OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-09-2023, 04:29 AM

East Asia Baseball’s 1979 Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with three first ballot selections above 90%. 2B Min-Hyeok Shin had the highest percentage at 98.4%, followed by SP Chun-Ho Kim at 95.9% and RF Yoriyuki Kono at 93.3%. No other players were above 50%.

One was dropped after ten ballots with SP Tokinari Nakano. In 13 years with Incheon, he had a 160-99 record, 2.88 ERA, 2399 innings 2866 strikeouts, 61.5 WAR, and the 1956 Pitcher of the Year. Major injuries started to pop up in his early 30s and he was retired at age 35, preventing him from the accumulations that could’ve gotten him in. Still, Nakano got as high as 59.5% on his fourth ballot before finishing at a paltry 14.3%.

Min-Hyeok “Fox” Shin – Second Base – Seoul Seahawks – 98.4% First Ballot

Min-Hyeok Shin was a 5’9’’, 200 pound right-handed second baseman from Incheon, South Korea. Affectionately nicknamed “Fox,” the stocky Shin was an incredibly well-rounded batter. He hit for a very high average and regularly smacked 40+ home runs per year. Shin drew walks at an excellent rate, although he did still strikeout a bit more than average. He also averaged around 25-30 doubles per year, although he didn’t leg out many additional extra base hits due to his slow running speed. Despite his slowness, he considered a firmly average defensive second baseman. He also made some starts with poor defense at shortstop and occasional stints as a designated hitter.

Shin went to Japan to play collegiately for Rikkio University. He excelled on the college diamond, earning him a fourth overall selection in the 1957 East Asia Baseball Draft by Seoul. He would spend his entire EAB career with the Seahawks and be a full-time starter immediately, only missing starts if injured. Shin was a DH in his rookie season and won Rookie of the Month five times, posting 48 home runs and 5.9 WAR in his debut. Unsurprisingly, this earned him Rookie of the Year and his first of 12 Silver Sluggers. He won the Silver Slugger again in 1959 and 1960 as a DH, then won at second base in 1961, 63, 64, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, and 72.

Shin first emerged as a MVP candidate in 1961 when he hit .390, setting a single-season EAB record that stood until 1992. Despite this, an 1.185 OPS, and 9.9 WAR, he took third in the MVP voting. He’d win the batting title again in 1966 and would lead the Korea League in OBP six times, slugging four times, OPS six times, wRC+ six times, and WAR four times. Shin won his first MVP in 1963 with a league-best 202 hits, 10.0 WAR, and 1.110 OPS. He won again in 1964 with a league and career-best 56 home runs and 11.5 WAR.

1965 was shaping up to be another great season, but at the start of July, a partially torn labrum would end Shin’s season prematurely. He bounced right back in 1966 at age 30 with 51 home runs, 134 RBI, a .347/.411/.682 slash and 10.7 WAR. This would be Shin’s third and final MVP win. He’d take third in 1967 and 1970, posting 11 seasons worth 7+ WAR in his career. He had 12 seasons with a .300+ average and 11 seasons with 40+ home runs.

Shin became an extremely popular player nationally, playing with South Korea’s World Baseball Championship team from 1959-66. In 101 games, he had 104 hits, 69 runs, 31 home runs, 59 RBI, and 6.3 WAR. He was beloved in the capital as well, but Shin never got to play a single postseason game with Seoul. The Seahawks had 11 winning seasons in his tenure, but were stuck in the same division as Pyongyang’s dynasty that saw the Pythons win seven Korea League titles.

Shin’s production continued to be great into his 30s, although injuries started to cost him a few weeks each year. 1973 was his last year with Seoul with his lowest outputs of his career; albeit still posting a 4.7 WAR season. At age 38, Shin became a free agent for the first time in his career and took the bag with MLB’s Oklahoma City on a three-year, $1,236,000 deal. This more than doubled his best single-season salary with Seoul. The Outlaws hoped he’d excel in America, but Shin struggled hard with a -3.4 WAR season and .178 average. He decided to retire after that season at age 38. Upon returning home, his #11 uniform was immediately retired by Seoul.

Shin’s final statistics with Seoul: 2699 hits, 1445 runs, 414 doubles, 657 home runs, 1732 RBI, a .329/.392/.631 slash, 176 wRC+, and 124.8 WAR. At retirement, he was 9^th all-time in EAB home runs, eighth in RBI, and fourth in hitting WAR. Among other Hall of Famers at induction, Shin had the best slugging percentage and OPS, as well as the second best batting average and the third best OBP. He was one of the most effective hitters of his era and an obvious first ballot selection, getting 98.4% of the vote.

Chun-Ho Kim – Pitcher – Nagoya Nightowls – 95.9% First Ballot

Chun-Ho Kim was a 5’10’’, 165 pound left-handed pitcher from Seoul, South Korea. He was known for having excellent control and solid movement, which allowed him to excel despite merely above average stuff. Kim’s velocity peaked at 94-96 mph and he had five pitches; fastball, slider, curveball, forkball, and changeup. The curveball was considered his most dangerous pitch. Kim didn’t go deep into games relative to other Hall of Fame level pitchers, but he tended to be very durable still. He was also considered a good defensive pitcher who was strong at holding runners.

Kim was a player signed as an amateur teenage free agent, discovered by Japanese scouts at age 16 and brought over to Nagoya. After five years in their academies, Kim debuted at age 21 as a reliever in 1959. He was split between starting and the bullpen and starting in year two, then was largely a starter for the rest of his career. Kim would still see more relief appearances and fewer starts than most other Hall of Fame starters, but he still provided a pretty regular slate of innings.

He first got noticed on a bigger state in 1962, his fourth season. Kim led Japan in WAR (8.8), and wins (21-10), taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He’d then lead in ERA in both 1963 (2.03), and 1964 (2.15) and would win Pitcher of the Year in both seasons. Nagoya snapped a 14-year playoff drought with division titles in both seasons and they’d win the East Asian Championship in 1964. Kim had a 2.45 ERA over 22 playoff innings with 24 strikeouts. He also played for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship with 103 innings from 1963-71, posting a 2.18 ERA with 116 strikeouts.

The 1964 title season would be the last playoff season for Nagoya during Kim’s tenure. His production dropped off a bit in the next few seasons and he wouldn’t be an award candidate, although he was still solid. He had a resurgence in 1969 at age 31, leading in ERA for the third time and WAR for the fourth time. This earned Kim his third Pitcher of the Year award. He had similar production the next year and finished second for the award.

Kim had another solid year in 1971, then a good but not great 1972. This would be his last season with the Nightowls, who would shortly thereafter retire his #23 uniform. At age 35, he returned to both his home country and home town, signing a four-year, $1,080,000 deal with Seoul for 1973. He earned his 200^th career win and 3000^th strikeout in his one season with the Seahawks, but otherwise was only around above average with his strikeout numbers falling. Kim decided to call it a career after the 1973 season at age 35.

Kim’s final stats: 204-144 record, 2.81 ERA, 3193 innings, 3005 strikeouts to 534 walks, 275/424 quality starts, FIP- of 72, and 84.4 WAR. Some of his accumulations are towards the lower end of the Hall of Fame leaderboards, but his efficiency and tallies certainly don’t look out of place. Plus, not many guys can say they won the Pitcher of the Year three times. Thus, Kim got the first ballot nod at 95.9%.

Yoriyuki Kono – Outfield/First Base – Osaka Orange Sox – 93.3% First Ballot

Yoriyuki Kono was a 6’0’’, 205 pound left-handed slugger from Nakagawa, Japan, a city of around 50,000 people in the southwestern Fukuoka Prefecture. Kono was a very good contact and power hitter who had a career .304 average and 11 straight seasons with 35+ home runs. He was respectable at drawing walks, although he was slightly below average at avoiding strikeouts. He averaged around 20-25 doubles per season and had above average speed and very strong baserunning instincts. Kono made about half of his career starts in right field with the rest split between left field and first base. At any spot, he was an absolutely abysmal defender who probably wishes the Japan League had the DH. Still, Kono was a hard worker, very durable, and a strong batter, which made him a popular figure of the 1950s and 1960s.

Kono attended Saga Shogyo High School and was a top prospect even without a college career. He was picked sixth overall in the 1951 East Asia Baseball Draft by Osaka. Kono debuted with 16 plate appearances in 1952 at age 19. He was a sporadic pinch hitter from 1954-56, then finally earned his way into the Orange Sox starting lineup in 1957 at age 24. He’d be a full-time starter for the rest of his Osaka run and until the waning years of his career.

In his first full season of 1957, Kono won a Silver Slugger in right field. The following season was his best with a batting title and a league best slash of .347/.398/.660, along with a 236 wRC+ and 9.2 WAR. He’d finish third in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. Kono would win his second Silver Slugger and win six more (1959, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65). He’d put up reliable production with 40+ homers, 100+ RBI, and a .300+ average pretty much year in and out. However, Kono wasn’t a league leader outside of the 1958 season and in 1966 with the lead in walks.

He’d become popular in part for playing from 1957-69 for Japan in the World Baseball Championship. In 75 starts and 91 games, he had 69 hits, 41 runs, 23 home runs, 57 RBI, and 2.6 WAR. Kono was very popular with Osaka, who didn’t have much reason to cheer in that era as they usually were sub .500. The Orange Sox would have a surprising 1958 run that won a Japan League title, falling to Hamhung in the EAB final. This was ultimately Kono’s only playoff experience in a 20 year career, although he delivered with 12 hits, 4 runs, and 2 homers in 10 games.

In total with Osaka, Kono had 1642 hits, 896 runs, 209 doubles, 418 home runs, 969 RBI, a .313/.363/.605 slash, wRC+ of 190, and 62.3 WAR. After the 1965 season, the 33-year old Kono left for free agency. He’d still remain popular in Osaka and would see his #6 uniform retired at the end of his career. For the 1966 season though, he signed a five-year, $924,000 deal with Kitakyushu.

Kono had three solid seasons with the Kodiaks, although he wasn’t award winning. His production started to drop in the fourth year and he was traded at the deadline to Seoul. With the Kodiaks, he had 578 hits, 321 runs, 126 home runs, 354 RBI, a 17.0 WAR. Kono finished 1969 and played 1970 with the Seahawks, posting 4.7 WAR in that stretch. At age 38, he signed with Kyoto for the 1971 and 1972 seasons. He’d be relegated to a bench role by the end of his Kamikaze run, but while there he collected his 2500^th hit, 600^th home run, and 1500^th RBI. Kono spent one final season with poor success with Hiroshima in 1973, retiring after the season at age 40.

Kono’s final stats: 2759 hits, 1470 runs, 387 doubles, 1616 RBI, a .304/.357/.571 slash, 173 wRC+, and 91.1 WAR. He almost quietly put up some very solid hitting numbers that very much look worthy of induction and he might have been a 100+ WAR guy had his fielding not been so atrocious. Kono’s strong bat allowed him to round out the 1979 Hall of Fame class with a first ballot, 93.3% induction.

10-09-2023, 04:29 AM	#631
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,430	1979 EAB Hall of Fame East Asia Baseball’s 1979 Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with three first ballot selections above 90%. 2B Min-Hyeok Shin had the highest percentage at 98.4%, followed by SP Chun-Ho Kim at 95.9% and RF Yoriyuki Kono at 93.3%. No other players were above 50%. One was dropped after ten ballots with SP Tokinari Nakano. In 13 years with Incheon, he had a 160-99 record, 2.88 ERA, 2399 innings 2866 strikeouts, 61.5 WAR, and the 1956 Pitcher of the Year. Major injuries started to pop up in his early 30s and he was retired at age 35, preventing him from the accumulations that could’ve gotten him in. Still, Nakano got as high as 59.5% on his fourth ballot before finishing at a paltry 14.3%. Min-Hyeok “Fox” Shin – Second Base – Seoul Seahawks – 98.4% First Ballot Min-Hyeok Shin was a 5’9’’, 200 pound right-handed second baseman from Incheon, South Korea. Affectionately nicknamed “Fox,” the stocky Shin was an incredibly well-rounded batter. He hit for a very high average and regularly smacked 40+ home runs per year. Shin drew walks at an excellent rate, although he did still strikeout a bit more than average. He also averaged around 25-30 doubles per year, although he didn’t leg out many additional extra base hits due to his slow running speed. Despite his slowness, he considered a firmly average defensive second baseman. He also made some starts with poor defense at shortstop and occasional stints as a designated hitter. Shin went to Japan to play collegiately for Rikkio University. He excelled on the college diamond, earning him a fourth overall selection in the 1957 East Asia Baseball Draft by Seoul. He would spend his entire EAB career with the Seahawks and be a full-time starter immediately, only missing starts if injured. Shin was a DH in his rookie season and won Rookie of the Month five times, posting 48 home runs and 5.9 WAR in his debut. Unsurprisingly, this earned him Rookie of the Year and his first of 12 Silver Sluggers. He won the Silver Slugger again in 1959 and 1960 as a DH, then won at second base in 1961, 63, 64, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, and 72. Shin first emerged as a MVP candidate in 1961 when he hit .390, setting a single-season EAB record that stood until 1992. Despite this, an 1.185 OPS, and 9.9 WAR, he took third in the MVP voting. He’d win the batting title again in 1966 and would lead the Korea League in OBP six times, slugging four times, OPS six times, wRC+ six times, and WAR four times. Shin won his first MVP in 1963 with a league-best 202 hits, 10.0 WAR, and 1.110 OPS. He won again in 1964 with a league and career-best 56 home runs and 11.5 WAR. 1965 was shaping up to be another great season, but at the start of July, a partially torn labrum would end Shin’s season prematurely. He bounced right back in 1966 at age 30 with 51 home runs, 134 RBI, a .347/.411/.682 slash and 10.7 WAR. This would be Shin’s third and final MVP win. He’d take third in 1967 and 1970, posting 11 seasons worth 7+ WAR in his career. He had 12 seasons with a .300+ average and 11 seasons with 40+ home runs. Shin became an extremely popular player nationally, playing with South Korea’s World Baseball Championship team from 1959-66. In 101 games, he had 104 hits, 69 runs, 31 home runs, 59 RBI, and 6.3 WAR. He was beloved in the capital as well, but Shin never got to play a single postseason game with Seoul. The Seahawks had 11 winning seasons in his tenure, but were stuck in the same division as Pyongyang’s dynasty that saw the Pythons win seven Korea League titles. Shin’s production continued to be great into his 30s, although injuries started to cost him a few weeks each year. 1973 was his last year with Seoul with his lowest outputs of his career; albeit still posting a 4.7 WAR season. At age 38, Shin became a free agent for the first time in his career and took the bag with MLB’s Oklahoma City on a three-year, $1,236,000 deal. This more than doubled his best single-season salary with Seoul. The Outlaws hoped he’d excel in America, but Shin struggled hard with a -3.4 WAR season and .178 average. He decided to retire after that season at age 38. Upon returning home, his #11 uniform was immediately retired by Seoul. Shin’s final statistics with Seoul: 2699 hits, 1445 runs, 414 doubles, 657 home runs, 1732 RBI, a .329/.392/.631 slash, 176 wRC+, and 124.8 WAR. At retirement, he was 9^th all-time in EAB home runs, eighth in RBI, and fourth in hitting WAR. Among other Hall of Famers at induction, Shin had the best slugging percentage and OPS, as well as the second best batting average and the third best OBP. He was one of the most effective hitters of his era and an obvious first ballot selection, getting 98.4% of the vote. Chun-Ho Kim – Pitcher – Nagoya Nightowls – 95.9% First Ballot Chun-Ho Kim was a 5’10’’, 165 pound left-handed pitcher from Seoul, South Korea. He was known for having excellent control and solid movement, which allowed him to excel despite merely above average stuff. Kim’s velocity peaked at 94-96 mph and he had five pitches; fastball, slider, curveball, forkball, and changeup. The curveball was considered his most dangerous pitch. Kim didn’t go deep into games relative to other Hall of Fame level pitchers, but he tended to be very durable still. He was also considered a good defensive pitcher who was strong at holding runners. Kim was a player signed as an amateur teenage free agent, discovered by Japanese scouts at age 16 and brought over to Nagoya. After five years in their academies, Kim debuted at age 21 as a reliever in 1959. He was split between starting and the bullpen and starting in year two, then was largely a starter for the rest of his career. Kim would still see more relief appearances and fewer starts than most other Hall of Fame starters, but he still provided a pretty regular slate of innings. He first got noticed on a bigger state in 1962, his fourth season. Kim led Japan in WAR (8.8), and wins (21-10), taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He’d then lead in ERA in both 1963 (2.03), and 1964 (2.15) and would win Pitcher of the Year in both seasons. Nagoya snapped a 14-year playoff drought with division titles in both seasons and they’d win the East Asian Championship in 1964. Kim had a 2.45 ERA over 22 playoff innings with 24 strikeouts. He also played for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship with 103 innings from 1963-71, posting a 2.18 ERA with 116 strikeouts. The 1964 title season would be the last playoff season for Nagoya during Kim’s tenure. His production dropped off a bit in the next few seasons and he wouldn’t be an award candidate, although he was still solid. He had a resurgence in 1969 at age 31, leading in ERA for the third time and WAR for the fourth time. This earned Kim his third Pitcher of the Year award. He had similar production the next year and finished second for the award. Kim had another solid year in 1971, then a good but not great 1972. This would be his last season with the Nightowls, who would shortly thereafter retire his #23 uniform. At age 35, he returned to both his home country and home town, signing a four-year, $1,080,000 deal with Seoul for 1973. He earned his 200^th career win and 3000^th strikeout in his one season with the Seahawks, but otherwise was only around above average with his strikeout numbers falling. Kim decided to call it a career after the 1973 season at age 35. Kim’s final stats: 204-144 record, 2.81 ERA, 3193 innings, 3005 strikeouts to 534 walks, 275/424 quality starts, FIP- of 72, and 84.4 WAR. Some of his accumulations are towards the lower end of the Hall of Fame leaderboards, but his efficiency and tallies certainly don’t look out of place. Plus, not many guys can say they won the Pitcher of the Year three times. Thus, Kim got the first ballot nod at 95.9%. Yoriyuki Kono – Outfield/First Base – Osaka Orange Sox – 93.3% First Ballot Yoriyuki Kono was a 6’0’’, 205 pound left-handed slugger from Nakagawa, Japan, a city of around 50,000 people in the southwestern Fukuoka Prefecture. Kono was a very good contact and power hitter who had a career .304 average and 11 straight seasons with 35+ home runs. He was respectable at drawing walks, although he was slightly below average at avoiding strikeouts. He averaged around 20-25 doubles per season and had above average speed and very strong baserunning instincts. Kono made about half of his career starts in right field with the rest split between left field and first base. At any spot, he was an absolutely abysmal defender who probably wishes the Japan League had the DH. Still, Kono was a hard worker, very durable, and a strong batter, which made him a popular figure of the 1950s and 1960s. Kono attended Saga Shogyo High School and was a top prospect even without a college career. He was picked sixth overall in the 1951 East Asia Baseball Draft by Osaka. Kono debuted with 16 plate appearances in 1952 at age 19. He was a sporadic pinch hitter from 1954-56, then finally earned his way into the Orange Sox starting lineup in 1957 at age 24. He’d be a full-time starter for the rest of his Osaka run and until the waning years of his career. In his first full season of 1957, Kono won a Silver Slugger in right field. The following season was his best with a batting title and a league best slash of .347/.398/.660, along with a 236 wRC+ and 9.2 WAR. He’d finish third in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. Kono would win his second Silver Slugger and win six more (1959, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65). He’d put up reliable production with 40+ homers, 100+ RBI, and a .300+ average pretty much year in and out. However, Kono wasn’t a league leader outside of the 1958 season and in 1966 with the lead in walks. He’d become popular in part for playing from 1957-69 for Japan in the World Baseball Championship. In 75 starts and 91 games, he had 69 hits, 41 runs, 23 home runs, 57 RBI, and 2.6 WAR. Kono was very popular with Osaka, who didn’t have much reason to cheer in that era as they usually were sub .500. The Orange Sox would have a surprising 1958 run that won a Japan League title, falling to Hamhung in the EAB final. This was ultimately Kono’s only playoff experience in a 20 year career, although he delivered with 12 hits, 4 runs, and 2 homers in 10 games. In total with Osaka, Kono had 1642 hits, 896 runs, 209 doubles, 418 home runs, 969 RBI, a .313/.363/.605 slash, wRC+ of 190, and 62.3 WAR. After the 1965 season, the 33-year old Kono left for free agency. He’d still remain popular in Osaka and would see his #6 uniform retired at the end of his career. For the 1966 season though, he signed a five-year, $924,000 deal with Kitakyushu. Kono had three solid seasons with the Kodiaks, although he wasn’t award winning. His production started to drop in the fourth year and he was traded at the deadline to Seoul. With the Kodiaks, he had 578 hits, 321 runs, 126 home runs, 354 RBI, a 17.0 WAR. Kono finished 1969 and played 1970 with the Seahawks, posting 4.7 WAR in that stretch. At age 38, he signed with Kyoto for the 1971 and 1972 seasons. He’d be relegated to a bench role by the end of his Kamikaze run, but while there he collected his 2500^th hit, 600^th home run, and 1500^th RBI. Kono spent one final season with poor success with Hiroshima in 1973, retiring after the season at age 40. Kono’s final stats: 2759 hits, 1470 runs, 387 doubles, 1616 RBI, a .304/.357/.571 slash, 173 wRC+, and 91.1 WAR. He almost quietly put up some very solid hitting numbers that very much look worthy of induction and he might have been a 100+ WAR guy had his fielding not been so atrocious. Kono’s strong bat allowed him to round out the 1979 Hall of Fame class with a first ballot, 93.3% induction. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)