Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-12-2024, 11:33 AM

2018 in WAB

After missing the playoffs in the prior two years, Abidjan took the top seed in WAB’s Western League at 103-59. It was their first time in the top spot since 2012 and their 29^th overall playoff berth, leading all teams in West African Baseball. The Athletes scored the most runs in WAB at 939. Banjul took second at 95-67 for their third wild card in four years. Conakry was third at 92-70, ending a seven-year playoff drought.

Tying for the fourth and final playoff spot at 90-72 were Bamako and Dakar. The defending WL champ Bullfrogs won the tiebreaker game to grow their playoff streak to four years and end the Dukes’ streak at seven. Nouakchott was also close behind at 88-74. Kumasi, last year’s WLCS runner-up, dropped to 73-89 and missed the playoffs for only the second time in seven years.

Western League MVP went to Conakry’s Ibrahim Sani. The 30-year Nigerien had won MVP previously in 2014 with Cape Verde, joining the Coyotes in 2017 on a seven-year, $102,200,000 free agent deal. Sani led in total bases (417), slugging (.695), OPS (1.086), and wRC+ (169). He added 209 hits, 123 runs, 52 home runs, 145 RBI, and 7.5 WAR.

Conakry also had the Pitcher of the Year in Gregory Asso. The 25-year old Beninois righty led in ERA (2.82), strikeouts (308), WHIP (1.00), FIP- (61), and WAR (6.8). Asso added a 161 ERA+ over 201 innings, 15-4 record, and 10 saves. This effort prompted the Coyotes to extend Asso in the winter at $61,000,000 over six years.

In the first round, Conakry beat Bamako 2-0. The Coyotes then got swept 2-0 by Banjul in the second round, sending the Bucks to their third Western League Championship Series berth in five years. For top seed Abidjan, it was their first WLCS since 2012 and their 20^th appearance overall. Banjul pulled off the upset in a 3-2 classic, earning their second pennant.

Yaounde was the last of the 2009 expansion teams without a playoff appearance entering the 2018 season with their only winning season an 83-79 effort in 2016. The Yellowbirds made a big splash in the offseason, signing three-time MVP Fares Belaid to a seven-year, $96,700,000 deal. His signing helped push Yaounde to the Eastern League’s top record at 99-63.

Reigning WAB champ Kano was a close second place at 96-66, extending their playoff streak to three seasons. The other wild cards went to 89-73 Ouagadougou and 85-77 Cotonou. The Osprey ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Copperheads grew their streak to nine seasons. Douala was fifth at 83-79, remaining the only WAB team without a single playoff berth. Wild cards last year Ibadan and Niamey fell to 67-95 and 79-83, respectively.

In his Yaounde debut, Fares Belaid became only the third player in WAB history to be a four-time MVP. Playing third base, the 29-year old Tunisian broke Kely Ballard’s WAB batting average record of .412 from 2004 by batting .416. This was the second-best qualifying season in all of pro baseball history to that point, only behind Francisco Magellan’s .420 in the 2012 Beisbol Sudamerica season. Belaid’s mark ranks fifth in world history as of 2037, although it would be beaten in WAB in 2032.

Belaid also led the league in runs (144), hits (260), triples (28), total bases (422), wRC+ (188), and WAR (10.1). His triple slash (.416/.432/.675), OPS (1.107), wRC+, and WAR would each be career highs. Belaid’s 260 hits were the sixth most in a season in world history to that point. He had the top three spots at 268, 268, and 266. Belaid also had 49 doubles, 19 home runs, 96 RBI, and 67 stolen bases. Over the course of the season, Belaid posted a 27-game and a 23-game hitting streak. Yaounde also had the #2 MVP finisher in RF Shafiu Hassan, who led with 57 homers and 145 RBI.

Eastern League MVP went to Kano’s Ryan Beech. The 29-year old American righty joined the Condors in 2015 after washing out of MLB. He was average at best prior, but exploded in 2018 with a league-best 2.88 ERA, 20-5 record, and 22 quality starts. Beech also had 270 strikeouts in 231.1 innings, 157 ERA+, and 5.7 WAR.

Ouagadougou beat Cotonou 2-0 in round one and gave Kano a fight in round two, although the Condors survived 2-1. The reigning WAB champs earned their third straight Eastern League Championship Series appearance. Some thought Kano’s experience might prevail, but Yaounde knocked them off 3-1.

With that, the 44^th West African Championship would feature two teams in only their tenth year of existence. It also guaranteed the 16^th unique franchise to win the WAB title. Yaounde rolled 4-1 over Banjul, bringing the cup to Cameroon for the first time. Fares Belaid capped off his Yellowbirds debut season with finals MVP honors, getting 15 hits, 8 runs, 4 doubles, and 6 RBI in 9 playoff starts. It was Belaid’s fourth championship ring, having won three with Cotonou. He also earned finals MVP for the second time (2010).

Other notes: Arthur Boateng became the 5^th WAB pitcher to win 200 games. He played one more year and finished with 214, 4^th best as of 2037. Ze Onyedika became the 16^th pitcher with 3000 strikeouts. Abdel Rahmane Padacke was the 7^th batter to 1500 RBI. LF Julius Ayuba won his 11^th Gold Glove and 3B Seidath Boni won his 7^th. Ayuba became the second in WAB history to win 11 GGs, joining RF Jacob Jamil. 2B Bright Abubakar won his ninth Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-12-2024, 05:15 PM

2018 in CLB

The big shock in Chinese League Baseball in 2018 was the collapse of Changchun, who had won back-to-back CLB titles. The Camels plummeted to 68-94, opening up space atop the Northern League. Nanjing had the opposite reversal, going from 68-94 in 2017 to first place in 2018 at 96-66. The Nuggets ended a six-year playoff drought.

Tying for second at 92-70 were Shijiazhuang and Harbin, who both also bounced back from losing campaigns the prior year. The Hellcats ended a four-year playoff drought. The one team to make it back to the playoffs was Shenyang, taking the fourth place spot. The Swans tied with Urumqi at 88-74, but defeated the Unicorns in a one-game playoff. Dalian (85-77) and Shanghai (84-78) were both close behind.

Leading Nanjing’s rebound was Northern League MVP Kenny Sang, who won Rookie of the Year the prior season. The 24-year old second baseman from Hong Kong led in runs (105), hits (182), triples (16), home runs (54), total bases (401), slugging (.677), and wRC+ (243). Sang added 111 RBI, 1.031 OPS, and 12.2 WAR. Shijiazhuang’s Cheng Kang was close behind, narrowly beating him in RBI (116) and WAR (12.3) while matching his 54 homers.

Shenyang’s Chuchuan Cao was third in MVP voting, but repeated as Pitcher of the Year. It was the fourth POTY for the two-way star, who led in 2018 in wins (21-5), WHIP (0.73), K/BB (14.8), and pitching WAR (11.6). The 29-year old lefty added a 1.58 ERA over 267.2 innings and 354 strikeouts. Playing mostly left field, Cao had 132 games offensively with 3.7 WAR, 16 home runs, a .758 OPS, and 142 wRC+. He won his seventh Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

It was Cao’s sixth season with a combined WAR above 13.5, putting him in elite company in world history. The only players in all of pro baseball to do that were legendary WAB SS Darwin Morris, EPB two-way star Igor Bury, and world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos of BSA. As of 2037, Cao’s 15.3 WAR from 2018 is the 38^th best single season in baseball history, although it was the weakest of his six 13.5+ WAR efforts amazingly. Cao’s 21.6 WAR from 2013 is the world record as of 2037, while he also holds the #4 spot (17.9 in 2015) and #7 spot (17.5 in 2017).

In the round robin, #4 seed Shenyang was the top performer at 4-2 to earn repeat semifinal trips. Nanjing and Harbin both tied at 3-3, while Shijiazhuang was 2-4. The Nuggets advanced to the semifinal on the tiebreaker, their first berth since 2006. The top-seeded Nuggets prevailed 4-2 over the Swans, earning their fourth-ever China Series trip (1970, 1982, 1996, 2018).

Shantou finished atop the Southern League standings for back-to-back seasons with a franchise-best 101-61. This was the fourth playoff berth in five years for the Scorpions, who had only joined CLB in the 2009 expansion. Second place was Wuhan at 96-66, which ended a 12-year playoff drought for the Wolverines. Hong Kong was third at 92-70, ending their own four-year skid.

For the final playoff spot, Foshan and Wenzhou tied for fourth at 88-74. The Flyers won the tiebreaker game to end a seven-year playoff drought. It was a franchise-best for the Wild, but they remained the only team in CLB without at least one playoff berth. Last year’s SL champ Chengdu dropped to 81-81 and last year’s semifinalist Guangzhou fell to 71-91. Shenzhen also notably dropped to 74-88, ending their seven-year playoff streak.

Foshan CF Zhen Zhang won his second Southern League MVP, having previously won in 2015. The 30-year old in his tenth season with the Flyers led in runs (102), home runs (51), total bases (388), slugging (.640), OPS (.987), wRC+ (222), and WAR (13.4). Zhang’s WAR total was the eighth-highest by a CLB position player to that point.

Shantou’s Hui Liu picked up Pitcher of the Year in his third full season. The 24-year old righty had a 17-6 record and 1.66 ERA over 227.2 innings, 233 strikeouts, 171 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR. The Scorpions would give Liu a six-year, $52,700,000 extension the following winter.

The bottom two seeds Foshan and Hong Kong advanced out of the round robin at 4-2, while the top two seeds Shantou and Wuhan were both 2-4. It was the Flyers’ first semifinal appearance since 2010 and the first for the Champions since their 2007 title. Hong Kong picked up the victory 4-2 over Foshan to earn their fourth China Series berth (1982, 1997, 2007, 2018).

The 49^th China Series was the first to end in a sweep since 2012. Nanjing clobbered Hong Kong for their second CLB ring, joining their 1996 campaign. The Nuggets set a CLB record for the biggest turnaround from the prior year by a champ, going from 68 wins to 96. League MVP Kenny Sang also was China Series and semifinal MVP, cementing his status as a Nanjing hero in his second season. In 16 playoff starts, Sang had 21 hits, 14 runs, 3 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs, and 13 RBI for 1.8 WAR and a 1.174 OPS.

Other notes: Tianjin’s Jun He threw CLB’s 51^st perfect game on June 2, striking out 6 against Hangzhou. Huiqjang Deng became the sixth CLB slugger to 400 home runs. OF Cheng Kang won his seventh Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-13-2024, 04:41 AM

2018 in APB

Yet again in the Taiwan-Philippine Association, it was Zamboanga and Taipei earning the top spots by a healthy margin. The Zebras, winner of the TPA pennant in four of the last five seasons, claimed the Philippine League at 103-59. Zamboanga had historically great pitching, setting TPA records for team ERA (1.96) and fewest runs allowed (359). Their 334 earned runs allowed and 5.97 H/9 were both the second-best in TPA history. Zamboanga’s closest foes in the PL were Cagayan de Oro at 90-72 and Davao at 87-75.

Taipei’s streak atop the Taiwan League grew to seven seasons, tying the longest postseason streak in Austronesia Professional Baseball history (2005-11 Davao). Tainan was a distant second place at 90-72. The Tigercats took first in the TL for the ninth time in ten years and posted their seventh 100+ win season of that stretch. Never before in APB did a team post nine playoff berths in a decade. While the Zebras had the fewest runs allowed, Taipei scored the most at 590.

Taipei’s Sheng-Chie Wu earned Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. The 35-year old center fielder came to the Tigercats before the 2017 season in a trade from Kaohsiung. Wu led in hits (191), batting average (.326), OPS (.914), and WAR (8.4). He added a 181 wRC+, 24 home runs, and 77 RBI.

For the sixth time in seven years, Zamboanga ace Ching-Chen Yao was Pitcher of the Year. He joined Afiq Parker and Sahid Fakhruddin as APB’s only six-time POTY winners. The 30-year old Taiwanese lefty led in ERA (1.61), strikeouts (347), WHIP (0.67), K/BB (12.4), FIP- (21), and WAR (10.7). Yao had a 15-9 record and 10 saves over 195.1 innings with a 172 ERA+. It was his sixth time leading in ERA, strikeouts, and WAR. Yao also led in WHIP for the seventh consecutive year.

As impressive as his 2018 was, it was his weakest WAR season of his seven year odyssey. From 2012-18, Yao has posted an incredible 95.3 WAR, averaging 13.6 per year for one of the most impressive tears by any pitcher in world history. The Zebras locked him up in the winter expecting more, extending Yao at $105,400,000 over six years.

Reigning APB champ Johor Bahru had the Sundaland Association’s top seed for the third straight year. The Blue Wings dominated the Malacca League at 108-54, tying 1966 Medan for the most wins in SA history. JB also set new Sundaland Association records for runs scored (653), triples (106), and team slugging (.407). The runs and triples marks remain SA bests as of 2037. Singapore was a distant second at 87-75, followed by 86-76 Medan and 85-77 Pekanbaru.

The Java Sea League saw Palembang on top for the first time since 2007. The Panthers ran away with it at 101-61, while defending champ Semarang was second at 90-72. Palembang allowed the fewest runs in the SA at 401. Once proud Jakarta was notably an abysmal 48-114, which was the third-worst record in Sundaland Association history ahead of only 1966 Surabaya (46-116) and 1967 Singapore (45-117).

Buwono Gunawan earned his first Sundaland Association MVP and his fourth overall. The Indonesian first baseman had won the TPA MVP in 2013, 2016, and 2017 with Taichung. For 2018, Gunawan signed a mammoth eight-year, $141,600,000 free agent deal with Medan. He led in runs (88), total bases (312), OBP (.356), slugging (.550), OPS (.907), and wRC+ (196). Gunawan also had 10.2 WAR, 29 home runs, 83 RBI, and 93 stolen bases.

At only 28-years old following the 2018 season, Gunawan had already compiled 65.7 WAR. He seemed on his way to an inner-circle Hall of Fame level career. Gunawan took second in 2019 and 2020 MVP voting. However in spring training 2021, he suffered a catastrophic ACL tear in his right knee. Gunawan suffered a setback a few months later and forced to retire, tragically cutting short a remarkable brief career.

Rahmat Hasjim became a four-time Pitcher of the Year winner in his debut season for Bandung. He had won his first three from 2010-12 with Surabaya, then spent 2013-17 in Jakarta. Hasjim joined the Blackhawks on a three-year, $34,900,000 deal for 2018. The 35-year old Indonesian had the most innings (284) and complete games (18). Hasjim added a 1.71 ERA, 313 strikeouts, 15-12 record, 149 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR.

For the fifth time in six years, Zamboanga defeated Taipei in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, this time in six games. The Zebras earned their eighth pennant, all coming since 2001. Despite their historic dominance in Taiwan, the Tigercats have gone 1-8 in the association final over the last decade. Meanwhile, Johor Bahru repeated as Sundaland Association champ, rolling Palembang 4-1.

The 54^th APB Championship was the second-ever finals rematch, joining Manila versus Jakarta in 1985-86. Zamboanga got revenge on Johor Bahru, taking the series 4-2 and giving the Zebras their second-ever APB cup (2013). RF Jhimmy Labrera was finals MVP in his seventh season with Zamboanga. The 30-year old Filipino had 11 playoff games and 9 starts with 9 hits, 3 runs, 1 double, 3 homers, and 6 RBI.

Other notes: Kuala Lumpur’s Raja Kamal threw APB’s 41^st perfect game, striking out 13 against Jakarta on July 4. Donnie Luzon became the fifth pitcher to 250 career wins, finishing his career with 258. That ranks sixth as of 2037. Rahmat Hasjim and Yu-Ren Yang both reached 200 wins, making 22 pitchers to do so. Hasjim also became the 29^th to reach 3500 strikeouts. Evan Yanizar became the first reliever to 400 career saves.

Wil Tabaldo became the seventh APB slugger to 500 home runs and the first to cross that mark since 2003. RF Shih-Chieh Tseng won his tenth Gold Glove, becoming only the third APB player at any position with ten. 1B Widodo Megawati won his eighth Gold Glove. RF Yee Ibrahim won his seventh Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-13-2024, 11:08 AM

2018 in OBA

Despite being Australia’s most populous and most famous city, Sydney had historically been a stinker at baseball. Entering 2018, the Snakes were the only original franchise in the Oceania Baseball Association without a pennant. They had started to contend by the mid 2010s, but hadn’t been able to get higher than second place.

In their 59^th season, Sydney finally took the top spot in the Australasia League. The Snakes won it at 100-62, leading the AL in runs scored at 819. Perth was second at 93-69, while defending AL champ Brisbane and Auckland tied for third at 92-70. For the Avengers, that was their first winning season since 2010. Christchurch was fifth at 88-74.

Melbourne was an awful 64-98 for their third straight abysmal season, a far cry from the dynasty run of 2003-12. Despite that, the Mets had the Australasia League’s MVP Elvis Epsen. The 23-year old Australian first baseman led in OBP (.408), slugging (.663), OPS (1.070), wRC+ (179), and WAR (8.1). Epsen added a .344 average, 42 home runs, 133 RBI, 106 runs, and 80 stolen bases. He would have two more good years in Melbourne before bolting to MLB’s Detroit Tigers on a five-year, $104,400,000 deal.

Hobart was a mere 80-82, but their ace Steve Stringer was Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Australian righty led in wins (23-9), ERA (2.45), WHIP (0.89), and quality starts (29). Stringer added 278 strikeouts over 311.2 innings, 162 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. He would leave the Tasmaniacs in the winter and ink a six-year, $66,100,000 deal with Auckland.

Guam had claimed back-to-back OBA titles, but they fell to a forgettable fifth place in the 2018 Pacific League standings at 82-80. Filling the opening would be Samoa at 93-69, edging 92-70 Fiji by one game. Guadalcanal at 88-74 was a close third with Honolulu fourth at 83-79. This ended a 30-year pennant drought for the Sun Sox, who picked up their fourth PL title (1972, 1973, 1987, 2018).

At 77-85, Timor had the Pacific League MVP Andy Drake. The 25-year old Australian right fielder came to the Tapirs in a 2016 trade with Perth. Drake led in runs (109), home runs (53), total bases (365), OBP (.366), slugging (.651), OPS (1.017), wRC+ (201), and WAR (7.8). His 105 RBI and .314 average were both second in the PL. Drake stayed one more year with Timor before taking the MLB payday at $139,100,000 over eight years with Los Angeles.

Fiji’s Akira Brady won his sixth Pitcher of the Year, joining Timothy Manglona and Tarzan Rao as OBA’s six-time winners. This was perhaps the most impressive year for the 31-year old New Zealander, which was a high bar to cross. Brady won his third Triple Crown, a feat only Rao had achieved prior among OBA pitchers. Brady had a 30-7 record, 1.87 ERA, and 512 strikeouts. The lefty also led in innings (346.2), WHIP (0.77), K/BB (14.6), quality starts (34), shutouts (8), FIP- (43), and WAR (16.1) with a 186 ERA+.

The 30 wins tied the world record set by OBA’s Nathaniel Doloran (1974) and Jim DeRossi (1999). The strikeout mark was Brady’s best, falling 12 short of Rao’s 524 in 1983. It was only the sixth-time in any pro league that a pitcher fanned 500+ and ranked fourth all-time. The WAR was also a career-best for Brady, second in OBA history to Rao’s 16.59 from 1984. As of 2037, it ranks as the 11^th-best single-season WAR by a pitcher in any world league and ranks as the 20^th-best single-season WAR by any player ever.

Brady also hit notable milestones in 2018, becoming the sixth OBA pitcher to 250 wins and the seventh to 4500 strikeouts. He also won his lone Gold Glove in 2018. Fiji wisely gave Brady another extension in April 2019 for $75,600,000 over six years.

In the 59^th Oceania Championship, Sydney earned its first-ever title by besting Samoa 4-2. That left Fiji as the only of OBA’s original 16 teams that hadn’t won it all, although the Freedom did have two Pacific League pennants. 1B Truman Maunder was finals MVP in his fourth year starting for the Snakes. The 27-year old had 9 hits, 6 runs, 2 homers, and 4 RBI in 6 starts. It was a long time coming for Sydney, who would emerge as a regular contender over the next decade.

Other notes: Roe Kaupa became the 14^th member of the 500 home run club and won his eighth Silver Slugger. Jonathon Reilly, Adrian Kali, and Kevin Coan each reached 2500 hits, making 16 batters to do so. Isaac Tague became the 24^th pitcher to 200 wins. SS Romeo Acas won his seventh Gold Glove. Merlin Megson won his ninth Silver Slugger and his first as a designated hitter. Megson’s other wins were at 1B, LF, and RF.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-13-2024, 05:55 PM

2018 in EPB

Five teams were right in the mix for the top spot in the European League. Defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champ Krasnodar narrowly took the top spot at 88-74. There was a tie one game back for the wild card spot at 87-75 between Moscow and Kazan. Last year’s first place team Voronezh was only two back at 86-76 and Volgograd was four away at 84-78.

In a one game tiebreaker for the wild card, the Mules beat the Crusaders to give Moscow its fourth playoff berth in five years. Moscow also extended its streak of winning seasons to 19. The Steamers allowed the fewest runs at 534, while the Zephyrs scored the most at 688.

Moscow LF Yuriy Isakov won his second European League MVP, having previously won in 2014. In his tenth year for the Mules, the 28-year old Azeri lefty led in hits (199), stolen bases (106), and WAR (9.6). Isakov added 27 doubles, 12 triples, 24 homers, and a .341/.401/.552 slash. He led in stolen bases for the fifth time in six years and breached 100+ for the sixth time.

Pitcher of the Year was Kazan’s Roman Khilkevich. Like Isakov, Khilkevich also previously won the top honor in 2014. The 30-year old Belarusian lefty won his lone ERA title at 1.86. Khilkevich added a 14-7 record over 212.1 innings, 224 strikeouts, and 6.8 WAR. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn UCL right at the end of the season. Khilkevich would return for two partial seasons, but was effectively done before his 33^rd birthday.

The Asian League’s standings also had a very tight fight. Ufa’s bid for a fourth straight playoff berth was thwarted in 2017, but the Fiends bounced back for the top spot in 2018 at 94-68. It was their third time in four years finishing first. Krasnoyarsk earned their second wild card in three years, one game back at 93-69. The Cossacks had finished 76-86 the prior year. Krasnoyarsk led the AL in scoring (681) and Ufa allowed the fewest runs (531).

Falling just short in the playoff race were Chelyabinsk (91-71), Perm (88-74), and Irkutsk (85-77). Last year’s ALCS runner-up Omsk was sixth at 81-81, while defending champ Ulaanbaatar struggled to 73-89. That was the first losing season since 2009 for the Boars. For the 2008 expansion Pitbulls, 88-74 was their first-ever winning season. This left Vladivostok as the only of those expansion teams without a winning season, although they did finish .500 in 2016.

For the first time since Matvey Ivanov in 2002, the Asian League’s MVP and Pitcher of the Year were the same guy. This was Ufa’s Isak Baghoomian in only his second year as a full-time starter. The Russian lefty had started in the bullpen and won Reliever of the Year in 2014 and 2016. This made Baghoomian likely the only player in world history to have won MVP, Pitcher of the Year (as a starter), and Reliever of the Year in a career.

The 28-year old led in wins (23-9), innings (272.1), strikeouts (315), complete games (20), shutouts (9), and WAR (10.3). Baghoomian added a 1.82 ERA and 178 ERA+. The Fiends would extend him before the 2020 season on a seven-year, $90,800,000 deal.

Krasnodar defeated Moscow 4-1 in the European League Championship Series to earn repeat pennants. Not many expansion teams in world history had two titles through their 11^th year. The Asian League Championship Series was a rematch of 2016, which saw Ufa defeat Krasnoyarsk. The Fiends had home field advantage, but the Cossacks got revenge in a seven-game thriller. Krasnoyarsk earned its seventh pennant and its first since 2009.

In the 64^th EPB Championship, Krasnodar’s repeat bid was denied. Krasnoyarsk won the series 4-2 to become three-time EPB champs (1982, 2005, 2018). SS Bakhtiyar Dolukhanov played a big role, winning ALCS MVP. The 24-year old Kazakh had 13 playoff starts with 16 hits, 4 runs, 7 doubles, 1 homer, and 11 RBI. Krasnoyarsk became the seventh EPB team with at least three titles.

Other notes: Nikolay Kargopolcev became the 17^th member of the 500 home run club. 1B Artur Sagdatullin won his ninth straight Gold Glove. 3B Vladyslav Chychykov won his eighth Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-14-2024, 05:59 AM

2018 in EBF

The European Baseball Federation’s Northern Conference in 2018 had an incredible amount of parity with the top team finishing only 93-69 and the worst team as the inverse 69-93. Only seven wins separated the #1 overall seed from the weakest playoff team. Entering September, more than half of the teams in the conference had a path to a playoff spot. On the flip side, there were also a bunch of teams in danger of having the worst record and thus getting relegated, despite being stronger than your typical last place squad.

Frankfurt surprised many by taking the top overall seed and the Northwest Division at 93-69. The Falcons had been in the EBF Elite since 2008, but had never earned a playoff berth and only once had posted a winning record. Frankfurt narrowly beat out Rotterdam (91-71), Brussels (88-74), Antwerp (85-77), and Paris (84-78) for the division title. Those four teams were also right in a very crowded wild card hunt. Also of note in the division was Amsterdam at 79-83, which ended their playoff streak at five years.

The British Isles Division had a tie for the top spot between Birmingham and Dublin at 90-72, while Edinburgh was 88-74. In the tiebreaker game, the Bees prevailed for their second division title in three years. Last year’s division champ Sheffield was a non-factor at 76-86. 90 wins was still enough for the Dinos to take the second wild card. The Ravens got the first spot at 91-71, ending a 12-year playoff drought for Rotterdam. Dublin snapped a two-year playoff skid.

With that, the defending European Champion Beavers and Enforcers fell two games short of the second wild card. Warsaw at 86-76 was four behind, while Antwerp was five back, Paris was six back, and Oslo was eight back. The Airedales had their four-year playoff streak snapped. The Wildcats ended up one back in the Northeast Division race with Kharkiv on top at 87-75. The Killer Bees had just returned to the top tier after four years stuck in the Second League. It was Kharkiv’s first playoff berth in the EBF Elite since 2007.

At 86-76, Hamburg won the North Central Division for their third division title in four years. Despite being the weakest division winner, they took first by the biggest margin, albeit by only five games over Prague. Last year’s conference runner-up Cologne was six behind at 80-82. That ended the Copperheads’ eight year streak of division titles, which had been the longest active playoff streak in EBF. It was also Cologne’s first losing season since 2006.

Many teams found themselves in relegation danger. Stockholm and Hanover tied for the worst record at 69-93, while Kyiv (70-92), Krakow (70-92), Belfast (71-91), and Leipzig (71-91) each narrowly escaped. The tiebreaker formula saved the Hitmen and sunk the Swordsmen. Although Stockholm hadn’t been a playoff team since 1993, they had managed to avoid relegation until now.

Northern Conference MVP went to Dublin LF Theofilos Psarras. The 25-year old Greek lefty signed with the Dinos on an eight-year, $121,600,000 free agent deal. Psarras won a Second League MVP the prior season with Berlin and had been with Brno before that, debuting in E2L at age 17. In his debut in Ireland, Psarras led in runs (133), hits (229), and batting average (.374). He added 22 doubles, 29 triples, 32 homers, 1.075 OPS, 196 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR.

Brussels ace Oscar Dissard won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also taken the honor in 2014. The 27-year old French lefty led in WAR (9.0) and FIP- (55). Dissard had a 19-3 record over 239.2 innings, 2.44 ERA, 299 strikeouts, and 161 ERA+. Prior to the 2017 season, the Beavers gave Dissard a seven-year, $86,140,000 extension.

Rotterdam edged Hamburg 2-1 and Kharkiv topped Dublin 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The top seeds held in round two with Frankfurt over the Ravens 3-1 and Birmingham over the Killer Bees 3-2. It was the first time in the Northern Conference Championship for the Bees since 2011, although they hadn’t won the pennant since their 1990s dynasty. Birmingham would get the road upset 4-2 over the first-time finalist Frankfurt. With that, the Bees became six-time conference champs (1974, 91, 93, 94, 96, 2018).

The Southern Conference was more top-heavy with South Central Division champ Munich and Southwest Division champ Lisbon battling for the #1 seed. The Mavericks narrowly got it at 104-58, although the 103-59 Clippers easily got the second bye. Munich ended a seven-year playoff drought and the Clippers snapped a four-year skid. Both won their divisions by a solid margin despite a wild card coming from both groups.

Madrid at 94-68 and Zurich at 92-70 ended up with the wild card slots. The next closest foes were Zagreb (90-72), Belgrade (88-74), Malta (87-75), and Tirana (85-77). Both the Conquistadors and Mountaineers extended their playoff streaks to three years. Zaragoza at 84-78 missed the playoffs for only the second time in six years.

Many of the wild card contenders came close in the East Central Division, claimed by 91-71 Bucharest. The Gulls fell one short, the Bruisers three, the Trojans six, and Budapest eight. The Broncos won their second division title in three years. Lastly in the Southeast Division, Thessaloniki dominated at 97-65, giving the defending conference champs their third division title in four years. Last year’s conference runner-up Palermo struggled at 73-89 in the South Central.

The SC was bottom heavy as well with three teams losing 100+ games and falling below the relegation line. Marseille (56-106), Athens (57-107), and Sofia (62-100) were each demoted, while Varna (67-95) and Yerevan (68-94) narrowly escaped. It showed how quickly fortunes can change. The Anchors only four years prior had a seven-year playoff streak. The Musketeers had been a playoff team only two years earlier and were European champ a decade ago. For all three teams, it was their first-ever demotion.

Marseille had won at least 70 games in each season since the late 1970s and were historically a strong franchise with four EBF titles. They made bad history in 2018, setting EBF all-time worsts in team ERA (5.21), hits allowed (1761), H/9 (10.90), runs allowed (924), earned runs allowed (842), and team WHIP (1.562). Each of those stats remains the all-time worst in EBF as of 2037.

Southern Conference MVP went to Tirana RF Ezio Pinna. The 27-year old Italian lefty was in his eighth year with the Trojans and led in RBI (126), total bases (378), slugging (.681), and OPS (1.090). Pinna had 195 wRC+, 8.7 WAR, 113 runs, 52 homers, and a .339 batting average. He committed to remaining in Albania long-term, inking an eight-year, $111,300,000 extension with Tirana prior to the 2018 campaign.

Zagreb lefty A.J. Magee repeated as Pitcher of the Year. It was his third, having also won for the Gulls in 2014. The 28-year old lefty from Northern Ireland led in wins (20-7), ERA (1.70), and quality starts (28). Magee added 277 strikeouts over 264.2 innings, 225 ERA+, and 8.4 WAR. Munich’s Horst Jahne gave him a challenge for the award with the latter leading in WAR (11.1) and strikeouts (314).

Madrid outlasted Bucharest 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, while Thessaloniki swept Zurich. Lisbon survived a 3-2 classic over the Tritons in round two and Munich topped Madrid 3-1. The Clippers hadn’t been in the Southern Conference Championship since 1999, while the Mavericks hadn’t since 2006. Munich rolled 4-1 over Lisbon, making the Mavericks seven-time conference champs (1951, 52, 71, 88, 91, 01, 18).

The 69^th European Championship was the second finals encounter for Birmingham and Munich. Back in 1991, the Bees bested the Mavericks 4-1 for their first-ever title. Birmingham secured a third title in 2018, defeating Munich 4-2. This continued a run of parity as since 2012 there haven’t been any repeat teams in the final. The Bees were the first English champ since their 1994 win over Barcelona. Despite the parity, the Northern Conference’s champ has won it all in eight of the last nine finals.

Finals MVP went to veteran CF Rahman Polat in his third year with Birmingham. The 38-year old Turk in 17 starts had 20 hits, 12 runs, 2 doubles, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI. Polat joined a very exclusive club by winning finals MVP in two different leagues. He won the Asian Baseball Federation Championship MVP way back in 2005 with Shiraz. Polat’s entire career prior signing with the Bees in 2016 came in Iran between the Suns and Isfahan.

Other notes: Edinburgh’s offense had 138 triples, setting a new EBF record that held until 2029. Razmik Minosyan led that effort with 42, three short of the EBF single-season record. As of 2037, this is one of only eight times in all of pro baseball history with 42 more triples by a player.

Blazej Swierczewski became only the 4^th to earn 2000 career RBI. He would finish with 2025, ranking 6^th as of 2037. Ben Springer became the 11^th member of the 3000 hit club. He played two more years and retired at 3330, which ranks 9^th as of 2037. Springer also became the 16^th to score 1500 runs. SS Harvey Coyle won his 11^th Gold Glove and SS Billy Wishart won his 7th. Coyle had his worst full-season effort at 5.1 WAR and 28 home runs. Still before his 32^nd birthday, he had posted 143.5 WAR and 638 homers.

Promotion/Relegation: Four teams were relegated (Athens, Marseille, Sofia, Stockholm), which meant all four Second League conference finalists moved up (Berlin, Manchester, Lviv, Naples). The demoted teams easily slotted into E2L with the Anchors and Spikes entering the Eastern Conference and the Musketeers and Swordsmen into the Western Conference. A significant amount of swapping was required for the EBF divisions to balance out right. See below for details.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-14-2024, 09:59 AM

2018 in BSA

The top four teams in the Bolivar League finished within two games of each other, making for an intense battle for seeding. Medellin at 103-59 ended up with the #1 seed and the Colombia-Ecuador Division title. The Mutiny grew their playoff streak to eight years and won their seventh division title in that stretch. Caracas at 102-60 repeated as the Venezuela Division champ. Reigning Copa Sudamerica champ Ciudad Guayana won it all as a wild card last year, but struggled to 79-83 in 2018 to end their playoff streak at three years.

Callao’s playoff streak grew to five with their fourth straight Peru-Bolivia Division title. The 102-60 Cats only beat Trujillo by one game, while the Thoroughbreds easily were the first wild card. This was Trujillo’s first playoff berth since joining in the 2009 expansion. There was a 14 game drop to find the second wild card team, but that was also the first berth for another expansion team in Maturin. The Makos at 87-75 took that last spot, beating out 84-78 Quito. Guayaquil, winners of 101 games in 2017, dropped to 80-82 for their first losing season since 2003.

Bolivar League MVP went to Medellin 1B Pablo Amor, who also won it back in 2015. The 28-year old Colombian lefty led in hits (232), home runs (58), total bases (434), triple slash (.377/.436/.706), OPS (1.141), wRC+ (193), and WAR (10.6). He scored 138 runs with 127 RBI, falling eight shy of a Triple Crown. He also notably hit for the cycle in July against Santa Cruz. The Mutiny locked up Amor after the 2019 season on a seven-year, $49,400,00 extension.

In his 12^th season starting for Callao, Benicio Palacio won his first Pitcher of the Year. He had been a finalist five times prior, but hadn’t won the top honor until 2018. The 33-year old Costa Rican righty led in ERA (2.55) and K/BB (13.0). Palacio had a 17-7 record over 240.1 innings with 234 strikeouts, a 159 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. He never had a year quite this good again, eventually getting traded after the 2020 season by the Cats to Santiago.

Maturin upset Trujillo 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs. The Makos then stunned top-seed Medellin 3-1 in the Divisional Series. On the other side, Caracas topped Callao 3-1, sending the Colts to their first Bolivar League Championship Series appearance since 2006. Maturin continued their unlikely run, upsetting Caracas 4-2 to become the first of the 2009 expansion teams to win a pennant. In a season highlighted by four 100+ win teams, it was the 87-win Makos on top. It was back-to-back years where the #5 seed won the Bolivar League title.

The Southern Cone League’s three division winners were separated by one game, while the second wild card was only six wins away from the top seed. Buenos Aires got the #1 spot at 99-63, winning the Southeast Division by seven. The Atlantics ended a ten-year playoff drought and got their first division title since 2003. Right behind them at 98-64 was North Division champ Recife and South Central Division champ Concepcion.

The Retrievers won the division by ten games, growing their playoff streak to seven years. The defending league champ Chiefs earned their third straight berth and their seventh in eight years. Concepcion won the division by four games over 94-68 Santiago. The Saints had the first wild card to grow their playoff streak to four seasons.

For the second wild card, Asuncion and Porte Alegre tied at 92-70. Fortaleza at 88-74 and Montevideo at 85-77 were also in the hunt. In the tiebreaker game, the Archers ousted the Armadillos, ending a seven-year postseason drought for Asuncion. Notably Manaus, a division winner last year, dropped to 80-82. Recife led in scoring at 775 runs and Porto Alegre allowed the fewest at 570.

Recife 3B Niccolo Coelho became a four-time Southern Cone League MVP, having also won in 2011, 2014, and 2016. The 35-year old Brazilian led in runs (118), home runs (54), and WAR (10.6). Coelho also had 127 RBI, a .341/.403/.681 slash, 1.085 OPS, and 206 wRC+. The Retrievers bought out his final year of his deal in the winter, but re-signed Coleho to a new three-year, $46,200,000 contract.

Concepcion righty Agostino Cortez won Pitcher of the Year in only his third season. The 24-year old Chilean won the ERA title (1.88) and led in WAR (8.2) and FIP- (55). Cortez posted a 20-4 record over 224.2 innings with 246 strikeouts.

Asuncion edged Santiago 2-1 in the first round, then earned the Divisional Series upset 3-1 over Buenos Aires. The Archers earned their first Southern Cone Championship appearance since 2007. Concepcion outlasted Recife 3-2 to keep their repeat hopes alive. The Chiefs defeated Asuncion 4-2, moving to an impressive 6-0 all-time in the LCS with pennants in 1987, 88, 89, 2012, 17, and 18.

In the 88^th Copa Sudamerica, Concepcion topped Maturin 4-2 for their third Cup win (1987, 1989, 2018). This also brought the Cup to Chile for the first time since their 1989 win. 1B Luca Cuervo won finals MVP in his tenth year for the Chiefs. In 17 playoff games, the 31-year old Chilean had 24 hits, 7 runs, 3 extra base hits, and 7 RBI. It was the sixth different Copa Sudamerica winner in as many years.

Other notes: Santiago’s Nuno Escalante set the new Beisbol Sudamerica single-season with 262 hits, beating Caco Gallegos’ 257 from 1989. To this point in history, Escalante’s season was the fourth best in any world league, only behind three seasons by WAB’s Fares Belaid. Escalante’s mark remains the top BSA mark and ranks 8^th in world history as of 2037. Escalante also had a .407 batting average, which was the second-best in BSA to that point.

Maturin pitcher Felix Robles set the playoff record for hits allowed (52), although he was decent with a 3.74 ERA over 43.1 innings. Arsenio Araujo became the second to reach 2000 RBI. He retired after 2019 with 2056, falling short of Milton Becker’s top mark of 2226. Araujo still ranks third as of 2037. Alex Salinas and Antonio Arceo both reached 1500 career RBI, making 27 batters to do so in BSA.

Salinas and Rodrigo Aguilar both joined the 600 home run club, making that group 20 strong. Oliverio Garza reached both 200 wins and 3500 strikeouts. SS Merkin Najera won his ninth Gold Glove. C Cicero Lugo won his 11^th Silver Slugger in a row. Lugo became the eighth player in BSA history to win 11 and is the only catcher in that group. 3B Niccolo Coelho won his ninth Slugger and 2B Oscar Valdivia won his eighth.
__________________

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-14-2024, 06:36 PM

2018 in EAB

Hiroshima earned a seventh straight West Division title and posted their best record during that stretch, taking the Japan League’s top seed at 102-60. The Hammerheads had to fend off a solid effort from 93-69. Hiroshima led all JL teams with 723 runs. Kawasaki allowed the fewest runs at 476 and won the Capital Division at 97-65. The Killer Whales ended a five-year playoff drought, while Yokohama’s four-year division title run ended. The Yellow Jackets fell to 78-84.

Sapporo and Sendai tied for the North Division crown at 90-72, while Niigata was a competitive 85-77. The Swordfish beat the Samurai in the one-game tiebreaker, ending a five-year playoff drought for Sapporo. Reigning JL champ Osaka won a fourth straight Central Division title at 88-74. Kyoto was their closest foe at 81-81.

Osaka RF Shigeyori Suzuki won Japan League MVP. The 26-year old lefty nicknamed “Little Rat” led in home runs (62), RBI (146), total bases (395), slugging (.709), OPS (1.076), wRC+ (220), and WAR (9.1). Suzuki added 105 runs and a .316 batting average.

Fukuoka’s Toshikuni Naiaki won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years and posted arguably the greatest pitching season in East Asia Baseball history to that point. The 25-year old lefty earned a Triple Crown with a 21-6 record, 1.05 ERA, and 460 strikeouts. Naikai also led in WHIP (0.62), shutouts (10), FIP- (8), ERA+ (323), and WAR (17.4) over 249 innings Naikai set new EAB single-season records for strikeouts, shutouts, WHIP, and WAR. His opponent’s triple slash (.138/.176/.201) and OPS (.377) were new EAB lows.

Naikai’s 2018 marks for strikeouts and shutouts are still EAB records as of 2037. Amongst his 10 shutouts was EAB’s 36^th Perfect Game, a 16 strikeout effort over Kitakyushu on May 8. He also set a personal best with a 20 strikeout game against Chiba on September 23. To that point, this effort had a case to be the greatest pitching season in all of pro baseball history.

The WAR mark ranked third in world history, only behind Beisbol Sudamerica Mohamed Ramos’ 17.9 in 1936 and 17.6 in 1938. Naikai posted the 11^th-ever 17+ WAR season among all players. His ERA was the 16^th-best by a qualifying starter with those in front of him notably playing in far lower scoring leagues. Naikai’s 2018 marks sometimes get overlooked in later years for how great they were because he posted an even more bonkers 2020. While his 2018 had a case for the greatest pitching effort to that point, Naikai’s 2020 would take that honor almost unanimously.

Osaka upset top seed Hiroshima 3-1 in the first round, earning repeat berths in the Japan League Championship Series. This was the first time in the Hammerheads’ seven-year playoff streak that they didn’t get to the JLCS and was their fifth year in a row without a pennant. On the other side, Kawasaki outlasted Sapporo 3-2. This gave the Killer Whales their first JLCS try since 2002. The Orange Sox pulled off the repeat, defeating Kawasaki 4-2. Osaka became ten-time Japan League champs (1923, 25, 43, 46, 58, 85, 89, 2002, 05, 17, 18). This was the second most pennants behind Sapporo’s 14.

Two-time defending East Asia Baseball champ Changwon got even better in 2018, dominating the Korea League atop the South Division at 110-52. This set a franchise record for the Crabs, who were the first KL team to breach 110 wins since Daejeon in 1986. Changwon led in scoring with 847 runs and had a .301 team batting average. This mark was the third-best in EAB history, only behind Hamhung’s .304 and Seongnam’s .303 from the unbalanced inaugural 1921 season.

Meanwhile, the North Division was incredibly competitive, ending in a tie at 93-69 between Goyang and Seoul. Seongnam was right behind at 92-70 as well. The tiebreaker game went to the Green Sox, ending a five-year playoff drought. The Seahawks earned their third straight playoff berth. The Spiders ended up with the second wild card for their fourth playoff berth in five years. Seongnam was only one game ahead of Yongin and two better than Busan for the final spot. Also notable was Ulsan’s drop to 74-88, missing the playoffs for only the second time in seven years.

Leading Changwon’s impressive offense was Korea League MVP Min-Jae Lim. The 25-year old shortstop led in hits (226), RBI (131), batting average (.391), OBP (.427), and WAR (11.3). Lim also had 26 doubles, 17 triples, 20 home runs, 72 stolen bases, a 1.026 OPS, and 176 wRC+. His batting average was the seventh-highest in EAB to that point. In the winter, the Crabs gave Lim an eight-year, $157,400,000 extension to remain the franchise icon. They had picked him third overall in the 2014 EAB Draft out of Chung-Ang University.

Seoul’s Do-Kyun Lee won his fourth straight Pitcher of the Year and his fifth in six years. The 29-year old lefty was only the fourth guy in EAB history with five POTYs, joining Yu-Geon Moon, Drew St. Louis, and Aiya Kodama. Lee’s bid for a fourth straight Triple Crown was denied with only a 16-12 record over 268.2 innings. He led again in ERA (2.04), strikeouts (392), WHIP (0.84), K/BB (14.0), complete games (21), shutouts (6), FIP- (52), ERA+ (190), and WAR (10.9).

Lee led twice more in strikeouts and WAR for the Seahawks before stunning Seoul fans by leaving. He signed a seven-year, $154,600,000 extension in April 2017, but opted out of the deal after the 2020 season. Lee then left for America on a six-year, $120,000,000 contract with MLB’s Detroit Tigers. Also of note in 2018, Seongnam’s Geon-U Kang became a three-time Reliever of the Year winner.

110-win Changwon was a heavy favorite to pull off the three-peat, but they stunningly choked and were swept 3-0 by Seongnam in the first round of the playoffs. The Spiders earned their third Korea League Championship Series berth in five years. Seoul earned a third straight KLCS try, topping Goyang 3-1. The Seahawks were the runner-up yet again though as Seongnam continued to roll with a 4-0 sweep. The Spiders became six-time Korea League champs (1982, 83, 90, 2003, 14, 18).

The 98^th East Asian Championship was the first-ever meeting between Osaka and Seongnam and ended up being a classic. For the third time in finals history, the series ended in extra innings in game seven. The Orange Sox went ahead in the top of the 10^th inning en route to a 4-3 game seven win and a 4-3 series win. It was Osaka’s first EAB title since 1989 and their sixth title overall (1923, 1925, 1943, 1985, 1989, 2018).

1B Tomofumi Shimada won finals MVP in his third season and first as a full-time starter. The 24-year old lefty in 16 games and 14 starts in the playoffs had 18 hits, 12 runs, 3 extra base hits, and 16 stolen bases. The 16 steals holds as the EAB playoff record as of 2037 and is only two from the world record. Six titles tied Osaka for the second-most along with Hamhung, Sapporo, and Daegu. Pyongyang has the most with nine despite their last one coming in 1977.

Other notes: Kumamoto had an all-time EAB worst with only 53 home runs as a team, which remains the low mark as of 2037. Fans didn’t come without the dingers, setting a new Japan League attendance low of 779,412. That mark would be bested in 2032 by expansion Maebashi. Busan also had an all-time low that still holds as of 2037 by only stealing 34 bases all season. The old low was 38 by 1924 Sapporo, who was the only other team in EAB history without at least 50 steals.

Jeonju’s Ok-Kyun Choi had a 32-game hit streak, the longest streak since 2000. OF Sang-Jun Gang became the 32^nd member of the 600 home run club and won his eighth Silver Slugger. Togai Kobayashi was the 30^th to score 1500 runs and Hitoshi Kubota was the 43^rd to 1500 RBI. Three pitchers reached 200 wins, making 58 to do so in EAB. C Ha-Jun Au won his ninth Silver Slugger, while 2B Ryuichi Sawa and SS Shingen Matsumara both became seven-time Silver Slugger winners

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-15-2024, 06:36 AM

2018 in CABA

Reigning Baseball Grand Champion, two-time defending CABA champ and three-time defending Mexican League champ Juarez seemed to be only getting stronger. The Jesters set a franchise record at 110-52, leading the ML in runs scored (837) and fewest allowed (602). Juarez had a team .342 on-base percentage, tying the ML single-season record set by Ecatepec in 2002. The Jesters also set a new CABA season attendance record at 2,770,865. Juarez earned their seventh playoff berth in eight years and their fifth North Division title in that stretch.

Leon won the South Division at 95-67, finishing eight games ahead of Merida and nine better than Ecatepec. The Lions notably smacked 309 home runs as a team, which remains the CABA single-season record as of 2037. Leon grabbed their fifth playoff berth in six years.

San Luis Potosi at 96-66 in the North Division easily got the first wild card for their third berth in six years. Hermosillo (88-74) narrowly took the second spot, edging both Torreon and Merida by one game, Ecatepec by two, Tijuana by three, and Mexico City by five. The Hyenas ended a three-year playoff drought while the Tomahawks playoff streak ended at five. Torreon still grew their streak of winning seasons to 19 years. Guadalajara, who had a surprise MLCS runner-up run last year, fell hard to 64-98.

Tijuana’s Rual Ibarra was the Mexican League MVP in his sixth season. The 27-year old left fielder led in home runs (60), slugging (.678), and WAR (9.5). Ibarra added 126 runs, 127 RBI, a 1.079 OPS, and 186 wRC+. The Toros had locked him up back after the 2015 campaign at $87,900,000 over eight years.

Hermosillo’s Jamarca Akim became the sixth in Mexican League history to earn four Pitcher of the Year awards. Akim had won three straight from 2012-14, but he had fallen off a bit in 2016 and 2017. The 29-year old Jamaican righty was back to form in 2018, winning his lone ERA title at 2.43. Akim also led in innings pitched (266.1), quality starts (22), and complete games (20). He struck out 275 with 7.8 WAR, 165 ERA+, and an 18-11 record. Akim would test free agency in the winter, but ultimately went back to the Hyenas on a six-year, $82,800,000 deal.

Despite having their strongest team yet on paper, Juarez was upset 3-2 by Hermosillo in the first round. It would be only the second time in seven years that the Jesters weren’t in the Mexican League Championship Series, denying their four-peat bid. The Hyenas hadn’t made it that far since 2010. On the other side, Leon swept San Luis Potosi to give the Lions their third MLCS in four years. Leon finally ended a 31-year title drought, outlasting Hermosillo in a seven-game classic to become nine-time ML champs (1927, 39, 41, 42, 59, 60, 64, 86, 2018).

The top records in the Caribbean League were centered in the Island Division. Havana at 104-58 earned the #1 overall seed for their third straight playoff berth. The Hurricanes hadn’t been division champ since 2009. Jamaica’s playoff streak grew to five years with the first wild card at 96-66. Haiti was back in the field with the second wild card at 93-69. That gave the Herons 20 playoff berths in the last 22 seasons.

Guyana shocked the Continental Division in first at 93-69. Since joining in the 2003 expansion, the Golden Knights had only once even won 70+ games in a season, averaging 63.8 wins per year in their first 15 years. Last year’s division champ Honduras was second at 90-72, three games short in both the wild card and division race. Panama (87-75) and Costa Rica (86-76) were next while defending Caribbean League champ Salvador fell to .500.

Earning Caribbean League MVP was RF Marcelo Campa. The 28-year old Salvadoran lefty started his career with Guatemala, but signed before the 2018 season with Jamaica for five years and $70,700,000. In his Jazz debut, Campa led in homers (52), RBI (133), doubles (38), total bases (417), and WAR (7.5). He added a 1.021 OPS and 181 wRC+.

One of the big guys helping Guyana’s turnaround was Pitcher of the Year Rodney Louis. He was the third overall pick in the 2017 CABA Draft and had a remarkable rookie season, leading all CL pitchers with 7.6 WAR. The Haitian righty had a 3.33 ERA over 270.2 innings, 244 strikeouts, 18-6 record, and 120 ERA+. Despite that effort, Louis somehow finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, falling victim to an anti-pitcher bias from many voters.

Wild card Haiti stunned top seed Havana 3-2 in the first round, giving the Herons their third Caribbean League Championship Series berth in four years. Guyana meanwhile swept Jamaica for their first-ever playoff wins. The Jazz have now lost four straight years in the first round. The Golden Knights kept rolling, defeating Haiti 4-2 for their first-ever pennant. Guyana became the first of the 2003 expansion teams to win a title.

In the 108^th Central American Baseball Association Championship, Guyana’s improbable run ended with a shocking sweep of Leon. The Golden Knights had gone 61-101 the prior year, setting a CABA record for the largest year-over-year improvement by a CABA champ at +32 wins. The previous best was 1988 Trinidad at +30. It was unlikely any team in world history had been so consistently bad prior to a title with a decade of sub-70 win seasons. Going 11-2, it was also one of the more dominant postseason efforts in CABA history.

LF Eliseo Llanos was finals MVP in his fourth year for Guyana. The 26-year old Dominican in 12 playoff starts had 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 5 homers, and 10 RBI. Guyana became the 27^th different CABA franchise to win it all. All of the original franchises had at least one, as did 1961 expansion teams Trinidad and Torreon. That left Bahamas and Queretaro from the 1961 expansion and the other three 2003 expansion teams still ringless.

Other notes: Although Bahamas was terrible yet again, the baseball world focused there in the autumn due to LF Sandile Nyambi. He was a South African who had trouble finding a home in pro baseball before arriving in Nassau, only having 22 pro games for Liverpool of the European Second League in 2016. Nyambi came to CABA with Leon in 2017, but never saw the field. The Buccaneers gave him a shot for 2018 and he made world history.

September 30^th saw the end of what would be a historic 54-game hitting streak for Nyambi. This beat the previous world record of 49 set by MLB’s Jayden Gagnon in 1930 and matched in 1960 by EBF’s Rudjer Bosnjak. It also shattered the CABA record 38 by Ivan Iniguez from the inaugural 1911 season.

Nyambi’s mark remains the world record as of 2037, etching his name into the record books despite having rather pedestrian rest of his career. He started for Bahamas in 2019 and Mexico City the next two years with passable results. Nyambi then was a backup from 2022-24 in EBF for Antwerp before retiring.

Juarez’s Loyd Wayne drew 126 walks in 2018, breaking the previous CABA record of 109 by a healthy margin. Wayne’s mark remains the CABA record as of 2037. Wayne also had a .457 on-base percentage, which was the second-best in CABA to that point. Chihuahua’s offense allowed 827 runs, which was the third worst in Mexican League history. Their 1649 hits allowed were the second worst. For the second straight season, CABA didn’t see any no-hitters.

Juan Castro became the 12^th member of the 3000 hit club. It was his final season finishing with 3040, which ranks 16^th as of 2037. Alexander Trinidad became the 48^th to reach 500 home runs. C Luis Moran won his ninth Silver Slugger and RF Americo Negron won his seventh. 2B Timmy Asher won his seventh consecutive Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-15-2024, 07:16 PM

2018 in MLB

Defending World Series champion Boston and Kansas City tied for the National Association’s best record at 105-57, but the tiebreaker formula gave the Cougars the top seed. KC earned its third straight Lower Midwest Division title and set a new franchise wins record by one game over their 2016 pennant winning effort. The Red Sox repeated as Northeast Division champ and scored the most runs in the NA at 785. Both won their divisions by double-digit figures despite the wild cards emerging from their divisions.

Detroit at 103-59 was in the mix for the top seed as well, but had to settle for the #3 spot and a first round playoff series. The Tigers repeated as Upper Midwest Division champs and won their seventh division title in nine years. The weakest division winner and playoff team was Philadelphia at 89-73. The Phillies earned their fourth East Division crown in five years. Philly also posted a 12^th winning season in a row, earning their 10^th playoff appearance of that run. Last year’s NACS runner-up Brooklyn (84-78), Washington (83-79), and Baltimore (82-80) were their closest divisional rivals, but each well short in the wild card race.

Cincinnati saw a remarkable turnaround, having lost 100 games the prior year with seven straight losing seasons. At 94-68, the Reds got the first wild card and their first playoff berth since their 2009 pennant. For the second slot, Hartford and Minneapolis tied at 91-71, while Cleveland (90-72) fell one game short. The Huskies beat the Moose in a tiebreaker game, giving Hartford repeat wild cards. The Cobras had bad luck, underperforming their expected W/L by ten games. The Huskies allowed the fewest runs at 488. St. Louis at 86-76 was also in the mix for a bit and had their ninth straight winning season.

Pittsburgh was 80-82, but their LF Fred Hynes repeated as National Association MVP. Still in only his third season, the 23-year old lefty led in runs (134), doubles (32), RBI (134), total bases (420), slugging (.669), OPS (1.048), wRC+ (215), and WAR (9.7). Hynes had a .330 average and 57 home runs. Only Milwaukee’s Gilbert Windemere beat him in home runs with 60. It was only the 12th time in MLB history that 60 homers was reached, a mark Hynes got the prior year.

History was made by Hartford’s Seth Southworth, who won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old lefty from Rhode Island won POTY way back in 2011. He had remained a beast when healthy, but had lost much of 2015 and 2016 to a torn UCL. Southworth earned his first ERA title the prior year, but had taken second in POTY voting.

In 2018, Southworth set MLB’s single-season ERA record at 1.34, beating the previous record of 1.56 set in 1964 by Jerry Addison. As of 2037, Southworth’s mark remains the all-time best. He also led in strikeouts (291), complete games (15), shutouts (9), FIP- (48), and WAR (10.7). Southworth had a 19-8 record over 249 innings and a 261 ERA+. It was only the ninth time in MLB history that a pitcher had nine or more shutouts. His opponent’s OPS was .510, which was the 10^th lowest qualifying season to that point.

Sadly, this was the final time Southworth pitched in an MLB game. In spring training 2019, serious shoulder inflammation required surgery and put him out for a calendar year. Southworth attempted a 2020 comeback in Europe, signing a five-year, $101,000,000 deal with Edinburgh. That spring training, he tore his UCL again and was forced to retire. It was a heartbreaking abrupt end for one of the game’s most popular and impressive pitchers.

Both first round playoff series went 2-1 with Philadelphia over Cincinnati and Detroit over Hartford. The top seeds held as Kansas City swept the Phillies and Boston survived 3-2 over the Tigers. Detroit’s playoff woes continue as despite having 11 playoff berths since 2001, they’ve only gotten beyond the second round once.

The two most recent pennant winners met in the National Association Championship Series with the defending champ Boston against the 2016 champ Kansas City. The Cougars used the home field advantage defeat the Red Sox 4-2, becoming seven-time NA champs (1937, 1961, 1962, 1976, 1991, 2015, 2018).

Denver dominated the American Association field in 2018 at 107-55, finishing second in the AA in both runs scored (896) and fewest allowed (578). The Dragons won their ninth consecutive Northwest Division title, the longest division title streak in MLB history. It was only the second-ever nine season playoff streak in MLB history, one year away from Ottawa’s ten-year run from 1932-41. 107 wins were the most for Denver in that streak, who earned their fourth 100+ win season in five years.

The second best record in the AA was in the Northwest with Denver, as Salt Lake City was 97-65. The Loons got the first wild card and ended an eight-year playoff drought, allowing the fewest runs at 563. The other three division winners were separated by one win, making a fierce battle for the #2 seed and the other bye. Nashville and San Francisco tied for the slot at 96-66, while New Orleans was 95-67. The tiebreaker gave the #2 seed to the Gold Rush, forcing the Knights and Mudcats to play in the first round.

SF had the toughest path in a loaded Southwest Division, repeating as division champs and getting their third straight playoff berth. Las Vegas was only two back at 94-68 with Los Angeles at 92-70. The Vipers earned repeat wild cards, while the Angels missed the playoffs for only the second time in nine years. 86-76 San Diego was also in the mix, scoring the most runs (914) but also allowing the most (832). The Seals smacked 341 home runs, setting a new MLB team record by a healthy margin. That remained the top mark until 2036.

Nashville got their second berth in three years, but it was their first Southeast Division title since winning the World Series in 2009. Last year’s division winner Jacksonville was their nearest foe at 87-75. New Orleans took the South Central Division for the second time in three years. Austin was second at 85-77 with defending division champ Houston 84-78.

Houston’s Ric Ransom earned American Association MVP in his fourth season. The 24-year old right fielder from Beaumont, Texas led in RBI (147), and OPS (1.018). The lefty had 52 home runs, 107 runs, a 171 wRC+, and 8.3 WAR. The Hornets locked Ransom up long-term in the offseason on an eight-year, $142,300,000 extension.

Denver’s Omari Green secured his first Pitcher of the Year in his 12^th season. The 31-year old righty from Rosenberg, Texas signed with the Dragons in 2014 after playing for San Antonio and Los Angeles. Green led in WAR (8.8), FIP- (68), and quality starts (25). He posted a 2.63 ERA over 283.2 innings, 19-10 record, 273 strikeouts, and 147 ERA+. The 2015 World Series MVP, Green signed a new six-year, $162,200,000 extension with Denver before the 2018 season.

Both wild cards got road upsets in the first round with Salt Lake City sweeping New Orleans and Las Vegas edging Nashville 3-1. San Francisco ousted SLC 3-1 to keep the repeat bid alive for the Gold Rush. The Vipers stunned top seed Denver 3-1, sending Las Vegas to their first American Association Championship Series since 2000. Vegas ended a 38-year pennant drought with a shocking sweep of the defending champ San Fran. Las Vegas became five-time AA champs (1959, 1976, 1978, 1979, 2018).

The 118^th World Series was a rematch of a seven-game classic from 1976 which saw Las Vegas defeat Kansas City 4-3. 43 years later, the Cougars got their revenge, defeating the Vipers 4-2. This was KC’s second-ever MLB title, joining their 1991 sweep of Denver. Catcher Nicholas Laird was World Series MVP, having signed with the Cougars the prior year after a run with Montreal. The 32-year old Canadian had 15 playoff starts with 14 hits, 13 runs, 3 doubles, 5 homers, and 10 RBI.

Other notes: CF Morgan Short missed almost half the season but still posted 5.0 WAR, the second-lowest of his career. This got the 37-year old to 154.4 for his career, passing pitcher Ned Giles’ 151.7 to become MLB’s all-time WARlord. Short also became the 61^st batter to earn 3000 career hits. It was Short’s final of five seasons with Brooklyn. He played four more years between Houston and expansion Sacramento and was plagued with injuries, but he still got to 170.5. That mark remains MLB’s best as of 2037 and ranks 13^th among all players in pro baseball history.

Cleveland’s P.J. Keough threw MLB’s 31^st perfect game on August 11, striking out five against Columbus. The Cobras pitching staff allowed 1101 hits on the season, which is the MLB all-time low as of 2037. Their 6.78 H/9 ranks second-best. St. Louis allowed 256 walks with a 1.58 BB/9, both of which were second-lowest in MLB history. Oklahoma City’s offense had a .223 batting average, the third worst in American Association history.

Ryan Skramesto, Ju-Won Yoo, and Ustad Shaikh all joined the 600 home run club within two weeks of each other, making it a 26-player club. Bruno Gallant became the 23^rd pitcher to reach 3500 strikeouts and the first since 2002. SS Fritz Louissi won his seventh consecutive Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-16-2024, 05:56 AM

2018 Baseball Grand Championship

The ninth Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Rome, Italy. The auto-bids for 2018 went to MLB’s Kansas City and Las Vegas, CABA’s Guyana and Leon, EAB’s Osaka and Seongnam, BSA’s Concepcion and Maturin, EBF’s Munich and Birmingham, EPB’s Krasnoyarsk, OBA’s Sydney, APB’s Zamboanga, CLB’s Nanjing, WAB’s Yaounde, SAB’s Kanpur, ABF’s Ankara, ALB’s Jeddah, and AAB’s Kampala. The wild card at-large spot went to APB runner-up Johor Bahru, whose 108-54 record led amongst the qualifying finalists.

Through the first eight BGCs, the Arab League hadn’t had a team crack the top four. Jeddah changed that in impressive fashion by winning at 14-5, bringing the cup to Saudi Arabia. It was the fifth different league to win the Grand Championship in five years. Great pitching led the way for the Jackals, allowing the fewest runs at 45 with a 2.31 ERA. That pushed Jeddah to the crown with the third-best run differential at +29.

Concepcion was alone in second at 12-7, scoring the most runs (99) with the second-best run differential at +36. This gave the Chiefs back-to-back second place finishes. The only other team that had been in the top two twice was Denver, who won in 2013 and took second in 2015. The prior year, Concepcion ended up in a three-way tie at 12-7, but ended up second on the tiebreaker formula.

There was a four-way tie next at 11-8 between Leon, Osaka, Seongnam, and Zamboanga. Officially after going through the tiebreakers, the Zebras were third with the Orange Sox fourth, Lions fifth, and Spiders sixth. This was Zamboanga’s second time in the top three, having finished second in 2013. They joined Concepcion, Denver, Phoenix, and Goyang as the only teams to crack the top three twice.

Behind them were five teams at 10-9; Kampala, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Yaounde, and Kanpur. It was the Vipers who had the best run differential at +39. Birmingham and Krasnoyarsk were both 9-10. Five teams finished 8-11 with Guyana, Johor Bahru, Maturin, Munich, and Sydney. Ankarra was 18^th at 7-12, while Nanjing was alone in last place at 5-14.

Reigning Japan League MVP Shigeyori Suzuki of Osaka was named Tournament MVP. The 26-year old right fielder from Japan in 19 starts had 19 hits, 18 runs, 13 home runs, 22 RBI, a 1.392 OPS, 281 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. Also of note, his Orange Sox teammate Tomofmi Shimada stole 16 bases, setting a new BGC record that hasn’t been beat as of 2037.

Zamboanga’s Frans Mahisa earned Best Pitcher honors. The 33-year old Indonesian had been a middling starter for a decade with Batam before coming to the Zebras in a deadline trade in 2018. In 31.1 innings, Mahisa was 3-0 with a 0.57 ERA, 45 strikeouts, 10 hits, 2 runs, 5 walks, and 2.0 WAR. He was the ninth pitcher to that point with 2+ WAR in his BGC effort.

Other notes: The sixth no-hitter in BGC history went to Ankara’s Clint Ray, who struck out 12 and walked one against Yaounde. Kansas City’s Ichisake Kawasaki became the first player to have a four home run game in the BGC, going 4-4 with 6 RBI against Johor Bahru.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-16-2024, 12:41 PM

2019 MLB Hall of Fame

For the second time in five years, Major League Baseball didn’t add any players into the Hall of Fame. This was only the fourth blank ballot since the 1970s. A lack of impressive debuts was part of it, with the top debutants being RF Olen Lack at 54.3% and SP Victor Burke at 51.6%.

The only player to crack 60% was SS Robert Hightower. However, his 62.2% sixth ballot was just shy of the 66% requirement for induction. Other players that were above 50% were C Sebastian Van Velzen with 58.9% on his third try, C Brayan Varela at 58.1% in his fourth go, SP Qazi Khwaja at 55.4% in his tenth ballot, and RF Jameson Hughes at 54.3% for his second attempt.

For Khwaja, he simply wasn’t in MLB quite long enough to get across the line. The Pakistani righty played his first seven years in the Asian Baseball Federation with Karachi, winning Pitcher of the Year in 1992. Khwaja then came to MLB and Chicago in 1994, winning 1999 POTY with the Cubs. He also had a Triple Crown in 1994 with a 22-9 record, 1.99 ERA, and 296 strikeouts. Khawaja’s final five years came with Houston.

Just in MLB, Khwaja had a 189-126 record, 3.07 ERA, 2905 innings, 2611 strikeouts, 702 walks, 120 ERA+, and 65.2 WAR. It was certainly a Hall of Fame pace, but his few years back home in Pakistan kept his accumulations just low enough for some voters. Khwaja peaked in his final ballot at 55.4% with his lowest at 44.7% in 2014. He couldn’t get above 30% in his ABF HOF tries.

For his entire pro career, Khwaja had a 293-210 record, 2.95 ERA, 4598.2 innings, 4641 strikeouts, 1095 walks, 399 quality starts, 192 complete games, 51 shutouts, 118 ERA+, and 113.7 WAR. Ultimately it was timing and not his talent that kept Khwaja on the outside. He was the only player in 2019 dropped from the MLB ballot after ten failed attempts

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-16-2024, 04:55 PM

2019 CABA Hall of Fame

1B/3B Donald Gonzalez was a big headliner for the 2019 Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame at 98.4%. SP Simon Leal joined him, also with a first ballot nod and a very solid 84.0%. Two second ballot guys fell just shy of the 66% requirement with 1B Yonder Aguirre at 62.9% and SP Ian Paniagua at 62.6%. SP Julio Sandoval was the other player above 50%, taking 54.6% on his sixth attempt. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries in 2019.

Donald “Amazing” Gonzalez – Third/First Base – Chihuahua Warriors – 98.6% First Ballot

Donald Gonzalez was a 6’1’’, 205 pound left-handed hitting corner infielder from Bayamon, Puerto Rico’s second-largest municipality with around 185,000 people. “The Amazing” was often put in front of his name and for good reason. Gonzalez was an outstanding contact hitter with excellent home run power. He was also quite good at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Gonzalez was especially dominant against right-handing pitcher with a career 1.029 OPS and 198 wRC+, but he was no scrub against lefties with a .873 OPS and 157 wRC+.

Gonzalez hit 40+ home runs in 11 seasons and smacked 50+ seven times. His gap power got him 27 doubles and 6 triples per his 162 game average. Gonzalez was firmly average to below average in terms of baserunning speed and ability. He wasn’t a liability though by any stretch and was regularly the Mexican League’s top run scorer in his prime.

His first few seasons came primarily at first base, but Gonzalez moved full-time to third starting with his age 28 season. Roughly 2/3s of his career starts came at third and he graded as below average for his career, although his final few seasons tanked his career average. The other 1/3s of his starts were at first base and he was viewed as a reliably strong defender there.

Gonzalez was a renowned ironman, playing 157+ games in all but his first and final seasons. The Amazing Gonzalez was also a team captain and was considered one of pro baseball’s finest humans. His leadership, intelligence, and adaptability were regularly praised by teammates and opponents alike. That and his raw talent made Gonzalez one of the most universally beloved superstars of his era and perhaps Puerto Rico’s most famous ever ballplayer.

As a teenager, Gonzalez’s potential already stood out. A visiting Mexican scout from Chihuahua ended up inking him to a developmental deal in August 1995. Gonzalez spent two full years in their academy, then debuted in 1998 as a part-time starter. He was one of the few to debut before his 20^th birthday, although he did struggle in his limited time. Gonzalez was a full-time starter the next year with okay results. By his third year, he was one of the Mexican League’s top hitters.

Gonzalez would win nine straight Silver Sluggers from 2002-10 with the first five as a first baseman and the next four at third base. His 2002-08 stretch was one of the finest in CABA history, leading the Mexican League all seven years in OPS and OBP. During that run, Gonzalez led the league in runs six times, hits five times, home runs six times, RBI five times, total bases five times, batting average five times, slugging five times, and WAR four times.

2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008 were each MVP wins for Gonzalez, becoming the ninth to win the award five-times in CABA. He was second in 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2010. Gonzalez earned four Triple Crown seasons, starting with 54 homers, 123 RBI, and a .380 average in 2002. In 2005, he had his highest homer tally at 62, along with 144 RBI and a .380 average. 2007 saw 51 dingers, 137 RBI, and his best batting average at .391. Then 2008 featured 52 homers, a career-best 145 RBI, and .370 average.

By OPS and wRC+, Gonzalez’s finest season was 2005 at 1.207 OPS and 236 wRC+. That OPS ranks as the eighth-best single season in CABA as of 2037. He also set a single-season runs record that year with 151, which remains the CABA record as of 2037. It is one of only 15 seasons in world history with 150+ runs. 2007 was Gonzalez’s finest season by WAR at 13.9, which ranks as the third-best by a CABA position player. In all of pro baseball history as of 2037, Gonzalez’s WAR mark ranks 35^th among position players. Gonzalez has seven of the top 100 WAR seasons by a CABA position player, the most of any player.

After the 2002 season, Chihuahua gave Gonzalez an eight-year, $55,380,000. Before his arrival, the Warriors had been largely hot garbage, posting only one winning season from 1963 to 2001. Chihuahua finally got back above .500 in 2002 at 87-75. However, even Gonzalez’s incredible talent and leadership couldn’t get the Warriors over the hump. They mainly hovered around .500 and only had one playoff appearance in his tenure. That came in 2008 with a 97-65 wild card effort and first round defeat. Between 2007 and 2008, he had a 37-game hit streak, falling one short of the then-CABA record.

Even without playoff experience, Gonzalez had become a superstar throughout the world. He regularly played in the World Baseball Championship from 1998-2017, but he did split allegiances. 13 times, Gonzalez played for Puerto Rico, but he was also eligible as an American citizen and played six times for the United States. The US was runner-up in 2009 and won the world title in 2011, although Gonzalez was a reserve in those runs.

For his combined tournament career, including two later runs in the Baseball Grand Championship for St. Louis, Gonzalez had 175 games, 168 starts, 138 hits, 104 runs, 17 doubles, 47 home runs, 102 RBI, 84 walks, a .237/.344/.528 slash, 143 wRC+, and 6.1 WAR.

After the 2010 campaign, Gonzalez was a free agent for the first time at age 32. He was beloved in Chihuahua and considered staying, but it was hard to pass up the worldwide offers he’d get. Incidentally after he left in 2011, the Warriors went 102-60 and won the Mexican League title. There were no hard feelings from Chihuahua’s organization or fans, as Gonzalez received an honorary championship ring. The Warriors later retired his #40 uniform as well.

With Chihuahua, Gonzalez had 2607 hits, 1459 runs, 375 doubles, 102 triples, 586 home runs, 1491 RBI, 683 walks, a .347/.405/.659 slash, 1.064 OPS, 203 wRC+, and 120.0 WAR. Despite leaving CABA in his early 30s, Gonzalez still ranks 16^th in WAR among position players as of 2037. His OPS is third best among all hitters with 3000+ plate appearances while is OBP ranks 11^th. Gonzalez ranks 31^st in home runs, 47^th in RBI, 34^th in runs scored, and 54^th in hits.

Had Gonzalez stayed in CABA, he likely could have challenged for some of the top spots on the leaderboards. The early departure and Chihuahua’s lack of team success ding Gonzalez when scholars discuss CABA’s all-time greatest hitter. Even still, he was a no-doubt inner circle level player, getting inducted into CABA’s Hall of Fame at 98.4% in 2019.

Gonzalez still had another seven years of professional baseball in MLB after the CABA run. For 2011, he signed a five-year, $90,000,000 deal with St. Louis. Gonzalez won Silver Sluggers at third base for the Cardinals in 2012, 2014, and 2015; giving him 12 for his combined career. Gonzalez was also third in 2014’s MVP voting. Although he didn’t lead the National Association in any starts, he was reliably an excellent hitter in his time in St. Louis. Gonzalez topped 5.5 WAR in all five years and twice was above 8 WAR.

St. Louis ended a seven-year playoff drought in 2013, but lost in the first round as the #6 seed. The Cardinals then posted a dominant 107-55 in 2014 and 112-50 in 2015, winning pennants both years. They ultimately couldn’t win the World Series, falling to Phoenix in 2014 and Denver in 2015.

Gonzalez was surprisingly pedestrian over 32 playoff starts for St. Louis, posting 21 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 16 RBI, 15 walks, a .149/.299/.389 slash, 101 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. He had 0.7 WAR over 38 games in the Baseball Grand Championship with 22 hits, 23 runs, 12 homers, 21 RBI, and 20 walks. The Cardinals were 7-12 in 2014, then tied for sixth at 10-9 in 2015.

Still, Cardinals fans were quite appreciative of his efforts in getting them two National Association titles. With St. Louis, Gonzalez had 779 hits, 458 runs, 123 doubles, 190 home runs, 504 RBI, a .269/.343/.514 slash, 164 wRC+, and 35.4 WAR. He was a free agent again at age 37 and still was viewed as a hot property. Cardinals fans were a bit annoyed that he went to rival Chicago on a two-year, $49,600,000 deal.

Gonzalez posted a 5.3 WAR season in 2016 and helped the Cubs snap a 17-year playoff drought. He struggled in the playoffs though and they were ousted in the second round. Chicago fell to 77-85 in 2017 and Gonzalez suffered a sudden steep decline. He ended up benched, only starting 60 of 119 games with 0.6 WAR. He only hit 10 home runs, ending a 17-year run of smacking at least 33 each year.

With Chicago, Gonzalez had 187 hits, 105 runs, 28 doubles, 45 home runs, 112 RBI, a .231/.325/.454 slash, 134 wRC+, and 5.9 WAR. He still wanted to play somewhere in 2018, but teams across pro baseball thought he was cooked. Gonzalez retired that winter at age 40. For his seven years in MLB, he had 966 hits, 563 runs, 151 doubles, 235 home runs, 616 RBI, a .261/.339/.501 slash, 157 wRC+, and 41.3 WAR.

The combined pro career has 3110 games, 3573 hits, 2022 runs, 526 doubles, 119 triples, 821 home runs, 2107 RBI, 1095 walks, a .319/.383/.607 slash, .989 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 161.3 WAR. As of 2037, Gonzalez ranks impressively on many world leaderboards. He ranks 17^th in WAR among position players and 24^th among all players. Among Hall of Famers, his wRC+ ranks 28^th best. Gonzalez sits 28^th in runs scored and is one of only 33 players to score 2000 times in his career. Gonzalez is 44^th in home runs, 39^th in RBI, and 44^th in hits.

Any way you slice it, Gonzalez was undoubtedly among the absolute best to ever do it. Many would argue he’s the greatest player to ever come out of Puerto Rico. Gonzalez has the highest WAR from the island, although Matias Esquilin and Noah Breton would top him for many of CABA’s counting stats in the coming years. It’s hard to guess where Gonzalez would’ve landed if he remained in Mexico statistically, but no one argues against him being one of the true icons of the game.

Simon “Little Rat” Leal – Starting Pitcher – Hermosillo Hyenas – 84.0% First Ballot

Simon Leal was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Guadalupe, Mexico; a city of around 643,000 inhabitants within the greater Monterrey metropolitan area. Leal was well-rounded with good to occasionally great stuff, control, and movement. He had a strong 97-99 mph fastball and a great slider along with an okay curveball. Leal’s arsenal led to an extreme ground ball tendency. Leal’s stamina and durability were both quite good. He was decent at holding runners, but subpar defensively.

Leal earned the nickname “Little Rat” as a young child by family and it managed to stick through his playing career. Regardless, he came up through the college ranks impressively, getting picked #1 overall in the 1999 CABA Draft by Hermosillo. The Hyenas used him as a reliever as a rookie, although he stunk with a 5.62 ERA. Leal was split between the bullpen and rotation in year two. He would see decent relief use for his entire career, but he would get a mostly full slate of starts from year three onward.

It wasn’t until his fourth year that Leal really started to live up to his draft billing. In 2004, Leal led the Mexican League with 292 strikeouts and had his first sub-three ERA season. Hermosillo had their best season in more than a decade, although they would still be just outside the playoffs. After the 2004 campaign, the Hyenas extended Leal for three years and $18,040,000.

Hermosillo missed narrowly again in 2005, but started a five-year playoff streak in 2006. That year, Leal earned Pitcher of the Year, leading the Mexican League in strikeouts (312) and wins (20-9). He struggled in the playoffs though with a 4.76 ERA over three starts as the Hyenas lost to Juarez in the MLCS. They had a first round exit the next year with Leal’s lone start seeing 4 runs allowed over 7.1 innings.

Still, they were in contention now and gave Leal a seven-year, $66,500,000 extension in May 2007. He took second in POTY voting in 2007, then won it again in 2008. This saw his lone ERA title with a career best 1.99. Leal also had league and career bests in WAR (7.1), ERA+ (182), and wins (22-9), while boasting a career high 313 strikeouts.

Leal had an unusual playoff role with two starts and seven relief appearances, but it worked with a 3-0 record, 2.16 ERA, and 32 strikeouts. Hermosillo won it all, beating Ecatepec in the Mexican League final and Nicaragua in the CABA final. The former #1 overall pick had successfully led his team to the Promised Land. Hermosillo would lose in the first round in 2009, then fell to the Explosion in the 2010 MLCS.

The latter two playoff efforts were good, although Leal’s career postseason stats weren’t incredible. He had a 3.36 ERA and 109 ERA+ over 75 innings with 78 strikeouts, 10 walks, and 1.3 WAR. Leal also pitched from 2005-12 in the World Baseball Championship for Mexico, posting a 3.81 ERA over 82.2 innings, 130 strikeouts, 18 walks, 93 ERA+, and 2.0 WAR. Their deepest run with Leal was a third place finish in 2007.

Leal wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist again after his 2008 effort, although he did lead in WHIP at 0.92 in 2010. He had three more 5+ WAR seasons, then saw his stats fall towards average in 2012. Leal had a full load in 2013, but his 3.93 ERA was the weakest since his rookie year. He had one more season on his contract, but opted to retire that winter at age 36. Hermosillo immediately retired his #10 uniform for his 14 years of service.

In total, Leal had a 187-150 record, 3.12 ERA, 2957 innings, 3117 strikeouts, 498 walks, 209/342 quality starts, 127 complete games, 21 shutouts, 118 ERA+, and 58.0 WAR. As of 2037, Leal ranks 70^th in strikeouts and 82^nd in wins. However, he doesn’t crack the top 100 for pitching WAR. In terms of raw stats, Leal’s resume may appear fairly borderline compared to other aces that got the nod.

However, Leal hit a lot of benchmarks for some voters. He had two Pitcher of the Year awards, an ERA title, led in strikeouts thrice, played with only one team, and won a championship with that team. Those factors were plenty for most voters, getting Leal the first ballot nod in the 2019 CABA Hall of Fame class at 84.0%.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-17-2024, 05:48 AM

2019 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

East Asia Baseball’s 2019 Hall of Fame class had three players inducted on the first ballot. 1B Hidenosuke Mazaki at 97.5% and SP/OF Junichi Muto at 94.9% were the co-headliners. RF Hyun-Jun Nahm joined them at 72.8%, narrowly crossing the 66% requirement. Only one other player was above 50% with 3B Min-Seong Ryu getting 56.2% for his fifth try.

The one player dropped after ten failed ballots was RF Giichi Matsunaga, who had a 16-year career with Sendai. He had one Silver Slugger and finished with 2462 hits, 1233 runs, 381 doubles, 150 triples, 425 home runs, 1250 RBI, a .278/.329/.499 slash, 152 wRC+, and 81.4 WAR. Matsunaga was reliably strong, but didn’t have the dominance or awards to get much attention. He was also hurt by being on consistently bad Samurai teams, only making the playoffs once in his career. Matsunaga peaked at 30.6% in 2011 and ended with only 5.8%.

Hidenosuke Mazaki – First Base – Niigata Green Dragons – 97.5% First Ballot

Hidenosuke Mazaki was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Higashiosaka, Japan; a city of around 486,000 located just east of Osaka. Mazaki had both solid contact skills and a good eye, although his strikeout rate was poor. He had excellent home run power, topping 30 home runs each year from 1998-2012 with nine 40+ homer seasons in that stretch. Mazaki’s gap power was merely decent with 25 doubles and 4 triples in his 162 game average.

Mazaki wouldn’t get many extra bags with his legs due to mediocre speed and baserunning. Poor speed didn’t hinder him at all as a career first baseman. Mazaki was an excellent defender, winning six Gold Gloves. He had solid durability and was adaptable each situation. These talents made Mazaki a very popular player in his time.

In the 1996 EAB Draft, Mazaki was picked third overall by Niigata, where he’d spend his entire pro career. He was a bench player in his rookie year, but took over the full-time job from 1998 onward, starting his run of 30+ homer seasons. Niigata quickly gave him an eight-year, $22,620,000 extension after the 1999 season.

Mazaki topped 100 RBI nine times, scored 100+ runs six times, had an OPS above one four times, and saw nine seasons worth at least 7 WAR. With the competition at first base, his lone Silver Slugger came in 2004. Mazaki’s Gold Glove wins came in 2000, 03, 04, 05, 06, and 08.

In 2001, Mazaki led the Japan League with a career high 132 runs. This year also had career bests in hits (195), batting average (.322), and WAR (9.6); taking third in MVP voting. This snapped an eight-year playoff drought for Niigata and began a decade of success. The Green Dragons would make the playoffs from 2001-04. They missed narrowly in 2005, then posted a five-year streak from 2006-10. In 2001, Niigata fell to Kawasaki in the JLCS.

Niigata had the top JL record in 2002 at 109-53, but was upset by the Killer Whales in the first round. The Green Dragons won 85 and 92 in the next two seasons, but went on impressive playoff runs for back-to-back Japan League titles. Niigata lost to Seongnam in the 2003 EAB Championship and fell to Seoul in 2004. Mazaki was merely decent in these early playoff runs with 1.0 WAR over 44 starts with 39 hits, 24 runs, 10 home runs, and 27 RBI.

Mazaki’s lone MVP came in 2004 despite missing a month to a fractured wrist. He led the league with career bests in slugging (.676), OPS (1.045), and wRC+ (210). In 127 games, Mazaki had 47 homers, 98 RBI, and 8.3 WAR. The prior year, Mazaki had his only season leading the league in homers (49), RBI (122), and WAR (8.3). He would miss a month in 2005 to a fractured thumb.

Over the next five years, Mazaki would mostly avoid injury woes, posting three straight 8+ WAR seasons from 2006-08. He led in runs scored in 2008 and had career highs in 2007 with 53 homers and 128 RBI. Mazaki was second in 2007 MVP voting and third in 2008. Niigata won the EAB Championship in 2006 over Seoul and in 2008 against Goyang. They had first round exits in 2007, 2009, and 2010.

Mazaki was excellent in the 2006 playoffs, getting 18 hits, 12 runs, 8 home runs, and 15 RBI. Niigata signed him in April 2007 to a four-year, $36,900,000 extension. He missed part of the 2008 playoffs to back tightness. Despite his general excellence, Mazaki’s playoff stats were merely decent for his career with the 2006 run doing the heavy lifting. In 80 starts, he had 72 hits, 47 runs, 10 doubles, 23 home runs, 55 RBI, a .241/.304/.512 slash, 138 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR.

Regardless, Mazaki was a big reason Niigata was a regular contender for a decade, becoming beloved by Green Dragons fans. Meanwhile, Mazaki did post strong numbers playing for team Japan from 1999-2012 in the World Baseball Championship. He led all players in home runs in both 2005 (12) and 2006 (10).

For his WBC career, Mazaki had 136 games, 134 starts, 125 hits, 98 runs, 59 home runs, 109 RBI, a .247/.314/.626 slash, 172 wRC+, and 6.9 WAR. His tournament success made him a very popular player nationwide. Japan won their first world championship in more than 50 years, taking the 2006 title over Germany. Japan finished fourth in 2002, third in 2005, and third in 2012.

After the 2010 campaign, Niigata gave Mazaki another three-year, $20,100,000 extension. From 2009-2012, he was still solid with 4+ WAR each year. However, Mazaki’s power did start to wane a bit and his strikeouts went up, leading the league with 180 whiffs in 2012. The Green Dragons fell to 72-90, their worst season in more than a decade. Niigata began a rebuild, eventually bottoming out with a 55-107 record in 2013. Mazaki struggled in 2013 and ended up benched, playing only 87 games with 61 starts and an 84 wRC+. He retired after the season at age 38 and immediately had his #28 uniform retired by the Green Dragons.

Mazaki finished with 2530 hits, 1479 runs, 375 doubles, 55 triples, 662 home runs, 1618 RBI, 903 walks, a .289/.355/.572 slash, 173 wRC+, and 107.4 WAR. As of 2037, Mazaki ranks 23^rd in WAR among position players, 19^th in home runs, 34^th in RBI, 41^st in runs scored, and 50^th in walks drawn. Among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his .927 OPS ranks 65^th best and his slugging ranks 60^th.

For around 15 years, Mazaki provided very reliable power in the middle of the lineup for Niigata. He played a big role in four Japan League titles and two EAB rings for the Green Dragons, becoming a franchise legend and one of Japan’s best-ever sluggers. At 97.5%, Mazaki was a strong headliner in a good three-player EAB Hall of Fame class in 2019.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 11-17-2024, 10:51 AM

2019 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

Junichi Muto – Pitcher/Outfielder – Chiba Comets – 94.9% First Ballot

Junichi Muto was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher and outfielder from Misato, Japan; a city with about 142,000 people in the Saitama Prefecture. Muto was more efficient as a hitter than as a pitcher, but he put up more WAR on the mound purely from his incredible stamina. Even with a two-way schedule, he led the Japan League five times in innings pitched and four times in complete games. Muto also showed excellent durability in his career, holding up remarkably well over a heavy workload.

As a pitcher, Muto graded as merely average to above average in terms of stuff, movement, and control. He had a strong 97-99 mph fastball mixed in with a nice splitter and curveball, plus a changeup. Muto was also a good defensive pitcher and was solid at holding runners. When off the mound, he was a right fielder 2/3s of the time and left fielder the rest. He had a strong arm, but lousy range meant Muto graded poorly defensively in the outfield. Although his running speed was subpar, he was a very intelligent and crafty baserunner.

At the plate, Muto was an above average contact hitter with a decent strikeout rate, although he rarely drew walks. He had a good pop in his bat, posting 28 home runs, 25 doubles, and 5 triples per his 162 game average. Muto’s versatility made him an incredibly valuable player even if his bat or arm by themselves weren’t incredible. The one knock on him was that he was a bit selfish and lacked leadership, but he didn’t cause problems in the clubhouse.

Muto’s two-way exploits drew plenty of attention while he played at the University of Tokyo. In the 1997 EAB Draft, Chiba picked him 4^th overall. Muto was still a bit raw at this point and it was uncertain if he’d be used both ways or if they’d try to focus on only one side. Muto didn’t play in 1998 and saw very limited action in 1999, throwing only 21.1 innings with 16 plate appearances. He became a full-time pitcher from 2000 onwards and a somewhat regular outfielder from 2001 onwards.

In his first few years pitching, Muto had subpar ERAs but still posted value from eating innings. His bat showed some promise, including a career best 32 home runs and 85 RBI in 2003 over 122 games and 103 starts. Depending on the roster alignment, Muto oscillated between a full-time outfield starter and a part-time starter. His batting value stayed fairly steady, winning Silver Sluggers as a pitcher in 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010.

Muto started to improve as a pitcher into his late 20s. Chiba gave him a three-year, $14,520,000 extension in May 2005. The Comets ended a 15-year playoff drought in 2005, but lost in the first round to Osaka. Muto got rocked for a 7.24 ERA in his two playoff starts, although his hitting was fine. That would be his only time in the playoffs while with Chiba.

2006 was Muto’s finest season, winning Japan League MVP. On the mound, he had a career high 8.6 WAR and led the league in innings (283.2), and complete games (18). It was also his first season with a sub-three ERA and saw a career best 309 strikeouts. Muto also had a career best 5.4 WAR offensively with 29 homers, 64 runs, 70 RBI, a .912 OPS, and 171 wRC+. His 14.0 WAR at that point was the fourth-best season in EAB history and still ranks eighth as of 2037. Muto also had double-digit combined WAR in 2004 (11.3).

Muto posted 8.8 combined WAR in 2007 to follow it up. 2008 was his final year under contract with Chiba and the now 31-year old made it fairly clear that he wanted to cash in during free agency. A rebuilding Comets team traded Muto to Tokyo in the offseason for 3B Zen Hika and SP Hongchen Le. Ten days later, the Tides gave Muto the long-term deal he wanted at six years and $54,000,000. Tokyo was the defending Japan League champ, going on a surprise run to the title despite winning a bad division at 82-80.

In total for Chiba pitching, Muto had a 116-98 record, 3.61 ERA, 2052.1 innings, 1969 strikeouts, 389 walks, 95 ERA+, and 40.5 WAR. Offensively, he had 848 games and 640 starts, 754 hits, 389 runs, 142 doubles, 150 home runs, 414 RBI, a .301/.325/.561 slash, 163 wRC+, and 27.0 WAR. Muto was one of the more redeeming things about a weak era in Comets history, which earned his #22 uniform’s eventual retirement.

Muto led the league in innings his first two years with Tokyo and led in strikeouts in 2009 at 273. In 2008, he finished second in both MVP and Pitcher of the Year voting. The Tides won a weak Capital Division at 78-84 in 2008, losing to Niigata in the JLCS. They were a more respectable 93-69 in 2009 but had a first round loss. Tokyo would fall into mediocrity in the following decade.

In 2008, Muto stunk again in the playoffs pitching with a 6.27 ERA over 18.2 innings. His one start in 2009 was strong, allowing one run in a complete game victory. In total, he had a 5.44 ERA over 41.1 playoff innings, while posting a .237/.246/.356 slash, 77 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR offensively in 17 games.

In his first start of 2011, Muto suffered a ruptured finger tendon in his throwing hand. He had a setback that required surgery in the summer and missed the entire year. Muto bounced back and had his best ERA in 2012 at 2.62, but did miss the final bit of the fall to a strained shoulder. Notably in 2013, he joined the 3000 strikeout club as a pitcher.

Muto seemed to still be playing at a quality clip, but he decided not to overstay his welcome, retiring after the 2013 campaign at age 37. With Tokyo pitching, he had a 78-45 record, 2.82 ERA, 1249.1 innings, 1192 strikeouts, 233 walks, 118 ERA+, and 23.3 WAR. He had 535 games and 391 starts at the plate with 445 hits, 208 runs, 70 doubles, 85 home runs, 254 RBI, a .285/.308/.505 slash, 143 wRC+, and 15.0 WAR.

In total on the mound, Muto had a 194-143 record, 3.31 ERA, 3301.2 innings, 3161 strikeouts, 622 walks, 266/413 quality starts, 159 complete games, 28 shutouts, 103 ERA+, and 63.8 WAR. As of 2037, he just cracks the top 100 in strikeouts and wins, while ranking 19^th in complete games. Muto’s 87 FIP- suggests he might have had some bad luck, but his other pitching stats suggest he was an above average innings eater. Just as a pitcher, his resume would be quite borderline.

Offensively, Muto had 1383 games and 1031 starts, 1199 hits, 597 runs, 212 doubles, 235 home runs, 668 RBI, 136 stolen bases, a .295/.318/.539 slash, 155 wRC+, and 42.8 WAR. That got him to 106.6 WAR combined over his career and reaching triple-digits almost guarantees induction. He’s one of 18 two-way players in world history with 100+ career WAR as of 2037. Muto provided unique value and that earned him a first ballot induction at 94.9% for EAB’s 2019 Hall of Fame class.

Hyun-Jun “Vermin” Nahm – Right Field – Kawasaki Killer Whales – 72.8% First Ballot

Hyun-Jun Nahm was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting right fielder from Seoul, South Korea. Nahm was known for being very strong hitting against right-handed pitching (173 wRC+, .948) while being decent versus lefties (125 wRC+, .763 OPS). On the whole, he was an above average contact hitter who was excellent at drawing walks. However, Nahm struck out a ton, emerging as a “three true outcomes” guy with around 43% of his plate appearances ending in a home run, strikeout, or walk.

Nahm topped 40+ home runs in nine different seasons and had a 162 game average of exactly 40 dingers. He also gave you 31 doubles and 3 triples per 162. Nahm was a very smart baserunner, but he was laughably slow. Despite that, he had passable range and graded as a reliably average defender in right field. Nahm had fairly good durability for the bulk of his 21-year career. He was also well respected for his great leadership and intelligence, becoming a popular player of his era.

Coming out of Woosung High School, Nahm was already a top ranked prospect for the 1991 EAB Draft. He was picked sixth overall by Changwon, but the Crabs used him sparingly. Nahm spent all of 1992 in their academy, then saw only 52 games and 9 starts in 1993. He was a part-time starter with okay results in 1994. Nahm earned the full-time job in 1995, although he still wasn’t ready and looked merely decent. His 1995 also ended prematurely with a broken kneecap suffered in late June.

Struggling Changwon expected too much too soon from a young prospect. They surprised many by trading Nahm and four other prospects to Kawasaki in exchange for veteran LF Kazuharu Yonesaki and $32,550,000. It was one of the dumbest moves in baseball history for the Crabs, who only got one year out of an aging Yonesaki. On top of getting Nahm, the Killer Whales also got future Hall of Fame pitcher Soo Moon in the trade, who won four Pitcher of the Year awards in the 2000s for Kawasaki.

With Changwon, Nahm had 170 hits, 81 runs, 48 doubles, 19 home runs, 93 RBI, a .260/.331/.436 slash, 113 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR. Nahm was a full-time starter right away for Kawasaki, although he was still unremarkable in his first year. 1997 would start a streak of eight straight seasons with 6.5+ WAR. Nahm led the Japan League from 1997-2000 in walks and OBP from 1997-99. He won Silver Sluggers in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004.

With Moon’s impactful arrival to the rotation, Kawasaki’s fleecing of Changwon in the trade became very evident. This led to a dynasty run for the Killer Whales, who won six straight Capital Division titles from 1998-03. Kawasaki lost in the 1998 JLCS to Sapporo, then won three straight pennants from 1999-01. The Killer Whales lost the 1999 EAB Championship to Daegu, but got revenge on the Diamondbacks in 2000. Kawasaki repeated as champ in 2001 over Yongin.

Nahm earned Japan League MVP in 1999, leading the league with career bests in home runs (64), walks (93), OBP (.418), OPS (1.136), wRC+ (236), and WAR (11.4). He also had career highs in runs (120), hits (170), RBI (131), batting average (.317), and slugging (.718). After the season, Kawasaki signed Nahm to a five-year, $24,720,000 extension. His 2000 was similarly great, leading the league in runs (118), walks (69), and WAR (10.0); taking second in MVP voting.

He remained great in the next few years but fell outside of the MVP race until taking second again in 2004. That year, he led in runs (107), RBI (110), and WAR (9.2). Nahm was especially strong in the 2001 playoff run with 16 hits, 12 runs, 5 homers, 15 RBI, and a .992 OPS. For his playoff career with Kawasaki, Nahm had 71 starts, 58 hits, 39 runs, 11 doubles, 17 home runs, 40 RBI, a .228/.333/.480 slash, 135 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR.

After their back-to-back EAB titles, Kawasaki fell to 83-79 in 2002. That still narrowly won a weak Capital Division, but they lost to Osaka in the JLCS. The Killer Whales went 101-61 in 2003, but were upset by Hiroshima in the first round. This ended Kawasaki’s playoff run, but three JL pennants and two EAB titles was quite the haul. They remained above .500 in 2004 and 2005, but fell just short of the postseason. Their rebuild would begin in 2006.

Nahm’s stock would be sky high after the 2004 season, entering free agency for the first time at age 32. He decided to leave for the allure of MLB money, although he’d remain very popular with Kawasaki fans. The Killer Whales would later retire his #18 uniform for his critical role in the dynasty run. With Kawasaki, Nahm had 1346 hits, 866 runs, 256 doubles, 369 home runs, 887 RBI, a .289/.381/.594 slash, 193 wRC+, and 71.2 WAR.

The Houston Hornets were the ones to grab Nahm, signing him for five years and $51,000,000. He impressively topped 45+ homers in his first two years and won a Silver Slugger in 2006. The Hornets made the playoffs both years, falling in the second round in 2005 and American Association Championship Series in 2006. Nahm held up his end in 19 playoff starts with 20 hits, 13 runs, 7 home runs, 14 RBI, .270/.353/.554 slash, 150 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. Houston would also fall in the 2008 AACS, but Nahm missed that playoff run to injury.

Nahm dropped off notably in 2007, only hitting 28 homers and posting a league-worst 174 strikeouts. His next two years had a slightly better pace, but injuries became an issue. Nahm lost much of 2008 between a strained abdominal muscle and severely strained hip muscle. In 2009, it was a sore elbow and a fractured foot that cost him notable time. In total for Houston, Nahm 584 hits, 365 runs, 124 doubles, 170 home runs, 422 RBI, a .249/.336/.526 slash, 137 wRC+, and 21.0 WAR.

All in all, Nahm had a successful run in MLB. But coming off injuries and now at age 37, MLB teams weren’t interested in him as a free agent. Nahm returned to EAB and signed with his hometown Seoul for three years and $30,100,000. The Seahawks had a dynasty run while Nahm was gone, but were now just on the outside. Seoul missed the cut by a game in 2010, then fell below .500 for the next five years.

A broken hand put Nahm out for most of 2010. He stayed mostly healthy in 2011 and 2012 and still was starter quality, although his award winning days were long gone. With Seoul, Nahm had 248 hits, 154 runs, 47 doubles, 81 home runs, 166 RBI, a .224/.320/.499 slash, 126 wRC+, and 6.7 WAR. Nahm signed a one-year deal with Yongin for 2013, but was unremarkable as a part-time starter with 0.2 WAR and 105 wRC+ over 112 games and 74 starts. He wanted to play in 2014, but went unsigned, finally retiring that winter at age 42.

For his combined pro career, Nahm had 2416 hits, 1503 runs, 483 doubles, 656 home runs, 1608 RBI, 1205 walks, a .267/.356/.548 slash, 162 wRC+, and 101.7 WAR. Those numbers in one league probably make him a lock anywhere, but his EAB accumulations were dented by the five-year run in Houston. In EAB, Nahm had 1832 hits, 1138 runs, 359 doubles, 486 home runs, 1186 RBI, 920 walks, a .273/.363/.556 slash, 171 wRC+, and 80.7 WAR.

As of 2037, he only cracks the top 100 in walks (43^rd) and home runs (93^rd). The lack of counting stats did sour some voters, but his rate stats were solid. Nahm’s .919 OPS ranked 78^th among all batters with 3000 plate appearances. Those underwhelmed by the tallies were a minority among voters. Supporters pointed out an MVP win, six Silver Sluggers, a 60+ homer season, and a starring role in a dynasty run. Nahm only got 72.8% in his debut, but that was enough to cross the 66% requirement. With that, he was a first ballot Hall of Famer and a solid capper to the impressive three-player 2019 class in EAB.

Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

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