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FuzzyRussianHat · 06-03-2023, 05:46 AM

Three players earned induction into the Central American Baseball Association in the 1958 class, each on the first ballot. SS Emmanuel Zavala was the star of the class at 93.2%, joined by SP Jeron Evans at 83.2% and 1B Ildefonso Vasquez at 74.2%. 2B Ray Reyes was close on his sixth ballot at 61.9% but ultimately short of the 66% threshold. One other player, LF Se-Hyeon Kim, was just above 50%.

Dropped after his tenth ballot was OF Willy Samuel, who peaked on his third ballot at 40.8%. In his CABA run almost exclusively with Ecatepec, he had 1587 hits, 740 runs, 287 doubles, a .335/.391/.474 slash and 56.4 WAR. Samuel was an important part of the Explosion’s title runs, but he left for MLB at age 31 and lost potential CABA accumulations. That, plus injuries in his 30s, kept Samuel down the list despite a very impressive run in his 20s.

Emmanuel “Punk” Zavala – Shortstop – Leon Lions – 93.2% First Ballot

Emmanuel Zavala was a 6’2’’ 195 pound right-handed shortstop from Nuevo Laredo on the Mexico/Texas border. Zavala was an ironman at shortstop, making 139+ starts every year in all but the final season of his 19-year professional career. He was a strong contact hitter with respectable home run power and solid baserunning skills. He didn’t draw walks very often and struck out more than you’d like, but he offered unparalleled offensive production for the position. He was a career shortstop and while not a Gold Glove winner, he was as reliably above average to good defender.

Zavala was a highly touted prospect as an amateur and earned the first overall selection in the 1933 CABA Draft by Leon. Zavala spent his entire professional career with the Lions and was an immediate success, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. In year two, he won his first of 16 consecutive Silver Sluggers at shortstop. Zavala is the first player in professional baseball history to win the award 16 times and as of 2037, one of only three in any professional league to do it. He had 14 straight 6+ WAR seasons beginning with his third season.

In 1938, Zavala led the Mexican League with 11.5 WAR, earning his first MVP. He’d also lead in WAR in 1942 (9.7) and 1943 (8.0). Despite his accolades, he wasn’t one to lead the league in other stats other than when he led in RBI in 1944. He won his second MVP in 1942, was third in 1937, second in 1944, and third in 1949 at the ripe old age of 37.

After a rough start to the 1930s, Leon started finding success with Zavala leading the way by the end of the decade. They were the 1939 and 1941 CABA champion and were runner-up in 1942. Zavala was a beast in 1939, winning both Mexican League Championship Series MVP and CABA Championship MVP with 18 hits in 14 games, 7 runs, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI. He struggled a bit in the other two runs, but still helped the Lions to additional success. In 39 playoff games, Zavala had 37 hits, 15 runs, 5 home runs, 18 RBI, and 1.0 WAR. Leon remained a top-half of the standings team for the rest of the 1940s, but wouldn’t make the playoffs again during Zavala’s tenure.

He stayed loyal to the team, continuing to produce at a very high level well into his 30s. Zavala also played for the Mexican national team in the first five World Baseball Championship events, posting 34 hits, 25 runs, 7 home runs, and 18 RBI in 50 games. Age started to catch up to Zavala as the 1950s dawned, but he stuck around long enough to became the first CABA player to reach 3000 career hits. He was a bench player primarily in this final season, but fans nationwide were delighted to see the extremely popular Zavala reach the milestone. He retired after the 1952 season and saw his #6 uniform retired soon after.

The final stats for Zavala, 3044 hits, 1454 runs, 386 doubles, 166 triples, 497 home runs, 1486 RBI, 804 stolen bases, a .279/.314/.482 slash, and 134.1 WAR. His time as the all-time hit king would be short-lived thanks to Prometheo Garcia passing him later in the decade. He also retired with the most games played of any CABA player at 2951, which would hold until the 1960s. At retirement, he was second all-time in WAR for a CABA hitter behind only Kiko Velazquez. Zavala was a true ironman and one of the best offensive shortstops in professional baseball history, easily earning the first ballot nod. If anything, 93.2% seems too low for his resume.

Jeron Evans – Starting Pitcher – Puerto Rico Pelicans – 83.2% First Ballot

Jeron Evans was a 5’11’’, 175 pound right-handed pitcher from Maroon Town, a tiny settlement in northwest Jamaica. Evans had one of the more unique profiles of a prominent pitcher. He had excellent velocity around 99-101 mph and pinpoint control of a great fastball, mixed with a good splitter and cutter, and weak curveball. However, his movement was often terrible, ranked a 2/10 by most scouts even at his peak. He had a ton of strikeouts and very few walks, but flat pitches meant he’d allow a lot of home runs. Evans led the Caribbean League in strikeouts eight times, but also led in home runs allowed eight times. This meant Evans was very boom-or-bust.

After drawing attention as a talented teenager in Jamaica, he was picked on the second round, 32^nd overall, by Puerto Rico in the 1934 CABA Draft. He made his debut in1937 at age 22 and struggled as a rookie, but he soon began overpowering many hitters with his stuff. In his fourth season in 1940, he lead the league in strikeouts; the first of eight straight seasons doing so. Evans never won Pitcher of the Year, but took second in voting in 1943, 44, and 46.

During those prime years, the Pelicans became a contender, winning the Island Division six straight years from 1941-46. Puerto Rico won the Caribbean League championship in 41, 43, 44, and 45; and took the overall CABA title in 1944. In 130.2 postseason innings, Evans had a 7-4 record, 3.93 ERA, 157 strikeouts, 26 home runs allowed, nine walks, and 1.9 WAR. In 1947 at age 32, he became the 11^th CABA pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts and seemed like someone who could maybe even challenge Ulices Montero’s all-time mark of 5849;, or at least become the second member of the 5K club.

Alas, late in the 1947 season, Evans suffered a torn labrum. He stuck around the league for another five seasons, but was never the same or able to put together a full season. He suffered a torn UCL at the start of 1949, had severe shoulder inflammation in 1950, and a torn back muscle in 1951 Evans was able to stick around long enough to be the 20^th CABA pitcher to 200 wins, retiring after the 1952 season at age 38. For his part in their 1940s dynasty, the career Pelican had his #24 uniform retired at the end of his career.

The final stats for Evans: 207-142 record, 3.23 ERA, 3162.2 innings, 3798 strikeouts to only 372 walks, but 514 home runs allowed, a 0.97 WHIP, 243/395 quality starts, and 56.0 WAR. His walks allowed would be among the lowest of all CABA Hall of Fame starters, but his home runs allowed would be second-worst all-time despite not having a full season after age 32. His strikeouts made him an impressive force, but the dingers meant he allowed more runs than your typical Hall of Famer and was ranked unfavorably by many advanced metrics. Still, he was the ace during a Caribbean League dynasty run for Puerto Rico, earning Evans the first ballot nod at 83.2%.

Ildefonso Vazquez – First Baseman – Puerto Rico Pelicans – 74.2% First Ballot

Ildefonso Vazquez was a 5’1’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Jaguey Grande, a small city in west-central Cuba. Vazquez was a well-rounded bat with excellent contact skills and solid power in the middle of the lineup. He was middling in terms of drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts, but he made up for that easily with quality hits. He was a very slow baserunner, but considered generally a reliable defensive first baseman, which is where he spent his entire career. Vazquez was well liked and known as a prankster that caused good-natured chaos in the clubhouse.

He was spotted as a teenager in Cuba and was picked 13^th overall in the 1932 CABA Draft by Puerto Rico. Like HOF classmate Jeron Evans, Vazquez spent his entire pro career with the Pelicans. Although picked in 1932, he wasn’t a full-timer until the 1937 at age 24, although he did make sparing appearances in 1934 and 1936. He was a part-time starter in his first two years, then a full-time starter from 1939 until his final season in 1952. In each of those seasons, he made 149+ starts as an incredibly durable ironman.

1939 was the breakout year for Vazquez, earning the Caribbean League batting title with a .330 average and career/league best 207 hits. This was the first of his five Silver Slugger seasons, also earning the award in 1941, 42, 44, and 48. 1941 was his career season, leading the Caribbean in runs (110), hits (199), doubles (40), average (.336), OPS (.992), and WAR (9.2), earning his lone MVP. He was second in MVP voting in 1942 with career highs in home runs (44) and RBI (130). He never quite replicated that success in the rest of career, but was still a reliable solid presence in the lineup.

Like mentioned above with Evans, Puerto Rico became a Caribbean League power in the early 1940s. Vazquez shined in the playoffs, posting a line in 60 starts of 85 hits, 46 runs, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 63 RBI, a .351 average, and 4.8 WAR. He was the 1944 CABA Championship MVP and his 27 playoff home runs was the CABA record until passed by Solomon Aragon about 30 years later. He remained steady as the Pelicans began to rebuild into the 1950s. After a resurgence at age 38 in 1951, he fell off noticeably the next year, retiring after the 1952 season.

The final stats for Vazquez: 2660 hits, 1282 runs, 421 doubles, 465 home runs, 1438 RBI, a .290/.335/.498 slash and 74.2 WAR. He was about as reliable as could be at first base for 15 years and stepped up big time in the postseason, playing a critical role in Puerto Rico’s 1940s success. Still, he only got 74.2% of the vote, perhaps a bit low, but still high enough to forever list Vazquez as a first-ballot CABA Hall of Famer.

06-03-2023, 05:46 AM	#304
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,639	1958 CABA Hall of Fame Three players earned induction into the Central American Baseball Association in the 1958 class, each on the first ballot. SS Emmanuel Zavala was the star of the class at 93.2%, joined by SP Jeron Evans at 83.2% and 1B Ildefonso Vasquez at 74.2%. 2B Ray Reyes was close on his sixth ballot at 61.9% but ultimately short of the 66% threshold. One other player, LF Se-Hyeon Kim, was just above 50%. Dropped after his tenth ballot was OF Willy Samuel, who peaked on his third ballot at 40.8%. In his CABA run almost exclusively with Ecatepec, he had 1587 hits, 740 runs, 287 doubles, a .335/.391/.474 slash and 56.4 WAR. Samuel was an important part of the Explosion’s title runs, but he left for MLB at age 31 and lost potential CABA accumulations. That, plus injuries in his 30s, kept Samuel down the list despite a very impressive run in his 20s. Emmanuel “Punk” Zavala – Shortstop – Leon Lions – 93.2% First Ballot Emmanuel Zavala was a 6’2’’ 195 pound right-handed shortstop from Nuevo Laredo on the Mexico/Texas border. Zavala was an ironman at shortstop, making 139+ starts every year in all but the final season of his 19-year professional career. He was a strong contact hitter with respectable home run power and solid baserunning skills. He didn’t draw walks very often and struck out more than you’d like, but he offered unparalleled offensive production for the position. He was a career shortstop and while not a Gold Glove winner, he was as reliably above average to good defender. Zavala was a highly touted prospect as an amateur and earned the first overall selection in the 1933 CABA Draft by Leon. Zavala spent his entire professional career with the Lions and was an immediate success, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. In year two, he won his first of 16 consecutive Silver Sluggers at shortstop. Zavala is the first player in professional baseball history to win the award 16 times and as of 2037, one of only three in any professional league to do it. He had 14 straight 6+ WAR seasons beginning with his third season. In 1938, Zavala led the Mexican League with 11.5 WAR, earning his first MVP. He’d also lead in WAR in 1942 (9.7) and 1943 (8.0). Despite his accolades, he wasn’t one to lead the league in other stats other than when he led in RBI in 1944. He won his second MVP in 1942, was third in 1937, second in 1944, and third in 1949 at the ripe old age of 37. After a rough start to the 1930s, Leon started finding success with Zavala leading the way by the end of the decade. They were the 1939 and 1941 CABA champion and were runner-up in 1942. Zavala was a beast in 1939, winning both Mexican League Championship Series MVP and CABA Championship MVP with 18 hits in 14 games, 7 runs, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI. He struggled a bit in the other two runs, but still helped the Lions to additional success. In 39 playoff games, Zavala had 37 hits, 15 runs, 5 home runs, 18 RBI, and 1.0 WAR. Leon remained a top-half of the standings team for the rest of the 1940s, but wouldn’t make the playoffs again during Zavala’s tenure. He stayed loyal to the team, continuing to produce at a very high level well into his 30s. Zavala also played for the Mexican national team in the first five World Baseball Championship events, posting 34 hits, 25 runs, 7 home runs, and 18 RBI in 50 games. Age started to catch up to Zavala as the 1950s dawned, but he stuck around long enough to became the first CABA player to reach 3000 career hits. He was a bench player primarily in this final season, but fans nationwide were delighted to see the extremely popular Zavala reach the milestone. He retired after the 1952 season and saw his #6 uniform retired soon after. The final stats for Zavala, 3044 hits, 1454 runs, 386 doubles, 166 triples, 497 home runs, 1486 RBI, 804 stolen bases, a .279/.314/.482 slash, and 134.1 WAR. His time as the all-time hit king would be short-lived thanks to Prometheo Garcia passing him later in the decade. He also retired with the most games played of any CABA player at 2951, which would hold until the 1960s. At retirement, he was second all-time in WAR for a CABA hitter behind only Kiko Velazquez. Zavala was a true ironman and one of the best offensive shortstops in professional baseball history, easily earning the first ballot nod. If anything, 93.2% seems too low for his resume. Jeron Evans – Starting Pitcher – Puerto Rico Pelicans – 83.2% First Ballot Jeron Evans was a 5’11’’, 175 pound right-handed pitcher from Maroon Town, a tiny settlement in northwest Jamaica. Evans had one of the more unique profiles of a prominent pitcher. He had excellent velocity around 99-101 mph and pinpoint control of a great fastball, mixed with a good splitter and cutter, and weak curveball. However, his movement was often terrible, ranked a 2/10 by most scouts even at his peak. He had a ton of strikeouts and very few walks, but flat pitches meant he’d allow a lot of home runs. Evans led the Caribbean League in strikeouts eight times, but also led in home runs allowed eight times. This meant Evans was very boom-or-bust. After drawing attention as a talented teenager in Jamaica, he was picked on the second round, 32^nd overall, by Puerto Rico in the 1934 CABA Draft. He made his debut in1937 at age 22 and struggled as a rookie, but he soon began overpowering many hitters with his stuff. In his fourth season in 1940, he lead the league in strikeouts; the first of eight straight seasons doing so. Evans never won Pitcher of the Year, but took second in voting in 1943, 44, and 46. During those prime years, the Pelicans became a contender, winning the Island Division six straight years from 1941-46. Puerto Rico won the Caribbean League championship in 41, 43, 44, and 45; and took the overall CABA title in 1944. In 130.2 postseason innings, Evans had a 7-4 record, 3.93 ERA, 157 strikeouts, 26 home runs allowed, nine walks, and 1.9 WAR. In 1947 at age 32, he became the 11^th CABA pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts and seemed like someone who could maybe even challenge Ulices Montero’s all-time mark of 5849;, or at least become the second member of the 5K club. Alas, late in the 1947 season, Evans suffered a torn labrum. He stuck around the league for another five seasons, but was never the same or able to put together a full season. He suffered a torn UCL at the start of 1949, had severe shoulder inflammation in 1950, and a torn back muscle in 1951 Evans was able to stick around long enough to be the 20^th CABA pitcher to 200 wins, retiring after the 1952 season at age 38. For his part in their 1940s dynasty, the career Pelican had his #24 uniform retired at the end of his career. The final stats for Evans: 207-142 record, 3.23 ERA, 3162.2 innings, 3798 strikeouts to only 372 walks, but 514 home runs allowed, a 0.97 WHIP, 243/395 quality starts, and 56.0 WAR. His walks allowed would be among the lowest of all CABA Hall of Fame starters, but his home runs allowed would be second-worst all-time despite not having a full season after age 32. His strikeouts made him an impressive force, but the dingers meant he allowed more runs than your typical Hall of Famer and was ranked unfavorably by many advanced metrics. Still, he was the ace during a Caribbean League dynasty run for Puerto Rico, earning Evans the first ballot nod at 83.2%. Ildefonso Vazquez – First Baseman – Puerto Rico Pelicans – 74.2% First Ballot Ildefonso Vazquez was a 5’1’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Jaguey Grande, a small city in west-central Cuba. Vazquez was a well-rounded bat with excellent contact skills and solid power in the middle of the lineup. He was middling in terms of drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts, but he made up for that easily with quality hits. He was a very slow baserunner, but considered generally a reliable defensive first baseman, which is where he spent his entire career. Vazquez was well liked and known as a prankster that caused good-natured chaos in the clubhouse. He was spotted as a teenager in Cuba and was picked 13^th overall in the 1932 CABA Draft by Puerto Rico. Like HOF classmate Jeron Evans, Vazquez spent his entire pro career with the Pelicans. Although picked in 1932, he wasn’t a full-timer until the 1937 at age 24, although he did make sparing appearances in 1934 and 1936. He was a part-time starter in his first two years, then a full-time starter from 1939 until his final season in 1952. In each of those seasons, he made 149+ starts as an incredibly durable ironman. 1939 was the breakout year for Vazquez, earning the Caribbean League batting title with a .330 average and career/league best 207 hits. This was the first of his five Silver Slugger seasons, also earning the award in 1941, 42, 44, and 48. 1941 was his career season, leading the Caribbean in runs (110), hits (199), doubles (40), average (.336), OPS (.992), and WAR (9.2), earning his lone MVP. He was second in MVP voting in 1942 with career highs in home runs (44) and RBI (130). He never quite replicated that success in the rest of career, but was still a reliable solid presence in the lineup. Like mentioned above with Evans, Puerto Rico became a Caribbean League power in the early 1940s. Vazquez shined in the playoffs, posting a line in 60 starts of 85 hits, 46 runs, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 63 RBI, a .351 average, and 4.8 WAR. He was the 1944 CABA Championship MVP and his 27 playoff home runs was the CABA record until passed by Solomon Aragon about 30 years later. He remained steady as the Pelicans began to rebuild into the 1950s. After a resurgence at age 38 in 1951, he fell off noticeably the next year, retiring after the 1952 season. The final stats for Vazquez: 2660 hits, 1282 runs, 421 doubles, 465 home runs, 1438 RBI, a .290/.335/.498 slash and 74.2 WAR. He was about as reliable as could be at first base for 15 years and stepped up big time in the postseason, playing a critical role in Puerto Rico’s 1940s success. Still, he only got 74.2% of the vote, perhaps a bit low, but still high enough to forever list Vazquez as a first-ballot CABA Hall of Famer. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)