OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-31-2025, 08:19 AM

Nerfy “Deuce” Ayala – Outfield – Torreon Tomahawks – 87.4% First Ballot

Nerfy Ayala was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from Santiago de Cuba; the island’s second-largest city with about 507,000 inhabitants. Nicknamed “Deuce,” Ayala was an excellent contact hitter with a solid pop in his bat specifically against right-handed pitching. Facing RHP, he had a career .936 OPS and 159 wRC+. Ayala was average at best against lefties with a .724 OPS and 102 wRC+. On the whole, he was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but weaker than most at drawing walks.

Ayala’s 162 game average got you 31 doubles, 11 triples, and 24 home runs. He was a highly skilled and crafty baserunner with good-to-great speed. Ayala had an excellent arm, which served him well as a right fielder for about 85% of his starts. He graded overall as a reliable solid defender in RF and was maybe a notch just below Gold Glove level. Ayala occasionally started in left with below average results and in center with lousy results.

For much of his career, Ayala had impeccable durability with 140+ starts each year from 2011-23. He was an incredibly likeable fan favorite, becoming extremely popular at each of his stops. Ayala worked hard, was adaptable, selfless, and loyal. Those were traits that served him very well across a 20-year pro career.

Ayala was one of the top young prospects coming from Cuba for the 2008 CABA Draft and was picked as a teenager 16^th overall by Suriname. The Silverbacks were still a newer and relatively unsuccessful franchise at that point, having entered with the 2003 expansion. Ayala spent all of 2009 in their academy and only saw 10 games in 2010 at age 20. He debuted as a full-time starter in 2011 and took second in Rookie of the Year voting.

He had three solid seasons starting for Suriname with 487 games, 593 hits, 266 runs, 74 doubles, 25 triples, 62 home runs, 208 RBI, 121 steals, .330/.373/.502 slash, 137 wRC+, and 15.8 WAR. The Silverbacks were still going seemingly nowhere though and decided to trade Ayala after the 2013 season to defending CABA champ Torreon for prospects. Three of them ended up as decent multi-year starters, helping Suriname to a few playoff berths in the early 2020s.

Ayala’s most famous run was with the Tomahawks, which made him a superstar across Mexico. He was also beloved back home in Cuba as a regular from 2012-29 in the World Baseball Championship. Ayala played 148 games in the WBC with 143 hits, 77 runs, 20 doubles, 6 triples, 22 homers, 65 RBI, .265/.309/.446 slash, and 3.4 WAR.

Torreon was the defending CABA champ, their first-ever overall title, and hoped Ayala could help spur a dynasty run. The plan seemed to work initially with a franchise record 107-55 mark in 2014. The Tomahawks repeated as Mexican League champs, but lost the CABA finale to Nicaragua. Ayala was especially potent in the playoffs with 1.140 OPS, 1.3 WAR, 26 hits, 18 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, and 12 RBI in 16 starts.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, Torreon finished 12-7, officially in sixth after tiebreakers. Ayala had a decent showing with 18 hits, 13 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, 9 RBI, and .868 OPS. Despite this strong start, he was actually subpar in his later limited playoff trips with -0.2 WAR across 11 starts. Torreon had only winning seasons through 2024, but they didn’t get beyond the first round for the rest of Ayala’s tenure with berths from 2015-17 and in both 2022 and 2024.

In March 2016, Ayala signed an eight-year, $134,200,000 extension with the Tomahawks. He remained steady through it all, winning his lone Silver Sluggers in 2015 and 2016. Ayala was also third in 2016’s MVP voting, which had his career bests for hits (224), homers (37), OPS (1.025), and wRC+ (179). His only time as a league leader was with 41 doubles in 2020. That year also had his bests for runs (121), average (.365), OBP (.401), and WAR (8.6). Ayala notably hit for the cycle in April 2019 against San Luis Potosi.

2024 saw his first notable injuries, missing about a month to an intercostal strain. Ayala was still steady and solid, but Torreon didn’t re-sign him and he entered free agency at age 35. For the Tomahawks, Ayala had 1712 games, 2197 hits, 1131 runs, 361 doubles, 129 triples, 271 home runs, 1014 RBI, 491 steals, .336/.368/.555 slash, 156 wRC+, and 66.9 WAR. Torreon would later retire his #29 uniform for his 11 years of steady service.

Ayala signed a three-year, $35,100,000 deal with Puerto Rico, but quickly saw his production dip. He did notably hit again for the cycle in August 2025 against Haiti and in April 2027 against Guadeloupe, becoming the third in CABA history to achieve the feat thrice. In 2026, Ayala became the 14^th member of the 3000 hit club and the 21^st to 1500 runs scored. However, he missed two months that year to elbow inflammation and had a fractured tibia the prior fall.

In three years for the Pelicans, Ayala had 381 games, 384 hits, 195 runs, 61 doubles, 26 triples, 49 home runs, 186 RBI, .280/.319/.470 slash, 111 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR. Ayala was now 38-years old and CABA teams generally thought he was cooked. He wasn’t ready to stop playing yet and put out global feelers. This led him to the Asian Baseball Federation for his final two pro seasons.

Ayala joined Shymkent in 2028 and had 2.6 WAR over 134 games with 131 hits, 61 runs, 26 doubles, 15 homers, 52 RBI, .272/.302/.432 slash, 124 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. Ayala went to Lahore in 2029 and had a remarkable resurgence with 5.1 WAR, .817 OPS, 167 hits, 80 runs, 30 doubles, 19 homers, 85 RBI, and a .295/.340/.447 slash. The season ended with a broken hand, but he showed he could still go. Ayala didn’t want to overstay his welcome though and retired that winter just after turning 40.

For his combined pro career, Ayala had 2866 games, 3472 hits, 1733 runs, 552 doubles, 191 triples, 416 home runs, 1545 RBI, 609 walks, 1516 strikeouts, 740 steals, .323/.358/.526 slash, 145 wRC+, and 95.8 WAR. Just in CABA, Ayala played 2580 games with 3174 hits, 1592 runs, 496 doubles, 180 triples, 382 home runs, 1408 RBI, 547 walks, 1350 strikeouts, 680 steals, .327/.362/.533 slash, 146 wRC+, and 88.0 WAR.

As of 2037 in CABA, Ayala ranks 41^st in games, 10^th in hits, 20^th in runs, 24^th in total bases (5176), 8^th in singles (2116), 14^th in doubles, 88^th in triples, 63^rd in RBI, 86^th in steals, and 58^th in WAR among position players. Ayala also ranks 73^rd in batting average among all CABA hitters with 3000+ plate appearances.

Ayala was never considered the top guy in the game, but he was a remarkably consistent starter for close to two decades and accordingly accrued impressive accumulations. Plus, he was one of the most genuine and likeable guys in the game. A few Hall of Fame voters dinged him for the lack of black ink and awards, but Ayala still got more than enough for the first ballot nod. At 87.4%, he was the third of four inductees for the 2033 class in the Central American Baseball Association.

Payton Nandin – First Base – Panama Parrots – 84.7% First Ballot

Payton Nandin was a 6’7’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Mixco, Guatemala; part of Guatemala City’s metropolitan area with around 466,000 people. Nandin was known for his remarkably steady and consistent home run power. He hit 30+ in all of his full seasons and had 40+ 12 times. Nandin’s 162 game average got you 43 homers, 26 doubles, and 4 triples.

Despite the strong slugging, Nandin was an above average contact hitter at best and struggled with strikeouts. He never hit above .300 in any season, but he was at least fairly solid at drawing walks. Nandin was stronger facing right-handed pitching (.892 OPS, 137 wRC+) than against lefties (.790 OPS, 114 wRC+). One major benefit was his excellent defense as a career first baseman. Nandin won two Gold Gloves and reliably graded as one of the better gloves at the spot.

Nandin had ironman durability, starting 146+ games each year from 2012-27. That reliability and power made him a popular player during his run. Nandin also earned plenty of respect in the clubhouse as he was appreciated for his leadership, loyalty, and adaptability.

Being a tall lefty who hits hard will always earn attention from the scouts. Nandin wasn’t “big league ready” by the 2007 CABA Draft, but teams saw a lot of potential and upset. Nandin went 14^th overall to Panama and played his entire career with the Parrots. He wasn’t immediately used though, spending all of 2008 in their academy. From 2009-11, Nandin only saw 45 total starts and 92 games with mostly weak results.

It was sink or swim time for Nandin in 2012, as he took over the starting job. He certainly swam with arguably the best season he’d ever have, leading the Caribbean League with career highs in runs (117), RBI (132), and total bases (401). Nandin also had his career highs for hits (186), doubles (34), triples (11), homers (53), average (.293), slugging (.631), OPS (.972), wRC+ (160), and WAR (6.7). He hit for the cycle on August 30 against Havana and finished second in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist.

Nandin never had a year quite like that again and with the competition at first base, he never won a Silver Slugger. He did win Gold Gloves in 2019 and 2026 and provided steady production for the next 15 years. Panama had been a historically terrible franchise with a 61-year playoff drought from 1947-2007. With Nandin’s help in the 2010s and 2020s, they were at least generally competitive, averaging 84.6 wins per season in his years as a starter.

The Parrots had playoff appearances in 2012, 2013, and 2015; but never went on a deep run. 2013 was the only year they won a playoff series, eventually falling to Santo Domingo in the CLCS. Panama mostly hovered around .500 after that with Nandin doing his thing. His limited playoff tries saw a .698 OPS, 91 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR in 14 starts. The Parrots gave him an eight-year, $96,900,000 extension after the 2014 season and a five-year, $57 million extension after the 2021 campaign. He did notably lead in homers with 49 in 2019, his only other time as a league leader after 2012.

Nandin did have solid numbers as a regular for his native Guatemala from 2013-28 in the World Baseball Championship. In 155 games, he had 107 hits, 81 runs, 18 doubles, 45 home runs, 84 RBI, 82 walks, .209/.333/.515 slash, 141 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR. Nandin’s best effort was his debut 2013 WBC with 18 hits, 13 runs, 7 homers, and 16 RBI in 18 games, helping the Guatemalans to a fourth place finish.

With his ironman durability and consistency, Nandin started hitting impressive milestones later in his career. In 2025, he became the 23^rd member of the 600 home run club and the 36^th to reach 1500 RBI. In 2027, Nandin was the 22^nd to reach 1500 runs scored and the 62^nd to 2500 hits.

While still a competent starter, his numbers had started to dip a bit in his late 30s. Panama didn’t re-sign Nandin after the 2027 season, sending him to free agency for the first time with age 40 approaching. Nandin did hope to play somewhere, but couldn’t find a home in 2028. He retired that winter and the Parrots quickly retired his #27 uniform for his lengthy service.

Nandin’s final stats saw 2622 games, 2507 hits, 1534 runs, 427 doubles, 60 triples, 695 home runs, 1713 RBI, 829 walks, 2540 strikeouts, .263/.328/.538 slash, 131 wRC+, and 71.6 WAR. As of 2037, Nandin ranks 28^th in games, 26^th in runs, 68^th in hits, 26^th in total bases (5139), 54^th in doubles, 10^th in homers, 17^th in RBI, 45^th in walks, and 6^th in strikeouts. Notably, he doesn’t crack the top 100 in WAR for position players, with some Sabermetric-minded voters arguing Nandin was less impressive than the raw totals might suggest.

Even if he didn’t have the overwhelming dominance or awards, the consistency and accumulations can’t be ignored. If you get 2500+ hits, 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, and nearly 700 home runs, you’re going to be a lock for most Hall of Fame voters. Nandin earned a first ballot nod at 84.7% to cap off an impressive four-player class in 2033 for the Central American Baseball Association.

07-31-2025, 08:19 AM	#2356
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,259	2033 CABA Hall of Fame (Part 2) Nerfy “Deuce” Ayala – Outfield – Torreon Tomahawks – 87.4% First Ballot Nerfy Ayala was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from Santiago de Cuba; the island’s second-largest city with about 507,000 inhabitants. Nicknamed “Deuce,” Ayala was an excellent contact hitter with a solid pop in his bat specifically against right-handed pitching. Facing RHP, he had a career .936 OPS and 159 wRC+. Ayala was average at best against lefties with a .724 OPS and 102 wRC+. On the whole, he was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but weaker than most at drawing walks. Ayala’s 162 game average got you 31 doubles, 11 triples, and 24 home runs. He was a highly skilled and crafty baserunner with good-to-great speed. Ayala had an excellent arm, which served him well as a right fielder for about 85% of his starts. He graded overall as a reliable solid defender in RF and was maybe a notch just below Gold Glove level. Ayala occasionally started in left with below average results and in center with lousy results. For much of his career, Ayala had impeccable durability with 140+ starts each year from 2011-23. He was an incredibly likeable fan favorite, becoming extremely popular at each of his stops. Ayala worked hard, was adaptable, selfless, and loyal. Those were traits that served him very well across a 20-year pro career. Ayala was one of the top young prospects coming from Cuba for the 2008 CABA Draft and was picked as a teenager 16^th overall by Suriname. The Silverbacks were still a newer and relatively unsuccessful franchise at that point, having entered with the 2003 expansion. Ayala spent all of 2009 in their academy and only saw 10 games in 2010 at age 20. He debuted as a full-time starter in 2011 and took second in Rookie of the Year voting. He had three solid seasons starting for Suriname with 487 games, 593 hits, 266 runs, 74 doubles, 25 triples, 62 home runs, 208 RBI, 121 steals, .330/.373/.502 slash, 137 wRC+, and 15.8 WAR. The Silverbacks were still going seemingly nowhere though and decided to trade Ayala after the 2013 season to defending CABA champ Torreon for prospects. Three of them ended up as decent multi-year starters, helping Suriname to a few playoff berths in the early 2020s. Ayala’s most famous run was with the Tomahawks, which made him a superstar across Mexico. He was also beloved back home in Cuba as a regular from 2012-29 in the World Baseball Championship. Ayala played 148 games in the WBC with 143 hits, 77 runs, 20 doubles, 6 triples, 22 homers, 65 RBI, .265/.309/.446 slash, and 3.4 WAR. Torreon was the defending CABA champ, their first-ever overall title, and hoped Ayala could help spur a dynasty run. The plan seemed to work initially with a franchise record 107-55 mark in 2014. The Tomahawks repeated as Mexican League champs, but lost the CABA finale to Nicaragua. Ayala was especially potent in the playoffs with 1.140 OPS, 1.3 WAR, 26 hits, 18 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, and 12 RBI in 16 starts. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Torreon finished 12-7, officially in sixth after tiebreakers. Ayala had a decent showing with 18 hits, 13 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, 9 RBI, and .868 OPS. Despite this strong start, he was actually subpar in his later limited playoff trips with -0.2 WAR across 11 starts. Torreon had only winning seasons through 2024, but they didn’t get beyond the first round for the rest of Ayala’s tenure with berths from 2015-17 and in both 2022 and 2024. In March 2016, Ayala signed an eight-year, $134,200,000 extension with the Tomahawks. He remained steady through it all, winning his lone Silver Sluggers in 2015 and 2016. Ayala was also third in 2016’s MVP voting, which had his career bests for hits (224), homers (37), OPS (1.025), and wRC+ (179). His only time as a league leader was with 41 doubles in 2020. That year also had his bests for runs (121), average (.365), OBP (.401), and WAR (8.6). Ayala notably hit for the cycle in April 2019 against San Luis Potosi. 2024 saw his first notable injuries, missing about a month to an intercostal strain. Ayala was still steady and solid, but Torreon didn’t re-sign him and he entered free agency at age 35. For the Tomahawks, Ayala had 1712 games, 2197 hits, 1131 runs, 361 doubles, 129 triples, 271 home runs, 1014 RBI, 491 steals, .336/.368/.555 slash, 156 wRC+, and 66.9 WAR. Torreon would later retire his #29 uniform for his 11 years of steady service. Ayala signed a three-year, $35,100,000 deal with Puerto Rico, but quickly saw his production dip. He did notably hit again for the cycle in August 2025 against Haiti and in April 2027 against Guadeloupe, becoming the third in CABA history to achieve the feat thrice. In 2026, Ayala became the 14^th member of the 3000 hit club and the 21^st to 1500 runs scored. However, he missed two months that year to elbow inflammation and had a fractured tibia the prior fall. In three years for the Pelicans, Ayala had 381 games, 384 hits, 195 runs, 61 doubles, 26 triples, 49 home runs, 186 RBI, .280/.319/.470 slash, 111 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR. Ayala was now 38-years old and CABA teams generally thought he was cooked. He wasn’t ready to stop playing yet and put out global feelers. This led him to the Asian Baseball Federation for his final two pro seasons. Ayala joined Shymkent in 2028 and had 2.6 WAR over 134 games with 131 hits, 61 runs, 26 doubles, 15 homers, 52 RBI, .272/.302/.432 slash, 124 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. Ayala went to Lahore in 2029 and had a remarkable resurgence with 5.1 WAR, .817 OPS, 167 hits, 80 runs, 30 doubles, 19 homers, 85 RBI, and a .295/.340/.447 slash. The season ended with a broken hand, but he showed he could still go. Ayala didn’t want to overstay his welcome though and retired that winter just after turning 40. For his combined pro career, Ayala had 2866 games, 3472 hits, 1733 runs, 552 doubles, 191 triples, 416 home runs, 1545 RBI, 609 walks, 1516 strikeouts, 740 steals, .323/.358/.526 slash, 145 wRC+, and 95.8 WAR. Just in CABA, Ayala played 2580 games with 3174 hits, 1592 runs, 496 doubles, 180 triples, 382 home runs, 1408 RBI, 547 walks, 1350 strikeouts, 680 steals, .327/.362/.533 slash, 146 wRC+, and 88.0 WAR. As of 2037 in CABA, Ayala ranks 41^st in games, 10^th in hits, 20^th in runs, 24^th in total bases (5176), 8^th in singles (2116), 14^th in doubles, 88^th in triples, 63^rd in RBI, 86^th in steals, and 58^th in WAR among position players. Ayala also ranks 73^rd in batting average among all CABA hitters with 3000+ plate appearances. Ayala was never considered the top guy in the game, but he was a remarkably consistent starter for close to two decades and accordingly accrued impressive accumulations. Plus, he was one of the most genuine and likeable guys in the game. A few Hall of Fame voters dinged him for the lack of black ink and awards, but Ayala still got more than enough for the first ballot nod. At 87.4%, he was the third of four inductees for the 2033 class in the Central American Baseball Association. Payton Nandin – First Base – Panama Parrots – 84.7% First Ballot Payton Nandin was a 6’7’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Mixco, Guatemala; part of Guatemala City’s metropolitan area with around 466,000 people. Nandin was known for his remarkably steady and consistent home run power. He hit 30+ in all of his full seasons and had 40+ 12 times. Nandin’s 162 game average got you 43 homers, 26 doubles, and 4 triples. Despite the strong slugging, Nandin was an above average contact hitter at best and struggled with strikeouts. He never hit above .300 in any season, but he was at least fairly solid at drawing walks. Nandin was stronger facing right-handed pitching (.892 OPS, 137 wRC+) than against lefties (.790 OPS, 114 wRC+). One major benefit was his excellent defense as a career first baseman. Nandin won two Gold Gloves and reliably graded as one of the better gloves at the spot. Nandin had ironman durability, starting 146+ games each year from 2012-27. That reliability and power made him a popular player during his run. Nandin also earned plenty of respect in the clubhouse as he was appreciated for his leadership, loyalty, and adaptability. Being a tall lefty who hits hard will always earn attention from the scouts. Nandin wasn’t “big league ready” by the 2007 CABA Draft, but teams saw a lot of potential and upset. Nandin went 14^th overall to Panama and played his entire career with the Parrots. He wasn’t immediately used though, spending all of 2008 in their academy. From 2009-11, Nandin only saw 45 total starts and 92 games with mostly weak results. It was sink or swim time for Nandin in 2012, as he took over the starting job. He certainly swam with arguably the best season he’d ever have, leading the Caribbean League with career highs in runs (117), RBI (132), and total bases (401). Nandin also had his career highs for hits (186), doubles (34), triples (11), homers (53), average (.293), slugging (.631), OPS (.972), wRC+ (160), and WAR (6.7). He hit for the cycle on August 30 against Havana and finished second in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. Nandin never had a year quite like that again and with the competition at first base, he never won a Silver Slugger. He did win Gold Gloves in 2019 and 2026 and provided steady production for the next 15 years. Panama had been a historically terrible franchise with a 61-year playoff drought from 1947-2007. With Nandin’s help in the 2010s and 2020s, they were at least generally competitive, averaging 84.6 wins per season in his years as a starter. The Parrots had playoff appearances in 2012, 2013, and 2015; but never went on a deep run. 2013 was the only year they won a playoff series, eventually falling to Santo Domingo in the CLCS. Panama mostly hovered around .500 after that with Nandin doing his thing. His limited playoff tries saw a .698 OPS, 91 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR in 14 starts. The Parrots gave him an eight-year, $96,900,000 extension after the 2014 season and a five-year, $57 million extension after the 2021 campaign. He did notably lead in homers with 49 in 2019, his only other time as a league leader after 2012. Nandin did have solid numbers as a regular for his native Guatemala from 2013-28 in the World Baseball Championship. In 155 games, he had 107 hits, 81 runs, 18 doubles, 45 home runs, 84 RBI, 82 walks, .209/.333/.515 slash, 141 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR. Nandin’s best effort was his debut 2013 WBC with 18 hits, 13 runs, 7 homers, and 16 RBI in 18 games, helping the Guatemalans to a fourth place finish. With his ironman durability and consistency, Nandin started hitting impressive milestones later in his career. In 2025, he became the 23^rd member of the 600 home run club and the 36^th to reach 1500 RBI. In 2027, Nandin was the 22^nd to reach 1500 runs scored and the 62^nd to 2500 hits. While still a competent starter, his numbers had started to dip a bit in his late 30s. Panama didn’t re-sign Nandin after the 2027 season, sending him to free agency for the first time with age 40 approaching. Nandin did hope to play somewhere, but couldn’t find a home in 2028. He retired that winter and the Parrots quickly retired his #27 uniform for his lengthy service. Nandin’s final stats saw 2622 games, 2507 hits, 1534 runs, 427 doubles, 60 triples, 695 home runs, 1713 RBI, 829 walks, 2540 strikeouts, .263/.328/.538 slash, 131 wRC+, and 71.6 WAR. As of 2037, Nandin ranks 28^th in games, 26^th in runs, 68^th in hits, 26^th in total bases (5139), 54^th in doubles, 10^th in homers, 17^th in RBI, 45^th in walks, and 6^th in strikeouts. Notably, he doesn’t crack the top 100 in WAR for position players, with some Sabermetric-minded voters arguing Nandin was less impressive than the raw totals might suggest. Even if he didn’t have the overwhelming dominance or awards, the consistency and accumulations can’t be ignored. If you get 2500+ hits, 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, and nearly 700 home runs, you’re going to be a lock for most Hall of Fame voters. Nandin earned a first ballot nod at 84.7% to cap off an impressive four-player class in 2033 for the Central American Baseball Association. __________________ 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)