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FuzzyRussianHat · 06-21-2025, 08:03 AM

A.J. Magee – Starting Pitcher - Zagreb Gulls – 98.2% First Ballot

A.J. Magee was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Maghera, Northern Ireland; a small town with about 4,000 people. Magee was the first Northern Irish Hall of Famer and is generally considered the top baseball player to ever come from the area. He was best known for having remarkable movement on his pitches, although his stuff and control were both solid as well.

Magee’s fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph and was part of a three-pitch arsenal along with a slider and changeup. All three were potent, but his changeup especially frustrated foes. Magee’s stamina was excellent, leading the Southern Conference twice in innings pitched and thrice in complete games. He also had strong durability and avoided the major injuries that often ruin pitchers.

On top of that, Magee was viewed as one of the great defensive pitchers with a strong pickoff move. He won Gold Gloves from 2022-24 with his glove work. The main downside is that Magee wasn’t going to take a leadership role and he wasn’t the brightest guy. He certainly wasn’t a trouble maker though and became a very popular figure with fans in Zagreb, where he spent his entire 14-year pro career.

Magee wasn’t a highly touted prospect though with Northern Ireland often getting ignored by scouts. He also entered the 2009 EBF Draft out of high school, which lowered his potential stock versus the many great collegiate prospects. Zagreb took a flier on him in the middle of the fourth round. Magee was the 21^st pick of the round and the 275^th overall. He’d be by far the latest-ever pick to make EBF’s Hall of Fame, with the mark previously held by Class of 2004 2B Rodrigo Badillo at 158^th overall.

After two years in Croatia in the academy, Magee greatly passed expectations held both by Zagreb and by scouts generally. He debuted in 2012 at age 22 with passable results for a rookie. Magee had a good sophomore campaign, then emerged as a no-doubt ace by winning 2014 Pitcher of the Year. He led in wins at 20-9, posting his first of six seasons leading in wins and his first of seven with 20+. It was also Magee’s first of five seasons with an ERA below 2.50 and first of five seasons above 7+.

Magee regressed in 2015, but mostly corrected his issues for 2016. That winter, the Gulls inked him to a five-year, $49,900,000 extension. Magee won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2017 with arguably his best effort, earning his lone ERA title at 1.70. This ranks as the 33^rd-best qualifying season as of 2037, but is one of only four seasons at 1.70 or better in the 21^st Century. It would also be Magee’s career bests for strikeouts (277) and WAR (8.4). 2017 also saw his first no-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks on July 6 facing Barcelona.

He repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2018 with a 1.94 ERA and career best 16 complete games. Magee surprisingly fell to a 3.41 ERA in 2019, although advanced stats suggested some bad luck since he still had 6.5 WAR and 75 FIP-. Zagreb hadn’t earned a playoff berth since 1997, but they started to show some life with winning seasons in 2018 and 2019. The Gulls finally became a contender in 2020, beginning an eight-year playoff streak.

Magee returned to ace status to begin this run, winning Pitcher of the Year again in 2020, 2021, and 2023 with a third place finish in 2022. He became the third in EBF history to win the award six times along with pitching WAR leader Jean-Luc Roch and strikeouts leader Lindsey Brampton. Magee led in wins thrice with a career-best 25-5 mark in 2020. He also led in WAR for the only time in 2023 at 7.5, although he had four other seasons with a higher tally. Magee committed in March 2021 at age 31 to a hefty six-year, $106,800,000 extension with the Gulls.

Despite their streak, Zagreb couldn’t seem to get over the hump early in the decade. They had the top seed in 2021 at 108-54, but fell in the conference finals to Munich. After a wild card and second round exit in 2022, the Gulls again had the top seed in 2023 at 113-49. Again, they couldn’t get any further because of the Mavericks. Zagreb had another conference finals loss in 2024, this time to Chisinau. 2025 had another top seed at 108-54, but Zurich upset them in round two.

Magee’s playoff stats were a mixed bag. He was excellent in both 2021 and 2024, but was lackluster in his 2022 and 2023 outings. In total, Magee had a 3.11 ERA over 84 playoff innings with a 4-3 record, 68 strikeouts, 19 walks, 124 ERA+, and 2.0 WAR. Still, he was a huge reason the Gulls were now regularly in the playoff conversation.

Perhaps the finest day of Magee’s career was May 16, 2024. Facing Madrid, he tossed EBF’s 39^th perfect game with 10 strikeouts. In 2025, Magee saw a notable regression and saw fewer outings with career worsts for innings (175.1), ERA (3.59), and strikeouts (155). Magee had never been overpowering, but his velocity had dipped slightly and his movement had flattened somewhat. Instead of hanging around and possibly overstaying his welcome, Magee retired that winter at age 36. Zagreb immediately retired his #13 uniform for his 14 years of steady service.

Magee finished with a 249-117 record, 2.68 ERA, 3403 innings, 3155 strikeouts, 716 walks, 294/406 quality starts, 128 complete games, 35 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 86.1 WAR. As of 2037, Magee ranks 10^th in wins, 34^th in innings, 53^rd in strikeouts, 32^nd in complete games, 18^th in shutouts, and 21^st in pitching WAR. Among all EBF pitchers with 1000+ innings, Magee is 58^th in ERA and his opponent’s OPS of .623 ranks 89^th.

Despite his six Pitcher of the Year wins, Magee was far less overpowering and dominant than many of the European Baseball Federation’s all-time aces. Traditionalists value his wins and .680 winning percentage (ranked 20^th) more in their analysis. Magee rarely made big mistakes and often could pitch out of jams. The record is especially impressive considering Zagreb lost more often than they won in his early years.

Stats like ERA+ and FIP- definitely show Magee was excellent, although the lack of big strikeout tallies keep him outside the top 20 for WAR. Still, most place Magee in the top 20 pitcher lists and some vault him into the top 10. His Hall of Fame status wasn’t in doubt, even with the loaded 2031 class that produced five inductees. At 98.2%, Magee made his mark as the first-ever inductee from Northern Ireland.

Forest Campbell – Starting Pitcher – Hamburg Hammers – 94.0% First Ballot

Forest Campbell was a 6’2’’ 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. He was the fifth Scot to earn induction. Campbell was often known as being “effectively wild” and he certainly wasn’t boring to watch. At his peak, Campbell’s stuff was rated by many scouts as a 10/10, a rarity for a starting pitcher. Unfortunately, his movement and control were both below average, leading to inconsistent results.

Campbell had a six-pitch arsenal with 99-101 mph max velocity, tossing a cutter, forkball, splitter, slider, changeup, and circle change. His stamina was good and durability was outstanding, although the control issues kept him from going the distance more often. Campbell had an excellent pickoff move, but was considered otherwise poor with his glove. He wasn’t a leader, but he was a perfectly fine teammate to have.

In March 2007, a teenaged Campbell moved from Scotland to Germany on a developmental deal with Hamburg. His entire European career came with the Hammers, debuting in 2012 at age 22 after five years in their academy. Campbell was a full-timer right away and tossed 200+ innings in each of his first 11 seasons. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, drawing attention right away. From 2014-21, he’d be good for 270+ strikeouts each year.

In 2014, Campbell led the Northern Conference for the first time in strikeouts with 296. Unfortunately, he also allowed the most home runs (38) and only had 3.0 WAR, proving frustrating for management. After starting the decade as a losing team, Hamburg took the top seed in 2015 at 109-53. Campbell led the conference with 19 wins, but was iffy in three playoff starts with a 4.41 ERA over 16.1 innings. The Hammers suffered an upset conference finals loss to Antwerp.

Hamburg just missed the playoffs in 2016, but then started a seven-year streak in 2017. The year saw Campbell’s lone Pitcher of the Year win and career bests in ERA (2.66), strikeouts (327), and WAR (7.3); missing the Triple Crown by only 0.25. The Hammers repeated as division champs in 2017-18, but fell both years in the first round of the playoffs. Campbell struggled in 2018 to a 4.32 ERA, the worst of his career to that point.

Campbell bounced back nicely in 2019 and Hamburg gave him a six-year, $75,600,000 extension in the summer. 99-63 earned the Hammers the top seed in a competitive field and they ultimately won it all, defeating Zurich for their first European Championship. In the playoffs, Campbell went 2-1 in five starts with a 3.82 ERA over 30.2 innings, 40 strikeouts, and 0.9 WAR. However, he fared horribly in the Baseball Grand Championship with an 8.84 ERA over 18.1 innings. Hamburg finished 9-10 for the event. From 2014-27, Campbell also pitched on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native Scotland. He had a 4.22 ERA and 5-10 record over 132.1 innings with 198 strikeouts, 62 walks, and 0.3 WAR.

In 2020, Campbell was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with a conference-best 22-3 record along with a 2.69 ERA and 299 strikeouts. Hamburg had dynasty dreams with a franchise-best 115-47 season, but they suffered a second round upset to Amsterdam. The Hammers again were the top seed in 2021 at 108-54 and this time knocked off Dublin to win their second pennant. A second EBF title was ultimately denied by Munich in an all-German final.

2021 was Campbell’s finest postseason performance, going 4-1 over 38 innings with a 2.84 ERA and 47 strikeouts. He carried that into the Baseball Grand Championship as Hamburg finished 11-8, part of a five-way tie for fourth. In four starts, Campbell had a 3-0 record, 1.95 ERA, 32.1 innings, and 35 strikeouts.

Campbell’s overall numbers weakened in the next three seasons. Hamburg had a conference finals loss in 2022 to 116-wn Dublin, then lost in the second round in 2023. The playoff streak snapped in 2024, although they stayed above .500 for the rest of Campbell’s time. His career postseason stats were a mixed bag with a 4.06 ERA in 137.1 innings, 8-7 record, 176 strikeouts, 39 walks, 95 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 2.5 WAR.

In 2025, Campbell had one last gasp as a top pitcher, leading in strikeouts for the third time with 303. It was his fourth 300+ K season and his fourth year below a 3.00 ERA. It was also his last year with Hamburg, who opted to let the 35-year old Campbell leave for free agency. The Hammers would eventually retire his #25 uniform for his 14-year run with the squad.

Campbell was surprised to find limited interest from European clubs and ultimately took his talents to the African Association of Baseball on a three-year, $32,100,000 deal with Harare. It was a rough two years in Zimbabwe though for Campbell, who struggled to a 5.34 ERA over 390.2 innings, 16-20 record, 344 strikeouts, 131 walks, 89 ERA+, 112 FIP-, and 2.1 WAR. He was a free agent for all of 2028, eventually retiring that winter at age 38.

In EBF with Hamburg, Campbell finished with a 205-118 record, 3.39 ERA, 3142.2 innings, 3839 strikeouts, 785 walks, 243/393 quality starts, 59 complete games, 21 shutouts, 113 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 56.6 WAR. As of 2037, Campbell ranks 40^th in wins, 19^th in strikeouts, and 64^th in innings. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, his 10.99 K/9 ranks 23^rd.

On the bad side, Campbell misses the top 100 for pitching WAR while ranking 8^th in home runs allowed (421) and 27^th in walks. Those who favor Sabermetrics would argue he misses the cut or is borderline. Campbell’s WAR is definitely among the lowest for a starting pitcher in the European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame. Most of the other guys who got in with similar tallies had the benefit of getting there in far fewer innings.

However, retiring as a top 20 pitcher in strikeouts and having 200+ wins checks the boxes for most voters. Adding his two AAB years, Campbell had 4183 career Ks, an impressive tally in any context. He was also an important player in a run of success for Hamburg that saw two pennants and their first EBF title. Even for the biggest skeptic, those facts outweighed the negatives. Plus, the guy was just fun to watch when he was on and a compelling spectacle when struggling. Campbell received 94.0% for the first ballot induction as part of the loaded five-player 2031 class.

06-21-2025, 08:03 AM	#2284
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,928	2031 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 2) A.J. Magee – Starting Pitcher - Zagreb Gulls – 98.2% First Ballot A.J. Magee was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Maghera, Northern Ireland; a small town with about 4,000 people. Magee was the first Northern Irish Hall of Famer and is generally considered the top baseball player to ever come from the area. He was best known for having remarkable movement on his pitches, although his stuff and control were both solid as well. Magee’s fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph and was part of a three-pitch arsenal along with a slider and changeup. All three were potent, but his changeup especially frustrated foes. Magee’s stamina was excellent, leading the Southern Conference twice in innings pitched and thrice in complete games. He also had strong durability and avoided the major injuries that often ruin pitchers. On top of that, Magee was viewed as one of the great defensive pitchers with a strong pickoff move. He won Gold Gloves from 2022-24 with his glove work. The main downside is that Magee wasn’t going to take a leadership role and he wasn’t the brightest guy. He certainly wasn’t a trouble maker though and became a very popular figure with fans in Zagreb, where he spent his entire 14-year pro career. Magee wasn’t a highly touted prospect though with Northern Ireland often getting ignored by scouts. He also entered the 2009 EBF Draft out of high school, which lowered his potential stock versus the many great collegiate prospects. Zagreb took a flier on him in the middle of the fourth round. Magee was the 21^st pick of the round and the 275^th overall. He’d be by far the latest-ever pick to make EBF’s Hall of Fame, with the mark previously held by Class of 2004 2B Rodrigo Badillo at 158^th overall. After two years in Croatia in the academy, Magee greatly passed expectations held both by Zagreb and by scouts generally. He debuted in 2012 at age 22 with passable results for a rookie. Magee had a good sophomore campaign, then emerged as a no-doubt ace by winning 2014 Pitcher of the Year. He led in wins at 20-9, posting his first of six seasons leading in wins and his first of seven with 20+. It was also Magee’s first of five seasons with an ERA below 2.50 and first of five seasons above 7+. Magee regressed in 2015, but mostly corrected his issues for 2016. That winter, the Gulls inked him to a five-year, $49,900,000 extension. Magee won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2017 with arguably his best effort, earning his lone ERA title at 1.70. This ranks as the 33^rd-best qualifying season as of 2037, but is one of only four seasons at 1.70 or better in the 21^st Century. It would also be Magee’s career bests for strikeouts (277) and WAR (8.4). 2017 also saw his first no-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks on July 6 facing Barcelona. He repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2018 with a 1.94 ERA and career best 16 complete games. Magee surprisingly fell to a 3.41 ERA in 2019, although advanced stats suggested some bad luck since he still had 6.5 WAR and 75 FIP-. Zagreb hadn’t earned a playoff berth since 1997, but they started to show some life with winning seasons in 2018 and 2019. The Gulls finally became a contender in 2020, beginning an eight-year playoff streak. Magee returned to ace status to begin this run, winning Pitcher of the Year again in 2020, 2021, and 2023 with a third place finish in 2022. He became the third in EBF history to win the award six times along with pitching WAR leader Jean-Luc Roch and strikeouts leader Lindsey Brampton. Magee led in wins thrice with a career-best 25-5 mark in 2020. He also led in WAR for the only time in 2023 at 7.5, although he had four other seasons with a higher tally. Magee committed in March 2021 at age 31 to a hefty six-year, $106,800,000 extension with the Gulls. Despite their streak, Zagreb couldn’t seem to get over the hump early in the decade. They had the top seed in 2021 at 108-54, but fell in the conference finals to Munich. After a wild card and second round exit in 2022, the Gulls again had the top seed in 2023 at 113-49. Again, they couldn’t get any further because of the Mavericks. Zagreb had another conference finals loss in 2024, this time to Chisinau. 2025 had another top seed at 108-54, but Zurich upset them in round two. Magee’s playoff stats were a mixed bag. He was excellent in both 2021 and 2024, but was lackluster in his 2022 and 2023 outings. In total, Magee had a 3.11 ERA over 84 playoff innings with a 4-3 record, 68 strikeouts, 19 walks, 124 ERA+, and 2.0 WAR. Still, he was a huge reason the Gulls were now regularly in the playoff conversation. Perhaps the finest day of Magee’s career was May 16, 2024. Facing Madrid, he tossed EBF’s 39^th perfect game with 10 strikeouts. In 2025, Magee saw a notable regression and saw fewer outings with career worsts for innings (175.1), ERA (3.59), and strikeouts (155). Magee had never been overpowering, but his velocity had dipped slightly and his movement had flattened somewhat. Instead of hanging around and possibly overstaying his welcome, Magee retired that winter at age 36. Zagreb immediately retired his #13 uniform for his 14 years of steady service. Magee finished with a 249-117 record, 2.68 ERA, 3403 innings, 3155 strikeouts, 716 walks, 294/406 quality starts, 128 complete games, 35 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 86.1 WAR. As of 2037, Magee ranks 10^th in wins, 34^th in innings, 53^rd in strikeouts, 32^nd in complete games, 18^th in shutouts, and 21^st in pitching WAR. Among all EBF pitchers with 1000+ innings, Magee is 58^th in ERA and his opponent’s OPS of .623 ranks 89^th. Despite his six Pitcher of the Year wins, Magee was far less overpowering and dominant than many of the European Baseball Federation’s all-time aces. Traditionalists value his wins and .680 winning percentage (ranked 20^th) more in their analysis. Magee rarely made big mistakes and often could pitch out of jams. The record is especially impressive considering Zagreb lost more often than they won in his early years. Stats like ERA+ and FIP- definitely show Magee was excellent, although the lack of big strikeout tallies keep him outside the top 20 for WAR. Still, most place Magee in the top 20 pitcher lists and some vault him into the top 10. His Hall of Fame status wasn’t in doubt, even with the loaded 2031 class that produced five inductees. At 98.2%, Magee made his mark as the first-ever inductee from Northern Ireland. Forest Campbell – Starting Pitcher – Hamburg Hammers – 94.0% First Ballot Forest Campbell was a 6’2’’ 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. He was the fifth Scot to earn induction. Campbell was often known as being “effectively wild” and he certainly wasn’t boring to watch. At his peak, Campbell’s stuff was rated by many scouts as a 10/10, a rarity for a starting pitcher. Unfortunately, his movement and control were both below average, leading to inconsistent results. Campbell had a six-pitch arsenal with 99-101 mph max velocity, tossing a cutter, forkball, splitter, slider, changeup, and circle change. His stamina was good and durability was outstanding, although the control issues kept him from going the distance more often. Campbell had an excellent pickoff move, but was considered otherwise poor with his glove. He wasn’t a leader, but he was a perfectly fine teammate to have. In March 2007, a teenaged Campbell moved from Scotland to Germany on a developmental deal with Hamburg. His entire European career came with the Hammers, debuting in 2012 at age 22 after five years in their academy. Campbell was a full-timer right away and tossed 200+ innings in each of his first 11 seasons. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, drawing attention right away. From 2014-21, he’d be good for 270+ strikeouts each year. In 2014, Campbell led the Northern Conference for the first time in strikeouts with 296. Unfortunately, he also allowed the most home runs (38) and only had 3.0 WAR, proving frustrating for management. After starting the decade as a losing team, Hamburg took the top seed in 2015 at 109-53. Campbell led the conference with 19 wins, but was iffy in three playoff starts with a 4.41 ERA over 16.1 innings. The Hammers suffered an upset conference finals loss to Antwerp. Hamburg just missed the playoffs in 2016, but then started a seven-year streak in 2017. The year saw Campbell’s lone Pitcher of the Year win and career bests in ERA (2.66), strikeouts (327), and WAR (7.3); missing the Triple Crown by only 0.25. The Hammers repeated as division champs in 2017-18, but fell both years in the first round of the playoffs. Campbell struggled in 2018 to a 4.32 ERA, the worst of his career to that point. Campbell bounced back nicely in 2019 and Hamburg gave him a six-year, $75,600,000 extension in the summer. 99-63 earned the Hammers the top seed in a competitive field and they ultimately won it all, defeating Zurich for their first European Championship. In the playoffs, Campbell went 2-1 in five starts with a 3.82 ERA over 30.2 innings, 40 strikeouts, and 0.9 WAR. However, he fared horribly in the Baseball Grand Championship with an 8.84 ERA over 18.1 innings. Hamburg finished 9-10 for the event. From 2014-27, Campbell also pitched on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native Scotland. He had a 4.22 ERA and 5-10 record over 132.1 innings with 198 strikeouts, 62 walks, and 0.3 WAR. In 2020, Campbell was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with a conference-best 22-3 record along with a 2.69 ERA and 299 strikeouts. Hamburg had dynasty dreams with a franchise-best 115-47 season, but they suffered a second round upset to Amsterdam. The Hammers again were the top seed in 2021 at 108-54 and this time knocked off Dublin to win their second pennant. A second EBF title was ultimately denied by Munich in an all-German final. 2021 was Campbell’s finest postseason performance, going 4-1 over 38 innings with a 2.84 ERA and 47 strikeouts. He carried that into the Baseball Grand Championship as Hamburg finished 11-8, part of a five-way tie for fourth. In four starts, Campbell had a 3-0 record, 1.95 ERA, 32.1 innings, and 35 strikeouts. Campbell’s overall numbers weakened in the next three seasons. Hamburg had a conference finals loss in 2022 to 116-wn Dublin, then lost in the second round in 2023. The playoff streak snapped in 2024, although they stayed above .500 for the rest of Campbell’s time. His career postseason stats were a mixed bag with a 4.06 ERA in 137.1 innings, 8-7 record, 176 strikeouts, 39 walks, 95 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 2.5 WAR. In 2025, Campbell had one last gasp as a top pitcher, leading in strikeouts for the third time with 303. It was his fourth 300+ K season and his fourth year below a 3.00 ERA. It was also his last year with Hamburg, who opted to let the 35-year old Campbell leave for free agency. The Hammers would eventually retire his #25 uniform for his 14-year run with the squad. Campbell was surprised to find limited interest from European clubs and ultimately took his talents to the African Association of Baseball on a three-year, $32,100,000 deal with Harare. It was a rough two years in Zimbabwe though for Campbell, who struggled to a 5.34 ERA over 390.2 innings, 16-20 record, 344 strikeouts, 131 walks, 89 ERA+, 112 FIP-, and 2.1 WAR. He was a free agent for all of 2028, eventually retiring that winter at age 38. In EBF with Hamburg, Campbell finished with a 205-118 record, 3.39 ERA, 3142.2 innings, 3839 strikeouts, 785 walks, 243/393 quality starts, 59 complete games, 21 shutouts, 113 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 56.6 WAR. As of 2037, Campbell ranks 40^th in wins, 19^th in strikeouts, and 64^th in innings. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, his 10.99 K/9 ranks 23^rd. On the bad side, Campbell misses the top 100 for pitching WAR while ranking 8^th in home runs allowed (421) and 27^th in walks. Those who favor Sabermetrics would argue he misses the cut or is borderline. Campbell’s WAR is definitely among the lowest for a starting pitcher in the European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame. Most of the other guys who got in with similar tallies had the benefit of getting there in far fewer innings. However, retiring as a top 20 pitcher in strikeouts and having 200+ wins checks the boxes for most voters. Adding his two AAB years, Campbell had 4183 career Ks, an impressive tally in any context. He was also an important player in a run of success for Hamburg that saw two pennants and their first EBF title. Even for the biggest skeptic, those facts outweighed the negatives. Plus, the guy was just fun to watch when he was on and a compelling spectacle when struggling. Campbell received 94.0% for the first ballot induction as part of the loaded five-player 2031 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)