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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-18-2023, 07:33 AM

Three players earned induction into the Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame with the 1967 class. Two first ballot guys led the group with pitcher Diego Mena at 83.2% and 3B Pedro Quintana at 74.5%. Also getting in was closer Adrian Amaro, just getting across the line on his sixth ballot with 67.0%. One other player, LF Martyn Jarawa, was above the 50% mark as he posted 58.9% in his fourth attempt. The BSA ballot didn’t have any players dropped after ten tries on the ballot.

Diego Mena – Starting Pitcher – Cali Cyclones – 83.2% First Ballot

Diego Mena was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Floridablanca, a city of about 300,000 people in northeast Colombia. At his peak, Mena had 97-99 mph velocity and good stuff with above average to solid control and weak movement. He had a four pitch arsenal with a good fastball, curveball, and splitter, along with a rarely used poor changeup. Mena was also viewed as a good defensive pitcher who was effective at holding runners, earning a Gold Glove in 1958. He had terrific durability, lending to a lengthy career despite being viewed as a bit lazy by some critics.

Mena was picked ninth overall in the 1942 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Cali, where he’d have his longest and most notable tenure. He had an excellent debut season, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting for 1943. Mena was inconsistent though with below average results in year two, good numbers in year three, and a terrible fourth year that saw him moved out of the rotation. Mena’s biggest moment came in 1945 when on August 11, he threw a perfect game with eight strikeouts against Quito.

After a rough 1946, Mena’s 1947 was his best year of his career by WAR and strikeouts. He never finished as a Pitcher of the Year finalist, but put up solid stats to close the 1940s for Cali. Around this time, the Cyclones replaced La Paz as the premiere team in the Bolivar League. Mena was there for playoff berths from 1947-50 and three straight Bolivar League titles in from 48-50, although they weren’t able to claim Copa Sudamerica. Mena’s playoff stats with Cali weren’t anything great, a 2-5 record and 4.92 ERA over 60.1 innings. His final overall stats with the Cyclones was 126-81, 2.88 ERA, 1979.2 innings, 2283 strikeouts, and 34.0 WAR. Cali would go onto retire his #8 uniform later on.

Mena opted for free agency after the 1950 season and the 31-year old signed a five-year, $150,000 deal with Medellin. He struggled in his first two years with the Mutiny, eventually relegated to a bullpen role. He bounced back to the rotation in 1953 and for the only time in his career, led the league in strikeouts (304). Mena’s fourth year was solid and Medellin got to the playoffs, although they were one-and-done. The Mutiny opted to buyout the last year of his contract though, sending Mena back to free agency. He signed a three-year, $145,400 deal for the 1955 season with Bogota.

In his later years, he joined the Colombian National Team for the World Baseball Championship. Mena played in the inaugural tournament in 1947, then didn’t play again until 1952 with six tournament appearances from 1952-60. He was mainly a reliever with 39.2 innings and a 4.76 ERA. Mena bounced between starting and relief in the later years of his career with mixed results. His Bats debut in 1955 was his last really good year as a starter. After a lousy 1956, Mena was traded and spent 1957 with Cordoba.

The now 38-year old Mena re-signed with Bogota in 1958, then was traded in the offseason for 1959 to Callao. After one year with the Cats, he went back to the Bats and was again traded, this time midseason to Caracas. Mena wasn’t used in the 1960 postseason, but did earn a Copa Sudamerica ring with the Colts. He went back one more time with Bogota in 1961, then concluded his pro career for CABA’s Jamaica in 1962, retiring at age 43.

Mena’s final stats in Beisbol Sudamerica 246-223, 3.27 ERA, 4386.2 innings, 4545 strikeouts, 745 walks, 354/546 quality starts, 171 complete games, an FIP- of 98 and 60.8 WAR. The advanced stats suggest Mena was a delightfully average pitcher who just managed to stick around for a long time. He’s one of the only starters in the BSA Hall of Fame with an ERA above three. His longevity allowed him to hit some milestones like being the ninth pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts (and one of 19 to do so as of 2037) and not many pitchers got above 240 wins. The longevity swayed the voters, putting him in on the first ballot firmly with 83.2% of the vote.

Pedro “Bird” Quintana – Third Baseman – Bogota Bats – 74.5% First Ballot

Pedro Quintana was a 6’2’’, 200 pound third baseman from Bello, a large suburb of Medellin in Colombia’s Aburra Valley. Quintana was known as a stellar contact hitter with great gap power and solid speed. His home run power was limited to around 15 dingers per season, but Quintana had plenty of extra base hits from doubles and triples. He was known to put the ball in play regularly, rarely walking but striking out less often than most. Quintana was a career third baseman who was typically viewed as average to slightly above average; he did win a Gold Glove in 1959. He was also a very well-liked figure by fans and in the clubhouse for his work ethic and loyalty.

Quintana was picked 21^st overall in the 1948 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Bogota and spent his entire BSA run with the Bats. He was plugged into the starting lineup right away and earned Rookie of the Year in 1949. Quintana was the everyday starter consistently throughout his 20s for Bogota, earning nine seasons worth 5+ WAR. He picked up four Silver Sluggers; 1950, 1951, 1952, and 1955. His sophomore and junior seasons were his best, winning Bolivar League MVP in both 1950 and 1951. He led the league in batting average and hits in both years, plus runs scored in 1950.

Those were his only years as a league-leader, apart from leading in triples in 1953 and doubles in 1955. Quintana wasn’t again a finalist for MVP, but continued to lead the way for Bogota. They made the playoffs from 1949-15, then again in 1956, while being mid-tier the rest of his tenure. 1951 was the signature year for the Bats as they won their first Bolivar League title. In 26 playoff games, Quintana had 31 hits, 13 runs, and a .292 average. Quintana was also a regular for the Colombian National Team, playing in 126 games and making 117 starts in the World Baseball Championship from 1950-63. He had 123 hits, 63 runs, 22 doubles, 23 home runs, and 53 RBI.

The generally durable Quintana had his first major injury at age 32 in 1958; a torn back muscle that put him out 4-5 months. He bounced back with a strong 1959, earning his 2000^th career hit. After a good 1960, his 1961 was merely okay. Bogota bought out the last year of his contract, making the 36-year old a free agent for the first time in 1962. There were no hard feelings, as his #37 uniform would be retired soon after by the squad. Quintana found an MLB buyer in Los Angeles and got a nice paycheck for $414,000 over three years. He was a respectable starter in his first year with the Angels, but struggled mightily in his second year, leading him to retire after the 1963 season at age 37.

His final Beisbol Sudamerica stats: 2341 hits, 997 runs, 422 doubles, 189 triples, 176 home runs, 814 RBI, a .322/.348/.504 slash and 69.4 WAR. When he was inducted, he had a better career batting average than anyone else in the BSA Hall of Fame, although several would pass him years later as offensive numbers shot up league-wide. At retirement, he was also third in doubles among Hall of Famers, but the lack of homers and RBI hurt him with some voters. He also just fell short of the 1000 runs scored and 2500 hit milestones. This meant Quintana didn’t get a huge percentage of the vote, but 74.5% was enough for a first ballot nod for “Bird.”

Adrian Amaro – Closer – Montevideo Venom – 67.0% Sixth Ballot

Adrian Amaro was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Menmo, a tiny northwest Paraguay settlement created by Mennonites. His velocity peaked at 94-96 mph, but Amaro was known for still having very good stuff, movement, and control. His two main pitches were a fastball and cutter, along with a rarely used circle change. Amaro was a hard worker and very durable, avoiding major injury over his career.

Amaro was picked eighth overall in the 1942 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Montevideo. His longest tenure was with the Venom at nine seasons and he’d go onto be inducted with Montevideo and have his #17 retired by the franchise. He was a bright spot for the perennial basement-dwelling franchise, who never won more than 75 games in a season during his run. Amaro still made the most of his save opportunities, winning Reliever of the Year in 1944 and 1950. He took third for the award in 1947 and had a 34 save streak between July 1945 and July 1946. In total with Montevideo, Amaro had a 2.19 ERA, 248 saves, 709 strikeouts over 673.1 innings, and 20.1 WAR.

Amaro loved his native Paraguay and was a regular from 1947-59 on the national team in the World Baseball Championship. He was typically a starter in the tournament, posting a 3.16 ERA over 148.1 innings with 160 strikeouts. When his contract came due with Montevideo for 1952, the then 31-year old went back to his home country and signed with Asuncion. This began an unusual tenure with the Archers, who like Montevideo, were consistently a bottom-tier team. He began the 1952, 53, 54, and 55 seasons with Asuncion, but was traded in the summer each time, going to Buenos Aires in 1952, La Paz in 1953, Maracaibo in 1954, and Sao Paulo in 1955. He maintained a closer role in each spot, although was never an award finalist.

He still went back home though and played his final BSA season with the Archers in 1956, his lone full-season there. In that last year, he became the fourth closer in Beisbol Sudamerica history to cross 400 saves. After that, the 36-year old Amaro spent two years with MLB’s Buffalo in middle relief and made four appearances with Los Angeles in 1959, retiring after that season at age 38.

The final stats for Amaro in BSA: 403 saves and 503 shutdowns, 2.24 ERA, 1054.2 innings, 1146 strikeouts, FIP- of 64 and 33.5 WAR. 400 saves was generally the magic number for closers to get into the Hall, but he wasn’t nearly as dominant as his contemporaries and wasn’t well known due to a career on terrible teams. Amaro hovered around the 50-60% range for his first four times on the ballot, then sank to a low of 43.7% in 1966. At that point, many observers figured his chances were done, but Amaro got a surprise bump on his sixth go in 1967, just crossing the 66% threshold with 67.0%.

07-18-2023, 07:33 AM	#422
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,234	1967 BSA Hall of Fame Three players earned induction into the Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame with the 1967 class. Two first ballot guys led the group with pitcher Diego Mena at 83.2% and 3B Pedro Quintana at 74.5%. Also getting in was closer Adrian Amaro, just getting across the line on his sixth ballot with 67.0%. One other player, LF Martyn Jarawa, was above the 50% mark as he posted 58.9% in his fourth attempt. The BSA ballot didn’t have any players dropped after ten tries on the ballot. Diego Mena – Starting Pitcher – Cali Cyclones – 83.2% First Ballot Diego Mena was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Floridablanca, a city of about 300,000 people in northeast Colombia. At his peak, Mena had 97-99 mph velocity and good stuff with above average to solid control and weak movement. He had a four pitch arsenal with a good fastball, curveball, and splitter, along with a rarely used poor changeup. Mena was also viewed as a good defensive pitcher who was effective at holding runners, earning a Gold Glove in 1958. He had terrific durability, lending to a lengthy career despite being viewed as a bit lazy by some critics. Mena was picked ninth overall in the 1942 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Cali, where he’d have his longest and most notable tenure. He had an excellent debut season, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting for 1943. Mena was inconsistent though with below average results in year two, good numbers in year three, and a terrible fourth year that saw him moved out of the rotation. Mena’s biggest moment came in 1945 when on August 11, he threw a perfect game with eight strikeouts against Quito. After a rough 1946, Mena’s 1947 was his best year of his career by WAR and strikeouts. He never finished as a Pitcher of the Year finalist, but put up solid stats to close the 1940s for Cali. Around this time, the Cyclones replaced La Paz as the premiere team in the Bolivar League. Mena was there for playoff berths from 1947-50 and three straight Bolivar League titles in from 48-50, although they weren’t able to claim Copa Sudamerica. Mena’s playoff stats with Cali weren’t anything great, a 2-5 record and 4.92 ERA over 60.1 innings. His final overall stats with the Cyclones was 126-81, 2.88 ERA, 1979.2 innings, 2283 strikeouts, and 34.0 WAR. Cali would go onto retire his #8 uniform later on. Mena opted for free agency after the 1950 season and the 31-year old signed a five-year, $150,000 deal with Medellin. He struggled in his first two years with the Mutiny, eventually relegated to a bullpen role. He bounced back to the rotation in 1953 and for the only time in his career, led the league in strikeouts (304). Mena’s fourth year was solid and Medellin got to the playoffs, although they were one-and-done. The Mutiny opted to buyout the last year of his contract though, sending Mena back to free agency. He signed a three-year, $145,400 deal for the 1955 season with Bogota. In his later years, he joined the Colombian National Team for the World Baseball Championship. Mena played in the inaugural tournament in 1947, then didn’t play again until 1952 with six tournament appearances from 1952-60. He was mainly a reliever with 39.2 innings and a 4.76 ERA. Mena bounced between starting and relief in the later years of his career with mixed results. His Bats debut in 1955 was his last really good year as a starter. After a lousy 1956, Mena was traded and spent 1957 with Cordoba. The now 38-year old Mena re-signed with Bogota in 1958, then was traded in the offseason for 1959 to Callao. After one year with the Cats, he went back to the Bats and was again traded, this time midseason to Caracas. Mena wasn’t used in the 1960 postseason, but did earn a Copa Sudamerica ring with the Colts. He went back one more time with Bogota in 1961, then concluded his pro career for CABA’s Jamaica in 1962, retiring at age 43. Mena’s final stats in Beisbol Sudamerica 246-223, 3.27 ERA, 4386.2 innings, 4545 strikeouts, 745 walks, 354/546 quality starts, 171 complete games, an FIP- of 98 and 60.8 WAR. The advanced stats suggest Mena was a delightfully average pitcher who just managed to stick around for a long time. He’s one of the only starters in the BSA Hall of Fame with an ERA above three. His longevity allowed him to hit some milestones like being the ninth pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts (and one of 19 to do so as of 2037) and not many pitchers got above 240 wins. The longevity swayed the voters, putting him in on the first ballot firmly with 83.2% of the vote. Pedro “Bird” Quintana – Third Baseman – Bogota Bats – 74.5% First Ballot Pedro Quintana was a 6’2’’, 200 pound third baseman from Bello, a large suburb of Medellin in Colombia’s Aburra Valley. Quintana was known as a stellar contact hitter with great gap power and solid speed. His home run power was limited to around 15 dingers per season, but Quintana had plenty of extra base hits from doubles and triples. He was known to put the ball in play regularly, rarely walking but striking out less often than most. Quintana was a career third baseman who was typically viewed as average to slightly above average; he did win a Gold Glove in 1959. He was also a very well-liked figure by fans and in the clubhouse for his work ethic and loyalty. Quintana was picked 21^st overall in the 1948 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Bogota and spent his entire BSA run with the Bats. He was plugged into the starting lineup right away and earned Rookie of the Year in 1949. Quintana was the everyday starter consistently throughout his 20s for Bogota, earning nine seasons worth 5+ WAR. He picked up four Silver Sluggers; 1950, 1951, 1952, and 1955. His sophomore and junior seasons were his best, winning Bolivar League MVP in both 1950 and 1951. He led the league in batting average and hits in both years, plus runs scored in 1950. Those were his only years as a league-leader, apart from leading in triples in 1953 and doubles in 1955. Quintana wasn’t again a finalist for MVP, but continued to lead the way for Bogota. They made the playoffs from 1949-15, then again in 1956, while being mid-tier the rest of his tenure. 1951 was the signature year for the Bats as they won their first Bolivar League title. In 26 playoff games, Quintana had 31 hits, 13 runs, and a .292 average. Quintana was also a regular for the Colombian National Team, playing in 126 games and making 117 starts in the World Baseball Championship from 1950-63. He had 123 hits, 63 runs, 22 doubles, 23 home runs, and 53 RBI. The generally durable Quintana had his first major injury at age 32 in 1958; a torn back muscle that put him out 4-5 months. He bounced back with a strong 1959, earning his 2000^th career hit. After a good 1960, his 1961 was merely okay. Bogota bought out the last year of his contract, making the 36-year old a free agent for the first time in 1962. There were no hard feelings, as his #37 uniform would be retired soon after by the squad. Quintana found an MLB buyer in Los Angeles and got a nice paycheck for $414,000 over three years. He was a respectable starter in his first year with the Angels, but struggled mightily in his second year, leading him to retire after the 1963 season at age 37. His final Beisbol Sudamerica stats: 2341 hits, 997 runs, 422 doubles, 189 triples, 176 home runs, 814 RBI, a .322/.348/.504 slash and 69.4 WAR. When he was inducted, he had a better career batting average than anyone else in the BSA Hall of Fame, although several would pass him years later as offensive numbers shot up league-wide. At retirement, he was also third in doubles among Hall of Famers, but the lack of homers and RBI hurt him with some voters. He also just fell short of the 1000 runs scored and 2500 hit milestones. This meant Quintana didn’t get a huge percentage of the vote, but 74.5% was enough for a first ballot nod for “Bird.” Adrian Amaro – Closer – Montevideo Venom – 67.0% Sixth Ballot Adrian Amaro was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Menmo, a tiny northwest Paraguay settlement created by Mennonites. His velocity peaked at 94-96 mph, but Amaro was known for still having very good stuff, movement, and control. His two main pitches were a fastball and cutter, along with a rarely used circle change. Amaro was a hard worker and very durable, avoiding major injury over his career. Amaro was picked eighth overall in the 1942 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Montevideo. His longest tenure was with the Venom at nine seasons and he’d go onto be inducted with Montevideo and have his #17 retired by the franchise. He was a bright spot for the perennial basement-dwelling franchise, who never won more than 75 games in a season during his run. Amaro still made the most of his save opportunities, winning Reliever of the Year in 1944 and 1950. He took third for the award in 1947 and had a 34 save streak between July 1945 and July 1946. In total with Montevideo, Amaro had a 2.19 ERA, 248 saves, 709 strikeouts over 673.1 innings, and 20.1 WAR. Amaro loved his native Paraguay and was a regular from 1947-59 on the national team in the World Baseball Championship. He was typically a starter in the tournament, posting a 3.16 ERA over 148.1 innings with 160 strikeouts. When his contract came due with Montevideo for 1952, the then 31-year old went back to his home country and signed with Asuncion. This began an unusual tenure with the Archers, who like Montevideo, were consistently a bottom-tier team. He began the 1952, 53, 54, and 55 seasons with Asuncion, but was traded in the summer each time, going to Buenos Aires in 1952, La Paz in 1953, Maracaibo in 1954, and Sao Paulo in 1955. He maintained a closer role in each spot, although was never an award finalist. He still went back home though and played his final BSA season with the Archers in 1956, his lone full-season there. In that last year, he became the fourth closer in Beisbol Sudamerica history to cross 400 saves. After that, the 36-year old Amaro spent two years with MLB’s Buffalo in middle relief and made four appearances with Los Angeles in 1959, retiring after that season at age 38. The final stats for Amaro in BSA: 403 saves and 503 shutdowns, 2.24 ERA, 1054.2 innings, 1146 strikeouts, FIP- of 64 and 33.5 WAR. 400 saves was generally the magic number for closers to get into the Hall, but he wasn’t nearly as dominant as his contemporaries and wasn’t well known due to a career on terrible teams. Amaro hovered around the 50-60% range for his first four times on the ballot, then sank to a low of 43.7% in 1966. At that point, many observers figured his chances were done, but Amaro got a surprise bump on his sixth go in 1967, just crossing the 66% threshold with 67.0%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)