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Two players earned inductions into the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame in 1993. On his eighth ballot, pitcher Ugo Musacci finally got the bump over the 66% threshold with a 77.3% mark. 1B Remo Galloppa got in as a first ballot selection, albeit barely at 68.0%. SP Torger Thelin fell frustratingly short in his fifth ballot at 65.0%. SP Jose Calderon also had a solid showing on his third attempt, but missed at 59.3%. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots.



Ugo “Hands” Musacci – Pitcher – Hartford Huskies – 77.3% Eighth Ballot

Ugo Musacci was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Este, a town of around 15,000 people in northern Italy. Nicknamed “Hands” for his very large hands, Musacci had stellar stuff with excellent control and good movement. His fastball hit the 97-99 mph range and he mixed it expertly with a slider, curveball, splitter, and changeup; becoming a dominant strikeout pitcher in his prime. Musacci was also known for strong stamina and durability for much of his run. He was also a very intelligent pitcher, knowing when to pick his spots to fool batters.

Musacci left Italy for Brunel University in Uxbridge, England for his college career. When he was eligible for the 1964 EBF Draft, he was selected eighth overall by Malta. Musacci was immediately a full-time starter, although his rookie year was rough as he hadn’t mastered his control yet. He improved it tremendously to post a solid second season, then emerged as elite by his third season.

From 1967-70, Musacci won four consecutive Pitcher of the Year awards. He led in strikeouts each season, including becoming the first EBF pitcher to fan 400+ with 407 in 1969. Musacci led in ERA in both 1967 and 1968. The 1969 effort was worth 14.3 WAR, still the EBF single-season record for a pitching season as of 2037. He also had 13.1 in 1970, one of only nine seasons in EBF history worth 13+ for a pitcher. Musacci also pitched for Italy in these early years in the World Baseball Championship. From 1968-74, he had a 1.68 ERA over 17 starts and 123 innings with 182 strikeouts, 27 walks, and 5.9 WAR.

The frustrations began to mount still for Musacci, as Malta was perennially a bottom tier team. Their best record during his tenure was 82-80 in 1968. Amazingly for the forlorn Marvels, that would be their best record until 2007. Musacci wasn’t optimistic that they’d start contending if he stuck around and he had no shortage of suitors. He decided to leave for free agency after the 1970 season at only 27 years old. His six year run with Malta was remarkable statistically with a 106-61 record, 2.54 ERA, 1532.1 innings, 1988 strikeouts to 328 walks, 57 FIP-, and 57.2 WAR.

His departure from Malta and EBF created a rift with many in European baseball. It is part of the reason he had to wait eight ballots ultimately to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. Even then, Musacci insisted that when he was inducted that wasn’t wearing Malta’s hat. He’s the only player to be inducted wearing the cap of a team that isn’t even in that league, donning the Hartford Huskies grab. As you may be aware, Hartford, Connecticut is in fact not in Europe.

Hartford ended up winning the Musacci sweepstakes, signing him to a seven-year, $2,104,000 contract. His dominance translated perfectly to Major League Baseball, winning Pitcher of the Year in his first two seasons with the Huskies. Musacci also won in 1976, giving him seven POTYs total. He led the National Association five times in strikeouts, six times in K/BB, and thrice in WAR. Musacci posted three seasons of 10+ WAR. His 0.85 WHIP in 1972 also set a new MLB record that held until 1989.

Much to Musacci’s chagrin, Hartford didn’t fare much better than Malta during his tenure despite being successful in the 1950s and 1960s. Their best effort was 84-78 as Musacci got caught up in what was ultimately a 14-year playoff drought for the Huskies. He kept better relations with Hartford despite this frustration, but was ready to again enter free agency when his seven-year deal ended. With the Huskies, Musacci had a 103-84 record, 2.86 ERA, 1824 innings, 1891 strikeouts, 270 walks, 64 FIP-, and 60.3 WAR.

Notably, Musacci’s last season had been his worst with fewer than 200 strikeouts for the first time, although he was still worth 5.9 WAR. The possible decline didn’t scare away Philadelphia, who signed him to a four-year, $2,440,000 deal. Musacci regressed hard, as his velocity dropped into the low 90s. His one season with the Phillies saw a lackluster 4.18 ERA and only 91 strikeouts in 200 innings. He did get to make his only playoff appearance, 2.2 innings of relief work. After looking no better in 1979 spring training, Philadelphia cut their losses.

Musacci went back to the EBF and his home country Italy as Naples gave him a shot on a one-year, $402,000 deal. He was clearly cooked at this point and was shipped out in a multi-player deal at the deadline to Glasgow. He only pitched six innings in Scotland. Musacci wasn’t ready to quit and was signed again by Naples in June 1980, only making nine relief appearances. He would spend 1981 in the American minors with San Diego’s affiliate Chula Vista, even getting shellacked there. Musacci finally called it quits at age 38 after the season.

For his entire pro career, Musacci had a 229-166 record, 2.85 ERA, 3732.1 innings, 4058 strikeouts to 650 walks, 333/475 quality starts, a 65 FIP-, and 121.6 WAR. That would be a lock in any Hall of Fame if it was all in the same league, but his career stats were split almost evenly between MLB and EBF. He actually had more MLB tenure with a 116-92 record, 2.99 ERA, 2024 innings, 1982 strikeouts, 298 walks, 68 FIP-, and 63.0 WAR. However, Musacci’s steep decline, lack of accumulations, and lack of playoff success meant the MLB Hall of Famer voters were underwhelmed. He debuted on that ballot at 14.3% and fell off at 4.1% on his eighth try.

For Musacci’s EBF career, almost entirely off the strength of the Malta tear, he had a 113-74 record, 2.69 ERA, 1708.1 innings, 2076 strikeouts, 352 walks, 145/204 quality starts, 62 FIP-, and 58.6 WAR. It was a tough sell for many voters as he’d have easily the fewest innings and wins of any EBF Hall of Fame starter. Plus, his lackluster late return to EBF hurt him with some. The way the Malta run ended soured other voters. But still, Musacci’s six-year run with the Marvels is possibly the most dominant any pitcher has even been in that short a stretch. Sympathetic voters gave him some credit for what he did in Hartford, assuming that he would’ve done similar or better had he stayed in EBF. Musacci debuted at only 49.5% and dropped to 45.2% on his second ballot, but he slowly climbed back up. He missed at 64.9% on his sixth try and 62.0% on his seventh. Finally on the eighth go with a fairly weak ballot overall, Musacci got an appreciable bump up to 77.3%, securing his spot in the EBF Hall of Fame.



Remo “Racehorse” Galloppa – First/Second Base – Athens Anchors – 68.0% First Ballot

Remo Galloppa was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting infielder from Heuvelland, a municipality of around 8,000 people in the Belgian province of West Flanders. He earned the nickname “Racehorse” in part for his blistering speed and in part because “Galloppa” is close to “gallop.” He was a talented lead-off hitter with great contact ability and a low strikeout rate while being decent at drawing walks. Galloppa had good pop in his bat, although he only averaged around 15 home runs per year. With his excellent speed and baserunning chops, he managed around 25 doubles and another 20 triples per season.

Defensively, Galloppa made about 2/3s of his starts at first base and the rest at second. He was a terrible defender at second, where he started his career. However, Galloppa excelled at first, winning five Gold Gloves (1977, 78, 79, 82, 83). He was very popular and known as a team captain and excellent leader. Although his career was relatively short, Galloppa was also known for being quite durable.

He’s known for playing his entire pro career with Athens, but that’s not where it started for Galloppa. He was picked 27th overall in the 1971 EBF Draft by Marseille. Trying to make a push in the summer of 1972 for a playoff spot, the Musketeers traded him and another prospect to Athens for pitcher Nikolaos Georgopoulou. Galloppa made a few pinch hit appearances that summer, but he’d sit on the reserve roster for all of 1973 and 1974.

In 1975, he became a full-time member of the Athens roster. He was a part-time starter that season, but assumed the full-time role the next season. Galloppa also started player for his native Belgium in 1975 in the World Baseball Championship. From 1975-87, he had 108 games and 105 starts with 127 hits, 75 runs, 15 doubles, 14 home runs, 40 RBI, a .306/.379/.472 slash, and 4.4 WAR.

Galloppa emerged as a growing conern in 1977 when he led the Southern Conference in hits, runs, triples, and batting average. The Anchors also ended a seven-year playoff drought, although they went one-and-done. In 1978, Galloppa led in runs and stolen bases. He won conference finals MVP and posted 20 hits, 9 runs, and 14 stolen bases in the playoffs, leading Athens to its first-ever conference title. They lost to his home country squad Brussels ultimately in the European Championship. Athens won three more division titles, although couldn’t get out of the first round. Galloppa finished with 41 hits, 14 runs, 6 doubles, 18 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 32 playoff starts.

Despite his success, with competition from traditional sluggers at first base, Galloppa’s only Silver Slugger was 1979. That year, he was second in MVP voting as well, leading the conference in total bases 9364) and batting average (.336). He also had career highs in hits, doubles, home runs, and WAR. Galloppa led in hits and triples again in 1981 and would lead four times in his career in stolen bases. He had seven seasons of 7+ WAR from 1976-83..

Athens began to rebuild in the mid 1980s and Galloppa saw his role reduced. He made 105 starts in 1984, then was primarily a pinch hitter or pinch runner for the next three years. Galloppa was still an appreciated team captain, although his use wasn’t justifying the eight-year, $5,910,000 extension he had gotten before the 1980 season. He still had good production when he was used until his final season, where he hit a terrible .205. With the big contract ending after the 1987 season, Galloppa opted to retire at age 36. That winter, Athens retired his #28 uniform.

For his career, Galloppa had 2052 hits, 1119 runs, 277 doubles, 245 triples, 165 home runs, 860 RBI, 996 stolen bases, a .317/.364/.513 slash, 152 wRC+, and 74.4 WAR. He quietly built up pretty solid stats in a small time frame, but most voters expected dingers from their first basemen. Galloppa didn’t quite fit the traditional mode and there were voters who knocked him for lack of accumulations, especially in homers and RBI. But he was very well respected as a great leader and a lovely person, plus had the bump of playing with one franchise. Galloppa secured a first ballot induction, albeit barely at 68.0%, to join Ugo Musacci in EBF’s 1993 Hall of Fame class.