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FuzzyRussianHat · 05-22-2024, 05:21 AM

The 2004 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class saw two inductees. 1B Noah Karla led the way as a first-ballot pick, although he only got 75.0%. He was joined by 2B Rodrigo Badillo, who reached the 66.0% requirement exactly on his sixth try. 1B Roy Cote fell short with 60.1% on his seventh try. Four others were above 50%. SP Ollie Husband got 59.0% on his sixth attempt. RF Xavier Chojnacki debuted at 58.2%. RP Alex Cantos had 55.2% in his sixth try and RF Mike Castaneda received 53.0% for his third ballot.

The one guy dropped after ten tries in 2004 was reliever Volker Steeger. The German righty had a 17-year MLB career with eight teams, posting 263 saves and 350 shutdowns, 2.34 ERA, 1003.1 innings, 890 strikeouts, 161 ERA+, and 28.5 WAR. Steeger didn’t have the big save numbers the voters liked, didn’t win Reliever of the Year, or have massive strikeout numbers. Still, Steeger managed to get as high as 46.7% in 1998 before ending at 42.9%.

Also worth a mention was 3B Dalton Melson, who dropped below the 5% minimum in his ninth ballot. He had 2363 hits, 1168 runs, 337 doubles, 425 home runs, 1319 RBI, a .292/.347/.506 slash, 144 wRC+, 77.1 WAR, and three Silver Sluggers. It was a steady career, but he lacked any eye-popping stats. Melson debuted at 25.6% and slowly dropped to 4.9% by the end.

Noah Karla – First Base - Ottawa Elks – 75.0% First Ballot

Noah Karla was a 6’2’’, 195 pound switch-hitting first baseman from Montreal, Quebec. Karla was an outstanding contact hitter who graded out as a 10/10 at his peak. He was also great at avoiding strikeouts and solid at drawing walks. Karla wasn’t a big bopper, but has respectable pop in his bat. He’d average 24 doubles, 13 triples, and 20 home runs per his 162 average.

Karla’s speed was above average to good, but he an absolute master at baserunning. He was remarkably effective at picking his spots for steals and extra bases. Despite that profile, Karla was exclusively a first baseman and a firmly mediocre one defensively. He was a team captain and a tremendous leader, becoming very respected by teammates and fans alike. Karla was also remarkably durable, playing 145+ games each season sans his first and last ones.

Karla left Canada as a teenager to play college baseball in the United States for Michigan State. He was a center fielder with the Spartans and won Silver Sluggers in his sophomore and junior seasons. With MSU in 144 games, Karla had 185 hits, 105 runs, 26 doubles, 29 home runs, 89 RBI, a .329/415/.536 slash, 176 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. In the 1981 MLB Draft, Karla was picked 30^th overall by Ottawa. He would spend nearly his entire 17-year pro career with the Elks.

Ottawa made Karla a starter right away, although they quickly realized he’d need to move to first base and not center field. He had 106 starts and 122 games as a rookie with a .325 average and 2.9 WAR, earning the 1982 Rookie of the Year. He earned the spot on a stellar Elks squad that won 115 games in 1982. Despite this all-time great effort, Ottawa was stunned in the second round of the playoffs by St. Louis.

Karla was the full-time starter each year for the next 15 with the Elks. Ottawa was a regular contender during Karla’s run with nine playoff appearances from 1982-92, five Northeast Division titles, and two National Association pennants. The Elks took the title in 1983 and 1986, winning the 1983 World Series and falling in 1986; both times versus Calgary. Karla was a key contributor in the playoffs, winning 1983 World Series MVP and 1986 NACS MVP. In 66 playoff starts, Karla had 82 hits, 36 runs, 8 doubles, 15 home runs, 44 RBI, a .309/.352/.532 slash, 154 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR.

Karla was steady in the regular season, posting eight seasons worth 5+ WAR from 1983-1991. He led in triples in 1985 with 18, winning his first Silver Slugger. Karla won again in 1987 with a batting title (.342) and lead in OBP (.393), OPS (.920), and wRC+ (164). This was his first time as an MVP finalist, taking second. With that, Ottawa signed Karla to an eight-year, $18,160,000 extension in April 1988.

Karla was third in 1988 MVP voting with back-to-back 7+ WAR seasons. He had a nice 1989, then struggled a bit in 1990. Karla bounced back expertly in 1991, winning his third Silver Slugger and his lone MVP. He led the National Association in runs (109), and total bases (352). Karla also had career highs in WAR (7.8), wRC+ (182), OPS (.943), and home runs (32).

Despite Karla’s individual successes, Ottawa struggled in the postseason after their 1986 pennant. They had four berths between 1988-92, but couldn’t get beyond the second round. The Elks then missed the playoffs from 1993-95. By this point, the now mid 30s Karla was no longer an awards candidate, although he was still a capable starter.

Ottawa got back to the playoffs in 1996, but were one-and-done. His contract was up with the 1996 season, but Karla signed a qualifying offer worth $2,680,000 to stick around one more year. In 1997, he crossed the 1500 runs scored threshold. This was his last notable moment with Ottawa. The team didn’t re-up him after the campaign, but he would remain well liked and popular among the franchise and fans. Ottawa would soon retire Karla’s #4 uniform.

He was a free agent for the first time at age 37 and lacked the power profile most teams wanted out of a first baseman. He was unsigned until Vancouver gave him a minor league deal in late June. Karla had only 21 games and 7 starts with the Volcanoes, preventing him from getting to the 3000 hit threshold he wanted to reach. Karla would earn a World Series ring with the 1998 Vancouver squad, but he wasn’t used in the playoffs. Karla was a free agent again in 1999 and hoped to still play. However, he was unsigned all season and finally retired that winter at age 38.

Karla had 2925 hits, 1571 runs, 373 doubles, 198 triples, 313 home runs, 1262 RBI, 802 walks, 543 stolen bases, a .303/.359/.480 slash, 145 wRC+, and 73.1 WAR. It was a somewhat odd stat line for a first baseman and some voters were turned off by the lack of big power numbers. Karla’s great leadership and playoff successes won over many of the skeptics. Although 75.0% wasn’t a huge number, it got Karla the first ballot inductee and a headline spot for MLB’s 2004 Hall of Fame class.

Rodrigo “Toto” Badillo – Second Base – Atlanta Aces – 66.0% Sixth Ballot

Rodrigo Badillo was a 5’11’’, 190 pound right-handed second baseman from Portugalete, Spain; a town of around 45,700 in the northern Basque region. Badillo would be the first MLB Hall of Fame inductee born in Spain. He was a very good contact hitter that was solid at avoiding strikeouts and respectable at drawing walks. Badillo’s gap power was above average, netting around 28 doubles, 7 triples, and 22 home runs per his 162 average.

Badillo’s speed was good and he was an intelligent and crafty baserunner. Defensively, he played almost exclusively at second base. Badillo was considered a reliably good to sometimes great defender, winning a Gold Glove in 1979. He showed strong durability, playing 140+ game in all but one season from 1977-92. Badillo was smart and loyal, becoming a popular player with fans and teammates.

Badillo left Spain to play college baseball in the United States, ending up at Central Michigan University. In his sophomore season, Badillo helped the Chippewas win the College World Series over Texas A&M, winning MVP of the series. In 147 college games at CMU, Badillo had 168 hits, 105 runs, 23 doubles, 34 home runs, 92 RBI, a .324/.430/.573 slash, 186 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. Badillo was an impressive prospect, but as a foreign born player, the regional restrictions of the draft meant he couldn’t be picked until the fourth round.

With the seventh pick of the fourth round in the 1976 MLB Draft, the 158^th overall pick, Badillo was selected by Atlanta. He was a full-time starter immediately and arguably had the best year of his career as a rookie with a career-best 7.6 WAR, 205 hits, .353/.392/.568 slash, and 153 wRC+. Badillo was the 1977 Rookie of the Year and won his first of six Silver Sluggers.

He would have seven seasons worth 5+ WAR for the Aces, topping the 7+ mark again in 1979 and 1982. Badillo led the American Association with 200 hits in 1982, but otherwise was never a league leader. He won additional Silver Sluggers with Atlanta in 1979, 80, 82, and 85, Early in his run, Badillo signed an eight-year, $8,500,000 contract extension after the 1980 campaign.

In 1981, the Aces came seemingly out of nowhere to win the American Association pennant, falling to Montreal in the World Series. Badillo was AACS MVP and posted 31 hits, 10 runs, 7 extra base hits, and 9 RBI in 16 starts. At the time, he was only the sixth MLB player to get 31 or more hits in a playoff run. Atlanta would go cold after this, missing the playoffs in the next five seasons.

Badillo continued to chug along. He was also popular back home in Spain as a regular in the World Baseball Championship. From 1977-94, Badillo had 161 games and 148 starts, posting 159 hits, 92 runs, 25 doubles, 30 home runs, 72 RBI, a .267/.329/.466 slash, 125 wRC+, and 3.9 WAR. As of 2037, he is Spain’s all-time WBC leader in hits.

Badillo struggled in 1986 with only 0.9 WAR and a 97 wRC+ despite being a full-time starter. He was relegated to a part-time role in 1987 and wasn’t used in the playoffs despite being healthy. Many figured that would be the end for the soon-to-be 32 year old Badillo with the Aces. However, many were surprised by Atlanta giving him a six-year, $10,800,000 extension after the 1987 season.

Badillo never played an inning of that deal with the Aces. In spring training, he and prospect CF Chase Kapczynski were sent to Austin for veteran pitcher Colton Richardson. Thus ended Badillo’s Atlanta run with 1964 hits, 913 runs, 317 doubles, 191 home runs, 917 RBI, a .315/.359/.482 slash, 127 wRC+, and 57.2 WAR.

In his six seasons with the Amigos, Badillo reclaimed the full-time starter role throughout. He was merely decent in his first three seasons In Austin, but had a late renaissance. Badillo had 4.3 WAR in 1991, his first 4+ WAR season since 1985. Then in 1992, Badillo seemingly discovered a balanced breakfast with career bests in home runs (33) and RBI (116) at age 36. That earned him a second place in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist.

Badillo helped the expansion Austin squad to its first-ever playoff berths in 1988, 89, and 92. The Amigos made the AACS in 1988 and 1989, but fell short both times. Badillo’s playoff stats with Austin were weak with 31 starts, a .207/.258/.284 slash, and -0.1 WAR. He had decent career stats anchored by the great 1981 run with Atlanta, posting a .294/.335/.426 career playoff slash, 110 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR.

Badillo looked subpar in 1993 and missed some time to an intercostal strain. That was his final season with Austin, who didn’t re-sign him. Badillo finished his Amigos run with 855 hits, 438 runs, 123 doubles, 127 home runs, 490 RBI, a .268/.317/.446 slash, 111 wRC+, and 18.6 WAR. Badillo still wanted to play, but 38-year old second basemen weren’t exactly in high demand in MLB. To continue his career, he looked back to Europe. Badillo went to the European Baseball Federation on a three-year, $7,920,000 deal with Belgrade.

Badillo had a solid debut season with the Bruisers, even winning the sixth silver Slugger of his career. However, he stunk in 1995 and quickly was benched, only played 62 games with 19 starts. Badillo had 2.5 WAR in total with Belgrade with all of the positive value in the first year. He decided to retire that winter at age 39.

In his MLB career, Badillo had 2819 hits, 1351 runs, 440 doubles, 108 triples, 318 home runs, 1407 RBI, 375 stolen bases, a .299/.345/.470 slash, 122 wRC+, and 75.8 WAR. Among second basemen, he sits 13^th in WAR and 13^th in hits as of 2037. However, the advanced stats suggested Badillo was fairly borderline. He also lacked black ink or gaudy totals, weakening his case with some voters.

Badillo was never below 50%, debuting at 54.4%. He stayed in the 50s his first four ballots, then hit a high of 61.2% in 2003. With a quieter 2004 group, Badillo got the exact requirement needed of 66.0% to earn a sixth ballot addition into the MLB Hall of Fame.

05-22-2024, 05:21 AM	#1266
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,901	2004 MLB Hall of Fame The 2004 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class saw two inductees. 1B Noah Karla led the way as a first-ballot pick, although he only got 75.0%. He was joined by 2B Rodrigo Badillo, who reached the 66.0% requirement exactly on his sixth try. 1B Roy Cote fell short with 60.1% on his seventh try. Four others were above 50%. SP Ollie Husband got 59.0% on his sixth attempt. RF Xavier Chojnacki debuted at 58.2%. RP Alex Cantos had 55.2% in his sixth try and RF Mike Castaneda received 53.0% for his third ballot. The one guy dropped after ten tries in 2004 was reliever Volker Steeger. The German righty had a 17-year MLB career with eight teams, posting 263 saves and 350 shutdowns, 2.34 ERA, 1003.1 innings, 890 strikeouts, 161 ERA+, and 28.5 WAR. Steeger didn’t have the big save numbers the voters liked, didn’t win Reliever of the Year, or have massive strikeout numbers. Still, Steeger managed to get as high as 46.7% in 1998 before ending at 42.9%. Also worth a mention was 3B Dalton Melson, who dropped below the 5% minimum in his ninth ballot. He had 2363 hits, 1168 runs, 337 doubles, 425 home runs, 1319 RBI, a .292/.347/.506 slash, 144 wRC+, 77.1 WAR, and three Silver Sluggers. It was a steady career, but he lacked any eye-popping stats. Melson debuted at 25.6% and slowly dropped to 4.9% by the end. Noah Karla – First Base - Ottawa Elks – 75.0% First Ballot Noah Karla was a 6’2’’, 195 pound switch-hitting first baseman from Montreal, Quebec. Karla was an outstanding contact hitter who graded out as a 10/10 at his peak. He was also great at avoiding strikeouts and solid at drawing walks. Karla wasn’t a big bopper, but has respectable pop in his bat. He’d average 24 doubles, 13 triples, and 20 home runs per his 162 average. Karla’s speed was above average to good, but he an absolute master at baserunning. He was remarkably effective at picking his spots for steals and extra bases. Despite that profile, Karla was exclusively a first baseman and a firmly mediocre one defensively. He was a team captain and a tremendous leader, becoming very respected by teammates and fans alike. Karla was also remarkably durable, playing 145+ games each season sans his first and last ones. Karla left Canada as a teenager to play college baseball in the United States for Michigan State. He was a center fielder with the Spartans and won Silver Sluggers in his sophomore and junior seasons. With MSU in 144 games, Karla had 185 hits, 105 runs, 26 doubles, 29 home runs, 89 RBI, a .329/415/.536 slash, 176 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. In the 1981 MLB Draft, Karla was picked 30^th overall by Ottawa. He would spend nearly his entire 17-year pro career with the Elks. Ottawa made Karla a starter right away, although they quickly realized he’d need to move to first base and not center field. He had 106 starts and 122 games as a rookie with a .325 average and 2.9 WAR, earning the 1982 Rookie of the Year. He earned the spot on a stellar Elks squad that won 115 games in 1982. Despite this all-time great effort, Ottawa was stunned in the second round of the playoffs by St. Louis. Karla was the full-time starter each year for the next 15 with the Elks. Ottawa was a regular contender during Karla’s run with nine playoff appearances from 1982-92, five Northeast Division titles, and two National Association pennants. The Elks took the title in 1983 and 1986, winning the 1983 World Series and falling in 1986; both times versus Calgary. Karla was a key contributor in the playoffs, winning 1983 World Series MVP and 1986 NACS MVP. In 66 playoff starts, Karla had 82 hits, 36 runs, 8 doubles, 15 home runs, 44 RBI, a .309/.352/.532 slash, 154 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. Karla was steady in the regular season, posting eight seasons worth 5+ WAR from 1983-1991. He led in triples in 1985 with 18, winning his first Silver Slugger. Karla won again in 1987 with a batting title (.342) and lead in OBP (.393), OPS (.920), and wRC+ (164). This was his first time as an MVP finalist, taking second. With that, Ottawa signed Karla to an eight-year, $18,160,000 extension in April 1988. Karla was third in 1988 MVP voting with back-to-back 7+ WAR seasons. He had a nice 1989, then struggled a bit in 1990. Karla bounced back expertly in 1991, winning his third Silver Slugger and his lone MVP. He led the National Association in runs (109), and total bases (352). Karla also had career highs in WAR (7.8), wRC+ (182), OPS (.943), and home runs (32). Despite Karla’s individual successes, Ottawa struggled in the postseason after their 1986 pennant. They had four berths between 1988-92, but couldn’t get beyond the second round. The Elks then missed the playoffs from 1993-95. By this point, the now mid 30s Karla was no longer an awards candidate, although he was still a capable starter. Ottawa got back to the playoffs in 1996, but were one-and-done. His contract was up with the 1996 season, but Karla signed a qualifying offer worth $2,680,000 to stick around one more year. In 1997, he crossed the 1500 runs scored threshold. This was his last notable moment with Ottawa. The team didn’t re-up him after the campaign, but he would remain well liked and popular among the franchise and fans. Ottawa would soon retire Karla’s #4 uniform. He was a free agent for the first time at age 37 and lacked the power profile most teams wanted out of a first baseman. He was unsigned until Vancouver gave him a minor league deal in late June. Karla had only 21 games and 7 starts with the Volcanoes, preventing him from getting to the 3000 hit threshold he wanted to reach. Karla would earn a World Series ring with the 1998 Vancouver squad, but he wasn’t used in the playoffs. Karla was a free agent again in 1999 and hoped to still play. However, he was unsigned all season and finally retired that winter at age 38. Karla had 2925 hits, 1571 runs, 373 doubles, 198 triples, 313 home runs, 1262 RBI, 802 walks, 543 stolen bases, a .303/.359/.480 slash, 145 wRC+, and 73.1 WAR. It was a somewhat odd stat line for a first baseman and some voters were turned off by the lack of big power numbers. Karla’s great leadership and playoff successes won over many of the skeptics. Although 75.0% wasn’t a huge number, it got Karla the first ballot inductee and a headline spot for MLB’s 2004 Hall of Fame class. Rodrigo “Toto” Badillo – Second Base – Atlanta Aces – 66.0% Sixth Ballot Rodrigo Badillo was a 5’11’’, 190 pound right-handed second baseman from Portugalete, Spain; a town of around 45,700 in the northern Basque region. Badillo would be the first MLB Hall of Fame inductee born in Spain. He was a very good contact hitter that was solid at avoiding strikeouts and respectable at drawing walks. Badillo’s gap power was above average, netting around 28 doubles, 7 triples, and 22 home runs per his 162 average. Badillo’s speed was good and he was an intelligent and crafty baserunner. Defensively, he played almost exclusively at second base. Badillo was considered a reliably good to sometimes great defender, winning a Gold Glove in 1979. He showed strong durability, playing 140+ game in all but one season from 1977-92. Badillo was smart and loyal, becoming a popular player with fans and teammates. Badillo left Spain to play college baseball in the United States, ending up at Central Michigan University. In his sophomore season, Badillo helped the Chippewas win the College World Series over Texas A&M, winning MVP of the series. In 147 college games at CMU, Badillo had 168 hits, 105 runs, 23 doubles, 34 home runs, 92 RBI, a .324/.430/.573 slash, 186 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. Badillo was an impressive prospect, but as a foreign born player, the regional restrictions of the draft meant he couldn’t be picked until the fourth round. With the seventh pick of the fourth round in the 1976 MLB Draft, the 158^th overall pick, Badillo was selected by Atlanta. He was a full-time starter immediately and arguably had the best year of his career as a rookie with a career-best 7.6 WAR, 205 hits, .353/.392/.568 slash, and 153 wRC+. Badillo was the 1977 Rookie of the Year and won his first of six Silver Sluggers. He would have seven seasons worth 5+ WAR for the Aces, topping the 7+ mark again in 1979 and 1982. Badillo led the American Association with 200 hits in 1982, but otherwise was never a league leader. He won additional Silver Sluggers with Atlanta in 1979, 80, 82, and 85, Early in his run, Badillo signed an eight-year, $8,500,000 contract extension after the 1980 campaign. In 1981, the Aces came seemingly out of nowhere to win the American Association pennant, falling to Montreal in the World Series. Badillo was AACS MVP and posted 31 hits, 10 runs, 7 extra base hits, and 9 RBI in 16 starts. At the time, he was only the sixth MLB player to get 31 or more hits in a playoff run. Atlanta would go cold after this, missing the playoffs in the next five seasons. Badillo continued to chug along. He was also popular back home in Spain as a regular in the World Baseball Championship. From 1977-94, Badillo had 161 games and 148 starts, posting 159 hits, 92 runs, 25 doubles, 30 home runs, 72 RBI, a .267/.329/.466 slash, 125 wRC+, and 3.9 WAR. As of 2037, he is Spain’s all-time WBC leader in hits. Badillo struggled in 1986 with only 0.9 WAR and a 97 wRC+ despite being a full-time starter. He was relegated to a part-time role in 1987 and wasn’t used in the playoffs despite being healthy. Many figured that would be the end for the soon-to-be 32 year old Badillo with the Aces. However, many were surprised by Atlanta giving him a six-year, $10,800,000 extension after the 1987 season. Badillo never played an inning of that deal with the Aces. In spring training, he and prospect CF Chase Kapczynski were sent to Austin for veteran pitcher Colton Richardson. Thus ended Badillo’s Atlanta run with 1964 hits, 913 runs, 317 doubles, 191 home runs, 917 RBI, a .315/.359/.482 slash, 127 wRC+, and 57.2 WAR. In his six seasons with the Amigos, Badillo reclaimed the full-time starter role throughout. He was merely decent in his first three seasons In Austin, but had a late renaissance. Badillo had 4.3 WAR in 1991, his first 4+ WAR season since 1985. Then in 1992, Badillo seemingly discovered a balanced breakfast with career bests in home runs (33) and RBI (116) at age 36. That earned him a second place in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. Badillo helped the expansion Austin squad to its first-ever playoff berths in 1988, 89, and 92. The Amigos made the AACS in 1988 and 1989, but fell short both times. Badillo’s playoff stats with Austin were weak with 31 starts, a .207/.258/.284 slash, and -0.1 WAR. He had decent career stats anchored by the great 1981 run with Atlanta, posting a .294/.335/.426 career playoff slash, 110 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. Badillo looked subpar in 1993 and missed some time to an intercostal strain. That was his final season with Austin, who didn’t re-sign him. Badillo finished his Amigos run with 855 hits, 438 runs, 123 doubles, 127 home runs, 490 RBI, a .268/.317/.446 slash, 111 wRC+, and 18.6 WAR. Badillo still wanted to play, but 38-year old second basemen weren’t exactly in high demand in MLB. To continue his career, he looked back to Europe. Badillo went to the European Baseball Federation on a three-year, $7,920,000 deal with Belgrade. Badillo had a solid debut season with the Bruisers, even winning the sixth silver Slugger of his career. However, he stunk in 1995 and quickly was benched, only played 62 games with 19 starts. Badillo had 2.5 WAR in total with Belgrade with all of the positive value in the first year. He decided to retire that winter at age 39. In his MLB career, Badillo had 2819 hits, 1351 runs, 440 doubles, 108 triples, 318 home runs, 1407 RBI, 375 stolen bases, a .299/.345/.470 slash, 122 wRC+, and 75.8 WAR. Among second basemen, he sits 13^th in WAR and 13^th in hits as of 2037. However, the advanced stats suggested Badillo was fairly borderline. He also lacked black ink or gaudy totals, weakening his case with some voters. Badillo was never below 50%, debuting at 54.4%. He stayed in the 50s his first four ballots, then hit a high of 61.2% in 2003. With a quieter 2004 group, Badillo got the exact requirement needed of 66.0% to earn a sixth ballot addition into the MLB Hall of Fame. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)