Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 2,651
|
1999 BSA Hall of Fame

Two players picked up inductions into the Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame for 1999. Pitcher Wilfredo Casacubierta was a no-doubter with 97.7% on the first ballot. Fellow pitcher Rio Santiago joined him, receiving 75.5% on his third ballot. Pitcher Robinson Moreira came painfully close at 64.2%, but was dropped from the ballot after ten tries. Also above 50% were RF Dani Manzanares at 59.2% in his fourth ballot, C Sancho Sanchez at 52.1% in his debut, and RF Oscar Linares at 51.3% on his second go.
For Moreira, this was his highest percentage in his tries, bouncing around from a low of 43.7% in his debut to this peak of 64.2%. The majority of his 14 year career was with Maracaibo, winning eight Gold Gloves with a 196-136 record, 2.88 ERA, 3344.2 innings, 3329 strikeouts, 769 walks, 123 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 68.2 WAR. Moriera was consistently solid, but was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. His lack of dominance ultimately just kept him banished to the Hall of Very Good.
Also dropped after ten ballots was pitcher Rex Oliveira, who had a 16-year run with four teams. He posted a 214-192 record, 3.28 ERA, 3794 innings, 3339 strikeouts, 449 walks, a 97 ERA+, 101 FIP-, and 46.3 WAR. Oliveira also lacked awards and although he had good longevity, advanced stats suggested sustained averageness. He got as high as 42.9% on his second ballot and was as low at 7.6% in 1998 before ending in 1999 at 34.7%.

Wilfredo “Mustache” Casacubierta – Starting Pitcher – Recife Retrievers – 97.7% First Ballot
Wilfredo Casacubierta was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Venacio Aires, Brazil; a city with around 72,000 people in the southern part of the country. He had the nickname “Mustache” for his distinctive and well-maintained facial hair. Casacubierta had great stuff with above average to good movement and control. His velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with a five pitch arsenal of fastball, slider, forkball, cutter, and changeup. The cutter was considered by most to be his most difficult pitch to hit. Casacubierta’s stamina was reliably good and he showed great durability for much of his career. He was humble and quiet, content to just keep his head down and work hard.
Casacubierta was an impressive prospect out of the amateur ranks and was picked 10th overall by Recife in the 1976 BSA Draft. His entire pro career would be in Retrievers gold and he’d be a full-time starter from the beginning. Casacubierta pitched 200+ innings in all but his final season and tossed 250+ innings in each of his first 13 seasons. He also pitched for Brazil from 1979-90 in the World Baseball Championship, posting a 3.15 ERA and 21-9 record over 283 innings with 341 strikeouts and 5.5 WAR. Casacubierta was part of three world title winning Brazil teams (1987, 89, 90).
Casacubierta led the Southern Cone League four times in innings pitched, once in wins, thrice in quality starts, and thrice in shutouts. He took second in 1980’s Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award for the only time in 1981. He took second in 1982, a season which featured a perfect game on April 1 against Salvador with 10 strikeouts. Casacubierta took second again in 1983 and 1985 with a third place in 1989. After the 1987 season, Recife signed him to a five-year, $5,180,000 contract extension.
The Retrievers were regularly above .500 in the 1980s, but only made the playoffs in 1982 and 1984. Casacubierta actually struggled in the 1984 postseason with a 5.56 ERA, although Recife would win the Southern Cone League title this year and fell to Ciudad Guayana in Copa Sudamerica. Recife’s next playoff appearance came in 1989, which saw an LCS upset loss to Concepcion. For his playoff career, Casacubierta had a 3.18 ERA over 62.1 innings, 68 strikeouts, and a 105 ERA+.
Casacubierta made history again with his second perfect game on 6/3/88 with 14 strikeouts against Montevideo. As of 2037, he’s the only pitcher in Beisbol Sudamerica history with two perfect games and one of a very select few to do it in any world league. He carried on into his 30s, becoming the 10th pitcher to 250 wins and the 14th to 4500 strikeouts, hitting both milestones in late August 1991.
He did start to see his production decline a bit in the later years, although he was still worthy of a spot in the rotation. Casacubierta was signed to a three-year, $4,220,000 extension after the 1992 season. 1993 would be his last season used, as his velocity and effectiveness both dropped steeply. Casacubierta remained under contract in 1994, but didn’t see the field. He retired that winter at age 40 and saw his #5 uniform quickly retired by the Retrievers.
For his career, Casacubierta posted a 278-169 record, 2.60 ERA, 4305 innings, 4885 strikeouts, 802 walks, 395/527 quality starts, 171 complete games, 128 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 101.2 WAR. At induction, he was ninth all-time in wins, seventh in strikeouts, and 16th in pitching WAR. Casacubierta’s humble nature perhaps kept him from receiving more acclaim for his accomplishments. Still, the voters easily recognized his greatness and gave him the first ballot nod with an impressive 97.7%.

Rio “Domino” Santiago – Starting Pitcher – Brasilia Bearcats – 75.5% Third Ballot
Rio Santiago was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Sao Goncalo, Brazil; a municipality of nearly 900,000 within the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region. He picked up the nickname “Domino” for his love of playing dominoes. Santiago had good stuff, great movement, and solid control. His 99-101 mph fastball was his best pitch, but he also had a good curveball, average slider, and rarely used changeup.
Santiago had respectable stamina and was viewed as a very good defensive pitcher. He’d win Gold Gloves in 1982 and 1990 for his defense. Santiago also won Silver Sluggers in 1980, 81, and 82 as a solid batter for a pitcher. He had a career .234/.245/.271 slash with 202 hits over 484 games. Santiago was a hard worker who tossed 200+ innings each year for the first 11 years of his career.
In the 1977 BSA Draft, Santiago went 17th overall to Brasilia. He spent nearly his entire career as a Bearcat and was a full-time starter immediately, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1978. Santiago never won Pitcher of the Year, but took third in 1979, and second in 1980. He led in wins in 1980, but otherwise wasn’t one to light up leaderboards. Santiago also pitched from 1980-89 for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship, posting a 2.91 ERA over 96 innings, 124 strikeouts, and a 128 ERA+. He received world title rings with the 1987 and 1989 Brazilian squads.
Despite his steady success, Brasilia never made the playoffs in Santiago’s tenure and more often than not was below .500. Their few solid seasons were overshadowed within the division. He chugged along and became attached to the capital city. With his contract coming due after the 1987 season, the Bearcats decided to extract trade value from the 32-year old. Santiago was sent to Caracas with a draft pick for 2B Gabriel Mesa and SS Cipriano Escobar.
Santiago would help Caracas win the Bolivar League title, although they fell to Concepcion in Copa Sudamerica. He was great in his lone playoff opportunity, posting a 1.59 ERA over 34 innings with 29 strikeouts. Santiago posted a 6.8 WAR season with the Colts, which was a career-best. But Caracas only wanted him as a rental. Thus, Santiago was a free agent at age 33. He wanted to go back to Brasilia and the Bearcats worked it out to bring him back on a five-year, $4,900,000 deal.
In August 1989, Santiago suffered a torn labrum. He managed to bounce back from that with a career and league best 1.68 ERA in 1990. Santiago’s velocity would drop the next year, a big concern for a power pitcher. Now tossing in the 95-97 mph range instead of the 99-101 mph range, Santiago had a very pedestrian 1991 season. He had one year left on his deal with Brasilia, but opted to retire that winter at age 36. At his retirement ceremony, the Bearcats announced they’d be retiring his #5 uniform.
Santiago had a 191-167 record, 2.87 ERA, 3270.2 innings, 3416 strikeouts, 616 walks, 287/417 quality starts, 102 complete games, 118 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 70.3 WAR. He was another who quietly had a nice career, but he did lack the major awards or playoff notables outside of the one year with Caracas. Some felt Santiago’s tallies were borderline and he missed being a first ballot inductee by less than a point at 65.3%. He had a notable drop to 49.7% in 1998, but bounced back with 75.5% in 1999 to earn a third ballot induction.
|