[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 2010 Central American Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame class was a historic one with a record five players inducted. All five additions were first ballot guys with the headliners being third basemen Adrian Tovar at 99.3% and Jacky Castillo at 98.7%. CF Leonardo Andrade was next at a solid 86.3%. SP Emmanuel Bernabe received 79.5% and CF Sanson Delgado earned 72.6%. Only one other was above 50% with SP Benito Bertran getting 54.4% on his second try.




Pitcher Victor Alvares was the only player dropped after ten failed ballots. He had a 15-year career with Honduras and won Pitcher of the Year in 1988. Alvarez finished with a 169-128 record, 3.23 ERA, 2743.2 innings, 2802 strikeouts, 342 walks, 112 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 55.5 WAR. He wasn’t a league leader generally, thus most voters put him as a “Hall of Pretty Good” type. Alvares peaked with his debut at 25.9% and ended at 8.5%.



Adrian Tovar – Third Base – Trinidad Trail Blazers – 99.3% First Ballot

Adrian Tovar was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Primero de Enero, a town of around 22,000 people in central Cuba. Tovar was renowned as one of baseball’s great ironmen, starting 144+ games every season from 1984-2004. He was a full-time starter through his age 44 season. Tovar did it as a career third baseman and was known for a cannon arm. He graded as average to above average defensively and was a reliably steady presence there.

At the plate, Tovar was fairly well rounded as a solid contact hitter with reliably good power. He was roughly average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Tovar never led in home runs, but he had 15 seasons with 30+ dingers and topped 40+ thrice. Tovar also was excellent at finding the gap, leading the league thrice in doubles. He averaged 33 doubles and 4 triples per his 162 game average. Tovar was a fairly intelligent baserunner, but his speed was firmly below average.

With his longevity, reliability, work ethic, loyalty, and durability; Tovar became one of the most beloved Caribbean players of all time. He was a team captain for Trinidad for two decades and few garnered more respect among players and fans alike.

Tovar quickly emerged as Cuba’s top prospect entering the 1981 CABA Draft. Trinidad selected him with the #2 overall pick and he played his entire 23 year career with the Trail Blazers. Tovar did still return home to Cuba in the front end of his career, playing for the national team from 1983-1991 in the World Baseball Championship. In 84 WBC games, Tovar had 87 hits, 49 runs, 17 doubles, 26 home runs, 59 RBI, a .297/.372/.628 slash, 181 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR.

Tovar was used as a part-time starter with iffy results in his first two seasons with only 1.0 WAR over 121 starts. He earned a full-time starting role in 1984 and held that role firmly for 21 years. In 1985 and 1987, he led the Caribbean League in doubles. From 1985-89, Tovar won five straight Silver Sluggers.

In 1987, Tovar led the CL in WAR (9.7) and wRC+ (193) while posting a .355/.400/.620 slash. This earned second place in MVP voting and convinced Trinidad to give him an eight-year, $8,960,000 extension the following summer. Despite his efforts, the Trail Blazers were still awful in his first few seasons. However, Tovar led the way for an amazing 1988 run.

Trinidad went from 64 wins in 1987 to 94-68 in 1988, winning their first-ever CABA Championship against Juarez. Tovar was second in league MVP voting and took CABA finals MVP. He established himself as a hero there, getting 20 hits, 10 runs, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI over 17 playoff starts. The Trail Blazers spent the next three years in the middle of the standings while Tovar won Silver Sluggers again in 1989 and 1991. He led in WAR in 1991 and took third in MVP voting.

Tovar had 18 straight seasons worth 5+ WAR and posted 7+ each year from 1985-1993. In 1992, Trinidad made it back to the playoffs and won another Caribbean League pennant. Tovar was CLCS MVP and had 18 hits, 10 runs, 3 homers, and 11 RBI over 14 playoff starts. Trinidad would fall to the Monterrey dynasty in the CABA Championship.

The Trail Blazers had a franchise-record 106-56 season in 1993, but were upset in the CLCS by Honduras. That would be Tovar’s final playoff appearance, as Trinidad would be stuck around .500 for the rest of his run. In 37 career playoff starts, Tovar had 46 hits, 23 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, 25 RBI, a .322/.364/.538 slash, 159 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR.

1993 saw Tovar’s lone batting title with a .347 average, along with a league-best 205 hits and 42 RBI with 9.7 WAR. He took second in MVP voting and won his sixth Silver Slugger. Tovar won four more Sluggers (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001). He signed a two-year, $5,200,000 extension in May 1996.

At age 37, Tovar had his most powerful season with career bests in home runs (54), RBI (128), runs (118), OPS (1.040), and WAR (9.8). He finally won Caribbean League MVP and perhaps was the oldest-ever player to win their first MVP. Trinidad gave their beloved star another two years and $4,800,000 after that, then another two years and $6,000,000 after the 1999 season.

Tovar won Silver Sluggers even as late as age 41. 2000 saw multiple major milestones reached, breaching 3000 hits, 1500 runs, and 600 home runs. He was the eighth to 3K hits, the tenth to 1500 runs, and the 11^th to 600 homers. Tovar seemed ageless and some thought he’d have a chance to chase the all-time marks.

2002 was still a good season, but the weakest full-time year of his career with 4.2 WAR and 116 wRC+. Tovar fell to a league average hitter in 2003, but became the fourth to 3500 hits that year, the fifth to 700 homers, and the first to reach 600 career doubles. In 2004, he was firmly a below average hitter, but became the fourth to reach 2000 career RBI.

After 2004, Tovar was only 148 hits short of Prometheo Garcia’s all-time mark, although the other top marks were further away. He was still physically in good health, but wasn’t sure he was good enough to keep starting. Tovar opted to retire that winter at age 44 and saw his #28 uniform immediately retired by Trindad.

Tovar finished with 3338 games and 3221 starts, 3723 hits, 1871 runs, 675 doubles, 90 triples, 718 home runs, 2024 RBI, 720 walks, 6732 total bases, a .293/.336/.530 slash, 143 wRC+, and 140.8 WAR. At retirement, no CABA player had played more games and he would only get passed once in the preceding years. At retirement, Tovar was second in hits, second in runs, first in doubles, second in total bases, fifth in home runs, fourth in RBI, and fourth in WAR by a position player.

As of 2037, Tovar still is CABA’s all-time doubles leader. He’s also fourth in WAR still, eighth in homers, sixth in RBI, third in total bases, third in hits, and fourth in runs. He’s also the all-time third base leader in assists, putouts, total chances, double players, errors, and innings. In world baseball history, only South Asia Baseball’s Manju Abbas has more games played at third base.

Tovar was a remarkable ironman and a Caribbean League staple of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. He was an obvious no-doubt Hall of Famer at 99.3% to headline the huge five-player 2010 CABA class. When discussing the all-time best third basemen in all of baseball history, Tovar deserves a strong look.