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FuzzyRussianHat

09-17-2024 02:03 PM

2014 BSA Hall of Fame (Part 1)

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Three first ballot selections earned induction for Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2014 Hall of Fame class. Home run king Milton Becker was nearly unanimous at 99.7% and 3B Luca Ulloa was also a slam dunk at 96.0%. Pitcher Lobo Alvarado’s 71.7% was just enough to cross the 66% mark and join them Catcher Moises Avalos fell just short with 62.6% for his sixth ballot. RF Amauris Garcia also notably debuted at 50.8%. No one else crossed 50% and no players were dropped following ten failed ballots.

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Milton Becker – Designated Hitter – Caracas Colts – 99.7% First Ballot

Milton Becker was a 6’1’’, 190 pound left-handed from Maracaibo, Venezuela. Despite not having a massive frame, Becker had incredible home run power. He had 10 seasons with 50+ dingers and 16 of his 19 seasons had 40+. Becker was also an excellent contact hitter with a great eye and above average strikeout rate for the league.

He wasn’t only about dingers and had 25 doubles and 5 triples per his 162 game average. Becker’s speed and baserunning were below average, but not awful like you might expect. He especially mashed against right-handed pitching with a career 1.061 OPS, 179 wRC+, and 731 home runs. Becker was no bum against lefties though with a .961 OPS and 161 wRC+.

Becker’s biggest flaw as a player was abysmal defense, but fortunately for him the Bolivar League had the designated hitter. He made about 60% of his career starts as a DH with the rest split fairly evenly between right field and first base. You could tolerate the terrible defense though for the best bat in the game in his prime. Becker would have some recurring hamstring issues, but still had a full load in the majority of his 19 seasons.

Certainly Becker’s home run heroics made him an absolute superstar, but he was also known as an absolute class act. Becker was a team captain with a tireless work ethic, great leadership, and strong intellect. He would become a worldwide baseball icon and perhaps Venezuela’s most famous citizen overall.

Becker’s power potential quickly drew attention from scouts ahead of the 1989 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. He went third overall to Caracas and played nearly his entire pro career in the capital. It was also a perfect fit for Becker’s skillset with the Ballpark of Caracas known as a home run favorable park. Lefty power hitters especially thrived with the short porch in right at only 303 feet down the line and 367 to right-center.

Becker had some strikeout issues as a part-time starter in his rookie year, but still smacked 33 homers in only 116 games at age 20. He was a full-time starter from 1991 onward and a regular atop the home run leaderboards. Becker led in strikeouts (203) in 1993 but also led in homers (53), quickly becoming noticed in his home country.

Early in his career, Becker did represent Venezuela in the World Baseball Championship. From 1991-2001, he had 99 games and 91 starts with 99 hits, 70 runs, 13 doubles, 38 home runs, 90 RBI, 63 walks, a .321/.455/.747 slash, 231 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR. This helped make Becker beloved in Venezuela, but also popular worldwide.

Caracas was terrible in the early 1990s, averaging only 69.8 wins per season in Becker’s first five years. But by his third season, he put up many career-bests. Becker led the Bolivar League in home runs (64), OBP (.419), slugging (.742), and OPS (1.161) in 1992. This season also had career highs in slugging, OPS, wRC+ (214), WAR (10.9), and hits (212). Becker was second in MVP voting, missing out on the MVP and a Silver Slugger because of Valencia’s Nyx Navas at 11.7 WAR.

From 1992-1998, Becker was dominant as he led the league each season in OPS. That stretch also saw him lead five times in wRC+, three times in WAR, six times in slugging, four times in OBP, thrice in total bases, four times in homers, and thrice in RBI. Becker won Silver Sluggers in 1993, 94, 95, 96, and 98. A strained hamstring in 1994 and a fractured finger in 1997 was the only thing to slightly slow him down.

1993 was his first MVP, boasting league and career-bests in homers (65), runs scored (134), and total bases (417). That winter, Caracas signed Becker to an eight-year, $15,980,000 extension. Becker was second in 1995’s MVP voting, third in 1996, and second in 1997.

1995 saw the Colts’ snap a seven-year streak of losing seasons and began a run of dominance. From 1995-2006, Caracas had 11 playoff appearances, winning the Venezuela Division each time. They made the Bolivar League Championship Series in 1995, but Becker missed the playoffs to a torn hamstring.

In 1996, Caracas won the BLCS with Becker posting 8 homers, 19 hits, 13 runs, and 18 RBI with a 1.111 OPS in 16 playoff starts. The Colts would lose in Copa Sudamerica to a 115-win Recife squad. Caracas had four straight 100+ win seasons from 1996-99, but suffered first round exits in 1997 and 1998, followed by a BLCS loss in 1999. They lost in the first round of 2000, then missed the playoffs in 2001 at 80-82.

Becker stayed strong, winning his second MVP in 1998 with his lone batting title at .355. From 1995-2007, he hit 40+ home runs each season. Becker had an OPS above one from 1992-2003. He led the league in homers eight times, RBI seven times, total bases four times, OBP four times, and WAR three times. Becker’s third MVP win came in 1999 with 58 homers, 147 RBI, and 9.7 WAR.

He wouldn’t win MVP again, but took second in 2000 and 2002 with a third place in 2003. Becker had 12 Silver Sluggers total with nine as a DH (1993, 95, 98, 99, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07), one in right field (1994), and two at first base (1996, 98). He posted nine games with three home runs as well.

Although Caracas missed the playoffs in 2001, Becker committed to a seven-year, $37,100,000 extension that spring at age 31. Part of the reason they struggled that year is a strained hamstring cost him two months. Still, Becker had 6.3 WAR, 45 home runs, and an 1.152 OPS over 111 games. He would stay healthy for the next six years, which allowed the Colts to re-establish their hold on the division.

Caracas lost in the 2002 BLCS and had first round exits in 2004 and 2005. They would win two more Bolivar League titles in underdog efforts in 2003 and 2006. Both years, they lost in Copa Sudamerica with loss to Rio de Janeiro in 2003 and to Asuncion in 2006. They just missed the playoffs by a game in 2007, then fell to below .500 in 2008.

Becker’s biggest regret was that he never won the Cup, although three pennants and 11 division titles is far more than most players get. Becker’s playoff stats were plenty solid with 73 starts, 88 hits, 45 runs, 19 doubles, 18 home runs, 52 RBI, a .315/.379/.584 slash, 160 wRC+, and 3.6 WAR.

In his later years, it was clear Becker had a shot at Valor Melo’s home run king title of 870. He joined Melo and Diego Pena as the third member of the 700 club in 2003, then got to the 800 club in 2005. That was the number that got the most attention, but Becker was quickly rising up the lists for hits, runs, and RBI.

2006 saw Becker pass Valor Melo’s 1862 to become BSA’s all-time RBI leader. He also became the seventh member of the 3000 hit club. In 2007, Becker became the home run king, hitting 52 at age 37 to finish the season at 906. Becker then passed Melo’s 1708 runs scored to become that stat’s all-time BSA leader.

World history was also in reach as Becker was the second in any world league to cross 900 career homers. The world record was 928 set by Prometheo Garcia between his split CABA and MLB career. Becker had a sluggish start to the season and Caracas was struggling as well. He got to 927, one short while with the Colts. To the shock of many, Becker would end up traded away at the deadline. Caracas’ officials were less interested in the milestone ultimately than the fans were.

Becker was sent across the division along with $2,360,000 to Valencia for three prospects. He did finish strong in his final 41 games, hitting 14 more homers to become the world leader at 941. Becker’s hold on that title would be short-lived with the Arab League’s Nordine Soule passing him in 2011 on his way to becoming the first-ever 1000 home run hitter. Still, Becker is one of a very select few with 900+ homers even as power numbers soared in many leagues in the 21st Century.

On September 14, Becker’s season ended with a torn labrum. He then became a free agent for the first time heading into his age 39 season. The injury originally had a 4-5 month recovery window with Becker hoping to still play somewhere. He was 211 away from Javier Herrera’s BSA hits record of 3597 and might have had a shot at it.

Unfortunately, Becker suffered a setback in January from the torn labrum that forced his retirement. Despite the awkward end with the trade, Caracas immediately brought him in to retire his #5 uniform. There were no hard feelings and he would remain a franchise icon and ambassador for decades to come.

Becker finished with 3386 hits, 1980 runs, 446 doubles, 91 triples, 941 home runs, 2226 RBI, 1131 walks, 159 stolen bases, a .320/.389/.647 slash, 174 wRC+, and 126.7 WAR. At retirement, he was the leader in homers, RBI, runs, and total bases (6837); second in hits, seventh in WAR among position players, sixth in walks drawn, second in OPS, and second in slugging percentage.

As of 2037, he’s still the home run king of South America, although Niccolo Coelho would usurp him in runs, RBI, and total bases. Becker still ranks second in those stats even against a higher offense era after his retirement. He also ranks fifth in hits and among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances is eighth in OPS and slugging and 24th in OBP.

Becker is also tenth in WAR, losing notable points from being a DH and having porous defense. That often hurts him in discussions for the overall GOAT position player in BSA history, but he has a healthy case for South America’s greatest pure hitter. It seemed only one anti-DH grump voted against him with 99.7%, making Becker the headliner for the 2014 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-17-2024 06:34 PM

2014 BSA Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Luca Ulloa – Third Base – Salvador Storm – 96.0% First Ballot

Luca Ulloa was a 6’0’’, 190 pound right-handed third baseman from Marica, Brazil, a city of around 224,000 people within the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. Ulloa was best known for reliably strong home run power and a nice knack for drawing walks. He had 16 seasons with 30+ homers and topped 40+ seven times. Ulloa was merely an average at best contact hitter and struggled with strikeouts.

His gap power was respectable with around 20-25 doubles most years. Ulloa’s baserunning and speed were both abysmal though, so you couldn’t expect many extra bags with his legs. He had an absolute cannon arm and solid glovesmanship at third base, grading as reliably good-to-great defensively.

Ulloa played exclusively at third, making more than 3000 starts at the hot corner. He was fairly durable for a 22-year career, plying 130+ games in all but four of those seasons. Ulloa was one of the hardest working guys in the game. He was a fan favorite known for his great leadership and loyalty. Few Brazilian players of the era were more popular.

By the 1988 BSA Draft, Ulloa was one of the top amateur prospects. Salvador selected him 12th overall, beginning a 16-year odyssey with the Storm. Ulloa was a full-timer right away, winning 1989 Rookie of the Year honors with a 3.9 WAR debut season. He topped 5+ WAR thrice in his first five seasons as a solid starter, only missing the mark in 1991 to a torn thumb ligament. By the end of the 1993 season, Salvador signed Ulloa to an eight-year, $13,560,000 extension.

Ulloa played for his native Brazil right away in the World Baseball Championship and ended up with 209 games and 204 starts in the WBC from 1990-2009. In total, he had 151 hits, 95 runs, 23 doubles, 49 home runs, 99 RBI, 79 walks, a .216/.303/.460 slash, 119 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR. Ulloa’s debut WBC saw Brazil win the world title in 1990. They would make six more semifinal appearances during his run.

Salvador would earn wild card appearances in 1990 and 1993, but lost in the first round both years. Although Ulloa would reach his prime in the late 1990s, the Storm were stuck in the middle tier with no berths and 83.1 wins per year from 1994-2000. 1994 would be Ulloa’s first of seven seasons worth 7+ WAR from then to 2002. He shared a league with nine-time Silver Slugger winner Dyjan Rondo early on, meaning Ulloa’s first Silver Slugger didn’t come until age 31.

That was his 1998 season, which also saw a second in MVP voting and a career and league best 10.2 WAR. Ulloa led the Southern Cone League with 113 RBI and also added 198 wRC+, 46 home runs, and a .965 OPS. He lost some momentum though with a torn UCL costing him the final two months of 1999.

Ulloa bounced back with a career and league best 62 home runs in 2000 for his second Silver Slugger. Surprisingly, he wasn’t an MVP finalist despite also having 9.7 WAR and 134 RBI. Ulloa also had career bests in 2000 in runs (105), hits (184), triple slash (.316/.351/.678), and OPS (1.029). He grabbed his third Slugger in 2002.

Salvador ended their playoff drought with wild cards in 2001 and 2002, but again were bounced in the first round. Ulloa still showed no signs of slowing down and at age 35 inked another three years and $15,300,000 with the Storm. After being stuck in the mid-tier for so long, Salvador finally broke through with Ulloa in 2004.

2004 saw a 96-66 record and their first North Division title since 1981. Salvador also won their first pennant since 1981, although they lost to Bogota in Copa Sudamerica. Ulloa was subpar in the playoffs with a .220/.278/.380 slash, 88 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. For his playoff career, he had 36 starts, a .270/.333/.484 slash, 140 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. Ulloa remained a beloved favorite and wasn’t generally blamed for the lack of playoff success.

Ulloa’s contract was up with the 2004 campaign and Salvador didn’t want to commit big money to a 38-year old, even if he still was playing at a high level. In total for Salvador, Ulloa had 2412 hits, 1192 runs, 351 doubles, 590 home runs, 1544 RBI, a .279/.325/.535 slash, 151 wRC+, and 102.4 WAR. The Storm would later retire his #26 uniform as well and he’d be a regular fixture at Salvador events post retirement.

Teams worldwide were interested in this popular veteran and MLB’s Milwaukee Mustangs gave Ulloa a two-year, $15,000,000 deal. A hamstring strain cost him the first month of the season and he was merely an average starter with 2.6 WAR and a 104 wRC+ for Milwaukee in 2005. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year of the deal.

Chicago signed Ulloa for 2006, but he was terrible with -0.3 WAR and a .536 OPS over 144 games. That ended his MLB tenure after two years, but the 40-year old Ulloa still wanted to play. He returned to South America on a two-year, $8,160,000 deal with Caracas. In 2007, Ulloa became the 12th BSA slugger to reach 600 home runs and the 45th to reach 2500 hits. He also won his fourth Silver Slugger in 2007.

Ulloa was back to being a very solid starter with the Colts. In his two seasons, he had 279 hits, 149 runs, 49 doubles, 69 home runs, 171 RBI, a .269/.317/.529 slash, 124 wRC+, and 8.5 WAR. However, he couldn’t find any takes after that, ending his Beisbol Sudamerica run after the 2008 season at age 41.

He was still in good health and wanting to play somewhere. In 2009, Ulloa signed with Hobart of the Oceania Baseball Association. He still could smack the ball hard, posting 41 homers and 4.7 WAR in 2009 to win a Silver Slugger. Guam signed him in 2010, but a strained groin kept him out two months. He ended up with average production for the Golden Eagles, but still managed 30 home runs in 109 games.

In two OBA seasons, Ulloa had 208 hits, 118 runs, 36 doubles, 71 home runs, 163 RBI, a .221/.263/.492 slash, 110 wRC+, and 7.0 WAR. He still wanted to play, but finally retired at age 45 after going unsigned in 2011. For his combined pro career, Ulloa had 3186 games, 3085 hits, 1545 runs, 463 doubles, 769 home runs, 1982 RBI, a .267/.313/.516 slash, 139 wRC+, and 120.1 WAR.

Just in BSA, Ulloa ended with 2691 hits, 1341 runs, 400 doubles, 50 triples, 659 home runs, 1715 RBI, 649 walks, a .278/.324/.534 slash, 148 wRC+, and 110.8 WAR. As of 2037, Ulloa ranks 20th in WAR among position players, 15th in home runs, 12th in RBI, 50th in hits, and 60th in runs.

Specifically at third base, he ranks fourth in WAR. Ulloa never won a Gold Glove, but his reliable defense earned him the seventh-most zone rating at the spot in BSA at 69.8. Ulloa wasn’t one to generally dominate leaderboards, but few would argue against him as his era’s most complete third baseman. Ulloa would be a headliner in almost any other class, receiving 96.0% as the second addition in BSA’s 2014 Hall of Fame group.

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Lobo Alvarado – Closer – Mendoza Mutants – 71.7% First Ballot

Lobo Alvarado was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He had incredible stuff in his prime which some scouts graded as a 12 or 13 on a scale from 1/10. Alvarado also had very solid control and above average movement. He had a one-two punch of a 98-100 mph fastball and an almost equally quick and even more dangerous slider.

Especially for a reliever, Alvarado had excellent stamina and ironman durability, meaning he was ready to go as much as needed at almost any time. Alvarado had an impressive work ethic and would become one of the first really popular players for the new Mendoza franchise. The Mutants joined Beisbol Sudamerica in the 1987 expansion, but saw their first winning seasons during Alvarado’s tenure.

Two-pitch guys were pretty much guaranteed to be bullpen pieces and that’s how Alvarado graded out. It was also rare for even great relief prospects to get picked high in the draft due to the comparatively lower value versus a starter or position player. However, Mendoza fell in love with Alvarado’s potential, picking him #2 overall in the 1994 BSA Draft. The Mutants made him their closer immediately, a role he held for eight years.

Alvarado was spotty as a rookie, but quickly found his footing. He won his first Reliever of the Year in his third season of 1997. Alvarado won ROTY three times for Mendoza, also taking it in 1998 and 2002. He took second in 2001’s voting as well.

His best ERA (1.48) and ERA+ (216) came in the 1997 campaign. Alvarado’s career-best for saves was 48 in 1999, his lone time leading the league. His 161 strikeouts in 1998 was his top mark with the Mutants and his 5.1 WAR in 2002 was his Mendoza best.

Mendoza’s first playoff appearance was a division title in 1996, although they were one-and-done in the playoffs. They earned their first Southern Cone Championship appearance in 1999, but lost to eventual Copa Sudamerica champ Brasilia. The Mutants were one-and-done again in 2000, then fell back to the bottom for the standings for the next few years. In his 18.2 playoff innings for Mendoza, Alvarado had an excellent 0.96 ERA, 7 saves, and 31 strikeouts.

Alvarado was especially dominant on the World Baseball Championship stage for Argentina. He had 19 starts and 14 relief appearances from 1996-2007, posting a stellar 1.93 ERA, 16-4 record, 8 saves, 308 strikeouts, 55 walks, 185 ERA+, and 7.8 WAR. Alvarado made history in 2004 with the WBC’s sixth-ever perfect game, striking out 20 against North Korea.

With Mendoza dropping to 67-95 by 2002, the Mutants began a fire sale that included trading Alvarado to Belo Horizonte for prospects. In total with Mendoza, Alvarado had a 2.12 ERA, 663.2 innings, 290 saves, 1016 strikeouts, 154 ERA+, and 29.5 WAR. He made enough of an impression to see his #33 uniform as Mendoza’s first retired number at the end of his career.

Alvarado had a career-best 5.6 WAR in 2003 for Belo Horizonte, winning his fourth Reliever of the Year. At the time, he was the seventh in BSA history to win Reliever of the Year four times. Alvarado finished third in 2004’s voting with the Hogs just above .500 in both seasons. He had 66 saves, a 2.13 ERA, 194.1 innings, 340 strikeouts, and 9.9 WAR.

He became the 10th to reach 350 career saves in BSA and was a free agent for 2005 at age 32. Some thought he could chase the saves record if he stayed, but Alvarado opted for the MLB payday on a three-year, $16,200,000 deal with Memphis. Alvarado looked good in limited use for the Mountain Cats with a 1.62 ERA over 66.2 innings and 2.0 WAR. He also had 4.1 scoreless innings in the playoffs in 2005.

Memphis never gave him a big role though and ended up trading Alvarado to Austin for three prospects and a draft pick. He never pitched for the Amigos though, who cut him after 2007 spring training. Albuquerque scooped him up quickly where he posted an average 3.72 ERA over 36.1 innings for the Isotopes. In total for MLB, Alvarado had a 2.36 ERA, 103 innings, 10 saves, 134 strikeouts, and 2.8 WAR.

Now 35-years old, Alvarado felt he could still be a closer if he came back to South America. Sao Paulo signed him to a one-year deal in 2008, but his velocity had plummeted to this point, peaking in the 90-92 mph range. The Padres gave him 15 relief appearances and even three starts, but Alvarado posted a lousy 5.32 ERA over 45.2 innings. He retired after the 2008 season at age 35.

Alvarado’s BSA career had 356 saves and 423 shutdowns over 903.2 innings, a 2.28 ERA, 1383 strikeouts, 214 walks, 149 ERA+, and 39.2 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 20th in saves. Alvarado didn’t reach the 1000 innings needed to qualify for all-time rate stats, but he’d be around a top ten K/9.

His stats compared favorably to other Hall of Fame relievers in BSA and he had the distinction of four Reliever of the Year awards. Some voters felt Alvarado didn’t quite have the longevity, but his popularity and WBC excellence helped get him across the line. At 71.7%, Alvarado was a first-ballot inductee and the third member of BSA’s 2014 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-18-2024 07:00 AM

2014 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 1)

The European Baseball Federation had a very strong 2014 Hall of Fame class with three first ballot guys all above 85%. 1B Mattias Stole was the headline at 98.7% with 1B/RF Roberto Baccin very close behind at 96.3%. OF Giulio Lago joined them at a very solid 88.3%. Catcher Ulrich Thomsen was the only other player above 50%, debuting at 53.7%. The top returner was closer Steven Macario at 43.6% on his second ballot.

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Pitcher Silvio La Paglia was dropped after ten failed ballots, having posted a 15-year career between Malta, Dublin, and Paris. He had a 186-185 record, 3.37 ERA, 3349.1 innings, 3104 strikeouts, a 113 ERA+, and 65.9 WAR. La Paglia had nice longevity, but no awards and little black ink. He was very much a “Hall of Pretty Good” level guy.

Albrecht Busch was also notable, falling off after dropping below 5% on his seventh ballot. He had longevity with 4539 innings, which was the EBF record until the early 2020s and still ranks second. Busch was below average in those innings though with a 4.04 ERA and 95 ERA+, posting a 209-301 record. Thus, he is the only pitcher in world history as of 2037 to have recorded 300 losses. Busch had 63.4 WAR and 3528 strikeouts over his 21-year run primarily with Zagreb.

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Mattias Stole – First Base – Copenhagen Corsairs – 98.7% First Ballot

Mattias Stole was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Stavanger, Norway’s third-largest city with around 360,000 in its metro area. Stole was one of his era’s prolific home run hitters, topping 40+ each year from 1994-2004. He also smacked 50+ dingers five times. Stole absolutely destroyed right-handed pitching with a career 1.050 OPS and 190 wRC+. Against lefties, he was a decent .762 OPS and 118 wRC+.

On the whole, Stole graded as a great contact hitter with a good strikeout rate, although he was surprisingly average at drawing walks despite his power profile. Stole found the gap regularly, hitting 30+ doubles in seven seasons. He couldn’t get extra bags with his legs though, as he was a painfully slow and sluggish baserunner.

That clumsiness carried over to first base, where he played his entire career defensively. Stole graded as a mediocre gloveman, but you had to find a spot in the lineup for that bat in the DH-less EBF. He had very good durability and quickly became one of Europe’s most popular sluggers. Stole was especially beloved back home in Norway and in Denmark, playing his entire pro career with Copenhagen.

The Corsairs drafted Stole #2 overall in the 1992 EBF Draft and he won Rookie of the Year as a part-time starter in 1993. In 126 games and only 87 starts, he hit 33 homers for 3.8 WAR. Copenhagen would be a perfect spot for a powerful lefty pull hitter with Corsairs Park known as a very homer-friendly park. At only 310 feet down the right field line, 327 to right, and 373 to right center, Stole was in the perfect place to do some big damage.

In only his second season in 1994, Stole shocked the baseball world with a 75 home run, 184 RBI season. He broke EBF’s single-season record of 72 homers by Sean Houston in 1984 and obliterated Houston’s 167 RBI record. Stole was one short of the then-world record 76 homers reached twice by Beisbol Sudamerica’s Valor Melo. He was the first-ever player in any league to top 180+ RBI in a season and this remains the EBF single-season record as of 2037.

Stole’s home run record held five years in EBF with Peter Brinkmann getting 76 in 1999. It still ranks third as of 2037. Stole ‘s 503 total bases still sit second in EBF history to Houston’s 522 in 1984. Stole also led the Northern Conference in runs (136), hits (239), triple slash (.376/.418/.791), OPS (1.209), wRC+ (223), and WAR (10.8). It ranks as the sixth-best OPS in EBF history as well.

He easily won MVP and a Silver Slugger, but Copenhagen still could only muster an 83-79 record. This did end a six-year run of losing seasons and the Corsairs would stay above .500 for the rest of the 1990s. They won division titles in 1995 and 1998, but lost both years in the first round of the playoffs.

Stole never had a monster year quite like that again, but he followed it up with a repeat MVP in 1995 with 53 homers, 153 RBI, 418 total bases, 1.081 OPS, and 8.7 WAR. Stole won his third Silver Slugger in 1996 and was third in MVP voting. After going third in 1998 MVP voting, Copenhagen signed Stole to an eight-year, $29,680,000 extension.

He wouldn’t be a league leader from 1996-2002, but he had 40+ homers and 6+ WAR in each of those seasons. In the 2000s, Stole would help turn Copenhagen into a dynasty. The Corsairs would earn eight straight division titles from 2000-07, winning 100+ games each year from 2001-2005. They initially had the reputation as a playoff choker, going one-and-done in 2000, 2002, and 2003 with a conference finals loss in 2001.

Stole won his third MVP and fourth Silver Slugger in 2003 with 52 home runs and 133 RBI. He led with 142 RBI in 2004 and smacked 50 homers, helping Copenhagen to the top seed at 112-50. They finally broke through in the playoffs, winning their first European Championship since the inaugural 1950 season.

Copenhagen beat Madrid in the 2004 final with Stole posting 18 hits, 10 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI in the playoff run. At age 34, Stole had finally delivered the Corsairs the cup after 11 seasons. As he aged, Stole would start to struggle more against left-handed pitching, although he remained quite good against righties.

2005 saw a career-worst 3.0 WAR, his only time below 6+ WAR since his rookie season. Copenhagen still won 101-61 games and Stole stepped up in the playoffs, helping them repeat as European Champion with a finals win over Vienna. Stole was finals MVP and over 12 games and 7 playoff starts had 5 home runs, 12 RBI, and a 1.332 OPS.

Stole bounced back with 5.7 WAR in 2006, then dropped to 3.9 WAR in 2007 despite still getting 41 homers. Copenhagen would suffer round one playoff exits both years, seeing their playoff streak end in 2008. For his playoff career though, Stole was excellent over 64 games with 75 hits, 39 runs, 8 doubles, 20 home runs, 43 RBI, a .329/.388/.627 slash, 190 wRC+, and 3.6 WAR. As 2037, he’s one of 27 players in EBF playoff history with 20+ home runs.

After the 2006 season, Stole signed a three-year, $20,700,000 deal. Continued struggles in 2008 against lefties demoted him to a platoon role with 1.3 WAR over 122 games and 66 starts. Stole missed the vesting criteria for the final year of his deal, becoming a free agent for the first time. He had hoped to make a run at the 700 homer, 3000 hit, and 2000 RBI milestones. However, he went unsigned in 2009 and retired that winter at age 39. Copenhagen would immediately retire his #23 uniform.

Stole finished with 2868 hits, 1523 runs, 419 doubles, 686 home runs, 1872 RBI, 638 walks, a .324/.373/.612 slash, 174 wRC+, and 100.0 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 12th all-time in homers, 13th in RBI, 21st in hits, 25th in runs scored, and 30th in WAR among position players. Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Stole ranks 39th in slugging and 40th in OPS.

Few sluggers were as reliably powerful in European baseball as Stole in his era, helping turn Copenhagen into a regular divisional contender during his 16-year career. The Norwegian baseball legend was an obvious headliner even in a loaded 2014 Hall of Fame class at 98.7%.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-18-2024 01:02 PM

2014 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Roberto Baccin – First Base/Right Field – Madrid Conquistadors – 96.3% First Ballot

Roberto Baccin was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Venice, Italy; located in the northeast with around 258,000 inhabitants. Baccin had a very well rounded bat and was one of the better contact hitters of his era with a solid eye for walks and avoiding strikeouts. He wasn’t a prolific power hitter, but Baccin had no shortage of extra base hits. Per his 162 game average, he got 33 doubles, 9 triples, and 25 home runs. Baccin’s speed and baserunning were both good-to-great.

Defensively, Baccin’s career was split almost evenly between first base and right field with a slight lead for 1B. While those are spots that you often hide bad glovemen, Baccin posted very good defense in both spots. He won two Gold Gloves in right field early in his career. Baccin had strong durability and was loyal, but he wasn’t much for leadership. He wasn’t incredible at any one thing, but Baccin was good to great across the board, becoming one of the most steady performers during Madrid’s 2000s dynasty run.

Although well known for his time in the Spanish capital, Baccin didn’t get there until his 30s. He was the #1 overall draft pick in 1988 by Malta, where he spent the first eight years of his career. The Marvels hoped Baccin could be the one to finally turn the perennial loser into a success. He wasn’t a magician despite his talents though, as Malta averaged 67 wins per season in Baccin’s run.

It was hard to get noticed on the worst franchise in the league, but Baccin did win his Gold Gloves there in 1992 and 1994. He was a full-time starter immediately, although he was merely okay in his first three years. Baccin emerged as a great starter with 5+ WAR each year from 1992-1996, including 8.2 WAR in 1992. Baccin’s only time leading a stat was his .398 OBP in 1996 for the Marvels.

Although his pro career kept him from his native Italy, Baccin was a staple for his country from 1990-2008 in the World Baseball Championship with 150 games and 117 starts. He posted 109 hits, 60 runs, 24 doubles, 18 home runs, 49 RBI, a .242/.318/.420 slash, 113 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR.

With Malta, Baccin had 1382 hits, 641 runs, 218 doubles, 77 triples, 174 home runs, 653 RBI, 170 stolen bases, a .306/.352/.504 slash, 136 wRC+, and 41.3 WAR. He had signed a five-year, $12,940,000 extension after the 1994 season, but grew tired of the losing. Baccin opted out of his deal after the 1996 season, becoming a free agent heading towards his age 30 season. Madrid was very interested, signing him for seven years and $21,080,000.

The Conquistadors were coming off a subpar 73-89 season, their worst effort since the 1960s. They hoped a reliable guy like Baccin could get them back into contention. From 1997-2005, Baccin gave them 6+ WAR each year but 2003 (and only narrowly missed it that year despite losing seven weeks to a strained hip muscle).

He never did win a Silver Slugger though competing against the great sluggers at his positions. Still, Baccin took second in MVP voting in both 2001 and 2002. 2000 saw a batting title at .386 and a career and conference best 1.061 OPS and 191 wRC+. He led in average and OBP again in 2001 and had 8+ WAR each year from 2000-2002. Baccin also led twice in doubles, once in runs, and once in doubles.

Baccin’s presence helped Madrid become a regular contender again. They ended an eight-year playoff drought in 1999, winning the European Championship against Hamburg. The Conquistadors started a seven-year playoff streak and won the Southern Conference pennant again in 2000, 2002, and 2004. They lost the finals in 2000 and 2002 to Kharkiv and were defeated in 2004 by Copenhagen.

In the playoffs, Baccin’s production remained solid, including a conference finals MVP in 2002. Over 87 games and 84 starts, he had 110 hits, 51 runs, 17 doubles, 5 triples, 10 home runs, 54 RBI, 21 stolen bases, a .332/.381/.505 slash, 143 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR. This made Baccin very popular in Madrid with his #35 uniform eventually being retired.

The Conquistadors gave Baccin a three-year, $17,400,000 extension after the 2002 season. He started missing some time to nagging injuries in his late 30s, but his production remained excellent. Baccin became a free agent after the 2005 season, which saw him cross the 3000 hit and 1500 RBI thresholds. He would re-up with Madrid for another two years and $15,500,000. After another two solid seasons, Baccin added another two years and $8,400,000 before the 2007 season.

It was looking like Baccin had a shot at Jacob Ronnberg’s all-time hits mark of 3520, sitting with 3409 hits after a 4.9 WAR 2007 season. Baccin had also posted 33 doubles in 2007, passing Jack Kennedy for EBF’s all-time doubles record. However, age and regression finally caught him that year, posting 0.2 WAR over only 42 games and 25 starts. Baccin was cooked and decided to retire that winter at age 41 instead of trying to hang around.

Baccin ended with 3439 hits, 1665 runs, 567 doubles, 146 triples, 436 home runs, 1699 RBI, 911 walks, 533 stolen bases, a .329/.380/.537 slash, 153 wRC+, and 115.2 WAR. As of 2037, Baccin is 4th in doubles, 6th in hits, 18th in RBI, 17th in runs, and 19th in WAR among position players. Those are amazing tallies for a guy who never won MVP or a Silver Slugger.

Anyone who watched him knew that Baccin was one of the most complete players of his era. He was a critical part of Madrid’s Southern Conference dominance to start the 21st Century and would be the headliner in most Hall of Fame classes. Baccin was the #2 vote-getter in 2014 at 96.3%, earning his spot with the all-timers.

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Giulio Lago – Outfielder – Naples Nobles – 88.3% First Ballot

Giulio Lago was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from Fermo, Italy; a town of 37,000 people near the Adriatic coast. Lago was a very good contact hitter with a respectable eye for walks and average strikeout rates. He was a master at getting extra base hits and finding the gap, getting 32 doubles and 15 triples per his 162 game average. Lago also boasted reliably solid home run power, topping 30+ eight times and 40+ twice. He had very good speed, but his baserunning instincts were average at best.

Lago made around 2/3 of his starts in right field, where he graded as an excellent defender. His range wasn’t quite good enough to thrive in center, posting below average metrics there. About ¼ of his starts came in center with the rest in left with average results. Lago ended up as one of Italy’s more popular players of the 1990s and 2000s.

Naples selected Lago 6th overall in the 1993 EBF Draft and made him a full-time starter immediately. He held a starting job for 13 years with the Nobles, only missing some time to various injuries. Lago posted 4.6 WAR and a .922 OPS to earn 1994 Rookie of the Year honors. By his third year, Lago posted his first of seven seasons worth 6+ WAR.

Lago first received MVP consideration in 1997, leading the Southern Conference with 45 doubles and a .422 on-base percentage. The doubles mark, his 25 triples, and 199 wRC+ were each career-bests. He also had a 1.095 OPS and 10.2 WAR, taking second in MVP voting and his first Silver Slugger. This effort gave Naples back-to-back .500 seasons. The Nobles hadn’t had many seasons at or above .500 in recent memory, as their playoff drought grew to 26 years.

That snapped in 1998 with an unexpected 98-64 finish and their first-ever European Championship, beating Berlin for the title. Lago won MVP honors and a Silver Slugger, leading with a career-best 10.6 WAR and 206 hits. He also had career bests in runs (121), homers (48), and RBI (123). In 18 playoff starts, Lago had 27 hits, 10 runs, 6 doubles, 3 homers, 13 RBI, a .954 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. This run forever cemented Lago’s place in Naples’ lore.

Lago had already seen some popularity in all of Italy playing in the World Baseball Championship. He had 131 games and 116 starts from 1995-2008 with 113 hits, 68 runs, 18 doubles, 34 home runs, 70 RBI, a .256/.330/.537 slash, 151 wRC+, and 3.9 WAR.

Late in the 1998 season, Naples locked Lago up with an eight-year, $27,800,000 extension. The Nobles wouldn’t sustain the team success, losing in the first round in 1999 after a division title. They also had wild cards in 2004 and 2006, but went one-and-done both years, hovering around the mid-tier otherwise.

Lago had a great 1999, winning a batting title (.378) while also leading in OBP (.426), OPS (1.088), and WAR (9.1) to take second in MVP voting. This would be his last time as a league leader or MVP contender, although Lago did win additional Silver Sluggers in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. His rate stats remained strong, topping a one OPS four more times. However from 2000-2006, Lago missed a month or more in five different seasons due to various injuries.

After the 2006 season, Lago became a free agent for the first time at age 36. With Naples, he had 2209 hits, 1165 runs, 373 doubles, 194 triples, 409 home runs, 1233 RBI, 416 stolen bases, a .329/.383/.625 slash, 171 wRC+, and 88.2 WAR. The Nobles would later retire his #11 uniform and he’d remain a popular figure for decades to come in Naples.

Lago signed a two-year, $16,400,000 deal with Munich, who hoped he could help them get over the playoff hump. Although the Mavericks were conference champs in 2001, they hadn’t gotten back with first round exits from 2002-04 and conference finals losses in 2005 and 2006. Munich’s playoff streak continued, but they fared no better with Lago with a first round loss in 2007 and second round defeat in 2008.

His production was the lowest of his career to that point, but Lago was still a positive value starter. In two years in Germany, he had 273 hits, 150 runs, 50 doubles, 15 triples, 52 home runs, 185 RBI, a .279/.339/.521 slash, 130 wRC+, and 6.4 WAR. This marked the end of his EBF Elite career, as he had to broaden his job search as a 38-yar old free agent.

Lago ended up in Saudi Arabia in 2009 for Mecca, but was unremarkable with a 1.3 WAR and 117 wRC+ over 113 games. He came back to Europe in 2010, but as a part-time starter with the Second League’s Odesa. Lago was unsigned in 2011 and retired that winter at age 41.

His EBF Elite numbers saw 2482 hits, 1315 runs, 423 doubles, 209 triples, 461 home runs, 1418 RBI, 707 walks, 481 stolen bases, a .323/.378/.611 slash, 166 wRC+, and 94.6 WAR. All of the extra base hits helped Lago rank 40th in slugging among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances as of 2037 despite ranking merely 79th in homers. Lago’s .989 career OPS also sits 34th best.

He also ranks 44th in WAR among position players, 41st in doubles, 52nd in hits, and 47th in RBI. Lago wasn’t the tip-top guy in many years, but he was consistently a top ten outfielder in EBF for many years and a big part of Naples’ only European Championship trophy. Lago received 88.3% for the first ballot induction to complete an impressive three-player 2014 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-18-2024 06:26 PM

2014 EPB Hall of Fame

2014’s ballot for the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame was a fairly weak one. Only relief pitcher Nijat Arzhanov made it in, barely crossing the 66% requirement on his fifth ballot with a nice 69.0%. SP Edmond Vardanyan was next closest at 57.3% on his second ballot with LF Oleg Ivashko close behind with a 56.7% third ballot. The best debut was RP Elgiz Alisher at 52.0%.

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Three players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries, led by 1B Jov Vyrubov. Injuries and leaving for MLB in his final years hurt his final tallies, although his accolades were excellent in 13 years with Moscow. Vyrubov had two MVPs, three Gold Gloves, and seven Silver Sluggers with 1608 hits, 845 runs, 248 doubles, 360 home runs, 929 RBI, a .273/.336/.528 slash, 172 wRC+, and 74.1 WAR. He only had five seasons without some injuries, keeping his accumulations just low enough to cancel out the accolades. Vyrubov peaked at 46.6% in 2008 and was as low as 10.4% in 2013 before ending with 38.4%.

SP Valdas Navikas had longevity, but lacked dominance, black ink, and awards. He also was almost exclusively with Moscow and had a 170-156 record, 2.64 ERA, 3160.1 innings, 3517 strikeouts, 601 walks, 108 ERA+, and 61.9 WAR. The Lithuanian righty peaked at 39.3% in 2008 and was down to 11.7% in 2013 before ending with 24.1%.

Also dropped was 3B/2B/DH Chaghatai Tumuchudar, who had a 17-year career with Tashkent. His final four seasons were post exodus and didn’t count for his EPB tallies, plus he was hurt by being a DH for much of his run. The Mongolian had one Silver Slugger, 1633 hits, 847 runs, 212 doubles, 377 home runs, 946 RBI, a .255/.283/.489 slash, 143 wRC+, and 49.4 WAR. Tumurchudar’s peak was only 19.1%, but he managed to last ten years with a finish at 12.4%.

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Nijat Arzhanov – Relief Pitcher – Asgabat Alphas – 69.0% Fifth Ballot

Nijat Arzhanov was a 6’0’’, 190 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Karaganda in central Kazakhstan, the country’s fifth largest city with just under 500,000 inhabitants. Arzhanov had good stuff with strong movement and average control. He had a 94-96 mph cutter mixed with a curveball with both being equally potent.

Arzhanov had very good stamina for a reliever and was considered great at defense and holding runners. In his 20s, he was also considered very durable and able to always pitch at a moment’s notice. Unfortunately, major injuries quickly derailed him before turning 31. Arzhanov would be a rare draft pick out of high school, going 47th overall in 1987’s second round to Asgabat.

After three years in the developmental system, Arzhanov debuted with 40 relief innings in 1991 at age 22. He would be the Alphas primary reliever for the next eight years with 80+ innings and 55+ appearances each season. Arzhanov led the Asian League with 76 games in both 1997 and 1999. 1997 saw career bests in ERA (1.00), saves (43), and WAR (5.4). His highest strikeout tally was 146 in 1995.

Additionally, Arzhanov was split between the bullpen and starting for his native Kazakhstan in the World Baseball Championship. From 1991-2005, he tossed 101.1 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 6-7 record, 5 saves, 119 strikeouts, 37 walks, 112 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR.

Arzhanov never won Reliever of the Year in his career, but came close multiple times. He took third in 1995, then finished second in 1996, 1997, and 1999. Hurting his recognition and save totals was Asgabat’s mediocrity for most of his run. From 1991-98, the Alphas averaged only 70.75 wins per season.

1999 was a breakout season for Asgabat, who shockingly went from 65 wins in 1998 to 104-58. They made it to the ALCS, but lost to reigning champ Tashkent. Arzhanov allowed one run over 6.1 playoff innings, but disaster struck in his third appearance with a torn labrum that ultimately derailed his career.

Asgabat left EPB for the Asian Baseball Federation in 2000, but Arzhanov never pitched an ABF inning. The labrum tear originally had a five month recovery time, but a setback in February 2000 required surgery and added another 12 months to that. Arzhanov’s contract expired that winter, making him a free agent entering his age 32 season in 2001.

Arzhanov returned to EPB on a one-year deal with Krasnoyarsk, but he looked merely average over 40 innings. The Cossacks won the Asian League pennant, losing the EPB Championship to Minsk. Arzhanov only saw 2.1 playoff innings total and allowed three runs. He would be a free agent again soon after and tried his hand in the European Baseball Federation with Hamburg.

The Hammers only used him in 4.2 innings all season, although they were scoreless with eight strikeouts to Arzhanov’s credit. Lisbon signed him for 2003, but he only saw 9.2 innings with six runs allowed. Arzhanov came back to EPB and Krasnoyarsk in 2004, but again was barely used with four runs allowed over 9.2 innings.

Arzhanov finally seemed to have regular use scheduled in 2005 with Dublin, although he had a middling 3.79 ERA over 35.2 innings in two months. Unfortunately, he suffered a damaged elbow ligament in late May that knocked him out for another 12 months. Birmingham gave Arzhanov a brief shot in 2006, but he allowed three runs in only 1.1 innings. He decided to retire that winter at age 37.

For his EPB career, Arzhanov had 252 saves and 325 shutdowns, 1.64 ERA, 807.1 innings, 958 strikeouts, 192 walks, 0.94 WHIP, 176 ERA+, and 28.3 WAR. His rate stats matched up fairly well with some of the other relievers to earn EPB Hall of Fame nods, but he had small accumulations. Supporters argued without the labrum tear that he might have gotten more impressive tallies. As of 2037, he ranks only 41st in saves.

Arzhanov would rank with the lowest WAR of any EPB Hall of Fame inductee with many scholars arguing he should’ve been left out. Still, EPB voters tended to be favorable towards pitchers and didn’t like for ballots to be blank. Arzhanov hovered in the 50s for his first four ballots, but a weaker 2014 group allowed him to earn the bump up to 69.0% as the lone inductee. He may be one of the worst players to make any pro league’s Hall of Fame, but Arzhanov has his plaque regardless.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-19-2024 07:26 AM

2014 OBA Hall of Fame (Part 1)

The Oceania Baseball Association had a three-player Hall of Fame class in 2014, although LF Ian Griff was the only slam dunk with an 89.8% debut. Two returners very narrowly breached the 66% requirement with him. SP Kurt Sanders on his tenth and final chance got to 69.6%, making him the only tenth ballot inductee as of 2037. CF Mario Harris also squeaked in at 67.8% in his sixth attempt.

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Two others crossed 50%, but fell short of induction. RF Will Lee had 60.8% on his seventh try and CF Jonathan Buai was at 52.9% with his ninth ballot. No one else was even above 30% with the second best debut seeing a mere 11.4%.

Reliever Paul Hendricks was dropped after ten ballots with the Samoan righty not staying long enough to have the accumulations. His 12-year career spanned seven teams between OBA, EBF, and MLB. He did win two Reliever of the Year awards between Melbourne and Guam and led thrice in saves. In eight OBA seasons, Hendricks had 224 saves, a 2.25 ERA, 604 innings, 836 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 16.0 WAR. He peaked at 29.6% in 2006 and ended at 10.5% in 2014, banished to the Hall of Good.

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Ian Griff – Left Field – Brisbane Black Bears – 89.8% First Ballot

Ian Griff was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Brisbane, Australia. Griff was an excellent contact hitter who was just above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He had a reliably strong pop in his bat, getting 34 doubles and 32 home runs per his 162 game average. Griff didn’t get many extra bags with his legs, as he was a very slow and clumsy baserunner.

Griff had a fairly strong arm, but his poor range and glove work meant he graded as a lousy defender in left field. He played exclusively in left defensively, but did spend 1998 and much of 2003 as a designated hitter. Griff’s durability was excellent, making 130+ starts in all but one of his 16 seasons. He was adaptable, but some did question his work ethic. Regardless, Griff was one of Australia’s more popular players and beloved in his hometown Brisbane, where he played his entire career.

Even in high school, Griff was viewed as a ‘can’t miss’ prospect. So much so that Auckland picked him #1 overall in the 1990 OBA Draft. However, Griff spurned the Avengers offer and went off to college. Three years later, his childhood dream came true when his hometown Brisbane picked him fourth overall in the 1993 OBA Draft. The Black Bears were the 1991 Oceania Champion, but that had been their only pennant in their history. For Griff’s first eight years, Brisbane had seven losing seasons and one .500 effort.

Griff was a full-timer immediately and a successful one, winning 1994 Rookie of the Year. Brisbane quickly attached their fortunes to him with an eight-year, $14,280,000 extension after the 1996 season. 1997 would be a banner year, leading the Australasia League in slugging (.567), OPS (.938), and wRC+ (173). Griff won his first Silver Slugger and was third in MVP voting.

His popularity started to grow nationwide as he played for Australia in the World Baseball Championship from 1995-2008. Griff had 96 games and 78 starts with 89 hits, 45 runs, 10 doubles, 23 home runs, 61 RBI, a .301/.374/.574 slash, 173 wRC+, and 3.9 WAR.

With Brisbane, Griff had seven seasons worth 5+ WAR. He led in RBI and OBP in 1998 for his second Silver Slugger, then won his third in 2000 by leading in hits. 2001 saw league and career bests in hits (208), doubles (43), batting average (.362), and wRC+ (181). He also had a career-best 1.024 OPS and added 6.8 WAR, 35 homers, and 113 RBI, taking third in MVP voting and his fourth Slugger.

Griff actually regressed slightly in 2002, but still won his fifth Slugger. Most importantly, Brisbane finally posted a winning season at 88-74, taking the pennant in a very competitive season. The Black Bears defeated Fiji for the Oceania Championship with Griff earning finals MVP. In the seven game series, he had 10 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 5 home runs, and 11 RBI. Griff’s RBI and runs marks remain OBA all-time playoff bests, cementing his status as a hometown legend.

This would be Brisbane’s only pennant during his run. They fell back to around .500 for the next few years. The Black Bears would have 94 and 102 win efforts from 2007-2008, but couldn’t compete with Melbourne’s historic dynasty. Griff won his sixth Slugger in 2003, leading in hits for the third time. Brisbane extended the now 33-year old Griff to a five-year, $16,200,000 contract. He got his second batting title in 2004 and seventh slugger.

Griff won his eighth Slugger in 2006 despite missing a month to a forearm strain. He then had a renaissance 2007 season for his ninth Slugger and a second place in MVP voting. He had career bests in home runs (42), RBI (133), OBP (.400), runs (103), and WAR (7.1). Griff’s power dropped a bit in 2008, but he still posted 3.1 WAR over 139 games.

The 2008 campaign ended in mid-September with a broken bone in his elbow with an expected five month recovery. Griff planned to be ready for 2009, but he suffered a setback in January that required surgery. This put him out nine months, out for the entire season. With his contract expiring and an uncertain comeback bid, Griff retired that winter at age 38. Brisbane immediately retired his #25 uniform.

Griff ended with 2592 hits, 1137 runs, 471 doubles, 436 home runs, 1377 RBI, 522 walks, a .309/.353/.535 slash, 151 wRC+, and 71.2 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 21st in hits, 39th in home runs, eighth in doubles, 25th in RBI, and 39th in WAR among position players. He wasn’t the #1 guy in the game during his run, but Griff was regularly a top five or top ten level hitter for almost his entire career in the Australasia League.

He got to live out the dream of many baseball players; he had a long career with his hometown team and he was the playoff hero in a championship season. Thus, Griff was the headliner for OBA’s 2014 Hall of Fame class with a first ballot 89.8% induction.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-19-2024 12:24 PM

2014 OBA Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Kurt Sanders – Pitcher – Tahiti Tropics – 69.6% Tenth Ballot

Kurt Sanders was a 5’10’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Perth, Australia. Sanders was known for powerful stuff with above average movement, although his control was subpar. He had a 98-100 mph fastball along with a curveball, changeup, and splitter. Sanders had excellent stamina and led the Pacific League thrice in innings pitched. He had decent durability and was viewed as a good defensive pitcher. Sanders wasn’t one to take a leadership role and some felt he could be a bit lazy.

At a Western Australia prospects camp in 1986, a visiting scout for Tahiti noticed a young Sanders. He signed that April to a developmental deal and spent six years in the Tropics’ academy. Sanders debuted to a full-time starting role in 1992 at age 22. He wasn’t an immediate success due to his poor control, walking a league-worst 101 batters in 1992. For his first two seasons, Sanders ate innings with below average production.

Sanders figured out his control enough to become a true ace by his third season. In 1994, he led the Pacific League in quality starts (32), complete games (21), innings (328.1), and WAR (8.3). He also had 367 strikeouts and a 2.19 ERA, securing his lone Pitcher of the Year. It wasn’t easy to get noticed in this era for Tahiti, who was generally mid at best throughout the 1990s. Sanders would be gone by the time they established their 2000s dynasty run.

He wouldn’t win POTY again, but took second in both 1996 and 1998 and third in 1997. Sanders led in strikeouts in both 1995 and 1996, posting a career-best 432 in 1996. That season also had his top WAR mark of 10.8, which led the PL. Sanders had 7.5+ WAR each year from 1994-1998. His career best ERA came in 1998 at 2.12. That would be a contract year for Sanders, who entered free agency heading into his age 29 season with his stock very high.

To the disappointment of Tahiti officials, Sanders decided to look elsewhere. This ended his OBA career as MLB money came calling. Sanders ended up signing a six-year, $27,120,000 deal with Kansas City. His lackluster control would be more of an issue against the stronger talent of MLB. Sanders still had respectable 4.4 and 3.5 WAR seasons in his first two years as a Cougar. KC would be generally just above .500 during Sanders’ time there, just missing the playoffs.

Sanders developed shoulder inflammation that knocked him out four months in 2001. His control issues really worsened after that, leading the National Association with 102 walks in 2002. Sanders struggled in 2003 with a 4.51 ERA over only 107.2 innings, getting demoted out of the rotation full-time. He had one year left on his deal, but KC opted to cut him after spring training struggles in 2004.

With Kansas City, Sanders had a 48-53 record, 3.39 ERA, 1010 innings, 821 strikeouts, 350 walks, a 99 ERA+, and 12.6 WAR. While not terrible by any stretch, he didn’t quite live up to the big contract. Ottawa gave him a look in 2004, but he was abysmal with a 6.52 ERA over 38.2 innings and they eventually cut him in late June. Sanders made three late-season starts in minor league Halifax, then retired that winter at age 34.

For his entire pro career, Sanders had a 159-160 record, 2.88 ERA, 3328.2 innings, 3260 strikeouts, 932 walks, 113 ERA+, and 60.3 WAR. Just in OBA with Tahiti, he had a 110-104 record, 2.58 ERA, 2180 innings, 2406 strikeouts, 563 walks, 108 complete games, 123 ERA+, and 47.9 WAR. His rate stats were solid; among all pitchers with 1000+ innings as of 2037 he ranked 47th in ERA and his opponents’ OPS of .606 was 64th.

However, Sanders’ accumulations were very low since he only played seven seasons. He ranked 79th in WAR among pitchers, 81st in strikeouts, and didn’t even crack the top 100 in wins. Even with his MLB stats accounted for, Sanders’ resume was very borderline at best. Working in his favor was brief dominance. During his five year peak, he was unquestionably a top three pitcher in the PL.

Sanders debuted at 19.5% and had a wild rollercoaster ride on the ballot. Four times, he was below 20%, but twice he topped 50%. Sanders got to 62.3% in 2012, just missing the cut, then plummeted to 12.2% in 2013. Most figured that was it for him with 2014 being his tenth and final shot.

Sanders managed to get a stunning reversal in support up to 69.6%, just crossing the 66% requirement. He’s the only tenth ballot inductee in OBA history and statistically one of the weaker names in OBA’s Hall of Fame. Either way though, Sanders has his spot with the 2014 class.

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Mario Harris – Center Field – Samoa Sun Sox – 67.8% Sixth Ballot

Mario Harris was a 6’0’’, 190 pound left-handed hitting center fielder from Balikpapan, Indonesia, a city of roughly 735,000 on the east coast of Borneo. Harris was known for a strong bat in his prime with a 162 game average of 35 home runs, 19 doubles, and 16 triples. He also had tremendous speed and baserunning chops, making him a menace for opposing pitchers when he got on base.

Harris’ downside was that he was a below average contact hitter with a poor strikeout rate. He did at least draw a respectable number of walks, which allowed him to do some damage with his legs. Harris was a career center fielder and was considered a competent defender. His body would start to break down soon after entering his 30s, which limited his numbers. Harris’ unique skillset though made him a quite popular figure in his time.

Most Indonesian players end up in Austronesia Professional Baseball, but Harris opted to declare for an OBA career out of college. With the regional restrictions in the draft, he wasn’t available until the fourth round. Harris would be the #1 pick of that round though, going 56th overall to Samoa in the 1993 OBA Draft.

Harris was a full-time starter immediately with mixed results, leading the Pacific League with 219 strikeouts. Even as a poor batter, his defense and baserunning still pushed him to 4.8 WAR and a third place in Rookie of the Year voting. Harris improved his hitting from there and had 6.9+ WAR in the next six seasons for the Sun Sox. He won Silver Sluggers in 1998, 2000, and 2001 for Samoa.

1995 saw a third place in MVP voting, leading the PL with 108 runs scored. He took third again in 1996, then second in 1998 with a league-best 8.0 WAR. Harris’ finest season came in 2000 which scored the MVP win. He led and posted career bests in runs (116), triples (30), slugging (.664), OPS (1.028), and WAR (9.4). Harris also had career highs in hits (179), homers (42), RBI (112), batting average (.310), and OBP (.364).

Harris helped make Samoa competitive again, as they had bottomed out at 54-108 when they drafted him in 1993. They gave him a five-year, $9,320,000 extension after the 1997 season. The Sun Sox averaged 93.25 wins from 1995-1998, but ended up with three second place finishes and one third place. They fell to just below .500 in the three years after that.

2002 was the last year of the deal for a now 31-year old Harris, who had missed about six weeks of the prior season. Looking for a prospects haul, Samoa traded Harris for four players to Guam, who had won the Pacific League title in five straight seasons.

Harris won his fourth Silver Slugger with 5.4 WAR and 35 home runs in 2002. Guam had moved him to left field, although he lost a month to a fractured rib. The Golden Eagles couldn’t six-peat as PL champs despite a 96-66 finish, taking second by four games to Fiji. With that, Harris became a free agent for the first time at age 32.

Although he never played in APB, Harris did still come home to Indonesia for the World Baseball Championship. He had 90 games and 69 starts from 1996-2006 with 51 hits, 38 runs, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 18 home runs, 41 RBI, 27 stolen bases, a .196/.298/.454 slash, 115 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR. Harris was part of some of Indonesia’s best-ever national teams, including their first world title squad in 1999 and runner-up squads in 1997 and 2000.

Harris did garner international attention in free agency and made the move to America with MLB’s Buffalo Blue Sox signing him for $33,000,000 over four years. He had a very good debut season with 5.1 WAR, but that would be his only full year for Buffalo. Oblique, hamstring, and quadriceps issues popped up at various points. His bat also regressed to a .605 OPS and 84 wRC+ by 2006.

The Blue Sox just missed the playoffs with 91 wins in 2005, but were terrible in his other seasons. Over four seasons, Harris had 417 games, 340 hits, 223 runs, 43 doubles, 36 triples, 66 home runs, 171 RBI, a .218/.292/.418 slash, 117 wRC+, and 11.7 WAR. He was a free agent now at age 36 for 2007. Harris had done enough to justify a one-year, $7,800,000 deal from Washington.

Harris managed to stay largely healthy in 2007 for the Admirals and impressed with a 5.2 WAR season. Washington got a wild card, although Harris went 1-10 in the playoffs and they had a second round exit. Still, he was good enough to earn a three-year, $28,100,000 deal with the Admirals. Unfortunately, that ended up being a poor investment.

In 53 games in 2008, Harris was awful with a .158 average and -0.2 WAR. He suffered a partially torn labrum in late May, but did get back in time for the playoffs. Washington suffered a NACS defeat to Cincinnati, but Harris went 0-3 with two strikeouts in his three pinch hit appearances. He opted to retire that winter at age 38.

For his combined pro career, Harris had 1702 hits, 1179 runs, 212 doubles, 191 triples, 408 home runs, 974 RBI, 621 walks, 688 stolen bases, a .241/.309/.498 slash, 137 wRC, and 78.5 WAR. Just in OBA though, he had 1203 hits, 846 runs, 151 doubles, 149 triples, 298 home runs, 702 RBI, 570 steals, a .252/.317/.533 slash, 146 wRC+, and 61.8 WAR. Even with a short run, as of 2037 he ranked 52nd in steals and 61st in WAR.

However, those grand totals were incredibly low for any league. Not even getting to 1500 hits or 1000 runs made him a non-starter for a lot of voters. Supporters pointed to an impressive 6.87 WAR per season over his nine years. They argued that if he stayed a few more years and avoided injuries that Harris easily had the talent to make the cut. Most would agree he was a top 10 level position player for most of his OBA tenure.

It became the age old Hall of Fame debate arguing between short peaks versus longevity. Harris debuted at only 46.0% in 2009, but slowly gained ground. He missed by a hair at 65.4% in 2013. His sixth ballot in 2014 only won over a few more voters, but 67.8% was enough to cross the 66% threshold. Harris was the third member of OBA’s 2014 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-19-2024 06:31 PM

2014 APB Hall of Fame

Pitcher Tyson Sugiarto was the lone addition into the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Sugiarto was a first ballot pick, but not a slam dunk at 71.6%. With the next best debut down at 12.4%, that helped him make the cut beyond the 66% requirement. Five returners would top 50%, but fall short of the 66% cut.

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Leading that group was RF Basuki Susanti at 60.8% on his fourth ballot. Closer Bo-Kai Yen got 58.5% on his second go and 1B Gavin Loh had 56.5% on his second attempt. SP Kan-Lin Ching received 52.3% for his second ballot and CF Fransisco Hartati had 52.0% for his third.

Pitcher Yu-Ching Kuo fell off after ten failed ballots, peaking at a mere 19.5% in 2011 and ending with 3.9%. He had a three-year run leading in strikeouts, posting 1360 Ks and 29 WAR in that stretch with Surabaya. Kuo also had three no-hitters during that run of dominance. However, Kuo had only 239 total innings after his age 26 season due to multiple catastrophic injuries.

He finished with a 92-55 record, 2.09 ERA, 1430.2 innings, 2336 strikeouts, 280 walks, 123 ERA+, and 44.7 WAR. His 14.7 K/9 still ranks third as of 2037 among any APB pitcher with 1000+ career innings and his .516 opponents’ OPS is 22nd. Kuo goes down as a major “what if?” guy if he would’ve stayed healthy.

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Tyson “Tippy” Sugiarto – Starting Pitcher – Singapore Sharks – 71.6% First Ballot

Tyson Sugiarto was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Jakarta, Indonesia. Sugiarto had solid stuff and control, although his control was below average. His 97-99 mph fastball was by far his most potent pitch. Sugiarto had the rare six-pitch arsenal with his splitter and forkball both being quite good. He also had a curveball, slider, and changeup he could go to.

Compared to most aces in the low-scoring APB environment, Sugiarto had below average stamina. Although he had fewer complete games, Sugiarto had fantastic durability , making 30+ starts each year from 1997-2008. His defense and ability to hold runners were both weak. Although walks could be an issue, Sugiarto still would give you reliable innings in most outings.

Some scouts noticed Sugiarto coming out of high school for the 1990 APB Draft, but most preferred to give him a second look after college. Singapore decided otherwise, picking Sugiarto to start the third round with the 47th overall pick. He spent two years in development before officially debuting in 1993 at age 21, although Sugiarto only had 26.1 innings that year.

Singapore made him a part-time starter in 1994, but Sugiarto still wasn’t ready. He was a full-time reliever in 1995 with iffy results, but earned a full rotation spot in 1996. That year had a career-best 1.65 ERA and saw Singapore set a franchise-record at 105-57. It was only their second-ever playoff berth, as they had posted only losing seasons from 1983-1994.

The Sharks won their first-ever Sundaland Association pennant, but lost the APB Championship to Taoyuan. Sugiarto struck out 23 in 16 innings, but had a 3.38 ERA and 73 ERA+ in his three appearances. Singapore had a five-year stretch of winning seasons after that, which was one of their most competitive runs. However, they found themselves a few games outside of playoff contention.

Sugiarto was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist, but he had nine straight 4+ WAR seasons from 1996-2004. Unfortunately the only stat he ever led in was walks allowed twice. Singapore was content with his reliability and signed Sugiarto to a six-year, $12,600,000 extension in February 2000. The Sharks winning stretch ended with a 66-96 mark in 2002.

Singapore bounced back in 2003 with a 90-72 record and division title, although they lost the Association final to Bandung. Sugiarto was better in his 11 playoff innings this year with a 1.64 ERA. The Sharks fell right back to 74-88 the next year and began looking at a rebuild. In June 2005, Sugiarto was traded to Semarang for 3B Byron Lam and C Pin Tay.

With Singapore, Sugiarto had a 144-132 record, 2.44 ERA, 2540 innings, 2960 strikeouts, 672 walks, 107 ERA+, and 49.8 WAR. The Sharks would also choose to retire his #32 uniform. Sugiarto was 33 when he joined the Sliders and had an excellent second half for them. His combined 2005 season had a career-best 6.9 WAR. They won their division, but were upset in the Association final by Palembang. Sugiarto had a 1.80 ERA over 15 playoff innings.

Sugiarto had one more year with the Sliders, finishing with a 26-17 record, 1.73 ERA, 374.1 innings, 403 strikeouts, and 7.9 WAR. A free agent at age 35, Bandung was impressed and gave him a three-year, $11,760,000 deal. Sugiarto had 2.4 WAR in 2007 with the Blackhawks, his lowest full season effort. He regressed to only 0.4 WAR over 245.2 innings in 2008 and retired after that season at age 37.

The final stats saw a 199-177 record, 2.35 ERA, 3403.1 innings, 3724 strikeouts, 859 walks, 340/421 quality starts, 109 ERA+, and 60.5 WAR. As of 2037, Sugiarto is 77th in pitching WAR, 33rd in strikeouts, and 32nd in wins. He’s a guy that advanced stats suggest was merely above average for a long time. Sugiarto’s lack of black ink and Pitcher of the Year considerations would seem to confirm that.

However, APB voters were very pitcher friendly and many placed significant value on longevity. Sugiarto wasn’t dominant, but he was quite steady. He also got the benefit of debuting on a 2014 ballot that didn’t have any other notable debuts, making his resume pop out. At 71.6%, Sugiarto narrowly received the first ballot nod as APB’s lone Hall of Famer in 2014.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-20-2024 07:02 AM

2014 CLB Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

09-20-2024 12:47 PM

2014 WAB Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

09-20-2024 05:21 PM

2014 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

South Asia Baseball didn’t have any Hall of Fame inductees in 2012 or 2013. They made up for that with a record four-player 2014 class. All four were starting pitchers and all four did it on the first ballot. Three were slam dunks with Sikander Harija at 97.4%, Van Khang Nguyen at 93.8%, and Na Thinn at 93.0%. Sulakhan Tyagi joined them by barely crossing the 66% requirement at 68.9%.

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SP Salim Islam also had a good debut but fell short at 59.5%. The top returner was SP Raja Ahmad Saari with 55.7% for his second ballot. Another SP Sandeep Koneru debuted at 50.1%. The leading non-pitcher was RF Han Kywe Khant at 48.1% in his second ballot. No players were dropped following ten failed tries in 2014.

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Sikander “Sluggo” Harija – Starting Pitcher – Chennai Cows – 97.4% First Ballot

Sikander Harija was a 6’3’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Manoharpur, India; a village of just under one thousand people in northwestern India’s Rajasthan state. Harija had great stuff with very good control and above average movement. His 96-98 mph cutter was his strongest pitch, but his forkball and changeup were both quite potent as well. Harija also had a slider as a fourth option.

His stamina was pretty good in his prime, although major injuries did limit Harija’s full potential. He was incredibly intelligent and adaptable on the mound. Harija’s “sluggo” nickname came from being a very powerful hitter as well. He was one of SAB’s first notable two-way guys, although he never started in the field beyond the mound. Harija had no range or speed, which limited his possible uses as a true two-way guy. The designated hitter wasn’t an option in the Indian League either.

However during his Southeast Asia League tenure, Harija did see some starts at DH mostly in 2000 and 2001. He only had a handful of non-pitching starts in his career, but he was a regular pinch hitter against righties especially. He had a career .905 OPS and 164 wRC+ against RHP, but still had a .753 OPS and 121 wRC+ against LHP.

Harija notably hit the ball very hard with around ¼ of his hits being homers and another ¼ being doubles. He was an average contact hitter with a poor strikeout rate, but was adept at drawing walks. Harija’s power profile made him a very legitimate threat anytime he had a bat in his hand.

Teams were most enamored with Harija’s arm though and ranked him as a top prospect purely on his pitching merits. In the 1991 SAB Draft, a 19-year old Harija was picked #1 overall by Chennai. The Cows kept him in development in 1992, then only used him for 12 innings in 1993. He made his full debut pitching in 1994 in an opener role, only tossing 101.1 innings despite 41 starts. Harija struggled initially with a 4.00 ERA and 78 ERA+.

Control issues plagued him early and he led in walks in 1995, but he also posted 325 strikeouts, a 2.27 ERA, and 7.4 WAR despite that. Harija had 7.6 WAR in 1996 and took third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He also won a Silver Slugger, having posted 1.4 WAR and a .789 OPS. Harija’s bat had an incredible start in 1997 with 1.6 WAR over only 47 plate appearances with 6 home runs and a 1.361 OPS. He also had a 1.96 ERA over 73.1 innings. However, shoulder inflammation would keep him out for most of the season.

Harija in 1998 led the Indian league in strikeouts (349), complete games (16), and WAR (8.2), while adding a 1.055 OPS, 2.6 WAR, and 10 home runs offensively in 163 plate appearances. He got his second Silver Slugger, but no Pitcher of the Year attention. Chennai was a terrible franchise despite Harija’s best efforts, averaging 69.6 wins per season during his tenure.

Despite his popularity, there were some Cows fans that were disappointed that he didn’t reverse their fortunes. The franchise never retired his uniform, but he opted to wear Chennai colors at induction despite being perhaps more known from his second run with Ho Chi Minh City. Harija did also pitch for India from 1996-2008 in the World Baseball Championship with a 3.81 ERA over 137 innings, 177 strikeouts, 93 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. He also was 10-49 with 4 homers batting in the WBC.

Recurring back spasms cost him about two months in 1999, his last year with the Cows. Harija finished with a 67-59 record, 2.46 ERA, 1063.2 innings, 1532 strikeouts, 287 walks, 128 ERA+, and 31.3 WAR on the mound. Hitting, he had a .275/.334/.517 slash, 32 home runs, 179 hits, 96 runs, 160 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. He entered free agency heading into his age 28 season in 2000.

Like most big free agents of the era, the two options were the two competing dynasties; Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City. Harija ended up with the Hedgehogs on a six-year, $10,980,000 deal. The availability of the DH in SEAL was a major selling point for Harija going to HCMC. They had won nine league titles since 1987, although 1997 had been their only SAB title due to the Animals standing in their way.

Harija’s 2000 was an all-timer, earning Pitcher of the Year with league and career-bests with 380 strikeouts and 10.5 WAR. The 380 Ks fell 16 short of the SAB single-season record and still ranks 12th best as of 2037. Ho Chi Minh City also gave him 98 games and 89 starts as a DH, where he posted a blistering 31 home runs, 65 RBI, 92 hits, 59 runs, 19 doubles, .957 OPS, 165 wRC+, and 3.7 WAR. The combined 14.2 WAR was a single-season SAB best and still ranks third as of 2037.

Back tightness cost him part of the postseason, but Harija still allowed one run over 10 innings on the mound as the Hedgehogs won the SAB title over Ahmedabad. Harija led in wins (24-6) and strikeouts (364) in 2001 to take second in POTY voting. He also had 92 games batting with 21 homers, 49 runs, 84 hits, a .838 OPS, 137 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. This would be his last season with significant time hitting for HCMC. Harija would only hit in 79 games with 47 starts over the following four years.

Harija shockingly struggled with a 7.66 ERA in three playoff starts in 2001, although he did go 5-18 offensively with 4 runs, 2 homers, and 6 RBI. HCMC won 115 games, but lost the SEAL Championship to Yangon. He would miss the 2002 postseason after suffering a torn flexor tendon in his seventh start with a 13 month recovery time. Ho Chi Minh City was upset in the SEAL final that year by Dhaka.

Harija made it back for part of 2003 with still good pitching results, but a herniated disc kept him out of that playoff run. HCMC would win 118 games and their third SAB Championship. This started an all-time dynasty run, winning three titles from 2003-2005 with a 361-125 record.

In 2004, Harija was back to being an ace, winning Pitcher of the Year with his lone ERA title at 2.04. He added a league-best 0.81 WHIP, 14 complete games, 6 shutouts, and 9.0 WAR. Harija had a 22-4 record and 303 strikeouts over 233.1 innings. He stepped up big in the playoffs as well with a 1.76 ERA over 30.2 innings with 53 strikeouts and 1.5 WAR. As of 2037, he’s one of only seven pitchers to strike out 50+ batters in a single SAB postseason. Harija also went 2-3 as a pinch hitter with two solo home runs, showing he could still mash.

In August 2005, Harija tore his flexor tendon yet again, putting his career in doubt. He would receive a fourth championship ring and be remembered fondly by Ho Chi Minh City fans for his brief brilliance. On the mound, Harija had a 92-27 record, 2.71 ERA, 1083.2 innings, 1515 strikeouts, 135 ERA+, and 38.5 WAR. As a hitter, he had 303 games and 215 starts, 233 hits, 139 runs, 54 doubles, 64 home runs, 149 RBI, a .260/.317/.538 slash, 140 wRC+, and 6.8 WAR.

Heading towards age 34, the opposing Ahmedabad dynasty gave Harija a four-year, $14,800,000 deal. He looked respectable still in 48.1 innings in 2006, but ulnar nerve entrapment ended his regular season in June 2006. Harija rehabbed back to be ready late in the playoffs, but he allowed two runs in 2.2 innings in his one start. The Animals lost to Jaipur in the ILCS.

Harija was excited for the 2007 World Baseball Championship with India, but there he suffered his third flexor tendon tear. This put him out for all of 2007 with another 11 months of rehab. Harija made it back in 2008, but was subpar on the mound with a 3.93 ERA over 119 innings. He could still hit though with a 1.407 OPS and 8 home runs in 50 plate appearances. Harija might have been able to carry on as a batter, but he seemed cooked as a pitcher. He decided to retire after the 2008 season at age 36.

For his pitching career, Harija had a 170-95 record, 2.66 ERA, 2314.2 innings, 3237 strikeouts, 515 walks, 129 ERA+, and 72.2 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 14th in pitching WAR, 35th in strikeouts, and 41st in wins. His ERA is also 36th among any pitcher with 1000+ career innings. He’s also 20th in K/9 at 12.59, 26th in WIHP at 0.99, and 30th in opponent’s OPS at .592. Had he stayed healthy, Harija could’ve made a run as a top-five all-time pitcher.

At the plate, Harija had 903 games and 414 starts, 437 hits, 252 runs, 108 doubles, 106 home runs, 258 RBI, 139 walks, a .269/.327/.541 slash, 153 wRC+, and 15.8 WAR. Considering his combined talents, it is surprising that Harija never was an MVP finalist, not even in his incredible 2000 season.

You could almost argue he was somewhat under-rated in his time. Harija was one of the most uniquely talented guys in SAB history and a quiet part of the great Ho Chi Minh City dynasty. He was an obvious headliner even with a loaded four-player 2014 Hall of Fame class, leading the way at 97.4%.

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Van Khang “Cooter” Nguyen – Starting Pitcher – Kathmandu Chaparrals – 93.8% First Ballot

Van Khang Nguyen was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Bac Ninh, Vietnam; a city of around 250,000 located an hour northeast of Hanoi. Nguyen was a well-rounded ace with very good stuff and control, plus excellent movement. His 94-96 mph sinker was his top pitch, regularly forcing weak ground balls from foes. Nguyen also had a changeup and slider in the arsenal and could get plenty of whiffs as well.

Nguyen was a pitcher notably stronger against right-handed bats (147 ERA+) compared to lefties (112 ERA+). He had excellent stamina, twice leading the league in both innings and complete games. Nguyen was also considered quite durable throughout his tenure. He was humble and quiet, content to show up, clock in, and clock out.

By the 1994 SAB Draft, Nguyen was considered by many to be the top pitching prospect available. He was picked #1 overall by Kathmandu and was a full-time starter immediately for the Chaparrals. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Sikander Harija, he couldn’t turn around a struggling franchise. It was especially tough for any other teams to gain a foothold during the very top-heavy early days of SAB. Kathmandu averaged 68.1 wins per season during Nguyen’s run.

As an extreme groundball pitcher too, Nguyen’s ERA was weaker than you might think with a weak defense behind him. Still, he had six seasons worth 5+ WAR in Nepal. He emerged as a Pitcher of the Year finalist in 2000, taking second with a league-best 20 wins despite Kathmandu’s 68-94 season.

By 2001, it seemed clear that Nguyen would leave for free agency when he time came after the 2002 campaign. To the surprise and confusion of many, Nguyen saw a limited role in his last two years despite being healthy. He only pitched 133 innings in 2001 and 167 in 2002, although he did win an ERA title in 2002 at 2.32. The humble Nguyen just kept his head down and didn’t raise a fuss, although he was excited to go to a more competent franchise.

With Kathmandu, Nguyen had a 95-104 record, 2.95 ERA, 1842.1 innings, 2043 strikeouts, 444 walks, a 122 ERA+, and 47.6 WAR. A later more competent management mended some fences with Nguyen, retiring his #27 uniform. He would be inducted in Chaparral colors as it was his longest tenure by a couple years. Nguyen’s most impactful seasons would come with the evil empire of Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen was a major signing, returning to his home country on a five-year, $14,520,000 deal. While in Nepal, he did still come home to Vietnam for the World Baseball Championship. From 1995-2008, Nguyen had a 12-10 record, 2.84 ERA, 209 innings, 236 strikeouts, 65 walks, 126 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR in the WBC.

With elite backing behind him, Nguyen thrived with the Pitcher of the Year in 2003. He had an 11.8 WAR, the best-ever effort by a SAB pitcher not named Zainal bin Aziz (5th best all-time). Nguyen led in wins (23-5) and strikeouts (366). Both were career highs, as was his 2.20 ERA which ranked third in the league. Nguyen also made history on May 12 with a perfect game, striking out 11 against Hanoi.

During Ho Chi Minh City’s historic three-peat from 2003-05, Nguyen was lights out in the playoffs. In 12 starts, he was 8-0 with 3.5 WAR, 94.2 innings, 109 strikeouts, and 1.33 ERA. Nguyen took finals MVP in 2005, posting a 0.57 ERA over his four playoff starts. The Hedgehogs won 118, 122, and 121 games in those regular seasons. Nguyen was third in 2004’s POTY voting and second in 2005. He led in strikeouts for a second time in 2004.

Nguyen’s second Pitcher of the Year came in 2006 with an ERA title at 2.38. He would surprisingly struggle in the playoffs from 2006-2008 with a 6.84 ERA. The Hedgehogs continued their playoff streak, but had a SEAL Championship loss in 2006 and first round exits in 2007 and 2008. Still, Nguyen’s career playoff stats saw an 8-3 record, 2.49 ERA, 119.1 innings, 134 strikeouts, 153 ERA+, and 3.7 WAR.

HCMC gave Nguyen a three-year, $8,880,000 extension after the 2007 season. However, his velocity had dropped in 2007 and plummeted in 2008 down to the 86-88 mph range. Nguyen still had some value in an opener role, but opted to retire that winter at age 36. With HCMC, Nguyen had a 95-31 record, 2.73 ERA, 1345.1 innings, 1515 strikeouts, 216 walks, 140 ERA+, and 40.3 WAR.

Nguyen ended with a 190-135 record, 2.86 ERA, 3187.2 innings, 3558 strikeouts, 660 walks, 119 complete games, 129 ERA+, and 88.0 WAR. As of 2037, he’s eighth in pitching WAR, 22nd in strikeouts, and 24th in wins. Nguyen is also 11th in pitching WAR in the postseason.

He was one of the most important pieces for Ho Chi Minh City’s epic three-peat and would be a headliner in most other Hall of Fame classes. Nguyen had the second most votes in the four-player group, taking his spot in SAB’s 2014 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-21-2024 06:58 AM

2014 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Na Thinn – Starting Pitcher – Bangkok Bobcats – 93.0% First Ballot

Na Thinn was a 5’11’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcherfrom Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city. Thinn was a fireballer with electric stuff, although he also had good-to-great movement and control. His 99-101 mph cutter/splitter combo frustrated many-a-hitter and broke dozens of bats. Thinn also had a curveball and changeup in the arsenal. He had below average stamina compared to other aces of the era and would struggle with injuries. Still, Thinn managed to pitch a fine 17 year career.

Thinn was a very highly touted prospect and was picked #2 overall in the 1990 SAB Draft by Bangkok. He was a full-time starter all six years with the Bobcats, although some back troubles cost him a few starts early on. Regardless, Thinn was third in 1992’s Pitcher of the Year voting, third in 1993, and second in 1994. He also notably had a no-hitter in his second season, striking out 13 with two walks against Ho Chi Minh City on 8/16/91.

Bangkok would earn wild cards with Thinn in 1994 and 1996, but couldn’t get out of the first round. A strained hamstring did cost him two months in his final year in Thailand in 1996. Thinn led twice in quality starts and had his career-best WAR of 8.4 in 1993. He also was below a two ERA thrice and thrice struck out 300+ batters.

With the Bobcats, Thinn had a 89-38 record, 2.24 ERA, 1184.1 innings, 1636 strikeouts, 161 ERA+, and 35.0 WAR. Although Bangkok was at least competitive, they were still a far way in the extremely top-heavy SAB. They couldn’t compete with the two dynasties for free agent money and Thinn left after the 1996 season at age 29. This left some bitterness from Bangkok fans and officials and they never retired Thinn’s #5.

Thinn moved to India on a five-year, $5,800,000 deal with Ahmedabad, who had won seven of the last eight SAB Championships. They won 120 games in 1997, but 119-win Ho Chi Minh City finally got one over on them in the final. Unfortunately, Thinn missed the entire postseason to a strained abdominal muscle.

It was a tremendous debut season for Thinn, who won his lone Pitcher of the Year. He also won a Silver Slugger and was a decent bat for a regular pitcher. In 1997, Thinn led the Indian League in strikeouts (344), WHIP (0.81), and WAR (8.1). This was his career best in strikeouts and in ERA at 1.73.

Things went sideways for Thinn with a torn UCL in May 1998, knocking him out 12 months. He earned his first SAB Championship ring in a sling that winter. Thinn was back and looking solid in late 1999, but suffered a torn flexor tendon in his first playoff start with Ahmedabad. The Animals won another ring and yet again, Thinn had to hold the trophy gingerly with his good arm.

Thinn powered his way to a full 2000, leading the league with a 0.80 WHIP for a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting. He struggled in his three playoff starts as Ahmedabad lost in yet another finals showdown with HCMC. A strained abdominal cost him part of 2001, but he had a better postseason with a 2.64 ERA over 30.2 innings and 46 strikeouts. The Animals won the IL for the eighth straight year, but this time lost the SAB Championship to Yangon.

In total for Ahmedabad, Thinn had a 67-20 record, 2.17 ERA, 817 innings, 1152 strikeouts, 142 walks, 144 ERA+, and 24.5 WAR. He ended up sitting out the 2002 season apart from the World Baseball Championship. Thinn did regularly return home to Myanmar with 216 WBC innings from 1991-2008. He had an 11-13 record, 3.21 ERA, 274 strikeouts, 112 ERA+, and 3.8 WAR.

Now 35-years old, Thinn switched to the other evil empire on a two-year deal with Ho Chi Minh City. These were the first two seasons of their historic three-peat with Thinn posting a 31-14 record, 3.06 ERA, 365 innings, 411 strikeouts, 120 ERA+, and 8.1 WAR. He had a mediocre 4.97 ERA in 38 playoff innings, but added two more SAB Championship rings to his collection.

Thinn decided to return home for 2005 on a two-year, $4,800,000 deal with Yangon. He pitched well still, leading in WHIP in 2006 at 0.84. The Green Dragons had started their own playoff streak in 1995 and won the SEAL Championship in 2006, falling to Jaipur for the SAB title. His playoffs were mixed with a good start in 2005 and two weak ones in 2006.

Despite great regular season numbers and many rings, Thinn’s playoff stats were mediocre. Over 20 starts, he had a 4.50 ERA in 116 innings, 5-8 record, 147 strikeouts, 20 walks, 77 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR. That often gets cited against Thinn when he’s being talked about among the inner-circle level pitchers.

Thinn was a free agent again in 2007 at age 39 and went to Hanoi, posting 2.9 WAR and a 2.68 ERA in 107.1 innings. A bone spur in his elbow knocked him out from July onward. Incidentally, the Hounds would win the SAB Championship, giving Thinn his fifth ring despite being unavailable yet again due to injury in the finals.

He wanted to still pitch and went back to Yangon in 2008 on a two-year deal. This was plagued by injuries though and he only tossed 37.1 total innings. Between the runs with Yangon, Thinn had a 30-10 record, 2.64 ERA, 422 innings, 451 strikeouts, 66 walks, 141 ERA+, and 11.1 WAR. Shoulder inflammation ended his 2008 and he retired that winter at age 40.

Thinn ended with a 255-83 record, 2.40 ERA, 2895.2 innings, 3742 strikeouts, 607 walks, 147 ERA+, and 81.6 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 6th in wins, 10th in WAR, and 15th in strikeouts. Thinn’s rate stats are excellent and as of 2037 among any SAB pitcher with 1000+ innings, his ERA is 11th, his .578 opponent’s OPS is 16th and his 0.95 WHIP is 14th.

He had less flashy dominance, but by rate stats may have been the best of the four-pitcher 2014 Hall of Fame class. Thinn’s playoff mediocrity and lesser black ink usually keeps him below Van Khang Nguyen and Sikander Harija in many of the rankings. Regardless, he was a clear first ballot Hall of Famer at 93.0% and would be a headliner most years, although he was the third-ranked in 2014.

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Sulakhan Tyagi – Starting Pitcher – Dhaka Dobermans – 68.9% First Ballot

Sulakhan Tyagi was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Abrama, a town of 21,000 people in western India’s Gujarat state. Tyagi had great stuff with good movement, although his control was average at best. His fastball topped out at 95-97 mph and was mixed with a slider, splitter, and changeup. Tyagi’s stamina was considered low relative to most other SAB starters, but he made up for it with very good durability. He was liked for his loyalty, but some coaches questioned his work ethic.

Tyagi was picked up as a teenage amateur and was one of the few eventual Hall of Famers that started with Ahmedabad. Few realize he did though, since this tenure saw all of one inning pitched. Tyagi debuted in 1994 at age 24, but couldn’t crack the loaded roster of the dynasty Animals. His one inning did entitle him to a 1994 SAB Championship ring.

Ahmedabad traded him that winter to Dhaka, which would be his longest tenure. Tyagi was a full-time starter in all six of his years with the Dobermans, but was never a league leader or awards finalist. He posted an 87-61 record, 3.06 ERA, 1369 innings, 1777 strikeouts, 411 walks, 118 ERA+, and 31.0 WAR. Tyagi did struggle in his one playoff start in 1995, as Dhaka was a wild card that year. They were middling for the remainder of his tenure.

Tyagi became a free agent for the first time heading into his age 31 season in 2001. Having proven himself with Dhaka, Ahmedabad brought him back on a five-year, $8,600,000 deal. His lone time as a Pitcher of the Year finalist was this run, taking second in 2003 with a career-best 2.22 ERA. He also saw a career high 349 strikeouts in 2002.

Ahmedabad won the Indian League in 2001 at 125-39, but was upset by Yangon in the SAB Championship. The Animals returned to the top spot in 2002, but lost the ILCS in 2003. Over his playoff games, Tyagi had a 2.47 ERA in 47.1 innings, 62 strikeouts, 129 ERA+, and 1.4 WAR. In total with the Animals, Tyagi had a 48-17 record, 2.49 ERA,659 innings, 897 strikeouts, 146 walks, 128 ERA+, and 17.9 WAR.

In the end, Tyagi gave Ahmedabad some solid value. The run ended though thanks to the 2003 Expansion Draft with Lucknow picking him with the #2 overall pick. He led the IL in strikeouts with 3.30 and had a career-high 7.5 WAR in his one year with the Larks. Tyagi had one year left on his deal, but Lucknow opted to trade him for prospects to Yangon.

Tyagi had the same steady production with 5.2 WAR, 265 Ks, and a 2.67 ERA in 2005 with the Green Dragons, who lost in the first round of the playoffs that year. A free agent heading towards age 36, Tyagi signed for 2006 with Ho Chi Minh City. He ended up pitching two years with the Hedgehogs, although he was only a part-timer in 2006 and was subpar in 2007.

Tyagi did have 8.1 shutout innings in the 2007 postseason, but HCMC had a first round exit that year. In total, Tyagi had a 19-9 record, 4.20 ERA, 276.1 innings, 278 strikeouts, and 3.1 WAR with the Hedgehogs. Kanpur gave Tyagi a look in 2008, but he only tossed 20.1 innings for them with a 3.10 ERA. After going unsigned in 2009, Tyagi retired at age 39.

The final stats saw a 188-109 record, 2.98 ERA, 2800.2 innings, 3559 strikeouts, 757 walks, 118 ERA+, and 64.7 WAR. As of 2037, Tyagi is 23rd in pitching WAR, 26th in wins, and 21st in strikeouts. He was never flashy and a bit of a journeyman, but he quietly put up a reliable career.

Tyagi certainly doesn’t get the publicity of the other 2014 Hall of Fame pitchers, but enough voters thought his cumulative service was worthy of recognition. Tyagi narrowly crossed the 66% requirement, but 68.9% got him a first ballot nod and a spot with SAB’s other elite pitchers among the enshrined.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-21-2024 03:13 PM

2014 ABF Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

09-21-2024 03:53 PM

2014 ALB Hall of Fame

Pitcher Zuhair Hamad was the lone addition into the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. He wasn’t a slam dunk, but his 73.9% was plenty for a first ballot nod. SP Nacerdine Rahim barely missed the 66% cut with 61.4% in his ninth try. CL Khemais Khalid got 52.5% in his tenth and final opportunity. Also above 50% was 2B Ahmad Abbas with a 52.1% fourth ballot. The next best debut was down at 22.5%.

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For Khalid, he got as high as 60.3% in 2009 and was never lower than 47%, but he didn’t quite have the longevity. He was Amman’s closer only for five seasons, but won four Reliever of the Year awards and led in saves thrice in that stretch. In total, Khalid had 229 saves, 1.66 ERA, 714.1 innings, 972 strikeouts, 218 ERA+, and 28.1 WAR. He needed a few more years in the closer role to reach the accumulations voters expected from top relievers, but Khalid had an impressive peak still.

SP Qadir Al-Khalid also was dropped after ten failed ballots, peaking at 32.4% in 2007 and ending with 20.7%. He was hurt by being a seasoned pro at age 29 when ALB officially started, limiting his accumulations. Al-Khalid won MVP and Pitcher of the Year in his ALB debut season of 1990 and helped Medina win two championships.

In ten official seasons, Al-Khalid had a 129-66 record, 2.91 ERA, 1755.2 innings, 1562 strikeouts, 327 walks, 124 ERA+, and 51.0 WAR. As of 2037, his ERA is 23rd among any pitcher with 1000+ innings. He also had a 2.36 ERA over 80 playoff innings for the Mastodons. Al-Khalid would’ve probably been a surefire lock if his full 20s counted, but he was a victim of timing.

Also dropped after ten tries was Mohamed Abdelhafeed, who also was hurt by starting late at age 27. He won three ALB titles between Casablanca and Cairo and was 1992 Pitcher of the Year. Abdelhafeed had a 108-57 record, 2.64 ERA, 1489 innings, 1459 strikeouts, 135 ERA+, and 39.8 WAR. His ERA still ranks 10th best, but he had even fewer accumulations after falling victim to a torn UCL in 1997. Abdelhafeed peaked at 21.3% in his debut and ended with 8.6%.

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Zuhair Hamad – Starting Pitcher – Mosul Muskies – 73.9% First Ballot

Zuhair Hamad was a 5’10’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Omdurman, Sudan; the country’s second-largest city with more than two million on the other side of the Nile from Khartoum. Hamad wasn’t a hard thrower as his velocity peaked in the 91-93 mph range. Still, he graded out as having solid stuff along with respectable control and okay movement.

Hamad’s ability to change speeds was his strongest asset with his changeup and curveball typically the best pitches. He also had a forkball and fastball he could go to. Hamad’s stamina was weak compared to most aces with complete games a rarity. However, his durability was excellent for much of his career, leading to reliable innings. Hamad was also one of the hardest working guys in the game, which allowed him to succeed over a 15-year career.

Arab League Baseball officially started up in 1990 when Hamad was 16-years old. He had already earned attention in Sudan as a pitcher with great potential. Hamad caught the eye of a visiting scout from Iraq, who signed him in May 1990 to a developmental deal with Mosul. He spent around four years in the Muskies’ developmental system before debuting in 1994 at age 20. Hamad had some initial struggles with 13 starts in his rookie year and a 4.58 ERA.

Hamad earned a full-time roster spot in 1995 and became a big reason for Mosul’s dynasty run. The Muskies had their first winning season that year at 93-69, falling in the Eastern Conference Final to Medina. This started a streak of eight straight Iraq Division titles. Mosul would win 100+ games each year from 1996-2001 with conference finals berths each year.

During their playoff streak, Hamad had 4.5+ WAR each season and topped 6+ thrice. He wasn’t a league leader, but he had a sub-three ERA four times and took third in 1997 Pitcher of the Year voting; his only time as a finalist. 2001 would see career bests in strikeouts (326) and WAR (7.9).

Mosul won the Eastern Conference pennant in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2001. The Muskies were also Arab League champs in 1998, 1999, and 2001. 2000 had a historic 121-41 record, which remains the most wins ever in an ALB season as of 2037. However, they were stunned by 83-win Kuwait in the conference final. Still, the Mosul dynasty stands as one of the all-time runs in ALB history.

Hamad was a big reason they had that run, although his playoff career was a very mixed bag. He had a great 1998 run with a 2.01 ERA in three starts and also looked good in his lone starts from 1995 and 2000. However, Hamad struggled in many of his other appearances. His career line with Mosul is mediocre with a 5.21 ERA over 96.2 innings, 5-6 record in 16 starts, 119 strikeouts, 28 walks, and 73 ERA+.

Still, Mosul would later retire his #41 uniform for his role in their success. In total with the Muskies, Hamad had a 139-61 record, 3.10 ERA, 1853.2 innings, 2194 strikeouts, 391 walks, 122 ERA+, and 44.1 WAR. 2002 would be a contract year for a 28-year old Hamad who wanted to secure the bag in a growing ALB. This would be the last year of Mosul’s playoff streak, although they didn’t get to the conference final.

Figuring a rebuild was coming and that Hamad would be too expensive, Mosul traded him in July 2002 to Medina for veteran 1B Javid Serik and prospect Maadh Siddiqui. The Mastodons ended a four-year stretch of losing seasons, but missed out on the division title by a game to Riyadh. Hamad had a nice second-half with Medina, who gave him a one-year extension for $2,360,000.

Medina won the Saudi Division in 2003 with Hamad posting a 5.7 WAR. He had a 4.26 ERA in his two playoff starts as they lost the conference final to Dubai. With the Mastodons, Hamad had a 19-14 record, 3.12 ERA, 297 innings, 392 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 8.8 WAR. He couldn’t come to terms long-term with Medina and opted for free agency at age 30.

Although he bounced around the Arab World in his career, Hamad did return home to Sudan regularly for the World Baseball Championship. Unlike his playoff woes in ALB, Hamad was quite dominant on the world stage. From 1995-2006, he had 109 innings, an 11-1 record, 1.65 ERA, 126 strikeouts, 27 walks, 212 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. As of 2037, amongst all pitchers with 100+ WBC innings, Hamad’s ERA ranks 36th.

Hamad signed a five-year, $8,540,000 deal with Kuwait. The Whales were stuck in the mid-tier for most of his run, although he started with three straight 4+ WAR seasons. Hamad’s first major injury setback came in September 2006 with a damaged elbow ligament, costing him 10 months. He was back for the summer of 2007, but lost part of the fall to a partially torn labrum.

In April 2008, Hamad became the third ALB pitcher to reach 200 career wins. He had a full load, but struggled to a 4.55 ERA over 164.1 innings. Kuwait broke their playoff drought, but Hamad wasn’t used as they lost in the first round to Medina. In total with the Whales, Hamad had a 50-34 record, 3.16 ERA, 797.2 innings, 841 strikeouts, 172 walks, 127 ERA+, and 17.7 WAR.

Hamad was a free agent again at age 35, but most ALB teams felt he was done. He found an unlikely home in Argentina with Salta, who was a Beisbol Sudamerica expansion team for 2009. Hamad stunk though in only 28 innings mostly out of the bullpen with a 6.43 ERA. He would retire that winter at age 36.

For his ALB career, Hamad had a 208-109 record, 3.12 ERA, 2948.1 innings, 3427 strikeouts, 615 walks, 124 ERA+, and 70.7 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 14th in wins, 19th in strikeouts, and 17th in WAR among pitchers. Hamad’s ERA sits 44th among all pitchers with 1000+ career innings and his opponents’ OPS of .649 is 45th.

Hamad was never considered THE top pitcher during his run and he didn’t have the dominant black ink. However, he was a reliably solid guy for a team that won three ALB titles during a dynasty run. It was fitting that even as a first ballot inductee, Hamad didn’t have an eye-popping percentage. 73.9% was enough though to make Hamad the lone inductee for Arab League Baseball in 2014.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-22-2024 05:53 AM

2014 AAB Hall of Fame

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The African Association of Baseball finally inducted its first Hall of Famer with the 2014 ballot. On his fifth try, CF Bawaka Ngoie squeaked past the 66% requirement at 67.3% to cement his spot as the first inductee. RP Jaures Ibara barely missed joining him at 63.3% in his fourth ballot. Two other returners cracked the 50% mark with SP Hendrik Jongman at 55.0% in his seventh go and 1B Abebe Chekol with a 52.2% second ballot. The top debut was RP Abba Abdul at 47.8%. No players were dropped after ten ballots.

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Bawaka “Flounder” Ngoie – Center Field – Kinshasa Sun Cats – 67.3% Fifth Ballot

Bawaka Ngoie was a 5’11’’, 180 pound right-handed center fielder from Kolwezi, a city of around 573,000 in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ngoie was a very powerful hitter that averaged 41 home runs, 30 doubles, and 6 triples per his 162 game average. He was also much quicker than your typical slugger and could cause plenty of damage as a baserunner.

Ngoie’s downside was that he was merely an average contact hitter. However, he was great at drawing and was decent at avoiding strikeouts. Ngoie’s speed gave him great range in center field, although his arm strength wasn’t the best. Still, he graded out as a reliably good-to-great defender. Ngoie had nice durability and became one of the first popular stars in the region.

Although he grew up on the other side of the country from his later playing home Kinshasa, Ngoie quickly was well known amongst baseball fans in the Congo’s limited baseball scene in the early 1990s. When AAB officially was formed for the 1995 season, Ngoie was already 25-years old with some experience in the semi-pro ranks. It’s no surprise that his nation’s capital squad wanted him to star for the new Sun Cats franchise, signing Ngoie to a four-year, $4,040,000 deal.

Ngoie certainly delivered as the Central Conference’s first-ever MVP, leading in WAR at 8.6. It was the first of four straight Silver Sluggers as well. Kinshasa would be the first great AAB dynasty, taking first in the standings in 1995 at 100-62. They won the conference final, but lost the inaugural Africa Series to Johannesburg.

Kinshasa started an 11-year playoff streak, although they were second in 1996 with a conference finals loss to Ndjamena. Ngoie was iffy in the first two postseason runs, but he would be a beast in 1997. The Sun Cats took second in the standings to Bujumbura, but bested them for the conference final. Kinshasa then won its first AAB title with an Africa Series victory against Dar es Salaam.

Ngoie was MVP of both playoff series and in nine starts had 11 hits, 9 home runs, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 15 RBI, and a 1.633 OPS. The nine homers were a AAB playoff record that would only be topped once and only matched once in the following 40 years. This also started a run of four straight Africa Series wins for Kinshasa from 1997-2000.

Most fans remember that they won and Ngoie’s 1997 excellence. However, he was actually subpar in their other playoff runs. Over 63 games total for Kinshasa, Ngoie had 53 hits, 39 runs, 15 doubles, 22 home runs, 60 RBI, 15 stolen bases, .217/.290/557 slash, 126 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. The amazing 1997 run accounted for 3/4s of his playoff WAR with the Sun Cats.

Ngoie was third in 1997 MVP voting and second in both 1999 and 2000. The 2000 season saw conference and career bests in WAR (9.9) and doubles (42) as well as career highs in hits (171), runs (124), homers (53), RBI (148), triple slash (.304/.398/680), and OPS (1.078). In total over six seasons for Kinshasa, Ngoie had 885 hits, 619 runs, 170 doubles, 248 home runs, 691 RBI, 268 stolen bases, a .277/.372/.582 slash, 158 wRC+, and 46.5 WAR.

Now 31-years old, Ngoie became a free agent after the 2000 season and switched sides in the great early Africa Series battles, signing six-years and $11,640,000 with Johannesburg. The Jackalopes had beaten the Sun Cats in the 1995 Africa Series, followed by Kinshasa wins over Johannesburg in 1998, 1999, and 2000.

Although Ngoie finished his career in South Africa, he still played a few more times for the DR Congo in the World Baseball Championship. In total from 1995-2004, he had 76 games and 72 starts with 66 hits, 46 runs, 11 doubles, 26 home runs, 49 RBI, a .249/.332/.600 slash, 168 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR.

Ngoie won a Silver Slugger in 2001 for Johannesburg despite missing six weeks to a fractured wrist. The Jackalopes won their fourth straight conference title, but again lost the Africa Series to Kinshasa. Ngoie had a good showing in 12 playoff games going 13-45 with 4 homers, 8 RBI, and 7 runs.

The first seven years of Ngoie’s career had 5+ WAR each year. He still managed 4.7 in 2002 largely thanks to great defense, as his batting power dropped a bit. Johannesburg took first in the standings again, but lost to Antananarivo in the conference final. The Jackalopes missed the playoffs by four games in 2003, then posted five straight losing seasons after that.

Ngoie was still a good starter in 2003 with 3.5 WAR, but he became actively bad at the plate in 2004. He would eventually be benched after posting -1.1 WAR and 76 wRC+ over 88 games. The quick decline led Ngoie to retire that winter at only age 35. With Johannesburg, he had 413 hits, 302 runs, 82 doubles, 18 triples, 97 home runs, 302 RBI, 266 walks, a .242/.346/.482 slash, 126 wRC+, and 12.8 WAR.

The final tallies had 1298 hits, 921 runs, 252 doubles, 48 triples, 345 home runs, 993 RBI, 749 walks, 385 stolen bases, a .265/.363/.548 slash, 147 wRC+, and 59.3 WAR. Like many early-era guys, he was hurt by starting officially at age 25, losing a couple potentially great early 20s seasons. Ngoie’s sudden decline in his mid 30s also gave him low grand totals. It was also tough to evaluate for a new league trying to figure out its identity compared to other leagues.

Some voters felt Ngoie just didn’t play long enough as the first Hall of Fame candidates came up. But he had a lot working in his favor, including seven Silver Sluggers in eight years and a starring role in AAB’s first great dynasty. Ngoie would’ve made many top ten and top five lists during his prime years with the Sun Cats. Ngoie’s exploits and Kinshasa’s run played a huge role in growing baseball’s popularity throughout the Congo Basin region.

Ngoie debuted at 53.6% in 2010 and made little ground to 54.0% in 2011. He jumped to 62.0% in 2012, then was at 61.3% in 2013. In 2014, he just crossed the 66% line at 67.3% for the fifth ballot induction. With that, Ngoie was a fine choice to end up as the African Association’s first-ever Hall of Fame player.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-22-2024 11:33 AM

2014 World Baseball Championship

FuzzyRussianHat

09-22-2024 05:42 PM

2014 in E2L

FuzzyRussianHat

09-23-2024 08:08 AM

2014 in AAB

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In 2013, Johannesburg ended a four-year stretch of losing seasons, but still finished three games short of the playoffs. In 2014, the Jackalopes took the top spot in the Southern Conference at 96-66. It was their first playoff appearance since 2008 and their first time atop the standings since 2002. Their 905 runs scored was the most in the African Association of Baseball by a healthy margin. The only other team above 800 was Cape Town with 854, but they also allowed 858 for an 80-82 season.

Harare repeated as the second place team, although they needed a tiebreaker game over Antananarivo to do it. With the 163rd game, the Hustlers were 89-74 and the Eagles were 88-75. Harare’s pitching staff set new AAB records for fewest walks (367) and best BB/9 (2.26). Two-time defending conference champ Lusaka collapsed and saw their four-year playoff streak ended. The Lake Monsters were 73-89 in ninth place, their first losing season since 2007.

Cape Town RF Ange Ndikuriyo won Southern Conference MVP and posted only the third hitting Triple Crown in AAB history. In only his third season, the 22-year old Rwandan lefty led in runs (133), hits (207), doubles (60), home runs (64), RBI (179), total bases (459), average (.352), slugging (.781), OPS (1.197), wRC+ (200), and WAR (9.9). The 179 RBI fell one short of Mwarami Tale’s record 180 from 2009.

Ndikuriyo did achieve something never done in any world league before or since, getting both 60+ home runs and 60+ doubles in the same season. Only a small smattering in the higher-offense leagues in later years could claim both marks in separate seasons. Despite that, his OPS ranked only as the sixth-best AAB season to that point and sits 14th in 2037.

Taking Pitcher of the Year was Antananarivo’s Vasile Russu, a 24-year old Moldovan lefty. He started his career as a teenage amateur in Europe, but was a prospect trade from Barcelona in the brief window that EBF and AAB teams could trade with each other. Russu debuted in 2012 for the Eagles and was a legit ace by his second year. In his third season, Russu posted a 2.56 ERA, 15-6 record, and 266 strikeouts over 193 innings with 6.4 WAR and a 170 ERA+.

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Six-time defending Africa Series champ and eight-time defending Central Conference champ Addis Ababa grew their streak of first place finishes to nine. At 94-68, it was the weakest season of their remarkable playoff run. Nairobi repeated as the second place finisher, three back at 91-71.

It was a five game drop to Kinshasa and Kampala tied for third at 86-76. It was the second-best ever season for the Peacocks, who remain one of three AAB teams yet to record a playoff berth. Mogadishu was also in the hunt for a bit, finishing fifth at 84-78.

Veteran Nairobi catcher Steven Isaac won Central Conference MVP in his 11th season with the Night Hawks. Still only 29, the Ugandan was the WARlord at 7.4 and posted 36 home runs, 91 RBI, and a .329/.387/.625 slash. It was the fourth season with an OPS above one for Isaac, a rare feat by a catcher. The prior June, Nairobi extended him for eight seasons and $100,200,000 to remain a franchise icon.

Pitcher of the Year was Kinshasa’s Girma Kedir in a breakout season. The 28-year old Ethiopian had been only okay in his first five seasons with Durban, who traded him to the Sun Cats in February 2014. Kedir led in ERA (3.12), innings (265.1), quality starts (24), and complete games (13). Kedir also had a 15-14 record, 279 strikeouts, 129 ERA+, and 6.9 WAR. Kinshasa gave him a four-year, $11,660,000 extension in the winter, but he’d never regain elite form in later years.

In the Southern Conference Championship, #2 seed Harare outlasted Johannesburg in a seven game classic, giving the Hustlers their second pennant (2010). Meanwhile, the Addis Ababa dynasty officially came to an end with a 4-3 upset by Nairobi in the Central Conference Championship. The Night Hawks became only the fifth of the ten teams in the conference to win the pennant in 20 seasons since the Brahmas and Kinshasa had largely monopolized the title.

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The 20th Africa Series was guaranteed to crown the ninth unique franchise as AAB champion. The series needed all nine games, but Harare prevailed in a classic over Nairobi. It was only the sixth time that the Southern Conference champ won it all due to the before mentioned dynasties.

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A masterful postseason by 2B Fani Ngambi led the way, as the 33-year old South African was both Africa Series and conference finals MVP. In his seventh year with the Hustlers, Ngambi had 25 hits, 15 runs, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homer, 14 RBI, 7 walks, 18 stolen bases, a .424/.471/.678 slash, and 1.149 OPS over 15 playoff starts. He set the AAB playoff record for hits and stolen bases. He would get passed once for the hits mark, but the steals mark remains the AAB record in 2037 and is tied for the world record in any league’s postseason.

Pitcher Bahujnana Kaimal also had a historic postseason run for Harare with a 0.34 ERA over four starts and 26.2 innings, which remains the ERA record for any AAB playoff run with 15+ innings. The 31-year old Mauritian had 23 strikeouts, a 1289 ERA+, 1.2 WAR, 19 hits allowed, and 4 walks.

Other notes: The third Perfect Game in AAB history came from Dar es Salaam’s Kikanda Mumba on June 24 with 16 strikeouts against Luanda. As of 2037, that was the highest strikeout total of AAB’s five perfectos. Paul Lambote became the second pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts, behind only career leader Joel Mwasesa’s 3583.

Luke Tembo and Mwarami Tale became the third and fourth members of the 700 home run club. Tembo joined Tale and three others with 1500 career RBI. Tale and Fani Ngambi both crossed 2000 hits, making it eight AAB batters to reach the mark. Tale had been a big part of Addis Ababa’s dynasty since signing with them in 2010. He’d be back to free agency though for 2015 and at age 34 would ink a four-year, $46,000,000 deal with Johannesburg.

Felix Chaula won his 13th Silver Slugger as an outfielder. He had also departed the Brahmas dynasty, signing with Mogadishu in 2014 at age 38. Tale won his ninth Silver Slugger in center field. SS Joaquim Artur won his eighth Gold Glove, a record for the position. SS Said Tesfaye won his eighth straight Silver Slugger, also a position record.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-23-2024 12:37 PM

2014 in ALB

Arab League Baseball surprised some observers by lowering their requirement for free agency from eight service years down to seven. This put ALB more in the middle ground relative to the other world leagues. Beisbol Sudamerica had the most restrictive at that point with 10 years, while the most generous was the Oceania Baseball Association at five years.

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Damascus shocked the Arab World by taking the Western Conference’s top seed and the Levant Division at 96-66. The Dusters entered the season as one of only three franchises without a single playoff berth. Damascus had been so poor that their only two winning seasons came two decades prior in 1992 and 1993. Their 20 year stretch of losing seasons was the longest in ALB history and one of the all-time worsts in any league.

Reigning conference champ Alexandria won the Nile Division for the fourth straight season. The Astronauts dropped from 107 wins to 91-71, but still held off Giza by six games. Cairo, who missed the playoffs last year despite 97 wins, fell to 79-83. Alexandria’s pitching staff notably set conference records for strikeouts (1870) and K/9 (11.38) which both still hold as of 2037.

Tripoli secured a third straight Mediterranean Division title. The Privateers finished 87-75, topping their closest foe Algiers at 80-82. Casablanca was 78-84, which was the first time in their storied franchise history that they posted three consecutive losing seasons. The Bruins couldn’t turn it around despite having the second richest payroll in ALB at over $89.3 million. Top seed Damascus by comparison had a $42.8 million payroll, the second lowest in the league.

Khartoum was an unremarkable 75-87, yet they boasted the Western Conference’s MVP and Pitcher of the Year. The former was 1B Ali Jassem, who repeated as MVP. The 26-year old Kuwaiti lefty smacked 70 home runs, falling two short of Tarek Abdel Rahman’s record from 2010. Jassem was only the third in ALB history to reach 70, joining world home run king Nordine Soule.

Jassem also led in runs (115), RBI (139), total bases (444), slugging (.764), OPS (1.149), wRC+ (219), and WAR (10.2). He also had a .343 batting average, falling eight points shy of a Triple Crown. The Cottonmouths would extend their slugger after the 2015 season with an eight-year, $74,600,000 deal.

While Jassem missed the Triple Crown, his teammate Mohei Awad did not. It was only the sixth Triple Crown by an ALB pitcher and the first since 2007. The 28-year old Egyptian lefty had a 21-4 record, 1.64 ERA, and 296 strikeouts over 241.1 innings. Awad also led with 28 quality starts, 8.9 WAR, and a 227 ERA+. He pitched one more year for Khartoum, then got the bag in MLB with a massive seven-year, $140,900,000 deal with Chicago.

Tripoli upset Alexandria 2-0 in the first round, sending the Privateers to their second Western Conference Final in three years. Top seed Damascus would keep their magical season going though, taking the WCF 3-1 for their first pennant.

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Defending ALB champ Jeddah earned the Eastern Conference’s top seed at 103-59. The Jackals won their fourth straight Saudi Division title, pulling 15 games away from a solid 88-74 Medina. Abu Dhabi won the Gulf Division for the third straight year with their 89-73 mark eight games better than their closest foe Dubai.

In the Iraq Division, last year’s top seed Sulaymaniyah tied for first with Baghdad at 86-76, while Mosul was close behind at 84-78. The Brown Bears won the tiebreaker game for their first-ever playoff berth. Baghdad’s own streak of losing seasons rivaled Damascus at 19 years entering 2014. This leaves the Western Conference’s Tunis as the only ALB team without a single playoff berth through its first 25 seasons.

Basra was a mediocre 72-90, but their first baseman Mohamed Hassan won Eastern Conference MVP. It was the second in three years for the 23-year old Egyptian lefty, who is already in his fifth season. Hassan led in homers (60), RBI (132), runs (118), total bases (440), slugging (.722), OPS (1.104), wRC+ (194), and 9.7 WAR). His .340 batting average was second-best, 13 points from a Triple Crown. Hassan eventually got his long-term deal in 2016 from the Bulldogs worth $139,400,000 over eight years.

Jeddah’s Herdi Wahib won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it in 2011. The 27-year old Palestinian lefty was only two ERA points short of his own Triple Crown with a 2.47 ERA, 18-7 record, and 389 strikeouts. The 389 Ks sits as the seventh-most in a season by an ALB pitcher. Wahib also led in WAR (10.1), quality starts (24), complete games (11), shutouts (6), and FIP- (55) with a 159 ERA+.

The Jackals would give Wahib a seven-year, $104,000,000 extension in March 2016. They had a strong pitching staff altogether as Nour Al-Haj won his third Reliever of the Year, becoming the sixth pitcher to win the award thrice. The Lebanese righty had 249 saves in nine seasons with the Jackals, although he’d sign a free agent deal in the winter with Baghdad.

Abu Dhabi edged Baghdad 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, giving the Destroyers their third Eastern Conference Final appearance in five years. The defending champ Jeddah sank their battleship easily though with a sweep.

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Damascus was the feel-good story, but Jeddah denied them the ultimate prize 4-2 in the 25th Arab League Championship. The Jackals became the fifth team to repeat as ALB champ, joining Medina (1992-93), Casablanca (1994-95), Mosul (1998-99), and Amman (2009-10).

https://i.imgur.com/b3LjTSu.png

Finals MVP was veteran catcher Anees Samaka, who signed with Jeddah in 2014 after bouncing between EBF, MLB, E2L, and ALB in the prior six seasons. The 33-year old Algerian journeyman had nine playoff starts with 9 hits, 7 runs, 1 double, 4 home runs, and 5 RBI.

Other notes: 2014 marked the final season for the legendary Nordine Soule, who played his final two years with Casablanca after winning seven MVPs with Basra. The world’s home run king also made history in 2014 by crossing 2500 career RBI. He retired with 2518, which was the most by any player within any one league. Soule was second in the world behind Prometheo Garcia, who had 2618 between CABA and MLB.

At retirement, Soule had 1073 home runs, 2518 RBI, 3339 hits, 2162 runs, 3056 games, 10,846 at-bats, 7334 total bases, and 153.5 WAR. As of 2037, each of those stats are still ALB’s all-time best. Soule’s 1.064 OPS was only behind Mohammed Mohamed’s 1.076 at retirement. While the Comoran lefty would eventually surrender the world homer king crown, Soule’s crown as ALB’s all-time best slugger is generally undisputed.

Baghdad’s Mohamed Mansour drew 110 walks, topping the previous ALB record of 106. Mansour’s mark remains the record as of 2037. Mohamed Aziz and Mahmoud Abbas became the seventh and eighth to reach 2500 career hits. Abbas and Mohammad Al-Munibi became the seventh and eighth to 1500 RBI. Aziz became the fourth to cross 1500 runs scored and Abbas became the fifth member of the 600 homer club.

Al-Munibi won his seventh Silver Slugger at third base. 2B Mohamed Mustafa won his eighth at second base. Abdullah Al-Tamtami became the third pitcher to reach 3500 strikeouts.

FuzzyRussianHat

09-23-2024 07:19 PM

2014 in ABF

The Asian Baseball Federation increased the minimum service years requirement for free agents from six years to seven. The previous six had been one of the lowest of any world league, while seven puts them in the median.

https://i.imgur.com/XyxnPZE.jpeg

Faisalabad repeated as both the South Division champ and the East League’s top seed at 99-63. The Fire grew their playoff streak to five seasons. In the North Division, Dushanbe (90-72) narrowly edged Asgabat (89-73). The Dynamo earned repeat playoff berths, while the Alphas ended a five-year postseason drought. Last year’s North Division champ Tashkent was a non-factor at 73-89.

Reigning ABF champ Hyderabad would narrowly earn the second wild card at 85-77, growing their playoff streak to four seasons. The Horned Frogs were two ahead of Lahore, four better than Karachi, and five ahead of Kabul. Although Bishkek hadn’t made the playoff since 2010, they hadn’t posted a losing season since joining ABF 2000. That run ended with a 67-95 record in 2014, the worst season for the Black Sox since 1959.

Dushanbe shortstop Nizami Aghazade won his third straight East League MVP. Still in only his third season, the 26-year old Kazakh righty led in the triple slash (.339/.435/.630), OPS (1.064), wRC+ (231), WAR (13.3), total bases (345), home runs (42), and runs (105). His 102 RBI was two shy of his second Triple Crown. Aghazade now has three consecutive 13+ WAR efforts to start his career.

Pitcher of the Year was Musa Ismayilov in his second year with Hyderabad. This was the one notable season for the 27-year old Uzbek righty, who led in WHIP (0.81), and shutouts (7). Ismayilov also had a 1.95 ERA over 244.2 innings, 288 strikeouts, 16-7 record, 156 ERA+, and 4.6 WAR. This was only the second time in ABF history that the POTY winner had less than 5 WAR.

Faisalabad ousted defending champ Hyderabad 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, while Asgabat upset Dushanbe with a road sweep. This was the first-time the Alphas had been to the East League Championship Series since joining ABF with their most recent LCS coming in the 1999 Eurasian Professional Baseball season. Top seed Faisalabad was in their first ELCS since winning the 2011 ABF title. The Fire would secure their second pennant, winning 4-2 over Asgabat.

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The West League was loaded in the Central Division, led again by two-time defending WL champ Baku. The Blackbirds at 104-58 earned their sixth division title in-a-row and third straight 100+ win season. They had to fend off a strong effort from Tehran at 100-62, who earned their fourth straight wild card. The Tarpons earned repeat 100+ win seasons as well. The division also had 96-66 Mashhad who earned their third straight wild card.

Over in the Turkish Division, 91-71 ended a long run of futility for Adana. The Axemen ended a 12-year playoff drought with only their second winning season in that stretch. Adana held off Istanbul (86-80) and last year’s division winner Ankara (82-80).

Mashhad’s Ahour Sabbari won West League MVP with ABF’s best two-way season to date. The 24-year old Iranian lefty played the outfield offensively and in 102 games and 96 starts had 6.8 WAR, a .296/.371/.575 slash, 183 wRC+, 26 home runs, and 46 stolen bases. On the mound, Sabbari had a 2.75 ERA over 251.2 innings, 16-13 record, 284 strikeouts, 115 ERA+, and 5.2 WAR. The Mercury rewarded him with an eight-year, $61,400,000 deal to remain with the squad after the 2015 season.

Tabriz’s Gevorg Qasimov won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors. The 29-year old Uzbek also became only the third ABF pitcher to win the award four times, having also done it in 2008 and 2010. In 2014, Qasimov led in ERA (1.79), strikeouts (337), WHIP (0.74), K/BB (11.2), shutouts (8), and WAR (9.0). He also had a 21-5 record in 247 innings and a 181 ERA+. Qasimov would get the bag the following spring on a six-year, $62,500,000 extension with the Tiger Sharks. Sadly, he’d suffer major injuries that effectively put him out of the game before turning 33.

Mashhad shocked Baku with a 3-2 upset in the first round, giving the Mercury their first West League Championship Series appearance since 2007. Adana knocked off Tehran 3-1 for their first WLCS since 2001. Mashhad then rolled to a sweep of the Axemen for their fourth pennant (1990, 1992, 1994, 2014).

https://i.imgur.com/qi20qJx.png

The 30th Asian Baseball Federation Championship lacked drama as Faisalabad swept Mashhad, giving the Fire their second title in four years. 2011 league MVP Rafkat Kudaybergenov was finals MVP in his tenth season for Faisalabad. The 28-year old Uzbek first baseman in 15 playoff starts had 20 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, and 14 RBI. It was the first sweep in the ABF Championship since 2008.

https://i.imgur.com/RVbxQ2z.png

Other notes: Gaziantep had a historically bad offense with 448 runs scored, the second-worst in West League history behind only Tabriz’ 443 in 1989. The Gorillas set all-time WL worsts in slugging (.310), and doubles (195) and had the second-most strikeouts (1793). Izmir was also lousy with the fewest homers in WL history (61). Their .311 slugging would’ve been the new league worst if not for Gaziantep.

Petri Viskari became the sixth member of the 500 home run club. Borzoo Atashi became the 11th to reach 2000 hits. Khalil Shaan was the seventh pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. 3B Shaheed Abbas won his tenth straight Gold Glove, becoming the first ABF player at any position to win the award ten times. 2B Mehrdad Javadi and CF Ziad Tarkhan both won their seventh Silver Slugger in a row.

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