[FuzzyRussianHat]

Three pitchers earned induction into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame with starter Thad Stoner the clear headliner at 92.2% for his debut. Reliever Etzel Urban was next with a big boost to 78.3% on his sixth ballot. SP Darel Freeland took the third spot, sneaking across the 66% requirement barely with a 66.3% debut. LF Lorenzen Campbell barely missed out on his fifth try at 65.5%, his best showing yet.

Four others were above 50%, but short of the induction threshold. 1B Thomas Lewis had 60.5% in his ninth ballot, his peak thus far. RP Heihachiro Okasawa saw 57.8% on his fourth try, RP Stevie Ray Thornton had 53.1% with his fourth ballot, and RP Sebastian Gomez got 52.7% on his tenth and final attempt. With so many relievers with similar resumes, it was hard for any one of them to gain the traction needed to cross the line.



For Gomez, he had a 23-year career between 13 teams and both MLB and Beisbol Sudamerica and won Reliever of the Year in 1999 for Oklahoma City. In MLB, he had 359 saves and 444 shutdowns, 108-99 record, 2.18 ERA, 1169.2 innings, 1280 strikeouts, 349 walks, 168 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 37.2 WAR. As of 2037, Gomez is 17^th in saves for MLB, but he was viewed as more of a compiler. He never had the raw dominance or notoriety to stand out amongst a crowded field.

Also making it ten ballots before dropping was 1B Kelechi Ekezie, who peaked in 2025 at 37.9% and finished at 8.1%. He was notably the 2003 World Series MVP and AACS MVP, helping Phoenix repeat as champs from 2003-04. Ekezie had 15 seasons with the Firebirds, three with Brooklyn, then spent his final two seasons in the Arab League’s Muscat.

Ekezie was a very reliable contributor, but he was never a league leader or award winning in the regular season. He had 2537 games, 2707 hits, 1471 runs, 367 doubles, 481 home runs, 1432 RBI, 1129 walks, 1017 strikeouts, .300/.377/.507 slash, 146 wRC+, and 83.6 WAR. Ekezie ended up a firm Hall of Pretty Good type guy, needing more eye-popping stats to stand out, especially in a spot like first base which has no shortage of impressive bats.



Thad “Mounds” Stoner – Starting Pitcher – Oakland Owls – 92.2% First Ballot

Thad Stoner was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Inglewood, California; a city of around 107,000 people within the Greater Los Angeles area. Stoner was known for having excellent stuff along with rock solid control and good movement. He didn’t have overwhelming power, but he was adept at changing speeds and disguising his pitchers. Stoner’s fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range and was joined by a slider, curveball, and changeup. The changeup was generally viewed as his most dangerous offering, but all four choices were good quality.

Stoner’s stamina was better than most and his durability was outstanding, tossing 245+ innings with 30+ starts each year from 2013-26. He was above average at holding runners, but below average defensively otherwise. Stoner was considered a good leader and one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse. He almost quietly put together an impressive 16-year career.

He left California to attend Kansas State University from 2009-11, posting an 18-8 record and 1.75 ERA over 304 collegiate innings with 414 strikeouts, 64 walks, 185 ERA+, and 16.5 WAR. This shot Stoner up the boards for the 2011 MLB Draft and he returned to California, picked 16^th by Oakland. Almost his entire career came with the Owls, who eased him in with 98.2 innings as a rookie. Stoner would hold a full-time rotation spot for the following 14 years.

In 2014, Stoner led the American Association with 282.2 innings. In 2016, he had his career-best ERA of 2.68, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Oakland was aggressively mid most of his tenure, averaging 83.3 wins per season in Stoner’s run. They were rarely at the absolute bottom of the standings, but the Owls didn’t make the playoffs from 1997-2024.

Stoner provided reliable production through the run, although he didn’t get a ton of awards looks. He led in strikeouts with a career best 284 Ks in 2018. That year and 2019 had his career bests for WAR at 7.8. In 2021, he led the AA in WHIP (0.96) and complete games (23). Stoner was above 7 WAR in six seasons and above 6 WAR in eight years. Oakland gave him a three-year, $60,800,000 extension in May 2018. Then in March 2021, the Owls signed Stoner another five years at $121 million.

His production started to dip in his mid 30s with a 4.24 ERA, 188 Ks, and 3.7 WAR in 2025; the worst of his career to that point. Oakland finally made the playoffs that year as a wild card and went one-and-done. The Owls had a similar fate in 2026 with Stoner going eight innings with five runs (four earned) allowed in both of his playoff starts. He did bounce back though in 2026 with a 2.76 ERA and an AA-best 0.98 WHIP and 23 quality starts. At age 35, Stoner took second in Pitcher of the Year voting.

That was also a contract year and Oakland was unsure about giving Stoner another big, long-term deal. Stoner opted for free agency, finishing his Owls tenure with a 242-168 record, 3.26 ERA, 3842.1 innings, 3374 strikeouts, 764 walks, 121 ERA+, and 89.6 WAR. Oakland would soon retire his #2 uniform for his 15 seasons of steady service.

Montreal signed Stoner to a two-year, $51,200,000 deal. Unfortunately, the cliff came quickly and Stoner’s velocity dipped into the 91-93 mph range. He struggled to a 5.21 ERA and only 99 strikeouts over 181.1 innings in 2027 for the Maples. Stoner did post a 3.86 ERA over 18.2 playoff innings and three starts, as Montreal was the World Series runner-up to San Diego. Stoner decided to retire with that at age 37, skipping the Baseball Grand Championship.

Stoner finished with a 252-180 record, 3.34 ERA, 4023.2 innings, 3473 strikeouts, 800 walks, 290/496 quality starts, 261 complete games, 40 shutouts, 118 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 91.4 WAR. As of 2037, Stoner ranks 45^th in wins, 88^th in innings, 76^th in shutouts, 38^th in strikeouts, and 52^nd in WAR among pitchers. Stoner was never considered the top arm in the game, but his durability and reliability got him the accumulations needed to win over most Hall of Fame voters. At 92.2%, he headlined the 2033 class for Major League Baseball.