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FuzzyRussianHat · 12-02-2024, 07:30 AM

11-time Pitcher of the Year winner Matvey Ivanov was the headliner of Eurasian Professional Baseball’s 2020 Hall of Fame class and was somehow not unanimous with 99.2%. Fellow pitcher Elgiz Alisher joined him in the class with 78.4% in his seventh ballot. No other players in the group were above 50% and none were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Matvey Ivanov – Starting Pitcher – Yekaterinburg Yaks – 99.2% First Ballot

Matvey Ivanov was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city. Ivanov was very well rounded with great stuff, movement, and control. He wasn’t overpowering, but his fastball at 95-97 mph was still plenty impressive. Ivanov also boasted a strong screwball and splitter, plus a rarely used changeup. He was one of the smartest pitchers in the game, knowing exactly when and where to pick his spots.

Ivanov had outstanding stamina, leading the league six times in complete games and eight times in shutouts. His control and efficiency also allowed him to regularly go the distance. Ivanov also had strong durability for most of his career, but he did get limited by a few major injuries in his 30s. He was also excellent at holding the few runners he did let on and won a Gold Glove in 2013. Ivanov emerged as one of the biggest baseball superstars ever to come out of Russia and a key figure in the post-exodus EPB.

Even out of high school, it was clear to most scouts that Ivanov was going to be something special. He was picked seventh overall by Yekaterinburg in the 1993 EPB Draft and ultimately pitched his entire 19-year career with the Yaks. Ivanov spent his first two seasons in their academy, then debuted in 1996 at age 21 with mostly relief appearances over 81.1 innings. He became a full-time fixture in the Yak rotation from 1997 onward.

Ivanov was a strong starter in his first two seasons in the rotation, but emerged as elite in 1999 for his first Pitcher of the Year win. He was also third in MVP voting, posting Asian League bests in wins (24-7), quality starts (30), and complete games (28). This was also the first of nine straight seasons of 9+ WAR. Yekaterinburg ended an eight-year playoff drought, but lost in the first round.

2000 was the great exodus as a major chunk of EPB’s teams departed for either the European Baseball Federation or Asian Baseball Federation. Yekaterinburg took advantage of this opening to become the Asian League’s top power for the next decade. Ivanov spearheaded this run as the ace, dominating to a level which hadn’t been seen in league history. His dominance also helped maintain baseball’s popularity in Russia after the exodus, making him a national hero.

Ivanov did pitch for the Russian national team from 1999-2009 in the World Baseball Championship. He tossed 156.2 innings with a 7-7 record, 2.69 ERA, 221 strikeouts, 24 walks, and 4.4 WAR. He had a 2.48 ERA over 40 innings in the 2001 run as the Russians fell in the World Championship to the United States.

From 1999-07, Ivanov made history by winning nine consecutive Pitcher of the Year awards. He is the only pitcher in world history with nine in a row and to that point was only the third in any world league to win nine total, joining BSA’s Lazaro Rodriguez and CABA/MLB’s Junior Vergara (10). Before this stretch, Igor Bury (5) had the most of any EPB pitcher. Markiyan Konoplya would win seven POTYs in the European League concurrent with Ivanov’s run.

Ivanov led in WAR each year from 2000-07 and topped 10+ seven times in that stretch, He won seven consecutive ERA titles from 2001-07 and had a sub-two ERA each year of the POTY streak. In the streak, Ivanov also led in wins six times, strikeouts seven times, WHIP six times, K/BB five times, quality starts four times, complete games six times, shutouts seven times, and FIP- eight times.

In 2002, Ivanov also had the rare feat of a pitcher winning MVP honors. This season saw career bests in ERA (1.21), innings (304.1), strikeouts (432), shutouts (13), ERA+ (238), and WAR (14.13). The WAR mark fell just short of Taleh Ismailov’s record 14.17 from 1956 amongst EPB pitchers. Ivanov also holds the #7 and #8 spots in the EPB single-season leaderboards for pitchers. The 432 strikeouts broke Artur Golub’s 1969 record by one and remains EPB’s single-season best as of 2037.

Ivanov’s 13 shutouts in 2002 was perhaps his most impressive accomplishment, as this remains an unmatched world record in all of pro baseball history. It would be the next year when Ivanov tossed his lone perfect game, striking out 16 against Novosibirsk on June 1, 2003. During the POTY streak, Ivanov also had a 2000 no-hitter with 14 strikeouts and 1 walk against Ufa and a 2004 no-hitter with 16 Ks and 1 walk versus Ulaanbaatar.

Just as this streak was starting, Yekaterinburg wisely gave Ivanov a seven-year, $14,800,000 extension after the 2000 season. Ivanov had an ERA below 1.50 four times, the most of any EPB starter. While winning MVP once, he was also second in 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2007: and third in 2004. The Yaks gave Ivanov another five-year, $19,600,000 extension in March 2007.

With Ivanov’s dominance came a dynasty run for Yekaterinburg. The Yaks won the 2000 Asian League pennant, but lost to Minsk in the EPB Championship. They were upset by Krasnoyarsk in the 2001, then missed the playoffs by one game in 2002. Then from 2003-12, the Yaks had a ten year playoff streak. Yekaterinburg won the EPB title in 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2012. They also won the AL pennant in 2006.

Ivanov’s success carried into the postseason with 250.1 career innings, a 20-9 record, 2.05 ERA, 313 strikeouts, 33 walks, 25 quality starts, 16 complete games, 4 shutouts, 151 ERA+, and 11.2 WAR. Ivanov was finals MVP in 2003, posting a 3-0 record and 1.45 ERA over 18.2 innings. His strongest run was 2004 with a 0.97 ERA over 37 innings, 48 strikeouts, and 2.6 WAR. As of 2037, Ivanov is the EPB playoff leader in WAR, second in wins, and second in strikeouts. His 11.2 WAR is also the highest tally by any pitcher in any world league.

The Pitcher of the Year streak finally ended in 2008, although part of that was due to a rotator cuff strain that cost him all of May. Ivanov still finished third with a 7.2 WAR effort. 2009 would be the first major crisis for the now 34-year old lefty. In late April, Ivanov suffered a damaged elbow ligament to put his future in doubt. He ultimately missed 15 months recovering from the injury and looked rather pedestrian upon returning in the second half of 2010.

Ivanov’s stamina and strikeout punch were lowered and he’d never top 300 Ks again. Still, he returned to form in 2011 with his eighth ERA title (1.96) and the lead in strikeouts (285) and WHIP (0.84). Ivanov won his record tenth Pitcher of the Year, matching a mark only previously reached by Junior Vergara in his split CABA/MLB career.

In 2011, Ivanov also notably threw two no-hitters. The first came on May 14 with 10 strikeouts and 2 walks against Irkutsk, then the second was September 16 over Ulaanbaatar with 10 strikeouts and 2 walks. This gave Ivanov five no-hitters for his career, which leads all EPB aces. Yekaterinburg signed him to a two-year, $12,600,000 extension in the winter. From 2011-13, he had three straight seasons with a nice 6.9 WAR.

In 2012, Ivanov won his 11^th and final Pitcher of the Year award. He would be the only pitcher in pro baseball history with nine until matched in 2031 by CABA’s Richard Wright. Ivanov nearly got his 12^th with a second place finish in 2013. Yekaterinburg won their fifth and final title of the dynasty in 2012 with Ivanov going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA over 24 innings. Their playoff streak ended with an 84-78 record in 2013. From 1999-2014, the Yaks averaged 96.8 wins per season.

2013 saw Ivanov become the fifth EPB pitcher to win 300 games and the sixth to 5000 strikeouts. No EPB pitchers have reached either mark since. Ivanov had a sluggish start to 2014 and saw his velocity peaking in the 91-93 mph range. In late May, his season was ended due to bone chips in his elbow. Ivanov opted to retire with that at age 40 and had his #26 uniform immediately retired by Yekaterinburg.

Ivanov’s final tallies saw a 313-145 record, 1.84 ERA, 4284.2 innings, 5040 strikeouts, 624 walks, 395/483 quality starts, 295 complete games, 77 shutouts, 165 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 149.8 WAR. As of 2037, Ivanov is the EPB all-time leader in shutouts. In counting stats, he’s 4^th in wins, 5^th in complete games, 9^th in innings pitched, 6^th in strikeouts, and 3^rd in WAR among pitchers.

Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, Ivanov’s ERA ranks 7^th, his .526 opponent’s OPS is 11^th, his .197 batting average is 27^th, .234 OPS is 13^th, and .291 slugging is 10^th. Very few of those ahead of him were starters either. Ivanov is also 11^th in WHIP (0.85), 68^th in BB/9 (1.31), 25^th in H/9 (6.33), 65^th in K/9 (10.59), and 15^th in winning percentage (.683).

EPB has seen some impressive aces over the years, which makes for an intense conversation when discussing who the greatest of all-time is. Ivanov has the best ERA of any starter with 3000+ innings, eight ERA titles, the 11 POTY awards, and five EPB titles with Yekaterinburg’s dynasty run.

Alvi Tahiri is the WAR, wins, and strikeouts leader, but a lot of that was a function of longevity with 5699.1 innings. Sergei Filatov has him just beat in WAR with similar innings. Some dog Ivanov for thriving in the post-exodus weakened EPB, but others note Filatov pitched in EPB’s earliest years against an arguably weak talent pool. Igor Bury often gets cited as EPB’s overall WARlord with his two-way exploits, but many argue Ivanov was a better pure pitcher.

In all of pro baseball history as of 2037, Ivanov’s tallies rank 29^th in wins, 17^th in complete games, 5^th in shutouts, and 13^th in pitching WAR. He sits 52^nd in WAR when including all players. In rate stats among other current and guaranteed Hall of Fame starters, Ivanov’s ERA is 10^th, ERA+ is 10^th, FIP- is 35^th, and OPS is 26^th. Regardless of where he may rank on the EPB GOAT scale, there’s no doubt that Ivanov is among the absolute inner-circle of pitchers in pro baseball history.

Elgiz Alisher – Pitcher – Volgograd Voyagers – 78.4% Seventh Ballot

Elgiz Alisher was a 5’11’’, 170 pound right-handed pitcher from Oral, Kazakhstan; a city of roughly 271,900 in the northwest near the Russian border. Alisher was a hard thrower with strong stuff, excellent movement, and above average control. He had a 98-100 mph fastball, but his impressive curveball was his most dangerous pitch. Alisher also had a weak changeup as a third pitch and lacking a more reliable third pitch was a big reason while his career was split between starting and the bullpen.

Alisher’s stamina wasn’t the issue as that graded as strong. His durability was also quite good, avoiding major injuries until his final years. He was a weak defensive pitcher, but was good at holding runners. Alisher garnered the respect of the clubhouse as a great team captain, known for his leadership and work ethic despite being an otherwise simple man.

Despite being in the relatively isolated spot of western Kazakhstan, a scout from Belarus learned of Alisher’s exploits as a teenager. He was signed in April 1989 to a developmental deal with Minsk and spent seven years in their academy. Alisher debuted in 1996 at age 23 and would be used exclusively as a reliever with the Miners.

He wasn’t the main closer in his first three years, but he was outstanding in his limited role. Alisher had 114 innings with 46 saves, 63 shutdowns, 5.9 WAR, 166 strikeouts, and a sub-one ERA. He was a beast in his rookie season in the playoffs, allowing only one run over 23 innings with 4 saves and 25 strikeouts, helping Minsk to the 1996 EPB Championship win over Ulaanbaatar.

From 6/29/96 to 4/20/97, Alisher had a 35 game scoreless streak. He also had 23 successful save opportunities in that run. The Miners had a first round loss in 1997, then fell in the European League Championship Series in 1998-99. In 19 playoff appearances and 38.1 innings, Alisher had a 0.47 ERA, 8 saves, 13 shutdowns, 47 strikeouts, and 1.8 WAR.

Alisher was moved to the closer role in 1999 with 26 saves over 79.1 innings and 3.3 WAR, although his ERA as a less dominant 2.16. In total for Minsk, Alisher had 72 saves and 98 shutdowns, a 1.20 ERA, 154 games, 203.1 innings, 265 strikeouts, 40 walks, 254 ERA+, and 9.1 WAR. The Miners were happy to have him as they continued what would be a historic 24-year playoff streak, but his tenure came to an end with the great 2000 exodus.

With so many teams leaving EPB in 2000, officially quickly set up an expansion draft to add four new franchises to stop the bleeding. As a reliever, Alisher wasn’t protected by Minsk and ended up being the tenth player selected in the expansion draft. This sent him to the newly formed Volgograd Voyagers. Alisher would be the first Hall of Fame inductee in the colors of one of the 2000 expansion teams.

Volgograd had an impressive debut season at 84-78, but they fell to 60-102 the next year and stayed below .500 until 2005. Alisher was a closer in the inaugural season with good results, but the Voyagers opted to make him a starter after that. From 2002-2005, Alisher was worth 5+ WAR each season. He was signed to a five-year, $12,860,000 extension in June 2003.

2005 was Alisher’s breakout season with his lone ERA title at 1.59, giving him third in Pitcher of the Year voting. It was his only time as an awards finalist. Alisher did lead the European League in both innings and quality starts in 2004. He led in complete games once and shutouts three times. Volgograd slowly grew as a franchise and in 2007, became the first of the expansion teams to earn a playoff spot. They were first in the standings too, but lost in the ELCS to defending champ Moscow. Alisher had an iffy 4.15 ERA over his 8.2 playoff innings.

Because of his Minsk run, he finished with an excellent 1.15 career playoff ERA over 47 innings. Alisher was also respectable in the World Baseball Championship for his native Kazakhstan from 1996-2008. He was generally a starter in the WBC with 145.2 innings, a 3.27 ERA, 10-9 record, 168 strikeouts, 69 walks, 109 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR.

Forearm inflammation had limited Alisher a bit in 2007, as did back troubles. In August 2008, he suffered a bone spur in his elbow that knocked him out nine months total. This also marked the end of his Volgograd run with a 113-102 record, 2.29 ERA, 1970.1 innings, 1755 strikeouts, 388 walks, 123 ERA+, and 40.1 WAR. For his efforts as one of the franchise’s first leaders, the Voyagers made Alisher’s #25 the first uniform to be retired.

He was still only about to be 36-years old, but teams were leery coming off a major injury. Alisher ended up in the EBF with Krakow, although he missed the early part of the year to a rotator cuff strain. He was decent in his limited use with a 2.87 ERA over 31.1 innings for the Canines. Volgograd re-signed Alisher for 2010, but he never saw the field, limited to a behind the scenes leadership role. Alisher officially retired after the 2010 season at age 37.

For his EPB career, Alisher had a 140-117 record, 125 saves and 161 shutdowns, 2.19 ERA, 2173.2 innings, 2020 strikeouts, 428 walks, 171/228 quality starts, 110 complete games, 29 shutouts, 130 ERA+, and 49.2 WAR. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, his ERA ranks 36^th and his .581 opponent’s OPS ranks 88^th. Alisher’s resume was difficult to evaluate though since he had split his career between starting and relief. As such, he lacked the accumulation marks expected of a Hall of Famer for either role.

Alisher was generally efficient in both roles, but didn’t have the eye popping tallies or awards. His playoff success with Minsk and his steady leadership with Volgograd were his biggest plusses. Alisher debuted at 52.0% and bounced around the ballot for the next few years. He fell to 36.9% in 2017, then barely missed the 66% requirement in 2018 at 64.5%. Alisher plummeted to a new low of 35.2% in 2019, making his chances look bleak. For whatever reason, a huge swath of voters changed their mind in 2020 and got him to 78.4%. With that, Alisher was a seventh ballot inductee and the second member of EPB’s 2020 class.

12-02-2024, 07:30 AM	#1847
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,952	2020 EPB Hall of Fame 11-time Pitcher of the Year winner Matvey Ivanov was the headliner of Eurasian Professional Baseball’s 2020 Hall of Fame class and was somehow not unanimous with 99.2%. Fellow pitcher Elgiz Alisher joined him in the class with 78.4% in his seventh ballot. No other players in the group were above 50% and none were dropped after ten failed ballots. Matvey Ivanov – Starting Pitcher – Yekaterinburg Yaks – 99.2% First Ballot Matvey Ivanov was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city. Ivanov was very well rounded with great stuff, movement, and control. He wasn’t overpowering, but his fastball at 95-97 mph was still plenty impressive. Ivanov also boasted a strong screwball and splitter, plus a rarely used changeup. He was one of the smartest pitchers in the game, knowing exactly when and where to pick his spots. Ivanov had outstanding stamina, leading the league six times in complete games and eight times in shutouts. His control and efficiency also allowed him to regularly go the distance. Ivanov also had strong durability for most of his career, but he did get limited by a few major injuries in his 30s. He was also excellent at holding the few runners he did let on and won a Gold Glove in 2013. Ivanov emerged as one of the biggest baseball superstars ever to come out of Russia and a key figure in the post-exodus EPB. Even out of high school, it was clear to most scouts that Ivanov was going to be something special. He was picked seventh overall by Yekaterinburg in the 1993 EPB Draft and ultimately pitched his entire 19-year career with the Yaks. Ivanov spent his first two seasons in their academy, then debuted in 1996 at age 21 with mostly relief appearances over 81.1 innings. He became a full-time fixture in the Yak rotation from 1997 onward. Ivanov was a strong starter in his first two seasons in the rotation, but emerged as elite in 1999 for his first Pitcher of the Year win. He was also third in MVP voting, posting Asian League bests in wins (24-7), quality starts (30), and complete games (28). This was also the first of nine straight seasons of 9+ WAR. Yekaterinburg ended an eight-year playoff drought, but lost in the first round. 2000 was the great exodus as a major chunk of EPB’s teams departed for either the European Baseball Federation or Asian Baseball Federation. Yekaterinburg took advantage of this opening to become the Asian League’s top power for the next decade. Ivanov spearheaded this run as the ace, dominating to a level which hadn’t been seen in league history. His dominance also helped maintain baseball’s popularity in Russia after the exodus, making him a national hero. Ivanov did pitch for the Russian national team from 1999-2009 in the World Baseball Championship. He tossed 156.2 innings with a 7-7 record, 2.69 ERA, 221 strikeouts, 24 walks, and 4.4 WAR. He had a 2.48 ERA over 40 innings in the 2001 run as the Russians fell in the World Championship to the United States. From 1999-07, Ivanov made history by winning nine consecutive Pitcher of the Year awards. He is the only pitcher in world history with nine in a row and to that point was only the third in any world league to win nine total, joining BSA’s Lazaro Rodriguez and CABA/MLB’s Junior Vergara (10). Before this stretch, Igor Bury (5) had the most of any EPB pitcher. Markiyan Konoplya would win seven POTYs in the European League concurrent with Ivanov’s run. Ivanov led in WAR each year from 2000-07 and topped 10+ seven times in that stretch, He won seven consecutive ERA titles from 2001-07 and had a sub-two ERA each year of the POTY streak. In the streak, Ivanov also led in wins six times, strikeouts seven times, WHIP six times, K/BB five times, quality starts four times, complete games six times, shutouts seven times, and FIP- eight times. In 2002, Ivanov also had the rare feat of a pitcher winning MVP honors. This season saw career bests in ERA (1.21), innings (304.1), strikeouts (432), shutouts (13), ERA+ (238), and WAR (14.13). The WAR mark fell just short of Taleh Ismailov’s record 14.17 from 1956 amongst EPB pitchers. Ivanov also holds the #7 and #8 spots in the EPB single-season leaderboards for pitchers. The 432 strikeouts broke Artur Golub’s 1969 record by one and remains EPB’s single-season best as of 2037. Ivanov’s 13 shutouts in 2002 was perhaps his most impressive accomplishment, as this remains an unmatched world record in all of pro baseball history. It would be the next year when Ivanov tossed his lone perfect game, striking out 16 against Novosibirsk on June 1, 2003. During the POTY streak, Ivanov also had a 2000 no-hitter with 14 strikeouts and 1 walk against Ufa and a 2004 no-hitter with 16 Ks and 1 walk versus Ulaanbaatar. Just as this streak was starting, Yekaterinburg wisely gave Ivanov a seven-year, $14,800,000 extension after the 2000 season. Ivanov had an ERA below 1.50 four times, the most of any EPB starter. While winning MVP once, he was also second in 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2007: and third in 2004. The Yaks gave Ivanov another five-year, $19,600,000 extension in March 2007. With Ivanov’s dominance came a dynasty run for Yekaterinburg. The Yaks won the 2000 Asian League pennant, but lost to Minsk in the EPB Championship. They were upset by Krasnoyarsk in the 2001, then missed the playoffs by one game in 2002. Then from 2003-12, the Yaks had a ten year playoff streak. Yekaterinburg won the EPB title in 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2012. They also won the AL pennant in 2006. Ivanov’s success carried into the postseason with 250.1 career innings, a 20-9 record, 2.05 ERA, 313 strikeouts, 33 walks, 25 quality starts, 16 complete games, 4 shutouts, 151 ERA+, and 11.2 WAR. Ivanov was finals MVP in 2003, posting a 3-0 record and 1.45 ERA over 18.2 innings. His strongest run was 2004 with a 0.97 ERA over 37 innings, 48 strikeouts, and 2.6 WAR. As of 2037, Ivanov is the EPB playoff leader in WAR, second in wins, and second in strikeouts. His 11.2 WAR is also the highest tally by any pitcher in any world league. The Pitcher of the Year streak finally ended in 2008, although part of that was due to a rotator cuff strain that cost him all of May. Ivanov still finished third with a 7.2 WAR effort. 2009 would be the first major crisis for the now 34-year old lefty. In late April, Ivanov suffered a damaged elbow ligament to put his future in doubt. He ultimately missed 15 months recovering from the injury and looked rather pedestrian upon returning in the second half of 2010. Ivanov’s stamina and strikeout punch were lowered and he’d never top 300 Ks again. Still, he returned to form in 2011 with his eighth ERA title (1.96) and the lead in strikeouts (285) and WHIP (0.84). Ivanov won his record tenth Pitcher of the Year, matching a mark only previously reached by Junior Vergara in his split CABA/MLB career. In 2011, Ivanov also notably threw two no-hitters. The first came on May 14 with 10 strikeouts and 2 walks against Irkutsk, then the second was September 16 over Ulaanbaatar with 10 strikeouts and 2 walks. This gave Ivanov five no-hitters for his career, which leads all EPB aces. Yekaterinburg signed him to a two-year, $12,600,000 extension in the winter. From 2011-13, he had three straight seasons with a nice 6.9 WAR. In 2012, Ivanov won his 11^th and final Pitcher of the Year award. He would be the only pitcher in pro baseball history with nine until matched in 2031 by CABA’s Richard Wright. Ivanov nearly got his 12^th with a second place finish in 2013. Yekaterinburg won their fifth and final title of the dynasty in 2012 with Ivanov going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA over 24 innings. Their playoff streak ended with an 84-78 record in 2013. From 1999-2014, the Yaks averaged 96.8 wins per season. 2013 saw Ivanov become the fifth EPB pitcher to win 300 games and the sixth to 5000 strikeouts. No EPB pitchers have reached either mark since. Ivanov had a sluggish start to 2014 and saw his velocity peaking in the 91-93 mph range. In late May, his season was ended due to bone chips in his elbow. Ivanov opted to retire with that at age 40 and had his #26 uniform immediately retired by Yekaterinburg. Ivanov’s final tallies saw a 313-145 record, 1.84 ERA, 4284.2 innings, 5040 strikeouts, 624 walks, 395/483 quality starts, 295 complete games, 77 shutouts, 165 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 149.8 WAR. As of 2037, Ivanov is the EPB all-time leader in shutouts. In counting stats, he’s 4^th in wins, 5^th in complete games, 9^th in innings pitched, 6^th in strikeouts, and 3^rd in WAR among pitchers. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, Ivanov’s ERA ranks 7^th, his .526 opponent’s OPS is 11^th, his .197 batting average is 27^th, .234 OPS is 13^th, and .291 slugging is 10^th. Very few of those ahead of him were starters either. Ivanov is also 11^th in WHIP (0.85), 68^th in BB/9 (1.31), 25^th in H/9 (6.33), 65^th in K/9 (10.59), and 15^th in winning percentage (.683). EPB has seen some impressive aces over the years, which makes for an intense conversation when discussing who the greatest of all-time is. Ivanov has the best ERA of any starter with 3000+ innings, eight ERA titles, the 11 POTY awards, and five EPB titles with Yekaterinburg’s dynasty run. Alvi Tahiri is the WAR, wins, and strikeouts leader, but a lot of that was a function of longevity with 5699.1 innings. Sergei Filatov has him just beat in WAR with similar innings. Some dog Ivanov for thriving in the post-exodus weakened EPB, but others note Filatov pitched in EPB’s earliest years against an arguably weak talent pool. Igor Bury often gets cited as EPB’s overall WARlord with his two-way exploits, but many argue Ivanov was a better pure pitcher. In all of pro baseball history as of 2037, Ivanov’s tallies rank 29^th in wins, 17^th in complete games, 5^th in shutouts, and 13^th in pitching WAR. He sits 52^nd in WAR when including all players. In rate stats among other current and guaranteed Hall of Fame starters, Ivanov’s ERA is 10^th, ERA+ is 10^th, FIP- is 35^th, and OPS is 26^th. Regardless of where he may rank on the EPB GOAT scale, there’s no doubt that Ivanov is among the absolute inner-circle of pitchers in pro baseball history. Elgiz Alisher – Pitcher – Volgograd Voyagers – 78.4% Seventh Ballot Elgiz Alisher was a 5’11’’, 170 pound right-handed pitcher from Oral, Kazakhstan; a city of roughly 271,900 in the northwest near the Russian border. Alisher was a hard thrower with strong stuff, excellent movement, and above average control. He had a 98-100 mph fastball, but his impressive curveball was his most dangerous pitch. Alisher also had a weak changeup as a third pitch and lacking a more reliable third pitch was a big reason while his career was split between starting and the bullpen. Alisher’s stamina wasn’t the issue as that graded as strong. His durability was also quite good, avoiding major injuries until his final years. He was a weak defensive pitcher, but was good at holding runners. Alisher garnered the respect of the clubhouse as a great team captain, known for his leadership and work ethic despite being an otherwise simple man. Despite being in the relatively isolated spot of western Kazakhstan, a scout from Belarus learned of Alisher’s exploits as a teenager. He was signed in April 1989 to a developmental deal with Minsk and spent seven years in their academy. Alisher debuted in 1996 at age 23 and would be used exclusively as a reliever with the Miners. He wasn’t the main closer in his first three years, but he was outstanding in his limited role. Alisher had 114 innings with 46 saves, 63 shutdowns, 5.9 WAR, 166 strikeouts, and a sub-one ERA. He was a beast in his rookie season in the playoffs, allowing only one run over 23 innings with 4 saves and 25 strikeouts, helping Minsk to the 1996 EPB Championship win over Ulaanbaatar. From 6/29/96 to 4/20/97, Alisher had a 35 game scoreless streak. He also had 23 successful save opportunities in that run. The Miners had a first round loss in 1997, then fell in the European League Championship Series in 1998-99. In 19 playoff appearances and 38.1 innings, Alisher had a 0.47 ERA, 8 saves, 13 shutdowns, 47 strikeouts, and 1.8 WAR. Alisher was moved to the closer role in 1999 with 26 saves over 79.1 innings and 3.3 WAR, although his ERA as a less dominant 2.16. In total for Minsk, Alisher had 72 saves and 98 shutdowns, a 1.20 ERA, 154 games, 203.1 innings, 265 strikeouts, 40 walks, 254 ERA+, and 9.1 WAR. The Miners were happy to have him as they continued what would be a historic 24-year playoff streak, but his tenure came to an end with the great 2000 exodus. With so many teams leaving EPB in 2000, officially quickly set up an expansion draft to add four new franchises to stop the bleeding. As a reliever, Alisher wasn’t protected by Minsk and ended up being the tenth player selected in the expansion draft. This sent him to the newly formed Volgograd Voyagers. Alisher would be the first Hall of Fame inductee in the colors of one of the 2000 expansion teams. Volgograd had an impressive debut season at 84-78, but they fell to 60-102 the next year and stayed below .500 until 2005. Alisher was a closer in the inaugural season with good results, but the Voyagers opted to make him a starter after that. From 2002-2005, Alisher was worth 5+ WAR each season. He was signed to a five-year, $12,860,000 extension in June 2003. 2005 was Alisher’s breakout season with his lone ERA title at 1.59, giving him third in Pitcher of the Year voting. It was his only time as an awards finalist. Alisher did lead the European League in both innings and quality starts in 2004. He led in complete games once and shutouts three times. Volgograd slowly grew as a franchise and in 2007, became the first of the expansion teams to earn a playoff spot. They were first in the standings too, but lost in the ELCS to defending champ Moscow. Alisher had an iffy 4.15 ERA over his 8.2 playoff innings. Because of his Minsk run, he finished with an excellent 1.15 career playoff ERA over 47 innings. Alisher was also respectable in the World Baseball Championship for his native Kazakhstan from 1996-2008. He was generally a starter in the WBC with 145.2 innings, a 3.27 ERA, 10-9 record, 168 strikeouts, 69 walks, 109 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR. Forearm inflammation had limited Alisher a bit in 2007, as did back troubles. In August 2008, he suffered a bone spur in his elbow that knocked him out nine months total. This also marked the end of his Volgograd run with a 113-102 record, 2.29 ERA, 1970.1 innings, 1755 strikeouts, 388 walks, 123 ERA+, and 40.1 WAR. For his efforts as one of the franchise’s first leaders, the Voyagers made Alisher’s #25 the first uniform to be retired. He was still only about to be 36-years old, but teams were leery coming off a major injury. Alisher ended up in the EBF with Krakow, although he missed the early part of the year to a rotator cuff strain. He was decent in his limited use with a 2.87 ERA over 31.1 innings for the Canines. Volgograd re-signed Alisher for 2010, but he never saw the field, limited to a behind the scenes leadership role. Alisher officially retired after the 2010 season at age 37. For his EPB career, Alisher had a 140-117 record, 125 saves and 161 shutdowns, 2.19 ERA, 2173.2 innings, 2020 strikeouts, 428 walks, 171/228 quality starts, 110 complete games, 29 shutouts, 130 ERA+, and 49.2 WAR. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, his ERA ranks 36^th and his .581 opponent’s OPS ranks 88^th. Alisher’s resume was difficult to evaluate though since he had split his career between starting and relief. As such, he lacked the accumulation marks expected of a Hall of Famer for either role. Alisher was generally efficient in both roles, but didn’t have the eye popping tallies or awards. His playoff success with Minsk and his steady leadership with Volgograd were his biggest plusses. Alisher debuted at 52.0% and bounced around the ballot for the next few years. He fell to 36.9% in 2017, then barely missed the 66% requirement in 2018 at 64.5%. Alisher plummeted to a new low of 35.2% in 2019, making his chances look bleak. For whatever reason, a huge swath of voters changed their mind in 2020 and got him to 78.4%. With that, Alisher was a seventh ballot inductee and the second member of EPB’s 2020 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)