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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-21-2025, 06:07 AM

Wei Huang – Starting Pitcher – Shenzhen Spartans – 80.1% First Ballot

Wei Huang was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Chongqing, China’s largest municipality by urban population with nearly 23 million people. Huang had great stuff, very good control, and good movement. His 98-100 mph fastball was impressive and was his most dangerous offering, although his knuckle curve was quite good as well. Huang also had a decent regular curveball and a rarely used changeup in the arsenal.

Huang’s stamina was average relative to other CLB aces. Injuries were a recurring issue that greatly limited his career. Huang was excellent at holding runners and was a strong defensive pitcher. He had a steady and reliable work ethic which allowed him to get the most out of his abilities and opportunities.

Unlike most eventual Hall of Famers, Huang wasn’t at the top of the draft lists. He wasn’t picked in the 2009 CLB Draft until the fourth round’s 13^th selection, the 108^th overall pick. Huang stands as the latest pick to later earn induction in CLB, besting Class of 2005 Pengju Xue who went 69^th. Shenzhen selected Huang and kept him in their developmental system for 2010.

He was moved up to the rotation in 2011 and immediately produced with a 6.1 WAR season over 186 innings, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. Shenzhen finished first in the Southern League standings, but were ousted in the round robin with Huang allowing one run in his one inning of playoff relief. This started a seven-year playoff streak for the Spartans with four first place finishes.

However, Shenzhen never got over the hump in the playoffs. Their deepest runs were semifinal defeats in 2012 and 2015. Huang held up his end with a 1.80 ERA over 85 postseason innings with 119 strikeouts, 13 walks, 136 ERA+, and 2.9 WAR. A lack of run support though gave him a 2-6 record. He also pitched in three editions of the World Baseball Championship for China with a 2.28 ERA over 23.2 innings and 34 strikeouts. Huang earned a world championship ring with the 2016 Chinese squad, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings of relief with 12 strikeouts.

In his second season, Huang led in strikeouts (345) and WAR (9.1), finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He would lose the front end of 2013 to a partially torn labrum, but did notably toss a 16 strikeout, two walk no-hitter on September 18 against Qingdao. In 2014, Huang lost the first few months to a torn triceps. He was still effective enough to prompt Shenzhen to sign him on a six-year, $37,540,000 extension in the winter.

Huang was full strength in 2015 and won his first Pitcher of the Year with a league-best 1.32 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, and 35 FIP- along with 9.0 WAR and 297 strikeouts. Huang won POTY again in 2017 with his career bests in strikeouts (355), WAR (9.8), and wins (22-6). Injuries popped back up in 2018 with forearm inflammation costing him part of the spring. Shenzhen’s playoff streak ended this year and they spent the next few seasons below .500.

In 2020, Huang suffered a rotator cuff tear in late August that put his career in doubt. The timing was also awful as this coincided with the end of his Shenzhen deal, entering free agency at age 32. The recovery time was an estimated 13-14 months, putting him out for all of 2021. Huang was determined to come back, but teams were skeptical he could recover from such a major injury. He wasn’t signed until June 2022 when Jaipur of South Asia Baseball gave him a one-year, $1,920,000 deal.

Huang only made four starts for the Jokers with mixed results as a ruptured finger tendon ended his season in the fall. He stayed in SAB and signed with Vientiane in 2023, but his control was significantly diminished by the rotator cuff tear. The Vampires only used him for three innings of relief, although they were scoreless. With seemingly no one wanting to give Huang a shot, he retired that winter at age 35.

With Shenzhen, Huang had a 135-60 record, 1.80 ERA, 1967.2 innings, 2525 strikeouts, 303 walks, 202/241 quality starts, 68 complete games, 27 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 67.5 WAR. Even with the incredibly short career, Huang ranks 26^th in pitching WAR as of 2037. He also sits 69^th in wins and 53^rd in strikeout, which are solid rankings considering he falls outside the top 100 for innings.

Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Huang’s ERA ranks 22^nd. His 0.81 WHIP is 24^th and .509 opponent’s OPS is 31^st. Huang’s triple slash of .187/.225/.284 ranks 48^th/30^th/40^th. He also ranks 46^th in H/9 (5.90) and 22^nd in K/9 (11.55). Huang’s career 55 FIP- also ranks 18^th among all Hall of Fame starters as of 2037. Certainly his rate stats show that for his brief peak, Huang was quite dominant.

There were some voters leery of the low accumulations, but most were sympathetic to the injury issues. Many felt his resume was comparable to Hall of Fame classmate Yuandong Wang, who had almost universal agreement as a lock. Both had similar successes over short time frames, although Wang’s brief stint was because he left and not due to injury. Huang was below Wang with 80.1% of the vote, but it was still plenty for a first ballot slot in the 2026 class for Chinese League Baseball.

Liangyi “Boot” Shi – Nanning Nuts – Starting Pitcher - 79.4% First Ballot

Liangyi Shi was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Nanding, China; a city of around 85,000 people. Nicknamed “Boot,” Shi had solid stuff and control along with above average-to-good movement. His fastball regularly hit 97-99 mph and was part of a three-pitch arsenal along with a slider and changeup.

Shi’s stamina was considered quite good for most of his career and he avoided the major arm injuries that have ruined many other careers. He was better than most at holding runners, although his overall defense was below average. Shi was very intelligent and knew how to perfectly pick his spots with his three pitches, becoming one of China’s best strikeout pitchers in his prime.

In the 2009 CLB Draft, Shi was picked fourth overall by Nanning. The Nuts had just played their first season as one of the six expansion teams introduced earlier that year. Shi was used as a full-time reliever in his first two seasons with mixed results. Nanning made him a full-time starter in his third season, a role he maintained for the rest of his Nuts tenure.

Shi emerged as a great ace with 6+ WAR seasons from 2013-18. He led the Southern League in strikeouts in 2013, 2015, and 2016. Shi was second in 2015’s Pitcher of the Year voting and signed a five-year, $44,800,000 extension that winter with Nanning. 2015 had his career high WAR (9.8) and strikeouts (346) and gave the Nuts their first playoff berth in only their seventh season.

Nanning surprised many by going all the way to the China Series in 2015, falling to Xi’an in the final. Shi was outstanding in the playoffs with a 0.50 ERA and 3-0 record in 35.2 innings with 42 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 1.8 WAR. The Nuts got back to the playoffs in 2016 but fell in the round robin. Shi gave up four runs (three earned) in 8.2 playoff innings in 2016. They would hover around the middle of the standings for the rest of Shi’s run.

Shi’s lone Pitcher of the Year win came in 2016 as he posted only the fifth pitching Triple Crown in CLB history to that point. He had a 21-9 record, 1.76 ERA, and 335 strikeouts with 7 shutouts and 9.7 WAR. Shi had another 9+ WAR season in 2018 with a career and league best 0.78 WHIP that year. 2018 also had his lone no-hitter in a six strikeout performance versus Macau on June 23. In 2020, Shi finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting.

His deal expired with Nanning after the 2020 campaign, becoming a free agent at age 33. Shi opened his search worldwide and ended up in Germany on a five-year, $54,400,000 with Frankfurt of the European Baseball Federation. Nanning was grateful for his efforts as the team’s first ace and a dominant force in their first finals appearance. Shi’s #22 uniform would later be retired and he was the first Hall of Fame inductee wearing Nuts red and gold.

Shi was delightfully average in his debut season with Frankfurt. He was on an excellent pace in his second season, but missed the entire second half to a torn meniscus. Shi was back to middling in 2023 and was reduced to a bullpen role in 2024. A hamstring strain also cost him two months in 2024. Shi didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year with the Falcons, finishing with a 35-26 record, 3.52 ERA, 573 innings, 522 strikeouts, 92 walks, 109 ERA+, and 9.3 WAR.

He still wanted to pitch in 2025 and signed a one-year deal with EBF’s Valencia, but the Vandals never used him during the season. Shi retired that winter at age 38, posting a combined pro career with a 173-132 record, 2.37 ERA, 2917 innings, 3451 strikeouts, 487 walks, 245/310 quality starts, 109 complete games, 33 shutouts, 118 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 77.5 WAR.

With Nanning, Shi had a 140-106 record, 2.08 ERA, 2344 innings, 2929 strikeouts, 395 walks, 206/249 quality starts, 99 complete games, 33 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 68.2 WAR. Like his HOF classmates, Shi’s career didn’t have the longevity to soar up the counting stats. Still as of 2037, he ranked 24^th in pitching WAR, 53^rd in wins, 64^th in innings, 77^th in shutouts, and 21^st in strikeouts. Among those with 1000+ innings, Shi’s ERA was 89^th and his opponent’s OPS of .534 was 64^th.

Shi’s WAR in China was similar to his classmates Yuandong Wang and Wei Huang, although he was certainly less dominant compared to them. Voters had already decided that the shorter careers weren’t going to hinder those two and thus it didn’t hinder Shi. Even with less dominance, he still had a POTY, Triple Crown, and a key role in Nanning’s finals berth. Shi got to 79.4% for a first ballot induction as the third member of Chinese League Baseball’s 2026 class.

02-21-2025, 06:07 AM	#2090
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,786	2026 CLB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Wei Huang – Starting Pitcher – Shenzhen Spartans – 80.1% First Ballot Wei Huang was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Chongqing, China’s largest municipality by urban population with nearly 23 million people. Huang had great stuff, very good control, and good movement. His 98-100 mph fastball was impressive and was his most dangerous offering, although his knuckle curve was quite good as well. Huang also had a decent regular curveball and a rarely used changeup in the arsenal. Huang’s stamina was average relative to other CLB aces. Injuries were a recurring issue that greatly limited his career. Huang was excellent at holding runners and was a strong defensive pitcher. He had a steady and reliable work ethic which allowed him to get the most out of his abilities and opportunities. Unlike most eventual Hall of Famers, Huang wasn’t at the top of the draft lists. He wasn’t picked in the 2009 CLB Draft until the fourth round’s 13^th selection, the 108^th overall pick. Huang stands as the latest pick to later earn induction in CLB, besting Class of 2005 Pengju Xue who went 69^th. Shenzhen selected Huang and kept him in their developmental system for 2010. He was moved up to the rotation in 2011 and immediately produced with a 6.1 WAR season over 186 innings, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. Shenzhen finished first in the Southern League standings, but were ousted in the round robin with Huang allowing one run in his one inning of playoff relief. This started a seven-year playoff streak for the Spartans with four first place finishes. However, Shenzhen never got over the hump in the playoffs. Their deepest runs were semifinal defeats in 2012 and 2015. Huang held up his end with a 1.80 ERA over 85 postseason innings with 119 strikeouts, 13 walks, 136 ERA+, and 2.9 WAR. A lack of run support though gave him a 2-6 record. He also pitched in three editions of the World Baseball Championship for China with a 2.28 ERA over 23.2 innings and 34 strikeouts. Huang earned a world championship ring with the 2016 Chinese squad, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings of relief with 12 strikeouts. In his second season, Huang led in strikeouts (345) and WAR (9.1), finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He would lose the front end of 2013 to a partially torn labrum, but did notably toss a 16 strikeout, two walk no-hitter on September 18 against Qingdao. In 2014, Huang lost the first few months to a torn triceps. He was still effective enough to prompt Shenzhen to sign him on a six-year, $37,540,000 extension in the winter. Huang was full strength in 2015 and won his first Pitcher of the Year with a league-best 1.32 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, and 35 FIP- along with 9.0 WAR and 297 strikeouts. Huang won POTY again in 2017 with his career bests in strikeouts (355), WAR (9.8), and wins (22-6). Injuries popped back up in 2018 with forearm inflammation costing him part of the spring. Shenzhen’s playoff streak ended this year and they spent the next few seasons below .500. In 2020, Huang suffered a rotator cuff tear in late August that put his career in doubt. The timing was also awful as this coincided with the end of his Shenzhen deal, entering free agency at age 32. The recovery time was an estimated 13-14 months, putting him out for all of 2021. Huang was determined to come back, but teams were skeptical he could recover from such a major injury. He wasn’t signed until June 2022 when Jaipur of South Asia Baseball gave him a one-year, $1,920,000 deal. Huang only made four starts for the Jokers with mixed results as a ruptured finger tendon ended his season in the fall. He stayed in SAB and signed with Vientiane in 2023, but his control was significantly diminished by the rotator cuff tear. The Vampires only used him for three innings of relief, although they were scoreless. With seemingly no one wanting to give Huang a shot, he retired that winter at age 35. With Shenzhen, Huang had a 135-60 record, 1.80 ERA, 1967.2 innings, 2525 strikeouts, 303 walks, 202/241 quality starts, 68 complete games, 27 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 67.5 WAR. Even with the incredibly short career, Huang ranks 26^th in pitching WAR as of 2037. He also sits 69^th in wins and 53^rd in strikeout, which are solid rankings considering he falls outside the top 100 for innings. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Huang’s ERA ranks 22^nd. His 0.81 WHIP is 24^th and .509 opponent’s OPS is 31^st. Huang’s triple slash of .187/.225/.284 ranks 48^th/30^th/40^th. He also ranks 46^th in H/9 (5.90) and 22^nd in K/9 (11.55). Huang’s career 55 FIP- also ranks 18^th among all Hall of Fame starters as of 2037. Certainly his rate stats show that for his brief peak, Huang was quite dominant. There were some voters leery of the low accumulations, but most were sympathetic to the injury issues. Many felt his resume was comparable to Hall of Fame classmate Yuandong Wang, who had almost universal agreement as a lock. Both had similar successes over short time frames, although Wang’s brief stint was because he left and not due to injury. Huang was below Wang with 80.1% of the vote, but it was still plenty for a first ballot slot in the 2026 class for Chinese League Baseball. Liangyi “Boot” Shi – Nanning Nuts – Starting Pitcher - 79.4% First Ballot Liangyi Shi was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Nanding, China; a city of around 85,000 people. Nicknamed “Boot,” Shi had solid stuff and control along with above average-to-good movement. His fastball regularly hit 97-99 mph and was part of a three-pitch arsenal along with a slider and changeup. Shi’s stamina was considered quite good for most of his career and he avoided the major arm injuries that have ruined many other careers. He was better than most at holding runners, although his overall defense was below average. Shi was very intelligent and knew how to perfectly pick his spots with his three pitches, becoming one of China’s best strikeout pitchers in his prime. In the 2009 CLB Draft, Shi was picked fourth overall by Nanning. The Nuts had just played their first season as one of the six expansion teams introduced earlier that year. Shi was used as a full-time reliever in his first two seasons with mixed results. Nanning made him a full-time starter in his third season, a role he maintained for the rest of his Nuts tenure. Shi emerged as a great ace with 6+ WAR seasons from 2013-18. He led the Southern League in strikeouts in 2013, 2015, and 2016. Shi was second in 2015’s Pitcher of the Year voting and signed a five-year, $44,800,000 extension that winter with Nanning. 2015 had his career high WAR (9.8) and strikeouts (346) and gave the Nuts their first playoff berth in only their seventh season. Nanning surprised many by going all the way to the China Series in 2015, falling to Xi’an in the final. Shi was outstanding in the playoffs with a 0.50 ERA and 3-0 record in 35.2 innings with 42 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 1.8 WAR. The Nuts got back to the playoffs in 2016 but fell in the round robin. Shi gave up four runs (three earned) in 8.2 playoff innings in 2016. They would hover around the middle of the standings for the rest of Shi’s run. Shi’s lone Pitcher of the Year win came in 2016 as he posted only the fifth pitching Triple Crown in CLB history to that point. He had a 21-9 record, 1.76 ERA, and 335 strikeouts with 7 shutouts and 9.7 WAR. Shi had another 9+ WAR season in 2018 with a career and league best 0.78 WHIP that year. 2018 also had his lone no-hitter in a six strikeout performance versus Macau on June 23. In 2020, Shi finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting. His deal expired with Nanning after the 2020 campaign, becoming a free agent at age 33. Shi opened his search worldwide and ended up in Germany on a five-year, $54,400,000 with Frankfurt of the European Baseball Federation. Nanning was grateful for his efforts as the team’s first ace and a dominant force in their first finals appearance. Shi’s #22 uniform would later be retired and he was the first Hall of Fame inductee wearing Nuts red and gold. Shi was delightfully average in his debut season with Frankfurt. He was on an excellent pace in his second season, but missed the entire second half to a torn meniscus. Shi was back to middling in 2023 and was reduced to a bullpen role in 2024. A hamstring strain also cost him two months in 2024. Shi didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year with the Falcons, finishing with a 35-26 record, 3.52 ERA, 573 innings, 522 strikeouts, 92 walks, 109 ERA+, and 9.3 WAR. He still wanted to pitch in 2025 and signed a one-year deal with EBF’s Valencia, but the Vandals never used him during the season. Shi retired that winter at age 38, posting a combined pro career with a 173-132 record, 2.37 ERA, 2917 innings, 3451 strikeouts, 487 walks, 245/310 quality starts, 109 complete games, 33 shutouts, 118 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 77.5 WAR. With Nanning, Shi had a 140-106 record, 2.08 ERA, 2344 innings, 2929 strikeouts, 395 walks, 206/249 quality starts, 99 complete games, 33 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 68.2 WAR. Like his HOF classmates, Shi’s career didn’t have the longevity to soar up the counting stats. Still as of 2037, he ranked 24^th in pitching WAR, 53^rd in wins, 64^th in innings, 77^th in shutouts, and 21^st in strikeouts. Among those with 1000+ innings, Shi’s ERA was 89^th and his opponent’s OPS of .534 was 64^th. Shi’s WAR in China was similar to his classmates Yuandong Wang and Wei Huang, although he was certainly less dominant compared to them. Voters had already decided that the shorter careers weren’t going to hinder those two and thus it didn’t hinder Shi. Even with less dominance, he still had a POTY, Triple Crown, and a key role in Nanning’s finals berth. Shi got to 79.4% for a first ballot induction as the third member of Chinese League Baseball’s 2026 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)