[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 1982 voting for the European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame didn’t have any strong newcomers with the highest first ballot option getting 24.4%. It was almost an empty class, but closer Ringo Barros managed to barely cross the 66% threshold, receiving a fifth ballot induction at 66.3%. RF Paul Schlacher was close on his fifth try, but short at 64.3%. Only one other was above 50% with SP Pedro Varela at 55.3% on his ninth ballot. No one was dropped after ten ballots.



Ringo Barros – Closer – Dublin Dinos – 66.3% Fifth Ballot

Ringo Barros was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right handed closer from the capital of Portugal, Lisbon. He’d be the first Portuguese Hall of Famer, known for having great stuff along with average control and movement. Barros had a 95-97 mph fastball, but he mixed it expertly with a stellar 10/10 curveball. He was a durable and reliable reliever who was also praised for his loyalty. Barros also was considered a pretty good defensive pitcher.

He was spotted as a teenage amateur by a scout from London and signed in 1954 to their academy. Barros spent three years developing with the Monarchs, but he’d never play a game for them. In the summer of 1957, the then 20-year old was traded with another prospect to Dublin for SS Luke Linnane. Barros would go onto play all of his EBF games with the Dinos with an impressive 15 year tenure.

Barros debuted in 1958, but was primarily an unremarkable middle relief type guy for his first five seasons. He actually got more attention initially playing for Portugal in the World Baseball Championship. Barros tossed 141 innings from 1959-76 in the WBC with a 3.38 ERA, 141 innings, 211 strikeouts, and 2.7 WAR. In 1962, he won Best Pitcher award with 11 scoreless innings and 19 strikeouts. 1962 also saw a 1.47 ERA in 43 innings for Dublin and a 1.12 ERA in the postseason, helping the Dinos win the European Championship.

Barros was moved to the closer role in 1963 and would hold that spot in nine of the next ten seasons. He led the Northern Conference in saves with 42 in 1967 and 40 in 1969. In 1970, Barros earned his lone Reliever of the Year with a career high 117 strikeouts in 80.2 innings. He finished second in 1963, third in 1965, second in 1967, and second in 1969. Dublin would make it to the European Championship again in 1967 and 68, winning the title in 1967. For his playoff career, Barros had a 3.78 ERA over 33.1 innings with 49 strikeouts, but a negative -0.3 WAR. Still, his longevity earned him a lot of respect and his #31 uniform would be retired at the end of his career.

Barros struggled in his last year in Dublin with a 4.15 ERA and -1.0 WAR. The Dinos let the 36-year old go, but he’d still find work with middling results. Barros signed with CABA’s Mexicali in 1973 on a two-year deal. The Maroons traded him to Guadalajara for the 1974 season. After that, he spent his final two seasons in Australia with Adelaide. Although he wasn’t used in the final, Barros received a ring as the Aardvarks were 1976 Oceania Champions. He’d retire at age 40 after the 1976 season.

Barros final EBF stats were all with Dublin with 313 saves and 406 shutdowns, 2.52 ERA, 943.2 innings, 1206 strikeouts to 269 walks, a FIP- of 77, and 20.5 WAR. He was the fourth EBF closer to 300 saves, although the advanced stats had him as less dominant than other Hall of Fame relievers around the world. His 20.5 WAR total is the lowest of any EBF Hall of Famer as of 2037, but his tenure with one squad and multiple rings helped his candidacy. Barros saw 38.1%, 34.0%, 50.8%, and 43.2% in his first four ballots, leading most observes to think he’d miss the cut. But with a very weak 1982 field, enough came around on Barros to put him in just narrowly as a fifth ballot Hall of Famer at 66.2%.