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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-11-2025, 07:25 PM

After more than 100 seasons, Beisbol Sudamerica finally inducted its first catcher into the Hall of Fame. The voters were so stubborn that it took arguably the greatest catcher in baseball history to do it with Cierco Lugo at 94.1%. SS Tajo Rios joined him in the 2032 class on the first ballot at 85.0%. The best returners were LF Sam Rubio at 57.3% on his second ballot and 2B Franklin Chapman with 52.6% on his fourth go; both short of the 66% requirement. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 2032.

Cicero Lugo – Catcher – Santiago Saints – 94.1% First Ballot

Cicero Lugo was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting catcher from Cochabamba, the fourth-largest city in Bolivia with about 630,000 inhabitants. He had a well-rounded bat for any position, but especially stood out as a catcher. Lugo was a rock solid contact hitter with a reliably impressive pop in his bat. His 162 game average got you 31 home runs, 32 doubles, and 5 triples. Lugo had an above average eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Lugo was especially strong facing right-handed pitching with a career .987 OPS and 172 wRC+. He wasn’t a scrub facing lefties though with a .790 OPS and 122 wRC+. As expected though as a catcher, Lugo was a very slow and clunky baserunner. If a team found a catcher that could bat, that usually meant sacrificing defense. But that wasn’t the case for Lugo, who graded as a reliably above average to good defensive catcher.

His impressive durability really put him over the top, playing 126 games each year from 2007-25. Lugo is one of a select few catchers in baseball history to play 20+ seasons and to still be productive into his 40s. He had a tireless work ethic and unwavering loyalty. Lugo was a bit simple when it comes to non-baseball affairs, but he was a truly endearing fan favorite. He became one of South America’s most universally beloved players and was recognized worldwide as potentially the best ever behind the plate.

In January 2001, Lugo moved from Bolivia to Chile on a developmental deal with Santiago. Little did he know that all 23 of his pro seasons would be with the Saints. Lugo very much became a Chilean icon and idol in the capital, but he was also beloved back home in his native Bolivia. He was also very vocal in supporting an expansion team for his home city Cochabamba, who earned a franchise in 2029. From 2004-26, Lugo regularly returned to Bolivia for the World Baseball Championship. He played 172 games with 142 hits, 76 runs, 33 doubles, 31 home runs, 87 RBI, .239/.322/.465 slash, and 4.5 WAR.

After three years and change in Santiago’s academy, Lugo was a rare 19-year old debut in 2004. He held a backup role in his first three seasons with 86 starts and 211 games. This was a rebuilding era for the historically strong Saints, who only made the playoffs once in the 2000s. Lugo had an increased role in 2007 with 126 games, 64 starts, and 4.0 WAR. He secured the full-time starting gig in 2008 and was good for 120+ starts each year through 2025.

Lugo had near permanent residency as the Southern Cone League’s Silver Slugger winner at catcher. He won the honor 14 consecutive seasons from 2008-21, then took it again in 2023 and 2024. As of 2037, Lugo is one of only five players in all of world history with 16+ Sluggers. He’s the only catcher and the only guy in Beisbol Sudamerica to do it. Lugo also knew to regularly book a flight to the All-Star game, earning that honor 17 times.

In 2011, Lugo was second in MVP voting and led the league in OBP (.413), slugging (.722), OPS (1.135), wRC+ (211), and WAR (10.4). Those were all career bests, as was his .366 average, 44 home runs, 107 runs, and 183 hits. Lugo holds the BSA single-season record for WAR, total bases (361), runs, slugging, and OPS by a catcher. Due to the fewer at-bats that come with the position, it was especially rare for a catcher to be a league leader.

Lugo also hit for the cycle twice in 2011 and is one of only four in BSA history to do it twice in one year. He’s also one of six in BSA to have 3+ cycles, also achieving the feat in 2014. Lugo wasn’t an MVP finalist after 2011, but he in total had 11 seasons worth 7+ WAR, five seasons with an OPS above one, ten seasons with 30+ homers, and 18 seasons with a .300+ average.

Amidst his near MVP season, Santiago signed Lugo to an eight-year, $82,400,000 extension. He made more history on August 21, 2014 in a four home run game against Cordoba. As of 2037, that is one of only 11 games in BSA history with four homers. Santiago returned to contention and kept re-signing Lugo as he kept performing. He inked a three-year, $42 million extension after the 2019 season and another three years at $63,400,000 after the 2022 campaign.

From 2009 through the end of Lugo’s career, the Saints posted only winning seasons. However, they had trouble converting that into titles. Santiago earned playoff trips in 2011-12 and 2015-18, but never got beyond the divisional series. After a miss in 2019, the Saints finally put things together in 2020. At 92-70, Santiago won the Southern Cone Championship over Porto Alegre, then defeated Santa Cruz in Copa Sudamerica.

2020 was Lugo’s best playoff run with 18 hits, 9 runs, 7 doubles, 4 home rusn, 14 RBI, 1.079 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. He was merely decent in the Baseball Grand Championship with a .778 OPS, 113 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. Santiago finished 8-11 for the event.

Lugo wasn’t overwhelming dominant in his playoff career, but he was reliably good. In 89 games and 86 starts, he had 98 hits, 46 runs, 19 doubles, 4 triples, 13 home runs, 45 RBI, .295/.343/.494 slash, 130 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. As if he couldn’t be more beloved though, he helped deliver the Saints their first Copa Sudamerica win since 1971.

Santiago eventually had a decade-plus playoff streak after 2020, but couldn’t win another pennant with Lugo. They lost in the 2021 and 2022 LCS both to Fortaleza. Santiago earned the top seed in 2023 and 2024 with 104 and 103 wins respectively, but lost in the divisional series both times. They had another divisional series loss in 2025 and first round exit in 2026.

Lugo continued to roll through it all, showing no signs of decline even through his 30s. In 2025, he became only the 15^th member of BSA’s 3000 hit club and the first in world history to get 3000 hits as a catcher. The year prior, Lugo was the first catcher to reach 1500 runs scored. After the 2025 season, Santiago gave him a three-year, $51,400,000 extension.

2025 had been a relative down year, but he was still good for 4.1 WAR and .800 OPS. Lugo finally looked more mortal in 2026 and was moved to a part-time role, getting 1.8 WAR and .736 OPS over 99 games. He retired that winter at age 42 and immediately had his #25 uniform retired by Santiago for his incredible 23-year career.

Lugo finished with 3061 games, 3139 hits, 1617 runs, 612 doubles, 91 triples, 578 home runs, 1697 RBI, 835 walks, 1647 strikeouts, .316/.368/.571 slash, 160 wRC+, and 137.4 WAR. As of 2037, Lugo ranks 9^th in games played, 15^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 14^th in total bases (5667), 3^rd in doubles, 35^th in home runs, 13^th in RBI, 49^th in walks, and 8^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Lugo’s .939 OPS is 83^rd and he ranks 95^th in OBP and 92^nd in slugging.

That resume at any position makes you an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but doing it as a catcher was absolutely unheard of. As of 2037, Lugo leads all catchers in world history in hits, runs, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBI, OPS, and WAR. The only other catcher in world history with more games played was EAB’s ****aro Onishi at 3161. Lugo was so good to even rank 90^th in world history in WAR among all players ever; the only catcher in the top 100.

It isn’t surprising that when you ask scholars who the best catcher in baseball history was, Lugo’s name is rarely not the first answer. Mason Wilkinson is the only other with 100+ WAR accrued at catcher, finishing with 116.2 between MLB and EBF. Wilkinson was a marginally better defender, but most agree that Lugo’s bat and longevity were more impressive. Some would favor Wilkinson for playing primarily in MLB and for winning both a World Series and European Championship, but that group is a minority view.

Amazingly, Beisbol Sudamerica hadn’t elected a single catcher into the Hall of Fame through 100 seasons. The anti-catcher bias still somehow held Lugo to only 94.1%, although it was still plenty for the first ballot induction atop the 2032 class. On top of widely being viewed as the best-ever catcher, some place him as Bolivia’s best-ever position player (although Antonio Arceo has a very solid case). Both are behind world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos though as the country’s top baseball product.

Tajo “Bugs” Rios – Shortstop – Trujillo Thoroughbreds – 85.0% First Ballot

Tajo Rios was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed shortstop from Ica, Peru; a city of about 282,000 people in the country’s south. The nickname “Bugs” came from his impeccable voice impressions of Bugs Bunny. Rios was a stellar contact hitter against both sides while still providing a solid punch, posting 33 home runs, 24 doubles, and 8 triples per his 162 game average. He was also considered average-to-above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Rios was a bit better facing left-handed pitching (1.020 OPS, 165 wRC+) compared to righties (.908 OPS, 141 wRC+). Rios was also a highly skilled and crafty baserunner, although his speed was merely good in his prime. He was a career shortstop and graded as a reliably average glove. Often times though, teams had to put up with subpar bats to get average or better defense, but Rios gave you an excellent bat. He would have his career limited by some major ankle injuries, but still managed a 14-year odyssey. Rios was generally considered a likeable teammate in his time with Trujillo.

His entire pro career came with the Thoroughbreds, who were still a newer franchise at that point having entered BSA in the 2009 expansion. Rios certainly stood out among Peru’s best prospects and was picked fifth overall by Trujillo in the 2012 BSA Draft. He was a full-time starter right away with good results, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting for 2013. Rios would win Silver Sluggers from 2014-16, then again from 2018-20 and 2022-23.

In his third season in 2015, Rios led the Bolivar League in slugging (.701), OPS (1.132), wRC+ (194), and WAR (10.8). That would be his career best slugging and OPS, as well as his best for OBP (.431), homers (44), and RBI (121). Rios took second in MVP voting and Trujillo finished 84-78 for their first-ever winning season. Rios was also a regular by then for Peru in the World Baseball Championship from 2013-26. In 133 games, he had 114 hits, 67 runs, 17 doubles, 25 homers, 61 RBI, .239/.321/.449 slash, and 3.4 WAR.

Rios had his first major setback in June 2017 with a fractured ankle. He had an impressive bounce back in 2018, taking third in MVP voting with 1.027 OPS and 9.6 WAR. Trujillo earned its first-ever playoff berth, missing the division title to Callao by one game despite a 101-61 record. They suffered a first round upset loss to 87-win Maturin, who went onto be the first 2009 expansion team to win the pennant. That winter, the Thoroughbreds locked Rios up to an eight-year, $86,740,000 to continue as the face of the franchise.

2019 was Rios’ finest effort and cemented his spot in franchise history. He won MVP and led the league in WAR (12.0), wRC+ (185), batting average (.392), slugging (.666), OPS (1.092), total bases (394), hits (232), and runs (120). The runs, hits, total bases, average, and WAR were career bests as was his 33 doubles. The season also featured a 31-game hitting streak that carried over from the very end of the prior year.

Trujillo won the division at 102-60 and won their first-ever Bolivar League pennant, upsetting 117-win Caracas. They ultimately dropped Copa Sudamerica to Recife in five games. Rios had a strong playoff run with 25 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 13 RBI, 1.190 OPS, and 1.2 WAR. He would be merely okay in the Baseball Grand Championship with 19 hits, 14 runs, 4 homers, 11 RBI, .723 OPS, and 0.3 WAR in 19 games. The Thoroughbreds finished in the middle of the standings at 9-10.

2020 and 2021 also saw division titles for Trujillo, but they couldn’t get beyond the divisional series. They narrowly missed the playoffs in 2022, then plummeted to the bottom of the standings for the rest of the decade. Rios remained a rock solid starter for a few years into his 30s, but his time contending for MVP honors was finished.

In May 2024, Rios suffered torn ankle ligaments that put him out four months. That destroyed his defensive range and he largely was a designated hitter in his final two seasons. It also tanked his bat with only 0.7 WAR in 2025 and -0.5 WAR in 115 games for 2026. Rios retired that winter at age 36 and Trujillo quickly honored him by retiring his #19 uniform.

Rios finished with 1877 games, 2285 hits, 1126 runs, 281 doubles, 96 triples, 377 home runs, 1199 RBI, 485 walks, 1225 strikeouts, 537 stolen bases, .328/.371/.557 slash, 145 wRC+, and 79.4 WAR. As of 2037, Rios ranks 96^th in WAR among position players. He’s second among shortstops, although a long way away from Diego Pena’s 153.6 at the position.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Rios is 81^st in batting average and 82^nd in OBP. His .923 OPS is 98^th among all batters and leads all shortstops. While Rios’ grand totals don’t put him into the inner-circle level, you could easily argue that he’s Beisbol Sudamerca’s best-hitting shortstop aside from Pena. That earned him 85.0% for a firm first ballot induction into the two-player 2032 Hall of Fame class.

07-11-2025, 07:25 PM	#2319
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,939	2032 BSA Hall of Fame After more than 100 seasons, Beisbol Sudamerica finally inducted its first catcher into the Hall of Fame. The voters were so stubborn that it took arguably the greatest catcher in baseball history to do it with Cierco Lugo at 94.1%. SS Tajo Rios joined him in the 2032 class on the first ballot at 85.0%. The best returners were LF Sam Rubio at 57.3% on his second ballot and 2B Franklin Chapman with 52.6% on his fourth go; both short of the 66% requirement. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 2032. Cicero Lugo – Catcher – Santiago Saints – 94.1% First Ballot Cicero Lugo was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting catcher from Cochabamba, the fourth-largest city in Bolivia with about 630,000 inhabitants. He had a well-rounded bat for any position, but especially stood out as a catcher. Lugo was a rock solid contact hitter with a reliably impressive pop in his bat. His 162 game average got you 31 home runs, 32 doubles, and 5 triples. Lugo had an above average eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Lugo was especially strong facing right-handed pitching with a career .987 OPS and 172 wRC+. He wasn’t a scrub facing lefties though with a .790 OPS and 122 wRC+. As expected though as a catcher, Lugo was a very slow and clunky baserunner. If a team found a catcher that could bat, that usually meant sacrificing defense. But that wasn’t the case for Lugo, who graded as a reliably above average to good defensive catcher. His impressive durability really put him over the top, playing 126 games each year from 2007-25. Lugo is one of a select few catchers in baseball history to play 20+ seasons and to still be productive into his 40s. He had a tireless work ethic and unwavering loyalty. Lugo was a bit simple when it comes to non-baseball affairs, but he was a truly endearing fan favorite. He became one of South America’s most universally beloved players and was recognized worldwide as potentially the best ever behind the plate. In January 2001, Lugo moved from Bolivia to Chile on a developmental deal with Santiago. Little did he know that all 23 of his pro seasons would be with the Saints. Lugo very much became a Chilean icon and idol in the capital, but he was also beloved back home in his native Bolivia. He was also very vocal in supporting an expansion team for his home city Cochabamba, who earned a franchise in 2029. From 2004-26, Lugo regularly returned to Bolivia for the World Baseball Championship. He played 172 games with 142 hits, 76 runs, 33 doubles, 31 home runs, 87 RBI, .239/.322/.465 slash, and 4.5 WAR. After three years and change in Santiago’s academy, Lugo was a rare 19-year old debut in 2004. He held a backup role in his first three seasons with 86 starts and 211 games. This was a rebuilding era for the historically strong Saints, who only made the playoffs once in the 2000s. Lugo had an increased role in 2007 with 126 games, 64 starts, and 4.0 WAR. He secured the full-time starting gig in 2008 and was good for 120+ starts each year through 2025. Lugo had near permanent residency as the Southern Cone League’s Silver Slugger winner at catcher. He won the honor 14 consecutive seasons from 2008-21, then took it again in 2023 and 2024. As of 2037, Lugo is one of only five players in all of world history with 16+ Sluggers. He’s the only catcher and the only guy in Beisbol Sudamerica to do it. Lugo also knew to regularly book a flight to the All-Star game, earning that honor 17 times. In 2011, Lugo was second in MVP voting and led the league in OBP (.413), slugging (.722), OPS (1.135), wRC+ (211), and WAR (10.4). Those were all career bests, as was his .366 average, 44 home runs, 107 runs, and 183 hits. Lugo holds the BSA single-season record for WAR, total bases (361), runs, slugging, and OPS by a catcher. Due to the fewer at-bats that come with the position, it was especially rare for a catcher to be a league leader. Lugo also hit for the cycle twice in 2011 and is one of only four in BSA history to do it twice in one year. He’s also one of six in BSA to have 3+ cycles, also achieving the feat in 2014. Lugo wasn’t an MVP finalist after 2011, but he in total had 11 seasons worth 7+ WAR, five seasons with an OPS above one, ten seasons with 30+ homers, and 18 seasons with a .300+ average. Amidst his near MVP season, Santiago signed Lugo to an eight-year, $82,400,000 extension. He made more history on August 21, 2014 in a four home run game against Cordoba. As of 2037, that is one of only 11 games in BSA history with four homers. Santiago returned to contention and kept re-signing Lugo as he kept performing. He inked a three-year, $42 million extension after the 2019 season and another three years at $63,400,000 after the 2022 campaign. From 2009 through the end of Lugo’s career, the Saints posted only winning seasons. However, they had trouble converting that into titles. Santiago earned playoff trips in 2011-12 and 2015-18, but never got beyond the divisional series. After a miss in 2019, the Saints finally put things together in 2020. At 92-70, Santiago won the Southern Cone Championship over Porto Alegre, then defeated Santa Cruz in Copa Sudamerica. 2020 was Lugo’s best playoff run with 18 hits, 9 runs, 7 doubles, 4 home rusn, 14 RBI, 1.079 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. He was merely decent in the Baseball Grand Championship with a .778 OPS, 113 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. Santiago finished 8-11 for the event. Lugo wasn’t overwhelming dominant in his playoff career, but he was reliably good. In 89 games and 86 starts, he had 98 hits, 46 runs, 19 doubles, 4 triples, 13 home runs, 45 RBI, .295/.343/.494 slash, 130 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. As if he couldn’t be more beloved though, he helped deliver the Saints their first Copa Sudamerica win since 1971. Santiago eventually had a decade-plus playoff streak after 2020, but couldn’t win another pennant with Lugo. They lost in the 2021 and 2022 LCS both to Fortaleza. Santiago earned the top seed in 2023 and 2024 with 104 and 103 wins respectively, but lost in the divisional series both times. They had another divisional series loss in 2025 and first round exit in 2026. Lugo continued to roll through it all, showing no signs of decline even through his 30s. In 2025, he became only the 15^th member of BSA’s 3000 hit club and the first in world history to get 3000 hits as a catcher. The year prior, Lugo was the first catcher to reach 1500 runs scored. After the 2025 season, Santiago gave him a three-year, $51,400,000 extension. 2025 had been a relative down year, but he was still good for 4.1 WAR and .800 OPS. Lugo finally looked more mortal in 2026 and was moved to a part-time role, getting 1.8 WAR and .736 OPS over 99 games. He retired that winter at age 42 and immediately had his #25 uniform retired by Santiago for his incredible 23-year career. Lugo finished with 3061 games, 3139 hits, 1617 runs, 612 doubles, 91 triples, 578 home runs, 1697 RBI, 835 walks, 1647 strikeouts, .316/.368/.571 slash, 160 wRC+, and 137.4 WAR. As of 2037, Lugo ranks 9^th in games played, 15^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 14^th in total bases (5667), 3^rd in doubles, 35^th in home runs, 13^th in RBI, 49^th in walks, and 8^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Lugo’s .939 OPS is 83^rd and he ranks 95^th in OBP and 92^nd in slugging. That resume at any position makes you an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but doing it as a catcher was absolutely unheard of. As of 2037, Lugo leads all catchers in world history in hits, runs, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBI, OPS, and WAR. The only other catcher in world history with more games played was EAB’s **aro Onishi at 3161. Lugo was so good to even rank 90^th in world history in WAR among all players ever; the only catcher in the top 100. It isn’t surprising that when you ask scholars who the best catcher in baseball history was, Lugo’s name is rarely not the first answer. Mason Wilkinson is the only other with 100+ WAR accrued at catcher, finishing with 116.2 between MLB and EBF. Wilkinson was a marginally better defender, but most agree that Lugo’s bat and longevity were more impressive. Some would favor Wilkinson for playing primarily in MLB and for winning both a World Series and European Championship, but that group is a minority view. Amazingly, Beisbol Sudamerica hadn’t elected a single catcher into the Hall of Fame through 100 seasons. The anti-catcher bias still somehow held Lugo to only 94.1%, although it was still plenty for the first ballot induction atop the 2032 class. On top of widely being viewed as the best-ever catcher, some place him as Bolivia’s best-ever position player (although Antonio Arceo has a very solid case). Both are behind world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos though as the country’s top baseball product. Tajo “Bugs” Rios – Shortstop – Trujillo Thoroughbreds – 85.0% First Ballot** Tajo Rios was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed shortstop from Ica, Peru; a city of about 282,000 people in the country’s south. The nickname “Bugs” came from his impeccable voice impressions of Bugs Bunny. Rios was a stellar contact hitter against both sides while still providing a solid punch, posting 33 home runs, 24 doubles, and 8 triples per his 162 game average. He was also considered average-to-above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Rios was a bit better facing left-handed pitching (1.020 OPS, 165 wRC+) compared to righties (.908 OPS, 141 wRC+). Rios was also a highly skilled and crafty baserunner, although his speed was merely good in his prime. He was a career shortstop and graded as a reliably average glove. Often times though, teams had to put up with subpar bats to get average or better defense, but Rios gave you an excellent bat. He would have his career limited by some major ankle injuries, but still managed a 14-year odyssey. Rios was generally considered a likeable teammate in his time with Trujillo. His entire pro career came with the Thoroughbreds, who were still a newer franchise at that point having entered BSA in the 2009 expansion. Rios certainly stood out among Peru’s best prospects and was picked fifth overall by Trujillo in the 2012 BSA Draft. He was a full-time starter right away with good results, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting for 2013. Rios would win Silver Sluggers from 2014-16, then again from 2018-20 and 2022-23. In his third season in 2015, Rios led the Bolivar League in slugging (.701), OPS (1.132), wRC+ (194), and WAR (10.8). That would be his career best slugging and OPS, as well as his best for OBP (.431), homers (44), and RBI (121). Rios took second in MVP voting and Trujillo finished 84-78 for their first-ever winning season. Rios was also a regular by then for Peru in the World Baseball Championship from 2013-26. In 133 games, he had 114 hits, 67 runs, 17 doubles, 25 homers, 61 RBI, .239/.321/.449 slash, and 3.4 WAR. Rios had his first major setback in June 2017 with a fractured ankle. He had an impressive bounce back in 2018, taking third in MVP voting with 1.027 OPS and 9.6 WAR. Trujillo earned its first-ever playoff berth, missing the division title to Callao by one game despite a 101-61 record. They suffered a first round upset loss to 87-win Maturin, who went onto be the first 2009 expansion team to win the pennant. That winter, the Thoroughbreds locked Rios up to an eight-year, $86,740,000 to continue as the face of the franchise. 2019 was Rios’ finest effort and cemented his spot in franchise history. He won MVP and led the league in WAR (12.0), wRC+ (185), batting average (.392), slugging (.666), OPS (1.092), total bases (394), hits (232), and runs (120). The runs, hits, total bases, average, and WAR were career bests as was his 33 doubles. The season also featured a 31-game hitting streak that carried over from the very end of the prior year. Trujillo won the division at 102-60 and won their first-ever Bolivar League pennant, upsetting 117-win Caracas. They ultimately dropped Copa Sudamerica to Recife in five games. Rios had a strong playoff run with 25 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 13 RBI, 1.190 OPS, and 1.2 WAR. He would be merely okay in the Baseball Grand Championship with 19 hits, 14 runs, 4 homers, 11 RBI, .723 OPS, and 0.3 WAR in 19 games. The Thoroughbreds finished in the middle of the standings at 9-10. 2020 and 2021 also saw division titles for Trujillo, but they couldn’t get beyond the divisional series. They narrowly missed the playoffs in 2022, then plummeted to the bottom of the standings for the rest of the decade. Rios remained a rock solid starter for a few years into his 30s, but his time contending for MVP honors was finished. In May 2024, Rios suffered torn ankle ligaments that put him out four months. That destroyed his defensive range and he largely was a designated hitter in his final two seasons. It also tanked his bat with only 0.7 WAR in 2025 and -0.5 WAR in 115 games for 2026. Rios retired that winter at age 36 and Trujillo quickly honored him by retiring his #19 uniform. Rios finished with 1877 games, 2285 hits, 1126 runs, 281 doubles, 96 triples, 377 home runs, 1199 RBI, 485 walks, 1225 strikeouts, 537 stolen bases, .328/.371/.557 slash, 145 wRC+, and 79.4 WAR. As of 2037, Rios ranks 96^th in WAR among position players. He’s second among shortstops, although a long way away from Diego Pena’s 153.6 at the position. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Rios is 81^st in batting average and 82^nd in OBP. His .923 OPS is 98^th among all batters and leads all shortstops. While Rios’ grand totals don’t put him into the inner-circle level, you could easily argue that he’s Beisbol Sudamerca’s best-hitting shortstop aside from Pena. That earned him 85.0% for a firm first ballot induction into the two-player 2032 Hall of Fame class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)