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The 2004 ballot for the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame very nearly was a blank one, but two guys managed to just barely cross the 66% requirement. On his debut, SP/OF David Rotinsulu made it in with 68.7%. Fellow pitcher Allen Weller joined him at 67.2% on his fifth try. RF Eric Williams fell just short with 64.1% for his second ballot. The other guy above 50% was RF Ryan Whatley at 54.5% on his eighth go. No players fell off the ballot after ten failed tries.



David Rotinsulu – Pitcher/Outfield – Fiji Freedom – 68.7% First Ballot

David Rotinsulu was a 6’1’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher and outfielder from Diwek, Indonesia; a city of around 41,000 in East Java. Rotinsulu was a two-way guy best known for his pitching talents. He had strong movement, good control, and above average stuff. Rotinsulu’s fastball hit the 97-99 mph range and was mixed with a great slider, good splitter, and okay changeup. He had excellent stamina on the mound, leading the league thrice in complete games.

Offensively, Rotinsulu was a decent contact hitter with a decent eye. He had a good pop in his bat though, averaging in a 162 game average 24 doubles, 11 triples, and 22 home runs per year. Rotinsulu had pretty good speed in his younger days, but his timing and baserunning ability were both lousy.

When playing the field, Rotinsulu mostly split his starts between left and center field, although he also had a few stints at first base. He graded out as decent in left, but firmly mediocre elsewhere. Rotinsulu avoided major injuries in his early years, but would start to break down noticeably in his 30s.

Rotinsulu was a rare Indonesian amateur that opted to play in OBA instead of Austronesia Professional Baseball. With regional restrictions in effect in the OBA Draft, he couldn’t be picked until the fourth round. Fiji snagged him right away in the 1984 OBA Draft with the first pick of the fourth round; the 52^nd pick overall. The Freedom only used him for one game in 1985. In 1986, he started much of the year in center field with middling results, while only making four relief appearances.

1987 marked the beginning of Rotinsulu’s two-way career, leading the Pacific League in wins in 1987 (25-12) and posting 6.9 WAR. That earned him a second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He also had 3.0 WAR over 122 games offensively, which was enough to secure MVP honors and a Silver Slugger. Rotinsulu regressed as a pitcher in 1988, but had a career-best 5.1 WAR and 222 wRC+ offensively. Not only did he win a Silver Slugger as a pitcher, but he also won the one for center fielders. This also led to a second place in MVP voting.

Rotinsulu won four more Silver Sluggers as a pitcher (1989-92) giving him seven total in OBA. 1989 and 1990 both saw 8+ WAR seasons on the mound. He was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1989 and third in 1990, while also getting second in MVP voting. Rotinsulu brought some excitement to Fiji, who at that point were the only Pacific League team without a single pennant. They hovered around the mid-tier most of his run, never winning more than 85 games.

Rotinsulu was third in 1991 MVP voting and second in 1992 to round out his first OBA run. He had some frustration with the lack of success for Fiji and decided to leave for free agency at age 29 after the 1992 season. The Freedom would still retire his #25 uniform eventually for his efforts with the squad.

Pitching for Fiji, Rotinsulu had a 123-79 record, 2.56 ERA, 1875.2 innings, 1782 strikeouts, 365 walks, 115 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 39.7 WAR. Offensively, he had 721 hits, 326 runs, 136 doubles, 63 triples, 110 home runs, 333 RBI, a .275/.324/.500 slash, 170 wRC+, and 24.3 WAR. Rotinsulu would leave for Major League Baseball, inking a six-year, $13,840,000 deal with St. Louis.

On the mound, Rotinsulu was firmly below average during three years for the Cardinals. He didn’t see quite as much time in the field as his OBA days, but he had a decent bat and won a Silver Slugger in 1995 as a pitcher. Rotinsulu posted a 4.05 ERA, 37-40 record, 681.2 innings, 410 strikeouts, 85 ERA+, and 5.6 with St. Louis. Offensively, he had 254 games, 177 hits, 91 runs, a .254/.298/.426 slash, 114 wRC+, and 3.6 WAR.

From 1989-94, Rotinsulu also played for his native Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship. He stunk though with a 5.56 ERA over 100.1 innings, 117 strikeouts, and 66 ERA+ on the mound. Offensively he was 7-40 with a .175/.244/.425 slash and 89 wRC+.

The Cardinals were ultimately underwhelmed with the production given the money paid. At the end of spring training 1996, Rotinsulu was cut. He joined Columbus soon after with a 4.21 ERA in 104.2 innings and 111 wRC+ and 0.4 WAR offensively in 56 games. The Chargers cut him in late July, putting an end to Rotinsulu’s brief MLB experiment.

He came back to the Pacific League to finish 1996 with Honolulu and played decently enough. The Honu won the pennant, but lost to Adelaide in the OBA Championship. This was Rotinsulu’s first postseason and he gave up five runs in eight innings in one start while going 2-15 at the plate. He was a free agent again for 1997 and still only 33 years old, but his stock had been diminished significantly from the MVP days.

In a truly baffling move, MLB’s San Diego Seals apparently thought he was still elite. Rotinsulu earned a four-year, $13,920,000 deal in December 1996, but was released before spring training. He briefly had a minor league deal with Dallas that spring, but was dumped again by late April without playing a single MLB game. Rotinsulu came back to OBA with Christchurch.

He saw limited use in the field but had decent batting stats and average pitching stats. In the winter of 1997, MLB’s Dallas gave him another look with a two-year, $7,520,000 deal. Rotinsulu stunk it up in spring training and was cut in late March. This officially ended his flirtations with MLB.

Rotinsulu played 1998 with Adelaide and missed two months to back spasms. He was merely average at best when he did play, but he did earn a championship ring as Adelaide upset Guam in the final. Rotinsulu made two starts in the series with a lousy 4.85 ERA over 13 innings. He decided to retire that winter at age 34.

As a pitcher in OBA, Rotinsulu had a 147-100 record, 2.68 ERA, 2331 innings, 2153 strikeouts, 450 walks, 206/290 quality starts, 128 complete games, 112 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 45.2 WAR. At the plate, he had 802 hits, 359 runs, 149 doubles, 69 triples, 131 home runs, 392 RBI, a .270/.320/.499 slash, 165 wRC+, and 26.3 WAR. As just a pitcher or batter alone, Rotinsulu definitely wasn’t Hall of Fame worthy. But his combined WAR of 71.5 put him firmly on the borderline.

Rotinsulu was a really unique case that was hard to figure out. He was hurt by only really having around seven good seasons, owing to low accumulations. He was also stuck on forgettable Fiji teams. However, Rotinsulu in his prime was constantly in the MVP conversation. There weren’t any other strong debuts on the 2004 ballot, which may have helped Rotinsulu’s case. He barely made it across the 66% line, but with 68.7%, Rotinsulu earned a first ballot induction in 2004.



Allen Weller – Starting Pitcher – Port Moresby Mud Hens – 67.2% Fifth Ballot

Allen Weller was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Faleula, Samoa; a tiny village of around 2,500 people located 10 kilometers northwest of the capital Apia. Weller threw hard with his tall frame with 97-99 mph peak velocity. His stuff merely graded as good, but he had good movement and solid control. Weller’s great cutter was his best pitch and mixed with a slider and curveball. He was considered a stellar defensive pitcher, winning six Gold Gloves. Weller’s stamina was decent compared to contemporaries, but not outstanding.

While at a baseball camp in Samoa, a teenaged Weller was spotted by a visiting scout from Port Moresby. He signed an amateur deal and made his way to Papua New Guinea in late 1975. Weller officially debuted with two weak relief appearances in 1981 at age 21. He looked decent as a part-time starter in 1982, earning a full-time rotation spot in the next eight years for the Mud Hens.

Weller was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist, but did post four seasons worth 6+ WAR for Port Moresby. He led the league in wins at 22-6 in 1985 and had the most innings in 1986 at 328. Port Moresby won the Oceania Championship in 1985, giving Weller his lone ring. Sadly, a forearm strain suffered in August meant he missed the postseason and ultimately never had a playoff inning in his career.

In May 1987, Weller signed a four-year, $2,598,000 extension with the Mud Hens. Port Moresby began to struggle as the 1980s ended. Weller chugged along, but did lead the Pacific League twice in losses. He would win four straight Gold Gloves for PM from 1987-90. In total with PM, Weller had a 133-137 record, 2.81 ERA, 2574.1 innings, 2416 strikeouts, 103 ERA+, and 44.4 WAR.

Entering the last year of his deal in 1991, Weller was traded by Port Moresby to Melbourne for three prospects. The Mets were excited by Weller and gave him a six-year, $5,700,000 extension before he hit the field. He looked very good in the first two months of 1991, but the 31-year old Weller would be sidelined for seven months with shoulder inflammation.

Weller had very average results in 1992, but did notably toss a no-hitter on May 15 with 11 strikeouts against Sydney. He would win two more Gold Gloves in 1992 and 1993. The 1992 season ended with a fractured elbow, which knocked off some velocity. 1993 was again merely okay and ended with a forearm strain in August.

In his fourth start of 1994, Weller suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. He tried to rehab it, but a setback cost him 14 months total. Weller was under contract for 1995, but was never able to make it back, retiring that winter at age 36. With Melbourne, Weller had a 40-30 record, 2.96 ERA, 667 innings, 586 strikeouts, 106 ERA+, and 11.1 WAR.

Weller finished with a 173-167 record, 2.84 ERA, 3241.1 innings, 3002 strikeouts, 575 walks, 284/406 quality starts, 120 complete games, 104 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 55.5 WAR. In the minds of many in later years, this was much more a “Hall of Pretty Good” type career. In hindsight, Weller is one of the weaker pitcher inductions without big dominant numbers or awards. It seemed initially that he’d be left out, debuting at 40.7% in 2000.

Weller slowly climbed to 42.1%, then 54.1% and 49.4%. 2004 was a very wide open field and Weller managed to win over just enough voters to cross the finish line. He received 67.2% to secure a fifth ballot induction and a spot in the 2004 Hall of Fame class.