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Starting pitcher Dan Potra was elected into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame as the lone member of the 1983 class. Potra was a no-doubt pick, getting 96.6% on the first ballot. Fellow SP Eryk Wozniak had a nice showing on his fifth ballot at 60.5%, but was still short of the 66% requirement. Also above 60% were 2B Ali Alasgarov at60.5% in his debut and SP Artyom Rudasev with 60.2% on his fifth ballot. Two others received above 50% in their debuts with reliever Elgiz Gulyamov at 59.0% and starter Maxym Veremeenko at 52.6%.



Dropped after ten ballots was LF Eldar Vdovichenko, who ended at 22.9%. He started as high at 60.8% on his debut before slowly falling over time. In 15 seasons with four teams, Vdovichenko had one MVP, four Silver Sluggers, and a Gold Glove along with 2141 hits, 1243 runs, 365 doubles, 321 home runs, 1059 RBI, 928 stolen bases, .284/.329/.498 slash and 73.4 WAR. He had also won a title in 1956 with Minsk, but his totals and lower power numbers didn’t win over enough voters with the EPB intelligentsia being stingy towards hitters.



Dan Potra – Starting Pitcher – Tirana Trojans – 96.6% First Ballot

Dan Potra was a 6’8’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Romania, Bucharest. The lanky lefty was known for having great control and movement on his pitches, allowing him to flourish despite merely above average stuff. He still had 96-98 mph peak velocity, but it was his knuckle curve that brought him the most success. Potra also had a slider, curveball, and screwball in his arsenal. He was excellent at holding runners and considered solid defensively. Potra didn’t throw quite as many complete games as some of his contemporaries, but he still gave you reliable innings each year with good durability.

Potra earned plenty of attention as a prospect and was picked second overall in the 1960 Eurasian Professional Baseball Draft by Tirana. He’d ultimately spend his entire career in Albania with the Trojans. Potra was mainly used as a reliever in his first three seasons, then earned a big spot in the rotation from 1964 onward. From there, he had ten consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR. Potra also was a regular for his home country Romania in the World Baseball Championship. From 1963-77, he had an impressive 1.78 ERA over 126.2 innings with 149 strikeouts and 4.3 WAR.

Potra emerged as a true ace in his late 20s, leading the European League in ERA and quality starts three different times between 1967-70. He posted a career best 1.27 ERA in 1967, 299 strikeouts in 1968, and 10.8 WAR in 1968. Potra finished second in 1968 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award in both 1969 and 1970. This stretch turned Tirana into a contender for the first time, as the Trojans didn’t make the playoffs in their first 12 seasons. From 1967-72, they made it five teams, thrice to the ELCS. They won the league title in 1970 and 1972, but lost both years in the Soviet Series. Still, Potra put up excellent postseason numbers and couldn’t be blamed for the 4-8 record with a 1.82 ERA over 108.2 innings, 115 strikeouts, and 3.8 WAR.

Potra suffered a partially torn labrum in 1972, although he bounced back with mostly the same innings as before. His production dropped a bit in the next couple seasons, but he was still starter quality. Tirana became more middling at this point and Potra saw his use scaled down. Although his numbers seemed fine, he was reduced to a reliever in 1977, retiring after the season at age 36. His #28 uniform would be immediately retired.

Potra’s final stats saw a 213-132 record, 2.11 ERA, 3470.2 innings, 3221 strikeouts to 543 walks, 345/425 quality starts, a FIP- of 73 and 92.6 WAR. At induction, his ERA was second best among EPB Hall of Famers and he had the 10^th best WAR of any EPB pitcher. Potra didn’t have the longevity to be at the very top of the accumulations, but his resume was more than enough to earn the first ballot nod at 96.6%.