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FuzzyRussianHat · 10-01-2025, 08:12 AM

Closer Normeezan Hasrin was the headliner for the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2036 at 95.5%. P Favian Frias joined him with 68.3% on his fourth ballot, just crossing the 66% induction threshold. Two longstanding returners were above 50% with 1B Ali Yusuf with 54.0% on his eighth try and CL Meng-Hsien Wu at 51.3% on his ninth ballot. No one else was above 50% and no one was removed after ten failed ballots.

Normeezan Hasrin – Closer – Bandung Blackhawks – 95.5% First Ballot

Normeezan Hasrin was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Johor Bahru, Malaysia’s second-largest city. Hasrin had absolutely filthy stuff along with great movement, although his control was average at best. His one-two punch was an outstanding 99-101 fastball along with a slider. Hasrin’s stamina was very good for a reliever and he mostly avoided injuries in his prime years. Hasrin was above average at holding runners, but weak defensively.

His biggest flaw was that he was a complete jerk. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would complement Hasrin’s personality with words like selfish, lazy, and dumb often coming to mind. His talent was undeniable though and kept him around 17 seasons in pro baseball. Hasrin left Malaysia in November 2013 on a teenage amateur deal with Bandung, spending most of five years in their academy. He debuted in 2018 at age 21 with nine appearances.

Hasrin earned the starting closer job in 2019 and held it through 2025 with the Blackhawks, leading the Sundaland Association in games pitched in 2019 as a rookie. He was second in Reliever of the Year voting in 2020 and 2021, then won it for the first time in 2022. Hasrin then finished second in 2023, 2024, and 2025’s voting. His longest career saves streak was 54 opportunities from 6/9/20 to 9/23/21.

Bandung was mid-tier for much of Hasrin’s run, but earned playoff trips in 2022 and 2024. They lost the 2022 association finals to Medan, but got the win in 2024 against Pekanbaru. The Blackhawks then defeated Kaohsiung for the 2024 Austronesia Championship. In 12.2 playoff innings for Bandung, Hasrin had six saves, 1.42 ERA, 26 strikeouts, and 0.4 WAR.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, Bandung was one win short of the top spot at 12-7, taking fourth with a tiebreaker over Houston. Hasrin was outstanding in the BGC with 14.1 scoreless innings, six saves, 27 strikeouts, and 1.2 WAR. He had been successful as well previously pitching for Malaysia in the World Baseball Championship. There, he was often a starter with 177.2 innings from 2019-33 with a 13-9 record, 2.08 ERA, 310 strikeouts, 55 walks, and 7.7 WAR. Although they never made the playoffs in his tenure, Hasrin is the leader for Malaysians in the WBC for pitching WAR, strikeouts, and wins.

With Bandung, Hasrin had 230 saves and 304 shutdowns, a 53-46 record, 1.72 ERA, 499 games, 640 innings, 1099 strikeouts, 144 walks, 146 ERA+, 38 FIP-, and 30.0 WAR. He had one year left on his deal for 2026 and his personality was starting to clash more with management. The Blackhawks traded him in December 2025 to Hsinchu for three prospects. One of them was SP Fred Pasaya, who would become a six-time league leader in strikeouts for Bandung and key part of their 2030s titles.

Hasrin won his second Reliever of the Year in his lone season with the Sweathogs with 37 saves, 77 games, 1.24 ERA, 101.1 innings, 168 Ks, and 5.6 WAR. Now a free agent for the first time at age 30, Hasrin returned to his home city Johor Bahru on a four-year, $19,520,000 deal. This run saw his greatest dominance, winning ROTY again in 2027 and 2028.

The 2028 season was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with a 0.50 ERA over 109 innings and 82 games, 52 saves, 193 strikeouts, and 8.1 WAR. These were career bests across the board and by WAR, this was the second-best season ever by a reliever in any world league. Only Maksym Badlo had him beat with 8.3 WAR in the 1983 Eurasian Professional Baseball season.

Hasrin’s 52 saves fell one short of Metta Adam’s APB single-season record and is one of only 29 seasons in world history of 52+ saves. He had an FIP- of zero and ERA+ of 485. From June 19 to September 2, Hasrin had a streak of 44 consecutive scoreless innings over 34 games.

Johor Bahru earned playoff trips in both 2027-28 and won the Sundaland Association in 2028, although they lost to Cebu in the APB Championship. In his nine playoff appearances for the Blue Wings, Hasrin had five saves, 0.53 ERA, 17 innings, 30 Ks, and 0.9 WAR. While in his home city, Hasrin became the fourth APB closer to 400 career saves. In four years with Johor Bahru, Hasrin had 164 saves, 24-13 record, 1.00 ERA, 286 games, 379 innings, 657 strikeouts, 247 ERA+, 17 FIP-, and 23.5 WAR.

Hasrin was a free agent again for 2031 at age 34 and was only six saves from passing Metta Adam’s 437 to become APB’s career leader. He wouldn’t get there though as he left APB for Major League Baseball on a two-year, $19,400,000 deal with Houston. Hasrin ran into trouble right away unfortunately. His last APB season had a sore shoulder that cost him a month. In 2031, that manifested as severe inflammation that kept him out most of the year.

Houston only used him for eight appearances with a 3.71 ERA in 17 innings, but they did go onto win the 2031 World Series. The Hornets were 14-7 in the Baseball Grand Championship, placing second on a tiebreaker to Hyderabad. Hasrin did get back for one BGC appearance, tossing 1.2 no-hit innings. He was healthy in 2032, but only was used for 20 innings. In total for Houston, Hasrin had 37 innings in 20 games, 3.16 ERA, 42 Ks, and 0.9 WAR.

Hasrin stayed in MLB for 2033 with Kansas City in mid relief with a 1.97 ERA over 32 innings. The Cougars traded him in July to Washington where he posted a 1.50 ERA over 18 innings. The Admirals lost in the World Series to Albuquerque, but won the BGC at 18-3. Hasrin didn’t pitch in the MLB postseason and only tossed one scoreless inning in the BGC run, although the ring fits on Hasrin’s finger all the same.

Columbus signed Hasrin for 2034, but cut him in July after he had a 6.20 ERA in 20.1 innings. Hasrin finished the year in Arab League Baseball with Casablanca with a 4.28 ERA over 27.1 innings. He gave up two runs in four playoff innings as the Bruins lost in the conference final. Hasrin thought he could still go and was signed into Los Angeles’ system in 2035, spending the whole year in minor league Bakersfield. He finally retired that winter at age 38.

In APB, Hasrin had 431 saves and 545 shutdowns, 89-71 record, 1.43 ERA, 1120.1 innings, 862 games, 1924 strikeouts, 235 walks, 177 ERA+, 30 FIP-, and 59.1 WAR. He ranks 3^rd in saves and 6^th in games and is 84^th in WAR among all APB pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Hasrin is the APB leader in H/9 (4.60), K/9 (15.46), and opponent’s batting average (.149). He also ranks 3^rd in ERA, 3^rd in WHIP (0.72), 2^nd in OBP (.199), 2^nd in slugging (.239), and 2^nd in OPS (.439).

His combined pro career had a 99-81 record, 434 saves, 566 shutdowns, 1.64 ERA, 952 games, 1255 innings, 2040 strikeouts, 279 walks, 169 ERA+, 36 FIP-, and 60.6 WAR. Among career relievers on the world leaderboards, Hasrin is 48^th in games, 18^th in shutdowns, 20^th in WAR, 41^st in saves, and 15^th in strikeouts. He’s also 24^th in ERA, although just out of the top 50 in ERA+. Hasrin does sit 19^th in FIP- and 13^th in opponent’s OPS among the great relievers.

Certainly in his peak, few closers were ever more dominant than Hasrin, even when adjusting for the ultra-low scoring numbers of Austronesia Professional Baseball. Among APB’s Hall of Fame relievers, Hasrin leads in WAR and is 2^nd in Ks and 5^th in ERA. His 2028 season also remains a candidate for the best-ever single-season effort by a closer in any league.

You could certainly make the case that he’s APB’s best-ever closer and he might have gotten that title outright had he not left and declined like he did in his mid 30s. Even if he was an unlikeable jerk, he was an obvious HOF pick, headlining APB’s 2036 ballot at 95.5%.

Favian “Trigger” Frias – Pitcher – Cebu Crows – 68.3% Fourth Ballot

Favian Frias was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Candoni, Philippines; a small municipality of about 24,000 people in the Negros Occidental province. Frias earned the nickname “Trigger” due to his remarkable raw stuff, which earned the rare 10/10 grade even as a starter. He also had excellent control and very good movement in his prime. Frias’ velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with a three-pitch arsenal of cutter, changeup, and knuckle curve. The latter two pitches graded as all-timers as he was a master at changing speeds. He graded around average for defense and holding runners.

Unfortunately, Frias’ style came with drawbacks as he dealt with multiple major injuries. It also tanked his stamina especially in later years, as he’d spend most of his 30s as a reliever. Still, Frias remained very effective when healthy over a 19-year run. His sparkplug personality meant he’d always leave it all out of the field with an incredible work ethic and adaptability. Frias was also one of the smarter pitchers in the game and made the most of what his body would allow.

Frias quickly emerged as arguably the best overall prospect for the 2006 APB Draft and was picked second overall by Cebu. He wasn’t immediately big league ready though out of high school and only saw one relief appearance between 2007-08. The Crows made him a part-time starter with mixed results in 2009, but they had faith and gave him the full-time job in 2010. They were rewarded that year as he led the Taiwan-Philippine Association with 347 strikeouts.

In 2011, Frias won Pitcher of the Year and the ERA title at 1.44 while also leading in strikeouts (373), WHIP (0.65), and WAR (11.1). He also tossed his first no-hitter on August 20 with 11 strikeouts and two walks facing Manila. Cebu had been second in the Philippine League now in five straight years, but couldn’t dethrone Davao’s dynasty. However, the Crows felt they had their ace who could help them do it, giving Frias a seven-year, $51,120,000 extension that winter.

Frias’ first huge injury setback came on May 30, 2012 with a torn ulnar collateral ligament that knocked him out a calendar year. Cebu did notably go 106-56 and won the pennant, falling to Semarang in the APB Championship. Sadly, this denied Frias from ever pitching in the APB postseason, although he had a ring. The Crows remained competitive from 2013-15, but Zamboanga took control of the Filipino scene. From 2016-22, Cebu only had losing seasons.

He was decent in his 2013 return, then was a monster in 2014 for his second Pitcher of the Year. Frias led with career bests in strikeouts (388) and WAR (14.4) along with his career best for ERA at 1.07. The WAR ranks as the 13^th-best single-season by an APB pitcher. Frias had insane competition that year with the legendary Zebras ace Ching-Chen Yao, who set the APB ERA record that year at 0.73. Yao had only 172 innings to Frias’ 253.1, which gave the edge to the latter in the voting.

Frias and Yao both had a 0.54 WHIP, which was the single-season world record for a qualified starter and would only get passed once. Frias had a 3.91 H/9, .129/.158/.200 slash, and .358 opponent’s OPS. Each of Frias’ marks would’ve been APB records if not for Yao beating them in the same season. Frias’ H/9/, average, OBP, and OPS all rank as the third-best qualifying season in world history. Capping off the effort was APB’s 37^th perfect game as Frias struck out 12 against Taichung on June 2.

Both 2015 and 2016 had third place finishes in Pitcher of the Year voting. 2015 was Frias’ only time leading in wins at 23-5. On August 2, 2016; Frias had his third no-hitter in a 15 strikeout performance against Tainan. His pace was a bit less dominant in 2017, although he was still good for 6.3 WAR over 175 innings. That August, Frias suffered a partially torn UCL that ended his season.

Frias was slow to return in 2018 and Cebu experimented with him in the bullpen. That was short-lived though as in his ninth appearance in May, a ruptured disc in his back ended his season. This also ended Frias’ time with Cebu as he was due free agency at age 31. They were worried he was too damaged of goods and let him go. Frias remained popular and his #3 uniform would later get retired. With Cebu, he had a 113-65 record, 1.81 ERA, 1744.1 innings, 2479 strikeouts, 264 walks, 150 ERA+, 48 FIP-, and 70.1 WAR.

Many teams were leery of giving him the big ace contract considering the injury history. Frias made the move to Major League Baseball on a two-year, $15,300,000 deal with New Orleans with expectations to be a reliever. He would still return home to the Philippines for the World Baseball Championship. From 2011-27, Frias had 151.2 innings, 12-4 record, 2.67 ERA, 230 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR. He had world champion on his resume as part of the Philippines’ 2015 triumph over Mexico.

New Orleans only used him in 23 relief innings in 2019, then gave him a few starts with 80.1 innings in 2020. For the Mudcats, he had a 2.61 ERA, 11-6 record, 103.1 innings, 124 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, 52 FIP-, and 3.6 WAR. Frias wasn’t elite anymore, but still clearly had value. Phoenix took the chance on giving him a big deal in 2021 at $102 million over five years.

The Firebirds ultimately used him in middle relief over four years, although he was effective in that role. In 141.2 innings, Frias had a 2.10 ERA, 36 saves, 16-16 record, 183 strikeouts, 185 ERA+, 38 FIP-, and 7.7 WAR. Teams were reluctant to push him harder, but he had stayed mostly healthy in that time. Now 37-years old and hoping for a bigger role, Frias ended up in Australia on a two-year, $10,800,000 deal with OBA’s Adelaide Aardvarks.

Frias was the closer for them in 2025 with 37 saves, a 2.46 ERA, 84 innings, 111 strikeouts, and 2.7 WAR. Adelaide opted to trade him in March 2026 to Port Moresby for four prospects. The Mud Hens were amidst a dynasty run at this point with three straight Pacific League titles and two OBA rings. PM also gave Frias something he really wanted, a chance to be a starter again.

In 173.2 innings, Frias won the ERA title at 2.02 and had 5.8 WAR. However, a sore shoulder kept him out much of the summer. Port Moresby had the best record of their dynasty at 119-43 and beat Christchurch in the OBA Championship, staking a case for OBA’s best-ever team. Frias did struggle in the series with a 9.39 ERA in his two starts and only 7.2 innings. He fared much better in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.65 ERA in 27.1 innings with 26 Ks. The Mud Hens were one of six teams to finish at 12-7 and were officially eighth after tiebreakers.

Frias was a free agent again at age 39 and wanted to return to his home country, signing a three-year, $31,500,000 deal with Manila. The Manatees let him start, but he was unremarkable with a 2.85 ERA and 1.5 WAR in 98 innings. A forearm strain in early June kept him out six weeks. Then in early August, Frias suffered another torn UCL with a 14 month expected recovery time. Realizing that was it, he retired that winter at age 40.

In APB, Frias had a 119-71 record, 1.86 ERA, 1842.1 innings, 2584 strikeouts, 279 walks, 193/238 quality starts, 50 complete games, 14 shutouts, 146 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 71.6 WAR. For his combined pro career, Frias had a 163-109 record, 95 saves, 1.94 ERA, 2345 innings, 3182 strikeouts, 373 walks, 151 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 91.3 WAR.

Since he didn’t even get to 2000 APB innings, Frias unsurprisingly doesn’t rate high for the counting stats. Still, he ranks 43^rd in WAR among APB pitchers despite that. Among those with 1000+ innings, Frias is 19^th in ERA, 12^th in H/9 (5.58), 19^th in K/9 (12.62), and 8^th in WHIP (0.77). His opponent’s triple slash of .178/.231/.280 ranks 12^th/9^th/20^th and his .493 OPS is 12^th.

Frias’ resume was a really tough one for the Hall of Fame voters in Austronesia Professional Baseball. His rate stats and peak dominance were obviously top flight, but he only had about eight full seasons’ worth of innings in APB. Even if they were exceptional, that just wasn’t enough tenure for a lot of voters. Frias also had the misfortune of sharing a league with Ching-Chen Yao, who was arguably the best pitcher in the entire world in the 2010s. Yao’s dominance and Cebu’s above averageness as a team lowered Frias’ profile.

For the voters that favored big peaks, Frias was an easy choice. Among all world HOF starters, he ranks 22^nd in ERA. Even when you factor in APB’s incredibly low scoring environment, Frias also is notably 29^th in ERA+ and 13^th in FIP- among all of the world’s Hall of Fame starters and retired locks. When he was healthy, few pitchers in all of history were more dominant than Frias. But maintaining that level of stuff absolutely wrecked his body.

For his first three ballots, Frias missed the cut at 51.5%, 59.3%, and 52.5%. In 2036 with limited standouts, a few of the skeptics were swayed towards a yay vote. Frias got 68.3%, just barely crossing the 66% threshold for induction. Injuries may have denied him the inner-circle and pushed him to the fourth ballot, but Frias’ dominance still earned him a spot among APB’s enshrined greats.

10-01-2025, 08:12 AM	#2478
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,002	2036 APB Hall of Fame Closer Normeezan Hasrin was the headliner for the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2036 at 95.5%. P Favian Frias joined him with 68.3% on his fourth ballot, just crossing the 66% induction threshold. Two longstanding returners were above 50% with 1B Ali Yusuf with 54.0% on his eighth try and CL Meng-Hsien Wu at 51.3% on his ninth ballot. No one else was above 50% and no one was removed after ten failed ballots. Normeezan Hasrin – Closer – Bandung Blackhawks – 95.5% First Ballot Normeezan Hasrin was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Johor Bahru, Malaysia’s second-largest city. Hasrin had absolutely filthy stuff along with great movement, although his control was average at best. His one-two punch was an outstanding 99-101 fastball along with a slider. Hasrin’s stamina was very good for a reliever and he mostly avoided injuries in his prime years. Hasrin was above average at holding runners, but weak defensively. His biggest flaw was that he was a complete jerk. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would complement Hasrin’s personality with words like selfish, lazy, and dumb often coming to mind. His talent was undeniable though and kept him around 17 seasons in pro baseball. Hasrin left Malaysia in November 2013 on a teenage amateur deal with Bandung, spending most of five years in their academy. He debuted in 2018 at age 21 with nine appearances. Hasrin earned the starting closer job in 2019 and held it through 2025 with the Blackhawks, leading the Sundaland Association in games pitched in 2019 as a rookie. He was second in Reliever of the Year voting in 2020 and 2021, then won it for the first time in 2022. Hasrin then finished second in 2023, 2024, and 2025’s voting. His longest career saves streak was 54 opportunities from 6/9/20 to 9/23/21. Bandung was mid-tier for much of Hasrin’s run, but earned playoff trips in 2022 and 2024. They lost the 2022 association finals to Medan, but got the win in 2024 against Pekanbaru. The Blackhawks then defeated Kaohsiung for the 2024 Austronesia Championship. In 12.2 playoff innings for Bandung, Hasrin had six saves, 1.42 ERA, 26 strikeouts, and 0.4 WAR. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Bandung was one win short of the top spot at 12-7, taking fourth with a tiebreaker over Houston. Hasrin was outstanding in the BGC with 14.1 scoreless innings, six saves, 27 strikeouts, and 1.2 WAR. He had been successful as well previously pitching for Malaysia in the World Baseball Championship. There, he was often a starter with 177.2 innings from 2019-33 with a 13-9 record, 2.08 ERA, 310 strikeouts, 55 walks, and 7.7 WAR. Although they never made the playoffs in his tenure, Hasrin is the leader for Malaysians in the WBC for pitching WAR, strikeouts, and wins. With Bandung, Hasrin had 230 saves and 304 shutdowns, a 53-46 record, 1.72 ERA, 499 games, 640 innings, 1099 strikeouts, 144 walks, 146 ERA+, 38 FIP-, and 30.0 WAR. He had one year left on his deal for 2026 and his personality was starting to clash more with management. The Blackhawks traded him in December 2025 to Hsinchu for three prospects. One of them was SP Fred Pasaya, who would become a six-time league leader in strikeouts for Bandung and key part of their 2030s titles. Hasrin won his second Reliever of the Year in his lone season with the Sweathogs with 37 saves, 77 games, 1.24 ERA, 101.1 innings, 168 Ks, and 5.6 WAR. Now a free agent for the first time at age 30, Hasrin returned to his home city Johor Bahru on a four-year, $19,520,000 deal. This run saw his greatest dominance, winning ROTY again in 2027 and 2028. The 2028 season was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with a 0.50 ERA over 109 innings and 82 games, 52 saves, 193 strikeouts, and 8.1 WAR. These were career bests across the board and by WAR, this was the second-best season ever by a reliever in any world league. Only Maksym Badlo had him beat with 8.3 WAR in the 1983 Eurasian Professional Baseball season. Hasrin’s 52 saves fell one short of Metta Adam’s APB single-season record and is one of only 29 seasons in world history of 52+ saves. He had an FIP- of zero and ERA+ of 485. From June 19 to September 2, Hasrin had a streak of 44 consecutive scoreless innings over 34 games. Johor Bahru earned playoff trips in both 2027-28 and won the Sundaland Association in 2028, although they lost to Cebu in the APB Championship. In his nine playoff appearances for the Blue Wings, Hasrin had five saves, 0.53 ERA, 17 innings, 30 Ks, and 0.9 WAR. While in his home city, Hasrin became the fourth APB closer to 400 career saves. In four years with Johor Bahru, Hasrin had 164 saves, 24-13 record, 1.00 ERA, 286 games, 379 innings, 657 strikeouts, 247 ERA+, 17 FIP-, and 23.5 WAR. Hasrin was a free agent again for 2031 at age 34 and was only six saves from passing Metta Adam’s 437 to become APB’s career leader. He wouldn’t get there though as he left APB for Major League Baseball on a two-year, $19,400,000 deal with Houston. Hasrin ran into trouble right away unfortunately. His last APB season had a sore shoulder that cost him a month. In 2031, that manifested as severe inflammation that kept him out most of the year. Houston only used him for eight appearances with a 3.71 ERA in 17 innings, but they did go onto win the 2031 World Series. The Hornets were 14-7 in the Baseball Grand Championship, placing second on a tiebreaker to Hyderabad. Hasrin did get back for one BGC appearance, tossing 1.2 no-hit innings. He was healthy in 2032, but only was used for 20 innings. In total for Houston, Hasrin had 37 innings in 20 games, 3.16 ERA, 42 Ks, and 0.9 WAR. Hasrin stayed in MLB for 2033 with Kansas City in mid relief with a 1.97 ERA over 32 innings. The Cougars traded him in July to Washington where he posted a 1.50 ERA over 18 innings. The Admirals lost in the World Series to Albuquerque, but won the BGC at 18-3. Hasrin didn’t pitch in the MLB postseason and only tossed one scoreless inning in the BGC run, although the ring fits on Hasrin’s finger all the same. Columbus signed Hasrin for 2034, but cut him in July after he had a 6.20 ERA in 20.1 innings. Hasrin finished the year in Arab League Baseball with Casablanca with a 4.28 ERA over 27.1 innings. He gave up two runs in four playoff innings as the Bruins lost in the conference final. Hasrin thought he could still go and was signed into Los Angeles’ system in 2035, spending the whole year in minor league Bakersfield. He finally retired that winter at age 38. In APB, Hasrin had 431 saves and 545 shutdowns, 89-71 record, 1.43 ERA, 1120.1 innings, 862 games, 1924 strikeouts, 235 walks, 177 ERA+, 30 FIP-, and 59.1 WAR. He ranks 3^rd in saves and 6^th in games and is 84^th in WAR among all APB pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Hasrin is the APB leader in H/9 (4.60), K/9 (15.46), and opponent’s batting average (.149). He also ranks 3^rd in ERA, 3^rd in WHIP (0.72), 2^nd in OBP (.199), 2^nd in slugging (.239), and 2^nd in OPS (.439). His combined pro career had a 99-81 record, 434 saves, 566 shutdowns, 1.64 ERA, 952 games, 1255 innings, 2040 strikeouts, 279 walks, 169 ERA+, 36 FIP-, and 60.6 WAR. Among career relievers on the world leaderboards, Hasrin is 48^th in games, 18^th in shutdowns, 20^th in WAR, 41^st in saves, and 15^th in strikeouts. He’s also 24^th in ERA, although just out of the top 50 in ERA+. Hasrin does sit 19^th in FIP- and 13^th in opponent’s OPS among the great relievers. Certainly in his peak, few closers were ever more dominant than Hasrin, even when adjusting for the ultra-low scoring numbers of Austronesia Professional Baseball. Among APB’s Hall of Fame relievers, Hasrin leads in WAR and is 2^nd in Ks and 5^th in ERA. His 2028 season also remains a candidate for the best-ever single-season effort by a closer in any league. You could certainly make the case that he’s APB’s best-ever closer and he might have gotten that title outright had he not left and declined like he did in his mid 30s. Even if he was an unlikeable jerk, he was an obvious HOF pick, headlining APB’s 2036 ballot at 95.5%. Favian “Trigger” Frias – Pitcher – Cebu Crows – 68.3% Fourth Ballot Favian Frias was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Candoni, Philippines; a small municipality of about 24,000 people in the Negros Occidental province. Frias earned the nickname “Trigger” due to his remarkable raw stuff, which earned the rare 10/10 grade even as a starter. He also had excellent control and very good movement in his prime. Frias’ velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with a three-pitch arsenal of cutter, changeup, and knuckle curve. The latter two pitches graded as all-timers as he was a master at changing speeds. He graded around average for defense and holding runners. Unfortunately, Frias’ style came with drawbacks as he dealt with multiple major injuries. It also tanked his stamina especially in later years, as he’d spend most of his 30s as a reliever. Still, Frias remained very effective when healthy over a 19-year run. His sparkplug personality meant he’d always leave it all out of the field with an incredible work ethic and adaptability. Frias was also one of the smarter pitchers in the game and made the most of what his body would allow. Frias quickly emerged as arguably the best overall prospect for the 2006 APB Draft and was picked second overall by Cebu. He wasn’t immediately big league ready though out of high school and only saw one relief appearance between 2007-08. The Crows made him a part-time starter with mixed results in 2009, but they had faith and gave him the full-time job in 2010. They were rewarded that year as he led the Taiwan-Philippine Association with 347 strikeouts. In 2011, Frias won Pitcher of the Year and the ERA title at 1.44 while also leading in strikeouts (373), WHIP (0.65), and WAR (11.1). He also tossed his first no-hitter on August 20 with 11 strikeouts and two walks facing Manila. Cebu had been second in the Philippine League now in five straight years, but couldn’t dethrone Davao’s dynasty. However, the Crows felt they had their ace who could help them do it, giving Frias a seven-year, $51,120,000 extension that winter. Frias’ first huge injury setback came on May 30, 2012 with a torn ulnar collateral ligament that knocked him out a calendar year. Cebu did notably go 106-56 and won the pennant, falling to Semarang in the APB Championship. Sadly, this denied Frias from ever pitching in the APB postseason, although he had a ring. The Crows remained competitive from 2013-15, but Zamboanga took control of the Filipino scene. From 2016-22, Cebu only had losing seasons. He was decent in his 2013 return, then was a monster in 2014 for his second Pitcher of the Year. Frias led with career bests in strikeouts (388) and WAR (14.4) along with his career best for ERA at 1.07. The WAR ranks as the 13^th-best single-season by an APB pitcher. Frias had insane competition that year with the legendary Zebras ace Ching-Chen Yao, who set the APB ERA record that year at 0.73. Yao had only 172 innings to Frias’ 253.1, which gave the edge to the latter in the voting. Frias and Yao both had a 0.54 WHIP, which was the single-season world record for a qualified starter and would only get passed once. Frias had a 3.91 H/9, .129/.158/.200 slash, and .358 opponent’s OPS. Each of Frias’ marks would’ve been APB records if not for Yao beating them in the same season. Frias’ H/9/, average, OBP, and OPS all rank as the third-best qualifying season in world history. Capping off the effort was APB’s 37^th perfect game as Frias struck out 12 against Taichung on June 2. Both 2015 and 2016 had third place finishes in Pitcher of the Year voting. 2015 was Frias’ only time leading in wins at 23-5. On August 2, 2016; Frias had his third no-hitter in a 15 strikeout performance against Tainan. His pace was a bit less dominant in 2017, although he was still good for 6.3 WAR over 175 innings. That August, Frias suffered a partially torn UCL that ended his season. Frias was slow to return in 2018 and Cebu experimented with him in the bullpen. That was short-lived though as in his ninth appearance in May, a ruptured disc in his back ended his season. This also ended Frias’ time with Cebu as he was due free agency at age 31. They were worried he was too damaged of goods and let him go. Frias remained popular and his #3 uniform would later get retired. With Cebu, he had a 113-65 record, 1.81 ERA, 1744.1 innings, 2479 strikeouts, 264 walks, 150 ERA+, 48 FIP-, and 70.1 WAR. Many teams were leery of giving him the big ace contract considering the injury history. Frias made the move to Major League Baseball on a two-year, $15,300,000 deal with New Orleans with expectations to be a reliever. He would still return home to the Philippines for the World Baseball Championship. From 2011-27, Frias had 151.2 innings, 12-4 record, 2.67 ERA, 230 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR. He had world champion on his resume as part of the Philippines’ 2015 triumph over Mexico. New Orleans only used him in 23 relief innings in 2019, then gave him a few starts with 80.1 innings in 2020. For the Mudcats, he had a 2.61 ERA, 11-6 record, 103.1 innings, 124 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, 52 FIP-, and 3.6 WAR. Frias wasn’t elite anymore, but still clearly had value. Phoenix took the chance on giving him a big deal in 2021 at $102 million over five years. The Firebirds ultimately used him in middle relief over four years, although he was effective in that role. In 141.2 innings, Frias had a 2.10 ERA, 36 saves, 16-16 record, 183 strikeouts, 185 ERA+, 38 FIP-, and 7.7 WAR. Teams were reluctant to push him harder, but he had stayed mostly healthy in that time. Now 37-years old and hoping for a bigger role, Frias ended up in Australia on a two-year, $10,800,000 deal with OBA’s Adelaide Aardvarks. Frias was the closer for them in 2025 with 37 saves, a 2.46 ERA, 84 innings, 111 strikeouts, and 2.7 WAR. Adelaide opted to trade him in March 2026 to Port Moresby for four prospects. The Mud Hens were amidst a dynasty run at this point with three straight Pacific League titles and two OBA rings. PM also gave Frias something he really wanted, a chance to be a starter again. In 173.2 innings, Frias won the ERA title at 2.02 and had 5.8 WAR. However, a sore shoulder kept him out much of the summer. Port Moresby had the best record of their dynasty at 119-43 and beat Christchurch in the OBA Championship, staking a case for OBA’s best-ever team. Frias did struggle in the series with a 9.39 ERA in his two starts and only 7.2 innings. He fared much better in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.65 ERA in 27.1 innings with 26 Ks. The Mud Hens were one of six teams to finish at 12-7 and were officially eighth after tiebreakers. Frias was a free agent again at age 39 and wanted to return to his home country, signing a three-year, $31,500,000 deal with Manila. The Manatees let him start, but he was unremarkable with a 2.85 ERA and 1.5 WAR in 98 innings. A forearm strain in early June kept him out six weeks. Then in early August, Frias suffered another torn UCL with a 14 month expected recovery time. Realizing that was it, he retired that winter at age 40. In APB, Frias had a 119-71 record, 1.86 ERA, 1842.1 innings, 2584 strikeouts, 279 walks, 193/238 quality starts, 50 complete games, 14 shutouts, 146 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 71.6 WAR. For his combined pro career, Frias had a 163-109 record, 95 saves, 1.94 ERA, 2345 innings, 3182 strikeouts, 373 walks, 151 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 91.3 WAR. Since he didn’t even get to 2000 APB innings, Frias unsurprisingly doesn’t rate high for the counting stats. Still, he ranks 43^rd in WAR among APB pitchers despite that. Among those with 1000+ innings, Frias is 19^th in ERA, 12^th in H/9 (5.58), 19^th in K/9 (12.62), and 8^th in WHIP (0.77). His opponent’s triple slash of .178/.231/.280 ranks 12^th/9^th/20^th and his .493 OPS is 12^th. Frias’ resume was a really tough one for the Hall of Fame voters in Austronesia Professional Baseball. His rate stats and peak dominance were obviously top flight, but he only had about eight full seasons’ worth of innings in APB. Even if they were exceptional, that just wasn’t enough tenure for a lot of voters. Frias also had the misfortune of sharing a league with Ching-Chen Yao, who was arguably the best pitcher in the entire world in the 2010s. Yao’s dominance and Cebu’s above averageness as a team lowered Frias’ profile. For the voters that favored big peaks, Frias was an easy choice. Among all world HOF starters, he ranks 22^nd in ERA. Even when you factor in APB’s incredibly low scoring environment, Frias also is notably 29^th in ERA+ and 13^th in FIP- among all of the world’s Hall of Fame starters and retired locks. When he was healthy, few pitchers in all of history were more dominant than Frias. But maintaining that level of stuff absolutely wrecked his body. For his first three ballots, Frias missed the cut at 51.5%, 59.3%, and 52.5%. In 2036 with limited standouts, a few of the skeptics were swayed towards a yay vote. Frias got 68.3%, just barely crossing the 66% threshold for induction. Injuries may have denied him the inner-circle and pushed him to the fourth ballot, but Frias’ dominance still earned him a spot among APB’s enshrined greats. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)