Baseball: The World's Game

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Nico Tofani – Left Field – Milan Maulers – 85.9% First Ballot

Nico Tofani was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed left fielder from Sinnai, Italy; a commune with 17,000 people on the island of Sardinia. Tofani was a rock solid contact hitter with a steady pop in his bat, posting 31 home runs, 24 doubles, and 13 triples per his 162 game average. He was subpar at drawing walks, but better than most at avoiding strikeouts. Tofani’s best production came against right-handed pitching with a career .959 OPS and 163 wRC+. He still brought positive value against lefties with an .819 OPS and 128 wRC+.

Tofani was often able to stretch out extra bags with his stellar baserunning instincts. He was also a pretty good thief with impressive speed on the basepaths. However, it didn’t translate to defensive range and Tofani graded as a terrible outfielder. He spent the vast majority of his time in left and was firmly mediocre with his glove.

You had to find a spot in the lineup for his bat though, plus Tofani was incredibly likeable. He was a hard worker, loyal, and selfless; emerging as a true fan favorite and an outstanding ambassador over 18 seasons with Milan. Tofani’s durability was generally good too, playing 120+ games in all but two seasons. Despite his longevity, Tofani wasn’t a ‘can’t miss’ prospect ahead of the 2006 EBF Draft. He went late in the second round, 145^th overall, to the Maulers.

Milan certainly got their money’s worth though over nearly two decades. Tofani spent two years in their academy before debuting in 2009 with 100 games and one start. He was a full-timer in 2010 but a part-time starter. Tofani earned the full-time gig in 2011 with excellent results, posting 1.025 OPS and 6.1 WAR. He had less luck in 2012 and was back to a part-time starting role in 2013, although 2013 notably had a six-hit game against Seville. Tofani reclaimed the full-time spot though in 2014 and held onto it for the next decade-plus.

The Maulers were aggressively mid throughout Tofani’s run, averaging 79 wins per season. They were never lousy enough to get relegated, but they only made the playoffs twice in his entire run. Milan had a first round exit in 2011 and a second round defeat in 2015. Tofani stayed steady and loyal through it all, signing a five-year, $42,820,000 extension after the 2014 season. He inked a new five-year, $78,600,000 extension after the 2018 campaign.

Tofani won Silver Sluggers from 2017-19 and in 2023. 2019 was his finest year and lone season as an MVP finalist, taking third. He had career-best 8.2 WAR and 188 wRC+ n both 2018 and 2019. The latter year had his career best OPS (1.053) and his home run high at 42. Tofani’s only time as a conference leader was his 131 RBI in 2017.

A fractured finger kept him out three months in 2022. He bounced back well in 2023 and signed a new three-year, $32,200,000 extension. While less dominant, he remained a quality starter until finally falling off in 2026, getting reduced to a part-time role with a .702 OPS that year. Tofani’s deal expired and he looked for a buyer in 2027 with no luck, retiring that winter just after his 41^st birthday. Milan quickly retired his #51 uniform for his 18 years of reliable service.

Tofani finished with 2589 games, 2825 hits, 1488 runs, 377 doubles, 210 triples, 492 home runs, 1534 RBI, 457 walks, 1261 strikeouts, 838 steals, .319/.352/.576 slash, 155 wRC+, and 75.7 WAR. As of 2037, Tofani is 27^th in games, 32^nd in runs, 24^th in hits, 24^th in total bases (5098), 70^th in doubles, 73^rd in triples, 58^th in home runs, and 32^nd in RBI. He just misses the top 100 for WAR among position players, hurt by his terrible defense.

He was rarely dominant and didn’t get a ton of publicity in his peak since Milan was generally forgettable. But Tofani’s consistency got him some impressive tallies, plus Hall of Fame voters appreciate the rare player who sticks with one franchise for his entire run. Tofani’s efforts landed a first ballot induction at 85.9%, the third of four additions with the European Baseball Federation’s 2032 class.



Lorenzo Rotella – Pitcher – Oslo Octopi – 66.3% Sixth Ballot

Lorenzo Rotella was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Latina, Italy; a city of around 126,000 inhabitants located just over an hour south of Rome. Rotella in his prime was a well-rounded ace with good-to-great stuff, movement, and control. He had a top shelf fastball that regularly clocked in the 98-100 mph range. Rotella’s arsenal also had a forkball, slider, and curveball.

Durability was one of Rotella’s biggest issues in his career, especially in his later years. His stamina was also average-at-best in his prime, limiting him to only five seasons with 200+ innings. Rotella graded as a pretty solid defensive pitcher overall. Like his former Oslo teammate Harvey Coyle though, Rotella was criticized for being a bit selfish and aloof.

The Octopi brought Rotella from Italy to Norway on a developmental deal signed May 2004. He debuted in 2007 at age 2007 with 113.2 passable innings. Rotella was planned for a full-time rotation role in 2008, but missed much of the season between bone chips in his elbow and shoulder inflammation. The next three years had a few smaller injuries that cost him a month or two, but Rotella started to show signs that he could be a legit ace.

Rotella put it all together in 2013 with a Pitcher of the Year season, winning an ERA title at 1.63 and leading the Northern Conference in WHIP (0.88), quality starts (25), shutouts (6), FIP- (59), and WAR (8.4). Those would all be career highs, as was his 243.2 innings and 272 strikeouts. As of 2037, the 1.63 ERA ranks as the 17^th-best qualifying season in EBF history. Rotella even looked great in the playoffs with a 0.98 ERA over 18.1 innings, although Oslo fell in the second round.

The Octopi had seven playoff berths from 2009-16, but lost in the first round each time apart from the 2013 effort. Rotella was underwhelming in his other playoff starts, albeit with a small sample size, finishing with a 3.49 ERA, 1-3 record, 38.2 innings, 44 strikeouts, and 0.8 WAR in the postseason. His numbers were better on the World Baseball Championship stage, pitching for his native Italy from 2009-17.

In 2012, Rotella was 5-0 in six starts with a 2.93 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 43 innings, helping the Italians to a runner-up finish against Romania. Overall in the WBC, Rotella had a 9-5 record, 2.74 ERA, 147.2 innings, 184 strikeouts, 33 walks, 133 ERA+, and 4.3 WAR.

Rotella wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist in 2014 despite repeating with another ERA title at 2.05. That winter, Oslo locked him up to a seven-year, $95,900,000 extension. Disaster would strike in August 2017 with a partially torn UCL with an estimated 10 month recovery time. He suffered a setback in February 2018 and ultimately missed the entire 2018 season.

He wanted to make a comeback and returned in 2019 at age 33, but his ability was greatly diminished by the injury. Rotella spent three more years as an occasional reliever for Oslo with additional injuries plaguing him. He had bone chips in 2019, an oblique strain in 2020, and hamstring strain in 2021. Rotella only had a whopping 70.1 innings combined in his final three years as Oslo tried to get something out of that albatross contract. He retired after the 2021 season at age 35, but was friendly enough with the higher-ups to eventually see his #9 uniform retired.

Rotella finished with a 154-90 record, 2.79 ERA, 2182.1 innings, 2109 strikeouts, 418 walks, 178/251 quality starts, 75 complete games, 18 shutouts, 132 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 50.2 WAR. He doesn’t make the top 100 in any counting stats, largely due to the smaller inning total. Rotella does rank 85^th in ERA among pitchers with 1000+ innings and his 1.03 WHIP ranks 79^th.

Not many guys have two ERA titles and a Pitcher of the Year award, which played a big part from Rotella supporters. The overall tallies were definitely way on the low end, but there had been pitchers with short tenures who had made it into EBF’s Hall of Fame before, either because they left for a different league or got hurt. Some tried to give Rotella some credit for what his tallies might have looked like without the injuries. His efficiency numbers certain meshed up with some previous inductees.

Still, Rotella’s case was definitely very borderline. He debuted in 2027 at 41.8% and got to 52.1% in 2028. Rotella barely missed the 66% requirement in 2030 at 64.5%, leading many to think his time was coming soon. 2031 shook that belief as he dropped to a low of 33.8%. Even with three first-ballot inductees in 2032, Rotella managed to win back a surprisingly large slate of voters. He got 66.3%, barely crossing the line but enough for a sixth-ballot selection to cap off the European Baseball Federation’s 2032 class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Eurasian Professional Baseball’s 2032 Hall of Fame class was an all-timer with five inductees; the third-ever EPB class with 5+ players. They were all first ballot picks and four were absolutely slam dunks with LF Igor Gorbatyuk at 99.6%, OF Yuriy Isakov at 98.5%, RF Nikolay Kargopolcev at 98.5%, and SP Kaysar Alkhasov at 96.9%. P Isak Baghoomiam was the fifth inductee at 68.1%, barely passing the 66% requirement. The best returner was 1B Sergie Stoev at 49.2% on his second ballot. No players were removed after ten failed ballots.



Igor Gorbatyuk – Left Field – Rostov Rhinos – 99.6% First Ballot

Igor Gorbatyuk was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed left fielder from Oryol, Russia; a city with about 318,000 people located around 229 miles south of Moscow. Gorbatyuk was best known for having an excellent eye for drawing walks, leading the European League eight times in walks and six times in on-base percentage. He was also a solid contact hitter against both sides and decent at avoiding strikeouts. Gorbatyuk had a slight edge facing left-handed pitching (.931 OPS, 173 wRC+) but was plenty strong facing righties (.864 OPS, 156 wRC+).

Gorbatyuk brought reliable power with his bat as well, posting a 162 game average of 29 home runs, 22 doubles, and 10 triples. On top of that, he boasted great speed with impressive baserunning skills. Defensively, Gorbatyuk made the vast majority of his starts in left field. He played right as a rookie and occasionally filled in there. Gorbatyuk graded as an adequate glove man with just below average production overall.

His durability was outstanding across a 19-year career, playing 139+ games in all but his final season. Gorbatyuk was a passionate leader in the clubhouse, but he was also a bit thick. Still, his passion and talents made him one of Russia’s most popular players of his era.

Gorbatyuk was a hot prospect after an excellent amateur run and went seventh in EPB’s 2007 draft to Rostov. He was a full-time starter right away and maintained that role 14 years with the Rhinos. Gorbatyuk was merely okay as a rookie, then pretty good with league-bests in walks in 2009-10 and an OBP title in 2009. He earned Silver Sluggers both years.

Rostov was a 2000 expansion team and posted their first winning season in 2011 at 94-68, missing the wild card by two games. Gorbatyuk led the way by winning MVP and his third Slugger, leading the European League in RBI (109), OBP (.348), and OPS (.978). The next year started a five-year playoff streak for the Rhinos, who won 99 games and fell one short of first place Kazan. Rostov upset the Crusaders in the ELCS for their first-ever pennant, but lost the EPB Championship to Yekaterinburg.

2013 was Gorbatyuk’s second MVP win and fourth Silver Slugger, leading in WAR for the first time at 10.1. He had league bests in runs (118), homers (40), RBI (115), walks (83), total bases (356), OBP (.429), slugging (.645), OPS (1.074), and wRC+ (210). It would be Gorbatyuk’s career best slash line and runs total with his .341 average missing the Triple Crown by only .011.

Rostov finished first at 103-59 and beat Kazan to repeat as European League champs. The Rhinos then won it all for the first time against Ulaanbaatar with Gorbatyuk earning finals MVP. In 12 playoff starts, he had 11 hits, 10 runs, 1 double, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 6 RBI, and 0.7 WAR. Rostov finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship, but Gorbatyuk was impressive with 23 hits, 15 runs, 6 homers, 13 RBI, 1.247 OPS, 245 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. That effort earned him BGC Tournament MVP honors.

On the whole, Gorbatyuk had strong playoff starts over 48 games for Rostov with 50 hits, 25 runs, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 9 homers, 27 RBI, 28 walks, .305/.415/.537 slash, 178 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. He was also respectable from 2010-24 playing in the World Baseball Championship for Russia with 132 games, 88 hits, 62 runs, 14 doubles, 27 homers, 65 RBI, 74 walks, .210/.347/.440 slash, and 3.0 WAR. It was a relatively down era for the Russian national team with their lone division title with Gorbatyuk in 2023.

Rostov’s dynasty continued with Gorbatyuk finishing second in 2014’s MVP voting. They finished 102-60 and beat Moscow in the ELCS, but fell to Omsk in the EPB Championship. In April 2014, Gorbatyuk committed long-term as the franchise face for the Rhinos, inking a seven-year, $67,600,000 extension.

The Rhinos got back to the ELCS again in 2015 and 2016, but were defeated both years by the Mules. Gorbatyuk earned repeat MVPs in 2015-16, leading both seasons in homers, walks, OBP, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. 2016 had his career bests for homers (43), hits (189), RBI (126), total bases (358), and WAR (11.1). This was the end of Rostov’s run of glory, as they’d spend the rest of the 2010s in the middle tier before falling to the bottom consistently for the 2020s.

Gorbatyuk surprisingly fell off hard in 2017 with only 16 homers and 3.3 WAR. He rebounded from that to generally by a 4-6 WAR guy for the rest of his Rostov run, but his time as an MVP contender were done. Gorbatyuk did lead once more in runs scored and walks in 2019. His time with the Rhinos ended with the 2021 season, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 36.

For Rostov, Gorbatyuk finished with 2153 games, 2183 hits, 1323 runs, 291 doubles, 134 triples, 413 home runs, 1236 RBI, 1075 walks, 1054 strikeouts, 802 stolen bases, .290/.383/.528 slash, 166 wRC+, and 87.2 WAR. For his role in the dynasty run and the Rhinos’ first sustained success, Gorbatyuk’s #48 uniform was later retired. The team’s ace, 2031 Hall of Famer Dzimtry Poldnikov, had gotten his #1 retired the prior year.

Gorbatyuk would sign a three-year, $31,100,000 deal with Minsk. He had three reliably strong seasons with the Miners and even led again in OBP in 2022. Minsk was the top seed in both 2022-23. They suffered a surprise round one loss in 2022 to St. Petersburg and an ELCS defeat in 2023 to Volgograd. Gorbatyuk was lackluster in his 15 playoff games there with a .241/.302/.310 slash and -0.3 WAR. He was good on the whole with 469 games, 455 hits, 274 runs, 64 doubles, 25 triples, 73 homers, 224 RBI, 187 steals, .274/.372/.474 slash, 156 wRC+, and 15.7 WAR.

In September 2023, Gorbatyuk was only the third in EPB history to score 1500 runs for a career. In April 2024, he was the 27^th to reach 2500 hits. After the Minsk run, he had 1597 runs, just behind Zaur Kadirov’s 1619 for the top spot. Gorbatyuk seemed to still be able to go and wanted to reach that mark, signing in 2025 to a three-year, $12,960,000 deal with Moscow.

Gorbatyuk was a full-time starter in 2025 but was painfully average with .657 OPS, 105 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. However, he did pass Kadirov to become EPB’s runs scored leader. Gorbatyuk held thee mark until passed by Timofei Averkin in 2034. He also became the 10^th in EPB to reach 1500 career RBI.

The Mules won the ELCS as an 88-74 wild card, but fell to Krasnoyarsk in the EPB Championship. Gorbatyuk had a decent final playoff run with .763 OPS and 0.2 WAR. His playoff career had 77 starts, 76 hits, 35 runs, 6 doubles, 6 triples, 12 home runs, 43 RBI, 36 walks, 25 steals, .279/.370/.478 slash, 154 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR.

Gorbatyuk struggled and was reduced to a bench role in 2026 with 56 games and -0.5 WAR. He finished with 213 games, 172 hits, 72 runs, 35 doubles, 8 triples, 15 home runs, 77 RBI, 44 steals, .228/.274/.355 slash, 95 wRC+, and 0 WAR. The final year did allow him to join the 500 home run club as the 21^st member. Gorbatyuk retired after the 2026 campaign at age 41.

The final stats saw 2835 games, 2810 hits, 1669 runs, 390 doubles, 167 triples, 501 home runs, 1537 RBI, 1348 walks, 1535 strikeouts, 1033 steals, 890 caught stealing .282/.374/.506 slash, 160 wRC+, and 102.9 WAR. As of 2037, Gorbatyuk ranks 11^th in games played, 2^nd in runs, 10^th in hits, 9^th in total bases (5037), 54^th in doubles, 60^th in triples, 29^th in homers, 14^th in steals, 3^rd in walks, and 12^th in WAR among position players.

Gorbatyuk does also have the unfortunate distinction of being the all-time leader in caught stealing and has the 10^th-most in world history. The aggressive baserunning paid off overall since he was the runs leader for a time. Gorbatyuk also ranks 10^th in OBP, 60^th in slugging, and 25^th in OPS (.880) among batters with 3000+ plate appearances.

Those tallies, plus three MVPs, three pennants, and an EPB Championship ring certainly place Gorbatyuk among the inner-circle of Hall of Famers for Eurasian Professional Baseball. In a loaded five-player 2032 class, Gorbatyuk had the highest vote share with a near unanimous 99.6%.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Yuriy “Bingo” Isakov – Left/Right Field – Moscow Mules – 98.5% First Ballot

Yuriy Isakov was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting corner outfielder from Suvlan, Azerbaijan; a municipality of 15,000 people within the capital Baku. He joined Class of 1971 reliever Khalid Azad as the only Azeris in EPB’s Hall of Fame. Nicknamed “Bingo,” Isakov became famous and beloved as one of the most prolific base stealers and as one of the most exciting guys to watch on the basepaths. He was a league leader six times in steals and posted eight different 100+ steal seasons.

Isakov’s ability to get on base made him especially dangerous, earning a 10/10 grade for contact ability in his prime. He was also solid at drawing walks and was better than most at avoiding strikeouts in EPB. Isakov’s speed and gap power pushed him to 32 doubles and 14 triples per his 162 game average. His home run power wasn’t prolific, but he was also good for 17 dingers per 162.

While his contact ability was strong against both sides, Isakov’s power was very much concentrated against right-handed pitching. He had a .997 OPS and 181 wRC+ facing RHP compared to a .798 OPS and 133 wRC+ against lefties with slugging making up most of that drop. But Isakov’s aggressive baserunning and speed usually meant he’d make his way to second or third even off singles and walks.

Isakov made just over half of his career starts in left field with around 1/3 in right and most of the rest as a designated hitter. He graded as a below average defender, but he was by no means a complete liability. Isakov was one of the hardest workers in the game, but he wasn’t a natural leader and could be prone to dumb mistakes. His durability was mostly solid over a 22-year career, becoming extremely popular across three continents.

With the exodus of Central Asian teams to the Asian Baseball Federation in 2000, most Azeri prospects went that way moving forward. Isakov was an exception, drawing attention in his teens from the Russian capital. Moscow signed him to a developmental deal in October 2005 and had him in the academy for a bit over three years. Isakov debuted in 2009, a rare 19-year old in the big time, posting solid results in 84 games and 35 starts.

Moscow was a 92-70 wild card, but upset Minsk in the 2009 European League Championship Series and stunned two-time defending EPB Champion Yekaterinburg in the final. Isakov had 10 games and 8 starts in the playoff run, although he was merely okay at .723 OPS and 0.1 WAR. Still, he would soon become a key playoff performer as the Mules contended regularly throughout the 2010s and 2020s.

Isakov was a full-time starter in 2010 and held that role firmly 15 seasons for Moscow. He started 140+ games in all but three seasons for the Mules, but still had 100+ even with some injuries. Isakov won LCS MVP honors in 2010 as the Mules won the pennant again at 103-59, although they were defeated by Omsk in the EPB Championship. Moscow was the top seed and won 103 games again in 2011, but was upset by Minsk in the ELCS. They then missed the playoffs in 2012-13.

2011 was Isakov’s first Silver Slugger and his only one as a DH. He’d win again in 2012, 14, 16, 17, 20, 22, and 24 in left field and earned the 2019 honor in right. His 2012 would be an all-timer with an incredible .411/.476/.697 slash, 1.173 OPS, and 228 wRC+. There had never been a .400+ hitter in EPB to that point and Isakov set new league high marks for AVG, OBP, and OPS that still stand as of 2037.

Such a mark also seemed impossible in the low-scoring environment of EPB. Isakov’s average ranks as the 12^th-best qualifying season in all of baseball history and his OBP ranks 13^th. Setting a league record in OPS is also impressive since he had only 21 home runs. Isakov posted a league and career-best 27 triples and had his career best in hits with 218. He hit for the cycle in September and had a 28-game and 25-game hitting streak during the season. Despite all that, he was second in MVP voting to Kazan’s Evgeny Kiselev, who led in homers (44) and WAR (10.9).

In 2013, Isakov actually had a higher WAR (9.9 versus 9.6) the next year and led in steals for the first time with 110; again taking second in MVP voting. In May 2014, Moscow locked him up to an eight-year, $64,900,000 extension. Isakov rewarded them by winning that first MVP, leading the league in hits (214), doubles (36), total bases (369), steals (93), triple slash (.381/.441/.657), OPS (1.097), wRC+ (228), and WAR (11.8). It was his career best WAR and ranks as the 4^th-best by an EPB position player as of 2037.

Moscow returned to the playoffs in 2014 as the wild card, falling to Rostov’s dynasty in the ELCS. They rematched the Rhinos the next two years and were victorious both times. 2015 was expected as the top seed at 103-59, but 2016 was a shocker since they won only 83 games and upset 104-win Rostov. Moscow lost the 2015 EPB Championship to Ufa, but got revenge on the Fiends in 2016 to complete an improbable title run.

Isakov was out from early August 2015 through the playoff run with a broken kneecap. He bounced back in 2016 for his third batting title and a 10.4 WAR season, taking second in MVP voting. Isakov was ELCS MVP in 2016, although he had a mid showing in the Baseball Grand Championship with .609 OPS and 0.2 WAR. The Mules finished 9-10 for the event.

In 2017, Isakov was again second in MVP voting with the league best in steals, average, OBP, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. The 116 steals was his career best and was one short of the then-record. It ranks 4^th as of 2037 in EPB. There have 32 seasons of 100+ steals in EPB and Isakov has ¼ of them. Carrying over from the end of 2016, Isakov had a 57-game on-base streak through to June 2. Despite that, Moscow missed the playoffs at 84-78. They would start up a four-year streak in 2018 with Isakov leading the way once again.

Isakov repeated as MVP in 2018 and 2019, leading both seasons in WAR and hits. 2019 saw his fifth batting title and fourth time leading in OPS. Moscow was a wild card both years and lost to Krasnodar in the 2018 ELCS. They upset Voronezh in the 2019 ELCS with Isakov snagging series MVP. The Mules would fall to Chelyabinsk in the EPB Championship.

He wouldn’t reach MVP heights again, but remained a strong starter into his early 30s. Moscow lost in the first round in a newly expanded postseason, but won another pennant in 2021 before dropping the EPB Championship to Perm. Isakov declined his contract option that winter, but only spent two weeks in free agency before signing a new four-year, $41,400,000 deal with Moscow.

The Mules had a first round exit in 2023 and missed the playoffs in 2022 and 2024. Even in the down years, Isakov still notably hit for the cycle in 2022 and climbed up the leaderboards. He joined the 2500 hit club in 2023 and many figured he’d pass Igor Urban’s 3044 for EPB’s most hits. In 2024, Isakov became EPB’s steals leader by passing Yakov Ryzhikov’s 1436. He was also on the cusp of passing Darian Tasos’ 122.68 to become the WARlord among position players.

To the surprise of many, Isakov declined the fourth year option and left Moscow after the 2024 season. He was a free agent for the first time at age 35 and had worldwide suitors, eventually leaving for the United States and Major League Baseball. Some think he could’ve gone down as EPB’s GOAT hitter had he stayed and some still bestow that honor anyway.

Isakov performed on the big stage over 84 playoff games for Moscow with 104 hits, 51 runs, 11 doubles, 7 triples, 15 homers, 50 RBI, 37 steals, .359/.430/.600 slash, 199 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR. Isakov ranks in the top 20 of numerous stats in EPB postseason history and had two EPB Championship rings and six European League pennants to his name.

With Moscow, Isakov played 2336 games with 2819 hits, 1339 runs, 476 doubles, 232 triples, 273 home runs, 1202 RBI, 942 walks, 1266 strikeouts, 1454 steals, 821 caught stealing, .343/.410/.557 slash, .967 OPS, 181 wRC+, and 118.1 WAR. As of 2037, Isakov is EPB’s steals leader and the leader in OBP among batters with 3000+ plate appearances. He ranks 2^nd in batting average to active player Vladimir Pyatrenka’s .345 and ranks 4^th in OPS. The three players ahead of him in OPS all started their careers by 2026 or later.

For counting stats, Isakov is 16^th in runs, 9^th in hits, 22^nd in total bases (4578), 7^th in doubles, 22^nd in triples, 13^th in singles (1838), 53^rd in RBI, 2^nd in caught stealing, 23^rd in walks, and 2^nd in WAR among position players. It is impressive that a guy without big home run power has a solid case for being EPB’s best-ever hitter overall considering how much weight dingers carry. If his final six years stayed in EPB, Isakov potentially reaches the counting stats to fully secure GOAT status.

Regardless of where he ranks in EPB’s pantheon, Isakov was clearly a true immortal of the game. At 98.5%, he was part of the stellar five-player Hall of Fame class in 2032 for Eurasian Professional Baseball. Isakov’s #9 uniform was also retired by Moscow and he remains one of the most beloved figures in the capital, an especially impressive accomplishment by a non-Russian.

Isakov’s native Azerbaijan was too small to qualify for the World Baseball Championship for much of his prime, but he helped get them there from 2021-29. They also surprised many with a division title in 2023, which helped put Isakov on the radar of some MLB teams. His overall WBC numbers were merely decent with 95 games, 80 hits, 56 runs, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers, 24 RBI, 56 steals, .252/.367/.377 slash, and 3.3 WAR.

For 2025, Isakov signed a three-year, $70,200,000 deal with MLB’s Atlanta Aces. On the whole, he was a rock solid starter over 407 games with 518 hits, 259 runs, 88 doubles, 26 triples, 37 home runs, 171 RBI, 109 steals, .332/.397/.493 slash, 128 wRC+, and 10.7 WAR. His steal numbers would be way down since MLB coaches permit far fewer attempts than other world leagues. Some also wonder had he stayed in EPB if he would’ve challenged for the world’s steals record.

Atlanta was happy with Isakov’s results, although they remained stuck in the middle-tier despite his efforts. Now 38-years old, Isakov signed a three-year, $51,600,000 deal with Raleigh. He was still an incredible contact hitter, posting a 22-game hit streak ending in mid-April and a 31-game streak ending in mid-June. Back spasms would bother him in the summer, but he still managed 3.2 WAR over 110 games. The Raptors earned a wild card, but went one-and-done.

Isakov fell off in 2029 and dealt with more injuries, playing only 71 games and starting 22 with 0.4 WAR. In 2030, he played only 59 games with four starts. Overall for Raleigh, Isakov had 240 games, 187 hits, 89 runs, 21 doubles, 8 triples, 13 RBI, 28 steals, .315/.392/.443 slash, 133 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR. While there, he did breach 3500 combined professional hits. New York very briefly hired Isakov in 2031, but he never played a game for the Yankees. He retired in the winter of 2031 shortly after his 42^nd birthday.

The combined tallies for Isakov had 2983 games, 3524 hits, 1687 runs, 585 doubles, 266 triples, 323 home runs, 1444 RBI, 1176 walks, 1608 strikeouts, 1591 steals, 913 caught stealing, .340/.407/.541 slash, 170 wRC+, and 132.6 WAR. Among world Hall of Famers as of 2037, Isakov ranks 23^th in batting average and 19^th in OBP. He’s also 15^th in stolen bases, but also 6^th in times caught stealing. Isakov only narrowly misses the top 50 in both hits and WAR by a position player.

Isakov was one of the most impressive and exciting bats of his era, earning impressive metrics even without big home run power or stellar defense. He’s easily the greatest player to come out of Azerbaijan and is a true inner-circle level Hall of Famer for any player who shined in the 2010s-20s. Isakov rightfully earned a prominent spot in a loaded 2032 class for Eurasian Professional Baseball.



Nikolay Kargopolcev – Right Field – Ufa Fiends – 98.5% First Ballot

Nikolay Kargopolcev was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Tikhvin, Russia; a small city of 58,000 people located 120 miles east of St. Petersburg. Kargopolcev was one of EPB’s most prolific home run hitters, leading the Asian League seven times. In a lower-scoring league, he was still able to average 40 homers per 162 game average. Kargopolcev’s gap power was limited with only 18 doubles and 8 triples per 162.

He was a good contact hitter facing right-handed pitching with a career .915 OPS and 169 wRC+. Kargopolcev struggled against lefties though with a lousy .614 OPS and 83 wRC+. Against either side, he drew far fewer walks than you’d expect from a big bopper, yet his strikeout rate wasn’t bad. Also unlike most sluggers, Kargopolcev was an impressive base stealer with very good speed.

Kargopolcev played right field for the vast majority of his career, although he saw some time in left and at first base in his final years. He graded as a bit below average defensively, but he was by no means terrible. Kargopolcev’s durability was excellent over a 21-year career, really primarily missing games towards the end in a platoon role. He had an impressive work ethic and was a great leader, becoming universally beloved by teammates and fans across Russia.

Being a tall, powerful lefty will always draw the attention of scouts even if you grow up in a smaller city. Kargopolcev quickly earned looks as a teenager and committed to a developmental deal with Ufa in July 2003. He debuted in 2006 at age 19, showing promise over 80 games and 55 starts. Kargopolcev earned a full-time job in 2007 and held onto it through 2020 for the Fiends.

In his first full season, Kargopolcev led with 47 home runs, a career-best he’d match twice more. He earned his first Silver Slugger and Ufa made an impressive turnaround from 65 wins the prior year to a wild card at 91-71. They ultimately fell to Yekaterinburg’s dynasty in the Asian League Championship Series. The Fiends dropped back towards the bottom of the standings for the next few years before finally getting back above .500 in 2013.

Kargopolcev dropped off a bit in his second full year, but 2009 marked a streak of eight consecutive seasons with 40+ homers. He was the league leader from 2009-11 and from 2013-14. Kargopolcev led four times in slugging and total bases, thrice in runs, thrice in RBI, thrice in OPS, thrice in wRC+, and twice in WAR during that stretch. He picked up Silver Sluggers from 2011-16 and signed an eight-year, $74,700,000 extension with Ufa in May 2013.

During this stretch, Kargopolcev also won MVP honors in 2011, 13, and 14 with a second place finish in 2016. 2013 saw his career bests in runs (101), total bases (371), slugging (.635), OPS (.955), wRC+ (193), and WAR (7.9). With his dominance, Ufa finally became a sustained contender for the first time in around 50 years. They just missed the playoffs in 2013, then earned four berths in five years from 2014-18.

Ufa lost to Omsk in the 2014 ALCS, but got revenge on the Otters in 2015 for their first-ever Asian League pennant. The Fiends then knocked off Moscow to claim their first EPB Championship. Kargopolcev was surprisingly mediocre in that playoff run with a .553 OPS and 0.1 WAR. But he made up for it in the Baseball Grand Championship with an outstanding 1.336 OPS, 287 wRC+, 1.9 WAR, 26 hits, 20 runs, 15 homers, and 26 RBI. Despite that, Ufa was 8-11 for the event.

The Fiends were even stronger in 2016 at 105-57 and repeated as AL champ, although they fell in a finals rematch to Moscow. Kargopolcev was better in this playoff run with a .889 OPS, but his overall playoff stats were underwhelming for Ufa. In 45 games, he had 41 hits, 19 runs, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homers, 16 RBI, .236/.237/.402 slash, 89 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

Ufa just missed the playoffs in 2017, then was upset by Krasnoyarsk in the 2018 ALCS. They had losing seasons to close out the decade, but it was the most successful stretch of the franchise’s history. Kargopolcev led in homers once more with 47 in 2018 and joined the 500 homer club. By this point, his time as an MVP contender seemed to be done.

With a rebuild in progress, Ufa surprised many by trading their beloved superstar after the 2020 season to divisional rival and two-time defending EPB champ Chelyabinsk in a four-player deal. In total, Kargopolcev had 2275 games, 2332 hits, 1278 runs, 259 doubles, 116 triples, 588 home runs, 1349 RBI, 790 steals, .279/.308/.550 slash, 152 wRC+, and 75.9 WAR. He would remained beloved by Ufa fans for delivering their first-ever titles and his #18 uniform would later be retired.

Although they had been a wild card both years, the Cadets had earned repeat EPB Championship wins. Their wild card streak continued for another six seasons, although they never won another pennant. Chelyabinsk lost in the 2021 ALCS to Perm, then had first round exits the rest of the run in the expanded postseason. Kargopolcev had decent playoff stats with 29 games, 24 hits, 13 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, 15 RBI, .737 OPS, 124 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

After a nice debut in 2021 with 4.0 WAR and 35 homers in 125 games, Kargopolcev signed a three-year, $25,200,000 extension. He became the 10^th in EPB to reach 600 home runs and some felt he could challenge Konrad Mazur’s top mark of 740 that had stood since 1987. The hope was dented a bit as he was moved to a part-time starter and platoon role in 2022-23.

Kargopolcev shocked Russian baseball at age 37 in 2024 with a career resurgence, leading in runs (93) and slugging (.590) while adding 38 homers, 116 RBI, 173 wRC+, and 7.7 WAR. He became only the fourth in EPB history to win four MVPs and was among the oldest MVP winners in baseball history. The Cadets gave him another three years and $43,100,000 with that effort. He had crossed the 2500 hit, 1500 RBI, and 1500 run milestones along the way and seemed to have a shot at those records if he could replicate the 2024 pace.

He was a full-timer in 2025 but with merely okay results with 29 homers, .714 OPS, and 2.0 WAR. Still, Kargopolcev joined the 700 home run club and passed Zina Gigolashvili’s 720 for the #2 spot. He was 16 short of Mazur’s record and was in striking distance of his Hall of Fame classmate Igor Gorbatyuk for the runs record and Ivan Mushailov’s RBI record. He had passed Ivan Valev’s 5487 to become the EPB leader in total bases, which held until passed a few years later by Timofei Averkin.

Sadly, Kargopolcev suffered a broken kneecap in March 2026 that kept him out almost all season. He managed to play 36 games with 6 homers and 16 RBI, putting up decent metrics in a small sample size. He was only 10 homers, 26 RBI, and 69 runs away from those records. But sadly, this is where he career ended.

With Chelyabinsk, Kargopolcev finished with 670 games, 581 hits, 322 runs, 73 doubles, 37 triples, 142 home runs, 380 RBI, 216 steals, .254/.280/.505 slash, 134 wRC+, and 16.6 WAR. Kargopolcev wanted to come back to chase those records and many fans wanted to see it. However, he went unsigned all of 2027 despite his campaigning. Kargopolcev ultimately retired after the 2027 season not long after his 41^st birthday.

Kargopolcev’s final stats had 2945 games, 2913 hits, 1600 runs, 332 doubles, 153 triples, 730 home runs, 1729 RBI, 430 walks, 1614 strikeouts, 1006 steals, 638 caught stealing, .274/.302/.540 slash, 148 wRC+, and 92.5 WAR. He’s one of five Hall of Famers in world baseball history with 700+ career home runs and 1000+ career stolen bases.

As of 2037 in EPB, Kargopolcev is 5^th in games, 4^th in runs, 6^th in hits, 2^nd in total bases (5741), 82^nd in triples, 2^nd in homers, 2^nd in RBI, 18^th in steals, and 15^th in caught stealing. Despite those tallies, he ranks only 19^th in WAR among position players. Kargopolcev’s .843 OPS is 56^th among batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his slugging ranks 24^th.

By raw tallies, Kargopolcev’s name quickly comes up among the best-ever in EPB history. Those who favor Sabermetrics often rank his Hall of Fame classmates Yuriy Isakov and Igor Gorbatyuk above him due to high walk rates and better contact skills. But Kargopolcev was the home runs man and is considered by many to be EPB’s best-ever slugger. He’s just above the HR king Mazur in WAR with Mazur notably losing points with his horrendous 4051 strikeouts, which held as the world whiffs record for nearly 50 years.

Kargopolcev loses some points for underwhelming playoff stats, but Ufa earned their first-ever pennants and first EPB title thanks to him. The accumulations, championship ring, and four MVPs certainly make Kargopolcev an inner-circle inductee for Eurasian Professional Baseball. He’d be a headliner almost any year at 98.5%, but ranks as third of five in a stacked 2032 class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Kaysar Alkhasov – Starting Pitcher – Krasnodar Cossacks – 96.9% First Ballot

Kaysar Alkhasov was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Taraz, Kazakhstan; a city of roughly 428,000 near the southern border with Kyrgyzstan. Alkhasov was known for having fantastic command with excellent movement and good stuff. He had a three-pitch arsenal with a 97-99 mph sinker, a changeup, and a slider. The changeup especially was considered his most potent option, but all three pitches were strong.

Alkhasov’s stamina was fairly average compared to most EPB aces, but his ironman durability meant you’d always get plenty of innings. Across a 19-year career, Alkhasov tossed 215+ innings in all but his rookie season. He had a solid pickoff move, but graded as weak defensively. Alkhasov was a great leader and beloved in the clubhouse as a legendary prankster. His sense of humor and reliability made him extremely popular with all.

After the big exodus of the Central Asian teams to the Asian Baseball Federation in 2000, most Kazakh prospects focused on ABF careers. Alkhasov was an exception as he excelled in college, opting for Eurasian Professional Baseball. He was the top prospect for some in the 2007 EPB Draft and went #2 overall to Vladivostok. The Shibas were one of four expansion teams beginning play in 2008, among the new squads designed to help fill the void of the departed teams from the exodus.

As an expansion team, Vladivostok was stuck in the lower-middle tier for roughly the franchise’s first two decades. After splitting his rookie year between starting and relief, Alkhasov was the Shibas ace through 2017. In his second season, he led the Asian League with 7.3 WAR, although he wasn’t generally in awards conversations early on. Alkhasov was a Pitcher of the Year finalist for the first time in 2012, taking third in voting.

After the 2013 season, Alkhasov signed a five-year, $29,060,000 extension with Vladivostok. While playing in Russia’s far east, Alkhasov did represent his native Kazakhstan regularly in the World Baseball Championship. From 2009-26, Alkhasov tossed 220 innings with an 11-13 record, 3.40 ERA, 230 strikeouts, 53 walks, and 4.0 WAR.

In 2015, Alkhasov won Pitcher of the Year with a 2.20 ERA, 256 strikeout, 18-8, 7.4 WAR effort. He repeated in 2016 with his lone ERA title, a career-best 1.81. Alkhasov also led in WAR for the second time with 7.3. 2016 saw Vladivostok finish 81-81, their best record thus far. However, they regressed back down to 72-90 in 2017 and didn’t seem to have an upward trajectory. Alkhasov had one year left on his deal and the Shibas traded him in January 2018 to Krasnoyarsk for three prospects and a second round draft pick.

With Vladivostok, Alkhasov had a 134-128 record, 2.73 ERA, 2328 innings, 2362 strikeouts, 357 walks, 196/276 quality starts, 104 complete games, 21 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 59.9 WAR. He remained extremely popular with Shibas fans as the team’s first ace in their early years. Although he did pitch more games for them than Krasnoyarsk, Alkhasov would become better known for his time with the Cossacks due to their team success with him.

Krasnoyarsk also wasn’t looking at Alkhasov as a rental, giving him a five-year, $51,700,000 extension in May 2018. They had been ALCS runner-up in 2016, but below .500 in 2017. The Cossacks finished 93-69 and defeated Ufa for the Asian League pennant, then won the EPB Championship over Moscow. In his first postseason, Alkhasov had a 2.49 ERA over 25.1 innings with 29 strikeouts. He also had a strong showing in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 2.21 ERA over 36.2 innings, 40 strikeouts, 4 walks, and 1.2 WAR. Krasnoyarsk finished 9-10 in the event.

However, this started an 11-year playoff streak for Krasnoyarsk. Alkhasov was second in POTY voting in both 2019 and 2020, leading in wins in the latter. He had a 1.93 ERA in 2020 and his career-best WAR of 9.0. Alkhasov had 8+ WAR in his first three years for the Cossacks and was above 6+ WAR in his first eight seasons. His excellent control meant his game aged incredibly well, boosting his most consistent production in his mid and late 30s.

After their 2018 title, Krasnoyarsk couldn’t get over the playoff hump for the bit despite winning division titles each year after. They lost in the 2019, 2020, and 2020 ALCS despite having the top seed each year. 2020 was especially disappointing off a historic 116-46 finish. The Cossacks also had a first round exit in 2021 with the playoffs expanding with the 2020 expansion.

Even if the team struggled in the playoffs, Alkhasov generally was rock solid. Over 175.1 playoff innings, he had a 2.41 ERA, 135 ERA+, 73 FIP-, 10-8 record, 156 strikeouts, 23 walks, and 4.9 WAR. Krasnoyarsk was the top seed again in 2023 and this time won the AL pennant, defeating Yekaterinburg in the ALCS. The Cossacks lost the EPB Championship to Volgograd. This was actually one of Alkhasov’s weaker playoff runs with a 3.86 ERA over 35 innings. Still, he had been plenty strong in the regular season and signed a new two-year, $18 million extension that winter at age 38.

Krasnoyarsk barely kept the streak alive at 87-75 in 2024, but managed to make the ALCS where they lost to the Yaks. It was a down year for Alkhasov, leading in losses at 11-17 and posting a 3+ EAR for the first time in a decade. Still, his innings helped him to 6.8 WAR and his 73 FIP- suggested some bad luck. Alkhasov looked like more his old self in 2025 with a 2.59 ERA, although his strikeouts hit a full-season career low of 206. Now 40-years old, Alkhasov’s velocity was now peaking in the 92-94 mph range, but his pinpoint control kept him effective.

At 101-61, Krasnoyarsk had EPB’s best record in 2025 and took it all the way to a championship win over Moscow. Alkhasov had an excellent playoff run, going 3-0 in four starts with a 1.69 ERA over 32 innings, no walks, 23 strikeouts, and 0.8 WAR. He was even more impressive in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.03 ERA over 35 innings, 32 strikeouts, and 1.1 WAR, although the Cossacks went only 8-11. That winter, Alkhasov signed another two year, $9,680,000 extension for Krasnoyarsk.

Alkhasov’s longevity had gotten him to some impressive milestones, becoming the 29^th in EPB to 4000 career strikeouts in 2024 and the 11^th in 250 wins in 2025. His velocity dipped a bit more in 2026 for only a 3.38 ERA, but he was still worth 4.8 WAR and 232 innings. Alkhasov had two more great playoff starts, but Krasnoyarsk lost in the 2026 ALCS to Yekaterinburg.

He reached 4500 strikeouts in 2026, a mark met by 14 EPB pitchers. The elusive 300 win club also seemed possible with his durability, but Alkhasov decided to retire that winter at age 41 instead of possibly overstaying his welcome. The Cossacks quickly retired his #58 uniform for his role in two championship wins and nine years of excellence. For the Cossacks, Alkhasov had a 151-86 record, 2.61 ERA, 2215.2 innings, 2223 strikeouts, 274 walks, 203/272 quality starts, 70 complete games, 17 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 67.7 WAR.

Overall, Alkhasov had a 285-214 record, 2.67 ERA, 4543.2 innings, 4585 strikeouts, 631 walks, 399/548 quality starts, 174 complete games, 38 shutouts, 123 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 127.6 WAR. As of 2037, Alkhasov ranks 7^th in wins, 5^th in losses, 6^th in innings, 54^th in complete games, 41^st in shutouts, 13^th in strikeouts, and 7^th in pitching WAR. His 1.25 BB/9 ranks 51^st among pitchers with 1000+ career innings.

The Vladivostok years had Alkhasov on a Hall of Fame pace on their own, but the Krasnoyarsk run cemented him as an inner-circle inductee. Not many guys in baseball history have two Pitcher of the Year awards, an ERA title, two championship rings, 285 wins, and 4500+ strikeouts. Alkhasov joined the loaded five-man 2032 Hall of Fame class for Eurasian Professional Baseball at 96.9% and would’ve been the obvious headliner most other years. Many argue he’s the best-ever pitcher to come out of Kazakhstan and the second-best overall Kazakh baseball star behind Nizami Aghazade.



Isak Baghoomian – Pitcher – Ufa Fiends – 68.1% First Ballot

Isak Baghoomian was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kizel, Russia; a town of about 20,000 in the Perm Krai. At his peak, Baghoomian had excellent stuff along with above average movement and control. He had an outstanding 99-101 mph fastball and a strong slider, along with an okay curveball as his third pitch. The weakness of the third pitch, especially earlier in his career, limited Baghoomian initially to a bullpen role.

He became a starter later in his career and was noted for having very good stamina. Unfortunately, recurring back troubles and a few major arm injuries limited Baghoomian’s inning count overall. He did have a fantastic pickoff move and was a solid defensive pitcher. Baghoomian went about his business the best he could over a 16-year EPB career exclusively with Ufa.

In October 2006, a teenaged Baghoomian signed a developmental deal with the Fiends and spent most of five years in their academy. He debuted with 36.2 innings in 2011 at age 21 with mixed results. Baghoomian earned the closer role in 2012 and led the Asian League with 70 games pitched, finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting. Baghoomian had a huge setback though in May 2013 with a partially torn UCL knocking him out seven months.

Baghoomian returned with a vengeance in 2014, winning Reliever of the Year with league bests in saves (39) and games (71). Ufa earned only their second playoff trip of the 21^st Century, although they fell to Omsk in the ALCS. It was another setback for Baghoomian though with bone chips in his elbow in 2015. He only had four appearances and missed the entire EPB postseason.

Despite his absence, Baghoomian earned a ring as Ufa beat Moscow for their first-ever EPB Championship. He was healed up enough for the Baseball Grand Championship, allowing three runs over 8.2 innings in six appearances. The Fiends finished 8-11 for the event. Baghoomian also pitched for Russia from 2014-20 in the World Baseball Championship, splitting between relief and starting. There he had a 2.83 ERA over 70 innings, 3-3 record, 6 saves, 90 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR.

Baghoomian stayed healthy for the 2016 regular season and won his second Reliever of the Year with a full-season career best 1.33 ERA. Unfortunately in late September, he suffered shoulder tendinitis that kept him out of the playoff run. Ufa repeated as AL champ at 105-57, but was upset in a finals rematch with Moscow.

That was Baghoomian’s last year in the closer role, as the Fiends moved him into the rotation for the next decade. Baghoomian was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 2017, then pulled off both POTY and MVP in 2018. That year had career and league-bests in wins (23-9), innings (272.1), strikeouts (315), complete games (20), shutouts (9), and WAR (10.3). Baghoomian’s 1.82 ERA was only 0.13 points short of a Triple Crown.

Ufa narrowly missed the playoffs in 2017, then lost in the 2018 ALCS to Krasnoyarsk. Baghoomian was surprisingly used in a relief role in the 2018 playoffs, allowing one run with 11 strikeouts over four appearances and six innings. That was his last shot at the playoffs, as Ufa ultimately spent the next decade in the lower-middle tier.

Baghoomian stayed loyal and signed a seven-year, $90,800,000 extension in January 2020. He led in ERA at 1.74 in 2023, but wasn’t a POTY finalist due to a lower inning count. Baghoomian didn’t reach 200+ innings in a season after 2022 with various shoulder injuries knocking him out usually a month or two. He was still generally effective though when healthy in his early 30s.

In 2025, Baghoomian suffered a torn triceps in July that tanked his control. His velocity had dipped some too, leading to a 4.03 ERA over 109.1 innings that year. Ufa voided the team option year of the contract and Baghoomian retired that winter at age 36. For his 16 seasons, the Fiends retired his #45 uniform.

Baghoomian finished with a 158-123 record, 151 saves, 2.31 ERA, 2240.1 innings, 2629 strikeouts, 475 walks, 151/233 quality starts, 120 complete games, 30 shutouts, 139 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 63.7 WAR. Between his early days in relief and injuries, Baghoomian’s accumulations are much lower than most Hall of Fame starters and the only top 100 list he makes as of 2037 is being 81^st in shutouts. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Baghoomian does rank 54^th in ERA

His resume is a tough one to judge since he doesn’t have the counting stats most voters wanted for either a starter or reliever. The biggest thing Baghoomian had going for him was an MVP, Pitcher of the Year, and two Reliever of the Year awards. He’s believed to be the only player ever to win each of those honors. When he was healthy, Baghoomian’s rate stats certainly look comparable to other inductees.

Many voters gave him some grace for losing numbers to injury and didn’t hold that against him. The awards and pitching with only one team also helped him across the line. Baghoomian only barely breached the 66% requirement, but made it on his first ballot at 68.1%. He’s definitely the weakest in a stacked five-player 2032 Hall of Fame class for Eurasian Professional Baseball, but Baghoomian has secured his spot regardless.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 2032 Hall of Fame class for the Oceania Baseball Association was impressive with three no-doubters earning above 90% on their debuts. LF/DH William Buchholz was still the clear headliner at a near unanimous 99.3%, while pitchers Peyton McCoy and Nathan Bouye both got 91.8%. SP Alison Kila barely missed his own first ballot induction at 63.4%, just short of the 66% requirement. Three returners were above 50% with 1B R.W. Putnam getting 60.6% on his third ballot, 3B Dale Harper with 58.6% for his fourth try, and LF Samson Gould at 54.5% in his seventh attempt.



3B Marlon Russell fell off after ten failed tries, ending at 31.5% and getting as close as 60.3% in 2027. That was his only year above 50%, usually hovering in the 40s. Russell had a 16-year career with three teams and won seven Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, and one MVP. He also was a part of championship teams for Brisbane in 2002 and Guadalcanal in 2012, although he was subpar in both series.

Russell finished with 2219 games, 2256 hits, 1117 runs, 409 doubles, 352 home runs, 1126 RBI, 458 walks, .280/.323/.472 slash, 119 wRC+, and 70.5 WAR. The advanced metrics didn’t have Russell as an elite hitter on the whole and he was overshadowed at the position by Dale Harper during his run. Russell is notably 41^st in WAR as of 2037 among position players, but ended up stuck in the Hall of Pretty Good.

Closer Lyle Summer also fell off the ballot, peaking at 43.2% in 2025 and ending at only 11.0%. He won three Reliever of the Year awards and famously won 2016 Pitcher of the Year for Christchurch with 83 games, 52 saves, 0.92 ERA, 98 innings, 163 strikeouts, and 6.2 WAR; one of the all-time great closer seasons. He also had a 48-save streak from 6/5/09 through 7/10/10.

For his brief prime, Summer was stellar. However, he fell completely off a cliff by age 32, limited by ten seasons of totals with 253 saves, 2.20 ERA, 687.2 innings, 1029 strikeouts, 174 walks, 166 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 25.2 WAR. Voters typically want at least 300 saves to put a reliever in and Summer simply lacked the longevity.

2B Rhett Carbone also made it ten ballots, although he only peaked at 29.5% in his debut before ending at 5.8% in 2032. He had a 19-year career with two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers with five teams. Carbone had 2880 hits, 1411 runs, 452 doubles, 369 triples, 25 home runs, 713 RBI, 394 walks, 1051 steals, .295/.329/.424 slash, 109 wRC+, and 57.7 WAR.

His impressive longevity got him to 14^th in doubles, 3^rd in triples, 11^th in steals, 12^th in hits, and 15^th in runs as of 2037. However, Carbone was dismissed as a compiler and great leadoff guys often have ballot troubles due to the lack of home runs and RBI. He also had the misfortune of playing on mostly forgettable teams, limiting his profile in the absence of big power stats.



William “Butch” Buchholz – Left Field/Designated Hitter – Sydney Snakes – 99.3% First Ballot

William Buchholz was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed left fielder from Invercargill, New Zealand; the country’s southernmost and westernmost city with roughly 57,600 people. Nicknamed “Butch” as a short form of his surname, Buchholz was a solid contact hitter with outstanding gap power. He had an impressive knack for extra base hits, posting 33 doubles, 22 triples, and 30 home runs per his 162 game average. About 45% of Buchholz’s career hits went for extra bases. He also had stellar baserunning skills and great speed, often legging out extra bags.

Buchholz was equally potent facing lefties and righties. He was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but he had mediocre walk rate. Buchholz’s baserunning speed didn’t translate to defensive range, grading as a firmly mediocre left fielder. Around 60% of his starts came in LF with most of the rest as a designated hitter. He did also see a smattering of starts in right field and at first base with no better luck.

While he wasn’t someone to take on a leadership role, Buchholz was a very hard worker and quite bright. He became well respected and liked among teammates and fans. Buchholz showed very solid durability over an 18-year career and was good for 150+ games in 12 seasons and 115+ in all but his first and final year. While there had been several New Zealander pitchers inducted into the Hall of Fame, Class of 1986 1B Seymour Lennox was the only hitter prior to Buchholz. Most Kiwis list Buchholz as the country’s top batter to date.

In February 2006, Buchholz left for Tasmania as one of the first-ever prospects for Hobart. The Tasmaniacs were one of four expansion teams beginning play with the 2006 OBA season. Buchholz spent the better part of four years in their academy, debuting in 2009 at age 20. He was lackluster in 50 games and two starts, but earned the starting gig for 2010. In only 115 games, Buchholz led the Australasia League with 28 triples and posted .916 WAR. His season ended in mid-August to a torn meniscus.

Buchholz was a solid starter in 2011, which saw Hobart finish 80-82 in their sixth season. However, many were surprised that they traded Buchholz in the offseason to Sydney for four prospects. Two of them were okay starters for a few years, but the deal is looked back as a whiff for the Tasmaniacs. In 321 games, Buchholz had 331 hits, 156 runs, 59 doubles, 48 triples, 44 home runs, 169 RBI, .301/.336/.561 slash, 144 wRC+, and 8.1 WAR.

To that point, Sydney had never won a pennant in 50+ seasons, although they had at least been around .500 for most of the 21^st Century. Buchholz had a nice debut season, then won his first Silver Slugger in 2013 by leading in doubles (45), and triples (26). He also posted 1.048 OPS, 190 wRC+, and 7.7 WAR; taking third in MVP voting. Buchholz was MVP of the 2013 all-star game and hit for the cycle against Perth on September 30. In May 2014, the Snakes locked him up long term on an eight-year, $113 million extension.

Buchholz won Silver Sluggers in 2015 and 2016 and was third in 2016’ s MVP voting. 2016 saw him lead the AL in the triple slash (.373/.410/.749), OPS (1.159), wRC+ (201), and RBI (129). Those were each career highs, as was his 40 home runs. Sydney was inching closer to that first pennant, falling two games short to Christchurch in 2015 at 96-66. The Snakes were an impressive 105-57 in 2016, but the Chinooks had a record-setting 126-36 campaign. Sydney then was 93-69 in 2017, six behind first place Brisbane.

2018 was finally the breakthrough as Sydney won their first Australasia League title at 100-62. They added a Oceania Championship win over New Caledonia, although Buchholz only played one game in the series due to a concussion. He had also missed six weeks to a strained PCL, but had played at a high level when healthy. Buchholz was good for the Baseball Garand Championship, posting 20 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, .864 OPS, and 0.6 WAR. The Snakes finished 8-11 in the event.

Buchholz had played on the World Baseball Championship stage prior to that for his native New Zealand. From 2010-24, he played 98 games with 102 hits, 61 runs, 25 doubles, 3 triples, 21 home runs, 50 RBI, 48 steals, .298/.385/.573 slash, and 5.2 WAR. Buchholz was popular back home despite his entire pro career coming in neighboring Australia.

2019 was Buchholz’s best year by many metrics, leading the AL with career bests in runs (124) and WAR (8.6). He won a Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting, leading Sydney to repeat pennants. The Snakes repeated as OBA champ as will, defeating Honolulu in a seven-game classic. Buchholz was finals MVP, going 10-25 with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 6 RBI, 1.207 OPS, and 0.6 WAR. Sydney would finish 8-11 again in the BGC with Buchholz posting 19 hits, 13 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, 14 RBI, .901 OPS, and 0.9 WAR.

Buchholz finally won MVP in 2020 at age 31, leading the AL in hits (202), doubles (41), total bases (369), batting average (.345), slugging (.630), OPS (1.006), wRC+ (164), and WAR (7.2). He also earned his fifth Silver Slugger, although Sydney’s three-peat hopes were dashed with a second place 96-66 finish behind Christchurch. Buchholz never matched that level of production again, but still won another Silver Slugger in both 2021 and 2022. The last Slugger win was his lone one as a DH.

Sydney was fourth in 2021, but opted to re-sign Buchholz at four years and $49,900,000 with hopes of extending their competitive window. The Snakes returned to the top spot at 102-60 and won their third Oceania Championship, defeating reigning champ Vanuatu. The Snakes yet again finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship, although it was Buchholz’s weakest showing in the event with only a .712 OPS.

The Snakes finished second in 2023, then repeated as Australasia League champ in 2024-25. They came up against Port Moresby’s Pacific League dynasty, falling to the Mud Hens in 2024 and defeating them in 2025. Buchholz won his second finals MVP in 2025, going 12-25 in six games with 7 runs, 3 doubles, 1.100 OPS, and 0.6 WAR. Sydney was 9-10 in the BGC with Buchholz posting a .854 OPS and 0.5 WAR.

Overall, Buchholz’s career postseason numbers were strong. In 22 OBA finals starts, he had 34 hits, 17 runs, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 21 RBI, 12 steals, .395/.407/.674 slash, 193 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. Across 74 Baseball Grand Championship games, he had 70 hits, 36 runs, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 17 home runs, 45 RBI, 16 steals, .255/.316/.511 slash, and 2.4 WAR. Buchholz was considered one of the critical pieces in turning Sydney into a dynasty after 50+ years of being aggressively mid.

Buchholz’s longevity also got him to the 2500 hit and 1500 RBI milestones in 2024 and the 1500 runs scored mark in 2025. He had been steady to that point, but finally regressed significantly in 2026. Buchholz posted only 0.1 WAR and .716 OPS in 75 games and 52 starts. Sydney had their best record of the run at 106-56, but took second to 109-win Christchurch. Buchholz retired that winter at age 37 and immediately had his #36 uniform retired for his impressive 15-year run with the Snakes.

For Sydney, Buchholz had 2134 games, 2553 hits, 1393 runs, 446 doubles, 286 triples, 407 home runs, 1505 RBI, 377 walks, 1125 strikeouts, 974 steals, .317/.352/.595 slash, 155 wRC+, and 83.4 WAR. For his entire career, Buchholz played 2455 games with 2884 hits, 1549 runs, 505 doubles, 334 triples, 451 home runs, 1674 RBI, 423 walks, 1328 strikeouts, 1068 steals, .315/.351/.591 slash, 154 wRC+, and 91.6 WAR.

As of 2037, Buchholz ranks 23^rd in games, 7^th in runs, 11^th in hits, 8^th in total bases (5410), 5^th in doubles, 6^th in triples, 34^th in home runs, 5^th in RBI, 9^th in steals, and 15^th in WAR among position players. His .942 OPS ranks 8^th among batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his triple slash ranks 19^th/39^th/9^th. Buchholz isn’t quite in the GOAT-level conversations, but he’s generally viewed as an inner-circle Hall of Famer. At a near unanimous 99.3%, Buchholz headlined a strong three-player 2032 class for the Oceania Baseball Association.

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Peyton McCoy – Starting Pitcher – Guam Golden Eagles – 91.8% First Ballot

Peyton McCoy was a 6’2’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from Christchurch, New Zealand’s second-largest city with around 546,000 in the metro area. McCoy had very strong stuff and control with above average movement. His fastball was solid with 96-98 mph velocity, although his slider and sinker were his most feared offerings. McCoy also had a rarely used changeup as a fourth pitch.

McCoy’s stamina was considered average, but he had very good durability for much of his career in the four-man rotation world of OBA. His pickoff move and ability to hold runners was excellent and he was a decent defensive pitcher. Some thought McCoy was a bit selfish, but he was by no means disruptive over a 15-year career with Guam.

His entire run came with the Golden Eagles, who brought him in with a developmental deal signed July 2007. McCoy debuted with seven passable starts in 2011 at age 20. He saw part time use in 2012-13, then graduated to the full-time roster from 2014 onward. 2015 started a streak of eight consecutive seasons with 300+ strikeouts and 6.9+ WAR. Guam had been in the upper-middle tier to start the 2010s, but McCoy’s efforts helped them return to the top spot.

In 2016, the Golden Eagles won the Pacific League title at 107-55 and shocked a historic 126-36 Christchurch in the Oceania Championship. McCoy was unremarkable in his two starts, taking two Ls with a 3.60 ERA over 15 innings. He fared much better in his five Baseball Grand Championship starts, going 4-0 with 41 strikeouts over 37.2 innings and 1.1 WAR. Tiny Guam shocked the globe by winning Grand Champion honors at 13-6.

Guam gave McCoy a two-year, $21 million extension in May 2017. He won his lone Pitcher of the Year this season, leading the Pacific League in wins at 24-8 with a 2.79 ERA, 344 strikeouts, and 9.3 WAR. The Golden Eagles finished 100-62 to repeat in the PL and downed Brisbane to repeat as OBA champs. McCoy again was unremarkable in the Oceania Championship with a 4.50 ERA over 14 innings with 11 strikeouts. In the BGC, McCoy had a 2-4 record with a 3.74 ERA, 45.2 innings, 50 strikeouts, and 1.0 WAR. Guam finished 10-9, one of four teams tied for ninth.

The Golden Eagles surprisingly fell to 82-80 in 2018, then bounced back with a second place 95-67 in 2019. The latter was McCoy’s best season by wins (27-8), strikeouts (367), innings (317.2), quality starts (29), and WAR (10.1); although he was second in Pitcher of the Year voting. That spring, McCoy finally earned the big extension at $95,900,000 over seven seasons.

Guam returned to the top spot in the PL at 97-65 in 2020 and defeated Christchurch for a third OBA title in five years. McCoy was again underwhelming in the series, finishing his playoff career with a 4.29 ERA over 42 innings with 38 strikeouts and 0.4 WAR. It was also his weakest BGC with a 5.35 ERA over 33.2 innings, although the Golden Eagles had a rock solid 12-7 record to finish fourth.

McCoy’s overall BGC stats saw a 3.85 ERA over 117 innings, 9-6 record, 137 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. He also pitched with similar metrics for New Zealand in the Baseball Grand Championship from 2012-24. In 115.2 innings, McCoy had a 9-8 record, 3.50 ERA, 135 strikeouts, 35 walks, and 1.0 WAR.

In 2021, McCoy took third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Guam remained a winning team through 2023, but their time as a top contender was done. The Golden Eagles fell to 72-90 in 2024, their first sub-80 win campaign since 2006. Guam remained below .500 for the remainder of the decade. Similarly, McCoy remained steady through 2023.

Injury helped speed McCoy’s decline, suffering bone chips in his elbow in late May 2024. He was mostly healthy for two more years, but put up firmly below average stats with ERAs above four. McCoy did notably become OBA’s 9^th pitcher to 250 career wins and the 13^th to 4000 strikeouts. He retired after the 2026 season shortly after his 36^th birthday and quickly saw his #10 uniform retired by Guam.

McCoy finished with a 252-179 record, 3.25 ERA, 3923 innings, 4212 strikeouts, 641 walks, 327/515 quality starts, 125 complete games, 29 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 89.1 WAR. As of 2037, McCoy ranks 7^th in wins, 9^th in innings, 13^th in strikeouts, and 13^th in WAR among pitchers. He’s also 10^th in home runs allowed (432) and 11^th in hits allowed (3467). McCoy’s 1.47 BB/9 ranks 64^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings.

He was rarely considered THE top pitcher, especially since he shared a league and prime with eventual OBA wins/strikeouts leader Akira Brady. But McCoy was a steady and reliable ace who helped Guam earn three championships. The advanced metrics might keep him just outside of that inner-circle level, but his Hall of Fame credentials were rock solid. At 91.8%, McCoy joined the Oceania Baseball Association’s greats in the three-player 2032 class.



Nathan Bouye – Closer – Guadalcanal Green Jackets – 91.8% First Ballot

Nathan Bouye was a 6’4’’, 190 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Noumea, New Caledonia’s largest city with around 182,000 in the urban area. Bouye had impressive stuff along with above average-to-good movement and control. He had a 96-98 mph fastball and a great curveball that often looked the same to hitters until it was too late. Bouye also had a weak changeup as a rarely seen third option.

Bouye’s stamina and durability were both impressive for most of his career, leading the Pacific League thrice in games pitched. He was a strong defensive pitcher, but was average at holding runners. Bouye was a team captain with excellent leadership skills and a great work ethic. He was the second New Caledonian to earn the Hall of Fame nod, joining SP Honore Waheo from the Class of 1989.

Projected relievers didn’t tend to be first round draft picks, but Bouye bucked that trend. In the 2010 OBA Draft, he was picked 17^th overall by Auckland at age 19. He spent most of his first two years in their academy, making only one appearance in 2012 and 32 in 2013. The Avengers moved Bouye into the closer role in 2014, but he was lackluster with a -0.6 WAR. He provided positive value the next two years, but wasn’t looking elite at this point.

Auckland had plummeted to the very bottom by this point with three straight 100+ loss seasons from 2012-14. They made slight progress the next few years, but were still firmly in a rebuild. Bouye was traded in February 2017 to Guadalcanal with cash for three prospects. One of them was RF Rees Tom, who notably won four Gold Gloves for the Avengers, although he was a terrible bat. For the Avengers, Bouye had a 21-43 record, 92 saves, 3.07 ERA, 236 games, 310.1 innings, 317 strikeouts, 122 ERA+, and 4.8 WAR.

Bouye put things together for Guadalcanal, holding the closer role for nine years. He won Reliever of the Year for the first time in 2018 and was third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Bouye led the Pacific League with a career best 47 saves and 106.1 innings, also posting his best ERA at 1.44. He had been third in ROTY the prior year. Bouye signed a three-year, $20,100,000 extension in March 2019.

He took second in Reliever of the Year voting from 2019-21, despite leading in saves twice. 2020 saw Bouye’s highest strikeout total with 141 and 2021 was his best WAR at 5.6. The Green Jackets were consistently above .500, but just short of the PL crown. They were 100-62 in 2021 and 97-65 in 2022, finishing two games out of first both years. Unfortunately for Bouye, he never got to pitch in the Oceania Championship.

Bouye did see action in the World Baseball Championship from 2016-24 for France, as New Caledonians are eligible French citizens. He tossed 109 innings with an 8-6 record, 14 saves, 3.14 ERA, 173 strikeouts, 28 walks, 113 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 3.9 WAR. Bouye earned a World Championship ring in 2024 as France beat the United States to earn its first title.

After the 2022 season, Bouye signed a three-year, $20,700,000 extension to stay with Guadalcanal. They fell below .500 for the rest of his run, but Bouye did win his second Reliever of the Year against a weaker field in 2024. He took second in 2025 and became the fourth in OBA history to 400 career saves. His contemporaries Aidan Wray and Jayden Owens had both reached that mark in the prior two years.

A rebuilding Guadalcanal didn’t re-sign Bouye after the 2025 campaign, becoming a free agent at age 35. For the Green Jackets, he had 323 saves and 350 shutdowns, 69-79 record, 2.22 ERA, 618 games, 815.1 innings, 1102 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, 50 FIP-, and 36.5 WAR. For his nine strong years with Guadalcanal, Bouye’s #18 uniform would soon be retired.

Bouye signed a two-year, $9,520,000 deal with Port Moresby and was excellent in his first 15 games, posting an 0.72 ERA over 25 innings with 26 strikeouts. Unfortunately, he suffered a stretched elbow ligament in mid-May that effectively ended his career. Bouye did earn a championship ring that fall while in a sling as Port Moresby won it all. He was active and signed for 2027, but the Mud Hens kept him on the reserve list all year. Bouye retired that winter at age 37.

In total, Bouye had a 91-119 record, 421 saves, 474 shutdowns, 2.42 ERA, 869 games, 1150.2 innings, 1445 strikeouts, 256 walks, 153 ERA+, 60 FIP-, and 42.2 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 3^rd in saves and games behind Owens and Wray. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Bouye’s ERA ranks 20^th and his .615 OPS is 84^th. He also is 12^th in K/9 (11.30).

Owens had Bouye beat in longevity and Wray had him beat for dominance. Still, prior to that group Scott Kyle had been the only OBA closer above 300 saves with 402. Bouye’s 421 saves do rank 49^th on the world list as of 2037, although his advance metrics weren’t nearly as impressive as most on that list. Still, 400+ saves and regularly being a top three closer made Bouye an easy yes for most Hall of Fame voters. At 91.8%, he earned his first ballot slot as part of the three-player 2032 class for the Oceania Baseball Association.

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Two starting pitchers were added into the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2032, led by arguably the greatest of all time in Ching-Chen Yao at a near unanimous 99.7%. Purnadi Supriatna also made it on the first ballot, although his 69.7% barely crossed the 66% requirement. Closer Kyle Oliveira missed at 60.3% on his ninth try. No one else was above 50% with the next best debut down at 20.3%.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was closer Rizal Prastiche, who had a 20-year career spread out between 13 teams and five leagues. His longevity got him to 452 pro saves and 1087 games, ranking 30^th and 13^th, respectively. Prastiche didn’t have anywhere close to the overall dominance of the other world closers, but he was elite in his APB prime with Bandung.

In seven seasons, he won Reliever of the Year twice and helped the Blackhawks to the 2003 APB Championship. Prastiche bounced around between MLB, AAB, EBF, and A2L after that, then played his final two years back in APB. In APB, Prastiche had 302 saves and 361 shutdowns, 1.55 ERA, 749.1 innings, 1043 strikeouts, 167 ERA+, and 28.2 WAR. He got as high as 56.6% in his 2023 ballot debut before ending at only 19.7%. If Prastiche’s full run came in APB, he easily gets in on tenure alone, but there were enough other closers with more dominance and/or tenure in front of him.

SP Elliott Tran also fell off after ten ballots, peaking at 30.6% and ending at 5.0%. He was the 2007 Pitcher of the Year for Surabaya and led in strikeouts twice, helping them to the 2007 APB title. The advanced metrics were average on the whole with a 164-130 record, 2.56 ERA, 2718 innings, 3014 strikeouts, 409 walks, 101 ERA+, 93 FIP-, and 42.8 WAR. Especially with so many stud pitchers in the ultra-low scoring APB, Tran was nowhere near dominant enough to stand out.



Ching-Chen Yao – Starting Pitcher – Zamboanga Zebras – 99.7% First Ballot

Ching-Chen Yao was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Tali, Taiwan; a district of Taichung with about 212,000 people. Yao’s raw stuff was absolutely bonkers and on the 1/10 scale was often rated as an 11 by scouts. On top of that, he had excellent control and movement. You could make a strong case that Yao’s 2012-21 run was the best decade any pitcher has ever posted in baseball history. Few pitchers were smarter with Yao posting an uncanny ability to know the perfect pitch in any situation.

Yao’s excellent fastball regularly hit the 99-101 mph range and was part of a five-pitch arsenal. His knuckle curve and changeup were both especially dangerous, but he also had a strong splitter and a respectable circle change. Yao’s ability to change speeds and keep each pitch from the same ¾ arm slot made him borderline impossible to solve when he was dealing.

If there was one downside, it was Yao’s stamina was merely average and his durability was spotty. In his 19-year career, he only had eight seasons with 200+ innings. Yao’s dominance meant he was still a top ten pitcher for shutouts even though he wasn’t in the top 50 for complete games and just made the too 50 for innings. His pickoff move was respectable, but Yao did grade as a poor defensive pitcher.

Yao left Taiwan as a teenager on an amateur deal with Zamboanga in September 2004. His entire career came in the Zebra stripes, becoming absolutely beloved in the Philippines for his run. Yao was also an absolute megastar back home and his highlight reels online made him a worldwide sensation. Few pitchers were more fun to watch as a neutral fan and even as an opposing fan, even knowing defeat was the most likely outcome.

In his early seasons though, it looked like Yao’s career might be very brief. He debuted in 2008 at age 20 with lackluster results over 121.2 innings. Yao didn’t look much better to start 2009, then suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in May 2009. He battled back and was ready to start the 2010 season, but then suffered a torn back muscle in spring training that cost him most of the season.

Yao looked excellent in his limited action late in 2010 and to start 2011, but shoulder inflammation popped in up late May that sidelined him for the rest of the year. At this point, it wasn’t unfair to think that you’d never get a full season out of the guy. Yao did miss a few weeks to a sore shoulder in 2012, but that year saw 205 outstanding innings to win his first Pitcher of the Year award.

He won his first ERA title (1.19) and led in strikeouts (385), WHIP (0.57), K/BB (19.2), and WAR (14.5). Even in the ultra-low scoring environment of APB, this was an exceptional season. The WAR mark ranked as the 10^th-best to that point by an APB pitcher and it was the second-best WHIP. Yao had a 21 strikeout game in May against Taichung, then fanned 22 facing Hsinchu in 11.1 innings in September. Zamboanga quickly realized they had something special and that summer inked Yao to a seven-year, $59,880,000 extension.

The Zebras had won three Taiwan-Philippine Association pennants from 2001-04, but had fallen largely into mediocrity since with Cebu posting a Philippine League dynasty through 2011. The 2012 effort put Zamboanga back above .500 at 92-70, although 106-win Cebu got the playoff spot. But with Yao leading the rotation, the Zebras were set to dominate the PL and the TPA for the remainder of the decade.

Yao repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2013 and had a perfect game with 10 strikeouts against Davao on April 15. Zamboanga won the Philippine League at 91-72, winning a tiebreaker game over Cebu to advance. The Zebras then shocked a 119-win Taipei to win the Association Championship. Then, Zamboanga won their first-ever Austronesia Championship by defeating Bandung.

It was a rare finals MVP win by a pitcher by Yao, posting an 0.68 ERA over 26.1 innings with a 3-0 record, one save, 42 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 1.9 WAR. Yao then won Best Pitcher in his world introduction in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.29 ERA over 35 innings, 60 strikeouts, and 2.8 WAR. Zamboanga finished second at 13-6, only behind 15-4 Denver. Yao’s WAR was a tournament record to that point and would only be passed twice in later years.

Yao’s dominance was absolute in the regular season, postseason, or tournament play. He pitched from 2013-18 and in 2025 for Taiwan in the World Baseball Championship with a 2.38 ERA over 113.1 innings, 8-6 record, 206 strikeouts, 31 walks, and 5.8 WAR. Most notable was Yao’s performance in Taiwan’s 2017 runner-up finish with a 1.23 ERA over 36.2 innings with a blistering 76 strikeouts and 2.6 WAR.

2014 was possibly on pace for his best-ever season, including another 22 K game, but he lost two months to a strained hamstring in the summer for a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting. 162 innings were required to qualify for rate stats and Yao had 172, setting the APB single-season record for ERA (0.73), WHIP (0.54), H/9 (3.66), K/9 (16.9), opponent’s triple slash (.121/.156/.166) and opponent’s OPS (.322).

The WHIP, K/9 OBP, slugging, and OPS were all world records for qualifying seasons to that point with only Toshikuni Naikai’s absurd 2020 East Asian Baseball season passing Yao for all but the OPS mark. Yao’s 2014 also is the second-best H/9 in world history and the ERA is third behind only Naikai’s 2020 (0.64) and Zhiyuan Lai’s 0.71 in the 1975 Chinese League season. Despite these stats, the lower inning count meant this would be the one season preventing Yao from ten consecutive Pitcher of the Year wins.

Zamboanga repeated as TPA champs with another win over Taipei, which would become a trend for the decade. They lost the APB Championship to Pekanbaru, although Yao was strong for a 1.69 ERA over 26.2 innings. In 2015, Yao finally stayed truly healthy for a career-best 259.1 innings, leading to an insane 17.24 WAR season. He won his third ERA title (1.08) and had a career best in strikeouts at 450. That ranks as the 7^th-best K total in APB history and is the only one in the top ten from the 21^st Century.

The WAR mark barely missed the APB single-season record of 17.3 by Kun-Sheng Lin in 1972 and 17.27 by Afiq Parker in 1999. As of 2037, Yao’s mark is 11^th-best single-season by any player ever in any league. He was Pitcher of the Year again and second in MVP voting with a career-best record of 21-3. Yao was two wins short of the Triple Crown, an honor he shockingly never achieved despite his successes.

Zamboanga had their best record yet at 105-57 and again got the road win over Taipei (this time at 110-52) for a third straight TPA Championship. In a finals rematch of two years prior, Bandung got revenge over the Zebras. Statistically, this was Yao’s best postseason with only one run allowed over 27.1 innings with 45 Ks and 1.8 WAR.

From 2012-20, Yao was worth 10+ WAR each year and 300+ strikeouts in all but one season. He led in WHIP each season and led in both WAR and Ks in all but 2014. Yao won Pitcher of the Year seven consecutive seasons from 2015-21, becoming only the fourth in world history to that point to win the award nine times. He won ERA titles from 2016-18 and was sub-one again at 0.80 in 2016. That ranks as the 5^th-best ERA in world history and third-best in APB as of 2037. Yao also had another 400+ K season with a blazing 42 in 2017. Yao finished up with two 22 strikeout games, four 21 K games, and one 20 K for his career.

Zamboanga’s streak was broken with an 88-74 finish in 2016, but they were back on top of the TPA in 2017-18. The Zebras lost the 2017 APB Championship to Johor Bahru, but got revenge on the Blue Wings in 2018. In the 2018 Baseball Grand Championship, Zamboanga finished 11-8 in a four-way tie for third, officially in third after the tiebreakers. Yao had a 2.53 ERA over 32 innings with 49 strikeouts. That winter, he signed a new eight-year, $105,400,000 extension to stick with the Zebras.

In 2019, Zamboanga won the PL again, but Taipei finally was able to defeat them in for the Taiwan-Philippine Association crown after going 0-5 in the decade. The Zebras kept a streak of winning seasons intact through to 2025, but this marked the end of the true dynasty run. They missed the playoffs from 2020-22, albeit by only one win in 2021 and two in 2022.

Yao notably tossed his second no-hitter on September 4, 2021 with 10 Ks and two walks versus Tainan. He then had two in 2022, getting 16 Ks and no walks on May 16 facing Kaohsiung and with 13 Ks and one walk on July 20 facing Manila. Yao is one of six APB aces with 4+ career no-nos. 2022 saw the end of his Pitcher of the Year streak, in part due to a lost month to a strained hamstring, although he still finished third in voting. However, he finished the year at 144.7 career WAR, passing Hadi Ningsih to become APB’s all-time WARlord.

In 2023, Yao won his eighth ERA title and led in WAR for the tenth time, although he fell short of 300 Ks. It was still enough for a historic tenth Pitcher of the Year. As of 2037, the only pitchers in world history with 10+ are CABA’s Richard Wright and EPB’s Matvey Ivanov with 11, plus CABA’s Israel Montague and CABA/MLB star Junior Vergara at 10. This season saw Yao cross the 200 career win and 4500 career strikeout thresholds.

Zamboanga returned to the Association Championship at 101-61 and won their sixth pennant of Yao’s run, this time over Hsinchu. They fell to Medan in the APB Championship with Yao missing the end of the postseason to a strained abdominal. This was his final playoff run, finishing with an outstanding 13-4 record and 3 saves in 151.2 innings, 1.42 ERA, 235 strikeouts, 12 walks, 6 complete games, 2 shutouts, 192 ERA+, 27 FIP-, and 8.0 WAR.

Yao retired as the APB playoff leader for WAR and strikeouts, although pitcher Hakimi Aziz eventually caught him for both. Yao remains the wins leader, remarkably putting up slightly better rate stats in the postseason than his insane regular season metrics. Whether the game was big or small, Yao knew how to deliver.

Now 36-years old, Yao had seen mostly smaller injuries in the prior decade that cost him a month or two. In 2024, he had his first big one in some time with bone chips in his elbow, knocking him out from August onward. Zamboanga had their best record of his tenure at 110-52, but lost the association final to Kaohsiung. A sore shoulder limited Yao in 2025, but he threw just enough innings to win his ninth and final ERA title.

His triple-digit velocity had dipped towards the mid 90s in 2024-25, leading to much lower strikeout tallies despite maintaining good ERAs. In 2026, Yao now rarely reached 90 mph and other injuries piled on, leading to only 45 innings all season and 0.5 WAR. He retired that winter at age 39, falling just short of the 5000 strikeout threshold. Zamboanga immediately retired the #11 uniform of their beloved ace.

Yao finished with a 223-91 record, 1.46 ERA, 3245.1 innings, 4960 strikeouts, 418 walks, 327/389 quality starts, 130 complete games, 63 shutouts, 188 ERA+, 31 FIP-, and 163.5 WAR. Yao remained APB’s WARlord until passed by 10+ MVP slugger Binh Tang in the 2030s. He’s still got the top spot among pitchers, despite missing the top spots in some of the counting stats due to fewer innings.

As of 2037, Yao is 17^th in wins, 47^th in innings, 55^th in complete games, 6^th in shutouts, and 8^th in strikeouts. Among APB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Yao is the career leader in WHIP (0.66), opponent’s OBP (.186), and opponent’s OPS (.429). Yao is 4^th in ERA, 3^rd in opponent’s slugging (.242), 2^nd in batting average (.154) and 2^nd in H/9 (4.76) with generally only closers above him. Yao also ranks 8^th in K/9 at 13.76 and 28^th in BB/9 at 1.16.

Even if a few guys have more wins and/or strikeouts, Yao’s 10 Pitcher of the Year wins, playoff accolades, and overall dominance typically places him in the #1 spot for Austronesia Professional Baseball’s all-time pitcher rankings. Some cite Kun-Sheng Lin who had arguably more dominance pitching in his brief seven-year run. However, Lin loses points for leaving for MLB in his late 20s and being retired shortly after to injuries.

The other top guys in WAR, strikeouts, and/or wins have Yao beat in longevity, but he’s got them beat in efficiency. Prior to Binh Tang rewriting the offensive record books, several folks cited Yao as APB’s best-ever player full-stop. There hadn’t been an obvious undisputed GOAT choice to that point, but Tang’s offensive stats relative to his peers are even more obscene than Yao’s. Certainly Yao still fits into the #2 slot for many observers.

Because APB is the world’s lowest-scoring league by a good margin, the legendary aces there dominate unadjusted world leaderboards often in pitching. As of 2037, Yao has the lowest ERA of any Hall of Fame starter in the world and ranks 13^th if including closers. He also has the best career OPS among HOF starters and ranks 7^th when including relievers. Even with the limited innings, Yao also clocks in 50^th on the world strikeout list with all but one guy on that list having at least 300 more innings than Yao. He’s also one of only ten world Hall of Famers with 200+ wins and under 100 losses.

Stats like WAR, ERA+, and FIP- try to rate pitchers while adjusting and normalizing across eras, leagues, and ballparks. Yao’s 163.5 WAR is 4^th best all-time among pure pitchers and 21^st amongst all players ever. The three pitchers in front of him, Mohamed Ramos (205.1), Ulices Montero (191.7), and Akira Brady (180.4) each notably tossed 5000+ career innings, while Yao had only 3245.1. Yao is the only top 10 WAR pitcher to not reach at least 4000 innings.

Among Hall of Fame starters, Yao is the career FIP- leader at 31. Toshikuni Naikai, who had a similar career with big dominance in relatively few innings, is the next closest at 36. Yao’s 188 ERA+ is tied for 2^nd with Naikai with only EPB’s Bogdan Chirita better at 189. Chirita notably though only had an eight year official career. Even after adjusting for APB’s extremely low-scoring environment, Yao’s efficiency metrics are top of the line among starters all-time.

With those efficiency numbers, 10 POTYs, 9 ERA titles, 10 times leading in strikeouts, 10 times the WARlord, six pennants, two APB titles, a Best Pitcher in the BGC, and stellar playoff numbers overall; it is fair to ask if Ching-Chen Yao is the greatest pitcher of all time. There’s certainly a compelling case to be made, although the biggest things working against Yao are fewer innings and the low-offense stats of APB. Guys who dominated higher-scoring leagues and perceived “stronger” leagues usually get a boost in such discussions.

The added longevity and being in a perceived stronger league often puts guys like Ramos or Montero as the top two. Some might also rank two-way stars Chuchuan Cao and Igor Bury better; they and Brady are the only pitchers ahead of Yao in WAR. Rarely would you find a top ten list without Yao on it and he makes many of the top five pitcher lists.

You’ll also see Yao listed as a top ten Asian-born player at any position and he is widely considered the best-ever player out of Taiwan. Regardless of how you weight certain stats, perhaps the most impressive thing about Yao was how his postseason dominance matched his regular season stats. He’s a true baseball immortal with very few peers in the game’s nearly 140 year professional history. Yao’s 99.7% was frankly too low (there’s always that one jerk voter), but he rightfully headlined APB’s 2032 Hall of Fame class.



Purnadi Supriatna – Starting Pitcher – Medan Marlins – 69.7% First Ballot

Purandi Supriatna was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city with nearly 10 million in the metro. Supriatna was known for having excellent stuff along with solid control and above average movement. He had a good fastball that peaked in the 97-99 mph range and mixed in a curveball, changeup, and circle change. Supriatna’s ability to change speeds effectively made him especially dangerous when he was dealing.

Supriatna had strong stamina in his 20s, but was more average in his later years. He also mostly avoided major injuries in his prime. Supriatna’s pickoff move was outstanding and he was one of the best at holding runners. He also graded as a solid defensive pitcher and had a better bat than the average pitcher, winning a Silver Slugger in 2026. Supriatna’s career .187 average wasn’t amazing by any stretch, but he wasn’t the guaranteed out that most aces were when forced to hit.

After dominating the college ranks, most scouts rated Supriatna as both the best Indonesian prospect in the 2016 APB Draft and as the best overall option. Medan agreed with that assessment, picking Supriatna with the #1 overall choice. He was a full-time starter right away and had seven straight seasons with 200+ innings for the Marlins. He had a respectable rookie campaign, then was firmly a solid starter in the next two seasons.

Supriatna’s fourth season was his first of three straight leading the Sundaland Association in WAR at 9.0. He won the ERA title with a career best 1.32 and led in wins (20-4), WHIP (0.72), and FIP- (41); earning Pitcher of the Year. Medan ended a six-year playoff drought in the Malacca League, but lost to reigning APB champ Palembang in the association finals. Supriatna held up his end, allowing one run over 17 playoff innings with 26 Ks.

He was even better arguably with league bests in WAR (11.8), quality starts (30), strikeouts (395), and innings (272.2), along with a 1.39 ERA. However, Supriatna was second in Pitcher of the Year voting, overlooked perhaps due to Medan’s mediocre 75-87 season. The Marlins bounced back with repeat playoff trips and Supriatna had repeat POTY wins.

2022 had his career bests for strikeouts (401), and WAR (12.2) with a 1.71 ERA over 273.1 innings. Among those Ks was a 22-strikeout game against Depok on September 2, one short of the APB single-game record. Supriatna’s WAR was down to only 6.7 in 2023 with 208.1 innings, but he won his second ERA title (1.34) and was even third in MVP voting with a 20-6 record and 13 saves in a more mixed starter/relief role.

Both years, Medan won the Sundaland Association pennant, beating Bandung in 2022 and Jakarta in 2023. They lost the 2022 Austronesia Championship to Quezon, but won it all in 2023 over Zamboanga. Supriatna was surprisingly underwhelming in those playoff runs with a 2.92 ERA in 2022 and 4.10 in 2023, although FIP suggested perhaps some bad luck. For his playoff career, Supriatna had a 7-2 record with a 2.78 ERA and 92 ERA+, but an 68 FIP- over 68 innings with 86 strikeouts, 14 walks, and 1.9 WAR.

Medan also earned a spot in the 2023 Baseball Grand Championship and finished 8-11. Supriatna had a solid showing with a 2.48 ERA in 29 innings, 153 ERA+, 1.4 WAR, and 39 strikeouts. He also represented Indonesia from 2019-28 in the World Baseball Championship with an 11-4 record, 2.96 ERA, 134 innings, 204 strikeouts, 41 walks, and 2.8 WAR. The Indonesians had division titles from 2022-24 with Supriatna.

Supriatna did continue to return home for the WBC, although his time competing in the pros in Indonesia ended with Medan’s 2023 title. He was granted free agency and started a worldwide search, eventually getting a massive seven-year, $199,000,000 deal with Virginia Beach of Major League Baseball. The short tenure meant Supriatna didn’t get his #26 retired with Medan despite his role in repeat pennants.

For the Marlins, Supriatna had a 110-65 record, 1.69 ERA, 1643 innings, 2131 strikeouts, 243 walks, 164/193 quality starts, 68 complete games, 30 shutouts, 151 ERA+, 57 FIP-, and 54.3 WAR. He didn’t stay long enough to make the leaderboards for counting stats generally, but he is 96^th in WAR among APB pitchers as of 2037 and 74^th in shutouts.

As for rate stats, Supriatna’s ERA ranks 12^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. His .498 opponent’s OPS is 14^th with a .183/.219/.279 triple slash ranking 20^th/14^th/16^th. Supriatna’s 0.79 WHIP is 12^th, 5.74 H/9 ranks 22^nd, and his 11.67 K/9 in 41^st. His candidacy came down to the arguments of favoring peak versus longevity. Those who favored longevity more strongly felt Supriatna didn’t stay long enough to belong in the Hall of Fame.

The majority though felt that three Pitcher of the Year wins, two ERA titles, two pennants, and an APB Championship ring got Supriatna across the line even with only a seven-year run. Some voters also gave him partial credit for his later MLB tallies, arguing that he easily would’ve gotten the required accumulations had he stayed. At 69.7%, Supriatna only barely crossed the 66% line for induction, but he found a spot into Austronesia Professional Baseball’s Hall of Fame on the first ballot for 2032.

Virginia Beach was coming off repeat playoff trips when they signed Supriatna, although they didn’t get beyond the second round. They stayed stuck in the middle tier during his tenure with solid production in his first three years. Supriatna’s best effort in MLB was 2026 with a 2.83 ERA over 213 innings, 144 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. He struggled though in 2027 and dealt with a partially torn labrum and a flexor-pronator strain.

Supriatna mostly ate innings in his remaining three seasons as his velocity started to dip to age. For Virginia Beach, Supriatna had a 72-74 record, 4.08 ERA, 1395.1 innings, 1218 strikeouts, 345 walks 98 ERA+, 101 FIP-, and 18.3 WAR. He graded as a reliably average arm on the whole over seven MLB seasons. Supriatna wanted to play in 2031, but no one was interested as he now had trouble hitting 90 MPH on his fastball. He retired in winter 2031 at age 36.

Supriatna’s combined pro numbers saw a 182-139 record, 2.79 ERA, 3038.1 innings, 3349 strikeouts, 588 walks, 110 complete games, 38 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 72.6 WAR. He wasn’t an inner-circle type Hall of Famer, but Supriatna was legit elite in his Medan peak and earned recognition in his role in two pennants for them.

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Chinese League Baseball nearly had a blank Hall of Fame ballot for 2032 with the best debut getting only 42.0%. On his third try, Bozhao Zhu sneaked across the 66% requirement at 66.9% as the lone inductee for 2032. 1B Xugang Zheng was next closest with 59.4% on his fifth ballot. RF Boyu Long had 58.0% on his third try and two-way player Likong Zhong saw 52.0% on his fourth go.



1B Yun Chang was the lone player dropped after ten ballots, peaking with a 37.5% debut and ending at 6.6%. He won two Silver Sluggers over 13 seasons with Shenzhen, getting 1887 hits, 827 runs, 283 doubles, 356 home runs, 927 RBI, 590 walks, .279/.338/.485 slash, 179 wRC+, and 80.2 WAR. Chang ranks 55^th in WAR among position players as of 2037, but he didn’t have the longevity or black ink to stand out more on the ballot. Chang also played four seasons in Europe with Dublin and might have made CLB’s HOF with those added totals. He goes down as a solid Hall of Pretty Good option.



Bozhao “Bumblebee” Zhu – First Base – Hong Kong Champions – 66.9% Third Ballot

Bozhao Zhu was a 6’2’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Jishu, a city of 409,000 people in Central China’s Hunan Province. Nicknamed “Bumblebee,” Zhu was one of the better home run hitters in the very low scoring world of Chinese baseball. Although he never led the league in homers, Zhu had three seasons with 50+. His 162 game average got you 38 homers, 26 doubles, and 3 triples.

Zhu was an above average-to-good contact hitter against both sides, but he did have more power facing right-handed pitching (186 wRC+, .879 OPS) compared to lefties (163 wRC+, .816 OPS). Zhu was merely decent at drawing walks and had a subpar strikeout rate. Like many sluggers, Zhu was also a very slow and sluggish baserunner.

Defensively, Zhu was a career first baseman and never started anywhere else using his glove. You could do worse, but he graded as a firmly mediocre defender. He had some bad luck with a few big bone breaks, but still managed a 17-year professional career. Zhu was a popular player with fans and well respected by his peers for his high character. He was a strong team captain with Hong Kong known for his leadership, work ethic, and intelligence.

Zhu was a high-rated prospect ahead of the 2010 CLB Draft and went sixth overall to Hong Kong. He spent all of 2011 in their training academy and only played 64 games with three starts in 2012. Zhu earned a full-time starting job in 2013 and held the job through 2024, generally only missing starts due to injuries.

Hong Kong made the playoffs in 2013, but lost in the round robin. They hovered around the middle tier for the next four seasons. Zhu lost a big chunk of 2016 to a fractured finger and part of 2017 to a sprained knee. The Champions were still pleased with his progress, signing Zhu to an eight-year, $53,380,000 extension after the 2016 campaign.

In 2018, Zhu led the Southern League in doubles (36), and RBI (115) to help Hong Kong end the four-year playoff drought. The Champions too the SL crown, but lost in the China Series to Nanjing. Zhu had an excellent postseason with 1.023 OPS, 1.3 WAR, 20 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, and 14 RBI over 16 starts.

Zhu went from a strong starter to an MVP contender from 2019-22, posting 9+ WAR each year. He led in RBI in 2020 (114) and 2022 (142) and led in both hits (190) and total bases (394) in 2022. The 142 RBI were the second-most in CLB history behind only Peng Wang’s 150 from 2011. 2022 also had Zhu’s career best for home runs (57), and WAR (10.3).

Despite that effort, Zhu was second in MVP voting in all four seasons, never winning the top honor. With the tough competition at first base, he only won Silver Sluggers in 2021-22. However, Zhu was most proud of the team results as the Champions had a playoff streak through 2023. Hong Kong won the China Series in 2019 against Shenyang and in 2022 against Urumqi. They were the runner-up in 2021 with a defeat to the Unicorns.

Zhu was strong in the playoffs, winning semifinal MVP in 2019 and China Series MVP in 2022. For his playoff career, he started 78 games with 80 hits, 39 runs, 12 doubles, 16 home runs, 48 RBI, .265/.320/.483 slash, 153 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR.

In the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship, Zhu was unremarkable with .629 OPS and 0.1 WAR as HK finished 8-11. They went 7-12 in 2022, but Zhu was excellent despite the team struggles with 22 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 7 homers, 13 RBI, 1.109 OPS, 225 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. He rightfully earned the reputation though as a big game hitter. He occasionally played in the World Baseball Championship for China with .723 OPS and 0.7 WAR in 34 games.

2024 was Zhu’s last year with Hong Kong, ending in calamity due to a broken bone in the elbow in early April. He only played eight games in that final season and HK’s playoff streak ended with a lackluster 71-91 mark. They would be bottom tier for the remainder of the 2020s. Zhu’s contract expired, becoming a free agent for the first time heading towards age 35

Many Chinese teams were leery after such a major injury with Zhu leaving for Russia. He joined EPB’s Novosibirsk on a four-year, $18,400,000 deal. Zhu notably hit for the cycle in 2025, but the Nitros run was largely forgettable between injuries and merely decent production. Zhu played 360 games with 274 hits, 119 runs, 41 doubles, 53 home runs, 132 RBI, .250/.295/.445 slash, 124 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR.

Zhu wanted to play in 2029, but went unsigned all year and retired that winter at age 39. Hong Kong quickly retired his #70 for his role in their dynasty run. For his combined pro career, Zhu had 2027 games, 1969 hits, 939 runs, 331 doubles, 478 home runs, 1186 RBI, .277/.329/.535 slash, 180 wRC+, and 84.5 WAR.

Just with the Champions, Zhu had 1667 games, 1695 hits, 820 runs, 290 doubles, 28 triples, 425 home runs, 1054 RBI, 406 walks, 1359 strikeouts, .282/.336/.551 slash, 190 wRC+, and 80.4 WAR. As of 2037, Zhu ranks 63^rd in runs, 74^th in hits, 36^th in total bases (3316), 46^th in doubles, 14^th in home runs, 15^th in RBI, and 54^th in WAR among position players.

Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Zhu’s .887 OPS ranks 28^th and his triple slash is 98^th/87^th/27^th. The challenge is that the very low scoring environment of Chinese League Baseball makes accumulations low even for the greats. The Hall of Fame voters were often stingy, seemingly holding guys to stat standards that make more sense for other leagues. This worked against Zhu, who also had lower tallies overall due to a relatively shorter career and the injuries.

Although he never won MVP, finishing second twice and captaining a team to a dynasty run goes a long way. Despite that, Zhu had to wait with 58.7% and 55.7% for his first two ballots. 2032 didn’t have any slam dunk debuts on the ballot, allowing Zhu’s resume to stand out a bit more comparatively. This pushed him to 66.9%, barely crossing the 66% requirement and earning a third ballot induction as 2032’s lone honoree.

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For the first time since 2022, West African Baseball had no Hall of Fame inductees. 2032’s ballot had no returners breach 50%, although three debuts did. SP Joseph Masuta was the closest to the 66% requirement with 62.0%. SP Minusu Ekong saw 52.9% and LF Anthony Olariyi got 50.2%. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

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Only closer Baladhya Jain made it into the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame for 2032 with a debut at 72.0%. SP Harpal Kumaragupta barely missed his own first ballot nod, just missing the 66% requirement at 64.5%. Two returners were above 50% with SP Siddhant Shakya at 53.0% on his fifth ballot and CF Chris Saandeep at 52.6% on his seventh go.




Falling off after ten failed ballots was reliever Nopporn Samornchai, who had a strong 51.8% debut before falling to a mere 6.9% by the end. He won two Reliever of the Year awards and helped Dhaka to the 2011 SAB title, but he didn’t have the longevity. Samornchai was out of the closer role by his 30s and out of the game by 35.

He had 267 saves, 2.25 ERA, 698 games, 862.2 innings, 1251 strikeouts, 251 walks, 170 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 27.5 WAR. Samornchai had a strong peak, but lacked the tenure needed to make it across the line. You could argue Samornchai was more dominant than 2032’s lone inductee Baladhya Jain, but the latter’s longevity got him to the benchmarks voters look for from a top closer.



Baladhya Jain – Closer – Delhi Drillers – 72.0% First Ballot

Baladhya Jain was a 6’0’’, 185 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Thana Bhawan, India; a town of around 36,000 inhabitants located about 100 kilometers north of Delhi. Jain had strong stuff with good movement and above average control. He often overpowered batters with a 99-101 mph fastball and countered it with a decent curveball.

Jain’s stamina was weak, meaning you couldn’t expect many outings to go beyond one inning. However, he had excellent durability for most of his run and you could expect a full slate of appearances each year. Jain was strong at holding runners and playing defense. He had a strong work ethic and was a team player, earning the respect of teammates at each of his career stops.

He grew up a fan of Delhi and the Drillers kept an eye on him as his amateur career progressed. Relievers weren’t often top draft picks, but Jain bucked that trend as he went ninth overall to Delhi in the 2009 SAB Draft. Jain was their closer right away and held that role for six seasons with consistently solid results. He took third in 2013’s Reliever of the Year voting, but wasn’t viewed as overwhelmingly dominant compared to other closers.

Delhi was mostly terrible in this era with only one winning season from 2004-18. In 2013, they had a surprise wild card run at 94-68, making it to the Indian League Championship Series where they fell to Visakhapatnam. Jain was excellent in the playoff run, getting saves in all five appearances with 10 scoreless innings. Although he didn’t get a ton of postseason opportunities in his career, Jain generally earned the reputation as a big-game closer. From 2011-14 and from 2019-22, Jain pitched for India in the World Baseball Championship. In 49.1 innings, he had a 3.10 ERA, 76 strikeouts, 8 walks, and 0.6 WAR.

The Drillers fell back into mediocrity after their 2013 playoff trip and traded Jain in the last year of his contract in January 2016. He was sent to Yangon for three prospects, one of which was CF Parmjit Banibrata who had a decent decade as a defense-first starter for Delhi. The Green Dragons were the reigning SAB champ and had won the Southeast Asia League in three of the last four seasons. They hoped Jain could keep the dynasty run going.

Yangon’s playoff streak grew to 22 seasons, but they were a wild card with a first round exit with Jain not pitching in the postseason. This year saw Jain’s career best ERA at 1.09 and saves at 42 over 74 innings, taking second in Reliever of the Year voting. Jain was now a 29-year old free agent and Mumbai grabbed him at two years and $7,160,000.

The Meteors had just won back-to-back Indian League titles. Mumbai won their division in 2017-18, but lost in the first round both years. Jain had decent results as the closer in 2017, but was reduced to a set-up role in 2018. Next up, he signed with Kolkata for 2019, but he was traded to Dhaka in the summer. He had a 2.61 ERA and 29 saves between the two squads.

Delhi brought Jain back to the closer role for 2020 on a two-year, $8,640,000 deal. He was third in 2020’s Reliever of the Year voting, then finally won the top honor in 2021. The latter had his career bests for innings (91), strikeouts (131), and WAR (3.6). The Drillers started a four-year playoff streak, falling in the first round in 2020. Delhi then surprised the field in 2021 as a 92-70 wild card, upsetting Nagpur for the IL pennant and downing Dhaka in the SAB Championship.

In 18 playoff innings and nine appearances, Jain had a 4-1 record, 2 saves, 2.50 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 2 walks, and 0.6 WAR. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings with 23 Ks as Delhi finished tied for ninth at 10-9. This run especially earned Jain a fondness from the Drillers management, who later retired his #29 uniform. However, Jain was back to free agency after the 2021 title at age 34.

Jain went back to Mumbai for a second stint for a fine season, helping the Meteors to the Indian League title at 99-63. They fell to Yangon in the SAB Championship with Jain getting six saves and a 2.12 ERA over 17 playoff innings with 17 strikeouts. For his playoff career, Jain ended with 14 saves and 19 shutdowns, a 5-3 record, 1.65 ERA, 27 appearances, 49 innings, 65 strikeouts, 9 walks, 218 ERA+, and 1.3 WAR.

Between Mumbai stints, Jain had 71 saves, 2.16 ERA, 199.2 innings, 288 strikeouts, 58 walks, 163 ERA+, and 4.2 WAR. It was Jain’s final season as a closer, but it did allow him to become the 6^th in SAB history with 400 saves. He signed a two-year deal with Vientiane, but was iffy and used mostly in mop-up work. Over 43 appearances, Jain had a 3.69 ERA, 3 saves, 102.1 innings, 106 strikeouts, and 0.3 WAR.

In July 2024, Vientiane traded Jain and a prospect to Delhi for CF Avada Ramji. He struggled in his third stint with the Drillers with a 6.07 ERA over 29.2 innings. Overall for Delhi between runs, Jain had 294 saves and 298 shutdowns, 2.53 ERA, 667.2 innings, 929 strikeouts, 154 walks, 144 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 21.0 WAR. Coming up on age 37, Jain’s next deal came with Hanoi.

He never took the field for the Hounds, suffering a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in spring training. Jain had a 13 month recovery, but refused to retire from the injury. He made it back and tossed 31.2 innings in 2026 for Mandalay with a 3.13 ERA. Jain wasn’t used in the playoffs, but he earned a second SAB Championship ring as the Mammoths started their dynasty with a finals win over Kolkata. He retired that winter at age 39.

Jain finished with a 93-73 record, 439 saves, 474 shutdowns, 2.50 ERA, 931 games, 1161.2 innings, 1570 strikeouts, 275 walks, 148 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 31.5 WAR. As of 2037, Jain ranks 6^th in saves and among SAB pitchers with 1000+ innings, he’s 17^th in ERA. His .621 opponent’s OPS is 73^rd and his 12.16 K/9 in 35^th. On the world saves list, Jain ranks 39^th.

Of the ten closers in the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame as of 2037, Jain ranks 9^th in WAR and strikeouts. Advanced metrics definitely rank him lower than many of the other great relievers, but longevity and 400+ saves goes a long way. Jain’s playoff successes also sealed it for many of the voters on the fence. His 72.0% wasn’t a slam dunk, but it got him beyond the 66% requirement for a first ballot selection as SAB’s lone 2032 inductee.

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The Asian Baseball Federation had three Hall of Fame inductees on their first ballot for the 2032 class, captained by 1B Habib Saquib at a near unanimous 99.0%. SP Ali Mehrjui was a very strong #2 at 87.3% and LF Shahid Safaq got in at 75.9%. At 62.5%, SP Qabir Sabiha narrowly missed the 66% requirement for his debut. SP Ahour Sabbari was also close on his second ballot at 61.6%. Also cracking the 50% mark was CL Raghid Yazdani at 53.7% for his second go and 3B Timur Tyan with a 53.3% debut.



SP Laith Saleh fell off after ten ballots, getting as close as 55.7% in 2025 before ending at a mere 5.4%. He had a 17-year run with Istanbul with a 207-168 record, 3.34 ERA, 3423 innings, 3379 strikeouts, 584 walks, 103 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 57.7 WAR. Saleh also had a 3.02 playoff ERA over 104.1 innings, helping the Ironmen win it all in 2007 and 2008. He lacked accolades and black ink though with the advanced stats suggesting sustained above averageness and a Hall of Pretty Good resume for Saleh.

Muqtadir Mehmood also made it ten ballots, peaking with a 52.9% debut and ending with only 3.5%. He had a 13-year career, but did lose some ABF tallies with a four-year MLB run in the middle. Mehmood won Reliever of the Year twice with 275 saves, 1.70 ERA, 694.1 innings, 1130 strikeouts, 160 walks, 185 ERA-, 49 FIP-, and 29.6 WAR. The metrics were definitely there, but Mehmood needed a few more years of ABF accumulations to reach the benchmarks the voters wanted.



Habib Saquib – First Base – Tehran Tarpons – 99.0% First Ballot

Habib Saquib was a 6’0’’, 200 pound switch-hitting first baseman from Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. Saquib was one of the all-time great home run hitters, hitting 36+ in all 16 of his full seasons. He had 13 seasons with 40+ dingers and breached 50+ four times. Saquib was also a good contact hitter with a decent eye for drawing walks, but he had a terrible strikeout rate.

Saquib had strength against both sides, but did post better numbers facing right-handed pitching (.967 OPS, 169 wRC+) compared to lefties (.872 OPS, 149 wRC+). His gap power was also pretty good with 35 doubles per his 162 game average, although Saquib rarely got triples partly due to terrible baserunning and speed.

While that sluggishness meant weaker range, Saquib had a steady glove. The career metrics gave him an exactly average 1.000 EFF, but he had the reputation of being a great defender. Saquib won five Gold Gloves with three from 2019-21, then two from 2023-24. Excellent durability also helped that reputation, starting 150+ games each year from 2012-25.

Saquib was also a high character individual, earning the respect and admiration of peers. He was a team captain with stellar leadership skills and a tireless work ethic. Those personality traits and lots of dingers made Saquib absolutely beloved by ABF fans. He was one of the biggest idols back in his native Pakistan despite playing the vast majority of his pro career in Iran. The Iranians likewise adopted Saquib as a cherished favorite.

From 2013-26, Saquib was a steady starter for Pakistan in the World Baseball Championship. In 146 games, he had 105 hits, 72 runs, 18 doubles, 40 home runs, 83 RBI, .210/.318/.489 slash, and 4.6 WAR. Saquib notably had 10 homers, 16 RBI, and 14 runs in Pakistan’s 2021 runner-up campaign. They had never been to the finals previously, falling 4-2 in the World Championship to Brazil.

Saquib’s time in Iran started as a teenager with a developmental deal signed with Tehran in September 2005. He spent the better part of six years in the capital at the Tarpons academy. Saquib debuted in 2009 at age 20 but struggled in 33 pinch-hit plate appearances. He was back in developmental for all of 2010, then saw 25 games and six starts in 2011 with weak results. Saquib improved enough that winter though to secure the starting job in 2012, which he held through 2020 with Tehran.

The Tarpons had been terrible to start the 21^st Century, but emerged as a contender as Saquib and fellow 2032 inductee Shahid Safaq arrived to anchor the lineup. 2011 ended a 17-year playoff drought and started a nine-year streak. Saquib was only a backup in 2011, which saw a West League pennant for Tehran and an ABF Championship loss to Faisalabad. The Tarpons had three more wild cards from 2012-14, falling in the first round in 2012 and 2014. In 2013, they fell in the WLCS to Baku.

Each of Saquib’s starting seasons with Tehran was worth 6+ WAR. He led in runs scored in 2014 and 1015, doubles in 2016, and in homers, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, and WAR in 2017. Saquib earned 2017 MVP honors with 52 homers, 114 RBI, 1.022 OPS, and 8.9 WAR. He also had OPS above one in 2013 and 2014, taking third in 2013’s MVP voting. For Tehran, Saquib had Silver Sluggers from 2015-18. The Tarpons quickly realized what they had, giving Saquib an eight-year, $54,300,000 extension after the 2013 season.

Tehran had an outstanding 115-47 season in 2015 (a new ABF wins record), but suffered a stunning first round playoff exit to Shiraz. To this point, Saquib’s career playoff numbers were underwhelming and he was an abysmal 0-18 with 8 Ks in 2015. He would redeem himself though in 2016 as Tehran won its first-ever ABF Championship. The Tarpons finished 102-60, beating Adana in the WLCS and Dushanbe in the finals.

In the playoffs, Saquib had 13 hits, 6 runs, 4 double, 1 homer, 3 RBI, and 12 walks. He fared much better in the Baseball Grand Championship as Tehran finished 11-8, one of five teams tied for fifth. Saquib had 14 hits, 11 homers, 13 RBI, 15 runs, .986 OPS, and 1.1 WAR.

The Tarpons followed that by breaking the wins record at 116-46 in 2017. They avoided 2015’s fate and won it all, defeating Asgabat in the final to repeat as ABF Champion. Saquib was again merely decent in the playoffs with .730 OPS and 0.3 WAR, but his MVP season was a big reason Tehran had arguably ABF’s best-ever team to that point.

On the world stage, Tehran again was 11-8, one win short of the title and one of five teams tied for fourth. Saquib again had better BGC results than ABF playoff results with 12 hits, 14 runs, 6 homers, 8 RBU, .946 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. Saquib was third in 2018’s MVP voting and maintained his steady production into his 30s. 2017 was the peak though for Tehran, who had first round exits as a wild card in 2018-19.

In his playoff career for the Tarpons, Saquib played 76 games with 54 hits, 28 runs, 15 doubles, 10 home runs, 21 RBI, 25 walks, .224/.322/.411 slash, 113 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Even if the totals were a bit mid, Saquib is forever beloved in Tehran as the captain who delivered their first-ever ABF titles and a repeat. Saquib’s #6 uniform would unsurprisingly be retired at the end of his playing days.

Saquib’s last season with Tehran was still good individually in 2020, but the Tarpons collapsed at 68-94. A rebuild was in order and Saquib was entering the last year of his deal. As part of an offseason fire sale, Saquib was traded to Bishkek for prospects. One of them was SS Yusif Sadigov, who was a solid defensive starter for about a decade. Overall for Tehran, Saquib had 1478 games, 1479 hits, 858 runs, 324 doubles, 393 homers, 968 RBI, 518 walks, .287/.365/.587 slash, 175 wRC+, and 68.2 WAR.

The Black Sox were the 2020 ABF Champion and hoped Saquib could solidify a dynasty run. Bishkek went 104-58 and won a division title in 2021 and Saquib certainly did his job, winning his second MVP, a Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove. He led the EL in homers (57), runs (113), total bases (409), slugging (.691), OPS (1.071), wRC+ (224), and WAR (9.4). The runs, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR would all be career bests, as would his 188 hits, 46 doubles, and .318 average.

Saquib had a decent postseason run with an .805 OPS, 151 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR, but Bishkek’s repeat bid was denied with an East League Championship Series loss to Faisalabad. The Black Sox were unable to reach a long-term agreement with Saquib, making him ultimately a one-year rental. He now entered free agency for the first time at age 33. Saquib made the move back to Iran with Tabriz on a five-year, $63 million deal. The Tiger Sharks had been the WL’s top seed in 2021 at 109-53, but had suffered a first round exit. They were also amidst a six-year playoff streak, having won the ABF title and Grand Champion honors in 2019.

In 2022, Saquib had a career and league best 60 home runs along with a personal best of 142 RBI, finishing second in MVP voting and winning a Silver Slugger. In this season, he was used as a designed hitter. Saquib was back to first base and won his seventh and final Silver Slugger in 2023. He remained a steady force in the middle of the lineup, but his overall hitting was down from the prime years with fewer walks and more strikeouts.

Tabriz had the top seed again in 2022, but lost the WLCS to Baku with Saquib missing part of the series to a strained hamstring. The Tiger Sharks were a 92-70 wild card in 2023, but got hot in October and got revenge over the Blackbirds to win the pennant. Tabriz then upset reigning champ Bishkek to win their second ABF Championship. Saquib’s playoff stats again were surprisingly mid with a .684 OPS, 87 wRC+, and 0.0 WAR.

Yet again, Saquib fared better on the Baseball Grand Championship stage with 17 hits, 10 runs, 7 homers, 15 RBI, .889 OPS, 152 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR. Tabriz had stunned the world by taking Grand Champion in 2019, but 2023 saw an 8-11 finish. The Tiger Sharks had a first round exit in 2024, the final appearance of a nine-year playoff streak. They missed the cut on a tiebreaker in 2025, then fell below .500 in 2026.

Saquib made history on June 29, 2025 with a four home run game against Isfahan. He became the fifth in ABF history with a four homer game and his seven RBI in the game got him to 1500 for his career. Saquib was the fifth to reach that mark and had been the fifth to join the 600 home run club the prior year. The all-time marks of 683 homers by Ali Sungu and 1685 RBI by Petri Viskari both seemed reachable considering Saquib’s durability and consistency.

In 2026, Saquib had his weakest season in ABF with .815 OPS, 120 wRC+, 2.3 WAR and 215 strikeouts. His 36 home runs and 86 RBI were also lows, losing about a month to back soreness. However, Saquib got to 686 career homers, passing Sungu to become ABF’s all-time home run king. He got to 1653 RBI, still 32 short of Viskari’s RBI record.

For Tabriz, Saquib played 774 games with 789 hits, 453 runs, 156 doubles, 236 home runs, 559 RBI, 235 walks, 976 strikeouts, .268/.336/.568 slash, 137 wRC+, and 22.6 WAR. Saquib wanted to continue to pass the RBI record, but most teams thought he was cooked at this point. Even with the respect he garnered, teams felt his value and price tag wasn’t worth it at this point.

Thus, Saquib’s ABF tenure ended with the 2026 season. His reign as home run king was also brief with Hakan Mocuk and Sultan Han both passing him and reaching 700+ in the 2030s. Saquib’s career playoff stats saw 111 games, 85 hits, 45 runs, 25 doubles, 18 home runs, 43 RBI, .225/.310/.435 slash, 113 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. Despite that, you’d find few calling him a playoff choker since he had three championship rings on his hand.

Saquib wasn’t done with pro baseball yet, going to the Arab League on a two-year, $8,880,000 deal with Khartoum. He was still serviceable in 2027 in Sudan with 44 homers, 94 RBI, .905 OPS, 126 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. Saquib retired after one year there shortly after his 39^th birthday. For his combined pro career, he had 2543 games, 2590 hits, 1517 runs, 547 doubles, 730 homers, 1747 RBI, 831 walks, 2920 strikeouts, .282/.355/.587 slash, 164 wRC+, and 102.9 WAR.

In ABF, Saquib had 2412 games, 2456 hits, 1424 runs, 526 doubles, 33 triples, 686 home runs, 1653 RBI, 804 walks, 2738 strikeouts, .282/.357/.587 slash, 166 wRC+, and 100.2 WAR. As of 2037, Saquib ranks 25^th in games, 13^th in runs, 23^rd in hits, 7^th in total bases (5106), 22^nd in doubles, 3^rd in homers, 4^th in RBI, 26^th in walks, 10^th in strikeouts, and 15^th in WAR among position players.

Among those with 3000+ plate appearances, his .944 OPS ranks 24^th. Saquib also sits 57^th in OBP and 22^nd in slugging. He’s definitely on the short-list for the Asian Baseball Federation best-ever power hitters and fits nicely among the inner-circle of Hall of Famers. Saquib got a near unanimous 99.0% to captain the three-player 2032 class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Ali Mehrjui – Starting Pitcher – Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 87.3% First Ballot

Ali Mehrjui was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Orumiyeh, Iran; a city of around 736,000 near the borders with Iraq and Turkey. Mehrjui graded as above average-to-good in stuff, movement, and control. His fastball was impressive despite a 94-96 mph peak velocity. Mehrjui also had a slider and changeup in the arsenal and was very effective at changing speeds and switching between them.

Mehrjui’s exceptional traits were stamina and durability, leading the West League six times in complete games and twice in innings. He was considered an ironman and pitched 240+ innings in all 13 of his pro seasons. Mehrjui was very good at holding runners, although his defense graded as below average otherwise. He was very quiet and humble, earning praise for his loyalty and work ethic. That said, Mehrjui wasn’t one to look to for leadership and he sometimes had trouble adapting to high stress situations.

He did enter his name into the 2009 ABF Draft, but wasn’t picked and began his college career. Mehrjui dominated Iran’s amateur scene and was a top commodity once he was eligible again in 2013. Tabriz tagged him sixth overall and Mehrjui played his entire career for the Tiger Sharks. He was a full-time immediately and was third in 2014’s Rookie of the Year voting.

For his first few years, Mehrjui was mostly looked at as a solid hand who can eat innings. Such guys are needed though to begin sustained runs, which Tabriz did in 2016. They had posted only two playoff appearances in the 31 seasons total, but 2016 marked the beginning of a nine-year streak. The Tiger Sharks were a first round exit wild card to start it off in 2016-17.

2018 was the next step for both Tabriz and Mehrjui. He won his lone ERA title with a career best 1.93 and led in complete games (18), and shutouts (8) to win his lone Pitcher of the Year. That summer, the Tiger Sharks committed to a five-year, $31,200,000 extension. They had their first-ever 100+ win season at 103-59 for the top seed, but were upset by Ankara in the WLCS. This was Mehrjui’s best playoff run overall with a 2.35 ERA over 23 innings.

Mehrjui was second in 2021’s Pitcher of the Year voting, third in 2022, and second in 2024. Tabriz finished 107-55 in 2019 and won it all for the first time, defeating Dushanbe in the ABF Championship. Mehrjui ate innings and went 3-1 in the playoff run, but his ERA was 4.18 over 28 innings with 35 strikeouts. He had a similar role in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3.71 ERA and 2-1 record in four starts, striking out 36 over 34 innings. Tabriz took top honors at 15-4, becoming the first ABF franchise to claim Grand Championship rings.

Tabriz won 109, 109, and 103 games in the next three seasons but had no pennants to show for it. They lost in the 2020 and 2022 WLCS and had a first round exit in 2021. The Tiger Sharks were a 92-70 wild card in 2023, but got hot to win the West League and upset Bishkek for the ABF Championship. Mehrjui had a 3.55 ERA over 33 innings in that run. He had an impressive 1.82 ERA over 34.2 innings in the 2023 BGC, but the Tiger Sharks struggled to 8-11.

For his playoff career, Mehrjui was a mixed bag with a 9-7 record in 21 appearances, 4.18 ERA, 148.2 innings, 171 strikeouts, 43 walks, 89 ERA+, 110 FIP-, and 1.3 WAR. His metrics were better pitching in the World Baseball Championship for Iran from 2016-25 with a 9-4 record, 3.15 ERA, 128.2 innings, 157 strikeouts, 38 walks, and 2.0 WAR. The Iranians notably had a runner-up finish in 2018 and third place in 2023.

Mehrjui notably had a career highlight on July 19, 2021 with a no-hitter against Rawalpindi with nine strikeouts and one walk. Tabriz gave him a five-year, $94 million extension in June 2023. The Tiger Sharks had a first round exit in 2024, their final playoff trip of the streak. They missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker in 2025 at 94-68, then fell to 79-83 in 2026.

In 2025, Mehrjui became the 17^th ABF ace to 3500 career strikeouts. In 2026, he was the 14^th to reach 200 career wins. Mehrjui’s production was still steady in 2026 and many figured he could keep going for a few more years. However, the quiet Mehrjui decided to make his exit after the 2026 campaign at only age 35. Tabriz retired his #19 uniform for his role in two championships and 13 years of steady service.

Mehrjui finished with a 212-140 record, 3.07 ERA, 3364.2 innings, 3818 strikeouts, 654 walks, 264/408 quality starts, 201 complete games, 32 shutouts, 117 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 57.9 WAR. As of 2037, Mehrjui ranks 11^th in wins, 2^nd in complete games (one away from Oskar Tamm for first), 12^th in shutouts, 14^th in innings, 23^rd in strikeouts, and 38^th in WAR among pitchers.

He doesn’t make the top 100 in any of the rate stats and advanced metrics keep Mehrjui outside of the inner circle for many scholars. He was rarely overwhelmingly dominant, but he gave you steady and consistent production every time out. Mehrjui might have made a run at some of the big accumulations if he stuck around, but the humble man was happy with his accomplishments. Those accolades earned Mehrjui a first ballot induction at 87.3% as part of the 2032 Hall of Fame class for the Asian Baseball Federation.



Shahid “Polar Bear” Safaq – Left Field – Tehran Tarpons – 75.9% First Ballot

Shahid Safaq was a 6’7’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Karachi, Pakistan. His big frame earned the nickname “Polar Bear,” as he and fellow 2032 inductee Habib Saquib anchored the Tehran lineup for many years. Safaq was similarly an impressive power hitter with 44 home runs, 39 doubles, and 7 triples per his 162 game average.

Safaq was also a very good contact hitter with a decent eye for walks and a below average strikeout rate. He especially dominated right-handed pitching (1.022 OPS, 181 wRC+) but was still dangerous for lefties (.868 OPS, 143 wRC+). Despite the big frame, Safaq was merely below average and not awful in terms of baserunning speed and ability.

Most of Safaq’s starts in in left field, although he occasionally played center and right. He graded as a reliably solid defender in the corners, but was awful in center. Perhaps his biggest disadvantage compared to Saquib was durability with back and knee troubles limiting him in a couple seasons. Safaq still became very popular for his efforts, but left a somewhat different legacy from his fellow Karachiite.

A big part of that was personality with Saquib being a beloved team captain. By comparison, Safaq was very outspoken and thick-headed, rubbing many the wrong way. Still, Safaq could lead effectively at times and was likewise critical to Tehran’s success. He signed a developmental deal in February 2010 and spent most of four years in their academy. Safaq debuted in 2013 at age 20, but played only seven games in the regular season and four in the playoffs.

Tehan’s playoff streak had started in 2013 prior to Safaq’s debut. He was a part-timer in 2014 with 91 games and 47 starts, then had a full-time role through 2026. From 2015-22, Safaq was worth 6.9+ WAR each season. He led the West League in doubles with 43 in 2016 and with a career-best 47 in 2018. Safaq also had a career best 105 runs in 2018 and led the WL in total bases and WAR.

He was third in 2015 and 2016’s MVP voting and second in both 2017 and 2018. Safaq had Silver Sluggers in 2015, 17, and 18 and notably hit for the cycle in 2016 against Kabul. Safaq signed an eight-year, $70,960,000 extension with the Tarpons in September 2017.

With this came Tehran’s dynasty run. They set the ABF wins record in 2015 at 115-47, but had a shocking first round loss to Shiraz. The Tarpons bounced back at 102-60 in 2016 and defeated Dushanbe for the ABF Championship. In 2017, Tehran had arguably the best team in ABF history to that point at 116-46, defeating Asgabat in the ABF Championship.

Safaq was a beast in the 2017 playoff run, winning LCS MVP and posting 21 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 7 homers, 10 RBI, 1.181 OPS, and 1.6 WAR. He was even better in both editions of the Baseball Grand Championship. Tehran was 11-8 in a five-way tie for fifth in 2016, then 11-8 in a five-way tie for fourth in 2017. In both events, Safaq was good for 2.1 WAR, posting a combined 4.2 WAR in 38 games with 51 hits, 32 runs, 4 doubles, 26 homers, 50 RBI, .364/.431/.950 slash, and 1.381 OPS.

Overall for Tehran, Safaq had 47 playoff games with 45 hits, 22 runs, 7 doubles, 11 homers, 27 RBI, .278/.341/.549 slash, 169 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. He also had strong numbers for Pakistan in the World Baseball Championship with 142 games from 2015-29, 133 hits, 90 runs, 20 doubles, 46 home runs, 105 RBI, .266/.362/.582 slash, and 6.8 WAR. Safaq led all players with 25 RBI in the 2021 runner-up finish for Pakistan. He was also a part of their 2029 World Championship win, albeit as a veteran backup by that point.

In 2019, Safaq led in total bases (373), slugging (.658), OPS (1.027), wRC+ (200), and WAR (9.7). He won another Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting again. Tehran was a wild card with a first round exit in both 2018 and 2019, the final gasps of the dynasty run. From 2020-23, they were below 70 wins each year. 2020 was on pace for Safaq’s best personal year with 46 homers, 1.183 OPS, and 7.9 WAR in only 109 games, but he lost two months to a strained PCL.

Safaq’s outspoken nature earned him critics in the early 2020s as he was upset with Tehran’s steep decline. He still played well, leading total bases (390), slugging (.674), OPS (1.038), and wRC+ (169) again in 2021. This was his career best for total bags home runs with 52, winning his final Silver Slugger. Safaq still had strong efforts in 2022 and 2024, but he’d be limited by injuries for much of the remaining years. 2022 notably saw a 31-game hitting streak in the early summer, one of only nine 30+ streaks in ABF history.

In 2023, he lost more than two months between a severely strained hip miscle and strained hamstring. Safaq’s 2024 ended with a torn PCL and 2025 featured a fractured finger that sidelined him shortly after returning. Tehran had rebounded a bit and were back near .500 at this point and cautiously gave Safaq a two-year, $28,400,000 extension in July 2025. They had a winning season in 2026, but hamstring troubles limited Safaq and they missed the playoffs.

Safaq didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the remaining year and became a free agent for the first time at age 34. Based on his previous highs and success on the WBC stage, Safaq had suitors from across the globe. He left Iran for Major League Baseball on a four-year, $78,400,000 deal with Houston. Safaq had an impressive debut season despite losing a few games to back issues, getting 46 homers, 106 RBI, 6.4 WAR, and 1.058 OPS over 127 games.

His previous playoff successes didn’t carry over in 2027 with a .699 OPS and 0.1 WAR. Houston fell in the second round despite a 104-win season. The Hornets had division titles and first round defeats in 2028-29. Safaq was still a good starter when healthy, but couldn’t replicate that debut pace. He was relegated to a bench role with only 48 games in 2030. Houston finished 111-51 for the top seed in the American Association, but was upset in the second round with Safaq not getting used in the playoffs.

For his MLB tenure, Safaq had 414 games, 457 hits, 253 runs, 69 doubles, 13 triples, 109 home runs, 295 RBI, .300/.344/.576 slash, 137 wRC+, and 12.8 WAR. It was certainly a nice effort for a guy debuting in the league in his mid 30s. Safaq wanted to play somewhere in 2031, but most squads felt he was well over the hill by this point. Safaq retired that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. His combined pro career had 2074 games, 2317 hits, 1240 runs, 503 doubles, 86 triples, 565 home runs, 486 walks, 1668 strikeouts, .309/.356/.626 slash, 171 wRC+, and 96.8 WAR.

Tehran quickly retired Safaq’s #38 uniform for his role in their repeat. For the Tarpons, he had 1660 games, 1860 hits, 987 runs, 434 doubles, 73 triples, 456 home runs, 1160 RBI, 385 walks, 1402 strikeouts, .312/.359/.638 slash, 180 wRC+, and 84.0 WAR. The later injuries and his MLB departure did keep his accumulations lower than one would expect based on his prime.

As of 2037, Safaq ranks 86^th in runs, 100^th in hits, 56^th in total bases (3808), 65^th in doubles, 34^th in homers, 47^th in RBI, and 36^th in WAR among position players. Safaq’s .998 OPS is 11^th among all ABF batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his triple slash ranks 35^th/43^rd/10^th.

There were some voters who said no to the Polar Bear between the lower accumulations and his outspoken personality. However, Safaq’s hitting efficiency and starring role in Tehran’s repeat titles was enough for the majority of voters. His 75.9% was less emphatic than Saquib’s 99.0%, but they stood together as first ballot inductees for the 2032 Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame class. Many still argue the 2017 Tarpons are ABF’s best-ever team, although the Grand Champion 2019 Tabriz Tiger Sharks and Baku’s 2030s dynasty squads have their own strong cases.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Pitcher Ryan El Hadi stood alone for induction into the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2032 as a no-doubter at 96.2%. The closest returner to the 66% requirement was 1B Faqi Al-Thakur at 60.2% on his fourth ballot. 1B Lance Vogel was the only other guy above 50% with a 52.9% fourth try. The next best debut was down at 30.8% and no one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Ryan El Hadi – Starting Pitcher – Abu Dhabi Destroyers – 96.2% First Ballot

Ryan El Hadi was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Al-Aziziyah, Libya; a town of 23,400 people located 25 miles southwest of Tripoli. He was the first Libyan to earn the HOF induction. El Hadi had strong stuff and outstanding movement paired with above average control. He had three equally potent pitches in the arsenal with a 99-101 mph fastball, changeup, and knuckle curve. El Hadi’s stellar movement led to an extreme groundball tendency.

El Hadi’s stamina was below average relative to many ALB aces, but his overall efficiency still gave him a good slate of quality starts. Major injuries also limited his career, although he still powered through for a 15-year career. El Hadi had a stellar pickoff move, but was a weaker defensive pitcher. He was a strong leader and was very outspoken, but his heart was usually in the right place.

In July 2005, El Hadi left Libya for the United Arab Emirates on a developmental deal with Abu Dhabi. He spent his entire career there, debuting in 2011 as a reliever with 44.1 innings at age 22. El Hadi earned a full-time roster spot in 2012 as the Destroyers become a major contender for the first time in franchise history, starting a six-year playoff streak. He was merely a good starter and not a dominant ace in his first two seasons in the rotation.

Still, Abu Dhabi earned their first-ever ALB Championship in 2012, defeating Tripoli in the final. El Hadi had a respectable postseason with a 3.76 ERA over 26.1 innings with 24 strikeouts. He then had a 3.50 ERA over 36 innings with 35 Ks in the Baseball Grand Championship, although the Destroyers finished 7-12. Abu Dhabi couldn’t immediately follow up their title with success, losing in the first round in 2013 and in the Eastern Conference Final in both 2014-15.

Disaster struck for El Hadi in spring training 2014 with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, knocking him out for the entire season. He made a triumphant return in 2015 by winning his lone Pitcher of the Year with career and conference bests in both ERA (2.07) and wins (22-7). El Hadi’s 2016 was even better by WAR with a career-best 9.1, taking second in POTY voting.

Abu Dhabi had an outstanding 114-48 record in 2016, although they were overshadowed by an ALB-record 117-45 by Jeddah. The Destroyers upset the Jackals to win the Eastern Conference pennant, but lost the ALB Championship to Damascus. El Hadi was an absolute beast in the playoff run with a 0.83 ERA over 21.2 innings with 26 Ks.

In April 2017, Abu Dhabi locked up their ace to a five-year, $50,100,000 extension. El Hadi was again second in 2017’s POTY voting and had a 2.92 ERA with 26 Ks over 24.2 playoff innings. The Destroyers finished 106-56 and repeated as conference champs, but fell in the ALB Championship to Casablanca. This marked the end of Abu Dhabi’s first sustained run of success, as they’d fall below .500 for the next three years.

El Hadi still held up his end even as the team struggled, taking second in 2019’s Pitcher of the Year voting. Abu Dhabi had reloaded by 2021, finishing 86-76 and missing the playoffs by only three wins. El Hadi’s future was in doubt again though with a stretched elbow ligament in June, knocking him out ten months. The Destroyers had faith in their 33-year old ace and his recovery regiment, signing him to a five-year, $50 million extension in April 2022.

Shoulder inflammation cost him a few starts in August, but El Hadi still looked like his old self and Abu Dhabi made it back to the playoffs, although defeated in the first round by Jeddah. In 2023, the 91-71 Destroyers shocked 112-win Basra to win the Eastern Conference pennant, but couldn’t upset 106-win Amman for the ALB crown. That was the final playoff starts for El Hadi, who had a 3.77 ERA in 28.2 innings.

For his playoff career, El Hadi saw a 3.30 ERA over 117.1 innings, 6-6 record, 121 strikeouts, 27 walks, 14/19 quality starts, 123 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 2.7 WAR. He was very popular for his role in four pennants and one ALB title, earning the retirement of his #20 uniform at the end of his career. The Destroyers did make it back to the playoffs in 2024, but El Hadi was out from August onward with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.

Yet again, El Hadi returned from a major injury with impressive results. He finished second in 2025’s Pitcher of the Year voting and won his second ERA title at 2.52, although Abu Dhabi missed the playoffs at 84-78. Unfortunately in June 2026, another torn UCL marked the end of his career. Doctors told El Hadi that the cumulative damage meant he had no choice but to call it quits at age 37.

El Hadi finished with a 222-84 record, 2.80 ERA, 2738.1 innings, 3120 strikeouts, 588 walks, 271/399 quality starts, 24 complete games, 5 shutouts, 148 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 84.8 WAR. As of 2037, El Hadi ranks 9^th in wins, 2^nd in winning percentage (.725), 27^th in innings, 25^th in strikeouts, and 12^th in WAR among pitchers.

Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, El Hadi‘s ERA ranks 18^th. His .629 opponent’s OPS is 23^rd with a .232/.281/.349 slash line ranking 67^th/53^rd/18^th. El Hadi’s ability to limit home runs and extra base hits made him really stand out in the advanced metrics. His 1.07 WHIP also ranks 50^th with his 10.25 K/9 ranking 87^th and 7.67 H/9 in 61^st. El Hadi is also one of only ten Hall of Famers in world history with 200+ career wins and under 100 losses.

Because El Hadi didn’t have the flashy strikeout totals or awards, he usually isn’t thought of when discussing Arab League Baseball’s GOAT pitcher. However, his efficiency numbers and team successes place him right along the border of the inner-circle. El Hadi stood alone for induction at 96.2% for 2032, becoming ALB’s first Libyan Hall of Famer.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The African Association of Baseball came close to zero Hall of Fame inductees for 2032 as the best debut got a measly 34.2%. This left it up to returners to cross the 66% requirement, which reliever Deon Westerveld narrowly did with 69.5% on his seventh ballot. 1B Lifa Moyo came close on his sixth go, but fell short at 61.8%. Also above 50% was 1B Herve Otepa at 59.6% for his third ballot and RF Anthony Chongo at 54.0% in his tenth and final try.




For Chongo, he got as close as 63.2% in 2029 and 60.5% in 2027. He had a 15-year career between Kigali and Johannesburg with two Silver Sluggers, 1783 hits, 1114 runs, 419 doubles, 492 home runs, 1233 RBI, 832 walks, .278/.362/.579 slash, 146 wRC+, and 51.1 WAR. Chongo was visible since both teams made the playoffs numerous times, although he had a lackluster .727 OPS and 91 wRC+ in the postseason. He needed either more accumulations or a couple big dominant seasons to get across the line. Chongo’s accolades and black ink simply weren’t impressive enough, banishing him to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Deon Westerveld – Relief Pitcher – Kinshasa Sun Cats – 69.5% Seventh Ballot

Deon Westerveld was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Now known as Gqeberha, it is South Africa’s sixth-largest city with around 967,000 inhabitants. Westerveld had strong stuff with excellent control and above average movement. His one-two punch was a 97-99 mph fastball and a circle change, effectively changing speeds to get many of his outs.

Westerveld’s stamina and durability were good earlier in his career, but became more of an issue in his 30s. He graded as a good defensive pitcher, but he struggled at holding runners. Westerveld’s pro career started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, getting selected in the 2007 AAB Draft by Kinshasa. He was the sixth pick of the second round, 28^th overall.

He saw limited use in the back of the bullpen for his first two seasons before earning the closer role in 2010, taking third that year in Reliever of the Year voting. Westerveld was relegated back to a setup spot in 2011, but reclaimed the closer job in 2012 and held it through 2016. Kinshasa had been the first great AAB dynasty with six Africa Series rings and nine Central Conference titles from 1995-2005. They were firmly in the rebuild phase in Westerveld’s early years, generally stuck around .500.

Westerveld helped them turn things around, winning three consecutive Reliever of the Year awards from 2014-16. 2014 had his career high 1.50 ERA, while 2015 had his bests for innings (93.2), strikeouts (145), and WAR (4.5). Westerveld also led the conference in saves and games for the first time in 2015.

The Sun Cats returned to the playoffs with a first place 109-53 finish in 2015, but lost in the conference final to their cross-river rival Brazzaville. 2016 had a similar story, taking first at 107-55 but again losing to the Blowfish in the playoffs. Westerveld had thrown 2.2 scoreless innings in the 2015 playoffs, but gave up a run in two innings in his lone 2016 appearance, suffering a torn back muscle in the process.

Westerveld had been generally viewed as a good big game guy since making his World Baseball Championship debut for his native South Africa. He tossed 58.2 innings from 2009-23 in the WBC with 25 saves, a 6-3 record, 2.61 ERA, 79 strikeouts, 26 walks, and 1.2 WAR.

After the 2016 campaign, Westerveld was a free agent for the first time at age 31. For Kinshasa, he had 202 saves and 240 shutdowns, 2.31 ERA, 561.1 innings, 790 strikeouts, 133 walks, 175 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 22.3 WAR. Westerveld returned to his home country for 2017 on a one-year, $5,100,000 deal with Johannesburg. The Jackalopes had won back-to-back Southern Conference titles at that point. They ultimately fell one win short of the playoffs in 2017.

Westerveld was reduced to a partial role, but was still effective with a 1.53 ERA over 47 innings with 2.1 WAR. For 2018, Kampala gave him a three-year, $15,300,000 deal with plans to return him to the closer spot. The Peacocks had never been a playoff team to that point, although they had come close with back-to-back 90+ win seasons.

Kampala stunned Africa with an explosive 111-51 season in 2018, going all the way to the Africa Series where they beat Johannesburg for the title. Westerveld won his fourth Reliever of the Year award, leading the conference with career bests for saves (42) and games (71). He did struggle though in the playoff run with a 6.35 ERA over 11.1 innings and didn’t look any better with a 7.71 ERA in 4.2 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Peacocks finished 10-9 in a tie for seventh.

Westerveld was third in 2019’s Reliever of the Year voting, then was reduced to a part-time role in 2020. Kampala missed the 2019 playoffs, but started a dynasty by winning the 2020 Africa Series in a rematch with the Jackalopes. Westerveld had only 1.2 innings between the playoffs and BGC, although they were scoreless. The Peacocks again were 10-9 on the world stage, this time tied for eighth.

With Kampala, Westerveld had a 20-13 record, 82 saves, 2.63 ERA, 191.2 innings, 277 strikeouts, 156 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 6.7 WAR. He wanted to get back to closing, but AAB teams didn’t see him in that role. Westerveld opted for Arab League Baseball to seek it out, signing for two years and $9,120,000 with Abu Dhabi. Despite only 49.1 innings in 2021, Westerveld was second in ROTY voting with a 1.64 ERA.

Westerveld was the full-time closer in 2022, but had a 3.84 ERA. For the Destroyers, he had 45 saves, 2.98 ERA, 126.2 innings, 158 strikeouts, 149 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 3.4 WAR. Now 37-years old, Westerveld was still a searching free agent when he pitched in the 2023 WBC for South Africa. Unfortunately, his lone appearance ended with a torn rotator cuff that effectively ended his career, retiring that winter at age 38.

Westerveld’s combined pro career had 330 saves and 390 shutdowns, 91-65 record, 2.43 ERA, 777 games, 926.2 innings, 1291 strikeouts, 200 walks, 170 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 34.4 WAR. Just in AAB, he had 285 saves and 340 shutdowns, 81-56 record, 2.34 ERA, 800 innings, 1133 strikeouts, 181 walks, 173 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 31.0 WAR. As of 2037, Westerveld ranks 10^th in saves.

His rate stats were comparable to a few of AAB’s more borderline Hall of Fame closers, but those guys had the benefit of that magic 300+ save number. Many detractors felt Westerveld simply didn’t have the tenure or raw dominance needed to make it in. Supporters pointed to the four Reliever of the Year award wins, something only three others had done in the African Association of Baseball.

Westerveld debuted at 53.4% in 2026 and never dropped below 50%. He got above 60% thrice in the leadup with 60.5% in 2027, 61.3% in 2029, and 63.2% in 2030. In 2031, Westerveld had a new low of 50.5%, making some wonder if he had peaked. With no impactful debuts and a wide open 2032 ballot, Westerveld’s resume popped out enough to get the bump across the 66% requirement at 69.5%. While he’s definitely on the low-rung of inductees, Westerveld has his spot regardless in AAB’s HOF as a seventh ballot pick.