[FuzzyRussianHat]

SP Assad Fouad became the second member of the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. He barely crossed the 66% requirement, but did it in his debut with 67.9%. Two players on their third ballot were above 50% with CL Kheamis Khalid at 57.6% and SP Ilwad Maxamed at 51.8%. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten attempts.



Assad “Busboy” Fouad – Starting Pitcher – Riyadh Rats – 67.9% First Ballot

Assad Fouad was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from At-Taif, Saudi Arabia; a city of 563,000 people in the Hijaz Mountains. Fouad was well rounded with strong stuff, control, and movement. He had a unique six-pitch arsenal with a 96-98 mph fastball, slider, curveball, forkball, splitter, and changeup.

Arab League pitchers didn’t go as deep in games as in other leagues, but Fouad’s stamina was still merely average compared to his peers. His durability was excellent though and he tossed 200+ innings in all 13 years of his pro career. He did struggle with holding runners and defense, but he got guys out well enough to avoid too much trouble.

1990 was ALB’s first rookie draft with Fouad going 10^th overall to Riyadh. The Rats made him a full-time starter immediately with mixed results in his first two years. Fouad’s third year was a big breakout year with a 1.77 ERA; which stands as of 2037 as the eighth lowest in ALB history. Despite that, he only took second in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Fouad never won the top award, taking third in 1994, second in 1995, third in 1996, and second in 1998. He was perhaps overlooked as Riyadh was lousy in the front part of the 1990s and merely around .500 by the end of the decade. Fouad led in ERA again in 1998 at 2.45 and led in strikeouts in 1995. He also led thrice in quality starts, twice in K/BB, and four times in FIP-.

From 1993-1998, Fouad had six straight seasons worth 7.5+ WAR. He topped 9 WAR five times and reached double-digits in 1995 and 1997. Riyadh was very happy with the results, giving him a six-year, $8,100,000 extension in April 1997. Fouad also pitched from 1992-2003 in the World Baseball Championship for Saudi Arabia, posting a 4.06 ERA in 159.2 innings, 209 strikeouts, 89 ERA+, and 2.7 WAR.

Fouad still ate innings, but saw his ERA drop to 3.41 in 1999 and 4.00 in 2000. The Rats finally earned a playoff berth in 2000, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Kuwait. Fouad still had a few years on his Riyadh deal, but the Rats were ready to move on. After the 2000 season, he was traded to Alexandria for RF Osman Salah and SP Olivier Barbier.

With Riyadh, Fouad had a 139-132 record, 2.80 ERA, 2430 innings, 2998 strikeouts, 572 walks, 131 ERA+, and 76.5 WAR. In his one year with Alexandria, he was solid with a 2.97 ERA and 132 ERA+. Fouad decided to opt out of the rest of his deal and ultimately ended his run in the Arab League.

Fouad moved to South Africa and the African Association of Baseball, signing a four-year, $8,320,000 deal with Cape Town. He posted 7.3 WAR in his debut season with the Cowboys, but declined with a career worst 4.53 ERA in 2003. His two years there saw 10.9 WAR, a 104 ERA+, 456.1 innings, 3.96 ERA, 416 strikeouts, and 22-30 record.

In September 2003, Fouad’s season ended with a torn back muscle. He was expected to just be out four months, but he suffered a setback in November that forced his retirement from baseball. Fouad officially filed papers in late 2004 at age 35.

For his entire pro career, Fouad had a 173-172 record, 2.98 ERA, 3126 innings, 3691 strikeouts, 740 walks, 327/443 quality starts, 126 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 93.1 WAR. Just in ALB, he had a 151-142 record, 2.81 ERA, 2669.2 innings, 3275 strikeouts, 613 walks, 289/379 quality starts, 46 complete games, 131 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 82.2 WAR.

The advanced stats are very strong for Fouad, who as of 2037 still sits 15^th best in pitching WAR and 23^rd in strikeouts. However, he never won the top award, didn’t stick around for big accumulations, and was on some forgettable Riyadh teams. Still, Fouad’s resume was just strong enough to get across the line at 67.9%. This made him the second-ever ALB inductee and the lone member of the 2007 class.