Baseball: The World's Game

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Carlos Ulibarri – First Base – Maturin Makos – 85.5% First Ballot

Carlos Ulibarri was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from La Dolorita, Venezuela; a city of around 57,000 people located six miles from Caracas. Ulibarri was an excellent contact hitter against both sides and had a reliable pop in his bat. His power wasn’t prolific, but Ulibarri was good for a rock solid 31 home runs, 32 doubles, and 3 triples per his 162 game average. He did fare noticeably better against left-handed pitching (1.050 OPS, 171 wRC+), but was still formidable facing righties (.874 OPS, 129 wRC+).

Ulibarri was better than most BSA hitters at avoiding strikeouts, but he was below average at drawing walks. Unfortunately on the basepaths, few guys were as slow and dismal. Despite that, Ulibarri was a very adept defender who played his entire career at first base. He had surprisingly good range and won Gold Gloves in both 2012 and 2013. Ulibarri was an ironman who never missed a game to injury, starting 139+ games in all 16 of his pro seasons. That reliability, along with a tireless work ethic and great adaptability, made Ulibarri quite the fan favorite.

For the 2011 BSA Draft, Ulibarri was arguably the top overall prospect. He ended up picked second overall by Maturin and spent his entire career with the Makos. The franchise was looking for its first superstar, having joined the Bolivar League in the 2009 expansion. Maturin had the usual growing pains of any expansion club and hovered around the mid 70s win range for Ulibarri’s first few seasons.

Ulibarri was a full-time starter immediately with steady production, but he wasn’t an award winning bat yet. He won his two Gold Gloves in his first two years and was second in 2012’s Rookie of the Year voting. In 2018, Maturin earned their first-ever playoff berth and winning season at 87-75. They were the second wild card in a year with four other playoff teams above 100+ wins.

But the Makos shocked that field and became the first of the six expansion squads from 2009 to win a pennant. While they won the Bolivar League crown, they lost to Concepcion in Copa Sudamerica. Ulibarri in 18 playoff starts had 18 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 19 RBI, .944 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had 20 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 7 homers, 10 RBI, .896 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. Maturin finished 8-11, but it was impressive to even be among the world’s best in only the franchise’s tenth season.

It proved a one-off for the Makos. They got another wild card in 2019, but lost in the first round. Maturin wouldn’t make the playoffs in the 2020s and were generally mid-tier, averaging 76.8 wins per season for the decade. Ulibarri’s best individual stats were still to come though, taking second in 2019 and 2020’s MVP voting. He led both years in RBI with 146 in 2019 and 138 in 2020.

Ulibarri also won his lone batting title in 2020 with a .368 average and led that year in both hits (225), and WAR (8.1). Those were career bests, as was his 103 runs, 39 doubles, 44 homers, .655 slugging, 1.057 OPS, and 172 wRC+. Ulibarri won Silver Slugger both years and did again in 2027 at age 37. He had 7+ WAR in 2019, 20, 22, and 26. While he didn’t reach those heights in between, Ulibarri was still a capable and reliable starter throughout his mid 30s.

In March 2022, Ulibarri signed a five-year, $57,300,000 extension with Maturin. After his excellent 2026 season, Ulibarri declined sharply in 2027 with .702 OPS, 85 wRC+, and 0 WAR. He had become the 17^th to 3000 hits and the 56^th to 1500 RBI. Maturin didn’t re-sign him after the down year and Ulibarri spent 2028 unemployed while hoping to play somewhere. He finally retired that winter just after his 40^th birthday. The Makos quickly retired his #18 uniform and he would be their second Hall of Famer, as closer Bobby Santos was first in 2031.

Ulibarri ended with 2497 games, 3210 hits, 1365 runs, 492 doubles, 45 triples, 471 home runs, 1591 RBI, 519 walks, 1612 strikeouts, .333/.368/.540 slash, 137 wRC+, and 77.6 WAR. As of 2037, Ulibarri ranks 65^th in games, 53^rd in runs, 11^th in hits, 27^th in total bases (5205), 19^th in doubles, 90^th in home runs, and 24^th in RBI. He does miss the top 100 in WAR for position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Ulibarri is 60^th in batting average and 96^th in on-base percentage.

While Ulibarri wasn’t an inner-circle Hall of Famer, he was incredibly steady over 16 years and helped establish an expansion franchise in their earliest years. Plus, Ulibarri was incredibly likeable, which won over the few voters skeptical over the lack of more accolades. He received 85.5% for a first ballot induction, the fourth of five for Beisbol Sudamerica’s stellar 2033 class.



Sebastian Nazario – First Base/Designated Hitter – Recife Retrievers – 72.4% First Ballot

Sebastian Nazario was a 6’4’’, 190 pound right-handed first baseman from El Cafetal, Venezuela; a neighborhood of around 80,000 people within greater Caracas. Nazario was a rock solid contact hitter against both sides known for reliable gap and home run power. His 162 game average got you 32 doubles, 10 triples, and 37 home runs. While Nazario didn’t ever lead the league in those stats, he got you a reliable slate of extra base hits. Nazario was better against left-handed pitching (.981 OPS, 166 wRC+) but was no bum against righties (.889 OPS, 141 wRC+).

His main downside offensively was he didn’t draw many walks and was subpar at avoiding strikeouts. Nazario did grade as delightfully average in terms of speed and baserunning. He did run into a couple big injuries in his run, but still persevered for a 20 year career.

Just over half of Nazario’s starts came at first base, where he graded as mediocre defensively, although you could do worse. He made some starts in RF/LF early in his career, but was putrid there. About 1/3 of his career starts came as a designated hitter, starting there primarily when in the Bolivar League. Nazario was very popular across his numerous stops and was considered a very high character individual. He was viewed as hard working, intelligent, loyal, and a strong leader.

Nazario had only recently turned 19-years old when picked 16^th overall by Cuidad Guayana in the 2008 BSA Draft. He spent 2009 fully in their academy, then saw part-time use with limited success with 110 games and 61 starts from 2010-11. Nazario earned a full-time gig in 2012 with nice results, but was reduced more to a platoon role in 2013.

2014 was Nazario’s breakout year, leading the league in RBI (136) and total bases (404). He also hit 46 home runs, which would be a career high, winning his only Silver Slugger as a DH. At this point, Ciudad Guayana was mostly middle-tier, but they hadn’t made the playoffs since 2000. The Giants broke through as a wild card in 2015, but lost in the divisional series. Nazario’s production dropped to 2.2 WAR and .874 OPS, leading some with CG management to think his 2014 success was a fluke.

In July 2016, Ciudad Guayana traded Nazario straight up for SP Javi Feliciano to Recife. With the Giants, Nazario had 789 games, 845 hits, 459 runs, 162 doubles, 61 triples, 161 home runs, 482 RBI, .299/.328/.570 slash, 129 wRC+, and 13.6 WAR. Recife was the reigning Copa Sudamerica champ and amidst a run of contention led by fellow 2033 Hall of Fame inductee Niccolo Coelho.

Nazario was underwhelming in his first autumn with Recife, who lost in the first round of the playoffs. He had only 0.2 WAR and .693 OPS in 54 games, but the Retrievers still thought Nazario had something. They signed him that winter to a four-year, $25,400,000 extension. Nazario missed much of 2017 to a broken bone in his elbow, but had some success in the playoffs as Recife lost to Concepcion in the Southern Cone Championship.

He finally put things together and became a steady force in the middle of the Retrievers lineup, posting five straight seasons worth 5+ WAR from 2018-22. Nazario led the league in RBI in both 2020-21 and led with a career high 419 total bases in 2020. That year also had Nazario’s best for runs (115), hits (223), homers (46), average (.349), and WAR (9.1). Nazario was third in 2020’s MVP voting and hit for the cycle against Manaus in September, earning his 300^th home run on the same day.

Recife won Copa Sudamerica in 2019 as a 96-66 wild card, upsetting Trujillo in the final. Nazario was the MVP of the finals and the divisional round with 20 hits, 14 runs, 1 double, 3 triples, 5 homers, 12 RBI, 1.260 OPS, and 1.3 WAR in 13 starts. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Nazario had a nice showing with 17 hits, 10 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, 13 RBI, and 0.7 WAR. The Retrievers finished 14-5, second only to Tabriz.

For his playoff career, Nazario had great numbers in limited tries with 49 games, 60 hits, 30 runs, 4 doubles, 5 triples, 13 homers, 31 RBI,, .355/.388/.669 slash, 203 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. He did also play for Venezuela between 2013-27 in the World Baseball Championship, but he was mostly a backup with limited results. Nazario had 60 WBC games, but posted .562 OPS and -0.1 WAR. However, his role in Recife’s 2019 win earned him an important spot in the hearts of Retrievers fans.

After the 2020 season, Recife gave Nazario a six-year, $94,800,000 extension. They were the #1 seed in both 2020 and 2021, but fell in the divisional series both years. The Retrievers then spent the rest of Nazario’s run hovering around .500 and outside the playoffs. Nazario’s 2022 was on pace to be possibly his best yet, but he suffered a ruptured foot tendon in July that knocked him out five months. He remained a strong starter for three more years with Recife, but his time as a possible MVP contender was done.

For Recife, Nazario had 1352 games, 1572 hits, 816 runs, 265 doubles, 73 triples, 325 home runs, 869 RBI, .317/.352/.596 slash, 171 wRC+, and 50.3 WAR. The Retrievers would retire his #33 uniform for his decade of service and important role in the 2019 championship. With the era of contention over, Recife bought out Nazario’s contract after the 2025 season, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 36.

Nazario signed for three years and $22,500,000 with Barquisimeto, who had been historically bad only a few years prior. They were around .500 in two years for the Black Cats with decent results from Nazario with 281 games, 305 hits, 154 runs, 41 doubles, 64 homers, 174 RBI, .286/.321/.529 slash, 127 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR. He missed about two months in 2027 to a strained ACL. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year of his deal, ending his time back in Venezuela with the 2027 season.

This also ended Nazario’s time in South America, but he still wanted to play somewhere. He ended up in West African Baseball on a two-year, $11,800,000 dea with Monrovia. Nazario’s tenure was unremarkable with 271 games, 296 hits, 159 runs, 70 doubles, 57 home runs, 186 RBI, .279/.314/.527 slash, 109 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. He went unsigned in 2030, then retired that winter at age 41. For his combined pro career, Nazario had 2693 games, 3018 hits, 1588 runs, 538 doubles, 158 triples, 607 home runs, 1711 RBI, .304/.338/.574 slash, 148 wRC+, and 71.9 WAR.

Just in BSA, Nazario had 2422 games, 2722 hits, 1429 runs, 468 doubles, 147 triples, 550 home runs, 1525 RBI, 411 walks, 1819 strikeouts, 338 steals, .307/.341/.580 slash, 152 wRC+, and 69.5 WAR. As of 2037, Nazario ranks 85^th in games, 45^th in hits, 43^rd in runs, 29^th in total bases (5134), 30^th in doubles, 48^th in home runs, and 34^th in RBI. He does miss the top 100 for WAR among position players, but his slugging is 77^th among those with 3000+ plate appearances.

While Nazario’s accolades were limited relative to many other Hall of Famers, he managed to hit several of the important accumulation milestones. His power numbers, high character, and role in Recife’s 2019 Copa Sudamerica win was enough for most voters. Nazario only narrowly crossed the 66% requirement at 72.4%, but he secured a first ballot selection to round off a star-studded five-player 2033 class for Beisbol Sudamerica.

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Four players were first ballot inductees for the European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2023. Co-headlining at 98.8% and 97.3% respectively were OF Jean-Luc Tapie and CF Omer Kadri Nesin. 1B Jean-Paul Lafontaine was next at 81.2% and CL Wilfried Bergmann got 72.3%. 1B Sisto Contreras was the closest returner to the 66% requirement, but missed at 60.9% on his third ballot. Also above 50% was 2B Oliver Bjerkli with 58.2% for his second ballot, LF Emilson Patino with 56.2% on his seventh try, and SS Nicolo Giotto at 50.0% even for his second go.



CF Joris Kostic was dropped after ten failed ballots, getting as close as 59.6% in 2029 before ending at 47.3%. He was never below 40% and was ultimately doomed by injuries, playing only 1735 games in 16 seasons. Two of those seasons (including his best year) also were in the European Second League, not helping his EBF totals. In the top tier, Kostic did win MVP in 2004 along with four Silver Sluggers. His most famous tenure was with Krakow, but he notably won finals MVP as part of Paris’ 2014 championship.

Kostic had 1539 games, 1821 hits, 955 runs, 218 doubles, 113 triples, 324 home runs, 903 RBI, 639 steals, .329/.370/.584 slash, 167 wRC+, and 80.4 WAR. The pace was certainly there and Kostic ranks 84^th in WAR among position players even over the short tenure. However, all of the injury totals greatly limited his accumulations and many voters are hard pressed to add a guy who fell short of 2000 hits, 1000 runs, and 1000 RBI.

Catcher Jonathan Brandt also fell off, although he never got as close with a 35.8% peak in 2027 and finish at 5.9%. He was hurt by both a quick decline and the low totals that come with playing catcher. In 12 years for Cologne, Brandt had 1366 games, 1578 hits, 528 runs, 255 doubles, 38 homers, 560 RBI, .341/.370/.436 slash, 129 wRC+, and 45.6 WAR. He won three Silver Sluggers and was a starter for the Copperheads’ 2012 championship team, but ultimately was a “Hall of Pretty Good” level guy.



Jean-Luc “Sugar Bear” Tapie – Right/Left Field – Marseille Musketeers – 98.8% First Ballot

Jean-Luc Tapie was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed corner outfielder from Saint-Nicolas, France; a commune of just under 5,000 people in the country’s north. His warm personality earned him the nickname “Sugar Bear.” Tapie was one of the most universally beloved players for fans and peers alike. A true fan favorite, he was known for his selflessness, loyalty, work ethic, and adaptability.

At his best, Tapie was one of the best all-around batters in the world with great contact skills, home run power, and a stellar eye. He was especially a menace for right-handed pitching with a career 1.106 OPS and 195 wRC+, but he was plenty good against lefties with a .892 OPS and 144 wRC+. Tapie had an excellent eye for drawing walks, but his strikeout rate was merely average. Tapie had a powerful bat with 44 home runs, 22 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. He had 12 seasons with 40+ homers and was above 50+ four times.

Tapie was a skilled baserunner, but his speed and stealing ability were both average at best. He was a corner outfield with a close to even split for his career between right and left field. Tapie did spend slightly more time in RF and was better there, but he was a lousy defender on the whole. He had some recurring injuries, mainly with his back and hamstrings. While he did miss some notable chunks, Tapie’s batting prowess and work ethic still propelled him to a 23-year pro career.

Despite coming from a smaller town, word of Tapie’s talent quickly spread throughout the French baseball community. In the 2005 EBF Draft, he’d go late in the first round, 49^th overall, to Marseille. Tapie wasn’t fully formed yet and saw limited action initially. He played only 24 games in 2005 with poor results, but he looked promising over 83 games and 25 starts in 2006. Tapie earned a full-time gig in 2007 and held it for 12 years with the Musketeers, only missing starts to injuries.

Tapie’s first year as a starter was stellar, winning Southern Conference MVP and his first Silver Slugger in LF. He led the conference in homers (54), total bases (404), walks (70), slugging (.711), OPS (1.116), and wRC+ (201). Marseille was still stuck around .500, but had optimism that they’d soon contend. The Musketeers had a playoff drought back to 1990. In 2008, they had their best season of the drought at 90-72, but they were still a win short of the postseason.

2008 had repeat MVPs and a Slugger in RF for Tapie. He was the leader in runs (130), homers (59), walks (97), total bases (407), OBP (.451), slugging (.758), OPS (1.209), wRC+ (215), and WAR (9.8). To that point, it was only the third time in EBF history that a player had an OBP above .450 and only the fifth season ever of an OPS above 1.200. That would be his career best for both stats and his best for runs, walks, and slugging.

Tapie had a seven-year streak as OPS leader from 2007-13 and led in OBP five times, slugging six times, and wRC+ six times during that stretch. 2009 had a similar pace, but he missed six weeks in the spring to a strained MCL. Still, Tapie was third in MVP voting. Most importantly, Marseille ended their playoff drought as a 97-65 division champ.

The Musketeers got hot, defeating Tirana in the Southern Conference Championship and topping Luxembourg for their first European Championship since the 1985-86 repeat. Tapie’s stats were merely decent in the run with 17 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 11 RBI, .885 OPS, and 0.3 WAR. Still, he had helped return Marseille to relevance.

Tapie was also broadly popular across France as a regular from 2007-25 in the World Baseball Championship. He was a stud on the WBC stage with 203 games, 167 hits, 147 runs, 23 doubles, 77 home runs, 150 RBI, 125 walks, .248/.397/.634 slash, 1.031 OPS, and 11.8 WAR. The French had division titles in 2011, 16, 19, and 24.

It was the 2024 run that was most notable, as a 38-year old Tapie helped France to its first world title 4-2 over the United States. In 23 games, Tapie had 18 hits, 16 runs, 6 homers, 11 RBI, .958 OPS, and 1.0 WAR. As of 2037, Tapie is 17^th among position players in WAR in event history, 18^th in homers, 24^th in runs, 28^th in total bases (427), 22^nd in RBI, and 19^th in walks. He’s also one of only 81 guys with an OPS above 1.300 in the WBC and at least 250+ plate appearances.

From 2010-12, Tapie three-peated as MVP and won Sluggers at LF in 2010-11 and RF in 2012. In August 2011, Marseille wisely inked him to an eight-year, $88,300,000 extension. He’s one of only three players with 5+ MVPs in EBF along with Sean Houston and Harvey Coyle. In 2010, Tapie had his career highs for hits (206), batting average (.368), and doubles (33). 2011 was his peak for homers (61), RBI (141), wRC+ (217), and WAR (10.6). Tapie was the homer leader again in 2012 with 53 dingers.

Marseille became a playoff regular with Tapie, but they weren’t able to match the 2009 title run. The Musketeers had second round exits in 2010, 11, and 16; a first round loss in 2012, and playoff misses in 2013 and 15. They did get to the conference finals in 2014, but lost to Valencia. Tapie’s playoff stats were respectable in 46 starts for Marseille with 47 hits, 31 runs, 15 homers, 27 RBI, .276/.369/.571, 150 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR.

Tapie was third in 2013’s MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger in RF for 2015. He was the leader once more in slugging and OPS in 2015, but that was his last time as a conference leader. In 2014, Tapie lost six weeks to a hamstring strain. An even worse hamstring strain knocked him out more than half of the 2016 campaign and a torn thumb ligament cost him six weeks in 2018. Tapie was still a very effective batter when healthy and would be good for around 4-5 WAR a generally in his 30s, but he was out of the MVP conversation

Marseille was 78-84 in 2017, their first losing season since 2005. They then absolutely collapsed in 2018 at 56-106, suffering relegation for the first time to the European Second League. Tapie still had a year left on his contract, but understandably opted out due to the demotion. It would take seven years for the Musketeers to recover and get back to the EBF Elite.

Tapie remained beloved and a symbol of the “good ol’ days” in southern France. For Marseille, he had 1808 games, 1989 hits, 1292 runs, 268 doubles, 113 triples, 558 home runs, 1278 RBI, 933 walks, .325/.418/.680 slash, 194 wRC+, and 95.3 WAR. Sugar Bear’s #33 uniform would be retired at the end of his career, but he’d still have another nine years to go. Heading towards his age 34 season, Tapie went across the border to Spain on a four-year, $59,300,000 deal with Barcelona.

He was steady in three seasons for the Bengals, although a sprained ankle cost him some time in 2019. In 442 games, Tapie had 434 hits, 262 runs, 62 doubles, 27 triples, 97 home runs, 278 RBI, 214 walks, .298/.390/.577 slash, .164 wRC+, and 15.7 WAR. He did also win his seventh and final Silver Slugger in 2020, that one in RF. While in Spain, he crossed the 600 home run, 1500 run, and 1500 RBI milestones.

Barcelona had been historically strong, but they had fallen into the 70s win range in the latter part of the 2010s. The Bengals dropped to 63-99 and suffered their own first relegation, causing Tapie to opt out of his deal. Soon to be 37, Tapie still had suitors and signed at $46 million over three years with Dublin. The Dinos had been a powerhouse in the 21^st Century with EBF titles in 2010, 11, and 13. They had been the runner-up in 2020 and a conference finalist in 2021.

Dublin started a new dynasty run during Tapie’s three-year tenure, winning Northern Conference pennants each season with 116, 114, and 110 wins. The Dinos won the European Championship in 2022 over Naples and repeated in 2023 against Munich. However, the three-peat was denied by Chisinau in 2024. Tapie solidified a reputation as a big game hitter in his late 30s, playing 46 playoff games for Dublin with 45 hits, 30 runs, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 12 home runs, 31 RBI, .283/.384/.597 slash, 166 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR.

In 2022, Dublin finished third in the Baseball Grand Championship at 12-7. They were 13-6 in 2023, one back on Dhaka for the top spot but third via the tiebreaker with Guatemala. Then in 2024, the Dinos finished in a three-way tie for first with Chisinau and Sao Paulo at 13-6. The three teams had a rock-paper-scissors result, but Dublin allowed the fewest runs and therefore earned the tiebreaker and the Grand Champion honors.

In 55 BGC games, Tapie had 41 hits, 25 runs, 6 doubles, 10 homers, 23 RBI, .247/.406/.464 slash, and 2.1 WAR. For his EBF playoff career, he had 94 games, 93 hits, 61 runs, 11 doubles, 4 triples, 27 homers, 58 RBI, 47 walks, .280/.376/.581 slash, 157 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. Between Dublin and Marseille, Tapie was a three-time European Champion, four-time conference champ, and a Grand Champion. He also would become a World Champion in 2024 with France, crystalizing his spot as one of baseball’s immortals.

Tapie’s stats stayed very steady and strong in three years in Ireland with 412 games, 430 hits, 273 runs, 54 doubles, 119 home runs, 327 RBI, 194 walks, .301/.385/.618 slash, 167 wRC+, and 15.8 WAR. In 2022, Tapie became the ninth member of the 700 home run club. On May 29, 2024, he became one of a select few in EBF with a four home run game against Oslo.

At this point, Tapie seemed to have a strong shot at the 2000 run, 3000 hit, 800 home run, and 2000 RBI milestones. He also left Dublin with 1341 walks, second on the leaderboard at that point with a shot at Nikolai Yevsikov’s 1446. Coming up on age 40, Tapie signed a three-year, $58,400,000 deal with Palermo. The run would be snake-bitten from the start, missing much of that first season between a strained groin and back troubles.

Tapie was generally healthy from 2026-27 but he had declined noticeably and was reduced to a backup role, ultimately falling short of the before-mentioned milestones. For the Priests, he had 266 games total with only 75 starts with 107 hits, 70 runs, 11 doubles, 22 home runs, 50 RBI, .245/.331/.436 slash, 119 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. He retired after the 2027 season at age 42.

Sugar Bear’s final stats saw 2928 games, 2960 hits, 1897 runs, 395 doubles, 164 triples, 796 home runs, 1933 RBI, 1394 walks, 1772 strikeouts, 288 steals, .314/.405/.644 slash, 182 wRC+, and 129.1 WAR. As of 2037, Tapie is 7^th in games, 9^th in runs, 18^th in hits, 9^th in total bases (6071), 57^th in doubles, 4^th in homers, 10^th in RBI, 2^nd in walks, and 12^th in WAR among position players. He sits 20^th in WAR among all EBF players.

Amongst EBF batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Tapie is 10^th in OBP, 10^th in slugging, and 6^th in OPS. Among the world’s Hall of Famers and retired locks, he’s 26^th in OBP, 18^th in slugging, 13^th in OPS, and just outside the top 50 for wRC+. Tapie goes down as one of the most efficient and effective hitters in the history of the game. Tapie is easily an inner-circle Hall of Famer for the European Baseball Federation and one of the most decorated position players in its history.

Some scholars rank him as high as the top 10 for EBF position players and most have him somewhere in the top 20 at minimum. Tapie is also the WAR leader among French position players and is often cited as the best-ever hitter from France. A few go as far as calling him the best-ever player from France, although pitcher Jean-Luc Roch is typically rated above Tapie. At 98.8%, Tapie co-headlined an excellent four-player HOF class for the EBF.



Omer Kadri “Stumpy” Nesin – Center Field – Hamburg Hammers – 97.3% First Ballot

Omer Kadri Nesin was a 6’3’’, 205 pound right-handed center fielder from Nuremburg, Germany; a city of 529,5000 in the state of Bavaria. Nicknamed “Stumpy,” Nesin was most famous for his excellent speed and stellar baserunning, leading the conference six times in stolen bases. He was also a good contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Nesin fared a bit better facing left-handed pitching (.907 OPS, 150 wRC+) compared to righties (.833 OPS, 131 wRC+). He emerged as one of the top leadoff guys of his era.

Nesin wasn’t a powerful slugger as he never hit more than 20 home runs in a season. His gap power and speed though earned a lot of extra base hits with a 162 game average of 24 doubles, 25 triples, and 12 homers. Nesin was one of a select few in baseball history to have more triples than he had doubles or homers. From that, he scored a lot of runs and was a nightmare for pitchers to hold.

Nesin was a career center fielder and on the whole, he graded as a reliably adequate defender. His overall glove work was good, but his range and arm were average at best. Still, Nesin wasn’t a negative value defender except for his final years. He had great durability even with the demands of CF, starting 135+ games in all but two of his 17 seasons. Nesin was a fan favorite and had high character, known for his loyalty, adaptability, work ethic, and intelligence. He wasn’t one to take a leadership role, but he was still universally respected and praised by his peers.

In April 2006, Nesin left Germany as a teenager for Sweden on a developmental deal with Stockholm. He spent most of five years in their academy, debuting with five games in 2010 at age 21. The Swordsmen made Nesin a starter in 2011 and he was third in Rookie of the Year voting. He held that gig firmly eight years for them. The only real interruption was 2017 due to a fractured wrist.

Nesin was a reliably strong starter for Stockholm but he wasn’t an awards finalist or generally a conference leader while there. The Swordsmen were generally stuck in the middle tier with a playoff drought back to the early 1990s. Nesin helped them with some brief life with 87, 85, and 88 wins from 2014-16. After the 2015 season, Stockholm signed Nesin to an eight-year $108,700,000 deal with expectations to soon contend.

In 2018, Nesin hit for the cycle against Hamburg in 2018. It was the lone highlight really that year for Stockholm, who finished at 69-93 and ended up relegated to the European Second League. Nesin used the relegation opt-out, leaving for free agency at age 30. For the Swordsmen, Nesin had 1205 games, 1330 hits, 714 runs, 173 doubles, 178 triples, 80 home runs, 439 RBI, 608 steals, .295/.356/.465 slash, 130 wRC+, and 44.7 WAR.

Nesin signed a five-year, $90,800,000 deal with Hamburg and started his signature run. This marked his full-time return to Germany, although he had been a regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2013-26, Nesin had 154 games, 147 hits, 105 runs, 19 doubles, 9 triples, 21 homers, 52 RBI, 106 steals, .259/.361/.435 slash, and 6.7 WAR.

In his 30s, Nesin had some notable performances for Germany. In 2020, he had 27 hits, 21 runs, 19 steals, and 1.5 WAR in 22 games as the Germans were runner-up to the United States. They were division champs again in 2021 and took third in 2024. Nesin had 22 steals and 16 walks notably in 2024 with .957 OPS and 1.7 WAR. As of 2037, he’s one of only 26 players with 100+ career WBC steals.

Hamburg had become a regular contender shortly before Nesin’s arrival. They had the #1 seed in 2015, but lost to Antwerp in the Northern Conference Championship. The Hammers just missed the playoffs in 2016, then had division titles and first round exits in 2017-18. Nesin helped Hamburg extend their playoff and division title streak through 2023.

Nesin had led in steals with 92 in his final season with Stockholm. He then led four straight years for Hamburg, three of those with 108+ swipes. He won Silver Sluggers in 2020 and 2022. In 2021, Nesin won the batting title at .353 and led in runs (124), hits (214), and triples (30). In 2022, he had his career bests for runs (129), hits (219), triples (37), average (.354), slugging (.569), OPS (.971), wRC+ (168), and WAR (9.8). Nesin was the WARlord that year, finishing second in MVP voting.

In his 2019 debut, Hamburg finished 99-63 and went all the way to the European Championship, beating Berlin for the conference pennant and Zurich for the overall title. The Hammers were 9-10 in the Baseball Grand Championship. They exploded for a franchise-best 115-47 in 2020, but suffered a second round upset defeat to Amsterdam. Hamburg won 108 in 2021 and 107 in 2022.

The Hammers reclaimed the conference pennant in 2021, but couldn’t deny Munich’s repeat in the European Championship. Hamburg went 11-8 in the BGC, joining the Mavericks and three others in a tie for fourth (officially they were sixth). Hamburg lost in the 2022 conference final to 116-win Dublin, then had a second round exit in 2023.

Nesin’s playoff production was decent over 52 games with 65 hits, 32 runs, 11 doubles, 14 triples, 2 homers, 18 RBI, 26 steals, .293/.317/.495, 121 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. The BGC stats were more underwhelming with 38 games, 27 hits, 28 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 13 RBI, 12 steals, .203/.340/.323 slash, and 0.3 WAR. Still, he was very popular and considered a key part of Hamburg’s successes of that era.

After the 2022 season, the now 34-year old Nesin signed a four-year, $109,600,000 extension with Hamburg. The playoff streak ended in 2024, although they stayed above .500 through 2026. Hamburg then fell towards the bottom of the standings to close the decade, only narrowly escaping relegation.

Nesin carried on, posting a career and conference best 116 steals in 2025 at age 36. He was one of the few to hit for the cycle twice, doing it in 2018 and 2021. Nesin did finally see a sharp decline in 2027 with career worsts for OPS (.720), wRC+ (97), and WAR (1.4). The season was still notable as he became the 13^th member of the 3000 hit club.

With Hamburg, Nesin played 1373 games with 1700 hits, 1005 runs, 207 doubles, 227 triples, 107 home runs, 551 RBI, 477 walks, 848 steals, .319/.377/.503 slash, 142 wRC+, and 57.7 WAR. Nesin was unsigned for all of 2028 and retired that winter at age 40. The Hammers quickly brought back in to retire his #10 uniform for his nine year run.

Nesin finished with 2578 games, 3030 hits, 1719 runs, 380 doubles, 405 triples, 187 home runs, 990 RBI, 861 walks, 1335 strikeouts, 1456 steals, 659 caught stealing, .308/.367/.486 slash, 136 wRC+, and 102.4 WAR. As of 2037, Nesin ranks 28^th in games, 14^th in runs, 16^th in hits, 39^th in total bases (4781), 11^th in singles (2058), 66^th in doubles, 5^th in triples, 3^rd in steals, 6^th in caught stealing, and 25^th in WAR among position players.

Specifically for games played in center field, Nesin is EBF’s all-time leader in WAR, games, runs, hits, total bases, singles, triples, and steals. On the world list as of 2037, Nesin is 9^th in triples and one of only 11 guys with 400+ for his career. He also ranks 25^th all-time in stolen bases. As far as leadoff guys go in world history, Nesin is on the shortlist.

You could argue Nesin is the top center fielder in European Baseball Federation history, although the EBF hasn’t seen the big stars as the spot as some other leagues. Nesin is the only EBF CF with 100+ WAR at the position despite only winning two Silver Sluggers and no Gold Gloves. As a leadoff guy with little home run power, some are hesitant to label Nesin as an “inner-circle” Hall of Famer. However, his candidacy wasn’t remotely in doubt. At 97.3%, Nesin co-headlined EBF’s four-player 2033 class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Jean-Paul Lafontaine – First Base – Palermo Priests – 81.2% First Ballot

Jean-Paul Lafontaine was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Meulan, France; a commune of just under 9,000 people near Paris. At his peak, Lafontaine was a good-to-great contact and power hitter against both sides equally. He also was above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His 162 game average got you 39 home runs, 29 doubles, and 8 triples.

Lafontaine was also one of the craftiest and smarted baserunners you’d find, providing tons of value even with merely above average speed. He was a career first baseman and graded as a subpar defender. Lafontaine’s durability was impressive, playing 145+ games in all but his first and final seasons. He was one of the great team captains of the era, known for a strong work ethic, great leadership, and impressive loyalty. Lafontaine ended up extremely popular with fans and colleagues alike.

In January 2006, Lafontaine signed a developmental deal with Palermo as a teenager. The Priests were among the new franchises born into the European Second League for the 2005 season. Lafontaine spent the better part of six years in their fledgling academy. He debuted in E2L in 2010 with 61 games and 11 starts at age 20. Lafontaine was back to training for all of 2011, then took over the full-time gig for the Priests from 2012 through 2027.

Lafontaine was quickly one of the top players in E2L. He won 2012’s Rookie of the Year voting and a Silver Slugger in 2013. Lafontaine took third in 2013’s MVP voting and second in 2014. Palermo was generally above .500 in the early 2010s, but they weren’t yet at the playoff level. Lafontaine was determined to change that and committed to the Priests in September 2016 at $65,180,000 over eight years.

Palermo earned their first-ever playoff berth in 2016, finishing second at 103-59. They earned that promotion, upsetting Hanover 4-3 in the conference final and sweeping Ljubljana for the E2L Championship. Lafontaine went on an absolute tear in 17 playoff games with 30 hits, 24 runs, 5 doubles, 14 homers, 28 RBI, .441/.513/1.162 slash, 1.675 OPS, 392 wRC+, and 2.9 WAR. His run, homer, RBI, and total base (79) marks are all still E2L playoff records. Lafontaine was MVP of both the conference finals and the championship.

From there, Palermo was an instant contender in the EBF Elite Tier. They won a division title in their debut at 97-65 and made a surprise run to the Southern Conference Championship, although defeated by Thessaloniki. Lafontaine proved he could hang with Europe’s best, winning MVP and a Silver Slugger. He led in runs (126), hits (239), total bases (445), average (.377), slugging (.702), OPS (1.115), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.0). Lafontaine also hit for the cycle in September against Rome.

Lafontaine was merely good in 2018 and Palermo dropped down to 73-89. They bounced back to a franchise-record 106-57 in 2019 and earned the #1 seed, winning a tiebreaker game for the South Central Division with Zurich. The 105-win Mountaineers had the last laugh, ousting the Priests 3-1 in the second round. This was Lafontaine’s best season by many metrics, winning his second MVP and another Slugger.

He scored 145 runs, breaking EBF’s single-season record, and still holds the record as of 2037. Lafontaine also led in hits (235), total bases (465), slugging (.755), OPS (1.166), and wRC+ (226). All of those sans the hit tally were career bests, as were his 54 homers, 19 triples, .381 average, .422 OBP, and 11.7 WAR. Lafontaine won a third MVP and a final Slugger in 2021 with conference-bests for runs (137), RBI (122), total bases (398), slugging (.671), OPS (1.074), wRC+ (194), and WAR (8.9).

Palermo stayed generally above .500 for the rest of Lafontaine’s tenure, but they never made any sort of playoff noise. They got wild cards in 2021, 24, and 26, but each effort ended with a first round loss. Lafontaine never had a crazy playoff tear like in the 2016 E2L season, but his EBF stats were solid in the small sample size. In 20 playoff starts, Lafontaine had 25 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 7 RBI, .329/.386/.566 slash, 167 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.

While he became a superstar playing in Sicily, Lafontaine was also beloved back home in France and was a regular in the World Baseball Championship. From 2013-24, he played 113 games with 98 hits, 65 runs, 20 doubles, 24 homers, 59 RBI, 27 steals, .244/.314/.484 slash, 127 wRC+, and 3.7 WAR. Lafontaine was also part of France’s first world championship in 2024, although he notably struggled on the field in that event.

Lafontaine’s contract expired with Palermo after the 2024 season, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 35. His numbers had dipped noticeably from the MVP days, but he had still been good for around 4-6 WAR and 35+ homers since his last MVP. The Priests re-signed their beloved star to a three-year, $56,400,000 deal. He remained a decent contributor during that run and his #11 uniform would be retired shortly after his career ended.

However, Palermo didn’t re-sign him after the deal expired, sending Lafontaine to free agency for 2028 at age 38. Combining his EBF and E2L stats for Palermo, Lafontaine had 2558 games, 2946 hits, 1631 runs, 469 doubles, 127 triples, 633 home runs, 1613 RBI, 736 walks, 584 steals, .314/.367/.593 slash, 173 wRC+, and 111.6 WAR. He was the franchise’s first star and a big reason for their initial promotion, remaining in the top tier until 2032.

EBF teams thought he was over-the-hill and he broadened his search, landing in Egypt on a two-year, $14,440,000 deal with Giza of Arab League Baseball. Lafontaine was a full-timer in 2028 with unremarkable results with .806 OPS, 101 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR in 161 games. He was terrible and benched in 2029 with .547 OPS and -0.8 WAR in 51 games. Lafontaine retired after the 2029 campaign at age 40.

For his EBF Elite run specifically, Lafontaine had 1707 games, 2044 hits, 1151 runs, 297 doubles, 109 triples, 435 home runs, 1117 RBI, 429 walks, 1100 strikeouts, 516 steals, .321/.366/.606 slash, 168 wRC+, and 70.7 WAR. As of 2037, he isn’t in the top 100 in any counting stat, losing accumulations since his first six seasons were in E2L. Among batters with 3000+ EBF plate appearances though, Lafontaine’s .972 OPS ranks 54^th and his slugging is 49^th.

Even if the accumulations were lower than most Hall of Famers, many voters didn’t hold that strongly against Lafontaine. Not many guys had three MVPs or led thrice in OPS. Lafontaine was also the key reason Palermo got promoted to begin with and had the single-season runs scored record. Those accolades got Lafontaine to 81.2% for a first ballot selection, joining the four-player 2033 HOF class for the European Baseball Federation.



Wilfried “Looney Tunes” Bergmann – Closer – Hamburg Hammers – 72.3% First Ballot

Wilfried Bergmann was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Lucka, Germany; a town of 3,500 inhabitants in the country’s east. Nicknamed “Looney Tunes” for his love of Bugs Bunny and the gang, Bergmann had strong stuff along with good-to-great movement and control. He peaked at 96-98 mph with his cutter, but it was his impressive curveball that go the most whiffs.

As relievers go, Bergmann’s stamina and durability were both excellent. He also had an awesome pickoff move and was great at holding runners. Defensively, he graded as above average. As a big lefty, Bergmann caught scouts’ eyes from a young age. In July 2009, he signed a developmental deal with Hamburg. Bergmann’s official debut came in 2014 at age 21 with four appearances.

The Hammers liked what they saw and made Bergmann their closer from 2015 through 2022, only really missing games in 2018 to a forearm strain. He was immediately in the Reliever of the Year conversation, taking third in 2015, second in 2017, third in 2018, and second in 2019. 2015 was Bergmann’s best ERA as a closer at 1.87, while 2017 had his highest WAR at 4.2. 2019 was his first time as the saves leader with 40.

Hamburg emerged as a regular contender concurrent to Bergmann’s ascension. They took the top seed in 2015 at 109-53, but fell to Antwerp in the Northern Conference Championship. After missing the playoffs in 2016, Hamburg won seven straight division titles from 2017. In 2019, the Hammers broke through and defeated Zurich in the European Championship. They finished 9-10 in the Baseball Grand Championship.

Bergmann won his first Reliever of the Year in 2020, then took second in both 2021-22. He had 46 saves in 2020, then led the conference with a career-best 48 in 2021. Bergmann also led in saves (39) and games (74) in 2022. Hamburg set a franchise record at 115-47, but got upset in the second round. They won the conference title in 2021, but lost the European Championship to Munich with an 11-8 finish in the BGC. In 2022, the Hammers lost the conference final to Dublin.

The playoff stats for Bergmann were solid overall, tossing 59.2 innings over 36 games with 18 saves and 23 shutdowns, a 6-3 record, 2.26 ERA, 75 strikeouts, 6 walks, 172 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 2.2 WAR. As of 2037, Bergmann ranks 5^th in playoff saves. He was great in his 17.2 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.02 ERA, 6 saves, 5-0 record over 14 games, 31 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR.

Bergmann also did see action for Germany in the World Baseball Championship from 2016-27, sporadically seeing use as a starter. In 116.2 innings, he had a 10-3 record and 11 saves, 2.39 ERA, 167 strikeouts, 27 walks, and 3.8 WAR. The Germans notably finished second in 2020 and third in 2024.

After the 2022 season, Bergmann left Hamburg for free agency at age 30. With the Hammers, he had 280 saves and 277 shutdowns, 53-46 record, 2.37 ERA, 541 games, 612.1 innings, 740 strikeouts, 122 walks, 163 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 22.4 WAR. Hamburg later retired his #1 uniform for his important role in their late 2010s-early 2020s success.

Bergmann signed a two-year, $14,600,000 deal with Warsaw, but things quickly went south. He was relegated to long relief with 3.30 ERA over 60 innings in 2023 and was eventually traded at the deadline to Nottingham for two prospects. To his annoyance, that meant Bergmann finished the year in the European Second League. However, the North Stars earned a promotion that year, bringing Bergmann back to the top tier for 2024.

He was back to the closer role with decent results, getting 29 saves with a 2.80 ERA over 64.1 innings. While there, Bergmann earned his 300^th career save. However, the season ended in mid-August with bone chips in his elbow. A free agent again at age 32, Bergmann inked a three-year, $18,900,000 deal with Palermo.

Bergmann was subpar over 84.2 innings with the Priests in a split long relief/starter role with a 4.89 ERA. They traded him to Odesa in July straight up for catcher Shaun Kempe. Bergmann reclaimed the closer role in 2026 and had a resurgent year with 31 saves, 1.88 ERA, and 3.7 WAR; winning his second Reliever of the Year. This also got him to 353 career saves, only the fourth to reach 350+ in EBF. The top mark, 368 by Roman Jongmans, was in sight.

He had another solid year in 2027 for Odesa with 34 saves and a 2.55 ERA over 77.2 innings. Bergmann broke Jongmans’ 70+ year record and became EBF’s all-time saves leader. Overall for the Drifters he finished with 77 saves, 2.03 ERA, 204 innings, 242 strikeouts, 189 ERA+, and 8.3 WAR.

Bergmann was at 387 saves and had a shot to become the first in EBF with 400+ Palermo gave him a second shot at one year and $5,500,000. However, Bergmann’s velocity took a sharp drop. He went from 96-98 mph for most of his career, down to 94-96 mph in 2027, then 91-93 mph in 2028. Bergmann was employed all of 2028 by the Priests, but he never saw the field. He retired that winter at age 36.

The final EBF numbers for Bergmann: 396 saves and 419 shutdowns, 89-73 record, 2.59 ERA, 843 games, 1051.1 innings, 1244 strikeouts, 214 walks, 147 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 34.2 WAR. As of 2037, he is 2^nd in saves as he’d get passed in the 2030s by Dominic Voicu. Among EBF pitchers with 1000+ innings, Bergmann ranks 43^rd in ERA and his .607 opponent’s OPS is 55^th. He also is 41^st in K/9 (10.61), 72^nd in H/9 (7.33), 61^st in WHIP (1.02), and his .212/.263/.344 triple slash is 64^th/50^th/75^th.

When compared to the other great closers of world history, Bergmann’s rate stats aren’t even close to top 50 level. The European Baseball Federation hadn’t seen many great closers and compared to the other four Hall of Famers before Bergmann, he had the worst ERA. But he was second in WAR and strikeouts among that group.

Bergmann managed pretty good accumulations over a relatively short career, although more stingy voters felt he was nowhere near dominant enough to deserve a spot. However, it is hard to leave out your league’s saves leader. Plus, Bergmann had two Reliever of the Year wins and was a finalist in more than half of his seasons. He received 72.3%, enough to breach the 66% requirement for a first ballot nod. With that, Bergmann was the fourth and final selection in a strong 2033 class for EBF.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Pitcher Andrei Linev stood alone for induction into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2033 with a near unanimous 99.0%. 1B Zygmunt Socha came close to the 66% requirement, but just missed with a 62.7% debut. SP Yaroslav Alalykin also had a nice debut at 59.5%. Four returners were above 50% with 1B Sergie Stoev at 58.8% on his third ballot, 3B Tayyar Abdualiyev with 58.5% for his third go, 1B Roman Stanchinsky at 51.8% on his sixth try, and 3B Vladyslav Chychykov with 51.1% in his sixth ballot. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots in 2033, in fact the only players removed were six debuts below 5%.



Andrei Linev – Starting Pitcher – Moscow Mules – 99.0% First Ballot

Andrei Linev was a 6’0’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Voronezh, Russia; a city of just over one million in the country’s southwest. Linev had excellent stuff and control along with above average movement. His 99-101 mph fastball was among the best in the game, but his forkball, changeup, and cutter were each rock solid options.

Compared to other EPB aces, Linev’s stamina was considered average. Great durability more than made up for that and Linev tossed 200+ innings in each of his full seasons. His big, powerful release effort despite his average size did lead troubles holding runners. Linev also graded as mediocre defensively. He was appreciated by his peers for his loyalty and adaptability, becoming a popular player over a 16-year run in the Russian capital.

In December 2007, a teenage Linev made the move to Moscow on a developmental deal. He spent most of five years in their academy, debuting in 2012 with 15.1 innings at age 21. Linev was made a full-time starter in 2013, although he wasn’t ready with a lackluster 4.55 ERA in 2013. He put things together in 2014, his first of 13 consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR. That earned a second place in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Linev earned his lone POTY in 2015, leading the European League in wins (21-5), strikeouts (305), K/BB (12.2), quality starts (27), and WAR (7.2). His 2.00 ERA fell only ten points short of a Triple Crown season. This would be Linev’s career best for ERA and wins, although he’d have six more seasons with a higher WAR total. Moscow also won the EL pennant, but lost the EPB Championship to Ufa.

Moscow barely made the playoffs in 2016 at 83-79, but shocked 104-win Rostov in the ELCS and upset Ufa in a finals rematch. The Mules went 9-10 in the Baseball Grand Championship, but Linev was dominant in the event with a 0.67 ERA over 26.2 innings with 41 Ks. He won Best Pitcher and even was second in MVP voting. That helped Linev earn a reputation as a big game pitcher, although his career playoff numbers weren’t anything special in the end.

Linev was a regular for Russia in the World Baseball Championship from 2014-27. In 114 innings, he had an 8-10 record, 3.87 ERA, 146 strikeouts, 39 walks, and 2.0 WAR. Their lone playoff appearance during that stretch was a division title in 2023. That was notably Linev’s best performance in the WBC with a 0.43 ERA over 21 innings and 31 strikeouts.

In 2018 and 2020, Linev was second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He led the EL in strikeouts and WAR in both 2018-19. Linev also had the best WHIP in 2018-20 and 2022-23. He had nine seasons with 300+ strikeouts, peaking with 338 in 2023. Linev notably saw his highest WAR in 2022 at 10.0. He held remarkably steady production into his mid 30s and signed a four-year, $54,800,000 extension with Moscow after the 2023 campaign.

The Mules remained a regular contender with playoff trips from 2018-21 and in both 2023 and 2025. Moscow won the European League pennant in 2019, 2021, and 2025, but lost the EPB Championship to Chelyabinsk, Perm, and Krasnoyarsk respectively. 2019 was Linev’s best postseason statistically with an 0.82 ERA over 22 innings with 30 strikeouts.

For his playoff career, Linev had a 2.98 ERA over 175.1 innings, 9-10 record, 225 strikeouts, 25 walks, and 6.6 WAR. His 107 ERA+ is merely okay, but his 55 FIP- and high WAR total suggests Linev was stronger than the traditional stats may suggest. As of 2037, he ranks 5^th in playoff pitching WAR and 9^th in strikeouts.

Linev kept on rolling, getting both his 200^th career win and 4000^th strikeout both on April 28, 2026. In 2027, his velocity had dipped from his usual triple-digit peaks, although he was still hitting 96-98 mph. Linev had a 3.30 ERA over 240.1 innings with 4.8 WAR, still a fine season for most pitchers. However, it was his lowest across the board since his rookie year. Moscow declined the team option year in his deal and Linev decided to retire that winter at age 36. The Mules immediately retired his #26 uniform for his role in 15 years, five pennants, and one EPB Championship.

In total, Linev had a 227-138 record, 2.62 ERA, 3624.2 innings, 4480 strikeouts, 436 walks, 325/461 quality starts, 107 complete games, 20 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 110.8 WAR. As of 2037, Linev is 28^th in wins, 39^th in innings, 17^th in strikeouts, and 13^th in pitching WAR. He’s also notably 13^th in career BB/9 (1.08) among pitchers with 1000+ innings and 39^th in WHIP.

Linev isn’t at the very tip top among the many excellent pitchers to come through Eurasian Professional Baseball, but his resume was a slam dunk. He’s one of those guys that was probably even better than traditional metrics suggest at face value. Still, those traditional metrics got him 99.0% of the vote, standing alone for induction in 2033 into EPB’s Hall of Fame.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

It was a very strong four-player Hall of Fame class in 2033 for the Oceania Baseball Association co-headlined by SP Akira Brady (99.7%) and 1B/DH Roe Kaupa (98.6%). SP Steve Stringer also got a first ballot nod, although his 72.3% was only a few points ahead of the 66% requirement. SP Alison Kila also sneaked past that number at 67.2% on his second ballot. 3B Dale Harper barely missed at 63.5% on his fifth try and 1B R.W. Putnam saw 55.7% for his fourth trip. No one was removed after ten failed ballots in 2033 for OBA.



Akira Brady – Starting Pitcher – Fiji Freedom – 99.7% First Ballot

Akira Brady was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Palmerston North, New Zealand; a city of around 91,000 on the North Island. Brady had exceptional stuff that many scouts rated as a 10/10 at his peak. He also had excellent control of his arsenal and above average movement. Brady’s arsenal had a 98-100 mph fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. He was a master at changing speeds and his sidearm release was difficult for many hitters to solve.

Brady’s stamina was stellar in his prime and combined with OBA’s unique four-man rotation led to remarkable inning counts. From 2009-20, Brady was good for 310+ innings each year and he led the Pacific League six times. His durability was also great for much of his career, although the wear and tear did catch up to him in his late 30s.

He was very good at holding runners and won a Gold Glove in 2018, although his career defensive metrics were unremarkable. Brady wasn’t particularly book smart, but his raw ability and talent more than made up for that. He became extremely popular worldwide for his wild strikeout and inning counts, inserting himself into the conversation as a top five pitcher in all of professional baseball history.

Brady’s production was impossible to miss despite spending his prime seasons in a small island nation like Fiji. He left New Zealand in August 2003 as a teenager on a developmental deal with the Freedom. Brady made his debut in 2008 at age 21 with promising results, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. In his second season, Brady led the PL in wins and complete games. He also earned notoriety across OBA with the association’s 12^th perfect game, striking out eight facing Tahiti on May 22.

From his third season in 2010 through 2020, Brady was the undisputed best pitcher in OBA and arguably the best pitcher in the world. He led all 11 years in strikeouts with 440+ each year. Brady was the WARlord ten times with eight seasons at 13+ WAR. He won five ERA titles, led in wins four times, WHIP seven times, quality starts eight times, complete games four times, and shutouts six times. Brady won Pitcher of the Year eight times (2010-13, 16, 18-20), one of nine in world history to win that honor 8+ times. He was also third in 2015 and 2017’s voting. Brady never won MVP, but was third in 2011 and second in 2016, 2018, and 2020.

As of 2037, there have been 51 seasons in world history where a pitcher struck out 450+ batters; Brady has eight of those. In 2013, Brady had only the fourth season in world history of 500+ Ks at 507, then topped it with 512 in 2018. The only seasons with more was world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos with 549 in 1936 and 514 in 1934, as well as OBA’s Tarzan Rao with 524 in 1983. Brady has five of the top ten OBA seasons for K/9, peaking at 13.33 in 2015 (fourth-best).

In 2020, Brady also set the single-season world record for innings pitched with 358. 340+ has only happened 25 times, four by Brady. Brady has seven 13+ WAR seasons, tied with legendary ABF shortstop Nizami Aghazade for the second-most in world history; only Ramos has more with eight. Brady’s highest WAR came in 2018 at 16.1 WAR, the same year as his career best for strikeouts (512) and wins (30-7). He’s one of only three in world history (all in OBA) with a 30 win season.

As of 2037, there have only been 89 qualified seasons in OBA of an ERA below two. Brady did it thrice, including his best 1.37 ERA in 2011. That stands as the third-best in OBA history behind only Flynn Rodden’s 1.29 in 1967 and Matthew Falefa’s 1.30 in 1972. Brady’s 0.69 WHIP from 2011 also is tied for third in OBA history and his .461 opponent’s OPS ranks sixth. That year’s .165/.200/.261 triple slash ranks 9^th/5^th/14^th.

In 2019, Brady posted one of only 38 seasons in world history of 10+ shutouts and one of only nine with 30+ complete games. Two of those in 2019 were no-hitters with 12 Ks and 2 walks on May 21 against Vanuatu and with 15 Ks facing Timor on June 16. Brady tossed his OBA-record fourth no-no on May 8, 2020 with 12 strikeouts and one walk against Guadalcanal. He had five 20+ strikeout games, peaking with 21 over 12 innings on 5/30/13 against Vanuatu. The only OBA ace with more was Jack Nix with 23 in 9.2 innings in 1983.

All of this dominance and the big stats made Brady an international favorite for highlight clips online. In July 2012, Fiji signed him to a seven-year, $52,500,000 extension. Brady then inked another six years and $75,600,000 in April 2019. Despite his efforts, the Freedom had limited team success. They had been historically mediocre, sans their two pennants just before his arrival in 2002 and 2006.

Brady goes down as likely the best player in baseball history to never see his league’s postseason. Fiji was usually at or around .500, averaging 77.9 wins per season during his tenure. They really only got close to the pennant once with a 92-70 finish in 2018, one game behind Samoa. He did see action in the World Baseball Championship from 2009-15 and from 2019-24 with his native New Zealand, although his stats were a mixed bag. Brady had a 3.42 ERA and 11-14 record in 229 innings, but did strikeout out 371 with 47 walks, 105 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 5.6 WAR.

Because of the huge inning totals, Brady was soaring up the leaderboards even by his early 30s. In 2020, he became OBA’s third pitcher to 300 career wins. The year before, Brady was the sixth to reach 5000 strikeouts. He finished 2020 with 155.0 career WAR, passing pitcher Tarzan Rao (154.9) for the all-time spot within OBA. Rao’s wins record (314) and Timothy Manglona’s strikeout record (5771) both seemed like inevitable conquests.

At age 34 in 2021, Brady saw his first notable injury setbacks. He only made 19 starts with 147.2 innings, sidelined by recurring back spasms and an undisclosed injury. Still, he passed Manglona to become OBA’s strikeout king. Brady was back healthy in 2022 and took second in Pitcher of the Year voting. It was his last excellent season with 412 Ks over 314 innings, 2.58 ERA, and 9.2 WAR. He passed Rao as the OBA wins leader and became the fifth pitcher in all of world history with 6000+ career Ks.

The world records for wins (398 by CABA/MLB’s Ulices Montero), strikeouts (7747 by Ramos), innings (5953.2 by Montero), and complete games (386 by EPB’s Alvi Tahiri) also seemed potentially reachable for Brady. Some thought he might even chase Ramos for the pitching WARlord title at 205.1. Unfortunately, injuries started to thwart those hopes. Thanks to shoulder inflammation, Brady was limited to only 61.1 innings and 10 appearances in 2023.

In 2024, Brady became only the fourth in world history with 350+ career wins. However, a ruptured finger tendon in July limited him to only 181.1 innings. Brady’s strikeout tallies were way down with 181, but he was still effective with 2.13 ERA and 4.2 WAR. His stuff and velocity had started to dip, but his excellent control still allowed for effectiveness.

After usually being mid-tier for his run, Fiji fell off a cliff in Brady’s final years with a 53-109 record in 2023 and 57-105 in 2024. His contract expired with the 2024 campaign and they mutually parted ways, sending Brady to free agency for the first time at age 37. He remained a beloved franchise and OBA icon and his #8 uniform was retired shortly after his career ended.

Brady still had value and name recognition, drawing the attention of clubs across the globe. He ended up joining Major League Baseball in March 2025 on a three-year, $79,800,000 deal with Phoenix. Brady stayed healthy in 2025-26 for the Firebirds and ate some innings, but his elite days were gone. For Phoenix, Brady had a 31-21 record, 3.84 ERA, 506 innings, 249 strikeouts, 95 walks, 113 ERA+, 99 FIP-, and 6.9 WAR.

His velocity really plummeted quickly, falling to a 92-94 mph peak in 2026 and down to 86-88 mph by 2027. Brady’s control still got him to a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings in 2027 for Phoenix, but only four strikeouts. They cut him in May as a salary dump. Brady returned to OBA with Port Moresby, but he only saw two relief appearances as a shell of his former shelf. The Mud Hens did win the OBA title that winter, giving Brady a championship ring for 2.1 innings of work. He retired that winter at age 40.

In OBA, Brady finished with a 351-171 record, 2.38 ERA, 4976 innings, 627 games, 592 starts, 6476 strikeouts, 736 walks, 451/592 quality starts, 328 complete games, 75 shutouts, 151 ERA+, 62 FIP-, and 173.5 WAR. As of 2037, Brady is OBA’s all-time leader in wins, complete games, shutouts, innings, strikeouts, and WAR among all players. For rate stats (1000+ innings required), Brady is 18^th in ERA, 4^th in WHIP (0.87), 9^th in K/9 (11.71), 16^th in H/9 (6.49), and 36^th in BB/9 (1.33). His .565 opponent’s OPS ranks 19^th with his .201/.238/.327 triple slash ranking 16^th/7^th/31^st.

Brady is most often cited as OBA’s best-ever pitcher and/or the best-ever player. He does have legitimate competition from aces Rao and Manglona, who both had starring roles in dynasty runs for their teams while Fiji was aggressively mid. Brady beats them for tallies and strikeouts especially, but the rate stats are comparable. Some might cite SS/SB Jimmy Caliw, the WAR leader for position players at 138.0 in OBA and 214.0 total with his MLB run. Brady’s Hall of Fame classmate Roe Kaupa also gets some consideration as the OBA leader in homers, RBI, and runs.

For his combined pro career, Brady had a 382-192 record, 2.52 ERA, 694 games, 657 starts, 5482 innings, 6725 strikeouts, 831 walks, 483 quality starts, 359 complete games, 78 shutouts, 146 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 180.4 WAR. On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Brady ranks 2^nd in wins, 4^th in strikeouts, 6^th in innings, 2^nd in complete games, 3^rd in shutouts, 7^th in quality starts, and 3^rd in pitching WAR. Brady sits 10^th on the all-time WAR board of all players ever and leads all players born in Oceania. His ERA+ also is tied for 46^th among starters that are HOFers or retired locks.

Most scholars keep Ramos and Montero ahead of Brady when discussing the greatest pitcher in all of baseball history. Still, Brady gets mentioned in that conversation and generally gets cited as a top five or top ten ace in world history. He’s one of the game’s true immortals, easily New Zealand’s best-ever and usually considered the best-ever born in Oceania. Brady earned a near unanimous 99.7% for the Oceania Baseball Association’s four-player 2033 class, co-headlining with HR leader Roe Kaupa.



Roe Kaupa – First Base/Designated Hitter – Vanuatu Wizards – 98.6% First Ballot

Roe Kaupa was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Angoram, Papua New Guinea; a district of around 98,000 in the country’s East Sepik Province. Kaupa was renowned for his home run power, rated by most scouts as a 10/10 for most of his career. Kaupa was the Pacific League leader in home runs 11 times and smacked 40+ dingers each year from 2010-25. He also hit 50+ ten times and 60+ four times.

Kaupa wasn’t all dingers though, as he was also a good-to-great contact hitter against both sides. He also had a strong knack for drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was below average. Kaupa was especially dominant facing right-handed pitching with a career 1.073 OPS and 195 wRC+, although he was still solid against lefties with .845 OPS and 140 wRC+.

His gap power was also solid with 24 doubles and 10 triples per his 162 game average. Add that to his massive home run tallies and nearly 50% of Kaupa’s career hits went for extra bases. He rated as just below average on the basepaths, but he wasn’t a complete liability there like many big sluggers. Kaupa had an extreme pull tendency on groundballs but was a spray hitter for flyballs.

Kaupa’s biggest weakness was defense as a subpar first baseman, but you could do worse. Close to 60% of his starts came at 1B with the rest as a designated hitter. Kaupa’s durability was fantastic, starting 140+ games each year from 2009-26. He became an absolute megastar across Oceania and his towering homers made him world famous.

His power potential was obvious as Kaupa dominated the amateur ranks of Papua New Guinea. He was the #1 overall pick in the 2006 OBA Draft by Timor, who was one of the four expansion teams starting play that season. The Tapirs didn’t throw Kaupa immediately into the fire with only 11 games in 2007 and 87 with 33 starts in 2008. He earned a full-time starting gig in 2009 and started his streak of 40+ homer seasons in 2010.

Kaupa arrived as a truly elite hitter in 2011, winning his first MVP and a Silver Slugger as a DH. He led the Pacific League in homers (59), total bases (411), slugging (.712), OPS (1.108), and wRC+ (215). Kaupa led with 123 RBI in 2012 and won a Silver Slugger at first base. Despite his efforts, Timor was still atrocious in their early years. 2012 was a new franchise record for them, but it isn’t saying much when 68-94 is your best effort after seven seasons. The Tapirs also didn’t have the financial means to afford the mammoth money a guy like Kaupa was expected to get on the market.

He left for free agency after the 2012 season heading towards only age 26. With Timor, Kaupa had 730 games, 742 hits, 393 runs, 118 doubles, 49 triples, 173 home runs, 425 RBI, .297/.356/.592 slash, 168 wRC+, and 24.2 WAR. Christchurch won the sweepstakes for Kaupa’s services on an eight-year, $117,400,000 deal. The Chinooks were on a 13-year pennant drought, having spent that gap generally in the middle of the standings.

Kaupa helped turn Christchurch into a dynasty with four consecutive Australasia League pennants from 2013-16. He was the MVP in 2013, 14, and 16 with a second place in 2015. Kaupa won Silver Sluggers each year as a DH and was the leader in homers and runs scored all four seasons. In 2013, Kaupa’s 134 runs fell two short of the OBA single-season record. He also had his first 60+ homer season (63) and added 1.144 OPS, 212 wRC+, and 10.0 WAR.

In 2014, Kaupa’s 159 RBI fell two short of Vavao Brighouse’s single-season record from 1995 and his 66 homers fell three short of Brighouse’s 1988 and 1995 efforts. These would be career bests for Kaupa, who got only the ninth hitting Triple Crown in OBA history. His .335/.410/.771 triple slash and 10.1 WAR would be career bests, as would his 467 total bases and 38 triples.

The 467 total bases ranks second in OBA history behind Merlin Megson’s 472 from 2013. Interestingly enough, Kaupa and Megson hold the top six seasons in OBA for total bases, all taking place from 2012-16. Kaupa’s 1.180 OPS from 2014 also ranks second in OBA history behind only Megson’s 1.209 from 2013. In 2016, Kaupa’s 142 runs broke the single-season OBA record and still holds as of 2037. Kaupa also holds the #2, #6, #7, and #8 seasons for OPS in OBA history from this run. He also hit for the cycle in July 2016 against Melbourne.

Christchurch went 110-52 in 2013 and defeated 115-win Guadalcanal in the Oceania Championship. Kaupa was surprisingly weak in the series with -0.1 WAR, but he fared better with .859 OPS and 0.7 WAR in the Baseball Grand Championship with the Chinooks at 8-11.

In 2014, Christchurch repeated as OBA champ at 105-57, knocking off Tahiti in the final. Kaupa had .956 OPS in the series and 1.139 OPS in the BGC, pushing the Chinooks to a third place finish at 13-6. He was second in Tournament MVP honors with 12 homers, 19 hits, 16 runs, 32 RBI, and 1.3 WAR. The 32 RBI set the event record which has only been matched once since.

The Chinooks narrowly took the 2015 AL title and lost in a finals rematch with Tahiti. Christchurch then had an historic 126-36 season, tying the world record for wins with Ho Chi Minh City from the 1993 South Asia Baseball season. Like the Hedgehogs, the Chinooks were unable to win it all, getting upset by 107-win Guam in the Oceania Championship. Kaupa’s stats in the OBA final overall was merely decent over 24 starts with 21 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 12 RBI, .844 OPS, 120 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

Kaupa was a beast again though in the Baseball Grand Championship as Christchurch was the at-large in 2016. He had 19 hits, 13 runs, 9 homers, 19 RBI, 1.046 OPS, 210 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. The Chinooks finished 11-8 in a five-way tie for fifth, while Guam took top honors at 13-6. It goes down as a “what if?” for 2016 Christchurch, who if not for the Golden Eagles might have made a case as the greatest team in baseball history.

In 2017, Christchurch fell one game short of the AL pennant to Brisbane. Kaupa still won a Silver Slugger as a DH, but had a comparatively down year although he still led in slugging at .651. His contract still had three years left, but Kaupa surprised many by opting out after the 2017 campaign. This sent him to free agency for the second time ahead of his age 31 season.

In five seasons for the Chinooks, Kaupa played 801 games, 983 hits, 652 runs, 154 doubles, 65 triples, 299 home runs, 660 RBI, .326/.395/.717 slash, 196 wRC+, and 44.6 WAR. The Christchurch run launched Kaupa to superstardom and certainly was his most impactful tenure. He’d remain extremely popular in New Zealand for his starring role in the Chinooks dynasty.

Kaupa’s longest tenure came next with Vanuatu, signing at $94,700,000 over seven years. The Wizards had joined in the same expansion as Timor, although they had at least made it to .500 or better throughout the mid 2010s. The hope for Vanuatu was that Kaupa could deliver them their first-ever title. He never reached his Christchurch peak again, but Kaupa remained an elite slugger with the Wizards.

From 2019-24, Kaupa led the Pacific League each year in home runs and just missed in 2018. In that seven year stretch, he also led thrice in RBI, once in runs, twice in walks, twice in total bases, thrice in OBP, five times in slugging, five times in OPS, and four times in wRC+. Kaupa was a full-time first baseman for Vanuatu and won Silver Sluggers each year from 2018-25. He finished as 15-time winner, leading all OBA players. As of 2037, only 13 players in world history have earned 15+ Sluggers in their career.

Kaupa was also a regular MVP finalist with the Wizards. He was third in 2018, 19, 20, and 21; then took second in 2022. Kaupa won his fifth MVP in 2024, which had his Vanuatu career bests for runs (112), hits (178), homers (61), RBI (126), walks (81), total bases (398), OBP (.406), slugging (.712), OPS (1.118), wRC+ (211), and WAR (9.9). That spring, the Wizards gave Kaupa a three-year, $65 million extension. Kaupa also hit for the cycle that summer against Samoa and is one of only 18 in OBA history to reach the cycle multiple times.

Vanuatu took third in the 2019 PL standings and second in 2020, the closest they had come yet to a pennant. The Wizards broke through in 2021 at 102-60 and were the first expansion team to claim the Oceania Championship, defeating a resurgent Christchurch. Kaupa had .960 OPS over the seven game series and had another strong BGC with 1.108 OPS, 6 homers, 14 RBI, 16 hits, and 11 runs. Vanuatu finished 11-8, one of five teams tied for fourth.

Kaupa’s stats in the BGC stage were especially impressive against the world’s best teams. In 76 games, he had 74 hits, 53 runs, 9 doubles, 33 homers, 74 RBI, .273/.354/.679 slash, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, Kaupa ranks 14^th in home runs, 9^th in RBI, 22^nd in runs, and 21^st in WAR for position players in event history. His 184 total bases also rank 18^th.

Vanuatu repeated as PL champ in 2022, but lost the Oceania Championship to Sydney. They stayed in the top half of the standings for the rest of Kaupa’s tenure, but ceded the top spot to Port Moresby’s dynasty. Kaupa’s overall stats in the OBA final weren’t bad, but weren’t as epic as his regular season or BGC numbers. In 35 games, he had 32 hits, 17 runs, 4 doubles, 11 homers, 22 RBI, .250/.333/.555 slash, 136 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR.

In his later years, Kaupa began soaring up the OBA leaderboards. In 2024, he joined Brighouse as the only OBA sluggers with 800+ homers and quickly raced by his 804 to become the OBA king. Kaupa went onto get 930 homers, one of only 23 in world history in the 900 club as of 2037. In 2022, Kaupa was the sixth to 1500 runs scored in OBA and passed Adrian Kali’s 1704 to become the runs leader in 2024. He finished 2025 with 1998 RBI, passing Junia Lava’s 1989 to become the OBA leader there.

Kaupa’s power numbers dipped in 2026 to 36 homers, 85 RBI, and .836 OPS. However, that got him to the 900 home run club. He joined the 3000 hit club in 2026 as OBA’s fifth member. Some thought he had a shot at Kali for OBA’s hit king (3467), but Kaupa would fall short there. He did notably race past Kali to become OBA’s leader in total bases. Kaupa moved into #2 in WAR for position players, although he would fail to pass Jimmy Caliw’s 138.0.

He was still starter quality for 2026, but Kaupa declined sharply in 2027 with 16 homers, .650 OPS, and -0.5 WAR over 100 games. He retired that winter at age 40 and immediately had his #21 retired by Vanuatu, the first number retired by the franchise. For the Wizards, Kaupa played 1488 games with 1475 hits, 918 runs, 184 doubles, 74 triples, 458 home runs, 1042 RBI, .286/.365/.617 slash, 177 wRC+, and 59.1 WAR.

Kaupa’s grand totals had 3019 games, 3200 hits, 1963 runs, 456 doubles, 188 triples, 930 home runs, 2127 RBI, 1117 walks, 2432 strikeouts, 340 steals, .300/.372/.639 slash, 1.011 OPS, 180 wRC+, and 127.9 WAR. As of 2037, Kaupa remains the OBA all-time leader in runs, total bases (6822), homers, and RBI. He also ranks 4^th in games, 4^th in hits, 12^th in doubles, 5^th in walks, and 8^th in strikeouts.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Kaupa’s OPS is second only to Merlin Megson’s 1.044. Kaupa also ranks 48^th in batting average, 3^rd in OBP, and 2^nd in slugging. Against the world’s Hall of Famers and retired locks, Kaupa is 34^th in OPS and 27^th in slugging. As of 2037, Kaupa is 16^th in the world for homers, 37^th in RBI, and 45^th in runs.

Kaupa is certainly on the shortlist for greatest sluggers and pure hitters in baseball history. Many suggest he’s the best batter ever to come from the Oceania Baseball Association. Kaupa does lose some points for spending a lot of time as a DH. The best position player for OBA often goes to SS/2B Jimmy Caliw, who had 138 WAR in OBA and over 200 when adding his later MLB totals.

In any result, Kaupa makes almost all top ten lists and most top fives when discussing OBA’s best-ever position players. It’s hard to top the resume of five MVPs; the leader in runs, homers, and RBI; three OBA titles, six league pennants, and 15 Silver Sluggers. Kaupa was key to Christchurch’s dynasty and to Vanuatu’s first titles. At 98.6%, he co-headlined the impressive four-player 2033 HOF class for OBA alongside Akira Brady.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Steve Stringer – Starting Pitcher – Auckland Avengers – 72.3% First Ballot

Steve Stringer was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Melbourne, Australia. Stringer was known for good-to-great stuff and control along with average movement. His fastball only peaked in the 93-95 mph range, but he was effective at changing speeds and disguising pitches. Stringer’s arsenal included a screwball, splitter, and changeup.

Stringer’s stamina was pretty good early in his career, leading the Australasia League twice in innings pitched. His durability was strong for much of his career, but he did run into some major injuries in his mid 30s. Stringer graded around average at defense and holding runners. He was known for his scrappiness and impressive work ethic, getting the absolute most out of his skillset.

In June 2008, a teenaged Stringer signed a developmental deal with Hobart, who was one of the four expansion teams that started play in 2008. He made his debut with the Tasmaniacs in 2013 with 99.2 innings at age 21, although he struggled initially. Stringer earned a full-time rotation spot the next year and spent five years in that role for Hobart.

After decent results in his first few years, Stringer had his breakout year in 2018 as Australasia League Pitcher of the Year. He won his lone ERA title with a career best 2.45 and led in wins at 23-9. Stringer also had a career and league best 0.89 WHIP. Hobart had been around .500 the last few years, but still was dealing with growing pains. This effort in a contract year made Stringer a hot commodity that the Tasmaniacs couldn’t quite afford. He left that winter for free agency at age 27.

For Hobart, Stringer had a 90-76 record, 3.47 ERA, 1552 innings, 1470 strikeouts, 273 walks, 111 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 27.7 WAR. He signed a six-year, $66,100,000 deal next with Auckland. Stringer would have similar tallies with the Avengers to the Tasmaniacs, ultimately getting inducted in Auckland’s red and gold. In his Avengers debut, Stringer repeated as POTY with career bests for wins (24-12), innings (333.1), complete games (17), and WAR (9.0). He also had a 2.62 ERA nd 312 Ks.

Stringer’s production regressed closer to league average for the rest of his time in New Zealand. Auckland was largely competitive during his tenure, averaging 87.8 wins per season, but they were unable to get over the hump. The closest they came was with a 101-62 in 2022, losing the pennant in a tiebreaker game against Sydney. Stringer’s biggest highlight came on June 4, 2022 in a no-hitter with eight strikeouts and one walk facing Gold Coast.

After their strong 2022, Auckland struggled to 67-95 in 2023. That offseason, Stringer was traded to Christchurch straight up for 2B Elijah Kern. In five seasons for the Avengers, Stringer had a 92-72 record, 3.68 ERA, 1531.2 innings, 1461 strikeouts, 246 walks, 106 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 29.8 WAR.

Stringer kept similar pace in 2024 for the Chinooks with a 16-8 record, 3.70 ERA, 233.2 innings, 243 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, and 3.5 WAR. He breached the 3000 career strikeout mark and was two wins away from the 200 club. This marked the end of Stringer’s OBA tenure, although he still had eight more seasons to come. Now 33-years old, free agency took him to Russia at $64,200,000 over five years for Yekaterinburg, the defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champion.

He again remained fairly consistent in his time with the Yaks with a 47-44 record, 2.97 ERA, 831.2 innings, 819 strikeouts, 95 walks, 106 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 11.4 WAR. Stringer got his first playoff experience with the Yaks winning the Asian League pennant in 2026 and losing in the 2027 ALCS. He had a 3.25 ERA over 36 playoff innings with 37 Ks. Stringer hadn’t seen much big game action prior, although he did pitch for Australia in the World Baseball Championship from 2016-20 with a 4.29 ERA in 21 innings.

Stringer’s final year with Yekaterinburg was plagued by elbow tendinitis that kept him out nearly three months. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year of his deal, going back to free agency in 2029 at age 37. Stringer was signed by CABA’s Haiti Herons, but they only used him in 16.1 innings all season. He was at least effective with a 2.20 ERA in that small sample size.

He went back to Russia in 2030 with Volgograd and had a nice effort with a 2.65 ERA in 204 innings, 15-6 record, 187 strikeouts, 138 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. The Voyagers finished 113-49, but got upset in the European League Championship Series by wild card Moscow. Stringer struggled with eight runs allowed in 9.1 playoff innings.

For his combined EPB tenure, Stringer had a 62-50 record, 2.90 ERA, 1035.2 innings, 1006 strikeouts, 129 walks, 111 ERA+, 96 FIP-, and 14.7 WAR. He wasn’t incredible, but he was a perfectly competent starter in Russia. Stringer spent 2031 in Mexico with Hermosillo with a 3.29 ERA over 115 innings with 91 Ks and 1.3 WAR. He then finished up in 2032 with Aguascalientes, but only tossed 11 innings for the Cactus. Stringer retired that winter at age 41.

For his combined pro career, Stringer had a 269-213 record, 3.41 ERA, 4495.1 innings, 4294 strikeouts, 718 walks, 161 complete games, 25 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 77.7 WAR. However, his OBA accumulations were notably lower with eight seasons removed. In OBA, Stringer had a 198-156 record, 3.58 ERA, 3317.1 innings, 3174 strikeouts, 567 walks, 113 complete games, 18 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 61.0 WAR.

As of 2037, Stringer ranks 39^th in wins, 44^th in complete games, 36^th in innings, 42^nd in strikeouts, and 45^th in WAR among pitchers. The totals were definitely a bit borderline, although there had been other starters inducted into the Oceania Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame with similar tallies. Stringer did notably have a weaker ERA than anyone else in the OBA Hall. Some detractors also dogged him for a lack of team successes.

Supporters pointed out Stringer’s two Pitcher of the Year wins and a no-hitter as the biggest selling point. They also gave him at least partial credit for his post-OBA numbers, arguing that 250+ total wins and 4000+ Ks are plenty. Stringer received 72.3% in his debut ballot, enough to cross the 66% requirement to join OBA’s four-player class for 2033.




Alison Kila – Starting Pitcher – Christchurch Chinooks – 67.2% Second Ballot

Alison Kila was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kimbe, Papua New Guinea; a town of 27,000 people on the island of New Britain. Kila had outstanding raw stuff, but his control and movement were both subpar and inconsistent. His fastball was excellent at 98-100 mph and was joined by a curveball, forkball, changeup, and slider. Kila was untouchable and exciting when he was dealing, but his inconsistency and wildness could make for erratic results.

Kila’s stamina was below average relative to most OBA aces and he ran into some injury woes in his 30s. His pickoff move and defensive metrics on the whole graded as below average, but he did earn a Gold Glove in 2011. Kila was one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse and was considered a team player.

After a strong amateur career in Papua New Guinea, Kila’s pro career began in New Zealand as he was picked eighth in the 2010 OBA Draft by Christchurch. He was a full-timer immediately and had an all-time debut season, winning 2011 Australasia League Pitcher of the Year. Somehow, he was third in Rookie of the Year voting despite that.

Kila led in ERA (2.45), strikeouts (365), WHIP (0.91), quality starts (31), FIP- (61), and WAR (9.8) in his debut season and at 22-12 only missed the Triple Crown by two wins. This would be his career best for wins, ERA, quality starts, and WAR. With such an impactful debut, many figured Kila was destined for all-time greatness, but he never replicated that effort and wasn’t a POTY finalist ever again.

In 2012, he missed a month to a rotator cuff strain. Kila led in strikeouts again in 2013 and got his ERA back below three in 2015, leading that year with a 0.90 WHIP. 2013 marked the start of Christchurch’s dynasty run, finishing 110-52 with an Oceania Championship win over Guadalcanal. They went 105-57 in 2014 and repeated, this time topping Tahiti in the final. The Chinooks won the AL again at 98-64 in 2015, but lost in a finals rematch with the Tropics.

Kila’s playoff numbers were a mixed bag for Christchurch with a 2.65 ERA over five starts and 34 innings, 0-2 record, 33 strikeouts, and 0.1 WAR. He had a 3.86 ERA over 25.2 innings in the 2013 Baseball Grand Championship, but struggled to a 6.04 ERA over 22.1 innings in the 2014 BGC. Christchurch finished 8-11 in the 2013 event, then finished third in 2014 at 13-6.

After the 2015 season, Kila left the Chinooks for free agency heading towards his age 28 season. In five years for Christchurch, he had a 94-45 record, 3.10 ERA, 1242.2 innings, 1706 strikeouts, 268 walks, 123 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 32.1 WAR. Kila cashed in on a seven-year, $65,100,000 deal with Canberra. The Centurions were one of the 2006 expansion teams and were mostly middling during Kila’s tenure averaging 76.8 wins per season.

In 2018, Kila led in strikeouts (405) and innings (313), but also in home runs allowed with 44. High homer and walk tallies limited his value despite regularly being a top five strikeout pitcher. In late September 2020, Kila saw a major setback with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. This ultimately had a 12 month recovery time and he missed the entire 2021 season.

Kila was back for one last year with Canberra and finished his tenure with an 88-88 record, 3.74 ERA, 1591.1 innings, 1881 strikeouts, 435 walks, 104 ERA+, 94 FIP-, and 25.0 WAR. Although his longest stint was with the Centurions, his more impressive work and POTY award with Christchurch led to Kila being inducted in Chinooks black and blue.

A free agent again at age 35, Kila got a one-year, $4,600,000 deal with Guam. In mid-April, he suffered a fractured elbow that kept him out most of the year. Kila only made nine starts with a 2.83 ERA over 57.1 innings and 49 strikeouts. He opened up the free agent search internationally for 2024 and found a buyer in Brazil with a one-year, $5,700,000 deal with Sao Paulo.

Although Kila still dealt with elbow injuries, he had respectable campaign with the Padres with a 3.69 ERA over 161 innings, 161 Ks, and 3.7 WAR. In 29.2 playoff innings, he had a 3.64 ERA with 21 Ks as Sao Paulo won the Southern Cone League title, ultimately losing Copa Sudamerica to 112-win Quito. Kila was lousy in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 5.67 ERA over 27 innings with 30 Ks. Still, Sao Paulo finished even for the top spot at 13-6 with Dublin and Chisinau, although tiebreakers officially put them in third place.

That effort overall earned Kila a two-year, $12,600,000 deal with Fortaleza for 2025. Kila had more elbow troubles, but was effective in his 87.1 innings with 2.89 ERA and 1.5 WAR. In the playoffs, he had a 4.22 ERA over 21.1 innings as the Foxes won the pennant, falling to Barranquilla in Copa Sudamerica. Kila was left off the BGC roster and didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year with Fortaleza. He posted a 3.41 ERA, 19-7 record, 248.1 innings, 242 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR over two years in South America.

Kila returned to OBA for one last year with New Caledonia in 2026, tossing 209.1 innings with an 8-16 record, 4.08 ERA, 154 strikeouts, and 2.2 WAR. He wasn’t too far from 200 wins and 4000 Ks in OBA and hoped to reach it, but Kila was unsigned for 2027. He retired that winter at age 39, finishing his entire pro career with a 212-158 record, 3.48 ERA, 3349 innings, 4032 strikeouts, 807 walks, 110 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 65.2 WAR.

In OBA, Kila finished with a 193-151 record, 3.49 ERA, 3100.2 innings, 3790 strikeouts, 766 walks, 399 home runs, 264/444 quality starts, 45 complete games, 9 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 59.9 WAR. As of 2037, Kila ranks 42^nd in wins, 48^th in innings, 19^th in strikeouts, and 50^th in pitching WAR. His 11.00 K/9 is 18^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Kila also is 15^th in homers allowed and 25^th in walks.

Similar to his eventual Hall of Fame classmate Steve Stringer, Kila’s accumulations were borderline. There were guys who had made it in with a similar range, but not many. Kila and Stringer had the first and third highest ERAs of any Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Famer. Many voters figured either both deserved a yes or both deserved a no.

Working in Kila’s favor was a high strikeout rate, his Pitcher of the Year debut, and a role in Christchurch’s dynasty. He just missed the 66% requirement for induction in his debut ballot at 63.4% for 2032. One year later, Kila barely crossed the line at 67.2% for a second ballot selection to cap off a four-player 2033 class for OBA.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Three ace pitchers made it into Austronesia Professional Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2033. Each was a first ballot nod with Gosner Rahmawati (99.7%) and Aru Haj (95.2%) as no doubters along with Rahman Omar at a solid 76.5%. Closer Kyle Oliveira was the next closest to the 66% threshold, but missed in his final try at 58.4%. SP Favian Frias was the other player above 50% with a 51.5% debut. The best non-pitcher was 3B Yu-Ting Tsai at 38.9% on his ninth ballot.



For Oliveira, he was always above 45% and got as high as 60.3% in 2032 before falling off the ballot. He was hurt by three years in MLB lowering his accumulations, but he finished in APB with 326 saves and 406 shutdowns, 1.76 ERA, 927 innings, 1216 strikeouts, 242 walks, 159 ERA+, 50 FIP-, and 37.8 WAR. Oliveira’s tallies were comparable to other APB inductees, but he had only one Reliever of the Year and was often forgotten pitching for weaker teams. His only APB playoff experience was in his last year with Zamboanga in a reduced role, although he did get a championship ring. He ended up stuck in the Hall of Pretty Good.

CF Edmund Quan was also dropped after ten ballots, peaking at 44.1% in 2025 but ending with only 8.7% in 2032. He won three Silver Sluggers and an MVP with Singapore, winning four batting titles and leading in hits four times. Quan also led the association six times in stolen bases and once in WAR. His 12.5 WAR in 2009 ranks as the sixth-best season by an APB position player.

Unfortunately, being a lead-off guy limits you with voters due to low power numbers and APB is an extremely low scoring environment as it is. Quan played 1694 games with 1779 hits, 715 runs, 288 doubles, 152 triples, 96 homers, 651 RBI, 872 steals, .294/.326/.439 slash, 157 wRC+, and 80.3 WAR. He also helped Singapore to pennants in 2008-09. Quan is 48^th in WAR among position players as of 2037, but his skillset seemed undervalued in particular by APB voters, thus a banishment to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Gosner Rahmawati – Starting Pitcher – Bandung Blackhawks – 99.7% First Ballot

Gosner Rahmawati was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Cirebon Selatan, Indonesia; a city with 345,000 people in the West Java province. Rahmawati was best known his impressive stamina and durability. He was considered the ironman ace of APB, eventually retiring as the career leader for innings, wins, starts, and shutouts.

Rahmawati’s stuff was rarely overwhelmingly powerful, but it was good to occasionally great. It was excellent control of his arsenal and rock solid movement that brought him success. His velocity peaked with a 96-98 mph cutter that was mixed with a slider, splitter, and changeup. Rahmawati also had one of the best pickoff moves in the game, although his overall defense graded as decent.

He was one of the intelligent and adaptable aces you’d find, making the absolute most of his innings and skillset. Rahmawati also was a decent batter by pitcher standards with a career .167 average. He won a Silver Slugger in 2012 as he batted .313 that year. Rahmawati’s steady presence and longevity made him very popular over a 19-year career exclusively with Bandung.

The Blackhawks spotted Rahmawati as a teenage amateur, giving him a developmental deal in April 2004. He debuted in 2009 at age 21 with 121.2 innings with mixed results. Rahmawati became a full-time starter after that and took second in 2010’s Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Sundaland Association in quality starts (28) and complete games (16).

Even though APB is the world’s lowest scoring league, it was still very impressive that Rahmawati kept his ERA below two in 14 different seasons. He won his first Pitcher of the Year in 2013, leading that year in WAR (8.4) and innings (277.1). Bandung ended a nine-year playoff drought at 98-64 and won the SA pennant over Medan, although they fell to Zamboanga in the Austronesia Championship. Rahmawati was a stud in his first postseason, winning his three starts with an 0.75 ERA and 25 Ks in 24 innings. That winter, the Blackhawks gave him a five-year, $56,700,000 extension.

Rahmawati won his first ERA title in 2014 and had career bests for ERA (1.28) and wins (20-5), repeating as Pitcher of the Year. He made it a three-peat in 2015 with his career bests for strikeouts (304) and WAR (8.8). Bandung lost the 2014 Sundaland Association Championship to Pekanbaru, but knocked off Kuala Lumpur to win the 2015 pennant. The Blackhawks then got revenge on 105-win Zamboanga as they upset the Zebras for the APB Championship.

For the playoffs, Rahmawati had a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings for 2014 and a 2.91 ERA over 21.2 innings in 2015. In the 2015 Baseball Grand Championship, Rahmawati had a 2.61 ERA over 31 innings with 36 Ks, 159 ERA+, and 1.4 WAR; although Bandung finished 7-12. At this point, Rahmawati had also earned a reputation as a big game pitcher through the World Baseball Championship.

With Indonesia from 2012-26, Rahmawati tossed 210.2 innings with a 15-5 record, 2.95 ERA, 240 strikeouts, 36 walks, and 5.2 WAR. Their best run came in 2014, taking runner-up to the United States. Rahmawati had a 1.98 ERA over 36.1 innings in that run.

Rahmawati won his second ERA title in 2016 at 1.54 and led in wins at 19-5, but he finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He was second again in 2018, 2022, and 2024 and third in 2025, but never won the top honor again. Rahmawati had nine seasons worth 7+ WAR, peaking with 8.8 in both 2015 and 2018. He would lead thrice in complete games and twice in shutouts in his 30s.

After their 2015 title, Bandung was stuck in the middle-tier outside of the playoffs from 2016-21. Rahmawati kept doing his thing and inked a new six-year, $91,500,000 extension in May 2018. The Blackhawks got back to the postseason in 2022, but lost the Sundaland Association Championship to Medan. That was Rahmawati’s weakest playoff effort with a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings. Bandung took second in the Java Sea League in 2023 at 93-69 behind Jakarta. He declined his contract option after the 2023 season and was a free agent for the first time at age 35. After less than a month on the market, Rahmawati signed a new three-year, $57,200,000 deal to return to the Blackhawks.

In 2024, Bandung took first at 87-75 and won the pennant over Pekanbaru. The Blackhawks then defeated Kaohsiung for the Austronesia Championship. Rahmawati was MVP of the association finals and had an all-time postseason run, winning all four of his starts with a 0.53 ERA over 33.2 innings with 38 strikeouts and 4 walks. As of 2037, this is one of only seven times in APB that a pitcher won four playoff starts.

Rahmawati couldn’t quite carry the same success into the Baseball Grand Championship, but Bandung had an impressive 12-7 finish for fourth behind 13-6 efforts by Dublin, Chisinau, and Sao Paulo. In four starts, Rahmawati had a 3.48 ERA, 1-2 record, 33.2 innings, 21 strikeouts, 11 walks, and 0.1 WAR. Overall in APB, he was great in his postseason outings with a 1.65 ERA over 109.1 innings, 9-4 record, 106 strikeouts, 14 walks, 150 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 3.1 WAR.

Bandung spent the rest of Rahmawati’s run back around .500. He signed a two-year, $44,400,000 extension after the 2025 season, his last great year with 7.0 WAR and 1.80 ERA. Rahmawati had become the sixth in APB to 250 career wins and was chasing Hadi Ningsih’s 277 for the all-time mark. However, Rahmawati’s velocity started to dip into the 92-94 mph peak range in his final years. His stuff was now mediocre, but his control and stamina still were good and he kept a roster spot out of respect.

Rahmawati was limited to a part-time role in 2026 with a 5-11 record, 2.97 ERA, 166.2 innings, 82 ERA+, and 0.4 WAR. He was a bit better in 2027 at 12-16 with a 2.79 ERA, 235.2 innings, 117 Ks, 93 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. Rahmawati passed Ningsih to become the APB wins leader to great fanfare in Bandung. However, he was clearly washed and retired after the 2027 season at age 39. The Blackhawks immediately retired his #20 uniform for his 19 years of steady service.

In total, Rahmawati had a 283-195 record, 1.94 ERA, 4736.2 innings, 4718 strikeouts, 521 walks, 467/561 quality starts, 254 complete games, 83 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 111.8 WAR. As of 2037, Rahmawati is the APB leader in wins, starts, shutouts, and innings. He also is 5^th in losses, 2^nd in complete games, 11^th in strikeouts, and 10^th in WAR among pitchers. The longevity meant his 3379 hits allowed are 2^nd most in APB, but he doesn’t make the top 100 for walks allowed.

Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Rahmawati is 30^th in ERA, 7^th in BB/9 (0.99), 28^th in WHIP (0.82), and 31^st in opponent’s OPS (.524). Rahmawati is also 27^th in opponent’s OBP (.227) and 55^th in slugging (.297), but outside of the top 100 for batting average, H/9, and K/9. On the world leaderboard as of 2037, Rahmawati does rank 38^th in innings pitched, 47^th in complete games, 2^nd in shutouts, and 9^th in quality starts.

He’s also 23^rd in ERA among Hall of Fame starters and 21^st in opponent’s OPS, although part of that is a function of APB’s extremely low scoring environment. Rahmawati doesn’t crack the top 50 in WAR, ERA+, or FIP-. The 83 shutouts though are behind only world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos’ 100. Despite the 83 shutouts, Rahmawati surprisingly never threw a no-hitter.

There have been more overwhelmingly dominant guys in Austronesia Professional Baseball history, but few if any were as steady and consistent as Rahmawati. He’s usually viewed as an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but fans of advanced metrics often keep him out of the top five lists for APB aces. Rahmawati had no shortage of accolades though; the most innings and wins, three Pitcher of the Year awards, three pennants, and two APB titles. That made him an obvious headliner with a nearly unanimous 99.7% atop APB’s 2033 HOF class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Aru Haj – Starting Pitcher – Batam Blue Raiders – 95.2% First Ballot

Aru Haj was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Rembang Regency, Indonesia. Known as Lasem in the colonial era, it is in the Central Java province with about 665,000 inhabitants. Haj didn’t have the same longevity of his Hall of Fame classmate Gosner Rahmawati, but his stamina was arguably more impressive. Haj led six times in innings pitched and five times in complete games. He was considered an ironman who tossed 250+ innings in all but his rookie season (which had 211.2).

Haj didn’t have quite as much staying power since his control and movement were both above average at best. His stuff was quite good though led by a 97-99 mph peak velocity between a slider and sinker. Haj also had a strong forkball and a mediocre changeup in the arsenal. He was good at holding runners, but subpar defensively otherwise. Haj was also appreciated by teammates for a strong work ethic.

He quickly emerged as one of the best Indonesian prospects by the 2013 APB Draft, going fourth overall to Batam. Haj struggled as a full-timer in his rookie season, leading the Sundaland Association in losses at 5-18 with a 3.32 ERA, 73 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR over 211.2 innings. He fared better after that and generally graded as a good-to-great starter for the Blue Raiders, leading four times in innings pitched.

Haj’s best effort with Batam came in 2019 with a 1.78 ERA, 268.1 innings, 310 strikeouts, and 6.4 WAR. The Blue Raiders hadn’t gotten a playoff trip in the 21^st Century and wouldn’t while Haj was there, although they came only one win short in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, Batam struggled to a 69-93 and ended up as sellers at the trade deadline. They shipped Haj to Hsinchu for three prospects, ending his run after seven-and-a-half seasons.

For Batam, Haj had a 93-108 record, 2.45 ERA, 1991.2 innings, 2244 strikeouts, 361 walks, 105 complete games, 27 shutouts, 103 ERA+, 89 FIP- , and 35.8 WAR. He was generally well liked by Blue Raiders management and they retired his #30 uniform at the end of his career. Hsinchu was a 2007 expansion team still looking for their first-ever pennant, but they were set to contend in the Taiwan League led by superstar slugger Binh Tang.

Haj had a decent second half as the Sweathogs got that first playoff trip, defeating fellow expansion team Cagayan de Oro in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship. Hsinchu was denied the Austronesia Championship by Palembang. Haj’s playoff stats were merely decent with a 3.03 ERA, 2-2 record, 32.2 innings, 23 Ks, 94 ERA+, and 0.2 WAR. The Sweathogs were overall happy with the acquisition and gave Haj a three-year, $23,900,000 extension in the winter. His combined 2021 saw 8.4 WAR and 327 strikeouts, both career bests.

He led in wins at 20-9 in 2022 and stayed steady over three years with Hsinchu. They had second place finishes in the TL for 2022 and 2024, but took the title and top seed in 2023 at 106-56. The Sweathogs lost the TPA Championship that year though to Zamboanga and Haj allowed five runs in 7.1 innings in his lone playoff start.

While his career playoff stats were unremarkable in the small sample size, Haj did have good numbers in the World Baseball Championship for Indonesia. He pitched from 2017-18, 2021-23, and in 2025 with a 2.05 ERA over 70.1 innings, 86 strikeouts, 173 ERA+, and 2.1 WAR. The Indonesians won two division titles with Haj, but couldn’t get to the final four.

With Hsinchu in three-and-a-half years, Haj had a 52-27 record, 2.00 ERA, 793.1 innings, 904 strikeouts, 12r walks, 127 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 15.3 WAR. He became a free agent for the first time at age 34 and signed a four-year, $53,500,000 deal with Depok. The Demons fell one win short of Jakarta in the Java Sea League in Haj’s debut in 2025, then fell towards .500 for his remaining years.

Still, Haj led in wins in both 2025 and 2026 for Depok and posted a career best 1.59 ERA in 2026. Haj was second that year in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. In 2027, he joined the 200 win and 4000 strikeout clubs. Haj had a slight dip in velocity that year, but was still pitching mostly at his usual level. Still, he opted to retire that winter at age 36. For Depok, Haj had a 52-27 record, 2.00 ERA, 793.1 innings, 904 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 15.3 WAR.

Haj finished with a 206-165 record, 2.32 ERA, 3700 innings, 4160 strikeouts, 631 walks, 348/443 quality starts, 203 complete games, 54 shutouts, 111 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 72.4 WAR. As of 2037, Haj is 27^th in wins, 19^th in innings, 7^th in complete games, 16^th in shutouts, 18^th in strikeouts, and 41^st in WAR among pitchers. His 0.88 WHIP is 64^th among those with 1000+ innings, but he generally doesn’t register for rate stats.

He was almost never viewed as a top three pitcher in his career, but Haj quietly put up consistent innings and racked up nice tallies. Every eligible pitcher in Austronesia Professional Baseball history with 4000+ Ks made it into the Hall of Fame and most (but not all) with 200+ wins did as well. Even without accolades, those milestones were plenty for almost all of the Hall of Fame voters in 2033. Haj received 95.2% for a firm first ballot nod within a three-pitcher class.



Rahman “Dum Dum” Omar – Starting Pitcher - Surabaya Sunbirds – 76.5% First Ballot

Rahman Omar was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Subang Jaya, Malaysia; the country’s sixth-largest city with around 771,000 people. Affectionately known by the childhood nickname “Dum Dum,” Omar had stellar stuff along with great control and very good movement. At his peak, many scouts rated Omar’s stuff as a 10/10; a mark rarely reached by a starting pitcher.

Omar’s 99-101 mph fastball was world class and led the way, although his similarly quick cutter was also devastating. He also had a splitter and changeup in the arsenal as solid options. Omar’s stamina was good, but various injuries kept him below 200 innings in all but six seasons. He fielded the position well and won a Gold Glove in 2025. Omar notably had a subpar pickoff move though and could struggle holding runners. He was a fan favorite player with a strong work ethic and adaptability.

Few pitchers were rated higher for the 2015 APB Draft and Omar went third overall to Surabaya. The Sunbirds kept him on the reserve roster for 2016, then debuted him as a full-timer in 2017. Omar had moments of promise early on, but didn’t really emerge as a true ace until his fourth year. By year five with Surabaya, he was elite, leading that season in WHIP at 0.68. He also had his career best ERA at 1.36 with 355 strikeouts, but surprisingly wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist. It didn’t help that the Sunbirds finished 69-93.

Surabaya did better in later years, but peaked in the middle-tier during Omar’s tenure with no playoff berths and an average of 79.6 wins per season. From 2021-26, Omar was good for 8.8 WAR or better each season. He led the Sundaland Association with 401 strikeouts and 0.67 WHIP in 2022, but was third in Pitcher of the Year voting. That year saw a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts against Depok. After the 2023 season, Omar inked a four-year, $97,200,000 extension with the Sunbirds.

Omar won POTY in 2024 with his career highs for WAR (13.1), and FIP- (20). He also led in strikeouts (384), WHIP (0.69), and K/BB (16.7). Omar finished 0.17 points and two wins shy of a Triple Crown. He repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2025 with his lone APB ERA title at 1.50. Omar also led again in Ks (346), WHIP (0.68), and WAR (9.3) and for the first time in complete games (19), and shutouts (7). The Sunbirds gave him no run support though with a 12-12 record.

In 2026, Omar led in WAR for the third straight year. Surabaya had their best record of his tenure at 87-75, still seven wins short of the playoffs. Omar wanted to pitch on a bigger stage than he seemingly could get with the Sunbirds and declined his player option, becoming a free agent after the 2026 season at age 31. He remained popular with Surabaya fans after departing and his #26 uniform would eventually be retired.

This also marked the end of Omar’s time in APB as Major League Baseball teams had taken a keen interest. He would still come home to Malaysia for the World Baseball Championship after leaving Southeast Asia. From 2018-30, Omar had a 3.62 ERA over 186.1 innings, 12-9 record, 240 strikeouts, and 2.9 WAR.

Omar wanted the big stage and you couldn’t go bigger than the reigning Grand Champion and World Series champ. He signed a six-year, $153,600,000 deal with San Diego and immediately thrived, leading the American Association in ERA (2.17), WHIP (0.93), quality starts (24), FIP- (56), and WAR (10.9). Omar won the third Pitcher of the Year of his career, becoming one of a select few in world history to win the honor in MLB and another world league.

With Omar’s help, the 2027 Seals staked a case for being the greatest team in baseball history. San Diego finished 119-43 and defeated Montreal to repeat as World Series champs. The Seals then went 14-5 for the first-ever repeat in the Baseball Grand Championship. In the MLB playoffs, Omar was decent with a 3.89 ERA in 41.2 innings, 2-3 record, 39 strikeouts, and 114 ERA+. He was a stud in the BGC though winning his four starts with a 1.77 ERA over 35.2 innings, 55 strikeouts, and 2.1 WAR.

Unfortunately for Omar, injuries plagued the rest of his San Diego run. He had only 10 starts in 2028 thanks to a torn meniscus and sore shoulder. Omar was limited to two playoff starts, although he allowed only one run in 10.2 innings. The Seals finished 108-54 and earned the three-peat, ousting Ottawa in the World Series. Omar only made one BGC start, allowing two runs in a 7.1 inning no decision. SD was denied an unprecedented BGC three-peat, finishing sixth at 12-7.

Chronic back soreness and a strained oblique limited Omar in 2029. San Diego got MLB’s second-ever four peat, finishing 99-63 with a World Series win in a rematch with Ottawa. The Seals finished 12-9 in an expanded Baseball Grand Championship, tying for seventh. Omar had a lackluster 4.41 ERA over 16.1 innings in the playoff run and had a 3.82 ERA over 33 innings in the BGC.

For his playoff career, Omar had a 4-3 record in 10 starts, 3.54 ERA, 68.2 innings, 68 strikeouts, 10 walks, 124 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 1.0 WAR. He was more impressive in the BGC with a 7-2 record, 2.72 ERA, 76 innings, 103 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. Even with the injuries, Omar was a critical part of one of the greatest dynasties in professional baseball history.

Omar was still effective when healthy, but that was unfortunately becoming rare. In June 2030, Omar suffered shoulder inflammation that kept him out the rest of the calendar year. San Diego won the Southwest Division again at 99-63, but was dethroned in the second round. After the shoulder trouble, Omar’s stuff and control both took a big hit. He now was peaking in the mid 90 mph range and had trouble aiming his arsenal.

After two terrible starts in April 2031, Omar was unceremoniously cut by San Diego. For his run, he had a 48-21 record, 2.44 ERA, 626.2 innings, 583 strikeouts, 134 walks, 179 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 20.6 WAR. Omar was undoubtedly elite on the biggest stage for the biggest team and Seals fans were grateful overall. He only stayed unemployed for a week as Albuquerque signed him on a one-year, $7,300,000 deal on April 11.

A hamstring strain and forearm inflammation bothered Omar for most of 2031. He was subpar even when healthy with a 4.34 ERA over 93.1 innings with only 37 Ks and 0.5 WAR for the Isotopes. MLB teams hoped he might have something left, signing in late March 2032 with Brooklyn. Omar only went 1.1 innings into his only start with the Dodgers, suffering a damaged elbow ligament with a 13 month recovery time. He retired that winter shortly after his 38^th birthday.

For his combined pro career, Omar had a 172-123 record, 2.07 ERA, 2840.2 innings, 3640 strikeouts, 510 walks, 266/362 quality starts, 142 complete games, 43 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 57 FIP-, and 97.6 WAR. The injuries certainly kept him from more notable accumulations. He does notably rank 45^th among Hall of Fame starters in world history for ERA. Among HOF starters and retired locks, he’s also tied for 28^th in FIP- and 29^th in opponent’s OPS.

Just in APB with Surabaya, Omar had a 120-95 record, 1.85 ERA, 2119.1 innings, 3018 strikeouts, 340 walks, 205/269 quality starts, 96 complete games, 32 shutouts, 136 ERA+, 52 FIP-, and 76.4 WAR. Even with just ten seasons, Omar is 36^th in WAR for pitchers, but he is only 81^st in strikeouts and misses the top 100 for wins and most other counting stats.

Among APB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Omar ranks 18^th in ERA and his .499 opponent’s OPS is 15^th. His triple slash of .181/.221/.279 ranks 18^th/17^th/18^th. Omar also ranks 18^th in H/9 (5.67), 14^th in K/9 (12.82), and 12^th in WHIP (0.79). However, there were a few Hall of Fame voters that couldn’t get over the lower grand tallies. Others also knocked Omar down for Surabaya’s lack of team success.

The majority though gave Omar at least some credit for his San Diego run. Winning a third Pitcher of the Year in MLB and being important to a historic world dynasty can’t be completely ignored, even if in another league. Omar’s shorter tenure keeps him out of any inner-circle conversations, but most agreed he deserved recognition. Omar got the first ballot nod at 76.5% to cap off a three-pitcher 2033 class for Austronesia Professional Baseball.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Three were added into Chinese League Baseball’s Hall of Fame for 2033, headlined by OF/DH Cheng Kang at 98.8%. Kang’s former teammate SP Len Goh was also a firm first ballot pick at 89.9%. 1B/DH also Xugang Zheng also narrowly made the 66% cut on his sixth ballot at a nice 69.0%. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Cheng “Sly” Kang – Left/Right Field/Designated Hitter – Shijiazhuang Serpents – 98.8% First Ballot

Cheng Kang was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed corner outfielder from the capital of China, Beijing. Kang was nicknamed “Sly” for his love of Sylvester Stallone movies. At his prime, Kang was one of the most dominant all-around hitters in the world. He put up numbers that were eye-popping in any league, but especially in the incredibly low-scoring environment of Chinese baseball.

Kang was a great contact hitter with excellent power. He especially mashed facing right-handed pitching with a career 223 wRC+ and 1.022 OPS, but he was also good for a 161 wRC+ and .795 OPS against lefties. Kang was also among the best in CLB at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was merely decent. His 162 game average got you 42 home runs, 28 doubles, and 3 triples. Kang’s baserunning instincts were also pretty good, but he was quite limited by lousy speed.

That poor athleticism did lead to terrible defensive metrics in the outfield. Around 60% of his starts came in left field with the rest split between RF and designated hitter. The DH wasn’t an option in China, but became his regular spot after leaving CLB. Kang had some sporadic injuries, but mostly avoided the big ones over a 20-year career. He was absolutely beloved throughout China for his ability to mash and is considered by many as the nation’s best-ever slugger.

Kang was a menace throughout his college career in Beijing. Because he dominated in the capital, he was considered a surefire #1 overall pick ahead of the 2010 CLB Draft. Shijiazhuang had the #1 overall pick, one of six expansion franchises that had begun play in 2009. They took Kang, but they couldn’t come to terms and he returned for another year of college. The Serpents again had the #1 pick in 2011 and again took Kang. This time he agreed, starting off with a four-year, $16,160,000 deal. Rookies rarely got to start with such deals, but Kang certainly was worth it and then some.

For the first nine seasons of his career, Kang led the Northern League in OPS. In his first six seasons, he led in the triple slash and wRC+. Kang was also the WARlord six times in his first seven years and had nine straight seasons of 9.5+ WAR to open his career. Kang won MVP, Rookie of the Year, and a Silver Slugger in LF in 2012, also leading in runs and total bases.

From 2013-16, Kang was also the NL’s leader in home runs while thrice leading in runs, hits, RBI, and total bases. He got his first Triple Crown in 2014 with 45 homers, 102 RBI, and a .336 average. He repeated the honor in 2015 at 43 homers, 102 RBI, and .306 average. Kang was MVP in 2014, but took second in both 2013 and 2015 behind legendary two-way star Chuchuan Cao. In those seasons, Cao had combined WAR totals of 21.6 and 17.9, which were the first and third-best seasons in world history for WAR.

2016 was Kang’s finest season with career bests for runs (118), hits (199), homers (68), RBI (135), total bases (433), average (.349), slugging (.758), OPS (1.180), wRC+ (297), and WAR (14.9). He won his third MVP and set CLB single-season records for OPS, slugging, and total bases. Kang was two homers and three runs short of those single-season records.

The WAR mark was the third-best by a CLB position player. Kang’s 2016 remains the record for total bases with the OPS and slugging both only getting passed by Jinhao Lin in 2034. It was his third straight Triple Crown, while there have only been five others total by a CLB batter. That winter, Shijiazhuang signed Kang to an eight-year, $114,400,000 extension.

The expansion Serpents earned their first wild card in 2016. They also made the field in 2018, 19, and 21; finishing first in the 2019 standings at 97-65. However, Shijiazhuang never got beyond the round robin during Kang’s tenure. He did notably miss the 2019 playoffs because of shoulder tendinitis. You couldn’t blame him for the other failures though. In 18 playoff starts for the Serpents, Kang had 21 hits, 13 runs, 3 doubles, 10 homers, 16 RBI, .344/.438/.885 slash, 329 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR.

Kang had also come to dominate on the World Baseball Championship stage for China, playing from 2012-24 and in 2030. His historic 2016 began with a second in Tournament MVP honors and a world title for the Chinese, defeating Venezuela in the final. In 23 starts, Kang had 27 hits, 21 runs, 8 doubles, 15 homers, 26 RBI, 1.346 OPS, 270 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR.

Over 143 WBC games, Kang had 125 hits, 88 runs, 24 doubles, 45 homers, 91 RBI, .258/.352/.591 slash, and 6.9 WAR. He was also third in 2019’s Tournament MVP voting. China had division titles in 2014 and 2022, but never made it back to the final four with Kang.

Kang continued to roll and just missed Triple Crowns in 2018 (.003 average away) and 2019 (11 homers behind Kenny Sang, but dominated in AVG and RBI). Because of Sang and Cao, Kang didn’t win MVP even with his stats. He took third in 2017’s voting, second in 2018, and second in 2019. Kang had nine consecutive Silver Sluggers from 2012-20 in LF (except for 2014 and 17 in RF). He also got one in LF in 2022, making him one of six in CLB history to win 10+ Sluggers.

His 2020 had a similar pace to the epic 2016 season, but Kang lost six weeks in the summer to a torn quad. His final time as a league leader in China was 2021 in OBP at .384. Kang’s power stats started to drop and he had only 27 homers in 2023. However, he was still good for 8.0 WAR and had that or better in all 12 of his seasons for Shijiazhuang.

Kang was quickly soaring up the leaderboards as well with far less gaudy tallies in the low-scoring CLB compared to other world leagues. He ended 2022 with 497 home runs, tying Tao Yang for the former all-time CLB record. That same year, Boyu Long got to 498 to become the new king. Kang quickly passed him and was the first to 500, although Long joined him in that club four days later. Kang ultimately finished ahead of Long and Kenny Sang and held the #1 spot at retirement.

In addition to homers, Kang and Long battled for CLB’s RBI title. Both passed the old mark of 1157 by Xinze Yan. Kang finished ahead of Long 1272-1238 and also held that top spot upon his departure. In 2023, Shijiazhuang fell to 74-88, their first losing season since 2017. Kang had one year left on his deal and the Serpents looked towards a rebuild. They shocked many by trading the 35-year old Kang in February 2024 to Guangzhou along with $38,690,000 for two pitching prospects.

With Shijiazhuang, Kang had 1814 games, 2077 hits, 1071 runs, 280 doubles, 35 triples, 524 home runs, 1199 RBI, 848 walks, 1198 strikeouts, .324/.404/.624 slash, 245 wRC+, and 131.1 WAR. Kang was a megastar and his #17 uniform would be retired by the Serpents. For the Gamecocks, they were the China Series runner-up the prior year and hoped Kang could get them to the Promised Land.

Guangzhou made the playoffs that year at 94-68, but fell in the Round Robin. Kang was shockingly poor in the playoffs, going 3-23 with a .361 OPS. It would prove his final postseason at-bats of his career. Kang was still strong that season by mortal standards, but he had CLB lows in most stats. In 145 games, Kang had 133 hits, 69 runs, 28 doubles, 28 homers, 73 RBI, .254/.328/.475 slash, 163 wRC+, and 6.0 WAR.

Kang was now a 36-year old first time free agent, as well as China’s home run and RBI king. Even with age slowing him down, many thought he would had a chance to completely re-write CLB’s record books. However, Kang left for the Oceania Baseball Association on a three-year, $43,200,000 deal with Samoa.

In CLB, Kang finished with 1959 games, 2210 hits, 1140 runs, 308 doubles, 37 triples, 552 home runs, 1272 RBI, 900 walks, 1311 strikeouts, 54 steals, .319/.398/.613 slash, 1.011 OPS, 239 wRC+, and 137.1 WAR. Kang held the HR and RBI titles until passed for both by Tao Cai, but remains #2 as of 2037. He’s also 3^rd in WAR for position players, 7^th in runs, 11^th in hits, 3^rd in total bases (4248), 29^th in doubles, and 5^th in walks.

Among CLB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Kang was the OPS leader upon leaving, although two active players as of 2037 are above him. His triple slash ranks 10^th/4^th/4^th with most of the few players above him being guys active in the 2030s, which saw a boost in offense league-wide.

For many, Kang is the greatest hitter in Chinese League Baseball history. You could make that case and make the case for the best position player, although he has some fierce competition. Most agree that two-way legend Chuchuan Cao is China’s best-ever player overall, but Kang definitely is in the conversation and rarely outside of the top five. He headlined the 2033 Hall of Fame class with 98.8%.

Kang’s career continued eight more years away from China. He won a Silver Slugger in his 2025 debut with Samoa despite losing nearly two months to a fractured finger. Kang fell off a bit in 2026, but still gave the Sun Sox two strong seasons with 250 games, 273 hits, 146 runs, 46 doubles, 53 home runs, 138 RBI, .297/.365/.535 slash, 154 wRC+, and 8.6 WAR. Samoa was competitive in 2025, taking third at 90-72. They plummeted to 64-98 in 2026 and Kang didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year of his deal.

He stayed in OBA on a three-year, $27,500,000 deal with Adelaide. The Aardvarks were above .500, but not quite in title range during Kang’s tenure. He notably led the Australasia League twice in walks. In three seasons, Kang played 420 games with 407 hits, 264 runs, 78 doubles, 78 homers, 237 RBI, .276/.375/.499 slash, 140 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. He was now a free agent again at age 41 and stayed in Australia on a one-year, $19,600,000 deal with Brisbane.

Kang kept a similar pace with the Black Bears with 3.0 WAR over 137 games, 130 hits, 73 runs, 25 homers, 80 RBI, .803 OPS, and 124 wRC+. He did cross the 700 home run mark for his combined career in Brisbane, who won the AL pennant at 92-71 with a tiebreaker game win over Adelaide. The Black Bears won the Oceania Championship against New Caledonia, although Kang missed the series to strained back muscle in mid-September.

He did make it back for his lone Baseball Grand Championship appearance and performed well at age 42. In 21 games, Kang had 19 hits, 17 runs, 7 doubles, 6 home runs, 11 RBI, .264/.369/.611 slash, 174 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. Brisbane finished 11-10 in a four-way tie for seventh, but it served as a last hurrah for one of the great sluggers.

Across six OBA seasons, Kang had 807 games, 810 hits, 483 runs, 138 doubles, 156 home runs, 455 RBI, 377 walks, .281/.368/.503 slash, 142 wRC+, and 23.4 WAR. Those were quite solid tallies, especially coming in his late 30s and early 40s. Kang wasn’t ready to call it quits, but the market was limited for an aging slugger. He ended up moving to Equatorial Guinea on a one-year, $4,320,000 deal with Bata of West African Baseball.

The Black Aces were one of six expansion teams beginning play that year and hoped that a world famous name like Kang could boost ticket sales. Back and knee troubles bothered him and he was mediocre when healthy. Kang played 60 games with 61 hits, 31 runs, 12 doubles, 7 homers, 31 RBI, .284/.362/.437 slash, 101 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. He still wanted to play after that, but was unsigned for 2032. That winter, Kang finally retired at age 44.

For his combined pro career, Kang had 2826 games, 3081 hits, 1654 runs, 458 doubles, 55 triples, 715 home runs, 1758 RBI, 1302 walks, 2014 strikeouts, .307/.389/.577 slash, .966 OPS, 208 wRC+, and 160.8 WAR. Because of CLB’s extremely low-scoring environment, Kang doesn’t make the top 50 on the world leaderboards for the counting stats. But with era/league adjusted stats, he stands out as a true immortal.

Kang’s WAR mark puts him 26^th all-time among all players ever as of 2037 and 18^th among position players. The only Chinese players ahead of him are Cao (188.7) and Zhang (161.8). Kang’s 208 wRC+ also ties for third-best among all world Hall of Famers. He’s behind only ABF legend Nizami Aghazade (214) and SAB legend V.J. Williams (209) while even with CABA great Kiko Velazquez. Kang is certainly on the short list for the world’s best-ever sluggers and has his headlining Hall of Fame spot accordingly.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Len Goh – Starting Pitcher – Shijiazhuang Serpents – 89.9% First Ballot

Len Goh was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong; a market town of about 289,000 people. Goh became the first Hongkogner inducted into CLB’s HOF. He was famous for outstanding pinpoint control that enabled a lengthy career despite only above average-to-good stuff. He did notably have very good movement as well leading to an extreme groundball tendency.

Goh’s velocity peaked at 94-96 mph with an arsenal of fastball, screwball, forkball, splitter, and changeup. The forkball was usually considered his best offering. He wasn’t going to overpower many guys, but Goh was very efficient. Goh’s stamina was quite good especially in his early years, but he did lose time to some major injuries. Unusually for a pitcher, most of his bigger aliments weren’t specifically arm related. For defense and holding runners, Goh graded as below average.

He became very popular and well respected amongst fans and peers alike. Goh was appreciated for his leadership, adaptability, and work ethic. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Cheng Kang, Goh started his career with Shijiazhuang. The Serpents picked him second in the 2011 CLB Draft and kept him on the reserve roster for 2012. Goh was a part-timer with iffy results in 2013, then had a full-time roster spot after that.

Goh showed promise in 2014, then regressed somewhat in 2015 thanks to a torn meniscus in his knee. He bounced back and stayed largely healthy for the remaining seven years he spent with Shijiazhuang. Goh signed a five-year, $60,300,000 extension after the 2019 season. In 2020, he was a Pitcher of the Year finalist for the first time, taking third as he led the Northern League in complete games (21) and shutouts (6). This season also had his career bests for strikeouts (312), and innings (272).

2021 was Goh’s first Pitcher of the Year win and ERA title at 1.40. He also led in WHIP (0.77) and had his career best WAR at 8.4. Shijiazhuang was a playoff contender by this point, but had only round robin exits in 2016, 18, 19, and 21. Goh’s playoff stats were notably mediocre with a 4.63 ERA over 35 innings, 0-3 record, 33 Ks, 59 ERA+, and 0.2 WAR.

Shijiazhuang fell to 74-88 in 2023 and had a full fire sale that winter. In addition to trading Cheng Kang, they sent Goh to Dalian in February 2024 along with $47,030,000 for two prospects. One of them was 1B Francis Tai, who had a rock solid tenure with the Serpents with two Silver Sluggers. Goh’s totals with Shijiazhuang had a 144-97 record, 2.28 ERA, 2445 innings, 2650 strikeouts, 295 walks, 114 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 63.8 WAR. The Serpents would later retire his #23 uniform.

Goh won his second Pitcher of the Year and ERA title (1.64) in 2024 for Dalian. He also had his career and league-best 0.68 WHIP along with 242 Ks over 219 innings and 7.9 WAR. The Gold Dragons finished atop the Northern League at 100-62, but fell in the round robin. Goh again struggled in the playoffs with a 4.82 ERA over 9.1 innings.

He was now a free agent for 2025 at age 33 and left Chinese League Baseball like Kang, although Goh ended up in Major League Baseball instead. For his CLB run, he had a 157-106 record, 2.23 ERA, 2664 innings, 2892 strikeouts, 309 walks, 238/308 quality starts, 146 complete games, 37 shutouts, 117 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 71.7 WAR. The disparity between ERA+ and FIP- suggested his traditional stats may have been hampered by defensive woes.

As of 2037, Goh ranks 24^th in wins, 22^nd in innings, 14^th in complete games, 22^nd in shutouts, 23^rd in strikeouts, and 22^nd in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Goh’s 1.04 BB/9 ranks 16^th, although he misses the top 100 for other rate stats. Even with only a 12-year run in China, he put together a pretty solid resume. Goh doesn’t reach the inner circle of Hall of Famers, but he was a firm first ballot nod in 2033 at 89.9%.

He would pitch anther nine years in the United States. He came back to China for the 2029 World Baseball Championship as well and pitched on the 2016 and 2019-23 teams. His WBC stats were delightfully average with a 3.47 ERA over 98.2 innings, 6-4 record, 103 strikeouts, 23 walks, 102 ERA+, 99 FIP-, and 1.5 WAR. Goh did earn a world champion ring as part of China’s 2016 squad.

Goh joined MLB on a four-year, $73,200,000 deal with Oakland. He had respectable results in his first two years with the Owls and even did well in two playoff starts with a 1.80 ERA over 15 innings. Both years, Oakland was a wild card that went one-and-done. Goh’s third season would be ended in the summer by a hamstring strain. Then in 2028, he missed about two months in the spring to a sprained ankle. Oakland traded him in July 2028 to Denver for prospect SP Austin Pyo and a second round draft pick.

For the Owls, Goh had a 49-30 record, 3.47 ERA, 724 innings, 419 strikeouts, 109 walks, 126 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 14.5 WAR. He was iffy in the second half with the Dragons, posting a 4.60 ERA over 103.2 innings and 2.7 WAR. He did also give up one run in three playoff innings as Denver lost in the first round. That was the final playoff appearance of his career.

Now 37, Goh got a three-year, $52,600,000 deal with Raleigh. Unfortunately in June 2029, he suffered a torn rotator cuff that kept him out about a calendar year. Goh still looked good returning in late 2030, but regressed significantly in a healthy 2031. For the Raptors, he had a 23-31 record, 3.97 ERA, 489.2 innings, 247 strikeouts, 126 walks, 100 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 7.3 WAR.

Goh wasn’t done yet and Kansas City gave him a minor league deal for 2032. He made the big league club despite a later elbow strain, tossing 118.1 innings with a 3.50 ERA, 8-4 record, 28 strikeouts, 113 ERA+, and 0.3 WAR. His control was still excellent, but his velocity was now peaking in the 86-88 mph range. KC released Goh in August and Seattle grabbed him, but he only saw one start in minor league Spokane. Goh retired that winter just after his 41^st birthday.

For the MLB career in his 30s, Goh had an 85-70 record, 3.72 ERA, 1435.2 innings, 762 strikeouts, 286 walks, 113 ERA+, 93 FIP- and 24.8 WAR. For his entire pro career, Goh finished with a 242-176 record, 2.75 ERA, 4099.2 innings, 3654 strikeouts, 595 walks, 217 complete games, 44 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 96.5 WAR. It was an impressive 20 year run certainly worthy of acknowledgement, culminating in a 2033 Hall of Fame induction for Chinese League Baseball at 89.9%.



Xugang “Stud” Zheng – First Base/Designated Hitter – Shantou Scorpions – 69.0% Sixth Ballot

Xugang Zheng was a 6’2’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Qingdao, China; a city on the Yellow Sea with more than 10 million people. He had the nickname “Stud” both for his batting prowess and for his skills as a ladies’ man. Zheng at his peak was elite in terms of both contact and home run power. He had 40 home runs, 25 doubles, and 2 triples per his 162 game average.

Zheng was below average for drawing walks and around average for strikeout rate. He was a bit better against right-handed pitching (.934 OPS, 171 wRC+) compared to facing lefties (.858 OPS, 159 wRC+). Zheng’s biggest woe offensively was being a comically slow and sluggish baserunner. As bad as he was running, Zheng was even worse somehow defensively.

With no designated hitter in CLB, Zheng made most of his starts at first base with some in left field. He was absolutely putrid in both spots and was a full-time designated hitter once he left for West African Baseball in his later years. Zheng’s durability was respectable and he had a ferocious work ethic Some did critique him for a perceived greediness, but Zheng was generally liked and respected by fans and peers.

The 2008 CLB Draft was the very first one for the six expansion teams set to begin play in 2009. Shantou had the #4 pick and used it on Zheng, who was still a raw teenage prospect. He stayed in the academy in 2009 and saw only pinch hitting from 2010-12. Zheng had 24 starts and 116 games in 2013 with strong power numbers, earning a full-time starting gig after that.

Zheng won the batting title in 2014 with a .303 average and his first Silver Slugger in LF. In their sixth season, Shantou became the first expansion team to make the playoffs as the final wild card at 89-73. The Scorpions shocked the field, going all the way to a China Series win over Xi’an. Zheng was a beast in the playoff run and got MVP honors in the semifinal victory against Chongqing.

In 20 playoff starts, Zheng had 23 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 7 homers, 13 RBI, .967 OPS, 217 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. He had mixed results in the Baseball Grand Championship as Shantou took last at 3-16. Zheng had 14 hits, 18 runs, 2 doubles, 9 homers, 12 RBI, .811 OPS, and 0.7 WAR.

In 2015, Zheng won a Silver Slugger at 1B and led the Southern League in hits (169), homers (47), RBI (108), total bases (336), slugging (.583), OPS (.906), and wRC+ (225). Shantou missed the playoffs, but they began a five-year streak after that as Zheng emerged as an MVP candidate. He was third in 2016’s voting and won another Slugger, leading in homers (48), and hits (180).

Zheng took MVP and a Slugger (1B) in 2017 with a Triple Crown season, leading in runs (97), homers (52), RBI (124), total bases (404), triple slash (.345/.395/.679), OPS (1.068), wRC+ (243), and WAR (11.3). This would be his career highs for hits (207), average, OBP, and wRC+. Shantou got to the semifinal but fell to Kunming. For the next four years, the Scorpions fell each time in the Round Robin.

Even if they never had another big run, Zheng’s playoff stats were fantastic. In 54 starts, he had 64 hits, 32 runs, 10 doubles, 20 home runs, 40 RBI, .294/.336/.624 slash, 218 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, he’s one of only five in CLB with 20+ playoff dingers. Zheng also played for China from 2014-20 in the World Baseball Championship with respectable results with 62 games, 54 hits, 32 runs, 7 doubles, 14 homers, 34 RBI, .277/.352/.538 slash, and 2.0 WAR. He was a solid starter for 2016’s World Championship win.

In 2019, Zheng joined Hall of Fame classmate Cheng Keng as the only players with multiple hitting Triple Crowns in CLB. He won MVP again with league bests in runs (114), hits (201), homers (61), RBI (134), total bases (419), triple slash (.336/.381/.699), OPS (1.080), wRC+ (233), and WAR (10.8). The 419 total bases was second-most in CLB at that point behind Kang’s 433 from 2016. Zheng had his career highs for runs, homers, RBI, slugging, and OPS.

Zheng’s pace dropped significantly in 2020 and he lost some time to a strained back. In a contact year, he had only 30 homers, 78 RBI, .799 OPS, and 3.1 WAR. Shantou was appreciative, but leery of a long-term deal after that drop. Zheng ended up in free agency at age 32, but his #15 uniform would later be retired by the Scorpions for his efforts.

Many Chinese teams shared the same concerns about Zheng’s value, especially since CLB didn’t have the designated hitter. West Africa Baseball did and Port Harcourt thought Zheng’s bat was still worth getting, giving him a six-year, $65,400,000 deal. Initially, Zheng was middling at best and lost some time in 2022 to a sprained ankle.

He fared better in 2023 and Port Harcourt took first in the Eastern League at 104-58, although they lost the ELCS to Kano. Zheng looked like a strong slugger again in 2024 at age 35 with a surprising 61 home runs, 154 RBI, 115 runs, 1.037 OPS, 148 wRC+, and 4.8 WAR. The Hillcats took first again at 101-61 and this time went the distance, defeating Freetown in the West African Championship.

Zheng’s playoff stats in Nigeria were merely okay with 14 games, 17 hits, 8 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 12 RBI, .309/.345/.527 slash, and 0.3 WAR. In the 2024 BGC, he had 13 hits, 7 runs, 1 double, 5 homers, 7 RBI, .206/.301/.460 slash, 111 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. Port Harcourt finished 10-9 in the event. They were a wild card in 2025 but suffered a second round exit.

He had 41 homers and 3.2 WAR in 2025, but then regressed hard in 2026 with 13 homers, .724 OPS, 77 wRC+, and -0.5 WAR in 95 games and 50 starts. In six seasons for Port Harcourt, Zheng had 832 games, 861 hits, 493 runs, 172 doubles, 224 home runs, 595 RBI, .284/.331/.568 slash, 117 wRC+, and 11.2 WAR. He went unsigned in 2027 and retired that winter at age 38.

For his combined pro career, Zheng had 2218 games, 2184 hits, 1145 runs, 344 doubles, 28 triples, 552 home runs, 1386 RBI, 430 walks, 1326 strikeouts, .295/.340/.573 slash, 168 wRC+, and 67.3 WAR. That on its own is borderline, but Zheng’s CLB candidacy was focused just on the Shantou run. That had 1386 games, 1323 hits, 652 runs, 172 doubles, 328 home runs, 791 RBI, 253 walks, 689 strikeouts, .303/.347/.577 slash, 204 wRC+, and 56.1 WAR.

As of 2037, Zheng is 53^rd in homers and 88^th in RBI, but misses the top 100 for WAR and other counting stats. The rate stats are impressive though as among those with 3000+ plate appearances, Zheng’s triple slash ranks 26^th/49^th/14^th. His .924 OPS ranks 15^th. For a lot of voters though, the grand totals are just far too low.

Zheng’s accomplishments were impressive though with two MVPs, two Triple Crowns, five Silver Sluggers, and a key role in the first championship win by an expansion team. It wasn’t enough to cross the 66% induction requirement initially with a debut at 57.2%. Zheng went to 56.2%, 60.2%, 63.7%, and 59.4% in subsequent ballots. In 2033, he finally got the bump across the line at 69.0% for a sixth ballot induction to cap off a three-player Hall of Fame class for Chinese League Baseball.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Left fielder Ibrahim Sani stood alone for induction into the West African Baseball Hall of Fame in 2033 with a near unanimous 99.1%. SP Joseph Masuta was the next closest to the 66% requirement, but missed on his second ballot at 63.9%. Also above 50% was a 56.4% debut for closer Nwaneri Victor and a 51.7% second try for SP Minusu Ekong.



Dropped after ten ballots was 1B Akuneto Adeyemo, who peaked at 42.4% in his penultimate ballot but ended at a low of 10.7%. In 17 seasons between Monrovia and Accra, Adeyemo had two Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, 2937 hits, 1259 runs, 649 doubles, 152 triples, 201 home runs, 1262 RBI, 518 steals, .331/.362/.506 slash, 135 wRC+, and 63.2 WAR.

As of 2037, Adeyemo is 11^th in doubles and 13^th in hits, but only 44^th in WAR. He was hurt by the lack of black ink and by voters expecting big home run power from first basemen in particular. Still, he was an important part of Monrovia’s 2008 championship. However, Adeyemo didn’t have the flashy numbers to get beyond the Hall of Pretty Good.

Also worth mention was teammate Abiodun Inyang, who fell below 5% on his seventh ballot and peaked at only 12.7%. He won six Gold Gloves at shortstop, three Silver Sluggers, and was finals and LCS MVP for Monrovia’s 2008 championship. He was also a key starter for their 2006 title as well. Inyang did lose four years of tallies to a run in MLB with Washington.

In WAB, he had 1795 games, 1919 hits, 1112 runs, 389 doubles, 128 triples, 195 home runs, 819 RBI, 501 steals, .278/.342/.457 slash, 116 wRC+, and 65.4 WAR. As of 2037, Inyang is 36^th in WAR, mostly coming from his great defense. Advanced stats suggested he was merely a decent batter though and voters were quite underwhelmed despite his accomplishments.



Ibrahim Sani – Left Field – Conakry Coyotes – 99.1% First Ballot

Ibrahim Sani was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Maine-Soroa, Niger; a town of 78,000 people by the country’s southeast border. He’s the third Nigerien Hall of Famer and is generally regarded as the country’s best-ever hitter. Sani had remarkably steady power with a 162 game average of 40 home runs, 36 doubles, and 9 triples.

Sani was an excellent contact hitter facing right-handed pitching with a career 1.088 OPS and 174 wRC+. He graded as below average against lefties with a .744 OPS and 93 wRC+. On the whole, he was above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Sani was an incredibly skilled and crafty baserunner and was a constant threat even with merely good speed.

Defensively, Sani played almost exclusively in left field with subpar fielding metrics. You could definitely do worse though. Around 20% of his starts came as a designated hitter. Sani’s durability was quite good, starting 125+ games in all but his final season in an 18-year career. He was a strong leader with a great work ethic, becoming one of the most universally loved and praised players across the region.

By the 2009 WAB Draft, most scouts saw Sani as the top prospect. Cape Verde agreed and chose him with the #1 overall pick. Sani was a full-timer right away and took 2010 Rookie of the Year honors. The Vulcans had a stunning turnaround that year, going from 57-105 in 2009 to first place and 96-66 in 2010. They lost to defending WAB champ Abidjan in the Western League Championship Series. A young Sani struggled in the series, going 2-15.

It would be his only playoff trip with Cape Verde, who hovered in the mid 70 wins range mostly for the rest of his time. Sani won his first Silver Slugger in 2012 and won again for the Vulcans in 2013, 14, and 15. He led the WL in home runs for the first time with 43 in 2013, a mark he’d top nine times despite only being the HR leader once more in his career.

Sani’s first MVP came in 2014, leading in batting average (.378), total bases (416), and RBI (158). He fell two homers shy of the Triple Crown. Sani was second in 2015’s MVP voting, which saw career and league bests for total bases (446), triple slash (.380/.434/.724), OPS (1.158), wRC+ (199), WAR (9.4) and hits (234). Sani also had his highs for doubles (48) and stolen bases (53). He was second in homers with 48 and third in RBI with 135.

For Cape Verde, Sani had 1080 games, 1327 hits, 767 runs, 234 doubles, 44 triples, 319 home runs, 853 RBI, 349 walks, 208 steals, .329/.385/.646 slash, 159 wRC+, and 44.9 WAR. He left for free agency after the 2016 season at age 29. You could argue the Vulcans run was marginally his best offensively, but his second run with Conakry would be comparable. The Coyotes tenure was his signature run for the dynasty that came with it.

Sani’s deal with Conakry was for $102,200,000 over seven years. The Coyotes had been mostly mediocre to start the decade, but they’d begin a five-year playoff streak in 2018. Sani won Silver Sluggers in 2017, 18, 19, and 21 for Conakry. In 2018, he earned his second MVP, leading in total bases (417), slugging (.695), OPS (1.086), and wRC+ (169). It was also his first 50+ homer season with 52 dingers, 145 RBI, and 123 runs.

In 2019, Sani repeated and won his third MVP with a league-best 56 homers and .710 slugging. He also posted his career high for runs scored with 125 and hit for the cycle in September against Monrovia. Sani dropped off surprisingly to 3.4 WAR and .883 OPS in 2020, but bounced back to his more normal production after that. Sani led the league with 123 runs in 2021.

Conakry had a second round playoff exit in 2018 and WLCS loss in 2019 to Bamako. In 2020, the Coyotes finished first in the standings at 107-55 and won it all, beating Nouakchott in the WLCS and Yaounde in the West African Championship. Conakry then took second in the Baseball Grand Championship at 14-5, one win behind Denver. In the BGC, Sani had 13 hits, 11 runs, 6 homers, 12 RBI, .766 OPS, and 0.7 WAR over 18 games.

In 2021, Conakry was ousted by Bamako in the WLCS. Then in 2022 at 98-64, the Coyotes upset top-seed Abidjan in the WLCS and defeated Niamey to claim their second WAB title in three years. Conakry finished 10-9 in the BGC in a four-way tie for ninth. Because of a knee sprain in the WAB playoffs, Sani only was available four games in the BGC.

Overall in the WAB playoffs, Sani’s stats were rock solid with Conakry. In 31 starts, he had 42 hits, 25 runs, 9 doubles, 7 home runs, 25 RBI, .353/.386/.622 slash, 164 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. The streak ended with an 85-77 playoff miss in 2023, Sani’s final year under contact. In seven seasons with the Coyotes, Sani had 1080 games, 1327 hits, 767 runs, 234 doubles, 44 triples, 319 home runs, 853 RBI, .329/.385/.646 slash, 159 wRC+, and 44.9 WAR.

Now 36-years old, Sani returned to his home country on a three-year, $52,200,000 deal with Niamey. He did notably play for Niger in the World Baseball Championship from 2021-27 with 73 games, 58 hits, 35 runs, 10 doubles, 4 triples, 12 home runs, 41 RBI, .244/.338/.471 slash, and 2.6 WAR.

Sani’s home run power dipped considerably in the Niamey seasons, but he was still an effective batter and even led the Eastern League with a .412 OBP in 2026. In 438 games, Sani had 535 hits, 314 runs, 121 doubles, 34 triples, 69 home runs, 262 RBI, 120 steals, .331/.392/.576 slash, 144 wRC+, and 13.6 WAR. His arrival started a six-year playoff streak for the Atomics, who had won the pennant in 2022.

Niamey finished first in 2025 at 105-57 and set a franchise wins record, but they got upset by Ibadan in the ELCS. The Atomics lost in the first round of 2024 and second round in 2026. In 11 playoff starts, Sani had 11 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, .297/.350/.649 slash, 150 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

Sani reached some impressive milestones in the Niamey years. In 2024, he became 4^th to reach 600 home runs and the 8^th to 1500 runs scored. In April 2025, he earned his second cycle against Douala. Then in 2026, Sani became the 4^th member of the 3000 hit club. He was a free agent again after the 2026 campaign at age 39 and inked a two-year, $10,800,000 deal with Dakar. Unfortunately, he fell off hard with -0.3 WAR and .670 OPS over 100 games and 76 starts with the Dukes in 2027. Sani retired from the game that winter at age 39.

The final tallies had 2702 games, 3253 hits, 1852 runs, 596 doubles, 153 triples, 661 home runs, 1946 RBI, 904 walks, 1705 strikeouts, 639 stolen bases, 6138 total bases, .325/.383/.612 slash, 153 wRC+, and 102.1 WAR. As of 2037, Sani is 10^th in games, 8^th in runs, 9^th in hits, 9^th in total bases, 14^th in doubles, 10^th in homers, 9^th in RBI, 14^th in walks, 44^th in steals, and 7^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Sani’s .996 OPS ranks 21^st. He also ranks 73^rd/38^th/25^th in the triple slash. Sani’s definitely an inner-circle Hall of Famer for West African Baseball and has a strong case for being a top ten player in league history. He stood alone for induction in 2033 with a near unanimous 99.1%.

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South Asia Baseball didn’t add anyone into the Hall of Fame in 2033, the first empty class since 2013. SP Harpal Kumaragupta came painfully close to the 66% requirement on his second ballot, but missed at 65.4%. CF Chris Saandeep was also close with 62.5% for his eighth try. The other guy above 50% was SP Siddhant Shakya with 54.8% for his sixth go. The best debut was LF Rahul Anand at a measly 23.9%.



Among those dropped after ten failed ballots was closer Khon Aye Ko, who got as close at 59.8% in his debut and ended with 42.6%. He won two Reliever of the Year awards, but was perhaps overlooked since he bounced around so much in his later years. Ko had 339 saves and 414 shutdowns, 2.06 ERA, 958.2 innings, 1645 strikeouts, 221 walks, 173 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 36.6 WAR. He ranks 13^th in saves as of 2037, but didn’t quite have the same dominance as the other inducted closers.

SP Tilan Ghai also got dropped after debuting at 44.9% and ending with only 18.8%. Ghai seemed well on his way after his first six seasons with two Pitcher of the Year awards and two ERA titles, while also leading four times in WAR and thrice in strikeouts. He never made it a full season after that due to numerous major injuries. Ghai finished with a 127-66 record, 2.91 ERA, 1822.1 innings, 2508 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 50.7 WAR. He certainly goes down as one of SAB’s great “what if?” guys.

SAP Zahid Islam debuted at 42.2%, but ended with only 10.3%. He was a pretty firm “Hall of Pretty Good” level pitcher with some nice longevity, but little for awards. Islam had a 198-144 record, 3.25 ERA, 3080.2 innings, 3342 strikeouts, 549 walks, 110 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 48.9 WAR.

It was a similar story for D.J. Govindarajulu, peaking at 30.8% in his debut and ending with only 6.6%. He did notably lead in strikeouts thrice, but bounced around between eight teams. Govindarajulu had a 160-141 record, 3.45 ERA, 2757.1 innings, 3817 strikeouts, 638 walks, 106 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 47.7 WAR. He ranks 14^th in Ks as of 2037, but he allowed a lot of home runs and hurt his overall value.

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Four made it into the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2033. Co-headlining as first ballot picks were OF Emmanouil Karakostas (84.6%) and SP Mustafa Jumah (80.6%). Two others squeaked by the 66% requirement to join them. SP Qabir Sabiha got 68.5% on his second try and SP Ahour Sabbari saw 67.7% with his third ballot. Four others were above 50% with 3B Timur Tyan at 55.2% on his second go, LF Ramin Abilov at a 51.3% debut, 3B Eser Haspolatli with 51.35 for his fourth ballot, and CL Raghid Yazdani with 50.2% on the third try. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Emmanouil “Oz” Karakostas – Outfield – Tashkent Tomcats – 84.6% First Ballot

Emmanouil Karakostas was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Ayios Ioannis Rentis, Greece; an Athens suburb with 15,000 people. He had the nickname “Oz,” mostly because teammates didn’t want to say his long name. Karakostas was known for solid contact skills against both sides along with great gap power and fantastic baserunning skills. He also was one of the best at avoiding strikeouts and drew walks at a decent clip. Karakostas wasn’t the worst home run hitter, but he only hit 20+ in three seasons.

Karakostas 162 game average got you 28 doubles, 14 triples, and 13 home runs. He was almost equal facing right-handed pitching (.823 OPS, 155 wRC+) compared to versus lefties (.833 OPS, 156 wRC+). Few players stole bases as efficiently as Karakostas, who was considered one of the most dangerous baserunners of his era. He managed to maintain very good speed even into his 40s.

A strong work ethic and intelligence helped Karakostas to a 22-year career, although he wasn’t going to take a leadership role. Stellar durability certainly helped, playing 145+ games each year from 2009-26. Karakostas bounced around the outfield in his career with around 40% of his starts in left, 35% in right, and the rest in center. He graded as a good defender in LF, below average in RF, and lousy in CF.

Greek players rarely ventured outside of the European Baseball Federation sphere, but a scout from Bishkek took an early liking to Karakostas. They convinced him as a teenager to leave for Kyrgyzstan, signing a developmental deal in January 2001. Karakostas spent the better part of seven years in their academy, although he did officially debut in 2004 at age 19. From 2004-07, Karakostas played only 107 games with 10 starts.

Bishkek was a playoff contender at this point, so finding an open slot for a young player was difficult. The Black Sox notably won the East League pennant in 2007, but lost in the ABF Championship to Istanbul. Karakostas only saw a few pinch hit at-bats in these early years. Karakostas saw more time in 2008 with 89 games and eight starts, then took the full-time job from 2009 onward. In July 2009, he signed a five-year, $12,420,000 extension.

Karakostas was soon considered elite, winning Silver Sluggers in LF for 2011-12. He led in hits (197) and triples (16) in 2010. Karakostas led in triples twice more for the Black Sox and led with 93 steals in 2011. He had a 27-game hit streak in 2009 and hit for the cycle in 2011 against Kabul. Bishkek got the top seed in 2010 at 104-58, but fell in the ELCS to Rawalpindi. Karakostas had a nice postseason effort with a .910 OPS in 2010 games. For the next three years, Bishkek was just above .500, but outside of the playoff race.

2014 was Karakostas’ final year under contract. Bishkek surprised many in February by trading him straight up for SP Taleh Butayev to Faisalabad. For the Black Sox, Karakostas finished with 967 games, 987 hits, 476 runs, 161 doubles, 82 triples, 61 homers, 346 RBI, 411 steals, .315/.365/.477 slash, 164 wRC+, and 37.2 WAR.

The Fire had won the ABF title in 2011 and had the top seed in 2013, but they got upset in the first round. They hoped Karakostas would solidify the lineup and it worked. Faisalabad again got the top seed at 99-63 and went all the way, defeating Mashhad in the ABF Championship. Karakostas won MVP of the ELCS win over Asgabat, posting 17 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBI, 13 steals, and 1.1 WAR in 15 playoff starts. Faisalabad went 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Karakostas posting 18 hits, 13 runs, 5 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, and 11 steals.

Karakostas’ one year with Faisalabad was a big success with 8.0 WAR, 178 hits, 85 runs, 34 doubles, .846 OPS, and 170 wRC+. They didn’t reach an agreement, so he ended up as a rental. Karakostas was a top free agent at age 30 and signed a seven-year, $83,200,000 deal with Tashkent. This started his signature run with Silver Sluggers in 2015 (RF) and 2021 (LF).

2020 was Karakostas’ strongest effort with career highs for hits (203), doubles (39), OBP (.384), and WAR (8.7). He also led in triples thrice with the Tomcats and steals once. Karakostas was a redeeming quality in a down period for Tashkent, providing 5+ WAR in all seven seasons. Unfortunately, they had no playoff trips with only two winning seasons and 71.6 wins per season during his tenure. In 1092 games, Karakostas had 1244 hits, 584 runs, 203 doubles, 98 triples, 90 home runs, 452 RBI, 550 steals, .311/.362/.478 slash, 166 wRC+, and 48.6 WAR.

Karakostas was a free agent again for 2022 and still playing at a high level even at age 37. Almaty gave him a two-year, $19,400,000 deal. Karakostas’ production dipped a little in 2022, but he was strong for his sixth Silver Slugger in 2023 (RF). That year saw a league and career-best 116 runs. The Assassins got wild cards both years, but couldn’t get out of the first round. Karakostas had 306 games, 353 hits, 200 runs, 50 doubles, 26 triples, 42 homers, 163 RBI, 132 steals, .302/.351/.497 slash, 162 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR.

With his longevity and consistency, Karakostas was climbing the leaderboards. He crossed the 1000 stolen bases, 1000 RBI, and 2500 hit milestones with Almaty. The 39-year old Karakostas signed a two-year, $22,200,000 deal with Baku and was a decent starter, but his production dropped to career lows by far. Still, Karakostas got 5.6 WAR in 301 games with 305 hits, 185 runs, 48 doubles, 25 triples, 28 homers, 159 steals, and a .275/.330/.439 slash.

In 2024, Baku win the ABF Championship over Almaty as a 94-68 wild card. Karakostas had a strong postseason and won finals MVP, getting 18 hits, 5 runs, 6 extra base hits, and 0.5 WAR in 13 total starts. In the Baseball Grand Championship, the Blackbirds finished 7-12 with Karakostas getting 16 hits, 10 runs, 2 doubles, 3 homers, and 7 steals. Baku won 100 games in 2025, but lost in the first round with Karakostas struggling going 1-18 in the series.

On the whole, Karakostas had good playoff numbers in his career. Over 66 games and 52 starts, he had 61 hits, 27 runs, 8 doubles, 10 triples, 5 homers, 18 RBI, 29 steals, .289/.343/.493 slash, 150 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. With Baku, he notably became the second to reach 1500 runs scored and the third to 3000 career hits. Mehmet Fatih Canaydin had been the first to both marks the prior year and stayed ahead of Karakostas for those stats and career stolen bases on the leaderboards.

For 2026, Karakostas returned to Faisalabad with a respectable effort with 3.5 WAR, 131 wRC+, and .773 OPS in 146 games. He also had 19 triples, passing Wafiq Rasool’s 248 to become the ABF career leader. Rawalpindi grabbed him for 2027, but he fell off and was reduced to a part-time role with .640 OPS and 0.8 WAR over 130 games and 75 starts. That did get him to 3000 career games, a mark only met by Canaydin in ABF. Karakostas retired that winter at age 43.

Karakostas finished with 3093 games, 3273 hits, 1638 runs, 534 doubles, 266 triples, 252 home runs, 1229 RBI, 820 walks, 1203 strikeouts, 1416 stolen bases, .303/.354/.471 slash, 156 wRC+, and 115.6 WAR. As of 2037, Karakostas remains ABF’s all-time leader for triples. He also ranks 2nd in games, 3^rd in runs, 9^th in total bases (5095), 19^th in doubles, 3^rd in singles (2221), 38^th in RBI, 2^nd in steals, 22^nd in walks, and 5^th in WAR among position players. Karakostas is also 58^th in batting average and 66^th in on-base percentage among batters with 3000+ plate appearances.

Canaydin overshadowed Karakostas a bit for grand tallies, but they are among seven position players between 112-118 WAR as of 2037. None hold a candle to Nizami Aghazade, but Karakostas makes some of the top ten and even top five lists. He often loses some points for the lack of home run power, but his role in titles for both Faisalabad and Baku work in his favor. On the world leaderboard as of 2037, Karakostas notably ranks 26^th in steals.

Hall of Fame voters for the Asian Baseball Federation though can be notably stingy though. Despite Karakostas’s impressive resume, he only received 84.6% of the vote. That was plenty though for the first ballot nod and the top billing for the four-player 2033 class.



Mustafa “Lion” Jumah – Starting Pitcher – Faisalabad Fire – 80.6% First Ballot

Mustafa Jumah was a 6’3’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Kotri, Pakistan; a city of around 106,000 people. When he was younger, people often confused his name Mustafa with Mufasa of Lion King fame, thus the eventual nickname of The Lion. Many also felt Jumah had the heart of a lion as a team captain. He was one of the highest character guys in the game, renowned for his leadership, loyalty, work ethic, and adaptability.

As for his skillset, Jumah had good-to-great stuff and movement, although his control was average at best. A strong 97-99 mph fastball led the way, but his slider and splitter were both potent as well. Jumah also had a rarely seen changeup for a fourth option. He notably fared better facing right-handed bats (3.00 ERA, 78 FIP-) compared to lefties (3.49 ERA, 104 FIP-).

Jumah’s stamina was quite good and he led the league twice in innings pitched. He stayed mostly durable as well over a 15-year career and avoided major injuries. Jumah’s defense and ability to hold runners both graded as subpar. In March 2008, a teenaged Jumah left Pakistan for Turkey on a developmental deal with Adana. He spent close to five full seasons in their academy, debuting with six relief appearances in 2012 at age 20.

In 2013, Jumah had a full-time roster spot primarily as long relief to follow an opener. He managed an impressive 16-2 record with a 2.12 ERA over 144.2 innings. The Axemen moved him to the full-time rotation after that and gave him a five-year, $25,920,000 extension after the 2016 season.

2018 was his finest season, leading the West League in wins (21-9), innings (276.2), quality starts (28), and WAR (7.2). Those were all career bests for Jumah, as was his 340 strikeouts. The 2.18 ERA was also his best full-rotation effort, but he finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Jumah wouldn’t be a finalist ever again.

Adana ended a 12-year playoff drought in 2014 and had three straight division titles and ELCS appearances. Unfortunately for the Axemen, they were denied each time in the ELCS, losing to Mashhad, Shiraz, and Tehran respectively. Jumah was good in the 2016 playoffs, but struggled the prior years with a 4.64 ERA over six starts with a 1-4 record, 42.2 innings, 57 strikeouts, and 0.6 WAR.

Following that run, Adana fell to the bottom of the standings for the rest of Jumah’s tenure. He also really stunk to start 2020 with a 5.31 ERA over 120.1 innings. That July, the Axemen traded Jumah to Faisalabad for three players. For Adana, Jumah had a 117-90 record, 3.22 ERA, 1849 innings, 2174 strikeouts, 507 walks, 103 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 32.9 WAR. He had more innings there than later with the Fire, but Jumah would be more prominently associated with Faisalabad.

Upon his arrival, Jumah was barely used with only 22.2 innings of mostly relief. He also gave up a homer in his one relief inning in the playoffs as the Fire had a first round exit. Still, they saw something in Jumah and gave him a six-year, $59 million extension in March 2021. He was happy to be back home in Pakistan, although he only saw five total appearances for his country in the World Baseball Championship.

Jumah worked his way back into the starting rotation and had three strong seasons with 5.5+ WAR and ERAs below three. Faisalabad took the East League’s top seed in 2021 and went all the way, dethroning reigning champ Bishkek in the ELCS and Izmir in the ABF Championship. In 29 playoff innings, Jumah had a 3.41 ERA with 38 strikeouts. He had a 3.67 ERA over 34.1 innings with 33 Ks in the Baseball Grand Championship as the Fire tied for last at 6-13.

Faisalabad won three more division titles and made the ELCS from 2022-24, but they couldn’t claim another pennant. The Fire fell to Bishkek the first two years, then lost to Almaty in 2024. Jumah’s playoff results were underwhelming with a 4.56 ERA over 53.1 innings, and 69 strikeouts. He had a 76 ERA+, but his 75 FIP- and 1.5 WAR did suggest he caught some bad breaks.

Jumah’s production fell closer to league average in his final few seasons. Faisalabad fell to 78-84 in 2025 to end their six-year playoff streak, then plummeted to the bottom with four consecutive 100+ loss seasons after that. In his later years, he was able to become the 12^th pitcher to 200 career wins and the 11^th to 4000 strikeouts.

In total for Faisalabad, Jumah had a 104-76 record, 3.19 ERA, 1674 innings, 1907 strikeouts, 435 walks, 110 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 29.6 WAR. He was well respected enough by the organization that his #36 uniform would be retired. Jumah announced his retirement after the 2027 campaign at age 36.

Jumah finished with a 221-166 record, 3.21 ERA, 3523 innings, 4081 strikeouts, 942 walks, 268/418 quality starts, 127 complete games, 29 shutouts, 106 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 62.5 WAR. As of 2037, Jumah ranks 6^th in wins, 11^th in losses, 12^th in innings, 21^st in complete games, 18^th in shutouts, 13^th in strikeouts, and 29^th in pitching WAR.

He does also have the unfortunate distinction of having more walks than anyone else in ABF. Additionally, Jumah misses the top 100 for rate stats. He wasn’t overly dominant and was rarely considered a top three pitcher, but longevity and a championship ring go a long way. Plus, Jumah was as well respected as a captain as you’d find. His character, 200+ wins, and 4000+ Ks got him to 80.6% for a first ballot selection in the 2033 Hall of Fame class for the Asian Baseball Federation.

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Qabir Sabiha – Starting Pitcher – Karachi Carp – 68.5% Second Ballot

Qabir Sabiha was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. Sabiha was known for excellent stuff, very good control, and above average movement. His fastball only peaked in the 93-95 mph range, but Sabiha was impressive at switching between it, a changeup, and splitter. All three were equally potent and looked the same from his sidearm release often until it was too late for hitters.

Sabiha’s stamina was good, but poor durability kept him short of 200 innings in half of his seasons. He avoided the big catastrophic arm injuries that ruin many pitchers, but had lots of trouble with his upper body and back. Sabiha’s defense and pickoff move graded as rock solid. He wasn’t a troublemaker by any means, but Sabiha lacked leadership skills and wasn’t the smartest guy you’d find.

He quickly emerged as one of the top collegiate prospects coming from Pakistan and was taken second overall by his hometown Karachi in the 2014 ABF Draft. Sabiha grew up as a Carp fan and was delighted to ultimately spend his entire pro career in his hometown. He was a full-time starter immediately, although he was lackluster as a rookie.

Sabiha’s second season had his career best ERA of 1.82, finishing third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He also tossed a 15 strikeout no-hitter on August 11 against Multan. He had a similar 1.89 ERA and a career best 8.2 WAR in 2016, finishing second in POTY voting. Sabiha tossed his second no-hitter on 6/22/2017 with 10 Ks and two walks against Ankara. That winter, he signed a six-year, $34,300,000 extension with Karachi.

The Carp had been a top contender in the 2000s, but they were aggressively mid for much of Sabiha’s tenure. They had a playoff drought from 2012-24 with an average of 77.2 wins per season. Sabiha did see his first big injury setback in 2017 with a strained abdominal costing him two months. In 2018, it was a torn meniscus in early April that kept him out the vast majority of the year.

Sabiha was back healthy for 2019 and was third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He had a good 2020, then lost half of 2021 to a forearm strain. In 2022, Sabiha was second again in POTY voting and led the East League in strikeouts (354) and WAR (7.0). That would be his career best for Ks and included a 23 strikeout game on August 9 against Gujranwala. This was one short of the ABF record 24 set by Rami Naqvi in 1999 and is one of only 11 games in world history of 23+ Ks.

In June 2023, the 31-year old Sabiha signed a five-year, $100 million extension with Karachi. That year, he finally won Pitcher of the Year with a league-best 352 strikeouts, along with a career-high 21-7 record. It was his last full 100% load with some injury issues in the next years. In 2024, Sabiha dealt with biceps tedinitis and a sore elbow. In 2025, he lost some time to an oblique strain.

Karachi finally ended their playoff drought at 100-62 in 2025 and won the East League pennant over Almaty. They would be denied the ABF Championship to 108-win Mashhad. In what would be his only three playoff starts, Sabiha was 2-1 over 20 innings, but had a 4.95 ERA, 16 Ks, and 0.1 WAR.

He had gotten some big game experience for Pakistan in the World Baseball Championship previously. From 2016-25, Sabiha had a 3.32 ERA in 160 innings, 9-8 record, 219 strikeouts, 38 walks, 106 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. Pakistan notably made it to the World Championship for the first time in 2021, falling 4-2 in the finale to Brazil.

Sabiha’s velocity was already on the lower end and took a big dip in 2026 down to an 87-89 mph peak. He was eventually moved to a part-time role with a 3.47 ERA over 124.1 innings. Karachi got the top seed, but fell to Hyderabad in the ELCS with Sabiha not seeing the field in the postseason. He retired that winter at age 35 and his hometown team quickly retired his #14 uniform.

The final stats saw a 153-103 record, 2.62 ERA, 2412 innings, 3161 strikeouts, 495 walks, 207/294 quality starts, 103 complete games, 34 shutouts, 126 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 63.7 WAR. As of 2037, Sabiha ranks 56^th in wins, 61^st in innings, 28^th in complete games, 10^th in shutouts, 41^st in strikeouts, and 27^th in pitching WAR.
Among those with 1000+ innings, Sabiha ranks 52^nd in ERA, 36^th in K/9 (11.79), 70^th in WHIP (0.99), and 69^th in opponent’s OPS (.602).

Sabiha’s resume was the opposite story to Hall of Fame classmate Mustafa Jumah. For Jumah, he had the accumulations and longevity, but not raw dominance. Sabiha’s dominance certainly looked the part, but his totals were lower. Many of the Asian Baseball Federation’s voters valued the longevity more and Sabiha missed the 66% requirement in his 2032 debut.

In Sabiha’s favor was a Pitcher of the Year award, multiple years as a finalist, and twice being the leader in strikeouts. He only got a slight bump in 2033, but 68.5% got him across the line. Sabiha earned a second ballot induction and was the third of four in ABF’s 2033 class.



Ahour Sabbari – Pitcher/Outfielder – Mashhad Mercury – 67.7% Third Ballot

Ahour Sabbari was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher and outfielder from Zabol, Iran; a city with around 135,000 people near the border with Afghanistan. Sabbari was one of the first notable two-way players in ABF history. On the mound, he had rock solid stuff along with above average-to-good movement and control. Sabbari’s velocity peaked at 95-97 mph and was part of a five-pitch arsenal including a circle change, splitter, regular changeup, and curveball.

None of the five were outstanding pitches, but they were all reliable options. His stamina was above average relative to most ABF aces. Sabbari also graded as a good defensive pitcher with a strong pickoff move. When he wasn’t pitching, Sabbari played the outfield split fairly evenly between the three spots. He graded as a pretty good gloveman in the corners and was serviceable in center.

Sabbari’s overall athleticism was quite impressive, boasting great speed and excellent baserunning chops. He was close to average in terms of contact and eye and did struggle with strikeouts. However, Sabbari had an impressive pop in his bat with a 162 game average of 32 home runs, 29 doubles, and 9 triples. He was a noticeably better hitter facing righties (.924 OPS, 159 wRC+) compared to lefties (.708 OPS, 112 wRC+). Sabbari was also one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse. His durability was a mixed bag as he managed a 15-year career, but had a lot of ailments related to the toll of two-way play.

With his unique skillset, teams weren’t exactly sure what to make of Sabbari. Some wanted to make him commit to one side or the other, but he was determined to be a two-way player. In the 2009 ABF Draft, Sabbari went seventh overall to Mashhad and ultimately played his entire career with the Mercury. They left him in the academy for 2010, then debuted him in 2011 at age 21. Sabbari had 85 games with average results offensively as a rookie and 63 innings as a pitcher.

Sabbari took over a full-time two-way gig from 2012 onward. He took second in 2012’s MVP voting with 9.1 WAR combined. His 2.47 ERA from 2012 would be his career high. Sabbari’s 2013 had some injury woes with ulnar nerve entrapment suffered in the World Baseball Championship, followed by a forearm strain in the summer. Mashhad ended a four-year playoff drought and would be a wild card team from 2013-15. They had first round exits in both 2013 and 2014.

2014 was Sabbari’s finest season and his lone MVP win. He had career highs across the board offensively with 6.8 WAR, 183 wRC+, 26 homers, 107 hits, 66 runs, 76 RBI and 46 stolen bases in 102 games. He was also good for a 2.68 ERA over 252 innings, 270 strikeouts, and 4.9 WAR. The combined 11.7 WAR would be a career high and the best-ever by a two-way player in ABF.

That year was also a breakthrough for Mashhad, who pulled off a surprise West League pennant win. They would be denied the ABF Championship by an upstart 83-win Dushanbe. Sabbari had an excellent postseason pitching with a 0.53 ERA over 17 innings with 15 strikeouts. However, he was an abysmal 2-32 at the plate with 12 Ks.

For his playoff career, Sabbari’s stats were underwhelming. On the mound, he had a 5-2 record in nine starts, but a 3.92 ERA over 59.2 innings, 50 Ks, 100 ERA+, and 0.2 WAR. At the plate in 23 games, he had a .147/.217/.373 slash, 74 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR.

The results were somewhat similar in seven editions of the WBC for Iran from 2013-23. Pitching, Sabbari had a 4.21 ERA in 126 innings, 8-6 record, 155 Ks, 86 ERA+, and 0.9 WAR. Batting, he had 39 games, 22 hits, 22 runs, 2 doubles, 8 homers, 12 RBI, 14 steals, .179/.331/.407 slash, 106 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. Sabbari was notably part of Iran’s 2018 runner-up squad and their third place from 2023.

Sabbari took second in 2015’s MVP voting with his career best 284 strikeouts on the mound with a 2.75 ERA over 251.2 innings and 5.2 WAR. Offensively, he had a .956 OPS, 5.9 WAR, 20 homers, and 44 steals. Mashhad locked him up to an eight-year, $61,400,000 extension that winter. The Mercury missed the playoffs in 2015 at 86-76, then spent the next five years below .500.

In these years, Sabbari still played well when healthy generally, but he started to miss more noticeable chunks. 2022 was notable for his 5.4 WAR on the mound, a career best. The big highlight came on August 29, 2023 as Sabbari tossed ABF’s 16^th perfect game, striking out 10 against Ankara. He had signed a four-year, $68,300,000 extension with Mashhad that spring.

The Mercury would begin an ABF-record playoff streak in 2021, falling to Izmir in that season’s WLCS. They would see first round exits for the next three years. Sabbari’s body began to fall apart completely with the 2024 season, missing most of that year between a partially torn labrum and shoulder inflammation.

In 2025, he partially tore his labrum again in March, then suffered a damaged elbow ligament in late July. Between the two seasons, Sabbari had only 77.2 innings and 58 at-bats. Sabbari earned a championship ring as Mashhad won it all in 2025, but he could only watch in a sling. Realizing he was cooked, he retired that winter at age 36. The Mercury quickly retired Sabbari’s #45 uniform for his 15 years of work.

On the mound, Sabbari had a 162-111 record, 2.95 ERA, 2502.2 innings, 2654 strikeouts, 533 walks, 80 complete games, 16 shutouts, 119 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 48.3 WAR. As of 2037, Sabbari ranks 44^th in wins, 56^th in complete games, 53^rd in innings, 67^th in strikeouts, and 53^rd in pitching WAR. The pace was comparable to some other Hall of Fame pitchers, but the totals were on the lower end and likely wouldn’t have been enough on their own.

Offensively, Sabbari had 1032 games, 893 hits, 546 runs, 182 doubles, 59 triples, 205 home runs, 530 RBI, 390 walks, 1146 strikeouts, 319 steals, .261/.342/.528 slash, 148 wRC+, and 45.2 WAR. His baserunning and defensive value really upped his WAR, giving him 93.5 combined. Still, some voters felt Sabbari’s overall totals weren’t quite impressive enough to belong in the Hall. Many also found it difficult to properly assess the value of a two-way guy.

Sabbari debuted on the 2031 ballot and barely missed the 66% cutoff with 64.5%. He dropped slightly to 61.6% in 2032, then got the bump just across the line at 67.7% in 2033 for a third ballot selection. Sabbari capped off a solid four-player class for the Asian Baseball Federation. In a league with limited two-way guys, it is usually him or Safdar Kahlwan (still active as of 2037) cited as ABF’s best in that role.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

SP Khamis Sheik and LF Tzidkiel Monnish were both slam dunk inductees for the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2033, receiving 96.4% and 93.1% of the vote respectively. 1B Faqi Al-Thakur was the only other player above 50% with 55.4% for his fifth ballot.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was 1B/DH Moahmed Grisha, who peaked at 36.4% in 2026 and ended with 8.0%. He was a six-time all-star with a 19-year career between four teams and led in on-base percentage twice. Grisha had 2662 games, 2856 hits, 1372 runs, 609 doubles, 370 home runs, 1380 RBI, 999 walks, .298/.366/.485 slash, 134 wRC+, and 62.3 WAR.
From his longevity, Grisha ranks 16^th in hits, 41^st in runs, 22^nd in doubles, 45th in RBI, 12^th in walks, and 11^th in games played. However, he only clocks in for 54^th in WAR among position players. Grisha lost some value as a DH and also never won a Silver Slugger. He was also primarily on bad teams and never played a playoff game. Those factors and the lack of home run power voters like out of first basemen doomed Grisha to the Hall of Pretty Good despite his tallies.



Khamis Sheik – Starting Pitcher – Jeddah Jackals – 96.4% First Ballot

Khamis Sheik was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kismayo, Somalia; a southern port city with around 235,000 people. He was the second Somali added into ALB’s Hall of Fame along with Class of 2010 pitcher Ilwad Maxamed. Sheik is generally viewed as the country’s best-ever in ALB, although 2022 MLB Hall of Famer Abdul Karim Hussein challenges him for the best-ever from Somalia altogether.

Sheik had incredibly overpowering stuff along with above average movement and control. His 98-100 mph fastball was solid, but it was his terrific changeup and a great forkball which foiled most batters. Sheik also had a nice slider and curveball in the arsenal. Few guys were better at disguising his pitches and changing speeds.

His biggest weakness was below average stamina. Even though ALB pitchers generally throw far fewer complete games than other world leagues, Sheik only had six in his career. However, Sheik’s durability was impressive and he only twice started fewer than 30 games in a season. His pickoff move was outstanding, effectively holding the few runners he allowed. Sheik graded as below average defensively otherwise.

Sheik left Somalia as a teenage amateur in October 2006 for Saudi Arabia on a developmental deal with Jeddah. After five years training in their academy, Sheik was called up as a full-timer in 2012 at age 22 and took third in Rookie of the Year voting. His overall production was mixed in his first two years, but he established himself big-time in the 2013 postseason.

Jeddah finished 93-69 and upset 106-win Sulaymaniyah in the Eastern Conference Final with Sheik earning series MVP. The Jackals then won their first Arab League title upsetting 107-win Alexandria. Sheik won his four playoff appearances with a 1.21 ERA over 22.1 innings, 24 strikeouts, and 5 walks. Jeddah finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Sheik tossing 31 innings for a 3.19 ERA, 42 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR.

Sheik emerged as an ace after that, taking second in 2014 Pitcher of the Year voting with his first ERA title at 2.45. Jeddah took the top record this time at 103-59 and repeated as ALB champs, beating Damascus in the finale. He had another solid playoff performance with a 2.21 ERA in 20.1 innings and 31 Ks. Sheik did struggle to a 4.91 ERA in his 29.1 BGC innings, but the Jackals notably finished eighth at 11-8.

Jeddah ultimately maintained a playoff streak through 2024 and Sheik played a huge role in that. The team did see setbacks with first round exits in 2015 and 2017. In 2016, the Jackals had a historic 117-45 season, but lost in the conference final to an also historic 114-win Abu Dhabi. However, these seasons were Sheik’s personal best. He signed a four-year, $37,400,000 extension in May 2016.

2016 saw Sheik’s lone Pitcher of the Year win with a blistering 1.56 ERA. This stands as the second-best ever in ALB by a qualified starter, behind only Hossam Bouaziz’s 1.45 from 1993. Sheik also led in wins at 26-3, one short of the league record. He led in WHIP (0.82), K/BB (11.7), quality starts (26), FIP- (46), and WAR (10.4); all career highs. Sheik’s 338 strikeouts also were a career best, but he missed out on the Triple Crown by 12 Ks behind teammate Herdi Wahib.

Sheik was third in 2017’s POTY voting with his final ERA title at 2.14. He would lead in WHIP in both 2017 and 2018 and had a 2.20 ERA in 2018. Sheik wasn’t a POTY finalist after that and only once more had a sub-three ERA, but he remained a consistently strong performer. In May 2020, he signed a five-year, $55,500,000 extension sticking with Jeddah.

It was playoff performances that became Sheik’s defining trait in his later years as the Jackals put together a dynasty run. They made the conference finals each year from 2018-22 and won the pennant in all but 2020. Jeddah won the 2018 ALB Championship against Tripoli, getting a 1.35 ERA over 20 playoff innings from Sheik. Then in the Baseball Grand Championship, Sheik posted an impressive 1.64 ERA over 33 innings with 41 strikeouts, a 3-0 record, and 1.2 WAR. That pushed the Jackals to 14-5, becoming the first Arab League team to claim Grand Champion honors.

Jeddah dropped the 2019 ALB Championship in a rematch against Tripoli. After losing to Basra in the 2020 conference finals, the Jackals at 92-70 upset the 102-win Bulldogs for the pennant in 2021. Jeddah claimed their fourth ALB title of the decade by defeating Cairo. This was actually Sheik’s one bad postseason by ERA at 4.44, although the 0.9 WAR and 63 FIP- suggested he was better than he looked with 40 Ks over 26.1 innings.

In the 2021 BGC, Sheik had a 2.37 ERA over 30.1 innings with 43 strikeouts, but Jeddah couldn’t replicate former glory and finished tied for last at 6-13. For his BGC career, Sheik had an 8-4 record, 2.98 ERA, 123.2 innings, 167 strikeouts, 37 walks, and 3.9 WAR. He just misses the innings needed (125) to qualify for the rate stat leaderboard, but his ERA would rank 11^th best as of 2037.

2021 also marked Sheik’s World Baseball Championship debut. The field expanded that year, allowing Somalia to regularly qualify for the first time. Sheik was surprisingly mediocre in those appearances with a 4.55 ERA over 97 innings, 3-5 record, 132 strikeouts, 35 walks, and zero WAR.

The final pennant of Jeddah’s run came in 2022, again earning a road upset over Basra. The Jackals were denied a fifth ALB title by Amman. Jeddah made the playoffs again the next two seasons, but fell both times in the first round. By the time their 14-year streak ended, Sheik had emerged as one of the most decorated postseason pitchers you’d find.

In 29 games, Sheik tossed 177.2 playoff innings with a 2.38 ERA, 11-6 record, 227 strikeouts, 38 walks, 21/26 quality starts, 176 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 5.5 WAR. As of 2037, Sheik is the ALB playoff leader in starts, innings, strikeouts, walks (38), and WAR (5.49). He also ranks second in wins.

Sheik’s late career also had an important milestone on April 22, 2024; his lone no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and one walk against Sulaymaniyah. His longevity also made him the seventh to reach 3500 strikeouts in 2025. He did lose close to two months to elbow inflammation in the summer and Jeddah finished 83-79, ending their playoff streak. Sheik’s contract was up and with a rebuild likely coming, they let him leave for free agency at age 36.

For Jeddah, Sheik had a 197-109 record, 3.02 ERA, 2723.1 innings, 3613 strikeouts, 552 walks, 137 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 84.1 WAR. Unsurprisingly, the Jackals retired his #9 uniform shortly after his career ended. Apart from the injuries in 2025, Sheik’s production had remained steady in his 30s. Casablanca signed him that winter at two years and $22,600,000. Although historically strong, the Bruins had fallen out of contention by this point.

With the Bruins, Sheik became the 12^th ALB pitcher to 200 wins and the fifth to 4000 strikeouts. His production was steady as expected in 2026, but he started to slip noticeably in 2027. His 3.75 ERA wasn’t out of range with his weaker Jeddah years, but his walks spiked to 82; the previous worst was 52. Sheik also had career worsts for hits, runs, earned runs, and home runs along with his lowest WAR at 1.9.

His velocity had also dropped to a 95-97 mph peak, although his stuff was still pretty good. However, weakening control and pending free agency made Sheik opt for retirement after the 2027 campaign at age 38. For Casablanca in two seasons, Sheik had a 24-21 record, 3.52 ERA, 414.2 innings, 442 strikeouts, 127 walks, 129 ERA+, 93 FIP-, and 7.0 WAR.

Sheik’s final tallies had a 221-130 record, 3.09 ERA, 3138 innings, 4055 strikeouts, 679 walks, 293/505 quality starts, 6 complete games, 4 shutouts, 136 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 91.1 WAR. As of 2037, Sheik ranks 10^th in wins, 30^th in losses, 13^th in innings, 4^th in strikeouts, and 11^th in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Sheik ranks 38^th in ERA. His 1.02 WHIP is 24^th, 7.27 H/9 in 27^th, 11.63 K/9 is 19^th, and his .632 opponent’s OPS is 27^th. Sheik’s triple slash of .221/.269/.363 ranks 25^th/29^th/34^th.

Depending on whom you ask, Sheik could rank as a top ten pitcher all-time in Arab League Baseball. Most don’t put him in the top five, but his playoff stats and role in Jeddah’s dynasty pushes him towards the inner-circle. At 96.4%, Sheik was one of two added into the Hall of Fame for 2033.



Tzidkiel Monnish – Left Field – Damascus Dusters – 93.1% First Ballot

Tzidkiel Monnish was a 6’1’’, 200 pound switch-hitting left fielder from Bet Shemesh, Israel; a city of around 171,000 located just west of Jerusalem. Monnish was a great contact hitter that reliably produced extra-base hits. His 162 game average got you an impressive 45 doubles, 8 triples, and 36 home runs. Monnish’s power was far more noticeable facing right-handed pitching with a career .975 OPS and 157 wRC+. Facing lefties, he had a decent .807 OPS and 115 wRC+.

Monnish’s strikeout rate was average for ALB, but he was below average at drawing walks. His speed and baserunning graded as good to occasionally great. Monnish made the vast majority of his starts in left field and graded as a just below average defender. His durability was fantastic as he played 150+ games in all 15 of his professional seasons. Monnish was also appreciated for a strong work ethic and his loyalty, becoming popular with peers and fans alike.

In the 2012 ALB Draft, Monnish was picked sixth overall by Damascus. He was a full-time starter immediately with strong results, earning 2013 Rookie of the Year honors. Monnish spent his full career in Syria, but did return home to represent Israel in the World Baseball Championship from 2018-27. In 91 WBC games, he had 76 hits, 39 runs, 16 doubles, 16 homers, 32 RBI, .244/.353/.462 slash, and 2.8 WAR.

To that point, Damascus had been historically a terrible team. They had never made the playoffs and their only two winning seasons came back in the early 1990s. Monnish helped them reverse that trend, beginning a six-year streak as Levant Division champs in 2014. Although his playoff numbers were weak, the Dusters won their first Western Conference pennant in 2014. They would be denied their first Arab League title as Jeddah earned a repeat. That winter, Damascus signed Monnish to a five-year, $15,560,000 extension.

In 2015, Monnish won his first Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting, leading with career bests for batting average (.348), and OBP (.398). He also had his best for hits (208) and stolen bases (46). 2015 was Monnish’s strongest postseason with a 1.420 OPS and 0.8 WAR in seven games, although Damascus lost in the conference finals to Casablanca.

Monnish earned his lone MVP win in 2016, leading the conference in runs (121), doubles (46), OPS (1.033), wRC+ (189), and WAR (8.3). The runs, OPS, wRC+, and WAR would be career bests, as would his 44 home runs and 124 RBI. Monnish was okay in the playoffs with 12 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBI, and 0.2 WAR in 12 games. Damascus upset top-seed Giza to win their second conference title, then stunned 114-win Abu Dhabi to win their first-ever ALB title. Although the overall stats were underwhelming, Monnish stepped up especially in the finale and was named ALB Championship MVP.

Damascus finished 7-12 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Monnish getting 12 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 4 homers, 8 RBI, 93 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. The Dusters won three more consecutive division titles, but couldn’t get out of the first round. Monnish’s career playoff stats were good, although heavily helped by the 2015 run in particular. Over 37 starts, he had 44 hits, 19 runs, 13 doubles, 6 homers, 20 RBI, .312/.349/.546 slash, 143 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

Monnish continued to play well with Silver Sluggers in 2017 and 2019. He was second in MVP voting in the former and third for the latter. Monnish won another batting title (.340) and led in hits (207) in 2017. In 2019, he matched his career high for WAR at 8.3 and runs at 121. Monnish’s high for doubles came with 53 in 2018. In May 2019, he signed an eight-year, $136,400,000 extension to commit to Damascus.

The Dusters hovered around .500 to begin the 2020s. Monnish’s time as an awards winner was done, but he was still a positive value starter. In 2021, he joined the short list of guys with a six-hit game, doing it against Alexandria with a homer, two doubles, and four RBI. Monnish did match his career highs for homers (44) and RBI (124) in 2023.

Damascus fell to 63-99 in 2024 and bottomed out at 61-101 in 2025. Monnish stayed loyal as the Dusters looked to rebuild. They made it back to above .500 in 2027, but that year saw a sharp decline for Monnish with career lows for OPS (.798), wRC+ (97), and WAR (0.7). He retired that winter at age 37 and quickly had his #12 uniform retired by Damascus for his 15 years of steady service.

Monnish finished with 2340 games, 2713 hits, 1488 runs, 645 doubles, 122 triples, 514 home runs, 1553 RBI, 539 walks, 1634 strikeouts, 437 steals, .304/.355/.577 slash, 146 wRC+, and 75.3 WAR. As of 2037, Monnish is 34^th in games, 25^th in runs, 23^rd in hits, 24^th in total bases (5144), 14^th in doubles, 41^st in triples, 41^st in homers, 27^th in RBI, 88^th in walks, and 28^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .932 OPS is 67^th and his slugging is 72^nd.

While Monnish falls just short of the inner-circle for the Hall of Fame, his tallies were plenty good for induction. He played an important role in Damascus’ first-ever successes and titles and was a reliable performer for 15 years. Monnish received 93.1% for the firm induction as part of the two-player 2033 class for Arab League Baseball.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

1B/3B Ermeyas Chekol stood alone for the African Association of Baseball’s 2033 Hall of Fame class, easily making it in at 95.3%. SP Valentine Hategekimana came painfully close to the 66% requirement on his ninth ballot, but just missed with a new high of 63.9%. 1B Lifa Moyo was the other guy above 50%, earning 55.7% with his seventh try. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Ermeyas “Chicken” Chekol – First/Third Base – Johannesburg Jackalopes – 95.3% First Ballot

Ermeyas Chekol was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting corner infielder from the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. As a kid, Chekol’s surname was often mispronounced (sometimes intentionally) as “Chicken,” which stuck as a career nickname. It became a term of endearment later on as Chekol was a very popular player. He had the respect of peers and fans alike with his talent, work ethic, and intelligence.

Chekol was an excellent contact hitter and was known for his fantastic speed and base stealing skills. He did grade as average at best in terms of drawing walks, but was better than most at avoiding strikeouts in AAB. Chekol’s gap power was good and his home run power was okay. His 162 game average got you 42 doubles, 13 triples, and 17 home runs. Once on base though, he was an absolute menace for pitchers, successfully stealing on about 77% of his tries. Chekol’s batting was basically equal against righties and lefties.

Defensively, Chekol made roughly 2/3 of his starts at first base and the rest over at third. He graded as a reliably good defender at 1B, but was subpar at 3B. Chekol held up pretty well physically over a 19-year career, although he did run into some notable injuries especially in his 30s. He drew attention from scouts early on as a teenager, including from as far away as South Africa. One of these scouts from Johannesburg signed Chekol to a developmental deal in January 2005.

Chekol spent the better part of five years in the Jackalopes academy, although he was a rare teenage debut in 2008 with 21 games and 1 start at age 19. He had 61 games and 13 starts in 2009, but was lousy and not ready yet. Chekol got the full-time gig in 2010 with merely decent results, but he was a solid starter from 2011 onward. Chekol won his first batting title with a .342 average in 2011 and led that year and the next in triples.

From 2011-15, Chekol won five consecutive Silver Sluggers. The first two came at 1B, while the next three were at 3B. Johannesburg was rebuilding to start the decade, but returned as a top Southern Conference power by 2013, which started a ten-year streak of winning seasons. The Jackalopes made it back to the playoffs and first in the standings in 2014, but got upset in the conference final by Harare.

In 2015, Chekol led the conference with 190 hits as Johannesburg tied their franchise best at 110-52. He finished third in MVP voting, his first time as a finalist. They rolled Lusaka for the conference pennant, but fell in the Africa Series to Brazzaville. Chekol was conference finals MVP and had easily his best playoff run with 21 hits, 14 runs, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 14 RBI, and 13 steals in 15 games.

Johannesburg qualified for the Baseball Grand Championship as the at-large and had the last laugh. The Jackalopes finished tied for first at 15-4 with Denver and earned the title via tiebreaker having beaten the Dragons 13-7 in their meeting. Johannesburg was the first African team to claim the top honor. Chekol was surprisingly poor in the event with -0.3 WAR and .574 OPS.

Apart from his 2015 run, Chekol’s career AAB playoff stats were underwhelming. In 59 games, he had 68 hits, 41 runs, 19 doubles, 5 triples, 9 homers, 44 RBI, 28 steals, .278/.313/.506 slash, 114 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Chekol also played from 2011-17 for Ethiopia in the World Baseball Championship with 72 games, 65 hits, 36 runs, 13 doubles, 10 homers, 27 RBI, 39 steals, .248/.312/.420 slash, and 1.8 WAR. He did have a solid run in 2013 as the Ethiopians finished third, their best-ever finish to that point.

Chekol surprisingly didn’t win awards in 2016 despite it being his finest season statistically by several measures. He led with a career best 131 runs and 122 steals while also leading in hits (202) and average (.331). This also saw his best WAR total of 8.0. Johannesburg repeated as Southern Conference champs at 106-56, but again lost the Africa Series to Brazzaville.

The Jackalopes fell one win short of the playoffs in 2017, but did notably give Chekol a seven-year, $79,600,000 extension in the winter. From 2016-19, he was the leader each year in runs scored. Chekol was third in 2018’s MVP voting, then got second in 2019 along with his sixth Silver Slugger. In 2019, Chekol led with career highs in batting average (.354) and OBP (.421). He had his bests for slugging (.598), OPS (1.020), wRC+ (187), and homers (27).

Johannesburg was back atop the Southern Conference standings from 2018-20. They beat Luanda for the 2018 pennant, but lost the Africa Series to 111-win Kampala. In 2019, the Landsharks got revenge in a conference finals rematch. The Jackalopes won their fourth pennant in six years with a 2020 victory over Dar es Salaam. However yet again, Johannesburg was unable to win the AAB title thanks to the Peacocks. They remained above .500 in 2021-22, but the playoff streak was done.

Chekol dealt with a high ankle sprain for part of 2020 and regressed significantly with .741 OPS and 103 wRC+, career worsts to that point. In the first game of 2021, he suffered a catastrophic torn PCL that knocked him out ten months. Chekol also lost close to two months in 2022 with a fractured hand. By this point, his production was merely decent when healthy.

Johannesburg went 74-88 in 2023, their first losing season since 2012. They then had a franchise-worst 54-108 mark in 2024, shockingly getting relegated after winning multiple pennants within the last decade. The Jackalopes escaped the African Second League after only one season by winning the 2025 pennant and taking runner-up in the A2L Championship.

That one year in A2L was Chekol’s final season with Johannesburg, playing 2253 games with 2573 hits, 1498 runs, 485 doubles, 137 triples, 314 home runs, 1145 RBI, 1312 steals, .305/.369/.507 slash, 131 wRC+, and 70.9 WAR. He remained very popular with Jackalopes fans for his role in winning four pennants in six years and saw his #10 uniform retired soon after.

Chekol joined Maputo in 2026 and was decent over 151 games with 172 hits, 108 runs, 41 doubles, 17 homers, 82 RBI, 77 steals, .298/.353/.485 slash, 107 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. With the Piranhas, Chekol became the eighth AAB batter to 2500 career hits and the tenth to 1500 runs scored. He went to Mogadishu in 2027 with similar stats with 165 hits, 89 runs, 37 doubles, 16 homers, 72 RBI, 80 steals, .274/.333/.434 slash, 96 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. He became the third in AAB to reach 1400+ stolen bases and ranks 28^th in world history for steals as of 2037.

Mogadishu had gotten promoted back to AAB’s First League in 2027 after two years in A2L. The Mighty Mice shocked the field in their return by winning the Africa Series over Dar es Salaam. Chekol finally got his AAB ring, although he stunk in the playoffs with .506 OPS, 21 wRC+, and -0.5 WAR. He fared little better in the BGC with .551 OPS, 59 wRC+, and -0.1 WAR as Mogadishu went 8-11. Chekol wanted to still play in 2028, but teams had little interest in an aged first baseman with little power. He retired that winter shortly after his 40^th birthday.

For his AAB career, Chekol had 2442 games, 2754 hits, 1591 runs, 521 doubles, 138 triples, 330 home runs, 1203 RBI, 808 walks, 1397 strikeouts, 1405 steals, .302/.365/.497 slash, 128 wRC+, and 73.0 WAR. As of 2037, Chekol ranks 13^th in games, 11^th in runs, 6^th in hits, 18^th in total bases (4541), 20^th in doubles (521), 4^th in triples, 37^th in RBI, 88^th in homers, 4^th in steals, 41^st in walks, and 17^th in WAR among position players. He is 41^st in batting average and 68^th in OBP among those with 3000+ plate appearances.

Chekol probably didn’t have enough awards or power to be considered an “inner-circle” level of Hall of Famer, especially with big bats expected at first base. But almost everyone agreed he earned a spot among the African Association of Baseball’s all-time greats. Chekol received 95.3% upon his debut ballot and was the lone inductee for AAB in 2033.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 2033 World Baseball Championship was the 87^th edition of the event and was hosted in Bangkok, Thailand. Notable for 13-0 finishes was England in Division 1 and Mexico in Division 6. They were the first countries to go unbeaten since divisional play expanded to 14 teams starting with 2031. For the English, it was their 10^th playoff berth and first since winning the world title in 2028. The Mexicans advanced for the 35^th time and the first since 2029.

Tying for second in D1 were Angola and South Africa at 9-4 with Australia close behind at 8-5. The head-to-head tiebreaker went to the Angolans for their first-ever playoff berth. Somalia also grabbed their first playoff trip by taking second in Division 6 at 9-4. Their closest foes were Haiti and the Philippines both at 7-6.

The two-time reigning world champ United States won Division 2 at 11-2, advancing for the 65^th time. Taiwan moved forward as a close second at 10-3, fending off Greece (9-4), Belgium (8-5), and France (8-5). The Taiwanese picked up their 11^th playoff trip and first since 2029.

Coming out of Division 3 were China (11-2) and Italy (10-3), while the next closest at 8-5 were Moldova and Tajikistan. The Chinese picked up a 29^th playoff berth all-time and their second in three years. The Italians earned back-to-back trips and their 22^nd overall, the most for a European nation. China is tied with Indonesia for the most for an Asian country.

Ethiopia had top billing in Division 4 at 11-2, advancing alongside last year’s runner-up Japan at 10-3. Canada and Spain were both competitive at 9-4 and Scotland went 8-5. The Ethiopians secured repeat postseason berths and their sixth overall. The Japanese made it three consecutive years and for the fifth time in seven years. Overall, Japan has moved forward in 25 events.

Russia controlled Division 5 at 10-3 to also secure repeat division titles and their 18^th overall. Thailand and Vietnam tied for second at 8-5 with Cambodia, India, and Serbia each 7-6 and five teams at 6-7. The tiebreaker sent the Vietnamese forward for the second time in three years and sixth time overall. The Indians notably had been in the semifinal five times since 2025 and had three consecutive third place finishes.

Egypt took Division 7 at 10-3 for repeat playoff trips and their seventh all-time. Last year’s fourth place team Germany tied at 9-4 with Austria, while Peru was 8-5. The Austrians had the tiebreaker over their neighbors, getting their first playoff trip since winning it all in 2026. Austria has moved forward six times in event history.

Lastly for D8, Brazil was best at 10-3 for their second trip in three years. The Brazilians advanced for the 37^th time, third-best among all teams and only behind the USA (65) and Canada (42). Israeli and Indonesia both finished 9-4 with the tiebreaker going to the Israelis for their first-ever playoff trip.

Double Round Robin Group A saw Ethiopia on top at 5-1, advancing along with 3-3 England. Taiwan and Israel both were ousted at 2-4. Russia and Austria tied atop Group B at 4-2 with China (3-3) and Somalia (1-5) eliminated. Coming from Group C were Egypt (5-1) and Vietnam (3-3) with eliminations for Mexico (2-4) and Italy (2-4). Out of group D at 4-2 came the United States and Brazil with both Angola (3-3) and last year’s runner-up Japan (1-5) getting the boot.

Ethiopia swept Russia 2-0, earning their fourth trip to the semifinal and first since 2024. England outlasted Austria 2-1 for their eighth final four berth and first since their 2028 title. Brazil swept Egypt 2-0 for their 23^rd final four appearance and second in three years. Lastly, Vietnam shocked the two-time defending champion United States with a sweep. The Vietnamese had only gotten to the semis once before with a third place in 2027. It was the first time since 2030 that the final four each came from a different continent. That had happened 13 times prior, but never before without a team from North America.

England ousted Ethiopia 3-1 and Brazil swept Vietnam 3-0 in the semifinals. The English secured their fifth finals berth and the Brazilians got their 11^th, although they had never met in the finale. Officially, the Ethiopians were third and Vietnamese were fourth. Ethiopia matched its highest finish from 2013.



In the 87^th World Championship, Brazil bested England 4-1 to become five-time champs (1987, 89, 90, 2021, 33). The Brazilians have the fourth-most titles of all countries and remain the only South American team to win it all, although Colombia, Venezuela, and Chile each have runner-up finishes. The only nations with more cups are the United States (43), Canada (8), and China (6).

Brazil’s top performer was LF Simon Veronese with 29 hits, 27 runs, 16 homers, 29 RBI, 1.080 OPS, and 2.1 WAR. 2B Ken Cantu had 41 hits and 27 runs while SS Ddy Corunha had 28 hits, 26 runs, and 14 RBI. Pitcher Otavio Furtado notably went 6-0, becoming the tenth pitcher in event history with six wins, although run support played a big role with a 3.38 ERA and 0.4 WAR only over his 50.2 innings.



Tournament MVP went to England LF Bertrand Waldron, a 28-year old entering his seventh season with EBF’s Sheffield. In 31 games, Waldron led with 17 homers and 88 total bases. He had 32 hits, 25 runs, 5 doubles, 24 RBI, .283/.367/.779 slash, 212 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR.

Best Pitcher went to Israel’s Nehor Pomerantz, the three-time Eurasian Professional Baseball Pitcher of the Year. The 35-year old lefty is set to return for 2033 with Vladivostok. He had a zero ERA over 17.1 innings, allowing only one unearned run and three hits. Pomerantz had 29 strikeouts and nine walks.

Other notes: With more games overall in the event now, a new WBC record for at-bats was set by England’s Gary Winfer with 130. English pitcher Todd McBride became the seventh in event history with eight starts on the mound. In bad records, Brazil’s Kaique Moura set a new high mark for home runs allowed with 25. Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Mehari had 11 saves, tying the WBC record reached thrice prior. Russia’s Dmitri Khodakovsky hit for the cycle against Uzbekistan, becoming only the 22^nd player in event history to achieve the feat.

There were three no-hitters in the 2033 WBC. Two came on January 5 with Egypt’s Mohamed Fayad getting 12 Ks and one walk against Austria, while Honduras’ Aitor Menchaca had 12 Ks and two walks against Argentina. On January 23, Angola’s Bernaldo de Almeida did it with three strikeouts and three walks against Brazil. That was the fewest strikeouts for a no-hitter in WBC history and was the first time that a no-hitter happened against the team that won the world title that same year.

Below are the all-time event stats. With Israel, Somalia, and Angola all securing their first playoff appearances in 2033, 91 unique nations now have made it beyond the divisional stage at least once.

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Dar es Salaam had gotten relegated to the African Second League for the first time for the 2033 campaign. The Sabercats looked for an immediate escape, setting a Southern Conference record at 106-56. For the cartoonishly high-scoring A2L, Dar set new records for runs (1328), hits (2012), and doubles (505). Their 317 homers were the second most in league history.

It was a steep drop down for the #2 spot, but six teams were within four wins of each other after 162 games. Antananarivo and Blantyre finished tied at 87-75, followed by Nampula (85-77), Maputo (84-78), Lilongwe (83-79) and Lubango (83-79). The Eagles defeated the Black Wolves in the tiebreaker game to earn the playoff spot, their first since getting dropped to A2L in 2031.



A competitive Central Conference had Kampala on top at 97-65, advancing along with 95-67 Pointe-Noire. Ndjamena was a close third at 93-69. This was the Peacocks’ first playoff trip since getting relegated for 2028. The Pride had never gotten to the playoffs before, although they did get promoted once previously for 2029 thanks to league expansions.



Dar es Salaam rolled 4-1 over Antananarivo in the Southern Conference Championship to guarantee a one-and-done in A2L. Kampala outlasted Pointe-Noire 4-3 in the Central Conference to earn a promotion back to the African Association of Baseball’s first league after a six-year absence. The A2L Championship was a classic that needed all nine games with the Sabercats coming out on top of the Peacocks.



Other notes: Several league records were set in the ultra-high scoring league, although A2L doesn’t count on world leaderboards. Dar es Salaam’s Edzai Jeke scored 185 runs, Lubango’s Husain Ferdous had 216 RBI, and Dar’s Ferdinand Rajerison had 565 total bases and 277 hits. Jeke also set a playoff record by drawing 14 walks. Ferdous became the first player with 500 A2L homers and the first to both 1500 RBI and 1500 runs scored. He also won his eighth Silver Slugger and first as a DH.

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For the third consecutive season, Zaragoza finished first in the Western Conference standings. They had won 107 and 120 in the prior two years, but had failed to earn a promotion out of the European Second League regardless. In 2033, the Gold Hawks only narrowly took the #1 spot at 97-65. Naples (93-69) and Hamburg (92-70) were close behind and earned playoff spots. It was the Nobles’ first berth since returning to E2L in 2031. The Hammers hoped for a one-and-done escape, having been relegated out of the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier the prior season.

The fourth and final postseason spot went to Amsterdam at 89-73. The Anacondas fended off 87-75 Luxembourg and 84-78 efforts by Belfast and Stuttgart. This was Amsterdam’s first playoff trip and winning season since getting relegated for 2030. With their near miss, the Silver Sabres remain the only original E2L team yet to be promoted at least once.

Palermo had been in the EBF Elite from 2017-31, but got relegated for 2032. The Priests continued to fall, suffering a further demotion to European Tier Three. They had the last place spot at 62-100 with only Toulouse close by at 65-97.

In the Round Robin, the top two advanced to the Western Conference Championship and earned promotions with Zaragoza at 5-1 and Naples at 4-2. Hamburg was ousted at 2-4 and Amsterdam finished 1-5. The Gold Hawks finally made it back up after a four year E2L run while the Nobles’ tenure went three years. In the conference final, Zaragoza defeated Naples 4-2.



The Eastern Conference was top-heavy with Bucharest (107-55) and Vienna (105-57) lapping the field. Both bullpens recorded 68 saves, tied for the second-most in E2L history. The Broncos got their first playoff trip since joining E2L in 2026, while it was the second in three years for the Vultures.

Lviv and Malta tied for third at 92-70 to take the remaining playoff spots ahead of Riga (90-72), Leipzig (88-74), and Skopje (87-75). The Marvels hadn’t made the playoffs since getting relegated for 2027. The Lunkers got their fifth playoff appearance in seven years, hoping this one finally got them the promotion.

Last place by a considerable margin was Athens at 42-120, continuing their rollercoaster ride. The Anchors had gotten demoted to ET3 for 2031, but climbed back to E2L after two years. Athens in 2033 set new E2L all-time worsts for wins, runs scored (348) and stolen bases (20). Montenegro was a terrible 57-105 in their E2L debut, but the Anchors’ abysmal effort saved them from immediate relegation.



The Eastern Conference also had their top two advance from the Round Robin and secure promotions with Vienna at 5-1 and Bucharest at 4-2. Lviv finished 2-4 and Malta went 1-5. The Vultures escaped after a four-year E2L tenure, while the Broncos had to wait eight years. Vienna won a seven-game classic over Bucharest to claim the conference championship. The Vultures then outlasted Zaragoza in seven to win the Second League Championship.



Other notes: Vienna’s Achim Vetter set E2L pitching records among qualifiers (162+ innings) for BB/9 (0.78), WHIP (0.63), opponent’s OBP (.180), and opponent’s OPS (.411). Vetter also had a 12 strikeout no-hitter on June 24 against Varna. Despite that, he lost Pitcher of the Year to Skopje’s Apostolos Anaximenes, whose 1.26 ERA was the second-best in E2L history.



In their first year in European Tier Three, Vilnius quickly escaped with a dominant first place at 106-56. For the other promotion spot, eight teams finished the regular season within five games. Leeds and Ostrava were tied for second at 89-73, followed by 88-74 efforts by Kosovo, The Hague, and Venice. Newcastle (86-76), Florence (84-78), Nuremberg (84-78), and Bordeaux (83-79) were all right in the mix. In a tiebreaker game, Leeds defeated Ostrava to earn their first-ever promotion. The Lagers would then upset top-seed Vilnius 4-1 to win the ET3 championship.

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For the 2033 season, the African Association of Baseball lowered the active roster from 25 players to 24. AAB had maintained a 25-man roster since the inaugural 1995 season. At this point in history, there are leagues with active rosters as large as 26 and as small as 22 players.



The Southern Conference was extremely competitive as five teams finished within four games of first place. 2031 conference champ Port Elizabeth picked up the first place spot at 95-67, growing their playoff streak to four seasons. Harare at 93-69 scored the most in the conference (896 runs) and took the second place slot at 93-69. Although the Hustlers haven’t had a losing season since 2021, this was their first playoff berth since 2023.

Just missing the cut were Comoros at 92-70, defending conference champ Johannesburg at 91-71, and Windhoek also at 91-71. This was the first-ever winning season in the top tier for the Chimps, who got promoted as the 2032 African Second League champs. Bulawayo was sixth at 83-79 and allowed the fewest runs in AAB at 676. Also notable was Cape Town at 79-83, ending an eight-year run of winning seasons.

At the bottom by a large margin was Maseru at 58-104, ten games worse than the next closest team Gaborone. The Mad Dogs were relegated back to A2L after a five-year run in the First League. Maseru had posted their first winning season the year prior at 84-78, but fell hard off a cliff in 2033.

Southern Conference MVP went to Harare LF Zenzele Mnisi in his third season for the Hustlers. The 31-year old Swazi righty led in on-base percentage (.435) and WAR (7.6). Mnisi had 188 hits, 109 runs, 31 doubles, 41 home runs, 108 RBI, 1.070 OPS, and 175 wRC+.

Mnisi had signed a big five-year, $158 million deal with Harare after playing his first eight years for Brazzaville. To the Hustlers disappointment, he opted out of the remaining two years after the 2033 season. Mnisi signed a new five-year, $127,200,000 deal with Asmara, but left there after one year due to relegation. He joined Johannesburg in 2035 at five years and $136 million.

In his Port Elizabeth debut, Chiro Mukubu won Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old Congolese righty signed for 2033 as a free agent at $71,500,000 over five years. Mukubu had been merely decent prior with 2024-31 for Lusaka and in 2032 with Durban. He led in wins for 2033 at 23-5 and had a 2.88 ERA, 231.1 innings, 215 strikeouts, 154 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR.



The Central Conference was also competitive with half of the teams still having a playoff shot entering September. Shockingly not among those was Nairobi, the reigning African Series winner and Baseball Grand Champion. The Night Hawks struggled to 73-89, only their second time below 80 wins since 2021. Kinshasa pulled away late to take first at 97-65. The Sun Cats had been competitive since returning to AAB in 2026, but this was their first playoff trip since 2016. Kinshasa allowed the fewest runs in the conference with 678.

There was a tie for the second place playoff spot at 91-71 between Djibouti and Brazzaville. Just missing the cut was 90-72 Addis Ababa, 88-74 Bangui, and 86-76 Kigali. The Berserkers beat the Blowfish to earn their second playoff berth in three years, while denying Brazzaville a fourth trip in five years.
In last place suffering relegation was Bujumbura at 60-102, nine behind the next closest team Bukavu. The Bighorns had been the AAB champ as recently as 2026, but had been below .500 regularly since 2030. This was their first time being relegated, which leaves eight AAB original teams that have avoided demotions still.

Mogadishu was a non-factor at 75-87, their first losing season since returning to AAB in 2027. Regardless, 2B Abel Teklemariam won his second Central Conference MVP, having previously won in 2029. The 28-year old Ethiopian righty led in total bases (446), slugging (.762), OPS (1.183), and wRC+ (183). Nicknamed “Cyclone,” he had 211 hits, 126 runs, 42 doubles, 59 homers, 158 RBI, .361 average, and 8.0 WAR.

Teklemariam came close to a Triple Crown effort. His average was only four points behind Djibouti’s Bernard Kenei; he was four homers behind Nairobi’s Lazarus Abraham and Asmara’s Mustafa Moussa; and only five RBI behind Moussa. Mogadishu had given Teklemariam an eight-year, $149,700,000 extension after the 2030 season.

Kinshasa’s Lawal Deffallah meanwhile earned repeat pitching Triple Crowns and won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Chadian lefty had a 20-3 record, 2.32 ERA, and 314 strikeouts. It was Deffallah’s fifth straight season as the strikeouts leader. He also led in WHIP (0.84), K/BB (7.5), FIP- (50), and WAR (9.3). It was his fourth year running as the WARlord. It was the sixth pitching Triple Crown in AAB history with Deffallah becoming the first to do it twice. Prior to the 2033 season, the Sun Cats had extended him at seven years and $111,400,000.

Port Elizabeth defeated Harare 4-2 in the Southern Conference Championship for their second pennant in three years. Kinshasa routed Djibouti with a sweep in the Central Conference Championship. This tied the Sun Cats with Johannesburg and Addis Ababa for the most pennants at ten apiece. However, this ended a 27-year drought for Kinshasa, who hadn’t won the conference since their epic 1995-2005 dynasty run.



In the 39^th Africa Series, Kinshasa returned to the throne for the first time in 30 years. The Sun Cats denied Port Elizabeth its first title with a 5-2 result, becoming the first AAB franchise with seven overall titles (1997-2000, 02-03, 2033). RF Malleh Dibba was finals MVP in his second season. The 24-year old Gambian in 10 playoff starts had 15 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers, and 11 RBI.



Other notes: Harare’s Namir Jamal stole 139 bases, which was seventh-best in AAB history to that point. As of 2037, that is tied for the 19^th-best single season in world history. Kigali’s Vadim Makosso had 67 doubles, which was second in AAB history to that point behind Stefan Cejka’s 71 from 1996. As of 2037, this is one of only 14 seasons in world history with 67+ doubles. Bangui reliever Faruk Hamad set the AAB for games pitched with 81. Maseru’s Andre Ekeng set a bad single-season record by allowing 61 home runs.

Windhoe’s Shadrack Jordan had a 32-game hitting streak, tied for the second-best in AAB history. Stewart Khumalo holds the record at 41 games from 2027. In milestones, Ibukun da Costa became the 13^th member of the 600 home run club and Sadik Barakamfitiye became the 19^th to reach 500 dingers. Trevor Zhou and Dijbrilla Ousseini became the 14^th and 15^th to score 1500 career runs. Dagne Mersha was the 14^th to 1500 RBI. Zhou also became only the 15^th member of the 2500 hit club.

Ousseini, the only guy with 3000+ hits, won his 13^th Silver Slugger at shortstop. He joined Mwarami Tale (CF) and Felix Chaula (RF/LF) as the only 13+ Slugger winners in AAB. Ousseini is one of only 28 in world history to reach the mark. 1B Jimmy Bruner won his 7^th consecutive Gold Glove. Lovemore Chisora became the 7^th closer to 300 saves.

Promotion/Relegation: Maseru was relegated to the African Second League with Dar es Salaam returning to take their Southern Conference slot. Bujumbura was demoted from the Central Conference while Kampala was promoted back up.