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The 2032 Hall of Fame class for the Oceania Baseball Association was impressive with three no-doubters earning above 90% on their debuts. LF/DH William Buchholz was still the clear headliner at a near unanimous 99.3%, while pitchers Peyton McCoy and Nathan Bouye both got 91.8%. SP Alison Kila barely missed his own first ballot induction at 63.4%, just short of the 66% requirement. Three returners were above 50% with 1B R.W. Putnam getting 60.6% on his third ballot, 3B Dale Harper with 58.6% for his fourth try, and LF Samson Gould at 54.5% in his seventh attempt.



3B Marlon Russell fell off after ten failed tries, ending at 31.5% and getting as close as 60.3% in 2027. That was his only year above 50%, usually hovering in the 40s. Russell had a 16-year career with three teams and won seven Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, and one MVP. He also was a part of championship teams for Brisbane in 2002 and Guadalcanal in 2012, although he was subpar in both series.

Russell finished with 2219 games, 2256 hits, 1117 runs, 409 doubles, 352 home runs, 1126 RBI, 458 walks, .280/.323/.472 slash, 119 wRC+, and 70.5 WAR. The advanced metrics didn’t have Russell as an elite hitter on the whole and he was overshadowed at the position by Dale Harper during his run. Russell is notably 41^st in WAR as of 2037 among position players, but ended up stuck in the Hall of Pretty Good.

Closer Lyle Summer also fell off the ballot, peaking at 43.2% in 2025 and ending at only 11.0%. He won three Reliever of the Year awards and famously won 2016 Pitcher of the Year for Christchurch with 83 games, 52 saves, 0.92 ERA, 98 innings, 163 strikeouts, and 6.2 WAR; one of the all-time great closer seasons. He also had a 48-save streak from 6/5/09 through 7/10/10.

For his brief prime, Summer was stellar. However, he fell completely off a cliff by age 32, limited by ten seasons of totals with 253 saves, 2.20 ERA, 687.2 innings, 1029 strikeouts, 174 walks, 166 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 25.2 WAR. Voters typically want at least 300 saves to put a reliever in and Summer simply lacked the longevity.

2B Rhett Carbone also made it ten ballots, although he only peaked at 29.5% in his debut before ending at 5.8% in 2032. He had a 19-year career with two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers with five teams. Carbone had 2880 hits, 1411 runs, 452 doubles, 369 triples, 25 home runs, 713 RBI, 394 walks, 1051 steals, .295/.329/.424 slash, 109 wRC+, and 57.7 WAR.

His impressive longevity got him to 14^th in doubles, 3^rd in triples, 11^th in steals, 12^th in hits, and 15^th in runs as of 2037. However, Carbone was dismissed as a compiler and great leadoff guys often have ballot troubles due to the lack of home runs and RBI. He also had the misfortune of playing on mostly forgettable teams, limiting his profile in the absence of big power stats.



William “Butch” Buchholz – Left Field/Designated Hitter – Sydney Snakes – 99.3% First Ballot

William Buchholz was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed left fielder from Invercargill, New Zealand; the country’s southernmost and westernmost city with roughly 57,600 people. Nicknamed “Butch” as a short form of his surname, Buchholz was a solid contact hitter with outstanding gap power. He had an impressive knack for extra base hits, posting 33 doubles, 22 triples, and 30 home runs per his 162 game average. About 45% of Buchholz’s career hits went for extra bases. He also had stellar baserunning skills and great speed, often legging out extra bags.

Buchholz was equally potent facing lefties and righties. He was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but he had mediocre walk rate. Buchholz’s baserunning speed didn’t translate to defensive range, grading as a firmly mediocre left fielder. Around 60% of his starts came in LF with most of the rest as a designated hitter. He did also see a smattering of starts in right field and at first base with no better luck.

While he wasn’t someone to take on a leadership role, Buchholz was a very hard worker and quite bright. He became well respected and liked among teammates and fans. Buchholz showed very solid durability over an 18-year career and was good for 150+ games in 12 seasons and 115+ in all but his first and final year. While there had been several New Zealander pitchers inducted into the Hall of Fame, Class of 1986 1B Seymour Lennox was the only hitter prior to Buchholz. Most Kiwis list Buchholz as the country’s top batter to date.

In February 2006, Buchholz left for Tasmania as one of the first-ever prospects for Hobart. The Tasmaniacs were one of four expansion teams beginning play with the 2006 OBA season. Buchholz spent the better part of four years in their academy, debuting in 2009 at age 20. He was lackluster in 50 games and two starts, but earned the starting gig for 2010. In only 115 games, Buchholz led the Australasia League with 28 triples and posted .916 WAR. His season ended in mid-August to a torn meniscus.

Buchholz was a solid starter in 2011, which saw Hobart finish 80-82 in their sixth season. However, many were surprised that they traded Buchholz in the offseason to Sydney for four prospects. Two of them were okay starters for a few years, but the deal is looked back as a whiff for the Tasmaniacs. In 321 games, Buchholz had 331 hits, 156 runs, 59 doubles, 48 triples, 44 home runs, 169 RBI, .301/.336/.561 slash, 144 wRC+, and 8.1 WAR.

To that point, Sydney had never won a pennant in 50+ seasons, although they had at least been around .500 for most of the 21^st Century. Buchholz had a nice debut season, then won his first Silver Slugger in 2013 by leading in doubles (45), and triples (26). He also posted 1.048 OPS, 190 wRC+, and 7.7 WAR; taking third in MVP voting. Buchholz was MVP of the 2013 all-star game and hit for the cycle against Perth on September 30. In May 2014, the Snakes locked him up long term on an eight-year, $113 million extension.

Buchholz won Silver Sluggers in 2015 and 2016 and was third in 2016’ s MVP voting. 2016 saw him lead the AL in the triple slash (.373/.410/.749), OPS (1.159), wRC+ (201), and RBI (129). Those were each career highs, as was his 40 home runs. Sydney was inching closer to that first pennant, falling two games short to Christchurch in 2015 at 96-66. The Snakes were an impressive 105-57 in 2016, but the Chinooks had a record-setting 126-36 campaign. Sydney then was 93-69 in 2017, six behind first place Brisbane.

2018 was finally the breakthrough as Sydney won their first Australasia League title at 100-62. They added a Oceania Championship win over New Caledonia, although Buchholz only played one game in the series due to a concussion. He had also missed six weeks to a strained PCL, but had played at a high level when healthy. Buchholz was good for the Baseball Garand Championship, posting 20 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, .864 OPS, and 0.6 WAR. The Snakes finished 8-11 in the event.

Buchholz had played on the World Baseball Championship stage prior to that for his native New Zealand. From 2010-24, he played 98 games with 102 hits, 61 runs, 25 doubles, 3 triples, 21 home runs, 50 RBI, 48 steals, .298/.385/.573 slash, and 5.2 WAR. Buchholz was popular back home despite his entire pro career coming in neighboring Australia.

2019 was Buchholz’s best year by many metrics, leading the AL with career bests in runs (124) and WAR (8.6). He won a Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting, leading Sydney to repeat pennants. The Snakes repeated as OBA champ as will, defeating Honolulu in a seven-game classic. Buchholz was finals MVP, going 10-25 with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 6 RBI, 1.207 OPS, and 0.6 WAR. Sydney would finish 8-11 again in the BGC with Buchholz posting 19 hits, 13 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, 14 RBI, .901 OPS, and 0.9 WAR.

Buchholz finally won MVP in 2020 at age 31, leading the AL in hits (202), doubles (41), total bases (369), batting average (.345), slugging (.630), OPS (1.006), wRC+ (164), and WAR (7.2). He also earned his fifth Silver Slugger, although Sydney’s three-peat hopes were dashed with a second place 96-66 finish behind Christchurch. Buchholz never matched that level of production again, but still won another Silver Slugger in both 2021 and 2022. The last Slugger win was his lone one as a DH.

Sydney was fourth in 2021, but opted to re-sign Buchholz at four years and $49,900,000 with hopes of extending their competitive window. The Snakes returned to the top spot at 102-60 and won their third Oceania Championship, defeating reigning champ Vanuatu. The Snakes yet again finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship, although it was Buchholz’s weakest showing in the event with only a .712 OPS.

The Snakes finished second in 2023, then repeated as Australasia League champ in 2024-25. They came up against Port Moresby’s Pacific League dynasty, falling to the Mud Hens in 2024 and defeating them in 2025. Buchholz won his second finals MVP in 2025, going 12-25 in six games with 7 runs, 3 doubles, 1.100 OPS, and 0.6 WAR. Sydney was 9-10 in the BGC with Buchholz posting a .854 OPS and 0.5 WAR.

Overall, Buchholz’s career postseason numbers were strong. In 22 OBA finals starts, he had 34 hits, 17 runs, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 21 RBI, 12 steals, .395/.407/.674 slash, 193 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. Across 74 Baseball Grand Championship games, he had 70 hits, 36 runs, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 17 home runs, 45 RBI, 16 steals, .255/.316/.511 slash, and 2.4 WAR. Buchholz was considered one of the critical pieces in turning Sydney into a dynasty after 50+ years of being aggressively mid.

Buchholz’s longevity also got him to the 2500 hit and 1500 RBI milestones in 2024 and the 1500 runs scored mark in 2025. He had been steady to that point, but finally regressed significantly in 2026. Buchholz posted only 0.1 WAR and .716 OPS in 75 games and 52 starts. Sydney had their best record of the run at 106-56, but took second to 109-win Christchurch. Buchholz retired that winter at age 37 and immediately had his #36 uniform retired for his impressive 15-year run with the Snakes.

For Sydney, Buchholz had 2134 games, 2553 hits, 1393 runs, 446 doubles, 286 triples, 407 home runs, 1505 RBI, 377 walks, 1125 strikeouts, 974 steals, .317/.352/.595 slash, 155 wRC+, and 83.4 WAR. For his entire career, Buchholz played 2455 games with 2884 hits, 1549 runs, 505 doubles, 334 triples, 451 home runs, 1674 RBI, 423 walks, 1328 strikeouts, 1068 steals, .315/.351/.591 slash, 154 wRC+, and 91.6 WAR.

As of 2037, Buchholz ranks 23^rd in games, 7^th in runs, 11^th in hits, 8^th in total bases (5410), 5^th in doubles, 6^th in triples, 34^th in home runs, 5^th in RBI, 9^th in steals, and 15^th in WAR among position players. His .942 OPS ranks 8^th among batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his triple slash ranks 19^th/39^th/9^th. Buchholz isn’t quite in the GOAT-level conversations, but he’s generally viewed as an inner-circle Hall of Famer. At a near unanimous 99.3%, Buchholz headlined a strong three-player 2032 class for the Oceania Baseball Association.