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The Central American Baseball Association saw two first ballot selections into its Hall of Fame with 1980’s voting. Although both first ballot, they had very different paths with SP Johan Balli a no-doubter at 97.1% and SP Cajetano Ortega barely crossing the line at 66.4%. Three others were above 50%, but short of the 66% threshold with RF Juan Jose at 57.5% on his sixth try, C Sebastian Gonzalez at 56.6% in his second go, and CF Santiago Perez at 53.1% for his third attempt.



One player was dropped after ten ballots. 2B Jesus Coronado won seven Silver Sluggers in a 21 year career primarily with Honduras. He had 2285 hits, 1348 runs, 317 doubles, 236 triples, 348 home runs, 1197 RBI, a .244/.306/.440 slash and 63.1 WAR. Nice totals, but it took a long time to get there with no dominant seasons. His debut ballot of 19.7% was his peak as Coronado dropped to 3.8% by the end.



Johan Balli – Starting Pitcher – Ecatepec Explosion – 97.1% First Ballot

Johan Balli was a 6’1’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. He had electric stuff with 99-101 mph peak velocity. Balli’s fastball was terrific, but his other two pitches (changeup, cutter) were also very dangerous and he was a master at changing speeds. His movement and control were considered above average as well. Balli was very durable and more than capable of going deep into games regularly. This made him a very popular player during his run.

Balli was noticed as a teenager in Nicaragua and was signed at age 16 in 1954 to a developmental deal with Ecatepec. His entire pro career with be with the Explosion, making his debut with a few starts and some relief in 1960 at age 22. Balli became a full-time starting pitcher from his second season onward. He would have ten seasons worth 6+ WAR and lead the Mexican League in WAR thrice, wins twice, strikeouts twice, and quality starts thrice.

Despite his success, Balli never won Pitcher of the Year. He was second in 1964, third in 1965, second in 1966, second in 1968, second in 1969, and third in 1972. He had a career best 348 strikeouts in 1968 and 8.9 WAR. His best ERA was 2.11 in 1965 with nine seasons of a sub-three ERA. Ecatepec made the playoffs thrice in his tenure, although couldn’t make any deep runs with the fledgling Mexico City dynasty in their division. He made four playoff starts with a 2.76 ERA.

Balli was also a regular for his native Nicaragua in the World Baseball Championship. From 1960-74, he pitched 188.2 innings with a 10-11 record, 3.29 ERA, 279 strikeouts, and 4.9 WAR. Balli continued pitching into his mid 30s and started to see his production drop a bit in 1973 and 1974, although he was still a perfectly capable starter. He decided to move on from baseball after the 1974 at age 37.

Balli’s final stats: 208-142 record, 2.86 ERA, 3410.2 innings, 4042 strikeouts to 794 walks, 339/468 quality starts, a FIP- of 69 (nice), and 98.1 WAR. He was the seventh CABA pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts and at retirement had the sixth most career WAR of any CABA pitcher. Balli was an easy pick for the Hall of Fame voters, getting the first ballot induction at 97.1%.



Cajetano Ortega – Starting Pitcher – Merida Mean Green – 66.4% First Ballot

Cajetano Ortega was a 5’7’’, 165 pound right-handed pitcher from El Grullo, a town of around 21,000 people in central-western Mexico. He was renowned for having incredible movement on his pitches, although his stuff and control were very good as well. Ortega had 97-99 mph peak velocity and five pitches with a fastball, curveball, forkball, slider, and changeup. He had an extreme groundball tendency with his movement and was also viewed as a very good defensive pitcher. Injuries hurt him at times and he typically didn’t go as deep into games as many of his elite contemporaries. Ortega was an extremely popular player with fans, but teammates often felt was disloyal and he wasn’t always a clubhouse favorite.

Ortega was picked by Merida sixth overall in the 1963 CABA Draft and spent the first seven and a half pro seasons of his career with the Mean Green. He was hit-or-miss in his earliest years, but emerged as a star with a league-best 1.92 ERA in his fourth season, earning the Pitcher of the Year. He also pitched for Mexico in the World Baseball Championship from 1967-77 with a 15-4 record, 2.19 ERA over 205.2 innings with 241 strikeouts and 6.3 WAR. His highlight was a no-hitter in 1968 with 14 strikeouts and three walks against Bulgaria.

Ortega was strong with Merida, but the Mean Green were a perennial stinker. Free agency was lingering after the 1970 season and Ortega made it fairly clear that he didn’t want to stay with Merida. In total while there, he had an 81-67 record, 2.58 ERA, 1365 innings, 1335 strikeouts, and 37.3 WAR. The team found a buyer at the 1970 trade deadline, shipping him to Havana for prospects. He finished the combined season with a 2.11 ERA and 8.5 WAR and got his first playoff experience with the Hurricanes. Ortega would sign an extension and play another four seasons in Cuba.

Ortega seemed to get better as he aged as he had back-to-back 9+ WAR seasons with the Hurricanes, leading in FIP- and WHIP in both 1971 and 1972 and ERA in 1972. He earned his second Pitcher of the Year in 1972 and the Hurricanes got to the Caribbean League Championship Series, although they were defeated by Trinidad. 1973 had a big setback with a torn meniscus putting him out most of the year, but he bounced back to finish third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1974. In total with Havana, Ortega had a 61-25 record, 2.32 ERA, 865.1 innings, 920 strikeouts, and 30.5 WAR.

That was ultimately the end of his CABA run, as Ortega entered free agency at age 34 and received Major League Baseball offers for the 1975 season. He signed a five-year, $2,200,000 deal with Seattle and immediately delivered with an American Association best 9.6 WAR. He won Pitcher of the Year, the third of his career, making him one of a select few to win the award in multiple organizations. The Grizzlies got back to the AACS for the second year, but still couldn’t earn their first first-ever title.

He followed it up with a excellent 1976 with a career-best 10.0 WAR, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. 1977 would be where the wheels would fall off, starting with back spasms putting him out for seven weeks. He got back on the field in July, but suffered a torn rotator cuff. This officially put him out 13-14 months, but two setbacks in his recovery ultimately ended his career at only age 37. In only two years and change with Seattle, Ortega had a 36-27 record, 2.60 ERA, 608.1 innings, 485 strikeouts, and 22.4 WAR.

For his entire pro career, Ortega had a 178-119 record, 2.51 ERA, 2838.2 innings, 2740 strikeouts to 526 walks, a FIP- of 65, and 90.2 WAR. Just for CABA, he had a 142-92 record, 2.48 ERA, 2230.1 innings, 2255 strikeouts to 411 walks, a FIP- of 67 and 67.8 WAR. His CABA run was short enough that there were voters who felt he didn’t compile enough stats to belong with many of those voters also disregarding his Seattle success. Ortega was also not the most well liked by some within the game, even if extremely popular with fans. The detractors were ultimately not enough to keep him out as he was one of the most dominant pitchers of the era at his best. Ortega was a first ballot pick, although narrowly at 66.4%.