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Three players received a first ballot induction with the 2016 Hall of Fame class for the Central American Baseball Association. OF Ryan Crowe led the way at 97.3%, joined by 1B/LF Jose Cardenas at 80.7% and 1B Yusdet Remo at 78.6%. The only other player above 50% was SP Julio Sandoval, the best returner with a 54.6% third ballot.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was 1B Samuel Ibanez, who peaked at 45.1% in 2011 and ended at a low of 8.5%. He was a starter for 11 years with good power for Guatemala, but only had one Silver Slugger and no black ink. Ibanez finished with 2089 hits, 1169 runs, 320 doubles, 481 home runs, 1246 RBI, a .286/.343/.540 slash, 138 wRC+, and 53.7 WAR. It was a solid career, but a pretty firm “Hall of Pretty Good” type, especially at a loaded offensive position like first base.



Ryan Crowe – Outfielder – Juarez Jesters – 97.3% First Ballot

Ryan Crowe was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed American outfielder from Parts Unknown. Much of his early life is a mystery with some legal issues in his youth expected, since he popped up unexpectedly from independent leagues. Crowe was a well-rounded bat who was good to great across the board in terms of contact, power, and eye. Over his 162 game average, Crowe would get 34 doubles and 32 home runs per season.

Crowe’s speed and baserunning were both mediocre. He made about 2/3s of his starts in right field and had weak range, but good enough glove work and arm strength to provide passable defense. Crowe had similar results in left field, but was terrible defensively in limited time playing center. He had fantastic durability and played 140+ games each year from 1995-2009.

In his early 20s, Crowe bounced around obscure independent leagues in the United States and northern Mexico. He started to show some promise and caught the attention of Juarez, who signed him in 1995 at age 25. Crowe had an excellent debut and won Rookie of the Year, getting his first of 14 straight seasons worth 5+ WAR. Crowe led the Mexican League in doubles in 1996 and walks in 1997. This early success inspired the Jesters to give him a seven-year, $24,760,000 extension after the 1998 season.

By 2000, he went from a strong starter to Mexican League MVP. Crowe led the league in the triple slash (.379/.441/.693), posting career highs there and in OPS (1.133), wRC+ (217), WAR (10.2), hits (222), runs (124), and home runs (47). Juarez broke through for their first playoff berth since 1988, falling to Ecatepec in the MLCS. The Jesters became a regular playoff contender with five straight berths from 2002-2006.

Crowe had similar stats in 2001, leading again in batting average (.357) and OBP (.420) while posting 10.1 WAR, and 1.086 OPS. He led with a career best 137 RBI and had a career high 45 doubles. Crowe won his second Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting. He led in doubles in 2002 and posted four more 8+ WAR seasons, winning Silver Sluggers in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Crowe was third in 2004 MVP voting and 2006.

Juarez lost in the 2002 MLCS to the Ecatepec dynasty, then had first round playoff losses in 2003 and 2004. The Jesters broke through with back-to-back pennants in 2005 and 2006, but they lost the 2005 CABA Championship to Salvador and the 2006 final to Haiti. Crowe had very good playoff numbers in 59 starts with 76 hits, 46 runs, 11 doubles, 14 home runs, 42 RBI, a .328/.379/.582 slash, 179 wRC+, and 3.2 WAR.

Crowe signed a two-year, $14,800,000 extension after the 2005 season. Juarez remained good in 2007 and 2008, but fell just short of the playoffs both years. They fell to 78-84 in 2009, their only losing season during Crowe’s tenure. Age had finally caught up to the now 40-year old Crowe, who had his worst season at 3.0 WAR and 123 wRC+. He would cross the 1500 run and 1500 RBI milestones in his last season.

Looking to re-tool, Juarez let Crowe go. He signed for 2010 with Monterrey, but struggled as a part-time starter with -0.6 WAR over 336 plate appearances. Crowe had hoped to get to the 3000 hit and 500 home run milestones, but was clearly cooked at this point. No one signed him in 2011 and he retired that winter at age 42. Juarez fittingly brought him back soon after to retire his #42 uniform.

Crowe ended with 2981 hits, 1547 runs, 520 doubles, 497 home runs, 1555 RBI, 909 walks, a .329/.390/.563 slash, 175 wRC+, and 109.3 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 20^th in CABA in hits, 23^rd in runs, 11^th in doubles, 76^th in home runs, 36^th in RBI, 26^th in walks, and 24^th in WAR among position players. Among those with 3000+ plate appearances, his .953 OPS sits 59^th. Among Hall of Famers in CABA, Crowe’s OBP is 12^th.

Despite coming from complete obscurity, Crowe was one of CABA’s most reliably consistent batters of the 1990s and 2000s, helping Juarez become a contender to start the 21^st Century. Crowe was a strong headliner for CABA’s 2016 Hall of Fame class at 97.3%.