OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-08-2026, 06:44 AM

A pair of slam dunk Hall of Famers made up South Asia Baseball’s 2039 class with IF Abhiji Srivas at 99.3% and SP Amir Kapur at 98.2%. CL Zulfiker Uddin had a strong debut at 61.9%, just missing the 66% threshold for induction. 2B Shivansh Mahapatra was the best returner with 51.2% on his third ballot. No one else finished above 50%.

Four players fell off the ballot after ten failed tries. CL Shuvagata Sumon peaked at 39.1% in 2031 and ended at 14.2%. He led in saves thrice late in his 13-year career, but was never a Reliever of the Year winner. Sumon had 283 saves, 970 innings, 1236 strikeouts, 2.59 EREA, 143 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 22.3 WAR. He didn’t have the big dominance or accumulations needed to stand out.

SS Sedsody Rath was as high as 39.1% as well in 2031 but ended at 13.5%. In an 18-year career with eight teams, he won six Silver Sluggers and a title with Delhi in 2021. Rath played 2239 games with 2485 hits, 1183 runs, 580 doubles, 114 triples, 280 home runs, 1175 RBI, 352 steals, .303/.341/.504 slash, 142 wRC+, and 83.5 WAR.

Rath had one batting title and sits 13^th in doubles, but he otherwise didn’t have black ink. His bouncing around between squads probably hurt him along with the lack of big home run numbers. Rath does rank 44^th among position players for WAR, but was never exceptional enough to get much attention despite a solid tenured career.

CL Kywe Lwin peaked at 40.6% in 2031 but ended at only 13.2%. In a 12-year career, he won Reliever of the Year twice and had 334 saves, 2.16 ERA, 819.1 innings, 1068 strikeouts, 178 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 30.4 WAR. Lwin ranks 18^th in saves and the pace was seemingly there, but he retired after his age 34 season despite still putting up decent stats. He needed a few more years of totals to get across the line.

2B/SS Nyi Moe Win peaked at 39.8% while finishing at 11.7%. He notably won eight Silver Sluggers in a 19-year career with five teams with 2685 games, 2679 hits, 1346 runs, 556 doubles, 48 triples, 469 home runs, 1424 RBI, 596 walks, 2030 strikeouts, .275/.322/.486 slash, 129 wRC+, and 93.9 WAR.

Win is 25^th in WAR among position players, 19^th in doubles, and 23^rd in hits. However, despite being often the best bat among middle infielders, he was only once a league leader (in doubles) and never in MVP consideration. Win also never played in the postseason as he was on forgettable teams, hurting his notoriety. Enough voters dismissed him as a compiler to leave him out despite solid totals.

3B Karunesh Visalakshi deserves a quick mention, falling off the ballot after nine tries with a 5.0% finish. He peaked at 24.1% in his debut and won two Silver Sluggers in a 17-year career. Visalakshi played 2202 games with 2153 hits, 1023 runs, 542 doubles, 34 triples, 414 home runs, 1214 RBI, .286/.325/.533 slash, 152 wRC+, and 76.1 WAR. He was steady and helped Pune in their 2019 title run, but firmly fits as a Hall of Pretty Good level guy.

Abhiji “Snowball” Srivas – First/Second Base – Ahmedabad Animals – 99.3% First Ballot

Abhiji Srivas was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting infielder from Delhi, India. Nicknamed “Snowball,” Srivas was an exceptionally efficient batter with great contact ability and power. Just under half of his career hits went for extra bases with 47 home runs, 32 doubles, and 8 triples per his 162 game average. Srivas was incredible facing right-handing pitchers (1.085 OPS, 208 wRC+) but was plenty impressive against lefties (.881 OPS, 157 wRC+).

Srivas was above average relative to his SAB peers at drawing walks, but middling at avoiding strikeouts. His baserunning ability was quite good and he was a regular threat despite merely average speed. Most of Srivas’ starts were split between first/second base with occasional use in left field. He graded as a rock solid 1B defensively, an average LF, and subpar 2B. His adaptability though helped him plug in whichever spot was needed that day.

Srivas’ biggest challenge was injury issues, especially with his back. He gutted out a 20-year career, but only played 130+ games in eight seasons. Srivas was very loyal, but did want to get paid properly and wasn’t a vocal leader. His incredible bat made him one of India’s most popular players Srivas’ size and potential was noticed by Ahmedabad, who signed him to a developmental deal in February 2011.

He spent his entire career with the Animals, debuting with 12 plate appearances in 2014 at age 19. Srivas got the full-time gig in 2015 and was second in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a part-time starter with 105 starts and 136 games in 2016, but still managed 5.1 WAR. Srivas suffered a torn hamstring in the spring of 2017 and missed half the season, but he had an MVP pace when healthy.

2018 saw Srivas’ first MVP and Silver Slugger (playing LF), leading the Indian League in triple slash (.359/.426/.690), OPS (1.116), wRC+ (227), WAR (11.8), total bases (396), and runs (128). The runs, average, OBP, and WAR would be career bests as was his 206 hits and 43 doubles. This ended a five-year playoff drought for the historically powerful Ahmedabad. Prior to that, the Animals had missed the playoffs four times total in 34 years and never consecutively.

They weren’t back to the top perch yet though as they had first round exits in both 2019-20. Ahmedabad then had another three-year playoff drought, although they hovered around .500. Srivas was thriving though, repeating as MVP in 2019 with a Silver Slugger at 1B. He led with a career high 54 homers, 414 total bases, .753 slugging, and 1.173 OPS. The OPS ranks as the 19^th-best qualifying season in SAB history and the slugging is 18^th.

That spring, Srivas also had a 35-game hitting streak, breaking the previous SAB record of 31 games. His mark would be passed twice in later years and still ranks third. Ahmedabad gave him an eight-year, $89,600,000 extension in July 2020. He three-peated as MVP and this time won a Silver Slugger at 2B. Srivas was again the WARlord and led in runs scored.

Srivas was back at 1B as he won his fourth consecutive MVP in 2021, leading in runs, homers, OBP, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. He won another Slugger in 2022 at 1B but the MVP streak was thwarted with a third place finish. Losing three weeks to a PCL strain kept him just short of the league leading spots except for in slugging. His OPS was again above one and WAR above 7.5. He’d maintain a streak of both marks from 2018-26.

2023 had another Slugger at 2B, but Srivas suffered a broken kneecap in mid-August that limited him to only 108 games all season. He was back for 138 in 2024 for his fifth MVP and a Slugger at 1B, leading in runs, RBI, triple slash, OPS, wRC, and WAR. Srivas was the fifth player in SAB history to win five MVPs.

Ahmedabad got back to the playoffs as a 92-70 division champ and made the Indian League Championship Series, but fell 4-3 to reigning champ Visakhapatnam. The Volts were on their way to their second of three straight SAB titles. The Animals failed to build off the momentum immediately with a 73-89 record in 2025. Losing Srivas for basically all of August-onward from an oblique strain certainly contributed.

The Animals finally returned to their spot as a regular contender in 2026, starting what would be a nine-year streak of division titles. Srivas was still excellent in his 30s, but he’d miss notable chunks of each year for the rest of his run. A torn hamstring in 2026 and back issues in 2027 kept him out for about ¼ of both years. Srivas did win another Silver Slugger in 2027 at 2B, but he was done as a league leader.

Ahmedabad had a first round exit in 2026, followed by an ILCS loss in 2027. They had knocked out 106-win Jaipur in the first round, while 119-win Visakhapatnam was upset by Pune. The Animals at 100-62 had beaten the Purple Knights by three wins in the divisional race, but Pune got the last laugh by taking the ILCS 4-2.

In 2028, Srivas dealt with a strained oblique, strained abdominal, and strained PCL for only 78 games played. Still, the 33-year old signed a new five-year, $105 million extension in the summer. Even with those injuries, Ahmedabad got the top seed at 110-52. Srivas was healthy for the playoffs and thrived with .978 OPS, 195 wRC+ and 0.8 WAR in 12 games. The Animals survived 4-3 over Jaipur for their first pennant since 2002, but they were denied 4-1 by Mandalay in the SAB Championship.

Ahmedabad earned a berth into the Baseball Grand Championship and finished 8-11. Srivas played 13 games with a .979 OPS, 181 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. He had shown good results when healthy in his postseason chances and in the World Baseball Championship. Srivas’ national popularity soared as a regular for India from 2017-32, who became a regular contender on the world stage.

In 205 WBC games, Srivas had 170 hits, 123 runs, 26 doubles, 56 home runs, 128 RBI, .234/.304/.514 slash, and 6.6 WAR. Those stats were down from his SAB regular season peaks, but still were important. The Indians finished fourth in the 2025 and 2028 WBCs, then finished third three successive years from 2030-32.

Srivas saw fewer and fewer games with nagging injuries, although he was clearly still strong when healthy. In 2030, he won his final Silver Slugger at 2B with 6.0 WAR and 1.108 OPS over 99 games. Srivas finished with nine Silver Sluggers between three positions. Ahmedabad had a first round exit in 2029, but made a somewhat unexpected deep run in 2030 at 97-65.

That year, the Animals knocked off 112-win Visakhapatnam in the ILCS, then cruised to a sweep of Yangon in the SAB Championship. It was their first overall title since winning 12 from 1986-2002. The 13 titles was the most by any pro franchise in any league except for Eurasian Professional Baseball’s Minsk, who had 14 to that point. Srivas had finally won the top prize, but a torn abdominal muscle from mid-August kept him out the entire postseason run. He made it back for only two BGC games as they finished 9-12.

This was the peak of the run for Ahmedabad, although they had four more playoff berths in the streak. They lost the 2031 ILCS to the Volts and had second round exits after that. Srivas was a physical wreck and his production was now slipping even when healthy, although he was still usable. 2032 was notable as he hit for the cycle in July facing Pune.

Srivas’ contract expired after the 2033 season and Ahmedabad let their longtime star go. He had hoped to still play somewhere, but his last season had seen only 1.2 WAR and 117 wRC+ over 112 games and 63 starts. Srivas was unsigned all of 2034 and finally retired that winter at age 39. The Animals quickly retired his #7 uniform for his impressive run.

In total, Srivas played 2316 games with 2593 hits, 1526 runs, 458 doubles, 115 triples, 679 home runs, 1679 RBI, 722 walks, 1726 strikeouts, 5318 total bases, 495 steals, .321/.380/.658 slash, 196 wRC+, and 125.2 WAR. At induction, Srivas is 57^th in games, 22^nd in runs, 29^th in hits, 14^th in total bases, 67^th in doubles, 10^th in homers, 15^th in RBI, 50^th in walks, and 12^th in WAR among position players. In 59 playoff games, he had a .940 OPS, 162 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR.

It was Srivas’ rate stats that were remarkable. Among SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his triple slash was 33^rd/30^th/3^rd and his 1.037 OPS was 5^th. Among all world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Srivas’ slugging is 10^th, OPS 21^st, and wRC+ tied for 14^th. That showed that when he was on, very few guys in all of baseball history were more dominant at the plate.

Sadly, Srivas’ own body breaking down kept him from possibly a top-five all-time career for South Asia Baseball history. Still, he was easily an inner-circle pick and one of the game’s immortal bats. Srivas earned a near unanimous 99.3% for induction in 2039.

Amir “Garbage” Kapur – Starting Pitcher – Delhi Drillers – 98.2% First Ballot

Amir Kapur was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Ambala, India; a city with around 208,000 citizens in the northern Haryana state. Although he had the nickname “Garbage” for unknown reasons, Kapur was far from it. He was one of the rare starters to have a 10/10 rating for his stuff during his prime. He also had good control that became excellent in his later years and had above average movement.

Kapur’s arsenal had four pitches; a 98-100 mph fastball, curveball, forkball, and circle change. With his smaller frame though and the energy required for maintain his stuff, Kapur’s stamina was below average. His innings were lower as a result, but he did stay mostly healthy in his 15-year run and didn’t miss many outings. Kapur had above average grades for defense and was okay at holding runners. He was one of the smarter aces in the game, knowing how to pick his spots better than almost anyone.

After destroying his college competition, Kapur was the #1 overall pick in the 2018 SAB Draft by Delhi. He spent his entire career with the Drillers and began in a split starting/relief role with a 4.47 ERA in 145 innings. Kapur was a full-time starter the next year and a bonafide ace by year three. He cemented his place in Delhi history in the postseason.

As a 92-70 wild card, the Drillers swept top seed Kolkata in the first round and rolled Nagpur 4-1 in the Indian League Championship Series. Delhi had never won the pennant before and capped it off by outlasting Dhaka 4-3 in the 2021 SAB Championship. In five playoff starts, Kapur had a 2.29 ERA, 35.1 innings, 58 strikeouts, 158 ERA+, 43 FIP-, and 1.6 WAR. The 58 Ks tied the SAB playoff record set by Sankar Sundaram in 1984.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, Kapur was decent with a 3.77 ERA over 28.2 innings, 43 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. Delhi was tied for ninth at 10-9, but already they had reached points they had never seen before in the capital. The Drillers made the playoffs again the next two years, although they couldn’t get beyond the first round.

Kapur dominated though with back-to-back Pitcher of the Year wins in 2022-23, leading both years in ERA, WAR, and FIP-. 2022 had his career best WAR of 9.5 and quality starts at 25. Kapur also led the league with 332 strikeouts, but his 16-7 record kept him two wins from a Triple Crown. His 1.99 ERA in 2022 is one of only 69 qualified seasons in SAB history with an ERA below two.

Delhi extended Kapur in April 2022 at a bargain six-year extension worth $37,020,000. He wasn’t in awards conversations the next few years, but he had a streak from 2022-28 with 300+ strikeouts and 5+ WAR each year. Delhi averaged 92 wins per season from 2024-28, but they fell frustratingly short of the playoffs each year. In 2025, Kapur had a 20 strikeout game facing Lucknow, one K short of the single-game record. In 2027, he was the leader with a career-best 343 Ks and was WARlord for the third time.

In June 2028, Kapur signed a four-year, $72 million extension. That year, he was second in Pitcher of the Year voting to Visakhapatnam’s E.J. Dhanajay, who notably led in WAR and Ks. Kapur posted a 1.48 ERA though, the fourth-best qualifying one in SAB history. His 19-3 record was a career-best as was his 42 FIP-, while his 8.8 WAR was second-best.

Kapur ran into his first real injury issue in 2029, as biceps tendinitis kept him out much of the spring. His ERA was above three for the first time since his sophomore campaign. But yet again, Kapur would step up in the postseason with a 1.90 ERA over 23.2 innings with 38 Ks and 0.9 WAR. Delhi took the top seed at 102-60 and swept Nagpur in the ILCS, which included a two-hitter by Kapur. The Drillers then swept Mandalay for their second-ever SAB Championship win.

Delhi was 10-1 in the playoffs for one of the most dominant postseason runs in SAB history. They couldn’t keep it going against the BGC competition with an 8-13 finish. Kapur had a 4.54 ERA over 35.2 innings in the event with 49 Ks and 0.7 WAR. Still, he had established himself as a big-game pitcher and a key part of two title runs. In his playoff career, Kapur had a 2.91 ERA over 126.2 innings, 8-6 record, 186 Ks, 136 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 3.5 WAR.

Kapur was also a regular for India in the World Baseball Championship from 2021-32. In 188 innings, he had a 14-4 record, 2.73 ERA, 296 strikeouts, and 5.0 WAR. The Indians finished fourth in the 2025 and 2028 WBCs, then had three straight bronze medals from 2030-32.

Delhi had three consecutive wild cards after the 2029 title, but had two early exits and a 2032 ILCS loss to Visakhapatnam. Kapur led in strikeouts, WHIP, and FIP- in 2030. He was solid again in 2031, but the Drillers voided the team option year in his deal. Kapur was a free agent for the first time at age 36, but eventually signed a new three-year, $42,900,000 deal in February 2032 to return to the Drillers.

Kapur’s stuff began to wane and he had a lackluster 4.26 ERA over 173.1 innings in 2032 and 2.2 WAR; his worsts since the rookie season. At the start of 2033, Kapur suffered ulnar nerve entrapment that put him out four months. He returned late in the year, but finished with an abysmal 5.52 ERA over 31 innings. Kapur retired that winter at age 37.

The totals had a 198-101 record, 2.88 ERA, 2770.1 innings, 3916 strikeouts, 510 walks, 252/361 quality starts, 23 complete games, 8 shutouts, 134 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 81.1 WAR. Kapur ranks 17^th in wins, 42^nd in innings, 11^th in strikeouts, and 11^th in pitching WAR. Among all SAB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Kapur’s ERA is 73^rd and his 0.99 WHIP is 26^th. He’s also 17^th in K/9 (12.72), 63^rd in H/9 (7.21), and his .607 opponent’s OPS is 49^th.

A lower inning count probably keeps Kapur just short of being a top ten pitcher in South Asia Baseball history, but he does crack some of those lists. He was certainly excellent at his peak and a key reason for Delhi’s first two SAB titles. At 98.2%, Kapur was a slam dunk Hall of Famer as part of an impressive two-man 2039 class for SAB.

01-08-2026, 06:44 AM	#2660
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,195	2039 SAB Hall of Fame A pair of slam dunk Hall of Famers made up South Asia Baseball’s 2039 class with IF Abhiji Srivas at 99.3% and SP Amir Kapur at 98.2%. CL Zulfiker Uddin had a strong debut at 61.9%, just missing the 66% threshold for induction. 2B Shivansh Mahapatra was the best returner with 51.2% on his third ballot. No one else finished above 50%. Four players fell off the ballot after ten failed tries. CL Shuvagata Sumon peaked at 39.1% in 2031 and ended at 14.2%. He led in saves thrice late in his 13-year career, but was never a Reliever of the Year winner. Sumon had 283 saves, 970 innings, 1236 strikeouts, 2.59 EREA, 143 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 22.3 WAR. He didn’t have the big dominance or accumulations needed to stand out. SS Sedsody Rath was as high as 39.1% as well in 2031 but ended at 13.5%. In an 18-year career with eight teams, he won six Silver Sluggers and a title with Delhi in 2021. Rath played 2239 games with 2485 hits, 1183 runs, 580 doubles, 114 triples, 280 home runs, 1175 RBI, 352 steals, .303/.341/.504 slash, 142 wRC+, and 83.5 WAR. Rath had one batting title and sits 13^th in doubles, but he otherwise didn’t have black ink. His bouncing around between squads probably hurt him along with the lack of big home run numbers. Rath does rank 44^th among position players for WAR, but was never exceptional enough to get much attention despite a solid tenured career. CL Kywe Lwin peaked at 40.6% in 2031 but ended at only 13.2%. In a 12-year career, he won Reliever of the Year twice and had 334 saves, 2.16 ERA, 819.1 innings, 1068 strikeouts, 178 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 30.4 WAR. Lwin ranks 18^th in saves and the pace was seemingly there, but he retired after his age 34 season despite still putting up decent stats. He needed a few more years of totals to get across the line. 2B/SS Nyi Moe Win peaked at 39.8% while finishing at 11.7%. He notably won eight Silver Sluggers in a 19-year career with five teams with 2685 games, 2679 hits, 1346 runs, 556 doubles, 48 triples, 469 home runs, 1424 RBI, 596 walks, 2030 strikeouts, .275/.322/.486 slash, 129 wRC+, and 93.9 WAR. Win is 25^th in WAR among position players, 19^th in doubles, and 23^rd in hits. However, despite being often the best bat among middle infielders, he was only once a league leader (in doubles) and never in MVP consideration. Win also never played in the postseason as he was on forgettable teams, hurting his notoriety. Enough voters dismissed him as a compiler to leave him out despite solid totals. 3B Karunesh Visalakshi deserves a quick mention, falling off the ballot after nine tries with a 5.0% finish. He peaked at 24.1% in his debut and won two Silver Sluggers in a 17-year career. Visalakshi played 2202 games with 2153 hits, 1023 runs, 542 doubles, 34 triples, 414 home runs, 1214 RBI, .286/.325/.533 slash, 152 wRC+, and 76.1 WAR. He was steady and helped Pune in their 2019 title run, but firmly fits as a Hall of Pretty Good level guy. Abhiji “Snowball” Srivas – First/Second Base – Ahmedabad Animals – 99.3% First Ballot Abhiji Srivas was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting infielder from Delhi, India. Nicknamed “Snowball,” Srivas was an exceptionally efficient batter with great contact ability and power. Just under half of his career hits went for extra bases with 47 home runs, 32 doubles, and 8 triples per his 162 game average. Srivas was incredible facing right-handing pitchers (1.085 OPS, 208 wRC+) but was plenty impressive against lefties (.881 OPS, 157 wRC+). Srivas was above average relative to his SAB peers at drawing walks, but middling at avoiding strikeouts. His baserunning ability was quite good and he was a regular threat despite merely average speed. Most of Srivas’ starts were split between first/second base with occasional use in left field. He graded as a rock solid 1B defensively, an average LF, and subpar 2B. His adaptability though helped him plug in whichever spot was needed that day. Srivas’ biggest challenge was injury issues, especially with his back. He gutted out a 20-year career, but only played 130+ games in eight seasons. Srivas was very loyal, but did want to get paid properly and wasn’t a vocal leader. His incredible bat made him one of India’s most popular players Srivas’ size and potential was noticed by Ahmedabad, who signed him to a developmental deal in February 2011. He spent his entire career with the Animals, debuting with 12 plate appearances in 2014 at age 19. Srivas got the full-time gig in 2015 and was second in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a part-time starter with 105 starts and 136 games in 2016, but still managed 5.1 WAR. Srivas suffered a torn hamstring in the spring of 2017 and missed half the season, but he had an MVP pace when healthy. 2018 saw Srivas’ first MVP and Silver Slugger (playing LF), leading the Indian League in triple slash (.359/.426/.690), OPS (1.116), wRC+ (227), WAR (11.8), total bases (396), and runs (128). The runs, average, OBP, and WAR would be career bests as was his 206 hits and 43 doubles. This ended a five-year playoff drought for the historically powerful Ahmedabad. Prior to that, the Animals had missed the playoffs four times total in 34 years and never consecutively. They weren’t back to the top perch yet though as they had first round exits in both 2019-20. Ahmedabad then had another three-year playoff drought, although they hovered around .500. Srivas was thriving though, repeating as MVP in 2019 with a Silver Slugger at 1B. He led with a career high 54 homers, 414 total bases, .753 slugging, and 1.173 OPS. The OPS ranks as the 19^th-best qualifying season in SAB history and the slugging is 18^th. That spring, Srivas also had a 35-game hitting streak, breaking the previous SAB record of 31 games. His mark would be passed twice in later years and still ranks third. Ahmedabad gave him an eight-year, $89,600,000 extension in July 2020. He three-peated as MVP and this time won a Silver Slugger at 2B. Srivas was again the WARlord and led in runs scored. Srivas was back at 1B as he won his fourth consecutive MVP in 2021, leading in runs, homers, OBP, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. He won another Slugger in 2022 at 1B but the MVP streak was thwarted with a third place finish. Losing three weeks to a PCL strain kept him just short of the league leading spots except for in slugging. His OPS was again above one and WAR above 7.5. He’d maintain a streak of both marks from 2018-26. 2023 had another Slugger at 2B, but Srivas suffered a broken kneecap in mid-August that limited him to only 108 games all season. He was back for 138 in 2024 for his fifth MVP and a Slugger at 1B, leading in runs, RBI, triple slash, OPS, wRC, and WAR. Srivas was the fifth player in SAB history to win five MVPs. Ahmedabad got back to the playoffs as a 92-70 division champ and made the Indian League Championship Series, but fell 4-3 to reigning champ Visakhapatnam. The Volts were on their way to their second of three straight SAB titles. The Animals failed to build off the momentum immediately with a 73-89 record in 2025. Losing Srivas for basically all of August-onward from an oblique strain certainly contributed. The Animals finally returned to their spot as a regular contender in 2026, starting what would be a nine-year streak of division titles. Srivas was still excellent in his 30s, but he’d miss notable chunks of each year for the rest of his run. A torn hamstring in 2026 and back issues in 2027 kept him out for about ¼ of both years. Srivas did win another Silver Slugger in 2027 at 2B, but he was done as a league leader. Ahmedabad had a first round exit in 2026, followed by an ILCS loss in 2027. They had knocked out 106-win Jaipur in the first round, while 119-win Visakhapatnam was upset by Pune. The Animals at 100-62 had beaten the Purple Knights by three wins in the divisional race, but Pune got the last laugh by taking the ILCS 4-2. In 2028, Srivas dealt with a strained oblique, strained abdominal, and strained PCL for only 78 games played. Still, the 33-year old signed a new five-year, $105 million extension in the summer. Even with those injuries, Ahmedabad got the top seed at 110-52. Srivas was healthy for the playoffs and thrived with .978 OPS, 195 wRC+ and 0.8 WAR in 12 games. The Animals survived 4-3 over Jaipur for their first pennant since 2002, but they were denied 4-1 by Mandalay in the SAB Championship. Ahmedabad earned a berth into the Baseball Grand Championship and finished 8-11. Srivas played 13 games with a .979 OPS, 181 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. He had shown good results when healthy in his postseason chances and in the World Baseball Championship. Srivas’ national popularity soared as a regular for India from 2017-32, who became a regular contender on the world stage. In 205 WBC games, Srivas had 170 hits, 123 runs, 26 doubles, 56 home runs, 128 RBI, .234/.304/.514 slash, and 6.6 WAR. Those stats were down from his SAB regular season peaks, but still were important. The Indians finished fourth in the 2025 and 2028 WBCs, then finished third three successive years from 2030-32. Srivas saw fewer and fewer games with nagging injuries, although he was clearly still strong when healthy. In 2030, he won his final Silver Slugger at 2B with 6.0 WAR and 1.108 OPS over 99 games. Srivas finished with nine Silver Sluggers between three positions. Ahmedabad had a first round exit in 2029, but made a somewhat unexpected deep run in 2030 at 97-65. That year, the Animals knocked off 112-win Visakhapatnam in the ILCS, then cruised to a sweep of Yangon in the SAB Championship. It was their first overall title since winning 12 from 1986-2002. The 13 titles was the most by any pro franchise in any league except for Eurasian Professional Baseball’s Minsk, who had 14 to that point. Srivas had finally won the top prize, but a torn abdominal muscle from mid-August kept him out the entire postseason run. He made it back for only two BGC games as they finished 9-12. This was the peak of the run for Ahmedabad, although they had four more playoff berths in the streak. They lost the 2031 ILCS to the Volts and had second round exits after that. Srivas was a physical wreck and his production was now slipping even when healthy, although he was still usable. 2032 was notable as he hit for the cycle in July facing Pune. Srivas’ contract expired after the 2033 season and Ahmedabad let their longtime star go. He had hoped to still play somewhere, but his last season had seen only 1.2 WAR and 117 wRC+ over 112 games and 63 starts. Srivas was unsigned all of 2034 and finally retired that winter at age 39. The Animals quickly retired his #7 uniform for his impressive run. In total, Srivas played 2316 games with 2593 hits, 1526 runs, 458 doubles, 115 triples, 679 home runs, 1679 RBI, 722 walks, 1726 strikeouts, 5318 total bases, 495 steals, .321/.380/.658 slash, 196 wRC+, and 125.2 WAR. At induction, Srivas is 57^th in games, 22^nd in runs, 29^th in hits, 14^th in total bases, 67^th in doubles, 10^th in homers, 15^th in RBI, 50^th in walks, and 12^th in WAR among position players. In 59 playoff games, he had a .940 OPS, 162 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. It was Srivas’ rate stats that were remarkable. Among SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his triple slash was 33^rd/30^th/3^rd and his 1.037 OPS was 5^th. Among all world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Srivas’ slugging is 10^th, OPS 21^st, and wRC+ tied for 14^th. That showed that when he was on, very few guys in all of baseball history were more dominant at the plate. Sadly, Srivas’ own body breaking down kept him from possibly a top-five all-time career for South Asia Baseball history. Still, he was easily an inner-circle pick and one of the game’s immortal bats. Srivas earned a near unanimous 99.3% for induction in 2039. Amir “Garbage” Kapur – Starting Pitcher – Delhi Drillers – 98.2% First Ballot Amir Kapur was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Ambala, India; a city with around 208,000 citizens in the northern Haryana state. Although he had the nickname “Garbage” for unknown reasons, Kapur was far from it. He was one of the rare starters to have a 10/10 rating for his stuff during his prime. He also had good control that became excellent in his later years and had above average movement. Kapur’s arsenal had four pitches; a 98-100 mph fastball, curveball, forkball, and circle change. With his smaller frame though and the energy required for maintain his stuff, Kapur’s stamina was below average. His innings were lower as a result, but he did stay mostly healthy in his 15-year run and didn’t miss many outings. Kapur had above average grades for defense and was okay at holding runners. He was one of the smarter aces in the game, knowing how to pick his spots better than almost anyone. After destroying his college competition, Kapur was the #1 overall pick in the 2018 SAB Draft by Delhi. He spent his entire career with the Drillers and began in a split starting/relief role with a 4.47 ERA in 145 innings. Kapur was a full-time starter the next year and a bonafide ace by year three. He cemented his place in Delhi history in the postseason. As a 92-70 wild card, the Drillers swept top seed Kolkata in the first round and rolled Nagpur 4-1 in the Indian League Championship Series. Delhi had never won the pennant before and capped it off by outlasting Dhaka 4-3 in the 2021 SAB Championship. In five playoff starts, Kapur had a 2.29 ERA, 35.1 innings, 58 strikeouts, 158 ERA+, 43 FIP-, and 1.6 WAR. The 58 Ks tied the SAB playoff record set by Sankar Sundaram in 1984. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Kapur was decent with a 3.77 ERA over 28.2 innings, 43 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. Delhi was tied for ninth at 10-9, but already they had reached points they had never seen before in the capital. The Drillers made the playoffs again the next two years, although they couldn’t get beyond the first round. Kapur dominated though with back-to-back Pitcher of the Year wins in 2022-23, leading both years in ERA, WAR, and FIP-. 2022 had his career best WAR of 9.5 and quality starts at 25. Kapur also led the league with 332 strikeouts, but his 16-7 record kept him two wins from a Triple Crown. His 1.99 ERA in 2022 is one of only 69 qualified seasons in SAB history with an ERA below two. Delhi extended Kapur in April 2022 at a bargain six-year extension worth $37,020,000. He wasn’t in awards conversations the next few years, but he had a streak from 2022-28 with 300+ strikeouts and 5+ WAR each year. Delhi averaged 92 wins per season from 2024-28, but they fell frustratingly short of the playoffs each year. In 2025, Kapur had a 20 strikeout game facing Lucknow, one K short of the single-game record. In 2027, he was the leader with a career-best 343 Ks and was WARlord for the third time. In June 2028, Kapur signed a four-year, $72 million extension. That year, he was second in Pitcher of the Year voting to Visakhapatnam’s E.J. Dhanajay, who notably led in WAR and Ks. Kapur posted a 1.48 ERA though, the fourth-best qualifying one in SAB history. His 19-3 record was a career-best as was his 42 FIP-, while his 8.8 WAR was second-best. Kapur ran into his first real injury issue in 2029, as biceps tendinitis kept him out much of the spring. His ERA was above three for the first time since his sophomore campaign. But yet again, Kapur would step up in the postseason with a 1.90 ERA over 23.2 innings with 38 Ks and 0.9 WAR. Delhi took the top seed at 102-60 and swept Nagpur in the ILCS, which included a two-hitter by Kapur. The Drillers then swept Mandalay for their second-ever SAB Championship win. Delhi was 10-1 in the playoffs for one of the most dominant postseason runs in SAB history. They couldn’t keep it going against the BGC competition with an 8-13 finish. Kapur had a 4.54 ERA over 35.2 innings in the event with 49 Ks and 0.7 WAR. Still, he had established himself as a big-game pitcher and a key part of two title runs. In his playoff career, Kapur had a 2.91 ERA over 126.2 innings, 8-6 record, 186 Ks, 136 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 3.5 WAR. Kapur was also a regular for India in the World Baseball Championship from 2021-32. In 188 innings, he had a 14-4 record, 2.73 ERA, 296 strikeouts, and 5.0 WAR. The Indians finished fourth in the 2025 and 2028 WBCs, then had three straight bronze medals from 2030-32. Delhi had three consecutive wild cards after the 2029 title, but had two early exits and a 2032 ILCS loss to Visakhapatnam. Kapur led in strikeouts, WHIP, and FIP- in 2030. He was solid again in 2031, but the Drillers voided the team option year in his deal. Kapur was a free agent for the first time at age 36, but eventually signed a new three-year, $42,900,000 deal in February 2032 to return to the Drillers. Kapur’s stuff began to wane and he had a lackluster 4.26 ERA over 173.1 innings in 2032 and 2.2 WAR; his worsts since the rookie season. At the start of 2033, Kapur suffered ulnar nerve entrapment that put him out four months. He returned late in the year, but finished with an abysmal 5.52 ERA over 31 innings. Kapur retired that winter at age 37. The totals had a 198-101 record, 2.88 ERA, 2770.1 innings, 3916 strikeouts, 510 walks, 252/361 quality starts, 23 complete games, 8 shutouts, 134 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 81.1 WAR. Kapur ranks 17^th in wins, 42^nd in innings, 11^th in strikeouts, and 11^th in pitching WAR. Among all SAB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Kapur’s ERA is 73^rd and his 0.99 WHIP is 26^th. He’s also 17^th in K/9 (12.72), 63^rd in H/9 (7.21), and his .607 opponent’s OPS is 49^th. A lower inning count probably keeps Kapur just short of being a top ten pitcher in South Asia Baseball history, but he does crack some of those lists. He was certainly excellent at his peak and a key reason for Delhi’s first two SAB titles. At 98.2%, Kapur was a slam dunk Hall of Famer as part of an impressive two-man 2039 class for SAB. __________________ 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)