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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-16-2024, 06:53 AM

The Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame had elected five players from 2005-2010, but never had a multi-person class to that point. 2011 changed that with the first-ever three player group. Two pitchers were nearly unanimous and both got 98.4% with Rashid Tariq and Mohamed Wael.

Closer Khadr Seif was the third inductee with 67.4% on his third try, narrowly crossing the 66% requirement. LF Jonoon Asghar barely missed a first ballot nod with 62.7%. SP Ahmed Khandour also had a strong debut, but missed at 57.5%. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots.

Rashid Tariq – Starting Pitcher – Mosul Muskies – 98.4% First Ballot

Rashid Tariq was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Basra, Iraq’s third largest city. Tariq’s pitches had absolutely absurd movement on them that some scouts graded as a 10/10 at his peak. His stuff was also very good with solid control. Tariq’s sinker hit the 96-98 mph range regularly and was mixed with a great forkball, quick slider, and a changeup. He had an extreme groundball tendency

Tariq was also known for legendary stamina and good durability. He would lead the Eastern Conference nine times in innings pitched, eight times in complete games, and nine times in shutouts. Tariq was a prankster in the clubhouse, but was also known for great leadership and intelligence. It’s no wonder that Tariq became ALB’s first great superstar pitcher.

The 1990 ALB Draft was the very first rookie draft for the new league. The timing worked out that Tariq was a top prospect for this and went fifth overall to Mosul. He had a full load immediately with 237.2 innings as a rookie split between starting and relief. Tariq took second in Rookie of the Year voting and earned a full-time gig for the next 14 years with the Muskies.

He quickly became a beloved figure both in Mosul, but for all of Iraqi baseball. Tariq was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 1991-2005 and posted a 2.66 ERA, 9-13 record, 189.1 innings, 184 strikeouts, 65 walks, 134 ERA+, and 4.8 WAR. Tariq was a consistent positive figure for Iraqis during a tumultuous era generally for the country.

In his third season, Tariq led in WAR, wins, and innings, earning his first Pitcher of the Year. This started a streak of nine consecutive seasons worth 9+ WAR. From 1993-2001, Tariq led the conference in wins seven times, ERA five times, innings eight times, strikeouts once, WHIP four times, complete games seven times, and WAR seven times.

1995 was Tariq’s second Pitcher of the Year with a 23-9 record, 2.02 ERA, 340 strikeouts, 11.7 WAR, and 0.88 WHIP. The WAR mark set a new single-season best for the new league and still ranks fifth in 2037. The 298 innings pitched remains ALB’s single-season most as of 2037. This also was good for third in MVP voting. Perhaps most importantly, this helped make Mosul a contender.

The Muskies had posted losing seasons in the first five years of existence, but 1995 started an eight-year Iraq Division title streak. Mosul would lose to Medina in the conference final, but they knew they were on the right track with Tariq as the ace. That winter, the Muskies signed Tariq to a six-year, $5,020,000 extension.

Tariq repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 1996 with a 24-6 record, 2.42 ERA, 282.1 innings, 343 strikeouts, and 11.5 WAR. He had a 1.52 ERA over 23.2 playoff innings as Mosul won their first-ever Eastern Conference pennant, although they lost the Arab League Championship against Cairo. They lost in the 1997 conference final in an upset to Doha with Tariq posting a 4.70 ERA in 7.2 playoff innings.

Still, 1997 was his best-ever regular season, winning a fourth POTY and taking third in MVP voting. He had career bests in wins (27-4), ERA (1.72), strikeouts (365), WHIP (0.85), quality starts (29), complete games (15), ERA+ (219), FIP- (53), and WAR (11.9). The 27 wins remains the single-season ALB record as of 2037, while the WAR mark ranks third and the ERA mark ranks seventh. There have been eight 11+ WAR pitching season in ALB history and Tariq has three of them.

Tariq’s Pitcher of the Year streak was broken in 1998 with a third place, although he led again in WAR and had his only time leading in strikeouts. However, this year saw an impressive playoff run with a 1.17 ERA over three starts and 23 innings. Mosul won it all, defeating Khartoum in the ALB Championship.

They officially began a dynasty by winning the ALB title again in 1999, this time over Amman. Tariq was second in POTY voting and posted a 2.97 ERA and 3-0 record over 30.1 playoff innings. In 2000, Tariq won his fifth Pitcher of the Year and took third in MVP voting with a 25-8 record, 2.28 ERA, 288 innings, 324 strikeouts, and 10.2 WAR.

Mosul set a league record at 121-41 and seemed primed for a three-peat, but they suffered a stunning upset in the conference final to 83-win Kuwait. Tariq gave up four runs in eight innings over his lone playoff start. Although a disappointing end to that season, Mosul didn’t hesitate to re-up their 31-year old ace. Tariq signed a five-year, $23,600,000 extension that winter.

The Muskies rebounded by winning the 2001 title over Casablanca, making it three titles in four years. Tariq won his sixth Pitcher of the Year in 2001 with his fifth ERA title, seventh WAR title, and seventh time as the wins leader. He only saw 0.2 playoff innings though due to a rotator cuff strain in his lone appearance.

The rotator cuff was strained again in 2002, costing Tariq the first two months of the season. An oblique strain in the summer cost him another six weeks. Tariq allowed four runs in eight innings in his lone playoff start as Mosul fell in the first round to Dubai. This ended their playoff run, as the Muskies fell just below .500 for the next three years, then to the bottom shortly after.

Tariq went down as an all-timer in the playoffs for his career with a 7-5 record, 2.56 ERA, 116 innings, 129 strikeouts, 26 walks, 13/16 quality starts, 4 complete games, 149 ERA+, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, he’s fifth in playoff pitching WAR, seventh in wins, and ninth in strikeouts. Tariq’s four complete games are also the most of any player.

He bounced back from an injury-laden 2002 by winning his seventh Pitcher of the Year in 2003, winning a sixth ERA title and leading in WAR for the eighth time. As of 2037, he’s the only seven-time POTY winner in ALB with the next closest having six.

Tariq also started hitting notable statistical firsts in the young league. In 2000, Tariq was the first to reach 200 career wins, then was the first to 250 in 2003. He was the second to reach 3000 strikeouts in 2001, but the first to 3500 in 2003 and the first to 4000 in 2005.

His velocity dropped from a 96-98 mph peak to 92-94 in 2004. While he still was a good pitcher, the 5.7 WAR was the lowest full season since his rookie year and the 3.29 ERA was his worst full season. By 2005, Tariq couldn’t get out of the 80s on his pitches and he posted a middling 3.94 ERA and 3.4 WAR over 264.2 innings. Tariq allowed 296 hits, which remains a single-season ALB worst. Tariq retired that winter at age 37 and was immediately honored with his #11 uniform retired.

Tariq finished with a 285-132 record, 2.64 ERA, 3979.2 innings, 4008 strikeouts, 732 walks, 346/493 quality starts, 167 complete games, 48 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 125.5 WAR. At retirement, he was the all-time leader in wins, innings, complete games, shutouts, strikeouts, and pitching WAR.

As of 2037, Tariq is third in WAR, third in wins, seventh in strikeouts, and fourth in innings. He remains the all-time complete games and shutouts leader by a significant margin, but surprisingly never threw a no-hitter. Tariq’s ERA ranks 11^th among all ALB pitchers with 1000+ career innings and his opponent’s OPS of .611 ranks 14^th.

That, seven POTYs, and three titles with Mosul makes for an impeccable resume. A couple guys would make a run in later years at the GOAT pitcher title, but Tariq is pretty much undisputed for his era. Many still argue that he is the Arab League’s all-time best pitcher and certainly a strong case can be made to that effect. Tariq earned 98.4% to co-headline the 2011 ALB Hall of Fame class.

08-16-2024, 06:53 AM	#1524
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,728	2011 ALB Hall of Fame (Part 1) The Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame had elected five players from 2005-2010, but never had a multi-person class to that point. 2011 changed that with the first-ever three player group. Two pitchers were nearly unanimous and both got 98.4% with Rashid Tariq and Mohamed Wael. Closer Khadr Seif was the third inductee with 67.4% on his third try, narrowly crossing the 66% requirement. LF Jonoon Asghar barely missed a first ballot nod with 62.7%. SP Ahmed Khandour also had a strong debut, but missed at 57.5%. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots. Rashid Tariq – Starting Pitcher – Mosul Muskies – 98.4% First Ballot Rashid Tariq was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Basra, Iraq’s third largest city. Tariq’s pitches had absolutely absurd movement on them that some scouts graded as a 10/10 at his peak. His stuff was also very good with solid control. Tariq’s sinker hit the 96-98 mph range regularly and was mixed with a great forkball, quick slider, and a changeup. He had an extreme groundball tendency Tariq was also known for legendary stamina and good durability. He would lead the Eastern Conference nine times in innings pitched, eight times in complete games, and nine times in shutouts. Tariq was a prankster in the clubhouse, but was also known for great leadership and intelligence. It’s no wonder that Tariq became ALB’s first great superstar pitcher. The 1990 ALB Draft was the very first rookie draft for the new league. The timing worked out that Tariq was a top prospect for this and went fifth overall to Mosul. He had a full load immediately with 237.2 innings as a rookie split between starting and relief. Tariq took second in Rookie of the Year voting and earned a full-time gig for the next 14 years with the Muskies. He quickly became a beloved figure both in Mosul, but for all of Iraqi baseball. Tariq was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 1991-2005 and posted a 2.66 ERA, 9-13 record, 189.1 innings, 184 strikeouts, 65 walks, 134 ERA+, and 4.8 WAR. Tariq was a consistent positive figure for Iraqis during a tumultuous era generally for the country. In his third season, Tariq led in WAR, wins, and innings, earning his first Pitcher of the Year. This started a streak of nine consecutive seasons worth 9+ WAR. From 1993-2001, Tariq led the conference in wins seven times, ERA five times, innings eight times, strikeouts once, WHIP four times, complete games seven times, and WAR seven times. 1995 was Tariq’s second Pitcher of the Year with a 23-9 record, 2.02 ERA, 340 strikeouts, 11.7 WAR, and 0.88 WHIP. The WAR mark set a new single-season best for the new league and still ranks fifth in 2037. The 298 innings pitched remains ALB’s single-season most as of 2037. This also was good for third in MVP voting. Perhaps most importantly, this helped make Mosul a contender. The Muskies had posted losing seasons in the first five years of existence, but 1995 started an eight-year Iraq Division title streak. Mosul would lose to Medina in the conference final, but they knew they were on the right track with Tariq as the ace. That winter, the Muskies signed Tariq to a six-year, $5,020,000 extension. Tariq repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 1996 with a 24-6 record, 2.42 ERA, 282.1 innings, 343 strikeouts, and 11.5 WAR. He had a 1.52 ERA over 23.2 playoff innings as Mosul won their first-ever Eastern Conference pennant, although they lost the Arab League Championship against Cairo. They lost in the 1997 conference final in an upset to Doha with Tariq posting a 4.70 ERA in 7.2 playoff innings. Still, 1997 was his best-ever regular season, winning a fourth POTY and taking third in MVP voting. He had career bests in wins (27-4), ERA (1.72), strikeouts (365), WHIP (0.85), quality starts (29), complete games (15), ERA+ (219), FIP- (53), and WAR (11.9). The 27 wins remains the single-season ALB record as of 2037, while the WAR mark ranks third and the ERA mark ranks seventh. There have been eight 11+ WAR pitching season in ALB history and Tariq has three of them. Tariq’s Pitcher of the Year streak was broken in 1998 with a third place, although he led again in WAR and had his only time leading in strikeouts. However, this year saw an impressive playoff run with a 1.17 ERA over three starts and 23 innings. Mosul won it all, defeating Khartoum in the ALB Championship. They officially began a dynasty by winning the ALB title again in 1999, this time over Amman. Tariq was second in POTY voting and posted a 2.97 ERA and 3-0 record over 30.1 playoff innings. In 2000, Tariq won his fifth Pitcher of the Year and took third in MVP voting with a 25-8 record, 2.28 ERA, 288 innings, 324 strikeouts, and 10.2 WAR. Mosul set a league record at 121-41 and seemed primed for a three-peat, but they suffered a stunning upset in the conference final to 83-win Kuwait. Tariq gave up four runs in eight innings over his lone playoff start. Although a disappointing end to that season, Mosul didn’t hesitate to re-up their 31-year old ace. Tariq signed a five-year, $23,600,000 extension that winter. The Muskies rebounded by winning the 2001 title over Casablanca, making it three titles in four years. Tariq won his sixth Pitcher of the Year in 2001 with his fifth ERA title, seventh WAR title, and seventh time as the wins leader. He only saw 0.2 playoff innings though due to a rotator cuff strain in his lone appearance. The rotator cuff was strained again in 2002, costing Tariq the first two months of the season. An oblique strain in the summer cost him another six weeks. Tariq allowed four runs in eight innings in his lone playoff start as Mosul fell in the first round to Dubai. This ended their playoff run, as the Muskies fell just below .500 for the next three years, then to the bottom shortly after. Tariq went down as an all-timer in the playoffs for his career with a 7-5 record, 2.56 ERA, 116 innings, 129 strikeouts, 26 walks, 13/16 quality starts, 4 complete games, 149 ERA+, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, he’s fifth in playoff pitching WAR, seventh in wins, and ninth in strikeouts. Tariq’s four complete games are also the most of any player. He bounced back from an injury-laden 2002 by winning his seventh Pitcher of the Year in 2003, winning a sixth ERA title and leading in WAR for the eighth time. As of 2037, he’s the only seven-time POTY winner in ALB with the next closest having six. Tariq also started hitting notable statistical firsts in the young league. In 2000, Tariq was the first to reach 200 career wins, then was the first to 250 in 2003. He was the second to reach 3000 strikeouts in 2001, but the first to 3500 in 2003 and the first to 4000 in 2005. His velocity dropped from a 96-98 mph peak to 92-94 in 2004. While he still was a good pitcher, the 5.7 WAR was the lowest full season since his rookie year and the 3.29 ERA was his worst full season. By 2005, Tariq couldn’t get out of the 80s on his pitches and he posted a middling 3.94 ERA and 3.4 WAR over 264.2 innings. Tariq allowed 296 hits, which remains a single-season ALB worst. Tariq retired that winter at age 37 and was immediately honored with his #11 uniform retired. Tariq finished with a 285-132 record, 2.64 ERA, 3979.2 innings, 4008 strikeouts, 732 walks, 346/493 quality starts, 167 complete games, 48 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 125.5 WAR. At retirement, he was the all-time leader in wins, innings, complete games, shutouts, strikeouts, and pitching WAR. As of 2037, Tariq is third in WAR, third in wins, seventh in strikeouts, and fourth in innings. He remains the all-time complete games and shutouts leader by a significant margin, but surprisingly never threw a no-hitter. Tariq’s ERA ranks 11^th among all ALB pitchers with 1000+ career innings and his opponent’s OPS of .611 ranks 14^th. That, seven POTYs, and three titles with Mosul makes for an impeccable resume. A couple guys would make a run in later years at the GOAT pitcher title, but Tariq is pretty much undisputed for his era. Many still argue that he is the Arab League’s all-time best pitcher and certainly a strong case can be made to that effect. Tariq earned 98.4% to co-headline the 2011 ALB Hall of Fame class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)