Baseball: The World's Game

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It was an unimpressive slate of debuts for the 2030 Hall of Fame ballot for Eurasian Professional Baseball as the best newcomer had a measly 16.7%. That opened up the field for SP Artur Woloshyn to barely cross the 66% requirement line at 68.1% on his seventh ballot. 3B Vladyslav Chychykov narrowly missed with 64.4% on his third try. SP Yuri Sabitov had a good showing at 61.5% on his fifth ballot, as did 1B Roman Stanchinsky at 58.1% on his third go. No one else was above 50%.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was SP Nihat Akhatov, who pitched 14 years between Minsk and Krasnodar. He had a 166-121 record, 2.79 ERA, 2732.1 innings, 3071 strikeouts, 866 walks, 111 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 52.7 WAR. Akhatov did lead in strikeouts twice, but never won Pitcher of the Year. He did notably have a 2.09 ERA in 103.1 playoff innings and won the 2002 EPB title with the Miners.

Still, Akhatov didn’t have the dominance or longevity to stand out amongst the many great pitching candidates. He peaked at 48.2% in 2024 and stayed above 40% for his first six ballots. However, Akhatov ended with only 14.8% and got banished to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Artur Woloshyn – Starting Pitcher – Yekaterinburg Yaks – 68.1% Seventh Ballot

Artur Woloshyn was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Bratsk, Russia; a city of 224,000 people in the Irkutsk Oblast. Woloshyn boasted very good control along with above average stuff and okay movement. His velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with an arsenal of cutter, screwball, splitter, curveball, and changeup. The cutter was generally Woloshyn’s best pitch, although none of the five were exemplary.

Woloshyn’s stamina was pretty good and his durability was excellent. He had an excellent pickoff move, but graded as weak defensively. Woloshyn was a likeable guy in the clubhouse, but was considered a bit thick. In February 1997, his professional career began with a developmental contract with Yekaterinburg. Woloshyn spent five full year in the Yaks academy before making his debut in 2002 at age 22.

He struggled in 87.2 innings in 2002, but put it together once moved into the full-time rotation for 2003. This was a dynasty era for Yekaterinburg, who had a 10-year playoff streak from 2003-12. The Yaks won the EPB Championship in 2003, 04, 07, and 08 while taking runner-up in 2006. Woloshyn was a steady contributor for Yekaterinburg’s decade of dominance.

Woloshyn led in wins twice, but otherwise wasn’t a league leader or overly dominant. He was second in 2005’s Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. That had Woloshyn’s career bests for ERA (1.83), strikeouts (280), ERA+ (159), and WAR (6.4).

In the postseason, Woloshyn’s stats were merely decent for the Yaks. Over 127.2 innings, he had a 3.17 ERA, 8-7 record, 112 strikeouts, 26 walks, 98 ERA+, and 1.1 WAR. Still, you knew generally what you were going to get. In total for Yekaterinburg, Woloshyn had a 155-95 record, 2.93 ERA, 2252.1 innings, 2224 strikeouts, 341 walks, 107 ERA+, and 37.7 WAR. His #24 uniform would later get retired for his role in the dynasty.

Woloshyn became a free agent at age 31 for 2012 and opened up his search worldwide, eventually coming to the Central American Baseball Association on a two-year, $9,740,000 deal with Nicaragua. Although healthy, Woloshyn remained on the reserve roster for all of 2012. He had part-time use in 2013 for the Navigators with a 3.07 ERA over 161 innings, 133 strikeouts, and 1.4 WAR.

He stayed in CABA and moved to Mexico with Monterrey in 2014 and Torreon in 2015. Woloshyn was merely decent in both stops with a 3.06 ERA over 114.2 innings and 1.7 WAR for the Matadors, followed by a 3.88 ERA over 218 innings and 2.6 WAR with the Tomahawks. In CABA, Woloshyn had a 32-19 record, 3.43 ERA, 493.2 innings, 408 strikeouts, 113 ERA+, and 5.7 WAR.

Woloshyn returned to Russia at the veteran minimum for 2016 with St. Petersburg. He was terrible with a 4.47 ERA over 108.2 innings with -0.9 WAR for the Polar Bears. Woloshyn was a roster filler from 2017-18 for Omsk with a 2.88 ERA over 34.1 innings. He retired after the 2018 campaign at age 38.

In Eurasian Professional Baseball, Woloshyn had a 167-102 record, 3.00 ERA, 2395.1 innings, 2343 strikeouts, 369 walks, 180/271 quality starts, 104 complete games, 22 shutouts, 105 ERA+, 93 FIP-, and 36.9 WAR. Woloshyn doesn’t crack the top 100 in any stat and his WAR was well below any other Hall of Fame starters that had made it in EPB.

Even giving Woloshyn some credit for the CABA years, his resume was extremely borderline. He didn’t have the big awards, league leading stats, or big accumulations from longevity. However, Woloshyn had four championship rings and a good winning percentage. For many hardline traditionalists, these were major points in Woloshyn’s favor. Those voters put that above those who felt that the advanced metrics were underwhelming.

Woloshyn debuted at 49.3% in 2024 and hovered around 40-55% for six ballots. His opportunity came in 2030 with no debuts of note and a wide open field. Those reminiscing about the Yekaterinburg dynasty perhaps gave Woloshyn an overstated role. Still, he had an important role and that got him just across the line at 68.1% for a seventh ballot induction. Some scholars argue Woloshyn is the weakest member of EPB’s HOF, but regardless he was the lone man to make it in for 2030.

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Two players earned inductions upon their debut ballot into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame for 2030. SP Jarrod Hutchinson was nearly unanimous at 99.6% while OF Aston Abavu squeaked by the 66% threshold at 68.4%. 3B Dale Harper just missed at 62.1% on his second go, as did 1B R.W. Putnam debuting at 61.8%. Two fifth ballot guys cracked 50% with LF Samson Gould at 58.2% and SP Raj Marple at 57.5%. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Jarrod Hutchinson – Starting Pitcher – Christchurch Chinooks – 99.6% First Ballot

Jarrod Hutchinson was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Brisbane, Australia. Hutchinson had excellent stuff with impressive control, although his movement was average at best. His fastball sat in the 96-98 mph range and he had a great changeup to compliment it perfectly. Hutchinson also had a nice slider as a third offering.

Compared to other OBA aces, Hutchinson was merely average in terms of going deep into games. His durability in his first decade was fantastic though, so you always got plenty of innings in his prime. Hutchinson had a respectable pickoff move and was above average defender. Despite his talent, Hutchinson did frustrate many coaches and teammates over the years. He was very outspoken and often wrong, but being loud and dumb can serve you well as a pundit or politician in retirement.

While Hutchinson did get noticed by Australian scouts, he never played for one of the Australian franchises. He would still represent his country in the World Baseball Championship from 2013-23, posting a 2.73 ERA over 99 innings with a 7-7 record, 148 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. Australia had one division title in 2017 during Hutchinson’s tenure.

His pro career began in Fiji with a developmental deal signed as a teenager in July 2006. After around six seasons, Hutchinson debuted in 2011 at age 22 with iffy results over 146 innings. He was a mixed bag initially as he’d get a lot of strikeouts, but also allow a lot of home runs. Hutchinson gave up the most homers in the Pacific League in 2012-13 and had the most losses in 2013 at 16-23. At this point, the Freedom were fully integrated in the middle of the standings.

Hutchinson put things together in 2014, leading in wins and posting his first of eight straight seasons worth 6+ WAR. It was also his career high for strikeouts with 389, although it was not one of his eventual six seasons as a league leader. Hutchinson was third in Pitcher of the Year voting and had arrived as an ace. However, he wasn’t shy about his annoyance at Fiji’s perpetual mid-ness. The Freedom had reason to believe that Hutchinson would be leaving with free agency coming up quickly.

In February 2015, Hutchinson was traded to two-time defending Oceania Champion Christchurch for three pitching prospects, none of which amounted to much. In four seasons for Fiji, Hutchinson had a 63-55 record, 3.68 ERA, 1084.1 innings, 1191 strikeouts, 245 walks, 98 ERA+, and 16.9 WAR. He would become much more known for his run in New Zealand with the Chinooks during their Australasia League dynasty run.

Christchurch won their third straight pennant in 2015, but were denied an OBA title three-peat in a rematch with Tahiti. Hutchinson had a great regular season and led in strikeouts, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. His 2.59 ERA would be a career best. However, he earned some ire with the loudmouth struggling to a 5.49 ERA over 19.2 playoff innings. Still, Hutchinson was strong enough to get a six-year, $75,600,000 extension that winter.

Hutchinson was again second in POTY voting for 2016 and led in wins, Ks, and WHIP. His 2.83 was just behind Raj Marple’s 2.69 to deny a Triple Crown, although it was teammate Lyle Summer who took Pitcher of the Year as their closer. Christchurch tied the world record for wins in a season at 126-36 and won a fourth straight AL title.

However, the Chinooks were denied in the Oceania Championship by Guam in a seven game classic. Hutchinson was again underwhelming with a 4.50 ERA over 24 innings and three playoff starts. Christchurch earned the at-large into the Baseball Grand Championship and Hutchinson looked strong there with a 2.02 ERA over 40 innings with 58 strikeouts and 1.5 WAR. The Chinooks would finish 11-8 in a five-way tie for fifth. The Golden Eagles meanwhile took the top spot at 13-6.

Christchurch fell one game short of Brisbane in the 2017 Australasia League standings, then spent the next two years just above .500. Hutchinson did his job and was second in POTY voting for 2017. In 2020, he finally won the top honor with league bests in wins (29-7), strikeouts (363), WHIP (0.94), and WAR (9.4). Hutchinson again just missed the Triple Crown with his 2.87 ERA only three points behind Fook Mesa. Hutchinson was only the sixth in OBA history to record 29+ wins.

The Chinooks returned to the AL perch at 106-56, but lost again to Guam in the Oceania Championship. Hutchinson again stunk in the finals with a 5.74 ERA over 15.2 innings and two starts. He was second in 2021’s POTY voting and posted his career best WAR of 9.6. Christchurch repeated as Australasia League champ, but this time were thwarted by Vanuatu in the final.

Hutchinson finally had an impressive postseason in 2021 with a 1.50 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 24 innings. Still, his playoff stats certainly lower him in the all-time pitcher rankings for OBA. Hutchinson started 11 games with the Chinooks and posted a 4.10 ERA, 2-7 record, 83.1 innings, 85 strikeouts, 14 walks, 95 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR. His 79 FIP- did suggest that bad luck might have contributed to a weak ERA.

Pleased with his continued results, Christchurch gave Hutchinson a five-year, $66,500,000 extension after the 2021 season. He was set to turn 33-years old the following April and was expected to still have some more strong years. Hutchinson lost a month in 2022 to a strained hamstring. He was still a good starter, but his strikeouts were well down, falling well short of 300 Ks for the first time in a full season. Christchurch was 85-77 that year and fifth in the standings.

In late April 2023, Hutchinson suffered a ruptured disc that kept him on the shelf for a calendar year. Christchurch won another AL pennant without him, but he was still denied an OBA ring as they lost to the fledgling Port Moresby dynasty. Shoulder inflammation plagued Hutchinson for much of his 2024 return and he was lousy in his limited action with a 5.09 ERA over 63.2 innings.

The lone highlight of the season was becoming the 12^th OBA ace to reach 4000 career strikeouts on July 30. Realizing his goose was cooked, Hutchinson retired that winter at age 35. Christchurch quickly retired his #71 uniform for his decade of steady service. With the Chinooks, Hutchinson had a 179-91 record, 2.98 ERA, 2343.2 innings, 2856 Ks, 346 walks, 46 complete games, 17 shutouts, 132 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 66.4 WAR.

Hutchinson finished with a 242-146 record, 3.20 ERA, 3428 innings, 4047 strikeouts, 591 walks, 409 home runs allowed, 299/456 quality starts, 93 complete games, 23 shutouts, 119 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 83.2 WAR. As of 2037, Hutchinson ranks 12^th in wins, 29^th in innings, 13^th in homers allowed, 15^th in strikeouts, and 20^th in pitching WAR. His 10.63 K/9 ranks 27^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings.

Most would rank Hutchinson just outside of the “inner-circle” tier of Hall of Fame pitchers in OBA. That said, he was a top five pitcher for most of his career and an important part of Christchurch’s decade of success. Hutchinson was a nearly unanimous inductee at 99.6% to headline the 2030 class for the Oceania Baseball Association.



Aston “Jaws” Abavu – Left/Center Field – Guadalcanal Green Jackets – 68.4% First Ballot

Aston Abavu was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands located on Guadalcanal with around 92,000 inhabitants. Abavu was famous for gap power and straight line speed, notably leading the Pacific League in triples in ten different seasons. He had an overall nice pop in his bat with a 162 game average of 29 doubles, 24 triples, and 27 home runs. Despite his speed, Abavu could be reckless on the basepaths and got caught stealing more than he succeeded.

Nearly half of Abavu’s hits were extra base hits. Although he made his hits count, Abavu was above average at best in terms of contact ability. He was decent at drawing walks but subpar at avoiding strikeouts. Abavu was far more potent facing right-handed pitching with a career .911 OPS and 156 wRC+ compared to only .723 OPS and 104 wRC+ facing lefties.

Abavu oscillated between left and center field, making about 2/3 of his starts in LF and the rest in CF. He graded as a great glove man in left and even won a Gold Glove in 2023. However, Abavu didn’t have the range for center and posted mediocre metrics there. His durability was mostly solid over a 19-year career. Because of a childhood fascination with sharks, Abavu ended up with the nickname “Jaws” throughout his career.

He quickly emerged as the top prospect to come from the Solomon Islands in some time as a teenager. Abavu grew up as a Guadalcanal fan and the Green Jackets certainly saw his potential. In the 2004 OBA Draft, Abavu was picked sixth overall by Guadalcanal out of high school. He spent 2005 in developmental and debuted in 2006 at age 19, albeit with only 21 games and 6 starts. Abavu earned the full-time job in 2007 and held it largely uninterrupted until the summer of 2024.

Abavu’s first full season was the first of seven straight years leading in triples. He had his struggles as a rookie, but was a solid starter by year two with a career and league-best 37 doubles. After the 2009 season, Guadalcanal locked up the hometown country favorite to a five-year, $18,920,000 extension. In 2010, Abavu won his first Silver Slugger in CF and was third in MVP voting. He had his career best in home runs (39), RBI (116), and runs (106).

Guadalcanal had been mostly mediocre since the 1980s. In 2010, they had a stunning franchise record season at 113-49, their first-ever 100+ win season and first Pacific League title since 1977 before Abavu was born. He had a respectable postseason going 7-24 with a .958 OPS, but the Green Jackets couldn’t dethrone Melbourne’s dynasty. The Mets also won 113 games and earned their sixth Oceania Championship in seven years.

Abavu won another Silver Slugger in 2011 despite missing a month to a strained MCL. Guadalcanal was second in the PL at 93-69. In 2012, Abavu had his finest season with his lone MVP win and his third Slugger. He led the PL and had career bests in hits (193), total bases (402), slugging (.690), OPS (1.065), wRC+ (209), and WAR (9.4).

Guadalcanal won it all in 2012, getting revenge on Melbourne in the final finals trip of their decade-long dynasty. Abavu was finals MVP in a seven-game classic with 16 hits, 5 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, 10 RBI, 1.516 OPS, 361 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. The 12 hits set a finals record which still stands as of 2037.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, Guadalcanal was one of five teams to finish 12-7 atop the standings. After the tiebreakers were sorted, the Green Jackets officially placed second. In 19 starts, Abavu had 20 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 9 RBI, .824 OPS, 126 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

Abavu led in triples and total bases in 2013 for another Slugger and a third place in MVP voting. Guadalcanal broke their franchise record from three years prior at 115-47, but was defeated by Christchurch in the Oceania Championship. Abavu was merely okay in five starts with a .728 OPS and 0.1 WAR. The Green Jackets earned the at-large for the 2013 BGC and again finished 12-7, officially taking fifth after tiebreakers. Abavu had 18 hits, 14 runs, 6 homers, 13 RBI, and .843 OPS in his 19 starts.

This would be Abavu’s final playoff appearances. In the Oceania Championship he excelled in 18 starts with 27 hits, 10 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers, 15 RBI, .375/.392/.750 slash, 234 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. In 38 Baseball Grand Championship Games, he was respectable with 38 hits, 27 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 10 homers, 22 RBI, .252/.317/.517 slash, 134 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR.

Abavu won his fifth and final Silver Slugger in 2014. That June, the Green Jackets locked him up to an eight-year, $106,900,000 deal. His first major injury setback came in May 2015 with a fractured ankle costing him the second half. Guadalcanal remained competitive and averaged 89.7 wins per season from 2014-22. However, they wouldn’t return to the top spot in the standings. Through it all, Abavu was reliably good for 4+ WAR per season.

After the 2021 season, the now 35-year old Abavu signed a three-year, $32,200,000 extension with Guadalcanal. This was the closest they came to another pennant with Abavu with a second place 100-62 in 2021 and 97-65 in 2022. Both years, they finished two games behind Vanuatu for the top spot. In 2023, Abavu joined the 400 home run and 2500 hit clubs.

2023 would be Guadalcanal’s first losing season since 2008. Abavu’s production dropped noticeably in 2024 and the rebuilding Green Jackets traded their long-time star at the deadline to Tahiti straight up for C prospect Eleei Maietoa. After 56 games and .714 OPS for the Tropics, Abavu retired in the winter at age 38. Guadalcanal quickly brought their home country kid home to retire his #33 uniform for his 18 years of service.

Abavu would retire as OBA’s all-time triples leader at 394, and ranks 13^th in all of pro baseball history as of 2037. He finished with 2626 games, 2703 hits, 1412 runs, 474 doubles, 394 triples, 440 home runs, 1463 RBI, 679 walks, 2318 strikeouts, 335 steals, .276/.325/.540 slash, 144 wRC+, and 76.4 WAR.

As of 2037 in OBA, Abavu ranks 12^th in games, 14^th in runs, 16^th in hits, 9^th in total bases (5285), 7^th in doubles, 37^th in homers, 18^th in RBI, 39^th in walks, 16^th in strikeouts, and 30^th in WAR for position players. Despite that resume, Abavu surprisingly only got 68.4% on his debut ballot. However, that got him across the 66% threshold for a first ballot spot to cap off the 2030 Hall of Fame class for the Oceania Baseball Association.

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After a rare empty 2029 class, Austronesia Professional Baseball had an impressive four-player Hall of Fame class for 2030. SP Rob Bruja and home run king Wil Tabaldo were the co-headliners at 97.1% and 96.8%, respectively. CL Achmad Albaar (68.6%) and SP Patrick Castillo (67.6%) both barely crossed the 66% threshold, but secured first ballot slots regardless. The best returner was CL Kyle Oliveira at exactly 50% on his seventh try. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Rob Bruja – Starting Pitcher – Singapore Sharks – 97.1% First Ballot

Rob Bruja was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Digos, Philippines; a city of around 188,000 in the Davao del Sur province. Bruja wasn’t overpowering, but he had reliably solid stuff and control along with good movement. His velocity peaked in the 93-95 mph range, but that was led by an impressive slider. Bruja also had a respectable cutter and curveball, plus a rarely used changeup.

Bruja’s stamina was outstanding, leading the league thrice in both innings pitched and complete games. He also had strong durability for most of his run, tossing 240+ innings each year from 2011-23. Bruja was excellent at holding runners, but graded as a weak defender otherwise. He was a quiet and simple man who kept his head down and did his job well.

In July 2005, a teenaged Bruja was signed to a developmental deal by Singapore. He spent part of six years in their developmental system before debuting in 2010 at age 21 with six respectable starts. The Sharks made Bruja a full-time member of the rotation from 2011 onward with strong results. All eight of his full seasons for Singapore had at least 5.9 WAR, 23 quality starts, and 270 strikeouts.

Bruja led the Sundaland Association and had a career best 281 innings in 2011 to earn Rookie of the Year honors. In 2012, he tossed a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts and one walk against Johor Bahru. Bruja was third in 2013’s Pitcher of the Year voting and second in 2015. He led the SA in strikeouts from 2012-14, peaking with 355 in 2013. Bruja was also the WARlord in 2014-15 and posted a career high 9.6 in 2015.

Perhaps his greatest moment with Singapore came on June 18, 2016 with APB’s 40^th perfect game with 10 strikeouts facing Johor Bahru. The Sharks had been very competitive to start the 2010s with 90+ win seasons from 2010-13, but they fell just short of the Malacca League crown those years. Singapore fell closer to .500 for the remainder of Bruja’s run.

Bruja was appreciated as Singapore’s ace, but they couldn’t come to terms after the 2018 season, sending him to free agency at age 30. For the Sharks, Bruja had a 143-71 record, 2.07 ERA, 2127 innings, 2502 strikeouts, 245 walks, 103 complete games, 42 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 61.2 WAR. Bruja’s #9 uniform would later be retired by Singapore for his strong service.

He had plenty of suitors and ultimately returned home to the Philippines, signing a seven-year, $84,800,000 deal with Quezon. Bruja been a regular for his country since 2013 in the World Baseball Championship and continued through 2024. He had great WBC stats with a 2.28 ERA over 118.1 innings, 8-1 record, 146 strikeouts, and 3.0 WAR. In 2015, the Philippines became World Champion for the first time, surviving a seven-game classic with Mexico in the final. Bruja was used as a reliever in the run, but tossed 9.1 scoreless innings over six appearances with 13 Ks.

His signing with Quezon surprised many as the Zombies had been a perennial loser for around two decades. They hoped to make a push and got to .500 in 2020, their first non-losing season since 2001. Quezon was then 83-79 in 2021 with Bruja taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He ultimately never earned the top honor.

Bruja had less strikeout dominance with Quezon, but led the Taiwan-Philippine Association twice in innings and five times in shutouts. 2021 had his career best ERA at 1.75. 2022 was actually Bruja’s worst full season with a 3.18 ERA and 3.8 WAR. However, the Zombies broke through with their first TPA pennant since 1998.

Quezon went on to defeat Medan to win their second-ever Austronesia Championship. In Bruja’s only playoff starts, he was merely decent with a 2.89 ERA and 96 ERA+ over 18.2 innings with 16 Ks and 0.2 WAR. He pitched well in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.52 ERA over 23.2 innings with 22 strikeouts. Despite his efforts, Quezon finished 19^th out of 20 in the event at 5-14.

The Zombies collapsed hard the next year at 64-98 and returned to the bottom of the standings until 2029. Bruja had a strong 2023 regardless, then ran into his first major injury with a torn triceps in April 2024. He looked merely okay upon his return and didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the final year of his Quezon deal. Bruja opted to retire that winter at age 36.

While he was never quite as dominant with Quezon as he was with Singapore, the signing was certainly important for their title run. With the Zombies, Bruja finished with a 76-73 record, 2.36 ERA, 1473.2 innings, 1438 strikeouts, 182 walks, 83 complete games, 118 ERA+, and 31.6 WAR.

The final stats saw a 219-144 record, 2.19 ERA, 3600.2 innings, 3940 strikeouts, 427 walks, 341/430 quality starts, 186 complete games, 66 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 92.8 WAR. As of 2037, Bruja ranks 18^th in wins, 23^rd in innings, 12^th in complete games, 3^rd in shutouts, 26^th in strikeouts, and 21^st in pitching WAR. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, his .556 opponent’s OPS is 94^th and his ERA is 88^th.

Bruja didn’t quite have the raw dominance or longevity to reach the inner-circle with so many stellar pitchers in the ultra-low scoring environment of Austronesia Professional Baseball. His Hall of Fame credentials though were certainly firm with a 97.1% first ballot selection. With that, Bruja co-headlined a strong four-player 2030 class with his former teammate Wil Tabaldo.



Wil “Sly” Tabaldo – First Base – Singapore Sharks – 96.8% First Ballot

Wil Tabaldo was a 6’6’’, 195 pound left-handed first baseman from Mandaue, Philippines; a city of 364,000 within the Cebu metropolitan area. He earned the nickname “Sly” because his voice reminded teammates of Sylvester Stallone. Tabaldo became one of the most beloved superstars in APB history because he socked dingers when that was far less common in the incredibly low scoring league.

Tabaldo’s power against both sides were impressive and many scouts rated him a 10/10 in his prime for home run power. He hit 40+ homers each year from 2008-22 and was the Sundaland Association leader from 2011-21. Tabaldo’s power was fully focused on mashing though and only gave you 14 doubles and 2 triples per his 162 game average.

He graded as a very good contact hitter overall and was above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts relative to his APB peers. Tabaldo’s speed and baserunning skills were below average, but he wasn’t a total liability like many other sluggers.

Tabaldo was a career first baseman and provided positive value glove work on a steady and consistent basis. Tabaldo was also one of the game’s great ironmen and played 149+ games in all 17 of his full seasons. It is no surprise he emerged as one of the true legends of his era with universal acclaim.

In January 2003, a young Tabaldo was brought to Singapore on a developmental deal. He spent five years in their academy and debuted in 2007 at age 20, although he only played two games that year. Tabaldo became a full-time starter in 2008 and held that role for the next 17 seasons for the Sharks. From 2008-22, Tabaldo was worth at least 5.5+ WAR every year with 40+ homers.

Tabaldo was 2008’s Rookie of the Year and his arrival helped Singapore become a winner. The Sharks repeated as Sundaland Association champs in 2008-09, although they were denied their first-ever Austronesia Championship by Taoyuan in 2008 and Davao in 2009. Tabaldo was an absolute beast in the 2009 run with 18 hits, 7 runs, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, 1.118 OPS, 303 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR over 13 starts.

His production only got better, although Singapore was unable to reach the finals after that. The Sharks just missed the playoffs from 2010-13 with 91, 91, 93, and 92 win seasons. Singapore spent most of the remainder of the 2010s just above .500. They made one more playoff trip with Tabaldo in 2019, but lost to Palembang in the Association Championship. In 31 playoff starts, Tabaldo had 31 hits, 16 runs, 6 doubles, 9 homers, 17 RBI, .265/.317/.547 slash, 203 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR.

Although he became a legend in Singapore, Tabaldo was also beloved as a regular for his native Philippines in the World Baseball Championship. From 2009-23, Tabaldo played 153 games and started 136 with 131 hits, 83 runs, 14 doubles, 42 homers, 84 RBI, 53 walks, .259/.330/.545 slash, 149 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR.

Tabaldo was a huge part of 2015 World Championship win by the Filipinos, defeating Mexico 4-3 in the finale. He finished third in Tournament MVP voting and led all players for the event with 18 runs, 10 homers, 20 RBI, and 63 total bases. In 27 games, Tabaldo had 28 hits, .292/.370/.656 slash, 191 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR.

He stayed committed in his pro career to Singapore, signing an eight-year, $135,500,000 extension in April 2012. In 2010, Tabaldo was third in MVP voting with his lone batting title at .314. It was also his first of ten straight years as the Sundaland Association’s RBI leader. Tabaldo started an 11-year run as the homer leader in 2011 and hit 50+ four times from 2011-16. As of 2037, Tabaldo is the only slugger in APB history with four seasons of 50+ dingers.

Tabaldo won back-to-back MVPs in 2011-12, leading both years in runs, homers, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. 2012 had career bests in runs (105), homers (61), total bases (363), slugging (.640), OPS (1.008), wRC+ (235), and WAR (10.8). The 61 homers fell one short of Po-Yu Shao’s record 62 from 1969, which remains APB’s only other 60+ HR season. Tabaldo’s 2012 is also one of only 28 qualifying seasons with an OPS above one in APB history as of 2037.

With the competition at first base, Tabaldo only won five Silver Sluggers (2011, 12, 15, 16, 21). He won his third MVP in 2015, which was his third season as the leader in OPS and wRC+. Tabaldo was second in MVP voting in 2013, 14, 16, and 21 with a third place in 2019. In January 2020, a now 33-year old Tabaldo signed a five-year, $77 million extension to stick with Singapore.

Tabaldo’s consistent power meant he quickly rose up the leaderboards. In 2020, he became the third member of APB’s 600 home run club. By the end of the year, he had passed Chun-Chia Lan (619) and Abracham Gumelar (604) to become Tabaldo’s career home run king. By 2022, Tabaldo had taken the top spot for RBI and was the first to breach 1500. It was his last 40+ homer season as well, becoming the first 700 club member in APB history.

Singapore began to slip towards the bottom of the standings as age caught up with Tabaldo. In 2023, he had career lows of 30 homers, 61 RBI, .668 OPS, and 3.0 WAR. Tabaldo fared worse in 2024 with 30 homers, .597 OPS, and 0.6 WAR. He retired that winter at age 37, falling just shy of becoming the APB leader in runs scored and total bases. Singapore immediately retired his #2 uniform for his 17 years of mashing.

Tabaldo finished with 2704 games, 2524 hits, 1388 runs, 230 doubles, 28 triples, 766 home runs, 1658 RBI, 892 walks, 1862 strikeouts, 178 steals, .259/.321/.525 slash, 189 wRC+, and 121.4 WAR. Tabaldo remains APB’s home run king entering the 2037 season, although Binh Tang is within striking distance at 735. Tang would usurp Tabaldo as the RBI leader in the mid 2030s, but he still holds the #2 spot.

As of 2037, Tabaldo also ranks 8^th in games, 4^th in runs, 11^th in hits, 4^th in total bases, 9^th in walks, and 4^th in WAR for position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Tabaldo’s .846 OPS is 22^nd. He also ranks 17^th in slugging and 85^th in OBP. Until Tang ripped up the record books, Tabaldo was viewed by many as APB’s best-ever slugger and had a case for the best-ever position player.

He was a regular MVP candidate and certainly belongs in the inner-circle for Hall of Famers with a spot on many top ten and top five lists. Tabaldo also makes those lists when discussing the many great Filipino players of all-time. His 96.8% frankly seems too low, but regardless he co-headlines Austronesia Professional Baseball’s four-player 2030 class along with former teammate Rob Bruja.

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Achmad Albaar – Closer – Manila Manatees – 68.6% First Ballot

Achmad Albaar was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Balikpapan, Indonesia; a city with 738,000 people and the financial center of Kalimantan. Albaar was known for having absolutely filthy stuff along with reliably solid control and decent movement. He had an impressive one-two punch of a 99-101 mph fastball and a curveball.

Albaar also had a rarely used changeup for a third option, but it wasn’t a strong enough third pitch to keep him out of the bullpen. His stamina was good and he showed great durability, avoiding the major injuries that have ruined many arms. Albaar also had a strong pickoff move and was an okay defender.

The main knock on Albaar was that he was a frankly terrible person. He was loud, obnoxious, selfish, and lazy. Albaar had no shortage of awful takes that he went out of his way to share with disinterested teammates. It did give him an audience of the worst kind of sports fans for a large Twitter following. However, it also meant Albaar didn’t stay in one place very long later in his career despite his undeniable talent.

That talent and potential caught the eye of scouts from Manila, who brought Albaar from Indonesia to the Philippines as a prospect in April 2004. He had one appearance in 2009 at age 21, then saw 42.1 innings with okay results in 2010. The Manatees moved Albaar into the closer role in 2011, which he held through 2016 for the squad with 30+ saves each year.

Albaar’s dominance picked up by the middle of the decade, taking third in 2014’s Reliever of the Year voting. He won for the first time in 2015 and was third in 2016. He had a 35 save streak from July 2014 until July 2015. In 2015, Albaar had his career best ERA at 0.86. He was never the saves leader though, in part because Manila was stuck in the middle tier during the 2010s. He wasn’t shy about his annoyance of that fact, which made Manatees management leery of giving Albaar a long term extension.

In December 2016, Albaar was traded to Taipei for three prospects heading towards his age 29 season. With Manila, Albaar had 205 saves and 250 shutdowns, 1.72 ERA, 413 games, 544.1 innings, 861 strikeouts, 111 walks, 159 ERA+, and 19.6 WAR. Despite his issues, Albaar did have his supporters for Manila and eventually got his #24 uniform retired by the squad.

Albaar won his second Reliever of the Year in his lone season for Taipei with 39 saves, 1.21 ERA, 172 strikeouts, 96.2 innings, and 6.9 WAR. The Tigercats were amidst their streak of dominance in the Taiwan League, although they were again denied in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship by Zamboanga. In his only playoff appearances of his career, Albaar tossed 4.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts.

He was now a free agent for the first time heading towards age 30 and signed a three-year, $17,300,000 deal for 2018 with Jakarta. Although Albaar was now back in his native Indonesia, he had been a World Baseball Championship regular since 2013. Albaar was often a starter in the WBC with impressive results from 2013-23, posting a 16-2 record, 2.38 ERA, 147.1 innings, 256 strikeouts, 42 walks, 152 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR.

Indonesia’s deepest run with Albaar was a runner-up finish to the United States in 2014. They also picked up division titles in 2017, 2022, and 2023. Albaar’s most impressive outing was a 20 strikeout, 2 walk outing over 9.1 innings in 2022 facing Ghana.

In his one year with Jakarta, the Jaguars were historically inept at 48-114. Albaar managed 5.4 WAR despite only 23 saves and a 115 ERA+, posting an 18 FIP-. Jakarta had a fire sale in the offseason and sent Albaar to Tainan for three prospects.

Albaar was back to form in 2019 for the Titans, leading the TPA in games (75) and posting his career bests in saves (41), innings (99.2), and WAR (7.0). He was second in Reliever of the Year voting. Albaar won the honor for the third time in 2020 with 33 saves, 1.24 ERA, 6.4 WAR, 94.2 innings, and a career best 182 Ks. Tainan was a third place 91-71 in 2019, then fell to 80-82 in 2020.

Back to free agency for 2021, Albaar signed a three-year, $16,200,000 deal with Medan. He was third in ROTY voting in 2021 with 33 saves, 1.55 ERA, 158 Ks, and 4.5 WAR. The season also saw 28 straight scoreless innings from 7/24 to 9/24 and a 34-game scoreless streak into the following April. The Marlins were subpar though and Albaar was becoming more of a clubhouse cancer, so they traded him in the offseason straight up to Palembang for 2B Muh Sadikin, who gave Medan six solid seasons as a starter.

The Panthers were the defending APB champ and had won three straight Sundaland Association titles. They fell three wins short of the playoffs in 2022 with Albaar taking third again in ROTY voting with a 1.59 ERA, 30 saves, 157 Ks, and 4.8 WAR. Albaar also became the third member of APB’s 400 save club. He seemingly had a shot of the top mark of Metta Adam, who retired after the 2019 season with 437.

However, Albaar’s velocity dropped sharply in 2023 from his previous 99-101 mph peaks to the 95-97 mph range. He put up average results and was moved out of the full-time closing position as Palembang fell below .500. For the Panthers, Albaar had 42 saves, 1.90 ERA, 165.2 innings, 270 strikeouts, and 6.7 WAR.

Albaar still wanted to be the saves king and signed with Pekanbaru for 2024 on a one-year, $3,440,000 deal. However, he barely could hit 90 mph reliably by then and was limited to only 22 innings with two saves. Realizing he was cooked and out of chances, Albaar retired that winter at age 36.

The final stats saw an 88-85 record, 418 saves, 537 shutdowns, 1.61 ERA, 1199 innings, 1975 strikeouts, 201 walks, 165 ERA+, 39 FIP-, and 56.5 WAR. As of 2037, Albaar ranks 4^th in saves and 92^nd in WAR among all APB pitchers. Among APB’s Hall of Fame closers, he is 2^nd in WAR, 1^st in innings, and 1^st in strikeouts.

Among all APB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Albaar sits 9^th in ERA. His 0.74 WHIP is tied for 4^th, while his 14.82 K/9 is 2^nd and 5.16 H/9 is 5^th. Albaar’s career .476 opponent’s OPS is good for 6^th while his .165/.209/.267 triple slash is 4^th/5^th/9^th. Amongst all HOF relievers in world history, Albaar’s ERA is 23^rd. He’s also 24^th in strikeouts, 24^th in WAR, 33^rd in shutdowns, 26^th in FIP-, 17^th in opponent’s OPS, and just outside of the top 50 in saves.

No doubt, Albaar could ball. Still, he was such a colossal jerk that several voters said no despite his numbers. They argued that the lack of team successes in Albaar’s run was partly attributed to his toxicity. Still, Albaar’s stats got him just across the 66% threshold for a first ballot induction at 68.6%, joining the four-member 2030 class for Austronesia Professional Baseball.



Patrick Castillo – Starting Pitcher – Jakarta Jaguars – 67.6% First Ballot

Patrick Castillo was a 6’3’’, 205 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Cavite, Philippines; a city with around 100,000 people in the province of the same name. Castillo was known for excellent movement on his pitches and very good control, although his stuff was viewed as merely above average. His fastball peaked in the 98-100 mph range and he had a fantastic circle change. Castillo also had an okay slider and poor changeup in the arsenal.

Castillo’s stamina was respectable for an APB ace, but not stellar. His durability was fantastic though, so you’d always get a full slate of starts from him. Castillo was great at holding runners, but weak defensively otherwise. He also had a good bat by pitcher standards with a career .196 average, winning a Silver Slugger in 2013. Castillo didn’t draw attention to himself, but he would give you reliable outings.

In May 2005, Castillo signed a developmental deal with Jakarta and spent around five years in their academy. He debuted with poor results in 2010 at age 21 with a 4.42 ERA over 75.1 innings. Castillo was split between relief and starting in 2011 with okay results. He got more regular use after that with 200+ innings each year until the end of his career, although Jakarta often had Castillo in a split role.

The Jaguars spent Castillo’s tenure in the middle of the standings. In 2015, he had his career best ERA at 1.56 and posted 8.1 WAR. Castillo was good for 5+ WAR each year from 2014-22, but he wasn’t dominant enough to regularly factor into awards conversation. He also almost never was a league leader in any of the big stats.

Castillo was set to be free agency eligible after the 2017 season and Jakarta wasn’t inclined to give him a long-term deal. They were also planning a full rebuild after being stuck in mediocrity. Castillo had a slower start to 2017, but still had plenty of suitors as a trade rental. On July 3, Castillo and $6,820,000 were sent to Pekanbaru for five prospects, none of which ended up having any major successes.

For the Jaguars, Castillo had an 89-75 record, 2.31 ERA, 1545.2 innings, 1567 strikeouts, 457 walks, 40 complete games, 109 ERA+, and 28.8 WAR. He was still liked enough that despite a relatively short tenure, his #16 uniform would get retired in Jakarta.

As for the Palms, they hoped to make a late playoff push and ultimately fell three games short of the Malacca League title to Johor Bahru. Castillo held up his end with a 1.35 ERA over 127 innings in the second half. He finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting with a career best 9.5 WAR split between the teams. Castillo and Pekanbaru couldn’t come to terms on an extension, sending him to free agency at age 28.

Castillo returned to the Philippines with a six-year, $88,300,000 deal with Davao. He had seen limited use for his country in the World Baseball Championship, but was notably part of the 2015 championship squad. From 2014-24, Castillo had a 3.39 ERA over 63.2 innings, 2-2 record, 67 strikeouts, and 0.4 WAR. He made only three starts over his 23 games pitched in the WBC.

He ultimately spent four productive years with Davao, although the Devil Rays were mostly lousy during his run. Castillo led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in wins (21-6) in 2019, his only time leading a major stat. That was his top season there by WAR at 8.1. For Davao, Castillo had a 56-41 record, 2.23 ERA, 983.2 innings, 916 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, and 26.8 WAR.

Davao was going nowhere fast though and traded the soon-to-be 33-year old Castillo in March 2022 to Quezon for CF Rich Lacandile and SS/2B Naresh Nihar. Nihar notably was a respectable starter for a decade with the Devil Rays, winning a Silver Slugger in 2025. The Zombies were making a push at this point to end their longstanding mediocrity and Castillo played an important role.

In 2022, Castillo took second in Pitcher of the Year voting, the closest he came to the top honor, posting a 1.84 ERA, 8.1 WAR, and 258 Ks in 255 innings. Quezon went all the way, defeating Medan in the Austronesia Championship. Castillo was merely okay in the playoff run with a 3.09 ERA in 32 innings, 90 ERA+, 30 Ks, 2-2 record, and 0.2 WAR. Still, his addition to the rotation helped get them over the hump. Although Quezon was a lackluster 5-14 in the Baseball Grand Championship, Castillo had a 2.36 ERA over 34.1 innings with 24 Ks, 145 ERA+, and 1.3 WAR.

Castillo fell off in 2023 with a 3.47 ERA, the worst full season of his career. Quezon also fell off hard down to 64-98 and stayed near the bottom for the next few years. Castillo played his role with a 29-25 record, 2.64 ERA, 504.1 innings, 478 strikeouts, and 11.1 WAR with the Zombies. He was now back to free agency for 2024 at age 34.

Manila gave Castillo a look on a two-year, $11,100,000 deal. He was an innings eater for a below average Manatees squad in 2024 with a 3.09 ERA over 235.2 innings, 195 Ks, 90 ERA+, and 2.7 WAR. Manila voided the team option second year of his deal and Castillo opted for retirement at age 35.

Castillo finished with a 197-160 record, 2.35 ERA, 3396.1 innings, 3296 strikeouts, 710 walks, 317/406 quality starts, 113 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 74.1 WAR. As of 2037, Castillo ranks 34^th in wins, 39^th in innings, 68^th in complete games, 41^st in shutouts, 50^th in strikeouts, and 37^th in WAR among pitchers. He misses the top 100 in rate stats, but still hit some nice career bench marks.

His resume was a tough one since he was never overwhelmingly dominant. Castillo wasn’t often looked at as a top five pitcher in his peak and he was on a lot of forgettable teams. Still, his numbers impressed a lot of Hall of Fame voters even with the stiff competition for pitchers in Austronesia Professional Baseball. Castillo debuted at 67.6%, sneaking across the 66% requirement line for a first ballot nod. He wrapped up a rock solid four-player class for 2030 in APB.

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Chinese League Baseball didn’t add any Hall of Famers in 2030. It was the first blank class since 2025, but was the fifth time in a decade with no additions. The closest to the 66% requirement was 1B Xugang Zheng at 60.2% on his third ballot. SP Rouzi Dilyar was next at 59.6% for his second go. The best debuts were 1B Bozhao Zhu at 58.7% and RF Boyu Long with 57.5%. SP Likong Zhong notably had 50.0% even on his second attempt. Everyone else was below the 50% mark.





CF Sheng-Yu Pei was dropped after ten failed ballots. He won eight Silver Sluggers in nine years with Hangzhou, but the Taiwanese switch hitter left for MLB after as a respectable starter for Winnipeg. With the Hens, Pei played 1358 games with 1544 hits, 583 runs, 229 doubles, 194 triples, 45 home runs, 449 RBI, 599 steals, .297/.322/.442 slash, 158 wRC+, and 77.8 WAR. Pei led the league thrice in hits and triples, four times in stolen bases, and once in batting average.

Pei had a combined 91.5 WAR adding his MLB results and still ranks 59^th among CLB’s position players. It’s hard for any player to make it on just nine seasons in your league and was even tougher for a leadoff guy considering the value placed on sluggers. Pei peaked at 43.1% in 2022 on his second ballot and ended at 19.9% in 2030. Had he stayed in CLB, he may have gotten the ultimate nod. Hangzhou did retire his #1 uniform for his efforts, helping them to a runner-up finish in 2013.

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West African Baseball nearly had a blank Hall of Fame class for 2030, but SP Zeb Onyedika slid across the 66% line with 68.0% on his fifth ballot. 3B Joey Agboola was the next closest at 59.6% on his second go. Two guys were above 50% on their tenth and final chance with 1B Ikechukwu Onyia at 54.5% and CL Francis Koomson at 50.5%. SP Dawud bin Rahman was the top debut at 49.5%.



For Onyia, he got as close as 62.5% in 2024 and was above 50% in eight years. He had a 13-year career primarily with Freetown, notably winning a Silver Slugger and a batting title in 2005 with a 1.114 OPS and 8.8 WAR. In total, Onyia had 1731 games, 2129 hits, 898 runs, 572 doubles, 256 home runs, 1134 RBI, .325/.358/.543 slash, 142 wRC+, and 46.1 WAR.

Onyia is 21^st in the WAB doubles list as of 2037, but didn’t quite have the power or longevity needed to stand out more. He also struggled in the playoffs with a .674 OPS over 25 starts, but did help Freetown to a runner-up finish in 2011. The Foresters did later retire Onyia’s #7 uniform for his efforts, but he ended up a Hall of Pretty Good guy.

Koomson was hurt by splitting his career between WAB and MLB. He was a stud closer in his prime, winning Pitcher of the Year twice and Reliever of the Year thrice with Lagos. Koomson had the rare feat in 2007 of being the top pitcher in WAR for the entire league out of the bullpen. The Lizards run was only seven years, followed by six decent years in MLB. He came back for two iffy final WAB seasons with Lome.

The final WAB numbers for Koomson saw 260 saves, 2.05 ERA, 509 games, 681 innings, 942 strikeouts, 196 ERA+, and 27.6 WAR. The combined stats had 334 saves, 2.04 ERA, 977 innings, 1271 Ks, and 37.4 WAR. Koomson’s tenure was just too short for many voters despite being a stud at his peak. He still barely missed the cut with a peak at 64.6% in 2023 and nine ballots above 50%. Although not a Hall of Famer, Koomson has the very rare distinction in all of pro baseball history of multiple Pitcher of the Year awards as a closer.



Zeb Onyedika – Starting Pitcher – Ouagadougou Osprey – 68.0% Fifth Ballot

Zeb Onyedika was a 6’2’’, 190 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Port Harcourt, the fifth-most populous city in Nigeria with more than 3.6 million in the metro area. Onyedika was a well-rounded pitcher with good-to-great stuff, movement, and control. His velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with a three-pitch arsenal of slider, changeup, and cutter. Each were equally potent and led to an extreme groundball tendency.

The movement was particularly pronounced facing right-handed batters with Onyedika posting a career 3.34 ERA and 68 FIP-. Against lefties, he had a 4.36 ERA and 100 FIP-. Onyedika’s stamina was respectable compared to other WAB aces, although he didn’t go the distance in games too often. His durability was rock solid and he avoided major injuries.

Onyedika did struggle holding runners and was a poor defensive pitcher. Some teammates also viewed Onyedika as a bit of a selfish loner. Even if he was more worried about his paycheck than team success, Onyedika’s talent was undeniable. He was spotted in December 2000 as a teenage amateur and signed by Ouagadougou.

He debuted in 2005 at age 20 with 26.1 innings, showing good results in a small sample size. Onyedika struggled a bit in 45.1 relief innings the next year, but still earned a full-time rotation slot for 2007. He became a nice starter from 2007-09 as Ouagadougou entered a competitive window. The Osprey had wild card round losses in 2007-08.

In 2009, Ouagadougou took first in the Eastern League with a franchise record 111-51 season. Onyedika earned Pitcher of the Year honors with a league and career best 6.5 WAR. However, the Osprey were shocked by 84-78 Ibadan in the ELCS. Onyedika’s playoff starts were lackluster these years with 10 earned runs allowed over 18.2 innings and 20 strikeouts.

2010 was Onyedika’s lone ERA title at 2.12 and he led in wins at 18-6. However, Nana Villars’ 360 strikeout effort just edged him out for Pitcher of the Year. Ouagadougou also fell off to 81-81 that year. They would get back to the ELCS as a wild card in 2011, falling to a 114-win Cotonou. Onyedika’s one playoff start was strong with one run allowed over seven innings. However, he struggled that season at points with a 4.59 ERA.

Worried that he had peaked, Ouagadougou let the 27-year old Onyedika leave for free agency after the 2011 campaign. For the Osprey, he had a 69-38 record, 3.39 ERA, 1043 innings, 1246 strikeouts, 191 walks, 119 ERA+, and 25.7 WAR. He would actually pitch more innings with a slightly higher WAR in his next stop, but Onyedika would be inducted in the Osprey blue and red.

Onyedika moved to Guinea on a seven-year, $43,200,000 deal with Conakry. He ultimately spent five years with the Coyotes, leading in wins, innings, and complete games in 2014. Onyedika wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist for Conakry, but he had 4.5+ WAR each season. The Coyotes were a bottom-tier team for most of his run, averaging 71.8 wins per season.

With Conakry, Onyedika had a 66-64 record, 3.66 ERA, 1102.1 innings, 1310 strikeouts, 209 walks, 120 ERA+, and 27.9 WAR. Now 32-years old after the 2016 season, Onyedika was traded to Dakar for veteran infielder Simon David and prospect Yasir Umar. The Dukes were the defending WAB champ having gone 112-50 in 2016 and hoped Onyedika would give them some solid depth to keep the run going.

Dakar was a wild card with a second round loss in 2017, then just missed the playoffs in 2018. In two seasons, Onyedika had a 4.18 ERA, 19-22 record, 407.1 innings, 483 strikeouts, 110 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. His one playoff start was poor, allowing three runs in three innings.

Onyedika’s stats were decent on the World Baseball Championship stage for Nigeria from 2012-20 with a 3.74 ERA in 55.1 innings, 5-2 record, 60 strikeouts, 20 walks, 96 ERA+, and 0.9 WAR. He ultimately never pitched for his hometown Port Harcourt or any of the other Nigerian WAB teams.

Now 34-years old, Onyedika still commanded a five-year, $44 million deal with Cotonou. They were on a nine-year playoff streak, but the Copperheads hadn’t had any long runs in the last few years. The streak ended with back-to-back 83-79 seasons. For Onyedika, he had a 22-19 record, 4.40 ERA, 411 innings, 411 strikeouts, 106 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. He was solid in 2019, but struggled to a 5.10 ERA in 2020. Onyedika retired that winter shortly after his 36^th birthday.

Onyedika ended with a 176-143 record, 3.74 ERA, 2963.2 innings, 3450 strikeouts, 608 walks, 204/407 quality starts, 42 complete games, 12 shutouts, 116 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 65.6 WAR. As of 2037, Onyedika ranks 26^th in wins, 14^th in innings, 56^th in complete games, 29^th in shutouts, 12^th in strikeouts, and 15^th in WAR among pitchers.

However, he didn’t make the top 100 in rate stats and was rarely considered dominant. For some voters, this put Onyedika as a borderline candidate. Weaker playoff starts didn’t help with the doubters and they felt his tallies weren’t quite high enough to outweigh that. Supporters noted the ERA title and Pitcher of the Year win. Every WAB eligible ace with 3500+ strikeouts had made it in as well and Onyedika only just was short of that mark.

Onyedika oscillated early on with a 57.5% debut in 2026, a drop to 46.1% in 2027, bump to 60.2% in 2028, and drop back to 42.3% in 2029. 2030 lacked any slam dunk debuts and was a wide open field, allowing Onyedika’s resume to pop a bit more by comparison. He just made it across the line at 68.0% for a fifth ballot selection. Albeit barely, Onyedika was the lone selection for West African Baseball’s Hall of Fame for 2030.

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Pitcher Charan Asoka was South Asia Baseball’s only Hall of Fame addition in 2030, debuting on the ballot at 81.8%. SP Siddhant Shakya was the best returner with 61.8% on his third ballot, falling narrowly short of the 66% threshold. Also above 50% was CF Chris Saandeep at 57.4% on his fifth ballot and CL Khon Aye Ko with 51.0% for his seventh try. No players were removed following ten failed ballots in 2030.



Charan Asoka – Starting Pitcher – Lucknow Larks – 81.8% First Ballot

Charan Asoka was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Jatni, India; a town of around 64,000 people in the southeastern Odisha state. Asoka had impressive stuff and control along with above average movement. His arsenal included a 96-98 mph fastball along with a slider and changeup. Each option was equally potent, although his changeup probably got the most whiffs.

By SAB ace starts, Asoka’s stamina was subpar with his was split between starting and relief. He had excellent durability though, so he wouldn’t miss dates even if you didn’t get as many complete games. Asoka had good glove work on the mound, but he was terrible at holding runners. He wasn’t going to take up the leadership mantle, but Asoka was a reliable teammate.

Asoka was taken fourth overall by Lucknow in the 2011 SAB Draft. The Larks were a 2004 expansion team and had been largely mediocre since their introduction. For most of Asoka’s tenure, they hovered around the middle of the standings. Asoka was lousy in his rookie year with a 4.94 ERA over 89.1 innings. He saw a greater role in 2013 and looked respectable, continuing to improve as his tenure progressed. In April 2016, the Larks signed Asoka to a four-year, $19,560,000 extension.

In 2017, Asoka was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with career best in ERA (1.84) and WAR (8.5) along with his first 300 strikeout season. As of 2037, his is one of only 69 qualifying seasons in SAB with a sub-two ERA. The next two years, Asoka was the Indian League’s leader with 2.10 in 2018 and 2.44 in 2019. He also had the best WHIP both years, earning repeat Pitcher of the Year honors.

In 2019, Lucknow earned their first-ever playoff berth at 89-73 atop the Central Division. They made it to the ILCS, but were denied by Pune. In 16 playoff innings, Asoka had a 2.25 ERA with 26 strikeouts. His stock was at an all-time high and to the disappointment of Larks fans, Asoka declined his contract option. Thus, he became a highly touted free agent at age 31.

For Lucknow, Asoka had an 88-72 record, 66 saves, 2.69 ERA, 1416.1 innings, 1917 strikeouts, 293 walks, 134 ERA+, and 40.1 WAR. His #9 uniform would ultimately be the first number retired by the franchise. Asoka picked up and moved from India to Vietnam on a five-year, $52 million deal with Da Nang. However, he still would return home to India to represent his country in the World Baseball Championship. Asoka was quite efficient in the WBC from 2015-23 with a 1.61 ERA over 72.2 innings, 4-4 record, 4 saves, 112 strikeouts, 16 walks, 222 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR.

Asoka led the Southeast Asia League in K/BB from 2020-23 and had the best WHIP in 2022. He had 7+ WAR efforts in 2021-22 and had his finest strikeout tallies at 314 and 311, respectively. Asoka was third in 2021’s Pitcher of the Year voting, but wasn’t a finalist otherwise. Da Nang was also a 2004 expansion team and like Lucknow, they mostly struggled in their earliest years apart from a stunning LCS trip in the inaugural season. Asoka’s arrival helped the Nailers earn their first sustained success.

Da Nang won division titles in 2020, 21, and 23 and earned a wild card in 2024. The Nailers couldn’t get over the hump with LCS losses in 2021 and 2023 and first round exits otherwise. Asoka was solid in the 2021 playoff run with a 2.86 ERA over 22 innings with 29 strikeouts. He was iffy in 2023 and absolutely got shellacked In 2024, giving him a 5.14 ERA over 35 innings for his playoff career with Da Nang.

Asoka fell off in 2023 and 2024 with only 2.0 and 2.8 WAR despite being healthy. He had declined his contract option after the 2023 season, but Da Nang gave him a new four-year, $31,600,000 deal. After his horrendous playoff start in 2024 with Bangkok with eight runs allowed in 2.2 innings, Asoka opted to retire shortly after his 36^th birthday. With the Nailers, he had a 78-39 record, 3.33 ERA, 1020 innings, 1260 strikeouts, 119 walks, 125 ERA+, and 25.0 WAR.

In total, Asoka had a 166-111 record, 89 saves, 2.96 ERA, 2436.1 innings, 3177 strikeouts, 412 walks, 199/303 quality starts, 36 complete games, 10 shutouts, 130 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 65.1 WAR. As of 2037, Asoka ranks 45^th in wins, 77^th in innings, 39^th in strikeouts, and 22^nd in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Asoka is 89^th in ERA, 77^th in opponent’s OPS (.625), and 43^rd in WHIP (1.01). He’s also 51^st in K/9 (11.74) and 63^rd in BB/9 (1.52).

Asoka didn’t have the longevity or accumulations to be an inner-circle Hall of Famer. However, he was certainly one of the most efficient arms of his era. Two Pitcher of the Year wins and two ERA titles in 13 seasons sold most voters. At 81.8%, Asoka was a first ballot pick and the lone inductee for South Asia Baseball’s 2030 class.

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DH Fakhri Rajavi stood alone for induction with a 93.5% debut with the Asian Baseball Federation’s 2030 Hall of Fame ballot. CL Ananthakrishnan Khan nearly joined him on his second try, but his 62.9% just missed the 66% requirement. 3B Eser Haspolatli debuted at 58.4% and SP Yhlas Batyrow got exactly 50% with his second ballot. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Fakhri Rajavi – Designated Hitter – Baku Blackbirds – 93.5% First Ballot

Fakhri Rajavi was a 6’6’’, 195 pound left-handed slugger from Shiraz, Iran’s fifth most populous city with around 1.5 million inhabitants. Rajavi was known for his outstanding home run power, which some scouts graded as a 10/10 at his peak. He was especially dominant facing right-handed pitching with a career 194 wRC+ and 1.033 OPS. Rajavi wasn’t bad against lefties with 124 wRC+, and .751 OPS.

On the whole, Rajavi was considered a good contact hitter with an above average eye for walks and subpar strikeout rate. His 162 game average got you an impressive 51 home runs along with 30 doubles. Rajavi wasn’t going leg out extra bases with truly abysmal baserunning speed and ability. Despite being an all-time slugger, Rajavi’s overall athleticism was hot garbage.

Because of that, he made around 80% of his career starts as a designated hitter. The rest of Rajavi’s starts came at first base with poor defensive grades. He did run into some major injuries, especially to his left knee, but still hung around for 17 seasons. Because of his towering home runs, Rajavi became extremely popular and was one of ABF’s most known stars of his era.

A tall lefty that can mash certainly draws attention and all eyes were on Rajavi entering the 2006 ABF Draft just before his 20^th birthday. Despite his athletic sluggishness, teams knew he had the potential to be a generational slugger. Thus, Baku picked Rajavi #1 overall, hoping he might change their fortunes. The Blackbirds had been a generally terrible team since the late 1980s, having most recently posted a winning season in 1985 while still part of Eurasian Professional Baseball.

Rajavi wasn’t fully formed yet and only played 20 games with two starts from 2007-08. He would play 136 games with 107 starts in 2009 with 34 homers, .828 OPS, and 3.1 WAR. This addition helped Baku’s turnaround with a 92-70 record and division title. Although they lost in the first round of the playoffs, it began what would be a seven-year playoff streak and six-year division title streak for the Blackbirds.

In 2010, Rajavi started the full year with his first of ten seasons with 40+ home runs. Baku earned their first West League pennant, although they were denied by Rawalpindi in the ABF Championship. Rajavi had a strong postseason run with .909 OPS in 17 games. 2011 would see a major setback though with a broken kneecap in late April. This kept Rajavi out 14 months total, not returning until late spring 2012.

Rajavi had a platoon role in 2012 with 117 games and 71 starts, but mashed with 5.4 WAR and 1.082 OPS. He was WLCS MVP and went 8-29 with 6 homers and 11 RBI in the playoff run as Baku defeated Lahore for their first-ever ABF title. The Blackbirds finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Rajavi posting .854 OPS and 0.5 WAR in 18 games.

From 2013-16, Rajavi had a run of good health and led the WL all four seasons in home runs, winning Silver Sluggers at DH each year. Thrice in that stretch he also led in RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, and wRC+. In 2013, Rajavi posted only the ninth Triple Crown season by an ABF player with his lone batting title at .338, but he missed out on MVP honors to teammate Ali Sungu.

Baku repeated as West League champs in 2013, but lost the ABF Championship to Hyderabad. The Blackbirds won 104 games in both 2014-15, but both times fell in the first round. Rajavi was third in 2014’s MVP voting, then won the top honor in 2015 with career and league bests in homers (67), RBI (158), total bases (415), and WAR (9.7). This set the new ABF single-season RBI record which held until 2024 and still ranks third as of 2037. It also ranks as the eighth most HRs.

In May 2015, Rajavi signed an eight-year, $91,700,000 extension to remain the face of baseball in Baku. Although beloved in Azerbaijan, he was equally adored back home in Iran. Rajavi represented his country from 2010-23 in the World Baseball Championship with 125 games, 110 hits, 84 runs, 20 doubles, 46 home runs, 94 RBI, .256/.348/.625 slash, and 6.7 WAR.

In 2018, Rajavi led Iran to their deepest run, taking runner-up to Poland. In 24 games, he had 23 hits, 13 runs, 6 homers, 15 RBI, .911 OPS, and 1.3 WAR. The Iranians also earned a division title in 2015 with Rajavi getting 9 homers, 17 RBI, and 17 runs in 15 starts. As of 2037, Rajavi leads all Iranians in the WBC in homers and RBI. He also is third in WAR among position players, fourth in hits, and third in runs.

Baku’s playoff streak ended at 86-76 in 2016. They got back for a WLCS defeat to 116-win Tehran as a wild card in 2017. Rajavi still won a Silver Slugger that year despite missing two months in the summer to a broken collarbone. 2017 also saw a four home run game against Tabriz in September, which was only the fourth 4 HR game in ABF history to that point.

From 2018-21, the Blackbirds would be outside the playoffs and around the .500 mark despite Rajavi’s best efforts. Rajavi led in homers and RBI in both 2018-19 for two more Silver Sluggers, finishing with seven total. He won his second MVP in 2018 and had his fourth 9+ WAR season, an especially impressive feat considering the huge penalty in that stat for a DH.

In July 2021, Rajavi suffered a ruptured MCL that put him out until the following spring. He returned to form in 2022 with his sixth and final 50+ homer season. Baku returned to the playoffs at 102-60 and won another WL pennant before losing to Bishkek in the ABF Championship. Rajavi struggled though in the playoffs with a .649 OPS. He made up for it in the Baseball Grand Championship with 1.113 OPS, 1.5 WAR, 10 homers, 20 RBI, and 14 runs in 19 starts. The Blackbirds ended up in a four-way tie for ninth at 10-9.

2022 had also seen Rajavi become the fourth member of the 600 home run club. His former teammate Ali Sungu had retired in 2021 with the top slot at 683, a goal for Rajavi to chase. His power dipped significantly though in 2023 with only 35 dingers and .822 OPS over 146 games. Baku got back to the WLCS but was denied by Tabriz. Rajavi struggled to 4-22 and one homer in eight playoff starts.

For his playoff career with Baku, Rajavi had strong numbers overall. He played 94 games with 83 starts, posting 82 hits, 46 runs, 13 doubles, 25 homers, 56 RBI, .262/.319/.556 slash, 156 wRC+, and 3.7 WAR. Rajavi retired one behind Sungu for playoff homers, although he ranks eighth as of 2037. He also ranks 10^th in RBI.

At this point, Rajavi was at 665 regular season homers and 1523 RBI, not far from Sungu’s 683 dingers and Petri Viskari’s record 1685 RBI. His decline had been noticeable though and Baku didn’t re-sign their long-time star, sending Rajavi to free agency for the first time at age 37. He ended up inking a two-year, $9,120,000 deal with Shymkent, who had joined ABF in the 2020 expansion. They hoped a famous star chasing milestones would sell tickets.

Rajavi was used in a platoon role facing RHP, but he was merely decent with 13 homers, .712 OPS, and 1.2 WAR over 130 games and 61 starts. Shymkent earned their first-ever wild card, but lost in the first round with Rajavi going 1-12 with seven strikeouts in the series. Rajavi was five behind Sungu for the homer crown, but decided to retire that winter shortly after his 38^th birthday. Baku quickly honored him by retiring his #9 uniform.

The final stats saw 2153 games, 2090 hits, 1217 runs, 393 doubles, 678 home runs, 1568 RBI, 630 walks, 1810 strikeouts, .285/.346/.623 slash, 179 wRC+, and 90.1 WAR. As of 2037, Rajavi ranks 6^th in homers, 9^th in RBI, 19^th in total bases (4563), 59^th in hits, 32^nd in runs, 55^th in games, 63^rd in walks, 74^th in strikeouts, and 28^th in WAR among position players. Among ABF batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Rajavi’s .969 OPS ranks 18^th and he is 12^th in slugging.

From a pure power standpoint, few in Asian Baseball Federation history, few compare to Rajavi. Being a DH limits him when discussing the tip top players in league history, but his status as a Hall of Famer was obvious. Rajavi was a huge reason Baku emerged as a regular contender from the 2010s onward. At 93.5%, he was the lone inductee for ABF’s 2030 class.

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Arab League Baseball added two first ballot selections into the Hall of Fame for 2030, captained by DH Adham Abdallah with a nearly unanimous 98.2%. 2B Hamdan Fahed joined him with a rock solid 89.6%. 1B Faqi Al-Thakur was the best returner to the ballot, getting 51.3% on his second go. No one else was above 50%.




Falling from the ballot after ten failed tries was RF Abdulaye Farag, who had an 18-year career mostly with Algiers. He peaked in his debut at 39.9% and was down to 9.9% by the end. Farag had four Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves, but was never a league leader.

His steady stats in 2418 games gave him 2419 hits, 1362 runs, 468 doubles, 102 triples, 528 home runs, 1377 RBI, 645 steals, .273/.335/.527 slash, 141 wRC+, and 73.1 WAR. Farag never had the massive signature season and was on mostly bad teams, perhaps leading to being underrated by many voters and fans. He remains confined to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Adham “Bomber” Abdallah – Designated Hitter/Infield – Abu Dhabi Destroyers – 98.2% First Ballot

Adham Abdallah was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed slugger from Bu Aradah, a town of around 13,000 people in northern Tunisia. His powerful bat earned Abdallah the nickname “Bomber.” Close to 50% of his hits were for extra bases with a 162 game average of 41 doubles, 9 triples, and 39 home runs. Abdallah was a very solid contact hitter, although he was average at best at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

On the basepaths, Abdallah was impressive with great speed and instincts. However, that athleticism didn’t translate over to defense with around ¾ of his career starts as a designated hitter. Abdallah had brief stints at first and third base, but was bad at the former and atrocious at the latter. His durability was mostly good over a 16-year career. With that offensive value, you’d certainly find a slot for Abdallah somewhere in the lineup.

Abdallah was signed as a teenage amateur by Abu Dhabi in February 2005. After four years in their academy, he debuted in 2009 at age 20 with 67 games and 36 starts with okay results. Abdallah started much of 2010, but hadn’t found his home run power yet. The Destroyers ended a 16-year playoff drought and had their first-ever Eastern Conference Final trip, falling to Basra. Abu Dhabi just missed the playoffs in 2011 with Abdallah used sparingly that season.

2012 marked Abdallah’s first of nine straight seasons with 5+ WAR, 35+ homers, and 100+ RBI. He led with a career best 51 doubles, helping Abu Dhabi start a six-year playoff streak. The Destroyers got revenge on Basra and won their first-ever pennant, eventually defeating Tripoli for their first ALB title. Abdallah was finals MVP with 14 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 3 homers, and 7 RBI in 13 playoff starts. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had .855 OPS and 0.6 WAR in 19 starts as Abu Dhabi finished 7-12.

Abdallah had arrived and the Destroyers knew it, signing him that winter to a six-year, $28,580,000 extension. He won Silver Sluggers from 2013-17 as a DH and began to find his power. Abdallah repeated as MVP in 2016-17, leading the conference both years in homers and runs scored. 2016 had his career highs for bombs (63), RBI (151), and total bases (151). Abdallah’s best WAR mark came in 2017 at 10.2.

Abu Dhabi had a first round loss in 2013, followed by ECF defeats in 2014 and 2015. The Destroyers then had franchise best efforts at 114-48 in 2016 and 106-56 in 2017. Abu Dhabi won the pennant both years but couldn’t claim the ALB title. They were defeated in 2016 by Damascus and by Casablanca in 2017. Abdallah’s playoff numbers overall were merely okay for the Destroyers with 56 starts, 56 hits, 25 runs, 16 doubles, 8 homers, 24 RBI, 15 steals, .263/.320/.469 slash, 116 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR.

The run ended abruptly for Abu Dhabi with a collapse to 71-91 in 2018. Abdallah still led in total bases and was second in MVP voting, but was now at a crossroads with his contract expiring. With a rebuild expected, the now 30-year old Abdallah departed for free agency. With the Destroyers, Abdallah had 1406 games, 1628 hits, 876 runs, 356 doubles, 75 triples, 340 homers, 944 RBI, 456 steals, .316/.365/.611 slash, 165 wRC+, and 51.4 WAR. For his role in AD’s first sustained success and pennants, Abdallah’s #18 uniform would later be retired.

Abdallah got paid handsomely on a seven-year, $112,600,000 deal with reigning Western Conference champ Tripoli. He won his lone Silver Slugger at 3B in 2019 and took second in MVP voting. This put the Privateers over the top for a franchise-best 107-55 season, defeating Jeddah for their second ALB title. He was merely okay in the ALB playoffs, but was strong in the BGC with a .997 OPS over 19 starts. Tripoli placed 8-11 in the event against the world’s best.

In 2020, Abdallah won his third MVP and only Silver Slugger at 1B; his seventh overall. This saw career highs for runs (139), hits (233), triple slash (.389/.441/.733), and OPS (1.173). To that point, his runs mark was the fifth-best single season in ALB history. Tripoli beat their wins mark from the prior year with a 108-54 season, but was upset by Cairo in the conference final. Abdallah had a poor showing in the playoffs, going 4-17 with one homer. His career playoff slash of .256/.317/.473 with 1.4 WAR over 72 starts was surprisingly underwhelming.

Abdallah dealt with quadriceps issues in 2021 and dropped off noticeable, although he was still good for .894 OPS and 2.9 WAR in 127 games. Tripoli dropped to 83-79 and missed the playoffs with Abdallah’s future in question. He ultimately used his opt-out clause and returned to free agency at age 33. In three seasons for the Privateers, Abdallah played 439 games with 577 hits, 349 runs, 127 doubles, 32 triples, 117 home runs, 322 RBI, 155 steals, .345/.402/.668 slash, 175 wRC+, and 19.2 WAR.

Next was a five-year, $49,800,000 deal with Jerusalem. Abdallah had a respectable 2022, but was merely okay in 2023 and outright bad by 2024. For the Jets, he played three years with 447 games, 458 hits, 285 runs, 96 doubles, 22 triples, 97 home runs, 277 RBI, .264/.320/.512 slash, 111 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR. Abdallah retired after the 2024 season shortly after his 36^th birthday.

Abdallah ended with 2292 games, 2663 hits, 1510 runs, 579 doubles, 129 triples, 554 home runs, 1543 RBI, 618 walks, 1780 strikeouts, 724 steals, .311/.363/.602 slash, 156 wRC+, and 75.4 WAR. As of 2037, Abdallah is 39^th in games, 28^th in hits, 23^rd in runs, 22^nd in total bases (5162), 27^th in doubles, 33^rd in triples, 27^th in home runs, 30^th in RBI, 58^th in walks, and 27^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Abdallah’s .965 OPS is 36^th. He also ranks 80^th in batting average, 73^rd in OBP, and 41^st in slugging. Abdallah is probably just outside the “inner-circle” level of Hall of Famer, but he was an obvious choice between those stats, three MVPs, four pennants, and two ALB Championship rings. Abdallah received 98.2% to captain the 2030 class for Arab League Baseball.



Hamdan “Blue Collar” Fahed – Second Base – Casablanca Bruins – 89.6% First Ballot

Hamdan Fahed was a 6’2’’, 180 pound right-handed second baseman from al-Fayha, Kuwait; a town of around 23,000 just outside of the capital. Fahed earned the nickname “Blue Collar” because of his impeccable work ethic and leadership. His high character made him an excellent team captain and a beloved figure across an 18-year career with Casablanca.

Fahed had impressive home run power with 50 dingers per his 162 game average. His power was focused there with only 25 doubles and 5 triples per 162. Fahed was merely above average as a contact hitter and subpar at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Fahed’s speed was solid with generally decent baserunning chops, although he did get caught stealing more than he succeeded.

Second base was Fahed’s main spot with around 2/3 of his career starts there. He thrived at the spot defensively and won three Gold Gloves. Fahed also saw occasional use at third base (with below average glove work) and first base (with solid results). Back issues would cause Fahed to miss a number of starts over his career, although he did his best to gut it out.

In March 2003, Fahed signed a developmental deal as a teenager with Casablanca. He spent his entire run in Morocco for the Bruins, debuting in 2007 at age 21 with 35 games and 5 starts. Fahed wasn’t quite ready and looked a bit better in 2008 with 58 games. Although he had only two at-bats, Fahed got his first Western Conference pennant in 2008. Casablanca fell to Basra in the ALB Championship. The next three seasons, the Bruins were defeated in the Western Conference Final.

After a good showing as a part-time starter in 2009, Fahed got the full-time job in 2010. He won his first Silver Slugger and Gold Glove and took second in MVP voting, posting career bests in home runs (56), RBI (140), and WAR (9.0). Unfortunately, he missed the final weeks to a strained hamstring. However, Casablanca knew they had a winner and gave Fahed an eight-year, $21,740,000 extension that winner. For his talent and potential, this was a major bargain with the selfless Fahed caring more about the team than his paycheck.

Fahed won Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves again in 2011-12 and took third in 2011’s MVP voting. His streak of Sluggers continued to 2015, followed by additional wins in 2017, 18, and 20. Casablanca entered its first-ever downturn with three losing seasons from 2012-14, having never posted back-to-back failed campaigns prior. Fahed had missed much of 2013 to a fractured ulna in his arm. He remained steady and the Bruins soon returned to their usual prominence.

In 2015, Fahed won his first MVP and led Casablanca to an Arab League Championship win over Sulaymaniyah. He led in WAR (8.5) and posted his third 50+ homer season. In 10 playoff starts, Fahed had a 1.175 OPS and 231 wRC+ with 13 hits, 5 runs, 4 homers, and 8 RBI. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Fahed saw .904 OPS, 127 wRC+, 0.7 WAR and 10 homers. Despite his efforts, the Bruins had a last place finish at 5-14.

That winter, Fahed got his big proper payday with an eight-year, $139,700,000 extension. 2016 had a tough end with ruptured finger tendon in late July, keeping him out of the playoffs with Casablanca falling in the first round. Fahed was back healthy in 2017 to win his second MVP, posting career and conference bests in OPS (1.053), and slugging (.691). He also matched his top mark for homers at 56 and had a career high 389 total bases.

Casablanca won their fifth ALB title in 2017, defeating Abu Dhabi in the finale. Fahed was finals MVP with .943 OPS over 12 playoff starts. He then went on a tear in the Baseball Grand Championship, although the Bruins finished 9-10. Fahed was second in Tournament MVP voting with 28 hits, 18 runs, 14 homers, 25 RBI, .364/.417/.948 slash, 1.365 OPS, 296 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. As of 2037, it is one of only 17 BGC runs with 14+ HRs and ranks 13^th in WAR among position players.

The Bruins remained competitive with 96, 89, 96, and 95 wins from 2018-21. Unfortunately, they had no playoff berths to show for it, primarily due to the adjacent brief ascent of Tripoli. Fahed’s days of MVP contention seemed to be gone, although he was still a very solid starter when healthy. Various injuries kept him out chunks of 2019-21 though.

In 2022, Fahed stayed healthy and had a resurgence, getting his sixth 50+ homer season, sixth 1+ OPS season, and fifth 7+ WAR season. Casablanca returned to the top spot in the Mediterranean Division at 96-66 and added another ALB title to the trophy case, defeating Jeddah in the final. Fahed was weak in this postseason run with -0.2 WAR. His ALB playoff career had 50 games, 49 hits, 18 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 11 homers, 22 RBI, 12 steals, .277/.347/.503 slash, 133 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR.

He was great again in the BGC with .969 OPS and 1.2 WAR, although Casablanca was again 9-10. Fahed’s Baseball Grand Championship stats were stellar with 57 games, 62 hits, 44 runs, 5 doubles, 31 home runs, 54 RBI, .282/.357/.727 slash, 205 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 26^th in WAR among position players, 15^th in homers, and 28^th in RBI.

Fahed struggled in 2023 and had a laundry list of injuries limited him to half the season. The Bruins missed the playoffs at 89-73 and ended their run as a perennial power, starting an 11-year postseason drought. They still gave their long-time captain a two-year, $12,600,000 extension in winter 2023. Fahed was mostly healthy in 2024 but was replacement level on the diamond. He retired that winter at age 38 and immediately had his #25 uniform retired by Casablanca.

In total, Fahed had 2106 games, 2138 hits, 1279 runs, 325 doubles, 68 triples, 655 home runs, 1446 RBI, 465 walks, 1796 strikeouts, 472 steals, .279/.336/.595 slash, 153 wRC+, and 75.1 WAR. As of 2037, Fahed is 64^th in games, 50^th in runs, 76^th in hits, 46^th in total bases (4564), 16^th in homers, 37^th in RBI, and 29^th in WAR among position players. Against all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .931 OPS is 71^st and he ranks 47^th in slugging.

The injuries gave him lower final accumulations than you might expect, but that only soured a very small number of voters. Two MVPs, eight Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves, and three ALB titles was an impressive list of accolades for Fahed. He received 89.6% for a first ballot selection as part of the two-player 2030 Hall of Fame class for Arab League Baseball.

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For the first time since 2025, no players were added into the African Association of Baseball’s Hall of Fame for 2030. CL Deon Westerveld narrowly missed the 66% requirement with 63.2% for his fifth ballot. 1B Lifa Moyo was the next closest at 57.4% on his fourth try. 1B Herve Otepa had the top debut at 54.1%. RF Anthony Chongo was the other player above 50% with 50.7% on his eighth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



SP Paulin Pongo deserves a special mention though as he seemed on his way until dealt a bad hand by fate. He fell below 5% on his eighth ballot and was dropped, peaking at 22.2%. Pongo won three Pitcher of the Year awards for Kinshasa between 2012-15. Unfortunately, two UCL tears meant he was effectively done by age 31 after the 2017 season.

Pongo had a 118-83 record, 3.41 ERA, 1901 innings, 2064 strikeouts, 630 walks, 119 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 49.7 WAR. His brief brilliance still puts him 35^th in pitching WAR and 49^th in strikeouts as of 2037. If not for the injuries, Pongo likely would’ve gotten his own bust next to the other greats. But alas, the Baseball Gods can be cruel towards the ulnar collateral ligament. Pongo is one of only a select few in the game’s history to miss out on enshrinement while boasting three Pitcher of the Year trophies.

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The 2030 World Baseball Championship was the 84^th edition of the event and was hosted in San Salvador, the first time it was held in Central America since Panama City in 2021. A very competitive Division 1 saw Algeria emerge on top narrowly at 8-3 for their second-ever division title (2012). Australia, Mexico, and Sudan were each one back at 7-4 while Guatemala and Italy were both 6-5.

Traditional powers tied at 10-1 atop Division 2 with the United States advancing over Canada via the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Americans ended a rare multi-year division title drought, advancing for the 62^nd time overall. Last year’s runner-up Taiwan was a mediocre 5-6. D3 saw the Czech Republic first at 9-2 while China and the Dominican Republic were the closest competitors at 7-4. It was the sixth division title for the Czechs, who last did it back in 2021.

Venezuela (9-2) fended off last year’s third place finisher Japan and Slovakia at 8-3. It was the seventh time moving forward for the Venezuelans, ending a 13-year drought. India dominated Division 5 at 10-1 for their second division title in three years and 11^th overall.

Division 6 had a first-time winner with Afghanistan at 9-2, who held off 8-3 runs by Romania, South Korea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Afghans became the 85^th different country to make it to the elite eight at least once. The reigning world champ Pakistan struggled to 3-8.

There was a three-way tie at 8-3 in Division 7 between Germany, Brazil, and Serbia. The Germans advanced on the tiebreaker for their 15^th division crown and first since 2026. Lastly, Bolivia claimed D8 at 9-2 with Egypt, Indonesia, and Myanmar each next at 7-4. The Bolivians got their second-ever division title, previously doing it way back in 1973, a 57 year gap. No teams from 2029’s elite eight made it back in 2030.

Double Round Robin Group A saw the USA on top at 5-1 to earn a 54^th semifinal trip. The Americans had missed the final four in the prior five seasons, their longest-ever drought. Algeria earned their first semifinal trip at 3-3 with both Afghanistan and the Czech Republic eliminated at 3-3. The Algerians became the 53^rd different nation to make it to the final four.

In Group B, India (5-1) and Germany (4-2) moved forward while Venezuela (2-4) and Bolivia (1-5) were eliminated. The Indians earned their sixth appearance in the semifinal and their third in six years. The Germans got through for the ninth time and for the first time since taking third in 2024.

Both semifinal matchups ended up as 3-0 sweeps. The United States rolled Germany to advance to the World Championship for the 50^th time. Algeria upset India to continue their unexpected run, becoming the 35^th country to get to the final. They joined Nigeria as the only African countries to get this far. The 2030 final would be only the second finale in two decades to not have a European and/or Asian team.



In the 84^th World Championship, Algeria pulled off the shocking upset of the Americans in a seven-game classic. The Algerians became the 23^rd nation to win it all and the first of the Arab countries to do so. Algeria managed to win it all despite having only a +1 run differential for the event at 98 runs scored and 97 allowed. They also joined Nigeria as the only African nations with a world title.

Parity continued for the top spot with the 11^th different champ in as many years. The United States now hadn’t won it all in a decade after previously never going longer than three years between rings. The USA was now 41-9 all-time in their finals trips, having lost their last three (2023, 24, 30).

Leading the way for Algeria was Tournament MVP Bouazza Malik, a third-year starting first baseman for WAB’s Bouake. The 26-year old lefty had 28 hits, 22 runs, 5 doubles, 13 home runs, 21 RBI, 12 walks, 72 total bases, 1.226 OPS, and 1.7 WAR over 27 games. Best Pitcher went to Chad’s Lawal Deffalah, entering his third season with AAB’s Kinshasa. The 23-year old lefty tossed 14.2 scoreless innings with 27 strikeouts, four walks, and four hits allowed.



Other notes: American Jude Hoffer drew 28 walks, tying the WBC record set in 1952 by his countryman Jaxson Bradley. 2030’s lone no-hitter came from Finland’s Kim Kemppainen with 15 strikeouts and one walks facing Saudi Arabia on January 20. Below are the updated all-time event stats:

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In a close race for first the African Second League’s Southern Conference, Nampula (93-69) edged out Bulawayo (92-70). Just missing the cut were Lubango (89-73), Comoros (87-75), Eswatini (87-75), Luanda (86-76), and Lilongwe (85-77). The Pheasants finished first for the third time (2021, 2022), while the Buzz earned their first-ever conference finals trip.



Mbuji-Mayi (101-61) and Bangui (100-62) absolutely mauled the Central Conference competition. The Millionaires had never gotten to the conference final previously, while the Badgers had done it six times since A2L’s 2018 founding. Hargeisa was a very distant third at 86-76. The Green Eagles, along with the SC’s Eswatini and Reunion, notably became the first of the 2029 expansion teams to post a winning season.

Bulawayo earned the 4-2 road win over Nampula in the Southern Conference Championship, while Mbuji-Mayi outlasted Bangui in a 4-3 classic for the Central Conference crown. Both the Buzz and Millionaires secured their first-ever promotions to the African Association of Baseball’s First League.



The Second League Championship ended up being an all-timer, requiring all nine games with the finale going deep into extras. Mbuji-Mayi finally prevailed in the 17^th inning for an 11-9 victory over Bulawayo in game nine.



Other notes: Bulawayo ace David Mapfumo set single-season records in the ultra-high scoring A2L for ERA (3.09), complete games (18), and innings (264). Mbuji-Mayi’s Said Juma Elmi set the single-season record for on-base percentage at .496. Kampala’s Leonard Kette set a bad record as he was caught stealing 67 times.

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Edinburgh dominated the Western Conference standings and had the European Second League’s best record at 108-54. This was the first playoff berth for the Enforcers since returning to E2L in 2026. Edinburgh’s previous first place finish came back in 2009 when they earned promotion. Reykjavik was a strong second place at 100-62, also getting their first berth since getting relegated back for 2024.

There was a solid drop to third place Liverpool at 93-69 and an even bigger drop to the final playoff team Belfast at 87-75. The Brewers edged out Zaragoza (86-76) and Oslo (85-77) to earn their second wild card in three years. The Phantoms picked up their seventh playoff trip and were one of the few teams to never earn a promotion yet.

It was a huge collapse for Toulouse, who went from a 92-70 wild card in 2029 to a last place 58-104. This was the first year that teams were promoted or relegated to European Tier Three, giving the Toads the unfortunate distinction of demotion. Toulouse was nine games worse than the next worth team Nottingham.

In the Double Round Robin, the top two rolled to 5-1 marks, earning promotions for both Edinburgh and Reykjavik. Liverpool and Belfast both were ousted at 1-5. It was the third promotion for the Raccoons, who had most recently been in the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier from 2021-23. The Enforcers got their second promotion, having spent a lengthy 2010-25 run in the big time. In the Western Conference Championship, Edinburgh prevailed 4-2 over Reykjavik for their second conference title.



One win separated the top three in the Eastern Conference and only six wins separated the top six. Belgrade and Tallinn were even at the top at 103-59 with the Bruisers taking first place on the tiebreaker. Lviv at 102-60 was right behind, earning their third playoff berth in four years. Belgrade got back-to-back playoff appearances, while it was the first for the Twisters since returning to E2L in 2027.

Sarajevo was right there at 99-63 too, fending off 97-65 Helsinki for the final playoff spot. The Salukis hadn’t been a playoff team since their lone conference title back in 2014. The Honkers had gotten promoted in 2028, but were relegated right back after a poor 2029. Malta was a distant sixth at 88-74 with last year’s first place finisher Thessaloniki next at 81-81. Athens was the team relegated out of the EC at 52-110 with only Dnipro (58-104) somewhat close. The Anchors had been in E2L since 2019.

Earning promotions from the Double Round Robin were Sarajevo (5-1) and Tallinn (4-2), while Lviv (3-3) and Belgrade (0-6) were ousted. The Salukis had been promoted once back in 2014, but only lasted one year in the EBF Elite. It was the second move up for the Twisters, who had a brief 2024-26 tenure in the big time. Sarajevo rolled Tallinn 4-1 to claim the Eastern Conference Championship.



In the 26^th Second League Championship, Sarajevo earned their first title with a 4-2 victory over Edinburgh.



Other notes: Alojzy Gronowski and Karl Aage Murbeck became the second and third batters in E2L with 400 career home runs.



In the second season for European Tier Three, Gdansk (93-69) and Dresden (90-72) earned the first two spots for promotion. A number of teams were close behind with Lille and Ostrava at 89-73, along with Donetsk and Montenegro at 86-76. The Torpedoes had been the inaugural ET3 champ in the pilot season, while Cyprus had been the runner-up. The Crush finished 84-78 in 2030, tied for seventh with Newcastle. In the championship series, Gdansk edged Dresden in a 4-3 classic.

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Cape Town repeated as the Southern Conference’s top team and extended their playoff streak to five seasons. The Cowboys finished at 101-61 and allowed the fewest runs in the conference at 101-61. Two fellow South African teams tied for the second place slot at 95-67 with Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Elephants prevailed for their first-ever playoff berth.

Port Elizabeth had started out in the African Second League, earning promotion to the African Association of Baseball’s First League for 2027. Although they missed the playoffs, the Jackalopes led the Southern Conference with 944 runs and set new conference records for team hits (1642), doubles (403), and at-bats (5742). Last year’s wild card Windhoek was tied with Lusaka at 86-76 for a distant fourth place.

At the bottom for their first ever relegation was Antananarivo at 56-106, a franchise worst season. The Eagles weren’t even a decade removed from three straight pennants from 2022-24 and an African Series win in 2023, showing how quickly fortunes can change. Dar es Salaam was the only other team remotely close to them at 63-99, but they managed to escape again. The Sabercats were 2027 conference champs, but had won only 64, 62, and 63 games since.

For the third consecutive season, Southern Conference MVP went to Cape Town DH Johny Kibamba. The 26-year old Congolese switch hitter led with 151 runs, the third-most in AAB history and one of only 12 seasons in world history of 150+ runs. Kibamba added 229 hits, 54 doubles, 51 home runs, 128 RBI, 98 stolen bases, .341/.378/.671 slash, 170 wRC+, and 7.2 WAR. He also had 671 at-bats, which was an AAB single-season record.

The Cowboys also had Pitcher of the Year Bekele Ayalew, who won the ERA title at 3.14. The 28-year old Ethiopian righty had a 15-4 record, 212.1 innings, 245 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, and 5.5 WAR. It would be his final season with Cape Town, leaving as a free agent and signing a six-year, $184,900,000 deal with Mauritius.

The awards didn’t end there for Cape Town as Sipho Zuke became the third closer in AAB history to win Reliever of the Year five times. It was the fourth straight for the 30-year old South African, who joined the Cowboys in a 2026 trade from Mombasa. The 6’8’’ lefty had won Pitcher of the Year in 2029 and still posted a nice 1.55 ERA, 34 saves, 134 strikeouts, and 4.2 WAR in 2030.



Mogadishu mauled the Central Conference at 111-51 for a franchise record and their third playoff trip in four years. The Mighty Mice set a new AAB single season team records for doubles (416) and tied the hits record they set the prior season of 1686. They also had the second-best marks for batting average (.300) and on-base percentage (.363) just behind their 2029 marks. Mogadishu also sold 2,020,088 tickets for the season, the second-best in conference history.

Reigning AAB champ Brazzaville was a distant second at 95-67, but edged out Kigali (94-68), Nairobi (92-70), and Kinshasa (91-71) to return to the playoffs. The Blowfish were actually AAB’s top scoring team with 959 runs and set new league power records with 360 home runs and a .534 slugging percentage.

The Sun Cats allowed the fewest runs (663) and set new AAB team records for strikeouts (1735) and K/9 (10.61). Suffering relegation was Pointe-Noire at 58-104, who finished four games worse than 62-100 Ndjamena. The Pride lasted two years in the top tier and never gained any real traction.

Pacing Brazzaville’s historic power was Central Conference MVP Asa Nogie, who posted the fifth Triple Crown hitting season in AAB history and the first since 2030. It was the second MVP for the 29-year old Congolese CF, who previously took it in 2026. Ngoie had an impressive 71 home runs and 167 RBI, which were the 11^th and 6^th best seasons in AAB history for those stats, respectively.

Ngoie also led in total bases (455), triple slash (.364/.456/.801), OPS (1.257), wRC+ (214), and WAR (10.6). He had 207 hits, 134 runs, and 55 steals. Ngoie’s OPS was the fifth-best single season in AAB and the tenth-best for WAR by a position player. Back in November 2029, the Blowfish committed to Ngoie long-term with an eight-year, $151,300,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year was Mogadishu’s Mutanda Seya in his fourth full season. The 25-year old Congolese righty led in wins (21-3), ERA (2.82), innings (255.1), complete games (16), and shutouts (4). Seya struck out 205 with 165 ERA+ and 7.3 WAR.

Cape Town cruised to a Southern Conference Championship sweep of Port Elizabeth for their third straight pennant and fourth in five years. In the Central Conference Championship rematch, Mogadishu got revenge on the reigning champ Brazzaville. Despite the 16 win difference, the series needed all seven games. The Mighty Mice were now three-time conference champs, having also won in 2017 and 2027. Both of those years, they went on to win the Africa Series.



The 36^th Africa Series saw a 5-3 victory for Cape Town over Mogadishu, making the Cowboys three-time AAB champs (1996, 2028, 2030). Finals MVP was 2B Bonifac Seles, a Romanian journeyman who came to Cape Town in 2028. The 32-year old in 11 playoff starts had 16 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 3 homers, and 6 RBI. Mogadishu’s Abel Teklemariam won conference finals MVP and set a new playoff record with 52 total bases. He had 24 hits, 10 runs, 7 homers, 5 doubles, 1 triple, and 14 RBI over 14 starts.



Other notes: Port Elizabeth’s Charlie Senkumba set the AAB single-season batting average record at .383. He and Stewart Khumalo both had 64 doubles, which was seven short of the AAB record. To that point, 64+ doubles had only happened 21 times in all of pro baseball history. Senkumba also had a 30-game hitting streak, only the fourth 30+ streak in AAB history. Khumalo had set the record with 41 games in 2027.

Harare’s Djibrilla Ousseini set a new AAB singles record with 166 and won his position-record 12^th Silver Slugger at shortstop. Ousseini, Salum Khosa, and Warren Biloa all reached 2500 career hits in 2030, a mark met by 12 AAB batters. Biloa also became the 11^th to 1500 runs scored. Maninho Magaia became the 8^th member of AAB’s 700 home run club and the 11^th to 1500 RBI.


Promotion/Relegation: Dropping down from the AAB First League was Antananarivo in the Southern Conference and Pointe-Noire in the Central Conference. Bulawayo replaced the Eagles in the SC and Mbuji-Mayi took over the Pride’s slot in the CC.

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For the third year in a row, Jerusalem had the top record in the Western Conference, posting their third straight 100+ win season. The Jets finished 106-56 for their fifth consecutive Levant Division title and seventh straight playoff berth. Jerusalem allowed only 624 runs, the fewest among all teams in Arab League Baseball.

The #2 seed went to Nile Division champ Cairo at 98-64, their second division crown in three years. The Pharaohs earned their fourth straight playoff trip and 13^th in 14 years. It wasn’t an easy fight with Khartoum a close second at 94-68. The Cottonmouths had their first winning season since 2021 and ended a 30-year playoff drought, the second-longest in ALB history. Cairo was the top scoring team in the WC with 914 runs and had 389 doubles, the third-best in conference history.

Alexandria was also competitive in the Nile at 89-73. That kept them one short of the second wild card behind reigning ALB champ Damascus, who finished 90-72 in the Levant. The Dusters’ wild card streak grew to three seasons. In a weak Mediterranean Division, Algiers prevailed at 83-79. The next closest team was a lousy 72-90 Tripoli. The Arsenal now was on an eight-year playoff run with seven division titles in that stretch. It was also their ninth playoff trip in a decade, notably having gotten only one playoff berth in the 31 preceding years.

Helping end Khartoum’s playoff drought was Western Conference MVP Nadjib Madi, a 26-year old Algerian 1B in his second season starting. He led with 58 home runs, .723 slugging, 1.119 OPS, and 184 wRC+. Madi added 210 hits, 116 runs, 35 doubles, 141 RBI, .352 average, and 7.9 WAR. He managed to edge out Jerusalem’s Hassan Shanshol for the honor despite a record-breaking campaign for the latter.

Shanshol broke his world record from 2027 of 157 stolen bases by swiping 159 in 2030. 150+ steals had happened four times ever in pro baseball with Shanshol doing it twice. He also set an ALB runs scored record at 154, which ranked as the sixth-best single season in world history to that point. The 28-year old Iraqi also was the leader in hits (248), batting average (.397), OBP (.450), and WAR (10.7). Shanshol crossed 1000 career steals with his 2030 world record.

Pitcher of the Year went to Khartoum’s Mohamed Fayad in his sixth season. The 26-year old Egyptian righty led in wins (20-8), strikeouts (319), and WHIP (1.08). Fayad’s 3.10 ERA was second to Jerusalem’s Husain Al-Shahari’s 2.86. Fayad had 252.2 innings with a 145 ERA+ and 7.0 WAR. This effort earned him a huge payday, signing a six-year, $211,900,000 extension in the winter.

Khartoum swept defending ALB champ Damascus in the wild card round, then upset the top seed Jerusalem 2-1 in round two. For the third straight year, the Jets were one-and-done despite having the top seed. The Cottonmouths hadn’t earned a trip to the Western Conference Final since their 1997-99 run, winning their lone pennants in 1997-98.

Cairo swept Algiers on the other side, which was their first WCF trip since 2021 despite making the playoffs seven times from 2022-29. The Pharaohs prevailed 3-1 over their division rival to become seven-time conference champs (1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2020, 2021, 2030). Only Casablanca has more Western Conference pennants with ten.



Two-time defending Eastern Conference champ Muscat was again the top seed, this time at 102-60. The Threshers won the Gulf Division for the fourth consecutive year and the fifth time in six years. Muscat stole 548 bases, second-most in ALB history behind their own 576 from the prior season. Doha was a strong second in the division at 94-68, earning the first wild card. The Dash snapped a decade-long playoff drought.

The #2 seed was Mosul at 94-68 atop the Mesopotamia Division, leading the conference with 909 runs scored. The Muskies picked up a third straight division crown. Sulaymaniyah was second at 90-72, which nabbed them the second wild card and grew their playoff streak to four seasons. Dubai was the next closest in the wild card race at 85-77.

The Diamonds had allowed the fewest runs at 639, but under-performed their expected win/loss by nine. Dubai had posted a franchise-best 111 wins the prior year. Medina meanwhile rolled to the Arabia Division at 92-70, ten games ahead of Riyadh. It was a repeat division crown for the Mastodons and their fifth playoff trip in six years.

Earning Eastern Conference MVP was Doha LF Abdullah Nazerudeen in his third season starting. The 26-year old Yemeni righty led in RBI (141), total bases (426), slugging (.701), OPS (1.087), and wRC+ (181). Nazerudeen smacked 52 home runs with 38 doubles, 208 hits, 115 runs, .342 average, and 7.8 WAR. The Dash had taken Nazerudeen sixth overall in the 2025 ALB Draft.

Pitcher of the Year was Mecca’s Pete Doca in his second-year as a full-time starter. The 26-year old Italian lefty flamed out as a prospect in Europe, but was given a shot and developed by the Marksmen in 2024. Doca led in ERA (1.93), WHIP (0.80), and FIP- (62). His effort is one of only 23 qualifying ALB seasons with an ERA below two. Doca also had a 15-4 record in 181.2 innings, 270 strikeouts, and 6.3 WAR. After the season, Mecca inked him to a five-year, $42,500,000 extension.

Doha edged Sulaymaniyah 2-1 in the wild card round, but fell 2-1 in a valiant second round effort against Muscat. Medina swept Mosul on the other side, giving the Mastodons their third Eastern Conference Final trip since 2025. It was now three straight for the Threshers, although they hadn’t clashed yet in the finals. Muscat’s dynasty run continued, outlasting Medina 3-2 for a third straight pennant. The only other Eastern Conference three-peat previously was the Mastodons’ four straight from 1992-95.



Despite their three pennants, Muscat was still looking for their first Arab League Championship crown. The Threshers finally got it in 2030, winning the 41^st finale in a seven-game thriller with Cairo. Muscat is the first of the 2016 expansion teams to win it all and the 17^th of ALB’s 30 franchises with a ring. For the Pharaohs, they fell to 1-6 all-time in their finals trips.

Two-time conference MVP Ahmed Yasser Basha won finals MVP facing off against his hometown team. In 15 playoff starts, the 29-year old RF had 20 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, 14 RBI, and 1.015 OPS. Basha also earned his eighth Gold Glove in 2030 and would sign a six-year, $210,900,000 extension with Muscat in December 2031.



Other notes: In seven playoff games for Medina, Mohammed Jamil set a playoff record with four triples. Giza stole 497 bases as a team, setting an Eastern Conference record. Damascus’s Kerlos Sharaf had a 34-hame hitting streak, three short of Abdul Jalil Dahir’s record of 37 from 2028.

Walid Bennani became the 16^th member of the 600 home run club and Malik Zouaoui became the 17^th. Zouaoui, Sami Sayed, and Omar Abdel Rahman all got to 1500 career RBI, a mark met by 21 ALB sluggers. Sayed and Lyes Adel became the 23^rd and 24^th to 2500 career hits. Osama Ahmed was the 13^th to score 1500 runs. RF Nathan Nasreddine won his 8^th consecutive Gold Glove.

ALB strikeout king Ahmed Hussain became the first ALB ace to 5000 career strikeouts. As of 2037, he is one of only 44 in world history in the 5k club. Hussain struggled in his last of 19 seasons with Basra, but would still pitch two more years with Casablanca. Hussain finished 2030 at 299 wins, primed to become ALB’s first 300 game winner. At this point, he was already the pitching WARlord and moved into the #1 spot for innings pitched at 4204.2. In other pitching notables, Mohammed Fattah became the 15^th to 200 wins and the 12^th to 3500 strikeouts.

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The Asian Baseball Federation’s growth continued through the 2020s and it looked for another expansion to start the 2030s. ABF was formed in 1985 and saw its first realignment in 2000 with six teams leaving Eurasian Professional Baseball to join ABF. Two expansion teams were added in 2009, followed by two more in 2020. The plan beginning in 2030 was to add four total teams split evenly between the East League and West League. This would give both leagues 16 teams split between two divisions.



For the East League, both new teams would be added into the North Division with the Uzbekistan-based Namangan Neptunes and the Kyrgyzstan-based Osh Oxen. This added a third team from Uzbekistan and a second from Kyrgyzstan that joined the other Central Asian teams in the EL. Peshawar had also previously been grouped in the North to achieve balance, separating them from the other seven Pakistani teams in the South Division. For 2030, the Predators rejoined their fellow countryman and the South Division was renamed to the Pakistan Division.

For the West League, joining the Central Division was a sixth Iranian team in the Ahvaz Athletics. Entering the West Division would be a seventh Turkish squad in the Antalya Armada.



The other big change was a brand new postseason system designed to separate ABF from other leagues. They would maintain the qualifying standards with both division champs and two wild cards advancing. However, ABF would introduce a double-elimination tournament format, the first major pro baseball league to use such a system.

The first round would pit #1 seed versus #4 seed and #2 versus #3 in a best of three hosted by the higher seed. The two losers would play a best-of-three with the winner making it to round two. Round two begins with a best-of-three between the two original winners with that winner advancing to the League Championship Series. The two remaining teams with a series defeat then meet in a best-of-three. The two teams left standing have a best-of-seven LCS, followed by the best-of-seven ABF Championship. Both best-of-sevens are a HH-AAA-HH format.

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The Asian Baseball Federation’s East League was strongly tilted again towards the Pakistani teams, now in the rechristened Pakistan Division post 2030 expansion. It got even stronger as the one Pakistani team that had been in the North Division, Peshawar, was now back with the other Pakistan teams. The Predators were the North Division champ in 2029 and the defending EL champ. They had pulled it off with a 99-63 record, while the old South Division had featured a 110-win Hyderabad and 106-win Lahore.

2030 saw similar successes for those three teams in the Pakistan Division. Hyderabad came out on top at 111-51 for a fourth straight division title and seventh straight playoff berth. Lahore was right behind at 110-52, again having to settle for a wild card despite a stellar record. The Longhorns had their third straight playoff berth. Peshawar was next at 96-66, firmly taking the second wild card to extend their playoff streak to four seasons.

Hyderabad allowed the fewest runs in ABF at 487, although Lahore was at 496. The Longhorns had 790 runs to the Horned Frogs’ 764 to top the EL teams. Lahore’s run total was the second-highest in East League history behind the 841 by Peshawar from the prior year. The Longhorns also set a new EL team record for slugging percentage (.480) and had the second-best batting average in EL history at .272.

With Peshawar gone, the North Division field was completely wide open. Samarkand and Almaty tied for first at 89-73 with new expansion team Namangan and Bishkek both three back at 86-76. ABF doesn’t use tiebreaker games and the formula gave the Spurs their first-ever playoff berth since joining with the 2020 expansion. This also ended the Assassins’ playoff streak at 10 seasons, tied for the ABF record.

Earning East League MVP was Lahore RF Hussein Rabie in his first season as a starter, having debuted the prior year with 111 games and 44 starts. The 22-year old Egyptian lefty led in the triple slash (.372/.417/.683), OPS (1.100), wRC+ (226), and WAR (10.6). Rabie added 214 hits, 107 runs, 44 doubles, 39 home runs, 101 RBI, and 48 stolen bases.

His Longhorns teammate Zakir Mehdiyev was Pitcher of the Year for the second time, having also won in 2026. The 31-year old Tajik righty led in wins (22-6), strikeouts (391), WHIP (0.84), K/BB (11.2), quality starts (28), and WAR (9.6). Mehdiyev’s 2.20 ERA fell six points short of a Triple Crown behind Hyderabad’s Talib Abdul Qadir. Mehdiyev had 261.2 innings and 161 ERA+. Lahore gave their long-time ace a seven-year, $161,600,000 extension in April, but unfortunately a torn flexor tendon in summer 2031 would derail his career.

In the new double-elimination playoffs, the first round started with Peshawar upsetting Hyderabad 2-1 and Lahore sweeping Samarkand 2-0. The Horned Frogs bounced back 2-1 over the Spurs to stay alive. The Longhorns edged the Predators 2-1 in round two, sending Lahore to the East League Championship Series for the first time since 2018.

The defending champ Peshawar earned a rematch in the ELCS by sweeping top seed Hyderabad in the loser’s bracket. Lahore kept rolling in the ELCS, unseating the Predators 4-1 to end a 17-year pennant drought. It was Lahore’s fourth East League title, having also won in 2005, 2006, and 2012.



Defending ABF Champion Baku had an outstanding 113-49 record atop the West Division, which was tied for the third-best record in ABF history. The only team which had won more was Tehran, who went 116-46 in 2017 and 115-47 in 2015. The Blackbirds led the West League in scoring (856) and runs allowed (547) for their seventh playoff trip in a decade.

The remaining three playoff spots had an intense fight for the Central Division crown. Isfahan and Tabriz ended even at 97-65 while Mashhad was 96-66; which earned playoff berths for all three. The tiebreaker gave the division title to the Imperials, their first since 2002. Isfahan ended a seven-year playoff drought and the Tiger Sharks stopped a five-year skid.

For Mashhad, their playoff streak extended to ten seasons to tie the ABF record set by Dushanbe (2013-22) and Almaty (2020-29). The West Division’s Ankara (93-69), Gaziantep (89-73) and Adana (87-75) were also in the wild card mix, but fell short of the Mercury.

Baku swept the top awards with all-time efforts by both winners. MVP went to 1B Artyom Masharipov in only his second season as a full-time starter. The 26-year old Azeri lefty 73 home runs, just missing the ABF record of 74 set by Vahid Hadadi in 1991. Masharipov was the second in ABF history to hit 70+ dingers.

He would break two ABF records with 175 RBI and 503 total bases. Masharipov crushed Gokhan Karatas’ 458 total bags from 1993 and firmly beat Khalaf bin Abdullah’s 162 RBI from 2024. Masharipov’s season was only the ninth in all of pro baseball history to that point with 500+ total bases. It was also only the 14^th season of 175+ RBI.

Masharipov also led the WL in runs (142), OBP (.416), slugging (.804), OPS (1.220), wRC+ (217), and WAR (11.7). He had 223 hits, 45 doubles, and a .356 batting average. The 142 runs ranked second in ABF history behind Majed Mahadeen’s 152 from 2028. Masharipov’s slugging and OPS both ranked as ABF’s third-best. He also hit for the cycle in May against Tehran.

The effort made Masharipov’s home country squad extend to a hefty eight-year, $227,200,000 deal in February 2031. He missed the Triple Crown by three points behind Adana’s Ibrahim Rabee at .359. Rabee made his own history by breaking ABF’s single-season hits record with 230, edging Hasbalah Kadoor’s 229 from 1997. Rabee also had 28 triples, one short of the league record.

While Masharipov missed the Triple Crown, his Baku teammate and Pitcher of the Year Agshin Jumayev grabbed it for back-to-back seasons. He won his fourth POTY (2025, 27, 29, 30) with his strongest effort yet, leading with a 25-2 record, 1.91 ERA, 273.2 innings, 457 strikeouts, 29 quality starts, 203 ERA+, 45 FIP-, and 12.5 WAR.

The 29-year old Tajik lefty had the second-most strikeouts in ABF history behind Sa’id Farahani’s 471 from 1994. Jumayev’s WAR was the fourth-best by an ABF pitcher and he was only the fourth to win 25+ games, which hadn’t been done since 2000. Jumayev was the fourth in ABF history to win Pitcher of the Year 4+ times.

Baku swept Mashhad 2-0 and Tabriz edged Isfahan 2-1 in round one. The Blackbirds then kept their repeat bid intact with a 2-1 round two win against the Tiger Sharks. The Mercury beat the Imperials 2-1 in the loser’s bracket, but was ousted 2-1 by Tabriz.

The Tiger Sharks earned another shot at Baku and had their first West League Championship Series appearance since beating the Blackbirds in 2023 en route to the ABF title. Baku got long-waited revenge, rolling to a sweep for their fourth pennant in nine years and seventh overall (2010, 12, 13, 22, 24, 29, 30).



In the 46^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship, Baku staked a claim for the top team in league history. The showdown had a 113-win team against a 110-win one, but the Blackbirds earned a dominant 4-1 win over Lahore. With the repeat, Baku was now four-time ABF champs (2012, 2024, 29, 30).

Finals MVP was RF Mustafa Sarir in his seventh year with Baku, In 13 playoff starts, the 28-year old Pakistani switch hitter had 19 hits, 8 runs, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 11 RBI, and 1.260 OPS. Pitcher of the Year Agshin Jumayev was also notable, setting an ABF playoff record for pitching WAR at 2.03. Jumayev tied the strikeouts record of 65 set the prior season by Sahrokh Morteza. Over 38.2 innings, Jumayev had a 2-1 record, 3.03 ERA and only one walk.



The 2030 Baku squad was tied for the second-winningest team in ABF history to win it all. The Blackbirds were behind only 2017 Tehran, who earned their own repeat that year at 116-46. Multan also took the title at 113-49 back in 2003. It was the eighth repeat in ABF Championship history with Baku etching their place among the federation’s all-time dynasties.

Other notes: Dushanbe’s Roni Vieri hit 71 doubles, becoming only the seventh in pro baseball history with a 70+ double season. He was one back on Gokhan Karatas for the ABF record and two behind Kerlos Sharaf’s world record of 73 from the 2028 Arab League Baseball season.

In bad records, Multan had the worst record in East League history at 44-118. It was the second-worst in ABF history with only 1986 Shiraz worse at 38-124. The 2030 Suns were also bad at 57-105, setting all-time ABF worsts for team ERA (5.14), runs allowed (882) and earned runs (821). Shiraz allowed 1628 hits, second-worst behind their own 1634 from the prior year. Dushanbe notably had bad pitching in the DH-less EL with 1517 hits allowed and a 9.41 H/9; both the second-worst in East League history.

In milestones, Ismail Akbar became the 7^th member of the 600 home run club. H.A. Rahman was the 15^th batter to reach 2500 hits. Elnur Hasanov was the 16^th pitcher to earn 200 wins and Hasan Yousefi was the 34^th to reach 3000 strikeouts. C Ali Mahdian won his 11^th Gold Glove and CF Anatoly Memmedov won his 9^th, both position records. 3B Hakam Mocuk won his 11^th Silver Slugger. Two-way player Safdar Kahlwan won his 8^th Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

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Among the many organizations to expand for the 2030 season was South Asia Baseball. SAB had added four teams to the Indian League in 2025 with the plan of later adding four to the Southeast Asia League. The five year gap was designed to avoid oversaturating the talent pool if they had added eight teams all at once.



Joining the league would be the Can Tho Typhoon (Vietnam), Nay Pyi Taw Capitals (Myanmar), Korat Renegades (Thailand), and Rajshahi Red Pandas (Bangladesh). With these additions, SEAL now had five Vietnamese teams, four from Bangladesh, three from Myanmar, and two from Thailand. This was in addition to the individual teams from Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Laos, and Nepal.

The expansion did also bring realignment for SEAL, which had always previously been a two-division league. Now with 18 teams, a switch would be made to three divisions of six teams each, matching the Indian League. The new pairings would have a South Division with Bangkok, Can Tho, Colombo, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phnom Penh; a West Division with Chittagong, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Khulna, Mandalay, and Rajshahi; and a Central Division with Hai Phong, Hanoi, Korat, Nay Pyi Taw, Vientiane, and Yangon.



South Asia Baseball also expanded the postseason for the first-time since its 1980 founding by adding an additional wild card. The three division champs advance to the divisional series, while the two wild cards will have a best-of-three wild card round hosted entirely by the higher seed. The Divisional Series remains a best-of-five in a HHH-AA format, followed by HH-AAA-HH best of sevens for the LCS and SAB Championship.

One final change made for 2030 was lowing the minimum service time required for free agency from six to five years. This would join EAB, CABA, and OBA for the fewest years required among the world leagues. SAB had never changed its number from six since the 1980 founding. SAB however remained more restrictive than other world leagues in terms of letting local talent leave and outside talent enter.

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After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2029 to end a six-year streak, Visakhapatnam demolished the Indian League competition in 2030. The Volts returned to the top of the South Division at 112-50, 14 games ahead of the IL’s next best team. The Volts had historic power, setting new Indian League team records for home runs (258) and team slugging percentage (.499). Their 907 runs scored were the second-most in IL history behind Delhi’s 915 from the prior year. Visakhapatnam also allowed 592 runs, the fewest in all of South Asia Baseball in 2030.

The next best team was Kanpur at 98-64 atop the Central Division, ending an 11-year playoff drought. Ahmedabad reposted a 97-65 record and earned a fifth straight West Division title. Second in the West was 92-70 Indore, earning the first wild card. The Razorbacks became the first of the four 2025 expansion teams to earn a playoff spot.

With the 2030 expansion, there were now two wild card slots. Defending SAB champ Delhi kept their repeat bid alive by grabbing this slot at 89-73, edging 88-74 Hyderabad by one game. Last year’s ILCS runner-up Nagpur was also in the mix at 86-76. Jaipur’s three-year playoff streak ended with a 78-84 finish, their first losing season since 2022.

Visakhapatnam’s powerful offense had three of the top five home run hitters in the Indian League. Duong Nguyen and Abi Talib Sheikh split the first place spot with 50 dingers, while Sheikh led in RBI (152) and just missed a Triple Crown with a .349 average. However, neither of those guys won MVP, as that was claimed by CF Nurul Sultana.

He had signed a six-year, $136,800,000 free agent deal to join the Volts in 2029 after eight years in Dhaka. In 2030, the 32-year old Bangladeshi won his seventh Silver Slugger and led the league in runs scored (130) and WAR (9.3). Sultana saw 203 hits, 41 doubles, 42 home runs, 108 RBI, 94 stolen bases, a .326/.379/.616 slash, and 170 wRC+.

For the first time in SAB history, Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year went to the same man. Indore’s Anjan Dharma took the honors as one of the oldest successful rookies in pro baseball history at age 29. Because of control issues, Dharma couldn’t find a steady roster spot. The Razorbacks had signed him in 2025, but he had only been used thrice for 10.2 innings from 2025-29.

Dharma finally earned a full-time spot in 2030 and made the most of it, leading the league with nine complete games. The lefty from Rawalpindi had a 15-10 record, 2.94 ERA, 242 innings, 305 strikeouts, 139 ERA+, and 6.1 WAR. Dharma wouldn’t replicate this success in the following few years, but he would be good enough to eat innings between Indore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.

In the new wild card round, Indore dethroned defending champ Delhi 2-0 for their first-ever playoff wins. The Razorbacks were promptly dispatched 3-0 by top seed Visakhapatnam, sending the Volts back to the Indian League Championship Series. They had won three straight titles from 2023-25 and lost in the 2026 ILCS to Kolkata. This would be their first ILCS trip since then despite winning 119 games in 2027 and 110 in 2028.

Ahmedabad earned their third ILCS trip in four years as they swept Kanpur in their divisional series matchup. It was the sixth-time the Animals encountered the Volts in the ILCS, most recently in 2024. The series was an all-timer with Ahmedabad upsetting the top seed Visakhapatnam 4-3 for their second pennant in three years. The Animals led all teams with 17 league titles, having won 15 during their reign of terror from 1986-2002.



The Southeast Asia League had significant parity at the top with only eight wins separating the five playoff teams. After a rare playoff miss in 2029, Yangon took the top seed at 104-58. The Green Dragons dominated the new Central Division, 22 games ahead of second place Hanoi. The #2 seed was South Division champ Ho Chi Minh City at 101-61, earning repeat division titles. The Hedgehogs narrowly fended off 99-63 Colombo, who secured repeat wild cards.

HCMC’s offense was an all-timer, setting new South Asia Baseball team records for slugging percentage (.543) and home runs (327). The Hedgehogs’ 994 runs were second-most in SAB history, behind only Hanoi’s 1006 in 2008. Meanwhile the West Division champ was four-time defending SEAL champ Mandalay at 99-63, who allowed the fewest runs at 630. Dhaka was a close second at 96-66 for the second wild card, extending their impressive playoff run to 10 seasons. There was a nine-game drop to the next wild card contender with Chittagong at 87-75. All four playoff teams from 2029 made it back for the new five-time 2030 field.

In somewhat of an upset, Ho Chi Minh City 1B Topu Ahsan won Southeast Asia League MVP. The 29-year old Bangladeshi had a fine season, although he wasn’t a league leader in any stat. Ahsan notably had 213 hits, 133 runs, 33 doubles, 54 home runs, 146 RBI, .340/.384/.684 slash, 174 wRC+, and 7.4 WAR. It was a big performance in a contract year and Ahsan would sign a seven-year, $141,400,000 free agency deal in the winter with Rajshahi.

The shock was that MVP didn’t go to Mandalay 1B Dong Vinh Lam, who led in home runs for the fourth straight year. The 29-year old Vietnamese lefty smacked 77, the most in SAB history outside of Majed Darwish’s bonkers 85, 91, and 85 from 2008-10. Lam joined Darwish and seven others as the only sluggers in world baseball history with three or more 70+ homer seasons. Lam also led in RBI (149), total bases (453), slugging (.744), OPS (1.111), wRC+ (179), and WAR (7.6), making his MVP snub even more surprising. He also hit for the cycle in May against Khulna.

Pitcher of the Year was Yangon’s Derek Khong in his tenth year with the Green Dragons. The 30-year old Vietnamese lefty won the ERA title at 2.61 and led in WHIP (0.98), and quality starts (24). Khong had a 19-4 record in 203.2 innings, 191 strikeouts, 169 ERA+, and 5.9 WAR. This earned a six-year, $74,900,000 extension in the winter for Khong, who had bounced back from a major elbow injury in 2029. Unfortunately for Yangon, Khong would be out of the rotation two years into the new deal.

Colombo edged Dhaka 2-1 in the wild card round and gave Yangon a fierce challenge in the divisional series. The Green Dragons survived 3-2 over the Catfish for their third Southeast Asia League Championship trip in five years. Mandalay’s bid for a five-peat continued as they downed Ho Chi Minh City 3-1, setting up a rematch of the 2026 and 2028 finals. In six games, Yangon thwarted Mandalay’s dynasty for their first pennant since 2022. The Green Dragons now had 13 pennants, second in SELA behind HCMC’s 15.

Two perennial powers met again for the 51^st SAB Championship. The various dynasties for Ahmedabad and Yangon had seen less overlap than you might expect, since the Animals’ prime run had them regularly contending with Ho Chi Minh City. Ahmedabad had defeated Yangon in the 1996 final, then the Green Dragons earned their first-ever title in 2001 with an upset of a 125-win Animals squad. They had not met since and Ahmedabad hadn’t won it all since their 2002 title.



The Animals ended the 27-year title drought in dominant fashion by sweeping Yangon. Ahmedabad now was 13-time champs (1986-87, 89-92, 94-96, 98-99, 2002, 2030). The only team in any world league to win their overall title more times was Eurasian Professional Baseball’s Minsk with 14 rings. 1B Jasper Ha was finals MVP with 7 hits, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 2 homers, and 5 RBI over 13 games and seven starts in the playoffs.



Other notes: Chennai’s Kamaljeet Basanta hit 59 doubles, falling one short of the SAB record set by Gotam Bhagwan in 2022. Despite finishing 70-92, Korat set a new SEAL single season team record with 362 doubles. Bangkok’s Curt Tung set a single-season record with 687 at-bats. Mumbai’s Alam Kala had a 30-game hit streak, which was only the fifth 30+ streak in SAB history. The record was 35 games by Abhiji Srivas in 2019.

Speaking of Srivas, in 2030 he became the 15^th member of SAB’s 600 home run club. Srivas also won his ninth Silver Slugger and fourth at second base. He also had won four times at first base and once in LF. Ganga Wong and Vij Kumaragupta became the 28^th and 29^th to 500 homers.

Arav Walif and Agnisika Shavita were the 31^st and 32^nd to earn 2500 hits. Walif also was the 20^th to get to 1500 RBI. In pitching milestones, Gurdip Nabendu and Dusit Kyo were the 13^th and 14^th to 200 wins. E.J. Dhananjay was the 19^th ace to 3500 strikeouts. 1B Duong Nguyen and SS Vorawan Rakok won their 7^th Gold Gloves.

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West African Baseball joined the expansion wave in 2030, although they had seen a longer gap than competing world leagues. WAB’s lone expansion had come in 2009, moving from 20 teams to 24. The game’s popularity had only continued to grow in the region while more cities had built up a big league caliber infrastructure. By 2030, officials had identified six cities ready to join, growing WAB to 30 teams.

WAB hadn’t used divisions since its 1975 formation, but officials felt a change made sense with the new teams. Instead of the traditional 5x3 setup, both leagues opted for two uneven divisions along with interleague play. Both leagues would have an eight-team division along with a seven-team division.



Joining the Western League would be the Touba Twins, Bissau Bullets, and Daloa Danes. The Twins would be the second team in the league from Senegal and the Danes would be the third from the Ivory Coast. Bissau was the first for the nation of Guinea-Bissau.

Entering the Eastern League would be the Abuja Aliens, Bata Black Aces, and Jos Jaspers. The Aliens and Jaspers were both Nigerian teams, bringing the region’s largest country to seven pro teams. The Black Aces added a team to Equatorial Guinea. With that, 185 unique nations now have a major pro team, depending on how you specifically define and recognize certain countries.

The new divisions split the Western League into a North Division (Bamako, Banjul, Bissau, Cape Verde, Conakry, Dakar, Nouakchott, Touba) and a South Division (Abidjan, Accra, Bouake, Daloa, Freetown, Kumasi, Monrovia). The Eastern League would have the Interior Division (Abuja, Benin City, Ibadan, Jos, Kano, Niamey, Ouagadougou, Yaounde) and a Coastal Division (Bata, Cotonou, Douala, Lagos, Libreville, Lome, Port Harcourt).



The stepladder playoff format remained mostly the same with four teams still advancing from each league. However, advancing would be both division champs and both second place finishers, instead of using at-large wild cards. The two second place teams would meet in a best-of-three in the first round with the winner traveling to the weaker division champ in a round two best-of-three. The top seed still awaited in a HH-AA-H best-of-five LCS, followed by a HH-AAA-HH best-of-seven WAB Championship.

The other change WAB made beginning in 2030 was lowering the active roster down to only 23 players. Teams could still stash guys on their reverse roster, but this gave WAB teams among the smallest active roster size of any pro league.