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Outfielder Ping Janer was the lone inductee into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 1996. In his debut on the ballot, Janer narrowly reached the 66% requirement, getting in with 71.1%. Only one other player topped 50% with RF Dede Hayati at 55.0% in his fifth attempt.



SP Matthew Falefa fell off the ballot after ten tries, peaking at 24.2% in his debut but ending at only 7.0%. Injuries and a MLB excursion mid-career meant that the American Samoan lefty had only about 6 or 7 seasons worth of OBA production. He had an 85-63 record, 2.07 ERA, 1415.2 innings, 1667 strikeouts, 65 FIP-, and 43.2 WAR. The potential was certainly there, but he didn’t have anywhere near the tenure to get across the line.



Ping Janer – Left/Center Field – Guam Golden Eagles – 71.1% First Ballot

Ping Janer was a 6’2’’, 200 pound switch-hitting outfielder from Rita, an island district of the Marshall Islands. It is part of the Majuro atoll which has around 23,000 people. As of 2037, Janer is the only Marshallean OBA Hall of Famer. He was renowned as one of OBA’s fastest and most intelligent baserunners. Janer was only okay as a contact hitter and he had trouble with strikeouts. However, he was good at drawing walks to take advantage of his baserunning talents.

Janer wasn’t a prolific home run hitter, but he had a very solid pop in his bat still. He usually gave you around 25-35 home runs per season while also adding 25 doubles and 10 triples per 162 games. He made about 2/3s of his starts in left field and the rest in center. Janer was a terrific fielder in left, but below average in center. He was a very hard worker and a fan favorite, becoming one of the most popular players of his era.

Despite coming from humble origins, Janer managed to earn himself attention in his amateur career. In the 1974 OBA Draft, Guam selected Janer with the fourth overall pick. He was a full-time starter immediately and spent 12 seasons as a prominent part of the Golden Eagles lineup, playing in 140+ games all but one of those seasons. Janer’s ability to fly allowed him to lead the Pacific League in runs scored four times with Guam and stolen bases thrice,

In 1975, Janer won both the Rookie of the Year and his first of six Silver Sluggers. He won additional sluggers in 1976, 78, 79, 80, and 86. Janer also grabbed seven Gold Gloves in left field (1976, 78, 82, 87, 88, 89, 90). In 1978, he had career highs in runs (102), steals (79), and WAR (10.3); taking second in MVP voting. That winter, Guam gave him an eight-year, $2,242,000 contract extension. Janer would win the prize in 1979 with a batting title (.305) along with 9.9 WAR, 99 runs, 35 home runs, and 9.9 WAR.

Janer was also proud of 1979 as Guam won the Pacific League title, setting a wins record at 112-50. They beat defending champ Perth in the Oceania Championship, giving the Golden Eagles their first overall title. Heartbreakingly for Janer, an oblique strain would keep him out of the series. He’d be back as Guam repeated in 1980, getting 4 hits and 3 runs in their 4-1 series victory over Christchrurch.

Guam had a number of great seasons in the early 1980s, but they would be the perennial runner-up to Honolulu’s great dynasty. Janer stayed great into his 30s, even leading the PL with 8.0 WAR and 89 runs in 1986 at age 34. This would be his last season as a Golden Eagle, as the franchise entered a full rebuild the next year. Janer would remain beloved and see his #26 uniform retired once his playing days were done. With Guam, he had 1647 hits, 1000 runs, 275 doubles, 115 triples, 324 home runs, 824 RBI, 735 stolen bases, a .247/.308/.469 slash, and 79.8 WAR.

Janer signed a three-year, $2,490,000 deal with Perth, who had just won the Australasia League title and fallen in the final to Honolulu. He was okay in two seasons as a Penguin, but posted the worst offensive numbers of his career to date. A sprained ankle cost him much of 1988 and Perth finished below .500 in both 1987 and 1988. Janer didn’t meet the vesting criteria in his contract and became a free agent for 1989 at age 37.

Adelaide gave him a one year deal and he had a decent bounce-back effort at the plate. He was still a great defender, winning his sixth Gold Glove while an Aardvark. For 1990, Honolulu signed Janer and he picked up his 2000^th hit and 400^th home run with the Honu. Janer showed some of that old spark and helped Honolulu win its third consecutive OBA title, although he struggled in the final itself. The Honu didn’t bring him back for 1991 and Janer retired at age 40 after going unsigned for the year.

For his career, Janer had 2106 hits, 1290 runs, 360 doubles, 152 triples, 407 home runs, 1095 RBI, 937 stolen bases, a .242/.304/.459 slash, 142 wRC+, and 96.1 WAR. At induction, he was sixth all-time in steals, fourth in runs, and fourth in batting WAR. With that resume, it is surprising that Janer only got 71.1% of the vote considering the standards set previously in OBA. However, he was a first ballot inductee all the same and the lone member of the 1996 class.