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Beisbol Sudamerica added two slam dunk first ballot selections with the 1966 Hall of Fame class. 1B R.J. Correa received 99.6% of the vote, which was to date, the highest percentage for anyone in the BSA Hall. Pitcher Nono Louceiro meanwhile had his own impressive 98.4% to get in. RF Nando Gaspar wasn’t far from the 66% threshold, but still short on his fourth try with 61.9%. Only one other, LF Martyn Jarava, was above 50%. There weren’t any players dropped from the ballot following ten attempts.



R.J. Correa – First Baseman – Cali Cyclones – 99.6% First Ballot

R.J Correa was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Envigado, a city in the Aburra Valley of northwestern Colombia. Correa was one of the top contact hitters of his era while also adding good power to the tune of around 30 home runs and 30 doubles per year. Correa was respectable at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate wasn’t the best. His speed was below average and he was exclusively a first baseman, although his defense was generally viewed as average to just below average. Correa was a popular player for his talent, but also well liked in the clubhouse as a known prankster.

After an impressive amateur career around Colombia, Correa was picked ninth overall in the 1941 CABA Draft by Cali. He had only 25 at bats in his rookie season, then exploded in his first full season where he finished third in MVP voting, posting a 30-game hit streak along the way. His first of five Silver Sluggers at the competitive first base slot came in 1945 with addition wins in 1947, 49, 50, and 51. Cali became a Bolivar League powerhouse starting in the late 1940s and their ascent mirrored Correa’s. The Cyclones made the playoffs each year from 1947-53 and won the Bolivar League title four times, although they never earned the Copa Sudamerica ring. In 60 playoff starts with Cali, Correa had 67 hits, 23 runs, 13 doubles, 12 home runs, and 28 RBI.

1949 was the banner year for Correa with Beisbol Sudamerica’s fifth-ever Triple Crown by a hitter. While a good power hitter, he exploded for a career best 47 home runs, along with his lone batting title at .325 and 114 RBI. He also had a career best 110 runs scored and 9.7 WAR. Correa was second in MVP voting the next two seasons, then won it for the second time in 1953. In his career, Correa was the league leader in WAR thrice, runs twice, RBI twice, and OPS twice. In total with Cali, he had 2535 hits, 1263 runs, 401 doubles, 481 home runs, 1453 RBI, a .303 average, and 99.3 WAR. Unsurprisingly, his #35 uniform would be retired by the Cyclones franchise.

Correa was also a regular for Colombia in the World Baseball Championship, playing in 160 games and making 153 starts from 1947-60. For his country, he had 133 hits, 97 runs, 51 home runs, 96 RBI, and 5.6 WAR.

1956 saw Cali fall hard to 65-97, ending a streak of 14 straight winning seasons. Now in his mid 30s, Correa wasn’t MVP level anymore, but still was a strong bat in the lineup. The Cyclones fell even worse in 1957 and decided they had to below it up, trading Correa to Santiago for three prospects. The Saints were a playoff contender at this point and ultimately signed Correa to a three-year extension. Santiago couldn’t get over the hump in his tenure and with his production dropping at age 40, Correa retired after the 1960 season. In a cruel twist, the Saints would win Copa Sudamerica the next year.

Correa’s final stats: 2997 hits, 1488 runs, 468 doubles, 546 home runs, 1633 RBI, a .297/.350/.517 slash and 110.3 WAR. At retirement, he was second all-time in hits for BSA behind Angel Gabriel Cornejo’s 3253. Although later passed by many from a more offensive era, his 468 doubles was the career record at retirement. He was second all-time in RBI, fourth in runs scored, and fifth in hitting WAR. Clearly, one of the premiere hitters in South America in the 1940s and 50s and a no-doubt Hall of Famer with 99.6% of the vote.



Nono Louceiro – Starting Pitcher – Cordoba Chanticleers – 98.4% First Ballot

Nono Louceiro was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Monteros, a town in northern Argentina of around 24,000. Louceiro would be renowned in his peak years for having stellar control along with solid movement and above average stuff. His velocity was 97-99 mph with a fastball, slider, forkball, and changeup; but it was his ability to spot those pitches that made him so effective. Louceiro was also viewed as a good defensive pitcher.

Louceiro was picked 17^th overall in the 1946 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Cordoba and spent his entire BSA career with the Chanticleers. After an iffy rookie season, he went onto have 6+ WAR seasons in 11 of the 13 seasons for Cordoba. In this stretch, he led the Southern Cone League in ERA twice, WHIP four times, K/BB four times, quality starts twice, FIP- twice, and WAR thrice. In May 1948, he threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts and one walk against Rosario

1949 was Louceiro’s first season getting Pitcher of the Year consideration, taking third in the voting. In 1951, he won it for the first time. He was second in 1952, then won the award for the second time in 1953. Louceiro’s third Pitcher of the Year came in 1956 with one additional second place in 1957. 1953 was his best season by WAR with 10.4 and a career-best and league leading 336 strikeouts. The 1956 season saw the league-lead in ERA at 1.52. In 1959, he had a career-best 1.27 ERA in 28 starts, missing 5-6 weeks to a hamstring strain.

Louceiro was the ace as Cordoba became a Southern Cone League powerhouse in the 1950s. From 1950-56, they made the playoffs six times, won the league title four times, and took the Copa Sudamerica crown thrice (1951, 53, and 56). 1956 saw a remarkable 120-42 record with that team viewed perhaps as the league’s all-time greatest. In a stellar postseason career, Louceiro was 8-4 with a 1.82 ERA over 104 innings, 110 strikeouts, 18 walks, and 3.3 WAR. He also pitched for Argentina from 1948-60 in the World Baseball Championship, posting a 2.78 ERA and 19-10 record over 255.2 innings with 277 strikeouts and 6.8 WAR. His highlight in his international career was a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts in a 1954 game against Haiti.

After the 120-win 1956 season, Cordoba began a playoff drought, although they still had a winning record regularly. Louceiro continued to be an excellent pitcher into his 30s, but early in the 1960 season, he suffered a partially torn UCL. The Chanticleers chose to buyout his final year of his contract and said goodbye to their ace, although there would be no hard feelings and his #19 uniform would get retired. Even with the injury, Major League teams still wanted to give Louceiro a shot and he was signed by Columbus for $126,000; doubling his prior Cordoba peak. Louceiro was okay but nothing special in 26 starts for the Chargers. The 38-year old was cut before the 1962 season and would spend part of the year as a reliever in minor league Austin, retiring that offseason.

The final BSA stats for Louceiro: 208-110 record, 1.95 ERA, 3098.2 innings, 3438 strikeouts to only 382 walks for a 9.0 K/BB rate, 322/398 quality starts, a 64 FIP-, and 97.9 WAR. He wasn’t the dominant strikeout guy like many of his contemporaries, but his walk total remains among the lowest of all BSA Hall of Fame starters and he’s one of a very select few starts with a career ERA below 2. Louceiro was an elite pitcher of the 1950s and a critical piece in Cordoba’s dynasty, making him an obvious first ballot pick at 98.4%.