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The 2002 Beisbol Sudamerica ballot was wide open with no impressive newcomers to the ballot as the top debut only got 16.1%. Two players would get in narrowly passing the 66% threshold. Closer Andreo Ferrari got 73.4% on his second ballot, while RF Yago Prata just barely crossed the line at 66.8% on his third try. 1B Bastian Martin barely missed out at 65.0% on his third ballot. The other player above 50% was C Sancho Sanchez, earning 55.9% on his fourth try. No players were dropped after ten ballots in 2002.



Andreo Ferrari – Closer – Rosario Robins – 73.4% Second Ballot

Andreo Ferrari was a 5’10’’, 195 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Mendoza, Argentina; the country’s fourth largest metropolitan area. Ferrari had outstanding control and great stuff with both graded as 9/10 at his peak. He had a two-pitch arsenal with a 95-97 mph cutter and a curveball. Although his stuff was fantastic, his movement graded out as merely average. Ferrari had respectable stamina for a reliever and was durable through his run, playing 60+ games in 12 different seasons.

Relievers didn’t usually get drafted high, but Ferrari was an exception. Rosario was impressed with him coming out of high school, picking Ferrari with the third overall pick in the 1978 BSA Draft. The Robins hoped he might develop a third pitch and become a starter, but that didn’t come to fruition. Still, he pitched 13 seasons for Rosario, debuting with 48.1 innings in 1981 at age 21.

Ferrari was a part-time closer in his second year, then saw limited use in 1983. After that, he was the closer for the rest of his Robins run. Five times, he would post sub-two ERAs. Ferrari won Reliever of the Year in 1986 with Rosario, while taking second thrice (1985, 90, 92) and third once (1988). Ferrari led in saves once in 1991 and had a 32 straight saves streak from September 1985 to August 1986.

Ferrari pitched great in the World Baseball Championship for Argentina from 1983-94 with 28 relief appearances and three starts. He had a 1.84 ERA, eight saves, 63.2 innings, 94 strikeouts, a 203 ERA+, and 1.9 WAR. Ferrari chugged along for Rosario, who finally snapped a 52-year playoff drought in 1987. The Robins won division titles in 1987, 88, and 91; but they suffered two first round defeats and one loss in the Southern Cone Championship.

Rosario made the playoffs in 1992 as a wild card, but went on a playoff run and won their first-ever Copa Sudamerica. Ferrari only had nine playoff appearances in his career, but he posted a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings with 15 strikeouts. Ferrari’s longevity and spot on the championship squad led to his #10 uniform eventually being retired.

Rosario fell off to 74-88 in 1993 after winning the title and would struggle for the next few years. Looking to rebuild, the 34-year old Ferrari was traded to Bogota for three prospects. Ferrari had 40 saves in 1994 and won his second Reliever of the Year award. With the Bats, he also crossed 400 career saves; the seventh to do so in BSA history.

Ferrari became a free agent and signed for 1995 with Belo Horizonte for one year and $1,520,000; his biggest payday yet. His velocity had dropped notably down to 92-94 mph and he was moved to a middle relief role. Ferrari only tossed 24 innings, although he still posted a 1.12 ERA. Not content unless he was a closer, Ferrari decided to retire that winter at age 36.

The career stats for Ferrari saw 403 saves and 484 shutdowns, a 2.27 ERA in 1068.1 innings, 899 games, 1330 strikeouts, 154 walks, 149 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 27.3 WAR. As of 2037, he’s tied for seventh all-time in saves. His rate stats aren’t as impressive and he’s the only guy with 400+ saves and less than 30 WAR. However, 400 saves was a magic number for many voters. Ferrari did miss the cut in his debut at 62.0%, but with no impressive debuts in 2002, Ferrari got a bump. He received 73.4% to earn induction in the 2002 Hall of Fame class.



Yago Prata – Right Field – Belo Horizonte Hogs – 66.8% Third Ballot

Yago Prata was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed right fielder from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Prata was an excellent homer run hitter and a solid contact bat. His eye was below average with unremarkable walk and strikeout numbers. Prata hit the ball hard though, averaging 46 home runs per 162 games. He also got you around 25-30 doubles per year. Prata wasn’t going to leg out extra bases as he had laughably poor speed and baserunning.

Defensively, Prata essentially played only in right field. His arm wasn’t bad, but his poor range meant he graded out as a well below average defender. Prata’s durability and dingers made him still a valuable player in the lineup despite his flaws. Some teammates felt he was selfish and lazy at times, but towering homers made him a popular player with the fans.

Prata was among the top rated Brazilian prospects entering the 1981 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. He was picked sixth overall by Belo Horizonte and ultimately had his entire nine year BSA run with the Hogs. Prata didn’t see heavy use early, mostly used as a pinch hitter against righties in his first two years. He only had 34 starts over 1982 and 1983, but he earned a starting gig from 1984 onward.

Prata had nice power potential flashed in 1984 with 38 home runs. The next year, he emerged as an outstanding slugger with 61 and 65 home runs. Both 1985 and 1986 also saw Prata led the Southern Cone League in runs, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. This got Prata back-to-back MVPs and Silver Sluggers. Belo Horizonte would get a division title in 1985, but fell in the LCS to Cordoba.

Prata wasn’t a league leader for the rest of his run, but he still had five more seasons with 45+ homers and 100+ RBI, as well as three seasons worth 6+ WAR. Prata won three more Silver Sluggers (1986, 88, 89) and took third in 1988 MVP voting. Belo Horizonte made the playoffs again in 1988 and 1990, but was unable to make a run. Prata got heat for lousy playoff performances, as in 19 playoff starts he had an abysmal .169/.231/.296 slash line and -0.3 WAR.

Despite his poor playoff efforts, Prata did fare well in his World Baseball Championship appearances for Brazil. He only played in four editions from 1989-92, but played 72 games with 62 hits, 49 runs, 29 home runs, 56 RBI, a .281/.331/.710 slash, 192 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR. Prata earned world title rings in 1989 and 1990 for his country. That gave him some popularity with the boarder Brazilian baseball fan.

It was a mixed bag though for some Belo Horizonte fans and Prata. He wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to test free agency and he ultimately did after the 1990 campaign at age 32. This marked the end of his BSA career as well, as he ultimately left one year before the Hogs would win Copa Sudamerica in 1991. Prata and the franchise would later patch up relations and retire his #8 uniform.

Prata was excited for the big payday that came with Major League Baseball, signing a four-year, $7,360,000 deal with Detroit. His power carried over well, leading the National Association in both home runs and RBI in his debut season for the Tigers. Prata’s poor defense and weakening contact skills meant he wasn’t award winning in the Motor City. Still, he was a solid starter for a very middling Detroit team. In his four seasons, Prata had 574 hits, 320 runs, 156 home runs, 389 RBI, a .273/.316/.548 slash, 148 wRC+, and 16.4 WAR.

Prata was a free agent again entering 1995 at age 36 and still had value. Ottawa inked him to a three-year, $9,840,000 deal. He maintained respectable production for the Elks, posting 406 hits, 207 runs, 100 home runs, 260 RBI, a .265/.302/.507 slash, 142 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. Ottawa had one wild card appearance, but Prata went 0-10 with five strikeouts.

His deal was up and he still found a gig with a one-year, $3,040,000 deal with Austin in 1998. Prata was below average as a part-time starter for the Amigos with a .228/.269/.408 slash, 0.4 WAR, and 88 wRC+. He was unsigned in 1999 and retired that winter at age 40. For his eight years in MLB, Prata had 1102 games, 1072 hits, 569 runs, 177 doubles, 273 home runs, 705 RBI, a .266/.306/.519 slash, 140 wRC+, and 28.7 WAR.

For his entire pro career, Prata posted 2451 hits, 1291 runs, 407 doubles, 650 home runs, 1565 RBI, a .295/.334/.586 slash, 166 wRC+, and 84.0 WAR. That would be Hall of Fame worthy pretty much anywhere, but just his nine years in Belo Horizonte was a tougher sell. As a Hog he had 1379 hits, 722 runs, 230 doubles, 377 home runs, 860 RBI, a .322/.360/.649 slash, 191 wRC+, and 55.3 WAR. Certainly, that’s an impressive front end of a career on the right trajectory. But the accumulations were quite low because of his early exit, plus Prata stunk in the playoffs.

As of 2037, no HOF hitter in BSA was inducted with fewer hits. However, Prata had a 1.010 OPS and only home run king Valor Melo to that point had him beat among inductees. As of 2037, Prata is one of only seven BSA Hall of Famers with an OPS above one. He was a tough one to weigh and he missed out at 55.2% and 56.3% on his initial ballots. Third time was the charm for Prata, just barely breaching the threshold at 66.8% to earn a spot in the 2002 BSA class.