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FuzzyRussianHat

06-16-2024 03:24 AM

2006 APB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

Austronesia Professional Baseball had a massive six player Hall of Fame class in 2006, the second largest in world history behind the mammoth seven player Eurasian Professional Baseball group from the prior year. All six of the APB group was first ballot additions and four of them were absolute slam dunks that got above 97%.

https://i.imgur.com/7JWaZSG.png

Leading the way were pitchers Alex Clavijo (99.6%), Mulya Dayanti (98.9%), Ricky Jungao (98.9%), and Ronald Purnomo (97.8%). Joining them was LF Nerius Senaen at 79.2% and 1B Tunggul Widhyasari (73.7%). Two other first ballot players had good showings, but fell short of the 66% requirement. SP Hong-Hui Tseng had 63.1% and RF Min-Yi Lu received 57.3%. The best returning player only got 30.7%.

Dropped after ten ballots was DH Ming-Yi Wang, who won two MVPs with Taoyuan. He had a 21-year career but did leave for MLB for around five seasons. In APB, Wang had 1943 hits, 905 runs, 344 doubles, 326 home runs, 990 RBI, a .277/.349/.475 slash, 156 wRC+, and 64.6 WAR. APB voters are notorious tough on hitters and Wang’s MLB excursions kept him just short of some counting milestones. There were also voters that were reluctant regarding a career DH. Wang peaked with a debut at 43.0% and ended with a measly 6.9%.

Closer Wei-Chien Lin also fell off after ten ballots. He also left for MLB for a few years to lower his APB totals. He ended with 298 saves, 913.1 innings, 2.03 ERA, 1057 strikeouts, 137 ERA+, and 25.6 WAR. Lin didn’t win major awards and lacked the dominance of other greats. He peaked at 32.5% on his debut and ended with 5.1%.

https://i.imgur.com/TpTqwlw.png

Alex Clavijo – Starting Pitcher – Cebu Crows – 99.6% First Ballot

Alex Clavijo was a 6’2’’, 175 pound left-handed pitcher from Kinatihan; a village of around 2,000 people in the Quezon region of the Philippines. Clavijo was known for having phenomenal stuff with very good movement and control. A 96-98 mph cutter led the way and was complimented by a curveball, changeup, and circle change.

Clavijo’s stamina and duraiblty was relatively average compared to most APB aces. Defensively, he did earn Gold Gloves in 1994 and 1995. Clavijo was viewed as a very intelligent guy, but he wasn’t looked to for leadership. Clavijo’s game did the talking, as his peak seasons were among the most dominant you could find.

In April 1980, a teenaged Clavijo was spotted and signed as an amateur by Cebu. He spent the majority of six years in their academy, officially debuting with two relief appearances in 1985 at age 21. He graduated to the rotation full time in 1986 and looked decent, but did lose two months to a strained hamstring. By his only second year, Clavijo was considered by many in APB as the best pitcher in the game.

The 1987 campaign saw his first of six straight 10+ WAR seasons. In this stretch, Clavijo led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in ERA four times, strikeouts four times, WHIP four times, K/BB five times, FIP- six times, WAR four times, wins once, complete games once, and shutouts once. Clavijo won four Pitcher of the Year awards (1987, 88, 90, 91) and took second in 1989. In the midst of this run, Cebu gave Clavijo a six-year, $5,080,000 extension in September 1989.

The finest of his incredible seasons came in 1990, which saw a Triple Crown with a 24-6 record, 0.96 ERA, and 419 strikeouts. It was the third lowest ERA in an APB season by a qualifying starter and as of 2037 is one of only eight seasons with a sub-one ERA. That, the win tally, and his 14.9 WAR were all career bests. The 0.58 WHIP was the second-lowest in APB history at the time and still sits eighth as of 2037.

The 1990 season also saw Clavijo toss APB’s 18<sup>th</sup> perfect game. He did it on September 9 with 13 strikeouts against Kaohsiung. 1990 also had a 20 strikeout game on July 6 against Zamboanga which also featured 10 Ks in a row. His 11 shutouts fell one short of the all-time single-season record and the season included a stretch of 53 straight scoreless innings. Clavijo won MVP in addition to POTY in 1990. He was also third in 1987’s MVP voting.

With Clavijo as the ace, Cebu became a regular Philippine League contender. They won the PL in 1988, 90, 91, and 92. He was considered the star despite outstanding efforts by his teammate and fellow 2006 HOFer Ricky Jungao. There were multiple seasons in which they were #1 and #2 in the Pitcher of the Year voting.

The Crows three-peated as Taiwan-Philippine Association champ from 1990-92 and won the Austronesia Championship in 1991 against Batam. In his playoff career for Cebu, Clavijo lacked run support with a 2-6 record over 97.1 innings. Still, he had a 2.03 ERA, 131 strikeouts, 10 walks, 4.7 WAR, and a 137 ERA+. His 38 FIP- showed that he more than held up his end of the bargain.

Clavijo also pitched from 1988-99 for the Philippines in the World Baseball Championship. In 125 WBC innings, he had a 3.31 ERA, 189 strikeouts, 36 walks, 109 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 4.3 WAR. Clavijo’s career would forever change though with the 1993 WBC. Entering that year’s tournament, he was on top of the world. The 29-year old had won three straight ERA titles and Cebu had won three straight pennants.

Then in his first inning of the WBC on January 20, Clavijo suffered a catastrophic damaged elbow ligament. This ultimately shelved him for 14 months, missing the entire 1993 campaign for Cebu. He rehabbed and made it back in late spring 1994 for the Crows, but was never nearly the unstoppable force he was in his peak. Clavijo’s stuff and movement both took a notable dip.

With that said, he didn’t come back as a bum by any stretch, but his 3.9 WAR in 1994 was very pedestrian after having six straight 10+ efforts. The Crows plummeted to 68-94 in the year he was gone in 1993. They did bounce back to 88 wins in 1994, but missed the playoffs. With the bounce back, Cebu decided to sign Clavijo to a four-year, $5,200,000 extension in January 1995.

Clavijo looked good to start 1995, but Cebu decidedly did not. The Crows ultimately went 66-96 that season and opted to sell at the trade deadline. Clavijo was moved to Taoyuan in exchange for three prospects, ending an impressive decade run with Cebu. He’d still be very well respected for his role in the dynasty and had his #13 uniform eventually retired. As a Crow, Clavijo had a 143-79 record, 1.74 ERA, 2166 innings, 2938 strikeouts, 270 walks, 161 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 84.9 WAR.

Taoyuan was trying to start their own dynasty, having won the TPA pennant in 1994. The Tsunami won the Taiwan League again in 1995, but fell to Davao in the association final. Clavijo finished the year with a 7.0 WAR and would go onto post another 7 WAR in 1996, 9 WAR in 1997, an 5.1 WAR in 1998. 1997 also had Clavijo lead in K/BB (12.5) and FIP- (47). He looked like a great ace again, but wasn’t the unstoppable strikeout machine of his prime years.

Still, Clavijo helped Taoyuan establish their own dynasty, as they won back-to-back APB titles in 1996 and 1997. He was great in the 1995 and 1996 postseason starts, but did struggle in 1997. For his 42.1 playoff innings with the Tsunami, Clavijo had a 2.98 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 6 walks, 90 ERA+, and 0.5 WAR.

Taoyuan signed Clavijo to a four-year, $10,560,000 extension after the 1998 season. The team fell towards the middle of the standings for the rest of his run. Clavijo looked very average in 1999 and missed seven weeks to a strained forearm. That year, he did cross 4000 career strikeouts, the 11<sup>th</sup> APB pitcher to do so.

In 2000, Clavijo’s velocity had noticeable dropped and he was demoted to the bullpen, posting -0.4 WAR over 82 innings. He decided to retire that winter at age 36. With Taoyuan, Clavijo had a 75-50 record, 2.43 ERA, 1089.1 innings, 1191 strikeouts, 162 walks, 111 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 27.7 WAR.

Clavijo ended with a 218-129 record, 1.97 ERA, 3255.1 innings, 4129 strikeouts, 432 walks, 320/390 quality starts, 140 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 112.5 WAR. His 1987-92 stretch was among the greatest six year runs any pitcher in any league has had. Had the 1993 elbow blowout not happened, some argued Clavijo could’ve been on his way to a GOAT-level career.

Still, he was a no-doubt inner circle Hall of Famer as the ace of two dynasty runs. As of 2037, Clavijo is ninth in WAR among APB pitchers, 20<sup>th</sup> in strikeouts, and 20<sup>th</sup> in wins. He got 99.6%, the highest vote total of the loaded six-player 2006 APB Hall of Fame class.

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Mulya “Rash” Dayanti – Starting Pitcher – Semarang Sliders – 98.9% First Ballot

Mulya Dayanti was a 6’7’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Karang Tengah, Indonesia; a district of 117,000 people within greater Jakarta. Dayanti was a fireballer with excellent stuff, good movement, and solid control. His fastball regularly hit the 99-101 mph range and was mixed with a slider, changeup, and knuckle curve.

Dayanti’s stamina was average by APB ace standards, but he had excellent durability, leading to 200+ innings in all but his final season. He was great at holding runners and considered a strong defensive pitcher, winning a Gold Glove in 1991. His power profile helped him become one of the premiere strikeout pitchers of the 1980s and 1990s in APB.

A 6’7’’ lefty who throws 100 MPH quickly gets the attention of any baseball scout. In the 1983 APB Draft, Dayanti was picked third overall by Semarang. They kept him in developmental in 1984, then debuted him as a full-timer in 1985. Dayanti struck out 307 batters in his debut season, earning 1985 Rookie of the Year honors.

Dayanti had a good 1986, followed by an excellent 1987 with a career and Sundaland Association best 415 strikeouts. The 10.0 WAR effort earned him second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Dayanti led in WHIP in 1988 and the Sliders gave him a five-year, $2,684,000 extension.

That year, Semarang won the Sundaland Association crown, falling to Taipei in the Austronesia Championship. They missed the playoffs in 1989, then won it all over Cebu in 1990. Dayanti was excellent in these playoff runs with a 0.95 ERA in six starts and 47.1 innings, striking out 73 with 5 walks, a 255 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR. After the 1990 title, the Sliders fell towards the middle of the standings for the rest of Dayanti’s tenure.

In 1989 and 1990, he led both seasons in strikeouts and WAR. 1990 also had a league and career best 1.07 ERA, 0.59 WHIP, and 10.2 WAR. 1990 was Dayanti’s lone Pitcher of the Year win and saw a second place in MVP voting. He also had an 8.3 WAR effort in 1991 and won his lone Gold Glove.

Dayanti was also a regular for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship, tossing 172 innings from 1987-97. He had a 15-5 record, 3.30 ERA, 232 strikeouts, 60 walks, 110 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 4.1 WAR. Dayanti also posted a no-hitter in the 1992 WBC against Iran with 13 strikeouts and 3 walks. In the 1992 APB season, he also notably had a 20 strikeout game against Depok.

1992 did see some regression with a career worst 2.69 ERA and a 4.8 WAR, his lowest since his rookie year. Dayanti still had another 300+ strikeout season. His eight-year streak of 300+ Ks ended in 1993, although he was generally more effective in fewer innings. Semarang dropped to 80-82, their first losing season since 1983. Still, they seemed committed to Dayanti as their ace, giving him a six-year, $6,960,000 extension in July 1993.

That extension would be spent elsewhere, as the Sliders opted to trade Dayanti in the winter of 1993. They sent him to Taipei for a haul of three prospects, ending the Semarang run after nine seasons. Dayanti remained popular and his #14 uniform would be retired. In total for the Sliders, he had a 147-83 record, 1.78 ERA, 2268.1 innings, 3132 strikeouts, 347 walks, 133 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 64.0 WAR.

Dayanti was 32 years old as he began his Taipei run, but returned to his dominant form after two weaker years to end the Semarang tenure. He had four straight 8+ WAR seasons and three with 370+ strikeouts, giving him 11 seasons in his career with 300+ Ks. Dayanti was the WARlord with 10+ in both 1995 and 1996. He also led in wins and WHIP in 1994, Ks in 1996, and ERA in 1997.

Ultimately, he didn’t win a second Pitcher of the Year award. But with the Tigercats, he was third in 1994, second in 1995, second in 1996, and third in 1997. Dayanti improved his control and ultimately his effectiveness in his 30s. The best individual moment came with a no-hitter on August 1, 1997 with 11 strikeouts against Cebu.

Taipei was stuck in the middle of the standings during Dayanti’s run, although they did win the Taiwan League in 1998. They lost the association final to Quezon with Dayanti posting a 3.07 ERA over 14.2 playoff innings. The Tigercats were happy with Dayanti’s results and gave him a two-year, $5,920,000 extension after the 1998 campaign.

Age started to catch up with Dayanti’s velocity steeply dropping in 1999, going from high 90s to mid 90s. He was still a decent starter that year and became the fourth APB pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts. Dayanti’s velocity plummeted further and he was demoted to the bullpen in 2000, struggling to a 4.18 ERA and -0.9 WAR in 75.1 innings.

At that point, hitting 90 mph was tough and his hopes of catching Vhon Lasam’s 5365 career strikeouts seemed futile. Dayanti retired that winter at age 38. For his Taipei tenure, he had a 100-60 record, 1.98 ERA, 1612.2 innings, 1904 strikeouts, 137 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 47.1 WAR.

Dayanti ended with a 247-143 record, 1.86 ERA, 3881 innings, 5036 strikeouts, 557 walks, 387/460 quality starts, 134 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 111.0 WAR. With such great stats, it is surprising he won Pitcher of the Year only once. But he was directly against a lot of great aces (with four stud pitchers within the 2006 HOF class alone). At 98.9%, Dayanti had the second highest vote total of that group. As of 2037, he is 11<sup>th</sup> in pitching WAR, fifth in strikeouts, and seventh in wins.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-16-2024 12:54 PM

2006 APB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

https://i.imgur.com/APojsgO.png

Ricky Jungao – Starting Pitcher – Cebu Crows – 98.9% First Ballot

Ricky Jungao was a 6’8’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Del Pilar, Philippines; a barangay of 10,000 within the city of San Fernando in Central Luzon. Despite his size, Jungao wasn’t a total fireballer, although he still had excellent stuff, great movement, and above average control. His 94-96 mph cutter and sinker were both very tough to hit, as was a great forkball. Jungao also had an occasional changeup in his arsenal.

Jungao’s stamina was excellent, leading the Taiwan-Philippine Association five times in complete games and four times in innings pitched. He tossed 270+ innings on ten different occasions and maintained pretty good durability despite that load. Jungao was quite good at holding runners and was solid defensively. He was outspoken, which rubbed some people the wrong way. There were those who appreciated his candor and Jungao ended up an extremely popular figure in Filipino baseball.

His size and potential caught scouts’ attention as you’d expect ahead of the 1982 APB Draft. Jungao was picked third overall by Cebu, but wasn’t used immediately. He didn’t play in 1983 and only tossed two innings in 1984. The Crows tossed him into the rotation full time in 1985 and there were growing pains, as he led the TPA in losses and had a 3.86 ERA. Jungao figured it out though in year two, starting a streak of 12 straight seasons worth 7+ WAR or better.

During Cebu’s prime run, Jungao was considered by some to be the Robin to Alex Clavijo’s Batman. At times though, you could argue Jungao was better. He took second in 1988 Pitcher of the Year voting and signed a seven-year, $3,840,000 extension that autumn. From 1988-94, he had six seasons worth 10+ WAR and five worth 11+. In that run, Jungao led in WAR thrice, strikeouts thrice, ERA twice, wins once, innings once, WHIP once, quality starts twice, complete games thrice, and shutouts thrice.

Jungao won his first Pitcher of the Year in 1989. He was second to Clavijo in both 1990 and 1991, then won POTY for the second time in 1992 while taking third in MVP voting. Jungao was second again in 1993, then won his third POTY in 1994. He was third in 1995, leading again in strikeouts and innings pitched that year.

The one-two of Jungao and Clavijo pushed Cebu to their four Philippine League titles from 1988-92. They won TPA pennants in 1990, 91, and 92; then won the APB title in 1991. Jungao’s first postseason in 1988 was lousy, but he was outstanding in his later outings, even winning 1992 TPA Championship MVP. For his playoff career, Jungao had a 6-5 record and 1.32 ERA over 115.2 innings with 145 strikeouts, 11 walks, a 210 ERA+, and 5.0 WAR.

Jungao also became a beloved national star in the Philippines for his dominance in the World Baseball Championship. From 1986-99, he pitched 237.1 innings with a 1.78 ERA, 18-7 record, 358 strikeouts, 204 ERA+, 46 FIP-, and 10.6 WAR. As of 2037, he has the 13<sup>th</sup> most WAR of any WBC pitcher. Jungao also had a no-hitter in the 1994 WBC, striking out 15 with three walks against Ireland.

Cebu fell towards mediocrity after their early 1990s success. They had one playoff appearance in 1996, but otherwise were generally below .500 for the rest of the decade. The Crows entered a rebuilding phase and traded the post-injury Clavijo. But they decided to keep Jungao around, locking him in as the true ace with a five-year, $12,600,000 extension in March 1995.

Jungao had an excellent 1997, leading in WAR, strikeouts, and innings. However, he wasn’t an awards finalist. Small injuries kept him out for a part of 1998, but he was still solid when healthy. Then in 1999, severe shoulder inflammation put him out five months. Jungao became a free agent for the first time at age 37, but Cebu decided to bring him back on a two-year deal.

His strikeout dominance and velocity were gone in 2000, but he still posted a very respectable 4.3 WAR and 143 ERA that season over 235.1 innings. He joined the 5000 strikeout club and finished the season 206 away from Vhon Lasam’s all-time mark. Jungao wasn’t inclined to try to chase it though and retired that winter at age 37. Cebu immediately retired his #20 uniform.

Jungao finished with a 238-166 record, 2.06 ERA, 4131.1 innings, 5159 strikeouts, 755 walks, 389/484 quality starts, 260 complete games, 64 shutouts, 134 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 136.7 WAR. His absolute peak wasn’t quite as high as his teammate Clavijo, but Jungao sustained greatness for a longer stretch with more innings, earning some of the most prominent leaderboard spots among the 2006 HOF pitchers.

As of 2037, he’s the APB career leader in complete games. Jungao is also fifth all-time in WAR among pitchers, third in strikeouts, tenth in wins, and eighth in innings pitched. It is hard to rank which was the best of the four 2006 Hall of Fame pitchers, although Jungao is the WARlord in that group. He had the third highest vote total at 98.9%, another stone cold lock.

https://i.imgur.com/cKMaNK3.png

Ronald Purnomo – Starting Pitcher – Palembang Panthers – 97.8% First Ballot

Ronald Purnomo was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Pekanbaru, the capital of Indonesia’s Riau province. Purnomo was known for having excellent control, but he also had very good stuff with solid movement in his prime. He had a 97-99 mph cutter that was equally mixed with a curveball and changeup. Purnomo had pretty good stamina and great durability, tossing 230+ innings each year from 1984-98.

Purnomo was considered a very good defensive pitcher, winning a Gold Glove in 1995. He also was a passable batter as pitchers go, winning a Silver Slugger in 1991. He posted a .150 career batting average. Purnomo worked hard and posted a very impressive career even amongst the field of outstanding pitchers in his era of APB.

Purnomo was picked third overall by Palembang in the 1980 APB Draft. The Panthers used him in three short starts in 1982, then as a heavily used reliever in 1983. Purnomo was a part-time starter with a full load in 1984, then a full-time starter from 1985 onward. He didn’t have his great control in his earliest years, but had honed his craft in that regard by his third full season in 1985.

With Palembang, he twice led in quality starts, once in wins, once in innings, once in complete games, and once in shutouts. Purnomo had five straight seasons worth 5.9 WAR from 1986-90. He was second in 1989 Pitcher of the Year voting, second again in 1990, and third in 1992. Ultimately, Purnomo never won the top award. He had ten straight seasons from 1986-95 with 300+ strikeouts, but despite high career totals never led the Sundaland Association.

Palembang was his longest tenure and the team he was inducted into the Hall with. It was hard for Purnomo to get noticed though, as the Panthers were in the cellar during his time. Palembang only had one winning season during his tenure and that was a mere 84-78 effort. Purnomo had signed a six-year, $2,970,000 extension with Palembang after the 1986 season.

In 1987, he did make baseball history by joining the very small group with two no-hitters in the same season. Not only that, but he had them both in the same month. On May 5, Purnomo had 7 strikeouts and one walk in a no-no versus Medan. Then on May 26, he struck out 11 with one walk against his hometown team Pekanbaru. Purnomo is the only APB pitcher to have two no-hitters in the same calendar month, although the great Vhon Lasam did twice throw two no-hitters within a 30-day period.

Although he never got to pitch in the APB postseason, Purnomo did see the world stage from 1986-99 for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship. He did well with a 19-6 record and 8 saves over 173.2 innings, 218 strikeouts, 36 walks, 151 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. Purnomo was also part of Indonesia’s 1999 world champion team.

Purnomo’s Palembang tenure ended after the 1991 season as he was traded to Surabaya in the offseason for three prospects. The Panthers would retire his #20 uniform and he’d remain well known as one of the few redeeming things from a forgettable era for them. With Palembang, Purnomo had a 143-100 record, 2.08 ERA, 2348 innings, 2628 strikeouts, 427 walks, a 117 ERA+, and 41.7 WAR.

Palembang was his longest tenure, but he’d have more WAR and look far more impressive in his time with Surabaya. It was the final year of his Panthers deal in 1992, but the Sunbirds wanted him long-term. They signed Purnomo to a six-year, $6,960,000 extension only a month into his tenure. The deal ended up a fruitful one for both parties.

Purnomo had five straight seasons of 7.5+ WAR and even posted a 10.2 WAR effort in 1995. That year, he was second in Pitcher of the Year voting, also leading the SA in wins, K/BB, and quality starts. Purnomo also led in wins in 1993, innings once, and both K/BB and quality starts once more.

Surabaya was better than Palembang, but didn’t make the playoffs in Purnomo’s six-year tenure, averaging 84.2 wins per year. Sadly, Purnomo never got to play in a postseason game for his whole career. His great control meant his game aged well with a 1.82 ERA and 137 ERA+ in his 30s with the Sunbirds. In total over six seasons, Purnomo had a 101-62 record, 1619.2 innings, 1921 strikeouts, and 48.2 WAR.

Purnomo was a free agent for the first time at age 37 entering the 1998 season. He signed a three-year, $6,720,000 deal with Jakarta. His great control and durability meant he still played, but his stuff and dominance waned a bit. Still, in two years with the Jaguars, Purnomo had a 2.47 ERA and 108 ERA+, 111.8 WAR, 22-22 record, and 511 strikeouts over 455.1 innings. With Jakarta, he crossed 250 career wins and 5000+ strikeouts.

After the 1999 season, Purnomo was traded by Jakarta to Taoyuan for prospects. Some wondered if he could catch both the all-time wins mark and the all-time strikeout marks. However, Purnomo entered camp with the Tsunami with his velocity down to the low 90s. He struggled for -0.4 WAR and was demoted to a bullpen role. Purnomo retired that winter at age 40, falling five wins and 243 strikeouts shy of the all-time marks.

Purnomo ended with a 272-188 record, 2.05 ERA, 4506.1 innings, 5122 strikeouts, 652 walks, 424/505 quality starts, 170 complete games, 52 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 101.2 WAR. He was often overshadowed by other greats like those in the 2006 class, who had more dominant and eye-popping years. Being on mostly bad to mid teams didn’t help his recognition. Purnomo’s impressive longevity though gave him very prominent spots on the leaderboards.

As of 2037, Purnomo is third all-time in wins, fourth in innings pitched, fourth in strikeouts, and 14<sup>th</sup> in WAR. He may not be in the GOAT conversations, but Purnomo very easily earned induction at 97.8% even amongst the loaded pitching group that joined him on the 2006 ballot.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-16-2024 05:07 PM

2006 APB Hall of Fame (Part 3)

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Nerius Senaen – Left Field – Batam Blue Raiders – 79.2% First Ballot

Nerius Senaen was a 6’1’’, 185 pound left-handed left fielder from Tarogong, Indonesia, a district with around 115,000 people on the West Java province. Senaen was an all-around excellent hitter who was very effective at hitting for contact and drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was average. He had a strong bad as well, averaging 31 home runs, 28 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average.

Senaen was firmly above average in terms of baserunning speed and ability. He played the vast majority of his defense in left field and also graded out there as consistently above average to sometimes good. Despite his long career, he would have a couple seasons where he missed a month or two to injury. Senaen was known as a strong leader and hard worker, becoming a wildly popular figure within Indonesian baseball.

With the third pick in the 1988 APB Draft, Senaen was picked third overall by Batam. His entire APB run came with the Blue Raiders, who made him a full-time starter immediately. Senaen placed third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1989. Then, he exploded onto the scene as his sophomore season was arguably the finest of his entire storied career.

Senaen posted a Triple Crown season with 38 home runs, 93 RBI, and .313 batting average. His 12.4 WAR was the second-most in a season by a position player at that point in APB history and still sits seventh as of 2037. Senaen also led in the triple slash, wRC+, total bases, and runs scored. Naturally, he won Sundaland Association MVP and his first of seven Silver Sluggers.

Senaen ushered in a decade of regular contention for Batam, who won eight Malacca League titles from 1990-99. The Blue Raiders won the SA pennant in 1991, 1997, and 1998. In 1998, they finally won the Austronesia Championship against Quezon. Senaen’s playoff career had 64 starts, 67 hits, 25 runs, 12 doubles, 6 home runs, 27 RBI, a .275/.327/.422 slash, 157 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR.

From 1990-2003, Senaen also saw 187 games and 175 starts for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship. He posted 181 hits, 115 runs, 36 doubles, 43 home runs, 106 RBI, a .279/.389/.554 slash, 172 wRC+, and 9.3 WAR. He took second in 1993 WBC MVP voting, then won it in 1997. That year, he led all players with 10 home runs and 2.4 WAR. Senaen also earned a world title with the 1999 Indonesia team. As of 2037, he’s Indonesia’s WBC all-time leader in WAR, games, starts, hits, runs, and doubles.

Senaen was a mega-star and regularly dominated the leaderboards. Batam gave him an eight-year, $13,360,000 extension in June 1993. Over 12 years, he led the Sundaland Association in runs thrice, hits twice, doubles thrice, homers once, RBI thrice, walks once, total bases four times, batting average five times, OBP eight times, slugging four times, OPS five times, wRC+ five times, and WAR four times.

Even with some injuries in that run, he had a 10-year run of 7+ WAR seasons and hit 10+ six times. Apart from his rookie and final season, Senaen’s wRC+ topped 200 each season. He won six MVPs (1990, 92, 93, 94, 98, 99) while taking second in 1991 and 1996 with a third in 1997. Senaen’s Silver Sluggers were 1990, 91, 92, 93, 96, 98, and 99. He also won Gold Gloves in 1993 and 1994. Senaen was the first-ever six-time MVP in APB, a mark which wouldn’t be matched until 2025.

Senaen rolled into his 30s looking great, posting 10.5 and 11.5 WAR in his age 32 and 33 seasons. He finally looked mortal though in 2000 as a herniated disc cost Senaen half of the season. That season also had career worsts in wRC+ and WAR. Batam also missed the playoffs and appeared to be heading into a rebuilding phase. With that, they parted with their superstar slugger. Senaen still remained adored and his #38 uniform would be retired.

Heading into his age 35 season, Senaen was a free agent for the first time. Having six MVPs will get you worldwide attention and he cashed in for MLB money. Senaen signed a four-year, $30,000,000 deal with Toronto. He had a pretty strong debut season for the Timberwolves with 5.4 WAR and 165 wRC+. In 2002, he looked merely okay as his batting average dropped while his strikeout rate worsened.

By 2003, Senaen was now demoted to a bench role. He only had 29 starts in his final two seasons and only saw sporadic pinch hit appearances generally against righties only. For his Toronto run with MLB, he had 8.7 WAR, 304 hits, 178 runs, 65 home runs, 168 RBI, and a .248/.311/.459 slash. Senaen retired after the 2004 season at age 38.

For his APB run, Senaen had 1836 hits, 885 runs, 324 doubles, 107 triples, 340 home runs, 944 RBI, 361 stolen bases, a .303/.370/.560 slash, 221 wRC+, and 106.1 WAR. As of 2037, he’s one of only three APB Hall of Famers with a career batting average above .300 and one of three with a .900+ OPS; a very difficult feat in the dead ball world of APB.

At retirement, he also led all APB batters in on-base percentage, slugging and OPS. His rate stats are certainly among the absolute top-tier of APB batters. With a career 206 wRC+, Senaen joins a very small group in any world league above 200+ for a full career. As of 2037 among all APB players with 3000 plate appearances, he is second in OBP, fourth in slugging, and third in OPS.

However, because he left when he did, the grand accumulations are lower than you’d expect. As of 2037, he is 15<sup>th</sup> in WAR among position players, but outside of the top 50 in the counting stats. That, plus the general harsh standards of APB voters meant Senaen only got 79.2% even as a six-time MVP. Regardless, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the six-player 2006 class and one of the most efficient hitters in APB history.

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Tunggul Widhyasari – First Base – Medan Marlins – 73.7% First Ballot

Tunggul Widhyasari was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Psarkemis, Indonesia; a district with 273,000 people in the Banten province. At his peak, Widhyasari was an outstanding all-around hitter who could hit well for average and power and had a sharp eye. Even in the very low offense environment of APB, he hit 40 home runs in four seasons. Widhyasari also regularly got around 25 doubles per year as well. His strikeout rate was a bit below average, but he made his opportunities count.

Widhyasari was a very intelligent and crafty baserunner, although his speed was firmly mediocre. He primarily played first base with the occasional start in left field or as a designated hitter. Defensively, he was quite lousy. While he did have nagging injuries in his career, Widhyasari managed to hang around into his mid 40s. Some teammates thought he was a bit selfish, but his excellent bat made him very popular in his prime.

Even out of high school, Widhyasari received a lot of attention from scouts throughout Indonesia. He was a rare teenage draft pick in the 1974 APB Draft, picked 15<sup>th</sup> overall by Jakarta. Widhyasari opted to pass though and begin his collegiate career. He only improved his stock by the time he was next eligible in 1977. That year, Medan picked Widhyasari with the #1 overall pick.

Widhyasari was used as a platoon starter as a rookie, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a full-time starter after, but continued to have a very pronounced split difference. For his full pro career against righties, Widhyasari had a 195 wRC+ and .905 OPS. Against lefties, he had a .662 OPS and 124 wRC+. Widhyasari was good in his prime against lefties, but he was absolutely dominant against righties.

That dominance helped make him a fixture on the leaderboards while with Medan. In nine seasons with the Marlins, Widhyasari led the Sundlaand Association in runs four times, hits twice, doubles thrice, home runs four times, RBI four times, walks thrice, total bases thrice, batting average four times, OBP six times, slugging thrice, OPS four times, wRC+ four times, and WAR thrice. Widhyasari had six seasons worth 8+ WAR and two worth 10+.

In 1980 and 1981, Widhyasari earned back-to-back Triple Crowns, then did it a third time in 1985. Until Binh Tang came around and re-wrote the history books in the 2020s, Widhyasari had three of the eight Triple Crowns seasons in APB history by a batter. 1980 was the big year with APB career bests in hits (200), homers (47), RBI (120), total bases (373), average (.329), slugging (.613), OPS (.992), and wRC+ (247).

Widhyasari was Sundlanad Association MVP in each of his Triple Crown seasons. He also took second in 1979, second in 1983, and second in 1984 during his Medan run. Widhyasari also took Silver Sluggers in 1980, 81, 83, 84, and 85. With Widhyasari’s potent bat, Medan became a regular fixture at the top of the Malacca League.

From 1980-84, Medan earned four ML titles and won the Sundaland Association title in 1981, 83, and 84. Each time, they were ultimately denied in the Austronesia Championship. Widhyasari’s 36 playoff starts for the Marlins saw 34 hits, 11 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, a .260/.340/.405 slash, 165 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR.

Widhyasari was also a regular for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship from 1979-93, making 153 starts and playing 164 games. He had 135 hits, 93 runs, 33 doubles, 45 home runs, 107 RBI, 77 walks, a .246/.343/.557 slash, 149 wRC+, and 6.8 WAR. Widhyasari won MVP of the 1986 WBC with 14 home runs, 27 RBI, 22 runs, 32 hits, 8 doubles, and 2.7 WAR in 25 starts. That year, Indonesia made it to the World Championship for the first time, losing the final to Canada.

That was the peak of 1986 though, as that season was a rough one. A severely strained hip muscle in late March cost him three months, then a hamstring strain cost him another two months. Widhyasari only played five games in what would be his final season with Medan. The Marlins had been trying for years to lock him up long-term, but Widhyasari was interested in testing the market. Although, the injury did hurt his earning potential as he’d enter free agency at age 31.

With Medan, Widhyasari had 1265 hits, 637 runs, 206 doubles, 287 home runs, 679 RBI, 478 walks, .296/.366/.553 slash, 223 wRC+, and 64.4 WAR. He would remain very popular with Marlins fans and his #15 uniform would eventually be retired. Widhyasari didn’t get the big long-term deal he hoped, signing a two-year, $1,120,000 deal with two-time defending Sundaland Association champ Jakarta.

Widhyasari returned to form in 1987 for the Jaguars, leading in runs, homers, RBI, walks, total bases, slugging, and OPS. He won his sixth and final Silver Slugger and took second in MVP voting. Jakarta made the playoffs, but incidentally lost the association final to Medan. He went 8-28 in the series with one homer. Widhyasari’s old team would win it all in their first-year without him under employ.

Jakarta just missed the playoffs in 1988 and Widhyasari missed close to three months to injury. While still solid when healthy, he wasn’t quite at the MVP level. In his two years with the Jaguars (plus a 1997 return season), Widhyasari had 352 hits, 184 runs, 66 home runs, 184 RBI, a .263/.343/.464 slash, 172 wRC+, and 15.6 WAR. This ended his first run within Austronesia Professional Baseball.

Now 33 years old, Widhyasari was able to get a five-year, $8,400,000 deal with MLB’s Oklahoma City. His tenure was mixed with the Outlaws, who were firmly one of MLB’s weaker squads in his run. Widhyasari had a powerful 1991 with 48 home runs, 146 wRC+, and 5.2 WAR. His other seasons were merely above average and saw sporadic injury woes. Still, OKC was fine with the production they got from a guy in his mid 30s.

In total in MLB, Widhyasari had 639 games, 614 hits, 357 runs, 77 doubles, 154 home runs, 350 RBI, a.262/.336/.495 slash, 126 wRC+, and 12.9 WAR. He decided to return to Indonesia and signed a two-year, $4,160,000 deal with Semarang. Widhyasari would never play a game for the Sliders, suffering a broken kneecap in spring training 1994. He missed the entire season, then was traded that winter to Batam for three prospects.

Widhyasari was 39 years old entering the 1995 campaign and looked very mid with a 1.3 WAR over 104 games for the Blue Raiders. He signed for 1996 with Bandung and only played 110 games, but he still put up good batting numbers in a fully platoon role with 3.0 WAR. Jakarta brought him back for 1997 he had 3.0 WAR over 122 games. Batam then re-signed a now 42-year old Widhyasari for 1998.

That year, he had an impressive resurgence with 4.7 WAR and a 171 wRC+ in 143 games. Widhyasari also had a respectable postseason and helped the Blue Raiders win the 1998 APB Championship for his first ring. Widhyasari had 11 hits, 5 runs, 4 extra base hits, and 7 RBI in 12 playoff starts. That would be his final season as a full-time starter.

Widhyasari played two more seasons almost exclusively as a pinch hitter role. He played 117 games for Palembang in 1999, then had 98 games for Bandung in 2000. Widhyasari retired after the 2000 campaign as one of the select few in pro baseball history to play games as a 45-year old. For his entire pro career, Widhyasari had 2568 hits, 1349 runs, 384 doubles, 568 home runs, 1379 RBI, 1058 walks, a .276/.350/.508 slash, 182 wRC+, and 104.5 WAR.

For just his APB years, Widhyasari had 1954 hits, 992 runs, 307 doubles, 414 home runs, 1029 RBI, 801 walks, a .281/.355/.512 slash, 201 wRC+, and 91.6 WAR. Like Senaen, his MLB excursion cost him some tallies on the accumulation leaderboards, falling shy of the 1000 run and 2000 hit milestones. As of 2037, his WAR total is 25<sup>th</sup> among all position players. Because of his elder statesmen years, some may have forgotten how dominant he was in his prime.

The notoriously tough on hitters APB voters only gave Widhyasari 73.7% to round out the six-player 2006 class. However, three MVPs and three Triple Crowns prove that in his prime in the 1980s, Widhyasari was arguably APB’s finest hitter. His career OPS is still 15<sup>th</sup> best among all APB players with 3000 plate appearances.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-17-2024 03:31 AM

2006 CLB Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

06-17-2024 10:58 AM

2006 WAB Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

06-17-2024 05:30 PM

2006 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

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Three players earned their way into the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Each did it on their first ballot with SP Arvind Lal and OF K.C. Choudhury being slam dunks at 98.7% and 98.3%, respectively. OF Dhavalapaksa Dattatreya joined them with 72.4% in his debut. OF Indirjeet Dayada only narrowly missed the 66% requirement with 59.8% on his sixth ballot. Also above 50% was 2B Abdul Deepkaran with a 57.1% debut. No one was dropped after ten ballots.

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Arvind Lal – Starting Pitcher – Kanpur Poison – 98.7% First Ballot

Arvind Lal was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Pune, India’s eighth most populous metropolitan area with more than seven million inhabitants. Lal was a well-rounded pitcher with very solid stuff and control, plus good movement. His fastball regularly was in the 97-99 mph range and was countered with an outstanding curveball, great splitter, and rarely used changeup. Lal’s stamina was viewed as above average compared to other SAB aces.

Lal was quite durable and got you 200+ innings pretty much each year. He was also a very good defensive pitcher, winning Gold Gloves in his final two seasons. Perhaps his greatest asset was his leadership as a team captain. Lal was one of the most respected and praised clubhouse figures of the era. That and his talent made him a superstar pitcher of Indian baseball in the 1980s and 1990s.

Lal was signed as a teenage amateur in June 1980 by Kanpur. He would debut in 1984 at age 20, making 27 appearances and one start. Lal earned a full-time starting role in 1985 and was a fixture atop the rotation for the next nine years with the Poison. He would post seven consecutive seasons worth 5+ WAR for Kanpur.

In 1987 and 1988, Lal was named the Indian League Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA, K/BB, and WHIP both seasons. 1987 had career bests in ERA (1.63), and WHIP (0.82) with the ERA mark sitting as the 12<sup>th</sup> best qualifying season in SAB history as of 2037. Lal also led in wins that year, then led in WAR in 1988. 1988 was also his first of four seasons with 300+ strikeouts, although it was the only time he reached that mark with Kanpur.

Lal was a big reason Kanpur became a contender for the first time in franchise history. 1987 was their first-ever playoff appearance, although they were one-and-done and he got rocked in his lone start. Lal redeemed himself as the Poison went 104-58 in 1988 and won the South Asia Baseball Championship against Phnom Penh. In 29.2 playoff innings, Lal had a 4-1 record and 1 save, 1.21 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and 7 walks. He played a big role in them upsetting Ahmedabad in the ILCS, denying the Animals a three-peat.

Kanpur had a shocking collapse to 66-96 in 1989, but that was an aberration. They earned seven straight playoff berths from 1990-96, although Ahmedabad’s dynasty was in full swing at this point. The Poison were one-and-done in 1990, 91, and 92, but pulled off a surprising ILCS win in 1993 as a wild card. They would drop the SAB Championship that year to Johor Bahru. In his playoff career for Kanpur, Lal had a 7-5 record, 2.51 ERA over 93.1 innings, 129 strikeouts, 22 walks, 130 ERA+, and 2.6 WAR.

The Poison had given Lal a six-year, $3,150,000 extension after winning the 1987 POTY. He wasn’t as dominant in his later years in Kanpur, but did take second in 1990’s POTY voting. Lal also began pitching for India in the World Baseball Championship, tossing 142.1 innings from 1987-98. He had a 3.16 ERA, 10-5 record, 176 strikeouts, 35 walks, 116 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR.

In total with Kanpur, Lal had a 143-63 record, 73 saves, 2.42 ERA, 1945 innings, 2402 strikeouts, 414 walks, 162 quality starts, 32 complete games, 138 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 52.6 WAR. He would remain beloved by Kanpur fans despite leaving and his #24 uniform would get retired for his role in their first-ever title. Like many other teams though, Kanpur wasn’t in position to match a big free agent deal for Lal. At this point, the Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City dynasties were far and away financially ahead of the rest of SAB.

Lal did negotiate with both teams, but decided to sit out the 1994 season, apart from the WBC. He came back though for age 31, signing a two-year deal beginning in 1995 with Ahmedabad. Lal ended up pitching six years total with the Animals, inking a four-year, $7,060,000 deal after the 1996 campaign. All six seasons saw 5.8+ WAR or better.

In his Ahmedabad debut, Lal led in wins with a career-best 24-4 record, earning his third Pitcher of the Year. The next year had a career and league best 365 strikeouts, plus a league-best 8.9 WAR, but he surprisingly wasn’t a finalist. Lal took second in 1997 by leading in wins, then took second again in 1998 with the lead in ERA.

Lal was excellent in the postseason as Ahmedabad’s dynasty rolled on. They won the Indian League pennant all six years he was there and won the SAB title in 1995, 96, 98, and 99. He would miss the 1999 playoff run to bone chips in his elbow, but was strong in the other playoff outings. He had an 11-2 record over 18 starts and 134.1 innings, a 2.14 ERA, 166 strikeouts, 29 walks, 146 ERA+, and 4.1 WAR.

Between Ahmedabad and Kanpur, Lal’s playoff stats saw a 2.29 ERA and 139 ERA+, 227.2 innings, 18-7 record, 295 strikeouts, 51 walks, 25/31 quality starts, and 6.7 WAR. As of 2037, he’s SAB’s all-time playoff pitching leader in WAR, wins, innings, and strikeouts. You could argue Lal is the greatest playoff pitcher in SAB history with that stat line, plus five SAB rings and eight Indian League pennants to his name.

In 2000, Lal joined Zainal bin Aziz as the only SAB pitchers with 250+ career wins and 4000+ career strikeouts. He would pass bin Aziz as the all-time wins leader, but fell short on Ks. Lal still looked good in 2000 with a 5.8 WAR effort, but it would be his last season. He remained officially on the market in 2001, but went un-signed and retired that winter. For his Ahmedabad run, Lal had a 116-41 record, 2.40 ERA, 1453.1 innings, 1799 strikeouts, 231 walks, 139/186 quality starts, 49 complete games, 130 ERA+, and 42.3 WAR.

Lal finished with a 259-104 record, 2.41 ERA, 3398.1 innings, 4201 strikeouts, 645 walks, 301/421 quality starts, 81 complete games, 35 shutouts, 134 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 94.8 WAR. He was the all-time wins leader until 2029. As of 2037, Lal is still second in wins, seventh in innings, seventh in strikeouts, and fourth in WAR.

Zainal bin Aziz’s raw dominance often overshadowed Lal in the same era, but Lal wasn’t far behind. Both certainly sit in the top five of almost any conversation regarding SAB’s all-time best pitchers. He was an easy lock to be inducted on the first ballot, getting 98.7% on the 2006 ballot.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-18-2024 03:36 AM

2006 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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K.C. Choudhury – Outfielder – Ahmedabad Animals – 98.3% First Ballot

K.C. Choudhury was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Faridabad, India; a city of 1,410,000 within the Delhi National Capital Region. Some scholars have argued that Choudhury had the greatest batting eye in the history of the game. On the 1/10 scale, many scouts gave his eye an 11 or 12. He would lead the league 13 times in walks drawn over his career, although he did strikeout a surprisingly high amount for a guy so amazing at drawing walks.

Choudhury was a menace getting on base that often as he was an outstanding baserunner and base stealer with very good speed. He was also a good contact hitter with a lot of power in his bad, averaging 36 home runs, 27 doubles, and 8 triples per his 162 game average. On top of that, he was an ironman who was almost never out of the lineup. He started 144+ games each year he was signed except for his first two seasons.

Defensively, Choudhury made about 2/3s of his starts in left field, where he graded as a pretty good defender with three gold gloves. He also made about ¼ of his starts in right field with a smattering in center. Choudhury was respectable in right and poor in center.

Despite all of his raw talent, some still think he squandered opportunities. He was criticized for being greedy, lazy, and a poor leader. With so much ability, Choudhury almost didn’t have to try sometimes to thrive. Still, his remarkable ability made him a megastar of 1980s and 1990s Indian baseball. Some argued Choudhury was the best player of Ahmedabad’s remarkable dynasty run, which featured remarkably stiff competition.

While many other Hall of Famers joined the Animals later on as a free agent mid-dynasty, Choudhury was there from that start. Ahmedabad picked him 20<sup>th</sup> overall in the 1981 SAB Draft. He wasn’t used in 1982, then saw a mere 46 games and 29 starts in 1983. He was a part-time starter in 1985 and looked unremarkable, but earned the full-time gig in 1985. Choudhury was a fixture from then onward, getting 6+ WAR each year he played from 1985-2000.

1986 marked the start of Choudhury leading in walks, a feat he achieved 13 times. In his first run with Ahmedabad from 1983-95, he led the IL in runs scored five times, walks nine times, stolen bases twice, OBP four times, OPS once, wRC+ once, and WAR twice. From 1988-95, he had an eight-year streak of 9+ WAR seasons. From 1988-91, he topped 11+ WAR in four consecutive years.

Choudhury won MVP twice with Ahmedabad, taking it in 1988 and 1991. After the 1988 win, he signed a seven-year, $5,880,000 extension. Choudhury was third in 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1994 MVP voting. He won Silver Sluggers in 1988, 89, 91, 94, and 95; plus Gold Gloves in 1989, 91, and 92.

1988 saw career bests in home runs (51), runs scored (126), and OPS (1.090). He’d top 120+ runs four times, 40+ homers six times, 100+ RBI six times, and 100+ walks 11 times. 1991 was his career peak in WAR (12.5) and OBP (.428). He had 240 wRC+ in both of his MVP efforts.

Choudhury also played incredibly on the biggest stages. He was the SAB Championship MVP in 1986 and 1990 and the Indian League Championship Series MVP in 1995 and 1999. Ahmedabad’s record playoff streak began with the 1985 season. From 1986-2003, they were in the ILCS every year and won the pennant 13 times in that stretch. In Choudhury’s first run up to 1995, they won eight SAB Championships (1986-87, 89-92, 94-95).

Choudhury also became a national star in the World Baseball Championship, playing for India from 1986-2001. He had 161 games and 160 starts with 122 hits, 104 runs, 23 doubles, 40 home runs, 91 RBI, 116 walks, 66 stolen bases, a .220/.362/.485 slash, 142 wRC+, and 6.5 WAR.

When Choudhury’s deal expired after the 1995 season, he was set to turn 36 years old. His productivity hadn’t declined a bit, but the Animals didn’t want to meet the massive paycheck that Choudhury wanted, especially as they had already signed so many other big free agents. Thus, he sat out for the 1996 season. Choudhury came back in 1997, but almost out of spite, signed a one-year deal with the competing dynasty Ho Chi Minh City.

Choudhury certainly still had it, winning his third MVP and sixth Silver Slugger in his one year with the Hedgehogs. He led in runs, walks, OPS, wRC+, and WAR this season. Most importantly, he led HCMC to their first-ever SAB title, as they had gone 0-6 previously in their battles with Ahmedabad. The Hedgehogs beat the Animals for the 1997 crown with Choudhury posted 1.5 WAR and 254 wRC+ in the playoff run.

He proved his point and as a free agent again at age 38, signed back with Ahmedabad on a three-year, $4,920,000 deal. Choudhury won two more SAB titles for them in 1998 and 1999 and saw a finals defeat against HCMC in 2000. In 1998, Choudhury drew 136 walks, which still stands as SAB’s single-season record. He led in walks thrice, runs twice, OBP twice, OPS once, and wRC+ once in his second run with Ahmedabad. Choudhury won Silver Sluggers again in 1998 and 2000.

Choudhury’s final season at age 40 saw 8.9 WAR, 215 wRC+, and a second place in MVP voting; showing zero signs of decline. He again wanted big money and a long-term deal, but couldn’t come to terms with Ahmedabad or anyone else. Choudhury sat out the 2001 season apart from the WBC and decided to retire in the winter of 2001. Despite their occasional clashing, Ahmedabad retired his #31 uniform and he remained one of the most beloved stars of the dynasty run.

Choudhury’s career stats saw 2331 hits, 1711 runs, 419 doubles, 126 triples, 551 home runs, 1469 RBI, 1647 walks, 1005 stolen bases, a .278/.396/.555 slash, 197 wRC+, and 141.2 WAR. At retirement, he was the SAB all-time leader in walks, runs, and stolen bases. As of 2037, he still factors prominently sitting seventh in WAR among position players, second in walks, eighth in runs, and 13<sup>th</sup> in steals.

His spot on the playoff leaderboards are even more remarkable. Choudhury played 204 games with 201 starts in his playoff career with 192 hits, 147 runs, 36 doubles, 13 triples, 53 home runs, 413 total bases, 121 RBI, 134 walks, 215 strikeouts, 81 stolen bases, a .267/.383/.575 slash, 199 wRC+, and 13.5 WAR. As of 2037, Choudhury is the SAB career playoff leader in games, at-bats, runs, total bases, triples, walks, and strikeouts. He’s also the career leader in ANY world league in playoff games, hits, runs, homers, RBI, walks, steals, strikeouts, and total bases.

With that, Choudhury has a strong case as being the greatest playoff performer of any position player in baseball history. He certainly was a major reason why the Ahmedabad dynasty never seemed to end throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His one year with Ho Chi Minh City even showed he could maintain the same excellence somewhere else. Choudhury’s 11 championship rings are believed to be the most by any player.

On top of that, he did all this while also being considered a bit lazy by many observers. Choudhury was still outstanding in his final season and may have been able to rack up even more impressive final totals If he’d kept playing into his 40s. Regardless, he’s a no-doubt Hall of Famer, getting 98.3% with SAB’s impressive three-player 2006 class.

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Dhavalapaksa Dattatreya – Outfield – Kanpur Poison – 72.4% First Ballot

Dhavalapaksa Dattatreya was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Patna; India’s 19<sup>th</sup> largest city with around 2.35 million people. Dattatreya was one of the hardest hitters of SAB’s early days, averaging 44 home runs and 29 doubles per his 162 game average. Dattatreya was also pretty good at drawing walks, but he had a lousy strikeout rate and was merely above average as a contact hitter. Dattatreya was also laughably poor baserunner.

Dattatreya had a strong arm, but had terrible range and general defensive instincts. He made about half of his starts in left field, around 2/5 in right field, and the rest at first base. Dattatreya was an abysmal defender at each spot and lost starts some years as the Indian League didn’t have the designated hitter. He had excellent durability and was already to go. Dattatreya was also a team captain and considered a man of high character, which helped him become a very popular player throughout India.

Even as a teenager, Dattatreya received plenty of attention. In the 1980 SAB Draft, Kanpur picked him seventh overall. However, with South Asia Baseball only one year into its existence, Dattatreya opted not to sign and instead begin a college career. He was next available in the 1984 SAB Draft and had only improved his stock. The Poison had the #1 overall pick and were still very much interested, selecting and signing Dattatreya.

Dattatreya was on the roster full-time right away, although he was only a part-time starter in his first two seasons. He took over a full-time role in 1987 and held it for the next five years. Each of those full seasons, he smacked 40+ homers and 100+ RBI. On three occasions, Dattatreya recorded 8+ WAR. Kanpur gave him an eight-year, $3,184,000 extension after the 1987 season.

Dattatreya’s finest season was 1988, leading the Indian League with 65 home runs, 154 RBI, 408 total bases, 1.135 OPS, and 241 wRC+. Those were all career bests, as was his 10.2 WAR, 115 runs, and .394 OBP. He set a new single-season RBI record which wasn’t passed until 2004 and was two short of the home run record. Despite that, he was second and MVP voting and lost out on the Silver Slugger because of his HOF classmate K.C. Choudhury.

Most importantly that year, Dattatreya led Kanpur to the SAB Championship over Phnom Penh. He was the finals MVP and ILCS MVP, posting 16 hits, 11 runs, 7 home runs, 14 RBI, and 11 walks in 17 playoff starts. Kanpur went one-and-done in the 1990 and 1991 postseasons with Dattatreya. In total, he had a .252/.355/.553 slash, 164 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR over 29 career playoff games.

In 1990, Dattatreya led in homers and RBI for the second time. He again was second in MVP voting, but did at least win Silver Slugger. The loaded nature of the corner outfield spots made awards tough to earn despite Dattatreya’s success. In 1991, he led in RBI, total bases, and slugging for the Poison, taking third in MVP voting. With that, Dattatreya decided to opt out of his Kanpur deal, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 30.

For his Kanpur tenure, Dattatreya had 952 hits, 578 runs, 193 doubles, 287 home runs, 726 RBI, a .289/.373/.616 slash, 202 wRC+, and 43.6 WAR. He would remain popular with many Poison fans for his role in the championship, but his number was never retired. At this point, Dattatreya entered free agency like many into a void. Only the two dynasties, Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City, had the funds or desire to pursue big name free agents.

Dattatreya decided not to sign with either and sat out of SAB from 1992-94, taking a lengthy sabbatical to pursue other interests. His only time on the diamond was the 1992 and 1994 World Baseball Championships for India. He only appeared in six editions of the WBC total with 33 games, 24 starts, 20 hits, 15 runs, 2 doubles, 8 home runs, 16 RBI, a .206/.297/.495 slash, 125 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR.

Dattatreya was very well respected and enjoyed pursuing business interests away from the game. But Ahmedabad finally lured him back for the 1995 season at age 33. He was effective in his return, but saw a very limited role on the stacked roster. Dattatreya would reclaim a starting spot in 1996 and 1997 for the Animals, winning Silver Slugger both years. He won SAB titles with the 1995 and 1996 squads, while the 1997 team lost to Ho Chi Minh City.

Dattatreya was again a free agent and didn’t play in the 1998 season. Ho Chi Minh City lured him back in 1999 as a part-time starter, posting 4.3 WAR in 117 games and 93 starts. Dattatreya went back to Ahmedabad as a part-timer in 2000. He was on the losing end of the SAB final in both years. For his playoff career, Dattatreya had 84 games and 72 starts, 55 hits, 36 runs, 9 doubles, 20 home runs, 43 RBI, a .216/.333/.486 slash, 146 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR.

Dattatreya went unsigned in 2001, but didn’t officially retire until that winter. Between the two Ahmedabad tenures, he had 15.8 WAR, 434 hits, 247 runs, 89 doubles, 137 home runs, 308 RBI, a .258/.322/.558 slasj, and 178 wRC+.

For his career, Dattatreya had 1486 hits, 884 runs, 299 doubles, 456 home runs, 1104 RBI, 647 walks, a .278/.357/.597 slash, 193 wRC+, and 63.9 WAR. He was a very powerful and effective hitter in his prime, but his sabbaticals greatly limited the accumulations. Tough competition also meant he didn’t end up with tons of awards.

However, Dattatreya was a very respected man for his leadership. He hit a lot of dingers and won titles with both Ahmedabad and Kanpur. Even with the lower grand totals, enough voters got him across the line on his ballot debut. It was only narrowly at 72.4%, but regardless, Dattatreya rounded out the 2006 SAB Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-18-2024 01:01 PM

2006 ABF Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

06-18-2024 06:19 PM

2006 ALB and AAB Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

06-19-2024 03:51 AM

2006 World Baseball Championship

FuzzyRussianHat

06-19-2024 11:32 AM

2006 in E2L

FuzzyRussianHat

06-19-2024 05:12 PM

2006 in AAB

FuzzyRussianHat

06-20-2024 04:41 AM

2006 in ALB

https://i.imgur.com/9uYzEbm.jpg

The Arab League’s Nile Division saw a significant shift after having all four teams above .500 in 2005. The last place team that year, Giza, took the Western Conference’s top seed at 100-62. This was the Goats’ first-ever playoff berth. After Alexandria, Cairo, and Khartoum all won 90+ games the prior year, each went well below .500 in 2006. Alexandria, who had won the division thrice in the prior four years, fell to 74-88. The Pharaohs fell from 90 to 66 wins and the Cottonmouths went from 91 to 75 wins.

Jerusalem was the lone repeat division winner in the Western Conference. The Jets took the Levant Division at 91-71, fending off a feisty Beirut squad by one game. Meanwhile, Algiers won their first-ever Mediterranean Division at 91-71, finishing seven better than Tunis. Defending conference champ Casablanca fell to 78-84. With Giza and Algiers earning their first-ever berths, that leaves Tunis, Baghdad, and Damascus as the teams without a single playoff berth through ALB’s 17 seasons to date.

Jerusalem’s Mustafa bin Nazim became the fourth ALB player to win four or more MVPs. The 31-year old Omani second baseman took the Western Conference’s top honor by leading in home runs (57), RBI (109), slugging (.694), OPS (1.072), and wRC+ (197). He added 8.3 WAR and a .319 average.

Pitcher of the Year was Tripoli’s Jabor Karim. The 26-year old Iraqi righty led in ERA (2.17), WHIP (0.88), and K/BB (7.4). Karim added a 14-7 record over 236.2 innings, 312 strikeouts, and 7.3 WAR. He also tossed an impressive 16 strikeout, 1 walk no-hitter against Beirut on April 1. The Privateers gave Karim a four-year, $9,380,000 extension after the 2007 season.

Algiers edged Jerusalem 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a Western Conference Final between two first-time playoff teams. Top-seeded Giza cruised to a 3-0 sweep of the Arsenal. The Goats were the first Egyptian team to win the pennant since Alexandria in 2002. Eight of the first 17 WC pennants have gone to a Nile Division team.

https://i.imgur.com/yOs9lKT.jpg

The Eastern Conference saw the same three division champs for the fourth year in a row. Defending ALB champ Medina took the top seed at 107-55 for a fourth Saudi Division title in a row. The Mastodons pitching staff set a new ALB record with 2024 strikeouts and a 12.27 K/9. These are still all-time ALB bests as of 2037. Basra dominated the Iraq Division at 92-70 for a fourth straight division title.

Dubai’s Gulf Division streak grew to six years, but had to really earn it. The Diamonds tied with Abu Dhabi at 92-70 for the top spot, while Kuwait was just behind at 90-72. A victory in a one-game playoff game the Diamonds the spot over the Destroyers.

Basra’s Nordine Soule won a historic sixth Eastern Conference MVP. The 31-year old Comoran left fielder led in runs (131), home runs (64), RBI (158), total bases (438), OBP (.423), slugging (.756), OPS (1.180), wRC+ (223), and WAR (11.4). His .352 batting average was also second best in the EC. This was Soule’s eighth season leading in home runs and seventh in OPS. He had signed a six-year, $14,520,000 extension in the spring.

Pitcher of the Year was Medina’s Mostafa Nabil, bouncing back from shoulder inflammation costing him most of 2005. The 23-year old Egyptian led in ERA (2.32), strikeouts (383), quality starts (25), complete games (6), and shutouts (4). Nabil added 8.3 WAR and a 13-8 record in 236.1 innings. He also tossed an impressive 18 strikeout, one walk no-hitter on June 1 versus Doha. That set a still-standing record for the most Ks in a no-no in ALB history.

Basra swept Dubai in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals meeting between the Bulldogs and Medina. The Mastodons had won in 2005, while Basra took it in 2004. Medina was the heavy favorite, but the Bulldogs stunned them with a 3-0 sweep to take their second pennant.

https://i.imgur.com/oqwd8pY.png

The 17<sup>th</sup> Arab League Championship was only the second finals to need all seven games (1996). Basra edged Giza to give the Bulldogs their first overall title. This was the fifth ALB ring for an Iraqi team and gave the Eastern Conference an 11-6 advantage over the Western Conference. Veteran 3B Haitham Galal was finals MVP as the 32-year old had 14 hits, 8 runs, 6 homers, and 9 RBI over 12 playoff starts.

https://i.imgur.com/ijL1O7p.png

Other notes: In addition to getting his first championship, Nordine Soule became the first to reach 1500 career RBI. He also won his tenth Silver Slugger in left field, joining SS Mohammed Mohamed as ALB’s only ten-time winners. Soule at this point was already the all-time RBI and home run leader and would continue to grow those totals through 2014. Hassan El Mubarak became the first ALB hitter to reach 2500 career hits. He retired with 2611, holding the hit-king spot until 2009 when passed by Soule.

Ahmad Zaid and Mustafa bin Nazim both crossed 500 home runs, making five members of the club. Additionally, bin Nazim picked up his eighth Silver Slugger at second base. Basra’s George White set a bad playoff record with 28 strikeouts, which still remains ALB’s worst. He was 3-37 in 12 starts, a truly putrid effort. OF Amin Arafat won his ninth Gold Glove, CF Yousef Shehadeh won his eighth and SS Amr Khatab grabbed his seventh.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-20-2024 11:20 AM

2006 in ABF

FuzzyRussianHat

06-20-2024 05:21 PM

2006 in SAB

https://i.imgur.com/kIj1z9f.jpg

Ahmedabad returned to the top of the Indian League standings in 2006, taking the West Division at 109-55. This gave the Animals a 22<sup>nd</sup> consecutive playoff appearance, the second longest streak in any world league behind only EPB’s Minsk at 24. Ahmedabad’s streak of division titles grew to 19 seasons. The wild card also came out of the West again but this time with 94-68 Pune. The Purple Knights ended an eight-year playoff drought and snapped the five-year wild card streak of Mumbai. The defending IL champ Meteors were seven games away at 87-75.

Jaipur won the Central Division for the third consecutive season at 105-57. The Jokers also earned their ninth playoff appearance in 11 years. Meanwhile, Chennai took the South Division at 86-76. It was the Cows’ second-ever playoff berth, joining the 1987 campaign. Bengaluru’s four-year division title stretch ended. The Blazers were three back at 83-79 and Visakhapatnam was five back at 81-81.

Although Mumbai missed the playoffs, 1B Basava Sanjahay repeated as Indian League MVP. He set a single-season WAR record at 14.74, which still stands as the SAB all-time best as of 2037. Sanjahay also led in runs (124), home runs (68), RBI (156), walks (77), total bases (452), slugging (.804), OPS (1.226), and wRC+ (279). He also had a .338 average and 55 stolen bases. The Meteors locked him up with a massive eight-year, $36,800,000 deal the prior winter.

Pitcher of the Year was Pune lefty Sarthak Patil. The 25-year old led in wins (22-6), innings (248.1), and complete games (10). Patil also had a 2.07 ERA, 336 strikeouts, and 7.0 WAR. The Purple Knights gave him a five-year, $10,220,000 extension in September.

Jaipur topped Chennai 3-1 in the first round and Ahmedabad edged Pune 3-2. This gave the Animals their 20<sup>th</sup> Indian League Championship Series appearance in 21 years. The Jokers made it for the seventh time in 11 years, but were 0-6 in those appearances with five losses to Ahmedabad. Jaipur was also 0-9 all-time in the ILCS, having also lost thrice in the 1980s. The Jokers finally reversed the trend, upsetting the Animals in a seven-game thriller.

https://i.imgur.com/YH7VRaE.jpg

Ho Chi Minh City’s playoff streak grew to 20 seasons as the three-time defending South Asia Baseball champs again had the top record in the Southeast Asia League. The Hedgehogs at 116-46 won the South Division for the 18<sup>th</sup> straight season. No one else in the division was above .500.

In a top heavy North Division, Yangon (108-54) edged Hanoi (104-58) for the top spot. The Green Dragons grew their own impressive playoff streak to 12 years with a fourth straight division title. The Hounds earned repeat wild cards, as did Dhaka. The Dobermans at 94-68 took the second spot, sitting 14 games ahead of their next closest foe Mandalay.

It was the Mammoths with the SEAL MVP Ratan Canduri. He posted the second-ever Triple Crown season by a SAB hitter, joining Thang Huynh’s 1989 campaign. The 29-year old LF had 65 home runs, 139 RBI, and a .367 batting average. Canduri also led in total bases (428), OBP (.486), slugging (.806), OPS (1.292), wRC+ (238), and WAR (13.2).

Ho Chi Minh City’s Van Khang Nguyen won his second Pitcher of the Year. In his fourth season with the Hedgehogs, the 34-year old Vietnamese righty led in ERA at 2.38. He added an 18-3 record over 227.1 innings, 273 strikeouts, and 6.7 WAR. HCMC’s Taj Kaikaraja also made history as the first five-time Reliever of the Year winner in SAB history. He won them consecutively and led in saves for the fourth time in five years.

Ho Chi Minh City survived a five game first round battle against Dhaka, while Yangon outlasted Hanoi in five. The Green Dragons made it back to the SEAL Championship for the fifth time in their playoff streak, while the Hedgehogs had their 13<sup>th</sup> straight appearance. HCMC’s four-peat hopes were dashed as Yangon pulled off the upset 4-1. This was the sixth pennant for the Green Dragons (1980, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2001, 2006).

https://i.imgur.com/cCRdKen.png

For the first time since 1993, the SAB Championship didn’t feature either Ahmedabad or Ho Chi Minh City. For the first time since 2001, the finals needed all seven games. Jaipur outdueled Yangon to give the Jokers their first-ever title. This also dropped the Green Dragons to 1-5 in their finals appearances.

https://i.imgur.com/kQDGy8V.png

2B David Rusli was finals MVP, helping his Jokers finally win it all in his 14<sup>th</sup> year with the team. In 18 playoff starts, he had 25 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 10 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. The 18 steals set both a SAB and world record for most steals in a single postseason. Rusli impressively was perfect on his attempts, going 18-18.

Other notes: Tirtha Upadhyaya became the second player to 700 career home runs. He finished the season with 740, passing Amoda Shah’s 729 to become the all-time home run king. Upadhyaya and Manju Abbas both crossed 1500 RBI, making it four to reach the mark. Upadhyaya also won his 11<sup>th</sup> Silver Slugger, the second SAB player to reach that mark.

Abbas became the first to 3000 career hits. As of 2037, he’s still the all-time hit king, playing until 2012 and finishing with 3897. Na Thinn became the fourth pitcher to 3500 strikeouts and the third to 200 wins. He’d pitch two more years and end with 225 wins, which sits sixth as of 2037. Quang Huy Canh was the fourth to reach 300 career saves. SS Aftab Alam won his eighth Silver Slugger.

Lucknow had a team OBP of .255, which stands as SAB’s all-time worst as of 2037. Jaipur’s Atamjit Camaraja struck out 34 times in the playoffs, an all-time worst in SAB. It is one short of the world record for most whiffs in a postseason behind MLB’s Martin Barbosa’s 35 Ks in 1987.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-21-2024 03:41 AM

2006 in WAB

https://i.imgur.com/TNUZu42.jpg

Defending Western League champ Monrovia absolutely obliterated their competition in 2006, taking first by 26 games. The Diplomats set a franchise record at 111-51 and were the first WL team to win 110+ since Abidjan in 1981. They had the most runs scored in all of West African Baseball at 835 and led the WL with only 623 allowed. They had been building up their young core, as Monrovia players had won the last four Rookie of the Year awards.

There was a big traffic jam for the other two playoff spots. Abidjan got second at 85-77 to earn a repeat wild card berth. The third and final spot had a tie at 84-78 between Kumasi and Nouakchott. The Monkeys won the tiebreaker game to return to the postseason after seeing their three-year streak ended in 2005. Freetown (80-82), Conakry (79-83), and Bamako (78-84) were also in striking distance for much of the season.

Monrovia 1B Rob Santillan was the Western League MVP in his lone season with the Diplomats. The 33-year old American had come to WAB in 2003 after a forgettable MLB tenure, playing three seasons with Nouakchott before coming to Monrovia. Santillan had 55 home runs, 142 RBI, 108 runs, a .297/.383/.647 slash, 171 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR.

Santillan managed to beat out Abidjan’s Shahnawaz Ikram for the top award despite the latter becoming WAB’s new single-season home run king. The 36-year old Pakistani DH was in his second year with the Athletes and smacked 66 home runs, passing Mo Reda’s record of 64 from 2003. This would be WAB’s top homer mark until 2022. Ikram also led in RBI (148) and total bases (406).

Monrovia also had the Pitcher of the Year Razak Glele, who pulled it off despite missing a few starts to injury. In his second full season, the 24-year old Beninois lefty led in ERA at 2.59. Glele also had an 18-6 record, 187 strikeouts, and 4.6 WAR over 184 innings. His Diplomats teammate Emanuel Tuhair also won Reliever of the Year, marking a rare occurrence where the same team had the MVP, POTY, and ROTY.

Kumasi upset Abidjan 2-1 in the wild card round for their fourth Western League Championship Series appearance in five years. Top seed Monrovia was far too powerful though, taking the series 3-1 to repeat as WL champs. It was the Diplomats’ third pennant, as they also won back in 1980.

https://i.imgur.com/TeCknO9.jpg

Kano looked to continue its dynasty as the nine-time defending Eastern League champs took first in the standings at 104-58. The reigning WAB champion Condors extended their postseasons streak to 12 seasons, tying 1990-01 Ibadan for the second-longest streak in WAB history. It was their eighth time getting first in the regular season standings. Kano had been a wild card the prior two years despite taking the pennant anyway.

Lagos finished second at 98-64 to grow their playoff streak to four seasons. Niamey took the third place spot at 91-71 to end a two-year playoff drought. Their closest foes were Ibadan (86-76) and Ouagadougou (85-77). Although they missed the playoffs, the Iguanas did set an EL record with 421 stolen bases as a team. That held as the top mark until 2019.

Kano shortstop Darwin Morris continued to make history by winning his 11<sup>th</sup> Eastern League MVP. The only player in world history with more MVPs was OBA/MLB legend Jimmy Caliw with 12. This would be Morris’ last MVP despite playing for another decade at a high level, as injuries would begin to give him some trouble.

In 2006, the 34-year old Liberian led with 9.5 WAR, taking WARlord honors for the 13<sup>th</sup> year in a row. He also led in OBP (.404), OPS (1.058), and wRC+ (191). In 130 games and 123 starts, Morris also had 37 home runs and 103 RBI. He earned a WAB-record 13<sup>th</sup> consecutive Silver Slugger. Morris also became WAB’s new career home run leader, passing Vincent Langat’s 584 to become the first member of the 600 homer club.

Pitcher of the Year and Reliever of the Year both went to Lagos righty Francis Koomson. It was the third straight Reliever of the Year for the 28-year old Ghanaian, who also became the first reliever in WAB history to win POTY. Koomson had a 1.22 ERA over 88.1 innings, 38 saves, 133 strikeouts, a 310 ERA+, and 4.5 WAR.

Niamey upset Lagos 2-1 in the wild card round, giving the Atomics their first Eastern League Championship Series appearance since 2002. They were a major underdog against Kano, who was entering a 12<sup>th</sup> straight ELCS with a shot at a 10<sup>th</sup> consecutive pennant. Niamey would shock the Condors, winning the series 3-2 to dethrone one of the all-time great dynasties. It was the second-ever pennant for the Atomics, who won it all in 1987.

https://i.imgur.com/hX8aAIF.png

In the 32<sup>nd</sup> West African Championship, Monrovia won its first-ever overall title, topping Niamey 4-1. Third-year LF Julius Ayuba was the finals MVP, posting 17 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 9 RBI, and 4 stolen bases over nine postseason starts. Ayuba would later become best known as a 13-time Gold Glove winner, winning his first in 2006.

https://i.imgur.com/qSVBUIZ.png

At 111-51, the Diplomats finished tied for the third-best record by an eventual WAB champ with Kano’s 1997 squad. Monrovia also became the 12<sup>th</sup> different WAB franchise to win it all. The Diplomats would be a top WL contender for the rest of the 2000s, but their 2006 squad would still stand alone clearly as the franchise’s best-ever and one of WAB’s best-ever.

Other notes: 2006 didn’t see a single no-hitter in WAB, the first time that had happened since 2001. SS Tchiressoua Yao won his seventh Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-21-2024 11:45 AM

2006 in CLB

FuzzyRussianHat

06-21-2024 05:38 PM

2006 in APB

FuzzyRussianHat

06-22-2024 05:17 AM

2006 in OBA

Expansion became all the range in the 2000s across professional baseball. The Oceania Baseball Association wanted to get in on the fun and certainly had the popularity to grow. At 16 teams, it was even with Eurasian Professional Baseball for the fewest teams of any of the Global Baseball Association leagues. The main challenge for OBA was finding suitable markets to expand to, as it didn’t have many options in its small orbit.

The ultimate plan was to add two teams to both the Australasia League and the Pacific League, bringing both to ten teams. In the AL, the capital Canberra (the Centurions) was an obvious choice as the country’s eighth-largest city. Joining them was Hobart, which was a significantly smaller city than the other AL teams. However, the hope was that the squad would be the team for the entire island state of Tasmania, hence the Tasmaniacs mascot name.

https://i.imgur.com/6PTBsz3.png

The PL was tougher as most of the remaining independent island nations had very small populations. Although the PL and the Caribbean League had shown that you could get small island teams to show out and support, the options were limited. Vanuatu would secure the first expansion team known as the Wizards.

The second spot would be the Timor Tapirs, based out of East Timor. It had only become a country in 2002, breaking away from Indonesia. It was an incredibly new market, but one OBA officials hoped would only grow as the country gained its footing.

https://i.imgur.com/WOScHEO.png

OBA didn’t make any other major changes to its structure, keeping a division-less format but now with 10 teams in each league. The top finisher from each league still advanced to a best-of-seven for the Oceania Championship.

https://i.imgur.com/FUa8lev.jpg

Melbourne’s Australasia League dominance continued with a fourth consecutive pennant. The two-time defending OBA champs finished 106-56, the best yet during their 2000s run. Christchurch was a distant second at 94-68, followed by Auckland at 92-70. The Mets set a new AL record for team OBP at .341, which still stands as the top mark in 2006. Interestingly enough, 89-win Brisbane set the second-best OBP at .335 and set a new league record for hits at 1610.

Auckland 1B Jacob Crotchett won Australasia League MVP, leading in hits (201), RBI (153), average (.339), slugging (.656), and wRC+ (172). His 51 home runs were six behind Hobart’s Mahmoud Bourabia, denying the Triple Crown. Crotchett was only the second to ever reach 150+ RBI, joining Hall of Famer Vavao Brighouse (161 in 1995). He had signed a six-year, $24,400,000 extension before the 2005 season with the Avengers.

Pitcher of the Year was Melbourne’s Gavala Rahim in only his second full season. The 25-year old Australian righty led in wins (25-8), ERA (2.70), WHIP (0.98), and shutouts (3). Rahim added 244 strikeouts over 287 innings with 7.2 WAR.

https://i.imgur.com/BmsiwvT.jpg

The Pacific League had an intense battle for the top spot with Fiji dethroning Tahiti. The Freedom won it at 103-59, beating the three-time defending champ Tropics by one game at 102-60. Fiji had been the last team to win the PL since Tahiti’s streak started with the 2002 pennant. That was the Freedom’s only other title to date. New Caledonia was a very distant third at 90-72.

For the second time in three years, Honolulu 2B Kalos Ryniker won Pacific League MVP. The 26-year old Solomon Islander led in runs (107), homers (45), RBI (110), and total bases (356). His .316 average left him one point by Joel Patu for a Triple Crown. Ryniker also had 6.7 WAR and a 168 wRC+.

New Caledonia’s Crow Xue won his third Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old from Hong Kong led in wins (25-13), ERA (2.03), innings (337.2), WHIP (0.89), quality starts (32), shutouts (6), and WAR (11.1). He added 349 strikeouts, finishing fourth in the league. Xue would pitch three more seasons for the Colonels before leaving to embark on a MLB tenure.

https://i.imgur.com/jFYczH2.png

Melbourne mauled Fiji with a sweep in the 47<sup>th</sup> Oceania Championship, becoming the second OBA franchise to three-peat. Only Honolulu had previously pulled it off, doing it twice in their great dynasty run (1982-84, 88-90). 3B Max Costantini was finals MVP, a 31-year old Brazilian who joined the Mets after nine years with Fortaleza of Beisbol Sudamerica. Costantini was 7-17 with 4 runs, 2 homers, and 8 RBI. This was Melbourne’s fifth overall title (1967, 1969, 2004, 2005, 2006).

https://i.imgur.com/E8x5DDi.png

Other notes: Samoa’s Austin Jong tossed OBA’s 10<sup>th</sup> perfect game on August 22, striking out 15 against Guadalcanal. New Caledonia’s Tony Charles struck out 21 on September 10 against Guadalcanal, setting a new OBA record for Ks in a regulation game. The overall top mark was Jack Nix’s 23 from 1983, but he did that in 9.2 innings. Scott Webster became the 12<sup>th</sup> pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. SS Woody Bolling won his ninth Silver Slugger.

FuzzyRussianHat

06-22-2024 11:01 AM

2006 in EPB

With the expansion of the Oceania Baseball Association, Eurasian Professional Baseball now was the smallest big league at only 16 teams. They still needed a few more years before their next expansion could match it. EPB officials were worried about its prestige sinking further and wanted to do something to pump up popularity. They ended up making some rules adjustments designed to increase the scoring.

EPB had been considered low to very low offensively on the grand historical scale. With these changes, the European League’s batting average went from .221 in 2005 to .239 in 2006, while the ERA went from 2.63 to 3.00. In the Asian League, the average went from .230 to .244, while the ERA jumped from 2.94 to 3.29. EPB would still be considered below average to low scoring offensively, but kept them from inching closer to the “dead ball” territory of APB or CLB.

https://i.imgur.com/IrDYsCO.jpg

St. Petersburg and Moscow tied for the European League title at 99-63. No tiebreaker game was used with the formula favoring the Polar Bears for first place officially. They repeated as the #1 team and the Mules repeated as the #2. Minsk (93-69) and Kazan (90-72) were both in the hunt. For the first time in EPB’s 52 year history, the Miners missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Winning European League MVP for the third consecutive season was St. Petersburg RF Jov Sakharov. The 28-year old Russian made history with 14.18 WAR, the single-season EPB record by a non-two way player. That mark still holds as of 2037. Sakharov also scored 126 runs, breaking the previous record of 122 held by three players. That would remain the runs record until finally passed in 2036.

Sakharov also led in hits (207), doubles (35), triples (18), home runs (47), total bases (419), average (.329), slugging (.665), OPS (1.019), and wRC+ (219). His 110 RBI fell eight short of a Triple Crown. St. Petersburg locked up their superstar in May with an eight-year, $32,760,000 extension, one of the richest in EPB history.

Markiyan Konoplya also made history as the second in EPB history to win Pitcher of the Year six times. After a decade of dominance in Minsk, Konoplya had signed a five-year, $27,000,000 deal for 2006 with St. Petersburg. The 32-year old Ukrainian righty led in wins (25-9), innings (290.2), strikeouts (332), WHIP (0.83), complete games (22), and shutouts (7). Konoplya had 9.2 WAR and a 2.07 ERA, falling eight points from a Triple Crown.

https://i.imgur.com/fu7SYas.jpg

Yekaterinburg dominated the Asian League standings at 101-61, earning a third straight playoff berth and sixth in seven years. The Yaks were blazing it on the basepaths, setting a new AL record with 420 steals. They also had allowed the fewest runs in EPB with 445. Yekaterinburg was 16 games ahead of second place, finishing first for the fifth time in the 2000s.

It was a four-time battle for the second playoff spot. Irkutsk (85-77) edged defending EPB champ Krasnoyarsk (83-79), Omsk (83-79), and Novosibirsk (82-80). That ended an eight-year playoff drought for the Ice Cats dating back to their 1990s dynasty run. The Cossacks saw their five-year postseason streak snapped.

Krasnoyarsk 3B Boxuan Long won his third Asian League MVP in four years. He posted the ninth Triple Crown in EPB history by a batter with 43 home runs, 114 RBI, and a .337 average. The 31-year old Chinese righty was also the leader in runs (100), total bases (350), OBP (.406), slugging (.677), OPS (1.083), wRC+ (214), and WAR (11.7). With this effort, Long became an eight-time Silver Slugger winner.

Yekaterinburg’s Matvey Ivanov also made history with a historic eighth Pitcher of the Year win. The 31-year old Russian lefty posted his third Triple Crown in four years with a 21-7 record, 1.37 ERA, and 365 strikeouts. He’s the only EPB player to earn three Triple Crowns. Ivanov also led in K/BB (11.8), quality starts (28), complete games (23), shutouts (7), FIP- (38), and WAR (13.5). It was his seventh straight season with 10+ WAR and his sixth as the ERA leader. Ivanov also took second in MVP voting. With his continued dominance, the Yaks gave him another five years and $19,600,000 the following spring.

The European League Championship Series rematch had the same result as the prior year, #2 seed Moscow upsetting #1 seed St. Petersburg. The Mules won it 4-2 for their fifth pennant overall. Yekaterinburg didn’t want to suffer an upset like they had seen the prior year, as the Yaks topped Irkutsk 4-2 in the Asian League’s final. Yekaterinburg earned its third pennant in four years and its fourth in six years. The Yaks became seven-time AL champs.

https://i.imgur.com/ysR3jE3.png

In the 52<sup>nd</sup> EPB Championship, Moscow won a classic in seven games over Yekaterinburg. This was the third title for the Russian capital, which had also won it all in 1974 and 1975. 3B Ivan Mushailov was finals MVP in his tenth season with the Mules. In 13 playoff starts, he had 13 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 4 homers, and 10 RBI.

https://i.imgur.com/eCMVp1x.png

Other notes: Ulaanbaatar’s Wolfgang Lind had a 33-game hitting streak, passing Maksim Shantanov’s 31 from 1980 for the EPB record. This remains EPB’s longest streak as of 2037. Pitcher of the Year winners Matvey Ivanov and Markiyan Konoplya both crossed 200 career wins in 2006, making 52 pitchers to reach the mark. Konoplya also became the 53<sup>rd</sup> to 3500 strikeouts, a mark Ivanov would meet in 2007.

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