[FuzzyRussianHat]

1B Francklin Bonhomme was the lone addition into the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2004, getting the first ballot nod at 81.2%. It was a weak ballot otherwise with few debuts of note. The only other player above 50% was 3B Bienvenido Ramon at 60.2% on his fourth try. The next best debut was closer Ruy Torres at a paltry 27.8%. No players were dropped following ten failed tries.



Francklin Bonhomme – First Base – Monterrey Matadors – 81.2% First Ballot

Francklin Bonhomme was a 6’3’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. Bonhomme was a solid contact hitter known for reliably strong home run power. He had eight straight seasons with 40+ dingers. Bonhomme could also get doubles reliably, averaging 33 per 162 game average. He was only okay at drawing walks, but was better than most at avoiding strikeouts. Bonhomme was laughably slow and lousy as a baserunner.

Bonhomme exclusively played first base and never spent any time elsewhere in the field. Despite his horrendous speed, Bonhomme actually graded out as a consistently good defender. He even won a Gold Glove in 1995. Bonhomme worked hard, but some dismissed him as a big galoot. There were few better sluggers though in his prime, making Bonhomme one of the game’s most popular players of the 1990s.

Bonhomme was spotted by a scout from Monterrey at a teenage camp in Haiti. At only age 16, he signed with the Matadors and came to Mexico in early 1983. Bonhomme officially debuted at age 20 with a few pinch hit spots in 1987 and 1988. 1988 would be the start of Monterrey’s historic dynasty run and CABA-record playoff streak. The next year would mark Bonhomme’s debut as a full-time starter.

Bonhomme emerged as a force in the middle of the lineup, posting 120+ RBI and 40+ home runs in eight straight seasons. He led in RBI four times with a peak of 134 in 1996. Bonhomme led with 53 home runs in 1990 and had a Mexican League-best 218 hits in 1991. He also led in total bases in 344, although he’d reach a career-best 399 in 1991. 1989 marked the start of eight straight years’ worth 5+ WAR with seven of those being 6.9 or better.

Bonhomme won five consecutive Silver Sluggers at the competitive first base slot from 1989-93. 1989 was his official rookie season, taking Rookie of the Year and a third in MVP voting. He took the MVP in 1990 and during that season signed an eight-year, $15,860,000 extension. Bonhomme was second in 1991 MVP voting, third in 1992, second in 1993, and third in 1995.

At this point, Monterrey put together one of CABA’s finest dynasties. From 1990-97, the Matadors won the Mexican League title each year except for 1994. They earned five CABA titles with a three-peat from 1990-92 plus wins in 1995 and 1996. At 116-46 in 1995, Monterrey set a record for most wins by a champion. In that run, Bonhomme was the finals MVP.

For his playoff career, Bonhomme had 96 games and 91 starts with 93 hits, 41 runs, 14 doubles, 19 home runs, 63 RBI, a .256/.289/.463 slash, 114 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. His playoff stats were below his regular season rates, but he still played a big role in the titles. Bonhomme also played for his native Haiti from 1990-2000 in the World Baseball Championship. He had 80 games and 68 starts with 62 hits, 35 runs, 24 home runs, 47 RBI, a .242/.318/.543 slash, 142 wRC+, 2.5 WAR.

Bonhomme’s first setback game in May 1997 when a broken kneecap knocked him out for five months. He was never the same player after that. Bonhomme came back in 1998 and still had good numbers as a starter, but he hit career lows in homers (30) and RBI (82). Bonhomme really stunk in the postseason going 1-22 as Monterrey was upset by Tijuana in the MLCS. This marked the end of his Matadors run and ultimately his career.

Bonhomme was still relatively young, entering free agency for the first time at age 32. However, teams were leery that he was on the downslide and didn’t want to commit a big money deal to him. Bonhomme played in the 1999 and 2000 WBC, but couldn’t find a pro home either season. He finally decided to retire in the winter of 2000 at only age 34. Still very popular in Monterrey, the Matadors brought him in to retire his #27 uniform for his key role in the great dynasty run.

Bonhomme finished with 1773 hits, 927 runs, 302 doubles, 419 home runs, 1113 RBI, a .313/.353/.599 slash, 180 wRC+, and 68.5 WAR. They’re impressive totals for essentially nine seasons’ worth of play. Some voters were dismissive of the short career and low tallies as very few guys had gotten the nod with fewer than 2000 career hits.

Bonhomme’s power, awards, and role in a dynasty though were all major plusses. Additionally, the 2004 CABA ballot was a remarkably weak one, making Bonhomme’s resume pop all the more compared to his competitors. He received 81.2% and a first ballot induction as the lone 2004 Hall of Fame inductee.