San Juan, Puerto Rico (December 3, 2024)- The Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League announced today that six people will be part of and inducted into the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame of the new Class of 2024.

The new members of the Class of 2024 are HOF Roberto Alomar, Guillermo Montañez, Jerry Morales, the former President of the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, and Atty. Rodrigo Otero Suro, manager Tom Gamboa, and sports announcer Arturo Soto.

“We are proud to announce the six figures selected for induction into the Class of 2024 of the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. These individuals have significantly elevated Puerto Rican professional baseball,” said Juan A. Flores Galarza, President of the Hall of Fame. “Our goal with these nominations is to celebrate their outstanding performances, immortalize their achievements, and preserve the rich history of Puerto Rican professional baseball.”

HOF Roberto Alomar

Led the league in batting in 1995-96 (.362) and 1996-97 (.347) and was selected Most Valuable Player in 1996-97.  He is one of five to win two consecutive batting titles.  Together with his father, Santos, they form the second paternal filial couple to win batting championships and belong to the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame.   He earned the title of Most Valuable Player in the 1995 Caribbean Series as a member of the San Juan Senators, also known as the Dream Team, who won the series undefeated.

He won the Pedrín Zorrilla Award in 1996 and joined the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. The following year, the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown inducted him. In 2013, experts honored him as one of the 75 greatest players in the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball League.

In thirteen years of participation, he saw action with Caguas, Ponce, San Juan and Santurce.  He hit .303 lifetime, 21 home runs and 119 RBI.

Guillermo Montañez

He was among the most outstanding defensive first-basemen of all time and excelled offensively. Over 18 seasons with Caguas and Santurce, he had a batting average of .266. He ranks tenth in doubles with 141, tied with Ramón L. “Wito” Conde and José “Cheo” Cruz, and in home runs with 86, tied with Carmelo Martínez. In 1975, he earned the title of Most Valuable Player of the Caribbean Series while playing as a reinforcement for the championship team, the Vaqueros de Bayamón. He joined the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and was honored in 2013 as one of the 75 greatest players in the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball League. In 2021, he received the Francisco “Pancho” Coimbre Award.

Jerry Morales

He ranked among the greatest center fielders in the league’s history, playing 18 seasons with Caguas and Santurce. Throughout his career, he maintained a batting average of .267, hit 66 home runs, and drove in 318 runs. He stands eighth all-time in doubles with 146. In 2013, experts honored him as one of the 75 greatest players in the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball League. He joined the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the Francisco “Pancho” Coimbre Award in 2022.

Tom Gamboa

One of the most successful managers in the history of the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball League, he won three championships (1988-89, 1996-97, and 1997-98) and finished as a runner-up three times (1990-91, 1994-95, and 1995-96), all while managing the Mayagüez Indians. He was selected as Manager of the Year twice (1995-96 and 1996-97) and achieved an overall record of 227 wins and 189 losses. Additionally, he served as skipper for the Athenians of Manatí.

Rodrigo Otero Suro, Attorney.

Served as the President of the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball League for thirteen seasons, divided into two terms. His leadership has been the standard used to assess the performance of those in this role. He also held the position of President of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. One of his notable achievements was reviving the Caribbean Series in 1970 after a nine-year hiatus.

In 1939, he co-founded the Cangrejeros de Santurce with his friend Pedrín Zorrilla. He earned the Pedrín Zorrilla Award in 1987 for his contributions to the sport. He joined the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1938, he was the flag bearer at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama City while competing as a basketball team member.

Arturo Soto

A lifelong fan of the Indians, he was drafted in the 1977-78 season by Luis Gómez, the team’s then-owner. Since then, he has been the play-by-play announcer of all the team’s events without interruption, setting a record in Puerto Rico. With a unique style, he has created numerous phrases that have made him a favorite among fans, regardless of their team. He has narrated nearly every Caribbean Series since 1978 and earned recognition as one of the best broadcasters in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

The ceremony will take place on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 2 p.m. at the Sor Isolina Ferré Center in Ponce. Admission will be free of charge and open to all the people of Puerto Rico.

The Selection Committee, responsible for selecting native and imported players, comprises 20 members, including journalists, commentators, analysts, and sportscasters with vast knowledge of professional baseball in Puerto Rico.

The Special Selection Committee was responsible for selecting the categories of managers, team owners, executives, journalists, narrators, promoters, and pioneers (before 1938).

Class of 1991: Willard Brown, Pedro ‘Perucho’ Cepeda, Orlando ‘Peruchín’ Cepeda, Roberto Clemente, Francisco ‘Pancho’ Coimbre, Rubén Gómez, Luis ‘Canena’ Márquez, Víctor Pellot, Juan ‘Terín’ Pizarro and Robert ‘Bob’ Thurman.

Class of 1992: Luis “Tite” Arroyo, Carlos Bernier, Pedro Miguel Caratini, Ceferino ‘Cefo’ Conde, Saturnino ‘Nino’ Escalera, José Antonio Figueroa, Juan Guilbe, Emilio ‘Millito’ Navarro, Luis Rodríguez Olmo, Rafael Ortiz, Rafael Pont Flores (journalist), Jorge ‘Griffin’ Tirado, Juan ‘Tetelo’ Vargas, Pedro Vázquez (journalist and executive) and Pedrín Zorrilla (team owner).

Class of 1993: José ‘Pito’ Álvarez de la Vega (narrator), Leon Day, Manuel ‘Manolo’ García, Demetrio ‘Menchín’ Pesante, Tomás ‘Planchardón’ Quiñones, Carlos Manuel Santiago, José ‘Pantalones’ Santiago, Luis Villodas and Arthur ‘Artie’ Wilson.

Class of 1996: Raymond Brown, James ‘Buster’ Clarkson, Joshua Gibson, Félix Mantilla, Dr. Francisco Márquez (team owner), José Manuel Morales, Leroy ‘Satchel’ Paige, Anatasio ‘Tany’ Pérez, Juan ‘Chico’ Sánchez and George Scales (manager).

Class of 2022: Emigdio “Millo” Buonomo (team owner), Luis Gómez Monagas (team owner), Max ‘Mako’ Oliveras (manager), Miguel Cuellar, José Rafael ‘Palillo’ Santiago, Juan José ‘Titi’ Beníquez, Francisco ‘Paquito’ Montaner and José ‘Cheo’ Cruz.

Class of 2023: Cándido Maldonado, Félix Millán, José Antonio Pagán, Santos Alomar Sr., Julio Navarro, Luis “Mambo” de León, Dickie Thon, Héctor Villanueva, Jim Dwyer, Johnny “Gaucho” Davis, Monte Irvin, John Boozer, Isidoro “Cholo” García, Héctor Rafael Vázquez (narrator) and José “Pepe” Crescioni (journalist).