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Outfielder Riley Singleton would be the lone inductee for 2002 into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame. On his ballot debut, Singleton wasn’t a slam dunk, but still got the nod with 75.6%. Only one other player crossed the midway mark with SP Allen Weller at 54.1% in his third ballot.



Dropped after ten ballots was SP Ratu Ratu, who had an 11-year career mostly with Auckland. The Fijian lefty had a 137-110 record, 3.00 ERA, 2307.1 innings, 2502 strikeouts, 107 ERA+, and 26.3 WAR. Definitely someone lacking the credentials, but he got to a peak of 25.2% in 1994. It’s somewhat surprising really that Ratu lasted ten years, ending at 8.8%.

2B Charlie Buckland also lasted ten years, but didn’t get in. He had a 17 year career primarily with Adelaide, winning seven Silver Sluggers and three Oceania Championships. Buckland had 1706 hits, 705 runs, 341 doubles, 133 triples, 171 home runs, 824 RBI, a .305/.337/.498 slash, 151 wRC+, and 49.4 WAR. He was a great hitter for the position, but lost a lot of value as a terrible defender. Buckland also just didn’t have the accumulations or power to have a real shot. He managed to last ten years despite only thrice being in double-digits with a peak of 21.2%.



Riley “Spoon” Singleton – Left Field – Melbourne Mets – 75.6% First Ballot

Riley Singleton was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting outfielder from Adelaide, the largest city of South Australia. Singleton was a quite good contact hitter with reliable pop in his bat. He wasn’t a prolific slugger, but he’d average 30 home runs, 26 doubles, and 13 triples per 162 games. Singleton was good at getting high value hits, but he didn’t draw many walks and his strikeout rate was average at best. Singleton wasn’t lightning fast, but he had above average to sometimes good speed and baserunning skills.

He made about 60% of his starts in left field, generally splitting the other starts between right field, first base, and designated hitter. In the corners, he was below average defensively, but he wasn’t a big liability. Singleton had excellent durability, making 135+ starts in 12 consecutive seasons. He was also a team captain and highly regarded as a man in the clubhouse. No one had a bad word to say about Singleton as a person and he was a popular Australian baseball figure for many years. The nickname "Spoon" came from his constantly noting that his spoon for his cereal in the clubhouse was too big.

Singleton was the undisputed top prospect from Australia entering OBA’s 1981 Draft. Melbourne grabbed him with the #1 pick and his entire career would be as a Met. Singleton saw limited use in his rookie season with only 38 starts and 77 games. He’d be a full-time starter from 1983 onward and developed his power by his fourth season.

In 1985, Singleton led the Australasia League in home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC, and WAR. Thus, he won MVP and his first of five Silver Sluggers. That effort inspired Melbourne to give Singleton an eight-year, $4,542,000 contract extension. 1985 also began his time playing in the World Baseball Championship for Australia. From 1985-93, he played 58 games with 41 starts, 41 hits, 20 runs, 9 doubles, 10 home runs, 23 RBI, and 0.5 WAR.

Singleton was slowly trying to drag Melbourne back to respectability. 1986 would be their first winning season since 1973. That year, he won his second Silver Slugger and took second in MVP voting, leading in hits and runs. In 1987, Singleton led Melbourne to the AL title, their first since 1970. They would lose to Samoa in the Oceania Championship. The Mets consistently posted winning seasons for the rest of Singleton’s tenure, but wouldn’’t again take the top spot.

Singleton twice more would lead the AL in RBI and once lead in total bases. 1990 was his lone batting title with a .323 average. He also led that year in slugging, wRC+, and WAR; earning his second MVP. Singleton also won Silver Sluggers in 1988, 1990, and 1993. In 1991, he was second in MVP voting.

After the 1992 season, Singleton declined the final year option in his contract, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 33. He loved Melbourne though and wanted to stay loyal, ultimately re-upping with the Mets for five years and $4,820,000. Singleton gave them three more seasons as a respectable starter, but he wasn’t elite anymore by this point. He was relegated to the bench in 1996, serving still as a team captain and elder statesman. Singleton retired that winter at age 37 and had his #10 uniform retired.

Singleton’s final stats saw 2212 hits, 1044 runs, 339 doubles, 169 triples, 396 home runs, 1203 RBI, 427 stolen bases, a .289/.318/.533 slash, 152 wRC+, and 68.7 WAR. His tallies aren’t inner circle level, but are plenty solid. Singleton was also a beloved captain and a two-time MVP joining the ballot in 2002 with no real standouts beside him. That gave him the push to be a first ballot pick and the lone 2002 inductee at 75.6%.