Baseball: The World's Game

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Defending National Association Louisville again was the top seed and bested their 105-win mark from 2035, setting a franchise record at 108-54 atop the Lower Midwest Division. The Lynx led with 863 runs and had a .482 team slugging percentage, the third-best in NA history. They also had the NA’s best run differential by a healthy margin at +261.

The #2 seed was Milwaukee at 98-64 repeating as Upper Midwest Division champs. The Mustangs had to fend off challenges from Chicago and Grand Rapids, who both secured wild cards at 92-70. The Cubs ended a five-year postseason drought and the Growlers got their third straight wild card. Lower Midwest runner-up Tulsa at 90-72 ended up as the third wild card, impressively bouncing back from a 68-win 2035. The Tornado ended a three-year postseason skid.

The remaining contenders were locked in battles for the East and Northeast Divisions. Ottawa and Halifax ended even in the Northeast at 89-73, both one back on Tulsa for the final wild card. The Elks prevailed in the tiebreaker game over the Hound Dogs, which ended a four-year playoff drought in the Canadian capital. Toronto, who was the NACS runner-up with 102 wins last year, fell to 80-82.

Six teams had a real shot in the East with Baltimore and Philadelphia ending even at 89-73; also both one short of the Tornado for the final wild card. Behind them were Pittsburgh (87-75), Washington (86-76), and Brooklyn (84-78). The Orioles defeated the Phillies in the tiebreaker game for their third playoff trip in four years. It was Baltimore’s first division crown since all the way back in 1986. The Admirals still have had nothing but winning seasons back to 2021, but missed the postseason for only the fourth time of that streak.

Virginia Beach was tied for the National Association’s worst record at 67-95 despite having the MVP in 3B Sax McIntyre. He had 51 of the first place votes with Milwaukee’s Clemente Garcia with eight, despite Garcia leading in both homers (60) and RBI (142). Raleigh’s Glenn D’Eramo also had five first place votes.

McIntyre led in hits (206), total bases (407), and WAR 9.5). The 25-year old from Gainesville, Florida had 112 runs, 32 doubles, 55 home runs, 130 RBI, and a .344/.402/.681 slash. He was the #3 pick in the 2031 MLB Draft by the Vikings and would commit long-term despite the team’s struggles on an eight-year, $191,900,000 extension in the winter.

A competitive Pitcher of the Year award race was won by Ottawa’s Jay Lilley with 27 first place votes and 322 points. Philly’s Trent Najarro was close behind with 24 first place nods and 284 points, while Milwaukee’s Kakenge Niyonkuru had 11 first place votes and 254 points. The ERA champ Shazrin Andik from Wichita had two first place votes.

Lilley had signed with the Elks in the offseason on a five-year, $160 million deal. The 32-year old righty from Valparaiso, Indiana had bounced around between Seattle, Halifax, and Toronto before that. Lilley put it altogether in 2036 with a 2.44 ERA over 258.1 innings, 18-12 record, 205 strikeouts, 169 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 7.9 WAR.

In the first round of the playoffs, two division champs advanced with Ottawa 3-0 over Chicago and Milwaukee 3-1 over Tulsa. The lone upset for a wild card was Grand Rapids defeating Baltimore 3-1. The Growlers then stunned top-seed and defending champ Louisville with a second round sweep with 4-3, 7-3, and 5-4 finals. GR earned its first National Association Championship Series trip since joining Major League Baseball with the 2021 expansion.

On the other side, Milwaukee took game one 7-2, but Ottawa promptly rolled to 6-3, 5-4, and 2-1 wins for the 3-1 series upset. The turning point was game three, which had a walkoff RBI single by LF Albert Bergeron. The Elks earned their fourth NACS trip in a decade, having won pennants in 2028-29. It was Ottawa’s 20^th NACS appearance all-time, second behind Philadelphia’s 22.

Grand Rapids opened the series with a 5-4 road win, but Ottawa evened it 5-2 in game two. The Elks then earned 2-0 and 11-2 wins in Michigan, but the Growlers survived 6-3 in game five. Back in Canada, GR took game six by an 8-2 margin, forcing the first NACS game seven since 2022. It would be an all-time classic and the fourth game seven in NACS history to need extra innings. 2036 would be the longest of those encounters, needing 13 innings.

GR started up 3-0 with solo spots in the first three innings. Ottawa had two in the sixth and one in the seventh, evening the game at 3-3 until the 11^th inning. Both squads scored once in the 11^th and 4-4 held into the 13^th. There, the Growlers’ Melvin Wegner and Sergio Romero both smacked solo home runs, pushing Grand Rapids to the 6-4 road win and their first-ever pennant. The Growlers were the second expansion team from 2021 with a pennant, joining Birmingham (2034).



Las Vegas had the American Association’s top seed at 109-53, led by an all-time great power effort by MVP DH Jose Angel Esqueda among others. The Vipers set all-time MLB team records for homers (342) and team slugging percentage (.514). They were one homer better than San Diego’s 341 from 2018 and bested 2030 Sacramento’s .505 slugging. Vegas scored 1010 runs, third-best in MLB behind Houston’s 1024 from 1913 and 1022 from 2033.

The Vipers earned their fourth playoff trip in six years and their third Southwest Division title of that run. Las Vegas also had one of MLB’s best-ever run differentials at +341. The Southwest also had the second-best record in the AA with San Francisco at 100-62, earning back-to-back wild cards. San Diego notably dropped to 81-81, their first time missing a winning record since 2022.

Atlanta and Birmingham were even at 98-64 atop the Southeast Division, but the Aces won the tiebreaker game for their first division crown since 2023. Atlanta got back-to-back playoff spots while the Boomers earned their second in three years. The division also had 92-70 Tampa, who got the third and final wild card. The Thunderbirds have earned five consecutive postseason trips, although they have yet to win a playoff series in that stretch.

Anchorage won a competitive Northwest Division at 93-69 and allowed the AA’s fewest runs at 632. Although the Avalanche got their sixth playoff trip in eight years, this was their first-ever division title. Behind them and just short in the wild card race were Seattle (89-73), Salt Lake City (87-75), and Calgary (85-77). The Grizzlies’ streak of winning seasons now is 17 years. Last year’s AACS runner-up Edmonton was a non-factor at 75-87.

Defending World Series winner and Baseball Grand Champion Houston grew their playoff streak to ten, although they barely held onto the South Central Division. The Hornets at 88-74 survived challenges from El Paso (87-75), New Orleans (86-76), Dallas (82-80), and Austin (81-81). It was Houston’s eighth division title in a row and they’ve taken first place 12 times in the last 15 seasons.

Unanimous American Association MVP Jose Angel Esqueda had what many would consider the best-ever hitting effort in MLB history. It was the fourth total MVP for the 29-year old Dominican, who won the Caribbean League’s top prize from 2031-33 with Barbados. Esqueda joined Las Vegas on an eight-year, $249,800,000 deal in 2035. Everyone knew the lefty nicknamed “Dump Truck” had exceptional power, but his 2036 effort hit marks considered impossible with the talent and play style of MLB.

Esqueda obliterated the MLB single-season records for home runs (84), RBI (184), runs scored (166), and total bases (500). The previous homer best was Simon Trejo’s 74 from 2031, which was MLB’s only 70+ season. Aitor Cerda’s 175 RBI had held as the top mark since 1913, Lukas Warrell had the old runs mark of 150 from 1994, and Sebastian Lunde’s 476 was the top total bases tally back in 1949. Esqueda’s .786 slugging was also an MLB record, topping Hunter Morrissey’s .786 from 2026.

The 84 homers were the sixth-most in any world league ever and the only other 80+ seasons had been the higher-scoring leagues of SAB, AAB, and ALB. Esqueda’s 184 RBI was tied for the seventh-best in world history, the total bases ranked tenth, and the runs ranked fourth. It was one of only five seasons in world history of 160+ runs; only world home run king Majed Darwish had done better. On May 18, Esqueda also had MLB’s 49^th four home run game against San Diego.

Esqueda also led in plate appearances (733), OPS (1.216), wRC+ (226), and WAR (12.2). He had 224 hits, 24 doubles, 88 walks, a .352 average, and .430 OBP. The WAR was the fifth-best by an MLB position player, especially impressive since Esqueda was a DH who played only nine games in the field all season. The OPS ranked second behind Morrissey’s 1.243 from 2026. Against right-handed pitching specifically, Esqueda had an absurd .374/.455/.868 slash, 1.323 OPS, and 252 wRC+.

Pitcher of the Year was Atlanta’s Evens Antoine with 45 first place votes, beating out Anchorage’s Jose Gonzalez who had 19. Antoine was in his third season with the Aces, having started in CABA with Jamaica. The 28-year old Haitian lefty came to Atlanta in 2034 on a six-year, $137,600,000 deal. Antoine had some growing pains in 2034, but had finished second in 2035’s POTY voting with an ERA title. In 2036, Antoine led in wins (21-5), quality starts (24), and WAR (8.0). He added a 2.87 ERA over 278.2 innings, 200 strikeouts, 161 ERA+, and 66 FIP-.

Division champs all prevailed in the first round. The one most likely to be an upset was the most lopsided with Houston over San Francisco 3-1. Anchorage survived 3-2 over Birmingham and Atlanta outlasted Tampa 3-2. The Avalanche took game one 6-3 against the Aces, but Atlanta earned 7-4, 5-3, and 3-2 wins after that in the second round. The Aces’ game four clincher went 11 innings as they secured their first American Association Championship Series trip since 1994.

Despite Las Vegas’s hype and power, they were upset by the defending champs Houston in round two Las Vegas took game one 10-4, but Houston went ahead with 4-1 and 12-6 wins. The Vipers got game four 6-2, but the Hornets claimed the finale 5-4 in 11 innings. Houston earned a third straight AACS trip and its fourth in six seasons. The Hornets have been to the association finals 28 times, the most of any MLB squad.

Houston’s hot streak continued with 10-4 and 9-3 road wins to start the series. Atlanta got their own 5-4 road win in game three, but was on the brink after a 4-2 Hornets win in game four. The Aces survived with another 5-4 road win to escape back to Georgia. Atlanta then dominated with back-to-back 8-2 victories to dethrone the reigning Grand Champion in seven games. The Aces ended a 54-year pennant drought with their fourth American Association title (1927, 1969, 1981, 2036).



In the 136^th World Series, the teams traded victories in the first six games with Atlanta taking the odd-numbered encounters and Grand Rapids’ the evens. The first three games were decided by one run, including a walkoff in game three. The trend finally was broken in game seven in Michigan as the Growlers won 3-1, getting eight innings of two-hit pitching from Braden Williams. GR went ahead on a two-run Melvin Wegner homer in the sixth inning.

The Growlers became the 41^st different franchise with a World Series ring and the first of the 2021 expansion teams to do it. Wegner was finals MVP in his seventh year with Grand Rapids, going 10-27 in the series with 3 homers and 8 RBI. In the playoffs, he had 25 hits, 11 runs, 7 homers, 3 doubles, 19 RBI, and .942 OPS.

Pitcher Bin Li was big in the playoffs, winning games two and six with a 1.15 ERA over 15.2 innings. For the postseason, Li went 7-0 with a 2.36 ERA over 45.2 innings and 42 Ks. The 34-year old Chinese righty became the first pitcher in any world league to record 7 wins in a postseason run.



Other notes: Ottawa’s Devon Figueroa set multiple playoff rate stats by a pitcher (15 innings required) with a 1.80 H/9, .067 opponent’s average, .067 slugging, and .192 OPS. The Elks closer tossed 15 scoreless innings with 20 Ks, 3 walks, 3 hits, and one unearned run. Figueroa was one of 12 in MLB playoff history to pitch at least 15 innings and post an ERA of zero. MLB’s 39^th perfect game came on August 18 by Raleigh’s Kellen Wilson with 11 strikeouts against Virginia Beach. SP Noah Skeen won his 7^th consecutive Gold Glove.



Neil Hollinger became the 17^th member of MLB’s 700 home run club. The 600 club grew to 54 sluggers with Ethan Clark, Will Desbiens, and Austin Grace joining in 2036. Doogie Wright and Shakil Nelson were the 133^rd and 134^th to 500 dingers. Nelson and Grace were the 143^rd and 144^th with 1500 RBI and Pat Eichelberger was the 135^th to 1500 runs scored.

Mike Rojas and Milton Ramirez were the 14^th and 15^th to reach 3500 career hits. Ramirez is 36-years old for 2037 and might have the best shot of anyone in a long time at catching Stan Provost’s record 4133. The #2 spot is 3714 by Jess Lewis, which Ramirez (now at 3543) could realistically reach with a good 2037 campaign. Mark Jonhston is also on the cusp of 3500 hits (now at 3468), although it is uncertain if the 40-year old RF will get signed in 2037.

Rojas meanwhile became only the 3^rd to score 2000 runs and Johnston the 10^th to 2000 RBI. Rojas is only the 34^th across all of baseball history with 2000 runs scored, but his pursuit of further MLB records appears done. He only played 67 games in 2036 due to numerous injuries, although he was still effective when he played.

For 2037, Rojas left MLB, signing a three-year, $41,800,000 deal with AAB’s Bangui. Rojas ranks 2^nd in MLB homers (872), 2^nd in RBI (2275), 3^rd in runs (2002), 15^th in hits (3542), 3^rd in total bases (6904), and 5^th in WAR for position players (135.69). Even if he’s done in the Majors, he makes a case for the league’s Mount Rushmore of batters.

2036 was the final season for 2B Jeff Bonner, who almost quietly put up 798 homers, 1963 RBI, 3297 hits, 1950 runs, 404 doubles, 6323 total bases, 155 wRC+, .887 OPS, 6 Silver Sluggers, and 114.5 WAR. At retirement, Bonner is 3^rd in homers, 13^th in RBI, 8^th in runs, 29^th in hits, 6^th in total bases, and 19^th in WAR among position players.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 2036 Baseball Grand Championship was the 27^th edition of the event and was hosted in Busan, South Korea. Earning the auto-bids were MLB’s Grand Rapids and Atlanta, CABA’s Costa Rica and Toluca, EAB’s Hamamatsu and Seongnam, BSA’s Ciudad Guayana and Santiago, EBF’s Warsaw and Budapest, EPB’s Krasnodar, OBA’s Guadalcanal, APB’s Johor Bahru, CLB’s Hangzhou, WAB’s Dakar, SAB’s Hanoi, ABF’s Bursa, ALB’s Muscat, and AAB’s Mombasa. The at-large teams were AAB’s Dar es Salaam, WAB’s Douala, and APB’s Cebu.

All eyes were on Hamamatsu, who had just won the East Asian Championship with a 126-36 record. That was the best record ever by a team to win its overall league title and with a Grand Championship win, the Chickenhawks could credibly call themselves the best team in baseball history.

The 2036 BGC ended up as the most competitive in event history, showing the remarkable parity between the world leagues. Ten teams were within one win of first place and 13 teams were within two. In the end, four finished even for the best record at 13-8; Hamamatsu, Muscat, Atlanta, and Grand Rapids. Six teams were one behind at 12-9.

The head-to-head between the top four wasn’t clean either with no one sweeping the other three. Two teams were 2-1; the Chickenhawks and Growlers. Both had beaten Atlanta; 7-3 by Hamamatsu and 3-2 by GR. Grand Rapids also beat Muscat 6-4. The Threshers beat the Chickenhawks 2-0, but lost to the Aces 5-4; putting both Muscat and Atlanta at 1-2.

The game that served as the eventual tiebreaker was Hamamatsu’s 7-3 victory over Grand Rapids. With that, the Chickenhawks were the first-ever Japanese Grand Champion and the second from EAB, joining 2012 Goyang. Hamamatsu’s rise was incredible considering they had only begun play as a 2025 expansion team. Their combined record between the regular season, playoffs, and BGC was 150-48. With that tally, the 2036 Chickenhawks made an incredibly compelling case for being the best team in professional baseball history.



Hamamatsu wasn’t overwhelming in the BGC, finishing with only a +7 run differential. Grand Rapids had the best differential at +22 and was the top-scoring team with 104 runs. The Chickenhawks had the top two qualifying pitchers by ERA (21 innings required) in Masamichi Kasai (1.05), and Onpei Yokoyama (1.57). Kasai tossed the 15^th no-hitter in event history with 8 Ks and 1 BB facing Bursa. GR was officially second with Atlanta third and Muscat fourth. The Threshers were the first Arab League team in the top four since Basra was third in 2020.



After a convoluted mess of tiebreakers was sorted, the finishing order of the six teams at 12-9 was Hanoi fifth, Dar es Salaam sixth, Warsaw seventh, Budapest eighth, Krasnodar ninth, and Guadalcanal tenth. Each of those teams looked back with regret at one or two bounces going against them that separated them ultimately from the top prize. Three teams were 11-10; Dakar, Douala, and Santiago. The Bombers had the fewest runs allowed at 57, while the Dukes set a record for pitching strikeouts at 270.

Seongnam was alone in 14^th at 10-11, followed by 9-12 finishes by Cebu, Costa Rica, and Johor Bahru. Bursa, Mombasa, and Toluca were next at 8-13. Guangzhou went 7-14 and Ciudad Guayana was last at 6-15. The Giants’ 117 runs allowed ranked as the second-worst in event history.

The close field also led to no players with enormous standout performances. Tournament MVP went to Krasnodar 1B Aleksey Andreev, a 25-year old Belarusian in his first full season. He had 28 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 8 homers, 16 RBI, 1.137 OPS, 230 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR.

Best Pitcher went to Dakar’s Irad Lawali, who has won three straight Reliever of the Year awards for the Dukes. The 26-year old Nigerian righty tossed 19.1 scoreless innings over 11 appearances with 6 saves, 1 win, 41 strikeouts, 6 hits, 4 walks, and 1.7 WAR. He fell just short of the 21 IP needed for rate stats with only two pitchers in event history getting 21+ innings with a zero ERA. Lawali was the first to win Best Pitcher with only relief appearances.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Decided this is as good a spot as any to drop in a little programming note. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed some slight changes and additional details from the 2036 write-ups. That’s because amazingly, I have finally caught up to the present time in this sim, which is something I never actually expected to happen when I started doing these write-ups.

A small history lesson, I created this world and started the sim back in 2021 when OOTP 22 came out, eventually playing through 136 years across all of the assorted leagues. I eventually stopped because I had my fix and because moving the file forward also was a slow process considering the size of the save. Eventually in March 2022, I decided to go back through the history of the game with these write-ups cross-posted between the OOTP forums and Operation Sports. I only did a few posts in March, then eventually started some consistent posting in July.

I assumed I’d get bored of it or bogged down pretty quickly, but eventually got absorbed in all of the nuances of this unique fictional baseball world. I remembered why I found the concept for fascinating, although all these years later I definitely would’ve structured and changes some things in the game now that I better understand the intricacies of OOTP. But I can stand incredibly proud of what I initially created in 2021, a time that feels like a different lifetime (and really is in many respects with changes in my personal life and worldview since then).

Over the last three-and-a-half years, doing these write-ups has been one of the few constant joys in my life. Those joys are certainly needed to survive as the real world becomes increasingly grim and brutal. The things that have given me the most peace are hiking desolate mountains and imaging this better fictional world where baseball has brought humanity somewhat together. These write-ups have also been a way to exercise my brain and creative juices, especially since I know I’m not as mentally sharp as I was before the pandemic started.

Part of me wants to go back through the posts and do re-writes, but I know I’d just drive myself crazy picking out mistakes or nitpicks. I definitely evolved how I write these stories and added more and different details as time went on. Much like with real baseball, the unique quirks and stats became more fun to dig for as the history of these leagues deepened. Hopefully, you have appreciated seeing these stories as well.

I want to thank anyone who has followed or checked in these posts, because not all of the view counter can be bots, right? I would’ve never guessed that I’d get to this point in these stories, but after more than three years, I’m amazed and proud to have gotten to this point.

With that said, THIS IS NOT THE END! I do intend on continuing the save for an indeterminate amount of time, either until I fully get bored of it, fall off a cliff, or the file completely crashes. It did actually crash and collapse once during this process, but thankfully I had the behemoth backed up on an external hard drive.

I do plan on changing things up somewhat, as there are more details you can find when actively in a season. OOTP stores a remarkable amount of data, but there are still some things when looking at past seasons that aren’t available (like individual game results, standings at different points in the season, etc). The overall flow will be similar, but I’ll be able to sprinkle in more details and more screenshots/images of the world in action. I’m thinking I might add in some offseason notes in there as a new annual post and maybe some other things, but I haven’t decided firmly on anything.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) these stories about this fictional and magical world of baseball glory.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

For the first time since 2019, Major League Baseball didn’t add any players into the Hall of Fame. SP Rowney Simpson was the closest to the 66% induction threshold with 62.7% on his second ballot. CL Heihachiro Okasawa was next at 59.5% on his eighth try, then it was 3B Kwang-Sik Oh at 55.3% for his second go. 1B Gilbert Windemere was the only debut above 50% at 52.8%. Two other returners were above 50% with SP Luke Harrison at 51.8% for his seventh ballot and SP Storm de Ruyter at 51.1% with his fourth attempt.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was SP Trevor Ford, who finished with a peak of 45.8% and was never below 35%. He won 2009 Pitcher of the Year with Columbus, which was his lone outstanding season or time as a league leader. In 17 seasons, Ford had a 244-210 record, 3.46 ERA, 4106 innings, 3684 strikeouts, 926 walks, 162 complete games, 100 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 74.9 WAR.

Ford’s longevity ranked him 57^th in wins, 89^th in losses, 75^th in innings, and 21^st in strikeouts; but he missed the top 100 for WAR among pitchers. He was also on mostly forgettable teams and had a 5.44 ERA in his six career playoff starts. Ford certainly had a commendable career, but one more suited towards the Hall of Pretty Good. No one else was dropped after ten failed ballots in the 2037 MLB voting.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Four players were added into the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame for 2037, although none of them were quite “inner-circle” level guys. 1B/2B Jonas Pimentel was the headliner at 89.9% for his first ballot. 1B Ruben Cabrera was next with a first ballot 80.2%. SP Amauris Huerta on his third ballot got the big bump to 78.4% and OF/1B Raul Ibarra was a first ballot nod at 74.5%. The other guy above 50% was RF Jose Leal at 63.7% on his fifth try, just falling short of the 66% induction threshold.



SP Yadier Trujillo was dropped after ten failed ballots, debuting at 48.3% but falling to 11.5% by the end. In 14 seasons mostly with Guadalajara, Trujillo had a 186-120 record, 3.12 ERA, 2887 innings, 2849 strikeouts, 121 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 57.9 WAR. His pace was comparable to some lower-end inductees, but he wasn’t ever a league leader and was buried on mostly bad teams. Trujillo needed either more dominance or a few more years of accumulations to make the cut.

LF Alva Cervantes also made it ten ballots, peaking with his 33.3% debut and ending at only 5.4%. In 16 seasons, he had one Silver Slugger, 2541 hits, 1271 runs, 391 doubles, 168 triples, 402 home runs, 1356 RBI, .305/.342/.538 slash, 137 wRC+, and 59.7 WAR. Cervantes was a tenured solid starter, but wasn’t a league leader or considered MVP level. He also needed either more dominance or longevity to have had a chance at the HOF.



Jonas “Whitey” Pimentel – First/Second Base – Merida Mean Green – 89.9% First Ballot

Jonas Pimentel was a 6’0’’, 195 pound switch-hitting infielder from Doctor Arroyo, Mexico; a town of around 33,000 people located between Monterrey and San Luis Potosi. Nicknamed “Whitey,” Pimentel was the traditional leadoff man known for great contact skills, speed, and gap power. He was especially dangerous on the basepaths and was the league leader in stolen bases six times.

Relative to other CABA batters, Pimentel was average at drawing walks but above average at avoiding strikeouts. His 162 game average got you 28 doubles, 17 triples, and 11 home runs. Pimentel was notably a bit better facing right-handed pitching (.879 OPS, 137 wRC+) versus facing lefties (.769 OPS, 111 wRC+). He was one of the game’s great ironmen and never missed significant time to injury.

75% of Pimentel’s starts came at first base, where he graded as a reliably average defender. He had starts at each other infield spot, but only really saw significant time at second base. Pimentel had poor defensive metrics away from 1B. He had an impressive work ethic, but Pimentel was very outspoken and not afraid to share his hot takes to anyone that would listen. This made him a polarizing figure, but he certainly had a large share of fans that appreciated his hubris.

Pimentel emerged as a top prospect by the 2014 CABA Draft and was picked 11^th overall by Merida. He only saw 19 games in 2015, then was rostered full-time and a part-time starter in 2016. After showing promising results, Pimentel had the full-time gig from 2017 onward. 2017 was his best season by several metrics, including hits (219), WAR (7.3), OPS (.958), and wRC+ (158).

He led the Mexican League with career highs for runs (132), and triples (36) in 2017 and was the steals leader for the first time at 109. Pimentel was one triple short of the then CABA record and his season still ranks as fifth-best. He led in triples again the next year with 28, but wouldn’t be a league leader again outside of for steals. Pimentel settled into around 4-6 WAR per season reliably for the next decade.

Pimentel provided excitement for Merida, who was generally a mid-to-lower tier franchise. They would earn wild cards in 2019 and 2021, but failed to win a playoff series. After the 2018 season, Pimentel signed a five-year, $44,200,000 extension with the Mean Green. In 2021, he had his career best 131 steals, breaking Tito Infante’s single-season CABA record of 126 from 1999. Pimentel remains CABA’s single-season swipes leader and it is one of only 45 seasons in all of pro baseball history of 130+ steals.

Merida missed the playoffs at 88-74 in 2022 and Pimentel declined his contract option, becoming a free agent at age 30. For the Mean Green, Pimentel had 1131 games, 1385 hits, 693 runs, 171 doubles, 130 triples, 87 home runs, 546 RBI, 310 walks, 661 steals, .331/.378/.497 slash, 142 wRC+, and 36.1 WAR. He maintained strong fan support even after leaving and eventually got his #2 uniform retired.

Pimentel signed a seven-year, $84,400,000 deal with Havana and spent about as many games in Cuba as he did with Merida. The Hurricanes had missed the playoffs by one game in 2022 and had been a Caribbean champ in the 2010s. Havana was above .500 in six of Pimentel’s seven seasons, but only once made the playoffs with a first round exit in 2025. Pimentel ended up with only eight playoff starts for his entire career.

He maintained steady production with Havana, although he was less efficient than his Merida peak. Pimentel did lead in steals thrice and climbed quickly up that leaderboard, becoming the tenth CABA player with 1000 steals. He passed Mario Bueno’s 1070 for the #2 spot, but had a tall task of trying to catch Matias Esquilin’s 1606 for the CABA record.

With Havana, Pimentel played 1088 games with 1379 hits, 740 runs, 217 doubles, 112 triples, 74 homers, 471 RBI, 325 walks, 662 steals, .320/.369/.474 slash, 123 wRC+, and 31.7 WAR. His lone Silver Sluggers came in 2024 and 2029 when he played second base. Getting the honor when he was at 1B was nearly impossible considering the many big boppers at that spot. Pimentel was also never an MVP finalist.

He was back to free agency for 2030 at age 37 and hadn’t seen any big drop off to that point. Salvador signed Pimentel for a two-year, $26,400,000 deal. They were the CLCS runner-up the prior year, but missed the playoffs in 2030 at 89-73. Pimentel’s lone season with the Stallions had 161 hits, 86 runs, 74 steals, .823 OPS, 120 wRC+, and 2.9 WAR. That year, he did become the 25^th in CABA to score 1500 career runs.

In the offseason, Pimentel was traded straight up for SS Gideon Musungu to Aguascalientes. The Cactus were an expansion team entering only their second season. Pimentel had his weakest season with .706 OPS, 69 steals, 104 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR; but did notably become CABA’s 16^th member of the 3000 hit club. Pimentel wanted to still play, but he went unsigned in 2032 and retired that winter at age 40.

Pimentel finished with 2501 games, 3047 hits, 1584 runs, 439 doubles, 258 triples, 172 home runs, 1084 RBI, 705 walks, 1350 strikeouts, 1466 steals, 659 caught stealing, .323/.371/.479 slash, 130 wRC+, and 72.6 WAR. Pimentel ranks 54^th in games, 21^st in runs, 14^th in hits, 71^st in total bases (4518), 38^th in doubles, 23^rd in triples, 2^nd in steals, 11^th in caught stealing, and 77^th in walks. He doesn’t make the top 100 for WAR among position players.

Among all players in world history, Pimentel ranks 21^st in stolen bases, proving truly elite on the basepaths. He’s also 95^th in batting average for CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances. Pimentel was never an MVP level player, but to that point, any eligible CABA player with 3000+ hits and/or 1500+ runs made the Hall of Fame. Pimentel wasn’t going to be an exception to that rule, earning 89.9% to headline a four-player 2037 class for the Central American Baseball Association.



Ruben Cabrera – First Base/Designated Hitter – Santo Domingo Dolphins – 80.2% First Ballot

Ruben Cabrera was a 6’1’’, 195 pound switch-hitting first baseman from San Rafael, El Salvador; a municipality of around 12,000 people. Cabrera was known for his steady and consistent power from both sides of the plate, posting a 162 game average of 37 home runs, 29 doubles, 4 triples, and 106 RBI. He was an above average contact hitter and had a strong eye for drawing walks, although he was subpar at avoiding strikeouts.

Cabrera scored a lot of runs despite being an absolutely putrid baserunner with terrible speed. Despite that sluggishness and not being exceptionally tall, he graded as a reliably average defensive first baseman. Cabrera made around 70% of his career starts at 1B with the rest as a designated hitter. He showed very good durability over a 20-year career, playing 140+ games in all but three seasons. Cabrera was never disruptive or a troublemaker, but he was viewed as someone more motivated by his paycheck than by the team’s success.

In January 2011, a teenaged Cabrera left El Salvador on a developmental deal with Torreon. Most don’t realize he started there, since he never played with the Tomahawks. In December 2013, Cabrera was one of three prospects traded to Mexicali for 3B Alexander Trinidad, who had a firm Hall of Pretty Good career. Cabrera debuted in 2015 at age 21 with 21 games and three starts.

Cabrera was a full-time starter in 2016 and kept that role for the rest of his CABA run when healthy. He won 2016’s Rookie of the Year with 32 homers, .837 OPS, and 3.9 WAR. Cabrera’s first Silver Slugger came in 2018 with his career highs for home runs (52), slugging (.649), and OPS (1.053). 2019 would be his best for WAR (8.7), hits (200), and wRC+ (185). However, he was never an MVP finalist and his only times as a league leader were twice in walks.

He didn’t get a ton of attention with Mexicali, as the Maroons were atrocious at this point, averaging 65.1 wins per season during his tenure. They definitely weren’t in a position to keep Cabrera as he became a free agent for 2022 at age 28. With Mexicali, he had 986 games, 1071 hits, 568 runs, 184 doubles, 235 homers, 618 RBI, .303/.376/.567 slash, 156 wRC+, and 34.1 WAR.

Cabrera signed a four-year, $41,100,000 deal with Haiti and maintained his steady production in three years for the Herons. He won Silver Sluggers in 2022 and 2023 and the Herons won division titles all three years. They had little playoff luck with their deepest run a 2024 Caribbean League Championship Series defeat to Guatemala. In 17 playoff starts, Cabrera had .784 OPS, 114 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

Prior to that, he had been a regular on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native El Salvador. From 2017-34, Cabrera played 178 WBC games with 117 hits, 76 runs, 25 doubles, 31 homers, 73 RBI, 86 walks, .216/.335/.445 slash, and 4.0 WAR. Cabrera has the 3^rd-most games played for the Salvadoran national team and ranks 3^rd in hits, 4^th in runs, 3^rd in doubles, 5^th in homers, 4^th in RBI, 2^nd in walks, and 6^th in WAR for position players. The small nation never earned a playoff spot despite his efforts.

Cabrera declined the fourth-year player option with Haiti, returning to free agency for 2025 at age 31. With the Herons, he played 474 games with 547 hits, 310 runs, 95 doubles, 118 home runs, 375 RBI, 173 walks, .307/.368/.576 slash, 153 wRC+, and 17.7 WAR. Cabrera stayed on Hispaniola and signed a four-year, $56,700,000 deal with Santo Domingo. His most famous run would be with the Dolphins, who were in contention at this point.

His first year saw Santo Domingo at 108-54, although they lost to 115-win Guatemala in the CLCS. The Dolphins were a 101-win wild card with a first round exit in 2026. Cabrera continued his steady production, but suffered his first major injury setback in July 2027 with a torn quadriceps. This ultimately kept him out for the entire fall and postseason.

Still, Cabrera got a ring as the 98-win wild card Dolphins made a surprise run to the CABA Championship, beating Guadalajara in the final. He was back by the Baseball Grand Championship, but struggled with .504 OPS, 42 wRC+, and -0.2 WAR as Santo Domingo finished 9-10. Cabrera was healthy in 2028 and looked like his normal self. SD won the division at 107-55, but suffered a divisional round exit. The Dolphins were happy with Cabrera’s results and gave him a three-year, $51,400,000 extension that winter.

Cabrera remained remarkably consistent through 2031 for Santo Domingo. They missed the playoffs in 2029, then had back-to-back wild cards and first round exits. Cabrera’s playoff numbers in the small sample size were solid with 20 starts, 21 hits, 18 runs, 8 homers, 21 RBI, .937 OPS, 145 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. He joined the 1500 RBI club while in the Dominican Republic, but fell just short of 1500 runs and 600 homers in CABA.

For Santo Domingo, Cabrera had 1023 games, 1066 hits, 613 runs, 178 doubles, 226 homers, 671 RBI, 403 walks, .284/.353/.527 slash, 134 wRC+, and 26.5 WAR. He was a free agent again for 2032 at age 38, but at this point CABA teams felt they could find similar results from younger and cheaper players. Cabrera opened a worldwide search to continue his pro career, eventually finding a home with Ibadan of West African Baseball on a three-year, $21,300,000 deal.

Cabrera had his usual 30s production in his Iguanas debut, but was middling by 2033 and benched for 2034. In 397 games, he had 364 hits, 206 runs, 77 doubles, 87 home runs, 264 RBI, .257/.325/.502 slash, 105 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR. This did get Cabrera to 3048 hits, 666 home runs, 1928 RBI, 1697 runs, 534 doubles, and 81.4 WAR for his combined pro career. After going unsigned in 2035, he retired that winter at age 42.

In CABA, Cabrera had 2483 games, 2684 hits, 1491 runs, 457 doubles, 65 triples, 579 home runs, 1664 RBI, 987 walks, 2023 strikeouts, 5008 total bases, .296/.365/.552 slash, .917 OPS, 146 wRC+, and 78.3 WAR. Cabrera ranks 57^th in games, 30^th in runs, 42^nd in hits, 34^th in total bases, 31^st in doubles, 35^th in homers, 21^st in RBI, 16^th in walks, 44^th in strikeouts, and 83^rd in WAR among position players.

Cabrera was never an MVP-level guy, but he had remarkable consistency and reliability. Many Hall of Fame voters were surprised to find how high his tallies were and found it hard to argue against a guy who was in the top 50 in all the big counting stats through more than a century of history. Cabrera received 80.2% for a first ballot nod as part of the four-player 2037 class for the Central American Baseball Association.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Amauris “Cats” Huerta – Starting Pitcher – San Luis Potosi Potros – 78.4% Third Ballot

Amauris Huerta was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Mexico City. He was nicknamed “Cats” for his love of felines and was known to bring some of his cats with him on road trips. Huerta had excellent pinpoint control, allowing him to success despite having merely above average-to-good stuff and movement. His velocity peaked in the 95-97 mph range with a fastball, change, cutter arsenal.

Relative to other CABA aces, Huerta’s stamina was average at best. However, he had excellent durability and rarely missed a start. Huerta was excellent at holding runners, but weak defensively. The biggest knock on him was that he was considered selfish. Huerta wasn’t one to look at for leadership and his intelligence was unimpressive.

Huerta’s pitching potential was noticed as a teenager though and he signed a developmental deal with San Luis Potosi in July 2010. The Potros were still a newer franchise at this point, having started play with the 2003 expansion. Huerta spent around five years in their academy before debuting with 133.2 innings in 2015 at age 21. He was a full-time starter after that, although didn’t settle into the ace role until 2017.

2019 was his only season as a Pitcher of the Year finalist, placing third with Mexican League bests for wins (20-5) and quality starts (25). Huerta also had his best ERA at 2.57. San Luis Potosi was above .500 for most of the 2010s, but their only playoff trip with Huerta was a wild card round exit in 2018. By the 2020s, the Potros had plummeted to the bottom of the standings and stayed there most of the decade.

It became clear heading into 2021 that SLP wouldn’t be able to afford the type of extension Huerta was looking for with free agency looming. Thus, the Potros traded him to Leon for three prospects. For San Luis Potosi, Huerta had a 91-56 record, 3.29 ERA, 1303.2 innings, 1143 strikeouts, 185 walks, 116 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 25.3 WAR. He was the second player inducted in SLP colors, although Huerta really isn’t viewed as a franchise icon.

In his one year with the Lions, he had a 14-14 record, 3.93 ERA, 233.2 innings, 177 strikeouts, 96 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. Leon had won 105 games the prior year, but struggled in 2021 to 74-88. Huerta was now a free agent heading towards his age 28 season and signed a five-year, $48,500,000 deal with Juarez. The Jesters had been the powerhouse in Mexico with five league titles and three CABA crowns since 2012.

Huerta was iffy in his debut with a 4.10 ERA in 2022, but posted sub-three ERAs the next three seasons. 2025 would have his career highs for wins (22-4), strikeouts (281), and WAR (6.8). Juarez’s playoff streak continued with MLCS appearances from 2022-25 and Mexican League titles in 2022 and 2025. The Jesters lost the 2022 CABA Championship and won in 2025; facing Guatemala both seasons.

For his playoff career, Huerta had respectable innings with a 3.13 ERA in 74.2 innings, 3-3 record, 74 strikeouts, 11 walks, 117 ERA+, and 1.4 WAR. He was used for relief in the 2022 Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings as the Jesters went 11-8, one of five teams tied for fourth. Huerta had an excellent run starting in the 2025 BGC with a 1.29 ERA over 28 innings with 27 Ks and 1.1 WAR. Juarez finished in the middle at 10-9, but Huerta received Best Pitcher honors for the event.

Huerta fell off to a 4.40 ERA in 2026, the final year of Juarez’s 13-yaar playoff streak. In total, he had a 73-43 record, 3.39 ERA, 1111.2 innings, 1130 strikeouts, 141 walks, 109 ERA+ 80 FIP-, and 25.0 WAR. Now coming up on age 33, Huerta signed a two-year, $13,400,000 deal with Monterrey. The Matadors were .500 in 2027 with Huerta posting a 3.73 ERA, 178.1 innings, 151 Ks, and 2.7 WAR.

In March 2028, Monterrey traded Huerta to Guatemala for two prospects. He got his 200^th win with the Ghosts, posting a 3.42 ERA, 18-10 record, 229 innings, 219 Ks, and 4.5 WAR. Guatemala got the Caribbean League’s top seed at 108-54, but were upset in the divisional round. Huerta’s lone playoff start saw four runs allowed over an 8.2 inning no decision.

Haiti gave Huerta a one-year, $5,700,000 deal in 2029 and split him between starting and relief. He had a 13-7 record, 19 saves, 2.99 ERA, 165.1 innings, 152 Ks, and 2.9 WAR. The Herons had a first round playoff exit, but Huerta wasn’t used in the brief postseason. Huerta seemed to still have some utility, but he decided to retire that winter at age 35.

Huerta finished with a 221-142 record, 3.39 ERA, 3221.2 innings, 2972 strikeouts, 452 walks, 245/408 quality starts, 83 complete games, 22 shutouts, 111 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 63.6 WAR. Huerta ranks 36^th in wins, 67^th in innings, 93^rd in strikeouts, and 86^th in WAR among pitchers. His ERA was definitely on the higher end compared to other CABA Hall of Famers, but he wasn’t completely out of place. Detractors felt Huerta simply wasn’t dominant enough to belong and was a notch short of the induction threshold.

Traditional supporters were big on Huerta’s win total; every eligible pitcher who had 220+ wins had made it in, although not all 200+ guys did. Being part of the Juarez dynasty in his later years also gave him a bump with certain voters. Still, Huerta’s lack of overwhelming dominance made him wait. He barely missed the 66% requirement with his 2035 debut ballot. Huerta dropped to 51.8% in 2036, but saw a steep turnaround to 78.4% in 2037. With that, he was a third ballot HOF selection for the Central American Baseball Association.



Raul Ibarra – Left Field/First Base – Tijuana Toros – 74.5% First Ballot

Raul Ibarra was a 6’1’’, 195 pound switch-hitting outfielder and first baseman from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Ibarra was one of the most powerful home run hitters of his era and had an excellent eye for drawing walks. Despite that, he was an average-at-best contact hitter with a poor strikeout rate. You’d put up with it for 47 home runs per his 162 game average. Ibarra had four seasons of 50+ dingers and twice had 60+. He posted similar results from both sides of the plate.

Ibarra’s power was all for dingers though, as he only got you 15 doubles and 6 triples per 162 games. 44% of his plate appearances were one of the three true outcomes. Despite the slugger profile, Ibarra was actually a fantastic baserunner with very good speed, successfully stealing on 73% of his attempts. He was one of the era’s most dangerous bats despite a middling average and high strikeout rate.

He had just over half of his starts in left field, where he graded as a subpar but passable defender. Around 30% of the starts were at first base with the rest in center field. Ibarra graded as a good defender at 1B, but he was awful in CF. He had his share of injuries, but held up pretty well over a 19-year career. Ibarra’s personality didn’t stand out, but his talent made him one of Mexico’s most popular stars of the 21^st Century.

Ibarra went fifth in the 2012 CABA Draft to Tijuana and was a starter right away, although he struggled as a rookie with a league-worst 190 strikeouts and only 19 homers. He found his power the next year with 58 homers, 134 RBI, and a Mexican League best 9.2 WAR, winning a Silver Slugger in CF. Ibarra signed an eight-year, $87,900,000 extension with the Toros after the 2015 campaign.

It was hard to stand out in the North Division during the Juarez dynasty, but Tijuana was above .500 each year from 2014-27. Ibarra won Silver Sluggers in LF in 2015-16 and was on pace for his best season in 2017, but his missed most of the spring with a fractured finger. Ibarra notably on July 27, 2017 had a six-hit game against Hermosillo. Tijuana ended a 17-year playoff drought in 2017, but had a wild card round exit. They won 85 games in both the next two years.

In 2018, Ibarra won his lone MVP and fourth Slugger, leading with 60 homers, .678 slugging, and a career-best 9.5 WAR. He was second in 2020’s MVP voting and had another Slugger, posting his career bests for homers (64), RBI (141), runs (128), slugging (.709), and OPS (1.097). Tijuana went 100-62, but again had a first round exit as they fell to 112-win Juarez.

2021 was the breakthrough for the Toros as the top seed at 103-59. They beat the Jesters to win the Mexican League title, then defeated Puerto Rico for their first CABA Championship win since their 1910s dynasty. Ibarra was a stud in the playoffs and won finals MVP. In 14 starts, he had 16 hits, 17 runs, 8 homers, 13 RBI, 1.321 OPS, 248 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, Tijuana was one of five teams tied for fourth at 11-8. Ibarra had a nice showing with 11 hits, 14 runs, 5 homers, 12 RBI, 20 walks, 1.001 OPS, and 0.9 WAR. His role in the 2021 championship cemented his status as a beloved icon for Tijuana. Ibarra’s #29 uniform would be retired at the end of his career.

The Toros were just outside the playoffs for the next two years. Ibarra left for free agency after the 2023 campaign at age 33. For Tijuana, he had 1575 games, 1540 hits, 1124 runs, 150 doubles, 66 triples, 500 home runs, 1088 RBI, 695 walks, 1625 strikeouts, 605 steals, .275/.363/.594 slash, 165 wRC+, and 73.2 WAR. He left Mexico as the allure of Major League Baseball money was strong, signing a five-year, $91 million deal with Raleigh.

Ibarra remained very popular with Mexican fans and returned home regularly for the World Baseball Championship. From 2015-27, Ibarra played 167 games with 104 hits, 97 runs, 15 doubles, 49 homers, 86 RBI, 68 steals, 82 walks, .200/.338/.515 slash, and 7.0 WAR. Among Mexicans in the WBC, Ibarra is 6^th in batting WAR, 6^th in runs, and 7^th in homers. Mexico’s deepest run was his first WBC as a part-time starter, helping them to a runner-up finish. They also finished 3rd in 2018 and 2^nd in 2020.

Raleigh was one of MLB’s expansion teams from 2021. Ibarra helped bring them their first team successes with playoff trips in 2025, 26, and 28 and division titles the latter two. The Raptors never got beyond the second round, although Ibarra had a .974 OPS and 0.6 WAR in his 13 playoff starts. Ibarra didn’t win any awards in MLB, but he fared very well. He led the National Association in walks for both 2025-26 and in steals in 2024. He had 7.4 WAR in 2024 and 52 homers in 2026.

Ibarra’s numbers dipped somewhat in his final two seasons as he dealt with plantar fasciitis in 2027 and a torn quad in 2028. In five seasons for Raleigh, he had 710 games, 595 hits, 488 runs, 59 doubles, 207 homers, 408 RBI, 419 walks, 180 steals, .246/.372/.535 slash, 155 wRC+, and 26.6 WAR. The deal was certainly considered a success and Ibarra was very popular in North Carolina.

Now 38-years old, Ibarra returned to the Mexican League on a two-year, $28 million deal with Ecatepec and ended up extended for a third season. His stats were well down from his prime, but Ibarra was still a respectable starter with 398 games, 357 hits, 257 runs, 44 doubles, 66 homers, 173 RBI, 184 walks, 194 steals, .262/.357/.467 slash, 137 wRC+, and 10.4 WAR.

In 2029, Ecatepec was a 100-62 wild card and upset defending champ Leon in the MLCS. The Explosion then toppled reigning CABA champ Honduras in the final for the franchise’s ninth CABA ring. Ibarra had another strong playoff run with a .963 OPS and 0.7 WAR in nine games. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had .915 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR in 14 games; although Ecatepec finished at 9-12.

The Explosion had a division title but first round exit in 2030. They would win the Mexican League crown again in 2031, but lost to Haiti in the CABA Championship. Ibarra unfortunately missed the entire playoff run with a broken kneecap suffered on August 20. It was a major injury, but he was originally expected to be able to return by the start of 2032. Puebla gave him a one-year, $3,920,000 deal, but Ibarra never took the field for the Pumas. He suffered a setback in recovery in March 2032 and was told by doctors to retire. Ibarra officially filed the papers that winter at age 42.

For his combined pro career, Ibarra had 2683 games, 2492 hits, 1869 runs, 253 doubles, 95 triples, 773 home runs, 1669 RBI, 1298 walks, 2766 strikeouts, 979 steals, .266/.365/.560 slash, 158 wRC+, and 110.0 WAR. For his CABA run, Ibarra had 1973 games, 1897 hits, 1381 runs, 194 doubles, 85 triples, 566 home runs, 1261 RBI, 879 walks, 2043 strikeouts, 799 steals, .273/.362/.569 slash, 159 wRC+, and 83.6 WAR.

Ibarra ranks 48^th in runs, 39^th in homers, 33^rd in walks, 50^th in steals, 41^st in strikeouts, and 68^th in WAR for position players. His .931 OPS ranks 93^rd among CABA batters with 3000+ plate appearances. Still, Ibarra did lose positioning on the CABA leaderboards since he had the five-year gap to Raleigh. There were a few voters who felt his raw tallies weren’t quite high enough.

Far more Hall of Fame voters remembered Ibarra as a premier slugger and as a critical piece for Tijuana’s 2021 championship. The rings at the end with Ecatepec gave him an extra boost as well, plus he was incredibly well-liked by fans. Ibarra’s 74.5% was the lowest of the four inductees in 2037, but he earned a first ballot spot and a deserved place among the legends of the Central American Baseball Association.

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Two starting pitchers entered the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2037 with Nobuyoshi Yamauchi the clear headliner at 98.7%. Hiroshi Yamashɨta got a big bump up on his third ballot to join him with 80.6%. The only other guy above 50% was SP Naotake Nishisawa at 51.6% on his second try. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Nobuyoshi Yamauchi – Starting Pitcher – Osaka Orange Sox – 98.7% First Ballot

Nobuyoshi Yamauchi was a 6’3’’, 185 pound left-handed pitcher from Funabashi, Japan; a city of around 645,000 inhabitants in the Chiba Prefecture. Yamauchi had excellent stuff with average movement. His control was good for his prime years and got better with age even as his stuff faltered. Yamauchi’s velocity peaked in the 96-98 mph range with a four-pitch arsenal of fastball, slider, changeup, cutter; each pitch was equally potent.

Yamauchi was especially dominant facing left-handed batters with a 2.24 ERA, 149 ERA+, and 60 FIP-. He was plenty good though with a 2.48 ERA, 134 ERA+, and 76 FIP- against righties. Yamauchi’s stamina was merely decent compared to most EAB aces, but he had ironman durability and was good for 200+ innings each year from 2012-29. He was excellent at holding runners and was solid at fielding the position.

By the 2008 EAB Draft, Yamauchi was a highly ranked prospect from Yukiya High School in Tokyo. Chiba picked him with the 11^th overall pick, but they couldn’t come to terms and Yamauchi opted to attend Kyushu International University. Yamauchi was next eligible for the 2011 EAB Draft and went third overall to Osaka, where he became one of the Orange Sox’s most popular players ever.

Yamauchi was a full-time starter immediately and won 2012 Rookie of the Year with a 2.52 ERA, 4.2 WAR effort. His sophomore season saw a Japan League best 302 strikeouts, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Yamauchi signed a five-year, $41,500,000 extension with Osaka after the 2013 campaign. In 2014, he threw his lone no-hitter on May 15 with 14 Ks and 1 walk facing Niigata.

In 2015, Yamauchi won his first Pitcher of the Year with a league and career best 314 strikeouts and 28 quality starts. It was his only time as the WARlord at 7.5 and it was one of three seasons with an ERA below two. Yamauchi was at 1.89 in 2015, then 1.90 in 2016. He was third in 2016’s POTY voting, then won again in 2017. That year had league-bests for wins (23-7) and Ks (301).

With Yamauchi as the ace, Osaka became a contender again with six straight playoff trips from 2015-20. After first round exits in 2015-16, the Orange Sox began a dynasty. They won the Japan League title in 2017, 2018, and 2020. Osaka fell to Changwon in the 2017 EAB Championship, then beat Seongnam for the 2018 crown. In 2020, they had their best record of the run at 102-60 and topped Hamhung for the EAB crown.

Yamauchi was steady in the playoffs with 122.1 innings, 2.87 ERA, 7-6 record, 144 Ks, 19 walks, 116 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 3.2 WAR. He was a mixed bag in the Baseball Grand Championship, posting an impressive 1.29 ERA in 2018 over 28 innings, but a 4.97 ERA in 2017 and 3.41 in 2020. Osaka was 5-14 in 2017, then was one of four tied for fourth in 2018 at 11-8. The Orange Sox finished 7-12 in 2020. Yamauchi finished with 82.1 BGC innings , 3.17 ERA, 6-4 record, 87 strikeouts, 31 walks, and 1.0 WAR.

He also pitched from 2013-17 and from 2022-26 for Japan in the World Baseball Championship. Yamauchi’s stats were unremarkable there with a 3.43 ERA in 57.2 innings, 3-6 record, 92 strikeouts, 23 walks, and 1.5 WAR. It was a rare down period for a normally strong Japanese team, who didn’t have any playoff berths with Yamauchi on roster.

In May 2018, Yamauchi signed a seven-year, $133 million extension with Osaka. The Orange Sox remained above .500 through 2027, but the dynasty ended with the 2020 title. They wouldn’t make the playoffs again with Yamauchi there. He continued to thrive generally, including a career-best 8.7 WAR in 2022 and an ERA title in 2024 at 2.05. 2024 also had his best WHIP at 0.81 and he was third in POTY voting for both 2022 and 2024.

In 2024, Yamauchi also crossed the 200 win and 3500 strikeout milestones. Despite being very popular and still successful, Osaka surprised many by trading the 34-year old Yamauchi in March 2025 to Kobe for three prospects. One of them, 1B Takahide Sagara, would be a good starter through 2030 for the Orange Sox and won 2026’s Rookie of the Year.

With Osaka, Yamauchi had a 206-94 record, 2.37 ERA, 2896.2 innings, 3627 strikeouts, 517 walks, 140 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 79.0 WAR. His #35 uniform would later be retired by the Orange Sox. The trade to Kobe was especially surprising since the Blaze were the top divisional rival. 2022 started a playoff streak for Kobe that carried through 2032.

In his Kobe debut, Yamauchi won his third Pitcher of the Year by leading in WHIP, quality starts, and shutouts. He also won a Silver Slugger as he hit .325 that year. By pitcher standards, Yamauchi was a decent batter with a career .216/.224/.251 slash. Kobe gave him a four-year, $96,800,000 extension after the 2025 season. Yamauchi wouldn’t be a POTY finalist again, but he remained very good through 2029, including his career-best 1.88 ERA in 2028.

Although the Blaze had an impressive playoff streak, they didn’t have any postseason success. Their deepest runs with Yamauchi were JLCS defeats in 2025 and 2029. The 2029 exit against Niigata was especially frustrating, as Kobe was the top seed at 109-53. Yamauchi’s playoff stats saw a 2.73 ERA in 62.2 innings, 1-3 record, 78 strikeouts, 0 walks, 120 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 2.1 WAR. In his later years, he relied more on control as his velocity was starting to dip.

In total, Yamauchi had 185 playoff innings with a 2.82 ERA, 8-9 record, 222 strikeouts, 19 walks, 117 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 5.3 WAR. He ranks 4^th in WAR among pitchers and 5^th in innings. For nearly his entire run, Yamauchi was part of successful teams in contention.

By 2030, Yamauchi’s velocity was peaking in the 91-93 mph range and he started to struggle for the first time. He was reduced to a relief role with a 3.36 ERA over 112.2 innings, 106 Ks, and 1.3 WAR. With Kobe, Yamauchi had a 93-42 record, 2.38 ERA, 1275 innings, 1422 strikeouts, 207 walks, 139 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 31.8 WAR. While there, he became only the 2^nd in EAB history with 5000 strikeouts, although he wouldn’t catch Sang-Hun Joon’s 5694.

Yamauchi also finished the Kobe run at 299 wins, one away from being the 5^th in EAB to the 300 club. He wanted to get there and Nagoya signed him to a two-year, $25,600,000 deal. Yamauchi got the 300^th win in early April, but struggled in limited use for the Nightowls in 2031 with a 4.67 ERA over 81 innings, 58 Ks, and 0.3 WAR. Yamauchi retired that winter just after his 41^st birthday.

In total, Yamauchi had a 302-145 record, 2.42 ERA, 4252.2 innings, 5107 strikeouts, 740 walks, 378/534 quality starts, 71 complete games, 26 shutouts, 138 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 111.1 WAR. Yamauchi ranks tied for 4^th in wins, 12^th in innings, 55^th in shutouts, 2^nd in strikeouts, and 8^th in pitching WAR.

Among EAB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Yamauchi is 44^th in ERA and his 0.94 WHIP is 37^th. His 6.92 H/9 is 54^th, his 10.81 K/9 is 49^th, and his .582 opponent’s OPS is 53^rd. Yamauchi’s .212/.252/.330 triple slash ranks 49^th/49^th/72^nd. On the world leaderboard for all pitchers ever, Yamauchi ranks 41^st in wins and 35^th in strikeouts, although he misses the top 50 for WAR.
Yamauchi is an obvious inner-circle Hall of Famer, although there is a fierce debate when ranking East Asia Baseball’s best-ever pitchers. He makes the majority of top ten lists and some put him into the top five. Yamauchi isn’t usually placed in the #1 spot, but EAB doesn’t have an undisputed GOAT like some other leagues. He’s one of the game’s immortals in any case and was a big part of a dynasty run for Osaka. Yamauchi headlined the 2037 HOF ballot at 98.7%.



Hiroshi Yamashɨta – Starting Pitcher – Changwon Crabs – 80.6% Third Ballot

Hiroshi Yamashɨta was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Sakaide, Japan; a small city of about 49,000 people in the Kagawa Prefecture. Yamashɨta was known for great control and above average movement, allowing him to succeed despite merely average stuff. His velocity peaked in the 92-94 mph range with an arsenal of fastball, changeup, splitter, and curveball.

Yamashɨta had excellent stamina and great durability for most of his career, tossing 220+ innings each year from 2013-28. He did struggle defensively and was below average at holding runners. Yamashɨta was known in the clubhouse as a huge prankster, although he didn’t always understand when it was appropriate to joke around and when not to.

He attended Akashi Shogyo High School and earned plenty of attention from scouts. Yamashɨta went 16^th to Kawasaki in the 2009 EAB Draft, although his time in the Killer Whales organization was brief. In June 2010, he was one of three prospects traded to Changwon for reliever Seung-Min Song. Yamashɨta debuted in 2012 with 45.2 relief innings for the Crabs, although he struggled initially at age 20.

Changwon made him a full-time starter after that, but he did have mixed results especially early on. Yamashɨta settled into giving reliable innings, but his results were never exceptional. 2015 had his highest single-season WAR at 5.2. He was usually good for 3-4 WAR per year with the Crabs, but he never had an ERA below three.

After eight straight losing seasons, Changwon rebounded to 83-79 in 2015. Then they stunned the Korea League with back-to-back championships in 2016-17. In 2016, the Crabs went 92-70, beat Seoul in the KLCS, then dethroned reigning champ Yokohama in the EAB Championship. Changwon was better at 100-62 in 2017 and again beat the Seahawks for the KL pennant, followed by a victory over Osaka in the East Asian Championship.

Changwon had limited luck in the Baseball Grand Championship, going 6-13 in 2016 and 8-11 in 2017. Yamashɨta had a 3.58 ERA over 32.2 innings in the former and a 2.28 ERA over 27.2 innings in the latter. His playoff stats were a mixed bag as well with a 3.94 ERA over 32 innings in 2016 and a 4.76 ERA in 34 innings for 2017. Still, the Crabs were pleased with their dynasty run and gave Yamashɨta a three-year, $33,300,000 extension in March 2018.

2018 saw a franchise best record of 110-52 for Changwon, but they were upset in the first round by Seongnam. The Crabs got the #1 seed again in 2019 at 97-65, but yet again were one-and-done. They then missed the playoffs via a tiebreaker in 2020 at 92-70. Yamashɨta kept on chugging along as Changwon bounced back with a 100-62 wild card in 2021. They upset 109-win Busan in the KLCS, but fell to Kyoto in the EAB Championship. The Crabs were 6-13 in the BGC with Yamashɨta struggling to a 6.75 ERA in 25.1 innings.

For his playoff career with Changwon, Yamashɨta had a 5-6 record in 18 starts, 3.97 ERA, 127 innings, 97 strikeouts, 15 walks, 93 ERA+, 108 FIP-, and 1.3 WAR. Even if he wasn’t exceptional, he was appreciated for his role in their dynasty run. The Crabs eventually retired Yamashɨta’s #6 uniform. He wouldn’t be re-signed though after the 2021 season, entering free agency at age 30. For Changwon, Yamashɨta had a 138-121 record, 3.84 ERA, 2232.1 innings, 1838 strikeouts, 418 walks, 81 complete games, 13 shutouts, 97 ERA+, 98 FIP-, and 30.6 WAR.

Yamashɨta signed a five-year, $60,500,000 deal with Chiba. From 2023-25, he led the Japan League in innings pitched, peaking with 274 in 2025. That year also had his career best ERA of 2.73. Yamashɨta led in win for the only time at 19-8 in 2023 and had his high for strikeouts with 227 in 2022. Still, he was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. But with the Comets, he reliably ate innings just as he had with Changwon.

Chiba had a breakout 97-65 season in 2023 and got to the JLCS as the top seed, but was defeated by reigning champ Fukuoka. They were a one-and-done wild card in 2025 and just missed with 90 and 91 wins in 2024 and 2026. The Comets were the top seed again in 2027 at 100-62, but fell in the divisional series. Yamashɨta was 0-2 in his four playoff starts for Chiba, but had a 3.03 ERA in 29.2 innings with 23 Ks and 0.3 WAR. He missed the 2027 playoff run because of a ruptured disc in August, the only big injury of his career.

With the Comets, Yamashɨta had a 112-69 record, 3.26 ERA, 1672 innings, 1386 strikeouts, 291 walks, 56 complete games, 10 shutouts, 104 ERA+, 93 FIP-, and 26.0 WAR. On July 4, 2028, Yamashɨta became only the 16^th in EAB history with 250 career wins. Three days later, he was traded to Sapporo for two prospects. The Swordfish used him mostly in relief to close the year with a 4.50 ERA in 36 innings. They made the playoffs, but had a wild card round exit.

Now 37-years old, Yamashɨta signed a one-year, $6 million deal with Niigata. He had a limited role with a 4.09 ERA over 101.1 innings, 84 Ks, and 0.1 WAR. Although he wasn’t used in the playoffs, Yamashɨta got a ring as the Green Dragons won the EAB title. He wasn’t expected to be used for that winter’s Baseball Grand Championship, so Yamashɨta retired after the championship win at age 38.

Yamashɨta had a 258-197 record, 3.61 ERA, 4041.2 innings, 3348 strikeouts, 741 walks, 305/507 quality starts, 137 complete games, 28 shutouts, 99 ERA+, 96 FIP-, and 57.1 WAR. He ranks 13^th in wins, 18^th in losses, 16^th in innings, 70^th in strikeouts, and 38^th in complete games. Yamashɨta doesn’t make the top 100 for pitching WAR and his ERA was higher than all previous EAB Hall of Famers. The only one who was above 3.50 was Sang-Hun Joon at 3.51, but he also had 346 wins.

Traditionalists pointed to wins and innings as the big selling point for Yamashɨta. Being in the top 15 in wins in a league with more than a century of history was plenty for some voters. Yamashɨta also had the rings with Changwon and was remembered for being a part of their dynasty run. Those who looked at Sabermetrics felt Yamashɨta was the ultimate compiler. He was almost certainly the only HOFer in the world with an ERA+ below 100; a 100 grade suggests league average.

Yamashɨta was also never a Pitcher of the Year finalist and wasn’t considered a top five level guy at any point in his run. Those who favored exceptional peaks over longevity were loudly against Yamashɨta’s candidacy. For the majority, 250 wins and the rings couldn’t be ignored. He debuted in 2035 at 63.9%, just missing the 66% requirement. Yamashɨta dropped to 55.9% in 2036, but got a huge bump up to 80.6% in 2037. He’s a polarizing pick between old school and new school voters, but Yamashɨta regardless joined the East Asia Baseball HOF on his third ballot.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Beisbol Sudamerica had a big four-man Hall of Fame class for 2037, each earning the first ballot nod. 1B Juan Carlos Rivera and SS/1B Eddy Corunha were the no-doubters, co-headlining at 99.0% and 97.9%, respectively. 1B/3B Elijah Reuter was next at 78.0% and CL Ronaldo Navarette breached the 66% requirement at 71.1%. No one else was above 50%.



Dropped after ten ballots included SP Rodrigo Quiroz, who got as high as 55.4% in 2029 before ending at a low of 34.1%. In 14 years with Medellin, Quiroz had a 168-113 record, 88 saves, 3.57 ERA, 2205 innings, 2367 strikeouts, 113 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 55.5 WAR. Injuries forced him out of the rotation in his early 30s and out of baseball by age 35. Quiroz was a Pitcher of the Year finalist thrice in his prime, but he wasn’t successful long enough to have the necessary numbers. Still, he played an important role in back-to-back Bolivar League titles in 2013-14 for the Mutiny with a Copa Sudamerica win in 2014.

Closer Samuel Andrade also dropped after ten ballots, getting as close at 57.5% in 2029 before closing at only 15.0%. He was hurt by bouncing between different leagues and teams in his later years. In BSA, Andrade had 368 saves, 87-83 record, 2.39 ERA, 1012.2 innings, 1360 strikeouts, 265 walks, 154 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 39.3 WAR.

Andrade won Reliever of the Year twice and helped Brasilia to a Copa Sudamerica win in 2002. He ranks 16^th in saves and 57^th in ERA among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Andrade’s resume is comparable to some of the lower-end inducted relievers, but he wasn’t quite dominant enough to stand out enough to receive the nod.



Juan Carlos Rivera – First Base – Fortaleza Foxes – 99.0% First Ballot

Juan Carlos Rivera was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed first baseman from the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion. In his prime, Rivera was an incredibly efficient batter with good-to-great grades for contact, power, and eye overall. He absolutely raked against right-handed pitching with a career 1.100 OPS and 205 wRC+. Rivera was by no means bad against lefties with a .889 OPS and 153 wRC+. He was also better than most in BSA at avoiding strikeouts.

Rivera’s power wasn’t prolific, but he got a solid dose of extra base hits with 34 home runs, 24 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. His speed was also quite good and he was one of the craftier baserunners and thieves in the game. Rivera led the Southern Cone League five times in runs scored, regularly making the most of his times on base.

His value definitely came from his offense, as he graded as a terrible defender as a career first baseman. Although Rivera had a 19-year career, injuries limited him at various points. He was a very quiet and humble man, perhaps not always advocating for himself when he could have. Rivera’s fierce loyalty and talent though made him a very popular player both in Brazi where he spent his prime and back home in Paraguay.

From 2014-31, Rivera did regularly return to Paraguay to represent his country in the World Baseball Championship. He played 126 games with 119 hits, 78 runs, 14 doubles, 31 homers, 63 RBI, 83 walks, 50 steals, .275/.390/.528 slash, and 5.9 WAR. He did help Paraguay to its second-ever playoff trip in 2025.

Rivera’s pro career started in Uruguay, picked 23^rd by Montevideo in the 2009 BSA Draft. He was a very late bloomer though and rarely saw the field during his six years employed by the Venom. From 2010-15, Rivera played 244 games and started only 19 with 83 hits, 46 runs, 13 doubles, 4 triples, 9 homers, 47 RBI, .854 OPS, 123 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. He also went 4-10 as a playoff pinch hitter. Montevideo notably was the top seed in 2015 at 104-58, but lost in the LCS to Recife.

It seemed clear that they didn’t see much in Rivera. In January 2016, he was traded straight up to Fortaleza for SP Jose Innocenti, a back-end pitcher. The Foxes had kept an eye on him and though he had tons of potential, making Rivera a full-time starter immediately in 2016. They were rewarded quickly as he had an OPS above one and 5.5+ WAR each year from 2016-26 with Fortaleza.

In Rivera’s second year with the Foxes, he won his first Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting. He led the league with career highs for runs (132), and RBI (136) and had his best home run total of 52. Rivera also led in slugging (.711), OPS (1.114), and wRC+ (220). He would again lead in those three starts in 2020, 22, 23, and 25. Rivera won Silver Sluggers each of those years and in 2021.

In June 2019, Fortaleza extended Rivera for seven years and $55,200,000. Two days after putting ink to paper, he hit for the cycle against Manaus. The Foxes had won titles before he got there in 2013-14, but had a brief lull in the middle of the decade. Fortaleza returned to the playoffs in 2019 at 102-60, but fell in the divisional round. They would drop to 80-82 in 2020 and miss the playoffs.

Rivera was third in MVP voting for 2021 and was the All-Star Game MVP, leading the league with 123 runs. The Foxes got a wild card at 95-67 and got hot, winning the Southern Cone League Championship over reigning champ Santiago. Rivera was series MVP and had 20 hits, 15 runs, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 10 RBI, 1.095 OPS, and 0.9 WAR over 17 playoff starts. Fortaleza was ultimately denied in Copa Sudamerica by Valencia. They finished 9-10 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Rivera posting 19 hits, 13 runs, 4 homers, 10 RBI, .931 OPS, 158 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR.

In 2022, Rivera was again third in MVP voting and led in runs, walks, OBP, slugging, OPS, and wRC+. Fortaleza won the division at 95-67 and upset 103-win Santiago in an LCS rematch for repeat pennants. They fell to 114-win Caracas, the eventual Grand Champion, in Copa Sudamerica. Rivera had a .873 OPS and 0.5 WAR in the playoffs. The Foxes finished 8-11 in the BGC despite a dominant run for Rivera with 22 hits, 16 runs, 8 homers, 1.233 OPS, 264 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR. His WAR is one of only 27 times in BGC history at or above two for a position player.

A fractured hand kept Rivera out for the start of the season and limited him to 128 games, but he still was second in MVP voting with by far his most efficient season. He had league and career bests for triple slash (.380/.476/.805), OPS (1.281), wRC+ (256), and WAR (9.8). At the time, this set BSA single-season records for both OBP and OPS. At induction among qualifying seasons, Rivera’s OBP ranks 5^th, slugging 3^rd, and OPS 2^nd in BSA. On the world leaderboard, it ranks 14^th in OBP, 32^nd in slugging, and 16^th in OPS.

Fortaleza finished 101-61, but had a divisional round upset loss. They barely got a wild card at 86-76 the next year, but got to the 2024 LCS where they lost to Sao Paulo. Rivera lost part of the summer in 2024 to a strained abdominal muscle as injuries started to become a concern. He was third in 2025’s MVP voting, leading again in OPS. A torn labrum in September kept Rivera out for the entire postseason run. Without him, Fortaleza won another pennant, but lost Copa Sudamerica to Barranquilla. They finished 10-9 in the BGC.

A torn quad cost Rivera some games in 2026, but he led in runs once more and was third in MVP voting. Even with the recent injuries and Rivera ‘s 37^th birthday coming in December, the Foxes gave him a three-year, $33,700,000 extension. This was the last gasp for Fortaleza’s six-year playoff streak, winning the division title at 97-65 but falling in the divisional round. The Foxes fell to 78-84 the next year and wouldn’t be back above .500 until 2034.

In his playoff career, Rivera finished with 67 games, 57 starts, 61 hits, 38 runs, 13 doubles, 4 triples, 10 homers, 30 RBI, 36 walks, .296/.404/.544 slash, 160 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. He was certainly one of the key reasons Fortaleza won three pennants in the 2020s and his #28 uniform would later be retired. Rivera still had a good pace in 2027, but strained abdominal muscles kept him out almost half of the year.

2028 was his final full season starting, leading in OBP for the fifth time. His power had dropped significantly, but he was still good for .916 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 4.6 WAR. Out of respect, Fortaleza gave him another three-year, $33,700,000 extension that winter. Rivera’s bat declined sharply, especially against lefties. He was mostly a pinch hitter in his final three years with 292 games, but only 66 starts. Rivera retired after the 2031 season just after his 42^nd birthday.

Rivera finished with 2368 games, 2440 hits, 1473 runs, 357 doubles, 135 triples, 492 home runs, 1329 RBI, 955 walks, 1129 strikeouts, 749 steals, .340/.417/.634 slash, 1.051 OPS, 193 wRC+, and 94.6 WAR. Between being a late bloomer and later injuries, Rivera’s accumulations weren’t exceptional. He ranks 32^nd in runs, 77^th in total bases (4543), 76^th in homers, 84^th in RBI, 67^th in steals, 23^rd in walks, and 48^th in WAR among position players.

Among BSA batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Rivera’s triple slash ranks 36^th/5^th/13^th and his OPS is 5^th. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, his triple slash is 27^th/5^th/32^nd and his OPS is 11^th. In that same group, Rivera’s wRC+ is tied for 17^th best. There is no doubt that he was one of the most efficient hitters to ever swing a bat.

Even voters that were stingy about accumulations knew Rivera was well deserving of joining Beisbol Sudamerica’s enshrined greats. He never won MVP, but was a regular finalist in his prime and a huge part of a dynasty run for Fortaleza. The humble Rivera received a near unanimous 99.0% to co-headline the four-player 2037 class.



Eddy “Matchbox” Corunha – Shortstop/First Base – Brasilia Bearcats – 97.9% First Ballot

Eddy Corunha was a 6’4’’, 200 pound switch-hitting infielder from Sao Leopoldo, Brazil; a city with about 239,000 inhabitants in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Nicknamed “Matchbox,” Corunha was known for being a solid contact hitter with excellent home run power especially facing right-handed pitching. He had a career 1.004 OPS and 180 wRC+. On the downside, Corunha was very middling against lefties with a .790 OPS and 99 wRC+.

Even with his LHP issues, Corunha was good for 45 homers, 21 doubles, and 8 triples per 162 games. His strikeout rate and ability to draw walks were merely okay. In his prime, Corunha was a dangerous baserunner with rock solid speed. He did run into some injuries, but still managed to hold up fairly well over an 18-year career.

About 60% of Corunha’s starts came at shortstop, but he was a poor defender there. His bigger frame fit much better at first base where he had great defensive grades and most of his other starts. Corunha was definitely far better than most shortstops in terms of bat and Brasilia was often willing to put up with bad defense to get great offense. His personality was a bit enigmatic with high marks for loyalty and intelligence, but low marks for work ethic, adaptability, and greed.

Corunha was picked eighth by Brasilia in the 2017 BSA Draft and spent his entire South American career there. He was immediately popular and immediately successful, winning 2018 Rookie of the Year honors with a 1.029 OPS, 6.5 WAR debut. Corunha’s second year was his finest, winning his lone MVP and first Silver Slugger (at 1B). He led the Southern Cone League in runs (120), homers (58), total bases (430), slugging (.708), OPS (1.112), wRC+ (210), and WAR (10.6). Those were all career highs, as was his 213 hits, 132 RBI, and .404 OBP.

He never had a year quite that good again and only sporadically was a league leader, but Corunha was a reliably strong starter. He had ten more seasons with 40+ homers and three with an OPS above one. Corunha wasn’t an MVP candidate again, but won Silver Sluggers at SS from 2023-31. He led with 117 runs in 2030 and with both 46 homers and a .669 slugging in 2027. Corunha also hit for the cycle in 2022 against Rosario.

When Corunha arrived, Brasilia had only made the playoffs once since 2005. The worst of these seasons was a 56-106 debacle in 2025. The Bearcats bounced back as a surprise 95-win wild card in 2026, although they didn’t get beyond the divisional series. Brasilia signed Corunha to a five-year, $95 million extension in April 2027 with the hopes that they’d become a contender.

They fell two wins short of a wild card in 2027, then posted 111, 107, and 102 win seasons from 2028-30 with three division titles. Frustratingly, Brasilia lost in the divisional round all three years and again as a wild card in 2031. In his 16 career playoff starts, Corunha was unremarkable with a .230/.277/.475 slash, 98 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR.

Corunha was 37-years old after the 2031 season and still playing at his usual strong pace. He decided not to re-sign with Brasilia and wanted to seek out the MLB bag. Corunha remained very popular with Bearcats fans even after leaving and his #50 uniform would later get retired. He got the big paycheck on a three-year, $96 million deal with San Francisco. His previous best annual salary was $19.4 million; he’d get $32 million per year with the Gold Rush.

With San Francisco, Corunha was a decent starter, but wasn’t exceptional. He also started to miss some time with more consistent back issues. SF was in a rebuilding period and wouldn’t make the playoffs with Corunha. He played 356 games with 341 hits, 185 runs, 42 doubles, 13 triples, 77 home runs, 209 RBI, .258/.303/.484 slash, 104 wRC+, and 5.1 WAR.

Big league teams generally felt Corunha was cooked, but he wasn’t willing to call it quits yet. He eventually had to settle for Katowice of European Tier Three for a measly $940,000. He played 101 games with a .726 OPS, 114 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. No one signed Corunha for 2036 and he eventually retired in the winter shortly after his 42^nd birthday.

With Brasilia, Corunha had 2021 games, 2325 hits, 1340 runs, 226 doubles, 109 triples, 599 home runs, 1408 RBI, 479 walks, 1554 strikeouts, 735 steals, .308/.350/.611 slash, 171 wRC+, and 89.7 WAR. Corunha ranks 62^nd in runs, 72^nd in total bases (4606), 25^th in homers, 60^th in RBI, and 58^th in WAR for position players. His .962 OPS is 53^rd among BSA batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his slugging is 26^th.

Corunha’s impressive power and dominance specifically against right-handed pitching made him stand out to Hall of Fame voters. He was regularly viewed as the top hitting shortstop in the league for his prime and did help turn Brasilia around, even if they had no playoff luck. Corunha was a slam dunk inductee at 97.7%, co-headlining a four-player 2037 class for Beisbol Sudamerica.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Elijah “Chick” Reuter – First/Third Base – Barquisimeto Black Cats – 78.0% First Ballot

Elijah Reuter was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed corner infielder from Rio Tercero, Argentina; a small city of 53,000 people in the Cordoba Province. Nicknamed “Chick,” Reuter was known as an excellent contact hitter equally against both sides. His power was more focused on the gap but he still went yard a decent amount, posting a 162 game average of 21 home runs, 26 doubles, and 12 triples. Reuter was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but middling at drawing walks.

Reuter was a highly skilled baserunner and had much better speed than you’d expect from a corner infielder with his build. Around half of his career starts came at first base with most of the rest at third and occasional use as a designated hitter. Reuter graded as a rock solid defender at 1B, but was terrible at 3B. He was popular with fans, but did sometimes annoy coaches with low grades for intelligence, work ethic, and adaptability. Reuter did have ironman durability though and never missed any significant time to injury.

In September 2005, Reuter left Argentina for Venezuela on a developmental deal with Barquisimeto. He proved to be a very late bloomer and spent the better part of nine years in their system. Reuter debuted in 2011 at age 21, but only saw 48 plate appearances from 2011-13. Barquisimeto was also a playoff regular at this point, so openings at the corners were limited.

Reuter was on the roster more regularly with 203 games from 2014-15, although he only started 27. He finally earned the full-time gig in 2016 at age 26 and remained a starter for the rest of his career. It marked the end of the Black Cats’ time as a playoff contender with a final wild card and first round exit that year. They wouldn’t be back above .500 again until 2029.

You couldn’t blame Reuter for their woes with Silver Sluggers in 2017, 19, 20, and 21; all at third base. He had a six-hit game on May 28, 2021 against Barranquilla. Reuter led in hits (231) and batting average (.371) in 2016, both career bests. He wouldn’t be a league leader again with Barquisimeto, but he reliably hit above .300 and was usually around 3-6 WAR.

Things got especially bleak for Barquisimeto in 2022 as they finished 35-127; the worst record in Beisbol Sudamerica history by a healthy margin and one of the worst in any league ever. They were 48-114 in 2023, Reuter’s last year with the squad. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t looking to stick around, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 34. This was a very late age though for someone who never was extended to enter the market.

For the Black Cats, Reuter played 1515 games with 1712 hits, 772 runs, 240 doubles, 121 triples, 192 home runs, 797 RBI, 540 steals, 284 walks, .339/.371/.548 slash, 139 wRC+, and 37.5 WAR. He was often the only redeeming thing on some bad teams and was popular, later getting his #27 uniform retired. Reuter went home to Argentina next as he signed for $27 million over four years with Buenos Aires.

Even while in Venezuela, Reuter did represent Argentina regularly in the World Baseball Championship, although often as a reserve. From 2017-31, he played 91 games and started 53 with 62 hits, 31 runs, 15 doubles, 4 triples, 9 homers, 39 RBI, .262/.313/.473 slash, and 1.8 WAR.

When he arrived back in the capital, Buenos Aires was coming off back-to-back first round exits. They struggled with losing records in Reuter’s first two seasons, but he maintained his usual production and led with 212 hits in 2024. The Atlantics bounced back in 2026 as a 92-70 wild card and made an unexpected run, upsetting Sao Paulo for their first Southern Cone League titles since the early 1980s. Buenos Aires then denied Barranquilla’s repeat bid and won Copa Sudamerica.

Reuter was LCS MVP and had 30 hits, 16 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 6 RBI, 9 steals, .906 OPS, 164 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR over 19 playoff starts. It is one of only five times that a player had 30+ hits in the BSA playoffs. Buenos Aries tied for ninth in the Baseball Grand Championship at 11-8, although Reuter struggled in that run with -0.3 WAR and .499 OPS.

The next two years were Reuter’s best for WAR, getting 6.4 both times with Silver Sluggers at first base both years. Buenos Aires was one win short of the playoffs in 2027, which was Reuter’s final year under contract. Coming off a strong season, he went back to free agency at age 38. With the Atlantics, Reuter had 618 games, 819 hits, 375 runs, 107 doubles, 44 triples, 91 home runs, 324 RBI, 251 steals, .343/.378/.539 slash, 163 wRC+, and 19.9 WAR. He’s remembered fondly though for his role in the 2026 championship.

Reuter signed a two-year, $21,600,000 deal with Brasilia. He was third in 2028’s MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. Reuter led with 225 hits in 2028 and had his career bests for runs (107), homers (28), and wRC+ (187). The Bearcats got the league’s top seed at 111-51, but were upset in the divisional round.

Despite having a career year, Reuter’s advanced age meant that Brasilia didn’t protect him for the expansion draft in December 2028. Maracay picked him with the #1 pick and he was lackluster in 2029 with 129 games, 9 homers, .825 OPS, 118 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. The Misfits didn’t re-sign him and he returned to free agency, now at age 40.

Belo Horizonte hoped to recapture some of the magic with a three-year, $38,300,000 deal. The Hogs had been a surprise Copa Sudamerica winner in 2029 and wanted to become a reliable contender. Reuter had two rock solid seasons with the Hogs and became the 19^th member of BSA’s 3000 hit club. However, Belo Horizonte fell just short of the playoffs both years. In 316 games, Reuter had 387 hits, 179 runs, 53 doubles, 27 triples, 40 homers, 175 RBI, 103 steals, .320/.341/.507 slash, 143 wRC+ , and 7.9 WAR. He retired after the 2031 season at age 42.

Reuter finished with 2736 games, 3305 hits, 1483 runs, 445 doubles, 208 triples, 360 home runs, 1461 RBI, 514 walks, 1410 strikeouts, 1004 steals, 913 caught stealing, .339/.370/.538 slash, 147 wRC+, and 73.5 WAR. Reuter ranks 25^th in games, 7^th in hits, 30^th in runs, 22^nd in total bases (5246), 47^th in doubles, 56^th in triples, 50^th in RBI, 19^th in steals, and 3^rd in caught stealing. He does notably miss the top 100 for WAR among position players.

Among BSA batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Reuter is 40^th in batting average and 89^th in OBP. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Reuter is 31^st in batting average. On the downside, he’s also 7^th in world history for times caught stealing; although Beisbol Sudamerica’s play style does lead to a lower success rate compared to most other leagues.

Most voters felt his high average and hit totals got Reuter across the line, as well as his role in Buenos Aires’ championship. There were some Sabermetric-minded voters who felt he was over-rated, pointing to the lower WAR total particularly. Being on some truly terrible Barquisimeto teams and having limited home run power as a 1B/3B marked him down as well. Still, Reuter had enough juice for a first ballot selection at 78.0% as part of BSA’s four-man crew for 2037.



Ronaldo Navarette – Closer – Cali Cyclones – 71.1% First Ballot

Ronaldo Navarette was a 6’0’’, 190 pound right-handed relief pitcher from the capital of Colombia, Bogota. Navarette was known for strong stuff, rock solid control, and above average-to-good movement. His one-two punch was fastball/slider with a 96-98 mph peak velocity range.

Navarette’s stamina was excellent compared to most relievers and he avoided the big injuries that ruin many pitchers. He was a good defensive pitcher with a nice pickoff move. Navarette was very well liked in the clubhouse for a strong work ethic and a team-first attitude.

In the 2016 BSA Draft, Navarette was a mid second round pick, 62^nd overall to Cali. He spent 2017 in developmental, then debuted as the full-time closer; a role he held nine years with the Cyclones. Navarette won Reliever of the Year in both 2022 and 2023, leading in saves both times. 2023 saw his high for WAR at 3.6. Navarette had a 40 save streak from 7/20/22 to 6/29/23.

Navarette’s peak seasons saw wild cards for Cali from 2022-24. Their deepest run saw Bolivar League Championship Series defeats in 2022-23 to the Caracas dynasty. Navarette had one good playoff run in 2023 and terrible outings the other years, finishing with a 5.40 ERA over 26.2 innings, 6 saves, 2-4 record, 26 Ks, and -0.1 WAR.

He had better luck on the big stage of the World Baseball Championship, pitching from 2019-31 for Colombia. Navarette had 43 games and 7 starts with 102 innings, 2.47 ERA, 6-7 record, 17 saves, 159 strikeouts, 33 walks, 145 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 2.6 WAR. It was a down period for the Colombians though with no playoff berths during Navarette’s years.

Navarette wasn’t a Reliever of the Year finalist after his repeat, although he still did have some good years. Cali retreated to the lower-mid tier for the rest of his run there. He had his best ERA of 1.68 in 2024, but was terrible the next year at 5.43. Navarette get league and career bests for saves (46) and games (78) in 2026. For his efforts, Cali later retired his #38 uniform.

With the Cyclones, Navarette had 310 saves and 334 shutdowns, 83-70 record, 2.61 ERA, 730 innings, 917 strikeouts, 164 walks, 155 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 24.8 WAR. He was 31-years old as he became a free agent for 2028 and signed a three-year, $17,600,000 deal with Santiago. In his one year with the Saints, he was effective in mid-relief with a 1.91 ERA in 42.1 innings. Navarette got rocked in his two playoff outings though as Santiago had a first round exit.

In the 2028 expansion draft, Navarette went in the tenth round, 56^th overall, to Cochabamba. In his one year with the Bashers, he led in games (64) and had 33 saves, 2.81 ERA, 92 Ks, and 2.6 WAR. They traded him after the 2029 season to Brasilia for three prospects. The Bearcats ultimately gave Navarette a two-year, $10,600,000 extension.

Navarette had a nice 2030 with 40 saves, 2.39 ERA, 90.1 innings, 3.3 WAR, and a career best 123 Ks. The Bearcats were 102-60, but he was again horrible in the playoffs as they lost in the divisional round. Although a small sample size, Navarette had lousy postseason stats with a career 6.48 ERA over 20 appearances and 33.1 innings.

He had hoped to chase the 400 save milestone, but his velocity was notably down by 2031. Brasilia moved him to the back of the bullpen with a 3.55 ERA, 45.2 innings, and -0.2 WAR. Navarette was under contract for all of 2032, but didn’t see the field. He had 40 saves, 2.78 ERA, 136 innings, 167 Ks, 129 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR with the Bearcats. Navarette retired after shortly before his 35^th birthday.

Navarette ended with 384 saves and 417 shutdowns, 99-92 record, 2.62 ERA, 827 games, 998 innings, 1225 strikeouts, 220 walks, 150 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 31.5 WAR. He ranks 15^th in saves and 18^th in games and just misses the threshold to qualify for rate stats.

Navarette’s ERA was notably the weakest compared to the other Besibol Sudamerica Hall of Fame closers, although he notably played in a higher-scoring era. His WAR was comparable to some of those on the lower end. 350+ saves hadn’t been a lock number, but everyone in BSA with 375+ eligible had made it. Navarette wasn’t an exception, just crossing the 66% threshold at 71.1% for a first ballot nod, capping off a four-man 2037 class.

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Two entered the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame for 2037. SP Pasquale Barola was a first ballot pick at 85.1%, while 2B Oliver Bjerkli got a big bump on his sixth ballot up to 70.0%. SS Nicolo Giotto almost joined him on his sixth try, but barely missed the 66% cutoff at 64.7%. 3B Albert de Jong narrowly missed with a 62.0% debut.

Four other returners were above 50%. RF Zeljko Siladjdzic saw 61.1% on his second try, SP Isak Alsaker saw 55.9% for his second ballot, LF Marco Solis got 50.8% with his ninth and penultimate chance, and RF Ostoja Milic received 50.5% with his second attempt. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Pasquale “The Hammer” Barola – Starting Pitcher – Rotterdam Ravens – 85.1% First Ballot

Pasquale Barola was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Rome, Italy. He had the nickname “The Hammer” due to his impressive 98-100 mph fastball. Barola had overpowering stuff that made up for having merely decent movement and above average control. He also had a changeup, splitter, and knuckle curve in the arsenal; but the fastball was the star.

Barola had solid stamina compared to most European aces, but his career would be shortened by major injuries. He had a strong pickoff move and graded as a strong defensive pitcher. Barola was a humble guy who kept his head down and always did his best for his team.

By the 2018 EBF Draft, Barola was one of Italy’s highest-ranked prospects and Milan took notice, grabbing him 19^th overall. His control was terrible in his earliest years and he saw limited use in his first two seasons. Barola sorted that out for 2021, but had his first major injury setback in July 2022 with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.

Barola came back strong from the injury with 7.3 WAR in 2023, then led the Southern Conference in strikeouts (299) and complete games (16) in 2024. Around this point, Milan was firmly wedged with wins in the 70s each year. They didn’t expect Barola to stay around once he could hit free agency, so he was traded in July 2025 to Rotterdam for three prospects. For the Maulers, Barola had a 78-55 record, 3.44 ERA, 1203.2 innings, 1282 strikeouts, 281 walks, 111 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 25.6 WAR.

The Ravens had posted three straight 100+ win seasons, but hadn’t been able to get beyond the Northern Conference Championship. Barola was a key piece to begin an epic dynasty run, becoming the first-ever three-peat European Champions from 2025-27. Rotterdam beat Zurich in the 2025 finals, Munich in 2026, and Zagreb in 2027.

His split 2025 had his career best for WAR (7.5) and strikeouts (313). Barola had a 2.81 ERA in 25.2 playoff innings, followed by a 2.70 ERA over 30 innings with 54 strikeouts in the Baseball Grand Championship. Rotterdam was 11-8, tied for sixth in their first of three BGC trips.

Barola threw a no-hitter on August 26, 2026 with 8 Ks and 2 walks against Cologne. That year, he was third in Pitcher of the Year voting with a conference and career-best 305 Ks. The Ravens gave him a four-year, $62,200,000 extension in the offseason. In the 2026 playoff run, Barola had a 3.19 ERA over 31 innings. He then won Best Pitcher in the BGC, going 4-0 with a 1.07 ERA in 33.2 innings and 41 strikeouts. Rotterdam was one of six teams at 12-7, officially fourth after tiebreakers.

In 2027, Barola was second in POTY voting with his career bests for wins (24-6) and ERA (2.47). He led with 292 strikeouts, but was third in ERA falling 0.38 short of the Triple Crown. Barola had his best EBF playoff run by ERA (2.15) over 29.1 innings to cap off the three-peat. It was his weakest BGC though with a 4.88 ERA over 27.2 innings. Rotterdam was one of three teams at 13-6, one win short of the top spot, but they were fourth place officially via tiebreaker.

He had an impressive BGC career with a 2.76 ERA, 8-2 record, 91.1 innings, 124 strikeouts, 24 walks, and 3.3 WAR. Barola did see World Baseball Championship outings from 2022-27 with Italy with a 4-4 record, 3.40 ERA, 90 innings, 134 Ks, 27 walks, and 1.1 WAR.

Barola led in wins and Ks again in 2028, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He had a poor postseason with a 7.27 ERA as Rotterdam was stopped in the second round. The Ravens again fell in the second round in 2029 with Barola having a 3.38 ERA in two starts. For his playoff career, Barola had a 7-4 record, 3.17 ERA, 108 innings, 109 strikeouts, 25 walks, 126 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 2.8 WAR. He was certainly a critical piece to one of Europe’s best-ever dynasties.

In 2030, Barola started to falter with his worst full-season ERA of 4.03. Rotterdam finished 88-74 and their playoff streak ended at nine seasons. While they were certainly grateful, the Ravens didn’t re-sign the soon-to-be 34 Barola. In five-and-a-half seasons in the Netherlands, Barola had a 102-35 record, 2.86 ERA, 1250.1 innings, 1441 strikeouts, 245 walks, 138 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 31.7 WAR.

By 2031, Barola’s velocity was now peaking in the low 90 mph range; a hammer no more. He returned home to Italy as Turin gave him a one-year deal. Barola had a 4.39 ERA in 26.2 innings and suffered his second flexor tear during his fifth appearance, knocking him out 10 months. Barola attempted to make a comeback for 2032, but he was clearly cooked and wasn’t signed. He retired that winter at age 35.

Barola finished with a 181-92 record, 3.16 ERA, 2480.2 innings, 2740 strikeouts, 531 walks, 192/311 quality starts, 87 complete games, 20 shutouts, 123 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 57.3 WAR. Barola ranks 84^th in wins, 99^th in strikeouts, and 100^th in WAR among pitchers. His 9.94 K/9 is 84^th among those with 1000+ innings. Injuries certainly prevented him from getting higher on the accumulations list.

His rate stats were solid, but weren’t exceptional or generally in the top 100. On pure numbers, you could argue Barola’s case was borderline. But he was regularly a top three pitcher while with Rotterdam when the posted the European Baseball Federation’s only three-peat. Barola’s explosive stint with the Ravens dynasty was plenty for most Hall of Fame voters, getting 85.1% for a first ballot induction in 2037.



Oliver Bjerkli – Second Base – Amsterdam Anacondas – 79.0% Sixth Ballot

Oliver Bjerkli was a 5’10’’, 185 pound right-handed second baseman from the capital of Norway, Oslo. Bjerkli was a rock solid contact hitter against both sides who was known for his gap power, leading the Northern Conference four times in doubles. His 162 game average had 42 doubles, 5 triples, and 18 home runs. Unlike most leadoff guys, Bjerkli had poor speed and wouldn’t get you many extra bags with his legs. Bjerkli was merely decent at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Bjerkli was a career second baseman with an excellent glove, winning three Gold Glove awards. His zone rating would finish as the 7^th-best at 2B in EBF history. Bjerkli’s durability was impressive, playing 140+ games each year from 2013-25. He became a popular figure both at home in Norway and in Amsterdam, where he spent his entire pro career. Bjerkli was a late first round pick in 2012 to the Anacondas, going 59^th overall.

While in the Netherlands, he still made time to play for Norway in the World Baseball Championship. From 2013-26, Bjerkli played 113 games with 99 hits, 42 runs, 22 doubles, 13 home runs, 38 RBI, .246/.311/.408 slash, and 2.0 WAR. The Norwegians wouldn’t earn any playoff trips during his years in the WBC.

Bjerkli was a full-time starter right away with good results for Amsterdam, taking third in 2013 Rookie of the Year voting. From 2014-24, he was worth 6+ WAR each season with his defense playing a big role. His offensive numbers got him Silver Sluggers in 2015 and 2018. Ivan Marchenko kept him from Gold Gloves in the 2010s, but Bjerkli got three from 2022-24.

His only times as a conference leader were in doubles in 2018, 19, 21, and 24. Bjerkli peaked with 52 in 2018, which is tied for the 4^th-best single-season in EBF. That year also saw his best triple slash of .351/.389/.555 with 161 wRC+ and 8.8 WAR. Bjerkli also had 8.8 WAR in 2022 and had four seasons of 8+ WAR, although he was never an MVP finalist. He also hit for the cycle in 2018 against Hanover. Amsterdam was quite happy with the results and signed him to an eight-year, $97,940,000 extension after the 2017 season.

Other teams kept them from a division title, but from 2013-24, Amsterdam made the playoffs nine times. They didn’t have a ton of luck, only getting to the Northern Conference Championship twice. They won it in 2016 over Cologne, but lost to Zurich in the European Championship. The Anacondas fell to Dublin in the 2020 conference final.

Bjerkli’s career player numbers were remarkably average. In 57 starts, he had 61 hits, 22 runs, 15 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 19 RBI, .272/.329/.375 slash, 97 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR. Bjerkli did fare quite well in the 2016 Baseball Grand Championship, as Amsterdam finished 10-9 in a tie for tenth. Bjerkli had 20 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 9 RBI, .878 OPS, 164 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR.

He was very popular across his run and his #7 uniform would later be retired by Amsterdam. Bjerkli signed a three-year, $59 million extension after the 2025 season, despite that year being his weakest for WAR at 4.3. He was relegated to a bench role with only 47 games and five starts in 2026. The Anacondas were still above .500, but it was the end of their success with an eventual relegation after the 2029 season. Bjerkli retired after the 2026 campaign at age 36.

Bjerkli finished with 2047 games, 2447 hits, 1060 runs, 527 doubles, 68 triples, 233 home runs, 1087 RBI, 453 walks, 1172 strikeouts, 15 steals, .323/.360/.503 slash, 140 wRC+, and 91.7 WAR. Bjerkli ranks 48^th in WAR for position players, 58^th in hits, and 7^th in doubles. However, he’s outside of the top 100 for all other counting stats, which made his Hall of Fame candidacy a tough sell for some voters.

It was always an uphill climb for guys without home run power and for second basemen. Bjerkli’s WAR certainly suggested he belonged, but his more traditional metrics were underwhelming. Those who favored WAR and valued defense championed Bjerkli’s cause, but others thought he was more of a Hall of Pretty Good type. Bjerkli’s popularity and spending his whole run with Amsterdam while they were a playoff regular boosted his profile.

Bjerkli was never below 50%, but he fell short of the 66% requirement in his first five ballots. He started at 55.1% and slowly climbed to 58.2%, 60.7%, and 63.2%. After a drop to 60.8% in 2036, Bjerkli got a big push for his sixth ballot in 2037. He was also helped by a relatively quiet list of debuts, seeing the boost up to 79.0%. With that, Bjerkli capped off the two-man 2037 class for the European Baseball Federation.

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Eurasian Professional Baseball added three starting pitchers into the Hall of Fame for 2037 with each nearly making it in unanimously. Ivan Nikolin had the highest percentage at 99.4% while both Svyvatoslav Tyahnybok and Yevgeni Lyubimov received 98.8%. 2B Gleb Korelin was the only other player above 50%, getting 54.4% for his second try.



1B Roman Stanchinsky fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, getting as close as 58.1% in 2030 before finishing at only 34.6%. He won six Silver Sluggers and an MVP over a 16-year career between Volgograd and Omsk with 1885 games, 2053 hits, 1004 runs, 370 doubles, 421 home runs, 1119 RBI, 462 walks, .286/.330/.523 slash, 154 wRC+, and 65.3 WAR. Unfortunately for Stanchinsky, multiple major knee injuries limited him to about 11 seasons worth of games, keeping his totals just low enough to thwart his candidacy.

SP Ambrosiy Nahornyj also made it ten ballots, but peaked at only 24.0% in 2029 and spent the last four ballots above 5% but below 6%. He had a 169-144 record, 2.84 ERA, 2880.2 innings, 2648 strikeouts, 592 walks, 116 ERA+, 83 FIP- and 60.8 WAR. Nahornyj regressed quickly and was unemployed after his age 33 season, keeping him from hitting the accumulation benchmarks. He never had enough dominance or accolades to make up for that, although he was on a nice pace.

RF Boris Beridze was also worth a mention, falling below 5% on his ninth ballot with a peak at 37.8%. He won four Silver Sluggers in a 16-year run with Voronezh and had 2384 games, 2483 hits, 1145 runs, 336 doubles, 489 home runs, 1349 RBI, .286/.327/.506 slash, 145 wRC+, and 72.4 WAR. Beridze ranks 75^th in WAR among position players, but he lacked black ink or any big dominant seasons.



Ivan Nikolin – Starting Pitcher – Samara Steelers – 99.4% First Ballot

Ivan Nikolin was a 5’11’’, 180 pound right-handed pitcher from Pervomayskiy, Russia; a small settlement of about 10,000 in the Tula Oblast bordering Moscow. Excellent stuff and great control gave Nikolin success despite having mediocre movement that made him vulnerable to the long ball. His velocity peaked in the 96-98 mph range, but it was an exceptional circle change that led the way. Scholars rate it as one of the best circle changeups in baseball history.

Nikolin’s fastball, cutter, and slider were rock solid too and he had a rarely used standard changeup. The extreme flyball tendency made him somewhat boom-or-bust, but his ability to change speed and spot his pitches made him dangerous. Nikolin’s stamina was average relative to other EPB aces, but great durability meant you’d get plenty of innings. He avoided any significant injuries over a 16-year run. Nikolin graded as a strong defensive pitcher, but he was mediocre at holding runners.

In February 2012, a teenaged Nikolin was signed to a developmental deal by Samara. The Steelers were one of the expansion teams founded in 2000 to backfill for the teams that left EPB in the exodus to EBF and ABF. They had never made the playoffs when Nikolin joined the system, but had started to hover in the 80s win range in the 2010s. After four years in the academy, Nikolin debuted in 2016 with iffy results, posting a 4.40 ERA over 141 innings.

Samara made him a full-time starter in 2017 and he led the European League in strikeouts with 323 (that’s good!) but also in losses at 10-20 (that’s bad!). The Steelers would stay below 80 wins from 2016-22. Nikolin did his job though and was good for 300+ strikeouts each year from 2017-29; leading the EL five times in his career. Nikolin was first a Pitcher of the Year finalist taking third in 2019 and 2021. It was 2020 that had his career best WAR of 8.9, his only time leading in that stat.

After the 2020 campaign, Nikolin signed a six-year, $40,880,000 extension with Samara. He led in Ks from 2023-25 and won his lone Pitcher of the Year in 2024. Nikolin had only the 15^th pitching Triple Crown in EPB history, a mark his two Hall of Fame classmates had hit earlier in the decade. It was Nikolin’s lone ERA title at 2.18 with a career best 21-8 wins along with 343 strikeouts.

In 2023, Samara ended their run of losing seasons at 87-75. In 2024, the Steelers earned their first-ever playoff berth as an 89-73 wild card. They upset top seed and defending champ Volgograd in the divisional round, but fell to Nizhny Novgorod in the ELCS. Nikolin’s first postseason action had three quality starts, but three no decisions with a 2.70 ERA over 20 innings.

Nikolin had pitched on the World Baseball Championship stage prior to this, representing Russia from 2018-31. His WBC stats were average with a 7-9 record, 3.47 ERA, 114 innings, 165 strikeouts, 37 walks, 102 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 2.0 WAR. It was a down period for the Russian national team with their lone playoff berth coming in 2023.

Samara hovered around .500 the next two years but Nikolin stayed consistent. After the 2025 season, the Steelers gave Nikolin a six-year, $92,400,000 extension. 2026 had his career highs for ERA (2.06), strikeouts (374), and quality starts (28) with a league-best 0.77 WHIP, but he was third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Nikolin finished third once more in 2028, which had a career and league-best 0.75 WHIP.

In 2027, the Steelers won their first-ever division title at 91-71 and got back to the ELCS, although they fell to top seed Minsk. Samara started a five-year playoff streak with the next four appearances as a wild card. They only once got out of the first round, an ELCS defeat in 2029 to Volgograd. Nikolin’s playoff efforts were solid with a 2.43 ERA over 66.2 innings, 3-1 record, 82 strikeouts, 13 walks, 127 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 2.3 WAR.

Nikolin remained remarkably consistent through 2028, but the cracks started to show after that. In 2030, he allowed a league-worst 43 home runs and dropped below 300 Ks for the first time in a full season (albeit still at 293). Nikolin also had his ERA spike to 3.77 and WAR drop to 2.9. He was relegated to a part-time role in 2031 after posting a 4.67 ERA in 142.2 innings, falling just short of the vaunted 5000 career strikeout milestone. Nikolin didn’t try chasing it as a roster spot wasn’t a guarantee for 2032, retiring after the 2031 campaign at age 36. Samara immediately retired his #2 uniform for his 16 seasons of steady service.

In total, Nikolin had a 229-184 record, 2.74 ERA, 3861.2 innings, 4962 strikeouts, 486 walks, 333/462 quality starts, 190 complete games, 45 shutouts, 117 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 93.0 WAR. Nikolin ranks 26^th in wins, 8^th in strikeouts, 19^th in innings, 26^th in losses, 40^th in complete games, 23^rd in shutouts, and 31^st in pitching WAR. On the downside, his 452 homers allowed ranks 6^th.

Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Nikolin’s 1.13 BB/9 is 22^nd and his 11.56 K/9 is 25^th. Nikolin’s 0.91 WHIP also sits 39^th, although he’s out of the top 100 for ERA or opponent’s OPS. His 4962 Ks clock in at 49^th among all pitchers in baseball history. In his time, Nikolin was perhaps overshadowed with several great contemporaries and by being on forgettable Samara teams in his 20s. While not considered a top ten all-time ace, Nikolin’s Hall of Fame candidacy wasn’t in question. He received 99.4% as part of the stellar three-pitcher 2037 class for Eurasian Professional Baseball.

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Svyatoslav “Rumble” Tyanhybok – Starting Pitcher – Volgograd Voyagers – 98.8% First Ballot

Svyatoslav Tyahnybok was a 6’4’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Hlukhiv, Ukraine, a small city of around 32,000 people in the country’s northeast. Nicknamed “Rumble,” Tyahnybok had very strong stuff and control along with good movement. His velocity peaked in the 99-101 mph range with a fastball, slider, forkball, changeup arsenal.

Tyahnybok had nice stamina and great durability, avoiding the major arm issues that ruin many pitchers. He had an excellent pickoff move and graded as one of the stronger defensive pitchers in the league. Tyahnybok wasn’t a vocal leader, but he was adaptable and quickly became extremely popular throughout the entire league. He was especially beloved by Volgograd, where he spent his entire 16 year pro career.

By the 21^st Century, Ukrainian prospects were far more likely to opt for the European Baseball Federation. Tyahnybok opted for EPB though and soared up the prospect ranks, getting picked #1 overall in the 2015 draft by the Voyagers. Volgograd was one of the 2000 expansion teams and had been largely mid-grade to that point, apart from a European League Championship Series loss in 2007. The Voyagers were in the 80+ win range but outside of the playoffs for most of the 2010s, apart from bottoming out in the middle to get the #1 pick.

Tyahnybok was third in 2016 Rookie of the Year voting, debuting as a closer with 35 saves and a 1.99 ERA. He was a full-time starter for the rest of his career, but didn’t become an elite ace until his fourth season. Tyahnybok’s breakout 2019 earned him Pitcher of the Year with league bests in wins (21-6), ERA (2.12), complete games (15), and shutouts (6). It was his first of nine straight 300+ strikeout seasons, missing a Triple Crown by only 9 Ks. 2019 also had Tyahnybok’s lone no-hitter with nine Ks and one walk on September 11 against Samara.

While his entire pro career took place in Russia, Tyahnybok did regularly return home to Ukraine for the World Baseball Championship. He had decent results from 2017-31 with 224.1 innings, a 14-10 record, 3.49 ERA, 288 strikeouts, and 2.5 WAR. The Ukrainians were generally competitive with playoff berths in 2018, 20, 25, and 28. The deepest run with Tyahnybok was a third place finish in 2025.

Tyahnybok’s ascension to ace status helped begin what would become a dynasty run in the 2020s for Volgograd. He repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2020 to end the Voyagers’ 12-year playoff drought. They set a franchise record at 106-56, but had to settle for a wild card finishing one back of Voronezh in the South Division. Volgograd had the last laugh by sweeping the Zephyrs in the ELCS to claim their first pennant. The Voyagers would be denied in the EPB Championship as Chelyabinsk earned a repeat in six games.

In his first postseason, Tyahnybok was shockingly poor with a 5.46 ERA over 31.1 innings. He fared better in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 2.58 ERA over 38.1 innings with 47 Ks. Volgograd earned the at-large spot for the event and finished 9-10. Tyahnybok would generally have solid playoff stats for the next few seasons as the Voyagers established an European League dynasty.

Tyahnybok three-peated as Pitcher of the Year in 2021 with EPB’s 13^th pitching Triple Crown with a 24-6 record, 1.59 ERA, 332 strikeouts, 0.73 WHIP, 37 FIP-, and 10.7 WAR. It was his first time as the WARlord and would be career bests for wins, ERA, WHIP, and FIP-. Volgograd got the top seed at 109-53, but suffered a stunning first round exit to Nizhny Novgorod. You couldn’t blame Tyahnybok, who had a 1.72 ERA over 15.2 playoff innings with 28 Ks in his two starts.

2022 was arguably Tyahnybok’s best season with career and league bests for strikeouts (378), and WAR (11.2), but he was denied a fourth-straight Pitcher of the Year by Nehor Pomerantz. Tyahnybok was second in POTY voting and third for MVP. Volgograd won the division at 100-62 and beat St. Petersburg in the ELCS for their second pennant. They would be denied their first EPB crown by Omsk in six games. Tyahnybok had a 3.03 ERA and 49 Ks in 38.2 playoff innings.

Now 29-years old, Tyahnybok signed a signed a six-year, $57,300,000 extension to stay with Volgograd. His 2023 was weaker by advanced metrics than his last few seasons, but Tyahnybok led with 22 wins and got his fourth Pitcher of the Year; one of only eight in EPB history to win 4+. The Voyagers won the division at 102-60 and beat 103-win Minsk to earn repeat EL titles. Volgograd then finally earned that first EPB title by knocking off Krasnoyarsk.

In 40 playoff innings, Tyahnybok had a 2.92 ERA with 59 strikeouts and a 3-1 record. He was subpar in the 2023 Baseball Grand Championship with a 3.71 ERA over 26.2 innings as Volgograd finished 7-12. The Voyagers would win the South Division each of the next three years, but couldn’t win a playoff series. Tyahnybok was third in 2024’s Pitcher of the Year voting and second in 2025.

Some thought the good times might be over as Volgograd finished 75-87 in 2027, ending a seven-year playoff streak. The now 34-year old Tyahnybok still was doing well and the Voyagers gave him a four-year, $72,800,000 extension. His stuff started to wane with fewer innings and strikeouts, but he remained a solid starter as Volgograd quickly bounced back.

The Voyagers earned the top seed in for 2028-29 and repeated as European League champs with 92 and 97 win seasons. Both seasons, they faced Vladivostok in the EPB Championship with a defeat in 2028 to the Shibas, but a victory in 2029. Tyahnybok was used in an opener role in his later playoff runs with lousy results. He also gave up nine runs in 7.2 innings in the 2029 BGC as Volgograd finished 10-11.

For his playoff career, Tyahnybok had a 3.43 ERA over 189 innings, 8-13 record, 242 strikeouts, 40 walks, 6 complete games, 95 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 5.2 WAR. The FIP- and WAR totals suggest he performed better than the ERA and record might suggest. Regardless, Tyahnybok was beloved for his role in Volgograd’s 2020s success and saw his #21 uniform later retired by the squad.

2030 saw a new franchise-best at 113-49 for Volgograd, but the season ended in failure with an ELCS upset loss to 86-win Moscow. The Voyagers fell to 76-86 in 2031, Tyahnybok’s last season. He was still a decent innings-eater at that point, but his contract was up and Volgograd wasn’t inclined to give him a new big contract. Instead of testing free agency, Tyahnybok retired that winter at age 38.

Tyahnybok finished with a 274-142 record, 2.56 ERA, 3721.2 innings, 4371 strikeouts, 502 walks, 306/468 quality starts, 199 complete games, 46 shutouts, 128 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 104.4 WAR. Tyahnybok ranks 9^th in wins, 30^th in innings, 32^nd in complete games, 21^st in shutouts, 23^rd in strikeouts, and 18^th in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Tyahnybok’s 10.57 K/9 is 67^th.

Like his 2037 Hall of Fame classmates, Tyahnybok falls short of being a top-five level ace all-time against the loaded pitching greats in Eurasian Professional Baseball. Tyahnybok makes some top ten lists with his four POTY wins and Volgograd’s team success, but it is a crowded field. Like Ivan Nikolin and Yevgeni Lyubimov, Tyahnybok’s HOF credentials were iron clad, joining the three-pitcher crew with 98.8%.



Yevgeni “Hoot” Lyubimov – Starting Pitcher – Krasnoyarsk Cossacks – 98.8% First Ballot

Yevgeni Lyubimov was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Grodno, Belarus; a city 364,000 people near the borders of Poland and Lithuania. Nicknamed “Hoot,” Lyubimov had strong stuff with good control and above average movement. He had 97-99 mph peak velocity with a three-pitch arsenal of fastball, slider, and splitter. Each option was quite good, but the slider was usually considered Lyubimov’s best offering.

Relative to other EPB aces, Lyubimov’s stamina was average with fewer complete games than many of his elite contemporaries. His durability was above reproach and he never missed a single day to injury. Lyubimov’s defense and ability to hold runners both graded as rock solid. He had an impressive work ethic and was considered quite adapatable.

Lyubimov was picked fifth by Krasnoyarsk in the 2014 EPB Draft. He only had 26.1 innings as a rookie with poor results on a 4.78 ERA. Lyubimov became a part-time starter the next two years with mixed results. The Cossacks had an impressive turnaround from 68 wins in 2015 to 91 in 2016. Krasnoyarsk made the Asian League Championship Series as a wild card, falling to defending champ Ufa. The Cossacks dropped to 76-86 in 2017, but found their footing with an 11-year playoff streak starting in 2018.

It was the 2018 playoff run which cemented Lyubimov as a beloved favorite for Krasnoyarsk fans. They were a wild card at 93-69, but only one game behind top seed Ufa. The Cossacks survived a seven-game classic with the Fiends, then knocked off Krasnodar 4-2 to claim their first EPB Championship since 2005. Lyubimov won his three playoff starts with a 1.04 ERA and 24 strikeouts with two complete games. He was subpar in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.13 ERA in 28.1 innings as Krasnoyarsk finished 9-10.

Lyubimov was merely decent in 2019 and lost his one playoff start as the Cossacks had the top seed at 90-72, but lost the ALCS to Chelyabinsk. In 2020, he finally emerged as a true ace with a Pitcher of the Year win and a second place in MVP voting. Lyubimov earned the Triple Crown with a 22-6 record and career bests for ERA (1.46), strikeouts (355), WHIP (0.79), quality starts (28), shutouts (5), and WAR (11.6). The ERA was one of only 35 qualifying seasons in EPB history below 1.50.

Krasnoyarsk had one of EPB’s best-ever regular seasons at 116-46, but suffered an upset loss to Chelyabinsk in the ALCS. The Cossacks would win 102 games in 2021 and 106 in 2022, but suffer a first round loss in the former and ALCS upset loss to 86-win Omsk in the latter. Both years, Lyubimov was third in Pitcher of the Year voting with 9+ WAR. On August 30, 2022, Lyubimov tossed only the 33^rd perfect game in EPB history with 12 Ks facing Ufa.

After the 2022 season, Krasnoyarsk gave Lyubimov a five-year, $45,200,000 extension. He was the WARlord in 2023 and 2024 and was second in 2024’s POTY voting. The Cossacks again had the top seed in 2023 at 103-59 and this time avoided the playoff disappointment. They beat Yekaterinburg to win the AL pennant, but fell to Volgograd in the EPB Championship. Krasnoyarsk won a weak division at 87-75 in 2024, losing to the top-seeded Yaks in the ALCS.

Lyubimov was second in 2025’s Pitcher of the Year voting as the Cossacks got the top seed at 101-61 and their seventh straight East Division crown. They won the ALCS against Perm, then topped Moscow to claim their second EPB title of Lyubimov’s tenure. It was a strong playoff run for him with a 1.20 ERA over 30 innings and 35 Ks. Lyubimov carried on with a 1.91 ERA over 33 innings in the 2025 BGC, although the Cossacks were 8-11.

In 2026, Lyubimov won his second Pitcher of the Year by leading in Ks (351) and WAR (9.8). He was the WARlord again in 2027, leading five times in his career, although he didn’t get awards consideration. Krasnoyarsk had an ALCS loss in 2026 and first round exit in 2027, both courtesy of Yekaterinburg.

On the whole, Lyubimov was lauded for having excellent playoff results during Krasnoyarsk’s streak. In 232.1 innings, he had a 2.29 ERA, 15-9 record, 279 strikeouts, 51 walks, 144 ERA+, 60 FIP-, and 8.1 WAR. Lyubimov remained beloved by Cossacks fans and his #11 uniform would later be retired. However, they let him go into free agency after the 2027 season at age 34. Overall for Krasnoyarsk, Lyubimov had an 184-80 record, 2.39 ERA, 2608 innings, 3300 strikeouts, 482 walks, 63 complete games, 24 shutouts, 137 ERA+, 57 FIP-, and 93.8 WAR.

Lyubimov returned to his native Belarus on a four-year, $83,200,000 deal with Minsk, the defending EPB champs. They would be a one-and-done wild card in 2028, then fell into the abyss for the next four years. Lyubimov led in wins and was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in his 2028 debut and was solid the following two years. In three seasons for the Miners, Lyubimov had a 51-32 record, 2.47 ERA, 775.1 innings, 855 strikeouts, 105 walks, 136 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 22.3 WAR.

With Minsk’s struggles to start the 2030s, they had a fire sale and traded Lyubimov to Samara for two infield prospects. He had a fine 2031 for the Steelers with a 2.57 ERA, 256 innings, 13-13 record, 254 strikeouts, 138 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 6.4 WAR. The Steelers got a wild card with a first round exit with Lyubimov giving up six runs in 6.2 innings in his lone playoff start.

For his playoff career, Lyubimov had a 16-10 record, 2.44 ERA, 247 innings, 291 strikeouts, 54 walks, 135 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 8.2 WAR. He ranks 7^th in playoff wins, 5^th in innings, 4^th in strikeouts, and 3^rd in pitching WAR. Apart from that bad playoff start, Lyubimov was still putting up strong stats to that point as he was due free agency following the 2031 campaign. He would’ve had suitors, but Lyubimov surprised many by announcing his retirement at age 38.

Lyubimov finished with a 248-125 record, 2.42 ERA, 3639.1 innings, 4409 strikeouts, 618 walks, 326/476 quality starts, 109 complete games, 33 shutouts, 137 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 122.4 WAR. Lyubimov ranks 14^th in wins, 37^th in innings, 60^th in shutouts, 20^th in strikeouts, and 8^th in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Lyubimov is 91^st in ERA, 49^th in K/9 (10.90), 80^th in WHIP (0.95), and 79^th in opponent’s OPS (.578).

When looking at Sabermetrics and rate stats, Lyubimov jumps out as the strongest of the three 2037 Hall of Fame inductees by a solid margin. Still, some more traditionalist types might rate Svyatoslav Tyahnybok higher because of wins and more Pitcher of the Year awards. Meanwhile, Ivan Nikolin has the most strikeouts of the three and his backers argue he would’ve had the best numbers if not for being on far weaker clubs than the other two.

By WAR, Lyubimov comes closest to being a true “inner-circle” inductee of the three and his great playoff numbers also vault him into some of the top ten pitcher lists. As mentioned before, there’s been a lot of great aces and tough competition in Eurasian Professional Baseball history. By the HOF metrics, Lyubimov is arguably the top talent to come out of Belarus. He received 98.8% as part of the three-ace 2037 class for EPB.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Two starting pitchers and childhood friends were added into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame for 2037. Sigfred Vela was a no-doubter with a 95.2% debut, while Supa Malata finally breached the 66% requirement at 69.5% on his fifth ballot. SP Lekinala Desire fell painfully short at 65.3% on his fourth ballot. No other players were even above 30% and no one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Sigfred Vela – Starting Pitcher – Guadalcanal Green Jackets – 95.2% First Ballot

Sigfred Vela was a 5’10’’, 175 pound right-handed pitcher from Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. Vela had a smaller stature by typical ace standards, but that didn’t stop him from throwing fire with a 98-100 mph velocity. He had fantastic stuff with above average control, but his movement was lackluster and home runs were often a problem.

Vela got a lot of strikeouts though with an arsenal of fastball, slider, changeup, and splitter. He was a master at changing speeds with both the changeup and slider especially considered as world class in his prime. Vela’s stamina was below average relative to other OBA aces, but he held up well from 2018-28 in the four-man rotation world of OBA. Vela had solid grades for defense and was respectable at holding runners.

He was three years younger than his Hall of Fame classmate Supa Mulata. They became best friends as they progressed together in the Solomon Islands’ amateur circuit as kids. They both grew up as big fans of the local Guadalcanal Green Jackets and Vela’s childhood dream came true, signing a developmental deal with his hometown squad as a teen in February 2012.

Vela spent the better part of five years in their academy, debuting with 47.2 innings in 2016 at age 20. He was a full-time starter after that, but did miss two months in 2017 to a strained oblique. Vela had generally strong healthy for the next decade and struck out 300+ each year from 2018-28 with the Green Jackets. He signed a two-year, $6,280,000 extension after the 2018 season, then a three-year, $23,700,000 extension in June 2020.

2021 was Vela’s best year with Pacific League and career bests for wins (23-10), strikeouts (433), WHIP (0.90), FIP- (62), and WAR (10.3). He also posted his best ERA at 2.63, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. It was the closest Vela came, although he was third the next year with 423 Ks. He led in strikeouts thrice more, but didn’t get a ton of attention as Guadalcanal struggled in his later years.

The Green Jackets had winning records in Vela’s first six seasons, but were unable to claim the Pacific League crown. Their best efforts were 100-62 in 2021 and 97-65 in 2022; both times placing second at two games back on Vanuatu. Guadalcanal would have losing records for the rest of the 2020s, save an 85-win 2027. Vela ended up as one of the top players to never compete in a postseason game. He also didn’t have the World Baseball Championship as an option, as the Solomon Islands were too small to have a qualifying national team.

Vela stayed loyal to his hometown team with a six-year, $145,200,000 extension after the 2022 season. Guadalcanal bottomed out at 70-92 in 2029 with Vela under contract for one more season. He was disappointed to be traded that offseason to Honolulu for two prospects, neither of which amounted to anything. Vela’s #13 uniform would later be retired by the Green Jackets for his hard work. He had a 206-149 record, 3.19 ERA, 3384.2 innings, 4218 strikeouts, 612 walks, 116 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 84.9 WAR.

Honolulu was coming off an 89-win second place season and had won the PL at 110-52 in 2028. Vela was only 33 and they had big hopes for him, giving him a five-year, $60,500,000 extension before he had thrown an inning. Fate dealt Vela a bad hand with bone chips in his elbow after his second start, keeping out the rest of 2029. In spring training 2030, Vela suffered a torn labrum which knocked him out that entire year.

Vela made it back for 2031 and still looked respectable, but a herniated disc kept him out for the fall. In three years with the Honu, Vela had only 184 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 10-6 record, 243 strikeouts, 60 walks, 113 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 3.5 WAR. Fed up with the injuries and rehabbing, Vela retired after the 2031 season at age 36.

In total, Vela had a 216-155 record, 3.19 ERA, 3568.2 innings, 4461 strikeouts, 672 walks, 315/482 quality starts, 65 complete games, 13 shutouts, 116 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 88.4 WAR. Vela ranks 23^rd in wins, 22^nd in innings, 11^th in strikeouts, and 15^th in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Vela ranks 13^th in K/9 at 11.25 and his 1.01 WHIP is 79^th.

Vela managed to put up pretty impressive numbers despite a relatively short career. Even without individual or team trophies, the Hall of Fame voters were wowed by his strikeout numbers in particular. Vela received 95.2% to headline the 2037 class for the Oceania Baseball Association.



Supa Malata – Starting Pitcher – Vanuatu Wizards – 69.5% Fifth Ballot

Supa Malata was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. Malata was known for his excellent pinpoint control, which allowed him to succeed despite having merely average stuff and movement. His velocity peaked in the 95-97 mph range with an arsenal of slider, curveball, and cutter; each considered equally viable.

Malata did have excellent stamina and his durability was generally solid over 18 years. He was one of the better defensive pitchers you’d find and won a Gold Glove in 2024. Malata’s ability to hold runners was decent at best. He was relatively unassuming, quietly putting together a career that eventually received Hall of Fame recognition.

Scouts were excited about Malata though as he entered the 2011 OBA Draft at age 19, picked third overall by Vanuatu. The Wizards were an expansion team from 2006 and had been terrible in their initial seasons. Malata wasn’t a fully formed talent yet though and spent most of his first three seasons in their developmental academy. He didn’t play at all in 2012, then had just 24 relief appearances in the next two years.

Malata earned a full-time starting gig in 2015 and was good for 300+ innings the next five years with Vanuatu. The Wizards had their first winning seasons to close out the 2010s, but wouldn’t be significant title contenders until after Malata’s departure. 2019 was their best effort with him at 94-68, finishing third and five games behind Honolulu.

For Vanuatu, Malata had a 96-62 record, 3.14 ERA, 1609.2 innings, 1279 strikeouts, 227 walks, 82 complete games, 20 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 95 FIP-, and 24.2 WAR. They certainly weren’t bad stats, but he hadn’t been a Pitcher of the Year contender like you’d hope for from the #3 pick. The Wizards ultimately let him leave for free agency at age 27. It would be his longest tenure and the cap he was inducted with, although you would hardly call Malata a Vanuatu legend.

Malata had suitors though from worldwide and particularly had impressed Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, who signed him to a four-year, $45,200,000 deal. Malata struggled in spring training against the MLB talent and despite the hefty investment, Boston flat out released him in March 2020. His brief MLB flirtation ended without a single regular season game.

He wasn’t unemployed for a full week as Malata returned to OBA, signing a four-year, $40,800,000 deal with Melbourne. 2020 was his best season by WAR (6.5) as he led the Australasia League in innings (319.2), and complete games (18). It would be Malata’s only time as a league leader in a major good stat. He was healthy for 2021, but the Mets relegated him to a long relief role with only 77.1 innings.

Malata made it back to the rotation the next two years with respectable results for Melbourne. The Mets were in the top half of the standings during Malata’s years, but came up short in the pennant picture. Their best was a second place in 2021 at 94-68, seven behind Christchurch. For Melbourne, Malata had a 56-36 record, 3.57 ERA, 856.2 innings, 698 strikeouts, 105 walks, 40 complete games, 5 shutouts, 111 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 16.5 WAR.

Now 31-years old, Malata was back to free agency and signed a three-year, $14,520,000 deal with Guam. It was a rebuilding era for the Golden Eagles, who posted their worst seasons of the 21^st Century to that point. In two years, Malata had a 25-34 record, 3.99 ERA, 505.1 innings, 433 strikeouts, 68 walks, 94 ERA+, 102 FIP-, and 6.0 WAR. With a year left on his deal, Malata was traded for 2026 to Christchurch for pitching prospects.

The Chinooks won the 2026 Australasia League title at 109-53, but lost to 119-win Port Moresby in the Oceania Championship. Malata had one career playoff start, a solid winning effort with two runs allowed and eight Ks in 7.2 innings. He had a part-time starting gig for Christchurch with nice results with a 2.88 ERA over 181 innings, 13-3 record, 147 strikeouts, 134 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR.

For 2027, Malata signed a two-year, $8,560,000 deal with Sydney. He ate innings for the Snakes with an 18-12 record, 3.63 ERA, 283 innings, 229 Ks, 104 ERA+, and 3.4 WAR. Sydney was second place at 97-65, but still 11 games away from Canberra. The Snakes voided the second-year team option, which ultimately ended
Malata’s OBA career at age 35.

He wasn’t done with professional baseball, although he ended up in the Central American Baseball Association for the next four years. In 202u with Suriname, Malata had a 4.92 ERA over 168.1 innings, 123 Ks, and 0.6 WAR. In 2029 with Juarez, he had a 5.32 ERA in 181 innings, 142 Ks, and 0.1 WAR. Aguascalientes grabbed him in 2030 and Malata had a 3.99 ERA over 106 innings, 82 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. That was his best pace, but a sprained ankle and bone chips in his elbow kept him out most of the second half.

Haiti gave Malata a look in 2031, although he was abysmal in 35 innings with a 8.49 ERA and -0.7 WAR. He received a ring as the Herons won the CABA Championship, but unsurprisingly he wasn’t used in the postseason. In four CABA seasons, Malata had a 5.12 ERA, 490.1 innings, 22-31 record, 374 strikeouts, 73 ERA+, 121 FIP-, and 0.8 WAR. He retired after the 2031 season at age 39.

In OBA, Malata finished with a 208-147 record, 3.40 ERA, 3435.2 innings, 2786 strikeouts, 440 walks, 250/413 quality starts, 157 complete games, 30 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 94 FIP-, and 53.2 WAR. Malata ranks 28^th in wins, 27^th in innings, 59^th in strikeouts, 11^th in complete games, and 64^th in WAR among pitchers. His 1.15 BB/9 was 18^th among those with 1000+ innings.

For a lot of Hall of Fame voters, 200+ wins was the magic number for a pitcher. Most (but not all) who had reached the mark in the Oceania Baseball Association eventually earned induction. Malata had that and good innings accumulations, but that was it. He was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist, but OBA voters had been pitcher friendly historically. There were a few guys with weaker ERAs and lower WARs that had gotten in previously, leading to the “but if this guy made it, Malata should too” logic.

Still, advanced stats suggested more of a Hall of Pretty Good, above average level career. Malata debuted on the 2033 ballot at only 37.5%, but made gains up to 41.8%, 52.6%, and 61.8%. 2037 was a weak class apart from his old childhood friend Sigfred Vela and some voters liked the narrative that came with adding Malata along with Vela. This pushed Malata across the 66% requirement at 69.5% for a fifth ballot induction. While he’s definitely one of the weaker starting pitchers to earn the nod, he’s got the plaque and bust regardless.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

For the first time since 2029, Austronesia Professional Baseball had no Hall of Fame inductees. Four returners were above 50% in 2037, but short of the 66% requirement. Leading that group was SP Kuo-Chen Kao at 59.2% on his third ballot. CL Meng-Hsien Wu got 56.8% on his tenth and final chance. RF Mohd Aqmal Kunanlan got 52.4% for his third try and 1B Ali Yusuf saw 52.1% for his ninth go. The best debut was CL Tran Chinh Han at 37.7%; the only debutant to crack a 1/3 share.



For Wu, his 56.8% finish was the closest he came to induction, although he also debuted at 56.2% and was never below 40%. He was one of the longest tenured relievers in baseball history, but his APB candidacy was hurt by spending significant time in both BSA and OBA. Wu also wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant, but did won 2008 Reliever of the Year with Batam. He also wasn’t on playoff teams in APB apart from his 2022 run at age 38 with Medan, although he did get five saves with one run allowed in nine innings to help the Marlins to a pennant.

In APB, Wu had 333 saves and 434 shutdowns, 70-71 record, 2.13 ERA, 940 innings, 1404 strikeouts, 234 walks, 122 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 34.1 WAR. He ranks 12^th in saves and 12^th in games, but wasn’t nearly as dominant as most of the other APB HOF relievers, who generally had ERAs below two.

For his combined pro career, Wu had 457 saves and 584 shutdowns, 1078 games, 2.34 ERA, 98-101 record, 1346.1 innings, 1849 strikeouts, 315 walks, 124 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 42.5 WAR. On the world leaderboards, Wu is 16^th in games pitched, 30^th in saves, 13^th in shutdowns, and 31^st in strikeouts among closers. If all of that was in one league, he would’ve made it on tenure alone. But the APB totals alone were just low enough without eye-popping dominance to keep Wu confined to the Hall of Pretty Good.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

3B/1B Xiku Yan stood alone for induction for the Chinese League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2037, making it on the first ballot at 76.1%. The next closest to the 66% induction threshold was SP Dalong Li at 60.5% on his third try. SP Yingfa Luo saw 59.9% for his second go and SP Xiaole Li got 58.2% with his sixth attempt. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 2037.



Xiku Yan – Third/First Base – Qingdao Devils – 76.1% First Ballot

Xiku Yan was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting corner infielder from Dongying, a prefecture-level city over 2,193,000 people on the coast of the Bohai Sea. Yan was an outstanding hitter in aspects specifically against right-handed pitching with a career .944 OPS and 198 wRC+. He was merely okay facing lefties with a .651 OPS and 110 wRC+.

Yan’s power wasn’t prolific, but his 162 game average of 32 home runs, 29 doubles, and 4 triples was quite solid in the ultra-low scoring CLB. He was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but was subpar at drawing walks. Yan was an abysmally slow and clumsy baserunner.

His career was split almost evenly between the corner infield spots. Yan graded as a reliably average defender at first base, but was lousy at third. He had mostly good durability across a 15-year pro career. Yan was a fan favorite and a very likeable guy, appreciated for his leadership, work ethic, loyalty, and team-first attitude. You would be hard pressed to find someone that would bash him.

Yan was the #3 overall pick by Qingdao in the 2017 CLB Draft and spent his entire Chinese career with the Devils. He was a starter right away with immediate results, taking second in 2018’s Rookie of the Year voting. From 2019-25, Yan was good for 7.8+ WAR each season and won Silver Sluggers each year at third base. He played 3B primarily in his 20s and shifted to 1B in his 30s.

In 2020, Yan led the Northern League in runs (100), RBI (115), total bases (360) and WAR (10.9). Those would be career highs, as would his 198 hits, 39 doubles, 39 homers, .327 average, .594 slugging, and .965 OPS. Despite that, he wasn’t an MVP finalist. Yan took third in 2022’s voting with a 10.6 WAR effort that ended a five-year playoff drought for Qingdao. They earned wild cards in both 2022-23, but were defeated in the Round Robin stage.

Yan’s lone MVP win came in 2023, leading the NL in WAR (10.4), runs (97), and hits (185) along with a career-best 222 wRC+ and .383 OBP. After the 2024 season, Yan signed a seven-year, $162,400,000 extension with Qingdao. He was third in 2025’s MVP voting, his last time as a finalist. He remained a solid starter after that, but hovered in the 3-6 WAR range in his early-to-mid 30s.

Qingdao was a losing team from 2024-27, but made it back to the playoffs barely in 2028 at 87-75. The Devils got hot and won the Northern League pennant, but were denied their first-ever China Series win by Xiamen. Yan had good playoff numbers in a small sample size with 38 starts, 40 hits, 18 runs, 8 doubles, 8 homers, 29 RBI, .270/.323/.500 slash, 152 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. He also had limited appearances from 2019-26 with China in the World Baseball Championship, playing 46 games with 30 starts, .888 OPS, 158 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

Yan remained popular, but had his career low 2.5 WAR in 2031 and missed nearly two months to a fractured hand. Qingdao surprised many with a franchise-best 101-61 record, but lost in the round robin. Their long-time star was now 37-years old and on the decline, thus Yan wasn’t re-signed. Although universally liked, you could find younger, cheaper, and better options at first base.

He wasn’t ready to retire yet and put out worldwide feelers. Eventually, the African Association’s Gaborone gave Yan a one-year deal for 2032. However, he stunk in 34 games and 12 starts with .663 OPS and -0.3 WAR. Yan was unsigned in 2033 and retired that winter at age 39. Qingdao was quick to honor him though by retiring his #42 uniform.

With the Devils, Yan had 2085 games, 2280 hits, 1063 runs, 372 doubles, 47 triples, 418 home runs, 1224 RBI, 525 walks, 1194 strikeouts, .300/.349/.526 slash, 177 wRC+, and 97.8 WAR. Yan ranks 32^nd in games, 14^th in runs, 8^th in hits, 8^th in total bases (4000), 4^th in doubles, 17^th in homers, 5^th in RBI, 80^th in walks, and 21^st in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yan ranks 36^th/36^th/44^th in the triple slash and his .874 OPS is 37^th. The Hall of Fame voters for Chinese League Baseball are notoriously harsh towards batters, often holding them to the standards of other world leagues despite CLB’s extremely low-scoring environment. That might account for why Yan only got 76.1%, although even supporters would keep him just below the “inner-circle” level. Regardless, Yan got his deserved spot as the only inductee for 2037 in CLB.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

West African Baseball’s 2037 Hall of Fame ballot was stacked with sluggers as four earned first ballot nods with above 90%. 3B/1B Okoro Yusuf (98.8%) and DH Desmond Jaiyeola (97.3%) had the highest shares with OF Ahmed Kone and OF/DH Hassan Amara both at a strong 90.6%. The only other player above 50% was SP Jacques Ahouansou, debuting at 52.9%. The best returner was SP Joseph Masuta at 47.5% for his sixth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Okoro Yusuf – Third/First Base/Designated Hitter – Cape Verde Vulcans – 98.8% First Ballot

Okoro Yusuf was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting corner infielder from Ondo, Nigeria; a city of around 258,000 inhabitants in the country’s southwest. Yusuf had world class contact ability that graded as an 11/10 by some scouts at his peak. He was solid at drawing walks as well, although his strikeout rate was unremarkable. Yusuf’s had very good power specifically against right-handed pitching with a career 1.125 OPS and 184 wRC+.

He still hit for a high average against lefties, but had a .842 OPS and 120 wRC+ with weaker power. On the whole, Yusuf got plenty of extra base hits with 41 home runs, 38 doubles, and 4 triples per his 162 game average. His speed was okay, but Yusuf was a very clumsy baserunner. At his peak, Yusuf was one of the most efficient hitters in the world, becoming a superstar both in West Africa and globally.

Yusuf’s career starts were roughly split into thirds between third base, first base, and designated hitter. He graded as a very good defender at 1B and even won a Gold Glove in 2027. Yusuf was subpar, but passable at 3B. He had some injury woes, but held up alright in a 16-year career. Yusuf was beloved by comrades and foes as a high character individual. He was a team captain with high marks for leadership, loyalty, work ethic, and intelligence.

In April 2013, Yusuf left for Cape Verde on a developmental deal. After three years in the Vulcans’ academy, he debuted in 2016 at age 19, although he struggled in 55 games and 21 starts. Yusuf was a full-time roster member after that and started most of 2017 with respectable results. He found his power stroke in 2018 with 45 homers. Yusuf was on pace for similar in 2019, but lost about two months to a herniated disc.

From 2020-25, Yusuf had one of the best six-year runs a batter could have. All six years, he was the Western League leader in WAR, wRC+, OPS, and on-base percentage. Yusuf won Silver Sluggers each year with the first four at 3B and the last two at 2B. He won five MVPs (2020-23, 25) and was second in 2024’s voting. Yusuf is one of only four in WAB history to win 5+ MVP awards.

During the run, he also led in hits thrice, runs once, total bases twice, slugging thrice, and batting average four times. Yusuf had a .404 average in 2022 and .407 in 2024, which rank as the 8^th and 5^th best qualifying seasons in WAB history. He’s one of six players in world history with multiple .400 seasons. Yusuf had committed long-term to Cape Verde during the run with an eight-year, $113,500,000 extension signed in July 2021.

2022 was Yusuf’s best season for OPS (1.222), slugging (.766), wRC+ (206), WAR (11.5), homers (52), runs (126), doubles (49), and total bases (464). The OPS ranks as the 6^th-best qualifying season in WAB history. In 2023, Yusuf had his best for RBI at 163 while 2024 was his best for hits (246) and OBP (.468).

Prior to his arrival, Cape Verde had been generally uncompetitive apart from a random pennant win in 2002 and WLCS loss in 2010. They were awful to end the 2010s, but got back above .500 from 2020-23 during Yusuf’s rise. They only made the playoffs twice with wild cards in 2022 and 2023. The Vulcans lost in the second round in 2022, then fell to Abidjan in the 2023 WLCS. In his 12 career playoff games, Yusuf had a 1.025 OPS, 174 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR.

Yusuf did get a chance on the World Baseball Championship stage for Nigeria from 2018-22 and from 2026-30. In 112 games, he had 116 hits, 76 runs, 19 doubles, 34 home runs, 75 RBI, 36 walks, .305/.389/.629 slash, 197 wRC+, and 6.8 WAR. Yusuf became a national hero as Tournament MVP in 2022 as the Nigerians defeated Poland for their first-ever world title. In 27 starts, he had 40 hits, 25 runs, 14 homers, 30 RBI, 1.364 OPS, 303 wRC+, and 2.99 WAR. The WAR ranks as the 9^th-best by a position player in event history.

That run made him a superstar despite spending his entire career in the small island nation of Cape Verde on mostly forgettable teams. After their 2023 WLCS loss, the Vulcans spent the next five seasons with losing records. Yusuf was unable to repeat his MVP pace in his 30s and had a few injuries, including a fractured thumb and bruised wrist in 2028. Still, he remained a strong starter and Cape Verde gave him a five-year, $145 million extension in March 2029 at age 32.

Yusuf was still good for 42 homers in both 2029 and 2030 as a DH, but he fell below a .300 average for the first time in 2030 and saw his strikeout rate jump up. Cape Verde got back to 85-77 in 2030, but fell one win short of the playoffs. Despite the other issues, Yusuf did notably hit for his lone cycle on June 1, 2030 against Bissau.

The decline was incredibly steep in 2031 and he was ultimately benched, struggling to .650 OPS, 65 wRC+, and -0.5 WAR over 76 games and 50 starts. Yusuf retired that winter at only age 35. Immediately, Cape Verde honored Yusuf by retiring his #39 uniform. He would be the franchise’s first Hall of Fame inductee.

Yusuf finished with 2177 games, 2820 hits, 1477 runs, 516 doubles, 55 triples, 552 home runs, 1644 RBI, 732 walks, 1712 strikeouts, 97 stolen bases, .353/.414/.639 slash, 1.052 OPS, 168 wRC+, and 94.7 WAR. Yusuf ranks 57^th in games, 25^th in runs, 21^st in hits, 20^th in total bases (5102), 39^th in doubles, 25^th in homers, 19^th in RBI, 31^st in walks, and 10^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yusuf’s triple slash ranks 8^th/5^th/11^th and his OPS is 4^th. Among Hall of Famers and retired locks, Yusuf is 6^th in batting average, 8^th in on-base percentage, 26^th in slugging, and 10^th in OPS. While West African Baseball’s high offense environment does play a role, Yusuf was undoubtedly an incredibly efficient batter in his prime.

The lack of longevity and lack of team success puts Yusuf on the borderline of being an inner-circle level Hall of Famer. He was admired though for his high character and dedication to Cape Verde despite the franchise’s general ineptitude. Yusuf was a slam dunk inductee at 98.8%, the highest percentage of the four inductees for WAB in 2037.



Desmond Jaiyeola – Designated Hitter – Lagos Lizards – 97.3% First Ballot

Desmond Jaiyeola was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed designated hitter from Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous city. Jaiyeola was renowned for his home run power, which some scouts called a 10/10 in his prime. From 2020-30, he had 11 consecutive seasons with 50+ homers and topped 60+ six times and 70+ thrice. Jaiyeola was especially strong against right-handed pitching with a career 1.034 OPS and 152 wRC+, compared to only a .822 OPS and 108 wRC+ facing lefties.

Jaiyeola was a good contact hitter against righties and average against lefties. He drew fewer walks than you’d expect and did struggle with strikeouts with a 25.2% K rate. Jaiyeola was always swinging for the fences and only got 25 doubles per his 162 game average, but that wasn’t an issue with 58 dingers and 130 RBI per 162. He was an incredibly skilled and savvy baserunner, providing impressive results despite having subpar speed.

He was a career designated hitter, making only one non-DH start for his entire career with only 39.1 total innings with his glove. You knew Jaiyeola was always ready in the lineup with his bat as he had great durability. He was one of the smarter guys in the game, but some teammates and peers felt he was self-centered and only focused on personal glory.

Jaiyeola’s power potential shot him up the prospect rankings and he went 12^th to Abidjan in WAB’s 2013 Draft. He was a very raw prospect and had limited options without defensive value. The Athletes kept him in the developmental system all of 2014 and most of 2015 save for 14 plate appearances. Jaiyeola saw part-time action the next three years with mix results. For Abidjan, he played 313 games with 165 starts, getting 212 hits, 132 runs, 32 doubles, 66 home runs, 162 RBI, 46 walks, 206 strikeouts, .266/.311/.560 slash, 114 wRC+, and 3.0 WAR.

Abidjan was underwhelmed by his progress and didn’t see a long-term spot for Jaiyeola. In 2018, they had the Western League’s top seed, but lost to Banjul in the WLCS. Just before the 2019 season started, the Athletes opted to trade Jaiyeola straight up to Nouakchott for SS/2B Farouka Ibrahim. The Night Riders made him a full-time starter and he started to put things together, starting his streak of 50+ homer seasons in 2020.

Jaiyeola got his first Silver Sluggers from 2020-22 with Nouakchott and was third in 2020’s MVP voting, second in 2021, and third in 2022. He was a league leader for the first time in 2021 in runs (123), hits (217), homers (59), RBI (153) and total bases (427). That season had his career best for hits and batting average (.330). Nouakchott got wild cards from 2019-21 and made the 2020 WLCS, although they fell to Conakry. The other two years had first round exits. Jaiyeola struggled in the small playoff sample size with .649 OPS and 59 wRC+.

Overall for Nouakchott in four seasons, Jaiyeola had 624 games, 803 hits, 480 runs, 126 doubles, 221 home runs, 540 RBI, 125 walks, 142 steals, .325/.365/.657 slash, 154 wRC+, and 22.6 WAR. He was now a premiere slugger and looked to cash in, heading to free agency for 2023 heading into his age 29 season. Jaiyeola found the big payday back in his hometown on a six-year, $146,600,000 deal with Lagos.

Jaiyeola won Silver Sluggers in 2023, 25, and 28 for the Lizards. His lone MVP win came in 2024 and he took second in 2025. Jaiyeola led the Eastern League in homers in all six seasons with Lagos, peaking with 78 dingers and 160 RBI in 2024. He crushed 76 homers in 2025 and 74 in 2028, holding the top three seasons in WAB history. Jaiyeola is one of nine players in all of pro baseball history with three or more seasons of 70+ homers. His 78 in 2024 is tied for the 12^th-best in world history. Jaiyeola also had four seasons of 150+ RBI, a feat only met in WAB by Mo Reda and Youssoupha Diop.

He led in RBI twice, total bases thrice, slugging once, and runs once during the Lagos run. 2025 had his career bests for WAR (6.5), wRC+ (167), and OPS (1.078). 2028 was his top mark for runs (140), while his best slugging was .721 in 2024. On August 27, 2028; Jaiyeola had a four homer game against Ouagadougou; one of ten such games in WAB history.

Lagos had been terrible generally in the 2010s, but ended an eight-year playoff drought in 2024. They also made it in 2026 and 2027, each time as a wild card. Only once did the Lizards make the ELCS, losing to 112-win Cotonou in 2026. Jaiyeola again had awful playoff stats with a .200/.250/.333 slash, 37 wRC+, and -0.4 WAR.

The biggest knock on Jaiyeola was his playoff failures. In 41 career starts, he had 34 hits, 21 runs, 9 homers, 23 RBI, 61 strikeouts, .205/.253/.392 slash, 51 wRC+, and -0.4 WAR. He did alright in his limited World Baseball Championship action from 2021-27 with Nigeria. Jaiyeola was usually a reserve with 43 games and 18 starts, but had a .787 OPS, 125 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. He did receive a world championship ring as part of Nigeria’s 2022 triumph.

For Lagos, Jaiyeola played 953 games with 1099 this, 743 runs, 143 doubles, 410 home runs, 820 RBI, 216 walks, 1021 strikeouts, 114 steals, .295/.338/.670 slash, 147 wRC+, and 30.2 WAR. He was popular in his hometown, but the short tenure and playoff woes kept him from getting his jersey retired. Jaiyeola hoped to get a big contract as he returned to free agency for 2029 heading towards age 35. Despite his 74 homers the prior year, he had to settle for only $38 million over four years with Monrovia.

Jaiyeola still hit 50+ homers with 100+ RBI in 2029-30 for the Diplomats, although his overall production was starting to dip from his Lagos prime. Monrovia ended an 18-year playoff drought in 2030 at 90-72, but had a second round exit. At this point, Jaiyeola was more focused on milestones. Darwin Morris had been the home run king since 2014 with 806, the first in WAB to breach 800. Jaiyeola was one of five guys who had a good shot to catch that mark heading into the 2030s.

At the start of the 2031 campaign, Jaiyeola joined the 800 club. It was a down season overall for him, getting reduced to a platoon role with 116 games, 88 starts, .808 OPS, 102 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. He got to 829 homers to become WAB’s career leader. Jaiyeola’s time on the throne was brief as Abdel Aziz Ashraf got to 800 in late 2031 and passed Jaiyeola in 2032. Youssoupha Diop would also pass Jaiyeola by 2035.

For Monrovia, Jaiyeola played 420 games with 398 hits, 262 runs, 60 doubles, 132 home runs, 336 RBI, 118 walks, 428 strikeouts, .269/.325/.582 slash, 119 wRC+, and 6.9 WAR. Jaiyeola didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fourth year of the deal, becoming a free agent for 2032. He wanted to still play, but teams felt he had little utility at this point. After going unsigned, Jaiyeola retired in the winter of 2032 at age 38.

Jaiyeola ended with 2310 games, 2512 hits, 1617 runs, 361 doubles, 32 triples, 829 home runs, 1858 RBI, 505 walks, 2300 strikeouts, 5424 total bases, 337 steals, .297/.341/.640 slash, .981 OPS, 141 wRC+, and 62.7 WAR. Jaiyeola ranks 34^th in games, 16^th in runs, 45^th in hits, 15^th in total bases, 3^rd in homers, 12^th in RBI, and 48^th in WAR among position players. He ranks 9^th in slugging among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances and 27^th in OPS. Jaiyeola is also 25th in slugging among world Hall of Famers and retired locks.

He also ranks 42^nd on the world leaderboard for home runs. For pure, raw power, few in baseball history can match Jaiyeola. His other deficiencies and playoff putridness though keep him from being considered an inner-circle player among West African Baseball’s greats. But that exceptional power alone made Jaiyeola a Hall of Fame lock, joining WAB’s four-man 2037 class at 97.3%.

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Ahmed “Porky” Kone – Right/Left Field – Kano Condors – 90.6% First Ballot

Ahmed Kone was a 5’11’’, 195 pound left-handed corner outfielder from Dedougou, Burkina Faso; a small city with around 38,000 people. Nicknamed “Porky” for his stout appearance, Kone was an excellent contact hitter and a fantastic baserunner. He led in both stolen bases and batting average thrice and had a 76% success rate on steals, making him an excellent leadoff man.

He had solid gap power with a 162 game average of 39 doubles, 11 triples, and 21 home runs. Kone fared better against right-handed pitching (.930 OPS, 136 wRC+) versus lefties (.832 OPS, 114 wRC+). He was better than most at avoiding struggles, but rarely drew walks. Kone had excellent durability and started 140+ games in all but his rookie season.

Defensively, Kone made around 2/3 of his starts in right field with most of the rest in left. At both spots, he was a subpar defender. Kone wasn’t disruptive, but his work ethic was questionable and he wasn’t one to take a leadership role. He also wasn’t particularly loyal, thus he was never with one team longer than six seasons.

In the 2015 WAB Draft, Kone was picked eighth overall by Freetown. He was a starter right away and second in Rookie of the Year voting. In his third season, Kone led in hits (229), steals (97), and batting average (.371); winning a Silver Slugger in right field. That year, he also had a six-hit game against Libreville on May 17. Kone fell off a bit in 2019, then led again in hits (238), steals (117), and average (.384) in 2020. The steals mark was his career best.

Despite Kone’s success, Freetown was amidst a major rebuild, averaging only 64.8 wins per season in his tenure. The Foresters weren’t expecting him to sign long-term once eligible, thus he was traded after the 2020 season to Libreville for three prospects. One of them was LF Edward Mumini, who would win two Silver Sluggers and become a 15-year starter for Freetown, helping them to titles in 2028 and 2031. For the Foresters, Kone played 749 games with 1030 hits, 489 runs, 194 doubles, 57 triples, 72 homers, 396 RBI, 428 steals, .346/.367/.521 slash, 129 wRC+, and 21.5 WAR.

Kone won Silver Sluggers in both 2021 and 2022 for Libreville in RF. In summer 2021, he had a 37-game hitting streak, followed by a 41-game streak in 2022. Those rank as the third and fifth-best streaks in WAB history. The 41-game streak is also tied for the 11^th-longest in world history. The Lakers lost to Yaounde in the 2021 Eastern League Championship series and had a second round exit in 2022. Kone had a 1.355 OPS in 2021, but missed the 2022 postseason to a fractured finger.

In two seasons with Libreville, Kone had 306 games, 470 hits, 246 runs, 81 doubles, 21 triples, 50 home runs, 215 RBI, 158 steals, .366/.389/.579 slash, 146 wRC+, and 11.6 WAR. He ended up as a rental, as Kone was excited to test out free agency heading into his age 30 season. Kano gave him a seven-year, $113,200,000 deal. The Condors won the WAB title in 2017 and 2019, but had fallen to 74-88 in 2022. They hoped that Kone could help them bounce back.

The plan worked in 2023 with a 96-66 finish and ELCS upset win over Port Harcourt. Kano would fall to Abidjan in the West African Championship. In 11 playoff games, Kone had a .947 OPS and 0.6 WAR. 2023 was his best season, winning another Silver Slugger with a second place in MVP voting; his only time as a finalist. He led with career bests in runs (147), hits (255), average (.394), OBP (.426), wRC+ (164), and WAR (8.1). Kone also had his highs for doubles (51), slugging (.614), and OPS (1.040). The 147 runs are tied for the sixth-best season in WAB history.

Kone was still a solid starter over the next five years, but his production was down from his MVP season and prior. He led in hits once more in 2027. Kano’s success in 2023 was a one-off, as they’d only make the playoffs once more with Kone; a first round loss in 2026. He declined his contract option for 2029, finishing his run with six seasons, 911 games, 1269 hits, 689 runs, 222 doubles, 62 triples, 128 home runs, 475 RBI, 464 steals, .341/.372/.538 slash, 132 wRC+, and 26.8 WAR.

In his limited playoff career, Kone had 24 games, 44 hits, 17 runs, 6 doubles, 3 homers, 17 RBI, 13 steals, .431/.442/.598 slash, 171 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. Burkina Faso only occasionally qualified for the World Baseball Championship, but Kone joined his country’s team in 2023, 25, 26, 31, and 32. He had 51 games and 44 starts with 42 hits, 18 runs, 7 doubles, 5 homers, 18 RBI, 17 steals, .249/.303/.379 slash, 98 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR.

Kone signed a three-year, $27,300,000 deal for 2029 with Niamey and won his fifth Silver Slugger in his debut, leading the league with 89 steals. He posted a 38-game hitting streak in the summer, giving him the third, fifth, and sixth-longest streaks in WAB history. Kone is the only player in professional baseball history to have three different 35+ game hitting streaks in his career. The Atomics had a first round exit in 2029, the final year of a six-year streak.

The next two years, Kone had his weakest full seasons apart from his rookie season with 1.4 WAR both years. He did notably become WAB’s eighth batter to 3000 hits. For Niamey, Kone played 455 games with 570 hits, 285 runs, 93 doubles, 26 triples 61 homers, 287 RBI, 186 steals, .324/.349/.510 slash, 117 wRC+, and 8.2 WAR. He went unsigned in 2032 and retired that winter at age 39.

Kone finished with 2421 games, 3339 hits, 1709 runs, 590 doubles, 166 triples, 311 home runs, 1373 RBI, 406 walks, 1467 strikeouts, 1236 steals, .343/.369/.533 slash, .902 OPS, 130 wRC+, and 68.1 WAR. Kone ranks 23^rd in games, 14^th in runs, 7^th in hits, 18^th in total bases (5194), 17^th in doubles, 35^th in triples, 49^th in RBI, 3^rd in steals, and 28^th in WAR for position players.

Among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Kone is 20^th in batting average and 85^th in OBP. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Kone is 15^th in average and just misses the world top 50 for stolen bases. For his efforts as a top-tier leadoff man, Kone received 90.6% for a first ballot induction as part of West African Baseball’s four-man 2037 class.



Hassan “Homicide” Amara – Outfield/Designated Hitter – Lagos Lizards – 90.6% First Ballot

Hassan Amara was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed outfielder and first baseman from Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria. Nicknamed “Homicide,” Amara was known as an excellent contact hitter against both sides. His power wasn’t incredible, but he had a very reliable pop in his bat with 31 home runs, 38 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. Amara was better than most in WAB at avoiding strikeouts, but was subpar at drawing walks. Amara’s best success came facing left-handed pitching (1.012 OPS, 156 wRC+) but he was plenty solid against righties (.921 OPS, 137 wRC+).

His baserunning and speed were above average-to-good for most of his run. Despite that, Amara was a terribly clumsy defender at each spot he tried. About half of his starts were split between the corner outfield slots with some play at first base. Amara also made about 1/3 of his starts as a designated hitter. He was intelligent, adaptable, and had respectable durability over a 20 year pro career.

Amara grew up as a Lizards fan and the local franchise watched his amateur career closely. He was delighted to be taken third overall by Lagos in the 2009 WAB Draft, although he was still a raw prospect. Amara spent all of 2010 and 2012 in the academy, while playing 25 games in 2011. He showed some promise with 84 games and 52 starts in 2013, earning a full-time gig from 2014 onward.

In 2015, Amara won his first Silver Slugger in RF, leading the Eastern League with a 174 wRC+. He also had his career best WAR at 6.9, prompting Lagos to give him an eight-year, $47,940,000 extension in the winter. Amara had a good pace for 2016, but lost a month to injuries. He then struggled in 2017 to only 1.5 WAR and .852 OPS, making some fear that his earlier success was a fluke. Amara bounced back though with Silver Sluggers in 2018-19 in LF.

For his remaining four seasons with Lagos, Amara was a capable starter but far from award winning. The Lizards were generally terrible during his run with only one winning season between 2009-23; a first round playoff exit in 2015. Amara did notably hit for the cycle in both 2020 and 2022 with Lagos. He was popular as a hometown favorite and would see his #9 uniform retired. However, his production wasn’t strong enough to justify a new extension, entering free agency after the 2023 season at age 33.

With Lagos, Amara had 1502 games, 2007 hits, 972 runs, 352 doubles, 85 triples, 291 home runs, 1014 RBI, 268 walks, 861 strikeouts, 402 steals, .346/.374/.586 slash, 145 wRC+, and 38.4 WAR. Abidjan signed him to a five-year, $34,500,000 deal and were ultimately greatly rewarded. Although Lagos was his longest tenure and his hometown, Amara’s strongest production came in his 30s with the Athletes, who were the defending WAB champ when he signed.

Playing DH, Amara won Silver Sluggers in 2024, 2025, and 2027; taking third in MVP voting each year. In his 2024 debut, Amara led the Western League in runs (131), hits (248), and total bases (454). Those were all career highs, as was his 46 home runs and 138 RBI. It was his only season with 40+ dingers. Amara also had a six-hit game in April against Bouake.

Abidjan had an impressive 114-48 season in 2024, but were upset in the WLCS by Freetown. Amara had a better pace in 2025, but lost six weeks to a strained PCL. Still, he qualified to lead the league with a .404 average and .703 slugging percentage; while also getting his career best OPS (1.133) and wRC+ (195). Abidjan got a wild card and lost in the second round.

Amara led in hits in both 2026 and 2027 and had another batting title the latter year. Abidjan won the 2026 WLCS over Banjul with Amara as series MVP, but they lost to Cotonou in the WAB Championship. They had a first round exit in 2027, the last year of their seven-year playoff streak. He also hit for the cycle again in 2026 and is one of eight WAB players to do it thrice in a career. In his 20 playoff starts, Amara had 26 hits, 15 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 13 RBI, .342/.373/.579 slash, 128 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

In 2028, Amara regressed significantly and was reduced to a part-time role with .840 OPS and 1.0 WAR over 110 games as Abidjan fell to 72-90. He did become the 7^th member of WAB’s 3000 hit club in August. He certainly blew away expectations over the five seasons with the Athletes with 710 games, 1017 hits, 482 runs, 182 doubles, 51 triples, 151 home runs, 575 RBI, 147 steals, .356/.390/.614 slash, 157 wRC+, and 24.9 WAR.

Now 38 and a free agent for 2029, Ibadan gave Amara a three-year, $15,040,000 deal. He filled a spot for the Iguanas, who were stuck in the 70s win range during his run. Amara was subpar with 311 games, 322 hits, 147 runs 59 doubles, 39 homers, 155 RBI, .270/.309/.436 slash, 92 wRC+, and -0.3 WAR. He retired after the 2031 season at age 41.

Amara ended with 2523 games, 3346 hits, 1601 runs, 593 doubles, 147 triples, 481 home runs, 1744 RBI, 494 walks, 1576 strikeouts, 586 steals, .340/.371/.576 slash, 142 wRC+, and 62.9 WAR. Amara ranks 18^th in games, 6^th in hits, 17^th in runs, 11^th in total bases (5676), 15^th in doubles, 36^th in homers, 15^th in RBI, and 46^th in WAR among position players.

His batting average is 26^th among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances and ranks 25^th among world Hall of Famers and retired locks. Amara is also 75^th in OBP, 65^th in slugging, and his .947 OPS is 53^rd for WAB qualifiers. The Abidjan run really boosted his rate stats, which combined with the lengthy Lagos tenure got him impressive accumulations.

Like a few of his 2037 HOF classmates, Amara doesn’t usually factor into any top ten lists for all-time batters in West African Baseball. But 3000+ hits, 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, plus just under 600 doubles and 500 homers easily makes for an obvious inductee. At 90.6%, Amara earned a first ballot spot within the four-man 2037 class for WAB.

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South Asia Baseball had its largest-ever Hall of Fame class in 2037 with five inductees. Each was a first ballot pick, led by SP Dusit Kyo at 93.5%. Three other pitchers made it with Quang Thinh Phan (82.9%), Gurdip Nabendu (79.4%), and Hong Thanh Chung (74.1%). OF Sokha Khem was the lone position player in the class at 72.6%. One other debut was just above 50% but short of the 66% requirement with 2B Shivansh Mahapatra at 50.9%. LF Ganga Wong was the best returner at 47.1% on his second ballot.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was SP Siddhant Shakya, who had a 14-year run with Kanpur. He debuted at 63.8% and was at 62.5% in 2036 before ending with a low of 46.8%. Shakya had a 166-116 record, 2.99 ERA, 2532 innings, 3235 strikeouts, 120 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 52.5 WAR. He helped the Poison win the 2018 SAB title.

Shakya’s rate stats were good, but he lacked accolades and black ink. He also had the misfortune of blowing out his elbow at age 32, which kept him from reaching the longevity milestones. Still, Shakya did get his #16 uniform retired by Kanpur for his efforts, but was confined to the Hall of Pretty Good.

Qamar Maududi and Devidasa Anantya were both pitchers who fell below 5% and were dropped on their ninth ballot. Maududi notably had a 225-139 record, 3.42 ERA, 3260.1 innings, 3420 strikeouts, 105 ERA+, 94 FIP-, and 48.9 WAR. He’s 6^th in wins and 27^th in Ks, but only 57^th in WAR. He was dismissed as a compiler and peaked at 32.1%, but Maududi was important for two championships with Kolkata.



Dusit Kyo – Starting Pitcher – Dhaka Dobermans – 93.5% First Ballot

Dusit Kyo was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Phitsanulok, Thailand; a city of about 61,000 in the nation’s northern region. Kyo had very good stuff, rock solid control, and above average movement. His fastball only peaked in the 94-96 mph range, but he was very effective at switching between that and a curveball, screwball, and changeup.

Kyo’s stamina was good compared to most SAB aces and he had mostly good durability in his career. He was decent at holding runners, but struggled defensively. Kyo was known as a high character individual with great leadership, loyalty, and intelligence. He became one of Thailand’s most popular baseball superstars and was beloved in Dhaka, where he spent his entire pro career.

He made the move to Bangladesh when picked sixth by the Dobermans in the 2016 SAB Draft. Kyo still regularly returned home to Thailand for the World Baseball Championship from 2020-30. In the WBC, he had 143.1 innings, 3.33 ERA, 12-8 record, 203 strikeouts, and 3.7 WAR. Kyo’s 2020 WBC debut was Thailand’s best-ever finish, taking third.

Kyo spent his first two years in Dhaka’s academy with only one poor relief appearance in 2018. He came up as a full-time starter in 2019 and earned Rookie of the Year honors. Kyo was a true ace by 2021, leading the Southeast Asia League that year in wins at 19-8. 2021 had his lone no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and 2 walks against Chittagong.

2021 also ended a seven-year playoff drought for Dhaka and started what would become a 11-year streak. They were the second wild card at 87-75, but got hot and upset Da Nang to win the SEAL pennant. The Dobermans would be denied by Delhi in the SAB Championship. Kyo’s first playoff run was only okay with a 4.10 ERA over 26.1 innings with 29 Ks. That winter, Dhaka signed him to a five-year, $25,580,000 extension.

Kyo won Pitcher of the Year in 2022, leading in WAR (8.5), FIP- (63), complete games (12), and shutouts (3). It was his first of seven seasons with 300+ strikeouts. Dhaka was a 99-win wild card but lost in the first round. Kyo led with career bests for Ks (343) and WAR (8.6) in 2023, but was third in POTY voting. This would be the best record of Dhaka’s playoff streak at 108-54.

The Dobermans again defeated Da Nang for another SEAL title, but they were denied the SAB title as Visakhapatnam began their historic three-peat. Kyo was 0-3 in five playoff starts, but had bad luck with a 3.63 ERA, 34.2 innings, 42 Ks, 35 FIP-, and 1.8 WAR.

Dhaka earned the at-large spot into the Baseball Grand Championship. Kyo went 3-1 with a 3.99 ERA over 29.1 innings, 40 Ks, and 0.5 WAR. Dhaka shocked the field by finishing first at 14-5, becoming the first franchise from South Asia Baseball to claim Grand Champion honors. This accolade defined the Dobermans’ 2020s success and helped solidify Kyo as a franchise icon.

Kyo won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2024 with his bests for ERA (2.79) and WHIP (0.96). He took third in 2025 and 2027’s voting and signed a six-year, $88,200,000 extension after the 2025 season. He was worth 6+ WAR each year from 2021-29 and was the WARlord again in 2029.

While Dhaka’s playoff streak continued, they would have no postseason luck. The Dobermans had division titles in 2024-25, but were upset both years in the first round. The next five seasons saw wild cards and no playoff series wins. This era was the rise of Mandalay, who won four straight SEAL crowns from 2026-29. In his playoff career, Kyo’s stats were a mixed bag with more good than bad. He had a 4-7 record, but a 3.56 ERA, 116 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 3.5 WAR. Kyo tossed 126.1 playoff innings with 144 strikeouts and 22 walks.

In 2030, Kyo had his career worst ERA to that point at 4.40 with only 3.6 WAR. He was reduced to a part-time role in 2031 with a 4.65 ERA over 112.1 innings. Dhaka had one last gasp as the top seed at 108-54, but lost to Yangon in the SEAL Championship. Kyo did have some small back issues, but he was otherwise healthy and just sharply declined. He retired after the 2031 season at age 35 and quickly had his #30 uniform retired by the Dobermans.

Kyo finished with a 210-106 record, 3.29 ERA, 2864.1 innings, 3595 strikeouts, 525 walks, 243/367 quality starts, 78 complete games, 14 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 77.8 WAR. Kyo ranks 12^th in wins, 33^rd in innings, 25^th in complete games, 59^th in shutouts, 18^th in strikeouts, and 13^th in WAR for pitchers. His abrupt decline kept him from accumulations that might have made him an inner-circle level Hall of Famer.

Even if he’s not a top five ace in South Asia Baseball history, Kyo’s resume was plenty impressive. He was a reliably strong starter and two-time Pitcher of the Year during a regular decade of contention for Dhaka, winning two SEAL pennants and the Grand Championship. Kyo received 93.5% to headline SAB’s historic five-man class for 2037. He’s also the first Thai pitcher inducted and often cited as the nation’s best pitcher to date.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Quang Thinh Phan – Starting Pitcher – Pune Purple Knights – 82.9% First Ballot

Quang Thinh Phan was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Phan had impressive stuff with respectable control, but his movement was iffy and he had trouble with allowing home runs. His velocity peaked in the 96-98 mph range with four equally potent pitches; a fastball, slider, curveball, and screwball.

Phan’s stamina was good compared to other SAB starters and his durability held up generally in a 17-year run, only finally getting big injuries at the end of his career. He graded as mostly average in terms of defense and holding runners. Phan was a team captain with high marks for leadership, work ethic, and intelligence. He left his native Vietnam as a teenager in January 2008, signing a developmental deal in Myanmar with Mandalay.

Although he never pitched for one of the Vietnamese pro teams, Phan did represent his country from 2019-30 in the World Baseball Championship. His results on the world stage were underwhelming with a 3.69 ERA, 0.6 WAR, 141.1 innings, 6-6 record, 197 strikeouts, and 46 walks. Vietnam notably in 2027 did make its deepest run yet with a third place finish.

Phan spent the better part of seven seasons in Mandalay’s academy, debuting with 46.2 innings between 2013-14. He struggled in those brief appearances, but earned a full-time rotation spot from 2015 onward. In his first three full seasons, Phan was a below average starter. He began to develop his knack for strikeouts after that, making up for his issues allowing home runs.

Mandalay had a three-year playoff streak from 2017-19. They had a first round exit in 2017, then won a quiet division at 88-74 in 2018. The Mammoths got hot and won their first ever Southeast Asia League pennant, beating Vientiane in the final. The Mammoths were denied the SAB title by Kanpur. Phan had a rock solid playoff run with a 2.94 ERA over 33.2 innings with 40 Ks.

In 2019, Phan won Pitcher of the Year with SEAL bests for strikeouts (308), WHIP (0.95), and quality starts (23). The 2.57 ERA would be the second-best of his career. He won his three playoff starts with a 1.46 ERA, but Mandalay fell in the SEAL championship rematch with the Vampires. Cautiously optimistic that they had found their ace, the Mammoths gave Phan a three-year, $15,400,000 extension that winter.

The Mammoths hovered around the .500 mark for the next three seasons. Phan led with a career best 373 strikeouts in 2020, but had a putrid start to 2021 with a 5.47 ERA in 102 innings. Mandalay traded Phan in June to Kolkata for two prospects. With the Mammoths, Phan had a 78-70 record, 3.99 ERA, 1457.2 innings, 1815 strikeouts, 284 walks, 96 ERA+, 98 FIP-, and 20.2 WAR. It was narrowly his longest tenure, but Phan’s more memorable later run with Pune put him into the HOF in purple instead of brown.

Phan bounced back in the second half for the Cosmos with a 2.81 ERA. Kolkata ended a five-year playoff drought and had the Indian League’s top seed at 102-60, but got upset in the first round. The Cosmos had a wild card and first round defeat in 2022. Phan had a 2.70 ERA over 226.2 innings with 315 Ks and 4.0 WAR in 2022, giving him a nice boost as he entered free agency for 2023 at age 31.

His most famous run was next, signed at $54,100,000 over six years by Pune. Phan won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2026 with a league and career-best 8.5 WAR. This also had his best ERA at 2.52 and a league-best 366 strikeouts. Phan was also the Ks leader in both 2023 and 2024 for the Purple Knights. Pune made the playoffs in five of Phan’s six seasons there.

The breakthrough came as a 97-65 wild card in 2027, upsetting 119-win Visakhapatnam and 100-win Ahmedabad to claim the Indian League crown. Pune then knocked off defending champ Mandalay to claim the SAB Championship. Phan had a 2.95 ERA over 21.1 playoff innings with 30 Ks. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had a 3.18 ERA over 34 innings with 38 Ks with Pune finishing 8-11.

That was the only playoff triumph of that run for the Purple Knights. Their only other ILCS trip was a 2025 defeat to the Volts. Phan was good in the title run, but otherwise had some playoff woes with a 4.98 ERA over 47 innings, 61 Ks, 75 ERA+, and 0.1 WAR. In total for Pune, Phan had an 88-54 record, 3.16 ERA, 1361 innings, 1859 strikeouts, 266 walks, 115 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 25.6 WAR. In 2028, he became only the 7^th SAB ace with 4000 career strikeouts.

Some thought Phan could challenge Jay Singh’s career record of 5000 strikeouts. The 37-year old for 2029 began a second stint with Kolkata on a three-year, $25,900,000 deal. He was alright in 2029, but had his strikeout numbers well down and was below 200 Ks for the first full-season in his career. Phan missed most of 2030 with shoulder inflammation.

Phan was back healthy for 2031 in a part-time role with a 3.88 ERA over 130 innings with 104 Ks. Between Kolkata stints, Phan had a 40-37 record, 3.31 ERA, 668.1 innings, 790 strikeouts, 154 walks, 118 ERA+, 95 FIP-, and 9.5 WAR. In his final season, he became the 15^th SAB pitcher with 200 wins. Phan opted to retire after the 2031 campaign at age 40.

In total, Phan had a 206-161 record, 3.54 ERA, 3487 innings, 4464 strikeouts, 704 walks, 473 homers allowed, 253/446 quality starts, 90 complete games, 24 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 93 FIP-, and 55.3 WAR. Phan is 14^th in wins, 6^th in innings, 5^th in strikeouts, 15^th in complete games, 11^th in shutouts, and 43^rd in WAR among pitchers. He has the 2^nd-most homers allowed, which tanked his rate stats. Phan was 63^rd in K/9 (11.52) among those with 1000+ innings.

Sabermetrics suggested Phan was more of an above average guy who hung around for a long while. But big strikeout numbers are sexy and he ticked the boxes for voters who like longevity. Phan also had impressive accolades you couldn’t ignore; five times the strikeouts leader, two POTYs, and pennants with both Mandalay and Pune. Phan received 82.9% for a first ballot induction as part of the five-man 2037 Hall of Fame class for South Asia Baseball.



Gurdip Nabendu – Starting Pitcher – Yangon Green Dragons – 79.4% First Ballot

Gurdip Nabendu was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Srinagar, India; a city with about 1,180,000 inhabitants in the disputed Kashmir region. Nabendu was well rounded with above average-to-good ratings for stuff, movement, and control. His fastball graded strongly despite only peaking at 93-95 mph and was aided by a strong sinker and knuckle curve. Nabendu also had a poor changeup as a fourth option.

Nabendu had strong stamina and had an 18-year career, but he did miss some starts sporadically to injury. He had a strong pickoff move with decent defensive metrics. The biggest knock on Nabendu was a poor work ethic, along with low grades for adaptability and intelligence. Despite that, he had a remarkably steady career.

In June 2009, Nabendu signed a developmental deal with Nagpur. The Patriots were still a relatively new team, joining with the 2004 expansion. He spent around five years in their academy before debuting as a reliever in 2014 at age 22. Nabendu was a part-time starter in 2015 with mixed results, but earned the full-time gig after that. His initial seasons were burdened by injury, including shoulder inflammation in 2017 and a torn meniscus in 2018.

Nabendu was healthy for 2019 and 2020, taking third both years in Pitcher of the Year voting. In 2020, he led the Indian League in strikeouts (307) and innings (244.2); his only time leading in either stat. The Ks would be a career best and his 2.65 ERA was his best in the IL. Nagpur earned their first playoff berth as a wild card in 2018 and first division title in 2019, although both postseasons saw first round exits.

The Patriots won the division at 94-68 and upset defending champ Pune in the ILCS. Nagpur then knocked off Yangon, becoming the first expansion team to win the SAB Championship. Nabendu had an excellent playoff run with a 1.96 ERA over 36.2 innings with 47 strikeouts. He had less luck in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.40 ERA over 30.2 innings, but Nagpur had a respectable showing at 10-9.

This was a contact year for Nabendu, who was happy to cash in on free agency heading towards his age 29 season. With Nagpur, he had a 70-53 record, 2.97 ERA, 1096.2 innings, 1245 strikeouts, 223 walks, 25 complete games, 8 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 22.7 WAR. While he’s not considered a franchise legend, most Patriots fans are still grateful for Nabendu’s role in their first title.

Nabendu switched sides from the finals meeting and signed a seven-year, $68,600,000 deal with Yangon, which would be his most remembered tenure. He led in wins in 2022 at 22-9 and had his career best WAR of 6.2; taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Back spasms would be a recurring issue in his later years with the Green Dragons, but he still was a reliably solid starter when healthy. When Nabendu arrived, Yangon was near the end of their world record 29-year playoff streak.

The Green Dragons won the 2022 SAB Championship over Mumbai, which saw Nabendu with a 2.23 ERA and 3-1 record in four starts with 32.1 innings. He missed the Baseball Grand Championship with back spasms with Yangon going 11-8 without him. That was their only title of his tenure with first round exits in 2021, 23, 25, and 27. The Green Dragons had a rare playoff miss in 2024, their first losing season since 1994. They did get back to the Southeast Asia League Championship in 2026, but fell to Mandalay.

For his playoff career with Yangon, Nabendu had a 7-4 record in 12 starts, 3.61 ERA, 89.2 innings, 77 strikeouts, 112 ERA+, 103 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. Overall in seven seasons, Nabendu had a 101-58 record, 3.31 ERA, 1464.2 innings, 1558 strikeouts, 215 walks, 53 complete games, 13 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 32.7 WAR.

During his time in Myanmar, Nabendu did start pitching for his native India in the World Baseball Championship. From 2020-29, he had a 2.32 ERA over 73.2 innings, 7-3 record, 96 strikeouts, 21 walks, and 2.0 WAR. The Indians’ deepest runs would be fourth place finishes in both 2025 and 2028 with Nabendu.

He was a free agent for 2028 heading towards age 36 and moved to Bangladesh on a three-year, $21,900,000 deal with Dhaka. Nabendu was third in 2028’s Pitcher of the Year voting with a career-best 2.55 ERA. He missed the second half of 2029 to forearm inflammation. The Dobermans were a playoff team each of his seasons, but failed to advance.

Overall, it was a solid run with Dhaka for Nabendu with a 36-15 record, 3.24 ERA, 486.1 innings, 494 strikeouts, 68 walks, 132 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 12.6 WAR. For 2031, he signed a three-year, $22,900,000 deal with Indore. The Razorbacks were a 2025 expansion team who had just gotten their first playoff berth in 2030. They fell to 78-84 in 2031 and Nabendu was merely okay with a 3.96 ERA over 179.1 innings, 8-10 record, 160 Ks, and 2.7 WAR. He may have been able to hang around, but Nabendu opted to retire that winter at age 39.

Nabendu finished with a 215-136 record, 3.22 ERA, 3227 innings, 3457 strikeouts, 541 walks, 97 complete games, 24 shutouts, 272/432 quality starts, 123 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 70.7 WAR. Nabendu ranks 10^th in wins, 12^th in innings, 9^th in complete games, 11^th in shutouts, 25^th in strikeouts, and 18^th in WAR for pitchers. He’s a guy who rated stronger with some of the Sabermetric stats than his traditional metrics might suggest.

He had limited black ink and never won Pitcher of the Year, but Nabendu was quietly reliable. His role in titles for Nagpur and Yangon assuaged many of the Hall of Fame voters who might have been underwhelmed by his dominance. While Nabendu wasn’t an inner-circle level guy, he still got the first ballot nod at 79.4% as part of South Asia Baseball’s five-man class for 2037.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Hong Thanh Chung – Starting Pitcher – Surat Silver Sox – 74.1%. First Ballot

Hong Thanh Chung was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Nha Trang, Vietnam; a coastal city with a population around 535,000. Chung had overpowering stuff along with above average control and decent movement. He had a 99-101 mph fastball along with a slider and changeup. The slider was his strongest offering and the primary source of whiffs.

Chung’s stamina was strong and his durability was generally good over an 18-year career. He was solid at holding runners, but below average defensively. Chung was highly intelligent and quite good at picking his spots. In July 2010, he left Vietnam for India on a developmental deal with Surat. Chung debuted with 15 appearances in 2012 at age 20. He was a part-time starter with lousy results in 2015, but earned a full-time gig after that with success.

In 2016, Chung led the Indian League in innings, his only time as a league leader with Surat. The Silver Sox were a bottom-tier franchise generally with a playoff drought back to 1990. They had one winning season with Chung, going 84-78 in 2018. He was hurt by a lack of team support, posting a league average ERA despite his FIP- suggesting he was better than most.

Chung signed a four-year, $22,800,000 extension with Surat in August 2018. He dealt with shoulder inflammation in 2019 and an oblique strain in 2020. In total with the Silver Sox, Chung had a 96-83 record, 3.58 ERA, 1692.1 innings, 1985 strikeouts, 418 walks, 100 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 29.0 WAR. Despite having more innings and notoriety in the second half of his career, Chung was inducted in Surat garb. The Silver Sox would eventually retire his #30 uniform for his efforts.

He returned home to Vietnam for 2023 at age 29 on a five-year, $19,600,000 deal with Hanoi. While in India, Chung had pitched for his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2016-29, he had 116.1 innings, 4.02 ERA, 9-6 record, 139 Ks, 49 walks, 87 ERA+, 121 FIP-, and 0.4 WAR. Chung was part of the 2027 squad that finished third, Vietnam’s best effort thus far.

Chung’s debut with Hanoi was easily his best season, leading the Southeast Asia League with career highs in wins (24-4), innings (255.2), complete games (12), and shutouts (4). He also had his best ERA (2.68), strikeouts (336), and WAR (7.8); winning his lone Pitcher of the Year. Chung wasn’t a finalist in any other season. 2023 also had his lone career playoff start, a defeat with three runs allowed in seven innings.

Hanoi had been a powerhouse in the 2000s and 2010s, but were stuck in perpetual mid-ness in the 2020s. Their wild card and first round loss in 2023 would be their only playoff berth between 2018-33. The Hounds were rarely outright bad though, averaging 81.6 wins per season in that same span. Chung was solid in his first few seasons, getting 300+ Ks from 2025-27. He also led in wins again in 2026 at 18-8.

The Hounds were happy enough with Chung to give him a five-year, $47,500,000 extension in March 2027. While he continued to eat innings through 2031, Chung provided subpar production with ERAs above four. Still, he became SAB’s 12^th pitcher to 200 career wins and the 8^th to 4000 strikeouts. With Hanoi, Chung had a 128-85 record, 4.00 ERA, 1921.2 innings, 2359 strikeouts, 457 walks, 54 complete games, 9 shutouts, 105 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 34.3 WAR. After going unsigned in 2032, Chung retired shortly after his 39^th birthday.

Chung finished with a 224-168 record, 3.80 ERA, 3614 innings, 4344 strikeouts, 875 walks, 268/475 quality starts, 84 complete games, 17 shutouts, 103 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 63.3 WAR. Chung ranks 8^th in wins, 5^th in innings, 19^th in complete games, 36^th in shutouts, 6^th in strikeouts, and 25^th in WAR among pitchers. He has the unfortunate distinction of having the most hits allowed in SAB at 3406.

Longevity is really the big selling point of Chung’s Hall of Fame candidacy. South Asia Baseball has nearly 60 years of history and he’s in the top eight for both wins and strikeouts. Supporters also argued that his rate stats like ERA would’ve been a lot better if he wasn’t on mostly bad and middling teams. However, his ERA was by far the worst of SAB’s HOFers.

Interestingly, three of the top four highest ERAs by a SAB inductee are in the 2037 class; Chung worst, then Quang Thinh Phan (3.54) and Dusit Kyo (3.29) in fourth. The increased scoring league-wide in the 21^st Century plays a role. Still, Chung’s resume seems pretty unremarkable beyond the longevity. That said, 200+ wins and 4000 Ks were plenty for a majority of voters, putting Chung in on the first ballot at 74.1%.



Sokha Khem – Center/Left Field – Chittagong Commandos – 72.6% First Ballot

Sokha Khem was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Phumi Takaev, Cambodia, a city of about 44,000 people. He was only the third Cambodian inductee and the first position player. Khem was the traditional leadoff man with excellent contact skills and rock solid speed and baserunning. He was incredible at putting the ball in play with a 6.7% strikeout rate and has the fewest strikeouts of any SAB Hall of Famer. However, Khem very rarely drew walks.

Khem’s gap power was impressive with 45 doubles and 23 triples per his 162 game average. His home run power was barely there and he never had 10+ dingers in a season. Khem had good numbers against both sides, but did fare better against left-handed pitching (.949 OPS, 164 wRC+) compared to righties (.881 OPS, 146 wRC+).

His starts defensively were split about two-to-one between center field and left. Khem graded as reliably good in CF, but was excellent in LF with Gold Gloves from 2017-19. Injuries were a constant issue as he missed notable chunks in about half of his 16 seasons. Still, Khem was a fan favorite known for a strong work ethic and team-first attitude.

Khem’s career started in Bangladesh when he was picked eighth by Chittagong in the 2016 SAB Draft. He was an immediate success with 6.6 WAR and a batting title (.359) in 126 games to win 2016 Rookie of the Year honors. Khem won Gold Gloves the next three years, including in 2019 despite losing two months to a sore shoulder. In 2018, Khem set the SAB single-season record with 34 triples and led in hits with 206.

In 2020, he led the Southeast Asia League in hits (209), doubles (56), triples (10), and batting average (.354); the doubles were his career high. Khem won his first Silver Slugger and won again in 2021, both playing center. He got the honor in 2021 despite only playing 101 games with a torn rib cage muscle and shoulder troubles.

Despite Khem’s efforts, Chittagong was not competitive, averaging 74.7 wins per season during his tenure. He opted for free agency after the 2022 season at age 29. With the Commandos, Khem had 914 games, 1248 hits, 518 runs, 254 doubles, 140 triples, 26 homers, 487 RBI, 406 steals, .346/.370/.516 slash, 143 wRC+, and 43.4 WAR.

Up next was a five-year, $66,100,000 deal with Da Nang. Khem had his best OPS in 2023 at 1.031, but missed more than a month to injury. The Nailers won a division title at 101-61, losing the SEAL Championship to 108-win Dhaka. Khem was LCS MVP in the losing effort with 1.000 OPS in 11 starts. Khem led in triples in 2024 with Da Nang knocked out as a wild card in the first round.

To the Nailers’ disappointment, Khem opted out of his contract after only two seasons. In 254 games, he had 377 hits, 191 runs, 79 doubles, 41 triples, 8 homers, 127 RBI, 136 steals, .379/.400/.564 slash, 154 wRC+, and 13.3 WAR. Now 31-years old, Khem joined Visakhapatnam on a five-year, $81,500,000 deal. The Volts were in the midst of a dynasty run, having claimed back-to-back SAB titles.

Visakhapatnam made it a three-peat, going 107-55 in 2025 with a inals win over Khulna. Khem was out from mid-August through the postseason with a torn meniscus. He made it back for eight games in the Baseball Grand Championship, although he struggled to a .570 OPS and -0.1 WAR. The Volts were the event’s worst team at 2-17, an all-time dud in BGC history.

Khem won Silver Sluggers in 2026-27 at CF and was an MVP finalist for the only time in 2026, taking third. That year, he had Indian League bests for hits (226) and batting average (.389) and a career-high 8.4 WAR. Khem was on a better pace in 2027 with 7.2 WAR and 204 wRC+, but only had 101 games with various injuries. Torn groin muscles would keep him out much of 2029 with his production dropping noticeably that year.

Visakhapatnam remained a contender, but couldn’t continue the dynasty. They won 115, 119, and 110 games from 2026-28, but had an LCS loss followed by two first round upset defeats. The Volts then missed the playoffs by one win in 2029. Injuries limited Khem to only nine playoff games while there with a .971 OPS and 0.4 WAR. In total for Visakhapatnam, Khem had 592 games with 810 hits, 359 runs, 166 doubles, 69 triples, 26 homers, 241 RBI, 237 steals, .348/.371/.513 slash, 161 wRC+, and 27.6 WAR.

Back to free agency for 2030 at age 36, he signed for three years and $13,560,000 with Indore, one of the expansion teams from 2025. A strained oblique and severely strained hip muscle limited Khem to only 61 games in two seasons for the Razorbacks with 74 hits, 27 runs, 11 doubles, 6 triples, .363/.388/.505 slash, 144 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. With his body breaking down, Khem retired after the 2031 season at age 38.

Khem finished with 1821 games, 2509 hits, 1095 runs, 510 doubles, 256 triples, 62 home runs, 880 RBI, 269 walks, 501 strikeouts, 803 stolen bases, .352/.375/.522 slash, 150 wRC+, and 85.7 WAR. He has the best batting average among all South Asia Baseball players with 3000+ plate appearances and ranks 8^th among all world Hall of Famers. Despite the low walk total, Khem is 30^th in OBP for SAB and his .897 OPS is 93^rd.

Khem ranks 99^th in runs, 41^st in hits, 96^th in total bases (3717), 37^th in doubles, 4^th in triples, 29^th in steals, and 38^th in WAR among position players. Missing so many games to injuries tanked his final accumulations, but many voters didn’t hold that against him. The high batting average and defense made up for some of the missing counting stats. Khem’s 72.6% got across the line for a first ballot induction to cap off a five-man 2037 class for SAB.