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FuzzyRussianHat · 12-16-2024, 12:47 PM

Chia-Jung Huang – Starting Pitcher – Taichung Toucans – 90.4% First Ballot

Chia-Jung Huang was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Taoyuan, the fifth largest city in Taiwan. Huang was a well-rounded pitcher with good to great stuff, movement, and control. His velocity hit the 97-99 mph range regularly with a four-pitch arsenal of slider, changeup, sinker, and splitter. Huang had strong stamina and fairly good durability for much of his career. He was below average defensive, but decent at holding runners. Huang was quite adaptable to various situations, but he wasn’t one to take a leadership role.

Huang pitched for Jianan University of Pharmacology and Technology in Tainan, emerging as one of the island’s top prospects by the 2000 APB Draft. He would be picked 12^th overall by Taichung, where he’d spend his entire 14-year career. Huang had 23 games over his first two seasons with okay results, then was moved into the rotation full-time after that.

By his fourth year, Huang emerged as a legitimate ace. In 2004, he led the Taiwan-Philippine Association and posted career bests in wins (21-9), ERA (1.44), innings (293), quality starts (30), and shutouts (7). Huang also had 7.0 WAR, 294 strikeouts, and 193 ERA+, earning his lone Pitcher of the Year. This did start a run of eight consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR for Huang.

Huang’s 2007 would see a career best 10.0 WAR along with 315 strikeouts. During that autumn, the Toucans gave him a five-year, $35,300,000 extension. Taichung would be in contention for the Taiwan League’s top spot in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but couldn’t overcome Taipei’s dominance. The Toucans were above .500 more often than not during Huang’s career, but never made the playoffs. They had 90+ wins four times in his run, but it ultimately wasn’t enough.

He carried on into his 30s, although Huang wasn’t one to generally be at the top of leaderboards. He did lead in wins at 20-12 in 2009 and led in both 2009 and 2011 in shutouts. Huang was second in 2010’s Pitcher of the Year voting and third in 2011. He did also pitch for Taiwan in the World Baseball Championship off and on with 129.2 innings, an 8-4 record, 3.12 ERA, 141 strikeouts, 115 ERA+ ,and 3.3 WAR. Huang notably had a 2.49 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 43.1 innings in 2004, helping Taiwan to a runner-up finish to Canada.

Huang’s control improved as he aged, which kept him successful into his 30s even after a major setback in 2012. That April, Taichung gave him a five-year, $59,100,000 extension. Two weeks later, he suffered a partially torn labrum that required surgery, putting Huang on the mend seven months. Huang bounced back impressively though with 6.3 and 7.2 WAR in his next two seasons.

In 2015, a strained hamstring would keep Huang out most of the spring. That season saw 3.4 WAR, a 2.75 ERA, and 105 ERA+ over 183.1 innings. It also saw Taichung fall to 74-88, their first losing season in seven years. Huang seemed still capable of hanging around, but he decided to retire that winter at age 37. For his 14 years of steady service, the Toucans retired his #1 uniform.

Huang finished with a 182-145 record, 2.10 ERA, 3165.1 innings, 3402 strikeouts, 449 walks, 174 complete games, 48 shutouts, 132 ERA+, and 86.4 WAR. As of 2037, Huang ranks 27^th in pitching WAR, 51^st in wins, 45^th in strikeouts, 19^th in complete games, and 20^th in shutouts. Among all pitchers with 1000+ career innings, his ERA ranks 61^st.

He almost quietly was one of the more efficient pitchers of his era in APB. Even if his raw totals weren’t at the tip-top, Huang’s rate stats certainly looked comparable to many other pitchers that made the Hall of Fame cut. The voters certainly noticed his contributions and put Huang in firmly at 90.4%, the second member of a strong 2021 class.

Komalat Sawaengsri – Starting Pitcher – Taoyuan Tsunami – 76.6% First Ballot

Komalat Sawaengsri was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Sadao, a district of 124,0000 people in southern Thailand’s Songkhla province. He was a dual national with a Thai father and Taiwanese mother, becoming the first APB Hall of Famer born in Thailand. Sawaengsri had electric stuff with great movement and above average control.

Sawaengsri had an impressive 97-99 mph fastball, but his slider was top shelf, graded as a 10/10 in his prime. He also had a solid changeup and curveball in the arsenal. Sawaengsri was considered a very good defensive pitcher, winning Gold Gloves in 2005 and 2013. He had good stamina for most of his career, but had recurring back troubles and ran into arm injuries in his 30s. Sawaengsri was a respected leader throughout a 13-year professional career.

Thai prospects were generally part of the South Asia Baseball domain, but his Taiwanese family connections gave him a chance at the more prestigious APB. Sawaengsri moved to Taiwan late in primary school and remained into college, quickly rising up the prospect ranks. In the 2002 APB Draft, Sawaengsri was picked 7^th overall by Taoyuan. He was a full-time starter immediately and tossed 215+ innings in all eight seasons with the Tsunami.

After taking third in 2003’s Rookie of the Year voting, Sawaengsri had seven years in a row worth 7+ WAR. He topped 300+ strikeouts four times and had a sub-two ERA thrice. Sawaengsri had four seasons above 8+ WAR and won his first Pitcher of the Year in 2006 with a 23-8 record, 1.80 ERA, 369 strikeouts, and 9.8 WAR. 2007 would be notable for his lone no-hitter, coming on July 16 with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks versus Tainan.

2008 was Sawaengsri’s lone ERA title at 1.13, which ranks as the 22^nd-best qualifying ERA as of 2037 in APB. He had a 252 ERA+, 0.68 WHIP, and 9.3 WEAR despite missing a few starts to injury. Sawaengsri earned his second Pitcher of the Year and Taoyuan ended a ten-year playoff drought. They had gone 88-74 in the prior two seasons, but the same finish in 2008 finally got the Tsunami back to the top of the Taiwan League.

Taoyuan was the weakest playoff team by record, but they went on a surprise run and won the 2008 Austronesia Championship over Singapore. In Sawaengsri’s only three playoff starts of his career, he was untouchable. He tossed 26 scoreless innings, striking out 29 while allowing only nine hits and two walks. Sawaengsri had a two-hitter against Davao in the TPA finals and saw a three-hitter against the Sharks in the APB final. He earned Association Championship MVP for his efforts, which went down as one of the all-time efforts by any pitcher in any league’s postseason.

Sawaengsri did also pitch well on the World Baseball Championship stage, making 15 appearances from 2003-2015. He pitched for Thailand in his first six WBCs, but the dual national switched to Taiwan for his final two tries. In total, Sawaengsri saw a 6-5 record over 84.2 innings, 2.76 ERA, 101 strikeouts, 35 walks, 133 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR.

Taoyuan missed the TL title by three games in 2009, then dropped off to 75-87 in 2010. Sawaengsri had two more strong years for the Tsunami, including career bests in 2009 for strikeouts (379), WAR (10.4), innings (282.1), and quality starts (29). It would be his only time leading the league in strikeouts. Sawaengsri did have an unfortunate end to his Taoyuan tenure, suffering a torn back muscle in September 2010.

With that injury and an imminent rebuild, the Tsunami led Sawaengsri leave for free agency heading towards age 31. In total, he had a 131-81 record, 2.12 ERA, 1961.2 innings, 2551 strikeouts, 360 walks, 133 ERA+, and 65.9 WAR. Sawaengsri’s epic playoff run in 2008 alone secured him a spot in franchise lore. The Tsunami would retire his #17 uniform at the end of his career.

Sawaengsri stayed in the Taiwan League and signed a five-year, $53,500,000 deal with Taichung. He missed a month of 2011 to elbow inflammation, but still had a strong 6.1 WAR debut season. Disaster struck though in May 2012 with a partially torn UCL ending his season. Sawaengsri was back in 2013 but saw below average results while missing some time to other lingering injuries. His 2013 ended in September with shoulder inflammation.

In spring training 2014, Sawaengsri suffered an extreme ruptured disc in his back, knocking him out the entire season. He was determined to make it back and did by the 2015 WBC. Sawaengsri’s control fell off hard after this injury, but he still was okay over 103.2 innings in 2015. Unfortunately in July, his season ended with a ruptured finger tendon. Sawaengsri opted for retirement that winter at age 35, ending his Taichung run with a 32-23 record, 2.19 ERA, 521.2 innings, 567 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 11.4 WAR.

In total, Sawaengsri had a 163-104 record, 2.14 ERA, 2483.1 innings, 3118 strikeouts, 495 walks, 114 complete games, 33 shutouts, 131 ERA+, and 77.3 WAR. As of 2037, Sawaengsri ranked 35^th in pitching WAR, 86^th in wins and 69^th in strikeouts, although he didn’t crack the top 100 in innings. His ERA did rank 71^st amongst all APB arms with 1000+ career innings.

In part because of injuries, his accumulations were on the lower end even for pitcher-friendly APB voters. However, Sawaengsri had two Pitcher of the Year awards, an ERA title, and an epic playoff run en route to a title. Those factors won over the majority of voters, getting Sawaengsri to 76.6% upon his ballot debut. He capped off an impressive three-player class for Austronesia Professional Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2021.

12-16-2024, 12:47 PM	#1890
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,842	2021 APB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Chia-Jung Huang – Starting Pitcher – Taichung Toucans – 90.4% First Ballot Chia-Jung Huang was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Taoyuan, the fifth largest city in Taiwan. Huang was a well-rounded pitcher with good to great stuff, movement, and control. His velocity hit the 97-99 mph range regularly with a four-pitch arsenal of slider, changeup, sinker, and splitter. Huang had strong stamina and fairly good durability for much of his career. He was below average defensive, but decent at holding runners. Huang was quite adaptable to various situations, but he wasn’t one to take a leadership role. Huang pitched for Jianan University of Pharmacology and Technology in Tainan, emerging as one of the island’s top prospects by the 2000 APB Draft. He would be picked 12^th overall by Taichung, where he’d spend his entire 14-year career. Huang had 23 games over his first two seasons with okay results, then was moved into the rotation full-time after that. By his fourth year, Huang emerged as a legitimate ace. In 2004, he led the Taiwan-Philippine Association and posted career bests in wins (21-9), ERA (1.44), innings (293), quality starts (30), and shutouts (7). Huang also had 7.0 WAR, 294 strikeouts, and 193 ERA+, earning his lone Pitcher of the Year. This did start a run of eight consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR for Huang. Huang’s 2007 would see a career best 10.0 WAR along with 315 strikeouts. During that autumn, the Toucans gave him a five-year, $35,300,000 extension. Taichung would be in contention for the Taiwan League’s top spot in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but couldn’t overcome Taipei’s dominance. The Toucans were above .500 more often than not during Huang’s career, but never made the playoffs. They had 90+ wins four times in his run, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. He carried on into his 30s, although Huang wasn’t one to generally be at the top of leaderboards. He did lead in wins at 20-12 in 2009 and led in both 2009 and 2011 in shutouts. Huang was second in 2010’s Pitcher of the Year voting and third in 2011. He did also pitch for Taiwan in the World Baseball Championship off and on with 129.2 innings, an 8-4 record, 3.12 ERA, 141 strikeouts, 115 ERA+ ,and 3.3 WAR. Huang notably had a 2.49 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 43.1 innings in 2004, helping Taiwan to a runner-up finish to Canada. Huang’s control improved as he aged, which kept him successful into his 30s even after a major setback in 2012. That April, Taichung gave him a five-year, $59,100,000 extension. Two weeks later, he suffered a partially torn labrum that required surgery, putting Huang on the mend seven months. Huang bounced back impressively though with 6.3 and 7.2 WAR in his next two seasons. In 2015, a strained hamstring would keep Huang out most of the spring. That season saw 3.4 WAR, a 2.75 ERA, and 105 ERA+ over 183.1 innings. It also saw Taichung fall to 74-88, their first losing season in seven years. Huang seemed still capable of hanging around, but he decided to retire that winter at age 37. For his 14 years of steady service, the Toucans retired his #1 uniform. Huang finished with a 182-145 record, 2.10 ERA, 3165.1 innings, 3402 strikeouts, 449 walks, 174 complete games, 48 shutouts, 132 ERA+, and 86.4 WAR. As of 2037, Huang ranks 27^th in pitching WAR, 51^st in wins, 45^th in strikeouts, 19^th in complete games, and 20^th in shutouts. Among all pitchers with 1000+ career innings, his ERA ranks 61^st. He almost quietly was one of the more efficient pitchers of his era in APB. Even if his raw totals weren’t at the tip-top, Huang’s rate stats certainly looked comparable to many other pitchers that made the Hall of Fame cut. The voters certainly noticed his contributions and put Huang in firmly at 90.4%, the second member of a strong 2021 class. Komalat Sawaengsri – Starting Pitcher – Taoyuan Tsunami – 76.6% First Ballot Komalat Sawaengsri was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Sadao, a district of 124,0000 people in southern Thailand’s Songkhla province. He was a dual national with a Thai father and Taiwanese mother, becoming the first APB Hall of Famer born in Thailand. Sawaengsri had electric stuff with great movement and above average control. Sawaengsri had an impressive 97-99 mph fastball, but his slider was top shelf, graded as a 10/10 in his prime. He also had a solid changeup and curveball in the arsenal. Sawaengsri was considered a very good defensive pitcher, winning Gold Gloves in 2005 and 2013. He had good stamina for most of his career, but had recurring back troubles and ran into arm injuries in his 30s. Sawaengsri was a respected leader throughout a 13-year professional career. Thai prospects were generally part of the South Asia Baseball domain, but his Taiwanese family connections gave him a chance at the more prestigious APB. Sawaengsri moved to Taiwan late in primary school and remained into college, quickly rising up the prospect ranks. In the 2002 APB Draft, Sawaengsri was picked 7^th overall by Taoyuan. He was a full-time starter immediately and tossed 215+ innings in all eight seasons with the Tsunami. After taking third in 2003’s Rookie of the Year voting, Sawaengsri had seven years in a row worth 7+ WAR. He topped 300+ strikeouts four times and had a sub-two ERA thrice. Sawaengsri had four seasons above 8+ WAR and won his first Pitcher of the Year in 2006 with a 23-8 record, 1.80 ERA, 369 strikeouts, and 9.8 WAR. 2007 would be notable for his lone no-hitter, coming on July 16 with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks versus Tainan. 2008 was Sawaengsri’s lone ERA title at 1.13, which ranks as the 22^nd-best qualifying ERA as of 2037 in APB. He had a 252 ERA+, 0.68 WHIP, and 9.3 WEAR despite missing a few starts to injury. Sawaengsri earned his second Pitcher of the Year and Taoyuan ended a ten-year playoff drought. They had gone 88-74 in the prior two seasons, but the same finish in 2008 finally got the Tsunami back to the top of the Taiwan League. Taoyuan was the weakest playoff team by record, but they went on a surprise run and won the 2008 Austronesia Championship over Singapore. In Sawaengsri’s only three playoff starts of his career, he was untouchable. He tossed 26 scoreless innings, striking out 29 while allowing only nine hits and two walks. Sawaengsri had a two-hitter against Davao in the TPA finals and saw a three-hitter against the Sharks in the APB final. He earned Association Championship MVP for his efforts, which went down as one of the all-time efforts by any pitcher in any league’s postseason. Sawaengsri did also pitch well on the World Baseball Championship stage, making 15 appearances from 2003-2015. He pitched for Thailand in his first six WBCs, but the dual national switched to Taiwan for his final two tries. In total, Sawaengsri saw a 6-5 record over 84.2 innings, 2.76 ERA, 101 strikeouts, 35 walks, 133 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR. Taoyuan missed the TL title by three games in 2009, then dropped off to 75-87 in 2010. Sawaengsri had two more strong years for the Tsunami, including career bests in 2009 for strikeouts (379), WAR (10.4), innings (282.1), and quality starts (29). It would be his only time leading the league in strikeouts. Sawaengsri did have an unfortunate end to his Taoyuan tenure, suffering a torn back muscle in September 2010. With that injury and an imminent rebuild, the Tsunami led Sawaengsri leave for free agency heading towards age 31. In total, he had a 131-81 record, 2.12 ERA, 1961.2 innings, 2551 strikeouts, 360 walks, 133 ERA+, and 65.9 WAR. Sawaengsri’s epic playoff run in 2008 alone secured him a spot in franchise lore. The Tsunami would retire his #17 uniform at the end of his career. Sawaengsri stayed in the Taiwan League and signed a five-year, $53,500,000 deal with Taichung. He missed a month of 2011 to elbow inflammation, but still had a strong 6.1 WAR debut season. Disaster struck though in May 2012 with a partially torn UCL ending his season. Sawaengsri was back in 2013 but saw below average results while missing some time to other lingering injuries. His 2013 ended in September with shoulder inflammation. In spring training 2014, Sawaengsri suffered an extreme ruptured disc in his back, knocking him out the entire season. He was determined to make it back and did by the 2015 WBC. Sawaengsri’s control fell off hard after this injury, but he still was okay over 103.2 innings in 2015. Unfortunately in July, his season ended with a ruptured finger tendon. Sawaengsri opted for retirement that winter at age 35, ending his Taichung run with a 32-23 record, 2.19 ERA, 521.2 innings, 567 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 11.4 WAR. In total, Sawaengsri had a 163-104 record, 2.14 ERA, 2483.1 innings, 3118 strikeouts, 495 walks, 114 complete games, 33 shutouts, 131 ERA+, and 77.3 WAR. As of 2037, Sawaengsri ranked 35^th in pitching WAR, 86^th in wins and 69^th in strikeouts, although he didn’t crack the top 100 in innings. His ERA did rank 71^st amongst all APB arms with 1000+ career innings. In part because of injuries, his accumulations were on the lower end even for pitcher-friendly APB voters. However, Sawaengsri had two Pitcher of the Year awards, an ERA title, and an epic playoff run en route to a title. Those factors won over the majority of voters, getting Sawaengsri to 76.6% upon his ballot debut. He capped off an impressive three-player class for Austronesia Professional Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2021. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)