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FuzzyRussianHat

12-13-2024 11:45 AM

2021 CABA Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

12-13-2024 05:53 PM

2021 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

East Asia Baseball’s 2021 Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with three players getting 94% or above in their ballot debuts. OF Koji Iwasaki led the way at 99.4%, joined by SP Dong-Hyun Jung with 98.7% and OF Dong-Uk Choi with 94.0%. The best returner was SP Jong-Hyeon Chung with 52.2% on his second ballot. No other players were above 50%.

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SP Nazonokusa Mori fell off the ballot after ten failed attempts, getting as close at 58.3% in 2016 before ending at a low of 30.1%. Mori had a 16-year career between three teams and was part of Kitakyushu’s EAB Championship three-peat from 1992-94. Mori had a 211-164 record, 3.17 ERA, 3615 innings, 3375 strikeouts, 705 walks, 106 ERA+, and 70.4 WAR. He had nice longevity and accumulations, but was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist and lacked black ink.

RF Pikushi Tamaki also was dropped from the ballot, peaking with his 31.2% debut but ending at only 3.5%. He was cursed by injuries after an electric start to his career with Kyoto, winning MVPs in 1993 and 1995 with 10+ WAR seasons. Tamaki’s 1993 at age 24 saw an impressive 135 runs, 63 homers, 133 RBI, 1.102 OPS, and 230 wRC+.

Unfortunately, Tamaki suffered a PCL tear at age 30 and a broken knee cap at age 33. He finished with 1715 hits, 954 runs, 267 doubles, 129 triples, 386 home runs, 989 RBI, 387 stolen bases, a .288/.343/.570 slash, 173 wRC+, and 73.0 WAR. Tamaki certainly seemed on his way to a Hall of Fame career early on, but he sadly couldn’t stay on the field.

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Koji Iwasaki – Outfield/First Base – Osaka Orange Sox – 99.4% First Ballot

Koji Iwasaki was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed corner outfielder and first baseman from Nishinomiya, Japan; a city of around 484,000 inhabitants in the Hyogo Prefecture. Iwasaki was a prolific home run hitter whose power at his peak was graded by many scouts as a 10/10. He had a 12-year streak of 40+ home run seasons and topped 60+ four times. Along with that, Iwasaki was a generally above average to good contact hitter. He was decent at drawing walks, but did struggle with strikeouts.

Iwasaki was an absolute beast against right-handed pitching with a career 207 wRC+ and 1.030 OPS. Against lefties, he had a 123 wRC+ and .742 OPS. Iwasaki struggled against lefties in his 30s, but was still solid against them in his prime. His power was solely concentrated on dingers, as his 162 game average got you only 19 doubles and 9 triples. Unlike many prototypical sluggers, Iwasaki had average speed and baserunning skills.

45% of Iwasaki’s career starts came in right field with the rest almost evenly split between left field and first base. He graded as a putrid outfielder and a mediocre first baseman. Iwasaki would’ve been a perfect fit for the designated hitter, but he played his entire career in the Japan League where that wasn’t an option. He would run into some recurring back issues, but had good durability over a 20-year career. Iwasaki was very popular between his dingers and being a respected team captain. He had excellent leadership skills and a tireless work ethic with few in the league being more universally liked amongst players and fans alike.

Iwasaki attended Kyushu Sangyo University in Fukuoka and quickly emerged as a top prospect heading into EAB’s 1995 Draft. He was picked third overall by Saitama, playing 110 games and starting 41 in his rookie year. Iwasaki was a full-time starter in his second season, but missed the second half of the year to a fractured ankle. He had a full load in 1998 and started a 12-year streak of 40+ home run seasons.

From 1999-2002, Iwasaki had arguably the most impressive power run in EAB history. All four seasons he led in home runs, RBI, total bases, and slugging percentage. Each year had 62+ homers, 135+ RBI, and 400+ bases. Iwasaki also led in runs scored in both 1999 and 2002. He had the top OPS and wRC+ from 2000-02, led in WAR in both 2001 and 2002, and led in OBP in 2002.

Iwasaki smacked 71 home runs in 2001, falling one short of Tsukasa Kato’s record of 72. 2001 also had his career best WAR (10.0) and total bases (440). Iwasaki’s best runs tally was 125 in 1999. 2000 saw his highest RBI mark (146) while 2002 featured his best triple slash (.344/.404/.784), OPS (1.188), and wRC+ (256). He won a Silver Slugger all four years, playing first base in the initial three seasons and left field in the fourth.

Only the first three of these four seasons came with Saitama. Iwasaki was third in 1999 MVP voting, won the award in 2000, and took second in 2001. Despite his efforts, the Sting remained aggressively mid. Saitama averaged 79.8 wins per season during Iwasaki’s run, which was part of what was ultimately a 44-year playoff drought. In total for Saitama, Iwasaki had 833 hits, 531 runs, 114 doubles, 269 home runs, 577 RBI, a .303/.359/.672 slash, 210 wRC+, and 38.7 WAR.

Saitama finished 88-74 in 2001, which was their highest win total since 1977. They missed the playoffs by only two games, but their ownership was notoriously cheap. Free agency wasn’t too far away for Iwasaki and the Sting didn’t want to pay anyone big money. Knowing Iwasaki was likely to command a top level salary, Saitama traded him in spring training 2002 to Osaka for prospects Hideo Sawada and Seung-Jun You. The former ended up being a decent starting pitcher for a few years and the latter never started a game.

Iwasaki’s dominance continued with his second MVP win in his 2002 debut for Osaka. The Orange Sox won the Japan League title, but lost the EAB Championship to Incheon. Iwasaki was JLCS MVP with 22 hits, 18 runs, 6 doubles, 8 homers, and 14 RBI over 17 starts. Osaka wasn’t sure if he’d be a rental initially, but they were able to lock Iwasaki down in the winter to an eight-year, $77,300,000 extension.

He never reached the heights of that four year stretch again, but Iwasaki did hit 40+ homers in the next seven years for Osaka. He led in total bases, slugging, and OPS in 2003, but wasn’t a league leader after that. Iwasaki did top 7+ twice more with the Orange Sox and provided regular power. Osaka won additional division titles in 2003, 2005, and 2006.

The Orange Sox had the #1 seed in 2003 at 109-53, but were upset in the first round by Niigata. Osaka got in at 87-75 in 2005, but went on a surprise run to another JL pennant. They would fall to Seoul in the EAB Championship. The Orange Sox then had a first round loss in 2006. After an awesome 2002 run, Iwasaki was subpar in the 2003 and 2005 playoffs. He missed the 2006 run because of a late season herniated disc.

Iwasaki did take third in MVP voting in 2006 and won his fifth and final Silver Slugger in 2008 (his lone Slugger in right field). All the while, he regularly played for Japan in the World Baseball Championship. From 1998-2010, Iwasaki played 128 games and started 102 with 105 hits, 80 runs, 51 home runs, 95 RBI, a .261/.346/.692 slash, and 6.8 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks fifth among all Japanese position players in WAR, fourth in homers, and seventh in RBI. Iwasaki is also the only player to have started 100+ WBC games for Japan while maintaining an OPS above one (1.038).

In the 2002 WBC, Iwasaki was second in MVP voting with 27 hits, 21 runs, 12 home runs, 23 RBI, and 2.1 WAR over 19 starts. Japan finished fourth that year and took third in 2005. In 2006, the Japanese won their second-ever world title by defeating Germany in the final. Iwasaki had 13 hits, 11 runs, 9 homers, and 22 RBI in the 2006 run with 23 games and 14 starts. His power and leadership in the WBC helped solidify Iwasaki as one of favorite baseball sons in the nation.

Osaka dropped to 66-96 in 2008, which started a five-year stretch at the bottom of the standings. Iwasaki’s contract expired after the 2010 season, making him a free agent for the first time heading towards age 37. Although his 40 homer streak had ended in 2010, he still had suitors. Iwasaki singed a three-year, $21,400,000 deal with Hiroshima.

Iwasaki had 4.0 WAR and 46 homers in his first year with the Hammerheads, then had 33 dingers with 2.2 WAR in 2012. Hiroshima won a weak division with 83 wins in 2013, but stunned the playoff field by winning the Japan League pennant. They dropped the EAB Championship to Goyang. Iwasaki recaptured some of the playoff magic of the 2002 run, starting 13 games with 13 hits, 11 runs, 7 homers, 10 RBI, and a .995 OPS. He would be merely decent in the Baseball Grand Championship with a .771 OPS, 117 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. The Hammerheads finished 9-10 in the BGC.

While with Hiroshima, Iwasaki became the 11th member of the 700 home run club and the 36th to 1500 RBI; reaching both milestones in the same week in early July. He didn’t meet the criteria for the third year of his deal with the Hammerheads, becoming a free agent again. In his two seasons, Iwasaki saw 227 hits, 159 runs, 79 homers, 169 RBI, a .815 OPS, 149 wRC+, and 6.2 WAR.

Coming up on age 39, Osaka brought Iwasaki back in 2013 on a one-year, $6,200,000 deal. A strained PCL cost him part of the season, but he still managed 21 homers, a .902 OPS, and 2.5 WAR over 107 games. The Orange Sox decided to give Iwasaki a three-year, $23,800,000 extension in the winter. In 2014, Iwasaki became only the third member of the 800 home run club. He had 28 dingers and 2.2 WAR over 145 games.

In 2015, Iwasaki was relegated exclusively to a pinch hitting role, playing 105 games but only starting 6. He posted 5 homers and 0.5 WAR, but Osaka did end their playoff drought. They lost in the first round with Iwasaki going 3-4 with a homer and RBI. Iwasaki retired with that at age 41 and the Orange Sox immediately retired his #5 uniform. Between the two runs with Osaka, Iwasaki saw 1520 hits, 924 runs, 185 doubles, 87 triples, 465 home runs, 1006 RBI, 401 walks, a .280/.335/.604 slash, 179 wRC+, and 55.5 WAR.

For his career, Iwasaki had 2738 games, 2580 hits, 1614 runs, 327 doubles, 144 triples, 813 home runs, 1746 RBI, 680 walks, 222 stolen bases, a .282/.337/.617 slash, 185 wRC+, and 100.4 WAR. As of 2037, Iwasaki ranks 6th in home runs, 18th in RBI, 21st in runs, 85th in hits, and 30th in WAR among position players. Among EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Iwasaki’s .954 OPS is 38th and his slugging percentage ranks 14th.

Iwasaki’s hitting efficiency ranks quite highly. Among all world Hall of Famers in 2037, he’s one of only 42 whose career wRC+ is 184 or better. He also ranks 47th in world history for home runs. Iwasaki’s other deficiencies lower him when discussing the absolute inner circle of EAB Hall of Famers. However, he easily ranks among the absolute best power hitters and was a slam dunk Hall of Famer. In a loaded three-player 2021 class, Iwasaki had the highest percentage with a near unanimous 99.4%.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-14-2024 06:08 AM

2021 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Dong-Hyun Jung – Starting Pitcher – Seongnam Spiders – 98.7% First Ballot

Dong-Hyun Jung was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from the capital of South Korea, Seoul. Jung boasted excellent stuff along with above average to good movement and control. He had an excellent 97-99 mph fastball, but his most dangerous pitch was a filthy knuckle curve. Jung also had a very good sinker and an okay changeup in his arsenal.

One downside is that Jung had low stamina relative to most EAB aces, although his durability was strong enough to still get you 200+ innings generally. He was also poor at holding runners and defense. Jung often coasted by on his natural talents, as he was criticized for a lack of work ethic, intelligence, and loyalty. Still, when his fastball and knuckle curve were working, Jung was one of the toughest pitchers to hit against in the Korea League.

Jung’s talent was noticed quickly as a teenager and he was inked to a developmental deal by Seongnam in August 1996. He spent most of the next four years in the Spiders’ academy, officially debuting in 2000 at age 21 with 11.1 relief innings. Jung saw 44.2 innings mostly in relief in 2001 and tossed 3.1 scoreless playoff innings. Seongnam lost in the first round, but it marked the start of a five-year playoff streak. Jung was a part-time starter with very promising results in 2002, although he got rocked in his one playoff start by allowing six runs in 3.1 innings. The Spiders won the North Division at 104-58, but were upset in the first round by Daegu.

2003 was Jung’s first full-time year in the rotation and it was an impressive one, winning Pitcher of the Year honors with an ERA title (1.99). He also led in WHIP (0.89), K/BB (9.0), FIP- (59), and WAR (8.1). Jung then had an outstanding playoff run as Seongnam beat Incheon in the KLCS and defeated Niigata in the EAB Championship. In 38.1 playoff innings, Jung saw a 4-1 record, 1.17 ERA, 44 strikeouts, 4 walks, and 2.05 WAR. His WAR mark is the second-best in EAB playoff history behind only Ju-Eon Eun’s 2.26 from 1984.

Seongnam rewarded Jung that winter with a five-year, $18,560,000 extension. He led in strikeouts (292) and WHIP (0.91) in 2006 and topped 7+ WAR thrice more for the Spiders. Jung was second in 2007’s POTY voting with 8.6 WAR, his career best with Seongnam. He remained a strong playoff performer, although the Spiders didn’t claim any more pennants. They lost in the 2004 and 2008 KLCS and had a first round defeat in 2005. Seongnam missed the playoffs in 2006 and 2007.

In the playoffs for Seongnam, Jung finished with a 7-4 record, 2.15 ERA, 83.2 innings, 103 strikeouts, 178 ERA+, and 3.4 WAR. His dominance in the 2003 championship especially earned him a spot in the hearts of many Spiders fans. Jung’s #9 uniform would be retired at the end of his career. With Seongnam, Jung had a 112-49 record, 2.61 ERA, 1507.2 innings, 1812 strikeouts, 235 walks, 146 ERA+, and 46.9 WAR.

Jung’s production dipped a bit in his last year with Seongnam at 4.8 WAR, although he led for the third time in WHIP. His contract expired and the Spiders let him leave for free agency heading towards age 30. Jung would sign a six-year, $53,400,000 deal with Busan. He immediately lived up to the deal, winning his second Pitcher of the Year award in his debut season. On April 6, he tossed his lone no-hitter with eight strikeouts and three walks against Gwangju.

In 2009, Jung led the KL with career bests in wins (20-3), ERA (1.84), WHIP (0.82), quality starts (27), ERA+ (204), and WAR (10.9). He also had a career high 330 strikeouts, falling 13 short of a Triple Crown season. This led the Blue Jays to the top seed at 106-56 and a Korea League pennant, although they fell to 117-win Nagoya in the EAB Championship. Jung again was a postseason beast with a 1.51 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 35.2 innings.

Jung led in WHIP again in 2011 and had 5.8 and 6.0 WAR in the next two seasons. Busan again was division champ in 2010, but went one-and-done despite Jung’s quality start. The Blue Jays fell short of the playoffs by two games in 2012. Jung’s work ethic though was rubbing some within the organization the wrong way. Just before the start of the 2012 regular season, he was traded to Sapporo for three prospects. One of them, OF Hideo Yamamoto, notably would be a strong starter for a decade for Busan.

With the Blue Jays in three seasons, Jung had a 53-22 record, 2.60 ERA, 748.2 innings, 883 strikeouts, 114 walks, 142 ERA+, and 22.7 WAR. His ERA suffered to a career worst 3.49 in 2012, but his 6.0 WAR and 69 FIP- suggested Jung was better than the ERA might suggest. In 2013, he returned to form by leading the Japan League with 7.4 WAR. Jung finished third in POTY voting, his final time as a finalist. Sapporo lost in the 2012 JLCS, then missed the playoffs in 2013.

Jung made it only three starts into the 2014 campaign before suffering a damaged elbow ligament, knocking him out for a calendar year. This was also the final season of his original Busan contract, putting his career in doubt. With Sapporo, he had a 28-16 record, 2.73 ERA, 445.1 innings, 522 strikeouts, 122 ERA+, and 13.9 WAR.

Now 36-years old, Jung signed a one-year deal with his hometown team Seoul. His control took a big hit from the injury but he was still passable, posting a 3.77 ERA over 186.1 innings, 181 strikeouts, 101 ERA+, and 3.9 WAR. Jung opted to retire that winter instead of looking for another new home.

Jung finished with a 205-101 record, 2.70 ERA, 2888 innings, 3398 strikeouts, 477 walks, 41 complete games, 10 shutouts, 137 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 87.5 WAR. As of 2037, Jung ranks 25th in pitching WAR, 64th in strikeouts, and 67th in wins. His 0.96 WHIP ranks 55th among all EAB pitchers with 1000+ innings. Jung didn’t have enough innings to get huge accumulations, but 200+ wins and 3000 Ks usually was enough for the traditionalist voters.

The playoff stats sealed it for Jung with a 1.97 ERA over 127.2 innings, 10-5 record, 144 strikeouts, 192 ERA+, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 9th in WAR, 18th in strikeouts, and 16th in wins in the playoffs. Jung is also one of only three pitchers to have 127+ playoff innings and an ERA below two. That made him a lock, receiving 98.7% as part of the impressive 2021 EAB Hall of Fame class.

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Dong-Uk Choi – Right Field – Daejeon Ducks – 94.0% First Ballot

Dong-Uk Choi was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Uiwang, South Korea; a city of around 155,000 within the Seoul Capital Area. Choi was known for having steady and reliable power in his bat, getting 36 home runs, 27 doubles, and 11 triples per his 162 game average. He combined solid slugging with impressive baserunning skills and good speed. Choi was a consistently solid contact hitter with an average eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Choi spent his first four seasons in center field, grading as a below average defender. He moved to right and made 2/3 of his career starts there, posting reliably above average defense. Choi had excellent durability, playing 130+ games in all 20 of his professional seasons. He was never the best at any one thing, but his steady above average to good skills across the board made Choi quietly one of the most productive players of his era.

That well-roundedness certainly impressed scouts as Choi thrived at Dankook University in Yongin. So much so that he was picked with the #1 overall pick by Daejeon in the 1995 EAB Draft. The Ducks had been competitive in the 1980s, but never made it over the playoff hump. Since then, they had fallen back to the bottom of the standings where they had historically dwelled. Choi helped them get back to .500 in 1997 and 85-77 in 1998, but they were back near the bottom by the turn of the millennium.

Choi was a full-time starter with merely decent results initially, although he did earn third in 1996’s Rookie of the Year voting. He broke out in 1998 with what would be career highs in home runs (47), total bases (367), and WAR (9.4). Choi won a Silver Slugger in center field and took second in MVP voting. He wouldn’t be an awards candidate for the rest of the Daejeon run, but did breach 4+ WAR thrice more.

With Daejeon, Choi finished with 939 hits, 516 runs, 123 doubles, 209 home runs, 514 RBI, 307 stolen bases, a .276/.322/.530 slash, 132 wRC+, and 31.2 WAR. It would narrowly be his longest run by games played, although not his most impactful or statistically impressive. Many were surprised that Choi was inducted in Ducks’ green. He wouldn’t be strongly associated with any one team though despite being broadly popular across South Korea.

Choi did represent his country from 1997-2009 in the World Baseball Championship with 124 games and 117 starts. He posted 93 hits, 62 runs, 19 doubles, 29 home runs, 73 RBI, 43 walks, 24 stolen bases, a .219/.290/.482 slash, 120 wRC+, and 3.0 WAR. Choi helped South Korea to a runner-up finish in 2003 and a fourth place effort in 2004.

After the 2001 season, Choi had one more year before being free agency eligible. Daejeon figured they wouldn’t be able to keep him and traded the 27-year old to Hiroshima for two prospects. The Hammerheads had won three consecutive division titles, but hadn’t been able to make it out of the first round of the playoffs. Choi had a strong 6.5 WAR debut season and looked good in his limited playoff action, although Hiroshima again went one-and-done. Still, they were satisfied with Choi and signed him to a four-year, $25,600,000 extension.

In 2003, Choi won his second Silver Slugger (first in RF) and took second in Japan League MVP voting. He had his second 40+ homer season (45) and led the JL with a 195 wRC+. He also had 8.3 WAR and his career best in batting average (.320), slugging (.633), and OPS (.996). Hiroshima’s playoff streak grew to five and they got to the JLCS, although they were bounced by Niigata. Choi’s playoff stats were underwhelming with a .626 OPS and 79 wRC+.

Hiroshima set a franchise record at 110-52 in 2004, but again was eliminated by the Green Dragons in the JLCS. Choi again struggled in the playoffs with a .537 OPS and -0.1 WAR over 12 games. He did better the next two years, but the Hammerheads went one-and-done both times despite repeat 100+ win efforts. Choi was second in 2005’s MVP voting and had his lone time leading a counting stat with a career-best 37 doubles. That season also had a career best 197 wRC+ with 8.8 WAR.

For Hiroshima, Choi had 863 hits, 457 runs, 140 doubles, 172 home runs, 508 RBI, 283 stolen bases, a .301/.348/.567 slash, 176 wRC+, and 36.0 WAR. For the playoffs, he had 34 games with a .283/.299/.441 slash, 119 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. Choi became a free agent for the first time at age 32 and returned to the Korea League on a five-year, $41,500,000 deal with Busan.

Choi earned repeat Silver Sluggers in 2007 and 2008 and averaged 6+ WAR per season in his five years with the Blue Jays. Busan ended a nine-year playoff drought in 2007 as a wild card, but lost in the first round. They missed the 2008 playoffs, then broke through at 106-56 in 2009. The Blue Jays won the Korea League title, but fell to a 117-win Nagoya in the EAB Championship. Choi was again surprisingly underwhelming in the playoff run with a .719 OPS, 89 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. Still, had secured the lone pennant of his career.

Busan made the playoffs again in 2010, but suffered a first round defeat. Notably with the Blue Jays, Choi hit for the cycle in 2009 against Bucheon on August 5. The next day, he had a three home run game versus the Bolts. Busan narrowly missed the playoffs in his final year there. With the Blue Jays, Choi had 887 hits, 493 runs, 147 doubles, 156 home runs, 494 RBI, 307 stolen bases, a .305/.355/.556 slash, 146 wRC+, and 30.5 WAR. Choi entered free agency again, this time at age 37.

Yongin signed Choi for two-years and $18,400,000 and he delivered his standard production in 2012 with 6.2 WAR over 159 games. The Gold Sox missed the playoffs by only one game. In 2013, Choi had a sluggish start in his first 15 games and Yongin traded him. He was sent to Ulsan for two prospects and quickly ended his slump. Choi saw 6.8 WAR for the Swallows and had a career high 129 RBI. He crossed the 600 home run and 3000 hit milestones with the Swallows. Ulsan had the #1 seed, but fell in the first round. That would be Choi’s final playoff games.

The one mark against his resume was the weaker postseason stats. For his career, Choi had 62 playoff games with 61 hits, 25 runs, 6 doubles, 6 triples, 6 home runs, 26 RBI, 22 stolen bases, a .265/.299/.422 slash, 105 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Yongin brought him back and he hit 40 home runs, a very rare feat for a guy who turned 40 in the summer. However, Choi’s 3.8 WAR was his lowest since the start of his career. Between Gold Sox stints, Choi had 9.8 WAR, 347 hits, 199 runs, 60 doubles, 72 home runs, 206 RBI, a .278/.319/.530 slash, and 129 wRC+

Choi had signed a two-year deal when returning with Yongin, but ended up traded again, this time in the offseason to Sapporo. He was still a respectable starter with 2.7 WAR and 134 wRC+ over 144 games for the Swordfish. He moved into the top five in hits and some wondered if he might try to stick around to chase milestones. However, Choi was satisfied with his career and retired that winter at age 41.

For his career, Choi had 3068 games, 3336 hits, 1839 runs, 507 doubles, 199 triples, 679 home runs, 1924 RBI, 834 walks, 1062 stolen bases, a .291/.338/.547 slash, 148 wRC+, and 117.0 WAR. Despite almost never being a league leader, Choi’s consistency and longevity gave him impressive spots on the leaderboards.

As of 2037, Choi ranks 10th in games played, 8th in hits, 9th in runs scored, 8th in total bases (6278), 23rd in doubles, 17th in home runs, 9th in RBI, 67th in walks drawn, 19th in stolen bases, 41st in caught stealing, and 15th in WAR among position players. Choi and Yu-Chan Jang are the only EAB players to have stolen 1000+ bases and hit 600+ home runs.

Amazingly, he pulled off such a remarkable resume without ever being particularly dominant and as someone rarely in the MVP conversation. Few if any EAB players provided more value in his era than Choi. He received 94.0% of the vote as the third member of a loaded 2021 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-14-2024 12:18 PM

2021 BSA Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

12-14-2024 06:21 PM

2021 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 1)

The European Baseball Federation had a three-player Hall of Fame class in 2021 with three strong debuts. 1B Carsten Dal was the clear headliner at 98.7%, although SP Geoffrey Hebert (84.8%) and LF Sergio Cipolla (83.2%) were by no means scrubs. 3B Isaad Dorgham nearly joined them on his sixth ballot, but missed the 66% requirement narrowly at 61.6%. Also cracking 50% was a debuting LF Andriy Boychuk at 57.2% and SP Martin Kukoc with 51.5% for his fifth ballot.

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3B Gottlob Kiefer was dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 47.1% in 2017. He won four Silver Sluggers with Rotterdam, but he lost out on some accumulations by playing his final five seasons between ABF and EPB. In EBF, Kiefer had 1737 hits, 867 runs, 241 doubles, 359 home runs, 1063 RBI, .307/.340/.558 slash, 150 wRC+, 52.3 WAR. EBF voters had put in some guys with lower accumulations, but Kiefer didn’t have the overwhelming dominance or awards those guys had to get across the line.

SP Jeremias Kohl also was removed after ten ballots, ending at 10.8% and peaking at 32.2% in 2014. He had a 14-year career with Athens and posted a 172-123 record, 3.27 ERA, 2652.1 innings, 2710 strikeouts, 510 walks, 117 ERA+, and 57.0 WAR. Kohl was steady, but was never a conference leader and lacked any notable accolades.

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Carsten “Genghis Khan” Dal – First Base – Munich Mavericks – 98.7% First Ballot

Carsten Dal was a 6’5’’, 195 pound left-handed first baseman from Lemvig, Denmark; a town of 6,800 in the North Jutland region. Dal was renowned for his incredible speed and baserunning ability, eventually becoming the world record holder for stolen bases. His lanky frame also allowed him to often stretch out and around incoming tags. Dal was also one of the most well respected men in the game. He was a hard-working team captain known for great leadership, loyalty, adaptability, and intelligence.

Dal was more than just a speedster, as he was a great contact hitter in his prime that was good at drawing walks and excellent at avoiding strikeouts. Dal’s gap power was solid and combined with his speed meant you’d get 26 doubles and 24 triples per his 162 game average. He wasn’t one to hit many home runs, reaching double-digits in only three seasons. However, dingers weren’t expected or required from a top flight leadoff man.

His offensive archetype isn’t what you’d typically associate with a career first baseman, but Dal played there exclusively. He graded as a reliably good-to-great defender. Dal never won a Gold Glove, but has the second-highest accumulated zone rating in EBF history. Strong durability also pushed him to a 22-year career where he rarely missed large chunks of the season.

Dal’s unique speed and skillset earned some attention even as a teenager in a small town in Denmark. A scout from Glasgow happened upon him and inked Dal to a developmental deal in June 1991. He spent a bit over three years in their academy in Scotland, then became a rare player to debut at age 19 in 1994. Dal was mostly a pinch runner and hitter, playing only 61 games and starting 17. The Highlanders gave him the starting job the next year, which he held for the next eight seasons.

All eight of those seasons, Dal was the Northern Conference leader in stolen bases. 1996 marked the start of an 11-year streak of 100+ stolen base seasons. His 135 steals in 1997 remains the EBF single-season record as of 2037. Dal also holds the 6th (126) and 7th (124) best single-seasons in EBF. He scored 140 runs in both 1997 and 1999, falling four short of the single-season EBF record. From 1996-2001 with Glasgow, he led five times in run scored and four times in triples. Each of his seasons in that run was also worth 6.5+ WAR.

Without the power numbers generally associated with first base, Dal never won a Silver Slugger despite his tallies. He was certainly an impact player for Glasgow, who gave him an eight-year, $34,760,000 extension after the 2000 season. In 1996, Dal posted a 31-game hitting streak and hit for the cycle. The Highlanders got a wild card that year and suffered a first round exit, but this started what would be a nine-year playoff streak for Glasgow. Each berth from 1997 onward saw a British Isles Division title.

Glasgow couldn’t get over the hump initially with Northern Conference Championship defeats in 1997, 1998, and 2000. They had the top seed with a then-franchise best 108-54 in 1999, but were upset in the first round. The Highlanders finally broke through in 2001, going 110-52 and winning the European Championship over Munich.

That run was Dal’s finest, getting 25 hits, 16 runs, 6 doubles, 4 triples, 12 steals, a .439/.492/.737 slash, 240 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR over 13 starts. Glasgow got back to the conference final in 2002 at 107-55, but was defeated by Kharkiv. In total for Glasgow, Dal had 63 playoff starts, 83 hits, 46 runs, 9 doubles, 11 triples, 5 homers, 20 RBI, 38 stolen bases, a .317/.370/.492 slash, 143 wRC+, and 2.9 WAR.

Dal’s time with Glasgow came to an abrupt end in January 2003, as he was traded to Munich for 2B Bastian Loffler and a prospect. With the Highlanders, Dal finished with 1611 hits, 969 runs, 215 doubles, 192 triples, 66 homers, 433 RBI, 903 stolen bases, a .324/.391/.485 slash, 147 wRC+, and 53.9 WAR. It was certainly his most impactful tenure, but the trade did leave some awkwardness between Dal and Glasgow. He had more WAR there than Munich narrowly, but would play more games and seasons with the Mavericks.

He suffered a broken collarbone in his first month in Munich, but quickly found his rhythm. Dal had 5+ WAR in each of his first five seasons with the Mavericks. 2004 was his strongest, leading in hits (222), triples (229), steals (124), and OBP (.436). Dal led in steals thrice more and in both runs and triples once more. Dal would become a part of Munich’s own decade-long playoff streak, which had started in 2001.

However, disappointments would define much of that run apart from their finals berth in 2001. Munich won 110 games in 2005, but lost to Vienna for the Southern Conference title. The Mavericks fell to Barcelona in the 2006 conference final, then lost in either the first or second round of the next four seasons. Dal’s playoff numbers for Munich were unremarkable with 52 starts, 51 hits, 33 runs, 3 doubles, 6 triples, 5 home runs, 23 RBI, 26 stolen bases, a .248/.295/.393 slash, 93 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR.

Dal was tenured though in the playoffs between Glasgow and Munich, playing 115 games with 134 hits, 79 runs, 12 doubles, 17 triples, 10 homers, 43 RBI, 64 stolen bases, a .286/.337/.449 slash, 121 wRC+, and 3.9 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 5th in EBF playoff runs, 7th in hits, and 2nd in steals.

Although his pro career took him elsewhere in Europe, Dal was also a regular for his native Denmark in the World Baseball Championship for his entire career. He played 157 games with 152 starts from 1996-2015, recording 149 hits, 106 runs, 20 doubles, 11 triples, 6 home runs, 39 RBI, 73 walks, 103 stolen bases, a .258/.349/.362 slash, 111 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR. He ranks 23rd in steals in WBC history as of 2037.

Munich gave Dal a five-year, $29,600,000 extension before the 2008 season. His production dropped a little bit, but he was still solid into his mid 30s. By the time his deal was running out, the Mavericks had fallen to the bottom of the standings. For his efforts though, Munich would later retire Dal’s #17 uniform. In 2010, Dal was the 7th to reach 3000 career hits. He was the 13th to 1500 runs scored in 2008, then became the fifth to 2000 runs in 2013.

He had become the EBF career stolen bases leader early in his Munich tenure, destroying Julien Lefebvre’s previous high mark of 1159. Dal started climbing towards the world stolen bases record of 1721 set by Ishmael Perla and broke it in 2010, finishing the season at 1728. Dal also broke Jacob Ronnberg’s EBF and world record for triples in 2013, passing the previous mark of 436. In addition, he had taken the singles EBF record while with the Mavericks, passing Sauncho Fiero’s 2344.

As time went on, Dal had a realistic shot at passing EBF’s hits and runs records, both held by Ronnberg. Dal would have to do it somewhere other than Munich, as his contract expired after the 2013 season heading towards age 39. With the Mavericks, he had 1878 hits, 1055 runs, 250 doubles, 251 triples, 74 home runs, 619 RBI, 574 walks, 1052 stolen bases, a .310/.373/.471 slash, 134 wRC+, and 52.9 WAR. Dal’s production had started to wane in his later years, plus most teams wanted a big bopper if they were going to sign an aging first baseman.

Vienna would give him a shot for 2014, where he became the second to 3500 hits in early April. A torn back muscle and other injuries kept him out roughly half the season, but Dal was still decent with 2.0 WAR over 79 games. He finished the year at 3580 hits, passing Ronnberg’s 3520 to become EBF’s hit king. Dal was at 2073 runs, nine away from Ronnberg’s record.

Dal signed with Birmingham in 2015 and eventually got benched, posting -0.3 WAR over 74 games. He scored 28 runs though to pass Ronnberg as EBF’s all-time leader. Dal still holds the runs mark as of 2037, although Francisco Cruz took the hit king title away only two years later. Dal also hoped to be the first-ever player to 2000 stolen bases, but fell five short. He thought about trying for another season to catch that mark, but instead retired after the 2015 campaign at age 40.

The final stats for Dal: 3039 games, 3633 hits, 2101 runs, 486 doubles, 457 triples, 150 home runs, 1097 RBI, 1136 walks, 1995 stolen bases, 911 caught stealing, .315/.378/.475 slash, 138 wRC+, and 108.5 WAR. As of 2037, Dal is still EBF’s’ all-time leader in runs scored and stolen bases. He ranks 4th in games, 3rd in hits, 14th in doubles, 2nd in triples, 2nd in singles (2540), 2nd in caught stealing, 10th in walks drawn, and 23rd in WAR among position players.

Dal is still the world record holder for stolen bases as of 2037 and is eighth in caught stealing. Two would pass him in triples, leaving him third on that list. Dal also is 22nd in world history in runs scored and 33rd in hits. He had a unique skillset that hasn’t been replicated in baseball history, although his lack of raw power numbers often rank him lower than you might expect when discussing the inner-circle of EBF Hall of Famers.

Considering his place on the leaderboards, many wouldn’t expect that Dal never won a Silver Slugger and never was an MVP finalist. Dal did at least have a championship ring with Glasgow and was part of two teams that had sustained playoff streaks. Regardless of where you rank Dal as a complete player in the EBF pantheon, you can credibly argue he was the best and most dangerous baserunner in professional baseball history. Dal headlined a strong three-player 2021 class for the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-15-2024 06:30 AM

2021 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Geoffrey “Toast” Hebert – Starting Pitcher – Luxembourg Lancers – 84.8% First Ballot

Geoffrey Hebert was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Dudelange, Luxembourg; a town of roughly 22,000 people. Hebert was the first Luxembourger to earn induction into EBF’s Hall of Fame. He was nicknamed “toast” due to his steadfast toast breakfast every day. Despite his talents, teammates often criticized Hebert for his selfishness, poor work ethic, and general lack of intelligence.

On the mound though, Hebert had excellent stuff and control along with above average movement. His fastball was quite solid, peaking at 95-97 mph. It was Hebert’s “Bugs Bunny changeup” that garnered most of his whiffs, rated among the best-ever changeups in the game. He also had a good curveball and forkball, plus an alright changeup, making Hebert a tough pitcher to solve when he was on his game.

Compared to most EBF aces, his stamina was considered average. Hebert was an ironman though who never got hurt, leading to a regular 230+ innings in every year that he was a full-time starter. He was considered good at holding runners and average defensively. Still, some detractors thought Hebert’s general lack of dedication prevented him from having an even more successful career.

In a small country like Luxembourg, the few promising prospects get a lot of attention domestically. The nation’s franchise took notice and signed Hebert to a developmental deal in January 1997. He spent four full years in the Lancers’ academy before debuting in 2001 at age 20 with 12 iffy starts. He started most of 2002 with average results, then was moved into the rotation full-time after that.

From 2004-06, Hebert led the Northern Conference each season in WAR. He peaked with 8.1 WAR in 2006, a year that also saw a conference-best 18-8 record and 0.87 WHIP. Hebert led in 2005 in K/BB (11.4), and quality starts (27). He didn’t lead in the other big counting stats, thus he didn’t get strong awards consideration. Hebert was a Pitcher of the Year finalist only once, taking second in 2006.

It was also hard to get attention in Luxembourg, one of EBF’s smallest markets and member countries. The Lancers had been lousy for the 1990s and most of the 1980s. In 2006, they did end a 23-year playoff drought and won a division title, but they were ousted in the second round. Hebert had a 1.80 ERA over 15 innings in his only postseason starts for Luxembourg. The Lancers were around .500 in the following two seasons.

Hebert’s production dipped notably in 2007, but he bounced back in 2008 with a 2.33 ERA; his best with Luxembourg. He didn’t have any particular loyalty though to his home country team and opted for free agency once able after the 2008 season. With the Lancers, Hebert had a 99-80 record, 3.01 ERA, 1745 innings, 1806 strikeouts, 305 walks, 123 ERA+, and 42.8 WAR. This run and his next were roughly even in terms of tenure, although he did decide to get inducted in Lancers’ orange. There is some pride in the country for Hebert being their first HOF, but he isn’t a celebrated icon.

Now 28-years old, Hebert signed a five-year, $35,700,000 deal with Birmingham. All of his seasons with the Bees were above 4+ WAR and he topped 7+ WAR in both 2010 and 2012. Hebert led twice in K/BB and once in quality starts. He had a sub-three ERA thrice, including a career-best 2.17 in 2010. Still, Hebert wasn’t in awards conversations or at the tip-top of leaderboards. Regardless, his production helped the Bees find some success to start the 2010s.

Birmingham had four consecutive playoff berths from 2010-13. 2011 was their best effort, falling in the Northern Conference Championship to Dublin. Hebert was great in that run with a 1.87 ERA over 33.2 playoff innings. He struggled in their other playoff runs, giving him a 4.31 ERA over 54.1 innings for his Bees tenure. Their other berths all ended in either first or second round defeats. Counting Luxembourg, Hebert had a career 3.76 playoff ERA over 69.1 innings.

Generally happy with his production, Birmingham extended Hebert for five years at $53,700,000 in May 2013. His production remained steady through the 2015 season. Despite still having time left on his deal and being productive, Hebert decided he was ready to move on from the game after the 2015 season at age 35. With Birmingham, Hebert had a 113-67 record, 2.95 ERA, 1715.1 innings, 1730 strikeouts, 233 walks, 123 ERA+, and 38.4 WAR.

Hebert finished with a 212-147 record, 2.98 ERA, 3460.1 innings, 3536 strikeouts, 538 walks, 312/447 quality starts, 88 complete games, 24 shutouts, 123 ERA+, and 81.3 WAR. As of 2037, Hebert ranks 30th in WAR among pitchers, 35th in wins, and 30th in strikeouts. He quietly put up a very solid resume, even if wasn’t one to post eye-popping stats.

Some wonder what Hebert’s tallies could’ve looked like if he was more motivated and/or kept playing a few more years. The numbers show he was much better than many realized during his time. Upon confirming those tallies and his resume, most voters were sold, giving Hebert a first ballot induction at 84.8% within EBF’s 2021 Hall of Fame class.

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Sergio Cipolla – Left Field – Dublin Dinos – 83.2% First Ballot

Sergio Cipolla was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Paola, a commune of 15,000 inhabitants in southern Italy. Cipolla was a well-rounded hitter who had good-to-great contact and eye skills. He did strikeout a bit more than you’d like, but he got on base regularly and made those opportunities count. Cipolla got plenty of extra base hits with a 162 game average of 24 doubles, 19 triples, and 28 home runs. He was also a fantastic baserunner with excellent speed, leading the conference six times in stolen bases.

Cipolla spent the vast majority of his career in left field, where he graded as a reliably good defender. He did see brief forays in center and right, but struggled in both spots. Cipolla had excellent durability, playing 147+ games in each of his first 14 seasons. His work ethic, loyalty, and exciting skillset made him a fan favorite throughout an 18-year professional career.

Despite the skillset mentioned above, Cipolla came up through the amateur ranks as a starting pitcher. In four college seasons, he had a 3.23 ERA, 448.1 innings, 481 strikeouts, and 100 ERA+. Most scouts were underwhelmed by his pitching prospects, forecasting his talent as borderline. Cipolla wasn’t taking advantage of his incredible athleticism in that role, a fact Dublin noticed. In the 2001 EBF Draft, Cipolla was a late third round pick, going 136th to the Dinos.

While most teams dismissed him as a weak pitching prospect, Dublin saw his potential elsewhere. Cipolla was a full-time outfielder from the jump and an immediate success, winning 2002 Rookie of the Year honors. He debuted at 5.1 WAR and would hit 6.5+ WAR each year for the next decade in Ireland. From 2004-08, Cipolla was the Northern Conference leader in stolen bases. He swiped 133 bags in 2007, two shy of the EBF record set by his Hall of Fame classmate Carsten Dal.

Cipolla would post a 20-20-20 doubles/triples/homers mark in seven different seasons for the Dinos. Despite that, he surprisingly never hit for the cycle. He earned Silver Sluggers in 2004, 05, 07, 09, 11, and 12. Cipolla was the WARlord twice, posting 9.7 in 2005 and 10.3 in 2007. He was third in MVP voting, but it was hard to gain ground without big home run power.

2007 was a record-setting campaign for Cipolla. Along with his 133 stolen bases, he broke the EBF on-base percentage single-season record at .462, a mark that held until 2023 and still ranks third as of 2037. This season also had a conference-best 101 walks drawn. It was one of five seasons with an OPS above one for Cipolla. He also maintained a remarkable ten-year streak with Dublin scoring 105+ runs.

Cipolla’s efforts helped turn Dublin into a consistent contender. They didn’t immediately begin the dynasty, but did earn four division titles from 2005-09. All of those seasons ended in a second round effort, even in 2009 despite a franchise-record 111-51. Cipolla was holding up his end and the Dinos knew they were close to breaking through. They would ink him to a seven-year, $74,100,000 extension in spring training 2010.

Dublin’s dynasty began there, winning back-to-back European Championships in 2010-11. Cipolla was the finals MVP in 2011, getting 21 hits, 13 runs, 5 triples, 5 homers, 14 RBI, 10 steals, and 1.2 WAR in 15 playoff starts. He had similar stats the prior year with 19 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 10 RBI, and 1.1 WAR.

In the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship in 2010, Dublin was 5-4 and finished fourth in their division. In 2011, they were fifth overall at 12-7. Cipolla was strong as well in the 2011 BGC with 17 hits, 19 runs, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 12 RBI, 11 steals, a 166 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR over 19 starts. For his Dublin EBF playoff career, Cipolla started 58 games with 74 hits, 43 runs, 6 doubles, 9 triples, 17 home runs, 44 RBI, 24 walks, 35 steals, a .336/.405/.677 slash, 199 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR.

By many metrics, 2012 was Cipolla’s strongest season. He led the conference in runs (132), OBP (.411), OPS (1.112), and wRC+ (210). The runs, OPS, and wRC+ were career highs, as were his 40 home runs and 11.1 WAR. Cipolla was second in MVP voting as Oslo SS Harvey Coyle posted a 13.7 WAR, 61 homer effort en route to his fifth MVP. Despite going 107-55, Dublin was upset in the second round by Paris.

Now 33-years old, Cipolla’s stock was at an all-time high. He surprised and disappointed many by opting out of his contract despite being two years into the extension. Dublin expected him to be a centerpiece for a continued dynasty, although they would win a third title and go 115-47 in 2013 without him. Cipolla remained popular in Ireland for his role in turning the Dinos into a powerhouse and saw his #8 uniform eventually retired.

With Dublin, Cipolla had 1986 hits, 1256 runs, 264 doubles, 261 triples, 322 home runs, 1030 RBI, 699 walks, 1057 stolen bases, a .319/.396/.601 slash, 175 wRC+, and 94.7 WAR. This would be the entirety of his EBF career. As of 2037, he ranks 43rd in WAR for position players, 84th in runs, 36th in triples, 12th in stolen bases, and 96th in walks drawn.

Cipolla’s earlier departure kept him from soaring up EBF leaderboards and lowered his rankings among Europe’s best. He was undoubtedly a stud though and a big reason Dublin became a regular Northern Conference powerhouse. Those accolades were enough to receive 83.2% and the third spot in EBF’s impressive 2021 Hall of Fame class.

While popular in Ireland for helping turn the capital into a baseball hotbed, Cipolla was also a favorite back home in Italy. From 2003-2018, he was a regular in the World Baseball Championship. Cipolla played 185 games and started 171, posting 163 hits, 125 runs, 22 doubles, 13 triples, 35 home runs, 95 RBI, 126 stolen bases, a .256/.370/.497 slash, and 9.6 WAR.

As of 2037, Cipolla ranks second among all Italian position players in WAR in the WBC. He’s also 2nd in runs scored, 5th in hits, 1st in triples, and 5th in RBI. Cipolla ranks 6th among all players in stolen bases and 3rd in triples. Italy had some of its strongest showings with Cipolla’s leadership, including runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2012, and a fourth place in 2006. He was especially a beast in 2005 over 22 starts with 22 hits, 17 runs, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs, 21 RBI, 14 steals, a 1.138 OPS, and 2.0 WAR.

Cipolla did play another seven professional seasons after leaving Ireland. It was hard to turn down the big MLB payday, signing a five-year, $128,000,000 deal with MLB’s Brooklyn Dodgers for 2013. This deal more than doubled his peak Dublin salary, which was nothing to sneeze at in its own right. Cipolla debuted in center field for Brooklyn and won his lone MLB accolade, a Silver Slugger. His 5.8 WAR was his best effort there.

He was a good starter for the Dodgers, although less active MLB basepaths dulled his value somewhat. Brooklyn won a division title in 2013, but lost in the second round. They fell just outside of the playoffs in the next three seasons. With the Dodgers (between two stints), Cipolla had 583 hits, 395 runs, 92 doubles, 29 triples, 99 home runs, 263 RBI, 257 walks, 168 stolen bases, a .247/.334/.436 slash, 136 wRC+, and 19.2 WAR.

Cipolla didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year of his Dodgers deal, becoming a free agent for 2017 at age 37. Kansas City signed him to a one-year deal where he was a decent part-timer with 2.0 WAR over 101 games and 78 starts. Brooklyn brought him back in 2018 on a two-year deal at $18,400,000. However, Cipolla missed almost the entire season with a fractured knee suffered in spring training.

Brooklyn let him go, but he wanted to comeback in 2019. San Antonio gave Cipolla a shot in 2019, but he struggled to -0.6 WAR over 36 games and 17 starts. He was unsigned for all of 2020 and finally retired that winter at age 41. For his MLB career, Cipolla had 769 games, 674 hits, 452 runs, 105 doubles, 39 triples, 111 home runs, 294 RBI, 197 stolen bases, a .243/.330/.430 slash, 132 wRC+, and 20.6 WAR.

For his combined pro career, Cipolla finished with 2498 games, 2660 hits, 1708 runs, 369 doubles, 300 triples, 433 home runs, 1324 RBI, 999 walks, 1254 stolen bases, a .296/.375/.548 slash, 162 wRC+, and 115.3 WAR. When looking at the best-ever position players to come out of Italy, Cipolla ranks near or at the top after a tremendous career.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-15-2024 11:40 AM

2021 EPB Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

12-15-2024 06:02 PM

2021 OBA Hall of Fame

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Two players earned spots into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2021 upon their debut. SP Ryder Murray was the headliner at 92.3% and was joined by 2B Kalos Ryniker at 77.7%. One returner was above 50%, but below the 66% requirement. SP Jarome Galuvao had 59.6% on his third try. No players fell off the ballot after ten misses.

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Ryder Murray – Starting Pitcher – Fiji Freedom – 92.3% First Ballot

Ryder Murray was a 6’5’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Lawson-Hazelbrook, two small towns of a combined 7,000 people in Australia’s New South Wales state. Murray had great stuff and pretty good control, but his movement was often spotty. He allowed the most home runs in the league six times due to the movement issues and had an extreme flyball tendency.

However, Murray’s curveball when it was on graded as a 10/10. He also had a good 94-96 mph fastball along with a decent changeup and screwball. Murray had excellent stamina and strong durability for most of his run, tossing 300+ innings in nine consecutive seasons. He did grade as a poor defensive pitcher and was below average at holding runners.

Although Murray grew up in a smaller town, he did catch the attention of a scout from Fiji. He signed a developmental deal in June 1996 and spent just over four years in the Freedom’s academy. Murray debuted in 2011 at age 21, struggling over 15 starts. He was used only in eight regular season starts in 2002, but had a solid 2.62 ERA over that small sample size.

Fiji won their first-ever Pacific League title in 2002 and called upon the young Murray in the Oceania Championship. However, he struggled in his two starts, allowing 14 runs over 11.1 innings as the Freedom were defeated by Brisbane. This didn’t deter Murray though, who earned a full-time starting role the next year and posted 8.1 EWAR. With Fiji, Murray was above 6+ WAR in six different seasons.

Murray never led the league in strikeouts despite some impressive tallies, generally finishing just below Timothy Manglona or Austin Jong during his Fiji tenure. He breached 400 strikeouts four times. Murray’s ERA was above three in all of his full seasons sans 2004, which kept him out of awards conversations. He did take third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 2006, his only time as a finalist. That season saw his career-best in WAR (9.0), strikeouts (410), and wins (24-13).

Fiji returned to the top of the Pacific League in 2006, beating Tahiti by one game. The Freedom would fall to Melbourne’s dynasty in the Oceania Championship. Murray again struggled in the playoffs, posting a 5.14 ERA over his two starts and 14 innings. Fiji fell to around .500 for the remainder of Murray’s time there. From 2007-10, he led the PL each year in innings pitched and led once in both complete games and shutouts.

With the Freedom, Murray had a 165-125 record, 3.34 ERA, 2783.2 innings, 3299 strikeouts, 523 walks, 215/341 quality starts, 144 complete games, 109 ERA+, and 58.4 WAR. He was appreciated enough by Fiji officials that his #24 uniform was later retired. Murray signed a five-year, $14,240,000 extension in June 2005 for the Freedom, but left for free agency when that expired after the 2010 season. At age 30, he inked a seven-year, $45,060,000 deal with Sydney.

Murray ate innings in his first two years for the Snakes and posted 4+ WAR. His issues allowing home runs continued, becoming the only OBA pitcher to allow 50+ dingers in five different seasons. He had a below average ERA soon, struggling to only 1.6 WAR and 1.9 WAR in 2013 and 2014. 2014 saw an abrupt end to his season with a torn flexor tendon in late July.

This knocked Murray out nearly a full calendar year. He made a comeback late in the 2015 season with decent results. However, Murray decided to retire that winter at age 35. With Sydney, he had a 61-60 record, 3.77 ERA, 1094 innings, 1179 strikeouts, 179 walks, 101 ERA+, and 13.0 WAR.

Murray finished with a 226-185 record, 3.46 ERA, 3877.2 innings, 4478 strikeouts, 702 walks, 291/480 quality starts, 185 complete games, 32 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 71.4 WAR. As of 2037, Murray ranks 34th in WAR among OBA pitchers, 11th in innings pitched, 20th in wins, 10th in strikeouts, 6th in complete games, and 15th in shutouts. On the bad side, his 554 home runs allowed is OBA’s all-time worst.

His ERA was also weaker than most OBA Hall of Famers, but Murray hit most of the statistical benchmarks that the pitcher-friendly OBA voters liked. To that point, any OBA pitcher with 4000+ strikeouts and/or 225 wins got inducted. Murray was no exception, getting in with little opposition at 92.3% to headline OBA’s 2021 HOF class.

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Kalos “Hands” Ryniker – Second Base/Designated Hitter – Honolulu Honu – 77.7% First Ballot

Kalos Ryniker was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed second baseman from Gizo, a town of around 7,000 and the capital of the Solomon Islands’ Western Province. Ryniker would be only the second Solomon Islander inducted into OBA’s Hall of Fame, joining Class of 2000 Randol Smith. The nickname “Hands” was simple enough as Ryniker had comically large hands for his frame.

Ryniker was a great contact hitter with reliably strong home run power, getting 40 homers per his 162 game average. His gap power was merely decent with 23 doubles and 3 triples per 162. Ryniker was below average at drawing walks and decent at avoiding strikeouts. He was a very intelligent and crafty baserunner, but still was limited by subpar speed.

Against left-handed pitching, Ryniker was especially good with a career 168 wRC+ and .952 OPS. He was no bum against righties though with a .848 OPS and 141 wRC+. Ryniker had good durability for most of his 18-year career and was known for a stellar work ethic and great leadership. He became a beloved superstar everywhere he went between his talent and by being considered a generally great guy.

About 3/5 of Ryniker’s career starts came at second base, where he graded as a poor defender. He was at least passable enough to be playable since his bat was far stronger than what you’d normally get at 2B. About ¼ of his starts came as a designated hitter. Ryniker played some first base at the end of his run with okay results defensively.

Even coming out of the Solomons, Ryniker quickly rose up the amateur ranks of the Pacific. He would be the #1 overall pick by Honolulu in OBA’s 2002 Draft and started immediately. By WAR, Ryniker had the best-ever season by an OBA Rookie of the Year winner at 8.8, leading the Pacific League with 200 hits. He won Rookie of the Month honors five teams in his debut season. Ryniker also won his first Silver Slugger and took second in MVP voting as a rookie.

Ryniker won additional Silver Sluggers for the Honu in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008. 2006 was as a DH while the others were at second base. In his second season, Ryniker earned the sixth-ever Triple Crown by an OBA slugger with 56 home runs, 149 RBI, and a .356 average. At that point, he had the second-most RBI in a season in OBA history. Ryniker’s homers and RBI would be career bests, along with his 225 hits, 424 total bases, .671 slugging, 198 wRC+, and 10.8 WAR. This earned him the first of three MVP awards.

2006 and 2007 saw Ryniker’s other MVP wins, while he finished second in 2008. 2007 had career bests in batting average (.359), OBP (.408), OPS (1.063), and runs scored (114). Ryniker led in both homers and RBI again in 2006. Honolulu was a Pacific League powerhouse in the 1980s and 1990s, but had entered a rebuilding period by the new millennium. Ryniker got them back above .500 in 2006 for the first time since 2000. The Honu finished second in 2007 and third in 2008, but weren’t back on top yet.

To their chagrin, Ryniker decided to leave Hawaii as he became a free agent after the 2008 season at age 29. Thus, his OBA career ended after only six seasons with 948 games, 1212 hits, 587 runs, 129 doubles, 263 home runs, 690 RBI, 169 stolen bases, a .331/.372/.590 slash, 174 wRC+, and 46.3 WAR. As of 2037, his .962 OPS ranks 5th best among all OBA batters with 3000+ plate appearances. Ryniker’s batting average ranks 3rd, OBP 2nd, and slugging 10th.

This made his case an interesting one for Hall of Fame voters. By pure accumulations and longevity, Ryniker was nowhere close. But his six seasons were brilliant and many voters gave him some credit for his later MLB seasons. He might have ended up among OBA’s inner-circle talents had he stayed. Ryniker’s extreme popularity also helped him overcome the very brief tenure. He received 77.7% in his debut ballot to secure his spot in the 2021 OBA Hall of Fame class. That was an impressive accomplishment since only 1/3 of his career happened in OBA.

Major League Baseball teams were very impressed and rarely did international prospects come on the market so young and at the prime. Denver won the bidding war for Ryniker at $94,400,000 over seven seasons. The Dragons would become known for signing numerous players from other world leagues, a strategy which helped turn them into MLB’s most successful team of the 2010s.

Ryniker’s first three seasons for the Dragons were each worth 6+ WAR, winning three consecutive Silver Sluggers. All three years, he posted 40+ homers and 100+ RBI. 2010 would mark the start of what would become MLB’s longest-ever playoff streak for Denver. The Dragons fell in the American Association Championship Series in both 2010 and 2011. Ryniker struggled in the 2010 run, but was solid in 2011 with a 1.117 OPS, 16 hits, 7 runs, 5 homers, and 16 RBI.

After that, Ryniker’s production dropped off noticeably. The Dragons switched him to a platoon starter in 2012 and 2014 with below average results, although he was a decent full-timer still in 2013. Denver lost in the first round in 2012 and second round in 2014. However, the Dragons came away with a 2013 World Series win over Philadelphia and a 2015 title win over St. Louis.

In those title runs, Ryniker was rock solid and furthered his immense popularity. In 2013, he had 15 hits, 7 runs, 5 homers, 15 RBI, and a 1.210 OPS over 11 games; helping him earn World Series MVP honors. In 2015, Ryniker played 16 games with 17 hits, 9 runs, 5 homers, 11 RBI, and a .905 OPS. For his playoff career with Denver, he played 58 games and started 51, posting 60 hits, 27 runs, 9 doubles, 15 home runs, 44 RBI, a .288/.332/.567 slash, 149 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR.

Ryniker also put up nice numbers in the Baseball Grand Championship, especially in 2015 with 7 homers, 14 RBI, and a 1.121 OPS. Over 31 BGC games, he had 28 hits, 18 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 10 homers, 20 RBI, a .262/.331/.636 slash, 167 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. Denver claimed the Grand Championship at 15-4 in 2013 and matched that record in 2015, but they took second to Johannesburg on a tiebreaker.

In the end, the investment in Ryniker paid off for Denver as he helped them to become the best in the world. In total, he had 1030 hits, 514 runs, 124 doubles, 221 home runs, 603 RBI, a .286/.321/.512 slash, 133 wRC+, and 25.9 WAR. Despite his playoff heroics, Ryniker’s regular season numbers had dipped significantly by the end of his run. Thus, the Dragons let him leave for free agency after the 2015 title at age 36.

Atlanta picked Ryniker up on a two-year, $18,800,000 deal. He regained some of that old form with a 4.5 WAR, .865 effort in 2016 for the Aces. Atlanta was still a losing team at this point and wanted to cash in on Ryniker’s increased value. In spring training, the Aces traded him to Toronto for two prospects; although neither ultimately made the club.

The 37-year old Ryniker had an impressive 2017 for the Timberwolves with 5.2 WAR, 39 homers, and 150 wRC+; winning his ninth career Silver Slugger. Toronto had been the National Association Championship Series runner-up the prior two years. Despite Ryniker’s success, the Timberwolves fell off a cliff to 69-93 in 2017. He was now a free agent again heading towards 2018 at age 38.

Austin gave Ryniker a three-year, $62,200,000 deal, but age would catch up quickly. He was merely okay in 2018, then fell below average in 2019 before being relegated to a bench role and eventually cut in August 2020. With the Amigos, Ryniker mustered 1.9 WAR, a .716 OPS, and 102 wRC+ in 272 games. He retired after the 2020 season at age 41.

For his MLB career, Ryniker saw 1586 hits, 807 runs, 209 doubles, 323 home runs, 924 RBI, a .281/.317/.498 slash, 130 wRC+, and 37.5 WAR; a perfectly fine career. Combined with his Honolulu days, Ryniker had 2798 hits, 1394 runs, 338 doubles, 586 home runs, 1614 RBI, a .301/.339/.534 slash, 148 wRC+, and 83.9 WAR. Many of OBA’s Hall of Fame voters gave him some credit for the combined resume, earning Ryniker the first ballot nod in 2021 despite only playing six seasons in the Pacific League.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-16-2024 06:14 AM

2021 APB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

Austronesia Professional Baseball added three into its Hall of Fame in 2021 on their first ballots, headlined by APB hit king OF Junior Sanchez at 97.8%. SP Chia-Jung Huang was also a slam dunk at 90.4% while fellow pitcher Komalat Sawaengsri got a nice 76.6%. Two returners were above 50%, but shy of the 66% requirement. RF Sutanto Mangkoepradja saw 58.3% on his ninth ballot and SP Dwi Aditya Supandi received 56.4% in his third go.

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No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries, but 3B Bakori Permana deserves a mention. He fell below 5% on his ninth try and was dropped, peaking at 31.2% in his debut. A 10-time all-star and one-time Silver Slugger winner, Permana had 2436 hits, 990 runs, 433 doubles, 156 triples, 179 home runs, 892 RBI, 756 walks, 624 stolen bases, a .262/.318/.399 slash, 139 wRC+, and 80.8 WAR.

As of 2037, Permana is 47th in WAR among position players and 15th in hits. He was also part of a 1994 championship season for Bandung and Jakarta’s 2004 title win. However, Permana didn’t have the awards, black ink, or power numbers to stand out despite having solid totals by APB’s standards.

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Junior “Box Car” Sanchez – Outfield/Designated Hitter – Davao Devil Rays – 97.8% First Ballot

Junior Sanchez was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed hitting outfielder from Kawit, Philippines; a municipality of 107,000 people located in the Cavite province. He had the unusual nickname “Box Car,” given based on his childhood love of freight trains. Few in baseball history were better at putting the ball in play than Sanchez, who had excellent contact skills and was great at avoiding strikeouts. He was poor at drawing walks, but still was regularly among APB’s top spots in on-base percentage from his batting average alone.

Sanchez was the prototypical leadoff man who also had terrific baserunning speed and skills. He was an incredibly aggressive baserunner and while he became APB’s career steals leader, Sanchez also was caught more than anyone in pro baseball history. He wasn’t just a singles slap hitter, getting you 27 doubles and 21 triples per his 162 game average. Sanchez wasn’t going to go yard often, only reaching 10+ home runs in four of his 19 seasons.

His baserunning speed didn’t translate to defensive range and his arm strength was lacking. A plurality of Sanchez’s starts came as a designed hitter, around 40% mostly in the middle and tail end of his career. About another 40% of starts came in right field, mostly at the start of his career, while the rest came in left primarily in his mid 30s. Sanchez graded as a mediocre defender at either spot, but you could find worse.

Teams didn’t generally like placing non-power hitters at DH, but Sanchez’s skillset proved an exception. He became a superstar in the Philippines as an ironman, playing 145+ games in all but his debut season. Sanchez was quite adaptable and considered one of the smartest guys in the game. That intelligence allowed him to pick his spots during at bats, hitting for an impressive clip even in the extremely low offense environment of APB.

Sanchez’s contract skills were impressive even as a teenager, which quickly caught the attention of Filipino scouts. Davao snagged him for their academy in April 1994, where he spent around three years and change. Sanchez was a rare player to debut as a teenager, starting at age 19 in 1997 with 73 games and 25 starts. He started most of 1998, but was merely okay at that point. The Devil Rays locked him into a full-time gig after that for the next 15 years as a beloved fixture of the franchise.

1999 was Sanchez’s first time leading the Taiwan-Philippine Association in both hits and stolen bases, although he hadn’t found his gap power yet and still had some limited utility. He would lead in steals again in 2000 and in doubles in 2001; hitting 4+ WAR in both seasons. From 2002-13, Sanchez led the TPA in hits in 11 of 12 seasons. Each year was above 4+ with six seasons above 6+ WAR.

Getting 200+ hits in a season was rare in APB’s “dead ball” style. As of 2037, it has happened only 39 times in APB history with ten of those seasons belonging to Sanchez. His 219 hits in 2002 set APB’s single-season record and held as the top mark until 2031. As of 2037, Sanchez has the #3, #6, #7, #13, and #18 most hits in a season on APB’s leaderboard. His 2002 also saw a .347 batting average, which was the second-best in APB to that point. Sanchez won five consecutive batting titles from 2002-06 and had the best average eight times in his career.

Sanchez’s first Silver Slugger came in 2001 in right field, followed by his second in 2002 and a second place in MVP voting. Davao ended a five-year run of losing seasons in 2002 and won the TPA pennant, falling to Semarang in the APB Championship. Sanchez had 17 hits, 4 runs, .893 OPS, and 180 wRC+ in his playoff debut, winning MVP honors of the association finals.

The Devil Rays missed the playoffs the next two seasons, but Sanchez carried on with two more Silver Sluggers and a second place in 2004’s MVP voting. 2004 had career bests in doubles (36), OBP (.377), OPS (.889), and WAR (8.6). Davao gave Sanchez a four-year, $34,800,000 extension after the 2003 season. In 2005, he won his fifth straight Silver Slugger and his lone MVP. This was his lone season leading in OPS, his third leading in OBP, and fourth in steals.

This also marked the start of Davao’s Philippine League dynasty, as they’d be the PL’s best for the next seven seasons. The Devil Rays repeated as Austronesia Champion in 2005 and 2006, defeating Palembang in the former and Surabaya in the latter. 2005 also had a 27-game hit streak, one short of APB’s record to that point. In June 2007, Davao gave Sanchez a new six-year, $59,400,000 to lock him in as the franchise’s icon for the long haul.

Davao fell in the TPA final in both 2007 and 2008 with Sanchez struggling in both playoff runs. He still took second in 2008’s MVP voting, which saw his career high for runs scored (108). Sanchez had 214 hits, but this was his lone season that kept him from a 12-year run as the leader in hits. 2008 was notable for Sanchez’s 130 stolen bases, which remains APB’s single-season best as of 2037. There have been only 37 seasons in APB of 100+ steals; a mark reached seven times by Sanchez including the #1, #4, and #7 spots.

The Devil Rays resumed their dynasty with their second APB Championship repeat, defeating Singapore in 2009 and Medan in 2010. Davao won their sixth TPA pennant with Sanchez in 2011, but Pekanbaru denied them the APB three-peat. Sanchez was association finals MVP in 2009 and 2011 and the APB finals MVP in 2010. 2010 also saw a third place finish in MVP voting overall.

For his playoff career, Sanchez made 81 starts with 109 hits, 44 runs, 18 doubles, 7 triples, 5 home runs, 24 RBI, 45 stolen bases, a .331/.355/.474 slash, 156 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s APB’s career playoff leader in at-bats (329), runs, hits, total bases (156), singles (79), doubles, stolen bases, and caught stealing (44).

Davao also made the new Baseball Grand Championship with their 2010 and 2011 efforts, finishing 2-7 for tenth in 2010 and 8-11 for 14th in 2011. Sanchez had 0.5 WAR over 27 games with 30 hits, 17 runs, 8 doubles, 4 homers, 12 RBI, and 8 steals.

Sanchez also was a regular for the Philippines in the World Baseball Championship from 2000-2013. He played 91 games and started 64, posting 77 hits, 43 runs, 14 doubles, 48 stolen bases, a .288/.345/.367 slash, and 1.4 WAR. Although he was never particularly impressive on the world stage, Sanchez was adored by Filipino fans and was one of the country’s most recognizable baseball stars.

Davao’s run of dominance ended in 2012, as they would be stuck just above .500 for the next three years. The year prior, Sanchez posted only the 13th six-hit game in APB history. Even as the Devil Rays ceded the Association’s top spot, Sanchez kept climbing up the leaderboards. He passed A.J. Tan’s 2957 hits in 2012 to become APB’s new hits leader, then became the first to reach 3000 early in 2013.

For the Devil Rays, Sanchez had 2573 games, 3197 hits, 1288 runs, 446 doubles, 333 triples, 114 home runs, 840 RBI, 1467 stolen bases, a .321/.346/.466 slash, 152 wRC+, and 85.0 WAR. By the time he was done in Davao, Sanchez was APB’s hits and stolen bases leader. The runs scored, doubles, and triples records were also within striking distance.

With the competitive window seemingly closing, Davao didn’t re-sign Sanchez after the 2013 season, making him a free agent for the first time at age 36. He still maintained a great relationship with the organization and was a regular fixture after his retirement. Sanchez’s #4 uniform would be retired and he’d remain a beloved figure throughout the Philippines. For 2014, he made the move to Manila on a two-year, $19,200,000 deal with the Manatees.

Manila was unremarkable in Sanchez’s two seasons there. He was still a passable starter, but no longer was he the hits leader despite leading both seasons in at-bats. Sanchez’s batting average also fell below .300, which had only happened in his first full season back in 1998. With Manila, Sanchez had 367 hits, 158 runs, 35 doubles, 34 triples, 19 home runs, 97 RBI, 143 stolen bases, a .289/.319/.415 slash, 129 wRC+, and 4.9 WAR.

While there, Sanchez passed Chun-Chia Lan’s 1361 runs scored and 4891 total bases, A.J. Tan’s 2310 singles, River Bulseco’s 464 doubles, and Lin Zulkifli’s 362 triples to take those top spots on the APB career leaderboards. Sanchez wanted to still play in 2016, but teams didn’t think he could still go enough to justify the price tag. He retired in the winter of 2016 at age 39.

Sanchez finished with 2893 games, 3564 hits, 1446 runs, 481 doubles, 367 triples, 133 home runs, 937 RBI, 352 walks, 1610 stolen bases, 1227 caught stealing, .317/.343/.461 slash, 150 wRC+, and 89.9 WAR. As of 2037, Sanchez still holds APB’s career records for at-bats (11,243), hits, singles (2583), triples, stolen bases, and caught stealing. He also ranks 2nd in runs, 3rd in total bases (5178), 68th in RBI, and 28th in WAR among position players.

Until Binh Tang came along, Sanchez also had the best batting average of any APB hitter with 3000+ plate appearances. He still ranks 28th in OBP, 91st in slugging, and 56th in OPS (.804). When looking at all of pro baseball history as of 2037, Sanchez is the world record holder by a comfortable margin of a bad stat: times caught stealing. He does notably rank 12th in successful steals, 29th in triples, and 49th in hits. It was especially impressive to have as many hits as he had considering how low scoring APB is. He’s one of only four guys to breach 3000 hits as of 2037 in APB.

With the lack of home run power and walks, plus negative defensive value, Sanchez rates much lower in WAR than his leaderboard placement would suggest. However, Sanchez was exceptional at the things he did well and was a critical piece in helping Davao win four APB titles in their dynasty run. He was a deserved headliner at 97.8% in a strong three-player 2021 APB Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-16-2024 12:47 PM

2021 APB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Chia-Jung Huang – Starting Pitcher – Taichung Toucans – 90.4% First Ballot

Chia-Jung Huang was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Taoyuan, the fifth largest city in Taiwan. Huang was a well-rounded pitcher with good to great stuff, movement, and control. His velocity hit the 97-99 mph range regularly with a four-pitch arsenal of slider, changeup, sinker, and splitter. Huang had strong stamina and fairly good durability for much of his career. He was below average defensive, but decent at holding runners. Huang was quite adaptable to various situations, but he wasn’t one to take a leadership role.

Huang pitched for Jianan University of Pharmacology and Technology in Tainan, emerging as one of the island’s top prospects by the 2000 APB Draft. He would be picked 12th overall by Taichung, where he’d spend his entire 14-year career. Huang had 23 games over his first two seasons with okay results, then was moved into the rotation full-time after that.

By his fourth year, Huang emerged as a legitimate ace. In 2004, he led the Taiwan-Philippine Association and posted career bests in wins (21-9), ERA (1.44), innings (293), quality starts (30), and shutouts (7). Huang also had 7.0 WAR, 294 strikeouts, and 193 ERA+, earning his lone Pitcher of the Year. This did start a run of eight consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR for Huang.

Huang’s 2007 would see a career best 10.0 WAR along with 315 strikeouts. During that autumn, the Toucans gave him a five-year, $35,300,000 extension. Taichung would be in contention for the Taiwan League’s top spot in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but couldn’t overcome Taipei’s dominance. The Toucans were above .500 more often than not during Huang’s career, but never made the playoffs. They had 90+ wins four times in his run, but it ultimately wasn’t enough.

He carried on into his 30s, although Huang wasn’t one to generally be at the top of leaderboards. He did lead in wins at 20-12 in 2009 and led in both 2009 and 2011 in shutouts. Huang was second in 2010’s Pitcher of the Year voting and third in 2011. He did also pitch for Taiwan in the World Baseball Championship off and on with 129.2 innings, an 8-4 record, 3.12 ERA, 141 strikeouts, 115 ERA+ ,and 3.3 WAR. Huang notably had a 2.49 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 43.1 innings in 2004, helping Taiwan to a runner-up finish to Canada.

Huang’s control improved as he aged, which kept him successful into his 30s even after a major setback in 2012. That April, Taichung gave him a five-year, $59,100,000 extension. Two weeks later, he suffered a partially torn labrum that required surgery, putting Huang on the mend seven months. Huang bounced back impressively though with 6.3 and 7.2 WAR in his next two seasons.

In 2015, a strained hamstring would keep Huang out most of the spring. That season saw 3.4 WAR, a 2.75 ERA, and 105 ERA+ over 183.1 innings. It also saw Taichung fall to 74-88, their first losing season in seven years. Huang seemed still capable of hanging around, but he decided to retire that winter at age 37. For his 14 years of steady service, the Toucans retired his #1 uniform.

Huang finished with a 182-145 record, 2.10 ERA, 3165.1 innings, 3402 strikeouts, 449 walks, 174 complete games, 48 shutouts, 132 ERA+, and 86.4 WAR. As of 2037, Huang ranks 27th in pitching WAR, 51st in wins, 45th in strikeouts, 19th in complete games, and 20th in shutouts. Among all pitchers with 1000+ career innings, his ERA ranks 61st.

He almost quietly was one of the more efficient pitchers of his era in APB. Even if his raw totals weren’t at the tip-top, Huang’s rate stats certainly looked comparable to many other pitchers that made the Hall of Fame cut. The voters certainly noticed his contributions and put Huang in firmly at 90.4%, the second member of a strong 2021 class.

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Komalat Sawaengsri – Starting Pitcher – Taoyuan Tsunami – 76.6% First Ballot

Komalat Sawaengsri was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Sadao, a district of 124,0000 people in southern Thailand’s Songkhla province. He was a dual national with a Thai father and Taiwanese mother, becoming the first APB Hall of Famer born in Thailand. Sawaengsri had electric stuff with great movement and above average control.

Sawaengsri had an impressive 97-99 mph fastball, but his slider was top shelf, graded as a 10/10 in his prime. He also had a solid changeup and curveball in the arsenal. Sawaengsri was considered a very good defensive pitcher, winning Gold Gloves in 2005 and 2013. He had good stamina for most of his career, but had recurring back troubles and ran into arm injuries in his 30s. Sawaengsri was a respected leader throughout a 13-year professional career.

Thai prospects were generally part of the South Asia Baseball domain, but his Taiwanese family connections gave him a chance at the more prestigious APB. Sawaengsri moved to Taiwan late in primary school and remained into college, quickly rising up the prospect ranks. In the 2002 APB Draft, Sawaengsri was picked 7th overall by Taoyuan. He was a full-time starter immediately and tossed 215+ innings in all eight seasons with the Tsunami.

After taking third in 2003’s Rookie of the Year voting, Sawaengsri had seven years in a row worth 7+ WAR. He topped 300+ strikeouts four times and had a sub-two ERA thrice. Sawaengsri had four seasons above 8+ WAR and won his first Pitcher of the Year in 2006 with a 23-8 record, 1.80 ERA, 369 strikeouts, and 9.8 WAR. 2007 would be notable for his lone no-hitter, coming on July 16 with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks versus Tainan.

2008 was Sawaengsri’s lone ERA title at 1.13, which ranks as the 22nd-best qualifying ERA as of 2037 in APB. He had a 252 ERA+, 0.68 WHIP, and 9.3 WEAR despite missing a few starts to injury. Sawaengsri earned his second Pitcher of the Year and Taoyuan ended a ten-year playoff drought. They had gone 88-74 in the prior two seasons, but the same finish in 2008 finally got the Tsunami back to the top of the Taiwan League.

Taoyuan was the weakest playoff team by record, but they went on a surprise run and won the 2008 Austronesia Championship over Singapore. In Sawaengsri’s only three playoff starts of his career, he was untouchable. He tossed 26 scoreless innings, striking out 29 while allowing only nine hits and two walks. Sawaengsri had a two-hitter against Davao in the TPA finals and saw a three-hitter against the Sharks in the APB final. He earned Association Championship MVP for his efforts, which went down as one of the all-time efforts by any pitcher in any league’s postseason.

Sawaengsri did also pitch well on the World Baseball Championship stage, making 15 appearances from 2003-2015. He pitched for Thailand in his first six WBCs, but the dual national switched to Taiwan for his final two tries. In total, Sawaengsri saw a 6-5 record over 84.2 innings, 2.76 ERA, 101 strikeouts, 35 walks, 133 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR.

Taoyuan missed the TL title by three games in 2009, then dropped off to 75-87 in 2010. Sawaengsri had two more strong years for the Tsunami, including career bests in 2009 for strikeouts (379), WAR (10.4), innings (282.1), and quality starts (29). It would be his only time leading the league in strikeouts. Sawaengsri did have an unfortunate end to his Taoyuan tenure, suffering a torn back muscle in September 2010.

With that injury and an imminent rebuild, the Tsunami led Sawaengsri leave for free agency heading towards age 31. In total, he had a 131-81 record, 2.12 ERA, 1961.2 innings, 2551 strikeouts, 360 walks, 133 ERA+, and 65.9 WAR. Sawaengsri’s epic playoff run in 2008 alone secured him a spot in franchise lore. The Tsunami would retire his #17 uniform at the end of his career.

Sawaengsri stayed in the Taiwan League and signed a five-year, $53,500,000 deal with Taichung. He missed a month of 2011 to elbow inflammation, but still had a strong 6.1 WAR debut season. Disaster struck though in May 2012 with a partially torn UCL ending his season. Sawaengsri was back in 2013 but saw below average results while missing some time to other lingering injuries. His 2013 ended in September with shoulder inflammation.

In spring training 2014, Sawaengsri suffered an extreme ruptured disc in his back, knocking him out the entire season. He was determined to make it back and did by the 2015 WBC. Sawaengsri’s control fell off hard after this injury, but he still was okay over 103.2 innings in 2015. Unfortunately in July, his season ended with a ruptured finger tendon. Sawaengsri opted for retirement that winter at age 35, ending his Taichung run with a 32-23 record, 2.19 ERA, 521.2 innings, 567 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 11.4 WAR.

In total, Sawaengsri had a 163-104 record, 2.14 ERA, 2483.1 innings, 3118 strikeouts, 495 walks, 114 complete games, 33 shutouts, 131 ERA+, and 77.3 WAR. As of 2037, Sawaengsri ranked 35th in pitching WAR, 86th in wins and 69th in strikeouts, although he didn’t crack the top 100 in innings. His ERA did rank 71st amongst all APB arms with 1000+ career innings.

In part because of injuries, his accumulations were on the lower end even for pitcher-friendly APB voters. However, Sawaengsri had two Pitcher of the Year awards, an ERA title, and an epic playoff run en route to a title. Those factors won over the majority of voters, getting Sawaengsri to 76.6% upon his ballot debut. He capped off an impressive three-player class for Austronesia Professional Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2021.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-16-2024 05:41 PM

2021 CLB Hall of Fame

FuzzyRussianHat

12-17-2024 05:37 AM

2021 WAB Hall of Fame

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Two players were added into the West African Baseball Hall of Fame for 2021. 1B Ahamad Mathew was the clear headliner at a nearly unanimous 98.4%. On his seventh try, 3B Awudu Haddad got an impressive boost up to 78.6%. RP Emma Markson came close to joining them on his fourth ballot, but his 61.7% was still shy of the 66% requirement. Two other debuts breached 50% with RP Francis Koomson at 53.7% and 1B Ikechukwu Onyia at 51.8%. No players were removed from the ballot after ten failed attempts.

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Ahamad “Casino” Mathew – First Base – Ibadan Iguanas – 98.4% First Ballot

Ahamad Mathew was a 6’1’’, 205 pound right-handed first baseman from Maiduguri, Nigeria; a city with around 791,000 inhabitants in the northeastern Borno State. The nickname “Casino” came from his fondness of (non-baseball) gambling. Mathew’s eye for the strike zone was legendary with few players in baseball history more effective at drawing walks than him. He also had remarkably consistent and impressive home run power, hitting 39+ home runs in all but one of his fully healthy seasons.

Mathew was merely an above average contact hitter and struck out more than yo might expect, but his power and knack for walks still made him a very dangerous batter. His gap power was respectable with 26 doubles and 6 triples per his 162 game average in addition to his homers. Mathew graded as a slightly above average baserunner, providing more value than your prototypical slugger.

About ¾ of Mathew’s starts came at first base, where he graded as a reliably solid defender. He was a designated hitter primarily in three early seasons and sporadically played right field with lousy results. Mathew was viewed as an ironman for much of his career, starting 150+ games in each of his first 14 seasons. He was a clubhouse leader and was known to be quite adaptable, becoming one of WAB’s biggest superstars of his era.

Mathew was impressive even as a teenager, which led to him being snagged by Ibadan as an amateur in March 1993. He spent most of five years in their academy, officially debuting at age 19 in 1996 with 13 at-bats. Mathew was back on the reserve roster in 1997, then emerged as a full-time starter from 1998-onward. Mathew had a terrific debut with 7.0 WAR, 39 home runs, and an Eastern League best 105 walks. He won 1998 Rookie of the Year and his first Silver Slugger.

The Iguanas at this point earned an eighth consecutive playoff berth. Their streak lasted 12 seasons total, but they were thwarted in the ELCS by Kano’s dynasty each year from 1998-2001. Mathew emerged as a start though, starting a streak of 14 consecutive seasons worth 5+ WAR. During that run, he led in walks in all but one season. Mathew posted 100+ walks 12 times in his career, which is 1/3 of WAB’s 100+ walk seasons as of 2037. His best was 123 in 2001, falling three short of Robbie Oakes’ WAB record 126 from 1984.

Mathew was more than walks though, as during that same WAR streak he was above 40+ home runs 12 times, 100+ RBI 13 times, 100+ runs scored 11 times. In July 2000, Ibadan gave Mathew an eight-year, $16,190,000 extension. Mathew won additional Silver Sluggers in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2010; all at first base apart from the 2001 win (DH).

Mathew never won MVP, but was third in 2001, second in 2004, second in 2007, second in 2008, third in 2010, and third in 2011. He had the misfortune of sharing a league with WAB GOAT Darwin Morris for a good chunk of his career. Mathew led the league in runs thrice, home runs twice, walks 14 times, and on-base percentage six times. He had an OPS above one in ten different seasons and led the EL in 2004. Mathew was the WARlord in 2008, although his career best was 9.5 in 2010.

Ibadan’s playoff steak would end in 2002, but with Mathew they’d be back in the playoffs in 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013. Five of those ended in ELCS losses with one first round defeat, but the Iguanas did finally break through. Despite being the bottom seed at 84-78 in 2009, they won the EL pennant, falling to Abidjan in the WAB Championship.

You couldn’t blame Mathew for their playoff woes as in 69 starts he had 69 hits, 38 runs, 11 doubles, 7 triples, 15 home runs, 41 RBI, 44 walks, a .284/.395/.572 slash, 152 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. These efforts made him beloved by Ibadan fans, even if there was frustration that they seemingly couldn’t win the big one despite their regular playoff berths.

Mathew became beloved though throughout all of Nigeria for his remarkable dominance in the World Baseball Championship from 1999-2014. He played 179 games with 171 starts, getting 152 hits, 129 runs, 20 doubles, 63 home runs, 137 RBI, 121 walks, a .267/.412/.634 slash, 199 wRC+, and 11.3 WAR. As of 2037, he is Nigeria’s all-time leader in WAR, runs, hits, homers, and RBI.

The Nigerians started to get more worldwide attention with Mathew leading the way. They took runner-up to Indonesia in 1999, finished third in 2009, and fourth in 2011. Among all players of 2037, Mathew is 24th in WAR for position players, 42nd in runs, 39rd in home runs, 37th in RBI, and 23rd in walks. His OBP ranks 24th among all batters with 250+ WBC plate appearances and his OPS (1.047) ranks 64th. These efforts helped make Mathew one of the most endearing figures of Nigerian baseball.

In April 2008, Ibadan extended the now 31-year old Mathew for another five years at $21 million. In 2011, he became the second player to score 1500 career runs and the second to 600 home runs, feats only previously reached by Darwin Morris. Mathew that year also was the fourth to reach 1500 RBI. It was a season that saw his career-best 52 home runs and his second-best RBI mark at 131. Mathew became the third to earn 1000+ career walks and blew by Morris’s 1307 to become WAB’s walks leader.

The iron man finally ran into injury issues in 2012, starting with a fractured right thumb in spring training that required surgery. Mathew missed three months, only to return in the summer and miss another seven weeks with a fractured finger on his other hand. Ibadan would execute the option year to bring Mathew back for 2013.

Mathew showed he still had it, smacking 50 homers with 5.6 WAR in 2013 at age 36. He had a 1.071 OPS, the third best of his career behind only 2010 (1.077) and 2008 (1.072). Ibadan again fell in the ELCS, this time to Cotonou. Their legendary superstar’s deal ran out after the 2013 and they couldn’t come to terms, sending Mathew to free agency at age 37.

With Ibadan, Mathew had 2438 hits, 1674 runs, 392 doubles, 688 home runs, 1736 RBI, 1629 walks, a .289/.410/.601 slash, 171 wRC+, and 109.0 WAR. He was THE franchise hero and left with no hard feelings. Mathew’s #32 uniform would be retired immediately after his career ended and he would be a team ambassador for many years following his playing career.

Mathew still had high value and Abidjan snatched him up at $18,400,000 over two years. He left Nigeria for the first time in his illustrious career, making the move to the Ivory Coast. Mathew was a good starter in 2014, but it was easily his weakest full season with only 33 home runs and 3.8 WAR. That year, Mathew joined Morris as the only 700 home run players and was the sixth to reach 2500 hits. Abidjan would lose in the second round of the playoffs.

Unfortunately for Mathew, he fell off in 2015 with 0.0 WAR, a .739 OPS, and 19 home runs over 120 games. Abidjan again lost in the second round of the playoffs. Prior to that decline, some thought he might challenge Darwin Morris’s home run record, but Mathew realized he was cooked. He retired that winter at age 39, ending his Abidjan stint with 268 games, 250 hits, 161 runs, 47 doubles, 52 home runs, 151 RBI, 143 walks, a .259/.358/.482 slash, 116 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR.

At retirement, Mathew was second only to Darwin Morris in home runs, runs scored, RBI, and WAR. He finished with 2698 games, 2688 hits, 1835 runs, 439 doubles, 92 triples, 740 home runs, 1887 RBI, 1772 walks, 318 stolen bases, a .286/.405/.589 slash, 166 wRC+, and 112.8 WAR. As of 2037, Mathew is still WAB’s walks leader and has the eighth most in all of pro baseball history.

Even with offensive numbers spiking in WAB in the 2020s and 2030s, Mathew still ranks as of 2037 4th in WAR, 9th in home runs, 11th in RBI, 9th in runs scored, and 28th in hits. Mathew ranks 10th in OBP among any WAB batter with 3000+ plate appearances, 45th in slugging, and 22nd in OPS (.994). Amongst all of the world’s Hall of Famers, Mathew is 27th in OBP and just outside of the top 50 in OPS.

If not for Morris, Mathew likely would’ve been widely considered the best player of his era in WAB. It’s hard to believe a guy as impressive as Mathew never snagged an MVP or a WAB title. Regardless, he certainly belongs in the inner circle of West Africa Baseball’s Hall of Fame and has an argument as being the best-ever to come out of Nigeria. At 98.4%, Mathew headlined WAB’s 2021 HOF class.

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Awudu Haddad – Third Base – Abidjan Athletes – 78.6% Seventh Ballot

Awudu Haddad was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting and right-handed throwing third baseman from Gbarnga, Liberia; a city of 34,000 people and the capital of Bong County. Gbarnga is also the birthplace of Tamba Hali, an all-pro NFL defensive lineman. On the whole, Haddad was a jack-of-all-trades type of hitter who didn’t grade as great at any one thing, but was generally above average to occasionally good across the board.

Haddad was notably stronger facing right-handed pitching (142 wRC+, .888 OPS) compared to lefties (101 wRC+, .722 OPS). His 162 game average got you 32 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. Haddad’s power was reliable, but not league-leading. He graded as above average in terms of both contact and eye with a middling strikeout rate relative to other WAB greats. Haddad was likely delightfully average in terms of baserunning speed and ability.

All of his starts in the field came at third base where he graded as; you guessed it, reliably above average to good. Haddad’s arm strength was notably great, a must for the position. Haddad started around ¾ of his games at 3B with the rest as a designated hitter. His durability was quite good over an 18-year career. Where Haddad excelled was character, considered one of the finest humans to play the game. He was a team selfless team captain with a tireless worth ethic and great loyalty. Haddad as a person was above reproach, making him one of the most popular and respected players of his era.

Haddad rated quite highly as a prospect and was picked third overall by Kumasi in the 1994 WAB Draft. The Monkeys didn’t rush him into the lineup, using him only 8 games in 1995. Haddad played 113 and started 64 in 1996 with unremarkable results. He was ready though for the full-time gig by 1997 and posted 4+ WAR over each of the next five seasons for Kumasi.

He breached 6+ thrice in that run, winning Silver Sluggers in 1998 (DH), 1999 (3B), and 2001 (3B). Haddad’s best year with Kumasi came without a Slugger, posting 7.7 WAR, 43 home runs, and 121 RBI in 2000. The Monkeys won the Western League pennant in 1998, but fell in the WAB Championship to the Kano dynasty. Haddad was unremarkable going 6-26 in the run with a 102 wRC+. Kumasi would be stuck right around .500 for the next three seasons.

With the Monkeys, Haddad had 908 hits, 517 runs, 217 doubles, 190 home runs, 574 RBI, a .283/.338/.545 slash, 142 wRC+, and 29.0 WAR. Kumasi couldn’t come to terms with Haddad, making him a free agent after the 2001 season at age 27. Abidjan would grab him at $21,440,000 over eight years, beginning what would be Haddad’s most famous run.

For the Athletes, Haddad breached 40+ home runs thrice and 4+ WAR six times. His finest effort was 2005, which had a career high 7.8 WAR and .985 OPS. He won Silver Sluggers in 2005, 2007, and 2008, giving him six for his career. Haddad’s lone Gold Glove also came with Abidjan in 2007.

When Haddad arrived, Abidjan was coming off three straight WL pennants. They fell off with three straight playoff misses from 2002-04, but then began an eight-year playoff streak in 2005. The Athletes were one-and-done from 2005-07. They had the top seed in 2008 at 106-56, but fell to Monrovia in a WLCS upset. Haddad’s playoff stats were poor over 13 starts with a .196/.268/.333 slash.

Abidjan did go onto win pennants in 2009 and 2010, but Haddad was gone by then as he declined his contract option after the 2008 season. Haddad finished with 1114 hits, 621 runs, 208 doubles, 233 home runs, 621 RBI, a .275/.334/.517 slash, 134 wRC+, and 34.3 WAR. This also marked the end of his WAB career at only age 34. Haddad opened up a global search in free agency and landed upon Argentina, signing a four-year, $21,200,000 deal with Buenos Aires.

Haddad was a reliably steady starter in his first three years in South America, although he fell off in his fourth year. For the Atlantics, he played 572 games with 537 hits, 254 runs, 108 doubles, 81 home runs, 261 RBI, a .273/.331/.474 slash, 119 wRC+, and 12.6 WAR. During his tenure, Buenos Aires was stuck in the bottom end of the standings.

A free agent again at age 38, Haddad went back to Africa, but not to WAB. He signed a two-year, $2,480,000 deal with Nairobi of the African Association of Baseball. Haddad was unremarkable in his one year in Kenya, playing 99 games with 98 wRC+ and 0.9 WAR. The Night Hawks let him go and Haddad was unsigned throughout 2014, retiring that winter at age 40.

For his combined pro career, Haddad had 2624 hits, 1429 runs, 551 doubles, 516 home runs, 1507 RBI, 793 walks, 253 stolen bases, a .275/.335/.513 slash, 132 wRC+, and 76.8 WAR. The combined resume was slightly borderline, but probably good enough for most Halls of Fame. However, five of those seasons came outside WAB and meant little or nothing to most WAB voters.

In WAB, Haddad saw 2022 hits, 1138 runs, 425 doubles, 61 triples, 423 home runs, 1195 RBI, 576 walks, 185 stolen bases, a .279/.335/.529 slash, 138 wRC+, and 63.3 WAR. As of 2037, Haddad is 43rd in WAR among position players, but 94th in hits, 79th in runs, 92nd in doubles, 58th in home runs, and 78th in RBI. The raw tallies were definitely on the low end, compounded by his lack of black ink or big seasons. Haddad never was an MVP finalist despite his efforts.

Supporters pointed to his WAR to show that he was more effective than the raw tallies might suggest. It also is generally tough for guys who weren’t exceptional at one specific skill to draw attention to themselves. Supporters also noted that Haddad was truly an exceptional human being. Fans loved him and no teammate or coach had a bad word about his character.

Haddad debuted on the 2015 ballot at 53.2% and dropped slightly to 51.5% in 2016, which would be his low. He bounced around the next few years to 61.1%, 56.2%, 63.8%, and 59.5%. On his seventh ballot, a groundswell of support emerged to get Haddad across the finish line. He received a sizeable bump to 78.6%, crossing the line with room to spare for a seventh ballot induction within WAB’s 2021 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-17-2024 12:27 PM

2021 SAB Hall of Fame

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Inner-circle Hall of Fame great Tritha Upadhyaya headlined South Asia Baseball’s two-player 2021 class at a near unanimous 98.6%. RF Han Kywe Khant joined him at 73.9%, finally breaching the 66% requirement on his ninth try. Two catchers were above 50% on their second ballot with Quoc Pham at 53.3% and Trung Lai with 50.7%. No players fell off the SAB ballot after ten failed tries.

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Tirtha “Numbers” Upadhyaya – Second Base – Ho Chi Minh City Hedgehogs – 98.6% First Ballot

Tirtha Upadhyaya was a 6’0’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting and right-handed throwing second baseman from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. He was the first-ever Nepali Hall of Famer and had a tremendous impact in growing the game’s popularity back home, even if he never played for his hometown team. Upadhyaya had the nickname “Numbers” for his fascinating with mathematical probabilities related to baseball. When he retired, Upadhyaya was at or near the top of most of SAB’s hitting leaderboards.

At his peak, Upadhyaya was a great contact hitter with incredible home run power. He had a decent eye for drawing walks, but did struggle with strikeouts. When he made contact, he made it count though with 12 seasons of 50+ home runs and 49 dingers over his 162 game average. Upadhyaya found the gap less often than you might think with only 22 doubles and 6 triples per 162, but the raw homer power made him a perennial MVP candidate.

Upadhyaya was especially dominant facing right-handed pitching with an outstanding career 1.007 OPS and 190 wRC+. He was by no means bad against lefties with a .829 OPS and 142 wRC+. Upadhyaya’s speed was merely average, but he was incredibly slick at getting steals at an impressive clip. Few players were smarter on the basepaths at picking their spots.

Defensively, Upadhyaya made about 70% of his career starts at second base where he graded as a poor defender. He sporadically played third base and fared no better there. About 20% of his starts were as a designated hitter. Upadhyaya’s durability was solid in his prime and he still battled age in his later years to pull off a 23-year career. Upadhyaya’s remarkable bat, longevity, and great leadership made him one of the first megastars that South Asia Baseball could market.

In May 1990, a teenaged Upadhyaya moved to India as he signed a developmental deal with Bengaluru. He debuted in 1993 at age 19, but struggled over 87 games and 16 starts. Upadhyaya figured it out the next year with a solid 4.8 WAR effort over 139 games. By his second full season, Upadhyaya was arguably the best player in South Asia Baseball.

Over the next five seasons for the Blazers, Upadhyaya led the IL each year in home runs, total bases, slugging percentage, OPS, and wRC+. All five seasons were above 10+ WAR, leading the league in four of those years. Upadhyaya also led thrice in runs scored and thrice in RBI. His 69 home runs in 1996 broke the previous single-season record by two. Although he only held the top spot for two years, Upadhyaya’s 69 homers ranks as the 10th best season in SAB as of 2037.

With that, Upadhyaya won five consecutive MVP awards and Silver Sluggers, becoming SAB’s first-ever five-time MVP. 1996 also had Upadhyaya’s highest WAR total at 13.58, which was the second-best to that point and ranks fourth among position players as of 2037. 1997 also had career bests in hits (194), triple slash (.336/.395/.737), OPS (1.132), and wRC+ (261). He also became the first-ever SAB slugger to have multiple four home run games, doing it in both 1997 and 1998.

Upadhyaya’s incredible numbers couldn’t turn Bengaluru into a winner with only two winning seasons and one playoff berth during his tenure. The Blazers won a weak South Division in 1995 and made it to the ILCS, but fell to 124-win Ahmedabad. Upadhyaya wanted to play on a winner and knew he would command the league’s biggest salary as a free agent, thus he left Bengaluru after the 1999 season at only age 26.

With the Blazers, Upadhyaya finished with 1024 hits, 624 runs, 123 doubles, 347 home runs, 680 RBI, 208 stolen bases, a .295/.352/.649 slash, 221 wRC+, and 64.3 WAR. By far, his most dominant tenure was with Bengaluru, but Upadhyaya would be best known for his next run. He signed an eight-year, $15,300,000 deal with Ho Chi Minh City. The Hedgehogs were the dynasty of the Southeast Asia League. When Upadhyaya arrived, they were on a 13-year playoff streak with nine SEAL pennants and three in-a-row. However, they only had one SAB title (1997) thanks to the adjacent Ahmedabad dynasty.

Upadhyaya played a big role in getting them over that final hump. He had a weak debut season by his standards with only 5.9 WAR in 2000, but he’d get more than 7+ WAR over the next six seasons. Upadhyaya led in WAR in 2001 and 2003, but posted his HCMC best in 2002 at 11.1. That year also saw him match his 69 homer best and score a league high 120 runs. Upadhyaya scored a career high 126 runs the next year. 2003 would be his lone MVP in SEAL, giving him six for his career. Only he and Majed Darwish have 6+ MVPS in SAB as of 2037.

In 2004, Upadhyaya smacked 68 homers with 158 RBI, which set a new single-season RBI record. The 158 still ranks eighth best as of 2037. In 2005, Upadhyaya had his third game with four home runs. He is the only player in all of pro baseball history to smack four homers in three different games. Upadhyaya won Silver Sluggers from 2000-03 at second base, then took it in both 2004 and 2006 as a DH.

Ho Chi Minh City’s dominance continued, winning their second SAB Championship in 2000 over Ahmedabad. The Hedgehogs got upset in the 2001 LCS by Yangon and the 2002 LCS by Dhaka. They rebounded for a SAB Championship three-peat, winning 118, 122, and 121 games. By wins, this is the most dominant three-peat in pro baseball history, going 361-125. Hanoi would win two more games in their 2008-10 run, but only got one SAB title in that stretch.

Upadhyaya’s playoff accolades included SAB Championship MVP in 2003 and the LCS MVP in both 2003 and 2005. The 2003 run was an all-timer over 13 games with 19 hits, 14 runs, 3 doubles, 8 homers, 16 RBI, and a 1.600 OPS. In total for HCMC, Upadhyaya played 81 postseason games with 99 hits, 52 runs, 15 doubles, 26 home runs, 64 RBI, 22 stolen bases, a .347/.408/.709 slash, 201 wRC+, and 5.9 WAR.

After the 2005 title run, Upadhyaya opted out of his HCMC contract only to sign a new three-year, $11,240,000 deal with the Hedgehogs. In 2006, he became the second-ever member of SAB’s 700 home run club. He passed Amoda Shah’s 729 to become SAB’s home run king, a title he held for around a decade. In 2006, Upadhyaya also became the fourth to reach 1500 RBI.

Ho Chi Minh City went 116-46 in 2006, but was upset in the LCS by Yangon. Upadhyaya then shocked the Hedgehogs by opting out of his new deal, leaving to sign a one-year deal with the Green Dragons. He posted 6.9 WAR with Yangon, missing a month to a torn thumb ligament. Yangon got back to the LCS, but lost to now rising Hanoi.

Now 34-years old, Upadhyaya went back to Ho Chi Minh City in 2008 on a two-year deal at $8,160,000. He became the first to reach 800 career home runs and the fifth to 2500 hits, getting 7.5 WAR in 2008. HCMC’s playoff streak grew to 22 years, but they were ousted in the first round of the playoffs. This was also Upadhyaya’s final year in Vietnam’s largest city, where he’d remain a beloved superstar for many years after for his role in their historic dynasty. HCMC decided to decline the team option for 2009.

Between stints, Upadhyaya played eight years in HCMC with 1337 hits, 883 runs, 176 doubles, 444 home runs, 997 RBI, 391 walks, 321 stolen bases, a .292/.355/.642 slash, 174 wRC+, and 68.1 WAR. His #9 uniform would get retired and he’d be most commonly remembered in Hedgehogs red. Upadhyaya still had another seven pro seasons to go, although by many measures that was his last great season.

Upadhyaya went back to Yangon in 2009 and missed almost two months to torn thumb ligaments. Still, he earned his 12th and final Silver Slugger, a mark only reached by three SAB players. The Green Dragons earned their fourth consecutive LCS berth, but would be defeated by Ho Chi Minh City. Upadhyaya would be unavailable for the postseason run due to injury. He still managed 10.4 WAR between his two years with the Green Dragons.

Up next was a two-year, $8,120,000 deal with Kanpur. Upadhyaya became a platoon starter, still looking good in 2010 with 5.7 WAR in 142 games and 96 starts. However, Upadhyaya was actively bad with an 86 wRC+ and 1.0 WAR in 2011. With the Poison, he became the first SAB slugger to 900 home runs and the first to 2000 RBI. Upadhyaya was only the fourth player in all of pro baseball history to reach 900 home runs to that point. He played concurrent to the Arab League’s Nordine Soule, who became the first to reach 1000 dingers in 2012.

Upadhyaya bounced around in his final four seasons as an occasional starter and pinch hitter. He played 2012 with Jaipur, 2013 with Chittagong, 2014 with Dhaka, and 2015 with Hanoi. When it looked like he was building momentum, he ran into injury issues. Upadhyaya’s final playoff appearances came in 2015 with the Hounds, struggling over ten starts. Hanoi fell that year to Yangon in the LCS.

For his playoff career, Upadhyaya played 110 games with 124 hits, 62 runs, 19 doubles, 5 triples, 33 home runs, 80 RBI, 31 walks, 25 stolen bases, .316/372/.641 slash, 178 wRC+, and 6.5 WAR. Most of that was with HCMC, becoming known as a clutch performer. As of 2037, Upadhyaya ranks 11th in playoff hits, 14th in runs, 8th in home runs, and 7th in RBI.

In his final years, Upadhyaya was padding his spots on the leaderboards. He ended with 973 home runs, second in the world at retirement to Soule’s 1073. Upadhyaya passed Manju Abbas’s 154.75 to become SAB’s WARlord at 156.13. He fell short of Abbas for the most runs scored by 76. Upadhyaya joined Abbas as the only guys with 3000 hits to that point, but he was a long way from Abbas’ 3897. At retirement, Upadhyaya also was the SAB leader in RBI and total bases. He was unsigned in 2016, retiring that winter at age 43.

Upadhyaya finished with 3192 games, 3056 hits, 1981 runs, 431 doubles, 118 triples, 973 home runs, 2160 RBI, 928 walks, 2794 strikeouts, 720 stolen bases, a .283/.347/.614 slash, 178 wRC+, and 156.1 WAR. The big power stats from Majed Darwish and Ratan Canduri would overtake Upadhyaya in the high-powered world of SAB by the time he was inducted. Still, Upadhyaya ranks impressively in many stats.

As of 2037, Upadhyaya is 3rd in homers, 4th in RBI, 3rd in total bases (6642), 4th in runs, 8th in hits, 4th in games played, 76th in doubles, 21st in walks drawn, 4th in strikeouts, and 3rd in WAR. Among SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .961 OPS is 28th best and Upadhyaya’s slugging ranks 16th. The OPS number is especially impressive since he doesn’t crack the top 100 in batting average or OBP.

In all of world history as of 2037, Upadhyaya is 8th in home runs, 32nd in RBI, 38th in runs scored, 41st in games played, and 27th in WAR among position players. He’s one of only 51 players at any position with 150+ career WAR, ranking 36th out of everybody. While some worldwide downplay SAB sluggers with the league’s high-homer atmosphere, there’s no doubt that Upadhyaya was one of baseball’s true immortals.

If not for Darwish and Canduri rising to prominence by the end of Upadhyaya’s run, he might get more consideration as South Asia Baseball’s best-ever player. Most scholars will put him in the top five in SAB and in the top five second basemen in world history. Only BSA’s Niculao Semide has more career WAR accumulated specifically at second base.

Upadhyaya is easily Nepal’s greatest baseball export and some argue he makes the top ten for any Asian-born player. He was a critical part of Ho Chi Minh City’s historic dynasty and one of the biggest superstars to ever come out of South Asia Baseball. The 98.6% he received in 2021 was frankly too low, but either way he headlined SAB’s 2021 Hall of Fame class.

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Han Kywe Khant – Right Field – Ahmedabad Animals – 73.9% Ninth Ballot

Han Kywe Khant was a 6’2’’, 195 pound right-handed right fielder from Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city. Khant was an excellent contact hitter who was good at avoiding strikeouts, although he was merely decent at drawing walks. His gap power was impressive, averaging 45 doubles and 4 triples per his 162 game average. Khant wasn’t a prolific slugger, but he was also good for 21 home runs per 162 games. His baserunning skills were respectable, but he was still limited with subpar speed.

Khant exclusively played right field and graded as a consistently weak defender plagued by poor range. He had good durability though for most of his run and certainly deserved his spot with his bat. Khant was considered a solid clubhouse leader and became a popular player with fans and teammates alike. He would be a playoff regular between his two stops, playing in many big games in his career.

Even out of high school, Khant emerged as the top prospect out of Myanmar and arguably the best in all of Southeast Asia. In the 1991 SAB Draft, Chittagong picked him with the #2 overall pick. However, Khant couldn’t come to terms with the Commandos and went to college. Three years later in the 1994 SAB Draft, his hometown Yangon grabbed him with the #5 pick. Khant was a full-time starter immediately for the Green Dragons, winning a Silver Slugger in 1995 and taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. He was also a rare player to hit for the cycle in his rookie season.

1995 also marked the start of what would be a world-record 29-year playoff streak for Yangon, falling to Ho Chi Minh City’s dynasty in the Southeast Asia League Championship. Khant won additional Sluggers in 1996, 1998, and 1999 for the Green Dragons. He had three seasons above 6.5 WAR, leading in both hits and batting average in both 1998 and 1999. 1999 had a second place in MVP voting with career highs in runs (91), hits (212), doubles (48), RBI (136), average (.357), OPS (.959), and WAR (7.7). Khant also led SEAL in doubles and OBP in 1998.

Yangon was only 89-73 in 1996, but they stunned 115-win HCMC to win the SEAL title. The Green Dragons would fall to Ahmedabad in the SAB Championship. Yangon won three division titles over the next four years, but all four seasons saw first round playoff exits. Khant’s playoff stats were respectable over 40 games with 46 hits, 17 runs, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 20 RBI, a .307/.346/.473 slash, 138 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR.

In 2000, Khant’s production dipped a bit down to 4.1 WAR. While still solid, it was the weakest of his Yangon run. Despite his popularity, Khant and his hometown team couldn’t come to terms, sending him to free agency at age 29. With Yangon, Khant had 1143 hits, 472 runs, 266 doubles, 119 home runs, 615 RBI, a .333/.375/533 slash, 159 wRC+, and 35.2 WAR. His stats would be comparable with Yangon and his next stop Ahmedabad, but Khant would be inducted wearing the Animals’ shade of green.

Ahmedabad inked Khant to a seven-year, $16,760,000 deal. At this point, the Animals were on a 16-year playoff streak, winning the Indian League title 13 times in that run and the SAB Championship 11 times. Ahmedabad had won seven consecutive IL crowns, but had just lost the SAB final to Ho Chi Minh City. Khant’s debut saw the Animals finish 125-37, one win behind 1993 HCMC for the most by any team in pro baseball history.

Khant was great in the regular season, matching his career best WAR (7.7) and posting his best wRC+ (207). However, he was iffy in this playoff run with a .627 OPS over eight games. Ahmedabad again won the IL, but was upset ironically by Yangon in the SAB Championship. The Animals won 118 games in 2002, winning the IL crown again with a SAB Championship win over Dhaka. Khant was ILCS MVP with his finest playoff run, getting 23 hits, 3 runs, 5 doubles, 12 RBI, and a .500/.500/.674 slash in 12 starts.

That would be the final title of Ahmedabad’s playoff streak, although they extended the streak for another five years. The Animals had ILCS losses in 2003, 05, and 06; and first round defeats in 04 and 07. Khant had steady numbers throughout, winning his fifth Silver Slugger in 2003. His playoff numbers were quite good over 63 starts for Ahmedabad with 74 hits, 30 runs, 21 doubles, 7 home runs, 29 RBI, 17 walks, a .301/.349/.472 slash, 159 wRC+, and 3.0 WAR.

For his playoff career, Khant played 103 games with 120 hits, 47 runs, 30 doubles, 11 homers, 49 RBI, a .303/.348/.472 slash, 151 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 14th in postseason hits, 39th in runs, 32nd in RBI, and 8th in doubles. Khant’s numbers were less impressive in the World Baseball Championship, regularly playing for Myanmar from 1995-2008. In 129 WBC games, he had 104 hits, 48 runs, 26 doubles, 17 home runs, 55 RBI, a .224/.277/.390 slash, 95 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR.

Khant was steady until falling off a bit in 2006, getting reduced to a part-time role. He reclaimed the starting job in 2007 with a solid 4.0 WAR effort in the last year of his Ahmedabad deal. With the Animals, Khant had 1081 hits, 477 runs, 252 doubles, 124 home runs, 537 RBI, a .309/.354/.496 slash, 169 wRC+, and 34.2 WAR. He still seemed to be starter quality, but Khant couldn’t find any interested teams for the 2008 season. After going unsigned, he retired in the winter at age 36.

The final stats for Khant saw 1867 games, 2224 hits, 949 runs, 518 doubles, 47 triples, 243 home runs, 1152 RBI, 440 walks, a .321/.365/.514 slash, 164 wRC+, and 69.4 WAR. As of 2037, Khant ranks 74th in hits, 32nd in doubles, 86th in RBI, and 84th in WAR among position players. Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his batting average sits 25th and his OBP is 63rd. While efficient, Khant’s totals were very much borderline.

His solid playoff numbers were a plus, but there had been so many other inductees from the Ahmedabad dynasty already with more impressive stats. Still, Khant debuted in 2013 at 56.4%, a solid start that suggested room for growth. The next three ballots saw 48.1%, 58.5%, and 46.6%. Khant got to 60.9% in his fifth ballot, but then hit a new low of 37.1% in 2018.

In 2019, Khant bounced back big to 65.7%, missing the 66% requirement by the slimmest of margins. He fell back to 45.9% the next year, starting to run out of time. 2021 would be his ninth and potentially penultimate time on the ballot. Voters gave Khant’s resume another look and it won over just enough doubters. At 73.9%, he was a ninth ballot inductee to cap off South Asia Baseball’s 2021 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-17-2024 05:53 PM

2021 ABF Hall of Fame

The Asian Baseball Federation added two slam dunk inductees into the Hall of Fame in 2021 with OF/DH Humayun Kahil at 98.9% and SP Zahir Nasir at 98.1%. SP Omar Ma’mur narrowly missed joining them on his third ballot, as his 63.1% was within striking distance of the 66% requirement. CF Rahman Polat also was notable at 59.7% on his debut. No other players were above 50%.

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One player fell off the ballot after ten failed attempts in RP Mahgameh Nasiri, who peaked at 28.3% in his second ballot and ended at 5.3%. He won Reliever of the Year twice with Tehran, but only had nine of his 12 seasons in ABF. Nasiri had 161 saves and 226 shutdowns, 2.25 ERA, 740.1 innings, 878 strikeouts, 158 ERA+, and 14.0 WAR. It was a respectable run, but far from Hall of Fame worthy and it was surprising to some that he even lasted ten ballots.

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Humayun Kahil – Outfield/Designated Hitter – Adana Axemen – 98.9% First Ballot

Humayun Kahil was a 5’11’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city. Kahil was a tremendous contact hitter who generated impressive home run power with his stocky frame. He had 40+ home runs in 11 of his 24 seasons, averaging 44 per his 162 game average. Kahil was also solid at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was subpar.

Kahil absolutely mashed against right-handed pitching with a career 182 wRC+ and 1.032 OPS. His career numbers against lefties were decent (118 wRC+, .766 OPS) but in his 20s, Kahil beat up lefties quite impressively as well. His power wasn’t limited to homers, getting 29 doubles and 7 triples per his 162 game average. Kahil’s speed was above average to good at best, but he was an outstanding and dangerous baserunner. Few guys ever had better timing and instincts, making Kahil one of the game’s top-ever run scorers without having blistering speed.

The downside is that Kahil was a lousy defender at any spot he tried. He made about half of his career starts in left field, about 15% in right field, and a smattering at first base. Around ¼ of his starts were as a designated hitter. In many of his seasons, he jumped around between spots depending on what the team needed. Kahil’s bat was such that he always had a spot somewhere waiting for him.

Kahil had some sporadic mostly smaller injuries, especially in his later years. However, he held up remarkably well as one of the select few to survive 24 seasons of pro baseball. Kahil was one of the most respected men in the game, known as a team captain everywhere he went. He was selfless, hard-working, adaptable, and loyal. Kahil was extremely popular over a career that spanned three continents and four leagues, becoming possibly the biggest baseball superstar ever out of Pakistan.

Although a famous figure of Pakistani baseball, Kahil never actually played for a pro team based in his country. Wherever he went though, he made it a point to come home for the World Baseball Championship. From 1998-2016, he played 175 games and started 164 with 181 hits, 123 runs, 26 doubles, 53 home runs, 102 RBI, 66 walks, 64 stolen bases, a .297/.372/.613 slash, 183 wRC+, and 10.0 WAR.

Kahil’s efforts earned Pakistan a fourth place in 2007, an elite eight in 2009, and third place in 2010. As of 2037, Kahil leads all Pakistanis in the WBC in WAR, runs, and hits. He ranks third in doubles, third in homers, and fourth in RBI. Among all position players, he’s 41st in WAR, 65th in hits, and 57th in runs. Kahil was also only the 13th player in WBC history to hit for the cycle, doing it in 2007 against Nicaragua.

Growing up in Lahore, his potential was widely broadcast even as a teenager. A scout from Adana was able to lure him to Turkey on a developmental deal signed in June 1993. Kahil didn’t need much seasoning, becoming one of the few in pro baseball history to debut at age 18. He played 131 games and started 117 in 1995, winning Rookie of the Year honors.

Kahil earned himself stardom even as a rookie, winning MVP honors of the West Asia Association Championship Series. Adana beat Isfahan for the pennant, then won their first-ever ABF Championship over Karachi. The Axemen would repeat in 1996, again beating the Carp. In these two playoff runs, Kahil had 0.8 WAR over 24 starts, 23 hits, 12 runs, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs, and 16 RBI.

He was merely a decent starter in his first two years, but even doing that much as a teenager was unheard of. Kahil had a 5.0 WAR third season, then emerged as the top guy from 1998-2002. He led the WAA (and soon rechristened Western League) five straight years in WAR, topping 10+ each time. Kahil led in OPS, wRC+, slugging, batting average, total bases, and RBI each four times. He thrice led in OBP, twice led in home runs and runs scored, and once led in stolen bases.

Kahil won Silver Sluggers in left field all five years and won MVPs in 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002 (and finished second in MVP voting in 2000). He posted the third-ever ABF Triple Crown for a hitter in 1999 (.365, 49 HR, 135 RBI) then did it again in 2002 (.330, 60 HR, 139 RBI). Kahil scored 133 runs in 1999, which tied ABF’s single-season record and held until 2021. As of 2037, he holds the #11, #13, and #17 best OPS single-seasons in ABF history.

2002 had his career best in homers (60), while 1999 had his bests in runs (133), hits (212), total bases (428), average (.365), OPS (1.162), and WAR (13.1). He was arguably on a stronger pace in both 2000 and 2001, but he lost around a month in both seasons to injury. Kahil was the first-ever four-time MVP in ABF and is one of only five as of 2037. The Axemen had given him an eight-year, $9,190,000 contract signed in May 1998.

Despite reaching his individual prime, Adana couldn’t match the team success he had at the start of his career. The Axemen narrowly missed the playoff from 1997-99 as Bursa began a nine-year playoff streak. The playoffs expanded in 2000 with the influx of teams from the exodus from Eurasian Professional Baseball. Adana was a wild card in 2000 and 2001, suffering a first round loss and a WLCS loss. 2002 was then the first losing season since 1987 for the Axemen, who wouldn’t be back above .500 until 2009.

A severely strained hip muscle kept Kahil out in the spring of 2003, although he notably had a 32-game hit streak that year. He was back to his elite form in 2004, matching his home run high (60) and setting a new RBI high mark of 147. Kahil also had 11.0 WAR and led in runs, batting average, and OBP. He won his sixth Silver Slugger (his first in RF) and was second in MVP voting.

Beloved by Adana fans, Kahil was now 28-years old and only one season away from being eligible for free agency. He wanted to stay loyal, but the Axemen weren’t expecting to be competitive anytime soon. Adana also figured they wouldn’t be able to afford the massive contract offers that Kahil would inevitably get. Shortly after the 2004 season, the Axemen traded Kahil within the division to Bursa for five prospects.

Bursa was the defending ABF champ and both wanted to repeat and hoped they could convince Kahil to stay. The Blue Claws set a franchise-best mark at 106-56 in 2005, but lost to Shiraz in the WLCS. Kahil won his seventh Silver Slugger and took second in MVP voting, leading in runs (112) and homers (48) while posting 9.6 WAR. He did that in only 107 games, missing the final months of the regular season and the playoffs to a bone spur in his elbow. Kahil posted his best-ever OPS (1.209) and slugging (.789) but didn’t have the plate appearances to qualify as the league leader.

Now 29-years old, Kahil was a baseball superstar and one of the most sought after free agents worldwide. His ABF career ended for now as Major League Baseball teams were primed to make him one of the richest in the game. Calgary won the bidding war at $56,500,000 over five years. Kahil would make roughly as much in just his first MLB season as he did for entire ABF tenure.

Kahil had a good debut season with 4.7 WAR for Calgary, but he was back to being elite in the next three years with each over 6.5+ WAR. He led the American Association in runs in both 2008 and 2009 and led in total bases in 2008. Both years, Kahil was third in MVP voting and won Silver Sluggers (DH in 2008, RF in 2009).

Despite his efforts and popularity in Calgary, the Cheetahs were stuck in the middle of the standings, peaking at 82-80 in 2009. Kahil declined the option fifth year of his deal, becoming a free agent again for 2010 at age 33. In four seasons for Calgary, Kahil had a strong 27.6 WAR, 748 hits, 456 runs, 115 doubles, 173 home runs, 462 RBI, a .313/.376/.597 slash, and 165 wRC+.

Up next was a four-year, $75,200,000 deal with Houston. Kahil had a very strong 2011 with 44 homers, .992 OPS, and 7.1 WAR. He was still a solid starter in the other years, but couldn’t match his Calgary peaks as he started to struggle against left-handed pitching. Houston earned three straight playoff berths from 2010-12, but was knocked out each time in round one. With the Hornets, Kahil had 628 hits, 352 runs, 83 doubles, 140 home runs, 358 RBI, a .287/.339/.536 slash, 143 wRC+, and 17.7 WAR.

That ended his MLB career after eight years with 1195 games, 1376 hits, 808 runs, 198 doubles, 313 home runs, 820 RBI, 178 stolen bases, a .300/.359/.568 slash, 154 wRC+, and 45.3 WAR. It was quite the tenure for a guy coming over in his 30s and he may have been MLB Hall of Fame worthy had his entire career came there. Kahil impressively received 20.2% in his first year in the MLB HOF ballot despite his short tenure.

Now 37-years old, Kahil returned to ABF and Adana with a hero’s welcome, signing for two years and $23,200,000. His 2014 return was rough with a torn meniscus costing him the first four months. Other injuries kept Kahil out a chunk of 2015, although he had a nice pace when healthy with 5.6 WAR over 155 games.

His leadership helped make the Axemen a contender again, ending a playoff drought back to his first stint. Adana would fall in the 2014 WLCS to Mashhad and in the 2015 WLCS to Shiraz. Kahil missed the former to injury and was respectable in the latter. His career playoff stats with the Axemen were merely decent with 37 starts, 32 hits, 21 runs, 9 doubles, 10 homers, 25 RBI, a .222/.261/.535 slash, 129 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Granted, Kahil’s best seasons largely happened outside of the playoff window.

Between runs with Adana, Kahil had 1857 hits, 1079 runs, 328 doubles, 91 triples, 444 home runs, 1166 RBI, 595 walks, 567 stolen bases, a .319/.382/.635 slash, 184 wRC+, and 89.0 WAR. He was a beloved franchise icon and his #32 uniform would eventually be retired. Kahil’s ABF career ended after the 2015 campaign, although he wasn’t done with pro baseball yet. The 39-year old slugger found his next home in Mexico for $15,600,000 over two years with Hermosillo.

Kahil managed to stay mostly healthy with the Hyenas, looking only decent in 2016 but pretty good in 2017. He had 282 hits, 164 runs, 32 doubles, 63 home runs, 162 RBI, a .287/.338/.524 slash, 135 wRC+, and 6.1 WAR with Hermosillo. Kahil was back on the market after that and got a one-year deal with Freetown of West Africa Baseball. This put him on a short list of pros who played in four different world leagues and who played across three continents. His time in Africa went poorly though, struggling to -1.2 WAR and a .657 OPS over 123 games and 86 starts. Kahil officially retired after the 2018 campaign at age 42.

Just in ABF, Kahil had 1992 hits, 1191 runs, 349 doubles, 94 triples, 492 home runs, 1264 RBI, 641 walks, 608 stolen bases, a .321/.384/.645 slash, 186 wRC+, and 98.7 WAR. As of 2037, Kahil ranks 17th in WAR among position players, 75th in hits, 37th in runs, 27th in home runs, and 32nd in RBI. His counting totals are still pretty impressive even with a relatively small sample size since he left for most of his 30s.

Among all ABF batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Kahil’s 1.029 OPS still ranks 6th. He also is 21st in batting average, 13th in on-base percentage, and 7th in slugging percentage. Kahil was a no-doubter for the 2021 ABF Hall of Fame class at 98.9%. Had he played his whole career in ABF though, some think he would have ended up in the conversation for ABF’s greatest of all-time.

Kahil’s grand totals across four leagues put him as a true immortal of the game. He played 3285 games with 3736 hits, 2212 runs, 586 doubles, 147 triples, 884 home runs, 2290 RBI, 1153 walks, 904 stolen bases, a .307/.368/.598 slash, 167 wRC+, and 148.9 WAR. Few players in the entire world produced more in his era than Kahil did.

As of 2037, Kahil ranks 11th in pro baseball history in runs scored, 28th in games played, 20th in hits, 29th in home runs, 16th in RBI, and 36th in WAR among position players. Against all players ever, Kahil is 53rd in career WAR. He certainly has a case as the best-ever baseball player to come out of Pakistan and deserves a mention when discussing the best of the best from all of Asia.

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Zahir Nasir – Starting Pitcher – Karachi Carp – 98.1% First Ballot

Zahir Nasir was a 6’2’’ 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Mithi, a city with around 52,000 people in southeastern Pakistan. Nasir was best known for having terrific movement on his pitches, although his stuff and control were also both good to great. He had a 98-100 mph fastball, but his deadliest pitch was a filthy knuckle curve. Nasir also had a changeup and standard curveball in the arsenal.

Relative to other ABF aces, Nasir’s stamina was average at best. He also missed a number of starts in his early years to recurring back issues, but did still manage an 18-year career despite his injuries. Nasir graded as a solid defensive pitcher, but did struggle holding runners. Critics argued his work ethic and focus were often lacking. Nasir also wasn’t one to take on a leadership role, but that didn’t stop him from being one of the era’s top arms.

Nasir quickly impressed scouts as a teenager and earned a developmental deal in September 1995 with Karachi. He spent four years in the Carp academy, then debuted in 2000 at age 20 with 154 innings. Nasir wasn’t quite ready as a rookie, but held up enough to earn a full-time spot in the rotation the next year. 2002 would start an 11-year streak of seasons worth 5+ WAR. Karachi gave Nasir a three-year, $10,280,000 extension in April 2005.

From there, Nasir was third in Pitcher of the Year voting in three consecutive seasons. He led the East League in wins in 2005 and took his first ERA title in 2006 at 2.12. 2005 also saw his career best 347 strikeouts, one of only two times he got 300+. 2004 marked the start of a six-year playoff streak for Karachi, although they had first round exits in the first three seasons. The Carp had a franchise-best 111-51 in 2006, but still went one-and-done. Karachi remained a 100+ win team and first place finisher in the next three regular seasons.

The Carp got to the 2007 ELCS, but was upset by Bishkek despite having the top seed. They finally broke through and won back-to-back EL pennants in 2008 and 2009, both seasons at 105-57. Karachi lost the 2008 ABF Championship to Istanbul, but won their first-ever title in 2009 by defeating Ankara. Nasir was especially impressive in the 2009 run with a 0.84 ERA over 32.1 innings and 38 strikeouts. He won ELCS MVP that year.

For his career, Nasir was a solid playoff performer overall with a 2.15 ERA over 88 innings, 4-6 record, 107 strikeouts, 16 walks, 145 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. Nasir also pitched very well for Pakistan in the World Baseball Championship from 2004-15, tossing 152.1 innings with a 13-4 record, 2.07 ERA, 186 strikeouts, 45 walks, 170 ERA+, and 5.2 WAR.

In May 2008, Nasir signed a new seven-year, $40,600,000 extension with Karachi. He rewarded them that year with his first Pitcher of the Year win, leading the league in ERA (1.51) and WAR (8.1). Karachi’s playoff streak ended in 2010, but they got back in 2011 as a wild card. They went one-and-done, but Nasir won his second POTY that season with career and league bests in ERA (1.45) and WAR (8.3). The 1.45 ERA ranks as the tenth best qualifying season in ABF as of 2037. Nasir also led from 2006-2012 in FIP- thanks to his great control and knack for avoiding home runs.

Karachi truly entered a rebuild after the 2012 campaign, starting a decade-plus playoff drought. Back trouble cost Nasir part of 2013 and shoulder inflammation ended his 2014 prematurely. He had one year left on his deal after the 2014 campaign, but the Carp shopped the 35-year old as their competitive window was done. Nasir was traded to Ankara on New Year’s Eve for five prospects and a second round draft pick.

With the Carp, Nasir had a 199-128 record, 2.49 ERA, 3123.2 innings, 3900 strikeouts, 659 walks, 125 ERA+, and 87.8 WAR. He was just short of becoming the sixth to win 200 games and the fourth to reach 4000 strikeouts. Karachi would later retire his #9 uniform for his impressive service during the club’s most sustained run of success.

Nasir was largely unimpressive in his one year for the Alouettes with 1.8 WAR over 135 innings. The year was notable as he reached the above-mentioned milestones and tossed his only no-hitter, striking out six and walking two against Izmir on June 6. The season saw an unfortunate end in mid-July with a partially torn UCL putting Nasir out eight months, putting his career in doubt.

He was done with ABF at this point, but did find interest in South America with a three-year, $16,800,000 deal for Quito. Nasir had part-time use with poor results in two years in Ecuador, posting a 5.21 ERA over 155.1 innings. He remained under contract in 2018, but never saw the field. Nasir retired that winter at age 39.

In ABF, Nasir finished with a 205-138 record, 88 saves, 2.50 ERA, 3258.2 innings, 4058 strikeouts, 690 walks, 313/424 quality starts, 69 complete games, 25 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 89.7 WAR. As of 2037, Nasir is 7th in pitching WAR, 15th in wins, 14th in strikeouts, and 18th in innings pitched. Among all pitchers with 1000+ career innings, Nasir’s ERA ranks 36th, his 0.95 WHIP is 38th, and his opponent’s OPS of .565 is 21st.

Nasir doesn’t likely make many top five lists when discussing ABF’s best-ever pitchers, but he’ll be on most top ten lists. He had a very impressive run and was a big reason Karachi was a consistent competitor in the 2000s. Nasir got into the Hall of Fame easily at 98.1%, making up an impressive one-two punch for the 2021 class.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-18-2024 04:32 AM

2021 ALB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

FuzzyRussianHat

12-18-2024 11:44 AM

2021 ALB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Uria Lerner – Starting Pitcher – Dubai Diamonds – 90.8% First Ballot

Uria Lerner was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Tel Aviv-Yafo; Israel’s most populous city. Lerner was a fireballer with incredibly overpowering stuff, but he also had excellent control and movement prior to injury. He peaked in the 99-101 mph range with a three-pitch combo of slider, forkball, and cutter. It was difficult to identify which pitch was coming until it was too late, making Lerner a major strikeout pitcher.

Lerner’s stamina was quite good early in his career, but major injuries meant he only tossed 200+ innings in five seasons. He was good at holding runners, but iffy defensively. Few guys put in more work or effort than Lerner, who was also noted for his loyalty, intelligence, and selflessness. His work ethic and raw dominance made him worthy of induction despite becoming effectively done by age 31.

Scouts quickly will hear about a guy who is tall and throws fire, especially if they live in a major metro. Dubai ended up signing a teenaged Lerner to a developmental deal in December 1997. He spent essentially four years in the Diamonds’ academy, officially debuting in 2001 with one relief appearance at age 20. Lerner also tossed 1.1 scoreless playoff innings as the Diamonds had a first round exit. Dubai made Lerner a full-time starter in 2002 with immediate success.

Lerner was Rookie of the Month five times in 2002, but the bias against pitchers winning Rookie of the Year somehow meant he finished second for ROTY. He was also second in Pitcher of the Year voting at 6.6 WAR and a conference-best 29 quality starts. Lerner had a strong showing in the playoffs with a 3-1 record over 28.2 innings, 2.83 ERA, and 37 strikeouts. This helped Dubai win their first (and only thus far) ALB Championship, beating Alexandria in the final.

The Diamonds set a franchise record at 109-53 in 2003 and again won the Eastern Conference, but this time Casablanca bested them in the Arab League Championship. Lerner was again solid in the playoffs with a 2.35 ERA over 23 innings and 35 strikeouts. He would have a decent start in 2004 and poor start in 2005, his final playoff appearances. Dubai would win four more Gulf Division titles from 2004-07, but couldn’t get out of the first round.

For his playoff career, Lerner had a 4-3 record, 3.14 ERA, 66 innings, 91 strikeouts, 16 walks, 124 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. His role in their two pennants garnered him plenty of respect in Dubai, later getting his #9 uniform retired. Lerner also did well on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native Israel. From 2002-11, he had a 2.06 ERA over 100.2 innings, 140 strikeouts, 20 walks, 176 ERA+, and 3.5 WAR.

Lerner’s second season saw 8.0 WAR, 2.77 ERA, and 309 strikeouts, taking second again in Pitcher of the Year voting. He then posted back-to-back Triple Crown seasons, the only ALB pitcher to do so. In 2004, Lerner had a 24-7 record, 2.19 ERA, and 388 strikeouts over 267.2 innings. This season was worth 13.37 WAR; which remains ALB’s single-season best by a pitcher. The 388 Ks also rank eighth best as of 2037. Dubai gave Lerner a seven-year, $9,700,000 extension in September 2004.

His 2005 had fewer innings but was more efficient with a 21-2 record, 1.67 ERA, 362 strikeouts, and 12.3 WAR over 237.2 innings. Lerner’s ERA ranks as the sixth-best qualifying season and his opponents’ .504 OPS ranks sixth. The WAR mark was the second-best by an ALB pitcher behind only his prior year. Lerner won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards. He led again in WAR (8.4) and WHIP (0.85) in 2006, finishing second in POTY voting.

2007 would see the first major injury setback for Lerner at age 26. In spring training, he tore his ulnar collateral ligament, putting him out for the entire year. He rehabbed back and seemingly lost very little in 2008, leading again in WAR at 8.5 and taking his third Pitcher of the Year. This season also saw his lone no-hitter, a 14 strikeout, one walk effort against Abu Dhabi on July 24.

Unfortunately the final weeks of the 2008 season, Lerner tore his UCL again. This required 14 months of rehab, costing him the entire 2009 campaign. Lerner again made an impressive comeback, winning his third ERA title in 2010 at 2.16. He had 6.1 WAR and 219 strikeouts, but saw fewer innings as a precautionary measure. Lerner’s 2011 would have a rough start with a partially torn labrum knocking him out most of the spring.

Dubai was grateful for Lerner’s efforts, but the writing was on the wall in the final year of his contract. At the 2011 trade deadline, he was shipped to Mecca for five prospects. Lerner had a solid second half for the Marksmen and was still effective when seeing the field, posting a 2.69 ERA over 127.1 innings and 4.9 WAR between teams in 2011. Lerner now became a free agent for the first time heading towards age 31. Many teams were leery of the injury history, but a few were hopeful that he might still return to his peak dominance.

Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Aces were incredibly bullish on Lerner, signing him to a five-year, $77,100,000 deal. This deal ended up being one of the all-time biggest busts in baseball history. It started amazing as Lerner’s debut start was a four-hit shutout against Orlando. In his second start, he partially tore his UCL again, knocking him out for the rest of the year.

Through the previous injuries, Lerner maintained most of his ability when he got back healthy. This time though, it absolutely tanked his control. Lerner started six games in 2013 with awful results, posting a 5.57 ERA. He suffered a partially torn labrum as well in mid April, knocking him out another five months. Atlanta hoped to recoup some of that value, but ended up cutting Lerner after struggled in 2014 spring training. For $77.1 million, the Aces got eight starts and a 4.08 ERA. Atlanta rightfully got slammed by critics for giving such a deal to a guy with a known significant injury history.

Lerner was still only 33-years old and hoped to revive his career back in ALB. Sulaymanyiah signed him and he tossed five scoreless innings of relief, but was cut in July. Doha then grabbed him for 10.1 innings before getting sidelined by a hamstring strain. Tunis signed him for 2015, but Lerner was cut in the summer after poor results in 10 relief innings. He finished the season in Baghdad with 27 innings and a 4.33 ERA.

That ended Lerner’s ALB career, but he hoped he could still catch on somewhere as a reliever. He managed to snag a one-year, $3,680,000 deal for 2016 with St. Petersburg of Eurasian Professional Baseball. The Polar Bears quickly realized he didn’t have the goods and Lerner never saw the field, although he did collect a paycheck for the full season. Lerner officially retired that winter at age 35.

For his ALB career, Lerner had a 141-46 record, 2.41 ERA, 1774.1 innings, 2337 strikeouts, 284 walks, 179/252 quality starts, 24 complete games, 10 shutouts, 163 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 69.0 WAR. The injuries keep him from the top 100 in innings pitched, but he still ranks 18th in pitching WAR as well as 66th in strikeouts, 63rd in wins.

Among all ALB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Lerner is second in ERA behind only Hall of Fame closer Khadr Seif at 2.19. Lerner also ranks second in WHIP (0.93), and third in opponent’s OPS (.577). He had a triple slash of .212/.250/.327, ranking 8th, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. Lerner’s 11.85 K/9 ranks 13th and his 6.95 H/9 is 8th. Among all Hall of Fame starting pitchers in world history, Lerner’s 160 ERA+ ranks 12th best and his 55 FIP- is 18th best.

Certainly when healthy, Lerner was among the most dominant pitchers ever. People can only wonder “what if?” had his arm not exploded multiple times. Even in a very short career, Lerner won three Pitcher of the Year awards, hit the Triple Crown twice, posted ALB’s top two pitching seasons by WAR, and won a league title. That resume was still plenty even with a shortened career, pushing Lerner to a first ballot induction at 90.8% in ALB’s 2021 Hall of Fame class.

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Mohamed Abdou – Starting Pitcher – Casablanca Bruins – 74.4% Fourth Ballot

Mohamed Abdou was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kafr Sad, Egypt; a town of around 49,500 people within the Nile Delta. Abdou had very solid stuff, although his control and movement were above average at best. His fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range, but was part of a four-pitch arsenal including a slider, changeup, and sinker. Each option was equally potent, making Abdou a tough one to face when he was at his best.

Abdou had strong stamina and excellent durability, tossing 200+ innings in 16 consecutive seasons. He was also great at holding runners and was considered a skilled defensive pitcher. Abdou was a team captain that was appreciated for his leadership and loyalty. Almost quietly, he emerged as one of the more reliable pitchers of his era.

Although he grew up in Egypt, his entire Arab League career would come in Morocco. Abdou was spotted and signed to a developmental deal by Casablanca in January 1993. He spent seven years in the Bruins academy and developed slowly, leading some to think he was never going to make the show. Abdou finally started to put things together by his early 20s and Casablanca deemed him ready at age 23. He was brought up for the 2000 season as a full-time starter with respectable results, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. Abdou allowed three runs over seven innings in his one playoff start as the Bruins lost in the first round.

Abdou broke out at in 2001 with his lone Pitcher of the Year win, leading the Western Conference in WAR (7.9), strikeouts (340), innings (286), and complete games (13); all of which would be career bests for Abdou. Casablanca won the conference title, but lost to Mosul in the ALB Championship. Abdou had a decent playoff run with a 3.24 ERA over 25 innings and 33 strikeouts.

He would finish third in POTY voting in 2002 and second in 2003. Casablanca missed the 2002 playoffs, but went 108-54 in 2003 and won it all, defeating Dubai in the final. Abdou had a strong 2.18 ERA over his 20.2 playoff innings. His regular season results would remain fairly steady for the rest of the Casablanca run, but Abdou wasn’t an awards finalist for the rest of his run. He would post a 2.53 ERA in 2006, the best of his ALB tenure.

Abdou continued to generally do well in the playoffs for the Bruins. He had a 2.63 ERA over 27.1 innings in 2005 as Casablanca was defeated by Medina in the ALB Championship. After a playoff miss, the Bruins started a five-year Mediterranean Division streak in 2007. Abdou did struggle to a 6.17 ERA in 2007 as they lost in the conference final to Jerusalem. He bounced back with a 1.86 ERA in 19.1 innings in 2008 with Casablanca winning another conference title. They would be bested in the ALB Championship by Basra.

For his playoff career, Abdou had a 6-5 record, 3.00 ERA, 111 innings, 122 strikeouts, 22 walks, 127 ERA+, and 2.8 WAR. His efforts and leadership kept Casablanca as a contender in the 2000s. The Bruins would later retire Abdou’s #20 uniform for his work. The run ended after the 2008 campaign though as they couldn’t come to a long-term deal. At age 32, Abdou entered free agency for the first time. This also marked the end of his Arab League career.

With Casablanca, Abdou had a 154-84 record, 3.04 ERA, 2233.2 innings, 2614 strikeouts, 477 walks, 51 complete games, 11 shutouts, 126 ERA+, and 47.2 WAR. He certainly seemed on the Hall of Fame pace, but his spots on the ALB leaderboards would be lacking with his short tenure. As of 2037, Abdou is 59th in pitching WAR, 46th in strikeouts, and 38th in wins. Notably, his ERA does rank 32nd among all pitchers with 1000+ innings. Abdou’s .642 opponent’s OPS is 34th and his 1.01 WHIP is 21st.

The rest of Abdou’s career would be in Europe, beginning with a five-year, $24,200,000 deal with Seville of the European Baseball Federation. He did continue to come home to Egypt for the World Baseball Championship. Abdou was excellent on the world stage from 2002-12 with a 10-0 record, 1.69 ERA, 106.2 innings, 149 strikeouts, 26 walks, 216 ERA+, and 3.7 WAR. Among all WBC pitchers with 80+ innings, Abdou’s ERA ranks 43rd. The unbeaten record was also notable, especially since Egypt wasn’t a powerhouse. They would earn division wins in 2003 and 2005 with Abdou.

Abdou’s production with Seville wasn’t award winning, but it was steady over four seasons with a 3.01 ERA, 57-43 record, 983.1 innings, 904 strikeouts, 175 walks, 126 ERA+, and 16.8 WAR. He managed to maintain the same ERA+ with the Stingrays that he had with Casablanca. Seville made the playoffs once in his tenure, losing in the second round of 2009 as a wild card. They hovered around .500 for the next three years.

With one year left on his deal, Abdou was traded by Seville to Lodz for two prospects. This sent him to the European Second League, but he surprisingly fared worse against the weaker competition with 2.0 WAR and a 3.50 ERA. That didn’t help Abdou’s prospects for a long-term deal returning to free agency at age 37. He did return to the EBF Elite as Lisbon gave him a one-year, $6 million contract.

Abdou had a remarkable resurgence with the Clippers, winning his lone ERA title at 2.18. This was good for a second place in Pitcher of the Year voting, although Lisbon stayed in the mid-tier. It raised his stock considerably as he returned to free agency and Tbilisi signed Abdou for two years and $20 million. He couldn’t replicate that success with the Trains, posting a career worst 4.25 ERA over 201.1 innings in 2015.

Tbilisi traded Abdou during spring training 2016 to Helsinki along with $2,930,000 to get two prospects. This ended his run in EBF’s top tier, as he was shipped back to E2L. For his EBF Elite career, Abdou saw an 84-62 record, 3.03 ERA, 1444.2 innings, 1277 strikeouts, 247 walks, 126 ERA+, and 24.3 WAR. The Honkers used Abdou as mid-relief with subpar results in 2016. He then joined Reykjavik in 2017, but struggled in only eight innings of relief. Abdou retired that winter at age 41.

Combined between ALB and the EBF Elite, Abdou had a 238-146 record, 3.03 ERA, 3678.1 innings, 3891 strikeouts, 724 walks, 108 complete games, 23 shutouts, a 126 ERA+, and 71.5 WAR. The combined resume would be good enough for most Hall of Fame voters. However, Arab League voters put little or no weight behind what Abdou accomplished playing in Europe. For many, an eight-year run just wasn’t enough even if it was strong.

However, Abdou had a Pitcher of the Year award, solid rate stats, and played an important role in landing four pennants and one ALB Championship for Casablanca. Abdou’s leadership also was a big boost as he was one of the most universally respected guys of his era. Still, he barely missed the 66% induction requirement in his first three ballots (62.6%, 65.0%, 63.2%). On the fourth go, Abdou bumped up to 74.4% to secure his spot with a rock solid 2021 class.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-18-2024 06:20 PM

2021 AAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

Three players gained induction into the African Association of Baseball’s Hall of Fame for 2021. Based on the numbers, it could’ve easily been only two or even six with a number of guys hovering around that 66% requirement. CL Rajab Hamadi was the only no-brainer for the voters, headlining with 91.9% on his debut. Fellow reliever Mandla Ndungane joined him with a solid 76.2% on his third try.

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

The third inductee was 1B Boubacar Mavinga, finally making it on his tenth and final chance at 70.0%. Mavina was the first-ever tenth ballot inductee into AAB’s Hall and prior to that, no players had been inducted beyond their fifth ballot. Three other long-tenured candidates came up just short in 2021. 1B Abebe Chekol got 65.0% on his ninth ballot, CL Abba Abdul earned 64.6% for his eighth try, and SP Alemayehu Legesse received 60.4% in his tenth and final opportunity. No one else was above 50%.

For Legesse, he had gotten as close at 61.6% the prior year and was never below 40%. Legesse won three Pitcher of the Year awards with Lubumbashi and won a title with the Loggerheads and Antananarivo. He was hurt by leaving AAB at age 34, playing his final four seasons in Europe. Legesse ended with a 168-108 record, 3.55 ERA, 2359.1 innings, 2182 strikeouts, 705 walks, 115 ERA+, and 60.3 WAR.

Legesse also had a 2.82 ERA, 5-3 record, 67 innings, and 58 strikeouts in the playoffs. The lack of longevity just sank him, although scholars often cite him as one of AAB’s most notable snubs. Legesse still ranks 17th in pitching WAR as of 2037 with 60+ being more impressive in AAB than other leagues based on how pitchers are used. That and three POTYs seemed like it would be enough, but alas.

Catcher Denis Rakotoson was also dropped after ten ballots, peaking in his final year at 43.1% with a low of 15.8% the prior year. He was hurt by both starting his official career at age 29, plus the general anti-catcher bias voters have. Rakotoson won six Silver Sluggers and earned six Africa Series wins with Kinshasa’s dynasty. He had 1165 hits, 701 runs, 298 doubles, 249 home runs, 781 RBI, a .244/.363/.467 slash, and 49.5 WAR.

If Rakotoson had his full 20s on his resume, he almost certainly would’ve gotten the accumulations needed to even overcome the block that catchers have. He ranks third in WAR among AAB catchers as of 2037. As of 2037, the only AAB Hall of Fame catcher would be class of 2026 Steven Isaac.

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Rajab Hamadi – Closer – Lubumbashi Loggerheads – 91.9% First Ballot

Rajab Hamadi was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Arusha, a city with around 617,000 inhabitants in northeast Tanzania. Hamadi was a fireballer with otherworldly stuff and great movement, although his control was average at best. He had the one-two punch of a 99-101 mph fastball and a nearly as quick slider. On the scale of 1/10, some scouts rated Hamadi’s stuff as high as a 15; that’s how potent his pitches were.

His stamina and durability were both decent relative to most relievers. Hamadi graded as a nice defensive pitcher who was okay at holding runners. Some critics thought he was a bit dumb and selfish, but Hamadi simply overpowered most doubters and opposing hitters over a 19-year run.

Hamadi was picked with the fourth pick of the second round, 24th overall, by Lubumbashi in AAB’s inaugural rookie draft in 1995. He saw setup use and some closing as a rookie, then was the full-time closer for the next seven years with the Loggerheads. Hamadi was the Central Conference leader in saves in both 1997 and 2002.

In 1999 and 2000, Hamadi finished second in Reliever of the Year voting. The Loggerheads earned their first-ever playoff berth in 2000, falling in the conference final to Kinshasa’s dynasty. Lubumbashi got revenge on the Sun Cats in 2001, going 105-57 and winning their first-ever Africa Series title against Johannesburg. Hamadi had a 2.70 ERA over 10 playoff innings between the runs for the Loggerheads.

2001 was his real breakout season with 41 saves, a 1.11 ERA, 81 innings, 188 strikeouts, and 6.9 WAR. Hamadi got his first Reliever of the Year and took second in Pitcher of the Year voting. His WAR total remains the second-highest by a ROTY voter in AAB as of 2037. Hamadi proceeded to win Reliever of the Year again in 2002 and 2003 for the Loggerheads with sub-two ERAs both years. He had a 49 save streak between 7/9/01 and 7/8/02. Hamadi also tossed 28 consecutive scoreless innings in mid 2002.

Lubumbashi dropped to 74-88 in Hamadi’s final year of 2003. He decided to test out free agency at age 29, ending the Loggerheads run with 257 saves, a 1.99 ERA, 566 innings, 1014 strikeouts, 295 walks, 205 ERA+, and 31.8 WAR. For his impressive eight year run and role in their first championship, Lubumbashi would retire Hamadi’s #29 uniform in 2015.

Hamadi signed a one-year deal with Dar es Salaam in 2004 at $1,240,000 and delivered. He led with a career best 43 saves, won his fourth straight Reliever of the Year, and helped the Sabercats go 114-48 en route to an Africa Series title over Kinshasa. Hamadi also became AAB’s first-ever four-time ROTY winner and was the first to reach 300 career saves.

Hamadi was merely okay in the playoffs (3.86 ERA over 11.2 innings) but his acquisition helped Dar es Salaam tie AAB’s single-season wins record to that point. While his playoff stats were never amazing, Hamadi did post strong numbers for Tanzania in the World Baseball Championship from 2001-15. He made 16 starts and 12 relief appearances for a 10-4 record, 2.32 ERA, 101 innings, 204 strikeouts, 36 walks, 152 ERA+, and 4.1 WAR.

For the next decade, Hamadi would be a journeyman who bounced around between ten different teams and three different leagues. He maintained the closer role for four more seasons, playing with Harare in 2005, Antananarivo in 2006, Addis Ababa in 2007, and Mogadishu in 2008. It would be Hamadi’s season with the Brahmas that stood out the most in this era.

Hamadi led in saves for the fourth time (39) with a career-best 0.81 ERA, 150 strikeouts, and 5.4 WAR over 89.1 innings. Not only did he win his fifth Reliever of the Year, but he was AAB’s second-ever closer to win Pitcher of the Year. Hamadi’s 0.81 ERA is the lowest-ever by a ROTY winner in AAB history as of 2037. He’s also one of only three in AAB to win ROTY five times as of present day. Addis Ababa repeated as Central Conference champ, but lost the Africa Series to Durban.

With Mogadishu in 2008, Hamadi became the first to 400 career saves, a mark no other AAB closer reached until Sipho Zuke in 2035. That would be his final year as a full-time closer, although he still pitched for another seven seasons. Hamadi signed with Johannesburg in 2009, but was traded to Athens of the European Baseball Federation in the summer. Then in 2010, he joined up with MLB’s Austin Amigos. That season would be shortened by a sprained AC joint in his shoulder.

Hamadi’s production was sporadic in this era, but still usually was decent even if he was reduced to a very limited role. He spent 2011 in Germany with Cologne, then returned to the African Association for his final four seasons. Hamadi played for Nairobi in 2012, Harare in 2013, Addis Ababa in 2014, and Antananarivo in 2015. He did struggle in his limited playoff action at the end, finishing his AAB postseason career with an unremarkable 3.70 ERA over 41.1 innings, 7 saves, 76 strikeouts, 110 ERA+, and 1.1 WAR. He retired after the 2015 season at age 41.

For his AAB career, Hamadi had a 79-70 record, 444 saves, 497 shutdowns, 1.97 ERA, 1054.1 innings, 1856 strikeouts, 489 walks, 207 ERA+, and 58.1 WAR. As of 2037, Hamadi is AAB’s career leader in saves and games pitched (887). He also dominates the rate stats among all pitchers with 1000 innings. Hamadi has the best ERA, H/9 (4.57), K/9 (15.84), opponent’s average (.150), slugging (.246), and OPS (.506). His .260 OBP ranks third best and including starters, Hamadi ranks 21st in pitching WAR and 69th in strikeouts.

Adding his limited EBF/MLB stints, Hamadi had 451 saves and 523 shutdowns, 1130.2 innings, 1952 strikeouts, 510 walks, 208 ERA+, and 60.5 WAR. Among all closers in baseball history as of 2037, Hamadi is 30th in saves, 25th in strikeouts, 45th in shutdowns, 21st in WAR, 16th in ERA+, 25th in FIP-, and 40th in opponent’s OPS.

Many rate Hamadi as AAB’s all-time top all-time closer, although his contemporary Tewderos Tadesse has a close case, as does later 400+ save club member Sipho Zuke. Hamadi certainly stacks up favorably with some of the best relievers in any world league. Hamadi’s raw dominance was something to behold in his prime, which earned him 91.9% and the headline spot for AAB’s 2021 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-19-2024 04:08 AM

2021 AAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Mandla Ndungane – Closer – Bujumbura Bighorns – 76.2% Third Ballot

Mandla Ndungane was a 5’10’’, 170 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Kgotsong, a city of 71,000 in South Africa’s Free State province. Despite a relatively unimposing frame, Ndungane was a hard thrower with excellent stuff along with above average to good control and movement. His fastball regularly reached the 98-100 mph range and he had a strong sinker to counter it. Ndungane did also have a rarely used changeup as a third pitch.

Relative to most relievers, Ndungane’s durability was great with good stamina in the front end of his career. He was an average defender and subpar at holding runners. Ndungane was quite intelligent and was viewed by most as a great team player in the clubhouse. He didn’t have the mercenary mentality that many closers had, although he bounced around at the end of his career like many other relievers.

Ndungane’s pro career began Tanzania, as a visiting scout from Dar es Salaam signed him from South Africa to a developmental deal in April 1997. He spent five years’ in the Sabercats academy, but never pitched an inning for Dar. In January 2002, Ndungane was traded along with two other players and some cash to Bujumbura for veteran OF J.R. Adams. Ndungane debuted in 2002 at age 21 and was the full-time closer immediately for the Bighorns, holding the role eight years.

From 2004-2007, Ndungane kept his ERA below two with his career best at 1.25 in 2005. That earned him his first Reliever of the Year win. Ndungane was second in 2006 and 2007, while also finishing third in 2007’s Pitcher of the Year voting. He didn’t have the huge strikeout numbers like his Hall of Fame classmate Rajab Hamadi and thus wasn’t as often in the awards conversations.

Bujumbura was also stuck in the middle tier during Ndungane’s run, only making the playoffs once with a conference finals loss in 2007. He would only have 2.1 playoff innings for his entire career, allowing one run. Ndungane did at least get to pitch on the World Baseball Championship stage regularly for his native South Africa. From 2003-18, he made 42 appearances with 51.1 innings, 14 saves, 2.45 ERA, 68 strikeouts, 146 ERA+, and 1.1 WAR. He was there in 2005 when South Africa earned its first-ever division title.

For the Bighorns (between two runs), Ndungane had 273 saves, a 62-60 record, 673 innings, 873 strikeouts, 252 walks, 194 ERA+, and 28.4 WAR. It was impressive enough for Bujumbura to eventually retire his #18 uniform. Ndungane would leave after the 2009 season as a free agent at age 29.

He inked a one-year deal with Durban, where he won his second Reliever of the Year. This was also Ndungane’s only time leading the conference in saves (39) or games pitched (72); both career highs. It would be only his sixth best season by WAR. He wouldn’t be an awards finalist for the rest of his career. Ndungane signed with Antananarivo in 2011 and lost the closer role, although he still had a 2.20 ERA in 32.2 innings of mid relief.

Ndungane went back to Durban and was a closer again, but the Deer traded him at the deadline to Harare for prospects. He went back “home” to Bujumbura for 2013, signing a two-year, $10,600,000 deal. 2013 was his last year as a closer with decent results, joining Hamadi and Mulumba Mwamba as the only AAB relievers with 350 career saves.

In February 2014, Ndungane was traded by Bujumbura to Brussels, as AAB/EBF trades were allowed during this time. He was a solid setup man with a 1.84 ERA over 44 innings in 2014, leading the Beavers to sign him for two years and $10,500,000. Ndungane struggled to a 4.45 ERA in 56.2 innings in 2015 and Brussels voided the team option year.

Ndungane spent one more season in Europe, posting a 2.79 ERA over 61.1 innings in 2016 for Stockholm. He finished his career doing middle relief in South America, spending 2017 with Maturin and 2018 with Cordoba. Ndungane had a 3.40 ERA over 103.1 innings in Beisbol Sudamerica and a 3.11 ERA over 162 innings in the European Baseball Federation. He retired in 2018 shortly after his 38th birthday.

For his AAB career, Ndungane had an 83-77 record, 351 saves, 380 shutdowns, 2.18 ERA, 863.2 innings, 1091 strikeouts, 328 walks, 189 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 33.9 WAR. As of 2037, Ndungane is 5th in saves and 7th in games pitched (744). He didn’t have the pre-requisite 1000 innings to qualify for the rate stats leaderboard, although his ERA would rank 5th in AAB if he counted. The combined pro career had a 97-97 record, 364 saves, 2.42 ERA, 1129 innings, 1366 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, and 37.7 WAR.

Ndungane had a fine run, but he was clearly a tier below Hamadi, Mwamba, and Tewderos Tadesse; who already had been inducted. Many voters thought the latter should be the bar for a reliever. Those three guys each had 50+ WAR compared to Ndungane’s 33.9. Jaures Ibara had also made it in at 40.0 WAR with fewer saves, albeit in his fifth try.

AAB voters were generally friendly towards closers, who were more impactful there compared to other world leagues. But critics felt that a guy who was arguably the fifth best of his era was going too far. Still in his first two ballots, Ndungane only missed the cut by less than a full point with 65.1% and 65.2%. He got a sizeable boost on his third try to 76.2%, putting him into AAB’s 2021 Hall of Fame class.

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Boubacar Mavinga – First Base – Kinshasa Sun Cats – 70.0% Tenth Ballot

Boubacar Mavinga was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Likasi, a city of around 635,000 people in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mavinga was one of the first great power hitters of the African Association, getting 45 homers per his 162 game average. He had a nice eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts, but was generally a below average contact hitter. Mavinga’s 162 game average also got you 30 doubles. He wasn’t going to leg out extra bases with abysmal speed and baserunning.

All of Mavinga’s starts in the field came at first base, where he graded as a reliably average defender. He spent much of 1999 as a designated hitter, but wasn’t a DH otherwise. Mavinga’s durability was quite good, playing 135+ games in all 12 of his AAB seasons. He was a hard worker and was quite adaptable to his situation.

By the time AAB was created for the 1995 season, Mavinga was already 28-years old. He had been a successful player in the limited and disorganized semi-pro scene of the DR Congo, which made him a top target for the new league. Mavinga’s first AAB deal was for six years and $5,940,000, although he only spent four seasons in Tanzania.

1997 was Mavinga’s breakout, leading the Southern Conference in hits (163) and total bases (339). Mavinga also would post his career bests with 51 home runs and 6.0 WAR. He earned MVP honors and a Silver Slugger, helping the Sabercats to their first-ever playoff berth and conference title. They fell in the Africa Series to the fledgling Kinshasa dynasty, winning the first of its six titles in seven years. Mavinga stunk in the playoffs with Dar, going 5-38 with only singles.

Dar es Salaam fell below .500 in 1998 and looked to retool things, trading Mavinga in the offseason to Cape Town for two prospects. With the Sabercats, Mavinga had 562 hits, 349 runs, 106 doubles, 176 home runs, 459 RBI, a .249/.340/.533 slash, 145 wRC+, and 17.5 WAR. The Cowboys had been a playoff regular in early AAB and won the 1996 title, but they lost in the 1997 and 1998 conference finals.

Mavinga led with a career-best 129 runs in 1999 and posted two 5+ WAR efforts for Cape Town. They lost in the 1999 conference final to Johannesburg, then fell to 70-92 in 2000. Mavinga again struggled in the playoffs, going 4-25 with a .472 OPS. In two seasons with the Cowboys, he had 336 hits, 223 runs, 73 doubles, 78 home runs, 220 RBI, a .293/.396/.567 slash, 156 wRC+, and 11.1 WAR.

A free agent heading towards age 34, Mavinga signed a five-year, $7,800,000 deal with Kinshasa to start his most famous run. This also brought him back to home country, although he had been playing for the DR Congo in the World Baseball Championship from the beginning. From 1995-06, Mavinga had 98 WBC games, 68 hits, 42 runs, 9 doubles, 17 home runs, 41 RBI, 35 walks, a .213/.299/.414 slash, 107 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR.

In his Sun Cats debut, Mavinga led the conference in both homers (49) and RBI (134). He added 40+ homers and 100+ RBI in each of the next three years and won a Silver Slugger in 2002. Perhaps most importantly, Mavinga erased the memories of bad playoff performances of earlier years. He fared quite well for the Kinshasa dynasty, who won four straight Central Conference titles (2002-05) with Mavinga and won the Africa Series in 2003 and 2004.

The 2003 run saw Mavinga claim MVP of both the conference finals over Dar es Salaam and Africa Series MVP against Antananarivo. In 11 starts, he had 16 hits, 13 runs, 6 doubles, 6 home runs, 14 RBI, and a 1.466 OPS. Over 52 playoff starts for Kinshasa, Mavinga had 49 hits, 33 runs, 12 doubles, 17 home runs, 40 RBI, 20 walks, a .272/.355/.622 slash, 156 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR.

Mavinga missed time early in 2005 to a partially torn labrum, but still had a respectable final year. In five seasons with the Sun Cats, Mavinga had 690 hits, 475 runs, 131 doubles, 214 home runs, 560 RBI, a .268/.363/.570 slash, 152 wRC+, and 24.3 WAR. While with Kinshasa, Mavinga was the first player to 1000 career RBI, the second to 1000 runs scored, and the third to reach 400 home runs.

In 2006, Mavinga signed a one-year deal with Kampala but saw his production drop with career lows in homers (32), RBI (84), OPS (.746), and WAR (1.5). His final home run on September 25 did get him to 500 exactly, the second AAB slugger to reach the mark. Mavinga wanted to still play in 2007, but had to retire that winter at age 40 after finding no suitors.

Mavinga finished with 1702 hits, 1109 runs, 331 doubles, 500 home runs, 1323 RBI, 822 walks, a .262/.356/.546 slash, 147 wRC+, and 54.4 WAR. Because he was already 28 when AAB started, the accumulations ended up on the lower end. As of 2037, Mavinga ranks 77th in hits, 48th in runs, 22nd in home runs, 26th in RBI, and 43rd in WAR among position players. His .902 OPS is 77th among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances.

In a vacuum, some voters looked at his final tallies and thought they were too low. A .262 batting average was also on the low end of what they found acceptable. That said, with a few more years in his early 20s, one would think Mavinga would’ve crossed the line easily. Being part of the Kinshasa dynasty, an MVP, and his 2003 Africa Series MVP all were impressive marks in their own right.

Still, Mavinga had trouble gaining traction with the Hall of Fame voters, debuting at 48.8%. He hovered between 47-57% for seven straight years before just missing in 2019 at 62.5%. Mavinga fell back to 44.8% in 2020, making it look like he was going to be left out. He got one final push in 2021 on his tenth and final ballot, surging to 70.0% to cross the 66% requirement. Mavinga earned his deserved HOF spot to cap off the three-player 2021 class and became the first-ever tenth ballot survivor in AAB history.

FuzzyRussianHat

12-19-2024 10:01 AM

2021 World Baseball Championship

FuzzyRussianHat

12-19-2024 05:50 PM

2021 in A2L

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