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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-05-2025, 06:04 AM

East Asia Baseball’s 2025 Hall of Fame class had two players both receiving 99.0% in their debut with OF Sang-Jun Gang and 2B/1B Yoo Sen. The best returner was SP Jong-Hyeon Chung at 50.5% on his sixth ballot. No one else was above 50% and no one was dropped after ten failed ballots.

Sang-Jun Gang – Outfield – Kumamoto Monsters – 99.0% First Ballot

Sang-Jun Gang was a 6’3’’, 210 pound left-handed outfielder from Daegu, South Korea. Gang was an excellent contact hitter with reliably strong power and a respectable eye for walks, although his strikeout rate was subpar. He absolutely mashed against right-handed pitching with a career 1.022 OPS and 188 wRC+. Versus lefties, Gang had .778 OPS and 129 wRC+

His 162 game average got you 40 home runs, 25 doubles, and 12 triples. Around 45% of Gang’s career hits went for extra bases. He had very good speed to leg out extra bags, although his baserunning instincts were merely okay. Gang was too aggressive on steal attempts and got caught far more than he succeeded. Still, he was dangerous enough to force pitchers to pay close attention.

Gang bounced around the outfield in his career with just over 40% of his starts coming in left, where he graded as a reliably good defender. Close to 30% of his starts came in center field mostly earlier in his career, but Gang was mediocre without the needed range. He played a bit of right at the end of his career with iffy results. Gang also saw a decent number of starts as a designated hitter.

The versatility helped Gang’s value as did his ironman durability. Apart from his rookie year, Gang played 153+ games in each year of his 18 year career. He did frustrate some coaches and teammates though with a perceived selfishness and poor work ethic. Even if he coasted on natural talent, that talent was remarkable and helped Gang emerge as one of the biggest Korean baseball stars of his era.

Gang was impressive playing for Chung-Ang University in Seoul and was picked first overall in the 2002 EAB Draft by Kumamoto. The Monsters had him as a part-timer with inconsistencies as a rookie. Gang was a full-timer in his sophomore campaign and won his first of three consecutive Silver Sluggers in center field. It also started a streak of nine straight seasons at 6+ WAR for Kumamoto. After the 2005 season, the Monsters gave Gang an eight-year, $43,420,000 contract extension.

2006 was Gang’s first time leading the Japan League in a good stat with 129 RBI, 360 total bases, and .659 OPS. It was also his first of four seasons with an OPS above one for the Monsters. In 2007, Gang led with a career best 1.116 OPS, .704 slugging, and .412 OBP. He posted 9.9 WAR, 133 RBI, 47 homers, and 107 runs. Gang also had his career highs in hits (200) and batting average (.352), taking third in MVP voting.

Kumamoto had bounced back for winning seasons from 2005-09, but it wasn’t until 2010 that they ended an 11-year playoff drought. That year, Gang won his first Silver Slugger in left field and his first MVP. He won his first batting title (.349) and led in OPS (1.079), and wRC+ (221). Gang also had a career high 117 runs. He had a strong postseason with 1.031 OPS, 13 hits, 9 runs, 5 homers, and 13 BRI in 10 starts. The Monsters would fall in the Japan League Championship Series to Kyoto. Kumamoto got the top seed in 2011 at 100-62, but was upset by Sapporo in the first round.

Gang repeated as MVP and won another Slugger in 2011, winning another batting title, hitting for the cycle and posting his career bests in WAR (11.2) and wRC+ (234). In 2012, he won his lone Gold Glove in left. Kumamoto dropped to 79-83 that year and Gang disappointed Monsters fans by opting out of his contract. This made him a highly touted free agent at age 31.

For Kumamoto, Gang had 1643 hits, 900 runs, 262 doubles, 120 triples, 366 home runs, 998 RBI, 492 walks, 292 steals, .307/.369/.607 slash, 190 wRC+, and 69.8 WAR. Despite the awkward ending, Gang remained very popular with Monsters fans and his #28 uniform would eventually be retired. Gang ended up returning to his hometown Daegu on a five-year, $90,800,000 deal with the Diamondbacks.

Gang’s addition helped Daegu post an impressive 109-53 record in 2013, going all the way to defeat Hiroshima for the EAB Championship. Gang won his third MVP and sixth Slugger, posting league bests in homers (49), and RBI (139). He also led in OPS for the fourth time and slugging for the fifth. In the playoff run, Gang had 17 starts, 17 hits, 15 runs, 8 homers, 15 RBI, and .966 OPS. However, he did struggle with .594 OPS and -0.1 WAR in the Baseball Grand Championship. Daegu would finish at 10-9 in the event in a three-way tie for seventh.

Daegu shockingly collapsed to 67-95 in 2014 and wouldn’t be back above .500 until 2019. Gang was still strong in 2014 with his seventh Silver Slugger, but did see his production decrease and strikeout rate increase the next two years. He opted out of his deal after the 2016 season, but signed a new three-year, $33,100,000 deal with the Diamondbacks. Gang bounced back a bit in 2017 to win his lone Silver Slugger in right field, giving him eight for his career.

While in his hometown, Gang crossed the 600 home run and 2500 hit thresholds. The run ended after six seasons as Daegu traded him before the 2019 campaign to Busan for two prospects. For the Diamondbacks, Gang had 1030 hits, 562 runs, 139 doubles, 71 triples, 239 home runs, 623 RBI, .303/.355/.596 slash, 155 wRC+, and 28.9 WAR.

Gang’s one year with the Blue Jays was impressive at age 37 with a career high 54 home runs, his only 50+ season. Gang also had a league-best 172 wRC+ and posted 6.7 WAR, although Busan finished 79-83. This surprisingly was his final season in EAB as despite his 2019 efforts, he couldn’t get the big deal he wanted. He found that money in an unexpected spot by moving to Belarus on a three-year, $35 million deal with Minsk of Eurasian Professional Baseball.

He didn’t adjust well to EPB though, posting only 0.4 WAR and .739 despite starting the full season for the Miners. They got a wild card, but lost in the first round. Gang decided to retire that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. For his combined pro career, Gang had 2796 games, 2986 hits, 1651 runs, 439 doubles, 215 triples, 687 home runs, 1846 RBI, 831 walks, 539 steals, .301/.358/.596 slash, 172 wRC+, and 105.8 WAR.

In EAB, Gang finished at 2635 games, 2850 hits, 1575 runs, 420 doubles, 201 triples, 659 home runs, 1739 RBI, 790 walks, 2234 strikeouts, 514 steals, 691 caught stealing, .305/.363/.605 slash, .968 OPS, 176 wRC+, and 105.4 WAR. As of 2037, Gang ranks 36^th in hits, 26^th in runs, 13^th in total bases (5649), 92^nd in doubles, 89^th in triples, 20^th in homers, 21^st in RBI, 85^th in walks, 40^th in strikeouts, 9^th in caught stealing, and 24^th in WAR among position players.

Against all EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Gang’s OPS ranks 25^th, his OBP is 97^th, and slugging is 22^nd. He falls just outside of the inner-circle tier of guys, but will crack some top 25 lists of EAB position players. Gang was certainly a slam dunk for the Hall of Fame in 2025 and was nearly unanimous at 99.0% to co-headline with Yoo Sen.

Yoo “Hands” Sen – Second/First Base – Incheon Inferno – 99.0% First Ballot

Yoo Sen was a 6’0’’, 200 pound switch-hitting infielder from Incheon, South Korea. He was nicknamed “hands” simply because he had unusually large hands. Sen was best known for his extraordinary eye at the plate, as he drew more walks than any other EAB player ever by a healthy margin. He was an above average contact hitter and his strikeout rate was merely decent, but his eye was so strong that he regularly was at the top of the on-base percentage leaderboards.

Sen’s power wasn’t prolific, but it was healthy and reliable with 32 home runs, 26 doubles, and 3 triples per his 162 game average. Unfortunately, Sen wasn’t a baserunning threat with poor speed and skills. His career was split almost even defensively between second and first base along with occasional games as a designated hitter.

In his 20s, Sen was basically exclusively at 2B, but he was an absolutely atrocious defender there. He split between 2B/1B in his early 30s before moving full-time to 1B from 2012 onward. Sen graded as below average on the whole at first, but he wasn’t actively awful like at 2B. He even showed occasional flashes of skill at first, even winning a Gold Glove in 2017.

Durability was generally a strength, although he did run into some back and knee issues. Sen had a 22-year career and played 130+ games in most of those sans the very start and end. He was a true fan favorite with a terrific work ethic, strong loyalty, and selflessness. Sen became beloved by fans across all of South Korea, but he was the favorite son of his hometown Incheon.

Sen got to live out his childhood dream with his hometown squad, who inked him to a developmental deal in November 1994. He spent most of four years in the Inferno academy, but did debut in 1998 at age 19 with 30 games and two starts. Sen was rostered full-time in 1999 for 120 games, but only started 47 with decent results. Sen started most of 2000, then was an undisputed starter for the next 16 years after that in Incheon.

2000 was the first of 14 seasons where Sen led the Korea League in walks. From 2000-17, he had at least 80 walks in all but one season because of injury. Sen drew 100+ walks in eight different seasons, peaking with 114 in 2007. That was the fifth-most in an EAB single-season with those in front of it all coming in the 1920s. As of 2037, there have only been 31 seasons in EAB of 100+ walks with ¼ of them from Sen.

Incheon had been hot garbage for most of the 1990s, but 2001 marked the start of a four-year playoff streak. They lost in the first round in 2011, then had a surprise run all the way to the EAB Championship in 2002 as a wild card. The Inferno beat Osaka in the final with Sen getting 15 hits, 10 runs, 2 homers, 6 RBI, and 7 walks in 16 playoff games. Truly the childhood dream was fulfilled for Sen winning the title with his hometown team.

The Inferno lost to Seongnam in the 2003 KLCS. That season saw Sen’s first Silver Slugger at 2B and started a five-year streak leading the KL in on-base percentage. That winter, Sen signed an eight-year, $68,800,000 extension with Incehon. He won additional Sluggers from 2004-10 at second base, then got one at first base in 2011.

Incheon got the top seed in 2004 at 103-59, but was upset in the first round by Seoul. The Inferno missed the playoffs in 2005, then lost in the first round of 2006. They dropped to below .500 for the next two years before hovering around .500 from 2009-11. Sen carried on at a high level, although he generally didn’t have enough power to get MVP looks. In 2005, he had his career highs in homers (49), RBI (121), batting average (.336), OPS (1.057), wRC+ (188), and WAR (8.7).

Before the 2011 season, the now 32-year old Sen signed a new five-year, $52,500,000 extension. This year he finished third in MVP voting with a career-best .439 OBP, his seventh time leading in the stat. As of 2037, this ranks as the 15^th-best single-season OBP in EAB. It was also one of three seasons for Sen with 8+ WAR and one of four with an OPS above one.

Incheon got back to the playoffs but went one-and-done in 2012. They were below .500 in 2013, but Sen led the league with 8.7 WAR and 181 wRC+, taking third in MVP voting. The Inferno won the division at 102-60 in 2014, but again was ousted in the first round. They spent the next three years around .500 outside of the playoffs. For his playoff career for Incheon, Sen had 47 games, 49 hits, 28 runs, 8 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBI, 23 walks, .314/.389/.500 slash, 144 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. He also saw limited play from 2002-05 for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship with .687 OPS, 101 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

In 2015, he crossed the 2500 hit, 1500 run, and 500 home run milestones. Unfortunately that year, he missed the autumn with a torn back muscle. Sen didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the remainder of his contract and became a free agent for the first time at age 37. He was disappointed to leave, but understood and remained beloved in his hometown.

Sen signed for two years and $24,400,000 with Seoul, maintaining his usual strong production even in his late 30s. In 2016, Sen became EAB’s all-time leader in walks by passing Ji-U Shin’s 1549 mark which had held since 1972. Both seasons, the Seahawks lost in the KLCS to Changwon. Sen made 20 playoff starts with 21 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 7 homers, 15 RBI, 10 walks, a .300/.395/.657 slash, 179 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. In total for Seoul, Sen had 305 hits, 184 runs, 42 doubles, 62 home runs, 176 RBI, 204 walks, .297/.414/.529 slash, 156 wRC+, and 12.8 WAR.

Now 39-years old and a free agent again, Sen wanted to return home and finish his career with Incheon. The Inferno were bottom-tier by this point, but were happy to welcome Sen back home on a two-year, $27,600,000 deal. Sen barely played in 2018 though with a torn ACL knocking him out most of the season. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for 2019, but negotiated a new smaller one year, $6,400,000 deal for Incheon in 2019.

Sen struggled in this last year with 0.6 WAR and .680 OPS over 125 games. He wanted to play somewhere in 2020, but went unsigned and retired that winter at age 42. Immediately upon retirement, Sen’s #16 uniform was retired by Incheon. Between runs for the Inferno, Sen had 2649 games, 2671 hits, 1604 runs, 432 doubles, 52 triples, 521 home runs, 1542 RBI, 1637 walks, .299/.407/.534 slash, 156 wRC+, and 101.7 WAR.

The final tallies had 2949 games, 2976 hits, 1788 runs, 474 doubles, 57 triples, 583 home runs, 1718 RBI, 1841 walks, 2025 strikeouts, 96 steals, .299/.408/.533 slash, .941 OPS, 156 wRC+, and 114.5 WAR. Sen is the undisputed EAB walks leader still in 2037 with a 292 walk gap to second place. Among all players in world history, Sen is 4^th in walks behind only MLB’s Chris Louden (2106) and B.J. Pasternack (1997) as well as AAB’s Luke Tembo (1956).

On the EAB leaderboards, Sen ranks 14^th in games, 29^th in hits, 10^th in runs, 26^th in total bases (5313), 37^th in doubles (474), 45^th in homers, 25^th in RBI, and 17^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his on-base percentage is second only to Ji-Hoo Kim’s .420 and he ranks 18^th amongst all world Hall of Famers. Sen’s OPS also still ranks 50^th best among EAB qualifiers.

Sen is the unquestionable EAB GOAT when it comes to drawing walks and is a top five level guy in world history at that skill. He’s probably just on the borderline of being considered “inner circle” for East Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame since he never won MVP. Sen makes many top 25 and top 20 lists, but lacked the raw power or great defense needed to raise higher up the list. He was a slam dunk HOFer though and remains one of Korea’s favorite players well into retirement. At 99.0%, Sen co-headlined the 2025 class with Sang-Jun Gang.

02-05-2025, 06:04 AM	#2040
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,998	2025 EAB Hall of Fame East Asia Baseball’s 2025 Hall of Fame class had two players both receiving 99.0% in their debut with OF Sang-Jun Gang and 2B/1B Yoo Sen. The best returner was SP Jong-Hyeon Chung at 50.5% on his sixth ballot. No one else was above 50% and no one was dropped after ten failed ballots. Sang-Jun Gang – Outfield – Kumamoto Monsters – 99.0% First Ballot Sang-Jun Gang was a 6’3’’, 210 pound left-handed outfielder from Daegu, South Korea. Gang was an excellent contact hitter with reliably strong power and a respectable eye for walks, although his strikeout rate was subpar. He absolutely mashed against right-handed pitching with a career 1.022 OPS and 188 wRC+. Versus lefties, Gang had .778 OPS and 129 wRC+ His 162 game average got you 40 home runs, 25 doubles, and 12 triples. Around 45% of Gang’s career hits went for extra bases. He had very good speed to leg out extra bags, although his baserunning instincts were merely okay. Gang was too aggressive on steal attempts and got caught far more than he succeeded. Still, he was dangerous enough to force pitchers to pay close attention. Gang bounced around the outfield in his career with just over 40% of his starts coming in left, where he graded as a reliably good defender. Close to 30% of his starts came in center field mostly earlier in his career, but Gang was mediocre without the needed range. He played a bit of right at the end of his career with iffy results. Gang also saw a decent number of starts as a designated hitter. The versatility helped Gang’s value as did his ironman durability. Apart from his rookie year, Gang played 153+ games in each year of his 18 year career. He did frustrate some coaches and teammates though with a perceived selfishness and poor work ethic. Even if he coasted on natural talent, that talent was remarkable and helped Gang emerge as one of the biggest Korean baseball stars of his era. Gang was impressive playing for Chung-Ang University in Seoul and was picked first overall in the 2002 EAB Draft by Kumamoto. The Monsters had him as a part-timer with inconsistencies as a rookie. Gang was a full-timer in his sophomore campaign and won his first of three consecutive Silver Sluggers in center field. It also started a streak of nine straight seasons at 6+ WAR for Kumamoto. After the 2005 season, the Monsters gave Gang an eight-year, $43,420,000 contract extension. 2006 was Gang’s first time leading the Japan League in a good stat with 129 RBI, 360 total bases, and .659 OPS. It was also his first of four seasons with an OPS above one for the Monsters. In 2007, Gang led with a career best 1.116 OPS, .704 slugging, and .412 OBP. He posted 9.9 WAR, 133 RBI, 47 homers, and 107 runs. Gang also had his career highs in hits (200) and batting average (.352), taking third in MVP voting. Kumamoto had bounced back for winning seasons from 2005-09, but it wasn’t until 2010 that they ended an 11-year playoff drought. That year, Gang won his first Silver Slugger in left field and his first MVP. He won his first batting title (.349) and led in OPS (1.079), and wRC+ (221). Gang also had a career high 117 runs. He had a strong postseason with 1.031 OPS, 13 hits, 9 runs, 5 homers, and 13 BRI in 10 starts. The Monsters would fall in the Japan League Championship Series to Kyoto. Kumamoto got the top seed in 2011 at 100-62, but was upset by Sapporo in the first round. Gang repeated as MVP and won another Slugger in 2011, winning another batting title, hitting for the cycle and posting his career bests in WAR (11.2) and wRC+ (234). In 2012, he won his lone Gold Glove in left. Kumamoto dropped to 79-83 that year and Gang disappointed Monsters fans by opting out of his contract. This made him a highly touted free agent at age 31. For Kumamoto, Gang had 1643 hits, 900 runs, 262 doubles, 120 triples, 366 home runs, 998 RBI, 492 walks, 292 steals, .307/.369/.607 slash, 190 wRC+, and 69.8 WAR. Despite the awkward ending, Gang remained very popular with Monsters fans and his #28 uniform would eventually be retired. Gang ended up returning to his hometown Daegu on a five-year, $90,800,000 deal with the Diamondbacks. Gang’s addition helped Daegu post an impressive 109-53 record in 2013, going all the way to defeat Hiroshima for the EAB Championship. Gang won his third MVP and sixth Slugger, posting league bests in homers (49), and RBI (139). He also led in OPS for the fourth time and slugging for the fifth. In the playoff run, Gang had 17 starts, 17 hits, 15 runs, 8 homers, 15 RBI, and .966 OPS. However, he did struggle with .594 OPS and -0.1 WAR in the Baseball Grand Championship. Daegu would finish at 10-9 in the event in a three-way tie for seventh. Daegu shockingly collapsed to 67-95 in 2014 and wouldn’t be back above .500 until 2019. Gang was still strong in 2014 with his seventh Silver Slugger, but did see his production decrease and strikeout rate increase the next two years. He opted out of his deal after the 2016 season, but signed a new three-year, $33,100,000 deal with the Diamondbacks. Gang bounced back a bit in 2017 to win his lone Silver Slugger in right field, giving him eight for his career. While in his hometown, Gang crossed the 600 home run and 2500 hit thresholds. The run ended after six seasons as Daegu traded him before the 2019 campaign to Busan for two prospects. For the Diamondbacks, Gang had 1030 hits, 562 runs, 139 doubles, 71 triples, 239 home runs, 623 RBI, .303/.355/.596 slash, 155 wRC+, and 28.9 WAR. Gang’s one year with the Blue Jays was impressive at age 37 with a career high 54 home runs, his only 50+ season. Gang also had a league-best 172 wRC+ and posted 6.7 WAR, although Busan finished 79-83. This surprisingly was his final season in EAB as despite his 2019 efforts, he couldn’t get the big deal he wanted. He found that money in an unexpected spot by moving to Belarus on a three-year, $35 million deal with Minsk of Eurasian Professional Baseball. He didn’t adjust well to EPB though, posting only 0.4 WAR and .739 despite starting the full season for the Miners. They got a wild card, but lost in the first round. Gang decided to retire that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. For his combined pro career, Gang had 2796 games, 2986 hits, 1651 runs, 439 doubles, 215 triples, 687 home runs, 1846 RBI, 831 walks, 539 steals, .301/.358/.596 slash, 172 wRC+, and 105.8 WAR. In EAB, Gang finished at 2635 games, 2850 hits, 1575 runs, 420 doubles, 201 triples, 659 home runs, 1739 RBI, 790 walks, 2234 strikeouts, 514 steals, 691 caught stealing, .305/.363/.605 slash, .968 OPS, 176 wRC+, and 105.4 WAR. As of 2037, Gang ranks 36^th in hits, 26^th in runs, 13^th in total bases (5649), 92^nd in doubles, 89^th in triples, 20^th in homers, 21^st in RBI, 85^th in walks, 40^th in strikeouts, 9^th in caught stealing, and 24^th in WAR among position players. Against all EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Gang’s OPS ranks 25^th, his OBP is 97^th, and slugging is 22^nd. He falls just outside of the inner-circle tier of guys, but will crack some top 25 lists of EAB position players. Gang was certainly a slam dunk for the Hall of Fame in 2025 and was nearly unanimous at 99.0% to co-headline with Yoo Sen. Yoo “Hands” Sen – Second/First Base – Incheon Inferno – 99.0% First Ballot Yoo Sen was a 6’0’’, 200 pound switch-hitting infielder from Incheon, South Korea. He was nicknamed “hands” simply because he had unusually large hands. Sen was best known for his extraordinary eye at the plate, as he drew more walks than any other EAB player ever by a healthy margin. He was an above average contact hitter and his strikeout rate was merely decent, but his eye was so strong that he regularly was at the top of the on-base percentage leaderboards. Sen’s power wasn’t prolific, but it was healthy and reliable with 32 home runs, 26 doubles, and 3 triples per his 162 game average. Unfortunately, Sen wasn’t a baserunning threat with poor speed and skills. His career was split almost even defensively between second and first base along with occasional games as a designated hitter. In his 20s, Sen was basically exclusively at 2B, but he was an absolutely atrocious defender there. He split between 2B/1B in his early 30s before moving full-time to 1B from 2012 onward. Sen graded as below average on the whole at first, but he wasn’t actively awful like at 2B. He even showed occasional flashes of skill at first, even winning a Gold Glove in 2017. Durability was generally a strength, although he did run into some back and knee issues. Sen had a 22-year career and played 130+ games in most of those sans the very start and end. He was a true fan favorite with a terrific work ethic, strong loyalty, and selflessness. Sen became beloved by fans across all of South Korea, but he was the favorite son of his hometown Incheon. Sen got to live out his childhood dream with his hometown squad, who inked him to a developmental deal in November 1994. He spent most of four years in the Inferno academy, but did debut in 1998 at age 19 with 30 games and two starts. Sen was rostered full-time in 1999 for 120 games, but only started 47 with decent results. Sen started most of 2000, then was an undisputed starter for the next 16 years after that in Incheon. 2000 was the first of 14 seasons where Sen led the Korea League in walks. From 2000-17, he had at least 80 walks in all but one season because of injury. Sen drew 100+ walks in eight different seasons, peaking with 114 in 2007. That was the fifth-most in an EAB single-season with those in front of it all coming in the 1920s. As of 2037, there have only been 31 seasons in EAB of 100+ walks with ¼ of them from Sen. Incheon had been hot garbage for most of the 1990s, but 2001 marked the start of a four-year playoff streak. They lost in the first round in 2011, then had a surprise run all the way to the EAB Championship in 2002 as a wild card. The Inferno beat Osaka in the final with Sen getting 15 hits, 10 runs, 2 homers, 6 RBI, and 7 walks in 16 playoff games. Truly the childhood dream was fulfilled for Sen winning the title with his hometown team. The Inferno lost to Seongnam in the 2003 KLCS. That season saw Sen’s first Silver Slugger at 2B and started a five-year streak leading the KL in on-base percentage. That winter, Sen signed an eight-year, $68,800,000 extension with Incehon. He won additional Sluggers from 2004-10 at second base, then got one at first base in 2011. Incheon got the top seed in 2004 at 103-59, but was upset in the first round by Seoul. The Inferno missed the playoffs in 2005, then lost in the first round of 2006. They dropped to below .500 for the next two years before hovering around .500 from 2009-11. Sen carried on at a high level, although he generally didn’t have enough power to get MVP looks. In 2005, he had his career highs in homers (49), RBI (121), batting average (.336), OPS (1.057), wRC+ (188), and WAR (8.7). Before the 2011 season, the now 32-year old Sen signed a new five-year, $52,500,000 extension. This year he finished third in MVP voting with a career-best .439 OBP, his seventh time leading in the stat. As of 2037, this ranks as the 15^th-best single-season OBP in EAB. It was also one of three seasons for Sen with 8+ WAR and one of four with an OPS above one. Incheon got back to the playoffs but went one-and-done in 2012. They were below .500 in 2013, but Sen led the league with 8.7 WAR and 181 wRC+, taking third in MVP voting. The Inferno won the division at 102-60 in 2014, but again was ousted in the first round. They spent the next three years around .500 outside of the playoffs. For his playoff career for Incheon, Sen had 47 games, 49 hits, 28 runs, 8 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBI, 23 walks, .314/.389/.500 slash, 144 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. He also saw limited play from 2002-05 for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship with .687 OPS, 101 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. In 2015, he crossed the 2500 hit, 1500 run, and 500 home run milestones. Unfortunately that year, he missed the autumn with a torn back muscle. Sen didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the remainder of his contract and became a free agent for the first time at age 37. He was disappointed to leave, but understood and remained beloved in his hometown. Sen signed for two years and $24,400,000 with Seoul, maintaining his usual strong production even in his late 30s. In 2016, Sen became EAB’s all-time leader in walks by passing Ji-U Shin’s 1549 mark which had held since 1972. Both seasons, the Seahawks lost in the KLCS to Changwon. Sen made 20 playoff starts with 21 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 7 homers, 15 RBI, 10 walks, a .300/.395/.657 slash, 179 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. In total for Seoul, Sen had 305 hits, 184 runs, 42 doubles, 62 home runs, 176 RBI, 204 walks, .297/.414/.529 slash, 156 wRC+, and 12.8 WAR. Now 39-years old and a free agent again, Sen wanted to return home and finish his career with Incheon. The Inferno were bottom-tier by this point, but were happy to welcome Sen back home on a two-year, $27,600,000 deal. Sen barely played in 2018 though with a torn ACL knocking him out most of the season. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for 2019, but negotiated a new smaller one year, $6,400,000 deal for Incheon in 2019. Sen struggled in this last year with 0.6 WAR and .680 OPS over 125 games. He wanted to play somewhere in 2020, but went unsigned and retired that winter at age 42. Immediately upon retirement, Sen’s #16 uniform was retired by Incheon. Between runs for the Inferno, Sen had 2649 games, 2671 hits, 1604 runs, 432 doubles, 52 triples, 521 home runs, 1542 RBI, 1637 walks, .299/.407/.534 slash, 156 wRC+, and 101.7 WAR. The final tallies had 2949 games, 2976 hits, 1788 runs, 474 doubles, 57 triples, 583 home runs, 1718 RBI, 1841 walks, 2025 strikeouts, 96 steals, .299/.408/.533 slash, .941 OPS, 156 wRC+, and 114.5 WAR. Sen is the undisputed EAB walks leader still in 2037 with a 292 walk gap to second place. Among all players in world history, Sen is 4^th in walks behind only MLB’s Chris Louden (2106) and B.J. Pasternack (1997) as well as AAB’s Luke Tembo (1956). On the EAB leaderboards, Sen ranks 14^th in games, 29^th in hits, 10^th in runs, 26^th in total bases (5313), 37^th in doubles (474), 45^th in homers, 25^th in RBI, and 17^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his on-base percentage is second only to Ji-Hoo Kim’s .420 and he ranks 18^th amongst all world Hall of Famers. Sen’s OPS also still ranks 50^th best among EAB qualifiers. Sen is the unquestionable EAB GOAT when it comes to drawing walks and is a top five level guy in world history at that skill. He’s probably just on the borderline of being considered “inner circle” for East Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame since he never won MVP. Sen makes many top 25 and top 20 lists, but lacked the raw power or great defense needed to raise higher up the list. He was a slam dunk HOFer though and remains one of Korea’s favorite players well into retirement. At 99.0%, Sen co-headlined the 2025 class with Sang-Jun Gang. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)