[FuzzyRussianHat]

Beisbol Sudamerica inducted pitchers Laurenco Cedillo and Gustavo Telhados with the 1981 Hall of Fame class. Cedillo was nearly unanimous at 98.1%, while Telhados was also a first ballot pick with 78.0%. Another SP, Lewis Miranda, had a solid debut but missed out at 57.9%.



One player was dropped after ten ballots in closer Alvaro Fernandez, who won three straight Reliever of the Year awards from 1952-54 with Cali. For his entire career, he had 342 saves with a 2.06 ERA and 35.0 WAR. However, Fernandez left for MLB for most of his 30s. Just in South America had 277 saves, a 1.82 ERA, 732.1 innings, 1042 strikeouts, and 28.8 WAR. A nice run, but not enough totals to sway the voters. He peaked at 47.7% on his debut ballot and ended at 9.4%.



Laurenco Cedillo – Starting Pitcher- Guayaquil Golds – 98.1% First Ballot

Laurenco Cedillo was a 5’10’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from the capital of Chile, Santiago. At his prime, Cedillo was considered about as complete a pitcher as one could be. He had legendary movement with strong stuff and control. Cedillo’s fastball topped out in the 99-101 mph range and was mixed expertly with a slider, forkball, and changeup. He was also an ironman who threw 250+ innings every year except for his first two. Cedillo was as reliable of an arm as you’d find, putting him in the conversation as a top three pitcher all-time in South America.

Despite where he ended up, Cedillo wasn’t always considered a lock. He was signed by Lima as a teenage amateur and spent four seasons in their developmental system. Not impressed by his development, the Lobos traded him mid 1955 to Guayaquil. He debuted with 12 innings in 1956 with the Golds, then became a full-time starter the next year, taking third in 1957 Rookie of the Year voting. By his second full season, it was clear that Cedillo was elite, posting a career-high 353 strikeouts for his first Pitcher of the Year.

Cedillo would win Pitcher of the Year seven times (1958, 59, 62, 64, 67, 69, 73) while taking third in 1597, second in 1961, second in 163, second in 1966, and third in 1968. He led the Bolivar League in WAR an impressive 11 times and seven times had 10+ WAR. Cedillo led the league in wins four times, ERA four times, strikeouts thrice, K/BB thrice, quality starts four times, and FIP- nine times. Cedillo also earned a Triple Crown season in 1962. Despite all this, Cedillo surprisingly never threw a no-hitter.

Guayaquil had been a generally bottom-tier franchise prior to Cedillo’s tenure, although they broke through to win Copa Sudamerica in 1955; one year before his debut. The Golds made the playoffs six times in his run, although they never were able to win the Bolivar League title. In 63.1 playoff innings, he had a 3.69 ERA with a 4-4 record, 63.1 innings, 71 strikeouts, and 1.8 WAR. Additionally, Cedillo pitched from 1958-75 for his native Chile in the World Baseball Championship with a 14-13 record and 3.32 ERA in 241.1 innings with 282 strikeouts and 7.9 WAR.

Cedillo continued his stellar, consistent production until his late 30s. He finally saw his velocity and strikeouts dwindle in his final two seasons, retiring after the 1975 campaign at age 41. His #25 uniform would be retired In the later years, he became the second BSA pitcher to 300 wins, the third to 5000 strikeouts, and the third to 150+ career WAR.

Cedillo’s final stats: 342-198 record, 2.43 ERA, 5102.1 innings, 5358 strikeouts, 499/636 quality starts, 203 complete games, a FIP- of 64, and 162.9 WAR. If not for the legendary Mohamed Ramos, Cedillo would be right in the discussion as BSA’s GOAT pitcher. As of 2037, Cedillo is second only to Ramos in wins and WAR. At retirement, they were the only pitchers in BSA to win Pitcher of the Year seven times. He was third in strikeouts at induction and is still fifth as of 2037. Cedillo also retired with more innings pitched and starts than any BSA pitcher, a mark he still holds in 2037. He is without a doubt one of the all-time finest pitchers in baseball history and well deserving of the 98.1% induction.



Gustavo “Lizard” Telhados – Closer – Salvador Storm – 78.0% First Ballot

Gustavo Telhados was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher form Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Telhados had incredible stuff with a deadly fastball-splitter combination renowned for getting strikeouts and groundballs. He had 98-100 mph peak velocity and terrific movement, although his control would often be iffy. Telhados was also viewed as incredibly durable; helping him put together a lengthy successful run.

Telhados was picked 38^th overall by Salvador in the second round of the 1959 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. He was a full-time reliever in his rookie season, then took over the closer role in year two. Telhados had eight straight seasons with 30+ saves, eight straight worth 5+ WAR, five seasons with a sub-one ERA and eight seasons with 150+ strikeouts. In his first run, he won Reliever of the Year in 1961, 62, 63, and 65; and took second in 1964, 66, and 67. Telhados had a career-best 47 saves in 1967, 7.2 WAR in 1962, 191 strikeouts in 1962, and 0.72 ERA in 1966.

Salvador would win the Southern Cone title in 1962 and fall in Copa Sudamerica to Caracas. This would be Telhados’ only playoff experience of his signature run, as the Storm were generally a mid-tier team. He’d be a beast with Brazil’s World Baseball Championship Team though, pitching 255 innings from 1961-75 with both starts and relief appearances. He had a 22-5 record with 17 saves, a 1.87 ERA, 470 strikeouts, and 11.4 WAR. In the 1964 tournament, Telhados was awarded the Best Pitcher. He twice threw no-hitters in the WBC, striking out 20 in a 1963 performance against Northern Ireland and fanning 16 versus Hungary in 1968.

Telhados earned his 300^th BSA save in June 1968. One month later, Salvador traded him for prospects to Medellin. The Mutiny had the best record in the Bolivar League, but fell to Lima in the BLCS. Telhados became a free agent at age 31 and his success garnered worldwide attention, leading to a deal with MLB’s Charlotte for the 1969 season. He took third in Reliever of the Year voting, but only had a one-year deal with the Canaries. For 1970, he signed a three-year, $768,000 deal with New Olreans.

Telhados wasn’t a closer with the Mudcats, but he was a solid performer in his limited role. His three years there were New Orleans’ dynasty years with three straight World Series rings. Telhados then went to Baltimore in 1973 with a slightly increased role. After that, he had an itch to return home to Brazil and the closer role, returning to Salvador. The Storm had just won the Copa Sudamerica the prior year.

Telhados still had it and posted two more great seasons with the Storm, winning his fifth Reliever of the Year in 1974. He joined Hall of Famer Chano Angel as the only five-time winners of the award in BSA history. He wouldn’t get a ring with Salvador, as they had an early exit in 1974 and missed the playoffs by one game in 1975. After that, the now 38-year old Telhados gave MLB one more shot, but struggled in 1976 with Seattle. He opted to retire after the season at age 39. He received a hero’s welcome back in Salvador and saw his #11 uniform retired.

For his entire pro career, Telhados had a 1.40 ERA, 430 saves and 543 shutdowns, 1157.1 innings, 1975 strikeouts, and 62.2 WAR. Just with Salvador and in BSA, he had 379 saves, a 1.17 ERA over 909.2 innings, 1622 strikeouts, a FIP- of 29 and ERA+ of 257, and 51.2 WAR. At retirement, Chano Angel was the only Hall of Famer with a lower career ERA. He was fifth in saves and fourth in ERA among the relievers in the BSA Hall of Fame. Telhados was a dominant force at his peak and deserving of the first ballot nod, receiving 78.0%.