2062 Hall of Fame Presser

Championship Baseball Association (CBA) 2062 Hall of Fame Ballot

As the 2062 CBA season winds to a close, the league’s GMs will consider the following ballot to determine who, if any, are deserving of being enshrined in the Hall of Fame. If elected, any player or players would become the Inaugural Class of the Hall of Fame. This document is meant to give some context to the players on the ballot, especially for General Managers who came in after the start of CBA2.0 in 2020.

Batters

• Ricky ‘Livewire’ Munoz (Retired 2059) – Munoz earned 50% of the vote in 2061, and remains a strong candidate for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. While his total career WAR of 24.9 is not as robust as other names on this list, Munoz was a key contributor on a Toronto Mythics team that was routinely at the top of the Premier League.

• Rico Santellan (Retired 2058) – Santellan returns to the ballot after garnering 33% of the vote in his first year and 44% of the vote last year. Santellan, like Munoz, only has 20 career WAR, but his career in the CBA started at age 27 and he spent the heart of his career on contending teams in the Silver League and Premier League. Santellan led the league in HRs and BBs twice.

• Jaden ‘Mongo’ Godfrey (Retired 2054) – Godfrey’s HoF candidacy is on thin ice – he garnered 28% of the vote in 2060 which diminished to just 13% last year. Entering the CBA at 33, Godfrey still accumulated 15.9 WAR in just 5 seasons and was a constant on-base threat. His 46 Doubles in 2051 still ranks 4th all time in the Premier League.

• Stacy Heijman (Retired 2059) – Heijman undoubtedly had a Hall of Fame start to his career – accumulating 22.5 WAR before the start of his age 29 season. Unfortunately, he was worth half a win below replacement in 2056 with the Charlotte Knights and never again played in the Major Leagues. His 193 Hits in 2051 ranks 3rd in Silver League History.

• Gabe Netro (Retired 2059) – Netro might be the biggest what if on this list. On the surface, his accomplishments aren’t very impressive: 17.5 Career WAR with a .692 OPS. These numbers, however, deserve some context. Netro’s first season, with the Philadelphia Liberty in 2050, came during his age 33 season. Netro would defy the odds and be a productive player through his Age 41 season. He enjoyed a career Renaissance of sorts with the Cleveland Bobcats in 2056 when he posted a 3.0 WAR and helped the Bobcats earn promotion to the Silver League. Netro also boasts a whopping Six Gold Gloves at 3B, and would have undoubtedly had many more if we were able to see the full scope of his career.

• Bobby Gutierrez (Retired 2059) – This is Gutierrez’s first year on the ballot, and it may well be his last. Like Netro, Gutierrez’s career in the CBA began on the downside of his arc, and while he was able to accumulated 15 WAR in that time, he was, on the whole, a league-average hitter (103 Career OPS+) and a subpar defender save for his inaugural season with the Tampa Bay Palms (6.3 ZR / 1.040 EFF)

• Rourke Hewitt (Retired 2059) – Drafted in the 3rd round of the CBA Inaugural Draft by the Austin Rustlers, Hewitt possessed a unique trait for a catcher: speed. His 87 steals in his first two seasons is a record likely to stand forever among catchers. Unfortunately, Hewitt struggled throughout his career with consistency. His 14.7 Career WAR does not immediately jump off the page, but given the relative paucity of production at the Catcher Position, Hewitt deserves at least some serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.

Pitchers

• Ivan Luna (Retired 2059) – At just over $407m, Luna stands alone in CBA Career earnings. Beyond that number, however, is a truly elite pitcher. His 3.51 PL ERA is 27th all time, his 1496 PL Strikeouts are 8th all time, and his 81 PL wins are 9th all time. Luna was a dominant pitching force in a league that still to this day takes no prisoners. Coming into the CBA at age 28, he still managed to eclipse 30 WAR in his 9-year career.

• Alberto Munoz (Retired 2059) – Spending his entire career with the Toronto Mythics, Munoz is a great comparison to Ivan Luna. Entering the CBA at age 28 and compiling over 22 WAR in his 8 seasons, Munoz is probably a small step below Luna, but still deserves serious consideration for the Hall of Fame, especially given the fact his entire career was at the top of the Premier League.

• Bob McCarthy (Retired 2059) – I feel like I’m repeating myself, but McCarthy is another pitcher who pitched his entire career in the PL. He won one Pitcher of the Year award, in 2053. He posted 24.7 career WAR and is roughly in the same tier as Alberto Munoz. His candidacy would likely be more clear-cut if we could see the first four years of his career, but McCarthy was certainly a dominant pitching force in the Premier League for the better part of half a decade.

• Javier Jimenez (Retired 2056) – Entering the CBA at age 30 as a pitcher, Jimenez was a reliable force at the front of the rotation for the entirety of his career in the CBA. He was the PL’s best pitcher in 2052, but only put up 18.0 WAR for his CBA career. One must wonder what his resume would look like if we could see the other 5 years.

• Sandy Torres (Retired 2060) – Torres spent the bulk of his career with the Atlanta Swarm in the Silver League, accumulating just over 20 WAR but not qualifying for any individual awards.

• Jimmy Vosburg (Retired 2058) – Perhaps the biggest what-if on this ballot, we can only wonder what Vosburg’s full career looks like. Entering the CBA at 34 years old and playing 7 seasons, we are left to speculate as to what he did with the other 10 seasons of his career.

• Bob Ditmars (Retired 2057) – Though he garnered 17% of the vote on the initial Hall of Fame ballot, Ditmars has seen his profile diminish with each year as the ballot around him expands. With no individual awards and no truly remarkable seasons, this is likely Ditmars’ last season on the ballot.

• D.J. “The Dick” Alvarado (Retired 2061) – If nothing else, Alvarado is known throughout the league for his petulant and, frankly ‘dickish’ behavior. Drafted in the 1st round of the Inaugural Draft by Detroit, Alvarado never had the type of season that would cement him as one of the premier starting pitchers in the game. Ultimately, he was probably more trouble than he was worth for a majority of his career. Perhaps if a historical wing of the Hall is ever opened he will have an exhibit next to Craig “Icebox” Bannon.

• Bobby Ward (Retired 2060) – Ward was a very solid relief pitcher for 8 seasons, mostly in the Bronze League. His best season, however, came with the Galveston Gremlins in 2054 with a 1.42 ERA and a staggering 289 ERA+ in 82.2 innings. Ward is the first player on this list who played his entire major league career in the CBA, which may ultimately hurt his candidacy as there is no unknown career to speculate upon.

• Volkmar Arikan (Retired 2060) Another relief pitcher, Arikan has many of the same question marks and achievements as Ward above. Arikan, however, had an impressive peak to his career from 2052 to 2054, winning the PL Reliever of the Year award in 2053 with Austin. Arikan was never truly dominant, but he was definitely one of the best handful of relievers in the PL during his career, and his candidacy will be a great litmus test for future relievers.

• Jerry Parten (Retired 2060) – Parten faces a certain uphill battle in his quest for the CBA Hall of Fame. One of the most dominant relievers in the PL in 2051 and 2052, Parten was almost invisible for the following five seasons before finally posting a dominant 1.68 ERA with the moribund DC Eagles in the Bronze League in 2058.