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FuzzyRussianHat · 06-27-2025, 05:53 AM

World home run king Majed Darwish led the way for South Asia Baseball’s 2031 Hall of Fame class, somehow getting only 98.9%. 1B Duc Son joined him with his own first ballot induction at 76.2%. Two returners were above 50%, but below the 66% requirement. CF Chris Saandeep had 55.9% on his sixth ballot and SP Siddhant Shakya saw 50.6% on his fourth go. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries in 2031.

Majed “Lumberjack” Darwish – Designated Hitter/First Base – Hanoi Hounds – 98.9% First Ballot

Majed Darwish was a 6’3’’, 200 pound switch-hitting slugger from Madinat Hamad, a commuter city in Bahrain of around 133,500 people. He had the nickname “Lumberjack” from his common flannel attire when away from the ballpark. By sheer accumulations, Darwish finished his career as the greatest power hitter in baseball history by a healthy margin. Some supporters would go as far to call him the greatest pure hitter ever. Regardless of how you’d rank him, Darwish became one of the seminal megastars in the sport’s history.

For most of his career, scouts rated Darwish as a 10/10 in terms of home run power overall and he broke the scale facing right-handed pitching. Facing RHP, he had a 1.134 career OPS, .731 slugging percentage, and 196 wRC+. Darwish was by no means bad facing lefties, but he looked human with a .858 OPS, .532 slugging, and 132 wRC+.

It wasn’t just home run power though, as Darwish was an excellent contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks. Unsurprisingly, he also drew plenty of intentional walks purely based on the power potential. Darwish was below average at avoiding strikeouts, but any contact for the spray hitter would be hard. He had a bonkers 61 home runs per his 162 game average and had ten seasons with 60+ dingers.

Darwish also knew how to find the gap with 34 doubles per 162. He was an incredibly skilled and slick baserunner despite having poor speed, ultimately scoring more runs than anyone ever. Strong durability and consistency also pushed Darwish to his wild tallies, playing at a high level into his early 40s. He played 128+ games in all but two of his 23 professional seasons.

The biggest flaw in Darwish’s game was poor defense, leading to just over half of his career starts as a designated hitter. His most prominent spot with his glove was first base, posting weak metrics over 1/3 of his career starts. Darwish also had some time in left field with even worse results and had some absolutely disastrous starts at shortstop early in his career. You’d certainly find a spot for him in the lineup though and put up with poor defense if you had to considering his legendary bat.

Certainly Darwish’s power was going to make him a global superstar, but he was also one of the true role models of the game. He was a team captain, renowned for his leadership, loyalty, work ethic, and selflessness. Darwish was beloved across all of Southeast Asia, even by fans of teams he terrorized with his bat. Playing in the age of the internet, Darwish’s towering homers and video game-like stats made him a viral hit worldwide.

He easily became the most famous Bahraini citizen ever. The small island country in the Persian Gulf had a very limited baseball scene when Darwish was growing up. Arab League Baseball only came into existence during his childhood and Bahrain wouldn’t have a pro team until a 2016 expansion. Darwish absolutely obliterated what little amateur competition he had as a youth. Still, it wasn’t an area that got much attention from scouts and most of the ALB franchises had comparatively limited resources.

Darwish’s dominance did catch the attention of some scouts over in Southeast Asia. Hanoi in particular realized his potential was incredible and signed Darwish to a developmental deal in June 1999. He spent around four years in their academy in Vietnam, debuting with 93 games and 14 starts in 2003 at age 20. Darwish earned a full-time spot in 2004 and spent the next 19 years as a fixture of the Hounds lineup.

Hanoi had been a consistent wild card team in the 1990s and early 2000s, but couldn’t overcome the dynasty runs of Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon. Darwish helped them turn that tide with the Hounds posting a 13-year playoff streak from 2005-17. 2005 was his second full season and his first of 14 consecutive seasons with 50+ homers and 100+ RBI. Darwish had 12 seasons with an OPS above one during that stretch and was worth 7.5+ WAR each year sans 2018.

Darwish also led in runs scored for the first time in 2005 with 131, starting a 13-year streak leading the Southeast Asia League. Hanoi got him to sign a fairly generous extension after the 2005 season at eight years and only $19,360,000. Darwish was second in 2006’s MVP voting with his first 60+ home run season. The Hounds finished 104-58 in both seasons, but lost in the LCS in HCMC in 2005 and had a first round exit in 2006 against Yangon.

2007 was Darwish’s first MVP and Silver Slugger (in LF), setting a then-SAB record for runs scored at 141. He also led the league for the first of many times in homers (67), RBI (150), total bases (435), slugging (.785), OPS (1.222), wRC+ (205), and WAR (10.4). Hanoi finally won the division and took SEAL’s top seed at 111-51, winning their second-ever pennant by beating Yangon in the LCS. The Hounds then won their first SAB Championship, defeating Kanpur in the finale. In the playoffs over 18 starts, Darwish had a .987 OPS, 157 wRC+, 6 home runs, 13 RBI, 19 hits, and 12 runs.

To that point, Darwish’s stats were outstanding, but still seemingly in the realm of reality. The numbers he’d put up from 2008-10 though would absolutely obliterate world records. Even accounting for a hitter-friendly ballpark in Hanoi and a higher homer environment than most in SAB, Darwish’s tallies were unfathomable. It started with 2008, where he repeated as MVP and won another Silver Slugger, his first as a DH.

In 2008, Darwish set world records for home runs (85), RBI (220), runs scored (167), and total bases (528). The 220 RBI was especially insane, considering the previous world record was 186 by West African Baseball’s Mo Reda in 2003. No one had ever hit 80+ homers either to that point, the previous best being 77 by the African Association of Baseball’s Mwarami Tale. Darwish also bested the previous runs high of 152 (Darwin Morris in the 2001 WAB season) by a healthy margin. Only twice before had anyone posted 500+ total bases, edging the previous record of 522 by the European Baseball Federation’s Sean Houston in 1984.

The 220 RBI remains the world single-season record as of 2037 with no one else coming particularly close since. Darwish also led SEAL in slugging (.856), OPS (1.312), and WAR (13.2), the latter two being SAB single-season records to that point. He just missed the then-world record for OPS (1.314 by EBF’s Richard Rautenstrauch) and slugging (.874 by Rautenstrauch). Amazingly, this was arguably the weakest of Darwish’s three bonkers seasons.

Unsurprisingly, Hanoi thrived for to set a franchise record 120-42. They held off a 114-win Yangon for the division and in the LCS, then defeated Mumbai to repeat as SAB Champion. Darwish’s excellent continued through the postseason with 10 homers, 20 RBI, 22 hits, 17 runs, 1.226 OPS, and 1.4 WAR over 16 starts. The 17 runs set an SAB playoff record that only finally was passed in 2027.

Darwish’s insane numbers caught the attention of fans and baseball media worldwide. Some were reluctant to call it the best-ever power season, arguing that SAB’s top-heavy competition level and high homer atmosphere caused inflation. Even diehard supporters figured such a season had to be a one-off and that Darwish would fall back to more realistic stats. But he showed it was no fluke in 2009.

If hitting more than 80 home runs seemed insane, smacking 90+ had to be impossible. But Darwish did it with 91 in 2009, which remains the world record as of 2037. He broke his own total bases mark with 534 and matched his runs record with 167. Darwish had 209 RBI and won his first Triple Crown with a .360 average, earning a third straight MVP and Silver Slugger.

He also led again in hits (224), slugging (.859), OPS (1.293), wRC+ (219), and WAR (13.3). Darwish’s slugging bested his previous year’s SAB record, but still was short of Rautenstrauch and a new record of .886 by AAB’s Tale in 2009. Hanoi broke their own wins record at 122-40, but suffered a shocking first round loss to the rival Green Dragons.

By many metrics, 2010 was actually Darwish’s best season for his fourth straight MVP and Silver Slugger. He had another Triple Crown and his career bests for triple slash (.381/.451/.869), OPS (1.321), wRC+ (241), and WAR (14.5). Darwish broke the runs record again with 172 and the total bases record with 546. The OPS was second in world history to that point behind the 1.375 by Mwarami Tale in 2009. Darwish’s 239 hits fell two short of the SAB record.

Yet again, Darwish also hit 85 home runs with 200 RBI while also leading the league with a career high 50 doubles. The WAR mark was just behind Basava Sanjahay’s 14.74 in 2006 for the SAB record and ranks 18^th-best among position players as of 2037 worldwide. Darwish pulled it off by starting all 162 with only one in the field, a remarkable accomplishment considering the penalty for a DH in WAR total. His WAR mark is the single-season world record for a DH.

Hanoi went 121-41, becoming the only franchise in world history with three consecutive 120+ win seasons. Even the other excellent dynasties in the top-heavy SAB hadn’t managed that before. The Hounds returned to the top spot in SEAL, but fell to Kolkata in the SAB Championship. Darwish had a .927 OPS and 0.7 WAR in 15 playoff starts.

Those who thought Darwish’s tallies were inflated got some ammo in a small sample size. Hanoi qualified as an at-large for the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship in 2010, finishing 3-6 with Darwish posting a .773 OPS and 100 wRC+.

Still, from 2008-10 Darwish had a stretch that will almost certainly never be matched with 506 runs, 692 hits, 119 doubles, 261 home runs, 329 RBI, 629 total bases, and 41.0 WAR. Power stats would broadly increase worldwide from the 2020s onward, but even then Darwish’s stats stand out. As of 2037, no one else has posted a 200+ RBI season; Darwish did it thrice. There would be only ten 80+ homer seasons and five with 85+; Darwish did it thrice. His homers mark would face close challenges though with Wissam Madgy smacking 89 in the 2027 ALB season and Dagne Mersha with 90 in the 2028 AAB campaign.

Darwish’s 172, 167, and 167 runs scored are still the top three seasons in world history with 160+ only getting reached twice in later years. He holds the #1, #2, and #4 seasons in total bases; the #3, #5, and #8 seasons in OPS, and the #3, #4, and #5 seasons ever for slugging percentage. It is a three-year run that even if you saw it live, you’d have a hard time believing it was real.

He’d never reach those kinds of levels again, but Darwish was by no means done as SAB’s top hitter. From 2011-17, he led SEAL each year in runs scored and RBI while leading in homers five times, total bases six times, hits once, slugging five times, OPS thrice, wRC+ thrice, and WAR four times.

Darwish won MVP again in 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017, while placing third in 2012and second in 2014. He won Silver Sluggers all seven years at DH and signed a new eight-year, $81,300,000 extension with Hanoi in March 2013. From August 24, 2014 to May 15, 2015; Darwish also posted an impressive 55-game on base streak.

Hanoi’s win tallies also weren’t as gaudy, but their playoff streak continued with five division titles and five 100+ win seasons. The Hounds lost in the LCS in both 2011 (to Dhaka) and 2012 (to Yangon). Hanoi returned to the top spot in 2013, besting Vientiane in the LCS and Visakhapatnam in the SAB Championship. The Hounds had LCS defeats to the Green Dragons in 2014, 15, and 17. Hanoi beat Yangon though in 2016 en route to their fourth SAB Championship, this time beating Mumbai.

Darwish remained a strong playoff performer and won LCS MVP in 2013. In 139 playoff games for Hanoi, Darwish had 150 hits, 109 runs, 29 doubles, 53 home runs, 110 RBI, .280/.343/.639 slash, 159 wRC+, and 7.5 WAR. The stats aren’t otherworldly like some of his regular seasons, but was quite excellent.

He fared better in his second crack at the Baseball Grand Championship in 2013 with a .899 OPS, 155 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. Darwish was subpar though in the 2016 BGC with a .629 OPS, 87 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. Hanoi was tied for eighth in 2013 at 10-9. Despite Darwish’s woes in 2016, the Hounds were one win from the top spot at 12-7, finishing third officially after tiebreakers. Darwish had done well in his one World Baseball Championship in 2003 for Bahrain with a 1.072 OPS, although that would be the only time the tiny nation qualified for the event.

Hanoi’s reign at the top ended with the 2018 season. They’d be generally stuck around .500 for the next decade with only one wild card and 90+ win season in 2023. Darwish led in homers again in 2018 with 55 and still won a Silver Slugger, his first as a first baseman. While still strong by normal people standards, it was his weakest season since his rookie year.

The wild tallies of years past had already gotten Darwish to several milestones by this point despite being only in his mid 30s. He reached 2000 RBI and 2500 hits in 2016, becoming SAB’s RBI king in 2018. Darwish reached 900 home runs in 2017, battling with contemporaries Tirtha Upadhyaya, Devavesman Toppo, and Ratan Canduri for the top spot. He joined Canduri in reaching and passing Manju Abbas as SAB’s only players with 2000+ runs scored in 2019.

2019 was Darwish’s first year with a significant injury as a strained groin kept him out most of September, ending his Silver Slugger streak. However, he passed his rivals to become SAB’s home run king and the first in SAB with 1000 dingers. Only Canduri would join him in that club with 1049. Darwish was only the second in all of pro baseball history to that point in the 1k club, as ALB legend Nordine Soule finished with 1073.

Darwish dealt with another strained groin and torn ankle ligaments in 2020, playing only 70 games all season. He had a concussion and lost a month in 2021, but looked closer to form with 42 homers, 90 RBI, 1.024 OPS, and 6.4 WAR over 132 games. This got him to 1078 home runs, passing Soule as the world’s home run king. Darwish became the fifth in world history with 2500+ RBI. That winter, Hanoi inked their long-time superstar to a new three-year, $24,200,000 extension.

In 2022, Darwish became the first (and to this point, only) player to cross 1100 home runs. At age 39, he still managed a 45 homer, 106 RBI, .945 OPS, 5.4 WAR season in 141 games. Darwish became the new world RBI king, passing the 2618 by CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia that had held since 1968. Darwish was also now only eight runs from Garcia’s world record 2374.

Darwish had served Hanoi dutifully for two decades as a true icon, but the Hounds finished 70-92 for their worst season since 1990. Looking to rebuild, Darwish was one of the few pieces they could offer and to the shock of SAB fans, he was traded in the offseason. Hanoi sent him to Da Nang for five prospects, although no one them ultimately amounted to much.

For Hanoi, Darwish had 2914 games, 3317 hits, 2366 runs, 632 doubles, 45 triples, 1123 home runs, 2655 RBI, 1329 walks, 2214 strikeouts, 259 stolen bases, .311/.389/.694 slash, 1.083 OPS, 186 wRC+, and 159.7 WAR; truly staggering numbers. For his new team Da Nang, they were in “win now” mode. The 2004 expansion Nailers had won division titles in 2020-21 and just missed the playoffs in 2022, hoping they could earn their first pennant.

They ultimately missed that goal, suffering an LCS loss in 2023 to Dhaka and a wild card defeat in 2024. Darwish though returned to the top spot in homers and RBI both seasons, giving him 12 years as SEAL’s top home run hitter and 13 years as the RBI leader. He passed Garcia to become the world runs leader and became SAB’s third batter with 3500 hits. Darwish also passed Canduri’s 169.1 to become SAB’s all-time WARlord and passed him for the most total bases in SAB history. In 2023, Darwish also had a 31-game hitting streak, one of only eight 30+ streaks in SAB history.

In 16 playoff games for Da Nang, Darwish was unremarkable with a .789 OPS, 103 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. Still, he won two more Silver Sluggers at first base, giving him 14 total for his career. Darwish is the only SAB player to win the award 14+ times and is one of only 21 in all of baseball history to do so as of 2037. For the Nailers, Darwish played 306 games with 328 hits, 220 runs, 61 doubles, 102 home runs, 292 RBI, .292/.379/.627 slash,, 158 wRC+, and 12.4 WAR.

Darwish was a free agent for the first time at age 42 and seemed to have plenty left in the tank. Dhaka had been a competitor in the 2020s, winning the SEAL pennant in 2021 and 2023. The Dobermans gave Darwish a three-year, $46,900,000 deal, bringing him outside of Vietnam for the first time. Age finally did catch up a bit to Darwish, who had a league and career worst 201 strikeouts.

Still, he managed 46 home runs, 114 RBI, .803 OPS, and 2.1 WAR, becoming the only player ever with 3000+ RBI. Darwish passed Canduri (3770) for second in SAB’s hits list, but was still behind Abbas’ 3897. Dhaka finished 101-61 and got the top seed, but was upset by Khulna in the first round. Darwish had a nice series, going 5-20 with 3 homers and 5 RBI.

For his playoff career, Darwish had 160 games, 171 hits, 122 runs, 31 doubles, 59 homers, 128 RBI, 61 walks, 159 strikeouts, .279/.343/.624 slash, 154 wRC+, and 8.0 WAR. Darwish is the world playoff record holder for career homers and RBI. In SAB, he also ranks 3^rd in games, 3^rd in hits, 2^nd in runs, 2^nd in total bases (383), 5^th in doubles, and 2^nd in walks. After one year with Dhaka and career lows for OPS and WAR, Darwish retired from the game at age 42.

The staggering final stats for Darwish: 3364 games, 3782 hits, 2664 runs, 712 doubles, 49 triples, 1271 home runs, 3061 RBI, 8405 total bases, 1506 walks, 2721 strikeouts, .306/.383/.680 slash, 1.063 OPS, 181 wRC+, and 174.1 WAR. Within SAB as of 2037, Darwish is the all-time leader in runs, total bases, home runs, RBI, and WAR. He also ranks 3^rd in games, 2^nd in hits, 2^nd in doubles, 4^th in walks, and 7^th in strikeouts. For batters in SAB with 3000+ plate appearances, Darwish is the all-time leader in slugging percentage while ranking 2^nd in OPS, 20^th in OBP, and 77^th in batting average.

On the leaderboard for all of pro baseball history as of 2037, Darwish is the leader in home runs, RBI, and runs scored. Among Hall of Famers, he is 2^nd in slugging behind only EBF legend Jacob Ronnberg’s .686 and 6^th in OPS. Darwish is also 17^th in games played, 16^th in hits, 15^th in doubles, 41^st in walks, and 7^th in WAR among position players. On the WAR list of all players ever, Darwish ranks 12^th. Only Prometheo Garcia has him beat in total bases (8515 to 8405).

Darwish also had 15 seasons of 50+ home runs, tied for the world record with Nordine Soule. He also holds the world record for three home run games with 23, including four in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Surprisingly, Darwish never had a four homer game. With these tallies, he was an obvious Hall of Fame headliner and somehow only got 98.9% for South Asia Baseball’s 2031 class.

But the question remains; is Majed Darwish the greatest power hitter in baseball history? By raw numbers, the answer is yes by a healthy margin. It becomes very difficult though when you’re measuring different players across different eras and leagues. The stat wRC+ tries to account for eras and ballparks with Darwish finishing at 181; excellent but outside of the top 50 in world history. But many of the guys higher on the chart also had shorter careers, as anyone who plays 20+ years will see rate stats decline a bit by the end.

The accumulations are absolutely staggering though and can’t be ignored even if you’re someone who thinks that Darwish was inflated by SAB’s environment and era. Prometheo Garcia often still gets cited as the best pure hitter considering his ownwild tallies came in a far lower-scoring era for CABA/MLB. Just about everyone with comparable power numbers to Garcia, like Darwish, played most or all of their careers in the 21^st Century. Darwish and Garcia both had remarkable longevity as two of only 25 players with 3300+ games played.

Most of the other position players ahead of Darwish in WAR notably paired strong hitter with good or great defensive value. The three batters above 200+ WAR (Harvey Coyle, Jimmy Caliw, Nizami Aghazade) all notably were Gold Glove-winning middle infielders. That Darwish is in the top 10 with half of his career as a DH is a testament to his remarkable hitting. Keep in mind it wasn’t only the gaudy homer/RBI/runs tallies, since he’s also among the best ever in doubles, hits, and walks.

Many stake their case for Darwish as not only the best power hitter ever, but the best pure bat ever. Even with his negative defensive value, he makes a lot of top ten and top five lists for the greatest ever position players. In any case, Majed Darwish is a true icon and immortal of the game with many world records that may never be broken.

Duc Son – First Base – Lucknow Larks – 76.2% First Ballot

Duc Son was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Phan Rang, a city of about 208,000 people in southeastern Vietnam. It is certainly hard to stand out as a great home run hitter when sharing a Hall of Fame class with the GOAT, but Son was an impressive slugger in his own right. He had a 162 game average with 48 homers, 37 doubles, and 115 RBI.

Son graded as an above average to good contact hitter against both sides. He was respectable at drawing walks, but had a lousy strikeout rate especially early in his career. Son’s baserunning ability and speed were both mediocre as well, although he got plenty of bags on his bat alone.

All of Son’s defensive starts came at first base, although about ¼ of his career starts came as a designated hitter. He was a perfectly passable 1B with average to below average glove work. Son’s durability was mostly good throughout his 20s, although he had an abrupt decline in his mid 30s. He wasn’t one to take on a leadership role, but Son was well liked in the clubhouse and considered fiercely loyal to his friends.

Son was impressive as a teenage amateur and earned attention from scouts throughout the region. One of them with Lucknow lured him to India on a developmental deal signed in May 2007. The Larks were still a new franchise at this point, having debuted in the 2004 expansion. Son spent about five years in their academy, debuting with 52 games and 10 starts in 2011 at age 20.

From 2012-19, Son held a full-time starting role for Lucknow. He had some growing pains, leading the Indian League with 257 strikeouts in 2012. After that, he was good for 4.5+ WAR, 35+ home runs, and an OPS above .850 each year. The Larks quickly saw Son as their first franchise star, signing him to an eight-year, $55,900,000 extension in July 2014.

Son led with 364 total bases in 2014, but otherwise was never an award winner or league leader with Lucknow. By the mid 2010s, Lucknow was hovering around the .500 mark consistently. In 2019, they earned their first-ever playoff berth and division title at 89-73. The Larks made it to the ILCS, but fell to Pune. Son’s playoff run was lackluster with 0.1 WAR, 89 wRC+, and .682 OPS in 10 starts.

Still, 2019 was his best year with Lucknow by WAR at 7.6 and his first 50 home run season. It would be his last year though, as he shocked the Larks by opting out of his deal and entering free agency at age 29. The team had hoped to become a consistent competitor, but they quickly fell towards the bottom of the standings throughout the 2020s.

With Lucknow, Son had 1284 games, 1303 hits, 722 runs, 301 doubles, 334 home runs, 833 RBI, 414 walks, 1543 strikeouts, .282/.341/.575 slash, 166 wRC+, and 46.1 WAR. There were hard feelings initially between Son and the Larks, but time eventually healed the wounds. As an important player for the early franchise, his #7 uniform would get retired and he’d be the second inductee in Lucknow colors after closer Viaan Ramakrishna from 2027.

Son got a nice payday with Yangon at $80,500,000 over seven years. The Green Dragons were 25 years into an eventual world record 29-year playoff streak, but they had been upset the last two years despite the top seed. Playing DH, Son delivered in a huge way right away. In 2020, he debuted by leading the Southeast Asia League in runs (123), homers (62), RBI (141), total bases (429), slugging (.658), OPS (1.011), and wRC+ (170). That effort earned Son his first MVP and a Silver Slugger with the runs and total bases ultimately being his career bests.

Yangon only barely made the playoffs as a 92-win wild card, but won their eighth SEAL pennant of the playoff streak. The Green Dragons ultimately lost the SAB Championship against Nagpur. Son had an impressive postseason over 14 starts with 21 hits, 13 runs, 10 homers, 22 RBI, 1.265 OPS, and 1.1 WAR. It was only the fifth time in SAB postseason history that a player hit 10+ homers.

Son again won MVP and a Silver Slugger in 2031, leading again and posting career bests for homers (63), RBI (149), slugging (.707), OPS (1.069), and wRC+ (184). This year was his career best WAR (7.9) and triple slash (.328/.362/.707). Yangon lost in the wild card round, although Son went 7-16 in the series with 3 homers and 2 doubles.

In 2022, Son again led the league in homers (56) and slugging (.641); taking third in MVP voting. Yangon went 99-63 and won it all, defeating Hai Phong for the SEAL pennant and Mumbai for the SAB Championship. Son was LCS MVP and in 11 playoff starts had 14 hits, 8 runs, 4 homers, 10 RBI, and 0.6 WAR. He had excellent playoff stats in the small sample size of his career with 39 starts, 49 hits, 28 runs, 10 doubles, 18 homers, 42 RBI, .320/.356/.739, 1.094 OPS, 191 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR.

In the 2022 Baseball Grand Championship, Son was underwhelming with a .183/.275/.394 slash, 95 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. Yangon finished at 11-8, one of five teams tied for fourth. Son had also played for his native Vietnam from 2013-23 in the World Baseball Championship, albeit with forgettable stats over 102 games with 75 hits, 45 runs, 9 doubles, 25 homers, 46 RBI, .196/.252/.426 slash, and 1.5 WAR.

Son again surprisingly used his contract option to leave Yangon after the 2022 season. In only three seasons, he had an impactful 467 games with 584 hits, 346 runs, 113 doubles, 181 home runs, 423 RBI, 130 walks, 481 strikeouts, .312/.355/.668 slash, 170 wRC+, and 21.4 WAR. Son ended up signing a five-year, $91 million deal with Ahmedabad at age 32.

In his Animals debut, Son was again excellent with an Indian League best 403 total bases along with 61 home runs, 127 RBI, 1.035 OPS, and 7.4 WAR. The Animals, once the ultimately IL powerhouse, were stuck in the middle tier and finished 79-83. Son won his third Silver Slugger (his only one at 1B) and they had reason to hope they could climb back to prominence.

What happened next is one of the great baseball mysteries. On March 21, 2024; Son was marked as out with an undisclosed injury. Wild speculation lingered for years after as to what this off the field aliment could be with everything to the salacious to the mundane posited. To the credit of those around him, the true nature of the injury or illness never was publicly revealed. It was generally understood to be a life threatening incident though and Son missed the entirety of the 2024 season as a result.

Whatever it was, Son was also never the same player when he tried to return in 2025 for Ahmedabad. In 65 games and 22 starts, he struggled to a .616 OPS and -0.1 WAR. Clearly a shell of his former self, Son retired that winter at age 35. He played 224 games for the Animals with 7.3 WAR and a .966 OPS.

In total, Son had 1975 games, 2094 hits, 1195 runs, 450 doubles, 32 triples, 581 home runs, 1399 RBI, 593 walks, 2234 strikeouts, .291/.344/.604 slash, 168 wRC+, and 74.8 WAR. As of 2037, Son ranks 66^th in runs, 49^th in total bases (4351), 68^th in doubles, 24^th in home runs, 44^th in RBI, 31^st in strikeouts, and 68^th in WAR among position players. His slugging ranks 22^nd among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his .949 OPS is 38^th.

There were a few voters who felt Son didn’t quite have the longevity needed for the Hall of Fame, but most felt his big power stats and playoff accolades made up for that. Son also had two MVPs and led in homers thrice, both rare and major accomplishments. He does remain a “what if?” player considering the mystery injury and his immediate decline. Son was still solid enough though to receive 76.2% for a first ballot induction as part of the 2031 class for South Asia Baseball.

06-27-2025, 05:53 AM	#2291
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,731	2031 SAB Hall of Fame World home run king Majed Darwish led the way for South Asia Baseball’s 2031 Hall of Fame class, somehow getting only 98.9%. 1B Duc Son joined him with his own first ballot induction at 76.2%. Two returners were above 50%, but below the 66% requirement. CF Chris Saandeep had 55.9% on his sixth ballot and SP Siddhant Shakya saw 50.6% on his fourth go. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries in 2031. Majed “Lumberjack” Darwish – Designated Hitter/First Base – Hanoi Hounds – 98.9% First Ballot Majed Darwish was a 6’3’’, 200 pound switch-hitting slugger from Madinat Hamad, a commuter city in Bahrain of around 133,500 people. He had the nickname “Lumberjack” from his common flannel attire when away from the ballpark. By sheer accumulations, Darwish finished his career as the greatest power hitter in baseball history by a healthy margin. Some supporters would go as far to call him the greatest pure hitter ever. Regardless of how you’d rank him, Darwish became one of the seminal megastars in the sport’s history. For most of his career, scouts rated Darwish as a 10/10 in terms of home run power overall and he broke the scale facing right-handed pitching. Facing RHP, he had a 1.134 career OPS, .731 slugging percentage, and 196 wRC+. Darwish was by no means bad facing lefties, but he looked human with a .858 OPS, .532 slugging, and 132 wRC+. It wasn’t just home run power though, as Darwish was an excellent contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks. Unsurprisingly, he also drew plenty of intentional walks purely based on the power potential. Darwish was below average at avoiding strikeouts, but any contact for the spray hitter would be hard. He had a bonkers 61 home runs per his 162 game average and had ten seasons with 60+ dingers. Darwish also knew how to find the gap with 34 doubles per 162. He was an incredibly skilled and slick baserunner despite having poor speed, ultimately scoring more runs than anyone ever. Strong durability and consistency also pushed Darwish to his wild tallies, playing at a high level into his early 40s. He played 128+ games in all but two of his 23 professional seasons. The biggest flaw in Darwish’s game was poor defense, leading to just over half of his career starts as a designated hitter. His most prominent spot with his glove was first base, posting weak metrics over 1/3 of his career starts. Darwish also had some time in left field with even worse results and had some absolutely disastrous starts at shortstop early in his career. You’d certainly find a spot for him in the lineup though and put up with poor defense if you had to considering his legendary bat. Certainly Darwish’s power was going to make him a global superstar, but he was also one of the true role models of the game. He was a team captain, renowned for his leadership, loyalty, work ethic, and selflessness. Darwish was beloved across all of Southeast Asia, even by fans of teams he terrorized with his bat. Playing in the age of the internet, Darwish’s towering homers and video game-like stats made him a viral hit worldwide. He easily became the most famous Bahraini citizen ever. The small island country in the Persian Gulf had a very limited baseball scene when Darwish was growing up. Arab League Baseball only came into existence during his childhood and Bahrain wouldn’t have a pro team until a 2016 expansion. Darwish absolutely obliterated what little amateur competition he had as a youth. Still, it wasn’t an area that got much attention from scouts and most of the ALB franchises had comparatively limited resources. Darwish’s dominance did catch the attention of some scouts over in Southeast Asia. Hanoi in particular realized his potential was incredible and signed Darwish to a developmental deal in June 1999. He spent around four years in their academy in Vietnam, debuting with 93 games and 14 starts in 2003 at age 20. Darwish earned a full-time spot in 2004 and spent the next 19 years as a fixture of the Hounds lineup. Hanoi had been a consistent wild card team in the 1990s and early 2000s, but couldn’t overcome the dynasty runs of Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon. Darwish helped them turn that tide with the Hounds posting a 13-year playoff streak from 2005-17. 2005 was his second full season and his first of 14 consecutive seasons with 50+ homers and 100+ RBI. Darwish had 12 seasons with an OPS above one during that stretch and was worth 7.5+ WAR each year sans 2018. Darwish also led in runs scored for the first time in 2005 with 131, starting a 13-year streak leading the Southeast Asia League. Hanoi got him to sign a fairly generous extension after the 2005 season at eight years and only $19,360,000. Darwish was second in 2006’s MVP voting with his first 60+ home run season. The Hounds finished 104-58 in both seasons, but lost in the LCS in HCMC in 2005 and had a first round exit in 2006 against Yangon. 2007 was Darwish’s first MVP and Silver Slugger (in LF), setting a then-SAB record for runs scored at 141. He also led the league for the first of many times in homers (67), RBI (150), total bases (435), slugging (.785), OPS (1.222), wRC+ (205), and WAR (10.4). Hanoi finally won the division and took SEAL’s top seed at 111-51, winning their second-ever pennant by beating Yangon in the LCS. The Hounds then won their first SAB Championship, defeating Kanpur in the finale. In the playoffs over 18 starts, Darwish had a .987 OPS, 157 wRC+, 6 home runs, 13 RBI, 19 hits, and 12 runs. To that point, Darwish’s stats were outstanding, but still seemingly in the realm of reality. The numbers he’d put up from 2008-10 though would absolutely obliterate world records. Even accounting for a hitter-friendly ballpark in Hanoi and a higher homer environment than most in SAB, Darwish’s tallies were unfathomable. It started with 2008, where he repeated as MVP and won another Silver Slugger, his first as a DH. In 2008, Darwish set world records for home runs (85), RBI (220), runs scored (167), and total bases (528). The 220 RBI was especially insane, considering the previous world record was 186 by West African Baseball’s Mo Reda in 2003. No one had ever hit 80+ homers either to that point, the previous best being 77 by the African Association of Baseball’s Mwarami Tale. Darwish also bested the previous runs high of 152 (Darwin Morris in the 2001 WAB season) by a healthy margin. Only twice before had anyone posted 500+ total bases, edging the previous record of 522 by the European Baseball Federation’s Sean Houston in 1984. The 220 RBI remains the world single-season record as of 2037 with no one else coming particularly close since. Darwish also led SEAL in slugging (.856), OPS (1.312), and WAR (13.2), the latter two being SAB single-season records to that point. He just missed the then-world record for OPS (1.314 by EBF’s Richard Rautenstrauch) and slugging (.874 by Rautenstrauch). Amazingly, this was arguably the weakest of Darwish’s three bonkers seasons. Unsurprisingly, Hanoi thrived for to set a franchise record 120-42. They held off a 114-win Yangon for the division and in the LCS, then defeated Mumbai to repeat as SAB Champion. Darwish’s excellent continued through the postseason with 10 homers, 20 RBI, 22 hits, 17 runs, 1.226 OPS, and 1.4 WAR over 16 starts. The 17 runs set an SAB playoff record that only finally was passed in 2027. Darwish’s insane numbers caught the attention of fans and baseball media worldwide. Some were reluctant to call it the best-ever power season, arguing that SAB’s top-heavy competition level and high homer atmosphere caused inflation. Even diehard supporters figured such a season had to be a one-off and that Darwish would fall back to more realistic stats. But he showed it was no fluke in 2009. If hitting more than 80 home runs seemed insane, smacking 90+ had to be impossible. But Darwish did it with 91 in 2009, which remains the world record as of 2037. He broke his own total bases mark with 534 and matched his runs record with 167. Darwish had 209 RBI and won his first Triple Crown with a .360 average, earning a third straight MVP and Silver Slugger. He also led again in hits (224), slugging (.859), OPS (1.293), wRC+ (219), and WAR (13.3). Darwish’s slugging bested his previous year’s SAB record, but still was short of Rautenstrauch and a new record of .886 by AAB’s Tale in 2009. Hanoi broke their own wins record at 122-40, but suffered a shocking first round loss to the rival Green Dragons. By many metrics, 2010 was actually Darwish’s best season for his fourth straight MVP and Silver Slugger. He had another Triple Crown and his career bests for triple slash (.381/.451/.869), OPS (1.321), wRC+ (241), and WAR (14.5). Darwish broke the runs record again with 172 and the total bases record with 546. The OPS was second in world history to that point behind the 1.375 by Mwarami Tale in 2009. Darwish’s 239 hits fell two short of the SAB record. Yet again, Darwish also hit 85 home runs with 200 RBI while also leading the league with a career high 50 doubles. The WAR mark was just behind Basava Sanjahay’s 14.74 in 2006 for the SAB record and ranks 18^th-best among position players as of 2037 worldwide. Darwish pulled it off by starting all 162 with only one in the field, a remarkable accomplishment considering the penalty for a DH in WAR total. His WAR mark is the single-season world record for a DH. Hanoi went 121-41, becoming the only franchise in world history with three consecutive 120+ win seasons. Even the other excellent dynasties in the top-heavy SAB hadn’t managed that before. The Hounds returned to the top spot in SEAL, but fell to Kolkata in the SAB Championship. Darwish had a .927 OPS and 0.7 WAR in 15 playoff starts. Those who thought Darwish’s tallies were inflated got some ammo in a small sample size. Hanoi qualified as an at-large for the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship in 2010, finishing 3-6 with Darwish posting a .773 OPS and 100 wRC+. Still, from 2008-10 Darwish had a stretch that will almost certainly never be matched with 506 runs, 692 hits, 119 doubles, 261 home runs, 329 RBI, 629 total bases, and 41.0 WAR. Power stats would broadly increase worldwide from the 2020s onward, but even then Darwish’s stats stand out. As of 2037, no one else has posted a 200+ RBI season; Darwish did it thrice. There would be only ten 80+ homer seasons and five with 85+; Darwish did it thrice. His homers mark would face close challenges though with Wissam Madgy smacking 89 in the 2027 ALB season and Dagne Mersha with 90 in the 2028 AAB campaign. Darwish’s 172, 167, and 167 runs scored are still the top three seasons in world history with 160+ only getting reached twice in later years. He holds the #1, #2, and #4 seasons in total bases; the #3, #5, and #8 seasons in OPS, and the #3, #4, and #5 seasons ever for slugging percentage. It is a three-year run that even if you saw it live, you’d have a hard time believing it was real. He’d never reach those kinds of levels again, but Darwish was by no means done as SAB’s top hitter. From 2011-17, he led SEAL each year in runs scored and RBI while leading in homers five times, total bases six times, hits once, slugging five times, OPS thrice, wRC+ thrice, and WAR four times. Darwish won MVP again in 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017, while placing third in 2012and second in 2014. He won Silver Sluggers all seven years at DH and signed a new eight-year, $81,300,000 extension with Hanoi in March 2013. From August 24, 2014 to May 15, 2015; Darwish also posted an impressive 55-game on base streak. Hanoi’s win tallies also weren’t as gaudy, but their playoff streak continued with five division titles and five 100+ win seasons. The Hounds lost in the LCS in both 2011 (to Dhaka) and 2012 (to Yangon). Hanoi returned to the top spot in 2013, besting Vientiane in the LCS and Visakhapatnam in the SAB Championship. The Hounds had LCS defeats to the Green Dragons in 2014, 15, and 17. Hanoi beat Yangon though in 2016 en route to their fourth SAB Championship, this time beating Mumbai. Darwish remained a strong playoff performer and won LCS MVP in 2013. In 139 playoff games for Hanoi, Darwish had 150 hits, 109 runs, 29 doubles, 53 home runs, 110 RBI, .280/.343/.639 slash, 159 wRC+, and 7.5 WAR. The stats aren’t otherworldly like some of his regular seasons, but was quite excellent. He fared better in his second crack at the Baseball Grand Championship in 2013 with a .899 OPS, 155 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. Darwish was subpar though in the 2016 BGC with a .629 OPS, 87 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. Hanoi was tied for eighth in 2013 at 10-9. Despite Darwish’s woes in 2016, the Hounds were one win from the top spot at 12-7, finishing third officially after tiebreakers. Darwish had done well in his one World Baseball Championship in 2003 for Bahrain with a 1.072 OPS, although that would be the only time the tiny nation qualified for the event. Hanoi’s reign at the top ended with the 2018 season. They’d be generally stuck around .500 for the next decade with only one wild card and 90+ win season in 2023. Darwish led in homers again in 2018 with 55 and still won a Silver Slugger, his first as a first baseman. While still strong by normal people standards, it was his weakest season since his rookie year. The wild tallies of years past had already gotten Darwish to several milestones by this point despite being only in his mid 30s. He reached 2000 RBI and 2500 hits in 2016, becoming SAB’s RBI king in 2018. Darwish reached 900 home runs in 2017, battling with contemporaries Tirtha Upadhyaya, Devavesman Toppo, and Ratan Canduri for the top spot. He joined Canduri in reaching and passing Manju Abbas as SAB’s only players with 2000+ runs scored in 2019. 2019 was Darwish’s first year with a significant injury as a strained groin kept him out most of September, ending his Silver Slugger streak. However, he passed his rivals to become SAB’s home run king and the first in SAB with 1000 dingers. Only Canduri would join him in that club with 1049. Darwish was only the second in all of pro baseball history to that point in the 1k club, as ALB legend Nordine Soule finished with 1073. Darwish dealt with another strained groin and torn ankle ligaments in 2020, playing only 70 games all season. He had a concussion and lost a month in 2021, but looked closer to form with 42 homers, 90 RBI, 1.024 OPS, and 6.4 WAR over 132 games. This got him to 1078 home runs, passing Soule as the world’s home run king. Darwish became the fifth in world history with 2500+ RBI. That winter, Hanoi inked their long-time superstar to a new three-year, $24,200,000 extension. In 2022, Darwish became the first (and to this point, only) player to cross 1100 home runs. At age 39, he still managed a 45 homer, 106 RBI, .945 OPS, 5.4 WAR season in 141 games. Darwish became the new world RBI king, passing the 2618 by CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia that had held since 1968. Darwish was also now only eight runs from Garcia’s world record 2374. Darwish had served Hanoi dutifully for two decades as a true icon, but the Hounds finished 70-92 for their worst season since 1990. Looking to rebuild, Darwish was one of the few pieces they could offer and to the shock of SAB fans, he was traded in the offseason. Hanoi sent him to Da Nang for five prospects, although no one them ultimately amounted to much. For Hanoi, Darwish had 2914 games, 3317 hits, 2366 runs, 632 doubles, 45 triples, 1123 home runs, 2655 RBI, 1329 walks, 2214 strikeouts, 259 stolen bases, .311/.389/.694 slash, 1.083 OPS, 186 wRC+, and 159.7 WAR; truly staggering numbers. For his new team Da Nang, they were in “win now” mode. The 2004 expansion Nailers had won division titles in 2020-21 and just missed the playoffs in 2022, hoping they could earn their first pennant. They ultimately missed that goal, suffering an LCS loss in 2023 to Dhaka and a wild card defeat in 2024. Darwish though returned to the top spot in homers and RBI both seasons, giving him 12 years as SEAL’s top home run hitter and 13 years as the RBI leader. He passed Garcia to become the world runs leader and became SAB’s third batter with 3500 hits. Darwish also passed Canduri’s 169.1 to become SAB’s all-time WARlord and passed him for the most total bases in SAB history. In 2023, Darwish also had a 31-game hitting streak, one of only eight 30+ streaks in SAB history. In 16 playoff games for Da Nang, Darwish was unremarkable with a .789 OPS, 103 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. Still, he won two more Silver Sluggers at first base, giving him 14 total for his career. Darwish is the only SAB player to win the award 14+ times and is one of only 21 in all of baseball history to do so as of 2037. For the Nailers, Darwish played 306 games with 328 hits, 220 runs, 61 doubles, 102 home runs, 292 RBI, .292/.379/.627 slash,, 158 wRC+, and 12.4 WAR. Darwish was a free agent for the first time at age 42 and seemed to have plenty left in the tank. Dhaka had been a competitor in the 2020s, winning the SEAL pennant in 2021 and 2023. The Dobermans gave Darwish a three-year, $46,900,000 deal, bringing him outside of Vietnam for the first time. Age finally did catch up a bit to Darwish, who had a league and career worst 201 strikeouts. Still, he managed 46 home runs, 114 RBI, .803 OPS, and 2.1 WAR, becoming the only player ever with 3000+ RBI. Darwish passed Canduri (3770) for second in SAB’s hits list, but was still behind Abbas’ 3897. Dhaka finished 101-61 and got the top seed, but was upset by Khulna in the first round. Darwish had a nice series, going 5-20 with 3 homers and 5 RBI. For his playoff career, Darwish had 160 games, 171 hits, 122 runs, 31 doubles, 59 homers, 128 RBI, 61 walks, 159 strikeouts, .279/.343/.624 slash, 154 wRC+, and 8.0 WAR. Darwish is the world playoff record holder for career homers and RBI. In SAB, he also ranks 3^rd in games, 3^rd in hits, 2^nd in runs, 2^nd in total bases (383), 5^th in doubles, and 2^nd in walks. After one year with Dhaka and career lows for OPS and WAR, Darwish retired from the game at age 42. The staggering final stats for Darwish: 3364 games, 3782 hits, 2664 runs, 712 doubles, 49 triples, 1271 home runs, 3061 RBI, 8405 total bases, 1506 walks, 2721 strikeouts, .306/.383/.680 slash, 1.063 OPS, 181 wRC+, and 174.1 WAR. Within SAB as of 2037, Darwish is the all-time leader in runs, total bases, home runs, RBI, and WAR. He also ranks 3^rd in games, 2^nd in hits, 2^nd in doubles, 4^th in walks, and 7^th in strikeouts. For batters in SAB with 3000+ plate appearances, Darwish is the all-time leader in slugging percentage while ranking 2^nd in OPS, 20^th in OBP, and 77^th in batting average. On the leaderboard for all of pro baseball history as of 2037, Darwish is the leader in home runs, RBI, and runs scored. Among Hall of Famers, he is 2^nd in slugging behind only EBF legend Jacob Ronnberg’s .686 and 6^th in OPS. Darwish is also 17^th in games played, 16^th in hits, 15^th in doubles, 41^st in walks, and 7^th in WAR among position players. On the WAR list of all players ever, Darwish ranks 12^th. Only Prometheo Garcia has him beat in total bases (8515 to 8405). Darwish also had 15 seasons of 50+ home runs, tied for the world record with Nordine Soule. He also holds the world record for three home run games with 23, including four in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Surprisingly, Darwish never had a four homer game. With these tallies, he was an obvious Hall of Fame headliner and somehow only got 98.9% for South Asia Baseball’s 2031 class. But the question remains; is Majed Darwish the greatest power hitter in baseball history? By raw numbers, the answer is yes by a healthy margin. It becomes very difficult though when you’re measuring different players across different eras and leagues. The stat wRC+ tries to account for eras and ballparks with Darwish finishing at 181; excellent but outside of the top 50 in world history. But many of the guys higher on the chart also had shorter careers, as anyone who plays 20+ years will see rate stats decline a bit by the end. The accumulations are absolutely staggering though and can’t be ignored even if you’re someone who thinks that Darwish was inflated by SAB’s environment and era. Prometheo Garcia often still gets cited as the best pure hitter considering his ownwild tallies came in a far lower-scoring era for CABA/MLB. Just about everyone with comparable power numbers to Garcia, like Darwish, played most or all of their careers in the 21^st Century. Darwish and Garcia both had remarkable longevity as two of only 25 players with 3300+ games played. Most of the other position players ahead of Darwish in WAR notably paired strong hitter with good or great defensive value. The three batters above 200+ WAR (Harvey Coyle, Jimmy Caliw, Nizami Aghazade) all notably were Gold Glove-winning middle infielders. That Darwish is in the top 10 with half of his career as a DH is a testament to his remarkable hitting. Keep in mind it wasn’t only the gaudy homer/RBI/runs tallies, since he’s also among the best ever in doubles, hits, and walks. Many stake their case for Darwish as not only the best power hitter ever, but the best pure bat ever. Even with his negative defensive value, he makes a lot of top ten and top five lists for the greatest ever position players. In any case, Majed Darwish is a true icon and immortal of the game with many world records that may never be broken. Duc Son – First Base – Lucknow Larks – 76.2% First Ballot Duc Son was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Phan Rang, a city of about 208,000 people in southeastern Vietnam. It is certainly hard to stand out as a great home run hitter when sharing a Hall of Fame class with the GOAT, but Son was an impressive slugger in his own right. He had a 162 game average with 48 homers, 37 doubles, and 115 RBI. Son graded as an above average to good contact hitter against both sides. He was respectable at drawing walks, but had a lousy strikeout rate especially early in his career. Son’s baserunning ability and speed were both mediocre as well, although he got plenty of bags on his bat alone. All of Son’s defensive starts came at first base, although about ¼ of his career starts came as a designated hitter. He was a perfectly passable 1B with average to below average glove work. Son’s durability was mostly good throughout his 20s, although he had an abrupt decline in his mid 30s. He wasn’t one to take on a leadership role, but Son was well liked in the clubhouse and considered fiercely loyal to his friends. Son was impressive as a teenage amateur and earned attention from scouts throughout the region. One of them with Lucknow lured him to India on a developmental deal signed in May 2007. The Larks were still a new franchise at this point, having debuted in the 2004 expansion. Son spent about five years in their academy, debuting with 52 games and 10 starts in 2011 at age 20. From 2012-19, Son held a full-time starting role for Lucknow. He had some growing pains, leading the Indian League with 257 strikeouts in 2012. After that, he was good for 4.5+ WAR, 35+ home runs, and an OPS above .850 each year. The Larks quickly saw Son as their first franchise star, signing him to an eight-year, $55,900,000 extension in July 2014. Son led with 364 total bases in 2014, but otherwise was never an award winner or league leader with Lucknow. By the mid 2010s, Lucknow was hovering around the .500 mark consistently. In 2019, they earned their first-ever playoff berth and division title at 89-73. The Larks made it to the ILCS, but fell to Pune. Son’s playoff run was lackluster with 0.1 WAR, 89 wRC+, and .682 OPS in 10 starts. Still, 2019 was his best year with Lucknow by WAR at 7.6 and his first 50 home run season. It would be his last year though, as he shocked the Larks by opting out of his deal and entering free agency at age 29. The team had hoped to become a consistent competitor, but they quickly fell towards the bottom of the standings throughout the 2020s. With Lucknow, Son had 1284 games, 1303 hits, 722 runs, 301 doubles, 334 home runs, 833 RBI, 414 walks, 1543 strikeouts, .282/.341/.575 slash, 166 wRC+, and 46.1 WAR. There were hard feelings initially between Son and the Larks, but time eventually healed the wounds. As an important player for the early franchise, his #7 uniform would get retired and he’d be the second inductee in Lucknow colors after closer Viaan Ramakrishna from 2027. Son got a nice payday with Yangon at $80,500,000 over seven years. The Green Dragons were 25 years into an eventual world record 29-year playoff streak, but they had been upset the last two years despite the top seed. Playing DH, Son delivered in a huge way right away. In 2020, he debuted by leading the Southeast Asia League in runs (123), homers (62), RBI (141), total bases (429), slugging (.658), OPS (1.011), and wRC+ (170). That effort earned Son his first MVP and a Silver Slugger with the runs and total bases ultimately being his career bests. Yangon only barely made the playoffs as a 92-win wild card, but won their eighth SEAL pennant of the playoff streak. The Green Dragons ultimately lost the SAB Championship against Nagpur. Son had an impressive postseason over 14 starts with 21 hits, 13 runs, 10 homers, 22 RBI, 1.265 OPS, and 1.1 WAR. It was only the fifth time in SAB postseason history that a player hit 10+ homers. Son again won MVP and a Silver Slugger in 2031, leading again and posting career bests for homers (63), RBI (149), slugging (.707), OPS (1.069), and wRC+ (184). This year was his career best WAR (7.9) and triple slash (.328/.362/.707). Yangon lost in the wild card round, although Son went 7-16 in the series with 3 homers and 2 doubles. In 2022, Son again led the league in homers (56) and slugging (.641); taking third in MVP voting. Yangon went 99-63 and won it all, defeating Hai Phong for the SEAL pennant and Mumbai for the SAB Championship. Son was LCS MVP and in 11 playoff starts had 14 hits, 8 runs, 4 homers, 10 RBI, and 0.6 WAR. He had excellent playoff stats in the small sample size of his career with 39 starts, 49 hits, 28 runs, 10 doubles, 18 homers, 42 RBI, .320/.356/.739, 1.094 OPS, 191 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. In the 2022 Baseball Grand Championship, Son was underwhelming with a .183/.275/.394 slash, 95 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. Yangon finished at 11-8, one of five teams tied for fourth. Son had also played for his native Vietnam from 2013-23 in the World Baseball Championship, albeit with forgettable stats over 102 games with 75 hits, 45 runs, 9 doubles, 25 homers, 46 RBI, .196/.252/.426 slash, and 1.5 WAR. Son again surprisingly used his contract option to leave Yangon after the 2022 season. In only three seasons, he had an impactful 467 games with 584 hits, 346 runs, 113 doubles, 181 home runs, 423 RBI, 130 walks, 481 strikeouts, .312/.355/.668 slash, 170 wRC+, and 21.4 WAR. Son ended up signing a five-year, $91 million deal with Ahmedabad at age 32. In his Animals debut, Son was again excellent with an Indian League best 403 total bases along with 61 home runs, 127 RBI, 1.035 OPS, and 7.4 WAR. The Animals, once the ultimately IL powerhouse, were stuck in the middle tier and finished 79-83. Son won his third Silver Slugger (his only one at 1B) and they had reason to hope they could climb back to prominence. What happened next is one of the great baseball mysteries. On March 21, 2024; Son was marked as out with an undisclosed injury. Wild speculation lingered for years after as to what this off the field aliment could be with everything to the salacious to the mundane posited. To the credit of those around him, the true nature of the injury or illness never was publicly revealed. It was generally understood to be a life threatening incident though and Son missed the entirety of the 2024 season as a result. Whatever it was, Son was also never the same player when he tried to return in 2025 for Ahmedabad. In 65 games and 22 starts, he struggled to a .616 OPS and -0.1 WAR. Clearly a shell of his former self, Son retired that winter at age 35. He played 224 games for the Animals with 7.3 WAR and a .966 OPS. In total, Son had 1975 games, 2094 hits, 1195 runs, 450 doubles, 32 triples, 581 home runs, 1399 RBI, 593 walks, 2234 strikeouts, .291/.344/.604 slash, 168 wRC+, and 74.8 WAR. As of 2037, Son ranks 66^th in runs, 49^th in total bases (4351), 68^th in doubles, 24^th in home runs, 44^th in RBI, 31^st in strikeouts, and 68^th in WAR among position players. His slugging ranks 22^nd among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his .949 OPS is 38^th. There were a few voters who felt Son didn’t quite have the longevity needed for the Hall of Fame, but most felt his big power stats and playoff accolades made up for that. Son also had two MVPs and led in homers thrice, both rare and major accomplishments. He does remain a “what if?” player considering the mystery injury and his immediate decline. Son was still solid enough though to receive 76.2% for a first ballot induction as part of the 2031 class for South Asia Baseball. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)