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FuzzyRussianHat · 09-19-2023, 07:37 AM

Three first ballot selections were added to the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame from the 1977 voting. RF Argenis Cabrera (96.4%) and SP Diego Morales (96.1%) were the major stars of the group while SP Bastian Valdes (79.1%) joined them as a solid addition. Only one other player was above 50% with Yennier Rey at 58.8% on his third try.

Dropped after ten ballots was SP Wilner Christian, who won three Pitcher of the Year awards. He had 10 great seasons with Santo Domingo, then five forgettable ones with MLB’s St. Louis. With the Dolphins, he had a 134-94 record, 2.86 ERA, 2043 strikeouts in 2097.1 innings, and 48.0 WAR. Had he not left for MLB and suffered injuries in the late run, his accumulations probably would’ve been enough to get across the line. He peaked at 50.4% on his sixth ballot before ending at 33.3%.

Argenis Cabrera – Outfield/First Base – Puerto Rico Pelicans – 96.4% First Ballot

Argenis Cabrera was a 6’0’’ 200 pound left-handed hitter from Guantanamo, Cuba. Cabrera was an elite home run hitter that led the Caribbean League in homers six times in his career. In his prime, he was also a solid contact hitter that also added around 30 doubles per year along with his 40-45 dingers. Cabrera was okay at drawing walks but below average at avoiding strikeouts, leading in whiffs thrice. He was an incredibly slow baserunner who split his career defensively between right field, left field, and first base. At all spots, he was a poor defender. Still, his power and work ethic made him a fan favorite and his durability saw him as a regular in the lineup.

Cabrera emerged as a top Caribbean prospect and was picked 12^th overall in the 1953 CABA Draft by Puerto Rico. He spent all but his final season with the Pelicans. After sporadic pinch hitting as a rookie, he became a full-time starter afterward for PR, only missing time because of injuries. He’d suffer a broken kneecap to put him out much of 1957, but he’d play 130+ games in every other season. In his third season, Cabrera emerged as an elite power hitter with 50 home runs, 122 RBI, and an 1.071 OPS. This earned him the Caribbean League MVP and a Silver Slugger. The Pelicans went on a big run and claimed the CABA Championship in 1956 with Cabrera getting 11 hits and 9 runs in the playoffs.

Puerto Rico remained a winning team generally, but they’d only make the playoffs twice more in Cabrera’s run with first round exits in both 1963 and 1964. Still, Cabrera continued to roll with seven Silver Sluggers (1956, 59, 62, 63, 64, 66, and 67). He wouldn’t win MVP again, but did take second in 1959 and 1963. Cabrera led the Caribbean League in OPS four times, homers six times, RBI thrice, and wRC+ three times. His career best in homers was 52 in 1960 with a career high 134 RBI in 1959, and a.343 average in 1963. Cabrera also went home to Cuba and was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 1955-71, posting 89 hits, 68 runs, 50 home runs, and 97 RBI in 107 games.

Cabrera continued to be solid until the late 1960s as he started to see his strikeouts go up and his hits go down. His last year with Puerto Rico came in 1970 at age 37 with only 0.3 WAR. Puerto Rico would let him go after the season, although he’d remain very popular and see his #35 uniform retired. Cabrera played one final season as a lousy backup with Monterrey, retiring after the 1971 season at age 39.

Cabrera’s final stats: 2507 hits, 1409 runs, 468 doubles, 673 home runs, 1691 RBI, a .283/.333/.575 slash, wRC+ of 148, and 73.4 WAR. At retirement, he was third in career CABA home runs and still sits 15^th best as of 2037. He also was third in RBI at retirement. Cabrera was one of the most impressive power hitters of his era and very much earned his first ballot induction at 96.4%.

Diego Morales – Starting Pitcher – Honduras Horsemen – 96.1% First Ballot

Diego Morales was a 5’11’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Puerto Plata, a city of more than 300,000 people in the northern Dominican Republic. At his peak, Morales had excellent control, good movement, and above average stuff despite only having 93-95 mph peak velocity. His arsenal was fastball, curveball, changeup, splitter, with an extreme groundball tendency and a knack for forcing weak contact. Morales was incredibly durable with 200+ innings in all but his first season.

Through his amateur and college career, many viewed Morales as the top prospect in the Caribbean. When the 1955 CABA Draft came up, Jamaica agreed with that assessment and made Morales the #1 overall draft pick. He saw 50 innings in his rookie season, then became a full-time starter for the rest of his career beyond that. With the Jazz though, he was merely decent. During an ultimately brief run in Jamaica, Morales had a 38-47 record, 3.54 ERA, 495 strikeouts in 762.2 innings, and 10.0 WAR. Decent numbers, but not what one would want from the top overall pick.

The Jazz decided to move on and traded him prior to the 1960 season and RF Quico Lora to Honduras for SP Anthony Blanco and 2B Odilio Ochoa. Honduras had taken the Caribbean League title in the prior two seasons and wanted another strong arm to bolster their efforts. Morales would emerge as an ace in six seasons with the Horsemen, leading the league in WAR thrice, FIP- twice, wins thrice, and ERA once. In 1961, he finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Morales won the award for the first time in 1962, then won it again in 1963 and 1964. 1963 was his most impressive season with a 22-6 record, 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 9.2 WAR; all career bests.

Honduras remained a contender with playoff berths again from 1960-64, wining the CABA Championship in 1963. They had early exits in the other years and despite Morales’ general success, his playoff numbers were iffy. In 12 starts, he had a 4-5 record, 5.56 ERA, and ERA+ of 68. This is part of the reason that Morales never saw his jersey retired by the team, despite winning three Pitcher of the Year awards. His regular season stats in six seasons with the Horsemen were impressive though with a 113-46 record, 2.43 ERA, 1504 strikeouts in 1514 innings, and 46.0 WAR. It’s also surprising he struggled in the playoffs since he was great for the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Championship. From 1958-71, he pitched 167 innings with a 2.10 ERA, 12-5 record, 187 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR.

Honduras’ playoff streak ended in 1965 and they didn’t re-sign the now 33-year old Morales. He signed a five-year, $810,000 deal with Haiti and ultimately spent four seasons with the Herons. Morales had steady, solid numbers, but wasn’t dominant enough to get awards consideration. Haiti wouldn’t make the playoffs in his tenure, but he posted a 2.83 ERA with a 59-50 record over 1009 innings, 1011 strikeouts, and 29.1 WAR. The highlight of the run came on September 25, 1967 with a no-hitter against Havana that had 12 strikeouts and two walks.

The Herons traded Morales before the 1970 season to Trinidad for two prospects. The one season for the 37-year old Morales was very solid, including a 2.25 ERA and a third place finish in Pitcher of the Year voting. This earned him a notable three-year, $672,000 deal with Guadalajara for 1971. His numbers fell closer to league average in his one year with the Hellhounds and Morales decided to retire after the 1971 season at age 39.

Morales final stats: 238-161 record, 2.81 ERA, 3779 innings, 3351 strikeouts, 350/481 quality starts, FIP- of 77, and 95.2 WAR. He wasn’t the flashy or dominant strikeout guy, meaning some didn’t realize his resume was as strong as it was. At that point, his WAR was sixth highest among pitchers inducted into the CABA Hall of Fame. That and three Pitcher of the Year awards meant the voters had no hesitation giving Morales the first ballot nod at 96.1%.

Bastian Valdes – Starting Pitcher – Salvador Stallions – 79.1% First Ballot

Bastian Valdes was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Magdalena Milpas Altas, a town of around 11,000 people in southern Guatemala. Valdes wasn’t amazing at anything, but was considered well rounded and above average at most phases of pitching. He had 95-97 mph peak velocity with four equally potent pitches; a slider, changeup, sinker, and splitter. Valdes had an extreme groundball tendency and had excellent stamina, leading the Caribbean League five times in innings pitched. He was also very durable, pitching 250+ innings in his first 11 seasons. Valdes was very outspoken, which made him polarizing in the clubhouse.

Valdes emerged in Central America as a top prospect and was selected first overall in the 1957 CABA Draft by Panama. He was a full-time starter immediately and won a Gold Glove as a rookie, although his production wasn’t great early on. Valdes ate up innings, but was average at best in his four years with the struggling Parrot franchise. In four years, he had a 50-67 record, 3.92 ERA, 1058.2 innings, 839 strikeouts and 14.6 WAR. Panama decided to trade him before the 1962 season for prospects to Salvador.

With the Stallions, Valdes found his rhythm and became a big piece of the success for them in the mid 1960s. He threw a no-hitter against Nicaragua on April 7, 1963 with nine strikeouts and three walks. Valdes finished second in Pitcher of the Year in 1963, 1965, and 1968; although he never won the top award. Salvador made the playoffs each year from 1963-66 and won the CABA Championship in 1964 and 1965. In the playoffs, Valdes had a 7-5 record in 13 starts with a 3.21 ERA, 103.2 innings, and 86 strikeouts. Valdes led the league in strikeouts in 1965 with 323 and led five times in innings pitched. He had three 8+ WAR seasons with a league and career-best 9.0 WAR in 1968 over 304.1 innings.

He also pitched from 1958-71 in the World Baseball Championship for his native Guatemala. In 1964, he tossed a WBC no-hitter with 10 strikeouts against Scotland. Salvador fell into the mid-tier for the rest of the 1960s, although Valdes remained steady. In 1969, he had his first major injury with shoulder tendinitis putting him out almost three months. A strained oblique put him out six weeks in 1970. Then in 1971, he suffered a partially torn UCL in August. Valdes opted to retire at this point at age 36 and would see his #30 uniform retired by the Stallions. With Salvador, he had a 174-104 record, 3.06 ERA, 2552.2 innings, 2461 strikeouts, and 63.9 WAR.

Valdes’ overall stats saw a 224-171 record, 3.31 ERA, 3611.1 innings, 3300 strikeouts to 793 walks, 283/443 quality starts, 180 complete games, a FIP- of 83 and 78.5 WAR. Most of his value was in giving you innings, as his advanced stats (a 114 ERA+) mark him on the lower end of CABA’s Hall of Fame pitchers. Still, his resume was strong enough that the voters made him the third member of the 1977 class, receiving first ballot induction at 79.1%.

09-19-2023, 07:37 AM	#592
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,621	1977 CABA Hall of Fame Three first ballot selections were added to the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame from the 1977 voting. RF Argenis Cabrera (96.4%) and SP Diego Morales (96.1%) were the major stars of the group while SP Bastian Valdes (79.1%) joined them as a solid addition. Only one other player was above 50% with Yennier Rey at 58.8% on his third try. Dropped after ten ballots was SP Wilner Christian, who won three Pitcher of the Year awards. He had 10 great seasons with Santo Domingo, then five forgettable ones with MLB’s St. Louis. With the Dolphins, he had a 134-94 record, 2.86 ERA, 2043 strikeouts in 2097.1 innings, and 48.0 WAR. Had he not left for MLB and suffered injuries in the late run, his accumulations probably would’ve been enough to get across the line. He peaked at 50.4% on his sixth ballot before ending at 33.3%. Argenis Cabrera – Outfield/First Base – Puerto Rico Pelicans – 96.4% First Ballot Argenis Cabrera was a 6’0’’ 200 pound left-handed hitter from Guantanamo, Cuba. Cabrera was an elite home run hitter that led the Caribbean League in homers six times in his career. In his prime, he was also a solid contact hitter that also added around 30 doubles per year along with his 40-45 dingers. Cabrera was okay at drawing walks but below average at avoiding strikeouts, leading in whiffs thrice. He was an incredibly slow baserunner who split his career defensively between right field, left field, and first base. At all spots, he was a poor defender. Still, his power and work ethic made him a fan favorite and his durability saw him as a regular in the lineup. Cabrera emerged as a top Caribbean prospect and was picked 12^th overall in the 1953 CABA Draft by Puerto Rico. He spent all but his final season with the Pelicans. After sporadic pinch hitting as a rookie, he became a full-time starter afterward for PR, only missing time because of injuries. He’d suffer a broken kneecap to put him out much of 1957, but he’d play 130+ games in every other season. In his third season, Cabrera emerged as an elite power hitter with 50 home runs, 122 RBI, and an 1.071 OPS. This earned him the Caribbean League MVP and a Silver Slugger. The Pelicans went on a big run and claimed the CABA Championship in 1956 with Cabrera getting 11 hits and 9 runs in the playoffs. Puerto Rico remained a winning team generally, but they’d only make the playoffs twice more in Cabrera’s run with first round exits in both 1963 and 1964. Still, Cabrera continued to roll with seven Silver Sluggers (1956, 59, 62, 63, 64, 66, and 67). He wouldn’t win MVP again, but did take second in 1959 and 1963. Cabrera led the Caribbean League in OPS four times, homers six times, RBI thrice, and wRC+ three times. His career best in homers was 52 in 1960 with a career high 134 RBI in 1959, and a.343 average in 1963. Cabrera also went home to Cuba and was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 1955-71, posting 89 hits, 68 runs, 50 home runs, and 97 RBI in 107 games. Cabrera continued to be solid until the late 1960s as he started to see his strikeouts go up and his hits go down. His last year with Puerto Rico came in 1970 at age 37 with only 0.3 WAR. Puerto Rico would let him go after the season, although he’d remain very popular and see his #35 uniform retired. Cabrera played one final season as a lousy backup with Monterrey, retiring after the 1971 season at age 39. Cabrera’s final stats: 2507 hits, 1409 runs, 468 doubles, 673 home runs, 1691 RBI, a .283/.333/.575 slash, wRC+ of 148, and 73.4 WAR. At retirement, he was third in career CABA home runs and still sits 15^th best as of 2037. He also was third in RBI at retirement. Cabrera was one of the most impressive power hitters of his era and very much earned his first ballot induction at 96.4%. Diego Morales – Starting Pitcher – Honduras Horsemen – 96.1% First Ballot Diego Morales was a 5’11’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Puerto Plata, a city of more than 300,000 people in the northern Dominican Republic. At his peak, Morales had excellent control, good movement, and above average stuff despite only having 93-95 mph peak velocity. His arsenal was fastball, curveball, changeup, splitter, with an extreme groundball tendency and a knack for forcing weak contact. Morales was incredibly durable with 200+ innings in all but his first season. Through his amateur and college career, many viewed Morales as the top prospect in the Caribbean. When the 1955 CABA Draft came up, Jamaica agreed with that assessment and made Morales the #1 overall draft pick. He saw 50 innings in his rookie season, then became a full-time starter for the rest of his career beyond that. With the Jazz though, he was merely decent. During an ultimately brief run in Jamaica, Morales had a 38-47 record, 3.54 ERA, 495 strikeouts in 762.2 innings, and 10.0 WAR. Decent numbers, but not what one would want from the top overall pick. The Jazz decided to move on and traded him prior to the 1960 season and RF Quico Lora to Honduras for SP Anthony Blanco and 2B Odilio Ochoa. Honduras had taken the Caribbean League title in the prior two seasons and wanted another strong arm to bolster their efforts. Morales would emerge as an ace in six seasons with the Horsemen, leading the league in WAR thrice, FIP- twice, wins thrice, and ERA once. In 1961, he finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Morales won the award for the first time in 1962, then won it again in 1963 and 1964. 1963 was his most impressive season with a 22-6 record, 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 9.2 WAR; all career bests. Honduras remained a contender with playoff berths again from 1960-64, wining the CABA Championship in 1963. They had early exits in the other years and despite Morales’ general success, his playoff numbers were iffy. In 12 starts, he had a 4-5 record, 5.56 ERA, and ERA+ of 68. This is part of the reason that Morales never saw his jersey retired by the team, despite winning three Pitcher of the Year awards. His regular season stats in six seasons with the Horsemen were impressive though with a 113-46 record, 2.43 ERA, 1504 strikeouts in 1514 innings, and 46.0 WAR. It’s also surprising he struggled in the playoffs since he was great for the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Championship. From 1958-71, he pitched 167 innings with a 2.10 ERA, 12-5 record, 187 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR. Honduras’ playoff streak ended in 1965 and they didn’t re-sign the now 33-year old Morales. He signed a five-year, $810,000 deal with Haiti and ultimately spent four seasons with the Herons. Morales had steady, solid numbers, but wasn’t dominant enough to get awards consideration. Haiti wouldn’t make the playoffs in his tenure, but he posted a 2.83 ERA with a 59-50 record over 1009 innings, 1011 strikeouts, and 29.1 WAR. The highlight of the run came on September 25, 1967 with a no-hitter against Havana that had 12 strikeouts and two walks. The Herons traded Morales before the 1970 season to Trinidad for two prospects. The one season for the 37-year old Morales was very solid, including a 2.25 ERA and a third place finish in Pitcher of the Year voting. This earned him a notable three-year, $672,000 deal with Guadalajara for 1971. His numbers fell closer to league average in his one year with the Hellhounds and Morales decided to retire after the 1971 season at age 39. Morales final stats: 238-161 record, 2.81 ERA, 3779 innings, 3351 strikeouts, 350/481 quality starts, FIP- of 77, and 95.2 WAR. He wasn’t the flashy or dominant strikeout guy, meaning some didn’t realize his resume was as strong as it was. At that point, his WAR was sixth highest among pitchers inducted into the CABA Hall of Fame. That and three Pitcher of the Year awards meant the voters had no hesitation giving Morales the first ballot nod at 96.1%. Bastian Valdes – Starting Pitcher – Salvador Stallions – 79.1% First Ballot Bastian Valdes was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Magdalena Milpas Altas, a town of around 11,000 people in southern Guatemala. Valdes wasn’t amazing at anything, but was considered well rounded and above average at most phases of pitching. He had 95-97 mph peak velocity with four equally potent pitches; a slider, changeup, sinker, and splitter. Valdes had an extreme groundball tendency and had excellent stamina, leading the Caribbean League five times in innings pitched. He was also very durable, pitching 250+ innings in his first 11 seasons. Valdes was very outspoken, which made him polarizing in the clubhouse. Valdes emerged in Central America as a top prospect and was selected first overall in the 1957 CABA Draft by Panama. He was a full-time starter immediately and won a Gold Glove as a rookie, although his production wasn’t great early on. Valdes ate up innings, but was average at best in his four years with the struggling Parrot franchise. In four years, he had a 50-67 record, 3.92 ERA, 1058.2 innings, 839 strikeouts and 14.6 WAR. Panama decided to trade him before the 1962 season for prospects to Salvador. With the Stallions, Valdes found his rhythm and became a big piece of the success for them in the mid 1960s. He threw a no-hitter against Nicaragua on April 7, 1963 with nine strikeouts and three walks. Valdes finished second in Pitcher of the Year in 1963, 1965, and 1968; although he never won the top award. Salvador made the playoffs each year from 1963-66 and won the CABA Championship in 1964 and 1965. In the playoffs, Valdes had a 7-5 record in 13 starts with a 3.21 ERA, 103.2 innings, and 86 strikeouts. Valdes led the league in strikeouts in 1965 with 323 and led five times in innings pitched. He had three 8+ WAR seasons with a league and career-best 9.0 WAR in 1968 over 304.1 innings. He also pitched from 1958-71 in the World Baseball Championship for his native Guatemala. In 1964, he tossed a WBC no-hitter with 10 strikeouts against Scotland. Salvador fell into the mid-tier for the rest of the 1960s, although Valdes remained steady. In 1969, he had his first major injury with shoulder tendinitis putting him out almost three months. A strained oblique put him out six weeks in 1970. Then in 1971, he suffered a partially torn UCL in August. Valdes opted to retire at this point at age 36 and would see his #30 uniform retired by the Stallions. With Salvador, he had a 174-104 record, 3.06 ERA, 2552.2 innings, 2461 strikeouts, and 63.9 WAR. Valdes’ overall stats saw a 224-171 record, 3.31 ERA, 3611.1 innings, 3300 strikeouts to 793 walks, 283/443 quality starts, 180 complete games, a FIP- of 83 and 78.5 WAR. Most of his value was in giving you innings, as his advanced stats (a 114 ERA+) mark him on the lower end of CABA’s Hall of Fame pitchers. Still, his resume was strong enough that the voters made him the third member of the 1977 class, receiving first ballot induction at 79.1%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)