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FuzzyRussianHat · 09-11-2025, 08:18 AM

The European Baseball Federation added three guys into the Hall of Fame for 2035, each on the first ballot. The top billing was 1B Max Gerlach at 95.2% joined by 3B/1B Christian Brunner at 89.2% and 2B Oliver Schmitz at 81.9%. Two returners barely missed the 66% requirement with 2B Oliver Bjerkli at 63.2% on his fourth ballot and LF Emilson Patino at 62.2% on his ninth try. One other was above 50% as SS Nicolo Giotto saw 56.8% for his fourth ballot.

Multiple players were dropped after ten failed ballots, led by Sokratis Sfriakis who peaked at 46.0% on his last shot. He played mostly in his native Greece with Athens and had a 210-138 record, 3.45 ERA, 3367 innings, 3012 strikeouts, 744 walks, 111 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 69.1 WAR. Sfirakis also had two Gold Gloves and decent playoff numbers. However, his black ink was limited and he was only a Pitcher of the Year finalist once. 200+ wins and 3000 Ks got many aces in, but voters felt Sfirakis wasn’t dominant enough to deserve more than the Hall of Prettty Good.

3B Aaron Romero had a 13-year career all with Cologne, getting as high as 53.2% in 2034 before ending at a low of 24.8%. He had one Silver Slugger and Gold Glove with 1734 hits, 1111 runs, 169 doubles, 489 home runs, 1165 RBI, 765 walks, 1851 strikeouts, .277/.356/.544 slash, 153 wRC+, and 77.1 WAR. Romero was also important in the Copperheads’ EBF title in 2012. He had the right pace, but declined sharply and was effectively done by age 36. With another couple years of tallies, Romero probably crosses the line, but alas.

SP Stan Nyagin also made it ten ballots and got as close as 59.5% in his penultimate try before plummeting to 15.6% in 2035. His entire EBF run was during Dublin’s dynasty with one Gold Glove, three EBF titles, a 196-97 record, 3.12 ERA, 2622 innings, 2660 strikeouts, 641 walks, 119 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 52.0 WAR. Nyagin had a 3.45 ERA in 140.2 playoff innings, helping with the Dinos’ big run. But he was only a Pitcher of the Year finalist once and also ended up considered a HOPG level talent by many voters.

Max Gerlach – First Base – Hamburg Hammers – 95.2% First Ballot

Max Gerlach was a 5’11’’, 190 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Wilnsdorf, Germany; a municipality of about 20,000 inhabitants in the North Rhine-Westphalia state. Gerlach was known for a legendary eye for the zone and was one of the best ever in EBF for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. That said, he was also an outstanding contact hitter in his prime and had a reliable pop in his bat.

Gerlach was especially potent against right-handed pitching with a career .999 OPS and 173 wRC+, but his .838 OPS and 136 wRC+ against lefties was plenty solid. His 162 game average got you 28 home runs, 23 doubles, and 3 triples. Gerlach wasn’t an overwhelmingly powerful slugger, but he got on base so often as to be a regular scoring threat. That came despite being an absolutely putrid baserunner with comically poor speed.

That sluggishness carried over to Gerlach’s defense, spending the vast majority of his time at first base with a brief foray to left field. He was truly dismal with his glove and would’ve been a career designated hitter if EBF had that option. Still, Gerlach’s bat alone gave him plenty of value despite his flaws. On the plus side, he had excellent durability, a strong work ethic, and admirable loyalty.

Gerlach’s batting potential was obvious even as a teenager, quickly drawing the attention of scouts throughout Germany. In February 2007, Hamburg inked him to a developmental deal and he’d spent nearly his full pro career with the Hammers. Gerlach spent the better part of six years in their academy, although he did see sporadic pinch hit appearances in 2011 and 2012. He earned a full-time roster spot as a part-time starter in 2013, then had a full-time starting gig from 2014-onward.

In his first year starting in 2014, Gerlach led the Northern Conference in on-base percentage, his first of seven seasons leading in the stat. After five straight losing seasons, Hamburg surprised many with the top seed at 109-53, although they fell to Antwerp in the conference finals. The Hammers were a win short of the playoffs in 2016, but Gerlach broke through with arguably his best season and first Silver Slugger.

Gerlach won the 2016 batting title at .382 and led in OBP (.455), OPS (1.110), and wRC+ (207). This year had his career bests for wRC+, WAR (9.7), hits (211), and RBI (131). Gerlach’s OBP was to that point the third-best qualifying single-season in EBF history. Hamburg rewarded these efforts that winter on an eight-year, $109,100,000 extension. 2017 would start a seven-year division title streak for the Hammers, although they had first round playoff exits in the first two seasons.

In 2019, Gerlach started a four-year streak as the leader in walks, peaking with a career best 99. Hamburg narrowly got the #1 seed at 99-63 and went all the way, defeating Warsaw for the conference title and Zurich in the European Championship. This was the Hammers’ first-ever EBF title and Gerlach played a key role, winning finals MVP. In 15 playoff starts, he had 18 hits, 14 runs, 9 home runs, 13 RBI, 1.482 OPS, 292 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, Hamburg was mid-tier at 9-10. Gerlach had a respectable showing with 15 hits, 10 runs, 6 homers, 9 RBI, 12 walks, .846 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. He had established himself as a big-game player before that as a regular for Germany in the World Baseball Championship. From 2014-21, Gerlach played 87 WBC games with 85 hits, 54 runs, 17 doubles, 13 homers, 42 RBI, .301/.433/.500 slash, and 4.1 WAR. He was third in 2017’s MVP voting and was a starter for the Germans’ runner-up finish in 2020.

Hamburg followed that with a franchise-record 115-47 mark in 2020, but they had a second round upset loss to Amsterdam. They got the top seed again in 2021 at 108-54 and earned their second conference crown in three years, this time over Dublin with Gerlach as series MVP. The Hammers would be denied the EBF title 4-2 against Munich. It was another solid playoff run for Gerlach with 19 hits, 4 runs, 6 doubles, 6 homers, 11 RBI, and 0.9 WAR over 16 games.

In the 2021 BGC, Hamburg was one of five teams even in fourth at 11-8, officially sixth after tiebreakers. Gerlach was again impressive with 23 hits, 15 runs, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, 1.075 OPS, and 1.4 WAR. Hamburg was 107-55 in 2022, but lost the conference final to 116-win Dublin. They had one more division title in 2023 at 98-64 with a second round exit. In 67 career playoff starts, Gerlach had 70 hits, 32 runs, 10 doubles, 13 homers, 31 RBI, 35 walks, .308/.395/.542 slash, 159 wRC+, and 2.9 WAR.

Gerlach won additional Silver Sluggers in 2020 and 2023. He had a .462 OBP in 2020, tying the EBF single-season record set in 2007 by Sergio Cipolla. 2020 also had his career highs for runs (123), homers (42), slugging (.669), and OPS (1.131). Although his power dropped in 2023, Gerlach won his second batting title in 2023 at .383 and set the OBP record outright at .468. Through 2036, that remains the EBF record and is the 24^th-best qualifying season in world history. Gerlach holds the #1, #3, and #6 OBP seasons in EBF and his 2023 batting average is good for 26^th.

Hamburg stayed above .500 from 2024-26, but wouldn’t be back in the playoffs for the rest of the decade. Gerlach signed a four-year, $96,800,000 extension after the 2024 campaign. His production dipped noticeably in 2026 with only 1.1 WAR, a career worst to that point. Gerlach bounced back with a strong 2027, but was back to merely decent stats in 2028. The Hammers plummeted to 57-105 in 2028 and remained terrible for the next few years, but they managed to escape relegation until 2032.

Gerlach hit the 1500 run and 1500 RBI in his final Hamburg season in 2028, becoming a free agent for the first time that winter at age 39. For the Hammers, he played 2634 games with 2840 hits, 1562 runs, 361 doubles, 53 triples, 462 homers, 1574 RBI, 1268 walks, 739 strikeouts, .333/.418/.550 slash, 167 wRC+, and 90.6 WAR. Gerlach remained very popular in Hamburg and soon saw his #8 uniform retired.

He hoped to still reach a few more notable milestones, chasing 3000 hits, 500 homers, and Nikolai Yeviskov’s walks record of 1446. Gerlach ultimately fell short of each, but did sign for 2029 with Sheffield at $5,200,000. In 136 games for the Steelhounds, he had .725 OPS, 105 wRC+, 12 homers, and 0.9 WAR. Gerlach was unsigned in 2030 and retired that winter at age 40.

Gerlach finished with 2770 games, 2963 hits, 1618 runs, 385 doubles, 55 triples, 474 home runs, 1614 RBI, 1314 walks, 823 strikeouts, .329/.413/.542 slash, .955 OPS, 164 wRC+, and 91.5 WAR. Gerlach ranks 17^th in games, 20^th in runs, 17^th in hits, 34^th in total bases (4880), 63^rd in doubles, 68^th in homers, 25^th in RBI, 5^th in walks, and 49^th in WAR among position players.

Among EBF batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Gerlach is 3^rd behind only Ostoja Milic (.416 from 2017-30) and Gaston Clarke (.414 from 1951-58). He’s also 62^nd in batting average and 74^th in OPS. Among world Hall of Famers, Gerlach has the 11^th-best OBP.

Few batters had a better command of balls and strikes than Gerlach, although his horrendous defense and baserunning might keep him just out of the inner-circle level of Hall of Famers. Still, he was a key reason Hamburg was a regular contender in the late 2010s and early 2020s and an easy choice for a first ballot nod. At 95.2%, Gerlach led the way in a three-player 2035 class for the European Baseball Federation.

09-11-2025, 08:18 AM	#2438
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,935	2035 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 1) The European Baseball Federation added three guys into the Hall of Fame for 2035, each on the first ballot. The top billing was 1B Max Gerlach at 95.2% joined by 3B/1B Christian Brunner at 89.2% and 2B Oliver Schmitz at 81.9%. Two returners barely missed the 66% requirement with 2B Oliver Bjerkli at 63.2% on his fourth ballot and LF Emilson Patino at 62.2% on his ninth try. One other was above 50% as SS Nicolo Giotto saw 56.8% for his fourth ballot. Multiple players were dropped after ten failed ballots, led by Sokratis Sfriakis who peaked at 46.0% on his last shot. He played mostly in his native Greece with Athens and had a 210-138 record, 3.45 ERA, 3367 innings, 3012 strikeouts, 744 walks, 111 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 69.1 WAR. Sfirakis also had two Gold Gloves and decent playoff numbers. However, his black ink was limited and he was only a Pitcher of the Year finalist once. 200+ wins and 3000 Ks got many aces in, but voters felt Sfirakis wasn’t dominant enough to deserve more than the Hall of Prettty Good. 3B Aaron Romero had a 13-year career all with Cologne, getting as high as 53.2% in 2034 before ending at a low of 24.8%. He had one Silver Slugger and Gold Glove with 1734 hits, 1111 runs, 169 doubles, 489 home runs, 1165 RBI, 765 walks, 1851 strikeouts, .277/.356/.544 slash, 153 wRC+, and 77.1 WAR. Romero was also important in the Copperheads’ EBF title in 2012. He had the right pace, but declined sharply and was effectively done by age 36. With another couple years of tallies, Romero probably crosses the line, but alas. SP Stan Nyagin also made it ten ballots and got as close as 59.5% in his penultimate try before plummeting to 15.6% in 2035. His entire EBF run was during Dublin’s dynasty with one Gold Glove, three EBF titles, a 196-97 record, 3.12 ERA, 2622 innings, 2660 strikeouts, 641 walks, 119 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 52.0 WAR. Nyagin had a 3.45 ERA in 140.2 playoff innings, helping with the Dinos’ big run. But he was only a Pitcher of the Year finalist once and also ended up considered a HOPG level talent by many voters. Max Gerlach – First Base – Hamburg Hammers – 95.2% First Ballot Max Gerlach was a 5’11’’, 190 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Wilnsdorf, Germany; a municipality of about 20,000 inhabitants in the North Rhine-Westphalia state. Gerlach was known for a legendary eye for the zone and was one of the best ever in EBF for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. That said, he was also an outstanding contact hitter in his prime and had a reliable pop in his bat. Gerlach was especially potent against right-handed pitching with a career .999 OPS and 173 wRC+, but his .838 OPS and 136 wRC+ against lefties was plenty solid. His 162 game average got you 28 home runs, 23 doubles, and 3 triples. Gerlach wasn’t an overwhelmingly powerful slugger, but he got on base so often as to be a regular scoring threat. That came despite being an absolutely putrid baserunner with comically poor speed. That sluggishness carried over to Gerlach’s defense, spending the vast majority of his time at first base with a brief foray to left field. He was truly dismal with his glove and would’ve been a career designated hitter if EBF had that option. Still, Gerlach’s bat alone gave him plenty of value despite his flaws. On the plus side, he had excellent durability, a strong work ethic, and admirable loyalty. Gerlach’s batting potential was obvious even as a teenager, quickly drawing the attention of scouts throughout Germany. In February 2007, Hamburg inked him to a developmental deal and he’d spent nearly his full pro career with the Hammers. Gerlach spent the better part of six years in their academy, although he did see sporadic pinch hit appearances in 2011 and 2012. He earned a full-time roster spot as a part-time starter in 2013, then had a full-time starting gig from 2014-onward. In his first year starting in 2014, Gerlach led the Northern Conference in on-base percentage, his first of seven seasons leading in the stat. After five straight losing seasons, Hamburg surprised many with the top seed at 109-53, although they fell to Antwerp in the conference finals. The Hammers were a win short of the playoffs in 2016, but Gerlach broke through with arguably his best season and first Silver Slugger. Gerlach won the 2016 batting title at .382 and led in OBP (.455), OPS (1.110), and wRC+ (207). This year had his career bests for wRC+, WAR (9.7), hits (211), and RBI (131). Gerlach’s OBP was to that point the third-best qualifying single-season in EBF history. Hamburg rewarded these efforts that winter on an eight-year, $109,100,000 extension. 2017 would start a seven-year division title streak for the Hammers, although they had first round playoff exits in the first two seasons. In 2019, Gerlach started a four-year streak as the leader in walks, peaking with a career best 99. Hamburg narrowly got the #1 seed at 99-63 and went all the way, defeating Warsaw for the conference title and Zurich in the European Championship. This was the Hammers’ first-ever EBF title and Gerlach played a key role, winning finals MVP. In 15 playoff starts, he had 18 hits, 14 runs, 9 home runs, 13 RBI, 1.482 OPS, 292 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Hamburg was mid-tier at 9-10. Gerlach had a respectable showing with 15 hits, 10 runs, 6 homers, 9 RBI, 12 walks, .846 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. He had established himself as a big-game player before that as a regular for Germany in the World Baseball Championship. From 2014-21, Gerlach played 87 WBC games with 85 hits, 54 runs, 17 doubles, 13 homers, 42 RBI, .301/.433/.500 slash, and 4.1 WAR. He was third in 2017’s MVP voting and was a starter for the Germans’ runner-up finish in 2020. Hamburg followed that with a franchise-record 115-47 mark in 2020, but they had a second round upset loss to Amsterdam. They got the top seed again in 2021 at 108-54 and earned their second conference crown in three years, this time over Dublin with Gerlach as series MVP. The Hammers would be denied the EBF title 4-2 against Munich. It was another solid playoff run for Gerlach with 19 hits, 4 runs, 6 doubles, 6 homers, 11 RBI, and 0.9 WAR over 16 games. In the 2021 BGC, Hamburg was one of five teams even in fourth at 11-8, officially sixth after tiebreakers. Gerlach was again impressive with 23 hits, 15 runs, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, 1.075 OPS, and 1.4 WAR. Hamburg was 107-55 in 2022, but lost the conference final to 116-win Dublin. They had one more division title in 2023 at 98-64 with a second round exit. In 67 career playoff starts, Gerlach had 70 hits, 32 runs, 10 doubles, 13 homers, 31 RBI, 35 walks, .308/.395/.542 slash, 159 wRC+, and 2.9 WAR. Gerlach won additional Silver Sluggers in 2020 and 2023. He had a .462 OBP in 2020, tying the EBF single-season record set in 2007 by Sergio Cipolla. 2020 also had his career highs for runs (123), homers (42), slugging (.669), and OPS (1.131). Although his power dropped in 2023, Gerlach won his second batting title in 2023 at .383 and set the OBP record outright at .468. Through 2036, that remains the EBF record and is the 24^th-best qualifying season in world history. Gerlach holds the #1, #3, and #6 OBP seasons in EBF and his 2023 batting average is good for 26^th. Hamburg stayed above .500 from 2024-26, but wouldn’t be back in the playoffs for the rest of the decade. Gerlach signed a four-year, $96,800,000 extension after the 2024 campaign. His production dipped noticeably in 2026 with only 1.1 WAR, a career worst to that point. Gerlach bounced back with a strong 2027, but was back to merely decent stats in 2028. The Hammers plummeted to 57-105 in 2028 and remained terrible for the next few years, but they managed to escape relegation until 2032. Gerlach hit the 1500 run and 1500 RBI in his final Hamburg season in 2028, becoming a free agent for the first time that winter at age 39. For the Hammers, he played 2634 games with 2840 hits, 1562 runs, 361 doubles, 53 triples, 462 homers, 1574 RBI, 1268 walks, 739 strikeouts, .333/.418/.550 slash, 167 wRC+, and 90.6 WAR. Gerlach remained very popular in Hamburg and soon saw his #8 uniform retired. He hoped to still reach a few more notable milestones, chasing 3000 hits, 500 homers, and Nikolai Yeviskov’s walks record of 1446. Gerlach ultimately fell short of each, but did sign for 2029 with Sheffield at $5,200,000. In 136 games for the Steelhounds, he had .725 OPS, 105 wRC+, 12 homers, and 0.9 WAR. Gerlach was unsigned in 2030 and retired that winter at age 40. Gerlach finished with 2770 games, 2963 hits, 1618 runs, 385 doubles, 55 triples, 474 home runs, 1614 RBI, 1314 walks, 823 strikeouts, .329/.413/.542 slash, .955 OPS, 164 wRC+, and 91.5 WAR. Gerlach ranks 17^th in games, 20^th in runs, 17^th in hits, 34^th in total bases (4880), 63^rd in doubles, 68^th in homers, 25^th in RBI, 5^th in walks, and 49^th in WAR among position players. Among EBF batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Gerlach is 3^rd behind only Ostoja Milic (.416 from 2017-30) and Gaston Clarke (.414 from 1951-58). He’s also 62^nd in batting average and 74^th in OPS. Among world Hall of Famers, Gerlach has the 11^th-best OBP. Few batters had a better command of balls and strikes than Gerlach, although his horrendous defense and baserunning might keep him just out of the inner-circle level of Hall of Famers. Still, he was a key reason Hamburg was a regular contender in the late 2010s and early 2020s and an easy choice for a first ballot nod. At 95.2%, Gerlach led the way in a three-player 2035 class for the European Baseball Federation. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)