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FuzzyRussianHat · 01-21-2025, 01:00 PM

East Asia Baseball’s 2024 Hall of Fame class had three inductees, although home run king Soo-Geun Yim was the only no-doubter with the DH/RF nearly unanimous at 99.4%. Two returners made it in by barely breaching the 66% requirement as LF Sang-Min Hwang got 67.6% in his second ballot and SP Sora Miyoshi saw 67.2% for his third attempt. The only other player above 50% was SP Jong-Hyeon Chung at 51.3% in his fifth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Soo-Geun “Jinx” Yim – Designated Hitter/Right Field - Jeonju Jethawks – 99.4% First Ballot

Soo-Geun Yim was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed slugger from Ilsan, South Korea; a city of 294,000 people in the northwestern Seoul National Capital Area. Yim simply socked dingers with some scouts rating his home run power as a 10/10 at his peak. From 2001-2016, he smacked 40+ homers in all but one season and topped 50+ seven times in that stretch. Yim’s gap power was good too with 30 doubles and 3 triples per his 162 game average.

Yim was a rock solid contact hitter as well, although he was merely average at drawing walks with a subpar strikeout rate. He was especially potent against right-handed pitching with a career .989 OPS and 164 wRC+. Yim could still do damage to lefties with a .867 OPS and 136 wRC+. He wasn’t a bad baserunner from a skill standpoint, but he was almost laughably slow.

Around 55% of Yim’s career starts came as a designated hitter. Most of his defensive starts came in the Ulsan run and mostly at right field, although they tried him at first base briefly. Yim was an abysmal defender at either spot and definitely was best kept as a DH. He was a true ironman that never missed time to injury, playing 150+ games in 19 consecutive seasons. Yim was intelligent and hard working with a fan favorite personality. Combine his character, durability, and dingers, and you have one of the most universally beloved players to come from Korea.

Yim’s power potential was obvious even as a teenager, making him a rare draft pick coming out of Woosung High School. He was picked 6^th overall by Jeonju in the 1997 EAB Draft, but was used in only three pinch-hit at-bats in 1998. The Jethawks made Yim a full-time starter in 1999 at age 20, but he wasn’t quite fully formed yet. He was a merely okay starter in his first two years and even took second in 1999’s Rookie of the Year. Yim emerged as a truly elite slugger by his third season.

From 2001-05, Yim led the Korea League each year in home runs and total bases, hitting 59+ homers with 400+ total bases each season. He also led four times in runs scored and hits in that stretch, while leading thrice in RBI, thrice in WAR, twice in slugging, twice in wRC+, and once in both OBP and OPS. Yim won MVP in 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005 and finished second in 2002. He won Silver Sluggers as a DH each year. All five seasons had OPS above 1.000 and a batting average above .300.

In 2002, Yim scored 137 runs, which ranks as the 8^th-best single season as of 2037 in EAB. He would join Young-Hwan Sha as the only players to score 120+ runs in five different seasons. 2003 had Yim’s best career WAR at 11.2 and his most hits with 237, which ranks as the 7^th-most hits in a season. His 478 total bases also broke the then-EAB record of 456. The 2005 season would make Yim a legend already in his mid 20s, becoming EAB’s new single-season home run king.

Yim socked 73 dingers in 2005, passing the previous mark of 72 reached twice by Tsukasa Kato. Kunihiko Ishiguro passed him with 79 in 2014, but no one else in EAB has as of 2037. Yim broke his own total bases record with 485 and holds the #3 and #4 spots in EAB as of 2037. The 485 total bases also ranks as the 17^th-most in world baseball history. Yim also had 158 RBI, which ranks as the 6^th-best effort. His 1.187 OPS was a career best and ranks 9^th as of 2037.

He became a beloved superstar in Jeonju and throughout all of South Korea for these exploits. Despite his efforts, the Jethawks were stuck in the middle of the standings. They did lose in the KLCS in his rookie year 1999, but didn’t make the playoffs for the rest of his run. Yim dominated though on the World Baseball Championship stage, especially in 2003 and 2004. South Korea fell to the United States in the 2003 World Championship and finished fourth in 2004.

Yim was third in 2004’s MVP voting with 22 hits, 17 runs, 10 homers, and 14 RBI in 19 games. The prior year, he had 21 runs, 23 hits, 11 homers, and 21 RBI in 25 games. From 2001-2013 in the World Baseball Championship, Yim played 122 games and started 104 with 103 hits, 79 runs, 16 doubles, 42 home runs, 79 RBI, .261/.329/.627 slash, 169 wRC+, and 5.4 WAR.

Yim still gets associated most with Jeonju as it was his most dominant tenure. He would be inducted in Jethawks blue and gold and his #25 uniform would be later retired. However, Yim opted to leave for free agency once eligible after the 2006 season. For Jeonju, he had 1436 hits, 795 runs, 232 doubles, 364 home runs, 868 RBI, 317 walks, .329/.375/.642 slash, 168 wRC+, and 49.7 WAR.

Since he was soon to be only 27-years old, Yim was one of the most prized free agents in EAB history. Ulsan would win the sweepstakes at eight years and $82,400,000. The Swallows had just missed the playoffs in 2005 to end a five-year streak, although they never got beyond the KLCS in that run. They hoped Yim could get them back to the top spot.

Yim was by no means bad during his Swallows run, but he never replicated his peak Jeonju numbers. He won a Silver Slugger in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 in right field and got one at first base in 2007; earning 11 total for his career. Ulsan took the top seed at 103-59 in 2007, but was upset by Yongin in the first round. The Swallows would be outside the playoffs for most of the rest of Yim’s tenure and were stuck in the middle tier.

Ulsan finally got back to the playoffs in 2012, but had another first round defeat. Yim led in home runs (56), RBI (131), and total bases (367) to win his fifth MVP. As of 2037, he’s one of six in EAB history to win the award 5+ times. He also led in homers in 2011 and topped 45+ dingers in six of his Swallows seasons. Yim was second in 2007’s MVP voting, which was his best Ulsan season by WAR (8.6), runs (121), and OPS (1.111).

Yim declined the contract option eighth year of his deal after the 2012 campaign, putting him back to free agency heading into his age 34 season. With Ulsan, he had 1252 hits, 689 runs, 208 doubles, 331 home runs, 807 RBI, 287 walks, .309/.356/.617 slash, 162 wRC+, and 39.9 WAR. Coming off an MVP, Yim’s stock was once again sky high. He inked a four-year, $60,000,000 deal with Incheon.

He never won awards with the Inferno, but remained a very steady power bat with 40+ homers and 110+ RBI in each of his first four years. Yim signed a two-year, $22,200,000 extension after the 2016 season. Incheon won the division in 2014 but had a first round playoff loss. They would be mid-tier the rest of his run, keeping Yim from ever having a meaningful playoff run. His career postseason stats were solid in a small sample size with 22 games, 25 hits, 14 runs, 5 doubles, 9 home runs, 21 RBI, and 1.008 OPS.

The excitement around Yim came back late in the Incheon run as his longevity meant he could challenge some big milestones. In 2015, he became the 4^th member of the 800 home run club and the 4^th to reach 2000 RBI. Seemingly within reach was Lei Meng’s home run record of 897, Hyeog-Jun Wi’s 2097 RBI record, and Byung-Oh Tan’s runs scored (2010) and hits mark (3871).

In 2016, Yim passed Wi to become EAB’s RBI king. Then in 2017, he passed Meng to become the home run king. That year Yim was also the 4^th to 3500 hits, but he would fall short of Tan’s hits and runs marks. Yim declined sharply in 2018 and was benched after posting -1.6 WAR in 80 games, retiring that winter at age 39. For Incheon, he had 855 hits, 464 runs, 139 doubles, 226 home runs, 604 RBI, 191 walks, .270/.314/.539 slash, 135 wRC+, and 19.9 WAR.

Yim finished with 3084 games, 3543 hits, 1948 runs, 579 doubles, 65 triples, 921 home runs, 2279 RBI, 795 walks, .306/.352/.605 slash, 157 wRC+, and 109.5 WAR. As of 2037, Yim remains EAB’s RBI leader and ranks 19^th in RBI among all players in world history. He finally surrendered EAB’s home run crown in the early 2030s, but still ranks 2^nd in EAB and is 21^st in world history. Yim is one of only 23 pros across all leagues with 900 homers.

In EAB as of 2037, Yim still ranks 3^rd in hits, 5^th in runs, 7^th in games played, 7^th in doubles, 83^rd in walks, 10^th in strikeouts, and 21^st in WAR among position players. He just misses the top 50 for runs scored and hits among all players ever. Among EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yim’s .957 OPS ranks 33^rd. He also ranks 21^st in slugging.

Any conversation about the best-ever sluggers in East Asia Baseball history certainly feature Yim prominently. Still, he gets left out of some top five and top ten lists when discussing EAB’s best-ever position players due either to being a DH/poor defender and/or because of a lack of playoff/team success. Some recency bias hurts him too with less dominance in his 30s

There were other guys who had more complete resumes, but Yim’s power was captivating for anyone who ever saw him play. Few players in all of baseball history were more universally beloved and very few ever had a power run as impressive as Yim’s 2001-05 peak with Jeonju. Yim’s iron man status and reliability made him a sure thing for two decades. He was a no-doubt Hall of Fame headliner at 99.4% to lead a three-player group in 2024.

01-21-2025, 01:00 PM	#1997
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,267	2024 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 1) East Asia Baseball’s 2024 Hall of Fame class had three inductees, although home run king Soo-Geun Yim was the only no-doubter with the DH/RF nearly unanimous at 99.4%. Two returners made it in by barely breaching the 66% requirement as LF Sang-Min Hwang got 67.6% in his second ballot and SP Sora Miyoshi saw 67.2% for his third attempt. The only other player above 50% was SP Jong-Hyeon Chung at 51.3% in his fifth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots. Soo-Geun “Jinx” Yim – Designated Hitter/Right Field - Jeonju Jethawks – 99.4% First Ballot Soo-Geun Yim was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed slugger from Ilsan, South Korea; a city of 294,000 people in the northwestern Seoul National Capital Area. Yim simply socked dingers with some scouts rating his home run power as a 10/10 at his peak. From 2001-2016, he smacked 40+ homers in all but one season and topped 50+ seven times in that stretch. Yim’s gap power was good too with 30 doubles and 3 triples per his 162 game average. Yim was a rock solid contact hitter as well, although he was merely average at drawing walks with a subpar strikeout rate. He was especially potent against right-handed pitching with a career .989 OPS and 164 wRC+. Yim could still do damage to lefties with a .867 OPS and 136 wRC+. He wasn’t a bad baserunner from a skill standpoint, but he was almost laughably slow. Around 55% of Yim’s career starts came as a designated hitter. Most of his defensive starts came in the Ulsan run and mostly at right field, although they tried him at first base briefly. Yim was an abysmal defender at either spot and definitely was best kept as a DH. He was a true ironman that never missed time to injury, playing 150+ games in 19 consecutive seasons. Yim was intelligent and hard working with a fan favorite personality. Combine his character, durability, and dingers, and you have one of the most universally beloved players to come from Korea. Yim’s power potential was obvious even as a teenager, making him a rare draft pick coming out of Woosung High School. He was picked 6^th overall by Jeonju in the 1997 EAB Draft, but was used in only three pinch-hit at-bats in 1998. The Jethawks made Yim a full-time starter in 1999 at age 20, but he wasn’t quite fully formed yet. He was a merely okay starter in his first two years and even took second in 1999’s Rookie of the Year. Yim emerged as a truly elite slugger by his third season. From 2001-05, Yim led the Korea League each year in home runs and total bases, hitting 59+ homers with 400+ total bases each season. He also led four times in runs scored and hits in that stretch, while leading thrice in RBI, thrice in WAR, twice in slugging, twice in wRC+, and once in both OBP and OPS. Yim won MVP in 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005 and finished second in 2002. He won Silver Sluggers as a DH each year. All five seasons had OPS above 1.000 and a batting average above .300. In 2002, Yim scored 137 runs, which ranks as the 8^th-best single season as of 2037 in EAB. He would join Young-Hwan Sha as the only players to score 120+ runs in five different seasons. 2003 had Yim’s best career WAR at 11.2 and his most hits with 237, which ranks as the 7^th-most hits in a season. His 478 total bases also broke the then-EAB record of 456. The 2005 season would make Yim a legend already in his mid 20s, becoming EAB’s new single-season home run king. Yim socked 73 dingers in 2005, passing the previous mark of 72 reached twice by Tsukasa Kato. Kunihiko Ishiguro passed him with 79 in 2014, but no one else in EAB has as of 2037. Yim broke his own total bases record with 485 and holds the #3 and #4 spots in EAB as of 2037. The 485 total bases also ranks as the 17^th-most in world baseball history. Yim also had 158 RBI, which ranks as the 6^th-best effort. His 1.187 OPS was a career best and ranks 9^th as of 2037. He became a beloved superstar in Jeonju and throughout all of South Korea for these exploits. Despite his efforts, the Jethawks were stuck in the middle of the standings. They did lose in the KLCS in his rookie year 1999, but didn’t make the playoffs for the rest of his run. Yim dominated though on the World Baseball Championship stage, especially in 2003 and 2004. South Korea fell to the United States in the 2003 World Championship and finished fourth in 2004. Yim was third in 2004’s MVP voting with 22 hits, 17 runs, 10 homers, and 14 RBI in 19 games. The prior year, he had 21 runs, 23 hits, 11 homers, and 21 RBI in 25 games. From 2001-2013 in the World Baseball Championship, Yim played 122 games and started 104 with 103 hits, 79 runs, 16 doubles, 42 home runs, 79 RBI, .261/.329/.627 slash, 169 wRC+, and 5.4 WAR. Yim still gets associated most with Jeonju as it was his most dominant tenure. He would be inducted in Jethawks blue and gold and his #25 uniform would be later retired. However, Yim opted to leave for free agency once eligible after the 2006 season. For Jeonju, he had 1436 hits, 795 runs, 232 doubles, 364 home runs, 868 RBI, 317 walks, .329/.375/.642 slash, 168 wRC+, and 49.7 WAR. Since he was soon to be only 27-years old, Yim was one of the most prized free agents in EAB history. Ulsan would win the sweepstakes at eight years and $82,400,000. The Swallows had just missed the playoffs in 2005 to end a five-year streak, although they never got beyond the KLCS in that run. They hoped Yim could get them back to the top spot. Yim was by no means bad during his Swallows run, but he never replicated his peak Jeonju numbers. He won a Silver Slugger in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 in right field and got one at first base in 2007; earning 11 total for his career. Ulsan took the top seed at 103-59 in 2007, but was upset by Yongin in the first round. The Swallows would be outside the playoffs for most of the rest of Yim’s tenure and were stuck in the middle tier. Ulsan finally got back to the playoffs in 2012, but had another first round defeat. Yim led in home runs (56), RBI (131), and total bases (367) to win his fifth MVP. As of 2037, he’s one of six in EAB history to win the award 5+ times. He also led in homers in 2011 and topped 45+ dingers in six of his Swallows seasons. Yim was second in 2007’s MVP voting, which was his best Ulsan season by WAR (8.6), runs (121), and OPS (1.111). Yim declined the contract option eighth year of his deal after the 2012 campaign, putting him back to free agency heading into his age 34 season. With Ulsan, he had 1252 hits, 689 runs, 208 doubles, 331 home runs, 807 RBI, 287 walks, .309/.356/.617 slash, 162 wRC+, and 39.9 WAR. Coming off an MVP, Yim’s stock was once again sky high. He inked a four-year, $60,000,000 deal with Incheon. He never won awards with the Inferno, but remained a very steady power bat with 40+ homers and 110+ RBI in each of his first four years. Yim signed a two-year, $22,200,000 extension after the 2016 season. Incheon won the division in 2014 but had a first round playoff loss. They would be mid-tier the rest of his run, keeping Yim from ever having a meaningful playoff run. His career postseason stats were solid in a small sample size with 22 games, 25 hits, 14 runs, 5 doubles, 9 home runs, 21 RBI, and 1.008 OPS. The excitement around Yim came back late in the Incheon run as his longevity meant he could challenge some big milestones. In 2015, he became the 4^th member of the 800 home run club and the 4^th to reach 2000 RBI. Seemingly within reach was Lei Meng’s home run record of 897, Hyeog-Jun Wi’s 2097 RBI record, and Byung-Oh Tan’s runs scored (2010) and hits mark (3871). In 2016, Yim passed Wi to become EAB’s RBI king. Then in 2017, he passed Meng to become the home run king. That year Yim was also the 4^th to 3500 hits, but he would fall short of Tan’s hits and runs marks. Yim declined sharply in 2018 and was benched after posting -1.6 WAR in 80 games, retiring that winter at age 39. For Incheon, he had 855 hits, 464 runs, 139 doubles, 226 home runs, 604 RBI, 191 walks, .270/.314/.539 slash, 135 wRC+, and 19.9 WAR. Yim finished with 3084 games, 3543 hits, 1948 runs, 579 doubles, 65 triples, 921 home runs, 2279 RBI, 795 walks, .306/.352/.605 slash, 157 wRC+, and 109.5 WAR. As of 2037, Yim remains EAB’s RBI leader and ranks 19^th in RBI among all players in world history. He finally surrendered EAB’s home run crown in the early 2030s, but still ranks 2^nd in EAB and is 21^st in world history. Yim is one of only 23 pros across all leagues with 900 homers. In EAB as of 2037, Yim still ranks 3^rd in hits, 5^th in runs, 7^th in games played, 7^th in doubles, 83^rd in walks, 10^th in strikeouts, and 21^st in WAR among position players. He just misses the top 50 for runs scored and hits among all players ever. Among EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yim’s .957 OPS ranks 33^rd. He also ranks 21^st in slugging. Any conversation about the best-ever sluggers in East Asia Baseball history certainly feature Yim prominently. Still, he gets left out of some top five and top ten lists when discussing EAB’s best-ever position players due either to being a DH/poor defender and/or because of a lack of playoff/team success. Some recency bias hurts him too with less dominance in his 30s There were other guys who had more complete resumes, but Yim’s power was captivating for anyone who ever saw him play. Few players in all of baseball history were more universally beloved and very few ever had a power run as impressive as Yim’s 2001-05 peak with Jeonju. Yim’s iron man status and reliability made him a sure thing for two decades. He was a no-doubt Hall of Fame headliner at 99.4% to lead a three-player group in 2024. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)