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Mason Gough – Left/Right Field – Glasgow Highlanders – 89.1% First Ballot

Mason Gough was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Portsmouth, England; a city with around 200,000 people on the country’s southern shore. He had dual citizenship with an English father and an Irish mother. Gough was a very good power hitter who averaged around 40 home runs per 162 games. He was a solid contact hitter with an average eye and below average strikeout rate. Gough had decent gap power, getting around 20-30 doubles/triples per year in his prime.

His speed was around average, but Gough was an incredibly crafty base stealer. He made around 3/5 of his starts in left field and the rest largely in right field. Defensively, he graded out as slightly above average in right and below average in left. Gough had great durability and longevity, becoming one of the most tenured players of his era.

Gough played for the University of York in college, becoming one of the top prospects in the 1971 EBF Draft. He was picked sixth overall by Glasgow and would spend his prime European baseball career in Scotland. Gough was a reserve in 1972 and debuted in 1973, but with only four games. He was a part-time starter in 1974, then held down the job for the next decade with the Highlanders.

Gough emerged as the man in 1976 and 1977, winning MVP and Silver Slugger in both seasons. Both years, he was the Northern Conference’s leader in runs, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. This also marked the start of six straight playoff berths for Glasgow, starting with the 1976 European Championship. Oddly enough, Gough struggled in that postseason run with a .185 average in 17 starts. For his career though, he had 49 starts, 47 hits, 19 runs, 8 home runs, 18 RBI, and 1.0 WAR in the playoffs for Glasgow.

The Highlanders’ only title came in the 1976 effort. They got to the conference final but lost in both 1979 and 1981 and suffered first round exits the other years. Gough won a third MVP in 1979 and took third in 1978. He won additional Silver Sluggers in 1979, 80, and 81. Gough led once more in WAR, RBI, and OBP. He was re-signed after the 1977s season on an eight-year, $3,666,000 deal.

Gough was a regular in the World Baseball Championship, appearing in 20 editions of the event between 1975-97. With his dual citizenship, he actually bounced back and forth between playing for England and Ireland; a controversial choice considering the political situation of the time. Between his efforts, Gough played 179 games with 148 hits, 113 runs, 65 home runs, 121 RBI, a .216/.280/.539 slash, 130 wRC+, and 5.8 WAR.

Glasgow faded into mediocrity in the mid 1980s. Gough was still a very good slugger, but his MVP caliber play seemed gone at that point. He decided to opt out of the remainder of his contract, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 33. Gough remained a popular player with Glasgow fans even as he left Europe and his #23 uniform would eventually get retired. The MLB came calling and Gough signed a five-year, $6,400,000 to head to Washington, D.C.

Gough was a good veteran slugger for the Admirals, hitting 40+ home runs in each of his seasons there. He picked up a Silver Slugger in 1987 and was a highlight on some unremarkable Washington teams. They didn’t make the playoffs in his four-year tenure, which saw 637 hits, 369 runs, 170 home runs, 431 RBI, a .267/.317/.522 slash, 152 wRC+, and 23.1 WAR. Gough declined the final year option in his deal, becoming a free agent again at age 37.

Up next was a three-year, $5,460,000 contract with Houston. His power diminished a bit, but he was still starter quality with the Hornets even at his advanced age. With Houston, he had 333 hits, 207 runs, 97 home runs, 229 RBI, 125 wRC+ , and 8.9 WAR. Gough was traded at the 1991 deadline for three prospects to Tampa. After finishing out the year with the Thunderbirds, he was a free agent again at age 40.

Gough still had plenty of suitors, signing a three-year, $5,820,000 contract with Seattle. He struggled in his stay in the Pacific Northwest with 0.4 WAR and a 92 wRC+ in two seasons with the Grizzlies. Gough failed to meet the vesting criteria in his contact and was let go, becoming a free agent again at 42. He returned to Europe, signing with Amsterdam.

Gough’s one season with the Anacondas saw a resurgence with an impressive 4.9 WAR effort. Amsterdam got to the conference finals as well with Gough getting 14 hits and 3 home runs in 10 starts. His return to EBF allowed him to cross the 2000 career hit threshold as well. With his contract up, suddenly more lucrative deals were available again even at age 43. Gough decided to give MLB another shot, inking a three-year, $7,800,000 deal with Buffalo.

He was an okay veteran presence as a backup mostly in two seasons with the Blue Sox, playing 143 games with 78 starts and 1.0 WAR. Gough was let go, but hoped to still find a home for his 25^th professional season. He briefly played for Hartford in 1997, but was released after a month with only 12 games and 17 at-bats. Gough retired that winter at age 45, one of the longest tenured players in baseball history. For his MLB career, he had 1279 hits, 748 runs, 335 home runs, 867 RBI, a .257/.307/.499 slash, 132 wRC+, and 35.0 WAR.

For his EBF career primarily with Glasgow, Gough had 2050 hits, 1138 runs, 287 doubles, 442 home runs, 1227 RBI, 433 stolen bases, a .296/.345/.556 slash, 164 wRC+, and 84.3 WAR. He didn’t stay long enough to be at the top of the leaderboards, but those numbers alone were quite worthy. Some wondered if he could’ve been an inner-circle guy had he played his entire career in Europe. Between EBF and MLB, Gough had 3329 this, 1886 runs, 441 doubles, 777 home runs, 2094 RBI, a .280/.329/.532 slash, 151 wRC+, and 119.3 WAR. He certainly was deserving of the first ballot nod at 89.1%, joining the five-player 2000 EBF class.



Gart Schuermans – Outfield/First Base – Birmingham Bees – 73.6% First Ballot

Gart Schuermans was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed hitter from Tielt, Belgium; a town of 20,000 people within the West Flanders province. Schuermans was a great home run hitter with a solid knack for drawing walks. He was merely an average contact hitter and did have a below average strikeout rate. Schuermans had respectable gap power and could leg out extra bases with decent speed and intelligent baserunning.

Defensively, Schuermans was awful at every spot he tried. He saw notable time in right field, left field, and first base; stinking it up at all of them. Still, he was a fan favorite because he hit dingers and because he was a hard-working, likeable guy. Schuermans also had very good durability in his career. By the end of his career, he’d be absolutely adored in Birmingham and would never need to pay for his own drinks again in the city.

Despite growing up in a small town in Belgium, a Birmingham scout would be the one who spotted him. Schuermans signed as a teenage amateur in 1970 at age 16, bringing him to England. Nearly his entire 20 year pro career would come with the Bees, making his official debut in 1975 at age 21. Schuermans was only a pinch hitter with 16 at bats in his first season, but he took over the starting job the next year. After an unremarkable rookie campaign, Schuermans was a reliably strong starter for the next decade-plus with Birmingham.

Schuermans won Silver Sluggers in 1977, 1978, and 1983. The closest he came to an MVP was 1978, leading the Northern Conference that year in RBI, OBP, slugging, OPS, and wRC+. He led in runs scored the next year, but wasn’t a league leader for the rest of his career. Still, Schuermans was reliably strong with ten seasons worth 5+ WAR and four worth 7+ WAR in his Birmingham run. He also was a regular from 1976-95 with his native Belgium in the World Baseball Championship, playing 169 games with 141 hits, 74 runs, 30 doubles, 44 home runs, 85 RBI, a .240/.345/.515 slash, and 6.1 WAR.

Schuermans signed a four-year, $2,860,000 extension with Birmingham just before the 1981 season. He helped the Bees become a regular contender, winning five division titles from 1983-88. Birmingham had no playoff luck with a conference finals defeat in 1985 and one-and-dones in their other efforts. Schuermans would get extended though for his efforts again, receiving a six-year, $6,860,000 deal after the 1985 season. For his playoff career in Birmingham, he had 30 starts, 31 hits, 16 runs, 7 home runs, 14 RBI, a .277/.344/.536 slash and 156 wRC+.

The Bees missed the playoffs in 1989 and 1990. Schuermans lost chunks of both seasons to injuries, most notably a torn meniscus and a knee sprain. His deal expired after the 1990 season and he entered free agency for the first time at age 37. In retrospect, some Birmingham fans were sad that Schuermans missed out on the titles the Bees won later in the decade. He’d still be beloved regardless, eventually seeing his #34 uniform retired. Ownership later gifted him with one of the 1991 European Championship rings.

Schuermans signed a one-year, $1,360,000 deal with Brussels for 1991, returning to his home country. He looked good when wealthy with 3.0 WAR in 98 games, but he was plagued by knee troubles all season. A free agent again after that, he managed to earn a three-year, $2,760,000 deal with MLB’s Boston. Schuermans was mediocre in his one season with the Red Sox and was traded in the offseason to Denver for three prospects.

He was okay in 1993 for the Dragons with 23 home runs in 89 games. By that point, he was used in a platoon role and as a designated hitter. Schuermans came back to EBF in 1994 on a one-year, $1,620,000 deal with Barcelona. His bat still looked playable in his limited action, but EBF’s lack of DH and his worsening range made his value limited.

Still, he got to play in the European Championship with the Bengals, who interestingly enough were defeated by his former squad Birmingham. Schuermans had 15 games and 5 starts in the playoff run, posting 6 hits, 4 runs, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI. He had hoped to still play and competed for Belgium in the 1995 WBC. However, Schuermans went unsigned for the season and retired in the winter at age 42.

For his EBF career, Schuermans had 2310 hits, 1403 runs, 377 doubles, 598 home runs, 1398 RBI, a .282/.356/.570 slash, 165 wRC+, and 86.0 WAR. There were more decorated players before him, but he quietly built up an impressive resume. At induction, he was tenth all-time in home runs and still sits 23^rd as of 2037 even as offensive numbers spiked in later years. There were some who criticized his atrocious defense, but Schuermans’s dingers and popularity won the day. He received 73.6% in his ballot debut, enough to make him the fourth member of the impressive five-player 2000 EBF Hall of Fame class.



Kjell Gronas – Starting Pitcher – Zurich Mountaineers – 66.1% First Ballot

Kjell Gronas was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Bergan, Norway; the country’s second-largest city with around 289,000 people. Gronas had excellent movement on his pitches were very good control. His stuff was merely average though with peak velocity of 95-97 mph on his fastball. Gronas had a five-pitch arsenal though with a curveball, forkball, changeup, and splitter. Those breaking balls’ movement and his ability to place them in the right spot made Gronas excel. He also had good durability and stamina for most of his run.

At a prospects camp in Norway, a scout from Zurich took note of Gronas and signed him as a teenage amateur in 1975. He eventually debuted with the Mountaineers with one relief appearance in 1980 at age 21. Gronas was an average starter the next year, then a good full-timer from then after. His entire pro career would come in Switzerland, although he didn’t forget his Norwegian roots. Gronas pitched from 1981-94 for Norway in the World Baseball Championship, posting a 3.96 ERA over 179.2 innings with 154 strikeouts and 2.2 WAR.

Gronas joined Zurich in the midst of their historic division title streak that ultimately spanned 21 seasons from 1973-93. With longtime ace Jean-Luc Roch retiring after the 1986 campaign, Gronas ended up slotting into the spot. He was never nearly as dominant with 1985 as his only time as Pitcher of the Year finalist, taking second. Gronas would lead the Southern Conference in ERA that season. His only other times as a league leader ame thrice in wins.

Gronas ended up signing a four-year, $3,290,000 extension starting in 198,6, followed by a seven-year, $10,460,000 deal after the 1989 campaign. Zurich was snake-bitten in the playoffs for most of the streak and Gronas’ playoff stats were a mixed bag as well. The Mountaineers won the conference title, but lost in the championship in 1982, 1983, and 1984. The next eight seasons saw three defeats in the conference final and five first round exits. For his playoff career, Gronas had a 4.23 ERA over 191.2 innings, 137 strikeouts, a 88 ERA+, and 3.1 WAR.

1993 was the last year of the streak, but it was the year that Zurich finally won it all. Gronas had a 3.72 ERA over 29 playoff innings in that run. He had pitched merely above average the prior few seasons. In 1994, he was below average and led the conference in losses, posting an ERA above four for the first time in his career. Gronas decided to retire with that at age 35. For his impressive tenure, Zurich immediately retired his #26 uniform.

For his career, Gronas had a 243-139 record, 3.30 ERA, 3489 innings, 2660 strikeouts, 548 walks, 288/446 quality starts, 140 complete games, 116 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 73.2 WAR. His totals weren’t as sexy as some of the other great pitchers and perhaps had been on worse teams, he might not have gotten the nod. He was one of only 11 guys to that point to have won 240+ games and traditionalists liked that .636 winning percentage. The 2000 Hall of Fame class was loaded, but Gronas squeaked in at 66.1% for a first ballot nod. He was the fifth and final member of an impressive group.