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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-04-2025, 05:38 AM

East Asia Baseball’s 2027 Hall of Fame class had two slam dunk inductees with 1B Togai Kobayashi at 98.9% and SP Kaneo Kuroda at 94.1%. Catcher Ha-Jun Au was the next closest to the 66% requirement with a debut at 58.5%. Two players on their second ballot cracked 50% with C Shintaro Onishi at 55.9% and 1B Kyu-Seong Lee at 51.1%.

SP Rais Malikov fell off after ten ballots, peaking at 54.8% in 2020 and ending at a low of 32.6%. The Russian righty had a 14-year EAB career with three teams, posting a 177-110 record, 2.81 ERA, 2744 innings, 2861 strikeouts, 135 ERA+, and 79.0 WAR. Malikov had an ERA title and twice was a Pitcher of the Year finalist, plus he was a starter for Nagoya’s 2009 championship. Malikov’s rate stats certainly seemed good enough, but his tallies were just low enough to keep him from stronger consideration.

SP Dong-Won Kim also fell off at a mere 19.3% despite debuting with a strong 57.2% in 2018. He pitched 15 years with a 207-187 record, 3.61 ERA, 3630 innings, 3515 strikeouts, 565 walks, 105 ERA+, and 56.6 WAR. Kim had the longevity that Malikov lacked, but didn’t have the dominance or any accolades of note. He was also on mostly weaker teams for much of his run. Kim was a definite “Hall of Pretty Good” type guy.

2B/SS In-Soo Chi was another dropped after ten ballots, peaking at 49.3% in 2019 before finishing at only 9.3%. He had a 19-year run mostly with Ulsan, winning eight Silver Sluggers and four Gold Gloves. Chi had 2598 hits, 1540 runs, 373 doubles, 337 triples, 412 home runs, 1293 RBI, 691 steals, .267/.312/.502 slash, 122 wRC+, and 90.2 WAR. Chi also helped the Swallows win the title in 1996. He had plenty of accolades and nice longevity, but was never a hugely dominant hitter. Voters cared less about his defensive value, thus making Chi one of the larger EAB HOF oversights when looking at WAR.

Togai Kobayashi – First Base – Kumamoto Monsters – 98.9% First Ballot

Togai Kobayashi was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Kushiro City, Japan; located on the northern island of Hokkaido with about 157,000 people. Hokkaido is of course best known for its many soap factories. Kobayashi was known for his stellar eye at drawing walks, leading the Japan League in 14 consecutive seasons. He was also a solid contact hitter with a steady pop in his bat, good for 29 home runs, 23 doubles, and 10 triples per his 162 game average. Despite his eye, his strikeout rate was merely okay.

Kobayashi’s speed was merely above average, but he was a very skilled and crafty base runner and thief. He was more athletic than you might think from someone who started every single game of his career at first base. Kobayashi posted reliably average defense along with largely strong durability. He was also a good leader, making him a very popular player over a 20 year career.

By the 2001 EAB Draft, Kobayashi was atop many of the draft boards. Kumamoto grabbed him with the #1 pick and hoped he might make them a winner. To that point, the Monsters had only two playoff appearances since joining the Japan League in the 1978 expansion. Kobayashi looked okay in a part-time role his rookie year, then was moved into the full-time gig after that. 2004 would be his first of 12 seasons worth 5+ WAR for Kumamoto.

2005 began his remarkable 14-year streak leading the league in walks. It was also Kobayashi’s first of four seasons with OPS above one and his first of four years with a WAR above 8. Kumamoto quickly gave Kobayashi an eight-year, $51,420,00 extension after the 2005 season. He won Silver Sluggers those years of 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2010. Kobayashi was also the WARlord in 2006, 2008, and 2010. He never won MVP, but took second in both 2006 and 2010.

Kobayashi led the league in runs in both 2005 and 2006, posting a career high 110 steals in 2006. He led six times in on-base percentage, peaking with .422 in 2006. That year also saw his career high 1.064 OPS and 217 wRC+, both league bests. Kobayashi’s top WAR was 2010 at 9.3, a year with his best batting average at .330. He never topped 40 home runs, but he smacked 30+ eight times and thrice had 100 RBI.

Kumamoto started posting winning records with Kobayashi, but didn’t break through for playoff berths until 2010 and 2011. The Monsters lost in the 2010 Japan League Championship Series to Kyoto. They got the #1 seed in 2011 at 100-62, but were upset in the first round by Sapporo. Kobayashi held up his end with 1.073 OPS over 14 playoff starts with Kumamoto. They wouldn’t make the playoffs again for the rest of his tenure with only two more winning seasons.

In May 2013, Kobayashi signed a four-year, $67,200,000 extension to stick with the Monsters at age 33. He remained a steady starter for the rest of the deal, although it ended with a torn ligament in his thumb in September 2017. With that, he entered free agency for the first time heading towards his age 38 season.

For Kumamoto, Kobayashi had 2347 games, 2346 hits, 1416 runs, 360 doubles, 156 triples, 425 home runs, 1304 RBI, 1188 walks, 1580 strikeouts, 733 steals, .294/.386/.539 slash, 179 wRC+, and 97.3 WAR. Kobayashi’s #22 uniform would get retired for an impressive 16-year run as the franchise icon. Even if the Monsters never broke through for a deep run, Kobayashi certainly lived up to the #1 overall pick.

Kobayashi signed a three-year, $42 million deal with Sapporo and maintained his remarkably consistent production in his first two years there. He reached the 2500 hit and 1500 run milestones in 2018, then got to both 1500 RBI and 500 home runs in 2020. The Swordfish made the playoffs thrice with Kobayashi, but couldn’t get beyond the first round. Kobayashi again did well in the small playoff sample size with .884 OPS and 182 wRC+ in 15 starts.

He dropped off a bit in the third year and lost some time to a torn hamstring. Still, Sapporo was happy enough to sign Kobayashi to a new three-year, $18,600,000 deal. Unfortunately, he struggled in his limited action in 2021 and missed a big chunk of the year to a torn ligament in his thumb. Kobayashi retired that winter at age 41, finishing up the Sapporo run with 471 games, 399 hits, 294 runs, 42 doubles, 24 triples, 86 home runs, 239 RBI, .257/.350/.482 slash, 153 wRC+, and 13.8 WAR.

Kobayashi played 2818 games with 2745 hits, 1710 runs, 402 doubles, 180 triples, 511 home runs, 1543 RBI, 1408 walks, 1926 strikeouts, 843 steals, .288/.380/.529 slash, 174 wRC+, and 111.1 WAR. Even with his run leading in walks, Kobayashi still only got to 4^th on the EAB leaderboard. As of 2037, Kobayashi is 27^th in games, 53^rd in hits, 14^th in runs, 75^th in home runs, 39^th in total bases (5040), 46^th in RBI, 52^nd in stolen bases, and 20^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Kobayashi’s .909 OPS ranks 98^th. He does also rank 26^th in OBP. Kobayashi is probably among the best EAB players to never play in the championship and almost quietly ended up with a borderline inner-circle type career. He was a near unanimous selection for East Asia Baseball’s 2027 Hall of Fame class at 98.9%.

Kaneo “Viper” Kuroda – Starting Pitcher – Kitakyushu Kodiaks – 94.1% First Ballot

Kaneo Kuroda was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kyoto, Japan. Nicknamed “Viper, Kuroda was above average to good in terms of stuff, movement, and control. His velocity peaked in the 94-96 mph range with his cutter, but his most effective pitches were a curveball, forkball, and slider. Kuroda also had a rarely used changeup as a fifth option and had an extreme groundball tendency.
Kuroda’s stamina was good and he had mostly strong durability over a 20-year career. He had an excellent pickoff move and one of the better defensive pitchers.

In the 2001 EAB Draft, Kuroda was the 11^th overall pick by Kitakyushu. He became a staple for the Kodiaks, spending his entire two decade career there. Kuroda was a full-time starter right away and took second in Rookie of the Year voting, He was very steady, posting 5+ WAR in all but two seasons from 2003-19. Kuroda only missed the mark in 2014 and 2015 due to injury shortened campaigns.

His third season was his finest by WAR (8.5), and strikeouts (309), taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Kuroda took second in 2011 with a 2.16 ERA effort and was second again in 2016 with his career best 1.72 ERA. He generally wasn’t a league leader though, leading once in innings, twice in quality starts, and thrice in shutouts. Kuroda was generally content as Mr. Reliable and Kitakyushu was good with that. They gave him a five-year, $34,900,000 extension in April 2007, followed by another five years and $63,800,000 signed in March 2012.

The Kodiaks were largely a middle-tier team during Kuroda’s tenure, averaging exactly 80 wins per season. Rarely was Kitakyushu outright awful, but they typically weren’t in the playoff mix either. Hiroshima also was a regular atop the West Division during Kuroda’s tenure. Through all of this, Kuroda just plugged along. His biggest moment came on August 6, 2013; a no-hitter against Osaka with nine strikeouts and one walk.

Kuroda’s first major setback came in April 2014 when he tore his UCL, putting him out 12 months and putting his career in doubt. He made it back for 2015, but lost a good chunk of that year to biceps tendinitis. He bounced back impressively tough with his career best ERA in 2016 at age 36, prompting another three-year, $43,100,000 extension with Kitakyushu. Kuroda resumed his standard production for the next few years after that.

In 2019, the Kodiaks finally ended a 21-year playoff drought, falling in the Japan League Championship Series to Kawasaki. Kuroda had a 2.31 ERA in 23.1 innings with 23 strikeouts, the only playoff appearances for his career. That winter, Kitakyushu gave him another three years and $33,700,000. Kuroda would suffer biceps tendinitis that knocked him out in mid-August 2020 as the Kodiaks fell back below .500.

Kuroda was mostly healthy in 2021, but had seen his velocity dip slightly for a 3.08 ERA. He also had 141 strikeouts and 3.0 WAR, the lowest full season of his career. Kuroda still was good enough for a spot, but he decided to retire after the 2021 campaign at age 42. Kitakyushu immediately retired his #29 uniform for his 20 years of steady service.

In total, Kuroda had a 247-203 record, 2.60 ERA, 4360.2 innings, 4372 strikeouts, 758 walks, 393/559 quality starts, 122 complete games, 38 shutouts, 127 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 104.9 WAR. As of 2037, Kuroda ranks 18^th in wins, 8^th in innings, 66^th in complete games, 8^th in shutouts, 10^th in strikeouts, and 11^th in pitching WAR.

Kuroda was rarely overwhelmingly dominant, but his incredible consistency gave him impressive final tallies among East Asia Baseball’s best-ever pitchers. He might not have felt “inner circle” without a Pitcher of the Year win and being stuck on mostly forgettable Kitakyushu teams. The numbers don’t lie though and they had Kuroda as a slam dunk first ballot Hall of Famer. At 94.1%, he was the second member of EAB’s 2027 class.

03-04-2025, 05:38 AM	#2122
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,946	2027 EAB Hall of Fame East Asia Baseball’s 2027 Hall of Fame class had two slam dunk inductees with 1B Togai Kobayashi at 98.9% and SP Kaneo Kuroda at 94.1%. Catcher Ha-Jun Au was the next closest to the 66% requirement with a debut at 58.5%. Two players on their second ballot cracked 50% with C Shintaro Onishi at 55.9% and 1B Kyu-Seong Lee at 51.1%. SP Rais Malikov fell off after ten ballots, peaking at 54.8% in 2020 and ending at a low of 32.6%. The Russian righty had a 14-year EAB career with three teams, posting a 177-110 record, 2.81 ERA, 2744 innings, 2861 strikeouts, 135 ERA+, and 79.0 WAR. Malikov had an ERA title and twice was a Pitcher of the Year finalist, plus he was a starter for Nagoya’s 2009 championship. Malikov’s rate stats certainly seemed good enough, but his tallies were just low enough to keep him from stronger consideration. SP Dong-Won Kim also fell off at a mere 19.3% despite debuting with a strong 57.2% in 2018. He pitched 15 years with a 207-187 record, 3.61 ERA, 3630 innings, 3515 strikeouts, 565 walks, 105 ERA+, and 56.6 WAR. Kim had the longevity that Malikov lacked, but didn’t have the dominance or any accolades of note. He was also on mostly weaker teams for much of his run. Kim was a definite “Hall of Pretty Good” type guy. 2B/SS In-Soo Chi was another dropped after ten ballots, peaking at 49.3% in 2019 before finishing at only 9.3%. He had a 19-year run mostly with Ulsan, winning eight Silver Sluggers and four Gold Gloves. Chi had 2598 hits, 1540 runs, 373 doubles, 337 triples, 412 home runs, 1293 RBI, 691 steals, .267/.312/.502 slash, 122 wRC+, and 90.2 WAR. Chi also helped the Swallows win the title in 1996. He had plenty of accolades and nice longevity, but was never a hugely dominant hitter. Voters cared less about his defensive value, thus making Chi one of the larger EAB HOF oversights when looking at WAR. Togai Kobayashi – First Base – Kumamoto Monsters – 98.9% First Ballot Togai Kobayashi was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Kushiro City, Japan; located on the northern island of Hokkaido with about 157,000 people. Hokkaido is of course best known for its many soap factories. Kobayashi was known for his stellar eye at drawing walks, leading the Japan League in 14 consecutive seasons. He was also a solid contact hitter with a steady pop in his bat, good for 29 home runs, 23 doubles, and 10 triples per his 162 game average. Despite his eye, his strikeout rate was merely okay. Kobayashi’s speed was merely above average, but he was a very skilled and crafty base runner and thief. He was more athletic than you might think from someone who started every single game of his career at first base. Kobayashi posted reliably average defense along with largely strong durability. He was also a good leader, making him a very popular player over a 20 year career. By the 2001 EAB Draft, Kobayashi was atop many of the draft boards. Kumamoto grabbed him with the #1 pick and hoped he might make them a winner. To that point, the Monsters had only two playoff appearances since joining the Japan League in the 1978 expansion. Kobayashi looked okay in a part-time role his rookie year, then was moved into the full-time gig after that. 2004 would be his first of 12 seasons worth 5+ WAR for Kumamoto. 2005 began his remarkable 14-year streak leading the league in walks. It was also Kobayashi’s first of four seasons with OPS above one and his first of four years with a WAR above 8. Kumamoto quickly gave Kobayashi an eight-year, $51,420,00 extension after the 2005 season. He won Silver Sluggers those years of 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2010. Kobayashi was also the WARlord in 2006, 2008, and 2010. He never won MVP, but took second in both 2006 and 2010. Kobayashi led the league in runs in both 2005 and 2006, posting a career high 110 steals in 2006. He led six times in on-base percentage, peaking with .422 in 2006. That year also saw his career high 1.064 OPS and 217 wRC+, both league bests. Kobayashi’s top WAR was 2010 at 9.3, a year with his best batting average at .330. He never topped 40 home runs, but he smacked 30+ eight times and thrice had 100 RBI. Kumamoto started posting winning records with Kobayashi, but didn’t break through for playoff berths until 2010 and 2011. The Monsters lost in the 2010 Japan League Championship Series to Kyoto. They got the #1 seed in 2011 at 100-62, but were upset in the first round by Sapporo. Kobayashi held up his end with 1.073 OPS over 14 playoff starts with Kumamoto. They wouldn’t make the playoffs again for the rest of his tenure with only two more winning seasons. In May 2013, Kobayashi signed a four-year, $67,200,000 extension to stick with the Monsters at age 33. He remained a steady starter for the rest of the deal, although it ended with a torn ligament in his thumb in September 2017. With that, he entered free agency for the first time heading towards his age 38 season. For Kumamoto, Kobayashi had 2347 games, 2346 hits, 1416 runs, 360 doubles, 156 triples, 425 home runs, 1304 RBI, 1188 walks, 1580 strikeouts, 733 steals, .294/.386/.539 slash, 179 wRC+, and 97.3 WAR. Kobayashi’s #22 uniform would get retired for an impressive 16-year run as the franchise icon. Even if the Monsters never broke through for a deep run, Kobayashi certainly lived up to the #1 overall pick. Kobayashi signed a three-year, $42 million deal with Sapporo and maintained his remarkably consistent production in his first two years there. He reached the 2500 hit and 1500 run milestones in 2018, then got to both 1500 RBI and 500 home runs in 2020. The Swordfish made the playoffs thrice with Kobayashi, but couldn’t get beyond the first round. Kobayashi again did well in the small playoff sample size with .884 OPS and 182 wRC+ in 15 starts. He dropped off a bit in the third year and lost some time to a torn hamstring. Still, Sapporo was happy enough to sign Kobayashi to a new three-year, $18,600,000 deal. Unfortunately, he struggled in his limited action in 2021 and missed a big chunk of the year to a torn ligament in his thumb. Kobayashi retired that winter at age 41, finishing up the Sapporo run with 471 games, 399 hits, 294 runs, 42 doubles, 24 triples, 86 home runs, 239 RBI, .257/.350/.482 slash, 153 wRC+, and 13.8 WAR. Kobayashi played 2818 games with 2745 hits, 1710 runs, 402 doubles, 180 triples, 511 home runs, 1543 RBI, 1408 walks, 1926 strikeouts, 843 steals, .288/.380/.529 slash, 174 wRC+, and 111.1 WAR. Even with his run leading in walks, Kobayashi still only got to 4^th on the EAB leaderboard. As of 2037, Kobayashi is 27^th in games, 53^rd in hits, 14^th in runs, 75^th in home runs, 39^th in total bases (5040), 46^th in RBI, 52^nd in stolen bases, and 20^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Kobayashi’s .909 OPS ranks 98^th. He does also rank 26^th in OBP. Kobayashi is probably among the best EAB players to never play in the championship and almost quietly ended up with a borderline inner-circle type career. He was a near unanimous selection for East Asia Baseball’s 2027 Hall of Fame class at 98.9%. Kaneo “Viper” Kuroda – Starting Pitcher – Kitakyushu Kodiaks – 94.1% First Ballot Kaneo Kuroda was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kyoto, Japan. Nicknamed “Viper, Kuroda was above average to good in terms of stuff, movement, and control. His velocity peaked in the 94-96 mph range with his cutter, but his most effective pitches were a curveball, forkball, and slider. Kuroda also had a rarely used changeup as a fifth option and had an extreme groundball tendency. Kuroda’s stamina was good and he had mostly strong durability over a 20-year career. He had an excellent pickoff move and one of the better defensive pitchers. In the 2001 EAB Draft, Kuroda was the 11^th overall pick by Kitakyushu. He became a staple for the Kodiaks, spending his entire two decade career there. Kuroda was a full-time starter right away and took second in Rookie of the Year voting, He was very steady, posting 5+ WAR in all but two seasons from 2003-19. Kuroda only missed the mark in 2014 and 2015 due to injury shortened campaigns. His third season was his finest by WAR (8.5), and strikeouts (309), taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Kuroda took second in 2011 with a 2.16 ERA effort and was second again in 2016 with his career best 1.72 ERA. He generally wasn’t a league leader though, leading once in innings, twice in quality starts, and thrice in shutouts. Kuroda was generally content as Mr. Reliable and Kitakyushu was good with that. They gave him a five-year, $34,900,000 extension in April 2007, followed by another five years and $63,800,000 signed in March 2012. The Kodiaks were largely a middle-tier team during Kuroda’s tenure, averaging exactly 80 wins per season. Rarely was Kitakyushu outright awful, but they typically weren’t in the playoff mix either. Hiroshima also was a regular atop the West Division during Kuroda’s tenure. Through all of this, Kuroda just plugged along. His biggest moment came on August 6, 2013; a no-hitter against Osaka with nine strikeouts and one walk. Kuroda’s first major setback came in April 2014 when he tore his UCL, putting him out 12 months and putting his career in doubt. He made it back for 2015, but lost a good chunk of that year to biceps tendinitis. He bounced back impressively tough with his career best ERA in 2016 at age 36, prompting another three-year, $43,100,000 extension with Kitakyushu. Kuroda resumed his standard production for the next few years after that. In 2019, the Kodiaks finally ended a 21-year playoff drought, falling in the Japan League Championship Series to Kawasaki. Kuroda had a 2.31 ERA in 23.1 innings with 23 strikeouts, the only playoff appearances for his career. That winter, Kitakyushu gave him another three years and $33,700,000. Kuroda would suffer biceps tendinitis that knocked him out in mid-August 2020 as the Kodiaks fell back below .500. Kuroda was mostly healthy in 2021, but had seen his velocity dip slightly for a 3.08 ERA. He also had 141 strikeouts and 3.0 WAR, the lowest full season of his career. Kuroda still was good enough for a spot, but he decided to retire after the 2021 campaign at age 42. Kitakyushu immediately retired his #29 uniform for his 20 years of steady service. In total, Kuroda had a 247-203 record, 2.60 ERA, 4360.2 innings, 4372 strikeouts, 758 walks, 393/559 quality starts, 122 complete games, 38 shutouts, 127 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 104.9 WAR. As of 2037, Kuroda ranks 18^th in wins, 8^th in innings, 66^th in complete games, 8^th in shutouts, 10^th in strikeouts, and 11^th in pitching WAR. Kuroda was rarely overwhelmingly dominant, but his incredible consistency gave him impressive final tallies among East Asia Baseball’s best-ever pitchers. He might not have felt “inner circle” without a Pitcher of the Year win and being stuck on mostly forgettable Kitakyushu teams. The numbers don’t lie though and they had Kuroda as a slam dunk first ballot Hall of Famer. At 94.1%, he was the second member of EAB’s 2027 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)