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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-15-2026, 08:57 AM

Boyu Chen – Starting Pitcher – Jinan Jumbos – 78.3% First Ballot

Boyu Chen was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Longjing, a city of around 178,000 on the border with North Korea. Chen had stellar control and strong stuff with average movement. His fastball reached 98-100 mph, but his changeup and forkball were his most dangerous offerings. Chen also had a slider and curveball in the arsenal.

Relative to most CLB starters, his stamina was below average. Major injuries also severely limited Chen’s career with only seven seasons above 200 innings. Chen did have good grades for defense and holding runners. He was highly intelligent and appreciated for his loyalty and selflessness. Chen’s pro career began with a developmental deal signed in May 2020 with Jinan. He spent around six years in their academy before debuting in 2025 at age 21.

Chen looked promising as a part-time starter in 2025, although he struggled in his one playoff start. Jinan ended an eight-year playoff drought, but lost in the round robin. Chen was a full-time starter and ace after that, taking second in 2027’s Pitcher of the Year voting. That year, he won an ERA title (2.11) and led with a career-best 324 strikeouts.

Jinan had the top record in the Northern League in 2027 at 98-64, but lost again in the round robin with Chen struggling in two appearances. Little did he know, that would be the last time he pitched in the postseason. He did see limited use in the World Baseball Championship for China from 2032-36 with a 2.81 ERA over 51.1 innings, 64 strikeouts, 133 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR.

Chen was merely above average in 2028, then had his first major injury in his second start of 2029 with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He made it back for part of 2030, but suffered a torn rotator cuff that August. That year, Jinan won the China Series at 102-60 to give Chen a ring, although he had to watch wearing a sling. The Jumbos would be just outside of the playoffs for the rest of his tenure.

In 2031, Chen had a remarkable comeback season and led with 9.2 WAR, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He signed a four-year, $79,700,000 extension in August 2032. Chen won his first POTY in 2032 with an ERA title, his career-best at 1.75. He repeated in 2033 with another ERA title (1.79) along with a career-best 0.75 WHIP, 27.5 K/BB, and 26 quality starts. 2033 also had his lone no-hitter on August 9 against Xi’an with 12 strikeouts and two walks.

After a solid 2034, Chen developed a bone spur in his elbow in July 2035 that ended his season. Then in the 2036 WBC in January, he suffered a second torn UCL. This one was more catastrophic with a 16-17 month recovery time. It effectively ended his Jinan run as he missed the entire 2036 season with his contract expiring that winter.

Chen was a free agent for the first time at age 33, but he and many teams across baseball were hopefully he could recover. He ended up signing with MLB’s Detroit Tigers to a five-year, $113 million contract. Chen was ready to go by June 2037 with his first rehab innings in minor league Lansing. Unfortunately, he quickly developed bone chips in the elbow, ending his season before he could debut with the big league club.

He finally made his MLB debut in 2038 with seven starts, posting a 4.13 ERA over 52.1 innings, 38 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. Unfortunately in late April, Chen tore his rotator cuff with another 14 months of recovery. He made it back in 2039 with four starts, 19 innings, a 2.84 ERA, 11 Ks, and 0.0 WAR. Chen suffered a torn triceps in the summer that again ended his season. Frustrated by his body’s breakdown, he retired that winter just after his 36^th birthday. He only made 11 starts total for Detroit.

In CLB with Jinan, Chen had a 126-74 record, 2.17 ERA, 1996.1 innings, 2325 strikeouts, 186 walks, 193/246 quality starts, 73 complete games, 25 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 57.5 WAR. Chen ranks 90^th in strikeouts and 52^nd in pitching WAR, but misses the other top 100s for counting stats. His 0.84 WHIP is 36^th among all pitchers with 1000+ innings and his 0.84 BB/9 is 2^nd.

Some Hall of Fame voters were leery of the low totals and weak playoff stats in the small sample size. However, most were sympathetic to his injury plight. Few guys have two Pitcher of the Year awards and three ERA titles to their name. Chen was undoubtedly elite when healthy, which earned him 78.3% and a first ballot induction as part of Chinese League Baseball’s 2041 class.

Dalong Li – Starting Pitcher – Hong Kong Champions – 73.9% Seventh Ballot

Dalong Li was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Ningbo, a prefecture-level city of 9.6 million on the East China Sea. Li was known for excellent movement on his pitches along with above average stuff and control. His fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range, but his strongest pitches were his forkball and splitter. Li also had a slider as a fourth option.

His stamina was subpar relative to most CLB starters, but his durability was excellent so you still would get a full slate of reliable innings. Li had an excellent pickoff move and had good grades for holding runners and defense. He was a scrappy sparkplug type with an impressive work ethic along with strong loyalty and adaptability.

Li was a top prospect for the 2014 CLB Draft and went sixth overall to Hong Kong. He had mixed results as a part-time starter in his rookie year, then got a full-time rotation spot after that. It took a few years for Li to emerge as a proper ace, breaking through in his sixth season. Hong Kong broke through with a six-year playoff streak beginning in 2018.

The Champions weren’t the top seed in either 2018 or 2019, but both years they knocked off Foshan in the semifinal en route to a China Series trip. They were swept in 2018 by Nanjing, but claimed the CLB crown 4-1 over Changchun in 2019. Li provided steady innings with a 2.63 ERA in 2018 over 27.1 and 3.00 ERA over 21 in 2019 for a combined 0.6 WAR. In the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship, Li had a 4.01 ERA over 24.2 innings, 27 Ks, and 0.6 WAR as HK finished 8-11.

He won an ERA title in 2020 with career bests for ERA (1.49), and WHIP (0.77), earning Pitcher of the Year. This was the break in Hong Kong’s dynasty with a round robin loss. Li repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2021 with league and career bests for wins (20-6) and WAR (7.7). The Champions outlasted Guangzhou 4-3 in the semifinal, but got swept in the China Series by Nanjing.

After the 2021 season, Li signed a four-year, $44,700,000 extension with Hong Kong. He won repeat ERA titles in 2022-23, taking second in Pitcher of the Year both seasons. Hong Kong topped Foshan 4-2 in the 2021 semifinal, then topped Urumqi 4-1 in the China Series. This was probably Li’s best playoff run with a 2.45 ERA over 29.1 innings, 28 strikeouts, and 0.7 WAR. The Champions went 7-12 in the BGC with Li posting a 3.21 ERA over 28 innings, 33 Ks, and 0.7 WAR.

Hong Kong fell in the 2023 round robin to conclude their dynasty run, then spent the next six years at the bottom of the standings. Li’s playoff stats were a mixed bag with a subpar 91 ERA+, but good 80 FIP-. He had a 7-4 record and 3 saves, 3.12 ERA, 129.2 innings, 123 Ks, and 3.0 WAR. Li’s role in the dynasty helped get his #59 uniform eventually retired.

As the Champions fell off, so did Li in his last two seasons, including a league-worst 19 losses in 2024. He became a free agent after the 2025 season and started looking worldwide for his next gig at age 34. Li ultimately left China and ended up in the European Baseball Federation on a five-year, $31 million deal with Seville.

With his stamina issues, the Stingrays used Li as reliever in his first two years with mixed results. Li returned to starting in the next two years in a part-time role, finishing his four-year tenure with a 21-21 record, 18 saves, 2.99 ERA, 463.2 innings, 348 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, 101 FIP-, and 4.1 WAR. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year of the contract, becoming a free agent again at age 38.

Li bounced around for his final four seasons in a sporadic split between starting, opening, and relief. He spent 2030 with Cluj-Napoca and 2031 with Brno. Li started 2032 with Sarajevo but struggled, getting traded to the European Second League’s Nottingham.

He was back in the EBF Elite in 2033 with Belgrade, but only tossed 18.1 innings. Li was under contract in 2034 with Zurich but never was used, eventually retiring that winter at age 42. Overall in EBF, Li had a 24-36 record, 19 saves, 3.33 ERA, 654.2 innings, 466 strikeouts, 174 walks, 111 ERA+, 102 FIP-, and 5.8 WAR.

In CLB with Hong Kong, Li had a 158-109 record, 2.23 ERA, 2498.2 innings, 2342 strikeouts, 550 walks, 265/338 quality starts, 29 complete games, 10 shutouts, 123 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 50.5 WAR. Li ranks 24^th in wins, 42^nd in innings, 86^th in strikeouts, and 84^th in pitching WAR. His Hall of Fame case was a tough sell for several voters as his grand totals weren’t overwhelmingly strong. Li also lost some ground for his forgettable final years in Europe.

In his favor were two Pitcher of the Year awards, three ERA titles, and a role in a dynasty run with Hong Kong that had four China Series trips and two titles. Li debuted at 59.8% in 2035 and bottomed out at 56.9% the next year. He just couldn’t cross that 66% requirement with 60.5%, 59.6%, 63.3%, and 59.9% in the next six years.

Perhaps helping Li’s cause for his seventh try in 2041 was sharing the ballot with Boyu Chen. Although Chen was more dominant, he similarly had relatively low totals, two POTY wins, and three ERA titles. More voters felt Chen was an obvious first ballot guy and comparing Li’s resume made Li stand out a bit more as deserving. This time, Li earned 73.9% for the seventh ballot nod to cap off a three-man 2041 class for Chinese League Baseball.

04-15-2026, 08:57 AM	#2809
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,456	2041 CLB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Boyu Chen – Starting Pitcher – Jinan Jumbos – 78.3% First Ballot Boyu Chen was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Longjing, a city of around 178,000 on the border with North Korea. Chen had stellar control and strong stuff with average movement. His fastball reached 98-100 mph, but his changeup and forkball were his most dangerous offerings. Chen also had a slider and curveball in the arsenal. Relative to most CLB starters, his stamina was below average. Major injuries also severely limited Chen’s career with only seven seasons above 200 innings. Chen did have good grades for defense and holding runners. He was highly intelligent and appreciated for his loyalty and selflessness. Chen’s pro career began with a developmental deal signed in May 2020 with Jinan. He spent around six years in their academy before debuting in 2025 at age 21. Chen looked promising as a part-time starter in 2025, although he struggled in his one playoff start. Jinan ended an eight-year playoff drought, but lost in the round robin. Chen was a full-time starter and ace after that, taking second in 2027’s Pitcher of the Year voting. That year, he won an ERA title (2.11) and led with a career-best 324 strikeouts. Jinan had the top record in the Northern League in 2027 at 98-64, but lost again in the round robin with Chen struggling in two appearances. Little did he know, that would be the last time he pitched in the postseason. He did see limited use in the World Baseball Championship for China from 2032-36 with a 2.81 ERA over 51.1 innings, 64 strikeouts, 133 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. Chen was merely above average in 2028, then had his first major injury in his second start of 2029 with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He made it back for part of 2030, but suffered a torn rotator cuff that August. That year, Jinan won the China Series at 102-60 to give Chen a ring, although he had to watch wearing a sling. The Jumbos would be just outside of the playoffs for the rest of his tenure. In 2031, Chen had a remarkable comeback season and led with 9.2 WAR, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He signed a four-year, $79,700,000 extension in August 2032. Chen won his first POTY in 2032 with an ERA title, his career-best at 1.75. He repeated in 2033 with another ERA title (1.79) along with a career-best 0.75 WHIP, 27.5 K/BB, and 26 quality starts. 2033 also had his lone no-hitter on August 9 against Xi’an with 12 strikeouts and two walks. After a solid 2034, Chen developed a bone spur in his elbow in July 2035 that ended his season. Then in the 2036 WBC in January, he suffered a second torn UCL. This one was more catastrophic with a 16-17 month recovery time. It effectively ended his Jinan run as he missed the entire 2036 season with his contract expiring that winter. Chen was a free agent for the first time at age 33, but he and many teams across baseball were hopefully he could recover. He ended up signing with MLB’s Detroit Tigers to a five-year, $113 million contract. Chen was ready to go by June 2037 with his first rehab innings in minor league Lansing. Unfortunately, he quickly developed bone chips in the elbow, ending his season before he could debut with the big league club. He finally made his MLB debut in 2038 with seven starts, posting a 4.13 ERA over 52.1 innings, 38 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. Unfortunately in late April, Chen tore his rotator cuff with another 14 months of recovery. He made it back in 2039 with four starts, 19 innings, a 2.84 ERA, 11 Ks, and 0.0 WAR. Chen suffered a torn triceps in the summer that again ended his season. Frustrated by his body’s breakdown, he retired that winter just after his 36^th birthday. He only made 11 starts total for Detroit. In CLB with Jinan, Chen had a 126-74 record, 2.17 ERA, 1996.1 innings, 2325 strikeouts, 186 walks, 193/246 quality starts, 73 complete games, 25 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 57.5 WAR. Chen ranks 90^th in strikeouts and 52^nd in pitching WAR, but misses the other top 100s for counting stats. His 0.84 WHIP is 36^th among all pitchers with 1000+ innings and his 0.84 BB/9 is 2^nd. Some Hall of Fame voters were leery of the low totals and weak playoff stats in the small sample size. However, most were sympathetic to his injury plight. Few guys have two Pitcher of the Year awards and three ERA titles to their name. Chen was undoubtedly elite when healthy, which earned him 78.3% and a first ballot induction as part of Chinese League Baseball’s 2041 class. Dalong Li – Starting Pitcher – Hong Kong Champions – 73.9% Seventh Ballot Dalong Li was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Ningbo, a prefecture-level city of 9.6 million on the East China Sea. Li was known for excellent movement on his pitches along with above average stuff and control. His fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range, but his strongest pitches were his forkball and splitter. Li also had a slider as a fourth option. His stamina was subpar relative to most CLB starters, but his durability was excellent so you still would get a full slate of reliable innings. Li had an excellent pickoff move and had good grades for holding runners and defense. He was a scrappy sparkplug type with an impressive work ethic along with strong loyalty and adaptability. Li was a top prospect for the 2014 CLB Draft and went sixth overall to Hong Kong. He had mixed results as a part-time starter in his rookie year, then got a full-time rotation spot after that. It took a few years for Li to emerge as a proper ace, breaking through in his sixth season. Hong Kong broke through with a six-year playoff streak beginning in 2018. The Champions weren’t the top seed in either 2018 or 2019, but both years they knocked off Foshan in the semifinal en route to a China Series trip. They were swept in 2018 by Nanjing, but claimed the CLB crown 4-1 over Changchun in 2019. Li provided steady innings with a 2.63 ERA in 2018 over 27.1 and 3.00 ERA over 21 in 2019 for a combined 0.6 WAR. In the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship, Li had a 4.01 ERA over 24.2 innings, 27 Ks, and 0.6 WAR as HK finished 8-11. He won an ERA title in 2020 with career bests for ERA (1.49), and WHIP (0.77), earning Pitcher of the Year. This was the break in Hong Kong’s dynasty with a round robin loss. Li repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2021 with league and career bests for wins (20-6) and WAR (7.7). The Champions outlasted Guangzhou 4-3 in the semifinal, but got swept in the China Series by Nanjing. After the 2021 season, Li signed a four-year, $44,700,000 extension with Hong Kong. He won repeat ERA titles in 2022-23, taking second in Pitcher of the Year both seasons. Hong Kong topped Foshan 4-2 in the 2021 semifinal, then topped Urumqi 4-1 in the China Series. This was probably Li’s best playoff run with a 2.45 ERA over 29.1 innings, 28 strikeouts, and 0.7 WAR. The Champions went 7-12 in the BGC with Li posting a 3.21 ERA over 28 innings, 33 Ks, and 0.7 WAR. Hong Kong fell in the 2023 round robin to conclude their dynasty run, then spent the next six years at the bottom of the standings. Li’s playoff stats were a mixed bag with a subpar 91 ERA+, but good 80 FIP-. He had a 7-4 record and 3 saves, 3.12 ERA, 129.2 innings, 123 Ks, and 3.0 WAR. Li’s role in the dynasty helped get his #59 uniform eventually retired. As the Champions fell off, so did Li in his last two seasons, including a league-worst 19 losses in 2024. He became a free agent after the 2025 season and started looking worldwide for his next gig at age 34. Li ultimately left China and ended up in the European Baseball Federation on a five-year, $31 million deal with Seville. With his stamina issues, the Stingrays used Li as reliever in his first two years with mixed results. Li returned to starting in the next two years in a part-time role, finishing his four-year tenure with a 21-21 record, 18 saves, 2.99 ERA, 463.2 innings, 348 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, 101 FIP-, and 4.1 WAR. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year of the contract, becoming a free agent again at age 38. Li bounced around for his final four seasons in a sporadic split between starting, opening, and relief. He spent 2030 with Cluj-Napoca and 2031 with Brno. Li started 2032 with Sarajevo but struggled, getting traded to the European Second League’s Nottingham. He was back in the EBF Elite in 2033 with Belgrade, but only tossed 18.1 innings. Li was under contract in 2034 with Zurich but never was used, eventually retiring that winter at age 42. Overall in EBF, Li had a 24-36 record, 19 saves, 3.33 ERA, 654.2 innings, 466 strikeouts, 174 walks, 111 ERA+, 102 FIP-, and 5.8 WAR. In CLB with Hong Kong, Li had a 158-109 record, 2.23 ERA, 2498.2 innings, 2342 strikeouts, 550 walks, 265/338 quality starts, 29 complete games, 10 shutouts, 123 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 50.5 WAR. Li ranks 24^th in wins, 42^nd in innings, 86^th in strikeouts, and 84^th in pitching WAR. His Hall of Fame case was a tough sell for several voters as his grand totals weren’t overwhelmingly strong. Li also lost some ground for his forgettable final years in Europe. In his favor were two Pitcher of the Year awards, three ERA titles, and a role in a dynasty run with Hong Kong that had four China Series trips and two titles. Li debuted at 59.8% in 2035 and bottomed out at 56.9% the next year. He just couldn’t cross that 66% requirement with 60.5%, 59.6%, 63.3%, and 59.9% in the next six years. Perhaps helping Li’s cause for his seventh try in 2041 was sharing the ballot with Boyu Chen. Although Chen was more dominant, he similarly had relatively low totals, two POTY wins, and three ERA titles. More voters felt Chen was an obvious first ballot guy and comparing Li’s resume made Li stand out a bit more as deserving. This time, Li earned 73.9% for the seventh ballot nod to cap off a three-man 2041 class for Chinese League Baseball. __________________ 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)