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1958 saw only one player added to Beisbol Sudamerica’s Hall of Fame. Pitcher Hernan Alatorre was a first ballot pick with an impressive 93.9%. 1B Yuri Assuncao was nearly a first ballot selection as well, but his 65.3% was barely below the 66% threshold. Only one other player, SP Aldemar Ramires, as above 50%.



One was dropped after his 10^th ballot in catcher Armando Urquides, who fell to 10.2% after peaking at 43.8% on his second try. He was hurt by having his official BSA career start at age 27, but in 13 seasons with three teams he had seven Silver Sluggers, 1387 hits, and 55.2 WAR. The general anti-catcher bias of the Hall of Fame voters didn’t help his cause either as the relatively weak offensive tallies even by elite catches gets overlooked.



Hernan Alatorre – Starting Pitcher – Lima Lobos – 93.9% First Ballot

Hernan Alatorre was a 6’2’’, 205 pound left-handed pitcher from Lima, Peru. Alatorre was known for having very good control and solid stuff, finding success despite having velocity that peaked in the 89-91 range. His fastball wasn’t his go-to though, a great slider and an outstanding changeup carried Alatorre to success. He was also a very good defensive pitcher and generally pretty durable. His skill led to a long career despite being generally viewed as a total jerk who lacked hustle. This meant Alatorre isn’t entirely remembered as fondly as you’d expect as a Hall of Famer who spent nearly his entire pro career in his hometown.

The Lima native was selected by the Lobos in the 1936 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1937. He became a fixture in the rotation for around 15 years, posting reliably consistent numbers for a struggling franchise that never made the playoffs in his run. He had 10 seasons of 300+ strikeouts and seven seasons of 7+ WAR. Still, he never won Pitcher of the Year and finished top three only once, taking second in 1946. That year had a career and league-best 9.4 WAR and 0.79 WHIP.

In the summer of 1944, Lima traded him to Fortaleza for three prospects. But as a free agent in the offseason, he signed back up with the Lobos for another seven seasons. He had a no-hitter against Medellin in 1942 and on April 30, 1950, had his crowning achievement with Beisbol Sudamerica’s 15^th perfect game. Alatorre struck out eight in the perfect against Valencia. He also was on the Peruvian national team in the first six World Baseball Championship tournaments, posting a 4.38 ERA over 72 innings with 82 strikeouts.

Before the 1952 season, the 38-year old Alatorre was traded to Cali, which allowed him to experience his only BSA postseason as the Cyclones were Bolivar League champ. He had two strong starts in that run with a 1.62 ERA over 16.2 innings with 14 strikeouts. His overall numbers had weakened, but Alatorre was still good enough to hang around at this point. However, he decided that the playoff run with Cali was a good place to end, retiring at age 38. He would the next year see his #16 uniform retired back home in Lima.

The final stats for Alatorre: 238-193, 2.53 ERA, 4046 innings, 4703 strikeouts, 711 walks, 375/516 quality starts, 144 complete games, and 101.6 WAR. In an odd way, he somewhat quietly built up an impressive resume. He was the fifth BSA pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts and the 12^th to 200 wins. Among the HOF leaderboard, his numbers certainly don’t look out of place. Despite rarely leading the league, being on a weak franchise, and being a bit rude, Alatorre’s credentials were undeniable and he grabbed a first ballot spot at 93.9%.