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Two players earned induction to the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame in the 1972 voting. 3B Fragiskos Fakas was a firm first ballot pick at 95.3%. Closer Richard Hackl joins him in the class, getting across the 66% threshold on his seventh try at 69.3%. 3B Orion McIntyre was close but short on his seventh go at 61.0%. Also above 50% were SP Karlo Godina at 56.7% on his first attempt, closer Ken Jacob at 51.0% on his eighth, and 1B Fabian Wittkowski at 50.0% even on his second attempt.



Joe Ramet became the first EBF player to last ten ballots and not earn eventual induction. He was the first player that got serious attention when Hall of Fame voting began, debuting at 58.6% and getting as high as 60.8% before ending at 44.7%. The French centerfielder played seven years with Amsterdam and Paris, posting 1084 hits, 705 runs, 260 home runs, 716 RBI, a .290/.364/.948 slash and 52.6 WAR, winning two MVPs and three Silver Sluggers. Had his EBF career not started at age 32, he almost certainly would’ve gotten enough totals to get the nod. But the small sample size wasn’t enough despite being excellent and helping the Anacondas to two European Championships.



Fragiskos Fakas – Third Base – Zagreb Gulls – 95.3% First Ballot

Fragiskos Fakas was a 5’10’’, 180 pound right-handed third baseman from Ammoudia, a village in the Serres regional unit in northern Greece. Fakas was a solid power hitter that could reliably get 35-40 home runs and around 35-40 doubles/triples per season. He was a solid contact hitter in his peak years as well and was respectable at avoiding strikeouts, although he was fairly average at drawing walks. Fakas had above average to good speed and baserunning skills despite being a career third baseman. He was considered a pretty solid defender and was thought of as fairly durable.

Fakas left Greece to play college baseball in England at the University of Liverpool. After his sophomore season, he was picked third overall in the 1952 EBF Draft by his home country team Athens, but he ultimately didn’t sign with the Anchors. He returned for his junior year of college and finished in 160 college games with 247 hits, 219 runs, 50 home runs, 176 RBI, and 12.1 WAR. Fakas improved his stock and was the first overall pick of the 1953 EBF Draft by Zagreb. He’d ultimately spend his entire EBF career with the Gulls.

Fakas became a full-time starter as a rookie, although he missed six weeks in his debut season with a fractured rib. The next year, he won the first of eight Silver Sluggers, also taking it in 1956, 58, 59, 60, 61, 64, and 66. After having some small injuries in his first three years, Fakas would play in 145+ in all but one of his remaining Zagreb seasons. 1958 was his first year in the MVP conversation, taking third with a Southern Conference best 143 RBI. In 1959, Fakas won the award with a batting title (.343), WARlord status at 11.7, and leading in OPS (1.044), hits (214), and runs (126), adding 43 home runs and 116 RBI. He had another incredible 11.7 WAR 1960, but took second in MVP voting.

Zagreb made the playoffs in 1956, 1959, and 1960. In 1960, the Gulls broke through and won their first European Championship. Fakas was the finals MVP and had a tremendous playoff run with 26 hits, 15 runs, 15 extra base hits, and 20 RBI in 18 playoff games. The Gulls fell off for the next few years, but Fakas remained excellent, although not in the MVP race. He also continued to play for Greece in the World Baseball Championship. From 1956-68, he made 91 starts with 64 hits, 48 runs, 26 home runs, and 44 RBI.

At age 36, he became a free agent for the first time and went to MLB’s Milwaukee for the 1967 season. He was respectable in his first year, but missed some time with a separated shoulder. More injuries and age meant he was reduced to a bench role in 1968, opting to retire at season’s end at age 38.

Fakas’ line in EBF: 2085 hits, 1177 runs, 247 doubles, 234 triples, 445 home runs, 1300 RBI, a .292/.348/.579 slash, 164 wRC+ and 98.5 WAR. Zagreb would retire his #28 uniform as he was a key player in their early days and in their first title season. An elite third baseman of the 1950s and 1960s, Fakas was an easy first ballot pick at 95.3%; the first Greek Hall of Famer.



Richard Hackl – Closer – Stockholm Swordsmen – 69.3% Seventh Ballot

Richard Hackl was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Mittersill, a tiny town of around 5,000 people on the Salzach River in central Austria. Hackl had excellent stuff and movement with solid control and 96-98 mph peak velocity. He had two pitches; a fastball and a splitter, with the combo owing to an extreme groundball tendency. Hackl was considered a strong leader and a good defender as well.

Hackl picked up the game in his mid 20s in post World War II Austria and had honed his craft significantly by the time the European Baseball Federation was formed. At age 29, he signed with his home country team Vienna for the 1951 and spent his first three EBF teams with the Vultures. He took third in Reliever of the Year voting in 1952 and in three seasons, had 105 saves, a 1.37 ERA, 236 innings, 308 strikeouts, and 11.0 WAR. For the 1954 season, the 32-year old Hackl was traded to Stockholm for 2B Ben Storessund and CF Johnan Karlsson.

Hackl was best known as the closer for the Swordsmen, who were a consistent contender in the 1950s. He won his lone Reliever of the Year award in 1955 and took third in 1958. He led in saves twice and had a spectacular 0.56 ERA in 96 innings in 1955, posting 6.1 WAR. Hackl had a 1.30 ERA in 34.2 playoff innings, including 13.1 scoreless innings in 1957. Stockholm was the European Champion in 1957 and runner-up in 1959.

Although playing in Sweden, Hackl still went home to Austria for the World Baseball Championship from 1956-60. He made six starts and three relief appearances with a 2.20 ERA in 45 innings with 56 strikeouts and only two walks. 1959 saw him become the second EBF closer to 300 saves in April, followed by a partially torn labrum later that month, although he was back by the playoffs. Hackl was less effective and moved out of the closer role in 1960, opting to retire after that season at age 38. With the Swordsmen, he had a 1.51 ERA, 207 saves and 235 shutdowns, 501 innings, 596 strikeouts, and 22.7 WAR.

Hackl’s overall stats: 312 saves and 349 shutdowns, 1.47 ERA, 737 innings, 904 strikeouts, 150 walks, a FIP- of 44 and 33.7 WAR. Very strong accumulations considering his EBF career started at age 29 and he only had a decade of production. He has the best ERA of any EBF Hall of Famer by a good margin, but it is still a tough climb sometimes to get noticed by voters as a reliever. He was around the 54% mark for his first three years, then was around 62-63% the next three years. Hackl’s seventh try finally got him just above the 66% mark with 69.3%, becoming the first Austrian Hall of Famer.