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FuzzyRussianHat · 10-20-2025, 07:57 PM

3B/1B Xiku Yan stood alone for induction for the Chinese League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2037, making it on the first ballot at 76.1%. The next closest to the 66% induction threshold was SP Dalong Li at 60.5% on his third try. SP Yingfa Luo saw 59.9% for his second go and SP Xiaole Li got 58.2% with his sixth attempt. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 2037.

Xiku Yan – Third/First Base – Qingdao Devils – 76.1% First Ballot

Xiku Yan was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting corner infielder from Dongying, a prefecture-level city over 2,193,000 people on the coast of the Bohai Sea. Yan was an outstanding hitter in aspects specifically against right-handed pitching with a career .944 OPS and 198 wRC+. He was merely okay facing lefties with a .651 OPS and 110 wRC+.

Yan’s power wasn’t prolific, but his 162 game average of 32 home runs, 29 doubles, and 4 triples was quite solid in the ultra-low scoring CLB. He was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but was subpar at drawing walks. Yan was an abysmally slow and clumsy baserunner.

His career was split almost evenly between the corner infield spots. Yan graded as a reliably average defender at first base, but was lousy at third. He had mostly good durability across a 15-year pro career. Yan was a fan favorite and a very likeable guy, appreciated for his leadership, work ethic, loyalty, and team-first attitude. You would be hard pressed to find someone that would bash him.

Yan was the #3 overall pick by Qingdao in the 2017 CLB Draft and spent his entire Chinese career with the Devils. He was a starter right away with immediate results, taking second in 2018’s Rookie of the Year voting. From 2019-25, Yan was good for 7.8+ WAR each season and won Silver Sluggers each year at third base. He played 3B primarily in his 20s and shifted to 1B in his 30s.

In 2020, Yan led the Northern League in runs (100), RBI (115), total bases (360) and WAR (10.9). Those would be career highs, as would his 198 hits, 39 doubles, 39 homers, .327 average, .594 slugging, and .965 OPS. Despite that, he wasn’t an MVP finalist. Yan took third in 2022’s voting with a 10.6 WAR effort that ended a five-year playoff drought for Qingdao. They earned wild cards in both 2022-23, but were defeated in the Round Robin stage.

Yan’s lone MVP win came in 2023, leading the NL in WAR (10.4), runs (97), and hits (185) along with a career-best 222 wRC+ and .383 OBP. After the 2024 season, Yan signed a seven-year, $162,400,000 extension with Qingdao. He was third in 2025’s MVP voting, his last time as a finalist. He remained a solid starter after that, but hovered in the 3-6 WAR range in his early-to-mid 30s.

Qingdao was a losing team from 2024-27, but made it back to the playoffs barely in 2028 at 87-75. The Devils got hot and won the Northern League pennant, but were denied their first-ever China Series win by Xiamen. Yan had good playoff numbers in a small sample size with 38 starts, 40 hits, 18 runs, 8 doubles, 8 homers, 29 RBI, .270/.323/.500 slash, 152 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. He also had limited appearances from 2019-26 with China in the World Baseball Championship, playing 46 games with 30 starts, .888 OPS, 158 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

Yan remained popular, but had his career low 2.5 WAR in 2031 and missed nearly two months to a fractured hand. Qingdao surprised many with a franchise-best 101-61 record, but lost in the round robin. Their long-time star was now 37-years old and on the decline, thus Yan wasn’t re-signed. Although universally liked, you could find younger, cheaper, and better options at first base.

He wasn’t ready to retire yet and put out worldwide feelers. Eventually, the African Association’s Gaborone gave Yan a one-year deal for 2032. However, he stunk in 34 games and 12 starts with .663 OPS and -0.3 WAR. Yan was unsigned in 2033 and retired that winter at age 39. Qingdao was quick to honor him though by retiring his #42 uniform.

With the Devils, Yan had 2085 games, 2280 hits, 1063 runs, 372 doubles, 47 triples, 418 home runs, 1224 RBI, 525 walks, 1194 strikeouts, .300/.349/.526 slash, 177 wRC+, and 97.8 WAR. Yan ranks 32^nd in games, 14^th in runs, 8^th in hits, 8^th in total bases (4000), 4^th in doubles, 17^th in homers, 5^th in RBI, 80^th in walks, and 21^st in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yan ranks 36^th/36^th/44^th in the triple slash and his .874 OPS is 37^th. The Hall of Fame voters for Chinese League Baseball are notoriously harsh towards batters, often holding them to the standards of other world leagues despite CLB’s extremely low-scoring environment. That might account for why Yan only got 76.1%, although even supporters would keep him just below the “inner-circle” level. Regardless, Yan got his deserved spot as the only inductee for 2037 in CLB.

10-20-2025, 07:57 PM	#2515
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,659	2037 CLB Hall of Fame 3B/1B Xiku Yan stood alone for induction for the Chinese League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2037, making it on the first ballot at 76.1%. The next closest to the 66% induction threshold was SP Dalong Li at 60.5% on his third try. SP Yingfa Luo saw 59.9% for his second go and SP Xiaole Li got 58.2% with his sixth attempt. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 2037. Xiku Yan – Third/First Base – Qingdao Devils – 76.1% First Ballot Xiku Yan was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting corner infielder from Dongying, a prefecture-level city over 2,193,000 people on the coast of the Bohai Sea. Yan was an outstanding hitter in aspects specifically against right-handed pitching with a career .944 OPS and 198 wRC+. He was merely okay facing lefties with a .651 OPS and 110 wRC+. Yan’s power wasn’t prolific, but his 162 game average of 32 home runs, 29 doubles, and 4 triples was quite solid in the ultra-low scoring CLB. He was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but was subpar at drawing walks. Yan was an abysmally slow and clumsy baserunner. His career was split almost evenly between the corner infield spots. Yan graded as a reliably average defender at first base, but was lousy at third. He had mostly good durability across a 15-year pro career. Yan was a fan favorite and a very likeable guy, appreciated for his leadership, work ethic, loyalty, and team-first attitude. You would be hard pressed to find someone that would bash him. Yan was the #3 overall pick by Qingdao in the 2017 CLB Draft and spent his entire Chinese career with the Devils. He was a starter right away with immediate results, taking second in 2018’s Rookie of the Year voting. From 2019-25, Yan was good for 7.8+ WAR each season and won Silver Sluggers each year at third base. He played 3B primarily in his 20s and shifted to 1B in his 30s. In 2020, Yan led the Northern League in runs (100), RBI (115), total bases (360) and WAR (10.9). Those would be career highs, as would his 198 hits, 39 doubles, 39 homers, .327 average, .594 slugging, and .965 OPS. Despite that, he wasn’t an MVP finalist. Yan took third in 2022’s voting with a 10.6 WAR effort that ended a five-year playoff drought for Qingdao. They earned wild cards in both 2022-23, but were defeated in the Round Robin stage. Yan’s lone MVP win came in 2023, leading the NL in WAR (10.4), runs (97), and hits (185) along with a career-best 222 wRC+ and .383 OBP. After the 2024 season, Yan signed a seven-year, $162,400,000 extension with Qingdao. He was third in 2025’s MVP voting, his last time as a finalist. He remained a solid starter after that, but hovered in the 3-6 WAR range in his early-to-mid 30s. Qingdao was a losing team from 2024-27, but made it back to the playoffs barely in 2028 at 87-75. The Devils got hot and won the Northern League pennant, but were denied their first-ever China Series win by Xiamen. Yan had good playoff numbers in a small sample size with 38 starts, 40 hits, 18 runs, 8 doubles, 8 homers, 29 RBI, .270/.323/.500 slash, 152 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. He also had limited appearances from 2019-26 with China in the World Baseball Championship, playing 46 games with 30 starts, .888 OPS, 158 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Yan remained popular, but had his career low 2.5 WAR in 2031 and missed nearly two months to a fractured hand. Qingdao surprised many with a franchise-best 101-61 record, but lost in the round robin. Their long-time star was now 37-years old and on the decline, thus Yan wasn’t re-signed. Although universally liked, you could find younger, cheaper, and better options at first base. He wasn’t ready to retire yet and put out worldwide feelers. Eventually, the African Association’s Gaborone gave Yan a one-year deal for 2032. However, he stunk in 34 games and 12 starts with .663 OPS and -0.3 WAR. Yan was unsigned in 2033 and retired that winter at age 39. Qingdao was quick to honor him though by retiring his #42 uniform. With the Devils, Yan had 2085 games, 2280 hits, 1063 runs, 372 doubles, 47 triples, 418 home runs, 1224 RBI, 525 walks, 1194 strikeouts, .300/.349/.526 slash, 177 wRC+, and 97.8 WAR. Yan ranks 32^nd in games, 14^th in runs, 8^th in hits, 8^th in total bases (4000), 4^th in doubles, 17^th in homers, 5^th in RBI, 80^th in walks, and 21^st in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yan ranks 36^th/36^th/44^th in the triple slash and his .874 OPS is 37^th. The Hall of Fame voters for Chinese League Baseball are notoriously harsh towards batters, often holding them to the standards of other world leagues despite CLB’s extremely low-scoring environment. That might account for why Yan only got 76.1%, although even supporters would keep him just below the “inner-circle” level. Regardless, Yan got his deserved spot as the only inductee for 2037 in CLB. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)