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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-25-2025, 12:30 PM

The Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame added two first ballot inductees in 2034. LF Liu Hu was the headliner at 82.9% while SP Benjamin Kiyoshi just breached the 66% threshold at 69.4%. SP Favian Frias was the next closest with 59.3% on his second ballot. 3B Yu-Ting Tsai got 54.1% on his tenth and final chance. Also above 50% at 50.5% was 1B Ali Yusuf for his sixth go.

For Tsai, he peaked at 56.5% in 2028 and had a low of 38.9% in 2033. He had a 17-year career mostly with Kaohsiung with one MVP, four Silver Sluggers, 2508 games, 2319 hits, 1127 runs, 304 doubles, 290 triples, 445 home runs, 1243 RBI, 875 walks, .256/.320/.501 slash, 158 wRC+, and 83.9 WAR. As of 2037, Tsai is 39^th in WAR among position players, 19^th in runs, 26^th in hits, 11^th in total bases (4538), 5^th in triples, 23^rd in homers, and 14^th in RBI.

Despite that resume, Tsai never got the traction you might expect. He was hurt by playing on a lot of forgettable teams and posting a lackluster .510 OPS in his limited 25 playoff games. His black ink was also limited, but it goes to show how harsh APB voters could be towards batters in the hyper low-scoring league. Tsai did at least get his #97 uniform retired by the Steelheads, but he ended up stuck in the Hall of Pretty Good.

CL Tedi Sudaryono was also dropped after ten failed ballots, peaking with his final ballot at 45.6% after a low of 8.4% the prior year. He won Reliever of the Year once and had 339 saves, a 1.83 ERA, 137 ERA+, 74 FIP-, 960 innings, 1193 strikeouts, 227 walks, and 22.3 WAR. Sudaryono ranks 10^th in saves as of 2037 and has the most of anyone who fell off the ballot, but he didn’t have the big dominance of the other closers.

SP Hendrawan Aririsana also made it ten ballots, ending with only 4.6% after a peak of 27.0% in 2026. He had a 17-year career with a 201-181 record, 2.39 ERA, 3779 innings, 2841 strikeouts, 602 walks, 104 ERA+, 102 FIP-, and 45.8 WAR. Aririsana is one of 31 guys with 200+ wins, but was viewed as a compiler who stuck around with reliable averageness. Aririsana was only a league leader once (for innings) and a Pitcher of the Year finalist once, thus he ended up on the outside despite his tenure.

Liu Hu – Left Field – Hsinchu Sweathogs – 82.9% First Ballot

Liu Hu was a 6’1’’, 185 pound right-handed outfielder from the capital of Taiwan, Taipei. Hu was known for reliable home run power and a solid eye for drawing walks against both sides. His 162 game average got you 33 home runs, 18 doubles, and 8 triples; very good totals in the very low-scoring APB. Hu had ten seasons with 30+ home runs and smacked 40+ twice. Hu’s contact ability graded as merely decent and he did have some trouble with strikeouts.

Unlike most power guys, Hu was an excellent baserunner with pretty good speed. He played primarily in left field and was a rock solid defender there, winning two Gold Gloves. Hu did play some center field sporadically, but his range wasn’t nearly good enough and he struggled in that spot. While he had a few injuries here and there, Hu held up very well over a 20-year career. He was a highly intelligent leader with a strong work ethic, becoming one of the most beloved players ever in Taiwanese baseball history.

After a strong career at the University of Kang Ning, many viewed Hu as one of the top prospects to come from the island in some time. He went second overall in the 2008 APB Draft to Hsinchu, who had only begun play with the 2007 expansion. Hu became the team’s first real superstar and was a full-time starter right away. He won his two Gold Gloves in his first two seasons.

Hu became good for at least 5 WAR all but one year from 2010-22. He won his lone MVP and first Silver Slugger (LF) in 2014, leading the Taiwan-Philippine Association in runs (93), homers (48), OBP (.362), slugging (.594), OPS (.956), and wRC+ (204). That would be his career bests for runs, hits (157), homers, total bases (328), OBP, OPS, and wRC+. That August, he signed an eight-year, $160,600,000 to stay long-term with the Sweathogs.

Hsinchu was decent in the mid to late 2010s, but Taipei was dominating the Taiwan League at this point. The Sweathogs came the closest they’d been to the playoffs in 2019 at 94-68, but were three behind the Tigercats. Hu carried on with Silver Sluggers in 2015, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, and 22. The 2015 and 2017 wins were both in center field. Hu was third in 2019’s MVP voting, second in 2021, and third in 2022. He led in RBI in both 2021 and 2022. Hu also had league bests in 2022 for homers (44), steals (77), and WAR (10.3); the latter two being career bests.

2018 marked the arrival of Binh Tang to Hsinchu, who quickly started dominating the league with 12 MVP wins from 2020-32. This took some pressure off Hu to be the guy, although he was still playing at a very high level in his mid 30s. In 2021, the Sweathogs made the playoffs for the first time at 93-69 and won the pennant over Cagayan de Oro. They were denied the Austronesia Championship by Palembang. Unfortunately for Hu, he missed the entire postseason run to a strained back.

Still, he was second in MVP voting that year to Tang and inked a new four-year, $67,200,000 extension that winter. Hsinchu remained above 90 wins from 2022-25, but only made the playoffs in 2023 and 2025. In 2023, they had the top seed at 106-56. However, the Sweathogs were denied both years in the association finals. Hu’s limited playoff numbers were unremarkable with 9 games, 7 hits, 2 runs, 3 doubles, 1 homer, and .651 OPS.

Hu did get to play on the World Baseball Championship stage from 2017-26 with Taiwan with nice results. In 112 games, he had 94 hits, 75 runs, 17 doubles, 3 triples, 32 home runs, 76 RBI, 48 walks, 37 steals, .236/.338/.535 slash, 150 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR. Hu’s first appearance in 2017 saw the Taiwanese make it to the World Championship, falling 4-1 in the finale to the United States.

He had a noticeable decline in 2025-26, but was still a decent starter in those years. Mostly out of respect, Hsinchu signed him to a two-year, $7,600,000 extension after the 2026 season. Hu missed almost all of 2027 to a broken bone in his elbow. He became a free agent in 2028, eventually returning on a one-year, $3,840,000 deal with the Sweathogs. Hu missed part of the year to a torn groin and struggled when healthy with -1.0 WAR and .503 OPS in 65 games. He retired that winter at age 41 and immediately had his #18 uniform as the first retired by Hsinchu. Hu was the first Hall of Famer for one of the expansion teams.

Hu played 2694 games with 2301 hits, 1307 runs, 303 doubles, 128 triples, 556 home runs, 1349 RBI, 868 walks, 2639 strikeouts, 814 steals, .241/.310/.473 slash, 148 wRC+, and 102.3 WAR. As of 2037, Hu ranks 11^th in games, 8^th in runs, 31^st in hits, 12^th in total bases (4528), 92^nd in doubles, 9^th in homers, 8^th in RBI 30^th in steals, 15^th in walks, 12^th in strikeouts, and 18^th in WAR among position players.

Few guys in Hu’s era were more steady and reliable. Scholars argue on if he’d be considered an “inner-circle” Hall of Famer, but Hu was a key figure in establishing the new Hsinchu franchise. The tough voters for Austronesia Professional Baseball gave him only 82.9%, but that was enough for a first ballot nod to headline the 2034 class.

Benjamin Kiyoshi – Starting Pitcher – Palembang Panthers – 69.4% First Ballot

Benjamin Kiyoshi was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Yigo, Guam; a village of around 19,000 people and the home of Andersen Air Force Base. Kiyoshi had great stuff with very good control and average movement. His velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph with a sinker and cutter as his top pitches. Kiyoshi also had a good fastball along with a changeup and curveball.

Relative to other APB aces, Kiyoshi’s stamina was mediocre and he rarely had complete games. He did avoid the major injuries that ruin many pitchers in his 15-year career, but did miss some starts here and there with smaller ailments. Kiyoshi graded as just below average for holding runners and defense.

The few players that come from Guam almost always end up in the Oceania Baseball Association. APB teams usually had no shortage of players to look at in their large countries, but Kiyoshi caught the eye of a scout from Palembang. They brought him to Indonesia in June 2009 on a developmental deal. Kiyoshi debuted in 2013 at age 20 with eight scoreless relief innings. He saw 137.2 innings the next year, although his results were subpar.

Still, Kiyoshi earned a full-time rotation spot from 2015 onward. His career best WAR was 8.1 in 2018 along with an association-best 50 FIP-, his only time as a league leader. Kiyoshi’s only time as a Pitcher of the Year finalist was a second place in 2019, which had his career bests for ERA (1.67) and strikeouts (307). Around this time, Palembang emerged as a reliable contender, winning four straight Java Sea League titles from 2018-21.

The Panthers won the Sundaland Association crown thrice from 2019-21. Palembang beat Taipei to win the 2019 Austronesia Championship; their first overall title. They lost in a 2020 rematch with the Tigercats, but were back on top beating Hsinchu in the 2021 final. Kiyoshi had great playoff stats splitting between starting and relief. He had 4 starts and 10 relief appearances with a 1.45 ERA, 2-2 record, 5 saves, 43.1 innings, 64 strikeouts, 7 walks, 182 ERA+, and 1.6 WAR.

In the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship, Kiyoshi had a 3.38 ERA and 1-3 record in four starts with 34 strikeouts and 0.7 WAR over 29.1 innings. He tossed 7.2 innings of relief in 2021 with no earned runs allowed, striking out 11 with five saves in six appearances. Palembang was last place in 2019 at 6-13, but earned a third place 13-6 in 2021.

In May 2020, Kiyoshi signed a four-year, $52,100,000 extension with Palembang. They fell three games short of the playoffs in 2022, then fell to 75-87 in 2023. With a rebuild expected, the Panthers sent Kiyoshi to Zamboanga in a four-player offseason trade. He finished with a 128-79 record, 2.17 ERA, 1880.1 innings, 2337 strikeouts, 344 walks, 116 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 43.1 WAR. For his role in the dynasty, Palembang later retired Kiyoshi’s #29 uniform.

The Zebras were the defending Taiwan-Philippine Association champ and hoped to build their own dynasty. They finished 110-52 in 2024, but got upset in the association finals by Kaohsiung. Kiyoshi kept up similar production with Zamboanga and had 4.1 scoreless playoff innings in relief. He signed a five-year, $72,500,000 extension with the Zebras after the 2024 season.

Kiyoshi was steady, but Zamboanga fell to the middle tier for the next three seasons then fell towards the bottom to close the decade. He had a 54-48 record, 2.20 ERA, 963.1 innings, 1066 strikeouts, 147 walks, 128 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 22.9 WAR. His production did dip in 2028 with a career-worst 3.18 ERA. Kiyoshi opted to retire that winter at age 35.

The final tallies had a 182-127 record, 2.18 ERA, 2843.2 innings, 3403 strikeouts, 491 walks, 302/398 quality starts, 24 complete games, 8 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 66.0 WAR. As of 2037, Kiyoshi ranks 51^st in wins, 82^nd in innings, 43^rd in strikeouts, and 56^th in WAR among pitchers. Against pitchers with 1000+ innings, Kiyoshi’s opponent’s OPS (.537) is 49^th and his ERA is 85^th. Kiyoshi also is 38^th in WHIP (0.85), 53^rd in H/9 (6.09), 73^rd in K/9 (10.77) and his .193/.233/.303 triple slash is 57^th/41^st/71^st.

Kiyoshi’s rate stats certainly compare well to other Hall of Famers, but his totals and inning count were on the lower end. Even the pitcher-friendly voters for the Austronesia Professional Baseball HOF acknowledged his totals were a bit borderline. Kiyoshi also wasn’t overly dominant and was limited for black ink and awards.

The biggest thing in his favor was the playoff results, making a big contribution for Palembang’s dynasty. The Panthers won their first two titles and Kiyoshi’s role sealed his candidacy for several voters. He only barely crossed the 66% requirement, but Kiyoshi earned 69.4% for a first ballot nod as part of the 2034 class for APB.

08-25-2025, 12:30 PM	#2405
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,978	2034 APB Hall of Fame The Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame added two first ballot inductees in 2034. LF Liu Hu was the headliner at 82.9% while SP Benjamin Kiyoshi just breached the 66% threshold at 69.4%. SP Favian Frias was the next closest with 59.3% on his second ballot. 3B Yu-Ting Tsai got 54.1% on his tenth and final chance. Also above 50% at 50.5% was 1B Ali Yusuf for his sixth go. For Tsai, he peaked at 56.5% in 2028 and had a low of 38.9% in 2033. He had a 17-year career mostly with Kaohsiung with one MVP, four Silver Sluggers, 2508 games, 2319 hits, 1127 runs, 304 doubles, 290 triples, 445 home runs, 1243 RBI, 875 walks, .256/.320/.501 slash, 158 wRC+, and 83.9 WAR. As of 2037, Tsai is 39^th in WAR among position players, 19^th in runs, 26^th in hits, 11^th in total bases (4538), 5^th in triples, 23^rd in homers, and 14^th in RBI. Despite that resume, Tsai never got the traction you might expect. He was hurt by playing on a lot of forgettable teams and posting a lackluster .510 OPS in his limited 25 playoff games. His black ink was also limited, but it goes to show how harsh APB voters could be towards batters in the hyper low-scoring league. Tsai did at least get his #97 uniform retired by the Steelheads, but he ended up stuck in the Hall of Pretty Good. CL Tedi Sudaryono was also dropped after ten failed ballots, peaking with his final ballot at 45.6% after a low of 8.4% the prior year. He won Reliever of the Year once and had 339 saves, a 1.83 ERA, 137 ERA+, 74 FIP-, 960 innings, 1193 strikeouts, 227 walks, and 22.3 WAR. Sudaryono ranks 10^th in saves as of 2037 and has the most of anyone who fell off the ballot, but he didn’t have the big dominance of the other closers. SP Hendrawan Aririsana also made it ten ballots, ending with only 4.6% after a peak of 27.0% in 2026. He had a 17-year career with a 201-181 record, 2.39 ERA, 3779 innings, 2841 strikeouts, 602 walks, 104 ERA+, 102 FIP-, and 45.8 WAR. Aririsana is one of 31 guys with 200+ wins, but was viewed as a compiler who stuck around with reliable averageness. Aririsana was only a league leader once (for innings) and a Pitcher of the Year finalist once, thus he ended up on the outside despite his tenure. Liu Hu – Left Field – Hsinchu Sweathogs – 82.9% First Ballot Liu Hu was a 6’1’’, 185 pound right-handed outfielder from the capital of Taiwan, Taipei. Hu was known for reliable home run power and a solid eye for drawing walks against both sides. His 162 game average got you 33 home runs, 18 doubles, and 8 triples; very good totals in the very low-scoring APB. Hu had ten seasons with 30+ home runs and smacked 40+ twice. Hu’s contact ability graded as merely decent and he did have some trouble with strikeouts. Unlike most power guys, Hu was an excellent baserunner with pretty good speed. He played primarily in left field and was a rock solid defender there, winning two Gold Gloves. Hu did play some center field sporadically, but his range wasn’t nearly good enough and he struggled in that spot. While he had a few injuries here and there, Hu held up very well over a 20-year career. He was a highly intelligent leader with a strong work ethic, becoming one of the most beloved players ever in Taiwanese baseball history. After a strong career at the University of Kang Ning, many viewed Hu as one of the top prospects to come from the island in some time. He went second overall in the 2008 APB Draft to Hsinchu, who had only begun play with the 2007 expansion. Hu became the team’s first real superstar and was a full-time starter right away. He won his two Gold Gloves in his first two seasons. Hu became good for at least 5 WAR all but one year from 2010-22. He won his lone MVP and first Silver Slugger (LF) in 2014, leading the Taiwan-Philippine Association in runs (93), homers (48), OBP (.362), slugging (.594), OPS (.956), and wRC+ (204). That would be his career bests for runs, hits (157), homers, total bases (328), OBP, OPS, and wRC+. That August, he signed an eight-year, $160,600,000 to stay long-term with the Sweathogs. Hsinchu was decent in the mid to late 2010s, but Taipei was dominating the Taiwan League at this point. The Sweathogs came the closest they’d been to the playoffs in 2019 at 94-68, but were three behind the Tigercats. Hu carried on with Silver Sluggers in 2015, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, and 22. The 2015 and 2017 wins were both in center field. Hu was third in 2019’s MVP voting, second in 2021, and third in 2022. He led in RBI in both 2021 and 2022. Hu also had league bests in 2022 for homers (44), steals (77), and WAR (10.3); the latter two being career bests. 2018 marked the arrival of Binh Tang to Hsinchu, who quickly started dominating the league with 12 MVP wins from 2020-32. This took some pressure off Hu to be the guy, although he was still playing at a very high level in his mid 30s. In 2021, the Sweathogs made the playoffs for the first time at 93-69 and won the pennant over Cagayan de Oro. They were denied the Austronesia Championship by Palembang. Unfortunately for Hu, he missed the entire postseason run to a strained back. Still, he was second in MVP voting that year to Tang and inked a new four-year, $67,200,000 extension that winter. Hsinchu remained above 90 wins from 2022-25, but only made the playoffs in 2023 and 2025. In 2023, they had the top seed at 106-56. However, the Sweathogs were denied both years in the association finals. Hu’s limited playoff numbers were unremarkable with 9 games, 7 hits, 2 runs, 3 doubles, 1 homer, and .651 OPS. Hu did get to play on the World Baseball Championship stage from 2017-26 with Taiwan with nice results. In 112 games, he had 94 hits, 75 runs, 17 doubles, 3 triples, 32 home runs, 76 RBI, 48 walks, 37 steals, .236/.338/.535 slash, 150 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR. Hu’s first appearance in 2017 saw the Taiwanese make it to the World Championship, falling 4-1 in the finale to the United States. He had a noticeable decline in 2025-26, but was still a decent starter in those years. Mostly out of respect, Hsinchu signed him to a two-year, $7,600,000 extension after the 2026 season. Hu missed almost all of 2027 to a broken bone in his elbow. He became a free agent in 2028, eventually returning on a one-year, $3,840,000 deal with the Sweathogs. Hu missed part of the year to a torn groin and struggled when healthy with -1.0 WAR and .503 OPS in 65 games. He retired that winter at age 41 and immediately had his #18 uniform as the first retired by Hsinchu. Hu was the first Hall of Famer for one of the expansion teams. Hu played 2694 games with 2301 hits, 1307 runs, 303 doubles, 128 triples, 556 home runs, 1349 RBI, 868 walks, 2639 strikeouts, 814 steals, .241/.310/.473 slash, 148 wRC+, and 102.3 WAR. As of 2037, Hu ranks 11^th in games, 8^th in runs, 31^st in hits, 12^th in total bases (4528), 92^nd in doubles, 9^th in homers, 8^th in RBI 30^th in steals, 15^th in walks, 12^th in strikeouts, and 18^th in WAR among position players. Few guys in Hu’s era were more steady and reliable. Scholars argue on if he’d be considered an “inner-circle” Hall of Famer, but Hu was a key figure in establishing the new Hsinchu franchise. The tough voters for Austronesia Professional Baseball gave him only 82.9%, but that was enough for a first ballot nod to headline the 2034 class. Benjamin Kiyoshi – Starting Pitcher – Palembang Panthers – 69.4% First Ballot Benjamin Kiyoshi was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Yigo, Guam; a village of around 19,000 people and the home of Andersen Air Force Base. Kiyoshi had great stuff with very good control and average movement. His velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph with a sinker and cutter as his top pitches. Kiyoshi also had a good fastball along with a changeup and curveball. Relative to other APB aces, Kiyoshi’s stamina was mediocre and he rarely had complete games. He did avoid the major injuries that ruin many pitchers in his 15-year career, but did miss some starts here and there with smaller ailments. Kiyoshi graded as just below average for holding runners and defense. The few players that come from Guam almost always end up in the Oceania Baseball Association. APB teams usually had no shortage of players to look at in their large countries, but Kiyoshi caught the eye of a scout from Palembang. They brought him to Indonesia in June 2009 on a developmental deal. Kiyoshi debuted in 2013 at age 20 with eight scoreless relief innings. He saw 137.2 innings the next year, although his results were subpar. Still, Kiyoshi earned a full-time rotation spot from 2015 onward. His career best WAR was 8.1 in 2018 along with an association-best 50 FIP-, his only time as a league leader. Kiyoshi’s only time as a Pitcher of the Year finalist was a second place in 2019, which had his career bests for ERA (1.67) and strikeouts (307). Around this time, Palembang emerged as a reliable contender, winning four straight Java Sea League titles from 2018-21. The Panthers won the Sundaland Association crown thrice from 2019-21. Palembang beat Taipei to win the 2019 Austronesia Championship; their first overall title. They lost in a 2020 rematch with the Tigercats, but were back on top beating Hsinchu in the 2021 final. Kiyoshi had great playoff stats splitting between starting and relief. He had 4 starts and 10 relief appearances with a 1.45 ERA, 2-2 record, 5 saves, 43.1 innings, 64 strikeouts, 7 walks, 182 ERA+, and 1.6 WAR. In the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship, Kiyoshi had a 3.38 ERA and 1-3 record in four starts with 34 strikeouts and 0.7 WAR over 29.1 innings. He tossed 7.2 innings of relief in 2021 with no earned runs allowed, striking out 11 with five saves in six appearances. Palembang was last place in 2019 at 6-13, but earned a third place 13-6 in 2021. In May 2020, Kiyoshi signed a four-year, $52,100,000 extension with Palembang. They fell three games short of the playoffs in 2022, then fell to 75-87 in 2023. With a rebuild expected, the Panthers sent Kiyoshi to Zamboanga in a four-player offseason trade. He finished with a 128-79 record, 2.17 ERA, 1880.1 innings, 2337 strikeouts, 344 walks, 116 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 43.1 WAR. For his role in the dynasty, Palembang later retired Kiyoshi’s #29 uniform. The Zebras were the defending Taiwan-Philippine Association champ and hoped to build their own dynasty. They finished 110-52 in 2024, but got upset in the association finals by Kaohsiung. Kiyoshi kept up similar production with Zamboanga and had 4.1 scoreless playoff innings in relief. He signed a five-year, $72,500,000 extension with the Zebras after the 2024 season. Kiyoshi was steady, but Zamboanga fell to the middle tier for the next three seasons then fell towards the bottom to close the decade. He had a 54-48 record, 2.20 ERA, 963.1 innings, 1066 strikeouts, 147 walks, 128 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 22.9 WAR. His production did dip in 2028 with a career-worst 3.18 ERA. Kiyoshi opted to retire that winter at age 35. The final tallies had a 182-127 record, 2.18 ERA, 2843.2 innings, 3403 strikeouts, 491 walks, 302/398 quality starts, 24 complete games, 8 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 66.0 WAR. As of 2037, Kiyoshi ranks 51^st in wins, 82^nd in innings, 43^rd in strikeouts, and 56^th in WAR among pitchers. Against pitchers with 1000+ innings, Kiyoshi’s opponent’s OPS (.537) is 49^th and his ERA is 85^th. Kiyoshi also is 38^th in WHIP (0.85), 53^rd in H/9 (6.09), 73^rd in K/9 (10.77) and his .193/.233/.303 triple slash is 57^th/41^st/71^st. Kiyoshi’s rate stats certainly compare well to other Hall of Famers, but his totals and inning count were on the lower end. Even the pitcher-friendly voters for the Austronesia Professional Baseball HOF acknowledged his totals were a bit borderline. Kiyoshi also wasn’t overly dominant and was limited for black ink and awards. The biggest thing in his favor was the playoff results, making a big contribution for Palembang’s dynasty. The Panthers won their first two titles and Kiyoshi’s role sealed his candidacy for several voters. He only barely crossed the 66% requirement, but Kiyoshi earned 69.4% for a first ballot nod as part of the 2034 class for APB. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)