleza and played his final season for his hometown team Guayaquil, retiring after the season at age 40.

The final stats saw a 235-227 record, 2.79 ERA, 4326 innings, 4794 strikeouts, 784 walks, 373/527 quality starts, 195 complete games, and 96.3 WAR. He very quietly put up a very good career, but the lack of dominance made many view him as a Hall of Very Good type, especially in the early era of BSA that saw many great pitchers. Still, his longevity and consistency still got enough attention from the voters to not only put him in on his first ballot, but in at 83.8% amongst a class loaded with great pitchers.