[FuzzyRussianHat]

Three were inducted for South Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2041, captained by 2B/SS Agnisika Dhavita at 93.5%. CL Raj Bhaskar also got the first ballot nod, but only narrowly breached the 66% requirement at 70.9%. Fellow reliever Zulfiker Uddin also made the cut at 67.0% in his third ballot. Three others were above 50% with CF Pyae Sin Nyo at 58.2% on his second try, 2B Shivansh Mahapatra at 55.2% for his fifth go, and 3B Jay Prasad with a debut at 51.0%.



Dropped after ten ballots was 1B Rochana Sanson, who debuted and peaked at 49.3% and ended at 36.0%. He won three Silver Sluggers in a 17 year career and won two SAB titles with Yangon. Sanson played 2281 games with 2213 hits, 1161 runs, 360 doubles, 585 homers, 1457 RBI, 472 walks, 1757 strikeouts, .289/.334/.573 slash, 149 wRC+, and 63.4 WAR. Despite a solid resume, 1B is a crowded position and Sanson falls outside the top 100 for WAR among position players.

Also removed after ten failed ballots was SP Arjay Mohan who peaked at 35.3% and ended at only 4.2%. In a 15-year career, he won Pitcher of the Year in 2017 and twice led in strikeouts and WAR. Mohan had a 135-123 record, 3.26 ERA, 2416.2 innings, 3243 strikeouts, 505 walks, 112 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 57.8 WAR. He was elite in his 20s but fell off hard in his 30s, although he still ranks 35^th in strikeouts and 37^th in pitching WAR. Mohan needed a few more decent years to get across the line.



Agnisika “Bones” Dhavita – Second Base/Shortstop – Surat Silver Sox – 93.5% First Ballot

Agnisika Dhavita was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed middle infielder from Koyampattur, a city of around 1.6 million in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state. Nicknamed “Bones,” Dhavita was a leadoff man who had very good contact skills along with an excellent eye for walks and avoiding strikeouts. He gave you similar results facing lefties or righties. Dhavita was also highly skilled baserunner with solid speed. He didn’t have much power but could still find the gap with a 162 game average of 30 doubles, 13 triples, and 8 home runs.

Dhavita’s main downside was the lack of range defensively. He was a shortstop primarily in his initial years but was abysmal there. Dhavita moved to second base more regularly and was still mediocre, but less problematic. Around 70% of his starts were in the middle infield with some limited use at first base (with okay results) and center field (with lousy results). Dhavita was a likeable guy, but his work ethic and adaptability were lacking. He had his share of injuries but held on for a 22-year career.

By the time his college career was over for the 2013 SAB Draft, Dhavita was at the top of many prospect lists. He went #1 to Surat, but had a limited role as a rookie as he struggled over 103 games and 12 starts. Dhavita got the full-time gig the next year and fared better. He eventually was the top bat at shortstop for the Indian League with Silver Sluggers from 2016-19. In April 2017, the Silver Sox gave Dhavita a five-year, $24,100,000 extension.

In 2019, Dhavita won his first batting title with a career-best .382 average and led with a .445 OBP. This year also had his best slugging (.590), OPS (1.035), and wRC+ (196). Despite his efforts, Surat remained a terrible franchise. The Silver Sox had a playoff drought back to 1990 and rarely had a winning season in the drought. Surat did finish 84-78 in 2018, their only winning season from 2012-27.

Dhavita’s first major injury came in 2020 with a fractured thumb that kept him out the entire spring. That winter, he opted out of his deal with Surat as the Silver Sox were going nowhere fast. A free agent at age 28, Dhavita signed an eight-year, $72 million deal with Da Nang. The Nailers had just posted their best-ever season at 105-57, although they were one-and-done in the playoffs.

While Dhavita was now playing in Vietnam, he remained a regular for his native India in the World Baseball Championship. He started from 2017-27 and was a backup in 2028-30 and 33. Over 134 games, Dhavita had 136 hits, 69 runs, 17 doubles, 9 triples, 9 homers, 35 RBI, 79 walks, 75 steals, .289/.397/.420 slash, 136 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR. He was notably a starter for India’s fourth place finish in 2025. He was also rostered for their fourth in 2028 and third in 2030.

Dhavita’s Da Nang debut was his best season with career and Southeast Asia League bests for runs (124), hits (217), and WAR (8.3). He also led in average and OBP while getting his high 46 doubles. Dhavita won his final Silver Slugger at SS and was second in MVP voting. He also hit for the cycle in August against Dhaka. The Nailers won the division at 96-66 and made it to the LCS, getting upset 4-2 by 87-win Dhaka.

Da Nang finished 96-66 again in 2022, but fell two wins short of the wild card and three shy of the division title. Dhavita missed more than two months between a fractured finger and torn hamstring. He was back healthy in 2023 and won his first Silver Slugger playing second base. Dhavita had a 27-game hitting streak in the fall and was the MVP runner-up, leading in WAR, average, and OBP.

The Nailers won the division at 101-61, but lost the SEAL final 4-3 to 108-win Dhaka. In his 21 playoff games for Da Nang, Dhavita was solid with 28 hits, 10 runs, 5 doubles, 3 homers, 12 RBI, 11 steals, .886 OPS, 138 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR. They had a wild card and first round exit in 2024, but a bone marrow edema in his wrist kept Dhavita out in the final weeks. The Nailers stayed above .500 the next two years but were outside the playoffs.

Dhavita won another batting title in 2025 and led in OBP in 2025, 26, and 27. He won Silver Sluggers each year, giving him nine overall and four at second base. For Da Nang, Dhavita played 994 games, 1281 hits, 680 runs, 205 doubles,, 94 triples, 56 home runs, 507 RBI, 506 walks, 433 steals, .350/.430/.504 slash, 149 wRC+, and 41.2 WAR. It was his most impressive tenure, but he played a few more games with Surat and was inducted in the Silver Sox hat. Still, he’s generally remembered fondly by Nailers fans.

With one year left on his eight-year deal, Da Nang traded the 36-year old Dhavita to Kanpur for a five prospect haul. One of them, SS Syed Ahmed, did go onto become a decent starter. Dhavita missed some time to a fractured tibia in 2028 for the Poison and struggled in a part-time role. He played 111 games, started 57, and had a .724 OPS, 113 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR.

A free agent for 2029, Dhavita signed a conditional two-year, $15,200,000 deal with Jaipur. He was only a part-time starter, but his bat returned to strong levels with a .968 OPS, 172 wRC+, and 3.9 WAR over 113 games and 72 starts. The Jokers were a wild card with a first round exit. Dhavita didn’t meet the criteria for the second year of the deal. For 2030, he signed a two-year, $14,400,000 deal with Rajshahi, one of the expansion teams starting play that year.

Dhavita was a full-time starter for the Red Pandas with unremarkable results on a .733 OPS, 100 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. In January 2031, he was traded to Ho Chi Minh City for two prospects. Dhavita was okay over 111 games for the Hedgehogs, who were on a division title streak. They finished 102-60, but got upset in the first round by Yangon. HCMC liked Dhavita enough to give him a two-year, $11,600,000 extension.

In 2032, Dhavita recaptured some old magic at age 40 with a .954 OPS, 157 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR; earning his 11^th Silver Slugger overall and fifth at second base. He signed a new two-year, $21 million extension that winter. Ho Chi Minh City would win 104 and 106 games in 2032-33, but lost in the divisional series both years. Dhavita had good playoff numbers in the small 14 game sample size with 20 hits, 11 runs, .975 OPS, 161 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR. He missed much of 2033 to injury, most notably a strained groin.

In three seasons for the Hedgehogs, Dhavita played 283 games with 330 hits, 186 runs, 57 doubles, 12 triples, 11 homers, 121 RBI, 144 walks .328/.415/.442 slash, 131 wRC+, and 3.9 WAR. Hanoi signed him for 2034 and his missed three months to a dislocated shoulder. Dhavita got his 3000^th career hit and still could bat with a .886 OPS, .343 average, 141 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR over 90 games.

For 2035, Dhavita went back where he began for one final season with Surat, posting 1.7 WAR and 101 wRC+ over 152 games. Between stints with the Silver Sox, Dhavita had 1082 games, 1131 hits, 530 runs, 185 doubles, 85 triples, 65 homers, 412 RBI, 402 walks, 393 steals, .314/.385/.467 slash, 149 wRC+, and 30.2 WAR. He was generally popular from the previous stint and Surat honored him by retiring his #16 uniform after he called it quits that winter at age 43.

Dhavita played 2830 games with 3200 hits, 1630 runs, 518 doubles, 224 triples, 140 home runs, 1227 RBI, 1275 walks, 1231 strikeouts, 1012 stolen bases, 516 caught stealing, 4586 total bases, .328/.407/.470 slash, .877 OPS, 144 wRC+, and 86.9 WAR. He ranks 8^th in games played, 13^th in runs, 7^th in hits, 40^th in total bases, 4^th in singles (2318), 39^th in doubles, 6^th in triples, 77^th in RBI, 13^th in steals, 3^rd in caught stealing, 6^th in walks, and 38^th in WAR for position players.

Among SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Dhavita ranks 28^th in batting average and 6^th in on-base percentage. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Dhavita is tied for 21^st in OBP. Few guys could get on base like Dhavita, although his lack of power and poor defense does keep him from the true inner-circle despite his hit tally. He was a clear first ballot selection though and captained South Asia Baseball’s three-player 2041 class with 93.5%.