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The Oceania Baseball Association added pitcher Otto Rowland as its lone inductee in 2009 Hall of Fame voting. In his debut, he made it across the 66% threshold with 74.1%. Closer Garnet Wallace was the only other player above 50%, taking 57.0% on his sixth ballot. Wallace was slightly down from the prior year, where he had the most voters in an empty ballot.



Mitch Bird was dropped after ten failed attempts. He had a 12-year career between Perth and Auckland and was plagued by injuries. Bird won two Silver Sluggers and had 1761 hits, 655 runs, 247 doubles, 212 triples, 104 home runs, 704 RBI, a .323/.349/.504 slash, 150 wRC+, and 41.7 WAR. He won four batting titles, but leadoff type guys have a tough path even when they have higher accumulations. Bird peaked at 17.4% in 2001 and survived ten ballots, ending at 5.5%.

Also worth a mention was 2B Evan Boyett, who fell below 5% on his eighth ballot. He was hurt by having eight seasons in MLB between his nine in OBA. With Tahiti, Boyett won 1984 MVP, four Gold Gloves, and four Silver Sluggers. In OBA, Boyett had 1338 hits, 666 runs, 267 doubles, 169 home runs, 568 RBI, a .269/.327/.445 slash, 144 wRC+, and 57.4 WAR.

Boyett also won two Gold Gloves in MLB and had a combined career WAR of 98.7. Had he stayed in OBA his whole run, the extremely popular Hawaiian probably had a nice shot. But the split accumulations were far too low to garner serious attention, peaking with his debut at 21.9%.



Otto Rowland – Starting Pitcher – Guam Golden Eagles – 74.1% First Ballot

Otto Rowland was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Brisbane, Australia. The stocky Rowland was known for having outstanding movement on his pitches, especially his signature curveball. His stuff and control were both above average to good as well with a 97-99 mph sinker, decent slider, and rarely used changeup.

Rowland’s stamina was excellent and he loved going deep into games, although his may have contributed to his later injury woes. He was good at holding runners, but subpar defensively otherwise.

Rowland became a popular pitcher, especially in his native Australia. Perhaps his best success was in the World Baseball Championship for the national team. From 1993-2005, Rowland had a 16-6 record over 200 innings, 2.56 ERA, 181 strikeouts, 77 walks, 143 ERA+, and 3.9 WAR.

Even out of high school, Rowland drew plenty of attention among Australian teams. In the 1989 OBA Draft, Adeliade picked him with the third overall pick. Rowland didn’t sign with the Aardvarks and instead headed off to college. He was still very touted when next eligible in 1992 and was picked with the #1 overall pick by Sydney.

Rowland was a full-time starter immediately for the Snakes, who had been generally the weakest franchise of the Australasia League. In his first four years, Sydney won 64, 65, 65, and 63 games. Rowland was a full-time immediately and had a strong rookie year despite leading in losses at 10-22. He posted 7.3 WAR, earning 1993 Rookie of the Year honors.

In his seventh start in 1994, Rowland suffered a fractured elbow. He had a setback in August that required surgery, putting him out 13 months in total. Rowland made it back with respectable efforts in 1995 and 1996. He led in innings pitched in 1996 and led the AL in wins with 18 despite also posting 20 losses thanks to Sydney’s general ineptitude.

Rowland had a nice 7.0 WAR effort in 1997, which prompted Sydney to give him a six-year, $15,600,000 extension in the offseason. The Snakes won 88 games and earned a rare second place finish. His WAR went down in 1998, but his ERA did too, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Sydney fell to .500 that year, but seemed to be trending towards at least some level of competitiveness.

It surprised many when Sydney traded Rowland in October 1998. Two-time defending Pacific League champ Guam scooped him up in exchange for five prospects. With the Snakes, Rowland had an 85-84 record, 2.71 ERA, 1543.2 innings, 1407 strikeouts, 117 ERA+, and 29.7 WAR. Although he had more innings with Sydney, Rowland became far better known for his time with the Golden Eagles.

Guam continued its Pacific League dynasy, winning the title in 1999, 2000, and 2001. They set an OBA record at 119-43 en route to the 1999 Oceania Championship over Christchurch. The Golden Eagles won it all again in 2000 against Auckland, but lost in the 2001 finale to Adelaide. Rowland had a strong playoff career with a 1.71 ERA in six starts, 47.1 innings, 43 strikeouts, a 2-3 record, 205 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR.

Rowland had a nice debut season in 1999, then really turned into a true ace for the first time in 2000. He had a league and career best 11.0 WAR, 23-11 record, and 319 strikeouts. This earned Rowland his lone Pitcher of the Year honor. In 2001, a hamstring strain cost him a month, but he posted a league and career best 2.28 ERA. Rowland finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Elbow and rotator cuff strains cost him half of the 2002 campaign. Guam’s Pacific League run ended here, falling four games short of Fiji for first. The Golden Eagles fell to around .500 in 2003. Rowland bounced back for a strong 2003 with a 2.34 ERA and 7.7 WAR. Guam hoped he could help prevent them from needing a full rebuild.

Disaster struck Rowland in spring training of 2004. He suffered a torn labrum, putting him out ten months and the entire campaign. Guam struggled to 75-87, their first losing season since 1989. They decided to begin the rebuild and didn’t re-sign Rowland.

With the Golden Eagles, Rowland had a 90-44 record, 2.63 ERA, 1332 innings, 1222 strikeouts, 257 walks, 74 complete games, 136 ERA+, and 36.2 WAR. He was at a crossroads as he rehabbed with many teams not wanting to risk signing a guy off that kind of injury at age 35. Rowland looked good though in his first workouts back and caught the attention of MLB’s Hartford. The Huskies gave him a four-year, $32,800,000 deal as they hoped to find a diamond in the rough.

Rowland pitched in the 2005 WBC and showed promise with a 1.64 ERA over 11 innings. Tragically in spring training almost exactly one year later, Rowland tore his labrum again. Doctors told him he had to retire and he never pitched a single inning in MLB for Hartford.

For his career, Rowland had a 175-128 record, 2.67 ERA, 2875.2 innings, 2629 strikeouts, 575 walks, 155 complete games, 32 shutouts, 125 ERA+, and 66.0 WAR. His accumulations were definitely on the lower end compared to most OBA Hall of Fame pitchers, although his rate stats were good. Rowland was definitely borderline, but he did have a couple things working in his favor.

Rowland helped Guam win two OBA titles, looked good in the postseason, and had a Pitcher of the Year. It also didn’t hurt that his debut ballot in 2009 was a weak group with no standouts. Enough voters were sympathetic to his injury plight and got Rowland across the line at 74.1%. This was enough to make him the lone OBA Hall of Fame addition for 2009.