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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-08-2025, 04:53 AM

For the third time in South Asia Baseball history (2016, 2014), the 2025 Hall of Fame class added four players. Each guy was a first ballot pick in the impressive group with three earning above 90% of the vote. 3B/1B Jatinder Chowdhary led at 99.3% with RF Vicharleen Anasuri at 97.5% and 1B Asim Anuha at 92.6%. C Lance Tong was the fourth pick with his own respectable 74.7%.

The best returner was CL Viaan Govindraj with a 62.8% second ballot, narrowly missing the 66% threshold for induction. Fellow reliever Khon Aye Ko was close behind at 58.9% in his second go. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Jatinder Chowdhary – Third/First Base – Yangon Green Dragons – 99.3% First Ballot

Jatinder Chowdhary was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Mumbai, India’s most populous city proper. Chowdhary was a rock solid contact hitter with an outstanding eye for drawing walks and very good power. He also knew how to find the gap with a 162 game average of 43 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. Nearly half of Chowdhary’s career hits went for extra bases, making him one of more efficient bats of his time.

His strikeout rate average compared to most SAB hitters of the era. In his younger days, he had average to above average speed and baserunning ability. Chowdhary mostly played third base in the first 2/3 of his career, although was a terrible defender there. He moved to first base in his final seasons and was a bit better there, but was still a poor gloveman. Chowdhary also saw sporadic time as a designated hitter.

Chowdhary’s durability was impeccable in his 20s, but his body was a wreck for much of his 30s. Despite some major injuries, his sparkplug work ethic and adaptability allowed him to still play at a high level in his later years. That “never say die” attitude and his remarkable hitting ability made Chowdhary an extremely popular player in the 2000s and 2010s in South Asia Baseball.

Growing up in a megacity like Mumbai, Chowdhary’s potential spread to scouts beyond India. One of them from Myanmar convinced him to move to Yangon, signing a developmental deal in September 1995. That year would mark the start of the Green Dragons’ eventual world record 29-year playoff streak. Chowdhary would end up as a big part of continuing that run.

Chowdhary officially debuted with four pinch hit at bats in 1999 at age 19. He played 70 games and started 21 in 2000, but was awful in his limited use. Chowdhary put things together in 2001 and was named a full-time starter, a role he held for the next decade with the Green Dragons. Chowdhary won a Silver Slugger in 2001 at 3B and led the Southeast Asia League in batting average (.324), OBP (.392), and OPS (1.014). He led in OBP four straight years and this started a run of nine straight 1.000+ OPS efforts.

2001 was also Yangon’s first-ever SAB Championship win, dethroning Ho Chi Minh City for the SEAL title and knocking off Ahmedabad in the final. Those two teams had been claimed all but one SAB title from 1986-2000, but the Green Dragons wanted to insert themselves into the mix. Those wouldn’t be removed from power quite yet, as the Animals won it all again in 2002 and the Hedgehogs three-peated from 03-05. Yangon had an LCS loss in 2003 and first round exits in 2002, 04, and 05.

Chowdhary led with career highs in RBI (146) and walks (126) in 2002. That winter, he signed an eight-year, $17,960,000 extension with Yangon. He had the most runs in both 2003 and 2004. Chowdhary’s lone MVP win came in 2004, as he led with career bests in the triple slash (.355/.468/.755), OPS (1.223), wRC+ (227), and WAR (12.5). All of his full seasons with Yangon were worth at least 7+ WAR with 100+ runs and 100+ RBI. Chowdhary also led again in walks in 2005 and OBP in 2007. In 2009, he had his career highs of 57 home runs and 139 runs.

From 2001-10, Chowdhary won ten consecutive Silver Sluggers. Eight were as a third baseman with the 2002 and 2007 wins as a DH. It was hard to get MVP consideration though with the absurd stats from the likes of Majed Darwish in the era. Chowdhary did take second in 2007’s voting and third in 2010.

Yangon beat HCMC to win the SEAL title in 2006, but lost to Jaipur for the SAB title. The Green Dragons then lost three straight years in the LCS, falling to a rising Hanoi dynasty in 2007-08 and to HCMC in 09. Yangon then lost in the first round of 2010. Chowdhary’s playoff stats on the whole were merely okay with 89 career games, 80 hits, 51 runs, 15 doubles, 15 homers, 53 RBI, 39 walks, .248/.334/.446 slash, 114 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR.

Chowdhary’s contract expired after the 2010 season and he was a free agent for the first time at age 31. He couldn’t get the long-term deal he wanted, settling in spring training to a one-year, $5,800,000 deal with Surat. Chowdhary led in OBP (.424) for the sixth time in his career and walks (92) for the third while posting 6.5 WAR and 1.003 OPS over 127 games. However, his season ended in mid-August from a torn PCL with an expected recovery time of 8-9 months.

Back to free agency, Chennai signed him to a five-year, $30,700,000 with the expectation that he’d be mostly ready by the start of the season. Chowdhary had a setback though in February with the PCL tear and needed another surgery, costing him the entire 2012 season. Injuries plagued him in the next three years for the Cows, playing 109, 45, and 79 games in those seasons. A fractured ankle was the big issue in 2014 followed by a broken bone in his elbow in 2015.

Chowdhary was at least efficient when healthy for Chennai, playing 233 games with 254 hits, 140 runs, 70 doubles, 58 home runs, 161 RBI, 138 walks, .320/.419/.640 slash, 1.058 OPS, 205 wRC+, and 13.1 WAR. He didn’t meet the criteria for the fifth year of his deal, becoming a free agent again at age 36. Still a beloved favorite for Yangon fans, the Green Dragons brought him back on a one-year deal for 2016.

A severely strained hip muscle and quadriceps strain led to only 76 games played for Chowdhary, but he did still post 3.1 WAR. Yangon had won SAB titles in 2012 and 2015 with a SEAL title in 2014, but lost in the first round of 2016. Between stints with the Green Dragons, Chowdhary had 1713 games, 1857 hits, 1281 runs, 355 doubles, 474 home runs, 1300 RBI, 1061 walks, 287 steals, .321/.425/.650 slash, 184 wRC+, and 96.1 WAR. Yangon would later retire his #3 uniform for his efforts.

Chowdhary joined Kolkata for 2017 and stayed healthy with 141 games, 6.8 WAR, 207 wRC+, 1.047 OPS, and a league-best 90 walks. That year, he became the 12^th member of the 600 home run club and the 13^th to score 1500 runs. He signed a conditional two-year deal for 2018 with Visakhapatnam, playing 111 games with 4.0 WAR. Chowdhary still lost a month to a torn hamstring and didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year. For 2019, Chowdhary returned to his hometown and signed with Mumbai. He lost about a month to a fractured finger with 117 games, .828 OPS, and 2.2 WAR. Chowdhary was unsigned in 2020 and retired that winter at age 41.

The final totals for Chowdhary were 2442 games, 2577 hits, 1699 runs, 514 doubles, 77 triples, 648 home runs, 1747 RBI, 1505 walks, 1750 strikeouts, 319 steals, .314/.419/.631 slash, 1.050 OPS, 186 wRC+, and 128.8 WAR. As of 2037, Chowdhary is SAB’s all-time leader in on-base percentage among batters with 3000+ plate appearances. He also ranks 43^rd in average, 10^th in slugging, and third in OPS.

In counting stats, Chowdhary is 30^th in hits, 10^th in runs, 34^th in doubles, 17^th in total bases (5189), 14^th in home runs, 12^th in RBI, 5^th in walks, and 10^th in WAR among position players. He’s on the edge of many top ten lists for SAB scholars, but might have been considered a top five level guy if not for the injuries in his 30s. The weaker playoff stats do hurt him in those discussions, but Chowdhary is still generally considered “inner circle” level or close to it for South Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Chowdhary’s hitting efficiency was certainly world class by any metric. Among all of the world’s Hall of Famers in 2037, Chowdhary’s OBP ranks 4^th, his OPS is 12^th, and slugging ranks 40^th. SAB’s higher offense environment helps his stats, but even when normalizing stats with wRC+, Chowdhary still is tied for 36^th among Hall of Famers. He also ranks 42^nd in walks drawn on the world leaderboard. Even with a loaded four-player 2025 class for SAB, Chowdhary stood out as a headliner with a near unanimous 99.3%

Vicharleen Anasuri – Right Field – Chittagong Commandos – 97.5% First Ballot

Vicharleen Anasuri was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Gobindgarh, a city of 73,000 in the India’s Punjab state known as the state’s “steel city.” Anasuri was a great contact hitter with reliably strong power. He also had an above average eye for walks with a just below average strikeout rate for the league. Anasuri’s power wasn’t ever league-leading, but he had 40 home runs and 32 doubles per 162 games. Anasuri did fare noticeably better facing right-handed pitching (1.020 OPS, 176 wRC+) compared to lefties (.803 OPS, 127 wRC+).

His baserunning and stealing instructs were both excellent, but he was still limited by terrible running speed. A strong arm served him well defensively in right field, where he made around 85% of his career starts. On the whole, Anasuri graded as reliably above average defensively. He had some recurring knee and back troubles, but generally avoided major injuries over a 20-year career.

Anasuri was another promising Indian prospect that got signed by one of its neighbors. Chittagong spotted and inked Anasuri to a developmental contract in December 1995, bringing him east to Bangladesh. He spent most of four years in the academy, although he did officially debut in 1999 with five at-bats. Anasuri was a full-time starter in 2000 with below average results. He posted positive results in 2011, then was elite from 2002 onward.

2000 was the first of 11 consecutive seasons worth at least 5 WAR with seven of those worth 7+. Anasuri’s production was very reliable and steady, but he never was a league leader in his 11 years with Chittagong. Still, he was above one OPS four times, 40+ homers four times, 100+ runs four times, 100+ RBI seven times, and above a .300 batting average nine times. With the Commandos, Anasuri won Silver Sluggers in 2002, 2009, and 2010. After the 2002 season, Chittagong gave Anasuri an eight-year, $16,160,000 extension.

Chittagong was generally a bottom-tier team amidst a top-heavy era. Their lone playoff berth during Anasuri’s run was a wild card first round loss in 2002. The Commandos averaged 73.5 wins during his tenure with only three winning seasons. In 2010, they had their first winning season since 2002 at 86-76. However, a now 31-year old Anasuri opted to leave for free agency to the chagrin of Chittagong’s management.

For the Commandos, Anasuri had 1660 games, 1853 hits, 992 runs, 337 doubles, 386 home runs, 1065 RBI, 602 walks, .311/.378/.569 slash, 153 wRC+, and 23.4 WAR. As of 2037, his #5 uniform is the only number retired by Chittagong for his reliable production. Anasuri began the next chapter by signing a five-year, $23,200,000 deal with Yangon. The Green Dragons had been one of the main teams holding Chittagong down and were in the midst of what would be a world record 29-year postseason streak.

2011 was on pace to be the best season of his career, but he missed a big chunk to injury. Still, Anasuri had 6.8 WAR and 1.133 OPS in 105 games to win a Silver Slugger. Yangon suffered a first round loss, making five straight seasons without a pennant. The Green Dragons ended that drought in 2012, winning the SAB Championship over Visakhapatnam. Anasuri won his first batting title at .333 and had 8.0 WAR, earning his fifth Silver Slugger.

In the playoffs, Anasuri posted .942 OPS, 0.7 WAR, 13 hits, 7 runs, 5 homers, and 9 RBI over 13 starts. Then in the Baseball Grand Championship, he started 18 games with 18 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 RBI, .905 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. Yangon was alone in tenth place at 10-9. The next year, the Green Dragons had a first round exit and Anasuri missed around half of the season between a fractured foot and torn thumb ligament.

Anasuri was healthy in 2014 and won another Silver Slugger. He was iffy in the playoffs with .708 OPS, 92 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR; but Yangon returned to the top spot in the Southeast Asia League. They would lose to Kolkata for the SAB Championship. In four years for the Green Dragons, Anasuri played 511 games with 588 hits, 327 runs, 115 doubles, 134 home runs, 385 RBI, .321/.376/.607 slash, 169 wRC+, and 24.6 WAR.

He was a free agent again heading towards age 36 after Yangon bought out the team option year for 2015. Anasuri returned home to India and signed a three-year deal with Mumbai at $25,800,000. Although his career to that point had been exclusively in SEAL, Anasuri had been an impressive regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship from 2003-17.

Anasuri played 167 games and started 155 with 169 hits, 118 runs, 24 doubles, 54 home runs, 136 RBI, 59 walks, .286/.360/.607 slash, .968 OPS and 9.1 WAR. As of 2037, he leads all Indian hitters in WAR and RBI. Anasuri ranks 9^th in games, 4^th in runs, 3^rd in hits, and 4^th in homers.

In 2009, he finished third in MVP voting as India defeated the United States for their first-ever world championship. Anasuri had 12 homers, 28 hits, 21 runs, 30 RBI, 1.135 OPS, and 1.7 WAR in that run. India would finish fourth in 2010 and earn elite eight trips in 2004 and 2007. Among all position players, Anasuri ranks 63^rd in WAR, 38^th in RBI, and makes the top 100 in runs, hits, and homers.

While Anasuri had been reliably good, he had never been an MVP finalist in his first 15 years. He shocked the Indian League at age 36 by winning MVP with Mumbai, leading the league in runs (110), hits (196), RBI (130), total bases (405), average (.343), slugging (.708), OPS (1.111), wRC+ (233), and WAR (10.5). Anasuri also smacked a career high 61 homers, missing the Triple Crown by one. Before that, his career best was 48 with only five seasons above 40 homers. His homers, total bases, slugging, OPS, and wRC+ would be career bests.

With this effort, Mumbai made a surprise run all the way to the Indian League pennant, although they lost to Yangon in the SAB Championship. Anasuri had a stellar playoff run with 17 starts, 28 hits, 16 runs, 6 doubles, 7 homers, 23 RBI, 1.180 OPS, 248 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. He set an SAB playoff record for RBI that still holds as of 2037 and he was one run short of the then-playoff record 17.

Anasuri showed it wasn’t a fluke, winning MVP again in 2016 along with his eighth and final Silver Slugger. He led with career highs in RBI (139), and WAR (10.6) and also led with 1.080 OPS and 217 wRC+ along with 58 home runs. Mumbai repeated as IL champ, but this time were denied the SAB title by Hanoi. Anasuri was merely good in this playoff run, but had solid numbers for his career with 78 games, 88 hits, 46 runs, 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 57 RBI, .285/.336/.515 slash, 145 wRC+, and 3.0 WAR.

A sprained knee and fractured finger cost him roughly half of the 2017 campaign and his production fell significantly from his MVP runs. The Meteors won a fourth consecutive division title, but lost in the first round. Anasuri’s three years were Mumbai was impressive though with 410 games, 471 hits, 257 runs, 69 doubles, 137 home runs, 313 RBI, .324/.378/.657 slash, 208 wRC+, and 23.4 WAR.

Hanoi hoped that Anasuri’s MVP production was still possible and gave him a three-year, $18 million deal for 2018. Age finally caught him though and he was terrible in his limited action in 2018 and 2019 with 97 games, 37 starts, .596 OPS, 64 wRC+, and -0.7 WAR. Anasuri retired after the 2019 season at age 40.

Anasuri finished with 2678 games, 2954 hits, 1594 runs, 524 doubles, 666 home runs, 1795 RBI, 881 walks, 178 stolen bases, .313/.375/.586 slash, .960 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 115.3 WAR. As of 2037, Anasuri ranks 16^th in games, 10^th in hits, 15^th in runs, 29^th in doubles, 12^th in home runs, 9^th in total bases (5536), 10^th in RBI, 25^th in walks, and 16^th in WAR for position players. Among SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Anasuri’s OPS ranks 32^nd and his triple slash is 49^th/33^rd/40^th.

Until the Mumbai MVP wins, Anasuri was an almost underappreciated player in an era with some eye-popping numbers by contemporaries. He was undoubtedly one of the finest sluggers of his era and right on the border of the inner circle depending on how strict ones’ definition is. Anasuri misses many top ten lists, but was a key figure in playoff success for both Yangon and Mumbai. He was also a strong banner man for Chittagong despite their franchise ineptitude. Anasuri was a slam dunk first ballot inductee at 97.5% within the loaded four-player 2025 Hall of Fame class for South Asia Baseball.

02-08-2025, 04:53 AM	#2049
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,789	2025 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 1) For the third time in South Asia Baseball history (2016, 2014), the 2025 Hall of Fame class added four players. Each guy was a first ballot pick in the impressive group with three earning above 90% of the vote. 3B/1B Jatinder Chowdhary led at 99.3% with RF Vicharleen Anasuri at 97.5% and 1B Asim Anuha at 92.6%. C Lance Tong was the fourth pick with his own respectable 74.7%. The best returner was CL Viaan Govindraj with a 62.8% second ballot, narrowly missing the 66% threshold for induction. Fellow reliever Khon Aye Ko was close behind at 58.9% in his second go. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots. Jatinder Chowdhary – Third/First Base – Yangon Green Dragons – 99.3% First Ballot Jatinder Chowdhary was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Mumbai, India’s most populous city proper. Chowdhary was a rock solid contact hitter with an outstanding eye for drawing walks and very good power. He also knew how to find the gap with a 162 game average of 43 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. Nearly half of Chowdhary’s career hits went for extra bases, making him one of more efficient bats of his time. His strikeout rate average compared to most SAB hitters of the era. In his younger days, he had average to above average speed and baserunning ability. Chowdhary mostly played third base in the first 2/3 of his career, although was a terrible defender there. He moved to first base in his final seasons and was a bit better there, but was still a poor gloveman. Chowdhary also saw sporadic time as a designated hitter. Chowdhary’s durability was impeccable in his 20s, but his body was a wreck for much of his 30s. Despite some major injuries, his sparkplug work ethic and adaptability allowed him to still play at a high level in his later years. That “never say die” attitude and his remarkable hitting ability made Chowdhary an extremely popular player in the 2000s and 2010s in South Asia Baseball. Growing up in a megacity like Mumbai, Chowdhary’s potential spread to scouts beyond India. One of them from Myanmar convinced him to move to Yangon, signing a developmental deal in September 1995. That year would mark the start of the Green Dragons’ eventual world record 29-year playoff streak. Chowdhary would end up as a big part of continuing that run. Chowdhary officially debuted with four pinch hit at bats in 1999 at age 19. He played 70 games and started 21 in 2000, but was awful in his limited use. Chowdhary put things together in 2001 and was named a full-time starter, a role he held for the next decade with the Green Dragons. Chowdhary won a Silver Slugger in 2001 at 3B and led the Southeast Asia League in batting average (.324), OBP (.392), and OPS (1.014). He led in OBP four straight years and this started a run of nine straight 1.000+ OPS efforts. 2001 was also Yangon’s first-ever SAB Championship win, dethroning Ho Chi Minh City for the SEAL title and knocking off Ahmedabad in the final. Those two teams had been claimed all but one SAB title from 1986-2000, but the Green Dragons wanted to insert themselves into the mix. Those wouldn’t be removed from power quite yet, as the Animals won it all again in 2002 and the Hedgehogs three-peated from 03-05. Yangon had an LCS loss in 2003 and first round exits in 2002, 04, and 05. Chowdhary led with career highs in RBI (146) and walks (126) in 2002. That winter, he signed an eight-year, $17,960,000 extension with Yangon. He had the most runs in both 2003 and 2004. Chowdhary’s lone MVP win came in 2004, as he led with career bests in the triple slash (.355/.468/.755), OPS (1.223), wRC+ (227), and WAR (12.5). All of his full seasons with Yangon were worth at least 7+ WAR with 100+ runs and 100+ RBI. Chowdhary also led again in walks in 2005 and OBP in 2007. In 2009, he had his career highs of 57 home runs and 139 runs. From 2001-10, Chowdhary won ten consecutive Silver Sluggers. Eight were as a third baseman with the 2002 and 2007 wins as a DH. It was hard to get MVP consideration though with the absurd stats from the likes of Majed Darwish in the era. Chowdhary did take second in 2007’s voting and third in 2010. Yangon beat HCMC to win the SEAL title in 2006, but lost to Jaipur for the SAB title. The Green Dragons then lost three straight years in the LCS, falling to a rising Hanoi dynasty in 2007-08 and to HCMC in 09. Yangon then lost in the first round of 2010. Chowdhary’s playoff stats on the whole were merely okay with 89 career games, 80 hits, 51 runs, 15 doubles, 15 homers, 53 RBI, 39 walks, .248/.334/.446 slash, 114 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. Chowdhary’s contract expired after the 2010 season and he was a free agent for the first time at age 31. He couldn’t get the long-term deal he wanted, settling in spring training to a one-year, $5,800,000 deal with Surat. Chowdhary led in OBP (.424) for the sixth time in his career and walks (92) for the third while posting 6.5 WAR and 1.003 OPS over 127 games. However, his season ended in mid-August from a torn PCL with an expected recovery time of 8-9 months. Back to free agency, Chennai signed him to a five-year, $30,700,000 with the expectation that he’d be mostly ready by the start of the season. Chowdhary had a setback though in February with the PCL tear and needed another surgery, costing him the entire 2012 season. Injuries plagued him in the next three years for the Cows, playing 109, 45, and 79 games in those seasons. A fractured ankle was the big issue in 2014 followed by a broken bone in his elbow in 2015. Chowdhary was at least efficient when healthy for Chennai, playing 233 games with 254 hits, 140 runs, 70 doubles, 58 home runs, 161 RBI, 138 walks, .320/.419/.640 slash, 1.058 OPS, 205 wRC+, and 13.1 WAR. He didn’t meet the criteria for the fifth year of his deal, becoming a free agent again at age 36. Still a beloved favorite for Yangon fans, the Green Dragons brought him back on a one-year deal for 2016. A severely strained hip muscle and quadriceps strain led to only 76 games played for Chowdhary, but he did still post 3.1 WAR. Yangon had won SAB titles in 2012 and 2015 with a SEAL title in 2014, but lost in the first round of 2016. Between stints with the Green Dragons, Chowdhary had 1713 games, 1857 hits, 1281 runs, 355 doubles, 474 home runs, 1300 RBI, 1061 walks, 287 steals, .321/.425/.650 slash, 184 wRC+, and 96.1 WAR. Yangon would later retire his #3 uniform for his efforts. Chowdhary joined Kolkata for 2017 and stayed healthy with 141 games, 6.8 WAR, 207 wRC+, 1.047 OPS, and a league-best 90 walks. That year, he became the 12^th member of the 600 home run club and the 13^th to score 1500 runs. He signed a conditional two-year deal for 2018 with Visakhapatnam, playing 111 games with 4.0 WAR. Chowdhary still lost a month to a torn hamstring and didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year. For 2019, Chowdhary returned to his hometown and signed with Mumbai. He lost about a month to a fractured finger with 117 games, .828 OPS, and 2.2 WAR. Chowdhary was unsigned in 2020 and retired that winter at age 41. The final totals for Chowdhary were 2442 games, 2577 hits, 1699 runs, 514 doubles, 77 triples, 648 home runs, 1747 RBI, 1505 walks, 1750 strikeouts, 319 steals, .314/.419/.631 slash, 1.050 OPS, 186 wRC+, and 128.8 WAR. As of 2037, Chowdhary is SAB’s all-time leader in on-base percentage among batters with 3000+ plate appearances. He also ranks 43^rd in average, 10^th in slugging, and third in OPS. In counting stats, Chowdhary is 30^th in hits, 10^th in runs, 34^th in doubles, 17^th in total bases (5189), 14^th in home runs, 12^th in RBI, 5^th in walks, and 10^th in WAR among position players. He’s on the edge of many top ten lists for SAB scholars, but might have been considered a top five level guy if not for the injuries in his 30s. The weaker playoff stats do hurt him in those discussions, but Chowdhary is still generally considered “inner circle” level or close to it for South Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Chowdhary’s hitting efficiency was certainly world class by any metric. Among all of the world’s Hall of Famers in 2037, Chowdhary’s OBP ranks 4^th, his OPS is 12^th, and slugging ranks 40^th. SAB’s higher offense environment helps his stats, but even when normalizing stats with wRC+, Chowdhary still is tied for 36^th among Hall of Famers. He also ranks 42^nd in walks drawn on the world leaderboard. Even with a loaded four-player 2025 class for SAB, Chowdhary stood out as a headliner with a near unanimous 99.3% Vicharleen Anasuri – Right Field – Chittagong Commandos – 97.5% First Ballot Vicharleen Anasuri was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Gobindgarh, a city of 73,000 in the India’s Punjab state known as the state’s “steel city.” Anasuri was a great contact hitter with reliably strong power. He also had an above average eye for walks with a just below average strikeout rate for the league. Anasuri’s power wasn’t ever league-leading, but he had 40 home runs and 32 doubles per 162 games. Anasuri did fare noticeably better facing right-handed pitching (1.020 OPS, 176 wRC+) compared to lefties (.803 OPS, 127 wRC+). His baserunning and stealing instructs were both excellent, but he was still limited by terrible running speed. A strong arm served him well defensively in right field, where he made around 85% of his career starts. On the whole, Anasuri graded as reliably above average defensively. He had some recurring knee and back troubles, but generally avoided major injuries over a 20-year career. Anasuri was another promising Indian prospect that got signed by one of its neighbors. Chittagong spotted and inked Anasuri to a developmental contract in December 1995, bringing him east to Bangladesh. He spent most of four years in the academy, although he did officially debut in 1999 with five at-bats. Anasuri was a full-time starter in 2000 with below average results. He posted positive results in 2011, then was elite from 2002 onward. 2000 was the first of 11 consecutive seasons worth at least 5 WAR with seven of those worth 7+. Anasuri’s production was very reliable and steady, but he never was a league leader in his 11 years with Chittagong. Still, he was above one OPS four times, 40+ homers four times, 100+ runs four times, 100+ RBI seven times, and above a .300 batting average nine times. With the Commandos, Anasuri won Silver Sluggers in 2002, 2009, and 2010. After the 2002 season, Chittagong gave Anasuri an eight-year, $16,160,000 extension. Chittagong was generally a bottom-tier team amidst a top-heavy era. Their lone playoff berth during Anasuri’s run was a wild card first round loss in 2002. The Commandos averaged 73.5 wins during his tenure with only three winning seasons. In 2010, they had their first winning season since 2002 at 86-76. However, a now 31-year old Anasuri opted to leave for free agency to the chagrin of Chittagong’s management. For the Commandos, Anasuri had 1660 games, 1853 hits, 992 runs, 337 doubles, 386 home runs, 1065 RBI, 602 walks, .311/.378/.569 slash, 153 wRC+, and 23.4 WAR. As of 2037, his #5 uniform is the only number retired by Chittagong for his reliable production. Anasuri began the next chapter by signing a five-year, $23,200,000 deal with Yangon. The Green Dragons had been one of the main teams holding Chittagong down and were in the midst of what would be a world record 29-year postseason streak. 2011 was on pace to be the best season of his career, but he missed a big chunk to injury. Still, Anasuri had 6.8 WAR and 1.133 OPS in 105 games to win a Silver Slugger. Yangon suffered a first round loss, making five straight seasons without a pennant. The Green Dragons ended that drought in 2012, winning the SAB Championship over Visakhapatnam. Anasuri won his first batting title at .333 and had 8.0 WAR, earning his fifth Silver Slugger. In the playoffs, Anasuri posted .942 OPS, 0.7 WAR, 13 hits, 7 runs, 5 homers, and 9 RBI over 13 starts. Then in the Baseball Grand Championship, he started 18 games with 18 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 RBI, .905 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. Yangon was alone in tenth place at 10-9. The next year, the Green Dragons had a first round exit and Anasuri missed around half of the season between a fractured foot and torn thumb ligament. Anasuri was healthy in 2014 and won another Silver Slugger. He was iffy in the playoffs with .708 OPS, 92 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR; but Yangon returned to the top spot in the Southeast Asia League. They would lose to Kolkata for the SAB Championship. In four years for the Green Dragons, Anasuri played 511 games with 588 hits, 327 runs, 115 doubles, 134 home runs, 385 RBI, .321/.376/.607 slash, 169 wRC+, and 24.6 WAR. He was a free agent again heading towards age 36 after Yangon bought out the team option year for 2015. Anasuri returned home to India and signed a three-year deal with Mumbai at $25,800,000. Although his career to that point had been exclusively in SEAL, Anasuri had been an impressive regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship from 2003-17. Anasuri played 167 games and started 155 with 169 hits, 118 runs, 24 doubles, 54 home runs, 136 RBI, 59 walks, .286/.360/.607 slash, .968 OPS and 9.1 WAR. As of 2037, he leads all Indian hitters in WAR and RBI. Anasuri ranks 9^th in games, 4^th in runs, 3^rd in hits, and 4^th in homers. In 2009, he finished third in MVP voting as India defeated the United States for their first-ever world championship. Anasuri had 12 homers, 28 hits, 21 runs, 30 RBI, 1.135 OPS, and 1.7 WAR in that run. India would finish fourth in 2010 and earn elite eight trips in 2004 and 2007. Among all position players, Anasuri ranks 63^rd in WAR, 38^th in RBI, and makes the top 100 in runs, hits, and homers. While Anasuri had been reliably good, he had never been an MVP finalist in his first 15 years. He shocked the Indian League at age 36 by winning MVP with Mumbai, leading the league in runs (110), hits (196), RBI (130), total bases (405), average (.343), slugging (.708), OPS (1.111), wRC+ (233), and WAR (10.5). Anasuri also smacked a career high 61 homers, missing the Triple Crown by one. Before that, his career best was 48 with only five seasons above 40 homers. His homers, total bases, slugging, OPS, and wRC+ would be career bests. With this effort, Mumbai made a surprise run all the way to the Indian League pennant, although they lost to Yangon in the SAB Championship. Anasuri had a stellar playoff run with 17 starts, 28 hits, 16 runs, 6 doubles, 7 homers, 23 RBI, 1.180 OPS, 248 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. He set an SAB playoff record for RBI that still holds as of 2037 and he was one run short of the then-playoff record 17. Anasuri showed it wasn’t a fluke, winning MVP again in 2016 along with his eighth and final Silver Slugger. He led with career highs in RBI (139), and WAR (10.6) and also led with 1.080 OPS and 217 wRC+ along with 58 home runs. Mumbai repeated as IL champ, but this time were denied the SAB title by Hanoi. Anasuri was merely good in this playoff run, but had solid numbers for his career with 78 games, 88 hits, 46 runs, 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 57 RBI, .285/.336/.515 slash, 145 wRC+, and 3.0 WAR. A sprained knee and fractured finger cost him roughly half of the 2017 campaign and his production fell significantly from his MVP runs. The Meteors won a fourth consecutive division title, but lost in the first round. Anasuri’s three years were Mumbai was impressive though with 410 games, 471 hits, 257 runs, 69 doubles, 137 home runs, 313 RBI, .324/.378/.657 slash, 208 wRC+, and 23.4 WAR. Hanoi hoped that Anasuri’s MVP production was still possible and gave him a three-year, $18 million deal for 2018. Age finally caught him though and he was terrible in his limited action in 2018 and 2019 with 97 games, 37 starts, .596 OPS, 64 wRC+, and -0.7 WAR. Anasuri retired after the 2019 season at age 40. Anasuri finished with 2678 games, 2954 hits, 1594 runs, 524 doubles, 666 home runs, 1795 RBI, 881 walks, 178 stolen bases, .313/.375/.586 slash, .960 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 115.3 WAR. As of 2037, Anasuri ranks 16^th in games, 10^th in hits, 15^th in runs, 29^th in doubles, 12^th in home runs, 9^th in total bases (5536), 10^th in RBI, 25^th in walks, and 16^th in WAR for position players. Among SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Anasuri’s OPS ranks 32^nd and his triple slash is 49^th/33^rd/40^th. Until the Mumbai MVP wins, Anasuri was an almost underappreciated player in an era with some eye-popping numbers by contemporaries. He was undoubtedly one of the finest sluggers of his era and right on the border of the inner circle depending on how strict ones’ definition is. Anasuri misses many top ten lists, but was a key figure in playoff success for both Yangon and Mumbai. He was also a strong banner man for Chittagong despite their franchise ineptitude. Anasuri was a slam dunk first ballot inductee at 97.5% within the loaded four-player 2025 Hall of Fame class for South Asia Baseball. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)