[FuzzyRussianHat]

Right Fielder Labid Haroon became the fifth member of the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2009. On his third ballot, he barely crossed the 66% requirement with 66.4%. 1B Hazan Sheikh barely missed out with 61.9% on his eighth ballot; the closest he had gotten. No one else crossed the 1/3s mark with the best debut being LF Pouya Malek at 30.5%. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



It was, however, the final ballot for Hazan Sheikh. Criminal issues off the field led to him being removed following his eighth try*. Sheikh had an eight-year run with Faisalabad and won five Silver Sluggers, leading in home runs five times, RBI four times, total bases twice, and OPS twice. He then left for a seven-year MLB run between Chicago and Winnipeg.

With the Fire, Sheikh had 1009 hits, 564 runs, 175 doubles, 295 home runs, 697 RBI, a .286/.351/.590 slash, 196 wRC+, and 46.2 WAR. He was an elite power hitter in his short peak, but he wasn’t around long enough to get the tallies most voters wanted.

*For whatever reason, OOTP just ended his HOF eligibility after the eighth try, so I made up that backstory. Not sure if he would’ve made it if given two more tries, but figured it was worth mentioning.



Labid “Nails” Haroon – Right Field – Izmir Ice Caps – 66.4% Third Ballot

Labid Haroon was a 6’6’’, 205 pound right-handed right fielder from Quetta, Pakistan; the tenth largest city in the country with a population of over 1.6 million. Nicknamed “Nails” for his toughness, Haroon had a surprising profile considering his big size. You’d expect a 6’6’’ guy to be a big bopper, but Haroon had a whopping 22 home runs for his entire career. Instead, he was a traditional leadoff type guy.

Haroon was an excellent contact hitter and was stellar at avoiding strikeouts and putting the ball in play. He rarely drew walks though and wasn’t going to go yard. Still, Haroon had plenty of gap power, averaging 38 doubles and 19 triples per his 162 game average. He had excellent speed and was a very crafty base stealer. Haroon was terrific at stretching out for extra bases and used his long arms to his advantage.

Defensively, Haroon was a career right fielder, although he did play some designated hitter. Despite the speed, his range was unremarkable. That and a weaker arm meant he graded as a poor defender. Haroon’s high batting average and speed on the basepaths meant he was deserving of a place in the lineup despite any flaws.

Haroon was spotted by a visiting scout from Izmir at a camp in March 1987. The tall teenager was signed and brought to Turkey, where he spent most of four years in the developmental academy. Haroon debuted in 1990 at only age 19, but struggled in 32 games and 8 starts. He earned a full-time starting gig the next season and held it for six years with the Ice Caps.

In his first full season, Haroon was used as a designated hitter and won a Silver Slugger, leading the West Asia Association in hits and triples. He led again in hits for Izmir in both 1995 and 1996. Haroon led in 1995 with a career best 97 stolen bases. 1996 would see his first batting title and a career high .379 average. With the Ice Caps, Haroon topped 5+ WAR four times. His second Silver Slugger came in 1996 in right field.

Izmir won the WAA pennant in 1991, falling to Gujranwala in the ABF Championship. They made the playoffs again in 1993, but couldn’t advance by Tehran. The Ice Caps were in the mid-tier for the rest of Haroon’s run. He was delightfully average in 15 playoff games for Izmir with 15 hits, 7 runs, 6 extra base hits, a .259/.283/.448 slash, and 105 wRC+.

The Ice Caps gave Haroon a four-year, $2,198,000 extension after the 1993 season. Plantar fasciitis and a strained lat cost him much of the 1994 campaign, but he bounced back for solid 1995 and 1996 efforts. In total for Izmir, Haroon had 1144 hits, 565 runs, 229 doubles, 111 triples, 9 home runs, 345 RBI, 423 stolen bases, a .335/.363/.476 slash, 133 wRC+, and 33.0 WAR.

Haroon entered free agency in 1997 at only age 26, which excited potential buyers. He returned to Pakistan and signed a six-year, $8,410,000 deal with Hyderabad. The Horned Frogs had made the playoffs three straight years, but were denied each time in the Pakistan League Championship Series. They hoped that Haroon could help get them over the hump and ultimately, they were right.

Hyderabad won three straight Pakistan League pennants from 1997-99. They lost in the ABF Championship in 1997 and 1998 to Isfahan, but won it all in 1999 against Bursa. In 33 playoff starts, Haroon had 34 hits, 14 runs, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 13 RBI, 12 stolen bases, a .279/.311/.393 slash, 129 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR.

Haroon didn’t win awards with the Horned Frogs, but he led in batting average and stolen bases twice. He also led in triples thrice. Haroon’s finest effort was 1998, where he also led in hits and OBP while posting a career best 8.0 WAR and 198 wRC+. His first four seasons with the Horned Frogs were each worth 4.5+ WAR.

In 2001, Haroon missed some time to injury and looked pedestrian at the plate. For the only the second time, he didn’t crack a .300 batting average and posted a career-worst 1.5 WAR. In five seasons for Hyderabad, Haroon had 807 hits, 361 runs, 131 doubles, 67 triples, 13 home runs, 261 RBI, 403 stolen bases, a .314/.345/.432 slash, 154 wRC+, and 25.6 WAR.

Haroon surprised many by declining his contract option, entering free agency at age 31. His stock was at an all-time low though and if his contact skills were merely good, he didn’t have much value. Haroon was unsigned in both 2002 and 2003, finally retiring from pro baseball at only age 33.

Haroon finished with 1951 hits, 926 runs, 360 doubles, 178 triples, 22 home runs, 606 RBI, 826 stolen bases, a .326/.356/.457 slash, 143 wRC+, and 58.6 WAR. At retirement, he had the best batting average of any qualifying hitter and wouldn’t get passed until offensive numbers in ABF jumped in the 2020s. Haroon is still 11^th as of 2037 among hitters with 3000 plate appearances. He also ranks 13^th in stolen bases.

Still, it can be an uphill climb for leadoff guys to get noticed by Hall of Fame voters without the power numbers. Haroon was also hurt by having a shorter career than most. He debuted at 49.8% and slightly bumped to 51.9% on his second ballot. The third ballot in 2009 with weak competition saw Haroon just barely cross the 66% finish line. At 66.4%, he earned his spot as the lone ABF inductee in 2009.