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Pitcher Flor Perez was the lone inductee for the 1985 Hall of Fame Class of the Central American Baseball Association. Perez earned a first ballot selection, receiving 84.6%. Only two others cracked the 50% mark with 1B Carlos De La Fuente at 59.1% on his third ballot and SP Barnabe Sanchez at 53.1% for his second attempt. There were no players dropped after ten ballots.



Flor Perez – Pitcher – Mexico City Aztecs – 84.6% First Ballot

Flor Perez was a 5’11’’, 175 pound right-handed pitcher from the capital of Venezuela, Caracas. Perez had incredibly overpowering stuff with above average movement, but subpar control. His velocity peaked at 97-99 mph with a curveball, changeup, sinker, cutter arsenal. All four pitches were deadly with the change and curve especially drawing whiffs. Perez’ stamina was on the lower end and he didn’t go the distance too often compared to other starters, but he still had solid durability. Defensively he was lousy, but his stuff still made up oftentimes for his flaws.

Perez was spotted by a scout from Mexico City while he was trying to poach talent in Venezuela. At age 16, Perez decided to join the Aztecs developmental system. He debuted with a few starts in 1965 at age 21, but found himself rarely used for his first four seasons. Mexico City was just beginning its dynasty and cracking the lineup wasn’t an easy task. From 1966-74, the Aztecs had nine straight playoff appearances, seven Mexican League titles, and six CABA Championships. Perez was there for all of it and earned six rings, although it wasn’t until 1969 that he became a full-timer in the rotation.

In 1969, Perez took third in Pitcher of the Year voting as he led the Mexican League in ERA at 2.08. He led in strikeouts with 311 in 1972, then had a career-best 1.97 ERA in 1972 in a split starter/relief role. Perez earned Pitcher of the Year in 1972, then took it again in 1974 with a ML-best 0.90 WHIP and 20-7 record. His playoff numbers were mixed with the Aztecs, finishing with an 11-8 record over 139.2 innings, a 3.48 ERA, 161 strikeouts, and 3.6 WAR. He also regularly returned home to Venezuela to play for his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 1967-79, Perez had a 14-5 record, 3.84 ERA, 138.1 innings, 211 strikeouts, and 2.8 WAR.

In 1974, Perez had his lone no-hitter on July 4 with a 12 strikeout, one walk performance against Tijuana. This was also the last year of Mexico City’s playoff run, as they fell in the MLCS. The team started a playoff drought the next year and Perez had a sluggish start to the year with an ERA above 3.50. The Aztecs realized it was time to rebuild and looked to trade Perez and others. He finished his Mexico City run with a 114-67 record, 2.64 ERA, 1603.2 innings, 2033 strikeouts to 398 walks, 69 FIP-, and 45.8 WAR. The franchise would later retire his #25 uniform for his role in the dynasty run.

The Aztecs traded him in July 1975 to Guadalajara for pitchers Ruben Pineda and Fidele Lara. Perez would regain his form in 1976 and take second in Pitcher of the Year voting, helping the Hellhounds snap a playoff drought and win their first CABA championship since the 1920s. Perez had a 2.66 ERA over 23.2 playoff innings in the run. He had two more solid years and then a middling fourth year with Guadalajara, posting a 62-56 record, 2.77 ERA, 1058.1 innings, 1269 strikeouts, and 23.0 WAR. Although still healthy, Perez decided to call it quits after the 1979 season at age 36.

The final stats for Perez: 176-123 record, 2.69 ERA, 2662 innings, 3302 strikeouts, 646 walks, 267/357 quality starts, 75 FIP-, and 68.8 WAR. His innings and thus his accumulations are among the lower end of other CABA Hall of Famers, but his rate stats are certainly not out of place. Winning two Pitcher of the Year awards and holding seven CABA rings pushed Perez across the line for many of the voters skeptical of his totals. He received the first ballot recognition at 84.6%, the lone member of CABA’s 1985 Hall of Fame class.