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Tommaso “Yard Man” Notti – Pitcher/Catcher – Rome Red Wolves – 77.6% First Ballot

Tommaso Notti was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher and catcher from Trebisacce, Italy; a commune of 9,000 people in the southern Calabria region. Although Europe had seen its share of great two-way players, a pitcher/catcher combo was an incredibly unusual sight. The physical demands alone make that seem like an impossible combo, but Notti managed to make it work.

Notti was strongest as a pitcher, known for having very good stuff with excellent movement and control. He had a wicked 99-101 mph fastball and a stellar forkball, along with the occasional curveball and changeup. Notti had good stamina early in his career and his catching instincts made him a good defender.

The arm strength and speed didn’t directly translate to catching though, as Notti graded as a mediocre defensive catcher overall. He was a better batter than most though with solid contact ability, a good eye, and a great knack for avoiding strikeouts. Notti’s 162 game average had 25 doubles and 16 home runs. That power would be uninspiring in most spots, but was definitely better than most pitchers and superior to a lot of catchers. Notti was also a good leader and well known for his unique skill set.

His unique two-way exploits in the college ranks quickly drew attention amongst the Italian baseball community. Notti was very determined to be a two-way guy, although many scouts were skeptical that anyone would physically hold up. His pitching potential was considered so much stronger that many scouts hoped he’d just fully commit to that. In the 1988 EBF Draft, Notti would be picked 14^th overall by Rome.

Notti only saw limited relief pitching use in his first year. He had a few starts, but mostly relief in 1990. Forearm inflammation would knock him out in the final two months of the year. In 1991, Notti made his debut as a full-time starter on the mound and excelled, leading the Southern Conference with 8.5 WAR and earning his lone Pitcher of the Year award. He also made a couple starts catching with 0.8 WAR at the plate.

Rome earned its first playoff berth since 1968 as a wild card, but went one-and-done. Notti gave up five runs over 6.1 innings in what would be the only playoff start of his career. The Red Wolves did earn berths in 1994 and 2000, but Notti missed out both times to injuries. They ultimately oscillated between the bottom and middle of the standings during his time. Still, he provided some moments of excitement and hope.

Notti led in pitching WAR again in 1993. From 1991-96, he had 5.5+ WAR in the mound each year. Notti was second in 1994’s Pitcher of the Year voting. He also came into his own offensively during that same stretch, getting 3+ WAR each year offensively from 1992-96. Notti had 10+ WAR combined seasons in 1993, 1994, and 1996 and barely missed it in 1995 at 9.9. 1993 was his strongest season with a combined 12.4 WAR. He managed to stay mostly healthy during this stretch.

From 1992-2003, Notti also was a two-way player for Italy in the World Baseball Championship. He made 20 starts on the mound with 143 innings, a 9-7 record, 2.90 ERA, 174 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 3.6 WAR. Notti struggled at the plate in 39 games with a .157/.222/.231 slash, 26 wRC+, and -0.7 WAR.

Rome gave Notti a six-year, $19,000,000 extension in April 1995. The wheels would start to fall off though with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow suffered in late September 1996. Many worried this would end his pitching career, with Notti only throwing 9.2 innings in 1997. He would still play 49 starts that year as a catcher, but were merely middling numbers.

Notti returned to the rotation in 1998 and 1999 and looked good when healthy pitching. Elbow inflammation plagued him both years, along with a partial labrum tear in spring training 1999. Notti continued to play both ways when he could, although he was merely slightly above average offensively at this point.

In spring training 2000, Notti suffered a damaged elbow ligament, costing him the entire season. His future was in doubt at age 31, but Rome did give him a two-year, $7,160,000 extension that winter. The Red Wolves wanted to keep him and hoped he’d bounce back, but were leery of a longer commitment. Notti still had elbow inflammation, but had a mostly full 2001 campaign. His pitching stats were still quite solid, although his bat was subpar. Notti would see his season end in September with a bone spur in his elbow, which also kept him out of the following WBC.

2002 was a revival season for Notti, who led the conference in ERA (2.13), WHIP (0.81), K/BB (14.1), shutouts (5), FIP- (56) and pitching WAR (8.6). Notti finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting and also bounced back for a 2.6 WAR effort at the plate. Notti proved that when healthy, he could still be an elite player. This would ultimately be the end of his time in the Italian capital.

With his stock back at a high, Notti received big money offers internationally. The 34-year old went to Major League Baseball on a four-year, $32,500,000 deal with Los Angeles. His time in America would be cursed, starting with elbow inflammation in spring training 2003. Then in his fourth start on the mound, Notti tore his flexor tendon again, putting him out for 12 months.

He made it back in the summer of 2004, but suffered yet another flexor tendon tear in August after only 11 starts. Notti struggled in a 2005 comeback attempt with a 5.37 ERA over 58.2 innings, then was shut down again with elbow inflammation. He didn’t reach the vesting criteria for the fourth year of the deal with the Angels.

In three MLB seasons, Notti had a 10-9 record, 3.80 ERA, 154 innings, 88 strikeouts, 103 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR, while only playing six games offensively going 7-18. His deal went down as an all-time MLB bust. Notti tried an EBF comeback in 2006 with Glasgow, but a torn back muscle and more elbow inflammation kept him out basically the entire year. Notti finally resigned himself to retirement that winter at age 38.

Rome would honor him by retiring his #29 uniform. In EBF, Notti finished on the mound with a 155-72 record, 2.93 ERA, 2146 innings, 2224 strikeouts, 343 walks, 178/294 quality starts, 67 complete games, 132 ERA+, and 67.0 WAR. The rate stats on the mound alone made Notti worthy of consideration. The accumulations were on the lower end, but pretty impressive still for only really a decade of pitching.

At the plate, Notti had 1032 games and 817 starts, 893 hits, 385 runs, 161 doubles, 108 home runs, 433 RBI, a .298/.335/.473 slash, 124 wRC+, and 24.8 WAR. The combined 94.2 career WAR helped win over some skeptics, getting Notti a first ballot nod at 77.6%.

Notti goes down as one of the great “what-if?” players. Even with the injuries, he ranks 21^st in career WAR in world history among two-way guys. Some still think he could’ve been an all-timer on the mound if he committed there. Regardless, Notti was still unique and special enough to join EBF’s 2012 Hall of Fame class.



Vincent Cassar – Starting Pitcher – Munich Mavericks – 64.4% Ninth Ballot

Vincent Cassar was a 5’11’’, 180 pound left-handed pitcher from Birkirkara, Malta; the second most populous city on the island with around 24,000 people. He would become Malta’s first-ever Hall of Fame inductee. Cassar was best known for his pinpoint control, which allowed him to succeed despite having merely average stuff and above average movement.

His fastball peaked in the 92-94 mph range, while his best pitch was his sinker. Cassar also had a curveball and changeup in the arsenal. His stamina was on the lower end compared to most EBF aces. However, a tireless work ethic helped Cassar exceed the expectations placed on a smaller guy without overpowering velocity.

It wasn’t always easy for Maltese prospects to get attention. The fact that the Malta Marvels franchise was a perennial loser didn’t help the island’s reputation for talent. Still, Cassar stood out to a visiting German scout as a teenager. He signed a developmental deal in December 1976 with Munich and would spend his entire pro career in Germany.

Cassar debuted in 1983 and spent his first four seasons largely in a part-time/back-end starter role with okay results. The Mavericks started an 11-year division title streak in 1983, although they would fall in the first round of the playoffs from 1983-87. By 1987, Cassar was a full-time starter. That year, Munich had the top seed at 114-48, but again did nothing in the playoffs.

1988 was finally the breakthrough year for the Mavericks, winning the European Championship against Amsterdam. Cassar had a respectable regular season and stepped up in the playoffs with a 2.40 ERA over 30 innings. This began a five-year streak of Southern Conference Championship appearances for Munich. In May 1989, Cassar signed a four-year, $5,200,000 extension.

Cassar still wasn’t quite viewed as elite yet, but more as a respectable starter. The Mavericks fell in the 1989 and 1990 conference finals, but took the pennant in 1991. They ultimately fell to Birmingham in the European Championship. It was an odd year for Cassar, who despite being healthy only made 27 appearances with 181 innings. In that limited role, he led the conference in ERA (2.34), WHIP (0.91), and K/BB (9.2).

In eight relief appearances in the playoffs, Cassar had a 2.92 ERA. For his playoff career, he had a 3.15 ERA over 105.2 innings, 6-3 record, 3 saves, 88 strikeouts, 13 walks, 123 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. Munich fell in the 1992 conference final to Lisbon. They went one-and-done in both 1993 and 1995 before falling towards the middle of the standings for the rest of the decade.

1992 was Cassar’s strongest season by WAR with 6.3. That gave the now 32-year old a five-year, $7,400,000 extension in March 1993. However, he would like average in 1993 and downright mediocre in 1994, ultimately getting bumped from the rotation.

Cassar used his work ethic to battle back into the rotation with an impressive 1995 season. That year, he won the ERA title at 1.92 and led in WHIP at 0.92. At 17-5 with 5.7 WAR and a 202 ERA+, Cassar was named Pitcher of the Year. His great control made many optimistic that his game would age well for a few more seasons.

Unfortunately, a torn flexor tendon in 1996 ruined those plans. Cassar had only two starts that year, but did look decent in a comeback attempt in 1997 over 126.2 innings. His already low velocity dropped into the upper 80s as a peak and he was only used for two relief appearances in 1998. Cassar decided to retire that winter at age 38.

The final stats: 177-86 record, 3.17 ERA, 2549.2 innings, 2121 strikeouts, 363 walks, 226/322 quality starts, 78 complete games, 122 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 45.5 WAR. The advanced stats aren’t kind to Cassar due to his low strikeout rate. By WAR, Cassar ranks as the worst of the EBF Hall of Fame starters. His accumulations are also fairly low since he wasn’t one to regularly deliver big innings.

Cassar debuted at 36.2% in 2004 and many figured he was a “Hall of Good” type guy. He bumped up to 48.5% in 2008, then plummeted to 23.6% in 2009. Cassar shockingly bounced back to 59.2% in 2010, but then fell off a cliff again to 24.9% in 2011. With a loaded group of debuts on the 2012 ballot, most weren’t expecting any big numbers from Cassar.

However, Cassar received a surprising big boost on his ninth ballot to 66.4%, just crossing the 66% requirement. Enough voters appreciated solid playoff numbers, two ERA titles, a POTY, and a career spent with just one team. Most scholars agree that Cassar is one of the weakest inductees, but he rounded out the five-player 2012 EBF Hall of Fame class.