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Beisbol Sudamerica saw a two-player Hall of Fame class for 2013. SP Mefisto Rodrigues led the way with a first ballot 83.2%. Closer Raymond Angeles joined him on his second ballot, just breaching the 66% requirement with 69.8%. Coming very close was 1B Nyx Navas with 63.1% on his fourth ballot and C Moises Avalos at 61.1% on his fifth ballot. Also cracking 50% was 1B Rafael Cervantes with 54.0% for his fourth go. No players were dropped following ten failed attempts in 2013.



Mefisto Rodrigues – Starting Pitcher – Rio de Janeiro Redbirds – 83.2% First Ballot

Mefisto Rodrigues was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Joinville, Brazil, a city of 616,000 in the South Region. Rodrigues was known for having excellent control throughout his career. He had quite good stuff as well, although his movement was graded as subpar. Rodrigues’ cutter hit the 98-100 mph range, but he was most effective by changing speeds with his changeup and curveball.

Rodrigues’ stamina was below average compared to most BSA aces, but he still pitched plenty of innings thanks to excellent durability. He’s the only BSA Hall of Famer with fewer than 100 complete games while also reaching 4000+ innings. He was a good defensive pitcher, winning a Gold Glove in 1999. The laid-back Rodrigues was often ol’ reliable that you knew would always be healthy and ready to give you a decent start.

Many fans assume he played his entire career in Rio de Janeiro, but Rodrigues actually started with Brasilia. The Bearcats gave him a developmental deal in February 1985. After five years in their academy, a 22-year old Rodrigues made one start in 1990 for the Bearcats, giving up five runs in five innings. That July, he would be traded straight up to Rio for fellow pitcher Matias Veloso, who ended up with a journeyman career.

Rodrigues had 61.2 innings split between relief and starting that fall for the Redbirds. Rio de Janeiro made him a full-time starter the next year, a role Rodrigues held for the next 16 seasons apart from a brief starter/closer split in 1998. Sans that 1998 season, Rodrigues from 1991-2005 reliably tossed 230+ innings with 200+ strikeouts.

He lacked dominance though, never leading in any major stat. His only league-leading came in K/BB from 2001-2003. Rodrigues was only below a three ERA in three seasons, often grading out as just above average on sabremetric charts. Rodrigues was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist, but he did win Pitcher of the Month twice. He also only earned one all-star game appearance for his entire career. The laid back righty was content not to draw attention to himself.

In his first full season with Rio, they made it to the Southern Cone League Championship, falling to Belo Horizonte. Rodrigues had a great playoff run in 1991 with a 1.16 ERA over 23.1 innings and 24 strikeouts. The Redbirds were stuck in the mid-tier for the rest of the 1990s apart from a one-and-done playoff berth in 1999. They were subpar with three straight losing seasons from 2000-02.

Rodrigues stayed steady all the while. He signed a four-year, $12,400,000 extension with Rio in April 1997. Then in April 2001, he added five more years and $18,000,000. Fortunes finally turned around for the Redbirds, who started a seven-year playoff streak in 2003.

Rio was a wild card in 2003, but went on a tear all the way to a Copa Sudamerica victory over Caracas. Rodrigues had a good playoff effort with a 2.67 ERA in four starts and 30.1 innings with 25 strikeouts. The Redbirds lost in the first round in 2004, then had LCS losses in 2005 and 2006. Rodrigues was okay in the 2004 and 2006 postseasons, but stunk in 2005.

Rodrigues’ career playoff stats were delightfully mid with a 3.67 ERA over 90.2 innings, 5-7 record, 68 strikeouts, 17 walks, 97 ERA+, and 0.7 WAR. Eight of his 13 starts were quality starts, most notably with three in the 2003 championship run and three in 1991. His role in the Redbirds’ second-ever Cup win helped get his #16 uniform retired.

The longevity for Rodrigues got him to some notable milestones. In 2006, he became only the 13^th BSA pitcher to 250 wins and the 28^th to 4000 strikeouts. 2006 would be his first time posting an ERA above four. Rodrigues would get a one-year deal for 2007, but was demoted primarily to the bullpen with only 67.1 innings and a 4.54 ERA. He wasn’t used in the playoffs as Rio lost in the first round. Rodrigues retired that winter at age 39.

Rodrigues finished with a 254-199 record, 3.29 ERA, 4095.2 innings, 4236 strikeouts, 524 walks, 343/535 quality starts, 103 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 67.1 WAR. The advanced stats suggest he was an aggressively average pitcher who managed to hang around for a long time. As of 2037, he’s 20^th all-time in innings pitched, yet he’s only 92^nd in WAR among pitchers. A modern look at Rodrigues puts him as one of the weaker pitchers to get in.

For traditionalists, longevity went a very long way. Rodrigues hit 250 wins, 4000 innings, and 4000 strikeouts. As of 2037, every eligible pitcher in Beisbol Sudamerica that hit one or more of those marks eventually earned induction. Although Rodrigues didn’t have awards, he did stay with one team and won a championship with them. This got him 83.2% for a first ballot induction to headline the 2013 class.



Raymond Angeles – Closer – Arequipa Arrows – 69.8% Second Ballot

Raymond Angeles was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Lima, Peru. Angeles had stellar stuff with excellent movement, although his control was average at best. His 97-99 mph cutter was his primary option, earning groundballs at an impressive rate. Angeles’ second pitch was a changeup to draw whiffs. As far as relievers go, his stamina and durability were both considered to be strong.

Relievers often weren’t high draft targets, but Angeles had earned plenty of acclaim in his amateur career in Peru. With the third pick in the 1992 BSA Draft, Angeles was picked by Arequipa. The Arrows were one of the 1987 expansion teams and struggled immensely in their first few seasons. Angeles wouldn’t be the one to fix that though, as they averaged 68.6 wins per season during his run.

Still, Arequipa had at least one position comfortably locked down during that time. Angeles was the closer all eight seasons for the Arrows, taking third in Reliever of the Year voting in both 1993 and 1995. He didn’t rack up big save totals since the Arrows didn’t post a winning season while he was there. Angeles did post a 33-save streak that lasted nearly a full calendar year from May 1994 to May 1995.

With the Arrows, Angeles had 245 saves and 281 shutdowns, a 2.31 ERA, 521 games, 620.1 innings, 762 strikeouts, 182 walks, 152 ERA+, and 20.5 WAR. This was enough that the franchise later retired his #2 uniform; the first number taken out of circulation in Arequipa.

Angeles also earned some appreciation throughout Peru generally from his appearances from 1994-2005 in the World Baseball Championship. He had 11 starts and 25 relief appearances for an impressive 1.54 ERA over 134 innings, 11-1 record, 11 saves, 199 strikeouts, 35 walks, 232 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. Among all WBC pitchers with 80+ innings, Angeles’ ERA ranks 25^th.

During the 2001 WBC, the 30-year old Angeles was traded by Arequipa to Recife for prospect Heider Cerqueira and a draft pick. He was the closer for two seasons for the Retrievers with mixed results, posting a 2.81 ERA in 170 innings, 65 saves, 193 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, and 0.9 WAR. Angeles entered free agency after the 2002 season at age 32.

Asuncion gave him a three-year, $8,640,000 deal. The Archers won division titles in both 2003 and 2004, then saw a surprising plummet to 64 wins in 2005. This gave Angeles his only BSA playoff experience with eight appearances, 8.2 innings, a 2.08 ERA, 2 saves, 2 losses, 11 hits, and 8 strikeouts.

Angeles’ first two years with Asuncion were career bests. 2003 saw bests in saves (38), innings (105), strikeouts (131), and wins (15-5), taking second in Reliever of the Year voting. Angeles scored his lone ROTY win in 2004 with bests in ERA (0.88), ERA+ (408), and WAR (4.2). He would get reduced to a mid-relief role in 2005 with only 65.2 innings and 11 saves, but he still had 2.9 WAR with a 2.06 ERA.

With Asuncion, Angeles had 88 saves, a 1.36 ERA, 252.1 innings, 314 strikeouts, 118 shutdowns, 265 ERA+, and 10.8 WAR. This also got him on the doorstep of 400 career saves, a mark previously reached by only six others in BSA. Angeles hoped to reach it and signed a two-year, $7,680,000 deal with Sao Paulo.

His last year with the Arrows ended with shoulder inflammation that ultimately tanked his velocity. Angeles had previously regularly hit the upper 90s, but peaked in the low 90s in spring training for the Padres. He only saw 24.2 innings in the back-end of the bullpen and didn’t have a chance to earn any saves. Angeles retired that winter at age 36.

The final stats had 398 saves and 472 shutdowns, a 95-88 record, 2.19 ERA, 1067.1 innings, 1286 strikeouts, 281 walks, 160 ERA+, and 32.6 WAR. As of 2037, he’s ninth all-time in saves. The saves and innings certainly fit next to the other Hall of Fame closers in BSA, but Angeles’s rate stats were far less dominant. As of 2037, there are 20 relievers inducted and his WAR ranks 18^th in that group.

Angeles was boosted by having his best season late in his run, finally snagging that Reliever of the Year. His lack of raw dominance and being on most mediocre teams worked against him. However, every 400+ save guy had gotten in and Angeles barely missed that line. He debuted one percent short of induction at 65.0%. Angeles’ second try got the slight boost to 69.8% to enter the Hall of Fame in 2013. As of 2037, he’s the only Hall of Famer in Arequipa garb.