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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-13-2025, 09:43 AM

The Asian Baseball Federation had a two-player Hall of Fame class for 2029 co-headlined by slam dunk picks with SP Hossein Hatami at 98.5% and OF Shadi Alam at 96.1%. CL Ananthakrishnan Khan barely missed the 66% cut to join then with a debut at 65.0%. SP Hamat Soomro had a nice debut at 54.9%. Two second ballot returners were above 50% with SP Ozgur Ermalci at 53.7% and SP Amgad al-Jal at 51.6%. SP Yhlas Batyrow was also just above 50% with a 50.1% debut. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots.

Hossein Hatami – Starting Pitcher – Shiraz Suns – 98.5% First Ballot

Hossein Hatami was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Mashhad, Iran’s second-most populous city with around 3,400,000 people in the country’s northeast. Hatami had filthy stuff that graded as 9/10 from scouts in his peak. He also had rock solid control, but his movement was below average. Hatami’s fastball regularly hit the 98-100 mph range. He also had a slider and changeup with all three as equally potent options.

Hatami’s stamina was merely average relative to other ABF aces. However, he avoided big injuries until late in his career and regularly gave you a full slate of starts. Hatami was good at holding runners, but was mediocre defensively otherwise. He was very intelligent and loyal, traits that served him well over a 16-year pro career.

After growing up in Northeastern Iran, Hatami moved to the country’s south by inking a developmental deal with Shiraz in May 2003. He spent around six years in their academy, debuting in 2008 at age 21 with 13 relief appearances. Hatami was split between the bullpen and starting in 2009, then secured a full-time rotation spot in 2010.

In 2010, Shiraz was defeated in the West League Championship Series by Baku. Hatami’s first playoff stats saw a 3.15 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 20 innings. The Suns would be outside the playoffs the next four seasons, but were still decent. Hatami’s production continued to improve, getting his first of nine straight 300+ strikeout seasons in 2013. He led the WL for the first time with 337 in 2014.

In April 2015, Shiraz signed Hatami to a five-year, $45 million extension. 2015 had Hatami’s career best ERA at 1.79 and best WAR at 8.6, placing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. The Suns were a 94-68 wild card, but upset 115-win Tehran en route to a pennant. Shiraz fell to Dushanbe in the ABF Championship with Hatami posting a 2.45 ERA over 33 playoff innings with 51 strikeouts.

Hatami wouldn’t be a Pitcher of the Year finalist again, but he’d lead in strikeouts thrice more for Shiraz. He had a career best 398 strikeouts in 2016, but also set a bad league record by allowing 46 home runs that year. Hatami had a quality start in the 2016 playoffs with the Suns as they lost in the first round. Shiraz missed the cut by one game in 2017, then spent the next five years below .500.

2020 was the last year under his Shiraz deal and the Suns were in rebuild mode. In the offseason, the 33-year old Hatami was traded to Multan for three prospects. For Shiraz, Hatami had a 156-116 record, 2.83 ERA, 2489.2 innings, 3524 strikeouts, 442 walks, 118 ERA+, and 58.3 WAR. The Suns retired his #7 uniform at the end of his career for his 12 years of service.

Although he was traded to a team in Pakistan, Hatami continued to return to Iran for the World Baseball Championship. He pitched from 2010-22 for the Iranian team and primarily was used as a reliever. Over 104.2 innings, Hatami had a 7-5 record, 12 saves, 179 strikeouts, 32 walks, 97 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. Iran had its best-ever finish in 2018, taking runner-up to Poland.

Hatami led in strikeouts and WHIP in his first two seasons with Multan, who fell just short in the wild card race. They were happy with Hatami’s production and gave him a five-year, $44 million extension in July 2020. In 2021, he became the eighth to reach 4000 career strikeouts. At that point, it felt like Hatami could make a legit run at Hasan Afshin’s record of 5151.

After great durability in his career, Hatami suffered a damaged elbow ligament in June 2022. He made it back in summer 2023, but saw his strikeout numbers and production dip. It did allow Hatami to cross 4500 Ks and 200 wins. He decided to retire that winter at age 36. With the Mighty Cocks, Hatami had a 48-30 record, 2.56 ERA, 732.2 innings, 1042 strikeouts, 90 walks, 130 ERA+, and 17.3 WAR.

Hatami finished with a 204-146 record, 2.77 ERA, 3222.1 innings, 4566 strikeouts, 532 walks, 302/417 quality starts, 51 complete games, 10 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 75.8 WAR. As of 2037, Hatami ranks 18^th in wins, 22^nd in innings, 8^th in strikeouts, 9^th in home runs allowed (362), and 12^th in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Hatami’s ERA ranks 79^th and his .613 opponent’s OPS is 91^st. He also ranks 12^th in K/9 (12.75) and 56^th in BB/9 (1.49).

Although he never won Pitcher of the Year and was only a finalist once, Hatami put up impressive tallies. Few pitchers in any league can say they led their league six times in strikeouts. Hatami received 98.5% to co-headline the 2029 Hall of Fame class for the Asian Baseball Federation.

Shadi “Skull” Alam – Outfield – Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 96.1% First Ballot

Shadi Alam was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed outfielder from Tabriz in northwestern Iran, the country’s sixth-largest city with about 1.7 million people. Nicknamed “Skull,” Alam had reliably steady contact and power skills. He was also solid at drawing walks, but did have a subpar strikeout rate. Alam’s power wasn’t prolific, but it was consistent with a 162 game average of 36 home runs, 32 doubles, and 7 triples.

Alam was notably better facing right-handed pitching (.945 OPS, 165 wRC+) but was still potent facing lefties (.795 OPS, 131 wRC+). He was a very skilled base stealer with good speed. Alam bounced around the outfield in his career and graded as rock solid defensively in the corners. His speed wasn’t good enough for the range needed in center field, grading as mediocre there. Alam had around 40% of his starts in left field, around 33% in center, and the rest in right.

By the end of his 16-year career, Alam was one of the most universally beloved players to come out of Iran. He was viewed as an ironman, playing 150+ games in all but his rookie season. Alam was also a team captain and his character was beyond reproach. He was a great leader, loyal, intelligent, adaptable, and hard working. Fans, friends, and foes alike had nothing but admiration for Alam.

It was clear as Alam rose through the amateur ranks that he was destined for greatness. It worked out that his hometown team Tabriz had the #1 overall pick for the 2007 ABF Draft. The Tiger Sharks picked their local star, who had fallen in love with baseball having gone to Tabriz games as a kid. Alam was a part-time starter in 2008 with mixed results as a rookie. He was a full-time starter after that and an elite one, posting a nice 6.9 WAR or better from 2009-20.

In 2010, Tabriz had only their second-ever playoff berth with the previous one being in their inaugural 1985 season. They would be roughly around .500 for the following five years. 2010 started an eight-year streak of Silver Sluggers for Alam. He won in CF from 2010-12, in RF from 2013-15, in LF for 2016, and back in RF for 2017. Alam was determined to make his hometown team a contender for the first time and signed an eight-year, $79,900,000 extension with Tabriz after the 2012 season.

Alam was third in 2010’s MVP voting. In 2014, he had his lone batting title (.320), his first season of 1.000 OPS, and a career and league best 122 RBI. In 2016, Alam had his finest season and won MVP, posting a league and career best 10.4 WAR. He also had his person highs for home runs (45), and wRC+ (205). This also marked the beginning of a nine-year playoff streak for Tabriz. Alam was third in MVP voting in both 2017 and 2020, winning his final Silver Slugger in the latter campaign.

Tabriz lost in the first round in 2016-2017. They took the West League’s top seed in 2018 at 103-59, but were upset by Asgabat in the WLCS. The Tiger Sharks bested that record at 107-55 in 2019 and won their first-ever ABF Championship, topping Dushanbe in the finale. Alam won finals MVP, although statistically he had better postseasons.

The big shock came in the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship as Tabriz took the top team honor at 15-4, becoming the first ABF team to win the Grand Championship. In 18 starts, Alam had 18 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 9 RBI, .281/.373/.625 slash, 196 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. Alam achieved something very few in baseball history have accomplished; he turned his hometown team from a bottom feeder into the best in the world.

Alam was beloved in Tabriz, but also was a favorite for all Iranian fans. He was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 2010-22, playing 140 games with 125 hits, 79 runs, 27 doubles, 38 home runs, 88 RBI, 31 stolen bases, .239/.344/.521 slash, and 5.6 WAR. In 2018, the Iranians made it to the World Championship for the first time, falling 4-1 to Poland. Iran also earned a division title in 2015.

After the 2019 triumph, the soon-to-be 35-year old Alam signed a four-year, $46,400,000 extension with Tabriz. The Tiger Sharks were the top seed again from 2020-22, but couldn’t get back to the ABF Championship. They were 109-53 in 2020, but lost to Bursa in the WLCS. Tabriz again was 109-53 in 2021, but lost in round one to Mashhad. They were 103-59 in 2022 and dropped the WLCS to Baku.

Alam started to wind down with his WAR dropping to 4.1 in 2021 and 4.3 in 2022. In 2023, he had his worst full season tallies, although was still a passable starter with 2.3 WAR and .774 OPS. Alam’s leadership was still quite important as a 92-70 wild card Tabriz went on a surprise run to their second ABF Championship, upsetting Bishkek in the final,

For his playoff career, Alam had 76 games, 84 hits, 45 runs, 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 32 RBI, 15 steals, .291/.343/.550, 150 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR. In his last run though, he had -0.1 WAR and .526 OPS. Alam opted to retire with that age 38 and didn’t play in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Tiger Sharks quickly retired the #20 uniform of their hometown hero.

Alam finished with 2451 games, 2491 hits, 1491 runs, 485 doubles, 109 triples, 548 home runs, 1397 RBI, 940 walks, 546 steals, .282/.356/.548 slash, 156 wRC+, and 109.9 WAR. As of 2037, Alam ranks 19^th in games, 21^st in hits, 6^th in runs, 33^rd in doubles, 60^th in triples, 16^th in home runs, 23^rd in RBI, 13^th in total bases (4838), 10^th in walks, 17^th in strikeouts (2462), and 9^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Alam’s .905 OPS ranks 42^nd. He also ranks 60^th in OBP and 51^st in slugging.

He wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant, so many scholars leave Alam just outside of their top ten lists. He makes almost all top 20 lists for Asian Baseball Federation history and generally is viewed as a top ten player to come from Iran. Alam’s story was truly romantic, not many get to spend their whole career with their hometown team. Even fewer win two league titles and fewer yet win the Baseball Grand Championship. Alam was a Hall of Fame lock at 96.1% to co-headline ABF’s 2029 class.

04-13-2025, 09:43 AM	#2206
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,204	2029 ABF Hall of Fame The Asian Baseball Federation had a two-player Hall of Fame class for 2029 co-headlined by slam dunk picks with SP Hossein Hatami at 98.5% and OF Shadi Alam at 96.1%. CL Ananthakrishnan Khan barely missed the 66% cut to join then with a debut at 65.0%. SP Hamat Soomro had a nice debut at 54.9%. Two second ballot returners were above 50% with SP Ozgur Ermalci at 53.7% and SP Amgad al-Jal at 51.6%. SP Yhlas Batyrow was also just above 50% with a 50.1% debut. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots. Hossein Hatami – Starting Pitcher – Shiraz Suns – 98.5% First Ballot Hossein Hatami was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Mashhad, Iran’s second-most populous city with around 3,400,000 people in the country’s northeast. Hatami had filthy stuff that graded as 9/10 from scouts in his peak. He also had rock solid control, but his movement was below average. Hatami’s fastball regularly hit the 98-100 mph range. He also had a slider and changeup with all three as equally potent options. Hatami’s stamina was merely average relative to other ABF aces. However, he avoided big injuries until late in his career and regularly gave you a full slate of starts. Hatami was good at holding runners, but was mediocre defensively otherwise. He was very intelligent and loyal, traits that served him well over a 16-year pro career. After growing up in Northeastern Iran, Hatami moved to the country’s south by inking a developmental deal with Shiraz in May 2003. He spent around six years in their academy, debuting in 2008 at age 21 with 13 relief appearances. Hatami was split between the bullpen and starting in 2009, then secured a full-time rotation spot in 2010. In 2010, Shiraz was defeated in the West League Championship Series by Baku. Hatami’s first playoff stats saw a 3.15 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 20 innings. The Suns would be outside the playoffs the next four seasons, but were still decent. Hatami’s production continued to improve, getting his first of nine straight 300+ strikeout seasons in 2013. He led the WL for the first time with 337 in 2014. In April 2015, Shiraz signed Hatami to a five-year, $45 million extension. 2015 had Hatami’s career best ERA at 1.79 and best WAR at 8.6, placing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. The Suns were a 94-68 wild card, but upset 115-win Tehran en route to a pennant. Shiraz fell to Dushanbe in the ABF Championship with Hatami posting a 2.45 ERA over 33 playoff innings with 51 strikeouts. Hatami wouldn’t be a Pitcher of the Year finalist again, but he’d lead in strikeouts thrice more for Shiraz. He had a career best 398 strikeouts in 2016, but also set a bad league record by allowing 46 home runs that year. Hatami had a quality start in the 2016 playoffs with the Suns as they lost in the first round. Shiraz missed the cut by one game in 2017, then spent the next five years below .500. 2020 was the last year under his Shiraz deal and the Suns were in rebuild mode. In the offseason, the 33-year old Hatami was traded to Multan for three prospects. For Shiraz, Hatami had a 156-116 record, 2.83 ERA, 2489.2 innings, 3524 strikeouts, 442 walks, 118 ERA+, and 58.3 WAR. The Suns retired his #7 uniform at the end of his career for his 12 years of service. Although he was traded to a team in Pakistan, Hatami continued to return to Iran for the World Baseball Championship. He pitched from 2010-22 for the Iranian team and primarily was used as a reliever. Over 104.2 innings, Hatami had a 7-5 record, 12 saves, 179 strikeouts, 32 walks, 97 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. Iran had its best-ever finish in 2018, taking runner-up to Poland. Hatami led in strikeouts and WHIP in his first two seasons with Multan, who fell just short in the wild card race. They were happy with Hatami’s production and gave him a five-year, $44 million extension in July 2020. In 2021, he became the eighth to reach 4000 career strikeouts. At that point, it felt like Hatami could make a legit run at Hasan Afshin’s record of 5151. After great durability in his career, Hatami suffered a damaged elbow ligament in June 2022. He made it back in summer 2023, but saw his strikeout numbers and production dip. It did allow Hatami to cross 4500 Ks and 200 wins. He decided to retire that winter at age 36. With the Mighty Cocks, Hatami had a 48-30 record, 2.56 ERA, 732.2 innings, 1042 strikeouts, 90 walks, 130 ERA+, and 17.3 WAR. Hatami finished with a 204-146 record, 2.77 ERA, 3222.1 innings, 4566 strikeouts, 532 walks, 302/417 quality starts, 51 complete games, 10 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 75.8 WAR. As of 2037, Hatami ranks 18^th in wins, 22^nd in innings, 8^th in strikeouts, 9^th in home runs allowed (362), and 12^th in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Hatami’s ERA ranks 79^th and his .613 opponent’s OPS is 91^st. He also ranks 12^th in K/9 (12.75) and 56^th in BB/9 (1.49). Although he never won Pitcher of the Year and was only a finalist once, Hatami put up impressive tallies. Few pitchers in any league can say they led their league six times in strikeouts. Hatami received 98.5% to co-headline the 2029 Hall of Fame class for the Asian Baseball Federation. Shadi “Skull” Alam – Outfield – Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 96.1% First Ballot Shadi Alam was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed outfielder from Tabriz in northwestern Iran, the country’s sixth-largest city with about 1.7 million people. Nicknamed “Skull,” Alam had reliably steady contact and power skills. He was also solid at drawing walks, but did have a subpar strikeout rate. Alam’s power wasn’t prolific, but it was consistent with a 162 game average of 36 home runs, 32 doubles, and 7 triples. Alam was notably better facing right-handed pitching (.945 OPS, 165 wRC+) but was still potent facing lefties (.795 OPS, 131 wRC+). He was a very skilled base stealer with good speed. Alam bounced around the outfield in his career and graded as rock solid defensively in the corners. His speed wasn’t good enough for the range needed in center field, grading as mediocre there. Alam had around 40% of his starts in left field, around 33% in center, and the rest in right. By the end of his 16-year career, Alam was one of the most universally beloved players to come out of Iran. He was viewed as an ironman, playing 150+ games in all but his rookie season. Alam was also a team captain and his character was beyond reproach. He was a great leader, loyal, intelligent, adaptable, and hard working. Fans, friends, and foes alike had nothing but admiration for Alam. It was clear as Alam rose through the amateur ranks that he was destined for greatness. It worked out that his hometown team Tabriz had the #1 overall pick for the 2007 ABF Draft. The Tiger Sharks picked their local star, who had fallen in love with baseball having gone to Tabriz games as a kid. Alam was a part-time starter in 2008 with mixed results as a rookie. He was a full-time starter after that and an elite one, posting a nice 6.9 WAR or better from 2009-20. In 2010, Tabriz had only their second-ever playoff berth with the previous one being in their inaugural 1985 season. They would be roughly around .500 for the following five years. 2010 started an eight-year streak of Silver Sluggers for Alam. He won in CF from 2010-12, in RF from 2013-15, in LF for 2016, and back in RF for 2017. Alam was determined to make his hometown team a contender for the first time and signed an eight-year, $79,900,000 extension with Tabriz after the 2012 season. Alam was third in 2010’s MVP voting. In 2014, he had his lone batting title (.320), his first season of 1.000 OPS, and a career and league best 122 RBI. In 2016, Alam had his finest season and won MVP, posting a league and career best 10.4 WAR. He also had his person highs for home runs (45), and wRC+ (205). This also marked the beginning of a nine-year playoff streak for Tabriz. Alam was third in MVP voting in both 2017 and 2020, winning his final Silver Slugger in the latter campaign. Tabriz lost in the first round in 2016-2017. They took the West League’s top seed in 2018 at 103-59, but were upset by Asgabat in the WLCS. The Tiger Sharks bested that record at 107-55 in 2019 and won their first-ever ABF Championship, topping Dushanbe in the finale. Alam won finals MVP, although statistically he had better postseasons. The big shock came in the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship as Tabriz took the top team honor at 15-4, becoming the first ABF team to win the Grand Championship. In 18 starts, Alam had 18 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 9 RBI, .281/.373/.625 slash, 196 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. Alam achieved something very few in baseball history have accomplished; he turned his hometown team from a bottom feeder into the best in the world. Alam was beloved in Tabriz, but also was a favorite for all Iranian fans. He was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 2010-22, playing 140 games with 125 hits, 79 runs, 27 doubles, 38 home runs, 88 RBI, 31 stolen bases, .239/.344/.521 slash, and 5.6 WAR. In 2018, the Iranians made it to the World Championship for the first time, falling 4-1 to Poland. Iran also earned a division title in 2015. After the 2019 triumph, the soon-to-be 35-year old Alam signed a four-year, $46,400,000 extension with Tabriz. The Tiger Sharks were the top seed again from 2020-22, but couldn’t get back to the ABF Championship. They were 109-53 in 2020, but lost to Bursa in the WLCS. Tabriz again was 109-53 in 2021, but lost in round one to Mashhad. They were 103-59 in 2022 and dropped the WLCS to Baku. Alam started to wind down with his WAR dropping to 4.1 in 2021 and 4.3 in 2022. In 2023, he had his worst full season tallies, although was still a passable starter with 2.3 WAR and .774 OPS. Alam’s leadership was still quite important as a 92-70 wild card Tabriz went on a surprise run to their second ABF Championship, upsetting Bishkek in the final, For his playoff career, Alam had 76 games, 84 hits, 45 runs, 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 32 RBI, 15 steals, .291/.343/.550, 150 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR. In his last run though, he had -0.1 WAR and .526 OPS. Alam opted to retire with that age 38 and didn’t play in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Tiger Sharks quickly retired the #20 uniform of their hometown hero. Alam finished with 2451 games, 2491 hits, 1491 runs, 485 doubles, 109 triples, 548 home runs, 1397 RBI, 940 walks, 546 steals, .282/.356/.548 slash, 156 wRC+, and 109.9 WAR. As of 2037, Alam ranks 19^th in games, 21^st in hits, 6^th in runs, 33^rd in doubles, 60^th in triples, 16^th in home runs, 23^rd in RBI, 13^th in total bases (4838), 10^th in walks, 17^th in strikeouts (2462), and 9^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Alam’s .905 OPS ranks 42^nd. He also ranks 60^th in OBP and 51^st in slugging. He wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant, so many scholars leave Alam just outside of their top ten lists. He makes almost all top 20 lists for Asian Baseball Federation history and generally is viewed as a top ten player to come from Iran. Alam’s story was truly romantic, not many get to spend their whole career with their hometown team. Even fewer win two league titles and fewer yet win the Baseball Grand Championship. Alam was a Hall of Fame lock at 96.1% to co-headline ABF’s 2029 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)