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Thomas “The Tank” Indiani – Third Base – Amsterdam Anacondas – 72.8% Ninth Ballot

Thomas Indiani was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Cabras, Italy; a commune of 9,000 people on the island of Sardinia. He earned the nickname “The Tank” at a young age for his childhood love of Thomas the Tank Engine. Indiani often saw a leadoff role and was known as a great contact hitter. He was excellent at avoiding strikeouts, but around average at drawing walks.

Indiani had very good gap power, averaging 30 doubles and 12 triples per his 162 game average. Despite being “the tank,” he wasn’t a home run hitter, usually getting around 10-20 per year. Indiani had very good speed with excellent baserunning instincts.

Defensively, he was a career third baseman and graded out as consistently strong. Indiani would win Gold Gloves in 1984 and 1993. He would run into some injury woes in his 30s, but stayed in the game for 18 years. Indiani was a hard worker and became a fan favorite with his #40 uniform being a common sight at Amsterdam games.

Indiani was spotted in January 1973 as a teenage amateur from a Dutch scout visiting Italy. They signed him to a developmental deal with Amsterdam and he spent six years in their academy. Indiani debuted in 1979 at age 22, playing 71 games with two starts. He saw 113 games and 30 starts the next year.

Indiani took the full-time gig in 1981 and held it for the next seven years. Amsterdam very quickly opted to lock him up, signing an eight-year, $5,310,000 extension in the summer of 1983. In his early to mid 20s, Indiani put up elite numbers with six straight seasons worth 6+ WAR.

He won batting titles in 1983 and 1986 and led both seasons in hits as well. Indiani also led the Northern Conference in doubles in 1982 and 1983, peaking with 44 in 1983. 1982 was a career best 9.7 WAR, while 1986 had his EBF bests in average (.376), OBP (.415), OPS (.973), runs (114), and RBI (129).

Without home runs, Indiani wasn’t generally in awards conversations. His lone Silver Slugger came in 1986 with a third place in MVP voting. Indiani was a critical piece though of a dynasty run for Amsterdam. From 1982-89, the Anacondas won three European Championships, six conference titles, and seven division titles. They won it all in 1983, 1984, and 1989; with additional pennants in 1986, 87, and 88.

Indiani came through clutch in the playoffs, winning conference finals MVP in 1984. Over 98 games and 80 playoff starts, Indiani had 109 hits, 56 runs, 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 25 walks, 39 stolen bases, a .335/.392/.492 slash, 149 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. Although certainly acknowledged by Amsterdam fans, Indiani was a much underappreciated part of their dynasty run.

Additionally, Indiani was well liked by home in Italy as a regular in the World Baseball Championship. His stats were more average there with 153 games and 137 starts from 1981-96. Indiani had 143 hits, 74 runs, 29 doubles, 7 triples, 8 home runs, 37 RBI, 73 stolen bases, a .260/.326/.381 slash, 99 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR.

In 1988, Indiani lost six weeks to a knee sprain. When he came back, his stats took a dip and he lost the starting gig to T.J. Hill. Hill looked excellent and Indiani was relegated to the bench in 1989 and 1990. He was still well liked by fans and officials, but they had moved on from him as a prominent piece.

Indiani declined his contract option after the 1990 season, becoming a free agent at age 34. He felt like he was still a starting quality player and wanted to prove that. There were teams who agreed with that assessment, most notably MLB’s Austin Amigos. They signed Indiani to a four-year, $7,520,000 deal.

Indeed, Indiani proved he could still go at a high level, posting 4.2, 5.1, and 6.2 WAR seasons with Austin. He won a Gold Glove in 1993 and finished his MLB run with 15.5 WAR, 120 wRC+, 516 hits, 255 runs, 71 doubles, 58 home runs, 211 RBI, 118 stolen bases, a .292/.344/.457 slash, and 120 wRC+.

Indiani declined his fourth year option with Austin, as he wanted to return to Europe. He was still popular in Amsterdam and the Anacondas gave him another shot. Indiani was on pace for a banner year with 5.3 WAR over 104 games. Unfortunately, a fractured foot would knock him out for two months.

Amsterdam missed the playoffs in four straight years, but made it back to the conference final in Indiani’s return. They would fall to Birmingham, but Indiani would have a nice final hurrah for the Anacondas. The franchise would later retire his #40 uniform and he would remain a popular figure for many years to come.

That was the end of Indiani’s EBF career though, a free agent again at age 38. Despite his production, most teams didn’t want to commit big money to someone his age. He ended up finding a home in Madagascar of all places, signing a two-year, $3,320,000 with Antananarivo of the African Association of Baseball.

Indiani had a stellar debut season for the Eagles, leading the conference in average, OBP, WAR, and runs. He was still looking good in 1996 until a fractured fibula took him out for the second half. In AAB, Indiani had 9.7 WAR in 209 games, 236 hits, 150 runs, 55 doubles, 25 home runs, 108 RBI, a .320/.413/.504 slash, and 158 wRC+.

He didn’t want to call it quits with that, but Indiani again surprisingly couldn’t find any takers. He was unsigned in 1997 and retired that winter at age 40. For his entire pro career, Indiani had 2447 hits, 1269 runs, 410 doubles, 161 triples, 194 home runs, 1121 RBI, 868 stolen bases, a .323/.378/.496 slash, 144 wRC+, and 87.9 WAR. That grand total is probably enough to get into any Hall of Fame.

However, his EBF tenure with Amsterdam was hurt by only being around 10 full seasons worth of stats. Indiani had 1695 hits, 864 runs, 284 doubles, 134 triples, 111 home runs, 802 RBI, 636 stolen bases, a .334/.384/.509 slash, 150 wRC+, and 62.7 WAR. Few players had been inducted with less than 2000 hits and 1000 runs, and most of those were guys who were outstanding for 6-7 years before leaving for MLB.

Indiani didn’t have the awards or the home run power to overcome the low accumulations for many voters. Supporters pointed out his great playoff stats and prominent role in Amsterdam’s great 1980s dynasty. He was also just a likeable guy, but he seemed destined for the Hall of Pretty Good initially. Indiani debuted in 2000 at only 33.0%, a long way from the 66% requirement.

Indiani slowly gained traction, making it into the 40s in 2002 and the 50s in 2004. He got to 60.9% in 2006 and 60.3% in 2007, coming close but running out of time. On Indiani’s ninth attempt, he finally got the boost he needed to earn induction at 72.8%. He had the second highest percentage of the three players in the 2008 EBF Hall of Fame class.



Kenneth Hammer – First Base – Amsterdam Anacondas – 66.9% Seventh Ballot

Kenneth Hammer was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Vestbjerg, a town of less than 3,000 people in northern Denmark. Hammer was great at putting the ball in play as he had great contact skills. He was quite good at avoiding strikeouts, but he was subpar at drawing walks. Hammer’s gap power was fantastic with 40 doubles and 6 triples per his 162 game average. He could hit homers at a solid clip too with 32 per 162 games. Hammer was stronger against righties with a 168 wRC+ and .977 OPS, compared to a 134 wRC+ and .827 OPS against lefties.

Hammer was a crafty baserunner who could get sneaky steals despite having average-at-best speed. His range was poor though as a career left fielder, grading out as a terrible defender. Hammer was a smart guy and became a popular player in a relatively brief career.

He was just out of high school when he was picked in the 1985 EBF Draft. Amsterdam selected Hammer 23^rd overall, but he spent his first few years on the reserve roster. Spots were hard to crack anyway as the Anacondas were in the middle of the great 1980s dynasty. Hammer debuted in 1989 at age 23 with 87 games and 40 starts. He had five pinch hit at-bats in the playoffs as Amsterdam won the European Championship.

Hammer earned a full-time starting spot in 1990 and had an impressive breakout season, leading the conference with 52 doubles. At the time, that was only the sixth time an EBF player had reached 50+ doubles in a season. Hammer also had 39 home runs, but Amsterdam fell short of the playoffs. He didn’t have much crossover with his Hall of Fame classmate Thomas Indiani.

Hammer’s strongest years were during a relative lull for Amsterdam post-dynasty. They won 80+ games each year from 1990-96, but made the playoffs only twice. In both 1994 and 1996, they won 100+ games, but lost in the Northern Conference Championship. You couldn’t blame Hammer, who had 193 wRC+ and a 1.088 OPS in 26 playoff games.

In 1994, he breached 50 doubles again with a conference-best 51. Hammer also led in 1991 with 445. In 1993 and 1996, he led both seasons in batting average, OBP, OPS, and wRC+. Hammer also led in slugging in 1996 with .656. That year saw a career-best 8.8 WAR, winning his lone MVP. Hammer also won Silver Sluggers in 1993, 1994, and 1996.

From 1990-2001, Hammer also played for his home country Denmark in the World Baseball Championship. He had 101 games and 93 starts, posting 107 hits, 52 runs, 19 doubles, 20 home runs, 63 RBI, a .301/.355/.546 slash, 158 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR.

Amsterdam fans liked Hammer, but they couldn’t get him to commit to a long-term deal. He was at a crossroads after his 1996 MVP season and decided to give free agency a shot entering his age 31 season. Hammer’s stock was never going to be higher. It disappointed many Anacondas fans, but he’d remain popular and later see his #19 uniform retired.

Hammer made the trip to the United States and signed a four-year, $13,520,000 deal with MLB’s San Diego. A sprained ankle cost him a chunk of his debut season with the Seals, but Hammer still was an all-star. He was a good starter again in 1998, but was unremarkable in both years’ postseasons as San Diego twice suffered round two defeats.

In the 1999 WBC, Hammer suffered a fractured foot that cost him the opening bit of the season. He was never quite the same when he came back, posting very middling stats. He didn’t look much better in 2000 before suffering a broken bone in his elbow in May, knocking him out nine months.

With San Diego, Hammer had 481 hits, 223 runs, 81 doubles, 83 home runs, 254 RBI, a .281/.319/.484 slash, 122 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR. He played in the 2001 WBC, but couldn’t find any interested teams for the season. Hammer retired at age 35 and for his full pro career had 2000 hits, 935 runs, 386 doubles, 309 home runs, 1040 RBI, a .333/.367/.573 slash, 160 wRC+, and 57.2 WAR.

For just his eight seasons in EBF with Amsterdam, Hammer had 1519 hits, 712 runs, 305 doubles, 226 home runs, 786 RBI, a .354/.386/.608 slash, 175 wRC+, and 49.6 WAR. At the time, he had the second-best batting average of any EBF hitter with 3000 plate appearances (and still sits third as of 2037). Hammer had one of the better OPS too, which his supporters pointed too.

However, he was another guy whose accumulations were just low since he wasn’t around that long. He wasn’t quite as dominant as some of the other guys who had left for MLB. There had never been an EBF position player that had earned induction with less than 50 WAR. Hammer also didn’t have the rings Indiani had to point to, but he had more individual awards and a MVP.

Hammer debuted with 44.8% in 2002. He got into the 50s by his third ballot and hovered around there. On his seventh try in 2008, Hammer got the bump just across the 66% threshold with 66.9%. EBF voters again showed they were friendlier towards brief peaks and less concerned with tenure and accumulations compared to other Halls of Fame. Hammer rounded out the three-player 2008 EBF group.