[FuzzyRussianHat]

Three players were first ballot additions into the European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2007. Two-way star Daniel Ramires and 1B Robin Morrison were both no-doubters at 98.5% and 97.8%, respectively. Joining them was SP Frank Edel with 76.5%. SP Joe Faulkner was a heartbreaking miss, falling just short of the 66% requirement in his tenth and final try at 65.8%.



Both RF Bernard Martin (61.0%, 3^rd ballot) and 3B Thomas Indiani (60.3%, 8^th) were above the 60% mark. Four other returners were above 50% with CF Luca Wouterson (56.6%, 8^th), 1B Luigi Cuttone (54.0%, 3^rd), SP Reggie Hobart (54.0%, 4^th), and LF Kenneth Hammer (51.1%, 6^th).

For Joe Faulkner, he had a rollercoaster ride with a debut at 44.1% in 1998. He got to 55.2% in 2005, but then dropped to 16.6% in 2006. There was a big push in 2007 to get him in on his last chance, but alas, he ended up two points short at 65.8%. He had a 14-year career between London and Madrid, posting a 198-138 record, 3.26 ERA, 3088.1 innings, 2907 strikeouts, 115 ERA+, and 64.3 WAR.

Faulkner didn’t have awards, league leading stats, or major longevity, He did win two titles with Madrid and had a 2.79 ERA and 7-0 record in 58 playoff innings But that wasn’t enough to get the Englishman across the line, forever banishing him to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Daniel Ramires – Pitcher/Left Field – Lisbon Clippers – 98.5% First Ballot

Daniel Ramires was a 6’0’’, 200 pound pitcher and outfielder from Leiria, a city of 128,000 in central Portugal. Ramires was one of the all-time great two-way guys and showed remarkable durability and adaptability in his career. He had excellent stamina on the mound, leading the Southern Conference four times in innings pitched and thrice in complete games. He tossed 235+ innings each year from 1986-1999, while also remarkably getting 400+ at-bats in all but one of those seasons.

As a pitcher, Ramires had solid stuff, excellent movement, and very good control. His fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range, but he mixed it with a great splitter, good slider, and occasional changeup. Ramires was also an outstanding defensive pitcher, winning seven Gold Gloves over the course of his career. He regularly went deep into games and was a Hall of Fame level guy just on his pitching alone.

At the plate, Ramires was a good contact hitter with a great eye and decent strikeout rate. He had very good gap power, averaging 26 doubles and 9 triples per his 162 game average. Ramires also had 27 homers per 162 games, showing plenty of pop in his bat. He was especially good against lefties with a .959 OPS and 159 wRC+, compared to his .840 OPS and 132 wRC+ versus righties.

Ramires didn’t have blistering speed, but he was an above average baserunner and stealer in his prime. The vast majority of his non-pitching starts were in left field, although he did see games at almost every spot. In left, Ramires was considered a reliably average to above average defender. Few players in all of baseball history had the versatility of Ramires.

The two-way talent was evident as Ramires worked his way to the college ranks. In the 1984 EBF Draft, Barcelona picked him with the #1 overall pick. Ramires was a full-timer in the field as a rookie and part-timer on the mound, posting unremarkable results. He was a full-timer both ways after that. With the Bengals, his pitching stats were quite unremarkable. Over five seasons, he had a 61-59 record, 4.09 ERA, 1062 innings, 786 strikeouts, 97 ERA+, and 13.9 WAR. Ramires would win his first Gold Glove in 1988.

Ramires was a starter quality bat with the Bengals with 11.3 WAR, 634 hits, 309 runs, 109 doubles, 53 triples, 92 home runs, 353 RBI, a .279/.320/.494 slash, and 118 wRC+. However, Barcelona was disappointed that he wasn’t particularly elite at either side. This was during a major down period for the Bengals, who averaged 66.6 wins per season during Ramires’ short run there.

Many weren’t quite sure what to make of Ramires, who was due for free agency in 1991. Before the 1990 season, Barcelona traded him to Munich for SS Luc Boulet and 1B Lionel Wackerlin. In his one year with the Mavericks, Ramires emerged as the force that many had expected he would be when he was drafted first overall.

On the mound, he posted a 23-7 record, 2.62 ERA, 295 innings, 254 strikeouts, and 8.5 WAR; taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. At the plate, he had 4.7 WAR in 125 games, 26 home runs, a .970 OPS, and 164 wRC+. Ramires was second in MVP voting and helped Munich extend its postseason streak to eight years, although Madrid upset them in the Southern Conference Championship. He also won his first Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

Now a free agent at age 28, Ramires returned to his native Portugal with a six-year, $10,280,000 deal with Lisbon. The country really hadn’t had a mega-star player with the lone Portuguese Hall of Famer to date being closer Ringo Barros in 1982. Ramires would very quickly become the face of baseball for the entire country.

He had already been a regular for the World Baseball Championship dating back to 1986, playing each year for Portugal through 2006. On the mound, Ramires had a 3.18 ERA, 254.2 innings, 14-14 record, 262 strikeouts, 87 walks, 113 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR. At the plate, he had 112 games, 82 hits, 50 runs, 19 doubles, 23 home runs, 46 RBI, 16 stolen bases, a .214/.315/.448 slash, 118 wRC+, and 2.9 WAR.

Lisbon had lost in the European Championship in 1989, then narrowly missed the playoffs in 1990. They were already ready to contend, but Ramires helped them become a regular force. The Clippers had nine straight playoff appearances with seven Southwest Division titles during his nine years with the team. Lisbon had six Southern Conference Championship appearances and won the pennant in 1992, 1995, and 1997. In 1995, the Clippers beat Dublin to earn the franchise’s second-ever European Championship.

Ramires really excelled as a pitcher during the Lisbon run, leading the conference four times in wins, three times in innings pitched, twice in strikeouts, and once in WAR. He had 5+ WAR on the mound all nine seasons and topped 7+ WAR six times. Ramires had a career best 9.3 WAR, 313 strikeouts, and 25-10 record in 1994, winning his lone Pitcher of the Year. He was also third in POTY in 1993 and second in 1996. Ramires also picked six straight Gold Gloves as a pitcher from 1993-98.

At the plate, Ramires won Silver Sluggers in 1991, 96, 97, 98, and 99. From 1991-97, he had above 4+ WAR each season, peaking with 5.9 WAR, 32 home runs, a .344 average, and 1.051 OPS in 1995. That won Ramires his first MVP with a repeat in 1996. His combined WARs of 13.7 in 1994, 14.1 in 1995, and 14.0 in 1996 were among the all-time bests in EBF history. Ramires was third in 1993’s MVP voting, second in 1994, and third in 1997.

Most impressively, Ramires was elite in the playoffs for Lisbon, especially at the plate. He was named conference finals MVP in both 1992 and 1995. In 84 games offensively, Ramires had 102 hits, 47 runs, 19 doubles, 8 triples, 20 home runs, 62 RBI, 19 stolen bases, a .334/.365/.646 slash, 178 wRC+, and 4.5 WAR. On the mound, he had a 14-8 record, 3.48 ERA, 213.2 innings, 191 strikeouts, 22 walks, 111 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 5.9 WAR.

Lisbon had extended Ramires in April for $10,080,000 and four seasons. He didn’t slow down as a pitcher at all into his mid 30s, but his power did wane a bit offensively. Still, in his last year he posted 7.0 WAR as a pitcher and 2.3 WAR offensively. Ramires did surprise many by declining his contract option, becoming a free agent at age 37. Some Clippers fans were disappointed and their playoff streak promptly ended, keeping them around .500 for the next decade.

Ramires was beloved though in Portugal and Lisbon would retire his #30 uniform. On the mound for the Clippers, he had a 183-85 record, 3.14 ERA, 2518.2 innings, 2413 strikeouts, 441 walks, 122 ERA+, and 65.1 WAR. At the plate, he had 1208 hits, 674 runs, 207 doubles, 208 home runs, 709 RBI, a .315/.373/.572 slash, 158 wRC+, and 42.1 WAR. Although he still had seven more years of pro baseball ahead, his time in Europe ended with the 1999 season.

Ramires signed a three-year, $13,680,000 deal with Virginia Beach to begin his MLB career. 2000 was injury ridden, although he looked good when healthy, still winning his seventh Silver Slugger. Ramires was a strong batter in 2001 with 4.0 WAR, but had negative WAR on the mound. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year of his deal, becoming a free agent at age 39.

2002 was spent in Tampa with lackluster results and ended with a forearm strain in August. Ramires then bounced around in Montreal in 2003, Charlotte in 2004, Tampa again in 2005, and Oklahoma City in 2006. At this point, he was mediocre at best on both sides. Ramires retired after the 2006 season at age 43.

For his MLB years, Ramires on the mound had a 38-40 record, 3.85 ERA, 708.2 innings, 358 strikeouts, 95 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. At the plate, he had 512 games, 348 hits, 206 runs, 56 doubles, 69 home runs, 183 RBI, a .231/.314/.416 slash, 115 wRC+, and 5.7 WAR.

In his entire pro career, Ramires the pitcher had a 305-191 record, 3.44 ERA, 4584.1 innings, 3811 strikeouts, 1004 walks, 352 quality starts, 187 complete games, 112 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 90.8 WAR. Ramires the batter had 2424 games, 2239 hits, 1262 runs, 392 doubles, 146 triples, 395 home runs, 1318 RBI, 377 stolen bases, a .290/.347/.522 slash, 139 wRC+, and 63.7 WAR. His combined 154.5 WAR was the third-most of any two-way guy to that point, behind only EPB great Igor Bury (180.0), and EBF’s Edgar Miranda (157.6). Ramires still ranks fourth as of 2037.

Just in EBF, Ramires had a 267-151 record, 3.36 ERA, 3875.2 innings, 3453 strikeouts, 774 walks, 309/500 quality starts, 164 complete games, 115 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 87.5 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 20^th in pitching WAR, seventh in wins, and 34^th in strikeouts. Based on only his pitching resume, Ramires was likely a slam dunk Hall of Famer.

At the plate in EBF, he had 1991 hits, 1058 runs, 336 doubles, 138 triples, 326 home runs, 1135 RBI, 349 stolen bases, a .304/.355/.546 slash, 145 wRC+, and 58.0 WAR. Plus, he led Lisbon to a nine-year playoff streak, three conference titles, and one EBF title. Ramires was one of the most dynamic players in pro baseball history and was an easy Hall of Famer, headlining EBF’s 2007 class at 98.5%.