Baseball: The World's Game

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The Central American Baseball Association’s 2020 Hall of Fame voting lacked impactful debuts with only one newcomer getting above 20%. However, this opened things up for three returners to cross the 66% requirement for induction. 1B Yonder Aguirre led the way with 83.3% in his third ballot. SP Julio Sandoval made it on his seventh attempt at 73.3% and fellow pitcher Ian Paniagua got 69.3% for his third ballot. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Yonder Aguirre – First Base – Havana Hurricanes – 83.3% Third Ballot

Yonder Aguirre was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Aguirre was a solid contract hitter with a great pop in his bat, getting 38 home runs and 32 doubles per his 162 game average. He wasn’t a league leader, but Aguirre was steady and consistent. However, Aguirre was mediocre both at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He was also very slow and sluggish on the basepaths.

Aguirre made around 80% of his starts at first base with most of the rest as a designated hitter. He was a reliably good defender at first, winning Gold Gloves from 2007-09. Aguirre had outstanding durability and basically never missed time to injury. He was quite intelligent, but was viewed by most teammates as a distant loner.

His power potential was quickly noticed as a teenager growing in in the Dominican capital. A visiting scout from Havana was able to convince Aguirre to come to Cuba on a developmental deal in March 1994. He spent most of six years in their academy, but Aguirre did debut in 1997 at age 19. From 1997-99, he played 80 games and started 37, struggling in his limited play. Aguirre earned a full-time starting gig in 2000 and held it exclusively for the next decade.

From 2000-07, Aguirre posted 4.9+ WAR, 30+ home runs, 110+ RBI, and a .300+ batting average each year. He topped 40 home runs six times in that stretch, winning a Silver Slugger at DH in 2000 and 1B in 2005. Aguirre signed a two-year, $11,600,000 extension in April 2003, then inked a seven-year, $50,300,000 extension in May 2005.

Aguirre was third in MVP voting in 2005, his only time as a finalist. This was his lone time leading in a major stat with 219 hits. That was a career high, as was his 116 runs, 137 RBI, .342/.372/.618 slash, .989 OPS, 165 wRC+, and 8.2 WAR. Aguirre’s 45 homers were his second most, as he smacked 46 in 2003.

Havana was regularly above .500 in this era, but fell behind the dynasty runs of Haiti and Honduras. The Hurricanes lost in the Caribbean League Championship Series in both 2002 and 2004, then lost in the first round in 2005. They missed the playoffs from 2006-08. Aguirre also played 80 games with 62 starts for the Dominican Republic from 2000-13 in the World Baseball Championship, posting 62 hits, 36 runs, 14 doubles, 19 home runs, 33 RBI, a .247/.297/.538 slash, 143 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR

Aguirre’s production dropped sharply after the 2007 season, going from a regular 5+ WAR guy to the 2-3 WAR range. He still hit 43 home runs in the 2009 season, then stepped up in the playoffs as Havana won the CABA Championship over Monterrey. In 16 playoff starts, Aguirre posted 19 hits, 12 runs, 7 homers, 14 RBI, and a .985 OPS. For his playoff career, he started 36 games with 40 hits, 22 runs, 8 doubles, 12 homers, 27 RBI, a .274/.287/.589 slash, 132 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. The Hurricanes would fall off after this surprise title win, finishing below .500 the next four years.

In 2010, Aguirre was reduced to a backup role with only 89 games and 47 starts. He was back to starting two more seasons with Havana, reaching 500 career home runs. After the 2012 season, Aguirre became a free agent for the first time at age 35. The Hurricanes would later retire his #28 uniform for his efforts and role in their first title since 1975.

Aguirre couldn’t find another CABA job and moved to West African Baseball in 2013 on a three-year, $16,500,000 deal with Ouagadougou. He was an okay starter in 2013 with 1.3 WAR and 108 wRC+ in 147 games and 126 starts. Aguirre struggled in only 49 games in 2014 with -0.8 WAR and a .512 OPS. He retired that winter at age 37.

With Havana, Aguirre had 2408 hits, 1194 runs, 410 doubles, 505 home runs, 1456 RBI, 266 walks, 1744 strikeouts, a .306/.330/.563 slash, 137 wRC+, and 59.5 WAR. As of 2037, Aguirre ranks 86^th in hits, 69^th in home runs, and 55^th in RBI. He does fit outside of the top 100 in WAR among position players. He had some nice home run tallies, but advanced stats put him a bit on the borderline. Aguirre also lacked black ink, but he was often in the top ten in big stats during his prime.

Aguirre just missed the cut in his first two ballots at 64.7% and 62.9%. A lack of impactful debuts helped make his resume jump out a bit more come the 2020 CABA Hall of Fame ballot. Aguirre’s home run power, a sustained run with one team, and helping Havana win the title in 2009 helped get him the nod, even if he wasn’t THE top first baseman of his era. Aguirre bumped up to a rock solid 83.3% for a third ballot induction and the headline spot in 2020.

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Julio Sandoval – Starting Pitcher – Honduras Horsemen – 73.3% Seventh Ballot

Julio Sandoval was a 6’2’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Las Vegas, Honduras, a town of around 11,000 people. Sandoval had very good stuff and movement, although his control was never better than average. His 97-99 mph sinker was his strongest pitch, but his curveball, changeup, and splitter were each potent options. Sandoval’s stamina was good compared to most CABA aces and he had good durability, tossing 200+ innings in all but his final season. He was average defensively and was generally a well-liked guy in the clubhouse.

Sandoval emerged as a top pitching prospect ahead of CABA’s 1997 Draft and was picked ninth overall by Panama. The Parrots made him a full-time starter right away with 219 innings and 2.2 WAR in his rookie season. Sandoval got more effective after that and topped 6+ WAR in three of his five seasons with the Parrots. He led the Caribbean League in innings in 2000 (289.2) and unfortunately led in walks (101) in 2001. Sandoval was a good starter at this point, but wasn’t in awards conversations.

Panama was subpar during this era, averaging 74.6 wins per season in Sandoval’s tenure. With that, they weren’t able to match the contract value that Sandoval would get on the free agent market after the 2002 season. In five seasons for the Parrots, Sandoval had a 75-64 record, 3.59 ERA, 1285 innings, 1245 strikeouts, 401 walks, 112 ERA+, and 26.0 WAR.

Heading towards his age 28 season, Sandoval returned to his home country and signed a four-year, $17,280,000 deal with Honduras. This became his most famous and notably run. The Horsemen had been a regular contender recently, earning nine playoff berths in the prior ten years. However, they had struggled in the postseason since their 1993 CABA title with four CLCS defeats and four losses in the first round.

Sandoval helped Honduras get back to the mountaintop, winning the CABA Championship over Ecatepec in 2003 with a 110-52 record. He took third in Pitcher of the Year voting with a 7.2 WAR effort and went 3-0 in the playoffs with a 25.4 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 28.1 innings. Honduras repeated as Caribbean champ in 2004, but lost the CABA finale in a rematch with the Explosion. Sandoval had a 3.90 ERA over 27.2 playoff innings with 33 strikeouts in the 2004 run.

2004 was Sandoval’s finest season, winning his lone Pitcher of the Year by posting the first Triple Crown pitching season in CABA since 1996. He had a 24-3 record, 2.11 ERA, and 351 strikeouts; all career highs. Sandoval also hit his career best WAR at 8.6. He led in WAR at 8.4 in 2005 and took second in POTY voting. He allowed 4 runs in 8.1 innings in his lone playoff start as Honduras was a wild card with a first round defeat.

Sandoval posted 6.5 WAR in 2006 and Honduras got back to the CLCS, although they were ousted by Haiti. He had a 1.93 ERA over 14 playoff innings. For his postseason career, Sandoval had a 3.10 ERA and 5-1 record over 78.1 innings, 81 strikeouts, 18 walks, 127 ERA+, and 0.8 WAR. While his tenure was only four years, Sandoval played a big role in getting Honduras over the hump for two pennants and one CABA title. With the Horsemen, he had a 76-26 record, 2.72 ERA, 1021 innings, 1174 strikeouts, 255 walks, 146 ERA+, and 30.7 WAR.

Soon to be 32-years old, Sandoval was a free agent again for 2007. Jamaica inked him to a six-year, $37,900,000 deal which ended up being a big bust. His velocity had dipped from the upper 90s to mid 90s in his last year with Honduras, but Sandoval declined rapidly with the Jazz. In his Jamaica debut, Sandoval was peaking in the 90-92 mph range and struggled to a 4.40 ERA and 1.5 WAR over 256 innings.

For 2008, Sandoval now was topping out in the 85-87 mph range. He was actively bad over 187.1 innings with a 4.37 ERA and was taken out of the rotation. Sandoval remained under contract for 2009 and 2010, but Jamaica didn’t use him in either season. With the Jazz, he had a 4.18 ERA over 443.1 innings, 17-32 record, 233 strikeouts, 98 ERA+, and 2.0 WAR. Sandoval officially retired after the 2010 season at age 35.

Sandoval finished with a 168-122 record, 3.36 ERA, 2749.1 innings, 2652 strikeouts, 757 walks, 186/335 quality starts, 115 complete games, 119 ERA+, and 58.6 WAR. As of 2037, he falls outside the top 100 in all of the counting stats except for the bad one of walks (39^th). Sandoval’s quick and sudden decline kept him from reaching accumulations that most figured he’d reach easily based on how his 20s went. Because of that, many voters felt he didn’t have the tenure to deserve a Hall of Fame spot. Supporters noted his window of dominance with Honduras, the Triple Crown season, and two Caribbean pennants.

In 2014, Sandoval debuted on the ballot at 47.8%. He bounced between the 40-55% range for his next three ballots, then came close to the 66% requirement in 2018 at 61.9%. Sandoval dropped back to 54.6% in 2019, but got the benefit of weak debuts for 2020. He bumped across the line at 73.3% for induction with the 2020 class on his seventh ballot.



Ian Paniagua – Starting Pitcher – Juarez Jesters – 69.3% Third Ballot

Ian Paniagua was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico; a town of 75,000 within the San Juan metropolitan area. Despite his size, Paniagua wasn’t a power pitcher as his velocity peaked at only 89-91 mph. However, he had solid stuff with a diverse six-pitch arsenal mixed with great control and strong movement. Paniagua had a fastball, slider, forkball, changeup, cutter, and circle change on offer.

Paniagua’s stamina was good relative to other CABA aces and he had reliable durability for most of his run. He was mediocre at holding runners and fielding the position. The main knock on Paniagua was that he was a selfish jerk. Many teammates and coaches noted his lack of effort and intelligence. Even if he coasted at times on his natural talent, Paniagua still managed to post a 17-year professional career.

In November 1990, a teenaged Paniagua was spotted by a visiting Mexican scout from Juarez, giving him a developmental contract. He spent five years in the Jesters’ academy before debuting in 1996 at age 22, posting a 4.25 ERA over 118.2 innings. He started much of 1997, then was a full-time fixture in the rotation from 1998-2009 with Juarez. During that run, Paniagua topped 5+ WAR in nine different seasons. His production and innings were steady, although he rarely was a league leader and was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. Paniagua did have the most complete games in 2003 and quality starts in 2007.

Juarez gave Paniagua a five-year, $13,360,000 extension after the 1998 season, followed by a seven-year, $40,760,000 extension just before the 2003 campaign. They knew what to expect from Paniagua, which helped the Jesters become a contender in the 2000s. From 2000-06, Juarez had six playoff berths. They fell in the Mexican League Championship Series in 2000 and 2002, then had first round exits as a wild card in 2003 and 2004.

The Jesters broke through and won back-to-back Mexican League titles in 2005-06. Juarez failed to win the CABA Championship though, falling to Salvador in 2005 and Haiti in 2006. Paniagua was excellent in the 2006 run with a 2.37 ERA over 38 innings. However, he struggled in his other playoff opportunities. For his career, Paniagua was a lackluster 7-10 with a 4.67 ERA over 115.2 playoff innings with 98 strikeouts, 13 walks, 80 ERA+, and 0.8 WAR. He did fare better in his sporadic World Baseball Championship appearances for Puerto Rico with 111 innings, a 2.59 ERA, 8-3 record, 1.3 WAR, and 112 strikeouts.

Juarez fell just outside the playoffs for the remainder of Paniagua’s run. He saw his first injury setback in late summer 2008 with a torn rotator cuff. Paniagua bounced back though with a career-best 2.80 ERA in 2009. Still, the Jesters bought out the remainder of his deal, making Paniagua a free agent at age 36. Despite his personality clashes, Juarez would later retire his #30 uniform. Paniagua had a 213-142 record, 3.56 ERA, 3255 innings, 3104 strikeouts, 609 walks, 104 ERA+, and 69.1 WAR.

Tijuana signed Paniagua to a three-year, $17,100,000 deal. He ate innings, but otherwise struggled with his worst production in his two seasons for the Toros. Paniagua posted a 21-30 record, 4.14 ERA, 461 innings, 378 strikeouts, 89 ERA+, and 4.2 WAR. Tijuana would trade him in the offseason to Santo Domingo for three prospects.

Paniagua was a back-end starter with passable results in his one year with the Dolphins with 2.9 WAR over 170 innings and a 4.24 ERA. He wasn’t used in the playoffs, but he earned a ring as Santo Domingo won the CABA Championship against his former squad Juarez. Paniagua did see 15 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship, but struggled to a 7.20 ERA. He wanted to play somewhere in 2013, but teams weren’t interested. Paniagua retired in the winter at age 39.

In total, Paniagua had a 245-177 record, 3.66 ERA, 3886 innings, 3595 strikeouts, 771 walks, 295/500 quality starts, 130 complete games, 22 shutouts, 101 ERA+, and 76.2 WAR. As of 2037, Paniagua ranks 18^th in wins, 16^th in innings, 31^st in strikeouts, 44^th in complete games, 34^th in walks, and 44^th in WAR among pitchers. The 101 ERA+ and 3.66 ERA suggested sustained averageness, although his 86 FIP- suggested Paniagua may have been stronger than the ERA stats would suggest.

There were voters who were underwhelmed by his overall production, playoff struggles, and lack of awards. Paniagua’s ERA would be the worst of any Hall of Fame inductee in CABA. Plus, he was an unlikeable jerk. However, Paniagua’s longevity got him to milestones though as to that point, every eligible pitcher with 230+ wins and/or 3500+ strikeouts made the cut. He narrowly missed the 66% requirement in his first two ballots at 61.9% and 62.6%. Paniagua didn’t cross the line by much, but 69.3% in 2020 earned him a third ballot induction into CABA’s HOF.

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East Asia Baseball’s 2020 Hall of Fame ballot was very nearly a blank one with one returner scraping past the 66% requirement. On his ninth try, SP Kachi Ishii made it in at 67.2%. Ishii joined Class of 1968 CF Ha-Min Park as EAB’s only inductees from the ninth ballot. No players have gotten in on their tenth go in EAB. The best debut was SP Jong-Hyeon Chung at 60.8% with no other debutants above 40%.

Five other returners did cross the 50% mark, but were below 60%. 3B Min-Seong Ryu led this crew at 59.9% in his sixth ballot. On their third ballots, SP Dong-Won Kim had 56.3% and SP Rais Malikov received 54.8%. SP Nazonokusa Mori posted 53.6% for his ninth attempt and LF Kazuo Satoh saw 51.5% for his second try. No players were removed from the ballot after ten failed tries in 2020.



Worth noting that Ryu was removed from the ballot despite only six ballots. This was possible a glitch since he was below 5% in his one season in the West African Baseball ballot. Considering he had 56% or better in six tries, Ryu had a pretty good shot of eventually getting in. A seven-time Silver Slugger winner at third base, Ryu had a unique career that spanned 23 seasons.

Hurting his EAB Hall of Fame candidacy was playing only 13 seasons there, combining for 2536 hits, 988 runs, 440 doubles, 86 triples, 189 home runs, 1060 RBI, a .346/.380/.506 slash, 143 wRC+, and 70.2 WAR. Those numbers made him borderline, especially for a leadoff type guy. He would go on to play four years in MLB, then six years in WAB. He even won MVP in his WAB debut with Bamako at age 39.

Between three leagues, Ryu had 3253 games, 4043 hits, 1610 runs, 703 doubles, 120 triples, 319 home runs, 1709 RBI, a .330/.367/.484 slash, 135 wRC+, and 104.8 WAR. He quietly became only the third in all of pro baseball history to reach 4000 career hits because they were spread out. As of 2037, Ryu ranks 5^th among all players in hits, 18^th in doubles, and 32^nd in games played; giving him a unique career worthy of a mention.



Kachi Ishii – Starting Pitcher – Bucheon Bolts – 67.2% Ninth Ballot

Kachi Ishii was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Izumiotsu, Japan; a city of around 73,000 people in the Osaka Prefecture. Ishii was known for having excellent stuff with above average movement, although his control was below average. His fastball was tough despite only peaking in the 94-96 mph range. Ishii’s tricky screwball was his most dangerous pitch and was considered one of the all-time great screwballs. He also had a nice curveball and a changeup in the arsenal.

Ishii’s stamina was low compared to most EAB starters and he wasn’t going to get you as many complete games as most aces. He also ran into some injury issues but unlike most pitchers, it wasn’t arm trouble but instead was back and knee woes. Ishii did have the benefit of being an excellent defensive pitcher who was good at holding runners, winning a Gold Glove in 2005.

By Ishii’s senior year at Taisei Gakuindai High School, he had emerged as one of the most promising pitching prospects. Bucheon picked him fourth overall and had him in their developmental academy four years. He didn’t play in the 1990 regular season, but allowed one run in six innings in the playoffs as the Bolts lost in the Korea League Championship Series. Ishii debuted as a full-time starter in 1991 with a 3.3 WAR rookie campaign. He again had a quality playoff start, but Bucheon was ousted in the first round.

He looked similar in 1992, then missed much of 1993 to a torn meniscus. Ishii bounced back in 1994 with one of four 6+ WAR seasons he’d post in his career, but again his season ended with a torn meniscus. Ishii was a decent but unremarkable starter the next three years as Bucheon plummeted to the bottom of the standings. The Bolts bottomed out at 56-106 in 1996, but they did surprise many with a KL pennant two years later. By then, Ishii was gone as he entered free agency at age 29 after the 1997 campaign.

With Bucheon, Ishii had a 77-76 record, 3.60 ERA, 1404.2 innings, 1589 strikeouts, 460 walks, 105 ERA+, and 26.4 WAR. It was by far his longest tenure and he’d be inducted wearing the Bolts’ purple and gold. However, Ishii’s most famous and notably run was likely his next one with Osaka. He returned to his native Japan and home prefecture on a four-year, $8,320,000 deal with the Orange Sox.

Ishii made history in his first year in Osaka, throwing EAB’s 30^th Perfect Game on August 18 with 14 strikeouts against Yokohama. 1998 saw his career best in strikeouts (313) and WAR (6.9). Ishii had similar stats in 1999 with 6.8 WAR and 307 strikeouts. He had career bests in wins (21-7) and ERA (1.90) as well as his only time as a league leader with 31 quality starts. Ishii finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist.

He was solid again the next two years as Osaka started to contend. They missed the playoffs in 2000 despite their 100-62 record, then won the division title in 2001 at 93-69, although they went one-and-done. Ishii struggled in his one playoff start, allowing five runs in seven innings. The Orange Sox would claim the Japan League pennant in 2002, but again Ishii was gone just before his team broke through. In four years for Osaka, Ishii had a 62-32 record, 2.46 ERA, 971.1 innings, 1137 strikeouts, 194 walks, 137 ERA+, and 25.3 WAR.

Ishii was a free agent again now at age 33 and inked a five-year, $25,000,000 deal with Nagoya. His first two years for the Nightowls were solid with the production teams came to expect from him. Knee troubles popped up again for Ishii with another torn meniscus, costing him most of the 2004 season. Ishii was solid to start 2005, but Nagoya was in the midst of a rebuild. On July 1, he was part of a five-player trade with Hiroshima. With the Nightowls, Ishii had a 29-24 record, 2.66 ERA, 564.2 innings, 694 strikeouts, 114 walks, 128 ERA+, and 15.7 WAR.

He was merely okay finishing out 2005 for Hiroshima, but did toss seven shutout playoff innings. The Hammerheads had the top overall seed, but went one-and-done, which was a recurring problem during their 1999-06 playoff streak. Ishii had a 2.97 ERA and 3.9 WAR in 203.1 innings for 2006, giving him 4.3 WAR total for his Hiroshima tenure. He wasn’t used in the playoffs as they again suffered a first round exit. Ishii was set for free agency that winter, but decided not to overstay his welcome and retired at age 38.

Ishii ended with an 188-143 record, 3.06 ERA, 3262.1 innings, 3747 strikeouts, 832 walks, 294/432 quality starts, 57 complete games, 16 shutouts, 117 ERA+, and 71.7 WAR. As of 2037, Ishii ranks 30^th in strikeouts, 92^nd in innings, and 71^st in pitching WAR. His accumulations were certainly borderline though and some critics felt he lacked the black ink or awards required to overcome lower tallies. Although good in his limited playoff starts (2.96 ERA in 27.1 innings), Ishii also didn’t play for any prominent contenders.

Supporters argued his steady production and throwing a perfect game pushed him across the line. Ishii debuted in 2012 at 45.2% and hovered around the 40s-low 50s for much of his run. He got up to 61.8% in 2016 and 64.7% in 2018, just on the cusp of the 66% requirement. However, Ishii fell to a low of 34.8% in 2019, making supporters worried that his chances were done. With lackluster debuts in 2020, Ishii’s resume received another pass and popped out compared to the other options. He sneaked across the line at 67.2% to become only the second ninth ballot selection and the lone member of EAB’s 2020 Hall of Fame class.

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Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2020 Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with four players selected upon their ballot debuts. It was the first time since 2000 that BSA had seen a four-player group. Two were absolute slam dunks with SP Juliao Costa at 99.4% and 1B/2B Gavino Cuoghi at 94.9%. Joining them was OF/DH D.J. Serna at 79.0% and CL Cristobal Nava at 70.4%. One other player cracked 50% with 3B Artemio Reyes at 51.3% on his fourth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots and in fact, no returners even fell below the 5% mark.



Juliao Costa – Starting Pitcher – Belo Horizonte Hogs – 99.4% First Ballot

Juliao Costa was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher Santa Maria, a municipality of 283,000 inhabitants in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul. Costa had tremendous stuff with excellent movement and pinpoint control. His fastball regularly hit 98-100 mph, but his equally quick cutter was even more dangerous. Costa also boasted a strong forkball and changeup in the arsenal.

Costa had very good stamina and durability, tossing 220+ innings in all but his first and final seasons. He was also a good defensive pitcher who was decent at holding runners. Costa was also a better hitter than most pitchers, winning Silver Sluggers in 2002 and 2005 while posting a career .240 batting average. His personality was quite ordinary, but his extraordinary pitching made Costa one of the finest arms ever to come out of Brazil.

After a fine college career, Costa was picked 14^th overall by Belo Horizonte in BSA’s 1997 Draft. The Hogs used him as a reliever in his rookie season, although he was iffy in that role with -0.6 WAR over 70 innings. Costa moved to the rotation in his sophomore year, but it was his third season that he emerged as elite. This was his first of nine consecutive seasons for Belo Horizonte worth 8+ WAR.

From 2000-08, Costa led the Southern Cone League in WAR seven times and topped double-digits thrice He won four ERA titles while leading in strikeouts twice, wins once, WHIP thrice, K/BB four times, and FIP- seven times. Costa was one win short of a Triple Crown season in 2002, which featured his career best ERA at 1.88. 2004 saw his bests in strikeouts (383), and WAR (12.6). That WAR mark rates as the 15^th-best pitching season in BSA history as of 2037 and ranks seventh best if you remove the legendary Mohmaed Ramos from the list. Costa is the only player from the 21^st Century on that top 15 list.

During this run, Costa won Pitcher of the Year honors six times (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), making him one of six in BSA history to achieve that feat. Costa also took third in 2000’s voting. Belo Horizonte locked him up after the 2002 campaign with a seven-year, $29,400,000 extension. Despite Costa’s efforts, the Hogs were generally just above the mid-tier, averaging 82.9 wins per season during his run. They made the playoffs twice, falling in the 2001 LCS and in the 2006 divisional series. Costa’s one 2006 start was iffy, but he had a strong 1.96 ERA in 23 innings in the 2001 run.

From 1998-07, Belo Horizonte won at least 76 games each year. In 2008, the Hogs completely collapsed to 58-102, signaling the start of a rebuild. This was Costa’s final year there, still leading in WAR at 8.1. With no hope of contention ahead, Costa declined his contract option and opted for free agency at age 33. He remained popular with Belo Horizonte fans for his dominance and his #15 uniform would later be retired. With the Hogs, Costa had a 173-98 record, 2.43 ERA, 2605 innings, 3129 strikeouts, 362 walks, 147 ERA+, and 92.7 WAR.

Costa’s resume made him enticing to teams across the world, including in Major League Baseball. He ended up going to the United States on a five-year, $63,500,000 deal with Philadelphia. Costa would continue to pitch for his native Brazil in the World Baseball Championship, where he had earned the attention of teams worldwide. From 1999-2013, Costa pitched 225.2 WBC innings with a 15-8 record, 3.35 ERA, 299 strikeouts, 45 walks, and 7.2 WAR.

Philadelphia was in the midst of regular contention at this point. Costa had a great 6.0 WAR debut season in 2009, although the Phillies had a first round playoff loss. In 2010, Costa won National Association Pitcher of the Year, giving him seven POTY awards counting his BSA bounty. He led wins (21-7), strikeouts (297), WHIP (0.91), K/BB (7.6), and quality starts (27). These were all bests for his MLB tenure, as was his 2.45 ERA and 8.0 WAR.

Philadelphia won the NA pennant, but lost the World Series to San Diego. Costa had a 3.10 ERA over 29 playoff innings with 26 strikeouts. However, he was a beast in the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship, going 3-0 in three starts with 25 innings, 30 strikeouts, and 1.7 WAR. That effort made the Phillies the first-ever Grand Champion and made Costa the first Best Pitcher winner in BGC history. He also was third in BGC MVP voting.

Costa’s velocity dipped notably after this, down to a 96-98 mph peak in 2011, 94-96 mph in 2012, and 91-93 mph by 2013. His control was still excellent but without the power, Costa’s production was merely average in these regular seasons. He stepped up again in the playoffs with a 1.80 ERA in 25 innings in 2012 and a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings in 2013. Philadelphia won back-to-back NA pennants these years despite being a wild card. The Phillies won the 2012 World Series over Phoenix, but lost the 2013 Fall Classic to Denver.

Again in the Baseball Grand Championship, Costa was strong with a 2.64 ERA over 30.2 innings in 2012 and a 2.06 ERA in 35 innings in 2013. Philadelphia finished fourth in the 2012 BGC at 12-7 and was 9-10 for 12^th in 2013. For his MLB playoff career, Costa had a 7-3 record, 2.60 ERA, 104 innings, 73 strikeouts, 130 ERA+, and 0.7 WAR. In the BGC, he had a 9-1 record and 1.88 ERA over 90.2 innings with 88 strikeouts and 3.4 WAR.

In total for Philadelphia, Costa had a 78-53 record, 3.17 ERA, 1244.2 innings, 1110 strikeouts, 178 walks, 108 ERA+, and 26.6 WAR. His diminished velocity meant his MLB tenure was done as he approached age 38. Costa returned to Brazil and signed a two-year, $21,600,000 deal with Salvador. Age was catching up and he had trouble reaching 90 mph now. Costa struggled to a 4.82 ERA in 104.2 innings for the Storm and retired after the 2014 season.

In Beisbol Sudamerica, Costa had a 179-103 record, 2.52 ERA, 2709.2 innings, 3182 strikeouts, 375 walks, 231/309 quality starts, 111 complete games, 32 shutouts, 142 ERA+, and 93.3 WAR. Because he left five years for MLB, his accumulations aren’t high on the leaderboards as of 2037. He ranks 87^th in strikeouts and misses the top 100 in wins, but does rank 29^th in WAR among pitchers. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, Costa’s ERA is 86^th, his 0.96 WHIP is 56^th, and his opponent’s OPS of .597 is 84^th.

Certainly though, a six-time Pitcher of the Year winner is a no-doubt lock. However, Costa’s lack of playoff success with Belo Horizonte and shorter tenure does keep him out of the GOAT pitcher conversations specifically within BSA. His dominance in the big stage while with the Phillies though earns him stronger consideration as one of the world’s best for his era.

For his combined pro career, Costa had a 257-156 record, 2.73 ERA, 3954.1 innings, 4292 strikeouts, 553 walks, 343/470 quality starts, 166 complete games, 40 shutouts, 129 ERA+, and 119.9 WAR. Without doubt, Costa was a Hall of Fame headliner, leading BSA’s impressive 2020 class with a nearly unanimous 99.4%.



Gavino “Dino” Cuoghi – First/Second Base – Mendoza Mutants – 94.9% First Ballot

Gavino Cuoghi was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed infielder from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nicknamed “Dino,” Cuoghi was a great contact hitter with an excellent penchant for extra base hits. Over a 162 game average, he was good for 38 doubles, 14 triples, and 32 home runs. Cuoghi was also a slick baserunner with good speed. He was merely average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Cuoghi started at second base in his first five seasons, but was abysmal defensively there. He moved to first base for the rest of his career and was reliably average there. Cuoghi was one of the smartest guys in the clubhouse and was beloved for his intense loyalty. He also had fantastic durability, starting 140+ games in all but two seasons over an 18-year career. Cuoghi stayed with some lousy Mendoza teams longer than most players would in the same spot. That loyalty and his talents made Cuoghi absolutely adored both with the Mutants and throughout all of Argentina.

Even coming out of high school, Cuoghi was a very highly touted Argentinian prospect. In the 1998 BSA Draft, he was picked fifth overall by Rosario, but opted to attend college. Three years later for the 2001 BSA Draft, Cuoghi was picked seventh by Mendoza. He was a regular backup in his rookie season with 117 games and 11 starts. Cuoghi then became a full-time starter for the Mutants for the next 12 years.

From 2003-2011, Cuoghi was worth 6+ WAR each season. From 2004-08, he led the Southern Cone League each year in doubles. Cuoghi won Silver Sluggers at second base in 2003, 04, 05, 06, and 07. He led the league in total bases in both 2006 and 2007, posting 9+ WAR both seasons. Cuoghi also led with 236 hits in 2006 and 125 runs in 2007.

In 2006, Cuoghi was second in MVP voting, posting his career best OPS (1.077), wRC+ (208), total bases (415) WAR (9.4), hits (236), and RBI (122). He won the top honor in 2007 with career highs in runs (125) and similar other stats. Both years, he hit 38 home runs. Cuoghi topped 30+ homers six times with Mendoza, although he never crossed 40+. He scored 100+ runs in nine consecutive seasons, topped 200+ hits eight times, 100+ RBI seven times, .350 batting average five times, and an OPS of one four times with Mendoza.

Despite all that, the Mutants never made the playoffs in Cuoghi’s tenure. Mendoza was an expansion team in 1987 and had a few playoff berths in the late 1990s. While Cuoghi was there though, they averaged 73.8 wins per season and only finished above .500 thrice. He wanted things to work and committed to an eight-year, $50,240,000 extension after the 2006 season. Cuoghi was absolutely beloved and saw his #10 uniform as the first one retired by the Mutants.

Cuoghi was a favorite throughout all of Argentina and a regular for the national team in the World Baseball Championship. From 2003-2018, he played 121 games with 113 starts, continuing to play for his country even after leaving South America in his later years. In the WBC, Cuoghi had 129 hits, 78 runs, 20 doubles, 30 home runs, 71 RBI, 51 stolen bases, a .295/.361/.564 slash, 165 wRC+, and 5.8 WAR.

He had stayed remarkably consistent with Mendoza until the 2014 season, dropping to career lows in WAR (2.9) and OPS (.808). That was the final year of Cuoghi’s deal with age 36 approaching the following May. Fans hated to see him go, but he amicably parted ways with the Mutants. Cuoghi’s decline, age, and price tag made other BSA teams leery, especially with more powerful options available now at first base. Cuoghi had to open his search worldwide and ended up heading to the Oceania Baseball Association.

Cuoghi signed a three-year, $14,840,000 deal with Samoa. He had decent production in his 2015 debut, but did miss a month to an oblique strain. Then in 2016, Cuoghi had impressive career resurgence. He led the Pacific League in runs (112), hits (193), RBI (111), triple slash (.339/.387/.633), OPS (1.020), wRC+ (200), and WAR (8.4); while adding a career high 40 home runs. At age 37, Cuoghi earned Pacific League MVP, becoming one of the few players to win the honor in two different world leagues. He also earned the sixth Silver Slugger of his career and his only one at first base.

2017 was a strong effort as well with 6.7 WAR, 35 homers, 110 RBI, and a .965 OPS. The Sun Sox were just above .500 during his run, but couldn’t quite hang with the likes of Guam or Tahiti. In total though for Samoa, Cuoghi had 508 hits, 277 runs, 89 doubles, 29 triples, 92 home runs, 270 RBI, 120 stolen bases, a .323/.368/.593 slash, 182 wRC+, and 18.3 WAR.

Cuoghi’s stock was still high in OBA even at age 39 and he inked a two-year, $22,400,000 deal with Guadalcanal. He fell off to merely okay numbers with the Green Jackets, getting 277 hits, 155 runs, 47 doubles, 42 home runs, 117 RBI, a .256/.304/.444 slash, 113 wRC+, and 3.2 WAR. Despite his efforts, Cuoghi never got to play in a postseason game for his entire career. He retired after the 2019 season at age 40 and returned home to Argentina where he’d be a regular fixture at Mendoza games.

With the Mutants, Cuoghi had 2518 hits, 1285 runs, 461 doubles, 179 triples, 377 home runs, 1277 RBI, 409 walks, 876 stolen bases, a .342/.376/.606 slash, 178 wRC+, and 87.6 WAR. As of 2037, Cuoghi ranks 87^th in hits, 76^th in runs, 36^th in doubles, 83^rd in triples, 32^nd in stolen bases, and 67^th in WAR among position players.

While his grand tallies weren’t jaw dropping, his rate stats were quite impressive. Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Cuoghi’s batting average ranks 32^nd, his OBP 59^th, slugging 31^st, and his .982 OPS ranks 32^nd. It was especially impressive to rank so highly in slugging and OPS without ever leading the league in homers.

For his combined professional career, Cuoghi had 2733 games, 3303 hits, 1717 runs, 597 doubles, 223 triples, 511 home runs, 1664 RBI, 604 walks, 1058 stolen bases, a .330/.367/.587 slash, .953 OPS, 172 wRC+, and 109.1 WAR. All that, plus being a standup guy made Cuoghi an easy choice even with a strong 2020 Hall of Fame class. He earned 94.9% to secure his first ballot spot proudly wearing Mendoza’s unique shade of green.

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D.J. Serna – Outfield/Designated Hitter – Quito Thunderbolts – 79.0% First Ballot

D.J. Serna was a 6’4’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from Altagracia de Orituco, Venezuela, a town of around 52,000 in the central part of the country. Serna was known for prolific home run power, smacking 40+ in 12 different seasons and topping 50+ five times. He was also very good at drawing walks with many teams not wanting to risk the long ball. Despite that, Serna did struggle with strikeouts.

He was a solid contact hitter against right-handed pitching with a career 1.000 OPS and 156 wRC+. However, Serna was below average facing lefties with a .729 OPS and 96 wRC+. His power was definitely concentrated on homers, getting only 24 doubles per his 162 game average. Serna also wasn’t going to get extra bases with his legs as he was pathetically slow and clumsy on the basepaths.

Serna’s lack of grace and speed also led to terrible defense throughout his career. He made a bit over half of his starts in the corner outfield, primarily in left, but he was most useful as a designated hitter. Serna was a very hard worker and a vocal leader, but he could be a bit rigid and slow. He had generally good durability and become a popular figure for his towering homers.

His power potential was spotted even as a teenager by an Ecuadoran scout visiting Venezuela. They convinced Serna to come to Quito on a developmental deal signed in December 1994. He spent five years in the Thunderbolts academy, then had a part-time role in 2000 at age 22 with 100 games and 13 starts. Serna was a full-time starter by 2001, although he missed two months to a severe hip strain. He stayed mostly healthy after that and was a full-timer in Quito for the next 12 years.

2002 started a six-year streak of 40 home run seasons and a seven-year stretch of 100+ RBI efforts. Serna topped an OPS of one in four of these seasons and had five seasons above 5+ WAR. He took his first Silver Slugger in 2003 in left field with his second in 2005. It was the 2005 campaign that launched Serna into the spotlight, mainly because he launched the ball

Serna became the 11^th player to that point to reach 63 home runs. He also led in runs (125), RBI (140), total bases (424), slugging (.744), OPS (1.106), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.6); all career highs. Serna also had career bests in batting average (.349), and OBP (.416), winning his lone Bolivar League MVP. Quito ended a nine-year playoff drought and had the top seed, but was upset by La Paz in the divisional series. Serna was 3-15 with one homer in what would sadly be his only postseason.

Quito did make it to the BLCS in 2006, but shoulder inflammation kept Serna out for the final weeks of the season. He was second in MVP voting with 7.1 WAR and a league-best 56 home runs. Serna led in homers again in 2007 with 53 to win his third Silver Slugger. After the season, he inked a seven-year, $58,400,000 extension to remain with Quito. The Thunderbolts were almost never bad in his tenure, but were stuck in the middle tier, averaging 83.3 wins per season during Serna’s run.

The great regret for Serna’s career was the lack of big game experience. He only played in three editions of the World Baseball Championship for his native Venezuela, although he was solid with a .919 OPS and 162 wRC+ from 2006-08. Serna’s overall efficiency fell a bit into his 30s, but he was still a very reliable power bat. Serna reached an OPS above one twice and led the league twice in walks in the back-end of the Quito run.

Serna would become the 16^th Beisbol Sudamerica hitter to reach 600 career home runs in 2014. The season had a rough end though as torn ankle ligaments knocked him out for the second half. Even before the injury, it was by far his weakest full season effort with only 0.6 WAR, 105 wRC+, and .773 OPS over 101 games. Serna became a free agent after that heading towards age 37.

BSA teams thought his best days were gone, thus Serna had to open up his search parameters. He found a home in Lebanon on a three-year, $14,640,000 deal with the Arab League’s Beirut. Serna had an impressive debut 2015 season, leading the Western Conference in home runs (59), slugging (.672), and OPS (1.038). This earned him a third place in MVP voting.

Serna couldn’t quite replicate that in 2016, but still was solid with 4.3 WAR and 42 home runs, getting home over 700 homers for his combined pro career. He would struggle in 2017 and get benched, posting -0.3 WAR and a .684 OPS over 106 games. With Beirut, Serna had 340 hits, 214 runs, 61 doubles, 123 home runs, 259 RBI, .894 OPS, 146 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR. He looked for a home in 2018, but went unsigned and retired at age 40. Upon this news, Quito brought him back to retire his #8 uniform for his impressive service.

With Quito, Serna had 2054 hits, 1268 runs, 307 doubles, 612 home runs, 1426 RBI, 847 walks, a .288/.363/.595 slash, .957 OPS, 145 wRC+, and 61.8 WAR. As of 2037, Serna ranks 23^rd in home runs, 85^th in runs, 55^th in RBI, and 46^th in walks. He doesn’t crack the top 100 in WAR among position players though, hurt by his porous defense and baserunning. Still, among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Serna ranks 53^rd in slugging and 63^rd in OPS.

For his combined pro career, Serna had 2394 hits, 1482 runs, 368 doubles, 735 home runs, 1685 RBI, 1012 walks, a .281/.357/.590 slash, 145 wRC+, and 71.4 WAR. There were a few voters that marked him down for the lack of team success and for being a DH/poor defender. However, most agreed that Serna’s dominant power made him one of the most feared sluggers of his era. That got him to the first ballot at 79.0% as the third of four players in BSA’s impressive 2020 Hall of Fame class.



Cristobal “Thrash” Nava – Closer – Maracaibo Mariners – 70.4% First Ballot

Cristobal Nava was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from San Cristobal, Venezuela; a city of 282,000 people located near the Colombian border. Nava’s stuff was absolutely filthy despite having merely below average movement or stuff. His 96-98 mph fastball was tough to hit, but his changeup was stellar. Nava’s ability to change speeds and make both pitches look the same out of his hand often covered for his other deficiencies.

Nava graded as a strong defensive pitcher who was average at holding runners. He had excellent durability and was almost always available over his 18-year career. Nava was also a team captain and a highly respected leader. Teammates and coaches noted his intelligence, loyalty, and work ethic. These skills made him stand out entering the 1996 BSA Draft more than most relievers would. Nava was picked early in the second round, 36^th overall, by Maracaibo.

The Mariners made Nava the closer right away and he held that role for a decade. Saves weren’t the easiest to come by as Maracaibo was hot garbage throughout Nava’s tenure. They averaged 71.2 wins per season and only finished above .500 once, going 82-80 in 2005. Still, Nava had five seasons with 30+ saves, topped 4+ WAR thrice, and had a sub-two ERA five times. His only time leading in saves came in 2002 with 32.

Nava won Reliever of the Year in 2001, posting a 1.34 ERA, 34 saves, 123 strikeouts, and 3.8 WAR. His best ERA was 1.06 in 2000 and his highest WAR (4.6) and strikeout totals (148) came in 2002. Nava was second in Reliever of the Year voting in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2006. He finished third in 1999 and 2002. In total for Maracaibo, Nava had 288 saves and 319 shutdowns, a 2.23 ERA, 749.1 innings, 1306 strikeouts, 240 walks, 176 ERA+, and 34.8 WAR.

He was also a regular for Venezuela in the World Baseball Championship with 70 appearances from 1997-2013. In that stretch, Nava had a 3.83 ERA over 89.1 innings, 40 saves, 7-8 record, 183 strikeouts, 53 walks, 95 ERA+, and 1.2 WAR. Nava continued to pitch for his country even after he stopped playing for Venezuelan based teams.

Nava’s Maracaibo run ended after the 2006 season with free agency at age 32. Appreciative of his efforts, the Mariners would retire his #11 uniform at the end of his career. Nava’s next move was a two-year, $7,520,000 deal with Bogota. He won his second Reliever of the Year in his Bats debut with 38 saves, 1.52 ERA, 77 innings, 131 strikeouts, and 3.9 WAR. Bogota got the top seed in the Bolivar League at 106-56, but went one-and-done in the playoffs.

In 2008, Nava was moved out of the closer role, but was still effective in 32.2 innings. In total for Bogota, he had 40 saves, a 1.56 ERA, 109.2 innings, 180 strikeouts, 261 ERA+, and 5.2 WAR. Next, Nava signed a two-year, $8,000,000 deal with Asuncion. The Archers used him in a setup role in 2009 with a 2.22 ERA over 52.2 innings with 1.6 WAR. They would buy out the team option year, sending Nava back to free agency at age 35.

Nava ended up finding a job in Major League Baseball, heading to the United States on a two-year, $13,400,000 deal with Cincinnati. He was below average in 69 innings in 2010 with 4.04 WAR in middle relief. Nava was looking better with a 2.42 ERA in 48.1 innings in 2011, but the Reds traded him at the deadline. He had a 3.38 ERA over 117.1 innings, 162 strikeouts, 100 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR in total with Cincinnati.

He was traded to Baltimore, posting a 3.45 ERA over 28.2 innings in the second half. Nava did post 4.2 scoreless playoff innings for the Orioles, although they had a first round exit. This ended his MLB tenure as he looked back at Beisbol Sudamerica. Brasilia gave the 37-year old Nava a look at $11,500,000 over two years.

Nava returned to the closer role for the first time since 2012 with decent results for the Bearcats, posting 66 saves over 143.2 innings, 2.76 ERA, 247 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, and 3.6 WAR. Brasilia got to the Southern Cone Championship in 2012, but fell to Concepcion. Nava had four saves in seven playoff appearances with a 3.65 ERA over 12.1 innings.

A free agent yet again, Nava pitched one final season with Maturin. He struggled with a 4.47 ERA over 56.1 innings with the Makos. He only got one save, which kept him three short from 400 in his career. Nava decided to retire after the 2014 campaign at age 40.

In BSA, Nava had a 95-103 record, 397 saves and 478 shutdowns, 2.35 ERA, 1111.2 innings, 1913 strikeouts, 330 walks, 165 ERA+, and 46.5 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 10^th in saves. Amongst BSA Hall of Fame relievers, he’s 8^th in WAR, 3^rd in strikeouts, and 15^th in ERA. Against all pitchers with 1000+ career innings, Nava’s ERA is 52^nd and his .590 opponent’s OPS is 65^th.

Many other HOF relievers have more dominant stats, but Nava’s longevity and leadership impressed a lot of voters. He was also consistently a top three closer for his entire Maracaibo run. This got Nava to 70.4%, just enough for a first ballot induction to finish off Beisbol Sudamerica’s four-player 2020 class.

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No debuting players were above 50% for the European Baseball Federation’s 2020 Hall of Fame voting, opening up the field for returners to cross the 66% requirement. Two Swedes did just that, led by closer Elias Blomqvist soaring to 81.7% on his fifth ballot. 1B Ulf Alstrom barely joined him with 67.6% for his sixth try. 3B Isaad Dorgham also had a strong showing, but missed at 60.6% on his fifth attempt. Also above 50% was SP Martin Kukoc at 56.4% for his sixth try and 3B Kyle Evrard with 52.6% for his second go. The top debut was SP Ebbe Arvidsson at 45.5%.



Three players were removed from the ballot after ten failed tries, led by RP Rafael Dorflinger. He was the ultimate journeyman with an 18-year career between 12 teams, posting 298 saves and 436 shutdowns, 2.92 ERA, 1177.2 innings, 1219 strikeouts, 255 walks, 131 ERA+, and 26.1 WAR. Dorflinger did win Reliever of the Year once, but otherwise was just a tenured above average reliever. He peaked at 44.9% in 2015 and was consistently in the 30-45% range.

SP Otis Laycock was also dumped after ten ballots, peaking at 28.7% in 2013 and ending with 11.5%. He had a 12-year career mostly with Glasgow and won two ERA titles, but was plagued by major injuries. Laycock had a 117-59 record, 1544.1 innings, 1682 strikeouts, 285 walks, 132 ERA+, and 36.4 WAR. The pace was there, but Laycock only twice breached 200+ innings in a season, falling far short of the longevity needed to get the nod.

Another SP Marcello Filetti fell off after ten years, peaking with his 23.7% debut and ending at only 6.1%. He had a 17-year career with eight teams, posting a 225-209 record, 3.98 ERA, 4054 innings, 3105 strikeouts, 980 walks, 190 complete games, 96 ERA+, and 47.1 WAR. Filetti as of 2037 is second in complete games and seventh in innings pitched. Often times having lots of innings can be enough for starting pitchers, but Filetti was never better than average.



Elias Blomqvist – Relief Pitcher – Madrid Conquistadors – 81.7% Fifth Ballot

Elias Blomqvist was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Norrkoping, a city of around 137,000 people in eastern Sweden. Unlike most great relievers, Blomqvist didn’t have overwhelming stuff with his peak velocity at 93-95 mph. Despite merely good stuff, Blomqvist used excellent control and movement to thrive. His arsenal was a one-two punch of fastball and splitter with an extreme groundball tendency. Blomqvist’s stamina and durability were both decent compared to most relievers. He was good at holding runners but subpar defensively.

Blomqvist was not a highly touted prospect, as he wasn’t picked until the fourth round of the 1992 EBF Draft. He was the second pick of the round, going 96^th overall to Copenhagen. The Corsairs used him for only 16.1 innings in 1993 with a 2.76 ERA. In the offseason, Copenhagen traded Blomqvist and SP Jens Palsen to Madrid for C Luc Dacourt. The Conquistadors left him on the reserve roster for all of 1994.

Madrid brought Blomqvist up for 1995, but only used him 14 innings. He saw a greater role in 1996, but struggled with a 4.62 ERA in 48.2 innings. Blomqvist finally put it together in 1997, earning the closer role and winning Reliever of the Year with a 1.61 ERA over 72.2 innings. He repeated in 1998 with a Southern Conference best 40 saves. Blomqvist had a 1.75 ERA and had his career best WAR at 3.4.

Blomqvist was merely okay in 1999 and missed part of the year to injury. However, this ended an eight-year drought for Madrid and started a seven-year playoff streak. The Conquistadors won the 1999 European Championship over Hamburg. Blomqvist struggled in the playoffs with a 5.40 ERA over 8.1 innings, but did get five saves.

In 2000 and 2002, Blomqvist was second in Reliever of the Year voting. In the middle, he was moved out of the closer role in 2001 despite a 0.73 ERA in 37 innings. In 2002, Blomqvist saw a career and conference best 46 saves. Madrid won conference titles in both 2000 and 2002, but lost in the European Championship both years to Kharkiv. They lost in the second round in 2001. Blomqvist had a 4.42 ERA in 2000, but was strong the next two years with three scoreless innings in 2001 and a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings in 2002.

Madrid gave Blomqvist a two-year, $4,640,000 extension in 2003, followed by another two-year, $6,400,000 extension in November 2004. Blomqvist maintained the closer role through this stretch, winning his third Reliever of the Year in 2004. Madrid won another conference title in 2004, but lost the finals to Copenhagen. The Conquistadors had early exits in 2003, 2005, and 2007; missing the playoffs in 2006. Blomqvist was excellent in the 2004 playoffs, allowing one run over 14 innings with six saves.

Blomqvist was generally strong in the playoffs in his later years, making up for some struggles early in his run. For his career, he had 24 saves and 27 shutdowns, a 2.51 ERA over 71.2 innings, 50 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR. As of 2037, Blomqvist is EBF’s career playoff leader in saves. He was also the eighth in EBF history to reach 300 regular season saves.

After the 2007 season, Blomqvist became a free agent for the first time at age 38. With Madrid, Blomqvist had 322 saves and 339 shutdowns, 2.30 ERA, 725.1 innings, 740 strikeouts, 152 walks, 169 ERA+, and 25.0 WAR. He signed a two-year, $12 million deal with MLB’s Memphis Mountain Cats. Blomqvist only had four appearances with a 5.40 ERA over 13.1 innings. Despite the initial investment, Memphis cut Blomqvist on April 22.

Blomqvist went back to Europe for 2008 with Kyiv, posting a 3.12 ERA over 60.2 innings and 11 saves. He tossed four scoreless playoff innings, helping the Kings win the European Championship over Bucharest. A free agent again, Blomqvist signed a two-year, $7,440,000 deal with Glasgow. He had a 3.10 ERA in 40.2 innings for the Highlanders before being traded at the deadline to Manchester.

After a solid month with the Crushers, Blomqvist’s season ended with a torn rotator cuff. He tried a comeback in Manchester for 2010, but struggled with a 6.35 ERA over 11.1 innings. Blomqvist retired that winter at age 41 and Madrid quickly brought him back to Spain to retire his #16 uniform for his role in their playoff run.

In EBF, Blomqvist had 351 saves and 380 shutdowns, a 79-60 record, 2.43 ERA, 872.2 innings, 845 strikeouts, 175 walks, 158 ERA+, and 26.5 WAR. He was third in saves at retirement and ranks sixth as of 2037. Blomqvist’s strikeouts and rate stats though are both very low compared to the typical Hall of Fame reliever worldwide. Of EBF’s HOF closers, he has the lowest strikeout tally and second lowest WAR.

However, Blomqvist’s save numbers in both the regular season and postseason impressed traditionalist voters. Blomqvist won three Reliever of the Year awards and he also had a prominent role with Madrid’s dominant run of the era in the Southern Conference. Between the Conquistadors and Kyiv, Blomqvist saw five conference titles and two European Championships.

The lack of dominance still kept him out for his first four HOF ballots, starting at 52.1%. He dropped to 49.4% in 2017, then barely missed the cut in 2018 at 64.7%. Blomqvist fell back to 53.4% in 2019, but got a huge bump up with an open field in 2020. At 81.7%, Blomqvist was a fifth ballot Hall of Fame inductee and the headliner for EBF’s 2020 class.



Ulf Alstrom – First Base – Hamburg Hammers – 67.6% Third Ballot

Ulf Alstrom was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Landskrona, a town of 33,000 inhabitants on the southwest coast of Sweden. Alstrom was a great contact hitter who was also quite solid at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He also boasted reliably strong home run power, smacking 40+ dingers seven times in his career and 30+ twelve times. Alstrom’s gap power was decent with 27 doubles per his 162 game average. His speed and baserunning were atrocious, keeping him from legging out extra bases.

Alstrom was notably stronger against right-handed pitching (156 wRC+, .938 OPS) compared to lefties (128 wRC+, .815 OPS). He was exclusively a first baseman and was a below average defender, but wasn’t a complete liability. Alstrom had excellent durability, playing 150+ games in 15 different seasons. He became popular for his talents, but was polarizing among fans and teammates because of his outspoken personality. Alstrom’s spicy hot takes were generally wrong and poorly thought out, but hitting dingers will make people put up with a lot of obnoxiousness.

Even as a teenager, Alstrom was a tall and imposing figure. This drew attention to him despite growing up in a small town in Sweden. A German scout would spot him and signed Alstrom to a developmental contract with Hamburg in May 1992. He spent most of four years in the Hammers’ academy, officially debuting with ten plate appearances in 1995 at age 20. Hamburg made him a full-time starter in 1996, a role he held for seven years.

Alstrom was unimpressive in his rookie season, but emerged as a superstar slugger in his second year. Each year from 1997-2002 for Hamburg, Alstrom had 8+ WAR, 40+ home runs, 100+ RBI, a batting average above .345 and an OPS above one. Each of these seasons earned him a Silver Slugger. Alstrom led the Northern Conference in OPS in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002. Alstrom led in WAR in both 1998 and 2001 with 9.4 and 9.1. He led in OBP in 1998, runs in and slugging in 2002, and total bases in both 1998 and 2002.

2000 and 2002 saw MVP wins for Alstrom, while he took second in 1998, 1999, and 2001. 2002 had his career bests in runs (120) and homers (50). In 1998, Alstrom had his bests in total bases (391), OBP (.427), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (202), and WAR (9.4). Alstrom’s RBI high was 130 in 2001 with his highest hit total (220) and batting average (.357) coming in 1999.

From 1999-2002, Hamburg had four straight playoff berths. As a wild card in 1999, the Hammers went on a surprise run to a Northern Conference title, falling to Madrid in the European Championship. In that playoff run, Alstrom had 19 hits, 9 runs, 5 doubles, 2 homers, 6 RBI, and 11 walks. Hamburg had first round losses in 2000 and 2002 with a second round loss in 2001. In total for the Hammers, Alstrom had 29 playoff starts with 40 hits, 15 runs, 7 doubles, 6 home runs, 19 RBI, a 1.037 OPS, 182 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR.

In August 2000, Hamburg signed Alstrom to an eight-year, $31,520,000 extension. However, he knew he was a stud and had a chance to make bigger money elsewhere. Alstrom opted out of his deal after the 2002 season to the disappointment of many Hammers fans. In total, he had 1397 hits, 720 runs, 197 doubles, 292 home runs, 809 RBI, a .338/.403/.610 slash, 183 wRC+, and 53.9 WAR.

Although he would leave Europe, Alstrom did still return home to Sweden for the World Baseball Championship. From 1996-2012, he had 144 games and 133 starts with 130 hits, 94 runs, 23 doubles, 48 home runs, 105 RBI, 73 walks, a .264/.360/.608 slash, 178 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. As of 2037, Alstrom has the second most WAR of any Swedish position player in WBC play. He also ranks second in runs, RBI, and walks drawn.

Alstrom cashed in big with an eight-year, $85,600,000 deal with MLB’s Houston Hornets; more than doubling his peak Hamburg salary. Alstrom was never a league leader or awards candidate in his MLB run, but he provided Houston with reliable power, topping 30+ homers five times and 3+ WAR four times. He was a full-time starter for the entire length of the deal, only missing time in 2007 when a broken hand cost him the summer.

Houston was a playoff regular in his tenure averaging 91.75 wins per season with six playoff berths and four South Central Division titles. The Hornets couldn’t get over the hump though with their deepest runs being American Association Championship Series defeats in both 2006 and 2008. Alstrom had strong playoff numbers over 46 starts with 59 hits, 26 runs, 5 doubles, 12 home runs, 26 RBI, a .337/.387/.594 slash, 166 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR.

Alstrom’s power did start to wane into his mid 30s, failing to reach 30 homers in 2008 and 2010. In total for Houston, he had 1235 hits, 655 runs, 189 doubles, 247 home runs, 729 RBI, a .276/.336/.489 slash, 123 wRC+, and 24.2 WAR. As his deal expired, Alstrom was a free agent at age 36. MLB teams thought he was done as a top contributor and not worth the price tag or hassle with his outspoken personality. Thus, Alstrom looked to return to European baseball.

He ended up in Armenia on a three-year, $25,500,000 deal with Yerevan. Alstrom regained some of that old form in 2011 with a 34 home run, 5.5 WAR, .920 OPS return season with the Valiants. He would regress in 2012 and miss part of the spring to a knee sprain, posting 0.4 WAR and a .703 OPS over 119 games. Alstrom had 5.9 WAR, 281 hits, 124 runs, 53 doubles, 42 home runs, 151 RBI, and a .294/.349/.487 slash with Yerevan. He retired that winter at age 38 and mended fences with Hamburg, who retired his #27 uniform.

Alstrom in EBF had 1678 hits, 844 runs, 250 doubles, 334 home runs, 960 RBI, 547 walks, .330/.393/.587 slash, 173 wRC+, and 59.8 WAR. Among all EBF batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .980 OPS ranks 45^th. Alstrom’s batting average is 54^th, OBP is 32^nd, and slugging is 76^th. But because his EBF run was only nine seasons, his counting stats are well below the normal accumulations expected for a Hall of Famer.

Combining his MLB numbers, Alstrom had 2914 hits, 1499 runs, 439 doubles, 581 home runs, 1689 RBI, 951 walks, .305/.367/.541 slash, 150 wRC+, and 84.1 WAR. That combined line along with his accolades would be a lock, but many voters simply couldn’t get over the low EBF accumulations. Those skeptics weren’t willing to give Alstrom credit for his MLB tenure. Plus, many of those voters simply didn’t like him for being an outspoken loudmouth jerk.

Supporters noted he was a perennial MVP candidate during his Hamburg prime. Alstrom had two MVPs, six Silver Sluggers, and led in OPS four times; marks few players even with tenure reached. He also had strong playoff stats and helped the Hammers to a pennant in 1999. Alstrom would miss the cut in 2018 at 59.9% and 58.0% in 2019. With no impactful debuts in 2020, he just got the boost across the 66% requirement at 67.6%. Alstrom may be a controversial figure, but he earned a third ballot induction regardless for EBF’s 2020 Hall of Fame class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

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.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The Oceania Baseball Association’s 2020 Hall of Fame ballot was devoid of meaningful debuts with the best newcomer at a lousy 7.3%. One returner took advantage of the weaker field with SP Val Moran getting inducted with 71.1% on his third ballot, narrowly breaching the 66% requirement. The only other player above 50% was SP Jarome Guluvao at 55.2% for his second try. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Val Moran – Starting Pitcher – Sydney Snakes – 71.1% Third Ballot

Val Moran was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Hilo, Hawaii; a settlement of 44,000 people. It is the largest settlement in the state outside of the greater Honolulu area. Moran was the second Hawaiian-born inductee into the OBA Hall of Fame, joining class of 1995 1B Trent Atkins. Moran wasn’t incredibly rated, but he reliably had above average to good stuff and movement along with decent control.

Moran’s fastball regularly hit the 97-99 mph range, but it was his slider which proved to be his most effective pitch. He also had a weak curveball as a third option, but the one-two fastball/slider punch was often enough. Moran had very good stamina and durability for most of his career, tossing 250+ innings each year from 1999-2008. He was a great defender and won a Gold Glove in 2007. Moran wasn’t the brightest guy and he wasn’t one to take on a leadership role.

As a teenager in October 1993, Moran moved to Australia on a developmental deal with Sydney. He spent three full years in the Snakes academy before debuting in 1998 at age 22 with 84.1 okay innings. Moran was a full-time starter after that and reliably ate innings. He graded statistically as just above average for much of this tenure, although he was still worth 5+ WAR thrice for Sydney.

The Snakes were the last of the original Australasia League teams to win a pennant. They were firmly mid-tier during Moran’s tenure, averaging 81.1 wins per season. Moran’s breakout for Sydney came in 2005, leading the AL in strikeouts (294), innings (326.2), and complete games (14). He was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. Moran also had 6.4 WAR, his second-highest season behind his 7.0 from 2002.

After that 2005 season, Sydney gave him a seven-year, $24,080,000 extension. However, Moran only played a few more months for the Snakes. At the 2006 trade deadline, he was shipped to Melbourne for three prospects. In total for Sydney, Moran had a 116-126 record, 2401.2 innings, 2127 strikeouts, 608 walks, 81 complete games, 104 ERA+, and 36.4 WAR. He was liked enough by Snakes officials that his #1 uniform was eventually retired.

Melbourne was in the midst of their dynasty run, having won the last three AL pennants and the last two Oceania Championships. The Mets kept rolling, winning another seven pennants for ten straight AL titles. Melbourne won the OBA crown again in 2006 and 2007 for the four-peat. The Mets’ biggest win tally was 114-48 in 2008, although they were upset in the final by Tahiti. Melbourne returned to the OBA throne in both 2009 and 2010.

Moran slotted in well initially for Melbourne, leading the AL in wins with 24 in both 2007 and 2008. 2007 saw his career best ERA at 2.86. Moran was a mixed bag in the postseason with 31.2 innings, a 1-2 record, 3.41 ERA, 21 strikeouts, 7 walks, 117 ERA+, and 0.1 WAR. By 2009, he was used in a split starter/relief role, then was a full-timer out of the bullpen after that. In the inaugural 2010 Baseball Grand Championship, he allowed four runs (three earned) in 4.2 innings.

In 2011, Moran’s season ended in September with radial nerve compression. He was back ready to go by the 2012 spring, but suffered a ruptured UCL in only his second appearance. Melbourne bought out the final year of his contract and instead of rehabbing, Moran opted for retirement just after his 37^th birthday. With the Mets, Moran had a 71-47 record, 3.13 ERA, 996.2 innings, 920 strikeouts, 251 walks, 124 ERA+, and 17.7 WAR.

Moran finished with a 187-173 record, 3.47 ERA, 3398.1 innings, 3047 strikeouts, 859 walks, 256/421 quality starts, 104 complete games, 11 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 94 FIP-, and 54.1 WAR. As of 2037, Moran ranks 46^th in wins, 33^rd in innings, 48^th in strikeouts, and 60^th in WAR among position players. Only one pitcher had gotten into the Hall of Fame with a weaker ERA, but five starters had made it with less WAR.

Either way, Moran was definitely a borderline case. Being a part of Melbourne’s title run gave him some extra recognition despite lacking accolades otherwise. OBA’s voters were generally friendly towards pitching and Moran received 60.4% and 55.2% in his first two ballots. With literally no debuts of note in 2020, Moran took advantage with the slight bump to 71.1%. He may be one of the weaker arms to get the nod, but regardless Moran crossed the 66% requirement for a third ballot induction as OBA’s lone 2020 Hall of Fame selection.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Austronesia Professional Baseball’s 2020 Hall of Fame voting was a wide open field as the top newcomer got 45.3%. Three guys with tenure on the ballot came close to the 66% requirement, but it was CF/2B Fransisco Hartati as the only one getting in at 73.3% on his ninth try. RF Sutanto Mangkoepradja was next at 64.2% and 1B Gavin Loh saw 60.8%, both on their eighth ballots.



One other returner topped 60% with SP Putra Andriani getting 60.5% for his third ballot. SP Dwi Aditya Supandi had 56.4% on his second try and LF Beau Cabral received 54.7% on his second attempt. SP I Komang Ainaga was the best debutant at 45.3%.

SP Arfandi Bekti was the lone player dropped after ten failed ballots. He had a 19-year career between eight teams and won APB titles in 1998 with Batam and 2000 with Kaohsiung. Bekti had a 239-197 record, 2.46 ERA, 4146 innings, 3320 strikeouts, 105 ERA+, and 55.8 WAR. In the playoffs, he had a 2.45 ERA over 139.2 innings, 125 strikeouts, and 103 ERA+. APB voters are very pitcher-friendly, but Bekti lacked black ink and was never in awards conversations. He was purely a compiler, peaking at 33.6% in his debut and ending with 10.5%.



Fransisco “Wasp” Hartati – Center Field/Second Base – Surabaya Sunbirds – 73.3% Ninth Ballot

Fransisco Hartati was a 6’3’’, 205 pound right-handed center fielder and second baseman from Sumenep, Indonesia; a regency of the East Java province with 1.1 million people. He was nicknamed “Wasp” for his incredible ferocity, known as one of the hardest workers in the game. Hartati was a rock solid contact hitter with a reliable pop in his bat, getting 22 doubles, 9 triples, and 23 home runs per his 162 game average. He was graded as average in terms of drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts relative to other APB hitters.

Hartati was one of the more clever and savvy baserunners you’d find despite his speed being merely above average in his peak. He gutted out a 22-year career despite dealing with numerous recurring injuries into his 30s and 40s. The big downside was Hartati was absolutely atrocious defensively playing in leagues without a designated hitter.

For his career, his accumulated zone rating was an appalling -409.1. Hartati was primarily split between center field and second base with occasional stints at first base and left field. It was baffling to many how someone so abysmal defensively was placed between two of the more challenging and important defensive spots. Hartati’s can-do attitude and his strong bat still gave him positive value in the lineup even if he was complete booty defensively.

Hartati’s bat alone made him one of the highest graded Indonesian prospects ahead of the 1984 APB Draft. He was picked #2 overall by Surabaya, where he’d spend the next 19 years. Hartati was used primarily as a pinch hitter his first three years, in part because there wasn’t a logical spot for him in the field. He earned the starting gig in 1988 and played 150+ games each year from 1988-1994. Hartati’s first Silver Slugger as at CF came in 1988.

In 1989, Hartati led the Sundaland Association in RBI (86), total bases (296), OBP (.352), slugging (.536), OPS (.888), and wRC+ (237). He took second in MVP voting and won his second Silver Slugger. He had 5.9 WAR or better from 1989-1993 and topped 8+ twice. Hartati won Sluggers in CF in 1990 and 1992 with his first at second base in 1991. He was third in MVP voting in 1990 and signed an eight-year, $11,230,000 extension with Surabaya that winter.

The Sunbirds ended an 11-year playoff drought in 1991, but lost the Sundaland Association final to Batam. Surabaya was rarely bad during Hartati’s 20s, but they wouldn’t make the playoffs again until 1999 and were stick in the mid-tier. He had back-to-back batting titles in 1991 and 1992, leading in hits both years. Hartati also led in runs and total bases in 1992. 1991 had his career best WAR at 8.4.

Hartati won Silver Sluggers in CF in both 1993 and 1994, giving him eight total to that point. He ran into injury issues with a sprained ankle in 1995, then was reduced to a part-time starter in 1996. 1997 saw a strained abdominal muscle costing him six weeks, although Hartati still managed to win a Silver Slugger at second base. He finally had a full season in 1998 and won another Slugger at 2B. Hartati was now soon to be 37-years old, but Surabaya extended the popular player for another three years at $8,440,000.

Even with a fractured foot keeping him out more than a month, Hartati had a 5.3 WAR effort in 1999. Surabaya ended their playoff drought and upset defending champ Batam in the Sundaland Association Championship. The Sunbirds then won the Austronesia Championship over Manila with Hartati getting finals MVP. He more than made up for his weak 1991 playoff effort, starting 13 games with 19 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 9 RBI. After a 15-year run, he brought a title to his longtime team.

Surabaya fell mostly to the middle tier for the next few years, as did Hartati’s production. He would manage his tenth Silver Slugger in 2003, becoming only the fifth in APB history with ten Sluggers at any position. It was his fourth at 2B with six in CF. The Sunbirds gave Hartati a three-year, $10,520,000 extension after the 2000 season. Various injuries plagued him in his later years, including a torn meniscus in 2001 and a torn thumb ligament in 2003.

Hartati’s deal expired after the 2003 season, making him a free agent for the first time at age 42. He still hoped to play somewhere and opened up a worldwide search. That led him to EPB and the Russian capital, signing a three-year, $10,400,000 deal with Moscow. A strained abdominal muscle kept him out almost half of his debut season with the Mules.

2005 saw very average numbers with 1.1 WAR over 124 games. However, Hartati stepped up big in the playoffs as Moscow won the EPB Championship over Yekaterinburg. In 11 playoff starts, Hartati had 12 hits, 2 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homer, and 6 RBI. He was named finals MVP, becoming one of the very few in pro baseball history to earn finals MVP in multiple leagues. He had 4.0 WAR and a 137 wRC+ over 213 games total for Moscow. Hartati failed to meet the vesting criteria for the third year of his deal.

Hartati was now 44 years old, but still willing and eager to play. He came back to Indonesia and Semarang was willing to sign him for three years at $8,720,000. Hartati started the whole season, but was merely passable with a 99 wRC+ and 0.7 WAR. He decided to officially retire that winter just after his 45^th birthday. Surabaya would honor him by retiring his #11 uniform for his 19-years of service.

For his APB career, Hartati had 2390 hits, 1115 runs, 329 doubles, 139 triples, 362 home runs, 1072 RBI, 482 walks, 485 stolen bases, a .278/.320/.475 slash, 177 wRC+, and 69.7 WAR. These tallies rank well in the very low scoring world of APB as of 2037 with Hartati 18^th in hits, 21^st in runs, 65^th in doubles, 66^th in triples, 55^th in home runs, 32^nd in RBI, and 77^th in WAR among position players. His WAR was notably far lower than you’d expect due to his garbage defense. Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .795 OPS ranks 65^th.

Hartati proved a tough case for many voters, especially those turned off by his defense. APB voters were notably tough for hitters to begin with and even with the ten Silver Sluggers and longevity, his tallies weren’t as high as some would’ve wanted. Supporters appreciated his steadfastness to Surabaya and role in their 1999 championship season.

In his 2012 ballot debut, Hartati began with 51.0%. He bounced around and was in the 40s twice, but also in the 60s twice. Hartati made it to 62.7% in 2016 and 63.4% in 2018, but couldn’t breach the 66% requirement. He fell back to 51.6% in 2019, then had a chance with his penultimate ballot in 2020. With a quieter field, Hartati got the bump he needed to 73.3%. He became only the third APB inductee to get in on his ninth ballot and was the lone addition in 2020.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

RF Hongbo Wan joined Class of 2007 inductee Baoxian He as the only tenth ballot Hall of Fame inductees in Chinese League Baseball history. Wan was the only addition for 2020, making it in on his final try at 73.8%. Two others came very close to the 66% requirement. The best debut was CL Boyang Cao at 64.6%, while LF Seok-Hyeon So received 64.0% for his seventh try. Two others were above 50% with RF Minghui Ruan at 55.7% on his fifth ballot and CL Jingxing Zhang at 50.5% for his second go. No players were dropped after ten failed tries.



Hongbo “Iguana” Wan – Right Field – Qingdao Devils – 73.8% Tenth Ballot

Hongbo Wan was a 6’0’’, 190 pound left-handed right fielder from Hegang, China; a prefecture-level city of 891,000 inhabitants in the northeast near the Russian border. Nicknamed “Iguana,” Wan was a well-rounded batter with good-to-great contact, power, and eye. His 162 game average saw 22 doubles, 20 triples, and 25 home runs; strong extra-base hit numbers in the very low scoring environment of CLB. Wan’s main downside a batter was a poor strikeout rate despite his other skills.

Wan was an excellent baserunner with good speed, often creating opportunities with his legs. The majority of his starts came in right field, where he graded as reliably average defensively. Wan moved to first base in his final years with passable results. He also played a little center field early on, but didn’t have the range for that spot. Assorted injuries greatly limited Wan despite a 16-year career, as he missed a month or more in six different seasons.

He tore through China’s amateur circuit and was the #1 overall pick by Qingdao in the 1989 CLB Draft. Wan’s entire career came with the Devils and he had an impactful debut. His rookie season saw a league-best 24 triples and he became one of a select few Rookie of the Year winners with 8+ WAR in his debut season. He dipped a bit the next year, but still had 5+ WAR in each of his first seven seasons.

In 1992, Wan won Northern League MVP and his first Silver Slugger, leading the NL in runs (103), homers (38), total bases (339), slugging (.606), OPS (.971), wRC+ (212), and WAR (12.4). All these marks were career highs, as was his 158 hits, 71 stolen bases, .283 batting average, and .365 OBP. Qingdao ended a nine-year playoff drought for only their second-ever playoff berth. The Devils got to the China Series for the first time in franchise history, falling to the Dalian dynasty. Wan had 9 hits, 4 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 5 RBI, and a 137 wRC+ in his lone playoff chance.

Qingdao the definition of mid over the next 13 years with no playoff berths and an average of 80.9 wins per season. Wan still thrived, winning additional Silver Sluggers in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, and 2000. He earned his second MVP in 1995, leading in runs (103), total bases (322), slugging (.560), and WAR (10.9). Wan was the WARlord and runs leader again in 1996, taking third in MVP voting. That year, Wan also hit 35 triples, which remains CLB’s single-season record as of 2037.

After the 1993 season, Wan signed an eight-year, $8,560,000 extension with Qingdao. 1997 saw setbacks with a fractured wrist and chronic back soreness costing him half the season. Wan would deal with smaller sporadic injuries into his 30s. He became the third player in CLB history to hit for the cycle twice, doing it in 1998 and 1999. At age 33, he signed a five-year, $24,000,000 extension after the 2000 season.

Wan also played for China from 1095-2001 in the World Baseball Championship. He was a big reason they were the runner-up in both 1995 and 1996, taking third in 1996’s MVP voting. Wan started 98 games with 97 hits, 73 runs, 17 doubles, 8 triples, 27 home runs, 66 RBI, 49 stolen bases, a .264/.351/.573 slash, 165 wRC+, and 5.9 WAR. This gave a sense of what Wan’s tallies would look like in a more neutral offensive environment.

In 2003, Wan suffered a strained PCL that kept him out roughly half the season. His hitting started to dip here with only 1.4 WAR and 119 wRC+ in 2004 despite a full load. Wan had -0.8 WAR then in 2005 which showed his time had ended. He retired that winter at age 38 and Qingdao immediately retired his #11 uniform.

Wan finished with 1781 hits, 1083 runs, 288 doubles, 258 triples, 331 home runs, 924 RBI, 776 walks, 641 stolen bases, a .241/.319/.485 slash, 164 wRC+, and 95.6 WAR. As of 2037, Wan ranks 9^th in runs scored, 61^st in hits, 21^st in total bases, 49^th in doubles, 5^th in triples, 50^th in home runs, 38^th in RBI, 29^th in stolen bases, 12^th in walks, and 26^th in WAR among position players.

Wan was also a popular player with two MVPs, but CLB voters were notoriously stingy when it came to hitters. Being on mostly forgettable Qingdao teams hurt him with some voters, although others appreciated his loyalty. Even for the low-scoring CLB, his .241 batting average was well below the normal standard for Hall of Famers with only two inductees to that point with less than .265. Supporters noted that nearly half of Wan’s hits were for extra bases.

He debuted in 2011 at 48.6% and never was lower, but he was stuck around 48% for the next two years. Wan got to 60.3% in 2014 and was above 60% each year from 2016-19. However, he just couldn’t get across the 66% requirement, peaking at 63.5%. 2020 was Wan’s tenth and final try, as well as a ballot without any strong contenders. He got the bump to 73.8% to finally secure that deserved spot. Wan was the lone CLB inductee in 2020 and the second in league history to make it on his tenth and final chance.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

West African Baseball’s 2020 Hall of Fame voting was headlined by SS Darwin Morris, who somehow only got 98.1% despite bring widely considered WAB’s greatest ever player. His longtime teammate DH Sam Pappoe joined him in the class, sneaking across the line at 66.3% on his third ballot. 3B Awudu Haddad had a near miss with 59.9% for his sixth ballot. No one else was above 50% and no players fell off the ballot after ten failed tries.



Darwin “Shrimp” Morris – Shortstop – Kano Condors – 98.1% First Ballot

Darwin Morris was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed shortstop from the capital of Liberia, Monrovia. Despite being a bigger guy, Morris had the nickname “Shrimp,” although that came from his love of eating the crustacean. He emerged as one of West Africa’s first true baseball megastars. By the time he retired, Morris was the undisputed GOAT of West African Baseball and is considered by many scholars to be a top ten player in all of pro history.

Morris was an outstanding contact hitter with excellent home run and gap power. He also had a terrific eye for drawing walks, although he strikeout rate was surprisingly pedestrian. For his 162 game average, Morris got you 44 home runs, 32 doubles, and 11 triples. He had 15 consecutive seasons with 30+ home runs and had a 50-burger five times in that run. Not only did Morris have power, but he had blistering speed and baserunning ability. He stole 60+ bases in nine different seasons and topped 80+ four times.

Just over ¾ of Morris’s career starts came at shortstop, where he was a reliably above average to good defender. In his final years as he physically began to break down, Morris split time between second base and designated hitter. By the time he was shifted, his range had dropped notably and tanked his defense. Morris held up remarkably well over a 24-year run at a very demanding position. However, he usually missed a few weeks each year from his 30s onward, often because of back troubles.

Morris’s incredible ability was going to make him a superstar regardless, but his personality made him even more of a fan favorite. Few guys in baseball worked harder, were more loyal, or were smarter. Morris became the symbol and ambassador for the sport throughout the entire region. Not only that, but he was also often cited as the best ever from all of Africa. Morris’s exploits played a notable role in the sport’s popularity surging on the continent from the 1990s onward.

As a teenager in Monrovia, it was immediately clear that Morris was a can’t miss, five-tool type prospect. In the 1990 WAB Draft, he was the #1 overall pick by Kano, who really hit the lottery with their timing. The Condors were one of WAB’s early powerhouses, winning three titles with ten playoff appearances from 1975-88. However, they had plummeted down to 49-113 by 1990, thus getting the #1 slot. Kano would still be terrible in 1991 and 1992, but it set the stage for WAB’s all-time best dynasty.

Kano didn’t throw Morris immediately into the fire, as he only played 106 games with 21 starts in his first two years He became a full-timer in 1993 at age 21 with a very respectable 4.7 WAR season. That would be the last time he didn’t lead the Eastern League in WAR until 2007. From 1994-07, Morris had 8.9 WAR or better every season along with an OPS above one. From 1994-01, he had an eight-year run of seasons worth 11+ WAR. In that stretch, Morris was the leader in OPS and wRC+ each season.

Morris won 15 consecutive Silver Sluggers from 1994-2008. As of 2037, he is one of 13 players in world history with 15+ Sluggers, one of three exclusively at shortstop, and the only 15+ winner in WAB. He was also the first player to win all 15 consecutively, a feat only later matched by OBA’s Roe Kaupa and Nordine Soule.

The first MVPs for Morris came in 1994 and 1995. The 1995 campaign was next level, leading the league in runs (142), homers (53), RBI (135), total bases (401), stolen bases (91), slugging (.693), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (204), and WAR (15.1). The WAR mark remains the WAB single-season record as of 2037 and ranks as the 44^th best season by any player in any world league. The 142 runs also set a new WAB single-season record.

Kano was back above .500 in 1993 and 1994, but 1995 ended a playoff drought and started what would be a 12-year playoff streak. The Condors fell in the 1995 ELCS to Port Harcourt, then lost in the 1996 ELCS to Ibadan. Morris dropped down to 10.7 WAR and finished second in MVP voting, but that’s because he missed six weeks to a torn labrum. The following April, Kano wisely inked Morris to an eight-year, $23,800,000 extension.

Morris would win six consecutive MVPs from 1997-02 and Kano’s dynasty began. From 1997-2005, the Condors won a historic nine straight Eastern League titles, becoming only the second franchise in world history to win nine subleague crowns in a row. Kano three-peated as WAB Champion from 1997-99, winning 111, 114, and 123 games in that stretch. The 123-39 mark in 1999 was the all-time WAB team record and was the second-best ever record a team that won it all in any world league.

Morris broke his own runs scored record in 1997 with 146 and had career highs in homers (59), OPS (1.194), and wRC+ (231). His 14.74 WAR was the second-best WAB season, while his OPS and slugging were both new WAB records. Morris would beat the slugging mark in 1999 at .769. 1999 also saw his career bests in RBI (150) and total bases (450); the latter of which was briefly the WAB single-season record.

In 2000, Kano won even more at 125-37, tied for the second-most wins by any team in all of baseball history. They were denied their near perfect season, getting upset in a finals rematch with Abidjan. The Condors didn’t breach 110+ wins again, but they had three more 100+ win, first place finishes from 2001-03. This led to Kano’s second three-peat.

Morris’s 2001 saw him break the runs record again, this time with 152. That broke the then world record for runs scored. Morris’s mark would get topped once in WAB and ranks 9^th in world history as of 2037. He also again had 14+ WAR and barely missed his OPS record at 1.193. Morris did win his first batting title and post career highs in average (.365), OBP (.454), and hits (206).

He remained the WAR leader from 2002-04, but this is when injuries started to appear. Strained hamstrings cost him bits of 2002 and 2003, while it was a shoulder strain in 2004. Even playing 111 games in 2004, Morris won his ninth MVP. That was a down year for Kano finishing second place, but they made it back to the WAB Championship. Their four-peat bid was denied by Kumasi. It was soon contract time and the Condors signed the 33-year old Morris to a new five-year, $14,160,000 extension.

2005 was Morris’s last truly unbelievable season with a career best 234 wRC+ and 59 home runs. He again was above 13+ WAR and above 1.100 OPS for the seventh time. Morris also notably secured his lone Triple Crown season with his second batting title, fifth time leading in homers, and fourth time leading RBI. He won his historic tenth MVP; to that point Rudy Bambara was the only other WAB player even with four. At that point, Morris was only the third player in all of world history with 10+ MVPs, joining world WARlord Jimmy Caliw (12 between OBA/MLB) and CABA’s Kiko Velazquez (10). Morris also had both of his career Cycles in the 2005 season.

Additionally, 2005 was the final WAB Championship win of Kano’s dynasty. The Condors finished second in the standings, but went on a run and beat Monrovia in the final. Kano was first place in 2006, but was upset in the ELCS by Niamey to end their nine-year pennant streak. Morris’s 11^th and final MVP came in 2006 despite losing a month to a fractured foot. This also marked the end of his 13-year run as the EL’s WARlord.

We haven’t even mentioned Morris’s playoff statistics yet, which were also outstanding during the dynasty run. He won ELCS MVP in 1997, 2001, and 2005; although he surprisingly never won finals MVP. Counting four starts at the end of his career with Abidjan, Morris’s playoff totals saw 92 starts, 108 hits, 86 runs, 17 doubles, 7 triples, 29 home runs, 71 RBI, 38 walks, 48 stolen bases, a .314/.396/.657 slash, 189 wRC+, and 6.8 WAR. As of 2037, Morris ranks 1^st in playoff runs in WAB, 2^nd in hits, 2^nd in homers, 2^nd in stolen bases, and 3^rd in RBI.

Morris has the top seven seasons by WAR for a position player in WAB still as of 2037. Later higher-scoring eras of WAB displaced him from the #1 spot in other stats. Still, Morris has the #10, #11, #12, and #14 single-seasons by OPS. He holds the #7 and #10 seasons by slugging; and the #2, #9, and #12 seasons for runs scored.

He “fell off” in his final four years with Kano, but he was still elite by normal person standards with all four years above 6+ WAR. Kano’s playoff streak ended with an 80-82 finish in 2007. The Condors bounced back and took first in 2008, but were upset in the ELCS by Lagos. A sprained ankle kept Morris out of that playoff run. The Condors were 83-79 in 2009, then started a five-year run of losing seasons after that to truly signal the end of the era.

By the 2010 offseason, Morris held the top spot or was close to it in most of the big offensive stats. He had 2996 hits, 2056 runs, 530 doubles, 187 triples, 753 home runs, 1971 RBI, 1148 walks, 1101 stolen bases, a .325/.408/.669 slash, 194 wRC+, and 187.9 WAR. Morris was the WAB leader in hits, runs, homers, RBI, and WAR. These would be his final statistics with Kano. The Condors had fallen to 73-89 and were looking to enter the full rebuild. To the shock of many, Morris was traded to Conakry for three prospects. Now 39-years old, Morris would be wearing different colors for the first time in his career.

Morris posted 3.2 WAR over 115 games with the Coyotes, missing two months with numerous injuries. With Conakry, he became WAB’s first-ever player to 3000 this and 2000 RBI. Morris became a free agent for the first time at age 40 and even with diminishing skills, his box office appeal with undeniable. Abidjan ended up inking him for two-years and $13,200,000. Morris would miss two months early in the season to a strained hamstring.

In 2012, Morris had 2.1 WAR and 130 wRC+ in 96 games for the Athletes, They took the Western League’s #1 seed, but fell to Dakar in the WLCS. Morris was a lousy 2-15 in the playoffs and didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year of the deal, returning to free agency. He wanted to keep playing, even if his body wasn’t cooperating.

For 2013, Morris signed a one-year, $6,100,000 deal with Ouagadougou. He posted 1.4 WAR and a 148 wRC+ in 43 games with his season ending in mid May on a torn ACL. Morris was determined not to end with that and rehabbed back for the 2014 season. Dakar gave him a shot and he became WAB’s first 800 home run player. However, Morris struggled in 58 starts for -0.1 WAR. In June, a broken bone in his elbow ended his season and he retired that winter just past his 43^rd birthday. WAB honored Morris with a league-wide celebration and Kano retired his #24 uniform.

Morris finished with 2939 games, 2234 runs, 3288 hits, 577 doubles, 199 triples, 806 home runs, 2129 RBI, 1307 walks, 2093 strikeouts, 1165 stolen bases, a .320/.404/.649 slash, 1.053 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 194.4 WAR. At retirement, he was WAB’s career leader in games, at-bats, runs, hits, total bases (6681), home runs, RBI, stolen bases, and WAR; while also ranking second in walks drawn. Morris also had the best OPS and slugging percentage of any batter with 3000+ plate appearances.

Offensive numbers would generally soar in WAB especially in the 21^st Century, which led to Morris losing the #1 spot in all of those stats except for WAR and no one else is even remotely close. #2 is Fares Belaid’s 129.7, more than 64 points away. Belaid does lose WAR points with a lot of time at DH, but his longevity and a higher-scoring WAB eventually gave him the #1 spot in games, at-bats, runs, hits, total bases, singles, doubles, triples, and steals by the time he was done. Still, most scholars still quickly rate Morris ahead of Belaid in the GOAT conversations.

As of 2037, Morris is still 2^nd in runs scored, 5^th in games, 8^th in hits, 6^th in total bases, 20^th in doubles, 5^th in home runs, 6^th in RBI, 5^th in stolen bases, and 3^rd in walks drawn. Among all WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances even with the inflated numbers, Morris is still 3^rd in OPS, 6^th in slugging, 11^th in OBP, and 94^th in batting average.

When looking at the leaderboards for all of pro baseball history as of 2037, Morris is 9^th in runs scored and 36^th in RBI. Among all Hall of Famers worldwide, Morris ranks ninth in OPS and 31^st in wRC+. He’s one of only three players with 11+ MVP wins and one of 13 with 15+ Silver Sluggers. For position players, he ranks fourth in WAR and sits fifth among all players ever.

At retirement, Morris’s 194.4 WAR was third in world history only behind 12-time MVP Jimmy Caliw (214) and world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos (205.1). Caliw often got the edge over Morris in conversations for the greatest of all-time as he had great batting numbers while also winning 17 Gold Gloves between SS/2B in MLB and OBA. EBF’s Harvey Coyle and ABF’s Nizami Aghazade would both also later pass Morris in WAR and similarly played the middle infield with greater defensive accolades.

A few other guys with lower WAR may get ranked above Morris depending on how you weight certain eras, leagues, stats, and accolades. That’s part of the nerd appeal of baseball with billions of statistical calculations thrown into the mix. One thing Morris had over most of the other guys on the grand WAR leaderboard was championship rings. Very few dynasties in world history reached the heights of Kano’s decade of dominance.

Even if you don’t put him in the GOAT slot overall, basically any scholar worth their salt has Morris as a top ten all-time position player. You could make a strong case for top five among position players or even top five amongst everybody. Very few could credibly argue Morris isn’t WAB’s GOAT. Fares Belaid may have him beat with historic longevity in counting stats, but his best individual seasons didn’t sniff Morris’s.

You could also make a very convincing case that Morris is the GOAT among all African-born players and the best to play in one of the Africa-based pro leagues. Darwin Morris is the essentially the godfather of baseball for the entire continent, reaching almost deity status in some places. No one player is more responsible for the immense growth of baseball’s popularity in Africa from the 1990s onward. Morris is more than an inner-circle Hall of Famer and is one of the sport’s very few immortal figures. Somehow he only got 98.1% as the ultimate headliner for WAB’s 2020 class.



Sam Pappoe – Designated Hitter/Outfield – Kano Condors – 66.3% Second Ballot

Sam Pappoe was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed slugger from the capital of Ghana, Accra. He was a solid contact hitter with impressive power, averaging 36 home runs and 36 doubles per his 162 game average. Pappoe hit 40+ homers in seven different seasons. Pappoe’s eye was below average, leading to more strikeouts and fewer walks than you’d want. He was a big galoot with laughably slow baserunning speed and ability.

That clumsiness carried into the field, thus Pappoe made about ¾ of his starts as a designated hitter. His few starts defensively came mostly between left and right field with abysmal results in either spot. Pappoe did have very good durability, which meant his bat was almost always available. Even if he was a big doofus generally, Pappoe’s power and bat gave him a 17-year career despite his deficiencies.

Pappoe was a very big teenager as well, which drew the attention of scouts. A scout from Cameroon inked him to a developmental deal with Douala signed in January 1992. Pappoe spent five full years in their academy before debuting in 1997 at age 21. In his first three years, he was almost exclusively a pinch hitter. Pappoe struggled initially with only 0.1 WAR over 272 games and 34 starts.

In 2000, Pappoe became a full-time starter and showed nice power with 37 home runs, 111 RBI, a .916 OPS, and 3.7 WAR. Douala was still a bottom tier team at this point and they had some frustrations with Pappoe’s limitations. After 35 games in 2001, the Dingos traded him to Kano for three prospects in late April. With Douala, Pappoe had 463 games, 208 starts, 313 hits, 139 runs, 71 doubles, 51 homers, 176 RBI, a .287/.324/.511 slash, 123 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR.

At this point, Kano was already in the middle of their dynasty run. The Condors had three-peated as WAB Champion from 1997-99, then lost in the 2000 final despite their 125-37 record. They wanted Pappoe long-term and only two weeks after the trade inked him to a four-year, $5,300,000 extension. Pappoe had a solid showing and Kano began their second three-peat, winning the WAB title in 2001, 2002, and 2003. The Condors were the runner-up in 2004, then won it all again in 2005.

Pappoe’s finest season was 2002, winning his first Silver Slugger as a DH. He was third in MVP voting, leading the Eastern League in hits (214), RBI (130), and total bases 9384). Those were all career bests, as was his 115 runs and 6.2 WAR. Pappoe repeated as a Slugger winner in 2003 despite playing only 133 games. He also earned finals MVP in 2003, posting 9 hits, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 3 homers, and 11 RBI over 8 playoff starts.

In 2004, Pappoe led the league with a career best 49 home runs for his third Slugger. Kano gave him a three-year, $5,600,000 extension in March 2005. He remained steady into his 30s, although he wasn’t a league leader. Kano lost in the 2006 ELCS to Niamey. Their 12-year playoff streak ended in 2007, although they had a last hurrah with a 2008 ELCS defeat. The Condors then had a seven-year playoff drought.

For his playoff career, Pappoe had 49 starts with 47 hits, 26 runs, 11 doubles, 12 home runs, 36 RBI, 15 walks, a .245/.298/.510 slash, 120 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. From 1999-2010, Pappoe also played for his native Ghana in the World Baseball Championship. In 98 WBC games, he had 117 hits, 51 runs, 19 doubles, 28 home runs, 60 RBI, 26 walks, a .321/.378/.610 slash, 186 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR.

Pappoe stuck around through the Kano rebuild, signing another five-year, $16,400,000 extension in April 2008. He smacked 40+ homers thrice more with four more 100+ RBI seasons and won his fourth Silver Slugger in 2011. That was his only Slugger in the field, playing in left. He became the eighth WAB slugger to reach 500 home runs and the 16^th to reach 2000 hits.

In 2013, Pappoe’s steady production finally ended as he struggled to -0.5 WAR over 130 games and 89 starts. He became a free agent in 2014 and couldn’t find any interested teams, retiring that winter at age 39. Kano would quickly retire Pappoe’s #9 uniform for his role in their dynasty. With the Condors, he had 2084 hits, 1063 runs, 440 doubles, 461 home runs, 1296 RBI, a .294/.334/.556 slash, 143 wRC+, and 46.9 WAR.

Pappoe finished with 2397 hits, 1202 runs, 511 doubles, 512 home runs, 1472 RBI, a .293/.332/.550 slash, 140 wRC+, and 51.1 WAR. As of 2037, Pappoe ranks 32^nd in home runs, 34^th in RBI, 67^th in runs, 54^th in hits, and 91^st in WAR among position players. Pappoe’s steady power stats and his role in the Kano dynasty made him a solid Hall of Fame choice for many voters.

However, there were many detractors who penalized him severely for being a DH. Pappoe’s terrible baserunning was also a big mark against him. Being a strong power hitter though is often considered the most important possible trait by many. Pappoe just missed the cut at 64.7% in his 2019 ballot debut. He only bumped to 66.3% in 2020, but that got him across the 66% requirement. On the second ballot, Pappoe joined his long-time Kano teammate Darwin Morris as the 2020 WAB HOF inductees.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Two players earned induction into the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020 by slim margins. OF Ko Ratanaveroj got the first ballot nod at 70.2% and SP Pwint Moe Nyein sneaked across the 66% requirement with 68.2% for his third ballot. Two other players were above 50%, both catchers on their debut. Quoc Pham received 57.6% and Trung Lai grabbed 54.1%.



Falling off the ballot after ten failed tries was 3B Gotem Sarwar. He had a 13-year career with Mumbai, winning four Silver Sluggers and one MVP while leading thrice in home runs. Sarwar had 1326 hits, 787 runs, 202 doubles, 468 home runs, 957 RBI, a .235/.310/.526 slash, 166 wRC+, and 65.2 WAR. His career had an abrupt ending with a broken kneecap in spring training 2006 at age 35, keeping Sarwar from the accumulations that probably would’ve got him in. Sarwar peaked at 48.0% on his second ballot, but fell to only 9.0% by the end.



Ko Ratanaveroj – Right/Center Field – Kuala Lumpur Leopards – 70.2% First Ballot

Ko Ratanaveroj was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Suphan Buri, a town of 26,000 people in central Thailand. Ratanaveroj was a decent contact hitter with respectable power, getting 27 home runs, 26 doubles, and 8 triples per his 162 game average. Few players were better at drawing walks than Ratanaveroj, leading the league in walks six times. Despite that, he was below average at avoiding strikeouts.

Ratanaveroj often took advantage of his walks with outstanding baserunning speed and skills. His career was split almost evenly between right field and center. Ratanaveroj was excellent in right and won three Gold Gloves there, however he was below average in center. He had strong durability, playing 138+ games in 15 different seasons. Ratanaveroj emerged as one of the most potent leadoff guys of his era and as one of the first successful Thai players.

Ahead of the 1996 SAB Draft, Ratanaveroj was not only the top prospect out of Thailand, but arguably the best overall prospect. He was taken with the #1 overall pick by Kuala Lumpur, making the move to Malaysia for the next seven years. Ratanaveroj was a full-time starter for his entire run with the Leopards, starting with the 1997 Rookie of the Year. His speed and defense made him a solid starter in his second and third years despite being merely a decent hitter at that point.

Ratanaveroj put it together in 2000 and posted 7+ WAR in four of the next five years for KL. He led in walks for the first time in 2000 (91) and won his first Gold Glove that year. 2002 saw 8.5 WAR, the best of his Leopards run. In 2003, Ratanaveroj drew a career-best 131 walks, which is the third-highest mark in SAB history as of 2037 and is one of only 32 seasons in world history of 130+ walks.

Kuala Lumpur ended an eight-year playoff drought in 2003 as the last wild card at 85-77 and went one-and-done. With franchise struggles, the Leopards weren’t in position to keep Ratanaveroj and he entered free agency for 2004 heading towards age 29. With KL, Ratanaveroj had 958 hits, 614 runs, 186 doubles, 50 triples, 155 home runs, 457 RBI, 587 walks, 443 stolen bases, a .260/.362/.464 slash, 129 wRC+, and 37.2 WAR. He would be inducted in Leopards colors as it was the longest of his five team stints. KL would depart for Austronesia Professional Baseball in 2008.

Ratanaveroj signed a four-year, $11,520,000 deal with Ho Chi Minh City, the reigning SAB champs. The Hedgehogs were 17 years into what would be a 23-year playoff streak. HCMC won it all again in 2004 and 2005 for the three-peat with 122 and 121 win seasons. The Hedgehogs were upset in the Southeast Asia League Championship in 2006 by Yangon, then fell in the first round of 2007. Ratanaveroj maintained his steady production with 7+ WAR in his first three seasons and 5.9 WAR in his final year.

With Ho Chi Minh City, Ratanaveroj played center field and won Silver Sluggers in 2004, 2005, and 2007. 2005 saw his career high in WAR (8.6) while he scored 110+ runs in all four years there. Ratanaveroj led in 2006 with 122 walks and posted his career best 109 stolen bases. In 39 playoff starts for the Hedgehogs, Ratanaveroj had 30 hits, 28 runs, 1 double, 2 triples, 5 homers, 9 RBI, 31 walks, 22 steals, a .216/.366/.360 slash, 114 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

Ratanaveroj became a free agent again for 2008 heading towards age 33. He inked a three-year, $13,320,000 deal with Hanoi, who had begun their own reign of dominance. The Hounds were the defending SAB champ and were in the third year of what would be a 13-year playoff streak. Hanoi repeated as SAB champ in 2008 at 120-42, winning the final over Mumbai. The Hounds were stunned in the 2009 first round despite going 122-40. Hanoi then was 121-41 in 2010 and won the SEAL title again, but lost the SAB finale to Kolkata.

Once again, Ratanaveroj’s production was steady with 7.8, 8.3, and 4.6 WAR seasons. His numbers in 2010 were down mainly due to losing a month to injury. In 2008, Ratanaveroj won both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in right field. These seasons saw Majed Darwish’s world-record breaking power stats while Ratanaveroj hit in front of him. He scored 147 runs in 2008 and 144 in 2009, which rank as the 5^th and 7^th most in a single season in SAB history. Ratanaveroj’s 147 would’ve been the new SAB single-season record that year if not for Darwish’s 167.

In the playoffs, Ratanaveroj was solid for Hanoi with 34 starts, 36 hits, 28 runs, 9 doubles, 11 home runs, 20 RBI, 17 walks, 7 steals, a .277/.373/.615 slash, 156 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. In the first Baseball Grand Championship in 2010, Ratanaveroj went 8-35 with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBI, 10 walks, and a 131 wRC+.

He did generally have good tournament stats having played for Thailand from 2007-14 in the World Baseball Championship. Ratanaveroj played 71 games with 68 starts, posting 44 runs, 57 hits, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 16 homers, 35 RBI, 33 steals, 56 walks, a .259/.420/.536 slash, and 3.5 WAR. He helped Thailand to their first-ever division title in 2011.

With Hanoi, Ratanaveroj had 437 hits, 391 runs, 75 doubles, 94 home runs, 240 RBI, 300 walks, 234 stolen bases, a .281/.400/.525 slash, 143 wRC+, and 20.7 WAR. Soon to be 36-years old, Ratanaveroj was still a hot commodity and signed for three years and $17,100,000 with Ahmedabad. The Animals were still a playoff regular at this point, although they were no longer the perennial champion they had from the late 80s to early 00s. Ahmedabad won division titles in both of Ratanaveroj’s seasons there, losing in the first round in 2011 and the Indian League Championship Series in 2012.

Ratanaveroj had a great debut season with 7.3 WAR and won his third Gold Glove. He dropped to 3.9 in 2012; his lowest since 1999. A strained hip muscle also kept him out just over a month. Ratanaveroj had 11 playoff starts with a .674 OPS and 1.0 WAR. In total for Ahmedabad, he had 255 hits, 186 runs, 35 doubles, 20 triples, 46 homers, 144 RBI, 177 walks, 95 steals, a .263/.378/.483 slash, 159 wRC+, and 11.2 WAR.

In 2013, Ratanaveroj returned to Ho Chi Minh City on a three-year, $24,900,000 deal. The 38-year old couldn’t recapture the old magic with a 2.4 WAR effort in 161 games in 2013. The Hedgehogs were in a full rebuild at this point, bottoming out that year at 61-101. Between his two stints in HCMC, Ratanaveroj had 691 hits, 546 runs, 109 doubles, 43 triples, 140 homers, 364 RBI, 504 walks, 373 stolen bases, a 252/.371/.476 slash, 137 wRC+, and 31.7 WAR.

HCMC traded Ratanaveroj and 3B Paresh Rewari in the offseason to Kolkata for 3B Ahmed Kader. He was a backup in one year with the Cosmos, posting 115 games and 33 starts with 0.8 WAR. Ratanaveroj would get his fourth championship ring as Kolkata upset Yangon in the final, although he went 2-10 as a pinch hitter. Ratanaveroj joined a short list in world history to have championship rings from three different franchises. He retired that winter at age 39.

Ratanaveroj ended with 2389 hits, 1763 runs, 419 doubles, 128 triples, 442 home runs, 1231 RBI, 1590 walks, 2302 strikeouts, 1151 stolen bases, a .261/.372/.480 slash, 137 wRC+, and 101.6 WAR. As of 2037, Ratanaveroj ranks 3^rd in walks, 6^th in steals, 7^th in runs, 51^st in hits, 88^th in doubles, 60^th in home runs, 67^th in RBI, and 19^th in WAR among position players. His walks tally is 26^th amongst all of pro baseball history.

Even with that resume, some traditionalist voters undervalue things like walks, baserunning, and defense; items Ratanaveroj exceled at. He only got 70.2%, but that was just enough for the first ballot induction and a spot in South Asia Baseball’s 2020 Hall of Fame class.



Pwint Moe Nyein – Starting Pitcher – Phnom Penh Pandas – 68.2% Third Ballot

Pwint Moe Nyein was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Mawlamyine, Myanmar’s fourth-largest city with around 289,000 people. Nyein had very strong stuff and excellent control, although his movement was often below average. His most dangerous pitch was his changeup, but Nyein also had a 98-100 mph cut fastball and a curveball.

SAB aces weren’t expected to go the distance as often as other world leagues, but even by that standard Nyein had merely okay stamina. His innings were also limited many years due to various injuries. Nyein was below average defensively and at holding runners. He was considered a bit of a mercenary, focused more on the next paycheck as opposed to the team’s success.

In September 1993, Nyein was signed to a developmental deal by Phnom Penh and made the move to Cambodia. He spent four years in the Pandas academy, then came up in 1998 at age 21. Nyein was a part-time starter with iffy results, but did enough to earn a full-time spot in the rotation for the next six years. Nyein had a solid 5.0 WAR 1999 which helped Phnom Penh to a wild card. He had a 2.42 ERA over 26 playoff innings with 32 strikeouts, but the Pandas couldn’t overcome the Ho Chi Minh City dynasty in the Southeast Asia League Championship.

Phnom Penh fell to well below .500 for the next four seasons. Nyein thrived in 2000 and took third in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading SEAL with a 0.85 WHIP. He also had a career best 347 strikeouts along with a 2.75 ERA and 7.6 WAR. He carried that momentum into a strong World Baseball Championship showing for Myanmar with a 4-0 record, 0.79 ERA, 34 innings, and 50 strikeouts. They earned their first-ever final four appearance and Nyein was third in Best Pitcher voting. Nyein was never quite that dominant again, but he was overall solid in the WBC from 1999-2009 with a 10-7 record, 2.99 ERA, 144.1 innings, 194 strikeouts, 36 walks, 121 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR.

Unfortunately the 2001 regular season would be dented by a partially torn labrum suffered in April. He lost some time in 2002 to shoulder irritation, then suffered a full labrum tear in July 2003. Nyein did bounce back with a 5.4 WAR and 2.87 ERA over 238.1 innings in 2004, showing he could still thrive when healthy. Phnom Penh got back to the playoffs but suffered a first round defeat. Nyein allowed three runs in 5.2 innings in his lone start.

In total for Phnom Penh, Nyein had a 74-73 record, 3.12 ERA, 1322.2 innings, 1684 strikeouts, 245 walks, 118 ERA+, and 30.1 WAR. He threw the most innings with the Pandas and ended up inducted in their red and white. However, Nyein’s second run would be more impactful in a shorter burst. A free agent heading towards his age 28 season, Nyein signed with Jaipur for $17,360,000 over seven years. The Jokers had been a regular division champ in the last decade but had no pennants to show for it.

Nyein had a nice debut season with a 2.27 ERA, 313 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR; taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He allowed three runs in eight playoff innings as Jaipur took the top seed at 106-56, but suffered a first round upset loss to Mumbai. Then in 2006, the Jokers went 105-57, knocked off 109-win Ahmedabad for the Indian League pennant, and won their first-ever SAB Championship over Yangon.

2006 was Nyein’s finest year, leading the league in strikeouts (340), K/BB (11.7), quality starts (28), FIP- (52), and WAR (8.9). Each of those sans the K mark were career bests, as was his 2.23 ERA and 18-6 record. He finished second in POTY voting, but established himself in Jaipur’s lore in the playoffs. Nyein posted a 1.77 ERA and 55 strikeouts over 35.2 postseason innings. This was the third most Ks in SAB postseason history.

Nyein led in WHIP and K/BB in 2007 and tossed 9.1 scoreless playoff innings. Jaipur was the #1 seed at 106-56, but had a first round exit courtesy of Kanpur. Nyein would fall off in 2008 with a 3.45 ERA and 3.8 WAR in 2008. He allowed 6 runs in 11.2 playoff innings as a wild card Joker squad dropped the ILCS to Mumbai. For a solid playoff career, Nyein had a 7-4 record, 2.43 ERA, 96.1 innings, 136 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 2.7 WAR.

Jaipur would win the Indian League in 2009, but lost to Ho Chi Minh City in the SAB Championship. Unfortunately Nyein watched the action in a sling, suffering a torn UCL in June. After that, the Jokers started a six-year skid of losing seasons. Nyein couldn’t catch a break, partially tearing his labrum shortly after returning in 2010. A biceps strain cost him a good chunk of 2011, but Jaipur only used him for 16 innings of relief even when healthy. The previous injuries did a number to Nyein’s stuff and control.

With the Jokers, Nyein finished with a 67-36 record, 2.69 ERA, 1025.2 innings, 1590 strikeouts, 159 walks 130 ERA+, and 26.3 WAR. He still hoped to pitch in 2012 and signed a one-year deal with Colombo, who had joined in 2008 as an expansion team. A sprained ankle kept him out the spring and he looked awful even when healthy. Nyein only pitched 5.1 innings with the Catfish and resigned himself to retirement that winter at age 35.

Nyein finished with a 142-109 record, 2.94 ERA, 2353.2 innings, 3078 strikeouts, 404 walks, 214/321 quality starts, 38 complete games, 123 ERA+, and 56.2 WAR. The injuries greatly dented his accumulations and as of 2037, Nyein ranks 96^th in wins, 87^th in innings, 49^th in strikeouts, and 39^th in pitching WAR. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, his ERA ranks 87^th, but his 0.98 WHIP is 21^st.

His rate stats and pace were on par with many of the lower-end Hall of Fame starters in SAB. However, the accumulations and low black ink totals dinged Nyein with many voters. He also didn’t have a Pitcher of the Year, although he came close. Supporters gave him some grace for being derailed by injuries in his early 30s. They also pointed to very good playoff stats and his big role in Jaipur’s 2006 championship.

Nyein’s first two ballots saw respectable 52.1% and 55.0% marks. His third try in 2020 was aided by a quieter group of debuts. Nyein got the boost to 68.2% and just passed the 66% requirement to become a third ballot inductee and the second member of South Asia Baseball’s 2020 Hal of Fame class.

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The Asian Baseball Federation didn’t add any players into the Hall of Fame in 2020. It was the second blank ballot in five years and the fifth of the decade, as ABF seemed to add players in big bunches. No one cracked 60% and the best debut was down at 28.6%. Three returners were above 50% with SP Omar Ma’mur with 55.9% on his second ballot, SP Masruq Abbas at 55.6% on his eighth try, and 1B Altaf Aslam with 55.2% for his fifth go.



Four players ended up removed from the ballot after ten failed attempts with each ending with less than 15% of the vote on their last try. SP Brazi Nawaz was the highest of this bunch, peaking at 32.2% in his debut. His ABF tenure had a 2.52 ERA, 123-115 record, 2320 innings, 2282 strikeouts, 451 walks, 119 ERA+, and 39.0 WAR. Not a bad run, but he was never dominant or rarely viewed as truly elite.

CF Cuneyt Solak notably won seven Silver Sluggers over a 13-year ABF career and got as high as 44.7% in 2013. He got hurt for lacking power as a speedy leadoff man. Solak had 2063 hits, 1119 runs, 365 doubles, 193 triples, 100 home runs, 725 RBI, 632 walks, 1016 stolen bases, a .284/.351/.428 slash, 121 wRC+, and 74.1 WAR. Solak retired as the only ABF player with 1000 steals, but that wasn’t an important metric for the voters. He still sits sixth in steals as of 2037.

DH Shahnawaz Ikram won three Silver Sluggers and led in homers and RBI in 1997. He was hurt by both being a career DH and by playing his five final years in WAB, where he notably smacked 66 home runs for Abidjan in 2006. In ABF, Ikram had 1738 hits, 861 runs, 368 doubles, 445 home runs, 1236 RBI, a .271/.293/.546 slash, 139 wRC+, and 42.2 WAR. Ikram had 650 homers and 1739 RBI for his full pro career, which likely gets him in if that was all in ABF. His debut ballot of 29.8% was his highest effort.

Lastly, RF Hasballah Kadoor fell off heaving peaked in 2013 at 23.9%. He was another leadoff type guy who led twice in hits and batting average, while leading thrice in triples. Kadoor had 13 years between Tehran and Tashkent with one Silver Slugger, 1969 hits, 767 runs, 365 doubles, 169 triples, 27 homers, 526 RBI, 509 steals, a .325/.356/.455 slash, 141 wRC+, and 41.5 WAR. Kadoor helped the Tomcats to ABF titles in 2000 and 2002 and still ranks 12^th in batting average as of 2037 among batters with 3000+ plate appearances. However, his lack of power and longevity torpedoed his efforts.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 2020 Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with three first ballot inductions, led by LF Nordine Soule. The world home run king was the headliner at 98.2%, although LF/DH Mohamed Aziz had his own very strong showing at 92.8%. DH/3B Mahmoud Abbas joined them with his own solid 79.3% debut.



Three others came close to the 66% requirement. SP Mohamed Abdou got to 63.2% on his third ballot. DH Ibrahim Ahmed Raafat got 60.2% on his tenth and final chance. CL Ramy Kayat received 55.1% for his second try. No other players were even above 20%.

For Raafat, he was just not strong enough especially with so many powerful DHs getting the nod adjacent to him. He had a 15-year career mostly with Khartoum and won four Silver Sluggers with 2181 hits, 1158 runs, 546 doubles, 433 home runs, 1313 RBI, a .283/.335/.536 slash, 140 wRC+, and 53.9 WAR. Raafat also struggled in his limited playoff appearances, which worked against him. His 60.2% mark in 2020 was his peak and he bounced around on the ballot, falling as low as 10.7% in 2017.

Also getting dropped after ten ballots was closer Abdulla Al-Hashemi, whose accumulations were hurt by pitching his final six seasons in MLB. He led in saves twice, won Reliever of the Year once, and won a title in 1997 with Doha. In his nine ALB seasons, Al-Hashemi had 273 saves, a 2.51 ERA, 681.1 innings, 885 strikeouts, 149 ERA+, and 18.0 WAR. He needed either much more tenure at the same rate or far more dominance to have a chance, peaking at 32.0% in 2012 and ending with 5.4%.



Nordine “Hawk” Soule – Left Field – Basra Bulldogs – 98.2% First Ballot

Nordine Soule was a 5’11’’, 185 pound left-handed left fielder from Moya, a commune of 24,140 in the Comoros. Despite not being a huge guy, the stocky Soule emerged as an all-time home run hitter. Nicknamed “Hawk,” he had stellar reliable home run power, especially against right-handed pitching. Against RHP, he had an absurd career 1.132 OPS and 201 wRC+. Soule wasn’t a bum against lefties with a 139 wRC+ and .868 OPS.

On the whole, Soule was a quite good contact hitter and had a solid eye for drawing walks despite an unremarkable strikeout rate. His power was very concentrated on dingers, but he still got you 31 doubles and 5 triples per his 162 game average along with his bonkers 57 homers per 162. Soule’s speed was average, but his baserunning instincts were poor.

Soule was a career left fielder and was perfectly serviceable there, grading as reliably below average. His durability and reliability helped him rack up impressive tallies, playing 150+ games in 16 of his 21 professional seasons. Soule became one of the first renowned worldwide superstars to come out of the Arab League. His towering dingers helped the ALB’s popularity soar in the 1990s and 2000s.

When Soule was growing up, baseball was still in its infancy in the Arab World with ALB starting in 1990. There was even less baseball in his native Comoros, an island nation of around a million people between southeastern Africa and Madagascar. What little baseball there was in that region, Soule dominated as a teenager. There didn’t seem to be much of an avenue to become a professional though at that point from Comoros.

An Iraqi scout working for the recently formed Basra Bulldogs happened to be vacationing in Comoros and checked out a local baseball game. He was stunned by what he saw from a 15-year old Soule and made it a point to meet the young man. By July 1991, Soule signed a developmental contract and picked up and moved to Basra. He spent most of three years in the academy, officially debuting in 1994 at age 19 with 17 games and 5 starts. He even had four plate appearances in the playoffs as the Bulldogs lost in the Eastern Conference Championship to Medina.

Soule was a part-time starter with iffy results in 1995, then earned the full-time gig in 1996 with 41 home runs, 109 RBI, 101 runs, and 6.1 WAR. This year started numerous remarkable streaks for Soule. It began an 18-year run of 40+ home run seasons, 16-year run of 100+ RBI and 100+ runs, and a 15-year run of seasons worth 6+ WAR. 1997 would see his first Silver Slugger and a second place in MVP voting, leading in total bases with 400. This started a historic 14-year streak of 50+ home run seasons. It was also Soule’s first of seven 10+ WAR seasons and his first of 14 seasons with an OPS above one.

Basra was the perfect landing spot for Soule’s power with a ballpark and climate favorable for a left-handed slugger. From 1997-2011, Soule won 15 consecutive Silver Sluggers in left field. He is one of only three in all of pro baseball history to win 15 straight and one of 13 with 15+ Sluggers as of 2037. Soule is also the only of the 15+ winners to do it in left field.

In the mid to late 1990s, Basra had good teams but couldn’t compete in the Iraq Division against Mosul’s dynasty. Soule thrived, taking second in 1997’s MVP voting. Seeing that he was the future, the Bulldogs locked him up in July 1998 with an eight-year, $8,660,000 extension. Soule was awarded his first MVP that year, leading in homers, slugging, OPS, and wRC+ for the first time in his career.

He would finish second in MVP voting in 1999 and 2000 despite leading in homers, runs, and total bases both years. Soule posted his first of ten seasons with 60+ home runs. He smacked 66 in 2000, falling one short of Ahmed Hassan Egeh’s single-season record established in the inaugural season. In 2001, Soule won his second MVP by again leading in homers, total bases, slugging, OPS, and wRC+. He had a down year in 2002 with only 53 homers and 6.4 WAR, still taking second in MVP voting. This would be his only season below 8+ WAR and below an OPS of one from 1997 to 2010.

With Mosul’s dynasty ending and their star SS Mohammed Mohamed departing for Major League Baseball, this opened up the flood gates for Soule and Basra to dominate. He won five straight MVPs from 2003-07, passing Mohamed’s five total for the most in ALB history. Soule broke the single-season home run record with 68 in 2004, then broke it again in 2005 with 70. He also set a new RBI high mark with 169 in 2005, then bested it in 172 in 2008. Soule would post 150+ RBI in five consecutive seasons and as of 2037 is one of only three in world history with five or more 150+ RBI seasons.

During the MVP streak, Soule led the Eastern Conference each year in homers, RBI, slugging, and OPS. He led in runs and wRC+ four times, total bases thrice, OBP thrice, and WAR thrice. In 2005, Soule had career bests in homers (70), total bases (454), triple slash (.360/.429/.814), OPS (1.243), and wRC+ (224). He had matching career WAR bests of 11.4 in 2005 and 2006. 2007 saw his highest marks in runs (135) and walks (81). During this run, Soule signed a six-year, $14,520,000 extension with Basra.

From 2003-12, the Bulldogs had a ten-year streak atop the Iraq Division. From 2004 onward, they were in the Eastern Conference Final each season, winning the pennant in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011. Basra won the Arab League title in 2006, 2008, and 2011. Their crown jewel season was 2008, taking the title over Casablanca with a 109-53 record.

Soule’s playoff stats were plenty good, although not as jaw-dropping as his regular season efforts. He earned conference finals MVP in both 2007 and 2008. Over 78 games and 74 starts, Soule saw 69 hits, 40 runs, 13 doubles, 24 home runs, 58 RBI, 31 walks, a .255/.342/.583 slash, 144 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR. As of 2037, Soule is the career playoff leader in walks drawn, 5^th in homers, and 4^th in RBI.

The MVP streak was disrupted by Soule’s own teammates with the rise of both Farouk Adam and Mohamed Hassan. From 2003-14, the Eastern Conference MVP went to a Basra Bulldog ten times. Soule still kept the run of OPS seasons above one through the 2011 campaign, although that season saw his WAR drop to 5.9; his lowest to date. He was now the elder statesman of their loaded outfield.

Even at age 37 though, Soule still was a force to be reckoned with. In the second Baseball Grand Championship, Soule had 25 hits, 20 runs, 5 doubles, 12 homers, 12 RBI, a .379/461/1.000 slash, 314 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. Basra had a strong showing at 10-9, better than expected from many observers from the young Arab League. Soule’s OPS and slugging marks remain the sixth best qualifying runs in BGC history as of 2037. His WAR is the eighth most by a position player.

Soule had racked up plenty of accumulations and firsts for the Arab League. He was the first to 600 home runs in 2005, 700 in 2007, 800 in 2009, and 900 in 2010. He had 15 seasons of 50+ homers and ten with 60+, leading the league 11 times. He led in RBI nine times, runs scored six times, total bases ten times, OBP thrice, slugging 11 times, OPS ten times, wRC+ eight times, and WAR thrice. Soule was the first to 1500 RBI in 2006, the first to 1500 runs scored in 2008, 2000 RBI in 2009, 3000 hits in 2011, and 2000 runs in 2012. Players would be chasing him for years to come across ALB’s leaderboard.

But of course, it was home runs that drew the most attention. When Soule reached 900 home runs, he was only the second-ever to do it in all of pro baseball history to that point. He finished the 2010 season with 916, just short of Prometheo Garcia’s 928 between MLB and CABA from 1943-68. In 2011, Soule hit 48 more dingers to become the new world record holder at 964. Then in 2012, Soule hit 40 more to become the first in world history with 1000 bombs.

It was a monumental accomplishment in an otherwise frustrating season for Soule. He missed 6-7 weeks to shoulder bursitis and posted career lows across the board, although he still had 40 homers and 4.1 WAR. Basra had the top seed, but lost to Abu Dhabi in the conference final. This served as the changing of the guard as the Bulldogs’ playoff streak ended the next year. It also was Soule’s final season in Basra.

He was an absolutely beloved superstar in Basra, all of Iraq, and throughout the Arab world. It seemed wrong that Soule might play in colors other than Bulldogs red, but the team opted to let him leave for free agency at age 38. He maintained good relations with the franchise and his #1 uniform (a fitting number) would soon be retired. To this day, you wouldn’t find a bigger celebrity in Basra.

Soule wasn’t ready to be done though and had new goals still. Garcia was still the world record holder in both RBI (2618) and runs scored (2374), two marks Soule thought he could make a run at. He ended up signing a three-year, $29,600,000 deal with Casablanca. The Bruins were also looking to rebuild after seeing their own playoff streak snapped the prior season.

In 2013, Soule had one last 50+ homer season, but still saw new lows with a .871 OPS, 140 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR. He did lead in one stat, strikeouts with 221. Still, he still had positive value that season and hoped to carry it on. Sadly, Soule declined sharply in 2014 with an abysmal -1.5 WAR and .589 OPS. He couldn’t catch Garcia’s marks, but he did become the second in world history with 2500 RBI. Soule retired that winter at age 40 holding the crown as the world’s home run king at 1073.

Soule finished with 3056 games, 3339 hits, 2162 runs, 576 doubles, 100 triples, 1073 home runs, 2518 RBI, 1285 walks, 2633 strikeouts, 7334 total bases, 171 stolen bases, a .308/.388/.676 slash, 1.064 OPS, 186 wRC+, and 153.5 WAR. As of 2037, Soule remains the ALB all-time leader in games, at-bats (10,846), runs, hits, total bases, homers, RBI, and WAR. He also ranks fourth in walks drawn and among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances sits third in OPS, second in slugging, and 14^th in OBP. Soule is ALB’s only seven-time MVP and the only player with 15 Silver Sluggers.

When discussing ALB’s greatest all-time player, Soule’s name is the first that comes up most often. The only position player who tends to have a strong case argued is Mohammed Mohamed, but he lost ground on the leaderboards since he left for MLB for most of his 30s. Mohamed has him narrowly beat in OPS specifically within ALB and does have a higher career WAR narrowly when adding his MLB numbers. A lot of his value came from great defense at shortstop as well. As a pure batter, Soule is the GOAT without much argument. Even later ALB guys with the league’s overall offensive numbers spiking have can’t reach Soule’s output.

Soule would surrender the home run world title only a few years after retirement to SAB’s Majed Darwish with his bonkers slugging. As of 2037 in all of pro baseball history, Soule is 3^rd in homers, 4^th in RBI, and 16^th in runs scored. Among all position players, he sits 30^th in WAR. When looking at all players ever, Soule is 42^nd in the WAR chart. With merely decent fielding and subpar baserunning, he isn’t usually mentioned in the all-time baseball GOAT discussion. Some weight his numbers lower due to ALB’s high-homer environment and perceived weaker talent level during Soule’s prime.

When discussing pure raw power though, you would be hard pressed not to have Soule near the very top in all of baseball history. Among all Hall of Famers and HOF locks, Soule’s slugging percentage ranks 4^th and his OPS ranks 5^th. His 186 wRC+ ranks him tied for 38^th with the likes of Prometheo Garcia.

In any event, Soule is one of the true immortals of the game and perhaps ALB’s biggest-ever superstar. He helped grow the game immensely in the Arab World and throughout Africa as well. In his retirement, Soule spearheaded the drive to bring a major pro team to his native Comoros and succeeded with the Comoros Chimps debuting with the 2018 African Second League season. Somehow he only got 98.2% of the vote, but he was the ultimate headliner for a rock solid three-player 2020 class for the ALB Hall of Fame.

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Mohamed Aziz – Left Field/Designated Hitter – Giza Goats – 92.8% First Ballot

Mohamed Aziz was a 6’0’’, 205 pound left-handed outfielder from Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city. Aziz was a well-rounded batter who had good to great contact, power, and eye ratings in his prime. He fared notably better against right-handed pitching (.969 OPS, 160 wRC+) but was still respectable against lefties (.807 OPS, 124 wRC). Aziz had great gap power with 39 doubles per his 162 game average, but also got you 41 homers per 162. His strikeout rate was below average despite his otherwise reliable bat.

While a great batter, Aziz was a clumsy athlete otherwise. He was painfully slow and sluggish as a baserunner and a defender. Aziz had around 1/3 of his career starts as a designated hitter. He saw the most time in left field with around 2/5s of his starts there, but did also try right field and first base. At any spot, Aziz was a putrid defender. The great bat and ironman durability made him still quite valuable, as he played 140+ games in all 17 of his pro seasons. Aziz was also an excellent clubhouse captain, known for his leadership and work ethic. He became one of the most beloved baseball stars in his native Egypt and throughout the region.

Aziz was arguably Egypt’s best prospect heading into the 1997 ALB Draft and went 8^th overall to Giza. He was a full-time starter immediately and a good one, winning 1998 Rookie of the Year with a 45 homer, 125 RBI, 6.6 WAR debut. Aziz led the Western Conference in doubles (51) in 1999 and added 50 homers and 6.2 WAR. He fell off a bit in 2000, then bounced back with two more 5+ WAR efforts for the Goats. Aziz won a Silver Slugger in 2001 at first base and one in right field for 2002.

Giza was a bottom-rung team at this point, averaging only 68.2 wins per season during Aziz’s first tenure. Aziz had become very popular, but the team seemed to be going nowhere. Thus in late April 2003, the Goats traded Aziz to Tripoli for two prospects. In his first tenure for Giza, Aziz had 28.7 WAR, 217 homers, and 547 RBI over just over five seasons.

Although his pro career took him away from Egypt, Aziz remained a regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship throughout his run. From 1997-2013, he played 127 games and started 101, recording 93 hits, 54 runs, 14 doubles, 29 home runs, 71 RBI, 49 walks, a .233/.321/.491 slash, 131 wRC+, and 3.3 WAR. The Egyptians earned their first-ever elite eight appearances in 1999, 2003, and 2005 with Aziz playing an important role.

Aziz had a nice second half for Tripoli in 2003. 2004 would be his finest season by many metrics, leading the conference in doubles (49), RBI (134), walks (93), and OBP (.413). His RBI, walks, triple slash (.320/.413/.643), OPS (1.056), wRC+ (187), and WAR (6.8) were all career bests. The Privateers won their division, but went one-and-done against Beirut. Those three games would sadly be Aziz’s only playoff experience for his entire career.

Tripoli would fall below .500 in his final two years there, although his production was steady. Aziz led in doubles (51) for the third time, his final season as a league leader. With the Privateers, Aziz had 617 hits, 355 runs, 177 doubles, 138 home runs, 395 RBI, 283 walks, a .290/.373/.576 slash, 162 wRC+, and 20.0 WAR. Aziz became a free agent for the first time at age 32 and inked a five-year, $15,600,000 deal with Baghdad.

The Brown Bears were generally lousy in Aziz’s run, but he remained fairly steady. In 2009, Aziz had a career-best 53 home runs and breached 1.000 OPS for the fourth time in his career. He also joined the small group of players with a four home run game, doing it on 5/28/08 against Basra. With Baghdad, Aziz had 750 hits, 433 runs, 175 doubles, 207 home runs, 530 RBI, 334 walks, a .263/.341/.547 slash, 134 wRC+, and 17.0 WAR.

Now 37-years old, Aziz joined Casablanca in 2012 on a one year deal. He had fallen off a bit in his last two years with the Brown Bears, but found some life with the Bruins on a 5.4 WAR, 44 home run, 179 wRC+ season. That earned Aziz his third Silver Slugger (LF). Casablanca had been a traditional power, but 2012 saw their five-year playoff streak end. While in Morocco, Aziz became ALB’s fourth member of the 600 home run club and the fifth to reach 1500 RBI.

After that, Aziz went back where he started with a two-year, $18,200,000 deal with Giza. He posted 4.3 WAR and 70 home runs over two full seasons for the Goats and breached the 2500 hit and 1500 run milestones. Between his Giza runs, Aziz had 1097 hits, 654 runs, 268 doubles, 287 home runs, 712 RBI, 502 walks, a .276/.357/.570 slash, 153 wRC+, and 33.1 WAR. He retired after the 2014 season at age 40 and his #34 uniform became the first retired by the Goats.

Aziz ended with 2606 hits, 1520 runs, 649 doubles, 39 triples, 676 home runs, 1708 RBI, 1175 walks, 2253 strikeouts, a .276/.356/.567 slash, 151 wRC+, and 75.5 WAR. As of 2037, Aziz is 32^nd in hits, 21^st in runs, 13^th in doubles, 12^th in home runs, 19^th in RBI, 8^th in walks, and 25^th in WAR among position players. Amongst all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .924 OPS is 79^th.

He never had the massive eye-popping seasons of some of his contemporaries, but Aziz gave you reliable and steady power numbers over a 17-year career. Aziz’s leadership and durability made him one of the most popular and well-respected sluggers of the early Arab League, giving him a well-deserved 92.8% first ballot induction for ALB’s 2020 Hall of Fame class.



Mahmoud Abbas – Designated Hitter/Third Base – Mosul Muskies – 79.3% First Ballot

Mahmoud Abbas was a 5’9’’, 180 pound switch-hitting slugger from Hanaqin, a city of 175,000 people in northeast Iraq near the Iranian border. Despite his smaller size, Abbas was known for having reliably strong home run power and a great eye for drawing walks. However, he was average at best as a contact hitter and middling at avoiding strikeouts. Abbas did bring you 36 home runs per his 162 game average and topped 50+ thrice. His gap power was unremarkable with only 26 doubles per 162.

Abbas was laughably slow and clumsy on the basepaths and in the field. He did at least have a strong arm, thus his limited defensive starts came at third base. Still, Abbas was an atrocious gloveman and made close to 2/3s of his career starts as a designated hitter. Good durability did keep him in the lineup with 140+ games in 15 seasons. Abbas didn’t stay in any one place long though as he was considered lazy and selfish.

In the 1994 ALB Draft, Abbas was picked 19^th overall by Sulaymaniyah. The Sultans kept him on the reserve roster in 1995 and only used him 17 games in 1996. Abbas properly debuted with 122 games, 33 homers, and 4.1 WAR in 1997 to win Rookie of the Year honors. He then had a full-time starting job for the next three years with the Sultans.

Abbas’ strongest seasons came with Sulaymaniyah, hitting 50+ homers each year from 1998-2000. 1999 had a career high 53 dingers, while 2000 had his bests in batting average (.315), on-base percentage (.404), OPS (1.021), wRC+ (184), and WAR (7.4). Abbas was a Silver Slugger winner at DH in both 1999 and 2000 and was third in 1999’s MVP voting, his only time as a finalist.

The Sultans were the first ALB champ in 1990, but were atrocious by the middle of the decade. During Abbas’s tenure, they averaged only 58 wins per season. Abbas made it clear he wasn’t thrilled with being on a loser, plus Sulaymaniyah was trying to rebuild with prospects. Just before the 2001 season, Abbas was traded within the Iraq Division to Mosul for three prospects. With the Sultans, he had 660 hits, 359 runs, 100 doubles, 187 home runs, 420 RBI, 287 walks, a .293/.379/.597 slash, 168 wRC+, and 23.7 WAR.

Mosul was in the midst of a dynasty and a six-year playoff streak. The Muskies had been repeat ALB champs in 1998-99 and won the Eastern Conference in 1996. In 2000, they had a historic 121-41 campaign, but suffered a stunning conference finals upset lost to 83-win Kuwait. The Muskies hoped Abbas could help extend their window as a top contender.

It paid off in 2001, as Mosul beat Casablanca for their third Arab League title in four years. Abbas won his third Silver Slugger with a conference and career best 133 RBI. He would lead in walks in 2002, but wouldn’t breach 40 homers again over the next decade. Mosul went one-and-done in 2002, which was their final year of the playoff streak. Abbas was unimpressive in his limited playoff appearances with a .654 OPS, 75 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR over 12 games.

He did fare a bit better on the World Baseball Championship stage as a regular for the Iraqi team. From 1997-2014, Abbas played in 145 WBC games and started 119, posting 102 hits, 62 runs, 14 doubles, 33 home runs, 81 RBI, 68 walks, a .226/.333/.480 slash, 136 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, Abbas had the most WAR, RBI, and walks of any Iraqi position player while also ranking second in games, runs and home runs.

In 2003, a fractured finger and a sore shoulder combined to keep him out roughly half of the season. Mosul had their first losing season since 1994 and wouldn’t finish above .500 again until 2012. The Muskies decided to keep Abbas around through the lean times, singing him to a four-year, $10,080,000 extension in June 2004. While down from his peak seasons, Abbas still provided four more seasons with 3+ WAR during this deal.

With Mosul, Abbas had 980 hits, 541 runs, 190 doubles, 218 home runs, 617 RBI, 417 walks, a .273/.354/.512 slash, 137 wRC+, and 27.3 WAR. He was inducted in Muskies colors, but isn’t generally viewed as a franchise legend. Abbas was a free agent heading towards age 33 and initially signed a one-year, $2,040,000 deal in spring training with Beirut. The Bluebirds would give him a five-year, $16,600,000 extension that June.

Abbas won his fourth Silver Slugger in 2008 for Beirut with 38 homers and 3.9 WAR. He fell towards middling numbers the next two years, but bounced back a bit after that. In 2012 at age 37, Abbas surprised many with a 41 homer, 108 RBI, 4.4 WAR season. He hadn’t gotten both 40 homers and 100+ RBI since his first year with Mosul. Beirut didn’t make the playoffs during his time there, averaging 78.2 wins per season. As a Bluebird, Abbas had 672 hits, 361 runs, 116 doubles, 157 home runs, 383 RBI, a .242/.332/.457 slash, 124 wRC+, and 12.3 WAR.

His brief 2012 resurgence spiked his value and Beirut used that with one year left on his deal. Abbas was traded in the offseason for three prospects to Basra, sending him back home to Iraq. He was unimpressive with 1.4 WAR and a 100 wRC+ in 152 games for the Bulldogs, whose own 10-year playoff streak ended in 2013.

Abbas was a free agent again in 2014 and got a one-year deal with Khartoum, getting a lackluster 15 home runs, 98 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR over 136 games. This final season did allow him to reach the 600 home run, 2500 hit, and 1500 RBI career milestones. Abbas retired that winter at age 39.

In total, Abbas had 2510 hits, 1375 runs, 437 doubles, 605 home runs, 1526 RBI, 1138 walks, 2406 strikeouts, .264/.349/.506 slash, 137 wRC+, and 65.2 WAR. As of 2037, Abbas ranks 38^th in hits, 39^th in runs, 84^th in doubles, 22^nd in home runs, 31^st in RBI, 9^th in walks, and 50^th in WAR among position players.

Abbas wasn’t considered among the upper echelon of players, but his steady and consistent production over 18 years got him to the milestones that most ALB voters wanted ticked for a slugger. He received 79.3% of the vote in his debut for the first ballot nod, capping off a very powerful and impressive 2020 ALB Hall of Fame class.

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The African Association of Baseball’s 2020 Hall of Fame class had two slam dunk inductees with SP Michael Wakachu at 95.8% and OF Arsenio Barroso at 92.6%. CL Mandla Ndungane barely missed the 66% cut to join them with 65.2% on his second ballot. Three other long-standing returners had good showings, but fell short. SP Alemayehu Legesse got 61.6% in his ninth ballot, CL Abba Abdul had 59.4% on his seventh go, and 1B Abebe Chekol received 56.8% for his eight attempt. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Michael Wakachu – Starting Pitcher – Addis Ababa Brahmas – 95.8% First Ballot

Michael Wakachu was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital and largest city. He would become the first Malawian into AAB’s Hall of Fame. Wakachu eventually developed incredible stuff mixed with consistently good control and movement. He had a 97-99 mph fastball and a nice curveball, but his screwball was his most effective pitch.

Even by AAB’s lower standards relative to other world leagues, Wakachu’s stamina was subpar with only nine complete games in his career. His durability was merely decent as well, limiting his career innings. Wakachu was incredibly intelligent though and knew how to pick his spots. He was a good defensive pitcher and was average at holding runners.

Wakachu wasn’t at the tip-top of prospect lists ahead of the 2002 AAB Draft, but a few teams liked his potential. He was picked early in the second round, 25^th overall, by Addis Ababa. Wakachu was third in Rookie of the Year voting with a 3.2 WAR debut, although he came more out of the bullpen. He was a full-time starter from then onward.

He was good in his first few years, but not incredible. Wakachu also dealt with injuries, missing half of 2005 to biceps tendinitis and two months in 2007 to a strained abdominal muscle. Around this time, Addis Ababa was emerging as an African powerhouse. 2006 marked the beginning of an eight-year streak of Central Conference Championship wins. In 2006 and 2007, the Brahmas fell in the Africa Series to Durban.

In 2008, Wakachu perfected his screwball and went from a solid starter to the best in the league. He posted the second-ever AAB Triple Crown season for a pitcher at 23-3, 2.30 ERA, and 296 strikeouts. Wakachu also began a four-year streak leading the conference in WHIP, K/BB, FIP-, and WAR. Each of those seasons would see WAR marks above 7.

Wakachu won Pitcher of the Year in 2008, 2010, and 2011; and took second in 2009. He won ERA titles in both 2010 and 2011 as well. 2010 saw Wakachu’s career best in ERA (1.84), strikeouts (319), WHIP (0.76), ERA+ (218), and WAR (9.8). The ERA mark was the second-lowest in AAB history by a qualifying starter to that point and still ranks fourth as of 2037. The WHIP and his .221 opponent’s OBP both set single-season records that still hold. Wakachu’s .486 opponent’s OPS ranks as the second-best in AAB history, his .162 batting average ranks third, and .265 slugging is 5^th.

Addis Ababa had a historic six-year run as Africa Series champ from 2008-13. While a few all-time dynasties won six in seven years, the Brahmas are the only team in world history to six-peat as the overall champ. Wakachu’s dominance generally carried into the playoffs, posting a 12-5 record over 162.2 innings, 2.66 ERA, 212 strikeouts, 32 walks, 17 quality starts, 153 ERA+, and 4.5 WAR. His most impressive runs came with a 0.48 ERA over 18.2 innings in 2010 and a 2.42 ERA over 26 innings in 2011. As of 2037, Wakachu has the most starts, wins, strikeouts, innings, and home runs allowed (25) in AAB playoff history and ranks second in WAR.

After the 2009 season, Wakachu inked a five-year, $14,760,000 extension with Addis Ababa. He won his fourth ERA title in 2013 at 2.35, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Wakachu declined his contract option that winter and became a free agent, but he returned a month later to the Brahmas on a new five-year, $44,200,000 deal. The expectation was that he and the dynasty would continue rolling on for the rest of the decade.

Shockingly without an injury, Wakachu’s velocity fell completely off a cliff. It had dipped in 2013 to 95-97 mph, only two MPH lower than his previous highs. In 2014, he topped out in the 89-91 mph range and his strikeout tallies plummeted. He went from someone regularly with a K/9 above 10 to only 117 strikeouts over 201.1 innings. Wakachu had a 3.35 ERA and only 1.7 WAR, a career low even against his injury-shortened seasons.

His last playoff start was good, allowing one run in six innings. Addis Ababa’s title streak ended though in 2014, upset by Nairobi in the conference final. The Brahmas hoped Wakachu might bounce back, but his velocity in 2015 was now peaking in the 85-87 mph range. He wasn’t used at all in 2015 and retired that winter at age 35. Wakachu’s #3 uniform was immediately retired for his key role in the dynasty run.

Wakachu finished with a 169-72 record, 2.75 ERA, 2212 innings, 2577 strikeouts, 616 walks, 210/325 quality starts, 9 complete games, 147 ERA+, and 64.7 WAR. Even with the lower inning tally, Wakachu ranks 12^th in pitching WAR as of 2037. He ranks 19^th in wins, 44^th in innings, and 24^th in strikeouts. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, his ERA and WHIP (1.00) are fifth. Wakachu’s .599 opponent’s OPS ranks 4^th with his .203/.267/.332 slash all ranking in the top 6.

If not for the sudden and steep decline, Wakachu may have been on pace to be considered AAB’s all-time greatest pitcher. Still, he was a force to be reckoned with in his prime and a critical piece of the historic dynasty run by Addis Ababa. Wakachu was an easy headliner for AAB’s 2020 Hall of Fame ballot, getting 95.8% of the vote.



Arsenio Barroso – Center/Right Field – Dar es Salaam Sabercats – 92.6% First Ballot

Arsenio Barroso was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting outfielder from Luanda, the capital and largest city in Angola. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Michael Wakachu, Barroso was the first AAB inductee representing his country. On the whole, Barroso graded as having good to great contact and power skills. He was notably stronger facing right-handed pitching (.943 OPS, 154 wRC+) while posting merely average results against lefties (.725 OPS, 101 wRC+).

Regardless, Barroso had a very strong pop in his bat and had a 162 game average of 36 home runs, 38 doubles, and 6 triples. He was however fairly weak when it came to drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Barroso was reliably solid on the basepaths and had good speed for most of his career. He was also considered one of the smartest players in the game.

Defensively, Barroso split his career almost equally between right field and center field. He had a cannon arm and was excellent at avoiding errors, grading as very good in right. Barroso’s range was respectable enough to grade as average to above average in center. He powered through for a 20-year professional career, although numerous smaller injuries kept him out a few weeks in most seasons.

Barroso stood out amongst the teenage players in Angola as AAB officially started in 1995. A scout for Dar es Salaam inked Barroso to a developmental deal in December 1995, bringing him to Tanzania. He spent three full years in the academy before debuting in 1999 at only age 19. Barroso wasn’t ready yet though, struggling to a -1.2 WAR season over 93 games. He would be moved into a full-time starting role from 2000-onward.

He put it together well in 2000, winning a Silver Slugger in center field and leading the Southern Conference in doubles (49), and triples (12). Barroso didn’t have his home run power developed yet, but still managed 5+ WAR in 2000 and 2002. He had a similar pace in 2001, but a strained MCL cost him the final chunk of the season. Dar es Salaam took second in the standings in both 2000 and 2001, but lost both years to Johannesburg in the conference final. They missed the playoffs in 2002 at 93-69.

Barroso had another 5+ WAR season in 2003 and had 37 home runs. That winter, Dar gave him a five-year, $6,136,000 contract extension. The Sabercats were first in the standings, but were upset in the conference final by Antananarivo. Dar es Salaam learned from that with a 114-48 season in 2004, tying the then-AAB wins record. The Sabercats won it all for the first time, upending Kinshasa’s dynasty in the Africa Series. A massive breakout year for Barroso played a huge role in Dar’s historic run.

In 2004, Barroso won his lone MVP and a Silver Slugger, leading the conference in hits (200), RBI (162), total bases (422), average (.351), slugging (.740), wRC+ (205), and WAR (11.3). Those would all be career highs, as would his 58 homers, 117 runs, .388 OBP, and 1.128 OPS. The RBI mark was a new single-season record for the young league, although it fell five years later. He also had a 29-game hit streak, which would be the AAB record for about a decade.

Barroso carried his dominance into the playoffs, winning Africa Series MVP. In 15 playoff starts, he had 20 hits, 14 runs, 6 doubles, 4 homers, 10 RBI, and a 1.042 OPS. This solidified his status as a Dar es Salaam legend with his #19 uniform getting retired at the end of his career. However, he wouldn’t be staying too much longer with the Sabercats.

Dar es Salaam peaked in 2004, missing the playoffs by one game in 2005 at 95-67. The Sabercats fell to 85-77 in 2006, then began an 11-year streak of losing seasons. In 2005, Barroso won his third Slugger and was second in MVP voting, leading the conference in hits, doubles, RBI, total bases, and batting average. He had 9.3 WAR and had his career best of 53 doubles. He wouldn’t reach these heights though in his later years.

Barroso still had a good pace for the next two years with Dar, but lost two months of 2006 to a strained MCL and about a month in 2007 to a strained calf muscle. With the Sabercats struggling, Barroso opted out of the final year of his deal and entered free agency at age 28. With Dar es Salaam, Barroso had 1325 hits, 721 runs, 313 doubles, 258 home runs, 799 RBI, 246 stolen bases, a .300/.352/.566 slash, 145 wRC+, and 46.6 WAR.

It wasn’t until after spring training that Barroso signed for 2008 on a one-year, $3,200,000 deal with Mogadishu. They would later give him a four-year, $15,000,000 extension in the summer. Barroso’s first two years were both rock solid with 6+ WAR and 40+ homers. He breached a one OPS in 2008 and led the conference in triples. A strained MCL cost him half of 2010, but he bounced back with similar 6+ WAR production in 2011.

Mogadishu did earn wild cards in 2009 and 2010, but couldn’t stand up to the Addis Ababa dynasty in the conference final. In total for the Mighty Mice, Barroso saw 643 hits, 360 runs, 146 doubles, 145 home runs, 460 RBI, 154 stolen bases, a .309/.348/.610 slash, 150 wRC+, and 21.4 WAR. He now re-entered free agency at age 32.

Barroso signed a two-year, $7,840,000 deal with Antananarivo, but only played 13 games for the Eagles due to a broken bone in his elbow. This marked the end of his time in Africa as well. In these early days, AAB and the European Baseball Federation had an arrangement where trades could happen between then. Antananarivo sent Barroso to Germany, getting three prospects from Berlin. At this point, the Barons were a member of the European Second League.

He was a solid starter with 4.8 WAR in his one year in Berlin, proving he could still play. Barroso stayed in E2L on a two-year, $14,600,000 deal with Kyiv and had similar 4+ WAR production for the Kings over that deal. Although he struggled in the playoffs, Kyiv was able to earn promotion back to the EBF Elite after finishing as a semifinalist. The Kings rewarded Barroso with a three-year, $21,100,000 extension.

Barroso was merely okay in these seasons against Europe’s best and struggled to play more than half of the games in any year. A torn ACL ended his 2016 and delayed his start to 2017. Barroso then strained his ACL in 2018. Between the leagues for Kyiv, he had 467 hits, 229 runs, 77 doubles, 95 home runs, 289 RBI, a .250/.296/.465 slash, 121 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. Barroso was unsigned in 2019 and retired from pro baseball that winter at age 40.

For his AAB career, Barroso had 1979 hits, 1085 runs, 461 doubles, 69 triples, 405 home runs, 1264 RBI, 442 walks, 400 stolen bases, a .302/.350/.579 slash, 146 wRC+, and 67.9 WAR. As of 2037, Barroso ranks 42^nd in hits, 49^th in runs, 38^th in doubles, 52^nd in home runs, 31^st in RBI, and 20^th in WAR among position players. His .929 OPS is 51^st among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances. Barroso ranks 41^st in slugging and 38^th in batting average.

Later players would have more impressive raw tallies, but Barroso was elite in his prime. He had the MVP win, two batting titles, and a starring role in a championship for Dar es Salaam. Most voters forgave his lower accumulations due to injury and being shipped off to Europe. Barroso earned 92.6% as an easy Hall of Famer for a strong one-two punch with the 2020 class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 2020 World Baseball Championship was the 74^th edition of the event and was hosted in Kano, Nigeria. Taking the title in Division 1 at 8-1 was Romania, beating out defending world champ England, Guatemala, and Bulgaria each at 6-3. The Romanians advanced for the fifth time and the second time in three years. After rare back-to-back misses for the United States, the Americans were the lone unbeaten at 9-0 in Division 2. The USA moved to the elite eight for the 58^th time.

Spain won a very competitive Division 3 at 7-2, fending off 6-3 efforts by Belgium, China, and France. It was Spain’s ninth division title and first since their third place in 2015. Germany prevailed at 7-2 in Division 4 while four nations were two back at 5-4. The Germans advanced for the 11^th time, but this ended a drought dating back to their 2006 runner-up finish.

Division 5 had Ukraine (7-2) hold off 6-3 tries by Cuba, Indonesia, and Scotland. The Ukrainians advanced for the 12^th time overall and the third time in five years. Mexico dominated D6 at 8-1, three games better than their nearest foe. The Mexicans were the only team to make it back from the 2019 elite eight and earned their third straight division title. Mexico advanced for the 32^nd tie, which ranks fourth behind only the US, Canada, and Brazil.

The only division with a tie at the top was D7 with both Thailand and Turkey at 7-2. Brazil and South Korea were close behind at 6-3. The Thais took the tiebreaker over the Turks for only their second-ever division title (2011). Lastly, Division 8 went to Pakistan at 7-2. Last year’s runner-up Uzbekistan and Venezuela were both 6-3. The Pakistanis won their sixth division title and first since 2010.

In Round Robin Group A, the United States dominated at 6-0 to earn a 51^st semifinal trip. Germany also advanced at 3-3, while Spain (2-4) and Ukraine (1-5) were ousted. In Group B, Mexico ran the table for their third semifinal in six years and their 19^th overall. Thailand took the #2 spot at 3-3 with Pakistan 2-4 and Romania at 1-5. The Thais became the 48^th unique nation to get to the final four.

Thailand would be the only team to beat the United States in 2020, but the Americans survived 3-2 in the semifinal. On the other side, Germany swept Mexico to give the Germans their fourth finals try. They won in 1983 and lost in both 1991 and 2006. Thailand officially took third and Mexico was fourth.



In the 74^th World Championship, the United States returned to the perch once again by sweeping Germany. The Americans won their third title in seven years and moved to 41-6 all-time in the championship. The USA was 22-2 for the entire event in one of the most dominant showings yet. Little did anyone know that this would be the final American title for more than a decade, as the 2020s would see unprecedented parity at the top spot.



It was fitting that Morgan Short won Tournament MVP for the second time, joining his 2009 trophy. MLB’s all-time WAR leader also became the WBC’s all-time WAR leader, passing OF Connor Neumeyer’s 20.86 and P Nick Hedrick’s 20.28. Short finished the 2020 edition with 21.6 WAR, leading all players with 2.0 over 24 games. The 39-year old CF also led in hits (37) runs (25), total bases (66), and stolen bases (24) while adding 8 homers, 17 RBI and 13 walks. As of 2037, Short is still the WBC leader in hits, runs, singles, doubles, steals, and WAR.

The Americans also had the Best Pitcher in Vic McCallister, who is set to enter his third season as the closer for Memphis. The 22-year old from Shreveport, Louisiana had seven saves over 11 games, allowing one run over 22.1 innings with 50 strikeouts, 6 hits, and 3 walks.

Other notes: Mexico’s Vicente Vasquez became the 17^th player to hit for the cycle in the WBC, doing it against Thailand in the Round Robin. China’s Yuandong Wang had a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts and 4 walks against Malaysia and Romania’s Simon Lica had a 9 K no-no versus Finland.

The updated tournament stats are below. With their fourth place finish, Mexico passed China to reclaim third in the all-time tournament standings.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

2020 was the third season for the African Second League, which was still looking to build its talent base before promotion/relegation began in 2022. Defending A2L champ Mauritius repeated atop the Southern Conference at 96-66. Maseru again was second, eight games back at 88-74.



The Central Conference had a tie for first place at 95-67 between Asmara and Juba. In a one-game playoff, the Anteaters prevailed for the top spot. Mbuji-Mayi was also in the mix with a solid 90-72 third place. Bangui, the conference champ in the first two seasons, dropped to fourth at 82-80

Asmara won the third-ever Second League Championship 5-2 over Mauritius, denying the repeat bid by the Monsoon.





Other notes: Bukavu’s Alex Mumbi won Pitcher of the Year with the first-ever Triple Crown season for A2L. In the cartoonishly high scoring A2L, that was a 23-4 record, 3.55 ERA, and 15 strikeouts.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Seville hadn’t posted a winning season in five years in the European Second League, but the Stingrays finally put it together and finished first in the Western Conference at 98-64. Reykjavik was a close second at 95-67 for their first playoff berth since returning to E2L in 2017.

The remaining playoff spots went to Toulouse (92-70) and Belfast (91-71). The Toads earned their fourth consecutive playoff berth hoping to finally earn their first-ever promotion. The Brewers had just gotten relegated back after winning the Second League title in 2017. Falling just short of the playoffs were Cardiff (88-74) and Nantes (87-75). Gothenburg, the runner-up last year, fell to seventh at 83-79.

In the Round Robin, Reykjavik (5-1) and Toulouse (4-2) advanced to the Western Conference Championship. Belfast went 2-4 and top seed Seville had the worst effort at 1-5. In the WCC, the Raccoons rolled the Toads 4-1 to guarantee promotion for the Icelandic capital This will be the second time Reykjavik made it to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite tier, having been in the top group from 2013-16.



Wroclaw ended an eight-year playoff drought and finished atop the Eastern Conference standings at 106-56. This was a franchise record for the Wolf Pack, as was Tallinn’s 99-63 in second place. It was only the second-ever playoff berth for the Twisters (2015). Skopje was a solid third at 96-66 for their first playoff berth since getting relegated back to E2L for 2014.

The fourth and final playoff spot went to 92-70 Helsinki, who held off 88-74 Lodz and 87-75 Dnipro. The Honkers got their third playoff berth in four years. Notably Odessa, a playoff team last year, fell hard to 69-93. It was also a rough year for Yerevan, who went from 54-108 in 2019 in the EBF Elite to the Second League’s worst record at 59-103.

Skopje had the top spot in the competitive Eastern Conference Round Robin at 4-2. Both Helsinki and Tallinn were 3-3 while top seed Wroclaw fared worst at 2-4. The tiebreaker sent the Honkers to the conference final, but they promptly got swept 4-0 by the Stags. This guaranteed Skopje a second shot at the top tier, having previously made it from 2010-13.



In the Second League Championship, Reykjavik won 4-3 over Skopje in a thriller. Even though it was the second promotion for both franchises, neither had been in the championship before. As a turns out, there would be immense movement between the leagues in 2020. Five teams in the EBF Elite lost 100+ games, which meant five teams were promoted.



The two semifinalists Helsinki and Toulouse were also promoted. With the best overall record of all teams, Wroclaw advanced as well for the fifth spot. The Honkers returned to the top tier for the first time since 2013. This was the first promotion for both the Toads and the Wolf Pack.

Other notes: Skopje’s Oleg Potemkin set E2L playoff records for WHIP (0.37), opponent’s OBP (.109), and opponent’s OPS (.236). He tossed 16.1 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts and six hits allowed. Seville’s Raul Garcia became the seventh player to win multiple MVPs.

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Johannesburg finished atop the Southern Conference standings for the third straight year and for the sixth time in seven years. At 98-64, the Jackalopes took the top spot by nine games. Based on expected win/loss, Johannesburg outperformed expectations by 11 games. They were third in runs scored and sixth in runs allowed.

The top scoring team was Dar es Salaam at 760 runs, allowing them to narrowly capture the second place slot at 89-73. The Sabercats edged Antananarivo by one game, Lilongwe by four, and reigning Africa Series champ Luanda by six games. Dar es Salaam ended a 15-year playoff drought, which was the longest time between berths in AAB history to that point.

It was a fascinating road for the legendary Mwarami Tale, who won Southern Conference MVP with Johannesburg. He became the first eight-time MVP in AAB history, having won four in his 20s with Luanda and three in his early 30s with Addis Ababa. The Tanzanian center fielder won his eighth at age 39, seven years since his last MVP Tale had been with Johannesburg since signing in 2015.

2020 wasn’t without difficulty for Tale, who missed six weeks in the spring to a sprained knee and seven weeks in the fall to a sprained elbow. Despite playing 111 games, he led the conference with 7.3 WAR. Tale added 35 home runs, 79 RBI, 84 runs, a .308/.416/.630 slash, 1.046 OPS, and 189 wRC+. Tale won his 15^th Silver Slugger, becoming the ninth in any world league to do so and the first in AAB. Tale was also the first-ever to win the award 15 times in center field.

Pitcher of the Year was Dar es Salaam’s Sam Obam in a breakout season. He had been mediocre initially with Ndjamena, then came to the Sabercats in a 2019 trade, then suffered a torn UCL in June. The 27-year old Cameroonian rehabbed back in 2020 and led in wins at 18-6. Obam added a 2.83 ERA over 223 innings, 236 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, and 4.8 WAR. Sadly, this was the one notable season for Obam, who suffered another UCL tear the next year and was done by age 33.



The Central Conference was extremely top heavy with 2018 Africa Series champ Kampala on top at 109-53. The Peacocks had placed third in 2019 at 96-66, but bounced back and led all of AAB in 2020 in runs (831) and fewest allowed (626). Defending conference champ Brazzaville was a strong second at 100-62. The Blowfish earned a third straight playoff berth and their fifth in six years. Lubumbashi was a distant third at 87-75. Bujumbura, 104 –game winners the prior year, sat fourth at 82-80.

Although the Bighorns fell off, they had the top awards winners in the Central Conference. 3B Warren Biloa three-peated as MVP, leading in RBI (146) and slugging (.669). The 28-year old Central African added 51 home runs, a 1.051 OPS, and 7.3 WAR. Biloa committed long-term to Bujumbura with a seven-year, $61,300,000 extension signed in May 2021.

In his fourth season, Bonyanga Ebengo pitched up Pitcher of the Year. The 24-year old Congolese righty won the ERA title (2.34) and had the best FIP- (58). Ebengo posted an 18-5 record over 184.2 innings, 219 strikeouts, and 6.8 WAR. He would have a few more strong years and eventually get his own big payday, although UCL tears would also limit Ebengo’s career value.

Johannesburg defeated Dar es Salaam 4-2 in the Southern Conference Championship, giving the Jackalopes their fourth pennant in six years and their ninth overall. Kamala outlasted Brazzaville 4-3 in a classic battle for the Central Conference crown, giving the Peacocks their second pennant in three years. This also set up a rematch of the 2018 finale.



The 26^th Africa Series looked familiar to the 24^th as Kampala again prevailed over Johannesburg, this time 5-2. While the Peacocks won their second title in three years, the Jackalopes fell to 0-4 in the finals over the last six seasons. Johannesburg won the inaugural 1995 championship, but had gone 0-8 in the Africa Series since. C Alexandre Selemani was finals MVP as the 25-year old Congolese righty had 16 hits, 6 runs, 4 2oubles, 2 homers, and 5 RBI in 13 playoff starts. Teammate Djibrilla Ousseini notably had a playoff record 3 triples.



Other notes: MVP Mwarami Tale missed part of the playoffs to injury, but set AAB playoff records for batting average (.667), OBP (.720), and OPS (2.006), minimum 20 plate appearances. This was the final AAB season for the legendary CF, who played two more professional seasons with MLB’s Baltimore. Tale left as AAB’s all-time leader in runs (1982), total bases (6418), homers (968), RBI (2252), and WAR (155.83). At this point, Tale was 67 dingers away from the world record by ALB’s Nordine Soule (1073).

Relebogile Matima became the seventh member of the 600 home run club. Kaunda Kalinga was the seventh to reach 1500 runs scored. Catcher Steven Isaac won his 11^th Silver Slugger and LF Roddy Mukeshimana won his seventh Silver Slugger. 1B Herve Otepa won his eighth Gold Glove. Kinshasa’s Edwin Kyalo became the fourth AAB player to record a six-hit game.

Maputo had two notable team stats in 2020; one good and one bad. The Piranhas hit only 95 home runs, the all-time single-season low in AAB. On the other end, they stole 521 bases, the second-most in conference history behind their own 553 from the prior year.