OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 06-07-2026, 07:06 AM

Cong Bui – Right Field – Surat Silver Sox – 85.2% First Ballot

Cong Bui was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from the largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. Bui was known for being an especially strong hitter facing right-handed pitching with a career .983 OPS and 169 wRC+. Facing lefties, he was below average with .690 OPS and 93 wRC+. On the whole, he graded as a good contact hitter with reliable power. Bui’s 162 game average got you 37 home runs, 36 doubles, and 2 triples. He was okay at drawing walks, but did struggle with strikeouts.

Bui’s baserunning instincts and skill was actually quite good, but he was limited by abysmal speed. He was a career right fielder with weak defensive metrics, although you could do worse. Bui’s durability was excellent as he played 149+ games each year from 2020-34. His talent was undeniable, but some peers felt he was self-centered and greedy.

In June 2015, Bui left Vietnam for India on a developmental deal with Surat. He debuted in 2019 at age 20 with 108 games and 13 starts. Bui was a full-timer after that and a starter for the next 15 years. He wasn’t a league leader with the Silver Sox, but he was a reliable starter for five seasons. By 2024, he had a 7.0 WAR season and posted his career high 46 home runs.

However, Bui couldn’t fix thing for the perennially awful Surat, who had a playoff drought back to 1990. The Silver Sox never posted a winning record during Bui’s tenure and he wasn’t shy about wanting to leave and cash in once able. With a year left under team control, Surat traded Bui in February 2025 to Da Nang for 3B Tristan Boisson and RF Wai Yin Oo.

With Surat, Bui played 893 games with 870 hits, 427 runs, 170 doubles, 188 home runs, 455 RBI, .303/.351/.567 slash, 168 wRC+, and 27.4 WAR. This was narrowly his longest tenure and he was inducted as a Silver Sox player, although Bui isn’t remembered as a franchise icon. In his one year with Da Nang, Bui had a career-best 7.4 WAR and led the Southeast Asia League with a career-best 144 RBI. He also had his bests for runs (105), hits (201), triple slash (.341/.394/.639) and OPS (1.033).

Bui won his first Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. Da Nang missed the playoffs at 83-79, but the season served its purpose in boosting Bui’s profile entering free agency heading towards his age 27 season. He went back to the Indian League on an eight-year, $122,200,000 deal with Jaipur.

Although his return to Vietnam was brief, Bui did remain a regular for his country’s squad in the World Baseball Championship. He was on the roster from 2020-33, but wasn’t always a starter with 115 games and 59 starts. Bui had 59 hits, 39 runs, 10 doubles, 18 home runs, 44 RBI, .216/.296/.451 slash, 120 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR.

For Jaipur, Bui won Silver Sluggers in 2027 and 2028 and put up steady production of around 5.5 to 7 WAR per season over five years. 2029 had his career high 52 doubles, a league best. The Jokers tied their franchise record in 2027 at 106-56, but were upset in the first round by Ahmedabad.

Jaipur was a 92-70 division champ the next year, but upset 110-win Visakhapatnam in the first round. They took the 110-win Animals to the brink in the ILCS, but lost 4-3. Bui notably had a huge playoff run with 25 hits, 12 runs, 7 doubles, 5 homers, 16 RBI, 1.321 OPS, 303 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. Even in defeat, this earned him the ILCS MVP. The Jokers were a wild card with a first round exit in 2029, then missed the playoffs in 2030.

With his consistent performance, Bui opted out of his Jaipur deal with three years left in search of a bigger payday. In 780 games, he had 897 hits, 471 runs, 214 doubles, 193 homers, 550 RBI, .314/.360/.599 slash, 168 wRC+, and 30.7 WAR. It was certainly Bui’s most impactful tenure. His bet didn’t pay off as no team was willing to give him anywhere close to the same money. Bui signed a four-year, $18,560,000 total deal with Dhaka after previously making $15,800,000 anually with the Jokers.

Bui wasn’t bad with the Dobermans, but he settled into being a 3.5 WAR guy with his average dipping and worse results against lefties. He was middling overall in 17 playoff games with .818 OPS, 112 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. Dhaka had the top seed in 2033 at 108-54, but lost to Yangon in the LCS. After a miss in 2032, they returned to the playoffs in 2033-34 but failed to get beyond the divisional stage. For the Dobermans, Bui played 620 games with 632 hits, 346 runs, 121 doubles, 156 home runs, 417 RBI, .286.329/.562 slash, 129 wRC+, and 13.7 WAR.

Coming up on age 36, Bui was a free agent for 2035 and began a second run with Da Nang on a three-year, $13,680,000 deal. A strained rib cage muscle kept him out part of 2035 with average production when healthy, but he did join the 600 home run club. Bui was a platoon starter in 2036 with below average results and retired that winter at age 37. Between stints with the Nailers, Bui played 391 games with 397 hits, 215 runs, 89 doubles, 77 home runs, 255 RBI, .300/.350/.554 slash, 131 wRC+, and 9.1 WAR.

Overall, Bui played 2684 games with 2796 hits, 1459 runs, 594 doubles, 40 triples, 614 home runs, 1677 RBI, 606 walks, 2171 strikeouts, 5312 total bases, .302/.348/.574 slash, 153 wRC+, and 80.8 WAR. Bui ranks 19^th in games, 33^rd in runs, 22^nd in hits, 17^th in total bases, 12^th in doubles, 20^th in homers,, 18^th in RBI, 40^th in strikeouts, and 51^st in WAR for position players. He is 66^th in slugging among batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his .922 OPS is 70^th.

Bui was a bit of a mercenary who never had the big signature dominant season or run, which will keep him out of the inner-circle conversations. But he was a consistent power bat over an 18-year career and met plenty of milestones to earn a solid first ballot Hall of Fame induction. Bui received 85.2% as one of three outfielders in South Asia Baseball’s 2042 class.

Alfonso Giraldes – Left Field/First Base – Hai Phong Prowlers – 83.4% First Ballot

Alfonso Giraldes was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder and first baseman from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Against right-handed pitching, Giraldes was a rock solid contact and power hitter with a career .994 OPS and 169 wRC+. He was still good against lefties with a .829 OPS and 131 wRC+. His 162 game average got you a steady 40 home runs, 30 doubles, and 7 triples. Giraldes was above average at drawing walks, but middling for strikeouts.

Early in his career, Giraldes was quite quick, but injuries dropped his speed into the average-to-below average range. He was known as an adept and skilled baserunner throughout. Giraldes had a 19-year run, but he physically was a wreck for much of it. He primarily was a left fielder with below average defense, then moved to first base in his later years with average results. Giraldes’ biggest downside perhaps was a selfish and lazy personality which rubbed many teammates and coaches the wrong way.

Giraldes was the first Filipino inductee into SAB’s Hall of Fame. Most stayed in the Austronesia Professional Baseball sphere, but some Filipinos went to the neighboring Asian leagues or the Oceania Baseball Association. Living in Manila made Giraldes a high-profile prospect for international scouts. One of them convinced him to come to Vietnam with Hai Phong in August 2014 on a developmental deal. The Prowlers were still a fairly new expansion franchise that had debuted in 2008.

Although he didn’t play in APB, Giraldes was still a regular for the Philippines in the World Baseball Championship. From 2022-37, he played 130 games with 93 hits, 71 runs, 18 doubles, 28 homers, 72 RBI, .245/.336/.520 slash, and 4.3 WAR. The Filipinos made the playoffs in 2021, 28, 34, and 35 with Giraldes. He was only a part-time starter in 2034, but the Philippines notably made it to the championship, but fell 4-2 to the United States.

In 2018, Giraldes debuted professionally at age 20 with 38 games and five starts. He spent all of 2019 back on the reverse roster, then played 38 games with 34 starts in 2020. Giraldes made three playoff starts as Hai Phong earned its first-ever postseason berth, a surprise trip to the Southeast Asia League Championship Series with a loss to Yangon. Giraldes earned a full-time starting gig from 2021 onward with reliable results.

The Prowlers went 101-61 in 2021, but lost in the first round to Dhaka. Hai Phong then got the top seed at 102-60 in 2022, but fell again to Yangon. They spent the rest of Giraldes’ tenure in the middle tier. He held up his end in the playoffs with 1.059 OPS, 176 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR over 16 starts. Giraldes had 7.1 WAR in 2025, his career-best with Hai Phong, winning his first Silver Slugger.

By 2026, the Prowlers had faded from contention and Giraldes wasn’t shy about expressing his desire for free agency in the winter. In June, Hai Phong traded him to Kolkata for two pitching prospects. Giraldes finished with 878 games, 927 hits, 560 runs, 144 doubles, 36 triples, 193 home runs, 529 RBI, 374 steals, .297/.356/.551 slash, 143 wRC+, and 32.4 WAR. He was one of the franchise’s first stars though and the Prowlers later retired his #52 uniform.

Kolkata had finished 106-56 the prior year and were on a five-year playoff streak, but they had failed to win a pennant. In 94 games for the Cosmos, Giraldes had .924 OPS, 169 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR. They went 103-59 and upset 115-win Visakhapatnam 4-2 in the Indian League Championship Series, denying the Volts’ four-peat bid. Giraldes was MVP of the series and had .865 OPS, 157 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR in the postseason. Kolkata was promptly swept by Mandalay in the SAB Championship.

Giraldes was a free agent heading towards age 29 and stayed in India, signing a seven-year, $93,400,000 deal with Ahmedabad. The Animals had been the historic powerhouse with 15 pennants from 1986-2002. They had been competitive off and on since, but had a title drought back to the dynasty. Giraldes was rock solid upon arrival with Silver Sluggers in 2027 and 2028. 2027 was his first time as a league leader with 124 runs scored.

Ahmedabad went 100-62 in 2027, getting upset 4-2 in the ILCS by Pune. They finished 110-52 the next year and avenged that defeat to the Purple Knights in the first round, then claimed the Indian League pennant 4-3 over Jaipur. The Animals were denied the SAB Championship 4-1 by Mandalay. Giraldes actually had subpar stats in both playoff runs with only 0.2 WAR total over 25 games. He fared well in the Baseball Grand Championship with .882 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR; although Ahmedabad finished 8-11.

The Animals had a divisional round defeat in 2029. Notably that year, Giraldes had a six-hit game in June facing Mumbai. Giraldes dealt with strained abdominals and lats throughout 2030 that limited him to 83 games, although his production was strong when healthy. Ahmedabad won the division again at 97-65 and upset 112-win Visakhapatnam in the ILCS. The Animals then swept Yangon to win their first SAB title since 2002. Giraldes was decent in the playoff run with .823 OPS, 113 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. He was subpar in the BGC with .630 OPS, 78 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR as Ahmedabad finished 9-12.

Ahmedabad’s playoff streak continued through 2034 with an ILCS loss in 2031, followed by three straight divisional series exits. Over 54 career playoff games, Giraldes had 49 hits, 36 runs, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 14 homers, 29 RBI, .245/.309/.530 slash, 127 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. In 2031, Giraldes missed about half of the season to torn ankle ligaments. He had some smaller injuries in 2032, but played through them for a career year.

Giraldes won his lone MVP and a Silver Slugger in 2032 with career and league bests for home runs (56), slugging (.760), OPS (1.149), and wRC+ (213). He also had his best WAR (7.9). Giraldes declined his contract option that winter at age 34 and entered free agency. In six seasons for Ahmedabad, Giraldes had 726 games, 856 hits, 552 runs, 163 doubles, 217 homers, 550 RBI, .321/.377/.651 slash, 185 wRC+, and 35.9 WAR. Although Hai Phong was the longest tenure and he was inducted as a Prowler, Giraldes’ most impactful tenure was for the Animals.

He signed a four-year, $70 million deal with Ho Chi Minh City. Giraldes won his lone Silver Slugger as a first baseman in 2033 and matched his career best with 124 runs, while adding 47 homers and 7.0 WAR. The Hedgehogs won 100+ for the fifth straight year, but lost in the divisional round for the fourth year in a row. Giraldes had a similar pace in 2034 but missed much of the spring to a strained ACL.

HCMC had their best record of the streak at 111-51 and finally got over that playoff hump, sweeping Yangon to win the SEAL Championship. They fell 4-2 to Delhi in the SAB Championship. This was a strong playoff run for Giraldes with 1.036 OPS, 177 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. The Hedgehogs got an at-large into the BGC and tied for sixth at 12-9. Giraldes had an excellent showing with 22 hits, 16 runs, 10 homers, 19 RBI, 1.151 OPS, 215 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

Giraldes’ production dipped in 2035 as he dealt with a strained lat for much of the year. HCMC got a wild card but had a first round exit. Giraldes didn’t meet the criteria for the fourth year of the deal, but he was impactful as a Hedgehog with 366 games, 441 hits, 272 runs, 70 doubles, 109 homers, 293 RBI, .316/.367/.624 slash, 161 wRC+, and 14.7 WAR.

Now 38, Giraldes signed for 2036 with Bengaluru and was still strong when healthy with 1.005 OPS, 186 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR over 62 games. The trouble was, he missed more than half of the year between a strained ACL, intercostal strain, and sprained ankle. This was ultimately the end of his South Asia Baseball career, although Giraldes wanted to continue playing somewhere. He eventually found a buyer in Kazakhstan with Shymkent of the Asian Baseball Federation with a three-year, $24,500,000 deal.

Strained abdominal muscles plagued Giraldes for much of 2037 and he was reduced to a backup role in 2038. In his two seasons with the Squirrels, Giraldes had 194 games, 96 starts, 96 hits, 55 runs, 21 homers, 55 RBI, .243/.312/.438 slash, 121 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. He retired after the 2038 season at age 40. His combined pro career had 2320 games, 2472 hits, 1535 runs, 425 doubles, 94 triples, 574 home runs, 1538 RBI, 708 walks, 671 steals, .305/.363/.594 slash, 161 wRC+, and 91.3 WAR.

In SAB, Giraldes finished with 2126 games, 2376 hits, 1480 runs, 4113 doubles, 93 triples, 553 home runs, 1483 RBI, 669 walks, 1605 strikeouts, 651 steals, .308/.365/.602 slash, 163 wRC+, and 89.7 WAR. Giraldes ranks 31^st in runs, 62^nd in hits, 39^th in total bases (4634), 33^rd in home runs, 35^th in RBI, 78^th in walks, and 30^th in WAR for position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Giraldes is 89^th/79^th/27^th for the triple slash and his .967 OPS is 28^th.

Giraldes wasn’t a league leader or MVP candidate enough to be considered an inner-circle level Hall of Famer. But his tallies and role with several title contenders was plenty for most voters. Some wondered what Giraldes could’ve done if he was more driven to succeed, but he still did enough to earn 83.4% for a first ballot induction to cap off a three outfielder 2042 class for SAB.

06-07-2026, 07:06 AM	#2891
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,620	2042 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Cong Bui – Right Field – Surat Silver Sox – 85.2% First Ballot Cong Bui was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from the largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. Bui was known for being an especially strong hitter facing right-handed pitching with a career .983 OPS and 169 wRC+. Facing lefties, he was below average with .690 OPS and 93 wRC+. On the whole, he graded as a good contact hitter with reliable power. Bui’s 162 game average got you 37 home runs, 36 doubles, and 2 triples. He was okay at drawing walks, but did struggle with strikeouts. Bui’s baserunning instincts and skill was actually quite good, but he was limited by abysmal speed. He was a career right fielder with weak defensive metrics, although you could do worse. Bui’s durability was excellent as he played 149+ games each year from 2020-34. His talent was undeniable, but some peers felt he was self-centered and greedy. In June 2015, Bui left Vietnam for India on a developmental deal with Surat. He debuted in 2019 at age 20 with 108 games and 13 starts. Bui was a full-timer after that and a starter for the next 15 years. He wasn’t a league leader with the Silver Sox, but he was a reliable starter for five seasons. By 2024, he had a 7.0 WAR season and posted his career high 46 home runs. However, Bui couldn’t fix thing for the perennially awful Surat, who had a playoff drought back to 1990. The Silver Sox never posted a winning record during Bui’s tenure and he wasn’t shy about wanting to leave and cash in once able. With a year left under team control, Surat traded Bui in February 2025 to Da Nang for 3B Tristan Boisson and RF Wai Yin Oo. With Surat, Bui played 893 games with 870 hits, 427 runs, 170 doubles, 188 home runs, 455 RBI, .303/.351/.567 slash, 168 wRC+, and 27.4 WAR. This was narrowly his longest tenure and he was inducted as a Silver Sox player, although Bui isn’t remembered as a franchise icon. In his one year with Da Nang, Bui had a career-best 7.4 WAR and led the Southeast Asia League with a career-best 144 RBI. He also had his bests for runs (105), hits (201), triple slash (.341/.394/.639) and OPS (1.033). Bui won his first Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. Da Nang missed the playoffs at 83-79, but the season served its purpose in boosting Bui’s profile entering free agency heading towards his age 27 season. He went back to the Indian League on an eight-year, $122,200,000 deal with Jaipur. Although his return to Vietnam was brief, Bui did remain a regular for his country’s squad in the World Baseball Championship. He was on the roster from 2020-33, but wasn’t always a starter with 115 games and 59 starts. Bui had 59 hits, 39 runs, 10 doubles, 18 home runs, 44 RBI, .216/.296/.451 slash, 120 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR. For Jaipur, Bui won Silver Sluggers in 2027 and 2028 and put up steady production of around 5.5 to 7 WAR per season over five years. 2029 had his career high 52 doubles, a league best. The Jokers tied their franchise record in 2027 at 106-56, but were upset in the first round by Ahmedabad. Jaipur was a 92-70 division champ the next year, but upset 110-win Visakhapatnam in the first round. They took the 110-win Animals to the brink in the ILCS, but lost 4-3. Bui notably had a huge playoff run with 25 hits, 12 runs, 7 doubles, 5 homers, 16 RBI, 1.321 OPS, 303 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. Even in defeat, this earned him the ILCS MVP. The Jokers were a wild card with a first round exit in 2029, then missed the playoffs in 2030. With his consistent performance, Bui opted out of his Jaipur deal with three years left in search of a bigger payday. In 780 games, he had 897 hits, 471 runs, 214 doubles, 193 homers, 550 RBI, .314/.360/.599 slash, 168 wRC+, and 30.7 WAR. It was certainly Bui’s most impactful tenure. His bet didn’t pay off as no team was willing to give him anywhere close to the same money. Bui signed a four-year, $18,560,000 total deal with Dhaka after previously making $15,800,000 anually with the Jokers. Bui wasn’t bad with the Dobermans, but he settled into being a 3.5 WAR guy with his average dipping and worse results against lefties. He was middling overall in 17 playoff games with .818 OPS, 112 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. Dhaka had the top seed in 2033 at 108-54, but lost to Yangon in the LCS. After a miss in 2032, they returned to the playoffs in 2033-34 but failed to get beyond the divisional stage. For the Dobermans, Bui played 620 games with 632 hits, 346 runs, 121 doubles, 156 home runs, 417 RBI, .286.329/.562 slash, 129 wRC+, and 13.7 WAR. Coming up on age 36, Bui was a free agent for 2035 and began a second run with Da Nang on a three-year, $13,680,000 deal. A strained rib cage muscle kept him out part of 2035 with average production when healthy, but he did join the 600 home run club. Bui was a platoon starter in 2036 with below average results and retired that winter at age 37. Between stints with the Nailers, Bui played 391 games with 397 hits, 215 runs, 89 doubles, 77 home runs, 255 RBI, .300/.350/.554 slash, 131 wRC+, and 9.1 WAR. Overall, Bui played 2684 games with 2796 hits, 1459 runs, 594 doubles, 40 triples, 614 home runs, 1677 RBI, 606 walks, 2171 strikeouts, 5312 total bases, .302/.348/.574 slash, 153 wRC+, and 80.8 WAR. Bui ranks 19^th in games, 33^rd in runs, 22^nd in hits, 17^th in total bases, 12^th in doubles, 20^th in homers,, 18^th in RBI, 40^th in strikeouts, and 51^st in WAR for position players. He is 66^th in slugging among batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his .922 OPS is 70^th. Bui was a bit of a mercenary who never had the big signature dominant season or run, which will keep him out of the inner-circle conversations. But he was a consistent power bat over an 18-year career and met plenty of milestones to earn a solid first ballot Hall of Fame induction. Bui received 85.2% as one of three outfielders in South Asia Baseball’s 2042 class. Alfonso Giraldes – Left Field/First Base – Hai Phong Prowlers – 83.4% First Ballot Alfonso Giraldes was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder and first baseman from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Against right-handed pitching, Giraldes was a rock solid contact and power hitter with a career .994 OPS and 169 wRC+. He was still good against lefties with a .829 OPS and 131 wRC+. His 162 game average got you a steady 40 home runs, 30 doubles, and 7 triples. Giraldes was above average at drawing walks, but middling for strikeouts. Early in his career, Giraldes was quite quick, but injuries dropped his speed into the average-to-below average range. He was known as an adept and skilled baserunner throughout. Giraldes had a 19-year run, but he physically was a wreck for much of it. He primarily was a left fielder with below average defense, then moved to first base in his later years with average results. Giraldes’ biggest downside perhaps was a selfish and lazy personality which rubbed many teammates and coaches the wrong way. Giraldes was the first Filipino inductee into SAB’s Hall of Fame. Most stayed in the Austronesia Professional Baseball sphere, but some Filipinos went to the neighboring Asian leagues or the Oceania Baseball Association. Living in Manila made Giraldes a high-profile prospect for international scouts. One of them convinced him to come to Vietnam with Hai Phong in August 2014 on a developmental deal. The Prowlers were still a fairly new expansion franchise that had debuted in 2008. Although he didn’t play in APB, Giraldes was still a regular for the Philippines in the World Baseball Championship. From 2022-37, he played 130 games with 93 hits, 71 runs, 18 doubles, 28 homers, 72 RBI, .245/.336/.520 slash, and 4.3 WAR. The Filipinos made the playoffs in 2021, 28, 34, and 35 with Giraldes. He was only a part-time starter in 2034, but the Philippines notably made it to the championship, but fell 4-2 to the United States. In 2018, Giraldes debuted professionally at age 20 with 38 games and five starts. He spent all of 2019 back on the reverse roster, then played 38 games with 34 starts in 2020. Giraldes made three playoff starts as Hai Phong earned its first-ever postseason berth, a surprise trip to the Southeast Asia League Championship Series with a loss to Yangon. Giraldes earned a full-time starting gig from 2021 onward with reliable results. The Prowlers went 101-61 in 2021, but lost in the first round to Dhaka. Hai Phong then got the top seed at 102-60 in 2022, but fell again to Yangon. They spent the rest of Giraldes’ tenure in the middle tier. He held up his end in the playoffs with 1.059 OPS, 176 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR over 16 starts. Giraldes had 7.1 WAR in 2025, his career-best with Hai Phong, winning his first Silver Slugger. By 2026, the Prowlers had faded from contention and Giraldes wasn’t shy about expressing his desire for free agency in the winter. In June, Hai Phong traded him to Kolkata for two pitching prospects. Giraldes finished with 878 games, 927 hits, 560 runs, 144 doubles, 36 triples, 193 home runs, 529 RBI, 374 steals, .297/.356/.551 slash, 143 wRC+, and 32.4 WAR. He was one of the franchise’s first stars though and the Prowlers later retired his #52 uniform. Kolkata had finished 106-56 the prior year and were on a five-year playoff streak, but they had failed to win a pennant. In 94 games for the Cosmos, Giraldes had .924 OPS, 169 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR. They went 103-59 and upset 115-win Visakhapatnam 4-2 in the Indian League Championship Series, denying the Volts’ four-peat bid. Giraldes was MVP of the series and had .865 OPS, 157 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR in the postseason. Kolkata was promptly swept by Mandalay in the SAB Championship. Giraldes was a free agent heading towards age 29 and stayed in India, signing a seven-year, $93,400,000 deal with Ahmedabad. The Animals had been the historic powerhouse with 15 pennants from 1986-2002. They had been competitive off and on since, but had a title drought back to the dynasty. Giraldes was rock solid upon arrival with Silver Sluggers in 2027 and 2028. 2027 was his first time as a league leader with 124 runs scored. Ahmedabad went 100-62 in 2027, getting upset 4-2 in the ILCS by Pune. They finished 110-52 the next year and avenged that defeat to the Purple Knights in the first round, then claimed the Indian League pennant 4-3 over Jaipur. The Animals were denied the SAB Championship 4-1 by Mandalay. Giraldes actually had subpar stats in both playoff runs with only 0.2 WAR total over 25 games. He fared well in the Baseball Grand Championship with .882 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR; although Ahmedabad finished 8-11. The Animals had a divisional round defeat in 2029. Notably that year, Giraldes had a six-hit game in June facing Mumbai. Giraldes dealt with strained abdominals and lats throughout 2030 that limited him to 83 games, although his production was strong when healthy. Ahmedabad won the division again at 97-65 and upset 112-win Visakhapatnam in the ILCS. The Animals then swept Yangon to win their first SAB title since 2002. Giraldes was decent in the playoff run with .823 OPS, 113 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. He was subpar in the BGC with .630 OPS, 78 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR as Ahmedabad finished 9-12. Ahmedabad’s playoff streak continued through 2034 with an ILCS loss in 2031, followed by three straight divisional series exits. Over 54 career playoff games, Giraldes had 49 hits, 36 runs, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 14 homers, 29 RBI, .245/.309/.530 slash, 127 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. In 2031, Giraldes missed about half of the season to torn ankle ligaments. He had some smaller injuries in 2032, but played through them for a career year. Giraldes won his lone MVP and a Silver Slugger in 2032 with career and league bests for home runs (56), slugging (.760), OPS (1.149), and wRC+ (213). He also had his best WAR (7.9). Giraldes declined his contract option that winter at age 34 and entered free agency. In six seasons for Ahmedabad, Giraldes had 726 games, 856 hits, 552 runs, 163 doubles, 217 homers, 550 RBI, .321/.377/.651 slash, 185 wRC+, and 35.9 WAR. Although Hai Phong was the longest tenure and he was inducted as a Prowler, Giraldes’ most impactful tenure was for the Animals. He signed a four-year, $70 million deal with Ho Chi Minh City. Giraldes won his lone Silver Slugger as a first baseman in 2033 and matched his career best with 124 runs, while adding 47 homers and 7.0 WAR. The Hedgehogs won 100+ for the fifth straight year, but lost in the divisional round for the fourth year in a row. Giraldes had a similar pace in 2034 but missed much of the spring to a strained ACL. HCMC had their best record of the streak at 111-51 and finally got over that playoff hump, sweeping Yangon to win the SEAL Championship. They fell 4-2 to Delhi in the SAB Championship. This was a strong playoff run for Giraldes with 1.036 OPS, 177 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. The Hedgehogs got an at-large into the BGC and tied for sixth at 12-9. Giraldes had an excellent showing with 22 hits, 16 runs, 10 homers, 19 RBI, 1.151 OPS, 215 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Giraldes’ production dipped in 2035 as he dealt with a strained lat for much of the year. HCMC got a wild card but had a first round exit. Giraldes didn’t meet the criteria for the fourth year of the deal, but he was impactful as a Hedgehog with 366 games, 441 hits, 272 runs, 70 doubles, 109 homers, 293 RBI, .316/.367/.624 slash, 161 wRC+, and 14.7 WAR. Now 38, Giraldes signed for 2036 with Bengaluru and was still strong when healthy with 1.005 OPS, 186 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR over 62 games. The trouble was, he missed more than half of the year between a strained ACL, intercostal strain, and sprained ankle. This was ultimately the end of his South Asia Baseball career, although Giraldes wanted to continue playing somewhere. He eventually found a buyer in Kazakhstan with Shymkent of the Asian Baseball Federation with a three-year, $24,500,000 deal. Strained abdominal muscles plagued Giraldes for much of 2037 and he was reduced to a backup role in 2038. In his two seasons with the Squirrels, Giraldes had 194 games, 96 starts, 96 hits, 55 runs, 21 homers, 55 RBI, .243/.312/.438 slash, 121 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. He retired after the 2038 season at age 40. His combined pro career had 2320 games, 2472 hits, 1535 runs, 425 doubles, 94 triples, 574 home runs, 1538 RBI, 708 walks, 671 steals, .305/.363/.594 slash, 161 wRC+, and 91.3 WAR. In SAB, Giraldes finished with 2126 games, 2376 hits, 1480 runs, 4113 doubles, 93 triples, 553 home runs, 1483 RBI, 669 walks, 1605 strikeouts, 651 steals, .308/.365/.602 slash, 163 wRC+, and 89.7 WAR. Giraldes ranks 31^st in runs, 62^nd in hits, 39^th in total bases (4634), 33^rd in home runs, 35^th in RBI, 78^th in walks, and 30^th in WAR for position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Giraldes is 89^th/79^th/27^th for the triple slash and his .967 OPS is 28^th. Giraldes wasn’t a league leader or MVP candidate enough to be considered an inner-circle level Hall of Famer. But his tallies and role with several title contenders was plenty for most voters. Some wondered what Giraldes could’ve done if he was more driven to succeed, but he still did enough to earn 83.4% for a first ballot induction to cap off a three outfielder 2042 class for SAB. __________________ 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)