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Old 05-02-2025, 08:44 AM   #2235
FuzzyRussianHat
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Join Date: Dec 2020
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2030 CABA Hall of Fame (Part 1)



Three outfielders earned first ballot inductions for 2030 into the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame. LF Clayton Morgan and RF Americo Negron were co-headliners at 92.8% and 89.8%, respectively. RF Lucas Martinez debuted at 73.4% to narrowly breach the 66% induction requirement. The best returner was 1B Hasan Alvizo with 57.5% for his sixth ballot. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Clayton Morgan – Left Field – Bahamas Buccaneers – 92.8% First Ballot

Clayton Morgan was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed left fielder from the capital of Jamaica, Kingston. Morgan was a well-rounded batter with good-to-great contact and power along with a respectable eye for walks. While he was never a league-leader, Morgan’s power was remarkably consistent with 10 seasons with 40+ home runs. He had a 162 game average of 45 dingers, 24 doubles, and 9 triples.

Morgan was notably stronger facing right-handed pitchers (1.022 OPS, 169 wRC+) but was by no means bad against lefties (.839 OPS, 127 wRC+). His speed was merely above average, but Morgan was a skilled baserunner. He was a career left fielder and graded as a below average defender, but he was plenty passable with his bat. Morgan’s durability was fairly good and he was known for an incredible work ethic, loyalty, and selflessness. He was a huge fan favorite and became a beloved megastar throughout the region.

In the 2008 CABA Draft, Morgan was picked 10th overall by Bahamas. He played 120 games and started 104 as a rookie with promising results, taking second in 2009’s Rookie of the Year voting. 2010 would start of a stretch of six straight seasons with 6+ WAR, 40+ home runs, and 1.000+ OPS for the Buccaneers. Each of Morgan’s Silver Sluggers came with Bahamas (2011, 13, 14, 15).

Morgan’s sophomore season saw him hit for the cycle twice, a feat only achieved four other times in the same CABA season as of 2037. His lone MVP win came in 2013, leading the Caribbean League in total bases (429), OBP (.432), wRC+ (209), and WAR (10.0). Those were career highs, as was Morgan’s 219 hits, 56 home runs, 50 stolen bases, .372 average, .728 slugging, and 1.160 OPS.

Despite his individual successes, Bahamas remained a bottom-tier franchise in his tenure and averaged only 69.8 wins per season. They also weren’t in a position to be big spenders, sending Morgan to free agency when he was eligible for 2016 at age 29. With the Buccaneers, Morgan had 1074 games, 1321 hits, 716 runs, 165 doubles, 67 triples, 308 home runs, 715 RBI, 377 walks, 259 steals, .334/.393/.643 slash, 170 wRC+, and 50.2 WAR.

Morgan joined Puebla on a seven-year, $97,900,000 deal. He had an immediate setback with a ruptured finger tendon costing him most of the first half in 2016. Morgan missed small bits of 2017 and 2018, but delivered consistent production with the Pumas. He had three seasons with 6+ WAR, 1.000+ OPS, and 40+ homers.

Puebla was in the middle tier when Morgan arrived and stayed there his first few years. The Pumas had a sharp drop to 67-95 in 2018, but had an unexpected bounce back in 2019 at 92-70. They won the South Division and earned their first Mexican League pennant since 1949. Puebla would be thwarted in the CABA Championship by Havana.

This was Morgan’s only career postseason trip with unremarkable stats, posting 11 hits, 5 runs, 1 homer, 4 RBI, .675 OPS, 88 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR in 11 starts. However, he was excellent in the Baseball Grand Championship in 19 games with 17 hits, 13 home runs, 20 RBI, 15 runs, 1.219 OPS, 221 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. The Pumas finished 11-8 in a tie for fifth place.

In five seasons for Puebla, Morgan had 636 games, 763 hits, 452 runs, 104 doubles, 186 home runs, 489 RBI, 100 steals, .318/.363/.629 slash, 171 wRC+, and 29.1 WAR. He opted out of the remaining two years of the deal, becoming a free agent again for 2021 at age 34. Morgan ended up joining Costa Rica on a five-year, $57 million deal.

Later in his career, Morgan played for his native Jamaica in the World Baseball Championship. The island hadn’t qualified for the event from 2006-20, but made it back with the expanded field from 2021 onward. From 2021-25, Morgan played 46 games with 38 hits, 26 runs, 8 doubles, 13 home runs, 20 RBI, .229/.301/.524 slash, and 1.4 WAR.

When he joined Costa Rica, the Rays were fresh off a defeat in the Caribbean League Championship Series. They peaked there, dropping to just below .500 in 2021 and to rock bottom after that. Morgan had a solid debut season in 2021, but also began his own sharp decline. With Costa Rica, he was able to cross the 600 home run, 2500 hit, 1500 RBI, and 1500 run thresholds.

For the Rays in four seasons, Morgan had 594 games, 544 hits, 333 runs, 71 doubles, 21 triples, 142 home runs, 308 RBI, .263/.327/.523 slash, 124 wRC+, and 10.2 WAR. He was let go for 2025 and wanted to play somewhere, but an aging veteran who was close to replacement level didn’t attract any suitors. Morgan played in that year’s WBC and retired in the winter shortly after his 39th birthday.

Morgan’s final totals saw 2304 games, 2628 hits, 1501 runs, 340 doubles, 129 triples, 636 home runs, 1512 RBI, 736 walks, 1551 strikeouts, 440 steals, .312/.368/.610 slash, 159 wRC+, and 89.5 WAR. As of 2037, Morgan ranks 95th in games, 52nd in hits, 28th in runs, 28th in total bases (5134), 21st in home runs, 43rd in RBI, 64th in walks, and 53rd in WAR among position players.

Among CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Morgan’s .978 OPS ranks 33rd. He ranks 35th in slugging and 87th in OBP. He wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant enough to be an inner-circle level Hall of Famer, but Morgan’s career was plenty great to make him a first ballot lock at 92.8%. He often is cited as a top five player to come out of Jamaica and co-headlined the 2030 class for the Central American Baseball Association.
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