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The 1941 CABA Hall of Fame didn’t have any inductees with the closest being starting pitcher Dunbar Brown at 64.2% on his second try. 1B Jose Angel Islas got 55.8% on his first try and SP Makenson Augistin was at 51.2% in the sixth go. One player was dropped after 10 years in 1B Javier De Los Santos, who played with Puerto Rico, Havana, Juarez, Guatemala, and Guadalajara. He had 2330 hits, 1088 runs, a .303 average, and 44.1 WAR. Also notably, he led the league in triples 12 times with 363 in his career. That stood as the career triples record until the 1980s.



Three players were added to the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 1941. RF Kota Takada got in on the first ballot at 88.4%. Two made it on their third try; RF In-Seong Kim (72.0%) and RP Moon Kim (67.4%). Closer Ji-Hyun Kim on his first try was the only other above 50%.



Kota Takada – Right Field – Fukuoka Frogs – 88.4% First Ballot

Kota Takada was a 5’10’’, 205 pound right-handed outfielder from Higashikurume, part of western Tokyo. Takada was among the best all-time at getting on base as a good contact hitter and someone excellent at drawing walks. Takada also boasted reliable power, averaging 30+ doubles and 30+ home runs per season. A team captain, Takada leadership and ability made him extremely popular among fans and teammates. He spent nearly his entire defensive career in right field and was generally thought as a below average defender.

Takada was the third overall pick by Fukuoka in the 1921 EAB Draft after attending Tenri University. He was a huge part of why the Frogs became a contender late in the 1920s. Fukuoka won the Japan League MVP in 1925, 1928, and 1930, leading the league in runs four times, doubles thrice, home runs one, RBI twice, walks six times, OBP eight times, OPS four times, and WAR four times. 1925 was his top season statistically with 11.8 WAR, 1.061 OPS, 46 home runs, 113 runs, 126 RBI, and 92 walks.

Fukuoka won the Japan title in 1928 and 1929, winning the overall EAB title in 1929. He had 25 hits, 11 runs, and nine doubles over 23 playoff games. The Frogs would begin to falter into the 1930s and as Takada entered his 30s. In June 1933, Fukuoka traded Takada to Nagoya for five prospects He finished that season and played one more with the Nightowls, helping them to the EAB title in 1934. He ended his career in Japan on a high, but still had another six seasons of baseball to go.

Takada went stateside just before the World War II block against EAB players leaving went into effect, signing for three seasons with Houston. He was a solid contributor with the Hornets, earning a Silver Slugger in 1936. In 1938, he signed with Miami and played his final three seasons, getting another Silver Slugger in the process. He earned 11 between his nine in Japan and two in America.

Between the two leagues, he had 2836 hits, 1599 runs, 560 home runs, 1670 RBI, 1316 walks, and 117.2 WAR. For his EAB run, Takada finished with 1997 hits, 1101 runs, 424 doubles, 380 home runs, 1149 RBI, 924 walks, a .292/.378/.537 slash, and 101.4 WAR. He doesn’t factor in the leaderboards much due to leaving after his age 34 season, but a three-time MVP and nine Silver Sluggers meant few hitters were better in the 1920s and early 1930s in East Asia Baseball. Beloved in Fukuoka for helping them win a title, his #17 was the first number retired for the Frogs. With that, Takada gets a first ballot spot into the EAB Hall of Fame.



In-Seong Kim “Toxin” – Right Fielder – Kawasaki Killer Whales – 72.0% Third Ballot

In-Seong Kim was a 5’9’’, 195 right-handed outfielder from Pyongyang, the capital of modern North Korea. Kim was known as an excellent power hitter and a team captain and leader. He was a decent contact hitter and fairly weak baserunner and defender. He primarily played right field, although he did see some action in left field, first baseball, and as a designated hitter.

By the time East Asia Baseball was created, Kim was already 29-years old, having established himself as a premier power hitter in the amateur and semi-pro ranks. For the 1921 EAB debut, he signed with Kawasaki, where he would spend seven seasons and would ultimately be inducted represented. Three of his seven Silver Sluggers came with the Killer Whales.

His best season with Kawasaki was his third in 1923, leading Japan in runs (102), homers (45), and RBI (95). He hit 40+ homers in five of his seven Killer Whale seasons, finishing with 38.2 WAR, 288 homers, 621 RBI, 981 hits, and 595 runs.

After falling off a bit in his last season with Kawasaki, he was traded for the 1928 season to Hamhung. He spent the next six seasons with the Heat. Kim had a great debut season with 46 home runs and 116 RBI, helping the Heat to the 1928 EAB Championship, with Kim earning KLCS MVP. He won his lone MVP in 1931, hitting above .300 for the only time. He led in homers (45), RBI (182), and WAR (7.9).

His first four seasons with the Heat were excellent, but he entered 1932 at age 40. A torn labrum and fractured ankle caused him to miss large chunks of his last two seasons. With Hamhung, Kim had 189 home runs, 800 hits, 559 RBI, and 27.8 WAR.

His final line was 1781 hits, 1033 runs, 477 home runs, 1180 RBI, a .262/.329/.517 slash and 66.0 WAR. He was the second EAB hitter to 1000 RBI and fourth to 1000 runs scored. Those numbers by themselves would deserve consideration, but are more impressive considering this was almost entirely in his 30s. Not having most of his 20s in EAB keeps him off the leaderboards and hurt him in voting, making him wait three years for induction. But his powerful bat earned 72.0% in his third time on the ballot, earning In-Seong Kim induction into the HOF.



Moon Kim – Pitcher – Fukuoka Frogs – 67.4% Third Ballot

Moon Kim was a 5’10’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from Suncheon in South Jeolla Province in modern South Korea. Kim had 96-98 mph velocity with a strong fastball-splitter one-two combo. Early in his career, he was a starting pitcher, eventually settling into a relief role in his 30s. Kim was 27-years old when East Asia Baseball officially started, signing with Changwon for the 1921 season.

His first season with the Crabs was split between the rotation and bullpen, followed by starting pitching in the next three seasons. He was a successful starter, posting 7.7, 8.4, and 7.4 WAR seasons with Changwon. In 1923, Kim helped the Crabs to the Korea League title. They would fall to Osaka in the EAB final. That season as well, he pitched a perfect game on May 20 against Suwon. In 1924, he threw a second perfect game on September 12 against Busan.

Terrible shoulder inflammation would derail his 1925 season and ultimately his career as a starter. The next season, he’d return in a closer role. Changwon traded him to Fukuoka in July. He’d play with the Frogs through 1932 and win Reliever of the Year in 1927 and 1929. Despite being a reliever, he still posted 7.1 WAR and 42 saves in 1927, with a 5.6 WAR, 51 save 1929. In 28 and 29, Fukuoka won back-to-back Japan League titles and in 1929, Kim got his lone EAB ring. In eight postseason appearances, he had 15 scoreless innings with 25 strikeouts.


The shoulder inflammation came back and cost Kim the entire 1931 season. He came back with limited success in 1932, his last year with the Frogs. His 1933 was split between Ulsan and Seoul with retirement at the close.

His final line was 93-66, 196 saves, 2.25 ERA, 1433.2 innings with 1751 strikeouts, 240 shutdowns, and 51.6 WAR. 29.9 WAR with Changwon and 21.9 WAR with Fukuoka. His career WAR is higher than most other Hall of Famers, but half of that came as a starter to skew the numbers. He had a unique statline and also lost a few years of production due to when EAB started. The voters decided his career was successful enough to barely get him across the 2/3 line at 67.4% on the third ballot.