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FuzzyRussianHat · 06-09-2023, 05:15 AM

Two players were inducted in 1959 to the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame, both on the first ballot. All-time hit king Byung-Oh Tan was added at 97.7% and SS Si-U Gim was in at 89.1%. At retirement, these two were the top two EAB players all-time in WAR. Three others were just above the 50% mark; SP Young-Gil Chyu, LF Bum-Young Ahn, and 1B Sung-Heun Park.

One player was dropped after a tenth ballot. Starting pitcher Kazuo Udagawa spent his entire 16-year career with Nagoya with a 207-127 record, 2.66 ERA, 2880 strikeouts, and 55.6 WAR. He won three rings with the Nightowls, but wasn’t considered dominant enough to get the nod. He peaked at 55.1% on his fourth attempt.

Byung-Oh Tan – Left Field/First Base – Goyang Green Sox – 97.7% First Ballot

Byugn-Oh Tan was a 5’9’’, 200 pound left-handed hitter from Jinju, a city in southern South Korea just west of Changwon. Tan is viewed by many as the greatest pure hitter in Korean baseball history with generational contact ability and great power to match. He was also a solid baserunner and was excellent at avoiding strikeouts, although he wasn’t one to draw many walks. In his career, he had a strikeout percentage of 7%, remarkably having under 1000 career Ks over a 21 year career.

In his 20s, he was either in left field or at designated hitter; then switched to first base and DH in his later years. Tan was viewed as a below average to poor defender. He was an ironman who very rarely missed a start to injury, starting 140+ games in every year but one from his age 21 season to age 39. With his incredible bat, Tan was a fan favorite and was an icon and symbol of Korean baseball throughout the peninsula.

His talent was noticed while at Woosung High School in Uiwang, becoming one of the rare players picked out of high school. Tan was the 11^th overall pick in the 1930 EAB Draft by Suwon. Many people have no idea he started his career in the Snappers system, as he was traded in December 1931 to Goyang along with three other prospects for closer Ho-Seong Na. While Na did win Reliever of the Year twice in three years with Suwon, it is easy to say the Green Sox won the trade in the end.

Tan had 26 at bats in 1932 at age 19 and started half of the next season with unremarkable results. He became a full-time starter in 1934 at age 21 and from there was excellent, getting 6+ WAR in the next 12 seasons. In 1934, he won his first Silver Slugger in LF. He’d win the award 13 times total; six times at LF, six times as a DH, and once at 1B. Tan won the award in 1934, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, and 49.

In 1935, the 22-year old Tan led the Korea League in runs (104), hits (214), and home runs (38), finishing second in MVP voting. The next year, he had career bests in runs (123), hits (235), and average (.371); setting the single-season record for hits in a season. He again finished second in MVP voting and was second again in 1937 and 1938. He led the league five straight years from 1935-39 and led seven times in his career. Tan led in hits five times, home runs twice, RBI three times, average four times, OBP three times, slugging and OPS both twice, and WAR five times.

Tan’s first MVP finally came in 1939. He won it again in 1940, 1942, 1943, and 1945. He was second in 1941 and posted 43 home runs and 121 RBI despite missing a month of the season to injury. 1942 was arguably his best season with a career-best 47 home runs, 121 RBI, 1.091 OPS, and 10.7 WAR. He hit 47 homers again in 1945, hitting 40+ seven times and 30+ 11 times. Goyang started to contend in the late 1930s, making the playoffs six times over an eight year stretch from 1936-43. Tan had a .318 average, 48 hits, 19 runs, 8 home runs, 17 RBI, and 1.8 WAR over 38 starts. Unfortunately, the Green Sox never won a playoff series in his tenure, one of the few things missing from Tan’s resume.

Goyang began to rebuild as the 1940s ended. Tan stopped being an MVP candidate, but was still an excellent hitter into his 30s. In 1947 and 1948, he was on the first two South Korea national teams at the World Baseball Championship. At age 38, he had a 45 home run season in his last year with the Green Sox and also became the first EAB hitter to 3500 career hits. Although beloved by the Green Sox faithful, he wouldn’t be re-signed for the 1952 season. His #18 would be retired as his career ended.

He signed with Busan for his last two season, playing okay in 1952 and below average in 1953. However, he was able to set a number of huge milestones with the Blue Jays. He became the first EAB player to 700 home runs, the first cross 2000 runs scored and the first to 2000 RBI. Tan retired after the 1953 season at age 41.

The final stats for Tan: 3871 hits, 2010 runs, 575 doubles, 120 triples, 718 home runs, 2023 RBI, a .321/.359/.567 slash and 131.3 WAR. At retirement, he was the all-time hit king and leader in home runs, runs, RBI, doubles. He was second in all-time WAR only behind his 1959 Hall of Fame classmate Si-U Gim. As of 2037, Tan is still the EAB hit king and runs leader, although he’d get passed in the other categories. He remains prominent in the conversation for EAB’s all-time best hitter for good reason and is a no-doubt Hall of Famer.

Si-U “Clapper” Gim – Shortstop – Nagoya Nightowls – 89.1% First Ballot

Si-U Gim was a 6’2’’,2 00 pound left-handed hitting shortstop from Gwangju, South Korea. He had an unusual profile for a career shortstop as he was a solid power hitter with average at best speed. Gim was an above average contact hitter, but he very rarely drew walks and was around average at avoiding strikeouts. A lot of his value came from being an excellent defensive shortstop who was generally quite durable. Gim was also a team captain known for excellent leadership and work ethic, making him one of the most popular players of his era.

Gim was signed as an amateur free agent in September 1931 with Nagoya and would spend his entire professional career with the Nightowls. He debuted with 27 at-bats in 1934 at age 19. He was a reserve in five playoff games, earning a ring as Nagoya won the East Asian Championship. He was a bench piece the next year, then a full-time starter at age 21 in 1936. This year was his first of 11 Silver Sluggers, also winning the award in 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 50. In 1937, he won his first of five Gold Gloves, also getting it in 38, 39, 40, and 41.

Combining his stellar defense at shortstop and strong hitting gave him massive WAR totals. He was the WARlord six different seasons in the Japan League and posted 12+ five times. As of 2037, there have been only 15 seasons of 12+ WAR by an EAB hitter; Gim has 1.3 of those. His 1938 mark of 13.6 was the single-season record at the time. That year, he also led Japan in home runs (43), RBI (113), and OPS (.971). His first MVP came in 1937, followed by additional ones in 1938, 40, and 43. He was second in 1941.

Nagoya was an off-and-on contender in the late 1930s and early 40s. In 1937, they were Japan League champ and in 1940, the overall EAB champ. In 1948, a now 33-year old Gim earned another Japan League ring, although he missed that postseason due to injury. From 1948-51, he was part of the South Korean team in the World Baseball Championship, posting 43 hits, 30 runs, 18 home runs, and 38 RBI over 48 tournament appearances. In his EAB playoff career, Gim had 31 hits, 13 runs, 4 homers, 17 RBI, and 1.1 WAR over 30 games.

A torn meniscus knocked him out most of 1942 and various injuries into his 30s caused Gim to start to miss notable time after being pretty durable prior. A torn calf muscle knocked him out almost all of 1951. He came back in 1952 and was still good enough to start, but no longer elite. In 1953, Gim was retired to an elder-statesman bench role and he retired after the season at age 38. Immediately upon retirement, Nagoya retired his #20 uniform.

The final stats for Gim: 2403 hits, 1141 runs, 373 doubles, 518 home runs, 1347 RBI, a .272/.309/.500 slash and 138.8 WAR. At retirement, he was EAB’s all-time WARlord and kept that crown until passed in the 1980s by Sosuke Hoshizawa. His defense was so stellar at short that he was seven points better than Byung-Oh Tan in WAR, despite Tan’s far superior hitting totals and longevity. It is still a debate by fans of the time that Gim may have been a more valuable player on account of his defensive value and leadership. Regardless, the 1959 Hall of Fame class has easily the two most impressive hitters of the 1930s-1940s and two of the greatest position players in EAB history.
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06-09-2023, 05:15 AM	#316
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,641	1959 EAB Hall of Fame Two players were inducted in 1959 to the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame, both on the first ballot. All-time hit king Byung-Oh Tan was added at 97.7% and SS Si-U Gim was in at 89.1%. At retirement, these two were the top two EAB players all-time in WAR. Three others were just above the 50% mark; SP Young-Gil Chyu, LF Bum-Young Ahn, and 1B Sung-Heun Park. One player was dropped after a tenth ballot. Starting pitcher Kazuo Udagawa spent his entire 16-year career with Nagoya with a 207-127 record, 2.66 ERA, 2880 strikeouts, and 55.6 WAR. He won three rings with the Nightowls, but wasn’t considered dominant enough to get the nod. He peaked at 55.1% on his fourth attempt. Byung-Oh Tan – Left Field/First Base – Goyang Green Sox – 97.7% First Ballot Byugn-Oh Tan was a 5’9’’, 200 pound left-handed hitter from Jinju, a city in southern South Korea just west of Changwon. Tan is viewed by many as the greatest pure hitter in Korean baseball history with generational contact ability and great power to match. He was also a solid baserunner and was excellent at avoiding strikeouts, although he wasn’t one to draw many walks. In his career, he had a strikeout percentage of 7%, remarkably having under 1000 career Ks over a 21 year career. In his 20s, he was either in left field or at designated hitter; then switched to first base and DH in his later years. Tan was viewed as a below average to poor defender. He was an ironman who very rarely missed a start to injury, starting 140+ games in every year but one from his age 21 season to age 39. With his incredible bat, Tan was a fan favorite and was an icon and symbol of Korean baseball throughout the peninsula. His talent was noticed while at Woosung High School in Uiwang, becoming one of the rare players picked out of high school. Tan was the 11^th overall pick in the 1930 EAB Draft by Suwon. Many people have no idea he started his career in the Snappers system, as he was traded in December 1931 to Goyang along with three other prospects for closer Ho-Seong Na. While Na did win Reliever of the Year twice in three years with Suwon, it is easy to say the Green Sox won the trade in the end. Tan had 26 at bats in 1932 at age 19 and started half of the next season with unremarkable results. He became a full-time starter in 1934 at age 21 and from there was excellent, getting 6+ WAR in the next 12 seasons. In 1934, he won his first Silver Slugger in LF. He’d win the award 13 times total; six times at LF, six times as a DH, and once at 1B. Tan won the award in 1934, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, and 49. In 1935, the 22-year old Tan led the Korea League in runs (104), hits (214), and home runs (38), finishing second in MVP voting. The next year, he had career bests in runs (123), hits (235), and average (.371); setting the single-season record for hits in a season. He again finished second in MVP voting and was second again in 1937 and 1938. He led the league five straight years from 1935-39 and led seven times in his career. Tan led in hits five times, home runs twice, RBI three times, average four times, OBP three times, slugging and OPS both twice, and WAR five times. Tan’s first MVP finally came in 1939. He won it again in 1940, 1942, 1943, and 1945. He was second in 1941 and posted 43 home runs and 121 RBI despite missing a month of the season to injury. 1942 was arguably his best season with a career-best 47 home runs, 121 RBI, 1.091 OPS, and 10.7 WAR. He hit 47 homers again in 1945, hitting 40+ seven times and 30+ 11 times. Goyang started to contend in the late 1930s, making the playoffs six times over an eight year stretch from 1936-43. Tan had a .318 average, 48 hits, 19 runs, 8 home runs, 17 RBI, and 1.8 WAR over 38 starts. Unfortunately, the Green Sox never won a playoff series in his tenure, one of the few things missing from Tan’s resume. Goyang began to rebuild as the 1940s ended. Tan stopped being an MVP candidate, but was still an excellent hitter into his 30s. In 1947 and 1948, he was on the first two South Korea national teams at the World Baseball Championship. At age 38, he had a 45 home run season in his last year with the Green Sox and also became the first EAB hitter to 3500 career hits. Although beloved by the Green Sox faithful, he wouldn’t be re-signed for the 1952 season. His #18 would be retired as his career ended. He signed with Busan for his last two season, playing okay in 1952 and below average in 1953. However, he was able to set a number of huge milestones with the Blue Jays. He became the first EAB player to 700 home runs, the first cross 2000 runs scored and the first to 2000 RBI. Tan retired after the 1953 season at age 41. The final stats for Tan: 3871 hits, 2010 runs, 575 doubles, 120 triples, 718 home runs, 2023 RBI, a .321/.359/.567 slash and 131.3 WAR. At retirement, he was the all-time hit king and leader in home runs, runs, RBI, doubles. He was second in all-time WAR only behind his 1959 Hall of Fame classmate Si-U Gim. As of 2037, Tan is still the EAB hit king and runs leader, although he’d get passed in the other categories. He remains prominent in the conversation for EAB’s all-time best hitter for good reason and is a no-doubt Hall of Famer. Si-U “Clapper” Gim – Shortstop – Nagoya Nightowls – 89.1% First Ballot Si-U Gim was a 6’2’’,2 00 pound left-handed hitting shortstop from Gwangju, South Korea. He had an unusual profile for a career shortstop as he was a solid power hitter with average at best speed. Gim was an above average contact hitter, but he very rarely drew walks and was around average at avoiding strikeouts. A lot of his value came from being an excellent defensive shortstop who was generally quite durable. Gim was also a team captain known for excellent leadership and work ethic, making him one of the most popular players of his era. Gim was signed as an amateur free agent in September 1931 with Nagoya and would spend his entire professional career with the Nightowls. He debuted with 27 at-bats in 1934 at age 19. He was a reserve in five playoff games, earning a ring as Nagoya won the East Asian Championship. He was a bench piece the next year, then a full-time starter at age 21 in 1936. This year was his first of 11 Silver Sluggers, also winning the award in 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 50. In 1937, he won his first of five Gold Gloves, also getting it in 38, 39, 40, and 41. Combining his stellar defense at shortstop and strong hitting gave him massive WAR totals. He was the WARlord six different seasons in the Japan League and posted 12+ five times. As of 2037, there have been only 15 seasons of 12+ WAR by an EAB hitter; Gim has 1.3 of those. His 1938 mark of 13.6 was the single-season record at the time. That year, he also led Japan in home runs (43), RBI (113), and OPS (.971). His first MVP came in 1937, followed by additional ones in 1938, 40, and 43. He was second in 1941. Nagoya was an off-and-on contender in the late 1930s and early 40s. In 1937, they were Japan League champ and in 1940, the overall EAB champ. In 1948, a now 33-year old Gim earned another Japan League ring, although he missed that postseason due to injury. From 1948-51, he was part of the South Korean team in the World Baseball Championship, posting 43 hits, 30 runs, 18 home runs, and 38 RBI over 48 tournament appearances. In his EAB playoff career, Gim had 31 hits, 13 runs, 4 homers, 17 RBI, and 1.1 WAR over 30 games. A torn meniscus knocked him out most of 1942 and various injuries into his 30s caused Gim to start to miss notable time after being pretty durable prior. A torn calf muscle knocked him out almost all of 1951. He came back in 1952 and was still good enough to start, but no longer elite. In 1953, Gim was retired to an elder-statesman bench role and he retired after the season at age 38. Immediately upon retirement, Nagoya retired his #20 uniform. The final stats for Gim: 2403 hits, 1141 runs, 373 doubles, 518 home runs, 1347 RBI, a .272/.309/.500 slash and 138.8 WAR. At retirement, he was EAB’s all-time WARlord and kept that crown until passed in the 1980s by Sosuke Hoshizawa. His defense was so stellar at short that he was seven points better than Byung-Oh Tan in WAR, despite Tan’s far superior hitting totals and longevity. It is still a debate by fans of the time that Gim may have been a more valuable player on account of his defensive value and leadership. Regardless, the 1959 Hall of Fame class has easily the two most impressive hitters of the 1930s-1940s and two of the greatest position players in EAB history. i __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)