Baseball: The World's Game

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All eyes were on Hamamatsu following their historic 126-win season in 2037 en route to a third straight East Asia Baseball title and Baseball Grand Champion honors. The Chickenhawks couldn’t match that absurd pace, but were still excellent at 112-50 for their fifth straight Central Division title. It is the fourth time in that run that Hamamatsu won 110+ games. They had the most runs in EAB (821) and the best run differential (+329).

Last year’s Japan League runner-up Kawasaki gave them a challenge for the top seed at 107-55 for their fifth straight Capital Division crown and 100+ win season. The Killer Whales’ playoff streak grew to seven as they allowed the fewest runs in EAB at 490, two fewer than Hamamatsu. The division was loaded with Saitama (100-62) and Yokohama (96-66) easily taking the two wild card spots. It was the second playoff berth in three years for the Sting, while the Yellow Jackets ended a 19-year drought.

Sapporo repeated in the North Division at 99-63 and got their third straight playoff trip. Sendai was six back at 93-69 and three behind Yokohama for the final wild card. Niigata notably plummeted to 73-89 for their first losing season since 2024. Fukuoka meanwhile repeated as West Division champs, the only team above .500 at 99-63.



Hamamatsu 1B Mitsuru Ishida repeated as Japan League MVP and posted only the tenth hitting Triple Crown in EAB history. Masanori Fukuoka was the last to do it back in 2028. The 25-year old Ishida led in runs (128), hits (228), homers (55), RBI (149), total bases (443), average (.368), OBP (.418), OPS (1.129), wRC+ (219), and WAR (12.0). He also had 35 doubles and a .711 slugging. In February, the Chickenhawks extended their 6’8’’ slugger at $331 million over eight years.

Fukuoka’s Young-Su Wie won Pitcher of the Year, getting 24 first place votes and 222 points. Sendai’s Atsuo Sugaya was a competitive second with 11 first place votes and 171 points. Hamamatsu’s Masamichi Kasai and Kyoto’s Terutoshi Fujisawa also got first place nods. Sugaya notably had a 1.88 ERA, missing the title by less than a full point. Kasai was the WARlord (9.9) with Sugaya at 9.2.

Wie was the wins leader at 22-3 and had a 1.95 ERA over 235.1 innings, 271 strikeouts, 184 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 5.9 WAR. The 24-year old South Korean righty was in his third season starting with the Frogs. He had been drafted in the second round by Seongnam in 2030, but was traded to Fukuoka in summer 2032. The Frogs gave Wie a five-year, $71,500,000 extension in September 2036.



Fukuoka had the one-game bonus as a division champ in the wild card round, but Saitama dispatched them with 4-2, 4-1, and 5-3 road wins. Yokohama hoped to upset Sapporo and started with 3-2 and 5-1 road wins. The Swordfish had the one-game handicap and survived with 5-2 and 7-6 wins later in the series.

Despite a 12-win advantage for Hamamatsu, Saitama had won the season series 4-2. The Sting shocked the three-time defending champs in the divisional round with an emphatic sweep with 8-4, 10-2, and 3-1 wins. Saitama earned their first Japan League Championship Series trip since winning it all for the only time in 2025. Observers wondered if this would be a true end for the Chickenhawks dynasty, or if they’d bounce back from the shocking upset.

On the other side of the bracket, Kawasaki outlasted Sapporo 2-1 in 14 inning game one. Game two went 11 innings with the Swordfish getting the 7-5 road victory. Sapporo scored four in the eighth inning to even the contest after trailing all game. Then in game three, it was the Killer Whales’ turn at the road win in another marathon. This one went 15 innings before Kawasaki finally broke through for a 5-4 win.

Game four was the first to not go extras, a 6-3 Sapporo win that forced game five back in Kawasaki. In the bottom of the eighth, U-Jun Song’s two-run homer put the Killer Whales ahead 3-1. The Swordfish led off the ninth with a solo homer, but that was their final baserunner of the game. The 3-2 victory pushed Kawasaki to the JLCS for the fourth time in five years. They were the last team to win the pennant before Hamamatsu’s run, taking the crown in 2033.

The divisional rivals had been dead even over their 18 regular season meetings, so fans expected a long series. They didn’t get it, as Saitama stunned Kawasaki with the first JLCS sweep since 2029. The Sting got 3-2 road wins in the first two games, followed by repeat 5-3 home wins. The defining moment came in game three with a four-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Two-way player Toshiyasu Tamada was the series MVP, throwing eight innings in game four with only two hits and two unearned runs allowed. Offensively, Tamada went 4-12 with a solo homer. He had been a primary outfielder in the regular season and had only thrown 35.1 innings all year. This was only the third time atop the Japan League for Saitama (1930, 2025, 2037).

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Defending Korea League champ Seongnam and Goyang battled for the top seed and ended up even at 108-54. They were also even at 3-3 in their head-to-head games, needing the next tiebreaker of fewest runs allowed. The Spiders had the best mark in the KL at 513, edging out the Green Sox at 526. Goyang had the league’s best run differential at +243. Seongnam earned their third straight playoff trip, but it was their first Central Division title since the realignment. Their last time in first place was 2024 and last were the top seed in 2015.

Goyang’s playoff streak grew to 11 seasons with their ninth North Division title of the run and third consecutive. The division wasn’t a pushover with Pyongyang at 103-59, the top scoring team with 797 runs. The Pythons actually were narrowly ahead of both the Green Sox and Spiders at the all-star break, but faded a bit in the second half. Still, Pyongyang got its sixth playoff trip in eight years.

Seongnam also had some challenges in the Central, notably 94-68 Suwon and 87-75 Yongin. The Snappers ended up as the second wild card, earning their seventh playoff appearance in nine years. Incheon, last year’s division champ, struggled to 70-92. That was the first losing season for the Inferno since 2025.

Ulsan repeated as Southeast Division champ at 99-63 for their fifth playoff trip in six years. 2030 expansion squad Gimhae had a solid lead early with a 64-41 start to the season, but they were a game below .500 in the second half. The Golden Angels ended on a four-game losing streak to finish 92-70, falling two behind Suwon for the final wild card. Still, they were the first of those expansion teams to post a winning season.

Busan was notably third in the Southeast Division at 87-75, which ended their East Asia Baseball record playoff streak at 17 seasons. The weakest playoff team by record was 92-70 Gwangju, the only team remotely above .500 in the Southwest Division. The Grays grabbed their fifth straight division title. Jeonju had been a contender the prior year at 91 wins, but they were cheeks in 2037 at 62-100.



Four players earned first place votes for Korea League MVP, but Pyongyang Dong-Uk Seung had the majority with 24 and 460 points. Changwon’s Won-Bin Lee was the next closest with 9 first place votes and 365 points. Seung was in his eighth year starting for the Pythons and led in WAR (9.7), runs (115), and home runs (45) while also winning his second Gold Glove in right field. The 27-year old South Korean switch-hitter added 170 hits, 25 doubles, 121 RBI, .946 OPS, and 173 wRC+. Seung is signed through 2039 for Pyongyang.

Pitcher of the Year was a deadlock as Seongnam’s Russ Peng and Ulsan’s Jin-Yu Jun split the first place votes evenly at 20 apiece. Peng barely got the overall points edge 219-216 to take the honor in his Spiders debut. The 29-year old South Korean righty had been a strong starter previously with Jeonju, but signed with Seongnam for 2037 on a seven-year, $112 million free agent deal.

Peng led in wins at 24-3 and had a 2.14 ERA, 256.2 innings, 301 strikeouts, 182 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 6.5 WAR. Voter fatigue perhaps denied Jun his sixth POTY win in his return to the Swallows. He had won the award thrice from 2025-29 with Ulsan, then got it in 2032 and 2034 while with Kobe. Now 34-years old, Jun returned to Ulsan on a five-year, $121 million deal.

Apart from wins, Jun had the better metrics by leading in ERA (1.77), strikeouts (324), WHIP (0.80), quality starts (26), FIP- (49), and WAR (8.9). He added a 20-4 record over 234.1 innings in en route to his fifth ERA title. Jun also became EAB’s 77^th pitcher to reach 200 career wins.



Gwangju had home field and the one-game bonus in the first round despite Pyongyang having 11 more wins. The Pythons opened with a 9-8 road win in 10 innings, but the Grays outlasted them 5-4 in 14 innings. Gwangju scored twice in the eighth to rally 7-6 in game three to advance. On the other side, Ulsan started up one and won the opener 7-5. Suwon took game two 6-3, but the Swallows snagged game three 4-2 to move onto the divisional round.

Seongnam started with 5-1 and 6-3 home wins over Gwangju. The Grays got game three 4-2, scoring all of their runs in the eighth inning. The Spiders secured game four 4-1 to keep their repeat bid intact. Ulsan surprised Goyang with a 7-1 road upset in game one. It was all Green Sox after that with 4-0, 4-3, and 7-3 wins en route to the 3-1 series win.

Goyang picked up its fifth trip to the Korea League Championship Series of their 11-year playoff streak. They hadn’t had recent success though with their pennants in 2028 and 30 with losses in 31 and 33. Both were very evenly matched and game one reflected that as both starting pitchers tossed eight innings. Oniji Yamamoto’s were shutout innings, leading the Green Sox to a 1-0 opening win on the road.

In game two, the bats awakened as Goyang clobbered Seongnam 12-4, holding a 2-0 series lead as they headed home. The Spiders unloaded with a 10-0 road win in game three, which also featured a one-hitter by In-Jun Sung. The Green Sox’s Si-Hwan Lee was the star ace in game four with eight shutout innings en route to a 2-0 win.

Seongnam scored five in the seventh inning, but Goyang got three in the eighth to tie game five at 6-6. It stayed there until the 11^th inning, where Masanobu Sakamoto had the RBI single to score Jae-Hyeon Shin for a 7-6 walkoff Green Sox win. Shin was the series MVP and was 7-19 with a homer and three RBI. With the win in five games, Goyang became seven-time Korea League champs (1991, 2008, 11, 12, 28, 30, 37).

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The 117^th East Asian Championship started in South Korea, but it was visiting Saitama who opened strong with the 7-1 win at Goyang. Kuhihiko Ozawa struck out 10 and allowed four hits in a complete game victory. The Green Sox got one back 3-2 in game two, taking the lead with two runs in the eighth inning. Daigo Ikemizu had the complete game win with nine strikeouts and five hits allowed.

Saitama’s pitching locked things down as the series moved to Japan with 3-1, 2-1, and 4-1 wins. In game three, the Sting went ahead with a two-run Eichiro Nakatani home run in the eighth inning. Game four saw Yu-Te Yen lead off the ninth with a walkoff bomb to center. To close it out, Ozawa gave up one run and one hit over seven innings with 11 strikeouts.

Veteran closer Manabu Miyazaki closed out the series with a two-inning save in game five, giving Saitama its second East Asia Baseball title (2025, 2037). It was his tenth save of the playoffs, tying the world postseason record. The 38-year old righty had a 1.06 ERA over 17 appearances. Toshiyasu Tamada also set an EAB playoff record with 2.76 H/9, posting a 0.55 ERA and five hits of 16.1 playoff innings.

Ozawa was the ace of the series with two wins, a 1.12 ERA, and 21 strikeouts over 16 innings. The MVP honor though went to 3B Dong-Hyeon Yu, who was 8-20 with one home and two RBI. It was an impressively dominant playoff run for the Sting, who went 14-1 on the field despite never having home field advantage. Apart from Fukuoka getting the one-win handicap in the wild card round, Saitama’s only proper playoff loss was game two against the Green Sox.



Other notes: Goyang had a 3,029,506 season attendance and Seongnam sold 2,989,210 tickets; the 2^nd and 3^rd-best in Korea League history. Hamhung meanwhile solid only 755,697 tickets, the 3^rd-worst in KL history and the worst since the inaugural 1921 season. Kawasaki meanwhile had a 2,928,958 attendance for the 3^rd-best in the Japan League. They got the top two spots in the prior two years.

Ju-Sung Kang threw his second no-hitter on April 8 with Hiroshima against Tokyo. He previously had a perfect game in 2034 with Incheon. In other pitching notables, Oniji Yamamoto was the 78^th ace to 200 wins. Young-Pyo Park was the 53^rd to 3500 strikeouts and Sin-Cheol Park was the 9^th to 400 saves.

In batting milestones, Hyung-Gwang Sohn was the 86^th to 500 home runs. Han Yi was the 38^th to 1500 runs scored. Masanori Fukuoka and Yosai Ishizuka were the 54^th and 55^th to 1500 RBI. Fukuoka also won his 11^th Silver Slugger and first in RF, after winning ten in LF. He’s one of 12 players in EAB history with 11+ Sluggers. C Do-Hyun Lee won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

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Last year’s Mexican League runner-up Torreon took the top seed and the North Division by a healthy margin at 108-54. The Tomahawks had the league’s best run differential (+179) and had the best record in the entire Central American Baseball Association at the all-star break (70-28). Torreon extended their playoff streak to seven seasons with their fifth division crown of that stretch.

The North Division wasn’t a pushover though as Hermosillo (96-66) and Tijuana (93-69) both earned wild cards. Chihuahua (87-75) and Juarez (84-78) were both respectable, but fell just short of the final wild card spot. The Hyenas picked up a fourth straight playoff berth and the Toros made it five straight. Hermosillo had the fewest runs allowed in all of CABA at 588.

Leon at 96-66 took the Central Division at 96-66 to grow its playoff streak to 13 seasons. The Lions led the ML with 829 runs and had 290 home runs, the second-most in ML history. Queretaro was competitive for the division, but went 2-8 in their last ten games while Leon was 8-2. Still, the Terriers at 89-73 got the final wild card, finishing two ahead of Chihuahua, three better than Puebla, and four ahead of Culiacan. Queretaro ended an 11-year playoff drought. Lastly in the South Division, defending league champ Toluca repeated as division champ at 94-68, besting the Pumas by eight games.



For the second time in four years, Toluca 1B Leonardo Santos took Mexican League MVP honors. It was a competitive race with five players earning first place votes, but Santos had a plurality with 17 and 425 points. Tijuana 2B Alton Reinoso was next with eight first place votes and 377 points, followed by Leon 3B Jandel Perez with nine first place votes and 310 points.

The 32-year old Santos was in his eighth season for the Tortugas and led in home runs (54) and RBI (140). He added 187 hits, 117 runs, 31 doubles, a .325/.402/.675 slash, 182 wRC+, and 8.1 WAR. Santos was under contract through 2040 for Toluca on an eight-year, $207,700,000 deal signed in late 2032.

The Tortugas also had the Pitcher of the Year Mateo Cruz, who got 34/40 first place votes. The 27-year old Puerto Rican left led in wins at 26-7 and shutouts with five. Cruz had a 2.26 ERA over 270.1 innings, 287 strikeouts, 177 ERA+, and 8.6 WAR. He was one win short of the CABA single-season record and is only the eighth in CABA history with a 26+ win season. Cruz signed a four-year, $65,100,000 extension the prior winter to stick with the Tortugas.



In the first round of the playoffs, Hermosillo ousted Tijuana and Toluca topped Queretaro. In the second round, top-seed Torreon opened with 7-3 and 6-1 wins over the Hyenas. Hermosillo got game three 7-3, but the Tomahawks clinched with a 5-3 result in game four. Torreon earned a third consecutive trip to the Mexican League Championship Series.

Leon opened their series against Toluca with a walkoff 3-2 win, followed by an 11-9 victory. The defending champ Tortugas weren’t going to go down quietly with 9-1 and 4-2 wins in response. In the game five clincher, the Lions were up 4-0 entering the final frame. Toluca got a three-run homer in the ninth, but still fell short with a 4-3 final. Leon earned their fifth MLCS trip in a decade.

Despite both team’s recent and historical successes, Torreon and Leon’s only previous MLCS meeting was 1979. Even with their concurrent playoff streaks, they managed to miss each other in the playoffs. The Tomahawks had home field and went 4-2 in the 2037 regular season series. Despite that, Leon opened the series on an 8-6 road win, rallying after giving up five runs in the first inning. Torreon narrowly took game two 5-4 to even the series.

The Tomahawks went ahead on a 4-0 road win thanks to a five-hit shutout by Robson Senorans with eight strikeouts. Leon evened it back up 4-2 in game four. In game five, Torreon scored in the top of the ninth and tenth innings to escape with a 4-3 road win and the series advantage headed back home. The Lions lead 5-0 midway through game six, but the Tomahawks rallied with a two-run sixth inning and four-run eighth inning.

The 6-5 victory gave Torreon the series in six games, earning their second Mexican League pennant in three years. The Tomahawks are now six time ML champs (1979, 1987, 2013, 2014, 2035, 2037) and Leon is 12-11 in their MLCS trips. Veteran RF Ernesto Escandel was series MVP, going 12-23 with 2 homers and 5 RBI. He had three hits and two RBI in the game six clincher.

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Havana repeated as the West Division champ with a historic offensive run, taking the Caribbean League’s top seed at 105-57. The Hurricanes had a .311/.354/.524 team slash line, each of which was Central American Baseball Association single-season records. Their 1780 hits and 153 triples also set CABA records outright, while their 947 runs tied the top mark set in 2033 by Santo Domingo. Havana was the league leader in run differential at +265.

It is the first time since their last CABA title in 2019 that the Hurricanes were the CL’s top seed. It wasn’t a cakewalk for Havana, as they were behind reigning CABA champ Costa Rica at the all-star break for the top seed. The Hurricanes’ 44-21 second half put them three games ahead of the 102-60 Rays. Costa Rica repeated as the Central Division champ. The Rays also had 495 stolen bases as a team, setting a new CABA record.

Both had solid competition in their divisions as well with Jamaica (96-66) in the West and both Honduras (92-70) and Salvador (91-71) in the Central. These squads took the three wild cards with the Stallions notably extended their postseason streak to five seasons. The Jazz earned their fifth berth in six years, while the Horsemen bounced back after having a 13-year streak snapped in 2036. Jamaica allowed the fewest runs in the CL at 635.

Puerto Rico picked up the East Division at 91-71, dethroning Suriname who had won it the prior two years. The Silverbacks at 88-74 were the first team out in the wild card race, three behind Salvador. Although the Pelicans got their second playoff trip in three years, it was their first division title since 2028.



Jamaica swept the top awards, including Amadeo Garcia’s third Caribbean League MVP in four years. He missed all of the prior year to a broken bone in his elbow, but bounced back expertly as the fourth qualifying batter in CABA history with an average above .400. The 24-year old Guatemalan RF led in hits (243), RBI (163), total bases (461), average (.401), slugging (.761), OPS (1.213), wRC+ (223), and WAR (11.5). Garcia also had 130 runs, 40 doubles, and 58 homers; missing the Triple Crown by four dingers to Bahamas’ Cesario Gonzalez.

Garcia’s OPS was the 7^th-best qualifying season in CABA history while also ranking 9^th in hits and 6^th in RBI. He joined Loyd Wayne as the only CABA batters with multiple seasons at a 1.200+ OPS. Garcia impressively already has 37.2 career WAR before his 25^th birthday. He was signed through 2041 on a $174,600,000 deal for the Jazz.

Kapil Archer was a near unanimous Pitcher of the Year for Jamaica, leading in both ERA (2.22) and WHIP (0.91). The 28-year old Barbadian lefty had a 17-4 record, 219.1 innings, 229 strikeouts, 198 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 4.4 WAR. This was tied for the second-lowest WAR by a CABA POTY winner. Prior to the season, Archer inked a four-year, $37,900,000 extension with the Jazz.



Jamaica had the one-game bonus for the first round, but still fell to Honduras with 8-5 and 5-3 wins for the Horsemen. Puerto Rico had the bonus and beat Salvador 5-4 on the other side, although it needed a walkoff in the tenth inning. The Pelicans surprised defending champ Costa Rica with a 6-4 upset in game one in the second round. The Rays claimed game two 7-6, but PR pitched their way to 4-0 and 6-1 wins to oust Costa Rica.

Top seed Havana rolled on the other end of the bracket with 12-5, 11-5, and 7-4 wins against Honduras. Both the Hurricanes and Pelicans last made it to the Caribbean League Championship Series in 2021, which saw a PR win a seven-game classic. The last pennant for the Cuban capital was 2019. High-powered Havana was the heavy favorite and had won the season series 5-1 over Puerto Rico.

The Hurricanes won a back-and-forth first game 7-6, then unloaded in a 21-9 second contest. In that affair, Junior Coquillon tied the CL playoff record for hits in a game (5) and both he and Marc Garcia tied the runs scored record (4). Switching the series to San Juan didn’t slow Havana with a 5-2 victory in game three.

The Pelicans refused to be swept though with a 4-2 result in game four. Game five was also 4-2, but this time in favor of Havana to clinch the series. The Hurricanes became nine-time Caribbean kings (1911-13, 49, 75, 2009, 16, 19, 37). Garcia was the series MVP going 11-22 with 7 runs, 2 homers, and 5 RBI.

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The 127^th Central American Baseball Association Championship featured the top seeds from both leagues and opened in Cuba. David Green’s RBI triple in the eighth inning was decisive as Havana claimed the opener 3-2. The Hurricanes rolled 8-1 in game two, putting them in firm control as the series shifted to Mexico. Back at home, Torreon routed Havana 11-2 in game three, followed by an 8-0 shutout in game four.

After back-to-back bad outings, Havana rebounded with a 3-2 road win in game five. Down 3-0, Torreon saw a two-run homer to start the ninth inning, but their next three batters struck out. Game six back in Cuba ended up a pitcher’s duel. The Tomahawks lost starter Beatle Oprel to injury in the second inning, but three relievers helped them to allow only two runs and eight hits.

However, Jesus Alonzo was excellent on the other side for Havana tossing eight innings with one run, six hits, and ten strikeouts. The Hurricanes’ two runs in the third inning ended up enough for a 2-1 win, giving Havana the series in six games. The Hurricanes became six-time CABA champs (1912, 1949, 1975, 2009, 2019, 2037).

CF Junior Coquillon was series MVP in his sixth season for the Hurricanes, going 7-21 with 6 RBI. His RBI single in game six evened it and he came around to score what was ultimately the clinching run. Alonzo was big as he won both of his starts with a 1.20 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 innings. There have now been seven different CABA champs in as many years.



Other notes: In his 4^th year with Leon, Israel Montague lost notable time to injury, but still had a 12-6 record, 2.67 ERA, 155 innings, 187 strikeouts, and 4.8 WAR. The 40-year old Panamanian lefty became the 52^nd player in all of pro baseball history with 150+ career WAR, now at 152.1. He passed his contemporary Richard Wright (150.7) to have the 3^rd-most within CABA, behind only 1B Prometheo Garcia (166.8) and SP Ulices Montero (165.6).

Montague is the CABA wins leader at 330-110 and is now 18^th in wins on the world leaderboard. He’s at 5671 strikeouts, behind only Montero’s 5849 for the CABA record. Montague is now one of 18 in world history with 5500+ Ks and 13^th on the world list. When adding his MLB totals, Montero notably has 6796 strikeouts (3^rd in the world) and 398 wins (1^st). The 10-time Pitcher of the Year Montague plans to return for 2038, although he is a free agent.

Bahamas’ solid offense put them at 71-91 despite having historically poor pitching. The Buccaneers allowed 1778 hits with a 11.11 H/9 and 1.530 team WHIP; each the worst in CABA history. Their 5.28 ERA, 913 runs, and 845 earned runs each were the third-worst. Barbados notably had only eight saves all season, a new CABA team low.

For the first time since 2027, CABA didn’t have any no-hitters thrown. There had been seven perfect games in the prior five years. Reliever of the Year winner Julianillo Curiel for Panama set the CABA record for games pitched with 84. In other pitching milestones, Beatle Oprel was the 91^st to 3000 strikeouts and Manuel Corona was the 18^th to 300 saves. SS Alvaro Valverde won his 10^th Gold Glove and 3B Eden Espanol won his 8^th. Valverde is one of 16 players in CABA history with 10+ GGs and the 7^th at shortstop.

Franklin Madrid hit for the cycle twice in 2037, becoming the 6^th in CABA history to achieve the feat twice in a season. Benedetto Rodriguez was the 29^th member of the 600 home run club while Rogerio Peraza and Fernando Silva were the 75^th and 76^th to 500 homers. Niles Albury was the 72^nd to 2500 hits. Ortiz Rosales was the 30^th to 1500 runs scored and Jeremiah Bourdin was the 46^th to 1500 RBI.

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Each of the National Association’s division champs had a shot at the top seed and the first round bye that comes with it. Down the stretch, East Division champ Washington and Northeast champ Halifax both went 9-1 in their last ten games, finishing even at 102-60. The Admirals won their season series 2-1 over the Hound Dogs in May, giving them the tiebreaker for the top spot.

Washington nearly didn’t get the 102^nd win though. In their season finale with Pittsburgh, they needed a six-run ninth inning to tie the game at 11-1, followed by a walkoff in the tenth. Since 2021, the Admirals have made the playoffs 13 times with 11 division titles, five NACS trips, and four pennants. They led the NA with 910 runs, the third-highest in association history. DC’s 319 homers set the NA team record and their .494 team slugging was the second-best.

For the 2021 expansion Hound Dogs, this was their first-ever division title and first 100+ win season. They’ve been a wild card thrice before with no prior playoff series wins. Defending World Series champ Grand Rapids was also in the fight for the top seed, but they were swept by Cleveland in their final series and 5-5 in their last ten. The Growlers still earned their fourth straight playoff trip at 99-63, their first time as the Upper Midwest Division champ. GR had the best run differential in the NA at +227, but was 21-32 in one-run games.

Cincinnati had the third-best record at the all-star break, but were merely good in the second half for a 96-66 mark. The Reds won the Lower Midwest Division for their second berth in four years. Louisville, the top seed the prior two years at 105 and 108 wins, took second at 93-69. The Lynx got the first wild card and had the second-best run differential at +199, underperforming their expected win/loss by seven games.

It was a very crowded field for the remaining two wild card spots with Quebec City taking the second slot at 92-70, their second playoff trip in four years. The Nordiques allowed 597 runs, the fewest in MLB. Behind them in a three-way tie at 91-71 were Tulsa, Milwaukee and Brooklyn. After that was 86-76 Detroit and both Philadelphia and Raleigh at 84-78.

In the first of two tiebreaker games, Tulsa hosted and defeated Brooklyn 3-1. It was a rough end for the Dodgers, who lost their final five games. Milwaukee topped the Tornado 4-2 in the second game on the road, giving the final playoff slot to the Mustangs for their third consecutive playoff berth.

Tulsa was one of four playoff teams from 2036 that missed the cut in 2037 with only Chicago (83-79) also staying above .500. Last year’s NACS runner-up Ottawa dropped to 70-92 and Baltimore fell to 71-91. Buffalo, who had been respectable in the 2030s, notably plummeted to 65-97. The Blue Sox allowed 1694 hits with a 10.62 H/9, which were the third and second-worst in NA history.



Helping Milwaukee sneak into the playoff was National Association MVP Clemente Garcia, who got 50 of the 64 first place votes. The 28-year old Puerto Rican LF led in RBI (151) and had 53 home runs, 177 hits, 121 runs, 28 doubles, .314/.405/.667 slash, 171 wRC+, and 8.0 WAR. The #1 draft pick in 2029, Garcia is signed through 2043 on a $262,200,000 deal with the Mustangs. He had been second in MVP voting the prior two seasons and won Gold Gloves both years. In 2037, Garcia reached 400 career homers and 1000 RBI a day apart.

Although Toronto was subpar at 76-86, their ace Mason Pechart was a nearly unanimous Pitcher of the Year with 61/64 first place votes. It was the second POTY for the Madison, Wisconsin native, who had a 1.49 ERA in 2033. This was a huge comeback for the 32-year old lefty, who only made two starts in 2036 before suffering a torn UCL.

2037 was the third ERA title for the 32-year old lefty at 2.12. Pechart also led in WHIP (0.96) and shutouts (7). He had a 15-10 record and 241 strikeouts over 234 innings with a 197 ERA+, 60 FIP-, and 8.6 WAR. Pechart is locked up through 2040 with the Timberwolves on a $207 million deal.



Division champs get home field advantage and the one-game bonus in the first round. Grand Rapids and Halifax both surrendered one loss, but ultimately got 3-1 series wins over Quebec City and Milwaukee, respectively. Louisville meanwhile upset their divisional rival Cincinnati 3-2. The Lynx promptly got rolled by top seed Washington in the second round with 14-2, 12-3, and 5-3 finals.

Halifax opened with 4-0 and 6-4 wins over Grand Rapids. GR took game three 2-1 to stay alive. Game four needed 15 innings but the Hound Dogs eventually broke through for a 6-5 win, ousting the reigning champs. Halifax earned its first ever trip to the National Association Championship Series. Four of the eight expansion teams from 2021 have now gotten to their association’s final.

The NACS was highly anticipated with Washington and Halifax so evenly matched and it lived up to the billing. The Hound Dogs opened with a 7-5 road win, but the Admirals evened it up on a 2-0 second contest. Laden Rimawi tossed a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts. As the series shifted to Canada, Washington got its first road win by a 2-0 margin. This time, three pitchers combined for another three-hit shutout.

Halifax survived a back-and-forth game four with a 5-4 result, then prevailed 6-4 in game five to take the series lead headed back to the American capital. Washington was up 6-1 after three innings in game six and narrowly fended off the Hound Dogs’ rally bid for a 7-6 win. This forced game seven in DC on a partly cloudy, 57 degree Thursday evening.

For back-to-back years, the NACS needed an extra-innings game seven to crown the winner. It was the fifth time that had happened in the National Association. A four-run fifth inning game Halifax a 5-1 advantage, but Washington evened it up with four in the sixth. Both scored a solo run in the seventh. The Hound Dogs went up on a Meier Simister solo homer in the top of the ninth, but the Admirals matched as Jude Hoffer drew a leadoff walk and was singled in by Topu Ahsan.

The score stayed 7-7 until the second batter in the bottom of the 11^th inning. Catcher Riddick Luyendijk was a pinch hitter with only 21 career home runs over 306 games. The 34-year old Curacaoan journeyman was the unlikely hero though as he sent the ball 348 feet to left on a 2-1 count, clinching the game and series on a solo homer for a 8-7 final.

Washington won its fifth National Association pennant in 14 years and its ninth overall (1912, 14, 30, 66, 2024, 30, 33, 34, 37). RF Se-Hun Jin was the series MVP going 9-24 with 5 homers and 8 RBI. The 25-year old South Korean had signed with the Admirals in 2037 at four years and $62,100,000, having previously been a solid starter in East Asia Baseball.

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The American Association was top heavy with four 100+ win teams angling for the #1 seed. San Francisco narrowly had the best record at the all-star break at 63-35, but they got passed down the stretch in the Southwest Division by Las Vegas. The Vipers had the best second half at 45-18 and repeated as the top seed at 108-54. LV earned its fifth playoff trip in five years. The Gold Rush earned a third straight wild card despite their fine 103-59 effort.

Last year’s AACS runner-up Houston dominated the South Central Division at 104-58 for their 11^th straight playoff trip and ninth division title in-a-row. Southeast Division champ Tampa was also in the mix at 102-60, extending their own playoff streak to six with a third division title of the run. The Hornets had by far MLB’s best run differential at +344, but were a surprisingly putrid 12-33 in one-run games.

Houston led in runs scored at 982, just beating out Las Vegas’ 976. They were also second in runs allowed (638) for the AA, just behind Phoenix’s 626. The Hornets had a .518 team slugging percentage, the best-ever single season in MLB history. The Vipers meanwhile had a .506 slugging and 326 home runs, both ranking third-best ever in MLB. El Paso also notably had the second-most hits in MLB history at 1766, but putrid pitching put the Prairie Dogs at 69-93.

The lone division winner not in the top seed hunt was Seattle, winning the Northwest at 92-70. The Grizzlies ended a two-year playoff drought, but haven’t had a losing season since 2020. Last year’s division winner Anchorage and Salt Lake City tied for second at 86-76. Both finished five games back for the final wild card spot.

For those last two spots, San Diego (92-70) and Birmingham (91-71) both advanced with the opposite endings to their seasons. The Seals won their last five and the Boomers lost theirs, the first two of the streaks being against each other. The first teams out were Phoenix (88-74), defending AA champ Atlanta (87-75), and Charlotte (87-75). Birmingham got its third playoff berth in four years while San Diego got its second in four.



Helping Houston to its high-powered offense was 3B Jamel Forsyth in his second MLB season. The CABA legend got 42 first place votes and 784 points, topping New Orleans’ Shane Vila at 18 first place votes and 631 points. Forsyth was one of the oldest-ever MVP winners in his age 40 season. He had won two Caribbean League MVPs during his 17-year tenure with Santo Domingo. In 2036, Grenada’s favorite son signed a three-year, $83,200,000 deal with the Hornets. He had missed a month in 2036, but was still a good starter when healthy.

Forsyth looked like his younger self in 2037 as he led with 9.0 WAR, his fifth time as a WARlord. He had 201 hits, 111 runs, 36 doubles, 42 home runs, 123 RBI, .342/.391/.631 slash, and 171 wRC+. For his combined pro career, Forsyth crossed 2000+ career RBI and 600 home runs in 2037 and is nine away from 3500 hits. He’s also now at 139.7 career WAR, cracking the top 100 up to 79^th for all players ever in professional baseball history.

San Francisco ace De’Jon Abdullah won Pitcher of the Year with 49 first place votes and 403 points, fending off Houston’s Colton Salo at 15 first place votes and 301 points. In his fourth year with the Gold Rush, the 24-year old lefty from New York City led in ERA (2.53), strikeouts (272), quality starts (25), and shutouts (5).

Abdullah had a 22-8 record, missing the Triple Crown by only one win. There have only been six pitchers in MLB history to pull off the Triple Crown previously. Abdullah tossed 266.1 innings with a 183 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 8.0 WAR. He pitched collegiately at Kent State and was the #6 pick by SF in the 2033 MLB Draft. Abdullah is known for his 11/10 changeup and ability to change speeds between that, his 94-96 mph fastball, a slider, and splitter.



Because they were a wild card, San Francisco had to go on the road to Seattle in the first round with the Grizzlies earning a one-game advantage. After splitting the first two games, the Gold Rush earned 9-6 and 9-4 wins to advance. The other division champs took their series by 3-1 margins with Tampa over San Diego and Houston over Birmingham.

Las Vegas was known for offense, but great pitching gave them a second round sweep of San Francisco with 5-1, 5-2, and 5-1 wins. Despite their recent playoff trips, this was Vegas’ first trip to the American Association Championship series since 2020. Houston opened their series on a 9-3 home win over Tampa. The Thunderbirds shocked them with 10-4, 7-5, and 4-3 wins after that. Game four went ten innings with the Hornets scoring one in the top half, but Tampa with a two-run walkoff homer in the bottom half by Micky Murphy.

Tampa was in the playoffs for the sixth straight year, but hadn’t gotten beyond the first round in the prior five. This was their first AACS trip since the 2011, when they won both the World Series and the Baseball Grand Championship. Las Vegas had home field advantage and had won two of three when they battled in Florida back in April.

The Thunderbirds opened with a lopsided 11-4 road win, but the Vipers countered with their own 11-0 win. As the series shifted east, Tampa took 8-2 and 7-3 wins for the 3-1 advantage. Las Vegas opened with a 5-0 lead after the third inning of game five. The Thunderbirds got one back in the seventh, then tied it on a four-run eighth inning.

LF Boult Minor pinch hit to start the bottom of the ninth for Tampa and on a 3-2 count, smacked a walkoff homer 344 feet over the right field fence. With the 6-5 win, the Thunderbirds clinched the series in five games in front of their home crowd for their third pennant (1901, 2016, 2037). In his 16^th year with the squad, 1B Will Desbiens won series MVP going 9-21 with 2 homers and 8 RBI.

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The 137^th World Series started in Florida with only the second-ever no-hitter in the history of the Fall Classic. In his second season with Tampa, Saif Al-Marzouqi had the no-no with only one walk and two strikeouts. The previous World Series no-hitter was on October 22, 1970 by Toronto’s Dale Conrod with eight strikeouts and five walks against New Orleans.

The 32-year old Egyptian righty was a journeyman two-way guy who had posted a lackluster 4.72 ERA in the regular season. Al-Marzouqi had struggled earlier in the postseason and finished with a 4.60 ERA despite the no-hitter and a strong game five, but he earned his spot forever in the record books with his game one performance.

Washington countered with their own pitching gem in a 3-0 game two victory. Freddie Reynoso tossed the complete game shutout with six hits and five strikeouts. In game three back in DC, Tampa’s Laurenz Schroter gave up one run over 7.1 innings, helping the Thunderbirds to a 4-1 win. A back-and-forth game four saw a 4-3 Thunderbirds win with veteran Will Desbiens providing the go-ahead solo homer in the eighth.

Al-Marzouqi was strong again in his second World Series start with a complete game, allowing five hits, two runs (one earned), and two walks with six strikeouts. Tampa’s offense put it away with a five-run seventh inning, taking the game 8-2 and the series 4-1 for their third MLB title (1901, 2011, 2037). The Thunderbirds are 3-0 in their appearances while Washington is 4-5; 1-3 in the 2030s.

Desbiens was named series MVP, going 6-18 with 3 homers and 8 RBI. The 35-year old from Belleville, Ontario cemented himself firmly as a Tampa legend, bringing them the trophy in his 16^th season starting for the Thunderbirds. In 17 playoff starts, Desbiens had 24 hits, 14 runs, 7 homers, 24 RBI, 1.072 OPS, and 0.9 WAR.



Other notes: On April 13, Anchorage’s Wen Yen went 7-7 against San Antonio. It was the 8^th-time in MLB that a player had 7+ hits in a game and the 21^st time in any world league. Calgary’s Muktar Badi had a four home run game on July 28 against Vancouver, making for 51 four-homer games in MLB history.



Pat Eichelberger and Thomas Rich became the 18^th and 19^th in MLB with 700 career home runs. Ethan Clark and Rich became the 74^th and 75^th members of the 3000 hit club. Will Desbiens became the 136^th with 1500 runs scored. Woodrow Reed and Jude Trowbridge grew the 500 homer club to 136 members. SS Jeffery Mitchell won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

Washington’s Jude Hoffer only played 73 games in 2037 between a fractured wrist and a separated shoulder, missing the postseason. The 39-year old SS still was worth 4.7 WAR to get to 139.4 for his career. Hoffer moved to #3 among MLB position players behind only Morgan Short (170.5) and Graham Gregor (139.4). He also joined the top 100 for all players ever, now ranking 80^th.

Milton Ramirez missed some time to injury, but now sits at 3692 career hits. The 37-year old Filipino RF moved up to 4^th in MLB history and 32^nd on the world leaderboard. Ramirez is also at 1094 career steals, 2^nd in MLB to Bill Tan’s 1177. Since 1956, Stan Provost has been MLB’s hit king and the only one above 4000 at 4133.

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The 2037 Baseball Grand Championship was the 27^th edition of the event and was hosted in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The automatic qualifiers were MLB’s Tampa and Washington, CABA’s Havana and Torreon, EAB’s Saitama and Goyang, BSA’s Valencia and Brasilia, EBF’s Madrid and Antwerp, EPB’s Krasnodar, OBA’s Tahiti, APB’s Semarang, CLB’s Guangzhou, WAB’s Dakar, SAB’s Hanoi, ABF’s Bursa, ALB’s Beirut, and AAB’s Dar es Salaam. The three at-large teams added were ALB’s Mecca, WAB’s Douala, and OBA’s Melbourne.

At the first off day five games in, Beirut was the lone unbeaten with Dar es Salaam, Mecca, Washington, and Hanoi each at 4-1. The Bluebirds continued to roll, finally taking their first loss in game #12 to Torreon by a 3-1 margin. Their second loss came in 10 innings to Saitama by a 3-2 margin. Still, no other team had been able to keep pace. At the second off day through 16 games, Beirut’s 14-2 was well ahead of the Sabercats and Marksmen at 11-5. The Admirals, Tahiti, and Madrid were next at 10-6.

The three game advantage with a week remaining was plenty and the Bluebirds became the second Arab League team to claim Grand Champion honors, joining 2018 Jeddah. Beirut finished 17-4 with their ALB rival Mecca next at 15-6. This was the first time in event history that a non-MLB league had the top two spots; it had happened in 2035, 2027, and 2010 by MLB teams.



Beirut wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant, but they went 7-1 in one-run games. It continued a hot streak from the ALB playoffs, where they went 9-1 en route to the league title. It was also a remarkable year for the Marksmen, a franchise that had never been to the ALB finals until this year. Mecca did defeat the Bluebirds 8-3 on October, but ultimately Beirut stood between them and both the Grand Champion crown and the ALB title.

The most impactful player for Beirut was Best Pitcher winner Abdul Muhaimin Akbar, who led all players at 2.13 WAR. The two-time Pitcher of the Year winner from Iraq was 3-0 in four starts with a 1.29 ERA, 35 innings, 52 strikeouts, 1 walk, 288 ERA+, and 26 FIP-. Akbar also struck out 21 in 8.2 innings against Goyang, the second-most Ks in a game for BGC history. The Bluebirds’ best bat was DH Ahmed Namil, who had 24 hits, 17 runs, 10 homers, 20 RBI, 1.114 OPS, 214 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR.



Tahiti was third at 14-7 with Washington fourth at 13-8. The Tropics went 9-1 in their last ten to earn their second-ever top three finish, having been the runner-up in 2011. The Admirals finished in the top four for the second time, having been the 2033 champ. Washington had the best run differential at +39 and set the event record for runs scored by a healthy margin at 131; the previous record was 120. The Admirals also set new bests for team on-base percentage (.347), walks drawn (106) and tied the top mar for home runs (58).

Dar es Salaam and Madrid were next at 12-9 with the Sabercats finishing fifth with their 6-3 win over the Conquistadors. Four teams rounded out the winning squads at 11-10 with Bursa, Goyang, Hanoi, and Havana. Five were 10-11; Antwerp, Brasilia, Douala, Guangzhou, and Saitama. The Airedales actually had the fewest runs allowed at 56, but had the second-fewest scored at 54. Antwerp’s team 0.862 WHIP was the third-best in BGC history and their 1.81 BB/9 was second. However, their offense’s .234 OBP was a new low.

Both Dakar and Krasnodar finished 9-12 while both Tampa and Torreon were 8-13. Semarang and Valencia had 7-14 marks and Melbourne stat alone in last place at 6-15. The Mets also had the worst run differential at -29.

Tournament MVP went to Washington 3B Tadd Harling, as the 35-year old had 21 hits, 19 runs, 6 homers, 10 RBI, 17 walks, 1.008 OPS, and 1.4 WAR. He was a surprising winner as arguably he had stronger teammates. LF Topu Ahsan notably tied the event record with 32 RBI and had 14 home runs, 1.296 OPS, and 20 runs. Goyang 1B Hyeon-Bin Eun had the best WAR for a position player at 2.1 with a 1.413 OPS, 26 hits, 19 runs, 11 homers, and 17 RBI. His OPS was the 15^th-best qualifying mark in BGC history (65+ plate appearances required).



Other notes: Tahiti ace Dirk Murray was the fifth pitcher in event history to record five wins, going 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA over 43.1 innings. Semarang’s Sutrisno Kartano struck out 63 batters, which is tied for the seventh-best in event history. Tampa’s Ali Mahmoud was the ninth pitcher to throw at least 21 innings without a walk.

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For the second time in five years and the fifth time in more than a century of history, Major League Baseball had a five-player Hall of Fame class. The 2038 group seemed to make up for the zero players from the prior year. All five inductee were slam dunk first ballot nods with the highest percentage going to 1B/DH Jason Perazzo at 97.1%. Both LF Ben Conlee and 1B B.J. Pasternack had 96.2%. OF Ric Ransom saw 93.9% and SP Devin Ormsby capped the group at 88.4%. The only other above 50% and best returner was SP Rowney Simpson on his third ballot. Simpson got 64.9%, falling painfully short of the 66% induction threshold.



The one player dropped after ten ballots was CL Nuke Malkarali, who had a 17-year run with six teams. He debuted at 42.6% but was down to 9.0% by the end. Malkarali won Reliever of the Year twice and had 237 saves, 102-63 record, 1.79 ERA, 937.2 innings, 1102 strikeouts, 263 walks, 201 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 31.6 WAR. His ERA is notably lower than all other MLB HOF closers.

Malkarali also notably ranks 37^th in ERA and his ERA+ is 25^th among world HOF relievers and other notables. However, voters are often hyper-fixated on saves and he didn’t even get to 250, spending only about half of his career in the closer role. Malkarali isn’t even in MLB’s top 100 for saves or games pitched. His WAR is in line with some of MLB’s weaker RP inductees, but short of the more prominent names. Malkarali certainly had a unique and effective career, but even reliever-friendly voters felt he didn’t have the right tallies needed to make it in.



Jason Perazzo – First Base/Designated Hitter – San Diego Seals – 97.1% First Ballot

Jason Perazzo was a 6’4’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Los Angeles, California. At his peak, Perazzo had outstanding contact and power skills specifically facing right-handed pitching. He was a well-rounded hitter that was solid at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Perazzo hit 30+ home runs in all of his full seasons and had 15 seasons with 40+ dingers. His 162 game average got you 47 homers, 31 doubles, and 3 triples.

Facing RHP, Perazzo had a career 1.000 OPS and 158 wRC+. Against lefties, he was above average with a .799 OPS and 112 wRC+. Perazzo had subpar speed and baserunning, but you could do worse. He was a career first baseman with similar defensive grades; mediocre, but not atrocious. About ¼ of his career starts came as a designated hitter.

Perazzo’s excellent durability made him one of the game’s longest tenured players.
His power and longevity did make him popular for some fans, but he didn’t have a likeable personality. Perazzo was considered self-centered with a lackluster work ethic, but even coasting on natural talent made him a huge part of San Diego’s dynasty run.

He had one of the all-time great college careers playing for Akron, winning NCAA MVP and Silver Sluggers in both 2013 and 2015. Perazzo is one of 14 players to earn multiple collegiate MVPs. In 2013 as a DH in 50 games, he had 69 hits, 42 runs, 16 doubles, 25 homers, 63 RBI, 257 wRC+, and 4.9 WAR. After a weaker 2014, Perazzo in 2015 in 48 starts at 1B had 66 hits, 49 runs, 33 homers, 56 RBI, 8 doubles, 1.508 OPS, 334 wRC+, and 6.6 WAR.

The WAR mark remains the NCAA all-time single-season record for a position player, as is his OPS and 1.108 slugging percentage. Perazzo’s homers are the third-best single season and his 173 total bases rank eighth. For his college career, he had 147 games, 175 hits, 124 runs, 31 doubles, 71 homers, 157 RBI, 79 walks, .332/.423/.799 slash, 249 wRC+, and 13.8 WAR. Perazzo ranks 12^th in WAR among NCAA position players.

In the 2015 MLB Draft, Perazzo was taken tenth overall by San Diego, where he’d spend his entire 17-year MLB career. He was a full-time starter right away and an immediate success, taking second in 2016’s Rookie of the Year voting. The Seals had posted a dynasty run with three pennants from 2007-10, but they were in a rebuild throughout the 2010s. For Perazzo’s initial seasons, San Diego was stuck in the middle-tier mostly with a playoff drought from 2011-22.

Perazzo did his part with Silver Sluggers from 2017-23; all at first base except for 2020 as a DH. He was third in 2018’s MVP voting and second in 2022. In 2020, Perazzo claimed the top honor with American Association bests for hits (206), total bases (42), slugging (.669), wRC+ (183), and WAR (8.8). The WAR, hits, and total bases would be his career highs.

In 2021, Perazzo led in homers for the only time with a career-best 60 and led in RBI at 143. He led in runs in both 2019 and 2021, peaking in the former at 127. Perazzo led four times in total bases and twice in slugging during this run. He also led again in WAR (8.7) in 2022 and led in doubles for 2023.

San Diego finally ended their playoff drought as a division champ in 2023 at 97-65. The Seals got hot and upset top seed Seattle to win the AACS in a seven-game classic. San Diego would fall though 4-2 to Cincinnati in the World Series. Perazzo’s first playoff run was rock solid over 19 games with 23 hits, 11 runs, 9 extra base hits, 12 RBI, 156 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, San Diego finished 11-8, one of three teams tied for fifth place. Perazzo fared well there with 17 hits, 13 runs, 5 doubles, 8 homers, 17 RBI, 1.044 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. As the Seals began their dynasty, he’d become known as a big game player for his postseason and BGC exploits.

Perazzo also did play from 2015-24 in the World Baseball Championship for the United States team, winning world titles with the 2017 and 2020 American squads. In the WBC, he had 109 games with 96 hits, 59 runs, 20 doubles, 25 home runs, 71 RBI, .320/.411/.643 slash, 1.054 OPS, and 5.5 WAR.

In March 2024, San Diego gave him one of the richest extensions in baseball history to that point at $276,500,000 over seven years. Perazzo didn’t win any additional Sluggers in his 30s and was only a league leader once with a career-best 154 RBI in 2028. Still, he was reliably consistent for around 40-50 homers, an OPS above .900, and around 4-5 WAR. Notably in 2026, he had one of MLB’s rare four home run games against Miami on April 3. In September 2027, he hit for the cycle against Jacksonville.

The Seals weren’t an immediate dynasty following the 2023 pennant. They went 103-59 in 2024 with a division title, but got upset in the first round. San Diego then missed the playoffs entirely in 2025 at 83-79. In 2026, they got in as a 94-68 wild card. That year, they upset top seed San Francisco in the second round, then bested Seattle in the AACS 4-2. San Diego met Cincinnati again in the World Series and this time earned the 4-2 victory over the Reds.

Perazzo actually had a lackluster playoff run with .700 OPS, 83 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. He made up for it in the Baseball Grand Championship with 19 hits, 14 runs, 3 doubles, 7 homers, 16 RBI, .914 OPS, 160 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. San Diego finished 15-4, putting them atop the baseball world as Grand Champion. Little did the world know that the Seals were just getting started.

In 2027, San Diego finished 119-43, tied for the second-most wins in MLB history. Unlike 120-win Phoenix from 1906, the 2027 Seals won the World Series, arguably cementing their spot as the best team in MLB history. They beat Seattle again in a seven-game AACS and topped Montreal 4-2 in the finale. Perazzo was AACS MVP and had a .953 OPS over 16 playoff starts.

For the 2027 BGC, Perazzo had a .940 OPS and 0.7 WAR as San Diego finished 14-5, becoming the first (and only so far) repeat Grand Champion. That pushed them from arguably being MLB’s best-ever team to maybe the best in the entire history of the game. The Seals were 108-54 in 2028 and 99-63 in 2029, winning the World Series both years against Ottawa. They joined Philadelphia (1941-44) as the only four-peat champs in MLB history. Perazzo was AACS MVP again in 2029 as they again thwarted Seattle.

The Seals were unable to four-peat in the BGC, but stayed competitive. In 2028, they were in sixth place at 12-7. The field expanded in 2029 and a 12-9 finish put them in a three-way tie for seventh, although they were only two wins short of the top spot.

Perazzo did see a sharp drop in production in 2029 with .764 OPS and 0.6 WAR. He bounced back with 50 homers in 2030 and a .926 OPS. Perazzo was down from his peaks in his final years, but was still a respectable power force. In 2030, he hit for the cycle a second time against Atlanta. That year, Perazzo also crossed the 700 home run, 1500 run, and 2500 hit milestones.

San Diego won another division title at 99-63 in 2030, but the dynasty seemed over as they fell in the second round. The Seals missed the playoffs in 2031 at 87-75, then got a wild card in 2032 at 95-67. They had one last run in them, getting hot and yet again defeated the Grizzlies in the AACS for their sixth pennant in a decade. San Diego then outlasted Omaha 4-3 to win their fifth World Series in seven years

Perazzo had one more AACS MVP in him, yet again proving a nightmare for Seattle. In 17 playoff games, Perazzo had a 1.263 OPS, 197 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. He also had a good BGC showing with .937 OPS and 0.8 WAR. The Seals finished second at 15-6, only behind Nairobi at 16-5. In the BGC, Perazzo had a four homer game against Cologne; he is one of four with a four-homer game in event history.

For his playoff career with San Diego, Perazzo had 112 games with 127 hits, 74 runs, 22 doubles, 5 triples, 31 home runs, 82 RBI, .307/.357/.609 slash, 143 wRC+, and 4.5 WAR. In MLB playoff history, Perazzo ranks 5^th in games, 6^th in runs, 8^th in hits, 3^rd in total bases (252), 9^th in doubles, 2^nd in homers, and 2^nd in RBI. Notably as well, the bulk of his playoff appearances were later in his career away from his peak dominance of his 20s.

Perazzo’s key role in San Diego’s epic dynasty got his #44 uniform eventually retired. But 2032 was his last year under contact and he had 35 homers, .817 OPS, 106 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. The Seals didn’t re-sign him, which ultimately ended his MLB tenure. With San Diego, Perazzo had 2658 games, 2931 hits, 1764 runs, 481 doubles, 53 triples, 796 home runs, 2068 RBI, 823 walks, 1069 strikeouts, .297/.354/.598 slash, 147 wRC+, and 89.6 WAR.

At induction on the MLB leaderboard, Perazzo ranks 35^th in runs, 99^th in hits, 13^th in total bases (5906), 68^th in doubles, 5^th in homers, 6^th in RBI, and 91^st in WAR among position players. Perazzo’s .952 OPS is 42^nd among all MLB batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his slugging is 23^rd. Heading towards age 38, Perazzo was a free agent for the first time and thought he had a chance to chase Isaac Cox’s MLB records for homers (929) and RBI (2333).

However between his age, reduced production, personality, and price tag; MLB teams didn’t want to bring Perazzo in for 2033. He was determined to play somewhere and ended up in Iran on a three-year, $10,440,000 deal with Tabriz of the Asian Baseball Federation. Perazzo had very reliable and consistent production with the Tiger Sharks in 464 games with 464 hits, 265 runs, 110 doubles, 114 home runs, 325 RBI, .286/.355/.575 slash, 152 wRC+, and 15.3 WAR.

Perazzo earned another chance on the big stage as Tabriz finished 105-57 in 2034, winning the ABF Championship over Rawalpindi. It was the strongest playoff run of his career with 17 hits, 14 runs, 9 homers, 21 RBI, 1.364 OPS, 267 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. The 21 RBI set the ABF playoff record. The Tiger Sharks tied for eighth in the BGC at 11-10 with Perazzo posting a solid .888 OPS and 0.8 WAR. Tabriz had an even-stronger 113-49 record in 2035, but was upset in the West League Championship Series by Gaziantep.

Across seven BGCs, Perazzo played 133 games with 103 hits, 76 runs, 23 doubles, 41 home runs, 88 RBI, .221/.313/.539 slash, and 4.7 WAR. He ranks 3^rd in games played, 4^th in runs, 9^th in hits, 5^th in total bases (251), 7^th in homers, 4^th in RBI, and 15^th in WAR among position players.

In 2035 against Shiraz, Perazzo had a four home run game, giving him three total between MLB, ABF, and the BGC. Only SAB legend Tirtha Upadhyaya had thrice smacked four dingers in a game for all of baseball history. Later in 2035 against Antalya, Perazzo had three homers and 10 RBI in a game, tying ABF’s single-game RBI record. He also climbed up world leaderboards with his combined pro numbers, crossing the 900 home run and 2000 runs scored thresholds.

He was back on the free agent market for 2036 heading towards age 41 and again opened up an international search. This time he landed in the African Association of Baseball on a three-year, $33,300,000 deal with Nairobi. The Night Hawks were the defending Central Conference champ, but they would end up out of the playoffs in 2036 at 85-77. Perazzo had a respectable showing in 125 games with 36 homers, 113 RBI, .935 OPS, 131 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR.

That got him to 3500+ hits and 2500+ RBI for his combined pro career. He’s one of only eight across all of baseball history with 2500+ RBI and one of 66 with 3500+ hits. Perazzo’s career ended with a whimper as he dealt with a fractured finger and benching in 2037. He only played 36 games and started two with a .508 OPS and -0.3 WAR. Perazzo hoped to get to 950 total homers, but fell three short as he only got one in his final season. He retired that winter at age 42.

For his combined pro career, Perazzo had 3283 games, 11,988 at-bats, 3521 hits, 2114 runs, 628 doubles, 62 triples, 947 home runs, 2512 RBI, 1048 walks, 1405 strikeouts, 10.3% strikeout rate, 7114 total bases, .294/.354/.593 slash, 146 wRC+, and 107.2 WAR. On the all-time leaderboards at induction, Perazzo is 29^th in games, 29^th in at-bats, 23^rd in runs, 61^st in hits, 13^th in homers, and 7^th in RBI.

Perazzo’s remarkable longevity and consistency, along with his playoff and team success, certainly makes him one of baseball’s true immortals. Despite the tenure and tallies, he does fall well short of the top 100 all-time WAR list and his rate stats don’t place him at the absolute top of the heap. His exact spot on all-time rankings is one of fierce debate, especially with his polarizing personality.

As far as team results though, Perazzo has five World Series rings, six American Association pennants, two Grand Champion rings, two World Champion rings, and an ABF title. Few guys across baseball history were apart of more victories than Perazzo.

Perazzo is undoubtedly one of the most reliable power hitters the game has ever seen. He was a clutch performer on the biggest stages and a huge reason why San Diego had one of the all-time dynasty runs ever. Even in his later years, Perazzo was a key part of another title for Tabriz. In a loaded five-man Hall of Fame class for Major League Baseball in 2038, Perazzo had the highest percentage at 97.1%.

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Ben “Butterball” Conlee – Left Field – San Diego Seals – 96.2% First Ballot

Ben Conlee was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed left fielder from Ben Lomond, California; a small town of around 6,000 people located about 35 miles south of San Jose. He earned the nickname “Butterball” for his love of eating turkey. Conlee was an excellent contact hitter and a well-rounded batter against righties and lefties equally. He was among the best in MLB at avoiding strikeouts and above average at drawing walks.

Conlee had a lot of pop in his bat with 44 home runs, 32 doubles, and 2 triples per his 162 game average. On the downside offensively, he was very slow and sluggish on the basepaths. Despite his talent, his time as a league leader was limited due to injury issues. Although he played 20 seasons, Conlee only played 125+ games in around half of them.

Defensively, Conlee was a career left fielder and was a consistently mediocre defender. About 20% of his starts came as a designated hitter, a spot that he and his Hall of Fame classmate Jason Perazzo would sometimes trade off while in San Diego. He was a popular figure though and another key contributor to the Seals’ historic dynasty run in the 2020s.

Conlee left California for the University of South Florida, where he put up excellent numbers. He did miss much of his freshman year to a torn PCL, but was healthy the next two seasons. Conlee won a Silver Slugger as a sophomore and was second in MVP voting for 2014. At USF, Conlee played 128 games with 174 hits, 99 runs, 24 doubles, 56 home runs, 96 RBI, .367/.444/.772 slash, 258 wRC+, and 12.1 WAR.

In the 2014 MLB Draft, Conlee was picked 27^th overall by San Diego. The next year, the Seals added Perazzo. Conlee signed the rare big contract straight out of the draft at $35,880,000 over four years, showing he was a crafty negotiator. Conlee was an immediate success with .958 OPS and 5.8 WAR in 2015, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. He won a Silver Slugger in 2016, but missed much of 2017 to a fractured thumb and other injuries.

Conlee led the American Association in runs (120) and hits (206) in 2018, both career bests. San Diego locked him up long-term at $158,500,000 over eight years. Injuries again limited him early in the deal with a fractured rib costing Conlee a month in 2019, followed by a strained groin and back soreness that put him out more than half of 2020. The Seals felt they were building up, but they were stuck still in the middle tier. From 2011-22, San Diego had zero playoff berths despite averaging 80 wins per season.

In 2021, Conlee was healthy all year and earned MVP honors along with his second Silver Slugger. He led in average (.345), slugging (.674), OPS (1.087), wRC+ (193), and WAR (10.3). The WAR would be a career high, as was his 52 home runs; his only time above 50 dingers in a season. Conlee won another Slugger in 2022 with association and career bests for average (.360), OBP (.419), OPS (1.090), and wRC+ (195). It was his best pace in a season, but he lost most of July to chronic back soreness.

Conlee stayed healthy in 2023 and won his second MVP with an AA and career best 132 RBI. He also had a 1.008 OPS and 8.7 WAR as San Diego ended the playoff drought as a division champ at 97-65. The Seals upset top seed Seattle to win the AACS, but lost to Cincinnati in the World Series. Conlee had a strong .989 OPS and 171 wRC+ in 14 playoff starts. He was even better in the Baseball Grand Championship as San Diego finished 11-8 in a three-way tie for fifth, posting a 1.308 OPS, 257 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR.

San Diego improved to 103-59 in 2024, but got upset in the first round of the playoffs by Calgary. The Seals then missed the playoffs in 2025, causing many to think the 2023 run was a one-off. Conlee dealt with a sore elbow in 2024 and a strained abdominal in 2025, although he still played at a high level when healthy. He was mostly good for 2026 and that summer, San Diego gave the 32-year old Conlee a four-year, $121 million extension.

2026 began the dynasty in earnest for the Seals. They were a 94-68 wild card, but upset top seed San Francisco in the second round and Seattle in the AACS to claim the pennant. San Diego then beat Cincinnati 4-2 in a World Series rematch with Conlee taking series MVP honors. The Seals claimed the Baseball Grand Championship at 15-4 with Conlee posting 10 homers, a 1.143 OPS, and 1.5 WAR.

A torn hamstring kept Conlee out for the summer, but San Diego still rolled to a historic 119-43 season en route to another AACS win over Seattle and World Series victory over Montreal. Conlee was back by the playoffs with solid stats and had a 1.292 OPS in the BGC. With a 14-5 record, the Seals became the first-ever repeat Grand Champion and staked a claim that their 2027 squad was the best in pro baseball history.

Conlee stayed mostly healthy the next two years and won his fifth Silver Slugger in 2029 with an AA and career-best 44 doubles. San Diego made it a four-peat with World Series wins in both 2028 and 2029 over Ottawa. They took sixth in the 2028 BGC at 12-7 and tied for seventh at 12-9 in 2029. Conlee’s numbers in the BGC were especially impressive in 2028 with a 1.566 OPS, 336 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. The OPS and his 1.052 slugging are event records for anyone with 65+ plate appearances and his WAR ranks sixth among position players.

In his BGC career, Conlee played 91 games with 105 hits, 65 runs, 18 doubles, 39 home runs, 71 RBI, .340/.435/.777 slash, 1.211 OPS, and 7.8 WAR. He has the best OPS of any Hall of Fame player with at least 300+ plate appearances in the event. Conlee has the second-most WAR for a position player behind only Loyd Wayne’s 7.9. Conlee also ranks 11^th in runs, 6^th in hits, 7^th in total bases (240), 8^th in doubles, 8^th in homers, and 11^th in RBI.

The BGC stats especially established Conlee as a clutch performer. His MLB playoff stats weren’t as dominant, but were still solid with 85 starts, 95 hits, 52 runs, 13 doubles, 22 home runs, 74 RBI, .284/.330/.537 slash, 128 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR. For his role in the Seals dynasty, Conlee’s #22 uniform would eventually be retired. Many were surprised though when San Diego voided the team option final year of his contract after the 2029 win, sending Conlee to free agency for the first time at age 36.

Conlee got a two-year, $63 million deal with Virginia Beach. He also played in the World Baseball Championship for the first time in 2030 and again in 2031. Conlee had limited results, but earned a championship ring with the 2031 American squad. Assorted injuries limited him to only 44 games in 2030 with the Vikings, although Conlee was outstanding in the small sample size with 4.0 WAR, 1.403 OPS, and 291 wRC+. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year of the deal though.

For 2031, Conlee inked a two-year, $50,800,000 deal with New Orleans. In 131 games, he had 154 hits, 82 runs, 32 homers, 86 RBI, .929 OPS, 144 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. It was still solid production for a guy at age 37, but Conlee again didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year of the deal. He went to Indianapolis in 2032 on a two-year, $40,800,000 deal and injuries limited him to 92 games with .831 OPS, 134 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR.

Yet again, he didn’t meet the criteria for the second year of the deal and was a free agent for 2033 at age 39. MLB teams at this point felt Conlee couldn’t be relied upon to stay healthy and he had to open up an international search to continue his career. Conlee ended up in West Africa Baseball for 2033 with Bissau, but was below average when healthy with 112 games, 21 homers, .774 OPS, 91 wRC+, and 0 WAR. Kumasi signed him in 2034 but barely used him with only 30 games, 6 starts, and -0.2 WAR. Conlee finally retired that winter at age 41.

In MLB, Conlee finished with 2161 games, 2718 hits, 1473 runs, 438 doubles, 23 triples, 568 home runs, 1673 RBI, 744 walks, 791 strikeouts, .331/.390/.598 slash, 167 wRC+, and 98.9 WAR. The injuries greatly limited his counting stats, but he did crack the top 100 by being 99^th in total bases (4906), 77^th in homers, 67^th in RBI, and 57^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Conlee’s triple slash ranks 20^th/40^th/22^nd and his .989 OPS is 15^th. The rate stats certainly showed how elite he was and his playoff success and role in San Diego’s epic dynasty further confirmed it. Depending on your strictness, Conlee might just miss the “inner-circle” based on his accumulations. Almost everyone agrees though that he was an obvious Hall of Famer, getting 96.2% as part of Major League Baseball’s five-man group for 2038.



B.J. Pasternack – First Base – Salt Lake City Loons – 96.2% First Ballot

B.J. Pasternack was a 6’9’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Center, Colorado; a small town of just under 2,000 people near the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Pasternack was known for a legendary eye for drawing walks, even with the larger strike zone that came with his lanky frame. He was a menace especially facing right-handed pitching with a career .414 OBP, .966 OPS, and 156 wRC+. Against lefties, Pasternack had an okay .320 OBP, .740 OPS, and 107 wRC+.

Pasternack was a good contact hitter against RHP and had a nice pop in his bat with 34 home runs, 28 doubles, and 2 triples per his 162 game average. Even with the eye for walks, his strikeout rate was middling. Pasternack’s baserunning ability was average, but his speed was mediocre. His long frame was quite helpful as a career first baseman who graded as reliably above average-to-good defensively. Pasternack’s durability was largely solid, playing 120+ games in all but two of his 22 pro seasons. He was considered a good team player and became very popular league-wide.

His college career came in Southern California with a Silver Slugger win as a junior in 2010. For the Trojans in three years, Pasternack had 145 games, 148 hits, 72 runs, 25 doubles, 34 home runs, 98 RBI, 79 walks, .278/.372/.517 slash, 174 wRC+, and 7.9 WAR. In the 2010 MLB Draft, he was picked sixth overall by Salt Lake City and would spent 19 years with the Loons.

SLC was still a relatively new franchise having debuted in the 1982 expansion. Their first playoff appearances came in the 2000s, but they only once got as far as the American Association Championship Series. The Loons were rebuilding in the 2010s and Pasternack immediately played at a high level, winning 2011 Rookie of the Year and a Silver Slugger.

He won additional Sluggers in 2012-13 and led in walks both years, a stat he’d lead in eight times in his career. Pasternack was also the leader in runs for 2012 and in doubles, OBP, OPS, and wRC+ in 2013. 2013 had his career highs for runs (114), hits (189), doubles (39), RBI (124), average (.326), OBP (.430), and WAR (8.7). He had a similar pace for 2014, but missed the second half due to a broken kneecap.

Pasternack bounced back well and won Silver Sluggers in 2015 and 2016, but he was never an MVP finalist. Still, he was reliably good for 6-8 WAR each year in his 20s and then around 4-6 WAR for most of his 30s. Salt Lake City started to show life and averaged 89.8 wins per season from 2013-17, but found themselves just short of the playoffs. At this point, Denver had firm control of the Northwest Division with a division title streak from 2010-22.

After the 2015 season, Pasternack signed an eight-year, $146,900,000 extension with the Loons. Salt Lake finally broke through with three straight wild cards from 2018-20, but they never made it beyond the second round. In the small sample size of 13 playoff games, Pasternack had a .877 OPS, 126 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. He did also have a limited 2014-17 run for the United States in the World Baseball Championship. In 68 games, Pasternack had a .753 OPS, 125 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR; winning world titles with the American squad in 2014 and 2017.

In February 2023, Pasternack stayed loyal with a five-year, $172,500,000 extension with the Loons. They didn’t make the playoffs after 2020, but were almost never outright awful, averaging 84.1 wins per season from 2021-29. Pasternack remained a steady and extremely beloved figure in SLC. He officially became a free agent after the 2028 season, but signed a new two-year, $33,600,000 deal with the Loons. His #29 uniform would eventually be retired and he was the second Hall of Fame inductee with the squad after CF Morgan Short, who had left just before he arrived.

After the 2029 season, Salt Lake City traded Pasternack to San Diego for three prospects. For SLC, Pasternack finished with 2782 games, 2901 hits, 1739 runs, 488 doubles, 43 triples, 593 home runs, 1709 RBI, 1731 walks, 1645 strikeouts, .289/.393/.523 slash, 147 wRC+, and 104.8 WAR. At this point, Pasternack was fifth on the MLB leaderboard for walks and tenth in all of world baseball history. The top mark for both was Chris Louden’s 2106, the only player ever to get above 2000.

San Diego had won four consecutive World Series titles and this trade gave Pasternack a shot at an elusive ring. He missed much of the fall to a strained abdominal, finishing with 121 games, 36 homers, .966 OPS, 143 wRC+, and 4.3 WAR at age 39. The Seals won another division title at 99-63, but the dynasty ended with a second round exit.

Pasternack still clearly had value and signed a two-year, $44 million deal with Chicago. In 2031, he had his career high for walks at 118. Pasternack had a hamstring strain cost him a month in 2032. While he was still on base often, his average and power were both down significantly with the Cubs, who were mid-tier in his tenure. In 276 games, Pasternack had 207 hits, 156 runs, 33 doubles, 44 home runs, 137 RBI, 191 walks, .229/.365/.414 slash, 115 wRC+, and 4.4 WAR.

He was now at 1997 walks, second in both MLB and world history to Louden’s 2106. Pasternack really wanted to chase that milestone and was also in striking distance of 2000 runs, 2000 RBI, and 700 homers. Unfortunately, old first basemen with low power weren’t in high demand. Pasternack went unsigned in both 2033 and 2034 and eventually had to retire at age 44 just short of those milestones.

Pasternack finished with 3179 games, 3227 hits, 1985 runs, 545 doubles, 45 triples, 673 home runs, 1949 RBI, 1997 walks, 1854 strikeouts, .284/.391/.517 slash, 144 wRC+, and 113.5 WAR. At induction, Pasternack is 6^th in games played, 5^th in runs, 38^th in hits, 15^th in total bases (5881), 14^th in doubles, 24^th in home runs, 16^th in RBI, 2^nd in walks, and 22^nd in WAR among position players. He’s 39^th in OBP among batters with 3000+ plate apperaances.

On the world leaderboards, Pasternack is 47^th in games played, 38^th in runs scored, and 2^nd in walks. Despite his tallies, he’s a guy who was perhaps underappreciated in his time as he never had the big flashy stats and spent his career primarily with mid-level teams. Hall of Fame voters who favor big peaks might leave him out of their “inner-circle” even with his tallies. It was nearly universal though that Pasternack was a no doubt inductee, receiving 96.2% as part of Major League Baseball’s five-man 2038 crew.

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Ric “Cookie” Ransom – Right/Left Field – Houston Hornets – 93.9% First Ballot

Ric Ransom was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed corner outfielder from Beaumont, Texas; a city of 115,000 people near the border with Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. He was nicknamed “Cookie” after his daily post-game snacking ritual. At his peak, Ransom was one of MLB’s most efficient batters with strong ratings for contact and power. He was above average at drawing walks, but his strikeout rate was middling. Ransom’s best results came against right-handed pitching with a career .948 OPS and 159 wRC+. Against lefties, he had a respectable .788 OPS and 119 wRC+.

Ransom was one of the most consistent home run hitters around with 41 dingers per his 162 game average, plus 26 doubles and 5 triples. His speed and stealing ability were reliably average, but he was prone to the TOOTBLAN. The vast majority of Ransom’s starts were in right field with reliably solid defensive metrics. He did see occasional use in left and had subpar results there.

In his later years, Ransom did specifically run into consistent back trouble, but he still managed a 23-year pro career. He was considered one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse, but did receive criticism for a lackluster work ethic. Ransom was a very popular player though nationwide, especially as a regular member of the United States team in the World Baseball Championship. From 2017-26, Ransom played 138 WBC games with 110 hits, 93 runs, 16 doubles, 41 homers, 82 RBI, .246/.341/.565 slash, and 5.6 WAR. He earned world titles with the US squad in 2017 and 2020.

Ransom played three college seasons with nice results for Iowa with 144 games, 139 hits, 89 runs, 20 doubles, 48 home runs, 104 RBI, .259/.334/.569 slash, 168 wRC+, and 7.5 WAR. He was picked eighth overall by Houston in the 2014 MLB Draft and was a part-time starter with okay results as a rookie. He was a full-time after that and reliably strong, getting 6+ WAR, 40+ homers, and 100+ RBI in seven of the next eight seasons for the Hornets.

Houston was coming off a rare downswing when Ransom arrived, but would be back at .500 or better from 2017-25. Ransom won his first Silver Slugger in 2017, then won a Slugger and his lone MVP in 2018. In the latter, he led the American Association in RBI (147) and OPS (1.018) while adding 52 homers and 8.3 WAR. That winter, the Hornets gave him a hefty eight-year, $142,300,000 extension. Houston had a division title and second round exit in 2017, then missed the playoffs in 2018.

Ransom won another Slugger in 2019 and was second in MVP voting with association and career highs for RBI (160), and OPS (1.080). He also won the batting title (.334) and had his career bests for homers (55), and WAR (9.3). He was eight homers short of the Triple Crown to Oklahoma City’s Albert Gardiner, who beat him for the top honor. The Outlaws at 95-67 edged out the 93-69 Hornets for the South Central Division title, although Houston got the second wild card.

Houston had the last laugh, upsetting OKC in the first round, followed by a win over Denver in round two and a 4-3 AACS upset over Nashville. In a seven-game classic, the Hornets outlasted Kansas City for their eighth MLB title. Although Houston was one of the most storied franchises, they hadn’t been the champs since 1952. Ransom was World Series MVP and had a .956 OPS and 0.9 WAR in the postseason. They finished seventh in the Baseball Grand Championship at 10-9 with Ransom posting a stellar 1.278 OPS and 1.8 WAR.

Ransom was third in MVP voting in 2022, his last time as a finalist. 2023 was his best pace with AA bests for triple slash (.346/.397/.679), OPS (1.077), and wRC+ (189), but knee tendinitis kept him out a month. Houston fell to .500 in 2020, then missed the cut in 2021 after a play-in loss to Las Vegas. The Hornets took the division crown in 2022 at 102-60, but suffered a second round exit to eventual World Series champ Denver. They missed the playoffs at 87-75 in 2023.

The next two years had good production from Ransom, but he missed a month in 2025 to a separated shoulder. The Hornets in 2024 got the top seed at 106-56 and beat Seattle in the AACS with Ransom as series MVP. They were denied by Washington in a seven-game World Series classic. In the playoff run, Ransom had a .976 OPS and 0.8 WAR.

The Hornets were one game off the top spot in a competitive Baseball Grand Championship at 12-7. Three teams were 13-6 and Bandung was also 12-7, putting Houston fifth via tiebreaker. Ransom had another big BGC run with a 1.101 OPS, 208 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. He had strong playoff stats in MLB over 53 games for the Hornets with 64 hits, 38 runs, 10 doubles, 5 triples, 14 homers, 42 RBI, .317/.378/.624 slash, 161 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR.

Houston won the division in 2025 at 91-71 but lost in the second round, then had a surprisingly poor 75-87 mark in 2026. Ransom fell off hard in 2026 with .776 OPS and 2.3 WAR, easily his weakest season apart from the rookie campaign. It wasn’t good timing as this was a contract year. Houston was worried he was cooked and didn’t want to give him a big extension, sending Ransom to free agency for his age 33 season in 2027.

With the Hornets, Ransom had 1758 games, 2003 hits, 1143 runs, 279 doubles, 64 triples, 468 home runs, 1297 RBI, 627 walks, .305/.367/.580 slash, 153 wRC+, and 73.9 WAR. He was very popular for his role in returning Houston to the top spot in MLB and his #20 uniform would later be retired for his efforts. Ransom signed a five-year, $47,800,000 deal with St. Louis, which more than halved his best annual salary from the Hornets.

Ransom looked like his old self with 42 homers, .995 OPS, and 6.3 WAR in 2027. He didn’t match that the rest of his Cardinals run, but was still a respectable starter when healthy. Unfortunately, he missed notable chunks of the next three years with various injuries. St. Louis was a bottom-rung franchise during this era. For the Cardinals, Ransom had 448 games, 439 hits, 263 runs, 75 doubles, 110 home runs, 306 RBI, .279/.340/.552 slash, 144 wRC+, and 13.7 WAR.

He didn’t meet the criteria for the fifth year with St. Louis, becoming a free agent for 2031 at age 37. This also marked the end of Ransom’s MLB run, as teams didn’t have much interest at this point. He was determined to continue his pro career and had another seven seasons ahead of him. Ransom found a home in Pakistan with Rawalpindi of the Asian Baseball Federation. He signed a two-year deal initially, but would spend three seasons with the Red Wings.

Ransom was a very capable starter with Rawalpindi in 404 games with 360 hits, 205 runs, 47 doubles, 110 homers, 261 RBI, .259/.321/.547 slash, 156 wRC+, and 11.8 WAR. The Red Wings got a wild card in 2031 and made it to the East League Championship Series, but lost top seed Hyderabad. They got the #1 seed at 105-57 the next year, but got upset in the first round by Bishkek. Ransom missed that playoff run with a broken kneecap suffered in mid-September.

Rawalpindi again was a division champ in 2033 at 103-59, but lost in the second round of the new double-elimination format. Ransom had struggled in the 2031 playoffs, but was good in 2033. He was back to free agency for 2034 at age 40 and his ABF run showed he still had something to offer. Ransom ended up in Iceland in the European Baseball Federation with Reykjavik. Various injuries limited him to 95 games with a .799 OPS and 1.3 WAR.

Ransom’s world travels brought him to West African Baseball in 2035 with Lagos, posting 2.3 WAR and .847 OPS in 138 games. He spent 2036 in the European Second League with Lviv and fared great against the weaker E2L competition with 6.1 WAR and 183 wRC+. Despite that, the Lunkers stank and were demoted to European Tier Three.

2037 saw one final big league season for Ransom back in ABF with Ankara, posting .756 OPS, 118 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. He retired that winter at age 43, giving him final big league totals (sans E2L) of 2975 games, 3137 hits, 1797 runs, 472 doubles, 99 triples, 750 home runs, 2059 RBI, 1002 walks, .289/.352/.558 slash, and 104.3 WAR. Ransom ranks 56^th on the all-time world leaderboard for RBI.

In MLB, Ransom played 2206 games with 2442 hits, 1406 runs, 354 doubles, 76 triples, 578 home runs, 1603 RBI, 767 walks, 99 steals, 1362 strikeouts, .300/.362/.574 slash, 152 wRC+, and 87.6 WAR. At induction, Ransom ranks 70^th in homers and 92^nd in RBI, but is outside of the top 100 for other counting stats. His .936 OPS is 62^nd among MLB batters with 3000+ plate appearances and he ranks 48^th in slugging.

Ransom isn’t considered an inner-circle level Hall of Famer, but he was undoubtedly elite for a decade with Houston. He helped bring a storied franchise back to the top with two pennants and a World Series ring. Ransom’s strong playoff stats and an MVP win made him an easy choice for voters even in a top-heavy 2038 class. At 93.9%, Ransom was the fourth of five players inducted for Major League Baseball in 2038.



Devin Ormsby – Starting Pitcher – Los Angeles Angels – 88.4% First Ballot

Devon Ormsby was a 5’11’’, 170 pound right-handed pitcher from Donna, Texas; a small southern city of about 17,000 near the Mexican border. Despite having a smaller frame than most aces, Ormsby became one of the most tenured arms in the history of the game. He was a renowned ironman who never missed a start to injury and had excellent stamina. From 2010-31, he tossed 200+ innings each year and had 240+ innings in all but three of those seasons.

Great control for Ormsby’s entire run also helped his longevity. In his prime though, he had rock solid stuff and very good movement. Even with the small frame, Ormsby’s fastball topped out in the 99-101 mph range at his peak. He had a three-pitch arsenal that included a curveball and changeup, each with equal potency. Ormsby graded as below average defensively and at holding runners.

The biggest critique was that he was considered selfish with a mediocre work ethic. That might have kept him from greater fame and more accolades, but his natural talent and durability still pushed Ormsby to more innings pitched than all but one player in world history.

He had an impressive college career with Houston and was second in Pitcher of the Year voting as a sophomore. Ormsby was one of the few starters in college history with a sub-one ERA in a season, posting 0.84 over 107.1 innings with an 8-0 record and 4.7 WAR. From 2006-08 with the Cougars, Ormsby had a 21-11 record, 1.67 ERA, 317.1 innings, 287 strikeouts, 194 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 10.6 WAR. The Texas native had plenty of supporters in his home state and he was picked tenth by San Antonio in the 2008 MLB Draft.

Ormsby only was used 24.1 innings in 2009, but was a full-time starter after that for the next 22 years. His peak arguably came in 2015 with a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. That year had Ormsby’s best ERA at 2.57 and an American Association-best six shutouts. In 2014, Ormsby was the WARlord at 8.5 and led with a 68 FIP-; both career bests.

San Antonio had been largely lousy historically, but they did win three straight division titles from 2013-15 with Ormsby. Only once did they get as far as the second round and Ormsby’s playoff stats saw a lackluster 5.34 ERA in 32 innings. Overall with the Oilers, Ormsby had a 99-97 record, 3.37 ERA, 1888 innings, 1265 strikeouts, 493 walks, 113 ERA+, 89 FIP-, 107 complete games, 15 shutouts, and 36.3 WAR.

The Oilers fell to 80-82 in 2016, Ormsby’s final year with the squad. Now 28-years old, he was excited to test free agency to get a fat paycheck. Los Angeles rewarded him at $149,800,000 over seven years. On May 7, 2017, Ormsby tossed his lone no-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk against Oakland. He gave the Angels remarkably consistent production with 5+ WAR and 250+ innings each year with 200+ strikeouts in all but one year. Ormsby’s only time as an association leader was 2023 in innings (286), quality starts (25), and shutouts (7).

LA was above .500 in each of his seasons, but found no playoff success. They had a wild card and first round exit in 2017, then just missed the cut the next three years. The Angels won division titles in 2021-22 with 100 and 106 wins, but both years saw second round exits. Ormsby’s playoff results were a mixed bag with a 4.15 ERA in 28 innings. 2023 was his best year there, but Los Angeles missed the playoffs at 87-75.

In seven seasons for the Angels, Ormsby had a 123-72 record, 2.86 ERA, 1869.2 innings, 1479 strikeouts, 379 walks, 116 complete games, 26 shutouts, 134 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 44.8 WAR. He was inducted with LA, but his personality didn’t make him a beloved franchise icon despite very strong production. Ormsby was back to free agency for 2024 at age 35 and stayed in the Southwest on a three-year, $81,600,000 deal with Phoenix.

Ormsby’s efficiency dipped a bit with the Firebirds, but he still solidly ate 808 innings in three years with a 54-32 record, 3.76 ERA, 490 strikeouts, 150 walks, 53 complete games, 5 shutouts, 111 ERA+, 95 FIP-, and 12.7 WAR. Phoenix was .500 or better each year, but outside of the playoffs. While there, Ormsby crossed 250 career wins and 3000 strikeouts. He was back to free agency for 2027 at age 38.

Unimpressed by his MLB offers, Ormsby left for West African Baseball on a three-year, $39 million deal with Kumasi. These were his only full seasons below 250 innings, but WAB teams rarely let pitchers go the distance. Still, Ormsby was his usual consistent and reliable self with a 43-31 record, 3.84 ERA, 661.2 innings, 553 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, 81 FIP-, 12 complete games, and 14.9 WAR. While there, he breached 300 career wins for his combined career. The Monkeys were a playoff team all three of Ormsby’s years, but never got beyond the second round as he had a 4.38 playoff ERA in 12.1 innings.

Now 41, Ormsby returned to MLB in 2030 on a three-year, $39,600,000 deal with Chicago. He didn’t seem to miss a step with the Cubs and became the 12^th pitcher with 300 wins in MLB. Ormsby also became only the fifth in world history with 350+ wins across a pro career. He had two good playoff starts in 2030 as Chicago lost in the second round.

Despite still solid results, Ormsby was released by the Cubs after one start in 2032. With Chicago, he had a 34-20 record, 3.45 ERA, 508.2 innings, 241 strikeouts, 20 complete games, 116 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 11.2 WAR. Personality clashes played a role which frustrated Ormsby, who wanted to chase history. The world record for professional innings was CABA/MLB legend Ulices Montero at 5953.2. Ormsby had a realistic chance of catching that mark and wanted to be the first to 6000 innings.

Ormsby’s control, movement, and stamina were all still strong. However by 2032, his velocity was peaking at only 85-87 mph. In his prior years with the Cubs, he still could hit the low 90s. That velocity and his personality made most teams disinterested in Ormsby. He ended up back in WAB with Jos, posting a 4.67 ERA over 111.2 innings with a 4-8 record, 63 strikeouts, 103 ERA+, and 1.1 WAR.

For 2033, Ormsby got a spring training invite in MLB with Winnipeg, but was cut in March. Miami signed him for two days but he never saw the field for them. Calgary grabbed Ormsby to a minor league deal in Regina, where he spent the rest of the year with lackluster results. Realizing he didn’t have big league stuff anymore, Ormsby retired that winter at age 45.

In MLB, Ormsby had a 310-221 record, 3.25 ERA, 630 games, 621 starts, 5074.1 innings, 3475 strikeouts, 1083 walks, 390 quality starts, 296 complete games, 49 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 104.9 WAR. He ranks 10^th in wins, 60^th in losses, 14^th in starts, 12^th in innings, 7^th in complete games, 22^nd in shutouts, and 17^th in WAR for pitchers.

When you add the WAB totals, Ormsby had a 357-260 record, 3.35 ERA, 785 games, 713 starts, 5847.2 innings, 4091 strikeouts, 1185 walks, 442 quality starts, 312 complete games, 52 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 120.9 WAR. On the world leaderboard, Ormsby is 4^th in wins, 10^th in losses, 2^nd in innings, 9^th in complete games, and 20^th in quality starts. The longevity also does mean that his 5466 hits allowed and 2426 earned runs are the most given up by any pitcher ever.

Ormsby was rarely considered a top five pitcher in the league, thus he misses the world top 50 for pitching WAR even with the longevity. That and the lack of playoff success keeps him from being mentioned among the best-of-the-best pitchers ever, even from traditionalists who view the pitching win as a valid and important stat. Montero, the world leader in wins and innings, also had 6796 strikeouts and 191.7 WAR comparatively.

Still, Ormsby was no doubt a good-to-great pitcher for a long time who was well deserving of a rotation spot for more than two decades. His longevity, durability, and stamina have almost no peers throughout all of baseball history. Ormsby received 88.4% for a first ballot nod, the fifth of five added into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2038.

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Three were added into the Central American Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame for 2038 with two no-doubters in RF Jarek Wilson-Smith at 99.0% and SP Max De Jesus at 92.5%. OF Jose Leal joined them on his sixth ballot, just sneaking by the 66% requirement at 68.2%. Only one other player even got 1/3 of the vote.




Dropped after ten failed tries was SP Albert Villa, who peaked at 48.1% in his debut and ended with only 18.0%. He had a 16-year career between Panama, Ecatepec, and Costa Rica with a 211-132 record, 3.62 ERA, 3215.2 innings, 3011 strikeouts, 645 walks, 57 complete games, 7 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 63.1 WAR.

Villa ranks 47^th in wins, 87^th in strikeouts, and 88^th in WAR for pitchers. There are lower-end inductees who made it with similar stat lines, but Villa was on almost exclusively forgettable teams in his career and was only a Pitcher of the Year finalist once. It was a nice career, but one better suited for the Hall of Pretty Good.



Jarek “Danger Man” Wilson-Smith – Right Field – Santo Domingo Dolphins – 99.0 First Ballot

Jarek Wilson-Smith was a 6’7’’, 195 pound left-handed right fielder from Benque Viejo, Belize; a town of around 7,000 people on the Guatemalan border. He was only the second-ever Belizean inductee, joining Class of 2012 SP Tyson Flowers. Wilson-Smith earned the nickname “Danger Man” for his exciting aggression on the basepaths always trying to leg out the extra bag. He succeeded more than he failed en route to becoming CABA’s career triples leader.

Wilson-Smith was an excellent contact hitter against right-handed pitching and that’s where the vast majority of his gap and home run power came. He had a career 1.011 OPS and 164 wRC+ against RHP compared to a very average .745 OPS and 100 wRC+ against lefties. Wilson-Smith still got plenty of extra base hits with 29 doubles, 26 triples, and 28 home runs per his 162 game average.

He was better at avoiding strikeouts than most, but very rarely drew walks. Wilson-Smith was dangerous with the ball in play though with his exceptional speed and great stealing skills. He was a career right fielder and graded as reliably solid defensively. While he did have occasional smaller injuries, he avoided missing big chunks over an 18-year career, playing 120+ games in all of his full seasons. Wilson-Smith’s play style and intelligence made him very popular with fans, but some teammates criticized him as being self-centered.

In October 2010, Wilson-Smith signed a developmental deal with Santo Domingo and would spend his entire career in the Dominican capital. He officially debuted in 2014 at age 19 with 19 games and two starts. Wilson-Smith was a full-time starter the next year and held the role firmly for 18 years. He was second in 2015’s Rookie of the Year voting and led the Caribbean League with a career-best 36 triples, only three short of the current CABA record and one behind the then-record. Wilson-Smith’s lone cycle came in September 2015 against Panama.

Wilson-Smith became famous for triples, leading the league nine times. His first Silver Slugger was 2016, leading in average (.364), slugging (.664), OPS (1.048), and wRC+ (182). After the 2017 season, the Dolphins gave Wilson-Smith a five-year, $42,400,000 extension. Santo Domingo was historically competitive and had won pennants as recently as 2012-13, but they had a playoff drought from 2014-21. After bottoming out at 58-104 in 2018, SD was back above .500 to start the 2020s.

In 2018, Wilson-Smith won another batting title and led in OBP. 2019 was his peak season with his lone MVP win and another Slugger, leading in runs (124), hits (237), triples (34), total bases (438), triple slash (.379/.406/.700), OPS (1.105), wRC+ (192), and WAR (9.9). All of those sans the triples and runs would be career highs. Wilson-Smith also had his best homer tally at 35.

An oblique strain kept him out for a good chunk of spring 2020. In 2021, he was back on top in runs at 120, prompting a five-year, $86,600,000 extension from Santo Domingo. Wilson-Smith won additional Silver Sluggers in 2022, 23, and 24. He was second in 2022’s MVP voting and third in 2023. The latter had his career high 128 runs scored.

Santo Domingo ended their playoff drought in 2022 as a wild card, but lost in the first round. They were a wild card again in 2023 at 94-68 and made it to the CLCS, where they fell to Guatemala’s fledgling dynasty. After a playoff miss in 2024 at 83-79, the Dolphins had an impressive 108-54 mark for 2025. This was still the #2 seed behind the 115-win Ghosts, who defeated SD in the CLCS for Guatemala’s fourth straight pennant. Wilson-Smith had strong playoff stats these years despite the team coming up short.

Wilson-Smith had a sharp decline in 2026 as he dealt with a fractured finger, posting only 1.9 WAR in 124 games. He never quite returned to his previous peaks, but bounced back after that for a few more years as a very capable starter. Santo Domingo won 101 games in 2026, but lost in the first round as one of five teams with 100+ wins. The Dolphins were a 98-64 wild card in 2027, but this was their breakthrough. Santo Domingo upset defending champ Bahamas to win the Caribbean pennant, then claimed the franchise’s ninth CABA Championship over Guadalajara.

That particular run was underwhelming from Wilson-Smith with a .822 OPS and 0.4 WAR in 14 games. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had a .644 OPS and 80 wRC+ as the Dolphins finished 9-10. On the whole though, Wilson-Smith’s playoff starts were strong with 48 career starts, 68 hits, 35 runs, 13 doubles, 9 triples, 8 homers, 23 RBI, 19 steals, .347/.357/.628 slash, 161 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. Shortly after his 33th birthday in August 2027, Santo Domingo gave Wilson-Smith another extension at $54,300,000 over five years.

Santo Domingo followed it with a division title at 107-55 in 2028, but fell in a second round upset loss to Honduras. The Dolphins missed the playoffs in 2029, then had three straight wild cards and first round exits from 2030-32. Wilson-Smith continued to move up leaderboards, passing the 3000 hit, 1500 run, and 1500 RBI milestones all in 2030.

That year, he also passed Mario Bueno’s 377 to become CABA’s career triples leader. In 2031, Wilson-Smith reached 400 career triples, one of only 12 in all of professional baseball history to do so. By 2032, his contact and power skills were diminishing down to league-average results with his deal soon expiring. Wilson-Smith retired that winter at age 38 and Santo Domingo immediately retired his #2 uniform for his 18 years of service.

Wilson-Smith finished with 2669 games, 3327 hits, 1718 runs, 479 doubles, 434 triples, 458 home runs, 1677 RBI, 349 walks, 1097 strikeouts, 6048 total bases, 942 steals, 799 caught stealing, .328/.349/.596 slash, 148 wRC+, and 89.7 WAR. On the CABA leaderboards at induction, Wilson-Smith ranks 22^nd in games, 11^th in runs, 7^th in hits, 9^th in total bases, 13^th in singles (1956), 21^st in doubles, 1^st in triples, 96^th in homers, 21^st in RBI, 19^th in steals, 4^th in caught stealing, and 52^nd in WAR for position players.

Among CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Wilson-Smith is 72^nd in batting average, 51^st in slugging, and his .945 OPS is 70^th. On the all-time world leaderboard, Wilson-Smith is 6^th for triples and 27^th in caught stealing. Considering some of his tallies, his WAR seems surprisingly low, although lacking walks and huge home run numbers will do that to you.

Some Sabermetric-minded Hall of Fame voters might keep him out of their inner-circle rankings based on that, but Wilson-Smith’s extra base hits made him one of the more exciting and memorable players of his era. There was no question about his overall candidacy, receiving a near unanimous 99.0% to captain the three-man 2038 class for the Central American Baseball Association.

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Max De Jesus – Starting Pitcher – Honduras Horsemen – 92.5% First Ballot

Max De Jesus was a 5’11’’, 180 pound left-handed pitcher from Guapiles, Costa Rica; a town of around 36,000 people. De Jesus had a ton of power in his stocky frame with absolutely filthy stuff, which some scouts called an 11/10 at his peak. He also had solid movement and above average control in his prime, although he did struggle with walks in his earliest years.

De Jesus had a fantastic 98-100 mph fastball and an exceptional screwball as his top offerings. He also had a strong splitter along with a respectable changeup and curveball. De Jesus’s stamina was merely average relative to other CABA aces and his body couldn’t hold up to the stress of his style. He played in 14 seasons and had 200+ innings in only six of them due to injury troubles. He graded as poor defensively, but was good at holding runners.

Even if his body eventually betrayed him, De Jesus’s intelligence and work ethic got him the absolute most of his ability. He was drafted as a teenager in 2016 by Honduras with the 14^th overall pick. After two years in their academy, De Jesus debuted with 34.2 innings in 2019 at age 22. He was a full-timer after that and was third in 2020’s Rookie of the Year voting, although he missed more than a month to a strained shoulder.

De Jesus stayed mostly healthy the next few years with 300+ strikeout seasons from 2021-23. 2023 was the breakout season, leading the Caribbean League with 9.9 WAR and 39 FIP-. De Jesus had a career-best 1.86 ERA and 18-4 record with 320 strikeouts in 208 innings, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. However, his future was put in doubt in early September 2003 with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, knocking him out ninth months.

Even with the injury, Honduras was optimistic that they had an elite ace, giving De Jesus a six-year, $103 million extension in October 2023. The Horsemen were a historic powerhouse, but had a rare five-year playoff drought from 2018-22 as they hovered around the middle tier. 2023 marked the start of what would be a new 13-year playoff streak, although the first three years saw wild cards and one-and-dones in the playoffs.

De Jesus looked solid in 167.2 innings for his 2024 return with a 2.31 ERA, 5.4 WAR, and 253 strikeouts. He struck out 378 in 2025, then had career and league highs in 2026 for Ks (388), quality starts (25), and WAR (12.1). De Jesus’ WAR ranks as the 17^th-best single-season by a CABA pitcher, but he took second in Pitcher of the Year voting behind Bahamas’ Carlos Montes with 11.7 WAR, 1.62 ERA, and a 22-5 record. 2026 also saw Honduras take the Caribbean League’s top seed at 105-57, but they were defeated by Bahamas in the CLCS.

For 2027, De Jesus dealt with a strained hamstring and tricep for much of the season with middling production. Honduras won another division title at 95-67, but lost in the second round. De Jesus was back to elite form in 2028 with 9.2 WAR over 223.1 innings and 324 strikeouts. The Horsemen were a 102-win wild card, six games behind top seed Guatemala in the Central Division.

The Ghosts got upset in the second round by Bahamas, while Honduras upset 107-win Santo Domingo 302. The Horsemen then won the CLCS 4-2 over the Buccaneers, followed by a 4-3 CABA Championship victory against Leon. In 41.2 playoff innings, De Jesus was 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA, 52 strikeouts, and 0.9 WAR. Honduras would tie for eighth in the Baseball Grand Championship at 11-8. De Jesus had an excellent showing in the event with a 1.12 ERA and 3-0 record in 32 innings with 52 Ks and 2.1 WAR.

Earlier in the year, De Jesus had taken second in Best Pitcher voting for Costa Rica in the World Baseball Championship. He represented his country from 2022-32 in the WBC with a 1.75 ERA over 118 innings, 5-8 record, 191 strikeouts, and 4.8 WAR. De Jesus is on a short list of guys who have thrown at least 100 WBC innings with an ERA below two.

This proved to be the peak of his career, as elbow tendinitis and shoulder inflammation limited De Jesus to only 81.2 innings all season. He was back by the playoffs with a 3.92 ERA over 20.2 innings and 21 Ks. At 107-55, Honduras repeated as Caribbean champ, but dropped the CABA Championship to Ecatepec.
The Horsemen were one of three teams tied for seventh in the BGC at 12-9 with De Jesus posting a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings. During the event, he suffered a torn triceps that knocked him out another four months.

De Jesus was soon to be 33-years old and with the injury history, Honduras let him leave for free agency in 2030. With the Horsemen, he had a 154-52 record, 2.77 ERA, 1976.2 innings, 2878 strikeouts, 456 walks, 47 complete games, 10 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 65.6 WAR. For his role in two pennants and a CABA Championship, De Jesus’ #2 uniform was later retired and he remains very popular in Tegucigalpa. In the playoffs for Honduras, De Jesus had a 2.62 ERA and 6-1 record in 96.1 innings with 115 Ks and 2.9 WAR.

Tijuana had been competitive recently and hoped they could get something big from De Jesus, giving him a five-year, $87 million deal. 2030 was a great year for the Toros, as they won the CABA Championship at 93-69. De Jesus was effective in a small sample size, but it was a disaster year as he was limited to 73.2 innings. A strained hamstring plagued him most of the spring, then he ruptured his UCL in mid-August with a 13-14 month recovery time.

De Jesus made it back for eight starts late in 2031 and was still respectable with a 2.94 ERA over 52 innings with 54 strikeouts. The Toros finished 115-47 and De Jesus had a quality playoff start, but they were upset in the second round by Torreon. In early April 2032, De Jesus suffered acute elbow soreness that knocked him out close to three months. He made it back by July, but suffered his third UCL tear.

In three seasons with the Toros, De Jesus had only 168.1 innings with a 2.19 ERA, 8-7 record, 187 strikeouts, 25 walks, 166 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 4.9 WAR. Even with his intense work ethic, the constant rehabbing was draining. His stuff had still looked good in 2032, but his control had fallen off noticeably. De Jesus opted to retire that winter at age 35 instead of trying for another comeback.

De Jesus finished with a 162-59 record, 2.73 ERA, 2145 innings, 3065 strikeouts, 481 walks, 182/286 quality starts, 48 complete games, 10 shutouts, 143 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 70.5 WAR. The low inning count keeps him off the accumulations leaderboards for the most part, but he does rank 80^th in strikeouts and 62^nd in pitching WAR.

Among those with 1000+ innings, De Jesus ranks 98^th in ERA. His 12.86 K/9 ranks 6^th, his 0.99 WHIP is 64^th, and his .596 opponent’s OPS is 59^th. De Jesus is also 40^th in H/9 (6.86) and his .211/.262/.334 triple slash is 37^th/75^th/65^th. Certainly when he was healthy, he was as efficient as almost anyone in the game. The injuries, lower inning counts, and sharing an era with studs like Israel Montague and Richard Wright kept De Jesus from a Pitcher of the Year nod.

While many Hall of Fame voters are fixated on accumulations, very few held that against De Jesus. His dominance when healthy and role in returning Honduras to the top spot in the Caribbean was plenty for all but the biggest sticklers. De Jesus received a first ballot spot at 92.5% as part of the three-man 2038 class for the Central American Baseball Association.



Jose Leal – Right/Left Field – Hermosillo Hyenas – 68.2% Sixth Ballot

Jose Leal was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed corner outfielder from Las Guacamayas, Mexico; a city of around 39,000 in the state of Michoacan near the Pacific coast. Leal was known for reliable home run power along with above average-to-good contact skills, especially against right-handed pitching. He had a career .955 OPS and 165 wRC+ against RHP compared to a .783 OPS and 119 wRC+ against lefties. Leal’s 162 game average got you 42 home runs, but his power was focused there with only 24 doubles and 5 triples per 162.

He was okay at drawing walks, but did struggle with strikeouts for a 24.1% K rate. Leal was a highly skilled baserunner, but limited by below average speed. He spent the majority of his career in right field with occasional starts in left. In either spot, Leal graded as a lousy defender. He had a 17-yeaer career, but did miss some significant time to major knee injuries. Leal wasn’t the smartest guy and some felt he could get lazy, but his bat was strong enough to deserve a prominent spot.

Leal got attention even out of high school, but didn’t end up signing any developmental deals. In the 2007 CABA Draft, he was picked fourth overall by Guadalajara, but he declined the Hellhounds’ offer and began his college career. Three years later in the 2010 CABA Draft, Leal was picked third by Mexicali. He was an immediate starter and success, winning 2011 Rookie of the Year with a 1.030 OPS, 5.7 WAR, 47 home run debut for the Maroons.

In 2012, Leal led the Mexican League with 52 home runs, his only time as a league leader in any stat. It was also his only time as an MVP finalist, placing third. With the competition at first base, Leal also never won a Silver Slugger despite his successes. 2014 was his career best for WAR at 7.5 and he smacked 45+ homers in each of his first four seasons.

Mexicali had brief success to end the 2000s, but they would spend the 2010s at rock bottom, averaging 66.2 wins per season for the decade. He didn’t get a ton of attention there, but was popular as an occasional starter for Mexico in the World Baseball Championship from 2012-16 and 2021. In 57 games and 45 starts, Leal had 30 hits, 24 runs, 6 doubles, 15 homers, 29 RBI, .183/.273/.506 slash, 122 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. He was notably a starter for the 2015 Mexican squad, which finished as the runner-up behind the Philippines.

With the team’s struggles, it became obvious that Leal was likely gone with free agency approaching His stock took a big hit though in August 2016 with a ruptured MCL in his right knee with an estimated ten month recovery time. The Maroons let him leave that winter at age 29.

For Mexicali, Leal played 840 games with 953 hits, 523 runs, 156 doubles, 39 triples, 252 home runs, 576 RBI, .307/.354/.626 slash, 172 wRC+, and 34.6 WAR. Statistically, it was his most impressive tenure, but he would play more games on more prominent teams with Hermosillo, thus his induction as a Hyena. Hermosillo was hopeful that he’d bounce back and gave Leal an eight-year, $98,200,000 deal. He made his debut in the summer with his weakest batting stats to that point on a .823 OPS over 94 games.

Leal was back above 40 home runs for 2018 as the Hyenas were an 88-74 wild card. They had been generally mid-tier in the 2010s to that point. Hermosillo stunned 110-win Juarez 3-2 in the first round. The Jesters were the reigning Baseball Grand Champion and had won back-to-back CABA crowns and three-straight Mexican League titles. Hermosillo gave a valiant effort in the MLCS, but fell to Leon in seven games. Leal’s results were middling with a .727 OPS in 11 playoff starts.

Injuries cost him part of 2019 and he was reduced to a platoon role. Hermosillo would go 103-59 in both 2019-20, but each time was a wild card as Juarez remained atop the North Division. The Hyenas had a first round defeat in 2019 and an MLCS defeat to the Jesters in 2020. Leal struggled in the 2020 postseason and finished his career with a lackluster .598 OPS and 60 wRC+ in 25 playoff games. They would hover around .500 for the rest of Leal’s tenure.

Leal had consistent results in the early 2020s, but started to slip in his later Hermosillo years, reduced again to a platoon role. In eight seasons, Leal played 1050 games with 941 hits, 560 runs, 134 doubles, 25 triples, 251 home runs, 624 RBI, 88 steals, .277/.326/.553 slash, 141 wRC+, and 25.1 WAR. He was back to free agency for 2025 at age 37.

He signed a one-year, $7,300,000 deal with Toluca, who was entering their third season post expansion. Leal had nice results in 87 games with 19 homers, .881 OPS, and 2.5 WAR. That peaked his trade value and the Tortugas in July shipped him to Leon for three prospects. Leal played 58 games and started 31 with the Lions, but delivered with a 1.099 OPS, 226 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR. Leon narrowly got a wild card to end a four-year postseason drought, but went one-and-done.

Toluca was happy to bring Leal back in on a two-year, $13,900,000 deal for 2026. He had decent numbers over the two seasons, finishing his combined Tortugas tenure with 379 games, 337 hits, 178 runs, 44 doubles, 89 home runs, 198 RBI, .261/.296/.522 slash, 138 wRC+, and 6.5 WAR. While there, Leal became the 25^th player in CABA history with 600 career home runs.

Disaster struck in mid-September 2027 as Leal suffered a torn PCL. This was in his left knee, opposite of the MCL tear a decade prior. It was a 10-11 month recovery time and Leal did hope to play again. He spent all of 2028 unsigned as he tried to rehab. It became clear though that an aged outfielder off a major knee injury wasn’t something teams were lining up for. Leal retired in the winter of 2028 at age 40.

Leal finished with 2327 games, 2274 hits, 1289 runs, 341 doubles, 78 triples, 606 home runs, 1430 RBI, 549 walks, 2060 strikeouts, 158 steals, .287/.333/.579 slash, 154 wRC+, and 68.9 WAR. At induction, Leal ranks 87^th in games, 81^st in runs, 63^rd in total bases (4589), 26^th in homers, 62^nd in RBI, and 38^th in strikeouts. He misses the top 100 for WAR among position players. Leal does rank 82^nd in slugging for those with 3000+ plate appearances.

His resume’s main selling point were the 606 homers, which for many voters was a magic number. It wasn’t a guarantee though for the Central American Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame, as David Jack (607 homers) had recently fallen off the ballot. Everyone else who was eligible with 600+ dingers had gotten in. The challenge for Leal is that his resume didn’t have anything exceptional outside of that.

Leal only was a league leader once, never won a Silver Slugger or MVP, and played on mostly weak teams with poor playoff stats in his limited appearances. Those facts made him a Hall of Pretty Good type for a significant chunk of voters. Power hitting and home runs though often had more weight than other factors. Leal’s debut ballot in 2033 was at 48.7%.

He slowly went up with 55.1% and 61.6% in the next two years. Leal dropped back down to 49.8% in 2036, then narrowly missed the 66% requirement in 2037 at 63.7%. Getting that close on a year with four inductees made Leal optimistic that his time was coming soon. He only barely crossed the line in 2038 at 68.2%, but Leal earned his spot as a sixth ballot selection to cap off a three-man class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

2B/SS Dae-Eui Ha captained East Asia Baseball’s 2038 Hall of Fame class with a near unanimous 99.3%. OF/1B Natsuo Suyama joined him on the first ballot at 81.1%. Two returners came very close to the 66% requirement but just missed with SP Takeo Kobayashi at 62.5% on his sixth try and LF Jae-A Choi with 60.8% for his eighth ballot. SP Kwang-Il Chang was the other guy above 50% with a third ballot 50.2% showing. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 2038.



Dae-Eui “Bishop” Ha – Second Base/Shortstop – Changwon Crabs – 99.3% First Ballot

Dae-Eui Ha was a 6’0’’, 190 pound right-handed middle infielder from Osan, South Korea; a city of around 200,000 people about 35 kilometers south of Seoul. Ha was a leadoff man known for his exceptional speed and baserunning ability, leading the Korea League nine time in stolen bases. He was an impressive contact hitter against both sides and was excellent at putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts.

Ha had great gap power with 29 doubles and 25 triples per his 162 game average, but his home run power was limited to only 10 per 162. He also very rarely drew walks, but was enough of a menace when the ball was in play. Ha was a second baseman for the majority of his career and was a reliably solid defender there. He did play shortstop sporadically mostly early in his career, but really struggled there with a weak arm and unexceptional range.

For most of his career, Ha had excellent durability with 130+ games each year from 2014-27. His play style and personality made him a very popular figure throughout South Korea. Ha was a true fan favorite known for his work ethic, loyalty, leadership, and selflessness. As he attended Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, it became clear that he was going to be one of the league’s best leadoff guys for years to come.

In the 2013 EAB Draft, Ha went fourth overall to Changwon. He was a full-time starter right away and won 2014 Rookie of the Year honors. In 2015, he led the Korea League for the first time in both triples and steals. The 36 triples fell only four short of Ji-Hu Kim’s EAB record 40 from 1987. Ha led in triples four more times and would be the steals leader each year from 2017-24.

After being abysmal to start the 2010s, Changwon ended a nine-year playoff drought in 2016 at 92-70. The Crabs upset top seed Seoul in the KLCS in a seven-game classic, then dethroned reigning champ Yokohama in an East Asian Championship sweep for their first title since the 1960s. In his playoff debut, Ha had 19 hits, 7 runs, 12 steals, .758 OPS, and 0.4 WAR. His stats were similar in the Baseball Grand Championship as Changwon was near the bottom at 6-13.

2017 was exceptional for Ha as he won MVP along with his first Silver Slugger, leading in hits (235) and steals (120). The hits would be a career best, as was his .371/.396/.567 slash, 164 wRC+, and 9.5 WAR. Ha had a big postseason as MVP in the KLCS rematch with Seoul. Changwon then repeated as EAB champs 4-3 over Osaka. In 16 playoff starts, Ha had 20 hits, 11 runs, .989 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. He had a middling .715 OPS in the BGC, which had the Crabs at 8-11.

Changwon had a franchise-record 110-52 mark in 2018, but got upset in the first round by Seongnam. They again were the top seed in 2019 at 97-65, but were foiled in the first round by Goyang. Ha got his second MVP and Slugger in 2019 with his first batting title at .361, while also leading in hits (223), runs (119), and steals (123). Ha also matched his career-best 9.5 WAR. In April 2020, the Crabs rewarded Ha with a hefty eight-year, $176 million extension.

Ha won additional Silver Sluggers from 2021-25, giving him seven for his career. He was third in 2022 and 2023’s MVP voting, winning an additional batting title in 2023 and leading thrice more in hits. Changwon missed the playoffs in 2020 on a tiebreaker, but started a six-year streak after that. The Crabs were a 100-win wild card in 2021 as Busan won the division at 109-53. Changwon had the last laugh by ousting the Blue Jays 4-1 in the KLCS. The EAB finale went all seven games as Kyoto outlasted the Crabs.

Changwon again had no luck in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 6-13 finish. In 57 BGC games, Ha had 65 hits, 25 runs, 16 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers, 18 RBI, 32 steals, .293/.343/.450 slash, and 0.8 WAR. He was also a regular for South Korea from 2016-29 in the World Baseball Championship. In 99 WBC games, Ha had 81 hits, 47 runs, 18 doubles, 11 triples, 4 homers, 27 RBI, 52 steals, .288/.337/.473 slash, and 2.8 WAR.

Although Changwon’s playoff streak continued, they didn’t have any more long runs in the 2020s. They got the top seed in 2023 at 108-54, but fell to Daegu in the first round. The Crabs did get back to the KLCS in 2024 as a wild card, but lost to top-seed Busan. In 79 career playoff starts for Changwon, Ha had 101 hits, 44 runs, 7 doubles, 14 triples, 5 homers, 24 RBI, 56 steals, .322/.353/.481 slash, 129 wRC+, and 2.9 WAR.

Ha’s durability started to crack with a fractured foot in 2025 that cost him a month. In 2026, he lost close to half of the season between a sprained ankle and severe hip strain. Ha was still a capable starter, but he was seeing dips in his speed and gap power. In May 2028, he had a ruptured MCL that knocked him out for the rest of the year. Ha’s contract was up, but he accepted a qualifying offer at $6,500,000 to return to the Crabs for 2029. He posted below average results in his return and lost more than a month to shoulder tendinitis.

In total with Changwon, Ha had 2242 games, 2895 hits, 1464 runs, 425 doubles, 359 triples, 136 home runs, 902 RBI, 242 walks, 1418 stolen bases, 720 caught stealing, .330/.355/.506 slash, 137 wRC+, and 91.9 WAR. He was very popular for his role in the Crabs’ success and his #7 uniform would quickly be retired. Ha did want to continue playing as he had a few key milestones in sight. Suwon gave him a chance at $19,800,000 over three years.

Ha was close to the 3000 hit and 1500 runs scored milestone. He was up to #2 on EAB’s all-time steals list and hoped to catch Jun-Seong Noi’s record 1557. Ha also hoped to reach 400 triples, which had only been done in EAB by Yoon-Soo Hyoun at 449. He got the 1500 run and 3000 milestones with a solid 2030 with .822 OPS and 4.5 WAR over 121 games; his best effort since 2026.

The Snappers at 95-67 won a division title and got to the KLCS, but fell to 112-win Goyang. Suwon had a second round exit in 2031 and KLCS loss in 2032 to Busan. Ha had a solid playoff showing in 2030, but only was a pinch hitter in the latter runs.

For his combined playoff career, Ha played 95 games with 122 hits, 55 runs, 11 doubles, 15 triples, 7 homers, 29 RBI, 60 steals, 28 caught stealing, .335/.363/.505 slash, 138 wRC+, and 3.7 WAR. Ha is EAB’s career playoff leader for singles (89), triples, steals, and caught stealing. He’s one of a select few in any world league with 60+ playoff steals. Ha is also 2^nd in EAB postseason history for hits and tied for 4^th in runs scored.

Ha fell to middling numbers in 2031 and was reduced to a bench role in 2032. In three years with the Snappers, Ha played 296 games with 275 hits, 143 runs, 31 doubles, 27 triples, 19 homers, 102 RBI, 133 steals, .300/.328/.454 slash, 114 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR. He got to 1551 steals, six short of the EAB career record. Ha considered chasing it, but it didn’t seem likely that he’d be able to get playing time, so he retired in winter 2032 at age 40.

The final stats for Ha: 2538 games, 3170 hits, 1607 runs, 456 doubles, 386 triples, 155 home runs, 1004 RBI, 272 walks, 743 strikeouts, 1551 steals, 786 caught stealing, .327/.352/.501 slash, 135 wRC+, and 97.5 WAR. Ha ranks 78^th in games, 23^rd in runs, 15^th in hits, 56^th in total bases (4863), 8^th in singles (2173), 51^st in doubles, 2^nd in triples, 2^nd in steals, 1^st in caught stealing, and 38^th in WAR among position players. His batting average is 37^th among EAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances.

On the world leaderboards for all of baseball history, Ha ranks 17^th in steals, 31^st in caught stealing, and 17^th in triples. He also had the 3^rd-most WAR in EAB history accrued at second base. Ha is easily in the conversations as a top five 2B in East Asia Baseball history and is on the shortlist among the top leadoff men. His speed, gap power, and pennants with Changwon got him a nearly unanimous 99.3% to captain EAB’s 2038 Hall of Fame class. It was an especially impressive feat considering the uphill climb that leadoff guys and second basemen in particular often have with stingy voters.



Natsuo Suyama – Outfield/First Base – Saitama Sting – 81.1% First Ballot

Natsuo Suyama was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed infielder and first baseman from Hino, Japan; a town of 21,000 people in the Shiga Prefecture. Suyama was a respectable contact hitter with a solid pop in his bat equally against right-handed and left-handed pitching. His power wasn’t prolific, but was consistent with a 162 game average of 35 home runs, 21 doubles, and 18 triples. Despite his power, Suyama rarely drew walks and had a below average strikeout rate.

Suyama had very good speed and was an incredibly crafty and savvy baserunner. Just over half of his career starts came in right field with the rest split between left field and first base. Suyama graded as a subpar outfielder defensively, but had good marks at first. His durability was impressive, starting 139+ games in all but one season from 2016-31. Suyama was loyal and adaptable, but also liked to get paid.

He attended Osaka Toin High School and got plenty of attention from scouts, getting picked 33^rd in the 2011 EAB Draft by Kyoto. Many don’t realize he was picked by the Kamikaze, since all of his pro games came with Saitama. Suyama spent two seasons in Kyoto’s academy, then was one of three prospects traded after the 2013 season to the Sting for RP Kamatari Kino****a.

Suyama spent one full year in Saitama’s academy, then debuted with iffy results in 2015 at age 21 with .610 OPS in 72 games. Still, he earned the full-time gig for next year and held it firmly for 16 seasons. Suyama was a good starter in his first four full years as the Sting looked to become a regular contender. They had been largely mediocre or mid-tier with only one playoff berth between 1961-2016. The Sting got a division title in 2017 at 85-77, but lost in the first round. They would be just below .500 in 2018 and just miss the playoffs the next two years.

In May 2018, Saitama signed Suyama to a five-year, $38,900,000 extension. That August, he hit for the cycle against Yokohama. Suyama won his first Silver Slugger in 2022, leading the Japan League in both triples (23) and total bases (353). He was the RBI leader in 202-21 with 42 homers both seasons. From 2020-29, Suyama would post 7+ WAR in eight seasons.

Saitama finished 103-59 in 2021 and got to the JLCS for only the second time in 60 years, but fell to Kyoto. They won a weak division in 2022 at 84-78 with a first round exit. The Sting were happy with Suyama’s production and that winter gave him a seven-year, $176,400,000 extension. Despite his results, Saitama fell to 70-92 in 2023 and 82-80 in 2024, missing the playoffs both years. Suyama was on an incredible pace in 2024 with a 1.109 OPS, 8.2 WAR, and 235 wRC+ over 115 games, but missed most of the fall to a strained PCL.

Suyama had a career-best 46 home runs in 2025 as Saitama got the top seed at 101-61. They knocked out Kobe in the JLCS 4-3 to win only their second-ever pennant, joining their 1930 triumph. Suyama was series MVP and continued to roll as the Sting defeated Daegu 4-1, earning their first EAB title in 95 years of trying. To that point, Saitama had been one of two original EAB teams that had yet to win it all.

Over 16 playoff starts, Suyama had 20 hits, 14 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homers, 16 RBI, .333/.348/.767 slash, 244 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR; cementing his place as a franchise icon. He did struggle though in the Baseball Grand Championship with a .578 OPS and -0.2 WAR with Saitama finishing 8-11. That was Suyama’s primary tournament experience, although he was on Japan’s World Baseball Championship squad off-and-on from 2023-30, usually as a reserve.

A torn quad kept him out a chunk of 2026. Saitama stayed at or above 90 wins from 2026-28, but only had second round playoff exits on the end cap. They wouldn’t get back to the playoffs with Suyama, finishing out the decade in the middle tier. Suyama though had some of his finest play though at this time, including his second Silver Slugger and a third place in MVP voting for 2028. That year had his career best 9.0 WAR at age 34.

Suyama seemed to be aging well, so Saitama gave him a two-year, $58,800,000 extension in September 2030. He had a respectable 2031, then both he and the Sting fell completely off a cliff in 2032. Suyama was quickly benched with -0.5 WAR in only 77 plate appearances and Saitama plummeted to 53-109, a franchise worst. He retired that winter at age 39 and the Sting immediately retired his #17 uniform for his role in the franchise’s most consistent run of success.

The final stats had 2542 games, 2680 hits, 1469 runs, 324 doubles, 278 triples, 546 home runs, 1551 RBI, 425 walks, 1798 strikeouts, 830 steals, .286/.318/.555 slash, 163 wRC+, and 93.3 WAR. Suyama ranks 77^th in games, 45^th in runs, 61^st in hits, 30^th in total bases (5198), 27^th in triples, 59^th in home runs, 46^th in RBI, and 54^th in WAR among position players.

Suyama wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant and thus got limited accolades in his time, but he was remarkably consistent and impressive over a 17-year career. He was a prominent reason Saitama went from a perennial laughing stock to East Asia Baseball champs in 2025 with mostly winning seasons in-between. Suyama isn’t on the inner-circle level of Hall of Famers, but the voters gave him 81.1% for a first ballot selection in 2038.

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A pair of corner infielders were added into Beisbol Sudamerica’s Hall of Fame for 2038 with 1B Juan Rizo at 94.7% and 3B Spinoza Arajo at 87.0%, both on the first ballot. C Cruz Pereira narrowly missed the 66% cut on his debut at 60.9% as the anti-catcher voting bias struck again. The best returner and only other guy above 50% was CL Antonio Kercado with 51.8% in his fourth try.



Dropped after ten ballots was 2B Franklin Chapman, who peaked with a 59.2% debut and was down at 38.8% to end. In an 18-year career, Chapman won two Silver Sluggers, was thrice an MVP finalist, and helped Santa Cruz to their 2008-10 dynasty run. He played 2629 games with 2481 hits, 1382 runs, 353 doubles, 122 triples, 492 home runs, 1375 RBI, 1088 walks, 2518 strikeouts, 192 steals, .274/.351/.503 slash, 124 wRC+, and 73.8 WAR.

Chapman had hoped to be the first Guyanese Hall of Famer, but the advanced metrics were underwhelmed. Although he had 97 playoff games, he also had a mere .694 OPS and 0.5 WAR with a 84 wRC+. Chapman is very popular with Crawfish fans and had his #16 retired for his role in the dynasty. But his stats were underwhelming sharing an era with such powerhouse second basemen as Antonio Arceo, Daniel Schafer, and Oscar Valdivia. Chapman goes down as an inner-circle Hall of Pretty Good-er.

Catcher Luis Calzadilla also fell off after ten ballots, peaking at 35.6% in 2030 and ending with 8.6%. He played all 16 of his seasons with Rosario and won five Gold Gloves, posting 2132 games, 2034 hits, 734 runs, 323 doubles, 194 home runs, 763 RBI, .280/.315/.411 slash, 104 wRC+, and 57.0 WAR. It was hard enough for exceptional catchers to get traction with HOF voters, and Calzadilla was an okay batter at best. He also wasn’t going to get much attention with the Robins, who were almost exclusively lousy in his time.



Juan Rizo – First Base – Ciudad Guayana Giants – 94.7% First Ballot

Juan Rizo was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed first baseman from Corn Island, Nicaragua; located just off the eastern coast with around 8,000 people. Rizo was a well-rounded batter against both sides with great contact ability and a reliable pop in his bat. His power was never prolific, but he got you plenty of extra bases with 31 home runs, 31 doubles, and 12 triples per his 162 game average. Rizo did very rarely walk, but he was better than most in BSA at avoiding strikeouts.

Rizo was slightly better against left-handed pitching (147 wRC+, .953 OPS) compared to facing righties (138 wRC+, .907 OPS). He had good speed and baserunning chops for much of his career. Rizo’s skillset was somewhat unique for a career first baseman, grading as a reliably above average defender. His durability was impressive, playing 130+ games in all but one season from 2013-2030. Rizo’s longevity and reliability made him a well-known figure across the continent.

Nicaraguans typically were in the domain of the Central American Baseball Association, but BSA teams did do occasional scouting in CABA territory. One of them from Venezuela liked a teenaged Rizo and signed him to a developmental deal with Ciudad Guayana in April 2008. He spent the better part of five years in their academy, debuting in 2012 at age 20 with 25 games and one start. Rizo took the full-time gig in 2013 and held it for 16 seasons with the Giants.

Rizo was third in 2013’s Rookie of the Year voting and won his lone Silver Slugger in 2014, leading the Bolivar League with 223 hits. Especially with the many big power hitters at the position, Rizo was rarely in awards conversations. He would be steady and consistent as the Giants ended a 14-year playoff drought in 2015. Ciudad Guayana had hovered mostly in the middle tier since the start of the 21^st Century.

The Giants were wild cards in 2015-16 with divisional series exits both years. Ciudad Guayana was the second wild card in 2017 at 91-71, but went on an impressive postseason tear. The Giants rolled through Medellin, Callao, and Guayaquil to claim the Bolivar League title, going 9-0 against those teams. Copa Sudamerica needed all seven games, but CG outlasted Concepcion to claim their second Cup win, joining their 1984 triumph.

Rizo earned his spot in team history with a monster playoff run, taking MVP of both Copa Sudamerica and the BLCS. In 16 starts, he had 26 hits, 13 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 14 RBI, 1.127 OPS, 201 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. Rizo continued on with a strong Baseball Grand Championship with 22 hits, 12 runs, 7 homers, 14 RBI, .981 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. Despite his efforts, the Giants were mid-pack at 9-10.

The next two seasons, Ciudad Guayana finished at 79-83. They were still happy with Rizo’s efforts and signed him to a five-year, $34,200,000 extension after the 2018 season. 2020 would be one of his lone injury issues, a torn hip flexor tendon knocked him out in July. At this point, Caracas was firmly in control of the Venezuela Division crown, as the Colts would claim the division and win 100+ games each year from 2017-23.

Ciudad Guayana through earned wild cards in both 2020 and 2021, upsetting the 110-win Colts in 2020. The Giants got to the BLCS both years, but fell to Santa Cruz in 2020 and Valencia in 2021. CG fell four short of a wild card in 2022 and got to the divisional series in 2023. Rizo’s playoff stats were unremarkable outside of the epic 2017 run. That was good enough though for a career 1.4 WAR, 127 wRC+, and .863 OPS over 52 playoff starts for the Giants. Rizo had 64 hits, 28 runs, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 8 homers, 32 RBI, and 19 steals.

On April 9, 2021; Rizo had a six-hit game against Maturin. That year was his only time as an MVP finalist, taking third with a league and career-best 138 RBI. Rizo also had his top mark for homers with 46, his only time with 40+ in a season. In July 2023, Ciudad Guayana gave Rizo a hefty six-year, $137 million extension. He would remain remarkably consistent into his 30s, although Ciudad Guayana fell to the lower-middle tier for the rest of the 2020s.

Perhaps Rizo’s most famous accomplishment came on June 1, 2025 as he went 7-7 against Maturin. There had only been a handful of seven-hit games in world history and this was the second in BSA, joining Mateo Salinas from 2019. Rizo was also the first in Beisbol Sudamerica to have multiple games of 6+ hits, although Jesus Fresco matched that in the 2030s.

With Ciudad Guayana no longer in contention, they opted to trade Rizo in the final year of his deal heading into the 2029 season. The 37-year old was sent to Brasilia for three prospects. For the Giants, Rizo had 2488 games, 3230 hits, 1534 runs, 497 doubles, 198 triples, 480 home runs, 1679 RBI, 374 walks, 836 steals, .331/.355/.569 slash, 141 wRC+, and 71.5 WAR. His #23 uniform would soon be retired for his efforts.

The Bearcats used Rizo in a part-time platoon role, but he did well in 130 games and 86 starts with a .992 OPS, 189 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR. Brasilia had gone 111-51 the prior year, but had gotten upset in the divisional series. 2029 had a similar story with a divisional series defeat despite the top seed at 107-55. With that, Rizo became a free agent for the first time at age 38.

Rizo also played for his native Nicaragua from 2030-32 in the World Baseball Championship, having only briefly played prior in 2014-15. In 43 WBC games, Rizo had 30 hits, 22 runs, 5 doubles, 11 homers, 19 RBI, .199/.248/.450 slash, and 0.7 WAR. He moved back to Venezuela in free agency on a three-year, $30,800,000 deal with Maturin.

The Makos would be mid-grade during his tenure and he had a decent showing in his first two years. In 2030, Rizo became only the fourth in BSA history to reach 3500 hits. Owen Arcia’s all-time mark of 3940 hits didn’t seem like an impossible task. However, he missed part of 2032 to injury and eventually was benched with only 57 games and -0.1 WAR. With Maturin, Rizo had 315 games, 349 hits, 162 runs, 47 doubles, 7 triples, 59 homers, 176 RBI, 85 steals, .298/.325/.500 slash, 117 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. He retired in winter 2032 at age 41.

Rizo ended with 2933 games, 3707 hits, 1752 runs, 565 doubles, 211 triples, 560 home runs, 1926 RBI, 441 walks, 1773 strikeouts, 953 steals, 814 caught stealing, .328/.353/.563 slash, 140 wRC+, and 79.7 WAR. Rizo ranks 12^th in games, 8^th in runs, 3^rd in hits, 3^rd in total bases (6374), 2^nd in singles (2371), 4^th in doubles, 56^th in triples, 43^rd in homers, 5^th in RBI, 25^th in steals, 10^th in caught stealing, but only 92^nd in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Rizo’s average ranked 83^rd.

On the world leaderboards at induction, Rizo is 28^th in hits and 24^th in caught stealing. Despite his impressive rankings on the BSA leaderboards, some don’t look at him as an inner-circle Hall of Famer. The WAR mark suggested he was a beneficiary of the much-higher scoring modern Beisbol Sudamerica relative to the lower-scoring 20^th Century.

Rizo also had far fewer accolades and black ink than you’d expect considering his final tallies, so he often isn’t considered a top ten guy even with several top ten spots. Still, he was the definition of consistency and a key figure in Ciudad Guayana’s 2017 title run. That and impressive accumulations made him a very easy inductee in any case. Rizo received 94.7% to take a first ballot spot with a two-man 2038 class for Beisbol Sudamerica.



Spinoza Arajo – Third Base – Buenos Aires Atlantics – 87.0% First Ballot

Spinoza Arajo was a 6’0’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting third baseman from Maracay, Venezuela; a city of 465,000 people near the Caribbean coast. Arajo had rock solid ratings for both contact and home run power, especially facing right-handed pitching. He had a career .983 OPS and 173 wRC+ facing RHP, but was plenty solid against lefties too on a .863 OPS and 146 wRC+.

Arajo’s power was focused on homers with 37 per his 162 game average, with a comparatively low 25 doubles and 3 triples per 162. His speed and baserunning was lousy, so you had no luck with extra bases there. Compared to his BSA peers, Arajo was average to above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

He was a career third baseman with a strong arm, but he graded as a poor defender with lousy range and glove work. Arajo did sporadically play first base and had respectable ratings there. He had a 19-year run in BSA with mostly decent durability, but he did run into some issues with his right arm specifically. Arajo was adaptable, but wasn’t going to be a leader and his work ethic was lacking. Still, he became a popular figure in a near two-decade run in the Argentinian capital.

Many don’t realize that Arajo actually didn’t start with Buenos Aires, despite his entire BSA career coming with the Atlantics. As a teenager, he signed a developmental deal in October 2010 with Brasilia. After two years in the Bearcats academy, Arajo was part of a four-man trade to Buenos Aires in January 2013. Brasilia specifically wanted veteran SP Fernan Murillo coming off a Pitcher of the Year win. They had him for a one-year rental as part of his 21-year Hall of Fame career.

Arajo debuted in 2014 but saw limited usage in his first three years with no starts and 166 games. He had a full-time roster spot in 2017 with 136 games and 27 starts with promising results. Arajo grabbed the full-time gig in 2018 and delivered big with a second place finish in Southern Cone League MVP voting, leading in slugging (.697), OPS (1.103), and wRC+ (217). Those would be career highs along with his 204 hits, .361 average, and .405 OBP. Arajo’s 50 homers and 9.5 WAR were both the second-best of his career.

That helped the Atlantics end a decade-long playoff drought and earn the top seed at 99-63, but they were upset in the divisional round by Asuncion. Buenos Aires won another division title at 92-70 in 2019 and got to the LCS, but were defeated by Recife. BA fell back below .500 for the next two years with Arajo missing much of 2020 to a stretched elbow ligament, an uncommon injury by a non-pitcher. He rebounded well in 2021 and that winter signed an eight-year, $81 million extension with the Atlantics.

While Arajo was famous for his career in Argentina, he did return regularly home to Venezuela for the World Baseball Championship. From 2016-29, Arajo played 89 games but started only 47. He had 51 hits, 22 runs, 11 doubles, 10 homers, 28 RBI, .242/.332/.455 slash, and 1.6 WAR.

Buenos Aires earned wild cards in 2022-23, but suffered first round exits both years. In 2022, Arajo won his lone MVP and first Silver Slugger with a league best 52 home runs and career bests for runs (105), and WAR (9.7). He remained good, but the Atlantics stunk with 73 and 69 wins over 2024-25. BA would soon rebound to end the 2020s as Arajo won Sluggers in 2027 and 2028.

In 2026, the Atlantics got the final playoff spot at 92-70 as a wild card. They got hot and upset Sao Paulo to win their first Southern Cone League pennant since 1982. Buenos Aires then won their first Copa Sudamerica since 1980 in a seven-game thriller over defending champ Barranquilla. Arajo was finals MVP and had a big playoff run with 28 hits, 17 runs, 2 doubles, 8 homers, 20 RBI, 1.157 OPS, 235 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR in 19 games.

Buenos Aires was 11-8 in the Baseball Grand Championship in a tie for ninth. Arajo had a solid showing there with 17 hits, 14 runs, 6 homers, 12 RBI, .933 OPS, and 0.9 WAR. The Atlantics were 92-70 again in 2027, but that kept them one win short of the playoffs. In 2028, BA finished a division champ at 100-62, although 111-win Brasilia was the favorite to take the pennant. The Bearcats got upset by Sao Paulo in the divisional series.

The Atlantics then topped the Padres 4-2 for the Southern Cone pennant, followed by a 4-1 win over Lima for their second Copa Sudamerica in three years. Arajo had a respectable showing there with a .866 OPS, then was excellent in the 2028 BGC with 10 homers, 17 RBI, 1.045 OPS, and 1.1 WAR. Despite that, Buenos Aires was in the bottom half at 8-11.

On the whole, Arajo had a rock solid stat line in the postseason. Over 57 starts, he had 72 hits, 36 runs, 12 doubles, 13 home runs, 42 RBI, .317/.347/.542 slash, .889 OPS, 155 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR. Arajo’s role in the cup wins earned him a prominent spot in franchise lore and his #45 uniform would eventually be retired. BA had a playoff near miss in 2029 and a divisional series loss in 2030. They then fell to the bottom of the standings for the rest of Arajo’s tenure.

After the 2029 season, the now 37-year old Arajo signed a three-year, $58 million extension. He had still been quite efficient to that point and had a strong 2030 despite missing a month to a sprained thumb. Injuries started to tank his production after that with a fractured finger in 2031 and a torn labrum in 2032. Buenos Aires didn’t re-sign him after the 2032 campaign, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 40.

Big league clubs though Arajo was cooked, but he was determined to still play somewhere. He settled for the African Second League with Blantyre in 2033 and Kisangani in 2034. Arajo played limited action with both teams with 15o games, 40 starts, and only 0.4 WAR. He retired after the 2034 season at age 34.

With Buenos Aires, Arajo had 2307 games, 2342 hits, 1265 runs, 367 doubles, 42 triples, 552 home runs, 1387 RBI, 644 walks, 1276 strikeouts, .311/.368/.591 slash, 168 wRC+, and 88.5 WAR. Arajo ranks 89^th in runs, 90^th in total bases (4449), 47^th in home runs, 69^th in RBI, and 63^rd in WAR among position players. His slugging was 64^th among those with 3000+ plate appearances and his .958 OPS was 64^th.

While his grand tallies weren’t jaw dropping, Arajo was a remarkably consistent power hitter for a long time with the Atlantics. The MVP win and role in two cups for Buenos Aires generally clinched it for most voters skeptical about the accumulations. At 87.0%, Arajo was the second member of Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2038 Hall of Fame class.

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The European Baseball Federation had an impressive three-man Hall of Fame class in 2038 with each player receiving above 90%. Greek stars OF/1B Theofilos Psarras and IF Stefanos Emmanoulidis were the co-headliners at 99.6% and 97.9%, respectively. SP Griffin Arnall joined them at a rock solid 90.1%. SP Jack McConnell barely missed the 66% requirement on his debut at 65.7%.

Four returners were above 50%, but shy of 60%. 3B Albert de Jong led this group at 59.4% on his second ballot. LF Marco Solis had 54.4% on his tenth and final try. RF Zeljko Siladjdzic had 53.0% with his third attempt and SS Nicolo Giotto saw 52.7% with his seventh go.



For Solis, he debuted at 52.% and was above 50% six times, but never got into the 60s. He had one Silver Slugger and Gold Glove over a 21-year career with seven teams. In the EBF Elite Tier, Solis had 2396 games, 2868 hits, 1400 runs, 431 doubles, 199 triples, 336 home runs, 1401 RBI, 408 steals, .323/.373/.529 slash, 150 wRC+, and 86.0 WAR.

Solis ranks 65^th in WAR for position players, 22^nd in hits, 50^th in runs, 35^th in doubles, and 56^th in RBI. Despite that, his candidacy stalled as he had very limited black ink and accolades. Solis had decent visibility in Seville and Amsterdam, but neither made deep runs in his tenure. He didn’t have that signature season or moment needed to push him beyond the Hall of Pretty Good.

Also dropped after ten ballots was 1B Erich Steinhausen, although he peaked at 27.0% in 2030 before ending at 7.1%. He had one Silver Slugger in the top tier and had 2030 games, 2242 hits, 1073 runs, 338 doubles, 426 home runs, 1233 RBI, .310/.350/.544 slash, 149 wRC+, and 62.6 WAR. Steinhausen was a key figure to get Leipzig promoted in 2009, but didn’t have the longevity or dominance to gain much HOF voting traction.



Theofilos “Poison” Psarras – Outfield/First Base – Dublin Dinos – 99.6% First Ballot

Theofilos Psarras was a 6’8’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting outfielder and first baseman from Iraklion, Greece; the country’s fourth-largest city with about 179,000 people on the island of Crete. Psarras was an outstanding contact hitter with a 10/10 grade in his peak. He absolutely mashed against right-handed pitching in particular with a career 1.058 OPS and 194 wRC+. Psarras was no bum against lefties though with a .853 OPS and 141 wRC+.

He wasn’t just a singles slap hitter by any means with a 162 game average of 27 doubles, 21 triples, and 28 home runs. Psarras graded as above average relative to his European peers for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He was a tremendously skilled baserunner with excellent speed, leading his conference six times in swipes. Few guys frustrated pitchers more once he got on base and Psarras got on plenty. The nickname “Poison” came from his baserunning exploits.

Psarras bounced around defensively in his career between right field, left field, and first base mostly. He graded as a lousy defensive outfielder and was below average at first, but serviceable. Psarras very briefly tried third base and was abysmal there. Still, his tireless work ethic and strong intelligence made him a fan favorite and one of the most beloved European stars of his day. Psarras also had ironman levels of durability, playing 145+ games in all but his first and final seasons of a 23-year career.

In July 2008, a teenaged Psarras left Greece for the Czech Republic for Brno, who was part of the European Second League’s founding in 2005. Psarras was quickly ready for the E2L level and made his Bandits debut in 2010 at only age 17 with 50 games and 11 starts. He was on the roster full-time and a part-time starter in 2011. Psarras was then a full-time starter somewhere for the next two decades.

Psarras’ efforts eventually pushed to their first-ever winning season in 2013 at 96-66. The Bandits won the Eastern Conference title to earn a promotion to the EBF Elite for 2014. Brno stayed in the top tier through 2034, although they were typically in the mid-lower tier. Psarras won his first Silver Sluggers from 2014-16, getting it at first base in 2014-15 and right field in 2016.

Brno wasn’t expecting to be able to sign Psarras long-term and traded him to Berlin for the 2017 for three prospects. In 989 games total with the Bandits, he had 1016 hits, 557 runs, 173 doubles, 91 triples, 124 home runs, 447 RBI, 384 steals, .314/.393/.538 slash, 173 wRC+, and 37.2 WAR. To Psarras’ disappointment, this trade sent him back to E2L, but he kept his head down and got to work.

He won MVP honors for the Barons, who made the playoffs but lost in the conference finals and just missed out on promotion. For Berlin, Psarras had a 1.011 OPS, 203 wRC+, and 10.5 WAR. He was certainly a top tier talent though and left for free agency at only age 25. Psarras signed an eight-year, $121,600,000 deal with Dublin to begin his signature run.

The Dinos had been a recent dynasty with three European Championship wins from 2010-13, but they had fallen towards the middle tier since. Dublin was a wild card and first round exit in Psarras’ 2018 debut, then fell to 82-80 in 2019. Psarras won Silver Sluggers both years in RF, won MVP in 2018, and was second in 2019’s MVP voting.

Both seasons, Psarras led the Northern Conference in runs and hits, including his career best 229 hits in 2018. He won his second batting title in 2018 with a career-best .374 average. Psarras also led in slugging, OPS, and wRC+ in 2019 with career bests for OPS (1.119), and wRC+ (202). Both seasons also had 9+ WAR and he’d stay above 7 WAR in each of his Dublin seasons. The Dinos would soon emerge in the 2020s back to the top spot in European baseball.

Psarras won Silver Sluggers from 2020-22 and 2024-25 for Dublin with three in LF, one at 1B, and one in RF. He won his second MVP in 2022, was second in 2020’s voting and third in 2024. During that stretch, Psarras led four times in runs scored, peaking with 140 in 2024 which ranks as the seventh-best single season in EBF history. In 2022, Psarras had his career best for total bases (420) and homers (41) while leading again in OPS, slugging, and wRC+.
This helped begin a new dynasty run for Dublin, starting with a 109-win season in 2020. Hamburg was actually the top seed at 115-47, but got upset by Amsterdam in round two. The Dinos swept the Anacondas to win the Northern Conference, but were defeated by Munich 4-2 in the European Championship. Even in a losing effort, Psarras was finals MVP. In 15 playoff starts, he had 25 hits, 15 runs, 5 homers, 1.190 OPS, 224 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Dublin went 8-11 in Psarras’ first Baseball Grand Championship, but he exceled with a .949 OPS, 200 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR.

Psarras was no stranger to tournament play by that point as a regular for Greece in the World Baseball Championship. From 2012-32, Psarras played 204 games with 208 hits, 100 runs, 36 doubles, 7 triples, 33 home runs, 91 RBI, 115 steals, .293/.388/.502 slash, and 8.4 WAR. Despite his efforts, the Greeks never earned a playoff trip, but he’s still 50^th all-time in games played and 32^nd in hits.

Dublin fell to 87-75 in 2021, but still won a weak West Division and got to the conference final, where they were defeated by Hamburg. The Dinos then had an all-time dynasty with 116, 114, and 110 wins from 2022-24 and Northern Conference pennants each year. Dublin won the European Championship in 2022 against Naples and in 2023 against Munich. In 2024, the Dinos were upset by Chisinau, missing out on what would’ve been EBF’s first-ever three-peat.

Psarras continued to post outstanding numbers in the playoffs and was MVP in the 2024 conference finals win over Rotterdam. In 76 playoff starts for Dublin, Psarras had 105 hits, 67 runs, 12 doubles, 9 triples, 19 home runs, 43 RBI, 44 steals, .370/.431/.676 slash, 195 wRC+, and 5.1 WAR. Psarras became absolutely beloved by the Irish fans as perhaps the biggest single reason they had their 2020s dynasty.

His Baseball Grand Championship stats were middling in 2022, excellent in 2023, and good in 2024. In 2023, Psarras finished third in MVP voting. Dublin was third in 2022 at 12-7, one game off the top spot. They were one from first again in 2023 at 13-6, taking third as they lost the tiebreaker to Guatemala. In 2024, there was a three-way tie at 13-6 between the Dinos, Counts, and Sao Paulo. It was a rock-paper-scissors between them for the head-to-head tiebreaker, but Dublin had the fewest runs allowed and thus earned Grand Champion distinction.

Dublin was a division champ in 2025 at 97-65, but had a first round exit. This was Psarras’ last year, as his contract expired and he went to free agency at age 33. For the Dinos, had 1251 games, 1647 hits, 10111 runs, 191 doubles, 206 triples, 289 home runs, 904 RBI, 368 walks, 689 steals, .352/.404/.667 slash, 191 wRC+, and 69.7 WAR. For his exceptional eight-year run, Dublin later retired his #14 uniform.

Despite his tenure, Psarras was still pretty young heading into his second big free agent contract, inking a five-year, $126 million deal with Zagreb. He would win Silver Sluggers in LF for 2026 and 2028 and in RF for 2029 with the Gulls. Psarras was third in 2026 and 2028 for MVP voting. He led twice in triples and stolen bases. In 2028, Psarras was also the Southern Conference leader for batting average, OPS, and wRC+.

Zagreb had brought Psarras in to get over the playoff hump. From 2020-25, the Gulls had a playoff streak with five 100+ win seasons, but had no pennants to show for it. Munich’s adjacent dynasty run was a big problem, including conference finals defeats in 2021 and 2023 to the Mavericks. 2023 hurt especially with a 113-win season by Zagreb. They dropped the 2024 conference final to Chisinau and were one-and-done despite the top seed in 2025.

The Gulls didn’t have as big of win totals with Psarras, but they had more playoff luck. They fell as a 94-win wild card in the 2026 conference final to Munich, but got revenge in 2027 at as 90-win wild card. Zagreb was denied by 113-win Rotterdam in the European Championship as the Ravens completed a three-peat. Zagreb finished 10-9 in the BGC, tied for seventh.

Zagreb’s playoff streak ended in 2028 at 84-78, but they won a division title in 2029 at 98-64. The Gulls upset 103-win Munich for their second pennant in three years, but were denied the EBF title by Berlin. Zagreb finished 7-14 in the BGC. The Gulls had one more wild card and second round exit in 2030 before falling to the middle-tier for the 2030s.

Psarras got them to the finals and while his playoff numbers weren’t outstanding like the Dublin days, they were still quite solid. In 54 starts, Psarras had 63 hits, 35 runs, 10 doubles, 12 triples, 3 homers, 26 RBI, 24 steals, .307/.363/.517 slash, 135 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. He also had a 1.051 OPS and 1.4 WAR in the 2027 BGC, followed by a .656 OPS and 0.4 WAR in 2029.

With six different BGC trips, Psarras ranks fifth in games played for the event at 114. He had 110 hits, 64 runs, 14 doubles, 6 triples, 30 homers, 74 RBI, 41 walsk, 38 steals, .258/.340/.529 slash, .869 OPS, and 5.2 WAR. For BGC history, Psarras is 12^th in runs, 5^th in hits, 11^th in total bases (226), 30^th in doubles, 9^th in RBI, 21^st in homers, 3^rd in steals, 27^th in walks, and 11^th in WAR for position players. He also has been caught stealing the most at 28. In any event, Psarras shined brightest in the big games.

In his last year with Zagreb in 2030, Psarras notably hit for the cycle twice, one in June and one in September, both against Paris. He was the fourth in EBF history to hit for the cycle twice in the same season. Psarras is also one of 12 in EBF to have earned the cycle thrice, as he also did it with Dublin in 2022. 2030 was his weakest season in EBF to that point, but by normal person standards he was still solid at .953 OPS and 5.1 WAR. This was his first season in the EBF Elite though with an OPS below one.

With Zagreb, Psarras played 774 games with 946 hits, 538 runs, 138 doubles, 122 triples, 139 home runs, 512 RBI, 256 walks, 420 steals, .345/.404/.636 slash, 185 wRC+, and 36.1 WAR. Now 38-years old, Psarras signed a three-year, $71,400,000 deal with Barcelona. Age finally caught him as he had a pedestrian 1.2 WAR and .772 OPS in 2031. Psarras was then reduced to a bench role in 2032. The Bengals had a first round playoff exit in 2031 and a conference finals loss to Zurich in 2032.

For his playoff career in the top tier, Psarras had 142 games, 172 hits, 105 runs, 22 doubles, 21 triples, 23 homers, 70 RBI, 46 walks, 68 steals, 42 caught stealing, .341/400/.604 slash, 167 wRC+, and 6.6 WAR. On the playoff leaderboard, Psarras is EBF’s all-time leader for hits, singles (106), triples, steals, and caught stealing. He’s also tied with Hall of Fame classmate Stefanos Emmanoulidis in runs scored. Psarras ranks 7^th in doubles, 10^th in homers, 8^th in RBI, and 7^th in walks.

In his final two seasons with Barcelona, Psarras had 262 games, 190 hits, 102 runs, 39 doubles, 18 triples, 15 homers, 61 RBI, 60 walks, 85 steals, .265/.328/.433 slash, 113 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. He retired after the 2032 season at age 40. Because he had a few seasons in E2L, Psarras barely missed the 2000 run and 3500 hit milestones in the EBF Elite. Combined, he had 3983 hits and 2302 runs, although the E2L stats don’t count as “big league” on the all-time leaderboards.

For his EBF Elite tenure, Psarras finished with 2768 games, 3384 hits, 1975 runs, 453 doubles, 412 triples, 531 home runs, 1745 RBI, 859 walks, 1409 strikeouts, 6254 total bases, 1475 steals, 756 caught stealing, .344/.401/.636 slash, 1.036 OPS, 184 wRC+, and 130.9 WAR. Psarras ranks 18^th in games, 4^th in runs, 7^th in hits, 7^th in total bases, 25^th in doubles, 4^th in triples, 43^rd in homers, 17^th in RBI, 2^nd in steals, 4^th in caught stealing, 44^th in walks, and 10^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances in EBF, Psarras’ triple slash ranks 14^th/18^th/16^th and his OPS is 8^th. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Psarras is 14^th in average, 37^th in OBP, 31^st in slugging, and 21^st in OPS. Psarras’ 184 wRC+ is also tied for 44^th best. Elsewhere on the world leaderboard, Psarras is 44^th in runs scored, 8^th in triples, 21^st in stolen bases and 38^th in caught stealing. He misses the top 100 WAR list for all players ever, but is top 100 among position players.

Undoubtedly, Psarras was an inner-circle Hall of Famer and one of the game’s true immortals. Few batters were more consistently efficient over a two-decade career and he was an absolute stud in the playoffs, bringing multiple titles home for both Dublin and Zagreb. Many cite Psarras as a top ten position player in European Baseball Federation history, but it is a very competitive field.

The big debates often are between Psarras and his Hall of Fame classmate and Greek compatriot Stefanos Emmanoulidis, especially as they played concurrently and battled specifically in some big encounters. Psarras was a far more efficient hitter overall, but Emmanoulidis had more home run power and was a far better defender.

Both have a case for Greece’s best-ever player, although 1970s-80s star Christophorous Zarkadis has the WAR edge by a healthy margin at 165.5; 19^th on the world list. Nikolaos Pavlis with 137.0 WAR in the 60s and 70s also has a case, as the Greeks have produced some all-timers despite their smaller stature. In any event, Psarras was one of the most impactful players of his era and earned a near unanimous 99.6% for induction in 2038.

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Stefanos “Big Cat” Emmanoulidis – Third Base/Shortstop – Munich Mavericks – 97.9% First Ballot

Stefanos Emmanoulidis was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman and shortstop from Viron, Greece; a suburb of Athens of about 59,000 people. His impressive home run power earned him the nickname “Big Cat.” Emmanoulidis was also above average-to-good for contact and eye against both sides, but his strikeout rate was subpar. He was stronger facing left-handed pitching (.944 OPS, 165 wRC+) but was plenty good against righties (.887 OPS, 152 wRC+).

Emmanoulidis’ 162 game average got you 41 home runs, 23 doubles, and 4 triples. He was an incredibly skilled and crafty baserunner, providing solid value despite well below average speed. Emmanoulidis’ footwork and fundamentals made him a reliably rock solid defensive infielder with around 2/3 of his starts at third base and the rest at shortstop.

He had a 23-year pro career with 3000+ games, although he did miss a few notable big chunks to injury. Emmanoulidis was absolutely beloved in the clubhouse with high grades for leadership, loyalty, intelligence, and work ethic. His high character and impressive power made him one of the most universally popular players of his era throughout European baseball.

Emmanoulidis left Greece for Belgium as a teenager in December 2006 on a developmental deal with Antwerp. At that point, the Airedales had completed two seasons as part of the recently formed European Second League. They were promoted for 2008 to the EBF Elite, but immediately relegated back to E2L in 2009. Emmanoulidis debuted after three years in the academy with Antwerp in the 2010 E2L season, playing 87 games and starting 81 at age 20.

In 2011, Emmanoulidis was a full-time starter with excellent results, earning a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove at shortstop. Antwerp bounced back from a 64-win 2010 and finished as a 94-68 wild card. Emmanoulidis had a strong playoff run with 17 hits, 9 runs, 6 homers, and 11 RBI; helping the Airedales to a promotion and the E2L title. Since then, Antwerp has remained in the top tier and is considered among the most successful franchises to start in E2L.

Emmanoulidis lost much of his debut season in the top ranks thanks a torn back muscle in spring training, but played at a very high level when healthy. In 2013, he became only the 15^th in World Baseball Championship history to hit for the cycle, doing it against Peru. Although he never played for a Greek team as a pro, Emmanoulidis was a regular for his country the WBC. He and Hall of Fame classmate Theofilos Psarras both became national icons for their efforts.

Despite their efforts, Greece never broke through for a playoff trip. Still, from 2011-31 Emmanoulidis played 187 WBC games with 169 hits, 102 runs, 20 doubles, 48 homers, 109 RBI, .249/.338/.499 slash, and 7.2 WAR. His star quickly rose in Belgium with a 10.3 WAR effort in 2013 for Antwerp. The Airedales won 94 and 96 games to start their EBF Elite return, but narrowly missed the playoffs in both seasons.

Antwerp’s first playoff berth came in 2014 at 103-59, although they were the second wild card as the loaded Northwest Division had Paris at 106-56 and Amsterdam at 105-57. The Airedales were ousted in the second round 3-1 by Dublin. In 2015, Antwerp at 99-63 won their first division title. This was Emmanoulidis’ finest year by many measures, winning his lone Northern Conference MVP as well as a Silver Slugger at SS.

Emmanoulidis was the conference leader in runs (117), homers (62), and total bases (396). The homers would be a career high as was his 185 wRC+ and 10.4 WAR. He had a respectable playoff showing as the Airedales upset 109-win Hamburg 4-2 in the conference final. Antwerp then won a seven-game thriller over Barcelona in the European Championship, becoming the first franchise that started in E2L to win Europe’s top prize.

Antwerp made an impressive effort on the Baseball Grand Championship stage as well, finishing third outright at 14-5. They were only one game behind both Johannesburg and Denver. Emmanoulidis was especially excellent in the BGC with 25 hits, 18 runs, 13 homers, 23 RBI, 1.227 OPS, 213 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. He cemented his role as a franchise hero bringing Antwerp towards the top of the baseball world, and this wasn’t even Emmanoulidis’ most famous run.

In 2016, Emmanoulidis missed chunks of the season between a fractured rib and strained forearm. Even with the injuries, Antwerp posted a franchise-best 112-50 season, but their repeat bid was thwarted by a second round sweep defeat to Amsterdam. The Airedales had a 99-win wild card and second round exit in 2017. Emmanoulidis was second in MVP voting and matched his career best of 62 home runs. He also had career and conference bests for RBI (144) and total bases (399) and scored a career-best 118 runs.

Now 28-years old, Emmanoulidis was a top star and wanted a paycheck befitting that status. The still newer and smaller market Antwerp couldn’t meet his price despite strong efforts, sending Emmanoulidis to free agency for 2018. With the Airedales, he had 1052 games, 1070 hits, 643 runs, 132 doubles, 295 homers, 693 RBI, 104 steals, .272/.322/.543 slash, 151 wRC+, and 55.8 WAR. Although disappointed in his departure, Emmanoulidis kept pretty good terms with Antwerp and remains extremely popular with Airedales fans years later.

His most famous tenure came next with Munich, starting with an eight-year, $155,500,000 deal. The Mavericks were on a seven-year playoff drought, although they were back above .500 the prior year. Upon Emmanoulidis’ arrival, Munich finished atop the Southern Conference at 104-58. They won 4-1 over Lisbon for their first pennant since 2001, but lost 4-2 to Birmingham in the European Championship.

In that debut season, Emmanoulidis was second in MVP voting and won his first Silver Slugger at 3B, leading the conference with 9.9 WAR. He actually had a surprisingly poor .566 OPS in the playoffs, but fared much better in the BGC with a .906 OPS and 163 wRC+. Munich finished 8-11 in their first appearance in the event. They soon became a regular qualifier and perennial powerhouse in the Southern Conference.

The Mavericks missed the playoffs in 2019 despite Emmanoulidis’ Silver Slugger seaosn, but began a 13-year playoff streak in 2020. In all but the first and final years of that stretch, Munich was a division champ as well. It started as a 99-63 wild card, but they upset top seed Naples in the second round and bested Zurich 4-1 for the pennant. Munich then beat Dublin 4-2 for their first European Championship since 1988.

Emmanoulidis won another Slugger and was third in MVP voting for 2020. Again, his playoff stats were surprisingly pedestrian with a .764 OPS and his BGC results were about the same. Munich finished 11-8, one of three teams tied for fifth. Emmanoulidis’ production was remarkably consistent in the next few years for the Mavericks with Silver Sluggers in 2022, 24, 26, and 29; all at third base. He was third in 2024’s MVP voting and hit for the cycle in 2022.

Munich was 101-61 in 2021 and repeated as European Champion, ousting Hamburg in the finale. Emmanoulidis had a much stronger postseason with a .982 OPS and had a 1.013 OPS in the BGC as the Mavericks again were 11-8, this time one of five teams tied in fourth. The tiebreaker officially placed them seventh. Munich had the top record in 2022 at 107-55, but the three-peat bid was denied in a 4-3 Southern Conference finals loss to Naples.

The Mavericks were a division champ at 94-68 and a big underdog to 113-win Zagreb, but shocked the Gulls 4-1 in the conference finals. Emmanoulidis was series MVP and had a .908 OPS over the playoff run. Munich lost 4-2 in a finals rematch against Dublin. Once more in the BGC, the Mavericks were 11-8 and in a three-way tie for fifth. It was an okay effort by Emmanoulidis at .798 OPS and 0.7 WAR.

Munich won 106 and 100 games the next two years, but had a second round exit and conference finals defeat, respectively. After the 2024 season, Emmanoulidis signed a three-year, $75,600,000 extension. The Mavericks returned to the top spot in 2026 at 100-62, again thwarting Zagreb for the conference pennant. Munich fell 4-2 to Rotterdam in the European Championship, giving the Ravens a repeat.

The Mavericks finally didn’t finish 11-8 in the BGC, improving to 12-7. They were one of six teams with the third-most most wins and were at the top of that heap after tiebreakers were sorted. Because of a fractured hand, Emmanoulidis only played five games in the event. In 2027, Zagreb finally got the better of Munich in the Southern Conference Championship.

Now 38-years old, Emmanoulidis signed another three-year, $71,600,000 extension with Munich. To that point, his production had been mostly consistently strong. He had a dip in 2028 though and suffered a broken bone in his elbow in late June, putting him out nine months. The Mavericks won another pennant with Emmanoulidis on the shelf, but lost the EBF finale 4-3 to Hanover. They were mid-tier in the BGC at 10-9.

Emmanoulidis had a remarkable bounce back in 2029 at age 39 with 35 homers, 111 RBI, .986 OPS, and 8.7 WAR; winning his eighth and final Silver Slugger in the top tier. Munich was the top seed at 103-59, but Zagreb swept them in the conference finals. In January 2030, Emmanoulidis got another extension at $70,600,000 over three years. He had one more strong season in 2030, then fell to merely okay production in 2031.

Munich had their best record of the streak in 2030 at 114-48, but was shocked in the conference finals by the recently promoted Cluj-Napoca. The Mavericks were 99-64 in 2031, winning the division on a tiebreaker game with Barcelona. They got revenge on the Paladins in the second round, then survived 4-3 in the conference finals over Zurich. Munich got a rematch with Hanover and this time prevailed 4-1 for their third European Championship ring of the streak. The Mavericks were one of five tied at 12-9 in the BGC, officially placing ninth.

Emmanoulidis’ playoff stats were a mixed bag, especially in the later years. Overall in 141 games with Munich, he had 133 hits, 81 runs, 21 doubles, 5 triples, 27 home runs, 92 RBI, .252/.309/.464 slash, 115 wRC+, and 3.6 WAR. Even if he wasn’t dominant in the playoffs, you couldn’t deny his role in Munich’s epic run. Over 15 seasons, the Mavericks had 14 playoff trips, three EBF titles, six conference titles, 11 conference finals appearances, and 12 division titles; averaging 99.9 wins per season. It was one of the most impressive sustained runs in EBF history.

Adding his Antwerp playoff stats, Emmanoulidis’ career numbers in the top tier saw 174 games, 169 hits, 105 runs, 26 doubles, 5 triples, 37 home runs, 110 RBI, 52 walks, 152 strikeouts, 19 steals .258/.317/.483 slash, 125 wRC+, and 5.4 WAR. Emmanoulidis is the career playoff leader for games, at-bats (654), and RBI and is tied for the most runs with Psarras. Emmanoulidis is also second in hits, total bases (316), and doubles, plus third in homers.

Emmanoulidis’ career stats in the Baseball Grand Championship were more impressive than his EBF numbers. In 120 games, he had 114 hits, 77 runs, 12 doubles, 45 home runs, 76 RBI, .261/.343/.602 slash, .945 OPS, and 5.8 WAR. In BGC history, Emmanoulidis is fourth in games, third in runs, third in hits, third in total bases (263), fourth in homers, eighth in RBI, and eighth in WAR among position players.

2032 was the final year of Munich’s playoff streak, a 90-72 wild card and a first round exit. After a poor spring training, Emmanoulidis was benched and only played 34 games with two starts. He retired that winter at age 43, immediately seeing his #32 uniform retired by the Mavericks for his role in the dynasty. In total, Emmanoulidis had 1987 games with 2159 hits, 1221 runs, 304 doubles, 58 triples, 480 homers, 1373 RBI, 582 walks, 1395 strikeouts, 201 steals, .302/.359/.562 slash, 157 wRC+, and 92.5 WAR. You could argue the Munich tenure alone made him a worthy Hall of Fame candidate.

Adding his Antwerp stats, Emmanoulidis’ final tallies in the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier was 2793 games, 3043 hits, 1776 runs, 405 doubles, 76 triples, 737 home runs, 1961 RBI, 770 walks, 1964 strikeouts, 298 steals, .298/.352/.569 slash, 159 wRC+, and 139.1 WAR. Emmanoulidis ranks 15^th in games, 12^th in runs, 15^th in hits, 11^th in total bases (5811), 51^st in doubles, 8^th in homers, 8^th in RBI, 68^th in walks, 27^th in strikeouts, and 6^th in WAR among position players.

Emmanoulidis cracks the top 100 in WAR for all players ever in baseball history, rating 83^rd at induction. He is ahead of his classmate Psarras (130.9), but it is a fierce debate among Greek fans which of their two brethren was better. Psarras was the far more efficient hitter and was a far better playoff performer, although both had similar outstanding team successes. Emmanoulidis had him beat for power stats and Emmanoulidis was a reliably positive value defender, while Psarras stunk defensively.

The debates intensified as they became on the field rivals, despite being friends and teammates during the WBC with Greece. They battled in the Munich-Dublin European Championship battles and then again when Psarras joined Zagreb in his later years. Regardless of how you might rank them, both are clearly among the immortals in European baseball history.

The case can certainly be made for Emmanoulidis as a top ten position player in European Baseball Federation history. Few guys saw more victories on the field with Emmanoulidis not only leading Munich’s epic dynasty run, but helping Antwerp to promotion and a European Championship. At 97.9%, Emmanoulidis stood beside his countryman Psarras as part of EBF’s three-man Hall of Fame class for 2038.



Griffin Arnall – Starting Pitcher – Lisbon Clippers – 90.1% First Ballot

Griffin Arnall was a 6’7’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Arnall was the fourth from the Republic of Ireland to earn EBF HOF honors and the first pitcher, although the title for best Irish pitcher unanimously goes to MLB legend Ned Giles. The lanky Arnall was known for excellent stuff and control along with average movement. His stamina was fairly average relative to other European aces.

His fastball peaked in the 98-100 mph range as part of a three-pitch arsenal. Arnall’s strongest two pitches were his curveball and changeup, as he was a master at changing speeds to get whiffs. He graded as a very good defensive pitcher with a solid pickoff move. Arnall had impressive durability for most of his run, tossing 210+ innings each year from 2017-30. The biggest criticism was his personality, as he was viewed as a selfish loner with a lackluster work ethic.

You couldn’t ignore the natural talent and scouts always appreciate tall pitchers that throw hard. In July 2011, a teenage Arnall was signed by Lisbon to a developmental deal. The Clippers at that point had been consistently a middle-tier franchise in the 21^st Century. They had rarely made the playoffs, but were usually at or above .500. Arnall spent around five years in their academy in Portugal before debuting in 2016 with four starts with promising results.

Arnall was a full-time starter for the next seven years for Lisbon and led the Southern Conference in strikeouts for both 2020 and 2023. He took third in 2017’s Rookie of the Year voting, then was third in 2018’s Pitcher of the Year voting. Arnall tossed his lone no-hitter on September 13, 2023 with 11 strikeouts facing Dnipro.

For the Clippers, he was reliably good for 250+ strikeouts, around 5-7 WAR, and an ERA in the upper twos or low threes. Lisbon broke through in 2018 at 103-59, but fell 4-1 to top seed Munich in the conference finals. In his playoff debut, Arnall had a 1.59 ERA over 17 innings. Lisbon had a first round exit as a wild card in 2022, but otherwise hovered in the 80s for wins during Arnall’s stay.

Arnall’s stock was high off his 2023 campaign and the 29-year old was itching for the big free agency payday. For the Clippers, he finished with a 101-67 record, 3.00 ERA, 1713.1 innings, 1927 strikeouts, 273 walks, 48 complete games, 20 shutouts, 127 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 41.4 WAR. Despite his successes, Arnall isn’t really viewed as a Lisbon legend, especially since he left when he did. He didn’t move too far geographically, hopping to Spain on a six-year, $98,600,000 deal with Madrid.

This was a down era for the Conquistadors, who stayed in the 70s win range in Arnall’s tenure. They were good enough to avoid relegation, but never a contender. Arnall pitched well though and won his lone ERA title in 2025 at 2.21, taking Pitcher of the Year honors. He matched the 2.21 ERA in 2026 and was third in POTY voting. 2026 would be Arnall’s career best WAR at 7.1.

He maintained stronger production with Madrid as he had in Lisbon. With the Conquistadors, Arnall had a 58-49 record, 2.76 ERA, 1057 innings, 1190 strikeouts, 149 walks, 137 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 29.3 WAR. In his fifth season with the Conquistadors, he had a weaker first half with a 3.56 ERA over 141.2 innings. Madrid wasn’t competitive and listened to offers, trading Arnall in mid-July to Seville for two prospects.

Arnall had a lackluster 4.55 ERA in 87 innings on the back-end for the Stingrays, although his FIP suggested bad luck. Seville finished at 82-80 and Arnall declined the player option year left on his deal, returning to free agency. He went back to his home city of Dublin on a four-year, $74,400,000 deal. The Dinos had been a dynasty earlier in the 2020s, but had finished 75-87 in 2028, their first losing season since 2017.

Although this was Arnall’s return to Dublin, he had been a regular with the Irish team in the World Baseball Championship. His WBC results were surprisingly middling with a 3.52 ERA in 151 innings, 5-5 record, 211 strikeouts, 36 walks, and 1.2 WAR. Ireland didn’t have any postseason berths during Arnall’s time on roster from 2017-32.

Dublin struggled in 2029 and Arnall seemed cooked with a 4.48 ERA over 74.1 innings. In late May, he was traded to Zagreb for veteran 3B Karl Bartsch and a pitching prospect. Perhaps out of spite for being rejected by his hometown club, Arnall had an excellent rest of the year for the Gulls with a 2.43 ERA over 151.2 innings, 151 Ks, and 3.7 WAR.

Zagreb finished 98-64 and upset 103-win Munich with a Southern Conference Championship sweep. The Gulls were denied in the European Championship in a seven-game classic with Kharkiv. Arnall had a strong postseason with a 1.74 ERA over 31 innings and 36 strikeouts, although they went 2-2 in his four starts. He was unremarkable in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3.94 ERA in 29.2 innings as Zagreb finished 7-14.

The Gulls had a wild card and second round exit in 2030, then would spent the rest of Arnall’s tenure just below .500. He had a good 2030, but missed much of 2031 with forearm strains. Arnall fell off in 2032 with a 5.21 ERA and was reduced to a long relief role. He retired after the season at age 38, but did manage to get to exactly 200 career wins. Overall for Zagreb, Arnall had a 37-30 record, 3.34 ERA, 596 innings, 586 strikeouts, 100 walks, 111 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 10.5 WAR.

Arnall finished with a 200-158 record, 3.05 ERA, 3527.2 innings, 3865 strikeouts, 557 walks, 290/440 quality starts, 91 complete games, 36 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 84.1 WAR. He ranks 45^th in wins, 22^nd in innings, 18^th in strikeouts, 13^th in shutouts (despite not being top 100 in complete games), and 24^th in WAR for pitchers.

While not an inner-circle level Hall of Famer, Arnall was remarkably consistent and reliable throughout his career. Perhaps he would’ve gotten more accolades had he not spent most of his run on aggressively mid teams. 200 wins and close to 4000 strikeouts made Arnall an easy yes for the vast majority of voters at 90.1%, capping off an impressive three-man 2038 class for the European Baseball Federation.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

With a swing of only a few percentage points, the 2038 Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame class could’ve been empty or had up to four guys. Two ended up breaching the 66% requirement narrowly with IF Bakhtiyar Dolukhanov debuting at 70.5% and RP Vitali Kolyayev at 68.7% on his fourth ballot.

Just missing was SP Yaroslav Alalykin at 61.9% on his sixth attempt and 3B Tayyar Abdualiyev with 60.1% for his eighth try. Two others were above 50% with 2B Gleb Korelin at 55.9% on his third ballot and LF Brandon Chunchignorov debuting at 53.4%. No players were dumped from the ballot after ten failed tries in 2038.



Bakhtiyar Dolukhanov – Shortstop/Second Base – Krasnoyarsk Cossacks – 70.5% First Ballot

Bakhtiyar Dolukhanov was a 5’9’’, 170 pound switch-hitting middle infielder from Shuchinsk, Kazakhstan; a city of 45,000 people in the northern-central part of the country. Dolukhanov was known for very good contact ability and gap power against from both sides. He did have more luck facing right-handed pitching (.841 OPS, 144 wRC+) but had success with lefties too (.778 OPS, 131 wRC+). Dolukhanov was better than most in EPB at avoiding strikeouts, but below average at drawing walks.

His 162 game average got you 34 doubles and 11 triples, but only 14 home runs, placing him often in a leadoff role. On the downside, Dolukhanov had below average speed and was a laughably bad baserunner that was prone to the TOOTBLAN. His durability was fantastic as he never missed significant time to injury over an 18-year career.

Dolukhanov was a middle infielder with around a 60/40 split for starts between shortstop and second base. His range was nowhere near good enough for SS and he struggled there, but he had reliably average metrics at 2B. Dolukhanov was considered a pretty smart guy overall, but he wasn’t one to look at for leadership. Still, he was a popular figure for Krasnoyarsk, where he spent his entire pro career.

After a strong collegiate run, Dolukhanov was picked seventh by the Cossacks in the 2013 EPB Draft. His use was limited initially with only 41 games in 2015. Dolukhanov was a full-timer in 2016 with 123 games, but only started 37. He was placed into a full-time role in 2017 and was a regular starter through 2030 with Krasnoyarsk. This would ultimately be the longest run of sustained success for the Cossacks in franchise history.

Krasnoyarsk was a wild card in 2016, falling in the Asian League Championship Series to Ufa. After a losing 2017 campaign, the Cossacks started an 11-year playoff streak in 2018. From 2019-onward, Krasnoyarsk was always a division champ. The AL switched to a two-division format with the 2020 expansion with no divisions from 2000 until then.

In 2018, Krasnoyarsk finished 93-69, one game behind Ufa for first place. The Cossacks got the last laugh by winning the ALCS in a seven-game classic. Krasnoyarsk then defeated Krasnodar 4-2 for their first EPB Championship since 2005. This was the breakout season for Dolukhanov, who led the AL in doubles (42), and on-base percentage (.366); the former a career high. Dolukhanov was ALCS MVP and third in league MVP voting for 2018. He did struggle though in the Baseball Grand Championship as the Cossacks finished 9-10.

2018 was also Dolukhanov’s first of six consecutive Silver Slugger wins at shortstop. In 2021, he won his lone MVP with league bests for hits (205), doubles (41), and batting average (.344). The hits and average were career bests, as was his OPS (.925), wRC+ (175), and WAR (7.8). Dolukhanov led in doubles again in 2022 and 2027. After the 2020 season, Krasnoyarsk locked him up with an eight-year, $57,200,000 extension.

Krasnoyarsk was first in the AL at 90-72 in 2019, but lost the ALCS to Chelyabinsk. The Cossacks had an all-timer season at 116-46 in 2020, but yet again had their hopes dashed by the Cadets in the ALCS. Krasnoyarsk went 102-60 in 2021 with a first round exit. They got the top seed in 2022 at 106-56, but were shocked by 86-win Omsk in the ALCS. The Cossacks were starting to get a reputation as playoff chokers, although Dolukhanov’s stats hadn’t been an issue.

In 2023, Krasnoyarsk got over the hump at the top seed at 103-59, winning the pennant against Yekaterinburg in a seven-game war. They were denied in seven by Volgograd for the EPB title. The Cossacks won a weak division in 2024 at 87-75 but got to the ALCS anyway, although were defeated in a rematch with the Yaks. Krasnoyarsk was back to the top seed in 2025 at 101-61. This was Dolukhanov’s lone Silver Slugger win at 2B.

That year, the Cossacks earned the franchise’s fourth title, beating Perm 4-2 in the ALCS and sweeping Moscow in the EPB Championship. Krasnoyarsk was 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship despite a strong effort by Dolukhanov with 1.062 OPS, 189 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. He had also been a World Baseball Championship regular with his native Kazakhstan from 2017-31. In the WBC, he played 122 games with 99 hits, 41 runs, 21 doubles, 16 homers, 53 RBI, .261/.333/.443 slash, and 2.5 WAR.

Krasnoyarsk’s playoff streak lasted three more years. They had an ALCS defeat to Yekaterinburg in 2026, then first round exits after that. Dolukhanov’s playoff stats were solid overall with 108 starts, 120 hits, 46 runs, 29 doubles, 6 triples, 11 homers, 45 RBI, .299/.332/.484 slash, 142 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR. Dolukhanov is EPB’s playoff career leader for doubles and ranks 14^th in playoff games, 18^th in runs, 7^th in hits, 8^th in total bases (194), and 25^th in RBI.

After the 2027 season, Dolukhanov signed a five-year, $59,600,000 extension to stay with the Cossacks. The playoff streak ended in 2029 and Krasnoyarsk fell into the lower-mid tier for the 2030s. Dolukhanov’s production remained remarkably consistent and steady into his mid 30s. He finally saw his first notable drop off in 2031 and was reduced to a part-time role with 123 games and 67 starts with a .703 OPS and 0.2 WAR.

2031 was notable as he hit for his lone cycle on May 4 against Irkutsk. Dolukhanov was a full-on backup in 2032 with only 93 games and 43 starts, although he had a respectable .817 OPS, 125 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. He opted to retire that winter at age 38 and immediately saw his #2 uniform retired for his 18 years of service for Krasnoyarsk.

Dolukhanov finished with 2544 games, 2730 hits, 1113 runs, 540 doubles, 170 triples, 227 home runs, 1181 RBI, 563 walks, 1233 strikeouts, 148 steals, .305/.346/.479 slash, 141 wRC+, and 76.7 WAR. Dolukhanov ranks 38^th in games, 76^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 40^th in total bases (4291), 2^nd in doubles, 57^th in triples, 61^st in RBI, and 54^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Dolukhanov is 33^rd in batting average, 56^th in OBP, and his .825 OPS is 85^th.

Working in Dolukhanov’s favor for Hall of Fame candidacy was consistency, good playoff numbers, and team success with Krasnoyarsk. Working against him was the lack of home run power that many voters focus on. He also didn’t have much for big incredible seasons and his totals weren’t overwhelmingly high. Some felt Dolukhanov was a borderline candidate. He debuted on a 2038 Eurasian Professional Baseball ballot that lacked any no-doubters, which perhaps worked in his favor. Dolukhanov got 70.5%, just crossing the 66% threshold for a first ballot induction.



Vitali Kolyayev – Relief Pitcher – Omsk Otters – 68.7% Fourth Ballot

Vitali Kolyayev was a 6’1’’, 205 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Ust-Ilimsk, Russoa; a city of 87,000 people in the Irkutsk Oblast. Kolyayev was known for having outstanding stuff along with good movement and above average control. He had an impressive 96-98 mph cutter as his go-to option along with a curveball. Kolyayev also had a weak changeup as a third pitch.

Compared to most relievers, Kolyayev had good stamina. He did run into a few major injuries, but still posted more than one thousand innings across a 16-year pro career. Kolyayev was a good defensive pitcher, but really struggled at holding runners.

Kolyayev was highly rated as a prospect, ranks far higher than relievers typically were for the draft. He went 11^th overall to Omsk in the 2018 EPB Draft and saw 71.1 innings in long relief as a rookie. Kolyayev was the full-time closer in 2020 and led the Asian League with 37 saves, winning his first Reliever of the Year award. This was his first of seven seasons with the Otters with 5+ WAR.

In 2022, he won his second ROTY and led in games pitched at 75. Omsk got a wild card at 86-76, but shocked 106-win Krasnoyarsk to win the Asian League Championship Series in seven games. The Otters then upset Volgograd 4-2 in the EPB Championship. Kolyayev was an absolute beast in the postseason with 14.2 scoreless innings over eight appearances for seven saves and 19 strikeouts. He continued with a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings and 29 strikeouts in the Baseball Grand Championship, although Omsk finished 8-11.

The Otters were unable to follow up their title run with any deep runs. They got wild cards in 2024 and 2027, but saw first round exits both years. Omsk was otherwise sub-.500 for the rest of Kolyayev’s run. He was still a playoff stud in his other limited innings, finishing his EPB career with 23.1 scoreless playoff innings with 28 Ks, 1.3 WAR, and 10 saves in 13 games. 30 innings are required to qualify for the playoff rate stat leaderboards.

Kolyayev also saw action regularly in the World Baseball Championship with Russia, occasionally seeing use as a starter. From 2020-33, he had 44 games and 20 starts with a 9-10 record, 11 saves, 3.00 ERA, 171 innings, 321 strikeouts, 69 walks, and 6.9 WAR. His 16.89 K/9 is 46^th among WBC pitchers with at least 80 innings. Kolyayev saw playoff berths in 2023, 2032, and 2033 for the Russian squad.

In 2023, Kolyayev was third in Reliever of the Year voting, then won it for the third time in 2024. That year was his best by ERA at 0.87. 2025 saw Kolyayev’s first major injury with a torn rotator cuff in July that kept him out for nine months. He rebounded impressively with the ROTY award in 2027 and 2028, as well as a second place in 2029.

He thrice had a sub-one ERA, a rare feat even in a low-scoring league like EPB. Kolyayev was his lowest at 0.78, while his best WAR was 6.4 in 2028. He is one of four in EPB history to win Reliever of the Year five times. In 2029, Kolyayev was the 20^th in EPB to reach 300 saves. That season ended with forearm inflammation in late August that kept him out the rest of the calendar.

This also marked the end of his Omsk contract. Soon to be 34-years old, Kolyayev left EPB and ended up in the European Baseball Federation with Odesa on a two-year, $11,500,000 deal. Kolyayev’s debut saw injuries cost him much of the late spring and early summer with middling results. He fared much better in 2031 with conference bests in saves (50) and games pitched (79). This was one of only eight 50+ save seasons in EBF history, although Kolyayev wasn’t an awards finalist.

The Drifters had a first round exit in 2031 and Kolyayev had two scoreless innings and a save in his one playoff appearance. This kept him with no runs allowed for his entire pro playoff career over 25.1 innings. Overall in two years for Odesa, Kolyayev had 63 saves, 2.73 ERA, 125 games, 128.2 innings, 185 strikeouts, 139 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 3.7 WAR.

Coming up on his age 36 season, Kolyayev went to Major League Baseball on a two-year, $17,200,000 deal with Halifax. He was used in the back of the bullpen with the Hound Dogs, but was respectable with a 2.43 ERA over 89 innings, 88 Ks, 161 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR. Still, Halifax cut him in late May 2033 for make roster room.

Kolyayev stayed in MLB and quickly signed with Cleveland, where he had a 2.08 ERA over 13 innings. In mid-August, he suffered a ruptured finger tendon that ended his season. Kolyayev went back to EBF in 2034 with Tbilisi, but only saw four innings all season with two runs allowed. His stuff had significantly declined by this point with his velocity peaking in the low 90s. Kolyayev retired in the winter at age 38.

Omsk would retire his #2 uniform for his efforts there, finishing with 863.2 innings, 645 games, 306 saves, 367 shutdowns, 1.60 ERA, 63-51 record, 1465 strikeouts, 216 walks, 198 ERA+, 35 FIP-, and 46.7 WAR. Kolyayev ranks 18^th in saves and 32^nd in games. He doesn’t have the requisite 1000 innings to qualify for rate stats on the leaderboard, but his ERA would be 4^th-best if you included him. Compared to the other Hall of Fame relievers for Eurasian Professional Baseball, Kolyayev’s ERA is 6^th and his WAR is 5^th.

Kolyayev’s combined pro stats had 819 games, 1098.1 innings, 1.82 ERA, 370 saves, 442 shutdowns, 80-65 record, 1753 strikeouts, 279 walks, 184 ERA+, 42 FIP-, and 53.0 WAR. His rate stats are quite impressive when rated against other HOF and top closers in world history. Kolyayev ranks 40^th in ERA, 43^rd in strikeouts, 34^th in WAR, 42^nd in ERA+, 33^rd in FIP-, and 32^nd in opponent’s OPS (.502).

The stats show that Kolyayev was one of the most efficient relievers of his time, but many voters were hyper-focused on saves. 306 specifically in Eurasian Professional Baseball was a fairly underwhelming number. The few inductees with fewer had left for other leagues and had lower inning counts in EPB. For sticklers on saves, Kolyayev was a borderline choice even with five ROTY awards and his rate stats.

Perhaps the biggest thing Kolyayev supporters pointed to was his playoff results. He was a critical piece of Omsk’s 2022 title win with 14.2 scoreless innings. Even though a small sample size, tossing 23.1 scoreless playoff innings in a career is a very impressive feat. Kolyayev debuted on the 2035 Hall of Fame ballot with 56.2%.

In 2036, he barely missed the 66% requirement at 64.6%. Kolyayev fell back down to 47.7% though in 2037, making some wonder if he peaked. A 2038 ballot with no clear standouts helped him get back on some voters’ radars. Kolyayev barely crossed the line at 68.7% and earned his spot in EPB’s HOF on his fourth ballot.