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FuzzyRussianHat · Yesterday, 08:51 AM

Jack McConnell – Starting Pitcher – Berlin Barons – 82.0% Third Ballot

Jack McConnell was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Stenhousemuir, a town of just under 10,000 in Scotland’s Central Lowlands. McConnell’s biggest strength was having stellar pinpoint control for his entire career with excellent movement. This made up for having merely above average stuff with a peak velocity of 91-93 mph; among the lowest of any Hall of Famer you’ll find.

McConnell’s arsenal was fastball, curveball, screwball, changeup, and splitter with an extreme groundball tendency. He had fantastic durability and pitched 200+ innings each year from 2017-34. McConnell’s stamina for going deep in games though was merely above average relative to most great aces. He was better than most at holding runners, but otherwise had unremarkable defensive stats.

In April 2011, a teenaged McConnell left Scotland for Finland on a developmental deal with Helsinki. While in the academy, the Honkers were relegated to the European Second League after going 55-107 in 2013. McConnell spent about six years in training, debuting with two relief appearances in 2016. McConnell earned a full-time rotation spot from 2017 onward.

It became clear he was better than most E2L talent right away, as he was second in both Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. He was second in POTY again in 2019 and won a Silver Slugger with a decent bat by pitcher standards. McConnell was the leader in wins for 2019 and in wins, ERA, and WAR in 2020.

Helsinki had playoff trips in 2017 and 2019, but failed to advance out of the round robin. The Honkers in 2020 finally got to the conference finals, earning a promotion back to the EBF Elite Tier. In his four E2L seasons, McConnell had a 70-25 record, 2.06 ERA, 923 innings, 883 strikeouts, 196 walks, 159 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 27.9 WAR. He showed he could hang right away in the top level with back-to-back 7+ WAR seasons.

Although they were back up, Helsinki had finished 80-82 and 73-89 upon their return. McConnell was grateful for his start there, but it was clear that he wasn’t likely to stick around once free agent eligible for 2024. Thus before the 2023 season, the Honkers traded McConnell to Rotterdam for two prospects. He correctly left the sinking ship, as Helsinki was an abysmal 54-108 the next year and demoted right back.

In his one year with the Ravens, McConnell was second in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Northern Conference in FIP- (58) and WAR (8.8); both career bests in EBF. He also had a 2.79 ERA, 19-6 record, 242.1 innings, and 240 Ks. Rotterdam won their division at 110-52, but was denied the conference crown by 114-win Dublin, who was amidst a dynasty run. McConnell’s playoff debut in the top tier had a 2.89 ERA over 18.2 innings.

McConnell did have tournament experience before that, as he represented his native Scotland from 2022-34 in the World Baseball Championship. Over 187 innings, he had a 14-8 record, 2.50 ERA, 186 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR. Despite his efforts, the Scots never secured a playoff berth.

Now a free agent at age 29 for 2024, McConnell signed a seven-year, $163,800,000 deal with Berlin. His most famous run would be in the German capital. The Barons were competitive in his first six years with five winning seasons, but their lone playoff appearance was a wild card and second round exit in 2025. McConnell was second in 2024’s POTY voting, his only time as a finalist with Berlin. Still, his production was steady, consistent, and rock solid.

2030 was a breakthrough for the Barons, who took the Northern Conference’s top seed at 103-59. Berlin bested Nantes 4-2 in the final for their first pennant since 1998. The Barons then defeated Cluj-Napoca 4-2 to win their second-ever European Championship (1958). McConnell was critical in the playoff run, winning his four starts with a 1.50 ERA over 30 innings, 20 strikeouts, and 0.8 WAR.

McConnell kept rolling into the Baseball Grand Championship, winning those four starts with a 1.91 ERA over 33 innings with 35 Ks and 1.6 WAR; taking third in Best Pitcher voting. Most importantly, Berlin finished 17-4 and became only the second European club to claim the Grand Champion honor. It was a hell of a way to cap off McConnell’s seven-year run with the Barons and forever made him a very popular figure in the German capital.

For Berlin, McConnell finished with a 110-62 record, 3.05 ERA, 1713.2 innings, 1427 strikeouts, 191 walks, 72 complete games, 20 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 41.1 WAR. Back to free agency for 2031 at age 36, McConnell signed a two-year, $29,200,000 deal with Lyon. He was still steady with the Lords, posting a 2.91 ERA over 476 innings, 29-20 record, 347 Ks, 123 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 8.1 WAR. Lyon earned its first-ever playoff berth in the top tier in 2032, falling in the second round as a wild card.

McConnell was back to free agency and surprisingly couldn’t find another European home despite his consistency and still excellent control. He ended up in Sudan on a three-year, $36 million deal with Khartoum of Arab League Baseball. McConnell was still reliable in his first two years, although he was surprisingly poor in three playoff starts with three defeats and a 6.87 ERA over 18.1 innings. The Cottonmouths lost in the 2033 Western Conference final and fell in the second round of 2034.

In 2035, McConnell’s stuff and control plummeted and he was limited to only 44.1 innings. Overall in ALB, he had a 30-19 record, 3.61 ERA, 460.2 innings, 375 strikeouts, 67 walks, 120 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 7.9 WAR. He hoped to still pitch in 2036 somewhere in the world, but went unsigned all year and finally retired in the winter at age 42.

The trouble for McConnell’s Hall of Fame candidacy is having only 12 seasons in the European Baseball Federation Elite Tier, as the four E2L seasons don’t count as major league. Adding the ALB seasons, his combined top-flight pro stats saw a 218-132 record, 3.45 ERA, 3384.2 innings, 2825 strikeouts, and 80.5 WAR. Just in EBF, he had a 188-113 record, 3.04 ERA, 2924 innings, 2450 strikeouts, 327 walks, 110 complete games, 27 shutouts, 127 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 72.6 WAR.

Still, McConnell ranks 45^th in WAR among pitcher. However, he is 71^st in wins, 97^th in innings, 62^nd in complete games, 39^th in shutouts, and outside of the top 100 for strikeouts. His 1.01 BB/9 is notably 9^th among all pitchers with 1000+ innings and his rate stats overall are favorable compared to many other inductees. McConnell did have detractors though with the lower accumulations (strikeouts especially) and the lack of a POTY award or ERA title.

His efficiency was a big plus for supporters, but the biggest thing in his favor was Berlin’s 2030 title run. McConnell was an absolute stud in that postseason run, pushing the Barons to not only the European Championship, but the Baseball Grand Championship. The lower tallies still kept him just barely out below the 66% threshold with 65.7% and 64.9% in his first two ballots. McConnell saw the big boost to 82.0% in 2040 for a third ballot spot into EBF’s Hall of Fame.

Albert “Nervous” de Jong – Third/Second Base – Frankfurt Falcons – 72.0% Fourth Ballot

Albert de Jong was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed third and second baseman from Middelharnis, a town of about 7,000 in the western Netherlands. Nicknamed “Nervous,” de Jong was a well-rounded batter at his peak with good-to-great marks for contact and power. His 162 game average got you 36 home runs, 22 doubles, and 18 triples for a steady dose of extra base hits. On the downside, he was subpar at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

De Jong was a bit better facing left-handed pitching (.964 OPS, 162 wRC+) but was plenty potent facing righties (.906 OPS, 147 wRC+). He was a highly skilled baserunner and clever thief with good speed. Defensively, de Jong saw just over half of his starts at third base, where he graded as a reliably solid glove. Most of his other starts were at second, where he was below average, but passable.

High adaptability served him well over a 15 year career with mostly good marks for durability. De Jong was notably very outspoken, but wasn’t necessarily a troublemaker or malcontent. Many fans appreciated his candor and he was one of his era’s more popular players. As a teenager, he left the Netherlands in October 2013 on a developmental deal with Frankfurt. De Jong spent most of four years in their academy, officially debuting in 2017 with eight games.

De Jong’s full-time debut came in 2018 with decent results. That year, the Falcons earned their first-ever playoff appearance in the EBF Elite Tier at 93-69 and had a surprise run to the Northern Conference Championship, falling 4-2 to Birmingham. De Jong had an impressive postseason with a 1.408 OPS and 0.9 WAR over 10 starts. By the next year, he had emerged as elite with his first of five straight seasons worth 7+ WAR and first of nine straight worth 5+.

His first Silver Slugger wins came in 2019 (3B) and 2020 (2B). He was the conference WARlord at 9.7 in 2020, which would be a career best as was his 175 wRC+, .331 average, .368 OBP, and 1.009 OPS. Frankfurt won division titles both years, but couldn’t advance beyond round two. They missed the cut in 2021, then had a wild card and first round exit in 2022.

Although he was a star in Germany, de Jong did regularly represent the Netherlands in the World Baseball Championship from 2019-31. He played 113 games with 111 hits, 54 runs, 22 doubles, 5 triples, 27 homers, 67 RBI, 30 steals, .261/.322/.526 slash, 144 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR for the Dutch team.

De Jong was back winning Silver Sluggers in 2023 (2B), 2025 (3B), and 2026 (3B). 2023 was his lone time as an MVP finalist, taking third by leading the conference with 395 total bases. 2025 had de Jong’s peak for homers (48), RBI (123) and runs (119). In August 2024, he committed to a seven-year, $184,800,000 extension with the Falcons. Frankfurt was almost always above .500 for the rest of the decade, but wouldn’t make the playoffs from 2023-29 despite his efforts.

2028 was his largest injury to date with a torn abdominal muscle in the fall. He was still solid in 2029, but was reduced to a part-time role in 2030 with 118 games and only 42 starts. Frankfurt got back to the playoffs at 100-62, but were a one-and-done wild card. The Falcons ended up voiding the team option year of de Jong’s deal, sending him to free agency at age 35.

His outspoken nature did cause some clashes with management at the end, which some suspect is why his #27 uniform wasn’t retired. For 2031, de Jong signed a three-year, $16,800,000 deal with Rome. He struggled in a limited role with 101 games, 34 starts, .666 OPS, 87 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. With a roster spot not guaranteed next year, de Jong retired that winter at age 36.

De Jong played 1967 games with 2127 hits, 1215 runs, 262 doubles, 217 triples, 438 home runs, 1199 RBI, 355 walks, 1469 strikeouts, 537 steals, .302/.336/.587 slash, 152 wRC+, and 80.4 WAR. He ranks 97^th in total bases (4137), 73^rd in triples, and 90^th in WAR for position players. De Jong had good marks for efficiency, but his totals weren’t exceptional. Although Frankfurt was always decent in his run, they also never had the big championship run with de Jong.

Many figured his resume was borderline, but de Jong was quite popular and had friends in high places. He debuted in 2037 at 62.0%, only narrowly missing the 66% requirement. De Jong dropped to 59.4% in 2038, then missed by the slimmest margin at 65.9% in 2039. He got across the line at 72.0% in 2040 to earn a fourth ballot induction as part of a three-man class for the European Baseball Federation.

Yesterday, 08:51 AM	#2726
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,182	2040 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 2) Jack McConnell – Starting Pitcher – Berlin Barons – 82.0% Third Ballot Jack McConnell was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Stenhousemuir, a town of just under 10,000 in Scotland’s Central Lowlands. McConnell’s biggest strength was having stellar pinpoint control for his entire career with excellent movement. This made up for having merely above average stuff with a peak velocity of 91-93 mph; among the lowest of any Hall of Famer you’ll find. McConnell’s arsenal was fastball, curveball, screwball, changeup, and splitter with an extreme groundball tendency. He had fantastic durability and pitched 200+ innings each year from 2017-34. McConnell’s stamina for going deep in games though was merely above average relative to most great aces. He was better than most at holding runners, but otherwise had unremarkable defensive stats. In April 2011, a teenaged McConnell left Scotland for Finland on a developmental deal with Helsinki. While in the academy, the Honkers were relegated to the European Second League after going 55-107 in 2013. McConnell spent about six years in training, debuting with two relief appearances in 2016. McConnell earned a full-time rotation spot from 2017 onward. It became clear he was better than most E2L talent right away, as he was second in both Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. He was second in POTY again in 2019 and won a Silver Slugger with a decent bat by pitcher standards. McConnell was the leader in wins for 2019 and in wins, ERA, and WAR in 2020. Helsinki had playoff trips in 2017 and 2019, but failed to advance out of the round robin. The Honkers in 2020 finally got to the conference finals, earning a promotion back to the EBF Elite Tier. In his four E2L seasons, McConnell had a 70-25 record, 2.06 ERA, 923 innings, 883 strikeouts, 196 walks, 159 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 27.9 WAR. He showed he could hang right away in the top level with back-to-back 7+ WAR seasons. Although they were back up, Helsinki had finished 80-82 and 73-89 upon their return. McConnell was grateful for his start there, but it was clear that he wasn’t likely to stick around once free agent eligible for 2024. Thus before the 2023 season, the Honkers traded McConnell to Rotterdam for two prospects. He correctly left the sinking ship, as Helsinki was an abysmal 54-108 the next year and demoted right back. In his one year with the Ravens, McConnell was second in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Northern Conference in FIP- (58) and WAR (8.8); both career bests in EBF. He also had a 2.79 ERA, 19-6 record, 242.1 innings, and 240 Ks. Rotterdam won their division at 110-52, but was denied the conference crown by 114-win Dublin, who was amidst a dynasty run. McConnell’s playoff debut in the top tier had a 2.89 ERA over 18.2 innings. McConnell did have tournament experience before that, as he represented his native Scotland from 2022-34 in the World Baseball Championship. Over 187 innings, he had a 14-8 record, 2.50 ERA, 186 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR. Despite his efforts, the Scots never secured a playoff berth. Now a free agent at age 29 for 2024, McConnell signed a seven-year, $163,800,000 deal with Berlin. His most famous run would be in the German capital. The Barons were competitive in his first six years with five winning seasons, but their lone playoff appearance was a wild card and second round exit in 2025. McConnell was second in 2024’s POTY voting, his only time as a finalist with Berlin. Still, his production was steady, consistent, and rock solid. 2030 was a breakthrough for the Barons, who took the Northern Conference’s top seed at 103-59. Berlin bested Nantes 4-2 in the final for their first pennant since 1998. The Barons then defeated Cluj-Napoca 4-2 to win their second-ever European Championship (1958). McConnell was critical in the playoff run, winning his four starts with a 1.50 ERA over 30 innings, 20 strikeouts, and 0.8 WAR. McConnell kept rolling into the Baseball Grand Championship, winning those four starts with a 1.91 ERA over 33 innings with 35 Ks and 1.6 WAR; taking third in Best Pitcher voting. Most importantly, Berlin finished 17-4 and became only the second European club to claim the Grand Champion honor. It was a hell of a way to cap off McConnell’s seven-year run with the Barons and forever made him a very popular figure in the German capital. For Berlin, McConnell finished with a 110-62 record, 3.05 ERA, 1713.2 innings, 1427 strikeouts, 191 walks, 72 complete games, 20 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 41.1 WAR. Back to free agency for 2031 at age 36, McConnell signed a two-year, $29,200,000 deal with Lyon. He was still steady with the Lords, posting a 2.91 ERA over 476 innings, 29-20 record, 347 Ks, 123 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 8.1 WAR. Lyon earned its first-ever playoff berth in the top tier in 2032, falling in the second round as a wild card. McConnell was back to free agency and surprisingly couldn’t find another European home despite his consistency and still excellent control. He ended up in Sudan on a three-year, $36 million deal with Khartoum of Arab League Baseball. McConnell was still reliable in his first two years, although he was surprisingly poor in three playoff starts with three defeats and a 6.87 ERA over 18.1 innings. The Cottonmouths lost in the 2033 Western Conference final and fell in the second round of 2034. In 2035, McConnell’s stuff and control plummeted and he was limited to only 44.1 innings. Overall in ALB, he had a 30-19 record, 3.61 ERA, 460.2 innings, 375 strikeouts, 67 walks, 120 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 7.9 WAR. He hoped to still pitch in 2036 somewhere in the world, but went unsigned all year and finally retired in the winter at age 42. The trouble for McConnell’s Hall of Fame candidacy is having only 12 seasons in the European Baseball Federation Elite Tier, as the four E2L seasons don’t count as major league. Adding the ALB seasons, his combined top-flight pro stats saw a 218-132 record, 3.45 ERA, 3384.2 innings, 2825 strikeouts, and 80.5 WAR. Just in EBF, he had a 188-113 record, 3.04 ERA, 2924 innings, 2450 strikeouts, 327 walks, 110 complete games, 27 shutouts, 127 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 72.6 WAR. Still, McConnell ranks 45^th in WAR among pitcher. However, he is 71^st in wins, 97^th in innings, 62^nd in complete games, 39^th in shutouts, and outside of the top 100 for strikeouts. His 1.01 BB/9 is notably 9^th among all pitchers with 1000+ innings and his rate stats overall are favorable compared to many other inductees. McConnell did have detractors though with the lower accumulations (strikeouts especially) and the lack of a POTY award or ERA title. His efficiency was a big plus for supporters, but the biggest thing in his favor was Berlin’s 2030 title run. McConnell was an absolute stud in that postseason run, pushing the Barons to not only the European Championship, but the Baseball Grand Championship. The lower tallies still kept him just barely out below the 66% threshold with 65.7% and 64.9% in his first two ballots. McConnell saw the big boost to 82.0% in 2040 for a third ballot spot into EBF’s Hall of Fame. Albert “Nervous” de Jong – Third/Second Base – Frankfurt Falcons – 72.0% Fourth Ballot Albert de Jong was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed third and second baseman from Middelharnis, a town of about 7,000 in the western Netherlands. Nicknamed “Nervous,” de Jong was a well-rounded batter at his peak with good-to-great marks for contact and power. His 162 game average got you 36 home runs, 22 doubles, and 18 triples for a steady dose of extra base hits. On the downside, he was subpar at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. De Jong was a bit better facing left-handed pitching (.964 OPS, 162 wRC+) but was plenty potent facing righties (.906 OPS, 147 wRC+). He was a highly skilled baserunner and clever thief with good speed. Defensively, de Jong saw just over half of his starts at third base, where he graded as a reliably solid glove. Most of his other starts were at second, where he was below average, but passable. High adaptability served him well over a 15 year career with mostly good marks for durability. De Jong was notably very outspoken, but wasn’t necessarily a troublemaker or malcontent. Many fans appreciated his candor and he was one of his era’s more popular players. As a teenager, he left the Netherlands in October 2013 on a developmental deal with Frankfurt. De Jong spent most of four years in their academy, officially debuting in 2017 with eight games. De Jong’s full-time debut came in 2018 with decent results. That year, the Falcons earned their first-ever playoff appearance in the EBF Elite Tier at 93-69 and had a surprise run to the Northern Conference Championship, falling 4-2 to Birmingham. De Jong had an impressive postseason with a 1.408 OPS and 0.9 WAR over 10 starts. By the next year, he had emerged as elite with his first of five straight seasons worth 7+ WAR and first of nine straight worth 5+. His first Silver Slugger wins came in 2019 (3B) and 2020 (2B). He was the conference WARlord at 9.7 in 2020, which would be a career best as was his 175 wRC+, .331 average, .368 OBP, and 1.009 OPS. Frankfurt won division titles both years, but couldn’t advance beyond round two. They missed the cut in 2021, then had a wild card and first round exit in 2022. Although he was a star in Germany, de Jong did regularly represent the Netherlands in the World Baseball Championship from 2019-31. He played 113 games with 111 hits, 54 runs, 22 doubles, 5 triples, 27 homers, 67 RBI, 30 steals, .261/.322/.526 slash, 144 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR for the Dutch team. De Jong was back winning Silver Sluggers in 2023 (2B), 2025 (3B), and 2026 (3B). 2023 was his lone time as an MVP finalist, taking third by leading the conference with 395 total bases. 2025 had de Jong’s peak for homers (48), RBI (123) and runs (119). In August 2024, he committed to a seven-year, $184,800,000 extension with the Falcons. Frankfurt was almost always above .500 for the rest of the decade, but wouldn’t make the playoffs from 2023-29 despite his efforts. 2028 was his largest injury to date with a torn abdominal muscle in the fall. He was still solid in 2029, but was reduced to a part-time role in 2030 with 118 games and only 42 starts. Frankfurt got back to the playoffs at 100-62, but were a one-and-done wild card. The Falcons ended up voiding the team option year of de Jong’s deal, sending him to free agency at age 35. His outspoken nature did cause some clashes with management at the end, which some suspect is why his #27 uniform wasn’t retired. For 2031, de Jong signed a three-year, $16,800,000 deal with Rome. He struggled in a limited role with 101 games, 34 starts, .666 OPS, 87 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. With a roster spot not guaranteed next year, de Jong retired that winter at age 36. De Jong played 1967 games with 2127 hits, 1215 runs, 262 doubles, 217 triples, 438 home runs, 1199 RBI, 355 walks, 1469 strikeouts, 537 steals, .302/.336/.587 slash, 152 wRC+, and 80.4 WAR. He ranks 97^th in total bases (4137), 73^rd in triples, and 90^th in WAR for position players. De Jong had good marks for efficiency, but his totals weren’t exceptional. Although Frankfurt was always decent in his run, they also never had the big championship run with de Jong. Many figured his resume was borderline, but de Jong was quite popular and had friends in high places. He debuted in 2037 at 62.0%, only narrowly missing the 66% requirement. De Jong dropped to 59.4% in 2038, then missed by the slimmest margin at 65.9% in 2039. He got across the line at 72.0% in 2040 to earn a fourth ballot induction as part of a three-man class for the European Baseball Federation. __________________ 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)