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The 1973 Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with three first ballot picks with each receiving more than 94% of votes. LF Ishmael Perla (98.7%), SP Ralph Jung (98.4%), and SP Diego Pimentel (94.3%) made up the impressive group. Only one other player was above 50% with SP Jon Mancilla at 51.6%. No players were dumped in 1973 after ten failed tries.



Ishmael “Lucifer” Perla – Left/Center Field – Buenos Aires Atlantics – 98.7% First Ballot

Ishmael Perla was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He became one of the most popular players of the era as one of the most exciting ever on the basepaths. Perla had generational speed and base stealing instincts, leading the Southern Cone League in stolen bases 13 times. Perla was also excellent at getting on base with great contact skills and a unbelievable eye for the ball. He wasn’t a big home run guy, averaging around 10-15 per year, but he got you around 20-30 doubles and 20-30 triples per year, sometimes getting even more 3Bs than 2Bs with his incredible speed. Perla made about 4/5s of his starts in left field and was considered an excellent defender there, winning seven Gold Gloves. His other starts came in center and was viewed as an average glove there. On top of all of this, Perla was one of the most durable players of the rea, allowing him to compile an incredible career.

Perla was an impressive prospect from his amateur days and his hometown club Buenos Aires took notice. They were able to snag him with the 19^th pick in the 1951 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft and he’d spend his entire South American career with the Atlantics. Perla was an immediate starter and only took second in Rookie of the Year voting because of P.J. Parra’s powerful 7.4 WAR season for Brasilia. He’d go on to have 12 seasons worth 9+ WAR.

The amount of times he topped leaderboards is staggering. He led the Southern Cone League in runs scored eight times, hits four times, triples 11 times, walks drawn 12 times, total bases once, stolen bases 12 times, batting average seven times, on-base percentage in 14 consecutive seasons, slugging twice (despite not being a home run guy), OPS four times, wRC+ five times, and WAR 10 times. This earned Perla 13 Silver Sluggers (1953, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66). He also won five Gold Gloves in BSA (54, 55, 59, 60, 61).

Perla won MVP in 1954 and 1959, and took second in 1953, third in 1955, second in 1956, third in 1958, third in 1960, second in 1961, third in 1963, and second in 1966. The two seasons he won it, he had 13+ WAR, which had never been done by a BSA hitter to that point. His 13.76 WAR in 1959 remains the single-season record and his 13.25 WAR in 1954 remains fourth best as of 2037. He set other single-season records in his career that would later be passed; a .461 OBP in 1966 and 122 stolen bases in 1954. As of 2037, there has been 44 seasons by a Beisbol Sudamerica hitter worth 11+ WAR; Perla has six of them.

The heartbreaking thing for much of Perla’s career is that he just missed out on the 1940s Buenos Aires dynasty. The Atlantics were up and down in the 1950s and 1960s, but only made the playoffs once in that entire stretch. In 1963, they had a breakout 100-62 and went onto win Copa Sudamerica. This was Perla’s only playoff action in his BSA career, but he had 12 hits, 10 runs, 11 walks, and 9 steals in 13 games and most importantly, got the ring. He also played for Argentina’s World Baseball Championship team for two decades. From 1952-72, he made 198 starts in 200 games with 177 hits, 141 runs, 27 doubles, 9 triples, 39 home runs, 101 RBI, 143 stolen bases, a .250/.378/.479 slash and 9.7 WAR. At retirement, his 143 stolen bases was a WBC record and he remains third-most as of 2037.

After 15 years in his home town, Perla became a free agent for the first time at age 38. He was obviously still elite too, but didn’t want to play against the Atlantics if he didn’t have to. Perla’s #31 uniform would be retired and he’d remain a beloved icon in Buenos Aires, but he opted to play his final five seasons in Major League Baseball. Kansas City signed him to a two-year, $456,000 contract; almost doubling his best yearly make with the Atlantics.

In his debut season of 1967 with the Cougars, he led the National Association with 103 walks and a .406 OBP. He won a Gold Glove the next year, although some minor injuries kept him out a month or two both years. Perla became a free agent for 1969 and signed at age 40 with Toronto to a two-year, $492,000 deal. He won his seventh total Gold Glove in 1969 and put up two more all-star worthy seasons. In 1970, he got to play in the World Series with the Timberwolves, who fell in the final to New Orleans. At age 42, he went to Vancouver for the 1971 and for the first time, saw his production plummet. No one wanted to sign him in 1972 and after playing one more WBC that year, he retired from the game at 44.

Perla’s final stats for his entire professional career: 3280 hits, 1881 runs, 474 doubles, 383 triples, 219 home runs, 1185 RBI, 1659 walks to only 1517 strikeouts, a .318/411/.501 slash, wRC+ of 183, and 170.0 WAR. At retirement, the only batter with more career WAR throughout multiple pro leagues was Prometheo Garcia from CABA and MLB. At retirement, Perla also had more stolen bases than any pro player ever and he maintained that distinction through the rest of the 20^th Century.

In just South America, he had 2641 hits, 1462 runs, 402 doubles, 341 triples, 177 home runs, 989 RBI, 1203 walks, 1031 strikeouts, 1519 stolen bases, a .332/.419/.536 slash, 201 wRC+, and 152.1 WAR. He retired second in WAR among BSA hitters behind only Diego Pena’s 153.64 and still sits third as of 2037. Perla is still the stolen bases king as of 2037. He retired with the best career OBP and still sits fourth decades later. Perla was second in triples at retirement, two behind Felipe Delgado’s 343; and is fourth as of 2037. He was third in walks drawn at retirement and is eighth as of 2037. Perla’s accolades make him a beloved figure in Buenos Aires and in Argentine baseball history and he was a no-doubt Hall of Famer at 98.7%.



Ralph Jung – Starting Pitcher – Quito Thunderbolts – 98.4% First Ballot

Ralph Jung was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Sao Jose dos Campos, a major Brazilian city with over 700,000 people located 50 miles from Sao Paulo. Jung was known for having very solid movement on his pitches with above average control and stuff. His velocity only peaked around 93-95 mph, but he fooled hitters with five different pitches and an extreme groundball tendency. His arsenal was fastball, slider, changeup, sinker, and cutter. Jung was very durable and had strong stamina early in his career. He was a team captain who brought great leadership, work ethic, and intelligence to any clubhouse he was in.

Jung wasn’t considered a “can’t miss” prospect, although he was picked out of high school. Quito selected him to start the fifth round of the 1945 BSA Draft; the 101^st overall pick. As of 2037, he’s the second-latest draft pick to earn BSA Hall of Fame induction. The Thunderbolts debuted him at age 21 in 1947 with struggles over a partial season. Jung became a full-time starter after that, but still was iffy in his early seasons, leading the Bolivar League in walks in both 1948 and 1949.

1950 was his first truly notable season and the first of nine worth 6+ WAR. He became Quito’s ace, although the Thunderbolts wouldn’t make the playoffs during his tenure. In 1954, he won his lone Pitcher of the Year award with a league and career best 10.5 WAR and 28 quality starts. He also led the league in innings pitched and strikeouts that year. 1956 saw a second place in PotY voting, the last time he’d be a finalist in his career. He’d lead with a career-best 318 Ks in 1957. Jung also went home to Brazil and pitched for them in the World Baseball Championship from 1950-58, posting a 3.19 ERA over 124 innings with 136 strikeouts.

In a decade in Ecuador, Jung had a 164-134 record, 3.05 ERA, 2729.2 innings, 2722 strikeouts, and 61.9 WAR. Quito would also go onto retire his #94 uniform. #94 is an odd choice and not one highly sought after, but it showed respect for his efforts with the team. He became a free agent for the 1958 season and at age 32, signed a five-year, $335,000 deal with Salvador.

Jung never was as dominant with the Storm as his peak Thunderbolt days, but he gave Salvador eight solid seasons of effort. They made the playoffs once in his tenure with a 1962 Copa Sudamerica appearance, but Jung would retire without ever playing a playoff game. That spring, he suffered a torn labrum, his first major injury. After previously being very durable, injuries and age caught up. He suffered a stretched elbow ligament in late Auust 1963, ending that season and costing him a chunk of 1964. Other injuries cost him much of 1965. Jung’s final Salvador stats saw a 111-70 record, 2.59 ERA, 1599 innings, 1650 strikeouts, and 39.0 WAR.

At age 40, Sao Paulo signed him to a three-year, $398,000 deal for the 1966 season. Jung struggled in two years with the Padres when healthy, retiring after the 1967 season at age 42. He fell just short of becoming the second BSA 300-win pitcher. He did cross 4500 strikeouts in his last year, the 10^th to do so.

Jung’s final stats: 297-216 record, 2.86 ERA, 4657.2 innings, 4598 strikeouts to 1085 walks, 422/607 quality starts, 139 complete games, a FIP- of 83 and 101.6 WAR. He was the 10^th pitcher to reach 100+ WAR in BSA and retired second in wins at 297. Jung sits eighth all-time as of 2037. He also retired with the second most innings pitched and sits fifth as of 2037; and had more starts than anyone at retirement. Jung put up an impressive tenure and was considered a no-doubt Hall of Famer with a strong 98.4%.



Diego Pimentel – Starting Pitcher – Salvador Storm – 94.3% First Ballot

Diego Pimentel was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Guarapari, a coastal city of around 125,000 people in the southeastern Brazilian state of Espirito Santo. At his peak, Pimentel had overpowering stuff with 97-99 mph velocity, making up for merely above average movement and average control. His best pitch was his cutter, although his forkball, changeup, and curveball could all get outs. Pimentel had excellent stamina and durability in his 20s and was considered a good defensive pitcher, winning Gold Glove in 1961.

Pimentel was a top prospect out of college and was selected second overall in the 1953 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Salvador. He spent his entire career with the Storm and was immediately in the rotation, starting regularly when healthy. He won Rookie of the Year in 1954, then followed it up with a second place in Pitcher of the Year in his sophomore season, leading the league in innings. Pimentel surprisingly wasn’t a finalist in 1956, despite a league-best 355 strikeouts. He’d have seven straight seasons with 6+ WAR.

1958 saw Pimentel lead the Southern Cone League with a career best in strikeouts (363) and 10.0 WAR, but he still was second in the voting. He bested the WAR total with 10.4 in 1959 and finally took home the top honor. In 1961, he won it for the second time in his only season as the ERA leader. Pimentel also pitched for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship from 1956-62, posting a 3.23 ERA in 111.1 innings with 130 strikeouts.

1962 was Salvador’s only playoff appearance in his tenure, falling in Copa Sudamerica to Caracas. Pimentel would never pitch a playoff inning sadly with a torn rotator cuff in July. This knocked him out 14 months, missing much of 1963 as well. Pimentel was never the same pitcher after that, although he’d remain with the Storm through 1967. He was below average when he played and tore the rotator cuff again in late 1966. Pimentel retired at age 35 after the 1967 season with the team retiring his #3 uniform that winter.

Pimentel’s final stats: 186-127 record, 2.45 ERA, 3055.2 innings, 3320 strikeouts to 685 walks, 277/365 quality starts, a FIP- of 78, and 70.5 WAR. He’s a bit of a “what if?” guy since injuries derailed his 30s, but he was undoubtedly elite in his 20s. That run resonated with the Hall of Fame voters, who made Pimentel a first ballot pick at 94.3%.