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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-17-2025, 07:47 PM

The 2026 Hall of Fame class for the Central American Baseball Association had two inductees upon their first ballot. CF Iwan Valen was the headliner at a nearly unanimous 98.7%, while RP Diego Concepcion joined him with a solid 76.4%. The next closest to the 66% requirement was SP Adrian Estrella with 56.4% for his second ballot. SP Mateo Ramirez got 55.7% and 1B Hasan Alvizo saw 50.8%, both on their second tries. No one else was above 50% and no one was dropped after ten ballots.

Iwan “Rumble” Valen – Center Field – Mexicali Maroons – 98.7% First Ballot

Iwan Valen was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed center fielder from the capital of Curacao, Willemstad. He became the third from Curacao to earn induction, joining class of 1935 OF Diomar Glas and Class of 2003 SP Gabe de Kroon. In his prime, Valen was a true “five tool player” and was graded as a five-star player by many scouts.

Valen was a very good contact hitter in his prime, although he was average at best for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He was outstanding at earning extra base hits with a 162 game average of 32 home runs, 23 doubles, and 18 triples. At his peak, Valen was one of CABA’s better home run hitters with six seasons of 40+ dingers. He also was one of the more skilled baserunners with excellent speed, regularly legging out extra bags.

His hitting prowess alone made him elite, but Valen was also one of the finest defensive center fielders of all-time, winning eight Gold Gloves. He played CF exclusively and had remarkable durability in the front end of his career. Valen did run into some injury troubles in his 30s and 40s, but he maintained a remarkably high level of play for 25 years. Not many guys made it into their 40s period and it was even rarer to have someone still posting solid production at such a physically demanding spot like center field.

Valen became one of the biggest worldwide baseball superstars from the Caribbean. He was a renowned prankster and had an elite sense of humor. When it was time to be serious, Valen had high levels of intelligence, adaptability, and leadership. His potential to be such a complete player was evident even as a teenager in Curacao. Valen was spotted and signed to a developmental deal by Mexicali in December 1992.

After three years in the Maroons’ academy, Valen was a 19-year old debutant for 81 games and 11 starts in 1996. He became a full-time starter the next year and emerged as truly elite by his third full season. Prior to the 1999 campaign, the Maroons locked him up on an eight-year, $25,040,000 extension. In 1999, Valen led the Mexican League in WAR (10.4) and triples (30) and hit for the cycle. He won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger while also placing third in MVP voting.

From 1999-06 for Mexicali, Valen won a Gold Glove each year and a Silver Slugger in all but 2004. During this stretch, he posted 9+ WAR each season with an OPS above one seven times. Valen also hit above .300 and stole 60+ bases each year. He scored 100+ runs five times, 200+ hits five times, 40+ homers thrice, 100+ RBI seven times, 400+ total bases four times. Valen was the Mexican League leader in hits once, triples twice, RBI once, total bases thrice, slugging thrice, OPS once, wRC+ twice, and WAR five times.

Valen won MVP honors in 2001, 2003, and 2006. He also was second in voting for both 2002 and 2005. 2003 was his finest season by many metrics with career highs in WAR (14.06), homers (57), RBI (143), runs (121), total bases (449), slugging (.752), OPS (1.148), and wRC+ (232). Valen’s WAR mark was the second-best season ever by a CABA position player only behind Prometheo Garcia’s 14.18 from 1949. He also had 12.84 WAR in 2005, which ranks as the 12^th-best by a CABA position player as of 2037.

Despite his remarkable success, it was hard to lift a struggling Mexicali squad from mediocrity. The Maroons got back above .500 in 1998 and 1999, but quickly regressed into the 21^st Century. In 2006, Mexicali ended a 21-year playoff drought as a wild card but lost in the first round. This would be Valen’s last year in Mexico, as he’d leave for free agency at age 30.

Incidentally, the Maroons won the pennant in 2007 and sent Valen an honorary ring. Although they were sad to see him go, everyone knew he was liable to become one of the game’s richest players to date in MLB. Mexicali fans still adored Valen for decades to come and his #13 uniform would be retired. For the Maroons, Valen had 1646 games, 1958 hits, 1012 runs, 255 doubles, 237 triples, 330 home runs, 1046 RBI, 682 stolen bases, .331/.375/.622 slash, 184 wRC+, and 96.9 WAR.

Valen’s exploits in CABA certainly earned him worldwide attention as did his efforts in the World Baseball Championship. He was a regular for the Netherlands, as Curacao was a constituent of the kingdom. From 1998-2019, Valen played 203 games and started 193 with 211 hits, 117 runs, 29 doubles, 9 triples, 44 home runs, 111 RBI, 75 steals, .281/.338/.519 slash, 145 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR.

As of 2037, Valen leads all Dutch position players in WAR, games, runs, hits, doubles, triples, homers, RBI and steals. Among all players in the WBC, he ranks 24^th in hits and 68^th in runs. The Netherlands had their deepest-ever run with Valen in 2008, taking runner-up to the United States. The Dutch also earned elite eight trips in both 2002 and 2012.

Valen moved to the United States in 2007 with a seven-year, $95,900,000 deal with MLB’s Cincinnati Reds. He was an immediate success with four straight seasons above 8+ WAR to begin his tenure. Valen was the WARlord in 2008 at 10.6 and led the National Association with 117 RBI in 2009. He won Silver Sluggers from 2007-09 and was an MVP finalist those years.. Valen finished second in 2007 and 2009 and took third in 2008.

While his efforts couldn’t turn Mexicali into a contender, it worked for Cincinnati. The Reds won the Lower Midwest Division title from 2007-09. After a first round exit in 2007, Cincy won back-to-back National Association pennants. Prior to that, their only other pennant in all of franchise history was way back in 1919. Valen was NACS MVP both years with a win over Washington in 2008 and Milwaukee in 2009.

Cincinnati won their second-ever World Series title in 2008 by dethroning reigning champ San Diego. The Reds own repeat hopes were dashed in 2009 by Nashville. In 41 playoff starts, Valen was outstanding with 52 hits, 28 runs, 5 doubles, 4 triples, 15 home runs, 34 RBI, .302/.333/.640 slash, 183 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR. That run cemented his status as one of the biggest megastars in all of baseball. Cincinnati couldn’t maintain beyond that, dropping to 84-78 in 2010. They then fell below .500 for the next seven years.

A big part of their decline would be major injuries to Valen. In June 2011, he suffered a concussion that kept him out for the entire second half. Valen then lost the entire 2012 campaign with a broken kneecap in spring training. He was never the same level player after that as it greatly reduced his power and speed moving forward. While his time as an MVP candidate was done, a reduced Valen still proved to be solid starter into his early 40s.

Valen made it back for one more year with Cincinnati in 2013, posting 4.9 WAR over 145 games. With the Reds, he had 831 games, 851 hits, 482 runs, 93 doubles, 57 triples, 194 home runs, 527 RBI, 181 steals, .280/.329/.539 slash, 158 wRC+, and 44.1 WAR. Even with the injuries in the back end, Valen was well worth the investment and remained beloved by Reds fans for years to come. He was now a free agent for 2014 at age 37 and decided to return to the Caribbean on a two-year, $30 million deal with Trinidad.

After later extensions, Valen played five seasons for the Trail Blazers, although ankle and ACL troubles kept him out large chunks of 2016 and 2017. He was still a positive value fielder and hitter when healthy for Trinidad, who was a lower-rung franchise at that stage. For the Trail Blazers, Valen played 554 games with 578 hits, 303 runs, 87 doubles, 54 triples, 77 home runs, 249 RBI, 189 steals, .280/.333/.487 slash, 123 wRC+, and 19.2 WAR.

For 2019, Valen was traded by Trinidad to Leon for three prospects. He had an impressive 5.4 WAR season over 156 games for the Lions at age 42. Valen signed with Juarez for 2020, but age finally caught up to him as he struggled to -0.5 WAR and .440 OPS over 64 games and 9 starts. He did to end his career as a CABA Champion with the Jesters, although he was a mere 1-5 in the playoffs with a double and run scored. Valen retired that winter at age 44.

In CABA, Valen played 2420 games with 2716 hits, 1411 runs, 363 doubles, 312 triples, 434 home runs, 1375 RBI, 602 walks, 1750 strikeouts, 912 steals, .314/.361/.579 slash, 165 wRC+, and 121.0 WAR. His run in Cincinnati did limit him on the counting leaderboards, but Valen still ranks 15^th in WAR among CABA position players as of 2037.

He also ranks 37^th in hits, 43^rd in runs, 11^th in triples, 36^th in total bases (5005), 72^nd in RBI, and 26^th in steals. Valen’s .940 OPS is 80^th among all CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his slugging is 78^th. He also ranks 6^th in zone rating at CF in CABA (139.4) and is second only to Emmanuel Lopez in WAR at CF (131.4).

Valen’s CABA stats and accolades make him a Hall of Fame lock and put him in the conversation for CABA’s best-ever center fielder. Between his reduced tallies from the MLB stint and spending most of his CABA tenure on weaker teams, Valen doesn’t get mentioned as often as maybe he should when discussing CABA all-time top 10 lists. Anyone with any sense viewed Valen as an inner-circle level guy.

When you add his MLB stats, Valen’s status as a true baseball immortal becomes even clearer. He played 3251 professional games with 3567 hits, 1893 runs, 456 doubles, 369 triples, 628 home runs, 1902 RBI, 807 walks, 1093 steals, .305/.352/.569 slash, 163 wRC+, and 165.2 WAR. Valen’s trophy case had 3 MVPs, 10 Silver Sluggers, 8 Gold Gloves, 2 NACS MVP awards, and a World Series ring.

Among all world position players as of 2037, Valen is 33^rd in games played, 47^th in at-bats, 46^th in hits, 25^th in triples, and 15^th in WAR. Among everyone ever in pro baseball, Valen ranks 20^th in WAR. The only player to compile more WAR in center field was MLB WARlord Morgan short at 170.5. Valen certainly deserves mention when discussing the top five center fielders in baseball history.

One could also make the case that Valen is the best-ever position player from a Caribbean island. He also leads that group in WAR with Puerto Rican 1B/3B Donald Gonzalez close behind at 161.3 also between CABA/MLB. The top Caribbean player overall in WAR was pitching wins leader Ulices Montero (191.7), a native of Cuba. It shows though how remarkable Valen was to be even considered in the top five considering the other immortals out of such a baseball rich region.

Diego Concepcion – Relief Pitcher – Chihuahua Warriors – 76.4% First Ballot

Diego Concepcion was a 6’0’’, 185 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Merida, the largest city of Mexico’s Yucatan state. His stuff was incredibly overpowering along with above average movement, although his control was below average. Concepcion had a one-two punch of a 99-101 mph fastball and a curveball. His durability was impeccable, meaning he was almost always ready to go out of the bullpen. Concepcion had a good pickoff move, but was terrible at fielding the position. He wasn’t going to take a leadership role, but he was far from a malcontent or troublemaker.

Concepcion was first drafted 55^th overall by Monterrey in the second round of the 2008 CABA Draft. He declined their offer and spent another year in the college ranks. Concepcion was picked later in the 2009 CABA Draft, 66^th overall by Chihuahua with the 34^th pick of the second round. He was able to come to terms with the Warriors, who plugged him into the closer role immediately. Concepcion would post 30+ saves in all six seasons with Chihuahua.

He led the Mexican League with 44 saves in 2011 and 41 in 2015. He also had the most appearances in 2011 with 76 and with 78 in 2014. Concepcion was second in 2010’s Rookie of the Year voting. He was second in Reliever of the Year voting in 2011, then took third in 2012 and 2013. Concepcion took the top honor for the first time in 2015 with Chihuahua.

Concepcion was a beast in the 2011 playoffs as Chihuahua won the Mexican League championship, falling to Honduras in the CABA Championship. It was their first pennant since their early 1950s dynasty and plays a big role in Concepcion‘s legacy. He tossed 14.1 scoreless innings over nine appearances with 32 strikeouts, four saves, and five hits. Concepcion allowed one run over five innings with five saves in the Baseball Grand Championship as the Warriors tied for sixth at 11-8.

Chihuahua lost in the first round in 2012, then fell towards the middle of the standings in the next few years. With Concepcion due for free agency after the 2016 season and their window ending, the Warriors opted to trade him for 2016 to Leon for prospects. With Chihuahua, Concepcion had 232 saves over 566.1 innings, 2.48 ERA, 869 strikeouts, 153 ERA+, and 21.3 WAR.

Concepcion was used in mid relief for the Lions and had three scoreless playoff innings as Leon lost in the Mexican League Championship Series to Juarez. Now a free agent at age 30, Concepcion signed a two-year, $11,400,000 deal with Salvador. He soon started a brief foray in the World Baseball Championship for Mexico. From 2018-21, he tossed 49.1 innings with a 2.92 ERA and 80 strikeouts.

He returned to the closer role for the Stallions, who won the Caribbean League title in 2017. Salvador lost to Juarez in the CABA Championship, but Concepcion was again a strong playoff performer. He had seven saves in nine appearances, allowing three unearned runs in eight innings with 13 strikeouts. Concepcion also had a 1.12 ERA over 8 innings with 16 Ks in the Baseball Grand Championship with the Stallions going 8-11.

Concepcion won his second Reliever of the Year in 2018 with a 1.06 ERA over 76.2 innings and 4.5 WAR, although Salvador fell to .500. In two seasons, he had a 1.82 ERA in 148.1 innings, 50 saves, 239 strikeouts, and 6.6 WAR. Now 32-years old, Concepcion earned MLB attention and signed a three-year, $25,200,000 deal with Phoenix. However, he was cut after spring training and returned to Mexico on a two-year, $12 million deal with Juarez.

He earned back-to-back Reliever of the Year wins with the Jesters, becoming the 11^th in CABA history to win the award four times. 2020 was Concepcion’s most dominant season with a blistering 0.53 ERA, 46 saves, and 5.0 WAR; all career bests. His ERA was tied for the third-lowest by a ROTY winner in CABA history. Concepcion was strong enough to even finish second in Pitcher of the Year winning.

Juarez lost in the MLCS in 2019, then won the CABA title in 2020 at 112-50. Concepcion was surprisingly average in the 2020 run with a 3.77 ERA over 14.1 innings. However, he redeemed himself with five saves and an 0.77 ERA over 11.2 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Jesters finished 9-10 in the BGC.

For his CABA playoff career, Concepcion had a 1.32 ERA over 47.2 innings, 34 appearances, 16 saves, 80 strikeouts, 351 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR. He had a unique feat of having pitched in three BGCs with three different teams. Concepcion’s career stats in the Baseball Grand Championship saw a 1.09 ERA over 24.2 innings, 13 saves, 49 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR.

In two years for Juarez, Concepcion had 80 saves, 1.16 ERA, 162.2 innings, 260 strikeouts, 338 ERA+, and 9.6 WAR. Coming off his best season at age 34, Phoenix gave him another shot for the 2021 MLB season at two years and $15,600,000. Concepcion was solid in his limited sample size, but was only used for 11 innings. The Firebirds traded Concepcion before the 2022 season to Washington.

Concepcion never pitched for the Admirals, getting cut after spring training. He would toss 12 innings for Charlotte in 2022 before being released in July. Concepcion very briefly was under contract with both Salt Lake City and Toronto, but never saw the field for either. He finished the year in the African Second League with Bangui. Concepcion’s velocity had plummeted at this point and limited his possible use. He was under contract for 2023 with Puebla but didn’t see any use. Concepcion retired that winter at age 37.

In CABA, Concepcion had 369 saves and 397 shutdowns, 932.2 innings, 731 games, 82-55 record, 1448 strikeouts, 203 walks, 177 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 38.5 WAR. As of 2037, Concepcion ranks 9^th in saves. Among CABA Hall of Fame closers, he ranks 6^th in strikeouts and 6^th in WAR.

Concepcion hit the totals most CABA voters wanted from a Hall of Fame reliever. Four Reliever of the Year wins and his awesome playoff production put him over the top. Concepcion received 76.4% in his debut, earning the first ballot selection for the 2026 HOF class for the Central American Baseball Association.

02-17-2025, 07:47 PM	#2078
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,891	2026 CABA Hall of Fame The 2026 Hall of Fame class for the Central American Baseball Association had two inductees upon their first ballot. CF Iwan Valen was the headliner at a nearly unanimous 98.7%, while RP Diego Concepcion joined him with a solid 76.4%. The next closest to the 66% requirement was SP Adrian Estrella with 56.4% for his second ballot. SP Mateo Ramirez got 55.7% and 1B Hasan Alvizo saw 50.8%, both on their second tries. No one else was above 50% and no one was dropped after ten ballots. Iwan “Rumble” Valen – Center Field – Mexicali Maroons – 98.7% First Ballot Iwan Valen was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed center fielder from the capital of Curacao, Willemstad. He became the third from Curacao to earn induction, joining class of 1935 OF Diomar Glas and Class of 2003 SP Gabe de Kroon. In his prime, Valen was a true “five tool player” and was graded as a five-star player by many scouts. Valen was a very good contact hitter in his prime, although he was average at best for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He was outstanding at earning extra base hits with a 162 game average of 32 home runs, 23 doubles, and 18 triples. At his peak, Valen was one of CABA’s better home run hitters with six seasons of 40+ dingers. He also was one of the more skilled baserunners with excellent speed, regularly legging out extra bags. His hitting prowess alone made him elite, but Valen was also one of the finest defensive center fielders of all-time, winning eight Gold Gloves. He played CF exclusively and had remarkable durability in the front end of his career. Valen did run into some injury troubles in his 30s and 40s, but he maintained a remarkably high level of play for 25 years. Not many guys made it into their 40s period and it was even rarer to have someone still posting solid production at such a physically demanding spot like center field. Valen became one of the biggest worldwide baseball superstars from the Caribbean. He was a renowned prankster and had an elite sense of humor. When it was time to be serious, Valen had high levels of intelligence, adaptability, and leadership. His potential to be such a complete player was evident even as a teenager in Curacao. Valen was spotted and signed to a developmental deal by Mexicali in December 1992. After three years in the Maroons’ academy, Valen was a 19-year old debutant for 81 games and 11 starts in 1996. He became a full-time starter the next year and emerged as truly elite by his third full season. Prior to the 1999 campaign, the Maroons locked him up on an eight-year, $25,040,000 extension. In 1999, Valen led the Mexican League in WAR (10.4) and triples (30) and hit for the cycle. He won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger while also placing third in MVP voting. From 1999-06 for Mexicali, Valen won a Gold Glove each year and a Silver Slugger in all but 2004. During this stretch, he posted 9+ WAR each season with an OPS above one seven times. Valen also hit above .300 and stole 60+ bases each year. He scored 100+ runs five times, 200+ hits five times, 40+ homers thrice, 100+ RBI seven times, 400+ total bases four times. Valen was the Mexican League leader in hits once, triples twice, RBI once, total bases thrice, slugging thrice, OPS once, wRC+ twice, and WAR five times. Valen won MVP honors in 2001, 2003, and 2006. He also was second in voting for both 2002 and 2005. 2003 was his finest season by many metrics with career highs in WAR (14.06), homers (57), RBI (143), runs (121), total bases (449), slugging (.752), OPS (1.148), and wRC+ (232). Valen’s WAR mark was the second-best season ever by a CABA position player only behind Prometheo Garcia’s 14.18 from 1949. He also had 12.84 WAR in 2005, which ranks as the 12^th-best by a CABA position player as of 2037. Despite his remarkable success, it was hard to lift a struggling Mexicali squad from mediocrity. The Maroons got back above .500 in 1998 and 1999, but quickly regressed into the 21^st Century. In 2006, Mexicali ended a 21-year playoff drought as a wild card but lost in the first round. This would be Valen’s last year in Mexico, as he’d leave for free agency at age 30. Incidentally, the Maroons won the pennant in 2007 and sent Valen an honorary ring. Although they were sad to see him go, everyone knew he was liable to become one of the game’s richest players to date in MLB. Mexicali fans still adored Valen for decades to come and his #13 uniform would be retired. For the Maroons, Valen had 1646 games, 1958 hits, 1012 runs, 255 doubles, 237 triples, 330 home runs, 1046 RBI, 682 stolen bases, .331/.375/.622 slash, 184 wRC+, and 96.9 WAR. Valen’s exploits in CABA certainly earned him worldwide attention as did his efforts in the World Baseball Championship. He was a regular for the Netherlands, as Curacao was a constituent of the kingdom. From 1998-2019, Valen played 203 games and started 193 with 211 hits, 117 runs, 29 doubles, 9 triples, 44 home runs, 111 RBI, 75 steals, .281/.338/.519 slash, 145 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR. As of 2037, Valen leads all Dutch position players in WAR, games, runs, hits, doubles, triples, homers, RBI and steals. Among all players in the WBC, he ranks 24^th in hits and 68^th in runs. The Netherlands had their deepest-ever run with Valen in 2008, taking runner-up to the United States. The Dutch also earned elite eight trips in both 2002 and 2012. Valen moved to the United States in 2007 with a seven-year, $95,900,000 deal with MLB’s Cincinnati Reds. He was an immediate success with four straight seasons above 8+ WAR to begin his tenure. Valen was the WARlord in 2008 at 10.6 and led the National Association with 117 RBI in 2009. He won Silver Sluggers from 2007-09 and was an MVP finalist those years.. Valen finished second in 2007 and 2009 and took third in 2008. While his efforts couldn’t turn Mexicali into a contender, it worked for Cincinnati. The Reds won the Lower Midwest Division title from 2007-09. After a first round exit in 2007, Cincy won back-to-back National Association pennants. Prior to that, their only other pennant in all of franchise history was way back in 1919. Valen was NACS MVP both years with a win over Washington in 2008 and Milwaukee in 2009. Cincinnati won their second-ever World Series title in 2008 by dethroning reigning champ San Diego. The Reds own repeat hopes were dashed in 2009 by Nashville. In 41 playoff starts, Valen was outstanding with 52 hits, 28 runs, 5 doubles, 4 triples, 15 home runs, 34 RBI, .302/.333/.640 slash, 183 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR. That run cemented his status as one of the biggest megastars in all of baseball. Cincinnati couldn’t maintain beyond that, dropping to 84-78 in 2010. They then fell below .500 for the next seven years. A big part of their decline would be major injuries to Valen. In June 2011, he suffered a concussion that kept him out for the entire second half. Valen then lost the entire 2012 campaign with a broken kneecap in spring training. He was never the same level player after that as it greatly reduced his power and speed moving forward. While his time as an MVP candidate was done, a reduced Valen still proved to be solid starter into his early 40s. Valen made it back for one more year with Cincinnati in 2013, posting 4.9 WAR over 145 games. With the Reds, he had 831 games, 851 hits, 482 runs, 93 doubles, 57 triples, 194 home runs, 527 RBI, 181 steals, .280/.329/.539 slash, 158 wRC+, and 44.1 WAR. Even with the injuries in the back end, Valen was well worth the investment and remained beloved by Reds fans for years to come. He was now a free agent for 2014 at age 37 and decided to return to the Caribbean on a two-year, $30 million deal with Trinidad. After later extensions, Valen played five seasons for the Trail Blazers, although ankle and ACL troubles kept him out large chunks of 2016 and 2017. He was still a positive value fielder and hitter when healthy for Trinidad, who was a lower-rung franchise at that stage. For the Trail Blazers, Valen played 554 games with 578 hits, 303 runs, 87 doubles, 54 triples, 77 home runs, 249 RBI, 189 steals, .280/.333/.487 slash, 123 wRC+, and 19.2 WAR. For 2019, Valen was traded by Trinidad to Leon for three prospects. He had an impressive 5.4 WAR season over 156 games for the Lions at age 42. Valen signed with Juarez for 2020, but age finally caught up to him as he struggled to -0.5 WAR and .440 OPS over 64 games and 9 starts. He did to end his career as a CABA Champion with the Jesters, although he was a mere 1-5 in the playoffs with a double and run scored. Valen retired that winter at age 44. In CABA, Valen played 2420 games with 2716 hits, 1411 runs, 363 doubles, 312 triples, 434 home runs, 1375 RBI, 602 walks, 1750 strikeouts, 912 steals, .314/.361/.579 slash, 165 wRC+, and 121.0 WAR. His run in Cincinnati did limit him on the counting leaderboards, but Valen still ranks 15^th in WAR among CABA position players as of 2037. He also ranks 37^th in hits, 43^rd in runs, 11^th in triples, 36^th in total bases (5005), 72^nd in RBI, and 26^th in steals. Valen’s .940 OPS is 80^th among all CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his slugging is 78^th. He also ranks 6^th in zone rating at CF in CABA (139.4) and is second only to Emmanuel Lopez in WAR at CF (131.4). Valen’s CABA stats and accolades make him a Hall of Fame lock and put him in the conversation for CABA’s best-ever center fielder. Between his reduced tallies from the MLB stint and spending most of his CABA tenure on weaker teams, Valen doesn’t get mentioned as often as maybe he should when discussing CABA all-time top 10 lists. Anyone with any sense viewed Valen as an inner-circle level guy. When you add his MLB stats, Valen’s status as a true baseball immortal becomes even clearer. He played 3251 professional games with 3567 hits, 1893 runs, 456 doubles, 369 triples, 628 home runs, 1902 RBI, 807 walks, 1093 steals, .305/.352/.569 slash, 163 wRC+, and 165.2 WAR. Valen’s trophy case had 3 MVPs, 10 Silver Sluggers, 8 Gold Gloves, 2 NACS MVP awards, and a World Series ring. Among all world position players as of 2037, Valen is 33^rd in games played, 47^th in at-bats, 46^th in hits, 25^th in triples, and 15^th in WAR. Among everyone ever in pro baseball, Valen ranks 20^th in WAR. The only player to compile more WAR in center field was MLB WARlord Morgan short at 170.5. Valen certainly deserves mention when discussing the top five center fielders in baseball history. One could also make the case that Valen is the best-ever position player from a Caribbean island. He also leads that group in WAR with Puerto Rican 1B/3B Donald Gonzalez close behind at 161.3 also between CABA/MLB. The top Caribbean player overall in WAR was pitching wins leader Ulices Montero (191.7), a native of Cuba. It shows though how remarkable Valen was to be even considered in the top five considering the other immortals out of such a baseball rich region. Diego Concepcion – Relief Pitcher – Chihuahua Warriors – 76.4% First Ballot Diego Concepcion was a 6’0’’, 185 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Merida, the largest city of Mexico’s Yucatan state. His stuff was incredibly overpowering along with above average movement, although his control was below average. Concepcion had a one-two punch of a 99-101 mph fastball and a curveball. His durability was impeccable, meaning he was almost always ready to go out of the bullpen. Concepcion had a good pickoff move, but was terrible at fielding the position. He wasn’t going to take a leadership role, but he was far from a malcontent or troublemaker. Concepcion was first drafted 55^th overall by Monterrey in the second round of the 2008 CABA Draft. He declined their offer and spent another year in the college ranks. Concepcion was picked later in the 2009 CABA Draft, 66^th overall by Chihuahua with the 34^th pick of the second round. He was able to come to terms with the Warriors, who plugged him into the closer role immediately. Concepcion would post 30+ saves in all six seasons with Chihuahua. He led the Mexican League with 44 saves in 2011 and 41 in 2015. He also had the most appearances in 2011 with 76 and with 78 in 2014. Concepcion was second in 2010’s Rookie of the Year voting. He was second in Reliever of the Year voting in 2011, then took third in 2012 and 2013. Concepcion took the top honor for the first time in 2015 with Chihuahua. Concepcion was a beast in the 2011 playoffs as Chihuahua won the Mexican League championship, falling to Honduras in the CABA Championship. It was their first pennant since their early 1950s dynasty and plays a big role in Concepcion‘s legacy. He tossed 14.1 scoreless innings over nine appearances with 32 strikeouts, four saves, and five hits. Concepcion allowed one run over five innings with five saves in the Baseball Grand Championship as the Warriors tied for sixth at 11-8. Chihuahua lost in the first round in 2012, then fell towards the middle of the standings in the next few years. With Concepcion due for free agency after the 2016 season and their window ending, the Warriors opted to trade him for 2016 to Leon for prospects. With Chihuahua, Concepcion had 232 saves over 566.1 innings, 2.48 ERA, 869 strikeouts, 153 ERA+, and 21.3 WAR. Concepcion was used in mid relief for the Lions and had three scoreless playoff innings as Leon lost in the Mexican League Championship Series to Juarez. Now a free agent at age 30, Concepcion signed a two-year, $11,400,000 deal with Salvador. He soon started a brief foray in the World Baseball Championship for Mexico. From 2018-21, he tossed 49.1 innings with a 2.92 ERA and 80 strikeouts. He returned to the closer role for the Stallions, who won the Caribbean League title in 2017. Salvador lost to Juarez in the CABA Championship, but Concepcion was again a strong playoff performer. He had seven saves in nine appearances, allowing three unearned runs in eight innings with 13 strikeouts. Concepcion also had a 1.12 ERA over 8 innings with 16 Ks in the Baseball Grand Championship with the Stallions going 8-11. Concepcion won his second Reliever of the Year in 2018 with a 1.06 ERA over 76.2 innings and 4.5 WAR, although Salvador fell to .500. In two seasons, he had a 1.82 ERA in 148.1 innings, 50 saves, 239 strikeouts, and 6.6 WAR. Now 32-years old, Concepcion earned MLB attention and signed a three-year, $25,200,000 deal with Phoenix. However, he was cut after spring training and returned to Mexico on a two-year, $12 million deal with Juarez. He earned back-to-back Reliever of the Year wins with the Jesters, becoming the 11^th in CABA history to win the award four times. 2020 was Concepcion’s most dominant season with a blistering 0.53 ERA, 46 saves, and 5.0 WAR; all career bests. His ERA was tied for the third-lowest by a ROTY winner in CABA history. Concepcion was strong enough to even finish second in Pitcher of the Year winning. Juarez lost in the MLCS in 2019, then won the CABA title in 2020 at 112-50. Concepcion was surprisingly average in the 2020 run with a 3.77 ERA over 14.1 innings. However, he redeemed himself with five saves and an 0.77 ERA over 11.2 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Jesters finished 9-10 in the BGC. For his CABA playoff career, Concepcion had a 1.32 ERA over 47.2 innings, 34 appearances, 16 saves, 80 strikeouts, 351 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR. He had a unique feat of having pitched in three BGCs with three different teams. Concepcion’s career stats in the Baseball Grand Championship saw a 1.09 ERA over 24.2 innings, 13 saves, 49 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR. In two years for Juarez, Concepcion had 80 saves, 1.16 ERA, 162.2 innings, 260 strikeouts, 338 ERA+, and 9.6 WAR. Coming off his best season at age 34, Phoenix gave him another shot for the 2021 MLB season at two years and $15,600,000. Concepcion was solid in his limited sample size, but was only used for 11 innings. The Firebirds traded Concepcion before the 2022 season to Washington. Concepcion never pitched for the Admirals, getting cut after spring training. He would toss 12 innings for Charlotte in 2022 before being released in July. Concepcion very briefly was under contract with both Salt Lake City and Toronto, but never saw the field for either. He finished the year in the African Second League with Bangui. Concepcion’s velocity had plummeted at this point and limited his possible use. He was under contract for 2023 with Puebla but didn’t see any use. Concepcion retired that winter at age 37. In CABA, Concepcion had 369 saves and 397 shutdowns, 932.2 innings, 731 games, 82-55 record, 1448 strikeouts, 203 walks, 177 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 38.5 WAR. As of 2037, Concepcion ranks 9^th in saves. Among CABA Hall of Fame closers, he ranks 6^th in strikeouts and 6^th in WAR. Concepcion hit the totals most CABA voters wanted from a Hall of Fame reliever. Four Reliever of the Year wins and his awesome playoff production put him over the top. Concepcion received 76.4% in his debut, earning the first ballot selection for the 2026 HOF class for the Central American Baseball Association. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)