[FuzzyRussianHat]

Arab League Baseball’s first Hall of Famer was inducted in 2005. On his third try, pitcher Abdullah Al-Muhafazat earned the distinction, crossing the 66% requirement with 71.6%. One other player was above 50% with CL Khemais Khalid debuting at 50.3%. Fellow reliever Paul Arfaoui got 43.6% on his sixth try, while SP Ilwad Maxamed debuted with 40.2%.



Abdullah Al-Muhafazat – Starting Pitcher – Basra Bulldogs – 71.6% Third Ballot

Abdullah Al-Muhafazat was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Jeddah, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia. Al-Muhafazat had very good stuff, which allowed him to overcome poor control and merely okay movement. His velocity was only 92-94 mph with a cutter, but he knew how to fool you with a curveball, changeup, or splitter. Al-Muhafazat had great stamina and durability. He was hard working and humble, wanting to just keep his head down and get the job done.

When Arab League Baseball officially formed for the 1990 season, Al-Muhafazat was already 29 years old and an eight-year veteran of the various semi-pro offerings in Saudi Arabia. He was viewed as one of the most impressive pitchers for the new league and had a couple franchises angling to get him. Al-Muhafazat ultimately moved to Iraq as Basra gave him a six-year, $5,420,000 deal.

It was an excellent investment for the Bulldogs, as Al-Muhafazat led the Eastern Conference five straight seasons in strikeouts. His 399 Ks in 1994 set the record at the time and still sits fourth best as of 2037. He also led in WAR in 1992 at 10.0 and in 1994 at 9.5 Al-Muhafazat twice led the conference in innings pitched and thrice in quality starts.

He also led in wins in both 1992 and 1994, winning Pitcher of the Year both years. Al-Muhafazat also played third in 1995’s voting. On April 18, 1992, he tossed a no-hitter with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk against Sulaymaniyah. Basra earned conference finals berths in 1993 and 1994, but fell both years to Medina’s dynasty. Al-Muhafazat got rocked in 1993 with a 15.00 ERA in six innings, but was solid with a 2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings in 1994.

Al-Muhafazat also pitched for Saudi Arabia from 1991-96 in the World Baseball Championship. While he dominated the Arab League, he wasn’t ready yet for the global stage. In 12 WBC starts and 75 innings, Al-Muhafazat had a 2-10 record, 6.36 ERA, 100 strikeouts, 21 walks, and -0.5 WAR.

With Basra, Al-Muhafazat had a 108-71 record, 2.61 ERA, 1637.2 innings, 2196 strikeouts, 491 walks, 132 ERA+, and 46.7 WAR. He became a free agent at age 35 and ended up in Egypt on a three-year, $4,700,000 deal with Cairo. Al-Muhafazat had the weakest year of his ALB run, but still had a very solid 4.7 WAR in his 1996 debut.

The Pharaohs also won their first Arab League title in 1996, knocking off Medina in the final. Al-Muhafazat struggled in his one playoff start, allowing seven runs and four earned runs in 3.2 innings. His already low velocity dropped in 1997 and Al-Muhafazat ended up benched after posting a 4.20 ERA in 75 innings and only 59 strikeouts. He retired that winter at age 38.

Al-Muhafazat had a 128-87 record, 2.72 ERA, 1930.1 innings, 2508 strikeouts, 610 walks, 130 ERA+, and 52.1 WAR. It’s an impressive run for seven-and-a-half seasons starting at age 29. Without the late start, he probably would’ve held a notable spot on the leaderboards, especially in strikeouts. However, that short tenure and his playoff struggles made it tough once he popped onto the ballot.

Many voters wanted to wait for someone transcendent to be the Arab League’s first-ever Hall of Famer. Others just thought Al-Muhafazat wasn’t quite there. He got 52.0% and 50.5% in his first two tries, but also lacked much competition. On the third try, Al-Muhafazat won over enough doubters to get to 71.6%. That earned him the distinction in 2005 as ALB’s first-ever Hall of Famer.