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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 EBF Hall of Fame

Two players from Zurich’s historic playoff streak earned Hall of Fame nods with the 2006 European Baseball Federation class. 1B Daniel Galonopoulas was a no-brainer with 92.4% and a first ballot nod. Meanwhile, SP Angelo Silvestri saw a huge swing, going from a mere 33.4% in 2005 to 80.8% in 2006. That gigantic shift gave Silvestri a sixth ballot induction.



The next closest to the 66% requirement was 3B Thomas Indiani with 60.9% on his seventh try. LF Kenneth Hammer received 58.9% on his fifth ballot LF Husnija Kojic fell off the ballot with 57.0% on his tenth go and 1B Luigi Cuttone picked up 53.6% on his second try.

For Kojic, he peaked at 59.7% the prior year and bounced between the mid 30% to mid 50% range during his ten tries. He had a 13-year career with Brussels, winning five Silver Sluggers with 1637 hits, 1120 runs, 385 home runs, 965 RBI, a .293/.397/.562 slash, 168 wRC+, and 76.2 WAR. Kojic notably led the Northern Conference eight straight seasons in walks drawn and four times in OBP. He quickly fell off after his age 33 season though, which prevented him from reaching the accumulations required. Kojic had hoped to become the first Bosnian Hall of Famer, but no dice.

Pitcher David Jurik fell off after ten ballots also, peaking at 42.9% on his debut and ending at 15.2%. In 14 years primarily with Milan, he had a 185-155 record, 3.11 ERA, 3079.1 innings, 3042 strikeouts, 119 ERA+, and 78.1 WAR. Jurik won an ERA title, but never won Pitcher of the Year. His lack of dominant stats and being on mostly mediocre Milan teams caused him to be overlooked despite a respectable resume.

2B Jayden Smith also dropped after ten ballots. The Scotsman had a unique path as he didn’t join EBF until his age 27 season, having played on the independent circuit before that. In 11 seasons with Belgrade, he won four Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers, posting 1747 hits, 897 runs, 233 doubles, 308 home runs, 935 RBI, a .303/.351/.522 slash, 149 wRC+, and 80.4 WAR. If Smith hadn’t started late and had a few more years of accumulations, he probably gets a stronger look. He debuted at 39.9% but fell to 14.2% by the final ballot.



Daniel Galonopoulas – First Base – Zurich Mountaineers – 92.4% First Ballot

Daniel Galonopoulas was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Ayia Varvara, Greece; a western suburb of Athens with around 27,000 people. Galonopoulas was a solid contact hitter with a powerful bat, hitting 40+ home runs in six different seasons. He’d also regularly get you around 30 doubles per season with his gap power. Galonopoulas was above average at drawing walks, but his strikeout rate was lousy.

Galonopoulas was a big galoot on the basepaths with terrible speed and grace. Despite that sluggishness, he managed to be delightfully average to sometimes good defensively as a first baseman. Galonopoulas had respectable durability and didn’t usually miss significant time. He was an excellent leader and one of Zurich’s team captains during their playoff run, earning tremendous respect throughout European baseball.

Galonopoulas’s big frame and potential was spotted even as a teenager in the greater Athens area. A visiting Swiss scout signed him as a teenage amateur in January 1977, bringing him to Zurich. Galonopoulas spent most of the next six years in the developmental academy. He did officially debut with 23 at bats in 1981 at age 20, but was back to the reserve roster in 1982. Zurich was already a decade into their playoff streak by this point, so roster spots weren’t easy to come by.

Galonopoulas secured a part-time role in 1983, then earned the full-time spot in 1984. He was the full-time first baseman from then onward, only missing time mainly in his later years due to injury. Galonopoulas’ first full season saw 49 home runs and 7.3 WAR, which snagged his first Silver Slugger. He only won once more in 1986 at the ultra-competitive first base.

1986 would be Galonopoulas’ finest season and his lone MVP. He led the Southern Conference with 138 runs and 162 RBI and also had career bests in hits (214), homers (57), OPS (1.048), and WAR (8.5). Galonopoulas had 11 seasons with 100+ RBI, 13 seasons with 30+ homers, and six seasons with 6+ WAR. Despite that, the 1986 campaign was his only time as a league leader.

Galonopoulas shined brightest in the playoffs as Zurich continued what would be a 21-year playoff streak with 24 berths in 25 years. Despite his efforts, the Mountaineers for the longest time couldn’t get over the playoff hump. They won the Southern Conference pennant in 1983 and 1984, but wouldn’t take it again from 1983-92. They made the conference final thrice in that stretch, but lost each time.

For his playoff career, Galonopoulas had 108 games, 131 hits, 58 runs, 23 doubles, 27 home runs, 68 RBI, a .319/.367/.582 slash, 160 wRC+, and a 5.1 WAR. As a team captain, he shouldered responsibility for the lack of playoff success. Galonopoulas stayed a popular and important figure for the franchise. Zurich gave him an eight-year, $7,540,000 extension in the summer of 1986.

While he carried on in Switzerland, Galonopoulas still held love for his native Greece. From 1984-2000, he played in 146 games with 142 starts in the World Baseball Championship, posting 117 hits, 78 runs, 28 doubles, 35 home runs, 84 RBI, a .225/.301/.481 slash, 126 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR.

In 1993, Zurich finally got the monkey off their back and won the European Championship in the 21^st and final year of their playoff streak. Galonopoulas was instrumental, winning MVP of the conference final and the championship against Birmingham. In 14 playoff starts, Galonopoulas had 23 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 19 RBI, a .418/.475/.836 slash, and 1.5 WAR. Finally, the Mountaineers captain had his ring.

Coming up on age 33, he signed for another five years and $9,500,000 in January 1994. Galonopoulas continued to play well, although that was the peak of the Zurich run. They missed the playoffs in 1994 to end the streak at 21 seasons, then a world record. They got back in 1995, 96, and 97, but were one-and-done each year. Then in 1998, Zurich had its first losing season since 1971.

Injuries started to plague Galonopoulas a bit in the later years, but he was still a good bat well into his 30s. In his twilight years he crossed the 600 home run and 1500 career RBI milestones. Zurich brought him back in 2000 on a qualifying offer, but he struggled and was limited to a bench leadership role. Galonopoulas retired that winter at age 39 and immediately saw his #19 uniform retired by the Mountaineers.

Galonopoulas had 2757 hits, 1534 runs, 481 doubles, 639 home runs, 1866 RBI, a .301/.357/.574 slash, 155 wRC+ and 91.0 WAR. As of 2037, he is still 14^th all-time in RBI and 15^th in home runs. Galonopoulas was a terrific leader and a huge piece of Zurich’s historic playoff run, making him an easy Hall of Fame choice. He received 92.4% to headline EBF’s 2006 class.



Angelo “Dog” Silvestri – Starting Pitcher – Zurich Mountaineers – 80.8% Sixth Ballot

Angelo Silvestri was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Chene-Bourg, Switzerland; a municipality of around 9,000 in the greater Geneva area. Nicknamed “Dog” Silvestri had excellent control and outstanding movement with his arsenal. His stuff was merely graded as above average to good with a 97-99 mph fastball, good curveball, and okay slider in his repertoire.

Silvestri was remarkably effective when healthy, but he had a lot of injury issues along with middling stamina. He always put in the time and effort, earning the respect of teammates and foes alike. Silvestri was also viewed as very intelligent with few pitchers as effectively able to pick the right spot for their pitches.

Silvestri started drawing attention from scouts as a teenager. His home country team Zurich quickly wanted to lock up the talented Swiss prospect, signing him to an amateur deal in February 1978. Silvestri officially debuted with three relief appearances in 1981 at age 21, then saw 14 games in 1982. The Mountaineers moved him into the full-time rotation starting with the 1983 season.

Despite being a full-time starter from 1983-86, he only narrowly topped 200 innings once due to various injuries. Silvestri was quite effective when healthy though and Zurich gave him a four-year extension worth $3,320,000 in June 1986. Silvestri had a very good 1987, then put it all together for a fantastic 1988.

That year, Silvestri was the ERA leader at 2.28 and WARlord at 11.5, winning his lone Pitcher of the Year award. He would lead the conference in K/BB five times and also lead in quality starts in 1990. Silvestri had a good 1989 despite some back troubles, but his excellent 1988 earned him another six years and $8,880,000 signed in early 1990.

1990 saw a 9.5 WAR effort, earning second in Pitcher of the Year voting. It was also his final full season as he went from having nagging smaller injuries to a major one. The third start of 1991 saw a torn UCL, knocking out Silvestri for 13 months. Silvestri made it back for sporadic starts the next three years, but his effectiveness with hit-and-miss.

Silvestri would post a 3.46 ERA in four playoff starts in 1993, helping Zurich finally win the European Championship after falling short in 20 straight playoff appearances. For his career, Silvestri had a 3.36 ERA and 9-9 in 187.2 playoff innings with 158 strikeouts, 18 walks, 110 ERA+, and 3.4 WAR.

Additionally, Silvestri was a regular for the Swiss national team in the World Baseball Championship. From 1982-94, he pitched 129 innings for Switzerland with a 9-3 record, 1.95 ERA, 166 strikeouts, 31 walks, 187 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR.

1994 started with an oblique strain costing Silvestri seven weeks. Then on June 30, he tore his UCL again, putting him on the shelf for another 11 months. Silvestri attempted a comeback in 1995, but only made it back for three lousy innings. He finally realized he was done, retiring that winter at age 35. Zurich would retire his #18 uniform for his lengthy service and role in both the playoff streak and the 1993 title.

Silvestri finished with a 153-70 record, 2.81 ERA, 2045 innings, 1785 strikeouts, 207 walks, 8.6 K/BB, 181/274 quality starts, 136 ERA+, and 71 FIP-, 58.9 WAR. His rate stats certainly weren’t out of place compared to other EBF Hall of Famers, but his accumulations were on the low end due to the injuries. Only two other starting pitchers had gotten inducted with fewer innings. His best year showed Silvestri could be absolutely elite, but he had trouble sustaining it.

It seemed like Silvestri would be a Hall of Good guy with a debut of 33.0% in 2001. He grew to 49.0% in 2002, but dropped back to 32.8% in 2003. Silvestri saw a huge boost to 62.8% in 2004, but plummeted to 33.4% in 2005. The rollercoaster continued and he had the massive swing up to 80.8% in 2006. Regardless of why the change of heart happened, this earned Silvestri the sixth ballot induction, joining his longtime teammate Daniel Galonopoulas as the 2006 EBF Hall of Fame inductees.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 EPB Hall of Fame

Pitcher Levka Khagba was the lone addition into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. The Irkutsk ace was a first ballot pick with 76.0%. Fellow pitcher Petr Bidzinashvili almost joined him, but fell heartbreakingly short at 64.3% on his ninth ballot. That was the closest he had come to the 66% requirement yet. Two fourth-ballot pitchers also were above 50% with Dana Bancu at 59.7% and Giorgi Mkadze at 57.1%.



Reliever Vladislav Minev fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 52.0% in 1999 but ending at 18.6%. The Bulgarian journeyman pitched for nine EPB teams with 319 saves in 1014.1 innings, a 1.95 ERA, 1164 strikeouts, 267 walks, 152 ERA+, and 36.0 WAR. His stats are fairly comparable to other EPB relievers that made the cut, but he had fewer strikeouts and no major awards.



Levka “Baby Bull” Khagba – Starting Pitcher – Irkutsk Ice Cats – 76.0% First Ballot

Levka Khagba was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Sayanogorsk, Russia; a town of around 50,000 people in southern Siberia. Nicknamed “Baby Bull” as a child, Khagba had great movement on his pitches with good stuff. His control was below average, but he was often able to overcome that. Khagba’s fastball was in the 97-99 mph range and was part of a five pitch lineup that included a great forkball, a curveball, slider, and changeup. Khagba’s stamina was merely okay compared to most other EPB aces. However, he was very durable and still could reliably get you 200+ innings each year.

Khagba spent his entire pro career with Irkutsk, who picked him sixth overall in the 1986 EPB Draft. He struggled as a part-time starter in his rookie year, but adjusted the next year when added full-time to the rotation. After a couple decent years, Khagba emerged as a bonafide ace in 1991, leading the Asian League in ERA (1.69) and quality starts (31). That earned him Pitcher of the Year honors.

Khagba actually bested his ERA in 1992 at 1.64 and posted 7.9 WAR with a career best 310 strikeouts, taking second in POTY voting. Irkutsk would emerge as an Asian League dynasty in the 1990s. 1990 marked the start of an eight-season postseason streak. From 1992-97, the Ice Cats had six straight ALCS appearances with five pennants (1992, 93, 95, 96, 97). Irkutsk took home the EPB Championship in both 1993 and 1995.

Despite being a big reason they were a contender, Khagba’s playoff stats were unremarkable. He was 8-8 in 26 starts and 183.1 innings with a 3.49 ERA, 184 strikeouts, 45 walks, and 3.5 WAR. Khagba had a lackluster 83 ERA+, but his 89 FIP- suggested he got some bad breaks. Regardless, Khagba had a big role in Irkutsk’s success.

In 1995, Khagba posted career bests in wins (23-3), ERA (1.59), and WAR (8.0), winning Pitcher of the Year for the second time. After a good 1996, Khagba was a free agent for the first time at age 31. He tested the market for a month, then decided to re-sign with Irkutsk for six years and $11,460,000.

Khagba look good in 1997 and 1998 with 6+ WAR seasons both years. His velocity started to drop though with a very middling 1999 campaign. When 2000 dawned, Khagba was now barely hitting the low 90s after previously regularly finding the high 90s. He was on roster in 2000, but only saw 4.1 innings. Khagba retired that winter at age 35 and the Ice Cats retired his #34 uniform.

Khagba finished with a 201-125 record, 2.37 ERA, 3146.2 innings, 3140 strikeouts, 124 ERA+, 81 FIP-, 303/396 quality starts, and 69.3 WAR. His stats weren’t at the top of the leaderboards, but they weren’t out of place either. Two POTYs, a starring role in a dynasty, and a relatively weak 2006 ballot swayed most voters that were worried about the accumulations. Khagba received 76.0% for the first ballot nod as the lone 2006 EPB inductee.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 OBA Hall of Fame

The Oceania Baseball Association had two players added to the Hall of Fame with the 2006 voting. Both were first ballot picks with LF Quentin Basa a lock at 97.5% and a solid 76.8% by SP Evan Tofuola. RF Ryan Whatley got 53.9% in his tenth and final opportunity and CL Garnet Wallace earned 52.5% for his third go. No one else was above 50%.



For Whatley, he was hurt by having half his career in MLB. He had a decade in Sydney, winning three MVPs and seven Silver Sluggers. Whatley then spent nine years in MLB before playing a final OBA season with Honolulu. The extremely popular Australian for his full pro career had 2715 hits, 1388 runs, 412 doubles, 151 triples, 277 home runs, 1200 RBI, 1050 walks, 996 stolen bases, a .290/.359/.454 slash, 139 wRC+, and 92.6 WAR.

For just OBA though, Whatley had 1468 hits, 726 runs, 241 doubles, 156 home runs, 673 RBI, 541 walks, 664 stolen bases, a .289/.354/.467 slash, 149 wRC+, and 59.4 WAR. There was a lot of voters who couldn’t get over the low totals and the fact that Whatley played on some bad Sydney teams despite his efforts. Not many guys had three MVPs though and his brief dominance still got him as high as 61.2% on the 2003 ballot. Whatley ended at 53.9%, losing out on a likely HOF nod due to leaving for MLB.



Quentin Basa – Left Field – Tahiti Tropics – 97.5% First Ballot

Quentin Basa was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Santa Cruz, Philippines; a city of around 120,000 on the main Luzon island. Basa was a very well-rounded hitter who generally graded out as good to great across the board. He was a solid contact and power hitter with a good eye, although his strikeout rate was average. Basa averaged around 34 home runs and 28 doubles/triples per his 162 game average.

Basa’s speed wasn’t awful, but was firmly below average. He played exclusively in left field defensively and graded out as reliably average for his career. Basa had excellent durability and started 130+ games in 19 consecutive seasons. He was a scrappy sparkplug with a tireless work ethic, becoming one of OBA’s most enduring superstars of the 1980s and 1990s.

The first three rounds of the OBA Draft had regional restrictions which didn’t include the few Filipino players that opted for OBA instead of Austronesia Professional Baseball. Basa declared his OBA intent and was viewed as an elite hitting prospect, even if he couldn’t be picked until the fourth round. He was the first pick of the fourth, 52^nd overall, in 1979 by Tahiti. Basa earned a starting spot immediately with the Tropics and took third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1980.

Basa was a respectable rookie, but was elite by year two, winning the 1981 MVP and leading the Pacific League in wRC+. That was his first of three seasons worth 8+ WAR. He’d post 11 straight worth 5+ WAR with six of those going for 6+. Basa’s well-rounded nature meant he wasn’t often the leader in the big stats, but he was regularly in the top five or top ten. With Tahiti, he led in hits once, batting average once, runs once, walks once, WAR once, and OBP twice.

Basa was third in MVP voting in 1983, 84, 88, and 89. He won six of his ten Silver Sluggers with Tahiti (1981, 82, 83, 88, 89, 93). Basa was a beloved superstar for Tropics fans and signed an eight-year, $6,420,000 extension in the summer of 1986. Despite his efforts, Tahiti was largely average during his tenure with their best years paling in comparison to the Honolulu dynasty. Over his 15 year with the Tropics, they averaged 78 wins per season.

Although playing in the Pacific League, Basa was extremely popular back home in the Philippines. He played in 163 games with 137 starts from 1981-99 in the World Baseball Championship. Basa had 136 hits, 88 runs, 13 doubles, 36 home runs, 80 RBI, a .264/.353/.510 slash, 149 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR with the Filipino national team.

Basa still was playing at a high level into his 30s, even leading in WAR in 1993 at age 34. After 1994, his contract was up and he and Tahiti mutually agreed to move on. With the Tropics, Basa had 2376 hits, 1134 runs, 330 doubles, 463 home runs, 1156 RBI, a .280/.341/.498 slash, 166 wRC+, and 93.4 WAR. He’d remain a beloved franchise icon for years to come and would see his #4 uniform retired at the end of his career.

Even at age 36, Basa still attracted plenty of free agent attention. He signed a three-year, $5,460,000 deal with Guam, who was the runner-up the prior year in the OBA Championship. Basa won Silver Sluggers in both 1995 and 1996 for the Golden Eagles, who finished behind Honolulu both seasons in the Pacific League standings. With Guam, Basa had 309 hits, 147 runs, 68 home runs, 160 RBI, a .279/.341/.509 slash, 156 wRC+, and 11.6 WAR.

Now 38 years old, Basa was traded by Guam of all places to their main rival Honolulu for two prospects. Basa still had no luck getting that elusive finals appearance, as the Honu finished third behind Guam and Samoa. He won his ninth Silver Slugger in his one year with Honolulu with 40 home runs and 104 RBI. It was his first triple-digit RBI season and his fourth time hitting 40 homers.

The 39-year old Basa signed for 1998 with Samoa on a three-year, $4,960,000 deal. He seemingly found the fountain of youth as he was moved to DH and hit league bests in runs (101), RBI (109), total bases (352), slugging (.644), OPS (.955), and 187 wRC+. All but the wRC+ mark were career bests for Basa, as was his 52 homers. He won his second Pacific League MVP a remarkable 17 years after his first. It was his last great shot at a pennant and he was thwarted again as the Sun Sox took second to Guam.

In that 1998 season as well, Basa passed Sione Hala’s 2872 hits and 1402 runs to become the new OBA career hits and runs leader. Age caught up to him and Basa looked merely okay as a part-time starter in 1999, but he became the first OBA batter to reach 3000 career hits and the first to reach 1500 runs scored. Basa also became the fourth to 1500 career RBI. He only saw 21 games and 2 starts in 2000 for Samoa, retiring that winter at age 42. Basa had 8.8 WAR and a 166 wRC+ with the Sun Sox.

For his career, Basa had 3078 hits, 1506 runs, 434 doubles, 87 triples, 643 home runs, 1582 RBI, 984 walks, a .279/.339/.509 slash, 165 wRC+, and 119.8 WAR. At retirement, he was the only OBA player to have played 3000+ games (3072). Basa also retired as the hits and runs leader, seventh in doubles, fourth in home runs, third in RBI, and third in WAR for position players.

As of 2037, Basa is still second in games played, sixth in hits, eighth in runs, ninth in homers, ninth in RBI, and fourth in WAR for position players. His longevity and reliability were remarkable and being to win MVP at age 22 and age 39 is incredibly impressive. That is believed to be the longest gap in pro baseball history between MVP wins. Basa was a slam dunk first ballot choice for the 2006 ballot at 97.5% and was an inner-circle level superstar.



Evan Tofuola – Starting Pitcher – Honolulu Honu – 76.8% First Ballot

Evan Tofuola was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Faleasiu, Samoa; a village with around 4,000 people on the island of Upolu. Tofuola had excellent stuff with roughly average control and movement. His fastball regularly hit 96-98 mph, but his most dominant pitch was an awesome slider. Tofuola also had a good curveball and okay changeup in the arsenal.

His stamina was considered fairly average, but he did run into sporadic injury issues. Tofuola was a team captain, known for being an excellent leader with a terrific work ethic. He was one of the important figures in the clubhouse during the second chunk of Honolulu’s great dynasty run in the Pacific League.

Tofuola was spotted as a teenager at a baseball camp in Samoa by a visiting scout from the Honu. They signed him to an amateur deal in February 1982, bringing Tofuola to Hawaii. He officially debuted in 1986 at age 21, but he saw limited action with 180.2 innings over his first three years. Cracking the lineup was difficult in the four-man rotation of OBA for a dominant club. Tofuola’s first OBA Championship ring came with the 1986 squad, although he didn’t play in the final.

1988 was Tofuola’s first time pitching in the final and he did well with a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings, helping Honolulu win the title over Christchurch. That helped earn Tofuola a full-time rotation slot going forward. He got to see their second three-peat in a decade as the Honu won the 1988, 89, and 90 OBA titles. Tofuola had a great 1989 finals with a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings, although he struggled with a 7.20 ERA in 10 innings in 1990.

Tofuola earned third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1989. 1990 was Tofuola’s real breakout season, leading the Pacific League in strikeouts (401) and FIP- (65), and WAR (9.1). Those were all career bests, but amazingly he wasn’t a POTY finalist. He led in WHIP in 1991, but missed two months to an elbow strain. That year was also notable as he tossed a no-hitter on September 11 with nine strikeouts and two walks versus Tahiti.

Honolulu finished second in the PL in both 1991 and 1992. The Honu gave Tofuola a three-year, $3,360,000 extension in the spring of 1992. That was a tough year for him though as an elbow strain, followed by a torn meniscus cost him most of the year. A setback with his knee knocked him out nine months in total.

He came back for a pretty good 1993 though, helping Honolulu to another PL pennant. They lost the OBA Championship to Perth and didn’t have Tofuola for the final part of the season due to a partially torn labrum. He bounced back with a full 1994, leading in strikeouts for the second time with 368. Tofuola was again third in POTY voting, the closest he’d get. The Honu took second in the PL that year to Guam.

Honolulu committed long-term to the now 30-year old Tofuola in February with a six-year, $8,280,000 extension. He was solid in 1995 and 1996, helping the Honu win two more pennants. They took the 1995 OBA final, but lost in 1996. Tofuola was great in the 1995 run, but poor in his lone 1996 start. For his playoff career, Tofuola recorded a 2.85 ERA and 4-2 record over 66.1 innings with 80 strikeouts, 21 walks, a 105 ERA+, and 1.1 WAR.

On September 12, 1996, Tofuola made history with the seventh OBA Perfect Game, striking out 14 against Honolulu. He became the 13^th OBA pitcher to have multiple no-hitters in a career. That would mark the end of the great dynasty, as the Honu fell below .500 by the end of the century. In 1997, an elbow strain and shoulder inflammation limited him to only 13 starts for the full season.

When Tofuola returned for 1998, his ability had diminished notably. He stayed relatively healthy in his final three years, but put up mediocre numbers. He even led the league with 102 walks in 1999. Tofuola tore his meniscus late in 2000 and retired that winter at age 35. Honolulu honored their long-term captain by retiring his #37 uniform.

Tofuola ended with a 176-138 record, 2.82 ERA, 3062.2 innings, 3390 strikeouts, 777 walks, 267/398 quality starts, 113 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 53.3 WAR. His numbers aren’t necessarily out of place, but he was neither overly dominant nor someone with great longevity and tallies. At a glance, Tofuola wasn’t an absolute slam dunk pick.

However, he was well respected for his great leadership, a hard to measure intangible that helped Honolulu keep its dynasty running. That was a helpful fact for some of the skeptical voters who had Tofuola on the borderline. He received 76.8%, good enough for the first ballot addition to round out the 2006 OBA class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 APB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

Austronesia Professional Baseball had a massive six player Hall of Fame class in 2006, the second largest in world history behind the mammoth seven player Eurasian Professional Baseball group from the prior year. All six of the APB group was first ballot additions and four of them were absolute slam dunks that got above 97%.



Leading the way were pitchers Alex Clavijo (99.6%), Mulya Dayanti (98.9%), Ricky Jungao (98.9%), and Ronald Purnomo (97.8%). Joining them was LF Nerius Senaen at 79.2% and 1B Tunggul Widhyasari (73.7%). Two other first ballot players had good showings, but fell short of the 66% requirement. SP Hong-Hui Tseng had 63.1% and RF Min-Yi Lu received 57.3%. The best returning player only got 30.7%.

Dropped after ten ballots was DH Ming-Yi Wang, who won two MVPs with Taoyuan. He had a 21-year career but did leave for MLB for around five seasons. In APB, Wang had 1943 hits, 905 runs, 344 doubles, 326 home runs, 990 RBI, a .277/.349/.475 slash, 156 wRC+, and 64.6 WAR. APB voters are notorious tough on hitters and Wang’s MLB excursions kept him just short of some counting milestones. There were also voters that were reluctant regarding a career DH. Wang peaked with a debut at 43.0% and ended with a measly 6.9%.

Closer Wei-Chien Lin also fell off after ten ballots. He also left for MLB for a few years to lower his APB totals. He ended with 298 saves, 913.1 innings, 2.03 ERA, 1057 strikeouts, 137 ERA+, and 25.6 WAR. Lin didn’t win major awards and lacked the dominance of other greats. He peaked at 32.5% on his debut and ended with 5.1%.



Alex Clavijo – Starting Pitcher – Cebu Crows – 99.6% First Ballot

Alex Clavijo was a 6’2’’, 175 pound left-handed pitcher from Kinatihan; a village of around 2,000 people in the Quezon region of the Philippines. Clavijo was known for having phenomenal stuff with very good movement and control. A 96-98 mph cutter led the way and was complimented by a curveball, changeup, and circle change.

Clavijo’s stamina and duraiblty was relatively average compared to most APB aces. Defensively, he did earn Gold Gloves in 1994 and 1995. Clavijo was viewed as a very intelligent guy, but he wasn’t looked to for leadership. Clavijo’s game did the talking, as his peak seasons were among the most dominant you could find.

In April 1980, a teenaged Clavijo was spotted and signed as an amateur by Cebu. He spent the majority of six years in their academy, officially debuting with two relief appearances in 1985 at age 21. He graduated to the rotation full time in 1986 and looked decent, but did lose two months to a strained hamstring. By his only second year, Clavijo was considered by many in APB as the best pitcher in the game.

The 1987 campaign saw his first of six straight 10+ WAR seasons. In this stretch, Clavijo led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in ERA four times, strikeouts four times, WHIP four times, K/BB five times, FIP- six times, WAR four times, wins once, complete games once, and shutouts once. Clavijo won four Pitcher of the Year awards (1987, 88, 90, 91) and took second in 1989. In the midst of this run, Cebu gave Clavijo a six-year, $5,080,000 extension in September 1989.

The finest of his incredible seasons came in 1990, which saw a Triple Crown with a 24-6 record, 0.96 ERA, and 419 strikeouts. It was the third lowest ERA in an APB season by a qualifying starter and as of 2037 is one of only eight seasons with a sub-one ERA. That, the win tally, and his 14.9 WAR were all career bests. The 0.58 WHIP was the second-lowest in APB history at the time and still sits eighth as of 2037.

The 1990 season also saw Clavijo toss APB’s 18^th perfect game. He did it on September 9 with 13 strikeouts against Kaohsiung. 1990 also had a 20 strikeout game on July 6 against Zamboanga which also featured 10 Ks in a row. His 11 shutouts fell one short of the all-time single-season record and the season included a stretch of 53 straight scoreless innings. Clavijo won MVP in addition to POTY in 1990. He was also third in 1987’s MVP voting.

With Clavijo as the ace, Cebu became a regular Philippine League contender. They won the PL in 1988, 90, 91, and 92. He was considered the star despite outstanding efforts by his teammate and fellow 2006 HOFer Ricky Jungao. There were multiple seasons in which they were #1 and #2 in the Pitcher of the Year voting.

The Crows three-peated as Taiwan-Philippine Association champ from 1990-92 and won the Austronesia Championship in 1991 against Batam. In his playoff career for Cebu, Clavijo lacked run support with a 2-6 record over 97.1 innings. Still, he had a 2.03 ERA, 131 strikeouts, 10 walks, 4.7 WAR, and a 137 ERA+. His 38 FIP- showed that he more than held up his end of the bargain.

Clavijo also pitched from 1988-99 for the Philippines in the World Baseball Championship. In 125 WBC innings, he had a 3.31 ERA, 189 strikeouts, 36 walks, 109 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 4.3 WAR. Clavijo’s career would forever change though with the 1993 WBC. Entering that year’s tournament, he was on top of the world. The 29-year old had won three straight ERA titles and Cebu had won three straight pennants.

Then in his first inning of the WBC on January 20, Clavijo suffered a catastrophic damaged elbow ligament. This ultimately shelved him for 14 months, missing the entire 1993 campaign for Cebu. He rehabbed and made it back in late spring 1994 for the Crows, but was never nearly the unstoppable force he was in his peak. Clavijo’s stuff and movement both took a notable dip.

With that said, he didn’t come back as a bum by any stretch, but his 3.9 WAR in 1994 was very pedestrian after having six straight 10+ efforts. The Crows plummeted to 68-94 in the year he was gone in 1993. They did bounce back to 88 wins in 1994, but missed the playoffs. With the bounce back, Cebu decided to sign Clavijo to a four-year, $5,200,000 extension in January 1995.

Clavijo looked good to start 1995, but Cebu decidedly did not. The Crows ultimately went 66-96 that season and opted to sell at the trade deadline. Clavijo was moved to Taoyuan in exchange for three prospects, ending an impressive decade run with Cebu. He’d still be very well respected for his role in the dynasty and had his #13 uniform eventually retired. As a Crow, Clavijo had a 143-79 record, 1.74 ERA, 2166 innings, 2938 strikeouts, 270 walks, 161 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 84.9 WAR.

Taoyuan was trying to start their own dynasty, having won the TPA pennant in 1994. The Tsunami won the Taiwan League again in 1995, but fell to Davao in the association final. Clavijo finished the year with a 7.0 WAR and would go onto post another 7 WAR in 1996, 9 WAR in 1997, an 5.1 WAR in 1998. 1997 also had Clavijo lead in K/BB (12.5) and FIP- (47). He looked like a great ace again, but wasn’t the unstoppable strikeout machine of his prime years.

Still, Clavijo helped Taoyuan establish their own dynasty, as they won back-to-back APB titles in 1996 and 1997. He was great in the 1995 and 1996 postseason starts, but did struggle in 1997. For his 42.1 playoff innings with the Tsunami, Clavijo had a 2.98 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 6 walks, 90 ERA+, and 0.5 WAR.

Taoyuan signed Clavijo to a four-year, $10,560,000 extension after the 1998 season. The team fell towards the middle of the standings for the rest of his run. Clavijo looked very average in 1999 and missed seven weeks to a strained forearm. That year, he did cross 4000 career strikeouts, the 11^th APB pitcher to do so.

In 2000, Clavijo’s velocity had noticeable dropped and he was demoted to the bullpen, posting -0.4 WAR over 82 innings. He decided to retire that winter at age 36. With Taoyuan, Clavijo had a 75-50 record, 2.43 ERA, 1089.1 innings, 1191 strikeouts, 162 walks, 111 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 27.7 WAR.

Clavijo ended with a 218-129 record, 1.97 ERA, 3255.1 innings, 4129 strikeouts, 432 walks, 320/390 quality starts, 140 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 112.5 WAR. His 1987-92 stretch was among the greatest six year runs any pitcher in any league has had. Had the 1993 elbow blowout not happened, some argued Clavijo could’ve been on his way to a GOAT-level career.

Still, he was a no-doubt inner circle Hall of Famer as the ace of two dynasty runs. As of 2037, Clavijo is ninth in WAR among APB pitchers, 20^th in strikeouts, and 20^th in wins. He got 99.6%, the highest vote total of the loaded six-player 2006 APB Hall of Fame class.



Mulya “Rash” Dayanti – Starting Pitcher – Semarang Sliders – 98.9% First Ballot

Mulya Dayanti was a 6’7’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Karang Tengah, Indonesia; a district of 117,000 people within greater Jakarta. Dayanti was a fireballer with excellent stuff, good movement, and solid control. His fastball regularly hit the 99-101 mph range and was mixed with a slider, changeup, and knuckle curve.

Dayanti’s stamina was average by APB ace standards, but he had excellent durability, leading to 200+ innings in all but his final season. He was great at holding runners and considered a strong defensive pitcher, winning a Gold Glove in 1991. His power profile helped him become one of the premiere strikeout pitchers of the 1980s and 1990s in APB.

A 6’7’’ lefty who throws 100 MPH quickly gets the attention of any baseball scout. In the 1983 APB Draft, Dayanti was picked third overall by Semarang. They kept him in developmental in 1984, then debuted him as a full-timer in 1985. Dayanti struck out 307 batters in his debut season, earning 1985 Rookie of the Year honors.

Dayanti had a good 1986, followed by an excellent 1987 with a career and Sundaland Association best 415 strikeouts. The 10.0 WAR effort earned him second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Dayanti led in WHIP in 1988 and the Sliders gave him a five-year, $2,684,000 extension.

That year, Semarang won the Sundaland Association crown, falling to Taipei in the Austronesia Championship. They missed the playoffs in 1989, then won it all over Cebu in 1990. Dayanti was excellent in these playoff runs with a 0.95 ERA in six starts and 47.1 innings, striking out 73 with 5 walks, a 255 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR. After the 1990 title, the Sliders fell towards the middle of the standings for the rest of Dayanti’s tenure.

In 1989 and 1990, he led both seasons in strikeouts and WAR. 1990 also had a league and career best 1.07 ERA, 0.59 WHIP, and 10.2 WAR. 1990 was Dayanti’s lone Pitcher of the Year win and saw a second place in MVP voting. He also had an 8.3 WAR effort in 1991 and won his lone Gold Glove.

Dayanti was also a regular for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship, tossing 172 innings from 1987-97. He had a 15-5 record, 3.30 ERA, 232 strikeouts, 60 walks, 110 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 4.1 WAR. Dayanti also posted a no-hitter in the 1992 WBC against Iran with 13 strikeouts and 3 walks. In the 1992 APB season, he also notably had a 20 strikeout game against Depok.

1992 did see some regression with a career worst 2.69 ERA and a 4.8 WAR, his lowest since his rookie year. Dayanti still had another 300+ strikeout season. His eight-year streak of 300+ Ks ended in 1993, although he was generally more effective in fewer innings. Semarang dropped to 80-82, their first losing season since 1983. Still, they seemed committed to Dayanti as their ace, giving him a six-year, $6,960,000 extension in July 1993.

That extension would be spent elsewhere, as the Sliders opted to trade Dayanti in the winter of 1993. They sent him to Taipei for a haul of three prospects, ending the Semarang run after nine seasons. Dayanti remained popular and his #14 uniform would be retired. In total for the Sliders, he had a 147-83 record, 1.78 ERA, 2268.1 innings, 3132 strikeouts, 347 walks, 133 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 64.0 WAR.

Dayanti was 32 years old as he began his Taipei run, but returned to his dominant form after two weaker years to end the Semarang tenure. He had four straight 8+ WAR seasons and three with 370+ strikeouts, giving him 11 seasons in his career with 300+ Ks. Dayanti was the WARlord with 10+ in both 1995 and 1996. He also led in wins and WHIP in 1994, Ks in 1996, and ERA in 1997.

Ultimately, he didn’t win a second Pitcher of the Year award. But with the Tigercats, he was third in 1994, second in 1995, second in 1996, and third in 1997. Dayanti improved his control and ultimately his effectiveness in his 30s. The best individual moment came with a no-hitter on August 1, 1997 with 11 strikeouts against Cebu.

Taipei was stuck in the middle of the standings during Dayanti’s run, although they did win the Taiwan League in 1998. They lost the association final to Quezon with Dayanti posting a 3.07 ERA over 14.2 playoff innings. The Tigercats were happy with Dayanti’s results and gave him a two-year, $5,920,000 extension after the 1998 campaign.

Age started to catch up with Dayanti’s velocity steeply dropping in 1999, going from high 90s to mid 90s. He was still a decent starter that year and became the fourth APB pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts. Dayanti’s velocity plummeted further and he was demoted to the bullpen in 2000, struggling to a 4.18 ERA and -0.9 WAR in 75.1 innings.

At that point, hitting 90 mph was tough and his hopes of catching Vhon Lasam’s 5365 career strikeouts seemed futile. Dayanti retired that winter at age 38. For his Taipei tenure, he had a 100-60 record, 1.98 ERA, 1612.2 innings, 1904 strikeouts, 137 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 47.1 WAR.

Dayanti ended with a 247-143 record, 1.86 ERA, 3881 innings, 5036 strikeouts, 557 walks, 387/460 quality starts, 134 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 111.0 WAR. With such great stats, it is surprising he won Pitcher of the Year only once. But he was directly against a lot of great aces (with four stud pitchers within the 2006 HOF class alone). At 98.9%, Dayanti had the second highest vote total of that group. As of 2037, he is 11^th in pitching WAR, fifth in strikeouts, and seventh in wins.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 APB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Ricky Jungao – Starting Pitcher – Cebu Crows – 98.9% First Ballot

Ricky Jungao was a 6’8’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Del Pilar, Philippines; a barangay of 10,000 within the city of San Fernando in Central Luzon. Despite his size, Jungao wasn’t a total fireballer, although he still had excellent stuff, great movement, and above average control. His 94-96 mph cutter and sinker were both very tough to hit, as was a great forkball. Jungao also had an occasional changeup in his arsenal.

Jungao’s stamina was excellent, leading the Taiwan-Philippine Association five times in complete games and four times in innings pitched. He tossed 270+ innings on ten different occasions and maintained pretty good durability despite that load. Jungao was quite good at holding runners and was solid defensively. He was outspoken, which rubbed some people the wrong way. There were those who appreciated his candor and Jungao ended up an extremely popular figure in Filipino baseball.

His size and potential caught scouts’ attention as you’d expect ahead of the 1982 APB Draft. Jungao was picked third overall by Cebu, but wasn’t used immediately. He didn’t play in 1983 and only tossed two innings in 1984. The Crows tossed him into the rotation full time in 1985 and there were growing pains, as he led the TPA in losses and had a 3.86 ERA. Jungao figured it out though in year two, starting a streak of 12 straight seasons worth 7+ WAR or better.

During Cebu’s prime run, Jungao was considered by some to be the Robin to Alex Clavijo’s Batman. At times though, you could argue Jungao was better. He took second in 1988 Pitcher of the Year voting and signed a seven-year, $3,840,000 extension that autumn. From 1988-94, he had six seasons worth 10+ WAR and five worth 11+. In that run, Jungao led in WAR thrice, strikeouts thrice, ERA twice, wins once, innings once, WHIP once, quality starts twice, complete games thrice, and shutouts thrice.

Jungao won his first Pitcher of the Year in 1989. He was second to Clavijo in both 1990 and 1991, then won POTY for the second time in 1992 while taking third in MVP voting. Jungao was second again in 1993, then won his third POTY in 1994. He was third in 1995, leading again in strikeouts and innings pitched that year.

The one-two of Jungao and Clavijo pushed Cebu to their four Philippine League titles from 1988-92. They won TPA pennants in 1990, 91, and 92; then won the APB title in 1991. Jungao’s first postseason in 1988 was lousy, but he was outstanding in his later outings, even winning 1992 TPA Championship MVP. For his playoff career, Jungao had a 6-5 record and 1.32 ERA over 115.2 innings with 145 strikeouts, 11 walks, a 210 ERA+, and 5.0 WAR.

Jungao also became a beloved national star in the Philippines for his dominance in the World Baseball Championship. From 1986-99, he pitched 237.1 innings with a 1.78 ERA, 18-7 record, 358 strikeouts, 204 ERA+, 46 FIP-, and 10.6 WAR. As of 2037, he has the 13^th most WAR of any WBC pitcher. Jungao also had a no-hitter in the 1994 WBC, striking out 15 with three walks against Ireland.

Cebu fell towards mediocrity after their early 1990s success. They had one playoff appearance in 1996, but otherwise were generally below .500 for the rest of the decade. The Crows entered a rebuilding phase and traded the post-injury Clavijo. But they decided to keep Jungao around, locking him in as the true ace with a five-year, $12,600,000 extension in March 1995.

Jungao had an excellent 1997, leading in WAR, strikeouts, and innings. However, he wasn’t an awards finalist. Small injuries kept him out for a part of 1998, but he was still solid when healthy. Then in 1999, severe shoulder inflammation put him out five months. Jungao became a free agent for the first time at age 37, but Cebu decided to bring him back on a two-year deal.

His strikeout dominance and velocity were gone in 2000, but he still posted a very respectable 4.3 WAR and 143 ERA that season over 235.1 innings. He joined the 5000 strikeout club and finished the season 206 away from Vhon Lasam’s all-time mark. Jungao wasn’t inclined to try to chase it though and retired that winter at age 37. Cebu immediately retired his #20 uniform.

Jungao finished with a 238-166 record, 2.06 ERA, 4131.1 innings, 5159 strikeouts, 755 walks, 389/484 quality starts, 260 complete games, 64 shutouts, 134 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 136.7 WAR. His absolute peak wasn’t quite as high as his teammate Clavijo, but Jungao sustained greatness for a longer stretch with more innings, earning some of the most prominent leaderboard spots among the 2006 HOF pitchers.

As of 2037, he’s the APB career leader in complete games. Jungao is also fifth all-time in WAR among pitchers, third in strikeouts, tenth in wins, and eighth in innings pitched. It is hard to rank which was the best of the four 2006 Hall of Fame pitchers, although Jungao is the WARlord in that group. He had the third highest vote total at 98.9%, another stone cold lock.



Ronald Purnomo – Starting Pitcher – Palembang Panthers – 97.8% First Ballot

Ronald Purnomo was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Pekanbaru, the capital of Indonesia’s Riau province. Purnomo was known for having excellent control, but he also had very good stuff with solid movement in his prime. He had a 97-99 mph cutter that was equally mixed with a curveball and changeup. Purnomo had pretty good stamina and great durability, tossing 230+ innings each year from 1984-98.

Purnomo was considered a very good defensive pitcher, winning a Gold Glove in 1995. He also was a passable batter as pitchers go, winning a Silver Slugger in 1991. He posted a .150 career batting average. Purnomo worked hard and posted a very impressive career even amongst the field of outstanding pitchers in his era of APB.

Purnomo was picked third overall by Palembang in the 1980 APB Draft. The Panthers used him in three short starts in 1982, then as a heavily used reliever in 1983. Purnomo was a part-time starter with a full load in 1984, then a full-time starter from 1985 onward. He didn’t have his great control in his earliest years, but had honed his craft in that regard by his third full season in 1985.

With Palembang, he twice led in quality starts, once in wins, once in innings, once in complete games, and once in shutouts. Purnomo had five straight seasons worth 5.9 WAR from 1986-90. He was second in 1989 Pitcher of the Year voting, second again in 1990, and third in 1992. Ultimately, Purnomo never won the top award. He had ten straight seasons from 1986-95 with 300+ strikeouts, but despite high career totals never led the Sundaland Association.

Palembang was his longest tenure and the team he was inducted into the Hall with. It was hard for Purnomo to get noticed though, as the Panthers were in the cellar during his time. Palembang only had one winning season during his tenure and that was a mere 84-78 effort. Purnomo had signed a six-year, $2,970,000 extension with Palembang after the 1986 season.

In 1987, he did make baseball history by joining the very small group with two no-hitters in the same season. Not only that, but he had them both in the same month. On May 5, Purnomo had 7 strikeouts and one walk in a no-no versus Medan. Then on May 26, he struck out 11 with one walk against his hometown team Pekanbaru. Purnomo is the only APB pitcher to have two no-hitters in the same calendar month, although the great Vhon Lasam did twice throw two no-hitters within a 30-day period.

Although he never got to pitch in the APB postseason, Purnomo did see the world stage from 1986-99 for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship. He did well with a 19-6 record and 8 saves over 173.2 innings, 218 strikeouts, 36 walks, 151 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. Purnomo was also part of Indonesia’s 1999 world champion team.

Purnomo’s Palembang tenure ended after the 1991 season as he was traded to Surabaya in the offseason for three prospects. The Panthers would retire his #20 uniform and he’d remain well known as one of the few redeeming things from a forgettable era for them. With Palembang, Purnomo had a 143-100 record, 2.08 ERA, 2348 innings, 2628 strikeouts, 427 walks, a 117 ERA+, and 41.7 WAR.

Palembang was his longest tenure, but he’d have more WAR and look far more impressive in his time with Surabaya. It was the final year of his Panthers deal in 1992, but the Sunbirds wanted him long-term. They signed Purnomo to a six-year, $6,960,000 extension only a month into his tenure. The deal ended up a fruitful one for both parties.

Purnomo had five straight seasons of 7.5+ WAR and even posted a 10.2 WAR effort in 1995. That year, he was second in Pitcher of the Year voting, also leading the SA in wins, K/BB, and quality starts. Purnomo also led in wins in 1993, innings once, and both K/BB and quality starts once more.

Surabaya was better than Palembang, but didn’t make the playoffs in Purnomo’s six-year tenure, averaging 84.2 wins per year. Sadly, Purnomo never got to play in a postseason game for his whole career. His great control meant his game aged well with a 1.82 ERA and 137 ERA+ in his 30s with the Sunbirds. In total over six seasons, Purnomo had a 101-62 record, 1619.2 innings, 1921 strikeouts, and 48.2 WAR.

Purnomo was a free agent for the first time at age 37 entering the 1998 season. He signed a three-year, $6,720,000 deal with Jakarta. His great control and durability meant he still played, but his stuff and dominance waned a bit. Still, in two years with the Jaguars, Purnomo had a 2.47 ERA and 108 ERA+, 111.8 WAR, 22-22 record, and 511 strikeouts over 455.1 innings. With Jakarta, he crossed 250 career wins and 5000+ strikeouts.

After the 1999 season, Purnomo was traded by Jakarta to Taoyuan for prospects. Some wondered if he could catch both the all-time wins mark and the all-time strikeout marks. However, Purnomo entered camp with the Tsunami with his velocity down to the low 90s. He struggled for -0.4 WAR and was demoted to a bullpen role. Purnomo retired that winter at age 40, falling five wins and 243 strikeouts shy of the all-time marks.

Purnomo ended with a 272-188 record, 2.05 ERA, 4506.1 innings, 5122 strikeouts, 652 walks, 424/505 quality starts, 170 complete games, 52 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 101.2 WAR. He was often overshadowed by other greats like those in the 2006 class, who had more dominant and eye-popping years. Being on mostly bad to mid teams didn’t help his recognition. Purnomo’s impressive longevity though gave him very prominent spots on the leaderboards.

As of 2037, Purnomo is third all-time in wins, fourth in innings pitched, fourth in strikeouts, and 14^th in WAR. He may not be in the GOAT conversations, but Purnomo very easily earned induction at 97.8% even amongst the loaded pitching group that joined him on the 2006 ballot.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 APB Hall of Fame (Part 3)

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Nerius Senaen – Left Field – Batam Blue Raiders – 79.2% First Ballot

Nerius Senaen was a 6’1’’, 185 pound left-handed left fielder from Tarogong, Indonesia, a district with around 115,000 people on the West Java province. Senaen was an all-around excellent hitter who was very effective at hitting for contact and drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was average. He had a strong bad as well, averaging 31 home runs, 28 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average.

Senaen was firmly above average in terms of baserunning speed and ability. He played the vast majority of his defense in left field and also graded out there as consistently above average to sometimes good. Despite his long career, he would have a couple seasons where he missed a month or two to injury. Senaen was known as a strong leader and hard worker, becoming a wildly popular figure within Indonesian baseball.

With the third pick in the 1988 APB Draft, Senaen was picked third overall by Batam. His entire APB run came with the Blue Raiders, who made him a full-time starter immediately. Senaen placed third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1989. Then, he exploded onto the scene as his sophomore season was arguably the finest of his entire storied career.

Senaen posted a Triple Crown season with 38 home runs, 93 RBI, and .313 batting average. His 12.4 WAR was the second-most in a season by a position player at that point in APB history and still sits seventh as of 2037. Senaen also led in the triple slash, wRC+, total bases, and runs scored. Naturally, he won Sundaland Association MVP and his first of seven Silver Sluggers.

Senaen ushered in a decade of regular contention for Batam, who won eight Malacca League titles from 1990-99. The Blue Raiders won the SA pennant in 1991, 1997, and 1998. In 1998, they finally won the Austronesia Championship against Quezon. Senaen’s playoff career had 64 starts, 67 hits, 25 runs, 12 doubles, 6 home runs, 27 RBI, a .275/.327/.422 slash, 157 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR.

From 1990-2003, Senaen also saw 187 games and 175 starts for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship. He posted 181 hits, 115 runs, 36 doubles, 43 home runs, 106 RBI, a .279/.389/.554 slash, 172 wRC+, and 9.3 WAR. He took second in 1993 WBC MVP voting, then won it in 1997. That year, he led all players with 10 home runs and 2.4 WAR. Senaen also earned a world title with the 1999 Indonesia team. As of 2037, he’s Indonesia’s WBC all-time leader in WAR, games, starts, hits, runs, and doubles.

Senaen was a mega-star and regularly dominated the leaderboards. Batam gave him an eight-year, $13,360,000 extension in June 1993. Over 12 years, he led the Sundaland Association in runs thrice, hits twice, doubles thrice, homers once, RBI thrice, walks once, total bases four times, batting average five times, OBP eight times, slugging four times, OPS five times, wRC+ five times, and WAR four times.

Even with some injuries in that run, he had a 10-year run of 7+ WAR seasons and hit 10+ six times. Apart from his rookie and final season, Senaen’s wRC+ topped 200 each season. He won six MVPs (1990, 92, 93, 94, 98, 99) while taking second in 1991 and 1996 with a third in 1997. Senaen’s Silver Sluggers were 1990, 91, 92, 93, 96, 98, and 99. He also won Gold Gloves in 1993 and 1994. Senaen was the first-ever six-time MVP in APB, a mark which wouldn’t be matched until 2025.

Senaen rolled into his 30s looking great, posting 10.5 and 11.5 WAR in his age 32 and 33 seasons. He finally looked mortal though in 2000 as a herniated disc cost Senaen half of the season. That season also had career worsts in wRC+ and WAR. Batam also missed the playoffs and appeared to be heading into a rebuilding phase. With that, they parted with their superstar slugger. Senaen still remained adored and his #38 uniform would be retired.

Heading into his age 35 season, Senaen was a free agent for the first time. Having six MVPs will get you worldwide attention and he cashed in for MLB money. Senaen signed a four-year, $30,000,000 deal with Toronto. He had a pretty strong debut season for the Timberwolves with 5.4 WAR and 165 wRC+. In 2002, he looked merely okay as his batting average dropped while his strikeout rate worsened.

By 2003, Senaen was now demoted to a bench role. He only had 29 starts in his final two seasons and only saw sporadic pinch hit appearances generally against righties only. For his Toronto run with MLB, he had 8.7 WAR, 304 hits, 178 runs, 65 home runs, 168 RBI, and a .248/.311/.459 slash. Senaen retired after the 2004 season at age 38.

For his APB run, Senaen had 1836 hits, 885 runs, 324 doubles, 107 triples, 340 home runs, 944 RBI, 361 stolen bases, a .303/.370/.560 slash, 221 wRC+, and 106.1 WAR. As of 2037, he’s one of only three APB Hall of Famers with a career batting average above .300 and one of three with a .900+ OPS; a very difficult feat in the dead ball world of APB.

At retirement, he also led all APB batters in on-base percentage, slugging and OPS. His rate stats are certainly among the absolute top-tier of APB batters. With a career 206 wRC+, Senaen joins a very small group in any world league above 200+ for a full career. As of 2037 among all APB players with 3000 plate appearances, he is second in OBP, fourth in slugging, and third in OPS.

However, because he left when he did, the grand accumulations are lower than you’d expect. As of 2037, he is 15^th in WAR among position players, but outside of the top 50 in the counting stats. That, plus the general harsh standards of APB voters meant Senaen only got 79.2% even as a six-time MVP. Regardless, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the six-player 2006 class and one of the most efficient hitters in APB history.



Tunggul Widhyasari – First Base – Medan Marlins – 73.7% First Ballot

Tunggul Widhyasari was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Psarkemis, Indonesia; a district with 273,000 people in the Banten province. At his peak, Widhyasari was an outstanding all-around hitter who could hit well for average and power and had a sharp eye. Even in the very low offense environment of APB, he hit 40 home runs in four seasons. Widhyasari also regularly got around 25 doubles per year as well. His strikeout rate was a bit below average, but he made his opportunities count.

Widhyasari was a very intelligent and crafty baserunner, although his speed was firmly mediocre. He primarily played first base with the occasional start in left field or as a designated hitter. Defensively, he was quite lousy. While he did have nagging injuries in his career, Widhyasari managed to hang around into his mid 40s. Some teammates thought he was a bit selfish, but his excellent bat made him very popular in his prime.

Even out of high school, Widhyasari received a lot of attention from scouts throughout Indonesia. He was a rare teenage draft pick in the 1974 APB Draft, picked 15^th overall by Jakarta. Widhyasari opted to pass though and begin his collegiate career. He only improved his stock by the time he was next eligible in 1977. That year, Medan picked Widhyasari with the #1 overall pick.

Widhyasari was used as a platoon starter as a rookie, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a full-time starter after, but continued to have a very pronounced split difference. For his full pro career against righties, Widhyasari had a 195 wRC+ and .905 OPS. Against lefties, he had a .662 OPS and 124 wRC+. Widhyasari was good in his prime against lefties, but he was absolutely dominant against righties.

That dominance helped make him a fixture on the leaderboards while with Medan. In nine seasons with the Marlins, Widhyasari led the Sundlaand Association in runs four times, hits twice, doubles thrice, home runs four times, RBI four times, walks thrice, total bases thrice, batting average four times, OBP six times, slugging thrice, OPS four times, wRC+ four times, and WAR thrice. Widhyasari had six seasons worth 8+ WAR and two worth 10+.

In 1980 and 1981, Widhyasari earned back-to-back Triple Crowns, then did it a third time in 1985. Until Binh Tang came around and re-wrote the history books in the 2020s, Widhyasari had three of the eight Triple Crowns seasons in APB history by a batter. 1980 was the big year with APB career bests in hits (200), homers (47), RBI (120), total bases (373), average (.329), slugging (.613), OPS (.992), and wRC+ (247).

Widhyasari was Sundlanad Association MVP in each of his Triple Crown seasons. He also took second in 1979, second in 1983, and second in 1984 during his Medan run. Widhyasari also took Silver Sluggers in 1980, 81, 83, 84, and 85. With Widhyasari’s potent bat, Medan became a regular fixture at the top of the Malacca League.

From 1980-84, Medan earned four ML titles and won the Sundaland Association title in 1981, 83, and 84. Each time, they were ultimately denied in the Austronesia Championship. Widhyasari’s 36 playoff starts for the Marlins saw 34 hits, 11 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, a .260/.340/.405 slash, 165 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR.

Widhyasari was also a regular for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship from 1979-93, making 153 starts and playing 164 games. He had 135 hits, 93 runs, 33 doubles, 45 home runs, 107 RBI, 77 walks, a .246/.343/.557 slash, 149 wRC+, and 6.8 WAR. Widhyasari won MVP of the 1986 WBC with 14 home runs, 27 RBI, 22 runs, 32 hits, 8 doubles, and 2.7 WAR in 25 starts. That year, Indonesia made it to the World Championship for the first time, losing the final to Canada.

That was the peak of 1986 though, as that season was a rough one. A severely strained hip muscle in late March cost him three months, then a hamstring strain cost him another two months. Widhyasari only played five games in what would be his final season with Medan. The Marlins had been trying for years to lock him up long-term, but Widhyasari was interested in testing the market. Although, the injury did hurt his earning potential as he’d enter free agency at age 31.

With Medan, Widhyasari had 1265 hits, 637 runs, 206 doubles, 287 home runs, 679 RBI, 478 walks, .296/.366/.553 slash, 223 wRC+, and 64.4 WAR. He would remain very popular with Marlins fans and his #15 uniform would eventually be retired. Widhyasari didn’t get the big long-term deal he hoped, signing a two-year, $1,120,000 deal with two-time defending Sundaland Association champ Jakarta.

Widhyasari returned to form in 1987 for the Jaguars, leading in runs, homers, RBI, walks, total bases, slugging, and OPS. He won his sixth and final Silver Slugger and took second in MVP voting. Jakarta made the playoffs, but incidentally lost the association final to Medan. He went 8-28 in the series with one homer. Widhyasari’s old team would win it all in their first-year without him under employ.

Jakarta just missed the playoffs in 1988 and Widhyasari missed close to three months to injury. While still solid when healthy, he wasn’t quite at the MVP level. In his two years with the Jaguars (plus a 1997 return season), Widhyasari had 352 hits, 184 runs, 66 home runs, 184 RBI, a .263/.343/.464 slash, 172 wRC+, and 15.6 WAR. This ended his first run within Austronesia Professional Baseball.

Now 33 years old, Widhyasari was able to get a five-year, $8,400,000 deal with MLB’s Oklahoma City. His tenure was mixed with the Outlaws, who were firmly one of MLB’s weaker squads in his run. Widhyasari had a powerful 1991 with 48 home runs, 146 wRC+, and 5.2 WAR. His other seasons were merely above average and saw sporadic injury woes. Still, OKC was fine with the production they got from a guy in his mid 30s.

In total in MLB, Widhyasari had 639 games, 614 hits, 357 runs, 77 doubles, 154 home runs, 350 RBI, a.262/.336/.495 slash, 126 wRC+, and 12.9 WAR. He decided to return to Indonesia and signed a two-year, $4,160,000 deal with Semarang. Widhyasari would never play a game for the Sliders, suffering a broken kneecap in spring training 1994. He missed the entire season, then was traded that winter to Batam for three prospects.

Widhyasari was 39 years old entering the 1995 campaign and looked very mid with a 1.3 WAR over 104 games for the Blue Raiders. He signed for 1996 with Bandung and only played 110 games, but he still put up good batting numbers in a fully platoon role with 3.0 WAR. Jakarta brought him back for 1997 he had 3.0 WAR over 122 games. Batam then re-signed a now 42-year old Widhyasari for 1998.

That year, he had an impressive resurgence with 4.7 WAR and a 171 wRC+ in 143 games. Widhyasari also had a respectable postseason and helped the Blue Raiders win the 1998 APB Championship for his first ring. Widhyasari had 11 hits, 5 runs, 4 extra base hits, and 7 RBI in 12 playoff starts. That would be his final season as a full-time starter.

Widhyasari played two more seasons almost exclusively as a pinch hitter role. He played 117 games for Palembang in 1999, then had 98 games for Bandung in 2000. Widhyasari retired after the 2000 campaign as one of the select few in pro baseball history to play games as a 45-year old. For his entire pro career, Widhyasari had 2568 hits, 1349 runs, 384 doubles, 568 home runs, 1379 RBI, 1058 walks, a .276/.350/.508 slash, 182 wRC+, and 104.5 WAR.

For just his APB years, Widhyasari had 1954 hits, 992 runs, 307 doubles, 414 home runs, 1029 RBI, 801 walks, a .281/.355/.512 slash, 201 wRC+, and 91.6 WAR. Like Senaen, his MLB excursion cost him some tallies on the accumulation leaderboards, falling shy of the 1000 run and 2000 hit milestones. As of 2037, his WAR total is 25^th among all position players. Because of his elder statesmen years, some may have forgotten how dominant he was in his prime.

The notoriously tough on hitters APB voters only gave Widhyasari 73.7% to round out the six-player 2006 class. However, three MVPs and three Triple Crowns prove that in his prime in the 1980s, Widhyasari was arguably APB’s finest hitter. His career OPS is still 15^th best among all APB players with 3000 plate appearances.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 CLB Hall of Fame

The 2006 Chinese League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was one of the weakest in history with no inductees and only one player even above 50%. That was SP Baoxian He, who only narrowly missed the 66% requirement with 65.1%. That was the closest he had gotten in nine tries. The best debut was 1B Xiaoyu Su at only 38.2%. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries. It was the first time since 1999 that CLB didn’t add any players into its HOF.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 WAB Hall of Fame

For the third time in five years, West African Baseball didn’t add anyone into its Hall of Fame. The closest to the 66% requirement in 2006 was 1B Daouda Kadri, getting 59.9% on his fourth ballot. The only other player above 50% was SP Kasim Shuaibu at 50.7% on his fifth go. The best debut was CL Corliss Ganiyu at a mere 40.9%. No players were dropped from the ballot following ten failed attempts.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

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Three players earned their way into the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Each did it on their first ballot with SP Arvind Lal and OF K.C. Choudhury being slam dunks at 98.7% and 98.3%, respectively. OF Dhavalapaksa Dattatreya joined them with 72.4% in his debut. OF Indirjeet Dayada only narrowly missed the 66% requirement with 59.8% on his sixth ballot. Also above 50% was 2B Abdul Deepkaran with a 57.1% debut. No one was dropped after ten ballots.



Arvind Lal – Starting Pitcher – Kanpur Poison – 98.7% First Ballot

Arvind Lal was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Pune, India’s eighth most populous metropolitan area with more than seven million inhabitants. Lal was a well-rounded pitcher with very solid stuff and control, plus good movement. His fastball regularly was in the 97-99 mph range and was countered with an outstanding curveball, great splitter, and rarely used changeup. Lal’s stamina was viewed as above average compared to other SAB aces.

Lal was quite durable and got you 200+ innings pretty much each year. He was also a very good defensive pitcher, winning Gold Gloves in his final two seasons. Perhaps his greatest asset was his leadership as a team captain. Lal was one of the most respected and praised clubhouse figures of the era. That and his talent made him a superstar pitcher of Indian baseball in the 1980s and 1990s.

Lal was signed as a teenage amateur in June 1980 by Kanpur. He would debut in 1984 at age 20, making 27 appearances and one start. Lal earned a full-time starting role in 1985 and was a fixture atop the rotation for the next nine years with the Poison. He would post seven consecutive seasons worth 5+ WAR for Kanpur.

In 1987 and 1988, Lal was named the Indian League Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA, K/BB, and WHIP both seasons. 1987 had career bests in ERA (1.63), and WHIP (0.82) with the ERA mark sitting as the 12^th best qualifying season in SAB history as of 2037. Lal also led in wins that year, then led in WAR in 1988. 1988 was also his first of four seasons with 300+ strikeouts, although it was the only time he reached that mark with Kanpur.

Lal was a big reason Kanpur became a contender for the first time in franchise history. 1987 was their first-ever playoff appearance, although they were one-and-done and he got rocked in his lone start. Lal redeemed himself as the Poison went 104-58 in 1988 and won the South Asia Baseball Championship against Phnom Penh. In 29.2 playoff innings, Lal had a 4-1 record and 1 save, 1.21 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and 7 walks. He played a big role in them upsetting Ahmedabad in the ILCS, denying the Animals a three-peat.

Kanpur had a shocking collapse to 66-96 in 1989, but that was an aberration. They earned seven straight playoff berths from 1990-96, although Ahmedabad’s dynasty was in full swing at this point. The Poison were one-and-done in 1990, 91, and 92, but pulled off a surprising ILCS win in 1993 as a wild card. They would drop the SAB Championship that year to Johor Bahru. In his playoff career for Kanpur, Lal had a 7-5 record, 2.51 ERA over 93.1 innings, 129 strikeouts, 22 walks, 130 ERA+, and 2.6 WAR.

The Poison had given Lal a six-year, $3,150,000 extension after winning the 1987 POTY. He wasn’t as dominant in his later years in Kanpur, but did take second in 1990’s POTY voting. Lal also began pitching for India in the World Baseball Championship, tossing 142.1 innings from 1987-98. He had a 3.16 ERA, 10-5 record, 176 strikeouts, 35 walks, 116 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR.

In total with Kanpur, Lal had a 143-63 record, 73 saves, 2.42 ERA, 1945 innings, 2402 strikeouts, 414 walks, 162 quality starts, 32 complete games, 138 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 52.6 WAR. He would remain beloved by Kanpur fans despite leaving and his #24 uniform would get retired for his role in their first-ever title. Like many other teams though, Kanpur wasn’t in position to match a big free agent deal for Lal. At this point, the Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City dynasties were far and away financially ahead of the rest of SAB.

Lal did negotiate with both teams, but decided to sit out the 1994 season, apart from the WBC. He came back though for age 31, signing a two-year deal beginning in 1995 with Ahmedabad. Lal ended up pitching six years total with the Animals, inking a four-year, $7,060,000 deal after the 1996 campaign. All six seasons saw 5.8+ WAR or better.

In his Ahmedabad debut, Lal led in wins with a career-best 24-4 record, earning his third Pitcher of the Year. The next year had a career and league best 365 strikeouts, plus a league-best 8.9 WAR, but he surprisingly wasn’t a finalist. Lal took second in 1997 by leading in wins, then took second again in 1998 with the lead in ERA.

Lal was excellent in the postseason as Ahmedabad’s dynasty rolled on. They won the Indian League pennant all six years he was there and won the SAB title in 1995, 96, 98, and 99. He would miss the 1999 playoff run to bone chips in his elbow, but was strong in the other playoff outings. He had an 11-2 record over 18 starts and 134.1 innings, a 2.14 ERA, 166 strikeouts, 29 walks, 146 ERA+, and 4.1 WAR.

Between Ahmedabad and Kanpur, Lal’s playoff stats saw a 2.29 ERA and 139 ERA+, 227.2 innings, 18-7 record, 295 strikeouts, 51 walks, 25/31 quality starts, and 6.7 WAR. As of 2037, he’s SAB’s all-time playoff pitching leader in WAR, wins, innings, and strikeouts. You could argue Lal is the greatest playoff pitcher in SAB history with that stat line, plus five SAB rings and eight Indian League pennants to his name.

In 2000, Lal joined Zainal bin Aziz as the only SAB pitchers with 250+ career wins and 4000+ career strikeouts. He would pass bin Aziz as the all-time wins leader, but fell short on Ks. Lal still looked good in 2000 with a 5.8 WAR effort, but it would be his last season. He remained officially on the market in 2001, but went un-signed and retired that winter. For his Ahmedabad run, Lal had a 116-41 record, 2.40 ERA, 1453.1 innings, 1799 strikeouts, 231 walks, 139/186 quality starts, 49 complete games, 130 ERA+, and 42.3 WAR.

Lal finished with a 259-104 record, 2.41 ERA, 3398.1 innings, 4201 strikeouts, 645 walks, 301/421 quality starts, 81 complete games, 35 shutouts, 134 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 94.8 WAR. He was the all-time wins leader until 2029. As of 2037, Lal is still second in wins, seventh in innings, seventh in strikeouts, and fourth in WAR.

Zainal bin Aziz’s raw dominance often overshadowed Lal in the same era, but Lal wasn’t far behind. Both certainly sit in the top five of almost any conversation regarding SAB’s all-time best pitchers. He was an easy lock to be inducted on the first ballot, getting 98.7% on the 2006 ballot.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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K.C. Choudhury – Outfielder – Ahmedabad Animals – 98.3% First Ballot

K.C. Choudhury was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Faridabad, India; a city of 1,410,000 within the Delhi National Capital Region. Some scholars have argued that Choudhury had the greatest batting eye in the history of the game. On the 1/10 scale, many scouts gave his eye an 11 or 12. He would lead the league 13 times in walks drawn over his career, although he did strikeout a surprisingly high amount for a guy so amazing at drawing walks.

Choudhury was a menace getting on base that often as he was an outstanding baserunner and base stealer with very good speed. He was also a good contact hitter with a lot of power in his bad, averaging 36 home runs, 27 doubles, and 8 triples per his 162 game average. On top of that, he was an ironman who was almost never out of the lineup. He started 144+ games each year he was signed except for his first two seasons.

Defensively, Choudhury made about 2/3s of his starts in left field, where he graded as a pretty good defender with three gold gloves. He also made about ¼ of his starts in right field with a smattering in center. Choudhury was respectable in right and poor in center.

Despite all of his raw talent, some still think he squandered opportunities. He was criticized for being greedy, lazy, and a poor leader. With so much ability, Choudhury almost didn’t have to try sometimes to thrive. Still, his remarkable ability made him a megastar of 1980s and 1990s Indian baseball. Some argued Choudhury was the best player of Ahmedabad’s remarkable dynasty run, which featured remarkably stiff competition.

While many other Hall of Famers joined the Animals later on as a free agent mid-dynasty, Choudhury was there from that start. Ahmedabad picked him 20^th overall in the 1981 SAB Draft. He wasn’t used in 1982, then saw a mere 46 games and 29 starts in 1983. He was a part-time starter in 1985 and looked unremarkable, but earned the full-time gig in 1985. Choudhury was a fixture from then onward, getting 6+ WAR each year he played from 1985-2000.

1986 marked the start of Choudhury leading in walks, a feat he achieved 13 times. In his first run with Ahmedabad from 1983-95, he led the IL in runs scored five times, walks nine times, stolen bases twice, OBP four times, OPS once, wRC+ once, and WAR twice. From 1988-95, he had an eight-year streak of 9+ WAR seasons. From 1988-91, he topped 11+ WAR in four consecutive years.

Choudhury won MVP twice with Ahmedabad, taking it in 1988 and 1991. After the 1988 win, he signed a seven-year, $5,880,000 extension. Choudhury was third in 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1994 MVP voting. He won Silver Sluggers in 1988, 89, 91, 94, and 95; plus Gold Gloves in 1989, 91, and 92.

1988 saw career bests in home runs (51), runs scored (126), and OPS (1.090). He’d top 120+ runs four times, 40+ homers six times, 100+ RBI six times, and 100+ walks 11 times. 1991 was his career peak in WAR (12.5) and OBP (.428). He had 240 wRC+ in both of his MVP efforts.

Choudhury also played incredibly on the biggest stages. He was the SAB Championship MVP in 1986 and 1990 and the Indian League Championship Series MVP in 1995 and 1999. Ahmedabad’s record playoff streak began with the 1985 season. From 1986-2003, they were in the ILCS every year and won the pennant 13 times in that stretch. In Choudhury’s first run up to 1995, they won eight SAB Championships (1986-87, 89-92, 94-95).

Choudhury also became a national star in the World Baseball Championship, playing for India from 1986-2001. He had 161 games and 160 starts with 122 hits, 104 runs, 23 doubles, 40 home runs, 91 RBI, 116 walks, 66 stolen bases, a .220/.362/.485 slash, 142 wRC+, and 6.5 WAR.

When Choudhury’s deal expired after the 1995 season, he was set to turn 36 years old. His productivity hadn’t declined a bit, but the Animals didn’t want to meet the massive paycheck that Choudhury wanted, especially as they had already signed so many other big free agents. Thus, he sat out for the 1996 season. Choudhury came back in 1997, but almost out of spite, signed a one-year deal with the competing dynasty Ho Chi Minh City.

Choudhury certainly still had it, winning his third MVP and sixth Silver Slugger in his one year with the Hedgehogs. He led in runs, walks, OPS, wRC+, and WAR this season. Most importantly, he led HCMC to their first-ever SAB title, as they had gone 0-6 previously in their battles with Ahmedabad. The Hedgehogs beat the Animals for the 1997 crown with Choudhury posted 1.5 WAR and 254 wRC+ in the playoff run.

He proved his point and as a free agent again at age 38, signed back with Ahmedabad on a three-year, $4,920,000 deal. Choudhury won two more SAB titles for them in 1998 and 1999 and saw a finals defeat against HCMC in 2000. In 1998, Choudhury drew 136 walks, which still stands as SAB’s single-season record. He led in walks thrice, runs twice, OBP twice, OPS once, and wRC+ once in his second run with Ahmedabad. Choudhury won Silver Sluggers again in 1998 and 2000.

Choudhury’s final season at age 40 saw 8.9 WAR, 215 wRC+, and a second place in MVP voting; showing zero signs of decline. He again wanted big money and a long-term deal, but couldn’t come to terms with Ahmedabad or anyone else. Choudhury sat out the 2001 season apart from the WBC and decided to retire in the winter of 2001. Despite their occasional clashing, Ahmedabad retired his #31 uniform and he remained one of the most beloved stars of the dynasty run.

Choudhury’s career stats saw 2331 hits, 1711 runs, 419 doubles, 126 triples, 551 home runs, 1469 RBI, 1647 walks, 1005 stolen bases, a .278/.396/.555 slash, 197 wRC+, and 141.2 WAR. At retirement, he was the SAB all-time leader in walks, runs, and stolen bases. As of 2037, he still factors prominently sitting seventh in WAR among position players, second in walks, eighth in runs, and 13^th in steals.

His spot on the playoff leaderboards are even more remarkable. Choudhury played 204 games with 201 starts in his playoff career with 192 hits, 147 runs, 36 doubles, 13 triples, 53 home runs, 413 total bases, 121 RBI, 134 walks, 215 strikeouts, 81 stolen bases, a .267/.383/.575 slash, 199 wRC+, and 13.5 WAR. As of 2037, Choudhury is the SAB career playoff leader in games, at-bats, runs, total bases, triples, walks, and strikeouts. He’s also the career leader in ANY world league in playoff games, hits, runs, homers, RBI, walks, steals, strikeouts, and total bases.

With that, Choudhury has a strong case as being the greatest playoff performer of any position player in baseball history. He certainly was a major reason why the Ahmedabad dynasty never seemed to end throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His one year with Ho Chi Minh City even showed he could maintain the same excellence somewhere else. Choudhury’s 11 championship rings are believed to be the most by any player.

On top of that, he did all this while also being considered a bit lazy by many observers. Choudhury was still outstanding in his final season and may have been able to rack up even more impressive final totals If he’d kept playing into his 40s. Regardless, he’s a no-doubt Hall of Famer, getting 98.3% with SAB’s impressive three-player 2006 class.



Dhavalapaksa Dattatreya – Outfield – Kanpur Poison – 72.4% First Ballot

Dhavalapaksa Dattatreya was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Patna; India’s 19^th largest city with around 2.35 million people. Dattatreya was one of the hardest hitters of SAB’s early days, averaging 44 home runs and 29 doubles per his 162 game average. Dattatreya was also pretty good at drawing walks, but he had a lousy strikeout rate and was merely above average as a contact hitter. Dattatreya was also laughably poor baserunner.

Dattatreya had a strong arm, but had terrible range and general defensive instincts. He made about half of his starts in left field, around 2/5 in right field, and the rest at first base. Dattatreya was an abysmal defender at each spot and lost starts some years as the Indian League didn’t have the designated hitter. He had excellent durability and was already to go. Dattatreya was also a team captain and considered a man of high character, which helped him become a very popular player throughout India.

Even as a teenager, Dattatreya received plenty of attention. In the 1980 SAB Draft, Kanpur picked him seventh overall. However, with South Asia Baseball only one year into its existence, Dattatreya opted not to sign and instead begin a college career. He was next available in the 1984 SAB Draft and had only improved his stock. The Poison had the #1 overall pick and were still very much interested, selecting and signing Dattatreya.

Dattatreya was on the roster full-time right away, although he was only a part-time starter in his first two seasons. He took over a full-time role in 1987 and held it for the next five years. Each of those full seasons, he smacked 40+ homers and 100+ RBI. On three occasions, Dattatreya recorded 8+ WAR. Kanpur gave him an eight-year, $3,184,000 extension after the 1987 season.

Dattatreya’s finest season was 1988, leading the Indian League with 65 home runs, 154 RBI, 408 total bases, 1.135 OPS, and 241 wRC+. Those were all career bests, as was his 10.2 WAR, 115 runs, and .394 OBP. He set a new single-season RBI record which wasn’t passed until 2004 and was two short of the home run record. Despite that, he was second and MVP voting and lost out on the Silver Slugger because of his HOF classmate K.C. Choudhury.

Most importantly that year, Dattatreya led Kanpur to the SAB Championship over Phnom Penh. He was the finals MVP and ILCS MVP, posting 16 hits, 11 runs, 7 home runs, 14 RBI, and 11 walks in 17 playoff starts. Kanpur went one-and-done in the 1990 and 1991 postseasons with Dattatreya. In total, he had a .252/.355/.553 slash, 164 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR over 29 career playoff games.

In 1990, Dattatreya led in homers and RBI for the second time. He again was second in MVP voting, but did at least win Silver Slugger. The loaded nature of the corner outfield spots made awards tough to earn despite Dattatreya’s success. In 1991, he led in RBI, total bases, and slugging for the Poison, taking third in MVP voting. With that, Dattatreya decided to opt out of his Kanpur deal, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 30.

For his Kanpur tenure, Dattatreya had 952 hits, 578 runs, 193 doubles, 287 home runs, 726 RBI, a .289/.373/.616 slash, 202 wRC+, and 43.6 WAR. He would remain popular with many Poison fans for his role in the championship, but his number was never retired. At this point, Dattatreya entered free agency like many into a void. Only the two dynasties, Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City, had the funds or desire to pursue big name free agents.

Dattatreya decided not to sign with either and sat out of SAB from 1992-94, taking a lengthy sabbatical to pursue other interests. His only time on the diamond was the 1992 and 1994 World Baseball Championships for India. He only appeared in six editions of the WBC total with 33 games, 24 starts, 20 hits, 15 runs, 2 doubles, 8 home runs, 16 RBI, a .206/.297/.495 slash, 125 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR.

Dattatreya was very well respected and enjoyed pursuing business interests away from the game. But Ahmedabad finally lured him back for the 1995 season at age 33. He was effective in his return, but saw a very limited role on the stacked roster. Dattatreya would reclaim a starting spot in 1996 and 1997 for the Animals, winning Silver Slugger both years. He won SAB titles with the 1995 and 1996 squads, while the 1997 team lost to Ho Chi Minh City.

Dattatreya was again a free agent and didn’t play in the 1998 season. Ho Chi Minh City lured him back in 1999 as a part-time starter, posting 4.3 WAR in 117 games and 93 starts. Dattatreya went back to Ahmedabad as a part-timer in 2000. He was on the losing end of the SAB final in both years. For his playoff career, Dattatreya had 84 games and 72 starts, 55 hits, 36 runs, 9 doubles, 20 home runs, 43 RBI, a .216/.333/.486 slash, 146 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR.

Dattatreya went unsigned in 2001, but didn’t officially retire until that winter. Between the two Ahmedabad tenures, he had 15.8 WAR, 434 hits, 247 runs, 89 doubles, 137 home runs, 308 RBI, a .258/.322/.558 slasj, and 178 wRC+.

For his career, Dattatreya had 1486 hits, 884 runs, 299 doubles, 456 home runs, 1104 RBI, 647 walks, a .278/.357/.597 slash, 193 wRC+, and 63.9 WAR. He was a very powerful and effective hitter in his prime, but his sabbaticals greatly limited the accumulations. Tough competition also meant he didn’t end up with tons of awards.

However, Dattatreya was a very respected man for his leadership. He hit a lot of dingers and won titles with both Ahmedabad and Kanpur. Even with the lower grand totals, enough voters got him across the line on his ballot debut. It was only narrowly at 72.4%, but regardless, Dattatreya rounded out the 2006 SAB Hall of Fame class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 ABF Hall of Fame

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Outfielder Hakim Baig became the third member of the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2006. On his fifth time on the ballot, he finally crossed the 66% requirement at 70.4%. The next closest was 1B Hazan Sheikh at 54.4% in his fifth try. The best debut was CL Qayyum Allahrakha at a distant 29.3%. No one was dropped after ten ballots.



Hakim Baig – Outfielder – Faisalabad Fire – 70.4% Fifth Ballot

Hakim Baig was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from Hyderabad, Pakistan’s fifth largest city. Baig was a very good contact hitter with outstanding gap power, topping 35+ doubles in five of his six ABF seasons. He wasn’t a prolific home run hitter, but could certainly go yard, averaging just under 30 homers per his 162 game average. Although Baig’s strikeout rate was average, he very rarely drew walks. His speed was below average and he was incredibly clumsy on the basepaths.

Defensively, Baig made about 3/5s of his starts in left field with most of the rest in right. For his career, he graded out as above average in both spots. Baig was an ironman, starting 145+ games in all 13 years of his professional career. He emerged as one of the first baseball stars out of Pakistan.

The 1987 Asian Baseball Federation Draft was the third rookie draft of ABF’s short history. Baig emerged as a hot commodity and was picked fifth overall by Faisalabad. The Fire made him a full-time starter immediately, playing 150+ games in all six seasons in the Pakistan League. Baig took third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1988.

In his second season, Baig had the rare accomplishment of winning MVP, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove all in the same season. He was the WARlord in 1989 at 9.8 and the leader in hits and batting average. He also hit a career best with 120 RBI. Baig had five straight seasons worth 6+ WAR and won additional Silver Sluggers in 1991 and 1993. Baig was also third in MVP voting.

Baig won two batting titles with Faisalabad. He also led in hits twice, doubles thrice, RBI once, total bases twice, slugging once, OPS once, and wRC+ once. The Fire were just outside the playoffs most of his run, although they did earn their first-ever playoff berth in 1992. They lost to Peshawar in that year’s Pakistan League Championship Series. Baig went 11-28 in the series.

From 1990-95, Baig also played for Pakistan in the World Baseball Championship. He played 33 games but only had 10 starts, getting 15 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, .254/.302/.458 slash, and 122 wRC+.

Faisalabad tried to get Baig to commit to a long-term deal, but he entered free agency after the 1993 season. This also ended his ABF tenure at only six seasons. At age 29, Baig drew international attention and found suitors in Major League Baseball. He left for the United States and signed a seven-year, $19,360,000 deal with Memphis.

Baig was never an all-star or elite with the Mountain Cats, who were consistently at the bottom of the standings during his run. Still, he was reliably serviceable starter over seven seasons. Baig posted 1159 hits, 491 runs, 166 doubles, 189 home runs, 567 RBI, a .271/.286/.452 slash, 105 wRC+, and 16.2 WAR.

In his final season with Memphis, he did post his worst season of his career with only 0.3 WAR and 89 wRC+ over 152 games. Baig was a free agent at age 36 and couldn’t find anyone interested in his kills. He had to retire at age 37 in the winter of 2001. For his entire pro career, he had 2345 hits, 1015 runs, 427 doubles, 365 home runs, 1169 RBI, a .294/.315/.496 slash, 143 wRC+, and 63.7 WAR.

You could argue Baig’s combined stats are even borderline for a Hall of Fame nod. In just ABF with Faisalabad, he had 1186 hits, 524 runs, 261 doubles, 176 home runs, 602 RBI, a .321/.347/.548 slash, 187 wRC+, and 47.5 WAR. That is an excellent six year run, but that’s not enough time for most voters. There were some who gave him some credit for his MLB run, arguing that he would’ve gotten the prerequisite numbers had he stayed.

The still new ABF Hall of Fame was trying to find its footing and trying to set criteria. When Baig debuted on the 2002 ballot, he got 47.9%. He was at 49.4% the next year, then up to 62.5% in 2004. He dropped slightly to 60.6% in 2005, but earned another look in 2006 with no newcomers of note. Plus, there were voters that wanted to start filling up the Hall and didn’t want to leave ballots blank. Baig was the best of the options and earned a fifth ballot nod at 70.4%. His excellent six year run was enough to make him the lone addition in 2006.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 ALB and AAB Hall of Fame

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Arab League Baseball added its first Hall of Famer in 2005 with pitcher Abdullah Al-Muhafazat. No one joined him in 2006 with the top performer being closer Khemais Khlaid at 51.5% on his second try. Three other returners were above 40%, but still below 50%. The best debut was another closer in Isaiah McAlister, only getting 34.2%.



The African Association of Baseball had started Hall of Fame voting two years prior, but was still far away from adding their first inductee. Three players made it to a second ballot, but none reached double-digits. Catcher Sergio Bila had reached 10.8% the prior year, which is currently the high mark for AAB.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 World Baseball Championship

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The 2006 World Baseball Championship was the 60^th edition of the event and was in West Africa for the first time since 1994, this time hosted in Dakar, Senegal. Division 1 was incredibly competitive with Ethiopia and Egypt tying for first at 6-3, while Greece, Peru, Portugal, and Taiwan were all 5-4. Three others were at 4-5. The tiebreaker gave the Ethiopians their first-ever division title, denying a repeat for the Egyptians.

In Division 2, Turkey at 7-2 was a surprise winner over the defending champion United States and Canada both at 6-3. This was only the 11^th time that the Americans didn’t get to the elite eight and the second time in three years. This was the third division title for the Turks, who also had advanced in 1997 and 1985.

Germany claimed Division 3 at 7-2, fending off 6-3 efforts by both China and the Philippines. It was the 10^th time advancing for the Germans and the first since 2003. Japan was one of two teams at 8-1, taking Division 4. They needed that dominance to outlast 7-2 efforts by Ghana and New Zealand. The Japanese were one of two teams to make it back to the Round Robin from the prior year, advancing for the 18^th time.

The other 8-1 team was Brazil atop D5, defeating 6-3 efforts by North Korea and Ukraine. It was the 31^st time advancing for the Brazilians and ended a two-year drought. Division 6 had Colombia and South Korea tied at 7-2. The tiebreaker went to the Colombians, advancing for the 16^th time and the first time since 1999.

Spain topped the Division 7 field at 7-2, besting both Mexico and Nigeria by a game. It was the seventh division title for the Spanish, who last did it back in 1990. And in D8, Italy earned a third straight division title. The Italians won it at 7-2, topping both Argentina and Pakistan by a game. This was the 14^th division crown for Italy.

Round Robin Group A saw Colombia on top at 5-1 for their 10^th semifinal berth and first since 1999. Japan advanced at 3-3, while Ethiopia and Turkey were both 2-4. This gave the Japanese repeat semifinal appearances and their third in five years. It was the ninth time in total that Japan had been in the final four.

Italy was unbeaten at 6-0 in Group B, also earning repeat semifinal berths. It was their seventh berth overall. Germany took the other slot at 3-3, while Spain was 2-4 and Brazil was 1-5. This was the sixth time the Germans made the final four, last accomplishing the feat in 2002.

Germany edged Colombia 3-2 in their semifinal for their third-ever championship berth (1983, 1991). On the other side, it was Japan over Italy 3-1. It was also the third finals for the Japanese, but it was a very long time coming with the other appearances in 1951 and 1953. The Colombians were officially third, matching their best-ever finish for the seventh time. Italy was fourth for the fifth time.



Both Germany and Japan were 1-1 in their previous finals appearances. In the 60^th World Championship, the Japanese prevailed 4-2, taking their second world title 52 years after winning their first. Leading the way was Tournament MVP Shigeyoshi Taguchi, the reigning Japan League MVP with Chiba. The 26-year old right fielder in 21 starts had 22 hits, 18 runs, 10 home runs, 18 RBI, a .293/.372/.707 slash, 209 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR.



Best Pitcher went to France’s Jacky Coutant, a 34-year old CABA closer from the French Caribbean island of Martinique. The reigning Mexican League Reliever of the Year tossed 12.1 scoreless innings with 18 strikeouts and five hits allowed.

Other notes: Japan’s title pushed them ahead of Indonesia and Russia in the all-time tournament standings, now sitting seventh overall. The Japanese are the sixth country to win the world title twice, joining the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, and Mexico. It is also the 16^th consecutive year that the title went to either a North American or Asian team.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in E2L

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In the second season for the European Second League, recently demoted Seville looked to make their E2L a brief one. The Stingrays had the Western Conference’s best record at 108-54. Stuttgart and Turin repeated as playoff teams, tying for second at 101-61. The fourth and final playoff spot went to Frankfort at 90-72. Falling just short were Lyon (88-74), Toulouse (86-76), and Liverpool (85-77).

In the Western Conference’s Double Round Robin, Frankfurt (5-1) and Seville (3-3) advanced to the conference final, while both Stuttgart and Turin were 2-4. In the conference final, the Stingrays swept the Falcons, sending Seville right back to the top-tier after only one season.



Wroclaw finished first in the Eastern Conference at 102-60, repeating as a playoff team. After just missing last year, Sarajevo took second at 96-66. Riga, who was relegated the prior year from the EBF Elite, took third at 95-67.

There was a three-way tie for the fourth playoff spot at 91-71 between Cluj-Napoca, Ljubljana, and Lviv. The Juggernauts won their tiebreaker game over the Lunkers, but lost to the Paladins, sending Cluj-Napoca forward. The Paladins had only won 78 games the prior year.

Despite being the #4 seed, Cluj-Napoca swept the field at 6-0 in the round robin phase. #3 seed Riga at 3-3 also advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship, while Wroclaw was 2-4 and Sarajevo was 1-5. The Roosters topped the Paladins 4-2 in the finale.



With that, the first two teams to be relegated after the 2005 season earned promotion right back up in 2006. In the Second League Championship, Seville swept Riga 4-0. They were the only two teams guaranteed promotion in 2006. The next season would see the rule change where any EBF Elite team with 100+ losses would be relegated, allowing for more than two promoted/relegated teams in a season.



Other notes: Lyon’s Yannick de Vries tossed the first-ever perfect game in E2L history, striking out 19 in a dominant feat against Reykjavik.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in AAB

For the 2006 season, the African Association of Baseball increased the minimum service years required for free agency from seven to eight years. The teams wanted to keep players longer, in part worried by stars of the growing league leaving for other world leagues. The players were disappointed by the loss, but did hope arbitration figures would only increase as the league grew.



After taking second the prior year, Durban finished first in the Southern Conference standings for the first-time ever at 101-61. One game back was Luanda at 100-62, who took third the prior year. This gave the Landsharks their second playoff berth in three years. Reigning AAB champ Antananarivo fell to third at 93-69.

Luanda CF Mwarami Tale won his second Southern Conference MVP in three years and made history. The 25-year old Tanzanian lefty smacked 77 home runs to become the new world record holder. AAB’s Mohau Sibiya, EBF’s Peter Brinkmann, and BSA’s Valor Melo had the previous world record of 76. Tale lost the world record only a few years later, but wouldn’t get passed in AAB until 2028.

Tale also broke Sibiya’s runs scored single-season mark by three with 146. That record held until 2013. Tale also set single-season AAB records for total bases (454), slugging (.852), and OPS (1.293). He also led the conference in 2006 in RBI (149), OBP (.441), wRC+ (231), and WAR (12.5). Luanda had signed Tale to an eight-year, $20,320,000 extension in the spring of 2005.

Durban’s Siyabonga Zongo became the second player to win Pitcher of the Year thrice in AAB and the first to do it consecutively. The 28-year old lefty from South Africa led in ERA (2.26), and WHIP (0.91). Zongo added a 13-8 record and 237 strikeouts over 210.2 innings with 6.2 WAR. This was his career peak with injuries hurting his final two years with the Deer. He’d leave for EBF and MLB later with unremarkable results.



For the first time in franchise history, Addis Ababa earned a playoff spot. The Brahmas took first place at 97-65, beating Ndjamena by two games. The Magic repeated as the second place team. Kigali and Bujumbura were both third at 92-70, three games shy of the playoffs.

Kinshasa’s dynasty finally came to a close, falling to sixth place at 86-76. It was the first time in the AAB’s 12-year history that the Sun Cats didn’t make the playoffs. They had won the Central Conference pennant the prior four seasons and had taken nine pennants in twelve years.

Felix Chaula became the first four-time MVP in AAB history. After winning thrice with Lilongwe, he took the Central Conference’s top honor for the first time with Kinshasa. The 30-year old Tanzanian led in runs (119), home runs (62), RBI (130), total bases (384), OBP (.466), slugging (.782), OPS (1.248), wRC+ (221), and WAR (9.4). He also became the third AAB batter to win six Silver Sluggers. This would be Chaula’s only season with the Sun Cats, signing a one-year deal with Durban the next year and a long-term deal with Addis Ababa after that.

Pitcher of the Year was second-year Brazzaville lefty Mwape Nonde. The Zambian lefty led in ERA (2.49) and quality starts (19) while adding a 16-5 record over 213 innings, 204 strikeouts, and 4.3 WAR. This was the one major season in an otherwise forgettable career.

The Southern Conference Championship was guaranteed to crown a first-time pennant winner. Top seed Durban would ultimately prevail 4-1 over Luanda. Addis Ababa became a first-time Central Conference champion, as they defeated Ndjamena 4-2.



The 12^th Africa Series was only the second one to end in a 5-0 sweep with Durban dominating Addis Ababa 5-0. Finals MVP went to 2B Emmanuel Paul with the 25-year old Liberian getting 8 hits, 4 runs, 3 home runs, and 4 RBI in 9 playoff starts. The Deer also had a great effort from pitcher Tesfu Ogbagaber, who set still-standing playoff records for WHIP (0.47), opponents’ OBP (.155), and opponents’ OPS (.313). He had a 0.53 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 17 innings.



Other notes: Bujumbura’s Luke Tembo broke his own world record of 156 walks in a season, drawing 163 in 2006. As of 2037, this is still the world record and Tembo has the top three all-time seasons of 163, 156, and 155.

Lilongwe scored only 510 runs all season, which was the all-time worst in AAB history. It is still the second-fewest as of 2037. Luanda’s Paul Lambote struck out 19 against Johannesburg, setting a new AAB single-game record. Boubacar Mavinga became the second player to reach 500 career home runs and would retire with 500 exactly.