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The East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame added two members in the 1958 class, both on the first ballot. 1B Kazushi Takano made it in at 83.7% and was joined by SP Yoshiki Yamane at 73.3%. SP Young-Gil Chyu was close on his second try but short of the 66% threshold with 59.9%. SS Soo-Hyn Choo on his fourth attempt and LF Bum-Young Ahn on his third both also were above the 50% mark.



Two players were dropped after ten tries on the ballot. LF Sang-Yun Hyun played his entire 14 year career with Goyang and peaked at 48.3% on his second ballot. He was the 1937 Korea League MVP and had 2018 hits, 1092 runs, 380 home runs, 1133 RBI, a .273/.322/.522 slash and 65.4 WAR. He fell off hard as he entered his 30s and was retired at 35, hurting his final accumulations.

Also dropped was SS Mamoru Miura, who played 18 years and almost entirely with Hiroshima. He peaked at 41.0% of the vote on his first and fifth ballots and plummeted to 10.5% at the end. He had 2435 hits, 1083 runs, 435 doubles, 347 home runs, 1146 RBI, a .264/.310/.450 slash and 94.9 WAR. He Is just behind Koson Mori (94.97 to 94.91) with the highest WAR total of someone to not make it into the EAB Hall to date and for whatever reason, never got much support.



Kazushi Takano – First Base/Center Field – Saitama Sting – 83.7% First Ballot

Kazushi Takano was a 5’10’’, 185 pound right-handed hitter from Saitama, Japan. A fan-favorite and hard-worker, Takano was a very good contact hitter who also offered home run power, hitting 40+ in five seasons and 30+ in nine seasons. He had surprisingly good speed for a power hitter and was able to turn his oddly rare doubles into uncommonly frequent triples. He wasn’t much for drawing walks and struck out more than average. Takano had an odd defensive profile, split between center field where he was viewed as below average and at first base, where he won three Gold Gloves. He made roughly 50% of his starts at 1B, 45% at CF, and 5% in LF.

Takano played college baseball at Takushoku Tokyo University and was selected by his hometown club Saitama second overall in the 1937 EAB Draft. He was an immediate success, winning Rookie of the Year in 1938 with a 4.7 WAR season. Takano would post 6+ WAR in the next 10 seasons, combining durability and reliability with strong production. Takano won Silver Sluggers in 1939, 40, 41, 43, 46, and 47; and Gold Gloves in 42, 43, and 44.

The breakout year was his fourth in 1941, where he was only the second EAB hitter to achieve a Triple Crown season. He had a .349 average, .48 home runs, and 126 RBI; all career-bests. He also led Japan in runs (122), hits (203), triples (23), OBP (.405), slugging (.723), OPS (1.128), wRC+ (262). Those were all career bests, as was the 11.6 WAR and 56 stolen bases. The Sting won 98 games that year, but fell short of the division title to Kawasaki by two games.

Unfortunately in Takano’s run, Saitama only made the playoffs once in 1946. He wasn’t to blame though, winning MVP in that 1941 season and taking second in 1942, 43, and 46. In total with the Sting, Takano had 1788 hits, 1017 runs, 406 home runs, 1017 RBI, 433 stolen bases, a .284/.340/.565 slash and 85.1 WAR. His #19 uniform would be retired upon the end of his career.

Takano’s time in Saitama ended with a trade before the 1949 season to Nagoya. The 33-year old played that winter for Japan in the World Baseball Championship; his only appearance in the tournament. His one season with the Nightowls was okay, but below his prior standards as his power and speed diminished with age. The next season, Takano signed a five-year deal with Sapporo, but struggled and was traded after one season to Kitakyushu. He spent two seasons in a bench role with the Kodiaks, retiring after the 1952 season at age 36.

The final line for Takano: 2108 hits, 1172 runs, 243 doubles, 212 triples, 452 home runs, 1184 RBI, 516 stolen bases, a .279/.335/.547, and 92.7 WAR. He didn’t have the longevity compared to some other Hall of Famers, but in the early and mid 1940s, there were few hitters better in Japan. This burst and being a fan-favorite hometown hero gave Takano the push to earn first ballot induction at 83.7%.



Yoshiki Yamane – Starting Pitcher – Osaka Orange Sox – 73.3% First Ballot

Yoshiki Yamane was a 6’1’’, 190 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Isehara, a smaller city in the Kanto region of Japan. Yamane was known for having great stuff, succeeding despite having at times poor control and average movement. He had 94-96 mph velocity on his fastball, but used an excellent slider and curveball, plus a good changeup, to retire batters and force flyballs. Yamane was viewed as a team leader and as a solid defensive pitcher.

Yamane attended Nagoya Gakuin University and caught the attention of Osaka, who picked him 11^th overall in the 1938 East Asia Baseball Draft. He had a respectable debut season and with only 22 starts, earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1939. His second and third year were both unremarkable with arguably below average production, but he was able to sort out some control issues from there. In 1944, Yamane took third in Pitcher of the Year voting and in 1948, came closer with a second place finish. In 1944, he had a no-hitter against Kobe with 13 strikeouts and two walks. 1948 had a league and career best 23 wins with a 1.97 ERA and 6.3 WAR.

Postseason success played a big role in Yamane getting the nod. The Orange Sox made the playoffs from 1943-46, winning the EAB title in 1943 and the Japan League title in 1946. In the 1943 run, he was 3-0 over 25.1 innings with a 1.07 ERA. Along with a 1951 berth, Yamane had 11 postseason starts with a 6-3 record, 2.39 ERA, 83 innings, 74 strikeouts, and 1.1 WAR. Yamane began to decline into his early 30s, an unusual early drop as he didn’t have any significant injuries as are often associated which such falls. Yamane opted to retire at age 35 after the 1952 season, playing his entire pro career in Osaka. His #7 uniform would be retired that winter.

The final stats: 190-152, 2.79 ERA, 3216 innings, 3240 strikeouts, 854 walks, 278/406 quality starts, and 45.8 WAR. A good run, but advanced metrics and an early decline make Yamane someone often cited as a “Hall of Very Good” guy instead of HOF guy. His 45.8 WAR is second worst in the EAB Hall among non-relievers and his career FIP- of 97 suggests sustained averageness more than excellence. Still, he played his entire career with one team and had a solid role in some postseason success. This was enough for Yamane to get the nod on the first ballot at 73.3%.