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Austronesia Professional Baseball inducted three players into its Hall of Fame in 1989 with each of them receiving a first ballot nod. Leading the charge was LF Abracham Gumelar at 96.5%. 3B/1B Kim Shin Pan received 89.2% to earn his spot and SP Guntur Kadir got 76.6%. Two others were above 50% on their second tries with 1B Po-Yu Shao at 55.9% and CL Lee Tira at 53.8%. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Abracham Gumelar – Left Field – Palembang Panthers – 96.5% First Ballot

Abracham Gumelar was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. Gumelar was a great contact hitter with excellent home run power that led the Sundaland Association in dingers six times. He also got you around 20-30 doubles per year with a couple triples despite having below average speed. Gumelar was above average at drawing walks, although his strikeout rates were middling. He was a career left fielder and subpar defensively. Gumelar was considered very durable with 155+ games played each season from 1970 to 1981.

Gumelar left Indonesia for Taiwan to play college baseball at Toko University. He returned to his home country in the 1966 APB Draft when he was picked second overall by Palembang. His entire APB run was with the Panthers and he became one of the most beloved players of his era. Gumelar was also a regular for Indonesia’s World Baseball Championship team with 137 games and 116 starts from 1969-85. In that stretch, he had 120 hits, 91 runs, 49 home runs, 101 RBI, a .279/.378/.651 slash, and 7.1 WAR.

Palembang didn’t feel Gumelar was immediately ready for the big time as he was used in a pinch hitter role in his first two seasons. He earned the starting role in 1969 and excelled, leading the Sundaland Association in the triple slash, home runs, and WAR. This got Gumelar his first of five MVPs and first of 11 Silver Sluggers. The additional Sluggers came from 1970-75, then from 1978-81. Gumelar led the SA in runs scored thrice, homers six times, RBI five times, batting average twice, OBP five times, slugging six times, OPS five times, wRC+ five times, and WAR four times.

1970 was a banner year for Gumelar with career highs in home runs (54), RBI (122), total bases (346), and WAR (10.5), giving him his second MVP. He’d take third in 1971’s MVP voting and second in 1972. 1974 would be his third MVP win and was Palembang’s first-ever division title win. The Panthers became a playoff regular at this point with four berths in five years from 1974-78. In 1975, Gumelar won his fourth MVP and became the first APB hitter to earn a Triple Crown (46 homers, 104 RBI, .297 average). He took third in MVP voting in 1977 and 1978, then won the award for the fifth and final time in 1979; the first to do so. He’d be a finalist once more with a second place in 1980.

Palembang won the Sundaland Association championship in 1974, 1976, and 1978. The Panthers weren’t able to claim the Austronesia Championship as they were defeated each time by Kaohsiung’s dynasty. Gumelar was a playoff beast in 1974 and 1976 in particular, earning Sundaland Association Championship MVP both years. In 38 playoff starts, he had 43 hits, 22 runs, 13 home runs, 30 RBI, a .300/.359/.633 slash, wRC+ of 252 and 3.4 WAR. This cemented Gumelar’s status as a Palembang legend and his #21 uniform unsurprisingly was retired once he was done.

Gumelar’s power and contact began to fade a bit into the 1980s and with that, the Panthers faded towards the bottom of the standings. 1982 would be the first time that injuries cost him significant time, missing around two months. He still posted 5.4 WAR that year in only 109 games. But his final year saw full season career lows of 30 home runs, a .229 average, and 4.6 WAR. In that last year, Gumelar was able to become the first APB slugger to reach 600 career home runs. He was the second to 1000 runs scored in 1981, the third to 1000 RBI in 1978, and the third to 2000 hits in 1981.

Gumelar became a free agent for the first time after the 1983 season at age 37. He was able to cash in and grab MLB money on a three-year, $3,780,000 deal with Cleveland. This gave Gumelar an annual $1,260,000 salary; far more than his peak Panthers pull of $381,000. He was decent in his first year with the Cobras, although a concussion cost him six weeks. Cleveland moved him to the bench in 1985 and cut him after 1986 spring training. He made 10 appearances that spring with Virginia Beach before being cut in early July. Gumelar opted to retire that winter at age 40.

Gumelar’s final APB/Palembang stats saw 2316 hits, 1173 runs, 365 doubles, 604 home runs, 1426 RBI, 822 walks, a .280/.345/.544 slash, 212 wRC+, and 123.1 WAR. Those are strong numbers in any league, but especially in the very low offense atmosphere of APB. Chun-Chia Lan passed him as the home run king later in the 1980s, but Gumelar remained second until the 2020s and is still fourth all-time as of 2037. At induction, Gumelar was the APB leader in RBI and hitting WAR. He would hold onto both titles until the 2020, but still sits fourth in RBI and second in WAR as of 2037. Gumelar was undoubtedly one of APB’s finest all-time hitters and an obvious first ballot choice at 96.5%.



Kim Shin Pan – Third/First Base – Surabaya Sunbirds – 89.2% First Ballot

Kim Shin Pan was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Singapore and is the first Singaporean Hall of Famer. Pan was a solid contact and power hitter with a respectable eye and decent strikeout avoidance. He was a slower baseunner, but still had good enough gap power to get you a decent amount of doubles and the occasional triple. Pan made around 3/4s of his starts at third base and the rest at first base and was considered a delightfully average gloveman at both spots. Pan ended up being a very popular player, but his outspoken nature made him polarizing.

Pan left Singapore to play college baseball at CITIC College in Tainan. He excelled and quickly became one of the most prized prospects ahead of the 1966 APB Draft. Surabaya had the first selection and used it on Pan, who would spend his entire 17 year pro career as a Sunbird. He started a good chunk of his rookie season in 1967, then emerged as a bona fide star in his second season. Pan also was a regular for Singapore in the World Baseball Championship from 1969-84 with 117 games played, 105 hits, 71 runs, 34 home runs, 70 RBI, a .259/.353/.551 slash, and 4.9 WAR.

In his sophomore season, Pan led the Sundaland Association in hits and doubles. He’d lead in hits once more, home runs once, RBI twice, and OBP once. Pan would rack up the WARlord title four times and posted 13 seasons worth 6+ WAR and four worth double-digits. He won ten Silver Sluggers from 1969-80 and managed a Gold Glove in 1980 as well. In 1970, he also became only the second APB batter to record six hits in a single game. Pan picked up three MVPs in his career; 1972, 1973, and 1977. He was third in 1975 and 1980.

Pan cemented himself as a Surabaya legend when the Sunbirds earned their first-ever playoff berth in 1971. At 87-75, they were an underdog, but they upset Batam in the Sundaland Association Championship and topped Taoyuan to earn their first Austronesia Championship. Pan was the MVP of both series with 15 hits, 9 runs, 5 home runs, and 10 RBI in only nine games. They won division titles in the next two seasons, but fell in the SAC both times to the Blue Raiders.

Surabaya returned to the postseason in 1977 and won the Association title, although they fell in the championship to Kaohsiung. The Sunbirds fell off in 1978, largely due to Pan missing most of the season with a torn PCL. He came back in 1979 and didn’t have the same power, but he still pushed Surabaya back to the Promised Land. The Sunbirds won the 1979 APB title with Pan picked up Association Finals MVP. In 44 career playoff starts, Pan had 55 hits, 30 runs, 15 home runs, 33 RBI, a .331/.382/.663 slash, 256 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR. He was the APB playoff leader in home runs and RBI until the 2010s and still sits third all-time for both as of 2037.

1980 and 1981 were both nice seasons for Pan, although Surabaya dropped to the middle of the standings. Various injuries cost him more than half of 1982, then he struggled with only five home runs and a .227 average in 1983. Surabaya let him go and Pan played one more WBC in 1984 for Singapore. He hoped to sign somewhere that season, but had to retire that winter after going unsigned at age 39. Surabaya would retire his #9 uniform that winter.

Pan’s final stats: 2305 hits, 1115 runs, 358 doubles, 463 home runs, 1267 RBI, a .270/.329/.485 slash, 178 wRC+, and 120.7 WAR. His offensive stats aren’t quite as eye-popping as his Hall of Fame classmate Gumelar, but Pan still finished only three points behind him in batting WAR. He’s still fifth all-time as of 2037 and has the second most WAR at third base. Pan is still beloved by most Surabaya fans for his playoff heroics and was an easy first ballot selection at 89.2%.



Guntur Kadir – Starting Pitcher – Kaohsiung Steelheads – 76.6% First Ballot

Guntur Kadir was a 6’0’’, 180 pound right-handed pitcher from Cicuruk, a sub-district of the city of Sukabumi (population 356,000) in West Java, Indonesia. Kadir was a hard-thrower with 98-100 peak velocity with very good stuff and control. He had a fastball, slider, and circle change and his movement was considered below average. However, Kadir was a master at changing speeds and his circle change was considered incredible. He was a hard working sparkplug type, making him a valuable player in the clubhouse.

Kadir was spotted as a teenage amateur in 1967 at age 16 by a scout from Kaohsiung. Little did he realize that he’d become a huge part of a dynasty run. Kadir made his debut with the Steelheads as a reliever in 1972, then was a full-time starter after. He also would return home to pitch for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship with a 10-2 record and 3.75 ERA from 1974-83 with 105.2 innings, 156 strikeouts, and 2.4 WAR.

Kaohsiung’s dynasty began in 1973 and saw four Austronesia Championships (1973, 74, 76, 77). As of 2037, the Steelheads are the only franchise in APB history to have won four APB titles in a five year stretch. 1974 saw Kadir take second in Pitcher of the Year voting with his first of five 9+ WAR seasons. He was a critical playoff piece, posting a 2.19 ERA over 107 innings with a 10-4 record, 134 strikeouts, and 3.5 WAR. From 1976-79, Kadir was dominant and led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in WAR, WHIP, and K/BB each season. He also led win ERA in 1976, strikeouts in 1979, and wins twice. Despite that, Kadir only won Pitcher of the Year once (1976). He was second in 1977 and 1978.

Kaohsiung faded towards the middle of the standings after their 1977 title season, although Kadir remained elite. He’d suffer a huge setback May 1980 with a partially torn UCL putting him out eight months. Kadir was never quite the same after that. He returned in 1981, but a herniated disc knocked him out the first two months of the season. Now in rebuilding mode, the Steelheads traded Kadir at the deadline for five prospects to Zamboanga. Kadir would later see his #24 uniform retired and he was remembered fondly for his role in the great Kaohsiung dynasty.

Kadir was subpar that summer and fall with the Zebras, although they did get to the playoffs. He became a free agency after the season at age 31 and had to weigh his future. MLB’s Tampa Thunderbirds hoped that Kadir could return to form and took a chance on him with a three-year, $2,710,000 deal. He would be a solidly above average pitcher in 1982 and 1983 in Tampa, but would end up with another torn UCL late in the 1983 season that knocked him out 11 months,

Kadir attempted a comeback in 1984 with the Thunderbirds, but was atrocious over six starts. In total with Tampa, he had a 4.05 ERA over 524.2 innings and 7.1 WAR. Calgary signed Kadir as a back-end starter in 1985. He then went to Philadelphia in 1986 and Brooklyn in 1987 with lackluster results. Columbus signed Kadir for 1988, but another torn UCL in spring training forced his retirement at age 37. For his MLB run, Kadir had a 51-48 record, 4.27 ERA, 907.1 innings, 723 strikeouts, and 8.0 WAR.

For his APB career though, Kadir had a 141-81 record, 2.23 ERA, 2056.2 innings, 2633 strikeouts to 276 walks, 196/253 quality starts, 59 complete games, 61 FIP-, and 66.5 WAR. Many voters felt Kadir didn’t have the accumulations or longevity to belong, but he was very impressive during his 20s and was a critical part of Kaohsiung’s dynasty. Some voters were sympathetic and felt he only missed out on the accumulations because of getting derailed by injury. Enough felt his peak and playoff accomplishments were enough and Kadir got the first ballot induction at 76.6% to round out the 1989 APB Hall of Fame crew.