[FuzzyRussianHat]

One player was inducted by the Central American Baseball Association with the 1965 Hall of Fame Class. Closer Yimi Armenta got the nod as a first ballot choice at 85.3%. SP Martin Duenas was next at 60.6%, falling short and getting dropped after his tenth attempt. Two others, SP Sheldon Malcolm (59.3%, 6^th ballot) and 1B Alejandro Encinas (54.7%, 2^nd ballot) were above the 50% mark.



For Duenas, 60.6% was as close he got, usually hovering in the 40% range during his 10 attempts. The 1939 Mexican League Pitcher of the Year, in 15 seasons primarily with Leon he had a 191-154 record, 3.07 ERA, 3233 innings, 2867 strikeouts, FIP- of 100, and 41.9 WAR. A nice run, but fairly firmly a “Hall of Very Good” guy. He was the only player dropped after ten attempts on the ballot. Notably dropped after eight was fellow SP Ponto Silva, a four time Gold Glove winner. He peaked at 19.3%, posting a 163-122 record, 3.07 ERA, 2075 strikeouts, and 46.0 WAR over 15 seasons.




Yimi Armenta – Closer – Jamaica Jazz – 85.3% First Ballot

Yimi Armenta was a 6’2’, 185 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Mayari, a municipality of around 100,000 people in eastern Cuba. Unlike a lot of other closers to get Hall of Fame nods, Armenta didn’t have overpowering stuff. However, his stuff, movement, and control were all considered solid to good. His best pitch was a 93-95 mph sinker that he mixed with a slider; allowing him to coax groundballs with great success. Armenta was also known to be incredibly durable and a great leader who was always willing and able to come into the game at a moment’s notice.

Every inning of his professional career was with Jamaica, but the Jazz were actually his third CABA team. Armenta was picked 39^th overall in the second round of the 1939 CABA Draft by Santo Domingo. After one season on the developmental roster, he was traded to Honduras. Armenta spent two seasons on their reserve roster, then was traded before the 1943 season to Jamaica. He made his debut at age 23 in 143 with the Jazz, but wouldn’t take over the closer role until his third year.

Armenta would be the Jazz closer for most of his tenure from there on, although he was occasionally moved to a lesser hole. He was a three-time Reliever of the Year winner (1949, 52, 54). He took second for the award in 1948 and third in 1953. Jamaica made the playoffs in 1948 and 1950 during Armenta’s tenure and claimed the CABA Championship in 1950. He also played for his native Cuba in the World Baseball Championship from 1951-59 where he was more commonly used as a starting pitcher. In 114 tournament innings, Armenta had a 3.71 ERA and 139 strikeouts worth 1.8 WAR. He hung around through the 1959 season, retiring at age 40.

The final stats for Armenta: 399 saves and 486 shutdowns, a 2.55 ERA, 1167.1 innings, 1144 strikeouts, 323 walks, FIP- of 78, and 25.3 WAR. At retirement, he was the all-time saves leader for CABA. His lack of strikeouts relative to other Hall of Fame relievers rates him low when it comes to advanced stats, but saves are the sexy stat to the voters, getting Armenta in on the first ballot at 85.3%.