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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-17-2025, 05:49 AM

Major League Baseball’s 2026 Hall of Fame class had three players inducted upon their ballot debut. 1B Ju-Won Yoo was the clear headliner at 98.7% and was joined by pitchers Bruno Gallant (89.2%) and Mike Harris (81.0%). SP Victor Burke barely missed the 66% requirement with 64.2% for his eighth ballot. Five other returners were above 50% with 3B Jeanpaul Vick (58.9%, 7^th), 3B Kieran Wilson (58.2%, 7^th), 2B Adrian Vega (57.9%, 6^th), C Sebastian Van Velzen (57.0%, 10^th), and CL Sebastian Gomez (50.6%, 3^rd).

Van Velzen was never below 50% and peaked at 60.2% in 2021. He was another one hurt by the anti-catcher bias with the lower totals that come with the position. Still, Van Velzen only won two Silver Sluggers over a 20 year run. He won a World Series with Cincinnati in 2008 and finished with 2108 hits, 897 runs, 324 doubles, 234 home runs, 947 RBI, .270/.349/.407 slash, 124 wRC+, and 70.8 WAR. As of 2037, Van Velzen ranks 13^th in WAR among MLB catchers. But he was more of a longevity guy who wasn’t far enough ahead of his immediate peers to make it across the line.

RF Clement Garcia was dropped after ten ballots, peaking at 44.6% in 2019 with a 36.7% finish. He was another longevity guy with a 21 year career, 3007 games, 2706 hits, 1571 runs, 400 doubles, 656 home runs, 1751 RBI, 1173 walks, .261/.337/.496 slash, 139 wRC+, and 63.4 WAR. Garcia notably was the 21^st to reach 600 home runs, but he had only one Silver Slugger and was a league leader only once. He was also on mostly forgettable teams and some felt with how long he stuck around that his tallies should’ve been higher.

SP Joshua Williams was worth a mention, falling below 5% to be dropped on his seventh ballot. His first four seasons were possibly the best ever by an MLB pitcher with Louisville, winning three Pitcher of the Year awards and Rookie of the Year with 1258 strikeouts, 39.6 WAR, a 69-42 record, 1103 innings, and a 2.25 ERA. That start to his career made many expect a possible GOAT-level career for Williams, but things went south with a torn labrum in year five.

Williams bounced back with three more good years after that, but declined sharply soon after and was out of MLB before his 32^nd birthday. He still managed a 141-113 record, 2.89 ERA, 2456.1 innings, 2420 strikeouts, 855 walks, 123 ERA+, and 68.1 WAR. Williams goes down as one of the big “what if?” players in MLB history with very few aces having a comparable four-year stretch at any point in their career (and probably none with a comparable first four seasons).

Ju-Won Yoo – First Base – San Diego Seals – 98.7% First Ballot

Ju-Won Yoo was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Incheon, South Korea. He became the second Korean inducted into MLB’s Hall of Fame, joining catcher Hui-Yun Han from 2009. Yoo had prolific home run power which graded as a 10/10 at his peak from some scouts. He was considered a true five-star player at his peak and a well-rounded bat. Yoo was a great contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Yoo’s 162 game average had 44 home runs and 32 doubles. His lone offensive weakness was poor baserunning speed and ability. Yoo was exclusively a first baseman and was consistently a good-to-great defender. He was also one of baseball’s true ironmen, playing 145+ games in 20 consecutive seasons. Despite Yoo’s immense natural gifts, some argued that his work ethic was poor and that he was selfish.

Still, few players in baseball history were as good-to-great at almost all skills offensively. This made Yoo one of the most popular superstars worldwide. He became best known for his MLB tenure, but his first decade was in his home country in East Asia Baseball. Yoo was picked out of Sorae High School in EAB’s 1996 draft by Bucheon with the #2 overall pick. The Bolts mostly kept him in their developmental system early on, but he did play 51 games and started 33 in his first three years.

Yoo started six years for Bucheon and emerged as one of the Korea League’s top talents. He led in on-base percentage (.423) in 2002 and in batting average (.374) and doubles (44) in 2003. Yoo was third in 2005’s MVP voting, although most of his KL bests came in 2003 including OPS (1.089) and WAR (10.2). Despite his efforts, the Bolts were mainly stuck around the middle of the standings, averaging 80 wins per season during his run.

With Bucheon, Yoo had 996 games, 1217 hits, 610 runs, 229 doubles, 224 home runs, 725 RBI, .331/.386/.586 slash, 159 wRC+, and 42.3 WAR. The run made him one of South Korea’s most popular players and got him on the radar of other squads worldwide. Yoo left after the 2005 at age 28 and was looking to specifically secure the bag. He would be one of the rare players to end up inducted into the Hall of Fame of the second world league they played in.

Yoo joined MLB on an eight-year, $93 million deal with San Diego. He really hit his power stride upon his arrival to the United States, leading the American Association in home runs in 2006 and 2007. From his 2006 MLB debut through 2017, Yoo hit 40+ home runs each year and topped 50+ six times. He was the RBI leader four times with the Seals. Yoo won Silver Sluggers from 2006-08 and in 2010 with San Diego and won Gold Gloves in 2009, 2010, and 2012.

In his 2006 debut, Yoo was third in MVP voting. He then won the top honor in 2007 with his peaks with 123 runs, 60 homers, 151 RBI, .673 slugging, and 10.2 WAR. Yoo was second in 2008 MVP voting, then took the award for the second time in 2010. All six of his seasons with San Diego were worth 6+ WAR. His arrival helped begin a dynasty run for the Seals, starting with a second round playoff loss in 2006.

In 2007, San Diego won the World Series over Winnipeg. Yoo was the AACS MVP and posted 23 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 5 homers, 15 RBI, and 1.1 WAR. The Seals won the pennant again in 2008, but lost the World Series to Cincinnati. Yoo was strong again in the run with 21 hits, 11 runs, 5 doubles, 2 homers, 11 RBI, and 10 walks. SD surprisingly just missed the playoffs in 2009, but bounced back in 2010 with a World Series win over Philadelphia.

The Seals fell to the Phillies in a rematch series in the first-ever Baseball Grand Championship with Yoo getting a .748 OPS in 14 starts. Over 57 playoff starts with San Diego, Yoo had 68 hits, 33 runs, 11 doubles, 11 home runs, 37 RBI, 23 walks, .309/.377/.509 slash, 142 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR. Yoo’s role in their dynasty helped furthered his status as a true worldwide baseball superstar. The Seals would just miss the playoffs in Yoo’s final two seasons there.

For San Diego, Yoo had 1101 games, 1288 hits, 748 runs, 200 doubles, 359 home runs, 939 RBI, .304/.370/.608 slash, 169 wRC+, and 55.8 WAR. He declined the contract option for the final two years of his deal, entering free agency for 2013 at age 36. Yoo’s ironman status and consistent production made him still a very hot property even in his mid 30s. Nashville signed him at four years and $106,600,000.

Yoo didn’t win any awards with the Knights, but his power production remained steady throughout. Nashville ended a playoff drought in 2016, falling to Charlotte in the AACS. Yoo was again a strong playoff performer with 15 hits, 12 runs, 7 homers, 11 RBI, and 1.022 OPS over 14 starts. That winter, Nashville gave Yoo a new two-year, $43,200,000 deal to stick around. They just missed the playoffs in 2017 and lost in the first round of 2018.

For Nashville, Yoo played 946 games with 995 hits, 593 runs, 147 doubles, 264 home runs, 630 RBI, .276/.342/.541 slash, 142 wRC+, and 32.9 WAR. In 2018, Yoo crossed the 600 home run and 1500 RBI milestones in MLB. He started to reach impressive world milestones combining his EAB stats. Yoo was past the 800 home run, 3500 hit, 2000 RBI, and 3000 game milestones by the time he left the Knights.

Yoo’s last year with Nashville saw him hit 34 home runs, his first sub-40 season in MLB. He still had plenty of suitors returning to free agency for 2019. At age 41, he inked a two-year, $34,800,000 deal with Brooklyn and gave the Dodgers back-to-back seasons above 4+ WAR. Yoo earned his 2500^th MLB hit and 1500^th run in 2020 for Brooklyn. He also crossed 2000 combined runs scored and 900 combined home runs.

With the Dodgers, Yoo had 308 hits, 165 runs, 55 doubles, 56 home runs, 159 RBI, 129 walks, .268/.344/.467 slash, 143 wRC+, and 9.8 WAR. This ended his MLB career, but Yoo still thought he had something to offer and wanted to chase some of the world milestones. He went back to EAB for 2021 at age 43 on a one-year, $15,600,000 deal with Kawasaki. The ageless Yoo had 5.1 WAR, 32 home runs, and .840 OPS for the Killer Whales. He became the fourth player in world history to reach 2500 RBI over their combined pro career.

Yoo joined Goyang in 2022 and had the first major injury of a career that spanned four separate decades. A torn meniscus in late March kept him four months and when he returned in the fall, he finally looked pedestrian with a .683 OPS and 0.3 WAR over 59 games. Yoo was only seven hits away from 4000 for his combined pro career, but he decided to retire that winter shortly after his 45^th birthday.

Between EAB stints, Yoo played 1202 games with 1402 hits, 728 runs, 255 doubles, 265 home runs, 838 RBI, .318/.377/.566 slash, 156 wRC+, and 47.8 WAR. In MLB, Yoo had 2365 games, 2591 hits, 1506 runs, 402 doubles, 679 home runs, 1728 RBI, 918 walks, 1591 strikeouts, .288/.355/.563 slash, 155 wRC+, and 98.6 WAR.

As of 2037 in MLB, Yoo ranks 21^st in home runs, 52^nd in RBI, and 59^th in WAR among position players. It was especially impressive that he made any leaderboards considering he was 28-years old at his MLB debut. The MLB numbers alone and his playoff success with San Diego’s dynasty made Yoo a Hall of Fame lock, headlining the 2026 class in Major League Baseball at 98.7%. But his combined career stats put him among the true immortals of the game.

Yoo’s combined pro career had 3567 games, 3993 hits, 2234 runs, 657 doubles, 944 home runs, 2566 RBI, 1311 walks, .298/.362/.564 slash, 155 wRC+, and 146.3 WAR. On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Yoo is 7^th in games played, 7^th in hits, 8^th in runs, 39^th in doubles, 14^th in home runs, 3^rd in RBI, and 38^th in WAR among position players. Yoo ranks 58^th in WAR among all players in baseball history.

His incredible durability and longevity went a long way in his greatness, but Yoo certainly has to be mentioned among the best power hitters and all-around bats ever. Yoo’s combined career WAR is also the most by any Korean and even with some very tough competition, he has a case to be considered South Korea’s best-ever player.

02-17-2025, 05:49 AM	#2076
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,900	2026 MLB Hall of Fame (Part 1) Major League Baseball’s 2026 Hall of Fame class had three players inducted upon their ballot debut. 1B Ju-Won Yoo was the clear headliner at 98.7% and was joined by pitchers Bruno Gallant (89.2%) and Mike Harris (81.0%). SP Victor Burke barely missed the 66% requirement with 64.2% for his eighth ballot. Five other returners were above 50% with 3B Jeanpaul Vick (58.9%, 7^th), 3B Kieran Wilson (58.2%, 7^th), 2B Adrian Vega (57.9%, 6^th), C Sebastian Van Velzen (57.0%, 10^th), and CL Sebastian Gomez (50.6%, 3^rd). Van Velzen was never below 50% and peaked at 60.2% in 2021. He was another one hurt by the anti-catcher bias with the lower totals that come with the position. Still, Van Velzen only won two Silver Sluggers over a 20 year run. He won a World Series with Cincinnati in 2008 and finished with 2108 hits, 897 runs, 324 doubles, 234 home runs, 947 RBI, .270/.349/.407 slash, 124 wRC+, and 70.8 WAR. As of 2037, Van Velzen ranks 13^th in WAR among MLB catchers. But he was more of a longevity guy who wasn’t far enough ahead of his immediate peers to make it across the line. RF Clement Garcia was dropped after ten ballots, peaking at 44.6% in 2019 with a 36.7% finish. He was another longevity guy with a 21 year career, 3007 games, 2706 hits, 1571 runs, 400 doubles, 656 home runs, 1751 RBI, 1173 walks, .261/.337/.496 slash, 139 wRC+, and 63.4 WAR. Garcia notably was the 21^st to reach 600 home runs, but he had only one Silver Slugger and was a league leader only once. He was also on mostly forgettable teams and some felt with how long he stuck around that his tallies should’ve been higher. SP Joshua Williams was worth a mention, falling below 5% to be dropped on his seventh ballot. His first four seasons were possibly the best ever by an MLB pitcher with Louisville, winning three Pitcher of the Year awards and Rookie of the Year with 1258 strikeouts, 39.6 WAR, a 69-42 record, 1103 innings, and a 2.25 ERA. That start to his career made many expect a possible GOAT-level career for Williams, but things went south with a torn labrum in year five. Williams bounced back with three more good years after that, but declined sharply soon after and was out of MLB before his 32^nd birthday. He still managed a 141-113 record, 2.89 ERA, 2456.1 innings, 2420 strikeouts, 855 walks, 123 ERA+, and 68.1 WAR. Williams goes down as one of the big “what if?” players in MLB history with very few aces having a comparable four-year stretch at any point in their career (and probably none with a comparable first four seasons). Ju-Won Yoo – First Base – San Diego Seals – 98.7% First Ballot Ju-Won Yoo was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Incheon, South Korea. He became the second Korean inducted into MLB’s Hall of Fame, joining catcher Hui-Yun Han from 2009. Yoo had prolific home run power which graded as a 10/10 at his peak from some scouts. He was considered a true five-star player at his peak and a well-rounded bat. Yoo was a great contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Yoo’s 162 game average had 44 home runs and 32 doubles. His lone offensive weakness was poor baserunning speed and ability. Yoo was exclusively a first baseman and was consistently a good-to-great defender. He was also one of baseball’s true ironmen, playing 145+ games in 20 consecutive seasons. Despite Yoo’s immense natural gifts, some argued that his work ethic was poor and that he was selfish. Still, few players in baseball history were as good-to-great at almost all skills offensively. This made Yoo one of the most popular superstars worldwide. He became best known for his MLB tenure, but his first decade was in his home country in East Asia Baseball. Yoo was picked out of Sorae High School in EAB’s 1996 draft by Bucheon with the #2 overall pick. The Bolts mostly kept him in their developmental system early on, but he did play 51 games and started 33 in his first three years. Yoo started six years for Bucheon and emerged as one of the Korea League’s top talents. He led in on-base percentage (.423) in 2002 and in batting average (.374) and doubles (44) in 2003. Yoo was third in 2005’s MVP voting, although most of his KL bests came in 2003 including OPS (1.089) and WAR (10.2). Despite his efforts, the Bolts were mainly stuck around the middle of the standings, averaging 80 wins per season during his run. With Bucheon, Yoo had 996 games, 1217 hits, 610 runs, 229 doubles, 224 home runs, 725 RBI, .331/.386/.586 slash, 159 wRC+, and 42.3 WAR. The run made him one of South Korea’s most popular players and got him on the radar of other squads worldwide. Yoo left after the 2005 at age 28 and was looking to specifically secure the bag. He would be one of the rare players to end up inducted into the Hall of Fame of the second world league they played in. Yoo joined MLB on an eight-year, $93 million deal with San Diego. He really hit his power stride upon his arrival to the United States, leading the American Association in home runs in 2006 and 2007. From his 2006 MLB debut through 2017, Yoo hit 40+ home runs each year and topped 50+ six times. He was the RBI leader four times with the Seals. Yoo won Silver Sluggers from 2006-08 and in 2010 with San Diego and won Gold Gloves in 2009, 2010, and 2012. In his 2006 debut, Yoo was third in MVP voting. He then won the top honor in 2007 with his peaks with 123 runs, 60 homers, 151 RBI, .673 slugging, and 10.2 WAR. Yoo was second in 2008 MVP voting, then took the award for the second time in 2010. All six of his seasons with San Diego were worth 6+ WAR. His arrival helped begin a dynasty run for the Seals, starting with a second round playoff loss in 2006. In 2007, San Diego won the World Series over Winnipeg. Yoo was the AACS MVP and posted 23 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 5 homers, 15 RBI, and 1.1 WAR. The Seals won the pennant again in 2008, but lost the World Series to Cincinnati. Yoo was strong again in the run with 21 hits, 11 runs, 5 doubles, 2 homers, 11 RBI, and 10 walks. SD surprisingly just missed the playoffs in 2009, but bounced back in 2010 with a World Series win over Philadelphia. The Seals fell to the Phillies in a rematch series in the first-ever Baseball Grand Championship with Yoo getting a .748 OPS in 14 starts. Over 57 playoff starts with San Diego, Yoo had 68 hits, 33 runs, 11 doubles, 11 home runs, 37 RBI, 23 walks, .309/.377/.509 slash, 142 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR. Yoo’s role in their dynasty helped furthered his status as a true worldwide baseball superstar. The Seals would just miss the playoffs in Yoo’s final two seasons there. For San Diego, Yoo had 1101 games, 1288 hits, 748 runs, 200 doubles, 359 home runs, 939 RBI, .304/.370/.608 slash, 169 wRC+, and 55.8 WAR. He declined the contract option for the final two years of his deal, entering free agency for 2013 at age 36. Yoo’s ironman status and consistent production made him still a very hot property even in his mid 30s. Nashville signed him at four years and $106,600,000. Yoo didn’t win any awards with the Knights, but his power production remained steady throughout. Nashville ended a playoff drought in 2016, falling to Charlotte in the AACS. Yoo was again a strong playoff performer with 15 hits, 12 runs, 7 homers, 11 RBI, and 1.022 OPS over 14 starts. That winter, Nashville gave Yoo a new two-year, $43,200,000 deal to stick around. They just missed the playoffs in 2017 and lost in the first round of 2018. For Nashville, Yoo played 946 games with 995 hits, 593 runs, 147 doubles, 264 home runs, 630 RBI, .276/.342/.541 slash, 142 wRC+, and 32.9 WAR. In 2018, Yoo crossed the 600 home run and 1500 RBI milestones in MLB. He started to reach impressive world milestones combining his EAB stats. Yoo was past the 800 home run, 3500 hit, 2000 RBI, and 3000 game milestones by the time he left the Knights. Yoo’s last year with Nashville saw him hit 34 home runs, his first sub-40 season in MLB. He still had plenty of suitors returning to free agency for 2019. At age 41, he inked a two-year, $34,800,000 deal with Brooklyn and gave the Dodgers back-to-back seasons above 4+ WAR. Yoo earned his 2500^th MLB hit and 1500^th run in 2020 for Brooklyn. He also crossed 2000 combined runs scored and 900 combined home runs. With the Dodgers, Yoo had 308 hits, 165 runs, 55 doubles, 56 home runs, 159 RBI, 129 walks, .268/.344/.467 slash, 143 wRC+, and 9.8 WAR. This ended his MLB career, but Yoo still thought he had something to offer and wanted to chase some of the world milestones. He went back to EAB for 2021 at age 43 on a one-year, $15,600,000 deal with Kawasaki. The ageless Yoo had 5.1 WAR, 32 home runs, and .840 OPS for the Killer Whales. He became the fourth player in world history to reach 2500 RBI over their combined pro career. Yoo joined Goyang in 2022 and had the first major injury of a career that spanned four separate decades. A torn meniscus in late March kept him four months and when he returned in the fall, he finally looked pedestrian with a .683 OPS and 0.3 WAR over 59 games. Yoo was only seven hits away from 4000 for his combined pro career, but he decided to retire that winter shortly after his 45^th birthday. Between EAB stints, Yoo played 1202 games with 1402 hits, 728 runs, 255 doubles, 265 home runs, 838 RBI, .318/.377/.566 slash, 156 wRC+, and 47.8 WAR. In MLB, Yoo had 2365 games, 2591 hits, 1506 runs, 402 doubles, 679 home runs, 1728 RBI, 918 walks, 1591 strikeouts, .288/.355/.563 slash, 155 wRC+, and 98.6 WAR. As of 2037 in MLB, Yoo ranks 21^st in home runs, 52^nd in RBI, and 59^th in WAR among position players. It was especially impressive that he made any leaderboards considering he was 28-years old at his MLB debut. The MLB numbers alone and his playoff success with San Diego’s dynasty made Yoo a Hall of Fame lock, headlining the 2026 class in Major League Baseball at 98.7%. But his combined career stats put him among the true immortals of the game. Yoo’s combined pro career had 3567 games, 3993 hits, 2234 runs, 657 doubles, 944 home runs, 2566 RBI, 1311 walks, .298/.362/.564 slash, 155 wRC+, and 146.3 WAR. On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Yoo is 7^th in games played, 7^th in hits, 8^th in runs, 39^th in doubles, 14^th in home runs, 3^rd in RBI, and 38^th in WAR among position players. Yoo ranks 58^th in WAR among all players in baseball history. His incredible durability and longevity went a long way in his greatness, but Yoo certainly has to be mentioned among the best power hitters and all-around bats ever. Yoo’s combined career WAR is also the most by any Korean and even with some very tough competition, he has a case to be considered South Korea’s best-ever player. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)