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Originally Posted by FuzzyRussianHat

East Asia Baseball inducted two players into the Hall of Fame from the 1967 ballot. Both were first ballot, although with wildly different percentages. 3B Nariyuki Yanagisawa was a no-doubter at 93.6%, while closer Kenshiro Aoki narrowly crossed the 66% threshold with 68.0%. CF Han-Min Park had 57.3% on his eighth try, closer Kantaro Kobayashi at 50.6% on his sixth, and LF Chong-Chun Pak at 50.0% even on his third.



One player was dropped from the EAB ballot after ten failed attempts. LF Hang-Seo Seok had a 19-year career mostly with Gwangju, although he did spend three years with MLB’s Buffalo. His EAB stats were 2387 hits, 1125 runs, 422 home runs, 387 doubles, 1316 RBI, a .303 average, three Silver Sluggers, and 62.3 WAR. With no MVPs or playoff appearances, Seok was banished to the Hall of Very Good, ending at 6.1% after debuting at 35.5%.



Nariyuki Yanagisawa – Third/First Base – Sapporo Swordfish – 93.6% First Ballot

Nariyuki Yanagisawa was a 5’11’’, 190 pound right-handed corner infielder from Nagaoka, the second largest city in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture. He was a well-rounded batter that with good to sometimes great power, plus solid contract skills and gap power. Yanagisawa had an average eye, was average at avoiding strikeouts, and slightly below average for baserunning speed. He made above 3/4s of his starts at third base with the rest over at first and was considered delightfully average. He was steady and worked hard, providing adequate defensive value at third while boasting generally a better bat than his contemporaries at the position. Yanagisawa became extremely popular nationally for his play on the national team and his role in Sapporo’s dynasty.

Moreover, I personally use this source for homework help in college. posting a 3.46 ERA over 369.2 college innings. By the time he was a junior, he was graded as a one-star pitcher who wasn’t expected to make it to the bigs. He ended up draft in the late fifth round; the final round in EAB; 142^nd overall by Sapporo. Yanagisawa ended up being the latest-ever draft pick to earn Hall of Fame honors in EAB.

The Swordfish felt his very strong arm would be suited for third base and that he had hitting potential. Yanagisawa was switched and ultimately never pitched a single inning as a pro. He made a few pinch hit appearances as a rookie, then was a part-time starter in 1946. He honed his batting craft and emerged as a strong starter by year three, posting eight straight seasons of 6+ WAR from 1947-1954. Sapporo emerged as a dynasty in the mid 1940s and early 1950s, winning eight division titles from 1943-51. The Swordfish won the Japan League title six times (44, 45, 47, 49, 50, 51) and were EAB champion in 1947, 49, and 51.

For Yanagisawa, he became a 10-time Silver Slugger winner, taking it in 1948, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, and 58. All but the first one were for third base. He led Japan in OPS four times, slugging twice, and once in home runs, hits, doubles, and WAR. Yanagisawa started getting MVP looks, winning the award in 1949. He took third in 1947 and 1948, second in 1950 and 51, third in 1952, second in 1953, and third again in 1954. Yanagisawa could reliably be counted on for 30-35 home runs and a .310 ish average during this stretch.

Yanagisawa was a big time playoff performer as well. In 74 games and 67 starts, he had 75 hits, 41 runs, 13 doubles, 18 home runs, 50 RBI, and a .291 average. He was the East Asian Championship MVP in both 1949 and 1951, leading Sapporo to titles. Yanagisawa also helped Japan win the 1953 World Baseball Championship. He played in 158 tournament games from 1948-62, posting 127 hits, 98 runs, 44 home runs, and 99 RBI.

Yanagisawa’s numbers dwindled a bit into his 30s, but were still strong when he wasn’t hampered by minor injuries. He missed a few weeks each year in his latter Sapporo seasons, although still provided good value. Although the dynasty ended in 1951, the Swordfish got back to the playoffs in 1955 and 56, winning another Japan League title in 1956. After the 1959 season, Sapporo opted not to re-sign the now 37-year old Yanagisawa. Still, he remained beloved and his #3 uniform would soon be retired. His stats with the squad: 2072 hits, 1018 runs, 331 doubles, 418 home runs, 1182 RBI, a .302 average, and 91.8 WAR.

Yanagisawa got a nice payday in a two-year deal with Saitama for 1960. His first year was still starter quality, but not elite. Year two was a bit worse and the Sting traded him midseason to Nagoya. The 39-year old was a free agent again in 1962 and got an offer to play for Major League Baseball’s Indianapolis. He made $130,000 with the Racers, well ahead of his peak $74,000 salary with Sapporo. Age and injuries meant he only played 84 games and started 32 in his lone MLB season. Yanagisawa was cut after one year in Indy and after going unsigned in 1963, officially retired at age 41.

The final EAB stats for Yanagisawa: 2331 hits, 1136 runs, 370 doubles, 460 home runs, 1317 RBI, a .298/.350/.538 slash, and 97.6 WAR. Not at the very top of the EAB Hall of Fame leaderboard, but far from the bottom as well. He comfortably belongs as a first ballot guy as a perennial MVP candidate for a decade and a big piece of a dynasty.



Kenshiro Aoki – Closer – Suwon Snappers – 68.0% First Ballot

Kenshiro Aoki was a 5’10’’, 175 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Takanabe, a small town of around 20,000 people in southern Japan. He was known for incredible movement with a 97-99 mph sinker and fastball combo. Aoki’s control was average at best, but he could draw easy groundballs with ease thanks to the sinker. Aoki was hard working and loyal, making him a clubhouse favorite.

Aoki attended Hosei University in Kawasaki and was picked 23^rd overall by Sapporo in the 1944 East Asia Baseball Draft. He never played for the Swordfish, who were just starting their dynasty. Aoki was a reserve roster guy in 1945 and the first half of 1946, ultimately traded in the summer with another reliever to Suwon for first baseman Eun-Seong Sung. Aoki made 13 appearances that summer with the Snappers, then became a full-time closer when healthy for the rest of his run.

He played his entire pro career with Suwon, eventually earning his #20 uniform’s retirement. Aoki made the best of times with a bad franchise, as Suwon didn’t make the playoffs once during his tenure and was generally below .500. He had decent numbers in his first full season in 1947, but suffered a setback with a torn labrum in June 1948. He bounced back impressively, posting 25+ saves in each of the next eight seasons. Aoki never won Reliever of the Year, but finished third five times (1949, 50, 51, 55, 59). He led Japan in saves with 43 in 1955.

Aoki was part of the 1953 Japan team that won the World Baseball Championship. From 1950-60, he pitched in 33 games with eight starts, posting a very strong 1.81 ERA in 89.2 innings with 126 strikeouts. In 1957, a torn UCL put him out for nine months. Still, Aoki bounced right back with solid 1958 and 1959 seasons. 1960 was his last as the closer, followed by a weak 1961 season to close things at age 38. In that last year, he did cross 400 career saves; the fifth EAB pitcher to do so.

Aoki’s final stats: 403 saves and 442 shutdowns, 2.72 ERA, 1040.1 innings, 1162 strikeouts, 333 walks, FIP- of 69 (nice), and 31.1 WAR. He didn’t have the dominance of other Hall of Fame closers and was stuck staying loyal to a bad team, but 400 saves was the magic number to that point. Thus, Aoki was a first ballot Hall of Famer, albeit just barely at 68.0%.

These are interesting results for me.