OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 08-19-2023, 06:23 PM

For the first time in its Hall of Fame’s short history, the European Baseball Federation had a three-player class in 1973, bringing the total to 13 inducted players. All three were first ballot guys two with the first two being slam dunks; LF Gabriel Staudt at 98.9% and SP Loris Eichelberger at 97.4%. SP Trent Addams was lower, but still a solid 79.0% to earn his spot. Two other long-tenured names finished with 51.7%, closer Ken Jacob on his ninth try and 3B Orion McIntyre on his eighth.

Dropped after ten failed attempts was LF Joel Ullmark, who was damaged by starting at age 30 and only playing eight EBF seasons. With Milan in that stretch, he had 1459 hits, 734 runs, 251 home runs, 811 RBI, a .325/.384/.556 slash, and 47.6 WAR. With a full official career, the Swede probably makes the cut. He debuted at 51.1% before plummeting to 9% at the end. Also worth noting was closer Jasa Pavlovic, who fell below 5% on his ninth try. In nine seasons mostly with Zagreb, he won two Reliever of the Year awards with a 1.39 ERA, 279 saves, 930 strikeouts, and 37.9 WAR. His EBF career started at age 28 and he’s another that with a few years of production in his 20s may have had a strong shot. He peaked at 40.4% on his fourth ballot.

Gabriel Staudt – Left/Right Field – Paris Poodles – 98.9% First Ballot

Gabriel Staudt was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Aadorf, a small municipality of around 9,000 people in northern Switzerland. Staudt was a prolific power hitter who had 15 seasons with 40+ home runs and six with 50+. He also had excellent gap power and with solid speed, was good for around 25-35 doubles per year also. In his best years, Staudt was a solid contact hitter and was excellent at drawing walks with an average strikeout rate. He spent 5/6 of his defensive career in left field with the rest mostly in right and was considered above average defensively. Remarkably durable as well, you couldn’t ask for much more in a complete hitter than what you got with Staudt.

The timing worked out perfect for Staudt as he was in his early 20s when the European Baseball Federation was formed, having established himself even as a teenager in Switzerland’s amateur ranks. He signed a five-year, $151,000 first EBF contract with Paris and would ultimately spend his first nine pro seasons with the Poodles. In his debut season, Staudt was Rookie of the Year, second in MVP voting, and a Silver Slugger winner. He had a career-best 11.3 WAR and 151 RBI, which stayed the EBF single-season RBI record until 1982.

With Paris, he won Silver Sluggers in 1951, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, and 58. Staudt was second in MVP voting again in 1952, 1956 and 1957. In 1958, he finally won the award with a career-best 54 home runs, along with a Northern Conference best 1.046 OPS, 9.3 WAR, 115 runs, and 136 RBI. The Poodles were early days contenders and were conference champs in 1952 and 1956. Staudt in 39 playoff games had 39 hits, 25 runs, 12 home runs, and 27 RBI. With Paris, he led in RBI four times, WAR, runs, and total bases thrice, and OPS twice. Staudt’s fina stats there saw 1550 hits, 988 runs, 399 home runs, 1061 RBI, a .295/.366/.617 slash, and 80.8 WAR. The Poodles would also retire his #2 uniform; the first retired by the franchise.

Staudt remained proud of his Swiss heritage and spent two decades on the Switzerland World Baseball Championship squad. From 1952-72, he started 177 games with 158 hits, 112 runs, 70 home runs, 135 RBI, and 7.6 WAR. He became a free agent at age 32 for the 1960 season and was compelled to return to his country, signing a six-year, $558,000 deal with Zurich.

He was a beast with the Mountaineers, hitting 50+ dingers in five of his six years (with the worst being 47). He led in homers, slugging, OPS, and wRC+ three times, and led in runs and WAR twice. Staudt had Silver Sluggers in 1960, 62, 63, 64, and 65, giving him 12 for his career. He was third in MVP voting in 1960, then three-peated as MVP from 1962-64, giving him four in his career. Staudt also was second in MVP in 1965, his final EBF season.

Zurich had some solid seasons in the 1950s and would make the playoffs thrice in Staudt’s tenure. He helped deliver their first European Championship in 1965, earning finals MVP. In 25 playoff games, he had 29 hits, 15 runs, 6 home runs, and 17 RBI. Staudt’s final stats with the Mountaineers saw 1045 hits, 676 runs, 302 home runs, 733 RBI, a .312/.397/.667 slash, and 55.5 WAR. He was the undisputed top hitter of EBF’s first 15 years, becoming the first batter to reach 700 home runs, 2500 hits, 1500 runs, and 1500 RBI.

For his European career, Staudt had 2595 hits, 1664 runs, 430 doubles, 177 triples, 701 home runs, 1794 RBI, 1092 walks, 485 stolen bases, a .301/.378/.636 slash, 192 wRC+ and 136.3 WAR. When he left EBF, he was the leader in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and hitting WAR. He’d fall down as more players came in and offensive numbers rose generally, but as of 2037, he’s still seventh in hitting WAR, 10^th in home runs, 16^th in RBI, and 18^th in runs. Staudt was a no-doubt Hall of Famer at 98.9% as EBF’s first stud hitter and may still be at the top of the leaderboards had he not left for MLB.

Staudt still had six more pro baseball seasons after leaving Europe and although he didn’t win awards, he continued as a strong power hitter. He spent 1966-67 with Las Vegas, 1968-69 with Toronto, 1970 with Denver, and 1971 with Houston, putting up 20.9 WAR, 197 home runs, 816 hits, 508 runs, and 558 RBI He finally opted for retirement after the 1971 season at age 44.

For his entire pro career, Staudt finished with 3411 hits, 2172 runs, 537 doubles, 207 triples, 898 home runs, 2352 RBI, 1464 walks, a .289/.366/.598 slash and 157.2 WAR. He fell just short of joining CABA legend Prometheo Garcia as the only players with 900+ home runs across their entire pro career. At that point, only Garcia had more homers or RBI, and only Garcia and Stan Provost had more runs scored across a pro career. Staudt firmly goes down as one of the top power hitters in the entire history of the game.

Loris Eichelberger – Pitcher – Berlin Barons – 97.4% First Ballot

Loris Eichelberger was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Wangen-Bruttisellen, a municipality of about 8,000 people in northern Switzerland. He threw hard with 98-100 mph velocity and was known for incredible movement on his pitches. Eichelberger had a three-pitch of fastball, slider, and curveball; with the slider especially eliciting fear. His control was merely above average, but he had solid stamina and excellent durability in his career.

He joined Gabriel Staudt as the first Swiss Hall of Famers and crossed paths with him in the teenage years, although Eichelberger was three years younger. He ended up leaving Switzerland for college baseball at England’s University of Cambridge and was part of the first EBF first-player draft in 1951. Eichelberger was picked third overall by Berlin and ultimately spent his entire career with the Barons. He would still represent Switzerland in the World Baseball Championship, pitching 230.1 innings from 1952-67 with a 2.58 ERA, 271 strikeouts, and 7.5 WAR.

Eichelberger immediately was a starter for Berlin and won Rookie of the Year in 1952. In 1954 and 1955, he finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting with career bests of 10.8 and 11.4 WAR. He had eight seasons of 8+ WAR, although wasn’t typically a conference leader. He led in WAR just in 1955, wins twice, ERA once, innings once, and quality starts twice. 1956 was his lone Pitcher of the Year, led by a career-best 1.79 ERA. Eichelberger finished third in 1958’s voting and took his lone Gold Glove in 1959.

Berlin made the playoffs five times in Eichelberger’s tenure. They won the Northern Conference in both 1955 and 1958 and took European Champion honors in 1958. In 82.2 playoff innings, Eichelberger had a 7-3 record, 2.07 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and 2.9 WAR. This playoff success helped massively in seeing his #36 uniform retired by the Barons.

Eichelberger continued to pitch well into his early 30s. He’d be the second in EBF history to reach both 200 career wins and 4000 career strikeouts and the third to 100+ pitching WAR. Despite never leading the conference in Ks, he’d sit eighth on the all-time strikeout leaderboard as of 2037. In 1966 at age 35, he saw his first notably down year. In 1967, a ruptured finger tendon ultimately forced him to retire at age 37.

Eichelberger’s final stats: 248-155 record, 2.45 ERA, 3868.2 innings, 4068 strikeouts to 791 walks, 360/487 quality starts, a FIP- of 66, and 119.1 WAR. As of 2037, he sits ninth all-time in EBF pitching WAR and 11^th in wins. One of the premiere pitchers of the first two decades in EBF and well deserving of 97.4% and a first ballot selection.

Trent Addams – Starting Pitcher – Rotterdam Ravers – 79.0% First Ballot

Trent Addams was a 5’11’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Saltcoats, a town with around 12,000 people on the west coast of Scotland. Addams had incredible stuff with great movement and above average control. His velocity peaked at 96-98 mph with an absolutely filthy splitter and sinker leading the arsenal, along with a curveball and changeup. This led to an extreme groundball tendency. Addams was a poor defensive pitcher who had trouble holding runners, but he was so dominant when on that guys just didn’t get on base. He was very outspoken, which made him a polarizing figure in his various stops.

Addams attended the University of Glasgow and stayed home in Scotland initially as he was picked second overall by Glasgow in the 1953 EBF Draft. He led the Northern Conferences in losses as a rookie, but bounced back to lead in strikeouts the next year at 347. In April 1956, he had a 19 strikeout, one walk no-hitter against Oslo; setting a record for most Ks in an EBF no-no which stood until 2001. He ultimately stayed only three years in his first Highlanders run, not being shy about the squad’s struggles at the time. Glasgow decided they had no choice but to trade him, moving him before the 1957 for prospects to Rotterdam.

He’d be best known for his six-year run of dominance with the Ravens. In his first three seasons, he led the conference in ERA. Addams led in strikeouts twice and had 300+ in five straight years. He led in FIP- five straight years and had 8.5 WAR each season, including an incredible 12.7, 13.1, and 11.1 in his first three seasons. He was second in Pitcher of the Year in 1957, then won the award in both 1958 and 1959. Addams also was second in 1958 MVP voting. He’d go onto finish third in 1960 PotY voting as well. Addams tossed his second no-hitter in 1957 against London, striking out 13 with two walks.

Despite his efforts, Rotterdam only made the playoffs once in his tenure, falling in the 1957 conference final to Stockholm. In total with the Ravens, Addams had a 103-42 record and 50 saves, a 1.93 ERA, 1386 innings, 1984 strikeouts, and 64.5 WAR. He would continue to pitch for Scotland in the World Baseball Championship as well from 1956-67, posting a 3.10 ERA with 259 strikeouts in 174.1 innings for 5.5 WAR.

Addams became a free agent at age 31 and loudly declared his desire for big money. He found it with MLB’s Miami signing him to a six-year, $914,000 deal. Addams wanted to prove himself on the biggest stage, but disaster struck in his sixth start with the Mallards; a torn rotator cuff. This ended his 1963 season and he never returned to dominant form again, posting three-and-a-half middling seasons with Miami. He had a 4.53 ERA over 864.2 innings with only 570 strikeouts and 8.5 WAR. The Mallards cut their losses in June 1967 and Addams went back home to Scotland, signing with Glasgow again. He made one start with the Highlanders and blew out his elbow, ending his career at age 35.

Addams final EBF stats: 141-92 record and 50 saves, 2.33 ERA, 2111.2 innings, 2860 strikeouts, 504 walks, 209/273 quality starts, a FIP- of 51 and 82.5 WAR. His six year run with Rotterdam was one of the most dominant stretches ever seen and even with the injuries and departure in his 30s, his rate stats definitely fit well with the Hall of Fame group, even of the accumulations are lower. He could be a bit of a jerk, but the voters decided Addams was still deserving of the first ball induction at 79.0%, becoming the first Scottish Hall of Famer.

08-19-2023, 06:23 PM	#520
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,981	1973 EBF Hall of Fame For the first time in its Hall of Fame’s short history, the European Baseball Federation had a three-player class in 1973, bringing the total to 13 inducted players. All three were first ballot guys two with the first two being slam dunks; LF Gabriel Staudt at 98.9% and SP Loris Eichelberger at 97.4%. SP Trent Addams was lower, but still a solid 79.0% to earn his spot. Two other long-tenured names finished with 51.7%, closer Ken Jacob on his ninth try and 3B Orion McIntyre on his eighth. Dropped after ten failed attempts was LF Joel Ullmark, who was damaged by starting at age 30 and only playing eight EBF seasons. With Milan in that stretch, he had 1459 hits, 734 runs, 251 home runs, 811 RBI, a .325/.384/.556 slash, and 47.6 WAR. With a full official career, the Swede probably makes the cut. He debuted at 51.1% before plummeting to 9% at the end. Also worth noting was closer Jasa Pavlovic, who fell below 5% on his ninth try. In nine seasons mostly with Zagreb, he won two Reliever of the Year awards with a 1.39 ERA, 279 saves, 930 strikeouts, and 37.9 WAR. His EBF career started at age 28 and he’s another that with a few years of production in his 20s may have had a strong shot. He peaked at 40.4% on his fourth ballot. Gabriel Staudt – Left/Right Field – Paris Poodles – 98.9% First Ballot Gabriel Staudt was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Aadorf, a small municipality of around 9,000 people in northern Switzerland. Staudt was a prolific power hitter who had 15 seasons with 40+ home runs and six with 50+. He also had excellent gap power and with solid speed, was good for around 25-35 doubles per year also. In his best years, Staudt was a solid contact hitter and was excellent at drawing walks with an average strikeout rate. He spent 5/6 of his defensive career in left field with the rest mostly in right and was considered above average defensively. Remarkably durable as well, you couldn’t ask for much more in a complete hitter than what you got with Staudt. The timing worked out perfect for Staudt as he was in his early 20s when the European Baseball Federation was formed, having established himself even as a teenager in Switzerland’s amateur ranks. He signed a five-year, $151,000 first EBF contract with Paris and would ultimately spend his first nine pro seasons with the Poodles. In his debut season, Staudt was Rookie of the Year, second in MVP voting, and a Silver Slugger winner. He had a career-best 11.3 WAR and 151 RBI, which stayed the EBF single-season RBI record until 1982. With Paris, he won Silver Sluggers in 1951, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, and 58. Staudt was second in MVP voting again in 1952, 1956 and 1957. In 1958, he finally won the award with a career-best 54 home runs, along with a Northern Conference best 1.046 OPS, 9.3 WAR, 115 runs, and 136 RBI. The Poodles were early days contenders and were conference champs in 1952 and 1956. Staudt in 39 playoff games had 39 hits, 25 runs, 12 home runs, and 27 RBI. With Paris, he led in RBI four times, WAR, runs, and total bases thrice, and OPS twice. Staudt’s fina stats there saw 1550 hits, 988 runs, 399 home runs, 1061 RBI, a .295/.366/.617 slash, and 80.8 WAR. The Poodles would also retire his #2 uniform; the first retired by the franchise. Staudt remained proud of his Swiss heritage and spent two decades on the Switzerland World Baseball Championship squad. From 1952-72, he started 177 games with 158 hits, 112 runs, 70 home runs, 135 RBI, and 7.6 WAR. He became a free agent at age 32 for the 1960 season and was compelled to return to his country, signing a six-year, $558,000 deal with Zurich. He was a beast with the Mountaineers, hitting 50+ dingers in five of his six years (with the worst being 47). He led in homers, slugging, OPS, and wRC+ three times, and led in runs and WAR twice. Staudt had Silver Sluggers in 1960, 62, 63, 64, and 65, giving him 12 for his career. He was third in MVP voting in 1960, then three-peated as MVP from 1962-64, giving him four in his career. Staudt also was second in MVP in 1965, his final EBF season. Zurich had some solid seasons in the 1950s and would make the playoffs thrice in Staudt’s tenure. He helped deliver their first European Championship in 1965, earning finals MVP. In 25 playoff games, he had 29 hits, 15 runs, 6 home runs, and 17 RBI. Staudt’s final stats with the Mountaineers saw 1045 hits, 676 runs, 302 home runs, 733 RBI, a .312/.397/.667 slash, and 55.5 WAR. He was the undisputed top hitter of EBF’s first 15 years, becoming the first batter to reach 700 home runs, 2500 hits, 1500 runs, and 1500 RBI. For his European career, Staudt had 2595 hits, 1664 runs, 430 doubles, 177 triples, 701 home runs, 1794 RBI, 1092 walks, 485 stolen bases, a .301/.378/.636 slash, 192 wRC+ and 136.3 WAR. When he left EBF, he was the leader in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and hitting WAR. He’d fall down as more players came in and offensive numbers rose generally, but as of 2037, he’s still seventh in hitting WAR, 10^th in home runs, 16^th in RBI, and 18^th in runs. Staudt was a no-doubt Hall of Famer at 98.9% as EBF’s first stud hitter and may still be at the top of the leaderboards had he not left for MLB. Staudt still had six more pro baseball seasons after leaving Europe and although he didn’t win awards, he continued as a strong power hitter. He spent 1966-67 with Las Vegas, 1968-69 with Toronto, 1970 with Denver, and 1971 with Houston, putting up 20.9 WAR, 197 home runs, 816 hits, 508 runs, and 558 RBI He finally opted for retirement after the 1971 season at age 44. For his entire pro career, Staudt finished with 3411 hits, 2172 runs, 537 doubles, 207 triples, 898 home runs, 2352 RBI, 1464 walks, a .289/.366/.598 slash and 157.2 WAR. He fell just short of joining CABA legend Prometheo Garcia as the only players with 900+ home runs across their entire pro career. At that point, only Garcia had more homers or RBI, and only Garcia and Stan Provost had more runs scored across a pro career. Staudt firmly goes down as one of the top power hitters in the entire history of the game. Loris Eichelberger – Pitcher – Berlin Barons – 97.4% First Ballot Loris Eichelberger was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Wangen-Bruttisellen, a municipality of about 8,000 people in northern Switzerland. He threw hard with 98-100 mph velocity and was known for incredible movement on his pitches. Eichelberger had a three-pitch of fastball, slider, and curveball; with the slider especially eliciting fear. His control was merely above average, but he had solid stamina and excellent durability in his career. He joined Gabriel Staudt as the first Swiss Hall of Famers and crossed paths with him in the teenage years, although Eichelberger was three years younger. He ended up leaving Switzerland for college baseball at England’s University of Cambridge and was part of the first EBF first-player draft in 1951. Eichelberger was picked third overall by Berlin and ultimately spent his entire career with the Barons. He would still represent Switzerland in the World Baseball Championship, pitching 230.1 innings from 1952-67 with a 2.58 ERA, 271 strikeouts, and 7.5 WAR. Eichelberger immediately was a starter for Berlin and won Rookie of the Year in 1952. In 1954 and 1955, he finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting with career bests of 10.8 and 11.4 WAR. He had eight seasons of 8+ WAR, although wasn’t typically a conference leader. He led in WAR just in 1955, wins twice, ERA once, innings once, and quality starts twice. 1956 was his lone Pitcher of the Year, led by a career-best 1.79 ERA. Eichelberger finished third in 1958’s voting and took his lone Gold Glove in 1959. Berlin made the playoffs five times in Eichelberger’s tenure. They won the Northern Conference in both 1955 and 1958 and took European Champion honors in 1958. In 82.2 playoff innings, Eichelberger had a 7-3 record, 2.07 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and 2.9 WAR. This playoff success helped massively in seeing his #36 uniform retired by the Barons. Eichelberger continued to pitch well into his early 30s. He’d be the second in EBF history to reach both 200 career wins and 4000 career strikeouts and the third to 100+ pitching WAR. Despite never leading the conference in Ks, he’d sit eighth on the all-time strikeout leaderboard as of 2037. In 1966 at age 35, he saw his first notably down year. In 1967, a ruptured finger tendon ultimately forced him to retire at age 37. Eichelberger’s final stats: 248-155 record, 2.45 ERA, 3868.2 innings, 4068 strikeouts to 791 walks, 360/487 quality starts, a FIP- of 66, and 119.1 WAR. As of 2037, he sits ninth all-time in EBF pitching WAR and 11^th in wins. One of the premiere pitchers of the first two decades in EBF and well deserving of 97.4% and a first ballot selection. Trent Addams – Starting Pitcher – Rotterdam Ravers – 79.0% First Ballot Trent Addams was a 5’11’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Saltcoats, a town with around 12,000 people on the west coast of Scotland. Addams had incredible stuff with great movement and above average control. His velocity peaked at 96-98 mph with an absolutely filthy splitter and sinker leading the arsenal, along with a curveball and changeup. This led to an extreme groundball tendency. Addams was a poor defensive pitcher who had trouble holding runners, but he was so dominant when on that guys just didn’t get on base. He was very outspoken, which made him a polarizing figure in his various stops. Addams attended the University of Glasgow and stayed home in Scotland initially as he was picked second overall by Glasgow in the 1953 EBF Draft. He led the Northern Conferences in losses as a rookie, but bounced back to lead in strikeouts the next year at 347. In April 1956, he had a 19 strikeout, one walk no-hitter against Oslo; setting a record for most Ks in an EBF no-no which stood until 2001. He ultimately stayed only three years in his first Highlanders run, not being shy about the squad’s struggles at the time. Glasgow decided they had no choice but to trade him, moving him before the 1957 for prospects to Rotterdam. He’d be best known for his six-year run of dominance with the Ravens. In his first three seasons, he led the conference in ERA. Addams led in strikeouts twice and had 300+ in five straight years. He led in FIP- five straight years and had 8.5 WAR each season, including an incredible 12.7, 13.1, and 11.1 in his first three seasons. He was second in Pitcher of the Year in 1957, then won the award in both 1958 and 1959. Addams also was second in 1958 MVP voting. He’d go onto finish third in 1960 PotY voting as well. Addams tossed his second no-hitter in 1957 against London, striking out 13 with two walks. Despite his efforts, Rotterdam only made the playoffs once in his tenure, falling in the 1957 conference final to Stockholm. In total with the Ravens, Addams had a 103-42 record and 50 saves, a 1.93 ERA, 1386 innings, 1984 strikeouts, and 64.5 WAR. He would continue to pitch for Scotland in the World Baseball Championship as well from 1956-67, posting a 3.10 ERA with 259 strikeouts in 174.1 innings for 5.5 WAR. Addams became a free agent at age 31 and loudly declared his desire for big money. He found it with MLB’s Miami signing him to a six-year, $914,000 deal. Addams wanted to prove himself on the biggest stage, but disaster struck in his sixth start with the Mallards; a torn rotator cuff. This ended his 1963 season and he never returned to dominant form again, posting three-and-a-half middling seasons with Miami. He had a 4.53 ERA over 864.2 innings with only 570 strikeouts and 8.5 WAR. The Mallards cut their losses in June 1967 and Addams went back home to Scotland, signing with Glasgow again. He made one start with the Highlanders and blew out his elbow, ending his career at age 35. Addams final EBF stats: 141-92 record and 50 saves, 2.33 ERA, 2111.2 innings, 2860 strikeouts, 504 walks, 209/273 quality starts, a FIP- of 51 and 82.5 WAR. His six year run with Rotterdam was one of the most dominant stretches ever seen and even with the injuries and departure in his 30s, his rate stats definitely fit well with the Hall of Fame group, even of the accumulations are lower. He could be a bit of a jerk, but the voters decided Addams was still deserving of the first ball induction at 79.0%, becoming the first Scottish Hall of Famer. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)