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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-15-2024, 05:12 AM

Chinese League Baseball very nearly had a blank 2000 Hall of Fame ballot. One player squeaked by the 66% requirement to get in as SP Lang Lu received 67.8% on his second try. The best debut was RF Shichao Zhang, who narrowly missed the cut at 61.0%. Closer Junwei Zhu also had a nice showing on his third ballot at 60.3%. Also above 50% were RF Zhengyu Peng at 58.3% and SP Baoxian He at 53.9% for his third try.

Pitcher Dalun Li was dropped from the ballot after ten tries. His accumulations were hurt by having only eight seasons in CLB with Harbin, followed by a couple seasons in MLB. With the Hellcats, he had a 135-77 record, 2.06 ERA, 2214 innings, 2307 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 52.0 WAR. With more tenure or hardware, Li might have had a better chance. He still got as high as 40.8% on his second ballot and ended at 36.6%.

Pitcher Yan Zhong also fell off the ballot after ten tries. He had a 13 year career between Xiamen and Xi’an, posting a 144-100 record, 2.08 ERA, 2589 innings, 2853 strikeouts, 128 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 66.4 WAR. Major injuries derailed his shot at accumulations including back-to-back rotator cuff tears in his early 30s. Zhong was as high as 30.7% on his second ballot and ended at 8.8%.

Lang Lu – Starting Pitcher – Macau Magicians – 67.8% Second Ballot

Lang Lu was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Wuxi, China; a city with more than seven million inhabitants in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. Lu was well rounded with solid stuff, movement, and control. His fastball hovered in the 96-98 mph, although his most deadly pitchers were his cutter and sinker. Lu also mixed in a slider and curveball. His stamina was okay, hurt by various injuries throughout his run. Lu was scrappy and worked through the issues, becoming a fan favorite throughout his career.

Lu was picked 17^th overall by Macau in the 1982 CLB Draft. His entire Chinese League career came with the Magicians, debuting mostly in relief with the 1984 season. Lu split time between relief and starting the next year, then earned a full-time spot in the rotation in 1986. 1987 would see a notable setback as rotator cuff inflammation cost him the second half of the season.

Lu broke out in 1988, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Macau also made the playoffs, beginning a stretch with four berths in five years. The Magicians would sign Lu to a five-year, $2,604,000 extension after the 1988 campaign. He then emerged as a truce ace, leading the Southern League in ERA and WAR in both 1989 and 1990. Lu took home Pitcher of the Year honors in both seasons.

1990 also saw a China Series appearance for Macau, although they dropped the final to Dalian. The Magicians fell in the semifinals in their other playoff appearances in Lu’s tenure. He posted a 2.20 ERA over 57.1 playoff innings with 64 strikeouts and a 111 ERA+. Lu would finish second in 1992’s Pitcher of the Year voting.

His numbers would dip a bit in 1993, his final season in Macau. An oblique strain cost him a month of the season, but he still had plenty of offers entering free agency at age 31. Magicians fans were sad to see him leave, but Lu remained a popular figure. His #22 uniform would get retired by the franchise when his contract ended.

Lu got paid big time by MLB’s Buffalo Blue Sox with a seven-year, $18,840,000 contract. Unfortunately, he didn’t at all live up to that big deal. Lu looked pretty good in his debut season, but shoulder inflammation knocked him out the entire second half of the season. In 1995, Lu was terrible in the moments he was healthy. He also made eight starts in minor league Rochester and looked no better there.

Buffalo finally cut their losses in June 1996, ending Lu’s MLB run with a 3.96 ERA, 216 innings, 87 ERA+, and 3.1 WAR. Certainly not the value you wanted out of a big seven-year deal. Lu signed with Columbus in the summer and made a few appearances with minor league Toledo. However, it was clear that he was cooked and he retired after the 1996 season at only age 33.

For his CLB and Macau tenure, Lu had a 134-78 record, 1.86 ERA, 2050.1 innings, 2134 strikeouts, 362 walks, 206/243 quality starts, 133 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 49.8 WAR. Those were very good numbers over a short time frame, but the trouble was it was a short time frame. The accumulations and innings were definitely on the low end compared to other CLB Hall of Fame starters. Lu was very likeable though and benefits by having no real standouts on the ballot against him. He just missed the cut at 64.0% in his debut, but made it across the line on his second go at 67.8% to be the lone 2000 inductee for CLB.

04-15-2024, 05:12 AM	#1155
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,037	2000 CLB Hall of Fame Chinese League Baseball very nearly had a blank 2000 Hall of Fame ballot. One player squeaked by the 66% requirement to get in as SP Lang Lu received 67.8% on his second try. The best debut was RF Shichao Zhang, who narrowly missed the cut at 61.0%. Closer Junwei Zhu also had a nice showing on his third ballot at 60.3%. Also above 50% were RF Zhengyu Peng at 58.3% and SP Baoxian He at 53.9% for his third try. Pitcher Dalun Li was dropped from the ballot after ten tries. His accumulations were hurt by having only eight seasons in CLB with Harbin, followed by a couple seasons in MLB. With the Hellcats, he had a 135-77 record, 2.06 ERA, 2214 innings, 2307 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 52.0 WAR. With more tenure or hardware, Li might have had a better chance. He still got as high as 40.8% on his second ballot and ended at 36.6%. Pitcher Yan Zhong also fell off the ballot after ten tries. He had a 13 year career between Xiamen and Xi’an, posting a 144-100 record, 2.08 ERA, 2589 innings, 2853 strikeouts, 128 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 66.4 WAR. Major injuries derailed his shot at accumulations including back-to-back rotator cuff tears in his early 30s. Zhong was as high as 30.7% on his second ballot and ended at 8.8%. Lang Lu – Starting Pitcher – Macau Magicians – 67.8% Second Ballot Lang Lu was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Wuxi, China; a city with more than seven million inhabitants in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. Lu was well rounded with solid stuff, movement, and control. His fastball hovered in the 96-98 mph, although his most deadly pitchers were his cutter and sinker. Lu also mixed in a slider and curveball. His stamina was okay, hurt by various injuries throughout his run. Lu was scrappy and worked through the issues, becoming a fan favorite throughout his career. Lu was picked 17^th overall by Macau in the 1982 CLB Draft. His entire Chinese League career came with the Magicians, debuting mostly in relief with the 1984 season. Lu split time between relief and starting the next year, then earned a full-time spot in the rotation in 1986. 1987 would see a notable setback as rotator cuff inflammation cost him the second half of the season. Lu broke out in 1988, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Macau also made the playoffs, beginning a stretch with four berths in five years. The Magicians would sign Lu to a five-year, $2,604,000 extension after the 1988 campaign. He then emerged as a truce ace, leading the Southern League in ERA and WAR in both 1989 and 1990. Lu took home Pitcher of the Year honors in both seasons. 1990 also saw a China Series appearance for Macau, although they dropped the final to Dalian. The Magicians fell in the semifinals in their other playoff appearances in Lu’s tenure. He posted a 2.20 ERA over 57.1 playoff innings with 64 strikeouts and a 111 ERA+. Lu would finish second in 1992’s Pitcher of the Year voting. His numbers would dip a bit in 1993, his final season in Macau. An oblique strain cost him a month of the season, but he still had plenty of offers entering free agency at age 31. Magicians fans were sad to see him leave, but Lu remained a popular figure. His #22 uniform would get retired by the franchise when his contract ended. Lu got paid big time by MLB’s Buffalo Blue Sox with a seven-year, $18,840,000 contract. Unfortunately, he didn’t at all live up to that big deal. Lu looked pretty good in his debut season, but shoulder inflammation knocked him out the entire second half of the season. In 1995, Lu was terrible in the moments he was healthy. He also made eight starts in minor league Rochester and looked no better there. Buffalo finally cut their losses in June 1996, ending Lu’s MLB run with a 3.96 ERA, 216 innings, 87 ERA+, and 3.1 WAR. Certainly not the value you wanted out of a big seven-year deal. Lu signed with Columbus in the summer and made a few appearances with minor league Toledo. However, it was clear that he was cooked and he retired after the 1996 season at only age 33. For his CLB and Macau tenure, Lu had a 134-78 record, 1.86 ERA, 2050.1 innings, 2134 strikeouts, 362 walks, 206/243 quality starts, 133 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 49.8 WAR. Those were very good numbers over a short time frame, but the trouble was it was a short time frame. The accumulations and innings were definitely on the low end compared to other CLB Hall of Fame starters. Lu was very likeable though and benefits by having no real standouts on the ballot against him. He just missed the cut at 64.0% in his debut, but made it across the line on his second go at 67.8% to be the lone 2000 inductee for CLB. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)