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Two players earned induction in 2009 for the Central American Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame in their ballot debuts. RF Velasquez Saavedra was nearly unanimous at 99.6%, while SP Hector Lopez inched across the 66% requirement with 72.1%. SP Benito Bertran didn’t miss by much with a debut at 63.0%. RF Dion Juarez was the only returner above 50%, getting 56.9% in his third go. No players were dropped after ten failed tries in 2009.



Velasquez Saavedra – Right Field – Ecatepec Explosion – 99.6% First Ballot

Velasquez Saavedra was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed right fielder from Zaragoza, Guatemala, a town of around 11,000 inhabitants. Saavedra’s most renowned skills were his ability to draw walks and his baserunning. He led his league ten times in walks and was an absolute pest for pitchers once he was on base. Saavedra had great speed and successfully stole on about 2/3s of his attempts. Few guys in his era were as dangerous from first base.

That said, Saavedra was an average to below average contact hitter and despite his ability to work counts, he had a lousy strikeout rate. He hit the ball very hard though when he connected, averaging 21 doubles, 18 triples, and 34 home runs per his 162 game average. Saavedra’s speed also meant that nearly half of his career hits went for extra bases.

Saavedra was an ironman, making 145+ starts in all but his final full season. He was a career right fielder and an excellent defender, boasting great range with a cannon arm. Saavedra is one of 13 right fielders in CABA history to accumulate a zone rating of 100+. He worked hard and had a unique and exciting play style, becoming of the most popular players in the world of his era.

Despite humble beginnings, Saavedra’s unique profile drew the attention of Central American squads as he declared for the 1988 CABA Draft at age 29. He was picked 30^th overall late in the first round by Honduras. The Horsemen kept him on the reserve roster from 1989-90, although he officially debuted in 1990 with six at-bats. Saavedra earned a starting gig in 1991 and was a starter somewhere for 17 straight seasons.

Four of Saavedra’s five seasons with Honduras saw him lead the Caribbean League in walks. He led from 1993-95 in WAR with 9.7, 8.7, and 9.7. Saavedra also led in runs scored in 1993 with 128 and 1995 with 120. He was second in 1991 Rookie of the Year voting, then won a Silver Slugger in 1992 and 1995. Saavedra was third in 1993 MVP voting, third in 1994, and second in 1995. He also won his first Gold Glove in 1995.

Honduras became a regular contender at this point, winning Caribbean League titles in 1991 and 1993 with a CABA Championship ring in 1993. Saavedra was weak in the 1991 run, but solid in 1993. Over 37 playoff starts, he had 38 hits, 18 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, 14 RBI, 14 walks, 10 stolen bases, a .290/.367/.473 slash, 136 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.

In each of his pro stops, Saavedra still had love for his home country Guatemala. He played for them from 1991-2007 in the World Baseball Championship with 157 starts, 102 hits, 82 runs, 23 doubles, 8 triples, 32 home runs, 70 RBI, 92 walks, 70 stolen bases, a .179/.305/.415 slash, 110 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR. This helped keep Saavedra beloved throughout all of Central America, even as he later left for Mexico and the United States.

After the 1995 season, Saavedra left Honduras for free agency at only age 26. With the Horsemen, he had 772 hits, 538 runs, 82 doubles, 92 triples, 191 home runs, 478 RBI, 399 walks, 247 stolen bases, a .279/.372/.583 slash, 155 wRC+, and 33.7 WAR. Saavedra was a very hot commodity and would begin his signature run by signing an eight-year, $21,180,000 deal with Ecatepec.

The Explosion had won the 1994 Mexican League title, but struggled to 71-91 in 1995. Saavedra helped them begin a ten-year South Division title streak which saw nine appearances in the MLCS. Ecatepec won six straight ML pennants from 1999-04 and won the CABA title in 1999, 2000, and 2004.

Saavedra immediately lived up to the hype with his lone MVP win in 1996, posting league bests in runs (130), triples (25), walks (92), total bases (405), OBP (.433), slugging (.732), OPS (1.166), wRC+ (220, and WAR (12.2). The total bases, OBP, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR would all be career bests, as was his .335 batting average, 185 hits, and 122 RBI. Saavedra also smacked 47 home runs, one shy of his career-best 48 in 1993. He was a rare player to earn MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger all in the same year.

Saavedra was very good, but not MVP level in the next three seasons. He won a Gold Glove in 1997 and posted 6+ WAR in each of those years. Saavedra was back to outstanding soon after with three straight 10+ WAR seasons from 2000-2002. He led the Mexican League each of these years in stolen bases with 96, 98, and 98. 2000 also had a career-best 132 runs and league best 10.4 WAR, taking second in MVP voting.

2001 also saw a league lead in runs, while he led in triples and walks in 2003. Saavedra won his fourth Silver Slugger in 2002 and took third in MVP voting. He was strong in the playoffs, winning 1999 MLCS MVP. Over 89 playoff starts with Ecatepec, Saavedra had 89 hits, 52 runs, 9 doubles, 11 triples, 20 home runs, 58 RBI, 47 stolen bases, a .262/.332/.529 slash, 142 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR.

For his CABA career, Saavedra ended up the all-time playoff leader in walks (72) and steals (57) and still holds both marks as of 2037. Between Ecatepec and Honduras, he had 126 playoff starts, 127 hits, 70 runs, 14 doubles, 13 triples, 25 home runs, 72 RBI, a .270/.342/.514 slash, 141 wRC+, and 5.0 WAR. Saavedra’s role in Ecatepec’s dynasty led to his #26 uniform eventually being retired.

For Ecatepec, Saavedra had 1268 hits, 935 runs, 186 doubles, 177 triples, 266 home runs, 808 RBI, 646 walks, 670 stolen bases, a .284/.377/.584 slash, 171 wRC+, and 69.7 WAR. His stock was very high as his Explosion deal expired after the 2003 campaign. Saavedra received international offers and opted to leave for the United States at age 34. He signed a four-year, $37,600,000 deal with San Diego.

Saavedra’s contact hitting was far too poor for MLB, hitting an abysmal .159 with the Seals and leading the American Association twice in strikeouts. He still provided positive WAR for three seasons by leading twice in walks and by winning Gold Gloves in 2005 and 2006. Saavedra also was the second round MVP in the 2007 playoffs as San Diego went onto win the World Series. This made Saavedra a rare player with a CABA Championship ring (3) and World Series ring (1).

With San Diego, Saavedra had 350 hits, 335 runs, 44 doubles, 24 triples, 91 home runs, 212 RBI, 347 walks, 121 stolen bases, a .159/.281/.324 slash, 76 wRC+, and 6.2 WAR. His deal concluded with the World Series win and Saavedra decided that was a good time to leave the game, retiring at age 38.

For his entire pro career, Saavedra had 2390 hits, 1808 runs, 312 doubles, 293 triples, 548 home runs, 1498 RBI, 1392 walks, 1038 stolen bases, a .253/.353/.523 slash, 143 wRC+, and 112.9 WAR. Just in CABA, Saavedra had 2040 hits, 1473 runs, 268 doubles, 269 triples, 457 home runs, 1286 RBI, 1045 walks, 917 stolen bases, a .282/.375/.584 slash, 165 wRC+, and 106.7 WAR.

Leaving for MLB in his final few years lowered the final accumulations a bit, but he still as of 2037 in CABA is 11^th in walks, 25^th in steals, and 27^th in WAR among position players. Saavedra’s specific skillset wasn’t common, but it made him a very successful and beloved player in his time. He was nearly unanimously inducted into CABA’s Hall of Fame in 2009, headlining the group at 99.6%.



Hector “Turkey” Lopez – Starting Pitcher – Leon Lions - 72.1% First Ballot

Hector Lopez was a 6’4’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Morelia, the capital of central Mexico’s Michoacan state with a metropolitan population of around one million. Lopez was steadfast in eating turkey sandwiches before and after starts, earning the moniker “Turkey” as a nickname. He was a well-balanced pitcher with good to great stuff, movement, and control.

Lopez had 96-98 mph peak velocity on a cut fastball and mixed it with a curveball, slider, and changeup. All four pitches were equally potent, frustrating hitters. His stamina was merely average compared to most CABA aces of the time. He was durable early in his career and was quite adaptable.

Lopez drew attention from Mexican scouts and was a prized prospect out of high school in the 1986 CABA Draft. He was picked 9^th overall by Tijuana, but instead opted to attend junior college, spurning the Toros. Lopez’s stock only improved as he came up again in the 1989 CABA Draft. Leon picked him #2 overall and he spent his entire pro career with the Lions.

He was a full-time starter immediately for Leon, although he lost six weeks in 1990 to an oblique strain. Lopez stayed healthy the next few seasons and helped the Lions to playoff berths in 1991 and 1992. They would be stuck just outside of the playoffs for the rest of the decade, unable to end Ecatepec’s reign atop the South Division. Lopez wouldn’t see the playoffs again apart from those early years.

Lopez did pitch on the world stage though from 1991-2001 with Mexico in the World Baseball Championship. He struggled though with a 4.58 ERA over 108 innings, 5-7 record, 118 strikeouts, 32 walks, 78 ERA+, and 1.3 WAR. Still, Lopez became a well-known figure in Mexican baseball.

In 1993, Lopez led the ML in WAR (7.4) and FIP- (64). He signed a two-year, $4,080,000 extension in June 1994, then a big seven-year, $18,200,000 deal in September 1996. He would post seven straight seasons worth 6+ WAR from 1993-1999.

Lopez entered the awards conversation in 1996 as he led in ERA (2.40) and WHIP (0.96), taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He lowered both marks in 1997 (2.21, 0.92) and won his first POTY in 1997. Lopez was a repeat winner in 1998 with league and career bests in ERA (1.84) and WHIP (0.86).

His ERA grew in 1999, but Lopez tossed a career high 289 strikeouts with six shutouts. Leon had won 80+ games for the entire 1990s, but fell into mediocrity to start the 2000s. Losing Lopez played a big role, as he suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his second start of the 2000 season.

Lopez attempted comebacks with little success. In 2001, an arthritic elbow knocked him out four months. He tore his flexor tendon in 2002, then dealt with more arthritis in 2003. Lopez ultimately retired after the 2003 season at age 36. Leon honored him by retiring his #35 uniform that winter.

Over 14 years, Lopez had a 155-101 record, 2.62 ERA, 2398.1 innings, 2608 strikeouts, 400 walks, 222/307 quality starts, 71 complete games, 135 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 61.6 WAR. The rate stats were excellent and certainly worthy for most voters.

The injuries meant his accumulations were very much on the low end with not many Hall of Fame guys being shy of 160 wins or 3000 strikeouts. Some felt held the lack of team success against him too. The resume was enough for a majority of voters, giving Lopez a first ballot nod at 72.1%. He didn’t cross the 66% threshold by much, but he was in either way with CABA’s 2009 Hall of Fame class.