OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 08-27-2025, 07:18 AM

Akram Ponnuru – Relief Pitcher – Dhaka Dobermans – 87.7% First Ballot

Akram Ponnuru was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Mulavukad, India; a town of 23,000 people near the country’s southern tip. Ponnuru had excellent stuff along with very good control and average movement. He had the one-two punch of fastball/splitter with 97-99 mph velocity.

Ponnuru’s stamina was average for relievers, but he had ironman durability and was almost always available, becoming one of the few relievers in world history with more than 1000 games pitched. Ponnuru was a good defensive pitcher, but his ability to hold runners was subpar. You wouldn’t ask him to lead the team, but he wasn’t going to ever cause any trouble.

In May 2006, Ponnuru left India for Bangladesh on a developmental contract with Dhaka. He debuted in 2011 at age 21 with 58.1 innings of respectable middle relief as Dhaka had SAB’s best record at 113-49. Ponnuru had three relief appearances in the playoffs, but stepped up big with seven scoreless innings and nine strikeouts. The Dobermans won the SAB Championship over Kolkata, their second overall title along with the 1981 win. Ponnuru gave up four runs in nine innings for the Baseball Grand Championship as Dhaka finished 10-9.

The Dobermans gave him the closer job from 2012-16 and he led the Southeast Asia League thrice in games pitched. He was also the saves leader in 2013 with 35. Ponnuru was third in 2012’s Reliever of the Year voting and second in 2013. He then won the honor for the first time in 2014, posting his Dhaka bests with a 1.75 ERA and 4.4 WAR.

Dhaka followed up the 2011 title with wild cards in 2012-13, but couldn’t get out of the first round. They were 85-77 in 2014, then spent the following three years below .500. With a rebuild expected, the Dobermans traded Ponnuru in November 2016 to Hyderabad for three prospects.

Ponnuru’s one year with the Horned Frogs was the best of his career, winning his second Reliever of the Year with a league and career-best 44 saves. He also had his best ERA at 0.99 with 164 strikeouts in 90.2 innings and 4.8 WAR. Ponnuru had a streak of 38 consecutive scoreless innings over 34 games from April 6 to July 1. The Hippos won the South Division at 100-62, but lost the Indian League Championship Series to Kanpur. Ponnuru’s stock was high as he entered free agency for the first time at age 28. He stayed in his native India on a two-year, $7,160,000 deal with Mumbai.

From 2013-18 and in 2022 and 2025, Ponnuru pitched for India in the World Baseball Championship. He had a 2.75 ERA over 52.1 innings with a 4-1 record, 52.1 innings, 67 strikeouts, and 1.0 WAR. Ponnuru was also part of India’s fourth place finishing 2025 squad.

Ponnuru was surprisingly used in middle relief by Mumbai in 2018, then reclaimed the closer job with alright results in 2019. He was still effective, but was used in middle or long relief for the next few years. Ponnuru signed with Vientiane in 2020, Kolkata in 2021, back to Mumbai in 2022, then another stint with the Vampires in 2023. Ponnuru did win an Indian League title with the Meteors in 2022, but they lost the SAB title to Yangon. For his playoff career, Ponnuru had reliably good stats. He had 29.2 innings over 18 appearances with a 1.82 ERA, 2-2 record, 3 saves, 40 strikeouts, 6 walks, 307 ERA+, 50 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR.

In 2024, Ponnuru returned to the closer role and to Dhaka. He led the league with 38 saves in 2024 for his third Reliever of the Year win with a 2.71 ERA and 76.1 innings. Ponnuru had more saves with a league-best 41 in 2025, but his ERA jumped to 3.59. Between runs with the Dobermans, he had 255 saves and 281 shutdowns, a 51-46 record, 2.84 ERA, 667.2 innings, 1031 strikeouts, 148 walks, 137 ERA+, and 21.0 WAR. Dhaka would later retire his #7 uniform.

Ponnuru joined Ahmedabad for 2026 at age 36 and had 40 saves, 78 games, a 2.06 ERA, and 91.2 innings. He was second in Reliever of the Year voting, his final time as a finalist. Ponnuru fell off in 2027 and had 3.48 ERA over 42 appearances and 54.1 innings for the Animals, but his three saves got him to exactly 400, becoming the eighth in SAB to reach the mark. He had one final year with Delhi in 2028 with a 3.69 ERA over 53.2 innings. Ponnuru retired that winter just after his 39^th birthday.

The final stats saw 1054 games, 403 saves, 531 shutdowns, 1392 innings, a 100-83 record, 2.57 ERA, 2047 strikeouts, 297 walks, 147 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 35.8 WAR. As of 2037, Ponnuru is 8^th in saves and 2^nd in games pitched in SAB. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, he is 24^th in ERA, 28^th in opponent’s OPS (.591), and 14^th in WHIP (0.95). Ponnuru is also 19^th in H/9 (6.63), 11^th in K/9 (13.23), and his .203/.252/.339 triple slash ranks 14^th/13^th/56^th.

Ponnuru’s longevity also lands him on the world leaderboards. As of 2037, he is 20^th in games pitched, 41^st in shutdowns, and 14^th in strikeouts among relievers. Ponnuru misses the top 50 for saves narrowly and didn’t have the raw dominance to rank for rate stats. Despite his accolades, Ponnuru doesn’t usually factor into the conversations for the inner-circle of closers in world history.

However, he was easily a top five reliever for most of his career in South Asia Baseball and reliable at each of his stops. Ponnuru’s WAR does fall just out of the top five for SAB’s relievers all-time, but most Hall of Fame voters still felt he did plenty to earn a spot alongside those guys. Ponnuru got 87.7% for a first ballot selection as part of a three-player 2034 class for SAB.

Harpal Kumaragupta – Starting Pitcher – Bengaluru Blazers – 72.9% Third Ballot

Harpal Kumaragupta was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Agra, India; the country’s 23^rd most populous city with around 1.6 million people. Kumaragupta had good-to-great stuff and control along with solid movement. His 97-99 mph fastball was his best pitch, but he was a rare ace with a six-pitch arsenal. Kumaragupta also had a forkball, slider, curveball, standard changeup, and circle change as options.

Kumaragupta had very good stamina and solid durability for most of his career, tossing 210+ innings each year from 2011-24. He had a fantastic pickoff move and was excellent at holding runners. Kumaragupta also graded as a pretty reliable defensive pitcher. He was one of the smartest arms in the league, but you couldn’t expect him to take on a leadership role.

By the 2009 SAB Draft, Kumaragupta was one of the highest rated prospects from India. He went third overall to Bengaluru and was a part-time starter as a rookie, but struggled to a 5.19 ERA in 2010. Kumaragupta got a full-time job in 2011, but didn’t really emerge as an ace until 2013. That year, he won the Indian League’s ERA title at 2.44. However, he wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year candidate with the Blazers.

Part of that was due to Bengaluru being forgettable during this era. They had won pennants in 2003 and 2004, but had a playoff drought begin in 2006 that carried into the 2030s. The Blazers did at least get back around .500 for most of Kumaragupta’s tenure, but they were on the bad side of it. Still, he signed a four-year, $21,120,000 extension after the 2014 season.

Kumaragupta’s Bengaluru tenure ended after the 2016 season as he was involved in a six-player trade with Hyderabad. For the Blazers, he had a 76-77 record, 3.21 ERA, 1441.2 innings, 1671 strikeouts, 311 walks, 109 ERA+, 98 FIP-, and 19.0 WAR. It was marginally his longest tenure with any team, although he was arguably more impactful with Visakhapatnam later. Kumaragupta would be inducted in Blazers colors, but he isn’t thought of as a franchise legend.

Hyderabad had just ended a seven-year playoff drought and hoped Kumaragupta could help them across the line. The Hippos won the South Division and made it to the Indian League Championship Series in both of his seasons there. However, they were defeated in both the 2017 and 2018 ILCS by Kanpur. Kumaragupta in two 2017 playoff starts, but was solid in 2018. He had a 4.11 ERA over 30.2 innings with 37 Ks and 1.0 WAR in the playoffs.

Overall for the Hippos, Kumaragupta had a 33-18 record, 3.25 ERA, 504 innings, 585 strikeouts, 96 walks, 111 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 9.4 WAR. He notably had his highest career strikeout tally with 311 in 2018 for Hyderabad. He was a free agent for the first time at age 31 and got a six-year, $52,200,000 deal with Visakhapatnam. This kept him in the South Division with the Volts, who were amidst a rebuild. They had won pennants in 2012-13, but had been on a playoff drought since 2015.

Kumaragupta led in complete games and shutouts in 2019, but was otherwise just above average in his first few seasons for Visakhapatnam. His results stepped up as the Volts began a dynasty run, winning three straight SAB Championships from 2023-25. Kumaragupta was there for the first two as Visakhapatnam defeated Dhaka in the 2023 final and Ho Chi Minh City in 2024.

In 2023, Kumaragupta was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. In the playoffs, Kumaragupta had a 2-2 record, 3.55 ERA, 50.2 innings, 52 strikeouts, 7 walks, 103 ERA+, 114 FIP-, and 0.5 WAR. He missed the 2023 Baseball Grand Championship to a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. In 2024, he had a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings. The Volts finished 7-12 in the 2023 event and 8-11 in 2024.

In six seasons for Visakhapatnam, Kumaragupta had an 81-68 record, 3.38 ERA, 1407.1 innings, 1556 strikeouts, 241 walks, 108 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 24.4 WAR. He was back to free agency for 2025 at age 37 and joined Indore on a two-year, $19 million deal. This was to be the Razorbacks debut season as one of four expansion teams in the Indian League. In 2025, Kumaragupta had a 6-8 record, 3.04 ERA, 139.1 innings, 114 Ks, and 1.5 WAR. The run was cut short by a torn rotator cuff in late July.

Kumaragupta was let go with the injury, but was determined to make it back. Bangkok gave him a two-year, $4,880,000 deal and he was terrible in 2026 with a 5.49 ERA over 155.2 innings and -0.8 WAR. With the Bobcats though, he became the fifth in SAB history to reach 4000 strikeouts and the 11^th to 200 wins. Kumaragupta retired that winter at age 39.

In total, Kumaragupta had a 206-177 record, 3.37 ERA, 3648 innings, 4028 strikeouts, 717 walks, 275/467 quality starts, 108 complete games, 24 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 95 FIP-, and 53.5 WAR. As of 2037, Kumaragupta ranks 14^th in wins, 3^rd in innings, 5^th in starts, 2^nd in complete games, 8^th in strikeouts, and 46^th in WAR among pitchers. He’s also 2^nd in hits allowed (3293)

For supporters, 200+ wins and 4000+ strikeouts was plenty for Kumaragupta. However, critics who valued big peaks and accolades dismissed him as a compiler. To that point, the highest ERA of a Hall of Famer for South Asia Baseball was Tamin Hasan at 3.14. Despite Kumaragupta’s inning tally, his WAR was among the lowest of any starting pitcher in SAB’s HOF. The few guys below him had pitched fewer than 2500 innings compared to Kumaragupta’s 3648.

Kumaragupta missed the 66% induction threshold in his first two ballots, albeit barely at 64.5% and 65.4%. His accumulations proved high enough to make it in even if the rate stats suggested sustained above averageness. Kumaragupta got to 72.9% in 2034 for the third ballot nod to cap off a three-player class for SAB.

08-27-2025, 07:18 AM	#2409
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,812	2034 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Akram Ponnuru – Relief Pitcher – Dhaka Dobermans – 87.7% First Ballot Akram Ponnuru was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Mulavukad, India; a town of 23,000 people near the country’s southern tip. Ponnuru had excellent stuff along with very good control and average movement. He had the one-two punch of fastball/splitter with 97-99 mph velocity. Ponnuru’s stamina was average for relievers, but he had ironman durability and was almost always available, becoming one of the few relievers in world history with more than 1000 games pitched. Ponnuru was a good defensive pitcher, but his ability to hold runners was subpar. You wouldn’t ask him to lead the team, but he wasn’t going to ever cause any trouble. In May 2006, Ponnuru left India for Bangladesh on a developmental contract with Dhaka. He debuted in 2011 at age 21 with 58.1 innings of respectable middle relief as Dhaka had SAB’s best record at 113-49. Ponnuru had three relief appearances in the playoffs, but stepped up big with seven scoreless innings and nine strikeouts. The Dobermans won the SAB Championship over Kolkata, their second overall title along with the 1981 win. Ponnuru gave up four runs in nine innings for the Baseball Grand Championship as Dhaka finished 10-9. The Dobermans gave him the closer job from 2012-16 and he led the Southeast Asia League thrice in games pitched. He was also the saves leader in 2013 with 35. Ponnuru was third in 2012’s Reliever of the Year voting and second in 2013. He then won the honor for the first time in 2014, posting his Dhaka bests with a 1.75 ERA and 4.4 WAR. Dhaka followed up the 2011 title with wild cards in 2012-13, but couldn’t get out of the first round. They were 85-77 in 2014, then spent the following three years below .500. With a rebuild expected, the Dobermans traded Ponnuru in November 2016 to Hyderabad for three prospects. Ponnuru’s one year with the Horned Frogs was the best of his career, winning his second Reliever of the Year with a league and career-best 44 saves. He also had his best ERA at 0.99 with 164 strikeouts in 90.2 innings and 4.8 WAR. Ponnuru had a streak of 38 consecutive scoreless innings over 34 games from April 6 to July 1. The Hippos won the South Division at 100-62, but lost the Indian League Championship Series to Kanpur. Ponnuru’s stock was high as he entered free agency for the first time at age 28. He stayed in his native India on a two-year, $7,160,000 deal with Mumbai. From 2013-18 and in 2022 and 2025, Ponnuru pitched for India in the World Baseball Championship. He had a 2.75 ERA over 52.1 innings with a 4-1 record, 52.1 innings, 67 strikeouts, and 1.0 WAR. Ponnuru was also part of India’s fourth place finishing 2025 squad. Ponnuru was surprisingly used in middle relief by Mumbai in 2018, then reclaimed the closer job with alright results in 2019. He was still effective, but was used in middle or long relief for the next few years. Ponnuru signed with Vientiane in 2020, Kolkata in 2021, back to Mumbai in 2022, then another stint with the Vampires in 2023. Ponnuru did win an Indian League title with the Meteors in 2022, but they lost the SAB title to Yangon. For his playoff career, Ponnuru had reliably good stats. He had 29.2 innings over 18 appearances with a 1.82 ERA, 2-2 record, 3 saves, 40 strikeouts, 6 walks, 307 ERA+, 50 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. In 2024, Ponnuru returned to the closer role and to Dhaka. He led the league with 38 saves in 2024 for his third Reliever of the Year win with a 2.71 ERA and 76.1 innings. Ponnuru had more saves with a league-best 41 in 2025, but his ERA jumped to 3.59. Between runs with the Dobermans, he had 255 saves and 281 shutdowns, a 51-46 record, 2.84 ERA, 667.2 innings, 1031 strikeouts, 148 walks, 137 ERA+, and 21.0 WAR. Dhaka would later retire his #7 uniform. Ponnuru joined Ahmedabad for 2026 at age 36 and had 40 saves, 78 games, a 2.06 ERA, and 91.2 innings. He was second in Reliever of the Year voting, his final time as a finalist. Ponnuru fell off in 2027 and had 3.48 ERA over 42 appearances and 54.1 innings for the Animals, but his three saves got him to exactly 400, becoming the eighth in SAB to reach the mark. He had one final year with Delhi in 2028 with a 3.69 ERA over 53.2 innings. Ponnuru retired that winter just after his 39^th birthday. The final stats saw 1054 games, 403 saves, 531 shutdowns, 1392 innings, a 100-83 record, 2.57 ERA, 2047 strikeouts, 297 walks, 147 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 35.8 WAR. As of 2037, Ponnuru is 8^th in saves and 2^nd in games pitched in SAB. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, he is 24^th in ERA, 28^th in opponent’s OPS (.591), and 14^th in WHIP (0.95). Ponnuru is also 19^th in H/9 (6.63), 11^th in K/9 (13.23), and his .203/.252/.339 triple slash ranks 14^th/13^th/56^th. Ponnuru’s longevity also lands him on the world leaderboards. As of 2037, he is 20^th in games pitched, 41^st in shutdowns, and 14^th in strikeouts among relievers. Ponnuru misses the top 50 for saves narrowly and didn’t have the raw dominance to rank for rate stats. Despite his accolades, Ponnuru doesn’t usually factor into the conversations for the inner-circle of closers in world history. However, he was easily a top five reliever for most of his career in South Asia Baseball and reliable at each of his stops. Ponnuru’s WAR does fall just out of the top five for SAB’s relievers all-time, but most Hall of Fame voters still felt he did plenty to earn a spot alongside those guys. Ponnuru got 87.7% for a first ballot selection as part of a three-player 2034 class for SAB. Harpal Kumaragupta – Starting Pitcher – Bengaluru Blazers – 72.9% Third Ballot Harpal Kumaragupta was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Agra, India; the country’s 23^rd most populous city with around 1.6 million people. Kumaragupta had good-to-great stuff and control along with solid movement. His 97-99 mph fastball was his best pitch, but he was a rare ace with a six-pitch arsenal. Kumaragupta also had a forkball, slider, curveball, standard changeup, and circle change as options. Kumaragupta had very good stamina and solid durability for most of his career, tossing 210+ innings each year from 2011-24. He had a fantastic pickoff move and was excellent at holding runners. Kumaragupta also graded as a pretty reliable defensive pitcher. He was one of the smartest arms in the league, but you couldn’t expect him to take on a leadership role. By the 2009 SAB Draft, Kumaragupta was one of the highest rated prospects from India. He went third overall to Bengaluru and was a part-time starter as a rookie, but struggled to a 5.19 ERA in 2010. Kumaragupta got a full-time job in 2011, but didn’t really emerge as an ace until 2013. That year, he won the Indian League’s ERA title at 2.44. However, he wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year candidate with the Blazers. Part of that was due to Bengaluru being forgettable during this era. They had won pennants in 2003 and 2004, but had a playoff drought begin in 2006 that carried into the 2030s. The Blazers did at least get back around .500 for most of Kumaragupta’s tenure, but they were on the bad side of it. Still, he signed a four-year, $21,120,000 extension after the 2014 season. Kumaragupta’s Bengaluru tenure ended after the 2016 season as he was involved in a six-player trade with Hyderabad. For the Blazers, he had a 76-77 record, 3.21 ERA, 1441.2 innings, 1671 strikeouts, 311 walks, 109 ERA+, 98 FIP-, and 19.0 WAR. It was marginally his longest tenure with any team, although he was arguably more impactful with Visakhapatnam later. Kumaragupta would be inducted in Blazers colors, but he isn’t thought of as a franchise legend. Hyderabad had just ended a seven-year playoff drought and hoped Kumaragupta could help them across the line. The Hippos won the South Division and made it to the Indian League Championship Series in both of his seasons there. However, they were defeated in both the 2017 and 2018 ILCS by Kanpur. Kumaragupta in two 2017 playoff starts, but was solid in 2018. He had a 4.11 ERA over 30.2 innings with 37 Ks and 1.0 WAR in the playoffs. Overall for the Hippos, Kumaragupta had a 33-18 record, 3.25 ERA, 504 innings, 585 strikeouts, 96 walks, 111 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 9.4 WAR. He notably had his highest career strikeout tally with 311 in 2018 for Hyderabad. He was a free agent for the first time at age 31 and got a six-year, $52,200,000 deal with Visakhapatnam. This kept him in the South Division with the Volts, who were amidst a rebuild. They had won pennants in 2012-13, but had been on a playoff drought since 2015. Kumaragupta led in complete games and shutouts in 2019, but was otherwise just above average in his first few seasons for Visakhapatnam. His results stepped up as the Volts began a dynasty run, winning three straight SAB Championships from 2023-25. Kumaragupta was there for the first two as Visakhapatnam defeated Dhaka in the 2023 final and Ho Chi Minh City in 2024. In 2023, Kumaragupta was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. In the playoffs, Kumaragupta had a 2-2 record, 3.55 ERA, 50.2 innings, 52 strikeouts, 7 walks, 103 ERA+, 114 FIP-, and 0.5 WAR. He missed the 2023 Baseball Grand Championship to a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. In 2024, he had a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings. The Volts finished 7-12 in the 2023 event and 8-11 in 2024. In six seasons for Visakhapatnam, Kumaragupta had an 81-68 record, 3.38 ERA, 1407.1 innings, 1556 strikeouts, 241 walks, 108 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 24.4 WAR. He was back to free agency for 2025 at age 37 and joined Indore on a two-year, $19 million deal. This was to be the Razorbacks debut season as one of four expansion teams in the Indian League. In 2025, Kumaragupta had a 6-8 record, 3.04 ERA, 139.1 innings, 114 Ks, and 1.5 WAR. The run was cut short by a torn rotator cuff in late July. Kumaragupta was let go with the injury, but was determined to make it back. Bangkok gave him a two-year, $4,880,000 deal and he was terrible in 2026 with a 5.49 ERA over 155.2 innings and -0.8 WAR. With the Bobcats though, he became the fifth in SAB history to reach 4000 strikeouts and the 11^th to 200 wins. Kumaragupta retired that winter at age 39. In total, Kumaragupta had a 206-177 record, 3.37 ERA, 3648 innings, 4028 strikeouts, 717 walks, 275/467 quality starts, 108 complete games, 24 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 95 FIP-, and 53.5 WAR. As of 2037, Kumaragupta ranks 14^th in wins, 3^rd in innings, 5^th in starts, 2^nd in complete games, 8^th in strikeouts, and 46^th in WAR among pitchers. He’s also 2^nd in hits allowed (3293) For supporters, 200+ wins and 4000+ strikeouts was plenty for Kumaragupta. However, critics who valued big peaks and accolades dismissed him as a compiler. To that point, the highest ERA of a Hall of Famer for South Asia Baseball was Tamin Hasan at 3.14. Despite Kumaragupta’s inning tally, his WAR was among the lowest of any starting pitcher in SAB’s HOF. The few guys below him had pitched fewer than 2500 innings compared to Kumaragupta’s 3648. Kumaragupta missed the 66% induction threshold in his first two ballots, albeit barely at 64.5% and 65.4%. His accumulations proved high enough to make it in even if the rate stats suggested sustained above averageness. Kumaragupta got to 72.9% in 2034 for the third ballot nod to cap off a three-player class for SAB. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)