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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Hagane Miya****a – Closer – Kobe Blaze – 85.3% First Ballot

Hagane Miya****a was a 5’10’’, 170 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Yonezawa, a city of around 80,000 people in north central Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture. Miya****a was a hard thrower with an excellent one-two punch between a 98-100 mph fastball and a curveball. He had strong movement and above average control. Although a career reliever, Miya****a was known for having good stamina. He was very outspoken and polarizing amongst teammates and fans. Despite that, he amazingly didn’t bounce around as much as many other notable relievers would.

Miya****a threw hard back at Nihon Bunri High School in Niigata and drew attention from teams throughout Japan. High school players didn’t get drafted too often and even rarer would a reliever get picked so young. However, Nagoya picked him late in the second round of the 1969 EAB Draft, using the 54^th overall pick. Miya****a spent three seasons in the developmental system, then debuted in 1973 at age 22. He saw a decent amount of innings as a rookie, then was moved to middle relief in the next three seasons.

He became the full-time closer in 1977 for the Nightowls with decent results. Miya****a did see sporadic use with Japan in the World Baseball Championship as well. From 1974-87, he participated in nine WBCs with a 1.40 ERA over 51.1 innings, 84 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. In his initial run with Nagoya though, he had a 2.08 ERA, 57 saves, 298.1 innings, 370 strikeouts, and 4.7 WAR.

Before the 1978 season, the Nightowls traded Miya****a to Kobe for SP Joong-Seo Oh and SS Sung-Joon Uh. The Blaze intended on making him the full time closer and gave him a three-year extension only a few months in. Miya****a posted seven straight seasons of 30+ for Kobe, although his ERA was a roller coaster. He won Reliever of the Year in 1979 and 1981 with 1.12 and 1.03 ERAs, plus a league-best 44 saves in 1981. But Miya****a also saw a lousy 4.66 ERA in 1983 and finished above 3.00 in three other seasons with Kobe.

His up-and-down production and his outspoken personality made Miya****a a love or hate type of guy. Kobe was committed to him in the role as they became a contender with four playoff appearances from 1980-84. It was 1984 where both the Blaze and Miya****a shined, taking the Japan League pennant. Miya****a posted a 0.98 ERA and five saves over 18.1 innings with 19 strikeouts. Kobe lost in the EAB final to Yongin, but Miya****a’s role in the run would be a big reason why his #32 uniform was later retired by the Blaze.

In 1985, the now 34-year old Miya****a suffered a major setback with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. This cost him 14 months total, missing most of the 1985 season and a large chunk of 1986. He looked okay in his return, but Kobe decided not to re-sign him in the offseason. Miya****a started 1987 with Saitama, but was sent to Sapporo in a July trade. He had a 38-inning scoreless streak from July 17 to September 24. The combined effort got him a second place in Reliever of the Year voting and a two-year extension with the Swordfish.

1988 was inconsistent, but Miya****a had a strong 1989. He posted a career high 43 saves and was third in Reliever of the Year voting. With Sapporo, Miya****a also became the sixth EAB reliever to earn 400 career saves. He had a 2.70 ERA in 10 playoff innings for the Swordfish, who couldn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs. In total with Sapporo, Miya****a had a 2.19 ERA, 98 saves, 226 innings, 249 strikeouts, and 8.2 WAR.

Miya****a was a free agent again at 39 and had suitors coming off a strong season. Kobe brought him back in with decent results, but traded him to Incheon in July. Between the Kobe stings, he had a 2.67 ERA, 307 saves, 660.1 innings, 801 strikeouts, and 16.1 WAR. He struggled in the second half with the Inferno and opted to retire that winter at age 39.

Miya****a’s final stats: 489 saves and 544 shutdowns, a 2.55 ERA, 1266 innings, 1066 games, 1499 strikeouts, 306 walks, a 74 FIP-, and 30.0 WAR. As of 2037, he is still second all-time in saves behind Oki Tanaka’s 565. Miya****a wasn’t quite as dominant as some of the other Hall of Fame relievers, but he had impressive longevity. Even though some voters thought he was a loudmouth jerk, his totals were hard to deny. Miya****a picked up 85.3% to secure the fourth spot in the massive six player 1996 EAB Hall of Fame class.



Sol Kim – Shortstop – Nagoya Nightowls – 78.3% First Ballot

Sol Kim was a 6’3’’, 200 pound switch hitting shortstop from Nampo, North Korea’s second largest city with just under a million people. Kim was best known for being an ironman at shortstop, starting 140+ games for 16 consecutive games. He was also an excellent defender, accumulating the third best cumulative zone rating of any EAB shortstop as of retirement. Kim was a very good contact hitter with a decent eye, plus above average speed and baserunning chops. Kim had strong gap power and averaged around 40 doubles/triples per year, while also reliably adding around 15 home runs a season. He always came to work and put in great effort, making him a popular player in his two decade pro career.

Kim’s entire career would come in Japan with Nagoya. A Nightowls scout signed him out of North Korea in 1968 and mostly kept him their academy for the next few years. He officially debuted in 1971 at age 19, but he saw very limited action in 1971 and 1972. Kim was a full time starter in 1973 and held that role for the next 16 seasons in Nagoya. He would also return home to North Korea, playing in the World Baseball Championship regularly from 1974-89. In 103 WBC games, he had 95 hits, 55 runs, 13 doubles, 17 home runs, 44 RBI, a .251/.324/.425 slash, and 2.4 WAR.

Nagoya was generally in the mid-tier in the 1970s, never making the playoffs despite posting some solid years. Kim exceled in this era though, winning three Gold Gloves (1976, 77, 79) and two Silver Sluggers (1974, 76). 1976 saw a third place finish in MVP voting with an impressive 11.5 WAR, boosted by his stellar defense. He also led in hits that year and led in doubles back in 1974. The Nightowls were committed to Kim and in May 1977, signed him with an eight-year, $4,174,000 extension.

Nagoya finally made the playoffs going 103-59 in 1978, although they were upset by Sendai in the first round of the playoffs. The Nightowls won the division in 1979 at 87-75, but put together a Japan League pennant run. They lost to Seoul in the EAB Championship, but Kim had a stellar postseason with 36 hits, 24 runs, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, and 9 RBI in 18 starts. He set EAB single-postseason records for runs, hits, and singles (25); all three of which still stand as the top mark in 2037.

Kim regularly posted stellar WAR totals with his great defense and solid bat. He had 11 consecutive 8+ WAR seasons from 1975-85, leading the league thrice and posting 10+ thrice. 1983 saw a career best 11.9 WAR, along with league bests in batting average (.348), hits (217), and doubles (44). Kim won his lone MVP this season, but somehow not the Silver Slugger. 1983 was his only other playoff season with the Nightowls falling in the first round. He would earn Sluggers in 1980, 82, and 84 to get to five total for his career. Kim remained committed to Nagoya and signed a five-year, $4,380,000 extension starting with the 1986 season.

Age started to catch up after this extension as his stellar range started to diminish, as did his bat. Kim was still quite good in 1986 and 1987, although down by his prior high standard. By 1988, his offense was below league average. Kim was reduced to a bench role in his final two seasons and fell just short of the 3000 hit milestone. He retired after the 1990 season at age 39. Nagoya retired his #14 uniform immediately and he remained one of the franchise’s notable icons for many years after.

Kim’s final statistics saw 2920 hits, 1347 runs, 517 doubles, 181 triples, 233 home runs, 1133 RBI, 425 stolen bases, a .300/.343/.463 slash, 136 wRC+, and 130.0 WAR. Aided by the fielding metrics, his WAR total was fifth best among all EAB batters at induction and still sits sixth best in 2037. Later generations would appreciate Kim’s value more his contemporaries, who only gave him 78.3% on his first ballot. This was still more than plenty to earn induction though in the impressive six player 1996 class.



Hiroshi Koike – Right Field – Tokyo Tides – 69.0 First Ballot%

Hiroshi Koike was a 5’9’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting right fielder from Mishima, a city of around 110,000 inhabitants in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. Koike was a terrific contact hitter and was great at avoiding strikeouts, although he didn’t draw many walks. He wasn’t just a singles hitter either, averaging around 25-30 doubles and around 20-25 home runs per season. With his stout frame, Koike was below average in terms of speed and range. He had excellent durability and very rarely missed a start in right field, where he graded out as a below average, but not awful defender. Koike worked very hard and became popular as fans, but he was viewed as a loner by teammates.

Koike played a season of junior college baseball at Tokai University, which earned him plenty of attention for the 1968 EAB Draft. Sapporo selected him ninth overall with the intent of developing him for a few years first. He officially debuted in 1970, but only had four at-bats that year and nine the next. The Swordfish made him a more regular part of the roster from 1972-75, but he was still primarily a backup and pinch hitter. In his first seven years under contract with Sapporo, Koike had only 53 starts. But his bat showed lots of promise in his limited appearances. Koike also sporadically played in the World Baseball Championship for Japan, but he only played 35 games with eight starts over nine editions of the event.

Koike finally was a full time starter in 1976 and 1977 with the Swordfish. He showed he belonged and had plenty of attention ahead of pending free agency. For the Sapporo run, Koike had 583 hits, 281 runs, a .324/.354/.531 slash, and 18.2 WAR. The 28-year old Koike tested the market for the 1978 season and signed with Tokyo on a five-year, $2,094,000 deal. He only played three years on this deal, notably leading the Japan League in hits in 1980. This was his only time as a league leader and despite his steady bat, Koike never won a Silver Slugger or was an MVP finalist. Koike was popular still and earned ten all-star game appearances in his career.

When the Tides had signed Koike, they were coming off four playoff berths in five years. But they just missed the field in 1978 and 1979, then plummeted to 61 wins in 1980. Looking to blow it up, Koike was sent to Kyoto in a six player trade. After one solid season for the Kamikaze, he opted out of the final deal of his contract to become a free agent at age 32. Nagoya would sign Koike to a five-year, $3,000,000 deal.

Koike continued his standard solid production. He had 12 seasons in his career worth 5+ WAR, making very positive contributions even without eye popping stats. Koike played four years with the Nightowls and helped them to the 1983 playoffs, although they went one and done. For the Nagoya run, he had 791 hits, 335 runs, a .332/.362/.535 slash, and 24.8 WAR. Koike declined the contract option year and returned to free agency again at age 36.

Tokyo brought him back on a three-year deal worth $2,570,000. Koike’s production yet again was the same reliable thing, impressively showing no decline despite his age. Between the two Tokyo tenures, he had 1163 hits, 483 runs, 176 doubles, 155 home runs, 535 RBI, a .327/.352/.525/ slash, and 35.8 WAR. Although he spent more years with Sapporo, he had more games and his best production with the Tides, thus the Tokyo hat for his Hall of Fame plaque.

Koike’s final contract came for $2,320,000 for the 1988-89 seasons with Hiroshima. He did see his numbers at the plate drop a bit, but he was yet again still starting caliber with 6.9 WAR in the two seasons with the Hammerheads. In 1990, Koike became the 11^th member of EAB’s 3000 hit club. He wanted to still play in 1991, but went unsigned, retiring that winter at age 41.

Koike’s statistics included 3043 hits, 1314 runs, 516 doubles, 408 home runs, 1366 RBI, a .325/.352/.526 slash, 159 wRC+, and 91.2 WAR. To that point, only four other EAB Hall of Famers had batting averages of .325 or better. Some voters were taken aback by how solid Koike’s tallies ended up being. Still, there were those who didn’t think being a sustained B+ player was worthy of the top honor. Koike had no major awards or playoff accolades, plus he bounced around between teams. Enough were willing to overlook that though to get him to 69.0% on his debut, allowing Koike to round out the six player 1996 EAB Hall of Fame class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 BSA Hall of Fame

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Beisbol Sudamerica had a three player Hall of Fame class in 1996, each earning a first ballot nod. Only CF Pasquale Martin was a lock though at 99.3%. The other two only narrowly crossed the 66% requirement with 2B Enrique Tafoya at 70.6% and 2B Petronio Veiga at 68.0%. RF Dani Manzanares was close in his debut, but short at 60.2%. The top two returners on the ballot were RF Jasper Saucedo with 57.2% in his sixth attempt and SP Robinson Moreira at 56.1% on his seventh try. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots.



Pasquale Martin – Center/Left Field – Valencia Velocity – 99.3% First Ballot

Pasquale Martin was a 6’0’’, 205 pound switch hitting outfielder from El Tocuyo, a town of around 40,000 people in west-central Venezuela. At his peak, Martin was about as complete of a hitter one could be with great contact, power, and eye. He maintained excellent power for his entire career with around 40 home runs per season, plus around 35-40 doubles/triples per year. Martin was quite quick on the basepaths as well with a steady amount of stolen bases each year and an ability to leg out that extra base in key situations. His only real flaw as a hitter was strikeout woes and diminished contact in his later years, although he still got on base plenty with his great eye.

Martin had excellent durability, rarely missing games throughout an impressive 20 year career. He primarily played center field, although he did move to left in his later years. Martin graded out as below average defensively for his career in center and slightly above average in left. Teams salivated over the prospect of nabbing him when he came up in the 1972 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. Valencia had the fortune of landing Martin with the second overall pick.

Martin was a full-time starter immediately and took third in Rookie of the Year voting. He was viewed as elite by his second year, becoming a rare player to win league MVP as a sophomore. It was his first of four consecutive seasons leading in WAR and walks. His 1975 was better by almost all metrics, although tougher competition meant he was second in MVP voting. Martin also played from 1974-83 for Venezuela in the World Baseball Championship with 84 starts, 75 hits, 67 runs, 32 home runs, 60 RBI, a .254/.390/.617 slash, and 4.5 WAR.

Martin was even better still with MVP wins in 1976 and 1977. Both seasons were worth more than 12+ WAR with league bests in runs, home runs, walks, total bases, triple slash, and wRC+. His 140 runs scored in 1977 was one short of Jasper Saucedo’s record from the prior year. It still stands as the third most as of 2037. Also as of 2037, Martin has two of the 13 seasons by a BSA batter worth 12+ WAR. He also led in RBI in 1976 to post the tenth BSA Triple Crown season by a batter.

Martin’s incredible bat played a huge role in Valencia’s 1970s dynasty run. The Velocity won five consecutive Bolivar League championships from 1974-78 and won Copa Sudamerica in both 1977 and 1978. Martin was the 1975 BLCS MVP and for his playoff career had 58 starts, 66 hits, 47 runs, 21 home runs, 46 RBI, a .289/.357/.662 slash, and 3.3 WAR. In the middle of this run, Valencia extended Martin on an eight-year, $3,170,000 contract beginning with the 1977 season.

In total, Martin won six Silver Sluggers (1975, 76, 77, 78, 84, 90). He took third in 1978 MVP voting and then third again in 1985. Martin didn’t ever match the monster numbers of the dynasty run, but he remained an elite hitter that regularly got you more than 5+ WAR per season. His only other times as a league leader after the MVP years was in walks twice (1980, 1982), and in RBI in 1982.

Valencia remained a good team in the early 1980s and had a couple 90+ win seasons, but they wouldn’t make the playoffs from 1979-88. Knee issues cost Martin parts of 1983 and 1984. However, Martin kept chugging along and signed a five-year, $3,014,000 extension in March 1984. Towards the end of the run, he crossed the 2500 hit, 600 home run, 1500 run, and 1500 RBI milestones.

Martin didn’t seem to age, posting a run in his 30s that would beat most players’ best seasons in their 20s. He helped Valencia finally get back to the playoffs in 1989, although they lost in the first round. His final season with the Velocity was 1990, stilling posting 7.3 WAR and 43 home runs as a 39-year old. Martin was finally a free agent after this, although he remained beloved in Valencia and kept good terms with the franchise. He would come back two years later to see his #21 uniform retired.

At age 40, Martin was able to cash in on MLB money, signing a two-year, $4,160,000 deal with Jacksonville. His bat was merely league average in his first year with the Gators, but he improved with a solid 4.1 WAR and 34 home runs in his second year. It looked like Martin could still go, but no one wanted to match his asking price in 1993. After going unsigned, he retired from pro baseball at age 42.

Martin’s Beisbol Sudamerica and Valencia stats had 2816 hits, 1702 runs, 455 doubles, 646 home runs, 1629 RBI, 1237 walks, 802 stolen bases, a .303/.387/.597 slash, 172 wRC+, and 127.6 WAR. At induction, he was second all-time in runs scored, only six behind Valor Melo’s 1708. He was also fourth in RBI, sixth in home runs, fourth in walks drawn, and sixth in batting WAR. Although he’d fall down the accumulations with later higher offense action in BSA, Martin still sits ninth on the WAR chart in 2037. He was one of the finest outfielders of all-time and a no-doubt Hall of Famer, getting 99.3% in his ballot debut.



Enrique Tafoya – Second Base/Shortstop – Barquisimeto Black Cats – 70.6% First Ballot

Enrique Tafoya was a 5’10’’, 180 pound switch-hitting infielder from Turmero, a city of around 50,000 in northern Venezuela. Tafoya was a good contact hitter with a great eye and decent strikeout rate. He had respectable gap power and average around 30-35 doubles/triples per year, although he wouldn’t get you more than 10-20 home runs typically. Tafoya had above average speed and excellent baserunning ability. He was very durable with 145+ games each year for 14 straight years. Tafoya had about 2/3s of his starts at second base with around ¼ at shortstop and the rest at first base. He was a reliably strong defender at second, but subpar in the other spots. Tafoya was a hard worker and very smart, becoming one of the most popular players of the era.

Tafoya was arguably the most highly touted prospect ahead of Beisbol Sudamerica’s 1970 draft. He’d get picked second overall by Barquisimeto and spend the first 15 years of his pro career as a Black Cat. After being mostly a pinch hitter with occasional starts as a rookie, Tafoya was a full-time starter from 1972 onward. He would go onto win Silver Slugger nine times (1973, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 87). The first seven were as a second basemen with the latter two as a shortstop.

Barquisimeto stunk in the 1960s, but slowly climbed to relevance by the end of the 1970s with Tafoya leading the charge. The Black Cats won 102 games in 1977, but missed the playoffs due to sharing a division with the Valencia dynasty. The Velocity finally faded and Barquisimeto snapped a 21-year playoff drought in 1979. They fell La Paz in the Bolivar League Championship Series, but the Black Cats were convinced they were closed. That fall, Tafoya was signed to a seven-year, $3,426,000 extension.

That paid off big time, as Barquisimeto won the Bolivar League title in 1980 and 1982. 1980 saw Tafoya lead the league for the first time in both hits and runs, although his lack of home run power meant he never was a MVP finalist. He had a weak postseason as the Black Cats lost to Buenos Aires in Copa Sudamerica. Tafoya redeemed himself by winning 1982 Copa Sudamerica MVP as Barquisimeto won in a rematch with the Atlantics. In 10 starts that year, Tafoya had 19 hits, 8 runs, and 8 RBI.

The Black Cats faded towards the middle of the standings after this and Tafoya’s contract expired after the 1985 season. Now 36 years old, he signed with Ciudad Guayana for three years and $2,290,000. The Giants made the playoffs each year he was there and Tafoya won a batting title and led in OBP in 1987. CG’s best run was a Bolivar Leauge title in 1989, although Tafoya missed the playoffs and most of the second half to a concussion. As a Giant, Tafoya had 409 hits, 185 runs, a .321/.396/.465 slash, and 14.2 WAR.

Now 39 years old, Tafoya returned “home” to Barquisimeto on a three year deal. The Black Cats were now a bottom rung team, but fans got to see an old favorite once again. Tafoya played two more seasons and was below average, but he was able to cross the 3000 hit and 1500 milestones with Barquisimeto. For his Black Cat tenures, he had 2685 hits, 1331 runs, 460 doubles, 210 home runs, 989 RBI, a .286/.353/.419 slash, and 84.9 WAR. Tafoya retired after the 1990 season at age 41 and saw his #34 uniform immediately retired.

Tafoya’s career stats had 3094 hits, 1516 runs, 526 doubles, 238 home runs, 1141 RBI, 1117 walks, 443 stolen bases, a .290/.358/.424 slash, 122 wRC+, and 99.1 WAR. He was only the fifth BSA batter to reach 3000 hits and the eighth to 1500 runs scored. Still, a surprising number of voters were against him due to a lack of home run power. Plenty saw his terrific value, his role in a title run for the Black Cats, and his popularity. Tafoya only narrowly crossed the 66% requirement, but 70.6% got him into the 1996 Hall of Fame class on the first ballot.



Petronio Veiga – Designated Hitter/Infielder – La Paz Pump Jacks – 68.0% First Ballot

Petronio Veiga was a 5’11’’, 205 pound right-handed infielder from Tucurui, a city of around 115,000 people in northern Brazil. Veiga was a fantastic contract hitter who knew how to put the ball in play. He was excellent at avoiding strikeouts, but below average at getting walks. Veiga had solid gap power, averaging around 40 or so doubles/triples with another 20-25 home runs added. He was a very slow and lousy baserunner and had poor range. Despite that, Veiga had some starts at shortstop and second base, posting atrocious defense in both spots. He also played a bit at first base and was average there. Veiga’s best use would be as a designated hitter, where he made roughly half of his career starts. The bat was good enough though to justify a prominent spot in the lineup in his prime.

Veiga was picked 16^th overall in the 1973 BSA Draft by Sao Paulo. He saw very little action in 1974 and 1975, then was an occasional starter in 1976. His bat showed promise in his limited use and he had a nice postseason with 10 hits, 6 runs, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI in 11 games. This helped the Padres claim the 1976 Copa Sudamerica. With his porous defense though, Sao Paulo was having trouble finding a role for Veiga. He ultimately only played 166 games with 69 starts and 3.0 WAR with his drafted squad.

Sao Paulo traded Veiga before the 1977 season to La Paz for SP Rogny Gonzales and 2B Carlo Carmona. He was iffy in his first season with the Pump Jacks, but put it all together in 1978. That year, Veiga led the Bolivar League in hits (235), doubles (44), and average (.372), while posting a career best 32 home runs. He won his first Silver Slugger at shortstop and took second in MVP voting despite posting an absolutely putrid -27.1 zone rating defensively. La Paz made it back-to-back playoff berths, but again suffered a first round exit.

In 1979, the Pump Jacks won the Bolivar League title for the first time since their 1940s dynasty. They lost to Recife in Copa Sudamerica, but Veiga posted 14 hits, 6 runs, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI in the playoffs. This would be their peak in Veiga’s tenure. La Paz would made the playoffs thrice in the 1980s, but they couldn’t claim the pennant any of those years and typically hovered around .500.

Veiga would put up his finest numbers in the early 1980s and earn a five-year, $13,970,000 extension after the 1982 season. He was third in MVP voting in 1982, then won Silver Sluggers in 1983 and 1984 as a DH. Veiga led the Bolivar League in hits thrice, doubles once more, and batting average twice more. He was also a starter for Brazil in their 1984 finalist effort in the World Baseball Championship. Veiga was on the squad in eight WBCs from 1979-88, but primarily as a pinch hitter. Although he had only two at-bats, he earned a world title ring with the 1987 Brazilian squad.

La Paz extended Veiga for another four years after the 1985 season for $3,220,000. His contact abilities didn’t wane much as he aged, but Veiga would start to miss more time to injuries and see his role somewhat reduced. His final season with the Pump Jacks in 1990 still saw a .320 average and 5.1 WAR. Veiga would get his 1000^th run and 2500^th hit in this final season, but La Paz would let him go. He was signed to MLB’s Virginia Beach on May 1, 1991, but was released after only two games. Veiga retired that winter at age 40. Still quite popular in La Paz, the Pump Jacks retired his #48 uniforn.

Veiga’s stat line was 2520 hits, 1070 runs, 420 doubles, 287 home runs, 1085 RBI, a .331/.368/.521 slash, 148 wRC+, and 61.3 WAR. At induction, only four other Hall of Fame hitters had a better batting average. The hitting accumulations were respectable, but he didn’t have the big power numbers or awards favored by many voters. Plus, his WAR would be among the worst to get in thanks to his time as either a DH or a defensive liability. Veiga was a fringe case, but he was well liked and had the bump of having helped La Paz back to the finals. In his debut, Veiga passed the 66% requirement with 68.0% to get a first ballot induction to round out the 1996 BSA class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 EBF Hall of Fame

Three players picked up a first ballot induction into the European Baseball Federation’s 1996 Hall of Fame class. Third basemen Radovan Smodlaka (90.9%) and Wojtek Napierkowski (89.7%) both firmly got in, while SP Jace Karch had just enough at 72.8% to make it. It was almost a four player class, but 1B Charles-Olivier Mallen was just shy of the 66% mark in his debut at 64.4%.



1B Jared Psaila was the lone player to fall off the ballot after ten failed tries. The Maltese righty got as high as 49.3% before ending at 42.8%. He was hurt by leaving for MLB after a decade in Milan, where he posted 1792 hits, 883 runs, 339 home runs, 333 doubles, 992 RBI, a .300/.366/.543 slash, 70.5 WAR, one MVP, and three Silver Sluggers. With his six MLB seasons, his 2498 hits, 483 homers, 1442 RBI, and 90.6 WAR probably gets him across the line. But his European accumulations alone weren’t quite there.



Radovan “Hoodoo” Smodlaka – Third/First Base – Athens Anchors – 90.9% First Ballot

Radovan Smodlaka was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from the capital of Serbia, Belgrade. Smodlaka was a great contact hitter who also had excellent power and a decent eye. He regularly hit above .300 with upwards of 30 home runs. Smodlaka did also add around 20-25 doubles per year, but lacked the speed or baserunning ability to get extra bags. He made about 3/5s of his starts at third base, where he was a terrible defender. The rest of his starts were at first, where he was delightfully average. Smodlaka was a fan favorite who worked hard and always made time to sign items after games for kids.

Smodlaka’s talents were well known as a high schooler throughout Yugoslavia’s amateur ranks. Upon graduating high school, Zagreb picked him eighth overall in the 1970 EBF Draft. Smodlaka wasn’t ready to begin playing pro ball though and opted to head to college. When he was eligible again in 1973, it was Athens that grabbed him with the ninth overall pick. Smodlaka was a regular pinch hitter for his first three seasons, but didn’t make a start until his fourth year in 1977.

He made an impressive impact, leading the Southern Conference in RBI in his first three seasons as a starter. Smodlaka also led in total bases, average, and OPS in 1978 while adding career bests with 55 home runs and 10.7 WAR. 1978 was his lone MVP, although he took third in 1977. Smodlaka won Silver Sluggers in 1977, 78, 79, 81, and 83. He also regularly played for Serbia in the World Baseball Championship with 145 games from 1973-90. In the WBC, he had 131 hits, 76 runs, 22 doubles, 45 home runs, 93 RBI, a .264/.336/.584 slash, and 6.3 WAR.

Smodlaka’s power in the heart of the Athens lineup helped the Anchors earn five straight Southeast Division titles from 1977-81. In 1978, they picked up the franchise’s first conference title, falling to Brussels in the European Championship. Athens would be one-and-done in the other appearances with Smodlaka posting 32 hits, 14 runs, 5 home runs, 7 RBI, and a .291/.342/.473 over 29 career playoff starts.

Following the 1977 season, Smodlaka was signed to an eight-year, $3,206,000 deal with Athens to be the franchise’s icon for the next decade. The Anchors would fall towards the bottom of the standings into the 1980s, but Smodlaka remained steady. He didn’t lead the conference ever again, but notably smacked 52 home runs and 138 RBI in 1986 at age 35. Smodlaka had signed another four-year, $4 million extension that started with the 1986 campaign.

That was Smodlaka’s last great season, as his power dwindled after that. He did bounce back from a weak 1987 with a better 1988, but that would be his final year as a starter. His final two seasons in Greece were primarily as a figurehead role, as he only made 19 starts and played 109 total games. Smodlaka was happy to play that part and remained a fan favorite, seeing his #31 retired after he called it quits at age 39 with the 1990 campaign.

Smodlaka’s stats were 2124 hits, 1119 runs, 330 doubles, 492 home runs, 1359 RBI, a .308/.366/.580 slash, 168 wRC+, and 81.8 WAR. While his totals aren’t at the very top of the EBF Hall of Fame leaderboard, they weren’t at the very bottom either. Being a well-liked player with one franchise and helping them get to a conference final goes a long way. EBF’s voters gave Smodlaka the thumbs up with 90.9% for his ballot debut.



Wojtek Napierkowski – Third Base – Copenhagen Corsairs – 89.7% First Ballot

Wojtek Napierkowski was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Szczecin, Poland, a city of around 390,000 located in the northwest by the Baltic Sea and the German border. Napierkowski had outstanding home run power, regularly smacking 40+ per season. He was good at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was middling and his contact was above average at best. Napierkowski didn’t get many doubles or triples with his power concentrated on homers along with poor speed. He had very good durability and was a career third baseman who graded out as slightly below average defensively for his career. Napierkowski had a tireless work ethic and became a very popular player in his run.

In the 1970s, Polish baseball was the domain of Eurasian Professional Baseball and not the European Baseball Federation. However, Napierkowski left Poland for his college career and declared his intent to enter EBF’s draft in 1977. Poland wasn’t part of the regional draft restrictions of the first four rounds, meaning Napierkowski wasn’t eligible to be picked until the fifth round. However, any team would be able to pick him at that point. Copenhagen had the very first pick of the round, the 131st overall, and used it to bring Napierkowski to Denmark. He would later return to Poland for the World Baseball Championship, playing for his home country from1979-92. In the WBC, he had 118 games, 89 hits, 73 runs, 45 home runs, 88 RBI, a .211/.320/.555 slash, and 4.5 WAR.

Napierkowski was a full-time starter immediately and held that role for his entire 13 year tenure with the Corsairs, only missing time occasionally to injury. His 34 home runs and 4.1 WAR in his debut earned him the 1978 Rookie of the Year in the Northern Conference. In his second season, Napierkowski led with 49 home runs. He would post nine straight seasons with 45+ homers and hit 40+ in all but his first and final seasons with Copenhagen.

Napierkowski took second in 1980’s MVP voting, then won it in 1981 with a career best in WAR (10.1), plus 57 home runs and 126 RBI. This helped Copenhagen earn its first playoff appearance in three decades, as they had struggled after winning the very first European Championship in 1950. It was his first of three Silver Sluggers with additional wins in 1985 and 1988. The Corsairs were convinced Napierkowski was the guy and signed him to an eight-year, $5,820,000 extension after the 1982 season.

He was third in 1982 and 1985’s MVP voting. 1985 was a banner year with career bests for Napierkowski in homers (61), RBI (136), and batting average (.308). Copenhagen was one-and-done in the 1981 playoffs, then fell in the conference finals in 1983. In 1985, a strained groin kept Napierkowski out for most of the playoffs, but the Corsairs won the conference title. He was back for the tail end as they dropped the championship to Marseille. For his career, Napierkowski had 18 playoff games with 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 home runs, and a .238/.294/.365 slash.

Napierkowski’s power continued to be solid into his 30s, but Copenhagen faded towards the bottom of the standings by the end of the 1980s. While still a solid power guy, his final season with the Corsairs saw his lowest homer and WAR totals since his rookie year. They agreed to part ways after the 1990 campaign, although Napierkowski remained very popular and kept a good relationship with the franchise, He would soon come back to see his #8 uniform retired.

Napierkowski wasn’t ready to retire at age 36 and his steady power had gotten some attention in the United States. The Washington Admirals signed him to a three-year, $5,220,000 deal. However, Napierkowski struggled with strikeouts in MLB. Washington moved him to a bench role later in 1991 and he saw only 45 games and 25 starts in 1992. The Admirals let him go and Napierkowski went unsigned in 1993. He finally retired that winter at age 39.

For his EBF and Copenhagen run, Napierkowski had 1959 hits, 1245 runs, 204 doubles, 614 home runs, 1403 RBI, a .277/.355/.574 slash, 165 wRC+, and 94.3 WAR. It was rare for a guy without 2000 hits to get serious consideration, but Napierkowski was only the sixth to reach 600 home runs. At induction he was 15th best in batting WAR. The dingers and his fan favorite status made it easy for voters to fill in his bubble, sending him into the 1996 EBF Hall of Fame class at 89.7%.



Jace Karch – Starting Pitcher – Marseille Musketeers – 72.8% First Ballot

Jace Karch was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, a town of 31,000 people in the western Netherlands. Karch’s biggest strength was very good control which he mixed with above average stuff and movement. His fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range and was mixed with a slider, forkball, and changeup. Karch was very durable with 230+ innings in each of his first 12 seasons. He had respectable stamina, but it was the control and reliability that made Karch a success.

After playing in the Dutch amateur ranks, Karch ended up in France as he was picked third overall in the 1975 EBF Draft by Marseille. He did go back to the Netherlands for the World Baseball Championship from 1978-89. Karch had 156.1 WBC innings, but he was unremarkable in international play with a 4.89 ERA and 168 strikeouts.

His entire EBF run would be with the Musketeers and he was a full-time starter immediately with 233.1 innings as a rookie. Karch was merely average initially, but became reliably good from about his third year onward. He wasn’t overly dominant and never was a finalist for Pitcher of the Year. Karch’s only time atop a leaderboard was with a 23-3 record in 1980. That season would mark the start of a run of dominance for Marseille, who made the playoffs every year of the 1980s with the exception of 1984.

The Musketeers made it to the Southern Conference Championship in 1980, 81, 83, 85, and 86. They would win both the conference title and the European Championship in 1981, 1985, and 1986. Karch was not generally dominant in the playoffs, but was steady with a 10-4 record, 3.91 ERA, 119.2 innings, and 103 strikeouts. His best showing was a 1.99 ERA in 1983, although they were denied that year. Knowing what they were reliably going to get with Karch each year, Marseille signed him to a four-year, $4,000,000 extension after the 1985 season.

In 1988, shoulder inflammation cost Karch the majority of the season. When he came back for 1989 and 1990 with the Musketeers, his velocity had dropped a few miles per hour. Marseille didn’t re-sign him, although he would be honored soon after with his #32 uniform being retired. Karch found a surprising suitor for 1991 in CABA’s Honduras Horsemen. He struggled in only 17.2 innings of relief in his brief time in Central America. Karch wasn’t signed in 1992 and retired that winter at age 38.

Karch’s stats in EBF with Marseille had a 246-133 record, 3.13 ERA, 3526 innings, 3247 strikeouts, 624 walks, 311/475 quality starts, 90 FIP-, and 63.9 WAR. At induction, he was tied for seventh in wins among EBF pitchers. The advanced stats put him towards the bottom end of inductees though. It became a debate between voters who valued sustained solidness versus the ones who wanted moments of brilliants. Karch didn’t have the big awards or accolades, but he was a steady and reliable presence for a Marseille squad that won three rings in the 1980s. The rings won out and Karch got just enough to earn a first ballot induction at 72.8% to round out the 1996 EBF class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 EPB Hall of Fame

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The Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 1996 was an open field with no slam dunk debuts. Two returners found their way narrowly across the 66% requirement, led by DH Emin Ismayliov at 75.7% on his seventh ballot. SP Yevhen Selin barely joined him with 66.5% for his third attempt. SP Maksim Ekstrem missed it at 65.2%, the closest he’s been in his eight attempts. The best debut was Maxim Aivazyan with 59.4%. 1B Bartlomiej Tarka was the only other guy above 50% at 53.7% for his seventh attempt. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 1996.



Emin “Sparrow” Ismayilov – Designated Hitter – Moscow Mules – 75.7% Sixth Ballot

Emin Ismayliov was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitter from Denau, Uzbekistan; a city with around 78,000 people in the country’s southeast. Ismayliov had excellent home run power and was effective at drawing walks. He was a decent contact hitter, but he would strike out a ton. Ismayliov had respectable contact power and was a smart baserunner despite lacking speed. Ismayliov was primarily a designated hitter, making around 2/3s of his career starts there. The rest were split generally between left and right field, where he was a terrible defender at both spots. Ismayliov did have very good durability, which combined with the home run power made him a valuable bat even with his flaws.

A scout from Kyiv managed to notice an 18-year old Ismayliov toiling away in the amateur ranks of Uzbekistan and signed him to a developmental deal. He officially debuted with three at-bats in 1966, although he had limited appearances and mostly pinch hit opportunities in his first three seasons. Ismayliov really struggled with contact and strikeouts early on. It wasn’t until 1970, his fifth year on roster with the Kings, that Ismayliov became a full-time starter. He would be a regular for the next 15 years in EPB.

Ismayliov would get noticed with 37 home runs and 102 RBI in 1970, although he really got noticed the next year with 53 dingers and 120 RBI. That earned him his first Silver Slugger at DH and his lone award with Kyiv. In total with the Kings, he had 885 hits, 468 runs, 147 doubles, 228 home runs, 545 RBI, a .245/.299/.482 slash, and 22.4 WAR. Ismayliov also regularly played for his native Uzbekistan from 1971-86 in the World Baseball Championship. He had 111 games and 83 starts in the WBC, posting 74 hits, 55 runs, 36 home runs, 57 RBI, a .232/.332/.599 slash, and 4.3 WAR.

Ismayliov entered free agency at age 29 in 1975 and would begin his signature run with defending EPB Champion Moscow, signing a six-year, $1,724,000 deal. His debut season with the Mules was by far his most impressive with European League and career highs in runs, hits, home runs, RBI, walks, total bases, OBP, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. With 62 homers, 117 RBI, and 10.3 WAR, Ismayliov easily earned league MVP and a Silver Slugger. Moscow only narrowly got a wild card, but they went on an impressive playoff run and repeated as EPB champs. Ismayliov was finals MVP and had an outstanding postseason with 18 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, and 15 RBI over 15 starts. That season alone in many ways cemented Ismayliov’s legacy.

Ismayliov never had a season quite that dominant, but he did win a Silver Slugger at right field in 1977 and DH in 1978. He led the EL in doubles in 177 and RBI in 1978 and hit 34+ home runs in each of his nine seasons in the main Moscow run. The Mules would be respectable, but only make the playoffs twice more during Ismayliov’s tenure with first round exits in both 1979 and 1981. After the 1980 season, Moscow would give Ismayliov a four-year, $1,106,000 extension.

Ismayliov began to struggle a bit in his later years, leading in strikeouts in 1982 and managing only 23 home runs in 1983. The Mules bottomed out at 60-102 that season and began a full rebuild. The now 38-year old Ismayliov was traded to Ufa with RF Rahim Ametov for prospects Pardis Butayev and Thacher Correll. In his one year with the Fiends, Ismayliov became the sixth EPB member of the 600 home run club. He became a free agent in 1985 and went back to Moscow, where he struggled in one final season. Ismayliov retired after going unsigned in 1986 at age 40. The Mules would honor him by retiring his #11 uniform. For his time in the Russian capital, he had 1362 hits, 774 runs, 254 doubles, 390 home runs, 852 RBI, a .241/.305/.501 slash, and 42.6 WAR.

Ismayliov’s career stats had 2357 hits, 1309 runs, 419 doubles, 643 home runs, 1471 RBI, 851 walks, a .241/.302/.489 slash, 144 wRC+, and 67.3 WAR. At induction, he was fifth in home runs and seventh in RBI (but also fifth in strikeouts at 2932). His WAR total was lower though than any other HOF hitter to that point and many voters were reluctant to give a DH the nod. Ismayliov debuted at 59.9% and was always within single digits of the threshold, but missed out in his first five ballots. In 1994, he was less than a percentage point shy at 65.3%. The homers, his MVP season, and title with Moscow though were enough to get him across the line in 1996, receiving 75.7% of the vote on his sixth try.



Yevhen Selin – Starting Pitcher – Omsk Otters – 66.5% Third Ballot

Yevhen Selin was a 6’1’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Simferopol, Ukraine, the second largest city on the Crimean peninsula with around 330,000 inhabitants. Selin was viewed as above average to good across the board in terms of stuff, control, and movement. Control would be his biggest asset, especially in his later years. Selin had a 93-95 mph cutter mixed with a slider and a changeup. The changeup in particular was considered outstanding. Selin had respectable stamina and durability, while also viewed as a respectable defensive pitcher that could hold runners. Some would criticize him for a lack of leadership and work ethic.

Many fans don’t realize that Selin began his pro career with Kyiv, picked 20^th overall by the Kings in the 1972 EPB Draft. His time in the Ukrainian capital was brief with 13 forgettable starts in 1973. Kyiv was looking to push for a playoff spot and decided to move Selin and another prospect at the deadline. He was traded to Omsk for SP Nikita Titov (Hall of Fame class of 1984) and SS Yevhen Zhokh.

Selin would spend the remainder of his pro career with the Otters. He would still return home to Ukraine for the World Baseball Championship, although he was used more as a reliever than starter. In 100 innings from 1975-88, he had a 2.52 ERA with 130 strikeouts and 2.3 WAR. Selin was primarily a starter with Omsk, but a fairly unimpressive one in his first two seasons. He would emerge as a fine starter soon after, although he never was a finalist for Pitcher of the Year. Selin would pass 300 strikeouts in four seasons and peaked with 8.2 WAR in 1977.

Content with his steady production, Omsk gave Selin a four-year, $1,788,000 extension in March 1981. The Otters were mid to bottom tier with no playoff appearances from 1972-84. They finally returned to relevance the mid 80s, wining the Asian League pennant in 1985 and 1987. They fell in the EPB final in 1985 to Minsk and Kyiv in 1987. For his playoff career, Selin had a 2-5 record, but 2.44 ERA over 59 innings with 54 strikeouts and a 121 ERA+.

The veteran received another three year extension after the 1985 season. In 1986, he had his first-ever season as a league leader, topping the AL in both ERA (1.50) and WHIP (0.81). Selin had a nice 1987, but saw his production worsen in 1988. He was only a part-time starter in that final season, opting to retire at age 38.

Selin finished with a 205-162 record, 2.51 ERA, 3584.1 innings, 3753 strikeouts, 666 walks, 332/456 quality starts, 115 complete games, 81 FIP-, and 79.0 WAR. His totals were more middle-to-bottom of the leaderboard compared to other EPB Hall of Famers. Selin’s lack of dominant seasons and awards hurt him with many voters, but a long run with Omsk and helping them to two AL pennants was a notable plus. He missed out at 61.7% and 55.2% in his first two ballot appearances. With a fairly quiet 1996 group, Selin just barely breached the 66% threshold with 66.5% to secure his place among EPB’s all-timers.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 OBA Hall of Fame

Outfielder Ping Janer was the lone inductee into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 1996. In his debut on the ballot, Janer narrowly reached the 66% requirement, getting in with 71.1%. Only one other player topped 50% with RF Dede Hayati at 55.0% in his fifth attempt.



SP Matthew Falefa fell off the ballot after ten tries, peaking at 24.2% in his debut but ending at only 7.0%. Injuries and a MLB excursion mid-career meant that the American Samoan lefty had only about 6 or 7 seasons worth of OBA production. He had an 85-63 record, 2.07 ERA, 1415.2 innings, 1667 strikeouts, 65 FIP-, and 43.2 WAR. The potential was certainly there, but he didn’t have anywhere near the tenure to get across the line.



Ping Janer – Left/Center Field – Guam Golden Eagles – 71.1% First Ballot

Ping Janer was a 6’2’’, 200 pound switch-hitting outfielder from Rita, an island district of the Marshall Islands. It is part of the Majuro atoll which has around 23,000 people. As of 2037, Janer is the only Marshallean OBA Hall of Famer. He was renowned as one of OBA’s fastest and most intelligent baserunners. Janer was only okay as a contact hitter and he had trouble with strikeouts. However, he was good at drawing walks to take advantage of his baserunning talents.

Janer wasn’t a prolific home run hitter, but he had a very solid pop in his bat still. He usually gave you around 25-35 home runs per season while also adding 25 doubles and 10 triples per 162 games. He made about 2/3s of his starts in left field and the rest in center. Janer was a terrific fielder in left, but below average in center. He was a very hard worker and a fan favorite, becoming one of the most popular players of his era.

Despite coming from humble origins, Janer managed to earn himself attention in his amateur career. In the 1974 OBA Draft, Guam selected Janer with the fourth overall pick. He was a full-time starter immediately and spent 12 seasons as a prominent part of the Golden Eagles lineup, playing in 140+ games all but one of those seasons. Janer’s ability to fly allowed him to lead the Pacific League in runs scored four times with Guam and stolen bases thrice,

In 1975, Janer won both the Rookie of the Year and his first of six Silver Sluggers. He won additional sluggers in 1976, 78, 79, 80, and 86. Janer also grabbed seven Gold Gloves in left field (1976, 78, 82, 87, 88, 89, 90). In 1978, he had career highs in runs (102), steals (79), and WAR (10.3); taking second in MVP voting. That winter, Guam gave him an eight-year, $2,242,000 contract extension. Janer would win the prize in 1979 with a batting title (.305) along with 9.9 WAR, 99 runs, 35 home runs, and 9.9 WAR.

Janer was also proud of 1979 as Guam won the Pacific League title, setting a wins record at 112-50. They beat defending champ Perth in the Oceania Championship, giving the Golden Eagles their first overall title. Heartbreakingly for Janer, an oblique strain would keep him out of the series. He’d be back as Guam repeated in 1980, getting 4 hits and 3 runs in their 4-1 series victory over Christchrurch.

Guam had a number of great seasons in the early 1980s, but they would be the perennial runner-up to Honolulu’s great dynasty. Janer stayed great into his 30s, even leading the PL with 8.0 WAR and 89 runs in 1986 at age 34. This would be his last season as a Golden Eagle, as the franchise entered a full rebuild the next year. Janer would remain beloved and see his #26 uniform retired once his playing days were done. With Guam, he had 1647 hits, 1000 runs, 275 doubles, 115 triples, 324 home runs, 824 RBI, 735 stolen bases, a .247/.308/.469 slash, and 79.8 WAR.

Janer signed a three-year, $2,490,000 deal with Perth, who had just won the Australasia League title and fallen in the final to Honolulu. He was okay in two seasons as a Penguin, but posted the worst offensive numbers of his career to date. A sprained ankle cost him much of 1988 and Perth finished below .500 in both 1987 and 1988. Janer didn’t meet the vesting criteria in his contract and became a free agent for 1989 at age 37.

Adelaide gave him a one year deal and he had a decent bounce-back effort at the plate. He was still a great defender, winning his sixth Gold Glove while an Aardvark. For 1990, Honolulu signed Janer and he picked up his 2000^th hit and 400^th home run with the Honu. Janer showed some of that old spark and helped Honolulu win its third consecutive OBA title, although he struggled in the final itself. The Honu didn’t bring him back for 1991 and Janer retired at age 40 after going unsigned for the year.

For his career, Janer had 2106 hits, 1290 runs, 360 doubles, 152 triples, 407 home runs, 1095 RBI, 937 stolen bases, a .242/.304/.459 slash, 142 wRC+, and 96.1 WAR. At induction, he was sixth all-time in steals, fourth in runs, and fourth in batting WAR. With that resume, it is surprising that Janer only got 71.1% of the vote considering the standards set previously in OBA. However, he was a first ballot inductee all the same and the lone member of the 1996 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 APB Hall of Fame

The 1996 field for the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame was pretty weak with the best debutant being RP Gilbert Tang at 31.4%. The thin field did help RF Lin Zulkifli finally get across the line at 67.4% on his third ballot. No one else was even above 50%, although two ninth ballot guys in 1B Po-Yu Shao and CL Lee Tira were in the upper 40s.



Dropped from the ballot ws 1B Ardan Riyadi, who had a 15 year run between three teams in APB. He got as high as 47.6% on his second ballot, but ended at only 23.6%. Riyadi won four Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves, and helped Surabaya to the 1971 title. He had 2033 hits, 991 runs, 290 doubles, 379 home runs, 1016 RBI, a .262/.296/.454 slash, and 88.1 WAR. Riyadi had the sixth best batting WAR in APB when he fell off the ballot with pretty good stats by APB’s low offense standards. However, he just never got the support of the voters for whatever reason.



Lin “Bullet” Zulkifli – Right Field – Manila Manatees – 67.4% Third Ballot

Lin Zulkifli was a 5’9’’, 200 pound left handed hitting right fielder from the city-state of Singapore. Zulkifli earned the nickname “Bullet” for his great speed and ability to leg out extra bases from the leadoff spot. He was one of the smartest baserunners in the game and was extremely popular for his sparkplug work ethic and leadership. Zulkifli was a very good contract hitter with a solid eye and great knack for avoiding strikeouts. He lacked home run power, only hitting 11 in his career, but Zulkifli wasn’t a singles slap hitter. He averaged around 25-30 doubles and another 25-30 triples each season. Zulkifli exclusively played defensively in right field and was excellent in that spot, earning eight Gold Gloves in his career.

Zulkifli was signed out of Singapore by a scout from Manila, bringing him to the Filipino capital in 1969 at 16 years old. He debuted in 1972 at age 19 for the Manatees, although his appearances were very limited that year and the next. Zulkifli would be a full-time starter from 1974 through 1988 as a regular fixture for the Manila lineup.

With his lack of home run tallies, Zulkifli didn’t ever win a Silver Slugger or earn MVP finalist consideration. Still, he led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in hits twice, doubles twice, triples eight times, batting average thrice, OBP thrice, and WAR once. Helped by the deep alleys of the Manila Grounds, Zulkifli actually had more triples than doubles in five different seasons. This scrappiness made him a star and favorite for Manatees fans, especially as they struggled in most of the 1970s. Zulkifli was also popular back home in Singapore, playing for them from 1972-89 in the World Baseball Championship. In 123 games, he had 118 hits, 47 runs, 20 doubles, 6 triples, a .271/.338/.344 slash, and 1.3 WAR.

Manila signed Zulkifli to an eight-year, $3,292,000 contract extension in the summer of 1978. It wouldn’t be until the later years of that deal that the Manatees finally returned to prominence. Manila won the Philippine League in 1983, 1985, and 1986. In 1985 and 1986, they won the TPA pennant and in 1986, the Manatees earned their first Austronesia Championship. After being unremarkable in the first two postseason runs, Zulkifli had 12 hits, 4 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, and a .316/.381/.553 slash to help Manila win the crown.

In a way, that was the last hurrah for Zulkifli. 1987 would see a strained hamstring cost him the final seven weeks of the season, then knee and foot issues cost him two months of 1988. In addition, his speed and contact abilities had begun to wane a bit. After the 1988 season, Manila let him go. Zulkifli played in the 1989 WBC for Singapore, but that was his last action with no one signing him for the season. He retired in the winter at age 37 and Manila immediately brought him in to retire his #23 uniform.

Zulkifli finished with 2410 hits, 903 runs, 408 doubles, 362 triples, 11 home runs, 624 RBI, 803 stolen bases, a .298/.348/.442 slash, 139 wRC+, and 81.8 WAR. At induction, he was the all-time leader in triples and he still sits second as of 2037. Zulkifli was also third in doubles, fourth in hits, fourth in batting average, and just outside of the top ten in hitting WAR. However, a lot of voters were convinced that homers and RBI were the most critical stats, two things Zulkifli lacked. Although he did win a ring with Manila, his best individual seasons were overlooked on some mediocre teams. He just missed the cut at 56.1% and 63.0% in his first two ballots. Third time was the charm though and Zulkifli just crossed the line at 67.4%, securing his spot in the Hall of Fame as one of the great leadoff men.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 CLB Hall of Fame

Chinese League Baseball had a two player Hall of Fame class with both guys receiving a first ballot addition. SP Xinyu Dai led the way at 91.9% and was joined by fellow pitcher Jianfeng Han at 81.5%. Closer Huyi Gao very nearly joined them in his third attempt, but fell just short of the 66% requirement with 64.2%. No one else was above 50% with only two even narrowly getting over the 1/3 mark.



Three players fell off the ballot after ten failed tries. Closer Yuzeng Liang was as high as 59.7% in his second ballot, but plummeted to 11.3% by the end. In 17 seasons, he won Reliever of the Year twice and had 272 saves, 366 shutdowns, 1.57 ERA, 800.1 innings, 1310 strikeouts, and 39.7 WAR. Liang’s numbers weren’t too out of place versus some other relievers that got into the CLB HOF, but bouncing around between ten teams and lower innings than many other closers hurt him.

Two starters were dropped as well. Li Jin came incredibly close at 62.1% in his third ballot, but he fell off a cliff to 8.1% at the end. In 12 seasons with three teams, he had a 142-117 record, 2.17 ERA, 2507.1 innings, 2734 strikeouts, and 77.9 WAR. His official career started at age 27, costing him a few prime years of accumulations that might have gotten him across the line. For Liao Chen, he peaked at 40.8% in 1989 and ended at 6.9%. In 11 seasons mostly with Wuhan, he had one Pitcher of the Year, a 156-114 record, 2.19 ERA, 2598 innings, 2245 strikeouts, and 62.0 WAR. Chen was another who didn’t quite have the longevity to stand out among the other pitchers in CLB’s low offense environment.



Xinyu Dai – Starting Pitcher - Shenzhen Spartans – 91.9% First Ballot

Xinyu Dai was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from the Chinese capital Beijing. Dai had excellent movement on his pitches with good stuff and above average control. He had a great 97-99 mph fastball that was mixed with a slider, changeup, and curveball. Dai had excellent stamina and was very durable for most of his career.

Dai was spotted as a teenage amateur in January 1973 and signed to a developmental deal with Shenzhen. His entire career in China was as a Spartan, making his debut in an opener role in 1976 at age 20. He was a full-timer for the next 11 years, although Dai would also see mixed usage out of the bullpen. He became a popular player in China for his work in the World Baseball Championship from 1979-94. He had a 17-9 record, 3.11 ERA, 237.2 innings, 304 strikeouts, and 6.6 WAR in the WBC and helped China win world titles in 1979, 1993, and 1994.

Dai emerged as an ace by 1978 and was considered by many to be China’s best pitcher soon after. From 1979-85, he led the Southern League in WAR six times, ERA twice, wins once, innings once, strikeouts twice, WHIP twice, K/BB thrice, complete games twice, and FIP- five times. Dai won Pitcher of the Year three times (1982, 83, 84), while taking second in 1979 and 1980 and third in 1985. Shenzhen gave him a seven-year, $2,218,000 extension in fall 1980.

Dai tossed a no-hitter on September 7, 1981 with 11 strikeouts and 2 walks against Kunming. He helped Shenzhen to the playoffs in 1979, but they suffered a semifinal defeat. The Spartans wouldn’t get back to the playoffs in Dai’s tenure and were at the bottom of CLB by the mid 1980s. Dai still chugged along as the only redeeming part of that era for Shenzhen. The Spartans would retire his #24 uniform once his pro career was over.

Dai’s contract ended after the 1987 season and the 32-year old had worldwide offers, although his production had dropped noticeably in his last two years as a Spartan. This ended his CLB career with a 145-125 record, 1.92 ERA, 2611 innings, 2957 strikeouts, 459 walks, 132 complete games, 60 FIP-, and 84.2 WAR. He didn’t have the longevity to be at the top of the leaderboards, but it was impressive dominance. Even being stuck on some bad Shenzhen teams, the CLB voters thought Dai was an obvious choice with a 91.9% first ballot nod.

There would still be eight more years of pro baseball for Dai. He went to America on a five-year, $7,100,000 deal with MLB’s Nashville Knights. Dai had four seasons ultimately in Nashville, who was also a bottom rung franchise. He was quite solid there though with 27.6 WAR, a 3.54 ERA, 63-65 innings, 1153.1 innings, 786 strikeouts, and 113 ERA+. The Knights voided the team option year of 1992, making Dai a free agent again at age 36.

Vancouver gave him a one year, $2,120,000 deal. Dai was decent, but the Volcanoes would trade him in late June to Atlanta for two prospects. The Aces were in the midst of a division title streak and trying to finally get over the playoff hump. They lost again in the American Association Championship Series, but Dai had a solid 2.96 ERA and 3-0 record in 24.1 playoff innings. Atlanta decided to give him a three-year extension worth $7,160,000.

Dai was excellent in 1993 at age 37, posting 7.7 WAR. He was weaker the next year, but still ate a lot of innings. Dai struggled in the 1993 playoffs, but was strong in 1994. Still, Atlanta couldn’t claim the pennant. Dai did have a 3.41 ERA, 7-1 record, 63.1 innings, and 43 strikeouts with the Aces. He would struggle in 1995 and get cut in June. Atlanta briefly brought him back on a minor league deal, but cut him again a few weeks later. Dai ended the season in Montreal’s minor league system, retiring that winter at age 39. For his Atlanta tenure, he had a 41-40 record, 4.12 ERA, 803.1 innings, 432 strikeouts, and 16.4 WAR.

The MLB career for Dai was a 112-110 record, 3.74 ERA, 2099.1 innings, 1292 strikeouts, 616 walks, 148/264 quality starts, 117 complete games, and 46.4 WAR. For his combined pro career, he had a 257-235 record, 2.73 ERA, 4710.1 innings, 4249 strikeouts, 1075 walks, 249 complete games, 123 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 130.6 WAR. Dai was popular, but maybe not noticed as much as he should’ve been due to mostly being on weaker teams. He quietly was one of the most impressive pro pitchers of his era.



Jianfeng Han – Starting Pitcher – Dongguan Donkeys – 81.5% First Ballot

Jianfeng Han was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Zaozhuang, a city with just under four million people in East China’s Shandong province. Han was a fireballer who just blew you away with his great stuff and an incredible 99-101 mph fastball. He also had a good changeup and curveball, but his movement and control were both below average. Still, Han’s power alone was often enough to retire most hitters. He was also a good defensive pitcher and considered an intelligent pitcher. Work ethic concerns would by a criticism from some in the game.

Every inning of Han’s pro career came with Dongguan, but that isn’t where he started. It was Nanjing who signed him as a teenage amateur free agent in 1973. After two years in the developmental system, he was promoted to the reserve roster for the 1976 season. In spring training though, he and three other prospects were shipped off to Dongguan for veteran pitcher Haiqiang Wu. Han would make four relief appearances in 1976 to start his Donkeys career.

Han was a full-time starter and pretty good in 1977, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. A partially torn labrum would cost him half of the 1978 season. He bounced back from that with steady innings and led the Southern League with 320 strikeouts in 1980, but he led in walks the next year. When he was on, Han was impressive. On 7/17/80, he threw a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts and two walks against Shenzhen. He tossed a second no-no on 5/22/82 with nine Ks and no walks against Xiamen. On 8/9/84, Han tied the single-game strikeout record with 19 Ks against Shenzhen. Most impressive about that was that he got his 19 Ks in only 7.1 innings; all of the other instances needed eight or more innings.

Han never won the top award, but three times was second in Pitcher of the Year voting (1982, 1986, 1987). Dongguan gave him a six-year, $3,630,000 extension before the 1984 season. Han led in ERA and WAR in 1986 and had five seasons with 300+ strikeouts. 1986 also saw the Donkeys get their first playoff berth since 1973, although they lost in the semifinal. This would be the only postseason appearances Han would see in his career.

Disaster struck in April 1988 when Han tore his ulnar collateral ligament, knocking him out 14 months. He made it back and impressive hadn’t lost his velocity in 1989, although his effectiveness was down slightly. Han really struggled in 1990 and was moved to the bullpen. At age 35, he decided to call it quits. Dongguan would honor him soon after by retiring his #3 uniform.

Han’s final stats: 168-129 record, 2.15 ERA, 2900.2 innings, 3467 strikeouts, 753 walks, 285/363 quality starts, 91 complete games, 81 FIP-, and 61.6 WAR. His stats actually weren’t too different from the two pitchers that fell off the ballot after ten seasons, but Han’s strikeouts and stellar fastball made him remembered more prominently. At induction, he was sixth all-time in strikeouts and still sits eighth as of 2037. Han’s WAR and advanced stats are at the bottom of CLB Hall of Famers, but he also had the misfortune of a big injury knocking him out early. Han received 81.5% and a first ballot induction as the second player in CLB’s 1996 Hall of Fame class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 WAB Hall of Fame

West Africa Baseball saw three additions into the Hall of Fame in 1996. SP Albert Kamara was the star with a slam dunk 97.0% first ballot nod. 3B Epule Fongang was close behind with a very solid 88.1% first ballot induction. The third player was closer Johnson Madu, who just narrowly reached the 66% requirement with 66.5% on his seventh ballot. The only other player above 50% was CF Stephen Tshukudu at 51.7% in his seventh ballot.



One player fell off after ten ballots in Souleymane Moussa. The Togolese pitcher was hurt by his “official” career starting at age 33 and only seven years’ worth of stats. He still managed an impressive 102-43 record, 2.62 ERA, 1418 innings, 1520 strikeouts, and 38.2 WAR in that short time. With a full career, Moussa might have been a no doubter. But with a small sample size, he peaked at 29.4% in 1988 and ended at 7.4%.



Albert Kamara – Starting Pitcher – Abidjan Athletes – 97.0% First Ballot

Albert Kamara was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Makeni, the largest city in Sierra Leone’s Northern Province with around 85,000 inhabitants. Kamara had good stuff, great control, and above average movement on his pitches. His fastball peaked at 97-99 mph and he could fool you with a stellar changeup in its place. Kamara also had a curveball, forkball, and splitter in his potent arsenal. His stamina was merely okay even by the standard of WAB which expected fewer complete games than other leagues. Kamara was adaptable, but viewed by some as a lone wolf or mercenary type.

Kamara had odd timing where he just missed out on the earliest WAB drafts. He was 19 years old and looking to start a pro baseball career in late 1976, signing a one-year deal with Freetown. He was only under contract with the Foresters for a month, then was traded with another young pitcher Musa Momoh to Abidjan in exchange for veteran shortstop Balogun Mohamed. Kamara spent 1977 on the reserve roster and debuted in 1978 with 33 innings. He made two relief appearances as well as the Athletes fell in the WAB Championship to Lagos.

Kamara was a part-time starter in 1979 and showed a lot of potential, earning the full-time job thereafter. He would excel in the next four seasons, leading the Western League in 1980 and 1982 in wins, ERA, WHIP, quality starts, and WAR. Kamara’s 1.49 ERA in 1980 would be the single-season WAB record until 1997, and is still second best as of 2037. That won him 1980’s Pitcher of the Year AND the MVP. Kamara took second in 1981 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award again in 1982 with a third in MVP voting. In 1981, Kamara also tossed a perfect game on July 26 with 13 strikeouts against Accra.

He was the ace for Abidjan, who was a regular Western League contender. They won the pennant again in 1981, but yet again were denied in the championship by Lagos. The Lizards fell off in 1982, opening the door for the Athletes to win their first title against Port Harcourt. Kamara’s playoff stats were a mixed bag with Abidjan, posting a 3.78 ERA over 52.1 innings with 49 strikeouts. But he played a critical role in them getting there and finishing first in the standings repeatedly.

Abidjan would regress to 83-81 in 1983, missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Kamara was now a free agent for the first time and decided to test the market at age 26. With the Athletes, he finished with a 99-39 record, 2.35 ERA, 1251 innings, 1568 strikeouts, 222 walks, 63 FIP-, and 41.3 WAR. Unsurprisingly, those numbers made him a very hot commodity. It would be Ibadan who signed Kamara on a six-year, $2,574,000 deal.

Kamara was still very good at the start of his Iguanas run, although not as dominant as his peak. He finished third in 1984 Pitcher of the Year voting and second in 1986. Kamara also led the Eastern League in WHIP and K/BB in 1984, plus quality starts in 1985. He got less attension from the WAB community, as Ibadan was middling to start his run. The Iguanas would bottom out at 57-105 in the 1988 season before becoming a regular contender in the 1990s.

In that abysmal 1988 season, Kamara himself played poorly. His numbers had weakened in the prior two seasons, but he had still been a very fine starter. In 1988 though, he posted an atrocious 5.91 ERA over 96 innings. Kamara had another year left on his contract, but Ibadan didn’t want to pay top dollar for a near six ERA. For his tenure though as an Iguana, Kamara had a 69-47 record, 2.71 ERA, 1021 innings, 1285 strikeouts, and 23.6 WAR.

In June 1988, Kamara was traded to Kano for three prospects. He would rebound with a respectable second half for the Condors and become the fourth WAB pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. Kamara also had two good relief appearances in the playoffs, although Kano was ousted in the wild card round. In 1989, Kamara was around league average. He became a free agent after this at age 33 and it marked the end of his time in West African Baseball.

Kamara wasn’t done pitching yet, as the newly formed Arab League Baseball was recruiting veteran talent from across the hemisphere. He earned a long-term commitment from Kuwait with a four-year, $2,480,000 deal. Injuries cost him some innings in his Whales run, but he still provided some steady value in the back end of the rotation. Kamara had three seasons in Kuwait with a 27-37 record, 3.61 ERA, 581.2 innings, 645 strikeouts, and 14.2 WAR.

Now 36 years old, Kuwait traded Kamara in the last year of his deal to Cairo for prospects. He was decent in his one year in Egypt, as the Pharaohs lost in the Western Conference Final. A free agent again, this time Kamara would be bound for Europe, being a rare player to have played on three continents. Barcelona signed him for 19894 on a two-year, $3,640,000 deal.

Kamara was respectable in one year with the Bengals, but did miss time to an elbow strain. Barcelona made it to the European Championship, falling to Birmingham. Kamara stunk though with a 6.04 ERA in 25.1 playoff innings and was let go in the offseason. He joined Rome in 1995, again being a decent back-of-the-rotation guy. That would be his final pro season, retiring at age 39. Between WAB, ALB, and EBF, he had a 242-164 record, 2.93 ERA, 3618 innings, 4249 strikeouts, 586 walks, and 88.9 WAR.

For just his time in West Africa, Kamara had a 187-103 record, 2.62 ERA, 2580.2 innings, 3223 strikeouts, 438 walks, 248/340 quality starts, 73 FIP-, and 69.2 WAR. Few starters to later make the WAB Hall of Fame would have a better career ERA and as of 2037, he’s still ninth best in pitching WAR even with his departure after his age 32 season. Kamara was one of the most impressive pitchers in WAB’s initial days, securing the first ballot induction easily at 97.0%.



Epule “Bonkers” Fongang – Third Base – Nouakchott Night Riders – 88.1% First Ballot

Epule Fongang was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Mfou, a town of 10,000 citizens in southern Cameroon. He got the nickname “Bonkers” for some of the incredible hitting and running feats he’d pull off in his prime. Fongang was an excellent contact hitter in his prime with a respectable eye and a solid ability at avoiding strikeouts. He was lightning quick and an accomplished thief on the basepaths. Fongang had great gap power, averaging around 50 doubles/triples per season while also hitting around 15-25 home runs. He also had a rocket arm at third base, although he did grade out as just below average defensively for his career. Fongang was a scrappy sparkplug type, making him one of the most endearing stars in the earliest days of African baseball.

Fongang’s natural ability caught the attention of a scout from Nouakchott, who brought a 15-year old Fongang to Mauritania in 1975. The Night Riders would bring him up in 1979 at only age 19, where he’d lead the Western League in triples and stolen bases in only 116 games. Fongang took third in Rookie of the Year voting, then became a full-time starter for the next seven years in Nouakchott. His two appearances in the World Baseball Championship with his native Cameroon came in 1979 and 1980.

Fongang was good in 1980 and 1981, but was then outstanding from 1982-86; leading the latter five years in WAR. He led the league in hits seven straight seasons and led in doubles twice, triples seven times, RBI once, total bases four times, stolen bases four times, batting average four times, OBP four times, slugging twice, OPS thrice, and wRC+ four times. Fongang won MVPs in 1983, 1984, and 1986 and took second in both 1982 and 1985. He also took five straight Silver Sluggers from 1982-86.

Fongang had a streak of 22 straight successful steals in 1983 and a 33-game on base streak in 1982. When WAB started, Nouakchott was a bottom level franchise, but Fongang delivered their first-ever playoff berth in 1983 and first WAB championship in 1984. He was a beast in the 1984 title run, winning WLCS and finals MVP with 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 11 games. This forever earned him a spot in the hearts of Nouakchott fans and his #7 uniform would be the first retired by the franchise.

The Night Riders regressed to 79-83 after their title season, then missed the playoffs narrowly at 91-71. Fongang’s last season with Nouakchott in 1986 saw career highs at 11.3 WAR, 49 doubles, 368 total bases, and a 1.004 OPS. It was also a contract year for him and it was clear he would get big money offers from around the world. Night Riders fans were disappointed to see him leave, but continued to cheer Fongang on as he ended up off to Major League Baseball.

For his Nouakchott and WAB tenure, he had 1528 hits, 779 runs, 304 doubles, 117 triples, 129 home runs, 714 RBI, 679 stolen bases, a .320/.359/.540 slash, 163 wRC+, and 64.1 WAR. It was a remarkable stat line in only eight seasons and it is what got Fongang into the 1996 Hall of Fame class at a solid 88.1%. It’s hard to say what could have been on the leaderboards had he stayed, but he was an electric early days star and a key part of a title run for Nouakchott.

Fongang would also one of the first West African players to really cash in big time in America. Brooklyn ended up being the buyer with a massive eight-year, $12,000,000 deal. He’d be averaging $1,500,000 annually, a nice bump considering he made just under a million total over his entire time in Mauritania.

Fongang wouldn’t be a league leader or award winner with the Dodgers, but he was a very solid starter in his first three seasons, posting a .328 average and 5.8 WAR in his MLB debut at age 27. He was an ironman who didn’t see any major injuries, but Fongang would regress noticeably by his fourth season with Brooklyn. By his fifth year of 1991, he was relegated to a bench role. In total with the Dodgers, Fongang had 689 hits, 363 runs, 90 doubles, 75 home runs, 277 RBI, a .289/.338/.456 slash, and 19.8 WAR.

Brooklyn was still on the hook for three more years, but was ready to move on from Fongang. Before the 1992 season, he and prospect 1B Ermano Cortina were traded to Houston for another 1B in Juan Segura. Fongang stayed on the major league roster with the Hornets, but saw limited use over the next three seasons with only 149 games, 70 starts, and 0.0 WAR. Fongang wanted to play somewhere after his deal was up in 1995, but he had to retire after going unsigned at age 36.

For his MLB career, Fongang had 769 hits, 407 runs, 106 doubles, 88 home runs, 326 RBI, a .282/.331/.451 slash, 163 stolen bases, and 19.8 WAR. For his entire pro career, he had 2297 hits, 1186 runs, 410 doubles, 223 triples, 217 home runs, 1040 RBI, 842 stolen bases, a .306/.348/.507, a 150 wRC+, and 83.9 WAR. His grand totals are especially impressive considering he was cooked after his age 30 season. Fongang’s sudden regression was a surprise to himself and those in the game, as there didn’t seem to be a specific reason why he fell so hard. But in the 1980s, Fongang was one of the most exciting players in all of pro baseball.



Johnson “Casino” Madu – Closer – Kano Condors- 66.5% Seventh Ballot

Johnson Madu was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Buguma, a city of around 124,000 people in southern Nigeria. He was nicknamed “Casino” for his love of table games, although he was smart enough to avoid gambling on the diamond in his career. Madu had fantastic stuff with excellent movement and very good control. He had a 97-99 mph fastball and an excellent slider that was almost as fast. Madu was a good defensive pitcher and was known as a very cerebral player. His work ethic and adaptability allowed him to thrice in the big spots.

Madu was already established in Nigeria’s semi-pro ranks when West African Baseball was officially created for the 1975 season. He would sign a three-year, $213,000 deal at age 26 for the inaugural season with Kano. The Condors were the first WAB dynasty, winning the title in 1975 and 1976. Madu played a big role, winning Reliever of the Year in 1975 and taking second in 1976. He was the Eastern League leader in saves both seasons and was third in 1975 Pitcher of the Year voting. Madu had a 33 save streak from August 1975 to June 1976, including three saves in the postseason.

In 1977, a torn meniscus in his right knee cost him almost the entire season. He did make it back by the playoffs, but Kano’s three-peat bid was thwarted in the ELCS by Lagos. Still, in his short run with the Condors, Madu had 83 saves, a 1.68 ERA, 193 innings 316 strikeouts, and 11.4 WAR. He also became a regular with Nigeria in the World Baseball Championship from 1975-84. Madu started more (20) than he pitched in relief (11) in the WBC, posting an 11-4 record, 5 saves, 3.13 ERA, 103.2 innings, 164 strikeouts, and 2.9 WAR.

A free agent again at age 29, Madu signed a one-year deal with Benin City in 1978. He won his second Reliever of the Year and became the first WAB closer to have a 50 save season. As of 2037, he’s one of only three to have reached that mark. The Blue Devils won 107 games, but were third in the standings and lost in the wild card round without Madu seeing the field. A free agent again, his next stop was Lagos.

Madu had 41 saves in 1979 and earned his second ring as the Lizards earned back-to-back titles. This was his finest postseason with five saves in 17.1 innings with a 0.52 ERA, 29 strikeouts, and 1.0 WAR. Lagos didn’t bring him back though and Madu ended up with Kumasi in 1980. Shoulder inflammation knocked him out for the final part of the year, although he was still respectable.

Lagos brought Madu back in 1981 and he took second in Reliever of the Year voting. Although not as dominant in the playoffs, he had four saves and helped the Lizards claim a third title in four years. Madu also joined elite company as a four time champion. This would be his last season as a closer though, as he was never quite the same after shoulder inflammation during his 1982 stint with Bamako.

Madu bounced around mostly in middle relief for the rest of his WAB tenure. He started 1983 with Port Harcourt, but ended back with Bamako on a trade. The Bullfrogs made it to the WAB Championship, but the playoff magic was gone for Madu, who allowed 7 runs in only 1.2 postseason innings. He returned to Kumasi in 1985, who gave him a brief experiment with a few starts. That marked the end of his WAB run at age 36.

Madu would have five more seasons of professional baseball, oddly enough in the Central American Baseball Association. He went to Mexico in 1985 and 1986 with Hermosillo. 1987 started in Santo Domingo but ended in a trade to Guatemala. Madu then spent his final two seasons in Honduras. A torn back muscle in his final fall marked the end of his career at age 41 after the 1989 campaign. For his CABA excursion, he had a 3.00 ERA over 180 innings with 163 strikeouts, 113 ERA+, and 0.5 WAR.

For the WAB run, Madu had a 1.95 ERA, 246 saves and 275 shutdowns, 660 innings, 983 strikeouts, 120 walks, a 183 ERA+ and 48 FIP-, and 29.0 WAR. He was hurt by “officially” starting at age 26, but with closers not seeing as extensive use in WAB, Madu was actually the saves leader until the 2010s. His playoff excellence was worth noting, as 14 postseason saves was the WAB record until passed in the 2030s once. In his playoff career in WAB, he had 14 saves, a 2.72 ERA in 56.1 innings, 82 strikeouts, and 1.9 WAR. Madu was a big part in four championship teams, but WAB voters weren’t keen on the value of relief pitching relative to some other Halls of Fame. He debuted at 48.6% in 1990 and hovered around there before jumping to 61.6% in 1994. He fell back to 54.2% in 1995, but just barely reached the threshold with 66.5%. Madu became a seventh ballot Hall of Famer to round out the 1996 WAB class and the first pure reliever to make the cut.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 SAB Hall of Fame

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South Asia Baseball added SP Vannak Thai into the Hall of Fame as the lone member of the 1996 class. On his fifth attempt, he just squeezed across the 66% requirement by landing at 66.5%. Fellow Bengaluru pitcher Ramesh Kohinoor almost joined him on his third try, but was short at 63.3%. Closer Jason Mayekar was the other player above 50% at 50.3% on his fifth go. Amazingly, the best debuting player on the ballot was CB Bahuvata Mokate with 0.3%; his brother must have had a single vote.



Vannak Thai – Starting Pitcher – Bengaluru Blazers – 66.5% Fifth Ballot

Vannak Thai was a5’11’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Cambonia, Phnom Penh. He was a well-rounded arm with above average stuff, control, and movement. Thai had a 96-98 mph fastball that was impressive that he mixed with a curveball and circle change. Despite his talent, some felt that he was lazy and uncommitted to the game.

Thai was already 27 years old when South Asia Baseball was formed in 1980 and had already gotten some attention barnstorming throughout the southeast. His first SAB deal was a two-year, $472,000 offering with Bangkok. Thai ended up spending three seasons with the Bobcats, helping them to a division title in 1980. While in Thailand, he had a 46-26 record, 3.04 ERA, 604 innings, 708 strikeouts, and 15.7 WAR. Thai was viewed as quite good, but not elite.

He became a free agent after the 1982 campaign and signed a four-year, $1,192,000 deal with Bengaluru. This was his most impressive run, winning Pitcher of the Year in 1985 and taking second in 1984. He led the Indian League in ERA both years, posting an impressive 1.69 in 1985. He also led in WHIP in 1984 and wins in 1985.

The Blazers made the playoffs in SAB’s first seven seasons and all of Thai’s tenure. He stepped up big in the postseason with a 1.66 ERA in six starts, 45.2 innings, and 48 strikeouts. Thai’s 1.57 ERA in 23 innings in 1985 was a big reason for Bengaluru winning the South Asia Baseball championship. For his Blazers four seasons, he had a 71-29 record, 2.42 ERA, 937 innings, 1074 strikeouts, 182 walks, and 24.0 WAR.

Despite still being in good health, 1986 would be Thai’s final season. He became a free agent at age 34, but wasn’t overly committed to sticking with the game. Although he had only made $2,148,000 in his career, which was plenty of money for him to live off of for years to come. Some teams put out feelers, but Thai decided to retire at only age 34.

His official SAB career was only seven years, although his pre-SAB play got him just across the 10 years of service time for Hall of Fame eligibility. Thai had a 117-55 record, 2.66 ERA, 1541 innings, 1782 strikeouts, 74 FIP-, and 39.7 WAR. They are certainly low grand totals and many voters were understandably turned off by that. The still new SAB Hall of Fame was trying to induct its initial players and many voters were anxious to avoid blank ballots. Thaw debuted at 44.5% in 1992 and was the top vote getter in 1995, but only at 52.7%. He was again the best guy out there in 1996 and by virtue of that, he just got the bump up to 66.5% to become the fourth member of SAB’s Hall of Fame.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 ABF Hall of Fame

The Asian Baseball Federation was really no closer in 1996 to electing its first Hall of Famer. SP Zeyad Noori was the top vote getter in his second try, but at a mere 24.2%, down from his 26.1% the prior year. SP Abbas Nadim on his third try had 22.5%. The best debut s saw LF Mahyar Rahmani and CL Touraj Haghighat both at 18.2%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 World Baseball Championship

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The 1996 World Baseball Championship was the 50^th edition of the event and was centered around Johannesburg, South Africa. Division 1 had Taiwan in first at 8-1, while Ukraine and Venezuela were both two games back. It is the third division title in five years for the Taiwanese, who have five division titles total. D2 saw the United States and the Philippines tie for first at 8-1. The Americans won head-to-head for the tiebreaker, sending them to the elite eight for the 42^nd time.

Division 3 had defending runner-up China and Australia both at 7-2. The Chinese had the tiebreaker for an impressive sixth consecutive division title, tying Brazil for the longest such streak by someone other than the USA. China has also moved forward 19 times. A tight Division 4 saw Russia first at 7-2, edging out 6-3 efforts by Argentina, Ghana, Haiti, and Japan. It is the second time in three years the Russians have moved forward and the 13^th overall. In Division 5, defending World Champion Canada (8-1) held off strong 7-2 challenges from the Dominican Republic and the Netherlands. The Canadians have advanced 31 times, second only behind the Americans.

Pakistan impressively swept the Division 6 field at 9-0. It is only the second division win for the Pakistanis, who took third in the 1990 WBC. D7 saw South Korea first at 7-2, while Brazil, Germany, and Portugal were all at 6-3. It was the second title in three years for the Koreans and their 17^th overall. The other unbeaten in divisional play was Indonesia atop D8. The Indonesians have an impressive four year division title streak and 13 division wins overall.

China was first in Round Robin Group A at 5-1, earning an impressive fifth straight final four appearance and their 14^th overall. Taiwan at 3-3 advanced as well, while defending champ Canada and Indonesia were both 2-4. Interestingly enough for Taiwan, all five times they won their division, they also advanced to the final four. In Group B, the United States took the top spot at 5-1 for a 36^th semifinal berth. Pakistan and Russia tied at 3-3 and South Korea was 1-5. The tiebreaker went to the Pakistanis for their second semifinal appearance.

In the semis, China outlasted Pakistan 3-2 and the US swept Taiwan. Pakistan officially was third, matching their prior best from 1990. Taiwan finished fourth for the third time in five years. The Chinese earned a fourth straight finals appearance, something only the Americans had done previously. The US made it to their 32^nd championship.



The 50^th World Championship had the United States back upon their throne, defeating China 4-2. The Americans are now a dominant 28-4 in their finals appearances, getting their first title since 1992. The Chinese were repeat runner up, moving to 4-5 all-time in the championship.



Tournament MVP was US LF Lukas Warrell, a fourth year rising star with Albuquerque. The Tucson, Arizona native had 12 home runs, 27 RBI, 27 hits, 23 runs, 17 walks, 70 total bases, and 2.2 WAR in 24 starts with a .314/.439/.814 slash. Argentina’s Cristian Saez was Best Pitcher. A two-way player with Buenos Aires, his primary value with the Atlantics was in left field while adding respectable relief pitching. In the WBC, the 28-year old tossed 13.2 scoreless innings with 30 strikeouts, allowing only three hits and three walks.

Other notes: South Korea’s Myeong-Hwan Sung was the seventh player to hit for the cycle in the WBC, going 4-4 against the US in the Round Robin. The Philippines’ Franklin Sto. Tomas had a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and five walks against Sudan. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats through 50 editions of the WBC.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 in AAB

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In the second season of the African Association of Baseball, the Southern Conference saw two different playoff teams from the inaugural season. Cape Town, winners of 84 games in 1995, set a new record at 114-48. As of 2037, this is still the SC’s best-ever mark and it would only get bested in all of AAB by Addis Ababa in 2010. The Cowboys also had a 3.23 team ERA, which held as the conference record until 2017. For the wild card spot, defending AAB champ Johannesburg and Luanda tied at 93-69. The Landsharks won the tiebreaker game to deny the Jackalopes’ repeat hopes. Lusaka, the first place team last year, dropped to seventh at 72-90.

Captaining Cape Town’s pitching staff was Yves Munyaneza, who won both Pitcher of the Year and Southern Conference MVP. Nicknamed “Sly,” the 27-year old Rwandan led in ERA (1.59), strikeouts (282), WHIP (0.82), K/BB (5.1), FIP- (40), and WAR (9.3). He had a 21-5 record over 198.1 innings, finishing one win short of a Triple Crown. Munyaneza’s 1.59 ERA is still the AAB single-season record as of 2037. This season also holds records for lowest opponent’s batting average (.157) and OPS (.479).



The Central Conference saw repeat playoff appearances for Ndjamena and Kinshasa, although they switched positions. This time, the Magic finished first at 100-62 and the Sun Cats were second at 96-66. Kinshasa’s pitching staff allowed 1079 hits and 6.59 H/9, both of which are still single-season AAB bests as of 2037. Bujumbura at 86-76 was a distant third place.

Bighorns RF Stijn Steeneveld was the Central Conference MVP. The 31-year old Dutchman was in his second season with Bujumbura after playing in the EBF with Rotterdam previously. Steeneveld led the conference with 58 home runs, 363 total bases, and 7.2 WAR, while adding 106 runs, 128 RBI, and a .290 average. The 58 homers was a new single season record, but that would fall the next year. Pitcher of the Year was Kinshasa’s Hendrik Jongman. The 30-year old South African lefty, he led with 27 quality starts and posted a 15-9 record over 250.1 innings, 2.80 ERA, 220 strikeouts, and 7.8 WAR.

Cape Town cruised to a Southern Conference Championship sweep of Luanda. In a Central Conference Championship rematch, Ndjamena avenged their prior defeat and beat Kinshasa 4-1. It would be two newcomers in the Africa Series, but a South African team would be champ again. The Cowboys topped the Magic 5-3. At 114-48, the 1996 Cowboys would hold the AAB record for most wins by a champion until passed in 2010.



Finals MVP was 3B Almando Galan, a Chilean veteran who joined Cape Town in 1995 after playing for Santiago. In 11 starts, Galan had 13 hits, 6 runs, 3 home runs, and 6 RBI. Pitcher of the Year Yves Munyaneza also set a playoff record with 16.3 K/9. He posted a 1.53 ERA over 17.2 playoff innings with 32 strikeouts. Another still standing playoff record was set by Ndjamena’s Pasi Kalonji with an opponent’s slugging percentage of .125.



Other notes: Johannesburg’s Stefan Cejka had 71 doubles, which still stands as the AAB record as of 2037. Cejka was also the first AAB player to have a 20+ game hit streak, getting to 21 in the summer. Another still standing record was set by Lusaka’s Muktar Abdi with 291 innings pitched.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 in ALB

Arab League Baseball elected to expand the active roster size for the 1997 season to 26 players. ALB would keep this standard until dropping back down to 25 for the 2010 season.



The Western Conference had three repeat division champions. Two-time defending Arab League champ Casablanca extended their Mediterranean Division streak to five seasons at 98-64. However, it was Cairo at 107-55 who had the top overall seed, winning the Nile Division. The Pharaohs won the division by 14 games despite solid efforts by Alexandria (93-69) and Giza (90-72). The Levant Division had Amman first at 88-74, seven better than Jerusalem. Both Cairo and Casablanca have been in the playoffs in six of ALB’s first seven seasons.

The top award winners came from non-playoff teams. Beirut LF Junoon Asghar was the Western Conference MVP, becoming the second ALB player to hit 60+ home runs. His 62 dingers was still five away from Ahmed Hassan Egeh’s 1990 record of 67. The 26-year old Palestinian also led in runs (113), RBI (135), total bases (389), slugging (.684), OPS (1.051), and wRC+ (195), while adding 8.4 WAR and a .293 average. Alexandria’s Ahmed Khandour was Pitcher of the Year as the 25-year old Egyptian lefty led in ERA (2.13) and quality starts (28). Khandour added a 20-8 record over 237 innings with 266 strikeouts and 8.1 WAR.

Amman stunned defending champ Casablanca 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs, denying the Bruins’ three-peat bid. The Aviators were no match for Cairo in the Western Conference Championship as the Pharaohs swept them 3-0. Cairo now has three pennants, having also won the WCC in 1990 and 1992.



The big change in the Eastern Conference was the fall of Medina. The Mastodons had won the EC four consecutive seasons, but they fell to 80-82 and opened up a vacancy at the top. Mosul easily got the top seed at 110-52 atop the Iraq Division. The Muskies were repeat division winners. Dubai set a franchise best at 97-65 and won a third consecutive Gulf Division. In the Saudi Division, Mecca (89-73) was one better than Jeddah (88-74), giving the Marksmen their first-ever division title.

Mosul SS Mohammed Mohamed was repeat Eastern Conference Champion and had a record setting season. He became the second Triple Crown hitter in ALB history at 42 home runs, 135 RBI, and a .389 average. That and his Gold Glove winning defense at short gave him an incredible 16.0 WAR season, which still holds as the ALB all-time record. It was nearly a world record for WAR from a pure position player, just behind the 16.07 by OBA’s Jimmy Caliw in 1976. Mohamed set a new batting average record (that he’d beat himself next year) and his .465 OBP still holds in 2037 as the top mark. His 229 hits was also an ALB record, albeit short lived. The only 22-year old Saudi righty also led the league in total bases (416), slugging (.707), OPS (1.172), and wRC+ (225).

Mosul also saw Rashid Tariq win his third consecutive Eastern Conference Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old Iraqi led in wins (24-6), ERA (2.42), innings (282.1), WHIP (0.93), complete games (14), FIP- (52), and WAR (11.5). His 343 strikeouts were also second in the EC.

Mecca swept Dubai in the first round to send the Marksmen to their first-ever Eastern Conference Championship. They couldn’t stand up to the juggernaut that was Mosul, as the Muskies got the 3-0 sweep for their first pennant.



In the seventh Arab League Championship, Cairo claimed their first-ever title in a seven game classic over Mosul. Finals MVP went to LF Hicham Sow in his first season as a full-time starter. The 26-year old Mauritanian had 15 hits, 6 runs, 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and 3 RBI over 10 playoff starts. The Pharaohs were the first Egyptian team to claim the overall title.



Other notes: Ahmed Hassan Egeh and Bilal Hamdan became the first players to reach 300 career home runs. Catcher Ahmed Assi became the first six-time Gold Glove winner in ALB.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 in ABF

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The Pakistan League again had Hyderabad in first and Karachi in second. The Horned Frogs set a franchise record at 109-53 and set numerous PL records as a pitching staff. Hyderabad had a 2.00 team ERA, 923 hits allowed, 367 runs, and 331 earned runs. Each of these is still second best in the PL as of 2037, only beaten by a stronger Horned Frog staff in 1988. Their 5.58 H/9 and 65 saves remain league records at present. They earned a third straight playoff spot, while the defending PLCS winning Carp (91-71) earned back-to-back. It was a ten game drop to third place Rawalpindi.

Gujranwala was tied for fifth at 77-85, but featured the Pakistan League’s MVP in 1B Haroon Yahya. At only age 22, Yahya led in hits (195), home runs (43), total bases (357) and average (.315) while adding 8.7 WAR and 229 wRC+. Hyderabad had Pitcher of the Year Ahmad Oorzhak in his first season as a full-time starter. The 23-year old righty led in ERA (1.35) but also walks (86). He had a 16-7 record over 232.2 innings, 324 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR.



The Turkish League was incredibly intense in 1996, but defending Asian Baseball Federation champion Adana took the TL again. At 90-72, the Axemen were only two games better than both Ankara and Istanbul, four better than Bursa, and seven ahead of Izmir. Over in the Persian League, Isfahan repeated as the top team at 88-74. Their closest competitor was an 80-82 Tehran squad.

Adana 1B Mohammed Khan was a repeat MVP in the West Asia Association. He led in home runs (58), walks (88), total bases (406), and slugging (.688). Khan added 131 RBI, a .327 average, and 9.7 WAR. It was the final ABF season for the 26-year old Indian lefty, as Khan would be lured to Brazil with an eight-year, $21,000,000 contract with Recife. He spent the remainder of a fine pro career with the Retrievers. Isfahan’s Yazeed Anwari was a repeat Pitcher of the Year winner, leading with a 1.75 ERA, 18-8 record, 0.79 WHIP, 13.4 K/BB, 20 complete games, 8 shutouts, 37 FIP-, and 12.3 WAR. The 23-year old Anwari had 246.2 innings and was second in strikeouts with 362.

The Pakistan League Championship Series was a rematch that saw the same result as last year. Despite being the road underdog, Karachi ousted Hyderabad in only five games. The West Asia Association Championship was also a rematch. Just as in 1995 over there, the favorite Adana prevailed over Isfahan, this time in five games.



In last year’s Asian Baseball Federation Championship, Adana outlasted Karachi in a seven game thriller that ended with a walk off. The 12^th edition in 1996 wouldn’t have the walkoff, but it was also a seven game classic which ended with the Axemen on top over the Carp. Adana became the third franchise to repeat as ABF champs, joining Hyderabad (1986-87) and Istanbul (1988-89). Karachi is now 0-3 in the final and joined Isfahan and Peshawar as the only franchises to lose back-to-back finals berths. These would be the glory days for Adana, as they wouldn’t be back in the final in the next 40 years. The Carp would have to wait until the late 2000s for their next shot at the cup.



Other notes: ABF had three perfect games in 1996, making it seven so far for the league. The first was May 3 by Mohammad Barlas of Rawalpindi with 9 strikeouts against Peshawar. The second was 5/25 by Suq Azam of Hyderabad, fanning 13 against Lahore. The third was 7/4 by Lahore’s Hasan Afshin with 13Ks against Karachi. Multan’s Brazi Nawaz set a single-season ABF record with nine shutouts. Gokhan Karatas became the first player to reach 1000 RBI and the second to 300 home runs.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1996 in SAB



Defending South Asia Baseball Champion Ahmedabad had their worst season since 1987, unable to match their record-setting 124-win 1995. That said, the Animals were still 104-58 and the top seed out of the Indian League. Ahmedabad earned a SAB record 12th playoff berth and their 11th West Division title in that stretch. Visakhapatnam had their six-year playoff streak ended last year, but they were back atop the South Division firmly in 1996 at 101-61. In the Central Division, Jaipur (93-69) ended an 11-year playoff drought. Kanpur at 85-77 narrowly extended their playoff streak to seven years as the wild card. The Poison beat out Delhi by one game and Mumbai by three.

Bengaluru struggled to a lousy 69-93, but 2B Tirtha Upadhyaya repeated as Indian League MVP. At only age 22, the Nepali lefty became SAB’s single season home run king with 69, passing Andee Siddharth’s record 67 from 1987. He’d only hold the record two years, but his 13.58 WAR still stands as the fourth best season in SAB history as of 2037. Upadhyaya also led in runs (119), RBI (134), total bases (426), slugging (.737), OPS (1.132), and wRC+ (261). Pitcher of the Year was Jaipur’s Raj Laghari with the 28-year old leading in ERA (1.57), quality starts (29), and FIP- (59). He added 8.4 WAR, an 18-7 record, and 298 strikeouts in 247 innings.

Ahmedabad beat Kanpur 3-1 and Jaipur downed Visakhapatnam 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs. For the Jokers, it was their fourth Indian League Championship Series berth, although they had gone 0-3 in their other opportunities in the 1980s. The perennial power Animals defended their throne and rolled to a 4-1 win. Ahmedabad secured an IL three-peat and their ninth pennant in eleven years.



Ho Chi Minh City yet again had the Southeast Asia League’s best record. They didn’t match their own 124-win 1995, but were excellent at 115-47 leading the South Division. The Hedgehogs extended their playoff streak to ten seasons. Their pitching staff also allowed only 1103 hits, which remains the SEAL record as of 2037. Bangkok at 98-64 was a distant second in the division, but easily got the first wild card for their second berth in three years. In the North Division, four teams battled for the division title and second wild card. Yangon ended up a repeat division champ at 89-73. Hanoi was one back at 88-74 to earn a repeat wild card. Both Dhaka and Mandalay were 87-75, falling a game short of the postseason.

Bangor’s Keone Sayasane earned Southeast Asia League MVP. The 27-year old Lao first baseman led in hits (201), total bases (393), slugging (.628), OPS (.999), and wRC+ (183). Sayasane added 8.4 WAR, 49 home runs, and 133 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was Ansin “Godzilla” Mohammad. After six years with Pune, he had signed a six-year, $7,770,000 deal with Ho Chi Mihn City for 1996. Mohammad excelled as a Hedgehog, leading in wins (21-9), innings (270), strikeouts (391), and complete games (13). He added a 2.43 ERA and 8.8 WAR.

Ho Chi Minh City beat Vietnamese rival Hanoi 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, while Yangon swept Bangkok. The Hedgehogs were the big favorite in the Southeast Asia League Championship, shooting for a seventh pennant in a decade. However, the Green Dragons shocked them with a sweep in the rematch. This was the fourth pennant for Yangon, who also won back in 1980, 82, and 83.



Entering the 17th South Asia Baseball Championship, the Green Dragons were hoping for their first overall title despite being the major underdog to the Ahmedabad dynasty. Yangon had gone 0-3 in their previous finals, while the Animals were 8-0 in the last decade. The series went six games as Ahmedabad’s historic run continued, earning a second three-peat and a ninth title in 11 years. Never in pro baseball history before or since had there been such sustained dominance and amazingly, the Animals run at the top still had a few more years left. For back-to-back finals, LF Deepak Rahim was the finals MVP. In 15 playoff games, the 30-year old had 19 hits, 6 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 9 RBI.



Other notes: Zainal bin Aziz became the first pitcher to 250 career wins. He retired with 255 and still sits third as of 2037. At 131.96, bin Aziz is still the SAB pitching WARlord. His 4483 strikeouts is still fourth most and held the top spot until the late 2010s. Janapati Sara and Arvind Lal became the third and fourth to reach 3000 strikeouts. 3B Manju Abbas became the first seven-time Gold Glove winner. 2B Abdul Deepkaran won his eighth Silver Slugger.