[FuzzyRussianHat]

South Asia Baseball added SP Vannak Thai into the Hall of Fame as the lone member of the 1996 class. On his fifth attempt, he just squeezed across the 66% requirement by landing at 66.5%. Fellow Bengaluru pitcher Ramesh Kohinoor almost joined him on his third try, but was short at 63.3%. Closer Jason Mayekar was the other player above 50% at 50.3% on his fifth go. Amazingly, the best debuting player on the ballot was CB Bahuvata Mokate with 0.3%; his brother must have had a single vote.



Vannak Thai – Starting Pitcher – Bengaluru Blazers – 66.5% Fifth Ballot

Vannak Thai was a5’11’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Cambonia, Phnom Penh. He was a well-rounded arm with above average stuff, control, and movement. Thai had a 96-98 mph fastball that was impressive that he mixed with a curveball and circle change. Despite his talent, some felt that he was lazy and uncommitted to the game.

Thai was already 27 years old when South Asia Baseball was formed in 1980 and had already gotten some attention barnstorming throughout the southeast. His first SAB deal was a two-year, $472,000 offering with Bangkok. Thai ended up spending three seasons with the Bobcats, helping them to a division title in 1980. While in Thailand, he had a 46-26 record, 3.04 ERA, 604 innings, 708 strikeouts, and 15.7 WAR. Thai was viewed as quite good, but not elite.

He became a free agent after the 1982 campaign and signed a four-year, $1,192,000 deal with Bengaluru. This was his most impressive run, winning Pitcher of the Year in 1985 and taking second in 1984. He led the Indian League in ERA both years, posting an impressive 1.69 in 1985. He also led in WHIP in 1984 and wins in 1985.

The Blazers made the playoffs in SAB’s first seven seasons and all of Thai’s tenure. He stepped up big in the postseason with a 1.66 ERA in six starts, 45.2 innings, and 48 strikeouts. Thai’s 1.57 ERA in 23 innings in 1985 was a big reason for Bengaluru winning the South Asia Baseball championship. For his Blazers four seasons, he had a 71-29 record, 2.42 ERA, 937 innings, 1074 strikeouts, 182 walks, and 24.0 WAR.

Despite still being in good health, 1986 would be Thai’s final season. He became a free agent at age 34, but wasn’t overly committed to sticking with the game. Although he had only made $2,148,000 in his career, which was plenty of money for him to live off of for years to come. Some teams put out feelers, but Thai decided to retire at only age 34.

His official SAB career was only seven years, although his pre-SAB play got him just across the 10 years of service time for Hall of Fame eligibility. Thai had a 117-55 record, 2.66 ERA, 1541 innings, 1782 strikeouts, 74 FIP-, and 39.7 WAR. They are certainly low grand totals and many voters were understandably turned off by that. The still new SAB Hall of Fame was trying to induct its initial players and many voters were anxious to avoid blank ballots. Thaw debuted at 44.5% in 1992 and was the top vote getter in 1995, but only at 52.7%. He was again the best guy out there in 1996 and by virtue of that, he just got the bump up to 66.5% to become the fourth member of SAB’s Hall of Fame.