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Pitcher Kamil Domanski stood alone for induction in Eurasian Professional Baseball’s 2028 Hall of Fame class with a 92.3% first ballot nod. Five others cracked 50%, but fell short of the 66% requirement. 3B Vladyslav Chychykov (57.7%) and 1B Roman Stanchinsky (53.8%) were the closest, both on their debuts. SP Artur Woloshyn got 53.1% in his fifth ballot, 1B Benjamin Bodnar saw 51.9% for his ninth try, and CL Povilas Zdancius had 50.4% on his fourth attempt.



Among the players dropped after ten ballots was catcher Eduard Melnychenko, who peaked in his debut at 44.3% and ended at 15.4%. He was another that was doomed by the general anti-catcher bias of HOF voters. Melnychenko had eight Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves, and was a 15-time all-star between Krasnoyarsk and Minsk. He was twice ALCS MVP and won a title with the Miners in 2011.

However, as a catcher, his raw batting tallies were naturally lower than other candidates. Melnychenko played 1930 games with 1886 hits, 665 runs, 399 doubles, 171 homers, 824 RBI, .275/.309/.418 slash, 118 wRC+, and 70.0 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks second in WAR among EPB catchers. However, there still hasn’t been a single catcher added into EPB’s HOF with the bar seemingly unreachable.

Closer Delgerdelai Otgonbaatar also fell after ten ballots, peaking at 31.1% in 2020 and ending with 8.5%. Over 14 years, he had 331 saves, 387 shutdowns, 2.56 ERA, 1158.1 innings, 867 strikeouts, 122 ERA+, and 21.4 WAR. 300+ saves gets you some attention, but he was never dominant like typical HOF closers. Otgonbaatar was dismissed by most voters as a compiler.

SP/OF Nikita Trudov also fell off, peaking at 32.2% in 2020 and ending with 7.3%. He had good value over 13 years as a two-way guy, but was generally viewed as above average at best in either role. As a hitter, Trudov had 1301 games, 1067 hits, 525 runs, 207 doubles, 227 homers, 577 RBI, .232/.288/.435 slash, 129 wRC+, and 41.1 WAR. As a pitcher, he had a 153-131 record, 2.90 ERA, 2691 innings, 2014 strikeouts, 104 ERA+, and 40.8 WAR. The combined 80.9 WAR made Trudov worthy of a look, but most voters agreed being merely decent both ways wasn’t enough.



Kamil Domanski – Starting Pitcher – Irkutsk Ice Cats – 92.3% First Ballot

Kamil Domanski was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Domanski had strong stuff, excellent control, and good movement. His fastball peaked in the 97-99 mph range, but it was his changeup that was his most deadly pitch. Domanski also had a rock solid curveball and a decent slider in the arsenal. He overall had an extreme groundball tendency.

Compared to the other great aces in EPB, Domanski’s stamina was merely decent. However, his durability was good in the first decade of his run. He was excellent at holding runners, but had weak glove work. Domanski was a team captain and was considered a high character individual amongst friends and foes alike. His leadership, loyalty, and work ethic pushed him to a 14-year career.

By the 2000s, most Polish amateurs ended up in the European Baseball Federation sphere. Russian teams would still try to recruit some prospects, especially in major metros like Warsaw. Yekaterinburg was one of these teams and secured Domanski to a developmental deal in April 2005. He spent three years in the Yaks academy, but never played for them.

On New Year’s Day 2008, Domanski was involved in a six-player trade with Irkutsk that included three eventual Hall of Famers. The Ice Cats also received veteran OF Yakov Rhyzhikov in the deal, while Yekaterinburg got LF Aram Sargsyan. Domanski spent one year in Irkutsk’s developmental system. He made his debut in 2009 at age 22 with 34 very strong innings in relief. Domanski earned a full-time rotation spot after that.

In 2010, Domanski was second in Rookie of the Year voting and third in Pitcher of the Year voting. From 2011-15, Domanski was a top-tier ace who led the Asian League four times in both strikeouts and WAR during that stretch. He also led all five years in FIP, four times in K/BB, twice in WHIP, and once in ERA. Domanski’s 2013 had an ERA title at 1.94 and his career bests in strikeouts (342), and WAR (9.3), winning his first POTY. He was third in both 2011 and 2014’s voting.

Irkutsk had been a powerhouse in the 1990s and was decent in the 2000s. By the 2010s, they were firmly in the mid-tier, although they were rarely outright bad. Despite Domanski’s efforts, the Ice Cats never made the playoffs in his run. 2015 was their best effort at 91-71. He stayed loyal and steady though and signed a five-year, $47,500,000 extension in May 2016. Domanski’s production fell off slightly that year, but he bounced back with three more 7+ WAR seasons after that.

Domanski’s second Pitcher of the Year was in 2017 with his second ERA title and career best mark at 1.92. In 2018, he tossed his lone no-hitter on June 1 with 11 strikeouts and one walk against Yekaterinburg. Although he never got to play in the EPB playoffs, Domanski was a regular for his native Poland in the Baseball Grand Championship. His results were merely okay from 2010-20 with an 11-7 record, 3.75 ERA, 160.2 innings, 204 strikeouts, 97 ERA+, and 2.6 WAR. Domanski did toss 32 innings with 51 Ks and a 3.38 ERA in the 2018 world championship run by the Poles.

In 2018, Domanski was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his final time as a finalist. He was strong again in 2019, but fell off towards more average stats in 2020. That year saw shoulder inflammation that cost him seven weeks in the summer. In mid April 2021, Domanski suffered a torn labrum that ended his season and ultimately his tenure with Irkutsk. His deal was up and he became a free agent heading towards age 35 with an uncertain future.

Kazan gave Domanski a chance on a two-year, $7,440,000 deal. Unfortunately, Domanski was terrible over 155 innings in 2022 for the Crusaders with 4.76 ERA and -0.3 WAR. He retired after the season at age 35. Irkutsk immediately brought him back in to retire his #4 uniform. Domanski had been one of the few redeeming things in an overall forgettable decade for Ice Cats fans.

Domanski finished with a 176-131 record, 2.53 ERA, 2824.2 innings, 3319 strikeouts, 375 walks, 245/343 quality starts, 119 complete games, 24 shutouts, 128 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 85.4 WAR. As of 2037, Domanski ranks 81^st in strikeouts and 46^th in WAR among pitchers despite not breaching the top 100 in any other counting stat.

He didn’t have the longevity to be among the true inner-circle, but Domanski was clearly a top five level arm in the AL for a decade. His 67 FIP- was especially elite, leading some to argue his traditional stats were deflated from being on weaker Irkutsk teams. 3000+ Ks and two Pitcher of the Year awards was plenty for most voters, especially with an overall quiet 2028 ballot. At 92.3%, Domanski stood alone for induction into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028.