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Beisbol Sudamerica saw three first ballot inductees for the 2001 Hall of Fame class. IF Dyjan Rondo was nearly unanimous at 99.4%, joined by pitcher Arnau Emilio at 94.3% and LF Rafael Gasso at 81.6%. Two others were very close to the 66% threshold with 1B Bastian Martin at 62.7% for his second ballot and CL Andreo Ferrari at 62.0% for his debut. RF Yago Prata also notably had 56.3% in his second ballot. No players were dropped following ten tries in 2001.



Dyjan Rondo – Third Base/Infield – Fortaleza Foxes – 99.4% First Ballot

Dyjan Rondo was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed infielder from Sao Jose dos Pinhais, a municipality of around 330,000 people in southern Brazil. Rondo was a great contact hitter with a great pop in his bat. He regularly got you around 35-45 home runs and around 25-35 doubles per season. Rondo was talented at drawing walks, but he did still have a below average strikeout rate.

On the basepaths, he was sluggish and lackluster. Despite his poor speed, he proved to be a versatile defensive infielder. Rondo primarily played at third base and was very talented, winning six Gold Gloves. He had starts at all of the infield spots in his career with average results at first and second and subpar results at shortstop. Rondo was incredibly durable and played 130+ games in each year of his 16 year professional career. His skillset helped make him one of Brazil’s most beloved baseball figures on his era.

Rondo showed great potential in his amateur career, earning the seventh overall pick by Fortaleza in the 1983 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. His entire 12-year BSA career was as a Fox, earning a full-time starting gig as a rookie. Rondo was the 1984 Rookie of the Year and had his first Silver Slugger in 1985. He won nine Sluggers in total (1985-90, 92-95) and six Gold Gloves (1989-94).

In 1987, Rondo was second in MVP voting as he dominated the Southern Cone leaderboards, posting the top mark in runs, doubles, walks, total bases, OBP, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. He would be the WARlord thrice in his career and also lead in RBI thrice, runs twice, walks thrice, total bases twice, and OBP twice. Rondo was second again in MVP voting in 1990, 1994, and 1995.

Rondo’s national popularity came from the World Baseball Championship, playing for Brazil from 1989-98. He helped them to world titles in 1989 and 1990, taking third in WBC MVP voting. Over 147 games, he had 124 hits, 101 runs, 15 doubles, 56 home runs, 117 RBI, a .244/.345/.603 slash, 171 wRC+, and 7.2 WAR.

He helped Fortaleza to playoff berths in 1987 and 1989, although his playoff numbers were poor. The Foxes fell in the LCS in 1987 and the first round in 1989. Fortaleza hoped Rondo could take them to the promised land, signing him to an eight-year, $8,930,000 extension after the 1987 season. Rondo continued to play great into the early 1990s, although the Foxes found themselves stuck just outside of the postseason. Rondo would post a remarkable 57-game on-base streak from 8/30/90 to 5/3/91.

Fortaleza fell to 73-89 in 1993, but bounced back with a wild card appearance in 1994. Rondo’s playoff stats weren’t great, but the Foxes made a run to the Southern Cone championship, falling to Quito in Copa Sudamerica. They just missed the playoffs in 1995, but Rondo exploded with career bests in runs (116), home runs (52), RBI (133), total bases (375), and WAR (10.6). That earned him his lone MVP award at age 34. It also happened to be the final year of his deal with Fortaleza.

Rondo decided to leave for free agency and ultimately left Brazil. He would remain beloved by Foxes fans and his #39 uniform would later be retired. As a reigning MVP, Rondo had plenty of suitors worldwide. He ended up going to MLB on a three-year, $9,960,000 deal with the Charlotte Canaries. Rondo had a great debut season with 36 home runs, 6.5 WAR, and an all-star game appearance.

1997 was still a good year as a starter for Rondo, but his third year was the weakest of his career with 1.5 WAR and 103 wRC+. In total with the Canaries, he had 474 hits, 253 runs, 93 home runs, 253 RBI, a .277/.329//.487 slash, and 11.6 WAR. His defensive range had also significantly slipped at this point, lowering his stock as a 38-year old free agent. Rondo ended up in Morocco of all places, signing with the Arab League’s Casablanca. He spent one season as a slightly above average designated hitter. Rondo still wanted to play, but was unsigned in 2000 and retired that winter at age 40.

For his BSA career, Rondo had 2138 hits, 1105 runs, 361 doubles, 446 home runs, 1292 RBI, a .319/.386/.586 slash, 174 wRC+, and 105.0 WAR. As of 2037, he has the best OBP among all BSA third basemen. At induction, he was 16^th among BSA position players in career WAR and still ranks 28^th as of 2037. Rondo was one of the finest bats of his era and a surefire Hall of Fame pick, taking 99.4% to leadoff the three-player 2001 ballot.



Arnau Emilio – Starting Pitcher – Santiago Saints – 94.3% First Ballot

Aranu Emilio was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from the capital of Chile, Santiago. Emilio had great stuff with above average to good movement and control. His best pitch was a 97-99 mph cutter, but he also had an excellent changeup and a good curveball. Emilio’s stamina was okay, but he threw fewer complete games than most other great BSA starters. He had great durability though, allowing for 220+ innings each year sans his rookie season. Emilio was also a stellar defensive pitcher, winning seven Gold Gloves in his career.

Emilio was a successful amateur in Chile and was picked by his hometown Santiago 12^th overall in the 1979 BSA Draft. His entire BSA career was with the Saints, becoming well known throughout the capital. Emilio remained on the reserve roster in 1980, then debuted primarily as a reliever in 1981. He was moved to the rotation full time in 1982 and stayed there for 14 years with Santiago.

Emilio’s great defense got noticed early on, winning his first of seven Gold Gloves in 1983. He won it again in 1984, 85, 86, 94, 95, and 97. While not typically a league leader, his pitching quickly earned notice too. Emilio was third in 1984 Pitcher of the Year voting. That winter, Santiago extended him for five years at $2,738,000 total. Emilio also tossed 206.2 innings for Chile in the World Baseball Championship from 1982-96. He had a 2.70 ERA, 267 strikeouts, 74 walks, 137 ERA+, and 5.2 WAR.

In his late 20s, Emilio was consistently good, but not in the awards conversations. Still, in August 1989, the Saints gave Emilio a six-year, $6,960,000 extension. After a down period, Santiago finally started contending again in 1990. From 1990-95, they won five division titles, although they didn’t do anything in the postseason. 1993 saw an LCS defeat, while the other years were first round exits for Santiago. Emilio in the playoffs was unremarkable with a 3.93 ERA in eight starts, 52.2 innings, 55 strikeouts, and a 83 ERA+.

However, Emilio had his best seasons during this stretch with four seasons worth 7+ WAR. He led in wins in 1990 and 1991, had the best WHIP and most quality starts in 1991, and was the WARlord in 1992. Emilio picked up Pitcher of the Year honors in 1991 and 1992, cementing his legacy as an all-time great. He was a rare case of someone seeing their best years come in their mid 30s.

Emilio’s Santiago run ended with the 1995 season and to the surprise of many, he left South America. The Saints would retire his #26 uniform two years later. Emilio ended up leaving for Australia, signing a two-year, $3,080,000 deal with Melbourne. He was merely average in one season with the Mets, who traded him in the offseason to Samoa. Emilio was still respectable with the Sun Sox, but saw his season ended with a torn meniscus. He opted to retire with that at age 40. His two-year OBA stint saw a 3.30 ERA over 548.2 innings, 102 ERA+, and 8.6 WAR.

In his Santiago and BSA run, Emilio had a 242-139 record, 2.72 ERA, 3602 innings, 4076 strikeouts, 638 walks, 325/446 quality starts, 92 complete games, 124 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 86.6 WAR. Emilio put together a very solid resume with his hometown team, earning his spot in the 2001 Hall of Fame class on the first ballot at 94.3%.



Rafael Gasso – Left Field – Brasilia Bearcats – 81.6% First Ballot

Rafael Gasso was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed left fielder from Dois Corregos, a small city of around 27,000 people in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. Gasso was a strong slugger that had 11 seasons with 40+ home runs. He was an above average contact hitter with an okay strikeout rate, although he didn’t draw nearly as many walks as you’d expect from a power guy, Gasso’s gap power was merely decent with around 20-25 doubles/triples per year.

Despite that profile and frame, Gasso was a crafty baserunner with better speed than you’d think. He was a career left fielder known for having a very strong arm. Gasso graded out as a consistently good defender. He was quite durable and reliable, making 135+ starts in 16 straight seasons. Gasso kept his head down and worked hard, making him very popular throughout his career.

Gasso was picked in his late teens by Brasilia with the 19^th pick in the 1976 BSA Draft. The Bearcats kept him on the reserve roster for almost all of his first three years, apart from eight games in 1979. Gasso’s proper debut came in 1980 and it was an excellent one with 40 home runs and 6.6 WAR. He was Rookie of the Month thrice and ran away with Rookie of the Year honors. Gasso became a fixture for Brasilia for the next decade and change.

His second full year saw him lead the Southern Cone League with 50 home runs. Gasso also had a career high 116 RBI and 8.0 WAR, taking third in MVP voting. He had a career best 51 homers in 1982 and 375 total bases, earning his first Silver Slugger and a second in MVP voting. Gasso didn’t lead the league in stats the rest of his run, but you could expect very reliably solid power. He won additional Silver Sluggers in 1986, 87, and 90.

Gasso was also a key slugger during Brazil’s success in the World Baseball Championship in the 1980s. He played 179 games with 177 starts from 1981-93, posting 149 hits, 100 runs, 49 home runs, 109 RBI, a .234/.299/.505 slash, 129 wRC+, and 5.0 WAR. Gasso won world titles with the 1987 and 1989 Brazilian squads and was third in 1988’s WBC MVP voting.

Brasilia committed long-term to Gasso on an eight-year, $5,463,000 extension starting in 1985. Despite his efforts, the Bearcats never made the playoffs in his tenure, averaging 78 wins per season. The fans loved him and his #3 uniform eventually would be retired. Gasso’s power numbers did start to drop a bit as he entered his early 30s, but he still provided solid value throughout his whole run. He signed another four-year extension after the 1991 season worth $5,400,000.

For his Brasilia run, Gasso had 2144 hits, 1123 runs, 249 doubles, 513 home runs, 1163 RBI, 413 stolen bases, a .289/.318/.552 slash, 158 wRC+, and 74.8 WAR. After winning 90 games in 1991 and showing playoff potential, the Bearcats dropped to 73 wins in 1992. They were sellers and moved Gasso in late June to Rosario for four prospects.

The Robins were making a late push and Gasso’s addition paid off. They were a 90-72 wild card, but went on a postseason run and won Copa Sudamerica for the first time in franchise history, beating Ciudad Guayana for the title. Gasso stepped up in his only postseason, winning MVP in their LCS win over Belo Horizonte. In 14 playoff starts, Gasso had 18 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 5 home runs, 11 RBI, and 0.9 WAR; forever earning a warm place in the hearts of Rosario fans.

The Robins regressed to the bottom of the standings the next three seasons. Gasso still provided positive value, posting 449 hits, 254 run, 129 home runs, 301 RBI, a 126 wRC+, and 11.8 WAR during his tenure. His deal ran out after the 1995 season and he decided to call it quits at age 38.

Gasso finished with 2593 hits, 1377 runs, 304 doubles, 642 home runs, 1464 RBI, 530 stolen bases, a .279/.308/.540 slash, 151 wRC+, and 86.5 WAR. He was the ninth player in Beisbol Sudamerica history to join the 600 home run club and was seventh all-time at induction. He’s still 19^th as of 2037 even with the 21^st Century explosion in offense. The man socked dingers and helped Rosario win a title. Gasso wasn’t THE star of the era, but he was strong enough to get a first ballot induction at 81.6% to round out the impressive 2001 Hall of Fame class.