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FuzzyRussianHat · 01-23-2025, 05:01 AM

Robert Patrikyan – Left Field – Yerevan Valiants – 70.7% First Ballot

Robert Patrikyan was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Patrikyan was a very good contact hitter with reliable power, especially for the gap. He led in doubles thrice and had a 162 game average of 36 doubles, 6 triples, and 34 home runs. Patrikyan was average to above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He was a skilled baserunner, but was limited by below average speed.

Patrikyan did most of his damage versus right-handed pitching with a career .992 OPS and 170 wRC+. He was merely above average against lefties with a 113 wRC+ and .770 OPS. Patrikyan played almost exclusively in left field, but was a lousy defender. Still, he was one of the hardest working and scrappiest guys on the field, which made Patrikyan a popular player in his era. He also maintained good durability and rarely missed time to injury over a 15-year career.

As Patrikyan was growing up, Armenia was in the Eurasian Professional Baseball sphere of influence. Three of his countrymen were inducted into EPB’s Hall of Fame prior to Patrikyan becoming the first Armenian in EBF’s HOF. The capital Yerevan was among the teams that defected to EBF in the 2000 exodus. The Valiants kept a close eye on Patrikyan as he entered college in the early 2000s. In the 2003 EBF Draft, Yerevan picked Patrikyan with the fifth overall pick.

Not only was it an obvious pick purely from a talent standpoint, but selecting a hometown hero made tons of business sense. In EPB, the Valiants had been one of the consistently worst teams, going from 1978-2003 without a single winning season. Patrikyan was solid as a part-time starter as a rookie in 2004, helping Yerevan finally get back above .500, even if it was 82-80. The Valiants didn’t become a powerhouse, but they had winning seasons from 2004-09. Yerevan would win division titles in 2006 and 2007, although they didn’t get beyond the second round.

Patrikyan led the Southern Conference thrice in doubles for Yerevan and had four seasons above 6+ WAR. He won Silver Sluggers in both 2006 and 2008, taking third in 2006’s MVP voting and second in 2008. 2008 was his best season by WAR (8.2), OPS (1.077), wRC+ (191), hits (217), RBI (127), and triple slash (.371/.451/.662). Patrikyan’s doubles best was 51 in 2009 , his runs best was 119 in 2011, and his homers best was 41 in 2006.

After the 2009 season, Patrikyan signed a four-year, $53,400,000 extension with Yerevan. To their disappointment, he would opt out after the 2011 season and become a free agent at age 30. With Yerevan, Patrikyan had 1365 hits, 753 runs, 296 doubles, 277 home runs, 776 RBI, 338 walks, .320/.371/.607 slash, 166 wRC+, and 47.3 WAR. He would remain a hometown favorite even after leaving Armenia and his #26 uniform would eventually be retired.

Patrikyan moved to Switzerland and signed for seven years and $73,400,000 with Zurich. He wasn’t an awards winner or conference leader with the Mountaineers, but was a very solid starter in his first two years. Patrikyan dipped a bit after that, but was still a positive contributor with his bat. Zurich was in regular contention with playoff berths in 2012-13, then from 2016-21.

Zurich lost in the 2012 Southern Conference Championship to Vienna, then had a second round loss in 2013. In 2016, the Mountaineers won it all, beating Amsterdam for the European Championship. Patrikyan was solid in that title run with 19 starts, 23 hits, 10 runs, 6 doubles, 2 homers, 12 RBI, 9 walks, and .902 OPS. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he was more inconsistent with a .182/.250/.500 slash, although 7 of his 12 hits were solo homers. Zurich finished 12-7 in a three-way tie for second, officially taking fourth after the tiebreakers.

The Mountaineers had first round exits in Patrikyan’s final two seasons. In 42 playoff games total for Zurich, he had 51 hits, 26 runs, 13 doubles, 8 home runs, 26 RBI, .340/.396/.587 slash, 170 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. Patrikyan was moved to a backup role in his last season of 2018. He finished for Zurich with 994 hits, 529 runs, 201 doubles, 186 home runs, 555 RBI, .297/.344/.547 slash, 146 wRC+, and 28.1 WAR. After going unsigned for 2019, Patrikyan retired that winter at age 38.

Patrikyan’s final stats had 2359 hits, 1282 runs, 497 doubles, 86 triples, 463 home runs, 1331 RBI, 576 walks, 127 stolen bases, .310/.359/.580 slash, 157 wRC+, and 75.4 WAR. As of 2037, Patrikyan ranks 79^th in hits, 79^th in runs, 10^th in doubles, 74^th in homers, and 67^th in RBI. He does miss the top 100 for WAR, but his slugging ranks 96^th among those with 3000+ plate appearances.

His resume was a bit borderline as the totals were good, but not incredible. Patrikyan didn’t have a ton of accolades or black ink, but his work ethic earned him a lot of respect. He played an important role in a championship for Zurich and was a major ambassador to bridge the gap for Yerevan and Armenia into the EBF sphere. At 70.7%, Patrikyan narrowly made the cut for a first ballot selection with the three-player 2024 EBF Hall of Fame class.

Martin Kukoc – Starting Pitcher – Belfast Brewers – 68.8% Tenth Ballot

Martin Kukoc was a 6’0’’, 170 pound left-handed pitcher from Kranj, Slovenia’s third-largest city with around 38,000 inhabitants. Kukoc was a fireballer with rock solid stuff and good-to-great movement and control. His 99-101 mph fastball was his strongest pitch, but he had a unique six-pitch arsenal. Kukoc’s slider, curveball, and forkball were each good along with a decent splitter and a lousy changeup.

Kukoc’s stamina was generally average compared to other EBF aces. He was a strong defensive pitcher and had an elite pickoff move. Kukoc’s durability was great, avoiding major injuries for 200+ innings in all but his rookie campaign. He was one of the hardest working and adaptable pitchers of his era. Some had more pure talent, but very few matched Kukoc’s sparkplug character.

In June 1989, a teenaged Kukoc was noticed and signed to a developmental contract with Belfast, making the move from what was then Yugoslavia to Northern Ireland. He spent parts of six years in their academy before debuting in 1995 with 149 innings at age 22. He was okay in that part-time role and moved into the rotation full-time for the next seven seasons with Belfast.

Kukoc was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist and rarely was a conference leader. He did lead with 28 quality starts in 1999 and had the most wins (19-15), starts (37), and innings (290.2) in 2002. Kukoc had six seasons above 4+ WAR for the Brewers, peaking with 6.5 in both 1999 and 2002. He had his career-best 253 strikeouts in 1999 and his best ERA in 2002 with 2.57

It was hard to get attention even in his best years though as Belfast had been a historically inept franchise. The Brewers averaged 71.5 wins per season during Kukoc’s run and only once got above .500 with an 82-80 mark in 2002. That was the final year of his time in Northern Ireland, as he left for free agency at age 30. With Belfast, Kukoc had a 95-105 record, 3.27 ERA, 1904 innings, 1726 strikeouts, 435 walks, 113 ERA+, and 36.0 WAR.

Kukoc stayed in the United Kingdom, moving to England on a six-year, $27,600,000 deal with Birmingham. The Bees had been a dynasty in the 1990s, but this was a rebuilding era for them as they peaked at 81-81 in Kukoc’s tenure. He was steady with three of his four seasons being above 5+ WAR. For Birmingham, Kukoc had a 57-40 record, 3.10 ERA, 973 innings, 892 strikeouts, 167 walks, 119 ERA+, and 19.1 WAR.

After the 2006 season, Kukoc was traded to Barcelona for two prospects. The Bengals were fresh off a 111-51 season and a runner-up finish and hoped Kukoc could shore up the rotation. They dropped to 96-66 in 2007, but repeated as Southern Conference champ. Barcelona then defeated Kyiv in an European Championship rematch. Kukoc had a great 2.25 ERA over 24 playoff innings and had a solid 5.0 WAR effort in the regular season.

Kukoc had a 5.8 WAR effort in 2008, although Barcelona missed the playoffs. For the Bengals, he had a 26-22 record, 3.26 ERA, 433.1 innings, 432 strikeouts, 86 walks, 121 ERA+, and 10.8 WAR. Kukoc still seemed to be pitching at a high level and at age 36 singed a three-year, $15,640,000 deal with Thessaloniki. His production dropped a bit with 2.9 WAR over 211.2 innings in 2009. Kukoc decided to retire that winter shortly after his 37^th birthday.

In total, Kukoc had a 197-177 record, 3.24 ERA, 3522 innings, 3250 strikeouts, 724 walks, 294/446 quality starts, 91 complete games, 22 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 68.8 WAR. As of 2037, Kukoc ranks 50^th in wins, 24^th in innings, 42^nd in strikeouts, and 57^th in WAR among pitchers. His resume was a tricky one for many voters for the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame.

Detractors pointed out his lack of black ink and that he was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. Kukoc didn’t have big totals and had the stink of being on mostly bad teams hurting him. Supporters pointed that his advanced stats were better than the traditional stats might suggest. While his tallies were on the lower end, they wouldn’t be out of place compared to some other inductees. Supporters also argued that if not for being on bad teams, he probably satiates the traditionalists and gets to 225+ wins. Kukoc also did pitch well and was an important piece in Barcelona’s 2007 title run.

Kukoc debuted at 44.6% and didn’t budge much from there on his first five ballots. He got a nice jump to 56.4% in 2020, then dropped back to 51.5% in 2012. Kukoc got some more support in 2022 and 2023 with 59.6% and 60.4% respectively, but was still a few checks away from the 66% requirement. 2024 would be his tenth and final opportunity.

His fellow Slovene Mitja Kovacic was considered a lock by voters upon his 2024 debut. While Kovacic was certainly more dominant, Kukoc backers pointed out that he hit similar benchmarks. Some also liked the idea of having two guys being their country’s first HOFers together. Those efforts got Kukoc to 68.8%, just crossing the line on his tenth ballot to cap off the 2024 EBF Hall of Fame class. As of 2037, Kukoc and Kovacic remain the only Slovene inductees.

01-23-2025, 05:01 AM	#2002
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,438	2024 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 2) Robert Patrikyan – Left Field – Yerevan Valiants – 70.7% First Ballot Robert Patrikyan was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Patrikyan was a very good contact hitter with reliable power, especially for the gap. He led in doubles thrice and had a 162 game average of 36 doubles, 6 triples, and 34 home runs. Patrikyan was average to above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He was a skilled baserunner, but was limited by below average speed. Patrikyan did most of his damage versus right-handed pitching with a career .992 OPS and 170 wRC+. He was merely above average against lefties with a 113 wRC+ and .770 OPS. Patrikyan played almost exclusively in left field, but was a lousy defender. Still, he was one of the hardest working and scrappiest guys on the field, which made Patrikyan a popular player in his era. He also maintained good durability and rarely missed time to injury over a 15-year career. As Patrikyan was growing up, Armenia was in the Eurasian Professional Baseball sphere of influence. Three of his countrymen were inducted into EPB’s Hall of Fame prior to Patrikyan becoming the first Armenian in EBF’s HOF. The capital Yerevan was among the teams that defected to EBF in the 2000 exodus. The Valiants kept a close eye on Patrikyan as he entered college in the early 2000s. In the 2003 EBF Draft, Yerevan picked Patrikyan with the fifth overall pick. Not only was it an obvious pick purely from a talent standpoint, but selecting a hometown hero made tons of business sense. In EPB, the Valiants had been one of the consistently worst teams, going from 1978-2003 without a single winning season. Patrikyan was solid as a part-time starter as a rookie in 2004, helping Yerevan finally get back above .500, even if it was 82-80. The Valiants didn’t become a powerhouse, but they had winning seasons from 2004-09. Yerevan would win division titles in 2006 and 2007, although they didn’t get beyond the second round. Patrikyan led the Southern Conference thrice in doubles for Yerevan and had four seasons above 6+ WAR. He won Silver Sluggers in both 2006 and 2008, taking third in 2006’s MVP voting and second in 2008. 2008 was his best season by WAR (8.2), OPS (1.077), wRC+ (191), hits (217), RBI (127), and triple slash (.371/.451/.662). Patrikyan’s doubles best was 51 in 2009 , his runs best was 119 in 2011, and his homers best was 41 in 2006. After the 2009 season, Patrikyan signed a four-year, $53,400,000 extension with Yerevan. To their disappointment, he would opt out after the 2011 season and become a free agent at age 30. With Yerevan, Patrikyan had 1365 hits, 753 runs, 296 doubles, 277 home runs, 776 RBI, 338 walks, .320/.371/.607 slash, 166 wRC+, and 47.3 WAR. He would remain a hometown favorite even after leaving Armenia and his #26 uniform would eventually be retired. Patrikyan moved to Switzerland and signed for seven years and $73,400,000 with Zurich. He wasn’t an awards winner or conference leader with the Mountaineers, but was a very solid starter in his first two years. Patrikyan dipped a bit after that, but was still a positive contributor with his bat. Zurich was in regular contention with playoff berths in 2012-13, then from 2016-21. Zurich lost in the 2012 Southern Conference Championship to Vienna, then had a second round loss in 2013. In 2016, the Mountaineers won it all, beating Amsterdam for the European Championship. Patrikyan was solid in that title run with 19 starts, 23 hits, 10 runs, 6 doubles, 2 homers, 12 RBI, 9 walks, and .902 OPS. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he was more inconsistent with a .182/.250/.500 slash, although 7 of his 12 hits were solo homers. Zurich finished 12-7 in a three-way tie for second, officially taking fourth after the tiebreakers. The Mountaineers had first round exits in Patrikyan’s final two seasons. In 42 playoff games total for Zurich, he had 51 hits, 26 runs, 13 doubles, 8 home runs, 26 RBI, .340/.396/.587 slash, 170 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. Patrikyan was moved to a backup role in his last season of 2018. He finished for Zurich with 994 hits, 529 runs, 201 doubles, 186 home runs, 555 RBI, .297/.344/.547 slash, 146 wRC+, and 28.1 WAR. After going unsigned for 2019, Patrikyan retired that winter at age 38. Patrikyan’s final stats had 2359 hits, 1282 runs, 497 doubles, 86 triples, 463 home runs, 1331 RBI, 576 walks, 127 stolen bases, .310/.359/.580 slash, 157 wRC+, and 75.4 WAR. As of 2037, Patrikyan ranks 79^th in hits, 79^th in runs, 10^th in doubles, 74^th in homers, and 67^th in RBI. He does miss the top 100 for WAR, but his slugging ranks 96^th among those with 3000+ plate appearances. His resume was a bit borderline as the totals were good, but not incredible. Patrikyan didn’t have a ton of accolades or black ink, but his work ethic earned him a lot of respect. He played an important role in a championship for Zurich and was a major ambassador to bridge the gap for Yerevan and Armenia into the EBF sphere. At 70.7%, Patrikyan narrowly made the cut for a first ballot selection with the three-player 2024 EBF Hall of Fame class. Martin Kukoc – Starting Pitcher – Belfast Brewers – 68.8% Tenth Ballot Martin Kukoc was a 6’0’’, 170 pound left-handed pitcher from Kranj, Slovenia’s third-largest city with around 38,000 inhabitants. Kukoc was a fireballer with rock solid stuff and good-to-great movement and control. His 99-101 mph fastball was his strongest pitch, but he had a unique six-pitch arsenal. Kukoc’s slider, curveball, and forkball were each good along with a decent splitter and a lousy changeup. Kukoc’s stamina was generally average compared to other EBF aces. He was a strong defensive pitcher and had an elite pickoff move. Kukoc’s durability was great, avoiding major injuries for 200+ innings in all but his rookie campaign. He was one of the hardest working and adaptable pitchers of his era. Some had more pure talent, but very few matched Kukoc’s sparkplug character. In June 1989, a teenaged Kukoc was noticed and signed to a developmental contract with Belfast, making the move from what was then Yugoslavia to Northern Ireland. He spent parts of six years in their academy before debuting in 1995 with 149 innings at age 22. He was okay in that part-time role and moved into the rotation full-time for the next seven seasons with Belfast. Kukoc was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist and rarely was a conference leader. He did lead with 28 quality starts in 1999 and had the most wins (19-15), starts (37), and innings (290.2) in 2002. Kukoc had six seasons above 4+ WAR for the Brewers, peaking with 6.5 in both 1999 and 2002. He had his career-best 253 strikeouts in 1999 and his best ERA in 2002 with 2.57 It was hard to get attention even in his best years though as Belfast had been a historically inept franchise. The Brewers averaged 71.5 wins per season during Kukoc’s run and only once got above .500 with an 82-80 mark in 2002. That was the final year of his time in Northern Ireland, as he left for free agency at age 30. With Belfast, Kukoc had a 95-105 record, 3.27 ERA, 1904 innings, 1726 strikeouts, 435 walks, 113 ERA+, and 36.0 WAR. Kukoc stayed in the United Kingdom, moving to England on a six-year, $27,600,000 deal with Birmingham. The Bees had been a dynasty in the 1990s, but this was a rebuilding era for them as they peaked at 81-81 in Kukoc’s tenure. He was steady with three of his four seasons being above 5+ WAR. For Birmingham, Kukoc had a 57-40 record, 3.10 ERA, 973 innings, 892 strikeouts, 167 walks, 119 ERA+, and 19.1 WAR. After the 2006 season, Kukoc was traded to Barcelona for two prospects. The Bengals were fresh off a 111-51 season and a runner-up finish and hoped Kukoc could shore up the rotation. They dropped to 96-66 in 2007, but repeated as Southern Conference champ. Barcelona then defeated Kyiv in an European Championship rematch. Kukoc had a great 2.25 ERA over 24 playoff innings and had a solid 5.0 WAR effort in the regular season. Kukoc had a 5.8 WAR effort in 2008, although Barcelona missed the playoffs. For the Bengals, he had a 26-22 record, 3.26 ERA, 433.1 innings, 432 strikeouts, 86 walks, 121 ERA+, and 10.8 WAR. Kukoc still seemed to be pitching at a high level and at age 36 singed a three-year, $15,640,000 deal with Thessaloniki. His production dropped a bit with 2.9 WAR over 211.2 innings in 2009. Kukoc decided to retire that winter shortly after his 37^th birthday. In total, Kukoc had a 197-177 record, 3.24 ERA, 3522 innings, 3250 strikeouts, 724 walks, 294/446 quality starts, 91 complete games, 22 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 68.8 WAR. As of 2037, Kukoc ranks 50^th in wins, 24^th in innings, 42^nd in strikeouts, and 57^th in WAR among pitchers. His resume was a tricky one for many voters for the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame. Detractors pointed out his lack of black ink and that he was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. Kukoc didn’t have big totals and had the stink of being on mostly bad teams hurting him. Supporters pointed that his advanced stats were better than the traditional stats might suggest. While his tallies were on the lower end, they wouldn’t be out of place compared to some other inductees. Supporters also argued that if not for being on bad teams, he probably satiates the traditionalists and gets to 225+ wins. Kukoc also did pitch well and was an important piece in Barcelona’s 2007 title run. Kukoc debuted at 44.6% and didn’t budge much from there on his first five ballots. He got a nice jump to 56.4% in 2020, then dropped back to 51.5% in 2012. Kukoc got some more support in 2022 and 2023 with 59.6% and 60.4% respectively, but was still a few checks away from the 66% requirement. 2024 would be his tenth and final opportunity. His fellow Slovene Mitja Kovacic was considered a lock by voters upon his 2024 debut. While Kovacic was certainly more dominant, Kukoc backers pointed out that he hit similar benchmarks. Some also liked the idea of having two guys being their country’s first HOFers together. Those efforts got Kukoc to 68.8%, just crossing the line on his tenth ballot to cap off the 2024 EBF Hall of Fame class. As of 2037, Kukoc and Kovacic remain the only Slovene inductees. __________________ 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)