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Beisbol Sudamerica had two first ballot inductees for the 2008 Hall of Fame class. Neither were absolute slam dunks, but both made it across the 66% line with DH Alejandro Hernandez at 78.6% and closer Cassius Filipe at 70.4%. 2B Leonardo Salvador fell painfully short at 65.4% in his fourth try. The best debut was SP Orlando Salas, who also didn’t miss by much at 63.0%.



The other player above 50% was catcher Sancho Sanchez, who fell off the ballot after ten failed tries. He ended at 55.4% and got as high as 60.4% in 2006, usually hovering in the 40s to low 50s. Sanchez played 15 years with Cali and won one MVP, two Copa Sudamericas, one finals MVP, and eight Silver Sluggers. He had 1758 hits, 785 runs, 341 doubles, 217 home runs, 734 RBI, a .321/.374/.511 slash, 144 wRC+, and 70.4 WAR.

At retirement, Sanchez led all BSA catchers in WAR and still sits seventh as of 2037. However, BSA voters hadn’t elected a single catcher through nearly 80 years of existence. Most voters seemed very harsh towards the lower accumulations that came with the position. He was also hurt by injuries and declining by his early 30s. If Sanchez couldn’t get in, it seemed like no catcher ever would. It wouldn’t be until 2032 after more than 100 years of existence that Beisbol Sudamerica would finally induct a catcher.

Also dropped after ten ballots in 2008 was 1B Keith Ormeno, who played 13 years between Belo Horizonte and Brasilia. He had one MVP and one Silver Slugger, 2112 hits, 1070 runs, 314 doubles, 442 home runs, 1153 RBI, a .296/.346/.540 slash, 157 wRC+, and 64.3 WAR. At first base especially, that was a “Hall of Pretty Good” resume. Ormeo peaked at 21.9% in 2000 and lasted ten ballots, ending at 5.0%.



Alejandro Hernandez – Designated Hitter – Cali Cyclones – 78.6% First Ballot

Alejandro Hernandez was a 6’3’’, 205 pound left-handed hitter from Monteria, Colombia; a city of around 490,000 people in the country’s north. Hernandez was a very solid contact hitter with great power in his bat. He averaged 43 home runs and 37 doubles per his 162 game average. Hernandez was average at drawing walks and below average at avoiding strikeouts. Hernandez was a smart baserunner that could pick his spots, but his foot speed was terrible.

He was a career designated hitter that never made a start in the field and only played a total of 13.1 innings defensively his whole career. Some felt Hernandez could’ve been a passable corner outfielder, but that his laziness and disdain for defense meant he never bothered. Critics questioned his work ethic and said he was selfish, but Hernandez’s bat was too strong to deny a spot in the lineup.

Hernandez’s batting potential was evident even coming out of high school. Bogota picked him ninth overall in the 1985 BSA Draft, but he didn’t sign and instead went to college. Hernandez’s bat still looked great out of college, but his other weaknesses did appear more evident. He was actually picked later out of college, going 28^th overall to Cali in the 1988 Draft.

Hernandez only played 122 games with 55 starts as a rookie, but posted 3.3 WAR and 169 wRC+. He would be a full-time starter at DH in his second year and held that job for the next nine seasons with the Cyclones. Hernandez did miss about half of 1994 to a broken kneecap and almost half of 1997 to a broken bone in his elbow.

In 1990, Hernandez led the Bolivar League with 48 home runs and a .623 slugging percentage. The next year, he won his lone batting title with a .344 average and led in slugging, OPS, and wRC+. That secured his first Silver Slugger and a third place finish in MVP voting. Hernandez followed that up with a career best 8.9 WAR, as well as 48 homers and 130 RBI in 1992. He was third again in MVP voting.

In May 1993, Hernandez signed an eight-year, $16,400,000 extension with Cali. He had 50 home runs that year, but never was quite as strong in his later years. Some suggested he dogged it a bit after securing the bag later in the Cyclones run. Still, Hernandez was a reliably good bat in the middle of the lineup.

Cali had won three pennants and two Copa Sudamericas just before he arrived. However, the Cyclones didn’t make the playoffs once during Hernandez’s tenure. They were rarely awful, averaging 79.2 wins per season in that stretch. Fans at least got to see Hernandez hit the ball hard and the team would opt to retire his #29 uniform eventually for his efforts.

Hernandez did get to perform on the big stage early in his career, playing from 1989-2003 for Colombia in the World Baseball Championship. He played 110 games and started 83, posting 92 hits, 58 runs, 17 doubles, 33 home runs, 78 RBI, a .275/.366/.623 slash, 175 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR.

With Cali in total, Hernandez had 1532 hits, 826 runs, 282 doubles, 360 home runs, 939 RBI, a .311/.358/.598 slash, 167 wRC+, and 54.2 WAR. After the 1998 season, Hernandez opted out of the remainder of his Cali deal, becoming a free agent at age 32. He ended up in Peru on a five-year, $13,400,000 deal with Lima.

The Lobos had just won Copa Sudamerica in back-to-back years and were riding an 11-year playoff streak. Hernandez had two respectable seasons to start, but struggled in the playoffs as Lima went one-and-done both years. Hernandez had a resurgence in 2001 with career highs in both home runs (59) and RBI (147). He hadn’t reached 40 homers since back in 1992.

That earned him his third Silver Slugger and helped Lima reclaim the Bolivar League title. They lost Copa Sudamerica to Asuncion and Hernandez was again forgettable in the playoffs. His career stats saw 26 games, a .207/.235/.413 slash, 74 wRC+, and 0 WAR.

He had 40 homers and 103 RBI in 2002, but Lima’s playoff streak ended. Hernandez opted out of the last year of his contact. With the Lobos, Hernandez had 673 hits, 383 runs, 128 doubles, 170 home runs, 450 RBI, a .291/.335/.576 slash, 138 wRC+, and 16.2 WAR. This marked the end of his career in South America.

Heading into his age 36 season, Hernandez thought he could get another big BSA payday, but interest was very limited. He ultimately found good money in New Zealand, heading to the Oceania Baseball Association on a three-year, $9,640,000 deal with Christchurch. It was a forgettable run which started with a fractured knee in April 2003, costing him almost that entire season.

Hernandez played 91 games with 61 starts in 2004, but struggled with a -0.3 WAR effort. He was relegated to the bench and only played 40 games in 2005 as a pinch hitter. He had 0.2 WAR and 97 hits over 151 games with Christchurch. Hernandez retired after the 2005 season at age 39.

For his Beisbol Sudamerica tenure, Hernandez had 2205 hits, 1209 runs, 410 doubles, 530 home runs, 1389 RBI, a .305/.351/.591 slash, 158 wRC+, and 70.4 WAR. The hitting tallies and power numbers certainly didn’t look out of place compared to other BSA Hall of Famers.

There were still voters who criticized Hernandez for his perceived laziness and poor playoff performance. A few others were reluctant to induct any career DH. But enough were sold to give Hernandez 78.6% and a first ballot induction in 2008. He ended up the headliner for the two-player BSA group.



Cassius Filipe – Closer – Barquisimeto Black Cats – 70.4% First Ballot

Cassius Filipe was a 6’6’’, 205 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Concordia, Brazil; a city of around 75,000 in the southern state of Santa Catarina. Filipe had strong stuff and movement with good control. He had a two-pitch combo with a 93-95 mph cutter and a knuckle curve. Filipe had excellent stamina and durability for a reliever and was always ready when called upon.

Having only two pitches meant Filipe was pigeonholed as a reliever from the beginning. Still, he got attention out of high school and was picked 42^nd overall in the 1986 BSA Draft by Brasilia. The Bearcats hoped their second rounder could eventually develop into a nice arm. Filipe spent 1987 and 1988 on the developmental roster.

He never pitched for Brasilia though, getting shipped in the winter of 1988 with three other prospects to Barquisimeto for SP Bliase Alegria. Filipe debuted with 30.2 strong innings in 1989 for the Black Cats. Filipe earned the closer role in 1990 and led the Southern Cone League in saves and games, tossing a career high 99.1 innings. He placed second in Reliever of the Year voting.

He didn’t have the massive strikeout numbers a lot of other notable closers had. Still, he reliably racked up saves and innings for Barquisimeto, leading in saves in both 1993 and 1996. Filipe took second in Reliever of the Year voting in 1992, 1993, and 1996. The save totals were impressive considering the Black Cats didn’t win many games in this era. They averaged 74.7 wins per season in his run with no playoff appearances and a best season at 82-80.

Filipe’s efforts did earn his #37 uniform getting retired later by Barquisimeto. In nine seasons, he had 299 saves and 311 shutdowns, a 2.10 ERA, 699 innings, 772 strikeouts, 164 walks, 169 ERA+, and 18.0 WAR. He also pitched some for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship from 1995-2001. Filipe had 62.1 innings, 8 saves, a 2.74 ERA, 89 strikeouts, 29 walks, a 131 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR.

Filipe was a free agent after the 1996 season at age 31 and found an interested MLB team. Virginia Beach gave him a three-year, $8,880,000 deal, seemingly committing a good deal to him. Filipe made seven appearances with 14.1 innings for the Vikings, looking perfectly serviceable. However, VB cut him on April 26 to end a very brief MLB tenure.

Filipe came back to Brazil and signed a one year deal with Sao Paulo. His first game with the Padres saw him cross the 300 save mark, posting 29 saves for the season. Sao Paulo was impressed enough to give him a three-year, $6,240,000 deal the next year. He had similar results, finishing with 53 saves, a 2.56 ERA, 133.1 innings, 161 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR in two seasons for the Padres.

There were two years left on his Sao Paulo deal, but he was traded with two prospects to Bogota in the offseason for LF Felipe Marin. The Bats had made the playoffs eight times in the 1990s and Filipe hoped that perhaps he’d see his first playoff action there at age 33.

2000 was Filipe’s most impressive season with a 0.88 ERA in 72 games and 81.2 innings, 104 strikeouts, 35 saves, and 3.5 WAR. He won his lone Reliever of the Year and helped Bogota win Copa Sudamerica. In the playoffs, Filipe had three saves and six shutdowns in eight games, posting a 2.45 ERA over 18.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and 8 walks.

Filipe lost the closer job in 2001 and ended up with only 31.1 innings and a 3.16 ERA. He had a 1.51 ERA, 37 saves, 113 innings, 124 strikeouts, and 3.5 WAR with Bogota. Filipe signed a one-year deal for 2002 with Recife, but he only saw 17 innings there. He wanted to chase the 400 saves milestone, but teams thought his closing days were over. Filipe retired after the 2002 season at age 36.

Filipe finished with 389 saves and 417 shutdowns, 2.10 ERA, 976.2 innings, 1082 strikeouts, 245 walks, 167 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 23.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 13^th all-time in saves. His ERA was comparable to some of the lower-end relievers in the BSA Hall of Fame, but his WAR total and strikeouts were the lowest. By WAR, he would be the weakest member of the Beisbol Sudamerica hall of Fame.

Advanced stats were underwhelming for Filipe, but the traditional stats and helping Bogota to the 2000 title went a long way. Supporters argued his save totals were deflated from being on bad Barquisimeto teams during his 20s. Filipe received 70.4% in his debut, earning the first ballot nod to round out the two-player 2008 class.