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The 2002 European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame class had three inductees. Two were no-doubt first ballot picks with RF Jacob Ronnberg at 98.2% and SP Linus Schindler with 94.7%. 2B J.F. Bourelly joined them on his second ballot, albeit barely at 67.4%. The only other player above 50% was LF Josip Stojanovic at 51.3% on his second ballot. No players were dropped after ten ballots from the EBF group.



Jacob “Rowdy” Ronnberg – Right Field – Marseille Musketeers – 98.2% First Ballot

Jacob Ronnberg was a 5’11’’, 190 pound left-handed right fielder from Arboga, a town of around 10,000 in central Sweden. He earned the nickname “Rowdy” for being wild and chaotic in his off the field shenanigans. Some criticized him for lacking leadership and motivation, but his natural gifts were immense. Regardless of any personality flaws, Ronnberg ended up being one of baseball’s most decorated players from any league or era.

Ronnberg was a generationally exceptional contact hitter, grading out as a 10/10 in his prime years. He made it seem effortless while also providing terrific power. Few guys could get extra base hits like Ronnberg, who in his 162 game average got you 44 home runs, 27 doubles, and 24 triples. He’s the only player in baseball history to have 400+ career doubles, 400+ career triples, and 400+ career home runs.

Rowdy had a decent eye for drawing walks and an above average strikeout rate. On top of the powerful bat, Ronnberg was quite fast on the basepaths, turning many singles into doubles and doubles in to triples. Rowdy was a pretty savvy base stealer as well, although often didn’t need to with his penchant for extra base hits. Ronnberg was also a very durable player, playing 140+ games in all but two seasons from 1977-94.

Defensively, Ronnberg was a right fielder for the vast majority of his run. He did have brief stints in left and center with unremarkable results. Ronnberg was outstanding in right though, winning 11 Gold Gloves in his career. As of 2037, he has the fourth best career Zone Rating at the position in EBF. Ronnberg was the vaunted “five-tool” player, posting one of the most impressive careers European baseball ever saw.

Despite growing up in humble origins, Ronnberg’s potential was undeniable even as a teenager. A wily scout from Marseille got word of him and made the trip up to Sweden, falling instantly in love. He signed Ronnberg in October 1972 as a 16-year old amateur, bringing him to southern France. The vast majority of his career was with the Musketeers, debuting in 1976 at age 20 mostly as a pinch hitter. Rowdy earned the full-time gig the next year and held it for the next 16 years with Marseille.

Ronnberg quickly arrived as a star with 5.0 WAR in 1977. He would then post 7+ WAR each season for the next 16 consecutive seasons. Ronnberg hadn’t found his home run stroke yet in his first few seasons, but he excelled regardless. He led the Southern Conference in hits and triples with 9.4 WAR in 1978, taking third in MVP voting. This also earned Ronnberg his first of nine consecutive Silver Sluggers (1978-86). Rowdy won 15 in his career, also taking six more from 1988-93. As of 2037, he’s the only EBF player to win the award 15 times in a career. 1978 was also his first of 11 straight Gold Gloves, joining a very short list in world history to win double-digits of both honors.

Ronnberg led in triples three straight years from 1978-80. Marseille ended a seven-year playoff drought in 1980 with a franchise record 110-52, although they were upset in the Southern Conference final by Zurich. The Musketeers realized Ronnberg was THE guy, inking him to an eight-year, $5,370,000 extension in the summer of 1980. Rowdy was second in MVP voting that year.

Marseille became a regular contender in the 1980s with nine playoff berths and seven Southwest Division titles in the decade. The Musketeers won three European Championships with Ronnberg, taking home the 1981, 1985, and 1986 titles. They also were a conference finalist in 1983. Ronnberg’s excellence carried into the postseason and he was the MVP of the 1986 finals. In 77 playoff starts for Marseille, Ronnberg had 101 hits, 54 runs, 16 doubles, 12 triples, 23 home runs, 74 RBI, a .322/.372/.691 slash, 190 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR.

He was absolutely adored in southern France, but Ronnberg was extremely popular throughout all of Europe. Rowdy was loved back home in Sweden too, as he was a regular on the World Baseball Championship squad. Ronnberg played 170 games for the Swedish team from 1977-96, posting 163 hits, 109 runs, 29 doubles, 62 home runs, 132 RBI, a .271/.340/.641 slash, 173 wRC+, and 8.6 WAR.

Ronnberg was a four time MVP, winning the award in 1981, 82, 85, and 88. He was also second in 1983 and second in 1989. It was not easy to win, sharing a conference with the likes of Richard Rautenstrauch and Jack Kennedy. Rowdy had six seasons worth 10+ WAR and three worth 12+, peaking at 12.9 in 1985. He was the WARlord four times in his career and led six times in OPS, five times in wRC+, eight times in slugging, twice in OBP, twice in batting average, six times in total bases, five times in home runs, twice in RBI, four times in triples, twice in hits, and thrice in runs.

In 1985, he became only the second-ever EBF batter to hit above .400, a mark that had only been breached by Franco Gilbert the year before. His .403 is the fourth best in EBF history as of 2037. He became only the seventh hitter to post 150+ RBI in a season with 156 in 1988. Ronnberg also had six seasons with 50+ home runs and 13 with 40+. He probably would’ve had 14 straight seasons with 40+ if not for torn ankle ligaments costing him part of 1987. That and a torn hamstring in 1986 were the only significant injuries during Ronnberg’s prime.

Ronnberg has three of the top four EBF seasons by OPS, hitting above 1.240 in 1985, 1986, and 1988. Only Rautenstrauch’s 1.314 in 1975 has him beat. As of 2037, he has the third and fourth best EBF marks in total bases. Ronnberg also has a top 10 season in hits with 242 in 1985.

In April 1988, Ronnberg was signed to a five-year, $6,030,000 extension with Marseille. He really focused more on home runs in his early 30s, leading the conference four straight years from 1988-91. Although Rowdy didn’t slow down, Marseille’s reign ended with the dawn of the 1990s. The Musketeers missed the playoffs in 1990, then in 1991 had their first losing season since 1977. For the decade, they averaged only 76.7 wins per season.

The team’s decline made them wonder how to start rebuilding and what role Ronnberg would have. He was 36 for the 1992 season, but still was excellent with 7.8 WAR. Rowdy was entering the last year of his deal in 1993 and there was a sense that he’d be moving on. In the offseason, Marseille traded Ronnberg to Munich for two players, ending a 17-season odyssey.

With Marseille, Ronnberg had 3096 hits, 1825 runs, 429 doubles, 394 triples, 684 home runs, 1904 RBI, 775 stolen bases, a .337/.387/.693 slash, 194 wRC+, and 154.4 WAR. The Musketeers would retire #20, which was his jersey number from 1982 onward. Ronnberg had debuted as #3 and was #2 in his first five years as a starter. The #20 would still be the most popular top at the ballpark for decades to come.

In his one year in Germany, Ronnberg won his final Silver Slugger with a 45 home run, 7.4 WAR effort. It was also his only Slugger in left field, as the Mavericks moved him from right. Munich made the playoffs, but fell in the first round. While there, Ronnberg became the fourth EBF slugger to 700 career homers, the first to 2000 RBI, and the first to 400 career triples.

At age 38, Ronnberg was a free agent for the first time. He signed a three-year, $7,600,000 deal with Birmingham. The Bees had won the Northern Conference in 1991 and 1993 with an EBF ring in 1991. Although Rowdy’s defensive value had become greatly reduced by this point, he still smacked 50 home runs in his debut season in England. Ronnberg became the first to score 2000 career runs, a mark Kennedy would match later in the season.

Birmingham went 110-52 and won the 1994 European Championship for Ronnberg’s fourth ring. In 18 starts, he had a .232/.274/.522 slash, 116 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. For his entire playoff career, Ronnberg had 103 games and 98 starts, 124 hits, 73 runs, 16 doubles, 14 triples, 31 home runs, 90 RBI, 34 stolen bases, a .320/.360/..673 slash, 181 wRC+, and 5.7 WAR. As of 2037, he’s fourth all-time in playoff RBI, fourth in homers, and ninth in runs.

Age finally caught Ronnberg in 1995 as he was reduced to a bench role with only 40 starts. He still had a .337/.370/.539 slash, but his power and speed were both greatly diminished. Ronnberg reached another milestone, becoming the hit king and the first to 3500 hits in EBF. He would hold the hit king spot until passed by Carson Dal in the mid 2010s. In 1996, Ronnberg played only five games and sat on the reverse roster, although he did get four postseason appearances. He officially retired that winter at age 41.

The gaudy final numbers for Ronnberg had 3520 hits, 2082 runs, 479 doubles, 436 triples, 786 home runs, 2184 RBI, 904 walks, 883 stolen bases, a .334/.384/.686 slash, 191 wRC+, and 169.2 WAR. At induction, Rowdy was the all-time leader in hits, runs, triples, RBI, total bases, and WAR, while also sitting third in homers. He also had 1701 extra base hits, more than any other player in world history. Ronnberg is still top five all-time in XBH even as of 2037. At retirement, he also had the third-highest career WAR of any pure position player, only behind OBA/MLB’s Jimmy Caliw (214) and CABA/MLB’s Prometheo Garcia (189.1).

In 2037 in EBF, Rowdy still is the all-time total bases leader. He’s still second in WAR, second in runs, fourth in hits, third in triples, sixth in home runs, and third in RBI. Until Harvey Coyle came along and posted a bonkers 212.2 WAR from 2006-26, many would’ve cited Ronnberg when picking out EBF’s GOAT. He’s still basically a lock on any top five list of European position players. How Ronnberg got only 98.2% is almost baffling, a few sticklers didn’t like the Rowdy persona. There would be few better headliners though in any class as Ronnberg triumphantly sat atop the 2002 EBF crew.