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FuzzyRussianHat · 06-17-2025, 08:22 AM

Guillermo Velasquez – First Base – Ecatepec Explosion – 71.2% First Ballot

Guillermo Velasquez was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Belen, Mexico; a village of around 6,000 in the Tabasco state. Velasquez was a rock solid contact hitter with steady gap and home run power, posting 34 doubles and 33 home runs per his 162 game average. He was merely average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Velasquez was equally potent facing right-handed pitching (.949 OPS) as he was versus lefties (.937 OPS).

On the basepaths, Velasquez was laughably slow and clumsy. He would face criticism from teammates and media for a perceived lack of hustle and intelligence, which was especially noticeable with his baserunning. Despite his lacking athleticism, Velasquez graded as a reliably good defensive first baseman, where he made all of his career starts. His durability was quite good as well, playing 140+ games each year from 2014-24.

In the 2011 CABA Draft, Velasquez was picked 12^th overall by Puebla. He had good batting numbers as mostly a pinch hitter in 2012-13 for the Pumas, posting .949 OPS and 3.5 WAR over 237 games and 38 starts. Puebla was just outside of the playoffs both of these years, but became disenchanted with Velasquez’s poor work ethic. After the 2013 campaign, Velasquez was traded after only two seasons with the team that picked him, sent to Ecatepec for SP Jordan Altamirano and 3B Aitor Flores.

Velasquez became known for his time with the Explosion, becoming a full-time starter for the next 11 years. In his debut, he led the Mexican League with 213 hits and added 42 home runs, 1.005 OPS, and 8.3 WAR. 2016 would be his finest season with league and career bests in hits (235), total bases (416), batting average (.383), OBP (.421), and WAR (10.1). Velasquez also had career bests in runs (113), homers (45), slugging (.679), and OPS (1.100), wining his lone Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting.

He wasn’t an MVP finalist after that, although his 2017 campaign also notably had 1.071 OPS, 202 wRC+, and 9.2 WAR. In May 2017, Velasquez signed an eight-year, $124,900,000 extension with Ecatepec. Although a historically powerful team, this was a down era for the Explosion. They were still usually above .500, but only made the playoffs once from 2013-28.

Velasquez was steady, but not amazing into his early 30s apart from 2022. That year saw a return to top form with a league and career best 149 RBI, along with 38 homers, .979 OPS, and 8.0 WAR. From that, Velasquez placed second in MVP voting. This was Ecatepec’s lone playoff trip with Velasquez, which saw an MLCS loss to Juarez. Velasquez stunk in his lone postseason with a .190/.190/.238 slash in six starts. He also saw occasional use for Mexico in the World Baseball Championship from 2015-18 and in 2023 with 24 games and 8 starts.

He had two more good years for Ecatepec, then fell off notably in 2025, reduced to a part-time role with .729 OPS over 120 games and 97 starts. Velasquez was unsigned for 2026 and retired that winter just after his 38^th birthday. For Ecatepec, Velasquez had 1800 games, 2260 hits, 1058 runs, 411 doubles, 392 home runs, 1328 RBI, .331/.370/.575 slash, 164 wRC+, and 73.2 WAR. For his efforts, the Explosion retired his #13 uniform.

In total, Velasquez had 2037 games, 2360 hits, 1109 runs, 428 doubles, 43 triples, 412 home runs, 1388 RBI, 433 walks, 1360 strikeouts, .330/.370/.575 slash, 164 wRC+, and 76.7 WAR. As of 2037, Velasquez ranks 97^th in hits, 98^th in homers, 69^th in RBI, 53^rd in doubles, and 89^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Velasquez ranks 47^th in batting average, 79^th in OBP, 85^th in slugging, and his .945 OPS is 68^th.

Velasquez was certainly among the most efficient hitters of his era, but his longevity and grand tallies were admittedly borderline. He also played for a rare downturn for Ecatepec and racked up fewer accolades than you might expect. Still, most voters thought Velasquez’s resume was plenty good enough for the nod. At 71.2%, he crossed the 66% requirement for a first ballot selection as part of the four-player 2031 Hall of Fame class for the Central American Baseball Association.

Miguel Gonzales – First Base – Mexico City Aztecs – 71.2% First Ballot

Miguel Gonzales was a 6’6’’, 190 pound left-handed first baseman from Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Gonzales was an impressive contact hitter with a very sturdy pop in his bat, getting 39 home runs, 28 doubles, and 3 triples per his 162 game average. He was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but below average at drawing walks. Gonzalez was effective against both sides, but was especially strong facing right-handed pitching (.980 OPS, 166 wRC+) compared to against lefties (.894 OPS, 150 wRC+).

His biggest offensive flaw was laughably slow and sluggish baserunner. Despite that, Gonzales graded as a reliably average to above average defensive first baseman, where he made all of his career starts. Gonzales had impressive durability, playing 159+ games each year from 2012-22. He was considered a good leader and was one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse.

Gonzales left Nicaragua as a teenage amateur and moved to Mexico, signing a developmental deal with Monterrey on New Year’s Eve 2003. Few realize he began with the Matadors organization, since all of his pro games came with Mexico City. Gonzales spent five years in Monterrey’s academy, then was part of a four-player trade to the Aztecs in January 2009. He spent most of three years in Mexico City’s academy, debuting with 21 games in 2011 at age 23.

After showing great promise in that small sample size, Gonzales emerged as a full-time starter in 2012 and held the job for the next 11 years. He won 2012 Rookie of the Year honors with a 6.7 WAR, .957 OPS debut season. Gonzales had roughly similar results the next two years and hit for the cycle in 2014 against Cancun. That winter, Mexico City gave Gonzales an eight-year, $81 million extension. They hitched their wagon to Gonzales hoping to end a playoff drought dating back to 1985. Although the Aztecs had rarely been terrible in the last decade, they couldn’t climb out of the mid-tier.

2015 was easily Gonzales’ finest season, winning his lone Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. He led the Mexican League with career bests in hits (237), total bases (457), triple slash (.375/.4097/.723), and OPS (1.130). Gonzales also had his bests in runs (117), home runs (60), RBI (142), wRC+ (207), and WAR (9.6). He fell seven homers and eight RBI short of a Triple Crown, finishing second in both stats.

Gonzales was never again a Silver Slugger winner or MVP finalist, but he remained remarkably consistent and usually got you around 40 homers, 200 hits, a .325 average, and 6-7 WAR each year. In 2019, Gonzales notably had a six hit game facing Puebla. Still, Mexico City remained stuck in perpetual averageness, keeping Gonzales from making his playoff debut until his mid 30s. He did get to play on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native Nicaragua from 2012-20, playing 73 games with 81 hits, 36 runs, 20 doubles, 19 home runs, 45 RBI, .316/.385/.633 slash, and 3.8 WAR.

In 2021, the Aztecs finally ended that playoff drought with a division title at 91-71, although they lost in the first round of the postseason. They got back as a wild card in 2022, but again were one-and-done. While his regular season results remained steady, Gonzales did struggle to 2-18 over these two playoff trips. Generally pleased though with Gonzales’ continued production, Mexico City gave him another four years and $56,800,000 after the 2022 season.

2023 saw a steep regression for Gonzales as well as a fractured wrist that cost him six weeks. He only played 107 games and started 77 with career lows to that point in OPS (.774) and WAR (1.3). However, Mexico City finally broke through with a dominant 117-45 campaign. The Aztecs dethroned Juarez for the ML pennant and ended a 49-year CABA Championship drought by defeating the reigning champ Guatemala.

Gonzales had a limited playoff role, but stepped up for his longtime team. In 13 games and three starts, Gonzales went 8-20 with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 6 RBI, 1.379 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. He reclaimed a starting job for the Baseball Grand Championship, although he was subpar over 19 starts with a .190/.282/.333 slash and 0.2 WAR. Mexico City finished in the bottom half at 9-10.

For his final two years, Gonzales was mostly a pinch hitter with only nine starts over 170 games. The Aztecs had a historic 120-42 season in 2024, but were shocked by Tijuana in the first round. They won 100 games in 2025, falling to Juarez in the MLCS. For his playoff career, Gonzales had 26 games and 9 starts with .813 OPS, 131 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. His deal expired after 2025 and Gonzales went unsigned in 2026, retiring that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. Mexico City quickly honored him for 15 years of service, retiring his #20 uniform.

Gonzales finished with 2061 games, 2401 hits, 1140 runs, 357 doubles, 38 triples, 499 home runs, 1345 RBI, 454 walks, 960 strikeouts, .327/.368/.590 slash, 162 wRC+, and 72.9 WAR. As of 2037, Gonzales is 89^th in hits, 86^th in total bases (4331), 75^th in home runs and 83^rd in RBI. He’s narrowly outside the top 100 for WAR among position players. However, Gonzales’ .958 OPS is 51^st among all CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his triple slash is 73^rd/88^th/57^th.

In many ways, there are similarities between Gonzales’ resume and that of 2031 Hall of Fame classmate Guillermo Velasquez. Both were career first basemen with very consistent production, although neither had MVPs and weren’t generally in the conversation apart from one or two big seasons. Velasquez had him just beat for WAR, but Gonzales had more homers and a championship ring to his name.

Almost to a man, voters felt that either both deserved it or that both didn’t. Gonzales and Velasquez both got the exact same vote share at 71.2%, but this was enough to cross the 66% threshold for first ballot nods for both men. These two first basemen capped off an impressive four player HOF class for the Central American Baseball Association.

06-17-2025, 08:22 AM	#2280
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,882	2031 CABA Hall of Fame (Part 2) Guillermo Velasquez – First Base – Ecatepec Explosion – 71.2% First Ballot Guillermo Velasquez was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Belen, Mexico; a village of around 6,000 in the Tabasco state. Velasquez was a rock solid contact hitter with steady gap and home run power, posting 34 doubles and 33 home runs per his 162 game average. He was merely average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Velasquez was equally potent facing right-handed pitching (.949 OPS) as he was versus lefties (.937 OPS). On the basepaths, Velasquez was laughably slow and clumsy. He would face criticism from teammates and media for a perceived lack of hustle and intelligence, which was especially noticeable with his baserunning. Despite his lacking athleticism, Velasquez graded as a reliably good defensive first baseman, where he made all of his career starts. His durability was quite good as well, playing 140+ games each year from 2014-24. In the 2011 CABA Draft, Velasquez was picked 12^th overall by Puebla. He had good batting numbers as mostly a pinch hitter in 2012-13 for the Pumas, posting .949 OPS and 3.5 WAR over 237 games and 38 starts. Puebla was just outside of the playoffs both of these years, but became disenchanted with Velasquez’s poor work ethic. After the 2013 campaign, Velasquez was traded after only two seasons with the team that picked him, sent to Ecatepec for SP Jordan Altamirano and 3B Aitor Flores. Velasquez became known for his time with the Explosion, becoming a full-time starter for the next 11 years. In his debut, he led the Mexican League with 213 hits and added 42 home runs, 1.005 OPS, and 8.3 WAR. 2016 would be his finest season with league and career bests in hits (235), total bases (416), batting average (.383), OBP (.421), and WAR (10.1). Velasquez also had career bests in runs (113), homers (45), slugging (.679), and OPS (1.100), wining his lone Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. He wasn’t an MVP finalist after that, although his 2017 campaign also notably had 1.071 OPS, 202 wRC+, and 9.2 WAR. In May 2017, Velasquez signed an eight-year, $124,900,000 extension with Ecatepec. Although a historically powerful team, this was a down era for the Explosion. They were still usually above .500, but only made the playoffs once from 2013-28. Velasquez was steady, but not amazing into his early 30s apart from 2022. That year saw a return to top form with a league and career best 149 RBI, along with 38 homers, .979 OPS, and 8.0 WAR. From that, Velasquez placed second in MVP voting. This was Ecatepec’s lone playoff trip with Velasquez, which saw an MLCS loss to Juarez. Velasquez stunk in his lone postseason with a .190/.190/.238 slash in six starts. He also saw occasional use for Mexico in the World Baseball Championship from 2015-18 and in 2023 with 24 games and 8 starts. He had two more good years for Ecatepec, then fell off notably in 2025, reduced to a part-time role with .729 OPS over 120 games and 97 starts. Velasquez was unsigned for 2026 and retired that winter just after his 38^th birthday. For Ecatepec, Velasquez had 1800 games, 2260 hits, 1058 runs, 411 doubles, 392 home runs, 1328 RBI, .331/.370/.575 slash, 164 wRC+, and 73.2 WAR. For his efforts, the Explosion retired his #13 uniform. In total, Velasquez had 2037 games, 2360 hits, 1109 runs, 428 doubles, 43 triples, 412 home runs, 1388 RBI, 433 walks, 1360 strikeouts, .330/.370/.575 slash, 164 wRC+, and 76.7 WAR. As of 2037, Velasquez ranks 97^th in hits, 98^th in homers, 69^th in RBI, 53^rd in doubles, and 89^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Velasquez ranks 47^th in batting average, 79^th in OBP, 85^th in slugging, and his .945 OPS is 68^th. Velasquez was certainly among the most efficient hitters of his era, but his longevity and grand tallies were admittedly borderline. He also played for a rare downturn for Ecatepec and racked up fewer accolades than you might expect. Still, most voters thought Velasquez’s resume was plenty good enough for the nod. At 71.2%, he crossed the 66% requirement for a first ballot selection as part of the four-player 2031 Hall of Fame class for the Central American Baseball Association. Miguel Gonzales – First Base – Mexico City Aztecs – 71.2% First Ballot Miguel Gonzales was a 6’6’’, 190 pound left-handed first baseman from Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Gonzales was an impressive contact hitter with a very sturdy pop in his bat, getting 39 home runs, 28 doubles, and 3 triples per his 162 game average. He was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but below average at drawing walks. Gonzalez was effective against both sides, but was especially strong facing right-handed pitching (.980 OPS, 166 wRC+) compared to against lefties (.894 OPS, 150 wRC+). His biggest offensive flaw was laughably slow and sluggish baserunner. Despite that, Gonzales graded as a reliably average to above average defensive first baseman, where he made all of his career starts. Gonzales had impressive durability, playing 159+ games each year from 2012-22. He was considered a good leader and was one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse. Gonzales left Nicaragua as a teenage amateur and moved to Mexico, signing a developmental deal with Monterrey on New Year’s Eve 2003. Few realize he began with the Matadors organization, since all of his pro games came with Mexico City. Gonzales spent five years in Monterrey’s academy, then was part of a four-player trade to the Aztecs in January 2009. He spent most of three years in Mexico City’s academy, debuting with 21 games in 2011 at age 23. After showing great promise in that small sample size, Gonzales emerged as a full-time starter in 2012 and held the job for the next 11 years. He won 2012 Rookie of the Year honors with a 6.7 WAR, .957 OPS debut season. Gonzales had roughly similar results the next two years and hit for the cycle in 2014 against Cancun. That winter, Mexico City gave Gonzales an eight-year, $81 million extension. They hitched their wagon to Gonzales hoping to end a playoff drought dating back to 1985. Although the Aztecs had rarely been terrible in the last decade, they couldn’t climb out of the mid-tier. 2015 was easily Gonzales’ finest season, winning his lone Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. He led the Mexican League with career bests in hits (237), total bases (457), triple slash (.375/.4097/.723), and OPS (1.130). Gonzales also had his bests in runs (117), home runs (60), RBI (142), wRC+ (207), and WAR (9.6). He fell seven homers and eight RBI short of a Triple Crown, finishing second in both stats. Gonzales was never again a Silver Slugger winner or MVP finalist, but he remained remarkably consistent and usually got you around 40 homers, 200 hits, a .325 average, and 6-7 WAR each year. In 2019, Gonzales notably had a six hit game facing Puebla. Still, Mexico City remained stuck in perpetual averageness, keeping Gonzales from making his playoff debut until his mid 30s. He did get to play on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native Nicaragua from 2012-20, playing 73 games with 81 hits, 36 runs, 20 doubles, 19 home runs, 45 RBI, .316/.385/.633 slash, and 3.8 WAR. In 2021, the Aztecs finally ended that playoff drought with a division title at 91-71, although they lost in the first round of the postseason. They got back as a wild card in 2022, but again were one-and-done. While his regular season results remained steady, Gonzales did struggle to 2-18 over these two playoff trips. Generally pleased though with Gonzales’ continued production, Mexico City gave him another four years and $56,800,000 after the 2022 season. 2023 saw a steep regression for Gonzales as well as a fractured wrist that cost him six weeks. He only played 107 games and started 77 with career lows to that point in OPS (.774) and WAR (1.3). However, Mexico City finally broke through with a dominant 117-45 campaign. The Aztecs dethroned Juarez for the ML pennant and ended a 49-year CABA Championship drought by defeating the reigning champ Guatemala. Gonzales had a limited playoff role, but stepped up for his longtime team. In 13 games and three starts, Gonzales went 8-20 with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 6 RBI, 1.379 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. He reclaimed a starting job for the Baseball Grand Championship, although he was subpar over 19 starts with a .190/.282/.333 slash and 0.2 WAR. Mexico City finished in the bottom half at 9-10. For his final two years, Gonzales was mostly a pinch hitter with only nine starts over 170 games. The Aztecs had a historic 120-42 season in 2024, but were shocked by Tijuana in the first round. They won 100 games in 2025, falling to Juarez in the MLCS. For his playoff career, Gonzales had 26 games and 9 starts with .813 OPS, 131 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. His deal expired after 2025 and Gonzales went unsigned in 2026, retiring that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. Mexico City quickly honored him for 15 years of service, retiring his #20 uniform. Gonzales finished with 2061 games, 2401 hits, 1140 runs, 357 doubles, 38 triples, 499 home runs, 1345 RBI, 454 walks, 960 strikeouts, .327/.368/.590 slash, 162 wRC+, and 72.9 WAR. As of 2037, Gonzales is 89^th in hits, 86^th in total bases (4331), 75^th in home runs and 83^rd in RBI. He’s narrowly outside the top 100 for WAR among position players. However, Gonzales’ .958 OPS is 51^st among all CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his triple slash is 73^rd/88^th/57^th. In many ways, there are similarities between Gonzales’ resume and that of 2031 Hall of Fame classmate Guillermo Velasquez. Both were career first basemen with very consistent production, although neither had MVPs and weren’t generally in the conversation apart from one or two big seasons. Velasquez had him just beat for WAR, but Gonzales had more homers and a championship ring to his name. Almost to a man, voters felt that either both deserved it or that both didn’t. Gonzales and Velasquez both got the exact same vote share at 71.2%, but this was enough to cross the 66% threshold for first ballot nods for both men. These two first basemen capped off an impressive four player 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)