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The European Baseball Federation had three first ballot Hall of Fame selections in 1976 with each getting above 90%. Pitcher Armando Rojas and 1B Rudjer Bosnjak were both close to unanimous with 99.4% and 98.8%, respectively. Another pitcher, Mijusko Popovic, also had an impressive 91.1%. The only other player above 50% was pitcher Karlo Godina at 54.8% on his fifth ballot.



Dropped after ten ballots was Francesco Pizzi. A pitcher whose EBF career started at age 28, he had a 162-102 record, 2.64 ERA, 2558 strikeouts, and 67.1 WAR. Had he started his career in his early 20s, he probably would’ve gotten the accumulations to get across the line. With the lack of a major award, he peaked at 34.8% on his debut before finishing at 10.8%.



Armando Rojas – Starting Pitcher – Seville Stingrays – 99.4% First Ballot

Armando Rojas was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Velilla de San Antonio, a small municipality of around 12,000 people in the Madrid metropolitan area in central Spain. Rojas had excellent stuff, great movement, and good control with 97-99 mph peak velocity. He did this with only three pitches; a fastball, curveball, and changeup; but he was a master at changing speeds and coaxing ground balls and whiffs. Rojas was also a good defender who was great at holding runners. He had great stamina and durability in his peak, making him one of the most dominant pitchers in European baseball history.

Rojas attended England’s Newcastle University for college and returned home to Spain with the 1953 EBF Draft, picked 12^th overall by Seville. He had an incredible rookie season with a Southern Conference best 1.62 ERA plus an 8.7 WAR, winning the Rookie of the Year. Rojas was so dominant that he won the Rookie of the Month award in six different months.

With the Stingrays, Rojas led the conference in ERA four times, WAR thrice, quality starts thrice, WHIP thrice, and strikeouts twice. His first no-hitter came in 1956 with 11 strikeouts and one walk against Munich. Rojas won Pitcher of the Year in 1956, 57, and 58; and took second in 1959 and third in 1955. In only six seasons with Seville, Rojas posted a 117-43 record, 1.96 ERA, 1626 innings, 1860 strikeouts, and 60.5 WAR. He also started pitching for Spain in the World Baseball Championship. From 1954-69, Rojas had a 2.62 ERA over 192.1 innings with 225 strikeouts and 5.2 WAR.

Despite his efforts, Seville remained a lower-rung team in Rojas’ tenure. He’d leave for free agency and head closer to home with a seven-year, $648,000 deal with Madrid. The Conquistadors had been a top competitor in the 50s, although they’d only make the playoffs in 1961 with Rojas there. He was still a beast in his tenure, leading in WAR four times, strikeouts thrice, and WHIP thrice. Rojas won his fourth and final Pitcher of the Year in 1961 and took second in both 1962 and 1966.

1961 was the crown jewel season that saw a Triple Crown with a 25-6 record, 1.61 ERA over 296 innings, and 370 strikeouts. He also posted 13.6 WAR, 11.9 K/BB, 29 quality starts, and 21 complete games. The 13.6 WAR remains the third-best EBF pitching season as of 2037. Rojas also had his second no-hitter in 1961, fanning 11 against London with only a hit-by-pitch preventing a perfect game. In total with Madrid, Rojas had a 102-60 record, 2.13 ERA, 1569.1 innings, 1996 strikeouts, and 62.1 WAR.

In April 1966, the 34-year old Rojas’ tenure with Madrid ended on a trade for two prospects to Rome. The Red Wolves hoped Rojas could put them over the top as they were a contender at this point. He had a good year, but struggled in two postseason starts as Rome was ousted in the first round. During the 1967 World Baseball Championship, Rojas suffered a torn UCL and would miss the entire season with his future in jeopardy.

He came back in 1968 at age 36 and while he wasn’t as dominant or able to pitch as deep, Rojas was still a solid starter. This time, he had a solid postseason with a 2.66 ERA over 23.2 innings as he and Rome won the 1968 European Championship. In 1969, he threw a no-hitter in the WBC against New Zealand with six strikeouts and two walks. A torn flexor tendon in his elbow in May would end his Madrid tenure with a 32-18 record, 2.55 ERA, 494 innings, 504 strikeouts, and 18.0 WAR. Rojas attempted a comeback with Barcelona in 1970 and was merely okay, retiring after the season at age 39.

Rojas’ final stats: 259-127 record, 2.17 ERA, 3871.1 innings, 4432 strikeouts to 624 walks, 371/476 quality starts, a FIP- of 57, and 141.7 WAR. He was EBF’s pitching WARlord at retirement and is still second place as of 2037. Rojas was the first EBF pitcher to 4000 strikeouts and the second EBF pitcher to 250 career wins. Even as of 2037, he’s eighth all-time in wins, fourth in ERA, and fifth in strikeouts. Rojas is clearly an inner-circle Hall of Fame pitcher, getting the induction at 99.4%.



Rudjer Bosnjak – First Baseman – Athens Anchors – 98.8% First Ballot

Rudjer Bosnjak was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Sremska Mitrovica, a city of around 40,000 in northwestern Serbia. Bosnjak was an excellent contact and power hitter who regularly hit above .300 and smacked 40+ home runs. Bosnjak also had a solid eye and great ability to draw walks while also being respectable at avoiding strikeouts. He also averaged around 30 doubles per year, although he was a poor and slow baserunner. Bosnjak was an ironman who started 148+ games in every season but his rookie year. He was a career first baseman and was below average defensively. Incredibly humble, Bosnjak became a beloved baseball figure in southeastern Europe.

He played college baseball with England’s University of Cambridge and was the top prospect coming into the 1955 European Baseball Federation Draft. Athens had the first overall pick and selected Bosnjak, who’d spend his entire EBF career with the Anchors. After limited starts in his rookie season, he became a full-time start from 1957 onward, making 2227 starts with Athens. Bosnjak He had 12 straight seasons with 6+ WAR and had 9+ WAR in six different seasons.

Bosnjak would led the Southern Conference in home runs four times, peaking with 56 in 1960. He led in RBI four times, WAR twice, OBP six times, and OPS four times. Bosnjak won Silver Sluggers in 1957, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, and 69. He’d win MVP three times (1960, 61, 65), while taking second in 1957 and 1963, and third in 1959 and 1966.

Bosnjak’s best season was 1960 when he led in runs (127), hits (216), home runs (56), total bases (423), triple slash (.368/.456/.721), OPS (1.176), wRC+ (225), and 12.6 WAR. He also had a career-best 142 RBI, although he finished second to miss out on a Triple Crown. Athens made the playoffs five times in his run, although they only made the conference final once. Bosnjak was also a regular for Serbia in the World Baseball Championship from 1956-72, posting 134 starts, 121 hits, 80 runs, 44 home runs, 93 RBI, and 6.2 WAR.

Bosnjak continued to be a great hitter into his 30s, but his power started to dwindle a bit in his later years. After the 1970 season at age 36, Athens let him go. His #1 uniform would be retired a few years later and he stayed a franchise icon for years after. This ended his EBF career, although he’d head to the Oceania Baseball Association for two additional seasons with New Caledonia. He’d retire after the 1972 season at age 38.

Bosnjak’s final EBF and Athens stats: 2646 hits, 1419 runs, 427 doubles, 594 home runs, 1669 RBI, 1111 walks, a .320/.403/.599 slash and 117.0 WAR. At retirement, he was second all-time in WAR for batters, third in home runs, second in hits, second in RBI, and second in runs. Later surges in offense lowered him on the leaderboards, but he’s still 16^th in hitting WAR as of 2037. Bosnjak was one of the most feared and consistent batters in the 1950s and 1960s and was an obvious first ballot pick at 98.8%.



Mijusko Popovic – Starting Pitcher – Athens Anchors – 91.1% First Ballot

Mijusko Popovic was a 6’4’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Kikinda, a city of around 49,000 people in northeast Serbia. He was a hard thrower with 98-100 mph peak velocity, overpowering hitters with a great fastball, along with a changeup and splitter. His movement and control were both merely average, but his power and ability to go deep in games made Popovic very valuable. He was generally a very durable pitcher and was also considered a solid defensive pitcher.

Popovic attended the University of Oxford for college and was picked third overall in the 1955 European Baseball Federation Draft by Athens. He was a full-time starter immediately, although he struggled at points in his first few seasons mainly due to control and walks issues. His fourth year was his first as an ace level pitcher and he’d go onto have nine seasons with 5+ WAR. Popovic threw two no-hitters with Athens, striking out 10 with two walks in 1959 against Vienna and with eight Ks and two walks in 1961 versus Zagreb.

In 1959, Popovic won his lone Pitcher of the Year with the conference lead in wins, innings pitched, and quality starts. He’d take third in voting in 1963, his only other time as a finalist. In eight years and change with the Anchors, Popovic had a 145-107 record, 3.05 ERA, 2361.1 innings, 2234 strikeouts, and 39.1 WAR. Athens liked him enough to later retire his #18 uniform. Popovic also pitched for Serbia in the World Baseball Championship from 1957-70, posting a 3.43 ERA over 204.2 innings with 237 strikeouts and 2.0 WAR.

At the 1964 trade deadline, Popovic was traded for three prospects to Stockholm. The Swordsmen got to the playoffs, but were one-and-done. The 30-year old would sign an extension and spend five more years in Sweden and in 1965 had a conference-best 347 strikeouts, 301.1 innings, and 10.1 WAR. Popovic remained solid early on, but saw his production wane a bit by the end of his Stockholm run. The Swordsmen bought out the last year of his contract and the 35-year old would sign with Belgrade. He was subpar in his season with the Bruisers and retired after the 1970 season.

Popovic’s final stats: 226-189 record, 3.08 ERA, 3907.1 innings, 3829 strikeouts, 1119 walks, 327/481 quality starts, a FIP- of 88, and 73.8 WAR. He was the sixth pitcher to 200 wins and the fourth to 3500 strikeouts in EBF history. His advanced stats put him more towards the middle or bottom among the later inducted EBF pitchers, but Popovic’s resume was more than strong enough to get the first ballot pick at 91.1%.