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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-15-2024, 04:55 PM

South Asia Baseball saw the addition of Ynilo Naranjo into the Hall of Fame on the 2000 ballot. Naranjo was a no-doubter, getting 96.1% on his debut ballot. Closer Jason Mayekar had 59.6% in his ninth ballot, but was still a few points from the 66% requirement. The other player above 50% was catcher Krish Balvinder at 53.7%. No players were dropped after ten ballots.

Ynilo Naranjo – Starting Pitcher – Ahmedabad Animals – 96.1% First Ballot

Ynilo Naranjo was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Manizales, Colombia; a city with around 434,000 people in the central part of the nation. Naranjo was a bit of a late bloomer, but in his prime had strong control, good stuff, and below average movement. His fastball hovered in the 96-98 mph range. Naranjo had a filthy slider as his main out pitch and also featured a curveball and changeup. He had excellent stamina and was a scrappy sparkplug type player with a fantastic work ethic.

Naranjo’s path to a Hall of Fame career playing in the Indian League was unusual considering he grew up in Colombia. He signed a contract as a teenage amateur in 1975 with CABA’s Ecatepec, sending Naranjo to Mexico. His control was abysmal in his earliest years and the Explosion couldn’t seem to fix this problem. By spring training 1982, the now 24-year old Naranjo seemed no closer to being able to find the strike zone. Ecatepec cut him without a single CABA inning pitched and it seemed like Naranjo’s career might end right there.

South Asia Baseball was entering its third season in 1982 and was looking worldwide for players. Naranjo had a contact randomly in India with Ahmedabad, who decided to give him a shot. He was a part-time starter in this rookie year with below average results, but his stuff was good enough to keep him around. In his second year, he managed to fix his control. What was once graded as a 2/10 was now a 6/10, making Naranjo a credible threat.

In 1983, he took second in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Indian League in ERA and strikeouts. Naranjo would go onto to have six seasons with 300+ strikeouts. He led the league in Ks thrice, wins twice, innings once, WHIP twice, K/BB thrice, complete games twice, shutouts four times, and WAR once. Naranjo never won Pitcher of the Year, but took second in 1986, third in 1988, and second in 1989.

On August 2, 1985, Naranjo became the first pitcher in SAB history to record a perfect game. He struck out 10 against Mumbai. Although he had found his baseball home in India, Naranjo would return to Colombia for the World Baseball Championship. From 1984-94, he had 135.1 innings for his country with a 9-2 record, 2.93 ERA, 190 strikeouts, 128 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. Although he missed Colombia, Naranjo committed to staying with Ahmedabad on a seven-year, $6,020,000 deal after the 1988 season.

Naranjo would really make his bones as a clutch playoff pitcher, helping usher in the great Ahmedabad dynasty. During his tenure, the Animals won the SAB Championship in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1994. For his playoff career, Naranjo had a 14-7 record over 192.2 innings, a 2.24 ERA, 235 strikeouts, 19/23 quality starts, a 148 ERA+, and 4.4 WAR. As of 2037, he is fourth all-time in playoff strikeouts, second in wins, and sixth in WAR,

Naranjo had proven very durable for most of his career, but suffered a major setback in spring training 1992 with a partially torn UCL. He missed the entire regular season, although he did come back with one poor start in the playoffs. 1993 saw biceps tendinitis cost him the final months of the season, including the playoff run. Back issues cost him part of 1994, although Naranjo had been demoted to a bullpen role as he struggled in his limited play. He opted to retire after the 1994 campaign at age 36. Naranjo’s #22 uniform would be the first to be retired by Ahmedabad.

Naranjo’s final stats saw a 185-82 record, 2.77 ERA, 2551 innings, 3124 strikeouts, 506 walks, 219/315 quality starts, 96 complete games, 35 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 58.3 WAR. He’s not at the top of the HOF leaderboards with more dominant pitchers coming after him, but Naranjo was an important and steady figure within the great Ahmedabad dynasty. He played a major role in seven of the Animals’ championships. Pretty good for a guy who looked like he might flame out of pro baseball altogether. Naranjo received 96.1% to be the lone member of the 2000 SAB Hall of Fame class and the sixth player inducted overall.

04-15-2024, 04:55 PM	#1157
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,572	2000 SAB Hall of Fame South Asia Baseball saw the addition of Ynilo Naranjo into the Hall of Fame on the 2000 ballot. Naranjo was a no-doubter, getting 96.1% on his debut ballot. Closer Jason Mayekar had 59.6% in his ninth ballot, but was still a few points from the 66% requirement. The other player above 50% was catcher Krish Balvinder at 53.7%. No players were dropped after ten ballots. Ynilo Naranjo – Starting Pitcher – Ahmedabad Animals – 96.1% First Ballot Ynilo Naranjo was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Manizales, Colombia; a city with around 434,000 people in the central part of the nation. Naranjo was a bit of a late bloomer, but in his prime had strong control, good stuff, and below average movement. His fastball hovered in the 96-98 mph range. Naranjo had a filthy slider as his main out pitch and also featured a curveball and changeup. He had excellent stamina and was a scrappy sparkplug type player with a fantastic work ethic. Naranjo’s path to a Hall of Fame career playing in the Indian League was unusual considering he grew up in Colombia. He signed a contract as a teenage amateur in 1975 with CABA’s Ecatepec, sending Naranjo to Mexico. His control was abysmal in his earliest years and the Explosion couldn’t seem to fix this problem. By spring training 1982, the now 24-year old Naranjo seemed no closer to being able to find the strike zone. Ecatepec cut him without a single CABA inning pitched and it seemed like Naranjo’s career might end right there. South Asia Baseball was entering its third season in 1982 and was looking worldwide for players. Naranjo had a contact randomly in India with Ahmedabad, who decided to give him a shot. He was a part-time starter in this rookie year with below average results, but his stuff was good enough to keep him around. In his second year, he managed to fix his control. What was once graded as a 2/10 was now a 6/10, making Naranjo a credible threat. In 1983, he took second in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Indian League in ERA and strikeouts. Naranjo would go onto to have six seasons with 300+ strikeouts. He led the league in Ks thrice, wins twice, innings once, WHIP twice, K/BB thrice, complete games twice, shutouts four times, and WAR once. Naranjo never won Pitcher of the Year, but took second in 1986, third in 1988, and second in 1989. On August 2, 1985, Naranjo became the first pitcher in SAB history to record a perfect game. He struck out 10 against Mumbai. Although he had found his baseball home in India, Naranjo would return to Colombia for the World Baseball Championship. From 1984-94, he had 135.1 innings for his country with a 9-2 record, 2.93 ERA, 190 strikeouts, 128 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. Although he missed Colombia, Naranjo committed to staying with Ahmedabad on a seven-year, $6,020,000 deal after the 1988 season. Naranjo would really make his bones as a clutch playoff pitcher, helping usher in the great Ahmedabad dynasty. During his tenure, the Animals won the SAB Championship in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1994. For his playoff career, Naranjo had a 14-7 record over 192.2 innings, a 2.24 ERA, 235 strikeouts, 19/23 quality starts, a 148 ERA+, and 4.4 WAR. As of 2037, he is fourth all-time in playoff strikeouts, second in wins, and sixth in WAR, Naranjo had proven very durable for most of his career, but suffered a major setback in spring training 1992 with a partially torn UCL. He missed the entire regular season, although he did come back with one poor start in the playoffs. 1993 saw biceps tendinitis cost him the final months of the season, including the playoff run. Back issues cost him part of 1994, although Naranjo had been demoted to a bullpen role as he struggled in his limited play. He opted to retire after the 1994 campaign at age 36. Naranjo’s #22 uniform would be the first to be retired by Ahmedabad. Naranjo’s final stats saw a 185-82 record, 2.77 ERA, 2551 innings, 3124 strikeouts, 506 walks, 219/315 quality starts, 96 complete games, 35 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 58.3 WAR. He’s not at the top of the HOF leaderboards with more dominant pitchers coming after him, but Naranjo was an important and steady figure within the great Ahmedabad dynasty. He played a major role in seven of the Animals’ championships. Pretty good for a guy who looked like he might flame out of pro baseball altogether. Naranjo received 96.1% to be the lone member of the 2000 SAB Hall of Fame class and the sixth player inducted overall. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)