Baseball: The World's Game - Page 100

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-16-2025, 06:57 AM

The Arab League’s Western Conference was remarkably top heavy as the three division winners each won 100+ games and took their division by 18+ games. Algiers earned only their third-ever Mediterranean Division title (2006, 2021, 2023) and had their first-ever 100+ win season. The Arsenal took the top seed at 109-53, leading all of ALB in both runs (911) and fewest allowed (583). Algiers set an ALB team record with 312 home runs and had the second-most strikeouts (1825) and second-best K/9 (11.19) in conference history.

Amman repeated as Levant Division champ at 106-56 and earned their third division title in four years. Damascus at 88-74 was the closest second place team at 18 games back. Cairo clobbered the Nile Division at 102-60 for their seventh straight division win. The Pharaohs now have 16 playoff berths through ALB’s first 34 seasons. Defending ALB champ Casablanca was 20 games back in the Mediterranean at 89-73, posting their ninth winning season in a row.

Although his squad missed the playoffs, Damascus DH Said Fawzi picked up Western Conference MVP. In his 12^th year with the Dusters, the 33-year old Libyan led in hits (222), doubles (57), total bases (448), OBP (.410), slugging (.715), OPS (1.125), wRC+ (192), and WAR (8.7). Fawzi added 55 homers, 133 RBI, and a .354 average.

Algiers lefty Muhammad Nour won his fifth straight Pitcher of the Year and had his most impressive effort year. The 25-year old Algerian posted ALB’s first Triple Crown pitching season since 2014 and its seventh ever with a 22-6 record, 2.27 ERA, and 393 strikeouts over 246 innings. Nour also led in quality starts (26), ERA+ (193), FIP- (44), and WAR (11.7). His WAR mark was the fourth best single-season by an ALB pitcher and his strikeout tally was the sixth most.

Amman ousted Cairo 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs to earn repeat Western Conference Finals berths. For Algiers, their only prior WCF came back in 2016. The Arsenal were denied their first pennant as the Aviators took it 3-1 to become four-time Western Conference champs (1999, 2009, 2010, 2022). It was the first pennant for a Levant Division team since Damascus’s 2016 win.

Basra was light years ahead of the Eastern Conference field at 112-50, winning a sixth consecutive Mesopotamia Division title. The Bulldogs earned the #1 seed for the third year running and guaranteed a fifth straight trip to the conference final. Basra led the conference in runs (886) and fewest allowed (600). The Bulldogs had Iraq’s hottest ticket, setting a new ALB season attendance record at 2,090,541.

Abu Dhabi repeated as Gulf Division champ at 91-71, finishing eight games better than Bahrain. That was the first-ever winning season by the 2016 expansion Blitz. Two-time defending conference champ Jeddah’s historic ALB-record playoff streak grew to 13. The Jackals finished 88-74, fighting off a competitive Saudi Division field with Mecca (84-78), Medina (82-80), and Riyadh (81-81) each in the mix.

Destroyers 1B Mohamed Ali Mansour repeated as Eastern Conference MVP with record breaking power. In his fourth year starting for Abu Dhabi, the 24-year old Moroccan crushed 82 home runs, breaking the ALB record 76 set by Ali Jassem in 2020. Mansour was only the second player in world history to hit 80+ homers, joining world home run king Majed Darwish who did it thrice in South Asia Baseball.

Mansour also led in runs (139), RBI (163), total bases (490), slugging (.829), OPS (1.236), wRC+ (209), and WAR (10.6) while adding a .350 average. He set a new ALB total bases record and posted the second-best slugging and fifth-best OPS marks. He was nine RBI short of Nordine Soule’s ALB record 172 from 2008. He also posted a six-hit game In May against Bahrain. Mansour signed an eight-year, $104.3 million extension after the season with the Destroyers, although he opted out after the 2026 campaign.

Basra’s Ahmed Hussain repeated as Pitcher of the Year. It was his third, having also won back in 2018. The 31-year old Bahraini lefty also earned the Triple Crown like his Western Conference counterpart, posting a 22-5 record, 2.58 ERA, and 327 strikeouts over 240.1 innings. Hussain also led in WHIP (0.96) and quality starts (27) while posting 8.8 WAR.

Abu Dhabi edged Jeddah 2-1 to oust the reigning conference champ, sending the Destroyers to their first Eastern Conference Final since 2017. Basra was the heavy favorite, but suffered a shocking 3-1 loss to Abu Dhabi. The Destroyers earned their fourth pennant (2012, 2016, 2017, 2023). It was the third straight year that the Bulldogs lost as the #1 seed, moving them to 1-4 in the ECF in the last five years.

The 34^th Arab League Championship was a seven game thriller claimed by Amman over Abu Dhabi, bringing the cup home to Jordan for the third time (2009, 2010, 2023). The Aviators became the sixth ALB franchise to win 3+ championships. RF Nathan Nasreddine had a big playoff run in his first year as a full-tie starter. The 24-year old Lebanese righty won MVP of both the ALB Championship and conference final, starting 13 playoff games with 17 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, and 11 RBI.

Other notes: Jeddah’s Amar Rasmi stole 139 bases, falling four short of his own ALB record 143 from 2018. Abu Dhabi’s Khali Allawi had a 30-game hit streak, falling four short of ALB’s record of 34. Yahya bin Hakam and Ali Jassem both reached 800 home runs, joining Nordine Soule as ALB’s only sluggers to do so. Four players reached 2500 hits, making that a 16-member club. Two pitchers breached 3000 strikeouts with 19 now having hit that mark. SS Ayoub El Taib won his 8^th Silver Slugger.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-16-2025, 11:06 AM

The top two teams in the Asian Baseball Federation’s East League fought for the North Division title with reigning ABF champ Bishkek (103-59) beating out Almaty (99-63). Both teams earned their fourth consecutive playoff berth with the result. The Assassins notably were the EL’s top scoring team at 740 runs. Last year’s top seed Dushanbe fell to 79-73, ending their ABF-record playoff streak at ten seasons. It was the first time since 2011 that the Dynamo were below .500.

Faisalabad (94-68) edged out Multan (93-69), Karachi (91-71), and Rawalpindi (86-76) in the South Division. The Fire secured a fifth consecutive division title with the result. The Mighty Cocks narrowly got the second wild card to end a three-year playoff drought. Faisalabad allowed the fewest runs in all of ABF at 520.

Multan 2B Ismail Akbar won East League MVP with remarkable power, leading in home runs (66), RBI (156), total bases (409), slugging (.713), OPS (1.082), and wRC+ (223). This was tied for the 6^th-most homers and was the 2^nd-most RBI, falling two short of Fakhri Rajavi’s 158. Akbar had 104 runs, .300 average, and 10.3 WAR. The Mighty Cocks wouldn’t be able to lock up the 29-year old Akbar beyond 2024, as he’d sign a seven-year, $147.6 million deal with Lahore.

Karachi veteran Qabir Sabiha won his first Pitcher of the Year in his tenth season. The 31-year old Pakistani lefty led in strikeouts (352) and shutouts (7). Sabiha had a 2.41 ERA in 242.2 innings, 21-7 record, 145 ERA+, and 7.3 WAR. The Carp rewarded him with a hefty five-year, $100 million extension in the summer, although he’d only pitch three more seasons.

Also of note, Faisalabad closer Raghid Yazdani won his fourth Reliever of the Year, becoming the third in ABF history to win the award 4+ times. His previous wins had been 2016-18 with Gujranwala. He came to the Fire in 2023 after three years for Kabul, posting an 0.66 ERA over 81.1 innings, 35 saves, 148 strikeouts, and 4.9 WAR. Yazdani also became the third to reach 300 saves in ABF.

Bishkek survived 3-2 over Multan in the first round and Faisalabad bested Almaty 3-1. This set up Black Sox versus Fire for the third consecutive season in the East League Championship Series. Bishkek prevailed 4-2 over Faisalabad to repeat and to earn their third pennant in four years. The Black Sox secured their fourth ABF pennant and 13^th overall when adding in their Eurasian Professional Baseball days.

The West League was very competitive in 2023 with eight teams within seven games of the top seed. Defending EL champ Baku got the top seed at 95-67 to repeat as West Division champs. Mashhad got their third straight playoff berth at 93-69 atop the Central Division. The Mercury hadn’t won a division crown since 1994. Tabriz was one back in the division at 92-70, which earned the first wild card. Their playoff streak grew to eight seasons.

For the second wild card, Bursa (91-71) edged out Izmir (90-72), Shiraz (90-72), Istanbul (89-73), and Adana (88-74). The Blue Claws got their second berth in four years and set a new ABF team record with 460 stolen bases. Bursa was the WL’s top scoring team at 817 while Tabriz allowed the fewest at 586. Notably Ankara (65-97), Isfahan (65-97), and Asgabat (68-94) all fell hard after winning seasons the prior year. The Alphas had their first losing campaign since 2015.

West League MVP went to Istanbul RF Khalaf bin Abdullah in his third season. The 22-year old Kuwaiti switch hitter led in RBI (145), total bases (429), slugging (.693), and WAR (9.7). He added 120 runs, 58 home runs, 1.060 OPS, and 177 wRC+.

Shiraz righty Elnur Hasanov won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (21-9), complete games (16), and shutouts (5). The 28-year old Kazakh righty had a 2.51 ERA over 258 innings, 359 strikeouts, and 7.0 WAR. Hasanov beat out reigning POTY Temuri Omarov from Istanbul despite Omarov’s 2.42 ERA, 365 strikeouts, and 10.2 WAR; all league bests.

Baku swept Bursa in the first round while Tabriz got the 3-1 road win over Mashhad, setting up a rematch in the West League Championship Series. It was the fifth time in six years that the Tiger Sharks made it and the first time as the road underdog. Despite their previous top seeds, the Tiger Sharks had gone 1-3 in the previous tries. Tabriz was successful this time though, denying the Blackbirds’ repeat bid 4-1. It was their second pennant, joining their 2019 Baseball Grand Championship campaign.

Tabriz also secured their second ABF Championship win, upsetting the defending champ Bishkek 4-2 in the 39^th ABF finale. Veteran 2B Maksat Musienko was finals MVP in his fifth season for the Tiger Sharks. The 34-year old Kyrgyz righty started 15 playoff games with 22 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 4 homers, and 9 RBI.

Other notes: Petri Viskari’s brief run as ABF’s all-time leader in runs scored (1446) ended in 2023. Tabriz’s Shadi Alam capped off his 16-year run with a title and with the top mark in runs scored at 1491. Mehmet Fatih Canaydin also passed Viskari’s mark to end 2023 with 1481. Canaydin would easily usurp Alam for the top mark in early 2024. Fakhri Rajavi became the 4^th to reach 1500 RBI and Golshifteh Shirazinia was the 13^th to 500 home runs.

In pitching milestones, Hossein Hatami became the 4^th to reach 4500 strikeouts, finishing his final season at 4566. Hatami also was the 11^th to 200 wins, retiring at 204. Hamat Soomro became the 9^th to 4000 strikeouts while both Mukhtar Makhmudov and Sijad Khaleel reached 3500 Ks, making that a 15-player club.

Mashhad’s Ahour Sabbari threw ABF’s 16^th perfect game on August 29, striking out ten versus Ankara. Dushanbe’s Mubariz Isaev threw his second no-hitter, having tossed one way back in 2014 with Baku. RF Hana Zuhair won his 11^th consecutive Gold Glove, becoming the third in ABF at any position with 11+ GGs. SS Nizami Aghazade won his tenth Silver Slugger. ABF’s all-time WARlord Aghazade had 141.8 at the end of the 2023 campaign at only age 35.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-16-2025, 05:29 PM

The Indian League was captivated by an incredible three-team battle in the Central Division with the #1 seed and first wild card on the line. After trading the lead back-and-forth, Kolkata and Delhi finished tied at 102-60 with Jaipur one back at 101-61. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Cosmos defeated the Drillers to take the division and the #1 seed.

Kolkata’s playoff streak grew to three and Delhi’s to four as they got the first wild card. The Jokers became the first-ever 100+ win team in South Asia Baseball history to miss the playoffs. Jaipur allowed the fewest runs in the IL at 538 while Delhi scored the most at 779.

Visakhapatnam won the South Division at 96-66 to end an eight-year playoff drought, while last year’s division winner Hyderabad was six back at 90-72. In a weak West Division, Pune (85-77) prevailed as the only team above .500. Ahmedabad was second at 79-83 and defending IL champ Mumbai was 78-84. The Purple Knights earned their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons.

A competitive battle for Indian League MVP went to Delhi RF Rahul Gonzales. After eight seasons between Hyderabad and Da Nang, he signed with the Drillers for 2023. Gonzales led in hits (213) and OBP (.422) while adding 112 runs, 25 homers, 106 RBI 1.011 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. He only stayed two years of his five year deal with Delhi before opting out for another free agent deal with expansion Patna.

Also worth a mention was Jaipur CF Trong Tran, who won Rookie of the Year and led in WAR (8.7) and slugging (.657). He set a new rookie for WAR by a ROTY winner, but surprisingly wasn’t in the MVP top three. Kolkata’s Duong Nguyen was in the mix with a league best 62 homers and 144 RBI.

Delhi’s Amir Kapur repeated as Pitcher of the Year, again leading in ERA (2.26) and WAR (7.0). The 27-year old Indian righty also led in WHIP (0.87) and FIP- (59). Kapur had a 15-4 record, 10 saves, 320 strikeouts, and 170 ERA+ in 206.2 innings.

By winning the tiebreaker, Kolkata got home field against Delhi in the first round as the wild card always met the #1 seed. The Cosmos survived a fierce challenge 3-2 from the Drillers, earning their first Indian League Championship Series trip since their 2014 title. On the other side, Visakhapatnam outlasted Pune 3-2. The Volts also last got to the ILCS in 2014 with their only pennants coming in 2012 and 2013. Visakhapatnam upset Kolkata 4-2 to claim their third Indian League title, getting some revenge for the 2014 defeat.

Dhaka dominated the Southeast Asia League standings at 108-54 to grow their playoff streak to three, although the Dobermans hadn’t been North Division champs since 2011. Dhaka led SEAL in both runs scored (868) and fewest allowed (579). Da Nang secured the South Division at 101-61, their third division title in four years. Reigning SAB champ Yangon was four back at 97-65, getting the first wild card and extending their world record playoff streak to 29 seasons.

Hanoi was 96-66 with an eight game gap to their closest wild card foes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, and Khulna each at 88-74. The Claws are still the only SAB expansion team without a playoff berth, although 88 wins was a new franchise best. The Hounds ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Vampires missed for only the third time since 2012. Hai Phong, who had won three straight North Division titles, limped to 75-87.

Southeast Asia League MVP went to DH Arav Walif in his Dhaka debut. The 28-year old Indian signed with the Dobermans to an eight-year, $130,400,000 deal after his previous time with Bengaluru and Da Nang. Walif led in hits (211), total bases (395), slugging (.628), OPS (1.012), and wRC+ (170). He had 6.0 WAR, 45 home runs, 119 RBI, and a .335 average.

Another free agent acquisition was Pitcher of the Year with Hong Thanh Chung in his Hanoi debut. He had been respectable in nine years with Surat and signed a modest five-year, $19,600,000 deal with the Hounds. The 29-year old Vietnamese righty broke out by leading in wins (24-4), innings (255.2), complete games (12), and shutouts (4). Chung had a 2.68 ERA, 337 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, and 7.8 WAR.

Dhaka rolled Hanoi for a first round sweep while Da Nang ousted defending champ Yangon 3-1, setting up a rematch of the 2021 Southeast Asia League Championship. The home field was switched from that encounter, but the victor was the same. The 2023 battle was a seven game classic that came down to the final at-bat with the Dobermans winning 8-7 on a walk-off, the first-ever walk-off final for the SEAL Championship. Dhaka became seven-time league champs with the win.

In the 44^th South Asia Baseball Championship, Visakhapatnam claimed their first overall title with a 4-2 upset win over Dhaka. The Volts became the 15^th SAB franchise to win it all and the 9^th of the Indian League’s original 12 teams. 1B Borey Horn was finals MVP in his sixth and final year with Visakhapatnam. The 28-year old Cambodian in 17 playoff starts had 16 hits, 10 runs, 6 home runs, and 16 RBI. Horn used that run to cash in for a five-year, $61.9 million deal in the offseason with Ho Chi Minh City.

Other notes: 2023 had marked a major change for world home run and RBI king Majed Darwish, signing with Da Nang after two decades with Hanoi. At age 40, the Bahraini switch hitter led for the 11^th time in home runs (49) and the 13^th time in RBI (146). Darwish’s homer world record increased to 1172 and his RBI world record grew to 2801.

Darwish also became the new world league in runs scored, getting 110 more and finishing the season at 2476. He passed CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia’s 2374, which had been the high mark since 1968. Darwish was now at 165.5, an especially incredible mark considering how much time he’s spent at DH. This put him in striking distance of Ratan Canduri’s 169.1 for the SAB WARlord title.

Darwish also had a 31-game hit streak in 2023, tied for the second-longest in SAB to that point. Abhiji Srivas had the top mark with 35 games in 2019. Additionally, Darwish earned his 13^th Silver Slugger, although it was only his second at first base. He had ten as a DH and one in left field. Darwish joined V.J. Williams as the only SAB players with 13 Silver Sluggers at any position. 3B Yasir Malkawi won his 11^th Silver Slugger, setting a position record.

In pitching milestones, Tamin Hasan wrapped his career at 4558 strikeouts, passing Zainal bin Aziz (4483) for the #2 spot. He remained second to Jay Singh’s 5000 exactly for the top mark. Devidasa Anantya and Harpal Kumaragupta were the 14^th and 15^th to reach 3500 strikeouts. Kywe Lwin was the 13^th to reach 300 saves. CF Omer al-Jabiri won his 8^th Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-17-2025, 06:05 AM

Abidjan again took first in the Western League standings with an 108-54 record, earning their fifth playoff berth in six years. The Athletes did it with historic scoring, as their 1003 runs were the second-most in West African Baseball history behind only Cotonou’s 1012 from 2014. Last year’s WL runner-up guaranteed a repeat WLCS appearance, finishing 14 wins ahead of second place.

Cape Verde took the #2 spot at 94-68 for repeat wild card berths, while Freetown (93-69) and Bamako (91-71) were close behind for the remaining spots. The Foresters also earned repeat wild cards, while the Bullfrogs are back in the postseason after having a seven-year streak snapped in 2022. Freetown allowed the fewest runs in the WL at 707. Accra was the first out at 86-76 with reigning WAB champ Conakry sixth at 85-77. The Coyotes had their postseason streak ended at five seasons.

The Vulcans had their own impressive offense scoring 945 runs, led by 3B Okoro Yusuf for his fourth consecutive Western League MVP. The 26-year old Nigerian was the fourth to win 4+ MVPs in WAB history and the first to do it consecutively. In his seventh year for Cape Verde, Yusuf led in hits (234), triple slash (.393/.451/.713), OPS (1.164), wRC+ (198), and WAR (10.1). He added 43 doubles, 45 home runs, and 165 RBI. Yusuf has led in OPS and WAR in all four MVP seasons.

His all-around bat was enough to take MVP despite historic power by Abidjan’s Abdel Aziz Ashraf. The 28-year old Egyptian LF became WAB’s new single-season home run king with 71 dingers, passing Yossoupha Diop’s 69 from the prior season. Ashraf also had 165 RBI, the sixth-best in WAB history to that point. Ashraf was all dingers though with only 6.1 WAR despite that power.

Abidjan did get the Pitcher of the Year from Ibrahima Camara in his third season. It was the first full-time run in the rotation for the 23-year Senegalais righty, leading in WHIP (0.95), K/BB (10.0), and FIP- (73). Camara had a 16-1 record, 3.02 ERA, 209 strikeouts, 184.2 innings, and 5.1 WAR. He did miss about a month in the summer to a shoulder strain, but still stood out against a relatively weak field.

Bamako upset Freetown 2-1 in the first round, then got rolled 2-0 by Cape Verde. For the Vulcans, this was their first Western League Championship Series trip since 2010, which saw a defeat to Abidjan. That was the Athletes’ most pennant, as they had gone 0-4 in their WLCS trips since. CV put up a valiant effort, but Abidjan survived 3-2 to end their 12-year pennant drought. The Athletes now had 14 Western League titles, leading the league.

Port Harcourt was a surprising top seed in the Eastern League at 104-58, ending a seven-year playoff drought. Their last playoff berth saw a WAB title back in 2015. The Hillcats pitching staff set new EL records for strikeouts (1855) and K/9 (11.59). PH was the only WAB team to allow under 700 runs in 2023 with 658. In second place was Kano (96-66), who led the EL with 975 runs scored. The Condors bounced back after a surprising 74-88 run in 2022 that ended a six-year playoff streak.

There was a significant drop down to Ibadan and Yaounde, taking the remaining playoff spots at 86-76. The Iguanas got repeat wild cards while the Yellowbirds earned their fifth berth in six years. Last year’s EL champ Niamey and Libreville tied for fifth at 81-81. The Lakers had their playoff streak end at three years.

Although Niamey missed the cut, they had the Eastern League MVP in 3B Batch Kargbo. In only his second year starting, the 23-year old Gambian led in homers (62), total bases (421), slugging (.700), and OPS (1.087). Kargbo added 130 runs, 151 RBI, 161 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. He would miss some time in later years to knee troubles, but Kargbo would be the face of the Atomics for the next decade.

You could’ve given the MVP to Pitcher of the Year winner Jacques Ahouansou of Port Harcourt, although he finished third in MVP voting. The 24-year old lefty from Benin had WAB’s 11^th Triple Crown pitching season with a 25-4 record, 2.34 ERA, and 372 strikeouts over 254 innings. He was the first WAB pitcher with above 370 Ks in more than 20 years with his mark ranking 23^rd on the leaderboard.

Ahouansou also led in K/BB (14.9), quality starts (26), shutouts (5), FIP- (46), ERA+ (203), and WAR (11.9). The WAR mark was the second-best single season ever for a WAB pitcher behind only Kouadio Diao’s 13.69 from 1977. The Hillcats had locked up Ahouansou back after the 2021 season to a seven-year, $46,500,000 deal.

Ibadan ousted Yaounde 2-0 in the first round, but promptly got rolled 2-0 by Kano in round two. The Condors were back in the Eastern League Championship Series for the first time since making four straight appearances from 2016-19. Kano pulled off the 3-2 upset at top seed Port Harcourt for their third pennant in seven years. The Condors became 16-time EL champs, earning more subleague titles than any other WAB team.

The 49^th West African Championship would be the fifth finals meeting between WAB’s two most storied franchises. Kano had beaten Abidjan in their 1975, 1999, and 2001 encounters, while the Athletes’ lone win was 2000. The 2023 rematch was far less exciting as Abidjan swept the Condors, marking the third finals sweep in four years.

Despite their many finals berths, this was only the fifth WAB title for the Athletes (1982, 1994, 2000, 2009, 2022). They’re 5-9 in the finals all-time now while Kano is 12-4. CF Morel Koffi was finals MVP in his Abidjan debut, as the 29-year old Ivorian had been a big free agent signing. He joined at four years and $76 million after six years with Ouagadougou. In 9 playoff games, Koffi had 7 hits, 5 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, and 8 RBI.

Other notes: 2023 was the final year for Lawrence Nassif, who retired as WAB’s all-time leader in hits (3766), doubles (704), and RBI (2338). He also finished second in homers (755), runs (1959), and games played (2881) behind Darwin Morris. Nassif was only the ninth in any world league to reach 700+ doubles to that point. As of 2037 among all pros, he ranks 18^th in hits, 16^th in doubles, and 13^th in RBI.

Fares Belaid was well on the way to reaching Nassif’s tallies at only age 34. In 2023, Belaid joined him as the only WAB batters with 3500 hits and finished the year at 687 doubles. Belaid was already the triples leader (353) and close to becoming the stolen bases leader, finishing the season at 1160. Mandjou Adado played his final season in 2023 to finish as the steals leader at 1199, followed by Morris at 1165.

Belaid and Clarence Cole became the 10^th and 11^th to reach 1500 RBI. Ibrahim Sani and Edmilson Monteiro both got to 2500 hits, making 23 to reach the mark. Douba Abdramane was the 7^th pitcher to 200 wins. 2B El Hadj Khouna won his 7^th Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-17-2025, 04:08 PM

The Northern League had a competitive field in 2023 with only ten games separating first place from eighth. The top two pulled away slightly at the end with Tianjin first (95-67) and Qingdao second (94-68). Both earned repeat playoff berths, although the Jackrabbits hadn’t finished first since 2005. Tianjin set a new Chinese League Baseball team record with 111 triples. The Devils meanwhile had the most runs in CLB in 2023 at 631.

Dalian at 89-73 narrowly took third for their first playoff berth in a decade. Changchun and Nanjing tied for the final spot at 88-74, while Beijing (87-75), Jinan (86-76), and defending NL champ Urumqi (85-77) each fell just short. The Camels defeated the Nuggets in the one game playoff to advance for their fifth playoff berth in eight years. Nanjing’s playoff streak ended at three seasons despite allowing the fewest runs in CLB at 417.

Northern League MVP went to Qingdao 3B Xiku Yan in his sixth season. The 28-year old lefty led in runs (97), hits (185), and WAR (10.4). Yan added 36 home runs, 105 RBI, .951 OPS, and 222 wRC+. The Devils committed to him after the 2024 season to a seven-year, $162,400,000 extension.

Changchun righty Zhifeng Gao secured Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (1.45), strikeouts (344), WHIP (0.65), K/BB (15.6), and WAR (10.1). The 31-year old had a 187 ERA+ over 223.1 innings and 16-8 record. Unfortunately for Gao, an arthritic elbow the following year ended his Camels tenure. He’d still secure the bag on a four-year, $106.4 million deal with MLB’s Houston in 2025, but would be out of the game by 2026 after back-to-back rotator cuff tears.

The Northern League’s Round Robin was a mess as all four teams finished at 3-3. After sorting out tiebreakers, Tianjin and Dalian advanced to the semifinal. The Jackrabbits hadn’t gotten that far since 2005, while the Gold Dragons’ last trip was 2007. After all the parity, top-seeded Tianjin dominated Dalian in a semifinal sweep. The Jackrabbits earned their seventh China Series trip, although they hadn’t gotten through since their mid 1980s dynasty.

Xiamen surprised many by dominating the Southern League standings at 107-55. It was the first-ever 100+ win season for the Mutts, whose last playoff berth was their 2009 CLB Championship. That ended what was the longest active playoff drought in CLB at 13 seasons. Xiamen hadn’t finished first in the standings since 2006. The Mutts allowed the fewest runs in the SL at 446.

15 games away in second was 92-70 Guangzhou, earning their second playoff berth in three years. The final two spots had a glut with Foshan (87-75) getting third to extend their playoff streak to six. The Flyers were the SL’s top scoring team with 615 runs. Fourth saw a tie at 86-78 between Hong Kong and Kunming, while Shantou (85-77) and Changsha (84-78) just missed.

The one-game tiebreaker had HK defeat the Muscle, keeping the reigning China Series winner’s repeat bid alive. The Champions earned a sixth straight playoff berth, having won the SL in four of the prior five seasons. Dongguan went from first in 2022 to 11^th in 2023 at 75-87.

Leading Xiamen’s turnaround was an unlikely hero in Jeremy Marien, who won Southern League MVP. The 30-year old French first baseman was a late bloomer who failed to make the show in Europe in his 20s. The Mutts signed him in 2020 and he was only a part-timer in his first three years in China with 95 starts and 151 games. Marien earned the starting gig for the first time in 2023 and thrived, leading in RBI (102), walks (85), OBP (.408), slugging (.607), OPS (1.015), and wRC+ (214). He also had 97 runs, 46 home runs, .311 average, and 9.2 WAR.

Guangzhou’s Kamesh Sajeev repeated as Pitcher of the Year in only his third season. The 24-year old Indian righty led in wins (17-9), strikeouts (334), WHIP (0.78), K/BB (11.9), complete games (19), FIP- (47), and WAR (10.1). Sajeev had a 1.86 ERA and 159 ERA+ over 251.2 innings.

The top two seeds Xiamen and Guangzhou rolled to 5-1 in the Round Robin with both Hong Kong and Foshan going 1-5. The Gamecocks earned their second semifinal trip in three years and came away with a big upset despite being 15 wins beneath the Mutts. Guangzhou cruised to a 4-1 semifinal win over Xiamen for their first China Series trip since 2012. The Gamecocks earned their seventh finals berth overall.

The 54^th China Series was the second time that Tianjin and Guangzhou had met in the championship. In the second-ever finale, the Gamecocks upset a 123-win Jackrabbits squad. Tianjin whooped Guangzhou 4-0 in the 2023 encounter to become five-time CLB champs (1972, 1983, 1986, 1988, 2023. The Jackrabbits were now tied with Beijing for the second-most rings with only Dalian (6) with more.

Tianjin ended a 34-year title drought, the longest streak between titles in CLB history to that point. The previous long was Guangzhou at 28 years (1972-1999). SS Jun Xin was finals MVP in his ninth year for the Jackrabbits, bouncing back after missing the summer to a partially torn labrum. In 14 playoff starts, Xin had 15 hits, 5 runs,5 doubles, and 3 RBI. This continued a run of relatively uncompetitive China Series meetings, as each series from 2017-23 was either a sweep or 4-1.

Other notes: 2023 was the final CLB season for three-time MVP CF Zhen Zhang, who would depart for MLB’s Philadelphia for his final three seasons at age 36. Zhang finished at 151.1 WAR, just shy of Junjie Hsiung’s 152.6 for the top spot among CLB position players. Zhang also left CLB ranked 4^th in home runs (474), 3^rd in hits (2396), 2^nd in runs (1159), and 2^nd in RBI (1212).

Boyu Long and Cheng Kang formed the 500 home run club four days apart with Kang getting there on April 1 and Long on April 5. Wenzhou’s Long reclaimed the top spot by the end of the year, finishing his career with 537 homers. In his last year with Shijiazhuang, Kang got to 524 homers. The 35-year old Kang would have one more CLB season in 2024 with Guangzhou.

Long, Kang, and Zhang each passed Xinze Yan’s career RBI mark of 1157. The season ended with Long first at 1238, followed by Zhang (1212) and Kang (1199). Kang and Long became the 14^th and 15^th to score 1000 career runs and Kang was the 15^th to 2000 hits. Both Zhang (CF) and Long (RF) notably became nine-time Silver Slugger winners. 2B Kenny Sang won his 7^th Silver Slugger. Bozhao Zhu became the 11^th to 400 home runs. RF Haojian Fang and 1B Jingzhe Liao both won a 7^th consecutive Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-17-2025, 07:06 PM

Austronesia Professional Baseball increased its active roster size from 24 to 25 beginning with 2023. APB had started with 25, but had lowered to 24 for the 1998 season. 25 was originally the “default” for most world leagues but many others had lowered their active roster in later years.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association’s champs from 2022 both fell off steeply in 2023. Defending APB champ Quezon went from 94 wins to only 64 in 2023, while Taiwan League champ Taoyuan fell from 101 wins to 73. The opening put 2021 TPA champ Hsinchu back into the pole position. The Sweathogs dominated the TL at 106-56, leading the TPA in scoring with 667 runs. They were 16 games better than second place Kaohsiung and 17 ahead of Taichung.

The Philippine League was closer, but still saw a firm win for 101-61 Zamboanga, who allowed the fewest runs at 410. Cebu (94-68) and Manila (92-70) were competitive, but came up short. The Zebras ended a three-year playoff drought, giving them their seventh playoff berth in the last 11 years. For the Crows, they notably ended a seven-year run of losing seasons.

Hsinchu 1B Binh Tang won his fourth consecutive Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. Still in only his sixth season, the 23-year old Vietnamese lefty earned his second Triple Crown and broke APB’s single-season runs scored record with 122. Hector Constanza had held the top mark with 114 since 2001. Tang joined Eli Cheng and Tunggul Widhyasari as the only APB batters with multiple Triple Crown efforts.

Tang led with 49 home runs, 106 RBI, 69 walks, 355 total bases, a .312/.393/.622 triple slash, 1.015 OPS, 202 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. His effort was the seventh-most WAR in a season by an APB position player to that point. The Sweathogs wisely extended the man that would later become known as “The King” for his historic dominance. In August, Tang inked an APB-record eight-year, $168,600,000 extension to keep him with Hsinchu into his early 30s.

History was also made as Zamboanga ace Ching-Chen Yao won his tenth Pitcher of the Year award. He joined EPB great Matvey Ivanov (11) and CABA/MLB legend Junior Vergara (10) as the only pitchers in world history to win the award 10+ times. Now 35-years old, Yao was starting to wind down somewhat, as he didn’t lead in strikeouts for only the second time since 2012. He did extend his streak as the WHIP leader to 12 years, while leading in WAR for the tenth time and earning his eighth ERA title.

Yao posted a 1.44 ERA over 200.1 innings, 15-4 record, 284 strikeouts, 0.59 WHIP, 17.8 K/BB, 197 ERA+, 37 FIP-, and 9.1 WAR. This would be his last full season, although he’d have three more injury-shortened seasons with the Zebras. Yao became the first APB player to breach 150 career WAR, while also becoming the 10^th pitcher to 4500 strikeouts and the 27^th to 200 wins.

In the Sundaland Association, the top two records came out of the Java Sea League. Jakarta at 97-65 narrowly edged out last year’s winner Bandung at 93-69. That ended an 18-year playoff drought for the once proud Jaguars, which was the second-longest active drought in APB entering the year. They had rebuilt after bottoming out with an abysmal 48-112 record in 2018.

The Blackhawks missed despite allowing the fewest runs at 357. Bandung’s pitching staff had a 5.58 H/9, setting a new APB record. Their 944 hits allowed and 0.797 WHIP were both the second-lowest in APB history. Also of note, Palembang had their first losing season since 2014. The Panthers were the SA champ from 2019-21.

Reigning Sundaland Association champ Medan repeated in the Malacca League, but barely. The Marlins finished 88-74, edging Batam by one game, Pekanbaru by four, and Kuala Lumpur by six. Johor Bahru was 78-84 despite leading all SA teams with 540 runs. The Blue Wings also allowed the most runs at 565. The Blue Raiders had APB’s longest playoff drought, which grew to 24 years with their near miss in 2023.

Medan right fielder Mohd Aqmal Kunanlan repeated as Sundaland Association MVP in his sixth year with the Marlins. The 28-year old Malaysian led in total bases (321), average (.292), and OBP (.348). Kunanlan had 75 runs, 42 home runs, 87 RBI, .922 OPS, 218 wRC+, and 8.0 WAR. He also hit for the cycle in 2023 in a 5-5 effort against Semarang on June 15.

Purnandi Supriatna also repeated as Pitcher of the Year for Medan, winning the ERA title at 1.34. The 28-year old Indonesian lefty earned his third POTY in four years and had a 20-6 record, 13 saves, 208.1 innings, 291 strikeouts, 192 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR. This marked the end of an impressive APB career, as Supriatna would leave for MLB in the winter. He signed an eight-year, $199 million deal with Virginia Beach. While the bag was nice, Supriatna would only be decent in his tenure with the Vikings.

Zamboanga rolled to a sweep of Hsinchu in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, ending a four-year title drought. The Zebras earned their sixth pennant since 2013 and ninth overall. On the other side, Medan repeated as Sundaland Association champ by defeating Jakarta 4-2. The Marlins also won their ninth pennant, setting up a first meeting against Zamboanga.

Both Medan and Zamboanga had gone 2-6 in their previous finals appearances. In the 59^th Austronesia Championship, the Marlins defeated the Zebras in a seven-game classic to claim their third ring (1987, 1989, 2023). CF Jaime Sia was finals MVP in his fifth year for Medan. The 29-year old Indonesian in 13 starts had 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 1 homer, 5 RBI, and 8 walks in the postseason.

Other notes: APB’s 48^th Perfect Game came on May 3 as Johor Bahru’s Vishy Gupta struck out 13 against Singapore. Sharks ace Fahrudin Ramli later that month threw his third career no-hitter against Jakarta, whom he did it to the prior year as well. Ramli was the 15^th pitcher in the low-scoring world of APB to throw 3+ no-hitters.

1B Widodo Megawati won his 13^th Gold Glove, becoming the 4th in APB history to win 13+ GGs. Meiga Rafiandri won his 7th Silver Slugger and his second at 1B. He had five previous Sluggers at 2B. 2023 was Rafiandri’s APB return with Pekanbaru after a seven-year MLB excursion with Las Vegas. His other Sluggers and an MVP came with Taipei.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-18-2025, 05:37 AM

A fierce battle for the Australasia League title Christchurch prevail at 101-61, fending off defending Oceania Champion Sydney and Canberra both at 97-65. The Chinooks returned to the perch with their third title in four years. Christchurch won its 15^th AL pennant, tying Melbourne for the most. Brisbane (91-71) and Melbourne (89-73) were also in the mix for much of the year. For the 2006 expansion Centurions 97 wins matched their franchise best from 2012.

Auckland had a shocking collapse down to 67-95. The Avengers were only a tiebreaker game away from the pennant the prior season. The Snakes offense stole 547 bases and only struck out 921 times, both were the second-best marks behind their own 2022 efforts. Canberra was the top scoring team (804) while Brisbane allowed the fewest runs (588). The Chinooks outperformed their expected win/loss by six en route to the title.

Australasia League MVP went to Canberra RF Sumeet Singh in his third season. He was drafted in 2020 by New Caledonia, but was traded away for prospects to the Centurions for 2023. The 25-year old Fijian led in home runs (50), RBI (142), total bases (402), slugging (.681), OPS (1.058), and wRC+ (196). Singh added 7.3 WAR and a .339 batting average. He would sign a four-year, $53.6 million extension the following spring. Also of note, his Canberra teammate Ashley Chinnery had a .429 on-base percentage, setting a new OBA single-season record. The previous best was Samson Gould’s .423 from 2005.

Sydney’s Chuchuan Cao repeated as Pitcher of the Year in his second season in Australia. The 34-year old Chinese lefty was now a seven-time POTY winner overall counting his five wins in CLB with Shenyang. Cao led in wins (25-9), innings (324), strikeouts (347), quality starts (27), complete games (19), shutouts (6), FIP- (64), and WAR (10.7). He also had a 2.89 ERA and 131 ERA+.

The former two-way star only hit during his pitching starts in 2023, but added 1.0 WAR offensively with a .277/.323/.529 slash line over 127 plate appearances. Cao now had a combined career WAR of 181.0, moving to seventh all-time among all players in pro baseball history.

Port Moresby dominated the Pacific League to end a 37-year title drought going back to 1985. The Mud Hens were 102-60 and scored by far the most runs in the league with 847, 130 ahead of second place. PM had a .283 team batting average with 1596 hits, both the second-best in PL history. Port Moresby’s .332 OBP was the third-best season.

Timor was a distant second at 90-72 with Samoa third at 89-73. Two-time defending PL champ Vanuatu fell to fifth at 83-79, two behind 85-77 Guam. The Tapirs notably allowed the fewest runs at 543. Timor had been terrible prior to 2023, as this was their first winning season since joining in the 2006 expansion. Also of note was Guadalcanal falling to 76-86, their first losing season since 2008.

It was no surprise that Port Moresby had the Pacific League’s MVP and Pitcher of the Year. The former was CF Stanley Yeo, winning MVP for the second time in three years. The 27-year old hometown hero led in slugging (.673), OPS (1.068), wRC+ (200), and WAR (11.7). Yeo added 45 home runs, 115 RBI, .343 average, 115 runs, and 72 stolen bases.

Colton Stark repeated as Pitcher of the Year in his eighth season. The 30-year old Australian led in wins (27-9), ERA (2.16), WHIP (0.91), K/BB (10.4), quality starts (34), FIP- (52), and WAR (12.3). He struck out 355 over 304.2 innings, missing the Triple Crown by 24 Ks. The Mud Hens extended Stark in spring training for six years and $152 million to remain their ace.

In the 64^th Oceania Championship, Port Moresby defeated Christchurch 4-2 to win their second-ever title, joining the 1985 win. The Chinooks have lost their last five finals and are now 3-12 all-time in the finale, giving them the most runner-up finishes of any franchise in any league. League MVP Stanley Yeo was also finals MVP, going 10-23 with 7 runs, 2 triples, 3 homers, 4 RBI, and 4 steals.

Other notes: In his final season, Adrian Kali passed Arjita Gabeja’s 1683 to become OBA’s leader in runs scored with 1704. Kali’s final tally as the OBA hit king was 3467 and he became OBA’s total bases leader at 6115, besting Junia Lava’s 6014. Kali’s 650 home runs ranked 7^th at retirement and his 1979 RBI finished only ten behind Lava’s 1989 for the top spot. He finished one game short of being the fourth to play 3000 games in OBA.

Dale Harper joined that group by getting to 3055 games in 2023, ranking third all-time. Harper stayed ahead of Kali for OBA’s most doubles with the top three all incidentally ending their OBA careers in 2023. Harper finished at 596 doubles, followed by Kali at 572 and Naldo Soto at 570. Harper moved to #2 on the hits list, retiring at 3265 while Soto’s 2921 hits placed him 5^th at retirement.

Roe Kaupa and Aston Abavu became the 22^nd and 23^rd to reach 2500 hits. Kaupa won his 13^th Silver Slugger overall and his 7^th at first base. He was the first 13-time winner at any spot in OBA. Kaupa ended 2023 in striking distance of numerous top marks with 1637 runs, 774 home runs, and 1765 RBI. He was 30 homers from Vavao Brighouse’s top mark of 804 and 67 runs from Kali’s new top mark, both reachable in 2024 at age 37. Kaupa was 224 RBI away from passing Lava for first, achievable with two good years. Kaupa had 45+ homers, 100+ RBI, and 90+ runs in each of the last 13 seasons.

In other milestones, 2B Trey Cruz won his 7^th Silver Slugger. Isaac Endo became the 16^th member of the 500 home run club and Peyton McCoy became the 22^nd pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. Jayden Owens passed Scott Kyle’s 402 saves to become the new OBA leader at 409. CF Pouvalu Manu won his 9^th consecutive Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-18-2025, 11:25 AM

Both European League division champs repeated and took first by double-digit wins. North Division champ Minsk (103-59) narrowly edged out South Division champ Volgograd (102-60) for the #1 seed. The Miners earned their third berth in four years, while the reigning EL champ Voyagers made it four straight playoff trips. Volgograd led the EL in scoring with 704 runs, followed by Minsk at 684.

For the wild cards, Voronezh (92-70) and Moscow (90-72) advanced while Samara (87-75), St. Petersburg (86-76), and Krasnodar (85-77) missed the cut. Both the Zephyrs and Mules earned their fifth playoff berth of the last seven years. The Polar Bears allowed the fewest runs at 496, followed by Moscow at 518. The Mules have now gone 25 seasons without a losing record. Nizhny Novgorod, who had back-to-back playoff berths, fell off sharply to 70-92.

Volgograd CF Roman Sheshukov won European League MVP for the second time, having also done it in 2020. The 30-year old Russian won his second Gold Glove while leading in RBI (117), total bases (334), slugging (.569), and WAR (9.5). Sheshukov had 88 runs, 42 home runs, .899 OPS, and 170 wRC+. It was a nice bounce-back for him, as he had missed more than two months the prior year to a strained hamstring.

The Voyagers also had the Pitcher of the Year Svyatoslav Tyahnybok, winning the top honor for the fourth time in five years. The 29-year old Ukrainian righty led in wins (22-6) while posting a 2.28 ERA over 260.2 innings, 335 strikeouts, 139 ERA+, and 7.2 WAR. It was actually his lowest WAR of the last five years, which shows how impressive he has been. Tyahnybok signed a five-year, $57,300,000 extension with Volgograd before the 2023 campaign.

Minsk survived a fierce challenge 3-2 against Moscow in the first round, while Volgograd cruised to a sweep of Voronezh. The Voyagers had a shot at their third pennant in four years, while this was the first time since 2011 that the historic powerhouse Miners had made it to the European League Championship Series. The 11 year gap was Minsk’s longest between ELCS berths in franchise history by a healthy margin. The Miners had the home field advantage, but that didn’t slow down Volgograd as the Voyagers cruised to the pennant 4-1.

Krasnoyarsk won the Asian League’s East Division for the fifth straight year and grew their playoff streak to six. The Cossacks were again the top seed, leading all offenses by a healthy margin with 782 runs. Krasnoyarsk set new Eurasian Professional Baseball team records for batting average (.289) and hits (1658). They also had the second-most doubles (316) and tied for the most triples (115) in EPB history. The Cossacks were 20 games better than their closest divisional foe.

Perm picked up the West Division for the fourth year running at 98-64. The Pitbulls and Yekaterinburg both allowed the AL’s fewest runs with 526. The Yaks (91-71) and Chelyabinsk (88-74) got the wild cards with Vladivostok (83-79) as the first team out. The Cadets earned a fifth wild card in a row, while Yekaterinburg ended a decade-long drought. Reigning EPB champ Omsk was a non-factor at 70-92.

Krasnoyarsk DH Timofei Kalinin won Asian League MVP in his sixth season. The 26-year old Russian lefty led in runs (120), homers (50), RBI (113), total bases (367), slugging (.622), OPS (.961), and wRC+ (179). He was only the fifth in EPB history to score 120+ runs in a season. Kalinin added 7.5 WAR and a .300 average.

Pitcher of the Year went to Perm lefty Bassam Zkarneh. The 29-year old Palestinian was in his fourth season with the Pitbulls, coming to Russia in 2020 after five years in the Arab League. Zkarneh led in quality starts (31) and posted a 1.96 ERA over 257.1 innings, 20-8 record, 284 strikeouts, 160 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR. He had one more year with Perm before becoming a journeyman for the next decade, bouncing around between nine teams between EPB and MLB.

Krasnoyarsk survived 3-2 against Chelyabinsk in the first round while Yekaterinburg shocked Perm with a road sweep. The Cossacks earned their sixth Asian League Championship Series trip in eight years, although they had gone 1-4 in their appearances. The Yaks hadn’t made it this far since their 2012 title. The series went all seven games with only home wins, favoring top seed Krasnoyarsk over Yekaterinburg. The Cossacks won their eighth Asian League pennant (1959, 1974, 1982, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2018, 2023).

The 69^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was the first to go all seven games since 2019. Volgograd outlasted Krasnoyarsk to secure their first title, becoming the 23^rd different franchise to win the EPB trophy. The Voyagers were the fourth expansion team to pull it off, joining Rostov, Krasnodar, and Perm.

Second-year LF Seriozhenka Gusarov was finals MVP, making 15 playoff starts with 20 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 7 homers, and 19 RBI. He was two away from the EPB playoff RBI record. Pitcher of the Year Svyatoslav Tyahnybok also notably set a new record with 59 strikeouts, breaking the previous high of 56 by three guys in the 1990s. Tyahnybok had a 2.92 ERA over 40 innings in the playoffs.

Other notes: Nizhny Novgorod’s Jafar Kholov drew 121 walks to set a new EPB single-season record. Krasnoyark’s Roman Rudenko had 51 doubles, becoming only the fourth in EPB to reach 50+. The mark was last reached in 1965. Evhen Kononenko of Ufa was the sixth in EPB to strike out 21+ in a game, fanning 21 in 9.1 innings versus Omsk on July 1. 2023 was the first season since 2015 without a no-hitter in EPB.

In milestones, Igor Gorbatyuk became the 3^rd to reach 1500 runs scored. Nikolay Kargopolcev and Evgeny Kiselev became the 8^th and 9^th to get to 1500 RBI. Yuriy Isakov and Yevhen Berkhamov were the 25^th and 26^th to reach 2500 hits. DH Pavel Khuzin won his 9^th Silver Slugger. It was his 2^nd as a DH with seven at 2B.

1B Artur Sagdatullin won his 15^th and final Gold Glove. He became only the 7^th in all of pro baseball history to win 15 GGs. Sagdatullin was the only EPB player to achieve the feat and the 2^nd to do it at first base (BSA’s D.J. Del Valle won 16 at 1B). LF Brandon Chunchignorov won his 8^th Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-18-2025, 06:35 PM

Reigning European Champion Dublin was again dominant, taking the Northern Conference’s top seed at 114-48 atop the West Division. The Dinos won their fourth consecutive division title and led the entire European Baseball Federation with 872 runs. Rotterdam gave them an impressive run for the top seed, crushing the Central Division at 110-52. The Ravens earned a third straight division title and allowed the conference’s fewest runs at 544.

The East Division had a two-team battle with Hamburg (98-64) edging out Berlin (97-65). The Hammers won their seventh straight division title and got their eighth playoff berth in nine years. The Barons picked up their second wild card in five years. It was a seven game drop to the next contenders for the remaining two wild cards.

Advancing were Hanover (90-72) and Edinburgh (89-73), while just missing were Leipzig (88-74) and Frankfurt (85-77). For the Hitmen, it was their first-ever playoff berth or winning season in seven years amongst the EBF Elite. The Enforcers picked up back-to-back wild cards. Cologne (83-79), Kharkiv (83-79), and Warsaw (82-80) were the other teams above .500. Notably Amsterdam, a wild card last year, fell to 77-85. It was only their second losing season since 2009.

Three teams suffered relegation in the Northern Conference with 100+ loss campaigns. Helsinki and Reykjavik were both abysmal at 54-108, while Sheffield only narrowly fell below the cut line at 61-101. Paris at 66-96 was close, but survived. The Honkers and Raccoons both lasted only three years in their return to the top tier. The Steelhounds had an eight-year tenure and a division title in 2017, but had been below .500 consistently otherwise.

Oslo was an unremarkable 81-81, but the legend of shortstop Harvey Coyle continued to grow. At age 36, he became EBF’s first-ever nine-time MVP and became the league’s new career home run king. Coyle hadn’t been MVP since winning eight from 2009-17, but he had continued to play at a high level. He became the seventh player in pro baseball history to win 9+ MVPs. In 2023, the switch-hitting Englishman won his 13th Silver Slugger.

Coyle led in home runs (60), RBI (133), slugging (.737), OPS (1.112), and wRC+ (198). He added 108 runs, .307 average, and 12.1 WAR. It was his eighth time leading in homers and his tenth season worth 12+ WAR. Coyle ended the year with 878 home runs, passing Jack Kennedy’s EBF record 875 that had stood since 1995. Coyle was already EBF’s WARlord and grew that tally to 190.1, becoming only the fifth in baseball history to breach 190. 2023 also saw Coyle’s second cycle of his career. He also finished the season at 1987 RBI, 1694 runs, and 2863 hits.

Pitcher of the Year was Antwerp’s Isak Alsaker in his seventh year starting for the Airedales. The 28-year old Norwegian lefty led in ERA (2.17), innings (256.2), WHIP (0.85), and quality starts (26). Alsaker had a 16-9 record, 275 strikeouts, 175 ERA+, and 6.1 WAR. Antwerp would trade Alsaker to Rotterdam in the offseason, then he’d sign in 2025 to a six-year, $135 million deal with Dublin.

Berlin edged Hanover 2-1 in the first round and Hamburg swept Edinburgh. The powerhouse top seeds prevailed in round two, although Dublin needed all five games to outlast the Barons. Rotterdam meanwhile defeated the Hammers 3-1. The Dinos made their fourth consecutive Northern Conference Championship with a shot at their third pennant in four years. For the Ravens, this was their deepest run since 2003.

With 114 wins versus 110 wins, it was perhaps the most stacked conference final in EBF history. It lived up to the hype with an incredible seven game clash that saw Dublin defeat Rotterdam to repeat. This was the second time the Dinos had won three pennants in four years, having also done it from 2010-13. It was the tenth Northern Conference crown for the Irish capital, passing Amsterdam for the most.

Zagreb destroyed the Southern Conference competition at 113-49, earning a fourth consecutive playoff berth and their second Central Division title in four years. The Gulls led the conference in runs with 861 and led all of EBF with 539 runs allowed. Zagreb’s offense had 137 triples, one short of the EBF team record. The Gulls broke their own franchise record for wins set two years prior at 108-54. They were 19 wins ahead of the next best team on the conference.

The West Division was especially intense with four teams ending the regular season within three wins of each other. Two Central division teams made for an even tighter wild card race with six teams separated by four wins. Munich won the division at 94-68, beating Zurich by one game and both Seville and Milan by three. The Mavericks won their third consecutive division title and grew their playoff streak to four.

The Mountaineers and the Central Division’s Brno were both 93-69, taking the first two wild cards. Zurich got its seventh playoff berth in eight years while the Bandits got their second in three years. For the final spot, Seville and Milan tied at 91-71 with Palermo just missing at 90-72. The Stingrays defeated the Maulers in the tiebreaker game to take the last spot. It was an impressive return for Seville, who won the European Second League title the prior year.

The third division title went to 92-70 Chisinau in the East, topping last year’s division champ Skopje by nine. The Counts also notably had just returned to the top tier, earning promotion as the E2L runner-up in 2022. Notably absent from the 2023 playoff field was 2022 conference champ Naples, as the Nobles struggled to 71-91.

Both Cluj-Napoca and Dnipro got demoted, falling exactly at the cut line of 62-100. Toulouse (65-97) and Malta (66-96) were both close, but survived. With that, there would be a hefty five team turnover for 2024. The Paladins won a division title in 2020 upon their EBF Elite debut, but fell after that. The Defenders lasted only two seasons in the top tier, having won the 2021 E2L title.

Zagreb’s dominance extended to the top awards, including a repeat and the third Southern Conference MVP in four years for Aleksandr Parts. The 29-year old Estonian first baseman led in hits (221), total bases (383), triple slash (.388/.451/.673), OPS (1.125), wRC+ (201), and WAR (10.5). His OBP was the sixth-best single season and his batting average the seventh-best to that point. Parts also had 32 doubles, 32 triples, 22 homers, 107 RBI, and 93 stolen bases. Parts opted out of his current deal after the 2025 season to sign a new heftier six-year, $158,400,000 deal with Zagreb.

A.J. Magee won his sixth Pitcher of the Year, joining Hall of Famers Lindsey Brampton and Jean-Luc Roch as the only aces to do it in EBF. The 33-year old Northern Irishman led in wins (23-5), innings (255.1), and WAR (7.5). Magee added 2.71 ERA, 226 strikeouts, and 146 ERA+. Magee became the 39^th member of the 200 win club and won his second Gold Glove. He would pitch only two more seasons before calling it quit after an impressive 14-year run in Croatia.

Zurich edged Brno 2-1 in the first round and Chisinau topped Seville 2-0. Zagreb cruised to a round two sweep of the Mountaineers, while Munich survived 3-2 over the Counts. The Gulls grabbed their second Southern Conference Championship trip in four years, while the Mavericks earned a fourth straight trip. Zagreb had the top seed in their 2021 encounter, but Munich prevailed in five games.

The Gulls were trying to end a 47-year pennant drought and were the heavy favorite. However, their season would be one of the great disappointments as Munich again had their number for a 4-1 victory. The Mavericks won their fourth SC pennant in six years (2018, 2020, 2021, 2023) and their tenth overall.

The 74^th European Championship was a rematch of 2020, which had seen a 4-2 Munich win over Dublin. Despite both teams making their tenth finals appearance, that was their only prior finals encounter. The Dinos got revenge over the Mavericks 4-2 to repeat as EBF’s best. Dublin now had seven European Championship wins (1962, 1967, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2022, 2023), leading all teams. Munich moved to 4-6 in their finals trips.

Two-way player Krystian Flasza was the finals MVP in his third season for Dublin. After six seasons with Krakow, the 32-year old from Poland was traded to the Dinos for the 2021 season. In the playoffs he tossed 34.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA and 20 strikeouts. At the plate, Flasza played 18 games with 10 hits, 4 runs, 3 homers, and 7 RBI. Dinos reliever Ruslan Zinchenko also notably set an EBF record with 14 appearances, posting a 1.99 ERA, 7 saves, and 28 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.

Other notes: In a farewell season for Dublin, Gianfranco Marinis had an 11-4 record, 3.90 ERA, and 103 strikeouts in 159.1 innings. That was enough to finish with a 302-225 record, passing Jean-Luc Roch’s 300 for the all-time wins mark. Marinis became the 38^th in world history to crack 300 wins mainly via impressive durability, as he had a career 3.77 ERA and 103 ERA+. Marinis also became the 10^th EBF ace with 4000 strikeouts. He retired the EBF leader in innings (4939), starts (607), and hits allowed (5269). As of 2037, he ranks 27^th among all pitchers in innings.

Hamburg’s Max Gerlach broke his own single-season record for on-base percentage with .468, topping the previous best of .462 from 2020. Gerlach’s 2023 ranks 24^th in world history as of 2037. Emanuel Koch became the 12^th reliever to 300 career saves. Johan Almgren became the 19^th member of the 600 home run club. LF Coniglio Branca won his 7^th Gold Glove. Finals MVP Krystian Flasza won his 7^th Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

Promotion/Relegation: There was massive movement with five teams promoted and five relegated based on 2023’s results. Leaving the EBF Elite were Sheffield, Reykjavik, Helsinki, Cluj-Napoca, and Dnipro. Earning promotion from the European Second League were Zaragoza, Tallinn, Riga, Nottingham, and Thessaloniki. Below are the divisional shifts for 2024.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-19-2025, 04:35 AM

Fresh off winning Copa Sudamerica and the Baseball Grand Championship at 114-48, Caracas had a lot of eyes on them for 2023. The Colts couldn’t replicate the win total, but still narrowly had the Bolivar League’s best record at 100-62. They also set a new Beisbol Sudamerica record for runs scored with 917. Caracas also had the second-best season attendance in BSA history at 2,728,861, behind only their 2,859,209 from the prior year.

Caracas claimed a seventh consecutive Venezuela Division title and became the first team in Beisbol Sudamerica history to win 100+ games in seven consecutive seasons. They had close competition in the division with Ciudad Guayana at 96-66. That earned the Giants the second wild card for their third playoff appearance in six years. CG’s offense was also impressive at 870 runs scored and an even better OPS than Caracas (.832 vs .822). Valencia missed out on a third straight wild card with an 87-75 finish.

Meanwhile for the top seed, both Barranquilla and Cali were close behind Caracas as they battled for the Colombia-Ecuador Division. The Blues and Cyclones were both 98-64 after 162 games with Barranquilla winning the tiebreaker game. The Blues repeated as division champs and Cali repeated as a wild card. Quito was also in the mix for a bit at 89-73, allowing the fewest runs in the league at 631.

Lastly in the Peru-Bolivia Division, Arequipa (90-72) prevailed over Santa Cruz (86-76). This was the Arrows’ first winning season and division title since 2013. Last year’s division winner Callao struggled to 71-91. Since BSA doesn’t give division winners seeding preference, Arequipa is the #5 seed and must travel to Ciudad Guayana in the first round.

The Giants swept the top awards with Bolivar League MVP going to LF R.J. Zavaleta. It was the second MVP for the 30-year old Venezuelan, who also won back in 2017. Zavaleta scored 138 runs, only three short of the BSA single-season record 141 set in 1976 by Jasper Saucedo. Zavaleta also led in total bases (429), and slugging (.725). He had 47 homers, 113 RBI, .360 average, 1.120 OPS, and 8.9 WAR. Zavaleta stayed one more year with Ciudad Guayana, then took a mammoth five-year, $160 million deal with MLB’s Los Angeles Angels.

Pitcher of the Year went to veteran journeyman Lope Martinez, who signed for just 2023 with Ciudad Guayana. The 34-year old Bolivian lefty had previous stints with La Paz, Asuncion, and Santa Cruz with mostly average production. In 2023, Martinez led in wins (23-6) and innings (263.2). He posted a 2.70 ERA, 239 strikeouts, 157 ERA+, and 6.9 WAR. This was the only season of his career above 4+ WAR. Martinez would play two more seasons with Brasilia before retiring.

Ciudad Guayana edged Arequipa 2-1 and gave their Venezuelan rival Caracas a fight in the divisional series. However, the Colts survived 3-2 to earn their fourth Bolivar League Championship Series trip in six years. Barranquilla had beaten Cali in the tiebreaker game for the division, but the Cyclones got playoff revenge with a surprising road sweep. The BLCS had a rematch for the first time since Medellin/Santa Cruz in 2009-10. Caracas held on in a seven-game classic over Cali to pull off the repeat. The Colts became 15-time Bolivar League champs, leading all teams.

Santiago repeated as the Southern Cone League’s top seed, winning the South Central Division for the fourth straight year at 104-58. Concepcion gave them a tough challenge again at 96-66, easily earning the first wild card. The Saints earned their eighth playoff berth in nine years, while the Chiefs nabbed their 11^th in 13 years.

Two-time defending league champ Fortaleza was the #2 seed at 101-61 to repeat as North Division champ. The Foxes got their fourth berth in five years and led the league with 799 runs. In the Southeast Division, Rio de Janeiro (88-74) squeaked by both Buenos Aires (87-75) and Sao Paulo (84-78). The Redbirds got their second division title in three years.

The Atlantics were one back in the division, but luckily one ahead of Belo Horizonte (86-76) for the second wild card. BA got repeat wild cards and allowed the fewest runs at 568. They were one game better than the Hogs, three over the Padres, and four better than Recife.

Concepcion 1B Julio Saucedo had a remarkable debut, winning both Southern Cone League MVP and Rookie of the Year. He joined Ynilo Zapata (1952) as the only BSA players to win both in the same season. Saucedo wasn’t even a highly touted prospect, getting taken 66^th by the Chiefs back in the 2019 draft. The Chilean led in RBI (123), and total bases (390) while adding 44 homers, .372 average, 1.091 OPS, 214 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR. His WAR was the second-best by a BSA ROTY winner behind only Timoteo Caruso’s 9.9 on the mound in 1936.

Santiago’s Brayan Campos won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 22-4. The 27-year old Chilean righty had a 2.32 ERA over 248.1 innings, 208 strikeouts, 161 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR. Also of note, Sao Paulo’s Tony Montes won his fourth Reliever of the Year in five seasons. He became the eighth in BSA history to win the award 4+ times. Sadly, Montes’ blew out his elbow in 2025 to essentially end his career just after his 30^th birthday

Rio de Janeiro beat Buenos Aires 2-0 in the first round, then shocked top seed Santiago 3-2 in the divisional series. The Redbirds earned their first Southern Cone Championship trip since their 2016 pennant. Concepcion ousted defending champ Fortaleza with a 3-1 road upset, giving the Chiefs their first LCS since their 2018 title. Concepcion bested Rio 4-2 for their fourth pennant since 2012 and seventh overall; an impressive haul for a 1974 expansion team.

The 93^rd Copa Sudamerica was not the first meeting between Concepcion in Caracas. Back in 1987, the Chiefs won their first Cup 4-1 over the Colts. The reigning Grand Champion Caracas repeated as Beisbol Sudamerica champ, although they needed all seven games to outlast Concepcion. It was the first Copa Sudamerica since 2017 to go the distance. Caracas was the first repeat champ since Bogota (2004-05).

2B Daniel Schafer won finals MVP with 19 playoff starts, 24 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 9 RBI. The signing of the two-time MVP was paying dividends, as Schafer had delivered two Cups in two years since leaving from Manaus. It was the Colts’ sixth cup (1933, 1959, 1960, 1962, 2022, 2023), tying them for the most along with Sao Paulo, Santiago, Salvador, Medellin, and Buenos Aires.

Other notes: Arequipa LF Paco Amorim set a new BSA record for walks drawn with 109, besting Claude Pena’s 108 that stood since 1978. Amorim also had the best-ever on-base percentage in BSA at .479, beating Bernaldo Lagasse’s .470 from 2006. Fortaleza’s Juan Carlos Rivera also topped Lagasse’s mark in 2023 with a .476 OBP.

On September 16, Santa Cruz’s Bartolo Flores had a remarkable 21 strikeout no-hitter against Barquisimeto, while walking one. This broke BSA’s record for Ks in a no-no, as 20 had been done twice. It was the 18^th time in BSA that a pitcher fanned 21+ in any outing, but that hadn’t happened since 1983. 14 of those 18 games are split between legendary aces Mohamed Ramos and Lazaro Rodriguez. In other pitching notables, Adrian Chacon became the 66^th to reach 200 wins.

Niccolo Coelho became the 4^th member of the 800 home run club. Daniel Schafer was the 70^th to 2500 hits. Cicero Lugo became the 32^nd to 1500 RBI. Lugo and Michael Escalante made the 500 home run club, now 54 members strong. Lugo also won his 15^th Silver Slugger at catcher, matching SS Diego Pena for the most in BSA history. Of the ten players in world history to this point with 15+ Sluggers, Lugo is the only catcher. SS Tajo Rios won his 8^th Silver Slugger.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-19-2025, 08:06 AM

For the 2023 season, East Asia Baseball lowered its active roster size from 25 back to 24 players. EAB had started with 25, then lowered to 24 for the 1967 season. They had moved back to 25 from 1998 until changing again to 24 for 2023.

The Japan League had notable parity in 2023 with no 100+ win teams and only two games separating the #1 seed from #3. Chiba surprised many by taking the top spot at 97-65 atop the Capital Division, bouncing back from repeat 70-92 seasons. The Comets were 11 games ahead of last year’s division winner Tokyo.

Kobe at 96-66 claimed the Central Division and the #2 seed, although they had the toughest opposition. Nagoya missed by three at 93-69 while Osaka was 90-72 and Kyoto was 87-75, ending the Kamikaze’s bid for a third straight JLCS berth. The Orange Sox got their ninth consecutive winning season. For the Blaze, this ended an 18-year postseason drought, which was the longest active skid in Japan. Kobe was a mere 67-95 the prior year and hadn’t been above .500 since 2016. The Blaze allowed the fewest runs in the JL (536) while Osaka scored the most (718).

Reigning EAB champ Fukuoka fell significantly from their historic 110-win 2022, but still won a fourth straight West Division at 95-67. Kumamoto was their only competitor at 90-72, which was an impressive turnaround as they hadn’t even won 70+ games since 2017. Sapporo was the only team of note in the North Division at 90-72 for their fourth division title in six years. Saitama, who won the North the prior two seasons, limped to 70-92.

Leading Kobe’s turnaround was Japan League MVP Se-Yeon Kwan in his fourth year starting. The 25-year old center fielder led in total bases (340) and WAR (9.7). Kwan had 107 runs, 28 doubles, 19 triples, 28 homers, 83 RBI, 71 stolen bases, and .951 OPS. He also hit for the cycle in May against Sendai. The Blaze secured him into his 30s with an eight-year, $230 million extension signed in the winter.

Fukuoka ace Toshikuni Naikai won his seventh Pitcher of the Year and his sixth consecutive, joining Yu-Geon Moon as EAB’s only seven-timers. His accumulations were down noticeably as a herniated disc and wrist soreness cost him a sizeable chunk of the season, including the playoffs. Still, Naikai was dominant enough again to lead in WAR (10.3) despite only 147.2 innings.

Naikai didn’t have the innings to qualify for his seventh ERA title, but his 1.04 mark would’ve won easily. He had a 14-3 record, 282 strikeouts, 0.61 WHIP, 334 ERA+, and 7 FIP-. On April 6, he tossed his fourth no-hitter in a 17 strikeout, 1 walk effort over Hiroshima. Naikai joined 1920s legend Zeshin Saito as the only EAB pitchers with four career no-nos.

This would be his final year of unprecedented dominance at age 32. Naikai would still pitch four more seasons, but injuries would make him finally appear mortal. Still, his eight year 2016-23 run may be the most dominant stretch of any pitcher ever, posting 97.9 WAR over 1580 innings, 2877 strikeouts, 132-25 record, and a 1.17 ERA.

Even with Naikai hurt, Fukuoka swept Kobe in the first round to keep their repeat hopes alive. Chiba swept Sapporo on the other side, sending the Comets to their first Japan League Championship Series since 2013. Home field advantage wasn’t enough for Chiba to dethrone Fukuoka, as the Frogs won it 4-2 to repeat. This was the fifth JL pennant for Fukuoka (1928, 1929, 1980, 2022, 2023).

The Korea League’s South Division again was where the strength was concentrated. Changwon repeated as division champ with an impressive 108-54 finish, earning their seventh playoff berth in eight years. The Crabs led in both runs scored (819) and fewest allowed (558). Busan (98-64) and defending KL champ Daegu (95-67) both easily got repeat wild cards with Suwon a distant third at 87-75. The Blue Jays’ playoff streak grew to four seasons.

The North Division did see a shakeup with Bucheon on top at 92-70, earning their first playoff berth since 2012. The Bolts had been awful recently, going 70-92 the prior year with three 100+ loss seasons before that. Suwon (87-75), last year’s division winner Incheon (86-76) and Seongnam (85-77) were the closest foes. The Spiders notably posted a tenth straight winning season, although it was the third year running that they missed the playoffs anyway.

Daegu swept the top awards, led by Korea League MVP In-Seong Doko. The 24-year old DH led in hits (209), OBP (.393), and wRC+ (171). Doko added 7.0 WAR, 103 runs, 40 doubles, 34 homers, and 116 RBI. He eventually inked an eight-year, $240 million extension with the Diamondbacks after the 2025 season, although he’d run into injuries and a steep decline soon after that deal.

Hyuk Kim was Pitcher of the Year in his sixth full season with the Diamondbacks, leading in wins at 23-5. Kim had a 2.47 ERA over 255 innings, 266 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, and 8.2 WAR. He signed a four-year, $107,400,000 extension in 2023’s spring training. Kim also would run into injuries and would have trouble replicating his 2023 success.

Those two led Daegu to a 3-1 first round upset over top seed Changwon, keeping the Diamondbacks’ repeat hopes alive. The other wild card Busan also secured a 3-1 upset over Bucheon, sending the Blue Jays to their second Korea League Championship Series in three years. Busan downed Daegu 4-2 to earn their first pennant since 2009. This was the 12^th time as Korean champ for the Blue Jays, which ranked as the third most behind the Diamondbacks (15) and Pyongyang (13).

In the 103^rd East Asian Championship, Fukuoka rolled 4-1 over Busan to secure repeat titles and their fourth overall (1929, 1980, 2022, 2023). RF Ji-Su Cho was finals MVP in his eighth year for the Frogs. In 14 playoff starts, Cho had 22 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, and 16 RBI for 1.234 OPS.

Other notes: Chiba’s Naohisa Sakiyama set a new playoff record for OBP at .588 over 34 plate appearances. Sang-Beom Shin became the 33^rd member of the 600 home run club and Masaru Ochiai became the 71^st member of the 500 home run club. Jae-A Choi became the 24^th to reach 3000 hits. SS Yuko Onishi won his 7^th Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-19-2025, 07:19 PM

Mexico City exploded in 2023 with a 117-45 season, setting a new Mexican League wins record. The previous best was Monterrey’s 1995 championship season at 116-46, while the CABA record was 118-44 by both 1933 Jamaica and 1969 Guatemala. The Aztecs earned a third straight playoff berth and their second North Division title of that stretch. MC allowed the fewest runs in CABA at 519 and were second in scoring in the ML at 801 runs.

Defending Mexican League champ Juarez was dominant in their own right at 108-54 atop the South Division, growing their playoff streak to a decade. The Jesters had their ninth 100+ win season of that streak. It was a steep drop down to the wild card contenders. Chihuahua (91-71) got the first slot to end a decade-long playoff drought. It was their first winning season since 2015.

For the second spot, Puebla (89-73) edged out Ecatepec (88-74), Tijuana (86-76), Torreon (83-79), and Queretaro (82-80). The Pumas earned their second berth in five years. The Explosion notably even outscored Mexico City with 812 runs, but also allowed the most at 792. Ecatepec’s offense had the third-most doubles in ML history at 305, while the pitching allowed the most hits in ML history at 1660. Although the Tomahawks missed the playoffs again, they still haven’t had a losing season in the 21^st Century.

Mexico City took the top awards, led by Mexican League MVP Gilles Guerrier in his first year as a full-time starter. The 23-year old Haitian third baseman started with Hermosillo, but was traded to the Aztecs for 2021. After two years mostly as a pinch hitter, Guerrier broke out in 2023 by leading in doubles (52), and total bases (401). He added 120 runs, 45 home runs, 122 RBI, 1.015 OPS, and 8.2 WAR. Guerrier stayed three more years with Mexico City before leaving for MLB.

Juarez RF Loyd Wayne was second in MVP voting despite a record-breaking effort. He broke his own world record on-base percentage record of .490 from 2019, finishing 2023 at .505. As of 2037, this is the only qualifying season in all of world baseball history above .500. Wayne’s slash was .387/.505/.741, which also allowed him to break his own CABA OPS record at 1.2453. His previous mark was 1.2449 from 2019. Wayne would hold the CABA OPS mark until 2031. As of 2037, his OPS ranks as the 34^th-best in world history.

It was worth mentioning that Wayne played 128 games in 2023 and narrowly got the 502 plate appearances needed to qualify for rate stats (531). The 29-year old Jamaican also led in WAR (8.9), wRC+ (235), and walks (100) despite shoulder inflammation knocking him out the final weeks and the postseason. Wayne also scored 114 runs with 36 homers.

Pitcher of the Year was Walid Nounou in his second year for Mexico City. The 34-yaer old Moroccan lefty came to CABA in 2020 with Nicaragua after originally making his name in the Arab League with Tunis. The Navigators traded him to the Aztecs for prospects for 2022. Nounou led in strikeouts (337), quality starts (28), and shutouts (4). He added a 2.42 ERA over 249.2 innings, 19-9 record, 158 ERA+, and 9.6 WAR. Nounou signed a four-year, $80 million extension after his 2022 effort.

The top seeds prevailed in the first round with Mexico City beating Puebla 3-1 and Juarez sweeping Chihuahua 3-0. The Jesters had repeat in mind as they earned a fifth consecutive Mexican League Championship Series trip and their ninth in a decade. For the once dominant Aztecs, they hadn’t gotten this far since their early 1970s dynasty.

It was a highly hyped series as 117-45 versus 108-54 was possibly the most stacked MLCS matchup ever on paper. The series was a flop dramatically as Mexico City cruised to a sweep of Juarez to end their 49-year pennant drought. It was the third MLCS sweep in five years after having no sweeps from 1996-2018. Even with their drought, this was the Aztecs’ 13^th title, ranking 4^th most amongst Mexican teams (1924, 34, 36, 40, 45, 67-73, 2023).

Reigning Central American Baseball Association champ Guatemala took the top seed in the Caribbean League for the third year in a row. The Ghosts were 105-57 atop the Continental Division, allowing the fewest runs (53) and scoring the third most (790). Haiti repeated as Island Division champ at 99-63 and stole 464 bases as a team, the second-most in CABA history behind their own 467 from 1972.

Santo Domingo was five back on the Herons at 94-68 and scored the most runs in the league at 824. The Dolphins and Honduras (also 94-68) took the two wild cards, while Suriname (90-72), Havana (88-74), and Panama (86-76) were the first teams out. SD earned repeat wild cards, while the Horsemen ended a five-year postseason drought. The Silverbacks, last year’s CLCS runner-up, had their playoff streak snapped at three.

While Santiago missed the playoffs, third-year DH Jayson Deane earned Caribbean League MVP. The 24-year old from Barbados led in home runs (62), total bases (440), slugging (.714), OPS (1.120), and wRC+ (190). Deane added 218 hits, 119 runs, 147 RBI, and .354 average. He also made two quality starts as a pitcher and would see greater two-way use in later years, although his career pitching numbers would be subpar with a 4.69 career ERA.

Deane had an interesting journeyman career, never quite replicating this offense output. A few bad ACL teams and later shoulder inflammation limited his career. He’d be used mainly as a platoon hitter in later years, as he was especially adept versus righties. Deane’s 16-year career would span three leagues, three continents, and eight teams.

Guatemala’s Israel Montague won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year in only his fourth season. The 26-year old Panamanian lefty won a third straight ERA title (1.76) and led in strikeouts for the first time at 348. Montague also led in WHIP (0.74), and K/BB (17.4) with a 230 ERA+. He had 9.6 WAR over 214.1 innings and a 19-5 record, missing the Triple Crown by one win.

Santo Domingo upset rival Haiti 3-2 in the first round, while Guatemala cruised to a sweep of Honduras. This was the first Caribbean League Championship Series since 2013 for the Dolphins and they’d give the defending champs a fierce battle. However, the Ghosts outlasted SD 4-3 to be the first CLCS repeat winner since the Dolphins did it in 2012-13. Guatemala became eight-time Caribbean champs (1967, 69, 70, 71, 74, 83, 2022, 23).

The 113^th CABA Championship rekindled one of the epic finals rivalries between Mexico City and Guatemala, who had dueling dynasty runs in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It had been a lopsided rivalry though, as the Aztecs were victorious in their 1967, 69, 70, and 71 encounters. Mexico City went 7-1 in the CABA Championship from 1967-1973 for an all-time dynasty run. The Ghosts’ lone CABA title of the era was 1974, notably beating Juarez and not Mexico City for the title.

Mexico City hadn’t ascended to the throne since that time, but they made their triumphant return with a 4-2 finals win over the defending champion Guatemala. The Aztecs became the first CABA team to win ten overall titles and joined only EPB’s Minsk (13), SAB’s Ahmedabad (12), WAB’s Kano (12), and EPB/EBF’s Kyiv (10) as the only franchises in world history with 10+ rings.

SS Juliano Martiez was finals MVP in his fifth year starting for the Aztecs, getting 17 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, and 14 RBI over 13 playoff starts. This helped earn him big MLB money, signing with Los Angeles in the winter at $216,600,000 over seven years. The 2023 Mexico City squad joined the conversation for CABA’s greatest-ever team at 117-45. The only squad to win more games and win the CABA title was Jamaica at 118-44 back in 1933. The best team of the Aztecs’ earlier dynasty run was 112-50 in 1970.

Other notes: Juarez’s Matias Esquilin became the CABA leader in runs scored at age 39, passing Wesley Dubar’s 2028 to finish the season with 2110. He was only the 21^st in all of world history to reach the 2k club. Esquilin also became CABA’s 5^th member of the 3500 hit club, finishing the season at 3512. Prometheo Garcia had the CABA record at 3871 hits and the world record of 4917 counting his MLB tallies. Esquillin was also CABA’s stolen bases king at this point with 1380.

Clayton Morgan became CABA’s 21^st member of the 600 home run club. He and Nerfy Ayala were the 56^th and 57^th to 2500 hits. Payton Nandin and Raul Ibarra were the 57^th and 58^th to 500 homers. Noah Breton was the 32^nd to reach 1500 RBI. Jamarca Akim was the 28^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. Suriname’s Warren McFadden had CABA’s 36^th Perfect game on June 29, striking out 12 against Guatemala. 1B Tito Martinez won his 8^th Gold Glove and RF Juan Antonio Vera won his 7^th.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-20-2025, 07:12 AM

Defending National Association champ Cincinnati once again was the top seed, winning their fourth consecutive Lower Midwest Division title at 107-55. The Reds led the NA in runs scored (739) and allowed the fewest runs in all of Major League Baseball (530). The next best records battled for the Upper Midwest Division crown with Detroit (101-61) edging out last year’s NACS runner-up Chicago (99-63). The Tigers have 14 playoff berths since 2001, while the Cubs as the first wild card grew their streak to four years.

Washington won their second East Division title in three years with a 98-64 finish, while Toronto claimed the Northeast Division at 95-67. The Timberwolves ended a six-year playoff drought with the result. The three Northeast teams that made the 2022 playoff field fell below .500 in 2023 with Boston (79-83), Quebec City (80-82), and Ottawa (77-85) each dropping off. The Elks notably had won 102 games the prior season. The Admirals’ pitching allowed 239 walks with a 1.45 BB/9, both setting all-time MLB records.

The remaining two wild cards came out of the East with Brooklyn (91-71) and Virginia Beach (89-73). Missing the cut were Philadelphia (86-76), Omaha (86-76), Minneapolis (85-77), Winnipeg (84-78), Halifax (84-78), and Louisville (84-78). The Dodgers ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Vikings earned back-to-back berths.

National Association MVP was a Cincinnati Red for the fourth consecutive year, but Mike Rojas’ didn’t make it a four-peat. Teammate Don Jolves took it in his sixth season, leading in runs (121), and WAR (9.4). The 26-year old French right fielder had 204 hits, 31 doubles, 14 triples, 24 home runs, 84 RBI, 40 stolen bases, .912 OPS, and 180 wRC+.

For the second time in three years, Minneapolis lefty Kipp Semykin earned Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old from Springfield, Missouri won the ERA title (2.04) and led in WAR (8.7), quality starts (28), and innings (274). Nicknamed “Snake,” Semykin had an 18-9 record, 236 strikeouts, and 168 ERA+.

Detroit was the lone division champ to advance out of the first round, defeating Virginia Beach 3-1. Chicago upset Toronto 3-1 and Brooklyn outlasted Washington 3-2 in the other matchups. The top two seeds cruised in round two though with the Tigers sweeping the Cubs 3-0 and Cincinnati sweeping the Dodgers 3-0. This guaranteed four National Association pennants in four years split between the two. The Reds won in 2020 and 2022, while Detroit took it in 2021. Despite the recent successes, this was their first clash in the National Association Championship Series. However, the Tigers did edge the Reds 3-2 in the second round back in 2021.

Cincinnati got revenge for that break in their success, winning the 2023 NACS 4-2 over Detroit. The Reds became the fifth franchise in NA history to win three pennants in four years, joining Kansas City (2016-19), Philadelphia (2010-13, and 1941-47 seven-peat), Winnipeg (2004-07), and St. Louis (1908-10). It was Cincy’s sixth title overall (1919, 2008, 2009, 2020, 2022, 2023)

The American Association had a fairly competitive field with five times finishing within only six games of the top seed. The top two records both came out of the Northwest Division as Seattle (101-61) outraced Anchorage (98-64). The Grizzlies earned their second playoff berth in three years, although it was their first division title since 2007. For the Avalanche as the first wild card, they’re the first of the 2021 expansion teams to make the playoffs, an impressive feat for a third-year franchise. Anchorage allowed the fewest runs in the AA at 555.

Defending World Series champ Denver’s historic 13-year Northwest Division title streak ended as the Dragons missed the playoffs at 85-77. During the run, Denver had four World Series titles, eight AACS berths, and two Baseball Grand Championship wins. 13 years remains the longest playoff streak in MLB history as of 2037, although Seattle would give it a run in the upcoming years.

San Diego earned the #2 seed at 97-65, edging out both Phoenix (95-67) and Las Vegas (93-69) in a tough Southwest Division. The Seals were the top scoring team at 829 runs, ending a 12-year playoff drought. The Firebirds and Vipers took the remaining wild card spots, making it back in the playoffs after brief absences. Los Angeles, who had won the division with back-to-back 100+ seasons, missed out at 87-75. The 2022 AACS runner-up San Francisco also missed a third straight playoff berth with their 86-76 finish.

New Orleans at 96-66 was the South Central Division winner for the third time in four years and the fifth time in eight years. Dallas at 92-70 missed the division by four games and was one behind Las Vegas for the second wild card. Austin was in the mix at 89-73 and last year’s division winner Houston was 87-75.

The Southwest Division went to 89-73 Atlanta for their third playoff berth in four years. The Aces narrowly bested Jacksonville (87-75) and Miami (82-80). Nashville, the division winner the prior two years, dropped to 79-83. The Gators posted a seventh consecutive winning season, although their playoff drought grew to six. Albeit narrowly, the historically hapless Mallards posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the early 1930s. Miami’s playoff drought is now 51 seasons, approaching the all-time worst of 54 seasons by 1901-54 Oklahoma City.

For the second time in three years, American Association MVP went to San Diego LF Ben Conlee. The 29-year old Californian led in RBI (132) while adding 108 runs, 43 homers, .339/.389/.619 slash, 1.008 OPS, and 8.7 WAR. Notably second in MVP voting was Oklahoma City LF Neil Hollinger, who earned Rookie of the Year honors. The #2 overall pick led in total bases (378) and had 48 homers, 127 RBI, 1.054 OPS, and 8.5 WAR. Hollinger was the sixth ROTY winner in AA history to debut with an 8+ WAR effort.

Pitcher of the Year was Anchorage lefty Terry Bowles in his third season. The 22-year old from Oak Park, Illinois had a 20-9 record, 2.50 ERA, 263 innings, 259 strikeouts, 150 ERA+, and 6.8 WAR. Bowles had a no-hitter on September 3 against Nashville with nine strikeouts and three walks. He remained the top ace in Alaska for the long haul, signing a seven-year, $154,700,000 extension after the 2025 campaign.

Also worth a mention was veteran reliever Stevie Ray Thornton winning his fourth Reliever of the Year, becoming only the third in MLB history to win the award four times. It was an impressive return to form for the 39-year old, who won in 2007 and 2010 with Philadelphia and in 2015 for Brooklyn. With Denver in 2023, Thornton had a 1.01 ERA over 71.1 innings, 21 saves, 92 strikeouts, and 3.9 WAR. He would start 2024 on a strong pace with Denver, but would suffer a career-ending torn rotator cuff in late May.

It was all division champ victories in the first round with Atlanta over Anchorage 3-1, plus sweeps with New Orleans over Phoenix and San Diego over Las Vegas. Top seed Seattle ousted the Aces 3-1 in round two, while the Seals defeated the Mudcats 3-1. The Grizzlies hadn’t gotten to the American Association Championship Series since 2007, which saw a defeat against San Diego. The Seals won pennants in 2007, 2008, and 2010; but hadn’t made into the playoffs since.

Like in 2007, the 2023 AACS needed all seven games but the result was the same. San Diego defeated Seattle to give the Seals their fourth pennant of the 21^st Century and their tenth overall (1936, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1966, 1967, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2023). Ten pennants ties San Diego with both Houston and Denver for the second-most, while Phoenix holds the lead at 13.

The 123^rd World Series was a rematch of the 2008 Fall Classic, which saw Cincinnati defeat San Diego 4-1. After losing the 2020 and 2022 World Series, the Reds took it in 2023 with a 4-2 victory over the Seals. Cincy secured its third title, joining the 1919 and 2008 wins. This also ended a four-year streak of titles by National Association teams. National Association MVP Don Jolves had a huge postseason run for the Reds, taking World Series MVP and NACS MVP. In 15 playoff starts, Jolves had 25 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 13 RBI, 1.103 OPS, and 1.4 WAR.

Other notes: Killian Fruechte, Isaac Cox, and Graham Gregor each reached 700 career home runs, a mark now reached by nine in MLB. They all hoped to catch Cody Lim’s record of 758, set only two years prior. The now 39-year old Fruechte hit 34 in his second year with New Orleans, ending the season with 730. Cox was only 36-years old, having signed with Detroit in 2023 after 15 years with Denver. He socked 37 dingers in 2023 to get to 722 homers, placing him fifth all-time behind Lim, Elijah Cashman (750), Kaby Silva (731), and Fruechte (730).

The 44-year old Gregor hit 13 with Atlanta to get to 703, which ranked him ninth with R.J. Clinton (712), Sebastian Lunde (712), and Ryan Skramesto (710) next in line. The ageless Gregor also became the 12^th member of the 3500 hit club. He planned to return for a 25^th season in 2024 with the Aces, his eighth team. Lorenzen Campbell became the 30^th member of the 600 home run club. Wei Wang was the 64^th to reach 3000 hits. In pitching milestones, Vincent Lepp and Sunny Williams became the 27^th and 28^th to earn 3500 strikeouts. The Reds’ Rowney Simpson threw his second career no-hitter, doing it with 9 Ks and 2 BB over Kansas City on August 23.

SS Ledell Pinnock and LF Max Baldwin both won their 7^th Gold Gloves. SS Fritz Louissi won his 11^th Silver Slugger, joining CF Morgan Short and P Khaled Scott as the only 11-time winners at any spot in MLB history. 1B Jason Perazzo won his 7^th Silver Slugger and his 6^th specifically at 1B.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-20-2025, 12:43 PM

The 2023 Baseball Grand Championship was the 14^th edition of the event and was hosted in Valencia, Spain. Earning the automatic berths were MLB’s Cincinnati and San Diego, CABA’s Guatemala and Mexico City, EAB’s Fukuoka and Busan, BSA’s Caracas and Concepcion, EBF’s Dublin and Munich, EPB’s Volgograd, OBA’s Port Moresby, APB’s Medan, CLB’s Tianjin, WAB’s Abidjan, SAB’s Visakhapatnam, ABF’s Tabriz, ALB’s Amman, and AAB’s Antananarivo. The rare opportunity for a repeat champ existed with 2022 winner Caracas again in the field.

There was some controversy for the at-large spot, as SAB runner-up Dhaka earned it over AAB runner-up Kampala. The Peacocks finished second in the last two BGCs, which they felt should’ve given them the edge. Kampala was 105-57 in AAB, while the Dobermans got the nod having gone 108-54 in 2023. Dhaka would quickly quiet and shock those who doubted their bonafides.

At 14-5, the Dobermans brought the Grand Championship home to Bangladesh as the first-ever winner from South Asia Baseball. Many had ranked SAB towards the bottom of the world leagues with 2016 Hanoi’s third place finish was the only top three in the BGC previously for the league. Dhaka joined 2015 Johannesburg as the second Grand Champion to get in via the at-large spot.

Dhaka finished second in runs scored (93) and had the second-best OPS (.771) and second-best run differential (+24). Guatemala and Dublin were both next at 13-6 with the Ghosts finishing second having beaten the Dinos head-to-head. The Ghosts were the second CABA team to finish in the top two, joining 2017 champ Juarez. They were the first Caribbean League team to finish in the top four. For Dublin, they took third in back-to-back BGCs.

Defending Grand Champion Caracas was alone in fourth at 12-7 and had the best run differential at +26. Three teams were 11-8 with the official order being Abidjan fifth, San Diego sixth, and Munich seventh. The Seals scored the most runs (95) but also allowed the most (94). Capping off the teams above .500 at 10-9 were Busan and Concepcion.

Amman, Cincinnati and Mexico City each were 9-10 with the Aztecs allowing the fewest runs at 64 with the best ERA of 3.12. Finishing 8-11 were Medan, Port Moresby, and Tabriz. Fukuoka, Tianjin, Visakhapatnam, and Volgograd all went 7-12. Alone in the last place slot at 6-13 was Antananarivo.

Tournament MVP went to Dublin SS Ernst Scheuermann. The 25-year old Austrian in 19 starts had 18 hits, 20 runs, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 10 RBI, 12 walks and 6 stolen bases. Scheuermann fell two runs short of the tournament record. Best Pitcher went to Tianjin’s Jun He. The 28-year old lefty had a 1.26 ERA over 35.2 innings with a 3-1 record, 28 strikeouts, 3 complete games, 1 shutout, and 1.4 WAR. He’s shutout was a one-hitter against Caracas.

Other notes: With Dhaka’s win, nine of the world’s 14 major leagues had at least one Grand Champion through the event’s first 14 years. This showed how remarkably competitive things were amongst the world leagues. Only MLB (6) had won multiple titles, remaining the undisputed “major” league. The leagues without a Grand Champion so far were EBF, EPB, APB, CLB, and WAB.

The eighth no-hitter in BGC history came from Tabriz’s Jacinto Trinidad on November 24 with 10 strikeouts and two walks against Visakhapatnam. Guatemala’s Israel Montague had 61 strikeouts, tying Vincent Lepp’s BGC record from 2015. Montague had a 20 strikeout game against Tianjin, tying the BGC single-game strikeout record set by Luther Bowness in 2016. Montague did his in regulation, while Bowness needed ten innings.

Mexico City’s Yafar Uddin hit for the cycle on November 23 against Fukuoka. Tianjin’s Xinhui Liu and Dublin’s Finlay Russell both had five-hit games, becoming the fourth and fifth players to record a five-hit game. Antananarivo’s Borje Nykvist became the third to have a three doubles in one game.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-20-2025, 06:43 PM

Two players were added into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame from the 2024 voting, led by first ballot SP Seth Southworth at 78.3%. Another pitcher narrowly crossed the 66% requirement to join him as Rinat Khan got 68.0% on his third attempt. SP Victor Burke was also in the hunt, but fell short at 62.3% on his sixth ballot.

Six other players were above 50%, but below 60%. CL Sebastian Gomez was the lone debut in that group at 59.8%. 3B Jeanpaul Vick on his fifth try and C Sebastian Van Velzen on his eighth both received 59.4%. 3B Kieran Wilson earned 58.7% for his fifth ballot. 2B Adrian Vega had 56.6% in his fourth try and CL Jeremy Dau saw 52.3% on his third attempt.

Reliever Emery Gulbranson was the lone player dropped after ten failed ballots, peaking at 33.5% in 2016 and ending at 10.0%. He had a 17-year journeyman career between nine different teams, finishing with a 100-87 record, 283 saves, 398 shutdowns, 2.68 ERA, 1004.1 innings, 1142 strikeouts, 301 walks, 130 ERA+, and 26.3 WAR. Gulbranson’s 813 games pitched are the 38^th most as of 2037, but he had no accolades or notables beyond longevity.

Seth “Acrobat” Southworth – Starting Pitcher – Hartford Huskies – 78.3% First Ballot

Seth Southworth was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Smithfield, Rhode Island; a town of 22,000 people. Southworth was known for having incredible stuff along with excellent control and good movement. He had a three-pitch arsenal with each being equally potent with a 98-100 mph fastball, curveball, and changeup. All three were top shelf pitches and looked the same out of his hand, making Southworth unhittable when he was on his game. The nickname “Acrobat,” came from his unusual windup motion.

His stamina when he was healthy was pretty good. Southworth was a solid defender and knew how to hold runners respectably. He had impressive power and an extreme groundball tendency. Unfortunately, numerous major injuries shortened and limited Southworth’s career. In the clubhouse, he was very well respected as an impressive team captain leader. Southworth’s character and his dominance made him one of MLB’s most popular ever pitchers.

Southworth attended the University of Minnesota and was dominant in his first two seasons. His first injury issue came in the third start of his junior year with a partially torn UCL, knocking him out seven months. For the Golden Gophers, Southworth had a 19-6 record, 1.93 ERA, 228 innings, 29 starts, 305 strikeouts, 41 walks, 169 ERA+, and 12.6 WAR. The injury scared a few teams for the 2008 MLB Draft, but others knew his ceiling was quite high if he stayed healthy.

With the 39^th pick, Southworth was selected by Hartford. He started about 2/3s of 2009 was solid results, posting 4.0 WAR, a 2.47 ERA, and a second place in Rookie of the Year voting. Southworth had an impressive 7.0 WAR in 2010 over 167.1 innings, but missed the final two months to a torn back muscle. In 2011, he also missed around six weeks to a strained hamstring.

Still, Southworth’s 2011 was impressive enough in only 27 starts to win Pitcher of the Year. He led the National Association in wins at 22-3 and posted a 2.16 ERA, 253 strikeouts, and 6.0 WAR. Hartford ended a five-year playoff drought and got the #1 seed at 103-59, falling to Brooklyn in the AACS. In three playoff starts, Southworth had a 2-1 record, 2.53 ERA, and 22 strikeouts over 21.1 innings. The Huskies would miss the postseason in the next two seasons.

Southworth stated healthy from 2012-14, leading the NA in both WAR and strikeouts in both 2012 and 2014. He surprisingly finished third in POTY voting both years Southworth’s 352 strikeouts in 2014 were the third-most in an MLB season to that point and still ranks seventh-best as of 2037. Hartford knew they had their ace and gave Southworth a six-year, $104,600,000 extension after the 2013 season.

Hartford would get four wild cards from 2014-18, but never got further than the second round of the playoffs. For his playoff career, Southworth had a 4-2 record in seven starts, 2.38 ERA, 53 innings, 58 strikeouts, 7 walks, 146 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR. In June 2015, the now 27-year old Southworth suffered a full UCL tear, costing him 14 months with a return in summer 2016.

Southworth was healthy in 2017 for his first ERA title at 2.01 along with 7.7 WAR and an association-best 0.87 WHIP, placing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. 2018 would then be his finest season with an incredible 1.34 ERA, setting a new MLB single-season record that still holds as of 2037. Southworth also had a career best 10.7 WAR, 15 complete games, and 9 shutouts along with an NA-best 291 strikeouts. At 19-8, he missed the Triple Crown by two wins. It was also only the eighth time in MLB history that an ace posted 9+ shutouts.

That effort obviously won his second Pitcher of the Year and had fans excited for what was still to come for the now 31-year old Southworth. No one knew watching that 2018 campaign though that those would be the final innings of his professional career. 2018 was his first time in the World Baseball Championship with a 3.27 ERA over 11 innings. In 2019, Southworth allowed only one run over 16 WBC innings, setting expectations high for the upcoming MLB campaign.

In spring training, Southworth suffered severe shoulder inflammation that was expected to keep him out for the first half. He had a major setback though in June and required surgery, knocking him out another eight months. That coincided with the end of his Hartford deal, making Southworth a free agent at age 32. Many teams were leery of his medical reports and didn’t want to commit the big money that his 2018 season would still command.

Southworth was determined to come back and opened up his search internationally. He found a buyer in Scotland, inking a five-year, $101 million deal with Edinburgh. Sadly in spring training, Southworth suffered the third torn UCL of his career. Doctors told him he had to retire, ending his career shortly after turning 33. Southworth returned home to the United States and Hartford immediately retired his #12 uniform.

In total, Southworth had a 142-63 record, 2.24 ERA, 1994.1 innings, 2280 strikeouts, 386 walks, 196/251 quality starts, 100 complete games, 30 shutouts, 152 ERA+, and 65.1 WAR. The shortened career greatly lowered his accumulations, missing the top 100 in all counting stats. However, Southworth’s efficiency and rate stats certainly showed his dominance.

Among all MLB arms with 1000+ innings as of 2037, Southworth’s ERA ranks 11^th, but all ten in front of him were relievers. His 0.92 WHIP ranks 5^th, his opponent’s OPS of .566 is 9^th, while his .203/.247/.319 slash line ranks 9^th/3^rd/23^rd. Amongst all of the world’s Hall of Fame starters, Southworth’s 152 ERA+ ranks 25^th best. It’s a shame he broke down physically, as he might have ended up as an inner-circle level pitcher all-time.

There were still some voters who couldn’t look past the low totals and Southworth only received 78.3% on his debut. That was plenty though to earn a first ballot slot to headline Major League Baseball’s 2024 Hall of Fame class. Even if his peak was brief, prime Southworth was as good as any pitcher MLB ever had. On top of that, his high character made him an excellent ambassador for the game and beloved superstar into his retirement.

Rinat Khan – Starting Pitcher – Pittsburgh Pirates – 68.0% Third Ballot

Rinat Khan was a 5’9’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Shchuchinsk, a small city of 45,000 people in north central Kazakhstan. He unsurprisingly was the first-ever Kazakh Hall of Famer for MLB and only the sixth Asian-born HOFer to that point for MLB. The stout Khan had great stuff and movement along with outstanding control. He had a three-pitch arsenal with a 99-101 mph fastball, changeup, and curveball. Khan could certainly overpower you, but his change was often considered his most dangerous offering.

Khan’s stamina was considered above average relative to most MLB aces, but nothing incredible. However, his ironman durability meant you’d still get plenty of innings, tossing 200+ in all but his rookie season. Khan was okay at holding runners and did struggle defensively. He was a team captain known for his leadership, loyalty, and work ethic. Khan became one of the more respected guys of his era in the clubhouse, even if he was perhaps under-rated in his career by many fans and media.

As a teenager, Khan’s family moved from Kazakhstan to the United States. He quickly got on the radar of college teams and committed to Arizona State from 1998-2000, posting a 2.86 ERA over 245.2 innings, 17-12 record, 249 strikeouts, 63 walks, 122 ERA+, and 8.4 WAR. With the regional restrictions still in place at that time in the MLB Draft, players born outside of the US or Canada weren’t eligible until round four. With the fourth pick of the fourth round, 177^th overall, Khan was picked in the 2000 MLB Draft by Pittsburgh.

Khan had a part-time starting role in 2001 with decent results, then took over a full-time spot in the Pirates rotation for the next eight years. His production was steady, then emerged as elite in 2004 with a National Association best 8.2 WAR. With a 14-13 record on a sub-.500 team, Khan didn’t get any awards looks. He stayed above 7+ WAR from 2004-09 with the Pirates, leading again in 2008 at 7.9. Khan’s career best was 9.6 in 2006, a year that also saw a 18-6 record, 2.24 ERA, and 239 strikeouts. That year had a second place in Pitcher of the Year voting while 2008 had a third place finish.

Because he didn’t lead in the traditional counting stats, Khan didn’t get a ton of attention in the media. Pittsburgh was plenty happy though and gave him a six-year, $61,500,000 extension after the 2006 season. They were mostly middling during Khan’s run, suffering first round exits in their lone playoff berths in 2003 and 2006. In his two Pirates playoff starts, Khan allowed only 3 runs over 15 innings.

Khan did get to play on the World Baseball Championship stage as he regularly returned home to represent his native Kazakhstan. From 1999-2016, he tossed 207 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 14-11 record, 282 strikeouts, 32 walks, and 7.0 WAR. As of 2037, Khan leads all Kazakhs in strikeouts and pitching WAR while ranking second in wins and third in innings pitched.

Pittsburgh completely collapsed by the end of the 2000s, falling to 58-104 in 2008 despite Khan leading all pitchers in WAR that year. They were only marginally better in 2009 and Khan decided to out of his deal that winter. For the Pirates, Khan had a 116-111 record, 2.75 ERA, 2167.2 innings, 1986 strikeouts, 423 walks, 123 ERA+, and 61.0 WAR. While there were some feelings of abandonment by some in the organization, those feelings faded and Khan’s #4 uniform would later be retired.

Now 30-years old, Khan stayed in Pennsylvania and signed a six-year, $106,200,000 deal with Philadelphia. The Phillies had been a playoff regular during his career, winning the National Association pennant in 2001 and 2005. They did it again in 2010, but fell to San Diego in the World Series. Khan won his lone ERA title that year with a career-best 2.19, but still only finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He was a stud in the playoff run with a 1.62 ERA over 39 innings and five starts, 3-0 record, and 29 strikeouts.

2010 was the first-ever Baseball Grand Championship and the only one that had a split division format and a best-of-seven for the winners. Philadelphia and San Diego had a rematch and the Phillies came out on top this time to become the first-ever Grand Champion. Khan had a 3.86 ERA and 2-0 record in his three BGC starts, striking out 29 over 23.1 innings.

Khan led in quality starts and shutouts in 2011 and posted his eighth straight 7+ WAR season, but Philadelphia narrowly missed the playoffs. He had a 6.2 WAR effort in 2012, although his ERA increased to 3.05. The Phillies got the last wild card and went on a tear, eventually upsetting Phoenix in the World Series. Khan struggled in that playoff run with a 4.68 ERA over 25 innings. He did better in the BGC with a 2.23 ERA over 32.1 innings. Philly finished at 12-7 in a five-way tie for first, officially placing third after the tiebreakers were sorted out.

Many were surprised as Khan opted out of his deal after only three years, returning to free agency at age 33. For Philadelphia, he had a 54-31 record, 2.57 ERA, 774.2 innings, 738 strikeouts, 118 walks, 132 ERA+, and 23.0 WAR. Khan moved on to Houston with a five-year, $130,800,000 deal. The Hornets had seen some early playoff exits in recent memory and hoped Khan could get them across the line. Unfortunately, they were below .500 for his entire tenure.

Khan was done as an elite pitcher by this point, but he was an ironman and could still reliably eat innings. He had four seasons for Houston with a 48-61 record, 3.78 ERA, 1023.1 innings, 760 strikeouts, 164 walks, 103 ERA+, and 20.3 WAR. After a career-worst 4.29 ERA in 2016, Khan decided to retire just after his 37^th birthday instead of playing the final year of his deal.

In total, Khan had a 218-203 record, 2.98 ERA, 3965.2 innings, 3484 strikeouts, 705 walks, 358/502 quality starts, 190 complete games, 45 shutouts, 119 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 104.3 WAR. As of 2037, Khan is 18^th in pitching WAR, 35^th in strikeouts, 99^th in innings pitched, and 45^th in shutouts. His .628 opponent’s OPS is 84^th among all with 1000+ career innings and his 1.04 WHIP ranks 34th.

Many traditionalists though were held up by the win-loss record, which was underwhelming compared to other inductees. Khan also never won Pitcher of the Year and had limited traditional black ink apart from the one ERA title. It didn’t help that his final seasons with Houston were aggressively mid, hurting him via recency bias. The majority of his career also came on some forgettable Pirates squads.

More advanced metrics like WAR and FIP- though argued that Khan was definitely among the elite of his time. As of 2037, he’s one of only 26 pitchers through MLB’s lengthy history with 100+ WAR. Khan also had generally good playoff numbers, helping win two NA pennants, a World Series ring, and the inaugural Grand Championship with Philadelphia.

Still, the hard-liners kept Khan out in his first two ballots at 62.4% and 64.2%, narrowly missing the 66% requirement. He didn’t win over very many new voters in 2024, but got just enough for 68.0%. With that, Khan received a third ballot selection to cap off a two-pitcher 2024 Hall of Fame class for Major League Baseball.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-21-2025, 05:04 AM

Two players were added into the Central American Baseball Association in their debuts for 2024, headlined by 1B/DH Juan Castro with a nearly unanimous 99.4%. Closer Vinicius Garcia joined him with his own rock solid 78.2%. The only other player above 50% was SP Secretario Sanz, who got 51.4% in his seventh try.

LF/DH Liobel De Urquijo fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 33.9% in 2016 and ending at 14.5%. He won three Silver Sluggers over a 15-year career with three teams, getting 2215 hits, 1197 runs, 352 doubles, 490 home runs, 1342 RBI, .307/.359/.569 slash, 151 wRC+, and 60.3 WAR. De Urquio was hurt by being a DH for half his starts and by being on some forgettable Bahamas and Trinidad teams, although he did get a Mexican League title with Juarez. He didn’t have the accolades or huge numbers needed to escape beyond the Hall of Pretty Good.

RP Jacky Coutant also fell off after ten ballots, debuting at 22.4% and ending at 8.9%. He won Reliever of the Year once and finished in CABA with 254 saves, 2.55 ERA, 754.1 innings, 970 strikeouts, 233 walks, 154 ERA+, and 15.9 WAR. Coutant had neither the longevity nor the raw dominance needed to reach the standards CABA voters had for closers.

Juan Castro – First Base/Designated Hitter – Costa Rica Rays – 99.4% First Ballot

Juan Castro was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed slugger from Panama City, Panama. Castro was a well-rounded batter with good-to-great power and contact ability, along with an above average eye for walks and strikeouts. He had excellent pop in his bat, getting 42 home runs, 27 doubles, and 5 triples for his 162 game average. Castro was also a very smart and crafty baserunner, providing positive value on the basepaths despite subpar running speed.

All of Castro’s defensive starts came at first base, where he was consistently below average. Around 55% of his starts were as a designated hitter, where he spent most of his first six seasons and some time in his mid-to-late 30s. Castro’s durability was impressive, starting 150+ games each year from 2003-2017. That reliability and a charming personality made Castro a fan favorite throughout a 17-year career.

By the 2000 CABA Draft, Castro was one of the higher-ranked hitting prospects from the Central American region. He was picked 16^th overall by Costa Rica, where he spent the first 15 years of his career. Castro saw limited use initially with only three at-bats in 2001, followed by 91 games and 20 starts in 2002. The Rays moved him to a starting slot in 2003, which was his first of 11 seasons worth 5+ WAR for CR. It was also his first of ten seasons with 40+ homers and first of 14 with 100+ RBI.

Castro’s steady power earned him Silver Sluggers in 2004, 2005, and 2007 as a DH and in 2012 at first base. 2005 was his breakthrough, winning Caribbean League MVP with league bests in home runs (60), RBI (139), total bases (422), slugging (.686), OPS (1.091), and wRC+ (184). Castro’s career highs for homers, OPS, and wRC+ came in 2005. Prior to that season, he had signed an eight-year, $43,320,000 extension to stay with the Rays.

In 2007, Castro was third in MVP voting with league and career-bests in hits (224), doubles (42), RBI (147), and total bases (435). 2007 also had a 33-game hitting streak, only five behind the then-CABA record. He led in hits and runs in 2008 and led in runs again in 201. Despite his efforts, Costa Rica was stuck in the middle tier for his entire tenure. They never made the playoffs, but were rarely outright bad, averaging 79.8 wins per season. Castro stayed loyal to the Rays, signing a new five-year, $61,100,000 deal in 2011.

He did at least get experience on the World Baseball Championship stage with his native Panama from 2002-13. Castro played 109 games for his country with 94 hits, 67 runs, 19 doubles, 34 home runs, 82 RBI, 49 walks, .237/.348/.557 slash, 158 wRC+, and 5.1 WAR. In 2009, Panama earned its second division title and first since 1997.

Castro’s second MVP win came in 2012 at age 33 for Costa Rica, leading in OPS (1.034) and wRC (171). It was also his third 50+ home run season. In his later Rays years, Castro reached the 500 home run, 1500 RBI, and 2500 hit milestones. For Costa Rica, Castro had 2606 hits, 1442 runs, 371 doubles, 591 home runs, 1591 RBI, .318/.372/.597 slash, 156 wRC+, and 81.4 WAR.

His deal expired for 2016, making Castro a free agent for the first time heading towards age 37. He remained very popular in Costa Rica and maintained a strong relationship with the franchise, getting his #1 uniform retired only a few years later. Castro was still playing at a high level and wanted to chase a ring, signing a three-year, $29,200,000 deal with reigning CABA champion Haiti.

Castro’s power dropped notably into his late 30s, although he was still a decent starter in his first two years for the Herons. He was relegated to a part-time role in his third year. Haiti made it to the CLCS in both 2016 and 2018, but was ousted in the former by Havana and the latter by Guyana. In 15 playoff games, Castro had 16 hits, 10 runs, 3 homers, 8 RBI, a .291/.350/.509 slash, 138 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

With Haiti, Castro finished with 434 hits, 215 runs, 55 doubles, 78 home runs, 241 RBI, .269/.319/.465 slash, 113 wRC+, and 6.0 WAR. While there, he became the 17^th member of the 600 home run club and the 12^th to 3000 hits. Castro retired after the 2018 campaign at age 39.

Castro finished with 2602 games, 3040 hits, 1657 runs, 426 doubles, 84 triples, 669 home runs, 1832 RBI, 727 walks, 216 stolen bases, .310/.364/.575 slash, 149 wRC+, and 87.4 WAR. As of 2037, Castro ranks 16^th in hits, 15^th in runs, 55^th in doubles, 16^th in home runs, 12^th in RBI, 69^th in walks, 12^th in total bases (5641), and 35^th in games played. Largely due to his time as a DH, he does rank only 62^nd in WAR among position players. Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .939 OPS is 81^st.

He also is one of only eight in CABA to reach both 650+ home runs and 3000+ career hits. Castro may not fall into the inner-circle or GOAT-level conversations, but his Hall of Fame candidacy was a slam dunk. At a near unanimous 99.4%, Castro headlined the two-player 2024 class for the Central American Baseball Association.

Vinicius Garcia – Closer – Mexicali Maroons – 78.2% First Ballot

Vinicius Garcia was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Havana, the capital of Cuba. Garcia had solid stuff, excellent control, and very good movement. His two-pitch combo was sinker and slider with a peak velocity around 96-98 mph. Garcia had an extreme groundball tendency, so he was often at the mercy of the defense behind him.

Garcia had notable splits as he fared far better against right-handed bats (2.31 ERA, 163 ERA+) compared to against lefties (3.67 ERA, 103 ERA+). As relievers go, his stamina was respectable and he had solid durability. Garcia was decent at holding runners, but weak defensively. He wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant like many other great closers, but Garcia’s steady reliability helped him to a 14-year career.

For the 2003 CABA Draft, Garcia wasn’t on the radar of many teams. He was picked in the fourth round, 111^th overall, by Mexicali. Garcia would be the second-latest draft pick to make CABA’s Hall of Fame behind Class of 2002 Ramon Herrera, a fellow closer who was picked 115^th. The Maroons put Garcia into the closer role right away, although his production was underwhelming initially.

By 2006, Garcia led the Mexican League with a career-high 41 saves and took second in Reliever of the Year voting. He took third in 2007 and had six seasons with 30+ saves for Mexicali. 2009 saw Garcia’s career best in strikeouts with 116, which was a low peak compared to most HOF relievers. After being mostly hot garbage in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Maroons turned into a contender in 2006, ending a 21-year playoff drought.

Mexicali had first round playoff exits in 2006 and 2009. They broke through in 2007 at the top seed at 101-61, winning the ML pennant but losing in the CABA Championship to Haiti. Garcia struggled in his ten playoff appearances for the Maroons with a 7.36 ERA over 181.1 innings. The postseason woes lingered in the memories of some Mexicali fans.

Garcia fared a bit better on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native Cuba, but he was still below average there. He had some starts in the WBC along with relief appearances from 2005-18, posting an 8-6 record over 92 innings, 4.11 ERA, 126 strikeouts, 21 walks, and 2.8 WAR. Garcia’s 90 ERA+ was subpar, but he had a 68 FIP- that suggested that he might have had some bad luck and bounces.

For Mexicali, Garcia had 201 saves and 208 shutdowns, 2.59 ERA, 486.1 innings, 546 strikeouts, 92 walks, 142 ERA+, and 9.6 WAR. He left for free agency after the 2009 season at age 29 and signed a three-year, $15 million deal with defending ML champ Monterrey. Garcia ended up extending his deal and spent four years total with the Matadors. His role was mixed with full-time closing in 2012, part-time in 2010, and mid relief in 2011 and 2013.

2012 was Garcia’s strongest year for Monterrey with 3.6 WAR, 38 saves, 1.53 ERA, and 101 strikeouts in 88 innings; finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting. The Matadors had first round wild card losses in 2011 and 2012, then a MLCS defeat to Torreon in 2013. Garcia only had 2.1 playoff innings in his tenure, but they were perfect with no baserunners allowed and five strikeouts.

For Monterrey, Garcia had 62 saves and 107 shutdowns, 329.2 innings, 2.27 ERA, 363 strikeouts, 40 walks, 163 ERA+, and 9.0 WAR. He had one year left on his deal for 2014, but was traded just before spring training to Panama with another pitcher in exchange for 2011 MVP 1B Hasan Alvizo. Garcia would sign a two-year, $11,600,000 extension after the 2014 season with the Parrots, then added another two years and $11,600,000 the next winter.

2015 was Garcia’s line Reliever of the Year win, leading in saves at 39 and posting a career-best 3.9 WAR along with a 1.61 ERA. He led in saves again in 2016, but his ERA was an unremarkable 3.54. Panama’s lone playoff berth with Garcia was a first round loss in 2015 with Garcia getting wrecked in two appearances. He did notably reach the 300 and 350 career save milestones while in Panama.

The Parrots bought out his final year of his deal after the 2017 season. In four seasons, Garcia had 119 saves and 122 shutdowns, 2.86 ERA, 305 innings, 302 strikeouts, 57 walks, 140 ERA+, and 11.5 WAR. Salvador signed Garcia for two years in 2018, but he was unremarkable in camp and only saw one appearance the entire season. He retired after the 2018 campaign shortly after his 38^th birthday.

Garcia had 1122.2 innings, 905 games, 382 saves, 437 shutdowns, 75-95 record, 1212 strikeouts, 189 walks, 147 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 30.2 WAR. As of 2037, he is tied for 7^th in saves and is 4^th in games. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, Garcia’s ERA is 54^th. His raw numbers are less dominant than many of the other relievers that got the nod in CABA, but not the worst.

For many CABA Hall of Fame voters, 350 saves was the magic number for closers as everyone who hit that mark before Garcia earned induction. He wouldn’t be an exception, although many scholars would argue Garcia is a weaker pick even by the lower standards often assigned to relievers. He got in easily at 78.2% for a first ballot pick with the 2024 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-21-2025, 12:00 PM

East Asia Baseball’s 2024 Hall of Fame class had three inductees, although home run king Soo-Geun Yim was the only no-doubter with the DH/RF nearly unanimous at 99.4%. Two returners made it in by barely breaching the 66% requirement as LF Sang-Min Hwang got 67.6% in his second ballot and SP Sora Miyoshi saw 67.2% for his third attempt. The only other player above 50% was SP Jong-Hyeon Chung at 51.3% in his fifth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Soo-Geun “Jinx” Yim – Designated Hitter/Right Field - Jeonju Jethawks – 99.4% First Ballot

Soo-Geun Yim was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed slugger from Ilsan, South Korea; a city of 294,000 people in the northwestern Seoul National Capital Area. Yim simply socked dingers with some scouts rating his home run power as a 10/10 at his peak. From 2001-2016, he smacked 40+ homers in all but one season and topped 50+ seven times in that stretch. Yim’s gap power was good too with 30 doubles and 3 triples per his 162 game average.

Yim was a rock solid contact hitter as well, although he was merely average at drawing walks with a subpar strikeout rate. He was especially potent against right-handed pitching with a career .989 OPS and 164 wRC+. Yim could still do damage to lefties with a .867 OPS and 136 wRC+. He wasn’t a bad baserunner from a skill standpoint, but he was almost laughably slow.

Around 55% of Yim’s career starts came as a designated hitter. Most of his defensive starts came in the Ulsan run and mostly at right field, although they tried him at first base briefly. Yim was an abysmal defender at either spot and definitely was best kept as a DH. He was a true ironman that never missed time to injury, playing 150+ games in 19 consecutive seasons. Yim was intelligent and hard working with a fan favorite personality. Combine his character, durability, and dingers, and you have one of the most universally beloved players to come from Korea.

Yim’s power potential was obvious even as a teenager, making him a rare draft pick coming out of Woosung High School. He was picked 6^th overall by Jeonju in the 1997 EAB Draft, but was used in only three pinch-hit at-bats in 1998. The Jethawks made Yim a full-time starter in 1999 at age 20, but he wasn’t quite fully formed yet. He was a merely okay starter in his first two years and even took second in 1999’s Rookie of the Year. Yim emerged as a truly elite slugger by his third season.

From 2001-05, Yim led the Korea League each year in home runs and total bases, hitting 59+ homers with 400+ total bases each season. He also led four times in runs scored and hits in that stretch, while leading thrice in RBI, thrice in WAR, twice in slugging, twice in wRC+, and once in both OBP and OPS. Yim won MVP in 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005 and finished second in 2002. He won Silver Sluggers as a DH each year. All five seasons had OPS above 1.000 and a batting average above .300.

In 2002, Yim scored 137 runs, which ranks as the 8^th-best single season as of 2037 in EAB. He would join Young-Hwan Sha as the only players to score 120+ runs in five different seasons. 2003 had Yim’s best career WAR at 11.2 and his most hits with 237, which ranks as the 7^th-most hits in a season. His 478 total bases also broke the then-EAB record of 456. The 2005 season would make Yim a legend already in his mid 20s, becoming EAB’s new single-season home run king.

Yim socked 73 dingers in 2005, passing the previous mark of 72 reached twice by Tsukasa Kato. Kunihiko Ishiguro passed him with 79 in 2014, but no one else in EAB has as of 2037. Yim broke his own total bases record with 485 and holds the #3 and #4 spots in EAB as of 2037. The 485 total bases also ranks as the 17^th-most in world baseball history. Yim also had 158 RBI, which ranks as the 6^th-best effort. His 1.187 OPS was a career best and ranks 9^th as of 2037.

He became a beloved superstar in Jeonju and throughout all of South Korea for these exploits. Despite his efforts, the Jethawks were stuck in the middle of the standings. They did lose in the KLCS in his rookie year 1999, but didn’t make the playoffs for the rest of his run. Yim dominated though on the World Baseball Championship stage, especially in 2003 and 2004. South Korea fell to the United States in the 2003 World Championship and finished fourth in 2004.

Yim was third in 2004’s MVP voting with 22 hits, 17 runs, 10 homers, and 14 RBI in 19 games. The prior year, he had 21 runs, 23 hits, 11 homers, and 21 RBI in 25 games. From 2001-2013 in the World Baseball Championship, Yim played 122 games and started 104 with 103 hits, 79 runs, 16 doubles, 42 home runs, 79 RBI, .261/.329/.627 slash, 169 wRC+, and 5.4 WAR.

Yim still gets associated most with Jeonju as it was his most dominant tenure. He would be inducted in Jethawks blue and gold and his #25 uniform would be later retired. However, Yim opted to leave for free agency once eligible after the 2006 season. For Jeonju, he had 1436 hits, 795 runs, 232 doubles, 364 home runs, 868 RBI, 317 walks, .329/.375/.642 slash, 168 wRC+, and 49.7 WAR.

Since he was soon to be only 27-years old, Yim was one of the most prized free agents in EAB history. Ulsan would win the sweepstakes at eight years and $82,400,000. The Swallows had just missed the playoffs in 2005 to end a five-year streak, although they never got beyond the KLCS in that run. They hoped Yim could get them back to the top spot.

Yim was by no means bad during his Swallows run, but he never replicated his peak Jeonju numbers. He won a Silver Slugger in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 in right field and got one at first base in 2007; earning 11 total for his career. Ulsan took the top seed at 103-59 in 2007, but was upset by Yongin in the first round. The Swallows would be outside the playoffs for most of the rest of Yim’s tenure and were stuck in the middle tier.

Ulsan finally got back to the playoffs in 2012, but had another first round defeat. Yim led in home runs (56), RBI (131), and total bases (367) to win his fifth MVP. As of 2037, he’s one of six in EAB history to win the award 5+ times. He also led in homers in 2011 and topped 45+ dingers in six of his Swallows seasons. Yim was second in 2007’s MVP voting, which was his best Ulsan season by WAR (8.6), runs (121), and OPS (1.111).

Yim declined the contract option eighth year of his deal after the 2012 campaign, putting him back to free agency heading into his age 34 season. With Ulsan, he had 1252 hits, 689 runs, 208 doubles, 331 home runs, 807 RBI, 287 walks, .309/.356/.617 slash, 162 wRC+, and 39.9 WAR. Coming off an MVP, Yim’s stock was once again sky high. He inked a four-year, $60,000,000 deal with Incheon.

He never won awards with the Inferno, but remained a very steady power bat with 40+ homers and 110+ RBI in each of his first four years. Yim signed a two-year, $22,200,000 extension after the 2016 season. Incheon won the division in 2014 but had a first round playoff loss. They would be mid-tier the rest of his run, keeping Yim from ever having a meaningful playoff run. His career postseason stats were solid in a small sample size with 22 games, 25 hits, 14 runs, 5 doubles, 9 home runs, 21 RBI, and 1.008 OPS.

The excitement around Yim came back late in the Incheon run as his longevity meant he could challenge some big milestones. In 2015, he became the 4^th member of the 800 home run club and the 4^th to reach 2000 RBI. Seemingly within reach was Lei Meng’s home run record of 897, Hyeog-Jun Wi’s 2097 RBI record, and Byung-Oh Tan’s runs scored (2010) and hits mark (3871).

In 2016, Yim passed Wi to become EAB’s RBI king. Then in 2017, he passed Meng to become the home run king. That year Yim was also the 4^th to 3500 hits, but he would fall short of Tan’s hits and runs marks. Yim declined sharply in 2018 and was benched after posting -1.6 WAR in 80 games, retiring that winter at age 39. For Incheon, he had 855 hits, 464 runs, 139 doubles, 226 home runs, 604 RBI, 191 walks, .270/.314/.539 slash, 135 wRC+, and 19.9 WAR.

Yim finished with 3084 games, 3543 hits, 1948 runs, 579 doubles, 65 triples, 921 home runs, 2279 RBI, 795 walks, .306/.352/.605 slash, 157 wRC+, and 109.5 WAR. As of 2037, Yim remains EAB’s RBI leader and ranks 19^th in RBI among all players in world history. He finally surrendered EAB’s home run crown in the early 2030s, but still ranks 2^nd in EAB and is 21^st in world history. Yim is one of only 23 pros across all leagues with 900 homers.

In EAB as of 2037, Yim still ranks 3^rd in hits, 5^th in runs, 7^th in games played, 7^th in doubles, 83^rd in walks, 10^th in strikeouts, and 21^st in WAR among position players. He just misses the top 50 for runs scored and hits among all players ever. Among EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yim’s .957 OPS ranks 33^rd. He also ranks 21^st in slugging.

Any conversation about the best-ever sluggers in East Asia Baseball history certainly feature Yim prominently. Still, he gets left out of some top five and top ten lists when discussing EAB’s best-ever position players due either to being a DH/poor defender and/or because of a lack of playoff/team success. Some recency bias hurts him too with less dominance in his 30s

There were other guys who had more complete resumes, but Yim’s power was captivating for anyone who ever saw him play. Few players in all of baseball history were more universally beloved and very few ever had a power run as impressive as Yim’s 2001-05 peak with Jeonju. Yim’s iron man status and reliability made him a sure thing for two decades. He was a no-doubt Hall of Fame headliner at 99.4% to lead a three-player group in 2024.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-21-2025, 05:53 PM

Sang-Min Hwang – Left Field – Changwon Crabs – 67.6% Second Ballot

Sang-Min Hwang was a 6’3’’, 200 pound switch-hitting left fielder from Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Hwang was a well-rounded batter with good-to-great contact, power, and eye skills. He was quite good at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was average. Hwang wasn’t a prolific home run hitter, but he had a very reliable pop in his bat with 33 home runs, 22 doubles, and 13 triples per his 162 game average. He also was known for being an extreme pull hitter.

Hwang had impressive speed, but he was often too aggressive on the basepaths and got caught stealing far more than he succeeded. The speed served him well as a career left fielder whose excellent defense earned him six Gold Gloves. Hwang’s talent and work ethic made him a successful and popular player over a 20-year run. He did run into sporadic injury issues, but you could usually get a pretty full load out of Hwang.

He attended Gangneung Yeongdong University and rose up the prospect rankings for the 1997 EAB Draft. Hwang was picked fifth by Changwon and was a full-time starter right away, although he struggled in his first two years. He led the Korea League in strikeouts in his first two years, but did also lead in 1999 with 82 walks. Hwang still managed to take third in Rookie of the Year voting despite a -0.1 WAR effort.

Hwang greatly lowered his Ks and improved his contact ability after a few more seasons. He wasn’t typically one to lead the league statistically, but he was worth 4+ WAR seven times with Changwon. Hwang signed an eight-year, $67,400,000 extension after the 2003 campaign. All six of Hwang’s Gold Glove wins came with the Crabs from 2002-07. His first Silver Sluggers came in 2006 and 2009. Hwang was on a stellar pace in 2006 with 1.110 OPS and 6.8 WAR in 121 games, but lost a month to a torn quadriceps.

2006 saw Changwon get the second wild card and make a surprise run to the KLCS, falling there to Seoul. They were generally lousy for the rest of Hwang’s tenure, only posting one other winning season and averaging only 75.6 wins per season. He thrived in his one playoff chance for the Crabs with 1.514 OPS, 17 hits, 12 runs, 5 homers, and 11 RBI in 10 starts.

Hwang missed notable parts of 2007 and 2008 to injury, but was healthy in 2009 for arguably his best season. He led the KL in WAR (8.6), OPS (1.036), and wRC+ (178). The WAR was a career best, as were his 42 home runs and 115 RBI. Hwang was third in MVP voting, his first time as a finalist. This was also his final season with Changwon, opting out of the rest of his deal. Hwang’s stock was at a new high at age 32, setting him up for a big payday.

For Changwon, Hwang had 1652 hits, 939 runs, 226 doubles, 149 triples, 326 home runs, 914 RBI, 759 walks, 372 stolen bases, .279/.360/.533 slash, 141 wRC+, and 53.8 WAR. Many fans still remembered him fondly for being a bright light in a generally weak era, although the organization had some saltiness for him leaving. Hwang’s #26 uniform ultimately wasn’t retired by the Crabs despite his efforts.

Hwang signed a five-year, $55 million deal to join Gwangju as he wanted to join a winner. The Grays had just posted back-to-back first round exits and hoped to get over the hump. Hwang held up his end and even took third in 2012’s MVP voting, leading the KL that year in OBP, slugging, OPS, and wRC+. Gwangju made the KLCS in both 2010 and 2011, but fell both years. They narrowly missed the 2012 playoffs, then lost in the first round of 2013. Hwang in 18 playoff games was great with 1.119 OPS, but he ultimately never got to play in the finals in his career.

For Gwangju in four seasons, Hwang had 588 hits, 326 runs, 81 doubles, 37 triples, 122 home runs, 326 RBI, .312/.401/.589 slash, 168 wRC+, and 22.5 WAR. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year of the deal, becoming a free agent at age 36. He still had plenty of suitors and signed with Busan at $50,400,000 over three years.

Hwang was on a stellar pace in 2014 when healthy with 5.4 WAR and 1.107 OPS in 87 games, but a rash of injuries kept him out. The Blue Jays struggled to 66-96 and began a rebuild in the offseason, sending Hwang to Daegu in a seven-player offseason swap. Hwang had a nice pace with 4.1 WAR and .925 OPS with the Diamondbacks in 2015, but lost nearly two months to a strained abdominal muscle.
He returned to free agency at age 38 and inked a three-year, $40,300,000 deal with Goyang. Hwang was mostly healthy for a solid 2016 with 3.2 WAR. Unfortunately in late April 2017, Hwang suffered a torn ACL that ended his season after 25 games. Instead of hoping to rehab back from such a major injury, Hwang retired that winter at age 40.

Hwang finished with 2586 games, 2628 hits, 1488 runs, 350 doubles, 212 triples, 530 home runs, 1445 RBI, 1227 walks, 596 stolen bases, .289/.372/.548 slash, 149 wRC+, and 89.2 WAR. As of 2037, Hwang ranks 74^th in hits, 40^th in runs, 76^th in triples, 64^th in home runs, 67^th in RBI, 9^th in walks, and 77^th in WAR among position players. His .920 OPS is 75^th among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his OBP ranks 54^th.

His finally tallies were rock solid and hit some of the milestones that voters like such as 2500+ hits and 500 homers. However, Hwang was borderline for some as he had limited accolades or black ink. He was steady and reliable over 20 years with primarily weaker teams, which doesn’t draw you nearly as much attention as someone on a winner or someone with a big peak. Hwang’s value also was boosted by great defense and walks, which wasn’t weighed highly by some traditionalists.

Hwang’s debut ballot in 2023 got 62.8%; solid but short of the 66% requirement. He didn’t win over too many in 2024, but got just enough to cross the line with 67.6%. Hwang secured a second ballot selection as the second of three in East Asia Baseball’s 2024 Hall of Fame class.

Sora Miyoshi – Starting Pitcher – Nagoya Nightowls – 67.3% Third Ballot

Sora Miyoshi was a 6’3’’, 190 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Chiryu, Japan; a city with about 72,000 inhabitants in Honshu’s Aichi Prefecture. Miyoshi wasn’t outstanding at any one thing, but was considered above average to good across the board. His fastball was his best pitch and peaked in the 94-96 mph range. Miyoshi also had a changeup and curveball in the arsenal.

Miyoshi’s stamina was considered pretty good, but smaller injuries did limit him in a few seasons. He was strong at holding runners but was below average defensively. Miyoshi wasn’t one to cause any problems, but he also wasn’t someone you would look to in a leadership role. He was steady and reliable, which allowed him to pitch for 18 seasons.

He was considered a top prospect coming out of Chukyodai Chukyo High School in Nagoya. Some figured Miyoshi would go to college, but Sendai decided to pick him sixth overall in the 1996 EAB Draft. He signed with the Samurai and spent two full years in their developmental system. Miyoshi debuted in 1999 at age 21 with 67.2 innings. Sendai moved him into the rotation full-time after that.

For the Samurai over six seasons in the rotation, Miyoshi was largely average to above average in production with reliable innings. They were a mid-tier team in his run, averaging 76 wins per season with a best of 83-79. Miyoshi had a 91-77 record, 3.27 ERA, 1561.2 innings, 1346 strikeouts, 384 walks, 102 ERA+, and 25.4 WAR. While he wasn’t bad, he wasn’t nearly as dominant as you’d want or expect having been picked sixth overall.

Sendai didn’t re-sign Miyoshi when his contract expired after the 2005 campaign, becoming a free agent heading towards age 28. He signed a five-year, $25,600,000 deal with Nagoya to begin his signature run. Miyoshi’s production got better as he consistently kept his ERA below three for his first seven seasons with the Nightowls, posting 4+ WAR each year.

His only time leading a major stat was in wins at 24-5 in 2009. This season also had his career best WAR at 6.0, which earned his lone Pitcher of the Year finalist season with a third place. Nagoya ended a seven-year playoff drought in 2008 with a first round loss. The Nightowls then shocked the world with a 117-45 campaign in 2009, rolling to the East Asian Championship over Busan. Nagoya’s 2009 squad is often on the short list of the greatest-ever EAB squads.

Miyoshi was actually mediocre in the playoff run with a 4.84 ERA over 22.1 innings. His great regular season though got him paid with a six-year, $59 million extension that winter. Nagoya was a one-and-done, missing the playoffs the next two years. They had a first round exit in 2012, then fell to the bottom of the standings after that. Miyoshi’s playoff stats for his career were a lackluster 4.71 ERA over 36.1 innings. He fared even worse in his limited World Baseball Championship outings for Japan from 2002-09. Miyoshi had 77 innings with a 2-4 record, 5.73 ERA, 93 strikeouts, 20 walks, 62 ERA+, and 0.1 WAR.

His regular season production stayed steady through 2012. In 2013, Miyoshi missed half of the season to shoulder inflammation. Miyoshi stayed mostly healthy the two years after that, but was firmly mediocre at that point. With one year left on his deal, the struggling Nightowls traded Miyoshi in the offseason to Fukuoka.

For Nagoya, Miyoshi had a 136-86 record, 3.11 ERA, 2107 innings, 1708 strikeouts, 393 walks, 110 ERA+, and 38.3 WAR. Miyoshi had a bit of a resurgence for the Frogs with a 3.00 ERA and 2.1 WAR over 218.2 innings in 2016. He decided to retire that winter instead of overstaying his welcome at age 38. Nagoya quickly brought him back to retire his #47 uniform for his decade of service and role in their 2009 championship.

Miyoshi finished with a 242-173 record, 3.17 ERA, 3887.1 innings, 3161 strikeouts, 830 walks, 312/502 quality starts, 86 complete games, 24 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 65.8 WAR. As of 2037, Miyoshi ranks 21^st in wins, 24^th in innings, 92^nd in strikeouts, and 98^th in WAR among pitchers. Advanced stats definitely had Miyoshi as someone who was just above average for a long time. He lacked accolades and black ink, leading many voters to dismiss him as a compiler. Weak playoff stats also didn’t help his cause.

Many voters cared about counting stats and traditionalists pointed at Miyoshi’s win total. Every EAB starter who got to 240+ wins before him made it in, although there had been a few in the 230s that missed the cut. Miyoshi was also helped by having his best season with Nagoya’s historic 2009 title and was undoubtedly an important part of one of EAB’s best-ever teams.

Miyoshi missed the cut at 59.7% with his 2022 debut and dropped slightly in 2023 to 55.6%. For 2024, he got a sizeable boost up to 67.3% to sneak across the 66% requirement. Most scholars rank Miyoshi among the weaker starters in the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame, but he secured his slot on the third ballot regardless as part of a three-player 2024 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-22-2025, 06:58 AM

Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2024 Hall of Fame class was loaded with three players each finishing above 94% of the vote. SP Fernan Murillo (99.2%), OF Marco Del Cid (96.0%), and SP Samuel Alves (94.8%) were each slam dunk picks. The best returner was 3B Artemio Reyes at 61.1% on his eighth ballot, falling just shy of the 66% requirement. No other players cracked 50% and only two others were above 40%.

3B Emilio Aruquipa was dropped after ten ballots, peaking with 42.3% in his debut and ending at 9.5%. He had a 21-year career between Santa Cruz and Buenos Aires with 2744 hits, 1269 runs, 417 doubles, 183 triples, 79 home runs, 821 RBI, 904 walks, 1409 stolen bases, .316/.382/.434 slash, 129 wRC+, and 69.0 WAR. Aruquipa was a great leadoff man and ranks second in stolen bases in BSA history and 27^th among all world players as of 2037. He never led in any other stats though and lacked accolades and power, keeping him in the Hall of Good.

Another guy dropped was 1B Theo Rijo, who peaked with his 36.9% debut and ended at 7.1% on his tenth try. He had 15 years primarily with Belo Horizonte with 2118 hits, 1085 runs, 322 doubles, 440 home runs, 1210 RBI, .311/.379/.565 slash, 166 wRC+, and 74.4 WAR. Rijo was quietly a very efficient hitter, but had no black ink or awards. He would’ve needed a few more years to get the tallies high enough to earn more attention.

Fernan Murillo – Starting Pitcher – Buenos Aires Atlantics – 99.2% First Ballot

Fernan Murillo was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Barrancabermea, a city of 203,000 people in north central Colombia known as the nation’s oil capital. Murillo had excellent stuff and control along with above average movement. His velocity peaked in the 99-101 mph range with a cutter as his most powerful pitch. Murillo’s deadliest offering was his curveball, although his slider and knuckle curve were both good. He also had a rarely used changeup as the fifth option. His diverse arsenal helped Murillo become one of the elite strikeout pitchers of his generation.

Murillo’s stamina was merely average compared to most aces of his era. He held up remarkably well over a 21-year career and avoided the major arm injuries that ruin many pitchers, but he did miss sporadic starts mostly to back issues. Murillo was great at holding runners and was quite good defensively. He ended up as one of the continent’s most popular and successful pitchers of all time.

In September 1994, a scout from Buenos Aires convinced Murillo to sign a developmental deal to leave Colombia for Argentina. He spent three years in their academy before debuting in 1998 at age 20. Murillo was respectable over 153 innings that year, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. He would become Buenos Aires’ ace for the next 14 years, posting 5+ WAR in each of those seasons.

From 2001-04, Murillo led the league each year in wins, peaking with a 24-7 mark in 2003. He also had his career best of 376 strikeouts in 2003 and also led in Ks for 2003 and 2006. Murillo couldn’t quite snag the top award at this point, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006 with a third in 2005. He struck out 300+ batters each year during this run. 2006 was Murillo’s first time as the WARlord with a career-best 11.1.

The Atlantics were a regular contender in this era, earning five consecutive playoff berths from 1999-03. They also made it into the postseason in 2005 and 2007, but could never get over the hump. Buenos Aires lost in the Southern Cone League championship in 2000, 2002, and 2003. Their other berths all saw divisional series defeats. Murillo was surprisingly average in the postseason for BA with a 3.66 ERA over 76.1 innings, 3-5 record, 85 strikeouts, 99 ERA+, and 1.2 WAR.

Murillo did step up on the World Baseball Championship stage as a regular for his native Colombia from 1999-2016. He tossed 261.2 innings with a 22-8 record, 2.58 ERA, 376 strikeouts, 62 walks, 140 ERA+, and 9.1 WAR. Murillo led all pitchers with 60 strikeouts as Colombia lost to the United States in the 2010 World Championship. They also had a third place finish in 2006. As of 2037, Murillo leads all Colombians in the WBC in pitching WAR, wins, innings, and strikeouts. Among all nations, he ranks 19^th in wins, 34^th in strikeouts, and 25^th in pitching WAR.

In July 2007, Murillo signed a six-year, $61,500,000 extension with Buenos Aires. The Atlantics started a decade-long playoff drought in 2008, hovering generally just below .500. Murillo continued to thrive though and won Pitcher of the Year thrice (2009, 2011, 2012). He led in strikeouts from 2009-11 and was the WARlord in both 2009 and 2011. 2012 saw Murillo’s low ERA title at 2.31, a career-best that he also hit the prior season. Towards the end of his BA run, Murillo reached the 250+ win and 4000+ strikeout thresholds.

The Atlantics weren’t competitive at this point and had one year left with Murillo under contract. With his 2012 ERA title, the 35-year old was still a hot property, so Buenos Aires traded him in the offseason to Brasilia in a four-player deal. They did get 3B Spinoza Arajo in the deal, who would be a 15-year starter, MVP winner, and Copa Sudamerica MVP winner for the Atlantics. Although BA made the right move, many were sad to see their long-time ace go.

For Buenos Aires, Murillo had a 253-124 record, 2.58 ERA, 3557.2 innings, 4388 strikeouts, 464 walks, 139 ERA+, and 107.8 WAR. His #13 uniform would be retired as soon as his pro career ended. Murillo led in strikeouts in his lone season for Brasilia, but saw a career worst 4.02 ERA. The Bearcats had been the LCS runner-up in 2012, but failed to get back to the playoffs in 2013.

Murillo was now a free agent for the first time and signed a three-year, $32,100,000 deal with Fortaleza, the defending Copa Sudamerica champ. He was done as an ace by this point and had seen his velocity drop from triple digits to the mid 90s. Recurring back injuries cost him starts each year for the Foxes, but he still provided positive value.

Fortaleza won the Southern Cone League in 2014, but couldn’t repeat as Copa Sudamerica winners in a rematch with Medellin. A herniated disc kept Murillo out for the playoffs. The Foxes lost in the first round of 2015 with Murillo allowing five runs in seven innings in his lone start. Fortaleza fell to below .500 in 2016, but Murillo that year became the seventh BSA pitcher to reach 5000 career strikeouts. In total for the Foxes, Murillo had a 28-25 record, 3.18 EREA, 467.2 innings, 387 strikeouts, 120 ERA+, and 10.4 WAR.

Now 39-years old, Murillo came home to Colombia on a three-year, $18,400,000 deal with Medellin. He kept up similar production with the Mutiny in two years as he had with Fortaleza. Murillo allowed four runs in 2017 in one playoff start as Medellin lost in the first round. They fell in the divisional series in 2018 with Murillo not getting used.

With the Mutiny, Murillo was able to reach 300 career wins, becoming only the fifth in BSA history to do so. He had a 26-20 record, 3.50 ERA, 396 innings, 299 strikeouts, 115 ERA+, and 9.2 WAR for Medellin. Murillo retired after the 2018 campaign at age 41.

Murillo finished with a 316-181 record, 2.79 ERA, 4658.2 innings, 5344 strikeouts, 605 walks, 439/610 quality starts, 117 complete games, 38 shutouts, 131 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 132.3 WAR. As of 2037, Murillo ranks 4^th in wins, 7^th in strikeouts, 4^th in innings pitched, 98^th in complete games, 37^th in shutouts, and 6^th in pitching WAR. Among all BSA pitchers with 1000+ innings, his 0.97 WHIP is 66^th.

By basically any measure, Murillo was considered the best pitcher of his era in Beisbol Sudamerica. Most rank him among BSA’s top ten pitchers, although he misses some top five lists as he wasn’t quite as otherworldly dominant as some of those just ahead of him on the leaderboards. Plus, Murillo’s playoff stats were underwhelming and he never had that defining postseason moment.

However, Murillo’s longevity helped earn him spot even on the world leaderboards. As of 2037 among all pitchers in baseball history, Murillo ranks 25^th in wins, 23^rd in strikeouts, 45^th in innings, and 40^th in pitching WAR. By WAR, Murillo is the best-ever player to come from Colombia and certainly has a case for being his country’s best-ever baseball product. Murillo was an easy headliner even in a loaded 2024 Hall of Fame class with a nearly unanimous 99.2%.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-22-2025, 12:59 PM

Marco Del Cid – Center Field – Cali Cyclones – 96.0% First Ballot

Marco Del Cid was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from Cartagena, Colombia; a major northern coastal city with around one million people in the metro area. Del Cid was an incredible contact hitter and a master at putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts. He also had a good eye for drawing walks and was a very dangerous baserunner with solid speed.

Del Cid’s gap power was fantastic with 33 doubles and 15 triples per his 162 game average. He also got you 26 home runs per 162, making him one of the more effective batters of his even without overwhelming power. Del Cid was especially potent against right-handed pitching with a career 1.017 OPS and 163 wRC+. Versus lefties, he had a 120 wRC+ and .832 OPS, which was still solid but nothing incredible.

Defensively, Del Cid primarily played left field and was considered a great gloveman there, winning four Gold Gloves. He played some center at the start of his career and struggled there without the required range. Del Cid had nice durability with 125+ games played in all 17 years of his career. He was also considered one of the true good guys of the game and was a team captain. Del Cid was renowned for his intelligence, leadership, and work ethic. He became very popular with fans and was one of the most universally respected men in clubhouses across the continent.

In the 2001 BSA Draft, Del Cid was picked 11^th overall by Cali, where he’d spend almost his entire pro career. He was a full-timer immediately and won 2002 Rookie of the Year with an impressive 6.7 WAR debut campaign with a career-best 32 home runs. For the next decade, he was consistently good for 4+ WAR and a batting average above .325. Del Cid would post an OPS above one in six different seasons.

In 2005, Del Cid won his first batting title with a .376 average and led in hits for the only time with 218. He also had his first of four seasons with the top on-base percentage. Without big home run power, Del Cid wasn’t typically in MVP conversations. He did win Silver Sluggers in 2003, 2005, and 2006 in center field, followed by left field wins in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Del Cid’s four Gold Glove wins came from 2007-10 upon moving to LF.

Cali saw some success early in Del Cid’s run, getting wild cards from 2002-04 and in 2007. Their deepest runs would be Bolivar League Championship Series defeats in 2004 and 2007. The Cyclones were generally mediocre for the next decade after that with their lone playoff appearance being a first round loss in 2015. Despite his popularity, Del Cid did get some blame as his playoff numbers were mediocre. He accepted the responsibility, posting 26 playoff starts for Cali with a .245/.264/.368 slash, 69 wRC+, and -0.1 WAR.

Del Cid fared better as a captain for Colombia in the World Baseball Championship from 2002-17. In 163 games and 153 starts, Del Cid had 155 hits, 77 runs, 24 doubles, 5 triples, 17 home runs, 64 RBI, 81 walks, 79 stolen bases, .278/.373/.430 slash, 130 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR. He had 20 steals in their 2010 runner-up finish against the United States, which is one of only 27 times in WBC history that a player stole 20+ bags in the event. Colombia also notably took third in 2006.

Cali signed Del Cid to an eight-year, $42,520,000 extension after the 2006 season. He led with 48 doubles in 2008 and had the best OBP in 2010, 2011, and 2013. 2010 was his finest season with league and career bests in batting average (.393), OBP (.453), OPS (1.131), wRC+ (190), and WAR (9.7). At the time, it was the 5^th-best average and 8^th-best OBP in a BSA season. Del Cid also had career bests in runs (111), hits (226), and steals (71) and he saw his lone cycle in a game against Bogota. Del Cid was third in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist.

Del Cid carried on leading the Cyclones even if they were underwhelming in the 2010s. Cali gave him a three-year, $33,300,000 extension after the 2014 season. He production dipped slightly, but he was still a solid starter even in his final years for Cali. In 2017, Del Cid became the 12^th member of the 3000 hit club and the 16^th to 1500 runs scored.

His Cali run had an unfortunate ending with a broken kneecap suffered in September 2017. The Cyclones didn’t re-sign him after that, but Del Cid still wanted to play. Santiago gave him a shot at two years and $14,600,000, but Del Cid struggled and was reduced to a part-time role with -0.6 WAR over 126 games and 52 starts in 2018. He retired that winter at age 39 and immediately had his #40 uniform retired by Cali.

Del Cid had 2515 games, 3072 hits, 1544 runs, 516 doubles, 233 triples, 402 home runs, 1491 RBI, 815 walks, 867 stolen bases, .341/.394/.584 slash, 154 wRC+, and 89.6 WAR. As of 2037, Del Cid ranks 62^nd in games, 20^th in runs, 17^th in hits, 13^th in doubles, 39^th in triples, 21^st in total bases (5260), 51^st in walks, and 59^th in WAR among position players.

Among BSA batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Del Cid ranks 34^th in batting average, 20^th in on-base percentage, 71^st in slugging, and his .978 OPS ranks 34^th. Among all world Hall of Famers as of 2037, Del Cid ranks 21^st in batting average and 49^th in OBP.

Few players were as reliably consistent at the plate, but Del Cid does fall outside of the true inner circle between the lack of home run power and his poor playoff stats. As a person though, Del Cid’s character is above reproach. He’s a Hall of Fame lock anyway you look at it and would headline most classes. With Beisbol Sudamerica’s loaded 2024 group, he had the second highest percentage with 96.0%.

Samuel Alves – Starting Pitcher – Recife Retrievers – 94.8% First Ballot

Samuel Alves was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Anapolis, a city of around 400,000 people in central Brazil. Alves had good-to-great stuff and movement along with excellent control. He had a 97-99 mph fastball and a strong slider as his main two offerings, along with a curveball and changeup. Alves’ stamina was below average relative to most BSA aces with decent durability. He was good at holding runners and was below average defensively.

Alves was picked fourth overall by Recife in the 2004 BSA Draft and spent his entire 14-year pro career with the Retrievers. He was a full-timer right away and took second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2005. Alves had impressive efficiency right away despite not having as many innings as some contemporaries. 2006-14 had nine straight seasons above 4.5 WAR with four seasons above 6+.

Recife became a regular contender in 2009, ending an eight-year playoff drought. They had three straight berths from 2009-11, then had a nine year postseason streak from 2013-21. Alves helped the Retrievers become a winner and started to get his first awards consideration. In 2010, Alves would toss a no-hitter on April 7 with 12 strikeouts and two walks against Belo Horizonte. He led the Southern Cone League with 7.3 WAR, finishing third in Pitcher of the Year voting.

The Retrievers fell in the 2009 LCS to Salvador, but earned back-to-back Southern Cone pennants in 2010 over Fortaleza and in 2011 over Cordoba. Recife would fall in both Copa Sudamerica trips as Santa Cruz completed a three-peat in 2010, followed by a 2011 title for Valencia. Alves’ playoff stats were merely okay these years, but his overall production earned him a five-year, $46,800,000 extension after the 2011 campaign. He had a 3.95 ERA in the 2010 Baseball Grand Championship and a 2.57 ERA run in 2011 with the Retrievers in the middle of the standings both tries.

Alves had the ERA title at 2.31 in 2011, but did lose awards consideration as he missed six weeks to shoulder tendinitis. He took third in 2012 and 2013’s Pitcher of the Year voting, despite leading with 6.6 WAR in 2013. In 2014, Alves took the top honor with a league and career-best 1.88 ERA. Recife fell in both 2013 and 2014 in the LCS to Fortaleza, although Alves had a fairly solid showing both years.

A hamstring strain cost Alves more than half of the 2015 season, but he was back for the autumn. Recife finally won Copa Sudamerica, upsetting top seed Montevideo in the LCS and beating Callao for the overall title. Alves had a 3.60 ERA over 25 playoff innings and 16 strikeouts. He had an excellent 1.50 ERA over 36 innings with 47 strikeouts though in the Baseball Grand Championship. Recife would go 10-9 in a three-way tie for sixth.

His career playoff numbers were fairly average with 162.1 innings, 3.44 ERA, 8-6 record, 140 strikeouts, 28 walks, 106 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. Recife’s playoff streak continued, but the deepest they got in the following three years was an LCS loss in 2017. Alves did have good BGC numbers with a 2.32 ERA over 77.2 innings, 97 strikeouts, and 2.6 WAR.

Alves did see very strong numbers as a regular for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship. From 2005-17, he had 180 innings with a 12-5 record, 2.80 ERA, 192 strikeouts, 24 walks, and 6.0 WAR. He ranks fifth in pitching WAR among Brazilians in the event. Their best finish with Alves was a third place in 2016, which had a 1.78 ERA over 25.1 innings. Brazil also won division titles in 2006 and 2014. These efforts helped Alves’ notoriety and popularity with Brazilian fans.

After the 2015 season heading towards age 34, Alves signed a five-year, $53,700,000 extension with Recife. He had a good 2016 and a decent 2017, although his velocity notably began to dip. Alves’ strong control kept him effective, but he had a further drop down to the 91-93 mph range by 2018. He posted below average results and retired that winter at age 36. The Retrievers quickly honored Alves and retired his #26 uniform.

Alves finished with a 193-110 record, 2.61 ERA, 2806.2 innings, 2745 strikeouts, 348 walks, 268/357 quality starts, 46 complete games, 14 shutouts, 138 ERA+, and 70.9 WAR. Because of a relatively low inning tally, Alves ranks fairly low in counting stats. As of 2037, he is 88^th in wins and misses the top 100 in innings or strikeouts. Alves does sit 75^th in WAR among position players and among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, Alves’ 0.97 WHIP is 66^th and his 1.12 BB/9 is 41st

Advanced stats like ERA+ (138) and FIP- (75) firmly place him as elite, even if the accumulations didn’t. Most voters gave him some credit for Recife’s sustained success and for his WBC efforts with Brazil. Add in two ERA titles and a Pitcher of the Year award, and Alves’s resume was plenty strong. At 94.8%, he capped off an impressive three-player Hall of Fame class in 2024 for Beisbol Sudamerica.

01-16-2025, 06:57 AM	#1981
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in ALB The Arab League’s Western Conference was remarkably top heavy as the three division winners each won 100+ games and took their division by 18+ games. Algiers earned only their third-ever Mediterranean Division title (2006, 2021, 2023) and had their first-ever 100+ win season. The Arsenal took the top seed at 109-53, leading all of ALB in both runs (911) and fewest allowed (583). Algiers set an ALB team record with 312 home runs and had the second-most strikeouts (1825) and second-best K/9 (11.19) in conference history. Amman repeated as Levant Division champ at 106-56 and earned their third division title in four years. Damascus at 88-74 was the closest second place team at 18 games back. Cairo clobbered the Nile Division at 102-60 for their seventh straight division win. The Pharaohs now have 16 playoff berths through ALB’s first 34 seasons. Defending ALB champ Casablanca was 20 games back in the Mediterranean at 89-73, posting their ninth winning season in a row. Although his squad missed the playoffs, Damascus DH Said Fawzi picked up Western Conference MVP. In his 12^th year with the Dusters, the 33-year old Libyan led in hits (222), doubles (57), total bases (448), OBP (.410), slugging (.715), OPS (1.125), wRC+ (192), and WAR (8.7). Fawzi added 55 homers, 133 RBI, and a .354 average. Algiers lefty Muhammad Nour won his fifth straight Pitcher of the Year and had his most impressive effort year. The 25-year old Algerian posted ALB’s first Triple Crown pitching season since 2014 and its seventh ever with a 22-6 record, 2.27 ERA, and 393 strikeouts over 246 innings. Nour also led in quality starts (26), ERA+ (193), FIP- (44), and WAR (11.7). His WAR mark was the fourth best single-season by an ALB pitcher and his strikeout tally was the sixth most. Amman ousted Cairo 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs to earn repeat Western Conference Finals berths. For Algiers, their only prior WCF came back in 2016. The Arsenal were denied their first pennant as the Aviators took it 3-1 to become four-time Western Conference champs (1999, 2009, 2010, 2022). It was the first pennant for a Levant Division team since Damascus’s 2016 win. Basra was light years ahead of the Eastern Conference field at 112-50, winning a sixth consecutive Mesopotamia Division title. The Bulldogs earned the #1 seed for the third year running and guaranteed a fifth straight trip to the conference final. Basra led the conference in runs (886) and fewest allowed (600). The Bulldogs had Iraq’s hottest ticket, setting a new ALB season attendance record at 2,090,541. Abu Dhabi repeated as Gulf Division champ at 91-71, finishing eight games better than Bahrain. That was the first-ever winning season by the 2016 expansion Blitz. Two-time defending conference champ Jeddah’s historic ALB-record playoff streak grew to 13. The Jackals finished 88-74, fighting off a competitive Saudi Division field with Mecca (84-78), Medina (82-80), and Riyadh (81-81) each in the mix. Destroyers 1B Mohamed Ali Mansour repeated as Eastern Conference MVP with record breaking power. In his fourth year starting for Abu Dhabi, the 24-year old Moroccan crushed 82 home runs, breaking the ALB record 76 set by Ali Jassem in 2020. Mansour was only the second player in world history to hit 80+ homers, joining world home run king Majed Darwish who did it thrice in South Asia Baseball. Mansour also led in runs (139), RBI (163), total bases (490), slugging (.829), OPS (1.236), wRC+ (209), and WAR (10.6) while adding a .350 average. He set a new ALB total bases record and posted the second-best slugging and fifth-best OPS marks. He was nine RBI short of Nordine Soule’s ALB record 172 from 2008. He also posted a six-hit game In May against Bahrain. Mansour signed an eight-year, $104.3 million extension after the season with the Destroyers, although he opted out after the 2026 campaign. Basra’s Ahmed Hussain repeated as Pitcher of the Year. It was his third, having also won back in 2018. The 31-year old Bahraini lefty also earned the Triple Crown like his Western Conference counterpart, posting a 22-5 record, 2.58 ERA, and 327 strikeouts over 240.1 innings. Hussain also led in WHIP (0.96) and quality starts (27) while posting 8.8 WAR. Abu Dhabi edged Jeddah 2-1 to oust the reigning conference champ, sending the Destroyers to their first Eastern Conference Final since 2017. Basra was the heavy favorite, but suffered a shocking 3-1 loss to Abu Dhabi. The Destroyers earned their fourth pennant (2012, 2016, 2017, 2023). It was the third straight year that the Bulldogs lost as the #1 seed, moving them to 1-4 in the ECF in the last five years. The 34^th Arab League Championship was a seven game thriller claimed by Amman over Abu Dhabi, bringing the cup home to Jordan for the third time (2009, 2010, 2023). The Aviators became the sixth ALB franchise to win 3+ championships. RF Nathan Nasreddine had a big playoff run in his first year as a full-tie starter. The 24-year old Lebanese righty won MVP of both the ALB Championship and conference final, starting 13 playoff games with 17 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, and 11 RBI. Other notes: Jeddah’s Amar Rasmi stole 139 bases, falling four short of his own ALB record 143 from 2018. Abu Dhabi’s Khali Allawi had a 30-game hit streak, falling four short of ALB’s record of 34. Yahya bin Hakam and Ali Jassem both reached 800 home runs, joining Nordine Soule as ALB’s only sluggers to do so. Four players reached 2500 hits, making that a 16-member club. Two pitchers breached 3000 strikeouts with 19 now having hit that mark. SS Ayoub El Taib won his 8^th Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-16-2025, 11:06 AM	#1982
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in ABF The top two teams in the Asian Baseball Federation’s East League fought for the North Division title with reigning ABF champ Bishkek (103-59) beating out Almaty (99-63). Both teams earned their fourth consecutive playoff berth with the result. The Assassins notably were the EL’s top scoring team at 740 runs. Last year’s top seed Dushanbe fell to 79-73, ending their ABF-record playoff streak at ten seasons. It was the first time since 2011 that the Dynamo were below .500. Faisalabad (94-68) edged out Multan (93-69), Karachi (91-71), and Rawalpindi (86-76) in the South Division. The Fire secured a fifth consecutive division title with the result. The Mighty Cocks narrowly got the second wild card to end a three-year playoff drought. Faisalabad allowed the fewest runs in all of ABF at 520. Multan 2B Ismail Akbar won East League MVP with remarkable power, leading in home runs (66), RBI (156), total bases (409), slugging (.713), OPS (1.082), and wRC+ (223). This was tied for the 6^th-most homers and was the 2^nd-most RBI, falling two short of Fakhri Rajavi’s 158. Akbar had 104 runs, .300 average, and 10.3 WAR. The Mighty Cocks wouldn’t be able to lock up the 29-year old Akbar beyond 2024, as he’d sign a seven-year, $147.6 million deal with Lahore. Karachi veteran Qabir Sabiha won his first Pitcher of the Year in his tenth season. The 31-year old Pakistani lefty led in strikeouts (352) and shutouts (7). Sabiha had a 2.41 ERA in 242.2 innings, 21-7 record, 145 ERA+, and 7.3 WAR. The Carp rewarded him with a hefty five-year, $100 million extension in the summer, although he’d only pitch three more seasons. Also of note, Faisalabad closer Raghid Yazdani won his fourth Reliever of the Year, becoming the third in ABF history to win the award 4+ times. His previous wins had been 2016-18 with Gujranwala. He came to the Fire in 2023 after three years for Kabul, posting an 0.66 ERA over 81.1 innings, 35 saves, 148 strikeouts, and 4.9 WAR. Yazdani also became the third to reach 300 saves in ABF. Bishkek survived 3-2 over Multan in the first round and Faisalabad bested Almaty 3-1. This set up Black Sox versus Fire for the third consecutive season in the East League Championship Series. Bishkek prevailed 4-2 over Faisalabad to repeat and to earn their third pennant in four years. The Black Sox secured their fourth ABF pennant and 13^th overall when adding in their Eurasian Professional Baseball days. The West League was very competitive in 2023 with eight teams within seven games of the top seed. Defending EL champ Baku got the top seed at 95-67 to repeat as West Division champs. Mashhad got their third straight playoff berth at 93-69 atop the Central Division. The Mercury hadn’t won a division crown since 1994. Tabriz was one back in the division at 92-70, which earned the first wild card. Their playoff streak grew to eight seasons. For the second wild card, Bursa (91-71) edged out Izmir (90-72), Shiraz (90-72), Istanbul (89-73), and Adana (88-74). The Blue Claws got their second berth in four years and set a new ABF team record with 460 stolen bases. Bursa was the WL’s top scoring team at 817 while Tabriz allowed the fewest at 586. Notably Ankara (65-97), Isfahan (65-97), and Asgabat (68-94) all fell hard after winning seasons the prior year. The Alphas had their first losing campaign since 2015. West League MVP went to Istanbul RF Khalaf bin Abdullah in his third season. The 22-year old Kuwaiti switch hitter led in RBI (145), total bases (429), slugging (.693), and WAR (9.7). He added 120 runs, 58 home runs, 1.060 OPS, and 177 wRC+. Shiraz righty Elnur Hasanov won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (21-9), complete games (16), and shutouts (5). The 28-year old Kazakh righty had a 2.51 ERA over 258 innings, 359 strikeouts, and 7.0 WAR. Hasanov beat out reigning POTY Temuri Omarov from Istanbul despite Omarov’s 2.42 ERA, 365 strikeouts, and 10.2 WAR; all league bests. Baku swept Bursa in the first round while Tabriz got the 3-1 road win over Mashhad, setting up a rematch in the West League Championship Series. It was the fifth time in six years that the Tiger Sharks made it and the first time as the road underdog. Despite their previous top seeds, the Tiger Sharks had gone 1-3 in the previous tries. Tabriz was successful this time though, denying the Blackbirds’ repeat bid 4-1. It was their second pennant, joining their 2019 Baseball Grand Championship campaign. Tabriz also secured their second ABF Championship win, upsetting the defending champ Bishkek 4-2 in the 39^th ABF finale. Veteran 2B Maksat Musienko was finals MVP in his fifth season for the Tiger Sharks. The 34-year old Kyrgyz righty started 15 playoff games with 22 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 4 homers, and 9 RBI. Other notes: Petri Viskari’s brief run as ABF’s all-time leader in runs scored (1446) ended in 2023. Tabriz’s Shadi Alam capped off his 16-year run with a title and with the top mark in runs scored at 1491. Mehmet Fatih Canaydin also passed Viskari’s mark to end 2023 with 1481. Canaydin would easily usurp Alam for the top mark in early 2024. Fakhri Rajavi became the 4^th to reach 1500 RBI and Golshifteh Shirazinia was the 13^th to 500 home runs. In pitching milestones, Hossein Hatami became the 4^th to reach 4500 strikeouts, finishing his final season at 4566. Hatami also was the 11^th to 200 wins, retiring at 204. Hamat Soomro became the 9^th to 4000 strikeouts while both Mukhtar Makhmudov and Sijad Khaleel reached 3500 Ks, making that a 15-player club. Mashhad’s Ahour Sabbari threw ABF’s 16^th perfect game on August 29, striking out ten versus Ankara. Dushanbe’s Mubariz Isaev threw his second no-hitter, having tossed one way back in 2014 with Baku. RF Hana Zuhair won his 11^th consecutive Gold Glove, becoming the third in ABF at any position with 11+ GGs. SS Nizami Aghazade won his tenth Silver Slugger. ABF’s all-time WARlord Aghazade had 141.8 at the end of the 2023 campaign at only age 35. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-16-2025, 05:29 PM	#1983
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in SAB The Indian League was captivated by an incredible three-team battle in the Central Division with the #1 seed and first wild card on the line. After trading the lead back-and-forth, Kolkata and Delhi finished tied at 102-60 with Jaipur one back at 101-61. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Cosmos defeated the Drillers to take the division and the #1 seed. Kolkata’s playoff streak grew to three and Delhi’s to four as they got the first wild card. The Jokers became the first-ever 100+ win team in South Asia Baseball history to miss the playoffs. Jaipur allowed the fewest runs in the IL at 538 while Delhi scored the most at 779. Visakhapatnam won the South Division at 96-66 to end an eight-year playoff drought, while last year’s division winner Hyderabad was six back at 90-72. In a weak West Division, Pune (85-77) prevailed as the only team above .500. Ahmedabad was second at 79-83 and defending IL champ Mumbai was 78-84. The Purple Knights earned their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons. A competitive battle for Indian League MVP went to Delhi RF Rahul Gonzales. After eight seasons between Hyderabad and Da Nang, he signed with the Drillers for 2023. Gonzales led in hits (213) and OBP (.422) while adding 112 runs, 25 homers, 106 RBI 1.011 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. He only stayed two years of his five year deal with Delhi before opting out for another free agent deal with expansion Patna. Also worth a mention was Jaipur CF Trong Tran, who won Rookie of the Year and led in WAR (8.7) and slugging (.657). He set a new rookie for WAR by a ROTY winner, but surprisingly wasn’t in the MVP top three. Kolkata’s Duong Nguyen was in the mix with a league best 62 homers and 144 RBI. Delhi’s Amir Kapur repeated as Pitcher of the Year, again leading in ERA (2.26) and WAR (7.0). The 27-year old Indian righty also led in WHIP (0.87) and FIP- (59). Kapur had a 15-4 record, 10 saves, 320 strikeouts, and 170 ERA+ in 206.2 innings. By winning the tiebreaker, Kolkata got home field against Delhi in the first round as the wild card always met the #1 seed. The Cosmos survived a fierce challenge 3-2 from the Drillers, earning their first Indian League Championship Series trip since their 2014 title. On the other side, Visakhapatnam outlasted Pune 3-2. The Volts also last got to the ILCS in 2014 with their only pennants coming in 2012 and 2013. Visakhapatnam upset Kolkata 4-2 to claim their third Indian League title, getting some revenge for the 2014 defeat. Dhaka dominated the Southeast Asia League standings at 108-54 to grow their playoff streak to three, although the Dobermans hadn’t been North Division champs since 2011. Dhaka led SEAL in both runs scored (868) and fewest allowed (579). Da Nang secured the South Division at 101-61, their third division title in four years. Reigning SAB champ Yangon was four back at 97-65, getting the first wild card and extending their world record playoff streak to 29 seasons. Hanoi was 96-66 with an eight game gap to their closest wild card foes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, and Khulna each at 88-74. The Claws are still the only SAB expansion team without a playoff berth, although 88 wins was a new franchise best. The Hounds ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Vampires missed for only the third time since 2012. Hai Phong, who had won three straight North Division titles, limped to 75-87. Southeast Asia League MVP went to DH Arav Walif in his Dhaka debut. The 28-year old Indian signed with the Dobermans to an eight-year, $130,400,000 deal after his previous time with Bengaluru and Da Nang. Walif led in hits (211), total bases (395), slugging (.628), OPS (1.012), and wRC+ (170). He had 6.0 WAR, 45 home runs, 119 RBI, and a .335 average. Another free agent acquisition was Pitcher of the Year with Hong Thanh Chung in his Hanoi debut. He had been respectable in nine years with Surat and signed a modest five-year, $19,600,000 deal with the Hounds. The 29-year old Vietnamese righty broke out by leading in wins (24-4), innings (255.2), complete games (12), and shutouts (4). Chung had a 2.68 ERA, 337 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, and 7.8 WAR. Dhaka rolled Hanoi for a first round sweep while Da Nang ousted defending champ Yangon 3-1, setting up a rematch of the 2021 Southeast Asia League Championship. The home field was switched from that encounter, but the victor was the same. The 2023 battle was a seven game classic that came down to the final at-bat with the Dobermans winning 8-7 on a walk-off, the first-ever walk-off final for the SEAL Championship. Dhaka became seven-time league champs with the win. In the 44^th South Asia Baseball Championship, Visakhapatnam claimed their first overall title with a 4-2 upset win over Dhaka. The Volts became the 15^th SAB franchise to win it all and the 9^th of the Indian League’s original 12 teams. 1B Borey Horn was finals MVP in his sixth and final year with Visakhapatnam. The 28-year old Cambodian in 17 playoff starts had 16 hits, 10 runs, 6 home runs, and 16 RBI. Horn used that run to cash in for a five-year, $61.9 million deal in the offseason with Ho Chi Minh City. Other notes: 2023 had marked a major change for world home run and RBI king Majed Darwish, signing with Da Nang after two decades with Hanoi. At age 40, the Bahraini switch hitter led for the 11^th time in home runs (49) and the 13^th time in RBI (146). Darwish’s homer world record increased to 1172 and his RBI world record grew to 2801. Darwish also became the new world league in runs scored, getting 110 more and finishing the season at 2476. He passed CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia’s 2374, which had been the high mark since 1968. Darwish was now at 165.5, an especially incredible mark considering how much time he’s spent at DH. This put him in striking distance of Ratan Canduri’s 169.1 for the SAB WARlord title. Darwish also had a 31-game hit streak in 2023, tied for the second-longest in SAB to that point. Abhiji Srivas had the top mark with 35 games in 2019. Additionally, Darwish earned his 13^th Silver Slugger, although it was only his second at first base. He had ten as a DH and one in left field. Darwish joined V.J. Williams as the only SAB players with 13 Silver Sluggers at any position. 3B Yasir Malkawi won his 11^th Silver Slugger, setting a position record. In pitching milestones, Tamin Hasan wrapped his career at 4558 strikeouts, passing Zainal bin Aziz (4483) for the #2 spot. He remained second to Jay Singh’s 5000 exactly for the top mark. Devidasa Anantya and Harpal Kumaragupta were the 14^th and 15^th to reach 3500 strikeouts. Kywe Lwin was the 13^th to reach 300 saves. CF Omer al-Jabiri won his 8^th Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-17-2025, 06:05 AM	#1984
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in WAB Abidjan again took first in the Western League standings with an 108-54 record, earning their fifth playoff berth in six years. The Athletes did it with historic scoring, as their 1003 runs were the second-most in West African Baseball history behind only Cotonou’s 1012 from 2014. Last year’s WL runner-up guaranteed a repeat WLCS appearance, finishing 14 wins ahead of second place. Cape Verde took the #2 spot at 94-68 for repeat wild card berths, while Freetown (93-69) and Bamako (91-71) were close behind for the remaining spots. The Foresters also earned repeat wild cards, while the Bullfrogs are back in the postseason after having a seven-year streak snapped in 2022. Freetown allowed the fewest runs in the WL at 707. Accra was the first out at 86-76 with reigning WAB champ Conakry sixth at 85-77. The Coyotes had their postseason streak ended at five seasons. The Vulcans had their own impressive offense scoring 945 runs, led by 3B Okoro Yusuf for his fourth consecutive Western League MVP. The 26-year old Nigerian was the fourth to win 4+ MVPs in WAB history and the first to do it consecutively. In his seventh year for Cape Verde, Yusuf led in hits (234), triple slash (.393/.451/.713), OPS (1.164), wRC+ (198), and WAR (10.1). He added 43 doubles, 45 home runs, and 165 RBI. Yusuf has led in OPS and WAR in all four MVP seasons. His all-around bat was enough to take MVP despite historic power by Abidjan’s Abdel Aziz Ashraf. The 28-year old Egyptian LF became WAB’s new single-season home run king with 71 dingers, passing Yossoupha Diop’s 69 from the prior season. Ashraf also had 165 RBI, the sixth-best in WAB history to that point. Ashraf was all dingers though with only 6.1 WAR despite that power. Abidjan did get the Pitcher of the Year from Ibrahima Camara in his third season. It was the first full-time run in the rotation for the 23-year Senegalais righty, leading in WHIP (0.95), K/BB (10.0), and FIP- (73). Camara had a 16-1 record, 3.02 ERA, 209 strikeouts, 184.2 innings, and 5.1 WAR. He did miss about a month in the summer to a shoulder strain, but still stood out against a relatively weak field. Bamako upset Freetown 2-1 in the first round, then got rolled 2-0 by Cape Verde. For the Vulcans, this was their first Western League Championship Series trip since 2010, which saw a defeat to Abidjan. That was the Athletes’ most pennant, as they had gone 0-4 in their WLCS trips since. CV put up a valiant effort, but Abidjan survived 3-2 to end their 12-year pennant drought. The Athletes now had 14 Western League titles, leading the league. Port Harcourt was a surprising top seed in the Eastern League at 104-58, ending a seven-year playoff drought. Their last playoff berth saw a WAB title back in 2015. The Hillcats pitching staff set new EL records for strikeouts (1855) and K/9 (11.59). PH was the only WAB team to allow under 700 runs in 2023 with 658. In second place was Kano (96-66), who led the EL with 975 runs scored. The Condors bounced back after a surprising 74-88 run in 2022 that ended a six-year playoff streak. There was a significant drop down to Ibadan and Yaounde, taking the remaining playoff spots at 86-76. The Iguanas got repeat wild cards while the Yellowbirds earned their fifth berth in six years. Last year’s EL champ Niamey and Libreville tied for fifth at 81-81. The Lakers had their playoff streak end at three years. Although Niamey missed the cut, they had the Eastern League MVP in 3B Batch Kargbo. In only his second year starting, the 23-year old Gambian led in homers (62), total bases (421), slugging (.700), and OPS (1.087). Kargbo added 130 runs, 151 RBI, 161 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. He would miss some time in later years to knee troubles, but Kargbo would be the face of the Atomics for the next decade. You could’ve given the MVP to Pitcher of the Year winner Jacques Ahouansou of Port Harcourt, although he finished third in MVP voting. The 24-year old lefty from Benin had WAB’s 11^th Triple Crown pitching season with a 25-4 record, 2.34 ERA, and 372 strikeouts over 254 innings. He was the first WAB pitcher with above 370 Ks in more than 20 years with his mark ranking 23^rd on the leaderboard. Ahouansou also led in K/BB (14.9), quality starts (26), shutouts (5), FIP- (46), ERA+ (203), and WAR (11.9). The WAR mark was the second-best single season ever for a WAB pitcher behind only Kouadio Diao’s 13.69 from 1977. The Hillcats had locked up Ahouansou back after the 2021 season to a seven-year, $46,500,000 deal. Ibadan ousted Yaounde 2-0 in the first round, but promptly got rolled 2-0 by Kano in round two. The Condors were back in the Eastern League Championship Series for the first time since making four straight appearances from 2016-19. Kano pulled off the 3-2 upset at top seed Port Harcourt for their third pennant in seven years. The Condors became 16-time EL champs, earning more subleague titles than any other WAB team. The 49^th West African Championship would be the fifth finals meeting between WAB’s two most storied franchises. Kano had beaten Abidjan in their 1975, 1999, and 2001 encounters, while the Athletes’ lone win was 2000. The 2023 rematch was far less exciting as Abidjan swept the Condors, marking the third finals sweep in four years. Despite their many finals berths, this was only the fifth WAB title for the Athletes (1982, 1994, 2000, 2009, 2022). They’re 5-9 in the finals all-time now while Kano is 12-4. CF Morel Koffi was finals MVP in his Abidjan debut, as the 29-year old Ivorian had been a big free agent signing. He joined at four years and $76 million after six years with Ouagadougou. In 9 playoff games, Koffi had 7 hits, 5 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, and 8 RBI. Other notes: 2023 was the final year for Lawrence Nassif, who retired as WAB’s all-time leader in hits (3766), doubles (704), and RBI (2338). He also finished second in homers (755), runs (1959), and games played (2881) behind Darwin Morris. Nassif was only the ninth in any world league to reach 700+ doubles to that point. As of 2037 among all pros, he ranks 18^th in hits, 16^th in doubles, and 13^th in RBI. Fares Belaid was well on the way to reaching Nassif’s tallies at only age 34. In 2023, Belaid joined him as the only WAB batters with 3500 hits and finished the year at 687 doubles. Belaid was already the triples leader (353) and close to becoming the stolen bases leader, finishing the season at 1160. Mandjou Adado played his final season in 2023 to finish as the steals leader at 1199, followed by Morris at 1165. Belaid and Clarence Cole became the 10^th and 11^th to reach 1500 RBI. Ibrahim Sani and Edmilson Monteiro both got to 2500 hits, making 23 to reach the mark. Douba Abdramane was the 7^th pitcher to 200 wins. 2B El Hadj Khouna won his 7^th Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-17-2025, 04:08 PM	#1985
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in CLB The Northern League had a competitive field in 2023 with only ten games separating first place from eighth. The top two pulled away slightly at the end with Tianjin first (95-67) and Qingdao second (94-68). Both earned repeat playoff berths, although the Jackrabbits hadn’t finished first since 2005. Tianjin set a new Chinese League Baseball team record with 111 triples. The Devils meanwhile had the most runs in CLB in 2023 at 631. Dalian at 89-73 narrowly took third for their first playoff berth in a decade. Changchun and Nanjing tied for the final spot at 88-74, while Beijing (87-75), Jinan (86-76), and defending NL champ Urumqi (85-77) each fell just short. The Camels defeated the Nuggets in the one game playoff to advance for their fifth playoff berth in eight years. Nanjing’s playoff streak ended at three seasons despite allowing the fewest runs in CLB at 417. Northern League MVP went to Qingdao 3B Xiku Yan in his sixth season. The 28-year old lefty led in runs (97), hits (185), and WAR (10.4). Yan added 36 home runs, 105 RBI, .951 OPS, and 222 wRC+. The Devils committed to him after the 2024 season to a seven-year, $162,400,000 extension. Changchun righty Zhifeng Gao secured Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (1.45), strikeouts (344), WHIP (0.65), K/BB (15.6), and WAR (10.1). The 31-year old had a 187 ERA+ over 223.1 innings and 16-8 record. Unfortunately for Gao, an arthritic elbow the following year ended his Camels tenure. He’d still secure the bag on a four-year, $106.4 million deal with MLB’s Houston in 2025, but would be out of the game by 2026 after back-to-back rotator cuff tears. The Northern League’s Round Robin was a mess as all four teams finished at 3-3. After sorting out tiebreakers, Tianjin and Dalian advanced to the semifinal. The Jackrabbits hadn’t gotten that far since 2005, while the Gold Dragons’ last trip was 2007. After all the parity, top-seeded Tianjin dominated Dalian in a semifinal sweep. The Jackrabbits earned their seventh China Series trip, although they hadn’t gotten through since their mid 1980s dynasty. Xiamen surprised many by dominating the Southern League standings at 107-55. It was the first-ever 100+ win season for the Mutts, whose last playoff berth was their 2009 CLB Championship. That ended what was the longest active playoff drought in CLB at 13 seasons. Xiamen hadn’t finished first in the standings since 2006. The Mutts allowed the fewest runs in the SL at 446. 15 games away in second was 92-70 Guangzhou, earning their second playoff berth in three years. The final two spots had a glut with Foshan (87-75) getting third to extend their playoff streak to six. The Flyers were the SL’s top scoring team with 615 runs. Fourth saw a tie at 86-78 between Hong Kong and Kunming, while Shantou (85-77) and Changsha (84-78) just missed. The one-game tiebreaker had HK defeat the Muscle, keeping the reigning China Series winner’s repeat bid alive. The Champions earned a sixth straight playoff berth, having won the SL in four of the prior five seasons. Dongguan went from first in 2022 to 11^th in 2023 at 75-87. Leading Xiamen’s turnaround was an unlikely hero in Jeremy Marien, who won Southern League MVP. The 30-year old French first baseman was a late bloomer who failed to make the show in Europe in his 20s. The Mutts signed him in 2020 and he was only a part-timer in his first three years in China with 95 starts and 151 games. Marien earned the starting gig for the first time in 2023 and thrived, leading in RBI (102), walks (85), OBP (.408), slugging (.607), OPS (1.015), and wRC+ (214). He also had 97 runs, 46 home runs, .311 average, and 9.2 WAR. Guangzhou’s Kamesh Sajeev repeated as Pitcher of the Year in only his third season. The 24-year old Indian righty led in wins (17-9), strikeouts (334), WHIP (0.78), K/BB (11.9), complete games (19), FIP- (47), and WAR (10.1). Sajeev had a 1.86 ERA and 159 ERA+ over 251.2 innings. The top two seeds Xiamen and Guangzhou rolled to 5-1 in the Round Robin with both Hong Kong and Foshan going 1-5. The Gamecocks earned their second semifinal trip in three years and came away with a big upset despite being 15 wins beneath the Mutts. Guangzhou cruised to a 4-1 semifinal win over Xiamen for their first China Series trip since 2012. The Gamecocks earned their seventh finals berth overall. The 54^th China Series was the second time that Tianjin and Guangzhou had met in the championship. In the second-ever finale, the Gamecocks upset a 123-win Jackrabbits squad. Tianjin whooped Guangzhou 4-0 in the 2023 encounter to become five-time CLB champs (1972, 1983, 1986, 1988, 2023. The Jackrabbits were now tied with Beijing for the second-most rings with only Dalian (6) with more. Tianjin ended a 34-year title drought, the longest streak between titles in CLB history to that point. The previous long was Guangzhou at 28 years (1972-1999). SS Jun Xin was finals MVP in his ninth year for the Jackrabbits, bouncing back after missing the summer to a partially torn labrum. In 14 playoff starts, Xin had 15 hits, 5 runs,5 doubles, and 3 RBI. This continued a run of relatively uncompetitive China Series meetings, as each series from 2017-23 was either a sweep or 4-1. Other notes: 2023 was the final CLB season for three-time MVP CF Zhen Zhang, who would depart for MLB’s Philadelphia for his final three seasons at age 36. Zhang finished at 151.1 WAR, just shy of Junjie Hsiung’s 152.6 for the top spot among CLB position players. Zhang also left CLB ranked 4^th in home runs (474), 3^rd in hits (2396), 2^nd in runs (1159), and 2^nd in RBI (1212). Boyu Long and Cheng Kang formed the 500 home run club four days apart with Kang getting there on April 1 and Long on April 5. Wenzhou’s Long reclaimed the top spot by the end of the year, finishing his career with 537 homers. In his last year with Shijiazhuang, Kang got to 524 homers. The 35-year old Kang would have one more CLB season in 2024 with Guangzhou. Long, Kang, and Zhang each passed Xinze Yan’s career RBI mark of 1157. The season ended with Long first at 1238, followed by Zhang (1212) and Kang (1199). Kang and Long became the 14^th and 15^th to score 1000 career runs and Kang was the 15^th to 2000 hits. Both Zhang (CF) and Long (RF) notably became nine-time Silver Slugger winners. 2B Kenny Sang won his 7^th Silver Slugger. Bozhao Zhu became the 11^th to 400 home runs. RF Haojian Fang and 1B Jingzhe Liao both won a 7^th consecutive Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-17-2025, 07:06 PM	#1986
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in APB Austronesia Professional Baseball increased its active roster size from 24 to 25 beginning with 2023. APB had started with 25, but had lowered to 24 for the 1998 season. 25 was originally the “default” for most world leagues but many others had lowered their active roster in later years. The Taiwan-Philippine Association’s champs from 2022 both fell off steeply in 2023. Defending APB champ Quezon went from 94 wins to only 64 in 2023, while Taiwan League champ Taoyuan fell from 101 wins to 73. The opening put 2021 TPA champ Hsinchu back into the pole position. The Sweathogs dominated the TL at 106-56, leading the TPA in scoring with 667 runs. They were 16 games better than second place Kaohsiung and 17 ahead of Taichung. The Philippine League was closer, but still saw a firm win for 101-61 Zamboanga, who allowed the fewest runs at 410. Cebu (94-68) and Manila (92-70) were competitive, but came up short. The Zebras ended a three-year playoff drought, giving them their seventh playoff berth in the last 11 years. For the Crows, they notably ended a seven-year run of losing seasons. Hsinchu 1B Binh Tang won his fourth consecutive Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. Still in only his sixth season, the 23-year old Vietnamese lefty earned his second Triple Crown and broke APB’s single-season runs scored record with 122. Hector Constanza had held the top mark with 114 since 2001. Tang joined Eli Cheng and Tunggul Widhyasari as the only APB batters with multiple Triple Crown efforts. Tang led with 49 home runs, 106 RBI, 69 walks, 355 total bases, a .312/.393/.622 triple slash, 1.015 OPS, 202 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. His effort was the seventh-most WAR in a season by an APB position player to that point. The Sweathogs wisely extended the man that would later become known as “The King” for his historic dominance. In August, Tang inked an APB-record eight-year, $168,600,000 extension to keep him with Hsinchu into his early 30s. History was also made as Zamboanga ace Ching-Chen Yao won his tenth Pitcher of the Year award. He joined EPB great Matvey Ivanov (11) and CABA/MLB legend Junior Vergara (10) as the only pitchers in world history to win the award 10+ times. Now 35-years old, Yao was starting to wind down somewhat, as he didn’t lead in strikeouts for only the second time since 2012. He did extend his streak as the WHIP leader to 12 years, while leading in WAR for the tenth time and earning his eighth ERA title. Yao posted a 1.44 ERA over 200.1 innings, 15-4 record, 284 strikeouts, 0.59 WHIP, 17.8 K/BB, 197 ERA+, 37 FIP-, and 9.1 WAR. This would be his last full season, although he’d have three more injury-shortened seasons with the Zebras. Yao became the first APB player to breach 150 career WAR, while also becoming the 10^th pitcher to 4500 strikeouts and the 27^th to 200 wins. In the Sundaland Association, the top two records came out of the Java Sea League. Jakarta at 97-65 narrowly edged out last year’s winner Bandung at 93-69. That ended an 18-year playoff drought for the once proud Jaguars, which was the second-longest active drought in APB entering the year. They had rebuilt after bottoming out with an abysmal 48-112 record in 2018. The Blackhawks missed despite allowing the fewest runs at 357. Bandung’s pitching staff had a 5.58 H/9, setting a new APB record. Their 944 hits allowed and 0.797 WHIP were both the second-lowest in APB history. Also of note, Palembang had their first losing season since 2014. The Panthers were the SA champ from 2019-21. Reigning Sundaland Association champ Medan repeated in the Malacca League, but barely. The Marlins finished 88-74, edging Batam by one game, Pekanbaru by four, and Kuala Lumpur by six. Johor Bahru was 78-84 despite leading all SA teams with 540 runs. The Blue Wings also allowed the most runs at 565. The Blue Raiders had APB’s longest playoff drought, which grew to 24 years with their near miss in 2023. Medan right fielder Mohd Aqmal Kunanlan repeated as Sundaland Association MVP in his sixth year with the Marlins. The 28-year old Malaysian led in total bases (321), average (.292), and OBP (.348). Kunanlan had 75 runs, 42 home runs, 87 RBI, .922 OPS, 218 wRC+, and 8.0 WAR. He also hit for the cycle in 2023 in a 5-5 effort against Semarang on June 15. Purnandi Supriatna also repeated as Pitcher of the Year for Medan, winning the ERA title at 1.34. The 28-year old Indonesian lefty earned his third POTY in four years and had a 20-6 record, 13 saves, 208.1 innings, 291 strikeouts, 192 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR. This marked the end of an impressive APB career, as Supriatna would leave for MLB in the winter. He signed an eight-year, $199 million deal with Virginia Beach. While the bag was nice, Supriatna would only be decent in his tenure with the Vikings. Zamboanga rolled to a sweep of Hsinchu in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, ending a four-year title drought. The Zebras earned their sixth pennant since 2013 and ninth overall. On the other side, Medan repeated as Sundaland Association champ by defeating Jakarta 4-2. The Marlins also won their ninth pennant, setting up a first meeting against Zamboanga. Both Medan and Zamboanga had gone 2-6 in their previous finals appearances. In the 59^th Austronesia Championship, the Marlins defeated the Zebras in a seven-game classic to claim their third ring (1987, 1989, 2023). CF Jaime Sia was finals MVP in his fifth year for Medan. The 29-year old Indonesian in 13 starts had 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 1 homer, 5 RBI, and 8 walks in the postseason. Other notes: APB’s 48^th Perfect Game came on May 3 as Johor Bahru’s Vishy Gupta struck out 13 against Singapore. Sharks ace Fahrudin Ramli later that month threw his third career no-hitter against Jakarta, whom he did it to the prior year as well. Ramli was the 15^th pitcher in the low-scoring world of APB to throw 3+ no-hitters. 1B Widodo Megawati won his 13^th Gold Glove, becoming the 4th in APB history to win 13+ GGs. Meiga Rafiandri won his 7th Silver Slugger and his second at 1B. He had five previous Sluggers at 2B. 2023 was Rafiandri’s APB return with Pekanbaru after a seven-year MLB excursion with Las Vegas. His other Sluggers and an MVP came with Taipei. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-18-2025, 05:37 AM	#1987
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in OBA A fierce battle for the Australasia League title Christchurch prevail at 101-61, fending off defending Oceania Champion Sydney and Canberra both at 97-65. The Chinooks returned to the perch with their third title in four years. Christchurch won its 15^th AL pennant, tying Melbourne for the most. Brisbane (91-71) and Melbourne (89-73) were also in the mix for much of the year. For the 2006 expansion Centurions 97 wins matched their franchise best from 2012. Auckland had a shocking collapse down to 67-95. The Avengers were only a tiebreaker game away from the pennant the prior season. The Snakes offense stole 547 bases and only struck out 921 times, both were the second-best marks behind their own 2022 efforts. Canberra was the top scoring team (804) while Brisbane allowed the fewest runs (588). The Chinooks outperformed their expected win/loss by six en route to the title. Australasia League MVP went to Canberra RF Sumeet Singh in his third season. He was drafted in 2020 by New Caledonia, but was traded away for prospects to the Centurions for 2023. The 25-year old Fijian led in home runs (50), RBI (142), total bases (402), slugging (.681), OPS (1.058), and wRC+ (196). Singh added 7.3 WAR and a .339 batting average. He would sign a four-year, $53.6 million extension the following spring. Also of note, his Canberra teammate Ashley Chinnery had a .429 on-base percentage, setting a new OBA single-season record. The previous best was Samson Gould’s .423 from 2005. Sydney’s Chuchuan Cao repeated as Pitcher of the Year in his second season in Australia. The 34-year old Chinese lefty was now a seven-time POTY winner overall counting his five wins in CLB with Shenyang. Cao led in wins (25-9), innings (324), strikeouts (347), quality starts (27), complete games (19), shutouts (6), FIP- (64), and WAR (10.7). He also had a 2.89 ERA and 131 ERA+. The former two-way star only hit during his pitching starts in 2023, but added 1.0 WAR offensively with a .277/.323/.529 slash line over 127 plate appearances. Cao now had a combined career WAR of 181.0, moving to seventh all-time among all players in pro baseball history. Port Moresby dominated the Pacific League to end a 37-year title drought going back to 1985. The Mud Hens were 102-60 and scored by far the most runs in the league with 847, 130 ahead of second place. PM had a .283 team batting average with 1596 hits, both the second-best in PL history. Port Moresby’s .332 OBP was the third-best season. Timor was a distant second at 90-72 with Samoa third at 89-73. Two-time defending PL champ Vanuatu fell to fifth at 83-79, two behind 85-77 Guam. The Tapirs notably allowed the fewest runs at 543. Timor had been terrible prior to 2023, as this was their first winning season since joining in the 2006 expansion. Also of note was Guadalcanal falling to 76-86, their first losing season since 2008. It was no surprise that Port Moresby had the Pacific League’s MVP and Pitcher of the Year. The former was CF Stanley Yeo, winning MVP for the second time in three years. The 27-year old hometown hero led in slugging (.673), OPS (1.068), wRC+ (200), and WAR (11.7). Yeo added 45 home runs, 115 RBI, .343 average, 115 runs, and 72 stolen bases. Colton Stark repeated as Pitcher of the Year in his eighth season. The 30-year old Australian led in wins (27-9), ERA (2.16), WHIP (0.91), K/BB (10.4), quality starts (34), FIP- (52), and WAR (12.3). He struck out 355 over 304.2 innings, missing the Triple Crown by 24 Ks. The Mud Hens extended Stark in spring training for six years and $152 million to remain their ace. In the 64^th Oceania Championship, Port Moresby defeated Christchurch 4-2 to win their second-ever title, joining the 1985 win. The Chinooks have lost their last five finals and are now 3-12 all-time in the finale, giving them the most runner-up finishes of any franchise in any league. League MVP Stanley Yeo was also finals MVP, going 10-23 with 7 runs, 2 triples, 3 homers, 4 RBI, and 4 steals. Other notes: In his final season, Adrian Kali passed Arjita Gabeja’s 1683 to become OBA’s leader in runs scored with 1704. Kali’s final tally as the OBA hit king was 3467 and he became OBA’s total bases leader at 6115, besting Junia Lava’s 6014. Kali’s 650 home runs ranked 7^th at retirement and his 1979 RBI finished only ten behind Lava’s 1989 for the top spot. He finished one game short of being the fourth to play 3000 games in OBA. Dale Harper joined that group by getting to 3055 games in 2023, ranking third all-time. Harper stayed ahead of Kali for OBA’s most doubles with the top three all incidentally ending their OBA careers in 2023. Harper finished at 596 doubles, followed by Kali at 572 and Naldo Soto at 570. Harper moved to #2 on the hits list, retiring at 3265 while Soto’s 2921 hits placed him 5^th at retirement. Roe Kaupa and Aston Abavu became the 22^nd and 23^rd to reach 2500 hits. Kaupa won his 13^th Silver Slugger overall and his 7^th at first base. He was the first 13-time winner at any spot in OBA. Kaupa ended 2023 in striking distance of numerous top marks with 1637 runs, 774 home runs, and 1765 RBI. He was 30 homers from Vavao Brighouse’s top mark of 804 and 67 runs from Kali’s new top mark, both reachable in 2024 at age 37. Kaupa was 224 RBI away from passing Lava for first, achievable with two good years. Kaupa had 45+ homers, 100+ RBI, and 90+ runs in each of the last 13 seasons. In other milestones, 2B Trey Cruz won his 7^th Silver Slugger. Isaac Endo became the 16^th member of the 500 home run club and Peyton McCoy became the 22^nd pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. Jayden Owens passed Scott Kyle’s 402 saves to become the new OBA leader at 409. CF Pouvalu Manu won his 9^th consecutive Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-18-2025, 11:25 AM	#1988
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in EPB Both European League division champs repeated and took first by double-digit wins. North Division champ Minsk (103-59) narrowly edged out South Division champ Volgograd (102-60) for the #1 seed. The Miners earned their third berth in four years, while the reigning EL champ Voyagers made it four straight playoff trips. Volgograd led the EL in scoring with 704 runs, followed by Minsk at 684. For the wild cards, Voronezh (92-70) and Moscow (90-72) advanced while Samara (87-75), St. Petersburg (86-76), and Krasnodar (85-77) missed the cut. Both the Zephyrs and Mules earned their fifth playoff berth of the last seven years. The Polar Bears allowed the fewest runs at 496, followed by Moscow at 518. The Mules have now gone 25 seasons without a losing record. Nizhny Novgorod, who had back-to-back playoff berths, fell off sharply to 70-92. Volgograd CF Roman Sheshukov won European League MVP for the second time, having also done it in 2020. The 30-year old Russian won his second Gold Glove while leading in RBI (117), total bases (334), slugging (.569), and WAR (9.5). Sheshukov had 88 runs, 42 home runs, .899 OPS, and 170 wRC+. It was a nice bounce-back for him, as he had missed more than two months the prior year to a strained hamstring. The Voyagers also had the Pitcher of the Year Svyatoslav Tyahnybok, winning the top honor for the fourth time in five years. The 29-year old Ukrainian righty led in wins (22-6) while posting a 2.28 ERA over 260.2 innings, 335 strikeouts, 139 ERA+, and 7.2 WAR. It was actually his lowest WAR of the last five years, which shows how impressive he has been. Tyahnybok signed a five-year, $57,300,000 extension with Volgograd before the 2023 campaign. Minsk survived a fierce challenge 3-2 against Moscow in the first round, while Volgograd cruised to a sweep of Voronezh. The Voyagers had a shot at their third pennant in four years, while this was the first time since 2011 that the historic powerhouse Miners had made it to the European League Championship Series. The 11 year gap was Minsk’s longest between ELCS berths in franchise history by a healthy margin. The Miners had the home field advantage, but that didn’t slow down Volgograd as the Voyagers cruised to the pennant 4-1. Krasnoyarsk won the Asian League’s East Division for the fifth straight year and grew their playoff streak to six. The Cossacks were again the top seed, leading all offenses by a healthy margin with 782 runs. Krasnoyarsk set new Eurasian Professional Baseball team records for batting average (.289) and hits (1658). They also had the second-most doubles (316) and tied for the most triples (115) in EPB history. The Cossacks were 20 games better than their closest divisional foe. Perm picked up the West Division for the fourth year running at 98-64. The Pitbulls and Yekaterinburg both allowed the AL’s fewest runs with 526. The Yaks (91-71) and Chelyabinsk (88-74) got the wild cards with Vladivostok (83-79) as the first team out. The Cadets earned a fifth wild card in a row, while Yekaterinburg ended a decade-long drought. Reigning EPB champ Omsk was a non-factor at 70-92. Krasnoyarsk DH Timofei Kalinin won Asian League MVP in his sixth season. The 26-year old Russian lefty led in runs (120), homers (50), RBI (113), total bases (367), slugging (.622), OPS (.961), and wRC+ (179). He was only the fifth in EPB history to score 120+ runs in a season. Kalinin added 7.5 WAR and a .300 average. Pitcher of the Year went to Perm lefty Bassam Zkarneh. The 29-year old Palestinian was in his fourth season with the Pitbulls, coming to Russia in 2020 after five years in the Arab League. Zkarneh led in quality starts (31) and posted a 1.96 ERA over 257.1 innings, 20-8 record, 284 strikeouts, 160 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR. He had one more year with Perm before becoming a journeyman for the next decade, bouncing around between nine teams between EPB and MLB. Krasnoyarsk survived 3-2 against Chelyabinsk in the first round while Yekaterinburg shocked Perm with a road sweep. The Cossacks earned their sixth Asian League Championship Series trip in eight years, although they had gone 1-4 in their appearances. The Yaks hadn’t made it this far since their 2012 title. The series went all seven games with only home wins, favoring top seed Krasnoyarsk over Yekaterinburg. The Cossacks won their eighth Asian League pennant (1959, 1974, 1982, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2018, 2023). The 69^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was the first to go all seven games since 2019. Volgograd outlasted Krasnoyarsk to secure their first title, becoming the 23^rd different franchise to win the EPB trophy. The Voyagers were the fourth expansion team to pull it off, joining Rostov, Krasnodar, and Perm. Second-year LF Seriozhenka Gusarov was finals MVP, making 15 playoff starts with 20 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 7 homers, and 19 RBI. He was two away from the EPB playoff RBI record. Pitcher of the Year Svyatoslav Tyahnybok also notably set a new record with 59 strikeouts, breaking the previous high of 56 by three guys in the 1990s. Tyahnybok had a 2.92 ERA over 40 innings in the playoffs. Other notes: Nizhny Novgorod’s Jafar Kholov drew 121 walks to set a new EPB single-season record. Krasnoyark’s Roman Rudenko had 51 doubles, becoming only the fourth in EPB to reach 50+. The mark was last reached in 1965. Evhen Kononenko of Ufa was the sixth in EPB to strike out 21+ in a game, fanning 21 in 9.1 innings versus Omsk on July 1. 2023 was the first season since 2015 without a no-hitter in EPB. In milestones, Igor Gorbatyuk became the 3^rd to reach 1500 runs scored. Nikolay Kargopolcev and Evgeny Kiselev became the 8^th and 9^th to get to 1500 RBI. Yuriy Isakov and Yevhen Berkhamov were the 25^th and 26^th to reach 2500 hits. DH Pavel Khuzin won his 9^th Silver Slugger. It was his 2^nd as a DH with seven at 2B. 1B Artur Sagdatullin won his 15^th and final Gold Glove. He became only the 7^th in all of pro baseball history to win 15 GGs. Sagdatullin was the only EPB player to achieve the feat and the 2^nd to do it at first base (BSA’s D.J. Del Valle won 16 at 1B). LF Brandon Chunchignorov won his 8^th Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-18-2025, 06:35 PM	#1989
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in EBF Reigning European Champion Dublin was again dominant, taking the Northern Conference’s top seed at 114-48 atop the West Division. The Dinos won their fourth consecutive division title and led the entire European Baseball Federation with 872 runs. Rotterdam gave them an impressive run for the top seed, crushing the Central Division at 110-52. The Ravens earned a third straight division title and allowed the conference’s fewest runs at 544. The East Division had a two-team battle with Hamburg (98-64) edging out Berlin (97-65). The Hammers won their seventh straight division title and got their eighth playoff berth in nine years. The Barons picked up their second wild card in five years. It was a seven game drop to the next contenders for the remaining two wild cards. Advancing were Hanover (90-72) and Edinburgh (89-73), while just missing were Leipzig (88-74) and Frankfurt (85-77). For the Hitmen, it was their first-ever playoff berth or winning season in seven years amongst the EBF Elite. The Enforcers picked up back-to-back wild cards. Cologne (83-79), Kharkiv (83-79), and Warsaw (82-80) were the other teams above .500. Notably Amsterdam, a wild card last year, fell to 77-85. It was only their second losing season since 2009. Three teams suffered relegation in the Northern Conference with 100+ loss campaigns. Helsinki and Reykjavik were both abysmal at 54-108, while Sheffield only narrowly fell below the cut line at 61-101. Paris at 66-96 was close, but survived. The Honkers and Raccoons both lasted only three years in their return to the top tier. The Steelhounds had an eight-year tenure and a division title in 2017, but had been below .500 consistently otherwise. Oslo was an unremarkable 81-81, but the legend of shortstop Harvey Coyle continued to grow. At age 36, he became EBF’s first-ever nine-time MVP and became the league’s new career home run king. Coyle hadn’t been MVP since winning eight from 2009-17, but he had continued to play at a high level. He became the seventh player in pro baseball history to win 9+ MVPs. In 2023, the switch-hitting Englishman won his 13th Silver Slugger. Coyle led in home runs (60), RBI (133), slugging (.737), OPS (1.112), and wRC+ (198). He added 108 runs, .307 average, and 12.1 WAR. It was his eighth time leading in homers and his tenth season worth 12+ WAR. Coyle ended the year with 878 home runs, passing Jack Kennedy’s EBF record 875 that had stood since 1995. Coyle was already EBF’s WARlord and grew that tally to 190.1, becoming only the fifth in baseball history to breach 190. 2023 also saw Coyle’s second cycle of his career. He also finished the season at 1987 RBI, 1694 runs, and 2863 hits. Pitcher of the Year was Antwerp’s Isak Alsaker in his seventh year starting for the Airedales. The 28-year old Norwegian lefty led in ERA (2.17), innings (256.2), WHIP (0.85), and quality starts (26). Alsaker had a 16-9 record, 275 strikeouts, 175 ERA+, and 6.1 WAR. Antwerp would trade Alsaker to Rotterdam in the offseason, then he’d sign in 2025 to a six-year, $135 million deal with Dublin. Berlin edged Hanover 2-1 in the first round and Hamburg swept Edinburgh. The powerhouse top seeds prevailed in round two, although Dublin needed all five games to outlast the Barons. Rotterdam meanwhile defeated the Hammers 3-1. The Dinos made their fourth consecutive Northern Conference Championship with a shot at their third pennant in four years. For the Ravens, this was their deepest run since 2003. With 114 wins versus 110 wins, it was perhaps the most stacked conference final in EBF history. It lived up to the hype with an incredible seven game clash that saw Dublin defeat Rotterdam to repeat. This was the second time the Dinos had won three pennants in four years, having also done it from 2010-13. It was the tenth Northern Conference crown for the Irish capital, passing Amsterdam for the most. Zagreb destroyed the Southern Conference competition at 113-49, earning a fourth consecutive playoff berth and their second Central Division title in four years. The Gulls led the conference in runs with 861 and led all of EBF with 539 runs allowed. Zagreb’s offense had 137 triples, one short of the EBF team record. The Gulls broke their own franchise record for wins set two years prior at 108-54. They were 19 wins ahead of the next best team on the conference. The West Division was especially intense with four teams ending the regular season within three wins of each other. Two Central division teams made for an even tighter wild card race with six teams separated by four wins. Munich won the division at 94-68, beating Zurich by one game and both Seville and Milan by three. The Mavericks won their third consecutive division title and grew their playoff streak to four. The Mountaineers and the Central Division’s Brno were both 93-69, taking the first two wild cards. Zurich got its seventh playoff berth in eight years while the Bandits got their second in three years. For the final spot, Seville and Milan tied at 91-71 with Palermo just missing at 90-72. The Stingrays defeated the Maulers in the tiebreaker game to take the last spot. It was an impressive return for Seville, who won the European Second League title the prior year. The third division title went to 92-70 Chisinau in the East, topping last year’s division champ Skopje by nine. The Counts also notably had just returned to the top tier, earning promotion as the E2L runner-up in 2022. Notably absent from the 2023 playoff field was 2022 conference champ Naples, as the Nobles struggled to 71-91. Both Cluj-Napoca and Dnipro got demoted, falling exactly at the cut line of 62-100. Toulouse (65-97) and Malta (66-96) were both close, but survived. With that, there would be a hefty five team turnover for 2024. The Paladins won a division title in 2020 upon their EBF Elite debut, but fell after that. The Defenders lasted only two seasons in the top tier, having won the 2021 E2L title. Zagreb’s dominance extended to the top awards, including a repeat and the third Southern Conference MVP in four years for Aleksandr Parts. The 29-year old Estonian first baseman led in hits (221), total bases (383), triple slash (.388/.451/.673), OPS (1.125), wRC+ (201), and WAR (10.5). His OBP was the sixth-best single season and his batting average the seventh-best to that point. Parts also had 32 doubles, 32 triples, 22 homers, 107 RBI, and 93 stolen bases. Parts opted out of his current deal after the 2025 season to sign a new heftier six-year, $158,400,000 deal with Zagreb. A.J. Magee won his sixth Pitcher of the Year, joining Hall of Famers Lindsey Brampton and Jean-Luc Roch as the only aces to do it in EBF. The 33-year old Northern Irishman led in wins (23-5), innings (255.1), and WAR (7.5). Magee added 2.71 ERA, 226 strikeouts, and 146 ERA+. Magee became the 39^th member of the 200 win club and won his second Gold Glove. He would pitch only two more seasons before calling it quit after an impressive 14-year run in Croatia. Zurich edged Brno 2-1 in the first round and Chisinau topped Seville 2-0. Zagreb cruised to a round two sweep of the Mountaineers, while Munich survived 3-2 over the Counts. The Gulls grabbed their second Southern Conference Championship trip in four years, while the Mavericks earned a fourth straight trip. Zagreb had the top seed in their 2021 encounter, but Munich prevailed in five games. The Gulls were trying to end a 47-year pennant drought and were the heavy favorite. However, their season would be one of the great disappointments as Munich again had their number for a 4-1 victory. The Mavericks won their fourth SC pennant in six years (2018, 2020, 2021, 2023) and their tenth overall. The 74^th European Championship was a rematch of 2020, which had seen a 4-2 Munich win over Dublin. Despite both teams making their tenth finals appearance, that was their only prior finals encounter. The Dinos got revenge over the Mavericks 4-2 to repeat as EBF’s best. Dublin now had seven European Championship wins (1962, 1967, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2022, 2023), leading all teams. Munich moved to 4-6 in their finals trips. Two-way player Krystian Flasza was the finals MVP in his third season for Dublin. After six seasons with Krakow, the 32-year old from Poland was traded to the Dinos for the 2021 season. In the playoffs he tossed 34.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA and 20 strikeouts. At the plate, Flasza played 18 games with 10 hits, 4 runs, 3 homers, and 7 RBI. Dinos reliever Ruslan Zinchenko also notably set an EBF record with 14 appearances, posting a 1.99 ERA, 7 saves, and 28 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. Other notes: In a farewell season for Dublin, Gianfranco Marinis had an 11-4 record, 3.90 ERA, and 103 strikeouts in 159.1 innings. That was enough to finish with a 302-225 record, passing Jean-Luc Roch’s 300 for the all-time wins mark. Marinis became the 38^th in world history to crack 300 wins mainly via impressive durability, as he had a career 3.77 ERA and 103 ERA+. Marinis also became the 10^th EBF ace with 4000 strikeouts. He retired the EBF leader in innings (4939), starts (607), and hits allowed (5269). As of 2037, he ranks 27^th among all pitchers in innings. Hamburg’s Max Gerlach broke his own single-season record for on-base percentage with .468, topping the previous best of .462 from 2020. Gerlach’s 2023 ranks 24^th in world history as of 2037. Emanuel Koch became the 12^th reliever to 300 career saves. Johan Almgren became the 19^th member of the 600 home run club. LF Coniglio Branca won his 7^th Gold Glove. Finals MVP Krystian Flasza won his 7^th Silver Slugger as a pitcher. Promotion/Relegation: There was massive movement with five teams promoted and five relegated based on 2023’s results. Leaving the EBF Elite were Sheffield, Reykjavik, Helsinki, Cluj-Napoca, and Dnipro. Earning promotion from the European Second League were Zaragoza, Tallinn, Riga, Nottingham, and Thessaloniki. Below are the divisional shifts for 2024. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-19-2025, 04:35 AM	#1990
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in BSA Fresh off winning Copa Sudamerica and the Baseball Grand Championship at 114-48, Caracas had a lot of eyes on them for 2023. The Colts couldn’t replicate the win total, but still narrowly had the Bolivar League’s best record at 100-62. They also set a new Beisbol Sudamerica record for runs scored with 917. Caracas also had the second-best season attendance in BSA history at 2,728,861, behind only their 2,859,209 from the prior year. Caracas claimed a seventh consecutive Venezuela Division title and became the first team in Beisbol Sudamerica history to win 100+ games in seven consecutive seasons. They had close competition in the division with Ciudad Guayana at 96-66. That earned the Giants the second wild card for their third playoff appearance in six years. CG’s offense was also impressive at 870 runs scored and an even better OPS than Caracas (.832 vs .822). Valencia missed out on a third straight wild card with an 87-75 finish. Meanwhile for the top seed, both Barranquilla and Cali were close behind Caracas as they battled for the Colombia-Ecuador Division. The Blues and Cyclones were both 98-64 after 162 games with Barranquilla winning the tiebreaker game. The Blues repeated as division champs and Cali repeated as a wild card. Quito was also in the mix for a bit at 89-73, allowing the fewest runs in the league at 631. Lastly in the Peru-Bolivia Division, Arequipa (90-72) prevailed over Santa Cruz (86-76). This was the Arrows’ first winning season and division title since 2013. Last year’s division winner Callao struggled to 71-91. Since BSA doesn’t give division winners seeding preference, Arequipa is the #5 seed and must travel to Ciudad Guayana in the first round. The Giants swept the top awards with Bolivar League MVP going to LF R.J. Zavaleta. It was the second MVP for the 30-year old Venezuelan, who also won back in 2017. Zavaleta scored 138 runs, only three short of the BSA single-season record 141 set in 1976 by Jasper Saucedo. Zavaleta also led in total bases (429), and slugging (.725). He had 47 homers, 113 RBI, .360 average, 1.120 OPS, and 8.9 WAR. Zavaleta stayed one more year with Ciudad Guayana, then took a mammoth five-year, $160 million deal with MLB’s Los Angeles Angels. Pitcher of the Year went to veteran journeyman Lope Martinez, who signed for just 2023 with Ciudad Guayana. The 34-year old Bolivian lefty had previous stints with La Paz, Asuncion, and Santa Cruz with mostly average production. In 2023, Martinez led in wins (23-6) and innings (263.2). He posted a 2.70 ERA, 239 strikeouts, 157 ERA+, and 6.9 WAR. This was the only season of his career above 4+ WAR. Martinez would play two more seasons with Brasilia before retiring. Ciudad Guayana edged Arequipa 2-1 and gave their Venezuelan rival Caracas a fight in the divisional series. However, the Colts survived 3-2 to earn their fourth Bolivar League Championship Series trip in six years. Barranquilla had beaten Cali in the tiebreaker game for the division, but the Cyclones got playoff revenge with a surprising road sweep. The BLCS had a rematch for the first time since Medellin/Santa Cruz in 2009-10. Caracas held on in a seven-game classic over Cali to pull off the repeat. The Colts became 15-time Bolivar League champs, leading all teams. Santiago repeated as the Southern Cone League’s top seed, winning the South Central Division for the fourth straight year at 104-58. Concepcion gave them a tough challenge again at 96-66, easily earning the first wild card. The Saints earned their eighth playoff berth in nine years, while the Chiefs nabbed their 11^th in 13 years. Two-time defending league champ Fortaleza was the #2 seed at 101-61 to repeat as North Division champ. The Foxes got their fourth berth in five years and led the league with 799 runs. In the Southeast Division, Rio de Janeiro (88-74) squeaked by both Buenos Aires (87-75) and Sao Paulo (84-78). The Redbirds got their second division title in three years. The Atlantics were one back in the division, but luckily one ahead of Belo Horizonte (86-76) for the second wild card. BA got repeat wild cards and allowed the fewest runs at 568. They were one game better than the Hogs, three over the Padres, and four better than Recife. Concepcion 1B Julio Saucedo had a remarkable debut, winning both Southern Cone League MVP and Rookie of the Year. He joined Ynilo Zapata (1952) as the only BSA players to win both in the same season. Saucedo wasn’t even a highly touted prospect, getting taken 66^th by the Chiefs back in the 2019 draft. The Chilean led in RBI (123), and total bases (390) while adding 44 homers, .372 average, 1.091 OPS, 214 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR. His WAR was the second-best by a BSA ROTY winner behind only Timoteo Caruso’s 9.9 on the mound in 1936. Santiago’s Brayan Campos won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 22-4. The 27-year old Chilean righty had a 2.32 ERA over 248.1 innings, 208 strikeouts, 161 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR. Also of note, Sao Paulo’s Tony Montes won his fourth Reliever of the Year in five seasons. He became the eighth in BSA history to win the award 4+ times. Sadly, Montes’ blew out his elbow in 2025 to essentially end his career just after his 30^th birthday Rio de Janeiro beat Buenos Aires 2-0 in the first round, then shocked top seed Santiago 3-2 in the divisional series. The Redbirds earned their first Southern Cone Championship trip since their 2016 pennant. Concepcion ousted defending champ Fortaleza with a 3-1 road upset, giving the Chiefs their first LCS since their 2018 title. Concepcion bested Rio 4-2 for their fourth pennant since 2012 and seventh overall; an impressive haul for a 1974 expansion team. The 93^rd Copa Sudamerica was not the first meeting between Concepcion in Caracas. Back in 1987, the Chiefs won their first Cup 4-1 over the Colts. The reigning Grand Champion Caracas repeated as Beisbol Sudamerica champ, although they needed all seven games to outlast Concepcion. It was the first Copa Sudamerica since 2017 to go the distance. Caracas was the first repeat champ since Bogota (2004-05). 2B Daniel Schafer won finals MVP with 19 playoff starts, 24 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 9 RBI. The signing of the two-time MVP was paying dividends, as Schafer had delivered two Cups in two years since leaving from Manaus. It was the Colts’ sixth cup (1933, 1959, 1960, 1962, 2022, 2023), tying them for the most along with Sao Paulo, Santiago, Salvador, Medellin, and Buenos Aires. Other notes: Arequipa LF Paco Amorim set a new BSA record for walks drawn with 109, besting Claude Pena’s 108 that stood since 1978. Amorim also had the best-ever on-base percentage in BSA at .479, beating Bernaldo Lagasse’s .470 from 2006. Fortaleza’s Juan Carlos Rivera also topped Lagasse’s mark in 2023 with a .476 OBP. On September 16, Santa Cruz’s Bartolo Flores had a remarkable 21 strikeout no-hitter against Barquisimeto, while walking one. This broke BSA’s record for Ks in a no-no, as 20 had been done twice. It was the 18^th time in BSA that a pitcher fanned 21+ in any outing, but that hadn’t happened since 1983. 14 of those 18 games are split between legendary aces Mohamed Ramos and Lazaro Rodriguez. In other pitching notables, Adrian Chacon became the 66^th to reach 200 wins. Niccolo Coelho became the 4^th member of the 800 home run club. Daniel Schafer was the 70^th to 2500 hits. Cicero Lugo became the 32^nd to 1500 RBI. Lugo and Michael Escalante made the 500 home run club, now 54 members strong. Lugo also won his 15^th Silver Slugger at catcher, matching SS Diego Pena for the most in BSA history. Of the ten players in world history to this point with 15+ Sluggers, Lugo is the only catcher. SS Tajo Rios won his 8^th Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-19-2025, 08:06 AM	#1991
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in EAB For the 2023 season, East Asia Baseball lowered its active roster size from 25 back to 24 players. EAB had started with 25, then lowered to 24 for the 1967 season. They had moved back to 25 from 1998 until changing again to 24 for 2023. The Japan League had notable parity in 2023 with no 100+ win teams and only two games separating the #1 seed from #3. Chiba surprised many by taking the top spot at 97-65 atop the Capital Division, bouncing back from repeat 70-92 seasons. The Comets were 11 games ahead of last year’s division winner Tokyo. Kobe at 96-66 claimed the Central Division and the #2 seed, although they had the toughest opposition. Nagoya missed by three at 93-69 while Osaka was 90-72 and Kyoto was 87-75, ending the Kamikaze’s bid for a third straight JLCS berth. The Orange Sox got their ninth consecutive winning season. For the Blaze, this ended an 18-year postseason drought, which was the longest active skid in Japan. Kobe was a mere 67-95 the prior year and hadn’t been above .500 since 2016. The Blaze allowed the fewest runs in the JL (536) while Osaka scored the most (718). Reigning EAB champ Fukuoka fell significantly from their historic 110-win 2022, but still won a fourth straight West Division at 95-67. Kumamoto was their only competitor at 90-72, which was an impressive turnaround as they hadn’t even won 70+ games since 2017. Sapporo was the only team of note in the North Division at 90-72 for their fourth division title in six years. Saitama, who won the North the prior two seasons, limped to 70-92. Leading Kobe’s turnaround was Japan League MVP Se-Yeon Kwan in his fourth year starting. The 25-year old center fielder led in total bases (340) and WAR (9.7). Kwan had 107 runs, 28 doubles, 19 triples, 28 homers, 83 RBI, 71 stolen bases, and .951 OPS. He also hit for the cycle in May against Sendai. The Blaze secured him into his 30s with an eight-year, $230 million extension signed in the winter. Fukuoka ace Toshikuni Naikai won his seventh Pitcher of the Year and his sixth consecutive, joining Yu-Geon Moon as EAB’s only seven-timers. His accumulations were down noticeably as a herniated disc and wrist soreness cost him a sizeable chunk of the season, including the playoffs. Still, Naikai was dominant enough again to lead in WAR (10.3) despite only 147.2 innings. Naikai didn’t have the innings to qualify for his seventh ERA title, but his 1.04 mark would’ve won easily. He had a 14-3 record, 282 strikeouts, 0.61 WHIP, 334 ERA+, and 7 FIP-. On April 6, he tossed his fourth no-hitter in a 17 strikeout, 1 walk effort over Hiroshima. Naikai joined 1920s legend Zeshin Saito as the only EAB pitchers with four career no-nos. This would be his final year of unprecedented dominance at age 32. Naikai would still pitch four more seasons, but injuries would make him finally appear mortal. Still, his eight year 2016-23 run may be the most dominant stretch of any pitcher ever, posting 97.9 WAR over 1580 innings, 2877 strikeouts, 132-25 record, and a 1.17 ERA. Even with Naikai hurt, Fukuoka swept Kobe in the first round to keep their repeat hopes alive. Chiba swept Sapporo on the other side, sending the Comets to their first Japan League Championship Series since 2013. Home field advantage wasn’t enough for Chiba to dethrone Fukuoka, as the Frogs won it 4-2 to repeat. This was the fifth JL pennant for Fukuoka (1928, 1929, 1980, 2022, 2023). The Korea League’s South Division again was where the strength was concentrated. Changwon repeated as division champ with an impressive 108-54 finish, earning their seventh playoff berth in eight years. The Crabs led in both runs scored (819) and fewest allowed (558). Busan (98-64) and defending KL champ Daegu (95-67) both easily got repeat wild cards with Suwon a distant third at 87-75. The Blue Jays’ playoff streak grew to four seasons. The North Division did see a shakeup with Bucheon on top at 92-70, earning their first playoff berth since 2012. The Bolts had been awful recently, going 70-92 the prior year with three 100+ loss seasons before that. Suwon (87-75), last year’s division winner Incheon (86-76) and Seongnam (85-77) were the closest foes. The Spiders notably posted a tenth straight winning season, although it was the third year running that they missed the playoffs anyway. Daegu swept the top awards, led by Korea League MVP In-Seong Doko. The 24-year old DH led in hits (209), OBP (.393), and wRC+ (171). Doko added 7.0 WAR, 103 runs, 40 doubles, 34 homers, and 116 RBI. He eventually inked an eight-year, $240 million extension with the Diamondbacks after the 2025 season, although he’d run into injuries and a steep decline soon after that deal. Hyuk Kim was Pitcher of the Year in his sixth full season with the Diamondbacks, leading in wins at 23-5. Kim had a 2.47 ERA over 255 innings, 266 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, and 8.2 WAR. He signed a four-year, $107,400,000 extension in 2023’s spring training. Kim also would run into injuries and would have trouble replicating his 2023 success. Those two led Daegu to a 3-1 first round upset over top seed Changwon, keeping the Diamondbacks’ repeat hopes alive. The other wild card Busan also secured a 3-1 upset over Bucheon, sending the Blue Jays to their second Korea League Championship Series in three years. Busan downed Daegu 4-2 to earn their first pennant since 2009. This was the 12^th time as Korean champ for the Blue Jays, which ranked as the third most behind the Diamondbacks (15) and Pyongyang (13). In the 103^rd East Asian Championship, Fukuoka rolled 4-1 over Busan to secure repeat titles and their fourth overall (1929, 1980, 2022, 2023). RF Ji-Su Cho was finals MVP in his eighth year for the Frogs. In 14 playoff starts, Cho had 22 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, and 16 RBI for 1.234 OPS. Other notes: Chiba’s Naohisa Sakiyama set a new playoff record for OBP at .588 over 34 plate appearances. Sang-Beom Shin became the 33^rd member of the 600 home run club and Masaru Ochiai became the 71^st member of the 500 home run club. Jae-A Choi became the 24^th to reach 3000 hits. SS Yuko Onishi won his 7^th Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-19-2025, 07:19 PM	#1992
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in CABA Mexico City exploded in 2023 with a 117-45 season, setting a new Mexican League wins record. The previous best was Monterrey’s 1995 championship season at 116-46, while the CABA record was 118-44 by both 1933 Jamaica and 1969 Guatemala. The Aztecs earned a third straight playoff berth and their second North Division title of that stretch. MC allowed the fewest runs in CABA at 519 and were second in scoring in the ML at 801 runs. Defending Mexican League champ Juarez was dominant in their own right at 108-54 atop the South Division, growing their playoff streak to a decade. The Jesters had their ninth 100+ win season of that streak. It was a steep drop down to the wild card contenders. Chihuahua (91-71) got the first slot to end a decade-long playoff drought. It was their first winning season since 2015. For the second spot, Puebla (89-73) edged out Ecatepec (88-74), Tijuana (86-76), Torreon (83-79), and Queretaro (82-80). The Pumas earned their second berth in five years. The Explosion notably even outscored Mexico City with 812 runs, but also allowed the most at 792. Ecatepec’s offense had the third-most doubles in ML history at 305, while the pitching allowed the most hits in ML history at 1660. Although the Tomahawks missed the playoffs again, they still haven’t had a losing season in the 21^st Century. Mexico City took the top awards, led by Mexican League MVP Gilles Guerrier in his first year as a full-time starter. The 23-year old Haitian third baseman started with Hermosillo, but was traded to the Aztecs for 2021. After two years mostly as a pinch hitter, Guerrier broke out in 2023 by leading in doubles (52), and total bases (401). He added 120 runs, 45 home runs, 122 RBI, 1.015 OPS, and 8.2 WAR. Guerrier stayed three more years with Mexico City before leaving for MLB. Juarez RF Loyd Wayne was second in MVP voting despite a record-breaking effort. He broke his own world record on-base percentage record of .490 from 2019, finishing 2023 at .505. As of 2037, this is the only qualifying season in all of world baseball history above .500. Wayne’s slash was .387/.505/.741, which also allowed him to break his own CABA OPS record at 1.2453. His previous mark was 1.2449 from 2019. Wayne would hold the CABA OPS mark until 2031. As of 2037, his OPS ranks as the 34^th-best in world history. It was worth mentioning that Wayne played 128 games in 2023 and narrowly got the 502 plate appearances needed to qualify for rate stats (531). The 29-year old Jamaican also led in WAR (8.9), wRC+ (235), and walks (100) despite shoulder inflammation knocking him out the final weeks and the postseason. Wayne also scored 114 runs with 36 homers. Pitcher of the Year was Walid Nounou in his second year for Mexico City. The 34-yaer old Moroccan lefty came to CABA in 2020 with Nicaragua after originally making his name in the Arab League with Tunis. The Navigators traded him to the Aztecs for prospects for 2022. Nounou led in strikeouts (337), quality starts (28), and shutouts (4). He added a 2.42 ERA over 249.2 innings, 19-9 record, 158 ERA+, and 9.6 WAR. Nounou signed a four-year, $80 million extension after his 2022 effort. The top seeds prevailed in the first round with Mexico City beating Puebla 3-1 and Juarez sweeping Chihuahua 3-0. The Jesters had repeat in mind as they earned a fifth consecutive Mexican League Championship Series trip and their ninth in a decade. For the once dominant Aztecs, they hadn’t gotten this far since their early 1970s dynasty. It was a highly hyped series as 117-45 versus 108-54 was possibly the most stacked MLCS matchup ever on paper. The series was a flop dramatically as Mexico City cruised to a sweep of Juarez to end their 49-year pennant drought. It was the third MLCS sweep in five years after having no sweeps from 1996-2018. Even with their drought, this was the Aztecs’ 13^th title, ranking 4^th most amongst Mexican teams (1924, 34, 36, 40, 45, 67-73, 2023). Reigning Central American Baseball Association champ Guatemala took the top seed in the Caribbean League for the third year in a row. The Ghosts were 105-57 atop the Continental Division, allowing the fewest runs (53) and scoring the third most (790). Haiti repeated as Island Division champ at 99-63 and stole 464 bases as a team, the second-most in CABA history behind their own 467 from 1972. Santo Domingo was five back on the Herons at 94-68 and scored the most runs in the league at 824. The Dolphins and Honduras (also 94-68) took the two wild cards, while Suriname (90-72), Havana (88-74), and Panama (86-76) were the first teams out. SD earned repeat wild cards, while the Horsemen ended a five-year postseason drought. The Silverbacks, last year’s CLCS runner-up, had their playoff streak snapped at three. While Santiago missed the playoffs, third-year DH Jayson Deane earned Caribbean League MVP. The 24-year old from Barbados led in home runs (62), total bases (440), slugging (.714), OPS (1.120), and wRC+ (190). Deane added 218 hits, 119 runs, 147 RBI, and .354 average. He also made two quality starts as a pitcher and would see greater two-way use in later years, although his career pitching numbers would be subpar with a 4.69 career ERA. Deane had an interesting journeyman career, never quite replicating this offense output. A few bad ACL teams and later shoulder inflammation limited his career. He’d be used mainly as a platoon hitter in later years, as he was especially adept versus righties. Deane’s 16-year career would span three leagues, three continents, and eight teams. Guatemala’s Israel Montague won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year in only his fourth season. The 26-year old Panamanian lefty won a third straight ERA title (1.76) and led in strikeouts for the first time at 348. Montague also led in WHIP (0.74), and K/BB (17.4) with a 230 ERA+. He had 9.6 WAR over 214.1 innings and a 19-5 record, missing the Triple Crown by one win. Santo Domingo upset rival Haiti 3-2 in the first round, while Guatemala cruised to a sweep of Honduras. This was the first Caribbean League Championship Series since 2013 for the Dolphins and they’d give the defending champs a fierce battle. However, the Ghosts outlasted SD 4-3 to be the first CLCS repeat winner since the Dolphins did it in 2012-13. Guatemala became eight-time Caribbean champs (1967, 69, 70, 71, 74, 83, 2022, 23). The 113^th CABA Championship rekindled one of the epic finals rivalries between Mexico City and Guatemala, who had dueling dynasty runs in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It had been a lopsided rivalry though, as the Aztecs were victorious in their 1967, 69, 70, and 71 encounters. Mexico City went 7-1 in the CABA Championship from 1967-1973 for an all-time dynasty run. The Ghosts’ lone CABA title of the era was 1974, notably beating Juarez and not Mexico City for the title. Mexico City hadn’t ascended to the throne since that time, but they made their triumphant return with a 4-2 finals win over the defending champion Guatemala. The Aztecs became the first CABA team to win ten overall titles and joined only EPB’s Minsk (13), SAB’s Ahmedabad (12), WAB’s Kano (12), and EPB/EBF’s Kyiv (10) as the only franchises in world history with 10+ rings. SS Juliano Martiez was finals MVP in his fifth year starting for the Aztecs, getting 17 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, and 14 RBI over 13 playoff starts. This helped earn him big MLB money, signing with Los Angeles in the winter at $216,600,000 over seven years. The 2023 Mexico City squad joined the conversation for CABA’s greatest-ever team at 117-45. The only squad to win more games and win the CABA title was Jamaica at 118-44 back in 1933. The best team of the Aztecs’ earlier dynasty run was 112-50 in 1970. Other notes: Juarez’s Matias Esquilin became the CABA leader in runs scored at age 39, passing Wesley Dubar’s 2028 to finish the season with 2110. He was only the 21^st in all of world history to reach the 2k club. Esquilin also became CABA’s 5^th member of the 3500 hit club, finishing the season at 3512. Prometheo Garcia had the CABA record at 3871 hits and the world record of 4917 counting his MLB tallies. Esquillin was also CABA’s stolen bases king at this point with 1380. Clayton Morgan became CABA’s 21^st member of the 600 home run club. He and Nerfy Ayala were the 56^th and 57^th to 2500 hits. Payton Nandin and Raul Ibarra were the 57^th and 58^th to 500 homers. Noah Breton was the 32^nd to reach 1500 RBI. Jamarca Akim was the 28^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. Suriname’s Warren McFadden had CABA’s 36^th Perfect game on June 29, striking out 12 against Guatemala. 1B Tito Martinez won his 8^th Gold Glove and RF Juan Antonio Vera won his 7^th. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-20-2025, 07:12 AM	#1993
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 in MLB Defending National Association champ Cincinnati once again was the top seed, winning their fourth consecutive Lower Midwest Division title at 107-55. The Reds led the NA in runs scored (739) and allowed the fewest runs in all of Major League Baseball (530). The next best records battled for the Upper Midwest Division crown with Detroit (101-61) edging out last year’s NACS runner-up Chicago (99-63). The Tigers have 14 playoff berths since 2001, while the Cubs as the first wild card grew their streak to four years. Washington won their second East Division title in three years with a 98-64 finish, while Toronto claimed the Northeast Division at 95-67. The Timberwolves ended a six-year playoff drought with the result. The three Northeast teams that made the 2022 playoff field fell below .500 in 2023 with Boston (79-83), Quebec City (80-82), and Ottawa (77-85) each dropping off. The Elks notably had won 102 games the prior season. The Admirals’ pitching allowed 239 walks with a 1.45 BB/9, both setting all-time MLB records. The remaining two wild cards came out of the East with Brooklyn (91-71) and Virginia Beach (89-73). Missing the cut were Philadelphia (86-76), Omaha (86-76), Minneapolis (85-77), Winnipeg (84-78), Halifax (84-78), and Louisville (84-78). The Dodgers ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Vikings earned back-to-back berths. National Association MVP was a Cincinnati Red for the fourth consecutive year, but Mike Rojas’ didn’t make it a four-peat. Teammate Don Jolves took it in his sixth season, leading in runs (121), and WAR (9.4). The 26-year old French right fielder had 204 hits, 31 doubles, 14 triples, 24 home runs, 84 RBI, 40 stolen bases, .912 OPS, and 180 wRC+. For the second time in three years, Minneapolis lefty Kipp Semykin earned Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old from Springfield, Missouri won the ERA title (2.04) and led in WAR (8.7), quality starts (28), and innings (274). Nicknamed “Snake,” Semykin had an 18-9 record, 236 strikeouts, and 168 ERA+. Detroit was the lone division champ to advance out of the first round, defeating Virginia Beach 3-1. Chicago upset Toronto 3-1 and Brooklyn outlasted Washington 3-2 in the other matchups. The top two seeds cruised in round two though with the Tigers sweeping the Cubs 3-0 and Cincinnati sweeping the Dodgers 3-0. This guaranteed four National Association pennants in four years split between the two. The Reds won in 2020 and 2022, while Detroit took it in 2021. Despite the recent successes, this was their first clash in the National Association Championship Series. However, the Tigers did edge the Reds 3-2 in the second round back in 2021. Cincinnati got revenge for that break in their success, winning the 2023 NACS 4-2 over Detroit. The Reds became the fifth franchise in NA history to win three pennants in four years, joining Kansas City (2016-19), Philadelphia (2010-13, and 1941-47 seven-peat), Winnipeg (2004-07), and St. Louis (1908-10). It was Cincy’s sixth title overall (1919, 2008, 2009, 2020, 2022, 2023) The American Association had a fairly competitive field with five times finishing within only six games of the top seed. The top two records both came out of the Northwest Division as Seattle (101-61) outraced Anchorage (98-64). The Grizzlies earned their second playoff berth in three years, although it was their first division title since 2007. For the Avalanche as the first wild card, they’re the first of the 2021 expansion teams to make the playoffs, an impressive feat for a third-year franchise. Anchorage allowed the fewest runs in the AA at 555. Defending World Series champ Denver’s historic 13-year Northwest Division title streak ended as the Dragons missed the playoffs at 85-77. During the run, Denver had four World Series titles, eight AACS berths, and two Baseball Grand Championship wins. 13 years remains the longest playoff streak in MLB history as of 2037, although Seattle would give it a run in the upcoming years. San Diego earned the #2 seed at 97-65, edging out both Phoenix (95-67) and Las Vegas (93-69) in a tough Southwest Division. The Seals were the top scoring team at 829 runs, ending a 12-year playoff drought. The Firebirds and Vipers took the remaining wild card spots, making it back in the playoffs after brief absences. Los Angeles, who had won the division with back-to-back 100+ seasons, missed out at 87-75. The 2022 AACS runner-up San Francisco also missed a third straight playoff berth with their 86-76 finish. New Orleans at 96-66 was the South Central Division winner for the third time in four years and the fifth time in eight years. Dallas at 92-70 missed the division by four games and was one behind Las Vegas for the second wild card. Austin was in the mix at 89-73 and last year’s division winner Houston was 87-75. The Southwest Division went to 89-73 Atlanta for their third playoff berth in four years. The Aces narrowly bested Jacksonville (87-75) and Miami (82-80). Nashville, the division winner the prior two years, dropped to 79-83. The Gators posted a seventh consecutive winning season, although their playoff drought grew to six. Albeit narrowly, the historically hapless Mallards posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the early 1930s. Miami’s playoff drought is now 51 seasons, approaching the all-time worst of 54 seasons by 1901-54 Oklahoma City. For the second time in three years, American Association MVP went to San Diego LF Ben Conlee. The 29-year old Californian led in RBI (132) while adding 108 runs, 43 homers, .339/.389/.619 slash, 1.008 OPS, and 8.7 WAR. Notably second in MVP voting was Oklahoma City LF Neil Hollinger, who earned Rookie of the Year honors. The #2 overall pick led in total bases (378) and had 48 homers, 127 RBI, 1.054 OPS, and 8.5 WAR. Hollinger was the sixth ROTY winner in AA history to debut with an 8+ WAR effort. Pitcher of the Year was Anchorage lefty Terry Bowles in his third season. The 22-year old from Oak Park, Illinois had a 20-9 record, 2.50 ERA, 263 innings, 259 strikeouts, 150 ERA+, and 6.8 WAR. Bowles had a no-hitter on September 3 against Nashville with nine strikeouts and three walks. He remained the top ace in Alaska for the long haul, signing a seven-year, $154,700,000 extension after the 2025 campaign. Also worth a mention was veteran reliever Stevie Ray Thornton winning his fourth Reliever of the Year, becoming only the third in MLB history to win the award four times. It was an impressive return to form for the 39-year old, who won in 2007 and 2010 with Philadelphia and in 2015 for Brooklyn. With Denver in 2023, Thornton had a 1.01 ERA over 71.1 innings, 21 saves, 92 strikeouts, and 3.9 WAR. He would start 2024 on a strong pace with Denver, but would suffer a career-ending torn rotator cuff in late May. It was all division champ victories in the first round with Atlanta over Anchorage 3-1, plus sweeps with New Orleans over Phoenix and San Diego over Las Vegas. Top seed Seattle ousted the Aces 3-1 in round two, while the Seals defeated the Mudcats 3-1. The Grizzlies hadn’t gotten to the American Association Championship Series since 2007, which saw a defeat against San Diego. The Seals won pennants in 2007, 2008, and 2010; but hadn’t made into the playoffs since. Like in 2007, the 2023 AACS needed all seven games but the result was the same. San Diego defeated Seattle to give the Seals their fourth pennant of the 21^st Century and their tenth overall (1936, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1966, 1967, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2023). Ten pennants ties San Diego with both Houston and Denver for the second-most, while Phoenix holds the lead at 13. The 123^rd World Series was a rematch of the 2008 Fall Classic, which saw Cincinnati defeat San Diego 4-1. After losing the 2020 and 2022 World Series, the Reds took it in 2023 with a 4-2 victory over the Seals. Cincy secured its third title, joining the 1919 and 2008 wins. This also ended a four-year streak of titles by National Association teams. National Association MVP Don Jolves had a huge postseason run for the Reds, taking World Series MVP and NACS MVP. In 15 playoff starts, Jolves had 25 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 13 RBI, 1.103 OPS, and 1.4 WAR. Other notes: Killian Fruechte, Isaac Cox, and Graham Gregor each reached 700 career home runs, a mark now reached by nine in MLB. They all hoped to catch Cody Lim’s record of 758, set only two years prior. The now 39-year old Fruechte hit 34 in his second year with New Orleans, ending the season with 730. Cox was only 36-years old, having signed with Detroit in 2023 after 15 years with Denver. He socked 37 dingers in 2023 to get to 722 homers, placing him fifth all-time behind Lim, Elijah Cashman (750), Kaby Silva (731), and Fruechte (730). The 44-year old Gregor hit 13 with Atlanta to get to 703, which ranked him ninth with R.J. Clinton (712), Sebastian Lunde (712), and Ryan Skramesto (710) next in line. The ageless Gregor also became the 12^th member of the 3500 hit club. He planned to return for a 25^th season in 2024 with the Aces, his eighth team. Lorenzen Campbell became the 30^th member of the 600 home run club. Wei Wang was the 64^th to reach 3000 hits. In pitching milestones, Vincent Lepp and Sunny Williams became the 27^th and 28^th to earn 3500 strikeouts. The Reds’ Rowney Simpson threw his second career no-hitter, doing it with 9 Ks and 2 BB over Kansas City on August 23. SS Ledell Pinnock and LF Max Baldwin both won their 7^th Gold Gloves. SS Fritz Louissi won his 11^th Silver Slugger, joining CF Morgan Short and P Khaled Scott as the only 11-time winners at any spot in MLB history. 1B Jason Perazzo won his 7^th Silver Slugger and his 6^th specifically at 1B. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-20-2025, 12:43 PM	#1994
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2023 Baseball Grand Championship The 2023 Baseball Grand Championship was the 14^th edition of the event and was hosted in Valencia, Spain. Earning the automatic berths were MLB’s Cincinnati and San Diego, CABA’s Guatemala and Mexico City, EAB’s Fukuoka and Busan, BSA’s Caracas and Concepcion, EBF’s Dublin and Munich, EPB’s Volgograd, OBA’s Port Moresby, APB’s Medan, CLB’s Tianjin, WAB’s Abidjan, SAB’s Visakhapatnam, ABF’s Tabriz, ALB’s Amman, and AAB’s Antananarivo. The rare opportunity for a repeat champ existed with 2022 winner Caracas again in the field. There was some controversy for the at-large spot, as SAB runner-up Dhaka earned it over AAB runner-up Kampala. The Peacocks finished second in the last two BGCs, which they felt should’ve given them the edge. Kampala was 105-57 in AAB, while the Dobermans got the nod having gone 108-54 in 2023. Dhaka would quickly quiet and shock those who doubted their bonafides. At 14-5, the Dobermans brought the Grand Championship home to Bangladesh as the first-ever winner from South Asia Baseball. Many had ranked SAB towards the bottom of the world leagues with 2016 Hanoi’s third place finish was the only top three in the BGC previously for the league. Dhaka joined 2015 Johannesburg as the second Grand Champion to get in via the at-large spot. Dhaka finished second in runs scored (93) and had the second-best OPS (.771) and second-best run differential (+24). Guatemala and Dublin were both next at 13-6 with the Ghosts finishing second having beaten the Dinos head-to-head. The Ghosts were the second CABA team to finish in the top two, joining 2017 champ Juarez. They were the first Caribbean League team to finish in the top four. For Dublin, they took third in back-to-back BGCs. Defending Grand Champion Caracas was alone in fourth at 12-7 and had the best run differential at +26. Three teams were 11-8 with the official order being Abidjan fifth, San Diego sixth, and Munich seventh. The Seals scored the most runs (95) but also allowed the most (94). Capping off the teams above .500 at 10-9 were Busan and Concepcion. Amman, Cincinnati and Mexico City each were 9-10 with the Aztecs allowing the fewest runs at 64 with the best ERA of 3.12. Finishing 8-11 were Medan, Port Moresby, and Tabriz. Fukuoka, Tianjin, Visakhapatnam, and Volgograd all went 7-12. Alone in the last place slot at 6-13 was Antananarivo. Tournament MVP went to Dublin SS Ernst Scheuermann. The 25-year old Austrian in 19 starts had 18 hits, 20 runs, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 10 RBI, 12 walks and 6 stolen bases. Scheuermann fell two runs short of the tournament record. Best Pitcher went to Tianjin’s Jun He. The 28-year old lefty had a 1.26 ERA over 35.2 innings with a 3-1 record, 28 strikeouts, 3 complete games, 1 shutout, and 1.4 WAR. He’s shutout was a one-hitter against Caracas. Other notes: With Dhaka’s win, nine of the world’s 14 major leagues had at least one Grand Champion through the event’s first 14 years. This showed how remarkably competitive things were amongst the world leagues. Only MLB (6) had won multiple titles, remaining the undisputed “major” league. The leagues without a Grand Champion so far were EBF, EPB, APB, CLB, and WAB. The eighth no-hitter in BGC history came from Tabriz’s Jacinto Trinidad on November 24 with 10 strikeouts and two walks against Visakhapatnam. Guatemala’s Israel Montague had 61 strikeouts, tying Vincent Lepp’s BGC record from 2015. Montague had a 20 strikeout game against Tianjin, tying the BGC single-game strikeout record set by Luther Bowness in 2016. Montague did his in regulation, while Bowness needed ten innings. Mexico City’s Yafar Uddin hit for the cycle on November 23 against Fukuoka. Tianjin’s Xinhui Liu and Dublin’s Finlay Russell both had five-hit games, becoming the fourth and fifth players to record a five-hit game. Antananarivo’s Borje Nykvist became the third to have a three doubles in one game. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-20-2025, 06:43 PM	#1995
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2024 MLB Hall of Fame Two players were added into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame from the 2024 voting, led by first ballot SP Seth Southworth at 78.3%. Another pitcher narrowly crossed the 66% requirement to join him as Rinat Khan got 68.0% on his third attempt. SP Victor Burke was also in the hunt, but fell short at 62.3% on his sixth ballot. Six other players were above 50%, but below 60%. CL Sebastian Gomez was the lone debut in that group at 59.8%. 3B Jeanpaul Vick on his fifth try and C Sebastian Van Velzen on his eighth both received 59.4%. 3B Kieran Wilson earned 58.7% for his fifth ballot. 2B Adrian Vega had 56.6% in his fourth try and CL Jeremy Dau saw 52.3% on his third attempt. Reliever Emery Gulbranson was the lone player dropped after ten failed ballots, peaking at 33.5% in 2016 and ending at 10.0%. He had a 17-year journeyman career between nine different teams, finishing with a 100-87 record, 283 saves, 398 shutdowns, 2.68 ERA, 1004.1 innings, 1142 strikeouts, 301 walks, 130 ERA+, and 26.3 WAR. Gulbranson’s 813 games pitched are the 38^th most as of 2037, but he had no accolades or notables beyond longevity. Seth “Acrobat” Southworth – Starting Pitcher – Hartford Huskies – 78.3% First Ballot Seth Southworth was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Smithfield, Rhode Island; a town of 22,000 people. Southworth was known for having incredible stuff along with excellent control and good movement. He had a three-pitch arsenal with each being equally potent with a 98-100 mph fastball, curveball, and changeup. All three were top shelf pitches and looked the same out of his hand, making Southworth unhittable when he was on his game. The nickname “Acrobat,” came from his unusual windup motion. His stamina when he was healthy was pretty good. Southworth was a solid defender and knew how to hold runners respectably. He had impressive power and an extreme groundball tendency. Unfortunately, numerous major injuries shortened and limited Southworth’s career. In the clubhouse, he was very well respected as an impressive team captain leader. Southworth’s character and his dominance made him one of MLB’s most popular ever pitchers. Southworth attended the University of Minnesota and was dominant in his first two seasons. His first injury issue came in the third start of his junior year with a partially torn UCL, knocking him out seven months. For the Golden Gophers, Southworth had a 19-6 record, 1.93 ERA, 228 innings, 29 starts, 305 strikeouts, 41 walks, 169 ERA+, and 12.6 WAR. The injury scared a few teams for the 2008 MLB Draft, but others knew his ceiling was quite high if he stayed healthy. With the 39^th pick, Southworth was selected by Hartford. He started about 2/3s of 2009 was solid results, posting 4.0 WAR, a 2.47 ERA, and a second place in Rookie of the Year voting. Southworth had an impressive 7.0 WAR in 2010 over 167.1 innings, but missed the final two months to a torn back muscle. In 2011, he also missed around six weeks to a strained hamstring. Still, Southworth’s 2011 was impressive enough in only 27 starts to win Pitcher of the Year. He led the National Association in wins at 22-3 and posted a 2.16 ERA, 253 strikeouts, and 6.0 WAR. Hartford ended a five-year playoff drought and got the #1 seed at 103-59, falling to Brooklyn in the AACS. In three playoff starts, Southworth had a 2-1 record, 2.53 ERA, and 22 strikeouts over 21.1 innings. The Huskies would miss the postseason in the next two seasons. Southworth stated healthy from 2012-14, leading the NA in both WAR and strikeouts in both 2012 and 2014. He surprisingly finished third in POTY voting both years Southworth’s 352 strikeouts in 2014 were the third-most in an MLB season to that point and still ranks seventh-best as of 2037. Hartford knew they had their ace and gave Southworth a six-year, $104,600,000 extension after the 2013 season. Hartford would get four wild cards from 2014-18, but never got further than the second round of the playoffs. For his playoff career, Southworth had a 4-2 record in seven starts, 2.38 ERA, 53 innings, 58 strikeouts, 7 walks, 146 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR. In June 2015, the now 27-year old Southworth suffered a full UCL tear, costing him 14 months with a return in summer 2016. Southworth was healthy in 2017 for his first ERA title at 2.01 along with 7.7 WAR and an association-best 0.87 WHIP, placing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. 2018 would then be his finest season with an incredible 1.34 ERA, setting a new MLB single-season record that still holds as of 2037. Southworth also had a career best 10.7 WAR, 15 complete games, and 9 shutouts along with an NA-best 291 strikeouts. At 19-8, he missed the Triple Crown by two wins. It was also only the eighth time in MLB history that an ace posted 9+ shutouts. That effort obviously won his second Pitcher of the Year and had fans excited for what was still to come for the now 31-year old Southworth. No one knew watching that 2018 campaign though that those would be the final innings of his professional career. 2018 was his first time in the World Baseball Championship with a 3.27 ERA over 11 innings. In 2019, Southworth allowed only one run over 16 WBC innings, setting expectations high for the upcoming MLB campaign. In spring training, Southworth suffered severe shoulder inflammation that was expected to keep him out for the first half. He had a major setback though in June and required surgery, knocking him out another eight months. That coincided with the end of his Hartford deal, making Southworth a free agent at age 32. Many teams were leery of his medical reports and didn’t want to commit the big money that his 2018 season would still command. Southworth was determined to come back and opened up his search internationally. He found a buyer in Scotland, inking a five-year, $101 million deal with Edinburgh. Sadly in spring training, Southworth suffered the third torn UCL of his career. Doctors told him he had to retire, ending his career shortly after turning 33. Southworth returned home to the United States and Hartford immediately retired his #12 uniform. In total, Southworth had a 142-63 record, 2.24 ERA, 1994.1 innings, 2280 strikeouts, 386 walks, 196/251 quality starts, 100 complete games, 30 shutouts, 152 ERA+, and 65.1 WAR. The shortened career greatly lowered his accumulations, missing the top 100 in all counting stats. However, Southworth’s efficiency and rate stats certainly showed his dominance. Among all MLB arms with 1000+ innings as of 2037, Southworth’s ERA ranks 11^th, but all ten in front of him were relievers. His 0.92 WHIP ranks 5^th, his opponent’s OPS of .566 is 9^th, while his .203/.247/.319 slash line ranks 9^th/3^rd/23^rd. Amongst all of the world’s Hall of Fame starters, Southworth’s 152 ERA+ ranks 25^th best. It’s a shame he broke down physically, as he might have ended up as an inner-circle level pitcher all-time. There were still some voters who couldn’t look past the low totals and Southworth only received 78.3% on his debut. That was plenty though to earn a first ballot slot to headline Major League Baseball’s 2024 Hall of Fame class. Even if his peak was brief, prime Southworth was as good as any pitcher MLB ever had. On top of that, his high character made him an excellent ambassador for the game and beloved superstar into his retirement. Rinat Khan – Starting Pitcher – Pittsburgh Pirates – 68.0% Third Ballot Rinat Khan was a 5’9’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Shchuchinsk, a small city of 45,000 people in north central Kazakhstan. He unsurprisingly was the first-ever Kazakh Hall of Famer for MLB and only the sixth Asian-born HOFer to that point for MLB. The stout Khan had great stuff and movement along with outstanding control. He had a three-pitch arsenal with a 99-101 mph fastball, changeup, and curveball. Khan could certainly overpower you, but his change was often considered his most dangerous offering. Khan’s stamina was considered above average relative to most MLB aces, but nothing incredible. However, his ironman durability meant you’d still get plenty of innings, tossing 200+ in all but his rookie season. Khan was okay at holding runners and did struggle defensively. He was a team captain known for his leadership, loyalty, and work ethic. Khan became one of the more respected guys of his era in the clubhouse, even if he was perhaps under-rated in his career by many fans and media. As a teenager, Khan’s family moved from Kazakhstan to the United States. He quickly got on the radar of college teams and committed to Arizona State from 1998-2000, posting a 2.86 ERA over 245.2 innings, 17-12 record, 249 strikeouts, 63 walks, 122 ERA+, and 8.4 WAR. With the regional restrictions still in place at that time in the MLB Draft, players born outside of the US or Canada weren’t eligible until round four. With the fourth pick of the fourth round, 177^th overall, Khan was picked in the 2000 MLB Draft by Pittsburgh. Khan had a part-time starting role in 2001 with decent results, then took over a full-time spot in the Pirates rotation for the next eight years. His production was steady, then emerged as elite in 2004 with a National Association best 8.2 WAR. With a 14-13 record on a sub-.500 team, Khan didn’t get any awards looks. He stayed above 7+ WAR from 2004-09 with the Pirates, leading again in 2008 at 7.9. Khan’s career best was 9.6 in 2006, a year that also saw a 18-6 record, 2.24 ERA, and 239 strikeouts. That year had a second place in Pitcher of the Year voting while 2008 had a third place finish. Because he didn’t lead in the traditional counting stats, Khan didn’t get a ton of attention in the media. Pittsburgh was plenty happy though and gave him a six-year, $61,500,000 extension after the 2006 season. They were mostly middling during Khan’s run, suffering first round exits in their lone playoff berths in 2003 and 2006. In his two Pirates playoff starts, Khan allowed only 3 runs over 15 innings. Khan did get to play on the World Baseball Championship stage as he regularly returned home to represent his native Kazakhstan. From 1999-2016, he tossed 207 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 14-11 record, 282 strikeouts, 32 walks, and 7.0 WAR. As of 2037, Khan leads all Kazakhs in strikeouts and pitching WAR while ranking second in wins and third in innings pitched. Pittsburgh completely collapsed by the end of the 2000s, falling to 58-104 in 2008 despite Khan leading all pitchers in WAR that year. They were only marginally better in 2009 and Khan decided to out of his deal that winter. For the Pirates, Khan had a 116-111 record, 2.75 ERA, 2167.2 innings, 1986 strikeouts, 423 walks, 123 ERA+, and 61.0 WAR. While there were some feelings of abandonment by some in the organization, those feelings faded and Khan’s #4 uniform would later be retired. Now 30-years old, Khan stayed in Pennsylvania and signed a six-year, $106,200,000 deal with Philadelphia. The Phillies had been a playoff regular during his career, winning the National Association pennant in 2001 and 2005. They did it again in 2010, but fell to San Diego in the World Series. Khan won his lone ERA title that year with a career-best 2.19, but still only finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He was a stud in the playoff run with a 1.62 ERA over 39 innings and five starts, 3-0 record, and 29 strikeouts. 2010 was the first-ever Baseball Grand Championship and the only one that had a split division format and a best-of-seven for the winners. Philadelphia and San Diego had a rematch and the Phillies came out on top this time to become the first-ever Grand Champion. Khan had a 3.86 ERA and 2-0 record in his three BGC starts, striking out 29 over 23.1 innings. Khan led in quality starts and shutouts in 2011 and posted his eighth straight 7+ WAR season, but Philadelphia narrowly missed the playoffs. He had a 6.2 WAR effort in 2012, although his ERA increased to 3.05. The Phillies got the last wild card and went on a tear, eventually upsetting Phoenix in the World Series. Khan struggled in that playoff run with a 4.68 ERA over 25 innings. He did better in the BGC with a 2.23 ERA over 32.1 innings. Philly finished at 12-7 in a five-way tie for first, officially placing third after the tiebreakers were sorted out. Many were surprised as Khan opted out of his deal after only three years, returning to free agency at age 33. For Philadelphia, he had a 54-31 record, 2.57 ERA, 774.2 innings, 738 strikeouts, 118 walks, 132 ERA+, and 23.0 WAR. Khan moved on to Houston with a five-year, $130,800,000 deal. The Hornets had seen some early playoff exits in recent memory and hoped Khan could get them across the line. Unfortunately, they were below .500 for his entire tenure. Khan was done as an elite pitcher by this point, but he was an ironman and could still reliably eat innings. He had four seasons for Houston with a 48-61 record, 3.78 ERA, 1023.1 innings, 760 strikeouts, 164 walks, 103 ERA+, and 20.3 WAR. After a career-worst 4.29 ERA in 2016, Khan decided to retire just after his 37^th birthday instead of playing the final year of his deal. In total, Khan had a 218-203 record, 2.98 ERA, 3965.2 innings, 3484 strikeouts, 705 walks, 358/502 quality starts, 190 complete games, 45 shutouts, 119 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 104.3 WAR. As of 2037, Khan is 18^th in pitching WAR, 35^th in strikeouts, 99^th in innings pitched, and 45^th in shutouts. His .628 opponent’s OPS is 84^th among all with 1000+ career innings and his 1.04 WHIP ranks 34th. Many traditionalists though were held up by the win-loss record, which was underwhelming compared to other inductees. Khan also never won Pitcher of the Year and had limited traditional black ink apart from the one ERA title. It didn’t help that his final seasons with Houston were aggressively mid, hurting him via recency bias. The majority of his career also came on some forgettable Pirates squads. More advanced metrics like WAR and FIP- though argued that Khan was definitely among the elite of his time. As of 2037, he’s one of only 26 pitchers through MLB’s lengthy history with 100+ WAR. Khan also had generally good playoff numbers, helping win two NA pennants, a World Series ring, and the inaugural Grand Championship with Philadelphia. Still, the hard-liners kept Khan out in his first two ballots at 62.4% and 64.2%, narrowly missing the 66% requirement. He didn’t win over very many new voters in 2024, but got just enough for 68.0%. With that, Khan received a third ballot selection to cap off a two-pitcher 2024 Hall of Fame class for Major League Baseball. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-21-2025, 05:04 AM	#1996
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2024 CABA Hall of Fame Two players were added into the Central American Baseball Association in their debuts for 2024, headlined by 1B/DH Juan Castro with a nearly unanimous 99.4%. Closer Vinicius Garcia joined him with his own rock solid 78.2%. The only other player above 50% was SP Secretario Sanz, who got 51.4% in his seventh try. LF/DH Liobel De Urquijo fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 33.9% in 2016 and ending at 14.5%. He won three Silver Sluggers over a 15-year career with three teams, getting 2215 hits, 1197 runs, 352 doubles, 490 home runs, 1342 RBI, .307/.359/.569 slash, 151 wRC+, and 60.3 WAR. De Urquio was hurt by being a DH for half his starts and by being on some forgettable Bahamas and Trinidad teams, although he did get a Mexican League title with Juarez. He didn’t have the accolades or huge numbers needed to escape beyond the Hall of Pretty Good. RP Jacky Coutant also fell off after ten ballots, debuting at 22.4% and ending at 8.9%. He won Reliever of the Year once and finished in CABA with 254 saves, 2.55 ERA, 754.1 innings, 970 strikeouts, 233 walks, 154 ERA+, and 15.9 WAR. Coutant had neither the longevity nor the raw dominance needed to reach the standards CABA voters had for closers. Juan Castro – First Base/Designated Hitter – Costa Rica Rays – 99.4% First Ballot Juan Castro was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed slugger from Panama City, Panama. Castro was a well-rounded batter with good-to-great power and contact ability, along with an above average eye for walks and strikeouts. He had excellent pop in his bat, getting 42 home runs, 27 doubles, and 5 triples for his 162 game average. Castro was also a very smart and crafty baserunner, providing positive value on the basepaths despite subpar running speed. All of Castro’s defensive starts came at first base, where he was consistently below average. Around 55% of his starts were as a designated hitter, where he spent most of his first six seasons and some time in his mid-to-late 30s. Castro’s durability was impressive, starting 150+ games each year from 2003-2017. That reliability and a charming personality made Castro a fan favorite throughout a 17-year career. By the 2000 CABA Draft, Castro was one of the higher-ranked hitting prospects from the Central American region. He was picked 16^th overall by Costa Rica, where he spent the first 15 years of his career. Castro saw limited use initially with only three at-bats in 2001, followed by 91 games and 20 starts in 2002. The Rays moved him to a starting slot in 2003, which was his first of 11 seasons worth 5+ WAR for CR. It was also his first of ten seasons with 40+ homers and first of 14 with 100+ RBI. Castro’s steady power earned him Silver Sluggers in 2004, 2005, and 2007 as a DH and in 2012 at first base. 2005 was his breakthrough, winning Caribbean League MVP with league bests in home runs (60), RBI (139), total bases (422), slugging (.686), OPS (1.091), and wRC+ (184). Castro’s career highs for homers, OPS, and wRC+ came in 2005. Prior to that season, he had signed an eight-year, $43,320,000 extension to stay with the Rays. In 2007, Castro was third in MVP voting with league and career-bests in hits (224), doubles (42), RBI (147), and total bases (435). 2007 also had a 33-game hitting streak, only five behind the then-CABA record. He led in hits and runs in 2008 and led in runs again in 201. Despite his efforts, Costa Rica was stuck in the middle tier for his entire tenure. They never made the playoffs, but were rarely outright bad, averaging 79.8 wins per season. Castro stayed loyal to the Rays, signing a new five-year, $61,100,000 deal in 2011. He did at least get experience on the World Baseball Championship stage with his native Panama from 2002-13. Castro played 109 games for his country with 94 hits, 67 runs, 19 doubles, 34 home runs, 82 RBI, 49 walks, .237/.348/.557 slash, 158 wRC+, and 5.1 WAR. In 2009, Panama earned its second division title and first since 1997. Castro’s second MVP win came in 2012 at age 33 for Costa Rica, leading in OPS (1.034) and wRC (171). It was also his third 50+ home run season. In his later Rays years, Castro reached the 500 home run, 1500 RBI, and 2500 hit milestones. For Costa Rica, Castro had 2606 hits, 1442 runs, 371 doubles, 591 home runs, 1591 RBI, .318/.372/.597 slash, 156 wRC+, and 81.4 WAR. His deal expired for 2016, making Castro a free agent for the first time heading towards age 37. He remained very popular in Costa Rica and maintained a strong relationship with the franchise, getting his #1 uniform retired only a few years later. Castro was still playing at a high level and wanted to chase a ring, signing a three-year, $29,200,000 deal with reigning CABA champion Haiti. Castro’s power dropped notably into his late 30s, although he was still a decent starter in his first two years for the Herons. He was relegated to a part-time role in his third year. Haiti made it to the CLCS in both 2016 and 2018, but was ousted in the former by Havana and the latter by Guyana. In 15 playoff games, Castro had 16 hits, 10 runs, 3 homers, 8 RBI, a .291/.350/.509 slash, 138 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. With Haiti, Castro finished with 434 hits, 215 runs, 55 doubles, 78 home runs, 241 RBI, .269/.319/.465 slash, 113 wRC+, and 6.0 WAR. While there, he became the 17^th member of the 600 home run club and the 12^th to 3000 hits. Castro retired after the 2018 campaign at age 39. Castro finished with 2602 games, 3040 hits, 1657 runs, 426 doubles, 84 triples, 669 home runs, 1832 RBI, 727 walks, 216 stolen bases, .310/.364/.575 slash, 149 wRC+, and 87.4 WAR. As of 2037, Castro ranks 16^th in hits, 15^th in runs, 55^th in doubles, 16^th in home runs, 12^th in RBI, 69^th in walks, 12^th in total bases (5641), and 35^th in games played. Largely due to his time as a DH, he does rank only 62^nd in WAR among position players. Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .939 OPS is 81^st. He also is one of only eight in CABA to reach both 650+ home runs and 3000+ career hits. Castro may not fall into the inner-circle or GOAT-level conversations, but his Hall of Fame candidacy was a slam dunk. At a near unanimous 99.4%, Castro headlined the two-player 2024 class for the Central American Baseball Association. Vinicius Garcia – Closer – Mexicali Maroons – 78.2% First Ballot Vinicius Garcia was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Havana, the capital of Cuba. Garcia had solid stuff, excellent control, and very good movement. His two-pitch combo was sinker and slider with a peak velocity around 96-98 mph. Garcia had an extreme groundball tendency, so he was often at the mercy of the defense behind him. Garcia had notable splits as he fared far better against right-handed bats (2.31 ERA, 163 ERA+) compared to against lefties (3.67 ERA, 103 ERA+). As relievers go, his stamina was respectable and he had solid durability. Garcia was decent at holding runners, but weak defensively. He wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant like many other great closers, but Garcia’s steady reliability helped him to a 14-year career. For the 2003 CABA Draft, Garcia wasn’t on the radar of many teams. He was picked in the fourth round, 111^th overall, by Mexicali. Garcia would be the second-latest draft pick to make CABA’s Hall of Fame behind Class of 2002 Ramon Herrera, a fellow closer who was picked 115^th. The Maroons put Garcia into the closer role right away, although his production was underwhelming initially. By 2006, Garcia led the Mexican League with a career-high 41 saves and took second in Reliever of the Year voting. He took third in 2007 and had six seasons with 30+ saves for Mexicali. 2009 saw Garcia’s career best in strikeouts with 116, which was a low peak compared to most HOF relievers. After being mostly hot garbage in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Maroons turned into a contender in 2006, ending a 21-year playoff drought. Mexicali had first round playoff exits in 2006 and 2009. They broke through in 2007 at the top seed at 101-61, winning the ML pennant but losing in the CABA Championship to Haiti. Garcia struggled in his ten playoff appearances for the Maroons with a 7.36 ERA over 181.1 innings. The postseason woes lingered in the memories of some Mexicali fans. Garcia fared a bit better on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native Cuba, but he was still below average there. He had some starts in the WBC along with relief appearances from 2005-18, posting an 8-6 record over 92 innings, 4.11 ERA, 126 strikeouts, 21 walks, and 2.8 WAR. Garcia’s 90 ERA+ was subpar, but he had a 68 FIP- that suggested that he might have had some bad luck and bounces. For Mexicali, Garcia had 201 saves and 208 shutdowns, 2.59 ERA, 486.1 innings, 546 strikeouts, 92 walks, 142 ERA+, and 9.6 WAR. He left for free agency after the 2009 season at age 29 and signed a three-year, $15 million deal with defending ML champ Monterrey. Garcia ended up extending his deal and spent four years total with the Matadors. His role was mixed with full-time closing in 2012, part-time in 2010, and mid relief in 2011 and 2013. 2012 was Garcia’s strongest year for Monterrey with 3.6 WAR, 38 saves, 1.53 ERA, and 101 strikeouts in 88 innings; finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting. The Matadors had first round wild card losses in 2011 and 2012, then a MLCS defeat to Torreon in 2013. Garcia only had 2.1 playoff innings in his tenure, but they were perfect with no baserunners allowed and five strikeouts. For Monterrey, Garcia had 62 saves and 107 shutdowns, 329.2 innings, 2.27 ERA, 363 strikeouts, 40 walks, 163 ERA+, and 9.0 WAR. He had one year left on his deal for 2014, but was traded just before spring training to Panama with another pitcher in exchange for 2011 MVP 1B Hasan Alvizo. Garcia would sign a two-year, $11,600,000 extension after the 2014 season with the Parrots, then added another two years and $11,600,000 the next winter. 2015 was Garcia’s line Reliever of the Year win, leading in saves at 39 and posting a career-best 3.9 WAR along with a 1.61 ERA. He led in saves again in 2016, but his ERA was an unremarkable 3.54. Panama’s lone playoff berth with Garcia was a first round loss in 2015 with Garcia getting wrecked in two appearances. He did notably reach the 300 and 350 career save milestones while in Panama. The Parrots bought out his final year of his deal after the 2017 season. In four seasons, Garcia had 119 saves and 122 shutdowns, 2.86 ERA, 305 innings, 302 strikeouts, 57 walks, 140 ERA+, and 11.5 WAR. Salvador signed Garcia for two years in 2018, but he was unremarkable in camp and only saw one appearance the entire season. He retired after the 2018 campaign shortly after his 38^th birthday. Garcia had 1122.2 innings, 905 games, 382 saves, 437 shutdowns, 75-95 record, 1212 strikeouts, 189 walks, 147 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 30.2 WAR. As of 2037, he is tied for 7^th in saves and is 4^th in games. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, Garcia’s ERA is 54^th. His raw numbers are less dominant than many of the other relievers that got the nod in CABA, but not the worst. For many CABA Hall of Fame voters, 350 saves was the magic number for closers as everyone who hit that mark before Garcia earned induction. He wouldn’t be an exception, although many scholars would argue Garcia is a weaker pick even by the lower standards often assigned to relievers. He got in easily at 78.2% for a first ballot pick with the 2024 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-21-2025, 12:00 PM	#1997
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2024 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 1) East Asia Baseball’s 2024 Hall of Fame class had three inductees, although home run king Soo-Geun Yim was the only no-doubter with the DH/RF nearly unanimous at 99.4%. Two returners made it in by barely breaching the 66% requirement as LF Sang-Min Hwang got 67.6% in his second ballot and SP Sora Miyoshi saw 67.2% for his third attempt. The only other player above 50% was SP Jong-Hyeon Chung at 51.3% in his fifth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots. Soo-Geun “Jinx” Yim – Designated Hitter/Right Field - Jeonju Jethawks – 99.4% First Ballot Soo-Geun Yim was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed slugger from Ilsan, South Korea; a city of 294,000 people in the northwestern Seoul National Capital Area. Yim simply socked dingers with some scouts rating his home run power as a 10/10 at his peak. From 2001-2016, he smacked 40+ homers in all but one season and topped 50+ seven times in that stretch. Yim’s gap power was good too with 30 doubles and 3 triples per his 162 game average. Yim was a rock solid contact hitter as well, although he was merely average at drawing walks with a subpar strikeout rate. He was especially potent against right-handed pitching with a career .989 OPS and 164 wRC+. Yim could still do damage to lefties with a .867 OPS and 136 wRC+. He wasn’t a bad baserunner from a skill standpoint, but he was almost laughably slow. Around 55% of Yim’s career starts came as a designated hitter. Most of his defensive starts came in the Ulsan run and mostly at right field, although they tried him at first base briefly. Yim was an abysmal defender at either spot and definitely was best kept as a DH. He was a true ironman that never missed time to injury, playing 150+ games in 19 consecutive seasons. Yim was intelligent and hard working with a fan favorite personality. Combine his character, durability, and dingers, and you have one of the most universally beloved players to come from Korea. Yim’s power potential was obvious even as a teenager, making him a rare draft pick coming out of Woosung High School. He was picked 6^th overall by Jeonju in the 1997 EAB Draft, but was used in only three pinch-hit at-bats in 1998. The Jethawks made Yim a full-time starter in 1999 at age 20, but he wasn’t quite fully formed yet. He was a merely okay starter in his first two years and even took second in 1999’s Rookie of the Year. Yim emerged as a truly elite slugger by his third season. From 2001-05, Yim led the Korea League each year in home runs and total bases, hitting 59+ homers with 400+ total bases each season. He also led four times in runs scored and hits in that stretch, while leading thrice in RBI, thrice in WAR, twice in slugging, twice in wRC+, and once in both OBP and OPS. Yim won MVP in 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005 and finished second in 2002. He won Silver Sluggers as a DH each year. All five seasons had OPS above 1.000 and a batting average above .300. In 2002, Yim scored 137 runs, which ranks as the 8^th-best single season as of 2037 in EAB. He would join Young-Hwan Sha as the only players to score 120+ runs in five different seasons. 2003 had Yim’s best career WAR at 11.2 and his most hits with 237, which ranks as the 7^th-most hits in a season. His 478 total bases also broke the then-EAB record of 456. The 2005 season would make Yim a legend already in his mid 20s, becoming EAB’s new single-season home run king. Yim socked 73 dingers in 2005, passing the previous mark of 72 reached twice by Tsukasa Kato. Kunihiko Ishiguro passed him with 79 in 2014, but no one else in EAB has as of 2037. Yim broke his own total bases record with 485 and holds the #3 and #4 spots in EAB as of 2037. The 485 total bases also ranks as the 17^th-most in world baseball history. Yim also had 158 RBI, which ranks as the 6^th-best effort. His 1.187 OPS was a career best and ranks 9^th as of 2037. He became a beloved superstar in Jeonju and throughout all of South Korea for these exploits. Despite his efforts, the Jethawks were stuck in the middle of the standings. They did lose in the KLCS in his rookie year 1999, but didn’t make the playoffs for the rest of his run. Yim dominated though on the World Baseball Championship stage, especially in 2003 and 2004. South Korea fell to the United States in the 2003 World Championship and finished fourth in 2004. Yim was third in 2004’s MVP voting with 22 hits, 17 runs, 10 homers, and 14 RBI in 19 games. The prior year, he had 21 runs, 23 hits, 11 homers, and 21 RBI in 25 games. From 2001-2013 in the World Baseball Championship, Yim played 122 games and started 104 with 103 hits, 79 runs, 16 doubles, 42 home runs, 79 RBI, .261/.329/.627 slash, 169 wRC+, and 5.4 WAR. Yim still gets associated most with Jeonju as it was his most dominant tenure. He would be inducted in Jethawks blue and gold and his #25 uniform would be later retired. However, Yim opted to leave for free agency once eligible after the 2006 season. For Jeonju, he had 1436 hits, 795 runs, 232 doubles, 364 home runs, 868 RBI, 317 walks, .329/.375/.642 slash, 168 wRC+, and 49.7 WAR. Since he was soon to be only 27-years old, Yim was one of the most prized free agents in EAB history. Ulsan would win the sweepstakes at eight years and $82,400,000. The Swallows had just missed the playoffs in 2005 to end a five-year streak, although they never got beyond the KLCS in that run. They hoped Yim could get them back to the top spot. Yim was by no means bad during his Swallows run, but he never replicated his peak Jeonju numbers. He won a Silver Slugger in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 in right field and got one at first base in 2007; earning 11 total for his career. Ulsan took the top seed at 103-59 in 2007, but was upset by Yongin in the first round. The Swallows would be outside the playoffs for most of the rest of Yim’s tenure and were stuck in the middle tier. Ulsan finally got back to the playoffs in 2012, but had another first round defeat. Yim led in home runs (56), RBI (131), and total bases (367) to win his fifth MVP. As of 2037, he’s one of six in EAB history to win the award 5+ times. He also led in homers in 2011 and topped 45+ dingers in six of his Swallows seasons. Yim was second in 2007’s MVP voting, which was his best Ulsan season by WAR (8.6), runs (121), and OPS (1.111). Yim declined the contract option eighth year of his deal after the 2012 campaign, putting him back to free agency heading into his age 34 season. With Ulsan, he had 1252 hits, 689 runs, 208 doubles, 331 home runs, 807 RBI, 287 walks, .309/.356/.617 slash, 162 wRC+, and 39.9 WAR. Coming off an MVP, Yim’s stock was once again sky high. He inked a four-year, $60,000,000 deal with Incheon. He never won awards with the Inferno, but remained a very steady power bat with 40+ homers and 110+ RBI in each of his first four years. Yim signed a two-year, $22,200,000 extension after the 2016 season. Incheon won the division in 2014 but had a first round playoff loss. They would be mid-tier the rest of his run, keeping Yim from ever having a meaningful playoff run. His career postseason stats were solid in a small sample size with 22 games, 25 hits, 14 runs, 5 doubles, 9 home runs, 21 RBI, and 1.008 OPS. The excitement around Yim came back late in the Incheon run as his longevity meant he could challenge some big milestones. In 2015, he became the 4^th member of the 800 home run club and the 4^th to reach 2000 RBI. Seemingly within reach was Lei Meng’s home run record of 897, Hyeog-Jun Wi’s 2097 RBI record, and Byung-Oh Tan’s runs scored (2010) and hits mark (3871). In 2016, Yim passed Wi to become EAB’s RBI king. Then in 2017, he passed Meng to become the home run king. That year Yim was also the 4^th to 3500 hits, but he would fall short of Tan’s hits and runs marks. Yim declined sharply in 2018 and was benched after posting -1.6 WAR in 80 games, retiring that winter at age 39. For Incheon, he had 855 hits, 464 runs, 139 doubles, 226 home runs, 604 RBI, 191 walks, .270/.314/.539 slash, 135 wRC+, and 19.9 WAR. Yim finished with 3084 games, 3543 hits, 1948 runs, 579 doubles, 65 triples, 921 home runs, 2279 RBI, 795 walks, .306/.352/.605 slash, 157 wRC+, and 109.5 WAR. As of 2037, Yim remains EAB’s RBI leader and ranks 19^th in RBI among all players in world history. He finally surrendered EAB’s home run crown in the early 2030s, but still ranks 2^nd in EAB and is 21^st in world history. Yim is one of only 23 pros across all leagues with 900 homers. In EAB as of 2037, Yim still ranks 3^rd in hits, 5^th in runs, 7^th in games played, 7^th in doubles, 83^rd in walks, 10^th in strikeouts, and 21^st in WAR among position players. He just misses the top 50 for runs scored and hits among all players ever. Among EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yim’s .957 OPS ranks 33^rd. He also ranks 21^st in slugging. Any conversation about the best-ever sluggers in East Asia Baseball history certainly feature Yim prominently. Still, he gets left out of some top five and top ten lists when discussing EAB’s best-ever position players due either to being a DH/poor defender and/or because of a lack of playoff/team success. Some recency bias hurts him too with less dominance in his 30s There were other guys who had more complete resumes, but Yim’s power was captivating for anyone who ever saw him play. Few players in all of baseball history were more universally beloved and very few ever had a power run as impressive as Yim’s 2001-05 peak with Jeonju. Yim’s iron man status and reliability made him a sure thing for two decades. He was a no-doubt Hall of Fame headliner at 99.4% to lead a three-player group in 2024. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-21-2025, 05:53 PM	#1998
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2024 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Sang-Min Hwang – Left Field – Changwon Crabs – 67.6% Second Ballot Sang-Min Hwang was a 6’3’’, 200 pound switch-hitting left fielder from Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Hwang was a well-rounded batter with good-to-great contact, power, and eye skills. He was quite good at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was average. Hwang wasn’t a prolific home run hitter, but he had a very reliable pop in his bat with 33 home runs, 22 doubles, and 13 triples per his 162 game average. He also was known for being an extreme pull hitter. Hwang had impressive speed, but he was often too aggressive on the basepaths and got caught stealing far more than he succeeded. The speed served him well as a career left fielder whose excellent defense earned him six Gold Gloves. Hwang’s talent and work ethic made him a successful and popular player over a 20-year run. He did run into sporadic injury issues, but you could usually get a pretty full load out of Hwang. He attended Gangneung Yeongdong University and rose up the prospect rankings for the 1997 EAB Draft. Hwang was picked fifth by Changwon and was a full-time starter right away, although he struggled in his first two years. He led the Korea League in strikeouts in his first two years, but did also lead in 1999 with 82 walks. Hwang still managed to take third in Rookie of the Year voting despite a -0.1 WAR effort. Hwang greatly lowered his Ks and improved his contact ability after a few more seasons. He wasn’t typically one to lead the league statistically, but he was worth 4+ WAR seven times with Changwon. Hwang signed an eight-year, $67,400,000 extension after the 2003 campaign. All six of Hwang’s Gold Glove wins came with the Crabs from 2002-07. His first Silver Sluggers came in 2006 and 2009. Hwang was on a stellar pace in 2006 with 1.110 OPS and 6.8 WAR in 121 games, but lost a month to a torn quadriceps. 2006 saw Changwon get the second wild card and make a surprise run to the KLCS, falling there to Seoul. They were generally lousy for the rest of Hwang’s tenure, only posting one other winning season and averaging only 75.6 wins per season. He thrived in his one playoff chance for the Crabs with 1.514 OPS, 17 hits, 12 runs, 5 homers, and 11 RBI in 10 starts. Hwang missed notable parts of 2007 and 2008 to injury, but was healthy in 2009 for arguably his best season. He led the KL in WAR (8.6), OPS (1.036), and wRC+ (178). The WAR was a career best, as were his 42 home runs and 115 RBI. Hwang was third in MVP voting, his first time as a finalist. This was also his final season with Changwon, opting out of the rest of his deal. Hwang’s stock was at a new high at age 32, setting him up for a big payday. For Changwon, Hwang had 1652 hits, 939 runs, 226 doubles, 149 triples, 326 home runs, 914 RBI, 759 walks, 372 stolen bases, .279/.360/.533 slash, 141 wRC+, and 53.8 WAR. Many fans still remembered him fondly for being a bright light in a generally weak era, although the organization had some saltiness for him leaving. Hwang’s #26 uniform ultimately wasn’t retired by the Crabs despite his efforts. Hwang signed a five-year, $55 million deal to join Gwangju as he wanted to join a winner. The Grays had just posted back-to-back first round exits and hoped to get over the hump. Hwang held up his end and even took third in 2012’s MVP voting, leading the KL that year in OBP, slugging, OPS, and wRC+. Gwangju made the KLCS in both 2010 and 2011, but fell both years. They narrowly missed the 2012 playoffs, then lost in the first round of 2013. Hwang in 18 playoff games was great with 1.119 OPS, but he ultimately never got to play in the finals in his career. For Gwangju in four seasons, Hwang had 588 hits, 326 runs, 81 doubles, 37 triples, 122 home runs, 326 RBI, .312/.401/.589 slash, 168 wRC+, and 22.5 WAR. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year of the deal, becoming a free agent at age 36. He still had plenty of suitors and signed with Busan at $50,400,000 over three years. Hwang was on a stellar pace in 2014 when healthy with 5.4 WAR and 1.107 OPS in 87 games, but a rash of injuries kept him out. The Blue Jays struggled to 66-96 and began a rebuild in the offseason, sending Hwang to Daegu in a seven-player offseason swap. Hwang had a nice pace with 4.1 WAR and .925 OPS with the Diamondbacks in 2015, but lost nearly two months to a strained abdominal muscle. He returned to free agency at age 38 and inked a three-year, $40,300,000 deal with Goyang. Hwang was mostly healthy for a solid 2016 with 3.2 WAR. Unfortunately in late April 2017, Hwang suffered a torn ACL that ended his season after 25 games. Instead of hoping to rehab back from such a major injury, Hwang retired that winter at age 40. Hwang finished with 2586 games, 2628 hits, 1488 runs, 350 doubles, 212 triples, 530 home runs, 1445 RBI, 1227 walks, 596 stolen bases, .289/.372/.548 slash, 149 wRC+, and 89.2 WAR. As of 2037, Hwang ranks 74^th in hits, 40^th in runs, 76^th in triples, 64^th in home runs, 67^th in RBI, 9^th in walks, and 77^th in WAR among position players. His .920 OPS is 75^th among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his OBP ranks 54^th. His finally tallies were rock solid and hit some of the milestones that voters like such as 2500+ hits and 500 homers. However, Hwang was borderline for some as he had limited accolades or black ink. He was steady and reliable over 20 years with primarily weaker teams, which doesn’t draw you nearly as much attention as someone on a winner or someone with a big peak. Hwang’s value also was boosted by great defense and walks, which wasn’t weighed highly by some traditionalists. Hwang’s debut ballot in 2023 got 62.8%; solid but short of the 66% requirement. He didn’t win over too many in 2024, but got just enough to cross the line with 67.6%. Hwang secured a second ballot selection as the second of three in East Asia Baseball’s 2024 Hall of Fame class. Sora Miyoshi – Starting Pitcher – Nagoya Nightowls – 67.3% Third Ballot Sora Miyoshi was a 6’3’’, 190 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Chiryu, Japan; a city with about 72,000 inhabitants in Honshu’s Aichi Prefecture. Miyoshi wasn’t outstanding at any one thing, but was considered above average to good across the board. His fastball was his best pitch and peaked in the 94-96 mph range. Miyoshi also had a changeup and curveball in the arsenal. Miyoshi’s stamina was considered pretty good, but smaller injuries did limit him in a few seasons. He was strong at holding runners but was below average defensively. Miyoshi wasn’t one to cause any problems, but he also wasn’t someone you would look to in a leadership role. He was steady and reliable, which allowed him to pitch for 18 seasons. He was considered a top prospect coming out of Chukyodai Chukyo High School in Nagoya. Some figured Miyoshi would go to college, but Sendai decided to pick him sixth overall in the 1996 EAB Draft. He signed with the Samurai and spent two full years in their developmental system. Miyoshi debuted in 1999 at age 21 with 67.2 innings. Sendai moved him into the rotation full-time after that. For the Samurai over six seasons in the rotation, Miyoshi was largely average to above average in production with reliable innings. They were a mid-tier team in his run, averaging 76 wins per season with a best of 83-79. Miyoshi had a 91-77 record, 3.27 ERA, 1561.2 innings, 1346 strikeouts, 384 walks, 102 ERA+, and 25.4 WAR. While he wasn’t bad, he wasn’t nearly as dominant as you’d want or expect having been picked sixth overall. Sendai didn’t re-sign Miyoshi when his contract expired after the 2005 campaign, becoming a free agent heading towards age 28. He signed a five-year, $25,600,000 deal with Nagoya to begin his signature run. Miyoshi’s production got better as he consistently kept his ERA below three for his first seven seasons with the Nightowls, posting 4+ WAR each year. His only time leading a major stat was in wins at 24-5 in 2009. This season also had his career best WAR at 6.0, which earned his lone Pitcher of the Year finalist season with a third place. Nagoya ended a seven-year playoff drought in 2008 with a first round loss. The Nightowls then shocked the world with a 117-45 campaign in 2009, rolling to the East Asian Championship over Busan. Nagoya’s 2009 squad is often on the short list of the greatest-ever EAB squads. Miyoshi was actually mediocre in the playoff run with a 4.84 ERA over 22.1 innings. His great regular season though got him paid with a six-year, $59 million extension that winter. Nagoya was a one-and-done, missing the playoffs the next two years. They had a first round exit in 2012, then fell to the bottom of the standings after that. Miyoshi’s playoff stats for his career were a lackluster 4.71 ERA over 36.1 innings. He fared even worse in his limited World Baseball Championship outings for Japan from 2002-09. Miyoshi had 77 innings with a 2-4 record, 5.73 ERA, 93 strikeouts, 20 walks, 62 ERA+, and 0.1 WAR. His regular season production stayed steady through 2012. In 2013, Miyoshi missed half of the season to shoulder inflammation. Miyoshi stayed mostly healthy the two years after that, but was firmly mediocre at that point. With one year left on his deal, the struggling Nightowls traded Miyoshi in the offseason to Fukuoka. For Nagoya, Miyoshi had a 136-86 record, 3.11 ERA, 2107 innings, 1708 strikeouts, 393 walks, 110 ERA+, and 38.3 WAR. Miyoshi had a bit of a resurgence for the Frogs with a 3.00 ERA and 2.1 WAR over 218.2 innings in 2016. He decided to retire that winter instead of overstaying his welcome at age 38. Nagoya quickly brought him back to retire his #47 uniform for his decade of service and role in their 2009 championship. Miyoshi finished with a 242-173 record, 3.17 ERA, 3887.1 innings, 3161 strikeouts, 830 walks, 312/502 quality starts, 86 complete games, 24 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 65.8 WAR. As of 2037, Miyoshi ranks 21^st in wins, 24^th in innings, 92^nd in strikeouts, and 98^th in WAR among pitchers. Advanced stats definitely had Miyoshi as someone who was just above average for a long time. He lacked accolades and black ink, leading many voters to dismiss him as a compiler. Weak playoff stats also didn’t help his cause. Many voters cared about counting stats and traditionalists pointed at Miyoshi’s win total. Every EAB starter who got to 240+ wins before him made it in, although there had been a few in the 230s that missed the cut. Miyoshi was also helped by having his best season with Nagoya’s historic 2009 title and was undoubtedly an important part of one of EAB’s best-ever teams. Miyoshi missed the cut at 59.7% with his 2022 debut and dropped slightly in 2023 to 55.6%. For 2024, he got a sizeable boost up to 67.3% to sneak across the 66% requirement. Most scholars rank Miyoshi among the weaker starters in the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame, but he secured his slot on the third ballot regardless as part of a three-player 2024 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-22-2025, 06:58 AM	#1999
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2024 BSA Hall of Fame (Part 1) Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2024 Hall of Fame class was loaded with three players each finishing above 94% of the vote. SP Fernan Murillo (99.2%), OF Marco Del Cid (96.0%), and SP Samuel Alves (94.8%) were each slam dunk picks. The best returner was 3B Artemio Reyes at 61.1% on his eighth ballot, falling just shy of the 66% requirement. No other players cracked 50% and only two others were above 40%. 3B Emilio Aruquipa was dropped after ten ballots, peaking with 42.3% in his debut and ending at 9.5%. He had a 21-year career between Santa Cruz and Buenos Aires with 2744 hits, 1269 runs, 417 doubles, 183 triples, 79 home runs, 821 RBI, 904 walks, 1409 stolen bases, .316/.382/.434 slash, 129 wRC+, and 69.0 WAR. Aruquipa was a great leadoff man and ranks second in stolen bases in BSA history and 27^th among all world players as of 2037. He never led in any other stats though and lacked accolades and power, keeping him in the Hall of Good. Another guy dropped was 1B Theo Rijo, who peaked with his 36.9% debut and ended at 7.1% on his tenth try. He had 15 years primarily with Belo Horizonte with 2118 hits, 1085 runs, 322 doubles, 440 home runs, 1210 RBI, .311/.379/.565 slash, 166 wRC+, and 74.4 WAR. Rijo was quietly a very efficient hitter, but had no black ink or awards. He would’ve needed a few more years to get the tallies high enough to earn more attention. Fernan Murillo – Starting Pitcher – Buenos Aires Atlantics – 99.2% First Ballot Fernan Murillo was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Barrancabermea, a city of 203,000 people in north central Colombia known as the nation’s oil capital. Murillo had excellent stuff and control along with above average movement. His velocity peaked in the 99-101 mph range with a cutter as his most powerful pitch. Murillo’s deadliest offering was his curveball, although his slider and knuckle curve were both good. He also had a rarely used changeup as the fifth option. His diverse arsenal helped Murillo become one of the elite strikeout pitchers of his generation. Murillo’s stamina was merely average compared to most aces of his era. He held up remarkably well over a 21-year career and avoided the major arm injuries that ruin many pitchers, but he did miss sporadic starts mostly to back issues. Murillo was great at holding runners and was quite good defensively. He ended up as one of the continent’s most popular and successful pitchers of all time. In September 1994, a scout from Buenos Aires convinced Murillo to sign a developmental deal to leave Colombia for Argentina. He spent three years in their academy before debuting in 1998 at age 20. Murillo was respectable over 153 innings that year, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. He would become Buenos Aires’ ace for the next 14 years, posting 5+ WAR in each of those seasons. From 2001-04, Murillo led the league each year in wins, peaking with a 24-7 mark in 2003. He also had his career best of 376 strikeouts in 2003 and also led in Ks for 2003 and 2006. Murillo couldn’t quite snag the top award at this point, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006 with a third in 2005. He struck out 300+ batters each year during this run. 2006 was Murillo’s first time as the WARlord with a career-best 11.1. The Atlantics were a regular contender in this era, earning five consecutive playoff berths from 1999-03. They also made it into the postseason in 2005 and 2007, but could never get over the hump. Buenos Aires lost in the Southern Cone League championship in 2000, 2002, and 2003. Their other berths all saw divisional series defeats. Murillo was surprisingly average in the postseason for BA with a 3.66 ERA over 76.1 innings, 3-5 record, 85 strikeouts, 99 ERA+, and 1.2 WAR. Murillo did step up on the World Baseball Championship stage as a regular for his native Colombia from 1999-2016. He tossed 261.2 innings with a 22-8 record, 2.58 ERA, 376 strikeouts, 62 walks, 140 ERA+, and 9.1 WAR. Murillo led all pitchers with 60 strikeouts as Colombia lost to the United States in the 2010 World Championship. They also had a third place finish in 2006. As of 2037, Murillo leads all Colombians in the WBC in pitching WAR, wins, innings, and strikeouts. Among all nations, he ranks 19^th in wins, 34^th in strikeouts, and 25^th in pitching WAR. In July 2007, Murillo signed a six-year, $61,500,000 extension with Buenos Aires. The Atlantics started a decade-long playoff drought in 2008, hovering generally just below .500. Murillo continued to thrive though and won Pitcher of the Year thrice (2009, 2011, 2012). He led in strikeouts from 2009-11 and was the WARlord in both 2009 and 2011. 2012 saw Murillo’s low ERA title at 2.31, a career-best that he also hit the prior season. Towards the end of his BA run, Murillo reached the 250+ win and 4000+ strikeout thresholds. The Atlantics weren’t competitive at this point and had one year left with Murillo under contract. With his 2012 ERA title, the 35-year old was still a hot property, so Buenos Aires traded him in the offseason to Brasilia in a four-player deal. They did get 3B Spinoza Arajo in the deal, who would be a 15-year starter, MVP winner, and Copa Sudamerica MVP winner for the Atlantics. Although BA made the right move, many were sad to see their long-time ace go. For Buenos Aires, Murillo had a 253-124 record, 2.58 ERA, 3557.2 innings, 4388 strikeouts, 464 walks, 139 ERA+, and 107.8 WAR. His #13 uniform would be retired as soon as his pro career ended. Murillo led in strikeouts in his lone season for Brasilia, but saw a career worst 4.02 ERA. The Bearcats had been the LCS runner-up in 2012, but failed to get back to the playoffs in 2013. Murillo was now a free agent for the first time and signed a three-year, $32,100,000 deal with Fortaleza, the defending Copa Sudamerica champ. He was done as an ace by this point and had seen his velocity drop from triple digits to the mid 90s. Recurring back injuries cost him starts each year for the Foxes, but he still provided positive value. Fortaleza won the Southern Cone League in 2014, but couldn’t repeat as Copa Sudamerica winners in a rematch with Medellin. A herniated disc kept Murillo out for the playoffs. The Foxes lost in the first round of 2015 with Murillo allowing five runs in seven innings in his lone start. Fortaleza fell to below .500 in 2016, but Murillo that year became the seventh BSA pitcher to reach 5000 career strikeouts. In total for the Foxes, Murillo had a 28-25 record, 3.18 EREA, 467.2 innings, 387 strikeouts, 120 ERA+, and 10.4 WAR. Now 39-years old, Murillo came home to Colombia on a three-year, $18,400,000 deal with Medellin. He kept up similar production with the Mutiny in two years as he had with Fortaleza. Murillo allowed four runs in 2017 in one playoff start as Medellin lost in the first round. They fell in the divisional series in 2018 with Murillo not getting used. With the Mutiny, Murillo was able to reach 300 career wins, becoming only the fifth in BSA history to do so. He had a 26-20 record, 3.50 ERA, 396 innings, 299 strikeouts, 115 ERA+, and 9.2 WAR for Medellin. Murillo retired after the 2018 campaign at age 41. Murillo finished with a 316-181 record, 2.79 ERA, 4658.2 innings, 5344 strikeouts, 605 walks, 439/610 quality starts, 117 complete games, 38 shutouts, 131 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 132.3 WAR. As of 2037, Murillo ranks 4^th in wins, 7^th in strikeouts, 4^th in innings pitched, 98^th in complete games, 37^th in shutouts, and 6^th in pitching WAR. Among all BSA pitchers with 1000+ innings, his 0.97 WHIP is 66^th. By basically any measure, Murillo was considered the best pitcher of his era in Beisbol Sudamerica. Most rank him among BSA’s top ten pitchers, although he misses some top five lists as he wasn’t quite as otherworldly dominant as some of those just ahead of him on the leaderboards. Plus, Murillo’s playoff stats were underwhelming and he never had that defining postseason moment. However, Murillo’s longevity helped earn him spot even on the world leaderboards. As of 2037 among all pitchers in baseball history, Murillo ranks 25^th in wins, 23^rd in strikeouts, 45^th in innings, and 40^th in pitching WAR. By WAR, Murillo is the best-ever player to come from Colombia and certainly has a case for being his country’s best-ever baseball product. Murillo was an easy headliner even in a loaded 2024 Hall of Fame class with a nearly unanimous 99.2%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

01-22-2025, 12:59 PM	#2000
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,575	2024 BSA Hall of Fame (Part 2) *Marco Del Cid – Center Field – Cali Cyclones – 96.0% First Ballot* Marco Del Cid was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from Cartagena, Colombia; a major northern coastal city with around one million people in the metro area. Del Cid was an incredible contact hitter and a master at putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts. He also had a good eye for drawing walks and was a very dangerous baserunner with solid speed. Del Cid’s gap power was fantastic with 33 doubles and 15 triples per his 162 game average. He also got you 26 home runs per 162, making him one of the more effective batters of his even without overwhelming power. Del Cid was especially potent against right-handed pitching with a career 1.017 OPS and 163 wRC+. Versus lefties, he had a 120 wRC+ and .832 OPS, which was still solid but nothing incredible. Defensively, Del Cid primarily played left field and was considered a great gloveman there, winning four Gold Gloves. He played some center at the start of his career and struggled there without the required range. Del Cid had nice durability with 125+ games played in all 17 years of his career. He was also considered one of the true good guys of the game and was a team captain. Del Cid was renowned for his intelligence, leadership, and work ethic. He became very popular with fans and was one of the most universally respected men in clubhouses across the continent. In the 2001 BSA Draft, Del Cid was picked 11^th overall by Cali, where he’d spend almost his entire pro career. He was a full-timer immediately and won 2002 Rookie of the Year with an impressive 6.7 WAR debut campaign with a career-best 32 home runs. For the next decade, he was consistently good for 4+ WAR and a batting average above .325. Del Cid would post an OPS above one in six different seasons. In 2005, Del Cid won his first batting title with a .376 average and led in hits for the only time with 218. He also had his first of four seasons with the top on-base percentage. Without big home run power, Del Cid wasn’t typically in MVP conversations. He did win Silver Sluggers in 2003, 2005, and 2006 in center field, followed by left field wins in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Del Cid’s four Gold Glove wins came from 2007-10 upon moving to LF. Cali saw some success early in Del Cid’s run, getting wild cards from 2002-04 and in 2007. Their deepest runs would be Bolivar League Championship Series defeats in 2004 and 2007. The Cyclones were generally mediocre for the next decade after that with their lone playoff appearance being a first round loss in 2015. Despite his popularity, Del Cid did get some blame as his playoff numbers were mediocre. He accepted the responsibility, posting 26 playoff starts for Cali with a .245/.264/.368 slash, 69 wRC+, and -0.1 WAR. Del Cid fared better as a captain for Colombia in the World Baseball Championship from 2002-17. In 163 games and 153 starts, Del Cid had 155 hits, 77 runs, 24 doubles, 5 triples, 17 home runs, 64 RBI, 81 walks, 79 stolen bases, .278/.373/.430 slash, 130 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR. He had 20 steals in their 2010 runner-up finish against the United States, which is one of only 27 times in WBC history that a player stole 20+ bags in the event. Colombia also notably took third in 2006. Cali signed Del Cid to an eight-year, $42,520,000 extension after the 2006 season. He led with 48 doubles in 2008 and had the best OBP in 2010, 2011, and 2013. 2010 was his finest season with league and career bests in batting average (.393), OBP (.453), OPS (1.131), wRC+ (190), and WAR (9.7). At the time, it was the 5^th-best average and 8^th-best OBP in a BSA season. Del Cid also had career bests in runs (111), hits (226), and steals (71) and he saw his lone cycle in a game against Bogota. Del Cid was third in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. Del Cid carried on leading the Cyclones even if they were underwhelming in the 2010s. Cali gave him a three-year, $33,300,000 extension after the 2014 season. He production dipped slightly, but he was still a solid starter even in his final years for Cali. In 2017, Del Cid became the 12^th member of the 3000 hit club and the 16^th to 1500 runs scored. His Cali run had an unfortunate ending with a broken kneecap suffered in September 2017. The Cyclones didn’t re-sign him after that, but Del Cid still wanted to play. Santiago gave him a shot at two years and $14,600,000, but Del Cid struggled and was reduced to a part-time role with -0.6 WAR over 126 games and 52 starts in 2018. He retired that winter at age 39 and immediately had his #40 uniform retired by Cali. Del Cid had 2515 games, 3072 hits, 1544 runs, 516 doubles, 233 triples, 402 home runs, 1491 RBI, 815 walks, 867 stolen bases, .341/.394/.584 slash, 154 wRC+, and 89.6 WAR. As of 2037, Del Cid ranks 62^nd in games, 20^th in runs, 17^th in hits, 13^th in doubles, 39^th in triples, 21^st in total bases (5260), 51^st in walks, and 59^th in WAR among position players. Among BSA batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Del Cid ranks 34^th in batting average, 20^th in on-base percentage, 71^st in slugging, and his .978 OPS ranks 34^th. Among all world Hall of Famers as of 2037, Del Cid ranks 21^st in batting average and 49^th in OBP. Few players were as reliably consistent at the plate, but Del Cid does fall outside of the true inner circle between the lack of home run power and his poor playoff stats. As a person though, Del Cid’s character is above reproach. He’s a Hall of Fame lock anyway you look at it and would headline most classes. With Beisbol Sudamerica’s loaded 2024 group, he had the second highest percentage with 96.0%. Samuel Alves – Starting Pitcher – Recife Retrievers – 94.8% First Ballot Samuel Alves was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Anapolis, a city of around 400,000 people in central Brazil. Alves had good-to-great stuff and movement along with excellent control. He had a 97-99 mph fastball and a strong slider as his main two offerings, along with a curveball and changeup. Alves’ stamina was below average relative to most BSA aces with decent durability. He was good at holding runners and was below average defensively. Alves was picked fourth overall by Recife in the 2004 BSA Draft and spent his entire 14-year pro career with the Retrievers. He was a full-timer right away and took second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2005. Alves had impressive efficiency right away despite not having as many innings as some contemporaries. 2006-14 had nine straight seasons above 4.5 WAR with four seasons above 6+. Recife became a regular contender in 2009, ending an eight-year playoff drought. They had three straight berths from 2009-11, then had a nine year postseason streak from 2013-21. Alves helped the Retrievers become a winner and started to get his first awards consideration. In 2010, Alves would toss a no-hitter on April 7 with 12 strikeouts and two walks against Belo Horizonte. He led the Southern Cone League with 7.3 WAR, finishing third in Pitcher of the Year voting. The Retrievers fell in the 2009 LCS to Salvador, but earned back-to-back Southern Cone pennants in 2010 over Fortaleza and in 2011 over Cordoba. Recife would fall in both Copa Sudamerica trips as Santa Cruz completed a three-peat in 2010, followed by a 2011 title for Valencia. Alves’ playoff stats were merely okay these years, but his overall production earned him a five-year, $46,800,000 extension after the 2011 campaign. He had a 3.95 ERA in the 2010 Baseball Grand Championship and a 2.57 ERA run in 2011 with the Retrievers in the middle of the standings both tries. Alves had the ERA title at 2.31 in 2011, but did lose awards consideration as he missed six weeks to shoulder tendinitis. He took third in 2012 and 2013’s Pitcher of the Year voting, despite leading with 6.6 WAR in 2013. In 2014, Alves took the top honor with a league and career-best 1.88 ERA. Recife fell in both 2013 and 2014 in the LCS to Fortaleza, although Alves had a fairly solid showing both years. A hamstring strain cost Alves more than half of the 2015 season, but he was back for the autumn. Recife finally won Copa Sudamerica, upsetting top seed Montevideo in the LCS and beating Callao for the overall title. Alves had a 3.60 ERA over 25 playoff innings and 16 strikeouts. He had an excellent 1.50 ERA over 36 innings with 47 strikeouts though in the Baseball Grand Championship. Recife would go 10-9 in a three-way tie for sixth. His career playoff numbers were fairly average with 162.1 innings, 3.44 ERA, 8-6 record, 140 strikeouts, 28 walks, 106 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. Recife’s playoff streak continued, but the deepest they got in the following three years was an LCS loss in 2017. Alves did have good BGC numbers with a 2.32 ERA over 77.2 innings, 97 strikeouts, and 2.6 WAR. Alves did see very strong numbers as a regular for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship. From 2005-17, he had 180 innings with a 12-5 record, 2.80 ERA, 192 strikeouts, 24 walks, and 6.0 WAR. He ranks fifth in pitching WAR among Brazilians in the event. Their best finish with Alves was a third place in 2016, which had a 1.78 ERA over 25.1 innings. Brazil also won division titles in 2006 and 2014. These efforts helped Alves’ notoriety and popularity with Brazilian fans. After the 2015 season heading towards age 34, Alves signed a five-year, $53,700,000 extension with Recife. He had a good 2016 and a decent 2017, although his velocity notably began to dip. Alves’ strong control kept him effective, but he had a further drop down to the 91-93 mph range by 2018. He posted below average results and retired that winter at age 36. The Retrievers quickly honored Alves and retired his #26 uniform. Alves finished with a 193-110 record, 2.61 ERA, 2806.2 innings, 2745 strikeouts, 348 walks, 268/357 quality starts, 46 complete games, 14 shutouts, 138 ERA+, and 70.9 WAR. Because of a relatively low inning tally, Alves ranks fairly low in counting stats. As of 2037, he is 88^th in wins and misses the top 100 in innings or strikeouts. Alves does sit 75^th in WAR among position players and among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, Alves’ 0.97 WHIP is 66^th and his 1.12 BB/9 is 41st Advanced stats like ERA+ (138) and FIP- (75) firmly place him as elite, even if the accumulations didn’t. Most voters gave him some credit for Recife’s sustained success and for his WBC efforts with Brazil. Add in two ERA titles and a Pitcher of the Year award, and Alves’s resume was plenty strong. At 94.8%, he capped off an impressive three-player Hall of Fame class in 2024 for Beisbol Sudamerica. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)