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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-18-2025, 07:36 AM

East Asia Baseball’s 2026 Hall of Fame class had two first ballot inductees with SP Jae-Ha Jung (92.5%) and LF A-Min Bae (80.5%). Two other debuts were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement with C Shintaro Onishi at 59.0% and 1B Kyu-Seong Lee at 58.0%. No one else was above 50% with the best returner being SP Jong-Hyeon Chung with 49.2% for his seventh ballot.

Falling off the ballot after ten failed tries was CL Geon-Min Lee, peaking at 44.5% in 2018 but ending at only 6.8%. He was a three-time Reliever of the Year winner, but his EAB tallies were limited as he also spent time in MLB, CABA, and WAB. Lee played for 16 different franchises and his combined pro career had 291 saves, 2.19 ERA, 1009 innings, 1261 strikeouts, and 36.1 WAR. Just in EAB, Lee had 276 saves, 191 ERA, 649.1 innings, 916 strikeouts, and 29.6 WAR; tallies low enough to leave him in the Hall of Pretty Good.

SP Masaharu Asano also lasted ten ballots, ending at only 5.5% and peaking at 30.7% in 2018. He had nice longevity, but lacked dominance with a 182-150 record, 3.17 ERA, 3308.2 innings, 3228 strikeouts, 1088 walks, 105 ERA+, and 43.9 WAR. Asano was a firm Hall of Good type player.

Jae-Ha Jung – Starting Pitcher – Seongnam Spiders – 92.5% First Ballot

Jae-Ha Jung was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Daegu, South Korea. Jung had solid stuff with above average-to-good control, although his movement was below average. His fastball only peaked in the 93-95 mph range, getting most of his whiffs with a stellar changeup and a very good curveball. Jung had an extreme fly ball tendency, but his ability to change speeds led to good strikeout numbers.

Jung’s stamina was excellent, leading the league twice in innings and five times in complete games. His durability was also quite good and he avoided major injuries, tossing 215+ innings in all but his rookie season. Jung was respectable at holding runners, but was a weak defender. His sparkplug attitude and work ethic allowed him to achieve beyond his raw ability.

In the 2003 EAB Draft, Jung was picked straight out of Woosung High School with the 31^st overall pick by his hometown Daegu. He opted to sign and enter their developmental system instead of college and was excited to play for his childhood favorite team. After two years as a reserve, Jung pitched 142.1 innings in 2006 at age 21. He had growing pains as a rookie, but looked great in year two as a full-time starter. Jung led the Korea League in both complete games and shutouts in 2007.

Jung posted 5+ WAR in four of his seven seasons with Daegu. He won Pitcher of the Year in 2011 with league and career bests in wins (21-10), innings (278), strikeouts (311), ERA+ (145), and WAR (6.7). Jung also posted his career-best 2.56 ERA. The Diamondbacks were above average in his tenure with 85 wins per season, but 2009 was their lone playoff appearance with a first round exit. Incidentally, Daegu won the EAB Championship the year after Jung left.

Although he hoped to come to terms with his hometown team, Jung and Daegu couldn’t come to terms after the 2012 season. With the Diamondbacks, he had a 111-77 record, 3.24 ERA, 1681 innings, 1714 strikeouts, 384 walks, 94 complete games, 14 shutouts, 115 ERA+, and 29.2 WAR. Now 28-years old, Jung began his more famous run with a six-year, $87 million deal with Seongnam.

Jung struggled in his 2013 Spiders debut, but bounced back with three consecutive 6+ WAR seasons. He won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2014 by leading in wins (20-10), quality starts (22), and complete games (19). Jung also had a 2.87 ERA and 6.5 WAR. He had similar results in 2015 and was third in POTY voting. Jung regressed towards more average to below average production from 2017-onward.

His efforts helped Seongnam return to form, earning six playoff berths from 2014-20. The Spiders won the Korea League in 2014, but fell to Kyoto in the EAB Championship. Jung had a 2.77 ERA over 39 playoff innings in 2014, then posted a 3.55 ERA over 33 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship. Seongnam finished in the bottom half at 8-11.

Seongnam was defeated by Ulsan in the 2015 KLCS. They missed the playoffs in 2016 and had a first round defeat in 2017. The Spiders then claimed back-to-back KL pennants in 2018-19. Seongnam was defeated in the 2018 EAB Championship by Kyoto, then won it all in 2019 against Kawasaki. Jung had a 1.65 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 32.2 innings in 2018, followed by a 1.96 ERA over 18.1 innings in 2019.

Jung had a 3.34 ERA over 29.2 innings in the 2018 Baseball Grand Championship, then struggled to a 5.40 ERA over 33.1 innings in 2019. Seongnam went 11-8 in 2018 with a sixth place finish after tiebreakers. They fell to a tie for 18^th at 7-12 in 2019. Jung’s BGC stats were unremarkable with a 4.12 ERA, 3-9 record, 96 innings, and 106 strikeouts.

However, his overall stats in the EAB postseason were quite solid with a 9-4 record in 17 starts, 2.70 ERA, 136.2 innings, 136 strikeouts, 26 walks, 141 ERA+, and 3.9 WAR. Jung also pitched for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship with 66.1 innings from 2009-19 with a 3.66 RA, 4-3 record, 69 strikeouts, and 0.2 WAR.

In June 2018, Seongnam signed Jung to a four-year, $32,700,000 extension. By 2020, he posted only 1.7 WAR over 217.2 with 185 strikeouts, his lowest production since his rookie year. Jung opted to retire that winter at age 35. For the Spiders, he had a 112-104 record, 3.59 ERA, 2017.2 innings, 2081 strikeouts, 378 walks, 116 complete games, 14 shutouts, 105 ERA+, and 32.7 WAR. For his role in their 2010s success, Seongnam retired Jung’s #26 uniform.

Jung ended with a 223-181 record, 3.43 ERA, 3698.2 innings, 3795 strikeouts, 762 walks, 272/441 quality starts, 210 complete games, 28 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 61.9 WAR. As of 2037, Jung ranks 42^nd in wins, 35^th in innings, 4^th in complete games, 46^th in shutouts, and 28^th in strikeouts. Despite those stats, he was outside the top 100 in pitching WAR. Jung was hurt by allowing 420 home runs, the 15^th most.

Advanced stats rank Jung lower than many Hall of Fame starters in East Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame. However, he had more than enough accolades for the voters. Two Pitcher of the Year awards, 200+ wins, 3500+ strikeouts, and strong playoff runs for Seongnam made Jung an easy yes for almost all voters. He received 92.5% to headline EAB’s 2026 class on the first ballot.

A-Min Bae – Left Field – Suwon Snappers – 80.5% First Ballot

A-Min Bae was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting left fielder from Seoul, South Korea. Bae at his prime was an awesome hitter, especially against right-handed pitching with a career 1.032 OPS and 179 wRC+. Versus lefties, he was merely decent with .747 OPS and 111 wRC+. On the whole, Bae graded as a good-to-great contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks and respectable strikeout rate. He was also known as an extreme pull hitter on ground balls.

Bae was one of the best home run hitters of his era, smacking 40+ dingers each year from 2007-18 with 50+ in eight of those seasons. His power was concentrated there, but he could find the gap with 23 doubles and 7 triples per his 162 game average. Bae’s speed and baserunning both graded as reliably above average.

Defensively, Bae played almost exclusively in left field and graded as a reliably solid gloveman. He was one of the most reliable guys of his time thanks to stellar durability, playing 143+ games in all but the final season of his 19-year career. Bae’s power and consistency turned him into one of the biggest baseball superstars to come out of South Korea.

Bae attended Korea University in Seoul and quickly emerged as a “can’t miss” prospect for the 2005 EAB Draft. Suwon selected with the #1 overall pick and threw him into the starting lineup immediately. Bae thrived right away with 5.1 WAR and .930 to win 2006 Rookie of the Year honors. In his second and third seasons, he was the best hitter in the Korea League.

2007 and 2008 saw back-to-back Triple Crown wins by Bae, who became the only EAB batter to earn the honor twice. There hadn’t been a Triple Crown hitting season in EAB since 1966. 2007 had 55 home runs, 147 RBI, and a .377 average; followed by 61 homers, 137 RBI, and a .385 average in 2008. Both years, Bae won MVP and also led in runs, total bases, slugging OPS, wRC+, and WAR.

Bae posted 13.61 WAR in 2008, which was tied for the second-best WAR by a position player in EAB history to that point behind Takashi Ishihara’s 14.32 from 1948. Bae’s 1.240 OPS was also the second-best behind Young-Hwan Sha’s 1.258 from 1960. Both marks still rank third as of 2037. Bae’s .805 slugging set a new EAB record that would only be passed once. 2008 had his career highs in homers (61), total bases (449), triple slash (.385/.436/.805), and wRC+ (238). 2007 had his bests in hits (223) and RBI (147).

He led in runs in 2009 with a merely great 6.7 WAR season. Bae then won his third and fourth MVPs in 2010 and 2011, leading both years in OPS, WAR, wRC+, and slugging. Bae scored a career-best 136 runs in 2010 and also led that year in homers and the triple slash. He was second in 2012’s MVP voting and won Silver Sluggers for Suwon in 2007, 08, 10, 11, and 12.

The Snappers ended an eight-year playoff drought in 2009 with a division title at 100-62. Suwon fell in the KLCS to top seed Busan. They then had first round playoff exits in 2010 and 2011. The Snappers missed the playoffs at 83-79 in 2012. Bae’s playoff numbers in 20 starts had 25 hits, 13 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, .329/.370/.579 slash, 159 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR.

After his early career successes, Bae was one of the most highly anticipated free agents in some time. Suwon was disappointed that they couldn’t match the big number Bae would demand. The Snappers would fall to below .500 for the next eight years and some in management were bitter towards Bae for leaving. Most fans still remembered him fondly and cheered him on as he left for the United States and Major League Baseball at age 28.

With Suwon, Bae played 1094 games with 1364 hits, 820 runs, 194 doubles, 84 triples, 326 home runs, 808 RBI, 401 walks, 271 stolen bases, .348/.407/.691 slash, 1.097 OPS, 192 wRC+, and 66.0 WAR. Over a seven-year run, you’d be hard pressed to find any better than Bae’s efforts. This would be the entirety of his EAB career, so obviously he didn’t get the accumulations for the leaderboards.

However among all EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances as of 2037, Bae is the all-time leader in OPS. His triple slash ranks 3^rd/3^rd/2^nd and he is one of only 12 players with 4+ MVPs. Some wonder if Bae could’ve ended up in the conversation for EAB’s greatest of all time had he stuck around. There were some Hall of Fame voters that voted against him purely for the lack of tenure. Most gave Bae at least some credit for his MLB totals and others felt his seven-year run was so extraordinary to be deserving on its own. At 80.5%, Bae was a first ballot pick for EAB’s 2026 class.

Even though the majority of his pro career was in Major League Baseball, Bae would come back home to represent South Korea regularly for the World Baseball Championship. From 2010-23, Bae played 117 games and started 104 with 99 hits, 79 runs, 20 doubles, 31 home runs, 63 RBI, 50 walks, 18 steals, .253/.335/.546 slash, 145 wRC+, and 4.5 WAR.

Bae’s MLB run began in Los Angeles as the Angels signed him to a mammoth eight-year, $185,600,000 deal. He debuted with 50 home runs and 5.3 WAR. From 2013-18, Bae had 37+ homers, 100+ RBI, 100+ runs, and 5+ WAR each year. He posted 8+ WAR in 2014, 2015, and 2017. Bae led the American Association in runs (122), homers (57), RBI (127), and total bases (385) in 2015; all MLB highs for him. He had 8.4 WAR and OPS above one in both 2015 and 2017, finishing second in MVP voting both years. Bae won Silver Sluggers in 2014, 15, 17, and 18; giving him nine for his combined career.

Los Angeles was in contention in a strong Southwest Division during this era. In Bae’s debut, the Angels had one of the all-time best regular season runs at 119-43, but had a shocking second round upset loss to Phoenix. The Firebirds ousted LA in the 2014 AACS as well. Los Angeles was the top seed again in 2015 at 109-53, but was denied in the AACS by Denver. The Angels shockingly dropped to 70-92 in 2016. They got back to the playoffs for a first round loss in 2017, then were just outside of the playoffs the next three years.

Bae’s playoff stats were subpar for LA with 26 starts, 25 hits, 11 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 15 RBI, .236/.278/.396 slash, 85 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. He certainly delivered though in the regular season for the most part over the Angels deal. Bae did start to regress in his last two years with 2.1 WAR in 2019 and 4.9 WAR in 2020. In total for LA, Bae had 1250 games, 1276 hits, 855 runs, 164 doubles, 379 home runs, 873 RBI, 505 walks, .276/.347/.573 slash, 149 wRC+, and 49.8 WAR.

Now 36-years old, Bae was back to free agency for 2021. He ended up signing with expansion Halifax at $51 million over three years. Bae had an impressive debut season at 7.0 WAR and .922 OPS, leading the Hound Dogs to a winning record at 83-79 in their inaugural season. Bae had a good 2022, but fell off quite a bit in 2023. For Halifax, Bae played 475 games with 407 hits, 242 runs, 43 doubles, 103 home runs, 246 RBI, .250/.333/.479 slash, 144 wRC+, and 13.2 WAR.

Bae thought he could still contribute and signed with Orlando in 2024, but he struggled in 78 games with -0.6 WAR. He went unsigned in 2025 and finally retired that winter at age 41. For his MLB career, Bae played 1803 games, 1732 hits, 1119 runs, 213 doubles, 488 home runs, 1151 RBI, 723 walks, 105 stolen bases, .267/.341/.540 slash, 145 wRC+, and 62.4 WAR.

It was quite the run for a guy who started his MLB tenure at only age 28. Once you’re inducted into any world Hall of Fame, you’re off other ballots and in the “global” HOF. Bae’s resume probably had a legitimate shot to also make MLB’s HOF had he gotten a chance. He was one of a very short list whose career in two different leagues was good enough to be worthy of dual induction consideration.

For his combined pro career, Bae played 2897 games with 3096 hits, 1939 runs, 407 doubles, 131 triples, 814 home runs, 1959 RBI, 1124 walks, 1799 strikeouts, 376 steals, .297/.365/.592 slash, 163 wRC+, and 128.5 WAR. As of 2037, Bae is 46^th on the world list in home runs and he cracks the top 100 in RBI, runs, and WAR. Bae is definitely on the short-list for the best-ever batters to come out of South Korea.

02-18-2025, 07:36 AM	#2079
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,897	2026 EAB Hall of Fame East Asia Baseball’s 2026 Hall of Fame class had two first ballot inductees with SP Jae-Ha Jung (92.5%) and LF A-Min Bae (80.5%). Two other debuts were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement with C Shintaro Onishi at 59.0% and 1B Kyu-Seong Lee at 58.0%. No one else was above 50% with the best returner being SP Jong-Hyeon Chung with 49.2% for his seventh ballot. Falling off the ballot after ten failed tries was CL Geon-Min Lee, peaking at 44.5% in 2018 but ending at only 6.8%. He was a three-time Reliever of the Year winner, but his EAB tallies were limited as he also spent time in MLB, CABA, and WAB. Lee played for 16 different franchises and his combined pro career had 291 saves, 2.19 ERA, 1009 innings, 1261 strikeouts, and 36.1 WAR. Just in EAB, Lee had 276 saves, 191 ERA, 649.1 innings, 916 strikeouts, and 29.6 WAR; tallies low enough to leave him in the Hall of Pretty Good. SP Masaharu Asano also lasted ten ballots, ending at only 5.5% and peaking at 30.7% in 2018. He had nice longevity, but lacked dominance with a 182-150 record, 3.17 ERA, 3308.2 innings, 3228 strikeouts, 1088 walks, 105 ERA+, and 43.9 WAR. Asano was a firm Hall of Good type player. Jae-Ha Jung – Starting Pitcher – Seongnam Spiders – 92.5% First Ballot Jae-Ha Jung was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Daegu, South Korea. Jung had solid stuff with above average-to-good control, although his movement was below average. His fastball only peaked in the 93-95 mph range, getting most of his whiffs with a stellar changeup and a very good curveball. Jung had an extreme fly ball tendency, but his ability to change speeds led to good strikeout numbers. Jung’s stamina was excellent, leading the league twice in innings and five times in complete games. His durability was also quite good and he avoided major injuries, tossing 215+ innings in all but his rookie season. Jung was respectable at holding runners, but was a weak defender. His sparkplug attitude and work ethic allowed him to achieve beyond his raw ability. In the 2003 EAB Draft, Jung was picked straight out of Woosung High School with the 31^st overall pick by his hometown Daegu. He opted to sign and enter their developmental system instead of college and was excited to play for his childhood favorite team. After two years as a reserve, Jung pitched 142.1 innings in 2006 at age 21. He had growing pains as a rookie, but looked great in year two as a full-time starter. Jung led the Korea League in both complete games and shutouts in 2007. Jung posted 5+ WAR in four of his seven seasons with Daegu. He won Pitcher of the Year in 2011 with league and career bests in wins (21-10), innings (278), strikeouts (311), ERA+ (145), and WAR (6.7). Jung also posted his career-best 2.56 ERA. The Diamondbacks were above average in his tenure with 85 wins per season, but 2009 was their lone playoff appearance with a first round exit. Incidentally, Daegu won the EAB Championship the year after Jung left. Although he hoped to come to terms with his hometown team, Jung and Daegu couldn’t come to terms after the 2012 season. With the Diamondbacks, he had a 111-77 record, 3.24 ERA, 1681 innings, 1714 strikeouts, 384 walks, 94 complete games, 14 shutouts, 115 ERA+, and 29.2 WAR. Now 28-years old, Jung began his more famous run with a six-year, $87 million deal with Seongnam. Jung struggled in his 2013 Spiders debut, but bounced back with three consecutive 6+ WAR seasons. He won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2014 by leading in wins (20-10), quality starts (22), and complete games (19). Jung also had a 2.87 ERA and 6.5 WAR. He had similar results in 2015 and was third in POTY voting. Jung regressed towards more average to below average production from 2017-onward. His efforts helped Seongnam return to form, earning six playoff berths from 2014-20. The Spiders won the Korea League in 2014, but fell to Kyoto in the EAB Championship. Jung had a 2.77 ERA over 39 playoff innings in 2014, then posted a 3.55 ERA over 33 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship. Seongnam finished in the bottom half at 8-11. Seongnam was defeated by Ulsan in the 2015 KLCS. They missed the playoffs in 2016 and had a first round defeat in 2017. The Spiders then claimed back-to-back KL pennants in 2018-19. Seongnam was defeated in the 2018 EAB Championship by Kyoto, then won it all in 2019 against Kawasaki. Jung had a 1.65 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 32.2 innings in 2018, followed by a 1.96 ERA over 18.1 innings in 2019. Jung had a 3.34 ERA over 29.2 innings in the 2018 Baseball Grand Championship, then struggled to a 5.40 ERA over 33.1 innings in 2019. Seongnam went 11-8 in 2018 with a sixth place finish after tiebreakers. They fell to a tie for 18^th at 7-12 in 2019. Jung’s BGC stats were unremarkable with a 4.12 ERA, 3-9 record, 96 innings, and 106 strikeouts. However, his overall stats in the EAB postseason were quite solid with a 9-4 record in 17 starts, 2.70 ERA, 136.2 innings, 136 strikeouts, 26 walks, 141 ERA+, and 3.9 WAR. Jung also pitched for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship with 66.1 innings from 2009-19 with a 3.66 RA, 4-3 record, 69 strikeouts, and 0.2 WAR. In June 2018, Seongnam signed Jung to a four-year, $32,700,000 extension. By 2020, he posted only 1.7 WAR over 217.2 with 185 strikeouts, his lowest production since his rookie year. Jung opted to retire that winter at age 35. For the Spiders, he had a 112-104 record, 3.59 ERA, 2017.2 innings, 2081 strikeouts, 378 walks, 116 complete games, 14 shutouts, 105 ERA+, and 32.7 WAR. For his role in their 2010s success, Seongnam retired Jung’s #26 uniform. Jung ended with a 223-181 record, 3.43 ERA, 3698.2 innings, 3795 strikeouts, 762 walks, 272/441 quality starts, 210 complete games, 28 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 61.9 WAR. As of 2037, Jung ranks 42^nd in wins, 35^th in innings, 4^th in complete games, 46^th in shutouts, and 28^th in strikeouts. Despite those stats, he was outside the top 100 in pitching WAR. Jung was hurt by allowing 420 home runs, the 15^th most. Advanced stats rank Jung lower than many Hall of Fame starters in East Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame. However, he had more than enough accolades for the voters. Two Pitcher of the Year awards, 200+ wins, 3500+ strikeouts, and strong playoff runs for Seongnam made Jung an easy yes for almost all voters. He received 92.5% to headline EAB’s 2026 class on the first ballot. A-Min Bae – Left Field – Suwon Snappers – 80.5% First Ballot A-Min Bae was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting left fielder from Seoul, South Korea. Bae at his prime was an awesome hitter, especially against right-handed pitching with a career 1.032 OPS and 179 wRC+. Versus lefties, he was merely decent with .747 OPS and 111 wRC+. On the whole, Bae graded as a good-to-great contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks and respectable strikeout rate. He was also known as an extreme pull hitter on ground balls. Bae was one of the best home run hitters of his era, smacking 40+ dingers each year from 2007-18 with 50+ in eight of those seasons. His power was concentrated there, but he could find the gap with 23 doubles and 7 triples per his 162 game average. Bae’s speed and baserunning both graded as reliably above average. Defensively, Bae played almost exclusively in left field and graded as a reliably solid gloveman. He was one of the most reliable guys of his time thanks to stellar durability, playing 143+ games in all but the final season of his 19-year career. Bae’s power and consistency turned him into one of the biggest baseball superstars to come out of South Korea. Bae attended Korea University in Seoul and quickly emerged as a “can’t miss” prospect for the 2005 EAB Draft. Suwon selected with the #1 overall pick and threw him into the starting lineup immediately. Bae thrived right away with 5.1 WAR and .930 to win 2006 Rookie of the Year honors. In his second and third seasons, he was the best hitter in the Korea League. 2007 and 2008 saw back-to-back Triple Crown wins by Bae, who became the only EAB batter to earn the honor twice. There hadn’t been a Triple Crown hitting season in EAB since 1966. 2007 had 55 home runs, 147 RBI, and a .377 average; followed by 61 homers, 137 RBI, and a .385 average in 2008. Both years, Bae won MVP and also led in runs, total bases, slugging OPS, wRC+, and WAR. Bae posted 13.61 WAR in 2008, which was tied for the second-best WAR by a position player in EAB history to that point behind Takashi Ishihara’s 14.32 from 1948. Bae’s 1.240 OPS was also the second-best behind Young-Hwan Sha’s 1.258 from 1960. Both marks still rank third as of 2037. Bae’s .805 slugging set a new EAB record that would only be passed once. 2008 had his career highs in homers (61), total bases (449), triple slash (.385/.436/.805), and wRC+ (238). 2007 had his bests in hits (223) and RBI (147). He led in runs in 2009 with a merely great 6.7 WAR season. Bae then won his third and fourth MVPs in 2010 and 2011, leading both years in OPS, WAR, wRC+, and slugging. Bae scored a career-best 136 runs in 2010 and also led that year in homers and the triple slash. He was second in 2012’s MVP voting and won Silver Sluggers for Suwon in 2007, 08, 10, 11, and 12. The Snappers ended an eight-year playoff drought in 2009 with a division title at 100-62. Suwon fell in the KLCS to top seed Busan. They then had first round playoff exits in 2010 and 2011. The Snappers missed the playoffs at 83-79 in 2012. Bae’s playoff numbers in 20 starts had 25 hits, 13 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, .329/.370/.579 slash, 159 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. After his early career successes, Bae was one of the most highly anticipated free agents in some time. Suwon was disappointed that they couldn’t match the big number Bae would demand. The Snappers would fall to below .500 for the next eight years and some in management were bitter towards Bae for leaving. Most fans still remembered him fondly and cheered him on as he left for the United States and Major League Baseball at age 28. With Suwon, Bae played 1094 games with 1364 hits, 820 runs, 194 doubles, 84 triples, 326 home runs, 808 RBI, 401 walks, 271 stolen bases, .348/.407/.691 slash, 1.097 OPS, 192 wRC+, and 66.0 WAR. Over a seven-year run, you’d be hard pressed to find any better than Bae’s efforts. This would be the entirety of his EAB career, so obviously he didn’t get the accumulations for the leaderboards. However among all EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances as of 2037, Bae is the all-time leader in OPS. His triple slash ranks 3^rd/3^rd/2^nd and he is one of only 12 players with 4+ MVPs. Some wonder if Bae could’ve ended up in the conversation for EAB’s greatest of all time had he stuck around. There were some Hall of Fame voters that voted against him purely for the lack of tenure. Most gave Bae at least some credit for his MLB totals and others felt his seven-year run was so extraordinary to be deserving on its own. At 80.5%, Bae was a first ballot pick for EAB’s 2026 class. Even though the majority of his pro career was in Major League Baseball, Bae would come back home to represent South Korea regularly for the World Baseball Championship. From 2010-23, Bae played 117 games and started 104 with 99 hits, 79 runs, 20 doubles, 31 home runs, 63 RBI, 50 walks, 18 steals, .253/.335/.546 slash, 145 wRC+, and 4.5 WAR. Bae’s MLB run began in Los Angeles as the Angels signed him to a mammoth eight-year, $185,600,000 deal. He debuted with 50 home runs and 5.3 WAR. From 2013-18, Bae had 37+ homers, 100+ RBI, 100+ runs, and 5+ WAR each year. He posted 8+ WAR in 2014, 2015, and 2017. Bae led the American Association in runs (122), homers (57), RBI (127), and total bases (385) in 2015; all MLB highs for him. He had 8.4 WAR and OPS above one in both 2015 and 2017, finishing second in MVP voting both years. Bae won Silver Sluggers in 2014, 15, 17, and 18; giving him nine for his combined career. Los Angeles was in contention in a strong Southwest Division during this era. In Bae’s debut, the Angels had one of the all-time best regular season runs at 119-43, but had a shocking second round upset loss to Phoenix. The Firebirds ousted LA in the 2014 AACS as well. Los Angeles was the top seed again in 2015 at 109-53, but was denied in the AACS by Denver. The Angels shockingly dropped to 70-92 in 2016. They got back to the playoffs for a first round loss in 2017, then were just outside of the playoffs the next three years. Bae’s playoff stats were subpar for LA with 26 starts, 25 hits, 11 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 15 RBI, .236/.278/.396 slash, 85 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. He certainly delivered though in the regular season for the most part over the Angels deal. Bae did start to regress in his last two years with 2.1 WAR in 2019 and 4.9 WAR in 2020. In total for LA, Bae had 1250 games, 1276 hits, 855 runs, 164 doubles, 379 home runs, 873 RBI, 505 walks, .276/.347/.573 slash, 149 wRC+, and 49.8 WAR. Now 36-years old, Bae was back to free agency for 2021. He ended up signing with expansion Halifax at $51 million over three years. Bae had an impressive debut season at 7.0 WAR and .922 OPS, leading the Hound Dogs to a winning record at 83-79 in their inaugural season. Bae had a good 2022, but fell off quite a bit in 2023. For Halifax, Bae played 475 games with 407 hits, 242 runs, 43 doubles, 103 home runs, 246 RBI, .250/.333/.479 slash, 144 wRC+, and 13.2 WAR. Bae thought he could still contribute and signed with Orlando in 2024, but he struggled in 78 games with -0.6 WAR. He went unsigned in 2025 and finally retired that winter at age 41. For his MLB career, Bae played 1803 games, 1732 hits, 1119 runs, 213 doubles, 488 home runs, 1151 RBI, 723 walks, 105 stolen bases, .267/.341/.540 slash, 145 wRC+, and 62.4 WAR. It was quite the run for a guy who started his MLB tenure at only age 28. Once you’re inducted into any world Hall of Fame, you’re off other ballots and in the “global” HOF. Bae’s resume probably had a legitimate shot to also make MLB’s HOF had he gotten a chance. He was one of a very short list whose career in two different leagues was good enough to be worthy of dual induction consideration. For his combined pro career, Bae played 2897 games with 3096 hits, 1939 runs, 407 doubles, 131 triples, 814 home runs, 1959 RBI, 1124 walks, 1799 strikeouts, 376 steals, .297/.365/.592 slash, 163 wRC+, and 128.5 WAR. As of 2037, Bae is 46^th on the world list in home runs and he cracks the top 100 in RBI, runs, and WAR. Bae is definitely on the short-list for the best-ever batters to come out of South Korea. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)