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FuzzyRussianHat · 09-05-2024, 08:43 PM

Yorikane “River” Furimizo – Designated Hitter/Right Field – Ulsan Swallows – 79.7% First Ballot

Yorikane Furimizo was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed slugger from Hamamatsu, a city of 780,000 people in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. Furimizo was known for his incredibly consistent home run power, hitting 38+ in ten straight seasons. He was also a great contact hitter overall, although his strikeout rate and ability to draw walks were both below average.

Furimizo had very good gap power as well with 37 doubles per his 162 game average. He wasn’t going to leg out extra bases with painfully slow running speed. Furimizo had a very strong arm, but his nimbleness and range were absolutely atrocious. Thus, just over half of his career starts came as a designated hitter.

Defensively, Furimizo spent the most time in right field, account for about ¼ of his career starts. He also had occasional starts in left and at first base, but was abysmal any time he was wearing his glove. Regardless, Furimizo’s bat justified finding him a spot somewhere. His durability was respectable and he was adaptable, becoming a popular player in his time.

Despite growing up in Japan, Furimizo’s pro career would be exclusively in the Korea League. As a teenage amateur, he was signed in September 1986 by Incheon. Furimizo debuted in 1992 at age 21 with 29 games and 3 starts. He saw 63 games and 13 starts in 1993, then became a full-time starter in 1994 with decent results. Furimizo did miss part of 1995 to a partially torn labrum.

1996 was his breakout season, winning a Silver Slugger at first base. Despite missing a month to a strained oblique, Furimizo posted 6.6 WAR over 124 games and led the league with career bests in slugging (.730), OPS (1.137), and wRC+ (198). Furimizo’s second Silver Slugger came the next year in right field. He hit 45 home runs both of those seasons, then smacked a career-high 49 in 1998.

Despite Furimizo’s efforts, Incheon was lousy in this era, averaging 68.8 wins per season in his tenure. The Inferno didn’t think they’d be able to sign him long-term, thus he was traded after the 1998 season to Ulsan for three prospects. Furimizo would become best known for his time with the Swallows.

With the Inferno, Furimizo had 788 games, 873 hits, 437 runs, 175 doubles, 189 home runs, 524 RBI, a .309/.345/.582 slash, 149 wRC+, and 21.3 WAR. Late in his Incheon run, Furimizo started playing for his native Japan in the World Baseball Championship. From 1997-2005 in the WBC, he had 48 games, 38 starts, 40 hits, 22 runs, 7 doubles, 12 home runs, 21 RBI, a .270/.335/.574 slash, 160 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR.

Furimizo’s first season with Ulsan in 1999 saw career highs in WAR (7.0), RBI (127) and home runs (49). That August, the Swallows gave him a four-year, $12,640,000 extension. Furimizo had incredibly reliable production in his first six seasons for Ulsan, each year topping 4.5+ WAR, a .305 batting average, 38+ home runs, and 100+ RBI.

Ulsan had five straight playoff appearances from 2000-04 with three South Division titles. However, the Swallows couldn’t win the big one. They lost in the Korea League Championship Series in both 2000 and 2001, then lost in round one the other seasons. You certainly couldn’t call Furimizo a playoff choker though. In his 27 starts, he had 40 hits, 18 runs, 5 doubles, 15 home runs, 28 RBI, a .364/.377/.818 slash, 216 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR.

After the 2002 season, Furimizo was extended for another five years and $31,500,000. Ulsan would fall to 83-79 in both 2005 and 2006. Furimizo’s steady production finally fell off in 2006, posting a shocking -0.1 WAR and 88 wRC+ over 139 starts. He had a mere 18 home runs and .679 OPS. It was a steep drop for a guy who had been so consistently good. Furimizo looked marginally better in a limited role in 2007 with 76 games and 61 starts.

He was a free agent after the 2007 season. Furimizo was unsigned in 2008 and retired that winter at age 38. Ulsan quickly honored him by retiring his #34 uniform. With the Swallows, Furimizo had 1586 hits, 836 runs, 296 doubles, 340 home runs, 912 RBI, a .310/.343/.579 slash, 148 wRC+, and 42.7 WAR.

Furimizo’s final stats had 2459 hits, 1273 runs, 471 doubles, 529 home runs, 1436 RBI, a .310/.344/.580 slash, 148 wRC+, and 63.9 WAR. Among all batters with 3000+ appearances, he ranks 70^th in OPS and 47^th on slugging as of 2037. Furimizo is also 60^th in home runs and 65^th in RBI, but well outside of the top 100 in WAR. He was steady and efficient, but didn’t have eye-popping totals.

Still, EAB voters often appreciated guys who sustained over a long period. His awful defense and baserunning, plus being a DH, limited him for many voters. But Furimizo’s rate stats showed one of the most effective power hitters of his time. That got him to 79.7% for a first ballot induction with EAB’s 2013 Hall of Fame class.

Si-Hun Park – Left Field – Suwon Snappers – 72.7% First Ballot

Si-Hun Park was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed left fielder from Gongju, South Korea; a city of around 100,000 people in the South Chungcheong Province. Park was one of the better sluggers of his era, topping 30+ home runs in 10 different seasons and 40+ in six seasons. His gap power was also nice with a 162 game average of 24 doubles and 10 triples. Park was quicker than most sluggers with firmly above average speed, although his baserunning instincts weren’t the best.

Park graded as an above average contact hitter with an okay strikeout rate, but he was weaker than you’d expect at drawing walks. He was much stronger hitting lefties (164 wRC+, .986) but was not a bum against righties (132 wRC+, .844 OPS). Excellent durability served Park well, playing 143+ games each year from 1993-2006. Defensively, Park played exclusively in left field. He was a consistently great defender and won a Gold Glove in 1997. Some did knock his work ethic, but Park would be a very successful player in his 16 year career.

By the 1988 EAB Draft, Park was a highly rated prospect out of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul. He was picked third overall by Suwon, but barely was used initially by the struggling Snappers franchise. Park played 12 games with 4 starts in 1989, then didn’t see the field at all in 1990 or 1991. Park re-emerged in 1992, but only for 20 games in the regular season.

In the 1992 playoffs, he would start 16 games with okay results, posting a .263/.300/.351 slash. Suwon had a surprising wild card season that ended in a Korea League title, although they lost the EAB Championship to Kitakyushu. The Snappers finally realized that Park fit well in left field. He had been a center fielder in college, but couldn’t crack the lineup in that spot for them.

Park became a full-time starter in 1993 and started 147+ games each year for the next decade for Suwon. He won Silver Sluggers in 1994, 1998, and 2000. Park rarely was a league leader, but he did lead twice in RBI with 122 in 1995 and 138 in 2000. He would post 40+ homers six times from 1995-2001, giving the Snappers very reliable power. From 1994-2002, Park topped 5+ WAR each season.

The closest Park came to an MVP was a third place in 1998 and second place in 2000. Both seasons, Park had a .976 OPS. 1998 had a career best 7.5 WAR, 167 wRC+, and .324 batting average. 2000 was his best for homers (50), RBI (138), and slugging (.631). In April 1996, Park was locked up long-term with a seven-year, $17,980,000 extension.

Suwon became a regular contender during this era, but they had a reputation for choking in the playoffs. From 1993-2000, the Snappers won seven North Division titles. However, all of those seasons ended with a first round exit sans 1997. That year, they lost to Yongin in the KLCS.

Some criticism could go to Park, whose career playoff stats with the Snappers were unremarkable. In 51 starts, he had 52 hits, 23 runs, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 9 home runs, 18 RBI, a .271/.303/.469 slash, 114 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. Still, Park was popular and this was one of Suwon’s more competitive eras. The Snappers eventually retired his #44 uniform.

With Suwon, Park had 1781 hits, 958 runs, 223 doubles, 107 triples, 403 home runs, 1074 RBI, 301 stolen bases, a .298/.337/.574 slash, 148 wRC+, and 58.3 WAR. The Snappers narrowly missed the playoffs in 2001, then dropped to 68-94 in 2002 for their first losing season since 1991. Park opted out of the option year of his contract, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 35.

Yongin gave him a three-year, $17,700,000 deal to keep him in the North Division. The Gold Sox had gotten the better of Suwon numerous times in the playoffs in the 1990s, winning four Korea League titles during Park’s Snappers tenure. Yongin had also fallen off in 2002 at 73-89 and hoped a steady veteran bat could get them back on course. They would win 88 games in 2003 and 81 in 2004, missing the playoffs both years.

Park’s power had dropped a bit, as he missed 30 homers for the first time since his first full season in 1993. Still, he was a starter quality bat and a great defender, averaging around 3.8 WAR each year from 2003-06. Park became a free agent after the 2005 campaign, but Yongin brought him back for another two years and $7,280,000.

The Gold Sox had gotten back in the playoffs in 2005, falling to Seoul in the KLCS. They took the top seed in 2006 at 100-62, but were upset in the first round by Changwon. Yongin would earn a wild card spot in 2007; Park’s fifth year with the team. His production fell off notably this year with 124 games a career low 1.5 WAR and only a 107 wRC+.

Park would be a starter in their playoff run, limping to a .182/.250/.327 slash, 60 wRC+, and -0.3 WAR over 17 starts. Yongin put together a strong wild card run, eventually winning the EAB Championship over 2007. Although he stunk in the playoffs, Park was able to end his career with a ring. He retired the day after the trophy celebration just days before turning 40.

With Yongin, Park had 730 hits, 372 runs, 114 doubles, 40 triples, 135 home runs, 428 RBI, 152 stolen bases, a .275/.321/.500 slash, 125 wRC+, and 17.0 WAR. For his whole career, he had 2511 hits, 1330 runs, 337 doubles, 147 triples, 538 home runs, 1502 RBI, 453 stolen bases, a .291/.332/.551 slash, 141 wRC+, and 75.3 WAR. Park was the 51^st member of the 500 home run club and the 34^th to reach 1500 RBI.

As of 2037, Park ranks 56^th in home runs, 49^th in RBI, and 85^th in runs scored, but he’s outside of the top 100 in any other stat. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Yorikane Furimizo, Park provided sustained power, but wasn’t one to post jaw-dropping numbers. His case was somewhat borderline and although he helped Suwon regularly make the playoffs, they didn’t win anything in his time.

Still, hitting lots of homers goes a long way, especially in the corner outfield spots. Park received 72.7% in his ballot debut, good enough to cross the 66% requirement for a first ballot induction. With that, he rounded out the three-player 2013 class for East Asia Baseball.

09-05-2024, 08:43 PM	#1586
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,797	2013 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Yorikane “River” Furimizo – Designated Hitter/Right Field – Ulsan Swallows – 79.7% First Ballot Yorikane Furimizo was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed slugger from Hamamatsu, a city of 780,000 people in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. Furimizo was known for his incredibly consistent home run power, hitting 38+ in ten straight seasons. He was also a great contact hitter overall, although his strikeout rate and ability to draw walks were both below average. Furimizo had very good gap power as well with 37 doubles per his 162 game average. He wasn’t going to leg out extra bases with painfully slow running speed. Furimizo had a very strong arm, but his nimbleness and range were absolutely atrocious. Thus, just over half of his career starts came as a designated hitter. Defensively, Furimizo spent the most time in right field, account for about ¼ of his career starts. He also had occasional starts in left and at first base, but was abysmal any time he was wearing his glove. Regardless, Furimizo’s bat justified finding him a spot somewhere. His durability was respectable and he was adaptable, becoming a popular player in his time. Despite growing up in Japan, Furimizo’s pro career would be exclusively in the Korea League. As a teenage amateur, he was signed in September 1986 by Incheon. Furimizo debuted in 1992 at age 21 with 29 games and 3 starts. He saw 63 games and 13 starts in 1993, then became a full-time starter in 1994 with decent results. Furimizo did miss part of 1995 to a partially torn labrum. 1996 was his breakout season, winning a Silver Slugger at first base. Despite missing a month to a strained oblique, Furimizo posted 6.6 WAR over 124 games and led the league with career bests in slugging (.730), OPS (1.137), and wRC+ (198). Furimizo’s second Silver Slugger came the next year in right field. He hit 45 home runs both of those seasons, then smacked a career-high 49 in 1998. Despite Furimizo’s efforts, Incheon was lousy in this era, averaging 68.8 wins per season in his tenure. The Inferno didn’t think they’d be able to sign him long-term, thus he was traded after the 1998 season to Ulsan for three prospects. Furimizo would become best known for his time with the Swallows. With the Inferno, Furimizo had 788 games, 873 hits, 437 runs, 175 doubles, 189 home runs, 524 RBI, a .309/.345/.582 slash, 149 wRC+, and 21.3 WAR. Late in his Incheon run, Furimizo started playing for his native Japan in the World Baseball Championship. From 1997-2005 in the WBC, he had 48 games, 38 starts, 40 hits, 22 runs, 7 doubles, 12 home runs, 21 RBI, a .270/.335/.574 slash, 160 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. Furimizo’s first season with Ulsan in 1999 saw career highs in WAR (7.0), RBI (127) and home runs (49). That August, the Swallows gave him a four-year, $12,640,000 extension. Furimizo had incredibly reliable production in his first six seasons for Ulsan, each year topping 4.5+ WAR, a .305 batting average, 38+ home runs, and 100+ RBI. Ulsan had five straight playoff appearances from 2000-04 with three South Division titles. However, the Swallows couldn’t win the big one. They lost in the Korea League Championship Series in both 2000 and 2001, then lost in round one the other seasons. You certainly couldn’t call Furimizo a playoff choker though. In his 27 starts, he had 40 hits, 18 runs, 5 doubles, 15 home runs, 28 RBI, a .364/.377/.818 slash, 216 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. After the 2002 season, Furimizo was extended for another five years and $31,500,000. Ulsan would fall to 83-79 in both 2005 and 2006. Furimizo’s steady production finally fell off in 2006, posting a shocking -0.1 WAR and 88 wRC+ over 139 starts. He had a mere 18 home runs and .679 OPS. It was a steep drop for a guy who had been so consistently good. Furimizo looked marginally better in a limited role in 2007 with 76 games and 61 starts. He was a free agent after the 2007 season. Furimizo was unsigned in 2008 and retired that winter at age 38. Ulsan quickly honored him by retiring his #34 uniform. With the Swallows, Furimizo had 1586 hits, 836 runs, 296 doubles, 340 home runs, 912 RBI, a .310/.343/.579 slash, 148 wRC+, and 42.7 WAR. Furimizo’s final stats had 2459 hits, 1273 runs, 471 doubles, 529 home runs, 1436 RBI, a .310/.344/.580 slash, 148 wRC+, and 63.9 WAR. Among all batters with 3000+ appearances, he ranks 70^th in OPS and 47^th on slugging as of 2037. Furimizo is also 60^th in home runs and 65^th in RBI, but well outside of the top 100 in WAR. He was steady and efficient, but didn’t have eye-popping totals. Still, EAB voters often appreciated guys who sustained over a long period. His awful defense and baserunning, plus being a DH, limited him for many voters. But Furimizo’s rate stats showed one of the most effective power hitters of his time. That got him to 79.7% for a first ballot induction with EAB’s 2013 Hall of Fame class. Si-Hun Park – Left Field – Suwon Snappers – 72.7% First Ballot Si-Hun Park was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed left fielder from Gongju, South Korea; a city of around 100,000 people in the South Chungcheong Province. Park was one of the better sluggers of his era, topping 30+ home runs in 10 different seasons and 40+ in six seasons. His gap power was also nice with a 162 game average of 24 doubles and 10 triples. Park was quicker than most sluggers with firmly above average speed, although his baserunning instincts weren’t the best. Park graded as an above average contact hitter with an okay strikeout rate, but he was weaker than you’d expect at drawing walks. He was much stronger hitting lefties (164 wRC+, .986) but was not a bum against righties (132 wRC+, .844 OPS). Excellent durability served Park well, playing 143+ games each year from 1993-2006. Defensively, Park played exclusively in left field. He was a consistently great defender and won a Gold Glove in 1997. Some did knock his work ethic, but Park would be a very successful player in his 16 year career. By the 1988 EAB Draft, Park was a highly rated prospect out of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul. He was picked third overall by Suwon, but barely was used initially by the struggling Snappers franchise. Park played 12 games with 4 starts in 1989, then didn’t see the field at all in 1990 or 1991. Park re-emerged in 1992, but only for 20 games in the regular season. In the 1992 playoffs, he would start 16 games with okay results, posting a .263/.300/.351 slash. Suwon had a surprising wild card season that ended in a Korea League title, although they lost the EAB Championship to Kitakyushu. The Snappers finally realized that Park fit well in left field. He had been a center fielder in college, but couldn’t crack the lineup in that spot for them. Park became a full-time starter in 1993 and started 147+ games each year for the next decade for Suwon. He won Silver Sluggers in 1994, 1998, and 2000. Park rarely was a league leader, but he did lead twice in RBI with 122 in 1995 and 138 in 2000. He would post 40+ homers six times from 1995-2001, giving the Snappers very reliable power. From 1994-2002, Park topped 5+ WAR each season. The closest Park came to an MVP was a third place in 1998 and second place in 2000. Both seasons, Park had a .976 OPS. 1998 had a career best 7.5 WAR, 167 wRC+, and .324 batting average. 2000 was his best for homers (50), RBI (138), and slugging (.631). In April 1996, Park was locked up long-term with a seven-year, $17,980,000 extension. Suwon became a regular contender during this era, but they had a reputation for choking in the playoffs. From 1993-2000, the Snappers won seven North Division titles. However, all of those seasons ended with a first round exit sans 1997. That year, they lost to Yongin in the KLCS. Some criticism could go to Park, whose career playoff stats with the Snappers were unremarkable. In 51 starts, he had 52 hits, 23 runs, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 9 home runs, 18 RBI, a .271/.303/.469 slash, 114 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. Still, Park was popular and this was one of Suwon’s more competitive eras. The Snappers eventually retired his #44 uniform. With Suwon, Park had 1781 hits, 958 runs, 223 doubles, 107 triples, 403 home runs, 1074 RBI, 301 stolen bases, a .298/.337/.574 slash, 148 wRC+, and 58.3 WAR. The Snappers narrowly missed the playoffs in 2001, then dropped to 68-94 in 2002 for their first losing season since 1991. Park opted out of the option year of his contract, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 35. Yongin gave him a three-year, $17,700,000 deal to keep him in the North Division. The Gold Sox had gotten the better of Suwon numerous times in the playoffs in the 1990s, winning four Korea League titles during Park’s Snappers tenure. Yongin had also fallen off in 2002 at 73-89 and hoped a steady veteran bat could get them back on course. They would win 88 games in 2003 and 81 in 2004, missing the playoffs both years. Park’s power had dropped a bit, as he missed 30 homers for the first time since his first full season in 1993. Still, he was a starter quality bat and a great defender, averaging around 3.8 WAR each year from 2003-06. Park became a free agent after the 2005 campaign, but Yongin brought him back for another two years and $7,280,000. The Gold Sox had gotten back in the playoffs in 2005, falling to Seoul in the KLCS. They took the top seed in 2006 at 100-62, but were upset in the first round by Changwon. Yongin would earn a wild card spot in 2007; Park’s fifth year with the team. His production fell off notably this year with 124 games a career low 1.5 WAR and only a 107 wRC+. Park would be a starter in their playoff run, limping to a .182/.250/.327 slash, 60 wRC+, and -0.3 WAR over 17 starts. Yongin put together a strong wild card run, eventually winning the EAB Championship over 2007. Although he stunk in the playoffs, Park was able to end his career with a ring. He retired the day after the trophy celebration just days before turning 40. With Yongin, Park had 730 hits, 372 runs, 114 doubles, 40 triples, 135 home runs, 428 RBI, 152 stolen bases, a .275/.321/.500 slash, 125 wRC+, and 17.0 WAR. For his whole career, he had 2511 hits, 1330 runs, 337 doubles, 147 triples, 538 home runs, 1502 RBI, 453 stolen bases, a .291/.332/.551 slash, 141 wRC+, and 75.3 WAR. Park was the 51^st member of the 500 home run club and the 34^th to reach 1500 RBI. As of 2037, Park ranks 56^th in home runs, 49^th in RBI, and 85^th in runs scored, but he’s outside of the top 100 in any other stat. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Yorikane Furimizo, Park provided sustained power, but wasn’t one to post jaw-dropping numbers. His case was somewhat borderline and although he helped Suwon regularly make the playoffs, they didn’t win anything in his time. Still, hitting lots of homers goes a long way, especially in the corner outfield spots. Park received 72.7% in his ballot debut, good enough to cross the 66% requirement for a first ballot induction. With that, he rounded out the three-player 2013 class for East Asia Baseball. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)