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The 1990 Beisbol Sudamerica class was an impressive one with three players getting first ballot inductions with the lowest at 89.0%. OF Celso Galo had the highest mark at 98.4%, followed by SP Santiago Veliz at 93.7% and SP Bernardo Pinheiro at 89.0%. Another pitcher, Manuel Gonzalez, got 57.1% on his tenth and final chance. The only other player above 50% was 1B Cy Cavazos at 51.2% in his seventh attempt.



For Gonzalez, he had a 15 year career with Santiago and won four titles with the Saints. He spent a stretch of his early career as a reliever, finishing with a 150-92 record, 114 saves, 2.36 ERA, 2101 innings, 2487 strikeouts, 332 walks, a FIP- of 66 and 61.1 WAR. The rate stats are solid, but he didn’t have the innings to rack up the accumulations and suffered some major injuries in his 30s. Gonzalez debuted at 47.5% and hovered roughly around that range, although his case got more traction later on. In his ninth try, he was tantalizingly close at 64.7%, but that’s as close as he got, forever banished to the Hall of Very Good.

Also dropped after ten tries was Julen Angel, a third baseman with 18 years between Cordoba, Lima, and Recife. He won six Silver Sluggers and an MVP and posted 2371 hits, 1071 runs, 488 doubles, 383 home runs, 1108 RBI, a .269/.320/.468 slash, 143 wRC+, and 100.4 WAR. Defense helped him accumulate WAR and he’s one of only 36 batters as of 2037 to make triple digits in BSA, but he didn’t have the sexy accumulations to get noticed. Angel peaked at 38.0% on his second ballot and ended at a low of 13.4%.



Celso “Yogi” Galo – Outfield/First Base – Rosario Robins – 98.4% First Ballot

Celso Galo was a 6’2’’, 205 pound left-handed hitter from Uruacu, a small town of 40,000 people in the central Brazilian state of Goias. Nicknamed “Yogi,” Galo was one of the all-time great contact hitters in Beisbol Sudamerica history. He was decent at drawing walks and pretty good at avoiding strikeouts in his prime. While not a prolific home run hitter, Galo did lead the league once and posted four seasons with 40+ dingers. He averaged around 30-35 doubles/triples per season as well and had respectable speed.

Despite decent speed, Galo’s range wasn’t great and he had a noodle arm. He played center field for the first chunk of his career and was considered a terrible defender. He was moved to right field for the second chunk and wasn’t good there either, but he caused less damage. Galo finally ended up at first base some in his later years, ultimately playing about 1/5 of his starts there with an even split for the rest between CF/RF. His bat was too good to leave out of the lineup and the Southern Cone League didn’t have a designated hitter. Galo still provided stellar value as an ironman who played 140+ games every year from 1965-1977. When he was done, he was a very popular baseball figure within Brazil.

Despite his popularity in his home country, Galo’s signature and first professional run was in Argentina. He was spotted as a teenager by Rosario, who signed him at age 16 in 1959. Galo’s official debut was 1963 with 46 games and five starts, but he wasn’t ready at that point. After spending 1964 in the developmental system, Galo became a full-time starter in 1965 and made his case by leading the league with 47 doubles.

Galo would find himself on the leaderboards multiple times in his decade with the Robins. He won four batting titles, led in slugging thrice, OPS thrice, total bases thrice, and wRC+ thrice. Galo also led in hits twice and once in runs, home runs, RBI, and WAR. He had seven seasons worth 7+ WAR and three times reached double-digits even with his negative defensive value. Galo won eight Silver Sluggers, seven with Rosario (1966-71, 73). He also was a regular for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship, playing 182 games with 162 starts from 1966-81. He posted 170 hits, 106 runs, 54 home runs, 115 RBI, and 7.8 WAR.

Galo won MVP honors in 1969 and 1971, while taking third in 1970, third in 1972, and second in 1973. In 1968, he had the strange distinction of finishing outside the top three in MVP voting despite posting the eighth Triple Crown by a BSA hitter, although his 39 home run, 97 RBI, .327 mark was far from his most impressive year. 1969 was a banner year with career and league bests in hits (225), total bases (389), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (248), and WAR (12.0). This year also had a career best 45 home runs and a league best in the triple slash. You could not deny that Galo was one of the finest hitters in the game at this point.

However, he never played a single playoff game with Rosario. The Robins had a few winning seasons in the late 1960s, but they were no match for Santiago within the South Division. By the 1970s, Rosario had fallen to the very bottom of the standings. At this point, Galo was in his early 30s and was weighing his future. In total with Rosario, he had 2039 hits, 922 runs, 339 doubles, 356 home runs, 923 RBI, 313 stolen bases, a .333/.381/.585 slash, 201 wRC+, and 85.2 WAR. The franchise would later retire his #44 uniform and he would remain a Robins icon years later.

However, in the summer of 1975, it was clear his time in Rosario was coming to an end. Galo had signed an eight-year, $1,408,000 contract extension after the 1968 season. After winning only 56 games in 1974, the Robins explored trade options and ended up moving Galo and a pitcher to Rio de Janeiro for five prospects. The Redbirds were making a push at a playoff spot and succeeded, although they were denied in the LCS by Buenos Aires. Galo decided to sign a five-year extension and hitch his wagon to Rio.

They wouldn’t make the playoff again in his tenure despite posting winning records. Galo lost half of 1978 a torn ACL, but came back with his best season with Rio in 1979, posting career bests in batting average (.385) and OBP (.426). This earned him his lone Silver Slugger with the Redbirds and a second place finish in MVP voting. Injuries cost him part of 1980, but he was still solid at age 37. In total with Rio, Galo had 960 hits, 467 runs, 148 home runs, 497 RBI, a .357/.409/.589 slash, 187 wRC+, and 36.6 WAR.

The allure of MLB money came calling and Galo signed a three-year, $2,620,00 deal with St. Louis. He ended up being a merely average starter in his one full season with the Cardinals. He played only 7 games at the start of the 1982 campaign before being released, although he did get sent a World Series ring as the Cardinals won it all that winter. He was back in Brazil almost all of 1982 though, signing with Recife in early April. With the Retrievers, he became the fourth BSA batter to 3000 career hits. Galo had a decent 1982 season, but spent his final two seasons with Recife as a bench player. He retired after the 1984 season at age 41.

Galo’s final BSA numbers: 3182 hits, 1467 runs, 516 doubles, 526 home runs, 1506 RBI, 759 walks, 403 stolen bases, a .337/.387/.576 slash, 193 wRC+, and 126.1 WAR. At induction, he was seventh among BSA batters in WAR, third in hits, and tenth in runs. Galo also had the best batting average of any BSA Hall of Famer at induction, although he’d fall out of the top 10 in later years as offensive numbers increased across the board. Galo was easily one of the finest pure hitters of his era and an easy first ballot choice at 98.4%.



Santiago “Trigger” Veliz – Starting Pitcher – Bogota Bats – 93.7% First Ballot

Santiago Veliz was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from San Gil, a town of around 50,000 people in northeastern Colombia. Nicknamed “Trigger,” Veliz had strong stuff with good movement and decent control. He had 97-99 mph peak velocity with a filthy slider that he mixed with a sinker and splitter. Veliz had great stamina in his prime, leading in complete games twice and innings pitched once. He would receive criticism though with some detractors saying he was lazy and dumb. Although that may have kept him from his ceiling, Veliz put together a fine career regardless.

Veliz was a top Colombian baseball prospect ahead of the 1968 BSA Draft, but he was still considered a bit raw at that point. Bogota took a chance on him with the 14^th overall pick and he’d spend his entire run with the Bats. They didn’t debut him though until 1971, where he was used in a relief role. Veliz was a full-time starter the next year with middling results.

1973 is when he emerged as an ace, leading in wins and complete games that year. Bogota won the Bolivar League title for the first time since 1951, falling in Copa Sudamerica to Cordoba. Veliz was a beast in the playoff run with a 0.37 ERA over 24.1 innings, earning LCS MVP honors. 1973 also marked his first of 11 editions with Colombia in the World Baseball Championship. In his WBC career, Veliz had a 3.18 ERA, 13-8 record, 195 innings, 251 strikeouts, and 5.5 WAR.

1974 was shaping up to be a career year, but various injuries cost him more than half the season. The next year, he seemed to regress a bit, but Veliz bounced back with his lone Pitcher of the Year in 1976. He led in wins (23-10), and innings (285), while posting a career best 317 strikeouts plus 8.7 WAR. He had a good 1997, then a great 1978 that saw him take second in Pitcher of the Year voting with a career best 8.8 WAR. Veliz again seemed primed for a career year with his start to 1979, but a strained forearm knocked him out for eight weeks.

Bogota hadn’t made the playoffs since their 1973 BL title, but they had gotten close with 90+ win seasons in 1978 and 1979. The Bats extended Veliz on a six-year, $2,584,000 deal in hopes he’d help take them to the next level. They won 104 games in 1981 and Veliz was second in Pitcher of the Year voting, but he struggled in two playoff starts with a 5.68 ERA and Bogota was upset by Quito in the BLCS.

1982 was another year for Veliz with time lost to various injuries. The Bats were just outside the playoff picture again this year and in 1983. He had a near full season in 1983, but suffered a catastrophe that September with a torn flexor tendon. Veliz attempted a comeback and pitched 45 innings in 1984, but it was clear his days as an ace were finished. He was able to hit the 200 win milestone at least. Veliz retired that winter at age 35 and Bogota immediately retired his #15 uniform.

Veliz’s final stats: 201-115 record, 64 saves, 2.73 ERA, 2758.2. innings, 2876 strikeouts, 581 walks, 212/327 quality starts, 166 complete games, 77 FIP-, and 66.3 WAR. He seemed on the cusp a few times of really becoming something special, but injuries seemed to pop up at the worst times. Still, he managed fairly solid totals despite not making it to 3000+ innings like most BSA Hall of Famers. Playing with one franchise and getting a league title with them helped win over the few doubters and Veliz secured a first ballot induction at 93.7%.



Bernardo Pinheiro – Starting Pitcher – La Paz Pump Jacks – 89.0% First Ballot

Bernardo Pinheiro was a 6’0’’, 175 pound left-handed pitcher from Sao Jose dos Campos, a city of around 730,000 people within Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. Pinheiro was a master at changing speeds, giving him strong stuff despite only having 92-94 mph peak velocity and slightly below average movement and control. His eephus-like changeup was a 10/10 with even the best batters flailing miserably against it. Pinheiro also had a fastball, slider, curveball, and forkball. He had excellent stamina and durability, pitching 240+ innings in all 14 of his full seasons.

Pinheiro was a top Brazilian pitching prospect and was picked 12^th overall by Brasilia in the 1967 BSA Draft. Most forget that the Bearcats picked him since every inning of his career came with La Paz. After sitting in the developmental roster for the first year and a half, Brasilia traded him in the summer of 1970 to the Pump Jacks for pitcher Ignacio Valle. Pinheiro made nine starts that fall and showed flashes of potential, earning a full time rotation spot the next season.

Pinheiro didn’t lead the league very often, but he was steady. He had the most quality starts in 1972 and 1973 and in the latter year, led in strikeouts for the only time in his career. Pinheiro still posted nine seasons with 300+ strikeouts, although he’d have some issues with allowing home runs and walks. Pinheiro never won the top award, taking third in Pitcher of the Year in 1973 and 1974 with a second place in 1982. In 1974, he had an impressive 21 strikeout game against Lima, making him the fourth pitcher in BSA history to fan 21+ in a game.

After their 1940s dynasty, La Paz had fallen into irrelevancy and posted a 29-year playoff drought. They finally saw success with four straight playoff berths from 1976-79, winning the Bolivar League title in 1979. Pinheiro was a big part of that run with a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings that season. For his playoff career, he had a 2.47 ERA over 62 innings with 64 strikeouts; oddly enough posting a much better playoff ERA than his regular season career ERA. Pinheiro’s playoff success was a large reason La Paz later retired his #33 uniform.

He carried on into his 30s, posting one of his best seasons in 1982 at age 34. He regressed a bit in the next two years, a consequence of growing old. Pinheiro became the 21^st pitcher to reach 4000 career strikeouts. He wanted to be the tenth to 250 wins, but his subpar 1984 led Pinheiro to opt for retirement instead after that season at age 37.

Pinheiro’s final stats: 241-173 record, 3.11 ERA, 3843.1 innings, 4255 strikeouts, 868 walks, 321/475 quality starts, 182 complete games, 91 FIP-, and 68.0 WAR. The advanced stats aren’t as high on him even with his high strikeout total and innings. Not many guys who made the BSA Hall of Fame had an ERA above three. But Pinheiro’s changeup was legendary, plus he had big playoff moments and got bonus points for staying with one team for his run. On his debut ballot, Pinheiro got 89.0% and rounded out the solid three-man 1990 Hall of Fame class.