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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-02-2024, 06:04 PM

Three guys received a first ballot induction into East Asia Baseball’s 1999 Hall of Fame class. SP Seung-Yu Woo was the only lock though, getting in at 95.6%. RF Jung-Woo Kim (72.4%) and 3B/SS Seung-Yu Moon (68.0%) only narrowly passed the 66% requirement, but were first ballot guys regardless. 2B Seong-Jae Kang was close with 62.1% on his fourth try. The only other guy above 50% was LF Jay-Hoon Cho with 59.2% for his fourth ballot. No players were dropped following ten ballots in 1999 for EAB.

Seung-Yu Woo – Starting Pitcher – Changwon Crabs – 95.6% First Ballot

Seung-Yu Woo was a 5’11’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Jeonju, South Korea; home of the Jethawks expansion team. Woo had very good stuff with solid movement. His control was iffy at the start of his career, but he had excellent command in his later years. Woo had a great 97-99 mph fastball along with a good sinker and okay changeup. In his 20s, Woo had arguably the best stamina in Korea. His durability was solid and he had a great work ethic.

Woo excelled from a very young age, showing incredible potential while at Woosung High School. Not only was he drafted out of high school, Changwon made him the #1 overall pick in the 1974 EAB Draft. He spent two years in developmental working on his control before struggling in a partial debut season of 1977 at age 21. He was better the next year, then was the Crabs ace after that.

Woo led the Korea League in strikeouts four straight years from 1979-82. With the Crabs, he led in wins five times, innings pitched thrice, WHIP thrice, quality starts thrice, complete games twice, and WAR twice. 1981 and 1982 both saw 10+ WAR efforts.

Woo won Pitcher of the Year four times in Changwon (1980, 81, 82, 84) and took second in voting in 1983. 1984 also featured a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks against Daegu. He certainly lived up to the hype as the #1 overall pick and received a six-year, $2,722,000 extension after the 1980 season. Woo was a regular for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship, even coming back after later leaving for MLB. From 1980-93, he had 180.2 WBC innings with a 2.54 ERA, 257 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR.

When Woo arrived, Changwon had been consistently terrible for a decade. He helped get them back to respectability with some winning seasons, but their only playoff appearance would be a first round exit in 1980. They seemed no closer to breaking through after the 1985 season and Woo was entering the last year of his deal. The Crabs decided to send him to Ulsan, getting five prospects back. Changwon would later retire his #2 uniform for his excellent run. While there, Woo had a 172-86 record, 2.84 ERA, 2359 innings, 2563 strikeouts, 133 ERA+, and 59.8 WAR.

Woo’s one season with Ulsan was the weakest he’d seen since his early days, posting merely above average numbers. He became a free agent for the first time at age 31 and accepted bids. MLB’s Columbus Chargers were hopefully they could get the prime Woo and signed him to a six-year, $8,040,000 deal. Unfortunately for them, it became clear that his prime was over and that MLB hitters could handle him.

Woo’s stats were largely average at best in five years with Columbus, but he did still eat innings. The Chargers tried him some in relief in 1988, but didn’t find much more luck there. Columbus bought out the final year of his contract after the 1991 season. For his MLB run, Woo had a 57-69 record, 3.86 ERA, 1104.2 innings, 739 strikeouts, 93 ERA+, and 13.8 WAR.

A free agent again at age 36, Woo came back to Korea hoping to revive his career, inking a three-year, $4,100,000 deal with Goyang. He was ultimately mid in two seasons with the Green Sox. Shoulder inflammation plagued him at the end of 1993 and he decided to retire that winter at age 37. Woo’s Goyang run saw a 15-23 record, 3.65 ERA, 103 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR.

For his full EAB career, Woo had a 198-120 record, 3.00 ERA, 2973 innings, 3128 strikeouts, 504 walks, 235/360 quality starts, 145 complete games, 126 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 69.5 WAR. Although his 30s was subpar, it is hard to argue against the four Pitcher of the Year awards he won in his 20s. His grand totals aren’t at the top of the Hall of Fame leaderboard, but you couldn’t argue against Woo as being Korea’s best pitcher in the early 1980s. That impressive peak was plenty for the EAB voters, giving him the first ballot induction at an excellent 95.6%.

Jung-Woo Kim – Right Field – Daejeon Ducks – 72.4% First Ballot

Jung-Woo Kim was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from the capital of South Korea, Seoul. Kim was a well-rounded hitter with solid contact, power, and eye. He wasn’t amazing at any one thing, but he got you good results across the board. Kim was also a pretty smart and effective baserunner despite having merely average speed. He played right field in the vast majority of his starts and was firmly above average defensively. Kim worked hard and was intelligent, becoming a popular player both in the clubhouse and with fans.

Kim attended Seoul’s Dongguk University for his collegiate career and was picked 15^th overall by Daejeon in the 1977 EAB Draft. He was a part-time starter in his first two years with the Ducks, then graduated to the full-time job in 1980. Kim won two Silver Sluggers in Daejeon (1983, 84) and led the Korea League in RBI in 1983 with 134. That season also had career bests in home runs, runs scored, and OPS. Kim took third in 1983’s MVP voting and second in 1984.

Prior to his arrival, Daejeon had consistently been one of the weakest franchises in Korean baseball. Kim helped the Ducks win five division titles from 1979-84; they had only two in the prior 58 years. His playoff numbers were decent, but Daejeon was plagued with playoff failure. The Ducks were ousted in the first round four times and fell once in the KLCS despite thrice having the league’s best record. Kim’s postseason stats saw 24 starts, 30 hits, 13 runs, 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 RBI, a .300/.320/.470 slash, and 0.7 WAR. Kim also became known throughout the nation as a regular on the World Baseball Championship team for South Korea. From 1980-92, he played 95 games with 77 starts, 63 hits, 50 runs, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, 36 RBI, a .211/.293/.385 slash, 97 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR.

After the 1984 season, Kim was 29-years old and fresh off his best-ever season by WAR at 8.5. He was frustrated by Daejeon’s lack of playoff success and the Ducks weren’t inclined to spend big to keep him. This ended his time there, although he would be inducted in Daejeon’s hat. For his time as a Duck, Kim had 1162 hits, 612 runs, 201 doubles, 191 home runs, 681 RBI, a .319/.366/.553 slash, 151 wRC+, and 40.8 WAR.

Many teams were quite interested in Kim’s services. Ulsan won the sweepstakes with a seven-year, $6,190,000 deal. He led the KL in WAR in 1986. Kim wasn’t as impressive statistically as his Daejeon tenure, but he was a strong starter for six seasons. Ulsan made the KLCS in 1985 and 1987 and won the pennant in the latter year. They lost to Chiba in the EAB Championship, but Kim provided 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 home runs, and 9 RBI over 17 playoff starts.

In total with Ulsan, Kim had 1021 hits, 515 runs, 169 doubles, 145 home runs, 557 RBI, a .298/.351/.495 slash, 131 wRC+, and 29.1 WAR. He declined the final year option in his contract, becoming a free agent again at age 35. Kim decided to return to his hometown of Seoul, inking a three-year, $3,900,000 deal with the Seahawks. He had a solid debut, winning his third Silver Slugger in 1991. Kim’s power noticeably dropped in his second year and the Seahawks decided to trade him. Defending EAB champ Niigata was interested and sent over five prospects for Kim and $17,440,000 cash.

He finished out the season with the Green Dragons, who lost in the first round of the playoffs. Kim was respectable in his second season in Niigata, but they fell below .500. He was still in good health and had proven quite durable throughout his career. However, Kim opted to retire after the 1993 campaign at age 38.

For his career, Kim had 2661 hits, 1362 runs, 435 doubles, 394 home runs, 1452 RBI, 350 stolen bases, a .306/.358/.512 slash, 140 wRC+, and 83.8 WAR. His stats weren’t eye-popping and he wasn’t one to lead the league, but Kim was consistently quite solid for a good 15 years. Plus, he was quite liked and respected by his peers. This allowed Kim to earn the first ballot induction, although narrowly at 72.4%.

Seung-Yu Moon – Third Base/Shortstop – Chiba Comets – 68.0% First Ballot

Seung-Yo Moon was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting infielder from Chuncheon, South Korea; a city of around 286,000 inhabitants in the northern part of the nation. Moon was a solid contact hitter with good speed and respectable baserunning ability. He had excellent gap power, averaging around 40-45 doubles/triples per season. Moon’s home run power was okay with around 15 dingers per year. He was firmly above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Moon split his career between third base and shortstop, boasting a pretty strong arm. He made a few more starts at 3B and was considered quite good there, twice winning Gold Gloves. At SS, Moon graded out as consistently average. Despite the physical demands of the positions, Moon showed great durability and rarely missed time to injury. He was also known for being quite outspoken, which earned him both praise and scorn at points in his career.

Although he grew up in South Korea, nearly his entire baseball career would be in Japan. Moon was spotted and signed in November 1969 by a scout from Chiba. After nearly four years in their developmental system, he debuted with 50 games and 15 starts in 1973 at age 20. Moon saw more action as a part-time starter in 1974. By 1975, Moon was a full-time starter and held that role for the next 15 years with the Comets.

That 1975 season earned him plenty of attention, as he won his first Silver Slugger as a shortstop. Moon’s lone batting title came in 1976. He won two more Silver Sluggers, both at short, in 1977 and 1978. He led in hits in 1981, but otherwise wasn’t a league-leading guy. Moon did make history though by hitting for the cycle in 1976, 77, and 78; becoming the fifth player in EAB history to do it thrice in a career. Moon stayed steady for Chiba, who earned Capital Division titles in 1978 and 1980. Both years saw first round playoff exits for the Comets. Still, Chiba committed to Moon long-term with an eight-year, $5,390,000 extension signed in May 1979.

The Comets were around .500 for the early part of the 1980s. Moon moved to third base and won his two Gold Gloves in 1982 and 1983. He also made a couple appearances in the World Baseball Championship for South Korea with five berths from 1976-82. In 30 games, Moon had 26 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, and a .248/.275/.390 slash.

1986 saw Chiba at 89-73 and although they narrowly missed the playoffs, they felt like they were on the upswing. Moon was now 34 years old, but his production remained very consistent. The Comets gave him another five years and $4,860,000. It paid off, as he helped them win the East Asian Championship in 1987 over Ulsan. In the playoff run, Moon had 18 starts, 23 hits, 6 runs, 5 doubles, and 8 RBI. They got back to the JLCS in 1989, but were denied there by Osaka.

Injuries started to pile up in 1991, but Chiba did give him a qualifying offer for 1991 for another season. He only played the first month before suffering a torn ACL that knocked him out nine months. The Comets parted ways with him, but Moon wanted to still play. Daejeon signed him for 1993, but he stunk in his one season as a Duck. Moon retired that winter at age 40. Chiba immediately brought him back to retire his #1 uniform.

Moon’s career stats featured 3250 hits, 1494 runs, 570 doubles, 234 triples, 255 home runs, 1140 RBI, 661 stolen bases, a .306/.341/.476 slash, 141 wRC+, and 102.1 WAR. At retirement, he was fifth all-time in hits, sixth in doubles, and 16^th among position players in WAR. It was an impressive resume, although there were still some voters who dismissed him as a compiler. His outspoken nature also meant there were voters that left him off the ballot because they thought he was obnoxious. Those voters almost kept him from being a first ballot pick, but Moon did just cross the line at 68.0%. He was a fine candidate to round out the EAB 1999 Hall of Fame class.

04-02-2024, 06:04 PM	#1118
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,652	1999 EAB Hall of Fame Three guys received a first ballot induction into East Asia Baseball’s 1999 Hall of Fame class. SP Seung-Yu Woo was the only lock though, getting in at 95.6%. RF Jung-Woo Kim (72.4%) and 3B/SS Seung-Yu Moon (68.0%) only narrowly passed the 66% requirement, but were first ballot guys regardless. 2B Seong-Jae Kang was close with 62.1% on his fourth try. The only other guy above 50% was LF Jay-Hoon Cho with 59.2% for his fourth ballot. No players were dropped following ten ballots in 1999 for EAB. Seung-Yu Woo – Starting Pitcher – Changwon Crabs – 95.6% First Ballot Seung-Yu Woo was a 5’11’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Jeonju, South Korea; home of the Jethawks expansion team. Woo had very good stuff with solid movement. His control was iffy at the start of his career, but he had excellent command in his later years. Woo had a great 97-99 mph fastball along with a good sinker and okay changeup. In his 20s, Woo had arguably the best stamina in Korea. His durability was solid and he had a great work ethic. Woo excelled from a very young age, showing incredible potential while at Woosung High School. Not only was he drafted out of high school, Changwon made him the #1 overall pick in the 1974 EAB Draft. He spent two years in developmental working on his control before struggling in a partial debut season of 1977 at age 21. He was better the next year, then was the Crabs ace after that. Woo led the Korea League in strikeouts four straight years from 1979-82. With the Crabs, he led in wins five times, innings pitched thrice, WHIP thrice, quality starts thrice, complete games twice, and WAR twice. 1981 and 1982 both saw 10+ WAR efforts. Woo won Pitcher of the Year four times in Changwon (1980, 81, 82, 84) and took second in voting in 1983. 1984 also featured a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks against Daegu. He certainly lived up to the hype as the #1 overall pick and received a six-year, $2,722,000 extension after the 1980 season. Woo was a regular for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship, even coming back after later leaving for MLB. From 1980-93, he had 180.2 WBC innings with a 2.54 ERA, 257 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. When Woo arrived, Changwon had been consistently terrible for a decade. He helped get them back to respectability with some winning seasons, but their only playoff appearance would be a first round exit in 1980. They seemed no closer to breaking through after the 1985 season and Woo was entering the last year of his deal. The Crabs decided to send him to Ulsan, getting five prospects back. Changwon would later retire his #2 uniform for his excellent run. While there, Woo had a 172-86 record, 2.84 ERA, 2359 innings, 2563 strikeouts, 133 ERA+, and 59.8 WAR. Woo’s one season with Ulsan was the weakest he’d seen since his early days, posting merely above average numbers. He became a free agent for the first time at age 31 and accepted bids. MLB’s Columbus Chargers were hopefully they could get the prime Woo and signed him to a six-year, $8,040,000 deal. Unfortunately for them, it became clear that his prime was over and that MLB hitters could handle him. Woo’s stats were largely average at best in five years with Columbus, but he did still eat innings. The Chargers tried him some in relief in 1988, but didn’t find much more luck there. Columbus bought out the final year of his contract after the 1991 season. For his MLB run, Woo had a 57-69 record, 3.86 ERA, 1104.2 innings, 739 strikeouts, 93 ERA+, and 13.8 WAR. A free agent again at age 36, Woo came back to Korea hoping to revive his career, inking a three-year, $4,100,000 deal with Goyang. He was ultimately mid in two seasons with the Green Sox. Shoulder inflammation plagued him at the end of 1993 and he decided to retire that winter at age 37. Woo’s Goyang run saw a 15-23 record, 3.65 ERA, 103 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. For his full EAB career, Woo had a 198-120 record, 3.00 ERA, 2973 innings, 3128 strikeouts, 504 walks, 235/360 quality starts, 145 complete games, 126 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 69.5 WAR. Although his 30s was subpar, it is hard to argue against the four Pitcher of the Year awards he won in his 20s. His grand totals aren’t at the top of the Hall of Fame leaderboard, but you couldn’t argue against Woo as being Korea’s best pitcher in the early 1980s. That impressive peak was plenty for the EAB voters, giving him the first ballot induction at an excellent 95.6%. Jung-Woo Kim – Right Field – Daejeon Ducks – 72.4% First Ballot Jung-Woo Kim was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from the capital of South Korea, Seoul. Kim was a well-rounded hitter with solid contact, power, and eye. He wasn’t amazing at any one thing, but he got you good results across the board. Kim was also a pretty smart and effective baserunner despite having merely average speed. He played right field in the vast majority of his starts and was firmly above average defensively. Kim worked hard and was intelligent, becoming a popular player both in the clubhouse and with fans. Kim attended Seoul’s Dongguk University for his collegiate career and was picked 15^th overall by Daejeon in the 1977 EAB Draft. He was a part-time starter in his first two years with the Ducks, then graduated to the full-time job in 1980. Kim won two Silver Sluggers in Daejeon (1983, 84) and led the Korea League in RBI in 1983 with 134. That season also had career bests in home runs, runs scored, and OPS. Kim took third in 1983’s MVP voting and second in 1984. Prior to his arrival, Daejeon had consistently been one of the weakest franchises in Korean baseball. Kim helped the Ducks win five division titles from 1979-84; they had only two in the prior 58 years. His playoff numbers were decent, but Daejeon was plagued with playoff failure. The Ducks were ousted in the first round four times and fell once in the KLCS despite thrice having the league’s best record. Kim’s postseason stats saw 24 starts, 30 hits, 13 runs, 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 RBI, a .300/.320/.470 slash, and 0.7 WAR. Kim also became known throughout the nation as a regular on the World Baseball Championship team for South Korea. From 1980-92, he played 95 games with 77 starts, 63 hits, 50 runs, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, 36 RBI, a .211/.293/.385 slash, 97 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. After the 1984 season, Kim was 29-years old and fresh off his best-ever season by WAR at 8.5. He was frustrated by Daejeon’s lack of playoff success and the Ducks weren’t inclined to spend big to keep him. This ended his time there, although he would be inducted in Daejeon’s hat. For his time as a Duck, Kim had 1162 hits, 612 runs, 201 doubles, 191 home runs, 681 RBI, a .319/.366/.553 slash, 151 wRC+, and 40.8 WAR. Many teams were quite interested in Kim’s services. Ulsan won the sweepstakes with a seven-year, $6,190,000 deal. He led the KL in WAR in 1986. Kim wasn’t as impressive statistically as his Daejeon tenure, but he was a strong starter for six seasons. Ulsan made the KLCS in 1985 and 1987 and won the pennant in the latter year. They lost to Chiba in the EAB Championship, but Kim provided 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 home runs, and 9 RBI over 17 playoff starts. In total with Ulsan, Kim had 1021 hits, 515 runs, 169 doubles, 145 home runs, 557 RBI, a .298/.351/.495 slash, 131 wRC+, and 29.1 WAR. He declined the final year option in his contract, becoming a free agent again at age 35. Kim decided to return to his hometown of Seoul, inking a three-year, $3,900,000 deal with the Seahawks. He had a solid debut, winning his third Silver Slugger in 1991. Kim’s power noticeably dropped in his second year and the Seahawks decided to trade him. Defending EAB champ Niigata was interested and sent over five prospects for Kim and $17,440,000 cash. He finished out the season with the Green Dragons, who lost in the first round of the playoffs. Kim was respectable in his second season in Niigata, but they fell below .500. He was still in good health and had proven quite durable throughout his career. However, Kim opted to retire after the 1993 campaign at age 38. For his career, Kim had 2661 hits, 1362 runs, 435 doubles, 394 home runs, 1452 RBI, 350 stolen bases, a .306/.358/.512 slash, 140 wRC+, and 83.8 WAR. His stats weren’t eye-popping and he wasn’t one to lead the league, but Kim was consistently quite solid for a good 15 years. Plus, he was quite liked and respected by his peers. This allowed Kim to earn the first ballot induction, although narrowly at 72.4%. Seung-Yu Moon – Third Base/Shortstop – Chiba Comets – 68.0% First Ballot Seung-Yo Moon was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting infielder from Chuncheon, South Korea; a city of around 286,000 inhabitants in the northern part of the nation. Moon was a solid contact hitter with good speed and respectable baserunning ability. He had excellent gap power, averaging around 40-45 doubles/triples per season. Moon’s home run power was okay with around 15 dingers per year. He was firmly above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Moon split his career between third base and shortstop, boasting a pretty strong arm. He made a few more starts at 3B and was considered quite good there, twice winning Gold Gloves. At SS, Moon graded out as consistently average. Despite the physical demands of the positions, Moon showed great durability and rarely missed time to injury. He was also known for being quite outspoken, which earned him both praise and scorn at points in his career. Although he grew up in South Korea, nearly his entire baseball career would be in Japan. Moon was spotted and signed in November 1969 by a scout from Chiba. After nearly four years in their developmental system, he debuted with 50 games and 15 starts in 1973 at age 20. Moon saw more action as a part-time starter in 1974. By 1975, Moon was a full-time starter and held that role for the next 15 years with the Comets. That 1975 season earned him plenty of attention, as he won his first Silver Slugger as a shortstop. Moon’s lone batting title came in 1976. He won two more Silver Sluggers, both at short, in 1977 and 1978. He led in hits in 1981, but otherwise wasn’t a league-leading guy. Moon did make history though by hitting for the cycle in 1976, 77, and 78; becoming the fifth player in EAB history to do it thrice in a career. Moon stayed steady for Chiba, who earned Capital Division titles in 1978 and 1980. Both years saw first round playoff exits for the Comets. Still, Chiba committed to Moon long-term with an eight-year, $5,390,000 extension signed in May 1979. The Comets were around .500 for the early part of the 1980s. Moon moved to third base and won his two Gold Gloves in 1982 and 1983. He also made a couple appearances in the World Baseball Championship for South Korea with five berths from 1976-82. In 30 games, Moon had 26 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, and a .248/.275/.390 slash. 1986 saw Chiba at 89-73 and although they narrowly missed the playoffs, they felt like they were on the upswing. Moon was now 34 years old, but his production remained very consistent. The Comets gave him another five years and $4,860,000. It paid off, as he helped them win the East Asian Championship in 1987 over Ulsan. In the playoff run, Moon had 18 starts, 23 hits, 6 runs, 5 doubles, and 8 RBI. They got back to the JLCS in 1989, but were denied there by Osaka. Injuries started to pile up in 1991, but Chiba did give him a qualifying offer for 1991 for another season. He only played the first month before suffering a torn ACL that knocked him out nine months. The Comets parted ways with him, but Moon wanted to still play. Daejeon signed him for 1993, but he stunk in his one season as a Duck. Moon retired that winter at age 40. Chiba immediately brought him back to retire his #1 uniform. Moon’s career stats featured 3250 hits, 1494 runs, 570 doubles, 234 triples, 255 home runs, 1140 RBI, 661 stolen bases, a .306/.341/.476 slash, 141 wRC+, and 102.1 WAR. At retirement, he was fifth all-time in hits, sixth in doubles, and 16^th among position players in WAR. It was an impressive resume, although there were still some voters who dismissed him as a compiler. His outspoken nature also meant there were voters that left him off the ballot because they thought he was obnoxious. Those voters almost kept him from being a first ballot pick, but Moon did just cross the line at 68.0%. He was a fine candidate to round out the EAB 1999 Hall of Fame class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)