Quang Thinh Phan – Starting Pitcher – Pune Purple Knights – 82.9% First Ballot
Quang Thinh Phan was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Phan had impressive stuff with respectable control, but his movement was iffy and he had trouble with allowing home runs. His velocity peaked in the 96-98 mph range with four equally potent pitches; a fastball, slider, curveball, and screwball.
Phan’s stamina was good compared to other SAB starters and his durability held up generally in a 17-year run, only finally getting big injuries at the end of his career. He graded as mostly average in terms of defense and holding runners. Phan was a team captain with high marks for leadership, work ethic, and intelligence. He left his native Vietnam as a teenager in January 2008, signing a developmental deal in Myanmar with Mandalay.
Although he never pitched for one of the Vietnamese pro teams, Phan did represent his country from 2019-30 in the World Baseball Championship. His results on the world stage were underwhelming with a 3.69 ERA, 0.6 WAR, 141.1 innings, 6-6 record, 197 strikeouts, and 46 walks. Vietnam notably in 2027 did make its deepest run yet with a third place finish.
Phan spent the better part of seven seasons in Mandalay’s academy, debuting with 46.2 innings between 2013-14. He struggled in those brief appearances, but earned a full-time rotation spot from 2015 onward. In his first three full seasons, Phan was a below average starter. He began to develop his knack for strikeouts after that, making up for his issues allowing home runs.
Mandalay had a three-year playoff streak from 2017-19. They had a first round exit in 2017, then won a quiet division at 88-74 in 2018. The Mammoths got hot and won their first ever Southeast Asia League pennant, beating Vientiane in the final. The Mammoths were denied the SAB title by Kanpur. Phan had a rock solid playoff run with a 2.94 ERA over 33.2 innings with 40 Ks.
In 2019, Phan won Pitcher of the Year with SEAL bests for strikeouts (308), WHIP (0.95), and quality starts (23). The 2.57 ERA would be the second-best of his career. He won his three playoff starts with a 1.46 ERA, but Mandalay fell in the SEAL championship rematch with the Vampires. Cautiously optimistic that they had found their ace, the Mammoths gave Phan a three-year, $15,400,000 extension that winter.
The Mammoths hovered around the .500 mark for the next three seasons. Phan led with a career best 373 strikeouts in 2020, but had a putrid start to 2021 with a 5.47 ERA in 102 innings. Mandalay traded Phan in June to Kolkata for two prospects. With the Mammoths, Phan had a 78-70 record, 3.99 ERA, 1457.2 innings, 1815 strikeouts, 284 walks, 96 ERA+, 98 FIP-, and 20.2 WAR. It was narrowly his longest tenure, but Phan’s more memorable later run with Pune put him into the HOF in purple instead of brown.
Phan bounced back in the second half for the Cosmos with a 2.81 ERA. Kolkata ended a five-year playoff drought and had the Indian League’s top seed at 102-60, but got upset in the first round. The Cosmos had a wild card and first round defeat in 2022. Phan had a 2.70 ERA over 226.2 innings with 315 Ks and 4.0 WAR in 2022, giving him a nice boost as he entered free agency for 2023 at age 31.
His most famous run was next, signed at $54,100,000 over six years by Pune. Phan won his second Pitcher of the Year in 2026 with a league and career-best 8.5 WAR. This also had his best ERA at 2.52 and a league-best 366 strikeouts. Phan was also the Ks leader in both 2023 and 2024 for the Purple Knights. Pune made the playoffs in five of Phan’s six seasons there.
The breakthrough came as a 97-65 wild card in 2027, upsetting 119-win Visakhapatnam and 100-win Ahmedabad to claim the Indian League crown. Pune then knocked off defending champ Mandalay to claim the SAB Championship. Phan had a 2.95 ERA over 21.1 playoff innings with 30 Ks. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had a 3.18 ERA over 34 innings with 38 Ks with Pune finishing 8-11.
That was the only playoff triumph of that run for the Purple Knights. Their only other ILCS trip was a 2025 defeat to the Volts. Phan was good in the title run, but otherwise had some playoff woes with a 4.98 ERA over 47 innings, 61 Ks, 75 ERA+, and 0.1 WAR. In total for Pune, Phan had an 88-54 record, 3.16 ERA, 1361 innings, 1859 strikeouts, 266 walks, 115 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 25.6 WAR. In 2028, he became only the 7th SAB ace with 4000 career strikeouts.
Some thought Phan could challenge Jay Singh’s career record of 5000 strikeouts. The 37-year old for 2029 began a second stint with Kolkata on a three-year, $25,900,000 deal. He was alright in 2029, but had his strikeout numbers well down and was below 200 Ks for the first full-season in his career. Phan missed most of 2030 with shoulder inflammation.
Phan was back healthy for 2031 in a part-time role with a 3.88 ERA over 130 innings with 104 Ks. Between Kolkata stints, Phan had a 40-37 record, 3.31 ERA, 668.1 innings, 790 strikeouts, 154 walks, 118 ERA+, 95 FIP-, and 9.5 WAR. In his final season, he became the 15th SAB pitcher with 200 wins. Phan opted to retire after the 2031 campaign at age 40.
In total, Phan had a 206-161 record, 3.54 ERA, 3487 innings, 4464 strikeouts, 704 walks, 473 homers allowed, 253/446 quality starts, 90 complete games, 24 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 93 FIP-, and 55.3 WAR. Phan is 14th in wins, 6th in innings, 5th in strikeouts, 15th in complete games, 11th in shutouts, and 43rd in WAR among pitchers. He has the 2nd-most homers allowed, which tanked his rate stats. Phan was 63rd in K/9 (11.52) among those with 1000+ innings.
Sabermetrics suggested Phan was more of an above average guy who hung around for a long while. But big strikeout numbers are sexy and he ticked the boxes for voters who like longevity. Phan also had impressive accolades you couldn’t ignore; five times the strikeouts leader, two POTYs, and pennants with both Mandalay and Pune. Phan received 82.9% for a first ballot induction as part of the five-man 2037 Hall of Fame class for South Asia Baseball.
Gurdip Nabendu – Starting Pitcher – Yangon Green Dragons – 79.4% First Ballot
Gurdip Nabendu was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Srinagar, India; a city with about 1,180,000 inhabitants in the disputed Kashmir region. Nabendu was well rounded with above average-to-good ratings for stuff, movement, and control. His fastball graded strongly despite only peaking at 93-95 mph and was aided by a strong sinker and knuckle curve. Nabendu also had a poor changeup as a fourth option.
Nabendu had strong stamina and had an 18-year career, but he did miss some starts sporadically to injury. He had a strong pickoff move with decent defensive metrics. The biggest knock on Nabendu was a poor work ethic, along with low grades for adaptability and intelligence. Despite that, he had a remarkably steady career.
In June 2009, Nabendu signed a developmental deal with Nagpur. The Patriots were still a relatively new team, joining with the 2004 expansion. He spent around five years in their academy before debuting as a reliever in 2014 at age 22. Nabendu was a part-time starter in 2015 with mixed results, but earned the full-time gig after that. His initial seasons were burdened by injury, including shoulder inflammation in 2017 and a torn meniscus in 2018.
Nabendu was healthy for 2019 and 2020, taking third both years in Pitcher of the Year voting. In 2020, he led the Indian League in strikeouts (307) and innings (244.2); his only time leading in either stat. The Ks would be a career best and his 2.65 ERA was his best in the IL. Nagpur earned their first playoff berth as a wild card in 2018 and first division title in 2019, although both postseasons saw first round exits.
The Patriots won the division at 94-68 and upset defending champ Pune in the ILCS. Nagpur then knocked off Yangon, becoming the first expansion team to win the SAB Championship. Nabendu had an excellent playoff run with a 1.96 ERA over 36.2 innings with 47 strikeouts. He had less luck in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.40 ERA over 30.2 innings, but Nagpur had a respectable showing at 10-9.
This was a contact year for Nabendu, who was happy to cash in on free agency heading towards his age 29 season. With Nagpur, he had a 70-53 record, 2.97 ERA, 1096.2 innings, 1245 strikeouts, 223 walks, 25 complete games, 8 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 22.7 WAR. While he’s not considered a franchise legend, most Patriots fans are still grateful for Nabendu’s role in their first title.
Nabendu switched sides from the finals meeting and signed a seven-year, $68,600,000 deal with Yangon, which would be his most remembered tenure. He led in wins in 2022 at 22-9 and had his career best WAR of 6.2; taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Back spasms would be a recurring issue in his later years with the Green Dragons, but he still was a reliably solid starter when healthy. When Nabendu arrived, Yangon was near the end of their world record 29-year playoff streak.
The Green Dragons won the 2022 SAB Championship over Mumbai, which saw Nabendu with a 2.23 ERA and 3-1 record in four starts with 32.1 innings. He missed the Baseball Grand Championship with back spasms with Yangon going 11-8 without him. That was their only title of his tenure with first round exits in 2021, 23, 25, and 27. The Green Dragons had a rare playoff miss in 2024, their first losing season since 1994. They did get back to the Southeast Asia League Championship in 2026, but fell to Mandalay.
For his playoff career with Yangon, Nabendu had a 7-4 record in 12 starts, 3.61 ERA, 89.2 innings, 77 strikeouts, 112 ERA+, 103 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. Overall in seven seasons, Nabendu had a 101-58 record, 3.31 ERA, 1464.2 innings, 1558 strikeouts, 215 walks, 53 complete games, 13 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 32.7 WAR.
During his time in Myanmar, Nabendu did start pitching for his native India in the World Baseball Championship. From 2020-29, he had a 2.32 ERA over 73.2 innings, 7-3 record, 96 strikeouts, 21 walks, and 2.0 WAR. The Indians’ deepest runs would be fourth place finishes in both 2025 and 2028 with Nabendu.
He was a free agent for 2028 heading towards age 36 and moved to Bangladesh on a three-year, $21,900,000 deal with Dhaka. Nabendu was third in 2028’s Pitcher of the Year voting with a career-best 2.55 ERA. He missed the second half of 2029 to forearm inflammation. The Dobermans were a playoff team each of his seasons, but failed to advance.
Overall, it was a solid run with Dhaka for Nabendu with a 36-15 record, 3.24 ERA, 486.1 innings, 494 strikeouts, 68 walks, 132 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 12.6 WAR. For 2031, he signed a three-year, $22,900,000 deal with Indore. The Razorbacks were a 2025 expansion team who had just gotten their first playoff berth in 2030. They fell to 78-84 in 2031 and Nabendu was merely okay with a 3.96 ERA over 179.1 innings, 8-10 record, 160 Ks, and 2.7 WAR. He may have been able to hang around, but Nabendu opted to retire that winter at age 39.
Nabendu finished with a 215-136 record, 3.22 ERA, 3227 innings, 3457 strikeouts, 541 walks, 97 complete games, 24 shutouts, 272/432 quality starts, 123 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 70.7 WAR. Nabendu ranks 10th in wins, 12th in innings, 9th in complete games, 11th in shutouts, 25th in strikeouts, and 18th in WAR for pitchers. He’s a guy who rated stronger with some of the Sabermetric stats than his traditional metrics might suggest.
He had limited black ink and never won Pitcher of the Year, but Nabendu was quietly reliable. His role in titles for Nagpur and Yangon assuaged many of the Hall of Fame voters who might have been underwhelmed by his dominance. While Nabendu wasn’t an inner-circle level guy, he still got the first ballot nod at 79.4% as part of South Asia Baseball’s five-man class for 2037.
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