[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Pitcher Daniel Fontan was a no-doubt headliner at 99.3% atop a three-player Hall of Fame class in 2014 for the Central American Baseball Association. Shortstop David Davila and OF/1B Alfred Wooster joined him as first ballot inductees at 76.1% and 70.7%, respectively. No one else was above 50% with the top returner being 1B Gonzalo Juarez at 38.8% on his sixth ballot.



Dropped after ten failed tries was SP Bengie Beltran, the 1992 Pitcher of the Year with Torreon. He was hurt by having only a 12-year run, posting a 162-97 record, 3.02 ERA, 2318.2 innings, 2440 strikeouts, 118 ERA+, and 54.2 WAR. Beltran didn’t have the longevity to get the accumulations needed for more attention. He peaked at 29.1% in 2008 and ended with 6.9% in 2014.



Daniel Fontan – Pitcher – Monterrey Matadors – 99.3% First Ballot

Daniel Fontan was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa. Fontan’s stuff was incredible and some scouts graded it as a 10/10 in his prime. He also had good control and average movement. Fontan’s excellent fastball regularly hit the 99-101 mph range. He had a five pitch arsenal that included a great curveball, slider, splitter, and changeup.

Five great pitches usually made for a strong starter, but Fontan’s stamina was terrible, leading to a split career between the rotation and relief. Although he couldn’t go deep in games, Fontan boasted excellent durability and rarely missed time to injury. He was a strong defensive pitcher and was very good at holding runners. Fontan was a fan favorite known for his intelligence, work ethic, and loyalty.

A visiting Mexican scout from Monterrey spotted Fontan as a teenager at a camp in Tegucigalpa. In January 1987, they signed Fontan to a developmental deal. He spent six years in the Matadors’ academy, debuting with 15 excellent starts in 1993 with a 1.56 ERA over 109.2 innings. This earned him second place in Rookie of the Year voting.

Fontan again was a part-time starter in 1994 and wasn’t as dominant, but was still very good. Monterrey was in the midst of their dynasty run, having won three straight CABA Championships from 1990-92 with a runner-up in 1993. Fontan’s first playoff starts came in 1994 with a lackluster 4.66 ERA over 9.2 innings. The Matadors were defeated by Ecatepec in the Mexican League Championship Series.

1995 saw Fontan with a full season of starts, leading the league in strikeouts (305), WHIP (0.88), quality starts (27), and wins (21-4). He had a 2.44 ERA and 7.2 WAR over 221 innings, winning Pitcher of the Year honors and helping the Matadors to a historic 116-46 record. Fontan stepped up this time in the playoffs with a 1.40 ERA over 19.1 innings, helping Monterrey win the CABA Championship over Santiago.

Monterrey signed Fontan to a five-year, $10,080,000 extension that winter. With a loaded roster and Fontan’s stamina woes, many were shocked that the reigning Pitcher of the Year was moved to the bullpen for 1996. Fontan was a team player and got 33 saves in 1996, but had a pedestrian 3.60 ERA. He would tie the then-CABA playoff record with seven saves over 15.1 postseason innings with 22 strikeouts and a 2.93 ERA. The Matadors dropped down to 87-75 that year, but got hot and repeated as CABA Champions with a victory over Salvador.

Fontan looked more comfortable in relief in 1997, taking second in Reliever of the Year voting with a league-best 44 saves and a 2.02 ERA over 80.1 innings. Fontan surprisingly only saw one batter for the entire postseason despite being healthy. Monterrey’s playoff streak grew to a decade and their won the Mexican League for the seventh time in eight years, although the 113-win Matadors were upset in a CABA Championship rematch with Salvador.

Regardless of his role, Fontan remained a fan favorite both with Monterrey and back home in Honduras. He pitched regularly for his country in the World Baseball Championship from 1993-2008, also splitting between the bullpen and rotation. Fontan had unremarkable results with a 3.83 ERA, 9-11 record, 14 saves, 129.1 innings, 193 strikeouts, 38 walks, 94 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR.

Fontan was demoted from the closer role and only pitched 49 innings with a 3.49 ERA in 1998. He did toss 8.1 scoreless innings in the playoffs as Monterrey lost in the MLCS to Tijuana. The dynasty would be over, although their playoff streak continued through 2005. The Matadors were ousted in the 1999 MLCS by Ecatepec. They would lose in the first round for the next six years.

For his playoff career, Fontan’s numbers were pretty strong in his various roles. In total for Monterrey, he had 29 appearances with eight starts, 85 innings, a 2.33 ERA, 5-4 record, 8 saves, 120 strikeouts, 13 walks, 156 ERA+, and 2.7 WAR. He played a big role in their historic 18-year playoff streak and his #34 uniform would later be retired by the squad.

Fontan was split between starting and relief in 1999 and returned to his previous dominant form, leading the league with a 0.85 WHIP. He posted a 2.34 ERA over 196.1 innings, 303 strikeouts, and 7.6 WAR. Fontan would be moved back to the closer role for the next four seasons, signing a three-year, $7,560,000 extension in June 2000.

He took better to the role this time, winning Reliever of the Year in 2000 and 2002 while finishing second in both 2001 and 2003. Fontan led in saves with 44 in 2003 and had a career-best 1.16 ERA and 0.67 WHIP over 85.2 innings in 2002. His 4.8 WAR would be his best season in relief. Fontan signed another three-year, $8,480,000 extension in March 2003.

Now 33 years old for 2004, Fontan was moved back to the rotation and excelled. He posted a league-best 1.83 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 25 quality starts in 2004 over 216.2 innings with 7.1 WAR. Fontan won his second Pitcher of the Year award and is believed to be the only pitcher in any world league with two POTYs as a starter as well as two Reliever of the Year awards.

Fontan wasn’t a finalist in 2005 despite posting a career-best 8.7 WAR and leading in both WHIP and quality starts again. In 2006, Fontan fell off from the elite pace, but still had 4.7 WAR over 184 innings. The Matadors still won 92 games in 2006, but their 18-year playoff streak ended. Monterrey opted not to re-sign him, making Fontan a free agent for the first time at age 36.

With the Matadors, Fontan had a 132-82 record, 226 saves, 2.28 ERA, 1842.1 innings, 2574 strikeouts, 311 walks, 158 ERA+, and 63.7 WAR. He ended up signing with their great playoff rival of the era with a two-year, $5,760,000 deal with Ecatepec. Fontan had an excellent debut with the Explosion, finishing third in POTY voting. He posted 8.0 WAR, his only time leading the league and the second-highest of his career. Fontan also led the ML in WHIP for the fifth time in his career.

Fontan was merely okay over three playoff starts, allowing 8 runs in 18 innings with 22 strikeouts. Ecatepec’s own playoff streak had also ended in 2006, but they lost in the MLCS in 2007 to Mexicali. When he reported for 2008, his velocity had plummeted. After regularly hitting triple-digits his whole career, Fontan was now topping out in the low 90s. He struggled in only 19.2 innings in 2008 and retired that winter at age 38.

The final stats saw a 150-90 record, 226 saves, 2.34 ERA, 2065 innings, 2870 strikeouts, 340 walks, 0.90 WHIP, 155 ERA+, 6 complete games, and 72.2 WAR. His split career means he didn’t tally up big accumulations in terms of wins or strikeouts that voters wanted from starters, or the big save tallies for a reliever. However, Fontan’s trophy case and role in a dynasty spoke for themselves.

In terms of rate stats, among all pitchers with 1000+ career innings as of 2037, Fontan’s ERA ranks 21^st best, his WHIP ranks 11^th, and his opponent’s OPS of .564 ranks 21^st. Of the Hall of Famers with 70+ WAR, Fontan also did it with the fewest innings. The CABA voters felt this made Fontan a headliner for the 2014 class with a near unanimous 99.3%.