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Pitcher Yihe Li was the lone addition to the Chinese League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, receiving a first ballot nod at 82.5%. A couple guys came very close to the 66% requirement, led by RF Hongbo Wan with a 63.5% sixth ballot. SP Xin Ruan had 61.7% on his seventh go and RF Minghui Ruan debuted with 61.1%. Also above 50% was LF Seok-Hyeon So’s third ballot 57.6%.



Dropped after ten failed tries was 2B Chenglin Huang, who won eight Silver Sluggers in nine years with Dongguan. He was hurt by leaving for MLB after that, limiting his tallies. With the Donkeys, Huang led the league thrice in OPS and wRC+ and won two MVPs. He had 1368 hits, 582 runs, 203 doubles, 265 home runs, 766 RBI, a .287/.325/.508 slash, 198 wRC+, and 66.4 WAR.

Huang then had four decent years in MLB with Phoenix. If those years added to CLB tallies, he almost certainly would’ve gotten in. Even just with nine seasons, Huang debuted at 48.1% in 2007 and never dropped below 35%. He finished with 48.7% in 2016.



Yihe Li – Starting Pitcher – Wuhan Wolverines – 82.5% First Ballot

Yihe Li was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Hefei, the capital of east China’s Anhui province with more than nine million people. Li had excellent control and movement, allowing him to thrive despite just above average stuff. He had a 97-99 mph fastball as part of a five-pitch arsenal that included a forkball, splitter, changeup, and curveball.

Li had average stamina relative to other CLB pitchers, but was an ironman who tossed 230+ innings each year from 1999-2013. He was also an excellent defensive pitcher that won four Gold Gloves. Additionally, Li was a solid hitter who posted a career 117 wRC+ and 7.0 WAR offensively. He wasn’t a true two-way guy, but he did see 27.2 innings in the field at various spots. Li primarily saw use as an occasional pinch hitter.

Few prospects were hotter ahead of the 1997 CLB Draft than Li. He was picked #2 overall by Wuhan and spent his rookie season in the bullpen. Li earned a full-time starter job for the next eight years for the Wolverines and by 2000 had emerged as a true ace. Li led the Southern League six times in quality starts during this stretch and topped 6+ WAR four times.

Li helped Wuhan become a regular contender with five straight playoff berths from 2001-2005. The Wolverines won their only China Series to date in 2001 and had semifinal losses in 2003 and 2004. In the title run, Li had a 2.05 ERA and 3-1 record in four starts with 28 strikeouts over 30.2 innings. For his playoff career with Wuhan, he had a 1.62 ERA over 66.2 innings, 59 strikeouts, and 154 ERA+.

From 2000-03, Li won four straight Gold Gloves. He also picked up a Silver Slugger in 2003. Li never won Pitcher of the Year, but placed third in voting in 2001, 2003, and 2004; and got second in 2006. Li won ERA titles in 2004 and 2006 and led in wins from 2004-2006. 2006 was Li’s finest year with a career-best 0.98 ERA, 244 ERA+, and 8.8 WAR. His mark is one of six qualifying sub-one ERA seasons as of 2037 in CLB.

That 0.98 ERA season was his last in China, as he had worldwide attention entering free agency at age 31. With Wuhan, Li had a 143-79 record, 1.76 ERA, 2173.2 innings, 1999 strikeouts, 292 walks, 237/268 quality starts, 140 ERA+, and 50.0 WAR. Because his run was only nine years, his accumulations are on the low end. However, Li’s ERA ranks 17^th amongst all pitchers with 1000+ innings and his .498 OPS ranks 20^th.

Based on his later success, Li probably could’ve made a run at being an all-timer if he stayed in China. Sometimes voters hold leaving against the guy, but Li didn’t seem to get that penalty. His brief run with Wuhan was enough to get 82.5% on his Hall of Fame ballot debut, making him the lone CLB inductee in 2016.

Li had the second half of his career still to come, leaving for MLB and a six-year, $44,900,000 deal with San Diego. He led the American Association in wins in 2008 at 24-5 and posted four 5.5+ WAR seasons to start his Seals tenure. 2010 was his best MLB season with 7.0 WAR and a 2.56 ERA over 274.1 innings, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting.

The investment paid off for San Diego, who had a dynasty run during Li’s tenure. The Seals won the American Association pennant in 2007, 2008, and 2010; missing the playoffs in 2009. SD won the World Series in 2007 over Winnipeg and won in 2010 against Philadelphia. Li stepped up in the playoffs with a 2.45 ERA over 92 innings and 12 starts with 61 strikeouts, a 4-3 record, 155 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. He also had a 2.35 ERA over three starts and 23 innings in the first Baseball Grand Championship, as the Seals took second to their World Series foe Philadelphia.

In total with San Diego, Li had an 83-35 record, 3.02 ERA, 1096.2 innings, 689 strikeouts, 1661 walks, 126 ERA+, and 26.3 WAR. The run ended abruptly as he was stunningly cut by the Seals after his fourth start of 2011. Dallas quickly scooped him up, finishing the year with 4.6 WAR for the Dalmatians. Now 35-years old, Li went to Louisville on a two-year, $15,500,000 deal.

Li led in wins in 2012 at 21-10 and had two respectable years for a middling Louisville franchise, posting 8.8 WAR, a 3.01 ERA, and 110 ERA+ over 508.1 innings. This marked the end of his MLB career, finishing with a 129-66 record, 3.02 ERA, 1804 innings, 1112 strikeouts, 260 walks, 99 complete games, 121 ERA+, and 39.8 WAR. It was a very solid run for a guy who reached MLB in his 30s.

By his late 30s, Li’s velocity had dropped down towards the 89-91 mph range, but he still had pinpoint control. He ended up in West African Baseball with Cape Verde in 2014 and ate innings, although he had a lackluster 5.04 ERA. Li was actively bad in 2015 with an 8.01 ERA and -1.6 WAR over 132.2 innings, finishing with 0.4 WAR and a 74 ERA+ in two years for the Vulcans. He retired that winter at age 40.

For his entire pro career, Li had a 289-167 record, 2.63 ERA, 4303 innings, 3281 strikeouts, 585 walks, 168 complete games, 123 ERA+, and 90.2 WAR. He didn’t have the raw strikeout dominance of some of the other great aces of the era, but Li was as reliable as they came. His post-CLB success was impressive enough to get him enough votes for the CLB Hall of Fame despite a brief tenure.