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The Oceania Baseball Association saw two no-doubt first ballot Hall of Famers for their 2000 class. Pitcher Randol Smith got 95.7% and LF Neville Ryan received 94.5%. The next closest was RF Dede Hayati with 57.2% for his ninth time on the ballot. Also above 50% was closer Lornezo Amaru with 52.6% for his fifth go.



Dropped after ten ballots was SP Daniel McIlvaney. He pitched only nine years in OBA with Port Moresby before spending four forgettable seasons in MLB. McIlvaney had a 114-97 record, 2.75 ERA, 2077 innings, 2329 strikeouts, 107 ERA+, and 38.7 WAR. Nowhere near the dominance or accumulations needed to get the nod. His highest year was 16.0% in 1992 and he finished with 4.3%, but managed to last on the ballot for ten turns.



Randol Smith – Starting Pitcher – Honolulu Honu – 95.7% First Ballot

Randol Smith was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Honiara; the capital and largest city of the Solomon Islands with around 92,000 people. Smith would be the first Hall of Famer from the Solomons. He was well rounded with above average to good stuff, movement, and control. Smith had a 95-97 mph fastball mixed with a strong splitter and knuckle curve, as well as a rarely used changeup. He had good stamina and was considered a strong defensive pitcher, winning four Gold Gloves. Smith was also a team captain and was a key leader in Honolulu’s dynasty run.

The Honu selected Smith with the third overall pick in the 1976 OBA Draft. They picked him as a teenager and put him in their developmental system for his first two seasons under contract. Honolulu eased him in with spot starts from 1979-81. He was a part-time starter in 1982 and showed some of the potential they wanted to see. Smith won his first Gold Glove that year and won a Silver Slugger, batting .266.

Smith was a full-time starter from 1982 onward and played a large role in what became a tremendous dynasty. It actually began with a Pacific League title in 1981, although they fell to Adelaide in the OBA Championship. Honolulu followed that up with seven OBA titles in the next nine years, winning it all in 1982, 83, 84, 86, 88, 89, and 90. Smith’s first time pitching in the postseason was 1983, which marked the start of his time as a full-time starter.

Smith was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1983. He won additional Gold Gloves in 1983, 84, and 86. Honolulu signed him to a five-year, $1,606,000 extension after the 1984 season 1986 saw a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts and one walk against Guam. That season also was his first Pitcher of the Year. It was Smith’s lone season as the WARlord with a career-best 9.2.

1988 saw a second place finish in POTY voting. The now 32-year old Smith signed another extension with Honolulu, this time for six-years and $4,440,000. In 1990, he won his second Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins, innings pitched, and quality starts. Smith struggled a bit the next season, but bounced back with good 1992 and 1993 efforts. Honolulu just missed the Pacific League title in 1991 and 1992, but won it again in 1993. They fell to Perth in that year’s OBA Championship.

For his playoff career, Smith had an 8-5 record in 15 starts, 2.41 ERA, 101 innings, 92 strikeouts, 121 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR. As of 2037, he’s OBA’s all-time postseason leader in pitching WAR, wins, starts, and innings pitched. Smith is also third in strikeouts. Honolulu could always reliably give him the ball throughout the dynasty run.

1993 saw Smith lead in wins for the second time in his career. That would ultimately be his last great season. An elbow strain would cost him more than four months of the 1994 campaign. When he did pitch, Smith also looked mediocre for the first time since the very start of his career. He decided to retire at age 37. Honolulu immediately retired his #8 uniform.

Smith’s career stats saw a 236-146 record, 2.57 ERA, 3735 innings, 3759 strikeouts, 732 walks, 349/478 quality starts, 140 complete games, 115 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 80.0 WAR. There were certainly other pitchers with greater dominance , but Smith was ol’ reliable and a team captain for OBA’s greatest dynasty. That made him an easy first ballot choice in 2000, receiving 95.7% of the vote.



Neville “Bullet” Ryan - Left Field – Gold Coast Kangaroos – 94.5% First Ballot

Neville Ryan was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed left fielder from Sydney, Australia. He earned the nickname “bullet” from the incredible exit velocity his swings produced. Ryan smacked the ball remarkably hard, averaging around 40 home runs and around 40 doubles/triples per 162 games. He was also a good contact hitter, although his eye and strikeout rate were both mid. Ryan’s speed and baserunning were also delightfully average. He was a career left fielder and was viewed as respectable defensively. Ryan showed good durability for his career and became one of Australian baseball’s most popular stars.

Ryan’s potential was immediately noticed by everyone and he quickly became the top ranked prospect entered into the 1978 OBA Draft. Gold Coast had the first overall pick and didn’t fool around, picking Ryan with little hesitation. He missed six weeks of his rookie season to a torn groin muscle, but still showed plenty of potential in 116 games, winning the 1979 Rookie of the Year. Ryan was a full-time starter for the next 14 years for Gold Coast.

In his second season, Ryan led the Australasia League in home runs for the first time. In his career, he led in homers thrice, runs twice, triples thrice, RBI six times, total bases six times, slugging seven times, OPS three times, wRC+ three times, and WAR four times. Ryan racked up accolades, winning four MVPs (1981, 82, 86, 89), six Silver Sluggers (1980, 81, 82, 86, 87, 88, 92) and one Gold Glove (1981). Ryan was also second in MVP voting in 1980, third in 1983, second in 1987, second in 1990, and third in 1992.

Ryan’s great hitting carried over into the World Baseball Championship from 1979-93 for the Australian team. He led the way in 1982 as the Aussies made it to the world championship for the first-ever time. In 25 games, he had 35 hits, 26 runs, 19 home runs, 36 RBI, and 2.8 WAR; winning tournament MVP. His 19 dingers was the second-most ever in a single WBC to that point. This made him an incredibly popular star nationally, For his career, he posted 129 games, 133 hits, 98 runs, 59 home runs, 119 RBI, a .290/.370/.691 slash, 198 wRC+, and 7.7 WAR.

Ryan was beloved by Gold Coast but despite his efforts, they usually remained around .500 give or take for most of the 1980s. The Kangaroos didn’t delay in inking him long-term with an eight-year, $2,508,000 extension after the 1981 season. The investment paid off long term as Gold Coast won the Australasia League pennant in both 1989 and 1990, Honolulu’s dynasty were able to get the better of the Kangaroos and Ryan in both finals..

Ryan received a four-year, $3,490,000 extension after the 1989 season. 1989 saw him post 139 RBI, which set the single season record in OBA. Gold Coast faded back into the mid-tier, but Ryan remained excellent. 1993 would be the first time he seemed to slip. He missed a decent chunk to injury, but also saw his power drop dramatically. That season, he would join Sione Hala as the only OBA sluggers with 1500 career RBI.

Gold Coast opted not to re-sign Ryan, making him a free agent for the first time at age 38. Christchurch gave him a shot on a one-year, $1,180,000 deal. However, Ryan was awful in his limited ply with a .170 batting average and -0.5 WAR over 70 games. He retired that winter at age 39. The Kangaroos would immediately retire his #9 uniform and he would remain a beloved franchise icon for decades to come.

Ryan’s career stats saw 2260 hits, 1298 runs, 320 doubles, 255 triples, 569 home runs, 1554 RBI, 288 stolen bases, a .279/.333/.591 slash, 168 wRC+, and 103.0 WAR. At induction, he was fourth all-time in RBI, fifth in home runs, sixth in runs scored, and fourth in WAR among position players. Ryan is still ninth all-time in offensive WAR as of 2037. He also retired with the best slugging percentage and best OPS of any HOFer to date. Ryan remains in the top ten in both among Hall of Famers as of 2037. Few can say they hit the ball harder than Ryan, who was well worthy of the first ballot induction at 94.5%.