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Three players secured induction into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2022 on their debut ballots. SP Abdul Karim Hussein was the only slam dunk selection at 91.2%, as his classmates both narrowly crossed the 66% requirement. SS/3B Joel Tournier snuck in at 69.5% and 1B Murad Doskaliev made it with 67.8%. Two others were above 60% but missed out with SS Robert Hightower at 62.7% on his ninth ballot and SP Rinat Khan at 62.4% for his debut.

Four others were above 50%, but short of 60%. 3B Jeanpaul Vick received 56.6% in his third ballot and C Sebastian Van Velzen had the same on his sixth try. CL Jeremy Dau debuted with 51.9% and SP Victor Burke grabbed 51.5% for his fourth ballot.



Dropped after ten ballots was SP Aleksei Arakelyan, who had a 13-year career with Hartford. He posted a 187-135 record, 2.80 ERA, 3110.1 innings, 2813 strikeouts, 122 ERA+, and 74.3 WAR. Arakelyan was a Pitcher of the Year finalist thrice, but had limited black ink. If he would’ve lasted a few more years to get to 200+ wins and 3000+ strikeouts, Arakelyan probably gets across the line. He peaked at 44.4% in 2015 and ended with 38.3%.



Abdul Karim Hussein – Starting Pitcher – Philadelphia Phillies – 91.2% First Ballot

Abdul Karim Hussein was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Hussein joined Class of 1952 Kaby Silva (Cape Verde) as the only inductees into MLB’s Hall of Fame born in Africa. Hussein was a fireballer with outstanding stuff and great movement along with above average control. His fastball regularly hit 99-101 mph and was complimented by a changeup and splitter.

Hussein had very good stamina and excellent durability, tossing 250+ innings each year from 2002-14. He was solid at holding runners, but a weak defender otherwise. Hussein was considered a clubhouse leader and thrived in a career that took an unlikely path.

His hometown Mogadishu was among the cities granted a charter franchise for the African Association of Baseball in 1995. However, Somalia wasn’t exactly known as the biggest baseball hotbed in Africa. What limited amateur scene existed, Hussein absolutely dominated. Many AAB teams saw him as a potential top flight ace, but he was determined for a career beyond that. Hussein told AAB teams straight up that even though he was entered in their drafts, he wouldn’t sign at any cost.

After being undrafted in both 2000 and 2001, Hussein found the loophole that made him a free agent eligible for any world league. This was quite the risk at burning possible local bridges, but Hussein’s talent spoke for itself. He had put his vitals out there for many teams to see and caught the attention of Philadelphia specifically. In March 2002, the Phillies signed Hussein to a six-year, $61 million dollar deal.

That was a shocking sum for a rookie unproven on the pro stage, but Philadelphia was enamored by his fastball and potential. As the defending National Association champ and a historical winner, the Phillies had the resources and clout to try such a move. The deal raised eyebrows and drew criticism initially, but Hussein proved he was the real deal right away with 5.3 WAR in 2002, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Hussein’s seven seasons with Philadelphia were all worth 5+ WAR with three seasons showing a sub-three ERA. He led in wins (24-8), innings (306.1), and complete games (18) in 2004. Hussein’s best WAR efforts for the Phillies were 2005 and 2007 with 7.8 in both. He finished second in 2007’s Pitcher of the Year voting. In 2005, he had a no-hitter on August 5 with 14 strikeouts and 3 walks against Milwaukee.

Philadelphia was a playoff regular with five berths and division titles during his tenure. The Phillies won the 2005 NA pennant, but fell in the World Series to Seattle. Philly lost in the NACS in both 2003 and 2007. Hussein was a strong playoff performer with a 2.64 ERA over 15 starts, 7-3 record, 102.1 innings, 106 strikeouts, 29 walks, 130 ERA+, and 2.6 WAR.

In total for the Phillies, Hussein had a 123-74 record, 2.97 ERA, 1905.1 innings, 1826 strikeouts, 459 walks, 115 ERA+, and 46.5 WAR. He entered free agency after the 2008 season at age 30 with many MLB teams showing interest. Hussein would agree to a six-year, $94,800,000 deal with San Francisco. The Gold Rush had been stuck in the mid-tier for the last decade and hoped Hussein could help bring them back to prominence.

San Fran stayed mid, but Hussein delivered on his end. He finished second in 2012’s Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the American Association in wins (22-9), WHIP (1.00), and quality starts (24). Hussein had 8.0 WAR that year and saw 8.2 WAR the prior year. All four of his full seasons for the Gold Rush were worth 6.8+ WAR.

After a weak start to 2013 for San Francisco, they were sellers and traded Hussein in early July to Detroit for prospects. The deal proved a winner long-term for the Gold Rush as they acquired SP Otis Hope, who would have an excellent 12-year run with SF and earn his own Hall of Fame induction in 2035. With San Francisco, Hussein had a 72-60 record, 2.96 ERA, 1225 innings, 1127 strikeouts, 266 walks, 128 ERA+, and 346 WAR.

Hussein had a fine second half for the Tigers, but they missed the playoffs by two games. He helped them bounce back with the #2 seed in 2014 at 104-58. This was Hussein’s top season by many metrics with career bests in ERA (2.37) and WAR (8.8). He had a 21-5 record and 270 strikeouts, again taking second in POTY voting. Sadly, Hussein never took the top award despite his strong career.

He did have something more prized and rare in 2014. On April 19 against his former team Philadelphia, Hussein threw MLB’s 26^th Perfect Game with nine strikeouts. As of 2037, Hussein and Jeremiah Rutledge are the only MLB pitchers with a perfecto and multiple no-hitters. His one playoff start was quality with two runs allowed in eight innings, although Detroit lost that game and was upset in the second round by Kansas City.|

In a year and change for Detroit, Hussein had a 31-10 record, 2.42 ERA, 391 innings, 388 strikeouts, 72 walks, 141 ERA+, and 12.3 WAR. He was hitting the best marks of his career despite heading into free agency at age 36. Los Angeles hoped to capture that production and gave Hussein a two-year, $47,600,000 deal. The Angels were on a five-year playoff streak, but hadn’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs.

2015 was a snake-bitten season for Hussein, starting with a sore shoulder costing him six weeks in the early spring. Then in June, Hussein suffered a torn back muscle that kept him out almost the rest of the season. He got back for the playoffs but got lit up with a 11.74 ERA over two starts and 7.2 innings. LA had the top seed at 109-53, but was defeated in the AACS by Denver. The Angels plummeted to 70-92 the next year.

The back muscle tear tanked Hussein’s velocity, as he peaked in the 90-92 mph range by 2016. He struggled to a 4.61 ERA over 168 innings and for his Angels run finished with a 4.49 ERA over 190.1 innings and -0.3 WAR. Clearly cooked, Hussein retired that winter at age 38.

Hussein finished with a 236-157 record, 2.99 ERA, 3711.2 innings, 3405 strikeouts, 854 walks, 321/465 quality starts, 199 complete games, 53 shutouts, 119 ERA+, and 93.1 WAR. As of 2037, Hussein ranks 44^th in pitching WAR, 79^th in wins, 46^th in strikeouts, and 7^th in shutouts. The shutout mark was especially impressive since he didn’t crack the top 100 in either innings or complete games. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, his opponent’s OPS of .630 ranks 91^st.

While Hussein isn’t at the inner circle level, his tallies certainly compare nicely to other Hall of Famers. Add in a perfect game and you have yourself someone who can headline a class. Hussein did just that at 91.2%, leading the way for MLB’s three-player class for 2022.