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1B/DH Nyx Navas was the lone inductee into the Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame in 2015. On his sixth ballot, Navas narrowly breached the 66% requirement at 70.1%. Catcher Moises Avalos almost joined him on his seventh try, but fell painfully short at 64.6%. 1B Rafael Cervantes was next at 56.6% on his sixth ballot. The only other player above 50% was LF Sergio Echevarria, the best debutant at 56.2%. No players were dropped following ten ballots.



Nyx Navas – First Base/Designated Hitter – Valencia Velocity – 70.1% Sixth Ballot

Nyx Navas was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from the capital of Brazil, Brasilia. Navas was one of the strongest sluggers of his era, hitting 30+ home runs in every season as a full-time starter and topping 40+ seven times. His gap power was quite impressive with 31 doubles per his 162 game average. He’d even get a few triples despite being a painfully slow baserunner. In his prime, Navas was a very good contact hitter with an above average eye, although his strikeout rate was merely okay.

Navas only ever took his glove to first base and was a terrible defender. About 1/3 of his career starts came as a designated hitter, but he didn’t have that option much in the second half of his career. Navas had reliable durability and adaptability, playing 145+ games in 16 different seasons. His impressive power made him a popular player in a career that spanned three continents.

Growing up in the Brazilian capital, Navas got attention from scouts as a teenager. One from Venezuela took a liking to him and in March 1983, signed Navas to a developmental deal with Valencia. He spent most of five years in the academy, officially debuting with two at-bats in 1987 at age 20. Navas was iffy in 82 games and 41 starts in 1988. Still, the Velocity gave him the full-time job in 1989 and he held it for the next seven years with them.

Navas had a good 1989 and helped Valencia end a decade-long playoff drought, although they lost in the first round. Unfortunately, that was their only winning season of Navas’ tenure. He thrived though, leading the Bolivar League in 1990 in home runs (48), RBI (115), and total bases (383). Navas won his first Silver Slugger as a DH with his first of five 6+ WAR seasons with Valencia.

His power dipped a bit in 1991, but he had it back in spades in an impressive 1992. Navas had one of the most impressive batting seasons in BSA history with 11.7 WAR from the DH spot, winning MVP honors and his second Silver Slugger. Navas had career highs in hits (242), runs (134), homers (60), doubles (38), RBI (147), total bases (470), triple slash (.375/.412/.728), OPS (1.14), and wRC+ (219).

He would’ve had a triple crown if not for the BSA homer king Milton Becker’s 64 dingers and 1.161 OPS. Navas’ 134 runs were seven short of the then single-season record and his 147 RBI was four shy of the record. As of 2037, his WAR mark still ranks as the 22^nd best by any position player. Again, that was especially impressive with the vast majority of his starts as a DH.

Navas was moved to first base in 1993 and stayed there for the next decade. His production dropped to 5.0 WAR that year, but he bounced back with back-to-back 7.3 WAR efforts. In 1995, Navas led in homers (56), total bases (398), slugging (.662), and wRC+ (189). He won his second MVP and fourth Silver Slugger. Despite that, Valencia bottomed out at a terrible 66-96. That didn’t give Navas much motivation to stick around with his stock very high after that contract year.

With Valencia, Navas had 1373 hits, 722 runs, 264 doubles, 319 home runs, 798 RBI, a .316/.369/.609 slash, 171 wRC+, and 48.2 WAR. Even if it was a down era for the team, he was popular enough to still get his #34 uniform eventually retired. Heading into his age 29 season, Navas had offers from all across South America. However, he would take his professional talents to the United States for the next eight years.

Although he didn’t play in his native Brazil until 2004, Navas did still proudly represent his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 1990-2003, he had 149 games and 137 starts with 121 hits, 85 runs, 31 doubles, 37 home runs, 88 RBI, a .230/.317/.507 slash, 137 wRC+, and 5.0 WAR. Navas earned a world champion ring as part of Brazil’s 1990 title season.

MLB teams often didn’t get a crack at international stars until their twilight years, so a 29-year old Navas garnered a lot of attention. He ended up inking an eight-year, $29,360,000 deal with Chicago. Navas was a four-time all-star with the Cubs, but was never in the MVP or Silver Slugger conversations. Still, he had 30+ homers in seven straight seasons and had 3.5+ WAR each of those years.

Navas’s best effort was 6.2 in 2000, which also saw a National Association best 119 RBI. His strongest pace was 1997 with a 197 wRC+ over 118 games, but he lost six weeks in the autumn to injury. Chicago was delightfully average during his tenure, usually hovering at or just above .500. Their lone playoff appearance would come with a division title in 1998.

That year, the Cubs made it to the NACS, but lost to Toronto. In 11 playoff starts, Navas had 11 hits, 8 runs, 4 homers, and 6 RBI. He was the full-time starter at first for seven years, but struggles in his last season relegated him to a bench role in 2003. In total for the Cubs, Navas had 1194 games, 1195 hits, 625 runs, 187 doubles, 261 home runs, 729 RBI, a .282/.340/.517 slash, 156 wRC+, and 35.8 WAR.

Now a free agent again heading towards age 37, MLB teams figured Navas was done as a contributor. He headed home to Brazil and just before the 2004 season inked a one-year deal with defending Copa Sudamerica winner Rio de Janeiro. Navas showed he still had power with 42 homers, a .901 OPS, 155 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR at first base.

The Redbirds won their division again, but had a first round playoff loss. Navas was a free agent again and despite the strong showing, couldn’t find a South American team interested at his price point. He still wanted to play and knew he could contribute. Navas’ worldwide feelers led to an unlikely landing place in Mozambique, signing a two-year, $3,240,000 with the AAB’s Maputo Piranhas.

Navas was a positive value starter with 35 and 32 home runs in his seasons there. He had 5.3 WAR, a .258/.330/.504 slash, and 129 wRC+ with Maputo. Navas still wanted to play somewhere in 2007, but most teams could find younger and cheaper sluggers to plug at first or DH. He ultimately retired that winter at age 40.

For his combined pro career, Navas had 3040 hits, 1608 runs, 547 doubles, 689 home runs, 1817 RBI, 841 walks, a .295/.351/.558 slash, 159 wRC+, and 94.6 WAR. That combined stat line makes you a lock anywhere if it is all in one year. However, a full decade came outside of Beisbol Sudamerica, meaning the voters were essentially looking just at the Valencia run and his one year in Rio.

In BSA, Navas had 1562 hits, 825 runs, 294 doubles, 361 home runs, 900 RBI, a .315/.365/.604 slash, 169 wRC+, and 53.5 WAR. There weren’t any position players with a lower career WAR and very few made it below the 1000 run, 1000 RBI, and 2000 hit thresholds. Those that did tended to have brief runs of excellence before leaving.

The rate stats for Navas were very good, but not undeniable. As of 2037 among any BSA hitters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .969 OPS ranks 42^nd and his slugging is 35^th. Two MVPs and one all-time season were major plusses for supporters. Detractors had his lack of team success, low accumulations, and the DH penalty.

Navas still had a respectable 54.3% debut in 2010 and bumped to 60.1% in 2011. He dropped back to 47.8% in 2012, but barely missed in 2013 at 63.1%. Navas fell again though with 47.7% in 2014. For 2015, Navas was helped out by a lack of major debuts. Some detractors noticed that he was the best on offer, crossing the 66% requirement at 70.1%. With that, Navas earned his Hall of Fame spot as Beisbol Sudamerica’s lone inductee in 2015.