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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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CF Zhen Zhang stood alone for induction at 92.5% for the 2029 Chinese League Baseball Hall of Fame class. SS Jiyu Liu barely missed joining him with 64% on his fourth ballot, two percent shy of the cut line. SP Rouzi Dilyar debuted at 57.8% and 1B Xugang Zheng had 56.5% for his second ballot. No one else was above 50% and no players were removed from the ballot after ten failed tries.



Zhen Zhang – Center Field – Foshan Flyers – 92.5% First Ballot

Zhen Zhang was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed center fielder from Xi’an, China; the capital of the Shaanxi province with 12.95 million people. Zhang was a rock solid hitter against both sides with good-to-great contact and power skills. He was better than most in CLB at drawing walks and his strikeout rate was middling.

Zhang had a knack for extra base hits with 33 home runs, 24 doubles, and 10 triples per his 162 game average. He thrice had 40+ home run seasons in CLB, which was a difficult feat in the very low scoring league. Zhang’s speed was also quite good and he often could leg out an extra bag. He wasn’t the best at getting stolen bases and was caught more often than he succeeded.

Defensively, Zhang played exclusively in center field and was a reliably great glove man. Although he only won a single Gold Glove, Zhang leads all CLB CFs in career zone rating (212.8), putouts (5957), total chances (6159), double plays (32), and starts (2265). Zhang showed remarkable durability at a very physically demanding spot, starting 145+ games in all 15 of his full seasons in China. He also had an impressive work ethic and was very intelligent. Zhang’s combination of skills and reliability made him one of CLB’s most valuable and popular players ever.

Zhang had plenty of hype entering the 2007 CLB Draft and was picked second overall by Foshan. The Flyers kept him in their academy for most of 2008, only playing 23 games and starting eight. Zhang got the full-time gig in 2009 and held it through 2023 for Foshan. All 15 of his seasons saw 6.5+ WAR with 11 of them going for 9+ WAR and six reaching double-digits.

Despite his efforts, Foshan was mostly forgettable in the early 2010s. They earned a semifinal appearance in 2010, but wouldn’t make the playoffs again until 2018. In 2012, Zhang won his lone Gold Glove and took third in MVP voting with his first 10+ WAR season. 2013 was his first Silver Slugger and a second in MVP voting, leading the league in total bases (324), OBP (.359), slugging (.561), OPS (.929), and wRC+ (219). Zhang also posted 12.0 WAR.

Zhang was third in 2014’s MVP voting at 11.3 WAR, then finally won the top honor in 2015 and his second Silver Slugger on a league-best 12.9 WAR. To that point, he hadn’t led in the big counting stats, earning a lot of his value though his defense. Even though Foshan wasn’t winning, Zhang was a superstar and beloved by the fans. In February 2016, the Flyers ponied up and signed Zhang to an eight-year, $152 million deal, putting him at the top of the league’s earners.

He certainly justified the big deal, winning another Silver Slugger in 2017 with a third in MVP voting. Zhang won his second MVP and a Slugger in 2018 with his finest campaign, leading and posting career highs in runs (102), homers (51), total bases (388), slugging (.640), OPS (.987), and WAR (13.4). As of 2037, this ranks as the 10^th-best WAR mark by a CLB position player.

This also ended Foshan’s playoff drought and started a six-year streak. Five of those seasons were as a wild card, but they earned semifinal trips from 2018-20 and 2022. The Flyers couldn’t get to the China Series, but you couldn’t blame Zhang. In 71 playoff starts, he had 89 hits, 45 runs, 25 doubles, 5 triples, 19 home runs, 51 RBI, .314/.352/.640 slash, 223 wRC+, and 5.2 WAR. Although Foshan came up short, it was the longest sustained success in franchise history thanks to Zhang.

He won additional Silver Sluggers from 2019-23 and earned his third MVP in 2020, leading that year in runs (99), total bases (369), slugging (.625), OPS (.979), wRC+ (22), and WAR (12.9). Zhang declined the final year contract option, opting for free agency at age 36. He wanted to try his hand at Major League Baseball and receive the payday that came with that. That appealed to Zhang more than trying to chase CLB leaderboard spots. Had he stayed, he certainly had a shot at the #1 spot for a couple big stats.

Foshan fans were sad to see him go, but cheered their beloved hero from afar. Zhang’s #3 uniform would get retired a few years ago and remains a very common wardrobe choice decades later. In total, Zhang had 2404 games, 2396 hits, 1159 runs, 346 doubles, 152 triples, 474 home runs, 1212 RBI, 706 walks, 497 steals, 594 caught stealing, .273/.327/.509 slash, 178 wRC+, and 151.1 WAR.

As of 2037, Zhang ranks 4^th in games, 5^th in runs, 4^th in hits, 2^nd in total bases (4468), 11^th in doubles, 53^rd in triples, 8^th in home runs, 7^th in RBI, 71^st in steals, and 26^th in walks. Zhang is narrowly second in WAR among position players, just behind Junjie Hsiung at 152.6. Two-way legend Chuchuan Cao has them both beat at 158.3.

Zhang’s .837 OPS ranks 75^th among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances. He also ranks 60^th in slugging, but misses the top 100 for average and OBP. Among center fielders, Zhang is the leader in games, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, homers, RBI, walks, and WAR. He’s usually cited as CLB’s best-ever CF, although Libo Li is close competition.

Cao was typically given the title of China’s best-ever baseball talent, but Zhang definitely had a case to be in the top five. He was beloved widely and respected for his efforts in trying to raise Foshan into a contender. Just about any top ten position player list for Chinese League Baseball has Zhang listed prominently. He was a fitting player to stand alone for Hall of Fame induction in 2029 at 92.5%.

Even while in the United States, Zhang would come home for the World Baseball Championship. He represented China from 2017-25 with 89 games, 87 hits, 60 runs, 20 doubles, 26 home runs 50 RBI, .263/.312/.559 slash, 153 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR. It was a relatively down period for the Chinese in the WBC with their lone division title coming in 2022.

Zhang’s MLB career began at age 36 in 2024 on a three-year, $84 million deal with Philadelphia. He thrived immediately with a Silver Slugger in 2024, posting 6.7 WAR and 49 home runs. The Phillies ended a four-year playoff drought and had the National Association’s top seed at 99-63, but they were upset in the second round. Philadelphia would be in the mid-tier for the next two years.

In 2025, Zhang was still good with 4.0 WAR, 35 homers, and .889 OPS. He had a poor start to 2026 though and only played 35 games with 15 starts with 0 WAR and .764 OPS. Philadelphia cut Zhang in July, putting his MLB stats at 337 games, 308 hits, 176 runs, 49 doubles, 12 triples, 88 homers, 199 RBI, .272/.320/.569 slash, 154 wRC+, and 10.7 WAR. Zhang finished 2026 in the African Second League with Comoros and retired that winter at age 38.

Combining his MLB/CLB stats, Zhang had 2741 games, 2704 hits, 1335 runs, 395 doubles, 164 triples, 562 home runs, 1411 RBI, 532 steals, 783 walks, .273/.327/.515 slash, and 161.8 WAR. As of 2037, Zhang ranks 16^th among all position players in baseball history for WAR. He also sits 23^rd in WAR among all players and has the second-most of anyone born in China.

It is of course hard to accurate compare across leagues and eras. CLB’s incredibly low-scoring environment makes Zhang’s counting stats look small compared to many of the others in a similar WAR space. Defensive value counts for a lot with Zhang and it is very difficult to weigh how much glove work matters relative to hitting and pitching. Regardless of where Zhang might slot when scholars debate, he’s certainly one of baseball’s true immortals and one of the top center fielders to ever do it.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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West African Baseball had a three-player Hall of Fame class for 2029, easily captained by 1B/DH Lawrence Nassif at a nearly unanimous 99.4%. DH/OF Moses Ajaero also made it with his debut at 73.7%. 2B Kevin Ge got in at 69.8% on his fourth ballot, just passing the 66% requirement. The next closest was 3B Joey Agboola debuting at 58.0%. Two returners cracked 50% with CL Francis Koomson at 52.9% on his ninth try and SP Isaac Appiah with 52.6% for his fifth go. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Lawrence Nassif – First Base/Designated Hitter – Conakry Coyotes – 99.4% First Ballot

Lawrence Nassif was a 6’3’’, 205 pound right-handed first baseman from Bafoussam, the largest city in Cameroon’s West Region with around 347,000 inhabitants. Nassif was an excellent contact hitter with a very strong bat. He wasn’t one to post gaudy totals, but his production was remarkably consistent. Nassif’s 162 game average got you 42 home runs and 131 RBI, posting 14 seasons with 40+ homers and 17 straight with 100+ RBI.

Nassif’s gap power was also quite good with 40 doubles and 4 triples per his 162 game average. His ability to draw walks and avoid strikeouts were both fairly average, but getting many quality hits easily made up for that. Nassif’s baserunning instincts were pretty good, but he could only do so much as his speed was abysmal.

While his swing was silky smooth, Nassif’s glove work was laughably poor. He split his career starts evenly between first base and designated hitter. Nassif was an ironman who started 145+ games in 18 consecutive seasons. He was also one of the highest character men in baseball and was an excellent team captain. Nassif’s incredible bat, leadership, work ethic, intelligence, and adaptability made him one of West Africa’s most beloved baseball icons ever.

Nassif moved from Cameroon to Nigeria by signing a developmental deal in April 2001 with Kano. Most people don’t realize he started with the Condors since he never played a game for them. He spent the better part of four years in their academy, but was traded to Ouagadougou in December 2004 in a three-player swap. Nassif debuted in 2005 with 43 games and 23 starts for the Osprey at age 20.

2006 began an 18-year run as a regular WAB fixture. Nassif had a respectable rookie campaign, but really found his power in his second full year. Nassif won a Silver Slugger as a DH and was third in 2007’s MVP voting, leading the Eastern League in runs (115), and RBI (129). This was also his first of eight seasons worth 6+ and first of ten seasons with an OPS above one. It also gave Ouagadougou only their second-ever 100 win season, although they were upset by Ibadan in the playoffs.

The Osprey had sustained success with Nassif, earning playoff berths from 2007-09 and from 2011-12. Ouagadougou led the standings in 2009 and 2012, setting a franchise-best 111-51 in the former. However, the Osprey couldn’t make it beyond the ELCS with defeats there in 2009, 2011, and 2012. Nassif’s playoff stats were surprisingly pedestrian over 21 games with 21 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, .269/.314/.474 slash, 108 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

Nassif’s stellar power was a big reason they got that far though. He won another Silver Slugger as a DH in 2008 and took third in MVP voting in 2008 and 2009, along with a second place in 2011. Nassif’s lone time as the WARlord came in 2009 with 7.5 along with his lone batting title with a career best .368. His best WAR (7.8), wRC+ (190), and OPS (1.077) all came in 2011; which also had his first 50 home run season. Nassif also led in runs and OPS in 2012.

Ouagadougou had given Nassif a five-year, $13,180,000 extension in May 2008. He declined the option year after the 2012 campaign and opted for free agency at age 28. With the Osprey, Nassif had 1138 games, 1449 hits, 762 runs, 294 doubles, 30 triples, 294 home runs, 842 RBI, .333/.371/.617 slash, 168 wRC+, and 45.6 WAR. By some metrics, it was his most productive run, although Nassif would be best remembered for his second stop. Still, Ouagadougou fans liked to claim him even if Nassif was inducted in Conakry’s black and orange instead of the blue and red.

The Coyotes backed up the Brinks truck, signing Nassif for an eight-year, $114,400,000 deal. It was a bold move for Conakry, who had finished a last place 62-100 in 2012. They improved slightly, but would still be below .500 from 2013-16. Nassif was third in 2013 and 2017’s MVP voting and won another Slugger in 2017. He led the Western League in home runs in both 2013 (43) and with a career high 51 in 2016.

Conakry made it to .500 in 2017 with another Slugger and third place in MVP voting for Nassif. 2018 would start a five-year playoff streak for the Coyotes with Nassif again winning a Slugger and taking third in MVP voting. In 2019, Nassif had a career best 159 RBI. The Coyotes lost in the second round in 2018 and the WLCS in 2019.

In 2020, Conakry broke through at 107-55 and defeated Yaounde for the West African Championship. Nassif’s playoff stats were poor the prior two years, but he stepped up in 2020 in eight starts with 10 hits, 6 runs, 3 doubles, 2 homers, 4 RBI, .954 OPS, and 0.4 WAR. The Coyotes then surprised on the world stage by finishing 14-5 in the Baseball Grand Championship, second only to Denver. In 19 starts, Nassif had 19 hits, 12 runs, 5 doubles, 5 homers, 18 RBI, .253/.309/.520, 166 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.

It was a heck of a way to end an eight-year run for Conakry as Nassif cemented his spot in the hearts in the Guinean capital. For the Coyotes, Nassif had 1270 games, 1726 hits, 883 runs, 307 doubles, 338 home runs, 1101 RBI, .341/.384/.612 slash, 151 wRC+, and 41.1 WAR. Conakry would go onto retire Nassif’s #19 uniform for his efforts.

Nassif had also risen up the leaderboards with his consistent numbers. In 2020, he joined Darwin Morris as WAB’s only 3000 hit club members. Nassif also joined Morris and Ahamad Mathew as the only players at 600 home runs. He also had a chance to join Morris in the 2000 run and 2000 RBI clubs. Nassif’s production was slightly down from his Ouagadougou peaks, but he was still looking quite solid in his mid 30s. With his impeccable durability, Nassif seemed primed to make a run at some of Morris’s tallies.

The 36-year old Nassif moved to Cotonou on a three-year, $24,600,000 deal. The Copperheads would be mid-tier in his run, but Nassif stayed steady and won a Silver Slugger in 2022. That was his fifth overall and only one playing first base. Despite his power, Nassif also never won MVP, hurt by being a DH. He crossed 2000 RBI in July 2021, but did fall short of the 2000 run milestone.

With 215 hits in 2021, Nassif passed Morris’s 3288 to become WAB’s new hit king. He held the title only briefly as the eventual world leader Fares Belaid had him beat in 2024. Nassif did usurp Morris’s 2129 RBI for the top spot and did hold that one for a decade before finally being caught. He fell 51 homers short of Morris for the top spot, but notably passed him for the most total bases. Nassif also became the WAB doubles king and the first to 700, although that was also quickly ceded to Belaid.

With Cotonou, Nassif had 473 games, 591 hits, 314 runs, 103 doubles, 123 homers, 395 RBI, .324/.368/.592 slash, 140 wRC+, and 12.2 WAR. He had still been a strong hitter with 39 homers and 3.1 WAR in his last year, however his batting average was sub .300 and OPS sub .900 for the first time since his rookie year. Nassif wanted to still play, but couldn’t find any suitors after a poor showing in the 2024 World Baseball Championship with Cameroon. Only two years prior, he had posted 1.248 OPS over 11 WBC games. He opted for retirement in winter 2024 at age 40.

Nassif finished with 2881 games, 3766 hits, 1959 runs, 704 doubles, 65 triples, 755 home runs, 2338 RBI, 729 walks, 1926 strikeouts, 165 steals, .335/.376/.611 slash, 156 wRC+, and 98.9 WAR. As of 2037, Nassif ranks 7^th in games, 3^rd in hits, 7^th in runs, 5^th in total bases (6865), 4^th in doubles, 7^th in home runs, 3^rd in RBI, 32^nd in walks, 68^th in strikeouts, and 9^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances in WAB, Nassif’s .987 OPS is 24^th and his triple slash ranks 39^th/56^th/27^th.

The tallies also reach the leaderboards for all of pro baseball history as of 2037 as Nassif ranks 18^th in hits, 46^th in runs, 16^th in doubles, and 13^th in RBI. Among Hall of Famers across all leagues, Nassif also ranks 44^th in batting average. He did lose WAR points though largely because half of his starts were as a DH and he played putrid defense at first base.

Still, Nassif’s hitting ability put him among the inner-circle of Hall of Famers for West African Baseball. He likely is on the shortlist for the best batters to never win MVP, although he came close several times. At 99.4%, Nassif was a nearly unanimous headliner for a strong three-player 2029 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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Moses Ajaero – Designated Hitter/Right Field – Dakar Dukes – 73.7% First Ballot

Moses Ajaero was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed hitter and outfielder from Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city with more than four million citizens. Ajaero was a solid contact hitter overall who had a good pop in his bat especially against right-handed pitching. He had a career .959 OPS and 142 wRC+ against RHP compared to .760 OPS and 97 wRC+ against lefties. Ajaero’s ability to get walks and avoid strikeouts were both below average at best.

Ajaero was skilled at getting extra base hits with a 162 game average of 29 doubles, 17 triples, and 31 home runs. He often could leg out an extra base as he had rock solid speed. Ajaero was also one of the craftier base stealers who stole successfully nearly 75% of the time. His speed didn’t translate into range though and his arm and glove work were both mediocre. Ajaero made about 60% of his starts as a designated hitter. Most of the rest came in right field where he graded as a lousy defender.

Wherever you placed him, Ajaero was almost always going to be ready to go. His excellent durability gave him 150+ starts each year from 2009-21. Few were going to outwork Ajaero and he was one of the smartest guys in the game. He wasn’t going to take on an active leadership role, but you knew you’d always get Ajaero’s absolute best effort on the diamond.

Although he grew up in Kano, it would be rival Port Harcourt who snagged Ajaero as a teenage amateur in April 2004. His time with the Hillcats was limited with 62 games and 15 starts from 2007-08. Ajaero’s time there ended thanks to the 2008 expansion draft, as he was picked in the seventh round, 26^th overall, by Yaounde. He was a full-time starter in his three seasons with the Yellow Birds, leading the Eastern League with 25 triples in 2011.

For Yaounde, Ajaero had 470 games, 537 hits, 252 runs, 89 doubles, 60 triples, 66 home runs, 269 RBI, .309/.351/.544 slash, 137 wRC+, and 10.6 WAR. In January 2012, the Yellow Birds traded Ajaero to Dakar for prospects RF Shafiu Hassan and P Cledilson Henrique. Both teams won in the deal as Hassan would become a 16-year starter and MVP winner for Yaounde who most expect will get his own Hall of Fame induction once eligible. Henrique was never amazing, but he had his own 14-year career as a journeyman pitcher.

Ajaero’s most famous run came with Dakar, who was in “win now” mode. The Dukes had ended a 16-year playoff drought the prior year and were hoping to become a regular contender. Ajaero helped them achieve that goal as their playoff streak extended through 2017. In his 2012 debut, Ajaero won a Silver Slugger at DH and led the Western League in homers (36) and total bases (358). He also hit for the cycle in September against Banjul.

In the playoffs, Ajaero made his presence especially known, winning Western League Championship Series MVP in Dakar’s upset of top-seed Abidjan. The Dukes did fall in the WAB Championship to Lome. Ajaero’s playoff stats saw 15 starts, 21 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 14 RBI, 1.079 OPS, and 0.9 WAR. Dakar was happy with their acquisition and the next spring gave the soon-to-be 26-year old Ajaero a four-year, $23,580,000 extension. He won his second Silver Slugger in 2013 and was reliably productive after that, although he wasn’t a league leader or awards winner.

Dakar took the top seed in 2013 and won the WL pennant again, falling to Cotonou in the WAB Championship. The Dukes were denied in the 2014 and 2015 WLCS. In 2016, Dakar set a franchise record at 112-50 and finally won it all for the first time, besting Libreville in the final. The Dukes would take last at 4-15 in that year’s Baseball Grand Championship. A second round exit in 2017 was the final playoff berth of the run.

Ajaero’s playoff stats were strong in his first three runs, but weak in the latter three. On the whole he was good with 47 starts, 55 hits, 29 runs, 11 doubles, 4 triples, 13 home runs, 38 RBI, .296/.321/.608 slash, 130 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. In the BGC, Ajaero posted 20 hits, 11 runs, 6 doubles, 4 homers, 16 RBI, .282/.316/.535 slash, 157 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR over 19 starts. His efforts in Dakar’s 2010s success led to Ajaero’s #27 uniform later getting retired.

In 2015, Ajaero joined the short list to hit for the cycle twice in a career, doing it against Freetown in September. He also had a 27-game hit streak that ended in late April 2016. 2015 had Ajaero’s career highs in WAR (6.9), homers (42), triple slash (.360/.399/.709), and OPS (1.108). He had 42 homers again in 2016 with a career best 125 runs and 137 RBI. Ajaero scored 125 again in 2017 and 119 in 2018. After the 2016 season, Dakar signed the still only 29-year old Ajaero to a seven-year, $88,600,000 extension.

Dakar missed the playoffs by one game in 2018, then collapsed hard and spent the next five years below 70 wins. Ajaero continued to do his job admirably until regressing significantly in 2022 to a -0.8 WAR season. He was reduced to a backup role for 2023 and retired that winter at age 36. With Dakar, Ajaero had 1779 games, 2043 hits, 1198 runs, 313 doubles, 183 triples, 377 home runs, 1165 RBI, 709 steals, .302/.343/.570 slash, 129 wRC+, and 40.1 WAR.

Ajaero ended with 2311 games, 2608 hits, 1468 runs, 408 doubles, 243 triples, 448 home runs, 1449 RBI, 471 walks, 1850 strikeouts, 884 steals, .303/.344/.563 slash, 130 wRC+, and 50.8 WAR. As of 2037, Ajaero ranks 33^rd in games, 34^th in hits, 27^th in runs, 27^th in total bases (4846), 12^th in triples, 43^rd in homers, and 37^th in RBI. In part due to being a primary DH, Ajaero ranks only 93^rd in WAR among position players.

His numbers were good, but not overwhelming. It was also hard to stand out considering the many great DHs of the era, including his Hall of Fame classmate Lawrence Nassif. What put Ajaero over the top for most voters were solid playoff stats. He was a key starter in a Western League dynasty run for Dakar and helped them to their first WAB title. Ajaero’s 73.7% didn’t cross the 66% requirement by a lot, but it earned a first ballot induction for West African Baseball’s 2029 class.



Kevin “Cushion” Ge – Second Base/Designated Hitter – Monrovia Diplomats – 69.8% Fourth Ballot

Kevin Ge was a 6’3’’, 200 pound switch-hitting second baseman from Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. Ge wasn’t amazing at any one thing, but was generally above average to good in terms of contact, power, and eye. His 162 game average got you 38 doubles, 8 triples, and 28 home runs. Ge’s strikeout rate was subpar, but had enough high quality hits to make up for it. He was stronger facing lefties (.926 OPS, 143 wRC+) over righties (.858 OPS, 127 wRC+).

Baserunning was one of Ge’s few skills where he was truly great, although his speed was merely good. Like his Hall of Fame classmates, Ge spent a lot of time as a designated hitter. Just over half of his starts came as a second baseman and he graded as a decent defender. Ge’s knees and back did cost him a lot of starts, although his strong work ethic pushed him to an 18-year career regardless.

Ge moved to Niger as a teenager after getting signed to a developmental deal in May 1997 with Niamey. He spent the better part of six years in their academy, officially debuting with three plate appearances in 2002 at age 22. Ge saw part-time use over the following two years before becoming a full-time starter in 2005. That year, he earned an all-star selection and had 4.1 WAR.

However, he was surprised in February 2006 when Niamey traded him to Monrovia straight up for pitcher Ndala Baba. The Diplomats wanted hitting depth fresh off their 2005 pennant win. Ge would be best known for his run with Monrovia, debuting with a Silver Slugger (2B) and third place in MVP voting. 2006 had Ge’s career highs in WAR (7.2) and stolen bases (63).

Monrovia dominated in 2006, winning the WAB Championship over Niamey with a 111-51 record. Ge’s playoff debut was awful with a .459 OPS in nine games, but his overall production earned him an eight-year, $24,500,000 extension that winter. The Diplomats ended up winning the WL pennant again in 2007 and 2008. They lost in a rematch with the Atomics in 2007, then earned their second title over Lagos in 2008. Monrovia had the top seed in 2009 but was upset in the WLCS by Abidjan. The Diplomats made the playoffs again in 2010 and 2011, but lost both times in the second round.

Ge fared better in his later postseason trips, winning WLCS MVP in 2007. In 42 playoff starts for Monrovia, he had 52 hits, 34 runs, 10 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs, 32 RBI, 22 steals, .297/.317/.537 slash, 132 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. He won his second Silver Slugger in 2010, but was never a league leader or in awards conversations beyond that.

Injuries also began to bother Ge more in his later years with the Diplomats. A knee sprain cost him six weeks in mid 2011. Later that year, Ge suffered a ruptured MCL that kept him out for a major chunk of 2012. Once back from that, Ge’s overall production was noticeably down from his prior standard. Monrovia didn’t re-sign him after his contract expired with the 2014 season, sending Ge to free agency for his age 35 season.

With Monrovia, Ge had 1178 games, 1371 hits, 722 runs, 266 doubles, 54 triples, 202 home runs, 731 RBI, 383 steals, .302/.349/.518 slash, 134 wRC+, and 37.7 WAR. It was a strong nine year run to help the Diplomats go on a dynasty run. Ge remains very popular in Liberia years later and his #14 uniform would later be retired by Monrovia.

Ge ended up back where his career started by signing with Niamey at $29,200,000 over four years. He returned to form in 2015 and posted career highs in homers (40), RBI (135), runs (118), triple slash .356/.387/.656), and OPS (1.043). A fractured hand cost Ge part of 2016, but he again was solid in 2017. Torn ankle ligaments cost him most of 2018. Niamey was mostly rebuilding then with a lone first round playoff exit in 2017.

Between stints for the Atomics, Ge had 787 games, 896 this, 477 runs, 195 doubles, 45 triples, 144 home runs, 511 RBI, 228 steals, .314/.353/.566 slash, 137 wRC+, and 20.1 WAR. Coming up on age 39, Ge signed a two-year, $12,200,000 deal with Lome. They were happy to have a veteran as the Lasers were rebuilding after their own early 2010s successes.

Ge was a decent starter in 2019, then was reduced to a part-time role with mediocre 2020 results. Over 275 games, Ge had 291 hits, 131 runs, 59 doubles, 14 triples, 36 homers, 148 RBI, 76 steals, .286/.326/.477 slash, 104 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. Ge wanted to play in 2021, but didn’t have enough to offer other teams. He finally retired at age 41 after going unsigned.

The final tallies for Ge had 2240 games, 2558 hits, 1330 runs, 520 doubles, 113 triples, 382 home runs, 1390 RBI, 535 walks, 2053 strikeouts, 687 steals, .304/.347/.529 slash, 131 wRC+, and 59.0 WAR. As of 2037, Ge ranks 43^rd in games, 36^th in hits, 40^th in runs, 44^th in total bases (4450), 38^th in doubles, 79^th in homers, 43^rd in RBI, and 59^th in WAR among position players.

His totals were good, but definitely a bit on the borderline. Ge also didn’t have any black ink and limited personal accolades, along with the “DH penalty.” Working in his favor was a starting role in a dynasty run for Monrovia. Being a key contributor during a team’s reign of dominance often could make the difference when compared to a similar player who instead was on middling teams.

Ge debuted on the 2026 ballot at 58.6%. He just missed the 66% cut in 2027 at 63.8%, then dropped back to 57.8% in 2028. In a way, the 2029 Hall of Fame ballot having other DHs might have helped Ge also get over that stigma. His resume was comparable to Moses Ajaero and many voters figured if one belonged, both did. Ge bumped across the line at 69.8% for a fourth ballot selection to cap off West African Baseball’s 2029 crew.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

South Asia Baseball saw two slam dunk Hall of Fame inductees for 2029 with two-way star Huynh Pham at 98.5% and SP Tamim Hasan at 982%. The best returner was SP Siddhant Shakya at 56.2% on his second try, followed by CF Chris Saandeep at 50.5% on his fourth ballot. No one else was above 50%.



Quoc Pham fell off the ballot after ten failed tries as perhaps another victim of the anti-catcher bias of voters. He had an 18-year career with Dhaka, winning nine Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, and an SAB title in 2011. Pham played 2052 games with 1942 hits, 945 runs, 439 doubles, 376 home runs, 1167 RBI, .257/.300/.471 slash, 116 wRC+, and 64.0 WAR.

Pham’s hitting wasn’t amazing and had the double penalty of the low accumulations that result simply from being a catcher. As of 2037, he ranks third in WAR among SAB catchers, but couldn’t become the third catcher to make SAB’s HOF. Pham came close with a 57.6% debut, but only went down after with a finish of only 24.0%.

Trung Lai was another catcher dropped in 2029 after ten failed ballots, peaking at 54.8% in 2022 and ending with 16.4%. He had a 19-year career with six teams with one Gold Glove, two Silver Sluggers, and five championship rings (four with Ho Chi Minh City, one with Hanoi). Lai ranks sixth in WAR among catchers as of 2037 with 60.0 WAR, 2153 hits, 2102 games, 824 runs, 381 doubles, 144 home runs, 966 RBI, .294/.339/.414 slash, and 116 wRC+.

Also dropped was LF Tommy Toe, who won five Gold Gloves and was finals MVP in Dhaka’s 2011 SAB Championship win. He peaked at 42.4% in his 2020 debut and fell to 4.6% at the end. Toe had 2100 games, 2214 hits, 1164 runs, 367 doubles, 100 triples, 472 home runs, 1346 RBI, .283/.331/.536 slash, 141 wRC+, and 72.7 WAR. With the many powerful outfielders of the era, Toe’s lack of black ink made him forgettable by comparison.

Lastly SP Ba Phan ended his tenth ballot at 3.0% after debuting with 41.2%. The 2010 Pitcher of the Year with Hanoi, major injuries in his early 30s ended his run prematurely. Phan had a 142-108 record, 3.52 ERA, 2342.2 innings, 2723 strikeouts, 715 walks, 111 ERA+, and 40.7 WAR. He might have had a chance with a few more years of tallies, but alas the Baseball Gods can be ruthless towards pitcher’s elbows.



Huynh Pham – Pitcher/First Base – Vientiane Vampires – 98.5% First Ballot

Huynh Pham was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher and first baseman from Hong Gai, a ward of Ha Long city in Vietnam. The city has around 270,000 people in the country’s northeast. Pham is often cited as the best-ever two-way player to come out of South Asia Baseball. His pitching was his biggest strength with great stuff and solid movement, although his control was subpar.

Pham’s fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range and was good, but his most dangerous pitches were his curveball and changeup. He also had a slider as a fourth option. Pham’s stamina was excellent and he had excellent durability despite the intense wear and tear of a two-way schedule. His pickoff move and ability to hold runners was excellent and his defense on the mound was solid.

Offensively, Pham was a well-rounded bat with great contact skills and a low strikeout rate, although he was below average at drawing walks. He had a rock solid pop in his bat with 37 doubles, 3 triples, and 28 home runs per his 162 game average. Pham’s biggest offensive flaw was abysmal baserunning and speed. He played first base when not pitching and graded as passable defensively.

On top of this unique skillset, Pham was one of the game’s great captains. He was known by peers and fans for his leadership, loyalty, work ethic, and selflessness. Unsurprisingly, Pham became one of the region’s great baseball superstars. He was one of Vietnam’s best-ever players and became beloved in his home country despite his pro career being elsewhere.

Pham did regularly represent Vietnam in the World Baseball Championship, although his numbers on the world stage were surprisingly underwhelming. From 2010-23 on the mound, Pham had a 5-15 record, 3.95 ERA, 198.1 innings, 270 strikeouts, and 1.2 WAR. His hitting was limited to 28 starts and 38 games with 0.8 WAR. Vietnam notably had a division title with Pham in 2010, his rookie year.

It was clear by the 2009 SAB Draft that Pham was the top rated prospect. Vientiane had the #1 overall pick and grabbed Pham, making him a full-time starting pitcher right away. His debut season saw a league-worst 91 walks, but also 303 strikeouts, 3.30 ERA, and 6.3 WAR to earn Rookie of the Year honors. Pham began playing both ways regularly in his sophomore season and continued that role for the rest of his Vampires tenure.

In 2012, Pham became the first in SAB history to win MVP and Pitcher of the Year in the same season. On the mound, he had Southeast Asia League and career bests for wins (21-5), strikeouts (347), and pitching WAR (8.0). His 2.35 ERA missed the Triple Crown by only five points. He also started a six-year streak of 300 K seasons. On top of that, Pham had 96 games, 3.9 WAR, and .933 OPS with his bat.

Vientiane had been generally terrible since the mid 1990s, but Pham’s efforts turned them into a sustained contender. It was hard to compete with Yangon’s eventual world record breaking playoff streak and the back end of Hanoi’s dynasty run. The Vampires were typically a wild card with berths from 2012-14 and from 2016-20.

Pham repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2013 and was second in MVP voting, posting a league and career best 1.70 ERA. This was his best offensive season as well by hits (135), RBI (64), and WAR (5.4). Pham’s combined 12.8 WAR would be his single-season peak and was the second-best by an SAB two-way guy behind Sikander Harija’s 14.2 in 2000. That winter, Vientiane gave Pham a five-year, $27,900,000 extension.

2013 also was Pham’s best playoff effort with Vientiane, going 3-0 with an 0.75 ERA over 24 innings and 31 strikeouts. The Vampires got to the SEAL Championship, but fell to Hanoi. They had first round exits in 2012 and 2014, then missed the playoffs in 2015. Pham kept rolling, winning his second MVP in 2014 while finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Vientiane won their first-ever division title in 2016 and had SEAL’s top seed at 100-62, although they were again thwarted by Hanoi in the LCS. Pham won his third Pitcher of the Year and was second in MVP voting, leading in wins, innings, and strikeouts. Pham repeated as POTY in 2017 with an ERA title (2.55) and the lead in strikeouts (331), and WAR (7.7). Vientiane was a wild card and lost to Yangon in the first round.

For his playoff career with Vientiane, Pham had a 5-4 record, 3.07 ERA, 67.1 innings, 81 strikeouts, 124 ERA+, and 1.2 WAR on the mound. At the plate, he had 19 games, 20 hits, 8 runs, 6 doubles, 4 home runs, 10 RBI, .294/.324/.559 slash, 149 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. Although they had yet to win it all, Vientiane was finally a contender and Pham was beloved in the Laotian capital. It would devastate Vampires fans to see Pham go, but they would at least get their first pennant in 2019.

With Vientiane on the mound, Pham had a 140-75 record, 2.73 ERA, 1925.1 innings, 2554 strikeouts, 509 walks, 140 ERA+, and 52.5 WAR. At the plate, Pham had 693 games, 802 hits, 390 runs, 174 doubles, 125 homers, 430 RBI, .325/.368/.561 slash, 154 wRC+, and 25.1 WAR. Pham remained beloved despite the sting of him leaving for a rival and his 12 uniform would eventually be retired by the Vampires.

Pham’s Vientiane exit was a confusing one. He declined his contract option on October 17, 2017; then signed a new six-year, $54 million extension with the Vampires eight days later. Less than a month after that, Vientiane traded Pham to rival Yangon for prospects RF Jaivira Kanjam and SP Noor Choudhari. Kanjam was then traded in a separate deal shortly after and never played for the Vampires, while Choudhari ended up being a back-end starter for a few years.

Even though Vientiane still was competitive for the next few years and won a pennant in 2019, the deal was a baffling one on their end. It certainly made sense though for the Green Dragons, the defending SAB Champion in the 23^rd year of their record-breaking playoff streak. The streak continued on through Pham’s six-year tenure in Yangon.

Interestingly enough, the trade occurred after the SAB season, but before that year’s Baseball Grand Championship had concluded. Thus, Pham made his first Green Dragons appearance with a quality start in the BGC, giving up two runs over seven innings.

The Green Dragons had Pham focus on just pitching in 2018, which paid off for his fifth Pitcher of the Year award and third ERA title at 1.85. He was back to two-way work in 2019 and was third in MVP voting, posting 4.2 WAR offensively and 5.4 WAR pitching. Pham only saw sporadic use offensively in the following three seasons. In 2021, he won his sixth and final Pitcher of the Year, joining Zainal bin Aziz (8) as the only SAB aces to win the award six times.

Yangon had the top seed in both 2018 and 2019, but lost in the first round both times. They were a wild card in 2020, but went on a surprise run to the Southeast Asia League pennant, eventually falling to Delhi in the SAB Championship. Pham had a strong playoff run with a 1.97 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 32 innings. The Green Dragons had another first round exit in 2021.

In 2022, the now 35-year old Pham had his first major injury setback with a partially torn labrum, keeping him out the first three months. Yangon won their fifth and final SAB Championship of their historic streak, besting Mumbai in the final. Pham struggled in the playoffs with a 6.04 ERA over 25.1 innings. Elbow inflammation limited him to one poor Baseball Grand Championship start, giving up seven runs in 4.2 innings. Yangon finished 11-8 in the event in a five-way tie for fourth.

Pham’s pitching never returned to form after the labrum tear, struggling to a 4.40 ERA over 153.1 innings in 2023. They put him back into the field that year and he could still hit, posting 1.012 OPS and 2.8 WAR in only 62 games. Yangon fell in the first round and Pham wasn’t used in the playoffs. With his deal expiring, Pham seemed cooked as a pitcher and didn’t want to convert full-time to first base. He retired that winter at age 36.

With Yangon, Pham on the mound had an 82-40 record, 3.00 ERA, 1165.1 innings, 1382 strikeouts, 373 walks, 133 ERA+, and 27.6 WAR. At the plate, Pham saw 281 games, 273 hits, 118 runs, 51 doubles, 41 homers, 132 RBI, .361/.388/.597 slash, 168 wRC+, and 10.5 WAR.

Pham’s final pitching numbers had a 222-115 record, 2.83 ERA, 3090.2 innings, 3936 strikeouts, 882 walks, 277/410 quality starts, 86 complete games, 28 shutouts, 138 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 80.1 WAR. As of 2037, Pham ranks 9^th in wins, 18^th in innings, 18^th in complete games, 5^th in shutouts, 10^th in strikeouts, 2^nd in walks, and 12^th in pitching WAR. His ERA is 64^th among all pitchers with 1000+ innings and his .615 opponent’s OPS ranks 64^th.

Most agree that Pham was a first ballot Hall of Famer on his pitching alone. At the plate, he added 974 games, 1075 hits, 508 runs, 225 doubles, 166 home runs, 562 RBI, 181 walks, .333/.373/.569 slash, 157 wRC+, and 35.6 WAR. Pham reached the 3000+ plate appearances to qualify for the rate leaderboards and his .942 OPS ranks 43^rd. His triple slash also ranks 11^th/39^th/58^th, showing his hitting efficiency. Pham likely had the talent to be at or near HOF level offensively had he dedicated his full efforts there.

Pham finished with 115.7 combined WAR, which ranks 11^th among all world two-way stars as of 2037 and first among SAB ones. He ranks 17^th in WAR amongst all SAB players. Pham certainly goes down as an inner-circle level player and is generally cited as SAB’s best-ever two-way star. At 98.5%, Pham co-headlined an impressive two-player 2029 class for South Asia Baseball. He’s also often cited as a top five player to ever come out of Vietnam.



Tamim Hasan – Starting Pitcher – Nagpur Patriots – 98.2% First Ballot

Tamim Hasan was a 6’6’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Chittagong, Bangladesh’s second-largest city with 9.2 million people within the district. Hasan was well-rounded with good-to-great stuff, movement, and control. His 99-101 mph fastball was solid, but Hasan confounded batters with a six-pitch arsenal. He also had a cutter, splitter, forkball, slider, and changeup; an arsenal that led to an extreme groundball tendency.

Hasan’s stamina was good and his durability was fantastic, tossing 200+ innings in all but one year from 2008-22. He did struggle holding runners and had poor glove work. Hasan wasn’t going to take a leadership role, but he certainly wasn’t going to cause problems. He was generally liked by teammates and fans across four teams and 17 seasons.

In September 2002, Hasan left Bangladesh for India by signing a developmental deal with Jaipur. After four full years in their academy, Hasan debuted for the Jokers in 2007 at age 20 with 10 solid starts. He also tossed a three-hit shutout in the playoffs, although Jaipur lost in the first round despite having the top seed. The Jokers moved Hasan into the full-time rotation from 2008 onward.

Hasan’s numbers were merely decent in his first few seasons. Jaipur lost in the 2008 ILCS to Mumbai, then won the pennant in 2009 over Kolkata. They would be defeated by Ho Chi Minh City in the SAB Championship. Hasan struggled in his later playoff starts for the Jokers, finishing with a 4.39ERA over 41 innings and 54 Ks. Jaipur began a rebuild and was below .500 from 2010-15.

He started to look more like an ace with sub-three ERA and 6+ WAR seasons in 2011-12. Hasan also struck out 333 in 2011, his career high. The rebuilding Jokers gave him a three-year, $11,800,000 extension in April 2012. However, Hasan regressed somewhat in 2013 and Jaipur explored trade options. In January 2014, he was traded to Yangon for three prospects.

With Jaipur, Hasan had a 79-70 record, 3.31 ERA, 1399.2 innings, 1783 strikeouts, 342 walks, 109 ERA+, and 29.7 WAR. He was 27 and joined a Green Dragons squad that was 19 years deep into a world record 29 season playoff streak. Hasan proved a good short-term investment, leading the Southeast Asia League in wins in both 2014 and 2015. He also led in WAR in 2014 at 6.7 and strikeouts in 2015 at 320. 2015 also had his best WAR to that point at 8.0, although Hasan wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist.

Yangon repeated as SEAL champ in 2014-15. They lost the 2014 SAB Championship to Kolkata with Hasan posting a 2.59 ERA over 31.1 playoff innings with 49 strikeouts. In 2015, the Green Dragons went 111-51 and bested Mumbai in the SAB Championship. Hasan struggled in that postseason run to a 6.07 ERA over 29.2 innings. He was merely okay in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.45 ERA over 30.1 innings with 27 Ks. Yangon was near the bottom of the standings at 6-13.

In two seasons, Hasan had a 40-15 record, 3.11 ERA, 474.1 innings, 619 strikeouts, 85 walks, 123 ERA+, and 14.6 WAR. They couldn’t come to terms on a long-term deal, sending Hasan to free agency for the first time at age 29. He ended up signing with Nagpur at $38 million over four years. The Patriots were a 2004 expansion team still looking for their first-ever success, although they had gotten above .500 a few times in the early 2010s.

Hasan returned to India and spent the majority of his career there, but he did regularly represent his native Bangladesh in the World Baseball Championship. From 2009-23, Hasan had a 12-12 record, 3.61 ERA, 236.2 innings, 303 strikeouts, and 4.5 WAR. The Bangladeshis notably earned their second-ever WBC division title in 2018.

Nagpur would see their first playoff appearances with Hasan, who posted his most efficient seasons. He led in WAR in both 2019-20, strikeouts in 2019 and 2021, wins in 2020, and innings in 2019, 21, and 22. Hasan was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 2018 and 2019 with a third place in 2021. His lone POTY win came in 2020, which had his career best ERA (2.44) and record (22-5). 2019 was his peak ERA at 8.5.

The Patriots had a four-year playoff streak from 2018-21, peaking with a SAB Championship win in 2020. Hasan was an absolute beast in that run with a 0.92 ERA, 39 innings, 3-2 record, 36 strikeouts, and two shutouts. He had a solid showing in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3.05 ERA over 38.1 innings and 37 strikeouts. Nagpur finished 10-9 in the event, tying for eighth.

Hasan was subpar in his other playoff starts with Nagpur, but is remembered fondly for his role in their first championship. The Patriots lost in the first round in 2018-19 and fell in the ILCS for 2021. In 11 playoff starts, Hasan was 7-4 with a 2.85 ERA, 79 innings, 81 strikeouts, 5 walks, 130 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR. For his entire career, Hasan had a 13-9 playoff record, 3.68 ERA, 181 innings, 223 Ks, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 3^rd in wins, 5^th in strikeouts, and 7^th in WAR.

In May 2019, Hasan signed a four-year, $42,600,000 extension with Nagpur. In 2021, he became the fourth in SAB history with 4000 strikeouts. The Patriots’ playoff streak ended in 2022, although they were still 86-76. They voided the team option for Hasan despite still looking strong that year at 6.2 WAR. For Nagpur, Hasan had a 116-72 record, 2.77 ERA, 1632 innings, 2082 strikeouts, 280 walks, 133 ERA+, and 47.6 WAR. He’d be the first Hall of Famer inducted representing the Patriots

Hasan had still looked strong to end his run and many thought he could chase SAB’s top marks for wins and strikeouts. Vientiane signed the 36-year old for two years and $28 million. However, Hasan shockingly stunk and got quickly removed from the rotation, posting an abysmal 6.08 ERA over 124.1 innings with 74 Ks and -0.1 WAR. He did become the second to reach 4500 strikeouts, but his cliff came abruptly. Hasan retired that winter at age 37.

The final tallies had a 239-164 record, 3.14 ERA, 3630.1 innings, 4558 strikeouts, 718 walks, 293/462 quality starts, 97 complete games, 26 shutouts, 118 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 91.8 WAR. As of 2037, Hasan ranks 5^th in wins, 11^th in losses, 4^th in innings, 9^th in complete games, 7^th in shutouts, 2^nd in strikeouts, and 5^th in pitching WAR. He doesn’t crack the top 100 for ERA and only ranks 96^th in opponent’s OPS (.631) among qualifiers. Hasan also is 80^th in K/9 at 11.30.

Hasan didn’t have the raw dominance to challenge Zainal bin Aziz for South Asia Baseball’s GOAT pitcher slot, but his longevity put him into the top ten and top five conversations. Hasan also played a big role in Nagpur’s first SAB Championship and two pennants with Yangon’s dynasty. He easily earned 98.2% to co-headline SAB’s 2029 Hall of Fame class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The Asian Baseball Federation had a two-player Hall of Fame class for 2029 co-headlined by slam dunk picks with SP Hossein Hatami at 98.5% and OF Shadi Alam at 96.1%. CL Ananthakrishnan Khan barely missed the 66% cut to join then with a debut at 65.0%. SP Hamat Soomro had a nice debut at 54.9%. Two second ballot returners were above 50% with SP Ozgur Ermalci at 53.7% and SP Amgad al-Jal at 51.6%. SP Yhlas Batyrow was also just above 50% with a 50.1% debut. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots.



Hossein Hatami – Starting Pitcher – Shiraz Suns – 98.5% First Ballot

Hossein Hatami was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Mashhad, Iran’s second-most populous city with around 3,400,000 people in the country’s northeast. Hatami had filthy stuff that graded as 9/10 from scouts in his peak. He also had rock solid control, but his movement was below average. Hatami’s fastball regularly hit the 98-100 mph range. He also had a slider and changeup with all three as equally potent options.

Hatami’s stamina was merely average relative to other ABF aces. However, he avoided big injuries until late in his career and regularly gave you a full slate of starts. Hatami was good at holding runners, but was mediocre defensively otherwise. He was very intelligent and loyal, traits that served him well over a 16-year pro career.

After growing up in Northeastern Iran, Hatami moved to the country’s south by inking a developmental deal with Shiraz in May 2003. He spent around six years in their academy, debuting in 2008 at age 21 with 13 relief appearances. Hatami was split between the bullpen and starting in 2009, then secured a full-time rotation spot in 2010.

In 2010, Shiraz was defeated in the West League Championship Series by Baku. Hatami’s first playoff stats saw a 3.15 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 20 innings. The Suns would be outside the playoffs the next four seasons, but were still decent. Hatami’s production continued to improve, getting his first of nine straight 300+ strikeout seasons in 2013. He led the WL for the first time with 337 in 2014.

In April 2015, Shiraz signed Hatami to a five-year, $45 million extension. 2015 had Hatami’s career best ERA at 1.79 and best WAR at 8.6, placing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. The Suns were a 94-68 wild card, but upset 115-win Tehran en route to a pennant. Shiraz fell to Dushanbe in the ABF Championship with Hatami posting a 2.45 ERA over 33 playoff innings with 51 strikeouts.

Hatami wouldn’t be a Pitcher of the Year finalist again, but he’d lead in strikeouts thrice more for Shiraz. He had a career best 398 strikeouts in 2016, but also set a bad league record by allowing 46 home runs that year. Hatami had a quality start in the 2016 playoffs with the Suns as they lost in the first round. Shiraz missed the cut by one game in 2017, then spent the next five years below .500.

2020 was the last year under his Shiraz deal and the Suns were in rebuild mode. In the offseason, the 33-year old Hatami was traded to Multan for three prospects. For Shiraz, Hatami had a 156-116 record, 2.83 ERA, 2489.2 innings, 3524 strikeouts, 442 walks, 118 ERA+, and 58.3 WAR. The Suns retired his #7 uniform at the end of his career for his 12 years of service.

Although he was traded to a team in Pakistan, Hatami continued to return to Iran for the World Baseball Championship. He pitched from 2010-22 for the Iranian team and primarily was used as a reliever. Over 104.2 innings, Hatami had a 7-5 record, 12 saves, 179 strikeouts, 32 walks, 97 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. Iran had its best-ever finish in 2018, taking runner-up to Poland.

Hatami led in strikeouts and WHIP in his first two seasons with Multan, who fell just short in the wild card race. They were happy with Hatami’s production and gave him a five-year, $44 million extension in July 2020. In 2021, he became the eighth to reach 4000 career strikeouts. At that point, it felt like Hatami could make a legit run at Hasan Afshin’s record of 5151.

After great durability in his career, Hatami suffered a damaged elbow ligament in June 2022. He made it back in summer 2023, but saw his strikeout numbers and production dip. It did allow Hatami to cross 4500 Ks and 200 wins. He decided to retire that winter at age 36. With the Mighty Cocks, Hatami had a 48-30 record, 2.56 ERA, 732.2 innings, 1042 strikeouts, 90 walks, 130 ERA+, and 17.3 WAR.

Hatami finished with a 204-146 record, 2.77 ERA, 3222.1 innings, 4566 strikeouts, 532 walks, 302/417 quality starts, 51 complete games, 10 shutouts, 120 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 75.8 WAR. As of 2037, Hatami ranks 18^th in wins, 22^nd in innings, 8^th in strikeouts, 9^th in home runs allowed (362), and 12^th in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Hatami’s ERA ranks 79^th and his .613 opponent’s OPS is 91^st. He also ranks 12^th in K/9 (12.75) and 56^th in BB/9 (1.49).

Although he never won Pitcher of the Year and was only a finalist once, Hatami put up impressive tallies. Few pitchers in any league can say they led their league six times in strikeouts. Hatami received 98.5% to co-headline the 2029 Hall of Fame class for the Asian Baseball Federation.



Shadi “Skull” Alam – Outfield – Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 96.1% First Ballot

Shadi Alam was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed outfielder from Tabriz in northwestern Iran, the country’s sixth-largest city with about 1.7 million people. Nicknamed “Skull,” Alam had reliably steady contact and power skills. He was also solid at drawing walks, but did have a subpar strikeout rate. Alam’s power wasn’t prolific, but it was consistent with a 162 game average of 36 home runs, 32 doubles, and 7 triples.

Alam was notably better facing right-handed pitching (.945 OPS, 165 wRC+) but was still potent facing lefties (.795 OPS, 131 wRC+). He was a very skilled base stealer with good speed. Alam bounced around the outfield in his career and graded as rock solid defensively in the corners. His speed wasn’t good enough for the range needed in center field, grading as mediocre there. Alam had around 40% of his starts in left field, around 33% in center, and the rest in right.

By the end of his 16-year career, Alam was one of the most universally beloved players to come out of Iran. He was viewed as an ironman, playing 150+ games in all but his rookie season. Alam was also a team captain and his character was beyond reproach. He was a great leader, loyal, intelligent, adaptable, and hard working. Fans, friends, and foes alike had nothing but admiration for Alam.

It was clear as Alam rose through the amateur ranks that he was destined for greatness. It worked out that his hometown team Tabriz had the #1 overall pick for the 2007 ABF Draft. The Tiger Sharks picked their local star, who had fallen in love with baseball having gone to Tabriz games as a kid. Alam was a part-time starter in 2008 with mixed results as a rookie. He was a full-time starter after that and an elite one, posting a nice 6.9 WAR or better from 2009-20.

In 2010, Tabriz had only their second-ever playoff berth with the previous one being in their inaugural 1985 season. They would be roughly around .500 for the following five years. 2010 started an eight-year streak of Silver Sluggers for Alam. He won in CF from 2010-12, in RF from 2013-15, in LF for 2016, and back in RF for 2017. Alam was determined to make his hometown team a contender for the first time and signed an eight-year, $79,900,000 extension with Tabriz after the 2012 season.

Alam was third in 2010’s MVP voting. In 2014, he had his lone batting title (.320), his first season of 1.000 OPS, and a career and league best 122 RBI. In 2016, Alam had his finest season and won MVP, posting a league and career best 10.4 WAR. He also had his person highs for home runs (45), and wRC+ (205). This also marked the beginning of a nine-year playoff streak for Tabriz. Alam was third in MVP voting in both 2017 and 2020, winning his final Silver Slugger in the latter campaign.

Tabriz lost in the first round in 2016-2017. They took the West League’s top seed in 2018 at 103-59, but were upset by Asgabat in the WLCS. The Tiger Sharks bested that record at 107-55 in 2019 and won their first-ever ABF Championship, topping Dushanbe in the finale. Alam won finals MVP, although statistically he had better postseasons.

The big shock came in the 2019 Baseball Grand Championship as Tabriz took the top team honor at 15-4, becoming the first ABF team to win the Grand Championship. In 18 starts, Alam had 18 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 9 RBI, .281/.373/.625 slash, 196 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. Alam achieved something very few in baseball history have accomplished; he turned his hometown team from a bottom feeder into the best in the world.

Alam was beloved in Tabriz, but also was a favorite for all Iranian fans. He was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 2010-22, playing 140 games with 125 hits, 79 runs, 27 doubles, 38 home runs, 88 RBI, 31 stolen bases, .239/.344/.521 slash, and 5.6 WAR. In 2018, the Iranians made it to the World Championship for the first time, falling 4-1 to Poland. Iran also earned a division title in 2015.

After the 2019 triumph, the soon-to-be 35-year old Alam signed a four-year, $46,400,000 extension with Tabriz. The Tiger Sharks were the top seed again from 2020-22, but couldn’t get back to the ABF Championship. They were 109-53 in 2020, but lost to Bursa in the WLCS. Tabriz again was 109-53 in 2021, but lost in round one to Mashhad. They were 103-59 in 2022 and dropped the WLCS to Baku.

Alam started to wind down with his WAR dropping to 4.1 in 2021 and 4.3 in 2022. In 2023, he had his worst full season tallies, although was still a passable starter with 2.3 WAR and .774 OPS. Alam’s leadership was still quite important as a 92-70 wild card Tabriz went on a surprise run to their second ABF Championship, upsetting Bishkek in the final,

For his playoff career, Alam had 76 games, 84 hits, 45 runs, 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 32 RBI, 15 steals, .291/.343/.550, 150 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR. In his last run though, he had -0.1 WAR and .526 OPS. Alam opted to retire with that age 38 and didn’t play in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Tiger Sharks quickly retired the #20 uniform of their hometown hero.

Alam finished with 2451 games, 2491 hits, 1491 runs, 485 doubles, 109 triples, 548 home runs, 1397 RBI, 940 walks, 546 steals, .282/.356/.548 slash, 156 wRC+, and 109.9 WAR. As of 2037, Alam ranks 19^th in games, 21^st in hits, 6^th in runs, 33^rd in doubles, 60^th in triples, 16^th in home runs, 23^rd in RBI, 13^th in total bases (4838), 10^th in walks, 17^th in strikeouts (2462), and 9^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Alam’s .905 OPS ranks 42^nd. He also ranks 60^th in OBP and 51^st in slugging.

He wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant, so many scholars leave Alam just outside of their top ten lists. He makes almost all top 20 lists for Asian Baseball Federation history and generally is viewed as a top ten player to come from Iran. Alam’s story was truly romantic, not many get to spend their whole career with their hometown team. Even fewer win two league titles and fewer yet win the Baseball Grand Championship. Alam was a Hall of Fame lock at 96.1% to co-headline ABF’s 2029 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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1B Ali Jassem was the lone inductee for Arab League Baseball’s 2029 Hall of Fame voting with a near unanimous 98.5%. LF Abduwali Suleiman came very close on his ninth ballot at 62.4%, just missing the 66% requirement. The only other player above 50% was 1B Faqi Al-Thakur at 57.5%. No one was removed after ten failed ballots.

Oddly, Suleiman wasn’t on the ballot in 2030 for a tenth and final shot. He had started at only 34.2% and had grown from there. He was hurt by spending his final seasons in MLB and A2L with little luck. In ALB with Abu Dhabi in 11 seasons, Suleiman had one Gold Glove, a league title, 1863 hits, 1018 runs, 448 doubles, 95 triples, 320 home runs, 973 RBI, 714 steals, .309/.359/.574 slash, 152 wRC+, and 70.2 WAR. Suleiman ended up relegated to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Ali “Happy” Jassem – First Base – Khartoum Cottonmouths – 98.5% First Ballot

Ali Jassem was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from as-Suaybah, Kuwait; a port town of around 27,000 people. Jassem was known for socking dingers at a remarkable rate, hitting 45+ home runs each year from 2011-22. He had 60+ in eight of those seasons, vaulting Jassem to superstardom through the Arab world. He was also good for 30 doubles per his 162 game average.

He had good contact numbers, but struggled with strikeouts and drew far fewer walks than you’d expect from a big slugger. When Jassem made contact though, it was going to be hit hard with 1/3 of his career hits being homers. His power was far more pronounced against right-handed pitching with a career 1.008 OPS and 168 wRC+. Jassem was no pushover though against lefties with .843 OPS and 131 wRC+.

Jassem’s speed and baserunning were absolutely abysmal, but he scored plenty of runs on dingers alone. Despite that clumsiness, he graded as a serviceable defender as a career first baseman. Jassem showed excellent durability, starting 150+ games each year from 2010-22. He was also known as one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse. Jassem was a true fan favorite and was both the first major superstar and first Hall of Famer from Kuwait. The nickname “Happy” came from Jassem simply being a happy and likeable guy.

He’d be best known for his time in Sudan, but Jassem’s professional career actually started in Morocco. Few know that Casablanca inked him to his first developmental contract in February 2004. Jassem spent five years in the Bruins’ academy, but never played for them. After the 2008 season, he was sent to Khartoum in a three-player trade. The 21-year old Jassem played 12 games and started two in 2009, then became a starter in 2010.

Jassem was merely okay as a rookie, but still got third in Rookie of the Year voting. He found his power in year two with a Western Conference leading 65 home runs. With the Cottonmouths, he led in homers in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018; smacking 60+ each of those seasons. Jassem smacked 70 in 2014 and 2018, falling just short of the league record. With Khartoum, he also led thrice in RBI, four times in total bases, twice in runs, twice in OPS, twice in slugging, and twice in WAR.

2013 saw Jassem win MVP as a DH with 66 homers, 142 RBI, 1.028 OPS, and 7.5 WAR. He repeated in 2014 back at first base with career bests in triple slash (.343/.385/.764), OPS (1.149), wRC+ (219), and WAR (10.2). Jassem won Silver Sluggers for Khartoum in 2011-14 and 2016-18. After the 2015 season, Khartoum gave Jassem an eight-year, $74,600,000 extension. He took second in 2016’s MVP voting and third in 2018.

Despite Jassem’s efforts, Khartoum never made the playoffs in his run. They were generally mid-tier, averaging 81.8 wins per season during his run. It was hard to compete in the Nile Division in that era, especially with Alexandria winning two pennants then. After a nine-year run, Jassem surprised many by opting out of his contract and leaving for free agency at age 31.

Khartoum still loved Jassem and his #25 uniform would be retired at the end of his career. With the Cottonmouths, Jassem had 1446 games, 1603 hits, 941 runs, 255 doubles, 539 home runs, 1139 RBI, .288/.329/.632 slash, 165 wRC+, and 55.9 WAR. He had a surprising second team, signing with Oran at six years and $87,600,000. The Rattlesnakes were a 2016 expansion team still trying to find their footing. They were a bottom-tier team during Jassem’s brief run.

Jassem was still impactful, leading in homers and RBI in both Oran seasons. He won a Silver Slugger in 2019 and was second in 2020’s MVP voting despite becoming ALB’s new single-season home run king with 76. As of 2037, Jassem’s mark is tied for fifth in ALB history and his 163 RBI ranks ninth. He also became only the fourth player in world baseball history to that point with three 70+ homer seasons.

With Oran, Jassem had 373 hits, 225 runs, 68 doubles, 140 homers, 311 RBI, .314/.362/.728 slash, 170 wRC+, and 14.4 WAR. He opted out again of his contract and at 33-years old signed a new five-year, $73 million deal with Damascus. Jassem quickly reached 700 career homers and 1500 RBI with the Dusters, making some wonder if he’d be able to make a run at Nordine Soule for ALB’s power records.

Unfortunately, the decline came quick for Jassem. He had a nice debut with Damascus, but started starting out even more with only 1.7 WAR and .861 OPS in 2022. Jassem was moved to a part-time role in 2023 and got only 32 homers and 1.1 WAR. That did allow him to join the 800 home run club, only the third in ALB history to that point.

The Dusters were decent during his tenure, but Jassem would never get to participate in the playoffs in his career. With Damascus, Jassem had 445 games, 442 hits, 257 runs, 87 doubles, 134 home runs, 311 RBI, .271/.306/.578 slash, 124 wRC+, and 7.1 WAR. He retired after the 2023 season shortly after his 36^th birthday.

Jassem ended with 2203 games, 2418 hits, 1423 runs, 410 doubles, 813 home runs, 1761 RBI, 393 walks, 2592 strikeouts, 5325 total bases, .288/.329/.635 slash, 158 wRC+, and 77.3 WAR. As of 2037, Jassem ranks 46^th in games, 47^th in hits, 31^st in runs, 17^th in total bases, 6^th in home runs, 14^th in RBI, 14^th in strikeouts, and 23^rd in WAR among position players. Jassem ranks 19^th in slugging among those with 3000+ plate appearances and his .965 OPS is 37^th.

On the world home run list as of 2037, Jassem sits 47^th. Among world Hall of Famers, Jassem’s slugging ranks 28^th. When you think of the best pure power hitters in the game’s history, Jassem has a seat at the table. He wasn’t well-rounded enough though to make Arab League Baseball’s true inner-circle. Still, few guys in Jassem’s era were more fun for many fans knowing how often he sent balls into orbit. At 98.5%, he was an easy Hall of Fame headliner and stood alone for ALB’s 2029 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The African Association of Baseball’s 2029 Hall of Fame voting was wide open as no debuting players cracked 50%. Five finished above 60%, but only SP Natnael Seyoum crossed the 66% requirement for induction with 70.2% on his third ballot. RF Anthony Chongo was the closest miss at 63.2% on his seventh try. SP Valentine Hategekimana saw 62.5% for his fifth ballot, CL Deon Westerveld got 61.3% on his fourth go, and 1B Lifa Moyo received 61.0% in his third shot. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Natnael “Nimrod” Seyoum – Starting Pitcher – Maputo Piranhas – 70.2% Third Ballot

Natnael Seyoum was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Despite his talent, he got the nickname “Nimrod” as Seyoum was a bit dumb and at times lazy. Still, he had great movement along with good-to-great stuff and movement.

Seyoum’s velocity peaked at 96-98 mph with a sinker as his best pitch. He also had a splitter, slider, and curveball which were each solid in their own right. Seyoum’s stamina was strong early in his career, but tanked after some significant injuries. He was good at holding runners, but weak defensively otherwise.

Scouts rated Seyoum highly ahead of the 2008 AAB Draft and he was picked first overall by Maputo. He was split between starting and relief as a rookie and took third in 2009’s Rookie of the Year voting. Seyoum emerged as an ace by his third year and won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards in 2011-12. Both seasons saw Seyoum atop the conference in strikeouts, WAR, and quality starts.

2012 was Seyoum’s finest effort with career bests in ERA (2.38), strikeouts (263), WHIP (1.00), and WAR (8.5). In 2011, he had his lone career no-hitter with seven strikeouts and three walks facing Lilongwe in April. These efforts also sent Maputo to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, taking wild cards both years.

In 2011, the Piranhas upset Lusaka for their first Southern Conference Championship, falling in the Arica Series to Seyoum’s hometown Addis Ababa amidst their dynasty run. Seyoum had a 2.28 ERA and 18 Ks over 23.2 playoff innings. Maputo lost in a conference finals rematch in 2012 with the Lake Monsters with Seyoum posting a 3.60 ERA in 15 innings.

Also his pro career thrived in Mozambique, Seyoum did return home to Ethiopia regularly for the World Baseball Championship. From 2010-21, he tossed 148.2 innings with an 8-13 record, 3.57 ERA, 158 strikeouts, 42 walks, 102 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR. In 2013, the Ethiopians had their strongest-ever WBC finish with a third place finish.

An elbow strain kept Seyoum out around half of 2013. He bounced back to take third in 2016’s Pitcher of the Year voting and second in 2017. Maputo missed the playoffs from 2013-15, but got back in 2016-17. The Piranhas lost in the 2016 conference final, but won it in 2017 and finished first in the standings for the first time. Maputo would again be denied their first Africa Series win, this time because of Brazzaville.

For his playoff career, Seyoum had a 3-4 record, 2.61 ERA, 69 innings, 64 strikeouts, 20 walks, 158 ERA+, and 2.0 WAR. He was a big reason the Piranhas had their first-ever pennants and Seyoum’s #35 uniform would later be retired. However, he opted to leave for free agency after the 2017 season at age 32. With Maputo, Seyoum had a 121-71 record, 2.94 ERA, 1874.2 innings, 1909 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, and 55.5 WAR.

Seyoum secured the bag on a six-year, $67,900,000 deal with Harare, who was a bottom-tier team at that point. He had a weak debut season with a 10-16 record, 3.76 ERA, and 3.9 WAR. Disaster then struck in June 2019 with a torn flexor tendon, putting Seyoum on the shelf for more than a calendar year.

He made it back in late 2020, but struggled in a relief role. Seyoum looked only marginally better in 2021 and retired that winter at age 35. He was a bust with Harare, finishing with a 20-31 record, 3.62 ERA, 380.1 innings, 375 strikeouts, 104 walks, 108 ERA+, and 8.1 WAR.

Seyoum finished with a 141-102 record, 3.06 ERA, 2255 innings, 2284 strikeouts, 598 walks, 194/290 quality starts, 45 complete games, 13 shutouts, 135 ERA+, and 63.6 WAR. As of 2037, Seyoum ranks 37^th in wins, 39^th in innings, 39^th in strikeouts, but 13^th in WAR among pitchers. His .660 opponent’s OPS ranks 23^rd among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Seyoum also ranks 11^th in ERA despite never winning an ERA title.

The rate stats certainly paint Seyoum as elite, but many voters thought his tallies were simply too low. Supporters gave him some grace for having the injury derail his run, although Seyoum looked to be declining even before then. He had two big things in his favor; two Pitcher of the Year awards, and his playoff success. Seyoum had stepped up in big games and was a big reason Maputo won their first pennants.

Seyoum missed the Hall of Fame cut in his 2027 debut at 56.1%. He didn’t get much better in 2028 at 57.7%. The African Association of Baseball’s 2029 group lacked impactful debuts and Seyoum’s resume popped a bit more among the returners. He got across the 66% requirement at 70.2% for a third ballot selection as AAB’s lone 2029 inductee.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The 2029 World Baseball Championship was the 83^rd edition of the event and was hosted in Conakry, Guinea. Division 1 was remarkably competitive with Chad, Chile, Italy, and Mexico each tied for first at 7-4. Australia, Cuba, and Guatemala were each right in the mix at 6-5 as well. After the tiebreakers were sorted, the Mexicans advanced to the elite eight for the 35^th time. The third place finisher last year, Mexico was one of two countries to make it back to the elite eight from the prior year.

Division 2 saw Taiwan on top at 9-2, edging out defending World Champion England at 8-3. The United States, Malaysia, and Moldova were all in the mix at 7-4. The Taiwanese earned their 10^th division title and their first since 2017. It was a rare back-to-back miss for the Americans and only their 22^nd time outside of the elite eight.

Spain (10-1) outraced France (9-2) in Division 3, giving the Spaniards their third division title in five years and 12^th overall. Japan (8-3) claimed Division 4 over 7-4 efforts by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Panama. Ukraine and the Philippines, both division champs last year, were at 6-5 along with Tanzania and Bangladesh. The Japanese advanced for the second time in three years and for the 22^nd time overall.

Romania and the Czech Republic tied atop D5 at 8-3, while India, Azerbaijan, and Nigeria were each 7-4. The Romanians advanced with the head-to-head win for their sixth division crown and first since 2020. Division 6 had Pakistan and Scotland even at 8-3, while last year’s runner-up Poland was tied at 7-4 with Mozambique and South Korea. Pakistan moved forward on the tiebreaker for the eighth time and first time since 2021.

North Korea claimed Division 7 at 9-2 with Colombia, Germany, and Turkey the closest foes at 7-4. The North Koreans got their seventh division crown, their first in 54 years going back to 1975. Lastly, Indonesia (10-1) held off Puerto Rico (9-2) to claim Division 8. The Indonesians earned back-to-back Round Robin trips and advanced for the 27^th time.

Advancing from Round Robin Group A were 5-1 Taiwan and 4-2 Pakistan, while 3-3 Spain and 0-6 Mexico were ousted. It was the ninth semifinal trip for the Taiwanese, who last did it with their runner-up 2004 campaign. It was the sixth for the Pakistanis, who had taken second in 2021.

Group B had Indonesia on top at 4-2, sending them to the final four for the 13th time. The Indonesians hadn’t gotten that far though since their runner-up 2014 season. Japan and North Korea were both 3-3 and Romania went 2-4. The tiebreaker sent the Japanese forward for the first time since taking third in 2019. It was Japan’s 12^th semifinal berth.

Recent years had seen European teams in the top spot, taking the last five world titles. 2029 was notably the first time ever that the final four were all Asian teams. It also guaranteed the second-ever finals matchup between two Asian teams, joining China’s 1993 win over India. It was the first time since 2010 without at least one European team in the final four.

Taiwan edged Japan in a 3-2 semifinal classic to earn their fourth finals trip (1980, 2001, 2004, 2029). Pakistan ousted Indonesia 3-1 on the other side for their second finals trip (2021, 2029). This guaranteed the 22^nd first-time champion, as the Taiwanese were 0-3 previously and the Pakistanis lost in 2021. Japan was officially third and Indonesia was fourth. The Japanese have taken third seven times.



The 83^rd World Championship saw back-to-back sweeps as Pakistan rolled Taiwan 4-0. They were the first Asian champ since China in 2016 and the seventh Asian country to win the title. The top performers from Pakistan included LF Youssouf Raza, who led all players with 10 home runs. SS Nawaz Kurnaz was the top scorer with 20 runs and SP Ebrahim Abrami struck out the most batters at 66.



Taiwan now has the most runner-up finishes (4) without having won at least once. They had the Tournament MVP in 1B Wei-Yin Wang, who won Taiwan-Philippine League MVP in 2026 for Taoyuan. In 26 tournament starts, Wang had 34 hits, 14 runs, 6 doubles, 7 homers, 18 RBI, 1.121 OPS, and 1.9 WAR. England’s Lucas Oldham was named Best Pitcher. A 24-year old closer for MLB’s Ottawa Elks, Oldham tossed 12.1 scoreless innings with 28 strikeouts,, 4 hits allowed, and two walks.

Other notes: Indonesia’s Arif Wirawan tossed a no-hitter with nine strikeouts and two walks against Bulgaria on January 18. The 2020s had ten different champs over the decade, a remarkable run of parity. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats:

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2005 had been the last major expansion with the European Baseball Federation with the introduction of the European Second League and the promotion/relegation system. It had been a tremendous success and the sport had grown tremendously across the continent since. As the 2020s dawned, it became clear that the appetite was there for more baseball. Many cities were itching to get involved, both from the large countries that already had numerous teams and from the smaller states that had either one or zero major pro teams.

It was difficult though to figure out how to set things up. Since the 2000 expansion and exodus of teams from Eurasian Professional Baseball to EBF, the EBF Elite Tier had used two conferences with 24 teams each. This had already made EBF the second-largest major organization behind only Major League Baseball, who grew to 64 total teams with their 2021 expansion.

There were another 32 teams split between the E2L conferences already. Any new teams though couldn’t jump straight to the top tier, so officials pondered a massive growth for E2L. Others wanted the Elite Tier to grow and some realized that there were more interested markets than the E2L could handle. By the end of the decade, the new plan was designed to support the huge appetite for baseball in Europe.

The expansion/relegation would be extended to a three-tier system with the introduction of European Tier Three. This new bottom rung would feature 20 teams playing without any divisions. The initial 2029 pilot season would not see any promotion/relegation involving ET3 to establish the new franchises. From 2030 onward, the top two placing teams would earn promotion to E2L, while the last place finishers in both E2L conferences would be relegated.

One challenge for the ET3 teams was they weren’t included into the shared draft structure of EBF/E2L. These teams would be reliant on scouting discoveries into their academies along with any available free agent castoffs. 14 countries would be represented in the new league. Three teams would be the first for their respective countries with the Cyprus Crush, Montenegro Mountain Goats, and Kosovo Slayers.

Joining them would be the Bilbao Beasts (Spain), Bordeaux Blue Angels (France), Donetsk Dozers (Ukraine), Dresden Diesel (Germany), Florence Fireflies (Italy), Gdansk Gunners (Poland), Geneva Gold Tigers (Switzerland), The Hague Hackers (Netherlands), Katowice Whitehawks (Poland), Leeds Lagers (England), Lille Liberty (France), Newcastle Night Train (England), Nuremberg Nightmares (Germany), Ostrava Torpedoes (Czech Republic), Porto Men-O-War (Portugal), Ruhr Railhawks (Germany), and Venice Visigoths (Italy).



Additionally, it was decided to expand the EBF Elite Tier from 48 total teams to 52, adding two to each conference. These four teams were the semifinalists from the 2028 E2L season with no relegations for the bottom EBF teams from 2028. The E2L maintained its two conference structure, but continued with 14 teams per conference instead of 16.

This also led to a change in the EBF Elite structure, going from three divisions of eight teams to two large divisions each with 13 teams. The playoff structure continued to have six teams per conference, but now the two division champs earned guaranteed byes to the best-of-five second round while the four wild cards met in the best-of-three first round. Here are the new alignments for the 2029 season.



The promotion/relegation criteria was also simplified from the previous variable setup. From now on, there would always be four moving up and four moving down between EBF/E2L. The last place finisher in each EBF Elite division would be demoted, while the four E2L semifinalists would move up. E2L’s playoff format remained the same with the top four in the standings advancing to a double round robin, followed by a best-of-seven conference championship for the top two.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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Copenhagen claimed the top record in the European Second League’s Western Conference at 100-62, which was the first playoff berth for the once proud Corsairs since joining E2L in 2021. Paris (97-65) was second for back-to-back round robin trips.

Toulouse (92-70) and Oslo (91-71) earned the other playoff spots. It was the first for the Toads since falling back to E2L for 2025. For the Octopi, this was only their second E2L season. The first teams out were Liverpool (88-74), Cardiff (84-78), and Reykjavik (83-79). Belfast notably dropped to 75-87 after winning 96 games in 2028.

In the Double Round Robin, Paris was the top team at 4-2, sending the French capital back to the European Baseball Federation Elite Tier after a five-year E2L stint. Copenhagen and Oslo tied at 3-3 and Toulouse was 2-4. The Corsairs had the tiebreaker over the Octopi to escape E2L after nine years. In the Western Conference Championship, Copenhagen defeated Paris 4-2.



Three teams were within one game of first in the Eastern Conference. Cluj-Napoca and Thessaloniki tied for the top spot at 99-63 with Kyiv third at 98-64. The Tritons officially took first place, their first playoff berth since returning to E2L in 2026. It was back-to-back playoff appearances for the Paladins.

The Kings had been on a rollercoaster ride with a promotion in 2025, EBF playoff spot in 2026, then relegation for 2027. The fourth and final playoff spot was Belgrade at 93-69, who fended off Sarajevo (91-71) and Malta (87-75). The Bruisers were in their second E2L season.

Cluj-Napoca was the best in the round robin at 4-2, while Belgrade and Kyiv tied at 3-3 and Thessaloniki was 2-4. The Paladins guaranteed promotion for the third time, ending a six-year E2L stint. The tiebreaker sent the Kings forward and thwarted the Bruisers, continuing Kyiv’s bouncing back and forth. Cluj-Napoca prevailed 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Championship. In the Second League Championship, Copenhagen claimed a seven-game classic against the Paladins.





Other notes: Stuttgart’s Alexander Hamann became the first five-time Pitcher of the Year winner in E2L. Cluj-Napoca’s Bogdan Zientara tied the E2L pitching wins record with 22.



2029 was the pilot season for European Tier Three, although promotion/relegation wouldn’t start until 2030 for the new teams. Ostrava led the standings in the debut season at 101-61, advancing to the championship along with 93-69 Cyprus. Gdansk and Montenegro were next at 91-71. The Torpedoes beat the Crush 4-1 to claim the inaugural Third League Championship.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Like in Europe, baseball’s popularity had continued to grow rapidly throughout Africa. The African Association of Baseball had introduced 16 new teams in 2018 for the African Second League. More markets had emerged as franchise ready and AAB officials weighed the best way to grow the game.

Since the 1995 inception, AAB had used two conferences with 10 teams each. Officials decided to grow that starting in 2029 to 12 teams per conference for 24 teams total. The top two teams from the prior year’s A2L season moved up (Windhoek, Maseru, Bukavu, Pointe-Noire) while no teams from AAB were relegated. AAB’s playoff setup remained the same with the top two in the standings meeting in a best-of-seven conference championship, followed by the best-of-nine Africa Series.

As for A2L, there would be eight total expansion teams split between the two conferences. Two teams filled the void of the promoted squads, while another two grew A2L to a similar 12x2 setup to AAB. A2L’s playoff format remained the same as well and maintained the structure of having the conference championships promoted and the last place finishers in both conferences relegated.



The Southern Conference added first new countries with the eponymous Eswatini Engineers (formerly known as Swaziland) and with the island Reunion Revolution. They also added the South Africa based Bloemfontein Beagles and Pretoria Purple Rage.

The Central Conference arguably added a new country with the Hargeisa Green Eagles. That is the capital of unrecognized Somaliland, a breakaway state from Somalia. The other new teams were the Kisumu Swamp Dragons (Kenya), Kisangani Starlings (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Zanzibar Beacons (Tanzania).

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The African Second League’s Southern Conference was very top heavy, in part due to the struggles of the expansion franchises. Mauritius (105-57) outraced Lubango (103-59) for the top spot, while Luanda (98-64), Bulawayo (94-68), and Lilongwe (94-68) came up short. It was the first playoff trip since 2020 for the Monsoon and the first ever for the Browns.

The 105 wins by Mauritius set an A2L record. They also set a new league record with a team .419 on-base percentage. Lubango set multiple records in the ultra-high scoring league with 1311 runs, .340 average, and .590 slugging. Lilongwe meanwhile smacked a record 314 home runs. Toavina Razafintsalama led the way for the Lightning set A2L single-season records for home runs (88), slugging (.926), and OPS (1.391). Because A2L is considered below a “major” league, these marks don’t factor into world leaderboards.

The Southern Conference Championship was expected to be an intense battle, but it ended up a sweep for Mauritius. The Monsoon earned their first-ever promotion, although they had won the conference title twice (2019, 2020) prior to promotion/relegation beginning.



Bahir Dar claimed the Central Conference at 102-60 for their first-ever playoff berth. Mombasa at 99-63 barely took second ahead of Bangui (98-64) with Mbuji-Mayi (93-69) also in the mix. The Bisons upset the Baboons 4-1 in the Central Conference Championship, earning their second promotion. Mombasa had been in the African Association of Baseball’s first league from 2024-26.



In the Second League Championship, Mauritius defeated Mombasa 5-3 to earn their second A2L title.



Other notes: CF Kasao Nhantumbo won his 8^th Gold Glove and 3B Jimmy Lubowa won his 7^th.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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Jerusalem again took the Western Conference’s top seed, leading all of Arab League Baseball in fewest runs allowed (578) and leading the WC in runs scored (908). The Jets were down from their franchise-best 113 wins from 2028, but 103-59 got them a fourth straight Levant Division title. Jerusalem’s playoff streak grew to six years. Their team batting average of .296 and .528 steam slugging were both the third best mark in conference history.

Alexandria took the #2 seed at 98-64 atop the Nile Division for their third division title in four years. Reigning ALB champ Algiers won the Mediterranean Division at 94-68. The Arsenal’s playoff streak grew to seven seasons, the longest active run in ALB. Algiers also got their seventh division title of the decade. Tripoli’s three-year playoff streak ended as they finished 85-77, nine back on the Arsenal in the division.

Getting the wild cards were Damascus (92-70) and Cairo (90-72) with the Privateers as the first team out. The Dusters earned repeat wild cards and the Pharaohs got their third straight trip and 12^th since 2017. Cairo’s pitching set new league records for fewest walks allowed (240) and best BB/9 (1.49). The Privateers were the first team out at 85-77, followed by Aleppo at 84-78. This was the first winning season for the 2024 expansion Alliance. Also of note was Amman at 80-82, their first losing campaign since 2021.

Jerusalem’s Misbah Salah earned Western Conference MVP in his seventh season with the Jets. The 26-year old Saudi right fielder led in batting average (.376), OBP (.414), OPS (1.112), wRC+ (184), and WAR (9.5). Salah saw 113 runs, 203 hits, 44 doubles, 17 triples, 32 home runs, 103 RBI, and 83 stolen bases. The Jets signed Salah in the spring to a four-year, $141,500,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year also went to Jerusalem with Hilal Mohsen repeating. The 28-year old Syrian lefty had a 19-11 record, 2.94 ERA, 241.2 innings, 204 strikeouts, 5 shutouts, 151 ERA+, and 7.1 WAR. The sky seemed to be the limit for Mohsen, who signed a four-year, $48,400,000 extension in the offseason. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn UCL in September 2030 and would only toss 71 relief innings for the remainder of his career.

The wild card round had Damascus sweep Cairo, followed by a stunning 2-0 sweep by the Dusters over top seed Jerusalem. It was back-to-back years that the Jets went one-and-done. On the other side, the reigning ALB champ Algiers got ousted 2-0 by Alexandria.

For the Astronauts, it was their first Western Conference Final trip since their 2013 pennant. Damascus’s drought went back to their 2016 ALB title. The Dusters kept rolling and swept Alexandria to become three-time WC champs (2014, 2016, 2029). Damascus was the second wild card to earn a trip to the finals since the playoff and league expansion in 2024.



The Gulf Division had two all-time great teams facing off for the division title and the Eastern Conference’s top seed. Defending EC champ Muscat narrowly took it at 114-48, relegating Dubai to a mere wild card even at 111-51. The Threshers won their third straight division title and fourth in five years. The Diamonds were a shocker considering they hadn’t been to the playoffs or posted a winning season since 2020.

Dubai led the conference in both runs scored (954) and fewest allowed (612). That run tally was the third most in ALB history behind Muscat’s 1000 from the prior year and Tripoli’s 1001 from 2027. The Diamonds smacked 308 home runs, four off the team record co-held by 2028 Amman and 2023 Algiers. Dubai did set a new record for team slugging percentage at .544, besting the Threshers’ .542 from 2028. Muscat in their own right had a .303 batting average, the third-best in ALB history. Their bullpen also had 63 saves, two short of the conference record.

It was a steep 20 game drop from wild card Dubai to find the #2 seed Mosul at 91-71. The Muskies edged 89-73 Sulaymaniyah to repeat as Mesopotamia Division champs. The Sultans got the second wild card and grew their playoff streak to three. Their nearest wild card foe was 83-79 Doha, who notably had their first winning campaign in a decade. The Arabia Division went to Medina at 88-74, their third title in four years. Mecca was a distant second at 78-84. Riyadh had won a terrible division the prior year at 79-83.

Muscat RF Ahmed Yasser Basha won his second Eastern Conference MVP and made history along the way. He had a .418 batting average, topping the league record of .414 set two years prior by Gilon Bassman. Basha’s mark was the third-best qualifying average in all of pro baseball history. The only ones better came in Beisbol Sudamerica with Francisco Magellan at .4202 in 2010 and Marc Melgar with .4196 also in 2029.

The 28-year old Egyptian led in the triple slash (.418/.448/.760), OPS (1.208), wRC+ (204), WAR (11.5), and hits (253). Basha added 119 runs, 50 doubles, 47 home runs, 138 RBI, and 108 steals. His OPS ranked as 12^th best in ALB history. He also picked up his seventh Gold Glove in right field. Muscat eventually gave Basha a six-year, $210,900,000 extension after the 2031 season.

Dubai’s Hamad Saleh won Pitcher of the Year in an impressive rebound from a torn rotator cuff. The 25-year old Emirati lefty was second in 2027’s Rookie of the Year voting, but missed all of 2028 to injury. Saleh led in wins (25-5), ERA (2.54), innings (262.2), complete games (14), and shutouts (6). He also had 7.3 WAR, 177 ERA+, and 259 strikeouts; falling 11 short of a Triple Crown. The Diamonds signed Saleh to a six-year, $99,600,000 deal the following spring, but additional injuries would limit his innings significantly.

111-win Dubai unsurprisingly swept Sulaymaniyah in the wild card. With the format always placing the wild card round winner against the top seed, you had the 111-win Diamonds and 114-win Muscat in round two. The Threshers took the series 2-0 to keep their repeat bid intact. On the other side, Mosul edged Medina 2-1 to earn their first Eastern Conference Final trip since 2017. The Muskies gave a spirited effort, but Muscat took the ECF 3-1 to earn repeat pennants.



Muscat was a heavy favorite in the 40^th Arab League Championship having won 22 more games than wild card Damascus. The Threshers had a shot to not only win their first championship, but to cement themselves in the conversation for ALB’s best-ever team. The Dusters’ improbable run continued though, pulling off the stunning upset 4-2.

Damascus earned their second ALB ring (2016) and became the first wild card to win the title since the playoffs expanded in 2024. Journeyman RF Mazen “Frankenstein” Mostafa was finals MVP in his 16^th professional season and second with the Dusters. The 37-year old Jordanian in 12 playoff starts had 15 hits, 10 runs, 6 home runs, 12 RBI, 1.211 OPS, and 0.8 WAR.



Other notes: Longtime Basra ace Ahmed Hussain became ALB’s new career leader in both pitching wins and WAR. The 37-year old Qatari went 20-5 with a 2.61 ERA, 253 strikeouts, and 8.7 WAR in 2037. Hussain ended the year with 293 wins, passing Rashid Tariq’s top mark of 285. He also got to 127.1 WAR, topping Tariq’s 125.5. Hussain was already the ALB strikeouts leader at 4916 and is in striking distance of both 5000 Ks and 300 wins for 2030.

Tripoli’s Ibrahima Ba became the 16^th ALB slugger with a four home run game. Dubai’s Khalid Sebil posted a 33-game hitting streak, four short of the record 37 set last year by Abdul Jalil Dahir. Osama Ahmed became the 8^th member of ALB’s 700 home run club. Wissam Magdy became the 15^th to 600 dingers and Mohamed Ali Mansour was the 35^th to reach 500 homers. Omar Azim became the 12^th to score 1500 runs.

Diyar Abbas became the 11^th pitcher to reach 3500 career strikeouts. Muhammad Nour was the 28^th to 3000 Ks. RF Nathan Nasreddine won his 7^th Gold Glove. 3B Malik Zouaoui won his 10^th Silver Slugger. He became the seventh at any position in ALB to win 10+ Sluggers.

The Arab League had a huge spike in offense for the 2020s with a league earned run average for the decade at 4.46. The prior two decades had seen ERAs in the 3.90 range. ALB was in very high scoring territory with only West African Baseball’s 2020s being higher historically.

ALB’s league batting average also was around .272 for the decade, well up from the .252 of the 2010s. Only WAB and the Bolivar League specifically were higher. It continued the general trend of most world leagues shooting for increased scoring in the 2020s.

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The East League’s South Division was extremely top heavy as it boasted the top two records in the entire Asian Baseball Federation. Three-time defending EL champ Hyderabad took top billing at 110-52 with Lahore close behind at 106-56. The Horned Frogs playoff streak grew to six seasons with their fourth division title of the run. The Longhorns were a wild card for the third time in four years. Hyderabad allowed the fewest runs in ABF at 464.

Peshawar won the North Division at 99-63 thanks to a record breaking offense. The Predators set new East League single-season records for runs scored (841), batting average (.277), on-base percentage (.337), hits (1559), and triples (82). Peshawar also had the second-most doubles at 373, behind their own 376 from the prior year. The Predators repeated as division champs and earned their third straight playoff spot.

Eight games back in the division were both Almaty and Bishkek, who tied for the second wild card. ABF doesn’t use tiebreaker games and the formula extended the Assassins playoff streak to ten years. This matched the ABF record set by Dushanbe from 2013-22. Also in the mix but just short in the wild card race were Gujranwala (89-73) and Karachi (86-76). The EL’s 2029 playoff teams and seeding were identical to 2028.

Despite being the #4 seed, Almaty had the East League’s Most Valuable Player and Pitcher of the Year winners. LF Youssouf Raza won his third straight MVP and led in slugging (.684), OPS (1.072), and wRC+ (222). The 28-year old Pakistani had 176 hits, 100 runs, 52 home runs, 118 RBI, .325 average, and 8.7 WAR. He also earned his seventh consecutive Silver Slugger.

Pitcher of the Year was Furkan Alturfan, who led in wins (20-5) and quality starts (25). The 30-year old Turkish lefty had a 2.17 ERA, 227.2 innings, 285 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, and 6.3 WAR. Alturfan signed a four-year, $40,060,000 extension the prior fall after being mostly decent prior to his 2029 breakout. Surprisingly, Almaty didn’t protect him for the upcoming expansion draft and Alturfan would be the first pick to the new Ahvaz Athletics. Also worth mentioning, Lahore’s Kharouf Qadir won his third straight Reliever of the Year. The 32-year old righty led in saves (43) and games (43) and had a 1.21 ERA.

Division winners prevailed in the first round with Hyderabad over Almaty 3-1 and Peshawar over Lahore 3-1. For the third straight season, the Horned Frogs were to host the Predators in the East League Championship Series. Unlike the last two years, Peshawar prevailed with a 4-3 upset over Hyderabad. The Predators won their fourth pennant and first since 1992.



Four teams fought over the West League’s top seed and the West Division title. Baku emerged on top at 100-62 for their sixth playoff berth of the decade. Right behind were Istanbul (98-64), Ankara (97-65), and Adana (96-66). The Ironmen and Alouettes got the wild cards, while the Axemen unfortunately missed the cut. Ankara got repeat playoff berths while Istanbul ended a nine-year playoff drought. Last year’s division champ and WLCS runner-up Gaziantep fell to 81-81.

Over in a weaker Central Division, Mashhad (92-70) topped reigning ABF champ Tehran (87-75). The Mercury extended their playoff streak to nine years and their division title run to five. The Tarpons missed the cut after earning back-to-back pennants. The Axemen led the EL with 874 runs scored and the Alouettes allowed the fewest at 562.

In his third year with Baku, 1B Hakan Mocuk became only the third in ABF history to become a four-time MVP. The 35-year old Turkish righty won three straight back in 2019-21 with Izmir. Although this effort returned him to the top honor, Mocuk had still been playing at a high level in between MVPs. He won his 10^th Silver Slugger in 2029, although it was only his second at first base after being a third baseman prior.

Mocuk led in home runs (62), RBI (147), total bases (422), slugging (.706), and WAR (9.85). He also had 116 runs, 191 hits, 39 doubles, .319 average, 1.072 OPS, and 182 wRC+. Mocuk became ABF’s all-time RBI leader by finishing 2029 with 1703, passing Petri Viskari’s 1685 for the top mark. Mocuk also became the sixth member of the 600 home run club, finishing the season at 608. With two more great seasons or three good ones, Mocuk would be primed to pass Habib Saquib’s 686 for the home run king crown.

Baku also had the Pitcher of the Year Agshin Jumayev, who became a three-time winner (2025, 2027, 2029). The 28-year old Tajik lefty posted only the fifth-ever Triple Crown pitching season in ABF and became the third to achieve the feat. Jumayev posted a 2.37 ERA, 21-5 record, and 374 strikeouts over 250.1 innings. He was also the league leader in WHIP (0.93) and shutouts (4) while posting 8.7 WAR. Jumayev also tossed his first no-hitter on April 3 with 12 Ks and one walk against Isfahan.

Division champs advanced in the first round of the playoffs with Baku surviving 3-2 against Ankara and Mashhad over Istanbul 3-1. From 2021-26, either the Mercury or the Blackbirds were in the West League Championship Series. However, this was their first time in the decade facing off for the pennant. Baku took the series 4-2 over Mashhad to win their sixth WL crown and first since 2024.



The 45^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship had Baku defeat Peshawar 4-1, giving the Blackbirds their third ABF title (2012, 2024, 2029). Veteran 2B Musa Qarayev won finals MVP in his 11^th season with Baku, bouncing back after missing almost all of the 2029 season from a ruptured MCL from the prior August. In 16 playoff starts, the 32-year old Azeri had 28 hits, 10 runs, 9 doubles, 9 RBI, .961 OPS, and 0.9 WAR. The 28 hits were the third-most in ABF postseason history.



Other notes: Hyderabad’s Talib Abul Qadir tossed ABF’s 23^rd perfect game on July 27, striking out 14 against Faisalabad. He would then throw another no-hitter on September 1 with 11 Ks and one walk against Faisalabad. Qadir was the fourth ABF pitcher to have multiple no-hitters in the same season, but was the only one with a perfecto among them. Shiraz set an all-time bad pitching mark for ABF by allowing 1634 hits with a 10.20 H/9. Gaziantep also notably allowed 1625 hits, which would’ve been a new worst if not for the Suns.

2029 was the final season for ABF hit king Mehmet Fatih Canaydin, who played until age 44 and had a 25-year career with eight teams. As of 2037, Canaydin remains ABF’s all-time leader in games (3445), at-bats (12,460), runs (1880), hits (3696), singles (2474), and stolen bases (1610). At retirement, he also had the most total bases (5805) and was second in doubles (691) and third in WAR among position players (117.3). Canaydin also cracks the world leaderboards as of 2037, ranking 10^th in games, 13^th in at-bats, 26^th in hits, 22^nd in doubles, and 11^th in steals.

In other milestones, Sijad Khaleel became the first ABF pitcher to reach 250 wins. 2029 was his final season, retiring with a 256-168 record across 19 seasons with Bishkek. He also became the second to 5000 strikeouts, but his 5023 Ks fell just short of Hasan Afshin’s 5151 for the top spot. Khaleel also retired second in pitching WAR at 108.34, behind Yazeed Anwari’s 111.39. As of 2037, Khaleel remains ABF’s all-time leader in games started (514) and innings pitched (4036).

Elnur Hasanov notably was the 13^th pitcher to 4000 strikeouts and Hafez Farzani was the 21^st pitcher to 3500 Ks. In hitting milestones, Bardia Petrosian was the 18^th to reach 500 home runs. Hasan Yun was the 13^th and Hana Zuhari was the 14^th to 2500 hits. C Ali Mahdian won his 10^th Gold Glove and CF Anatoly Memmedov won his 8^th. Mahdian was the 4^th in ABF history at any position with 10 Gold Gloves. 1B Safdar Kahlwan won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

Like many other leagues, the Asian Baseball Federation also had an increase in scoring in the 2020s compared to the prior years. There was a significant statistical difference though between the West League (using the DH) and the East League (sans DH).

The WL had a 4.04 ERA and .260 batting average for the decade, well up from the .235 average and 3.32 ERA of the 2010s. That put the West League in above average scoring territory relative to world history and other leagues. The WL set new single year highs with a .263 average and 4.11 ERA in 2024.

The EL jumped but far less significantly with a 3.49 ERA and .239 average compared to the .227 average and 3.17 ERA of the 2010s. The East League went from low to below average scoring relative to the historical scale. ABF on the whole was mid-grade in its scoring environment compared to the other world leagues in the 2020s.

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South Asia Baseball wasn’t immune from the global trend of leagues wanting to increase scoring. SAB’s move was somewhat surprising considering it was already viewed as an above average scoring league. Rule changes took effect in 2029 which vaulted SAB towards the upper-end of the world leagues offensively.

The Southeast Asia League, which uses the designated hitter, jumped year-over-year from a 3.97 league ERA to 4.55 and from a .255 batting average to .274. The Indian League (sans DH) went from a 3.63 ERA to 4.25 and a .250 average to .270. 2029 would be the peak for SAB as although stats stayed elevated relative to previous years, they would start to tick down slightly in the 2030s.



Delhi won 89+ games each year from 2024-28, but each time narrowly missed the playoffs. The Drillers finally snapped that playoff drought and took the Indian League’s top seed at 102-60, beating Jaipur by five games for the Central Division. Delhi capitalized on the rule changes and set numerous offensive records for the IL. The Drillers’ team triple slash of .293/.347/.480, 915 runs, 1689 hits, 402 doubles, and 83 triples all were new league bests.

Still, they only were the top seed by one game as South Division champ Nagpur was close behind at 101-61. It was an impressive bounce back for the Patriots, who had won fewer than 70 games in the last three years. Nagpur ended a seven-year playoff drought, winning the division by five games over Visakhapatnam. Defending IL champ Ahmedabad picked up a fourth straight West Division title at 97-65. Vadodara was second at 90-72, becoming the first of the 2025 expansion teams to post a winning record.

In the wild card race, Jaipur (97-65) edged out Visakhapatnam (96-66) to grow the Jokers’ playoff streak to three. It ended the Volts’ run at six years, having won 100+ games in the prior four seasons. Kanpur at 90-72 was also in the chase for their first winning season since 2020. Pune notably dropped to 79-83 to end their four-year playoff streak. The Purple Knights hadn’t been below .500 since 2018. Surat’s collapse was notable, going from 85-77 in 2028 to an abysmal 57-103 in 2029. The Silver Sox pitching staff set new league worsts for ERA (5.05), hits (1655), runs (857), earned runs (804), and H/9 (10.40).

Hyderabad was .500, but they had the Indian League MVP in 1B Saad Khan. It was the first season as a full-time starter for the 26-year old Bangladeshi, who led in home runs (60), RBI (171), total bases (436), slugging (.728), OPS (1.132), wRC+ (208), and WAR (9.4).

Khan had 118 runs, 208 hits, 44 doubles, and a .347 average. His 171 RBI was the sixth-best single-season in SAB history and the second-best by someone not named Majed Darwish. This effort earned Khan a big payday once he entered free agency after the 2030 season, signing for $171,800,000 over eight years with Hanoi.

Visakhapatnam allowed the league’s fewest runs at 627 thanks to another stellar season for E.J. Dhananjay. The 30-year old hometown favorite won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five years and posted the ninth-ever pitching Triple Crown season in South Asia Baseball. Dhananjay joined the legendary Zainal bin Aziz as the only aces to do it multiple times, as Dhananjay pulled it off in 2025 with Hyderabad.

The Indian righty had a 21-2 record, 1.81 ERA, and 345 strikeouts over 244 innings. Dhananjay also led in WHIP (0.76), FIP- (55), and WAR (9.4) with a 232 ERA+. He had an impressive four year run with his hometown Volts, but opted out of the remaining three years in his deal. Dhananjay would join Yangon for 2030 at $104 million over five years.

Delhi downed Jaipur 3-1 and Nagpur swept Ahmedabad in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first Indian League Championship Series trip for both teams since their 2021 encounter, a 4-1 Drillers victory. 2029 had a similar story as Delhi swept the Patriots for only their second pennant.



The reigning SAB champ and three-time defending Southeast Asia League champ Mandalay looked to continue their dynasty. They couldn’t maintain the 124-win effort of 2028, but were still excellent in 2029 at 115-47. Dhaka made Mandalay earn the North Division title with the Dobermans finishing 105-57. It was their fourth straight wild card and grew their playoff streak to nine seasons. The Mammoths allowed the fewest runs in SAB at 607.

Ho Chi Minh City returned to the South Division throne for the first time since 2009 and their epic dynasty run. The Hedgehogs finished 100-62 and led in scoring at 928 runs. It ended a four-year playoff drought, but was only their second playoff trip since the 1987-2009 streak. It was a hefty 16 game drop down to second place Colombo at 84-78. That was just enough for the Catfish to claim the second wild card over Yangon (82-80), and Kathmandu (82-80).

This was only the third-ever playoff berth for Colombo with their previous trips in 2018-19. For the Green Dragons, this ended a four-year playoff streak and was only their second miss since 1995. The Chaparrals notably had their first winning campaign since 2015.

Mandalay had several options for Southeast Asia League MVP, including defending MVP and 2029 home run leader Dong Vinh Lam. For the second straight year, Lam hit 71 homers, which was only the eighth 70+ homer season in SAB history. However, RF Alexander Thongsuk snagged MVP in his eighth season with the Mammoths. The 30-year old Thai lefty led in slugging (.694) while posting 114 runs, 191 hits, 30 doubles, 52 homers, 109 RBI, .346 average, 174 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR.

The Mammoths also had emerging ace Zahir Saleem win Pitcher of the Year in his first full season. The 24-year old Indian lefty had tossed 91.1 total innings in the prior two seasons. Saleem in 2029 led in ERA (2.28) and wins (21-2), adding 232 strikeouts, 197 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR over 205.2 innings. Mandalay signed Saleem to a five-year, $65,400,000 extension in April 2031.

Division champs prevailed in the first round with Mandalay sweeping Colombo and Ho Chi Minh City downing Dhaka 3-1. The Hedgehogs were back in the Southeast Asia League Championship for the first time since their 2024 pennant. They proved to be no match though for the Mammoths dynasty with a Mandalay sweep for the four-peat and their fifth pennant. The Mammoths joined HCMC’s 1997-2000 run as the only four-peats in SEAL history.



For the first time in history, both LCS matchups and the SAB Championship ended in sweeps. Many expected Mandalay to emerge from the 50^th SAB Championship with their third title in four years, however Delhi dominated to claim their second ring (2021). SS Tilan Kirtita was finals MVP with the 26-year old Indian getting 15 hits, 10 runs, 5 doubles, 1 homer, and 10 RBI in 12 starts.



Other notes: Da Nang set all-time pitching worsts for SAB with 1750 hits allowed and an 11.01 H/9. The Nailers also had the second-worst ever marks for ERA (5.43), earned runs (864), and WHIP (1.527). Chennai’s pitching staff allowed 632 walks with a 3.92 BB/9, both all-time worsts for the Indian League.

Yasir Malkawi became the 9^th member of the 700 home run club. Funavati Candrajita became the 30^th to 2500 hits. Franklin Tung became the 3^rd pitcher to 4500 strikeouts. He finished his final season at 4512, behind Jay Singh’s 5000 and Tamin Hasan’s 4558. Hong Thanh Chung became the 8^th to 4000 Ks and the 12^th to 200 wins. RF Murugan Abdul won his 9^th Gold Glove.

South Asia Baseball did see an increase in scoring for the 2020s overall even before the 2029 rule changes. It was more pronounced in the Southeast Asia League, going from a 3.88 ERA in the 2010s to 4.13 in the 2020s. The Indian League had a modest jump from 3.61 to 3.71. The batting average is SEAL went from .255 to .262 and from .248 to .251 in the IL. This was SAB’s highest scoring decade to date, but placed it closer to the above average mark relative to other world leagues and history.