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Kamlesh Kanmani – Outfielder – Delhi Drillers – 97.6% First Ballot

Kamlesh Kanmani was a 6’2’’, 195 pound right-handed outfielder from Bhopal, India; the capital of the Madhya Pradesh state with about 1,900,000 in its metro area. Kanmani was a very good contact hitter with an impressive pop in his bat. His gap power was especially great, getting 47 doubles and 4 triples per his 162 game average. Kanmani could go yard, topping 40+ home runs thrice in his career. He had a solid strikeout rate, but was below average at drawing walks. Kanmani didn’t get many extra bags with his legs as a firmly mediocre baserunner.

Kanmani was a career outfielder and primarily played right, where he graded as reliably average to above average. He played center in his first two seasons and was terrible with his lackluster range. Kanmani played a lackluster left at the end of his career once his arm weakened and his overall athleticism declined. He had fairly sturdy durability and was adaptable. Kanmani was a smart guy, but could get lazy when he thought he could get away with it.

In September 1991, Kanmani was signed to a developmental deal as a teenager by Delhi. After four years in their academy, he debuted in 1996 for the Drillers at age 21, struggling as a full-time starter. He fared better the next two years and even led the Indian League in doubles with 55 in 1997. Kanmani’s home run power started to emerge later in his 20s, upping his value. He won his first Silver Slugger in 1999, leading that year in RBI at 108.

Kanmani won Sluggers the next three years for Delhi and took third in 2000’s MVP voting and second in 2001. In 2000, he led in hits (194), total bases (336), average (.330), and slugging (.571). Then in 2001, Kanmani set the SAB single-season record with 58 doubles. That would be passed six times in later years. Each of his Slugger seasons with the Drillers were worth 6.5+ WAR or more. Kanmani was above a 200 wRC+ in 2000 and 2001.

Despite his work, Delhi was generally stuck in the mid-tier. Their only playoff berth during his run was a wild card round loss in 1998. The Drillers couldn’t match the powerhouse teams in spending and the budding superstar Kanmani left for free agency after his age 27 season. In seven years for Delhi, he had 1173 hits, 517 runs, 327 doubles, 141 home runs, 581 RBI, a .302/.342/.511 slash, 171 wRC+, and 38.3 WAR. He played the most games with them and they gave him his first break, thus Kanmani opted for induction in the Drillers brown and gold.

However, his most impactful seasons came with the Ho Chi Minh City dynasty, who signed him to an eight-year, $23,600,000 deal. Each of his first four seasons were worth 8+ WAR, winning Silver Sluggers in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Kanmani’s lone MVP came in 2005, which saw league bests in hits (214), doubles (48), total bases (406), and WAR (9.9), along with 46 homers and 144 RBI. He was third in 2003 MVP voting and second in 2004. 2004 saw his career best WAR (11.2), OPS (1.115), and home run tally (51).

Kanmani was a key piece as Ho Chi Minh City had their strongest stretch of the dynasty, three-peating as SAB champ from 2003-2005. He had solid showings during these runs, including earning 2004 finals MVP. The Hedgehogs would lose in the Southeast Asia League Championship in 2006, then fell in the first round in 2007. With HCMC in the playoffs, Kanmani had 52 starts, 63 hits, 23 runs, 13 doubles, 9 home runs, 28 RBI, a .315/.355/.545/ slash, 150 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR.

In 2007, Kanmani was on a solid pace but lost two months to a strained hamstring. He still had three years left on his deal, but with salaries generally increasing decided to opt out of the rest of the deal. With the Hedgehogs, Kanmani had 951 hits, 483 runs, 200 doubles, 211 home runs, 616 RBI, a .337/.379/.643 slash, 184 wRC+, and 42.1 WAR. Heading to his age 33 season, Kanmani signed with Yangon four years at $16,320,000. The Green Dragons had been one of the top contenders to HCMC for the SEAL throne.

Kanmani had a nice debut season in 2008 with 7.4 WAR and a league-best 52 doubles. Yangon won 114 games, but lost to a 120-win Hanoi in the LCS. However, Kanmani suddenly declined steeply in 2009, posting a mere 0.4 WAR and 99 wRC+ over a full season. He was reduced to a bench role in 2010, only playing 81 games with 41 starts. Yangon bought out the final year of his contract and Kanmani retired at age 35.

The final stats saw 2508 hits, 1185 runs, 618 doubles, 411 home runs, 1384 RBI, 511 walks, a .315/.356/.562 slash, 169 wRC+, and 88.4 WAR. As of 2037, Kanmani ranks 34^th in WAR for position players, 43^rd in hits, 8^th in doubles, 69^th in runs, 73^rd in homers, and 50^th in RBI. Among all players with 3000+ plate appearances, his .918 OPS ranks 59^th.

Despite the steep decline, Kanmani was one of SAB’s strongest hitters for a good decade and a big reason that Ho Chi Minh City earned their historic three-peat from 2003-2005. He’d be a clear headliner in most classes, although he managed to rank third in the loaded four-player 2016 Hall of Fame class. Kanmani was a no-doubter at 97.6%.



Quang Huy “Tank” Canh – Closer – Dhaka Dobermans – 85.7% First Ballot

Quang Huy Canh was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam. Nicknamed “Tank” for his impressive physique, Canh was a fireballer with dangerous stuff, although his control and movement were both average at best. He had an impressive 98-100 mph fastball and a strong slider. Canh had good stamina and durability for a reliever, tossing 65+ innings in all but one of his 14 seasons. He was quite adaptable and known as a hard worker.

Canh got attention at a camp in HCMC as a teenager, which led to him signing a developmental deal in August 1991 with Dhaka. He spent five years training in their academy in Bangladesh, then debuted as a full-timer in 1997 at age 23. Canh was the closer immediately, although he was merely decent in his first few seasons. He emerged as a going concern in 2000 when he led the Southeast Asia League with 42 saves, taking second in Reliever of the Year voting.

2001 saw a 1.06 ERA and a career-best 4.8 WAR, earning Reliever of the Year honors. 2002 had his highest totals for innings (108.2), strikeouts (185), and games (75), finishing second in voting. After a six-year playoff drought, Dhaka surprised many by winning SEAL in 2002, although they lost to the Ahmedabad dynasty in the SAB Championship. Canh had six saves in the playoffs with a 2.57 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 14 innings.

That marked the end of the Dhaka run after six seasons, as Canh entered free agency at age 29. It was his longest tenure, posting 192 saves and 221 shutdowns over 500.1 innings, a 2.34 ERA, 811 strikeouts, 156 ERA+, and 15.7 WAR. Canh joined SEAL’s evil empire in 2003, but it made sense since Ho Chi Minh City was his hometown.

Canh had a set-up role in 2003 as his Hall of Fame classmate Saroth Bora was the Hedgehogs closer. He posted 1.7 WAR over 57 innings, winning the SAB Championship with the Hedgehogs. HCMC was happy with him and gave him a three-year, $4,020,000 extension. However, Canh was drafted eighth overall by Nagpur in the expansion draft.

That ended his brief time playing in his native Vietnam. Canh did still represent his country regularly in the World Baseball Championship with 76.2 innings from 1999-2010. He posted 20 saves, a 2.35 ERA, 6-2 record, 131 strikeouts, 153 ERA+, and 1.6 WAR. After the expansion draft to Nagupur, Canh played his remaining years in the Indian League.

In two decent seasons for the Patriots, Canh had 64 saves, 162.1 innings, a 2.83 ERA, 276 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. Nagpur traded him after the 2005 season to Jaipur for three prospects. The Jokers wanted him long-term and gave him a three-year, $4,140,000 extension in spring training. Canh’s debut season saw a career and league-best 49 saves and 75 games in 2006.

In the playoffs, Canh had a 2.60 ERA over 17.1 innings with 26 strikeouts, helping Jaipur win the SAB Championship in 2006 over Yangon. He struggled in his later playoff appearances for the Jokers and finished his playoff career with a 3.73 ERA, 96 ERA+, and -0.5 WAR. Canh would win his second Reliever of the Year in 2007 with a career best 0.85 ERA over 95.2 innings.

His production in 2008 was merely decent, then he had some struggled in 2009. In total for Jaipur, Canh had 150 saves, a 2.30 ERA, 360.2 innings, 519 strikeouts, 153 ERA+, and 9.8 WAR. While there, he became the third in SAB to reach 400 career saves, which his contemporaries Bora and Taj Kanikaraja had done the prior two years.

Canh signed with Visakhapatnam in 2010 and filled more of a setup role, posting a 2.76 ERA over 65.1 innings and 0.8 WAR. He would miss much of the fall to shoulder inflammation. Canh retired that winter just after turning 37 years old.

The final stats for Canh: 425 saves and 490 shutdowns, 2.39 ERA, 69-80 record, 1145.2 innings, 1783 strikeouts, 309 walks, 148 ERA+, and 34.2 WAR. Among all SAB pitchers with 1000+ career innings, his ERA ranks 10^th as of 2037 and his .587 opponent’s OPS ranks 24^th. Canh sits seventh in saves in SAB and 46^th in all of pro baseball history.

Canh’s resume is far less dominant compared to Bora or Kanikaraja, who are the top two in ERA and OPS in SAB as of 2037. In a vacuum, he had a very solid run that the voters reacted favorably to. Canh received 85.7% for a first ballot nod as the fourth and final member of the loaded 2016 SAB Hall of Fame class.