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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-26-2025, 08:12 PM

Three pitchers were added into the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame for 2034, headlined by starter Ravi Cittabhoga at 98.2%. Closer Akram Ponnuru had his own solid first ballot nod with 87.7%. SP Harpal Kumaragupta was the third addition at 72.9% on his third ballot, narrowly crossing the 66% requirement. Two others were above 50% with CF Chris Saandeep at 54.9% on his ninth try and SP Siddhant Shakaya at 51.8% for his seventh attempt.

Dropped after ten ballots was LF Kasi Kumar, who peaked at 45.8% in 2026 and ended at 35.2%. He won one Silver Slugger in a 16-year career and notably was LCS and finals MVP in Kanpur’s 2018 title run. Most of his career was with Visakhapatnam with 2062 games, 2509 hits, 1086 runs, 520 doubles, 143 triples, 126 homers, 864 RBI, 606 steals, .336/.400/.494 slash, 172 wRC+, and 76.1 WAR.

Kumar was an impressive leadoff man and ranks 8^th in OBP and 10^th in batting average among all SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances as of 2037. He’s also 41^st in hits, 31^st in doubles, and 62^nd in WAR for position players. However, voters love home runs and RBI, two things Kumar lacked. He does go down as an all-time playoff performer with a 1.135 OPS, 234 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR in 68 starts.

CF Satishkuma Nayak also notably fell below 5% on his eighth ballot and was dropped. Another leadoff guy, he ranks 3^rd in stolen bases in SAB with 1399 and 26^th in WAR for position players. Nayak had one Silver Slugger and one Gold Glove, helping Kolkata win two championships. In 2564 games, he had 2419 hits, 1457 runs, 504 doubles, 160 triples, 234 home runs, 926 RBI, 618 walks, 2730 strikeouts, .251/.300/.409 slash, and 108 wRC+.

Nayak was one of the most efficient base stealers ever with a remarkable 86% success rate. As of 2037, he’s 29^th in world history for stolen bases. Along with the lack of power though, he also struck out a lot and had a lower average than you’d want. Great defense and baserunning still gave Nayak a great WAR total, but that wasn’t enough to get voters to get him beyond his 36.5% debut ballot.

Ravi Cittabhoga – Starting Pitcher – Lucknow Larks – 98.2% First Ballot

Ravi Cittabhoga was a 5’9’’, 170 pound right-handed pitcher from Siduli, India; a town of about 9,000 people in the West Bengal region. Cittabhoga was known for stellar movement on his pitches and was one of the best at avoiding home runs. He also had good-to-great stuff and control. Cittabhoga’s velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with a fastball, curveball, forkball, changeup arsenal. The curveball was usually regarded as his best pitch.

Cittabhoga’s stamina was below average compared to most SAB aces, but he had good durability for most of his career and gave you very efficient innings. He graded as subpar at holding runners and at defense. Cittabhoga was adaptable and well-liked by fans, but some teammates felt his leadership, loyalty, and work ethic were lacking.

In the 2012 SAB Draft, Cittabhoga went sixth overall to Lucknow. The Larks were still a fairly new franchise having joined in the 2004 expansion and had yet to earn a winning season. Cittabhoga was a full-time starter right away and was 2013’s Rookie of the Year. He took second in 2014’s Pitcher of the Year voting as Lucknow finished 88-74 for their first winning campaign. Cittabhoga was the Indian Leauge leader that year in WAR (6.3) and FIP- (62) with a career best 20-6 record. It would be one of three seasons with an ERA below two.

After the 2015 season, Cittabhoga signed a five-year, $22,100,000 extension with the Larks. He led in FIP- four more times with Lucknow, posting big stats there with the few home runs he allowed. Cittabhoga didn’t have the big strikeout numbers though to get awards consideration much in his 20s. Lucknow hovered around .500 before finally getting their first playoff berth in 2019, winning the Central Division at 89-73.

The Larks got to the ILCS, but fell to Pune. These would be Cittabhoga’s only playoff starts for Lucknow with a 3.86 ERA over 9.1 innings with 16 Ks. Hoping for long-term success, Cittabhoga was signed to a seven-year, $52,300,000 extension in March 2020. The Larks were 82-80 in 2020, then would be below .500 for the rest of the 2020s.

You couldn’t blame Cittabhoga for the team failings though. He was second in 2020’s Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award for the first time in 2021. Both years had ERA titles with 2.27 in 2020 and a career-best 1.76 in 2021. Cittabhoga was also the WARlord in 2021 with a career high 9.5 and a 43 FIP-, plus a league-best four shutouts.

Cittabhoga was third in 2022’s POTY voting, second in 2023, and third in 2024. Still, Lucknow was going nowhere and bottomed out at 63-99 in 2024. Wanting to win before his career was done, the 34-year old opted out of his deal for free agency. With the Larks, Cittabhoga had a 152-86 record, 107 saves, 2.35 ERA, 2291 innings, 3007 strikeouts, 489 walks, 155 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 77.1 WAR. He remained very popular in Lucknow and his #1 uniform would eventually be retired.

He went to the Southeast Asia League on a four-year, $66,400,000 deal with Dhaka. The Dobermans had won the pennant in 2021 and 2023 and were on a four-year playoff streak. Their postseason streak continued to 2031, but they didn’t get beyond the divisional round during Cittabhoga’s tenure. His three playoff starts had a subpar 4.42 ERA over 18.1 innings.

Cittabhoga did get to pitch in the World Baseball Championship stage with good results for India from 2016-26. In 142.2 innings, he had a 9-4 record, 2.90 ERA, 174 strikeouts, 41 walks, 123 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 4.2 WAR. India’s deepest run with Cittabhoga was a fourth place in 2025, he had a strong showing with a 1.80 ERA over 25 innings.

Cittabhoga was great in his debut, winning 2025 Pitcher of the Year with an ERA title (2.80) and the top WAR at 8.8. He was iffy in 2026 and ran into his first injury troubles. Bone chips in his elbow kept him out much of the spring. Then in September, Cittabhoga suffered a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament with a 14 month expected recovery time. He didn’t make it back until the very end of the 2027 season with one regular season start and one in the playoffs. Cittabhoga failed to meet the vesting criteria for the fourth year and was a free agent for 2028.

With Dhaka, Cittabhoga had a 27-17 record, 3.19 ERA, 375.2 innings, 444 strikeouts, 58 walks, 128 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 14.1 WAR. Coming up on age 38, Mumbai hoped Cittabhoga could regain some of that old form. He signed a one-year, $4,480,000 deal but pitched only 33.2 poor innings while suffering a herniated disc. At the deadline, he was traded to Visakhapatnam in a four-player deal. Cittabhoga gave up 8 runs in 11 relief innings for the Volts and was clearly cooked. He retired that winter at age 38.

Cittabhoga finished with a 179-107 record, 109 saves, 2.54 ERA, 2711.1 innings, 3482 strikeouts, 554 walks, 235/367 quality starts, 27 complete games, 13 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 90.5 WAR. As of 2037, Cittabhoga ranks 36^th in wins, 48^th in innings, 24^th in strikeouts, and 6^th in pitching WAR. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Cittabhoga is 21^st in ERA, 33^rd in WHIP (1.00), and 17^th in opponent’s OPS (.580). His .217/.262/.317 triple slash ranks 55^th/34^th/17^th. Cittabhoga is also 53^rd in H/9 (7.13) and 60^th in K/9 (11.56).

Among all Hall of Fame starters and retired locks in world history, Cittabhoga ranks 40^th in FIP-. Sabermetrics really rate him as far more efficient than many of the traditional metrics might. More traditionalists would say he doesn’t have the totals to be an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but that may be more a longevity issue than anything else. Cittabhoga’s resume made him a lock though to all class of voters, headlining South Asia Baseball’s three-player crew in 2034 at 98.2%.

08-26-2025, 08:12 PM	#2408
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,015	2034 SAB Hall of Fame Three pitchers were added into the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame for 2034, headlined by starter Ravi Cittabhoga at 98.2%. Closer Akram Ponnuru had his own solid first ballot nod with 87.7%. SP Harpal Kumaragupta was the third addition at 72.9% on his third ballot, narrowly crossing the 66% requirement. Two others were above 50% with CF Chris Saandeep at 54.9% on his ninth try and SP Siddhant Shakaya at 51.8% for his seventh attempt. Dropped after ten ballots was LF Kasi Kumar, who peaked at 45.8% in 2026 and ended at 35.2%. He won one Silver Slugger in a 16-year career and notably was LCS and finals MVP in Kanpur’s 2018 title run. Most of his career was with Visakhapatnam with 2062 games, 2509 hits, 1086 runs, 520 doubles, 143 triples, 126 homers, 864 RBI, 606 steals, .336/.400/.494 slash, 172 wRC+, and 76.1 WAR. Kumar was an impressive leadoff man and ranks 8^th in OBP and 10^th in batting average among all SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances as of 2037. He’s also 41^st in hits, 31^st in doubles, and 62^nd in WAR for position players. However, voters love home runs and RBI, two things Kumar lacked. He does go down as an all-time playoff performer with a 1.135 OPS, 234 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR in 68 starts. CF Satishkuma Nayak also notably fell below 5% on his eighth ballot and was dropped. Another leadoff guy, he ranks 3^rd in stolen bases in SAB with 1399 and 26^th in WAR for position players. Nayak had one Silver Slugger and one Gold Glove, helping Kolkata win two championships. In 2564 games, he had 2419 hits, 1457 runs, 504 doubles, 160 triples, 234 home runs, 926 RBI, 618 walks, 2730 strikeouts, .251/.300/.409 slash, and 108 wRC+. Nayak was one of the most efficient base stealers ever with a remarkable 86% success rate. As of 2037, he’s 29^th in world history for stolen bases. Along with the lack of power though, he also struck out a lot and had a lower average than you’d want. Great defense and baserunning still gave Nayak a great WAR total, but that wasn’t enough to get voters to get him beyond his 36.5% debut ballot. Ravi Cittabhoga – Starting Pitcher – Lucknow Larks – 98.2% First Ballot Ravi Cittabhoga was a 5’9’’, 170 pound right-handed pitcher from Siduli, India; a town of about 9,000 people in the West Bengal region. Cittabhoga was known for stellar movement on his pitches and was one of the best at avoiding home runs. He also had good-to-great stuff and control. Cittabhoga’s velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with a fastball, curveball, forkball, changeup arsenal. The curveball was usually regarded as his best pitch. Cittabhoga’s stamina was below average compared to most SAB aces, but he had good durability for most of his career and gave you very efficient innings. He graded as subpar at holding runners and at defense. Cittabhoga was adaptable and well-liked by fans, but some teammates felt his leadership, loyalty, and work ethic were lacking. In the 2012 SAB Draft, Cittabhoga went sixth overall to Lucknow. The Larks were still a fairly new franchise having joined in the 2004 expansion and had yet to earn a winning season. Cittabhoga was a full-time starter right away and was 2013’s Rookie of the Year. He took second in 2014’s Pitcher of the Year voting as Lucknow finished 88-74 for their first winning campaign. Cittabhoga was the Indian Leauge leader that year in WAR (6.3) and FIP- (62) with a career best 20-6 record. It would be one of three seasons with an ERA below two. After the 2015 season, Cittabhoga signed a five-year, $22,100,000 extension with the Larks. He led in FIP- four more times with Lucknow, posting big stats there with the few home runs he allowed. Cittabhoga didn’t have the big strikeout numbers though to get awards consideration much in his 20s. Lucknow hovered around .500 before finally getting their first playoff berth in 2019, winning the Central Division at 89-73. The Larks got to the ILCS, but fell to Pune. These would be Cittabhoga’s only playoff starts for Lucknow with a 3.86 ERA over 9.1 innings with 16 Ks. Hoping for long-term success, Cittabhoga was signed to a seven-year, $52,300,000 extension in March 2020. The Larks were 82-80 in 2020, then would be below .500 for the rest of the 2020s. You couldn’t blame Cittabhoga for the team failings though. He was second in 2020’s Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award for the first time in 2021. Both years had ERA titles with 2.27 in 2020 and a career-best 1.76 in 2021. Cittabhoga was also the WARlord in 2021 with a career high 9.5 and a 43 FIP-, plus a league-best four shutouts. Cittabhoga was third in 2022’s POTY voting, second in 2023, and third in 2024. Still, Lucknow was going nowhere and bottomed out at 63-99 in 2024. Wanting to win before his career was done, the 34-year old opted out of his deal for free agency. With the Larks, Cittabhoga had a 152-86 record, 107 saves, 2.35 ERA, 2291 innings, 3007 strikeouts, 489 walks, 155 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 77.1 WAR. He remained very popular in Lucknow and his #1 uniform would eventually be retired. He went to the Southeast Asia League on a four-year, $66,400,000 deal with Dhaka. The Dobermans had won the pennant in 2021 and 2023 and were on a four-year playoff streak. Their postseason streak continued to 2031, but they didn’t get beyond the divisional round during Cittabhoga’s tenure. His three playoff starts had a subpar 4.42 ERA over 18.1 innings. Cittabhoga did get to pitch in the World Baseball Championship stage with good results for India from 2016-26. In 142.2 innings, he had a 9-4 record, 2.90 ERA, 174 strikeouts, 41 walks, 123 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 4.2 WAR. India’s deepest run with Cittabhoga was a fourth place in 2025, he had a strong showing with a 1.80 ERA over 25 innings. Cittabhoga was great in his debut, winning 2025 Pitcher of the Year with an ERA title (2.80) and the top WAR at 8.8. He was iffy in 2026 and ran into his first injury troubles. Bone chips in his elbow kept him out much of the spring. Then in September, Cittabhoga suffered a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament with a 14 month expected recovery time. He didn’t make it back until the very end of the 2027 season with one regular season start and one in the playoffs. Cittabhoga failed to meet the vesting criteria for the fourth year and was a free agent for 2028. With Dhaka, Cittabhoga had a 27-17 record, 3.19 ERA, 375.2 innings, 444 strikeouts, 58 walks, 128 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 14.1 WAR. Coming up on age 38, Mumbai hoped Cittabhoga could regain some of that old form. He signed a one-year, $4,480,000 deal but pitched only 33.2 poor innings while suffering a herniated disc. At the deadline, he was traded to Visakhapatnam in a four-player deal. Cittabhoga gave up 8 runs in 11 relief innings for the Volts and was clearly cooked. He retired that winter at age 38. Cittabhoga finished with a 179-107 record, 109 saves, 2.54 ERA, 2711.1 innings, 3482 strikeouts, 554 walks, 235/367 quality starts, 27 complete games, 13 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 90.5 WAR. As of 2037, Cittabhoga ranks 36^th in wins, 48^th in innings, 24^th in strikeouts, and 6^th in pitching WAR. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Cittabhoga is 21^st in ERA, 33^rd in WHIP (1.00), and 17^th in opponent’s OPS (.580). His .217/.262/.317 triple slash ranks 55^th/34^th/17^th. Cittabhoga is also 53^rd in H/9 (7.13) and 60^th in K/9 (11.56). Among all Hall of Fame starters and retired locks in world history, Cittabhoga ranks 40^th in FIP-. Sabermetrics really rate him as far more efficient than many of the traditional metrics might. More traditionalists would say he doesn’t have the totals to be an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but that may be more a longevity issue than anything else. Cittabhoga’s resume made him a lock though to all class of voters, headlining South Asia Baseball’s three-player crew in 2034 at 98.2%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)