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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-12-2023, 06:48 AM

Only one player made the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame Class in 1945 and barely so. Pitcher Jun-Hyeok Cho on his second ballot barely crossed the 66% threshold at 66.5%. The only other player to be above 50% was 3B Kisho Miura at 56.5% on his sixth attempt.

Two were dropped after their 10^th time on the ballot. Ko Agano finished at 39.0% on his last try with the pitcher peaking at 54% on his fifth go. He pitched for five teams and his tallies were hurt by being 29 years old with EAB formed. He was the 1921 Korea League Pitcher of the Year and had a 158-100 record, 2.55 ERA, 2246 strikeouts, and 57.7 WAR. Perhaps with his 20s added, he would’ve made the cut.

Another pitcher with a similar fate was Ju-An Kim, who ended at 6% after peaking at 27.3% on his first try. His official stats with four teams starts at age 32, although he notably won both Pitcher of the Year and MVP in 1922 for Sapporo. Kim had a 117-59 record, 2.11 ERA, 1448 strikeouts, and 52.1 WAR. Again, with a full career, someone who would’ve had a shot.

Jun-Hyeok Cho – Starting Pitcher – Saitama Sting – 66.5% Second Ballot

Jun-Hyeok Cho was a 5’8’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher born in Pyongyang. He had excellent velocity with a fastball that hit 99-101 mph routinely. He mixed it with a solid splitter and okay changeup, showing respectable control but at times lacking movement.

Cho was one of the rare players of the era picked out of high school, taken in the third round and 84^th overall in the 1921 EAB Draft by his hometown Pyongyang. He spent part of three years in development and only saw 42.2 innings with the Pythons with poor success. He was on roster and did earn an EAB ring as part of the 1924 championship Pyongyang squad. Disappointed in the young pitcher’s lack of immediate progression, he was traded with two others to Saitama for 1B Ji-Hoo Kim, who was inducted in the 1943 Hall of Fame class.

The remainder of Cho’s professional career and his signature run came in 14 seasons with the Sting. He started to see some real success at age 22, but a torn abdominal muscle caused him to miss much of 1927. He bounced back though with his best two seasons, leading Japan in ERA in both 1928 (1.46) and 1929 (1.38). He had a no-hitter against Fukuoka in 1928 with nine strikeouts and one walk. Both of those seasons and in 1930, he’d take second in Pitcher of the Year voting; the closest he’d come to the award. In 1930, the Sting won their first Japan League title, falling in the EAB final to Gwangju.

Cho’s production would steadily decline into the 1930s as Saitama generally struggled as well. By his late 20s, he was merely a decent middle of the rotation guy and into his 30s, he became borderline. Cho retired after the 1938 season at age 35, a relatively early exit for someone who didn’t have any major injuries to force him out of the game.

Cho’s final line: 181-125, 2.53 ERA, 2993.0 innings, 2917 strikeouts, 260/402 quality starts and 52.9 WAR. One could argue that the two pitchers who were dropped on the 10^th year had a more compelling case over their shortened careers. His #14 was retired by the Sting and for a 3-4 year stretch, he was a true ace who helped them to a league title. Some would point to him as one of the weakest members of the Hall and he barely crossed the threshold at 66.5%, but Cho can say forever that he was a second ballot Hall of Famer.

03-12-2023, 06:48 AM	#175
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,899	1945 EAB Hall of Fame Only one player made the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame Class in 1945 and barely so. Pitcher Jun-Hyeok Cho on his second ballot barely crossed the 66% threshold at 66.5%. The only other player to be above 50% was 3B Kisho Miura at 56.5% on his sixth attempt. Two were dropped after their 10^th time on the ballot. Ko Agano finished at 39.0% on his last try with the pitcher peaking at 54% on his fifth go. He pitched for five teams and his tallies were hurt by being 29 years old with EAB formed. He was the 1921 Korea League Pitcher of the Year and had a 158-100 record, 2.55 ERA, 2246 strikeouts, and 57.7 WAR. Perhaps with his 20s added, he would’ve made the cut. Another pitcher with a similar fate was Ju-An Kim, who ended at 6% after peaking at 27.3% on his first try. His official stats with four teams starts at age 32, although he notably won both Pitcher of the Year and MVP in 1922 for Sapporo. Kim had a 117-59 record, 2.11 ERA, 1448 strikeouts, and 52.1 WAR. Again, with a full career, someone who would’ve had a shot. Jun-Hyeok Cho – Starting Pitcher – Saitama Sting – 66.5% Second Ballot Jun-Hyeok Cho was a 5’8’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher born in Pyongyang. He had excellent velocity with a fastball that hit 99-101 mph routinely. He mixed it with a solid splitter and okay changeup, showing respectable control but at times lacking movement. Cho was one of the rare players of the era picked out of high school, taken in the third round and 84^th overall in the 1921 EAB Draft by his hometown Pyongyang. He spent part of three years in development and only saw 42.2 innings with the Pythons with poor success. He was on roster and did earn an EAB ring as part of the 1924 championship Pyongyang squad. Disappointed in the young pitcher’s lack of immediate progression, he was traded with two others to Saitama for 1B Ji-Hoo Kim, who was inducted in the 1943 Hall of Fame class. The remainder of Cho’s professional career and his signature run came in 14 seasons with the Sting. He started to see some real success at age 22, but a torn abdominal muscle caused him to miss much of 1927. He bounced back though with his best two seasons, leading Japan in ERA in both 1928 (1.46) and 1929 (1.38). He had a no-hitter against Fukuoka in 1928 with nine strikeouts and one walk. Both of those seasons and in 1930, he’d take second in Pitcher of the Year voting; the closest he’d come to the award. In 1930, the Sting won their first Japan League title, falling in the EAB final to Gwangju. Cho’s production would steadily decline into the 1930s as Saitama generally struggled as well. By his late 20s, he was merely a decent middle of the rotation guy and into his 30s, he became borderline. Cho retired after the 1938 season at age 35, a relatively early exit for someone who didn’t have any major injuries to force him out of the game. Cho’s final line: 181-125, 2.53 ERA, 2993.0 innings, 2917 strikeouts, 260/402 quality starts and 52.9 WAR. One could argue that the two pitchers who were dropped on the 10^th year had a more compelling case over their shortened careers. His #14 was retired by the Sting and for a 3-4 year stretch, he was a true ace who helped them to a league title. Some would point to him as one of the weakest members of the Hall and he barely crossed the threshold at 66.5%, but Cho can say forever that he was a second ballot Hall of Famer. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)