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Two first-ballot selections were made for East Asia Baseball’s 1984 Hall of Fame Class. Pitcher Jae-Hoon Seon was nearly unanimous with 99.3% of the vote and was joined by CF Seung-Hyeon Min at 90.7%. 2B Su-Yeon Park was close but still short of the 66% mark on his eighth attempt at 58.1%. The only other player above 50% was 3B Hiromichi Ono with 56.6% for his debut. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Jae-Hoon Seon – Starting Pitcher – Seoul Seahawks – 99.3% First Ballot

Jae-Hoon Seon was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Sinanju, a town of 15,000 people in North Korea located about 50 minutes north of Pyongyang. Seon had excellent control along with solid movement and respectable stuff. His velocity peaked at 95-97 mph with a good fastball, great curveball, and occasional changeup. Seon was an ironman who almost never missed a start and was a great team leader and captain, making him a beloved player across the Korean peninsula. He was very good at holding runners and had reliable and consistent stamina; making him one of the most steady pitchers in East Asia Baseball history.

Although he grew up in the North, Seon’s entire pro career would be with the South Korea capital Seoul. A scout from the Seahawks spotted him as a teenager amateur in 1955 and signed him at 16 years old. After five years in the developmental system, he debuted in 1960 at age 21 as a full-time starter. He’d pitch 200+ innings each year for the next 18 years and took second in Rookie of the Year honors. Seon was immensely popular for a Seoul franchise that couldn’t get over the hump. They had a number of winning seasons especially in the 1960s and 1970s, but Seon never saw a single playoff start. Some of the Seahawks’ better years came adjacent to Pyongyang’s historic dynasty.

Seon was the steady face of the franchise though for two decades, posting 15 seasons worth 6+ WAR. He wasn’t a dominant type though and never led the league in strikeouts or ERA. He did lead twice in wins, innings pitched, WAR, and WHIP, while also leading in quality starts five times. Seon would win Pitcher of the Year twice, taking the award in 1967 and again in 1975. He took second in 1964 and 1968, third in 1970, second in 1973, third in 1974, and third again in 1976. Seon also went home to North Korea and pitched for them in the World Baseball Championship regularly. He shined in the tournament with 172.2 innings, a 15-2 record, 2.55 ERA, 219 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR.

In 1977 at age 38, Seon finally showed signs of slowing down after posting the same reliable solid production without fail for the prior 17 years. His 3.88 ERA was his first time with an ERA above three in a decade, but he still provided good innings that year. However in 1978, he struggled with a 5.98 ERA and injury woes. In September, the ironman saw his first major injury with a damaged elbow ligament effectively ending his career. Ironically, Seoul made the playoffs that year for the first time in his career, although Seon wouldn’t be able to take the field. He retired that winter at age 40 and had his #35 uniform retired immediately.

Seon’s final stats: 318-205 record, 2.99 ERA, 4902.1 innings, 4766 strikeouts to 639 walks, 422/626 quality starts, 176 complete games, 74 FIP-, and 132.4 WAR. Seon’s WAR total is the all-time record among East Asia Baseball pitchers still as of 2037. He was only the second EAB pitcher to reach 300 career wins and still sits third all-time as of 2037. Seon retired second all-time in strikeouts and remains fourth in 2037. His consistency and longevity put him in the conversation with the all-time greats, even if he didn’t have as dominant of a peak as some of his contemporaries. The pitching WARlord was a no-doubt first ballot choice and nearly unanimous at 99.3%.



Seung-Hyeon Min – Center Field – Chiba Comets – 90.7% First Ballot

Seung-Hyeon Min was a 5’10’’, 190 pound right-handed center fielder from the North Korean capital Pyongyang. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Seon, Min was an ironman and renowned for his durability and consistency. He was a career center fielder and viewed as slightly below average defensively. At the plate, he was a solid contact hitter with great speed and gap power. Min was a master at getting doubles and triples, leading the league in triples eight different times. He averaged around 25-30 doubles and 25-30 triples per year in his prime while also getting you around 20-25 home runs per season. Min also had an above average eye and was able to avoid big strikeout numbers.

Min was spotted by a scout from Chiba, who signed him as a teenage amateur in 1954. He made his debut with a few appearances in 1959 at age 20, then was a full-time starter from thereafter. Min would start 140+ games in the next 12 consecutive seasons for the Comets. He’d lead the Japan League in triples seven different times and posted 11 straight seasons worth 6+ WAR. Min picked up Rookie of the Year in 1960 and won nine straight Silver Sluggers in center field from 1961-69.

Min never won league MVP, but was a finalist twice. He finished third in 1964 and third again in 1968. Min had seven seasons with 100+ runs scored and was the WARlord in 1969 with 8.4. He had a career best 117 runs in 1964 and 389 total bases in 1968. Chiba became a contender in the early 1960s, winning three straight Japan League titles from 1961-63; although they never won the overall EAB title. In 36 playoff games, Min had 46 hits, 20 runs, 5 home runs, 10 RBI, and a .326/.392/.468 slash. He also was a regular for the North Korean team in the World Baseball Championship. In 115 games, Min had 101 hits, 61 runs, 24 home runs, 56 RBI, and 3.8 WAR.

The Comets remained a winning team for the next few years, but started a decade long playoff drought after their 1964 berth. By the end of the decade, they had fallen to the bottom of the standings. Min had signed an eight-year contract extension in 1965, but decided to opt out after the 1971 season at age 33. In total with Chiba, he had 2297 hits, 1190 runs, 349 doubles, 296 triples, 282 home runs, 1090 RIB, and 88.6 WAR. Even after leaving, he remained very popular with the Comets faithful and saw his #6 uniform retired later.

Min’s last season with Chiba was his weakest of his career with 4.3 WAR, but he still had plenty of suitors. MLB’s Miami Mallards signed him to a five-year, $1,558,000 deal. He had a respectable season in South Florida and Miami made the playoffs, but they decided to trade him to Toronto in the offseason straight up for pitcher Clifton Silas. Min’s 1973 was his best in North America as he won a Silver Slugger. In two years and change with the Timberwolves, he had 10.2 WAR.

In late May 1975, Toronto opted to release Min and the 36-year old returned home to North Korea and finished the season with Hamhung. He still showed he could be starter quality and another MLB team gave him a shot. Min spent 1976 and 1977 with Albuquerque, although he struggled in the second season. In total in MLB, Min had 772 hits, 431 runs, 100 doubles, 45 triples, 102 home runs, 356 RBI, and 15.1 WAR. He became a free agent and went back to Hamhung in 1978, posting a decent season that allowed him to cross 2500 career EAB hits. After going unsigned in 1979, Min retired at age 41.

For his entire pro career, Min had 3315 hits, 1750 runs, 476 doubles, 368 triples, 411 home runs, 1550 RBI, a .302/.361/.524 slash and 109.8 WAR. For just East Asia Baseball, he had 2543 hits, 1319 runs, 376 doubles, 323 triples, 309 home runs, 1194 RBI, 548 stolen bases, a .318/.371/.561 slash, 170 wRC+, and 94.7 WAR. Many felt he was the best center fielder in EAB in the 1960s and that earned Min the first ballot induction with 90.7%.