Baseball: The World's Game - Page 71

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-06-2024, 06:53 AM

Philadelphia won the National Association title in 2005, but struggled to only 74 wins in 2006. The Phillies bounced back in 2007 with the best record in MLB at 104-58. Philly won the East Division for the fifth time in the 2000s. Washington was second at 95-67, which was good enough for the second wild card. The Admirals ended an 11 season playoff drought. Last year’s division winner Pittsburgh plummeted from 91 wins to 72.

Reigning NA champ Winnipeg and Detroit tied at 97-65 for the Upper Midwest Division. The Wolves won the tiebreaker game to win the division and the #2 seed, earning a third division title in four years. The Tigers got the first wild card for their second berth in three years. Over in the Lower Midwest, Cincinnati was first at 97-65 to end a four year playoff drought. Louisville was second at 92-70, three games short of Washington for the second wild card.

Boston won the Northeast Division at 95-67, joining Winnipeg as the only National Association teams back from last year’s playoff field. The Red Sox held off Hartford (93-69) and Quebec City (91-71) to advance with both just short in the wild card hunt. The Nordiques had been the #1 seed in 2006 at 102-60.

Philadelphia’s Murad Doskaliev won National Association MVP and made history in his second MLB season. The 31-year old Tajik first baseman had been a two-time MVP for Asgabat in the Asian Baseball Federation and joined the short list of guys with a MVP in multiple leagues. In 2007 for the Phillies, he did it and became MLB’s new single-season home run king.

Doskaliev smacked 65 homers, passing Emmanuel Kao’s record of 63 set in 2001. Doskaliev would hold the top spot until 2012. Doskaliev also led in runs (124), hits (207), RBI (141), total bases (445), slugging (.697), OPS (1.068), wRC+ (222), and WAR (10.2). The 445 total bases was the third-best MLB season to that point.

Louisville’s Joshua Williams won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons. The 24-year old righty led in strikeouts (330), walks (92), quality starts (28), FIP- (55), and WAR (10.1). Williams also had a 2.46 ERA over 263.1 innings and an 18-10 record. The Lynx spent big in the offseason, giving Williams a seven-year, $85,100,000 extension.

Sadly, he was never quite the same after a torn labrum in 2008. Williams had a few more good years after, but very quickly regressed and was out of MLB by age 32. Still, his 39.6 WAR and 1258 strikeouts in his first four years remain one of the all-time great starts to a career. He’d only get another 1162 Ks and 28.5 WAR over the remaining seven years of his career.

In the first round of the playoffs, Boston edged Detroit 2-1 and Washington edged Cincinnati 2-1. The top seeds prevailed in round two with Philadelphia over the Admirals 3-1 and a Winnipeg sweep of the Red Sox. It was the fifth year in a row that the National Association Championship Series had the Phillies or the Wolves, but the first time they met in the NACS. Winnipeg had beaten Philly in the second round of 2004.

The 2007 NACS was a seven-game thriller with Winnipeg outlasting Philadelphia on the road. The Wolves were the first team to repeat as National Association champ since Montreal in 1972-73. Winnipeg also won their third pennant in four years. That had only previously happened in the NA when the Phillies won seven straight from 1941-1947 and when St. Louis three-peated from 1908-1910.

Seattle had finally won their first World Series in 2005, but then missed the playoffs in 2006 at 82-80. In 2007, the Grizzlies reclaimed the top seed in the American Association at 102-60. Seattle won the Northwest Division and earned an eighth playoff berth in ten years.

Portland was second at 97-65, which secured the first wild card. The Pacifics ended the second-longest active playoff drought in MLB dating back to 1979. The only longer skid was Miami’s 35 years of ineptitude back to 1972. Salt Lake City’s three-year playoff streak ended, as the Loons went from 100 wins the prior year to a middling 78-84 in 2007.

Atlanta at 98-64 earned the Southeast Division title and the #2 seed, ending a six-year postseason drought. Defending World Series champ Nashville was second at 92-70, which was good enough for the second wild card. It was a tight battle as the Knights finished two ahead of both Austin and New Orleans, three better than Dallas and Oakland, four better than Jacksonville, six ahead of Tampa, and seven ahead of Albuquerque and Los Angeles.

San Diego won the Southwest Division at 96-66, besting the Owls by seven games. The Seals earned back-to-back playoff berths. For the Isotopes, their playoff streak ended at six years, meaning no one in the 2007 playoff field had a longer streak than two seasons. Phoenix had won the World Series in 2003 and 2004. After back-to-back 80-82 seasons, the Firebirds fully collapsed to 58-104 in 2007. Only the inaugural 1901 season (54-108) was worse for them.

A very tight South Central Division had Memphis on top at 92-70. The Amigos and Mudcats were both two behind and Dallas was three back. It was the second berth in three years for the Mountain Cats, but their first division title since 1974. Houston’s five-year playoff streak concluded as the Hornets dropped to 77-85.

American Association MVP also went to a foreign export in 1B Ju-Won Yoo. The 29-year old South Korean had come to the Seals on an eight-year, $93,000,000 deal in 2006 after being an EAB all-star. In 2007, he led the AA with 60 home runs, 151 RBI, 123 runs, and a .673 slugging percentage. Yoo added a .319 average, 188 wRC+, and 10.2 WAR. Yoo was only the second MLB slugger in the last 25 years with a 150+ RBI season.

Pitcher of the Year was Calgary veteran Daniel Grondin. It was the second POTY for the 30-year old Canadian righty, who did it back in his second season in 1999. Grondin led in strikeouts (283), quality starts (23), shutouts (5), FIP- (57), and WAR (10.2). He also had a 2.57 ERA over 266.1 innings and 18-10 record.

It was Grondin’s sixth time leading in WAR, ninth time leading in FIP, and fourth time leading in Ks. He had almost flown under the radar despite being great with the Cheetahs. It was Grondin’s last year in Calgary, as he was sent to Boston in a five prospect haul in the winter. The Red Sox gave him a six-year, $86,700,000 extension, but a torn flexor in 2010 and torn UCL in 2011 ended his impressive run.

Memphis edged Portland 2-1 and San Diego swept defending MLB champ Nashville in the first round. Seattle survived a five-game battle with the Mountain Cats, while the Seals upset Atlanta 3-1. It was the fifth time in eight years with the Grizzlies in the American Association Championship Series.

Although San Diego had numerous playoff berths in recent memory, they hadn’t gotten to the AACS since 1971. Like the adjacent NACS, the 2007 AACS was a seven game classic. San Diego upset Seattle on the road for the Seals’ first pennants since their 1966-67 repeat. It was the seventh overall title for San Diego.

The 107^th World Series lacked drama as San Diego swept Winnipeg. The two franchises had very different luck in the Fall Classic as the Seals were now 6-1 all-time (winning in 1936, 55, 56, 58, 66, and 07) and the Wolves were now 0-3 in the last four seasons. This was the fifth straight title win for the American Association over the National Association.

RF Errol Jordan was World Series MVP in his San Diego debut, having signed after eight years in Cincinnati. In 17 playoff starts, he had 19 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBI, and 18 walks. Jordan drew 130 walks in the regular season, the seventh-most in a MLB season. No one had taken 130 BBs since 1933.

Other notes: Memphis’ Sutee Phanbua threw MLB’s 21^st Perfect Game on May 13, striking out 13 against San Antonio. LF Tito Infante won his seventh straight Gold Glove. 2B Adrian Vega won his seventh Silver Slugger.

Bryson Wightman became the fifth member of the 2000 RBI club and the 20^th to reach 600 homers. He would play one more year in MLB and end with 2167 RBI, retiring second to Stan Provost’s 2271. As of 2037, Wightman is 4^th all-time in RBI.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-06-2024, 01:38 PM

Longtime Charlotte first baseman Mason Murat was the lone addition into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2008. He earned the first ballot nod with 79.1%. Two cracked 60%, but fell short of the 66% requirement. RF Xavier Chojnacki had 60.9% on his fifth ballot, while SP Chris Doyle had 60.6% in his debut.

The other players to crack 50% was CF Will Kemme with 59.6% on his fourth go, 2B Chaz Cimarron at 58.6% in his debut, RF Mike Castaneda with 55.6% in his seventh try, CL Brendan Gordon at 55.0% on his third ballot, SP Ollie Husband at 53.3% on his tenth attempt, RF Brian Ostrovskaya at 51.7% for his fourth stab, and C Elliot McKay debuting at 51.0%.

It was the last shot for Husband, who peaked at 59.0% in 2004 after starting at 42.3%. In 15 years between six teams, he had a 233-176 record, 3.57 ERA, 3646 innings, 3464 strikeouts, 1570 walks, 107 ERA+, and 58.0 WAR. Husband didn’t have big awards and really only led the league in a bad stat, retiring with the fifth most walks of any MLB pitcher. He had nice longevity, but wasn’t dominant enough to deserve the nod.

Also dropped was reliever Alex Cantos, who came painfully close with 65.6% in 2003. He was often in the high 50% range or 60s, but ended at a low of 46.7%. In 16 years with seven teams, Cantos won two Reliever of the Year awards and two World Series rings, posting 262 saves and 350 shutdowns, 2.07 ERA, 906.2 innings, 1004 strikeouts, 183 ERA+, and 30.6 WAR. His rate stats were comparable to some other relievers that had gotten the nod, but he didn’t have the magical 300 save number, keeping Cantos on the outside.

Catcher Evan Bogdan got dropped after ten years as well, ending at a low of 36.1% after largely staying in the 40s. He peaked with 49.3% in 2004. Over 21 years primarily with Hartford and Ottawa, Bogdan had two Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, 2197 hits, 1119 runs, 342 doubles, 307 home runs, 1085 RBI, a .264/.343/.426 slash, 127 wRC+, and 82.3 WAR.

As of 2037, Bogdan has the eighth most WAR accrued by a catcher, but the voters are always harsh on the position for the lower tallies that come with the spot. Bogdan was also hurt by the lack of awards and wasn’t often considered the best at the spot. He had remarkable longevity at the spot, but it wasn’t enough to get across the line.

Mason Murat – First Base – Charlotte Canaries – 79.1% First Ballot

Mason Murat was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Farragut, Tennessee; a town of 23,500 within the Knoxville metropolitan area. Murat was an incredibly well-rounded hitter who wasn’t amazing at one thing, but above average to good across the board. He was a solid contact hitter with a great eye and a solid strikeout rate. Murat wasn’t going to lead the league in power stats, but he still reliably got around 30 home runs and 30 doubles per 162 games.

While his bat was great, Murat was abysmally slow on the basepaths. His instincts weren’t bad, but he had zero speed. Murat’s only starts in the field were at first base with about 1/6 of his starts as a designated hitter. He was a mediocre defender, but his bat more than made up for that. Murat was an ironman that started 154+ games in 17 consecutive seasons. You knew each week that he’d be there ready to go with a reliably consistent bat.

Murat played college baseball for Ohio University and won a Silver Slugger as a DH in his junior season. That got the attention of Charlotte, who picked him with the 14^th pick of the 1982 MLB Draft. Murat and the Canaries couldn’t come to terms and he went back to the Bobcats. He won another Silver Slugger and finished his college career with 192 starts, 223 hits, 106 runs, 30 doubles, 58 home runs, 158 RBI, 109 walks, a .297/.385/.574 slash, 181 wRC+, and 11.4 WAR.

Despite being spurned the first time, Charlotte was still very interested in Murat. In the 1983 MLB Draft, the Canaries picked him 15^th overall and were able to lock him down. Murat saw limited use in his first two seasons, making only 83 starts and playing 163 games. He earned a full-time role in 1986 and was a MLB starter unabated through the 2000 campaign.

Murat led the American Association in 1987 with 205 hits. That was the only time in his entire career he was a league leader, as he didn’t get you big stats. He was generally consistent, apart from weak efforts in 1988 and 1989. In his other ten full seasons with Charlotte, Murat regularly posted 4+ WAR.

He was a very popular player with Canaries fans as a reliable part of the ballpark experience for more than a decade. Despite that, Murat’s #4 uniform was never retired by the squad. Charlotte lost in the AACS in 1986 and wouldn’t get back to the playoffs for the rest of his tenure. They were stuck in the mid-tier, often finishing just above .500. Despite one berth in 14 years, the Canaries averaged 84.1 wins per season while Murat was there.

In the summer of 1991, Murat signed a seven-year, $18,960,000 extension. Despite his lack of big stats and the competition at the position, Murat won Silver Sluggers in 1991 and 1993 at first base and at DH in 1997 for Charlotte. In total with the Canaries, Murat had 2367 hits, 1186 runs, 374 doubles, 376 home runs, 1245 RBI, a .303/.364/.502 slash, 136 wRC+, and 57.1 WAR. As of 2037, he’s second in hits and runs, third in starts, and fourth in offensive WAR in franchise history.

Charlotte bought out the last year of his deal after the 1997 season, making Murat a free agent at age 35. He signed a three-year, $12,480,000 deal with Calgary and won his fourth Silver Slugger in 2000 as a DH. Murat had the same reliable production with the Cheetahs in three years, posting 14.2 WAR, a .312/.371/.497 slash, 137 wRC+, 585 hits, 290 runs, and 75 home runs.

Murat was a free agent again in 2001 at age 38 and signed a two-year, $14,500,000 deal with San Francisco. While there, he reached the 3000 career hit, 500 homer, and 1500 run milestones. Murat’s numbers decreased a little bit, but he still posted 6.8 WAR in two full seasons with a .287/.351/.474 slash and 130 wRC+.

Although 2002 was his last season, Murat didn’t officially retire until the winter of 2004. He had hoped his reliable bat still had a place, but most teams wanted more power and youth out of their DH spot. Murat was 42 years old when he officially inked the retirement papers.

Murat finished with 3300 hits, 1650 runs, 534 doubles, 506 home runs, 1749 RBI, 1075 walks, a .303/.364/.498 slash, 136 wRC+, and 78.2 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 28^th all-time in hits, 20^th in doubles, 46^th in RBI, and 69^th in runs. He’s also one of only seven MLB Hall of Famers to have reached 3000 hits, 1500 runs, 1500 RBI, 500 homers, 500 doubles, and 1000 walks in a career.

That said, there were those that dismissed him as a compiler and used his lack of dominance and playoff success against him. Plus, Murat’s defense and baserunning were both lousy. Still, those batting accumulations tick all of the boxes and then some, making Murat a first ballot pick at 79.1%. He would be the only inductee into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2008.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-06-2024, 06:53 PM

Two players were added into the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2008. Pitcher Marvin Ramos was the headliner with a first ballot selection with 83.1%. CF Manuel Rodriguez joined him narrowly at 66.7% on his sixth ballot. Rodriguez was an odd case making the CABA Hall despite having more time spent in MLB. CABA officials granted his request to wear St. Louis Cardinals garb for his CABA induction despite that obviously not being a CABA team.

No other players were above 50% in 2008. Notably dropped after ten ballots was reliever Juan Carrillo, who had a 14-year career between CABA, MLB, and BSA. In CABA, the Honduran had two Reliever of the Year awards, 267 saves, 2.52 ERA, 739 innings, 898 strikeouts, 144 ERA+, and 19.7 WAR. He didn’t have the longevity or crazy dominance to get the nod. Carrillo debuted at 37.3% and got as high as 46.0% in 2007 before ending with a low of 16.5%.

Marvin “Voodoo” Ramos – Starting Pitcher – Ecatepec Explosion – 83.1% First Ballot

Marvin Ramos was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Bajos de Haina, a city of 158,000 just southwest of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The city has the unfortunate reputation as the “Dominican Chernobyl” due to some of the worst lead contamination in the world.

Ramos was a hard thrower with 99-101 mph velocity on his fastball. His stuff was merely graded as above average despite that, but his control and movement were both viewed as good to great. Ramos also had a slider, splitter, and changeup in his arsenal. The often tricky movement in his pitches earned him the “Voodoo” nickname from those in the game. Compared to other great CABA aces, Ramos’s stamina was considered average to below average.

He was great at holding runners with respectable defense. Ramos showed great durability throughout his 20s, although injuries started to pile up as he aged. He was a team captain and one of the most well respected men in the game. No one had a bad word to say about Ramos as a person, considered a true class act and gentleman.

In the 1988 CABA Draft, Ramos was picked 10^th overall by Haiti, making the move across Hispaniola. He was a full-time starter immediately and tossed 235+ innings in each of his six seasons with the Herons. Ramos was a bit sporadic in his first two seasons, but had a terrific junior season. He led the Caribbean League in ERA (2.52), innings (274.2) and WAR (6.5) in 1991, earning Pitcher of the Year.

Haiti ended a decade-long playoff drought in 1991, but lost in the wild card round to Honduras. Ramos’ lone playoff start saw four runs allowed in seven innings. The Herons struggled in the next two seasons, but Ramos trucked along. He led in ERA again in 1993 with a career best 2.42, winning his second Pitcher of the Year. Haiti made it back above .500 in 1994 and 1995 but couldn’t crack the playoff field.

Despite playing for the Dominican Republic’s neighbor, Ramos still regularly went home for the World Baseball Championship. From 1990-01, he tossed 141 WBC innings with a 12-5 record, 2.43 ERA, 143 strikeouts, 44 walks, 149 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. That run and leadership helped make Ramos a national favorite for the DR even as he played in Haiti.

With the Herons, Ramos had a 91-65 record, 3.16 ERA, 1520.1 innings, 1421 strikeouts, 263 walks, 121 ERA+, and 34.0 WAR. Although he pitched slightly more innings for Haiti and won his awards there, Ramos would become better known for his second run with Ecatepec. He entered free agency after the 1994 season and at age 29, joined the Explosion on a six-year, $11,880,000 deal.

Ramos led the Mexican League in WAR twice with 7.5 in his Ecatepec debut and a career best 8.1 in 1998. He didn’t dominate the statistical leaderboards otherwise and didn’t win POTY with the Explosion, although he finished third in voting in 1995, 1998, and 2000.

Ecatepec was the ML champ in 1994, but struggled to 71-91 in Ramos’ debut season. After that, the Explosion began their dynasty run with 10 straight playoff berths and South Division titles from 1996-2005. Ramos’ great leadership was considered a big reason for their success and his #43 uniform would later be retired.

The Explosion couldn’t get over the hump immediately, losing in the MLCS in 1996 and 1997 with a first round exit in 1998. They won six straight pennants after that and took the CABA title in 1999 and 2000 while Ramos was there. His career playoff numbers were surprisingly lousy with a 1-7 record in 72 innings, 4.88 ERA, 60 strikeouts, and 78 ERA+. Still, Ramos had two CABA rings and five Mexican League rings to his name.

Ramos missed the 1999 postseason run to a torn labrum suffered that summer. Ecatepec still opted to give him a four-year, $13,440,000 extension the next summer. Ramos bounced back with a strong 2000, helping them repeat as CABA champs. Unfortunately, he tore the labrum again in the summer of 2001.

In 2002, Ramos attempted a comeback from that injury, but he only saw 31 innings with a 4.06 ERA. He retired that winter at age 36 and finished his Ecatepec tenure with a 97-52 record, 2.95 ERA, 1517.2 innings, 1444 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, and 42.3 WAR.

Ramos ended his career with a 188-117 record, 3.05 ERA, 3038 innings, 2865 strikeouts, 539 walks, 264/389 quality starts, 83 complete games, 124 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 76.3 WAR. His tallies aren’t at the top of the Hall of Fame leaderboard, but certainly don’t look out of place compared to other inductees.

Few players in the game were considered to be better people than Ramos, which swayed most skeptics. Plus, two Pitcher of the Year wins and a role in a dynasty are hard to ignore, even if the grand totals aren’t overly eye-popping. Ramos got 83.1% for a first ballot induction atop CABA’s 2008 class.

Manuel Rodriguez – Center Field – St. Louis Cardinals – 66.7% Sixth Ballot

Manuel Rodriguez was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed center fielder from Jalapa, Guatemala; a city of just under 160,000 inhabitants about 60 miles east of the capital. Rodriguez had outstanding home run power and could hit the ball harder than almost anyone. Oddly enough, he complimented that with very good speed and base stealing ability. Rodriguez could get too aggressive though on the basepaths at times.

Rodriguez was decent at drawing walks, but he was a free swinger who struck out a ton. At his peak, he was an average-at-best contact hitter and was firmly mediocre for much of his run. Rodriguez also really struggled against left handed pitching with a career .197 average and 73 wRC+. Despite his speed, he didn’t get many extra base hits outside of the homers. Around 45% of his at-bats ended in one of the three true outcomes.

Rodriguez played primarily in center field with a few starts in left. A few terrible seasons at the end tanked his stats, but Rodriguez was considered reliably solid for most of his career defensively. He had excellent durability and played 140+ games in all 15 years of his career. Rodriguez had a bizarre skillset, but became a fan favorite especially for his towering dingers.

The home run potential was noticed immediately as a prospect, leading to Nicaragua picking Rodriguez fifth overall in the 1988 CABA Draft. He was a full-time starter immediately and took second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1989. In year two, Rodriguez led the Caribbean League in home runs with 51. He added 8.9 WAR in 1989, earning MVP and his first Silver Slugger.

Rodriguez followed that up with 68 home runs in 1990, falling four short of Yohnny Galaz’s single-season record from two years earlier. He also led in runs, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR; repeating as MVP and a Silver Slugger winner. Rodriguez led in OPS again in 1991 and in homers, slugging, and WAR in 1992. He won Sluggers both years and was second in 1992 MVP voting.

Nicaragua had generally been a weaker franchise, but Rodriguez led them to their first pennants in 1989 and 1990. The Navigators lost in the CABA Championship both years, but Rodriguez was a major reason they were there. In his 25 playoff starts, he had 27 hits, 16 runs, 9 home runs, 19 RBI, a .290/.323/.613 slash, and 159 wRC+. Nicaragua would fall to around .500 for Rodriguez’s final three years there.

Rodriguez became popular throughout all of Central America. He played for his native Guatemala from 1989-2002 in the World Baseball Championship. Rodriguez had 124 games, 117 starts, 78 hits, 71 runs, 39 home runs, 72 RBI, 46 stolen bases, an .189/.322/.500 slash, 135 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR. He kept coming home for the WBC long after his CABA career ended, which kept him popular locally despite leaving for the United States.

After the 1993 season, Rodriguez opted for free agency entering his age 28 season. That did rub some the wrong way within the Navigators organization and they never retired his #23 uniform. Some figure that’s why Rodriguez chose to be inducted into the CABA Hall of Fame in an MLB team’s threads. The MLB run began with an eight-year, $26,680,000 deal with St. Louis.

Rodriguez had a stellar debut season, leading the National Association in homers (52) and runs (109) while posting 7.7 WAR. He earned a Silver Slugger and took third in MVP voting. Rodriguez never replicated that season as MLB pitchers learned how to strike him out at high rates.

He still generally had enough power and good enough defense to still provide positive value even batting below .200. The Cardinals were up and down in his tenure, but generally outside of the playoffs outside of their 2001 division title. St. Louis was the #1 seed that year, but suffered a second round playoff defeat.

The wheels fell off though in an atrocious 1999 season for Rodriguez. He had a .131/.205/.195 slash, 304 strikeouts, 46.9% strikeout rate, 11 wRC+, and -6.8 WAR. Rodriguez was the eighth-ever MLB player with a 300+ strikeout season. It was an all-time lousy season, which everyone hated to see since Rodriguez was so well liked.

He bounced back in 2000 and 2001 and provided positive value again, but did still lead in strikeouts. In total for St. Louis, Rodriguez had 919 hits, 606 runs, 94 doubles, 267 home runs, 644 RBI, a .199/.276/.404 slash, 102 wRC+, and 20.2 WAR.

Now 36 years old, Rodriguez managed to secure a three-year, $13,000,000 deal with Buffalo. He struggled though with -1.3 WAR and 72 wRC+ in his one season with the Blue Sox, retiring that winter. For his MLB tenure, Rodriguez had 1009 hits, 653 runs, 106 doubles, 285 home runs, 686 RBI, 189 stolen bases, a .198/.274/.397 slash, 100 wRC+, and 19.0 WAR.

For his entire pro career, Rodriguez had 1900 hits, 1243 runs, 225 doubles, 598 home runs, 1349 RBI, 749 walks, 2891 strikeouts, 446 stolen bases, a .225/.296/.483 slash, 121 wRC+, and 61.4 WAR. His full pro totals are very borderline for the Hall of Fame and really bolstered by the home runs in particular.

For CABA specifically, it was just six years with Nicaragua with 891 hits, 590 runs, 313 home runs, 654 RBI, 295 walks, 257 stolen bases, a .266/.330/.613 slash, 155 wRC+, and 42.5 WAR. Those are six excellent seasons, but a Hall of Famer who wasn’t around to even get to 1000 hits seemed like a complete non-starter. There were friendly voters though who tried to extrapolate what Rodriguez might have gotten had he stayed in CABA.

Rodriguez had one of the stranger cases as even with impossibly low accumulations for the Hall; supporters had things to point to. He led the league in homers thrice, won two MVPs, four Silver Sluggers, and helped a historical mediocre Nicaragua franchise to its first two championship appearances. Plus, he was a fan favorite with loud boosters despite the resume logically looking incomplete.

Rodriguez debuted at 35.4% in 2003, but slowly gained traction up to 56.6% in 2006. He dropped to 50.6% in 2007, but managed to get a groundswell of support in 2008. Rodriguez just crossed the line at 66.7% for a sixth ballot induction. There’s probably no Hall of Famer in any pro league with lower totals in his inducted league, but the man socked dingers. Years later, scholars still aren’t exactly sure what to make of Rodriguez’ career.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-07-2024, 07:10 AM

Left fielder Jin-Uk Song was the only addition into the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. On his sixth ballot, Song got bumped firmly across the 66% requirement at 76.5%. Closer Geon Byung fell short at 63.4% on his tenth and final try. The top debuts were RF Makhmud Hakim at 62.4% and 3B Shigefumi Tsukehara at 59.4%. No one else was above 50%.

For Byung, his 63.4% in 2008 was the closest he got to making the cut. He generally bounced around the 40-50 range, although had fallen as low as 22.9% in 2007. He had a 16-year career, although spent parts in MLB and WAB. Byung won Reliever of the Year in 1988 and won a title in 1989 with Chiba, although his longest run was with Suwon.

Byung had 404 saves and 428 shutdowns, a 2.52 ERA, 941 innings, 984 strikeouts, 148 ERA+, and 30.0 WAR. Every other voting-eligible reliever in all of the other pro leagues with 400+ saves earned induction. Usually that is a magic number and others had made it into EAB’s Hall with comparable resumes. Yet, Byung wasn’t viewed as dominant enough in his peak to make it across the line.

Jin-Uk Song – Left Field – Seongnam Spiders – 76.5% Sixth Ballot

Jin-Uk Song was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Suwon, South Korea. As a batter, Song was often viewed as firmly above average to solid across the board. He was a reliably respectable contact hitter with a nice walk rate, but below average strikeout rate. Song was notably stronger against right-handed arms (.883 OPS, 140 wRC+) compared to lefties (.765 OPS, 114 wRC+).

Song had good gap power, averaging 30 doubles and 12 triples per his 162 game average. He also had a respectable 22 homers per 162. Song’s biggest strength offensively was his baserunning. He was one of the craftiest base stealers of all-time, succeeding on 71% of his attempts. Song had great speed and was excellent at getting that extra bag at opportune times.

Defensively, Song played the vast majority of his time in left field, although he had brief appearances in center and right. He never won a Gold Glove, but Song was viewed as consistently good and sometimes great defensively. Song had some sporadic injuries, but he was typically reliably in the lineup over his 19 year career. His personality was once called “exceptionally unexceptional,” so he sometimes was overlooked despite an excellent career.

Song played college baseball at Dankook University in Yongin and emerged as a top prospect in the 1978 EAB Draft. He was picked fifth overall by Seongnam and spent his entire pro career with the Spiders. Song was a part-time starter in 1979, but earned the full-time gig from 1980 through 1997. He stayed the starter throughout, only missing time to the occasional injury.

Song’s first full season as a starter earned a Silver Slugger in 1980 in center field. He’d win the award in left in 1983, 1985, 1988, and 1990. Song wasn’t a league leader often, but posted six seasons worth 6+ WAR. He led in WAR in 1985 and 1990, posting 9.2 both years. Song also led the Korea League in 1983 with 135 runs scored, which was the seventh-most in a season at that point.

The 1985 season saw 9.2 WAR, a league-best 173 wRC+, plus career bests in triples (20), and home runs (32). That earned Song his lone MVP. When he led in WAR in 1990, he took second in MVP voting. Very quickly, Seongnam knew to lock Song up. He signed an eight-year, $4,382,000 extension after the 1982 season and a five-year, $6,540,000 addition in the spring of 1990.

Song helped Seongnam end a ten-year playoff drought in 1982, winning their Korea League title. The Spiders lost to Kawasaki in the EAB Championship. They were a wild card in 1983, but put together a surprise run to their first EAB title, beating Niigata in the final. Seongnam won division titles in 1984 and 1985, but lost in the first round both years.

The Spiders remained solid, but missed the playoffs from 1986-89. They got a wild card again in 1990 and went on another playoff run, again beating Niigata for the EAB title. Song was finals MVP that season, cementing his spot in Seongnam history. The Spiders made the 1991 KLCS, but lost to Goyang. In his playoff career, Song had 65 starts, 66 hits, 27 runs, 13 doubles, 8 home runs, 30 RBI, 24 stolen bases, a .264/.312/.444 slash, 114 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

The rest of his tenure saw Seongnam stuck in the middle tier outside of the playoffs. Song’s game had aged well into his early 30s, but a torn back muscle cost him half of the 1993 season. Song bounced back with a great 1994 at age 37, but saw his power and speed numbers decline after that. The Spiders let him become a free agent after the 1995 season, but ended up giving him a two-year deal.

Various injuries cost him a few weeks of his final seasons, but Song remained a steady part of the starting lineup. He finally opted to retire after the 1997 season at age 41. Seongnam immediately retired his #16 uniform for his role in their first championship seasons.

Song finished with 2789 hits, 1717 runs, 493 doubles, 197 triples, 364 home runs, 1258 RBI, 969 walks, 1281 stolen bases, a .292/.357/.500 slash, 134 wRC+, and 99.8 WAR. As of 2037, Song is fourth in stolen bases, 12^th in runs scored, 28^th in doubles, and 31^st in WAR by position players. That, plus helping Seongnam to its first two titles makes Song seem like a pretty obvious choice. Despite that resume, it took Song six tries to make it across the line. There were some voters who disliked his lack of home run power and undervalued his baserunning and defense.

Song debuted at 57.8% and stayed around there, getting to 63.4% in 2006. He had a surprising drop to 44.4% in 2007, making some wonder if he’d be demoted to the Hall of Pretty Good. The voters finally came to their senses and put him in at 76.5%. Song was aided by a quieter ballot as well, earning the lone induction for EAB in 2008.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-07-2024, 02:08 PM

Beisbol Sudamerica had two first ballot inductees for the 2008 Hall of Fame class. Neither were absolute slam dunks, but both made it across the 66% line with DH Alejandro Hernandez at 78.6% and closer Cassius Filipe at 70.4%. 2B Leonardo Salvador fell painfully short at 65.4% in his fourth try. The best debut was SP Orlando Salas, who also didn’t miss by much at 63.0%.

The other player above 50% was catcher Sancho Sanchez, who fell off the ballot after ten failed tries. He ended at 55.4% and got as high as 60.4% in 2006, usually hovering in the 40s to low 50s. Sanchez played 15 years with Cali and won one MVP, two Copa Sudamericas, one finals MVP, and eight Silver Sluggers. He had 1758 hits, 785 runs, 341 doubles, 217 home runs, 734 RBI, a .321/.374/.511 slash, 144 wRC+, and 70.4 WAR.

At retirement, Sanchez led all BSA catchers in WAR and still sits seventh as of 2037. However, BSA voters hadn’t elected a single catcher through nearly 80 years of existence. Most voters seemed very harsh towards the lower accumulations that came with the position. He was also hurt by injuries and declining by his early 30s. If Sanchez couldn’t get in, it seemed like no catcher ever would. It wouldn’t be until 2032 after more than 100 years of existence that Beisbol Sudamerica would finally induct a catcher.

Also dropped after ten ballots in 2008 was 1B Keith Ormeno, who played 13 years between Belo Horizonte and Brasilia. He had one MVP and one Silver Slugger, 2112 hits, 1070 runs, 314 doubles, 442 home runs, 1153 RBI, a .296/.346/.540 slash, 157 wRC+, and 64.3 WAR. At first base especially, that was a “Hall of Pretty Good” resume. Ormeo peaked at 21.9% in 2000 and lasted ten ballots, ending at 5.0%.

Alejandro Hernandez – Designated Hitter – Cali Cyclones – 78.6% First Ballot

Alejandro Hernandez was a 6’3’’, 205 pound left-handed hitter from Monteria, Colombia; a city of around 490,000 people in the country’s north. Hernandez was a very solid contact hitter with great power in his bat. He averaged 43 home runs and 37 doubles per his 162 game average. Hernandez was average at drawing walks and below average at avoiding strikeouts. Hernandez was a smart baserunner that could pick his spots, but his foot speed was terrible.

He was a career designated hitter that never made a start in the field and only played a total of 13.1 innings defensively his whole career. Some felt Hernandez could’ve been a passable corner outfielder, but that his laziness and disdain for defense meant he never bothered. Critics questioned his work ethic and said he was selfish, but Hernandez’s bat was too strong to deny a spot in the lineup.

Hernandez’s batting potential was evident even coming out of high school. Bogota picked him ninth overall in the 1985 BSA Draft, but he didn’t sign and instead went to college. Hernandez’s bat still looked great out of college, but his other weaknesses did appear more evident. He was actually picked later out of college, going 28^th overall to Cali in the 1988 Draft.

Hernandez only played 122 games with 55 starts as a rookie, but posted 3.3 WAR and 169 wRC+. He would be a full-time starter at DH in his second year and held that job for the next nine seasons with the Cyclones. Hernandez did miss about half of 1994 to a broken kneecap and almost half of 1997 to a broken bone in his elbow.

In 1990, Hernandez led the Bolivar League with 48 home runs and a .623 slugging percentage. The next year, he won his lone batting title with a .344 average and led in slugging, OPS, and wRC+. That secured his first Silver Slugger and a third place finish in MVP voting. Hernandez followed that up with a career best 8.9 WAR, as well as 48 homers and 130 RBI in 1992. He was third again in MVP voting.

In May 1993, Hernandez signed an eight-year, $16,400,000 extension with Cali. He had 50 home runs that year, but never was quite as strong in his later years. Some suggested he dogged it a bit after securing the bag later in the Cyclones run. Still, Hernandez was a reliably good bat in the middle of the lineup.

Cali had won three pennants and two Copa Sudamericas just before he arrived. However, the Cyclones didn’t make the playoffs once during Hernandez’s tenure. They were rarely awful, averaging 79.2 wins per season in that stretch. Fans at least got to see Hernandez hit the ball hard and the team would opt to retire his #29 uniform eventually for his efforts.

Hernandez did get to perform on the big stage early in his career, playing from 1989-2003 for Colombia in the World Baseball Championship. He played 110 games and started 83, posting 92 hits, 58 runs, 17 doubles, 33 home runs, 78 RBI, a .275/.366/.623 slash, 175 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR.

With Cali in total, Hernandez had 1532 hits, 826 runs, 282 doubles, 360 home runs, 939 RBI, a .311/.358/.598 slash, 167 wRC+, and 54.2 WAR. After the 1998 season, Hernandez opted out of the remainder of his Cali deal, becoming a free agent at age 32. He ended up in Peru on a five-year, $13,400,000 deal with Lima.

The Lobos had just won Copa Sudamerica in back-to-back years and were riding an 11-year playoff streak. Hernandez had two respectable seasons to start, but struggled in the playoffs as Lima went one-and-done both years. Hernandez had a resurgence in 2001 with career highs in both home runs (59) and RBI (147). He hadn’t reached 40 homers since back in 1992.

That earned him his third Silver Slugger and helped Lima reclaim the Bolivar League title. They lost Copa Sudamerica to Asuncion and Hernandez was again forgettable in the playoffs. His career stats saw 26 games, a .207/.235/.413 slash, 74 wRC+, and 0 WAR.

He had 40 homers and 103 RBI in 2002, but Lima’s playoff streak ended. Hernandez opted out of the last year of his contact. With the Lobos, Hernandez had 673 hits, 383 runs, 128 doubles, 170 home runs, 450 RBI, a .291/.335/.576 slash, 138 wRC+, and 16.2 WAR. This marked the end of his career in South America.

Heading into his age 36 season, Hernandez thought he could get another big BSA payday, but interest was very limited. He ultimately found good money in New Zealand, heading to the Oceania Baseball Association on a three-year, $9,640,000 deal with Christchurch. It was a forgettable run which started with a fractured knee in April 2003, costing him almost that entire season.

Hernandez played 91 games with 61 starts in 2004, but struggled with a -0.3 WAR effort. He was relegated to the bench and only played 40 games in 2005 as a pinch hitter. He had 0.2 WAR and 97 hits over 151 games with Christchurch. Hernandez retired after the 2005 season at age 39.

For his Beisbol Sudamerica tenure, Hernandez had 2205 hits, 1209 runs, 410 doubles, 530 home runs, 1389 RBI, a .305/.351/.591 slash, 158 wRC+, and 70.4 WAR. The hitting tallies and power numbers certainly didn’t look out of place compared to other BSA Hall of Famers.

There were still voters who criticized Hernandez for his perceived laziness and poor playoff performance. A few others were reluctant to induct any career DH. But enough were sold to give Hernandez 78.6% and a first ballot induction in 2008. He ended up the headliner for the two-player BSA group.

Cassius Filipe – Closer – Barquisimeto Black Cats – 70.4% First Ballot

Cassius Filipe was a 6’6’’, 205 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Concordia, Brazil; a city of around 75,000 in the southern state of Santa Catarina. Filipe had strong stuff and movement with good control. He had a two-pitch combo with a 93-95 mph cutter and a knuckle curve. Filipe had excellent stamina and durability for a reliever and was always ready when called upon.

Having only two pitches meant Filipe was pigeonholed as a reliever from the beginning. Still, he got attention out of high school and was picked 42^nd overall in the 1986 BSA Draft by Brasilia. The Bearcats hoped their second rounder could eventually develop into a nice arm. Filipe spent 1987 and 1988 on the developmental roster.

He never pitched for Brasilia though, getting shipped in the winter of 1988 with three other prospects to Barquisimeto for SP Bliase Alegria. Filipe debuted with 30.2 strong innings in 1989 for the Black Cats. Filipe earned the closer role in 1990 and led the Southern Cone League in saves and games, tossing a career high 99.1 innings. He placed second in Reliever of the Year voting.

He didn’t have the massive strikeout numbers a lot of other notable closers had. Still, he reliably racked up saves and innings for Barquisimeto, leading in saves in both 1993 and 1996. Filipe took second in Reliever of the Year voting in 1992, 1993, and 1996. The save totals were impressive considering the Black Cats didn’t win many games in this era. They averaged 74.7 wins per season in his run with no playoff appearances and a best season at 82-80.

Filipe’s efforts did earn his #37 uniform getting retired later by Barquisimeto. In nine seasons, he had 299 saves and 311 shutdowns, a 2.10 ERA, 699 innings, 772 strikeouts, 164 walks, 169 ERA+, and 18.0 WAR. He also pitched some for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship from 1995-2001. Filipe had 62.1 innings, 8 saves, a 2.74 ERA, 89 strikeouts, 29 walks, a 131 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR.

Filipe was a free agent after the 1996 season at age 31 and found an interested MLB team. Virginia Beach gave him a three-year, $8,880,000 deal, seemingly committing a good deal to him. Filipe made seven appearances with 14.1 innings for the Vikings, looking perfectly serviceable. However, VB cut him on April 26 to end a very brief MLB tenure.

Filipe came back to Brazil and signed a one year deal with Sao Paulo. His first game with the Padres saw him cross the 300 save mark, posting 29 saves for the season. Sao Paulo was impressed enough to give him a three-year, $6,240,000 deal the next year. He had similar results, finishing with 53 saves, a 2.56 ERA, 133.1 innings, 161 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR in two seasons for the Padres.

There were two years left on his Sao Paulo deal, but he was traded with two prospects to Bogota in the offseason for LF Felipe Marin. The Bats had made the playoffs eight times in the 1990s and Filipe hoped that perhaps he’d see his first playoff action there at age 33.

2000 was Filipe’s most impressive season with a 0.88 ERA in 72 games and 81.2 innings, 104 strikeouts, 35 saves, and 3.5 WAR. He won his lone Reliever of the Year and helped Bogota win Copa Sudamerica. In the playoffs, Filipe had three saves and six shutdowns in eight games, posting a 2.45 ERA over 18.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and 8 walks.

Filipe lost the closer job in 2001 and ended up with only 31.1 innings and a 3.16 ERA. He had a 1.51 ERA, 37 saves, 113 innings, 124 strikeouts, and 3.5 WAR with Bogota. Filipe signed a one-year deal for 2002 with Recife, but he only saw 17 innings there. He wanted to chase the 400 saves milestone, but teams thought his closing days were over. Filipe retired after the 2002 season at age 36.

Filipe finished with 389 saves and 417 shutdowns, 2.10 ERA, 976.2 innings, 1082 strikeouts, 245 walks, 167 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 23.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 13^th all-time in saves. His ERA was comparable to some of the lower-end relievers in the BSA Hall of Fame, but his WAR total and strikeouts were the lowest. By WAR, he would be the weakest member of the Beisbol Sudamerica hall of Fame.

Advanced stats were underwhelming for Filipe, but the traditional stats and helping Bogota to the 2000 title went a long way. Supporters argued his save totals were deflated from being on bad Barquisimeto teams during his 20s. Filipe received 70.4% in his debut, earning the first ballot nod to round out the two-player 2008 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-07-2024, 06:34 PM

The 2008 Hall of Fame class for the European Baseball Federation featured three players, led by SP Khaled Jabri with a near unanimous 99.3%. The other inductees were returners who finally breached the 66% requirement. 3B Thomas Indiani received 72.8% in his ninth ballot and LF Kenneth Hammer got 66.9% for his seventh go.

1B Luigi Cuttone was very close on his fourth try, but short at 64.0%. RF Bernard Martin got 55.1% on his fourth ballot and SP Reggie Hobart earned 52.9% for his fifth try. The second best debut was CL Dario Wiesner at a mere 29.4%. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.

Khaled “Tiger” Jabri – Starting Pitcher – Brussels Beavers – 99.3% First Ballot

Khaled Jabri was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Hilversum, a city of 90,000 in the northwestern Netherlands. Jabri had tremendous stuff with excellent movement and very good control. His fastball regularly hit the 98-100 mph range and was complimented by a great slider, curveball, and splitter.

Jabri had very good stamina and was excellent at holding the fewer runners he’d allow. He had great durability for most of his run, tossing 200+ innings each year from 1986-1998. Jabri was a hard worker and quite adaptable, helping him to become one of the most effective pitchers of all time. He ended up being very popular, especially in the Benelux area.

Coming out of college, Jabri was viewed by some as the best pitching prospect in the 1984 EBF Draft. He was picked third overall by Brussels and spent 14 years with the Beavers. Jabri was split between starting and the bullpen as a rookie with respectable results. He became a full-time starter after and quickly emerged as the ace for Brussels.

From 1987-98, Jabri had 7.5+ WAR in 12 consecutive seasons. He topped double-digits five times and led the Northern Conference five straight years from 1988-91. In that stretch, Jabri also led twice in wins, twice in ERA, once in innings, once in strikeouts, once in WHIP, thrice in quality starts, once in complete games, and thrice in FIP-. For his career, he was the WARlord six times and ERA leader thrice.

Jabri’s first Pitcher of the Year win came in his fourth season in 1988, lading in ERA (2.59 and WAR (9.9). He did better the next year with a 2.40 ERA and 9.9 WAR, as well as a conference-best 325 strikeouts to repeat as POTY. Jabri fell one win short of a Triple Crown season. His ERA worsened in 1990, but he led again in WAR and won a third straight Pitcher of the Year.

Brussels had been decent in the 1980s, but had a playoff drought from 1982-89. Jabri helped them end the drought with berths in 1990, 1991, and 1994. However, the Beavers went one-and-done twice and lost in the 1991 conference championship. Jabri had a great start in 1990, but struggled to a 4.57 ERA in 21.2 innings in 1991. Elbow tendinitis cost him a chance to pitch in the 1994 postseason.

Jabri signed a seven-year, $12,600,000 extension in April 1992. He was arguably better after his POTY three-peat, posting a career best 11.3 WAR in 1991 and a career best 394 strikeouts in 1992. Jabri wouldn’t win the top honor again because of Birmingham’s Lindsey Brampton, who took the award seven straight years from 1991-97.

From 1991-95, Jabri was second in POTY each year. He took third in 1996 and second again in 1998. If not for Brampton, Jabri might have been up there with Jean-Luc Roch in terms of hardware. Jabri had a no-hitter in 1993 with 11 strikeouts and 1 walk against Dublin. He also had a 20 strikeout game in 1994 versus Oslo. That year also had a career-best 1.97 ERA.

Jabri was also very popular with Dutch baseball fans as he regularly pitched for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Championship. From 1986-02, Jabri had a 2.60 ERA over 252.1 innings with a 14-9 record, 307 strikeouts, 64 walks, 140 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR.

He seemed ageless, maintaining excellence into his early 30s. Jabri’s final year with Brussels as at age 35 with a conference-best 10.1 WAR and a career best 20 complete games. Despite his efforts, Brussels fell into the lower tier to close out the 1990s, hovering in the 70s win range. Jabri had one year left on his deal entering 1999 and the Beavers decided to trade their longtime ace.

With Brussels, Jabri had a 244-115 record, 2.61 ERA, 3552.2 innings, 4169 strikeouts, 587 walks, 147 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 122.8 WAR. Retiring his #7 uniform was an easy choice and he’d maintain a good relationship in retirement with the Beavers as a franchise icon and spokesman.

After the 1998 season, Jabri was sent to Athens for three prospects and a draft pick. The Anchors had been the Southern Conference runner-up in back-to-back seasons and hoped Jabri could get them over the hump. They gave him a two-year, $6,320,000 extension only days after the trade, committing to him for at least a few years.

It was a rough start as in his fifth appearance in 1999; Jabri suffered a torn rotator cuff. That knocked him out for the rest of the season and put his future in doubt. The injury caused Jabri’s velocity to plummet down to the mid 90s after previously being upper 90s. He was still crafty enough to post 6.6 WAR in his return, although his big strikeout days were long gone.

In the 2000 season, Jabri became the sixth EBF pitcher to 250 career wins. He struggled to a 4.11 ERA in two playoff starts as Athens lost in the first round. Still, the Anchors gave Jabri another two years and $6,320,000. His velocity dropped more and he missed part of 2001 to elbow tendinitis. Athens playoff streak ended after four years.

The Anchors made it back in 2002 with a 39-year old Jabri seeing a limited role due to age and injury. He posted a 4.15 ERA in the playoffs and they again lost in the first round. That season, Jabri was able to reach 4500 career strikeouts, a mark only breached thrice before him. With Athens, Jabri had a 28-22 record, 3.64 ERA, 490 innings, 349 strikeouts, 79 walks, 106 ERA+, and 11.9 WAR. He opted to retire after the 2002 season at age 40.

Jabri finished with a 272-137 record, 2.74 ERA, 4042.2 innings, 4518 strikeouts, 666 walks, 344/499 quality starts, 166 complete games, 141 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 134.7 WAR. As of 2037, Jabri sits fourth in pitching WAR all-time, fourth in strikeouts, fifth in wins, and eighth in innings pitched. If it wasn’t for strikeout king Lindsey Brampton’s arrival, Jabri could have racked up far more than his three Pitcher of the Year awards.

Because of that, Jabri perhaps doesn’t get mentioned as prominently as he should in the conversations for Europe’s best-ever pitchers. He does lose a bit in the top five conversations due to his lack of playoff and team success. But hardly anyone would argue Jabri wasn’t a top ten or better pitcher in EBF history. He was nearly unanimously inducted at 99.3% to headline EBF’s 2008 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-08-2024, 04:00 AM

Thomas “The Tank” Indiani – Third Base – Amsterdam Anacondas – 72.8% Ninth Ballot

Thomas Indiani was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Cabras, Italy; a commune of 9,000 people on the island of Sardinia. He earned the nickname “The Tank” at a young age for his childhood love of Thomas the Tank Engine. Indiani often saw a leadoff role and was known as a great contact hitter. He was excellent at avoiding strikeouts, but around average at drawing walks.

Indiani had very good gap power, averaging 30 doubles and 12 triples per his 162 game average. Despite being “the tank,” he wasn’t a home run hitter, usually getting around 10-20 per year. Indiani had very good speed with excellent baserunning instincts.

Defensively, he was a career third baseman and graded out as consistently strong. Indiani would win Gold Gloves in 1984 and 1993. He would run into some injury woes in his 30s, but stayed in the game for 18 years. Indiani was a hard worker and became a fan favorite with his #40 uniform being a common sight at Amsterdam games.

Indiani was spotted in January 1973 as a teenage amateur from a Dutch scout visiting Italy. They signed him to a developmental deal with Amsterdam and he spent six years in their academy. Indiani debuted in 1979 at age 22, playing 71 games with two starts. He saw 113 games and 30 starts the next year.

Indiani took the full-time gig in 1981 and held it for the next seven years. Amsterdam very quickly opted to lock him up, signing an eight-year, $5,310,000 extension in the summer of 1983. In his early to mid 20s, Indiani put up elite numbers with six straight seasons worth 6+ WAR.

He won batting titles in 1983 and 1986 and led both seasons in hits as well. Indiani also led the Northern Conference in doubles in 1982 and 1983, peaking with 44 in 1983. 1982 was a career best 9.7 WAR, while 1986 had his EBF bests in average (.376), OBP (.415), OPS (.973), runs (114), and RBI (129).

Without home runs, Indiani wasn’t generally in awards conversations. His lone Silver Slugger came in 1986 with a third place in MVP voting. Indiani was a critical piece though of a dynasty run for Amsterdam. From 1982-89, the Anacondas won three European Championships, six conference titles, and seven division titles. They won it all in 1983, 1984, and 1989; with additional pennants in 1986, 87, and 88.

Indiani came through clutch in the playoffs, winning conference finals MVP in 1984. Over 98 games and 80 playoff starts, Indiani had 109 hits, 56 runs, 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 25 walks, 39 stolen bases, a .335/.392/.492 slash, 149 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. Although certainly acknowledged by Amsterdam fans, Indiani was a much underappreciated part of their dynasty run.

Additionally, Indiani was well liked by home in Italy as a regular in the World Baseball Championship. His stats were more average there with 153 games and 137 starts from 1981-96. Indiani had 143 hits, 74 runs, 29 doubles, 7 triples, 8 home runs, 37 RBI, 73 stolen bases, a .260/.326/.381 slash, 99 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR.

In 1988, Indiani lost six weeks to a knee sprain. When he came back, his stats took a dip and he lost the starting gig to T.J. Hill. Hill looked excellent and Indiani was relegated to the bench in 1989 and 1990. He was still well liked by fans and officials, but they had moved on from him as a prominent piece.

Indiani declined his contract option after the 1990 season, becoming a free agent at age 34. He felt like he was still a starting quality player and wanted to prove that. There were teams who agreed with that assessment, most notably MLB’s Austin Amigos. They signed Indiani to a four-year, $7,520,000 deal.

Indeed, Indiani proved he could still go at a high level, posting 4.2, 5.1, and 6.2 WAR seasons with Austin. He won a Gold Glove in 1993 and finished his MLB run with 15.5 WAR, 120 wRC+, 516 hits, 255 runs, 71 doubles, 58 home runs, 211 RBI, 118 stolen bases, a .292/.344/.457 slash, and 120 wRC+.

Indiani declined his fourth year option with Austin, as he wanted to return to Europe. He was still popular in Amsterdam and the Anacondas gave him another shot. Indiani was on pace for a banner year with 5.3 WAR over 104 games. Unfortunately, a fractured foot would knock him out for two months.

Amsterdam missed the playoffs in four straight years, but made it back to the conference final in Indiani’s return. They would fall to Birmingham, but Indiani would have a nice final hurrah for the Anacondas. The franchise would later retire his #40 uniform and he would remain a popular figure for many years to come.

That was the end of Indiani’s EBF career though, a free agent again at age 38. Despite his production, most teams didn’t want to commit big money to someone his age. He ended up finding a home in Madagascar of all places, signing a two-year, $3,320,000 with Antananarivo of the African Association of Baseball.

Indiani had a stellar debut season for the Eagles, leading the conference in average, OBP, WAR, and runs. He was still looking good in 1996 until a fractured fibula took him out for the second half. In AAB, Indiani had 9.7 WAR in 209 games, 236 hits, 150 runs, 55 doubles, 25 home runs, 108 RBI, a .320/.413/.504 slash, and 158 wRC+.

He didn’t want to call it quits with that, but Indiani again surprisingly couldn’t find any takers. He was unsigned in 1997 and retired that winter at age 40. For his entire pro career, Indiani had 2447 hits, 1269 runs, 410 doubles, 161 triples, 194 home runs, 1121 RBI, 868 stolen bases, a .323/.378/.496 slash, 144 wRC+, and 87.9 WAR. That grand total is probably enough to get into any Hall of Fame.

However, his EBF tenure with Amsterdam was hurt by only being around 10 full seasons worth of stats. Indiani had 1695 hits, 864 runs, 284 doubles, 134 triples, 111 home runs, 802 RBI, 636 stolen bases, a .334/.384/.509 slash, 150 wRC+, and 62.7 WAR. Few players had been inducted with less than 2000 hits and 1000 runs, and most of those were guys who were outstanding for 6-7 years before leaving for MLB.

Indiani didn’t have the awards or the home run power to overcome the low accumulations for many voters. Supporters pointed out his great playoff stats and prominent role in Amsterdam’s great 1980s dynasty. He was also just a likeable guy, but he seemed destined for the Hall of Pretty Good initially. Indiani debuted in 2000 at only 33.0%, a long way from the 66% requirement.

Indiani slowly gained traction, making it into the 40s in 2002 and the 50s in 2004. He got to 60.9% in 2006 and 60.3% in 2007, coming close but running out of time. On Indiani’s ninth attempt, he finally got the boost he needed to earn induction at 72.8%. He had the second highest percentage of the three players in the 2008 EBF Hall of Fame class.

Kenneth Hammer – First Base – Amsterdam Anacondas – 66.9% Seventh Ballot

Kenneth Hammer was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Vestbjerg, a town of less than 3,000 people in northern Denmark. Hammer was great at putting the ball in play as he had great contact skills. He was quite good at avoiding strikeouts, but he was subpar at drawing walks. Hammer’s gap power was fantastic with 40 doubles and 6 triples per his 162 game average. He could hit homers at a solid clip too with 32 per 162 games. Hammer was stronger against righties with a 168 wRC+ and .977 OPS, compared to a 134 wRC+ and .827 OPS against lefties.

Hammer was a crafty baserunner who could get sneaky steals despite having average-at-best speed. His range was poor though as a career left fielder, grading out as a terrible defender. Hammer was a smart guy and became a popular player in a relatively brief career.

He was just out of high school when he was picked in the 1985 EBF Draft. Amsterdam selected Hammer 23^rd overall, but he spent his first few years on the reserve roster. Spots were hard to crack anyway as the Anacondas were in the middle of the great 1980s dynasty. Hammer debuted in 1989 at age 23 with 87 games and 40 starts. He had five pinch hit at-bats in the playoffs as Amsterdam won the European Championship.

Hammer earned a full-time starting spot in 1990 and had an impressive breakout season, leading the conference with 52 doubles. At the time, that was only the sixth time an EBF player had reached 50+ doubles in a season. Hammer also had 39 home runs, but Amsterdam fell short of the playoffs. He didn’t have much crossover with his Hall of Fame classmate Thomas Indiani.

Hammer’s strongest years were during a relative lull for Amsterdam post-dynasty. They won 80+ games each year from 1990-96, but made the playoffs only twice. In both 1994 and 1996, they won 100+ games, but lost in the Northern Conference Championship. You couldn’t blame Hammer, who had 193 wRC+ and a 1.088 OPS in 26 playoff games.

In 1994, he breached 50 doubles again with a conference-best 51. Hammer also led in 1991 with 445. In 1993 and 1996, he led both seasons in batting average, OBP, OPS, and wRC+. Hammer also led in slugging in 1996 with .656. That year saw a career-best 8.8 WAR, winning his lone MVP. Hammer also won Silver Sluggers in 1993, 1994, and 1996.

From 1990-2001, Hammer also played for his home country Denmark in the World Baseball Championship. He had 101 games and 93 starts, posting 107 hits, 52 runs, 19 doubles, 20 home runs, 63 RBI, a .301/.355/.546 slash, 158 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR.

Amsterdam fans liked Hammer, but they couldn’t get him to commit to a long-term deal. He was at a crossroads after his 1996 MVP season and decided to give free agency a shot entering his age 31 season. Hammer’s stock was never going to be higher. It disappointed many Anacondas fans, but he’d remain popular and later see his #19 uniform retired.

Hammer made the trip to the United States and signed a four-year, $13,520,000 deal with MLB’s San Diego. A sprained ankle cost him a chunk of his debut season with the Seals, but Hammer still was an all-star. He was a good starter again in 1998, but was unremarkable in both years’ postseasons as San Diego twice suffered round two defeats.

In the 1999 WBC, Hammer suffered a fractured foot that cost him the opening bit of the season. He was never quite the same when he came back, posting very middling stats. He didn’t look much better in 2000 before suffering a broken bone in his elbow in May, knocking him out nine months.

With San Diego, Hammer had 481 hits, 223 runs, 81 doubles, 83 home runs, 254 RBI, a .281/.319/.484 slash, 122 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR. He played in the 2001 WBC, but couldn’t find any interested teams for the season. Hammer retired at age 35 and for his full pro career had 2000 hits, 935 runs, 386 doubles, 309 home runs, 1040 RBI, a .333/.367/.573 slash, 160 wRC+, and 57.2 WAR.

For just his eight seasons in EBF with Amsterdam, Hammer had 1519 hits, 712 runs, 305 doubles, 226 home runs, 786 RBI, a .354/.386/.608 slash, 175 wRC+, and 49.6 WAR. At the time, he had the second-best batting average of any EBF hitter with 3000 plate appearances (and still sits third as of 2037). Hammer had one of the better OPS too, which his supporters pointed too.

However, he was another guy whose accumulations were just low since he wasn’t around that long. He wasn’t quite as dominant as some of the other guys who had left for MLB. There had never been an EBF position player that had earned induction with less than 50 WAR. Hammer also didn’t have the rings Indiani had to point to, but he had more individual awards and a MVP.

Hammer debuted with 44.8% in 2002. He got into the 50s by his third ballot and hovered around there. On his seventh try in 2008, Hammer got the bump just across the 66% threshold with 66.9%. EBF voters again showed they were friendlier towards brief peaks and less concerned with tenure and accumulations compared to other Halls of Fame. Hammer rounded out the three-player 2008 EBF group.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-08-2024, 08:30 AM

With no slam dunk debuts on the 2008 ballot, Eurasian Professional Baseball ended up electing two pitchers each on their sixth ballot. Dana Bancu got 70.0% and Giorgi Mkadze got 69.0%, just crossing the 66% requirement. The best debuts were SP Temuujin Munkhuu and 3B Igor Urban, both with 58.3%. SP Mikhail Kripak was also just above 50% at 50.7% for his third try. No players were dropped following ten failed attempts.

Dana Bancu – Starting Pitcher – Vilnius Victory – 70.0% Sixth Ballot

Dana Bancu was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Braila, Romania; a city of around 155,000 people near the eastern border. Bancu was a fireballer with incredibly overpowering stuff that graded as an 11/10 at his peak. His control was solid too, but his movement was often lousy, leading to issues with home runs. Bancu had a 99-101 mph fastball, slider, screwball, forkball, and changeup arsenal.

His ability to change speeds made Bancu an elite strikeout pitcher in his prime. He had good stamina in his peak, but was plagued with injuries in the second half of his career. Bancu was a prankster in the clubhouse known for all sorts of zany shenanigans.

Bancu was hitting high velocities as a teenager, which quickly made him a talked about prospect in Romania. A scout from Vilnius talked him into signing a developmental deal in March 1980, bringing Bancu to Lithuania. He made his EPB debut in 1984 at age 21 with 36.2 innings. The Victory put him into the starting rotation the next year with inconsistent results, although he did earn third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Then from 1986-89, Bancu’s stuff was at full tilt, leading each year in strikeouts. 1986 was his lone Pitcher of the Year as he led the European League with a 1.57 ERA. Bancu also had a career-best 9.9 WAR. In 1987, Bancu struck out 428 batters, falling just three short of Artur Golub’s single-season record. Bancu struck out 425 in 1989 and as of 2037, those are the third and fourth most in a single season.

1987 also saw a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and 1 walk against Kharkiv. Then in 1989, Bancu had EPB’s 26^th perfect game, striking out 19 against Minsk. That set the EPB record for most Ks in a perfect game and tied the mark for most strikeouts in any no-hitter. It was especially impressive coming against the reigning EPB champion Miners.

Despite the big strikeout numbers, he wasn’t a POTY finalist in any of those seasons. Bancu gave up a few more runs than the voters liked, plus he was stuck on a historically weak Vilnius franchise. The Victory never made the playoffs in their EPB run, but Bancu got them the closest they had even gotten. They were above .500 most of the 1980s, but couldn’t crack the 90 win mark to snag a wild card.

The Vilnius run was by far his most memorable though despite being only six years. Bancu did also pitch from 1985-97 in the World Baseball Championship for Romania. He posted a 9-4 record over 128.2 innings, 3.01 ERA, 198 strikeouts, 57 walks, 119 ERA+, and 2.8 WAR.

With the Victory, Bancu had a 93-50 record, 2.31 ERA, 1315.1 innings, 1960 strikeouts, 243 walks, 128 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 39.0 WAR. His time in Vilnius ended after the 1989 season as he was traded to Warsaw for prospects. Shoulder bursitis cost him part of his debut season with the Wildcats, but he showed flashes of greatness. Warsaw gave Bancu a five-year, $6,620,000 extension in the offseason, expecting great things from the now 28-year old.

The deal was immediately cursed by injuries. In June 1991, Bancu suffered a damaged elbow ligament. He missed 13 months, losing the rest of 1991 and most of 1992. Warsaw lost in the ELCS, but Bancu had a 0.84 ERA in 10.2 playoff innings. He was in-and-out in 1993 to injuries, but still looked like a dangerous ace when he took to the mound.

In September 1993, Bancu suffered a partially torn UCL, keeping him on the shelf while Warsaw won its first pennant. They ultimately lost to Irkutsk in the EPB Championship with Bancu watching in a sling. He missed the entire 1994 regular season rehabbing, but did make it back to throw 2.2 scoreless innings in relief in the playoffs. That allowed Bancu to earn a championship ring as the Wildcats beat Bishkek for the EPB title.

He was healthy in 1995, but his control was garbage to the point he couldn’t even be “effectively wild.” Warsaw used him only for 73.1 innings in the regular season. Bancu did see two playoff starts but posted a 3.48 ERA over 10.1 innings. His career playoff stats saw a 1.99 ERA over 31.2 innings, 42 strikeouts, and 143 ERA+.

For his Warsaw tenure, Bancu had a 38-29 record, 2.47 ERA, 676.2 innings, 1011 strikeouts, 134 walks, 112 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 13.9 WAR. Bancu was a free agent at age 33 and teams weren’t willing to give him a long-term deal. For 1996, he inked a one-year, $1,140,000 deal with Novosibirsk.

Bancu looked good in a partial season with the Nitros with a 1.69 ERA over 122.1 innings, but various injuries kept him from a full load. In 1997, Prague signed him for one year and $540,000. Injuries again kept him from a full load, although he looked firmly mediocre even when healthy. Bancu was unsigned in 1998 and retired that winter at age 36.

The final stats saw a 145-91 record, 2.41 ERA, 2232.2 innings, 3232 strikeouts, 458 walks, 188/279 quality starts, 140 complete games, 120 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 55.7 WAR. In his brief prime, Bancu was quite dominant. But it was an incredibly short burst and he only ended up pitching about nine years’ worth of innings.

His accumulations were far lower than most EPB Hall of Fame pitchers, which gave many voters pause even though the league is known to be pitcher-centric. Still, Bancu was an exciting pitcher in his prime and some voters felt sympathy for him with the injuries. They figured that based on the rate stats, a healthy Bancu would’ve been in firmly.

Bancu debuted with a strong 57.0% in 2003. He dropped though to 49.8% and then 34.5%, making it look like he was in trouble. Bancu climbed back to 59.7% and 51.8% in the next two ballots. In 2008 with no standout debuts, Bancu bumped up to 70.0% to earn a sixth ballot induction.

Giorgi Mikadze – Starting Pitcher – Bishkek Black Sox – 69.0% Sixth Ballot

Giorgi Mikadze was a 6’1’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Russia. Mikadze’s best feature was excellent pinpoint control, which enabled him to have a lengthy career. His stuff was pretty good, but his movement was often subpar, especially later in his career. Mikadze had an extreme flyball tendency with an arsenal of curveball, changeup, sinker, and cutter. His velocity peaked in the 95-97 mph range.

Mikadze’s stamina was respectable compared to most strong EPB starters. He had excellent durability in his 20s, but did deal with shoulder issues in his 30s. Teammates appreciated Mikadze’s scrappy demeanor as he was always one to give a full effort. This perhaps allowed him to outperform his talent.

Most don’t realize Mikadze’s professional baseball story began in Kyiv. As a teenage amateur, the Kings signed him to a developmental deal in June 1975. Mikadze spent around five years in Ukraine, but never made it to the big time with Kyiv. After the 1979 season, he was sent to Bishkek in a four-player trade that included the eventual single-season home run king Ilkin Hasanov.

The 21-year old Mikadze debuted in 1980 for the Black Sox and started most the season with respectable results, earning Rookie of the Year honors. That would pretty much the extent of his awards, as Mikadze was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. He led in K/BB four times, but wasn’t a league leader otherwise. Mikadze was steady, but never posted a season above 5 WAR.

Bishkek knew Mikadze would get them reliable innings though, which was important as the Black Sox became a regular Asian League contender in the 1980s. From 1980-90, Bishkek had nine playoff appearances and eight ALCS berths. The Black Sox won the pennant in 1980, 83, 84, 86, and 90. However, they were never able to get over the hump and win the EPB title.

Mikadze’s playoff career was delightfully average at best. Over 149.1 innings, he had an 8-9 record and 5 saves, 3.25 ERA, 186 strikeouts, 20 walks, 89 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 2.8 WAR. Despite not being dominant, Mikadze notably had EPB’s 23^rd perfect game on June 28, striking out seven against Yerevan.

Bishkek was happy with the results and gave Mikadze a six-year, $4,200,000 extension in March 1988. Although he’d have some injuries, Mikadze was largely a healthy scratch for much of 1990, 1991, and 1992. In 1992, the Black Sox gave him one start the entire year, leaving him on the reserve roster. Mikadze fought his way back into the rotation in 1993, although shoulder inflammation got him at the end of the season.

Mikadze was respectable in 1994 and 1995. The Black Sox had narrowly missed the playoffs from 1991-93, but won the AL pennant again in 1994. Bishkek gave Mikadze another two years and $1,900,000 in September 1994. He had a solid 1995, but struggled in 1996 and dealt with a partially torn labrum and rotator cuff strain.

After the 1996 season, Mikadze was a free agent for the first time at age 38. He signed a one-year deal with his hometown team St. Petersburg. Mikadze hadn’t been back in western Russia much and only saw a few World Baseball Championship appearances from 1983-86. He tossed 27.1 innings with a 2.96 ERA in the WBC.

Mikadze struggled as a part-time starter in his one season with the Polar Bears, struggling to a 4.49 ERA. He wanted to still pitch somewhere in 1998, but his stuff was now unplayable. After going unsigned for the season, Mikadze retired in the winter at age 40.

The final stats saw a 215-171 record, 2.85 ERA, 3534.1 innings, 3789 strikeouts, 480 walks, 304/435 quality starts, 166 complete games, 101 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 50.5 WAR. Mikadze had some milestones the traditionalists liked in terms of wins, strikeouts, and innings. Plus, he had a perfect game and spent almost his whole career with one team, helping them throughout a decade of dominance.

Advanced stats were not kind to Mikadze though, suggesting he simply stuck around for a while with average stats. A 101 ERA+ is about as mid as one can get, plus he didn’t have awards or league-leading stats. His career WAR was only slightly lower than his HOF classmate Dana Bancu, but Bancu had thrown more than 1000 fewer innings to get it. Many scholars would later cite Mikadze as one of the weakest-ever inductees.

Still, EPB voters were very pitcher-centric and Mikadze hit enough benchmarks to have support. He debuted at 54.1% in 2003 and dropped to 41.8% by 2005, but was back in the mid 50s the next two seasons. In 2008, Mikadze received the boost to a nice 69.0%, earning a sixth ballot addition into the 2008 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-08-2024, 07:46 PM

The Oceania Baseball Association didn’t induct any players into the Hall of Fame in 2008 for its first blank ballot since 1999. Reliever Garnet Wallace was the only one even above 50%, getting 60.3% on his fifth ballot. The next best were CF Jonathan Buai at 48.3% in his third try and SP Kurt Sanders at 47.0% for his fourth go. The top debut was RF Will Lee at 38.1%. No players were dropped after ten failed tries.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-09-2024, 07:39 AM

Two players were first ballot inductees into the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. Neither were sure things though with both only narrowly crossing the 66% requirement. 3B A.J. Tan got 71.7% and DH Dwi Taufik had 67.3%. No one else was above 50% with the next best being SP Nai-Wen Teng with a debut at 46.3%.

Dropped after ten ballots was SP Jung-Hua Liu, who pitched 15 years between Medan and Quezon. He had a 198-164 record, 2.38 ERA, 3416.2 innings, 3160 strikeouts, 107 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 59.8 WAR. Liu also won two titles with the Marlins and was good in the postseason, but he lacked awards or league-leading seasons. He peaked at 54.3% in 2004 and fell to only 19.9% on his final ballot.

SP Abu Hamid also fell off, peaking at 31.2% in 2000 but ending at only 3.7%. He had a 12-year run and won a Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year, but was decimated by injuries. Hamid had a 121-85 record, 2.56 ERA, 1912.2 innings, 2043 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 34.2 WAR. Basically all of his value was in his first six seasons and he might have had a shot if he stayed healthy.

A.J. “Taz” Tan – Third Base – Medan Marlins – 71.7% First Ballot

A.J. Tan was a 5’11’’, 205 pound right-handed third baseman from Singapore. Tan was one of the great leadoff men of his era and was known as an excellent contact hitter. He was very good at avoiding strikeouts, but only decent at drawing walks. Tan had nice gap power, averaging around 30-40 doubles/triples per year. He wasn’t going to go yard often though, hitting only 48 home runs in his entire career.

Tan was quite quick on the basepaths, although he was only around 50/50 in terms of steal attempts. He had a strong arm, which led to a career at third base. Tan graded out as below average defensively for his career, but he wasn’t a total liability by any stretch. His incredible durability made him especially valuable in that spot, playing 140+ games in 16 different seasons.

Tan was spotted at a camp in Singapore by a visiting scout from Medan. They signed him in June 1982 to a developmental deal with the Marlins. Tan officially debuted in 1985 at age 21, but only played two games. He was a full-time starter in 1986 and kept that role for a decade with Medan. Tan was a fixture in the leadoff spot, leading the Sundaland Association five times in at-bats.

Tan had that spot because he got hits a’plenty. He led in batting average in three of his first four seasons, also leading in OBP in 1986 and 1987. Tan led in hits six times with the Marlins and led in doubles in 1989. He quickly became popular with Medan fans, posting seven seasons worth 5+ WAR for the Marlins.

His debut season earned the 1986 Rookie of the Year. Tan’s lack of power, especially at a corner infield spot, meant he didn’t win a Silver Slugger at any point despite his efforts. Tan was a regular all-star for Medan, who gave him an eight-year, $8,720,000 extension after the 1989.

Just before Tan arrived, Medan had won three Sundaland Association pennants in the early 1980s. They just missed the playoffs in 1985 and 1986, but won the Java League title from 1987-89. In both 1987 and 1989, the Marlins won the APB Championship. Tan was the finals MVP in 1989 and in 32 playoff starts had 27 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 11 RBI, and 7 stolen bases.

Tan remained a fixture into the early 1990s, but Medan fell into mediocrity soon after their 1989 title. With two years left on his deal, the Marlins ended up trading Tan after the 1995 season to Davao for prospects. The fans still appreciated him and he’d stay a franchise icon after retiring, seeing his #23 uniform retired.

For his tenure with Medan, Tan had 1831 hits, 681 runs, 263 doubles, 91 triples, 436 RBI, 492 stolen bases, .299/.333/.385 slash, 145 wRC+, and 53.8 WAR. Heading into his age 32 season, Tan was now in the Philippines with Davao. The Devil Rays had won the APB title in 1995 and hoped Tan could keep the good times rolling.

Unfortunately, Davao finished .500 in 1996 and won only 69 games in 1997. Tan couldn’t be blamed, leading the Taiwan-Philippine Association in hits both years. However, he did have a career worst 1.8 WAR in 1997. With the Devil Rays, he had 6.9 WAR, 360 hits, 129 runs, and a 126 wRC+.

A free agent for the first time heading towards his age 34 season, Tan returned home to Singapore. The hometown Sharks gave him a five-year, $10,000,000 deal. Tan also played for the Singapore National Team in the World Baseball Championship from 2000-04 with 25 games and 17 starts.

Tan had 5.1 and 6.1 WAR in his first two seasons with Singapore. In 1999, he became only the third APB hitter to 2500 career hits. His production dropped a bit in his later years, but he passed Francis Pung’s 2741 to become APB’s new career hits leader in 2002. Tan lost the title in 2012 to Junior Sanchez, but still sits fifth as of 2037.

With Singapore, Tan had 766 hits, 290 runs, 117 doubles, 47 triples, 186 RBI, a .280/.318/.375 slash, 124 wRC+, and 18.8 WAR. He was happy to have reached the milestone with his home town team, but he had regressed to average-at-best stats by the end. Tan’s deal with the Sharks expired after the 2002 season and he still wanted to play at age 39.

No one in APB was particularly interested, but he found a home in Russia. Tan signed with EPB’s Kazan Crusaders for one year and $1,940,000. That got him to 3047 hits for his entire pro career, but he was merely okay as a part-time starter with Kazan. Tan still hoped to play in 2004, but went unsigned. He retired that winter at age 40.

In APB, Tan had 2957 hits, 1100 runs, 434 doubles, 165 triples, 48 home runs, 710 RBI, 804 stolen bases, a .293/.326/.382 slash, 137 wRC+, and 79.5 WAR. As of 2037, he’s fifth in hits, 23^rd in runs, 11^th in doubles, 33^rd in stolen bases, but 51^st in WAR among position players.

You would think being the hits leader at retirement made you a lock, but APB voters were notoriously tough on hitters. Plus, Tan’s lack of power really hurt him when considering advanced stats. He still managed to be a first ballot inductee, but merely at 71.7%. Either way, he led the way with APB’s 2008 Hall of Fame class.

Dwi Taufik – Designated Hitter – Taipei Tigercats – 67.3% First Ballot

Dwi Taufik was a 6’1’’, 190 pound left-handed hitter from Gebog, Indonesia; a district of around 94,000 in the Central Java province. Taufik was a great contact hitter with an excellent eye for drawing walks and a solid knack at avoiding strikeouts. Taufik had a strong bat, although he wasn’t a prolific home run hitter. Still, he averaged 27 doubles and 26 home runs per his 162 game average, which was quite good in the low scoring world of APB.

Taufik was one of the best pure hitters of his era, but couldn’t do much else. He was very slow and clumsy on the basepaths and lacked any sort of defensive coordination. Taufik was a career designated hitter and never started in the field, playing a whopping 23.1 innings between 1B/LF in his career.

Despite those deficiencies, Taufik was a tremendous leader and team captain. He was known for a tireless work ethic and was considered one of the truly great men in the game. Taufik also had excellent durability and very rarely missed time to injury. Taufik became an absolutely adored figure by fans and teammates alike.

It was an unexpected beginning to a career for an Indonesian that ultimately played his whole career in Taiwan. His first professional contact brought him to the Philippines as a teenager, signing in December 1979 with Zamboanga. Taufik spent five and a half years in the Zebras developmental system, but never played a game for them. In May 1985, he was sent with three other prospects to Taipei for SP Chao-Ting Chou.

The Tigercats weren’t immediately sure what to do with Taufik either. He sat in 1986 and debuted in 1987 at age 23, but only with 14 plate appearances as a pinch hitter. With no defensive value, it was harder to find a spot for him. Taufik was a part-time starter in 1998 and 1989 and merely looked okay.

Plus, Taipei had a strong roster at this point, winning the Taiwan-Philippine Association pennant both years. The Tigercats won the APB title in 1988, giving Taufik his only ring. He did start in the 1988 postseason with iffy results, but looked solid in 1989 as they were the runner-up. Taufik earned the starting role in 1990 and held it for the next 13 years.

1990 was his finest season, leading the TPA and posting career bests in hits (203), doubles (38), average (.338), and OBP (.400). Taufik also had 8.1 WAR and .902 OPS; both career highs. He won his first of seven Silver Sluggers and finished second in MVP voting.

Taipei had playoff berths in 1990, 1991, and 1993. They fell in the TPA final to Cebu in 90 and 91, but won the 1993 pennant. The Tigercats lost the APB final to Jakarta that year. They missed the playoffs from 1994-97, but won the Taiwan League in 1998. They lost to Quezon for the TPA title, then fell towards mediocrity into the 2000s.

In his playoff career, Taufik had 48 games and 43 starts, 43 hits, 21 runs, 8 doubles, 8 home runs, 23 RBI, a .253/.297/.441 slash, 135 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. Taipei was generally happy with the results and gave him an eight-year, $8,670,000 extension in September 1991.

He also played sporadically for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship from 1991-01 with 81 games and 55 starts. Taufik had 69 hits, 34 runs, 12 doubles, 18 home runs, 37 RBI, a .311/.390/.617 slash, 188 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR.

Taufik was a big part in the Indonesians making it to the finals for the first time in 1997, falling to the US. Indonesia won its first world championship in 1999 against Nigeria, then fell to the Americans in the 2000 final. Still, Taufik became a national star back home despite spending his entire pro career over in Taiwan.

With Taipei, Taufik led the TPA in runs once, hits twice, doubles once, RBI twice, walks thrice, total bases once, average twice, OBP six times, OPS four times, and wRC+ thrice. His Silver Slugger wins were 1990, 92, 93, 95, 98, 99, and 2000. Taufik was second in 1990 MVP voting, second in 1992, third in 1993, and third in 1994. It was especially impressive to be a regular finalist despite being a DH.

Taufik’s game aged incredibly well as he showed no signs of slowing into his 30s. He finally won his lone MVP in 1999 at age 35, posting a career best 40 home runs and 194 wRC+. Taufik also had 8.0 WAR that year and led the TPA in OBP (.353), slugging (.544), and OPS (.897). That September, Taipei gave him a three-year, $10,080,000 extension. This was also the time frame he was helping Indonesia to their WBC glory.

He had a great 2000 and won another batting title. Taufik regressed though in 2001, never quite bouncing back from a fractured hand that knocked him out for part of the spring. Taufik was healthy and still a starter quality bat in 2002, but he hit career lows for a full season. He decided to retire after the season just after turning 39 years old. Taipei immediately retired his #20 uniform.

Taufik had 2265 hits, 977 runs, 362 doubles, 346 home runs, 1059 RBI, 832 walks, a .284/.352/.470 slash, 161 wRC+, and 78.9 WAR. Among APB Hall of Famers as of 2037, Taufik has the third best OBP and is in the top ten for batting average. His rate stats are impressive and even his WAR looks pretty strong for a guy who was a career DH. Plus, Taufik was a beloved fan favorite who played for one team.

However, on top of being generally tough on batters, many APB voters didn’t like the idea of a career DH making the cut. Taufik’s batting was too strong to ignore though and he earned the first ballot induction. He only barely crossed the 66% requirement at 67.3%, but that was enough to get in for the 2008 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-09-2024, 01:36 PM

Chinese League Baseball had two strong first ballot inductees for its 2008 Hall of Fame class. 2B Liang Shang Guan received 93.1% and SP Jiuling Huang had 88.2% to easily earn their spot. Two other pitchers on their second ballot crossed 50% with Jun Tang at 56.2% and Martin Cui at 52.3%.

Falling off the ballot after ten failed tries was CF Sijing “Iceman” Wang. His CLB run was 12 years with Macau and saw four Silver Sluggers and one MVP, 1830 hits, 861 runs, 273 doubles, 264 triples, 28 home runs, 453 RBI, 804 stolen bases, a .289/.327/.429 slash, 152 wRC+, and 92.8 WAR. As of 2037, Wang is still 31^st in WAR among position players and third all-time in triples and seventh in stolen bases.

Unfortunately for him, CLB voters are harsh on hitters. Being a leadoff guy is always tough with so many voters fixated on homers and RBI. Steals, triples, and solid defense don’t get the love they deserve. Wang also was hurt by having weak playoff numbers during Macau’s years in contention. Wang peaked with a debut at 49.8% and ended with a mere 14.4%. Many scholars cite Wang as one of the more prominent CLB Hall of Fame snubs.

Liang “Nightmare” Shang Guan – Second Base – Dalian Gold Dragons – 93.1% First Ballot

Liang Shang Guan was a 5’10’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting second baseman from Hengshui, a city of over four million in North China. Shang Guan was a stellar contact hitter who graded as a 10/10 in his prime. He also had a good eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. The nickname “Nightmare” came from how frustration he was for pitchers to get out.

Shang Guan was far stronger against righties (178 wRC+, .881 OPS) compared to lefties (118 wRC+, .693 OPS). His gap power was tremendous with a 162 game average of 26 doubles and 20 triples. Shang Guan was quite quick and was an excellent base stealer. He was very adept at turning singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Shang Guan did lack home run power though with a career-best of 12.

Shang Guan made the vast majority of his starts at second base, although he also occasionally played shortstop. He was a solid defender in his 20s, but declined notably as he aged. Over his full career, Shang Guan graded out around average statistically. He was intelligent and adaptable and battled through some injuries to post a 21 year pro career. Shang Guan became one of the biggest superstars to come out of China.

Dalian signed Shang Guan in January 1983 as a teenage amateur and kept him in the developmental system for three years. He was a rare player to debut at age 19 in 1986 with 112 games and 18 starts. Shang Guan earned the full-time job the next year and held it for 11 years with the Gold Dragons.

Shang Guan was an immediate success and posted 7+ WAR in all ten full seasons with Dalian. He won ten straight Silver Sluggers at second base from 1987-96. From 1990-96, he remarkably won seven straight batting titles. Shang Guan had a .314 career batting average with the Gold Dragons, which is especially remarkable considering the very low offense environment of CLB with the league average sitting around .215.

In 1991, Shang Guan had a .359 batting average, which was the second-best season even in CLB at that point (and still ranks ninth). That year, he led in the triple slash with career bests in OPS (.973) wRC+ (225), and WAR (12.5). It was incredible to lead in slugging when you hit only 8 home runs. Shang Guan won his lone MVP in 1991.

Shang Guan had five seasons with 10+ WAR and also was the WARlord with 12.1 in 1990. He was second in MVP voting in 1989, third in 1990, second in 1992, second in 1994, and third in 1995. Shang Guan also earned a Gold Glove in 1989. He was a regular fixture atop leaderboards in the Chinese Northern League. The Gold Dragons quickly locked Shang Guan up with an eight-year, $7,030,000 extension after the 1989 season.

With Dalian, Shang Guan led the league in runs twice, hits five times, doubles thrice, triples six times, walks once, total bases once, stolen bases once, batting average seven times, OBP seven times, slugging once, OPS twice, wRC+ once, and WAR twice. He also made history going 7-9 against Beijing in 1995. As of 2037, this is the only seven-hit game in CLB history.

Shang Guan’s excellence helped turn Dalian into an all-time Chinese baseball dynasty. The Gold Dragons had six straight China Series berths from 1989-94 and won the title each of those seasons but 1990. Shang Guan was a stud in the playoffs, winning China Series MVP twice (1989, 1991) and semifinal MVP in 1989.

In the postseason, Shang Guan had 72 starts, 82 hits, 38 runs, 5 doubles, 17 triples, 2 homers, 23 RBI, 23 walks, 48 stolen bases, a .303/.356/.469 slash, 166 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR. As of 2037, he’s CLB’s all-time playoff leader in steals and triples. Dalian remains the only CLB team ever to four-peat and the only one with five titles in six years.

Shang Guan was one of the most important pieces of the dynasty and became a national superstar. He also played for the national team from 1989-2004 in the World Baseball Championship with 216 games and 194 starts. Shang Guan had 202 hits, 107 runs, 42 doubles, 19 triples, 11 home runs, 61 RBI, 97 walks, 111 stolen bases, a .272/.362/.425 slash, 124 wRC+, and 6.0 WAR.

As of 2037, he’s the all-time WBC leader in triples and top 20 in stolen bases. Shang Guan won world titles with China in 1993, 1994, and 2002. Among Chinese players, he’s sixth all-time in WAR among position players, second in hits, and fourth in runs.

Dalian narrowly missed the playoffs in 1995, then fell below .500 in 1996. 1997 was a contract year for Shang Guan, but missed most of the season to a ruptured finger tendon. The Gold Dragons got just above .500, but it wasn’t clear that they were going to be a contender again soon. Shang Guan decided to test out free agency at age 31. This marked the end of his career in China.

In China, Shang Guan had 1836 hits, 812 runs, 282 doubles, 252 triples, 82 home runs, 592 RBI, 517 walks, 650 stolen bases, a .314/.370/.491 slash, 181 wRC+, and 101.6 WAR. He was the all-time leader in batting average and second in OBP when he left. It wasn’t until offense increased significantly in the 2020s that Shang Guan got passed and he’s top 15 in both stats among guys with 3000 plate appearances.

Shang Guan is still 15^th all-time in WAR among position players despite leaving after his age 30 season. He’s also seventh all-time in triples. Had Shang Guan stayed, some thought he could’ve been the first to reach 3000 career hits. He wasn’t along long enough to be prominent with accumulations, but that WAR total shows how impressive he was. Not to mention a starring role in the all-time greatest dynasty in CLB history.

The CLB voters didn’t need much convincing and gave Shang Guan the first ballot nod at 93.1% to headline the 2008 Hall of Fame class. Few players to come out of China are more beloved and that fandom continued as he left for Major League Baseball. Shang Guan still had another nine years of pro baseball ahead, starting with the St. Louis Cardinals. He signed a five-year, $20,200,000 deal starting with the 1998 season.

Shang Guan had a very good debut season with 7.7 WAR. He was on his way to an MVP effort in 1999 with 6.6 WAR and a 201 wRC+ in only 97 games, but a torn thumb ligament cost him the final two months of the season. Even still, Shang Guan earned a Silver Slugger for his efforts.

He never could match that level again, but had three more solid seasons as a starter for the Cardinals. In total, Shang Guan had 836 hits, 396 runs, 110 doubles, 55 triples, 51 home runs, 250 RBI, a .311/.354/.450 slash, 146 wRC+, and 24.9 WAR. His contract ran out after the 2002 season, becoming a free agent again at age 36.

Next was a two-year, $1,500,000 deal with Philadelphia. Shang Guan had a nice 4.9 WAR debut season in 2003 and was keeping pace in 2004 until shoulder and foot injuries knocked him out for about two months. Shang Guan had 7.9 WAR, 298 hits, 135 runs, 34 doubles, 16 triples, 18 home runs, 110 RBI, a .313/.356/.439 slash, and 139 wRC+ with the Phillies.

Philadelphia also made the National Association Championship Series in 2003 and the second round in 2004. Shang Guan’s playoff starts were respectable with a 134 wRC+ over 14 starts. He was a free agent again in 2005 and still had suitors at age 38. Shang Guan inked a two-year, $9,280,000 deal with Calgary.

A fractured ankle in spring training caused a rough start, but he still posted a .316 average and 2.6 WAR in 105 games in 2005. Shang Guan’s power and speed both were declining significantly by this point, limiting his value even with a high average. With the Cheetahs, Shang Guan had 158 hits, 73 runs, a .314/.374/.463 slash, 126 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR.

Shang Guan hoped to still play in 2007, but ended up retiring that winter after going unsigned. For his MLB tenure, he had 1292 hits, 604 runs, 164 doubles, 82 triples, 80 home runs, 417 RBI, 250 stolen bases, a .312/.357/.449 slash, 142 wRC+, and 35.6 WAR. It was a very solid tenure for a guy whose entire run came in his 30s.

The full career numbers for Shang Guan saw 3128 hits, 1416 runs, 446 doubles, 334 triples, 162 home runs, 1009 RBI, 807 walks, 900 stolen bases, a .313/.365/.474 slash, 165 wRC+, and 137.2 WAR. With that, you can see why some Chinese fans think Shang Guan could’ve finished with truly inner-circle tallies had he remained in China.

When looking just at other second baseman historically, Shang Guan often comes up in any top ten conversation. There’s very few guys that picked up 11 Silver Sluggers at the spot in any time period. At the very least, Shang Guan had a strong argument that he was the best second baseman in the world during his early 1990s prime.

Jiuling Huang – Starting Pitcher – Changsha Cannons – 88.2% First Ballot

Jiuling Huang was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Donghai, a subdistrict with around 188,600 in southeastern China’s Guangdong province. Huang had incredibly overpowering stuff with 99-101 mph regularly on his fastball. He had a splitter, changeup, and slider in his arsenal. The raw power allowed Huang to thrive despite merely average control and subpar movement.

Huang had good stamina and was viewed as a solid defensive pitcher who could hold runners effectively. He had great durability in his 20s, but did run into injury issues later on. Huang was very well respected in the clubhouse as a team captain. He was viewed as a tremendous leader and hard worker, as well as just a standup guy all around.

Huang’s pitching potential was noticed quickly across China as he progressed through the college ranks. In the 1988 CLB Draft, he was picked third overall by Changsha. Huang was a part-time starter in 1989 with decent results in 92 innings. The Cannons moved him to the full-time rotation in his second year, where he remained for the rest of his CLB run.

All of Huang’s full seasons with Changsha were 4.9 WAR or better. He topped 7 WAR four times and led in strikeouts in 1993 and 1995. Huang topped 370+ Ks in five times, becoming the first CLB pitcher to achieve that feat. Only two other pitchers would also pull off that feat later on. Huang’s career-best was 383 in 1992, which also had a career-best 272.2 innings.

In 1991, Huang had a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and 3 walks against Xiamen on August 3. Changsha was generally at or above .500 to start the 1990s, but still had only one playoff berth back in 1977. The Cannons hoped Huang would help snap that streak, giving him a five-year, $4,950,000 extension after the 1993 season.

Huang regularly kept his ERA below two with his finest effort in 1995 with 1.19. That year, he also led in strikeouts (381), WHIP (0.60), and FIP- (25), while posting a career best 11.1 WAR. This was Huang’s lone Pitcher of the Year win, along with a second place in MVP voting. He wasn’t a POTY finalist in any other year.

The 1995 effort was historic as Huang set still-standing CLB records for H/9 (3.92) and opponents’ batting average (.131). The 0.60 WHIP still stands as third best as of 2037, as does his .384 opponents’’ OPS and .175 opponents’ OBP. Changsha ended their playoff drought this season, but were ousted in the semifinal. Huang gave up six runs over 14 innings in his two playoff starts.

Huang couldn’t match that incredible dominance from 1995, but still was a strong ace the next three seasons. Changsha fell below .500 in 1996, but led China in 1997 at 109-53. They took that top record to a championship, although Huang was unremarkable in his four playoff starts with an 0-3 record in 30 innings, 3.30 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and 71 ERA+.

Still, his role in giving Changsha its first title was critical in his legacy. Huang would see his #4 uniform eventually retired by the Cannons. They missed the playoffs in 1998 and Huang missed two months to a strained abdominal muscle. He became a free agent after the season at age 32.

This marked the end of his Chinese career. Huang had a 137-92 record, 1.82 ERA, 2291.1 innings, 3164 strikeouts, 519 walks, 230/281 quality starts, 131 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 66.0 WAR. He was the tenth to reach 3000 strikeouts and the speed he got there made some wonder if he could’ve been the strikeout king had he stayed.

Huang’s rate stats certainly fit in with other CLB Hall of Fame pitchers, but the accumulations were certainly on the low end since he left. Some voters gave him some credit for his post-CLB years and tried to extrapolate what his stats might have been. Winning a title and his one stellar POTY year won over most skeptical voters. Plus, Huang was a captain and a great guy. Thus, he earned the first ballot nod at 88.2% to enter the CLB Hall of Fame in 2008.

Huang still had eight more years of pro baseball post-China. He did play from 1994-97 and in 2000 for his country in the World Baseball Championship, but struggled with a 4.86 ERA over 66.2 innings and 103 strikeouts. Huang fully focused on a new endeavor into the European Baseball Federation in 1999 at age 32.

It was Marseille who gave him a five-year, $11,600,000 deal to join EBF. He was solid in his first two seasons in France with 5.0 and 4.9 WAR. A strained abdominal cost him the final bit of 2000, then back issues cost him part of 2001. In 2002, Huang was delightfully average as he couldn’t overwhelm hitters any more with his stuff.

In four seasons with Marseille, Huang had a 45-55 record, 3.71 ERA, 927 innings, 924 strikeouts, 104 ERA+, and 15.2 WAR. He had one year left with the Musketeers after the 2002 season, but he was traded to Tbilisi for two prospects. The Trains only used him in 106.2 innings, although he was good in that small sample with 2.4 WAR and 2.53 ERA. Huang would be a free agent again at age 37 entering 2004.

Warsaw gave him a one-year deal, but a torn back muscle kept him out four months. He was unremarkable in the 75.2 innings he did pitch for the Wildcats. Stockholm had him in 2005 with a lackluster 4.69 ERA over 167 innings. Huang looked better in 2006 with Manchester on a 3.97 ERA over 190.1 innings.

No one signed him in 2007 despite his efforts and he retired that winter at age 41. For his EBF run, Huang had a 75-81 record, 3.79 ERA, 1466.2 innings, 1321 strikeouts, 335 walks, 101 ERA+, and 20.7 WAR. For his entire pro career, Huang had a 212-173 record, 2.59 ERA, 3758 innings, 4485 strikeouts, 854 walks, 117 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 86.7 WAR.

Huang won’t go down with the absolute best-of-the-best pitchers of his era. However, nearly 4500 strikeouts is nothing to be ashamed of and few guys in the early 1990s had a scarier fastball. Plus, hardly anyone has a bad word to say of Huang as a person. You can see how he easily got the first ballot nod despite his Chinese League career only lasting a decade.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-09-2024, 05:50 PM

West African Baseball had two slam dunk Hall of Famers headlining an impressive 2008 group. Two-way star Rudy Bambara received 95.6% and LF/DH Germain Tchouga got 94.7%. 1B Daouda Kadri barely missed joining them on his sixth ballot, falling short of the 66% threshold with 65.4%. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Rudy Bambara – Pitcher/Third Base – Ibadan Iguanas – 95.6% First Ballot

Rudy Bambara was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher and third baseman from Yako, Burkina Faso; a town of around 39,000 in the country’s center. Bambara was the first great two-way player to come out of West Africa and statistically has a case for being a top five level two-way player all-time from any pro league. Tremendous durability played a big role as for his first 13 seasons, Bambara tossed 200+ innings an also had 250+ at-bats.

As a pitcher, Bambara had excellent control and very good movement along with good to sometimes great stuff. His fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph range and was mixed with a curveball, changeup, and cutter. Bambara was very intelligent and a master at picking his spots. His stamina was good and he was great at fielding on the mound, winning a Gold Glove in 2001.

When playing the field, Bambara was a third baseman due to his strong arm. His range and general glove work were lousy though and he graded as a weak defender. Bambara’s straight line speed was below average and he was a comically clumsy baserunner. But his bat was certainly worthy of finding a regular spot in the lineup.

Bambara had tremendous home run power and could have been a prolific slugger if he committed fully to hitting. Five times he cracked 30+ home runs in a season despite playing in around 95 games. Bambara was a quite solid contact hitter with a respectable eye for walks and an average strikeout rate. He could find the gap as well, cracking 20+ doubles five times in partial seasons at the plate.

Most scouts salivated over Bambara as he entered into the 1988 WAB Draft. Two-way guys hadn’t seen much use in WAB to that point and it was unknown how Bambara would be used. He strongly wanted to go both ways, while some teams thought he’d limit his value if he didn’t commit to one. Ibadan had the #2 overall pick and selected Bambara with two-way plans in mind.

He was immediately a full-timer on the mound, making 31+ starts in all eight seasons with the Iguanas. At the plate, he also started 80+ games in each season. Bambara was a lock for the 1989 Rookie of the Year, posting 5.2 WAR on the mound and 1.3 at the plate. He greatly improved his lot in both spots over the next seasons with Ibadan.

As a pitcher, Bambara cracked 6+ WAR six times with Ibadan. He led in pitching WAR in 1994 and 1996, peaking with 9.4 in 1996. That year also saw a career and league best 1.82 ERA with 307 strikeouts and 29 quality starts. His lone Pitcher of the Year award came from the 1996 campaign, although he took second in 1993. Bambara led in wins in 1993 and 1994.

WAB didn’t use the designated hitter, which kept Bambara from batting on pitching days. Still, he won Silver Sluggers in 1990, 1993, and 1994 at third base despite limited chances. Bambara had an OPS above one in six seasons with Ibadan and a wRC+ above 200 thrice. He finished with seven straight seasons with 5+ WAR as a hitter.

Bambara’s combined season WARs from 1990-1996 were 12.7, 10.7, 12.0, 13.5, 12.8, 12.7, and 14.7. The only other WAB player to crack 14+ in a season was 11-time MVP Darwin Morris, who did it four times. Bambara won four Eastern League MVPs (1990, 1992, 1993, 1996). He finished second in 1991, second in 1994, and third in 1995. Bambara was clearly the most electric player in West Africa.

The year Bambara was drafted, Ibadan had bottomed out at 57-105. Two years later in 1990, the Iguanas began a 12-year playoff streak. They earned their first ELCS appearance in 1992, but lost to Lagos. Then in 1993, Ibadan went 110-52 and won the WAB title; their only ring as of 2037. The Iguanas got back to the finals in 1994 and 1996, but lost to Abidjan and Accra, respectively.

Bambara’s playoff stats as a batter were stellar with 27 games and 25 starts, 35 hits, 21 runs, 6 doubles, 12 home runs, 32 RBI, a .357/.418/.806 slash, 239 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. The pitching stats were merely okay in 15 starts with a 6-6 record, 3.98 ERA, 101.2 innings, 104 strikeouts, 95 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. Bambara was named finals MVP in 1993 when he delivered Ibadan to the title.

The Iguanas quickly realized they struck gold and gave Bambara a five-year, $2,914,000 extension after the 1991 season. They desperately wanted to keep him after that, but Bambara was wanted by teams across the globe. He ultimately became a free agent after his all-time best season in 1996 heading towards his age 31 season. This marked the end of his WAB tenure.

With Ibadan as a pitcher, Bambara had a 141-77 record, 2.92 ERA, 1993.1 innings, 2179 strikeouts, 279 walks, 186 quality starts, 129 ERA+, and 54.2 WAR. At the plate, he had 907 hits, 535 runs, 162 doubles, 247 home runs, 653 RBI, a .318/.373/.647 slash, 187 wRC+, and 41.3 WAR. As of 2037, the combined 95.5 WAR ranks him 10^th best in WAB history.

Had he stayed in WAB, some feel Bambara might have battled with Darwin Morris for the GOAT slot. Either way, his eight years were phenomenal, helping Ibadan to their first success as a franchise. The Iguanas retired his #2 uniform once his playing days were done. Bambara was an easy first ballot choice for the WAB voters at 95.6% to headline the 2008 class.

Although he spent his next nine pro seasons in Major League Baseball, Bambara still represented Burkina Faso in the World Baseball Championship. From 1988-2000, he had 168 innings on the mound with a 3.43 ERA, 177 strikeouts, 104 ERA+, and 3.1 WAR. At the plate, he had 66 games, 65 hits, 50 runs, 9 doubles, 24 home runs, 54 RBI, a .288/.383/.646 slash, 187 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR.

Bambara’s MLB career began with a five-year, $19,000,000 deal with Edmonton. The Eels were the defending World Series champs when they signed Bambara. He was excellent on the mound in his first two seasons with 8.1 WAR and 7.3 WAR. Bambara still ate up innings the next two years, but saw more league-average production. He didn’t take to hitting as well in MLB, but still provided positive value and cracked 2+ twice. His 1997 debut saw a combined 10.7 WAR effort.

Edmonton was above .500, but missed the playoffs in Bambara’s first two seasons. They bounced back in 1999 with a franchise-best 108-54 season, ultimately winning the World Series over Indianapolis. Bambara was the MVP of the American Association Championship Series win over San Francisco. He had a 1.04 ERA over 26 innings on the mound and a .268/318/.488 slash in 44 plate appearances. Helping them to that title justified the signing for most Eels fans.

In 2000, Bambara tossed a no-hitter with 5 strikeouts and no walks against Portland. However in 2001, Bambara’s batting was mediocre and his pitching value was looking merely average. It was the last year of his Edmonton deal and the Eels opted to trade him in July to Columbus for two prospects.

With the Eels, Bambara had an 86-57 pitching record, 3.58 ERA, 1288.2 innings, 871 strikeouts, 201 walks, 109 ERA+, and 29.0 WAR. Batting, he had 425 hits, 229 runs, 67 doubles, 86 home runs, 277 RBI, a .270/.322/.482 slash, 121 wRC+, and 8.0 WAR.

Bambara had limited batting with the Chargers and okay production on the mound, although he did win his lone Gold Glove this season. They earned a wild card, but fell in the first round of the playoffs. Bambara was now a free agent heading into 2002 and his age 36 season. In March 2002, he inked a one-year, $3,280,000 deal with Virginia Beach.

In his brief Vikings tenure, Bambara had solid batting stats (172 wRC+ in 112 plate appearances) but lousy pitching ones (4.21 ERA in 136.2 innings). VB traded him in July to reigning MLB champ Nashville, where he posted a 3.57 ERA in 80.2 innings. He only had 34 plate appearances, but a 1.375 OPS in the small sample.

The Knights got back to the AACS and lost to Albuquerque. Bambara had a 2.19 ERA in 24.2 playoff innings though, leading Nashville to give him a two-year, $8,000,000 extension. After a poor spring training though, Bambara was straight up released. He was unemployed for about a month before signing in late April with Los Angeles for $6,800,000.

Bambara had a decent bat for the Angels and ate innings with below average pitching. In 2004, Winnipeg gave him a one-year, $5,900,000 deal. A rotator cuff strain knocked him out two months, but his pitching looked quite solid over 134.1 innings with a 2.68 ERA. That would mark the end of his MLB tenure.

Between six teams, Bambara’s pitching stats in MLB saw a 122-91 record, 3.61 ERA, 1928.1 innings, 1221 strikeouts, 320 walks, 106 ERA+, and 35.8 WAR. At the plate, he had 565 hits, 302 runs, 91 doubles, 117 home runs, 370 RBI, a .272/.326/.489 slash, 125 wRC+, and 12.0 WAR.

Soon to be 39 years old, Bambara still wanted to play baseball. He packed his bags for Colombia, signing a two-year, $4,480,000 deal with Beisbol Sudamerica’s Cali. In 2005, he posted a 4.28 ERA over 195.2 innings and a .312/.365/.548 slash over 203 plate appearances for a combined 2.6 WAR.

Bambara was ready to go for 2006, but suffered shoulder inflammation at the end of spring training. This ultimately knocked him out eight months, missing the entire 2006 campaign for Cali. Bambara was a free agent again in 2007 and wasn’t ready to quit, but he couldn’t find a home. He finally had to retire that winter at age 41.

For his entire pitching career, Bambara had a 275-178 record, 3.31 ERA, 4117.1 innings, 3495 strikeouts, 635 walks, 342/543 quality starts, 155 complete games, 115 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 91.1 WAR. That pitching resume alone looks like a Hall of Famer in pretty much any context.

At the plate, Bambara had 1473 games and 1263 starts with 1530 hits, 865 runs, 263 doubles, 374 home runs, 1048 RBI, 418 walks, a .299/.354/.579 slash, 160 wRC+, and 54.9 WAR. Had he focused exclusively at the plate, Bambara might have gotten to Hall of Fame levels there as well.

When looking at all two-way guys at induction, Bambara ranked fourth in the world in total WAR with 146.0, sitting behind EPB’s Igor Bury (180.0), EBF’s Edgar Miranda (157.6), and EBF’s Daniel Ramirez (154.5). Only one other player would pass them between 2008 and 2037, ranking Bambara fifth still in career WAR. Any conversation about baseball’s all-time best two-way players will have Bambara’s name come up quickly. He’s still easily the most dominant two-way guy out of one of the African leagues.

Germain Tchouga – Left Field/Designated Hitter – Abidjan Athletes – 94.7% First Ballot

Germain Tchouga was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed slugger from Garoua, Cameroon; a port city with around 1,285,000 in the country’s north region. Tchouga had a very strong bat, averaging 40 home runs, 31 doubles, and 6 triples per his 162 game average. He was an above average contact hitter who could draw walks respectably, especially later in his career. Tchouga’s strikeout rate was subpar, but he was great at making his contact count.

Tchouga was a very crafty and savvy base runner. His speed was good in his younger years, but he still provided positive value even as he slowed with age. Nagging injuries cost Tchouga a lot of playing time, but he still was tough enough and sturdy enough for a 24-year career.

Defensively, left field was Tchouga’s most common spot. He made about 2/5 of his career starts there, 1/5 at first base, and the rest as a designated hitter. Tchouga graded out as mediocre defensively in LF and terrible at 1B, making DH his strongest spot when available. His bat was impressive enough though to make Tchouga an extremely popular figure in his time, emerging as the face of a dynasty run.

Only two weeks before his 16^th birthday, Tchouga was signed by Abidjan as an amateur prospect. He picked up and moved to the Ivory Coast and became a rare player to officially debut at age 18, although he only saw two games in 1982. This was the tail end of Abidjan’s first big run and Tchouga picked up a WAB championship ring for his brief participation.

Tchouga played in 1983 and 1984, but only saw 51 games and 36 starts. The Athletes deemed him ready in 1985 for the full-time left field gig at age 21. Abidjan missed the playoffs in the prior two seasons, but took the top seed in 1985. Tchouga had a 5.9 WAR debut effort and a respectable postseason, but the Athletes lost the Western League Championship Series to Kumasi. They would spend the next six seasons out of the playoffs stuck right around .500.

Only a few weeks into the 1986 season, Tchouga suffered a fractured knee that knocked him out for six months. He’d miss a couple weeks in 1988, 1991, and 1992; but the next decade or so saw Tchouga as a regular starter. He posted six seasons worth 5+ WAR and topped 30+ home runs in 12 consecutive seasons. Abidjan locked him up after the 1988 season on a five-year, $3,120,000 deal.

Tchouga’s first Silver Slugger came in 1989 with a 42 home run effort. He had 44 homers and 105 RBI in 1990, taking third in MVP voting. Tchouga was second in 1992 MVP voting despite a knee strain costing him two months. He posted 7.4 WAR and a career best .359/.403/.706 slash and 201 wRC+ in 114 games. Abidjan locked him up after that for another seven years and $10,040,000.

1992 also marked the end of a playoff drought and started a new dynasty for the Athletes. They won four consecutive Western League titles from 1992-95 and won the WAB title in 1994 over Ibadan. In 1993, Tchouga led in RBI for the first time with 104. He won WLCS MVP that year with 16 hits, 8 runs, 5 homers, and 13 RBI in the postseason run.

Tchouga won his lone MVP in 1994 and a Silver Slugger as a DH, posting league and career bests in runs (136), homers (60), RBI (139), total bases (437), and WAR (8.8). The 136 runs were a new single-season WAB record, although Darwin Morris beat it the next year with 142. Tchouga was the finals MVP as Abidjan won it all, posting 14 hits, 7 runs, 3 homers, and 9 RBI in the playoffs.

Tchouga led in runs again in 1995, winning his third Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. His career peaked there, although he still had good offense numbers into his early 30s. Abidjan lost in the wild card round in 1996, then narrowly missed the playoffs in 1997. A rib cage injury knocked Tchouga out for two months as it lingered.

His final three years with Abidjan were plagued with injuries. 1998 had a sprained knee and fractured wrist, 1999 ended with a ruptured MCL in the summer, and it was a sprained hamstring causing troubles in 2000. Tchouga was still a beloved figure, but the Athletes had diversified to be able to thrice in his absence.

Abidjan won the WL pennant again in 1999, but lost the final to the Kano dynasty. Tchouga missed that postseason, but was back for 2000 to help the Athletes upset the 125-win Condors in the final. He posted 4 home runs, 10 hits, and 6 runs over 10 games in that run. For his playoff career with Abidjan, Tchouga had 60 starts, 72 hits, 37 runs, 9 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, 51 RBI, a .306/.348/.613 slash, 166 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR. In 2037, Tchouga ranks 11^th in both playoff homers and RBI.

Tchouga was now 37 years old and hadn’t played a full season in a few years. Abidjan let his contract expire, making him a free agent for the first time. This ended his WAB career, but he remained a beloved figure for Athletes fans as a critical part of their second run of dominance. His #26 uniform would eventually get retired.

In WAB, Tchouga had 2238 hits, 1388 runs, 416 doubles, 86 triples, 541 home runs, 1487 RBI, 622 stolen bases, a .283/.340/.563 slash, 152 wRC+, and 73.7 WAR. He was the second to reach 500 career homers and still ranks 19^th in WAR among position players, despite losing value from being a DH. Tchouga also was the all-time runs leader when he left, although he lost that mantle five years later.

Later guys in a more high-octane WAB would dwarf his accumulations, but Tchouga was one of the strongest bats of his era. The voters didn’t need much time to ponder, giving him a first ballot induction at 94.7%. He joined Rudy Bambara for an impressive two-player 2008 Hall of Fame class.

Although he left WAB after the 2000 season, Tchouga still played baseball for another seven years. He went to Iraq and signed with Mosul for three years and $2,630,000. A fractured finger kept him out a chunk of the season, but Tchouga earned a championship ring with the Muskies. He stayed mostly healthy in 2002 and posted 31 home runs and 4.0 WAR, showing he could still go.

Mosul traded him after the 2002 season to Algiers for three prospects. A strained hamstring and a broken bone in his elbow kept Tchouga out almost the whole year. Arab League teams still had some interest and he joined Basra for 2004. At age 40, he stayed healthy enough for 135 games and posted 2.6 WAR. If his body allowed it, Tchouga could still contribute.

Now 41 years old, Tchouga ended up in Russia with Kazan in 2005. He posted 1.6 WAR over 115 games. Tchouga stayed in Russia with St. Petersburg in 2006 and posted 2.8 WAR and 162 wRC+ in only 92 games. A knee strain would keep him out for the entire summer. This ended his brief stint in Russia.

At age 43, Mosul brought Tchouga back and he again showed he could still go. In 129 games and 110 starts, he had 29 home runs and 3.1 WAR. The Muskies were impressed enough to give Tchouga a three-year, $4,700,000 extension in the summer. However, he decided to retire after the 2007 season at age 44.

For his ALB run, Tchouga had 461 hits, 268 runs, 86 doubles, 108 home runs, 326 RBI, a .272/.340/.530 slash, 139 wRC+, and 12.3 WAR. For his entire pro career, Tchouga ended up with 2875 hits in 2789 games, 1742 runs, 527 doubles, 104 triples, 687 home runs, 1914 RBI, 791 walks, 732 stolen bases, a .278/.337/.549 slash, 149 wRC+, and 90.4 WAR. Tchouga stands out as one of the finest West African sluggers of his generation.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-10-2024, 04:40 AM

South Asia Baseball had two players added into the Hall of Fame in 2008. Both made the cut in their debuts with SP Jade Poomkeaw at 84.2% and CF Anjan Sumanjit at 74.6%. 2B Abdul Deepkaran narrowly missed the 66% requirement, getting 63.6% in his third ballot. Also above 50% was C Kumar Patel with a 56.7% debut. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Jade Poomkeaw – Starting Pitcher – Dhaka Dobermans – 84.2% First Ballot

Jade Poomkeaw was a 5’10’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Xam Nua, Laos; a town of 56,900 in the nation’s northeast. Poomkeaw would be the first-ever Laotian Hall of Famer. He had strong stuff along with good control and respectable movement. Poomkeaw’s fastball regularly reached the 97-99 mph range and was mixed with a changeup, splitter, and cutter.

Poomkeaw had good stamina and durability, leading the league twice in innings pitched. He was also considered a solid defensive pitcher. Poomkeaw’s potential was noticed out of high school and he was picked second overall in the SAB Draft by Dhaka. They couldn’t come to terms and Poomkeaw instead spent the next two years playing amateur ball.

In the 1989 SAB Draft, Dhaka was still quite interested and picked Poomkeaw sixth overall. This time, they came to terms and he was a full-time starter immediately. Poomkeaw had a tremendous rookie season with 9.1 WAR, a 2.36 ERA, and 306 strikeouts. That would’ve been a SAB WAR record for a Rookie of the Year winner, but he shockingly took second for the award. Poomkeaw also was third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1990.

After five straight losing seasons, Dhaka had an impressive 107-55 record in 1991. They won the Southeast Asia League pennant, but lost to the Ahmedabad dynasty in the SAB Championship. The Dobermans made the playoffs again in 1992, 94, and 95 with Poomkeaw. They made the LCS in 1994, but lost to Ho Chi Minh City. Poomkeaw was a solid playoff pitcher for Dhaka with a 2.71 ERA in 73 innings and 80 strikeouts.

Poomkeaw wasn’t generally a league leader with Dhaka and never reached his rookie year WAR total or ERA. Still, he had 6+ WAR in four seasons and 300+ strikeouts four times. He was second in 1991 Pitcher of the Year voting. In total with Dhaka, Poomkeaw had a 96-56 record, 2.79 ERA, 1469.2 innings, 1845 strikeouts, 337 walks, 130 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 41.0 WAR.

After the 1995 season, a 29-year old Poomkeaw was a free agent. The financial woes for many teams in the early top-heavy days of SAB meant that only the Ho Chi Minh City and Ahmedabad dynasties tended to sign free agents. Poomkeaw couldn’t come to terms with either or anyone else in 1996 and sat out that season.

Poomkeaw returned to the game in 1997 for $1,660,000 with a two-year deal for Ho Chi Minh City with a player option. He had a solid season and posted a 2.95 ERA in 21.1 playoff innings. 1997 was the year the Hedgehogs finally beat Ahmedabad in the SAB Championship after losing in their first six meetings. Poomkeaw was second in Pitcher of the Year voting that season.

He decided to decline his option year and ended up sitting out again in 1998. Now 32 years old, Poomkeaw went to Ahmedabad for 1999 and had his finest season. He earned a Triple Crown with a 23-4 record, 1.92 ERA, and 375 strikeouts; all career bests along with 9.8 WAR and 276 innings. Poomkeaw picked up Pitcher of the Year honors and had a 1.59 ERA in 28.1 playoff innings as the Animals won their 11^th title in 14 years.

Poomkeaw decided to sit out again in 2000 and went back to Ho Chi Minh City in 2001 at age 34. He was having a good season, but suffered radial nerve compression that ended his year in mid July. Yangon signed him for 2002, but Poomkeaw was never the same after the injury. He struggled to a 4.88 ERA in 153 innings for the Green Dragons. Poomkeaw retired that winter at age 36.

The career stats for Poomkeaw: 153-81 record, 2.77 ERA, 2271.2 innings, 2821 strikeouts, 517 walks, 209/298 quality starts, 63 complete games, 24 shutouts, 131 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 62.5 WAR. The issues in early SAB and the later injury cost Poomkeaw a chance for more impressive accumulations. Regardless, SAB Hall of Fame voters recognized that Poomkeaw was one of the finest pitchers of the 1990s. He received 84.2% for a first ballot induction in 2008.

Anjan “Legend” Sumanjit – Center Field – Ahmedabad Animals – 74.6% First Ballot

Anjan Sumanjit was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting center fielder from Igatpuri, India; a town of 31,000 in the state of Maharashtra. Sumanjit was an all-time great traditional leadoff guy and the nickname “legend” often referred to his speed. He was lightning quick and was one of the most cunning base stealers ever, successfully swiping in 78% of his tries.

Sumanjit was a good contact hitter and was excellent at putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts, although he rarely drew walks. He had a good pop in his bat, averaging 33 doubles, 11 triples, and 21 home runs per his 162 game average. With his speed, he often turned singles into doubles and doubles into triples.

Defensively, Sumanjit was a career center fielder. He had great range and a rocket arm, although he did occasionally make sloppy errors. Still, Sumanjit graded out as a reliably good to great defender in a valuable spot. He was a beloved fan favorite and known for his intelligence, work ethic, loyalty, and adaptability.

Unlike many of the Hall of Famers who later came to Ahmedabad during the dynasty, Sumanjit spent his whole career with the Animals. He was signed as a teenage amateur in January 1986 and debuted in 1989 at age 19. He only played 62 games with 24 starts in his first three years, primarily used as a pinch runner and defensive substitution. The dynasty was well underway at this point and Sumanjit earned SAB Championship rings in his first three seasons.

Sumanjit became a full-time starter in 1992 as the leadoff man and had the most at-bats and plate appearances in the Indian League five times from 1992-1997. In his first four seasons, he led the league each time in stolen bases, peaking with 125 in 1994. That was a new SAB record that held until 2001 and still ranks fifth best as of 2037.

Additionally, he led in hits twice, runs once, and triples once. From 1992-99, Sumanjit had six seasons worth 8+ WAR and topped 10+ thrice. He won Silver Sluggers in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, and 2001. Sumanjit never won MVP, but took second in 1993 voting, second in 1995, and third in 1999. After the 1997 season, Ahmedabad gave Sumanjit a five-year, $7,560,000 extension.

Sumanjit really emerged as a legend in the postseason as the dynasty rolled on. Over his tenure, Ahmedabad never won fewer than 107 games in a season. They made it to the Indian League Championship Series each season and won the pennant 13 times. The Animals took the SAB Championship in 1989, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, and 2002.

Four times, Sumanjit was the SAB Championship MVP. He is believed to be the only player in world baseball history to win a finals MVP four times. Sumanjit took it in 1992, 1998, 1999, and 2002. In 178 playoff games and 156 starts, Sumanjit had 201 hits, 85 runs, 32 doubles, 11 triples, 20 home runs, 63 RBI, 114 stolen bases, a .312/.346/.489 slash, 163 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR.

The 114 stolen bases is a postseason world record and by a healthy margin as the next closest was his longtime teammate K.C. Choudhury at 81. Sumanjit is also the all-time world playoff leader in hits (201), singles (138), and caught stealing (40). Certainly, Ahmedabad’s dynasty gave him plenty of opportunities, but he shined in the big moments.

Six times in the playoffs, Sumanjit stole 10+ bases. He stole 17 in 1995, which tied the then-world record. It remains the SAB record and one behind the world record. Because he was a homegrown talent, Sumanjit was especially beloved by Ahmedabad fans. His #9 uniform would be among those retired from the dynasty run.

Sumanjit also had national popularity throughout India. He played from 1993-2002 for the national team in the World Baseball Championship. In 63 games and 57 starts, Sumanjit had 60 hits, 36 runs, 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, 43 stolen bases, a .278/.328/.472 slash, 128 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR.

The 2000 season saw Sumanjit miss more than half the year to a hamstring strain. He bounced back with a great 2001, but lost much of 2002 to a torn groin muscle. Sumanjit struggled in the 2002 season with a .208/.244/.374 slash and 88 wRC+, all career worsts by a significant margin. However, he stepped up one last time in the postseason, winning his fourth finals MVP.

Sumanjit had looked cooked in much of the season and despite the happy ending, Ahmedabad let him go. He hoped to still play somewhere in 2003, but ended up unsigned. Sumanjit officially retired in the winter of 2003 at only 34.

The final stats for Sumanjit had 1741 hits, 965 runs, 324 doubles, 111 triples, 211 home runs, 750 RBI, 945 stolen bases, a .288/.320/.483 slash, 151 wRC+, and 84.6 WAR. As of 2037, Sumanjit is 40^th in WAR among position players. However, his accumulations in the regular season were lower than most since he only played around 10 full seasons. Sumanjit does rank 16^th all-time in stolen bases.

It was the incredible playoff stats that made Sumanjit shine. He may have never been a league MVP, but he stepped up in the clutch moments consistently and stands as one of the most impressive playoff performers in baseball history. Sumanjit was a beloved member of the historic dynasty.

There were still voters though that poo-poo’d Sumanjit’s overall regular season totals being too low. Amazingly, he only received 74.6% of the vote, perhaps somewhat attributed to fatigue with Ahmedabad guys. Regardless, Sumanjit was a deserved first ballot Hall of Famer with SAB’s 2008 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-10-2024, 12:06 PM

LF Vahid Hadadi became the fourth member of the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2008. He set a record for highest percentage yet as a slam dunk first ballot guy with 98.1%. Two returners were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement. 1B Hazan Sheikh received 57.5% in his seventh ballot and RF Labid Haroon got 51.9% on his second try. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Vahid Hadadi – Left Field – Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 98.1% First Ballot

Vahid Hadadi was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Karaj, a city with around 1,590,000 in north central Iran. Hadadi was a great contact hitter with stellar home run power. He smacked 50+ dingers in eight of his 13 pro seasons, a feat few have achieved. Hadadi also had a solid eye and drew a healthy number of walks, although his strikeout rate was below average. Hadadi generally hit the ball hard and was good for 30-40 doubles most years as well.

Hadadi was an absolute beast specifically against right-handed pitching with a career 210 wRC+ and 1.108 OPS. Against lefties, he had a 144 wRC+ and .840 OPS. Hadadi was a savvy baserunner, but his speed was lousy. His immobility was a major issue for him in the field.

Defensively, Hadadi made most of his starts in left field. He played first base in his first three seasons and occasionally saw time in rihght. Hadadi was terrible in each spot with awful range and glove work. He did at least have a very strong arm which could come in handy in left. Hadadi showed sturdy durability for most of his career, providing reliable value.

Hadadi’s bat and power made him a must play even with his terrible defense. He was popular with many fans because of dingers, but he was not liked by teammates and coaches. Hadadi was greedy, lazy, selfish, and dumb. That said, most were willing to overlook the terrifying truth so they can instead watch him sock some dingers.

Hadadi’s power made him a prized Iranian prospect ahead of the 1989 ABF Draft. He was taken #2 overall by Tabriz and had an all-time rookie season. Hadadi led the league in runs (120), home runs (67), RBI (135), total bases (430), slugging (.813), OPS (1.223), wRC+ (263), and WAR (12.4). He set ABF single-season records in homers, OPS, and slugging,

In world baseball history, the only Rookie of the Year winner with a greater WAR in his debut was WAB pitcher Kouadio Diao at 13.7. Hadadi would only get passed by a position player when the ABF saw Nizami Aghazade debut with 13.9 in 2012. Naturally, Hadadi also West Asia Association MVP and a Silver Slugger. The formerly terrible Tabriz squad improved from 59 wins the prior year to 79.

Despite Hadadi’s efforts, the Tiger Sharks never made the playoffs in his tenure. They had winning seasons in the early 90s, but typically hovered around .500. His sophomore season was weaker marginally in the rate stats, but he broke his own home run record with 74 dingers. Hadadi again led in runs, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR; earning a second MVP and Silver Slugger.

As of 2037, Hadadi’s 74 home runs remains the ABF single-season record. His 1990 slugging mark of .813 still ranks second and the 1.223 OPS ranks fifth. Hadadi became a popular Iranian baseball fixture as he played for his country from 1990-2001 in the World Baseball Championship. He had 119 games and 115 starts with 96 hits, 65 runs, 11 doubles, 33 home runs, 72 RBI, a .234/.318/.512 slash, 140 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR.

A torn hamstring cost Hadadi the majority of the 1992 season and he missed some of 1993 with a hamstring strain. He still smacked 60 homers in 1993 and had a career best .371 average, winning a third Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. It was also his third season worth 10+ WAR.

Hadadi would lead in home runs thrice more, although he wouldn’t crack 60+ again. The next seven seasons were all worth 6+ WAR with Hadadi cracking 10+ again in 1998. After the 1994 season, Tabriz gave Hadadi an eight-year, $9,900,000 extension. He won additional Silver Sluggers in 1995, 1996, and 1997.

Hadadi’s third MVP was 1997, which saw his only time leading in batting average (.359). He also led in slugging, OPS, wRC+, and homers that year despite only playing 128 games because of injury. Hadadi also led in wRC+ in 1995 and 1996 and led in both slugging and OPS in 1996. He finished second in 1996 and 1998 MVP voting.

Hadadi continued to dominate the power stats despite being unlikeable by teammates. Some posit that is why Tabriz couldn’t find team success despite Hadadi’s numbers. In 1999, he became the first ABF slugger to 500 career home runs and 1000 runs scored, plus the second to 1000 RBI.

The decline came suddenly for Hadadi in 2001 at age 34. That season, he hit a mere 24 home runs with a 106 wRC+ and 1.0 WAR. In 2002, Hadadi was mediocre enough to be moved to the bench with only 37 starts and 92 games.

He did become the first to 600 homers in that final season, but couldn’t reach 2000 hits. Clearly cooked, Hadadi retired that winter at age 36. Tabriz quickly honored him by retiring his #27 uniform. He would remain ABF’s all-time home run king until 2011.

Hadadi finished with 1913 hits, 1211 runs, 398 doubles, 603 home runs, 1269 RBI, 738 walks, a .305/.382/.663 slash, 194 wRC+, and 95.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s ninth in homers and 21^st in WAR for position players.

His 1.044 OPS was the all-time mark and as of 2037, only one retired player (Nizami Aghazade) bested him. He’s still fourth among all players with 3000 plate appearances. Aghazade also eventually passed him narrowly in slugging, but Hadadi is still #2 among Hall of Famers.

As far as rate stats go, Hadadi is inner-circle level for power hitters. His sudden decline, terrible defense, and lack of team success keep him from getting more consideration when discussing ABF’s all-time greats. But you’d be hard pressed to find a better pure slugger. He might be a jerk, but Hadadi was a slam dunk inductee and the only addition in 2008 at 98.1%.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-10-2024, 05:48 PM

Third baseman Elann Isser became the third member of the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. He narrowly breached the 66% requirement with 70.8% in his debut. Only two others were above 50%, both on their fourth try. SP Ilwad Maxamed received 55.2% and CL Khemais Khalid grabbed 53.6%. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.

Elann “Free Fall” Isser – Third Base – Abu Dhabi Destroyers – 70.8% First Ballot

Elann Isser was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed third baseman from Ra’anana, Israel; a city of around 100,000 people. Isser was an excellent home run hitter who hit 40+ homers in six different seasons. He also had nice gap power, averaging around 20-30 doubles per year. Isser was merely a decent contact hitter with an average eye and strikeout rate. He had okay baserunning instincts with mediocre speed.

Isser was a career third baseman and had an absolute cannon of an arm. His glove work was okay and he graded out as an average defender for his career. Isser had good durability and became an extremely popular player as one of the first great sluggers in ALB. He was also a team captain and one of the more respected guys in his era.

Arab League Baseball officially began with the 1990 season and Isser had just started his pro career the year before, so he wasn’t eligible for the first rookie draft. That gave him the option at age 22 to sign with any team and Abu Dhabi snagged him for two years and $1,230,000. Isser was a full-time starter right away and had a strong debut with 4.6 WAR. He won Rookie of the Year and his lone Gold Glove in 1990.

Isser’s power developed in his second year with an Eastern Conference best 51 home runs, 117 RBI, 354 total bases, .633 slugging, .982 OPS, 189 wRC+, and 8.9 WAR. He earned MVP honors and his first of six Silver Sluggers. Isser led in both home runs and RBI again in 1994 and 1995, setting career bests in 1994 with 53 dingers and 121 RBI. He was third in 1993 MVP voting and second in 1994.

Those were his only years as a league leader, although he posted 5+ WAR each year from 1993-2000. Isser even had 5.2 WAR in 1996 despite missing about half the season to injury. He was Abu Dhabi’s first star player, although the Destroyers generally were a few games below .500. They won the Gulf Division in 1990 and 1993, but lost in the first round both years. They averaged 79.1 wins per season during Isser’s tenure.

Isser’s Silver Slugger wins were 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, and 1999. Abu Dhabi gave him a five-year, $9,500,000 extension in June 1998. In 2000, he became the second ALB batter to reach the 400 home run and 1000 RBI milestones behind Bilal Hamdan. He would miss half of 2001 to a broken hand.

2002 was still a respectable year with 4.0 WAR and a 119 wRC+. Isser declined his contract option and became a free agent for the first time. He couldn’t find a suitor though as most teams preferred to court younger players. Isser retired in the winter of 2003 at age 36. Abu Dhabi immediately brought him back in to retire his #29 uniform.

Isser ended with 1774 hits, 974 runs, 320 doubles, 469 home runs, 1161 RBI, a .264/.327/.528 slash, 144 wRC+, and 70.6 WAR. As of 2037, he’s fourth all-time at third base in WAR and he sits 38^th among all position players. Later stars would blow by his accumulations, but Isser was a consistently strong slugger for ALB’s first decade.

There were those who thought his accumulations were too low and dinged him for his lack of team success. Isser’s power and respect as a captain was enough though to earn 70.8% in his debut as the lone inductee into the Arab League Hall of Fame in 2008.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-11-2024, 05:49 AM

The African Association of Baseball didn’t induct its first Hall of Famer with the 2008 voting. SP Ahmed Hussen Rooble set a new high mark for any player with a debut at 39.4%. 1B Laurent Kouakou was next at 38.2% on his second try. One other debut was above the 1/3 mark with SP Hendrik Jongman at 35.7%. There was still a big gulf between these first options and the 66% requirement.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-11-2024, 01:23 PM

The 2008 World Baseball Championship was the 62^nd edition of the event and was hosted in Argentina for the second time, this time centered in Cordoba. In Division 1, Ethiopia advanced at 7-2, edging out 6-3 efforts by Algeria and Taiwan. It was the second division win for the Ethiopians, who also did it in 2006. The defending world champion United States was the lone unbeaten team, rolling to 9-0 in Division 2. It was the 51^st time the Americans made it to the elite eight.

Turkey took Division 3 at 8-1, beating last year’s runner-up China by one game and the Philippines by two. This was Turkey’s fourth division title and their second in three years. Division 4 had a tie for first at 6-3 between the Netherlands and Japan, while Brazil, Guatemala, and Myanmar were each 5-4. The Dutch had the tiebreaker for their seventh division win and first since 2002.

Russia won Division 5 at 7-2, defeating neighbor Finland by one and four others by two. This was the 15^th division win for the Russians and first since their 2001 runner-up campaign. D6 went to 8-1 Australia, who topped both Italy and South Korea by two. This was the fifth division win for the Australians, ending a ten year title drought.

Mexico claimed Division 7 at 8-1 with Spain, Nigeria, and Israel all at 6-3. The Mexicans advanced for the 27^th time and joined the US as the only teams to earn repeat division titles this year. Indonesia prevailed at 8-1 in Division 8 with Pakistan the closest foe at 6-3. The Indonesians moved forward for the 18^th time with their first title since 2003.

The United States won Round Robin Group A at 4-2, continuing their dominance with a 45^th semifinal berth. The Netherlands and Turkey tied at 3-3 and Mexico was 2-4. The Dutch took the tiebreaker for their second-ever semifinal appearance, joining their fourth place finish back in 1989.

Ethiopia and Indonesia tied for the top spot in Group B at 4-2, while both Russia and Australia were 2-4. It was the first-ever semifinal for the Ethiopians and the 11^th for the Indonesians, who last did it as the runner-up in 2000. Ethiopia joined Nigeria as the only African nations thus far to make it to the final four.

The United States defeated Indonesia 3-1 in the semifinal for a 41^st finals appearance and their seventh of the 2000s. The Netherlands swept Ethiopia to give the Dutch their first finals appearance. The Indonesians were officially third for the fourth time, while Ethiopia’s fourth place was a new best.

The Americans dominated the Dutch with a sweep in the 62^nd World Championship, giving the US back-to-back titles and their sixth of the decade. The Americans are now 36-5 all-time in the championship. The Netherlands became the 23^rd unique nation to earn a trip to the championship series

Fifth-year Virginia Beach RF Ezekiel Thomas was the Tournament MVP and earned it with a historic effort. In 23 starts, the New Yorker had 39 hits, 31 runs, 8 doubles, 18 home runs, 46 RBI, 101 total bases, a .390/.443/1.010 slash, 313 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR. The 46 RBI broke Connor Neumeyer’s record of 40 from 1972 and still remains the top mark as of 2037.

Thomas also tied Adam Lewis’s hits record from 1951 and set a new position player WAR record with 3.49, passing Neumeyer’s 3.48. He missed the runs record and homer record both by two behind Neumeyer’s 1972. As of 2037, Thomas’s 2008 effort is still second in WAR, fifth in homers, fourth in hits, and eighth in runs.

The Americans also had the best pitcher in TJ Douglas, the reigning American Association Reliever of the Year with Houston. The 28-year old Texan had two starts and six relief appearances, tossing 23.2 scoreless innings with 62 strikeouts, 6 walks, and only 3 hits allowed.

Other notes: 2008 had two no-hitters in the WBC with the first by Ecuador’s Nacho Toscano with 10 strikeouts and two walks against Serbia. Belgium’s Yannick de Vries had the other with 15 Ks and 4 walks versus Guatemala. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats. Indonesia’s third place allowed them to pass Japan for the seventh place spot all-time.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-11-2024, 06:28 PM

Fresh off their demotion the prior season, London’s European Second League debut saw them dominate the Western Conference standings at 109-53. Edinburgh earned its first-ever playoff berth in second at 97-65. Rome, who also just got relegated in 2007, took third at 95-67.

There was a tie for the final playoff spot between Cardiff and Lyon at 86-76. The Crew won the tiebreaker game to take the spot in their first-ever winning season. Just missing out were Liverpool (85-77) and Hanover (83-79).

In the Eastern Conference, Lviv took first place at 99-63, giving the Lunkers repeat playoff berths. Lodz was second at 96-66, while just demoted Krakow was third at 95-67. It was the first playoff appearance for the Legion. The final playoff spot was Gothenberg at 92-70 for their first playoff berth. The Gales allowed 961 hits and 5.77 H/9, which remain conference records as of 2037.

Skopje was a close fifth at 90-72. Newly demoted Odessa was sixth at 85-77. Varna had finished first in the standings last year, but blew it in the playoffs. They were seventh in 2008 at 84-78. Riga had escaped the Second League in 2006, but was relegated back after the 2007 effort. The Roosters imploded down to 58-104.

The Western Conference Round Robin had Cardiff and Rome both advance to the finals at 4-2. Top seed London was 2-4, as was Edinburgh. In the Eastern Conference, Lodz (4-2) took the top spot. Krakow tied with Gothenburg at 3-3 with the tiebreaker going to the Canines. Top seed Lyiv was 2-4, meaning both first place teams remain in E2L unless five EBF Elite teams suffer demotions.

Rome defeated Cardiff 4-2 and Krakow topped Lodz 4-1 in the conference championships. This sent the Red Wolves and Canines right back up to the top tier after one season relegated. Rome downed Krakow 4-1 for the Second League Championship. If additional promotion/relegation is required, it would be the Legion first in line, followed by the Crew.

Other notes: Two perfect games were thrown in 2008. Lviv’s Liam Gilpin did it with 10 strikeouts against Chisinau on March 28. On September 20, Lyon’s Yannick de Vries fanned 11 against Nantes. In 2006, de Vries had thrown the first E2L perfecto against Reykjavik.

London’s Unai Hermosillo had the first-ever Triple Crown in E2L for London. The 24-year old Spanish 1B won MVP honors with a .322 average, 55 home runs, and 145 RBI.

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-12-2024, 07:38 AM

Antananarivo repeated as the first place finisher in the Southern Conference at 100-62. This gave the Eagles their fifth playoff appearance in seven years. They led the conference in both runs scored (797) and fewest allowed (627). Close behind was Johannesburg at 98-64, who had an impressive turnaround from a franchise worst 63-99 the prior year. This ended a six-year playoff drought for the Jackalopes. They outperformed their “expected record” by 12 games.

There was an eight game gap between them and third place Lusaka at 90-72. That was only the third-ever winning season for the Lake Monsters, who last did it in 1997. The big surprise was two-time defending African Association of Baseball champion Durban’s drop. The Deer feel to 71-91, ending their playoff streak at three seasons with an eighth place finish.

Luanda was fourth place, but their star center fielder Mwarami Tale won his third Southern Conference MVP. The 27-year old Tanzanian lefty led in home runs (63), total bases (410), slugging (.714), OPS (1.096), and wRC+ (190). Tale added 8.3 WAR, a .305 average, 114 runs, and 127 RBI.

Pitcher of the Year was Johannesburg lefty Damian Apio. The fourth year Ugandan lefty led in ERA (2.40), K/BB (6.0), FIP- (46), and WAR (9.5). Apio added an 18-6 record, 214 innings, 272 strikeouts, and 170 ERA+. Sadly, a torn flexor tendon the next year derailed Apios’ career and he’d never muster up another full season again.

Two-time defending Central Conference champion Addis Ababa dominated the field at 104-58. The Brahmas allowed the fewest runs in AAB at 617 and finished 15 games ahead of second place Kigali. The Guardians at 89-73 edged out Lubumbashi for the second playoff spot by three games. Kigali had the top offense in AAB at 918 runs scored, but allowed the second most runs at 801.

For Kigali, they earned their second-ever playoff berth, joining the 2003 campaign. Last year’s wild card Bujumbura dropped from 96 wins to a mere 79-83. They tied for fourth in the standings with Mogadishu. The once proud Kinshasa dynasty was 75-89 in eighth, posting repeat losing seasons for the first time in franchise history.

Bujumbura’s Luke Tembo won his third Central Conference MVP in four years. The 27-year old Malawian first baseman led in home runs (69), RBI (150), walks (144), total bases (398), OBP (.455), slugging (.768), OPS (1.224), wRC+ (197), and WAR (9.2).

Although he had fewer walks than his previous world record seasons, Tembo did post the second-best OBP in AAB history to that point. It was also the seventh 150+ RBI season in AAB thus far. The Bighorns would finally lock up their superstar before the 2010 season on a seven-year, $26,760,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year was Addis Ababa’s Michael Wakachu, who became AAB’s second-ever Triple Crown winning pitcher. The 28-year old Malawian righty had a 23-3 record, 2.30 ERA, and 296 strikeouts over 207.1 innings. Wakachu also led in WHIP (0.84), K/BB (5.7), quality starts (28), FIP- (52), and WAR (8.3) with a 184 ERA+. The Brahmas gave him a five-year, $14,760,000 extension after the 2009 campaign.

Antananarivo and Johannesburg had a seven game classic in the Southern Conference Championship with the top-seeded Eagles prevailing in the end. It was the fourth pennant for Antananarivo (2003, 2003, 2005, 2008). Addis Ababa rolled to a Central Conference sweep of Kigali, giving the Brahmas their third straight pennant.

The 14^th Africa Series was needed all nine games to decide the champion and was the first to end with a walk off. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Addis Ababa 3B Marlin Kimwaki won it with a two-run home run, giving the Brahmas game nine by a 4-3 final.

It was sweet for the 10^th-year Brahmas star Kimwaki, delivering his squad their first AAB title after taking runner-up in back-to-back years versus Durban. Little did they know that this marked the beginning of an all-time great dynasty. For the Eagles, they fell to 1-3 in their finals berths.

Antananarivo’s Mohau Sibiya was Africa Series MVP in defeat. He set a playoff record with 10 home runs, which still stands as of 2037. Sibiya had 15 hits, 13 runs, and 12 RBI in 15 playoff starts. He also struck out 26 times, which is also still a playoff record.

Other notes: Antananarivo had 65 triples as a team, which set an AAB record that would only be passed once in 2018. Mogadishu’s Jose Santarem had 60 doubles, which would be a record in a lot of leagues. This was second-best in AAB at that point behind Stefan Cejka’s 71. 2008 was the first season in AAB history without a single no-hitter thrown.

Felix Chaula became the third to reach 500 career home runs and the fifth to 1000 runs scored. Rajab Hamadi became the first to 400 saves and would retire after the 2015 season as AAB’s all-time leader with 444. Henry Kibirige and Tesfu Ogbagaber became the second and third pitchers to 2500 career strikeouts. Becoming six-time Silver Slugger winners were 2B Gedeon Bukasa, 3B Marlin Kimwaki, and CF Ronny Safari

FuzzyRussianHat · 07-12-2024, 12:24 PM

The Arab League Western Conference was competitive with each division having two 90+ win teams in the hunt. The top seed went to Casablanca at 99-63, finishing eight games better than Algiers in the Mediterranean Division. The Bruins earned their 14^th division title over ALB’s 19 seasons to date.

The #2 seed was Amman, winning the Levant Division at 97-65. This ended a four-year playoff drought for the Aviators, who bested Beirut by six games. Defending conference champ Jerusalem, who had won three straight division titles, plummeted from 104 wins in 2007 to a lousy 71-91 in 2008. The closest division was the Nile Division, which Giza took for the third straight year. The Goats finished 95-67, edging Cairo by only two games.

Casablanca’s Abderrazak Zourai joined Nordine Soule and Mohammed Mohamed as the only five-time MVPs in ALB history to date. Zourai had previously won the Western Conference’s top prize in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2008, the 34-year old Moroccan third baseman led in runs (112) and WAR (8.3). Zouari also had 39 home runs, 110 RBI, a .950 OPS, and 159 wRC+ to win his seventh Silver Slugger. This would end his 15-year run with the Bruins, as he would leave for MLB in the winter on a four-year, $56,700,000 deal with Baltimore.

His Casablanca teammate Abdullah Al-Tamtami won his third Pitcher of the Year award. The 27-year old Omani righty led in wins (20-5), strikeouts (332), FIP- (58), and WAR (9.1). Al-Tamtami added a 2.73 ERA over 247.2 innings with a 140 ERA+. The Bruins gave him a seven-year, $24,640,000 extension just before the 2009 season.

Amman swept Giza in the first round of the playoffs for their fourth Western Conference Final appearance and first since 1999. Casablanca was making a repeat appearance and their tenth overall. The Bruins outlasted the Aviators 3-2 to earn their seventh WC pennant (1993, 94, 95, 01, 03, 05, 08).

Basra rode an impressive offense to the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 109-53. The Bulldogs set a franchise record for wins and extended their Iraq Division title streak to six seasons. Basra scored 893 runs, while the next closest team in the conference had only 754. That was defending ALB champ Medina at 102-60, winning their sixth straight Saudi Division. The Mastodons posted a fifth consecutive 100+ win season.

Dubai’s Gulf Division streak ended at seven seasons as the Diamonds limped to a 71-91 record. Kuwait claimed the mantle at 87-75, topping Abu Dhabi by two games. This was the second-ever playoff berth for the Whales, joining their stunning 2000 title win.

The stacked Basra offense had the top three finishers in Eastern Conference MVP voting. 27-year old Comoran RF Farouk Adam ended up winning his first MVP, leading in runs (144), doubles (54), OBP (.442), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.7). The 144 runs were a single-season record that wasn’t passed until 2028. Adam also had 251 hits, 34 home runs, 147 RBI, 92 stolen bases, and a .404 batting average.

Prior to 2008, no ALB player had hit above .400 or posted 250+ hits. However, Adam didn’t even lead the conference because of teammate Hassan El Zamek. The 24-year old Egyptian CF had a 10.7 WAR effort with single-season records in hits (261), average (.407), and stolen bases (138). The average and hits mark both held until 2027, while he’d beat his own steals mark two years later. Amazingly, that got El Zamek THIRD in MVP voting.

Second was the seven-time MVP LF Nordine Soule. The 33-year old set the RBI record with 172, breaking his 169 mark from 2005. This would only get passed once in 2027. The 33-year old Comoran also had 66 home runs, his ninth 60+ homer season, finishing the season with 797 for his career. Soule had a 1.173 OPS and 10.1 WAR. You could argue that the Soule-El Zamek-Adam pairing in 2008 was the strongest outfield in baseball history. Each were locked up long-term with the Bulldogs as well.

Dubai’s Uria Lerner won his third Pitcher of the Year, joining his 2004 and 2005 wins. It was an impressive comeback for the 27-year old Israeli righty, who missed all of 2007 to a torn UCL. Lerner led in WAR (8.5), quality starts (23), and FIP- (55). He added 295 strikeouts in 219.1 innings, a 2.42 ERA, and 16-6 record. Lerner also had a 14 K, 1 BB no-hitter against Abu Dhabi in July.

Sadly, Lerner’s 2008 ended with another torn UCL that knocked him out for all of 2009. He’d manage to bounce back for an ERA title in 2010, but he’d have more injuries after that. Also worth mentioning, Medina’s Souilem Boudiaf became the second ALB closer to win Reliever of the Year four times. Boudiaf also became the fourth to reach 300 saves in ALB. He’d leave for MLB in the offseason and would bounce around teams and leagues for another 13 years.

Medina swept Kuwait in the first round, pitting the Mastodons against Basra in the Eastern Conference Final for the fifth year in a row. This was a rubber match as Basra had won in 2004 and 2006, while Medina took it in 2005 and 2007. The even year again favored the Bulldogs, who earned their third pennant 3-1.

For the second time in three years, Basra secured the Arab League Championship. The high octane Bulldogs beat Casablanca 4-1 to drop the Bruins to 3-4 in their finals berths. Finals MVP didn’t come from the stacked outfield, but from SS Chucka Debekeme. The 31-year old Nigerian in nine playoff starts had 9 hits, 4 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI. It was the fourth straight title by an Eastern Conference team.

Other notes: Amman’s Kamal Saleh set numerous playoff stats that still stand as of 2037. He tossed 15 scoreless innings with 22 strikeouts in his two starts, allowing 3 hits and 0 walks. Saleh’s H/9 (1.80), WHIP (0.20), opponent triple slash (.064/.102/.064) and OPS (.166) are all still playoff records. Sulaymaniyah’s offense struck out 1805 times, which remains an all-time Eastern Conference worst as of 2037.

Nordine Soule crossed 1500 runs scored, becoming the first to reach that mark. He was now the all-time runs, RBI, and home run king. Soule also became the second to reach 2500 career hits and would pass Hassan El Mubarak’s 2611 for that top spot in 2009. Soule won his record 12^th Silver Slugger as well in left field.

Mustafa bin Nazim joined Soule as the only ALB sluggers with 600 home runs. He also won his tenth Silver Slugger at second base. Zuhair Hamad became the third pitcher to 200 wins. SS Amr Khatab won his ninth Gold Glove.

07-06-2024, 06:53 AM	#1401
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2007 in MLB Philadelphia won the National Association title in 2005, but struggled to only 74 wins in 2006. The Phillies bounced back in 2007 with the best record in MLB at 104-58. Philly won the East Division for the fifth time in the 2000s. Washington was second at 95-67, which was good enough for the second wild card. The Admirals ended an 11 season playoff drought. Last year’s division winner Pittsburgh plummeted from 91 wins to 72. Reigning NA champ Winnipeg and Detroit tied at 97-65 for the Upper Midwest Division. The Wolves won the tiebreaker game to win the division and the #2 seed, earning a third division title in four years. The Tigers got the first wild card for their second berth in three years. Over in the Lower Midwest, Cincinnati was first at 97-65 to end a four year playoff drought. Louisville was second at 92-70, three games short of Washington for the second wild card. Boston won the Northeast Division at 95-67, joining Winnipeg as the only National Association teams back from last year’s playoff field. The Red Sox held off Hartford (93-69) and Quebec City (91-71) to advance with both just short in the wild card hunt. The Nordiques had been the #1 seed in 2006 at 102-60. Philadelphia’s Murad Doskaliev won National Association MVP and made history in his second MLB season. The 31-year old Tajik first baseman had been a two-time MVP for Asgabat in the Asian Baseball Federation and joined the short list of guys with a MVP in multiple leagues. In 2007 for the Phillies, he did it and became MLB’s new single-season home run king. Doskaliev smacked 65 homers, passing Emmanuel Kao’s record of 63 set in 2001. Doskaliev would hold the top spot until 2012. Doskaliev also led in runs (124), hits (207), RBI (141), total bases (445), slugging (.697), OPS (1.068), wRC+ (222), and WAR (10.2). The 445 total bases was the third-best MLB season to that point. Louisville’s Joshua Williams won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons. The 24-year old righty led in strikeouts (330), walks (92), quality starts (28), FIP- (55), and WAR (10.1). Williams also had a 2.46 ERA over 263.1 innings and an 18-10 record. The Lynx spent big in the offseason, giving Williams a seven-year, $85,100,000 extension. Sadly, he was never quite the same after a torn labrum in 2008. Williams had a few more good years after, but very quickly regressed and was out of MLB by age 32. Still, his 39.6 WAR and 1258 strikeouts in his first four years remain one of the all-time great starts to a career. He’d only get another 1162 Ks and 28.5 WAR over the remaining seven years of his career. In the first round of the playoffs, Boston edged Detroit 2-1 and Washington edged Cincinnati 2-1. The top seeds prevailed in round two with Philadelphia over the Admirals 3-1 and a Winnipeg sweep of the Red Sox. It was the fifth year in a row that the National Association Championship Series had the Phillies or the Wolves, but the first time they met in the NACS. Winnipeg had beaten Philly in the second round of 2004. The 2007 NACS was a seven-game thriller with Winnipeg outlasting Philadelphia on the road. The Wolves were the first team to repeat as National Association champ since Montreal in 1972-73. Winnipeg also won their third pennant in four years. That had only previously happened in the NA when the Phillies won seven straight from 1941-1947 and when St. Louis three-peated from 1908-1910. Seattle had finally won their first World Series in 2005, but then missed the playoffs in 2006 at 82-80. In 2007, the Grizzlies reclaimed the top seed in the American Association at 102-60. Seattle won the Northwest Division and earned an eighth playoff berth in ten years. Portland was second at 97-65, which secured the first wild card. The Pacifics ended the second-longest active playoff drought in MLB dating back to 1979. The only longer skid was Miami’s 35 years of ineptitude back to 1972. Salt Lake City’s three-year playoff streak ended, as the Loons went from 100 wins the prior year to a middling 78-84 in 2007. Atlanta at 98-64 earned the Southeast Division title and the #2 seed, ending a six-year postseason drought. Defending World Series champ Nashville was second at 92-70, which was good enough for the second wild card. It was a tight battle as the Knights finished two ahead of both Austin and New Orleans, three better than Dallas and Oakland, four better than Jacksonville, six ahead of Tampa, and seven ahead of Albuquerque and Los Angeles. San Diego won the Southwest Division at 96-66, besting the Owls by seven games. The Seals earned back-to-back playoff berths. For the Isotopes, their playoff streak ended at six years, meaning no one in the 2007 playoff field had a longer streak than two seasons. Phoenix had won the World Series in 2003 and 2004. After back-to-back 80-82 seasons, the Firebirds fully collapsed to 58-104 in 2007. Only the inaugural 1901 season (54-108) was worse for them. A very tight South Central Division had Memphis on top at 92-70. The Amigos and Mudcats were both two behind and Dallas was three back. It was the second berth in three years for the Mountain Cats, but their first division title since 1974. Houston’s five-year playoff streak concluded as the Hornets dropped to 77-85. American Association MVP also went to a foreign export in 1B Ju-Won Yoo. The 29-year old South Korean had come to the Seals on an eight-year, $93,000,000 deal in 2006 after being an EAB all-star. In 2007, he led the AA with 60 home runs, 151 RBI, 123 runs, and a .673 slugging percentage. Yoo added a .319 average, 188 wRC+, and 10.2 WAR. Yoo was only the second MLB slugger in the last 25 years with a 150+ RBI season. Pitcher of the Year was Calgary veteran Daniel Grondin. It was the second POTY for the 30-year old Canadian righty, who did it back in his second season in 1999. Grondin led in strikeouts (283), quality starts (23), shutouts (5), FIP- (57), and WAR (10.2). He also had a 2.57 ERA over 266.1 innings and 18-10 record. It was Grondin’s sixth time leading in WAR, ninth time leading in FIP, and fourth time leading in Ks. He had almost flown under the radar despite being great with the Cheetahs. It was Grondin’s last year in Calgary, as he was sent to Boston in a five prospect haul in the winter. The Red Sox gave him a six-year, $86,700,000 extension, but a torn flexor in 2010 and torn UCL in 2011 ended his impressive run. Memphis edged Portland 2-1 and San Diego swept defending MLB champ Nashville in the first round. Seattle survived a five-game battle with the Mountain Cats, while the Seals upset Atlanta 3-1. It was the fifth time in eight years with the Grizzlies in the American Association Championship Series. Although San Diego had numerous playoff berths in recent memory, they hadn’t gotten to the AACS since 1971. Like the adjacent NACS, the 2007 AACS was a seven game classic. San Diego upset Seattle on the road for the Seals’ first pennants since their 1966-67 repeat. It was the seventh overall title for San Diego. The 107^th World Series lacked drama as San Diego swept Winnipeg. The two franchises had very different luck in the Fall Classic as the Seals were now 6-1 all-time (winning in 1936, 55, 56, 58, 66, and 07) and the Wolves were now 0-3 in the last four seasons. This was the fifth straight title win for the American Association over the National Association. RF Errol Jordan was World Series MVP in his San Diego debut, having signed after eight years in Cincinnati. In 17 playoff starts, he had 19 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBI, and 18 walks. Jordan drew 130 walks in the regular season, the seventh-most in a MLB season. No one had taken 130 BBs since 1933. Other notes: Memphis’ Sutee Phanbua threw MLB’s 21^st Perfect Game on May 13, striking out 13 against San Antonio. LF Tito Infante won his seventh straight Gold Glove. 2B Adrian Vega won his seventh Silver Slugger. Bryson Wightman became the fifth member of the 2000 RBI club and the 20^th to reach 600 homers. He would play one more year in MLB and end with 2167 RBI, retiring second to Stan Provost’s 2271. As of 2037, Wightman is 4^th all-time in RBI. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-06-2024, 01:38 PM	#1402
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 MLB Hall of Fame Longtime Charlotte first baseman Mason Murat was the lone addition into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2008. He earned the first ballot nod with 79.1%. Two cracked 60%, but fell short of the 66% requirement. RF Xavier Chojnacki had 60.9% on his fifth ballot, while SP Chris Doyle had 60.6% in his debut. The other players to crack 50% was CF Will Kemme with 59.6% on his fourth go, 2B Chaz Cimarron at 58.6% in his debut, RF Mike Castaneda with 55.6% in his seventh try, CL Brendan Gordon at 55.0% on his third ballot, SP Ollie Husband at 53.3% on his tenth attempt, RF Brian Ostrovskaya at 51.7% for his fourth stab, and C Elliot McKay debuting at 51.0%. It was the last shot for Husband, who peaked at 59.0% in 2004 after starting at 42.3%. In 15 years between six teams, he had a 233-176 record, 3.57 ERA, 3646 innings, 3464 strikeouts, 1570 walks, 107 ERA+, and 58.0 WAR. Husband didn’t have big awards and really only led the league in a bad stat, retiring with the fifth most walks of any MLB pitcher. He had nice longevity, but wasn’t dominant enough to deserve the nod. Also dropped was reliever Alex Cantos, who came painfully close with 65.6% in 2003. He was often in the high 50% range or 60s, but ended at a low of 46.7%. In 16 years with seven teams, Cantos won two Reliever of the Year awards and two World Series rings, posting 262 saves and 350 shutdowns, 2.07 ERA, 906.2 innings, 1004 strikeouts, 183 ERA+, and 30.6 WAR. His rate stats were comparable to some other relievers that had gotten the nod, but he didn’t have the magical 300 save number, keeping Cantos on the outside. Catcher Evan Bogdan got dropped after ten years as well, ending at a low of 36.1% after largely staying in the 40s. He peaked with 49.3% in 2004. Over 21 years primarily with Hartford and Ottawa, Bogdan had two Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, 2197 hits, 1119 runs, 342 doubles, 307 home runs, 1085 RBI, a .264/.343/.426 slash, 127 wRC+, and 82.3 WAR. As of 2037, Bogdan has the eighth most WAR accrued by a catcher, but the voters are always harsh on the position for the lower tallies that come with the spot. Bogdan was also hurt by the lack of awards and wasn’t often considered the best at the spot. He had remarkable longevity at the spot, but it wasn’t enough to get across the line. Mason Murat – First Base – Charlotte Canaries – 79.1% First Ballot Mason Murat was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Farragut, Tennessee; a town of 23,500 within the Knoxville metropolitan area. Murat was an incredibly well-rounded hitter who wasn’t amazing at one thing, but above average to good across the board. He was a solid contact hitter with a great eye and a solid strikeout rate. Murat wasn’t going to lead the league in power stats, but he still reliably got around 30 home runs and 30 doubles per 162 games. While his bat was great, Murat was abysmally slow on the basepaths. His instincts weren’t bad, but he had zero speed. Murat’s only starts in the field were at first base with about 1/6 of his starts as a designated hitter. He was a mediocre defender, but his bat more than made up for that. Murat was an ironman that started 154+ games in 17 consecutive seasons. You knew each week that he’d be there ready to go with a reliably consistent bat. Murat played college baseball for Ohio University and won a Silver Slugger as a DH in his junior season. That got the attention of Charlotte, who picked him with the 14^th pick of the 1982 MLB Draft. Murat and the Canaries couldn’t come to terms and he went back to the Bobcats. He won another Silver Slugger and finished his college career with 192 starts, 223 hits, 106 runs, 30 doubles, 58 home runs, 158 RBI, 109 walks, a .297/.385/.574 slash, 181 wRC+, and 11.4 WAR. Despite being spurned the first time, Charlotte was still very interested in Murat. In the 1983 MLB Draft, the Canaries picked him 15^th overall and were able to lock him down. Murat saw limited use in his first two seasons, making only 83 starts and playing 163 games. He earned a full-time role in 1986 and was a MLB starter unabated through the 2000 campaign. Murat led the American Association in 1987 with 205 hits. That was the only time in his entire career he was a league leader, as he didn’t get you big stats. He was generally consistent, apart from weak efforts in 1988 and 1989. In his other ten full seasons with Charlotte, Murat regularly posted 4+ WAR. He was a very popular player with Canaries fans as a reliable part of the ballpark experience for more than a decade. Despite that, Murat’s #4 uniform was never retired by the squad. Charlotte lost in the AACS in 1986 and wouldn’t get back to the playoffs for the rest of his tenure. They were stuck in the mid-tier, often finishing just above .500. Despite one berth in 14 years, the Canaries averaged 84.1 wins per season while Murat was there. In the summer of 1991, Murat signed a seven-year, $18,960,000 extension. Despite his lack of big stats and the competition at the position, Murat won Silver Sluggers in 1991 and 1993 at first base and at DH in 1997 for Charlotte. In total with the Canaries, Murat had 2367 hits, 1186 runs, 374 doubles, 376 home runs, 1245 RBI, a .303/.364/.502 slash, 136 wRC+, and 57.1 WAR. As of 2037, he’s second in hits and runs, third in starts, and fourth in offensive WAR in franchise history. Charlotte bought out the last year of his deal after the 1997 season, making Murat a free agent at age 35. He signed a three-year, $12,480,000 deal with Calgary and won his fourth Silver Slugger in 2000 as a DH. Murat had the same reliable production with the Cheetahs in three years, posting 14.2 WAR, a .312/.371/.497 slash, 137 wRC+, 585 hits, 290 runs, and 75 home runs. Murat was a free agent again in 2001 at age 38 and signed a two-year, $14,500,000 deal with San Francisco. While there, he reached the 3000 career hit, 500 homer, and 1500 run milestones. Murat’s numbers decreased a little bit, but he still posted 6.8 WAR in two full seasons with a .287/.351/.474 slash and 130 wRC+. Although 2002 was his last season, Murat didn’t officially retire until the winter of 2004. He had hoped his reliable bat still had a place, but most teams wanted more power and youth out of their DH spot. Murat was 42 years old when he officially inked the retirement papers. Murat finished with 3300 hits, 1650 runs, 534 doubles, 506 home runs, 1749 RBI, 1075 walks, a .303/.364/.498 slash, 136 wRC+, and 78.2 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 28^th all-time in hits, 20^th in doubles, 46^th in RBI, and 69^th in runs. He’s also one of only seven MLB Hall of Famers to have reached 3000 hits, 1500 runs, 1500 RBI, 500 homers, 500 doubles, and 1000 walks in a career. That said, there were those that dismissed him as a compiler and used his lack of dominance and playoff success against him. Plus, Murat’s defense and baserunning were both lousy. Still, those batting accumulations tick all of the boxes and then some, making Murat a first ballot pick at 79.1%. He would be the only inductee into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2008. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-06-2024, 06:53 PM	#1403
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 CABA Hall of Fame Two players were added into the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2008. Pitcher Marvin Ramos was the headliner with a first ballot selection with 83.1%. CF Manuel Rodriguez joined him narrowly at 66.7% on his sixth ballot. Rodriguez was an odd case making the CABA Hall despite having more time spent in MLB. CABA officials granted his request to wear St. Louis Cardinals garb for his CABA induction despite that obviously not being a CABA team. No other players were above 50% in 2008. Notably dropped after ten ballots was reliever Juan Carrillo, who had a 14-year career between CABA, MLB, and BSA. In CABA, the Honduran had two Reliever of the Year awards, 267 saves, 2.52 ERA, 739 innings, 898 strikeouts, 144 ERA+, and 19.7 WAR. He didn’t have the longevity or crazy dominance to get the nod. Carrillo debuted at 37.3% and got as high as 46.0% in 2007 before ending with a low of 16.5%. Marvin “Voodoo” Ramos – Starting Pitcher – Ecatepec Explosion – 83.1% First Ballot Marvin Ramos was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Bajos de Haina, a city of 158,000 just southwest of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The city has the unfortunate reputation as the “Dominican Chernobyl” due to some of the worst lead contamination in the world. Ramos was a hard thrower with 99-101 mph velocity on his fastball. His stuff was merely graded as above average despite that, but his control and movement were both viewed as good to great. Ramos also had a slider, splitter, and changeup in his arsenal. The often tricky movement in his pitches earned him the “Voodoo” nickname from those in the game. Compared to other great CABA aces, Ramos’s stamina was considered average to below average. He was great at holding runners with respectable defense. Ramos showed great durability throughout his 20s, although injuries started to pile up as he aged. He was a team captain and one of the most well respected men in the game. No one had a bad word to say about Ramos as a person, considered a true class act and gentleman. In the 1988 CABA Draft, Ramos was picked 10^th overall by Haiti, making the move across Hispaniola. He was a full-time starter immediately and tossed 235+ innings in each of his six seasons with the Herons. Ramos was a bit sporadic in his first two seasons, but had a terrific junior season. He led the Caribbean League in ERA (2.52), innings (274.2) and WAR (6.5) in 1991, earning Pitcher of the Year. Haiti ended a decade-long playoff drought in 1991, but lost in the wild card round to Honduras. Ramos’ lone playoff start saw four runs allowed in seven innings. The Herons struggled in the next two seasons, but Ramos trucked along. He led in ERA again in 1993 with a career best 2.42, winning his second Pitcher of the Year. Haiti made it back above .500 in 1994 and 1995 but couldn’t crack the playoff field. Despite playing for the Dominican Republic’s neighbor, Ramos still regularly went home for the World Baseball Championship. From 1990-01, he tossed 141 WBC innings with a 12-5 record, 2.43 ERA, 143 strikeouts, 44 walks, 149 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. That run and leadership helped make Ramos a national favorite for the DR even as he played in Haiti. With the Herons, Ramos had a 91-65 record, 3.16 ERA, 1520.1 innings, 1421 strikeouts, 263 walks, 121 ERA+, and 34.0 WAR. Although he pitched slightly more innings for Haiti and won his awards there, Ramos would become better known for his second run with Ecatepec. He entered free agency after the 1994 season and at age 29, joined the Explosion on a six-year, $11,880,000 deal. Ramos led the Mexican League in WAR twice with 7.5 in his Ecatepec debut and a career best 8.1 in 1998. He didn’t dominate the statistical leaderboards otherwise and didn’t win POTY with the Explosion, although he finished third in voting in 1995, 1998, and 2000. Ecatepec was the ML champ in 1994, but struggled to 71-91 in Ramos’ debut season. After that, the Explosion began their dynasty run with 10 straight playoff berths and South Division titles from 1996-2005. Ramos’ great leadership was considered a big reason for their success and his #43 uniform would later be retired. The Explosion couldn’t get over the hump immediately, losing in the MLCS in 1996 and 1997 with a first round exit in 1998. They won six straight pennants after that and took the CABA title in 1999 and 2000 while Ramos was there. His career playoff numbers were surprisingly lousy with a 1-7 record in 72 innings, 4.88 ERA, 60 strikeouts, and 78 ERA+. Still, Ramos had two CABA rings and five Mexican League rings to his name. Ramos missed the 1999 postseason run to a torn labrum suffered that summer. Ecatepec still opted to give him a four-year, $13,440,000 extension the next summer. Ramos bounced back with a strong 2000, helping them repeat as CABA champs. Unfortunately, he tore the labrum again in the summer of 2001. In 2002, Ramos attempted a comeback from that injury, but he only saw 31 innings with a 4.06 ERA. He retired that winter at age 36 and finished his Ecatepec tenure with a 97-52 record, 2.95 ERA, 1517.2 innings, 1444 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, and 42.3 WAR. Ramos ended his career with a 188-117 record, 3.05 ERA, 3038 innings, 2865 strikeouts, 539 walks, 264/389 quality starts, 83 complete games, 124 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 76.3 WAR. His tallies aren’t at the top of the Hall of Fame leaderboard, but certainly don’t look out of place compared to other inductees. Few players in the game were considered to be better people than Ramos, which swayed most skeptics. Plus, two Pitcher of the Year wins and a role in a dynasty are hard to ignore, even if the grand totals aren’t overly eye-popping. Ramos got 83.1% for a first ballot induction atop CABA’s 2008 class. Manuel Rodriguez – Center Field – St. Louis Cardinals – 66.7% Sixth Ballot Manuel Rodriguez was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed center fielder from Jalapa, Guatemala; a city of just under 160,000 inhabitants about 60 miles east of the capital. Rodriguez had outstanding home run power and could hit the ball harder than almost anyone. Oddly enough, he complimented that with very good speed and base stealing ability. Rodriguez could get too aggressive though on the basepaths at times. Rodriguez was decent at drawing walks, but he was a free swinger who struck out a ton. At his peak, he was an average-at-best contact hitter and was firmly mediocre for much of his run. Rodriguez also really struggled against left handed pitching with a career .197 average and 73 wRC+. Despite his speed, he didn’t get many extra base hits outside of the homers. Around 45% of his at-bats ended in one of the three true outcomes. Rodriguez played primarily in center field with a few starts in left. A few terrible seasons at the end tanked his stats, but Rodriguez was considered reliably solid for most of his career defensively. He had excellent durability and played 140+ games in all 15 years of his career. Rodriguez had a bizarre skillset, but became a fan favorite especially for his towering dingers. The home run potential was noticed immediately as a prospect, leading to Nicaragua picking Rodriguez fifth overall in the 1988 CABA Draft. He was a full-time starter immediately and took second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1989. In year two, Rodriguez led the Caribbean League in home runs with 51. He added 8.9 WAR in 1989, earning MVP and his first Silver Slugger. Rodriguez followed that up with 68 home runs in 1990, falling four short of Yohnny Galaz’s single-season record from two years earlier. He also led in runs, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR; repeating as MVP and a Silver Slugger winner. Rodriguez led in OPS again in 1991 and in homers, slugging, and WAR in 1992. He won Sluggers both years and was second in 1992 MVP voting. Nicaragua had generally been a weaker franchise, but Rodriguez led them to their first pennants in 1989 and 1990. The Navigators lost in the CABA Championship both years, but Rodriguez was a major reason they were there. In his 25 playoff starts, he had 27 hits, 16 runs, 9 home runs, 19 RBI, a .290/.323/.613 slash, and 159 wRC+. Nicaragua would fall to around .500 for Rodriguez’s final three years there. Rodriguez became popular throughout all of Central America. He played for his native Guatemala from 1989-2002 in the World Baseball Championship. Rodriguez had 124 games, 117 starts, 78 hits, 71 runs, 39 home runs, 72 RBI, 46 stolen bases, an .189/.322/.500 slash, 135 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR. He kept coming home for the WBC long after his CABA career ended, which kept him popular locally despite leaving for the United States. After the 1993 season, Rodriguez opted for free agency entering his age 28 season. That did rub some the wrong way within the Navigators organization and they never retired his #23 uniform. Some figure that’s why Rodriguez chose to be inducted into the CABA Hall of Fame in an MLB team’s threads. The MLB run began with an eight-year, $26,680,000 deal with St. Louis. Rodriguez had a stellar debut season, leading the National Association in homers (52) and runs (109) while posting 7.7 WAR. He earned a Silver Slugger and took third in MVP voting. Rodriguez never replicated that season as MLB pitchers learned how to strike him out at high rates. He still generally had enough power and good enough defense to still provide positive value even batting below .200. The Cardinals were up and down in his tenure, but generally outside of the playoffs outside of their 2001 division title. St. Louis was the #1 seed that year, but suffered a second round playoff defeat. The wheels fell off though in an atrocious 1999 season for Rodriguez. He had a .131/.205/.195 slash, 304 strikeouts, 46.9% strikeout rate, 11 wRC+, and -6.8 WAR. Rodriguez was the eighth-ever MLB player with a 300+ strikeout season. It was an all-time lousy season, which everyone hated to see since Rodriguez was so well liked. He bounced back in 2000 and 2001 and provided positive value again, but did still lead in strikeouts. In total for St. Louis, Rodriguez had 919 hits, 606 runs, 94 doubles, 267 home runs, 644 RBI, a .199/.276/.404 slash, 102 wRC+, and 20.2 WAR. Now 36 years old, Rodriguez managed to secure a three-year, $13,000,000 deal with Buffalo. He struggled though with -1.3 WAR and 72 wRC+ in his one season with the Blue Sox, retiring that winter. For his MLB tenure, Rodriguez had 1009 hits, 653 runs, 106 doubles, 285 home runs, 686 RBI, 189 stolen bases, a .198/.274/.397 slash, 100 wRC+, and 19.0 WAR. For his entire pro career, Rodriguez had 1900 hits, 1243 runs, 225 doubles, 598 home runs, 1349 RBI, 749 walks, 2891 strikeouts, 446 stolen bases, a .225/.296/.483 slash, 121 wRC+, and 61.4 WAR. His full pro totals are very borderline for the Hall of Fame and really bolstered by the home runs in particular. For CABA specifically, it was just six years with Nicaragua with 891 hits, 590 runs, 313 home runs, 654 RBI, 295 walks, 257 stolen bases, a .266/.330/.613 slash, 155 wRC+, and 42.5 WAR. Those are six excellent seasons, but a Hall of Famer who wasn’t around to even get to 1000 hits seemed like a complete non-starter. There were friendly voters though who tried to extrapolate what Rodriguez might have gotten had he stayed in CABA. Rodriguez had one of the stranger cases as even with impossibly low accumulations for the Hall; supporters had things to point to. He led the league in homers thrice, won two MVPs, four Silver Sluggers, and helped a historical mediocre Nicaragua franchise to its first two championship appearances. Plus, he was a fan favorite with loud boosters despite the resume logically looking incomplete. Rodriguez debuted at 35.4% in 2003, but slowly gained traction up to 56.6% in 2006. He dropped to 50.6% in 2007, but managed to get a groundswell of support in 2008. Rodriguez just crossed the line at 66.7% for a sixth ballot induction. There’s probably no Hall of Famer in any pro league with lower totals in his inducted league, but the man socked dingers. Years later, scholars still aren’t exactly sure what to make of Rodriguez’ career. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-07-2024, 07:10 AM	#1404
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 EAB Hall of Fame Left fielder Jin-Uk Song was the only addition into the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. On his sixth ballot, Song got bumped firmly across the 66% requirement at 76.5%. Closer Geon Byung fell short at 63.4% on his tenth and final try. The top debuts were RF Makhmud Hakim at 62.4% and 3B Shigefumi Tsukehara at 59.4%. No one else was above 50%. For Byung, his 63.4% in 2008 was the closest he got to making the cut. He generally bounced around the 40-50 range, although had fallen as low as 22.9% in 2007. He had a 16-year career, although spent parts in MLB and WAB. Byung won Reliever of the Year in 1988 and won a title in 1989 with Chiba, although his longest run was with Suwon. Byung had 404 saves and 428 shutdowns, a 2.52 ERA, 941 innings, 984 strikeouts, 148 ERA+, and 30.0 WAR. Every other voting-eligible reliever in all of the other pro leagues with 400+ saves earned induction. Usually that is a magic number and others had made it into EAB’s Hall with comparable resumes. Yet, Byung wasn’t viewed as dominant enough in his peak to make it across the line. Jin-Uk Song – Left Field – Seongnam Spiders – 76.5% Sixth Ballot Jin-Uk Song was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Suwon, South Korea. As a batter, Song was often viewed as firmly above average to solid across the board. He was a reliably respectable contact hitter with a nice walk rate, but below average strikeout rate. Song was notably stronger against right-handed arms (.883 OPS, 140 wRC+) compared to lefties (.765 OPS, 114 wRC+). Song had good gap power, averaging 30 doubles and 12 triples per his 162 game average. He also had a respectable 22 homers per 162. Song’s biggest strength offensively was his baserunning. He was one of the craftiest base stealers of all-time, succeeding on 71% of his attempts. Song had great speed and was excellent at getting that extra bag at opportune times. Defensively, Song played the vast majority of his time in left field, although he had brief appearances in center and right. He never won a Gold Glove, but Song was viewed as consistently good and sometimes great defensively. Song had some sporadic injuries, but he was typically reliably in the lineup over his 19 year career. His personality was once called “exceptionally unexceptional,” so he sometimes was overlooked despite an excellent career. Song played college baseball at Dankook University in Yongin and emerged as a top prospect in the 1978 EAB Draft. He was picked fifth overall by Seongnam and spent his entire pro career with the Spiders. Song was a part-time starter in 1979, but earned the full-time gig from 1980 through 1997. He stayed the starter throughout, only missing time to the occasional injury. Song’s first full season as a starter earned a Silver Slugger in 1980 in center field. He’d win the award in left in 1983, 1985, 1988, and 1990. Song wasn’t a league leader often, but posted six seasons worth 6+ WAR. He led in WAR in 1985 and 1990, posting 9.2 both years. Song also led the Korea League in 1983 with 135 runs scored, which was the seventh-most in a season at that point. The 1985 season saw 9.2 WAR, a league-best 173 wRC+, plus career bests in triples (20), and home runs (32). That earned Song his lone MVP. When he led in WAR in 1990, he took second in MVP voting. Very quickly, Seongnam knew to lock Song up. He signed an eight-year, $4,382,000 extension after the 1982 season and a five-year, $6,540,000 addition in the spring of 1990. Song helped Seongnam end a ten-year playoff drought in 1982, winning their Korea League title. The Spiders lost to Kawasaki in the EAB Championship. They were a wild card in 1983, but put together a surprise run to their first EAB title, beating Niigata in the final. Seongnam won division titles in 1984 and 1985, but lost in the first round both years. The Spiders remained solid, but missed the playoffs from 1986-89. They got a wild card again in 1990 and went on another playoff run, again beating Niigata for the EAB title. Song was finals MVP that season, cementing his spot in Seongnam history. The Spiders made the 1991 KLCS, but lost to Goyang. In his playoff career, Song had 65 starts, 66 hits, 27 runs, 13 doubles, 8 home runs, 30 RBI, 24 stolen bases, a .264/.312/.444 slash, 114 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. The rest of his tenure saw Seongnam stuck in the middle tier outside of the playoffs. Song’s game had aged well into his early 30s, but a torn back muscle cost him half of the 1993 season. Song bounced back with a great 1994 at age 37, but saw his power and speed numbers decline after that. The Spiders let him become a free agent after the 1995 season, but ended up giving him a two-year deal. Various injuries cost him a few weeks of his final seasons, but Song remained a steady part of the starting lineup. He finally opted to retire after the 1997 season at age 41. Seongnam immediately retired his #16 uniform for his role in their first championship seasons. Song finished with 2789 hits, 1717 runs, 493 doubles, 197 triples, 364 home runs, 1258 RBI, 969 walks, 1281 stolen bases, a .292/.357/.500 slash, 134 wRC+, and 99.8 WAR. As of 2037, Song is fourth in stolen bases, 12^th in runs scored, 28^th in doubles, and 31^st in WAR by position players. That, plus helping Seongnam to its first two titles makes Song seem like a pretty obvious choice. Despite that resume, it took Song six tries to make it across the line. There were some voters who disliked his lack of home run power and undervalued his baserunning and defense. Song debuted at 57.8% and stayed around there, getting to 63.4% in 2006. He had a surprising drop to 44.4% in 2007, making some wonder if he’d be demoted to the Hall of Pretty Good. The voters finally came to their senses and put him in at 76.5%. Song was aided by a quieter ballot as well, earning the lone induction for EAB in 2008. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-07-2024, 02:08 PM	#1405
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 BSA Hall of Fame Beisbol Sudamerica had two first ballot inductees for the 2008 Hall of Fame class. Neither were absolute slam dunks, but both made it across the 66% line with DH Alejandro Hernandez at 78.6% and closer Cassius Filipe at 70.4%. 2B Leonardo Salvador fell painfully short at 65.4% in his fourth try. The best debut was SP Orlando Salas, who also didn’t miss by much at 63.0%. The other player above 50% was catcher Sancho Sanchez, who fell off the ballot after ten failed tries. He ended at 55.4% and got as high as 60.4% in 2006, usually hovering in the 40s to low 50s. Sanchez played 15 years with Cali and won one MVP, two Copa Sudamericas, one finals MVP, and eight Silver Sluggers. He had 1758 hits, 785 runs, 341 doubles, 217 home runs, 734 RBI, a .321/.374/.511 slash, 144 wRC+, and 70.4 WAR. At retirement, Sanchez led all BSA catchers in WAR and still sits seventh as of 2037. However, BSA voters hadn’t elected a single catcher through nearly 80 years of existence. Most voters seemed very harsh towards the lower accumulations that came with the position. He was also hurt by injuries and declining by his early 30s. If Sanchez couldn’t get in, it seemed like no catcher ever would. It wouldn’t be until 2032 after more than 100 years of existence that Beisbol Sudamerica would finally induct a catcher. Also dropped after ten ballots in 2008 was 1B Keith Ormeno, who played 13 years between Belo Horizonte and Brasilia. He had one MVP and one Silver Slugger, 2112 hits, 1070 runs, 314 doubles, 442 home runs, 1153 RBI, a .296/.346/.540 slash, 157 wRC+, and 64.3 WAR. At first base especially, that was a “Hall of Pretty Good” resume. Ormeo peaked at 21.9% in 2000 and lasted ten ballots, ending at 5.0%. Alejandro Hernandez – Designated Hitter – Cali Cyclones – 78.6% First Ballot Alejandro Hernandez was a 6’3’’, 205 pound left-handed hitter from Monteria, Colombia; a city of around 490,000 people in the country’s north. Hernandez was a very solid contact hitter with great power in his bat. He averaged 43 home runs and 37 doubles per his 162 game average. Hernandez was average at drawing walks and below average at avoiding strikeouts. Hernandez was a smart baserunner that could pick his spots, but his foot speed was terrible. He was a career designated hitter that never made a start in the field and only played a total of 13.1 innings defensively his whole career. Some felt Hernandez could’ve been a passable corner outfielder, but that his laziness and disdain for defense meant he never bothered. Critics questioned his work ethic and said he was selfish, but Hernandez’s bat was too strong to deny a spot in the lineup. Hernandez’s batting potential was evident even coming out of high school. Bogota picked him ninth overall in the 1985 BSA Draft, but he didn’t sign and instead went to college. Hernandez’s bat still looked great out of college, but his other weaknesses did appear more evident. He was actually picked later out of college, going 28^th overall to Cali in the 1988 Draft. Hernandez only played 122 games with 55 starts as a rookie, but posted 3.3 WAR and 169 wRC+. He would be a full-time starter at DH in his second year and held that job for the next nine seasons with the Cyclones. Hernandez did miss about half of 1994 to a broken kneecap and almost half of 1997 to a broken bone in his elbow. In 1990, Hernandez led the Bolivar League with 48 home runs and a .623 slugging percentage. The next year, he won his lone batting title with a .344 average and led in slugging, OPS, and wRC+. That secured his first Silver Slugger and a third place finish in MVP voting. Hernandez followed that up with a career best 8.9 WAR, as well as 48 homers and 130 RBI in 1992. He was third again in MVP voting. In May 1993, Hernandez signed an eight-year, $16,400,000 extension with Cali. He had 50 home runs that year, but never was quite as strong in his later years. Some suggested he dogged it a bit after securing the bag later in the Cyclones run. Still, Hernandez was a reliably good bat in the middle of the lineup. Cali had won three pennants and two Copa Sudamericas just before he arrived. However, the Cyclones didn’t make the playoffs once during Hernandez’s tenure. They were rarely awful, averaging 79.2 wins per season in that stretch. Fans at least got to see Hernandez hit the ball hard and the team would opt to retire his #29 uniform eventually for his efforts. Hernandez did get to perform on the big stage early in his career, playing from 1989-2003 for Colombia in the World Baseball Championship. He played 110 games and started 83, posting 92 hits, 58 runs, 17 doubles, 33 home runs, 78 RBI, a .275/.366/.623 slash, 175 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR. With Cali in total, Hernandez had 1532 hits, 826 runs, 282 doubles, 360 home runs, 939 RBI, a .311/.358/.598 slash, 167 wRC+, and 54.2 WAR. After the 1998 season, Hernandez opted out of the remainder of his Cali deal, becoming a free agent at age 32. He ended up in Peru on a five-year, $13,400,000 deal with Lima. The Lobos had just won Copa Sudamerica in back-to-back years and were riding an 11-year playoff streak. Hernandez had two respectable seasons to start, but struggled in the playoffs as Lima went one-and-done both years. Hernandez had a resurgence in 2001 with career highs in both home runs (59) and RBI (147). He hadn’t reached 40 homers since back in 1992. That earned him his third Silver Slugger and helped Lima reclaim the Bolivar League title. They lost Copa Sudamerica to Asuncion and Hernandez was again forgettable in the playoffs. His career stats saw 26 games, a .207/.235/.413 slash, 74 wRC+, and 0 WAR. He had 40 homers and 103 RBI in 2002, but Lima’s playoff streak ended. Hernandez opted out of the last year of his contact. With the Lobos, Hernandez had 673 hits, 383 runs, 128 doubles, 170 home runs, 450 RBI, a .291/.335/.576 slash, 138 wRC+, and 16.2 WAR. This marked the end of his career in South America. Heading into his age 36 season, Hernandez thought he could get another big BSA payday, but interest was very limited. He ultimately found good money in New Zealand, heading to the Oceania Baseball Association on a three-year, $9,640,000 deal with Christchurch. It was a forgettable run which started with a fractured knee in April 2003, costing him almost that entire season. Hernandez played 91 games with 61 starts in 2004, but struggled with a -0.3 WAR effort. He was relegated to the bench and only played 40 games in 2005 as a pinch hitter. He had 0.2 WAR and 97 hits over 151 games with Christchurch. Hernandez retired after the 2005 season at age 39. For his Beisbol Sudamerica tenure, Hernandez had 2205 hits, 1209 runs, 410 doubles, 530 home runs, 1389 RBI, a .305/.351/.591 slash, 158 wRC+, and 70.4 WAR. The hitting tallies and power numbers certainly didn’t look out of place compared to other BSA Hall of Famers. There were still voters who criticized Hernandez for his perceived laziness and poor playoff performance. A few others were reluctant to induct any career DH. But enough were sold to give Hernandez 78.6% and a first ballot induction in 2008. He ended up the headliner for the two-player BSA group. Cassius Filipe – Closer – Barquisimeto Black Cats – 70.4% First Ballot Cassius Filipe was a 6’6’’, 205 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Concordia, Brazil; a city of around 75,000 in the southern state of Santa Catarina. Filipe had strong stuff and movement with good control. He had a two-pitch combo with a 93-95 mph cutter and a knuckle curve. Filipe had excellent stamina and durability for a reliever and was always ready when called upon. Having only two pitches meant Filipe was pigeonholed as a reliever from the beginning. Still, he got attention out of high school and was picked 42^nd overall in the 1986 BSA Draft by Brasilia. The Bearcats hoped their second rounder could eventually develop into a nice arm. Filipe spent 1987 and 1988 on the developmental roster. He never pitched for Brasilia though, getting shipped in the winter of 1988 with three other prospects to Barquisimeto for SP Bliase Alegria. Filipe debuted with 30.2 strong innings in 1989 for the Black Cats. Filipe earned the closer role in 1990 and led the Southern Cone League in saves and games, tossing a career high 99.1 innings. He placed second in Reliever of the Year voting. He didn’t have the massive strikeout numbers a lot of other notable closers had. Still, he reliably racked up saves and innings for Barquisimeto, leading in saves in both 1993 and 1996. Filipe took second in Reliever of the Year voting in 1992, 1993, and 1996. The save totals were impressive considering the Black Cats didn’t win many games in this era. They averaged 74.7 wins per season in his run with no playoff appearances and a best season at 82-80. Filipe’s efforts did earn his #37 uniform getting retired later by Barquisimeto. In nine seasons, he had 299 saves and 311 shutdowns, a 2.10 ERA, 699 innings, 772 strikeouts, 164 walks, 169 ERA+, and 18.0 WAR. He also pitched some for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship from 1995-2001. Filipe had 62.1 innings, 8 saves, a 2.74 ERA, 89 strikeouts, 29 walks, a 131 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR. Filipe was a free agent after the 1996 season at age 31 and found an interested MLB team. Virginia Beach gave him a three-year, $8,880,000 deal, seemingly committing a good deal to him. Filipe made seven appearances with 14.1 innings for the Vikings, looking perfectly serviceable. However, VB cut him on April 26 to end a very brief MLB tenure. Filipe came back to Brazil and signed a one year deal with Sao Paulo. His first game with the Padres saw him cross the 300 save mark, posting 29 saves for the season. Sao Paulo was impressed enough to give him a three-year, $6,240,000 deal the next year. He had similar results, finishing with 53 saves, a 2.56 ERA, 133.1 innings, 161 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR in two seasons for the Padres. There were two years left on his Sao Paulo deal, but he was traded with two prospects to Bogota in the offseason for LF Felipe Marin. The Bats had made the playoffs eight times in the 1990s and Filipe hoped that perhaps he’d see his first playoff action there at age 33. 2000 was Filipe’s most impressive season with a 0.88 ERA in 72 games and 81.2 innings, 104 strikeouts, 35 saves, and 3.5 WAR. He won his lone Reliever of the Year and helped Bogota win Copa Sudamerica. In the playoffs, Filipe had three saves and six shutdowns in eight games, posting a 2.45 ERA over 18.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and 8 walks. Filipe lost the closer job in 2001 and ended up with only 31.1 innings and a 3.16 ERA. He had a 1.51 ERA, 37 saves, 113 innings, 124 strikeouts, and 3.5 WAR with Bogota. Filipe signed a one-year deal for 2002 with Recife, but he only saw 17 innings there. He wanted to chase the 400 saves milestone, but teams thought his closing days were over. Filipe retired after the 2002 season at age 36. Filipe finished with 389 saves and 417 shutdowns, 2.10 ERA, 976.2 innings, 1082 strikeouts, 245 walks, 167 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 23.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 13^th all-time in saves. His ERA was comparable to some of the lower-end relievers in the BSA Hall of Fame, but his WAR total and strikeouts were the lowest. By WAR, he would be the weakest member of the Beisbol Sudamerica hall of Fame. Advanced stats were underwhelming for Filipe, but the traditional stats and helping Bogota to the 2000 title went a long way. Supporters argued his save totals were deflated from being on bad Barquisimeto teams during his 20s. Filipe received 70.4% in his debut, earning the first ballot nod to round out the two-player 2008 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-07-2024, 06:34 PM	#1406
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 1) The 2008 Hall of Fame class for the European Baseball Federation featured three players, led by SP Khaled Jabri with a near unanimous 99.3%. The other inductees were returners who finally breached the 66% requirement. 3B Thomas Indiani received 72.8% in his ninth ballot and LF Kenneth Hammer got 66.9% for his seventh go. 1B Luigi Cuttone was very close on his fourth try, but short at 64.0%. RF Bernard Martin got 55.1% on his fourth ballot and SP Reggie Hobart earned 52.9% for his fifth try. The second best debut was CL Dario Wiesner at a mere 29.4%. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots. Khaled “Tiger” Jabri – Starting Pitcher – Brussels Beavers – 99.3% First Ballot Khaled Jabri was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Hilversum, a city of 90,000 in the northwestern Netherlands. Jabri had tremendous stuff with excellent movement and very good control. His fastball regularly hit the 98-100 mph range and was complimented by a great slider, curveball, and splitter. Jabri had very good stamina and was excellent at holding the fewer runners he’d allow. He had great durability for most of his run, tossing 200+ innings each year from 1986-1998. Jabri was a hard worker and quite adaptable, helping him to become one of the most effective pitchers of all time. He ended up being very popular, especially in the Benelux area. Coming out of college, Jabri was viewed by some as the best pitching prospect in the 1984 EBF Draft. He was picked third overall by Brussels and spent 14 years with the Beavers. Jabri was split between starting and the bullpen as a rookie with respectable results. He became a full-time starter after and quickly emerged as the ace for Brussels. From 1987-98, Jabri had 7.5+ WAR in 12 consecutive seasons. He topped double-digits five times and led the Northern Conference five straight years from 1988-91. In that stretch, Jabri also led twice in wins, twice in ERA, once in innings, once in strikeouts, once in WHIP, thrice in quality starts, once in complete games, and thrice in FIP-. For his career, he was the WARlord six times and ERA leader thrice. Jabri’s first Pitcher of the Year win came in his fourth season in 1988, lading in ERA (2.59 and WAR (9.9). He did better the next year with a 2.40 ERA and 9.9 WAR, as well as a conference-best 325 strikeouts to repeat as POTY. Jabri fell one win short of a Triple Crown season. His ERA worsened in 1990, but he led again in WAR and won a third straight Pitcher of the Year. Brussels had been decent in the 1980s, but had a playoff drought from 1982-89. Jabri helped them end the drought with berths in 1990, 1991, and 1994. However, the Beavers went one-and-done twice and lost in the 1991 conference championship. Jabri had a great start in 1990, but struggled to a 4.57 ERA in 21.2 innings in 1991. Elbow tendinitis cost him a chance to pitch in the 1994 postseason. Jabri signed a seven-year, $12,600,000 extension in April 1992. He was arguably better after his POTY three-peat, posting a career best 11.3 WAR in 1991 and a career best 394 strikeouts in 1992. Jabri wouldn’t win the top honor again because of Birmingham’s Lindsey Brampton, who took the award seven straight years from 1991-97. From 1991-95, Jabri was second in POTY each year. He took third in 1996 and second again in 1998. If not for Brampton, Jabri might have been up there with Jean-Luc Roch in terms of hardware. Jabri had a no-hitter in 1993 with 11 strikeouts and 1 walk against Dublin. He also had a 20 strikeout game in 1994 versus Oslo. That year also had a career-best 1.97 ERA. Jabri was also very popular with Dutch baseball fans as he regularly pitched for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Championship. From 1986-02, Jabri had a 2.60 ERA over 252.1 innings with a 14-9 record, 307 strikeouts, 64 walks, 140 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. He seemed ageless, maintaining excellence into his early 30s. Jabri’s final year with Brussels as at age 35 with a conference-best 10.1 WAR and a career best 20 complete games. Despite his efforts, Brussels fell into the lower tier to close out the 1990s, hovering in the 70s win range. Jabri had one year left on his deal entering 1999 and the Beavers decided to trade their longtime ace. With Brussels, Jabri had a 244-115 record, 2.61 ERA, 3552.2 innings, 4169 strikeouts, 587 walks, 147 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 122.8 WAR. Retiring his #7 uniform was an easy choice and he’d maintain a good relationship in retirement with the Beavers as a franchise icon and spokesman. After the 1998 season, Jabri was sent to Athens for three prospects and a draft pick. The Anchors had been the Southern Conference runner-up in back-to-back seasons and hoped Jabri could get them over the hump. They gave him a two-year, $6,320,000 extension only days after the trade, committing to him for at least a few years. It was a rough start as in his fifth appearance in 1999; Jabri suffered a torn rotator cuff. That knocked him out for the rest of the season and put his future in doubt. The injury caused Jabri’s velocity to plummet down to the mid 90s after previously being upper 90s. He was still crafty enough to post 6.6 WAR in his return, although his big strikeout days were long gone. In the 2000 season, Jabri became the sixth EBF pitcher to 250 career wins. He struggled to a 4.11 ERA in two playoff starts as Athens lost in the first round. Still, the Anchors gave Jabri another two years and $6,320,000. His velocity dropped more and he missed part of 2001 to elbow tendinitis. Athens playoff streak ended after four years. The Anchors made it back in 2002 with a 39-year old Jabri seeing a limited role due to age and injury. He posted a 4.15 ERA in the playoffs and they again lost in the first round. That season, Jabri was able to reach 4500 career strikeouts, a mark only breached thrice before him. With Athens, Jabri had a 28-22 record, 3.64 ERA, 490 innings, 349 strikeouts, 79 walks, 106 ERA+, and 11.9 WAR. He opted to retire after the 2002 season at age 40. Jabri finished with a 272-137 record, 2.74 ERA, 4042.2 innings, 4518 strikeouts, 666 walks, 344/499 quality starts, 166 complete games, 141 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 134.7 WAR. As of 2037, Jabri sits fourth in pitching WAR all-time, fourth in strikeouts, fifth in wins, and eighth in innings pitched. If it wasn’t for strikeout king Lindsey Brampton’s arrival, Jabri could have racked up far more than his three Pitcher of the Year awards. Because of that, Jabri perhaps doesn’t get mentioned as prominently as he should in the conversations for Europe’s best-ever pitchers. He does lose a bit in the top five conversations due to his lack of playoff and team success. But hardly anyone would argue Jabri wasn’t a top ten or better pitcher in EBF history. He was nearly unanimously inducted at 99.3% to headline EBF’s 2008 Hall of Fame class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-08-2024, 04:00 AM	#1407
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 EBF Hall of Fame (Part 2) Thomas “The Tank” Indiani – Third Base – Amsterdam Anacondas – 72.8% Ninth Ballot Thomas Indiani was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Cabras, Italy; a commune of 9,000 people on the island of Sardinia. He earned the nickname “The Tank” at a young age for his childhood love of Thomas the Tank Engine. Indiani often saw a leadoff role and was known as a great contact hitter. He was excellent at avoiding strikeouts, but around average at drawing walks. Indiani had very good gap power, averaging 30 doubles and 12 triples per his 162 game average. Despite being “the tank,” he wasn’t a home run hitter, usually getting around 10-20 per year. Indiani had very good speed with excellent baserunning instincts. Defensively, he was a career third baseman and graded out as consistently strong. Indiani would win Gold Gloves in 1984 and 1993. He would run into some injury woes in his 30s, but stayed in the game for 18 years. Indiani was a hard worker and became a fan favorite with his #40 uniform being a common sight at Amsterdam games. Indiani was spotted in January 1973 as a teenage amateur from a Dutch scout visiting Italy. They signed him to a developmental deal with Amsterdam and he spent six years in their academy. Indiani debuted in 1979 at age 22, playing 71 games with two starts. He saw 113 games and 30 starts the next year. Indiani took the full-time gig in 1981 and held it for the next seven years. Amsterdam very quickly opted to lock him up, signing an eight-year, $5,310,000 extension in the summer of 1983. In his early to mid 20s, Indiani put up elite numbers with six straight seasons worth 6+ WAR. He won batting titles in 1983 and 1986 and led both seasons in hits as well. Indiani also led the Northern Conference in doubles in 1982 and 1983, peaking with 44 in 1983. 1982 was a career best 9.7 WAR, while 1986 had his EBF bests in average (.376), OBP (.415), OPS (.973), runs (114), and RBI (129). Without home runs, Indiani wasn’t generally in awards conversations. His lone Silver Slugger came in 1986 with a third place in MVP voting. Indiani was a critical piece though of a dynasty run for Amsterdam. From 1982-89, the Anacondas won three European Championships, six conference titles, and seven division titles. They won it all in 1983, 1984, and 1989; with additional pennants in 1986, 87, and 88. Indiani came through clutch in the playoffs, winning conference finals MVP in 1984. Over 98 games and 80 playoff starts, Indiani had 109 hits, 56 runs, 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 25 walks, 39 stolen bases, a .335/.392/.492 slash, 149 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. Although certainly acknowledged by Amsterdam fans, Indiani was a much underappreciated part of their dynasty run. Additionally, Indiani was well liked by home in Italy as a regular in the World Baseball Championship. His stats were more average there with 153 games and 137 starts from 1981-96. Indiani had 143 hits, 74 runs, 29 doubles, 7 triples, 8 home runs, 37 RBI, 73 stolen bases, a .260/.326/.381 slash, 99 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR. In 1988, Indiani lost six weeks to a knee sprain. When he came back, his stats took a dip and he lost the starting gig to T.J. Hill. Hill looked excellent and Indiani was relegated to the bench in 1989 and 1990. He was still well liked by fans and officials, but they had moved on from him as a prominent piece. Indiani declined his contract option after the 1990 season, becoming a free agent at age 34. He felt like he was still a starting quality player and wanted to prove that. There were teams who agreed with that assessment, most notably MLB’s Austin Amigos. They signed Indiani to a four-year, $7,520,000 deal. Indeed, Indiani proved he could still go at a high level, posting 4.2, 5.1, and 6.2 WAR seasons with Austin. He won a Gold Glove in 1993 and finished his MLB run with 15.5 WAR, 120 wRC+, 516 hits, 255 runs, 71 doubles, 58 home runs, 211 RBI, 118 stolen bases, a .292/.344/.457 slash, and 120 wRC+. Indiani declined his fourth year option with Austin, as he wanted to return to Europe. He was still popular in Amsterdam and the Anacondas gave him another shot. Indiani was on pace for a banner year with 5.3 WAR over 104 games. Unfortunately, a fractured foot would knock him out for two months. Amsterdam missed the playoffs in four straight years, but made it back to the conference final in Indiani’s return. They would fall to Birmingham, but Indiani would have a nice final hurrah for the Anacondas. The franchise would later retire his #40 uniform and he would remain a popular figure for many years to come. That was the end of Indiani’s EBF career though, a free agent again at age 38. Despite his production, most teams didn’t want to commit big money to someone his age. He ended up finding a home in Madagascar of all places, signing a two-year, $3,320,000 with Antananarivo of the African Association of Baseball. Indiani had a stellar debut season for the Eagles, leading the conference in average, OBP, WAR, and runs. He was still looking good in 1996 until a fractured fibula took him out for the second half. In AAB, Indiani had 9.7 WAR in 209 games, 236 hits, 150 runs, 55 doubles, 25 home runs, 108 RBI, a .320/.413/.504 slash, and 158 wRC+. He didn’t want to call it quits with that, but Indiani again surprisingly couldn’t find any takers. He was unsigned in 1997 and retired that winter at age 40. For his entire pro career, Indiani had 2447 hits, 1269 runs, 410 doubles, 161 triples, 194 home runs, 1121 RBI, 868 stolen bases, a .323/.378/.496 slash, 144 wRC+, and 87.9 WAR. That grand total is probably enough to get into any Hall of Fame. However, his EBF tenure with Amsterdam was hurt by only being around 10 full seasons worth of stats. Indiani had 1695 hits, 864 runs, 284 doubles, 134 triples, 111 home runs, 802 RBI, 636 stolen bases, a .334/.384/.509 slash, 150 wRC+, and 62.7 WAR. Few players had been inducted with less than 2000 hits and 1000 runs, and most of those were guys who were outstanding for 6-7 years before leaving for MLB. Indiani didn’t have the awards or the home run power to overcome the low accumulations for many voters. Supporters pointed out his great playoff stats and prominent role in Amsterdam’s great 1980s dynasty. He was also just a likeable guy, but he seemed destined for the Hall of Pretty Good initially. Indiani debuted in 2000 at only 33.0%, a long way from the 66% requirement. Indiani slowly gained traction, making it into the 40s in 2002 and the 50s in 2004. He got to 60.9% in 2006 and 60.3% in 2007, coming close but running out of time. On Indiani’s ninth attempt, he finally got the boost he needed to earn induction at 72.8%. He had the second highest percentage of the three players in the 2008 EBF Hall of Fame class. Kenneth Hammer – First Base – Amsterdam Anacondas – 66.9% Seventh Ballot Kenneth Hammer was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Vestbjerg, a town of less than 3,000 people in northern Denmark. Hammer was great at putting the ball in play as he had great contact skills. He was quite good at avoiding strikeouts, but he was subpar at drawing walks. Hammer’s gap power was fantastic with 40 doubles and 6 triples per his 162 game average. He could hit homers at a solid clip too with 32 per 162 games. Hammer was stronger against righties with a 168 wRC+ and .977 OPS, compared to a 134 wRC+ and .827 OPS against lefties. Hammer was a crafty baserunner who could get sneaky steals despite having average-at-best speed. His range was poor though as a career left fielder, grading out as a terrible defender. Hammer was a smart guy and became a popular player in a relatively brief career. He was just out of high school when he was picked in the 1985 EBF Draft. Amsterdam selected Hammer 23^rd overall, but he spent his first few years on the reserve roster. Spots were hard to crack anyway as the Anacondas were in the middle of the great 1980s dynasty. Hammer debuted in 1989 at age 23 with 87 games and 40 starts. He had five pinch hit at-bats in the playoffs as Amsterdam won the European Championship. Hammer earned a full-time starting spot in 1990 and had an impressive breakout season, leading the conference with 52 doubles. At the time, that was only the sixth time an EBF player had reached 50+ doubles in a season. Hammer also had 39 home runs, but Amsterdam fell short of the playoffs. He didn’t have much crossover with his Hall of Fame classmate Thomas Indiani. Hammer’s strongest years were during a relative lull for Amsterdam post-dynasty. They won 80+ games each year from 1990-96, but made the playoffs only twice. In both 1994 and 1996, they won 100+ games, but lost in the Northern Conference Championship. You couldn’t blame Hammer, who had 193 wRC+ and a 1.088 OPS in 26 playoff games. In 1994, he breached 50 doubles again with a conference-best 51. Hammer also led in 1991 with 445. In 1993 and 1996, he led both seasons in batting average, OBP, OPS, and wRC+. Hammer also led in slugging in 1996 with .656. That year saw a career-best 8.8 WAR, winning his lone MVP. Hammer also won Silver Sluggers in 1993, 1994, and 1996. From 1990-2001, Hammer also played for his home country Denmark in the World Baseball Championship. He had 101 games and 93 starts, posting 107 hits, 52 runs, 19 doubles, 20 home runs, 63 RBI, a .301/.355/.546 slash, 158 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR. Amsterdam fans liked Hammer, but they couldn’t get him to commit to a long-term deal. He was at a crossroads after his 1996 MVP season and decided to give free agency a shot entering his age 31 season. Hammer’s stock was never going to be higher. It disappointed many Anacondas fans, but he’d remain popular and later see his #19 uniform retired. Hammer made the trip to the United States and signed a four-year, $13,520,000 deal with MLB’s San Diego. A sprained ankle cost him a chunk of his debut season with the Seals, but Hammer still was an all-star. He was a good starter again in 1998, but was unremarkable in both years’ postseasons as San Diego twice suffered round two defeats. In the 1999 WBC, Hammer suffered a fractured foot that cost him the opening bit of the season. He was never quite the same when he came back, posting very middling stats. He didn’t look much better in 2000 before suffering a broken bone in his elbow in May, knocking him out nine months. With San Diego, Hammer had 481 hits, 223 runs, 81 doubles, 83 home runs, 254 RBI, a .281/.319/.484 slash, 122 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR. He played in the 2001 WBC, but couldn’t find any interested teams for the season. Hammer retired at age 35 and for his full pro career had 2000 hits, 935 runs, 386 doubles, 309 home runs, 1040 RBI, a .333/.367/.573 slash, 160 wRC+, and 57.2 WAR. For just his eight seasons in EBF with Amsterdam, Hammer had 1519 hits, 712 runs, 305 doubles, 226 home runs, 786 RBI, a .354/.386/.608 slash, 175 wRC+, and 49.6 WAR. At the time, he had the second-best batting average of any EBF hitter with 3000 plate appearances (and still sits third as of 2037). Hammer had one of the better OPS too, which his supporters pointed too. However, he was another guy whose accumulations were just low since he wasn’t around that long. He wasn’t quite as dominant as some of the other guys who had left for MLB. There had never been an EBF position player that had earned induction with less than 50 WAR. Hammer also didn’t have the rings Indiani had to point to, but he had more individual awards and a MVP. Hammer debuted with 44.8% in 2002. He got into the 50s by his third ballot and hovered around there. On his seventh try in 2008, Hammer got the bump just across the 66% threshold with 66.9%. EBF voters again showed they were friendlier towards brief peaks and less concerned with tenure and accumulations compared to other Halls of Fame. Hammer rounded out the three-player 2008 EBF group. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-08-2024, 08:30 AM	#1408
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 EPB Hall of Fame With no slam dunk debuts on the 2008 ballot, Eurasian Professional Baseball ended up electing two pitchers each on their sixth ballot. Dana Bancu got 70.0% and Giorgi Mkadze got 69.0%, just crossing the 66% requirement. The best debuts were SP Temuujin Munkhuu and 3B Igor Urban, both with 58.3%. SP Mikhail Kripak was also just above 50% at 50.7% for his third try. No players were dropped following ten failed attempts. Dana Bancu – Starting Pitcher – Vilnius Victory – 70.0% Sixth Ballot Dana Bancu was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Braila, Romania; a city of around 155,000 people near the eastern border. Bancu was a fireballer with incredibly overpowering stuff that graded as an 11/10 at his peak. His control was solid too, but his movement was often lousy, leading to issues with home runs. Bancu had a 99-101 mph fastball, slider, screwball, forkball, and changeup arsenal. His ability to change speeds made Bancu an elite strikeout pitcher in his prime. He had good stamina in his peak, but was plagued with injuries in the second half of his career. Bancu was a prankster in the clubhouse known for all sorts of zany shenanigans. Bancu was hitting high velocities as a teenager, which quickly made him a talked about prospect in Romania. A scout from Vilnius talked him into signing a developmental deal in March 1980, bringing Bancu to Lithuania. He made his EPB debut in 1984 at age 21 with 36.2 innings. The Victory put him into the starting rotation the next year with inconsistent results, although he did earn third in Rookie of the Year voting. Then from 1986-89, Bancu’s stuff was at full tilt, leading each year in strikeouts. 1986 was his lone Pitcher of the Year as he led the European League with a 1.57 ERA. Bancu also had a career-best 9.9 WAR. In 1987, Bancu struck out 428 batters, falling just three short of Artur Golub’s single-season record. Bancu struck out 425 in 1989 and as of 2037, those are the third and fourth most in a single season. 1987 also saw a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and 1 walk against Kharkiv. Then in 1989, Bancu had EPB’s 26^th perfect game, striking out 19 against Minsk. That set the EPB record for most Ks in a perfect game and tied the mark for most strikeouts in any no-hitter. It was especially impressive coming against the reigning EPB champion Miners. Despite the big strikeout numbers, he wasn’t a POTY finalist in any of those seasons. Bancu gave up a few more runs than the voters liked, plus he was stuck on a historically weak Vilnius franchise. The Victory never made the playoffs in their EPB run, but Bancu got them the closest they had even gotten. They were above .500 most of the 1980s, but couldn’t crack the 90 win mark to snag a wild card. The Vilnius run was by far his most memorable though despite being only six years. Bancu did also pitch from 1985-97 in the World Baseball Championship for Romania. He posted a 9-4 record over 128.2 innings, 3.01 ERA, 198 strikeouts, 57 walks, 119 ERA+, and 2.8 WAR. With the Victory, Bancu had a 93-50 record, 2.31 ERA, 1315.1 innings, 1960 strikeouts, 243 walks, 128 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 39.0 WAR. His time in Vilnius ended after the 1989 season as he was traded to Warsaw for prospects. Shoulder bursitis cost him part of his debut season with the Wildcats, but he showed flashes of greatness. Warsaw gave Bancu a five-year, $6,620,000 extension in the offseason, expecting great things from the now 28-year old. The deal was immediately cursed by injuries. In June 1991, Bancu suffered a damaged elbow ligament. He missed 13 months, losing the rest of 1991 and most of 1992. Warsaw lost in the ELCS, but Bancu had a 0.84 ERA in 10.2 playoff innings. He was in-and-out in 1993 to injuries, but still looked like a dangerous ace when he took to the mound. In September 1993, Bancu suffered a partially torn UCL, keeping him on the shelf while Warsaw won its first pennant. They ultimately lost to Irkutsk in the EPB Championship with Bancu watching in a sling. He missed the entire 1994 regular season rehabbing, but did make it back to throw 2.2 scoreless innings in relief in the playoffs. That allowed Bancu to earn a championship ring as the Wildcats beat Bishkek for the EPB title. He was healthy in 1995, but his control was garbage to the point he couldn’t even be “effectively wild.” Warsaw used him only for 73.1 innings in the regular season. Bancu did see two playoff starts but posted a 3.48 ERA over 10.1 innings. His career playoff stats saw a 1.99 ERA over 31.2 innings, 42 strikeouts, and 143 ERA+. For his Warsaw tenure, Bancu had a 38-29 record, 2.47 ERA, 676.2 innings, 1011 strikeouts, 134 walks, 112 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 13.9 WAR. Bancu was a free agent at age 33 and teams weren’t willing to give him a long-term deal. For 1996, he inked a one-year, $1,140,000 deal with Novosibirsk. Bancu looked good in a partial season with the Nitros with a 1.69 ERA over 122.1 innings, but various injuries kept him from a full load. In 1997, Prague signed him for one year and $540,000. Injuries again kept him from a full load, although he looked firmly mediocre even when healthy. Bancu was unsigned in 1998 and retired that winter at age 36. The final stats saw a 145-91 record, 2.41 ERA, 2232.2 innings, 3232 strikeouts, 458 walks, 188/279 quality starts, 140 complete games, 120 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 55.7 WAR. In his brief prime, Bancu was quite dominant. But it was an incredibly short burst and he only ended up pitching about nine years’ worth of innings. His accumulations were far lower than most EPB Hall of Fame pitchers, which gave many voters pause even though the league is known to be pitcher-centric. Still, Bancu was an exciting pitcher in his prime and some voters felt sympathy for him with the injuries. They figured that based on the rate stats, a healthy Bancu would’ve been in firmly. Bancu debuted with a strong 57.0% in 2003. He dropped though to 49.8% and then 34.5%, making it look like he was in trouble. Bancu climbed back to 59.7% and 51.8% in the next two ballots. In 2008 with no standout debuts, Bancu bumped up to 70.0% to earn a sixth ballot induction. Giorgi Mikadze – Starting Pitcher – Bishkek Black Sox – 69.0% Sixth Ballot Giorgi Mikadze was a 6’1’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Russia. Mikadze’s best feature was excellent pinpoint control, which enabled him to have a lengthy career. His stuff was pretty good, but his movement was often subpar, especially later in his career. Mikadze had an extreme flyball tendency with an arsenal of curveball, changeup, sinker, and cutter. His velocity peaked in the 95-97 mph range. Mikadze’s stamina was respectable compared to most strong EPB starters. He had excellent durability in his 20s, but did deal with shoulder issues in his 30s. Teammates appreciated Mikadze’s scrappy demeanor as he was always one to give a full effort. This perhaps allowed him to outperform his talent. Most don’t realize Mikadze’s professional baseball story began in Kyiv. As a teenage amateur, the Kings signed him to a developmental deal in June 1975. Mikadze spent around five years in Ukraine, but never made it to the big time with Kyiv. After the 1979 season, he was sent to Bishkek in a four-player trade that included the eventual single-season home run king Ilkin Hasanov. The 21-year old Mikadze debuted in 1980 for the Black Sox and started most the season with respectable results, earning Rookie of the Year honors. That would pretty much the extent of his awards, as Mikadze was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. He led in K/BB four times, but wasn’t a league leader otherwise. Mikadze was steady, but never posted a season above 5 WAR. Bishkek knew Mikadze would get them reliable innings though, which was important as the Black Sox became a regular Asian League contender in the 1980s. From 1980-90, Bishkek had nine playoff appearances and eight ALCS berths. The Black Sox won the pennant in 1980, 83, 84, 86, and 90. However, they were never able to get over the hump and win the EPB title. Mikadze’s playoff career was delightfully average at best. Over 149.1 innings, he had an 8-9 record and 5 saves, 3.25 ERA, 186 strikeouts, 20 walks, 89 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 2.8 WAR. Despite not being dominant, Mikadze notably had EPB’s 23^rd perfect game on June 28, striking out seven against Yerevan. Bishkek was happy with the results and gave Mikadze a six-year, $4,200,000 extension in March 1988. Although he’d have some injuries, Mikadze was largely a healthy scratch for much of 1990, 1991, and 1992. In 1992, the Black Sox gave him one start the entire year, leaving him on the reserve roster. Mikadze fought his way back into the rotation in 1993, although shoulder inflammation got him at the end of the season. Mikadze was respectable in 1994 and 1995. The Black Sox had narrowly missed the playoffs from 1991-93, but won the AL pennant again in 1994. Bishkek gave Mikadze another two years and $1,900,000 in September 1994. He had a solid 1995, but struggled in 1996 and dealt with a partially torn labrum and rotator cuff strain. After the 1996 season, Mikadze was a free agent for the first time at age 38. He signed a one-year deal with his hometown team St. Petersburg. Mikadze hadn’t been back in western Russia much and only saw a few World Baseball Championship appearances from 1983-86. He tossed 27.1 innings with a 2.96 ERA in the WBC. Mikadze struggled as a part-time starter in his one season with the Polar Bears, struggling to a 4.49 ERA. He wanted to still pitch somewhere in 1998, but his stuff was now unplayable. After going unsigned for the season, Mikadze retired in the winter at age 40. The final stats saw a 215-171 record, 2.85 ERA, 3534.1 innings, 3789 strikeouts, 480 walks, 304/435 quality starts, 166 complete games, 101 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 50.5 WAR. Mikadze had some milestones the traditionalists liked in terms of wins, strikeouts, and innings. Plus, he had a perfect game and spent almost his whole career with one team, helping them throughout a decade of dominance. Advanced stats were not kind to Mikadze though, suggesting he simply stuck around for a while with average stats. A 101 ERA+ is about as mid as one can get, plus he didn’t have awards or league-leading stats. His career WAR was only slightly lower than his HOF classmate Dana Bancu, but Bancu had thrown more than 1000 fewer innings to get it. Many scholars would later cite Mikadze as one of the weakest-ever inductees. Still, EPB voters were very pitcher-centric and Mikadze hit enough benchmarks to have support. He debuted at 54.1% in 2003 and dropped to 41.8% by 2005, but was back in the mid 50s the next two seasons. In 2008, Mikadze received the boost to a nice 69.0%, earning a sixth ballot addition into the 2008 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-08-2024, 07:46 PM	#1409
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 OBA Hall of Fame The Oceania Baseball Association didn’t induct any players into the Hall of Fame in 2008 for its first blank ballot since 1999. Reliever Garnet Wallace was the only one even above 50%, getting 60.3% on his fifth ballot. The next best were CF Jonathan Buai at 48.3% in his third try and SP Kurt Sanders at 47.0% for his fourth go. The top debut was RF Will Lee at 38.1%. No players were dropped after ten failed tries. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-09-2024, 07:39 AM	#1410
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 APB Hall of Fame Two players were first ballot inductees into the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. Neither were sure things though with both only narrowly crossing the 66% requirement. 3B A.J. Tan got 71.7% and DH Dwi Taufik had 67.3%. No one else was above 50% with the next best being SP Nai-Wen Teng with a debut at 46.3%. Dropped after ten ballots was SP Jung-Hua Liu, who pitched 15 years between Medan and Quezon. He had a 198-164 record, 2.38 ERA, 3416.2 innings, 3160 strikeouts, 107 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 59.8 WAR. Liu also won two titles with the Marlins and was good in the postseason, but he lacked awards or league-leading seasons. He peaked at 54.3% in 2004 and fell to only 19.9% on his final ballot. SP Abu Hamid also fell off, peaking at 31.2% in 2000 but ending at only 3.7%. He had a 12-year run and won a Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year, but was decimated by injuries. Hamid had a 121-85 record, 2.56 ERA, 1912.2 innings, 2043 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 34.2 WAR. Basically all of his value was in his first six seasons and he might have had a shot if he stayed healthy. A.J. “Taz” Tan – Third Base – Medan Marlins – 71.7% First Ballot A.J. Tan was a 5’11’’, 205 pound right-handed third baseman from Singapore. Tan was one of the great leadoff men of his era and was known as an excellent contact hitter. He was very good at avoiding strikeouts, but only decent at drawing walks. Tan had nice gap power, averaging around 30-40 doubles/triples per year. He wasn’t going to go yard often though, hitting only 48 home runs in his entire career. Tan was quite quick on the basepaths, although he was only around 50/50 in terms of steal attempts. He had a strong arm, which led to a career at third base. Tan graded out as below average defensively for his career, but he wasn’t a total liability by any stretch. His incredible durability made him especially valuable in that spot, playing 140+ games in 16 different seasons. Tan was spotted at a camp in Singapore by a visiting scout from Medan. They signed him in June 1982 to a developmental deal with the Marlins. Tan officially debuted in 1985 at age 21, but only played two games. He was a full-time starter in 1986 and kept that role for a decade with Medan. Tan was a fixture in the leadoff spot, leading the Sundaland Association five times in at-bats. Tan had that spot because he got hits a’plenty. He led in batting average in three of his first four seasons, also leading in OBP in 1986 and 1987. Tan led in hits six times with the Marlins and led in doubles in 1989. He quickly became popular with Medan fans, posting seven seasons worth 5+ WAR for the Marlins. His debut season earned the 1986 Rookie of the Year. Tan’s lack of power, especially at a corner infield spot, meant he didn’t win a Silver Slugger at any point despite his efforts. Tan was a regular all-star for Medan, who gave him an eight-year, $8,720,000 extension after the 1989. Just before Tan arrived, Medan had won three Sundaland Association pennants in the early 1980s. They just missed the playoffs in 1985 and 1986, but won the Java League title from 1987-89. In both 1987 and 1989, the Marlins won the APB Championship. Tan was the finals MVP in 1989 and in 32 playoff starts had 27 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 11 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. Tan remained a fixture into the early 1990s, but Medan fell into mediocrity soon after their 1989 title. With two years left on his deal, the Marlins ended up trading Tan after the 1995 season to Davao for prospects. The fans still appreciated him and he’d stay a franchise icon after retiring, seeing his #23 uniform retired. For his tenure with Medan, Tan had 1831 hits, 681 runs, 263 doubles, 91 triples, 436 RBI, 492 stolen bases, .299/.333/.385 slash, 145 wRC+, and 53.8 WAR. Heading into his age 32 season, Tan was now in the Philippines with Davao. The Devil Rays had won the APB title in 1995 and hoped Tan could keep the good times rolling. Unfortunately, Davao finished .500 in 1996 and won only 69 games in 1997. Tan couldn’t be blamed, leading the Taiwan-Philippine Association in hits both years. However, he did have a career worst 1.8 WAR in 1997. With the Devil Rays, he had 6.9 WAR, 360 hits, 129 runs, and a 126 wRC+. A free agent for the first time heading towards his age 34 season, Tan returned home to Singapore. The hometown Sharks gave him a five-year, $10,000,000 deal. Tan also played for the Singapore National Team in the World Baseball Championship from 2000-04 with 25 games and 17 starts. Tan had 5.1 and 6.1 WAR in his first two seasons with Singapore. In 1999, he became only the third APB hitter to 2500 career hits. His production dropped a bit in his later years, but he passed Francis Pung’s 2741 to become APB’s new career hits leader in 2002. Tan lost the title in 2012 to Junior Sanchez, but still sits fifth as of 2037. With Singapore, Tan had 766 hits, 290 runs, 117 doubles, 47 triples, 186 RBI, a .280/.318/.375 slash, 124 wRC+, and 18.8 WAR. He was happy to have reached the milestone with his home town team, but he had regressed to average-at-best stats by the end. Tan’s deal with the Sharks expired after the 2002 season and he still wanted to play at age 39. No one in APB was particularly interested, but he found a home in Russia. Tan signed with EPB’s Kazan Crusaders for one year and $1,940,000. That got him to 3047 hits for his entire pro career, but he was merely okay as a part-time starter with Kazan. Tan still hoped to play in 2004, but went unsigned. He retired that winter at age 40. In APB, Tan had 2957 hits, 1100 runs, 434 doubles, 165 triples, 48 home runs, 710 RBI, 804 stolen bases, a .293/.326/.382 slash, 137 wRC+, and 79.5 WAR. As of 2037, he’s fifth in hits, 23^rd in runs, 11^th in doubles, 33^rd in stolen bases, but 51^st in WAR among position players. You would think being the hits leader at retirement made you a lock, but APB voters were notoriously tough on hitters. Plus, Tan’s lack of power really hurt him when considering advanced stats. He still managed to be a first ballot inductee, but merely at 71.7%. Either way, he led the way with APB’s 2008 Hall of Fame class. Dwi Taufik – Designated Hitter – Taipei Tigercats – 67.3% First Ballot Dwi Taufik was a 6’1’’, 190 pound left-handed hitter from Gebog, Indonesia; a district of around 94,000 in the Central Java province. Taufik was a great contact hitter with an excellent eye for drawing walks and a solid knack at avoiding strikeouts. Taufik had a strong bat, although he wasn’t a prolific home run hitter. Still, he averaged 27 doubles and 26 home runs per his 162 game average, which was quite good in the low scoring world of APB. Taufik was one of the best pure hitters of his era, but couldn’t do much else. He was very slow and clumsy on the basepaths and lacked any sort of defensive coordination. Taufik was a career designated hitter and never started in the field, playing a whopping 23.1 innings between 1B/LF in his career. Despite those deficiencies, Taufik was a tremendous leader and team captain. He was known for a tireless work ethic and was considered one of the truly great men in the game. Taufik also had excellent durability and very rarely missed time to injury. Taufik became an absolutely adored figure by fans and teammates alike. It was an unexpected beginning to a career for an Indonesian that ultimately played his whole career in Taiwan. His first professional contact brought him to the Philippines as a teenager, signing in December 1979 with Zamboanga. Taufik spent five and a half years in the Zebras developmental system, but never played a game for them. In May 1985, he was sent with three other prospects to Taipei for SP Chao-Ting Chou. The Tigercats weren’t immediately sure what to do with Taufik either. He sat in 1986 and debuted in 1987 at age 23, but only with 14 plate appearances as a pinch hitter. With no defensive value, it was harder to find a spot for him. Taufik was a part-time starter in 1998 and 1989 and merely looked okay. Plus, Taipei had a strong roster at this point, winning the Taiwan-Philippine Association pennant both years. The Tigercats won the APB title in 1988, giving Taufik his only ring. He did start in the 1988 postseason with iffy results, but looked solid in 1989 as they were the runner-up. Taufik earned the starting role in 1990 and held it for the next 13 years. 1990 was his finest season, leading the TPA and posting career bests in hits (203), doubles (38), average (.338), and OBP (.400). Taufik also had 8.1 WAR and .902 OPS; both career highs. He won his first of seven Silver Sluggers and finished second in MVP voting. Taipei had playoff berths in 1990, 1991, and 1993. They fell in the TPA final to Cebu in 90 and 91, but won the 1993 pennant. The Tigercats lost the APB final to Jakarta that year. They missed the playoffs from 1994-97, but won the Taiwan League in 1998. They lost to Quezon for the TPA title, then fell towards mediocrity into the 2000s. In his playoff career, Taufik had 48 games and 43 starts, 43 hits, 21 runs, 8 doubles, 8 home runs, 23 RBI, a .253/.297/.441 slash, 135 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. Taipei was generally happy with the results and gave him an eight-year, $8,670,000 extension in September 1991. He also played sporadically for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship from 1991-01 with 81 games and 55 starts. Taufik had 69 hits, 34 runs, 12 doubles, 18 home runs, 37 RBI, a .311/.390/.617 slash, 188 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR. Taufik was a big part in the Indonesians making it to the finals for the first time in 1997, falling to the US. Indonesia won its first world championship in 1999 against Nigeria, then fell to the Americans in the 2000 final. Still, Taufik became a national star back home despite spending his entire pro career over in Taiwan. With Taipei, Taufik led the TPA in runs once, hits twice, doubles once, RBI twice, walks thrice, total bases once, average twice, OBP six times, OPS four times, and wRC+ thrice. His Silver Slugger wins were 1990, 92, 93, 95, 98, 99, and 2000. Taufik was second in 1990 MVP voting, second in 1992, third in 1993, and third in 1994. It was especially impressive to be a regular finalist despite being a DH. Taufik’s game aged incredibly well as he showed no signs of slowing into his 30s. He finally won his lone MVP in 1999 at age 35, posting a career best 40 home runs and 194 wRC+. Taufik also had 8.0 WAR that year and led the TPA in OBP (.353), slugging (.544), and OPS (.897). That September, Taipei gave him a three-year, $10,080,000 extension. This was also the time frame he was helping Indonesia to their WBC glory. He had a great 2000 and won another batting title. Taufik regressed though in 2001, never quite bouncing back from a fractured hand that knocked him out for part of the spring. Taufik was healthy and still a starter quality bat in 2002, but he hit career lows for a full season. He decided to retire after the season just after turning 39 years old. Taipei immediately retired his #20 uniform. Taufik had 2265 hits, 977 runs, 362 doubles, 346 home runs, 1059 RBI, 832 walks, a .284/.352/.470 slash, 161 wRC+, and 78.9 WAR. Among APB Hall of Famers as of 2037, Taufik has the third best OBP and is in the top ten for batting average. His rate stats are impressive and even his WAR looks pretty strong for a guy who was a career DH. Plus, Taufik was a beloved fan favorite who played for one team. However, on top of being generally tough on batters, many APB voters didn’t like the idea of a career DH making the cut. Taufik’s batting was too strong to ignore though and he earned the first ballot induction. He only barely crossed the 66% requirement at 67.3%, but that was enough to get in for the 2008 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-09-2024, 01:36 PM	#1411
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 CLB Hall of Fame Chinese League Baseball had two strong first ballot inductees for its 2008 Hall of Fame class. 2B Liang Shang Guan received 93.1% and SP Jiuling Huang had 88.2% to easily earn their spot. Two other pitchers on their second ballot crossed 50% with Jun Tang at 56.2% and Martin Cui at 52.3%. Falling off the ballot after ten failed tries was CF Sijing “Iceman” Wang. His CLB run was 12 years with Macau and saw four Silver Sluggers and one MVP, 1830 hits, 861 runs, 273 doubles, 264 triples, 28 home runs, 453 RBI, 804 stolen bases, a .289/.327/.429 slash, 152 wRC+, and 92.8 WAR. As of 2037, Wang is still 31^st in WAR among position players and third all-time in triples and seventh in stolen bases. Unfortunately for him, CLB voters are harsh on hitters. Being a leadoff guy is always tough with so many voters fixated on homers and RBI. Steals, triples, and solid defense don’t get the love they deserve. Wang also was hurt by having weak playoff numbers during Macau’s years in contention. Wang peaked with a debut at 49.8% and ended with a mere 14.4%. Many scholars cite Wang as one of the more prominent CLB Hall of Fame snubs. Liang “Nightmare” Shang Guan – Second Base – Dalian Gold Dragons – 93.1% First Ballot Liang Shang Guan was a 5’10’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting second baseman from Hengshui, a city of over four million in North China. Shang Guan was a stellar contact hitter who graded as a 10/10 in his prime. He also had a good eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. The nickname “Nightmare” came from how frustration he was for pitchers to get out. Shang Guan was far stronger against righties (178 wRC+, .881 OPS) compared to lefties (118 wRC+, .693 OPS). His gap power was tremendous with a 162 game average of 26 doubles and 20 triples. Shang Guan was quite quick and was an excellent base stealer. He was very adept at turning singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Shang Guan did lack home run power though with a career-best of 12. Shang Guan made the vast majority of his starts at second base, although he also occasionally played shortstop. He was a solid defender in his 20s, but declined notably as he aged. Over his full career, Shang Guan graded out around average statistically. He was intelligent and adaptable and battled through some injuries to post a 21 year pro career. Shang Guan became one of the biggest superstars to come out of China. Dalian signed Shang Guan in January 1983 as a teenage amateur and kept him in the developmental system for three years. He was a rare player to debut at age 19 in 1986 with 112 games and 18 starts. Shang Guan earned the full-time job the next year and held it for 11 years with the Gold Dragons. Shang Guan was an immediate success and posted 7+ WAR in all ten full seasons with Dalian. He won ten straight Silver Sluggers at second base from 1987-96. From 1990-96, he remarkably won seven straight batting titles. Shang Guan had a .314 career batting average with the Gold Dragons, which is especially remarkable considering the very low offense environment of CLB with the league average sitting around .215. In 1991, Shang Guan had a .359 batting average, which was the second-best season even in CLB at that point (and still ranks ninth). That year, he led in the triple slash with career bests in OPS (.973) wRC+ (225), and WAR (12.5). It was incredible to lead in slugging when you hit only 8 home runs. Shang Guan won his lone MVP in 1991. Shang Guan had five seasons with 10+ WAR and also was the WARlord with 12.1 in 1990. He was second in MVP voting in 1989, third in 1990, second in 1992, second in 1994, and third in 1995. Shang Guan also earned a Gold Glove in 1989. He was a regular fixture atop leaderboards in the Chinese Northern League. The Gold Dragons quickly locked Shang Guan up with an eight-year, $7,030,000 extension after the 1989 season. With Dalian, Shang Guan led the league in runs twice, hits five times, doubles thrice, triples six times, walks once, total bases once, stolen bases once, batting average seven times, OBP seven times, slugging once, OPS twice, wRC+ once, and WAR twice. He also made history going 7-9 against Beijing in 1995. As of 2037, this is the only seven-hit game in CLB history. Shang Guan’s excellence helped turn Dalian into an all-time Chinese baseball dynasty. The Gold Dragons had six straight China Series berths from 1989-94 and won the title each of those seasons but 1990. Shang Guan was a stud in the playoffs, winning China Series MVP twice (1989, 1991) and semifinal MVP in 1989. In the postseason, Shang Guan had 72 starts, 82 hits, 38 runs, 5 doubles, 17 triples, 2 homers, 23 RBI, 23 walks, 48 stolen bases, a .303/.356/.469 slash, 166 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR. As of 2037, he’s CLB’s all-time playoff leader in steals and triples. Dalian remains the only CLB team ever to four-peat and the only one with five titles in six years. Shang Guan was one of the most important pieces of the dynasty and became a national superstar. He also played for the national team from 1989-2004 in the World Baseball Championship with 216 games and 194 starts. Shang Guan had 202 hits, 107 runs, 42 doubles, 19 triples, 11 home runs, 61 RBI, 97 walks, 111 stolen bases, a .272/.362/.425 slash, 124 wRC+, and 6.0 WAR. As of 2037, he’s the all-time WBC leader in triples and top 20 in stolen bases. Shang Guan won world titles with China in 1993, 1994, and 2002. Among Chinese players, he’s sixth all-time in WAR among position players, second in hits, and fourth in runs. Dalian narrowly missed the playoffs in 1995, then fell below .500 in 1996. 1997 was a contract year for Shang Guan, but missed most of the season to a ruptured finger tendon. The Gold Dragons got just above .500, but it wasn’t clear that they were going to be a contender again soon. Shang Guan decided to test out free agency at age 31. This marked the end of his career in China. In China, Shang Guan had 1836 hits, 812 runs, 282 doubles, 252 triples, 82 home runs, 592 RBI, 517 walks, 650 stolen bases, a .314/.370/.491 slash, 181 wRC+, and 101.6 WAR. He was the all-time leader in batting average and second in OBP when he left. It wasn’t until offense increased significantly in the 2020s that Shang Guan got passed and he’s top 15 in both stats among guys with 3000 plate appearances. Shang Guan is still 15^th all-time in WAR among position players despite leaving after his age 30 season. He’s also seventh all-time in triples. Had Shang Guan stayed, some thought he could’ve been the first to reach 3000 career hits. He wasn’t along long enough to be prominent with accumulations, but that WAR total shows how impressive he was. Not to mention a starring role in the all-time greatest dynasty in CLB history. The CLB voters didn’t need much convincing and gave Shang Guan the first ballot nod at 93.1% to headline the 2008 Hall of Fame class. Few players to come out of China are more beloved and that fandom continued as he left for Major League Baseball. Shang Guan still had another nine years of pro baseball ahead, starting with the St. Louis Cardinals. He signed a five-year, $20,200,000 deal starting with the 1998 season. Shang Guan had a very good debut season with 7.7 WAR. He was on his way to an MVP effort in 1999 with 6.6 WAR and a 201 wRC+ in only 97 games, but a torn thumb ligament cost him the final two months of the season. Even still, Shang Guan earned a Silver Slugger for his efforts. He never could match that level again, but had three more solid seasons as a starter for the Cardinals. In total, Shang Guan had 836 hits, 396 runs, 110 doubles, 55 triples, 51 home runs, 250 RBI, a .311/.354/.450 slash, 146 wRC+, and 24.9 WAR. His contract ran out after the 2002 season, becoming a free agent again at age 36. Next was a two-year, $1,500,000 deal with Philadelphia. Shang Guan had a nice 4.9 WAR debut season in 2003 and was keeping pace in 2004 until shoulder and foot injuries knocked him out for about two months. Shang Guan had 7.9 WAR, 298 hits, 135 runs, 34 doubles, 16 triples, 18 home runs, 110 RBI, a .313/.356/.439 slash, and 139 wRC+ with the Phillies. Philadelphia also made the National Association Championship Series in 2003 and the second round in 2004. Shang Guan’s playoff starts were respectable with a 134 wRC+ over 14 starts. He was a free agent again in 2005 and still had suitors at age 38. Shang Guan inked a two-year, $9,280,000 deal with Calgary. A fractured ankle in spring training caused a rough start, but he still posted a .316 average and 2.6 WAR in 105 games in 2005. Shang Guan’s power and speed both were declining significantly by this point, limiting his value even with a high average. With the Cheetahs, Shang Guan had 158 hits, 73 runs, a .314/.374/.463 slash, 126 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. Shang Guan hoped to still play in 2007, but ended up retiring that winter after going unsigned. For his MLB tenure, he had 1292 hits, 604 runs, 164 doubles, 82 triples, 80 home runs, 417 RBI, 250 stolen bases, a .312/.357/.449 slash, 142 wRC+, and 35.6 WAR. It was a very solid tenure for a guy whose entire run came in his 30s. The full career numbers for Shang Guan saw 3128 hits, 1416 runs, 446 doubles, 334 triples, 162 home runs, 1009 RBI, 807 walks, 900 stolen bases, a .313/.365/.474 slash, 165 wRC+, and 137.2 WAR. With that, you can see why some Chinese fans think Shang Guan could’ve finished with truly inner-circle tallies had he remained in China. When looking just at other second baseman historically, Shang Guan often comes up in any top ten conversation. There’s very few guys that picked up 11 Silver Sluggers at the spot in any time period. At the very least, Shang Guan had a strong argument that he was the best second baseman in the world during his early 1990s prime. Jiuling Huang – Starting Pitcher – Changsha Cannons – 88.2% First Ballot Jiuling Huang was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Donghai, a subdistrict with around 188,600 in southeastern China’s Guangdong province. Huang had incredibly overpowering stuff with 99-101 mph regularly on his fastball. He had a splitter, changeup, and slider in his arsenal. The raw power allowed Huang to thrive despite merely average control and subpar movement. Huang had good stamina and was viewed as a solid defensive pitcher who could hold runners effectively. He had great durability in his 20s, but did run into injury issues later on. Huang was very well respected in the clubhouse as a team captain. He was viewed as a tremendous leader and hard worker, as well as just a standup guy all around. Huang’s pitching potential was noticed quickly across China as he progressed through the college ranks. In the 1988 CLB Draft, he was picked third overall by Changsha. Huang was a part-time starter in 1989 with decent results in 92 innings. The Cannons moved him to the full-time rotation in his second year, where he remained for the rest of his CLB run. All of Huang’s full seasons with Changsha were 4.9 WAR or better. He topped 7 WAR four times and led in strikeouts in 1993 and 1995. Huang topped 370+ Ks in five times, becoming the first CLB pitcher to achieve that feat. Only two other pitchers would also pull off that feat later on. Huang’s career-best was 383 in 1992, which also had a career-best 272.2 innings. In 1991, Huang had a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and 3 walks against Xiamen on August 3. Changsha was generally at or above .500 to start the 1990s, but still had only one playoff berth back in 1977. The Cannons hoped Huang would help snap that streak, giving him a five-year, $4,950,000 extension after the 1993 season. Huang regularly kept his ERA below two with his finest effort in 1995 with 1.19. That year, he also led in strikeouts (381), WHIP (0.60), and FIP- (25), while posting a career best 11.1 WAR. This was Huang’s lone Pitcher of the Year win, along with a second place in MVP voting. He wasn’t a POTY finalist in any other year. The 1995 effort was historic as Huang set still-standing CLB records for H/9 (3.92) and opponents’ batting average (.131). The 0.60 WHIP still stands as third best as of 2037, as does his .384 opponents’’ OPS and .175 opponents’ OBP. Changsha ended their playoff drought this season, but were ousted in the semifinal. Huang gave up six runs over 14 innings in his two playoff starts. Huang couldn’t match that incredible dominance from 1995, but still was a strong ace the next three seasons. Changsha fell below .500 in 1996, but led China in 1997 at 109-53. They took that top record to a championship, although Huang was unremarkable in his four playoff starts with an 0-3 record in 30 innings, 3.30 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and 71 ERA+. Still, his role in giving Changsha its first title was critical in his legacy. Huang would see his #4 uniform eventually retired by the Cannons. They missed the playoffs in 1998 and Huang missed two months to a strained abdominal muscle. He became a free agent after the season at age 32. This marked the end of his Chinese career. Huang had a 137-92 record, 1.82 ERA, 2291.1 innings, 3164 strikeouts, 519 walks, 230/281 quality starts, 131 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 66.0 WAR. He was the tenth to reach 3000 strikeouts and the speed he got there made some wonder if he could’ve been the strikeout king had he stayed. Huang’s rate stats certainly fit in with other CLB Hall of Fame pitchers, but the accumulations were certainly on the low end since he left. Some voters gave him some credit for his post-CLB years and tried to extrapolate what his stats might have been. Winning a title and his one stellar POTY year won over most skeptical voters. Plus, Huang was a captain and a great guy. Thus, he earned the first ballot nod at 88.2% to enter the CLB Hall of Fame in 2008. Huang still had eight more years of pro baseball post-China. He did play from 1994-97 and in 2000 for his country in the World Baseball Championship, but struggled with a 4.86 ERA over 66.2 innings and 103 strikeouts. Huang fully focused on a new endeavor into the European Baseball Federation in 1999 at age 32. It was Marseille who gave him a five-year, $11,600,000 deal to join EBF. He was solid in his first two seasons in France with 5.0 and 4.9 WAR. A strained abdominal cost him the final bit of 2000, then back issues cost him part of 2001. In 2002, Huang was delightfully average as he couldn’t overwhelm hitters any more with his stuff. In four seasons with Marseille, Huang had a 45-55 record, 3.71 ERA, 927 innings, 924 strikeouts, 104 ERA+, and 15.2 WAR. He had one year left with the Musketeers after the 2002 season, but he was traded to Tbilisi for two prospects. The Trains only used him in 106.2 innings, although he was good in that small sample with 2.4 WAR and 2.53 ERA. Huang would be a free agent again at age 37 entering 2004. Warsaw gave him a one-year deal, but a torn back muscle kept him out four months. He was unremarkable in the 75.2 innings he did pitch for the Wildcats. Stockholm had him in 2005 with a lackluster 4.69 ERA over 167 innings. Huang looked better in 2006 with Manchester on a 3.97 ERA over 190.1 innings. No one signed him in 2007 despite his efforts and he retired that winter at age 41. For his EBF run, Huang had a 75-81 record, 3.79 ERA, 1466.2 innings, 1321 strikeouts, 335 walks, 101 ERA+, and 20.7 WAR. For his entire pro career, Huang had a 212-173 record, 2.59 ERA, 3758 innings, 4485 strikeouts, 854 walks, 117 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 86.7 WAR. Huang won’t go down with the absolute best-of-the-best pitchers of his era. However, nearly 4500 strikeouts is nothing to be ashamed of and few guys in the early 1990s had a scarier fastball. Plus, hardly anyone has a bad word to say of Huang as a person. You can see how he easily got the first ballot nod despite his Chinese League career only lasting a decade. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-09-2024, 05:50 PM	#1412
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 WAB Hall of Fame West African Baseball had two slam dunk Hall of Famers headlining an impressive 2008 group. Two-way star Rudy Bambara received 95.6% and LF/DH Germain Tchouga got 94.7%. 1B Daouda Kadri barely missed joining them on his sixth ballot, falling short of the 66% threshold with 65.4%. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots. Rudy Bambara – Pitcher/Third Base – Ibadan Iguanas – 95.6% First Ballot Rudy Bambara was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher and third baseman from Yako, Burkina Faso; a town of around 39,000 in the country’s center. Bambara was the first great two-way player to come out of West Africa and statistically has a case for being a top five level two-way player all-time from any pro league. Tremendous durability played a big role as for his first 13 seasons, Bambara tossed 200+ innings an also had 250+ at-bats. As a pitcher, Bambara had excellent control and very good movement along with good to sometimes great stuff. His fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph range and was mixed with a curveball, changeup, and cutter. Bambara was very intelligent and a master at picking his spots. His stamina was good and he was great at fielding on the mound, winning a Gold Glove in 2001. When playing the field, Bambara was a third baseman due to his strong arm. His range and general glove work were lousy though and he graded as a weak defender. Bambara’s straight line speed was below average and he was a comically clumsy baserunner. But his bat was certainly worthy of finding a regular spot in the lineup. Bambara had tremendous home run power and could have been a prolific slugger if he committed fully to hitting. Five times he cracked 30+ home runs in a season despite playing in around 95 games. Bambara was a quite solid contact hitter with a respectable eye for walks and an average strikeout rate. He could find the gap as well, cracking 20+ doubles five times in partial seasons at the plate. Most scouts salivated over Bambara as he entered into the 1988 WAB Draft. Two-way guys hadn’t seen much use in WAB to that point and it was unknown how Bambara would be used. He strongly wanted to go both ways, while some teams thought he’d limit his value if he didn’t commit to one. Ibadan had the #2 overall pick and selected Bambara with two-way plans in mind. He was immediately a full-timer on the mound, making 31+ starts in all eight seasons with the Iguanas. At the plate, he also started 80+ games in each season. Bambara was a lock for the 1989 Rookie of the Year, posting 5.2 WAR on the mound and 1.3 at the plate. He greatly improved his lot in both spots over the next seasons with Ibadan. As a pitcher, Bambara cracked 6+ WAR six times with Ibadan. He led in pitching WAR in 1994 and 1996, peaking with 9.4 in 1996. That year also saw a career and league best 1.82 ERA with 307 strikeouts and 29 quality starts. His lone Pitcher of the Year award came from the 1996 campaign, although he took second in 1993. Bambara led in wins in 1993 and 1994. WAB didn’t use the designated hitter, which kept Bambara from batting on pitching days. Still, he won Silver Sluggers in 1990, 1993, and 1994 at third base despite limited chances. Bambara had an OPS above one in six seasons with Ibadan and a wRC+ above 200 thrice. He finished with seven straight seasons with 5+ WAR as a hitter. Bambara’s combined season WARs from 1990-1996 were 12.7, 10.7, 12.0, 13.5, 12.8, 12.7, and 14.7. The only other WAB player to crack 14+ in a season was 11-time MVP Darwin Morris, who did it four times. Bambara won four Eastern League MVPs (1990, 1992, 1993, 1996). He finished second in 1991, second in 1994, and third in 1995. Bambara was clearly the most electric player in West Africa. The year Bambara was drafted, Ibadan had bottomed out at 57-105. Two years later in 1990, the Iguanas began a 12-year playoff streak. They earned their first ELCS appearance in 1992, but lost to Lagos. Then in 1993, Ibadan went 110-52 and won the WAB title; their only ring as of 2037. The Iguanas got back to the finals in 1994 and 1996, but lost to Abidjan and Accra, respectively. Bambara’s playoff stats as a batter were stellar with 27 games and 25 starts, 35 hits, 21 runs, 6 doubles, 12 home runs, 32 RBI, a .357/.418/.806 slash, 239 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. The pitching stats were merely okay in 15 starts with a 6-6 record, 3.98 ERA, 101.2 innings, 104 strikeouts, 95 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. Bambara was named finals MVP in 1993 when he delivered Ibadan to the title. The Iguanas quickly realized they struck gold and gave Bambara a five-year, $2,914,000 extension after the 1991 season. They desperately wanted to keep him after that, but Bambara was wanted by teams across the globe. He ultimately became a free agent after his all-time best season in 1996 heading towards his age 31 season. This marked the end of his WAB tenure. With Ibadan as a pitcher, Bambara had a 141-77 record, 2.92 ERA, 1993.1 innings, 2179 strikeouts, 279 walks, 186 quality starts, 129 ERA+, and 54.2 WAR. At the plate, he had 907 hits, 535 runs, 162 doubles, 247 home runs, 653 RBI, a .318/.373/.647 slash, 187 wRC+, and 41.3 WAR. As of 2037, the combined 95.5 WAR ranks him 10^th best in WAB history. Had he stayed in WAB, some feel Bambara might have battled with Darwin Morris for the GOAT slot. Either way, his eight years were phenomenal, helping Ibadan to their first success as a franchise. The Iguanas retired his #2 uniform once his playing days were done. Bambara was an easy first ballot choice for the WAB voters at 95.6% to headline the 2008 class. Although he spent his next nine pro seasons in Major League Baseball, Bambara still represented Burkina Faso in the World Baseball Championship. From 1988-2000, he had 168 innings on the mound with a 3.43 ERA, 177 strikeouts, 104 ERA+, and 3.1 WAR. At the plate, he had 66 games, 65 hits, 50 runs, 9 doubles, 24 home runs, 54 RBI, a .288/.383/.646 slash, 187 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR. Bambara’s MLB career began with a five-year, $19,000,000 deal with Edmonton. The Eels were the defending World Series champs when they signed Bambara. He was excellent on the mound in his first two seasons with 8.1 WAR and 7.3 WAR. Bambara still ate up innings the next two years, but saw more league-average production. He didn’t take to hitting as well in MLB, but still provided positive value and cracked 2+ twice. His 1997 debut saw a combined 10.7 WAR effort. Edmonton was above .500, but missed the playoffs in Bambara’s first two seasons. They bounced back in 1999 with a franchise-best 108-54 season, ultimately winning the World Series over Indianapolis. Bambara was the MVP of the American Association Championship Series win over San Francisco. He had a 1.04 ERA over 26 innings on the mound and a .268/318/.488 slash in 44 plate appearances. Helping them to that title justified the signing for most Eels fans. In 2000, Bambara tossed a no-hitter with 5 strikeouts and no walks against Portland. However in 2001, Bambara’s batting was mediocre and his pitching value was looking merely average. It was the last year of his Edmonton deal and the Eels opted to trade him in July to Columbus for two prospects. With the Eels, Bambara had an 86-57 pitching record, 3.58 ERA, 1288.2 innings, 871 strikeouts, 201 walks, 109 ERA+, and 29.0 WAR. Batting, he had 425 hits, 229 runs, 67 doubles, 86 home runs, 277 RBI, a .270/.322/.482 slash, 121 wRC+, and 8.0 WAR. Bambara had limited batting with the Chargers and okay production on the mound, although he did win his lone Gold Glove this season. They earned a wild card, but fell in the first round of the playoffs. Bambara was now a free agent heading into 2002 and his age 36 season. In March 2002, he inked a one-year, $3,280,000 deal with Virginia Beach. In his brief Vikings tenure, Bambara had solid batting stats (172 wRC+ in 112 plate appearances) but lousy pitching ones (4.21 ERA in 136.2 innings). VB traded him in July to reigning MLB champ Nashville, where he posted a 3.57 ERA in 80.2 innings. He only had 34 plate appearances, but a 1.375 OPS in the small sample. The Knights got back to the AACS and lost to Albuquerque. Bambara had a 2.19 ERA in 24.2 playoff innings though, leading Nashville to give him a two-year, $8,000,000 extension. After a poor spring training though, Bambara was straight up released. He was unemployed for about a month before signing in late April with Los Angeles for $6,800,000. Bambara had a decent bat for the Angels and ate innings with below average pitching. In 2004, Winnipeg gave him a one-year, $5,900,000 deal. A rotator cuff strain knocked him out two months, but his pitching looked quite solid over 134.1 innings with a 2.68 ERA. That would mark the end of his MLB tenure. Between six teams, Bambara’s pitching stats in MLB saw a 122-91 record, 3.61 ERA, 1928.1 innings, 1221 strikeouts, 320 walks, 106 ERA+, and 35.8 WAR. At the plate, he had 565 hits, 302 runs, 91 doubles, 117 home runs, 370 RBI, a .272/.326/.489 slash, 125 wRC+, and 12.0 WAR. Soon to be 39 years old, Bambara still wanted to play baseball. He packed his bags for Colombia, signing a two-year, $4,480,000 deal with Beisbol Sudamerica’s Cali. In 2005, he posted a 4.28 ERA over 195.2 innings and a .312/.365/.548 slash over 203 plate appearances for a combined 2.6 WAR. Bambara was ready to go for 2006, but suffered shoulder inflammation at the end of spring training. This ultimately knocked him out eight months, missing the entire 2006 campaign for Cali. Bambara was a free agent again in 2007 and wasn’t ready to quit, but he couldn’t find a home. He finally had to retire that winter at age 41. For his entire pitching career, Bambara had a 275-178 record, 3.31 ERA, 4117.1 innings, 3495 strikeouts, 635 walks, 342/543 quality starts, 155 complete games, 115 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 91.1 WAR. That pitching resume alone looks like a Hall of Famer in pretty much any context. At the plate, Bambara had 1473 games and 1263 starts with 1530 hits, 865 runs, 263 doubles, 374 home runs, 1048 RBI, 418 walks, a .299/.354/.579 slash, 160 wRC+, and 54.9 WAR. Had he focused exclusively at the plate, Bambara might have gotten to Hall of Fame levels there as well. When looking at all two-way guys at induction, Bambara ranked fourth in the world in total WAR with 146.0, sitting behind EPB’s Igor Bury (180.0), EBF’s Edgar Miranda (157.6), and EBF’s Daniel Ramirez (154.5). Only one other player would pass them between 2008 and 2037, ranking Bambara fifth still in career WAR. Any conversation about baseball’s all-time best two-way players will have Bambara’s name come up quickly. He’s still easily the most dominant two-way guy out of one of the African leagues. Germain Tchouga – Left Field/Designated Hitter – Abidjan Athletes – 94.7% First Ballot Germain Tchouga was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed slugger from Garoua, Cameroon; a port city with around 1,285,000 in the country’s north region. Tchouga had a very strong bat, averaging 40 home runs, 31 doubles, and 6 triples per his 162 game average. He was an above average contact hitter who could draw walks respectably, especially later in his career. Tchouga’s strikeout rate was subpar, but he was great at making his contact count. Tchouga was a very crafty and savvy base runner. His speed was good in his younger years, but he still provided positive value even as he slowed with age. Nagging injuries cost Tchouga a lot of playing time, but he still was tough enough and sturdy enough for a 24-year career. Defensively, left field was Tchouga’s most common spot. He made about 2/5 of his career starts there, 1/5 at first base, and the rest as a designated hitter. Tchouga graded out as mediocre defensively in LF and terrible at 1B, making DH his strongest spot when available. His bat was impressive enough though to make Tchouga an extremely popular figure in his time, emerging as the face of a dynasty run. Only two weeks before his 16^th birthday, Tchouga was signed by Abidjan as an amateur prospect. He picked up and moved to the Ivory Coast and became a rare player to officially debut at age 18, although he only saw two games in 1982. This was the tail end of Abidjan’s first big run and Tchouga picked up a WAB championship ring for his brief participation. Tchouga played in 1983 and 1984, but only saw 51 games and 36 starts. The Athletes deemed him ready in 1985 for the full-time left field gig at age 21. Abidjan missed the playoffs in the prior two seasons, but took the top seed in 1985. Tchouga had a 5.9 WAR debut effort and a respectable postseason, but the Athletes lost the Western League Championship Series to Kumasi. They would spend the next six seasons out of the playoffs stuck right around .500. Only a few weeks into the 1986 season, Tchouga suffered a fractured knee that knocked him out for six months. He’d miss a couple weeks in 1988, 1991, and 1992; but the next decade or so saw Tchouga as a regular starter. He posted six seasons worth 5+ WAR and topped 30+ home runs in 12 consecutive seasons. Abidjan locked him up after the 1988 season on a five-year, $3,120,000 deal. Tchouga’s first Silver Slugger came in 1989 with a 42 home run effort. He had 44 homers and 105 RBI in 1990, taking third in MVP voting. Tchouga was second in 1992 MVP voting despite a knee strain costing him two months. He posted 7.4 WAR and a career best .359/.403/.706 slash and 201 wRC+ in 114 games. Abidjan locked him up after that for another seven years and $10,040,000. 1992 also marked the end of a playoff drought and started a new dynasty for the Athletes. They won four consecutive Western League titles from 1992-95 and won the WAB title in 1994 over Ibadan. In 1993, Tchouga led in RBI for the first time with 104. He won WLCS MVP that year with 16 hits, 8 runs, 5 homers, and 13 RBI in the postseason run. Tchouga won his lone MVP in 1994 and a Silver Slugger as a DH, posting league and career bests in runs (136), homers (60), RBI (139), total bases (437), and WAR (8.8). The 136 runs were a new single-season WAB record, although Darwin Morris beat it the next year with 142. Tchouga was the finals MVP as Abidjan won it all, posting 14 hits, 7 runs, 3 homers, and 9 RBI in the playoffs. Tchouga led in runs again in 1995, winning his third Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. His career peaked there, although he still had good offense numbers into his early 30s. Abidjan lost in the wild card round in 1996, then narrowly missed the playoffs in 1997. A rib cage injury knocked Tchouga out for two months as it lingered. His final three years with Abidjan were plagued with injuries. 1998 had a sprained knee and fractured wrist, 1999 ended with a ruptured MCL in the summer, and it was a sprained hamstring causing troubles in 2000. Tchouga was still a beloved figure, but the Athletes had diversified to be able to thrice in his absence. Abidjan won the WL pennant again in 1999, but lost the final to the Kano dynasty. Tchouga missed that postseason, but was back for 2000 to help the Athletes upset the 125-win Condors in the final. He posted 4 home runs, 10 hits, and 6 runs over 10 games in that run. For his playoff career with Abidjan, Tchouga had 60 starts, 72 hits, 37 runs, 9 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, 51 RBI, a .306/.348/.613 slash, 166 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR. In 2037, Tchouga ranks 11^th in both playoff homers and RBI. Tchouga was now 37 years old and hadn’t played a full season in a few years. Abidjan let his contract expire, making him a free agent for the first time. This ended his WAB career, but he remained a beloved figure for Athletes fans as a critical part of their second run of dominance. His #26 uniform would eventually get retired. In WAB, Tchouga had 2238 hits, 1388 runs, 416 doubles, 86 triples, 541 home runs, 1487 RBI, 622 stolen bases, a .283/.340/.563 slash, 152 wRC+, and 73.7 WAR. He was the second to reach 500 career homers and still ranks 19^th in WAR among position players, despite losing value from being a DH. Tchouga also was the all-time runs leader when he left, although he lost that mantle five years later. Later guys in a more high-octane WAB would dwarf his accumulations, but Tchouga was one of the strongest bats of his era. The voters didn’t need much time to ponder, giving him a first ballot induction at 94.7%. He joined Rudy Bambara for an impressive two-player 2008 Hall of Fame class. Although he left WAB after the 2000 season, Tchouga still played baseball for another seven years. He went to Iraq and signed with Mosul for three years and $2,630,000. A fractured finger kept him out a chunk of the season, but Tchouga earned a championship ring with the Muskies. He stayed mostly healthy in 2002 and posted 31 home runs and 4.0 WAR, showing he could still go. Mosul traded him after the 2002 season to Algiers for three prospects. A strained hamstring and a broken bone in his elbow kept Tchouga out almost the whole year. Arab League teams still had some interest and he joined Basra for 2004. At age 40, he stayed healthy enough for 135 games and posted 2.6 WAR. If his body allowed it, Tchouga could still contribute. Now 41 years old, Tchouga ended up in Russia with Kazan in 2005. He posted 1.6 WAR over 115 games. Tchouga stayed in Russia with St. Petersburg in 2006 and posted 2.8 WAR and 162 wRC+ in only 92 games. A knee strain would keep him out for the entire summer. This ended his brief stint in Russia. At age 43, Mosul brought Tchouga back and he again showed he could still go. In 129 games and 110 starts, he had 29 home runs and 3.1 WAR. The Muskies were impressed enough to give Tchouga a three-year, $4,700,000 extension in the summer. However, he decided to retire after the 2007 season at age 44. For his ALB run, Tchouga had 461 hits, 268 runs, 86 doubles, 108 home runs, 326 RBI, a .272/.340/.530 slash, 139 wRC+, and 12.3 WAR. For his entire pro career, Tchouga ended up with 2875 hits in 2789 games, 1742 runs, 527 doubles, 104 triples, 687 home runs, 1914 RBI, 791 walks, 732 stolen bases, a .278/.337/.549 slash, 149 wRC+, and 90.4 WAR. Tchouga stands out as one of the finest West African sluggers of his generation. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-10-2024, 04:40 AM	#1413
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 SAB Hall of Fame South Asia Baseball had two players added into the Hall of Fame in 2008. Both made the cut in their debuts with SP Jade Poomkeaw at 84.2% and CF Anjan Sumanjit at 74.6%. 2B Abdul Deepkaran narrowly missed the 66% requirement, getting 63.6% in his third ballot. Also above 50% was C Kumar Patel with a 56.7% debut. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots. Jade Poomkeaw – Starting Pitcher – Dhaka Dobermans – 84.2% First Ballot Jade Poomkeaw was a 5’10’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Xam Nua, Laos; a town of 56,900 in the nation’s northeast. Poomkeaw would be the first-ever Laotian Hall of Famer. He had strong stuff along with good control and respectable movement. Poomkeaw’s fastball regularly reached the 97-99 mph range and was mixed with a changeup, splitter, and cutter. Poomkeaw had good stamina and durability, leading the league twice in innings pitched. He was also considered a solid defensive pitcher. Poomkeaw’s potential was noticed out of high school and he was picked second overall in the SAB Draft by Dhaka. They couldn’t come to terms and Poomkeaw instead spent the next two years playing amateur ball. In the 1989 SAB Draft, Dhaka was still quite interested and picked Poomkeaw sixth overall. This time, they came to terms and he was a full-time starter immediately. Poomkeaw had a tremendous rookie season with 9.1 WAR, a 2.36 ERA, and 306 strikeouts. That would’ve been a SAB WAR record for a Rookie of the Year winner, but he shockingly took second for the award. Poomkeaw also was third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1990. After five straight losing seasons, Dhaka had an impressive 107-55 record in 1991. They won the Southeast Asia League pennant, but lost to the Ahmedabad dynasty in the SAB Championship. The Dobermans made the playoffs again in 1992, 94, and 95 with Poomkeaw. They made the LCS in 1994, but lost to Ho Chi Minh City. Poomkeaw was a solid playoff pitcher for Dhaka with a 2.71 ERA in 73 innings and 80 strikeouts. Poomkeaw wasn’t generally a league leader with Dhaka and never reached his rookie year WAR total or ERA. Still, he had 6+ WAR in four seasons and 300+ strikeouts four times. He was second in 1991 Pitcher of the Year voting. In total with Dhaka, Poomkeaw had a 96-56 record, 2.79 ERA, 1469.2 innings, 1845 strikeouts, 337 walks, 130 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 41.0 WAR. After the 1995 season, a 29-year old Poomkeaw was a free agent. The financial woes for many teams in the early top-heavy days of SAB meant that only the Ho Chi Minh City and Ahmedabad dynasties tended to sign free agents. Poomkeaw couldn’t come to terms with either or anyone else in 1996 and sat out that season. Poomkeaw returned to the game in 1997 for $1,660,000 with a two-year deal for Ho Chi Minh City with a player option. He had a solid season and posted a 2.95 ERA in 21.1 playoff innings. 1997 was the year the Hedgehogs finally beat Ahmedabad in the SAB Championship after losing in their first six meetings. Poomkeaw was second in Pitcher of the Year voting that season. He decided to decline his option year and ended up sitting out again in 1998. Now 32 years old, Poomkeaw went to Ahmedabad for 1999 and had his finest season. He earned a Triple Crown with a 23-4 record, 1.92 ERA, and 375 strikeouts; all career bests along with 9.8 WAR and 276 innings. Poomkeaw picked up Pitcher of the Year honors and had a 1.59 ERA in 28.1 playoff innings as the Animals won their 11^th title in 14 years. Poomkeaw decided to sit out again in 2000 and went back to Ho Chi Minh City in 2001 at age 34. He was having a good season, but suffered radial nerve compression that ended his year in mid July. Yangon signed him for 2002, but Poomkeaw was never the same after the injury. He struggled to a 4.88 ERA in 153 innings for the Green Dragons. Poomkeaw retired that winter at age 36. The career stats for Poomkeaw: 153-81 record, 2.77 ERA, 2271.2 innings, 2821 strikeouts, 517 walks, 209/298 quality starts, 63 complete games, 24 shutouts, 131 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 62.5 WAR. The issues in early SAB and the later injury cost Poomkeaw a chance for more impressive accumulations. Regardless, SAB Hall of Fame voters recognized that Poomkeaw was one of the finest pitchers of the 1990s. He received 84.2% for a first ballot induction in 2008. Anjan “Legend” Sumanjit – Center Field – Ahmedabad Animals – 74.6% First Ballot Anjan Sumanjit was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting center fielder from Igatpuri, India; a town of 31,000 in the state of Maharashtra. Sumanjit was an all-time great traditional leadoff guy and the nickname “legend” often referred to his speed. He was lightning quick and was one of the most cunning base stealers ever, successfully swiping in 78% of his tries. Sumanjit was a good contact hitter and was excellent at putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts, although he rarely drew walks. He had a good pop in his bat, averaging 33 doubles, 11 triples, and 21 home runs per his 162 game average. With his speed, he often turned singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Defensively, Sumanjit was a career center fielder. He had great range and a rocket arm, although he did occasionally make sloppy errors. Still, Sumanjit graded out as a reliably good to great defender in a valuable spot. He was a beloved fan favorite and known for his intelligence, work ethic, loyalty, and adaptability. Unlike many of the Hall of Famers who later came to Ahmedabad during the dynasty, Sumanjit spent his whole career with the Animals. He was signed as a teenage amateur in January 1986 and debuted in 1989 at age 19. He only played 62 games with 24 starts in his first three years, primarily used as a pinch runner and defensive substitution. The dynasty was well underway at this point and Sumanjit earned SAB Championship rings in his first three seasons. Sumanjit became a full-time starter in 1992 as the leadoff man and had the most at-bats and plate appearances in the Indian League five times from 1992-1997. In his first four seasons, he led the league each time in stolen bases, peaking with 125 in 1994. That was a new SAB record that held until 2001 and still ranks fifth best as of 2037. Additionally, he led in hits twice, runs once, and triples once. From 1992-99, Sumanjit had six seasons worth 8+ WAR and topped 10+ thrice. He won Silver Sluggers in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, and 2001. Sumanjit never won MVP, but took second in 1993 voting, second in 1995, and third in 1999. After the 1997 season, Ahmedabad gave Sumanjit a five-year, $7,560,000 extension. Sumanjit really emerged as a legend in the postseason as the dynasty rolled on. Over his tenure, Ahmedabad never won fewer than 107 games in a season. They made it to the Indian League Championship Series each season and won the pennant 13 times. The Animals took the SAB Championship in 1989, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, and 2002. Four times, Sumanjit was the SAB Championship MVP. He is believed to be the only player in world baseball history to win a finals MVP four times. Sumanjit took it in 1992, 1998, 1999, and 2002. In 178 playoff games and 156 starts, Sumanjit had 201 hits, 85 runs, 32 doubles, 11 triples, 20 home runs, 63 RBI, 114 stolen bases, a .312/.346/.489 slash, 163 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. The 114 stolen bases is a postseason world record and by a healthy margin as the next closest was his longtime teammate K.C. Choudhury at 81. Sumanjit is also the all-time world playoff leader in hits (201), singles (138), and caught stealing (40). Certainly, Ahmedabad’s dynasty gave him plenty of opportunities, but he shined in the big moments. Six times in the playoffs, Sumanjit stole 10+ bases. He stole 17 in 1995, which tied the then-world record. It remains the SAB record and one behind the world record. Because he was a homegrown talent, Sumanjit was especially beloved by Ahmedabad fans. His #9 uniform would be among those retired from the dynasty run. Sumanjit also had national popularity throughout India. He played from 1993-2002 for the national team in the World Baseball Championship. In 63 games and 57 starts, Sumanjit had 60 hits, 36 runs, 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, 43 stolen bases, a .278/.328/.472 slash, 128 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. The 2000 season saw Sumanjit miss more than half the year to a hamstring strain. He bounced back with a great 2001, but lost much of 2002 to a torn groin muscle. Sumanjit struggled in the 2002 season with a .208/.244/.374 slash and 88 wRC+, all career worsts by a significant margin. However, he stepped up one last time in the postseason, winning his fourth finals MVP. Sumanjit had looked cooked in much of the season and despite the happy ending, Ahmedabad let him go. He hoped to still play somewhere in 2003, but ended up unsigned. Sumanjit officially retired in the winter of 2003 at only 34. The final stats for Sumanjit had 1741 hits, 965 runs, 324 doubles, 111 triples, 211 home runs, 750 RBI, 945 stolen bases, a .288/.320/.483 slash, 151 wRC+, and 84.6 WAR. As of 2037, Sumanjit is 40^th in WAR among position players. However, his accumulations in the regular season were lower than most since he only played around 10 full seasons. Sumanjit does rank 16^th all-time in stolen bases. It was the incredible playoff stats that made Sumanjit shine. He may have never been a league MVP, but he stepped up in the clutch moments consistently and stands as one of the most impressive playoff performers in baseball history. Sumanjit was a beloved member of the historic dynasty. There were still voters though that poo-poo’d Sumanjit’s overall regular season totals being too low. Amazingly, he only received 74.6% of the vote, perhaps somewhat attributed to fatigue with Ahmedabad guys. Regardless, Sumanjit was a deserved first ballot Hall of Famer with SAB’s 2008 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-10-2024, 12:06 PM	#1414
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 ABF Hall of Fame LF Vahid Hadadi became the fourth member of the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2008. He set a record for highest percentage yet as a slam dunk first ballot guy with 98.1%. Two returners were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement. 1B Hazan Sheikh received 57.5% in his seventh ballot and RF Labid Haroon got 51.9% on his second try. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots. Vahid Hadadi – Left Field – Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 98.1% First Ballot Vahid Hadadi was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Karaj, a city with around 1,590,000 in north central Iran. Hadadi was a great contact hitter with stellar home run power. He smacked 50+ dingers in eight of his 13 pro seasons, a feat few have achieved. Hadadi also had a solid eye and drew a healthy number of walks, although his strikeout rate was below average. Hadadi generally hit the ball hard and was good for 30-40 doubles most years as well. Hadadi was an absolute beast specifically against right-handed pitching with a career 210 wRC+ and 1.108 OPS. Against lefties, he had a 144 wRC+ and .840 OPS. Hadadi was a savvy baserunner, but his speed was lousy. His immobility was a major issue for him in the field. Defensively, Hadadi made most of his starts in left field. He played first base in his first three seasons and occasionally saw time in rihght. Hadadi was terrible in each spot with awful range and glove work. He did at least have a very strong arm which could come in handy in left. Hadadi showed sturdy durability for most of his career, providing reliable value. Hadadi’s bat and power made him a must play even with his terrible defense. He was popular with many fans because of dingers, but he was not liked by teammates and coaches. Hadadi was greedy, lazy, selfish, and dumb. That said, most were willing to overlook the terrifying truth so they can instead watch him sock some dingers. Hadadi’s power made him a prized Iranian prospect ahead of the 1989 ABF Draft. He was taken #2 overall by Tabriz and had an all-time rookie season. Hadadi led the league in runs (120), home runs (67), RBI (135), total bases (430), slugging (.813), OPS (1.223), wRC+ (263), and WAR (12.4). He set ABF single-season records in homers, OPS, and slugging, In world baseball history, the only Rookie of the Year winner with a greater WAR in his debut was WAB pitcher Kouadio Diao at 13.7. Hadadi would only get passed by a position player when the ABF saw Nizami Aghazade debut with 13.9 in 2012. Naturally, Hadadi also West Asia Association MVP and a Silver Slugger. The formerly terrible Tabriz squad improved from 59 wins the prior year to 79. Despite Hadadi’s efforts, the Tiger Sharks never made the playoffs in his tenure. They had winning seasons in the early 90s, but typically hovered around .500. His sophomore season was weaker marginally in the rate stats, but he broke his own home run record with 74 dingers. Hadadi again led in runs, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR; earning a second MVP and Silver Slugger. As of 2037, Hadadi’s 74 home runs remains the ABF single-season record. His 1990 slugging mark of .813 still ranks second and the 1.223 OPS ranks fifth. Hadadi became a popular Iranian baseball fixture as he played for his country from 1990-2001 in the World Baseball Championship. He had 119 games and 115 starts with 96 hits, 65 runs, 11 doubles, 33 home runs, 72 RBI, a .234/.318/.512 slash, 140 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR. A torn hamstring cost Hadadi the majority of the 1992 season and he missed some of 1993 with a hamstring strain. He still smacked 60 homers in 1993 and had a career best .371 average, winning a third Silver Slugger and taking second in MVP voting. It was also his third season worth 10+ WAR. Hadadi would lead in home runs thrice more, although he wouldn’t crack 60+ again. The next seven seasons were all worth 6+ WAR with Hadadi cracking 10+ again in 1998. After the 1994 season, Tabriz gave Hadadi an eight-year, $9,900,000 extension. He won additional Silver Sluggers in 1995, 1996, and 1997. Hadadi’s third MVP was 1997, which saw his only time leading in batting average (.359). He also led in slugging, OPS, wRC+, and homers that year despite only playing 128 games because of injury. Hadadi also led in wRC+ in 1995 and 1996 and led in both slugging and OPS in 1996. He finished second in 1996 and 1998 MVP voting. Hadadi continued to dominate the power stats despite being unlikeable by teammates. Some posit that is why Tabriz couldn’t find team success despite Hadadi’s numbers. In 1999, he became the first ABF slugger to 500 career home runs and 1000 runs scored, plus the second to 1000 RBI. The decline came suddenly for Hadadi in 2001 at age 34. That season, he hit a mere 24 home runs with a 106 wRC+ and 1.0 WAR. In 2002, Hadadi was mediocre enough to be moved to the bench with only 37 starts and 92 games. He did become the first to 600 homers in that final season, but couldn’t reach 2000 hits. Clearly cooked, Hadadi retired that winter at age 36. Tabriz quickly honored him by retiring his #27 uniform. He would remain ABF’s all-time home run king until 2011. Hadadi finished with 1913 hits, 1211 runs, 398 doubles, 603 home runs, 1269 RBI, 738 walks, a .305/.382/.663 slash, 194 wRC+, and 95.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s ninth in homers and 21^st in WAR for position players. His 1.044 OPS was the all-time mark and as of 2037, only one retired player (Nizami Aghazade) bested him. He’s still fourth among all players with 3000 plate appearances. Aghazade also eventually passed him narrowly in slugging, but Hadadi is still #2 among Hall of Famers. As far as rate stats go, Hadadi is inner-circle level for power hitters. His sudden decline, terrible defense, and lack of team success keep him from getting more consideration when discussing ABF’s all-time greats. But you’d be hard pressed to find a better pure slugger. He might be a jerk, but Hadadi was a slam dunk inductee and the only addition in 2008 at 98.1%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-10-2024, 05:48 PM	#1415
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 ALB Hall of Fame Third baseman Elann Isser became the third member of the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. He narrowly breached the 66% requirement with 70.8% in his debut. Only two others were above 50%, both on their fourth try. SP Ilwad Maxamed received 55.2% and CL Khemais Khalid grabbed 53.6%. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots. Elann “Free Fall” Isser – Third Base – Abu Dhabi Destroyers – 70.8% First Ballot Elann Isser was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed third baseman from Ra’anana, Israel; a city of around 100,000 people. Isser was an excellent home run hitter who hit 40+ homers in six different seasons. He also had nice gap power, averaging around 20-30 doubles per year. Isser was merely a decent contact hitter with an average eye and strikeout rate. He had okay baserunning instincts with mediocre speed. Isser was a career third baseman and had an absolute cannon of an arm. His glove work was okay and he graded out as an average defender for his career. Isser had good durability and became an extremely popular player as one of the first great sluggers in ALB. He was also a team captain and one of the more respected guys in his era. Arab League Baseball officially began with the 1990 season and Isser had just started his pro career the year before, so he wasn’t eligible for the first rookie draft. That gave him the option at age 22 to sign with any team and Abu Dhabi snagged him for two years and $1,230,000. Isser was a full-time starter right away and had a strong debut with 4.6 WAR. He won Rookie of the Year and his lone Gold Glove in 1990. Isser’s power developed in his second year with an Eastern Conference best 51 home runs, 117 RBI, 354 total bases, .633 slugging, .982 OPS, 189 wRC+, and 8.9 WAR. He earned MVP honors and his first of six Silver Sluggers. Isser led in both home runs and RBI again in 1994 and 1995, setting career bests in 1994 with 53 dingers and 121 RBI. He was third in 1993 MVP voting and second in 1994. Those were his only years as a league leader, although he posted 5+ WAR each year from 1993-2000. Isser even had 5.2 WAR in 1996 despite missing about half the season to injury. He was Abu Dhabi’s first star player, although the Destroyers generally were a few games below .500. They won the Gulf Division in 1990 and 1993, but lost in the first round both years. They averaged 79.1 wins per season during Isser’s tenure. Isser’s Silver Slugger wins were 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, and 1999. Abu Dhabi gave him a five-year, $9,500,000 extension in June 1998. In 2000, he became the second ALB batter to reach the 400 home run and 1000 RBI milestones behind Bilal Hamdan. He would miss half of 2001 to a broken hand. 2002 was still a respectable year with 4.0 WAR and a 119 wRC+. Isser declined his contract option and became a free agent for the first time. He couldn’t find a suitor though as most teams preferred to court younger players. Isser retired in the winter of 2003 at age 36. Abu Dhabi immediately brought him back in to retire his #29 uniform. Isser ended with 1774 hits, 974 runs, 320 doubles, 469 home runs, 1161 RBI, a .264/.327/.528 slash, 144 wRC+, and 70.6 WAR. As of 2037, he’s fourth all-time at third base in WAR and he sits 38^th among all position players. Later stars would blow by his accumulations, but Isser was a consistently strong slugger for ALB’s first decade. There were those who thought his accumulations were too low and dinged him for his lack of team success. Isser’s power and respect as a captain was enough though to earn 70.8% in his debut as the lone inductee into the Arab League Hall of Fame in 2008. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-11-2024, 05:49 AM	#1416
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 AAB Hall of Fame The African Association of Baseball didn’t induct its first Hall of Famer with the 2008 voting. SP Ahmed Hussen Rooble set a new high mark for any player with a debut at 39.4%. 1B Laurent Kouakou was next at 38.2% on his second try. One other debut was above the 1/3 mark with SP Hendrik Jongman at 35.7%. There was still a big gulf between these first options and the 66% requirement. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-11-2024, 01:23 PM	#1417
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 World Baseball Championship The 2008 World Baseball Championship was the 62^nd edition of the event and was hosted in Argentina for the second time, this time centered in Cordoba. In Division 1, Ethiopia advanced at 7-2, edging out 6-3 efforts by Algeria and Taiwan. It was the second division win for the Ethiopians, who also did it in 2006. The defending world champion United States was the lone unbeaten team, rolling to 9-0 in Division 2. It was the 51^st time the Americans made it to the elite eight. Turkey took Division 3 at 8-1, beating last year’s runner-up China by one game and the Philippines by two. This was Turkey’s fourth division title and their second in three years. Division 4 had a tie for first at 6-3 between the Netherlands and Japan, while Brazil, Guatemala, and Myanmar were each 5-4. The Dutch had the tiebreaker for their seventh division win and first since 2002. Russia won Division 5 at 7-2, defeating neighbor Finland by one and four others by two. This was the 15^th division win for the Russians and first since their 2001 runner-up campaign. D6 went to 8-1 Australia, who topped both Italy and South Korea by two. This was the fifth division win for the Australians, ending a ten year title drought. Mexico claimed Division 7 at 8-1 with Spain, Nigeria, and Israel all at 6-3. The Mexicans advanced for the 27^th time and joined the US as the only teams to earn repeat division titles this year. Indonesia prevailed at 8-1 in Division 8 with Pakistan the closest foe at 6-3. The Indonesians moved forward for the 18^th time with their first title since 2003. The United States won Round Robin Group A at 4-2, continuing their dominance with a 45^th semifinal berth. The Netherlands and Turkey tied at 3-3 and Mexico was 2-4. The Dutch took the tiebreaker for their second-ever semifinal appearance, joining their fourth place finish back in 1989. Ethiopia and Indonesia tied for the top spot in Group B at 4-2, while both Russia and Australia were 2-4. It was the first-ever semifinal for the Ethiopians and the 11^th for the Indonesians, who last did it as the runner-up in 2000. Ethiopia joined Nigeria as the only African nations thus far to make it to the final four. The United States defeated Indonesia 3-1 in the semifinal for a 41^st finals appearance and their seventh of the 2000s. The Netherlands swept Ethiopia to give the Dutch their first finals appearance. The Indonesians were officially third for the fourth time, while Ethiopia’s fourth place was a new best. The Americans dominated the Dutch with a sweep in the 62^nd World Championship, giving the US back-to-back titles and their sixth of the decade. The Americans are now 36-5 all-time in the championship. The Netherlands became the 23^rd unique nation to earn a trip to the championship series Fifth-year Virginia Beach RF Ezekiel Thomas was the Tournament MVP and earned it with a historic effort. In 23 starts, the New Yorker had 39 hits, 31 runs, 8 doubles, 18 home runs, 46 RBI, 101 total bases, a .390/.443/1.010 slash, 313 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR. The 46 RBI broke Connor Neumeyer’s record of 40 from 1972 and still remains the top mark as of 2037. Thomas also tied Adam Lewis’s hits record from 1951 and set a new position player WAR record with 3.49, passing Neumeyer’s 3.48. He missed the runs record and homer record both by two behind Neumeyer’s 1972. As of 2037, Thomas’s 2008 effort is still second in WAR, fifth in homers, fourth in hits, and eighth in runs. The Americans also had the best pitcher in TJ Douglas, the reigning American Association Reliever of the Year with Houston. The 28-year old Texan had two starts and six relief appearances, tossing 23.2 scoreless innings with 62 strikeouts, 6 walks, and only 3 hits allowed. Other notes: 2008 had two no-hitters in the WBC with the first by Ecuador’s Nacho Toscano with 10 strikeouts and two walks against Serbia. Belgium’s Yannick de Vries had the other with 15 Ks and 4 walks versus Guatemala. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats. Indonesia’s third place allowed them to pass Japan for the seventh place spot all-time. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-11-2024, 06:28 PM	#1418
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 in E2L Fresh off their demotion the prior season, London’s European Second League debut saw them dominate the Western Conference standings at 109-53. Edinburgh earned its first-ever playoff berth in second at 97-65. Rome, who also just got relegated in 2007, took third at 95-67. There was a tie for the final playoff spot between Cardiff and Lyon at 86-76. The Crew won the tiebreaker game to take the spot in their first-ever winning season. Just missing out were Liverpool (85-77) and Hanover (83-79). In the Eastern Conference, Lviv took first place at 99-63, giving the Lunkers repeat playoff berths. Lodz was second at 96-66, while just demoted Krakow was third at 95-67. It was the first playoff appearance for the Legion. The final playoff spot was Gothenberg at 92-70 for their first playoff berth. The Gales allowed 961 hits and 5.77 H/9, which remain conference records as of 2037. Skopje was a close fifth at 90-72. Newly demoted Odessa was sixth at 85-77. Varna had finished first in the standings last year, but blew it in the playoffs. They were seventh in 2008 at 84-78. Riga had escaped the Second League in 2006, but was relegated back after the 2007 effort. The Roosters imploded down to 58-104. The Western Conference Round Robin had Cardiff and Rome both advance to the finals at 4-2. Top seed London was 2-4, as was Edinburgh. In the Eastern Conference, Lodz (4-2) took the top spot. Krakow tied with Gothenburg at 3-3 with the tiebreaker going to the Canines. Top seed Lyiv was 2-4, meaning both first place teams remain in E2L unless five EBF Elite teams suffer demotions. Rome defeated Cardiff 4-2 and Krakow topped Lodz 4-1 in the conference championships. This sent the Red Wolves and Canines right back up to the top tier after one season relegated. Rome downed Krakow 4-1 for the Second League Championship. If additional promotion/relegation is required, it would be the Legion first in line, followed by the Crew. Other notes: Two perfect games were thrown in 2008. Lviv’s Liam Gilpin did it with 10 strikeouts against Chisinau on March 28. On September 20, Lyon’s Yannick de Vries fanned 11 against Nantes. In 2006, de Vries had thrown the first E2L perfecto against Reykjavik. London’s Unai Hermosillo had the first-ever Triple Crown in E2L for London. The 24-year old Spanish 1B won MVP honors with a .322 average, 55 home runs, and 145 RBI. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-12-2024, 07:38 AM	#1419
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 in AAB Antananarivo repeated as the first place finisher in the Southern Conference at 100-62. This gave the Eagles their fifth playoff appearance in seven years. They led the conference in both runs scored (797) and fewest allowed (627). Close behind was Johannesburg at 98-64, who had an impressive turnaround from a franchise worst 63-99 the prior year. This ended a six-year playoff drought for the Jackalopes. They outperformed their “expected record” by 12 games. There was an eight game gap between them and third place Lusaka at 90-72. That was only the third-ever winning season for the Lake Monsters, who last did it in 1997. The big surprise was two-time defending African Association of Baseball champion Durban’s drop. The Deer feel to 71-91, ending their playoff streak at three seasons with an eighth place finish. Luanda was fourth place, but their star center fielder Mwarami Tale won his third Southern Conference MVP. The 27-year old Tanzanian lefty led in home runs (63), total bases (410), slugging (.714), OPS (1.096), and wRC+ (190). Tale added 8.3 WAR, a .305 average, 114 runs, and 127 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was Johannesburg lefty Damian Apio. The fourth year Ugandan lefty led in ERA (2.40), K/BB (6.0), FIP- (46), and WAR (9.5). Apio added an 18-6 record, 214 innings, 272 strikeouts, and 170 ERA+. Sadly, a torn flexor tendon the next year derailed Apios’ career and he’d never muster up another full season again. Two-time defending Central Conference champion Addis Ababa dominated the field at 104-58. The Brahmas allowed the fewest runs in AAB at 617 and finished 15 games ahead of second place Kigali. The Guardians at 89-73 edged out Lubumbashi for the second playoff spot by three games. Kigali had the top offense in AAB at 918 runs scored, but allowed the second most runs at 801. For Kigali, they earned their second-ever playoff berth, joining the 2003 campaign. Last year’s wild card Bujumbura dropped from 96 wins to a mere 79-83. They tied for fourth in the standings with Mogadishu. The once proud Kinshasa dynasty was 75-89 in eighth, posting repeat losing seasons for the first time in franchise history. Bujumbura’s Luke Tembo won his third Central Conference MVP in four years. The 27-year old Malawian first baseman led in home runs (69), RBI (150), walks (144), total bases (398), OBP (.455), slugging (.768), OPS (1.224), wRC+ (197), and WAR (9.2). Although he had fewer walks than his previous world record seasons, Tembo did post the second-best OBP in AAB history to that point. It was also the seventh 150+ RBI season in AAB thus far. The Bighorns would finally lock up their superstar before the 2010 season on a seven-year, $26,760,000 extension. Pitcher of the Year was Addis Ababa’s Michael Wakachu, who became AAB’s second-ever Triple Crown winning pitcher. The 28-year old Malawian righty had a 23-3 record, 2.30 ERA, and 296 strikeouts over 207.1 innings. Wakachu also led in WHIP (0.84), K/BB (5.7), quality starts (28), FIP- (52), and WAR (8.3) with a 184 ERA+. The Brahmas gave him a five-year, $14,760,000 extension after the 2009 campaign. Antananarivo and Johannesburg had a seven game classic in the Southern Conference Championship with the top-seeded Eagles prevailing in the end. It was the fourth pennant for Antananarivo (2003, 2003, 2005, 2008). Addis Ababa rolled to a Central Conference sweep of Kigali, giving the Brahmas their third straight pennant. The 14^th Africa Series was needed all nine games to decide the champion and was the first to end with a walk off. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Addis Ababa 3B Marlin Kimwaki won it with a two-run home run, giving the Brahmas game nine by a 4-3 final. It was sweet for the 10^th-year Brahmas star Kimwaki, delivering his squad their first AAB title after taking runner-up in back-to-back years versus Durban. Little did they know that this marked the beginning of an all-time great dynasty. For the Eagles, they fell to 1-3 in their finals berths. Antananarivo’s Mohau Sibiya was Africa Series MVP in defeat. He set a playoff record with 10 home runs, which still stands as of 2037. Sibiya had 15 hits, 13 runs, and 12 RBI in 15 playoff starts. He also struck out 26 times, which is also still a playoff record. Other notes: Antananarivo had 65 triples as a team, which set an AAB record that would only be passed once in 2018. Mogadishu’s Jose Santarem had 60 doubles, which would be a record in a lot of leagues. This was second-best in AAB at that point behind Stefan Cejka’s 71. 2008 was the first season in AAB history without a single no-hitter thrown. Felix Chaula became the third to reach 500 career home runs and the fifth to 1000 runs scored. Rajab Hamadi became the first to 400 saves and would retire after the 2015 season as AAB’s all-time leader with 444. Henry Kibirige and Tesfu Ogbagaber became the second and third pitchers to 2500 career strikeouts. Becoming six-time Silver Slugger winners were 2B Gedeon Bukasa, 3B Marlin Kimwaki, and CF Ronny Safari __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

07-12-2024, 12:24 PM	#1420
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2008 in ALB The Arab League Western Conference was competitive with each division having two 90+ win teams in the hunt. The top seed went to Casablanca at 99-63, finishing eight games better than Algiers in the Mediterranean Division. The Bruins earned their 14^th division title over ALB’s 19 seasons to date. The #2 seed was Amman, winning the Levant Division at 97-65. This ended a four-year playoff drought for the Aviators, who bested Beirut by six games. Defending conference champ Jerusalem, who had won three straight division titles, plummeted from 104 wins in 2007 to a lousy 71-91 in 2008. The closest division was the Nile Division, which Giza took for the third straight year. The Goats finished 95-67, edging Cairo by only two games. Casablanca’s Abderrazak Zourai joined Nordine Soule and Mohammed Mohamed as the only five-time MVPs in ALB history to date. Zourai had previously won the Western Conference’s top prize in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2008, the 34-year old Moroccan third baseman led in runs (112) and WAR (8.3). Zouari also had 39 home runs, 110 RBI, a .950 OPS, and 159 wRC+ to win his seventh Silver Slugger. This would end his 15-year run with the Bruins, as he would leave for MLB in the winter on a four-year, $56,700,000 deal with Baltimore. His Casablanca teammate Abdullah Al-Tamtami won his third Pitcher of the Year award. The 27-year old Omani righty led in wins (20-5), strikeouts (332), FIP- (58), and WAR (9.1). Al-Tamtami added a 2.73 ERA over 247.2 innings with a 140 ERA+. The Bruins gave him a seven-year, $24,640,000 extension just before the 2009 season. Amman swept Giza in the first round of the playoffs for their fourth Western Conference Final appearance and first since 1999. Casablanca was making a repeat appearance and their tenth overall. The Bruins outlasted the Aviators 3-2 to earn their seventh WC pennant (1993, 94, 95, 01, 03, 05, 08). Basra rode an impressive offense to the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 109-53. The Bulldogs set a franchise record for wins and extended their Iraq Division title streak to six seasons. Basra scored 893 runs, while the next closest team in the conference had only 754. That was defending ALB champ Medina at 102-60, winning their sixth straight Saudi Division. The Mastodons posted a fifth consecutive 100+ win season. Dubai’s Gulf Division streak ended at seven seasons as the Diamonds limped to a 71-91 record. Kuwait claimed the mantle at 87-75, topping Abu Dhabi by two games. This was the second-ever playoff berth for the Whales, joining their stunning 2000 title win. The stacked Basra offense had the top three finishers in Eastern Conference MVP voting. 27-year old Comoran RF Farouk Adam ended up winning his first MVP, leading in runs (144), doubles (54), OBP (.442), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.7). The 144 runs were a single-season record that wasn’t passed until 2028. Adam also had 251 hits, 34 home runs, 147 RBI, 92 stolen bases, and a .404 batting average. Prior to 2008, no ALB player had hit above .400 or posted 250+ hits. However, Adam didn’t even lead the conference because of teammate Hassan El Zamek. The 24-year old Egyptian CF had a 10.7 WAR effort with single-season records in hits (261), average (.407), and stolen bases (138). The average and hits mark both held until 2027, while he’d beat his own steals mark two years later. Amazingly, that got El Zamek THIRD in MVP voting. Second was the seven-time MVP LF Nordine Soule. The 33-year old set the RBI record with 172, breaking his 169 mark from 2005. This would only get passed once in 2027. The 33-year old Comoran also had 66 home runs, his ninth 60+ homer season, finishing the season with 797 for his career. Soule had a 1.173 OPS and 10.1 WAR. You could argue that the Soule-El Zamek-Adam pairing in 2008 was the strongest outfield in baseball history. Each were locked up long-term with the Bulldogs as well. Dubai’s Uria Lerner won his third Pitcher of the Year, joining his 2004 and 2005 wins. It was an impressive comeback for the 27-year old Israeli righty, who missed all of 2007 to a torn UCL. Lerner led in WAR (8.5), quality starts (23), and FIP- (55). He added 295 strikeouts in 219.1 innings, a 2.42 ERA, and 16-6 record. Lerner also had a 14 K, 1 BB no-hitter against Abu Dhabi in July. Sadly, Lerner’s 2008 ended with another torn UCL that knocked him out for all of 2009. He’d manage to bounce back for an ERA title in 2010, but he’d have more injuries after that. Also worth mentioning, Medina’s Souilem Boudiaf became the second ALB closer to win Reliever of the Year four times. Boudiaf also became the fourth to reach 300 saves in ALB. He’d leave for MLB in the offseason and would bounce around teams and leagues for another 13 years. Medina swept Kuwait in the first round, pitting the Mastodons against Basra in the Eastern Conference Final for the fifth year in a row. This was a rubber match as Basra had won in 2004 and 2006, while Medina took it in 2005 and 2007. The even year again favored the Bulldogs, who earned their third pennant 3-1. For the second time in three years, Basra secured the Arab League Championship. The high octane Bulldogs beat Casablanca 4-1 to drop the Bruins to 3-4 in their finals berths. Finals MVP didn’t come from the stacked outfield, but from SS Chucka Debekeme. The 31-year old Nigerian in nine playoff starts had 9 hits, 4 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI. It was the fourth straight title by an Eastern Conference team. Other notes: Amman’s Kamal Saleh set numerous playoff stats that still stand as of 2037. He tossed 15 scoreless innings with 22 strikeouts in his two starts, allowing 3 hits and 0 walks. Saleh’s H/9 (1.80), WHIP (0.20), opponent triple slash (.064/.102/.064) and OPS (.166) are all still playoff records. Sulaymaniyah’s offense struck out 1805 times, which remains an all-time Eastern Conference worst as of 2037. Nordine Soule crossed 1500 runs scored, becoming the first to reach that mark. He was now the all-time runs, RBI, and home run king. Soule also became the second to reach 2500 career hits and would pass Hassan El Mubarak’s 2611 for that top spot in 2009. Soule won his record 12^th Silver Slugger as well in left field. Mustafa bin Nazim joined Soule as the only ALB sluggers with 600 home runs. He also won his tenth Silver Slugger at second base. Zuhair Hamad became the third pitcher to 200 wins. SS Amr Khatab won his ninth Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)