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MVP
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2020 BSA Hall of Fame (Part 1)
Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2020 Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with four players selected upon their ballot debuts. It was the first time since 2000 that BSA had seen a four-player group. Two were absolute slam dunks with SP Juliao Costa at 99.4% and 1B/2B Gavino Cuoghi at 94.9%. Joining them was OF/DH D.J. Serna at 79.0% and CL Cristobal Nava at 70.4%. One other player cracked 50% with 3B Artemio Reyes at 51.3% on his fourth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots and in fact, no returners even fell below the 5% mark.
Juliao Costa – Starting Pitcher – Belo Horizonte Hogs – 99.4% First Ballot
Juliao Costa was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher Santa Maria, a municipality of 283,000 inhabitants in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul. Costa had tremendous stuff with excellent movement and pinpoint control. His fastball regularly hit 98-100 mph, but his equally quick cutter was even more dangerous. Costa also boasted a strong forkball and changeup in the arsenal.
Costa had very good stamina and durability, tossing 220+ innings in all but his first and final seasons. He was also a good defensive pitcher who was decent at holding runners. Costa was also a better hitter than most pitchers, winning Silver Sluggers in 2002 and 2005 while posting a career .240 batting average. His personality was quite ordinary, but his extraordinary pitching made Costa one of the finest arms ever to come out of Brazil.
After a fine college career, Costa was picked 14th overall by Belo Horizonte in BSA’s 1997 Draft. The Hogs used him as a reliever in his rookie season, although he was iffy in that role with -0.6 WAR over 70 innings. Costa moved to the rotation in his sophomore year, but it was his third season that he emerged as elite. This was his first of nine consecutive seasons for Belo Horizonte worth 8+ WAR.
From 2000-08, Costa led the Southern Cone League in WAR seven times and topped double-digits thrice He won four ERA titles while leading in strikeouts twice, wins once, WHIP thrice, K/BB four times, and FIP- seven times. Costa was one win short of a Triple Crown season in 2002, which featured his career best ERA at 1.88. 2004 saw his bests in strikeouts (383), and WAR (12.6). That WAR mark rates as the 15th-best pitching season in BSA history as of 2037 and ranks seventh best if you remove the legendary Mohmaed Ramos from the list. Costa is the only player from the 21st Century on that top 15 list.
During this run, Costa won Pitcher of the Year honors six times (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), making him one of six in BSA history to achieve that feat. Costa also took third in 2000’s voting. Belo Horizonte locked him up after the 2002 campaign with a seven-year, $29,400,000 extension. Despite Costa’s efforts, the Hogs were generally just above the mid-tier, averaging 82.9 wins per season during his run. They made the playoffs twice, falling in the 2001 LCS and in the 2006 divisional series. Costa’s one 2006 start was iffy, but he had a strong 1.96 ERA in 23 innings in the 2001 run.
From 1998-07, Belo Horizonte won at least 76 games each year. In 2008, the Hogs completely collapsed to 58-102, signaling the start of a rebuild. This was Costa’s final year there, still leading in WAR at 8.1. With no hope of contention ahead, Costa declined his contract option and opted for free agency at age 33. He remained popular with Belo Horizonte fans for his dominance and his #15 uniform would later be retired. With the Hogs, Costa had a 173-98 record, 2.43 ERA, 2605 innings, 3129 strikeouts, 362 walks, 147 ERA+, and 92.7 WAR.
Costa’s resume made him enticing to teams across the world, including in Major League Baseball. He ended up going to the United States on a five-year, $63,500,000 deal with Philadelphia. Costa would continue to pitch for his native Brazil in the World Baseball Championship, where he had earned the attention of teams worldwide. From 1999-2013, Costa pitched 225.2 WBC innings with a 15-8 record, 3.35 ERA, 299 strikeouts, 45 walks, and 7.2 WAR.
Philadelphia was in the midst of regular contention at this point. Costa had a great 6.0 WAR debut season in 2009, although the Phillies had a first round playoff loss. In 2010, Costa won National Association Pitcher of the Year, giving him seven POTY awards counting his BSA bounty. He led wins (21-7), strikeouts (297), WHIP (0.91), K/BB (7.6), and quality starts (27). These were all bests for his MLB tenure, as was his 2.45 ERA and 8.0 WAR.
Philadelphia won the NA pennant, but lost the World Series to San Diego. Costa had a 3.10 ERA over 29 playoff innings with 26 strikeouts. However, he was a beast in the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship, going 3-0 in three starts with 25 innings, 30 strikeouts, and 1.7 WAR. That effort made the Phillies the first-ever Grand Champion and made Costa the first Best Pitcher winner in BGC history. He also was third in BGC MVP voting.
Costa’s velocity dipped notably after this, down to a 96-98 mph peak in 2011, 94-96 mph in 2012, and 91-93 mph by 2013. His control was still excellent but without the power, Costa’s production was merely average in these regular seasons. He stepped up again in the playoffs with a 1.80 ERA in 25 innings in 2012 and a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings in 2013. Philadelphia won back-to-back NA pennants these years despite being a wild card. The Phillies won the 2012 World Series over Phoenix, but lost the 2013 Fall Classic to Denver.
Again in the Baseball Grand Championship, Costa was strong with a 2.64 ERA over 30.2 innings in 2012 and a 2.06 ERA in 35 innings in 2013. Philadelphia finished fourth in the 2012 BGC at 12-7 and was 9-10 for 12th in 2013. For his MLB playoff career, Costa had a 7-3 record, 2.60 ERA, 104 innings, 73 strikeouts, 130 ERA+, and 0.7 WAR. In the BGC, he had a 9-1 record and 1.88 ERA over 90.2 innings with 88 strikeouts and 3.4 WAR.
In total for Philadelphia, Costa had a 78-53 record, 3.17 ERA, 1244.2 innings, 1110 strikeouts, 178 walks, 108 ERA+, and 26.6 WAR. His diminished velocity meant his MLB tenure was done as he approached age 38. Costa returned to Brazil and signed a two-year, $21,600,000 deal with Salvador. Age was catching up and he had trouble reaching 90 mph now. Costa struggled to a 4.82 ERA in 104.2 innings for the Storm and retired after the 2014 season.
In Beisbol Sudamerica, Costa had a 179-103 record, 2.52 ERA, 2709.2 innings, 3182 strikeouts, 375 walks, 231/309 quality starts, 111 complete games, 32 shutouts, 142 ERA+, and 93.3 WAR. Because he left five years for MLB, his accumulations aren’t high on the leaderboards as of 2037. He ranks 87th in strikeouts and misses the top 100 in wins, but does rank 29th in WAR among pitchers. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, Costa’s ERA is 86th, his 0.96 WHIP is 56th, and his opponent’s OPS of .597 is 84th.
Certainly though, a six-time Pitcher of the Year winner is a no-doubt lock. However, Costa’s lack of playoff success with Belo Horizonte and shorter tenure does keep him out of the GOAT pitcher conversations specifically within BSA. His dominance in the big stage while with the Phillies though earns him stronger consideration as one of the world’s best for his era.
For his combined pro career, Costa had a 257-156 record, 2.73 ERA, 3954.1 innings, 4292 strikeouts, 553 walks, 343/470 quality starts, 166 complete games, 40 shutouts, 129 ERA+, and 119.9 WAR. Without doubt, Costa was a Hall of Fame headliner, leading BSA’s impressive 2020 class with a nearly unanimous 99.4%.
Gavino “Dino” Cuoghi – First/Second Base – Mendoza Mutants – 94.9% First Ballot
Gavino Cuoghi was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed infielder from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nicknamed “Dino,” Cuoghi was a great contact hitter with an excellent penchant for extra base hits. Over a 162 game average, he was good for 38 doubles, 14 triples, and 32 home runs. Cuoghi was also a slick baserunner with good speed. He was merely average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.
Cuoghi started at second base in his first five seasons, but was abysmal defensively there. He moved to first base for the rest of his career and was reliably average there. Cuoghi was one of the smartest guys in the clubhouse and was beloved for his intense loyalty. He also had fantastic durability, starting 140+ games in all but two seasons over an 18-year career. Cuoghi stayed with some lousy Mendoza teams longer than most players would in the same spot. That loyalty and his talents made Cuoghi absolutely adored both with the Mutants and throughout all of Argentina.
Even coming out of high school, Cuoghi was a very highly touted Argentinian prospect. In the 1998 BSA Draft, he was picked fifth overall by Rosario, but opted to attend college. Three years later for the 2001 BSA Draft, Cuoghi was picked seventh by Mendoza. He was a regular backup in his rookie season with 117 games and 11 starts. Cuoghi then became a full-time starter for the Mutants for the next 12 years.
From 2003-2011, Cuoghi was worth 6+ WAR each season. From 2004-08, he led the Southern Cone League each year in doubles. Cuoghi won Silver Sluggers at second base in 2003, 04, 05, 06, and 07. He led the league in total bases in both 2006 and 2007, posting 9+ WAR both seasons. Cuoghi also led with 236 hits in 2006 and 125 runs in 2007.
In 2006, Cuoghi was second in MVP voting, posting his career best OPS (1.077), wRC+ (208), total bases (415) WAR (9.4), hits (236), and RBI (122). He won the top honor in 2007 with career highs in runs (125) and similar other stats. Both years, he hit 38 home runs. Cuoghi topped 30+ homers six times with Mendoza, although he never crossed 40+. He scored 100+ runs in nine consecutive seasons, topped 200+ hits eight times, 100+ RBI seven times, .350 batting average five times, and an OPS of one four times with Mendoza.
Despite all that, the Mutants never made the playoffs in Cuoghi’s tenure. Mendoza was an expansion team in 1987 and had a few playoff berths in the late 1990s. While Cuoghi was there though, they averaged 73.8 wins per season and only finished above .500 thrice. He wanted things to work and committed to an eight-year, $50,240,000 extension after the 2006 season. Cuoghi was absolutely beloved and saw his #10 uniform as the first one retired by the Mutants.
Cuoghi was a favorite throughout all of Argentina and a regular for the national team in the World Baseball Championship. From 2003-2018, he played 121 games with 113 starts, continuing to play for his country even after leaving South America in his later years. In the WBC, Cuoghi had 129 hits, 78 runs, 20 doubles, 30 home runs, 71 RBI, 51 stolen bases, a .295/.361/.564 slash, 165 wRC+, and 5.8 WAR.
He had stayed remarkably consistent with Mendoza until the 2014 season, dropping to career lows in WAR (2.9) and OPS (.808). That was the final year of Cuoghi’s deal with age 36 approaching the following May. Fans hated to see him go, but he amicably parted ways with the Mutants. Cuoghi’s decline, age, and price tag made other BSA teams leery, especially with more powerful options available now at first base. Cuoghi had to open his search worldwide and ended up heading to the Oceania Baseball Association.
Cuoghi signed a three-year, $14,840,000 deal with Samoa. He had decent production in his 2015 debut, but did miss a month to an oblique strain. Then in 2016, Cuoghi had impressive career resurgence. He led the Pacific League in runs (112), hits (193), RBI (111), triple slash (.339/.387/.633), OPS (1.020), wRC+ (200), and WAR (8.4); while adding a career high 40 home runs. At age 37, Cuoghi earned Pacific League MVP, becoming one of the few players to win the honor in two different world leagues. He also earned the sixth Silver Slugger of his career and his only one at first base.
2017 was a strong effort as well with 6.7 WAR, 35 homers, 110 RBI, and a .965 OPS. The Sun Sox were just above .500 during his run, but couldn’t quite hang with the likes of Guam or Tahiti. In total though for Samoa, Cuoghi had 508 hits, 277 runs, 89 doubles, 29 triples, 92 home runs, 270 RBI, 120 stolen bases, a .323/.368/.593 slash, 182 wRC+, and 18.3 WAR.
Cuoghi’s stock was still high in OBA even at age 39 and he inked a two-year, $22,400,000 deal with Guadalcanal. He fell off to merely okay numbers with the Green Jackets, getting 277 hits, 155 runs, 47 doubles, 42 home runs, 117 RBI, a .256/.304/.444 slash, 113 wRC+, and 3.2 WAR. Despite his efforts, Cuoghi never got to play in a postseason game for his entire career. He retired after the 2019 season at age 40 and returned home to Argentina where he’d be a regular fixture at Mendoza games.
With the Mutants, Cuoghi had 2518 hits, 1285 runs, 461 doubles, 179 triples, 377 home runs, 1277 RBI, 409 walks, 876 stolen bases, a .342/.376/.606 slash, 178 wRC+, and 87.6 WAR. As of 2037, Cuoghi ranks 87th in hits, 76th in runs, 36th in doubles, 83rd in triples, 32nd in stolen bases, and 67th in WAR among position players.
While his grand tallies weren’t jaw dropping, his rate stats were quite impressive. Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Cuoghi’s batting average ranks 32nd, his OBP 59th, slugging 31st, and his .982 OPS ranks 32nd. It was especially impressive to rank so highly in slugging and OPS without ever leading the league in homers.
For his combined professional career, Cuoghi had 2733 games, 3303 hits, 1717 runs, 597 doubles, 223 triples, 511 home runs, 1664 RBI, 604 walks, 1058 stolen bases, a .330/.367/.587 slash, .953 OPS, 172 wRC+, and 109.1 WAR. All that, plus being a standup guy made Cuoghi an easy choice even with a strong 2020 Hall of Fame class. He earned 94.9% to secure his first ballot spot proudly wearing Mendoza’s unique shade of green. |