[FuzzyRussianHat]

Chinese League Baseball came close to a blank ballot with the 2005 Hall of Fame voting. There were no impressive debuts with the top newcomer being 1B Bei Wu at a lowly 30.3%. It would be two guys on their penultimate opportunity who cashed in on the weak field, earning ninth ballot inductions.



RF Zhengyu Peng crossed the 66% requirement with 70.8%, while SP Pengju Xue made it in with 67.3%. SP Baoxian He very nearly joined them on his eight ballot, but fell short at 64.4%. No one else was above 50% and no players fell off the ballot after ten failed tries.



Zhengyu Peng – Right Field – Hong Kong Champions – 70.8% Ninth Ballot

Zhengyu Peng was a 5’11’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Changsha in central China. Peng was a solid contact hitter that was good at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His gap power was quite impressive, as he was good for around 20-25 doubles plus 15-20 triples most years. Peng wasn’t a major slugger, but he was still reliable for around 20 homers per year. His speed was above average and he was considered an above average to good baserunner.

Peng played exclusively in right field and was a great defender. He was known for his cannon arm, making many runners reconsider going for that extra base. Peng had pretty good durability and was considered a team leader. He became one of the most popular players of the era and was absolutely adored in Hong Kong, where he spent his entire pro career.

The Champions spotted Peng as a teenage amateur and inked him to a developmental deal in June 1973. He was a full-time starter in his rookie year of 1976 at age 21 and held that role for the next 15 years. Peng was the Rookie of the Year winner and soon became a reliably strong starter. From 1977-1984, he posted 6+ WAR each season and thrice had 8+.

Hong Kong quickly realized they had struck pay dirt and gave Peng an eight-year, $2,364,000 extension after the 1979 season. He won five consecutive Gold Gloves from 1978-82. He did have the misfortune of sharing a position with 2003 Hall of Famer Shichao Zhang, meaning Peng’s only Silver Slugger came in 1980. He certainly couldn’t be denied that season with by far the strongest year of his career.

1980 was his lone MVP as well, leading the Southern League in runs (98), hits (193), triples (27), total bases (358), average (.335), slugging (.622), OPS (1.007), wRC+ (222), and WAR (12.2). Peng had career bests in runs, hits, triples, total bases, average, slugging, wRC+, and WAR, as well as home runs (29), and RBI (89). Prior to this season, he had only been a league leader once (19 triples in 1977). Peng would only be a league leader again in 1987.

Hong Kong had eight straight winning seasons from 1978-85. They made the China Series in 1978 but lost to Kunming despite a stellar showing by a second-year Peng. In 13 starts, he had 20 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, 7 RBI, a .426/.451/.830 slash, and 1.5 WAR. He had earned MVP honors in their semifinal win against Xi’an. Peng also was third in league MVP voting in 1978.

HK would narrowly miss the playoffs the next three years, but won it all in 1982 over Nanjing. They earned berths in 1984 and 1985, but lost both years in the semi. For his playoff career, Peng had 36 starts, 42 hits, 20 runs, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 6 home runs, 18 RBI, a .296/.331/.528 slash, 187 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR. Peng was critical in making the Champions a contender in this era, earning adoration from the fans.

Peng also had broad popularity in China through his World Baseball Championship appearances from 1979-89. In 85 games and 79 starts, he had 77 hits, 38 runs, 13 doubles, 16 home runs, 47 RBI, a .264/.336/.486 slash, 129 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. Peng earned a world title ring from China’s 1979 campaign.

In 1983, a strained MCL cost Peng two months to injury. He had 7.7 WAR and a 221 wRC+ in 98 games, on pace to match his MVP season. Peng had opted out of his original extension to sign a new one for seven years and $4,590,000 in May 1984. However, Hong Kong dropped towards the bottom of the standings as the 1980s came to a close.

Peng remained reliably good and even showed MVP flashes again with a second place in 1987. That year, he was the WARlord (10.1) and leader in runs scored (84). Peng had three more seasons worth 4+ WAR after that. However, the now 36-year old struggled throughout the 1991 season. That campaign ended with a torn meniscus, putting him out four months. He became a free agent for the first time for 1992, but couldn’t find any interested suitors. Peng retired that winter at age 37 and Hong Kong quickly retired his #56 jersey.

Peng ended with 2290 hits, 1037 runs, 301 doubles, 261 triples, 292 home runs, 924 RBI, 712 walks, 494 stolen bases, a .273/.331/.476 slash, 164 wRC+, and 106.7 WAR. At retirement, he was sixth among position players in WAR and still sits 11^th as of 2037. Peng is also still 17^th in runs scored, seventh in hits, and fourth in triples. In the ultra-low offense environment of Chinese League Baseball, Peng frankly seems like a slam dunk.

However, the CLB voters were incredibly stingy towards position players and Peng had to wait nine years. He debuted in 1997 at 54.8% and never was lower, but didn’t cross 60% until 2003. He missed by less than a point in 2004 at 65.6%. Finally, 2005 gave Peng his deserved spot with 70.8%.



Pengju Xue – Starting Pitcher – Chongqing Cavaliers – 67.3% Ninth Ballot

Pengju Xue was a 6’1’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from Xinyang, a city of just over six million in China’s Henan province. Xue graded out with most scouts as a firmly above average to sometimes good pitcher across the board in terms of stuff, movement, and control. He did have a 97-99 mph fastball, although his excellent slider and great changeup were his most deadly options. Xue also had a curveball and circle change in his arsenal.

His stamina was good and his durability was excellent. Xue did struggle with holding runners and wasn’t a great defensive pitcher. However, Xue was incredibly well respected and considered a “player’s player.” He was a team captain with great leadership and loyalty, plus a strong work ethic.

Xue was picked out of primary school in the 1974 CLB Draft, but wasn’t considered a “can’t miss” prospect. In the mid second round, Xue was picked with the 69^th overall pick by Shenzhen. The Spartans kept him in the developmental system for all of 1975 and 1976. He debuted with 67 innings mostly in relief at age 21 in 1977. Xue would earn a full-time starting role the next year.

Xue spent six seasons in the rotation for the Spartans with five seasons above 5+ WAR. Their lone playoff appearance was a semifinal defeat in 1979 with Xue posting a 1.98 ERA in two starts. He was reliably good, but never considered dominant. That was the story of Xue’s career, as he never was a league leader or Pitcher of the Year finalist. He would toss a no-hitter notably for Shenzhen, striking out 13 with 3 walks on 8/25/1980 against Macau.

In total with Shenzhen, Xue had an 87-73 record, 2.62 ERA, 1471 innings, 1629 strikeouts, 115 walks, 106 ERA+, and 32.9 WAR. The Spartans were in full fire sale mode after winning only 55 games in 1983. Xue was traded in the offseason to Chongqing for three prospects. The Cavaliers were very interested in Xue long-term and only weeks after the trade, signed him to a seven-year, $3,090,000 extension. They had just suffered a defeat in the 1983 China Series to Tianjin.

Chongqing made the playoffs again in 1984 and 1985. They got to the 1985 China Series, but lost to Beijing. The Cavaliers would then hover around the mid-tier for the rest of Xue’s run. He threw eight shutout innings in the 1984 postseason, but was more forgettable with a 3.12 ERA in 26 playoff innings in 1985. He kept up his same reliable innings with seven straight seasons worth 4.5+ WAR and three seasons above 6+ WAR. Xue didn’t get a ton of run support in those later years.

Xue did toss a second no-hitter on August 11, 1984 with 11 strikeouts and 1 walk. On September 5, 1985, Xue became only the fourth CLB pitcher to earn three no-hitters, striking out 12 with two walks against his former squad Shenzhen.

His 1991 saw a career low 3.0 WAR and for the first time didn’t reach 200+ strikeouts in a full season. Xue’s Chongqing deal expired and he finished the eight-year run with a 101-121 record, 2.47 ERA, 2070.2 innings, 2095 strikeouts, 441 walks, 101 ERA+, and 43.9 WAR. He was unsigned in 1992 and retired that winter at age 37.

Xue finished with a 188-194 record, 2.53 ERA, 3541.2 innings, 3724 strikeouts, 784 walks, 112 complete games, and 76.8 WAR. As of 2037, he’s eighth in wins and 16^th in pitching WAR. His 194 losses however are still the most of any CLB pitcher. A career 103 ERA+ suggestions sustained averageness. However, a career 80 FIP- would lead some to argue that Xue was a victim of bad luck and better than the stats might suggest.

Even though CLB voters are very pitcher friendly, Xue was definitely borderline. Traditionalists felt a losing record as a non-starter, but he was a well-respected captain. Xue seemed destined for the Hall of Pretty Good, typically hovering in the 40s to low 50s. 2003 was a peak at 54.7%, but with no one new of note in 2005, Xue received more looks. On his ninth try, he got a solid bump up to 67.3%, just crossing the line for induction in the 2005 Hall of Fame class.