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The Central American Baseball Association added four into the Hall of Fame for 2027, the largest class since the five-player 2017 group. However, the makeup was quite different from the 2017 class, which had five first ballot picks with four above 80%. None of the 2027 inductees were above 80% with two debuts and two returners.

1B/LF Diego Carmona and 1B Ricart Becerra ended up in a co-headlining role with debuts of 79.5% and 79.2%, respectively. The other two both were third ballot pitchers that barely breached the 66% requirement. Mateo Ramirez received 69.1% and Adrian Estrella got 66.1%. The only other player above 50% was 1B Hasan Alvizo at 52.9% for his third go.



SP Secretario “Bad News” Sanz got bad news as he fell off the ballot with 44.6% for his tenth and final shot in 2027. Sanz had gotten as close as 61.8% in 2023, but was generally in the 40-55% range. He pitched all but one of his 14 seasons for Nicaragua with two ERA titles and the 2009 Pitcher of the Year. Sanz had a 181-128 record, 3.32 ERA, 2890.2 innings, 2675 strikeouts, 120 ERA+, and 65.4 WAR.

Sanz’ resume was definitely borderline, but it was interesting that he was left out while Ramirez and Estrella got in for 2027 as on paper, all three had fairly comparable resumes. Sanz had them just beat in ERA and WAR, but had lower strikeout stats. He also never got the CABA Championship ring the others had, although Nicaragua got close with him there. Sometimes, it really does come down simply to timing and vibes on if a borderline guy makes the cut.



Diego “Elastic Man” Carmona – First Base/Left Field – Chihuahua Warriors – 79.5% First Ballot

Diego Carmona was a 6’0’’, 210 pound right-handed first baseman and left fielder from Buenavista, Mexico; part of Mexico City’s metropolitan area with around 206,000 inhabitants. Carmona was a well-rounded batter with good-to-great contact and power against both sides. He was rock solid at earning extra base hits with a 162 game average of 39 home runs, 33 doubles, and 10 triples. Carmona was below average at avoiding strikeouts, but above average at drawing walks.

Carmona lacked discipline as a baserunner and had subpar speed, but he could sneak in some steals. Despite the sluggishness as a runner, he was pretty reliable defensively. Carmona spent his first seven years as a left fielder with average results on the whole, although he did win a Gold Glove in his second season. He switched to first base for the rest of his run and was considered quite solid there.

He was nicknamed “Elastic Man” for his remarkable adaptability. Carmona was a real sparkplug with a tireless work ethic, great intelligence, and impressive loyalty. He generally avoided the big injuries to persevere for a 22-year career. Carmona ended up as one of Mexico’s most beloved baseball figures in a run that encompassed three continents.

Carmona was the top prospect on most boards for the 2000 CABA Draft and went #1 overall to Chihuahua. He was a starter immediately and played 11 seasons for the Warriors, topping 6+ WAR in six seasons. Carmona took second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2001 and earned his lone Gold Glove in 2002. Carmona found his power stroke by his fourth year, which was his first of 14 seasons with at least 30 home runs.

2006 saw injury setbacks with a herniated disc and concussion costing him more than a month each. Still, Chihuahua gave Carmona a five-year, $45,200,000 extension after the season. He then posted back-to-back 10+ WAR campaigns, earning a Silver Slugger in LF for 2007 and at 1B for 2008. Carmona was third in 2007’s MVP voting and second in 2008. Both years had 211 hits, 10.2 WAR, and 221 wRC+ along with 100+ runs, 45+ homers, 120+ RBI, and OPS above 1.100.

In 2008, Chihuahua finally ended a 45-year playoff drought, although they fell in the first round. Since Carmona’s arrival, they had at least been consistently around or above .500. This was a big turnaround for the Warriors, who had only posted a winning season once from the 1970s through the 1990s. They were back outside the playoffs in 2009 and 2010. Carmona kept his OPS above one, but wasn’t in the MVP conversation those years. He also had missed seven weeks in 2009 to a strained abdominal.

Carmona’s lone MVP win and third Silver Slugger came in 2011. It was the only year he led the Mexican League in any stat, but he led in most of them with 136 runs, 222 hits, 53 homers, 438 RBI, .366 average, .723 slugging, 1.123 OPS, 216 wRC+, and 10.2 WAR. Carmona’s 143 RBI were second, falling nine short of a Triple Crown. His runs, hits, homers, RBI, total bases, average, slugging, OPS, and WAR were all career highs.

Chihuahua took the top seed at 102-60 and won their first Mexican League title since 1961, although they lost the 2011 CABA Championship to Honduras. Carmona’s playoff stats were unremarkable with 0.2 WAR and .764 OPS in eight games. He had an excellent showing in the second Baseball Grand Championship with 1.3 WAR, 1.069 OPS, 13 hits, 12 runs, 6 homers, 11 RBI, and 13 walks in 19 starts. The Warriors finished 11-8, tied for sixth.

This effort put Carmona on the radar of teams worldwide with big money offers well beyond what Chihuahua could afford. Yet again, the Warriors would see an all-time level talent leave prematurely, as Carmona entered free agency for 2012 at age 33. He remained beloved for his efforts and cheered from afar, eventually getting his #13 uniform retired. Chihuahua soon fell back towards the bottom rung, but Carmona gave a generation of Warriors’ fans a taste of winning.

For Chihuahua, Carmona had 1546 games, 1923 hits, 997 runs, 325 doubles, 132 triples, 370 home runs, 1073 RBI, 405 walks, .334/.382/.628 slash, 188 wRC+, and 75.3 WAR. MLB teams came knocking and Indianapolis had the winning offer at $91 million over five years. Carmona hit for the cycle in his debut season and the Racers took the National Association’s top seed at 103-59, although they were upset in the first round. Indy had a first round exit in 2013, then were stuck around the mid-tier for the rest of the 2010s.

Carmona never reached his MVP level peaks, but he was worth 5+ WAR in each of his five MLB seasons. He finished with 749 games, 776 hits, 416 runs, 115 doubles, 161 home runs, 410 RBI, .280/.344/.514 slash, 163 wRC+, and 27.7 WAR. Carmona was a free agent again after the 2016 season at age 38 and still had a somewhat random assortment of pro franchises keeping an eye on him.

Not many had Mauritania as his next home, but Carmona ended up in West African Baseball with Nouakchott for two years and $34,400,000. He missed the final months of 2017 to a fractured ankle, but did hit at a strong clip and hit for the cycle. He was a good starter in 2018, but not elite. Carmona played 252 games with 303 hits, 171 runs, 78 doubles, 59 home runs, 209 RBI, 7.3 WAR, .943 OPS, and 135 wRC+ for the Night Riders.

Carmona stayed in WAB on a two-year, $17,800,000 deal with Kano. A PCL strain kept him out all of August, but Carmona came back strong to help the Condors win the 2019 WAB Championship over Bamako. He earned MVP of the finals and the West League Championship Series with 14 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, and 10 RBI in 10 starts. Carmona was also a beast in the Baseball Grand Championship with 12 homers, 17 RBI, 20 hits, 14 runs, 1.265 OPS, and 1.7 WAR in 19 starts. Kano was on the bottom end at 8-11, but Carmona is one of a select few to play in the event twice representing teams from different leagues.

He was still a rock solid starter in 2020, although Kano was ousted in the first round. Carmona played 278 games with 7.4 WAR, 304 hits, 179 runs, 49 doubles, 74 home runs, 201 RBI, .304/.373/.588 slash, 141 wRC+, and 7.4 WAR. He was now 42 years old and clearly still had something to offer. Carmona put feelers out for a CABA return and ended up going to Guatemala for one year and $7,600,000.

Carmona’s one year with the Ghosts saw 135 games, .822 OPS, 121 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR; certainly still playable. He also made his only World Baseball Championship appearances for Mexico in 2020 and 2021. The Guatemala return did allow Carmona to reach 2000 hits and 1000 runs for his CABA career. The Ghosts earned the #1 seed in the Caribbean League at 109-53, but were upset in the first round.

He still wanted to play for 2022, but most CABA teams felt they could find similar production from much younger and cheaper players. Carmona’s name still had currency in WAB and he spent one season back in Nigeria for Benin City. He lost more than a month to a concussion and posted 1.4 WAR over 118 starts. Carmona retired that winter at age 44, one of pro baseball’s longest-tenured players. Across his WAB stints, Carmona had 648 games, 727 hits, 408 runs, 156 doubles, 153 home runs, 477 RBI, .302/.362/.570 slash, 133 wRC+, and 16.1 WAR.

In CABA, Carmona ended with 1681 games, 2058 hits, 1065 runs, 349 doubles, 137 triples, 393 home runs, 1155 RBI, 451 walks, 166 steals, .329/.379/.617 slash, 183 wRC+, and 78.0 WAR. Carmona misses out on the counting leaderboards since he left in his early 30s, but still does rank 84^th in WAR among position players as of 2037. Carmona’s .995 OPS is 23^rd among CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his triple slash ranks 66^th/44^th/26^th among that group.

Many voters will give a great at least some credit for their non-league totals if a great player leaves like Carmona did. A few voters marked him down for the lower accumulations, but most didn’t. Heck, there were some who thought if he retired after the Chihuahua run that had done enough. Carmona received 79.5% for a first ballot selection as a co-headliner for the 2027 Hall of Fame class for the Central American Baseball Association.

When you factor in his full pro baseball tallies, Carmona had 3078 games, 3561 hits, 1889 runs, 620 doubles, 178 triples, 707 home runs, 2024 RBI, 875 walks, 236 steals, .311/.367/.582 slash, 167 wRC+, and 121.8 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 50^th in hits among all players and catches the top 100 in several stats. This gives the broader view that Carmona wasn’t just a standard-issue Hall of Famer, but one of the inner-circle level talents of his era.



Ricart Becerra – First Base – Nicaragua Navigators – 79.2% First Ballot

Ricart Becerra was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Temixco, Mexico; a city with about 116,000 in the south-central state of Morelos. Becerra was a solid contact hitter with a reliable pop in his bat, good for 37 home runs, 30 doubles, and 3 triples per his 162 game average. He did grade as average to below average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Becerra was notably an abysmal baserunner with terrible speed.

That lack of athleticism didn’t hurt him much though at first base, where he made all of his defensive starts. Becerra was reliably above average to good defensively, winning a Gold Glove in 2008. He did make around 1/5 of his starts as a designated hitter, occupying that role in 2013, 2015, and 2020. Becerra had fantastic durability, starting 149+ games in all 15 of his full seasons. He was never one to be a league leader or post jaw dropping stats, but Becerra was as steady and reliable as they come.

Becerra was picked 17^th overall by Merida in the 2005 CABA Draft. He only saw 24 games and 7 starts in 2006 with iffy results, but was deemed ready for 2007 as a full-timer. He earned Rookie of the Year honors with a 7.2 WAR campaign, posting his career best in runs at 118. Becerra never won a Silver Slugger or was an MVP finalist, especially with so many great first baseman. But his first four full seasons with the Mean Green were worth 6+ WAR with 40+ homers and 100+ RBI.

In his second season of 2008, Becerra set many of his career bests with 9.0 WAR, .987 OPS, 190 wRC+, 43 home runs, and 130 RBI. The historically weak Merida did get playoff berths in 2006 and 2007, but lost in the first round both times. They had fallen back towards the bottom by the end of Becerra’s tenure and they figured he wouldn’t stay. Over 985 games, Becerra had 1245 hits, 612 runs, 186 doubles, 238 home runs, 686 RBI, .330/.367/.581 slash, 172 wRC+, and 41.5 WAR.

Becerra’s Merida tenure was easily his most statistically impressive one, but it isn’t where he’d play the most games or be best known with. He signed for 2013 at age 29 to a seven-year, $68,700,000 deal with Nicaragua. In 2014, the Navigators went on a surprise run as a wild card all the way, defeating Torreon for their first-ever CABA Championship.

In 14 playoff starts, Becerra had 23 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 16 RBI, 1.250 OPS, and 1.3 WAR. That earned him finals MVP and forever made him a favorite of Nicaragua fans. Most forget that he struggled in the Baseball Grand Championship to -0.1 WAR and .549 OPS as the Navigators finished 19^th at 6-13. Having that first CABA title (and their only one as of 2037) is what mattered most.

Nicaragua was stuck in the middle tier for the rest of his run and Becerra had peaks and valleys in terms of production. Over seven seasons, he played 1094 games with 1238 hits, 539 runs, 206 doubles, 241 home runs, 722 RBI, 221 walks, .295/.333/.526 slash, 134 wRC+, and 27.1 WAR. The Navigators voided the team option seventh year of his deal, but Becerra stayed on at a pay cut. He entered free agency again for 2020 at age 36 and joined up with Santo Domingo.

Becerra posted 1.7 WAR over 149 games as a starter for the Dolphins, where he crossed the 500 home run and 2500 hit milestones. Becerra played one more year in 2021 with Costa Rica with 154 games, 2.5 WAR, and .824 OPS. Even in these down years, he was still good for 30+ home runs. But it wasn’t enough for most franchises with younger and cheaper sluggers available, as Becerra went unsigned for 2022. He retired that winter at age 39.

The final tallies had 2382 games, 2792 hits, 1306 runs, 438 doubles, 49 triples, 547 home runs, 1589 RBI, 488 walks, .306/.344/.545 slash, 148 wRC+, and 72.9 WAR. As of 2037, Becerra ranks 30^th in hits, 74^th in runs, 73^rd in games, 40^th in doubles, 49^th in home runs, 30^th in RBI, and 39^th in total bases (4969). He does miss the top 100 for WAR among position players and the top 100 for OPS.

Because he never had huge numbers or many accolades, many voters were surprised to see how high Becerra’s accumulations were. Some voters valued peak over consistency and in their mind, Becerra didn’t “feel” like a Hall of Famer. Most voters though were content with the 2500+ hit, 500+ homer, and 1500+ RBI milestones as clinchers. Becerra’s starring role in Nicaragua’s 2014 CABA Championship win also couldn’t be ignored. He received 79.2% in his debut for a first ballot selection, ending up the co-headliner of the Central American Baseball Association’s 2027 Hall of Fame class.