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FuzzyRussianHat · 10-30-2023, 03:35 AM

East Asia Baseball inducted two players from Pyongyang’s dynasty as part of the 1981 Hall of Fame Class. Both 3b Ki-Tae Yun and SS Kyung-Hwan Choi received first ballot recognition with an impressive 98.9% for the former and a solid 86.3% from the latter. SP Tokutomi Ohashi narrowly missed out on joining them with 63.4% in his debut. 2B Su-Yeon Park was the only other above 50% with 50% exactly on his fifth go. No players were dropped after ten ballots in 1981.

Ki-Tae “Duck” Yun – Third Base – Pyongyang Pythons – 98.9% First Ballot

Ki-Tae Yun was a 5’11’’, 190 pound left-handed hitting shortstop from Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Nicknamed “Duck,” Yun was known for having excellent home run power, hitting 40+ in ten different seasons. Despite his power, he very rarely walked and had a middling strikeout rate. Yun’s speed was above average, but he had fewer doubles and triples then you’d expect. Overall, he was viewed as an average contact hitter as well. Yun added great value as a career third baseman who was considered typically to be above average defensively. On top of being a hometown hero, he was a fan favorite for his scrappiness, loyalty, and work ethic.

North Korean scouts noticed him as a teenager and Yun was picked 30^th overall by Hamhung in the 1955 East Asia Baseball Draft. He decided not to sign with the Heat and went to Japan’s Okayama Shoka University. Yun had a great college career and when he was eligible in the 1958 EAB Draft, Pyongyang picked him 15^th overall. He opted to return to his hometown and ultimately played his full professional career as a Python. Yun had four plate appearances in 1959, then became a full-time starter the next year. He was typically very durable, playing 145+ games in all but two full seasons.

Yun immediately excelled, taking Rookie of the Year honors in 1960. He’d win eight Silver Sluggers (1961, 63, 65, 67, 68, 69, 72, 73) and a Gold Glove in 1973. Yun took third in MVP voting in 1963, second in 1967, second in 1968, first in 1969, second in 1972, and second in 1973. From 1967-69, he’d lead the Korea League in home runs and RBI with 159 HRs and 428 RBI combined. His 156 RBI in 1969 was only the seventh EAB season with 150+. In that MVP 1969 season, he also was the leader in runs (116), OPS (1.011), wRC+ (173), and WAR (10.0), all career bests.

Yun was also a big time playoff performer as Pyongyang dominated in the 1960s. They had nine straight division titles from 1961-69, winning seven Korea League titles and six East Asian Championship rings. Yun was EAB Finals MVP in 1961 and KLCS MVP in 1967 and 1969. In 103 playoff starts, he had 108 hits, 61 runs, 38 home runs, 90 RBI, a .273/.314/.617 slash and 4.3 WAR. As of 2037, he is still EAB’s all-time playoff leader in home runs, RBI, and total bases. Yun also was a regular for North Korea in the World Baseball Championship with 105 games played from 1961-74. He had 104 hits, 81 runs, 43 home runs, and 91 RBI with a .272/.336/.637 slash in the WBC.

Yun signed a five-year, $1,160,000 contract extension after the 1969 MVP season. 1970 would be a setback with a fractured thumb ultimately costing him three months. He’d bounce back with very good 1972 and 1973 seasons, including another Korea League title in 1972. 1974 saw Yun’s production fall off significantly though and he’d get moved to a bench role in 1975. Yun opted to retire after the 1975 season at age 37 and saw his #25 uniform retired immediately.

Yun’s final stats: 2377 hits, 1328 runs, 245 doubles, 629 home runs, 1685 RBI, a .280/.314/.544 slash, wRC+ of 139, and 90.4 WAR. At retirement, he had the third most WAR of any third baseman in EAB and still sits seventh as of 2037. He was a beloved hometown hero and a critical piece of Pyongyang’s 1960s dynasty, earning the 98.9% first ballot nod.

Kyung-Hwan Choi – Shortstop – Pyongyang Pythons – 86.3% First Ballot

Kyung-Hwan Choi was a 5’8’’, 180 pound right-handed shortstop from Sinpung, a small town of around 10,000 people in North Korea’s South Hamgyong Province (which includes Hamhung). Choi was an excellent contact hitter who won five batting titles. He very rarely drew walks, but also very rarely struck out. Choi had a respectable pop in his bat, averaging around 30 doubles, 10 triples, and 15 home runs per year. He had solid speed and baserunning ability as well. Choi was a career shortstop and considered very good defensively, winning a Gold Glove in 1964.

Choi was picked out of high school in the third round by Pyongyang, 77^th overall, in the 1954 East Asia Baseball Draft. He spent the next few years largely training on the reserve roster, making a few appearances in 1956 at age 19 and a few in 1959. Choi became a full-time starter in 1960 and would be the starter at shortstop for the rest of his tenure when healthy. His first two full seasons saw his first two Silver Sluggers in 1960 and 1961. Just before the 1962 season, Pyongyang locked him up with an eight-year, $987,000 contract extension.

The deal didn’t look great immediately with a torn back muscle knocking him out much of 1962 and a torn rib cage muscle costing parts of 1963. He came back late in 1962 and had a .459 in the postseason, winning both KLCS and EAB Finals MVP en route to the second of Pyongyang’s rings. In the playoffs for his career, Choi made 81 starts with 108 hits, 46 runs, and 2.8 WAR.

After the injuries of the early 1960s, he stayed largely healthy the next few seasons. Choi won five batting titles from 1964-1970 and led in hits twice. In 1968, he won Korea League MVP with 222 hits, a .388 average, and 8.7 WAR. He was second in MVP voting in 1964, 1969, and 1971. In total, Choi had 12 Silver Sluggers (60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74). He also made 102 starts for North Korea in the World Baseball Championship from 1960-74, getting 121 hits, 57 runs, and a .301/.341/.455 slash.

Injuries picked up as he entered his mid 30s, although Choi was still strong when healthy for the most part. His final year of 1975 was his first where he really saw a steep drop in production, although he did earn his 2500^th hit this season. Choi retired following the season at age 39 and saw his #29 uniform retired.

Choi’s final stats: 2562 hits, 1145 runs, 376 doubles, 148 triples, 200 home runs, 1090 RBI, 435 stolen bases, a .334/.353/.500 slash, wRC+ of 140, and 99.0 WAR. At retirement, he had the second most WAR of any shortstop in EAB. Among all Hall of Famers, he was behind only Dong-Ju Hahn (.342) in batting average at induction. Another critical part of Pyongyang’s six titles in the 60s and a fitting inductee to join teammate Ki-Tae Yun for the 1981 class. Choi also earned the first ballot nod with an almost surprisingly low 86.3%.

10-30-2023, 03:35 AM	#673
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,827	1981 EAB Hall of Fame East Asia Baseball inducted two players from Pyongyang’s dynasty as part of the 1981 Hall of Fame Class. Both 3b Ki-Tae Yun and SS Kyung-Hwan Choi received first ballot recognition with an impressive 98.9% for the former and a solid 86.3% from the latter. SP Tokutomi Ohashi narrowly missed out on joining them with 63.4% in his debut. 2B Su-Yeon Park was the only other above 50% with 50% exactly on his fifth go. No players were dropped after ten ballots in 1981. Ki-Tae “Duck” Yun – Third Base – Pyongyang Pythons – 98.9% First Ballot Ki-Tae Yun was a 5’11’’, 190 pound left-handed hitting shortstop from Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Nicknamed “Duck,” Yun was known for having excellent home run power, hitting 40+ in ten different seasons. Despite his power, he very rarely walked and had a middling strikeout rate. Yun’s speed was above average, but he had fewer doubles and triples then you’d expect. Overall, he was viewed as an average contact hitter as well. Yun added great value as a career third baseman who was considered typically to be above average defensively. On top of being a hometown hero, he was a fan favorite for his scrappiness, loyalty, and work ethic. North Korean scouts noticed him as a teenager and Yun was picked 30^th overall by Hamhung in the 1955 East Asia Baseball Draft. He decided not to sign with the Heat and went to Japan’s Okayama Shoka University. Yun had a great college career and when he was eligible in the 1958 EAB Draft, Pyongyang picked him 15^th overall. He opted to return to his hometown and ultimately played his full professional career as a Python. Yun had four plate appearances in 1959, then became a full-time starter the next year. He was typically very durable, playing 145+ games in all but two full seasons. Yun immediately excelled, taking Rookie of the Year honors in 1960. He’d win eight Silver Sluggers (1961, 63, 65, 67, 68, 69, 72, 73) and a Gold Glove in 1973. Yun took third in MVP voting in 1963, second in 1967, second in 1968, first in 1969, second in 1972, and second in 1973. From 1967-69, he’d lead the Korea League in home runs and RBI with 159 HRs and 428 RBI combined. His 156 RBI in 1969 was only the seventh EAB season with 150+. In that MVP 1969 season, he also was the leader in runs (116), OPS (1.011), wRC+ (173), and WAR (10.0), all career bests. Yun was also a big time playoff performer as Pyongyang dominated in the 1960s. They had nine straight division titles from 1961-69, winning seven Korea League titles and six East Asian Championship rings. Yun was EAB Finals MVP in 1961 and KLCS MVP in 1967 and 1969. In 103 playoff starts, he had 108 hits, 61 runs, 38 home runs, 90 RBI, a .273/.314/.617 slash and 4.3 WAR. As of 2037, he is still EAB’s all-time playoff leader in home runs, RBI, and total bases. Yun also was a regular for North Korea in the World Baseball Championship with 105 games played from 1961-74. He had 104 hits, 81 runs, 43 home runs, and 91 RBI with a .272/.336/.637 slash in the WBC. Yun signed a five-year, $1,160,000 contract extension after the 1969 MVP season. 1970 would be a setback with a fractured thumb ultimately costing him three months. He’d bounce back with very good 1972 and 1973 seasons, including another Korea League title in 1972. 1974 saw Yun’s production fall off significantly though and he’d get moved to a bench role in 1975. Yun opted to retire after the 1975 season at age 37 and saw his #25 uniform retired immediately. Yun’s final stats: 2377 hits, 1328 runs, 245 doubles, 629 home runs, 1685 RBI, a .280/.314/.544 slash, wRC+ of 139, and 90.4 WAR. At retirement, he had the third most WAR of any third baseman in EAB and still sits seventh as of 2037. He was a beloved hometown hero and a critical piece of Pyongyang’s 1960s dynasty, earning the 98.9% first ballot nod. Kyung-Hwan Choi – Shortstop – Pyongyang Pythons – 86.3% First Ballot Kyung-Hwan Choi was a 5’8’’, 180 pound right-handed shortstop from Sinpung, a small town of around 10,000 people in North Korea’s South Hamgyong Province (which includes Hamhung). Choi was an excellent contact hitter who won five batting titles. He very rarely drew walks, but also very rarely struck out. Choi had a respectable pop in his bat, averaging around 30 doubles, 10 triples, and 15 home runs per year. He had solid speed and baserunning ability as well. Choi was a career shortstop and considered very good defensively, winning a Gold Glove in 1964. Choi was picked out of high school in the third round by Pyongyang, 77^th overall, in the 1954 East Asia Baseball Draft. He spent the next few years largely training on the reserve roster, making a few appearances in 1956 at age 19 and a few in 1959. Choi became a full-time starter in 1960 and would be the starter at shortstop for the rest of his tenure when healthy. His first two full seasons saw his first two Silver Sluggers in 1960 and 1961. Just before the 1962 season, Pyongyang locked him up with an eight-year, $987,000 contract extension. The deal didn’t look great immediately with a torn back muscle knocking him out much of 1962 and a torn rib cage muscle costing parts of 1963. He came back late in 1962 and had a .459 in the postseason, winning both KLCS and EAB Finals MVP en route to the second of Pyongyang’s rings. In the playoffs for his career, Choi made 81 starts with 108 hits, 46 runs, and 2.8 WAR. After the injuries of the early 1960s, he stayed largely healthy the next few seasons. Choi won five batting titles from 1964-1970 and led in hits twice. In 1968, he won Korea League MVP with 222 hits, a .388 average, and 8.7 WAR. He was second in MVP voting in 1964, 1969, and 1971. In total, Choi had 12 Silver Sluggers (60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74). He also made 102 starts for North Korea in the World Baseball Championship from 1960-74, getting 121 hits, 57 runs, and a .301/.341/.455 slash. Injuries picked up as he entered his mid 30s, although Choi was still strong when healthy for the most part. His final year of 1975 was his first where he really saw a steep drop in production, although he did earn his 2500^th hit this season. Choi retired following the season at age 39 and saw his #29 uniform retired. Choi’s final stats: 2562 hits, 1145 runs, 376 doubles, 148 triples, 200 home runs, 1090 RBI, 435 stolen bases, a .334/.353/.500 slash, wRC+ of 140, and 99.0 WAR. At retirement, he had the second most WAR of any shortstop in EAB. Among all Hall of Famers, he was behind only Dong-Ju Hahn (.342) in batting average at induction. Another critical part of Pyongyang’s six titles in the 60s and a fitting inductee to join teammate Ki-Tae Yun for the 1981 class. Choi also earned the first ballot nod with an almost surprisingly low 86.3%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)