Baseball: The World's Game

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The race for the Mediterranean Division was an all-timer between defending Arab League Baseball champ Algiers and Tripoli. Both set franchise records in pursuit of both the division title and the top seed in the Western Conference. The Privateers ultimately won the race at 113-49, edging out the 112-50 Arsenal by one game. Fortunately for Algiers, it was the fourth year of the playoff expansion as previously in ALB, only division winners had advanced to the postseason. 113-49 was the second-best record in conference history behind Amman’s 116-46 from 2010.

A wild card last year, Tripoli earned their first division title since 2020. The Privateers had a historic offense, setting new ALB single-season records for runs (1001), hits (1773), triple slash (.307/.359/.534), and doubles (392). The Privateers were the first-ever 1000 run team in ALB, a mark that has very rarely been met in any league. Tripoli’s runs and triple slash are still ALB records as of 2037.

Algiers allowed the fewest runs in ALB at 621, but they weren’t bad offensively themselves. The Arsenal scored a second place 908 runs and had their own .297 batting average and 1703 hits, both of which would’ve been conference records if not for Tripoli’s explosion. Algiers’ playoff streak grew to five years, but they were stuck as one of the highest record wild cards in baseball history. The Arsenal also set a new conference attendance record at 2,079,597.

Alexandria quietly had their own excellent season at 100-62 to repeat as Nile Division champs and earn a third straight playoff trip. Cairo was second at 93-69, good enough for the second wild card. The Pharaohs were back in the postseason after having a nine-year streak snapped in 2026.

Jerusalem’s playoff streak grew to four as they repeated as Levant Division champ at 94-68. Amman (89-73) and Damascus (87-75) were the first teams out in both the division race and the wild card race. Tunis, a 94-win wild card last year, fell to 70-92 in the loaded Mediterranean.

The battle for Western Conference MVP was also intense as Alexandria 1B Gilon Bassman and Algiers LF Wissam Magdy both had record breaking seasons. The top award went to Bassman for repeat wins. The 24-year old Israeli righty led in runs (141), hits (267), doubles (70), total bases (534), triple slash (.414/.438/.828), OPS (1.266), wRC+ (219), and WAR (11.8). Bassman also had 59 home runs and 164 RBI.

Bassman became the new ALB single-season record holder in average, OPS, hits, total bases, and doubles. His 534 total bases tied for the second-most in world baseball history and only was behind Majed Darwish’s 546 in the 2010 South Asia Baseball season. Bassman’s’ batting average was the fourth-best qualifying season in world history to that point. His hit total was fifth-best, only behind four seasons by West Africa Baseball’s Fares Belaid. Bassman also had only the fifth-ever 70 double season, missing the world record by two. As of 2037, he remains ALB’s leader in OPS, hits, and total bases.

Magdy had matched ALB’s home run record of 82 the prior year, which was one of only five 80+ dinger seasons in world history to that point. He bested it in 2027 with an absurd 89 homers, coming close to Darwish’s world record 91 from the 2009 SAB season. Many felt Darwish’s mark was a truly impossible feat, but Magdy came remarkably close to it. Magdy also had 183 RBI, breaking Nordine Soule’s ALB record of 172 from 2008. This was the seventh-best in world history and was one of only eight seasons in any league at or above 180 RBI.

Algiers also saw Muhammad Nour win his fifth Pitcher of the Year, becoming only the fourth in ALB history to do so. He had won four straight from 2021-24 and still was only 29-years old in 2027. The Algerian lefty led in ERA (2.68), WHIP (0.99), WAR (8.0), quality starts (26), and FIP- (62). Nour added 276 strikeouts over 225.1 innings with a 20-6 record. In spring training, the Arsenal locked him up on a six-year, $108 million extension.

Despite their 112-50 record, Algiers was shocked 2-1 by Cairo in the wild card round. The Pharaohs couldn’t keep the magic going in round two as they were swept by top seed Tripoli, who earned their first Western Conference Final trip since 2020. Jerusalem earned repeat WCF appearances by surviving 2-1 against Alexandria. The Privateers were the massive favorite, but the Jets earned a shocking 3-1 upset for only their second-ever pennant (2007).



The Eastern Conference saw significant turnover as only one of the five playoff teams from 2026 made it back in 2027. That was Medina, who earned the top seed at 110-52. They repeated as Arabia Division champs and grew their playoff streak to three. Both wild cards came out of the division with Mecca at 89-73 and Riyadh at 85-77. They both got their second playoff trips in four years. The Rats were the top scoring team in the conference at 918 runs.

The top seed wasn’t a lock for Medina, as they had to fend off 105-57 Sulaymaniyah. The Sultans dominated the Mesopotamia Division, ending the nine-year reign of Basra. Sulaymaniyah did it by allowing the conference’s fewest runs at 665. The Bulldogs fell to 76-86, their first losing season since 2015. Baghdad was a very distant second in the division at 82-80, but only three short of the second wild card. Kuwait’s three-year playoff streak ended as they dropped to 75-87.

The Gulf Division went to Muscat for the second time in three years with a 98-64 finish. No one else in the division was above .500 with Abu Dhabi best at 80-82. Defending conference champ Bahrain regressed to 78-84. Leading the way for the Threshers was RF Ahmed Yasser Basha, who won Eastern Conference MVP.

Basha led in stolen bases (99) and won his fifth Gold Glove. The 26-year old Egyptian had 236 hits, 130 runs, 45 doubles, 40 home runs, 132 RBI, .384/.418/.681 slash, and 8.0 WAR. There was tough competition, including Sulaymaniyah’s Mokhtar Bouziane, who set a new ALB single-season record with 149 runs scored. Mecca’s Iqbal Matharu also notably had a .407 batting average, which ranked as the third-best in ALB history.

Medina’s Bakr Mahdi won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also done it back in 2024. The 29-year old Omani righty in 2027 led in ERA (2.73), wins (22-5), WHIP (0.92), and quality starts (24). Mahdi added 7.8 WAR over 198 innings, 169 ERA+, and 260 strikeouts; four Ks shy of a Triple Crown. Mahdi inked a new six-year, $184,900,000 extension with the Mastodons in June 2028.

Mecca topped Riyadh 2-0 in the wild card round and took Medina to the limit in round two. The Mastodons survived 2-1 to get their second Eastern Conference Final trip in three years. Sulaymaniyah swept Muscat on the other side for their first ECF appearance since 2015. Top seed Medina held 3-1 over the Sultans for their first pennant in 20 years. The Mastodons now had seven, tied with Basra for the most in the Eastern Conference.



The 38^th Arab League Championship was a rematch the 2007 final. Medina defeated Jerusalem that year, which was the Mastodons’ most recent title and the Jets’ only finals berth. The end result was the same in 2027 with Medina winning over Jerusalem in an excellent 4-3 affair.

Finals MVP was Medina SP Hussein Hussain in his ninth season. In four playoff starts, the 30-year old Yemeni had a 3.27 ERA, 2-1 record, 22 innings, and 20 strikeouts. Worth a mention on the losing side was Jerusalem RF Misbah Salah, who set a new ALB playoff record with 21 RBI.



The Mastodons became five-time ALB champs (1992, 1993, 2005, 2007), tying them with Basra for the second-most. Casablanca holds the top spot with six. At 110-52, the 2027 Mastodons had the fourth-best record by an ALB champion. The only teams better was 1993 Medina (116-46), 2010 Amman (116-46), and 1994 Casablanca (111-51).

Other notes: With the record-setting top teams in the Western Conference came with record-setting bottom teams. Khartoum and Suez set new pitching worsts in the WC for ERA and runs with the Cottonmouths at 5.57 and 949, while the Sabres were at 5.54 and 946. Those marks narrowly avoided being ALB all-time worsts. Khartoum did set a new ALB worsts with only 1038 strikeouts, a 6.50 K/9, and 1.511 team WHIP.

Jerusalem’s Sayaf Mesmari threw ALB’s 8^th Perfect Game on September 13, striking out 11 against Cairo. In other pitching milestones, Khamis Sheik was the 5^th to reach 4000 strikeouts and Aaron Buber was the 9^th to 300 saves. Jeddah’s Amar Rasmi had a 36-game hitting streak, tying the ALB record set by Alaa Dinari in 2024. Rasmi also became the 5^th member of the 3000 hit club.

Earlier in the year, Mohamed Hassan became the 4^th to 3000 hits and the 3^rd to 2000 career RBI. Omar Azim and Osama Ahmed became the 13^th and 14^th members of the 600 home run club. Tzidkiel Monnish was the 30^th to 500 home runs and the 17^th to 1500 RBI. 3B Malik Zouaoui won his 8^th Silver Slugger and LF Walid Bennani won his 7^th.

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Asian Baseball Federation players scored a major labor win for 2027 with the minimum service time requirement for free agency dropping from seven to six years. ABF had formed with a seven-year standard, dropped it to six for 1993, then raised it back to seven in 2014. This put ABF among the least restrictive of the world leagues with the only ones lower being East Asia Baseball and the Oceania Baseball Association at five years.



Reigning ABF champ Hyderabad narrowly earned the East League’s top seed at 102-60 atop the South Division. North Division champ Almaty was one game back at 101-61. The Horned Frogs grew their playoff streak to four seasons and the Assassins run grew to eight years. Almaty was the EL’s top scoring team with 715 runs while Hyderabad allowed the fewest at 508.

Peshawar (98-64) was three back on the Assassins in the North Division and Bishkek (95-67) was six away. They took the two wild card spots with only South Division runner up Lahore (93-69) also in the hunt. The Predators ended a 33-year playoff drought, which had been the longest in ABF history. The Black Sox snapped a three-year skid. Karachi, who had seen back-to-back ELCS trips, fell to 81-81. Dushanbe set an EL team record with 366 doubles, although they were only 78-84 regardless.

East League MVP went to Almaty LF Youssouf Raza in his fifth season as a full-time starter. The 26-year old Pakistani led in runs (115), and home runs (54). Raza added 182 hits, 35 doubles, 125 RBI, .317/.386/.673 slash, 1.059 OPS, 216 wRC+, and 10.6 WAR. Prior to the season, the Assassins locked Raza up on an eight-year, $105,500,000 extension.

Fourth-year righty Sharafat Butti was Pitcher of the Year for Hyderabad. The 24-year old Pakistani led in wins (18-5), K/BB (11.7), and shutouts (6). Butti had a 2.14 ERA over 205.2 innings, 281 strikeouts, 162 ERA+, and 6.6 WAR. He also earned his second Gold Glove. Butti would pitch a good 2028, but a series of major injuries meant he only pitched 46.2 total innings after turning 27.

Hyderabad outlasted Bishkek 3-2 in the first round and Peshawar upset Almaty with a surprising road sweep. The Horned Frogs had a chance to repeat, while the Predators hadn’t been in the East League Championship Series since their lone ABF title back in 1992. In an intense seven-game battle, Hyderabad survived Peshawar’s fierce challenge. The repeat made the Horned Frogs eight-time pennant winners, leading all ABF teams.



Mashhad took the top seed in the West League for the third straight year and grew their playoff streak to seven seasons. The two-time defending WL champs were 106-56 atop the Central Division and led in scoring with 867 runs. Baku won the West Division at 99-63 for their fifth playoff trip in six years, although it was their first division title since 2022. The Blackbirds allowed the fewest runs at 607.

Adana was second in the West at 94-68, earning repeat wild cards. The Central Division’s runner-up Tehran narrowly secured the second wild card at 91-71, edging Istanbul by one game. The Tarpons snapped a seven-year playoff drought. After repeat WLCS trips, Gaziantep struggled to 73-89. Shiraz notably went from a 96-win wild card in 2026 to .500 in 2027. Also significant was Bursa’s plummet to 66-96, their first losing record since 2019.

West League MVP was Adana’s Vugar Sodikov, who also won his sixth consecutive Gold Glove at shortstop. The 27-year old Azeri was the WARlord at 10.7 and posted 177 hits, 106 runs, 34 doubles, 14 triples, 36 home runs, 113 RBI, 47 stolen bases, .295/.353/.577 slash, and 151 wRC+. He had the rare MVP/Silver Slugger/Gold Glove sweep and hit for the cycle in May against Isfahan. The Axeman gave Sodikov an eight-year, $108,200,000 extension before the 2026 season.

Baku lefty Agshin Jumayev won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 26-year old Tajik led in strikeouts (404), FIP- (55), and WAR (9.6). Jumayev posted a 2.54 ERA over 251.2 innings, 15-9 record, and 156 ERA+. He joined Hasan Afshin and Yazeed Anwari as the only ABF pitchers with multiple 400+ K seasons. In August, the Blackbirds secured their ace with a seven-year, $95,600,000 extension.

Both wild cards pulled off surprising first round upsets with Adana sweeping Baku and Tehran ousting defending champ Mashhad 3-1. The Tarpons hadn’t been in the West League Championship Series since their back-to-back titles in 2016-17. The Axemen’s last WLCS was a 2016 defeat against Tehran. The Tarpons took the series handily 4-1 to earn their fifth pennant.




The 43^rd ABF Championship was the first finals battle between Hyderabad and Tehran despite both being generally successful. The matchup was a dud with the Horned Frogs sweeping the Tarpons, becoming ABF’s first repeat champ since Tehran did it in 2016-17. Hyderabad earned their second repeat and lead all ABF teams with six titles (1986, 1987, 1999, 2013, 2026, 2027).

2B Ammar Sanjrani was finals MVP, recording 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, and 10 RBI over 16 playoff starts. Closer Talib Abdul Qadir was also notable for posting nine saves, tying the ABF playoff record set by Muhayr Jibal in 2024. Abdul Qadir had a 1.96 ERA over 10 appearances and 18.1 innings with 20 strikeouts.



Other notes: 2027 was the final ABF season for the legendary Nizami Aghazade. The 39-year old Kazakh SS/2B wasn’t done completely, as he’d still have another five years in MLB and one in EPB. Aghazade was the undisputed GOAT in ABF after an absurd 16-year run with Dushanbe that saw nine MVPs, 13 Silver Sluggers, and three Gold Gloves.

In total, Aghazade had 183.1 WAR, 2747 hits, 1464 runs, 467 doubles, 596 home runs, 1563 RBI, 827 walks, .358/.432/.665 slash, 1.097 OPS, and 237 wRC+. He left as ABF’s leader in WAR, triple slash, and OPS; plus was in the top ten of most of the big counting stats.

Aghazade has 60+ more WAR than the next best ABF legend, leading the league and recording 10+ WAR in 12 different seasons. The four seasons he didn’t reach that mark were all injury shortened, including 7.1 WAR over 98 games in his final Dynamo season at age 39. As of 2037, Aghazade has seven of ABF’s top ten WAR seasons. Following the 2027 campaign, Aghazade was 8^th in the all-time WAR chart for all players in baseball history.

In batting milestones, Aghazade became the 6^th to 1500 RBI. ABF hits king Mehmet Fatih Canaydin became the first to 3500 hits. Hakan Mocuk became the 16^th member of the 500 home run club. Mocuk also won his ninth Silver Slugger and his first at 1B, having previously won eight at 3B. Sijad Khaleel became the fifth pitcher to 4500 strikeouts and Mustafa Jumah was the 11^th to 4000 Ks. Arshia Hushyar was the 15^th pitcher to 200 wins and Ibragim Nazarow was the 4^th to 300 saves.

RF Hana Zuhair won his 15^th consecutive and final Gold Glove. Zuhair became only the 9^th player in all of baseball history to win 15+ Gold Gloves and the only one to do it as a right fielder. C Ali Mahdian and CF Campolat Necdet both won their 8^th Gold Gloves.

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After winning three straight South Asia Baseball titles from 2023-25, Visakhapatnam lost in the Indian League Championship in 2026 despite a franchise-best 115-47 record. Looking to rebound from the playoff letdown, the Volts improved to 119-43 for a fifth straight South Division title. That was the best record by an IL team since Ahmedabad’s historic dynasty run. Visakhapatnam allowed the fewest runs in SAB by a healthy margin at 459. The Volts also had a 2,258,719 season attendance, second-best in SAB history behind their own 2,268,493 from the prior year.

The league was generally top-heavy as Jaipur took the #2 seed and Central Division at 106-56. The Jokers got their second berth in four years, finishing 13 games ahead of Delhi in the division. The Drillers at 93-69 ended up four short in the wild card race. Delhi now has eight consecutive 90+ win seasons, yet they’re on a four-year playoff drought. Defending Indian League champ Kolkata dropped to 81-81, ending their six-year playoff streak.

In a tight West Division race, Ahmedabad (100-62) edged out Pune (97-65). The Animals got repeat division titles and the Purple Knights snagged a third straight wild card. Pune also earned its seventh playoff trip in nine years. Ahmedabad led the league in scoring with 822 runs. Apart from Delhi, the next closest teams in the wild card race were far away with Hyderabad at 87-75 and Chennai at 85-77.

Expansion squad Vadodara was a lousy 60-102 in their third season, but they had the Indian League’s MVP in two-way rookie Deep Rajagopal. He finally made his highly anticipated debut after a wild start to his career. He was picked first in the 2023 SAB Draft by Surat and in the 2024 Draft by Vadodara, but didn’t sign either time. The RedHawks picked him #2 in 2026 and finally got him, but Rajagopal missed all of 2026 to a torn labrum.

He officially wasn’t eligible for Rookie of the Year for 2027 despite it being his first action due to his roster status while injured in 2026. On the mound, Rajagopal had a 3.29 ERA in 221.2 innings, 13-11 record, 293 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR. As an outfielder, he had 133 games with 155 hits, 62 runs, 46 doubles, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, .355/.409/.593 slash, 196 wRC+, and 6.4 WAR. Rajagopal’s combined 12.4 WAR was the third-best two-way WAR total in SAB history.

E.J. Dhananjay won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. His first came in 2025 with Hyderabad, but he left and signed a seven-year, $114,100,000 deal with his hometown Visakhapatnam in 2026. For 2027, the 28-year old righty led in wins (23-4), ERA (1.87), and WHIP (0.81). Dhananjay had 8.1 WAR and 192 ERA+ over 212 innings with 325 strikeouts, falling 18 Ks short of a Triple Crown. He also tossed his second no-hitter, striking out 16 with one walk facing Nagpur on March 27.

Despite the 22-win difference, Pune shocked top seed Visakhapatnam 3-1 in the first round, giving the Volts back-to-back letdowns despite monster regular seasons. The Purple Knights secured their second Indian League Championship Series trip in three years. They would meet division rival Ahmedabad, who got their own first round upset with a sweep of Jaipur.

The Animals were making their second ILCS appearance in four years and their 24^th across SAB’s 48-year history. However, Ahmedabad hadn’t broken through since the epic dynasty run with a drought back to 2002 and a 0-5 mark in their last five ILCS trips. Pune pushed that drought onward as the Purple Knights prevailed 4-2 over the Animals. It was the fifth pennant for Pune (1981, 1983, 1984, 2019, 2027).



Both division champs in the Southeast Asia League finished 102-60 with Mandalay atop the North and Yangon atop the South. The tiebreaker gave the Green Dragons the #1 seed, ultimately setting up round one matchups between the #1 and #2 teams of both divisions. The Mammoths allowed the fewest runs at 564. Despite being the reigning SAB champ, this was Mandalay’s first division title since 2019. Yangon’s playoff streak grew to three and was their 32^nd berth in 33 years.

Wild cards went to Dhaka (96-66) and Bangkok (91-71) with Khulna (89-73) the first team out. The Dobermans led in scoring at 839 runs and extended their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Bobcats secured their third trip in four years, while the Claws’ bid for a third straight berth was thwarted. Hanoi was the next closest at 84-78, notably setting an SAB team record with 101 triples.

Dhaka DH Hamidul Islam earned Southeast Asia League MVL honors in his second year as a full-time starter. The 24-year old Bangladeshi lefty led in hits (210), runs (130), RBI (135), total bases (429), batting average (.370), slugging (.757), OPS (1.156), and wRC+ (205). Islam added 54 homers, 43 doubles, 54 stolen bases, and 9.9 WAR. He missed the Triple Crown by only five homers behind Mandalay’s Dong Vinh Lam. This effort earned Islam an eight-year, $107,420,000 extension with the Dobermans after the season.

Kathmandu was 76-86, an improvement after eight straight seasons below 70 wins. Third-year pitcher Tha Song played a big role and earned Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (2.22), strikeouts (331), WHIP (0.88), FIP- (54), and WAR (9.2). The 25-year old Cambodian righty had a 178 ERA+ and 17-10 record over 239.1 innings. The Chaparrals signed Song to a five-year, $47,240,000 extension after the season.

Mandalay downed Dhaka 3-1 in the first round and Bangkok upset Yangon 3-1. The Bobcats earned their third Southeast Asia League Championship trip in four years, but they’d once again be denied their first-ever pennant. The Mammoths clobbered Bangkok with a sweep to become three-time SEAL champs (2018, 2026, 2027). Mandalay is the first to repeat as SEAL champion since Yangon in 2014-15.



The Mammoths were ultimately thwarted in their SAB Championship repeat bid. The 48^th finale saw a 4-2 victory for Pune, making them four-time champs (1983, 1984, 2019, 2027). Finals MVP was 3B V.J. Bahuprada, who set a new SAB playoff record with 19 runs scored. The previous best was 17 by home run king Majed Darwish in 2008. The 28-year old Bahuprada added 24 hits, 6 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers, 7 RBI, 10 steals, and 1.5 WAR over 16 starts.



Other notes: SAB’s 14^th Perfect Game came on September 26 by Chittaogng’s Giau Lam with four strikeouts against Hanoi. Abhiji Srivas became the 27^th member of the 500 home run club and Avilasa Ponnuru was the 27^th to 2500 hits. Akram Ponnuru was the 8^th reliever to 400 saves while Avabodha Gautama became the 17^th to 300 saves. Hong Thanh Chung was the 18^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. RF Murugan Abdul won his 7^th Gold Glove. 2B Agnisika Dhavita won his 9^th Silver Slugger.

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Dakar and Kumasi ended up even atop the Western League standings at 96-66, although the Dukes earned the #1 seed via tiebreaker. It was the fourth straight playoff trip for Dakar and back-to-back for the Monkeys. Kumasi notably allowed the fewest runs in the WL at 699. Freetown was third at 91-71, returning to the postseason after their four-year streak was narrowly thwarted in 2026.

Defending WL champ Abidjan grabbed the fourth and final playoff spot at 88-74, growing their playoff streak to seven. The Athletes notably secured their ninth postseason trip in a decade. Last year’s WLCS runner-up Banjul was tied with Accra for fifth at 83-79. The Bucks were the league’s top scoring squad at 886 runs.

Dakar 3B Junior Jose won his second Western League MVP, having previously done it back in 2024. The fifth-year starter from Mozambique led in home runs (61), OBP (.423), slugging (.737), OPS (1.160), wRC+ (184), and WAR (9.8). Jose added 124 runs, 196 hits, 41 doubles, 145 RBI, and a .339 average. The Dukes signed the former #1 overall pick to an eight-year, $142,700,000 extension in the offseason.

The impressive start to Chidozie Iyakson’s career continued as the Dakar ace won his fourth straight Pitcher of the Year. He became the sixth WAB pitcher to win the award four times, the third to do it consecutively, and the first to do it across the first four years of his career. Hall of Famer Kouadio Diao came close, winning four POTYs in his first five years. Iyakson joined Diao in earning a Triple Crown season, the 12^th by a WAB pitcher.

Iyakson had a 20-4 record, 2.19 ERA, and 318 strikeouts; all new career bests. Over 218 innings, the 26-year old Nigerian lefty also led in WHIP (0.99), quality starts (22), and WAR (8.6). Iyakson had a 213 ERA+ and 54 FIP-. Another former #1 overall pick by the Dukes, Iyakson also signed an extension after the 2027 campaign at $74,700,000 over six years.

Freetown swept defending WL champ Abidjan 2-0 in the first round, then upset Kumasi 2-0 in round two. This gave the Foresters their third Western League Championship Series trip in four years, setting up a 2025 rematch with Dakar. The 2027 result ended the same, a 3-2 victory for the Dukes. The win gave Dakar six Western League pennants (1988, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2025, 2027).



The Eastern League was very top heavy with Ibadan outracing reigning West African Baseball champ Cotonou for the top spot. The 2025 EL champion Iguanas at 107-55 returned to the playoffs after having a four-year playoff streak snapped in 2026. The Copperheads were a close second at 103-59 for repeat berths. Ibadan allowed the fewest runs at 590.

Niamey was third at 95-67 and led in scoring at 955 runs, growing their playoff streak to four years. The Atomics had a team .362 on-base percentage, the second-highest in WAB history. Lagos (87-75) took the fourth and final spot to earn repeat wild cards. Benin City, Port Harcourt, and Lome were each next at 83-79.

Kano notably went from 88 wins in 2026 to an abysmal 61-101 in 2027. Despite that, the Condors had the Eastern League MVP in 1B Hadj Sagna, who led in RBI (154), total bases (407), slugging (.667), and WAR (7.4). He added 211 hits, 106 runs, 53 doubles, 47 homers, and 1.060 OPS. Kano would give Sagna a seven-year, $241,500,000 extension the following summer.

Ibadan’s Alejandra Caceres won Pitcher of the Year and his third Gold Glove. It was his second year with the Iguanas, getting traded by Conakry before the 2026 season. Caceres won the ERA title at 2.25 and posted a 15-5 record, 9 saves, 209 strikeouts, 5.1 WAR, and 198 ERA+ over 188 innings. In May, Caceres signed a four-year, $32,800,000 extension.

Lagos upset Niamey 2-1 in the first round, but got swept in round two by Cotonou. This set up the defending EL champ and the 2025 EL champ Ibadan in the Eastern League Championship Series. The Copperheads prevailed on the road 3-2 over the Iguanas, becoming five-time pennant winners (2010, 11, 13, 26, 27).



The 53^rd West African Championship was a rematch of the 2013 event, which Cotonou won over Dakar in a sweep. This time it went all seven games, but the Copperheads prevailed again over the Dukes. Cotonou moved to 5-0 in their finals appearances while Dakar dropped to 2-4.

LF Damien Sauzee was finals MVP, a French journeyman who came to WAB in 2024 with Kano. He missed all of 2026 to a broken bone in his elbow, then got traded to Cotonou in June 2027. The 37-year old stepped in when it counted, getting 18 hits, 12 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, and 6 RBI over 14 playoff starts.

The Copperheads also had notable playoff pitching with Chinedu Michael setting a new playoff record for K/9 (16.80) and Jose Balde hitting the complete games record at three. Balde had a 2.78 ERA and 29 Ks over 32.1 innings, while Michael fanned 28 and had a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings.



Other notes: WAB hits king Fares Belaid signed with Lagos for 2027 and had his weakest year of since his rookie year at age 38. He only had 0.6 WAR in 71 games, but his notably had six doubles. That got Belaid to 819 career doubles, passing South Asia Baseball’s Manju Abbas (816) to baseball’s all-time world doubles leader.

Clarence Cole joined Belaid and Darwin Morris as the only WAB batters with 2000 runs scored. Cole also won his 8^th Silver Slugger in RF. Shafiu Hassan and Desmond Jaiyeola became the 5^th and 6^th members of the 600 home run club and Kingsley Gideon became the 17^th to 500 homers. Gideon, Jonah Moiseiwitsch, and Hassan Amara each got to 1500 RBI, making 15 WAB sluggers to do so. Ahmed Kone was the 28^th to 2500 hits. LF Didier Loubaki won his 7^th Gold Glove.

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Jinan finished atop the Northern League standings at 98-64, finishing in the top spot for only the second time in franchise history (2000). The Jumbos allowed the NL’s fewest runs (464) and earned their second playoff berth in three years. Defending Chinese League Baseball champion Tianjin was a close second at 96-66 with Zhenghou third at 95-67. The Jackrabbits secured their fifth playoff trip in six years and set a new NL team record with 352 stolen bases. The Zips led all of CLB with 651 runs scored.

The fourth and final playoff spot was Xi’an at 90-72. The Attack ended a six-year playoff drought, finishing ahead of Harbin (85-77), Beijing (83-77), and Nanjing (82-80). Last year’s first place finisher Dalian dropped to 81-81 and last year’s semifinalist Hangzhou plummeted to 72-90.

Leading Jinan to first place was an all-time season from Northern League MVP Syamsul Azzahari. The 25-year old Malaysian first baseman led in runs (119), hits (207), home runs (59), total bases (414), triple slash (.356/.421/.711), OPS (1.133), wRC+ (249), and WAR (14.3).

Azzahari’s OPS was the second-best qualifying season in CLB history to that point. His 119 runs also were second-best, two short of Libo Li’s 121 from 1980. Azzahari also posted the second-best qualifying slugging percentage and the fifth-best WAR total by a CLB position player. His total bases ranked as the third-best CLB season.

The Jumbos also had the Pitcher of the Year in veteran Yingfa Luo. The 31-year old righty led in wins (20-6), shutouts (6), and WAR (8.0). Luo had a 2.20 ERA over 258 innings, 312 strikeouts, and 131 ERA+. It was Luo’s ninth and final year with Jinan, as he’d leave for free agency and move to Russia on a four-year, $96,800,000 deal with EPB’s Omsk.

Zhengzhou fared the best in the Round Robin at 5-1, advancing to the semifinal along with defending champ Tianjin at 4-2. Jinan at 2-4 and Xi’an at 1-5 were both ousted. The Zips hadn’t made it to the semifinal since 2009, one of two China Series trips for them along with 1995. Zhengzhou earned their third finals trip by dethroning the Jackrabbits in the semifinal 4-2.



Xiamen had China’s best overall record atop the Southern League standings at 100-62. The Mutts picked up their fourth playoff trip in five years. Reigning SL champ Kunming and Wuhan were both next at 95-67. The Muscle secured a third straight playoff trip and the Wolverines got their second in three years. Wuhan allowed the SL’s fewest runs at 424.

The fourth spot went to Chongqing at 93-69, also getting their third straight wild card. Macau was the only close foe at 91-71 and led with 586 runs scored. Guangzhou was a distant sixth at 83-79, followed by 2026 semifinalist Nanning and Wenzhou both at 82-80. Shantou, the first place finisher last year, was at 79-83.

Macau’s Yongxin Li was Southern League MVP in his eighth year with the Magicians. The 29-year old left fielder led in runs (92), walks (70), OBP (.391), OPS (.929), wRC+ (211), and WAR (9.2). Li added 179 hits, 32 home runs, 65 RBI, and a .315 average. In the offseason, Macau signed Li to a seven-year, $188,800,000 extension.

In only his second season, Kunming’s Zhongjie Lu won Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old lefty led in wins (21-6), ERA (1.48), and WHIP (0.78). In 254.2 innings, Lu struck out 316 batters with a 177 ERA+ and 6.0 WAR. Lu was 20 strikeouts short of a Triple Crown.

Kunming (5-1) and Xiamen (3-3) advanced out of the round robin while Wuhan (2-4) and Chongqing (2-4) were eliminated. The Muscle had a chance to repeat, while the Mutts were in their fourth semifinal in five years. Xiamen lost from 2023-25, but got over the hump in 2027. The Mutts dethroned Kunming 4-1 for their first China Series trip in 18 years and their fourth overall (1981, 2006, 2009, 2027).



The 58^th China Series was the second finals meeting between Xiamen and Zhengzhou with the Mutts winning in their 2009 encounter. The 2027 rematch was a lopsided Zips sweep for Zhengzhou’s first CLB title. With the Zips title, 22 of CLB’s 32 teams have a ring.



Other notes: Kenny Sang became the 3^rd to 500 home runs and the 13^th to 1000 RBI. He also won his 11^th straight Silver Slugger at second base, becoming the third CLB player to win 11+ Sluggers. Sang played two more years and got to 528 home runs, retiring third behind Cheng Kang (552) and Boyu Long (537).

Chongqing’s Rui Santiago set a playoff record with a .571 batting average in 21 plate appearances (20 needed to qualify). Houzhi Ding became the 13^th to 400 homers. Chunhua Wang became the 16^th member of the 2000 hit club. Xiaohan Yin was the 9^th closer to 300 saves. CF Zuhairi Arif won his 8^th Gold Glove.

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Defending Austronesia Professional Baseball champion and two-time defending Taiwan-Philippine Association champ Cebu again took the top spot in the Philippine League. The 100-62 Crows allowed the fewest runs in the TPA at 439 and set new all-time APB pitching records for strikeouts (1890) and K/9 (11.37). They also posted the second fewest walks (203) and second best BB/9 (1.22). Zamboanga was a distant second at 83-79, but that did mark their 15^th straight non-losing season.

Hsinchu took the Taiwan League at 92-70, beating Taipei by nine and both defending TL champ Kaohsiung and Tainan by ten. The Sweathogs have taken first only in the odd numbered years in the 2020s thus far. Taoyuan scored the most runs at 590, but allowed 588 for an 81-81 finish.

“The King” Binh Tang returned to the Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP spot in 2027. He became the first seven-time winner in APB history, having won from 2020-25 for Hsinchu. The Vietnamese first baseman was still only 27-years old, leading in OPS for the seventh time, WAR for the fifth time, batting average for the sixth time, and runs for the seventh time.

Tang led with 101 runs, 177 hits, 35 doubles, a .315/.386/.568 slash, .954 OPS, 189 wRC+, and 9.7 WAR. He also had 35 home runs, 94 RBI, and 34 stolen bases. The effort earned Tang his seventh Silver Slugger and fourth at first base, as his first three came as a designated hitter.

Pitcher of the Year was Tainan’s Kuan-Yang Kang, who won the ERA title at 1.56. The 26-year old Taiwanese lefty struck out 365 in 225 innings with a 14-9 record, 182 ERA+, and 9.1 WAR. Kang also won his fourth Gold Glove and threw a no-hitter on May 21 against Cagayan de Oro with 19 strikeouts and two walks. He had to fend off Cebu’s Hakimi Aziz, who led in Ks (392) and WAR (11.5). Aziz’s weaker 1.89 ERA and 149 ERA+ was the clincher for enough voters for Kang.



For the third straight year, Jakarta and Johor Bahru punched tickets to the Sundaland Association Championship. The 2025 APB champ Jaguars had the best record at 95-67 atop the Java Sea League, finishing nine games ahead of Palembang. The reigning SA champ Blue Wings won the Malacca League at 93-69, besting Kuala Lumpur and Pekanbaru both by seven games. JB led in scoring at 572 runs while Jakarta had the second most runs (520) and second fewest allowed (446).

Jakarta 1B Shen Chang repeated as Sundaland Association MVP, leading with an .887 OPS. The 27-year old Taiwanese lefty had 152 hits, 77 runs, 39 home runs, 89 RBI, 197 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR.

Semarang was forgettable at 76-86, but they had the Pitcher of the Year Moch Kopriyana. The 27-year old Indonesian lefty had the best ERA (1.39) and WHIP (0.72). Kopriyana had 281 strikeouts over 251.2 innings, a 13-11 record, 183 ERA+, and 7.6 WAR. In April, he inked a four-year, $59,900,000 extension with the Sliders. Also of note, Normeezan Hasrin won his third Reliever of the Year. He was now with Johor Bahru after winning the award with Hsinchu in 2026 and Bandung in 2022. The 30-year old Malaysian righty had 41 saves, 5.4 WAR, 1.18 ERA, and 160 Ks.

In a rematch of the 2025 Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, Cebu was again victorious over Hsinchu, this time 4-2. The Crows earned their second three-peat and eighth pennant (1980, 90-92, 2012, 25-27). The Sundaland Association was round three between Jakarta and Johor Bahru with the Jaguars winning in 2025 and the Blue Wings taking it in 2026. Jakarta won the rubber match 4-2 for their 11^th pennant, which leads all APB teams.



The 63^rd Austronesia Championship was the third finals battle between Jakarta and Cebu. Two years prior, the Jaguars prevailed in a seven-game classic. Jakarta was also a 4-1 winner back in 1992, which denied a repeat bid by the Crows. In 2027, the Jaguars again denied Cebu’s hopes to repeat as APB champ. Just like in 2025, the series had a 4-3 finish.

Jakarta became the first APB franchise with eight championship rings (1969, 1970, 1985, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2025, 2027). C Fandi Makatindu won finals MVP in his tenth year for Jakarta. In 13 starts, the 31-year old Indonesian had 14 hits, 3 doubles, 1 run, and 2 RBI. Closer Tran Chinh Han also set an APB playoff record with 10 appearances, although he was a mixed bag with a 3.24 ERA over 16.2 innings, 25 strikeouts, 6 saves, and 0-2 record.



Other notes: In his final of 19 years with Bandung, Gosner Rahmawati passed Hadi Ningsih (277) to become APB’s winningest pitcher at 283-195. The three-time Pitcher of the Year winner he retired as APB’s leader in starts (561), innings (4736), and shutouts (83). Rahmawati also retired 10^th in strikeouts at 4718, 2^nd in complete games (254), and 9^th in pitching WAR (111.77).

In other pitching notables, Aru Haj became the 22^nd to 4000 strikeouts and the 28^th to 200 wins. Normeezan Hasrin was the 16^th to 300 saves. Chi-Che Lin was the 27^th batter to 1000 runs scored. C Yi-Hsiang Chang won his 10^th straight Silver Slugger, adding to his position record. Chang is the 9^th player at any position in APB with 10+ Slugger wins.

Jakarta had a season attendance of 2,265,631, breaking their own Sundaland Association record of 2,248,768 set the prior year. Bandung’s offense hit only 65 homers all season, the second-worst in APB history behind only Batam’s 63 from 1986.

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Since joining the Oceania Baseball Association in the 2006 expansion, Canberra had won 90+ games in nine different seasons, including from 2022-26. However, none of those seasons ended with an Australasia League title. Canberra finally broke through for their first pennant in 2027, taking the top spot at 108-54. The Centurions led in scoring (762) and allowed the second fewest runs (535).

Last year’s runner-up Sydney was second again, this time at 97-65. Adelaide was third at 91-71 and defending AL champ Christchurch was fourth at 90-72. The Chinooks allowed the fewest runs at 529. Notably, Christchurch had its 17^th consecutive winning season and the Snakes had their 13^th in a row. For the second place Aardvarks, this was their first winning season since 2004. The 22 season stretch without a winning campaign was the longest such run in OBA history.

Perth struggled to 73-89, but they had the Australasia League MVP in third-year first baseman Marika Wati. The 26-year old Fijian had been picked fourth in the 2023 OBA Draft by Auckland, but was traded to the Penguins for 2026. In 2027, Wati led in hits (208), RBI (119), total bases (375), triple slash (.337/.368/.607), OPS (.975), and wRC+ (167). He added 6.3 WAR, 99 runs, 35 doubles, and 38 home runs. Wati also had a six-hit game on September 12 against Christchurch; which was the 17^th six-hit game in OBA history.

Christchurch righty Quinn Burry repeated as Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (2.05), strikeouts (423), WHIP (0.94), FIP- (50), and WAR (12.4). The 27-year old Australian righty had a 22-9 record and 186 ERA+ over 294.2 innings, missing a Triple Crown by four wins.

His Chinooks teammate Aidan Wray joined Scott Kyle as OBA’s only five-time Reliever of the Year winners. The 36-year old Australian was in his second year for Christchurch with 40 saves, 1.60 ERA, 84.1 innings, 98 strikeouts, and 3.1 WAR. Wray crossed 500 saves for his combined pro career, becoming only the 10^th in world history to reach the mark. Wray had 486 OBA saves, just passing Jayden Owen’s 483 to take the #1 spot.



Port Moresby’s Pacific League dynasty continued as the reigning OBA champ Mud Hens won their fifth consecutive pennant and seventh overall. It wasn’t even close as PM’s 106-56 record was 18 games ahead of second place Vanuatu. Port Moresby led in runs scored (737) and fewest allowed (473). Five wins separated second from sixth with Vanuatu at 88-74, Timor at 87-75, Tahiti at 86-76, Guadalcanal at 85-77, and Honolulu at 83-79.

For the fourth time in five years, both Pacific League MVP and Pitcher of the Year went to Mud Hens. CF Stanley Yeo became the eighth in OBA history to win five MVPs (2021, 23, 25, 26, 27). The 31-year old hometown hero led in WAR (9.5), runs (105), OPS (.915), and stolen bases (88). Yeo added 172 hits, 27 doubles, 34 home runs, 103 RBI, and 159 wRC+. This was Yeo’s final full season for Port Moresby, as he’d miss much of 2028 to shoulder inflammation. He’d then leave for Major League Baseball on a four-year, $132 million deal with Detroit.

Daniel Laurinavicius repeated as Pitcher of the Year, winning an ERA title (2.16) and leading in K/BB (10.7). The 34-year old Lithuanian righty joined Port Moresby last year after more than a decade of decent production in Europe. Laurinavicius added a 26-4 record, 320.2 innings, 333 strikeouts, 170 ERA+, and 8.1 WAR.



The 68^th Oceania Championship was a seven game classic with Port Moresby narrowly retaining the throne against finals newcomer Canberra. The Mud Hens repeated again for their fifth overall title (1985, 2023-24, 26-27). Port Moresby became the third OBA franchise to win four rings in a five year stretch, joining Honolulu (seven from 1982-90) and Melbourne (six from 2004-10). Mud Hens manager Izdiham Sharif also became the fourth OBA manager with four titles, joining Pablo Salcedo (seven with Honolulu), Chih-Sheng Chao (six with Melbourne), and Jackson Rickert (four with Guam).

Finals MVP was Gold Glove 3B Andreas Wolf in his fifth year with the Mud Hens. The 36-year old German went 11-25 with 4 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 5 RBI. Pitcher of the Year Daniel Laurinavicius also notably set playoff records for innings (26) and complete games (3). He had a 2.08 ERA and 2-1 record with 24 Ks.



Other notes: 2027 was the final season for Roe Kaupa, who retired as OBA’s all-time leader in home runs (930), RBI (2127), runs (1963), and total bases (6822). The five-time MVP struggled in his last year with Vanuatu at age 40, falling short of Adrian Kali’s hits record of 3467. Kaupa got to 3200, retiring in the #3 spot. His 127.87 WAR was 2^nd among OBA position players behind Jimmy Caliw’s 138.03. Kaupa’s .639 slugging and 1.011 OPS both finished 2^nd in OBA history behind only Merlin Megson’s .678 and 1.044.

Port Moresby’s Colton Stark had OBA’s 17^th Perfect Game on August 17 with 13 strikeouts facing New Caledonia. In pitching milestones, Stef Page became the 14^th to 4000 strikeouts and Sigfred Vela was the 24^th to 3500 Ks. Supa Malata was the 32^nd pitcher to 200 wins. 2B Trey Cruz won his 11^th Silver Slugger and C Dan Bais won his 7^th. Cruz had the position record and was the 5^th in OBA history at any position with 11+ Sluggers.

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There ended up being a tie for both the European League’s top seed and the North Division title. Defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champ St. Petersburg and Minsk were even at 94-68, but the Miners took first in the tiebreaker game. Minsk earned repeat playoff berths, but their first division title since 2023. The Polar Bears had won the division each year since then, but easily took the first wild card. St. Petersburg allowed the fewest runs in the EL with 454.

The second wild card race was also centered in the North Division with Kazan (85-77) edging out both Gomel and Moscow at 82-80. The Crusaders ended a 13-year playoff drought and led in scoring with 598 runs. Last year’s ELCS runner-up Nizhny Novgorod collapsed to 61-101. For the 2020 expansion Griffins, this was their first winning season.

There was no contest in the South Division with 91-71 Samara as the only team above .500. Rostov and Voronezh were distant second placers at 79-83. The Steelers earned their second-ever playoff trip (2024) and first division title. This ended Volgograd’s reign atop the division with the Voyagers finishing 75-89. They had won the last six division titles and had a seven-year playoff streak. It was also Volgograd’s first sub-80 win season since 2015.

Even with the drop off, Voyagers LF Seriozhenka Gusarov won European League MVP. The 27-year old Russian led in runs (92), total bases (362), triple slash (.341/.379/.646), OPS (1.025), wRC+ (223), and WAR (9.3). Gusarov added 191 hits, 42 home runs, and 94 RBI. He committed to Volgograd long-term in September with an eight-year, $101,300,000 extension.

Minsk’s Nehor Pomerantz won Pitcher of the Year by winning the ERA title (1.48) and leading in quality starts (30). It was the second POTY for the 29-year old Israeli lefty, who also won it in 2022. Pomerantz had a 19-6 record over 260.2 innings, 348 strikeouts, 200 ERA+, and 8.9 WAR. He signed a four-year, $16,280,000 extension before the season with the Miners, but Pomerantz would be traded to Vladivostok after the 2028 campaign.

Both division winners won 3-1 in round one with Minsk over Kazan and Samara over defending champ St. Petersburg. The Steelers earned their second-ever European League Championship Series trip (2024) while it was Minsk’s first since 2023. The Miners hadn’t won the pennant in 15 years, the longest-ever drought for the historical powerhouse. The ELCS went all seven games for the first time since 2022. Minsk ended their drought and outlasted Samara 4-3, becoming 21-time European League champs.



The Asian League’s power was concentrated in the West Division. Nur-Sultan took first at 100-62, becoming the first of the 2020 expansion teams to earn a division title or a #1 seed. The Setters allowed the fewest runs in the AL at 490. Defending AL champ Yekaterinburg was second at 95-67 and Omsk was third at 92-70. Both earned wild card spots with the Yaks getting their fourth playoff berth in five years. The Otters bounced back from a 64-98 mark in 2026, ending a two-year playoff skid.

The East Division was weaker, but still competitive with Krasnoyarsk (88-74) outlasting Novosibirsk (86-76) and Vladivostok (85-77). The Cossacks’ playoff streak grew to ten years with their ninth straight division title. The Shibas had the top offense at 658 runs.

Vladivostok first baseman Erik Farkas won Asian League MVP, leading in runs (104), home runs (53), RBI (132), total bases (388), slugging (.634), OPS (.989), wRC+ (191), and WAR (8.6). His season was only the 12^th in EPB history to that point of 130+ RBI. The 28-year old Hungarian lefty also had 194 hits and was second in batting average at .317, although he was 31 points from the Triple Crown. After the season, the Shibas extended Farkas at $96,500,000 over eight years.

In his fourth season, Nur-Sultan’s Sergei Zarubaev won Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Russian lefty led in ERA (1.95), wins (23-6), and WHIP (0.85). Zarubaev had 272 innings with 251 strikeouts, 158 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. Also of note was the fourth Reliever of the Year win for Omsk’s Vitali Kolyayev. The 31-year old had a 0.78 ERA and 37 saves over 81 innings with 134 strikeouts and 6.0 WAR. Kolyayev became the seventh in EPB history with 4+ ROTY wins.

Nur-Sultan outlasted Omsk 3-2 in the first round and Yekaterinburg held on 3-2 on the road over Krasnoyarsk. That marked only the second time in a decade that the Cossacks didn’t advance to the Asian League Championship Series. The Yaks had a shot at their third pennant in four years, but the defending champ was denied 4-1 by the Setters. Nur-Sultan became the first of the 2020 expansion teams to earn a pennant, an impressive feat in only their eighth season.



In the 73^rd EPB Championship, it was the league’s winningest team Minsk and newcomer Nur-Sultan. The series went the distance with the Miners returning to the throne 4-3 over the Setters. It ended the 15-year drought for the Belarusian capital and made them 14-time EPB champs (1956, 62, 66, 69, 85, 88, 90, 91, 96, 2000, 01, 02, 11, 27). Minsk was the first franchise in all of baseball history to win their league’s top prize 14 times.

The result notably crowned an eighth different champ in eight years. 12 different EPB teams have won it all in the last 13 years with only Chelyabinsk repeating, remarkable parity for the top spot. LF Erik Rode was finals MVP in his fourth season as primarily a backup for the Miners. The 26-year old German had nine playoff games with 18 hits, 9 runs, 1 double, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 10 RBI. Rode’s 1.589 OPS and .545 batting average were both the second-best in EPB playoff history (20 plate appearances required).



Other notes: Gomel’s Araz Aliev broke the EPB single-game strikeout record, fanning 24 over 11 innings against Moscow on July 20. Three EPB pitchers had previously gotten 22 Ks. Aliev was only the third in all of baseball history to strike out 24+ in a game. East Asia Baseball’s Do-Kyun Lee had the record 26 over 11.2 innings back in 2016. The Asian Baseball Federation’s Rami Naqvi had 24 in 1999 and is the only one to do it without extra innings.

Ufa’s Marko Nyrko had two no-hitters, the first on May 6 against Chelyabinsk and the second facing Omsk on June 18. He became the 6^th in EPB to have multiple no-hitters in the same season. In other pitching milestones, Kirill Ibadov was the 18^th to 300 saves and Svyatoslav Tyahnybok was the 59^th to reach 3500 strikeouts. Yekaterinburg had a season attendance of 1,761,467; the second-best in Asian League history behind their own 1,818,253 the prior year.

In hitting milestones, Talgat Nurgaliev became the 22^nd member of the 500 home run club. Nikita Kadeyev was the 28^th to reach 2500 career hits. RF Timofei Averkin won his 9^th Silver Slugger. LF Brandon Chunchignorov won his 12^th Gold Glove and SS Denis Antipov won his 8^th. Chunchignorov became the 5^th at any position in EPB with 12+ Gold Gloves and tied the position record.

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The European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier lowered the service time requirements for free agency for the 2027 season. EBF had been at six initially, then grew to seven for 1991 and eight for 2009. New labor negotiations got the number lowered back to seven, which was the median compared to other world leagues.



Two-time defending European Champion Rotterdam posted the best record yet of their seven-year division title streak. The Ravens crushed the Central Division and Northern Conference at 113-49, leading in both runs scored (922) and fewest allowed (573). It was a new franchise record for Rotterdam and their sixth consecutive 100+ win season.

The next best two records also were in the Central Division in Hanover (99-63) and Cologne (98-64), who easily took the first two wild cards. The Hitmen’s wild card streak grew to five seasons and the Copperheads got their second berth in four years. The #2 seed ended up being Kharkiv at 93-69, the only East Division team with a winning record. The Killer Bees grew their playoff streak to four and won their third division title of that run.

Five times were within five games of the West Division crown. Glasgow took it at 92-70 to end a 22-year playoff drought. Defending European Second League champ Nantes was three back at 89-73, narrowly taking the final wild card in their debut season in the EBF Elite tier. It was a crowded wild card field with London (88-74), Amsterdam (88-74), Dublin (87-75), Manchester (87-75), Frankfurt (87-75) and Antwerp (84-78) all within striking distance.

For the Dinos, their seven-year division title and playoff streak both ended. Since 2005, this is only the fifth time that Dublin has missed the postseason. Also notable was Hamburg’s collapse to 66-96, their first losing season since 2014. The Hammers still escaped relegation as they stayed above 100 losses. Leipzig (66-96), Prague (66-96), and Brno (65-97) were also on the chopping block.

Two Northern Conference teams suffered demotion with Oslo at 58-104 and Kyiv at 59-103. The Octopi had been competitive for a while thanks to nine-time MVP Harvey Coyle, but he was gone and they had declined in his final years. It was Oslo’s first time being relegated. The Kings had gotten promoted back up for 2026 and even made the playoffs at 90-72. Kyiv fell sharply off a cliff though, sending the once dominant franchise to E2L for their third stint.

Rotterdam RF Henri L’Ecuyer won Northern Conference MVP in his fourth season. The 24-year old Frenchman led with 381 total bases and posted 219 hits, 122 runs, 39 doubles, 21 triples, 27 home runs, 96 RBI, 78 stolen bases, .362/.401/.630 slash, 1.031 OPS, 172 wRC+, and 9.9 WAR. After the season, the Ravens extended L’Ecuyer at eight years and $168,100,000.

Cologne’s Vladyslav Zaporoshcenko grabbed Pitcher of the Year in his fourth full season. The 26-year old Ukrainian lefty led in ERA (2.09), WHIP (0.94), shutouts (4), and WAR (7.4). Zaporoshchenko posted a 19-5 record and 227 strikeouts over 241.2 innings with 193 ERA+. He stayed two more years in Germany before leaving for Major League Baseball in 2030.

In the first round, Glasgow edged Nantes 2-0 and Cologne swept Hanover 2-0. The Highlanders then got the 3-1 road upset over Kharkiv, earning their first Northern Conference Championship trip since 2002. Rotterdam topped the Copperheads 3-1 on the other side for a fifth straight conference finals trip. The top-seeded Ravens completed the pennant three-peat, although Glasgow took them to the limit in a seven-game classic. Rotterdam became eight-time Northern Conference champs.



The Southern Conference didn’t have an overwhelming standout like Rotterdam. Barcelona made a triumphant return though after spending the last five years in E2L. The Bengals won the West Division at 99-63 and earned the top seed. It was Barcelona’s first EBF Elite playoff trip since 2015 and their first division title since 2011. Both of those seasons ended with pennants. Zurich was a strong second at 94-68, taking the first wild card. The Mountaineers have made the playoffs ten times in the last twelve years.

The #2 seed was Central Division champ Munich at 95-67, beating Naples by four games, Zagreb by five, and Rome by six. The defending conference champ Mavericks grew their playoff streak to eight years and earned a seventh straight division title. Munich allowed the fewest runs (589) and was tied for the most with Odesa at 766.

93-69 earned Chisinau a fifth straight East Division title, beating Tirana by five, Odesa by six, and Tbilisi by seven. Those teams all fell just short in a crowded wild card race as well. The Nobles (91-71) and Gulls (90-72) advanced, while the Red Wolves (89-73), Trojans (88-74), Drifters (87-75), Zaragoza (87-75), and Trains (86-76) all fell just short. Naples earned their second wild card in three years, while Zagreb’s playoff streak grew to eight seasons.

Such a dense middle led to three teams at the bottom getting relegated. Both Belgrade and Lisbon were abysmal at 51-111, while Valencia just fell below the cut line at 61-101. Every other team in the SC was at or above 70 wins. It was the first relegation for the Bruisers, who had largely been in the lower-mid tier in the 21^st Century. The Clippers also suffered their first demotion after being consistently upper-mid, averaging 83.8 wins since 2000. The Vandals had been in the EBF Elite since being promoted for 2014 and hadn’t been in the playoffs since 2015, although they hadn’t been actively awful until now.

Zaragoza 1B Matt Gomez won Southern Conference MVP, leading in batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.444), OPS (1.114), and WAR (10.3). The 26-year old Spaniard added 202 hits, 114 runs, 34 doubles, 44 homers, 103 RBI, and 90 walks. It was a contract year for Gomez, who secured the bag in the offseason with Marseille at eight years and $204,800,000.

Pitcher of the Year went to Barcelona’s J.R. Pando in his third season and first as a full-time starter. The 22-year old Spaniard won the ERA title (2.32) and led in WHIP (0.90), K/BB (13.8), and FIP- (55). Pando had 7.4 WAR over 201.2 innings, 220 strikeouts, and a 17-4 record.

Round one had Zagreb sweep Chisinau and Zurich over Naples 2-1. The Gulls then upset top seed Barcelona 3-2, while Munich outlasted the Mountaineers 3-2 in round two. This set up the Mavericks versus the Gulls in the Southern Conference Championship for back-to-back years and for the fourth time in eight years. Munich had dominated this playoff rivalry, beating Zagreb in the 2021, 23, and 26 conference finals as well as in the first round of 2020 and second round of 2022.

The Mavericks had home field advantage and were expected to repeat against the Gulls, who had their weakest team of their playoff streak by wins and had only taken the last wild card by one game. However, Zagreb finally got over the hump and upset Munich in a 4-3 thriller. The Gulls won their third pennant (1960, 1975, 2027) and ended a 51-year drought.



The 78^th European Championship was historic as Rotterdam rolled Zagreb 4-1 for the first-ever three-peat atop the EBF. The Ravens were a remarkable 8-0 in their finals trips with wins in 1969, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1992, 2025, 2026, and 2027. 1B Dieter Wilhelms was finals MVP as the 32-year old German in 14 playoff games and five starts had 11 hits, 9 runs, 1 double, 2 homers, and 5 RBI.



Few franchises in any world league had eight rings and all of those that did had taken at least one finals defeat. Rotterdam wasn’t the first to win eight straight appearances though. South Asia Baseball’s Ahmedabad had won their first nine finals trips before losing in their tenth championship trip. West African Baseball’s Lagos had also won eight straight after losing in their first appearance.

Rotterdam certainly staked their claim for EBF’s best-ever dynasty with the only three-peat. The 113-49 mark in 2027 was their best and was their submission for EBF’s best-ever team. Dublin’s dynasties had come close twice in recent memory, winning three in four years (2012-15) and falling just short of the three-peat with their 2022-24 run. The best record by a champion remained 1954 Amsterdam at 118-44. This was the peak for the Ravens, although they would remain a contender for the next few years.

Other notes: Omer Kadri Nesin in his final year finished with 405 career triples, becoming the 9^th in world baseball history to reach 400+. He was third among EBF players behind world leader Carsten Dal (457) and Jacob Ronnberg. Nesin retired 2^nd in stolen bases with 1456 and ranks 25^th in the world as of 2037. Nesin also finished as the 13^th member of EBF’s 3000 hit club, retiring at 3030.

Theofilos Psarras, Aleksandr Parts, and Stefanos Emmanoulidis each reached 2500 hits in 2027, making 45 EBF batters to do so. Psarras also became the 23^rd to reach 1500 runs scored. Oliver Schmitz became the 39^th member of the 500 home run club. Oscar Dissard was the 58^th pitcher to 3000 strikeouts.

Promotion/Relegation: 2027 was another busy year for promotion/relegation with five teams moving up and five down. Oslo, Kyiv, Valencia, Lisbon, and Belgrade were the squads demoted to the European Second League. Moving on up were Brussels, Turin, Bratislava, Krakow, and Yerevan. Below are the realignment details.

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Two-time defending Bolivar League champ Barranquilla had their best season yet in their six-year playoff streak. The Blues finished 111-51 for the top seed and their fifth Colombia-Ecuador Division title. All six seasons of their streak have had 99+ victories. Everyone else in the division was below .500, including Quito at 79-83. That ended a three-year playoff streak for the Thunderbolts and was their first losing season since 2015.

The next best records fought for the Peru-Bolivia Division with Lima (104-58) taking it over Santa Cruz (101-61). The Lobos broke the Beisbol Sudamerica record for runs scored at 931 and set a new record for team slugging percentage at .523. It was a surprise explosion for Lima, who ended the Bolivar League’s longest active playoff drought at 22 years. The Crawfish were denied a fourth straight division title, but easily got the first wild card. Santa Cruz allowed the fewest runs in the BL at 577.

Caracas again claimed the Venezuela Division at 93-69, giving the Colts ten division titles in the last eleven years. Valencia was eight back in second at 85-77, but that was just enough to take the second wild card over 84-78 Ciudad Guayana. The Velocity picked up their fourth wild card in seven years. Barquisimeto and Arequipa both were five back on the last wild card at 80-82.

Although the Arrows missed the playoffs, their LF Paco Amorim won his second Bolivar League MVP in three years. He broke his own BSA record for on-base percentage at .489 and now has BSA’s top three OBP seasons. His .489 ranked as the fourth-highest qualifying single-season OBP in all of pro baseball history. Amorim’s 107 walks were third-most in BSA history, two behind his record 109 from 2023.

The 27-year old Brazilian lefty led in the triple slash (.387/.489/.765), OPS (1.254), wRC+ (223), WAR (11.1), home runs (57), and walks (107). Amorim also had 211 hits, 120 runs, 31 doubles, and 117 RBI with only 52 strikeouts. His 1.254 OPS was the second-best in BSA history behind only Juan Carlos Rivera’s 1.281 from 2023. Amorim’s slugging also ranked as fifth best. After the season, Arequipa signed Amorim to an eight-year, $185,200,000 extension.

Barranquilla’s Fernando Alves won Pitcher of the Year in his ninth season. The 32-year old Brazilian righty led in wins (21-2), ERA (2.35), walks (74), and quality starts (26). Alves struck out 262 over 237.2 innings with 5.3 WAR and 167 ERA+.

Caracas defeated Valencia 2-1 in the first round, then promptly was swept in the divisional series by Barranquilla. Lima also swept Santa Cruz, earning their first Bolivar League Championship Series trip since their 2001 pennant. The Blues dynasty remained too strong though, defeating Lima 4-2 for the first BL three-peat since Santa Cruz’s 2008-10 effort. Despite being in only their 19^th season, Barranquilla now had many or more pennants than five charter franchises that started with the league in 1931.



Santiago won the South Central Division for the eighth straight year and earned their 12^th playoff trip in 13 years. For the fifth time in six years, the Saints also earned the Southern Cone League’s top seed, although this was their best record of the run at 109-53. Santiago’s .297 team batting average was the second-best in league history and they led all teams with 823 runs.

The Chilean capital also set an all-time Beisbol Sudamerica attendance record at 2,905,410. Concepcion was second in the division at 97-65 to earn the first wild card, bouncing back after a rare losing season in 2026. The Chiefs earned their fifth wild card in six years and their 14^th playoff appearance since 2011. Concepcion allowed the league’s fewest runs at 524.

Sao Paulo won the Southeast Division at 101-61 and Manaus took the North at 99-63; both taking first by eight game margins. The Padres earned a fourth division crown in a row while the Magpies earned their second-ever (2017). For the second wild card, Rosario (93-69) edged reigning Copa Sudamerica champ Buenos Aires (92-70) and Brasilia (91-71). The Robins snapped a 13-year playoff drought. Also of note was Fortaleza’s playoff streak ending at six as the Foxes fell to 78-84.

Santiago two-way star Will Arocha won his second Southern Cone League MVP in three years and also took his first Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Chilean had missed most of 2026 with a broken kneecap, bouncing back impressively for his fourth season. On the mound, Arocha led in wins (25-4) and innings (274.1). He posted a 2.23 ERA, 292 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, and 7.4 WAR. Arocha also earned Gold Glove honors as a pitcher.

Arocha also played regularly at second base with 117 games and 105 starts offensively on the year. He had 4.8 WAR with a .292/.330/.543 slash, 145 wRC+, 122 hits, 70 runs, 13 doubles, 16 triples, 20 homers, 81 RBI, and 37 stolen bases. Arocha had the unique feat of winning MVP, POTY, Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove all in the same year. That had only previously been accomplished once in all of professional baseball history back in 1968 by Totaro Uchiyama of the Japan League.

Concepcion edged Rosario 2-1 in the first round, then fell 3-1 to Santiago in the divisional series. Manaus topped Sao Paulo 3-1 on the other side to earn their first trip to the Southern Cone League Championship. The Saints ended a four-year stretch of one-and-dones despite their regular season success. However, Santiago still fell short of the pennant for the seventh straight year. The Magpies pulled off a shocking sweep of the Saints, setting up a finals matchup between two teams from the 2009 expansion.



The 97^th Copa Sudamerica went all seven games with Barranquilla outlasting Manaus, earning their second Cup in three years. It was the eighth straight year without a Brazilian team on top, tying 1959-66 for the longest such drought. RF Rodrigo Enriquez was finals MVP in his fifth season. In seven playoff starts, he was 11-27 with 7 runs, 3 extra base hits, 4 RBI, and 5 steals. At 111-51, the 2027 Blues were tied for the ninth-best record by a Cup winner.



Other notes: 2027 was the final season for legendary Recife 3B Niccolo Coelho at age 44. He finally hit a hard wall, struggling to 0.4 WAR with only 68 games and 24 starts. Coelho did get 16 RBI, getting him to 2231 and passing Milton Becker’s record of 2226. Coelho’s 926 homers did fall shy of Becker’s 941 for the top spot and his 3745 hits were second to Owen Arcia’s 3940. Coelho also retired as BSA’s all-time leader in runs (2133), total bases (7275) and WAR among position players (168.5).

As of 2037 among all players in pro baseball history, Coelho ranks 20^th in homers, 24^th in RBI, 17^th in runs, 19^th in hits, 16^th in games played, and 12^th in WAR among position players. When adding pitchers and two-way guys, Coelho ranks 17^th on the all-time WAR board. All 3369 of Coelho’s games came with Recife. The only player in pro baseball history with more games for one team was Angel Gabriel Cornejo, who played all 3444 of his games from 1936-59 with Cordoba.

In other hitting milestones, Juan Rizo became the 18^th member of the 3000 hit club. Rizo and Sebastian Nazario became the 35^th and 36^th to 1500 RBI. Daniel Schafer became the 23^rd to score 1500 runs. Ronaldo Ayala and Elijah Reuter became the 78^th and 79^th to 2500 hits. Valencia’s Timo Ordonez had a 31-game hitting streak, which was the 21^st time in BSA that a player had a 31+ game streak. In pitching, Julio Arias was the 68^th to 200 wins and Ronaldo Navarette was the 37^th to 300 saves.

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The battle for the Japan League’s top seed came down to defending East Asia Baseball champ Sapporo and Chiba. The Comets ended up grabbing it and the Capital Division title at 100-62, while the Swordfish were 99-63 atop the North Division. Chiba earned their third playoff trip in five years and led the league in scoring with 766 runs. Sapporo got their fourth division title in five years. The Swordfish had to fend off 95-67 Niigata, who got the first wild card for their second berth in three years.

Hiroshima repeated as West Division champ at 95-67, fending off Fukuoka by six games. The Hammerheads had the fewest runs allowed at 517. A tight Central Division had Kobe (93-69) outlast Kyoto (91-71), and Nagoya (89-73). The Blaze picked up their fifth consecutive division title.

The Kamikaze at 91-71 ended as the second wild card to end a four-year playoff drought. They were one ahead of Saitama (90-72) and two ahead of both Nagoya and Fukuoka (89-73). That ended the Frogs’ playoff streak at seven years, which was the longest active streak in the Japan League.

MVP went to Hiroshima 1B Hyung-Gwang Sohn in his fourth year as a starter. The 25-year old lefty led in runs (124), home runs (62), RBI (130), walks (78), total bases (406), OBP (.413), slugging (.719), OPS (1.132), wRC+ (241), and WAR (11.7). Sohn added 183 hits and a .324 batting average. The prior spring, the Hammerheads gave Sohn a five-year, $69,200,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year was Kobe’s Tsuneo Takao in his seventh season. The 27-year old righty had an 18-8 record, 1.86 ERA, 222.2 innings, 324 strikeouts, 0.83 WHIP, 183 ERA+, and 8.3 WAR. Takao didn’t lead in any stat, but was second in ERA, WAR, and WHIP; and finished third in strikeouts. The highlight of the season came on July 19 as Takao threw EAB’s 39^th Perfect Game in a 15 strikeout performance against Niigata. This was his second career no-hitter as he also had one in 2021.

The Green Dragons would edge the Blaze 2-1 in the wild card round while Hiroshima topped Kobe 2-1. Both pulled off divisional series upsets as the Hammerheads outlasted defending champ Sapporo 3-2 and Niigata ousted Chiba 3-1. The Green Dragons earned their first Japan League Championship Series trip since their 2008 title, while Hiroshima earned back-to-back trips.

For the first time since 2012, the JLCS was a sweep with Niigata clobbering Hiroshima 4-0. The Green Dragons became seven-time Japan League champs (1990, 1991, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2027), an impressive haul for a 1978 expansion team. The Hammerheads now have been defeated in six straight JLCS trips. Hiroshima has made it more than any other team in the 21^st Century, but they’ve gone 2-8 in their trips.



Four teams were within three games of the Korea League’s top seed in 2027. Goyang barely took it at 98-64 atop the North Division, ending a seven-year playoff drought. Incheon was one back in the division at 97-65, giving the defending KL champs the first wild card. Busan won the South Division for the fourth straight year at 97-65 with Ulsan next at 95-67. The Blue Jays’ playoff streak grew to eight, the longest-active streak in EAB. The Swallows got repeat playoff trips as the second wild card and allowed the fewest runs at 525.

There was an eight game drop to the third wild card spot which went to 87-75 Yongin, ending their six-year playoff drought. Hamhung (84-78) and Pyongyang (82-80) were the closest competitors. The Heat led the league with 752 runs, while the Pythons’ pitching staff had 1613 strikeouts. That was the third-most Ks in KL history and the most in a century. At 80-82, Changwon’s six-year playoff streak ended and they had their first losing season since 2014.

Last year’s KLCS runner-up Gwangju also notably dropped to 75-87. Despite that, Grays DH Han Yi won his third Korea League MVP in four seasons. The 26-year old lefty led in hits (210), runs (114), homers (56), total bases (411), triple slash (.354/.414/.693), OPS (1.107), wRC+ (198), and WAR (9.8). Yi’s 129 RBI fell seven short of a Triple Crown.

Meanwhile Ulsan ace Jin-Yu Jun became EAB’s first Triple Crown pitcher since 2018 with the 20^th such season. The third-year righty repeated as Pitcher of the Year with a 21-9 record, 2.25 ERA, and 332 strikeouts in 243.2 innings. Jun also was the leader in WHIP (0.88), FIP- (47), and WAR (10.3).

Ulsan edged Yongin 2-1 in the wild card round, then upset top seed Goyang 3-1 in the divisional series. The Swallows secured their first Korea League Championship Series trip since their 2015 pennant. Defending champ Incheon battered Busan 3-0 and went the distance against Ulsan. The Inferno survived 4-3 to repeat, becoming five time Korean champs (1950, 1954, 2002, 2026, 2027).



Incheon was denied the overall title again as Niigata took the 107^th East Asian Championship 4-2. The Green Dragons became four-time EAB champs (1991, 2006, 2008, 2027) and continued Japan’s recent finals dominance. The JL champ has won the title in seven consecutive seasons, the longest such streak in EAB history.

2026 Japan League MVP Masanori Fukuoka was the finals MVP. In 17 starts, the 25-year old LF had 31 hits, 19 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 14 RBI, 7 steals, 1.258 OPS, and 1.6 WAR. His effort was the second-most hits and third-most runs in EAB playoff history.



Other notes: Chiba’s Naohisa Sakiyama had a four home run game against Yokohama, the 14^th four-homer game in EAB history. Yeo-San Park became the 36^th member of the 600 home run club and Ji-Hwan Kimw as the 74^th to 500 dingers. Kunihiko Ishiguro was the 35^th to score 1500 runs. Takerou Kanayama was the 97^th to reach 2500 hits. SS Jae-Won Park and RF Chae-Yun Choi both won their 8^th Gold Gloves.

In pitching milestones, Nobuyoshi Yamauchi was the 14^th to reach 250 career wins. Akikazu Yoshida and Toshikuni Naikai were the 68^th and 69^th to 200 wins. Naikai became the 19^th to 4000 strikeouts, while Yun-Jae Paek and Il-Hwan Lee became the 45^th and 46^th to 3500 Ks.

It was the final year for the seven-time Pitcher of the Year winner Naikai, who had declined sharply after various injuries in his early 30s. He was done at only age 35, but his dominance was absurd with a 202-67 record, 1.80 ERA, 2544.1 innings, 4054 strikeouts, 365 walks, 188 ERA+, 36 FIP-, and 126.7 WAR.

Naikai retired as EAB’s career leader in K/9 (14.34), WHIP (0.78), winning percentage (.751), and opponent’s OBP (.213). He was also second in opponent’s OPS and ERA behind only EAB saves leader Oki Tanaka. Even with a relatively lower inning count, Naikai also made it to third in pitching WAR. He’ll forever be remembered for his 2020 season, considered by many to be the greatest pitching season in baseball history. That year, he had an 0.64 ERA over 240 innings, 445 strikeouts, 22 walks, 19-1 record, 7 shutouts, 528 ERA+, 0 FIP-, and 18.5 WAR.

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In a close race for the Mexican League’s #1 seed, North Division champ Tijuana (104-58) edged out South Division champ Leon (103-59). The Toros earned repeat division crowns and allowed the fewest runs in the league at 546. The Lions got their third straight playoff trip, but it was their first division title since 2020. Mexico City had taken the South in each year since apart from 2022.

The reigning league champ Aztecs were still right in the mix, five back on Leon at 98-64. Mexico City’s playoff streak grew to seven as the first wild card, but they fell short of a fifth straight 100+ win season. The Aztecs led in scoring by far at 853 runs, 107 better than next best Leon. Mexico City also hit 268 home runs as a team, the second-highest tally in Mexican League history.

For the remaining three wild cards, advancing were Guadalajara (90-72), Mexicali (89-73) and Cancun (87-75). Hermosillo was the first team out at 85-77, followed by Juarez, Monterrey, and Torreon each at .500. The Hellhounds earned their second playoff berth in three years. The Maroons ended a 17-year drought, while the Captains earned their first postseason trip since joining in the 2003 expansion. Cancun was the only team from that group without a playoff berth yet and they had only even finished above .500 once until now.

The Jesters falling to 81-81 was significant as it ended a 13-year playoff streak. It was the third-longest streak in Central American Baseball Association history behind Monterrey’s 18-year run from 1988-2005 and Haiti’s 14-year reign from 1997-2010. It was only the seventh time Juarez has missed the playoffs in the 21^st Century.

Mexico City had the Mexican League’s MVP for the fifth straight season, although it was the first time for 2B Leonardo Martinez. The 27-year old righty led in home runs (67), RBI (146), total bases (451), slugging (.747), and WAR (11.9). Martinez tied for the eighth-most homers in a CABA season, five behind the record 72 shared by Darion Gaudi (2006) and Yohnny Galaz (1988). Martinez also had 209 hits, 121 runs, .346 average, and 235 wRC+.

Tijuana’s Richard Wright won his seventh Pitcher of the Year in eight years and his fourth straight. He joined the legendary Ulices Montero and Junior Vergara as CABA’s only 7+ time winners. The 29-year old Jamaican lefty had the best ERA for the eighth year running with 1.65; the third-best of his career. He also had his second-best marks to that point in strikeouts (371), and WAR (12.2); both league bests.

Wright also led in WHIP (0.79), K/BB (10.0), shutouts (9), and FIP- (36). He had a 213 ERA+ over 245.2 innings, an 18-9 record, and 8 saves. Wright had two one-hitters and two 19 K games. In only nine seasons so far, Wright had posted 84.8 WAR, 2837 strikeouts, 159-68 record, and 1.97 ERA over 2103.2 innings.

The wild card round matchups both were 2-1 with Cancun shocking defending champ Mexico City and Guadalajara edging Mexicali. The Captains then stunned Tijuana 3-2 in round two to earn their first-ever trip to the Mexican League Championship Series. The Hellhounds also upset Leon 3-2 for their first MLCS trip since 2017.

This was the first time in MLCS history that both division champs were absent from the matchup. Guadalajara ultimately cruised to a 4-1 win over Cancun to end a 50-year pennant drought. The Hellhounds became five-time Mexican League champs (1920, 1921, 1925, 1976, 2027).



Reigning CABA Champion Bahamas took the Caribbean League’s top seed at 101-61 atop the West Division, giving the Buccaneers three straight playoff berths. The division wasn’t a pushover either as they had to fend off Santo Domingo (98-64) and Haiti (92-70), who both got wild cards. The Dolphins led the league scoring (869) and the Herons allowed the fewest runs (581). SD’s playoff streak grew to three and was their fifth berth in six years. Haiti ended a two-year drought. Because division winners didn’t get guaranteed seeding preference, Santo Domingo ended up as the #2 seed.

The second best division winner was Honduras at 95-67 atop the Central Division, holding off 92-70 Guatemala. The Horsemen grew their playoff streak to five with back-to-back division titles. The Ghosts’ playoff streak grew to seven with a wild card, but it was their first time with fewer than 100 wins in the run. The next closest in the wild card race was Jamaica at 87-75. Suriname claimed the East Division for the second time in three years at 92-70, topping Guyana by eight. Last year’s division champ Puerto Rico dropped from 101 wins in 2026 to 76-86 in 2027.

Salvador was a non-factor at 77-85, but their 1B Fernando Silva won Caribbean League MVP. The 24-year old Guatemalan lefty led in runs (126), home runs (59), RBI (143), total bases (463), slugging (.741), OPS (1.154), wRC+ (206), and WAR (10.5). Silva also had 239 hits, 39 doubles, and a .382 average. He signed a foru-year, $46,200,000 extension in the spring.

Silva was second in batting average and denied the Triple Crown by Santo Domingo’s Niles Albury at .398, which was the fifth-best qualifying single-season in CABA. Albury notably had 252 hits, matching Prometheo Garcia’s CABA record from 1949 which hadn’t been touched since.

After taking third in 2026, Guatemala’s Israel Montague regained the Pitcher of the Year mantle. He became a six-time winner, having taken it from 2021-25. Like in his prior wins, Montague had the best ERA at 1.90. The 30-year old Panamanian lefty also led in strikeouts (379), WHIP (0.75), K/BB (14.6), quality starts (23), shutouts (6), FIP- (42), and WAR (11.4). He had an 18-5 record and 207 ERA+ over 241 innings. Montague also had a 20 strikeout game on July 6 against Suriname. Montague signed a seven-year, $172 million extension with the Ghosts in May 2026.

Round one had sweeps with Suriname over Haiti and Honduras over Guatemala. The top two seeds held in round two with Bahamas surviving 3-2 against the Silverbacks and Santo Domingo over the Horsemen 3-1. After no titles in their first 64 seasons, the Buccaneers now had a chance to repeat. The Dolphins quickly snuffed out those dreams though with an emphatic sweep in the Caribbean League Championship Series. Santo Domingo ended a 13-year pennant drought and won their 15^th pennant, second in the CL to Honduras’s 17.



The 117^th CABA Championship was the second time Guadalajara and Santo Domingo had met in the finals. Back in 1976, the Hellhounds prevailed for their most recent title. The Dolphins got long overdue revenge by winning 4-2 in 2027, becoming nine-time champs (1917, 1927, 1960, 1962, 1982, 1984, 1985, 2012, 2027). This left Mexico City as the only team with more titles than the Dominican capital with 11.

League MVP runner-up Niles Albury won finals MVP for Santo Domingo. The 25-year old Bahaman DH in 14 playoff starts had 23 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 7 RBI. Also worth mentioning was Guadalajara 1B Elieis Pinon, who set a CABA playoff record for runs scored (21) and at-bats (82). Pinon also had 19 RBI, tying the record which had been hit twice.



Other notes: Noah Breton became CABA’s home run king in 2027, hitting 36 at age 36 in his third season with Juarez. This got him to 879, passing Hugh Boerboom’s 866 which had held since 2006. Breton also became the 7^th to 2000 RBI, finishing the season 6^th at 2028. He was within striking distance of Solomon Aragon’s record of 2137. Additionally, Breton had a league-best 74 walks in 2027 to get to 1389. That passed Mason Mick’s 1350 for the #1 spot on the leaderboard. Mick’s mark had held since 1943.

CABA hits and runs king Matias Esquilin played his final season in 2027 at age 43, his 16^th season with the Jesters and 23^rd overall. He got 76 hits over 125 games and 75 starts, becoming the first to crack 4000 CABA hits. Esquilin ended with 4009 and was only the 6^th in pro baseball history with 4K. He passed Prometheo Garcia the prior year for most hits in CABA (3871), however Garcia was the world leader at 4917 when combining his MLB and CABA totals.

Esquilin’s scored 49 runs in 2027 to finish at 2413, passing Garcia’s combined tally of 2374. This put Esquilin 2^nd in world history in runs scored behind world home run king Majed Darwish, who scored 2664 times in South Asia Baseball. Esquilin also finished as CABA’s all-time leader in games played (3519), at-bats (13,558), total bases (7276), stolen bases (1606), and strikeouts (3002). His 666 doubles fell just short of Adrian Tovar’s record 675 and his 2061 RBI ranked 3^rd at retirement. Esquilin was 5^th among position players for WAR at 136.2.

On the world charts as of 2037, Esquilin ranks 8^th in games, 5^th in at-bats, 3^rd in runs, 6^th in hits, 32^nd in doubles, 13^th in steals, and 29^th in strikeouts. He just misses the top 50 for WAR among all position players. Esquilin’s longevity was remarkable as one of only eight players ever with 3500+ games.

In other milestones, Jose Leal became the 25^th member of the 600 home run club and Manuel Aquino became the 63^rd to 500. Aquino won his 7^th Silver Slugger at third base. Payton Nandin was the 59^th to 1500 runs scored. Nandin and Jarek Wilson-Smith both reached 2500 hits, achieved by 62 CABA batters. Jamarca Akim became the fifth CABA pitcher to 4500 strikeouts, finishing his career with 4524. Akim also ended 3^rd in wins at 272 and 6^th in pitching WAR at 106.43. Quirino Brito became the 29^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts.

Nicaragua’s offense drew only 243 walks all year, a new Caribbean League worst. Both Jamal Forsyth and Fanfan Jean had four home run games, making 21 such games in CABA history. Despite that, it was the 4^th time that four homers happened twice in the same year. For the first time since 2017 and 2018, CABA didn’t have a single no-hitter in 2027.

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Three teams were separated by four games in the race for the National Association’s top seed. Washington ended up taking it at 102-60 atop the East Division, growing their playoff streak to five years. The Admirals had 291 home runs as a team, setting a new NA record. It was their third division title in five years. They had no real competition with second place New York at 83-79 and last year’s division champ Raleigh down at 76-86. Despite their finish, the Yankees led the NA in scoring at 812 runs.

The #2 seed went to Chicago at 99-63 atop the Upper Midwest Division. The Cubs repeated as division champ and were 14 ahead of second place Cleveland. A notable shift in the division was Detroit at 75-87, their first losing season since 2016. It was only the second time in the 21^st Century that the Tigers weren’t .500 or better.

Last year’s NACS runner-up Montreal won the Northeast Division for the fourth year in a row. It was the closest division race with the Maples (98-64) four ahead of Ottawa (94-68) and nine ahead of Halifax (89-73). Both got wild cards with the Elks ending a four-year drought and the Hound Dogs securing their first playoff trip since joining in Major League Baseball’s 2021 expansion.

Reigning National Association champ Cincinnati won the Lower Midwest Division at 95-67, extending MLB’s longest active playoff streak to eight seasons. It was the Reds’ seventh division title of the run, as they actually took second to Louisville in 2026 despite winning 102 games. Indianapolis was second in the division at 87-75.

That mark was just enough to give the Racers the third wild card and final playoff spot, ending a four-year playoff drought. That was the weakest record by a wild card since the playoff expansion. Falling just short were Cleveland (85-77), Quebec City (84-78), Tulsa (84-78), Columbus (84-78), Louisville (83-79), New York (83-79), and Winnipeg (83-79). The Wolves allowed the fewest runs at 588.

Helping Indianapolis across the line was National Association MVP Thomas Rich. Nicknamed “The Butcher,” the 28-year old first baseman led in runs (127), total bases (430), slugging (.720), OPS (1.136), wRC+ (216), and 9.4 WAR. The Westlake, Ohio native added 214 hits, 37 doubles, 57 home runs, 121 RBI, and a .358 average. Prior to the 2027 season, the Racers locked up Rich on an eight-year, $186,600,000 extension.

Grand Rapids was a non-factor at 75-87, but their fourth-year ace Callum McGonagal won Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old Irishman led in ERA (2.17), quality starts (27), and WAR (8.8). McGonagal added a 15-13 record over 253 innings, 251 strikeouts, and 178 ERA+. He was only two wins and two strikeouts from a Triple Crown.

The division champs all advanced out of round one of the playoffs with Cincinnati over Ottawa 3-1, along with sweeps by Montreal over Halifax and Chicago over Indianapolis. The Maples edged the Cubs 3-2 in round two while top seed Washington fell 3-2 to the Reds. This set up a rematch in the National Association Championship Series.

Cincinnati had a shot at a repeat and their fifth title of the 2020s. Montreal denied that dream though, rolling to a 4-1 victory over the Reds. The Maples ended a 39-year pennant drought and became 11-time National Association champs (1901, 1915, 1928, 1949, 1951, 1972, 1973, 1979, 1981, 1987, 2027). Montreal is also the first Canadian team to make the World Series since Winnipeg in 2007. Before this drought, the longest stretch without a Canadian team in the Fall Classic was ten years from 1905-14.



In 2026, San Diego won the World Series as a 94-68 wild card and went onto win the Baseball Grand Championship. In 2027, the Seals exploded for a 119-43 record, dominating both the American Association and the Southwest Division. This was tied with 2013 Los Angeles for the second-best record in MLB history. The only better was Phoenix at 120-43 all the way back in 1906.

San Diego hoped to have a happier ending than those two squads, as they both failed to make the World Series. The Seals allowed the fewest runs in all of MLB at 549, a rare feat for an AA team since it has the designated hitter and the National Association doesn’t. Despite their incredible win tally, the other three division champs all had 100+ win seasons.

Seattle grabbed the #2 seed at 106-56, securing a fifth consecutive Northwest Division. The Grizzlies offense had 308 doubles, the third-most in MLB history. Houston was next atop the South Central Division at 104-58, their third division title in four years. Lastly, Nashville was the Southeast Division king for the second time in three years at 100-62. All four division champs took first place by 10+ games.

The South Central’s El Paso (94-68) and Oklahoma City (92-70) emerged as the first two wild cards. The expansion Prairie Dogs earned their first-ever playoff berth and led MLB with 959 runs. The Outlaws picked up repeat playoff spots with their effort. For the final spot, there was a three-way tie at 90-72 between Anchorage, Denver, and Austin. Falling just short were Oakland (89-73), San Francisco (88-74), Charlotte (88-74), and Salt Lake City (87-75).

The Avalanche won tiebreaker games over both the Dragons and Amigos, giving Anchorage its second wild card (2023). With El Paso and Halifax’s 2027 successes, half of the 2021 expansion teams have gotten to the playoffs already. Also worth a mention was Las Vegas struggling to 67-95, as it was the first losing campaign in 20 years for the Vipers.

Oklahoma City RF Neil Hollinger won his second American Association MVP in three years. The 25-year old from Lloydminster, Alberta led in OBP (.427), slugging (.726), OPS (1.153), wRC+ (190), and WAR (8.8). Hollinger added 206 hits, 138 runs, 36 doubles, 55 homers, 139 RBI, and a .357 average.

In his MLB debut, Rahman Omar won Pitcher of the Year for San Diego. The 32-year old Malaysian righty had won the top honor in 2024 and 2025 for Surabaya of Austronesia Professional Baseball. Omar left APB for MLB for 2027 on a six-year, $153,600,000 deal with the Seals. It is always hard to gauge how someone will adjust to a new league, but Omar delivered remarkably.

Omar led in ERA (2.17), WHIP (0.93), quality starts (24), shutouts (5), FIP- (56), and WAR (10.9). He had a 205 ERA+ over 274 innings, 265 strikeouts, and 20-8 record. Sadly, this would be Omar’s only full season in MLB as he’d be plagued by various injuries after that, although he would still be effective in partial seasons for SD from 2028-30.

All three first round series went the distance with the division champs surviving against the wild cards. Nashville beat El Paso, Houston topped Oklahoma City, and Seattle downed Anchorage. The Grizzlies then outlasted the Hornets 3-2 in round two, sending Seattle to its fifth consecutive American Association Championship Series. Top seed San Diego rolled Nashville with a sweep to set up an AACS rematch.

It was only the eighth-ever AACS rematch and the first time in MLB’s history that both the AACS and NACS had rematches together. In an all-time classic, San Diego survived 4-3 to secure the repeat and their third pennant in five years. The Seals now had 12 pennants (1936, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1966, 1967, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2023, 2026, 2027), second only to Phoenix’s 13 among American Association teams.

Although it would be unfair to call the Grizzlies chokers for losing to an 119-win Seals squad, Seattle made bad history by losing the AACS in five straight seasons. They joined APB’s Tainan (2002-06) and both Dakar (1990-94) and Freetown (1996-2001) of West African Baseball as the only teams in any pro baseball league to make a subleague final in five consecutive years and lose each time.

Seattle joined Philadelphia (1941-47) and Houston (1910-14) as the only MLB teams to even make it to the LCS in five straight years, but that was little consolation for dejected Grizzlies fans. All time, Seattle was now 2-10 in their American Association Championship Series trips.



In the 127^th World Series, San Diego staked their claim for the greatest team in MLB history. The Seals defeated Montreal 4-2 to become the first repeat MLB champ since Phoenix in 2003-04. San Diego became the third franchise to repeat twice, as they also did it back in 1955-56. Los Angeles had repeats in 1945-46 and 1973-74, while Philadelphia had their 1941-44 four-peat along with a 1917-18 repeat. The Seals were now nine-time World Series champs (1936, 55, 56, 58, 66, 2007, 10, 26, 27), tying them with Denver for the most.



Was this MLB’s best-ever team? The only two teams that won as many or more games didn’t make it to the World Series. San Diego topped Denver’s 114-48 squad for 2020 as the winningest champion. The Seals’ 112-50 mark in 1956 was the only other World Series winner who won 110+ games. The 2020 Dragons notably won the Baseball Grand Championship, giving them a credible argument for pro baseball’s best-ever team. San Diego would have a chance to top that and become the first repeat Grand Champion.

Other notes: 2027 was notably the MLB debut for SS Harvey Coyle, who won nine MVPs in the European Baseball Federation and was EBF’s all-time home run king and WARlord. Coyle signed a two-year, $55,600,000 deal with Ottawa at age 40 and missed half the season to hamstring issues. Still, the Englishman played 83 games with .968 OPS, 167 wRC+, and 4.8 WAR; showing he could hang in MLB even in his 22^nd season. 217.0

Coyle reached two huge milestones though with his combined EBF/MLB stats. He got to 217.0 career WAR, passing Jimmy Caliw’s world record of 214.0 that had held since 1990. Coyle also hit 25 home runs to become the 6^th in professional baseball history with 1000 career homers. Additionally, Coyle reached the 2000 runs scored milestone for his combined career.

MLB home run king Isaac Cox became the 9^th with 2000 runs scored in MLB. He only played 118 games in 2027 for El Paso due to injury, but still had 5.1 WAR, 38 homers, and 1.043 OPS. Cox now had 2093 runs for 2nd on the leaderboard, but still needed a few more good years to catch Stan Provost’s 2348 for 1^st. Cox was also now at 2149 RBI, 3^rd behind Provost (2271) and Bryson Wightman (2167). Now at 866 home runs, Cox had a realistic chance at becoming MLB’s first 900 homer player.

In other milestones, Alberto Peron and Fritz Louissi became the 32^nd and 33^rd MLB sluggers to join the 600 home run club. Mike Rojas and B.J. Pasternack became the 105^th and 106^th members of MLB’s 500 homer club. Pasternack also reached 2500 hits, 1500 runs, and 1500 RBI in 2027. MLB now had 117 players with 1500 runs scored, 123 with 1500 RBI, and 270 with 2500 hits. Mike Rojas and Gilbert Windemere both had four home run games, an accomplishment now met 36 times in MLB history.

In pitching notables, Vincent Lepp became the 10^th member of the 300 win club and the first to join since 2001. The 38-year old Lepp went 22-7 in his debut for Houston with 5.5 WAR and a 3.64 ERA, moving his career record to 308-168. Lepp was also now at 4408 strikeouts, 6^th all-time. Caden Bouley and Thad Stoner became the 48^th and 49^th to reach 250 wins. 223 MLB aces had made it now to 200 victories. Emmett Pierson became the 29^th to reach 3500 career strikeouts.

Montreal closer R.C. Tan set the playoff record with 10 saves, posting a 2.14 ERA over 21 innings and 15 appearances with 22 strikeouts. Tan tied the world playoff record, hit once by Martin Cornu in the 1981 EBF season. For the second time in three years, MLB didn’t have a single no-hitter thrown. LF Max Baldwin won his 11^th Gold Glove and 1B Jan Rychtr won his 7^th. Baldwin became only the 12^th MLB player to win the award 11+ times and was the only one to do it in left field.

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The 18^th Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Karachi, Pakistan. Earning the automatic bids were MLB’s San Diego and Montreal, CABA’s Guadalajara and Santo Domingo, EAB’s Niigata and Incheon, BSA’s Manaus and Barranquilla, EBF’s Rotterdam and Zagreb, EPB’s Minsk, OBA’s Port Moresby, APB’s Jakarta, CLB’s Zhengzhou, WAB’s Cotonou, SAB’s Pune, ABF’s Hyderabad, ALB’s Medina, and AAB’s Mogadishu. The at-large went to OBA runner-up Canberra.

San Diego was the defending champion and one of the few teams to make it back to the event the following year. The Seals had plenty of hype following their historic 119-43 record and World Series win. San Diego delivered upon that hype with a 14-5 finish, becoming the first team to repeat as Baseball Grand Champion.



It wasn’t a pushover for the Seals, who finished only one game ahead their World Series counterpart Montreal, Cotonou, and Rotterdam each at 13-6. Based on the tiebreakers, the Maples officially finished second with the Copperheads third and Ravens fourth. It was the third time that the top two spots came out of the same league (2010 with Philadelphia/San Diego and 2024 with EBF’s Dublin/Chisinau). San Diego was the eighth MLB team to win the BGC and the sixth from the American Association.

When you combined their regular season, playoffs, and Grand Championship tallies, San Diego finished with a record of 144-53 and a .731 win percentage. These were new wins and win percentage records by a BGC winner, passing 2020 Denver’s 140-54. When you combine that with earning back-to-back Grand Championships, the 2027 Seals might have the strongest case yet for the greatest professional baseball team of all time.



It was the Ravens who actually had the best run differential at +52, narrowly beating the Seals’ +46. Rotterdam had the most runs at 109, repeating as the fourth place finisher. They set a BGC record for team hits (171) and had the second-best slugging in BGC history at .538. It was Cotonou with the fewest runs allowed at 54. The Copperheads had also finished third back in 2010, matching the best finish by a WAB team (Bamako had also taken third in 2017).

Canberra and Hyderabad were next at 12-7 with the Horned Frogs officially fifth and the Centurions sixth on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Jakarta and Zagreb rounded out the winning teams at 10-9. The next five teams were each at 9-10; Barranquilla, Incheon, Medina, Minsk, and Santo Domingo. Mogadishu, Pune, and Zhengzhou each finished 8-11. Guadalajara was alone in 17^th at 7-12, followed by Manaus and Port Moresby at 6-13. EAB champ Niigata sat alone in last at 5-14.

The top awards both went to Rotterdam players with CF Kamil Bufka taking Tournament MVP. The 28-year old Czech in 19 starts had 21 hits, 18 runs, 5 doubles, 11 home runs, 19 RBI, 1.100 OPS, and 1.3 WAR.

Best Pitcher went to Rick Hoogeveen with the 29-year old Dutch lefty posting a 1.71 ERA in four starts, 1-0 record, 31.2 innings, 40 strikeouts, and 1.0 WAR. Hoogeveen didn’t have the run support that Canberra’s Tai-Chi Wang had, as Wang became the first pitcher with five wins in the event. The 26-year old Taiwanese righty was 5-0 with a 2.27 ERA in 39.2 innings with 40 strikeouts and 1.9 WAR.

Other notes: Mostly as an opener, Canberra’s Shaun Muir set the BGC record for games started by a pitcher with 10.

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Major League Baseball’s 2028 Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with four inductees. Three were absolute no-doubters with 1B Joran Mallery (99.1%), CF Morgan Short (98.8%), and SP Omari Green (96.5%). Joining them was SP Victor Burke, who finally got beyond the 66% requirement with 71.3% on his tenth and final opportunity.

CL Etzel Urban was the first to miss with a 62.5% debut. 3B Jeanpaul Vick had 59.8% for his ninth ballot. 3B Kieran Wilson was also on his penultimate chance and got 58.7%. CL Sebastian Gomez was the other guy above 50% with 50.7% on his fifth go. Three players would fall off the ballot after ten failed tries.



Among them was SP Jaxson Hardy, who peaked at 28.2% in his debut and ended at 10.0%. He won Pitcher of the Year in 2004 and had a 15-yaer career with Albuquerque, posting a 183-121 record, 3.22 ERA, 2819.2 innings, 2736 strikeouts, 618 walks, 120 ERA+, and 70.6 WAR. The pace was there for Hardy, but about half of his seasons were shortened by injuries, lowering his final accumulations. A few more healthy seasons probably gets him in or at least a closer look.

RF Olen Lack got as close at 54.3% in his debut, but was down to a mere 8.2% at the end. He had 20 seasons with Seattle and one with Atlanta, winning five Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger. Lack had 3014 games, 3271 hits, 1873 runs, 404 doubles, 120 triples, 446 home runs, 1559 RBI, 1240 walks, 718 stolen bases, .281/.351/.452 slash, 117 wRC+, and 82.7 WAR. The totals were impressive, but he was dismissed as a compiler by some voters. His lack of dominance and black ink put his resume behind his competition.

SP Stan Miller debuted at 38.1%, but was down to 6.2% by his tenth ballot. He had a 17-year career with Cleveland with a 224-168 record, 2.99 ERA, 3998.1 innings, 2729 strikeouts, 854 walks, 112 ERA+, and 65.0 WAR. Miller had longevity, but lacked the raw dominance and never was a Pitcher of the Year finalist. Thus, he fit into the “Hall of Pretty Good” space.

Dieudonne Guegan was worth a mention, falling off on his eighth ballot at 5.0%. He was a two-way whose career was evenly split between MLB and CABA, keeping his stats in either league too low to have a chance. His combined pitching though saw a 220-169 record, 3.07 ERA, 3674.2 innings, 3752 strikeouts, 857 walks, 122 ERA+, and 84.9 WAR. He notably led his league four times in strikeouts. Guegan also had 980 games and 608 starts in the field with 13.8 WAR, .804 OPS, and 121 wRC+. If those totals all came in one league, Guegan probably has a good shot. He also won a World Series with Tampa and CABA Championship with Juarez.

SP Timothy Shibuya was also worth a quick mention, falling below 5% on his ninth ballot. He had a 183-148 record, 3.07 ERA, 3037.1 innings, 2667 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, and 61.8 WAR. Shibuya had two ERA titles and a Pitcher of the Year in 2008 with Winnipeg. He declined quickly after an age 30 labrum tear, preventing Shibuya from getting the bigger totals needed to make the cut.



Joran “Hat” Mallery – First Base – Boston Red Sox – 99.1% First Ballot

Joran Mallery was a 6’9’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Merrimack, New Hampshire; a town of 26,000 people. He was nicknamed “Hat” for his fondness of oversized hats (they’re funny because they’re bigger than a normal hat.) Mallery was a great contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His gap power was especially impressive, leading the league in doubles seven times.

Mallery’s home run power wasn’t prolific, but it was steady. His 162 game average got you 27 homers, 33 doubles, and 2 triples. It shows how great his gap power was to get so many doubles despite putrid speed and baserunning. Mallery fared notably better acing right-handed pitching (.898 OPS, 166 wRC+) compared to lefties (.717 OPS, 114 wRC+).

Defensively, Mallery only ever played first base, a spot perfect for his long 6’9’’ frame. He was a consistently good-to-great defender and won three Gold Gloves. Mallery also had outstanding durability, starting 144+ games in all but his first and final seasons. He was very steady and consistent, proving great value over a 21-year career.

Mallery attended the University of Wisconsin and over three seasons had 146 games, 170 hits, 106 runs, 27 doubles, 46 home runs, 118 RBI, .311/.390/.614 slash, 195 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR. Despite a solid showing, he wasn’t considered a first round prospect by many scouts. Mallery was picked by Boston 10^th in the second round, 70^th overall in the 2002 MLB Draft. He played 93 games and started 79 as a rookie with excellent production, posting a 4.4 WAR and .962 OPS. Mallery was second in Rookie of the Year voting and had a full-time job from 2004 onward.

In his first full year starting, Mallery earned 2004 MVP honors and a Silver Slugger. He led the National Association in runs (112), hits (217), total bases (341), and WAR (9.0) and had a 31-game hitting streak in the late spring. Boston ended a six-year playoff drought and got to the NACS, but fell to Winnipeg. The Red Sox fell to .500 in 2005, but Mallery again won a Silver Slugger. He led in hits (206), doubles (47) and batting average (.344).

Mallery won his second MVP and third Slugger in 2026 as the WARlord (9.4) and doubles leader (41). This year also had his career high 35 home runs. Boston started a five-year playoff streak, although they didn’t get beyond round two from 2006-09. Mallery was second in MVP voting in 2008 with his career best WAR at 10.1. He also had career highs in hits (233), batting average (.363), and OBP (.419). Prior to the 2008 campaign, the Red Sox signed Mallery to an eight-year, $98,700,000 extension.

Boston had the top seed in 2009 at 107-55, but went one-and-done. The Red Sox were 101-61 in 2010 and got back to the NACS, but were denied by Philadelphia. In the playoffs, Mallery’s numbers were good with 35 starts, 39 hits, 21 runs, 7 doubles, 5 homers, 12 RBI, .810 OPS, 140 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR.

He also represented the United States from 2005-11 in the World Baseball Championship with 143 games, 157 hits, 81 runs, 38 doubles, 32 home runs, 103 RBI, .310/.406/.579 slash, and 8.2 WAR. Mallery was third in 2011’s MVP voting and won world titles with the American team in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011.

Boston fell to 81-81 in 2011, then dropped to 67-95 in 2012 for their first losing season of Mallery’s career. His production dropped that year to 3.8 WAR and .741 OPS, career lows to that point. Since 2004, he had been worth 6+ WAR each year. Mallery did still win a Gold Glove in 2012 and had won his first the prior year. Feeling a change of scenery was required, Mallery opted out of his deal to become a free agent at age 30.

With the Red Sox, Mallery had 1511 games, 1862 hits, 889 runs, 350 doubles, 259 home runs, 929 RBI, .324/.387/.529 slash, 181 wRC+, and 73.8 WAR. He was very popular as a native New Englander and his #14 uniform would eventually get retired in Boston. Las Vegas was optimistic that Mallery could return to form and signed him to a four-year, $96,400,000 for 2013.

Mallery fared better than 2011, but was still down from his Red Sox prime with 4.9 WAR and .877 OPS. He didn’t feel like it was the right fit and he opted out of the Vipers deal after one year. Mallery then signed a five-year, $108 million deal with St. Louis. His 2014 with the Cardinals was worth 3.6 WAR, but his 2015 looked more like his peak self. Mallery led the NA in doubles (42) and RBI (124) and posted 7.5 WAR.

He had a big impact though as St. Louis went 107-55 and 112-52, winning the National Association pennant both years. The Cardinals couldn’t claim the World Series though, falling to Phoenix in 2014 and Denver in 2015. In 30 playoff starts, Mallery was rock solid with 30 hits, 11 runs, 6 doubles, 7 home runs, 15 RBI, .886 OPS, 174 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. His Baseball Grand Championship stats were less impressive with only 0.2 WAR over 33 games. St. Louis went 7-12 in the 2014 event and 10-9 in 2015.

Mallery again utilized the opt-out in his deal, becoming a free agent again at age 33. In two seasons for St. Louis, Mallery had 318 games, 345 hits, 183 runs, 72 doubles, 59 home runs, 225 RBI, .288/.351/.505 slash, 164 wRC+, and 11.1 WAR. Even if the stint was short, he was appreciated for his hole in back-to-back pennants for the Cardinals.

Next was a five-year, $120 million deal with Houston. This one actually stuck for all five years, although Mallery’s prime days were gone. He did lead in doubles and win a Gold Glove in 2018, but otherwise he was merely a decent regular season starter for the Hornets. In 786 games, Mallery had 695 hits, 388 runs, 149 doubles, 116 home runs, 406 RBI, .246/.333/.426 slash, 111 wRC+, and 12.8 WAR.

Mallery made his mark in 2019 though, winning American Association Championship Series MVP as Houston edged Nashville for the pennant. They went on to upset defending champ Kansas City in the World Series for their first MLB title in 67 years. In 20 playoff starts in 2019, Mallery had 20 hits, 13 runs, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 10 RBI, .855 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. He kept similar production in the Baseball Grand Championship with 0.7 WAR and .817 OPS over 19 starts, helping the Hornets finish alone in seventh at 10-9.

Now 39-years old in 2021, Mallery signed with Philadelphia for one year with 1.9 WAR and .708 OPS. He joined New York in 2022 and had a surprise renaissance with 6.0 WAR and .899 OPS for the Yankees. Mallery also smacked 35 home runs, surprisingly matching his career high. Despite that comeback season, that was the end of his MLB run.

Mallery still had international suitors and ended up in the African Association of Baseball on a two-year, $23 million deal with Lilongwe. He declined sharply though and had -0.4 WAR and .645 OPS over 122 games and 97 starts. Mallery retired after the 2023 season at age 41.

For his MLB career, Mallery finished with 3085 games, 3349 hits, 1690 runs, 637 doubles, 45 triples, 523 home runs, 1815 RBI, 1185 walks, 1619 strikeouts, .293/.363/.494 slash, 156 wRC+, and 110.6 WAR. He notably got to second on MLB’s doubles list behind only Stan Provost’s 682. Mallery also ranks 46^th in all of pro baseball history as of 2037 with 650 doubles when adding his AAB tally.

On the MLB leaderboards as of 2037, Mallery is 13^th in games, 24^th in hits, 55^th in runs, 23^rd in total bases (5645), 31^st in RBI, 68^th in walks, and 26^th in WAR among position players. Mallery is probably on the borderline of being considered “inner circle,” depending on how strict one’s definition was. He was a Hall of Fame lock under any metric and was nearly unanimous at 99.1%. Mallery actually managed to finish slightly above WARlord Morgan Short for the highest percentage, but it was really three co-headliners for Major League Baseball’s 2028 class.



Morgan “The Machine” Short – Center Field – Salt Lake City Loons – 98.8% First Ballot

Morgan Short was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed center fielder from Denver, Colorado. Short was called “the Machine” for his tireless work ethic and leadership. He was always willing to go above and beyond for his fans and was one of the smartest guys in the game. Short became an absolutely beloved baseball icon across the United States and by WAR ranks as the best-ever American player.

Short’s contact ability was truly exceptional and on a scale from 1-10, some scouts gave him a 12/10 at his prime. He was excellent at drawing walks, but his ability to avoid strikeouts was truly absurd. Short had a 3.1% strikeout rate for his career and is the only player in all of pro baseball history to have 10,000 career at-bats with fewer than 500 strikeouts.

He was noticeably better against right-handed pitching with .994 OPS and 172 wRC+ for his career, but was plenty solid facing lefties with .828 OPS and 131 wRC+. Short’s gap power was quite good with 32 doubles and 9 triples per his 162 game average. He also was terrific at legging out extra bases with elite speed and baserunning skills. Short’s one “flaw” offensively was a lack of prolific home run power, but he still was good for 22 dingers per 162 games.

Apart from the very end of his career, Short was a career center fielder and graded as an excellent defender that won six Gold Gloves. The physical toll of the position did catch up to Short in his 30s and he missed significant chunks of time in the back end of his career. Even still, Short powered through for an incredible 21-year career.

Short played his college baseball for the University of Virginia, winning a Silver Slugger as a sophomore. In three years for the Cavaliers, Short had 143 games, 176 hits, 109 runs, 26 doubles, 5 triples, 30 home runs, 89 RBI, .333/.426/.572 slash, 192 wRC+, and 9.2 WAR. Those efforts led to being selected 10^th overall by Salt Lake City in the 2001 MLB Draft.

The Loons were still a relatively new franchise having entered MLB in the 1982 expansion. They got their first playoff berth in 2000, but fell hard to 67-95 in 2001. Short debuted in 2002 with a Rookie of the Year campaign at 6.0 WAR. He led the American Association in on-base percentage at .417, starting a five-year streak leading the stat. Short also won his first Silver Slugger and SLC got a wild card, falling in the first round.

From 2003-08, Short led in batting average each year and had OPS above one and OBP’s above .430. Each season also was worth 9+ WAR with 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008 all being the league’s best at 11.9. Short won MVP in those four seasons and took third in 2003. He won Silver Sluggers each year and started a five-year streak of Gold Glove wins from 2006-10. In 2007, Short still got to 9.8 WAR despite losing a month to a strained oblique.

During that stretch, Short led in runs twice, hits thrice, doubles thrice, OPS thrice, and wRC+ once. 2006 had his career best slugging (.611), OPS (1.061), and doubles (48). Short’s highest runs mark was 130 in 2005 with his best hit tally 224 in 2003. He also led in stolen bases twice with Sal Lake City, peaking with 67 in 2009. Short’s 11.9 WAR seasons rank as the 7^th-10^th best by a MLB position player as of 2037.

Salt Lake City did make the playoffs from 2004-06 with Short, but the small market squad couldn’t claim the pennant. 2004 was their best effort, falling in the AACS to Phoenix. The Loons lost in the first round in 2005. In 2006, they earned a bye at 100-62, but went one-and-done. In his 18 playoff starts, Short had 27 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homer, 4 RBI, .397/.446/.544 slash, 169 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. SLC fell to 78-84 the next two years, then had a first round exit in 2009.

During this time, Short became a beloved superstar across the United States, but not because of his work in Utah. He became a fixture in the World Baseball Championship and shined on that stage greater than anyone else. In his first WBC in 2003, Short was second in MVP voting and led all players in runs and walks. This was his first world championship ring for the USA. Short ended up with additional rings in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020.

Short remained a beast for his entire career in the WBC, leading the event in runs scored six times, hits six times, doubles once, total bases once, steals six times, and WAR thrice. Short was second again in 2008’s MVP voting, then won it for the first time with a historic 2009. That year in 25 starts, Short had 49 hits, 32 runs, 7 doubles, 7 homers, 18 RBI, 19 steals, .462/.521/.726 slash, 1.247 OPS, and 2.7 WAR.

The 2009 effort set WBC event records for both hits and runs. The hits mark and Short’s 35 singles are still WBC records as of 2037, while the runs mark would be passed once. Short was third in 2010 and 2011’s MVP voting. Then in 2020 at age 39, Short won his second WBC MVP, leading all players in hits (37), runs (25), total bases (66), steals (24), and WAR (2.0). He became the ninth player to win Tournament MVP multiple times.

With his remarkable longevity and consistency over 20 years, plus the USA’s common deep runs, Short racked up remarkable tallies in the World Baseball Championship. He started 307 games with 414 hits, 304 runs, 71 doubles, 11 triples, 68 home runs, 195 RBI, 156 walks, 247 stolen bases, .335/.415/.575 slash, 182 wRC+, and 22.9 WAR.

As of 2037, Short is the WBC’s all-time leader in at-bats (1237), runs, hits, singles (264), doubles, stolen bases, caught stealing (92), and WAR among all players. Short is also 2^nd in games played, 4^th in batting average and 20^th in OBP (250 plate appearances required), 29^th in homers, 8^th in RBI, and 2^nd in total bases (711). This made Short beloved domestically and known worldwide. His graciousness towards players and fans of all nationalities made Short a true citizen of the world.

After the 2009 season, Short left Salt Lake City for free agency at age 28. With the Loons, he had 1216 games, 1623 hits, 850 runs, 278 doubles, 97 triples, 172 home runs, 746 RBI, 574 walks, 393 steals, .359/.431/.578 slash, 167 wRC+, and 82.8 WAR. Short’s #25 uniform would get retired and he’d be remembered as SLC’s first superstar player. For his next run, he signed an eight-year, $111,100,000 deal with Los Angeles. The Angels were hoping Short could end their 11-year playoff drought, as they had been stuck around .500 generally in that run.

It worked, as LA started a six-year playoff streak. Short won Silver Sluggers from 2010-12 with a Gold Glove in 2010. He took third in 2011’s MVP voting, then won the award for the fifth time in 2012. Short joined Elijah Cashman and Andrei Tanev as MLB’s only 5+ MVP winners. He was the WARlord in both 2011 and 2012, getting 11.8 in 2012. That year also had his seventh batting title with a career best .381 average and .452 OBP. Although Los Angeles made the playoffs from 2010-12, they didn’t get beyond round two.

In 2013, Short ran into his first injury troubles, missing three months between a strained hamstring and shoulder tendinitis. Even so, the Angels exploded for a 119-43 season; the second-most wins in an MLB season ever. Unfortunately, they were upset in the second round by Phoenix with Short struggling to an 3-17 series. His overall playoff numbers with LA were okay with 18 starts, 23 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, .835 OPS, 135 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

Short used his contract opt-out to leave Los Angeles after four seasons. For the Angels, he had 547 games, 691 hits, 367 runs, 104 doubles, 24 triples, 69 home runs, 282 RBI, 173 steals, .334/.408/.507 slash, 151 wRC+, and 34.2 WAR. Heading towards his age 33 season, Short signed a five-year, $115,000,000 deal with Brooklyn.

With the Dodgers, Short won Silver Sluggers in 2014, 15, and 16 along with a 2016 Gold Glove. He became the first (and only as of 2037) MLB player at any position with 14 Silver Sluggers. Short is only one of two in world history with 14+ Sluggers as a center fielder. When healthy, Short’s production was still very good with Brooklyn.

The trouble was staying healthy though. It was a number of different ailments; most notable was a ruptured MCL in September 2017. That was the one season the Dodgers made the playoffs with Short, but he was unavailable as they ultimately fell to Boston in the National Association Championship Series. Brooklyn didn’t have any losing seasons with Short, but were generally a few games out of the playoff picture.

For the Dodgers, Short had 620 games, 709 hits, 421 runs, 97 doubles, 22 triples, 84 home runs, 279 RBI, 330 walks, 220 steals, .322/.410/.500 slash, 171 wRC+, and 37.5 WAR. In 2018, Short became the 61^st member of MLB’s 3000 hit club. While a Dodger, Short also became MLB’s all-time WARlord He ended his time at Brooklyn at 154.5, passing Elijah Cashman’s top mark for position players (136.6) and the #1 overall spot by pitcher Ned Giles at 151.7.

Short signed a three-year, $74,800,000 deal for 2019 with Houston. He would be out from August onward with a fractured ankle, missing the playoff run. The Hornets went on a surprise run to the World Series, giving Short a championship ring. He never did get to play in the Fall Classic or Baseball Grand Championship sadly. Short was out almost all of 2020 with torn ankle ligaments and an oblique strain.

With Houston, Short managed only 127 games in two years, but still had 7.1 WAR, 140 hits, 86 runs, 19 doubles, 14 home runs, 53 RBI, .316/.418/.472 slash, and 147 wRC+. Soon to be 40-years old, Short ended up signing three-year, $61,200,000 deal with Sacramento. This was expected to be a big ticket boom for the Shamrocks, who were set to make their debut season with 2021’s league expansion.

The ankle injuries had tanked Short’s range so he was moved to the corners. He could still bat, leading in OBP for the sixth time in 2021 with 5.5 WAR over 125 games. Short was still providing positive value until August 14, 2022, when his career came to an abrupt end. He took an errant fastball to the head, suffering a career-ending fractured skull at age 41.

It was a horrifying end to an incredible career, showing that the baseball gods could be cruel even to immortals. It was a traumatizing event for his legions of fans, although thankfully Short did make a full recovery in retirement. With Sacramento, Short had 223 games, 249 hits, 146 runs, 37 doubles, 28 homers, 83 RBI, 66 steals, .318/.413/.493 slash, 146 wRC+, and 8.9 WAR.

Short finished with 2733 games, 3412 hits, 1870 runs, 535 runs, 155 triples, 367 home runs, 1443 RBI, 1355 walks, 367 strikeouts, 877 steals, .341/.420/.535 slash, .955 OPS, 162 wRC+, and 170.5 WAR. As of 2037, Short is still the WARlord and ranks 80^th in games, 19^th in hits, 16^th in runs, 49^th in total bases (5358), 22^nd in singles (2355), 18^th in doubles, 85^th in triples, 28^th in walks, and 9^th in steals. Among all MLB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Short ranks 9^th in batting average, 3^rd in OBP, and 38^th in OPS.

On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Short ranks 8^th in WAR among position players and 13^th amongst everyone. Against the world’s Hall of Famers, Short has the 22^nd best batting average and 3^rd-best on-base percentage. He also is the WARlord among American players, ahead of 3B Graham Gregor (148.0) and SP Vincent Lepp (144.4).

So is Morgan Short the greatest player in MLB history? If WAR is the decisive metric, then yes, but there’s a fierce debate. A big part of Short’s huge WAR totals come from his great defense in center field, high walk rate, low strikeout rate, and great baserunning. For some, those factors are considered far less important than power stats.

Short certainly wasn’t a mere singles slap hitter, but the lack of home run and RBI tallies do work against him even if he was an incredibly efficient hitter. He also never had the signature playoff run, although his many awesome performances in the World Baseball Championship can’t be completely ignored.

When looking at the Hall of Fame metrics, Short does lead in JAWS at 125.0 and is 2^nd in standards, but he ranks 14^th in black ink, 32^nd in grey ink, and 7^th in monitor. Of course, this just reaffirms how impossibly difficult it is to compare different players at different positions with different skillsets across different eras.

Seven-time MVP and former home run king Elijah Cashman often still gets cited by many as the GOAT. Only a few other batters come up in the GOAT conversations, then you have trying to figure out where the great pitchers slot in. Even when factoring in everybody, you’d be hard pressed to find Short outside of most top 10 lists for MLB players. When factoring in all players in all leagues, it gets a lot tougher. You could plausibly place Short into the top 10, especially with his success coming in MLB’s American Association, generally viewed as the world’s highest talent subleague. Short generally makes any top 50 list and is typically somewhere in most top 25s.

Another question to ask, is Morgan Short the best-ever center fielder? He also has the highest career WAR there as well, but there are a couple other guys close behind. It would be hard to find a scholar that doesn’t have Short at least in the top 5 all-time for center fielders.

In any event, Short was a true immortal of the game and one-of-a-kind. Credible arguments could be made for Short as MLB’s best-ever player, the best-ever American-born player, and the best-ever center fielder. It is surprising that he only got 98.8% and actually was just behind Johan Mallery in vote share for the 2028 Hall of Fame class. Regardless, Short has his deserved inner-circle spot amongst Major League Baseball’s greats.

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Omari “Blitz” Green – Starting Pitcher – Denver Dragons – 96.5% First Ballot

Omari Green was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Rosenberg, Texas; a city of around 38,000 people in Houston’s metropolitan area. Green had excellent stuff with solid movement and good control. His velocity topped out in the 97-99 mph range and he had four equally potent pitches; fastball, slider, forkball, and changeup. The nickname “Blitz” came from how quickly Green liked to work on the mound.

Green’s stamina was good relative to most MLB aces and he had ironman durability, tossing 240+ innings in each of his 16 seasons. He was a solid defensive pitcher, but his ability to hold runners was merely okay. Green had tremendously high character and was respected throughout the game as one of the great team captains. His talent, along with his leadership, loyalty, work ethic, and intelligence, made Green one of the finest pitchers to ever do it.

For college, Green spent three years at the University of Texas, dominating with a 25-8 record, 1.47 ERA, 294.2 innings, 390 strikeouts, 90 walks, 216 ERA+, and 16.0 WAR. He won Pitcher of the Year honors as a junior in 2006 with a 1.24 ERA over 94.2 innings, 142 Ks, and 6.4 WAR. As of 2037, Green ranks 26^th in WAR in NCAA history. That certainly put him at the top of many draft boards and in the 2006 MLB Draft, Green was picked second overall by San Antonio.

Green was a full-time starter immediately for the Oilers with mixed results initially. He wasn’t elite right away, but his reliable innings made him worth 4+ WAR each year from 2008-11. In 2012, Green had his first of ten straight seasons with 6+ WAR. Despite his efforts, San Antonio mostly remained a bottom-tier franchise. They started to show life going 81-81 in 2010, their first non-losing season since 1998. The Oilers made it to 85-77 in 2011, but collapsed back down to 66-96 in 2012.

2013 was set to be Green’s final season under contract and San Antonio wasn’t sure they could or wanted to afford the deal he was going to command. Thus, the 26-year old Green was traded in the offseason to Los Angeles for two prospects. With the Oilers, Green had a 74-102 record, 3.34 ERA, 1601.2 innings, 1239 strikeouts, 487 walks, 113 ERA+, and 29.7 WAR.

With the Angels, Green led the American Association in strikeouts (289) and shutouts (7) for the first time. He also had a career best 2.38 ERA and 24-6 record, but surprisingly didn’t make the top three in Pitcher of the Year voting. Los Angeles had a historic 119-43 season, the second-most wins in MLB history. However, they were upset in the second round of the playoffs by Phoenix. Green gave up five runs over 9.2 innings as his lone playoff start went into extras.

Green didn’t come to terms with LA and entered free agency at age 27. He was a hot commodity and signed a five-year, $115 million deal with defending World Series champion Denver. This started his signature run with the Dragons in the middle of what became an MLB record 13-year playoff and division title streak. Denver hoped Green could help them create a legendary dynasty run.

He delivered right away, taking third in 2014’s Pitcher of the Year voting. However, Green had a lackluster 4.50 ERA in two playoff starts as Denver fell in the second round. Green redeemed that in 2015 as the Dragons won their second World Series in three years, defeating St. Louis in the Fall Classic. He earned World Series MVP, a rare accomplishment for a pitcher. Over 42 playoff innings and five starts, Green was 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA, 39 strikeouts, and 1.1 WAR.

Green was even more dominant in the Baseball Grand Championship. Denver finished 15-4, taking second behind Johannesburg due to the head-to-head tiebreaker. In four starts, Green was 3-0 with a 1.07 ERA, 33.2 innings, 53 strikeouts, 14 walks, and 2.4 WAR. As of 2037, Green’s WAR mark is the eighth-best by a pitcher in BGC history. This forever cemented his spot as an important part of Denver’s lore, regardless of what came next.

While the playoff streak continued, Denver had little postseason luck for the following four years. They had a first round exit in 2016, AACS loss in 2017, and second round exits in 2018 and 2019. In the latter two years, the Dragons had earned the #1 seed, only to go one-and-done. Green’s playoff results were a mixed bag these years, but he remained impressive in the regular season.

He led in strikeouts in 2016 to take third in Pitcher of the Year voting. After the 2017 season, Green signed a six-year, $162,200,000 extension to remain Denver’s ace. In 2018, he won his lone Pitcher of the Year, leading the American Association in WAR (8.8) and FIP- (68). He was even more impressive in 2019 with AA and career bests in strikeouts (310) and WAR (9.4), although he took second in POTY voting behind Las Vegas’s Daniel Newqvist.

Green kept rolling in 2020, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. This was Denver’s strongest season of the playoff streak at 114-48, ending with a World Series win over Cincinnati. Green had a respectable playoff run at 3-1, 3.38 ERA, 29.1 innings, 30 strikeouts, and 0.8 WAR. The 2020 Dragons were the winningest team to claim the World Series to that point and had a case as being MLB’s best-ever team.

Denver then staked their case for being the best-ever team in all of pro baseball history by winning the Baseball Grand Championship at 15-4. Green was again a beast in the BGC, going 3-0 in four starts with a 1.26 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 35.2 innings, and 2.1 WAR. When counting up their regular season, playoff, and BGC results, the Dragons finished 202 at 140-54. That was the best record by a BGC winner to that point and would only later be topped by San Diego in 2027 and Hamamatsu in 2036. In any case, Green was a huge reason while Denver’s 2020 squad was one of the absolute best ever in baseball history.

On May 25, 2021; Green had his lone no-hitter in a 13 strikeout, three walk game against Salt Lake City. He had a strong playoff run with a 1.87 ERA in 33.2 innings, but Denver fell 4-3 to New Orleans in the AACS. For his playoff career, Green had a 13-7 record, 3.16 ERA, 179.2 innings, 152 strikeouts, 39 walks, 122 ERA+, and 3.5 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 30^th in playoff pitching WAR, 5^th in wins, and 7^th in strikeouts. Green also ranks 11^th in pitching WAR in the BGC despite only appearing in event twice, posting a stellar 1.17 ERA over 8 starts, 6-0 record, 69.1 innings, 100 strikeouts, and 4.5 WAR.

Green’s velocity dipped noticeably in 2022, posting career worsts in ERA (4.43), strikeouts (166), and WAR (3.2). He earned his third World Series ring with Denver, but wasn’t used in the playoffs. Green also wasn’t used in the BGC with the Dragons tying for ninth at 10-9. He retired that winter at age 36 and Denver immediately retired his #1 uniform. In nine years in Colorado, Green had a 170-90 record, 2.98 ERA, 2455 innings, 2269 strikeouts, 597 walks, 130 ERA+, and 64.4 WAR.

The final stats for Green had a 268-198 record, 3.07 ERA, 4329.1 innings, 3797 strikeouts, 1143 walks, 340/524 quality starts, 283 complete games, 50 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 101.5 WAR. As of 2037, Green ranks 28^th in wins, 42^nd in innings, 10^th in complete games, 19^th in shutouts, 16^th in strikeouts, and 23^rd in pitching WAR.

Depending on your strictness level, Green could qualify as an inner-circle Hall of Famer. He needed a few more years or a bit more dominance to make top 10 lists, but Green’s candidacy wasn’t at all in doubt. He was a critical part of Denver’s decade of dominance and was a major piece for the historic 2020 Grand Champion squad. At 96.5%, Green joined the loaded 2028 Major League Baseball HOF class as a co-headliner.



Victor Burke – Starting Pitcher – Seattle Grizzlies – 71.3% Tenth Ballot

Victor Burke was a 6’0’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Yuba City, California; a city with around 70,000 within the Greater Sacramento area. Burke’s stuff was quite strong, although his movement and control were above average at best. He wasn’t going to overpower many with a 94-96 mph fastball, but his splitter and cutter were equally fast and it was hard to know which was coming. Burke also had a weak knuckle curve as his fourth pitch.

Burke’s stamina was above average to good compared to typical MLB aces. He had great durability, tossing 240+ innings each year from 1998-2011. He had an excellent pickoff move and was considered solid at holding runners and at defense. Burke was also quite intelligent, making the most of his abilities.

From 1992-94, Burke attended the University of Memphis, posting a 19-11 record over 281.1 innings, 2.30 ERA, 341 strikeouts, 153 ERA+, and 12.0 WAR. As a sophomore, he took third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Burke was then selected 31^st overall by Los Angeles in the 1994 MLB Draft. He saw limited use in the majors in 1995 and 1997, split between there and minor league Bakersfield. Burke spent all of 1996 in Bakersfield and was the Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Although he wasn’t used in the playoff run, Burke did earn a World Series ring in 1997 with LA.

Burke got the full-time call up in 1998 and remained a regular MLB starter through 2012. He ate a lot of innings with the Angels, but was generally above average. Los Angeles fell into the middle tier with no playoff berths from 1999-09. With LA, Burke finished with a 121-93 record, 3.64 ERA, 2037 innings, 1620 strikeouts, 633 walks, 107 ERA+, and 32.9 WAR.

The Angels gave Burke a four-year, $19,880,000 extension after the 2001 season. By 2004, LA were sellers and moved Burke in a late June trade to Seattle for two prospects. The Grizzlies just missed the playoffs that year, ending a six-year streak. They thought Burke could give them pitching depth long term though and signed him in May 2005 to a five-year, $34,500,000 extension.

In 2005, Burke led the American Association in wins at 21-7. Seattle took the top seed at 105-57 and won their first-ever World Series, defeating Philadelphia in the finale. Over five playoff starts, Burke had a 3-1 record, 3.07 ERA, 26 strikeouts, 19 walks, 131 ERA+, and 0.4 WAR. The Grizzlies dropped to 82-80 in 2006, but got back to the top seed in 2007 at 102-60. They lost to San Diego in the AACS with Burke posting a 3.55 ERA over 25.1 playoff innings.

Burke stayed steady for the rest of the decade, although Seattle retreated into the middle of the standings. He signed a two-year, $20 million extension after the 2009 season. Burke had his worst ERA of his career in 2010 at 4.44, but bounced back down to 3.21 in 2011. 2011 ended seeing career bests in both WAR (7.2) and complete games (22) at age 37. Ultimately, he was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist.

With Seattle, Burke had a 126-84 record, 3.65 ERA, 1966.1 innings, 1634 strikeouts, 598 walks, 107 ERA+, and 38.7 WAR. He was a free agent for 2012 at age 38 and signed a one-year deal with Baltimore worth $14,800,000. Burke won his 250^th game with the Orioles and had 2.3 WAR and a 3.09 ERA over 183.2 innings. He then signed for two-years and $21,200,000 with New York. Burke was used in long relief for 113.2 innings with the Yankees, but was cut in late July to end his MLB career.

Burke wasn’t ready to be done and put out worldwide feelers. He finished 2013 in West Africa Baseball with 1.4 WAR and 3.28 ERA over 57.2 innings with Accra. Burke tried an MLB comeback and signed a two-year, $22,200,000 deal for 2014 with Las Vegas. However, he was cut following lackluster results in spring training 2014. Burke moved to Iraq with the Arab League’s Sulaymaniyah, but only saw two starts for the Sultans. He retired that winter at age 41.

In MLB, Burke finished with a 263-198 record, 3.61 ERA, 4300.2 innings, 3485 strikeouts, 1304 walks, 303/523 quality starts, 235 complete games, 38 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 74.3 WAR. As of 2037, Burke ranks 31^st in wins, 45^th in innings, 36^th in complete games, 34^th in strikeouts, and 33^rd in walks. Burke notably misses the top 100 for pitching WAR.

The rate stats suggested a guy who sustained above average production over a long period. Many voters thought Burke was never elite enough to be worthy of Hall of Fame induction. Supporters thought he checked the accumulation boxes needed to belong. Most, but not all MLB pitchers that reached 250+ wins and 3500 Ks had made it in. Supporters also pointed out Burke’s role in Seattle’s first World Series ring after 105 years of trying.

Burke debuted at 51.6% in the 2019 ballot and never dropped below 50%, although he stayed in the 50s for his first five tries. Burke got as close as 62.3% in 2024 and 64.2% in 2026, but was still short of the 66% requirement. In his tenth and final try in 2028, Burke got the bump needed up to 71.3% to earn the fourth and final spot in Major League Baseball’s 2028 Hall of Fame class. He became the fifth player in MLB history to earn induction on his tenth ballot.

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First baseman Pancho Burgos was the lone inductee into the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame for 2028. Burgos made it upon his debut at 86.1%. The only other player above 50% was 1B Hasan Alvizo at 57.7% on his fourth ballot.

No one was dropped after ten failed ballots, but 1B David Jack deserves a brief mention. He fell below 5% on his seventh try and was notably the 18^th CABA slugger to join the 600 home run club. Jack had 1839 hits, 1168 runs, 263 doubles, 607 homers, 1379 RBI, 645 walks, 2074 strikeouts, .256/.321/.552 slash, 134 wRC+, and 50.2 WAR. Homers alone can often boost guys across the line, but Jack lacked accolades or other skills needed to get much traction even with his dingers.



Pancho Burgos – First Base – Guadalajara Hellhounds – 86.1% First Ballot

Pancho Burgos was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Nuevo Laredo, a city of 373,000 on the Mexico-United States border. Burgos was a great contact hitter and was solid at avoiding strikeouts, although he drew walks sparingly. He had a reliable pop in his bat as well with a 162 game average of 28 doubles, 13 triples, and 29 home runs. Burgos had above average to good speed as well, although his baserunning skills were sloppy.

Burgos wasn’t one to be a league leader, but he was reliable and consistent. He was also quite durable, playing 135+ games in all 15 of his professional seasons. Burgos played third base as a rookie, but was abysmal there. He was exclusively a first baseman the rest of his career with reliably strong defense, even winning a Gold Glove in 2009. Burgos was a good teammate and became a popular figure in Guadalajara.

In the 2005 CABA Draft, Burgos was taken out of high school by the Hellhounds with the 10^th overall pick. Guadalajara kept Burgos in their academy for 2006 and 2007, debuting him in 2008 as a full-time starter. His second year saw his first of six seasons worth 6+ WAR and his lone Gold Glove. Burgos dipped a bit in 2010, then had started a streak of 5+ WAR seasons from 2011-17.

Burgos was never an MVP finalist or Silver Slugger winner,, especially with the competition at first base from other batters. But he would have four seasons with 100+ runs, eight with 200+ hits, seven with 30+ homers, nine with 100+ RBI, 14 with a .300+ batting average and nine with a .900+ OPS. Burgos’s best effort was 2015, which had career highs in runs (113), hits (227), homers (40), average (.352), slugging (.630), OPS (1.000), wRC+ (182), and WAR (7.9).

He also didn’t get a ton of recognition as Guadalajara was forgettable for much of his run. In April 2011, Burgos signed a four-year, $33,700,000 contract extension. He declined his contract option after the 2014 season, but signed a new seven-year, $102,200,000 extension with the Hellhounds. After being below .500 for most of the 2000s, Guadalajara did improve in the 2010s. Although they still generally missed the playoffs, they did finish .500 or better six times in the decade.

Guadalajara finally broke through in 2017 with a division title, ending a 20-year playoff drought. They would be defeated by Juarez in the Mexican League Championship Series. Burgos was mid in his lone playoff chance, going 10-40 in 10 games with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, and 4 RBI. He did notably had a 33-game hitting streak in the early summer of 2017, which was tied for the seventh-longest streak in CABA history to that point.

The Hellhounds fell off hard after that and wouldn’t be back above .500 until 2025. Burgos’s production dropped down in those later years, although he was still a respectable starter. His deal expired after the 2021 season, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 36. Burgos signed with Costa Rica and gave the Rays 2.3 WAR and .821 OPS as a starter in 2022, although his power had dropped to a sub .500 slugging percentage. He went unsigned in 2023 and retired that winter at age 38. Guadalajara quickly brought him back in to retire his #20 uniform for his 14 years of service there.

In total, Burgos had 2337 games, 2953 hits, 1324 runs, 405 doubles, 186 triples, 425 home runs, 1516 RBI, 307 walks, 1029 strikeouts, 398 steals, .326/.351/.553 slash, 152 wRC+, and 74.5 WAR. As of 2037, Burgos ranks 23^rd in hits, 68^th in runs, 73^rd in doubles, 80^th in triples, 36^th in total bases (5005), 42^nd in home runs, and 97^th in WAR among position players. Burgos’ batting average also ranks 79^th among all CABA hitters with 3000+ plate appearances.

Although he was never in MVP conversations, Burgos put up nice totals that surprised some voters. Especially with a weaker 2028 ballot, Burgos stood out amongst the choices. He received 86.1% for a first ballot selection as the lone inductee in 2028 for the Central American Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame.

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East Asia Baseball’s 2028 Hall of Fame class was an impactful one with four players getting first ballot induction. SP Do-Kyun Lee was the clear headliner at a near unanimous 98.8%. Fellow pitchers Si-Hun Choi and Takeo Nagai were next with solid marks of 86.4% and 83.3%, respectively. 1B/DH Hyogo Murayama narrowly joined them at 70.9%, just crossing the 66% requirement. Two second ballot guys fell short but were above 50% with C Ha-Jan Au at 58.8% and CL Geon-U Kang with 53.3%.



LF Kazuo Satoh fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 51.5% in 2020 and ending at 18.8%. He was hurt by leaving for MLB at age 29 after a stellar eight year run with Bucheon, where he won one MVP, four Silver Sluggers, and two Gold Gloves. Satoh notably had 13.37 WAR in 1999, which still ranks as the fifth-best by a position player in EAB as of 2037.

Satoh’s EAB totals ended up being 1255 games, 1646 hits, 821 runs, 199 doubles, 164 triples, 266 home runs, 890 RBI, 396 steals, .328/.376/.624 slash, 166 wRC+, and 60.0 WAR. Satoh had a good MLB run and one year in WAB, giving him full career stats of 2474 games, 2814 hits, 1579 runs, 381 doubles, 258 triples, 500 home runs, 1623 RBI, 651 steals, 654 walks, .305/.358/.566 slash, 150 wRC+, and 97.8 WAR. The combined numbers would’ve gotten him in if they all came in one league, but the even career split kept his accumulations in any one league too low for most voters.

Also dropped after ten failed ballots was 2B Jae-Min Hwang, who peaked at 44.9% in 2020 and ended with 11.8%. Most of his run was with Niigata, winning six Silver Sluggers and two EAB titles. Hwang was also the 2006 EAB Championship MVP and led the league four times in both batting average and hits.

Hwang had 1834 games, 2297 hits, 928 runs, 416 doubles, 107 triples, 52 home runs, 687 RBI, 314 walks, 580 strikeouts, 360 steals, .340/.369/.456 slash, 147 wRC+, and 73.2 WAR. It was often tough for leadoff guys to gain traction without the big power numbers, plus second base was often an overlooked spot too. Hwang’s totals were also hurt by injury issues in his 30s. Although he fell short of the ultimate honor, Hwang’s #2 uniform was retired by the Green Dragons for his role in their 2000s success.

DH/1B Jun-Yeong Song also fell after ten ballots, getting as high as 26.8% on his debut before ending at 8.2%. He was another leadoff guy who lacked the big power numbers and only won Silver Slugger once. Song had 2232 games, 2818 hits, 1192 runs, 546 doubles, 107 triples, 102 homers, 1029 RBI, 387 walks, 347 steals, .346/.380/.477 slash, 136 wRC+, and 58.3 WAR.

Song’s batting average notably ranks 4^th as of 2037 among EAB batters with 3000+ career plate appearances. He did also lose value for many voters since he was a DH for about ¾ of his starts. Song did notably have the rare distinction of winning three championship rings each with different teams, taking the EAB title in 1997 with Yongin, 2003 with Seongnam, and 2013 with Daegu.



Do-Kyun Lee – Starting Pitcher – Seoul Seahawks – 98.8% First Ballot

Do-Kyun Lee was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Siheung, South Korea; a city with around 511,000 people. Lee’s stuff was absolutely incredible and graded as a 10/10 from some scouts in his prime, a very rare grade for a starter. He also had impressive control of his arsenal, although his movement could be inconsistent and lead to home run issues.

Lee’s fastball was stellar and regularly hit the 99-101 mph range. He didn’t lose much speed with a great sinker and also had a screwball and changeup in the arsenal. Lee’s stamina was quite solid in his prime and his durability was strong for most of his run. He was great at holding runners, but did grade as subpar defensively otherwise.

With his impressive strikeout tallies, Lee was a popular player throughout South Korea. However, many fans would quickly sour on him with his outspoken and toxic personality. Lee was loud, self-centered, lazy, and a bit dumb; often clashing with teammates and media. Those traits though made him a favorite of the Twitter troll type of sports fan that you wouldn’t trust next to an unattended drink.

Lee’s stuff was undeniable even as a teenager and he was brought to the capital Seoul on a developmental contract in June 2005. After just over six years in their academy, Lee debuted mostly in relief for 2011. He became a full-time starter in 2012, then became THE strikeout guy in the Korea League in 2013. From 2013-20, he led the league each season in Ks.

He was more than just strikeouts though, as Lee won four straight ERA titles from 2015-18. He was the WARlord from 2014-20 with Seoul and had 10+ in four different seasons. Lee also led five straight years in WHIP from 2015-19 and thrice led in shutouts. From 2015-17, he earned three consecutive Triple Crown seasons. Lee joined Aiya Kodama as the only three-time Triple Crown pitchers in EAB history and is one of only three in any league to achieve the feat consecutively.

Lee is one of six in EAB history to win five Pitcher of the Year awards, taking it in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. He was also second place in 2019’s voting. In 2015, Lee became the first EAB ace to record a 400+ strikeout season, setting a new high mark at 447. He also was 27-8, becoming the third in EAB with a 27+ win season. On April 27, 2015; Lee recorded a 22 strikeout game against Busan, tying the EAB single-game record set by Michiro Yabuta back in 1924.

The 447 strikeouts remained the record briefly as Toshikuni Naikai topped it with 460 in 2018. Lee’s mark still remains #2 as of 2037 and he would breach 400+ in three more seasons. Only Lee (4) and Naikai (3) have reached the mark in EAB. His 2017 was his best season by WAR at 12.3, which ranks as EAB’s seventh-best by a pitcher. Lee’s top ERA came in 2017 at 1.93.

Lee made world history on September 29, 2016 in an extra innings affair with Jeonju. Over 11.2 innings, Lee struck out 26 batters, a single-game record that hasn’t been matched anywhere before or since. He breached 20 Ks in eight different games with only Naikai besting him in EAB with ten. Lee had 15+ strikeouts in 61 EAB games and would do it five times later in MLB. He also notably struck out 11 consecutive batters on August 6, 2020.

After a stretch in the middle tier, Lee helped Seoul return to contention with three straight trips to the Korea League Championship Series from 2017-19. The Seahawks were thwarted each time, twice by Changwon and once by Seongnam. Lee’s playoff stats were quite solid with a 6-1 record over 71 innings, 2.28 ERA, 116 strikeouts, 14 walks, 165 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR. Seoul would fall one game short of the playoffs in 2020.

Lee signed a seven-year, $154,600,000 extension before the 2017 season. However, his personality clashes with members of the organization and media were becoming more of a problem. After the 2020 season, Lee opted out of his deal and became a free agent heading towards age 32. This marked the end of his time pitching in EAB.

With Seoul, Lee had a 164-87 record, 2.47 ERA, 2404 innings, 3467 strikeouts, 271 walks, 198/266 quality starts, 154 complete games, 29 shutouts, 153 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 85.3 WAR. Even though he only pitched 10 years in Korea with nine as a starter, Lee ranks 55^th in strikeouts, 40^th in shutouts, and 32^nd in pitching WAR as of 2037.

Among EAB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Lee also ranks 55^th in ERA and 6^th in WHIP (0.86). He also sits 7^th in K/9 (12.98), 32^nd in BB/9 (6.76), and 7^th in BB/9 (1.01). Lee’s .579 opponent’s OPS ranks 46^th, his .206 batting average is 30^th, and .235 OBP is 9^th. Even with the personality clashes, Seoul did eventually retire his #6 uniform at the end of his career.

Lee is generally viewed as the best pitcher of the 2010s for the Korea League and the second-best in East Asia Baseball for the time behind only Naikai. Even with a smaller sample size, Lee’s incredible strikeout dominance was among the best ever in any league. That plus five Pitcher of the Year awards made Lee a Hall of Fame lock, even if he was a loudmouth jerk. He received 98.8% to headline EAB’s four-player class in 2028.

His career continued for another six seasons in Major League Baseball. Even while in the United States, Lee did still come back to represent South Korea in the World Baseball Championship. From 2012-23, Lee had a 9-7 record, 173.2 innings, 2.95 ERA, 284 strikeouts, 40 walks, and 4.9 WAR.

Lee’s MLB run began in 2021 on a six-year, $120 million deal with Detroit. The Tigers had been a playoff regular in the past decade, but hadn’t managed to win the National Association pennant. Lee helped them change that in 2021, leading in his MLB debut in Ks and WAR. The season included a 30-inning scoreless streak in the fall. Detroit ultimately lost in the World Series to a 112-win New Orleans squad.

In the playoffs, Lee had a 1.91 ERA over 47 innings, 3-1 record, 63 strikeouts, and 2.2 WAR. Only once before had an MLB pitcher gotten 50+ Ks in the playoffs, falling just short of Kato Tu’s record 65 from 1919. Lee’s WAR was also the second-best ever by a pitcher in MLB history behind only Ned Giles’ 2.3 from 1938. He also had a good showing in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 2.65 ERA over 34 innings and 54 strikeouts. Detroit would finish 11-8, part of a five-way tie for fourth place.

Lee dipped a bit in 2022, but was still solid with 6.5 WAR. He also had a 20 strikeout game on April 7 against Louisville, becoming the first in world history with a 20K game in multiple leagues. The Tigers would miss the playoffs at 86-76, but bounced back with four straight division titles from 2023-26. The previously durable Lee though would see a major setback in May 2023 with a stretched elbow ligament knocking him out 12 months.

He was still good in 2024 and 2025 for the Tigers, but his stuff with diminished with his velocity now peaking in the mid 90s. Lee was decent in the later playoff runs, which included a Detroit World Series win over Nashville. He had a 4.00 ERA over 27 innings in the 2025 Baseball Grand Championship as the Tigers tied for fourth at 12-7. Lee’s overall playoff stats with Detroit saw a 2.79 ERA over 87 innings, 5-3 record, 96 strikeouts, 134 ERA+, and 3.1 WAR.

Lee’s velocity really plummeted in 2026 and he had a 9.00 ERA in three starts for Detroit, who cut him outright on April 10. In total for the Tigers, Lee had a 63-37 record, 3.05 ERA, 1022.1 innings, 1119 strikeouts, 148 walks, 120 ERA+, and 26.1 WAR. Even with the injury and bad final year, Lee certainly proved to be an impactful signing for Detroit.

Chicago employed Lee for only two days in late April and he never saw the field before being cut again. Sacramento gave him a look in May with Lee struggling to a 5.14 ERA over 77 innings. Lee didn’t want to accept that he was done and looked around in 2027. After going unsigned all year, he finally retired at age 38.

Lee’s combined pro baseball stats saw a 230-128 record, 2.70 ERA, 3503.1 innings, 4630 strikeouts, 433 walks, 198 complete games, 41 shutouts, 140 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 112.0 WAR. Even if you disliked him as a person, Lee was one of the best pitchers of his era and one of the all-time best at getting whiffs. His Seoul run especially was among the strongest decades by any starter, securing Lee’s spot into EAB’s Hall of Fame.



Si-Hun Choi – Starting Pitcher – Kawasaki Killer Whales – 86.4% First Ballot

Si-Hun Choi was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Gimcheon, South Korea; a city of 135,000 in the central part of the country. Choi was well-rounded with good to occasionally great stuff, movement, and control. His fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range, but it was his excellent changeup which earned the most whiffs. Choi also had a decent curveball and forkball in the arsenal.

Choi’s stamina was very good and he generally avoided major injuries, tossing 200+ innings in all but two of his 18 seasons. He graded as solid defensively and at holding runners. Choi was outspoken and not the brightest, but he wasn’t actively problematic like his Hall of Fame classmate Do-Kyun Lee. Choi sometimes said the wrong thing at the wrong time, but no one questioned his work ethic or commitment.

In June 2000, a teenaged Choi moved from South Korea to Japan on a developmental contract with Kawasaki. He spent the better part of six years in their academy, debuting in 2005 at age 21 with five poor starts and a 6.75 ERA. They carried on making Choi a full-timer the next year with decent production initially, taking second in 2006’s Rookie of the Year voting. He never was overwhelmingly dominant, but he settled into reliably having a sub-three ERA with 200+ strikeouts and 4+ WAR most years.

Kawasaki was rebuilding when Choi arrived and found their first successes with him in 2010 and 2012. The Killer Whales had the #1 seed both years, but went one-and-done both seasons. They stayed generally above .500, but outside of the playoffs from 2013-17. In August 2014, Choi signed a six-year, $66,600,000 extension to stick with Kawasaki long-term.

Choi was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist and rarely a league leader. He had the most wins in 2015 at 21-8 and led in WHIP in 2013 at 0.83. His best WAR marks were 5.4 in both 2016 and 2017. Kawasaki made it back to the playoffs in 2018, falling in the Japan League Championship Series to Osaka. Then in 2019, the Killer Whales took the pennant, but fell to Seongnam for the EAB Championship.

With Kawasaki, his career playoff numbers were okay with a 3.36 ERA in 75 innings, 2-5 record, 80 strikeouts, 10 walks, 97 ERA+, and 0.5 WAR. He went on a surprise tear in the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship, taking third in Best Pitcher voting with a 1.83 ERA over four starts, 3-1 record, 34.1 innings, 42 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR. The Killer Whales finished 9-10 in the event.

Despite that effort, Kawasaki declined his contract option after the 2019 campaign, making Choi a free agent for the first time at age 36. For the Killer Whales, he had a 198-139 record, 2.76 ERA, 3238.1 innings, 3084 strikeouts, 544 walks, 121 ERA+, and 59.2 WAR. Kawasaki would later retire his #11 uniform for his steady work over a 15-year run.

Choi signed a two-year, $27 million deal with Busan and gave them his standard production in 2020. The Blue Jays earned the Korea League’s top seed, but lost in the first round with Choi giving up four runs over seven innings in his one playoff start. In 2021, he struggled with injuries, capped off by a torn labrum in July. With Busan, Choi finished with a 16-14 record, 2.94 ERA, 288 innings, 274 strikeouts, 128 ERA+, and 5.4 WAR.

He worked his way back from injury and signed with Daegu in 2022. Choi had a full season, albeit with lackluster results with a 4.52 ERA over 243 innings. He stepped up in four playoff starts though with a 4-0 record, 2.90 ERA, 31 innings, and 20 strikeouts. This helped the Diamondbacks win the Korea League pennant, although they lost to Fukuoka for the EAB Championship. Choi retired with just after his 39^th birthday, not even sticking around for the BGC.

Choi ended with a 234-162 record, 2.89 ERA, 3769.1 innings, 3516 strikeouts, 651 walks, 325/477 quality starts, 141 complete games, 41 shutouts, 118 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 65.7 WAR. As of 2037, Choi ranks 29^th in wins, 32^nd in innings, 32^nd in complete games, 6^th in shutouts, 49^th in strikeouts, and 100^th in WAR.

Advanced stats suggested Choi was probably closer to “good” rather than “great.” He didn’t have the big awards or black ink, but Choi hit pretty much all of the accumulation check marks that voters looked for out of a starting pitcher. He earned 86.4% for a first ballot induction as the second of four members in East Asia Baseball’s 2028 Hall of Fame class.

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Takeo Nagai – Starting Pitcher – Kyoto Kamikaze – 83.3% First Ballot

Takeo Nagai was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Toba, Japan; a town of around 18,000 people in the Kansai region. Nagai had solid movement on his pitches along with above average stuff and control. His velocity topped out in the 95-97 mph range and he had a three-pitch arsenal of cutter, changeup and slider. Each was equally potent and led to an extreme groundball tendency.

Nagai’s stamina was on the low end compared to other EAB aces, but excellent durability meant he still delivered 200+ innings in all but his first two seasons. Nagai struggled at holding runners, but he was excellent at fielding his position, winning four Gold Gloves. He was criticized for coasting on his natural abilities as well as selfishness. Critics claimed Nagai was selfish and lazy, but his talent was still strong enough for a great career regardless.

He was a beast at Chiba’s Keiai University, earning the #6 overall pick by Kitakyushu in the 2005 EAB Draft. Nagai was split between starting and relief in his first two years with decent results, even winning his first Gold Glove in 2007. The Kodiaks made him a full-time starter in 2008 and he was worth 4+ WAR each year through 2019.

Kitakyushu bounced back and forth in the standings during Nagai’s tenure, but was never quite good enough to end their playoff drought. He won his second Gold Gove in 2011, but never quite reached elite status with the Kodiaks. Over six seasons, Nagai had a 62-67 record, 3.15 ERA, 1238 innings, 1165 strikeouts, 302 walks, 106 ERA+, and 27.0 WAR. He left for free agency after the 2011 season heading towards his age 28 campaign.

Nagai signed a seven-year, $64,600,000 deal with Kyoto to begin his signature run. The Kamikaze were coming off back-to-back EAB Championship wins and wanted to fully cement a dynasty. Kyoto was 95-67 in 2012, but missed the playoffs by one game. Nagai had a strong debut, posting his career bests instrikeouts (277), record (21-4), and WAR (8.5). That earned a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting.

He fell back towards his Kitakyushu production in 2013, but did win a Gold Glove. He gave up three runs in eight innings in his one playoff start as Kyoto lost in the first round. In 2014, Nagai was elite and led in wins (21-7) and quality starts (27) while posting a 2.40 ERA. He earned his lone Pitcher of the Year and his fourth Gold Glove. Nagai also had a no-hitter against Yokohama with five strikeouts and two walks on July 21.

Kyoto also reclaimed the throne, winning the EAB Championship at 101-61 for their third title in five years. Nagai had a great postseason with a 2.14 ERA over 46.1 innings, 4-1 record in 6 stats, 38 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR. He carried that into the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3-0 record and 1.88 ERA over four starts, 28.2 innings, and 35 strikeouts. Although Nagai did well personally, the Kamikaze finished in the bottom half at 8-11.

That was the peak of this dynasty run for Kyoto, who hovered around the middle of the standings for the following five seasons. Nagai stayed fairly steady and even had his career best ERA of 2.39 in both 2017 and 2018. Over seven years for the Kamikaze, Nagai had a 125-61 record, 2.70 ERA, 1709 innings, 1653 strikeouts, 301 walks, 125 ERA+, and 43.0 WAR.

Nagai was a free agent again for 2019 coming up on age 35. He joined Chiba with a four-year, $45,400,000 and ultimately gave them three steady seasons. The Comets did have a first round playoff exit in 2020, but were losers in Nagai’s other years. He posted a 30-36 record, 2.89 ERA, 662.2 innings, 610 strikeouts, 123 walks, 116 ERA+, and 14.5 WAR.

With a year left on his deal, Nagai was traded after the 2021 season by Chiba to Seoul for two prospects. In his one year with the Seahawks, Nagai had a 3.84 ERA over 204 innings, 162 strikeouts, and 4.0 WAR. He might have been able to stick around another few years, but with his contract expiring Nagai retired at age 38.

Nagai finished with a 225-181 record, 2.94 ERA, 3813.2 innings, 3590 strikeouts, 775 walks, 346/496 quality starts, 79 complete games, 21 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 88.4 WAR. As of 2037, Nagai ranks 38^th in wins, 28^th in innings, 43^rd in strikeouts, and 23^rd in pitching WAR.

He wasn’t at the tip-top of the leaderboards, but he checked the accumulation boxes most voters wanted. Nagai also had a Pitcher of the Year win and championship ring to put his resume over the top. At 83.3%, Nagai received first ballot honors and was the third of four added into the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028.



Hyogo Murayama – First Base/Designated Hitter – Ulsan Swallows – 70.9% First Ballot

Hyogo Murayama was a 6’2’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman and designated hitter from Tokyo, Japan. Murayama was a great contact hitter with a respectable eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His power wasn’t prolific, but was steady with 34 doubles, 4 triples, and 27 home runs per his 162 game average. Murayama was stronger facing right-handed pitching (150 wRC+, .897 OPS) but wasn’t bad against lefties (126 wRC+, .803 OPS).

While a strong batter, Murayama’s overall athleticism was poor. He was very slow and sluggish as a baserunner and as a defender. Just over half of Murayama’s career starts were at first base, where he graded as a terrible glove man. Most of his time at 1B came in the second half of his career. Murayama was a designated hitter in all of his non-1B appearances. Excellent durability did mean that his quality bat was always ready to go. Murayama was also a known prankster in the clubhouse who could break even his most stone-faced teammates.

Murayama attended Choshi Shogyo High School and his batting potential was noticed even then. He was picked 22^nd overall by Kobe in the 2005 EAB Draft, who hoped to develop him into a star. Most don’t realize he was picked by the Blaze since he never played for them. After only seven months in their academy, Murayama was sent to Ulsan in a three-player trade. The Swallows debuted Murayama in 2007 at age 20, but he struggled as mostly a pinch hitter with 54 games and 3 starts.

Ulsan moved him into a starting role in 2008 with decent results initially. Murayama found his power stroke by 2010 and had his finest season in 2011. That year, Murayama won a Silver Slugger at DH and took second in MVP voting, leading the Korea League in runs (121), hits (234), RBI (132), total bases (417), and average (.357). Murayama’s runs, hits, and total bases were career bests as were his 45 home runs, .636 slugging, 1.029 OPS, 184 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. He finished four homers short of a Triple Crown season.

Murayama never matched that power production, but he topped 5+ WAR, 100+ runs, 200+ hits, 30+ homers, and 125+ RBI in each of the next three seasons. He won his second Silver Slugger in 2012 and took third in 2013’s MVP voting. Murayama also hit for the cycle in 2012, a feat he’d match in 2017. In March 2013, Murayama signed a six-year, $156,200,000 extension with Ulsan.

The Swallows ended a four-year playoff drought in 2012 and started a four-year streak. They lost in the first round from 2012-14, despite winning 100+ games in the latter two years. Ulsan finally broke through in 2015 at 90-72, upsetting Seongnam in the Korea League Championship Series. The Swallows were later defeated by Yokohama in the EAB Championship. In that playoff run, Murayama had 18 hits, 10 runs, 5 homers, 16 RBI, and .854 OPS over 18 starts. He had similar stats in the Baseball Grand Championship with 19 hits, 6 runs, 4 doubles, 6 homers, 10 RBI, and .838 OPS over 19 starts. Ulsan would be near the bottom in the BGC at 6-13.

Ulsan surprisingly fell to 70-92 in 2016, then rebounded in 2017 with a first round exit at 93-69. The Swallows began an eight-year playoff drought after that and started the 2020s at the very bottom. Murayama’s playoff stats were good overall with 36 games, 43 hits, 19 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, 25 RBI, 14 walks, .319/.382/.548 slash, 151 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR.

While Murayama was still a positive value starter, he was no longer in awards conversations in the back end with Ulsan. He finished with 1953 games, 2357 hits, 1110 runs, 433 doubles, 330 home runs, 1358 RBI, 581 walks, .319/.366/.523 slash, 143 wRC+, and 58.2 WAR. The Swallows would retire his #33 uniform at the end of his playing career. His deal expired after the 2019 season, becoming a free agent at age 33.

Murayama returned home to Japan on a three-year, $15,880,000 deal with Hiroshima. He had a strong debut season with .907 OPS and 5.8 WAR, but fell to more modest production the following years. For the Hammerheads, Murayama played 459 games with 440 hits, 183 runs, 71 doubles, 73 home runs, 218 RBI, .281/.324/.478 slash, 147 wRC+, and 10.3 WAR. Hiroshima would be outside the playoffs as Fukuoka rose in the West Division at this time. Murayama went unsigned in 2023 and retired that winter at age 36.

In total, Murayama had 2412 games, 2797 hits, 1293 runs, 504 doubles, 53 triples, 403 home runs, 1576 RBI, 679 walks, 1364 strikeouts, .312/.359/.515 slash, 144 wRC+, and 68.5 WAR. As of 2037, Murayama ranks 45^th in hits, 25^th in doubles, 76^th in total bases (4616), and 39^th in RBI. He does rank outside the top 100 in WAR, losing plenty of points as a designated hitter.

The DH penalty did impact some voters, but he hit some nice milestones like 2500+ hits, 1000+ runs, 500+ doubles, 400+ homers, and 1500+ RBI. Murayama also was twice an MVP finalist with a batting title and helped Ulsan to a pennant. The good outweighed the bad for the majority of voters as Murayama debuted with 70.9%. That crossed the 66% requirement for a first ballot induction to cap off a strong four-player 2028 Hall of Fame class for East Asia Baseball.

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Beisbol Sudamerica had two slam dunk additions into the Hall of Fame for 2028 with 2B Antonio Arceo at 99.0% and 1B Alex Salinas at 95.5%. Two other debuts were above 50% but short of the 66% requirement with CL Samuel Andrade at 56.6% and SP Rodrigo Quiroz at 50.5%. The best returner was LF Dick Jimenes at 45.7% in his tenth and final opportunity.



For Jimenes, his ballots stayed remarkably consistent with all but one in the 40-46% range. He won three Silver Sluggers over a 15-year career with 2139 games, 2378 hits, 1290 runs, 338 doubles, 265 triples, 465 home runs, 1321 RBI, 674 stolen bases, .298/.335/.581 slash, 152 wRC+, and 70.4 WAR. Jimenes didn’t quite have either the big accolades or crazy longevity required to get more attention. He was also primarily on bad teams with only three playoff games, limiting his recognition.

SP Fenix Vega also fell off the ballot at 5.8% in his tenth and final try, peaking with his debut at 33.1%. Over 14 years between Arequipa and Callao, Vega had two ERA titles with a 156-111 record, 3.04 ERA, 2682.2 innings, 2520 strikeouts, 129 ERA+, and 56.8 WAR. His rate stats were good, but injuries kept the former #1 overall pick from bigger accumulations. Vega might have been on pace, but ended up doomed to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Antonio “Tubby” Arceo – Second Base – Fortaleza Foxes – 99.0% First Ballot

Antonio Arceo was a 6’0’’, 195 pound switch-hitting second baseman from La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. He was nicknamed “Tubby” for his stomach flab in his later years. Despite not having a massive frame, Arceo was one of the strongest home run hitters of all-time. He gave you 55 dingers per his 162 game average, posting 50+ homers in 13 seasons. Arceo’s gap power was respectable with 29 doubles and 3 triples per 162.

Arceo was a great contact hitter facing right-handed pitching, posting a career 1.035 OPS and 178 wRC+ against RHP. He was merely okay against lefties with .747 OPS and 104 wRC+. Arceo rarely drew walks despite his power and was below average at avoiding strikeouts. He was a savvy baserunner, but was limited by poor speed.

Defensively, Arceo exclusively played second base. He was a mediocre glove man, but you would tolerate it since few 2Bs ever had such a strong bat. Arceo was also an ironman at a physically demanding position, starting 138+ games each year from 2008-25. His adaptability, durability, and powerful bat made Arceo one of South America’s biggest superstars of the era.

Arceo moved from Bolivia to Brazil as a teenager, joining Fortaleza on a developmental contract in May 2001. He made his debut in 2006 at age 21 with 53 games and 7 starts. Arceo was made a full-timer the next year and immediately thrived with 39 home runs, .990 OPS, and 6.3 WAR in just 123 games. His 2008 effort had similar production and started an era of contention for Fortaleza. They took the top seed at 114-48, but lost in the divisional series. The Foxes had similar misfortunes the next year despite a 110-52 mark.

From 2008 until the end of his Fortaleza run in 2021, Arceo had 40+ home runs, and 110+ RBI each season. He also topped 6+ WAR in all but his last year, was above 1.000 OPS six times, and 100+ runs scored 11 times. Arceo’s first Silver Slugger was 2009 and was his first of nine straight 50+ home runs. He led the Southern Cone League in home runs each of these years sans 2010.

2009 was Arceo’s first MVP and a Triple Crown season with 54 homers, 148 RBI, and .361 average. It was his career best batting average, OBP (.390), hits (218), and WAR (10.4). It was also his first Silver Slugger, an award he’d win again in 2010, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 19.

Arceo repeated as MVP in 2010 and took second in 2012. Fortaleza lost in the Southern Cone Championship to Recife in 2010, then missed the playoffs in 2011. The Foxes made it back in 2012 but again were denied in the divisional series. In 2013, Fortaleza finally got over the hump as a wild card, winning Copa Sudamerica over Medellin. Arceo had an impressive playoff run, winning MVP of the LCS and divisional series. In 14 starts, Arceo had 20 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 16 RBI, and 1.167.

Fortaleza went 7-12 in the Baseball Grand Championship, but Arceo fared well in 19 games with 21 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 8 home runs, 17 RBI, and .973 OPS. That winter, Arceo committed to an eight-year, $107,100,000 extension with the Foxes. In 2014, Arceo was third in league MVP voting and again was MVP of the LCS and divisional series. The Foxes repeated as Southern Cone champ, but lost in their Copa Sudamerica rematch with the Mutiny. In 17 playoff starts, Arceo saw 27 hits, 15 runs, 6 doubles, 8 homers, 18 RBI, and 1.238 OPS. Fortaleza went 9-10 in the 2014 BGC with Arceo posting 19 hits, 11 runs, 9 homers, 15 RBI, and .960 OPS.

In 2015, Arceo had his career bests in home runs (72), RBI (162), and total bases (446), becoming a three-time MVP. He became only the third in BSA history with a 70+ homer season, four short of Valor Melo’s single-season record. The RBI mark was the third-most in league history. Fortaleza narrowly got the wild card and lost in the first round.

The Foxes would miss the playoffs in the next three seasons, but Arceo kept rolling on. He wouldn’t top 60 homers again, but had four more 50+ seasons with Fortaleza and led the league thrice more. Arceo had 11 seasons in BSA with 50+ homers, second only to Melo’s 12. He was third in MVP voting in 2016 and 2017, then took second in 2019.

Fortaleza reclaimed a division title in 2019, but lost in the divisional round. They missed the playoffs in 2020, but started a six-year playoff streak in 2021. The Foxes won another Southern Cone title in 2021, falling to Valencia in Copa Sudamerica. Arceo was again strong in the playoffs with 18 hits, 9 runs, 9 homers, and 18 RBI in 17 starts. Fortaleza was 9-10 in the Baseball Grand Championship with 13 hits, 9 runs, 8 homers, 19 RBI, and .838 OPS for Arceo.

This was Arceo’s final season with Fortaleza, who turned 37 during the playoffs. That season had been his weakest with the Foxes, although he still was good for 4.2 WAR and 43 home runs. In 2021, Arceo had become the third to reach 800 home runs in BSA. Some thought he could chase Beisbol Sudamerica’s home run and RBI records, but he would leave the continent after his Foxes run.

With Fortaleza, Arceo had 2367 games, 2751 hits, 1598 runs, 405 doubles, 48 triples, 816 home runs, 1950 RBI, 443 walks, 1798 strikeouts, 201 steals, .309/.344/.640 slash, 170 wRC+, and 116.9 WAR. As of 2037, Arceo ranks 4^th in homers, 4^th in RBI, 41^st in hits, 16^th in runs, 93^rd in doubles, 13^th in total bases (5700), and 16^th in WAR among position players. Among BSA batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Arceo ranked 11^th in slugging and 29^th in OPS at .983.

In the playoffs for Fortaleza, Arceo started 79 games with 110 hits, 60 runs, 15 doubles, 38 home runs, 78 RBI, .346/.373/.764 slash, 218 wRC+, and 5.9 WAR. Arceo is BSA’s all-time playoff leader in homers as of 2037 and ranks 3^rd in RBI, 8^th in hits, 7^th in runs, and 2^nd in total bases (243).

Those tallies certainly made Arceo an inner-circle level Hall of Famer. He also ranks 2^nd in WAR at second base behind Niculao Semide. Arceo is the position leader in slugging, runs, hits, total bases, homers, and RBI. He was a nearly unanimous selection at 99.0% to headline Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2028 Hall of Fame class.

Arceo continued on elsewhere for six more years, but he through it all he represented his native Bolivia in the World Baseball Championship. From 2008-26, he played 141 games with 123 hits, 91 runs, 16 doubles, 51 home runs, 88 RBI, .242/.297/.574 slash, and 5.6 WAR. In 2019, he notably led all WBC players with a 1.294 slugging, 1.700 OPS, and 387 wRC+ over nine starts with 13 hits, 12 runs, 10 homers, and 11 RBI.

For 2022, the now 37-year old Arceo ended up in Arab League Baseball and Egypt, signing for three years and $33,300,000 with Giza. In his debut, Arceo led the Western Conference with 151 RBI. He had 60+ homers, 140+ RBI, and 6+ WAR in his first two seasons, winning Silver Sluggers both years. Arceo dropped a bit in 2024, but still got 48 homers, 110 RBI, and 2.8 WAR. The Goats were mid-tier, but Arceo was a successful veteran international star and helped with ticket sales.

For Giza, Arceo had 463 games, 506 hits, 293 runs, 101 doubles, 173 home runs, 403 RBI, .281/.315/.632 slash, 141 wRC+, and 15.6 WAR. Now 40-years old, Arceo stayed in ALB and moved to Iraq on a three-year, $46,100,000 deal with Basra. The Bulldogs were in the midst of seven-year playoff streak, although they had lost four straight years in the Eastern Conference Championship.

Basra won it all in 2025, denying Amman’s three-peat in the ALB Championship. Arceo had still looked respectable with 37 homers and 2.8 WAR in the regular season, plus 12 hits, 11 runs, 6 homers, and 17 RBI in the playoffs. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Arceo started 17 games with 14 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 5 homers, and 11 RBI. Basra finished 8-11 in the event. In four BGCs between Fortaleza and Basra, Arceo played 73 games with 67 hits, 38 runs, 8 doubles, 30 home runs, 62 RBI, .246/.285/.607 slash, and 2.7 WAR.

2025 was also notable as Arceo crossed 1000 career home runs combined between BSA/ALB, becoming the fifth in pro baseball history to earn the mark. 2500 RBI was seemingly reachable as well, which four others had met before him. He ultimately fell just short of 2500 RBI, but did cross 2000 runs scored; becoming one of only 33 in world history to do so.

Arceo fell off significantly in 2026 as was benched, posting 17 homers, 51 RBI, .722 OPS, and -0.1 WAR over 94 games and 72 starts. He played only 13 games all of 2027, retiring that winter at age 43. For the Bulldogs, Arceo had 251 games, 216 hits, 116 runs, 39 doubles, 54 homers, 144 RBI, .797 OPS, 101 wRC+, and 2.6 WRA.

The combined career numbers had 3081 games, 3473 hits, 2010 runs, 545 doubles, 57 triples, 1043 home runs, 2497 RBI, 551 walks, 2459 strikeouts, 237 steals, .301/.336/.628 slash, 160 wRC+, and 135.1 WAR. As of 2037, Arceo ranks 6^th in all of pro baseball history in both homers and RBI. He’s also 32^nd in runs and ranks 105^th in WAR among all players in baseball history. Arceo ranks 41^st among all Hall of Famers in slugging percentage as well.

Arceo’s final ranking among the all-time greatest second basemen is tough, especially since some all-timers had split careers between 2B and shortstop. Arceo was far and away the best power hitter to ever play the position full time and went down as one of the absolute best home run hitters in all of baseball history. His raw power and his role in titles for both Fortaleza and Basra made Arceo a true immortal of the game.



Alex Salinas – First Base – Cordoba Chanticleers – 95.5% First Ballot

Alex Salinas was a 6’4’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Gualeguay, Argentina; a city of roughly 40,000 people not far from the border with Uruguay. Salinas was known for having steady and strong power for both home runs and the gap. His 162 game average got you 41 homers, 28 doubles, and 13 triples with close to half of his career hits going for extra bases. Not only did Salinas have power, but he had very solid speed and excellent baserunning chops.

Salinas was a good contact hitter against right-handed pitching, but subpar against lefties. He had a lousy career .666 OPS and 85 wRC+ facing LHP, but an excellent 1.006 OPS and 172 wRC+ against RHP. Salinas was merely okay at drawing walks and had struggles with strikeouts against both sides. The hits he got though were high value ones.

Defensively, Salinas played exclusively at first base with reliably excellent production, winning seven Gold Gloves. Although he had some recurring knee issues, Salinas still rarely missed time over a 24-year career. He was one of the hardest working and most dedicated men on the circuit, becoming one of Argentina’s biggest baseball superstars.

As a teenager, Salinas was picked 19^th overall by Cordoba in the 2000 BSA Draft. He was kept primarily in the academy in 2001 with only 15 pinch-hit at-bats. Salinas was given the starting gig though in 2002 and immediately did much better than most early 20s players. Salinas had 31 homers and 3.4 WAR to take second in 2002’s Rookie of the Year voting. In his second season, he had his first of nine seasons with 40+ home runs and his first of 12 seasons worth 5+ WAR.

Salinas did see a setback with a torn ACL in the first week of 2005, knocking him out the rest of the year. He also dealt with a torn hamstring that cost him part of the spring of 2006. Salinas would have a run of mostly good health after that and had arguably his best season in 2007. That year had career highs in runs (113), hits (196), homers (49), average (.326), and WAR (8.1). During the season, Cordoba extended Salinas at eight years and $59,640,000.

The Chanticleers had been a bottom tier team for most of the 1990s and 2000s. Cordoba ended a 24-year playoff drought in 2010, but had a first round exit. They won a division title in 2011, ultimately losing in the Southern Cone Championship to Recife. These would be Salinas’s only playoff games with surprisingly terrible results with a .179/.200/.282 slash and -0.3 WAR in 11 games. The Chanticleers stayed mostly around the middle tier for the rest of the 2010s.

Salinas’s stats were also surprisingly underwhelming on the World Baseball Championship stage with Argentina. He was a dedicated regular though with 209 games and 197 starts from 2003-25. Salinas had 133 hits, 97 runs, 22 doubles, 43 home runs, 85 RBI, 62 walks, 62 steals, .190/.274/.406 slash, 92 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. Argentina’s deepest runs were division titles in 2015 and 2019. Even without the big game success though, Salinas was a favorite throughout the nation.

He won his first Gold Gloves from 2011-14, but never won a Silver Slugger or was an MVP finalist. Of course, there’s likely no tougher position to win a Slugger than at first base in terms of competition. Salinas remained very steady and consistent into his 30s, signing a four-year, $59,400,000 extension in July 2015. He won his fifth Gold Glove in his last year with Cordoba in 2019.

For the Chanticleers, Salinas had 2614 games, 2703 hits, 1588 runs, 408 doubles, 217 triples, 656 home runs, 1667 RBI, 649 walks, 1098 steals, .286/.338/.584 slash, 152 wRC+, and 91.8 WAR. Salinas would be a franchise icon well into retirement and Cordoba quickly retired his #34 uniform at the end of his career. His deal expired after the 2019 campaign and he was a free agent for the first time at age 38. His production had stayed consistent to that point though, so he had multiple suitors.

Salinas moved to Colombia on a three-year, $26,600,000 deal with Bogota. He won Gold Gloves in 2020 and 2021 for the Bats. Salinas remained a reliable 35+ homer, 4.5+ WAR guy in his first two years in Bogota, crossing the 3000 hit and 700 home run milestones in 2021. The Bats were stuck in the lower-mid tier despite his efforts. Salinas ended up missing the final four months in 2022 with a broken hand.

For Bogota, Salinas had 342 games, 390 hits, 225 runs, 64 doubles, 28 triples, 93 home runs, 231 RBI, 151 steals, .306/.351/.620 slash, 145 wRC+, and 12.7 WAR. Now 41-years old, Salinas found a home in Major League Baseball with Raleigh on a one-year, $8,200,000 deal for 2023. The Raptors were heading towards their third season since joining MLB as an expansion team.

Salinas’s pace was good in 2023, but he lost around two months in the fall to a torn hamstring. He did good enough to get another year in Raleigh for 2024 and again was respectable, albeit now in a platoon role. For the Raptors, Salinas had 213 games, 176 starts, 156 hits, 101 runs, 18 doubles, 50 home runs, 100 RBI, .227/.293/.493 slash, 132 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR. Salinas certainly seemed good enough still for a roster spot somewhere, but 40+ players weren’t in the highest demand. He played one last WBC in 2025, but went unsigned for the season and finally retired at age 44.

In Beisbol Sudamerica, Salinas had 2956 games, 3093 hits, 1813 runs, 472 doubles, 245 triples, 749 home runs, 1898 RBI, 725 walks, 2986 strikeouts, 1249 stolen bases, 701 caught stealing, .289/.339/.588 slash, 151 wRC+, and 104.5 WAR. As of 2037, Salinas ranks 11^th in games, 6^th in runs, 16^th in hits, 28^th in doubles, 28^th in triples, 7^th in home runs, 4^th in total bases (6302), 7^th in RBI, 5^th in steals, 31^st in caught stealing, 3^rd in strikeouts, and 31^st in WAR among position players. His .928 OPS was 99^th among batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his slugging was 64^th.

Some voters and fans were actually stunned to find how high up the leaderboards Salinas was, since he was never an MVP candidate or Silver Slugger winner. His lack of team/playoff success with Cordoba also caused him to be perhaps overlooked in his time. The numbers though didn’t lie and Salinas was genuinely around that inner circle level.

Combining his MLB stats, Salinas had 3169 games, 3249 hits, 1914 runs, 490 doubles, 252 triples, 799 home runs, 1998 RBI, 788 walks, 3237 strikeouts, 1277 steals, .285/.337/.583 slash, 150 wRC+, and 109.2 WAR. He ranks 46^th in steals among all world players as of 2037 and cracks the top 100 in runs, homers, and RBI. Salinas was a clear Hall of Famer and would be a headliner in most other years. At 95.5%, he was just behind Antonio Arceo in a rock solid 2028 class for Beisbol Sudamerica.