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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-19-2025, 12:01 PM

Blazej “Rags” Swierczewski – First Base – Riga Roosters – 96.1% First Ballot

Blazej Swierczewski was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Lodz, Poland’s fourth largest city with around 655,000 people. Nicknamed “Rags,” Swierczewski was a well-rounded bat with good-to-great contact and power skills. He was quite solid especially in his later years at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was subpar. Swierczewski’s power wasn’t prolific, but it was incredibly steady and reliable with 35 home runs and 23 doubles per his 162 game average.

Swierczewski was one of the smartest and craftiest baserunners you’d find, stealing at an impressive efficiency despite never having better than below average running speed. He fared slightly better facing left-handed pitching, but was generally equally effective against both. Swierczewski made almost all of his 3000+ starts at first base and was a reliably solid defender.

He was most renowned throughout Europe as one of the game’s great ironmen. Swierczewski played across four separate decades and 24 seasons, playing 150+ games in all but his first two and final two campaigns. He was a true fan favorite and one of the game’s great people. Swierczewski had a stellar work ethic along with fierce loyalty, strong intelligence, and impressive adaptability.

When Swierczewski was growing up in Poland in the 1980s and early 1990s, the country was still part of the Eurasian Professional Baseball sphere. His pro career started in Latvia as he signed a developmental contract in July 1992 with Riga. Swierczewski debuted in EPB for the Roosters in 1996 at age 20, but he only played 16 games. He remained a reserve in 1997, then saw 68 games and 10 starts in 1998. Riga moved Swierczewski into the lineup full time from 1999 and he’d be a full-timer somewhere through 2018.

Swierczewski’s 1999 was his only full season in EPB, as Riga was among the teams that defected to the European Baseball Federation for 2000. He adjusted swimmingly and posted five straight seasons of 40+ homers and 5.9+ WAR for Riga. Swierczewski led the Northern Conference in WAR in both 2002 (10.1) and 2003 (8.7).

2002 was his best season by many metrics, taking third in MVP voting. Swierczewski saw his career bests in WAR (10.1), OPS (1.055), OBP (.412), slugging (.643), and wRC+ (194). It was hard to get awards attention though as Riga was a newer and smaller market, as well as a team that was mid-tier in their first EBF seasons. For the Roosters, Swierczewski had 1039 games, 1093 hits, 572 runs, 137 doubles, 246 home runs, 634 RBI, .301/.363/.555 slash, 162 wRC+, and 42.1 WAR.

Although Swierczewski’s last season with Riga was his weakest since his rookie year, he was still worth 5.9 WAR and had plenty of suitors. Riga couldn’t compete financially with some of the bigger markets and had to let Swierczewski leave for free agency in 2005 at age 29. He made the move to Austria, signing a seven-year, $48,600,000 deal with Vienna.

Swierczewski never played for one of the Polish pro teams, but he did regularly represent his country in the World Baseball Championship with solid results. From 2000-15, he played 143 games with 127 hits, 79 runs, 17 doubles, 53 home runs, 109 RBI, 66 walks, .250/.349/.602 slash, 172 wRC+, and 6.9 WAR. Poland’s deepest run would be an elite eight trip in 2013.

With the help of Hall of Fame 2026 classmate Ben Springer, Vienna was in contention in the 2000s. Swierczewski was worth 7+ WAR in each of his first five seasons for the Vultures, winning Silver Sluggers in 2005 and 2008. In 2005, Swierczewski was third in MVP voting with his career highs in hits (218), doubles (34), and batting average (.357).

Vienna was the Southern Conference champ in 2005, falling to Copenhagen in the European Championship. The Vultures won 104 and 105 the next two seasons, but lost in the second round both years. Vienna missed the 2008 playoffs, then had a round two exit in 2009 as a wild card. Swierczewski’s playoff numbers were surprisingly underwhelming over 31 starts with 34 hits, 18 runs, 6 doubles, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, .283/.333/.433 slash, 113 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR.

Swierczewski was still good in his last year with Vienna, but had the low WAR of his run at 5.4 as the Vultures just missed the playoffs. For Vienna, Swierczewski played 950 games with 1141 hits, 640 runs, 172 doubles, 229 home runs, 683 RBI, .323/.389/.576 slash, 164 wRC+, and 43.2 WAR. Like with his other stops, Swierczewski remained very popular for years to come with Vultures fans. However, they voided the team option final year of his deal, making Swierczewski a free agent for 2011 at age 35.

The next stop was Greece on a three-year, $30,600,000 deal with Thessaloniki. Swierczewski was steady over the run with the Tritons, who were just looking to hang around the top tier. He played 478 games with 495 hits, 274 runs, 76 doubles, 96 homers, 287 RBI, .293/.363/.518 slash, 140 wRC+, and 15.9 WAR. Next up was a trip to Spain on a three-year, $36,900,000 deal with Madrid for 2014.

Swierczewski’s production dipped a bit in his first two years, although he was still a decent starter. He had a surprise resurgence in 2016 at age 40 with 6.4 WAR and a career-best 129 RBI. Swierczewski also hit 43 home runs, a mark he hadn’t met since the Vienna run. The Conquistadors were pleased and gave him a two-year, $12 million extension. Madrid made the playoffs each year from 2016-19, but never got beyond the second round. Swierczewski had .766 OPS, 119 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR over 16 playoff games.

He didn’t match the 2016 peak, but was still a quality starter for two more seasons. Madrid kept him around as a backup for 2019 and 2020, finishing with 947 games, 786 hits, 472 runs, 107 doubles, 154 home runs, 489 RBI, .261/.337/.465 slash, 124 wRC+, and 19.0 WAR. With the Conquistadors, Swierczewski reached the 3000 hit, 2000 RBI, 700 home run, and 3000 game milestones. He retired after the 2020 season at age 45, joining a very select few in baseball history to make it that long.

Swierczewski’s final tallies in EBF saw 3180 games, 3367 hits, 1899 runs, 459 doubles, 69 triples, 702 home runs, 2025 RBI, 1194 walks, 2234 strikeouts, 355 steals, .300/.368/.541 slash, 151 wRC+, and 116.6 WAR. As of 2037, Swierczewski ranks 2^nd in games played, 7^th in runs, 8^th in hits, 10^th in total bases (6070), 7^th in singles (2137), 23^rd in doubles, 9^th in home runs, 6^th in RBI, 8^th in walks, and 18^th in WAR among position players.

Despite rarely being in MVP conversations, Swierczewski’s remarkable consistency and ironman durability gave him remarkable tallies. Despite being ranks top 10 in many stats, many top 10 lists of EBF’s best-ever position players do leave Swierczewski off between the lack of accolades or big playoff success. No one doubted that he was an inner circle Hall of Famer though and a stellar guy, getting 96.1% to join the impressive four-player 2026 class.

When you add in his early EPB stats, Swierczewski’s final pro baseball stats had 3414 games, 3515 hits, 1958 runs, 492 doubles, 725 home runs, 2093 RBI, 1238 walks, 368 steals, .296/.364/.533 slash, 150 wRC+, and 120.2 WAR. On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Swierczewski ranks 15^th in games played, 47^th in runs, and 44^th in RBI while just missing the top 50 in hits.

He’s one of the all-time ironmen and in the conversation when discussing the best-ever to come out of Poland. Swierczewski has the most career WAR of any Polish position player and is #2 among all players just behind four-time Pitcher of the Year winner Igor Kuchkowski.

Gustav Rosengren – Starting Pitcher – Brussels Beavers – 94.3% First Ballot

Gustav Rosengren was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Umea, a city with around 130,000 inhabitants in northeastern Sweden. Rosengren had great stuff and movement along with solid control. He had an excellent 99-101 mph fastball along with a dangerous forkball, very good changeup, and iffy curveball.

Rosengren’s stamina was above average relative to other EBF aces, but his ironman durability meant you’d get plenty of reliable innings. His pickoff move was great and he was one of the better defensive pitchers. Rosengren was a leader of men, a team captain with an impressive work ethic. He emerged as one of the most universally respected and popular pitchers among peers and fans alike of his era.

A scout from Brussels managed to learn of Rosengren’s potential and signed him in December 2001 a developmental deal. His entire pro career came in Belgium, but Rosengren did still return home to represent Sweden in the World Baseball Championship regularly. From 2007-20, he pitched 197.1 innings with a 2.28 ERA, 14-6 record, 261 strikeouts, and 5.6 WAR. The Swedes earned division titles in 2007, 2008, and 2018 with Rosengren.

Rosengren officially debuted in 2005 at age 21 with one successful relief appearance. He made four starts with 25 relief appearances in 2006 with promising results, earning a rotation stat from 2007 onward. 2007 would be the first of nine straight seasons worth 6+ WAR and with 200+ strikeouts. Rosengren’s first full season starting landed him third in Pitcher of the Year voting.

He would win the top award in 2008 with a conference leading 8.7 WAR and 24 complete games. Rosengren also had his career best ERA of 2.41 and added 280 strikeouts. Brussels returned to relevance and ended a 13-year playoff drought, although they were ousted in the first round. They were a win short of a wild card in 2009, but knew they were on the right track.

The Beavers went 112-50 in 2010, but were upset by Dublin in the Northern Conference Championship. Brussels won two more division titles in 2011 and 2012, but lost in the second round both years. Rosengren’s results were mixed looking good in 2010, poor in 2011, and great in 2012. The Beavers remained above .500 for the next four years but were just outside of the playoffs.

Rosengren thrived though, leading in WAR in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014. He won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2011 and finished third in 2010. Rosengren’s career high WAR (9.9) and strikeouts (284) came in 2014, although a higher ERA kept him out of awards talks. He remained loyal to Brussels throughout, signing a six-year, $63,100,000 extension in October 2011 shortly before his 28^th birthday. With Rosengren’s production staying strong through that, he inked another five-year, $64,700,000 extension in December 2016.

Brussels broke through with a 105-57 record in 2017, going all the way to a European Championship win over Thessaloniki. Rosengren posted 2.96 ERA over 24.1 playoff innings with 30 strikeouts. He then had a 2.77 ERA in 26 innings with 23 strikeouts in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Beavers finished at 11-8 with four other teams, only one short of three teams at 12-7. Officially after tiebreakers, Brussels finished fifth. For his playoff career, Rosengren had a 3.28 ERA over 79.2 innings, 90 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR.

The success was a one-off for Brussels, who stayed above .500 but missed the playoffs from 2018-20. Rosengren was less dominant than his 20s, but still was a reliably solid starter through this. From a talent standpoint, he likely could’ve pitched a few more years, but Rosengren decided to retire after the 2020 season just after his 37^th birthday. He was one of the few greats to retire on his own accord and not because he couldn’t hack it anymore or due to injury. The Beavers immediately retired Rosengren’s #55 uniform.

Rosengren finished with a 223-128 record, 2.95 ERA, 3380 innings, 3408 strikeouts, 599 walks, 290/411 quality starts, 120 complete games, 36 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 99.5 WAR. As of 2037, Rosengren ranks 26^th in wins, 37^th in innings, 37^th in strikeouts, 43^rd in complete games, 13^th in shutouts, and 12^th in WAR among pitchers.

Because he didn’t stick around to pad his stats, Rosengren sometimes is overlooked based on his spots on the leaderboards. Based on advanced stats, he’s a dark horse candidate when discussing EBF’s top ten pitchers. In his time, Rosengren was recognized though as a stellar man and a top flight pitcher. He received 94.3% and would headline a Hall of Fame class in many years. Rosengren capped off an incredible four-player group for the European Baseball Federation in 2026.

02-19-2025, 12:01 PM	#2085
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,822	2026 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 2) Blazej “Rags” Swierczewski – First Base – Riga Roosters – 96.1% First Ballot Blazej Swierczewski was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Lodz, Poland’s fourth largest city with around 655,000 people. Nicknamed “Rags,” Swierczewski was a well-rounded bat with good-to-great contact and power skills. He was quite solid especially in his later years at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was subpar. Swierczewski’s power wasn’t prolific, but it was incredibly steady and reliable with 35 home runs and 23 doubles per his 162 game average. Swierczewski was one of the smartest and craftiest baserunners you’d find, stealing at an impressive efficiency despite never having better than below average running speed. He fared slightly better facing left-handed pitching, but was generally equally effective against both. Swierczewski made almost all of his 3000+ starts at first base and was a reliably solid defender. He was most renowned throughout Europe as one of the game’s great ironmen. Swierczewski played across four separate decades and 24 seasons, playing 150+ games in all but his first two and final two campaigns. He was a true fan favorite and one of the game’s great people. Swierczewski had a stellar work ethic along with fierce loyalty, strong intelligence, and impressive adaptability. When Swierczewski was growing up in Poland in the 1980s and early 1990s, the country was still part of the Eurasian Professional Baseball sphere. His pro career started in Latvia as he signed a developmental contract in July 1992 with Riga. Swierczewski debuted in EPB for the Roosters in 1996 at age 20, but he only played 16 games. He remained a reserve in 1997, then saw 68 games and 10 starts in 1998. Riga moved Swierczewski into the lineup full time from 1999 and he’d be a full-timer somewhere through 2018. Swierczewski’s 1999 was his only full season in EPB, as Riga was among the teams that defected to the European Baseball Federation for 2000. He adjusted swimmingly and posted five straight seasons of 40+ homers and 5.9+ WAR for Riga. Swierczewski led the Northern Conference in WAR in both 2002 (10.1) and 2003 (8.7). 2002 was his best season by many metrics, taking third in MVP voting. Swierczewski saw his career bests in WAR (10.1), OPS (1.055), OBP (.412), slugging (.643), and wRC+ (194). It was hard to get awards attention though as Riga was a newer and smaller market, as well as a team that was mid-tier in their first EBF seasons. For the Roosters, Swierczewski had 1039 games, 1093 hits, 572 runs, 137 doubles, 246 home runs, 634 RBI, .301/.363/.555 slash, 162 wRC+, and 42.1 WAR. Although Swierczewski’s last season with Riga was his weakest since his rookie year, he was still worth 5.9 WAR and had plenty of suitors. Riga couldn’t compete financially with some of the bigger markets and had to let Swierczewski leave for free agency in 2005 at age 29. He made the move to Austria, signing a seven-year, $48,600,000 deal with Vienna. Swierczewski never played for one of the Polish pro teams, but he did regularly represent his country in the World Baseball Championship with solid results. From 2000-15, he played 143 games with 127 hits, 79 runs, 17 doubles, 53 home runs, 109 RBI, 66 walks, .250/.349/.602 slash, 172 wRC+, and 6.9 WAR. Poland’s deepest run would be an elite eight trip in 2013. With the help of Hall of Fame 2026 classmate Ben Springer, Vienna was in contention in the 2000s. Swierczewski was worth 7+ WAR in each of his first five seasons for the Vultures, winning Silver Sluggers in 2005 and 2008. In 2005, Swierczewski was third in MVP voting with his career highs in hits (218), doubles (34), and batting average (.357). Vienna was the Southern Conference champ in 2005, falling to Copenhagen in the European Championship. The Vultures won 104 and 105 the next two seasons, but lost in the second round both years. Vienna missed the 2008 playoffs, then had a round two exit in 2009 as a wild card. Swierczewski’s playoff numbers were surprisingly underwhelming over 31 starts with 34 hits, 18 runs, 6 doubles, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, .283/.333/.433 slash, 113 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR. Swierczewski was still good in his last year with Vienna, but had the low WAR of his run at 5.4 as the Vultures just missed the playoffs. For Vienna, Swierczewski played 950 games with 1141 hits, 640 runs, 172 doubles, 229 home runs, 683 RBI, .323/.389/.576 slash, 164 wRC+, and 43.2 WAR. Like with his other stops, Swierczewski remained very popular for years to come with Vultures fans. However, they voided the team option final year of his deal, making Swierczewski a free agent for 2011 at age 35. The next stop was Greece on a three-year, $30,600,000 deal with Thessaloniki. Swierczewski was steady over the run with the Tritons, who were just looking to hang around the top tier. He played 478 games with 495 hits, 274 runs, 76 doubles, 96 homers, 287 RBI, .293/.363/.518 slash, 140 wRC+, and 15.9 WAR. Next up was a trip to Spain on a three-year, $36,900,000 deal with Madrid for 2014. Swierczewski’s production dipped a bit in his first two years, although he was still a decent starter. He had a surprise resurgence in 2016 at age 40 with 6.4 WAR and a career-best 129 RBI. Swierczewski also hit 43 home runs, a mark he hadn’t met since the Vienna run. The Conquistadors were pleased and gave him a two-year, $12 million extension. Madrid made the playoffs each year from 2016-19, but never got beyond the second round. Swierczewski had .766 OPS, 119 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR over 16 playoff games. He didn’t match the 2016 peak, but was still a quality starter for two more seasons. Madrid kept him around as a backup for 2019 and 2020, finishing with 947 games, 786 hits, 472 runs, 107 doubles, 154 home runs, 489 RBI, .261/.337/.465 slash, 124 wRC+, and 19.0 WAR. With the Conquistadors, Swierczewski reached the 3000 hit, 2000 RBI, 700 home run, and 3000 game milestones. He retired after the 2020 season at age 45, joining a very select few in baseball history to make it that long. Swierczewski’s final tallies in EBF saw 3180 games, 3367 hits, 1899 runs, 459 doubles, 69 triples, 702 home runs, 2025 RBI, 1194 walks, 2234 strikeouts, 355 steals, .300/.368/.541 slash, 151 wRC+, and 116.6 WAR. As of 2037, Swierczewski ranks 2^nd in games played, 7^th in runs, 8^th in hits, 10^th in total bases (6070), 7^th in singles (2137), 23^rd in doubles, 9^th in home runs, 6^th in RBI, 8^th in walks, and 18^th in WAR among position players. Despite rarely being in MVP conversations, Swierczewski’s remarkable consistency and ironman durability gave him remarkable tallies. Despite being ranks top 10 in many stats, many top 10 lists of EBF’s best-ever position players do leave Swierczewski off between the lack of accolades or big playoff success. No one doubted that he was an inner circle Hall of Famer though and a stellar guy, getting 96.1% to join the impressive four-player 2026 class. When you add in his early EPB stats, Swierczewski’s final pro baseball stats had 3414 games, 3515 hits, 1958 runs, 492 doubles, 725 home runs, 2093 RBI, 1238 walks, 368 steals, .296/.364/.533 slash, 150 wRC+, and 120.2 WAR. On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Swierczewski ranks 15^th in games played, 47^th in runs, and 44^th in RBI while just missing the top 50 in hits. He’s one of the all-time ironmen and in the conversation when discussing the best-ever to come out of Poland. Swierczewski has the most career WAR of any Polish position player and is #2 among all players just behind four-time Pitcher of the Year winner Igor Kuchkowski. Gustav Rosengren – Starting Pitcher – Brussels Beavers – 94.3% First Ballot Gustav Rosengren was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Umea, a city with around 130,000 inhabitants in northeastern Sweden. Rosengren had great stuff and movement along with solid control. He had an excellent 99-101 mph fastball along with a dangerous forkball, very good changeup, and iffy curveball. Rosengren’s stamina was above average relative to other EBF aces, but his ironman durability meant you’d get plenty of reliable innings. His pickoff move was great and he was one of the better defensive pitchers. Rosengren was a leader of men, a team captain with an impressive work ethic. He emerged as one of the most universally respected and popular pitchers among peers and fans alike of his era. A scout from Brussels managed to learn of Rosengren’s potential and signed him in December 2001 a developmental deal. His entire pro career came in Belgium, but Rosengren did still return home to represent Sweden in the World Baseball Championship regularly. From 2007-20, he pitched 197.1 innings with a 2.28 ERA, 14-6 record, 261 strikeouts, and 5.6 WAR. The Swedes earned division titles in 2007, 2008, and 2018 with Rosengren. Rosengren officially debuted in 2005 at age 21 with one successful relief appearance. He made four starts with 25 relief appearances in 2006 with promising results, earning a rotation stat from 2007 onward. 2007 would be the first of nine straight seasons worth 6+ WAR and with 200+ strikeouts. Rosengren’s first full season starting landed him third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He would win the top award in 2008 with a conference leading 8.7 WAR and 24 complete games. Rosengren also had his career best ERA of 2.41 and added 280 strikeouts. Brussels returned to relevance and ended a 13-year playoff drought, although they were ousted in the first round. They were a win short of a wild card in 2009, but knew they were on the right track. The Beavers went 112-50 in 2010, but were upset by Dublin in the Northern Conference Championship. Brussels won two more division titles in 2011 and 2012, but lost in the second round both years. Rosengren’s results were mixed looking good in 2010, poor in 2011, and great in 2012. The Beavers remained above .500 for the next four years but were just outside of the playoffs. Rosengren thrived though, leading in WAR in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014. He won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2011 and finished third in 2010. Rosengren’s career high WAR (9.9) and strikeouts (284) came in 2014, although a higher ERA kept him out of awards talks. He remained loyal to Brussels throughout, signing a six-year, $63,100,000 extension in October 2011 shortly before his 28^th birthday. With Rosengren’s production staying strong through that, he inked another five-year, $64,700,000 extension in December 2016. Brussels broke through with a 105-57 record in 2017, going all the way to a European Championship win over Thessaloniki. Rosengren posted 2.96 ERA over 24.1 playoff innings with 30 strikeouts. He then had a 2.77 ERA in 26 innings with 23 strikeouts in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Beavers finished at 11-8 with four other teams, only one short of three teams at 12-7. Officially after tiebreakers, Brussels finished fifth. For his playoff career, Rosengren had a 3.28 ERA over 79.2 innings, 90 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR. The success was a one-off for Brussels, who stayed above .500 but missed the playoffs from 2018-20. Rosengren was less dominant than his 20s, but still was a reliably solid starter through this. From a talent standpoint, he likely could’ve pitched a few more years, but Rosengren decided to retire after the 2020 season just after his 37^th birthday. He was one of the few greats to retire on his own accord and not because he couldn’t hack it anymore or due to injury. The Beavers immediately retired Rosengren’s #55 uniform. Rosengren finished with a 223-128 record, 2.95 ERA, 3380 innings, 3408 strikeouts, 599 walks, 290/411 quality starts, 120 complete games, 36 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 99.5 WAR. As of 2037, Rosengren ranks 26^th in wins, 37^th in innings, 37^th in strikeouts, 43^rd in complete games, 13^th in shutouts, and 12^th in WAR among pitchers. Because he didn’t stick around to pad his stats, Rosengren sometimes is overlooked based on his spots on the leaderboards. Based on advanced stats, he’s a dark horse candidate when discussing EBF’s top ten pitchers. In his time, Rosengren was recognized though as a stellar man and a top flight pitcher. He received 94.3% and would headline a Hall of Fame class in many years. Rosengren capped off an incredible four-player group for the European Baseball Federation in 2026. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)