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Two first-ballot guys earned induction for the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2012. Pitcher Jim DeRossi (97.6%) and shortstop Woody Bolling (87.7%) earned their spots among the greats. SP Kurt Sanders came close in his eighth ballot at 62.3%, just missing the 66% requirement. Also above 50% were CF Mario Harris (56.5%, 4^th), CF Jonathan Buai (55.0%, 7^th), and RF Will Lee (53.5%, 5^th). No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Jim DeRossi – Starting Pitcher – Sydney Snakes – 97.6% First Ballot

Jim DeRossi was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Coffs Harbour, Australia; a city of 78,000 inhabitants in New South Wales. DeRossi had great control despite having very high velocity. His stuff and movement both graded as strong, led with a 99-101 mph cutter. DeRossi also had a quick slider and knew how to change speeds with his changeup.

DeRossi had tremendous stamina and was durable for most of his career, leading the Australasia League eight times in innings pitched and seven times in complete games. He also was considered a solid defensive pitcher that could effectively hold runners. DeRossi was very intelligent, allowing him to maximize his arsenal and pitch efficiently.

By the 1993 OBA Draft, DeRossi was considered by many to be the top Australian prospect. He was picked second overall by Sydney, who used him as a closer in his rookie season with 35 saves over 84 innings. DeRossi was a starter from year two onward, leading in innings and complete games for the first time in 1995. By his third season, he was the leading pitcher in WAR.

In 1997, DeRossi was the AL leader in WAR (10.2), K/BB (9.2), innings (328.2), complete games (20), and shutouts (7). He also posted a 2.38 ERA, 140 ERA+, and 366 strikeouts; earning Pitcher of the Year. Sydney also snapped a decade-plus streak of losing seasons, finishing second at 88-74. The Snakes had been a historically inept franchise at that point and there was hope that DeRossi could turn things around.

DeRossi signed a four-year, $7,940,000 extension after the 1997 season. Sydney would hover around .500 for the rest of his tenure plus or minus three or four games. DeRossi never got to play for an OBA title, but he did compete on the World Baseball Championship stage for Australia. From 1995-2006, DeRossi had a 3.10 ERA over 189 innings, 13-9 record, 232 strikeouts, 40 walks, 116 ERA+, and 4.8 WAR.

1999 was a career year and a historic one for DeRossi, posting league and career bests in wins (30-8), ERA (1.61), WHIP (0.78), K/BB (13.7), quality starts (31), complete games (26), and WAR (10.7). 30 wins tied the world record set by OBA’s Nathaniel Doloran in 1974 and the ERA mark ranks 13^th best in an OBA season as of 2037. DeRossi also had a career high 369 strikeouts, earning his second Pitcher of the Year and a third place in MVP voting.

DeRossi led in wins, innings, strikeouts, WHIP, quality starts, complete games and shutouts in 2000 for his third POTY. He led in Ks, innings, and complete games again in 2001, finishing third in voting. That summer, the 30-year old DeRossi signed a seven-year, $23,520,000 extension to keep him in Sydney for the long haul.

In 2002, DeRossi became a Triple Crown winner and four-time Pitcher of the Year with a 19-13 record, 2.62 ERA, and 351 strikeouts. He also led in WHIP for the third time and WAR for the fourth time, while again having the most complete games, innings, and shutouts. As of 2037, he is one of seven in OBA history to win Pitcher of the Year four or more times.

DeRossi finished third in 2003 POTY voting and led again in innings in2 004, although his ERA went up noticeably and his strikeouts dropped. His life would change in spring training 2005, suffering a torn rotator cuff on March 11. DeRossi missed the entire 2005 season, but was determined to make a comeback in 2006.

Sadly, his stuff took a noticeable drop after the injury, although he still had good enough control to be decent. Torn biceps cost him most of the front end of 2006. DeRossi decided to retire that winter at age 35 and Sydney immediately honored him by retiring his #4 uniform.

DeRossi ended with a 210-170 record, 2.84 ERA, 3487 innings, 3421 strikeouts, 526 walks, 290/420 quality starts, 193 complete games, 37 shutouts, 125 ERA+, and 81.0 WAR. The abrupt end to his career limited his spot on the accumulation leaderboards, but as of 2037 he’s still fifth all-time in complete games. He also ranks 21^st in pitching WAR, 28^th in strikeouts, and 25^th in wins.

Perhaps because he was with some mid Sydney teams, DeRossi’s name doesn’t come up as much as other OBA aces in the all-time conversations. But four POTYs and a Triple Crown make you an easy Hall of Fame lock. DeRossi was one of Australia’s finest-ever pitchers, headlining the 2012 class at 97.6%.



Woody Bolling – Shortstop – Gold Coast Kangaroos – 87.8% First Ballot

Woody Bolling was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed shortstop from Nerang, Australia; a suburb of Gold Coast with 17,000 people. Bolling was a very solid contact hitter with an above average eye for walks and avoiding strikeouts. His gap and home run power were unspectacular, but still decent. Over a 162 game average, Bolling got you 21 homers, 26 doubles, and 9 triples. He was sneaky good at stealing bases despite having merely average speed.

Bolling was a career shortstop and was an excellent defender. He only won a single Gold Glove since he shared a league with ten-time winner and legendary gloveman Jay Lawrence. However, Bolling was reliably great and ranks fourth in shortstop zone rating as of 2037 in OBA. Bolling dealt with some major injuries, but managed to play 21 years at a very demanding spot. He was very popular with fans and was known as a prankster in the clubhouse.

Growing up around Gold Coast, his potential quickly got noticed during his high school years. The Kangaroos signed him to a developmental deal in November 1984 and he’d ultimately play his entire OBA career with his hometown team. Bolling officially debuted in 1989 at age 20, but he only saw 22 games and 8 starts in 1989 and 1990. He did see two plate appearances in the 1989 OBA Championship, which was sadly his only time playing in the final.

He started 110 games in 1991, winning his first Silver Slugger despite missing some time. Bolling won six straight Silver Slugger from 1991-96, then won again in 1998 and 1999. He placed third in 1993 MVP voting and ended up topping 8+ WAR in six different seasons.

In September 1993, Bolling inked an eight-year, $10,520,000 extension with the Kangaroos. Gold Coast was rarely bad during his time as a starter, but they were stuck in the middle tier, averaging 81.2 wins per season. Bolling was a reason to come to the ballpark in the 1990s and 2000s and would see his #24 uniform retired by the franchise.

Bolling became a very popular hometown player and one adored throughout all of Australia. He played for the national team from 1992-2007 in the World Baseball Championship with 109 games and 98 starts. In that run, he had 92 hits, 45 runs, 16 doubles, 17 home runs, 38 RBI, 26 stolen bases, a .243/.279/.426 slash, 101 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR.

A strained hamstring cost Bolling six weeks in 1995, but he still was the lead leader in batting average (.331), wRC+ (170), and WAR (9.0), earning Australasia League MVP honors. After a strong 1996, Bolling would miss the entirety of the 1997 season to a torn PCL suffered in spring training. He would bounce back with the two best seasons of his career.

In 1998 and 1999, Bolling led both years in WAR and batting average. The 11.1 and 11.0 WAR seasons got him back-to-back MVPs, which wasn’t easy for a guy without big power numbers. He did lead in hits and RBI in 1999 and saw a career-best 28 home runs in 1998. The next two seasons would be frustrating for Bolling as hamstring issues caused him to miss significant time.

Still, Gold Coast gave him a five-year, $13,800,000 extension in March 2001 at age 32. Bolling would take third in MVP voting in 2002, leading in WAR for the fourth time. He won his ninth and final Silver Slugger in 2006 and his lone Gold Glove in 2005. Bolling’s batting numbers waned a bit in his later years, but he was still starter quality and provided great defense.

In his final season with Gold Coast, hamstring issues again put Bolling out for much of the year. His contract expired after the 2006 campaign, making Bolling a free agent for the first time at age 38. His popularity and reputation earned him a look at Major League Baseball. Bolling secured the bag with a three-year, $30,900,000 deal with Austin.

A strained hamstring cost him three months of 2007, although Bolling looked terrible when healthy. He was passable in 2008, but posted negative value in 2009 and dealt with injuries in both years. With Austin, Bolling had 228 hits in 298 games, 104 runs, 37 doubles, 22 home runs, 104 RBI, a .217/.268/.327 slash, 73 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

Despite those struggles, Omaha gave him a look in 2010 where he posted 0.7 WAR over 52 games and 22 starts. Bolling signed a minor league deal with Jackson, but only played three games before suffering a torn PCL. That effectively ended Bolling’s career at age 43.

For his OBA run with Gold Coast, Bolling had 2362 hits, 1057 runs, 349 doubles, 127 triples, 281 home runs, 1118 RBI, 418 stolen bases, a .299/.334/.482 slash, 138 wRC+, and 105.1 WAR. The defensive value especially made Bolling important and he ranks sixth in WAR among OBA position players.

His hitting accumulations aren’t high on the general leaderboards, but among shortstops he is the all-time leader in 2037 in WAR, homers, RBI, hits, total bases, and runs. Most still rightly have Jimmy Caliw above him as the best-ever hitter at the position, but Caliw did split his career between short and second base.

Specifically at shortstop, Bolling’s nine Silver Sluggers is the OBA position record. He’s also one of only 13 OBA players to win MVP thrice. Bolling certainly gets quickly mentioned when discussing OBA’s best-ever shortstops. At 87.8%, he was a first ballot Hall of Famer in the 2012 class.