[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 2006 Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame ballot was an odd one as only three players debuted and the best of those had a whopping 7.6%. The lone inductee was 3B/2B Bienvenido Ramon, who got the bump up to 74.5% on his sixth ballot. Two players on their fourth try also crossed 50% with CF Manuel Rodriguez (56.6%) and LF Luis Martinez (53.0%). SP Jeronimo Talavera had 47.8% on his penultimate try. No one else was above 1/3s of the vote and no players fell off after ten ballots.



Bienvenido Ramon – Third/Second Base – Santo Domingo Dolphins – 74.5% Sixth Ballot

Bienvenido Ramon was a 6’2’’, 200 pound switch-hitting infielder from Santiago de Cuba; Cuba’s second largest city. Ramon was a solid contact hitter that was very good at avoiding strikeouts and respectable at drawing walks. His gap power was quite good, averaging 29 doubles and 13 triples over his 162 game average. Ramon wasn’t a major power hitter, but did still get you reliably around 15 home runs per season. He had pretty good speed and was a very smart baserunner.

Ramon made about 2/3s of his career starts at third base with most of the rest at second. He was a crappy defender at both spots as he generally lacked both range and smooth glovesmanship. Ramon was quite durable and could be counted on to always be ready to go. He was a soft spoken and humble player that didn’t draw attention to himself.

In the 1974 CABA Draft, Ramon was picked 17^th overall by Santo Domingo, where he’d play his entire two decade pro career. He wasn’t able to crack the lineup immediately with only 22 games and three starts between 1975 and 1976. Ramon didn’t see the field in the 1976 playoff run as the Dolphins won the Caribbean League title. They would be around .500 for the next four seasons before eventually starting an early 1980s dynasty.

1977 saw Ramon’s first real action with 123 games and 67 starts, performing well enough to earn the Rookie of the Year. He was never one to put up gaudy stats and his only Silver Slugger came in 1983. Ramon did lead the Caribbean twice in batting average (1979 and 1983), as well as twice in OBP (1982, 1983). He led in hits in 1982 and doubles in 1981. Being a reliably solid starter earned him a four-year, $2,400,000 extension after the 1981 season, followed by a seven-year, $4,770,000 extension in March 1985.

Ramon would also return home to Cuba for the World Baseball Championship from 1978-86. He made 71 starts in 75 games with 65 hits, 36 runs, 10 doubles, 12 home runs, 33 RBI, a .238/.342/.407 slash, 116 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR.

Santo Domingo had six straight Island Division titles from 1981-86. The Dolphins won the Caribbean League pennant in 1981, 82, 84, and 85; then won the CABA crown in 1982, 84, and 85. Ramon was a reliable starter during this dynasty run for the Dolphins. In his playoff career, he had 86 games and 80 starts, 97 hits, 43 runs, 13 doubles, 8 triples, 8 home runs, 33 RBI, a .300/.345/.464 slash, 123 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR.

Ramon’s production remained remarkably steady into his 30s. Santo Domingo narrowly missed the playoffs in 1987 and 1988, but earned five berths from 1989-94. However, that stretch saw three exits in the CLCS and two in the first round. Ramon kept chugging along and Santo Domingo gave him another three years and $4,220,000 after the 1991 season.

Now entering his late 30s, small injuries finally started to cost Ramon some time and production. He lost seven weeks in 1992 and ten weeks in 1993 to various injuries. By 1994, Ramon looked merely average and saw limited starts. He’d be benched and only play 19 games in 1995. Ramon opted to retire after the 1995 campaign at age 40.

Ramon ended with 2844 hits, 1470 runs, 477 doubles, 205 triples, 237 home runs, 1048 RBI, 695 stolen bases, a .299/.351/.467 slash, 126 wRC+, and 65.2 WAR. Working in his favor was a long tenure with one team and being part of a great dynasty. Ramon didn’t have big power numbers and his other accumulations seemed still borderline for his tenure. Some of the advanced stats suggested more of a “Hall of Pretty Good” resume for many voters.

Ramon debuted only at 42.2% in 2001, but the humble infielder slowly gained support. He got up to 60.2% in 2004, then fell less than a point short in 2005 at 65.2%. With no impressive debuts on the 2006 ballot, Ramon earned another look from some skeptics and got across the line at 74.5%. He earned the sixth ballot addition as the lone member of CABA’s 2006 class.