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The 1985 European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame Class was an impressive one as for the second time in history, four players were inducted. Each of them received the first ballot recognition, although two stood well above the rest. SS Nikolaos Pavlis picked up 98.4% and SP Callum Docker received 96.5%. Fellow SP Fabian Mullner secured his spot on a respectable 77.1% and 1B Tobias Sigmarsson narrowly crossed the 66% requirement with 68.6%. No players fell off the EBF ballot in 1985 after ten attempts.



Nikolaos “Blitz” Pavlis – Shortstop – Zagreb Gulls – 98.4% First Ballot

Nikolaos Pavlis was a 5’11’’, 190 pound right-handed shortstop from Aryiroupoli, Greece; an southern Athens suburb with around 34,000 people. Pavlis was one of the hardest hitting batters of the era, averaging around 30-40 home runs per season with another 30-40 doubles and triples per season. He also had solid speed and baserunning instincts, allowing him to stretch out for extra bases. Pavlis was an above average contact hitter with a respectable eye, although he did strike out a bit more than the average. In his EBF career, he was a full-time shortstop and a very good defensive one. Pavlis would move to first base and play solid there in his final seasons in MLB. He was a great leader and a hard worker, making him one of the most popular players of his era.

The second Greek inductee into the Hall of Fame, Pavlis ultimately spent little time at home apart from road games to Athens and three editions with the national team in the World Baseball Championship. He went to England to play college baseball with the University of Westminster. After excelling there, Zagreb selected him seventh overall in the 1965 European Baseball Federation Draft. His entire EBF career would be in Croatia with the Gulls, where he became a franchise icon and a celebrated sports star for all of Yugoslavia.

Pavlis was a full-time starter beginning in his rookie year, although injuries cost him two months of his first season. Small injuries here and there cost him time, but he was generally quite durable at a very demanding position, playing in 125+ games in all but his first and final season with the Gulls. His bat was largely unmatched at shortstop and he won nine Silver Sluggers (1967-72, 75, 77, 78).

In only his second season at 22-years old, Pavlis picked up Southern Conference MVP by leading with 10.3 WAR. It would be his first of eight seasons worth 10+ WAR with eleven seasons worth 8+. That year, the Gulls snapped a six-year playoff drought, although they were one-and-done. Zagreb missed the playoffs the next five years despite Pavlis’ efforts. He was third in MVP voting in 1968, then had a historic 1969 season that netted his second MVP. His 14.3 WAR was the second most by a EBF hitter at that point and still ranks sixth best as of 2037. He also led the conference in OPS (1.063), wRC+ (220), total bases (401), home runs (50), runs (115), and RBI (119). Pavlis had career highs in hits, total bases, wRC+, and WAR.

Pavlis continued to be great with a second place in 1971 MVP voting, then his third win of the top prize in 1973. He’d take third again in 1974 and second in 1975. Although he didn’t win it in 1975, he had career bests in home runs (51), RBI (127), and runs (132). Most importantly, this year saw Zagreb win the European Championship for the second time in franchise history. The Gulls also made the playoffs in 1973, 74, and 78. In his playoff career, Pavlis had 40 starts, 40 hits, 27 runs, 6 home runs, 19 RBI, and 1.6 WAR. Bringing home the title helped cement his status as an all-timer with Zagreb retiring his #25 uniform at the end of his career.

In 1979, a back injury cost Pavlis part of the season. However, his production also slipped and he found himself relegated to more of a bench role for the first time. Although there wouldn’t ultimately be hard feelings, Pavlis opted to leave the Gulls at the end of the 1979 season to find a starting role somewhere else. He had numerous suitors in Europe, but the biggest money by far came from Major League Baseball’s Buffalo Blue Sox. More than doubling his top Gulls salary, Pavlis signed a three-year, $2,220,000 deal with Buffalo.

That marked the end of his European career and his time as a shortstop, as the now 35-year old was having trouble with the physical demands of the spot. He played three seasons at first base for Buffalo and wasn’t the same elite hitter, but he still provided respectable power stats. With the Blue Sox, he had 8.0 WAR, 395 hits, 229 runs, 95 home runs, 249 RBI, and 117 wRC+. He became a free agent after the 1982 season and didn’t find a major league home. Minor league Providence signed him for part of the 1983 campaign, but Pavlis opted to retire after his run in Rhode Island at age 39.

For his entire pro career, Pavlis had 137.0 WAR, 2537 hits, 1509 runs, 575 home runs, and 1516 RBI. Just for his EBF and Zagreb run, he had 2142 hits, 1280 runs, 333 doubles, 138 triples, 480 home runs, 1267 RBI, 506 stolen bases, a .298/.360/.583 slash, 175 wRC+, and 129.0 WAR. At induction, he had the third most WAR for a EBF batter. Pavlis was easily the top in WAR for shortstops and was widely considered EBF’s GOAT at the position until Harvey Coyle completely re-wrote the record books about 30-40 years later. Pavlis was a no-doubt Hall of Fame pick on the first ballot at 98.4%.



Callum Docker – Starting Pitcher – Dublin Dinos – 96.5% First Ballot

Callum Docker was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Cinderford, a town of around 9,000 people in southwestern England. Docker was a fireballer who used his incredible 99-101 mph fastball to overpower hitters despite having average movement and subpar control. His stuff was excellent though as he also boasted a great splitter and changeup, plus a decent slider. Docker generally had good durability and respectable stamina, along with a solid knack for holding runners. He was incredibly well respected in the clubhouse as a team captain, earning the loyalty and admiration of many teammates during his run.

Docker attended Harper Adams University College in Edgmond and earned the 14^th overall pick in the 1964 EBF Draft by Dublin. His full career would be with the Dinos, although he still played for England regularly in the World Baseball Championship. In 176.1 innings in the WBC from 1967-79, Docker had a 12-7 record, 2.71 ERA, 232 strikeouts, and 4.6 WAR. He made only six starts with poor results in 1966, but excelled in his first full season in 1967. He led the Northern Conference in wins at 24-5 and won Rookie of the Year unanimously. Docker even took third in Pitcher of the Year voting and had an excellent postseason with a 0.74 ERA over three starts and 24.1 innings. This performance helped Dublin win the 1967 European Championship.

The Dinos got back to the final in 1968 with Docker again taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. They made the playoffs three more times in Docker’s tenure, although never again got beyond the first round. He would lead the conference three times in WHIP, twice in wins, and one in ERA with a 1.65 mark in 1974. Docker took second in Pitcher of the Year voting that season, but ultimately never won the top award.

After posting sub 2.50 ERAs for most of his career, Docker started to see it above three regularly to close out the 1970s. He still regularly ate innings and picked up strikeouts, but he started giving up more hits and walks, posting average at best advanced stats. He decided to retire after the 1979 season at age 35. Dublin would almost immediately retire his #45 jersey for his role in their 1967 championship series and general service.

Docker’s final stats: 227-122 record, 2.50 ERA, 3240.2 innings, 3685 strikeouts to 774 walks, 87 FIP-, 313/407 quality starts, and 61.6 WAR. At induction, he was seventh in wins and his ERA fit in with other inductees, although the advanced stats didn’t love him. Still, his resume was plenty impressive in the eyes of the EBF voters, who placed Docker into the Hall of Fame with a first ballot 96.5%.