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The 1948 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class had three players. Leading the way was 3B Kyu-Min Ri, a first ballot pick at 87.7%. Closer Toyohiko Taguci on his third attempt made it at 75.6%. Starting pitcher Jung-Hee Cho on his first try just made the 66% cut with 67.6%. The only other player above 50% was closer Ji-Hyun Kim at 54.9% on his eighth attempt. No players were dropped after a 10^th ballot this season.



Kyu-Min Ri – Third Base – Ulsan Swallows – 87.7% First Ballot

Kyu-Min Ri was a 5’8’’, 205 pound right-handed third baseman from Hoechon, South Korea. Ri was a very well-rounded hitter with solid power and contact skills. He was a bit chonky and not a great baserunner. His range wasn’t the best, but had a cannon arm over at third base, where he spent his entire career defensively. Ri moved to Japan and attended college at Kyushu University in Fukuoka. He excelled in college, earning the first overall pick in the 1925 East Asia Baseball Draft by Ulsan. He’d spend his entire EAB run with the Swallows.

He was unremarkable in his first few seasons, but eventually came into his own starting in 1930. That season would be his first of eight straight Silver Sluggers at 3B. At age 30, Ri picked up his first Korea League MVP in 1934. He won it again in 1935 and 1936 as Ulsan became a contender. He led in RBI in 32, 34, 35, and 36. His 1936 season was legendary with 52 home runs, 156 RBI, a .362 average, and 11.4 WAR. It was only the fourth-ever 150+ RBI season and the next one wouldn’t happen into until the 1950s. In 1936 and 1937, Ulsan won their first-ever Korea League titles and won the EAB title in 1937.

1937 would be Ri’s final season in EAB at age 33 and Ulsan wouldn’t be a playoff team again until the 1960s. There was some initial bitterness towards him leaving when he did, but the Swallows would ultimately retire his number in 1947. He left right before World War II would cut off any EAB players from heading elsewhere, signing for the 1938 season at age 34 with MLB’s Kansas City Cougars.

Ri was an all-star in his MLB debut with a 6.8 WAR season with 36 home runs and 131 RBI. He wouldn’t have any more elite-level seasons, but Ri would be a solid starter in MLB for a decade. He spent 1938-41 with Kansas City, then signed with Ottawa for 1942-43. He spent 1944-45 in Houston, then ended in 1946-47 with St. Louis. After an abysmal final season at age 43, Ri retired. In his entire professional career, he had 2988 hits, 1481 runs, 511 home runs, 1713 RBI, and 98.0 WAR.

For his 12 years with Ulsan, Ri had 1818 hits, 912 runs, 315 home runs, 1018 RBI, a .303/.360/.528 slash, and 75.4 WAR. He’s not high on the EAB leaderboards since he left when he did, but three MVPs and a key role in two league titles makes Ri a worthy choice, picked to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot at 87.7%.



Toyohiko Taguchi – Closer – Sapporo Swordfish – 75.6% Third Ballot

Toyohiko Taguchi was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Asaba, a small town in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. Taguchi had 95-97 mph velocity and good control, excellently mixing up his fastball and curveball. He eventually moved to Nagoya and attended Tokai High School and was a rare player drafted straight out of high school. Taguchi was picked in the second round, 36^th overall, by Hiroshima in the 1925 EAB Draft. He never played for the Hammerheads, getting traded in the summer of 1927 to Sapporo.

He debuted in four outings in 1927 and saw limited action in 1928 with the Swordfish. Taguchi assumed the closer role in 1929 and held it through 1937 with Sapporo. He led the league in saves three times and had 51 saves in 1935, tying the single-season record. He never won Reliever of the Year, but took second in both 1931 and 1934. Sapporo made the playoffs three times between 1932-35, winning the EAB title in 1932 and the Japan League title in 1933. Taguchi was important in both runs but especially in 1932, picking up six saves in nine appearances with a 0.66 ERA.

Taguchi left Sapporo and signed with Yokohama for the 1938 season at age 31. Midway through the season, he suffered a devastating torn rotator cuff He was released and spent the next year with Chiba, but was a back-end of the bullpen guy. The Comets traded him to Daegu part way through the 1940 season and he retired at age 34 after that year.

Taguchi’s final line: 360 saves, 2.21 ERA, 902 innings, 1127 strikeouts, 213 walks, 406 shutdowns, and a 20.4 WAR. He had a good short burst and was a big part of Sapporo’s early 1930s success and the career saves leader at the time of retirement, although he’d be passed by five other guys within the next few years. He has the lowest WAR of any member of the EAB Hall of Fame, but the voters decided he still deserved a spot, elected on the third ballot at 75.6%.



Jung-Hee Cho – Starting Pitcher – Nagoya Nightowls – 67.6% First Ballot

Jung-Hee Cho was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Goyang, South Korea. Cho threw hard with 98-100 mph velocity and was known for having very good control and a strong work ethic. His fastball was his main pitch with a solid splitter as his #2 offering. He also had a weak curveball and changeup to sprinkle into the mix. Cho was a solid defensive pitcher as well, adding two Gold Gloves in his career.

Cho was signed as an amateur free agent by Nagoya in 1923 at age 16 and would be developed on their reserve roster for the next few years, making his debut in 1929 as a solid reliever with a 0.75 ERA in 60.1 innings, finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting. He became a starter the next season and remained in that role for the next decade. Cho led in wins in 1932 (24) and led in innings pitched twice, WHIP once, K/BB twice, and quality starts once. He never won Pitcher of the Year, but finished third in voting in 1934 and 1940.

Nagoya became a North Division powerhouse in the 1930s, winning the division six times between 1931-40. The Nightowls were the overall East Asia Baseball champion in 1931, 34, and 40, and added the Japan League title as well in 1937. Cho was excellent in their 1931-34 playoff appearances, going 6-0 with 2.3 WAR in nine starts with a 1.71 ERA over 68.1 innings. He struggled a bit in the 1937 and 1940 runs, but still was a big part of Nagoya getting those rings.

In April 1941, the 34-year old Cho suffered a torn rotator cuff to end his year. He tried a comeback in 1942 as a reliever, but had limited value. Back issues later that year ended his season and Cho retired at age 36. Nagoya would retire his #5 jersey, becoming the first Nightowl to have his jersey number retired.

The final statistics: 178-106, 2.54 ERA, 2784 innings, 2444 strikeouts with only 371 walks, 249/342 quality starts, 84 complete games, and 58.6 WAR. Not dominant, but a very effective pitcher for more than a decade and a big part of Nagoya’s 1930 title runs. His numbers aren’t the highest on the leaderboards, but his success earned a nod on the first ballot, albeit just barely above the threshold at 67.6%.