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FuzzyRussianHat · 05-13-2024, 12:20 PM

Seong-Jun Myong – Starting Pitcher – Sapporo Swordfish – 98.3% First Ballot

Seong-Jun Myong was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Busan, South Korea’s second most populous city. Myong had great control with very good movement and solid stuff. His velocity peaked in the 95-97 mph range with a four pitch arsenal of slider, splitter, cutter, curveball. Myong had very strong stamina with pretty good durability for most of his run, tossing 220+ innings in 15 consecutive seasons.

Myong earned a lot of respect in the game for an impressive work ethic. He was loyal and adaptable, generally viewed as a great clubhouse presence. As far as pitchers go, he was a good batter too, winning Silver Sluggers in 1986 and 1987. Myong had a .201 batting average for his career with 177 hits, 56 runs, and 77 RBI over his career.

Ahead of the 1979 EAB Draft, Myong was a highly touted prospect for the Korea League. So much so that Bucheon picked him with the #1 overall pick and immediately made him a full-time starter. The Bolts were an 1978 expansion team and hoped Myong could be their future. Myong wasn’t quite ready as a rookie, leading in 1980 in losses with a lousy 4.97 ERA. He showed much improvement in his sophomore season, although his stats were merely average.

Myong emerged as a legitimate ace with 6+ WAR in his third and fourth seasons with the Bolts. Still, the expansion Bucheon franchise stunk and wouldn’t post their first winning season until 1989. Myong saw notable regression in 1984 with a 4.37 ERA. He didn’t look much better to start 1985 and Bucheon was worried this was going to be his peak. In June 1985, the Bolts traded Myong to Sapporo for SS Eiya Nakao and C Yaturo Ueda. Neither would be all-stars, but Bucheon did get roughly a decade’s worth of starts out of them.

For Myong, his Bucheon stats saw a 73-95 record, 3.90 ERA, 1666.2 innings, 1263 strikeouts, 282 walks, 100 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 24.5 WAR. While by no means a bad pitcher, higher expectations came with the #1 overall pick. Sapporo hoped they could unlock Myong’s potential and ultimately they did, as he was a key piece for them for the next decade.

Myong looked good in 1986, tossing the most innings in the Japan League and earning a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting. After his turnaround in 1986, Sapporo gave Myong a seven-year, $7,640,000 extension. He’d look great the next three seasons with 8.6, 8.0, and 7.9 WAR. Myong was second in 1987 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the top honor in 1988. That year had career highs in strikeouts (298), innings (278.2), and quality starts (28), He took second again in POTY voting in 1989.

Sapporo had control of the North Division from 1985-89, but couldn’t win a playoff series in any of their five playoff berths. Myong mostly looked strong in the postseason despite the Swordfish failures. He also pitched for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship from 1981-89, posting a 3.86 ERA over 116.2 innings, 126 strikeouts, 97 ERA+, and 2.1 WAR.

The early 1990s was a downswing for Sapporo, who had four straight losing seasons from 1990-93. Myong kept on trucking, keeping his ERA at or below 2.50. At age 35 in 1993, he regressed to a 3.40 ERA, although advanced stats suggested he got some bad bounces. 1994 was the last year of his deal and Myong had a great resurgence with a 2.17 ERA, the second lowest of his career. He earned third in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Sapporo made it back to the playoffs in 1994, but Myong missed the postseason to biceps tendinitis. He looked good enough though that the Swordfish gave him another three years and $6,560,000. Myong looked good in the front end of 1995, but a torn labrum that summer put his future in serious doubt. He worked his way back in 1996 at age 38 and still put up respectable numbers, reaching 4000 career strikeouts. Myong had a 2.62 ERA in the playoffs as Sapporo lost to Hiroshima in the JLCS.

In 1997, Myong was the 11^th EAB pitcher to 250 career wins. He was only a part-time starter with 158 innings, although he had a role to play. Myong had a 1.50 ERA over 18 playoff innings as Sapporo won their first Japan League of Myong’s tenure. They lost to Yongin in the EAB final.

For his playoff career, Myong had a 2.44 ERA over 96 innings, 79 strikeouts, 136 ERA+, and 2.6 WAR. He decided to retire that winter at age 40 and Sapporo retired his #46 uniform. The Swordfish would go onto win the 1998 EAB Championship and ownership gave Myong a commemorative ring for his long service with the team.

Myong finished with a 254-216 record, 3.02 ERA, 4388.1 innings, 4147 strikeouts, 662 walks, 369/550 quality starts, 192 complete games, 117 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 94.9 WAR. At induction, he was 11^th in wins, 12^th in strikeouts, and 12^th in pitching WAR. Myong remains in the top 20 in each as of 2037. He’s also sixth all-time in complete games. It was an impressive career for a guy who some though was a #1 pick bust after his first few seasons. Myong got 98.3% for a first ballot induction, standing beside two other stellar pitchers in the 2003 class.

Rikiya Fujiwara – Starting Pitcher – Osaka Orange Sox – 98.3% First Ballot

Rikiya Fujiwara was a 6’3’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Kakogawa, a city with roughly 250,000 people not far from Kobe in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture. Fujiwara was a well-rounded pitcher with above average to good stuff, movement, and control. His velocity only peaked at 94-96 mph on his fastball, but he had a filthy slider, plus a good cutter and okay changeup. Fujiwara’s stamina was on the lower end among contemporary aces. He maximized his innings though as he was excellent at holding runners and good defensively.

Fujiwara was a hot prospect out of Itami Kita High School with many Japanese teams looking at getting him. His Hall of Fame classmate Seong-Jun Myong was the #1 overall pick in EAB’s 1979 Draft and the first Korea League pick. Fujiwara would be the #2 overall pick and the first in the Japan League, selected by Osaka. He ultimately played all 16 years of his pro career with the Orange Sox. Fujiwara would spend 1980 and 1981 in developmental before debuting in 1982 at age 21.

Fujiwara was a part-time starter in his rookie season, then a full-time after that. He looked merely average in his first three years, but he started to rise alongside Osaka. From 1986-1993, Fujiwara had eight consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR. He first started getting award consideration during this run, taking second in 1986 Pitcher of the Year voting, third in 1987, and second in 1988.

Osaka completed its rebuild in 1985, ending a 27-year playoff drought and starting a six-year division title streak. The Orange Sox won the EAB championship in 1985 and 1989, but fell in the first round the other years. Fujiwara was especially big in the 1989 run with a 0.78 ERA over 34.2 innings. For his playoff career, Fujiwara had a 1.78 ERA in 86 innings, 72 strikeouts, and 2.0 WAR. Early 1988 saw his first contract extension, albeit a short one at three years and $3,700,000.

Fujiwara led in ERA in 1988, then led with a career and league-best 318 strikeouts and 8.8 WAR in 1989. That earned him his first Pitcher of the Year award. Fujiwara followed it up with a JL best 1.72 ERA and 0.75 WHIP to repeat as Pitcher of the Year. This season also had a 12 strikeout, one walk no-hitter on April 21 against Nagoya. In May 1991, Fujiwara finally got the long-term extension for six years and $8,400,000,

Fujiwara was still very good in the early years of this deal, but not a league leader. Osaka retreated towards the middle of the standings with a five-year playoff drought. As his stamina started to wane, Fujiwara began seeing more split use between the bullpen and rotation. In 1995, elbow inflammation would cost him four months. His career was starting to look like it was approaching its end.

Fujiwara had one last great season in him with a career best 1.44 ERA in 1996, along with a 0.75 WHIP, 6.5 WAR, and 232 ERA+. This was the ninth lowest ERA by a starter in a season to that point in EAB. Sadly, he fractured his elbow in September and couldn’t play for Osaka as they snapped their playoff drought. However, his effort landed Fujiwara his third Pitcher of the Year six years removed from his most recent one.

The Orange Sox bought out the last year of Fujiwara’s contract, but signed him to another three-year, $6,360,000. He had a setback to the elbow injury in spring training, not making his 1997 debut until May. In his fourth start, Fujiwara fractured the elbow once more. This effectively ended his career, as he retired in the winter at age 36. Osaka immediately honored Fujiwara by retiring his #32 uniform.

The career line for Fujiwara was a 204-128 record, 2.49 ERA, 3202.1 innings, 3049 strikeouts, 490 walks, 309/421 quality starts, 78 complete games, 134 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 82.2 WAR. His rate stats sit quite well on the leaderboards, although his comparatively low innings per year kept him from popping when it came to counting stats. Still, Fujiwara did more than enough to earn his spot in the 2003 Hall of Fame class at 98.3%. You would be hard pressed to find many 1-2-3 HOF lineups better than EAB’s 2003 group.

05-13-2024, 12:20 PM	#1240
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,847	2003 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) *Seong-Jun Myong – Starting Pitcher – Sapporo Swordfish – 98.3% First Ballot* Seong-Jun Myong was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Busan, South Korea’s second most populous city. Myong had great control with very good movement and solid stuff. His velocity peaked in the 95-97 mph range with a four pitch arsenal of slider, splitter, cutter, curveball. Myong had very strong stamina with pretty good durability for most of his run, tossing 220+ innings in 15 consecutive seasons. Myong earned a lot of respect in the game for an impressive work ethic. He was loyal and adaptable, generally viewed as a great clubhouse presence. As far as pitchers go, he was a good batter too, winning Silver Sluggers in 1986 and 1987. Myong had a .201 batting average for his career with 177 hits, 56 runs, and 77 RBI over his career. Ahead of the 1979 EAB Draft, Myong was a highly touted prospect for the Korea League. So much so that Bucheon picked him with the #1 overall pick and immediately made him a full-time starter. The Bolts were an 1978 expansion team and hoped Myong could be their future. Myong wasn’t quite ready as a rookie, leading in 1980 in losses with a lousy 4.97 ERA. He showed much improvement in his sophomore season, although his stats were merely average. Myong emerged as a legitimate ace with 6+ WAR in his third and fourth seasons with the Bolts. Still, the expansion Bucheon franchise stunk and wouldn’t post their first winning season until 1989. Myong saw notable regression in 1984 with a 4.37 ERA. He didn’t look much better to start 1985 and Bucheon was worried this was going to be his peak. In June 1985, the Bolts traded Myong to Sapporo for SS Eiya Nakao and C Yaturo Ueda. Neither would be all-stars, but Bucheon did get roughly a decade’s worth of starts out of them. For Myong, his Bucheon stats saw a 73-95 record, 3.90 ERA, 1666.2 innings, 1263 strikeouts, 282 walks, 100 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 24.5 WAR. While by no means a bad pitcher, higher expectations came with the #1 overall pick. Sapporo hoped they could unlock Myong’s potential and ultimately they did, as he was a key piece for them for the next decade. Myong looked good in 1986, tossing the most innings in the Japan League and earning a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting. After his turnaround in 1986, Sapporo gave Myong a seven-year, $7,640,000 extension. He’d look great the next three seasons with 8.6, 8.0, and 7.9 WAR. Myong was second in 1987 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the top honor in 1988. That year had career highs in strikeouts (298), innings (278.2), and quality starts (28), He took second again in POTY voting in 1989. Sapporo had control of the North Division from 1985-89, but couldn’t win a playoff series in any of their five playoff berths. Myong mostly looked strong in the postseason despite the Swordfish failures. He also pitched for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship from 1981-89, posting a 3.86 ERA over 116.2 innings, 126 strikeouts, 97 ERA+, and 2.1 WAR. The early 1990s was a downswing for Sapporo, who had four straight losing seasons from 1990-93. Myong kept on trucking, keeping his ERA at or below 2.50. At age 35 in 1993, he regressed to a 3.40 ERA, although advanced stats suggested he got some bad bounces. 1994 was the last year of his deal and Myong had a great resurgence with a 2.17 ERA, the second lowest of his career. He earned third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Sapporo made it back to the playoffs in 1994, but Myong missed the postseason to biceps tendinitis. He looked good enough though that the Swordfish gave him another three years and $6,560,000. Myong looked good in the front end of 1995, but a torn labrum that summer put his future in serious doubt. He worked his way back in 1996 at age 38 and still put up respectable numbers, reaching 4000 career strikeouts. Myong had a 2.62 ERA in the playoffs as Sapporo lost to Hiroshima in the JLCS. In 1997, Myong was the 11^th EAB pitcher to 250 career wins. He was only a part-time starter with 158 innings, although he had a role to play. Myong had a 1.50 ERA over 18 playoff innings as Sapporo won their first Japan League of Myong’s tenure. They lost to Yongin in the EAB final. For his playoff career, Myong had a 2.44 ERA over 96 innings, 79 strikeouts, 136 ERA+, and 2.6 WAR. He decided to retire that winter at age 40 and Sapporo retired his #46 uniform. The Swordfish would go onto win the 1998 EAB Championship and ownership gave Myong a commemorative ring for his long service with the team. Myong finished with a 254-216 record, 3.02 ERA, 4388.1 innings, 4147 strikeouts, 662 walks, 369/550 quality starts, 192 complete games, 117 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 94.9 WAR. At induction, he was 11^th in wins, 12^th in strikeouts, and 12^th in pitching WAR. Myong remains in the top 20 in each as of 2037. He’s also sixth all-time in complete games. It was an impressive career for a guy who some though was a #1 pick bust after his first few seasons. Myong got 98.3% for a first ballot induction, standing beside two other stellar pitchers in the 2003 class. Rikiya Fujiwara – Starting Pitcher – Osaka Orange Sox – 98.3% First Ballot Rikiya Fujiwara was a 6’3’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Kakogawa, a city with roughly 250,000 people not far from Kobe in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture. Fujiwara was a well-rounded pitcher with above average to good stuff, movement, and control. His velocity only peaked at 94-96 mph on his fastball, but he had a filthy slider, plus a good cutter and okay changeup. Fujiwara’s stamina was on the lower end among contemporary aces. He maximized his innings though as he was excellent at holding runners and good defensively. Fujiwara was a hot prospect out of Itami Kita High School with many Japanese teams looking at getting him. His Hall of Fame classmate Seong-Jun Myong was the #1 overall pick in EAB’s 1979 Draft and the first Korea League pick. Fujiwara would be the #2 overall pick and the first in the Japan League, selected by Osaka. He ultimately played all 16 years of his pro career with the Orange Sox. Fujiwara would spend 1980 and 1981 in developmental before debuting in 1982 at age 21. Fujiwara was a part-time starter in his rookie season, then a full-time after that. He looked merely average in his first three years, but he started to rise alongside Osaka. From 1986-1993, Fujiwara had eight consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR. He first started getting award consideration during this run, taking second in 1986 Pitcher of the Year voting, third in 1987, and second in 1988. Osaka completed its rebuild in 1985, ending a 27-year playoff drought and starting a six-year division title streak. The Orange Sox won the EAB championship in 1985 and 1989, but fell in the first round the other years. Fujiwara was especially big in the 1989 run with a 0.78 ERA over 34.2 innings. For his playoff career, Fujiwara had a 1.78 ERA in 86 innings, 72 strikeouts, and 2.0 WAR. Early 1988 saw his first contract extension, albeit a short one at three years and $3,700,000. Fujiwara led in ERA in 1988, then led with a career and league-best 318 strikeouts and 8.8 WAR in 1989. That earned him his first Pitcher of the Year award. Fujiwara followed it up with a JL best 1.72 ERA and 0.75 WHIP to repeat as Pitcher of the Year. This season also had a 12 strikeout, one walk no-hitter on April 21 against Nagoya. In May 1991, Fujiwara finally got the long-term extension for six years and $8,400,000, Fujiwara was still very good in the early years of this deal, but not a league leader. Osaka retreated towards the middle of the standings with a five-year playoff drought. As his stamina started to wane, Fujiwara began seeing more split use between the bullpen and rotation. In 1995, elbow inflammation would cost him four months. His career was starting to look like it was approaching its end. Fujiwara had one last great season in him with a career best 1.44 ERA in 1996, along with a 0.75 WHIP, 6.5 WAR, and 232 ERA+. This was the ninth lowest ERA by a starter in a season to that point in EAB. Sadly, he fractured his elbow in September and couldn’t play for Osaka as they snapped their playoff drought. However, his effort landed Fujiwara his third Pitcher of the Year six years removed from his most recent one. The Orange Sox bought out the last year of Fujiwara’s contract, but signed him to another three-year, $6,360,000. He had a setback to the elbow injury in spring training, not making his 1997 debut until May. In his fourth start, Fujiwara fractured the elbow once more. This effectively ended his career, as he retired in the winter at age 36. Osaka immediately honored Fujiwara by retiring his #32 uniform. The career line for Fujiwara was a 204-128 record, 2.49 ERA, 3202.1 innings, 3049 strikeouts, 490 walks, 309/421 quality starts, 78 complete games, 134 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 82.2 WAR. His rate stats sit quite well on the leaderboards, although his comparatively low innings per year kept him from popping when it came to counting stats. Still, Fujiwara did more than enough to earn his spot in the 2003 Hall of Fame class at 98.3%. You would be hard pressed to find many 1-2-3 HOF lineups better than EAB’s 2003 group. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)