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For the first time in its history, the European Baseball Federation had a five-player Hall of Fame class. The 2000 ballot’s inductees each earned their spot in their debuts, albeit at different tallies. The most surefire guy was SP Marlon Hoffmann at a nearly unanimous 98.9%. Close behind was SP Haviv Harim at 89.7% and OF Mason Gough with 89.1%. More narrowly breaching the 66% requirement was OF Gart Schuermans at 73.6% and SP Kjell Gronas at 66.1%. The top returner was SP Johannes Soderberg, who didn’t miss by much with 61.8% on his third ballot. No other players were above 50%.



Dropped after ten tries was SP Jose Calderon, who pitched 11 years in two stints with Seville. He twice led in ERA and posted a 133-71 record, 2.45 ERA, 1959.1 innings, 2758 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 59.8 WAR. He lost five years of accumulations as he left for MLB and never won the top award, although his 11.3 WAR, 1.83 ERA effort in 1977 would’ve won it in almost any other year. Calderon came close with a peak of 59.3% in 19933, but he ended at a low of 29.3%. It was hard to get noticed when competing with some of the greatest of all-time in the Southern Conference during his run.



Marlon Hoffmann – Starting Pitcher – Munich Mavericks – 98.9% First Ballot

Marlon Hoffmann was a 5’11’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from Kuhbach, Germany; a small town of around 4,000 people in Bavaria. Despite his smaller frame, Hoffmann threw fire with 98-100 mph peak velocity. He had good stuff, excellent movement, and solid control. Hoffmann’s arsenal was fastball, slider, cutter, and changeup. He also was known for terffic stamina and durability, tossing 249+ innings each year from 1981-1993. He was also a strong defensive pitcher and was well liked in the clubhouse.

Hoffmann was able to stay close to home for nearly his entire career. He was picked ninth overall in the 1979 EBF Draft by Munich, located less than an hour southeast from Kuhbach. He was a part-time starter with 101.2 innings in his rookie season, struggling initially. By his second year, Hoffmann was clearly the Mavericks’ ace. After the 1983 season, Munich locked him in with a six-year, $3,944,000 extension.

Hoffmann would be especially appreciated in Bavaria, but would become popular throughout all of Germany. He pitched from 1981-96 for the national team in the World Baseball Championship, posting a 16-9 record over 264 innings, 2.97 ERA, 305 strikeouts, 124 ERA+, and 7.9 WAR. Hoffmann was instrumental in Germany’s 1983 world title, posting a 0.74 ERA over six starts and 48.1 innings with 63 strikeouts, three complete games, two shutouts, and 2.5 WAR.

Hoffmann was a critical part of Munich’s impressive 11-year division title streak from 1983-93. He would win Pitcher of the Year five times (1986, 87, 89, 90, 93); something that had only been achieved previously in EBF by Hall of Famer Jean-Luc Roch. Hoffmann was also third in 1983, 1988, and 1992 voting. Despite his impressive stats, he didn’t lead the conference often in anything. He would take ERA titles twice and lead in wins once, innings twice, WHIP once, and complete games twice.

Munich suffered first round playoff exits in the first five years of their playoff streak. They broke through to win the European Championship in 1988. The Mavericks got to the Southern Conference Championship in each of the next four years, winning the 1991 pennant. They would lose that year’s EBF final to Birmingham. For his playoff career, Hoffmann had an 11-5 record over 172.2 innings, 3.70 ERA, 165 strikeouts, 28 walks, 104 ERA+, and 3.5 WAR.

The Mavericks gave him another six-year extension before the 1989 season, this one worth $8,880,000. Hoffmann looked great into his 30s with a career best 2.05 ERA in 1993 at age 35. That was his fifth and final Pitcher of the Year. The next year, he’d suffer a torn meniscus in late May that knocked him out for five months. Munich’s playoff streak also came to an end narrowly, losing the division by two games to Zagreb.

To the surprise of many, Munich didn’t re-up Hoffmann after this, ending his run in Europe. His #29 uniform would soon get retired and he’d remain a popular figure of the franchise for years to come. Hoffmann wasn’t ready to retire with that knee injury and still had teams internationally showing interest. He ended up in Canada on a two-year, $5,600,000 deal with Montreal.

Hoffmann looked very pedestrian in his 107.2 innings with the Maples. He suffered a fractured elbow in June, which ended his Montreal tenure after a half-season. Denver gave him a shot in 1996, but Hoffmann was clearly washed at this point. His once triple-digit velocity was down to the 92-94 mph range and he posted an abysmal 5.52 ERA. Hoffmann retired that winter at age 39. His MLB run saw -0.2 WAR and a 5.00 ERA.

However, his Munich and EBF career was very worthy of praise. Hoffmann had a 238-139 record, 2.79 ERA, 3736.2 innings, 3836 strikeouts, 626 walks, 324/438 quality starts, 189 complete games, 135 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 102.8 WAR. At induction, he was seventh in WAR among EBF pitchers and still sits tenth as of 2037. As of 2037, he’s also third all-time in complete games, 20^th in strikeouts, and 16^th in wins. Hoffmann was the ace in a decade of excellence for Munich and an obvious Hall of Famer, getting 98.9% to lead off the impressive 2000 EBF class.



Havim Harim – Starting Pitcher – Marseille Musketeers – 89.7% First Ballot

Havim Harim was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Qalansawe, a small city of around 24,000 in Israel’s Central District. Harim had outstanding stuff mixed with above average movement and control. His fastball regularly hit the 97-99 mph range and was part of a five-pitch arsenal that included a slider, cutter, forkball, and changeup. Harim was terrific at mixing these pitches to earn whiffs. He had good stamina and was considered quite durable for much of his run.

The first four rounds of the EBF Draft in that era had regional restrictions and Harim wasn’t eligible being born outside of the countries with teams. In the 1980 EBF Draft, he’d be the third pick of the fifth round; 134^th overall; by Zagreb. Harim debuted mostly in relief in 1981 and looked terrible, plagued by control woes. He still earned a full time rotation spot the next year and provided okay numbers in his second and third seasons. Harim at least got you innings and strikeouts, although his ERA+ was subpar at 92 both seasons.

1984 was the first season that Harim looked like an ace, posting 6.2 WAR with a 2.85 ERA and 317 strikeouts. At this point, Zagreb was terrible and wouldn’t post a winning season from 1979-93. They weren’t convinced they’d be able to lock up Harim as a free agent. There were suitors interested and the Gulls opted to sell high in July 1985, moving him to Marseille for five prospects. With Zagreb, Harim had a 47-56 record, 3.54 ERA, 1043.2 innings, 1166 strikeouts, 101 ERA+, and 17.4 WAR.

Marseille had been a top contender in recent years but needed another arm as they battled in an intense Southwest Division. The move paid off as they won the 1985 European Championship. Harim had a 2.91 ERA over 34 playoff innings with 37 strikeouts. He also took third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Harim was strong again and the Musketeers repeated as champs in 1986. With that, Marseille gave him a four-year, $4,840,000 contract extension.

Harim never won Pitcher of the Year, but was second in both 1987 and 1989 and took third in 1991. With Marseille, he led the Southern Conference in strikeouts thrice, wins once, WHIP once, FIP- four times, and WAR twice. The Musketeers made the playoffs again in 1987, 88, and 89, but lost each time in the first round, Harim’s playoff stats for his career were iffy with a 4.37 ERA over 90.2 innings with 114 strikeouts and 90 ERA+. Still, he had been an important piece in their success in the late 1980s.

Marseille fell into the mid-tier as Lisbon took over control of the division for the 1990s. Still, Harim got a six-year, $9,480,000 extension after the 1989 season. 1993 would see his first major injury issue with forearm inflammation costing him three months. Harim’s velocity dropped notably in 1994 and he struggled with 4.82 ERA. He opted to retire that winter at age 36 and Marseille quickly retired his #2 uniform. With the Musketeers, Harim had a 145-88 record, 2.99 ERA, 2211 innings, 2704 strikeouts, 130 ERA+, and 62.3 WAR.

For his career, Harim had a 192-144 record, 3.17 ERA, 3254.2 innings, 3870 strikeouts, 727 walks, 271/402 quality starts, 114 complete games, 119 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 79.7 WAR. He was 11^th in strikeouts at induction and sits 17^th as of 2037. The rate stats don’t have him at the top of the all-time charts, but his totals certainly don’t look out of place. Harim was an important part of two championships for Marseille, helping him receive the first ballot induction with 89.7%.