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East Asia Baseball’s 2017 Hall of Fame class was very nearly empty, but two guys crossed the 66% requirement by the slimmest of margins. On his fifth ballot, 3B/2B Kazuo Shiraki snuck in at 67.3%, while 1B Hyeon-Seong Yang inched across the line at 66.7%. 3B Min-Seong Ryu nearly joined them on his third attempt, but missed at 62.6%. No other players were above 50%.



Reliever Genzo Fujikawa fell off the ballot after ten tries, peaking at 39.4% in 2011 and ending at 18.9%. He only had an 11-year career, posting 326 saves and 365 shutdowns, a 2.70 ERA, 800 innings, 986 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, and 12.3 WAR. The save number got him some support, but Fujikawa never won Reliever of the Year and he was hardly dominant compared to the other great closers. Frankly, it’s somewhat surprising he lasted ten years on the ballot.



Kazuo Shiraki – Third Base/Second Base – Bucheon Bolts - 67.3% Fifth Ballot

Kazuo Shiraki was a 6’0’’, 190 pound right-handed infielder from Gifu, Japan; a city of 400,000 in the Chubu region of Honshu. Shiraki was a well-rounded batter who wasn’t great at any one thing, but above average to good in terms of contract and power. His ability to draw walks and avoid strikeouts were both just below average.

Shiraki’s gap power was probably his best attribute, getting 28 doubles and 12 triples per his 162 game average. Shiraki was also good for 23 homers per 162. His speed was good and he was a very efficient base stealer. Defensively, Shiraki’s career was split almost evenly between third base and second base. The majority of his starts at 2B came in his 20s with the move to 3B in his 30s. Shiraki graded as below average at 3B and mediocre at 2B.

He did have fairly good durability over a 19 year career. Shiraki was a hard worker and a fan favorite, becoming one of Japan’s more popular players despite bouncing around in his career. Shiraki was signed as a teenage amateur in April 1983 by Bucheon, making the move to South Korea. He spent most of six years in the Bolts academy, debuting with 14 plate appearances in 1988 at age 21. Bucheon made him a full-time starter the next year.

Shiraki earned 1989 Rookie of the Year honors with a 2.6 WAR debut season. He then won his first Silver Slugger at 2B in 1991 with 6.1 WAR. He topped 5+ WAR in ten different seasons. In 1992, Shiraki led the Korea League with career bests in runs (107) and doubles (41). He also had a career-best 77 stolen bases, winning his second Silver Slugger.

A 1978 expansion team, Bucheon had their first success with wild cards in 1990, 1991, and 1993. The Bolts made it to the KLCS in 1990 and 1993, but fell both times. Shiraki had a .293/.326/.463 slash in 21 playoff starts. Bucheon fell to the bottom of the standings for 1994 and 1995. Shiraki would win his third Silver Slugger in 1994 and hit for the cycle that year against Hamhung.

Bucheon wanted Shiraki for their rebuild, but he opted for free agency after the 1995 season at age 29. With the Bolts, he had 1233 hits, 626 runs, 217 doubles, 126 home runs, 491 RBI, 362 stolen bases, a .312/.355/.502 slash, 138 wRC+, and 36.5 WAR. It was his longest tenure and the one he went into the Hall of Fame with, although you could argue Shiraki’s third team was the most impactful. The lack of a lengthy signature run in one spot did cost him some voters later on.

Shiraki signed four years and $9,840,000 with Sapporo. He had wanted to return home to Japan and would stay in the JL for the rest of his career. Shiraki also began playing for the national team in 1996, but generally was a reserve. From 1996-2005, Shiraki had 58 games and 30 starts in the World Baseball Championship with 44 hits, 26 runs, 8 doubles, 7 home runs, 18 RBI, 12 steals, a .367/.437/.708 slash, 209 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR.

The 1996 debut for Sapporo saw Shiraki lead the league with a career best 7.7 WAR and 102 runs. He also had a career-best .932 OPS and 184 wRC+, winning his fourth Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. This was Shiraki’s final Slugger and only time as a MVP finalist. Sapporo won a third straight North Division, but lost to Hiroshima in the JLCS. Shiraki also hit for the cycle for the second time in 1996.

A strained ACL cost him part of 1997, but Shiraki stepped up in the playoffs and won JLCS MVP. Sapporo won the pennant, but did lose to Yongin in the EAB Championship. In 12 playoff starts, Shiraki had 16 hits, 9 runs, 6 doubles, 2 homers, and 7 RBI. In two years for the Swordfish, he had 311 hits, 161 runs, 41 doubles, 28 triples, 42 homers, 150 RBI, 170 wRC+, and 11.5 WAR.

Shiraki surprised many by opting out of the remaining two years of the Sapporo deal, becoming a free agent again at age 31. He nabbed a six-year, $16,440,000 deal with Hiroshima. Nagging injuries cost him some time in his first three years for the Hammerheads, but he stayed healthy after that. While Shiraki didn’t win awards with Hiroshima, all seven of his seasons were worth 4.5+ WAR.

Hiroshima had an eight-year playoff streak from 1999-2006, but famously struggled in the playoffs with six first round eliminations. Their deepest runs came with JLCS losses in 2003 and 2004, both in upset losses to Niigata. Shiraki was average at best in the playoff run with a 102 wRC+. For his playoff career, he had 81 starts, 88 hits, 43 runs, 18 doubles, 9 homers, 34 RBI, 25 steals, a .276/.307/.442 slash, 123 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR.

Shiraki opted out of his deal after the 2001 season, but signed a new three-year, $12,120,000 contract with Hiroshima. In total for the Hammerheads, Shiraki had 1000 hits, 548 runs, 145 doubles, 67 triples, 153 home runs, 516 RBI, 302 stolen bases, a .283/.329/.492 slash, 147 wRC+, and 39.2 WAR. He was a free agent again after the 2004 season, now 38-years old.

There were still multiple suitors and Yokohama gave Shiraki three years and $14,280,000. He had a nice 4.7 WAR effort in 2005, but the Yellow Jackets moved him in an offseason trade with Tokyo. They sent Shiraki and $15,420,000 over in exchange for four prospects. He had a respectable 3.8 WAR debut season for the Tides in 2006, but his season ended with a fractured foot. Shiraki missed the playoffs as Tokyo lost to Niigata in the JLCS.

Shiraki was barely saw the field in 2007 as a bench player, then saw his season end in September to a hamstring strain. Tokyo won the JL pennant shockingly at 82-80, but lost the EAB final to Yongin. With his deal up and skills diminished, Shiraki retired at age 41.

In total, Shiraki had 2845 hits, 1492 runs, 445 doubles, 189 triples, 363 home runs, 1276 RBI, 533 walks, 820 stolen bases, a .297/.341/.496 slash, 144 wRC+, and 96.4 WAR. As of 2037, Shiraki ranks 39^th in WAR among position players, 37^th in hits, 39^th in runs, 60^th in doubles, and 57^th in stolen bases. However, he quietly put up those tallies, lacking black ink or any big dominant performances. Shiraki bouncing around between so many teams also soured some voters.

Sabermetric voters pointed to the WAR total and his regular team success as plusses. However, many voters thought he merely sustained above averageness as opposed to greatness. Shiraki missed the cut on his debut at 56.1% and hovered in the 50s again in 2014 and 2015. He got to 64.1% in 2016, barely missing the 66% requirement. With a very weak 2017 ballot, Shiraki just bumped across the line at 67.3% to earn induction on the fifth ballot.



Hyeon-Seong Yang – First Base – Yokohama Yellow Jackets – 66.7% First Ballot

Hyeon-Seong Yang was a 6’4’’, 190 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Icheon, South Korea. Not to be confused with Incheon, Icheon has 223,000 people in the Gyeonggi Province. Yang had extreme splits in his career, hitting well against right-handed pitching (.935 OPS, 169 wRC+) but with subpar results against lefties (.677 OPS, 96 wRC+). On the whole, he hit for a good average, but Yang struggled with drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Yang had reliably solid home run power, topping 30+ in 13 seasons and 40+ in six seasons. He also had good gap power and topped 30 doubles regularly despite having abysmal baserunning speed and ability. Yang was a career first baseman and a generally lousy defender. He did see some starts as a designated hitter late in his career when that was an option in Korea. Yang’s durability was generally pretty good.

After an impressive run at Woosung High School, Yang was picked 14^th overall in the 1990 EAB Draft by Daejeon. He passed on the Ducks and spent the next three years at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul. When next eligible in the 1993 EAB Draft, Yang was picked 21^st overall by Busan. His stint with the Blue Jays would be very brief with 54 games and 20 starts in 1994.

Near the trade deadline, Busan sent Yang and prospect Nobyuki Nakano to Yokohama for veteran LF Kitachachi Kawamoto to help with their playoff push. He was only a pinch hitter for the rest of the year, but the Yellow Jackets made him a full-time starter from 1995-2002. In that stretch, Yang topped 5+ WAR six times. Yokohama was generally stuck in the middle tier, averaging 77.5 wins in that stretch.

Yang led in total bases in 1996 and topped 35+ homers each year starting for Yokohama. He wasn’t generally a league leader though with the exception of a stellar 1998. This saw Yang win MVP and his lone Silver Slugger, leading the league in runs (103), hits (207), doubles (48), home runs (142), total bases (435), slugging (.720), OPS (1.097), wRC+ (231), and WAR (10.3). Those were all career bests by a healthy margin.

Yokohama gave Yang a five-year, $12,240,000 extension after the 1997 season. While still a reliably strong starter, his poor defense and weakness against lefties kept him from awards conversations. In total for Yokohama, Yang 1433 hits, 702 runs, 238 doubles, 342 home runs, 858 RBI, a .303/.332/.584 slash, 172 wRC+, and 45.2 WAR. He was a positive in a generally forgettable era for the Yellow Jackets, who later retired Yang’s #15.

Yang was a free agent after the 2002 season at age 29. He returned to South Korea on a five-year, $13,920,000 deal with Gwangju. Yang kept his general production in his first two years, but missed most of 2005 with a ruptured Achilles tendon. He did return to form in 2006, but couldn’t list the Grays beyond mediocrity. With Gwangju, Yang had 519 hits, 252 runs, 103 doubles, 119 home runs, 310 RBI, a .287/.314/.552 slash, 137 wRC+, and 12.3 WAR.

After the 2006 season, Yang declined his contract option and became a 34-year old free agent. Incheon grabbed him for five years at $18,000,000. Yang hit for the cycle in 2008 and crossed the 500 home run and 1000 runs scored milestones with the Inferno. Yang was a solid starter in his first two years, but started to drop off a bit in year three.

By the end, Yang was a healthy scratch, only playing 55 games with two starts in his final two years. Incheon was also middling and Yang never got to play in the postseason for his whole career. With the Inferno, he had 473 hits, 223 runs, 100 doubles, 92 home runs, 271 RBI, a 124 wRC+, and 8.4 WAR. Yang retired after the 2011 campaign at age 38.

Yang finished with 2453 hits, 1195 runs, 446 doubles, 559 home runs, 1463 RBI, a .294/.321/.560 slash, 153 wRC+, and 66.2 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 51^st in home runs, 63^rd in RBI, and 59^th in doubles. However, Yang doesn’t crack the top 100 in any of the other stats, including WAR. That and his lack of team success made many voters look at Yang as a “Hall of Pretty Good” type.

Still, 550 home runs and a MVP season go a long way. Yang benefited from a very weak 2017 ballot where his resume looked comparatively stronger. At 66.7%, he barely crossed the 66% requirement, but it was enough for snag a first ballot induction into the EAB Hall of Fame.