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Beisbol Sudamerica had three first ballot Hall of Famers with the 1985 class, led by a historic performance by OF Luca Alvares. He became the first player in any pro league to earn 100%; a unanimous induction. 3B Emaxwell Navas firmly got in as well with 91.8%, while pitcher Micael Saraiva earned the nod with 74.7%. Only one other was above 50% with reliever Tomas Nobel at 59.1% on his debut, only a few points shy of the 66% requirement.



1B Ryan Azambuja ended at 49.1% on his tenth and final ballot, peaking at 59.8% on his fifth try. In 11 seasons with Bogota, he had 1732 hits, 839 runs, 438 home runs, 1025 RBI, a .295/.326/.555 slash and 55.8 WAR. He led the Bolviar League in home runs five times, but didn’t have the longevity to get the accumulations. Also dropped was LF Pascal Herrera, who ended at 36.4% after getting as high as 47.5%. He won five Silver Sluggers, but was hurt by six of his 16 pro seasons being in MLB. In BSA, he had 1667 hits, 763 runs, 293 doubles, 308 home runs, 865 RBI, a .313/.354/.554 slash, and 54.7 WAR. Good, but again not quite high enough totals to make it.

Closer Sebastian Reyes fell off with a peak of 26.9% on his second ballot and finish at 6.7%. He had 309 saves and a 2.58 ERA over 791 innings with 900 strikeouts and 21.3 WAR, firmly a Hall of Very Good type. Lastly, catcher Martinho Mera fell off with 2.6% on his tenth ballot, peaking at 37.8% on his debut. He was doomed by the anti-catcher bias of many voters despite a 15 year career primarily with Salvador that saw six Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. Mera had 1757 hits, 621 runs, 175 home runs, 694 RBI, a .251/.287/.377 slash and 62.5 WAR. He had the third most WAR of any BSA catcher, but It still wouldn’t be until the 2030s that the Beisbol Sudamerica HOF finally put in any catcher.



Luca “Lunatic” Alvares – Right/Left Field – Lima Lobos – 100.0% First Ballot

Luca Alvares was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from Sicuani, a town of around 55,000 people in the southeastern Peruvian Cuzco Department. Nicknamed “Lunatic Luca,” he was an absolutely beloved figure in Peruvian baseball, known for his work ethic, leadership, and infectious personality. Alvares was an excellent home run hitter who had 11 seasons with 40+ homers. He was also above average as a contact hitter and was around average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Although he hit many homers, he didn’t get too many doubles or triples despite having decent baserunning speed. Alvares made about 2/3s of his starts in right field with the rest in left and was generally considered a competent fielder. He was also quite durable for most of his 17 year professional career.

Alvares quickly drew attention as a top amateur prospect throughout Peru. He was up for selection in the 1962 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft and went to Lima 16^th overall. His entire pro career would be in the Peruvian capital and he’d also make 78 appearances between 1964-74 for the national team. In the World Baseball Championship, Alvares had 59 hits, 44 runs, 26 home runs, 45 RBI, and 2.7 WAR. He was only a part-time starter as a rookie, but assuming a regular role from year two onward.

In his third season, Lunatic Luca led in home runs with 47, earning his first of eight Silver Sluggers. He also won the award in 1966, 67, 68, 69, 72, 73, and 74; while adding a Gold Glove in 1967. Alvares led in home runs thrice, runs scored twice, RBI twice, total bases twice, slugging twice, and WAR once. In 1968, he had a career-best 50 home runs. Despite his excellence, Alvares never won Bolivar League MVP. He took third in 1966, second in 1967, third in 1968, and third in 1973.

Lima had historically struggled prior to Alvares’ tenure. In 1968, he helped them snap a 32-year playoff drought and win their first Copa Sudamerica. He was the BLCS MVP with 12 hits, 8 runs, 5 home runs, and 9 RBI in 11 postseason games. The Lobos were almost always above .500 during Alvares prime in the 1960s and early 1970s, but they only made the playoffs twice more with no luck in 1970 or 1972. A fractured foot meant he missed the 1970 playoff run. He wore #13 most of his career, switching to #19 for 1974 after the Lobos retired #13 for 1978 Hall of Famer Aleix Espinoza.

Alvarez carried on into his 30s, sticking with the Lobos as they fell to the bottom tier later in the 1970s. The team eventually didn’t re-sign him after the 1979 season, which saw him cross the 2500 career hit and 1500 RBI thresholds. Alvarez tried to find a home for 1980, but went unsigned. He retired officially in the winter of 1980 at age 40.

The final stats for Lunatic Luca saw 2506 hits, 1435 runs, 330 doubles, 682 home runs, 1527 RBI, a .282/.335/.561 slash, 156 wRC+, and 98.9 WAR. He was third in home runs at induction and tenth in RBI and certainly had numbers worthy of induction. But it was still a surprise that he was the first guy to earn a unanimous induction considering there were definitely others who boasted stronger resumes. Of course, it is more the fault of stuffy writers that obvious inner circle guys ended up a vote or two short of 100%. But Alvares was so beloved and iconic that he made world history.



Emaxwell Navas – Third Base – Belo Horizonte Hogs – 91.8% First Ballot

Emaxwell Navas was a 5’10’’, 170 pound right-handed third baseman from Maceio, a city with one million people and the capital of northeastern Brazil’s State of Alagoas. Navas was a very well rounded hitter who wasn’t amazing at anything, but reliably solid across the board. He was a good contact hitter who got you 30-35 doubles and 25-35 home runs per year on average while also getting you a nice number of walks. He was below average as a baserunner, but made up for his flaws with a great work ethic. Navas was a career third baseman and considered consistently average with the glove. He was also considered quite durable, making 139+ starts each year from 1964-76.

Navas was drafted fourth overall by Belo Horizonte in the 1957 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft and spent his entire pro career with the Hogs. It took time for him to develop though, as he was a pinch hitter only for the first three yars of his career. Navas moved into a starting role in 1962, but a torn PCL in July put him out 10 months, costing him the rest of 1962 and a large chunk of 1963. He’d finally have a full season as a starter in his sixth season in 1964 and put up consistent production for the next decade plus.

Navas was the undisputed top hitting third baseman for a decade in the Southern Cone League, winning 11 straight Silver Sluggers from 1966-76. He had 13 straight seasons worth 6+ WAR and even cracked double-digits in 1969 and 1971. He was the WARlord with 11.1 in 1971 and also led the league with 111 RBI. The only other time he led in a category was 40 doubles in 1969. Because of that, he never won league MVP, although he was close on a few occasions. Navas was third in 1966, second in 1969, and second in 1971.

He also became very popular throughout all of Brazil as a key cog for the national team in the World Baseball Championship. He started 227 games between 1964-78 with 184 hits, 111 runs, 62 home runs, 140 RBI, a .227/.303/.495 slash and 6.5 WAR. His 227 games are the most appearances for any Brazilian and he helped the squad to three finals appearances. While the Hogs had some respectable seasons in his tenure, they only made the playoffs once in his entire run, falling in the LCS to Santiago in 1968. Still, Navas was one of the reasons to still go to the ballpark and his #11 would be retired at the end of his career.

He still played at a very high level into his 30s, only finally seeing a drop off in 1977 at age 39. That season saw his first major injury in more than a decade, a torn calf muscle. Navas signed for two more years and had trouble staying with the lineup from other injuries. He ultimately called it quits after the 1979 season at age 41.

Navas’ final stats: 2661 hits, 1231 runs, 535 doubles, 445 home runs, 1385 RBI, a .296/.353/.514 slash, 166 wRC+, and 120.8 WAR. At induction, he had the seventh most WAR of any South American batter and was second in doubles behind Javier Herrera’s 618. He was also barely behind Angel Gabriel Cornejo for most WAR at a third base. Navas is almost always in the conversation for the top three 3Bs in BSA history and was an easy choice, perhaps getting undersold with 91.8%.



Micael Saraiva – Starting Pitcher – Belo Horizonte Hogs – 74.7% First Ballot

Micael Saraiva was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Russas, a municipality of around 79,000 people in the northeastern Brazilian state Ceara. Saraiva wasn’t a particularly dominant pitcher, but he gave you consistently above average stuff, movement, and control with great stamina. His velocity only peaked at 93-95 mph, but he still had a good fastball mixed with a curveball and changeup. Saraiva was poor at holding runners, but considered a very good defensive pitcher otherwise, winning three Gold Gloves from 1971-73. He was, by pitcher standards, a decent hitter and won a Silver Slugger in 1967.

Belo Horizonte took a chance on Saraiva picking him 38^th overall in the second round of the 1963 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. He spent his first two seasons in the developmental system before debuting as a reliever in 1966. He became a part-time starter in year two, then a full-time one for the next decade with nine straight seasons of 250+ innings. Saraiva led the Southern Cone League in innings pitched twice and complete games twice, as well as wins twice and quality starts once. He had eight seasons worth 5+ WAR, putting up reliable but not outstanding stats.

Saraiva pitched for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship from 1969-79 with 102 innings, a 4.94 ERA, 113 strikeouts, and 1.7 WAR. In 1968, he finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. He ended up spending six seasons with Belo Horizonte, making two playoff starts in 1968. In total with the Hogs, he had a 95-54 record, 2.58 ERA, 1359.1 innings, 1307 strikeouts, and 30.3 WAR. BH decided to move on from Saraiva before the 1972 season, trading the now 28-year old to Brasilia for three prospects and a draft pick.

He spent two seasons with the Bearcats continuing his consistent production, posting a 33-23 record, 2.63 ERA over 550 innings, 552 strikeouts, and 11.0 WAR. Saraiva entered free agency for the 1974 and at age 30, signed a four-year, $1,040,000 deal with Sao Paulo. The Padres had been good in the 1970s so far, but hadn’t quite been able to get over the hump. In 1976 and 1977, they won the Southern Cone League title and in 76, beat Valencia in Copa Sudamerica. Saraiva’s postseason stats were underwhelming with a 4.67 ERA in 44.1 innings, but he ate up innings reliably in the regular season.

Saraiva signed a four-year extension in the summer of 1977 with Sao Paulo. He was never quite as good there as his other runs, with a dead even 100 ERA+ with the Padres compared to a 117 with Belo Horizonte and 115 with Brasilia. In 1979, shoulder inflammation knocked him out of his second start of the season. This ultimately required surgery and put him on the shelf for 14 months, effectively ending his career. He remained on roster in 1980, but never made it back to the show, retiring at age 37.

Saraiva’s final stats saw a 201-142 record, 2.90 ERA, 3225.1 innings, 3095 strikeouts to 547 walks, 272/391 quality tarts, FIP- of 84, 150 complete games, and 66.8 WAR. It was a steady career, but he was never generally viewed as a top five pitcher in the game. Still, the Beisbol Sudamerica voters in particular loved starting pitchers and felt Saraiva’s resume fit the bill. He wasn’t the star of the 1985 class, but he picked up the first ballot recognition with 74.7%.