Hall Of Famer
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2008 ABF Hall of Fame

LF Vahid Hadadi became the fourth member of the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2008. He set a record for highest percentage yet as a slam dunk first ballot guy with 98.1%. Two returners were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement. 1B Hazan Sheikh received 57.5% in his seventh ballot and RF Labid Haroon got 51.9% on his second try. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Vahid Hadadi – Left Field – Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 98.1% First Ballot
Vahid Hadadi was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Karaj, a city with around 1,590,000 in north central Iran. Hadadi was a great contact hitter with stellar home run power. He smacked 50+ dingers in eight of his 13 pro seasons, a feat few have achieved. Hadadi also had a solid eye and drew a healthy number of walks, although his strikeout rate was below average. Hadadi generally hit the ball hard and was good for 30-40 doubles most years as well.
Hadadi was an absolute beast specifically against right-handed pitching with a career 210 wRC+ and 1.108 OPS. Against lefties, he had a 144 wRC+ and .840 OPS. Hadadi was a savvy baserunner, but his speed was lousy. His immobility was a major issue for him in the field.
Defensively, Hadadi made most of his starts in left field. He played first base in his first three seasons and occasionally saw time in rihght. Hadadi was terrible in each spot with awful range and glove work. He did at least have a very strong arm which could come in handy in left. Hadadi showed sturdy durability for most of his career, providing reliable value.
Hadadi’s bat and power made him a must play even with his terrible defense. He was popular with many fans because of dingers, but he was not liked by teammates and coaches. Hadadi was greedy, lazy, selfish, and dumb. That said, most were willing to overlook the terrifying truth so they can instead watch him sock some dingers.
Hadadi’s power made him a prized Iranian prospect ahead of the 1989 ABF Draft. He was taken #2 overall by Tabriz and had an all-time rookie season. Hadadi led the league in runs (120), home runs (67), RBI (135), total bases (430), slugging (.813), OPS (1.223), wRC+ (263), and WAR (12.4). He set ABF single-season records in homers, OPS, and slugging,
In world baseball history, the only Rookie of the Year winner with a greater WAR in his debut was WAB pitcher Kouadio Diao at 13.7. Hadadi would only get passed by a position player when the ABF saw Nizami Aghazade debut with 13.9 in 2012. Naturally, Hadadi also West Asia Association MVP and a Silver Slugger. The formerly terrible Tabriz squad improved from 59 wins the prior year to 79.
Despite Hadadi’s efforts, the Tiger Sharks never made the playoffs in his tenure. They had winning seasons in the early 90s, but typically hovered around .500. His sophomore season was weaker marginally in the rate stats, but he broke his own home run record with 74 dingers. Hadadi again led in runs, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR; earning a second MVP and Silver Slugger.
As of 2037, Hadadi’s 74 home runs remains the ABF single-season record. His 1990 slugging mark of .813 still ranks second and the 1.223 OPS ranks fifth. Hadadi became a popular Iranian baseball fixture as he played for his country from 1990-2001 in the World Baseball Championship. He had 119 games and 115 starts with 96 hits, 65 runs, 11 doubles, 33 home runs, 72 RBI, a .234/.318/.512 slash, 140 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR.
A torn hamstring cost Hadadi the majority of the 1992 season and he missed some of 1993 with a hamstring strain. He still smacked 60 homers in 1993 and had a career best .371 average, winning a third Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. It was also his third season worth 10+ WAR.
Hadadi would lead in home runs thrice more, although he wouldn’t crack 60+ again. The next seven seasons were all worth 6+ WAR with Hadadi cracking 10+ again in 1998. After the 1994 season, Tabriz gave Hadadi an eight-year, $9,900,000 extension. He won additional Silver Sluggers in 1995, 1996, and 1997.
Hadadi’s third MVP was 1997, which saw his only time leading in batting average (.359). He also led in slugging, OPS, wRC+, and homers that year despite only playing 128 games because of injury. Hadadi also led in wRC+ in 1995 and 1996 and led in both slugging and OPS in 1996. He finished second in 1996 and 1998 MVP voting.
Hadadi continued to dominate the power stats despite being unlikeable by teammates. Some posit that is why Tabriz couldn’t find team success despite Hadadi’s numbers. In 1999, he became the first ABF slugger to 500 career home runs and 1000 runs scored, plus the second to 1000 RBI.
The decline came suddenly for Hadadi in 2001 at age 34. That season, he hit a mere 24 home runs with a 106 wRC+ and 1.0 WAR. In 2002, Hadadi was mediocre enough to be moved to the bench with only 37 starts and 92 games.
He did become the first to 600 homers in that final season, but couldn’t reach 2000 hits. Clearly cooked, Hadadi retired that winter at age 36. Tabriz quickly honored him by retiring his #27 uniform. He would remain ABF’s all-time home run king until 2011.
Hadadi finished with 1913 hits, 1211 runs, 398 doubles, 603 home runs, 1269 RBI, 738 walks, a .305/.382/.663 slash, 194 wRC+, and 95.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s ninth in homers and 21st in WAR for position players.
His 1.044 OPS was the all-time mark and as of 2037, only one retired player (Nizami Aghazade) bested him. He’s still fourth among all players with 3000 plate appearances. Aghazade also eventually passed him narrowly in slugging, but Hadadi is still #2 among Hall of Famers.
As far as rate stats go, Hadadi is inner-circle level for power hitters. His sudden decline, terrible defense, and lack of team success keep him from getting more consideration when discussing ABF’s all-time greats. But you’d be hard pressed to find a better pure slugger. He might be a jerk, but Hadadi was a slam dunk inductee and the only addition in 2008 at 98.1%.
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