[FuzzyRussianHat]

For the first time since 2004, no players were added into the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame. The closest to the 66% requirement in 2027 was SP Johannes Jol, falling painfully short at 64.6% on his ninth try. 3B Kyle Evrard was next at 58.9% also on his ninth ballot. Two debuts were above 50% with RF Dylan Fitzpatrick at 56.1% and LF Emilson Patino at 53.7%. CL Stefan Sedlak also topped 50% on his sixth go at 50.9%.



SP Gabriel Mandelli fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 27.0% on his 2018 debut and ending at 8.1%. He won a Pitcher of the Year late in his career in the African Association of Baseball, bouncing around in his final years. Mandelli’s EBF run was almost entirely with Milan, finishing with a 169-115 record, 3.35 ERA, 2607.1 innings, 2358 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, and 51.4 WAR. He needed either more dominance or more longevity to get any real traction.

Also of note, two-way player Michael Stojanovic fell below 5% and was dropped on his ninth ballot, peaking at 29.2% in 2020. He spent 16 years with his hometown Vienna and as a pitcher had a 148-121 record, 3.88 ERA, 2585 innings, 1938 strikeouts, 101 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 50.6 WAR. Stojanovic won five Silver Sluggers and played outfield with 1698 games, 1489 hits, 790 runs, 298 doubles, 127 triples, 190 home runs, 762 RBI, .300/.365/.527 slash, 144 wRC+, and 38.6 WAR.

He was a tough one to evaluate as he definitely wasn’t good enough just as a pitcher or just as a hitter to fit in. The combined 89.2 WAR certainly puts Stojanovic in consideration, but he wasn’t dominant enough in either skill to earn the attention and accolades that other two-way stars got.