Baseball: The World's Game

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Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2042 Hall of Fame class had three slam dunk first ballot inductees. Pitchers Bartolo Flores (99.4%) and Ivan Scaccabarozzi (98.1%) were both near unanimous adds, while LF Pedro Corga joined them with a very strong 86.8%. 2B Walter Perez narrowly missed the 66% threshold with 61.9% on his third try. No other players were above 50%.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was OF Francisco Serrata, who got as close at 61.5% in 2034 and never fell below 40%. He had a 13-year career with Maracaibo with one MVP and two Silver Sluggers, 1795 games, 2262 hits, 121 runs, 336 doubles, 139 triples, 375 home runs, 1127 RBI, 647 steals, .338/.387/.598 slash, 154 wRC+, and 63.9 WAR.

Torn ankle ligaments twice set Serrata back significantly and he was done with his age 35 season. He just needed another few years of accumulations or more raw dominance to make the cut. Serrata as a rookie was also key in the Mariners’ surprise Bolivar League pennant win, but the franchise struggled after that. Even though he ended up in the Hall of Pretty Good, Serrata did see his #30 uniform retired by Maracaibo for his efforts.

SP Arouca Terlizzi also lasted ten ballots, although he peaked at 26.1% and was in single-digits for his final seven tries. In 14 seasons, he had a 174-180 record, 3.09 ERA, 3271 innings, 3044 strikeouts, 702 walks, 122 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 79.4 WAR. His rate stats are actually quite comparable to other inductees and he ranks 53^rd in pitching WAR. However, Terlizzi never won Pitcher of the Year and the losing record hurts him with traditionalist voters. Most of his career was with bad Porto Alegre teams just after they joined as an expansion team, hurting some of the traditional metrics.



Bartolo Flores – Starting Pitcher – Santa Cruz Crawfish – 99.4% First Ballot

Bartolo Flores was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Flores had incredible stuff that graded as an 11/10 at his peak, an incredibly rare feat for a starter. He also had stellar pinpoint control of his arsenal. Flores’ downside was below average movement, meaning he could struggle with allowing home runs. However, Flores’ ability to change speeds and spot his pitches perfectly allowed him to thrive.

Flores had a 95-97 mph fastball along with a slider and changeup. The changeup was considered his most dangerous pitch as he was a master at changing speeds to get whiffs. Flores had an extreme flyball tendency. He also had fantastic stamina with near ironman durability, tossing 230+ innings each year from 2021-36. Flores had good grades for holding runners, but weak defense. He wasn’t a trouble maker by any means, but he wasn’t the brightest guy. Still, his remarkable stuff and strikeout ability made him one of South America’s biggest stars.

In May 2015, Flores left Ecuador for Bolivia on a developmental deal with Santa Cruz. The Crawfish had a dynasty run in the late 2000s, but were in a rebuild by the mid-2010s. Flores spent around four years in their academy, debuting in 2018 at age 20 with five relief appearances. He had 39.2 relief innings the next year with 17 saves and 2.72 ERA, helping Santa Cruz back above .500 after four straight losing seasons.

Flores had a full-time roster spot in 2020 but still had a mixed role with occasional starts amidst heavy bullpen use. Santa Cruz got a wild card at 92-70 and pulled off a surprise playoff run, sweeping Ciudad Guayana in the Bolivar League Championship Series. They fell 4-2 to Santiago for Copa Sudamerica. Flores made four playoff starts with a 2.94 ERA, 46 Ks, and 0.4 WAR in 33.2 innings. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he posted a 3.03 ERA over 38.2 innings with 53 Ks and 0.4 WAR. The Crawfish finished 9-10 in the event.

In 2021, Flores became the ace and started a remarkable run of 14 consecutive seasons as the league leader in strikeouts. Each season had 330+ Ks, quickly turning him into a superstar. Even the legendary strikeout king Mohamed Ramos didn’t lead in 14 straight years (although he would have if not for a trade between leagues in the middle of his dominance).

He won the ERA title in 2021 at 2.56 and led in WHIP (0.93) and WAR (7.3) with 341 Ks. Flores won his first Pitcher of the Year award and missed a Triple Crown season by only two wins. It also started a four-year streak as the BL’s WARlord. Santa Cruz was above .500 from 2021-23, but outside of the playoffs each year.

Flores was second in 2023’s POTY voting despite a career-best 9.2 WAR and 56 FIP-. On September 16, Flores tossed a no-hitter against Barquisimeto with 21 strikeouts and one walk. This set the Beisbol Sudamerica record for most Ks in a no-hitter and was one shy of the world record. In 2024, Flores won his second POTY and led in wins at 21-4. His 2.68 ERA was second behind Geraldo Garcia’s 2.47.

In 2025, Flores repeated as POTY and secured the Triple Crown; the 13^th in BSA history for a pitcher. He posted his career-best for ERA (2.31) and wins (22-6). Flores was second in 2026’s POTY voting but had his career-best WHIP of 0.85. He was second in 2028s voting with his career-best 371 strikeouts.

Santa Cruz was back as a regular contender at this point with five straight playoff berths from 2024-28 and four seasons with 100+ wins. The Crawfish couldn’t get over the hump with their deepest runs being BLCS losses in 2026 to Barranquilla and 2028 to Lima. Flores’ playoff stats were admittedly a mixed bag with a 6-5 record, 3.10 ERA, 98.2 innings, 125 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, 98 FIP-, and 1.4 WAR. Despite his popularity, Flores opted for free agency after the 2028 season at age 31.

For the Crawfish, Flores had a 173-78 record, 2.84 ERA, 2250.2 innings, 3035 strikeouts, 253 walks, 144 ERA+, 70 FIP-, 110 complete games, 22 shutouts, and 64.4 WAR. Although Santa Cruz fans were sad to see him go, Flores remained beloved and his #8 uniform would later be retired. He ended up in the Venezuelan capital on a five-year, $120 million deal with Caracas. The Colts had been a dynasty earlier in the decade, although they hadn’t gotten beyond the divisional round of their current four-year playoff streak.

Although he never played for an Ecuadoran franchise, Flores did still regularly represent his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2020-36, he posed a 15-16 record, 3.39 ERA, 268 innings, 442 strikeouts, and 6.8 WAR. His 1.34 BB/9 notably ranks 32^nd among pitchers with 100+ WBC innings. Ecuador notably earned a playoff berth in 2034, the country’s first since 1988. Flores is Ecuador’s leader in innings, wins, and Ks; and is tied with Gabriel Jimenez for pitching WAR.

Flores’ had issues with home runs upon his arrival, allowing a league-worst 47 homers for back-to-back years. Caracas narrowly missed the playoffs in 2029 and 2031 with a first round exit in 2030. Flores rebounded in 2030 with his fourth Pitcher of the Year award and a league-best 8.3 WAR. In 2032, he led again in WAR (8.1) and won his fifth POTY, becoming only the eighth in BSA history to win the award 5+ times.

Caracas was the final wild card at 93-69 in 2032, but pulled off a shocking playoff run that included a 3-1 divisional series win over top seed Arequipa and a 4-0 sweep of Barranquilla in the BLCS. The Colts then defeated Sao Paulo 4-2 to claim Copa Sudamerica. Although he was 3-1 in his five starts, Flores had a shockingly mediocre playoff run with a 5.56 ERA over 34 innings, 0.3 WAR, and 48 Ks.

Flores’ Baseball Grand Championship effort was also a mixed bag but better with a 2-3 record, 3.79 ERA, 40.1 innings, 61 Ks, 110 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 0.9 WAR. Caracas struggled to 6-15 in the event. Still, Flores could add the BSA championship ring to his impressive trophy case. The Colts fell one win short of the playoffs the next year as Flores’ five-year deal came to an end.

For Caracas, Flores had an 88-49 record, 3.27 ERA, 1278.1 innings, 1735 strikeouts, 131 walks, 66 complete games, 12 shutouts, 123 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 32.7 WAR. Now 36, Flores jumped to the Southern Cone League on a three-year, $66,600,000 deal with Belo Horizonte. He led in wins (22-9) and Ks (361) in his debut, the last year of his 14 season streak as a strikeouts league leader. Flores also reached 5000 career strikeouts, a mark met by only 47 pitchers in pro baseball history.

Flores’ stuff began to wane in the latter two seasons with the Hogs, who were a mid-tier team throughout his tenure. He was still a decent starter in 2035, but fell below league average in 2036 despite still eating innings. Flores did notably breach the 300 career win mark in his last year, one of 47 in world history in the club. He also became one of only 19 in the world with 5500+ Ks. With BH, Flores had a 51-34 record, 3.42 ERA, 754.1 innings, 831 Ks, 109 ERA+, 93 FIP-, and 12.2 WAR. He retired after the 2036 season at age 39.

In total, Flores had a 312-161 record, 3.07 ERA, 4283.1 innings, 5601 strikeouts, 459 walks, 609 home runs allowed, 321/490 quality starts, 221 complete games, 39 shutouts, 130 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 109.4 WAR. On the BSA leaderboards, Flores ranks 6^th in wins, 13^th in innings, 3^rd in strikeouts, 7^th in complete games, 29^th in shutouts, and 12^th in pitching WAR. On the downside, Flores is the career leader for home runs allowed.

Among BSA pitchers with 1000+ innings, Flores ranks 86^th in WHIP, but is notably one of five in the top 100 whose career began in the 21^st Century with a higher-scoring BSA. His 0.96 BB/9 ranks 11^th and his 11.77 K/9 is 22^nd. On the world leaderboard, Flores ranks tied for 31^st in wins and 17^th in strikeouts. The home run issues though give him a much lower WAR than most of the other 5000+ K pitchers.

It also hurts Flores when discussing the all-time lists for Beisbol Sudamerica pitchers with a lot of impressive candidates. His hardware and tallies get him into the top ten or even top five for some rankings, but others keep him in the teens range. Flores was one of BSA’s immortals though by any metric and earned a near unanimous 99.4% to co-headline a three-man Hall of Fame class in 2041.

He’s also generally viewed as the best-ever pitcher out of Ecuador and arguably the nation’s best-ever talent. Flores leads all Ecuadorans by HOF monitor score, black ink, and gray ink. His top competition for Ecuador’s best is usually legendary 1B Javier Herrera, a four-time MVP with 117.9 career WAR and 3597 hits. Five-time MVP LF Hector Correa is also in the conversation with 125.8 WAR between BSA and MLB. In any event, Flores is a beloved icon in Ecuador and across the continent.

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Ivan Scaccabarozzi – Starting Pitcher – Belo Horizonte Hogs – 98.1% First Ballot

Ivan Scaccabarozzi was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Bahia Blanca, Argentina; a city with around 336,000 people in the Buenos Aires province. Scaccabarozzi was known for having excellent control along with very good stuff and average movement. His fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph range and he also had a slider and changeup in the arsenal.

Scaccabarozzi had solid stamina and good durability for most of his career, tossing 200+ innings in all but his first and final seasons. He was stellar at holding runners and had one of the all-time great pickoff moves. Defensively, he graded as below average. Despite his talent, he did get some critiques from coaches about his work ethic and intelligence.

In April 2015, Scaccabarozzi moved to Brazil on a developmental deal for Belo Horizonte. After five seasons in the academy, he debuted as a part-time starter in 2020 at age 21 with promising results. Scaccabarozzi was a full-time starter for the next 15 years with the Hogs. 2022 saw him as the league leader in complete games at 14. At this point, Belo Horizonte was perpetually mid. They ended a 17-year playoff drought in 2024, but lost in the first round. The Hogs hovered back around .500 for the next four seasons.

Scaccabarozzi led the Southern Cone League in WAR in both 2025 and 2027, getting a career-best 8.3 in 2027. 2026 had his second-best ERA (2.43), wins (20-7), and WHIP (0.93); taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. As he became popular in Brazil, Scaccabarozzi was also a regular for his native Argentina in the World Baseball Championship. From 2021-36, he pitched 234 innings with a 3.19 ERA, 10-16 record, 255 Ks, and 3.2 WAR.

In June 2029, Scaccabarozzi signed a seven-year, $109,100,000 extension to stick with Belo Horizonte. The Hogs got a wild card that year at 93-69, but went on a surprise playoff tear. They upset top seed Brasilia 3-1 in the divisional series, then rolled Sao Paulo 4-1 for their first pennant since their 1991 Copa Sudamerica win. Belo Horizonte went on to claim the Cup in a 4-3 classic with Arequipa.

Scaccabarozzi went 4-1 in five playoff starts with a 2.92 ERA, 40 innings, 32 Ks, 124 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 0.9 WAR. He had an even better showing in five Baseball Grand Championship starts with a 1.87 ERA over 43.1 innings, 3-2 record, 46 Ks, 200 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. Belo Horizonte finished 10-11, but Scaccabarozzi’s role in winning the title cemented his spot as a key franchise legend.

The Hogs stayed above .500 for the next five seasons, but couldn’t find any playoff success. Belo Horizonte was a division champ in 2032 and 2033, but lost in the divisional round both seasons. Scaccabarozzi remained steady, but saw his first major injury setback in mid-September 2031 with a torn rotator cuff. This kept him out more than a calendar year, missing the entire 2032 season.

Scaccabarozzi rebounded impressively from the injury, taking third in 2033’s Pitcher of the Year voting and second in 2034. He led in wins (20-8) in the former and won his only ERA title in the latter at 2.26. Scaccabarozzi ultimately never earned the top honor despite his efforts. In total for Belo Horizonte, Scaccabarozzi had a 228-140 record, 2.97 ERA, 3491.1 innings, 3529 strikeouts, 350 walks, 124 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 82.7 WAR. His #33 uniform would later be retired.

Entering 2036, Scaccabarozzi saw a drop in velocity down to 93-95 mph. His control was still excellent, but his stuff overall fell off significantly. Belo Horizonte traded him in February to Caracas for two prospects. Scaccabarozzi struggled in his lone season with the Colts on a 4.54 ERA, 156.2 innings, 58 Ks, and -0.2 WAR. He retired in the winter at age 37.

Overall, Scaccabarozzi posted a 234-153 record, 3.04 ERA, 3648 innings, 3587 strikeouts, 368 walks, 297/439 quality starts, 175 complete games, 26 shutouts, 122 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 82.6 WAR. Scaccabarozzi ranks 30^th in wins, 40^th in innings, 27^th in complete games, 84^th in shutouts, 54^th in strikeouts, and 44^th in pitching WAR. His 0.91 BB/9 is 5^th best among BSA pitchers with 1000+ innings.

Scaccabarozzi wasn’t generally viewed as the best pitcher in the league during his run, but he had a remarkably rock solid 17 season run. His accumulations likely were enough on their own, but his role in a cup win for Belo Horizonte made Scaccabarozzi a lock. He received 98.1% as part of a three-man class for Beisbol Sudamerica’s Hall of Fame in 2041.



Pedro Corga – Left Field – Lima Lobos – 86.8% First Ballot

Pedro Corga was a 6’1’’, 185 pound left-handed left fielder from Marau, Brazil; a municipality of around 45,000 people in the country’s southernmost state. Corga was known for his great contact ability and impressive gap power. His 162 game average got you 28 doubles, 25 triples, and 30 home runs. Corga also had a low strikeout rate relative to his peers, but very rarely drew walks.

Corga’s best results came against right-handed pitching (1.012 OPS, 158 wRC+) but he was plenty solid facing lefties (.891 OPS, 132 wRC+). He was viewed as a very skilled baserunner with good speed. Corga was a career left fielder and was a reliably great defender. If not for sharing a league with eight-time Gold Glover Feliz Zaldivar, Corga might have gotten a couple. His durability was mostly good over a 16-year career. Corga was popular with fans, but some teammates and coaches criticized him for selfishness.

Coming out of high school, Corga was drafted 21^st by Fortaleza in the 2017 BSA Draft. The Foxes could never find a spot for him and were underwhelmed by his development in their system. Corga played 36 games total from 2020-21 and struggled in his limited regular season action. In the 2021 playoffs, he was 3-8 with a triple and run as a pinch hitter as Fortaleza won the Southern Cone League title, but lost Copa Sudamerica to Caracas. He went 0-3 with a run in the Baseball Grand Championship as the Foxes went 9-10.

Still, Fortaleza decided to send Corga and four other prospects to Lima in a December 2021 trade for veteran 3B Ramiro Arenas. Corga was a part-time starter in 2022 for the Lobos with 118 games, 52 starts, and 0.4 WAR. The Lobos gave him the full-time job in 2023 and he led the Bolivar League in triples in 2023 with 23. He was the MVP of the 2025 All-Star Game as he settled in as a reliably solid starter.

Corga’s best year was 2026, winning MVP and his first Silver Slugger. He posted league and career bests for runs (122), hits (244), RBI (121), total bases (428), batting average (.400), and WAR (9.0). Corga also had his bests for OBP (.425), slugging (.702), OPS (1.127), and wRC+ (194). He hit .400 exactly, one of 12 qualifying players in BSA history to get there or better. For the third straight year, Lima won 80+ games but still missed the playoffs with a drought back to 2004.

The Lobos became a contender again in 2027, beginning a ten-year layoff streak Corga was third in MVP voting and was the triples leader again with 27. They finished 104-58 and made the BLCS, but lost 4-2 to 111-win Barranquilla; giving the Blues a three-peat. Corga won his second Silver Slugger and was second in 2028’s MVP voting.

Lima got the #1 seed at 109-53 and after surviving 3-2 against Caracas in the divisional series, earned a sweep of Santa Cruz in the BLCS with Corga earning series MVP. The Lobos were denied in Copa Sudamerica 4-1 by Buenos Aires. Despite his BLCS MVP, Corga actually had a middling postseason with .775 OPS, 103 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. He was similar in the Baseball Grand Championship with .738 OPS, 115 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. Lima finished 10-9 in the event.

Corga had a slight regression in 2029 with .903 OPS and 4.3 WAR; which were full-season lows for him to that point. Lima won the division again at 95-67 but lost in the second round. In July 2030, Corga suffered a broken hand that ended his season. Lima was ultimately defeated in the BLCS by Bogota. Corga’s metrics had rebounded though and that winter, the Lobos gave him a five-year, $132 million extension.

2031 saw his third Silver Slugger win and he hit for his lone cycle in June against Rosario. It also had Corga’s career best for home runs with 40. Lima got the top seed at 101-61 defeated Arequipa 4-2 in the BLCS. The Lobos then outlasted Recife 4-3 in Copa Sudamerica. Corga had an impressive playoff run with 25 hits, 17 runs, 6 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers, 9 RBI, 1.269 OPS, 224 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. He struggled though in the BGC with .592 OPS, 74 wRC+, and 0 WAR. Lima was one of four teams at 13-8, one win short of the top spot but officially sixth after tiebreakers.

That was the last title of their playoff streak. They got the top seed in 2033 at 107-55 but were upset in the divisional series by Arequipa. Lima had back-to-back BLCS defeats in 2034-35. For his playoff career with the Lobos, Corga played 62 games with 89 hits, 47 runs, 10 doubles, 9 triples, 14 homers, 36 RBI, .356/.369/.636 slash, 160 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. Corga also made his only appearances in the World Baseball Championship for Brazil from 2033-35. He had 1.1 WAR and .885 OPS in 2033 as part of the Brazilian’s World Championship win.

Corga remained steady and led in triples again in 2033 with a career-best 33. He had a slight decline to 4.3 WAR and 129 wRC+ in 2034. Corga declined his contract option, becoming a free agent for 2035 at age 36. For Lima, he played 1914 games with 2524 hits, 1313 runs, 341 doubles, 304 triples, 368 home runs, 1300 RBI, 605 stolen bases, .344/.368/.624 slash, 154 wRC+, and 72.5 WAR. For his role, Corga’s #18 uniform would soon be retired.

He signed a three-year, $47,600,000 deal with Quito. To Corga’s disappointment, he was used part-time in 2035 with only 104 games, 62 starts, and 2.2 WAR. He played only 22 games in 2036 with weak results, finishing with 2.2 WAR, .883 OPS, and 126 wRC+ with the Thunderbolts. Corga retired after the 2036 season at age 38.

Corga played 2076 games with 2632 hits, 1364 runs, 355 doubles, 318 triples, 381 home runs, 1367 RBI, 290 walks, 625 stolen bases, 637 caught stealing, .342/.366/.619 slash, 152 wRC+, and 74.2 WAR. He ranks 61^st in runs, 72^nd in hits, 69^th in total bases (4766), 8^th in triples, 53^rd in caught stealing, and 84^th in RBI. Corga does miss the top 100 for WAR.

Among Beisbol Sudamerica batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Corga is 40^th in batting average, 21^st in slugging, and his .985 OPS is 32^nd. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, his batting average is tied for 21^st. Corga was one of the best ever at putting the ball in play, although his lack of walks hurt his WAR. He didn’t have the longevity to be high up the overall leaderboards, but his accolades and role in a Cup win for Lima got him firmly across the line. Corga received 86.8% for a first ballot induction to cap off a three-man 2042 class.

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Only SP Todd McBride made it into the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame in 2042 with 81.2% on his first ballot. SP Kai James barely missed the 66% threshold with a 64.7% debut. RF Ostoja Milic was also a near miss at 61.3% on his seventh ballot. Two other returners were above 50% with RF Jaden Cardoso at 56.9% on his fourth go and RF Heinz Thalmann at 51.7% on his second try.



The lone player dropped after ten ballots was SP Daniel Newqvist, who peaked at 30.8% in 2034 before ending at only 8.1%. His EBF case was hurt by six years in MLB with Las Vegas, where he played his strongest with two Pitcher of the Year wins. Newqvist never won POTY in Europe and rarely was a league leader despite solid stats with Stockholm and Palermo.

In EBF, Newqvist had a 147-94 record, 2.97 ERA, 2423.2 innings, 2632 strikeouts, 447 walks, 127 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 67.2 WAR. The pace was certainly there, but it was a down era for the Swordsmen and he never played a playoff game in EBF. The lack of accolades made his European tenure less remembered. In six years for Las Vegas in the US, he had 3.14 ERA, 1633.2 innings, 1528 Ks, 114-60 record, 124 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 44.1 WAR.

Newqvist’s combined career had a 261-154 record, 3.04 ERA, 4057.1 innings, 4160 strikeouts, 745 walks, 126 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 111.3 WAR. That combined stat line, if in just one league, would make him a HOF lock anywhere. But the split nature of his career left Newqvist as one of the best pitchers in the game’s history to miss out on an induction.



Todd McBride – Starting Pitcher – Glasgow Highlanders – 81.2% First Ballot

Todd McBride was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Fareham, England; a market town of about 42,000 in southeast Hampshire. He was of dual English-Northern Irish heritage. McBride was well-rounded with good-to-great grades for stuff, movement, and control. His velocity regularly was in the 98-100 mph range with a five-pitch arsenal of fastball, curveball, forkball, changeup, and splitter. No one pitch was overwhelming, but all five were solid.

McBride’s main downside was having merely average stamina compared to most EBF starting pitchers. He also did run into injuries, especially later in his career, but still managed a 15-year run. McBride had good grades for defense and holding runners. Teammates noted his loyalty and adaptability as positive traits. After attending the University of Leeds, McBride was picked 24^th by Glasgow in the 2020 EBF Draft.

He had mixed results as a part-timer in his rookie year. McBride was a full-time after that and emerged as an ace by 2025, leading the Northern Conference in WHIP (0,92) and shutouts (6). He won Pitcher of the Year with a 20-6 record, 2.54 ERA, 223.1 innings, 233 Ks, and 7.1 WAR. McBride was statistically better in 2026 with 8.3 WAR, 250 Ks, and 2.43 ERA; but wasn’t a finalist.

2027 saw a major injury set back with bone chips in his elbow at the end of spring training. McBride made it back late in the year as Glasgow won a division title at 92-70, ending a 22-year playoff drought in the Elite Tier. The Highlanders made a surprise run to the conference championship, losing 4-3 to Rotterdam. McBride had a strong showing over four starts with a 2.03 ERA, 2-0 record, 31 innings, 29 Ks, and 1.2 WAR. The winter, Glasgow gave McBride a four-year, $63,100,000 extension.

Glasgow was a wild card in 2028 with a first round exit, then stuck around .500 for the rest of McBride’s run. He was the WARlord in 2029 at 8.1, then won the ERA title with a career-best 1.96 in 2030. McBride earned his second Pitcher of the Year award. However, the Highlanders were sellers and he had one year left under contract. McBride was traded in the offseason to Helsinki for four prospects. The relationship was soured with the franchise as the trade sent McBride to a European Second League team despite being a top flight talent.

McBride finished with Glasgow on a 2.96 ERA, 1673 innings, 116-63 record, 1790 strikeouts, 62 complete games, 17 shutouts, 132 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 48.7 WAR. He was strong as expected in 2031 for the Honkers with 8.0 WAR over 188 innings, although he missed a month to a herniated disc. Helsinki went 111-51 and lost in the conference final, but they earned promotion back to the EBF Elite. McBride had a 1.71 ERA over 21 innings in the playoff run. Although the Honkers were moving up to the top tier, McBride decided to leave for free agency heading into his age 32 season.

He was well known across the continent and popular in England for his efforts in the World Baseball Championship. From 2024-34, McBride had a 12-5 record, 2.42 ERA, 178.2 innings, 258 Ks, 41 walks, 151 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 6.6 WAR. He was especially potent in England’s 2028 World Championship with a 1.82 ERA and 60 Ks over 39.2 innings with 1.8 WAR. McBride was also there in 2033 as the English took runner-up honors.

McBride’s pro career continued in Spain on a six-year, $157 million deal with Barcelona. The Bengals were on a five-year playoff streak, although they had failed to get beyond the second round in that run. He lived up to the hype in his 2032 debut with his third Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (2.08), Ks (291), WHIP (0.83), and WAR (8.4). All but the ERA were career bests. On April 2, McBride notably had a 20 strikeout game facing Thessaloniki.

Barcelona was a 93-69 wild card, but made it to the Southern Conference Championship where they fell in a 4-3 battle with Zurich. McBride had a 3.41 ERA over 29 innings with 35 Ks and 0.9 WAR. His production was still good but not exceptional over the next three years. Unfortunately, injuries became an issue with shoulder inflammation ending his 2033 in July. An elbow strain cost McBride two months in 2034.

McBride stayed healthy in 2035 and Barcelona got back to the conference final as a 99-63 division champ, but they lost 4-3 to top seed Krakow. He had a 4.09 ERA over 22 playoff innings. In 2036, McBride had a steep drop in velocity down into the low 90s. He was used in an opener role mostly with a 3.88 ERA over 62.2 innings and 1.1 WAR. Overall for the Bengals, McBride had a 55-29 record, 2.84 ERA, 843.1 innings, 869 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 23.1 WAR. He retired after the 2036 season at age 36.

For his European Baseball Federation Elite Tier career, McBride had a 171-92 record, 2.92 ERA, 2516.1 innings, 2659 strikeouts, 411 walks, 87 complete games, 26 shutouts, 132 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 71.7 WAR. McBride ranks 47^th in shutouts and 47^th in pitching WAR, but is outside of the top 100 for other counting stats. He didn’t have the innings to soar up the leaderboards, but Sabermetrics showed McBride’s impressive efficiency.

The efficiency along with three Pitcher of the Year awards made the case for McBride despite having weaker accumulations. It also didn’t hurt that EBF’s 2042 Hall of Fame ballot was a relatively underwhelming one for his debut. McBride was the lone inductee with a first ballot nod at 81.2%. Although it is his second nationality, McBride is notably only the second Northern Irish player to get added into EBF’s HOF, joining six-time POTY winner A.J. Magee.

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Two starting pitchers were added into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame on their ballot debuts. Airat Mamedov was the headliner at 87.6% while Aleksandr Rossel had a more humble 72.6%. Another SP Tagir Jumayev narrowly missed the 66% threshold, getting 61.3% for his third try. Also above 50% was SP Solton Igorov debuting at 56.6%.



The one player dropped after ten ballots was SP Yaroslav Alalykin, who got as close at 61.9% in 2038 and never was below 40%. He won a Pitcher of the Year with a Triple Crown season in 2019 for Perm. He also had a huge playoff run as part of the Pitbulls’ 2021 championship season. Alalykin’s problem was injuries, including two rotator cuff tears. He only had five truly full seasons and only pitched 336.2 innings total after turning 30.

Alalykin had a 126-65 record, 2.58 ERA, 1790.1 innings, 2051 strikeouts, 178 walks, 123 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 45.4 WAR. Among EPB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Alalykin’s 0.89 BB/9 is 5^th and he had a career 11.5 K/BB ratio. The pace was there for a HOF career, but sadly injuries kept him from reaching his full potential. Still, Alaykin’s brief brilliance was such that he almost made it in anyway.



Airat “Shepherd” Mamedov – Starting Pitcher – Vladivostok Shibas – 87.6% First Ballot

Airat Mamedov was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Samarkand, Uzbekistan’s third-largest city with around 551,000 inhabitants. He was nicknamed “Shepherd” for his many sheep at his home ranch. Mamedov had strong stuff and control along with above average movement. He had 98-100 mph peak velocity with an arsenal of fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup.

Relative to the other aces in the workhorse EPB, Mamedov’s stamina was below average. He also had some recurring back troubles in his 20s, but mostly avoided major injuries until later in his career. Mamedov was very good at holding runners, but otherwise below average defensively. He was quite adaptable to the situation in-game, but his work ethic was often lacking.

Most Uzbek prospects in the 21^st Century ended up in the Asian Baseball Federation, but EPB teams still had some pull and influence. Mamedov certainly stood out as a tall, powerful lefty even in his youth. A Russian scout convinced a young Mamedov to head east to Vladivostok on a developmental contract in January 2017.

At this point, the Shibas franchise had only been around about a decade and hadn’t found any success yet. Mamedov spent the better part of five years in their academy before debuting in 2021 with 12 relief appearances. He earned a rotation spot the next year and rattled off 11 consecutive seasons worth 5+ WAR with 200+ strikeouts.

Being in Russia’s far east didn’t bring him a lot of attention early in his career despite strong reliable production. In 2025, Mamedov led the Asian League in strikeouts (331), FIP- (55), and WAR (9.4); all career highs. Despite that, he wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist. Mamedov posted his career best ERAs of 2.04 and 2.03 from 2027-28. The latter, he finally got awards attention, taking second in voting.

It helped that 2028 was Vladivostok’s first playoff berth in 21 seasons as a franchise, although they had hovered around .500 throughout the 2020s. As a 92-70 wild card, the Shibas upset top seed Nur-Sultan 3-1 in the first round, then bested Perm 4-1 in the ALCS for their first pennant. Vladivostok capped it off with an EPB Championship win 4-2 over Volgograd.

Surprisingly, Mamedov had a weak playoff run with a 3.78 ERA in 16.2 innings, 19 Ks, and -0.2 WAR. A sprained elbow in the finals kept him out of the Baseball Grand Championship. Mamedov lost a month in 2029 to an oblique strain. Vladivostok again was 92-70, but this time that narrowly earned them their first division title. The four playoff teams were separated by only two wins.

The Shibas emerged as AL champs again with a 4-2 win over Nur-Sultan in the ALCS. However, they were defeated 4-1 in an EPB Championship rematch with Volgograd. Mamedov’s performance wasn’t great by traditional metrics with an 0-3 record and 3.72 ERA in 36.1 innings, but he had 49 Ks, 76 FIP-, and 0.9 WAR. He continued his standard production in 2030 as Vladivostok was a wild card again at 96-66, losing out on the East Division to 102-60 Novosibirsk.

In the ALCS, the Shibas had the last laugh over the Nitros, winning 4-1 for a third straight Asian League pennant. Vladivostok then claimed its second EPB title in a seven-game classic with Moscow. This was Mamedov’s best postseason by ERA at 2.19 over 24.2 innings with 24 Ks and 0.5 WAR. He also thrived in the Baseball Grand Championship, winning his four starts with a 1.41 ERA, 32 innings, 35 Ks, and 1.2 WAR. Among his starts was a two-hitter against WAB champ Cotonou. However, the Shibas finished 9-12 for the event.

The performance helped Mamedov land a seven-year, $110,600,000 extension with Vladivostok in March 2031. He lost a month that season to rotator cuff tendinitis, but was solid enough still to earn his first Pitcher of the Year award. The Shibas missed the division title by only one win with a 94-68 finish, then got eliminated in the first round by Ufa.

Mamedov repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2032 and won his lone ERA title at 2.06. He also led with 24 quality starts and posted 8.3 WAR with 265 Ks in 248.2 innings. Vladivostok yet again was a wild card at 92-70, but got hot when it counted. The Shibas upset Novosibirsk 3-2 in the first round, then shocked top-seed Ufa in an ALCS sweep, giving Vladivostok four pennants in five years. They were defeated 4-2 by Voronezh in the EPB Championship. In the run, Mamedov had his weakest playoff ERA at 4.19 over 34.1 innings, but still had 37 Ks and 0.8 WAR.

For his playoff career, Mamedov was a mixed bag with a 6-6 record, 3.50 ERA, 128.2 innings, 145 strikeouts, 20 walks, 3 quality starts, 97 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 2.3 WAR. Still, his consistency was a huge reason the Shibas went on their dynasty run for the franchise’s first titles. Mamedov’s #10 uniform would later be retired, the first number taken out of circulation for Vladivostok. He would also be the Shibas’ first Hall of Fame inductee.

2032 was the end of their run, as they’d be in the 70s win range for the next three years and then just above .500 in 2036. It also marked the end of Mamedov’s peak thanks to a torn UCL suffered in April 2033. He was still efficient in the next two seasons, but his innings were highly limited. Mamedov also suffered a ruptured finger tendon in September 2034 and a partially torn labrum in 2035. He was an opener in 2036 but only tossed 100 innings with a 3.51 ERA, the first full-season of his career. Mamedov retired that winter at age 36.

Mamedov finished with an 187-128 record, 2.44 ERA, 2990.2 innings, 3352 strikeouts, 463 walks, 251/429 quality starts, 90 complete games, 32 shutouts, 137 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 86.3 WAR. He ranks 88^th in wins, 78^th in strikeouts, 70^th in shutouts, and 44^th in pitching WAR.

While Mamedov didn’t have the innings to rack up big totals, he was one of the most consistently efficient pitchers of his era. He led the rotation as Vladivostok went on a dynasty run for the first success in franchise history. Mamedov isn’t considered an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but most voters agreed he was a clear first ballot inductee. He received 87.6% to headline the two-pitcher 2042 class for Eurasian Professional Baseball.



Aleksandr Rossel – Starting Pitcher – Chelyabinsk Cadets – 72.6% First Ballot

Aleksandr Rossel was a 6’2’’, 205 pound left-handed pitcher from Unyugan, Russia; a small town of about 5,000 people in the Urals region. Rossel was known for incredible stuff in his prime with the rare 10/10 grade. However, his control and movement were average-at-best in his prime and both were subpar in his later years. He had a 99-101 mph fastball, splitter, and changeup in the arsenal. Rossel overwhelmed hitters and was great at changing speeds at his peak.

Relative to other EPB aces, Rossel’s stamina was below average. He ran into sporadic injury issues as well throughout a 15-year run. Rossel had a stellar pickoff move and was one of the best at holding runners. He was also a three-time Gold Glove winner for his defense from 2026-28. Rossel had the respect of his peers as a team captain known for his leadership and loyalty.

Despite his humble beginnings, Rossel did get attention as he advanced through the high school ranks. In the 2017 EPB Draft, he was a second round pick, 40^th overall, by Moscow. Rossel spent two-and-a-half years in the Russian capital but never played for the Mules. In July 2020, he and reliever Kazuhiro Noro were traded to reigning EPB champ Chelyabinsk for Silver Slugger winning 2B Gleb Korelin.

Rossel debuted that fall for the Cadets with 80.2 innings over 12 appearances. He also made two appearances in the playoffs but struggled to -0.5 WAR over 11 innings with a 4.91 ERA. Still, Chelyabinsk repeated as EPB champs, defeating Volgograd in the final. Rossel pitched 4.2 scoreless innings in the Baseball Grand Championship as the Cadets finished 11-8 in a three-way tie for fifth.

In 2021, Rossel had a part-time starting role with very promising results, which earned a full-time rotation spot moving forward. In 2022, he led the Asian League with career bests for strikeouts (375) and WAR (10.9) with a 1.91 ERA over 240.1 innings, but took second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Rossel won the honor in 2024 with his lone ERA title (1.77) and league/career bests for WHIP (0.74) and shutouts (6). He posted seven seasons with 300+ Ks for the Cadets, although he wasn’t a POTY finalist after his 2024 win.

Chelyabinsk’s playoff streak ran through 2026, but they had no luck after the 2019-20 repeat. The Cadets lost in the 2021 ALCS to Perm, then fell in the first round in five straight seasons. Rossel’s playoff stats were respectable with 59 innings, a 2.75 ERA, 1-5 record, 69 strikeouts, 118 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. He also pitched from 2023-29 with Russia in the World Baseball Championship. He had 77.1 WBC innings with a 5-3 record, 2.44 ERA, 135 Ks, and 1.8 WAR. 2023 was Russia’s lone playoff trip with Rossel.

In 2025, Rossel suffered shoulder inflammation in late August. He stayed healthy after that for the next few years. Chelyabinsk’s run of success ended with a 66-96 record in 2027 and the Cadets would spend the next eight years below .500. Rossel signed a two-year, $20 million extension in August 2027. They bought out the team option year, but gave him two more deals at a year each. His ERAs notably went up, hurt by the weaker team around him.

Rossel’s last year with Chelyabinsk in 2030 saw a rough 4.63 ERA over 186.2 innings, although he still had 198 Ks and 2.4 WAR. His stuff was starting to wane and couldn’t cover up his weaknesses anymore. Rossel also had shoulder bursitis in late 2030. The Cadets let him leave for free agency heading into his age 32 season. Rossel finished with a 150-98 record, 2.66 ERA, 2270 innings, 3028 strikeouts, 466 walks, 123 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 62.8 WAR. Chelyabinsk would later retire his #21 uniform for his decade of service.

The control and movement issues kept Rossel from landing any sort of long-term deal. He went to the European Baseball Federation in 2031 on a one-year, $4,280,000 deal with Ljubljana. The Juggernauts only used him for 41.1 innings with a 3.05 ERA, 45 Ks, and 0.5 WAR. Rossel signed with MLB’s Montreal Maples for 2032, but was cut in spring training. Sacramento picked him up for mop-up work with 25 appearances and 60.1 innings, but a 6.12 ERA.

Rossel was back in Russia for 2033 with Kazan, although he missed some time to an oblique strain. He had middling results with a 3.37 ERA over 128.1 innings, 103 Ks, and 0.3 WAR. Rossel was back in EBF in 2034 for Warsaw and won a championship ring in the Polish capital, although he only had 17 relief innings all season. He was back in Russia with Voronezh in 2035 with 25 relief innings.

MLB’s Baltimore signed him for two days in February 2036 before cutting him. Montreal gave him another spring training look but cut him before the season. Rossel returned to EPB with Krasnoyarsk and pitched only 18.2 relief innings. He suffered a torn rotator cuff in the summer that effectively ended his career, as he retired that winter at age 37.

In EPB, Rossel had a 159-106 record, 23 saves, 2.71 ERA, 2442 innings, 3170 strikeouts, 207/299 quality starts, 85 complete games, 22 shutouts, 122 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 63.2 WAR. His totals were almost entirely from the Chelyabinsk run. Rossel ranks 99^th in strikeouts, but misses the top 100 for all other stats. His 11.68 K/9 is 19^th among all pitchers with 1000+ innings.

The big strikeouts made Rossel memorable and his rate stats were in-line with many other previous Hall of Fame inductees. He was essentially graded on an impressive decade with Chelyabinsk, which notably had a Pitcher of the Year win and lengthy playoff streak. That and Rossel’s leadership helped him convince enough voters to mark yes despite the lower accumulations. He received 72.6%, crossing the 66% threshold for a first ballot nod in a two-man 2042 class for Eurasian Professional Baseball.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

SP Darren Soo was the lone inductee into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2042 with 88.6% on his debut. Two returners were above 50%, but short of the 66% induction threshold. CL Kion Young had 59.1% on his third ballot and SP Les Mansell had 52.3% in his fourth try.



The one man dropped after ten failed ballots was 1B Damian Vitali, who peaked at 26.7% in his debut and ended at 15.1%. He was hurt by a lack of awards and injuries despite an 18-year career. Vitali played 2003 games with 2220 hits, 1140 runs, 428 doubles, 485 home runs, 1314 RBI, 608 walks, .304/.357/.572 slash, 152 wRC+, and 65.2 WAR. He had strong efficiency metrics, but first base is crowded and he was never an MVP candidate and only ever led the league in doubles. Vitali also played for five teams and never made the finals, demarking him as a firm Hall of Pretty Good-er.



Darren Soo – Starting Pitcher – Guadalcanal Green Jackets – 88.6% First Ballot

Darren Soo was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Honiara, the capital and largest city of the Solomon Islands. Soo had very good stuff along with above average control, although his movement was subpar. He had 97-99 mph peak velocity with a cutter as his primary pitch paired with a changeup and curveball. Soo’s ability to change speeds made him an effective strikeout pitcher in his prime.

His stamina was fairly average by OBA ace standards, but Soo had excellent durability and avoided major injuries despite a shorter career. He had good grades for defense and holding runners. Soo grew up a big Guadalcanal fan, but left the Solomon Islands as a teenage prospect. He was spotted and signed by Port Moresby, beginning his career April 2019 in Papua New Guinea. Soo spent six seasons in their academy before debuting in 2025 at age 22.

In his first two seasons, Soo was a part-time starter with mixed results, posting 3.6 WAR over 269.2 innings with 265 strikeouts. The rotation was tough to crack as the Mud Hens were amidst a dynasty run, having won the Oceania Championship in 2023-24. Port Moresby won the Pacific League crown again in 2025, but lost the OBA title in six games to Sydney. Soo struggled in four playoff appearances, taking two losses with 14.54 ERA and -0.2 WAR.

Soo fared much better in the 2026 Oceania Championship, as the Mud Hens won 4-2 over Christchurch. In four relief appearances, he had three saves and a win with a 2.25 ERA and 13 Ks in eight innings. Soo’s Baseball Grand Championship debut had six relief appearances with five saves and a loss with a 2.70 ERA over 6.2 innings and 15 Ks. Port Moresby was one of six teams tied for third at 12-7, but was officially eighth after tiebreakers.

2027 was Soo’s debut as a full-time starter, posting his career bests for wins (26-10), ERA (2.40), strikeouts (345), WHIP (0.85), complete games (28), shutouts (7), and WAR (7.6). He took second in Pitcher of the Year voting and Port Moresby went 106-56 to win a fifth straight PL crown. The Mud Hens won their fourth OBA title in five years, outlasting Canberra 4-3. Soo in the series had a win and loss with a 4.86 ERA over 16.2 innings with 14 Ks. He was outright terrible in five losses in the BGC with a 11.47 ERA, 24.1 innings, 25 Ks, and -1.1 WAR. PM finished 6-13 for the event.

Soo had similar stats in the next two seasons and led in strikeouts in 2029 at 314, taking third in POTY voting. Port Moresby’s PL streak ended at 94-68 in 2028, but they got back on top the next year at 93-69. The Mud Hens were denied another OBA ring 4-1 by Sydney. Soo had his best playoff ERA at 2.25 over 16 innings. Overall, his playoff stats for PM was a mixed bag with a 4.40 ERA over 45 innings, 46 Ks, 84 ERA+, 99 FIP-, and 0.6 WAR.

Port Moresby was third in 2030 at 87-75, but Soo won his lone Pitcher of the Year award. His WAR was actually down from the prior years at 5.4, but he led in wins (21-12) and Ks (317). Soo’s 2.85 ERA fell 0.25 short of earning a Triple Crown. With the dynasty appearing over and Soo longing for home, he left for free agency that winter at age 28. For the Mud Hens, Soo had a 103-62 record, 3.10 ERA, 1537.1 innings, 1565 strikeouts, 250 walks, 91 complete games, 13 shutouts, 118 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 31.8 WAR.

His more impactful run was as a Mud Hen, but he’d have a bit more innings with Guadalcanal and was proud to be inducted with his hometown club. Soo returned to the Solomon Islands on a six-year, $82,700,000 deal. They had a 17-year pennant drought, but had taken second in 2030 at 89-73. Soo’s inning count and overall numbers wouldn’t be as impressive with the Green Jackets and he wasn’t ever a Pitcher of the Year finalist there. However, he was steady and enabled Guadalcanal to take the next step.

The Green Jackets repeated as Pacific League champ in 2031-32 with 97 and 100 win seasons. In 2031, Guadalcanal won a tiebreaker game over Fiji to secure the pennant. They were swept in the 2031 finals by Perth, but won the OBA crown 4-2 over Brisbane in 2032. Soo struggled in his 2031 start, giving up five runs in five innings. He won his two starts in the 2032 series with a 2.57 ERA over 14 innings. Guadalcanal went 9-12 in the BGC, but Soo was respectable with a 3.23 ERA, 39 innings, 50 Ks, and 0.8 WAR.

The next three years each had 90+ wins, but Guadalcanal missed the pennant. In 2036, 95-67 was good enough to take it by one game over Vanuatu and only two over both Fiji and Tahiti. The Green Jackets rolled Hobart 4-1 in the Oceania Championship. Soo won both starts in the series with a 1.69 ERA over 16 innings and 19 Ks.

He was mixed in the BGC with a 4.05 ERA, 2-2 record, 33.1 innings, 39 Ks, and 0.7 WAR. Guadalcanal was one of six teams at 12-9, one win short of the top spot. Once all the tiebreakers were sorted, they ranked tenth. For his Green Jackets playoff career, Soo had a 4-1 record, 3.09 ERA, 35 innings, 41 Ks, 118 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 0.6 WAR. His contract was up with their 2036 title.

With Guadalcanal, Soo had a 105-56 record, 3.58 ERA, 1658.1 innings, 1638 strikeouts, 343 walks, 37 complete games 12 shutouts, 103 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 28.7 WAR. He accomplished his childhood dream of winning a title with his hometown club. Now a free agent at age 34, Soo opened up a worldwide search for work and ended up in Mexico with Hermosillo on a one-year deal.

The Hyenas ultimately used Soo purely in relief with a 2.08 ERA over 60.2 innings, 85 Ks, and 1.8 WAR in 2037. He stayed in Mexico with Juarez in 2038, but only had four appearances despite being healthy with 6.2 innings. Soo signed for 2039 with Honduras and was under contract all season, but never saw the field. He retired in the winter at age 37.

In OBA, Soo had a 208-118 record, 3.35 ERA, 3195.2 innings, 3203 strikeouts, 593 walks, 255/404 quality starts, 128 complete games, 25 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 60.5 WAR. Soo ranks 30^th in wins, 50^th in innings, 30^th in complete games, 32^nd in shutouts, 42^nd in strikeouts, and 53^rd in WAR among pitchers.

Soo’s totals don’t put him in the inner-circle conversation of Oceania Baseball Association greats. But he had a POTY win and most importantly was an important visible figure for several championship teams between Guadalcanal and Port Moresby. No OBA pitcher has more postseason appearances (17). Soo received 88.6% to stand alone for Hall of Fame induction in 2042.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Three starting pitchers made the cut for Austronesia Professional Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2042. Each made it on the first ballot and Ronaldo Sahri was the clear headliner at 88.7%. Shih-Hao Chuang and Sheng-Wai Tien joined him, but both narrowly breached the 66% requirement with 70.6% and 67.1%, respectively. SP Moch Kopriyana was a near miss with 64.2% on his second ballot. Also above 50% was SP Kuo-Chen Kao at 58.1% on his eighth try and C Fandi Makatindu with 51.3% for his third go. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Ronaldo Sahri – Starting Pitcher – Palembang Panthers – 88.7% First Ballot

Ronaldo Sahri was a 6’6’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Malang, Indonesia; a city with about 844,000 people in the East Java province. Sahri was known for fast and hard stuff along with above average control and movement. He had a great 99-101 mph fastball along with a very good curveball and splitter, plus an okay changeup.

Relative to other APB aces, Sahri’s stamina was merely average. His durability was good in his prime though so he still tossed 200+ innings each year from 2022-32. Sahri had positive grades for defense and holding runners. He was beloved by his peers as one of the real high-character guys in the game. Sahri was selfless, intelligent, and a hard worker.

A tall, strong pitching prospect earns plenty of attention from scouts and Sahri was no exception. In August 2015, Palembang signed him to a developmental deal. After around five years, he debuted in 2020 with 31.2 innings showing promising potential. The Panthers were the defending Austronesia Champion entering 2020 and beat Medan 4-3 to repeat as Sundaland Association champs. In a rematch with Taipei, Palembang was denied the APB title repeat. Sahri earned a starting job for the playoff run with mixed results, going 0-2 in four starts with a 3.00 ERA, 30 innings, 27 Ks, 90 ERA+, 125 FIP-, and 0.1 WAR.

Sahri saw increased use in 2021, but primarily in relief with occasional starts. Palembang went 101-61 and swept Kuala Lumpur for a third straight SA pennant. The Panthers then bested Hsinchu 4-2 for their second APB title in three years. Sahri had two playoff starts with a 2.70 ERA in 13.1 innings and 15 Ks. In his first Baseball Grand Championship, Sahri was 3-1 in four starts with a 2.23 ERA, 32.1 innings, 44 Ks, 183 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 0.9 WAR. Palembang took third in the event at 13-6.

This was the peak of Palembang’s dynasty, as their playoff streak ended with an 89-73 season in 2022. They spent the next three years below .500 before getting back into the middle tier, but the Panthers wouldn’t return to the playoffs with Sahri. He earned the full-time rotation spot though in 2022 and thrived even as the team began to fall off.

Sahri’s career-best 319 strikeouts came in 2023. In 2024, he was third in Pitcher of the Year voting despite leading the association in wins (18-6) and ERA (1.49) with his career-best 6.7 WAR. Sahri also won a Silver Slugger with a .267/.279/.350 slash at the plate, although he finished with a career .424 OPS. This was his only season as a POTY finalist. He remained steady in the 5-6 WAR range and had his career-best 318 Ks in 2026.

With Palembang, Sahri also tossed three no-hitters. The first was June 11, 2023 with 12 Ks and one walk facing Kuala Lumpur. The next was May 17, 2025 with 10 Ks and one walk against Johor Bahru. The third was May 11, 2026 with eight Ks and three walks facing Pekanbaru. Sahri’s last three years there saw winning seasons for the Panthers, but they couldn’t come to terms on an extension. His last year in 2028 did see only 3.1 WAR, his worst as a full-time starter to that point, making them somewhat leery of a long-term deal for the now 30-year old Sahri.

Overall for the Panthers, Sahri had a 108-78 record, 2.09 ERA, 1875.2 innings, 2236 strikeouts, 356 walks, 64 complete games, 24 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 41.2 WAR. He was very well respected by the organization for his efforts over nine seasons and Sahri’s #40 uniform was later retired. Bandung was not worried about giving him a long-term deal and signed Sahri that winter to a seven-year, $154,600,000 contract.

His talents were well known across Indonesia and Sahri did pitch regularly for his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2022-33, Sahri tossed 85.1 innings with a 6-4 record, 4.22 ERA, 120 strikeouts, 41 walks, and 0.1 WAR; very underwhelming results. Indonesia’s deepest run with Sahri was a fourth place finish in 2029.

Bandung had won the APB title in 2024, but drifted back to the middle-tier after that. They bottomed out in 2028 at 64-98 and hoped Sahri could help them recover quickly. The plan got them out of the cellar with 81, 77, and 81 wins in his first three years. Minor injuries limited Sahri’s innings a bit, but he did post his best ERA of 1.41 in 2030.

On May 8, 2032; Sahri threw his fourth no-hitter with nine Ks and two walks facing Surabaya. He became the sixth APB ace to toss 4+ no-nos. Bandung won the Java Sea League at 98-64, then defeated Depok 4-2 to win the Sundaland Association crown. The Blackhawks went on to defeat Quezon 4-2 in the Austronesia Championship. Sahri was used only in relief in the playoffs and struggled giving up five runs in 7.2 innings. He only saw 3.1 innings in the BGC with two runs allowed as the Blackhawks went 10-11.

Sahri was only a part-time starter the next two seasons. Bandung was 107-55 in 2033 and repeated as APB champs, besting Tainan in the finals. Sahri had only one relief appearance in the playoffs and two in the BGC, although he notably tossed 5.2 scoreless innings in the latter. The Blackhawks had an impressive 17-4 finish in the BGC, second only to 18-3 Washington.

Bandung got the top seed in 2034 at 102-60, but lost to Kuala Lumpur in the association final. The Blackhawks were 112-50 the next year, but again denied by the Leopards in the Sundaland Association final. Sahri made only two starts in 2035 as he suffered a torn labrum in early April.

This marked the end of the Bandung run after seven seasons with a 67-41 record, 2.24 ERA, 1122.2 innings, 1276 strikeouts, 196 walks, 24 complete games, 10 shutouts, 119 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 19.5 WAR. Sahri didn’t want to go out on an injury and Pekanbaru gave him a one-year deal for 2036. He was passable with a 2.62 ERA, 192 innings, 142 Ks, 104 ERA+, 117 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. Sahri opted to retire that winter at age 38.

Sahri finished with a 181-131 record, 2.17 ERA, 3190.1 innings, 3654 strikeouts, 576 walks, 312/395 quality starts, 98 complete games, 35 shutouts, 119 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 61.9 WAR. He ranks 59^th in wins, 57^th in innings, 56^th in shutouts, 39^th in strikeouts, and 77^th in pitching WAR. Sahri’s ERA is 81^st among pitchers with 1000+ innings.

He wasn’t considered the best in the league during his career and his accumulations aren’t overwhelming. However, Sahri was a consistent arm on several winning teams and was one of the more likeable guys in the game. Hall of Fame voters are also very pitcher-friendly in the extremely low scoring world of Austronesia Professional Baseball. Sahri made it in easily at 88.7% to captain a three-ace class for 2042.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Shih-Hao Chuang – Starting Pitcher – Kaohsiung Steelheads – 70.6% First Ballot

Shih-Hao Chuang was a 6’8’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Homei, Taiwan; a city with about 88,000 people in the Changhua county. The tall lefty was known for rock solid stuff along with above average control and decent movement. Chuang had a 98-100 mph fastball, but his changeup and forkball were his most feared pitches. He also had a slider and curveball in the arsenal.

Chuang’s stamina was average relative to most APB aces, but excellent durability meant he still put up plenty of innings over a 17-year career. His pickoff move and ability to hold runners was both top tier, although his overall defense was unremarkable. Chuang was very intelligent and highly adaptable, which helped his longevity even as the raw talent started to fade.

Few things catch the eye of scouts like a tall lefty and Chuang certainly stood out. Kaohsiung snagged him with a developmental deal in January 2015. After four years in the academy, Chuang had part-time use in 2019 and 2020 with decent results. He saw more action with 172 innings in 2021, but was limited back to 92.1 innings in 2022. Chuang finally secured a full-time rotation spot in 2023. After a mostly mediocre 2010s, the Steelheads were back above .500 in the 2020s but still just outside of the top spot in the Taiwan League.

Chuang’s big breakthrough was his Pitcher of the Year win in 2024, leading the TL with career bests for strikeouts (343), shutouts (6), and WAR (9.0). He also had his bests for innings (272.1), wins (19-8), and ERA (1.69). Chuang was one win and 11 points short of a Triple Crown season. Kaohsiung ended a 12-year playoff drought and won the Taiwan League at 96-66.

The Steelheads defeated Zamboanga 4-1 in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship. They were denied in the Austronesia Championship in a 4-3 classic with Bandung. Chuang had a strong playoff run despite a 2-2 record, posting a 0.82 ERA over 33 innings with 44 Ks and 1.3 WAR. He never had a season that dominant again and wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist again. Chuang settled into a groove with more above average production for the rest of the run with Kaohsiung.

In May 2025, Chuang signed a four-year, $68,100,000 extension. The next four years saw competitive records for the Steelheads, but their only playoff berth was 2026 with a TPA finals loss to Cebu. Kaohsiung fell into the bottom run in 2029, Chuang’s last year with the team. With a rebuild expected and Chuang now 31, they let him leave for free agency.

For Kaohsiung, Chuang had a 123-94 record, 2.50 ERA, 2093 innings, 2466 strikeouts, 459 walks, 58 complete games, 19 shutouts, 112 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 38.7 WAR. It was overall a very effective decade for Chuang and the Steelheads retired his #32 uniform once his career was done. He ended up signing next on a four-year, $30,400,000 deal with Chiayi. The City Hawks were an expansion team entering only their second season.

Chuang wasn’t exceptional, but he provided steady reliable innings as a new franchise struggled through its early years. After the 2032 season, Chiayi traded Chuang for two prospects to Quezon. The Zombies were the defending TPA champ and wanted some depth in the rotation.

Quezon went 92-70 in 2033 and lost in the association final to Tainan. Chuang provided his standard production with a 12-15 record, 2.62 ERA, 257.2 innings, 298 Ks, 127 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 4.7 WAR. He did give up two runs over 3.2 playoff innings in two appearances. The Zombies didn’t extend him and Chuang was a free agent for 2034. He went back to Taiwan on a three-year, $21,900,000 deal with Taichung.

Chuang had a decent 2034, but posted below average stats in 2035 and fell out of the rotation, missing the vesting criteria for the third year of the deal. He had a 15-21 record, 3.17 ERA, 363 innings, 355 Ks, 101 ERA+, 100 FIP-, and 4.6 WAR with the Toucans.

For 2036, he signed a one-year deal for a second stint with Chiayi and posted a 3.69 ERA over 158.1 innings, 140 Ks, 91 ERA+, 97 FIP- and 2.1 WAR. Between stints and four seasons for the City Hawks, Chuang had a 41-53 record, 2.85 ERA, 909.1 innings, 976 strikeouts, 139 walks, 112 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 16.4 WAR. He did breach the 4000 strikeout milestone in his final season to bolster his Hall of Fame candidacy. Chuang retired after the 2036 campaign at age 38.

Chuang finished with a 191-183 record, 2.66 ERA, 3623 innings, 4095 strikeouts, 680 walks, 332/456 quality starts, 114 complete games, 31 shutouts, 112 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 64.4 WAR. He ranks 43^rd in wins, 23^rd in innings, 86^th in complete games, 74^th in shutouts, 25^th in strikeouts, but only 69^th in pitching WAR. Chuang had good longevity, but critics noted he was consistently above average as opposed to particularly exceptional.

Supporters noted that he did have one exceptional year to win POTY and played a big role in a pennant win with Kaohsiung. Chuang also had 4000 Ks and every eligible player in Austronesia Professional Baseball to hit that mark had made it in. His 70.6% only narrowly breached the 66% requirement, but Chuang earned the first ballot nod as part of a three pitcher group in 2042.



Sheng-Wai “Spuds” Tien – Starting Pitcher – Cebu Crows – 67.1% First Ballot

Sheng-Wai Tien was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Taoyuan, Taiwan’s fifth-largest city. He earned the nickname “Spuds” for his love of the humble potato (and who can blame him? They are delicious!). Tien had good-to-great stuff and control with above average movement. He had 97-99 mph velocity on his fastball, although his cutter was easily his strongest offering. Tien also had a good slider and okay changeup in the arsenal.

Tien’s stamina was good, but he dealt with multiple torn labrums that shortened his career. He was above average at holding runners and below average defensively. Tien wasn’t a malcontent, but some teammates felt he was selfish and lazy. He left Taiwan in May 2019 for the Philippines on a developmental deal with Cebu. Tien spent around six seasons in their academy, debuting with 91.2 solid innings in 2024.

In 2025, he earned a full-time rotation spot and helped spark a dynasty run for the Crows, who hadn’t won the Philippine League since 2012. Tien was third in 2025’s Pitcher of the Year voting as Cebu took the top seed at 105-57. The Crows rolled Hsinchu 4-1 to win the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, but lost a seven-game classic to Jakarta in the Austronesia Championship. In three playoff starts, Tien had a 2.66 ERA over 20.1 innings with 22 Ks and 0.5 WAR.

Tien won his lone Pitcher of the Year in 2026 with an association-best 8.9 WAR, 28 quality starts, 19 complete games, and 5 shutouts. The WAR would be his career-best and he added 1.98 ERA, 320 Ks, and a 15-12 record. Cebu won a weak PL at 85-77, but shocked Kaohsiung with a sweep in the TPA final. The Crows then cruised to a 4-1 win over Johor Bahru for the APB title. Their 8-1 playoff record was one of the more impressive in APB history and was especially surprising considering they won only 85 all season.

A huge part of that dominant run was Tien, who won his three starts with a 1.17 ERA over 23 innings, 37 Ks, and 1.7 WAR. He had less luck in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.05 ERA over 33.1 innings, 44 Ks, and 0.2 WAR. Cebu’s magic ran out on the big stage with a 7-12 record, but Tien had established himself as a top ace.

Tien had a surprisingly weaker 2027 and was moved into a split starter/relief role. Cebu finished 100-62 and beat Hsinchu for a third straight pennant. The Crows were denied the APB title repeat in another seven game war with Jakarta. Tien struggled in his two playoff starts to a 5.14 ERA over 14 innings.

In 2028, Tien found his mojo again with a career-best 1.80 ERA and 8.9 WAR, taking third in POTY voting. Cebu went 97-65 and four-peated as Taiwan-Philippine Association champs, besting Tainan 4-2. The Crows then claimed their second APB crown of the run with a 4-2 win over Johor Bahru. Tien had a solid run with a 1.69 ERA over 16 innings and 18 Ks. Unfortunately, his last start ended with his first torn labrum. That kept him out of the BGC, an 8-11 finish for Cebu.

Fortunately, Tien was back and healthy for the next three seasons. Although not a POTY finalist, he was good for 6-7 WAR each year and had his career highs for innings (286) and Ks (326) in 2030. Cebu’s playoff streak continued with the newly expanded postseason, but they had first round exits in 2029-30. In 2031, the Crows had their best record of the streak at 109-53 and beat Tainan for their fifth pennant in seven years.

Cebu was denied the Austronesia Championship in six games by Kuala Lumpur. Tien had a mixed playoff run with a 3.58 ERA over 32.2 innings, 39 Ks, and 0.4 WAR. He had a lackluster 4.83 ERA in 31.2 BGC innings, but had 34 Ks, 63 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR suggesting bad luck. The Crows finished 11-10 in the event. It was Tien’s last playoff trip for Cebu, finishing with a 6-5 record, 2.60 ERA, 121 innings, 151 Ks, 114 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 3.9 WAR.

The playoff streak continued one more year with a first round exit and wild card in 2032. Unfortunately for Tien, he suffered his second labrum tear in July to end his season. The timing couldn’t be worse, as his contract was up with Cebu. The Crows were grateful for what he did, but were leery of giving a 30-year old a long-term deal coming off another big injury.

Overall for Cebu, Tien had a 134-75 record, 2.19 ERA, 2009.2 innings, 2297 strikeouts, 301 walks, 112 complete games, 20 shutouts, 132 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 53.1 WAR. Tien was a critical part of the dynasty run and the Crows later retired his #25 uniform. Both Tien and Kaohsiung were optimistic that he’d bounce back from the injury with a four-year, $85,600,000 deal.

Tien stayed healthy in 2033-34, but posted merely above average production with fewer innings than his earlier days. Kaohsiung got a wild card in 2034, but lost in the first round. Tien missed much of 2035 to a torn triceps and it dented his stuff and control. Then in June 2036, he suffered his third labrum tear and was told by doctors to retire just after his 34^th birthday. For the Steelheads in four seasons, Tien had a 33-35 record, 2.86 ERA, 647.2 innings, 690 strikeouts, 135 walks, 112 ERA+, 99 FIP-, and 8.1 WAR.

In total, Tien had a 167-110 record, 2.36 ERA, 2657.1 innings, 2987 strikeouts, 436 walks, 240/317 quality starts, 129 complete games, 22 shutouts, 127 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 61.3 WAR. Tien ranks 83^rd in wins, 62^nd in complete games, 96^th in strikeouts, and 80^th in WAR among pitchers. You could certainly argue he was the most efficient and dominant of the three pitchers inducted into Austronesia Professional Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2042.

However, Tien definitely had the lowest inning count and while APB voters were pitcher-friendly, they often put a premium on accumulations. Those were lacking for Tien, but many were sympathetic considering injuries shortened his career. He also had a POTY award and a starring role in a dynasty run for Cebu. Tien barely breached the 66% threshold, but 67.1% earned him a first ballot induction to cap off a three-man 2042 class.

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Chinese League Baseball had its third empty Hall of Fame class in a decade. LF Simon Chang was the closest to the 66% requirement, missing at 63.5% on his debut. SP Yingfa Luo was also close at 61.2% on his seventh try. 1B Zhongling Zhang was the only other player with more than half of the vote with a 50.2% debut. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

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Only DH/OF Edward Mumini made it into West African Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2042 and he barely breached the 66% requirement, debuting at 58.3%. SP Jacques Ahouansou was next closest with 58.3% on his sixth ballot. 2B Tigui Ekanga saw 55.3% on his second try. All other players were below 50%.




Two were dropped after ten failed ballots. Pitcher Nwaneri Victor got as close at 58.4% in 2034 and ended at 45.0%. He had a 17-year career with Abidjan ostly as a reliever, although he started for six seasons. Victor won Reliever of the Year twice and had a 119-128 record, 229 saves, 3.67 ERA, 1846 innings, 2140 strikeouts, 414 walks, 124 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 35.6 WAR.

Victor’s split career between starting and relief meant he didn’t reach the accumulations voters wanted for either spot. He was important for Abidjan’s regular playoff contention with a WAB title in 2023 and runner-up in 2026, but Victor had a middling 4.58 ERA over 55 playoff innings. The Athletes retired his #5 uniform for his steadfast service, but Victor was condemned to the Hall of Pretty Good.

His former teammate Mokhtar Abdoulaye also dropped off the ballot, peaking at 51.4% and ending with only 17.2%. He was a full-time starter over 12 years between Abidjan and Lagos with a 149-74 record, 3.55 ERA, 1998 innings, 2179 strikeouts, 469 walks, 128 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 44.8 WAR. Abodoulaye was only a Pitcher of the Year finalist once and generally wasn’t a league leader. He needed either much more tenure or more dominance to have made the cut, but Abdoulaye did also get his #49 uniform retired by the Athletes.



Edward “Bishop” Mumini – Designated Hitter/Outfield – Freetown Foresters – 68.0% First Ballot

Edward Mumini was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder and designated hitter from Damaturu, Nigeria; a city of 88,000 people and the capital of the northeastern Yobe State. He was always willing to share his faith, earning the nickname “Bishop.” Mumini wasn’t a judgmental type though and had the respect and admiration from those of all persuasions. He was a team captain renowned for his incredibly high character, work ethic, and intelligence.

Consistent power was Mumini’s calling card as a player, posting 40 home runs, 32 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. He was a solid contact hitter and was above average at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was subpar. Mumini’s best results came facing left-handed pitching (.978 OPS, 143 wRC+) but he was by no means weak facing righties (.913 OPS, 128 wRC+). Mumini graded as a below average, but not terrible baserunner.

However, he struggled with his glove and made close to 2//3 of his starts as a designated hitter. Mumini was a corner outfielder when in the field with better results in right, although he played a bit more in left and was mediocre in either spot. He did have excellent durability though across a 17-year career.

Mumini left Nigeria for Gabon on a developmental deal in October 2013 with Libreville. He was a late bloomer and his weak defense also limited his options. After over six years in the academy, Mumini debuted in 2020 for the Lakers at age 23 with 38 games and 17 starts, but he struggled to -0.3 WAR. At this point, the Libreville brass really didn’t see much of a future for Mumini.

In the offseason, he was one of three prospects traded to Freetown for RF Ahmed Kone, a 2037 Hall of Fame inductee. Kone was 28 and played well for the Lakers, although he was only there two years. Freetown gave Mumini 80 games and 67 starts in 2021 with 0.8 WAR, so it wasn’t clear they had struck gold with him. He earned the full-time job in 2022 with 38 homers, 124 RBI, .972 OPS, and 4.1 WAR.

Most importantly, 2022 ended a seven-year playoff drought and run of losing seasons for the Foresters. They earned back-to-back wild cards with first round exits in 2022-23. Mumini had good results in a platoon role in 2033, but had subpar results in 2024 as a full-time starter. That year, Freetown was a wild card again at 97-65.

The Foresters shocked 114-win Abidjan with a 3-1 upset in the Western League Championship Series. However, they were swept by Port Harcourt in the West African Championship. Mumini had a respectable playoff run and finally put it all together in 2025, beginning a seven-year streak of with 40+ homers, 100+ runs, and 120+ RBI each year. He signed a four-year, $18,080,000 extension in July 2025 and won his first Silver Slugger that year (in RF).

Freetown got to the 2025 WLCS, but lost 3-2 to Dakar. After missing the playoffs by one game in 2026, the Foresters started a six-year playoff streak and had five straight WLCS trips. They lost again in 2027 to the Dukes. In 2028, Freetown took the top seed at 97-65 and dethroned Dakar 3-2 to claim the pennant. The Foresters shockingly swept Cotonou for the WAB title, denying a three-peat bid for the Copperheads.

Mumini was the star of the postseason, winning MVP in both the finals and LCS. In nine starts, he had 13 hits,7 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, 12 RBI, 1.243 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. Mumini remained hot into the Baseball Grand Championship with 22 hits, 15 runs, 8 homers, 16 RBI, 1.154 OPS, 227 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Although Freetown finished 6-13, it was clear Mumini was the guy to lead them to a sustained run. That winter, the Foresters gave him a five-year, $72 million extension.

The WLCS rivalry with Dakar continued in 2029 and 2030; both with sweeps for the Dukes. Mumini’s only time as a league leader came in 2030 with 157 RBI. 2031 would have his career bests for homers (61), runs (122), OPS (1.021), and WAR (5.3); winning his second Silver Slugger (as a DH). Freetown had their best season of the run at 111-51, setting a franchise record. They defeated Nouakchott 3-1 in the WLCS, then topped Ouagadougou 4-1 to in the WAB crown.

It was another big playoff run for Mumini, who was WLCS MVP and had 5 homers, 11 RBI, 11 hits, 7 runs, 1.123 OPS, and 0.5 WAR in nine starts. He had another fine BGC showing with 21 hits, 10 runs, 7 homers, 13 RBI, .909 OPS, 159 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. Freetown finished 12-9, one of five teams tied for seventh and only two wins out of the top spot.

This was the peak for the Foresters dynasty. They had a first round exit in 2032 and WLCS loss in 2034 to Bamako before falling below .500 for the rest of the 2030s. Mumini was a rare player whose playoff metrics were superior to his regular season stats even with a good sample size. In 68 playoff games, he had 88 hits, 44 runs, 15 doubles, 25 homers, 66 RBI, .338/.384/.708 slash, 1.092 OPS, 173 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR. Mumini ranks 4^th in playoff homers, 16^th in runs, 10^th in hits, 6^th in total bases (184), and 5^th in RBI.

Mumini stated loyal to Freedown even as the good times ended for the squad. They bought out his last year in 2033, but gave him a new three-year, $20,100,000 extension. His numbers started to wane and he became a middling bat in his last two years, but still a great clubhouse guy. Mumini retired after the 2036 season at age 39 and immediately had his #10 uniform retired for his 16 seasons of steadfast service.

The final career totals (almost entirely with Freetown) saw 2359 games, 2541 hits, 1485 runs, 471 doubles, 125 triples, 588 home runs, 1685 RBI, 763 walks, 2027 strikeouts, .292/.352/.578 slash, 132 wRC+, and 45.1 WAR. Mumini ranks 32^nd in games, 29^th in runs, 48^th in hits, 27^th in total bases (5026), 75^th in doubles, 23^rd in home runs, and 20^th in RBI. However, he wasn’t in the top 100 for WAR and lost a lot of value as a DH.

In the extremely high-scoring world of West African Baseball, Mumini also didn’t have exceptional metrics. For Hall of Fame voters who cared about big peaks and awards, Mumini was underwhelming. He was never an MVP finalist and there were contemporary sluggers with more impressive stats. Mumini also almost never was a league leader. His accumulations were solid, but detractors felt his was a compiler who merely sustained above average-ness.

Mumini’s biggest plus though were his playoff stats, which were impressive by any measure. His 1.092 playoff OPS was 20^th among batters with 40+ plate appearances and most of the guys ahead of him did it with a far smaller sample size. His bat and leadership were critical for a decade of dominance with Freetown that included seven WLCS trips, three pennants, and two WAB titles. The detractors kept Mumini at only 68.0%, but that was still enough to secure the first ballot nod as WAB’s lone 2042 inductee.

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Three outfielders were first ballot selections into South Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame for 2042. RF Gunavati Canrajita was the clear headliner at 97.9% and was joined by RF Cong Bui at 85.2% and LF/1B Alfonso Giraldes at 83.4%. LF Tan Tai Nguyen was the only other player above 50%, debuting at 51.3%. 3B Jay Prasad was the best returner at 48.1% on his second try. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Gunavati “Village Idiot” Candrajita – Right Field – Hai Phong Prowlers – 97.9% First Ballot

Gunavati Candrajita was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed right fielder from Visakhapatnam, the fourth-largest city in India. He was a leadoff man known for excellent contact ability with equal results facing lefties and righties. Candrajita was outstanding at avoiding strikeouts and putting the ball in play. He was also one of the most dangerous baserunners ever and retired as SAB’s all-time stolen base king despite his large frame.

Candrajita’s gap power was good, but he wasn’t going to get you many home runs. His 162 game average had 37 doubles, 17 triples, and 9 home runs. Candrajita also very rarely drew walks, but he hit at a high enough average to still get on base plenty.

Despite his speed and baserunning cunning, Candrajita was an absolutely abysmal defender. He was a career right fielder with atrocious metrics. Despite that, he only made about 1/6 of his starts as a designated hitter. Candrajita actually had a cannon arm too, but his range and glove work were laughable which earned the “Village Idiot” nickname. Still, he was actually a highly intelligent, adaptable, and hard-working guy otherwise. Candrajita had his share of injuries (mostly back related) especially later in his career, but he hung around for 22 years.

Candrajita left India for Vietnam on a developmental deal in June 2011 with Hai Phong. The Prowlers franchise was still quite new, having debuted with the 2008 expansion. Candrajita made it up by 2015 and saw 23 starts with 121 games over his first two years with promising results. He was a full-time roster member for 2017 and started much of the year, then had the full-time starting gig the next year.

He emerged as a top player by 2019, leading the Southeast Asia League that year in runs (118), steals (108) and batting average (.375). The average would be his career-best for a qualified season and the 6.6 WAR would be near his best. Candrajita won his first Silver Slugger and that winter signed a four-year, $25,140,000 extension with Hai Phong. His production dipped a bit the next two years to injuries, herniated discs in 2020 and a sprained knee in 2021.

Hai Phong earned its first playoff trip in 2020 as a division champ at 97-65. Candrajita missed the playoff run as they got to the SEAL final, but were swept by Yangon. The Prowlers earned the top seed in 2021 at 101-61, but were upset 3-2 by Dhaka in the first round. Candrajita opted out of his remaining deal, but signed a new four-year, $26,800,000 extension to stay with Hai Phong.

Candrajita won his second Silver Slugger in 2022 with league and career bests for runs (147), hits (221), and steals (129) along with a career-best 6.7 WAR. The runs rank as the sixth-best season in SAB history and the steals are the second-most. Candrajita also hit for the cycle in September against Kathmandu.

Hai Phong had their best record yet at 102-60 and got to the SEAL Championship, falling 4-1 to Yangon. A critique of Candrajita was his weak performance this year in the playoffs with .508 OPS and 42 wRC+. That was the end of Hai Phong’s competitive window. They spent the next four years hovering around .500 before falling lower later with a decade-plus playoff drought.

Although the team faltered, Candrajita remained consistent and won his third Slugger in 2023. He led in steals from 2022-25 and twice more had 200+ hit seasons. Candrajita wasn’t re-signed after the 2025 season, heading to free agency at age 31. For the Prowlers, Candrajita played 1404 games with 1733 hits, 951 runs, 318 doubles, 156 triples, 83 homers, 500 RBI, 934 steals, .334/.356/.503 slash, 135 wRC+, and 40.7 WAR. He remained popular and his #19 uniform was later retired by Hai Phong.

Candrajita held out hope for a long-term deal, but no teams were biting. He eventually in spring training settled for a one-year, $2,600,000 deal with Bangkok. Candrajita led in steals again (112) and got 203 hits, 112 runs, 40 doubles, 19 triples, .908 OPS, 143 wRC+, and 5.2 WAR in his one year in Thailand. Back to free agency the next year, Candrajita earned a four-year, $38,400,000 deal with Ahmedabad. This brought him back to India, although he was an occasional reserve for the national team in the World Baseball Championship.

In his first two years with the Animals, Candrajita led the IL in hits. He had a batting title (.374) and 6.7 WAR in 2027, while leading in steals for the seventh time in 2028. After a relative down period, Ahmedabad was back to regular contention. They went to the Indian League Championship Series in 2027 at 100-62, but lost 4-2 to Pune. The Animals had beaten the Purple Knights by three games in the West Division.

Ahmedabad went 110-52 in 2028 and got revenge over Pune in the first round 3-1. The Animals then outlasted Jaipur 4-3 to win the ILCS, their first pennant since their run of 15 titles in 17 years from 1986-2002. Ahmedabad was denied 4-1 by Mandalay in the SAB Championship. Candrajita had a solid playoff showing with 19 hits, 10 runs, .777 OPS, 125 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR. He would struggle in the Baseball Grand Championship though with .565 OPS, 65 wRC+, and -0.3 WAR. The Animals were 8-11 in the event.

Candrajita was a bit weaker but still a decent starter in 2029. Ahmedabad won the West Division again at 97-65 but got swept in the first round by Nagpur. The Animals declined the team option fourth year of Candrajita’s deal, sending him to free agency at age 35. In three solid seasons for Ahmedabad, Candrajita had 428 games, 584 hits, 312 runs, 111 doubles, 43 triples, 21 homers, 188 RBI, 260 steals, .351/.371/.508 slash, 152 wRC+, and 15.8 WAR.

He ended up signing a three-year, $17,100,000 deal with Indore, who had been a 2025 expansion team. In 2030, Candrajita had the best pace of his career with a .408/.434/.611 slash, 193 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR over 102 games. Unfortunately, his shot as a possible MVP was thwarted with a strained ACL that kept him out for the fall. Indore earned its first-ever playoff berth, although they were one-and-done and Candrajita missed the playoffs.

Candrajita couldn’t match the pace in 2031, but still played very well with .946 OPS, 169 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR in 105 games. This time, he had shoulder tendinitis in the spring and a herniated disc in the fall that limited him. Indore finished 78-84 and Candrajita didn’t meet the criteria for the third year of the deal. With the Razorbacks, he had 207 games, 308 hits, 152 runs, 60 doubles, 23 triples, 11 homers, 109 RBI, 159 steals, .395/.420/.573 slash, 181 wRC+, and 10.3 WAR.

He had posted his best rate stats and hoped to do it over a full season at age 37. Candrajita signed a conditional two-year deal worth $19,400,000 with Visakhapatnam, bringing him back to his home city. The Volts were the defending Indian League champ and had won 100+ games in six of the last seven years. Back issues limited him to 121 games with 166 hits, 93 runs, 77 steals, .340/.363/.490 slash, 139 wRC+, and 3.7 WAR. Candrajita finished the year with 1542 stolen bases, passing David Rusli for the most in SAB history.

Visakhapatnam finished 100-62 and outlasted Delhi 4-3 to win the ILCS. The Volts then prevailed in a seven-game classic over Mandalay to win the South Asia Baseball crown. Candrajita had an excellent postseason with 27 hits, 10 runs, 5 doubles, 9 steals, .960 OPS, 181 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. The Volts struggled to 7-14 in the BGC with Candrajita posting .641 OPS, 79 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR.

Candrajita didn’t meet the criteria for a second year with Visakhapatnam, but he lived out a childhood dream of winning a title with his hometown team. He signed a one-year, $2,880,000 deal with Pune for 2033 and was still a solid starter over 126 games with 158 hits, .367/.394/.522 slash, 159 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR. Candrajita joined the 3000 hit club as well, only the seventh member of the club in SAB to that point.

Mumbai picked up Candrajita for 2034 although he was limited to 107 games and 70 starts due to both injuries and performance. He had .819 OPS, 127 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR. Still, the Meteors ended an 11-playoff drought and got to the ILCS, where they lost to Delhi. Candrajita had .903 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR in the playoff run. This was his last playoff trip, finishing his career with 68 games, 82 hits, 36 runs, 15 doubles, 7 triples, 2 homers, 22 RBI, 46 steals, .309/.336/.442 slash, 123 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR.

Candrajita joined Nay Pyi Taw in 2035 on a two-year, $7,040,000 deal. He was a full-time starter in 2035 with .781 OPS, 110 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR over 143 games. In 2036, ACL and PCL injuries kept him out most of the year. Candrajita finished with 188 games, 232 hits, 119 runs, 42 doubles, 102 steals, .310/.344/.446 slash, 112 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR with the Capitals. He retired after the 2036 season just after his 42^nd birthday.

In total, Candrajita played 2732 games with 3485 hits, 1860 runs, 632 doubles, 288 triples, 154 home runs, 1042 RBI, 332 walks, 811 strikeouts, 7.6% strikeout rate, 5155 total bases, 1781 stolen bases, 432 caught stealing, .342/.365/.506 slash, 141 wRC+, and 85.4 WAR. Candrajita is SAB’s career leader in both stolen bases and triples. He also ranks 13^th in games, 6^th in runs, 5^th in hits, 22^nd in total bases, 2^nd in singles (2411), 8^th in doubles, 13^th in caught stealing, and 41^st in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Candrajita ranks 11^th in batting average. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, he’s tied for 21^st in batting average. Candrajita is 3^rd in world history for stolen bases and is in the top 100 for both hits and doubles.

He’s certainly in the conversation among South Asia Baseball’s best-ever leadoff men and as one of the best baserunners and stealers in all of baseball history. Candrajita’s lack of home run power and walks, plus his putrid defense, drops his standing notably when compared broadly to the game’s inner-circle greats. Regardless, Candrajita was a clear HOF headliner and earned 97.9% to captain the 2042 class for SAB.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Asian Baseball Federation had an impressive four-man Hall of Fame class in 2042 with each player getting above 80% on the first ballot. The co-headliners were pitchers Hasan Yousefi and Agshin Jumayev at 98.8% and 98.5%, respectively. SP Maksat Gurbanov (85.9%) and 2B Thakur Shahzad (81.3%) joined them. Only one other player was above 50%, LF Ramin Abilov, getting 55.4% on his tenth and final chance.



For Abilov, he was never below 50% and peaked at 62.2% in 2040. He had a 21-year career and won four Silver Sluggers, finishing with 2652 games, 2736 hits, 1320 runs, 578 doubles, 519 homers, 1436 RBI, .290/.337/.529 slash, 157 wRC+, and 87.5 WAR. Abilov ranks 15^th in games, 27^th in runs, 15^th in hits, 14^th in total bases (4995), 16^th in doubles, 25^th in homers, 22^nd in RBI, and 35^th in WAR among position players.

Considering those tallies, why did Abilov miss the cut? His black ink was limited, leading in hits twice, slugging once, and OPS once; but he was twice an MVP finalist. He had .847 OPS, 151 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR over 126 playoff games. Abilov ranks 4^th in playoff games, 4^th in hits (134), and 14^th in runs (53). He was part of deep runs with Tehran, Dushanbe, and Bishkek. Abilov also wasn’t a malcontent or problematic. Considering that resume, he goes down as one of the more baffling snubs you’ll find for any Hall of Fame.



Hasan Yousefi – Starting Pitcher – Ankara Alouettes – 98.8% First Ballot

Hasan Yousefi was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Firuzabad, Iran; a city of around 65,000 in the south-central Fars province. Yousefi was known for terrific stuff and control, but his movement was below average and he sometimes had issues allowing home runs. He was a master at changing speeds and locating his pitches with 98-100 mph velocity. Yousefi had a fastball, forkball, changeup, splitter arsenal and each option was equally potent.

Yousefi’s stamina was good relative to his ABF peers, but his ironman durability is what really racked up the inning counts. He tossed 220+ innings in all but his rookie year in a 16-year run. Yousefi’s overall defense was weak but he was great at holding runners. He had the respect of everyone in the federation as a team captain known for his integrity, leadership, work ethic, and intelligence.

Tall lefty always catches the eyes of scouts. One of them spotted Yousefi and brought him from Iran to Turkey on a developmental deal with Ankara in September 2016. He ended up playing his entire career with the Alouettes, debuting in 2021 with 177.1 innings and a third place in Rookie of the Year voting. He was full-time after that and started a 14-yaer streak of 300+ strikeout seasons. 2023 started a 13-year run of 5+ WAR campaigns.

2024 was Yousefi’s first time leading the West League in strikeouts with 358, although he also allowed a league and career worst 39 homers that year. In May 2026, he signed a five-year, $54,100,000 extension. On August 12, Yousefi tossed his first no-hitter with 14 strikeouts and one walk facing Tabriz. 2026 was also his first season with an ERA below three, a streak he’d keep through 2033. He led the league with 384 strikeouts, 0.87 WHIP, 26 quality starts, and 4 shutouts.

Yousefi led in WHIP (0.79), K/BB (21.7), and had a career-best 29 quality starts in 2027. He posted a 2.15 ERA and 8.8 WAR, his first of five seasons of 8+ WAR in the next six years. This was Yousefi’s first time as a Pitcher of the Year finalist, taking second. He had also been perhaps overlooked as Ankara had been a losing team in all but one season with Yousefi to that point. 2027 had gotten them back to .500.

The Alouettes would earn wild cards in 2028-29, but went down both times in the first round. Admittedly, his first two playoff starts were lackluster with 11 earned runs over 13 innings. However, 2028 saw his first Pitcher of the Year award with an ERA title at 2.15, plus the most WAR (8.8) and a career-best 0.72 WHIP. On June 13, Yousefi tossed ABF’s 20^th perfect game with 15 strikeouts facing Istanbul.

Yousefi was second in POTY voting for both 2029 and 2030, leading in wins in 2029 at 21-6. 2030 had his career best WAR of 9.5. This really began in earnest the regular annual battle between Yousefi and his eventual Hall of Fame classmate Agshin Jumayev for Pitcher of the Year. Jumayev won for the first time in 2025 and 27, then took it from 2029-31. Aiding Jumayev’s notoriety was Baku’s epic dynasty run, notably winning the WL five straight years from 2029-33 with four ABF titles in that stretch.

Ankara was just outside of the playoffs in 2030-31. They got a wild card in 2032 at 101-61, but fell short of the WLCS. They missed the playoffs but had a winning record in 2033, then spent the next three years below .500. Yousefi remained loyal and pitched some of his best seasons even as the Alouettes fell off. In February 2031, he signed a six-year, $145,200,000 extension.

He became very popular throughout Turkey for his efforts, but Yousefi was also popular back home as a regular for Iran in the World Baseball Championship. While he had few chances on the ABF playoff stage, on the WBC one he tossed 187.2 innings from 2023-36 with a 10-7 record, 2.93 ERA, 319 strikeouts, 28 walks, 125 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 5.0 WAR. The Iranians notably finished third in 2023 and made the playoffs in 2034. In 2031, Yousefi was third in WBC Best Pitcher voting.

Yousefi surprisingly wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist in 2031 despite leading in strikeouts (417) and WAR (9.2). The season is good for the sixth-most Ks in ABF history. He won POTY for the second time in 2032 with a career-best 1.98 ERA, while also leading in Ks (364), WHIP (0.76), complete games (20), shutouts (6), and WAR (8.8). Yousefi also had a 22-7 record, missing the Triple Crown by only one win. He also reached 4000 career strikeouts that year.

He wasn’t in the awards race the next two years, but Yousefi claimed his third POTY in 2035. He won another ERA title at 2.37 and led in WAR at 7.5. Yousefi also continued up the leaderboards as did Jumayev and other contemporaries. To that point, only two pitchers had reached 5000 career strikeouts in ABF; the leader was Hasan Afshin at 5151. Meanwhile, Sijad Khaleel was the ABF wins leader at 256 and Yazeed Anwari was the WARlord at 111.39.

Yousefi reached 5000 strikeouts in 2035 and finished the year at 5074. He saw a steep drop in velocity in 2036 down to 91-93 mph, leading to a 3.89 ERA season with 172 Ks and only 3.0 WAR. He got enough strikeouts to move into the #1 spot at 5246. Both Yousefi and Jumayev reached 250 wins in 2036 and Yousefi became the new leader at 258, with both Jumayev and Khaleel at 256. That mark would be short-lived with Mansoor Kayam getting to 273 wins by 2040.

With his decline in ability, Yousefi retired after the 2036 season just after his 37^th birthday and Ankara immediately retired his #21 uniform. He finished with a 258-156 record, 2.85 ERA, 3891 innings, 5246 strikeouts, 484 walks, 10.8 K/BB, 334/483 quality starts, 150 complete games, 39 shutouts, 139 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 105.5 WAR.

At induction, Yousefi remains the ABF strikeout leader and ranks 29^th on the world leaderboard. He ranks 2^nd in wins, 5^th in innings, 13^th in complete games, 7^th in shutouts, 3^rd in home runs allowed (446), and 3^rd in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Yousefi’s 1.12 BB/9 is 10^th, his 12.13 K/9 is 27^th, and his 0.94 WHIP is 30^th.

By any metric, he’s an inner-circle Hall of Famer and one of the Asian Baseball Federation’s immortals. But is he ABF’s best-ever pitcher? The direct comparison is always Jumayev, whom Yousefi actually narrowly beat on the ballot (98.8% to 98.5%). Yousefi has the slight edge on overall totals, but Jumayev was more dominant in fewer innings and more decorated with seven POTY awards. Jumayev also had great playoff numbers for a dynasty, while Yousefi’s Ankara teams were largely forgettable.

Anwari, an eight-time POTY winner and the WARlord, also gets mentioned frequently in the GOAT pitcher conversation. There’s a couple other guys who get mentioned, but very rarely does Yousefi not make the top five. It was fitting that he and his long-time divisional rival Jumayev co-headlined a loaded four-man 2042 Hall of Fame class for ABF.



Agshin “Meter Man” Jumayev – Starting Pitcher – Baku Blackbirds – 98.5% First Ballot

Agshin Jumayev was a 6’8’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Tursunzoda, Tajikistan; a city of around 56,000 inhabitants near the western border with Uzbekistan. Nicknamed “Meter Man,” he had absurdly powerful stuff that graded as a 10/10 for much of his career. Jumayev’s control and movement were both merely average at best, but the raw stuff was usually enough to overwhelming most hitters.

Jumayev’s velocity was 99-101 mph and he had a slider, forkball, changeup, and cutter arsenal. Each was equally potent and he was a master at changing speeds. Jumayev had excellent stamina and durability throughout a 14-year career. He was great at holding runners, but his overall defensive ability was terrible. Jumayev was a great leader and highly intelligent, knowing when to pick his spots on the mound. He became very popular throughout Baku’s epic dynasty era.

In October 2017, Jumayev left Tajikistan for Azerbaijan on a developmental deal with the Blackbirds. Baku had been a mediocre team in the 20^th Century in Eurasian Professional Baseball, but found success after joining ABF in the 2000 exodus. The Blackbirds had a 2009-15 playoff streak with three West League titles and an ABF title, but fell into the middle tier while Jumayev was working his way through the system.

Baku in 2022 won the WL crown, falling to Bishkek for the ABF title. The Blackbirds earned an at-large into the Baseball Grand Championship, which ended up being Jumayev’s first action despite not being used in the 2022 regular season or playoffs. He definitely wasn’t ready for the role, struggling to an 8.44 ERA over 21.1 innings and -1.0 WAR. Baku went 10-9 in the event, where Jumayev would eventually become a regular fixture.

Jumayev properly debuted in 2023 at age 22 with 145.1 innings and mixed results with a 4.09 ERA and 1.2 WAR. The Blackbirds made it to the WLCS as the top seed at 96-66, but lost to Tabriz. Jumayev was a full-time starter from 2024 onward, but still was a mixed bag in 2024’s regular season.

The Blackbirds got a wild card at 94-68, but went on a playoff tear with a first round sweep of Tabriz and a WLCS sweep of Bursa. Baku then bested Almaty 4-2 to win the ABF Championship. Jumayev won all four of his starts with a 2.10 ERA over 30 innings, 44 Ks, 192 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 1.2 WAR. He was mixed in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3.03 ERA, 2-2 record, 32.2 innings, 40 Ks, and 0.4 WAR. Baku finished 7-12 in the event, but Jumayev’s postseason run was the start of his time as a top ace.

2025 was Jumayev’s first Pitcher of the Year win, leading the league in wins (22-9), innings (275.2), strikeouts (410), WHIP (0.87), quality starts (28), and WAR (8.0). It would be his career best WHIP and he only missed the Triple Crown by six points with his 2.45 ERA. It started a ten-year streak of seasons with 350+ strikeouts and he’d be good for 6.8+ WAR or better each year. Baku went 100-62 and tied for the division with Gaziantep. The Gorillas had the tiebreaker and knocked out the Blackbirds 3-2 in the first round.

It seemed that Baku’s chance for a sustained dynasty was done, as they missed the playoffs twice from 2026-28. They won a division title in 2027 at 99-63 but lost in the first round. Jumayev thrived regardless with his second POTY in 2027, plus third place finishes in both 2026 and 2028. He led in strikeouts and WAR twice in this stretch. In August 2027, Jumayev signed a seven-year, $95,600,000 extension to stay in the Azeri capital.

He was naturally very popular in Baku, but also was beloved back home in Tajikistan. Jumayev still regularly pitched for his country in the World Baseball Championship from 2024-36. He pitched 197 innings with a 10-9 record, 2.65 ERA, 326 strikeouts, 66 walks, and 5.6 WAR; and helped the Tajiks earn their lone playoff berth in 2026.

In the 2027 WBC, Jumayev was second in Best Pitcher voting with an 0.69 ERA and 29 Ks over 13 innings. He led all pitchers with 1.6 WAR in the 2030 WBC with a 1.35 ERA and 39 Ks in 20 innings. Jumayev is usually considered the best-ever player from the small Central Asian nation, which had only one previous ABF Hall of Famer and three from EPB. His HOF metrics are all superior to those in that group.

On April 3, 2029, Jumayev tossed his first no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and one walk facing Isfahan. He won his third Pitcher of the Year and secured the Triple Crown on a 21-5 record, 2.37 ERA, and 374 Ks. This also began Baku’s legendary dynasty run. They finished 100-62 for the top seed, defeating Mashhad 4-2 in the WLCS. The Blackbirds then bested Peshawar 4-1 in the ABF Championship. 2029 was actually one of Jumayev’s weaker playoff efforts with a 4.09 ERA over 22 innings. He had a similar 4.08 ERA over 28.2 innings in the BGC as Baku finished 12-9, one of three teams tied for seventh.

2030 was Jumayev’s best season, joining Hafez Faranzi (who did it thrice) as the only repeat Triple Crown pitchers in ABF history. He won his fourth POTY, was third in MVP voting, and had career bests across the board for wins (25-2), ERA (1.91), strikeouts (457), quality starts (29), and WAR (12.5). This ranked as the second-most Ks in an ABF season behind Sa’id Farahnai’s 471 from 1994. It was also the fourth-best WAR by an ABF ace. Jumayev’s season ranks as tied for the 42^nd-most Ks in any season for any world league.

Baku went 113-49 and earned the repeat, besting Tabriz in the WLCS 4-0 and Lahore 4-1 for the ABF title. Jumayev had a 2-1 record, 3.03 ERA, 38.2 innings, 65 Ks, and 2.0 WAR in the playoffs. By WAR, this was the best-ever playoff run for an ABF pitcher and it tied the strikeout record. In the BGC, he had a 2-3 record, 3.99 ERA, 38.1 innings, 63 Ks, 92 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 1.4 WAR. Baku finished 12-9 in a tie for fifth place.

Jumayev’s second no-hitter came on April 5, 2031 with 18 Ks and two walks against Istanbul. He led again in wins (22-6), and ERA (2.21) to win his fifth Pitcher of the Year, but his 398 Ks fell short of the Triple Crown with Hasan Yousefi’s 417. Baku went 114-48 and lost 2-0 to Adana to open the playoffs, but fortunately this was the second year of the double-elimination format in ABF. The Blackbirds bounced back by eliminating Tabriz and Mashhad, then got revenge 4-2 over Adana in the WLCS.

In the ABF Championship, Baku made it ABF’s first-ever three-peat by besting Hyderabad 4-2. Jumayev tossed 51.2 playoff innings with a 5-1 record, 1.92 ERA, 71 Ks, and 1.0 WAR. This set the ABF playoff record for Ks and innings and tied the wins mark. In the 2031 Baseball Grand Championship, Jumayev had a 2.70 ERA over 33.1 innings, 63 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. Baku was again competitive at 13-8, one win short of first. They were tied with four teams and were officially fourth after tiebreakers.

Jumayev was third in 2032’s POTY voting but led again in wins at 23-7. Baku set an ABF record at 118-44 and rolled to a fourth straight West League pennant. They were denied ABF’s first-ever four-peat, getting swept shockingly in a finals rematch with Hyderabad. It was a rare bad playoff run for Jumayev with 4.78 ERA and -0.2 WAR over 43.1 innings. Baku got the at-large into the BGC and Jumayev redeemed himself with a 1.72 ERA in 36.2 innings, 52 Ks, and 1.9 WAR. The Blackbirds were 13-8, in a three-way tie for fifth.

On April 27, 2033, Jumayev tossed his third no-hitter with 15 Ks and one walk against Isfahan. He joined Ibrahim Bulak as the only ABF pitchers with three career no-nos. Jumayev won his sixth POTY, which had only previously been done by Oskar Tamm and eight-time winner Yazeed Anwari. He led in Ks (420), complete games (21), FIP- (52), and WAR (11.0).

Baku matched the record 118-44 mark from the prior year. They initially lost 2-0 to Mashhad in the second round of the double-elimination, but earned a WLCS rematch and edged the Mercury 4-3 to five-peat as West League champs. In their third straight ABF Championship battle with the Horned Frogs, the Blackbirds bested Hyderabad 4-2. Of the epic dynasty run, Baku’s 2033 squad arguably was the best of the bunch to cap off four titles in five years.

Jumayev posted 1.3 WAR and 55 Ks over 44 innings, although he had a lackluster 4.09 ERA. In the BGC, he had a 3.79 ERA over 38 innings with 50 Ks and 0.3 WAR. Baku again had another winning record at 12-9, tied for sixth. This was Jumayev’s last Baseball Grand Championship, finishing with a 15-13 record, 3.69 ERA, 229 innings, 326 strikeouts, 99 walks, and 4.4 WAR.

Based on longevity, he is the event’s all-time leader for both losses and walks. Jumayev also is 3^rd in wins, 3^rd in innings, 2^nd in starts (29), and 17^th in pitching WAR. He wasn’t quite able to completely overwhelm the world’s best like he could in ABF, but Jumayev goes down as one of the event’s all-time greats. He’s one of a select few to complete seven times in the event.

Jumayev won his seventh Pitcher of the Year in 2034 by leading one final time in wins (22-7) and Ks (379), although his ERA was above three for the first time since his second season. Baku broke their own record at 124-38, a mark that has only been reached or bested 13 times across all leagues in world history. The Blackbirds shockingly fell short of the WLCS, falling twice to an upstart 91-win Ahvaz squad in only its fifth season of existence.

In April 2034, Jumayev signed a five-year, $124 million extension at age 33 with Baku expecting several more strong seasons. However in 2035, Jumayev’s velocity had noticeably slipped down into the 94-96 mph range. He could no longer overwhelm batters and eventually got moved out of the full-time rotation with a 4.34 ERA over 159.2 innings, 160 Ks, and 1.6 WAR. Baku went 110-52, but got upset in the second round again.

This was Jumayev’s final postseason, finishing his playoff career with a 19-9 record, 3.32 ERA, 284.1 innings, 381 strikeouts, 9 complete games, 3 shutouts, 117 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 6.2 WAR. He is ABF’s career playoff leader for wins, innings, hits allowed (233), homers allowed (38), Ks (381), and WAR. In world history, only EBF legend Jean-Luc Roch has more postseason strikeouts at 395.

Jumayev’s velocity dropped further to 89-91 mph in 2036 for a 3.73 ERA over 144.2 innings, 137 Ks, and 0.3 WAR. He breached 256 wins and tied the former ABF record of Sijad Khaleel, although Hasan Yousefi bested them both with 258. Jumayev wasn’t even used in the playoffs despite healthy as Baku lost in the WLCS to Bursa. Realizing he was cooked, Jumayev retired that winter at age 35 and immediately had his #10 uniform retired by the Blackbirds for his role in the dynasty.

In total, Jumayev had a 256-90 record, 2.80 ERA, 3228.2 innings, 4706 strikeouts, 678 walks, 270/377 quality starts, 157 complete games, 30 shutouts, 140 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 93.9 WAR. Jumayev ranks 3^rd in wins, 4^th in win percentage (.740), 22^nd in innings, 12^th in complete games, 18^th in shutouts, 8^th in strikeouts, and 7^th in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Jumayev’s ERA is 93^rd, his 6.83 H/9 is 56^th, his 13.12 K/9 is 8^th, and 0.97 WHIP is 53^rd. His .604 opponent’s OPS ranks 76^th.

Like his Hall of Fame classmate Yousefi, Jumayev is clearly an inner-circle immortal for the Asian Baseball Federation. But is he the ABF’s best-ever pitcher? Yousefi has him beat on accumulations but Jumayev has him beat for rate stats. Jumayev also has all of the playoff stats and rings with Baku, along with seven Pitcher of the Year awards.

Only Yaazeed Anwari had more POTYs and had his own dynasty run with Isfahan, although no ABF dynasty compares to what Baku accomplished. Baku’s four titles and five pennants with 112.6 wins per year in a five-year run has very few peers in all of baseball history. It certainly goes down as ABF’s best dynasty run firmly to this point.

Between those three aces mentioned and a few other contenders, the ABF pitching GOAT isn’t 100% clear cut like in some other leagues. Jumayev certainly belongs in the conversation and rarely is outside of any top five list. The Meter Man co-headlined a four-man 2042 class with Yousefi and received 98.5%. Jumayev secured his spot as an icon both in Azerbaijan for the Baku dynasty and back at home in his native Tajikistan as the nation’s best-ever baseball star.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Maksat Gurbanov – Starting Pitcher – Istanbul Ironmen – 85.9% First Ballot

Maksat Gurbanov was a 6’0’’ 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. He was known for having fantastic control and movement on his pitches, thriving despite merely above average stuff. Gurbanov still reached 97-99 mph on his fastball, but his best pitches were his forkball and splitter for an extreme groundball tendency. He also had a rarely used changeup as a fourth pitch.

Gurbanov’s stamina was fairly average relative to most ABF aces, but he had ironman durability and never missed a scheduled start in his 17-year career. From 2022-36, he tossed 215+ innings each year. Gurbanov was decent at holding runners but weak defensively otherwise. Teammates appreciated his loyalty and he became a popular figure in Turkey’s largest city.

In February 2017, Gurbanov left Kazakhstan for Istanbul on a developmental deal. He spent the better part of four years in their academy before debuting with five lackluster starts in 2020. Gurbanov saw more regular use in 2021, but still had subpar results. The season was notable for his lone no-hitter on August 29 with four strikeouts and two walks against Tabriz. Gurbanov settled into a role as a reliably strong starter from 2022 onward.

Gurbanov emerged as a true elite ace by 2026 with a second place in Pitcher of the Year voting. This was the closest he got to the award, as he had the misfortune of sharing a league with his Hall of Fame classmates Agshin Jumayev and Hasan Yousefi. Despite being a huge market, Istanbul was also aggressively mid during his tenure. The Ironmen averaged 82.8 wins per season over the 2020s with their lone playoff trip in 2029 with a wild card and first round exit.

In 2027 and 2029, Gurbanov finished third in POTY voting. Leading the Western League was also very difficult with his competition. 2029 was Gurbanov’s lone time leading in WAR (.5), and FIP- (58). Those were career bests as was his 310 Ks that year. Gurbanov’s best ERA was 2.26 in 2026. He also led in quality starts in both 2029 and 2033. He remained loyal to Istanbul, signing a seven-year, $149,800,000 extension on New Year’s Day 2028.

Gurbanov also remained loyal to his native Kazakhstan as a World Baseball Championship regular throughout his run. From 2022-36, Gurbanov pitched 240 innings with a 3.26 ERA, 15-12 record, 6 saves, 239 strikeouts, 61 walks, 111 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 5.1 WAR. The Kazakhs did notably earn a playoff trip in 2027 and 2035 with Gurbanov.

Because of his control, Gurbanov’s game aged well and he remained consistent through the end of his Istanbul run. The Ironmen made the playoffs once more with a wild card and second round loss in 2033. Gurbanov finished with a 216-146 record, 3.10 ERA, 3337.2 innings, 3302 strikeouts, 133 complete games, 19 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 84.6 WAR. For his steady efforts over 15 tears, Istanbul retired his #34 uniform.

Gurbanov became a free agent after the 2034 season at age 36 and stayed in Turkey on a three-year, $51,800,000 deal with Adana. He seemed primed to chase the wins record along with his future HOF classmates and Gurbanov hit his usual marks in his Axemen debut in 2035. His ERA dropped to 4.23 in 2036 as his velocity was now in the 91-93 mph range, although he still had good marks for FIP. Gurbanov had a 30-20 record, 3.70 ERA, 491.2 innings, 369 Ks, 70 walks, 107 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 10.7 WAR in two years with Adana, who was in the middle-tier those years. Gurbanov officially retired after the 2036 season at age 37.

In total, Gurbanov had a 246-166 record, 3.17 ERA, 3829.1 innings, 3671 strikeouts, 550 walks, 319/471 quality starts, 145 complete games, 21 shutouts, 126 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 95.3 WAR. Gurbanov ranks 7^th in wins, 6^th in innings, 16^th in complete games, 44^th in shutouts, 29^th in strikeouts, and 5^th in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Gurbanov is 25^th in BB/9 (1.25).

Gurbanov was perhaps overlooked in his time considering his contemporaries who had flashier strikeout totals. He’s actually ahead of Jumayev for WAR, despite the latter’s seven Pitcher of the Year awards and dynasty run with Baku. Gurbanov wasn’t the insane dominant force that peak Jumayev or Yousefi were, but he was the measure of consistency.

With the lack of team success and pizazz, Gurbanov doesn’t come up too often in the conversation for the Asian Baseball Federation’s top five aces. He’s a guy who some voters were surprised to found had the final tallies he had. Gurbanov likely was a legit top ten pitcher in ABF’s 50+ years to date, but he played third fiddle even in induction to Jumayev and Yousefi. Still, Gurbanov earned his deserved first ballot nod at 85.9% as part of ABF’s four-man 2042 class.



Thakur Shahzad – Second Base – Faisalabad Fire – 81.3% First Ballot

Thakur Shahzad was a 5’10’’, 190 pound right-handed second baseman from Sehwan, Pakistan; a city of around 75,000 people on the Indus River. Shahzad was known for his gap power and eye for drawing walks against both lefties and righties. However, he was average at best as a contact hitter and struggled with strikeouts with a lousy 27.0% career K rate.

When Shahzad made contact, he made it count with 26 doubles, 13 triples, and 29 home runs per his 162 game average. Just under half of his career hits went for extra bases. His speed was average with okay baserunning and stealing skills. Shahzad was a career second baseman and was a reliably rock solid defender who was generally just a notch below Gold Glove level. He also had mostly good durability over a 19-year run at a demanding position. Shahzad was also a true fan favorite known for his team-first attitude, work ethic, and intelligence.

Shahzad thrived in Pakistan’s college ranks and ended up picked sixth overall in the 2017 ABF Draft by Faisalabad. He saw limited use as a rookie with 96 games and 24 starts, but earned the full-time gig after that. Shahzad was good for 6+ WAR each season from 2020-28. He led the East League twice in walks (2020, 2022). Shahzad’s ascension into the lineup coincided with a run of success for Faisalabad, who posted a six-year playoff streak from 2019-24.

The Fire lost in the 2019 ELCS to Dushanbe, then fell in the first round of 2020. In 2021, Faisalabad set a franchise best at 106-56. They defeated Bishkek 4-2 in the ELCS, then topped Izmir 4-2 to win the ABF Championship. Shahzad had an excellent playoff run with 20 hits, 10 runs, 6 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, 1.090 OPS, 232 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. He had a decent showing in the Baseball Grand Championship .892 OPS, 146 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR; although the Fire finished 6-13.

2022 was his best season statistically, taking second in MVP voting and winning his first Silver Slugger. Shahzad led in wRC+ (225) , triples (20) and slugging (.654). He had his career best triple slash (.314/.394/.654), OPS (1.048), and WAR (10.8). Faisalabad was strong again at 105-57, but was upset 4-1 in an ELCS rematch with Bishkek. Shahzad held up his end and that winter, Faisalabad gave him an eight-year, $108,700,000 extension.

Shahzad won Sluggers again in 2024 and 2026 for the Fire and was third in 2024’s MVP voting. Faisalabad got to the ELCS again in 2023-24, but fell to Bishkek in the former and Almaty in the latter. Shahzad’s career playoff stats were excellent for the Fire with 62 starts, 65 hits, 34 runs, 10 doubles, 10 triples, 14 homers, 39 RBI, .286/.345/.604 slash, 190 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR. In 2024, he had his career highs for home runs (42) and runs scored (97). Shahzad’s lone cycle came in 2023 facing Multan.

Faisalabad dropped to 78-84 in 2025, then fell completely off a cliff with four straight seasons of 100+ losses. Fans often derisively called the team the “Dumpster Fire” during this era. Shahzad was about the only redeeming thing as did his job faithfully. With a year left on his deal, Faisalabad traded him in November 2029 to Karachi for a haul of five prospects.

With the Fire, Shahzad finished with 1773 games, 1552 hits, 875 runs, 306 doubles, 139 triples, 341 home runs, 968 RBI, 697 walks, 1840 strikeouts, 241 steals, .260/.339/.529 slash, 165 wRC+, and 80.2 WAR. He remains an all-time favorite in Faisalabad and his #22 uniform was later retired.

Karachi had been stuck in the middle-tier for the last few seasons and hoped Shahzad could get them out of the rut. The Carp made no gains with an 82-80 finish, as Shahzad had 4.8 WAR, .804 OPS, and 138 wRC+. It was his lowest WAR since his first full season, but he did notably deal with back issues during the year. Shahzad also won his lone Gold Glove with Karachi. He left for free agency that winter heading to his age 35 season.

Shahzad ultimately left his native Pakistan, but he remained a steady regular in the World Baseball Championship. From 2020-35, Shahzad played 138 games with 96 hits, 73 runs, 15 doubles, 30 home runs, 54 RBI, .223/.333/.499 slash, and 4.7 WAR. Shahzad only played four games in 2030, but was on roster for Pakistan’s lone World Championship win. He had a more prominent role in their 2021 runner-up effort.

His pro career continued in Kyrgyzstan in 2031 on a four-year, $82,400,000 deal with Bishkek. Shahzad won Silver Sluggers in 2032 and 34 for the Black Sox, most notably showing a big resurgence in 2034 with 8.0 WAR and 164 wRC+. Bishkek was a wild card who lost the 2032 ELCS to Hyderabad. They hovered in the mid-tier for the rest of Shahzad’s time there. In four seasons, he played 620 games with 521 hits, 303 runs, 97 doubles, 49 triples, 113 home runs, 332 RBI, .237/.329/.481 slash, 137 wRC+, and 21.3 WAR.

Shahzad’s big 2034 convinced Tabriz that he still had big things left as he approached 40, giving him a two-year, $39,200,000 deal. The Tiger Sharks were the reigning ABF champ and hoped to start a dynasty run. Age caught up to Shahzad as he put up middling production in his two seasons, eventually reduced to a part-time role in 2036.

Tabriz went 113-49 in 2035 for the West League’s top seed, but was upset in the WLCS by Gaziantep. The Tiger Sharks went 109-53 in 2036, but lost in round two. Shahzad had .732 OPS, 111 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR over 15 playoff starts. Overall with Tabriz, Shahzad played 276 games with 202 hits, 144 runs, 31 doubles, 18 triples, 28 homers, 97 RBI, .218/.323/.381 slash, 101 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR. He hoped to continue playing in 2037, but went unsigned all year and retired in the winter at age 41.

Shahzad finished with 2795 games, 2382 hits, 1376 runs, 455 doubles, 216 triples, 498 home runs, 1445 RBI, 1169 walks, 2933 strikeouts, 323 stolen bases, 4763 total bases, .250/.336/.500 slash, 151 wRC+, and 108.3 WAR. He ranks 9^th in games, 22^nd in runs, 24^th in hits, 21^st in total bases, 66^th in doubles, 8^th in triples, 30^th in homers, 7^th in walks, 5^th in strikeouts, and 12^th in WAR for position players. On a bad note, he is 42^nd in all of baseball history for strikeouts.

Among Asian Baseball Federation second basemen, Shahzad is the career leader for games, runs, hits, total bases, triples, walks, strikeouts, and WAR. He’s also the leader for assists (6038), putouts (4295), total chances (10,482), and double plays (1066) and ranks fifth in zone rating (90.3). Usually when ranking ABF’s best-ever at 2B, either Shahzad or Ismail Akbar’s names come up.

Relative to all positions, Shahzad doesn’t get as much attention as an inner-circle great with his low batting average. A lot of his WAR came down to defensive value and longevity. Regardless, his Hall of Fame candidacy was still pretty obvious for most voters. Shahzad surprisingly only got 81.3%, but it was enough for the first ballot nod to cap off an impressive four-man crew.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Arab League Baseball inducted two no-doubters into the Hall of Fame for 2042. LF Walid Bennani made it unanimously, which was the second straight year ALB gave someone 100% with SP Diyar Abbas doing it the prior year. They are among only seven players in all of world history to make a HOF at 100%. SP Muhammad Nour joined him in 2042 at 97.1%. Two others were above 50% but short of the 66% requirement with a 53.3% debut for RF Wandy Martadinata and 52.9% for SP Ahmed Essa in his ninth and penultimate chance. No one was dropped in 2042 after ten failed tries.



Walid Bennani – Left Field – Muscat Threshers – 100.0% First Ballot

Walid Bennani was a 5’10’’, 185 pound left-handed left fielder from al-Marsa, Tunisia; a coastal city of around 100,000 people near Tunis. Despite having a stockier frame than the prototypical slugger, Bennani had legendary home run power which graded as a 10/10 at his peak. His dominance came against right-handed pitching with a career 1.102 OPS and 170 wRC+. Bennani did struggle facing lefties with a mediocre .746 OPS and 87 wRC+.

Bennani was merely an above average contact hitter against RHP and outright poor against LHP. He also had a terrible 28.0% strikeout rate, but did draw a fair share of walks. Bennani’s 162 game average got you a stellar 59 home runs, but his power was dingers or bust with only 16 doubles and 4 triples per 162. More than 38% of his career hits cleared the fence and around 48% of his plate appearances saw one of the three true outcomes.

Unlike most power hitters, Bennani was actually an incredibly quick and skilled baserunner. He put up impressive steal numbers even with relatively few opportunities and is the only player in world history with 900+ home runs and 1000+ steals. Bennani was a career left fielder and was a reliably above average defender. He was a sparkplug type with a tireless work ethic and had near ironman durability, starting 140+ games each year from 2021-35. Unsurprisingly, Bennani became very popular as the first megastar for the Muscat franchise.

The Omani capital got its team with ALB’s 2016 expansion. That September, the Threshers convinced a young Bennani to leave Tunisia for Muscat on a developmental deal. It would be a great fit for a guy who developed prolific power, as Muscat’s stadium was quite compact with just under 310 feet down the lines and 391 feet to dead center. Combined with ALB’s general high home run environment, Bennani ended up with tallies seen by very few in baseball history.

Bennani debuted in 2019 at age 21 with only 20 games and five starts. He was a part-time starter in 2020 with mixed results over 127 games and 91 starts. He hit 27 homers, but had an abysmal 40.3% strikeout rate. Still, Bennani earned second in Rookie of the Year voting. While never good, he cut down on the strikeouts and began making very strong contact in 2021, his first full season as a starter. He’d hold the job firmly for the following 14 years for Muscat.

In 2021, Bennani won his lone MVP award and the first of eight consecutive Silver Sluggers. He led the Eastern Conference in home runs (67), slugging (.692), OPS 1.073), and wRC+ (166). This was his first of nine seasons with 60+ homers and he’d be good for 48+ in all of his full seasons as a starter. Bennani hit his lone cycle in September facing Doha. The young Muscat franchise won its first division title at 89-73, but fell in the first round. They spent the next three years around .500. But the Threshers knew Bennani was the future and gave him an eight-year, $40,340,000 extension in October 2021.

Bennani led in homers again in 2022 (67), 2024 (70), and 2025 (59). He was second in 2022 and 2025’s MVP voting. 2025 also saw him lead with 136 runs scored, which was a career high as was his 173 hits, 1.094 OPS, .313 average, and 8.3 WAR. Bennani’s 142 RBI in both 2024 and 2026 were his bests. Muscat got another playoff berth in 2025 at 90-72 but lost in the second round. After the 2025 season, Bennani signed a new massive eight-year, $225,200,000 extension.

The Threshers missed the wild card by two wins in 2026 at 89-73, then had a division title and second round exit in 2027 at 98-64. Bennani led in homers for the fifth time in 2027 at 72, then had his career-high 71 in 2028. By this point, Muscat had built up quite the lineup with Bennani as the big slugger and eventual ALB hits king Ahmed Yasser Basha in front of him in the lineup. 2028 marked the start of one of the Arab World’s best-ever dynasties; especially impressive from a franchise just over a decade old.

Muscat took the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 105-57 and edged Riyadh 3-2 for the pennant. However, they were swept by 111-win Algiers in the Arab League Championship. Bennani had 16 hits, 14 runs, 3 homers, 9 RBI, 1.244 OPS, 217 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR in the playoff run. He soon became known as one of the game’s best-ever playoff performers.

2029 was a down regular season for Bennani with only 49 homers and 4.3 WAR, breaking his Silver Slugger streak. However, Muscat exploded for a 114-48 record, fending off 111-win Dubai in a stacked Gulf Division. The Threshers ousted the Diamonds in the second round, then topped Mosul 3-1 for repeat conference titles. Muscat still fell short of the ALB crown with a 4-2 loss to Muscat.

Bennani was MVP of the Conference Championship and had 15 hits, 9 runs, 5 homers, 10 RBI, 1.173 OPS, 180 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR in the postseason. Muscat earned an at-large big into the Baseball Grand Championship and at 13-8 finished one win short of the top spot. Three teams were 14-7 and two others were 13-8, placing the Threshers sixth after tiebreakers. Bennani had 14 hits, 11 homers, 13 runs, 15 RBI, .958 OPS, 177 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR in the event.

In 2030, Bennani had a regular season bounce-back and was third in MVP voting with a conference-best 62 gomers. Muscat got the top seed at 102-60 and Bennani was again Eastern Conference Championship MVP in a 3-2 win over Medina. The Threshers finally won it all in 2030 in a seven-game classic over Cairo. Bennani had 7 homers, 16 homers, 1.024 OPS, 160 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR in the playoffs. Muscat went 11-10 in the BGC as Bennani had 20 hits, 18 runs, 10 homers, 17 RBI, 1.187 OPS, 230 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

Bennani led in runs for the second time with 129 in 2031. The dynasty continued as the Threshers got the top seed at 99-63, beating Medina 3-1 for a fourth straight conference title. Only the 1992-95 Mastodons had previously pulled off the four-peat. Muscat earned the ALB title repeat 4-1 over Algiers. This was Bennani’s best playoff run arguably with 7 homers, 15 RBI, 1.274 OPS, 217 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. The Threshers were 9-2 over the postseason for the emphatic win.

Muscat went 11-10 again in the Baseball Grand Championship, although Bennani had a shockingly poor run with .460 OPS, 31 wRC+, -0.3 WAR, and 38 strikeouts. On the whole in 62 BGC games, he had 40 hits, 37 runs, 25 homers, 37 RBI, 100 strikeouts, .193/.294/.580 slash, 148 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. The Threshers’ playoff streak continued through 2039, but this was the peak of the dynasty run.

Bennani won his ninth Silver Slugger in 2032 and was third in MVP voting, leading in OPS (1.019) for only the second time. He led in homers again in 2032 and 33, making him the leader nine times in his career. Muscat had wild cards and early exits both years. The Threshers were a division champ again in 2034, but lost 3-2 in the conference final to Medina.

After the 2033 season, Bennani signed a three-year, $64,400,000 extension with Muscat. He kept climbing the power charts and joined the 900 home run club with some wondering if he’d make a run of Nordine Soule’s record 1073. Bennani’s overall efficiency started to wane as a bat, but he still got 50 and 48 homers in his last years as a full-time starter. Muscat won another division title in 2035, but lost in the second round.

For his playoff career, Bennani played 72 games with 80 hits, 64 runs, 11 doubles, 36 home runs, 75 RBI, 26 walks, 77 strikeouts, 40 stolen bases, .327/.403/.820 slash, 1.223 OPS, 203 wRC+, and 4.8 WAR. Bennani is ALB’s career playoff leader for both homers and RBI. He is second in both slugging and OPS among those with 40+ plate appearances. Bennani’s also second in runs scored behind only his longtime teammate Basha.

Bennani saw a steep decline in 2037 and was sent to the bench with 89 games, 35 starts, 14 homers, .766 OPS, 79 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. The drop was such that he made only one playoff at-bat, although it was a two-RBI triple. Bennani earned his third ring as Muscat finished 100-62 and bested Damascus in the final. Realizing his time was done though, he retired after the series and didn’t compete in the BGC. The Threshers immediately retired his #22 uniform for his role in turning a new franchise into a top contender.

In total, Bennani played 2593 games with 2460 hits, 1887 runs, 249 doubles, 58 triples, 945 home runs, 1938 RBI, 1080 walks, 2812 strikeouts, 1119 stolen bases, 508 caught stealing, .279/.361/.643 slash, 1.004 OPS, 148 wRC+, and 90.3 WAR. Bennani ranks 22^nd in games, 7^th in runs, 54^th in hits, 16^th in total bases (5660), 2^nd in homers, 7^th in RBI, 13^th in steals, 18^th in caught stealing, 11^th in walks, 4^th in strikeouts, and 16^th in WAR among position players. On the world home run chart, he ranks 18^th.

Among ALB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Bennani is 91^st in OBP, 17^th in slugging, and 22^nd in OPS. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Bennani is 27^th in slugging and one of 60 with an OPS above one. Still, the wRC+ and WAR marks do keep Bennani from being among the absolute tip-top guys in all of baseball history despite the homer tallies. His struggles against lefties and high strikeout totals hurt him on the Sabermetric charts.

Even with the caveat of Arab League Baseball being a high-homer environment, few socked more dingers quite as impressively as Bennani. His playoff dominance and role in establishing a dynasty run for Muscat places him among ALB’s immortals, although he’s not a guaranteed name in some of the top ten lists for ALB’s best bats.

Bennani is considered by many as ALB’s second-best ever left fielder; the misfortune of sharing a position with the generally accepted GOAT Nordine Soule. Unlike Soule though, Bennani earned a remarkable unanimous induction into the HOF for 2042. He’s also often viewed as the second-best Tunisian player ever behind world hit king Fares Belaid.



Muhammad Nour – Starting Pitcher – Algiers Arsenal – 97.1% First Ballot

Muhammad Nour was a 6’7’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from as-Salif, Algeria; a city of around 154,000 people. Nour is the third Algerian inductee and generally is considered the nation’s best thus far. He had excellent overpowering stuff along with very good movement and solid control. Nour had a rare six-pitch arsenal and 99-101 mph peak velocity with a cutter, splitter, slider, forkball, curveball, and changeup.

Relative to other ALB aces, Nour’s stamina was merely decent and he didn’t get many complete games on the whole. He did lead twice in innings pitched earlier in his career, but saw far fewer injuries after a big injury at age 27. Nour’s durability was mostly strong apart from that one surgery. He was very good at holding runners, but otherwise below average defensively. Nour was a very team-first guy and earned great respect for his leadership and selflessness.

“Tall lefty” always draws attention and Nour was quickly noticed locally by scouts for Algiers. He signed a developmental deal in July 2014 and eventually became arguably the country’s biggest superstar playing in the capital. Nour’s pro debut came with three appearances in 2018. He earned a full-time rotation spot the next year and signed a seven-year, $38,680,000 extension after the 2020 season.

Nour emerged as a true ace with his first Pitcher of the Year award in 2021. It was his first year as the WARlord, beginning a run where he led in WAR eight times in nine years. Nour led in FIP- (52), quality starts (25), and WAR (9.7). Algiers also earned its second-ever division title, although they lost in the first round. To that point, the Arsenal historically had been mediocre with Casablanca or Tripoli firmly controlling the Mediterranean Division. After a losing season in 2022, Algiers started an 11-year playoff streak.

It was a Pitcher of the Year four-peat for Nour from 2021-24. He won three straight ERA titles from 2022-24, peaking with a career-best 2.19 in 2024. 2023 was his top year overall with a Triple Crown, one of 11 by an ALB pitcher in history. Nour had a 2.27 ERA and career/conference bests for wins (22-6), innings (246), strikeouts (393), FIP- (44), and WAR (11.7). The WAR is the fourth-best by an ALB pitcher ever and the Ks rank sixth.

Algiers had three straight division titles from 2023-25 with 109, 93, and 101 wins. Each year though, they were defeated in the Western Conference Championship by Amman, who went on a dynasty run. In 2025, Nour missed most of the regular season with a bone spur in his elbow, although he was back by the playoff run. He re-established his streak as the leader in WAR and FIP- from 2026-29.

In 2026, Algiers narrowly got the top seed at 97-65 and Amman missed the playoffs. With the Aviators out of the picture, the Arsenal swept Jerusalem 3-0 to win their first-ever Western Conference Championship. Algiers then swept Bahrain in the Arab League Championship, going 9-1 for the playoffs with a lone loss in the second round to Tripoli.

Nour had an excellent postseason, winning his three starts with a 0.93 ERA over 19.1 innings, 18 Ks, 0 walks, and 0.9 WAR. He had bad luck with a 1-3 record in the Baseball Grand Championship, but was excellent with a 1.42 ERA over 31.2 innings, 44 Ks, and 1.6 WAR. That earned a second place finish in Best Pitcher voting. Algiers finished 6-13 in the event, but they were now a winner with their ace. The Arsenal locked Nour down the following March to a six-year, $108 million extension.

2027 was Nour’s fifth Pitcher of the Year award and fourth ERA title at 2.68. He’s one of only four in ALB history to win the award 5+ times, joining Rashid Tariq (7), Ahmed Hussain (6), and Abdullah Al-Tamtami. Algiers broke their franchise record at 112-50, but shockingly this put them second in the division, one behind Tripoli. Nour missed the postseason with the flu and the Arsenal were stunned 2-1 in the wild card round by Cairo.

Nour was second in 2028’s POTY voting and this time 111-51 won the division for Algiers. Tripoli was still strong at 102-60, but the Arsenal outlasted the Privateers 3-2 in the conference final. Algiers then swept Muscat for their second ALB crown in three years. Nour had another excellent playoff run going 3-0 in four starts with a 1.23 ERA, 29.1 innings, 41 Ks, and 1.2 WAR. The Arsenal finished 7-12 in the BGC, but Nour did his job with a 2.48 ERA over 36.1 innings, 3-2 record, 53 Ks, and 1.4 WAR.

In 2029, Nour was third in POTY voting to close his WAR streak, but he did lead in strikeouts notably at 288. Algiers won 94 and 83 games in 2029-30 to earn division titles, but lost in the second round both years. 2030 would be notable for different reasons though as Algeria made a stunning run to the World Baseball Championship title.

To that point, the country’s only WBC playoff trip was 2012 and they had rarely been competitive. Algeria swept India in the semifinal, then shocked the United States 4-3 in the finale. Nour was 4-0 in six starts with a 2.34 ERA, 42.1 innings, 43 Ks, 6 quality starts, 156 ERA+, 107 FIP-, and 0.4 WAR. This helped cement his status as a national megastar. It was Algeria’s only playoff trip with Nour, but he was a regular from 2020-36 with a 14-11 record, 2.77 ERA, 273.1 innings, 352 strikeouts, and 8.4 WAR.

Nour was second in 2031’s POTY voting, his last time as a finalist with a conference-best 0.95 WHIP and 59 FIP-. Algiers won a weaker division at 90-72, but upset 100-win Jerusalem in the second round while 102-win Alexandria was upset by 86-win Damascus. The Arsenal outlasted the Dusters 3-2 for their third conference title, but lost the ALB Championship 4-1 to Muscat. It was a surprisingly poor playoff run for Nour with a 6.14 ERA over 7.1 innings.

A sprained ankle limited Nour in 2032. Algiers got the top seed at 102-60, but was upset 2-1 by upstart Aleppo in the second round. Nour led in wins at 19-4 in 2033, but lower inning and strikeout tallies kept him from awards consideration. Algiers again was the top seed at 100-62 and this time prevailed with a 3-1 conference finals win over Khartoum. The Arsenal then secured the third ALB title of the playoff streak, defeating Doha 4-1.

Nour had one last big playoff run in him, tying the wins record at 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA over 26.2 innings, 25 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. He was 1-3 in the BGC, but had a 1.72 ERA over 36.2 innings, 28 K, and 0.6 WAR. Algiers finished ninth at 11-10, their best showing of the run. In his three BGC tries, Nour had a 1.89 ERA, 5-8 record, 104.2 innings, 125 strikeouts, and 3.6 WAR. He just misses the 125 innings needed to qualify for rate stats, but only four pitchers in BGC history have 125+ innings with a sub-two ERA.

Across his playoff career with Algiers, Nour had an 11-6 record, 2.21 ERA, 142.1 innings, 170 strikeouts, 25 walks, 199 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 4.8 WAR. Nour was certainly critical for establishing the Arsenal as a powerhouse and his #1 uniform would later be retired. Now 36 with his velocity diminished into the mid 90s though, Algiers didn’t re-sign Nour after the 2033 title. He finished with a 231-103 record, 3.04 ERA, 2995 innings, 3858 strikeouts, 485 walks, 301/443 quality starts, 34 complete games, 15 shutouts, 144 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 102.8 WAR.

Nour stayed in the division on a two-year, $40,800,000 deal with Casablanca. Once a consistent powerhouse, the Bruins had been largely mediocre since the mid-2020s. Nour was merely decent in 2034 with a 3.90 ERA, 198.2 innings, 180 Ks, and 4.2 WAR. However, Casablanca ended an 11-year playoff drought by finishing 91-71; one win better than his former squad Algiers. This coincidentally ended the Arsenal’s playoff streak.

The Bruins got to the Western Conference Championship, but were swept by Beirut. Nour won his lone playoff start in the second round and became ALB’s career playoff leader for wins at 12. He finished his career with a 12-6 record, 2.13 ERA, 156.2 innings, 179 strikeouts, 29 walks, 207 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 5.2 WAR. Nour ranks 3^rd in innings, 2^nd in strikeouts, and 2^nd in playoff pitching WAR. Among all pitchers with 30+ playoff innings, Nour is 16^th in ERA; firmly establishing his case as an all-time big-game pitcher.

Casablanca struggled to 71-91 in 2035 and ended up trading Nour to Mecca at the deadline for two prospects. For the Bruins, he had a 22-20 record, 3.49 ERA, 330.1 innings, 298 Ks, 124 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 8.0 WAR. Over 72.1 innings for the Marksmen, Nour posted a 2.86 ERA, 74 Ks, and 1.9 WAR. Mecca made the playoffs but lost in the first round, although Nour pitched one final quality playoff start in a no decision.

Nour had breached the 4000 strikeout and 250 win milestones at this point with some wondering if he could chase Ahmed Hussain’s top marks of 5295 Ks and 312 wins. He signed a two-year, $35,200,000 deal with Basra, who was the reigning ALB champ. However, his velocity dropped into the 90-92 mph range for 2036. Along with an oblique strain, Nour pitched only 117.1 innings but was still usable with a 3.38 ERA, 96 Ks, and 2.0 WAR. The Bulldogs lost in the second round and didn’t use Nour in the playoffs, his cue to hang it up that winter at age 39.

The final stats for Nour saw a 268-126 record, 3.09 ERA, 3515 innings, 4326 strikeouts, 592 walks, 349/529 quality starts, 35 complete games, 15 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 114.7 WAR. Nour ranks 4^th in wins, 9^th in win percentage (.680), 6^th in innings, 69^th in complete games, 19^th in shutouts, 3^rd in strikeouts, and 4^th in pitching WAR. Among ALB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Nour is 39^th in ERA. His 1.52 BB/9 is 69^th, 11.08 K/9 is 36^th, 1.07 WHIP is 51^st, and .655 opponents’ OPS is 52^nd.

When discussing Arab League Baseball’s best-ever pitchers, Nour’s name always comes up for just about any top five list. He’s very rarely in the #1 spot with the likes of Ahmed Hussain, Diyar Abbas, and Rashid Tariq usually fighting it out. Nour is certainly in rare company though to even be reasonably considered near those greats.

Nour’s playoff excellence and role in establishing Algiers as a contender goes a long way, although Hussain and Tariq both notably were part of their own dynasty runs. No Algerian player though has been more impactful for his country; both in turning the capital into a contender and for helping them shockingly win a WBC crown. Nour is an inner-circle Hall of Famer by any measure and earned his spot in 2042 at 97.1%.

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It was nearly a blank class in 2042 for the African Association of Baseball’s Hall of Fame, but SP Lane Maloba barely crossed the 66% requirement with a 66.3% debut. SP Fasika Mulatu was a near miss at 63.5% on his fourth try. Two others were above 50% with SP Miracle Rukundo getting 58.2% in his tenth and final try, plus LF Sayyid Pius with a 51.2% debut.



For Rukundo, he peaked at 58.8% after starting at only 39.0%. He had a 15-year run with Kampala, including their epic dynasty run. Rukundo had a 187-119 record, 3.74 ERA, 2763 innings, 2833 strikeouts, 774 walks, 113 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 68.8 WAR. He ranks 8^th in pitching WAR, 19^th in strikeouts, 11^th in wins, and 22^nd in innings.

Despite those tallies, Rukundo had limited black ink and was only twice a Pitcher of the Year finalist. In the playoffs, he had a 5-4 record, 3.05 ERA, 109.1 innings, 99 strikeouts, 133 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 3.3 WAR. Rukundo lost some acclaim as he wasn’t Kampala’s ace for the dynasty; the #2 behind WARlord Ermias Tadele. His omission was also surprising considering Lane Maloba’s 2042 induction; a pitcher with arguably a weaker resume. For whatever reason, Rukundo’s case didn’t compel the voters and he was banished to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Lane Maloba – Starting Pitcher – Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) Elephants – 66.3% First Ballot

Lane Maloba was a 6’2’’, 180 pound pitcher from Mwene-Ditu, a city of 196,000 in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Maloba was known for stellar pinpoint control along with very good stuff and decent movement. He had a three-pitch arsenal and each option was equally potent with a 99-101 mph fastball, changeup, and sinker.

By AAB standards, Maloba had merely average stamina, but his stellar durability meant he still was good for 200+ innings in all but his first and final seasons of a 15-year run. He had strong grades for defense and holding runners. Maloba was one of the smarter pitchers you’ll find and knew how to pick his spots. Despite that, he wasn’t beloved by teammates who often criticized him for selfishness and laziness. Some felt he coasted by on his natural talent, but fortunately for Maloba that talent was plentiful.

Maloba stayed in the Congo as he signed a developmental deal in April 2016 with Lubumbashi. His first action with the Loggerheads actually came in the 2021 postseason with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, as Lubumbashi lost in the Central Conference Championship to Kampala’s dynasty. Maloba debuted properly in 2022 as a part-time starter and was third in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a full-timer in the rotation after that.

He had mixed results in his first two years, but made a big impact in 2024 for the Loggerheads with his postseason run. Lubumbashi took second in the conference at 94-68, but shocked 103-win Addis Ababa 4-3 to win the pennant. The Loggerheads then upset reigning champ Antananarivo 5-4 in the Africa Series. In 27 playoff innings, Maloba had a 1.67 ERA, 2-0 record, 1 save, 30 Ks, 267 ERA+, 47 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR.

Lubumbashi also had a nice 11-8 showing in the Baseball Grand Championship in a tie for sixth. Maloba had a 2.42 ERA over 22.1 innings, 34 Ks, 134 ERA+, 34 FIP-, and 0.9 WAR. The Loggerheads took first in 2025 at 97-65, but Addis Ababa got revenge 4-2 in the conference final. Lubumbashi spent the next three seasons just below .500.

Maloba was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist for the Loggerheads, but did lead in WHIP (1.00) and quality starts (18) in 2025. That year had his career best for strikeouts (278). The team had stalled out and Maloba was due free agency after the 2029 season. Thus with a year left, Lubumbashi traded him to Port Elizabeth for five prospects.

For the Loggerheads, Maloba had a 95-71 record, 1478.1 innings, 1702 strikeouts, 346 walks, 109 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 32.5 WAR. He was inducted with the Elephants since he had a longer run there, but Maloba had a higher WAR with Lubumbashi and was arguably more impactful with their title run. Port Elizabeth was still a newer franchise having debuted along with the African Second League in 2018. They had earned their first promotion to the top level for 2027. The Elephants viewed Maloba as a long-term hire and gave him a four-year, $56,100,000 extension in April.

Maloba won his lone ERA title in 2029 at 2.90 and led in innings (248), WHIP (1.01), quality starts (21), and shutouts (4). He took third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Maloba took second in 2030, the closest he ever came to the honor, leading in wins (19-9), quality starts (21), and WAR (6.2). Port Elizabeth earned its first-ever playoff trip in 2030 at 96-66, but was swept in the Southern Conference Championship by Cape Town.

After that, Maloba’s stats hovered more in the average/above average range, but he provided reliable innings. Port Elizabeth took first in 2031 at 103-59 and topped Johannesburg 4-1 for their first conference title. The Elephants fell 5-3 in the Africa Series to Djibouti. Maloba had a 3.86 ERA over 21 innings with 23 Ks and 0.8 WAR.

PE also earned an at-large into the Baseball Grand Championship with Maloba posting a 3.54 ERA over 28 innings, 35 Ks, and 0.6 WAR. The Elephants finished 13-8, one win short of the top spot and fifth after tiebreakers. Still, Port Elizabeth was now a going concern for the first time in AAB history. They eventually gave Maloba a four-year, $96,800,000 extension in March 2033.

In 2032, the Southern Conference standings had Johannesburg at 98-64,then both Port Elizabeth and Cape Town at 96-66. The Elephants won the tiebreaker game to advance, but lost the conference final 4-2 to the Jackalopes. In 2033, five teams were within four games of first, but PE got the top spot at 95-67. They earned their second pennant 4-2 over Harare, but lost the Africa Series 5-2 to Kinshasa. Maloba struggled in that playoff run going 0-3 with a 5.56 ERA over 22.2 innings with 16 Ks.

Although his playoff career with Port Elizabeth had a weak 4.45 ERA and 0-5 record, he still had 70 FIP- and 1.8 WAR over 58.2 innings with 52 Ks. His combined playoff career had a 2-6 record, 3.49 ERA, 95.1 innings, 97 Ks, 128 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 3.2 WAR. Maloba ranks 10^th in playoff pitching WAR and 16^th in Ks.

The Elephants dropped to 80-82 in 2034, then 69-93 in 2035, but Maloba maintained his usual production. Maloba fell off hard in 2036 with a 7.10 ERA over 123 innings and -0.6 WAR. Port Elizabeth equally fell to 55-107 and ended up relegated. Maloba retired that winter at age 36, but the Elephants quickly retired his #10 uniform for his role in their two pennants. For PE, he had a 115-81 record, 4.26 ERA, 1731.2 innings, 1756 strikeouts, 309 walks, 107 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 29.1 WAR.

In total, Maloba had a 210-152 record, 4.17 ERA, 3210 innings, 3458 strikeouts, 655 walks, 220/427 quality starts, 56 complete games, 16 shutouts, 108 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 61.6 WAR. He ranks 3^rd in wins, 5^th in innings, 58^th in complete games, 14^th in shutouts, 8^th in strikeouts, and 20^th in WAR for pitchers. Maloba’s 9.70 K/9 is 67^th and his 1.84 BB/9 is 16^th among those with 1000+ innings.

On the positive side, he hit several accumulation milestones and was a key piece in pennant wins for two franchises. On the downside, Maloba was rarely a Pitcher of the Year contender or conference leader. Some called him a compiler and Hall of Fame voters for the African Association of Baseball were notoriously stingy. They often held AAB aces to similar standards as other leagues, despite AAB’s very high scoring environment and despite the far fewer innings expected from AAB arms.

Never before in AAB’s HOF had a pitcher with an ERA above four gotten the nod and it was very rare in world history. Maloba’s case was definitely borderline, but he had the benefit of debuting in 2042 with very few strong contenders. He received 66.3%, barely crossing the 66% induction threshold as AAB’s lone honoree in 2042. He’s also the first inductee and the first with his jersey retired by Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha).

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Above are the top free agent signings for hitters around the world for the 2041-42 offseason. The biggest contract by total value went to former CABA LF Stanley Guerrier, joining MLB’s San Diego Seals at $340,000,000 over eight years. The biggest yearly salary will go to former Houston RF Toshiki Naruse, who will be due $51 million in 2042 as part of a seven-year, $339 million deal with Seattle.

The most famous man in free agency was the legendary 1B Binh Tang, fresh off his fourth season in MLB and second with Houston. The soon-to-be 42-year old Vietnamese legend stayed in MLB on a one-year, $41 million deal with Cleveland. After 19 years with Lima, four-time Bolivar League MVP RF Marc Melgar is headed to MLB on a two-year deal with Houston.



Above are the top free agent pitcher signings. The biggest contract went to former Namangan RHP Tariq Sidiqi, who made the jump from ABF to MLB on a seven-year, $232,400,000 deal with Tampa.

Below are the top-rated batters in the world entering the 2042 season. The largest contract overall remains 2B Ram Lengani’s $374,500,000 deal with Douala which still has three years left. The biggest single season salary will be Chicago CF Amani Gonalves at $58 million.



Below are the top-rated pitchers entering 2042.



MILESTONE WATCH

In MLB, veteran RF Neil Hollinger is tied for the home run record at 947 with the just-retired Jackson Brafford. Considering Hollinger hit 64 last year at age 39 for Washington, that gives him a shot to join the world’s 1000 homer club; which currently has only eight members. Binh Tang enters with 211.8 career WAR across his combined APB/MLB career and could pass Jimmy Caliw (214.0) for #2 on the all-time WARboard. The #1 spot of SS Harvey Coyle remains unreachable for now at 234.9.

In AAB, Lawal Deffallah enters the season at 230 wins and 3931 strikeouts, putting him in striking distance for the #1 spot for both. Ermias Tadele has the most wins (239) and Paul Lambote the most Ks (4093).

In ALB, Aden’s Ahmed Yasser Basha is already the hits king, but he needs just 11 to become the tenth in world history in the 4000 club. He also has 2105 runs scored, putting him in striking distance of Nordine Soule’s ALB record 2162. Basha (787) and Kamal Qasim (788) are battling for ALB’s doubles record with only three players in world history having breached 800.

In ABF, Hyderabad’s Sultan Han is already the league leader for runs, total bases, homers, and RBI. He could add doubles to the list, entering at 696 with the top mark Petri Viskari’s 728. Han (3323) could also become ABF’s second to 3500 hits, but he’ll need at least two years to pass Mehmet Fatih Canaydin’s 3696. Dushanbe’s Jan Khaleel has 357 saves, putting him close to Sabri Erdelhun’s ABF record 374.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 2042 World Baseball Championship was the 96^th edition of the event and the main host city was Salvador, Brazil. Division 1 was incredibly tight with Finland, Iran, and Malaysia each tied for first at 12-6. Vietnam (11-7), Kyrgyzstan (10-8), and Somalia (10-8) were each right in the mix too. The three top teams split against one another. Iran and Finland split one-run games, while Malaysia and Finland each had a three-run win and three-run loss. The Iranians’ win over the Malaysians was 9-3 with a 5-3 defeat; giving Iran the differential tiebreaker at +4. It was Iran’s sixth playoff berth and first since 2034.

The United States had the best record of any team in divisional play at 16-2 atop Division 2, holding off strong showings by Poland (14-4) and Ukraine (13-5). The Americans are on a 13-year playoff streak and have advanced 73 times total. D3 had a tie at 13-5 between defending world champion China and El Salvador, while Canada was one back at 12-6. The Chinese had the differential tiebreaker as their win was 5-1 (in ten innings), while their defeat to the Salvadorans was 10-9. China has advanced 34 times total and seven times since 2031. Had El Salvador prevailed, it would’ve been only their second playoff trip.

Japan led the way at 15-3 in Division 4 ahead of 13-5 efforts by Cuba and South Africa. The Japanese have 31 total playoff trips and have only missed thrice in the last ten years. The Dominican Republic won Division 5 at 13-5 and fended off 12-6 India. The DR swept the Indians on 3-2 and 4-3 wins, the latter in 11 innings with a walkoff solo homer by Samir Cruz. The Dominicans have advanced only six times total, but they’ve done it thrice in the last four years.

Peru picked up Division 6 at 14-4 ahead of Belgium (13-5), South Korea (12-6), and Spain (12-6). The Peruvians ended up with a sweep (6-3, 6-2), but the first game notably needed a five-inning rally in the bottom of the ninth. It was Peru’s sixth playoff trip and first since 2034.

Division 7 was intense as Mexico, Scotland, and Tanzania each tied at 12-6. Italy (11-7) and Saudi Arabia (10-8) were the near misses. The Tanzanians split with the Mexicans (8-1 W, 5-2 L) but swept Scotland on a pair of 4-2 results. The Scots meanwhile swept Mexico on 5-2 and 4-3 results. Tanzania’s 3-1 head-to-head record gave them the tiebreaker for the nation’s second-ever playoff berth (2037). The Netherlands secured Division 8 at 15-3 over Nigeria (13-5) and Denmark (12-6). The Dutch moved forward for the 11^th time and third time since 2031.



Argentina dominated Division 9 at 15-3, besting both Uganda and Zambia by three apiece. The Argentinians took its second berth in three years, #15 overall. Russia rolled in Division 10 at 14-4 with only Bangladesh (12-6) keeping it close. The Bangladeshis actually swept the Russians, but Russia was 14-2 against everyone else. Russia is on a four-year playoff streak with eight in the last 11 years and 24 trips overall.

Honduras and Bulgaria tied atop D11 at 13-5 while both Ecuador and Indonesia were 11-7. The Hondurans had the differential tiebreaker with a 7-1 win and 2-1 loss facing the Bulgarians. This was only the third-ever playoff trip for Honduras, whose previous trips were way back in 2001 and 1984.

Colombia and the Philippines tied in Division 12 at 14-14 with Uzbekistan (13-5) and Czechia (12-6) the next closest. The Colombians had a 2-0 win and 4-2 loss against the Filipinos. They were even against each other, but Colombia advanced with the overall better run differential (+56 versus +30). Critically, they beat the Uzbeks 8-7 in the final game to get to the tiebreaker with the Philippines. It was the 19^th playoff berth for the Colombians, who hadn’t done it in 26 years.

Division 13 was an absolute toss up with Romania, Kazakhstan, and Switzerland each ending tied at 11-7. Meanwhile England, Mozambique, and Pakistan each were 10-8 while both Liberia and Moldova were 9-9. The Romanians swept the Swiss in 4-3 games; one with a walkoff and the other in 12 innings. Romania split 5-2 games with Kazakhstan, while the Kazakhs split with Switzerland (4-1 W, 5-3 L). Thus the Romanians had the best head-to-head record at 3-1 for back-to-back playoff trips and their ninth overall.

Germany (12-6) snagged a tight Division 14 just over 11-7 efforts by Australia, Kenya, and Serbia. The Germans swept the Australians, split with the Serbs, and got swept by the Kenyans. Kenya had the misfortune of three extra-inning losses keeping them just out. Germany picked up repeat playoff trips and their 20^th overall.

The 2041 runner-up France dominated Division 15 at 15-3 with Haiti a distant #2 at 12-6. The French grabbed their third postseason berth in four years and #20 all-time. Lastly, Division 16 saw a tie at 14-4 between Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congolese won their first meeting 2-1, but the Ethiopians claimed the rematch 5-3 to narrowly prevail via differential. Ethiopia has nine playoff trips overall, five coming since 2032.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

In Double Round Robin Group A, the United States and Romania both advanced at 4-2, while Russia and Ethiopia were each ousted at 2-4. France was the lone unbeaten at 6-0 in Group B. Iran also moved forward at 3-3 with the Netherlands (2-4) and Honduras (1-5) eliminated.

Argentina led Group C at 4-2; while both the Dominican Republic and Colombia were 3-3 and Germany was 2-4. The Colombians swept the Dominicans on 11-4 and 6-2 wins for the tiebreaker. Tanzania was top dog at 5-1 in Group D, followed by China and Peru at 3-3 and Japan at 1-5. The Peruvians got the sweep on 2-1 and 7-4 wins over the Chinese, which eliminated the reigning world champ.

In the quarterfinals, Iran ousted Romania on 8-3 and 2-0 wins, the latter on a two-hit, 18 strikeout gem by Jarir Rashid. The Iranians earned only their fourth trip to the semifinal, having been runner-up in 2018 and third place in both 1995 and 2023. In a rematch of the prior year’s semifinal, the United States got revenge on France with 10-3 and 6-1 quarterfinal wins. The Americans have been in the final four each year since 2030 except for 2033. The USA 65 times total has been a semifinalist.

Argentina swept Peru with 4-2 and 6-4 wins, the latter with a two-run rally in the top of the ninth inning. This was only the second-ever trip to the semis for the Argentinians, who took third way back in 1955. Colombia meanwhile swept Tanzania on 8-6 and 7-4 wins. It was the 12^th trip to the final four by the Colombians, but they hadn’t done it since their lone finals trip and runner-up finish in 2010. This was the first time since 2016 (with Brazil and Venezuela) that two South American teams made it into the semifinal.



The United States remained the perennial powerhouse by sweeping Iran on 4-2, 3-1, and 10-4 results. The Americans earned an unprecedented 60^th finals trip and they’ve only missed twice since 2030. On the other side, Argentina won their semifinal opener 7-6 over Colombia, tying the game in the ninth on a solo homer and walking off with a Sergio Beltran solo homer in the tenth.

The Colombians had their own rally in game two, tying it at 4-4 in the ninth on a solo homer than getting the go-ahead two-run Mario Salazar bomb in the top of the tenth for a 6-4 win. In game three, Hector Vicuna hit a dramatic three-run walkoff homer in a 3-1 win for Colombia. The Colombians then tossed a combined five-hit shutout to clinch the series on a 5-0 win in game four. Argentina officially finished third, tying their best-ever finish, while Iran was fourth.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 96^th World Championship was a rematch of the 2010 final, which saw the United States defeat Colombia 4-1. That was Colombia’s only previous finals trip. The only South American country to win it all previously was Brazil with five titles, most recently in 2033. Venezuela and Chile both had gotten there once before but took losses. It was a familiar spot for the Americans, who entered at 49-10 all-time in the championship. The USA won eight titles in nine years from 2031-39. They were the runner-up in 2040 to Vietnam, then finished fourth in 2041.

The Americans opened the series with a 5-2 win, but Colombia countered 5-3 the next night. The Colombians took a 5-2 lead into the ninth in game three and the US got two back, but no more with a 5-4 final. Colombia claimed game four with a 5-2 result, starting ahead 5-0. They went up 5-1 in game five and the Americans again attempted to rally with a three-run ninth inning homer. The US got another man to second, but he was stranded. The Colombians escaped with the 5-4 victory and claimed the series in five games, becoming the 25^th different nation to claim the world title.



Leading Colombia by WAR was RF Savino Muniz, as the Bogota RF had 2.1 WAR with 1.032 OPS, 39 hits, 27 runs, 11 homers, and 22 RBI. 1B Mario Salazar was the power man with 19 homers, 45 RBI, 34 hits, 28 runs, .995 OPS, and 1.6 WAR. The Lima 1B’s 45 RBI finished one short of the all-time event record. The Colombians as a team stole 84 bases, the 2^nd-most in WBC history. They scraped by in some ways, having needed tiebreakers to get out of both the divisional and round robin phases.



Tournament MVP went to American 1B Alair White, who also won the honor back in 2036. He became the 10^th player to win multiple MVP honors. The 32-year old San Diego slugger tied the event RBI record of 46, previously met by Ezekiel Thomas (2008) and Thomas Rich (2032). White’s 36 runs tied the second-most behind Rich’s 39 in 2031. He added 38 hits, 22 home runs, 1.285 OPS, 242 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR.

White’s effort was only the fourth time a player hit 20+ homers, something he did previously in 2036 with 22. He also had 106 bases, which was only the 6^th-time someone had 100+ (White had 107 in 2036). White’s power has pushed him into the #1 spot for career home runs (147) and RBI (304). He passed Connor Neumeyer’s 265 RBI and passed Vietnam’s Binh Tang, who overtook Jimmy Caliw’s 121 homers the prior year.

Tang hit 10 in 2041 to get to 133 all-time. “The King” is close to becoming the all-time WBC WARlord at 22.88, just behind American great CF Morgan Short at 22.94. Alair White is now at 20.39, making him only the 5^th player with 20+. Tang is the all-time leader in games (352) and total bases (814); although White is close behind for the latter at 804.

American Vernon Calloway won the Best Pitcher award. He’s the reigning Reliever of the Year with Phoenix and pitched 25.1 innings over eight appearances with a 1.07 ERA, 3-0 record, 2 saves, 58 strikeouts, 0.28 WHIP, and 1.7 WAR.



Other notes: Another American, 2B Tracey Schmidt, notably set the event record with 14 doubles. In a bad record, Colombia’s Benji Carranza set a new high for walks allowed at 35. The USA’s Jake Felix struck out 96, tied for the 7^th-best. India’s M.J. Balagra became the 2^nd closer with 50+ WBC career saves. In game milestones, India’s R.C. Gutta hit four homers facing South Sudan; the 19^th four-homer game in WBC history. Poland’s Adam Nebowski became the 7^th with 100 career WBC homers.

Below are the updated all-time stats for the World Baseball Championship. Colombia’s world title vaulted them into the #10 spot all-time for event points, passing Germany, Italy, and France.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Venice absolutely dominated European Tier Three at 110-52, the second-best record in ET3 history, earning their first-ever promotion to the European Second League. It was a very tight fight for the remaining three promotion spots with eight teams separated by only eight wins. Leeds, who was just a one-and-done in E2L, took the second place slot at 92-70. Kyiv, a former EBF and EPB powerhouse, finished third at 91-71. The Ukrainian capital had been stuck in ET3 for six of the last seven years.

For the final spot, Lodz and Nottingham finished tied at 88-74. Just missing the cut beneath them were Cyprus (87-75), Katowice (85-77), The Hague (85-77), and Kosovo (84-78). In the one-game tiebreaker to advance, the Legion got an all-time performance by 24-year old Ronaldo Montes. He tossed a no-hitter with seven strikeouts and three walks as Lodz defeated the North Stars 5-0. The Legion escaped after two seasons in ET3.



Venice swept Lodz with 4-2, 1-0, and 2-1 wins in the semifinal. On the other side, Leeds took 2-1 and 7-3 wins to start against Kyiv. The Kings got game three by a 4-3 margin, but the Lagers took game four in 12 innings 2-1 to advance. Leeds opened the Tier Three Championship with a 4-2 win, but the Visigoths won the next four with 3-2, 7-3, 10-1, and 3-2 scores.



Other notes: Gdansk’s Henri Masson had the first Triple Crown season in ET3, winning MVP with a .310 average, 47 homers, and 115 RBI.