OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 12-28-2024, 05:08 PM

Two players were selected for induction with the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame voting. Both grabbed first ballot selections, albeit by much different margins. RF Per Berg was a no doubter at 93.1%, while 3B/1B Fyodor Golanov narrowly crossed the finish line at 70.5%. Four other players were within striking distance of the 66% requirement on return ballots, but each came up short.

Leading the returning crew was LF Andriy Boychuk, taking 64.7% for his second ballot. 3B Isaad Dorgham was right behind at 63.3% on his seventh go. 3B Kyle Evrard on his fourth attempt finished at 61.5% and SP Martin Kukoc received 59.6% with his eighth ballot. No other players were above 50%.

Falling from the ballot after ten tries was RP Steven Macario, who got as high as 54.8% in 2017 and ended at 41.8%. He had a Reliever of the Year win and title with Paris, although his EBF run had a brief MLB interlude. Macario had 245 saves over 700.1 innings, 2.27 ERA, 780 strikeouts, 167 ERA+, and 20.2 WAR. He also had a strong 2.18 playoff ERA over 33 innings with 10 saves. However, Macario didn’t have the longevity or accumulations needed to cross the finish line.

Another Paris teammate of his RF Patrick Laborde fell off the ballot, peaking with a 25.3% debut and ending at 9.8%. In 11 seasons, he had two Gold Gloves, a Rookie of the Year, 1957 hits, 861 runs, 318 doubles, 145 triples, 45 home runs, 533 RBI, a .344/.375/.475 slash, 140 wRC+, and 48.6 WAR. Laborde does rank 13^th among all EBF hitters in batting average with 3000+ plate appearances. However, he didn’t have nearly the longevity needed to overcome low power stats.

Per Berg – Right Field – Barcelona Bengals – 93.1% First Ballot

Per Berg was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Berg was a very solid contact hitter with a reliably strong pop in his bat. He wasn’t one to be a league leader, but his 162 game average got you 40 home runs and 31 doubles. Berg also had a good eye for drawing walks and was above average at avoiding strikeouts. He was a fairly skilled baserunner, but his speed was subpar even in his youth.

Berg’s poor speed translated into weak range, although he had a strong arm. He still graded as generally lousy in right field, where he started the vast majority of his career. Still, Berg was a fan favorite adored for his work ethic, loyalty, selflessness and intelligence. His durability was sturdy, playing 140+ games in all but two of his 16 seasons. Berg’s reliability and consistency made him well liked and respected across European baseball.

By the 1999 EBF Draft, Berg had established himself as one of the most promising prospects from the college ranks. He was picked 7^th overall by Oslo, but couldn’t’ come to terms with the Octopi. After another year of college, Berg then went third overall to Barcelona in the 2000 draft. His entire professional career would be in Spain, although Berg was a regular fixture for his native Sweden in the World Baseball Championship.

From 2000-16, Berg played 161 WBC games and started 155 for Sweden, recording 125 hits, 82 runs, 25 doubles, 36 home runs, 95 RBI, a .222/.324/.459 slash, and 4.5 WAR. The Swedes would earn division titles in both 2007 and 2009. As of 2037, Berg ranks 8^th in WAR among Swedish position players, 2^nd in starts, 5^th in runs, 6^th in hits, 5^th in home runs, and 3^rd in RBI.

While popular back home, Berg quickly endeared himself to the Catalan fans with a stellar 2001 Rookie of the Year campaign for Barcelona. Berg had 46 homers, 1.024 OPS, and 6.8 WAR in his debut. That would be his career best in homers, which he’d match in 2004 and 2007. Over the next 11 years, Berg had 30+ homers, 100+ RBI, and 5+ WAR each season. He also had an OPS above one seven times in that stretch, topped 100+ runs six times, and 200+ hits four times.

Berg was consistently solid, but wasn’t a league leader apart from drawing the most walks in 2003 at 75. Still, he had 8.0 WAR in 2002 and 8.5 WAR in 2005. Berg earned his first Silver Slugger in the former and took second in MVP voting in the latter. He hit for the cycle in both 2001 and 2006. After the 2005 campaign, Barcelona extended Berg at eight years and $61,060,000.

After struggles to start the 21^st Century, the Bengals won three straight Southwest Division titles from 2005-07. They lost in the first round of 2005, then exploded with an impressive 111-51 in 2006. Barcelona won the Southern Conference, but dropped the European Championship to Kyiv. The Bengals fell to 96-66 in 2007, but repeated as conference champs and won it all in a rematch with the Kings. Berg’s playoff numbers were unremarkable, but he was one of the smiling faces that returned Barcelona to the top spot.

Berg won additional Silver Sluggers in 2009 and 2011. Barcelona just missed the playoffs in 2008 and 2009, then posted back-to-back 100+ win seasons. The Bengals fell to Zurich in the 2010 Southern Conference Championship, then secured the 2011 pennant over Athens. However, Barcelona was denied in the European Championship against Dublin.

After the 2010 season, a 34-year old Berg opted out of his Barcelona deal, but he re-signed a month later at four years and $40 million. The Bengals would be in the mid-tier outside the playoffs from 2012-14. Berg had his first injury setback in 2012 with a strained oblique costing him nearly three months. That snapped many of his statistical streaks, but he did bounce back.

Berg was down from his peaks over the next three years, but still a reliably strong starter. He passed the 2500 hit, 500 home run, and 1500 RBI milestones. Berg again became a free agent after the 2014 season, but yet again returned to Barcelona. His new contract would be worth $16,400,000 over two more seasons, keeping him employed at age 38.

Barcelona made it back to the playoffs in 2015 as a 92-70 wild card and won their fourth pennant of Berg’s tenure, although they lost to Antwerp in the European Championship. That was Berg‘s strongest playoff run with a .970 OPS over 20 starts. For his playoff career, he was merely decent with 77 starts, 78 hits, 41 runs, 16 doubles, 17 home runs, 46 RBI, a .265/.307/.493 slash, 116 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. Still, not many guys could say they won four conference titles with one squad.

Berg’s production noticeably dropped in early 2016 and he was reduced to a part-time role. In late July, he suffered a broken kneecap that ended his season and effectively his career. With his 40^th birthday that winter, a major injury, and looming free agency, Berg wisely called it quits. Barcelona immediately retired his #20 uniform for his strong 16 years of service.

In total, Berg had 2378 games, 2740 hits, 1460 runs, 456 doubles, 585 home runs, 1642 RBI, 696 walks, .319/.372/.587 slash, 160 wRC+, and 89.8 WAR. As of 2037, Berg ranks 33^rd in hits, 35^th in runs, 24^th in doubles, 27^th in home runs, 22^nd in RBI, and 54^th in WAR among position players. Berg’s slugging ranks 79^th among all batters with 3000 plate appearances and his .959 OPS ranks 71^st.

Even without black ink, Berg impressive consistency and reliability built him a rock solid resume. He was a big reason why Barcelona was a contender more often than not to begin the new millennium. The very popular Berg was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame voters at 93.1%, headlining EBF’s 2022 class.

Fyodor Golanov – Third/First Base – Dublin Dinos – 70.5% First Ballot

Fyodor Golanov was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed corner infielder from Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city with a metro population around 623,000. He would be the first Hall of Famer to come from the small Baltic nation of around three million. Golanov’s biggest strengths were great home run power and a strong eye for drawing walks. He never was the conference leader in dingers, but he had seven seasons with 40+ and 11 with 30+.

The downside is that Golanov’s contact ability was merely above average and he had some strikeout issues. His power was also very concentrated on homers with only 19 doubles and 5 triples per his 162 game average. Those numbers were quite low, especially considering Golanov was an excellent baserunner with good speed in his prime. Still, the skills he did had made for a very impactful hitter.

Golanov’s defensive career mostly oscillated between third and first bases with just over half of his starts at 3B and most of the rest at 1B. He graded as reliably above average defensively at either spot. His durability was respectable over a 14-year career. Golanov wasn’t one to take a leadership role, but he was steady and loyal. Between that and his ability to hit the ball hard and far, Golanov emerged as a popular player.

Lithuanian players were generally in the Eurasian Professional Baseball domain in the 20^th Century with the country within Soviet control after World War II. With the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, much of Eastern Europe’s baseball community switched into the European Baseball Federation sphere. Golanov’s amateur career was right around the switchover with the exodus of teams from EPB to EBF happening for the 2000 season. Golanov was ready to come out of college in late 2000, entering himself into the EBF Draft.

Because of his country not being a historical EBF hotbed, Golanov didn’t get a ton of attention in the draft. He ended up picked 77^th overall midway through the second round by Riga. Based in neighboring Latvia, the Roosters were one of the teams that had made the jump and had been aware of Golanov as a prospect. He would be a bit of a late bloomer though, as his first two years under contract saw a grand total of eight games in 2002.

Golanov was brought up as a part-time starter in 2003 and had very solid results with 4.5 WAR, taking second in Rookie of the Year honors. This earned him the full-time gig from 2004 onward. Golanov won his first Silver Slugger at third base in 2005. Riga struggled though in the changeover, although they had been historically weak even back in EPB. 2005 marked the start of the European Second League and the promotion/relegation system. The Roosters were one of the first teams to get demoted with a 63-99 record in 2005.

Players that have surpassed the minimum service time for free agency can opt out after relegation, but Golanov wasn’t quite there yet. He was certainly much better than most E2L talent, leading in WAR, OPS, and wRC+ in his one year in the Second League. The Roosters would take runner-up honors, getting promoted right back to the EBF Elite.

However, Riga wasn’t confident they could lock Golanov down as he’d be free agency eligible in another year. Soon after their promotion, the Roosters traded the 29-year old to Dublin for a second round draft pick and four prospects. With Riga, Golanov had 580 hits, 356 runs, 60 doubles, 143 home runs, 320 RBI, a .291/.378/.555 slash, 171 wRC+, and 28.8 WAR. Although he was productive in Latvia, Golanov would become a baseball star in Ireland.

Golanov would post 6+ WAR in each of the next eight seasons for Dublin, posting consistent numbers even if he rarely was a conference leader. The Dinos narrowly missed the 2007 postseason, but knew they were on the cusp with Golanov’s help. That winter, he was signed to a seven-year, $57,280,000 extension. 2008 marked the beginning of an eight-year playoff and division title streak in Dublin. It also started a stretch of six straight years with 100+ wins.

In 2009, Golanov led the conference with a career high 130 runs and posted career bests in hits (165), and home runs (51). It would be one of three seasons for Dublin worth 8+ WAR. 2009 was also Golanov’s second Silver Slugger and his only time as an MVP finalist, finishing third. He was on pace for similar in 2010 and 2011, but lost two months in the former to a strained hamstring and one month in the latter to a strained groin.

Dublin had second round exits in 2008 and 2009 despite their success. They would put it together though with back-to-back European Championships in 2010 and 2011, beating Zurich in the 2010 final and Barcelona in 2011. Golanov was a big piece in those two title runs with 29 starts, 35 hits, 23 runs, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, 11 RBI, 14 walks, and 1.7 WAR.

In the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship in 2010, Golanov was unremarkable with Dublin going 5-4 in a split format. Under the round robin format in 2011, the Dinos finished fifth at 12-7 with Golanov taking third in Tournament MVP voting. Over 18 starts, he had 22 hits, 17 runs, 4 doubles, 8 home runs, 22 RBI, 1.196 OPS, and 1.7 WAR.

By WAR, 2012 was Golanov’s best EBF Elite year at 8.8. He also led the conference with 133 RBI and posted career bests in OPS (.987) and wRC+ (175) to win his third Silver Slugger. Dublin earned a bye at 107-55, but took an upset second round loss against Paris. The Dinos came back angry from that loss in 2013 and dominated at 115-47. It was a tough field with three other teams in the conference at 100+ wins, but Dublin prevailed and won the European Championship over Zaragoza. The Dinos’ dynasty became the first in EBF history with three titles in four years.

Golanov again had a nice playoff run with 15 hits, 12 runs, 7 homers, 15 RBI, 10 walks, .955 OPS, and 0.8 WAR over 18 starts. The momentum didn’t carry into the Grand Championship though with a 7-12 finish near the bottom. Golanov posted an exactly mid 100 wRC+ and a .671 OPS. On the whole though, he had an impressive big game performer. In 70 EBF playoff starts for Dublin, Golanov had 68 hits, 51 runs, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 18 homers, 40 RBI, 35 walks, 25 stolen bases, a .258/.343/.519 slash, 148 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR. In 46 BGC games, he had 39 hits, 29 runs, 5 doubles, 14 homers, 30 RBI, 27 walks, 12 steals, a .244/.365/.537 slash, 154 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR.

In 2014, Dublin fell in the conference final to Paris. Golanov maintained his high level of play throughout and the Dinos gave the now 37-year old a three-year, $45,800,000 extension. Golanov had his usual strong pace in 2015, but he suffered a torn labrum in early July that knocked him out nine months. Unfortunately, that injury would severely sap Golanov’s power.

He was healthy in 2016 for a full season, but had a lackluster .674 OPS, 90 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. Dublin was 86-76, which ended their eight-year playoff streak. Golanov met the vesting criteria for one more season, but decided to retire that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. With Dublin, Golanov had 1438 hits, 969 runs, 173 doubles, 374 home runs, 1000 RBI, 458 stolen bases, a .280/.360/.551 slash, 157 wRC+, and 67.6 WAR. For his role in the dynasty, the Dinos quickly retired Golanov’s #20 uniform.

For his EBF Elite run, Golanov had 1876 hits, 1232 runs, 218 doubles, 472 home runs, 1224 RBI, 814 walks, 581 stolen bases, a .282/.360/.548 slash, 156 wRC+, and 86.5 WAR. As of 2037, Golanov ranks 62^nd in WAR among position players, 58^th in walks, 70^th in home runs, and 93^rd in runs scored, and 97^th in RBI. The final tallies were definitely on the lower end compared to many Hall of Famers and Golanov was limited in terms of awards and black ink.

However, he had very solid playoff numbers and was an important piece in arguably EBF’s best-ever dynasty to that point. Golanov’s walks and reliable defense also made him more valuable than some of the traditional counting stats might suggest. This got him a first ballot induction, albeit narrowly across the 66% requirement at 70.5%. Golanov was the second member of EBF’s 2022 Hall of Fame class and the first-ever Lithuanian to earn the honor.

12-28-2024, 05:08 PM	#1926
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,895	2022 EBF Hall of Fame Two players were selected for induction with the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame voting. Both grabbed first ballot selections, albeit by much different margins. RF Per Berg was a no doubter at 93.1%, while 3B/1B Fyodor Golanov narrowly crossed the finish line at 70.5%. Four other players were within striking distance of the 66% requirement on return ballots, but each came up short. Leading the returning crew was LF Andriy Boychuk, taking 64.7% for his second ballot. 3B Isaad Dorgham was right behind at 63.3% on his seventh go. 3B Kyle Evrard on his fourth attempt finished at 61.5% and SP Martin Kukoc received 59.6% with his eighth ballot. No other players were above 50%. Falling from the ballot after ten tries was RP Steven Macario, who got as high as 54.8% in 2017 and ended at 41.8%. He had a Reliever of the Year win and title with Paris, although his EBF run had a brief MLB interlude. Macario had 245 saves over 700.1 innings, 2.27 ERA, 780 strikeouts, 167 ERA+, and 20.2 WAR. He also had a strong 2.18 playoff ERA over 33 innings with 10 saves. However, Macario didn’t have the longevity or accumulations needed to cross the finish line. Another Paris teammate of his RF Patrick Laborde fell off the ballot, peaking with a 25.3% debut and ending at 9.8%. In 11 seasons, he had two Gold Gloves, a Rookie of the Year, 1957 hits, 861 runs, 318 doubles, 145 triples, 45 home runs, 533 RBI, a .344/.375/.475 slash, 140 wRC+, and 48.6 WAR. Laborde does rank 13^th among all EBF hitters in batting average with 3000+ plate appearances. However, he didn’t have nearly the longevity needed to overcome low power stats. Per Berg – Right Field – Barcelona Bengals – 93.1% First Ballot Per Berg was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Berg was a very solid contact hitter with a reliably strong pop in his bat. He wasn’t one to be a league leader, but his 162 game average got you 40 home runs and 31 doubles. Berg also had a good eye for drawing walks and was above average at avoiding strikeouts. He was a fairly skilled baserunner, but his speed was subpar even in his youth. Berg’s poor speed translated into weak range, although he had a strong arm. He still graded as generally lousy in right field, where he started the vast majority of his career. Still, Berg was a fan favorite adored for his work ethic, loyalty, selflessness and intelligence. His durability was sturdy, playing 140+ games in all but two of his 16 seasons. Berg’s reliability and consistency made him well liked and respected across European baseball. By the 1999 EBF Draft, Berg had established himself as one of the most promising prospects from the college ranks. He was picked 7^th overall by Oslo, but couldn’t’ come to terms with the Octopi. After another year of college, Berg then went third overall to Barcelona in the 2000 draft. His entire professional career would be in Spain, although Berg was a regular fixture for his native Sweden in the World Baseball Championship. From 2000-16, Berg played 161 WBC games and started 155 for Sweden, recording 125 hits, 82 runs, 25 doubles, 36 home runs, 95 RBI, a .222/.324/.459 slash, and 4.5 WAR. The Swedes would earn division titles in both 2007 and 2009. As of 2037, Berg ranks 8^th in WAR among Swedish position players, 2^nd in starts, 5^th in runs, 6^th in hits, 5^th in home runs, and 3^rd in RBI. While popular back home, Berg quickly endeared himself to the Catalan fans with a stellar 2001 Rookie of the Year campaign for Barcelona. Berg had 46 homers, 1.024 OPS, and 6.8 WAR in his debut. That would be his career best in homers, which he’d match in 2004 and 2007. Over the next 11 years, Berg had 30+ homers, 100+ RBI, and 5+ WAR each season. He also had an OPS above one seven times in that stretch, topped 100+ runs six times, and 200+ hits four times. Berg was consistently solid, but wasn’t a league leader apart from drawing the most walks in 2003 at 75. Still, he had 8.0 WAR in 2002 and 8.5 WAR in 2005. Berg earned his first Silver Slugger in the former and took second in MVP voting in the latter. He hit for the cycle in both 2001 and 2006. After the 2005 campaign, Barcelona extended Berg at eight years and $61,060,000. After struggles to start the 21^st Century, the Bengals won three straight Southwest Division titles from 2005-07. They lost in the first round of 2005, then exploded with an impressive 111-51 in 2006. Barcelona won the Southern Conference, but dropped the European Championship to Kyiv. The Bengals fell to 96-66 in 2007, but repeated as conference champs and won it all in a rematch with the Kings. Berg’s playoff numbers were unremarkable, but he was one of the smiling faces that returned Barcelona to the top spot. Berg won additional Silver Sluggers in 2009 and 2011. Barcelona just missed the playoffs in 2008 and 2009, then posted back-to-back 100+ win seasons. The Bengals fell to Zurich in the 2010 Southern Conference Championship, then secured the 2011 pennant over Athens. However, Barcelona was denied in the European Championship against Dublin. After the 2010 season, a 34-year old Berg opted out of his Barcelona deal, but he re-signed a month later at four years and $40 million. The Bengals would be in the mid-tier outside the playoffs from 2012-14. Berg had his first injury setback in 2012 with a strained oblique costing him nearly three months. That snapped many of his statistical streaks, but he did bounce back. Berg was down from his peaks over the next three years, but still a reliably strong starter. He passed the 2500 hit, 500 home run, and 1500 RBI milestones. Berg again became a free agent after the 2014 season, but yet again returned to Barcelona. His new contract would be worth $16,400,000 over two more seasons, keeping him employed at age 38. Barcelona made it back to the playoffs in 2015 as a 92-70 wild card and won their fourth pennant of Berg’s tenure, although they lost to Antwerp in the European Championship. That was Berg‘s strongest playoff run with a .970 OPS over 20 starts. For his playoff career, he was merely decent with 77 starts, 78 hits, 41 runs, 16 doubles, 17 home runs, 46 RBI, a .265/.307/.493 slash, 116 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. Still, not many guys could say they won four conference titles with one squad. Berg’s production noticeably dropped in early 2016 and he was reduced to a part-time role. In late July, he suffered a broken kneecap that ended his season and effectively his career. With his 40^th birthday that winter, a major injury, and looming free agency, Berg wisely called it quits. Barcelona immediately retired his #20 uniform for his strong 16 years of service. In total, Berg had 2378 games, 2740 hits, 1460 runs, 456 doubles, 585 home runs, 1642 RBI, 696 walks, .319/.372/.587 slash, 160 wRC+, and 89.8 WAR. As of 2037, Berg ranks 33^rd in hits, 35^th in runs, 24^th in doubles, 27^th in home runs, 22^nd in RBI, and 54^th in WAR among position players. Berg’s slugging ranks 79^th among all batters with 3000 plate appearances and his .959 OPS ranks 71^st. Even without black ink, Berg impressive consistency and reliability built him a rock solid resume. He was a big reason why Barcelona was a contender more often than not to begin the new millennium. The very popular Berg was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame voters at 93.1%, headlining EBF’s 2022 class. Fyodor Golanov – Third/First Base – Dublin Dinos – 70.5% First Ballot Fyodor Golanov was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed corner infielder from Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city with a metro population around 623,000. He would be the first Hall of Famer to come from the small Baltic nation of around three million. Golanov’s biggest strengths were great home run power and a strong eye for drawing walks. He never was the conference leader in dingers, but he had seven seasons with 40+ and 11 with 30+. The downside is that Golanov’s contact ability was merely above average and he had some strikeout issues. His power was also very concentrated on homers with only 19 doubles and 5 triples per his 162 game average. Those numbers were quite low, especially considering Golanov was an excellent baserunner with good speed in his prime. Still, the skills he did had made for a very impactful hitter. Golanov’s defensive career mostly oscillated between third and first bases with just over half of his starts at 3B and most of the rest at 1B. He graded as reliably above average defensively at either spot. His durability was respectable over a 14-year career. Golanov wasn’t one to take a leadership role, but he was steady and loyal. Between that and his ability to hit the ball hard and far, Golanov emerged as a popular player. Lithuanian players were generally in the Eurasian Professional Baseball domain in the 20^th Century with the country within Soviet control after World War II. With the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, much of Eastern Europe’s baseball community switched into the European Baseball Federation sphere. Golanov’s amateur career was right around the switchover with the exodus of teams from EPB to EBF happening for the 2000 season. Golanov was ready to come out of college in late 2000, entering himself into the EBF Draft. Because of his country not being a historical EBF hotbed, Golanov didn’t get a ton of attention in the draft. He ended up picked 77^th overall midway through the second round by Riga. Based in neighboring Latvia, the Roosters were one of the teams that had made the jump and had been aware of Golanov as a prospect. He would be a bit of a late bloomer though, as his first two years under contract saw a grand total of eight games in 2002. Golanov was brought up as a part-time starter in 2003 and had very solid results with 4.5 WAR, taking second in Rookie of the Year honors. This earned him the full-time gig from 2004 onward. Golanov won his first Silver Slugger at third base in 2005. Riga struggled though in the changeover, although they had been historically weak even back in EPB. 2005 marked the start of the European Second League and the promotion/relegation system. The Roosters were one of the first teams to get demoted with a 63-99 record in 2005. Players that have surpassed the minimum service time for free agency can opt out after relegation, but Golanov wasn’t quite there yet. He was certainly much better than most E2L talent, leading in WAR, OPS, and wRC+ in his one year in the Second League. The Roosters would take runner-up honors, getting promoted right back to the EBF Elite. However, Riga wasn’t confident they could lock Golanov down as he’d be free agency eligible in another year. Soon after their promotion, the Roosters traded the 29-year old to Dublin for a second round draft pick and four prospects. With Riga, Golanov had 580 hits, 356 runs, 60 doubles, 143 home runs, 320 RBI, a .291/.378/.555 slash, 171 wRC+, and 28.8 WAR. Although he was productive in Latvia, Golanov would become a baseball star in Ireland. Golanov would post 6+ WAR in each of the next eight seasons for Dublin, posting consistent numbers even if he rarely was a conference leader. The Dinos narrowly missed the 2007 postseason, but knew they were on the cusp with Golanov’s help. That winter, he was signed to a seven-year, $57,280,000 extension. 2008 marked the beginning of an eight-year playoff and division title streak in Dublin. It also started a stretch of six straight years with 100+ wins. In 2009, Golanov led the conference with a career high 130 runs and posted career bests in hits (165), and home runs (51). It would be one of three seasons for Dublin worth 8+ WAR. 2009 was also Golanov’s second Silver Slugger and his only time as an MVP finalist, finishing third. He was on pace for similar in 2010 and 2011, but lost two months in the former to a strained hamstring and one month in the latter to a strained groin. Dublin had second round exits in 2008 and 2009 despite their success. They would put it together though with back-to-back European Championships in 2010 and 2011, beating Zurich in the 2010 final and Barcelona in 2011. Golanov was a big piece in those two title runs with 29 starts, 35 hits, 23 runs, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, 11 RBI, 14 walks, and 1.7 WAR. In the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship in 2010, Golanov was unremarkable with Dublin going 5-4 in a split format. Under the round robin format in 2011, the Dinos finished fifth at 12-7 with Golanov taking third in Tournament MVP voting. Over 18 starts, he had 22 hits, 17 runs, 4 doubles, 8 home runs, 22 RBI, 1.196 OPS, and 1.7 WAR. By WAR, 2012 was Golanov’s best EBF Elite year at 8.8. He also led the conference with 133 RBI and posted career bests in OPS (.987) and wRC+ (175) to win his third Silver Slugger. Dublin earned a bye at 107-55, but took an upset second round loss against Paris. The Dinos came back angry from that loss in 2013 and dominated at 115-47. It was a tough field with three other teams in the conference at 100+ wins, but Dublin prevailed and won the European Championship over Zaragoza. The Dinos’ dynasty became the first in EBF history with three titles in four years. Golanov again had a nice playoff run with 15 hits, 12 runs, 7 homers, 15 RBI, 10 walks, .955 OPS, and 0.8 WAR over 18 starts. The momentum didn’t carry into the Grand Championship though with a 7-12 finish near the bottom. Golanov posted an exactly mid 100 wRC+ and a .671 OPS. On the whole though, he had an impressive big game performer. In 70 EBF playoff starts for Dublin, Golanov had 68 hits, 51 runs, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 18 homers, 40 RBI, 35 walks, 25 stolen bases, a .258/.343/.519 slash, 148 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR. In 46 BGC games, he had 39 hits, 29 runs, 5 doubles, 14 homers, 30 RBI, 27 walks, 12 steals, a .244/.365/.537 slash, 154 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. In 2014, Dublin fell in the conference final to Paris. Golanov maintained his high level of play throughout and the Dinos gave the now 37-year old a three-year, $45,800,000 extension. Golanov had his usual strong pace in 2015, but he suffered a torn labrum in early July that knocked him out nine months. Unfortunately, that injury would severely sap Golanov’s power. He was healthy in 2016 for a full season, but had a lackluster .674 OPS, 90 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. Dublin was 86-76, which ended their eight-year playoff streak. Golanov met the vesting criteria for one more season, but decided to retire that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. With Dublin, Golanov had 1438 hits, 969 runs, 173 doubles, 374 home runs, 1000 RBI, 458 stolen bases, a .280/.360/.551 slash, 157 wRC+, and 67.6 WAR. For his role in the dynasty, the Dinos quickly retired Golanov’s #20 uniform. For his EBF Elite run, Golanov had 1876 hits, 1232 runs, 218 doubles, 472 home runs, 1224 RBI, 814 walks, 581 stolen bases, a .282/.360/.548 slash, 156 wRC+, and 86.5 WAR. As of 2037, Golanov ranks 62^nd in WAR among position players, 58^th in walks, 70^th in home runs, and 93^rd in runs scored, and 97^th in RBI. The final tallies were definitely on the lower end compared to many Hall of Famers and Golanov was limited in terms of awards and black ink. However, he had very solid playoff numbers and was an important piece in arguably EBF’s best-ever dynasty to that point. Golanov’s walks and reliable defense also made him more valuable than some of the traditional counting stats might suggest. This got him a first ballot induction, albeit narrowly across the 66% requirement at 70.5%. Golanov was the second member of EBF’s 2022 Hall of Fame class and the first-ever Lithuanian to earn the honor. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)