Victor Pellot-Luis Figueroa
Víctor (Vic) Pellot Power played in eight Caribbean Series (CS) events for the Caguas Criollos, San Juan Senators, and Santurce Crabbers between
1950 and 1960. His 50 hits were an all-time CS record for players from Puerto Rico until Luis “Wicho” Figueroa broke it during the 2014 CS, held in
Venezuela. Power reinforced the Santurce Crabbers, 1953 champions, in Havana, Cuba, under player-manager Buster Clarkson. His 1954 Caguas Criollos
won the title at Sixto Escobar Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, with player-manager Mickey Owen as catcher. Table I includes Vic Power’s CS hitting stats.
Table I: Vic Power’s Eight CS Events, 1950-1960
| Year | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBIs | SB | BA | SLG |
| 1950 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .176 | .176 |
| 1952 | 6 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .217 | .217 |
| 1953 | 6 | 24 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .417 | .542 |
| 1954 | 6 | 26 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .346 | .423 |
| 1956 | 6 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .304 | .435 |
| 1958 | 6 | 24 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | .458 | .625 |
| 1959 | 6 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .227 | .318 |
| 1960 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Totals | 46 | 171 | 19 | 50 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 3 | .292 | .374 |
Source: Alfonso Araujo Bohórquez, Beisbol Series Del Caribe, Narraciones y Estadísticas, 1949-2001.
Wicho Figueroa
Figueroa played in 13 CS events, the most by any player from Puerto Rico, breaking Luis “Mambo” de León’s total of 12. Going into the 2014 CS, Figueroa
had played 42 games, with 49 hits in 166 at-bats and a .295 BA. In the 2014 CS hosted by Venezuela’s Estadio Esparta, a capacity of 11,000, he recorded
four hits in 20 at-bats in six contests for 3-3 Mayagüez, the runner-up. Figueroa now had 53 hits in 48 CS games. His CS finale was at Hiram Bithorn Stadium,
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, reinforcing the Santurce Crabbers, managed by Eduardo Pérez. He went two-for-seven in four games, a .286 BA.
Thus, Wicho concluded his CS career with 55 hits in 193 at-bats, for a .285 BA, in 52 games. Table II includes Wicho’s all-time CS ranking in games played,
AB, and hits for Phase I (1949-1960) and Phase II (1970-2023) players.
Table II: Most CS Games, AB, and Hits (Top 10)
| Player | Country | Games | Player | AB | Player | Hits |
| Luis Polonia | DR | 78 | Luis Polonia | 312 | Luis Polonia | 94 |
| Miguel Tejada | DR | 71 | Miguel Tejada | 270 | Miguel Tejada | 85 |
| Wicho Figueroa | PR | 52 | Luis Figueroa | 193 | Luis Figueroa | 55 |
| Robert Pérez | VZA | 50 | Robert Pérez | 190 | Vic Power | 50 |
| Camaleón García | VZA | 47 | Tony Armas | 171 | Luis Sojo | 47 |
| Tony Armas | VZA | 46 | Vic Power | 171 | Héctor Espino | 46 |
| Vic Power | PR | 46 | Luis Sojo | 166 | Carlos Baerga | 45 |
| Heber Gómez | MX | 43 | Tony Batista | 163 | Camaleón García | 43 |
| Luis Sojo | VZA | 43 | Camaleón García | 160 | David Ortiz | 42 |
| Tony Valentín | PR | 43 | Ted Martínez | 160 | Robert Pérez | 42 |
DR: Dominican Republic; MX: Mexico; PR: Puerto Rico; VZA: Venezuela. Source: Tony Piña Campora, 2014.
Post-Script
Most of Wicho’s Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (RCPBL) career was with the Mayagüez Indios. He was a two-time batting champion with a .417 BA in 2005-06 and .361 BA in 2010-11. With Mayagüez in 2001-02, he led the RCPBL with 11 stolen bases. In 2002-03, his 57 hits tied him with Ponce’s Brian Roberts and Bayamón’s Omar García.
Coincidentally, Vic Power led the Puerto Rico Winter League (PRWL) in hitting with a .358 BA in 1955-56 and .347 BA in 1959-60.
Jorge Colón Delgado, Official RCPBL Historian, and Coordinator of the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, did editing and photo placements.
