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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-19-2025, 05:38 PM

SP Nijat Statsky was the lone selection for the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2026. On his seventh ballot, Statsky saw a significant bump up to 77.0%. SP Roman Khilkevich barely missed joining him with a 64.3% debut, just shy of the 66% requirement. Three others were above 50% with CL Povilas Zdancius at 61.0% for his second try, 1B Benjamin Bodnar with 59.0% in his seventh go, and SP Artur Woloshyn at 52.3% on his third ballot.

LF/1B Vadim Papendik notably fell off the ballot as he dropped below 5% on his ninth try. Hurting his candidacy was nine of his 20 years coming in CABA. For his combined pro career, Papendik played 3015 games with five Silver Sluggers, 3394 hits, 1594 runs, 575 doubles, 594 home runs, 1761 RBI, 968 walks, .301/.356/.520 slash, 157 wRC+, and 103.3 WAR.

That combined line gets him into any HOF, but the stats were split about 60/40 between EPB and CABA. The resulting 308 homers, 1896 hits, and 59.9 WAR in EPB weren’t enough to get Papendik much ballot traction. Still, he was a Russian slugger worthy of a brief acknowledgement.

Nijat Statsky – Starting Pitcher – Samara Steelers – 77.0% Seventh Ballot

Nijat Statsky was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Hazorasp, Uzbekistan; a town of 18,000 near the former Aral Sea. Statsky succeeded with overpowering stuff along with solid control and above average movement. His fastball was a good one and peaked in the 99-101 mph range, but his sinker, splitter, and screwball were potent as well.

Statsky’s stamina was average relative to other EPB aces. His biggest flaw perhaps was a terrible pickoff move and inability to hold runners once they got on base. Statsky’s defense otherwise was fine. His durability was solid prior to suffering two major injuries in his mid 30s. Teammates tried to tolerate Statsky because of his talents, but he was an unlikeable jerk. He was outspoken and selfish with a work ethic that would lapse if he didn’t see a specific benefit to himself.

The talent was undeniable though as Statsky came up through the amateur ranks. Most Central Asian prospects adjusted their prospect plans towards the Asian Baseball Federation after the 2000 exodus of teams, but Statsky stayed declared for EPB’s 2000 draft. He knew he was due a prominent spot and was taken #1 overall by Samara, an expansion team in its second season. Statsky negotiated a six-year, $10,800,000 deal beyond the standard rookie compenstation.

Statsky was used as a closer in his rookie season with 27 saves and 3.9 WAR in 96 innings. He was moved to the rotation after that and did his best for some terrible early Steelers teams. Samara averaged 69.4 wins per season during Statsky’s tenure and he led the European League thrice in losses. Advanced stats showed his lack of help behind him with a below average 96 ERA+ pared with a rock solid 84 FIP-.

Although his whole pro career was in Russia, Statsky did represent his native Uzbekistan in the World Baseball Championship from 2001-13. He tossed 149.2 innings with a 9-12 record, 4.15 ERA, 173 strikeouts, 38 walks, 87 ERA+, and 1.6 WAR. The Uzbeks would earn an elite eight trip in the 2010 event.

Statsky wasn’t shy about his intentions to leave Samara once eligible for free agency after the 2009 campaign. The Steelers traded him prior to that year to Moscow for two prospects and a second round draft pick. With Samara, Statsky posted a 99-130 record, 2.89 ERA, 1991.1 innings, 2167 strikeouts, 460 walks, and 40.8 WAR. He would be the first Hall of Famer in the black and gold and the Steelers later honored him by retiring his #24 uniform.

Moscow wanted the now 31-year old in their long-term plans and prior to his debut gave Statsky a six-year, $35,800,000 extension. The Mules had been a top contender in the decade with EL pennants in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and an EPB title in 2006. Moscow had won their pennants as the wild card and lost the ELCS in 2008 as the first place team.

In 2009, the Mules at 92-70 were a distant second to 106-56 win Minsk, but upset the Miners in the ELCS. Moscow carried the momentum into an EPB Championship win over Krasnoyarsk. Statsky was impactful in the playoffs with a 1.99 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 22.2 innings. However, he was awful in his 2010 and 2011 playoff starts, finishing with a career 5.30 ERA over 54.1 playoff innings. Moscow lost to Omsk in the 2010 EPB Championship and fell to Minsk in the 2011 ELCS.

Statsky led the league in strikeouts (293) and WHIP (0.81) in 2010 to take third in Pitcher of the Year voting. 2010 also featured his lone no-hitter, a 12 strikeout, one walk effort against Voronezh on May 4. He then won the top honor with his finest effort in 2011 with career highs in ERA (2.03), strikeouts (299), WAR (8.1), and wins (17-7).

Moscow’s playoff streak ended at seven seasons with an 85-77 finish in 2012. Statsky’s production dipped to 4.0 WAR, his worst full season with the Mules. Catastrophe occurred in May 2013 with a partially torn UCL putting Statsky on the shelf 10 months. He rehabbed back and started six games in 2014, but he ended up with a torn flexor tendon in May 2014.

The Mules voided the team option year remaining in Statsky’s contract figuring he was cooked. He wanted to play somewhere in 2015, but scouts were unimpressed by what he could do post injury. After going unsigned, Statsky retired at age 37. For the Moscow run, Statsky had a 68-47 record, 2.60 ERA, 1079.2 innings, 1226 strikeouts, 181 walks, 125 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 26.3 WAR.

Statsky finished with a 167-177 record, 2.79 ERA, 3071 innings, 3393 strikeouts, 641 walks, 245/362 quality starts, 163 complete games, 19 shutouts, 105 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 67.1 WAR. As of 2037, Statsky ranks 93^rd in pitching WAR, 70^th in strikeouts, and 68^th in complete games.

His case was definitely a borderline one, but some of his marks were comparable to some of the lower-end inductees selected by the pitcher-friendly EPB voters. Some traditionalists dismissed him out of hand for having a losing record. Supporters pointed out how much his traditional metrics were dented by playing on some terrible Samara teams.

Having won a Pitcher of the Year and his role in Moscow’s 2009 title run went a long way. But even by more sabermetric measures, his resume was far from a lock. The fact Statsky was also generally obnoxious didn’t endear himself to many in the game. He was the type of guy that was generally championed by those who started fights in bars with people over bad hot takes.

Statsky debuted at 48.1% in 2020 and stayed between 40-60% for his first couple ballots. He got a sizeable boost to 64.5% in 2024, just missing the 66% requirement. Statsky won over a few more to get to 65.3% in 2025, the highest percentage in a year without inductees. 2026 wasn’t much better for debuts and many voters were loathe to have back-to-back blank ballots. Statsky saw a strong boost up to 77.0% for a seventh ballot addition as the lone 2026 Hall of Famer in Eurasian Professional Baseball.

02-19-2025, 05:38 PM	#2086
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,793	2026 EPB Hall of Fame SP Nijat Statsky was the lone selection for the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2026. On his seventh ballot, Statsky saw a significant bump up to 77.0%. SP Roman Khilkevich barely missed joining him with a 64.3% debut, just shy of the 66% requirement. Three others were above 50% with CL Povilas Zdancius at 61.0% for his second try, 1B Benjamin Bodnar with 59.0% in his seventh go, and SP Artur Woloshyn at 52.3% on his third ballot. LF/1B Vadim Papendik notably fell off the ballot as he dropped below 5% on his ninth try. Hurting his candidacy was nine of his 20 years coming in CABA. For his combined pro career, Papendik played 3015 games with five Silver Sluggers, 3394 hits, 1594 runs, 575 doubles, 594 home runs, 1761 RBI, 968 walks, .301/.356/.520 slash, 157 wRC+, and 103.3 WAR. That combined line gets him into any HOF, but the stats were split about 60/40 between EPB and CABA. The resulting 308 homers, 1896 hits, and 59.9 WAR in EPB weren’t enough to get Papendik much ballot traction. Still, he was a Russian slugger worthy of a brief acknowledgement. Nijat Statsky – Starting Pitcher – Samara Steelers – 77.0% Seventh Ballot Nijat Statsky was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Hazorasp, Uzbekistan; a town of 18,000 near the former Aral Sea. Statsky succeeded with overpowering stuff along with solid control and above average movement. His fastball was a good one and peaked in the 99-101 mph range, but his sinker, splitter, and screwball were potent as well. Statsky’s stamina was average relative to other EPB aces. His biggest flaw perhaps was a terrible pickoff move and inability to hold runners once they got on base. Statsky’s defense otherwise was fine. His durability was solid prior to suffering two major injuries in his mid 30s. Teammates tried to tolerate Statsky because of his talents, but he was an unlikeable jerk. He was outspoken and selfish with a work ethic that would lapse if he didn’t see a specific benefit to himself. The talent was undeniable though as Statsky came up through the amateur ranks. Most Central Asian prospects adjusted their prospect plans towards the Asian Baseball Federation after the 2000 exodus of teams, but Statsky stayed declared for EPB’s 2000 draft. He knew he was due a prominent spot and was taken #1 overall by Samara, an expansion team in its second season. Statsky negotiated a six-year, $10,800,000 deal beyond the standard rookie compenstation. Statsky was used as a closer in his rookie season with 27 saves and 3.9 WAR in 96 innings. He was moved to the rotation after that and did his best for some terrible early Steelers teams. Samara averaged 69.4 wins per season during Statsky’s tenure and he led the European League thrice in losses. Advanced stats showed his lack of help behind him with a below average 96 ERA+ pared with a rock solid 84 FIP-. Although his whole pro career was in Russia, Statsky did represent his native Uzbekistan in the World Baseball Championship from 2001-13. He tossed 149.2 innings with a 9-12 record, 4.15 ERA, 173 strikeouts, 38 walks, 87 ERA+, and 1.6 WAR. The Uzbeks would earn an elite eight trip in the 2010 event. Statsky wasn’t shy about his intentions to leave Samara once eligible for free agency after the 2009 campaign. The Steelers traded him prior to that year to Moscow for two prospects and a second round draft pick. With Samara, Statsky posted a 99-130 record, 2.89 ERA, 1991.1 innings, 2167 strikeouts, 460 walks, and 40.8 WAR. He would be the first Hall of Famer in the black and gold and the Steelers later honored him by retiring his #24 uniform. Moscow wanted the now 31-year old in their long-term plans and prior to his debut gave Statsky a six-year, $35,800,000 extension. The Mules had been a top contender in the decade with EL pennants in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and an EPB title in 2006. Moscow had won their pennants as the wild card and lost the ELCS in 2008 as the first place team. In 2009, the Mules at 92-70 were a distant second to 106-56 win Minsk, but upset the Miners in the ELCS. Moscow carried the momentum into an EPB Championship win over Krasnoyarsk. Statsky was impactful in the playoffs with a 1.99 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 22.2 innings. However, he was awful in his 2010 and 2011 playoff starts, finishing with a career 5.30 ERA over 54.1 playoff innings. Moscow lost to Omsk in the 2010 EPB Championship and fell to Minsk in the 2011 ELCS. Statsky led the league in strikeouts (293) and WHIP (0.81) in 2010 to take third in Pitcher of the Year voting. 2010 also featured his lone no-hitter, a 12 strikeout, one walk effort against Voronezh on May 4. He then won the top honor with his finest effort in 2011 with career highs in ERA (2.03), strikeouts (299), WAR (8.1), and wins (17-7). Moscow’s playoff streak ended at seven seasons with an 85-77 finish in 2012. Statsky’s production dipped to 4.0 WAR, his worst full season with the Mules. Catastrophe occurred in May 2013 with a partially torn UCL putting Statsky on the shelf 10 months. He rehabbed back and started six games in 2014, but he ended up with a torn flexor tendon in May 2014. The Mules voided the team option year remaining in Statsky’s contract figuring he was cooked. He wanted to play somewhere in 2015, but scouts were unimpressed by what he could do post injury. After going unsigned, Statsky retired at age 37. For the Moscow run, Statsky had a 68-47 record, 2.60 ERA, 1079.2 innings, 1226 strikeouts, 181 walks, 125 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 26.3 WAR. Statsky finished with a 167-177 record, 2.79 ERA, 3071 innings, 3393 strikeouts, 641 walks, 245/362 quality starts, 163 complete games, 19 shutouts, 105 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 67.1 WAR. As of 2037, Statsky ranks 93^rd in pitching WAR, 70^th in strikeouts, and 68^th in complete games. His case was definitely a borderline one, but some of his marks were comparable to some of the lower-end inductees selected by the pitcher-friendly EPB voters. Some traditionalists dismissed him out of hand for having a losing record. Supporters pointed out how much his traditional metrics were dented by playing on some terrible Samara teams. Having won a Pitcher of the Year and his role in Moscow’s 2009 title run went a long way. But even by more sabermetric measures, his resume was far from a lock. The fact Statsky was also generally obnoxious didn’t endear himself to many in the game. He was the type of guy that was generally championed by those who started fights in bars with people over bad hot takes. Statsky debuted at 48.1% in 2020 and stayed between 40-60% for his first couple ballots. He got a sizeable boost to 64.5% in 2024, just missing the 66% requirement. Statsky won over a few more to get to 65.3% in 2025, the highest percentage in a year without inductees. 2026 wasn’t much better for debuts and many voters were loathe to have back-to-back blank ballots. Statsky saw a strong boost up to 77.0% for a seventh ballot addition as the lone 2026 Hall of Famer in Eurasian Professional Baseball. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)