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Pitcher Ali Sabet was the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame’s lone inductee in 2015 with an 80.2% first ballot nod. Two other debuts barely missed the 66% requirement with CL Adlen Sharif at 64.4% and SP Ahmad Abu Kabeer with 62.2%. SP Nacerdine Rahim got 60.1% in his tenth and final chance. Also cracking 50% was 2B Ahmad Abbas with 59.4% on his fifth ballot and SP Ali Al-Shakal with 51.1% for his third ballot.



For Rahim, he peaked the prior year at 61.4% after debuting at only 33.8%. The Tunisian lefty was hurt by starting his official career at age 28 and by the lack of awards. Still, with five teams he posted a 149-77 record, 2.59 ERA, 2005 innings, 2048 strikeouts, 378 walks, 138 ERA+, and 52.8 WAR. With a few more years of accumulations, Rahim probably gets across the line.

Two others were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries. One was American reliever Isaiah McAlister, who oddly had a split career between ALB and AAB. His entire ALB run was ten years with Abu Dhabi, winning Reliever of the Year twice. McAlister had 235 saves, a 2.24 ERA, 714 innings, 734 strikeouts, 200 walks, a 164 ERA+, and 18.0 WAR. He needed more longevity and/or raw dominance, peaking at 38.2% in 2008 and ending with 9.0%.

Another reliever, Fawzi Ismail, was dropped with a peak of 23.8% and finish at 5.4%. He only pitched five seasons in ALB with the rest in MLB. He won Reliever of the Year twice with Cairo and led in saves twice with a 1.53 ERA, 183 saves, 375.1 innings, 660 strikeouts, 226 ERA+, and 25.2 WAR. Ismail was a beast in his very limited sample size, but five years can’t make a Hall of Famer.



Ali Sabet – Starting Pitcher – Riyadh Rats – 80.2% First Ballot

Ali Sabet was a 6’7’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Giza; Egypt’s third largest city. Sabet had solid stuff and movement with great control. His velocity topped out at 97-99 mph between his sinker and cutter. Sabet also had a slider and curveball in the arsenal. He was a pitcher who notably fared much better against left-handed bats (2.42 ERA, 160 ERA+) versus righties (3.20 ERA, 120 ERA+).

Although complete games were less common in ALB relative to other leagues, Sabet was still on the low end for stamina. However, his excellent durability meant you’d still get plenty of innings from him. Sabet graded as a good defensive pitcher that was effective at holding runners. Despite his natural talent, Sabet was viewed as dumb, lazy, and selfish by many teammates and coaches.

Even with personality flaws, “tall lefty” goes a long way. Sabet was tall even as a teenager, which drew attention from scouts. One from Saudi Arabia poached Sabet from Egypt, giving him a developmental deal with Riyadh in May 1990. He spent most of six years in their academy, officially debuting in 1995 at age 21 with two relief appearances. Sabet was a split reliever and starter in 1996, then had a full-time rotation spot after that.

Sabet first got awards consideration in 2000 with his career-best 7.3 WAR, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. That also marked Riyadh’s first-ever playoff berth, although they lost in the first round and Sabet didn’t see the field. The Rats made the Eastern Conference final in 2002, but lost to eventual ALB champ Dubai. He lost both of playoff starts with a 3.45 ERA over 15.2 innings.

2002 was his breakout year and was his only time leading in wins (20-6), ERA (2.5), WHIP (0.88), and WAR (7.1). Sabet won his lone Pitcher of the Year and at age 28 signed a four-year, $8,340,000 extension with Riyadh. Sabet finished third in 2003’s POTY voting and topped 5+ WAR in seven seasons for the Rats. They dropped into the middle tier after the 2002 season with Medina dominating the Saudi Division.

With Riyadh, Sabet had a 139-76 record, 2.90 ERA, 2199.2 innings, 2373 strikeouts, 357 walks, 134 ERA+, and 57.0 WAR. His #33 uniform would later be retired by the Rats. Sabet had one year left on his deal after the 2005 season, but Riyadh opted to trade him to Jerusalem for three prospects. The Jets didn’t want a rental though and gave the 32-year old Sabet a six-year, $12,600,000 extension before spring training 2006.

Although he never played for an Egyptian franchise, Sabet did represent his country from 1997-2005 in the World Baseball Championship. In 77.1 innings, he had a 7-2 record, 3.03 ERA, 88 strikeouts, 21 walks, 119 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR.

The deal with Jerusalem started well with a second place finish in Pitcher of the Year voting for Sabet in 2006 and a career-best 2.31 ERA. He allowed three runs in seven innings in his one playoff start as the Jets lost in the first round of the playoffs to Algiers. Sabet was solid again in 2007, helping Jerusalem win the Western Conference pennant. The Jets lost to Medina in the ALB final with Sabet posting a 2.61 ERA over 20.2 playoff innings.

Sabet’s velocity dropped down to 93-95 mph by 2008 and his poor work ethic became noticeable with below average results. Jerusalem’s playoff streak ended with a 71-91 record. They bounced back for 98 wins in 2009, but Sabet stunk in only 28.2 innings of relief. Clearly cooked, Sabet retired at age 36. With Jerusalem, he had a 3.17 ERA, 45-24 record, 680.2 innings, 564 strikeouts, 119 ERA+, and 11.3 WAR.

The final stats had a 184-100 record, 2.97 ERA, 2880.1 innings, 2937 strikeouts, 469 walks, 130 ERA+, and 68.3 WAR. As of 2037, Sabet sits 19^th in pitching WAR, 20^th in wins, and 34^th in strikeouts. His ERA is also 27^th amongst all pitchers with 1000+ innings and his opponent’s OPS of .6487 is 43^rd.

Sabet won’t be in the GOAT pitcher conversations, but he was regularly a top five or top ten level pitcher for most of his career. The resume was strong enough for the first ballot induction at 80.2%, making Sabet the lone addition to ALB’s Hall of Fame in 2015.