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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in ALB

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The Arab League’s Nile Division saw a significant shift after having all four teams above .500 in 2005. The last place team that year, Giza, took the Western Conference’s top seed at 100-62. This was the Goats’ first-ever playoff berth. After Alexandria, Cairo, and Khartoum all won 90+ games the prior year, each went well below .500 in 2006. Alexandria, who had won the division thrice in the prior four years, fell to 74-88. The Pharaohs fell from 90 to 66 wins and the Cottonmouths went from 91 to 75 wins.

Jerusalem was the lone repeat division winner in the Western Conference. The Jets took the Levant Division at 91-71, fending off a feisty Beirut squad by one game. Meanwhile, Algiers won their first-ever Mediterranean Division at 91-71, finishing seven better than Tunis. Defending conference champ Casablanca fell to 78-84. With Giza and Algiers earning their first-ever berths, that leaves Tunis, Baghdad, and Damascus as the teams without a single playoff berth through ALB’s 17 seasons to date.

Jerusalem’s Mustafa bin Nazim became the fourth ALB player to win four or more MVPs. The 31-year old Omani second baseman took the Western Conference’s top honor by leading in home runs (57), RBI (109), slugging (.694), OPS (1.072), and wRC+ (197). He added 8.3 WAR and a .319 average.

Pitcher of the Year was Tripoli’s Jabor Karim. The 26-year old Iraqi righty led in ERA (2.17), WHIP (0.88), and K/BB (7.4). Karim added a 14-7 record over 236.2 innings, 312 strikeouts, and 7.3 WAR. He also tossed an impressive 16 strikeout, 1 walk no-hitter against Beirut on April 1. The Privateers gave Karim a four-year, $9,380,000 extension after the 2007 season.

Algiers edged Jerusalem 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a Western Conference Final between two first-time playoff teams. Top-seeded Giza cruised to a 3-0 sweep of the Arsenal. The Goats were the first Egyptian team to win the pennant since Alexandria in 2002. Eight of the first 17 WC pennants have gone to a Nile Division team.



The Eastern Conference saw the same three division champs for the fourth year in a row. Defending ALB champ Medina took the top seed at 107-55 for a fourth Saudi Division title in a row. The Mastodons pitching staff set a new ALB record with 2024 strikeouts and a 12.27 K/9. These are still all-time ALB bests as of 2037. Basra dominated the Iraq Division at 92-70 for a fourth straight division title.

Dubai’s Gulf Division streak grew to six years, but had to really earn it. The Diamonds tied with Abu Dhabi at 92-70 for the top spot, while Kuwait was just behind at 90-72. A victory in a one-game playoff game the Diamonds the spot over the Destroyers.

Basra’s Nordine Soule won a historic sixth Eastern Conference MVP. The 31-year old Comoran left fielder led in runs (131), home runs (64), RBI (158), total bases (438), OBP (.423), slugging (.756), OPS (1.180), wRC+ (223), and WAR (11.4). His .352 batting average was also second best in the EC. This was Soule’s eighth season leading in home runs and seventh in OPS. He had signed a six-year, $14,520,000 extension in the spring.

Pitcher of the Year was Medina’s Mostafa Nabil, bouncing back from shoulder inflammation costing him most of 2005. The 23-year old Egyptian led in ERA (2.32), strikeouts (383), quality starts (25), complete games (6), and shutouts (4). Nabil added 8.3 WAR and a 13-8 record in 236.1 innings. He also tossed an impressive 18 strikeout, one walk no-hitter on June 1 versus Doha. That set a still-standing record for the most Ks in a no-no in ALB history.

Basra swept Dubai in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals meeting between the Bulldogs and Medina. The Mastodons had won in 2005, while Basra took it in 2004. Medina was the heavy favorite, but the Bulldogs stunned them with a 3-0 sweep to take their second pennant.



The 17^th Arab League Championship was only the second finals to need all seven games (1996). Basra edged Giza to give the Bulldogs their first overall title. This was the fifth ALB ring for an Iraqi team and gave the Eastern Conference an 11-6 advantage over the Western Conference. Veteran 3B Haitham Galal was finals MVP as the 32-year old had 14 hits, 8 runs, 6 homers, and 9 RBI over 12 playoff starts.



Other notes: In addition to getting his first championship, Nordine Soule became the first to reach 1500 career RBI. He also won his tenth Silver Slugger in left field, joining SS Mohammed Mohamed as ALB’s only ten-time winners. Soule at this point was already the all-time RBI and home run leader and would continue to grow those totals through 2014. Hassan El Mubarak became the first ALB hitter to reach 2500 career hits. He retired with 2611, holding the hit-king spot until 2009 when passed by Soule.

Ahmad Zaid and Mustafa bin Nazim both crossed 500 home runs, making five members of the club. Additionally, bin Nazim picked up his eighth Silver Slugger at second base. Basra’s George White set a bad playoff record with 28 strikeouts, which still remains ALB’s worst. He was 3-37 in 12 starts, a truly putrid effort. OF Amin Arafat won his ninth Gold Glove, CF Yousef Shehadeh won his eighth and SS Amr Khatab grabbed his seventh.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in ABF

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The ABF’s East League was incredibly top heavy in 2006. Karachi set a franchise record at 111-51, taking the first place spot and earning a third consecutive playoff berth. Defending EL champ Lahore was a close second at 109-53, getting their third berth in four years. Third was 100-62 Bishkek, earning a third consecutive playoff appearance and six berths since joining the ABF in 2000.

The fourth and final playoff spot was Gujranwala at 94-68 with no other teams above .500. The Grasshoppers ended a 14-year playoff drought ****** back to their 1991 ABF title. Multan, who was the ELCS runner-up in 2005, dropped to 79-83.

Bishkek’s Tomas Pataki won his third consecutive East League MVP. The 30-year old two-way star from Hungary had 7.0 WAR at the plate in 122 games with 130 hits, 24 home runs, a .322/.389/.604 slash, and 209 wRC+. On the mound, Pataki had 2.2 WAR with a 2.59 ERA over 187.2 innings, 206 strikeouts, and 14-5 record. He had one more year with the Black Sox before getting traded to Mashhad. Pitcher of the Year was Gujranwala lefty Khalil Shaan. The third-year Pakistani led in strikeouts (340) and WAR (8.1). He added a 2.23 ERA over 242 innings with a 17-11 record.

Gujranwala stunned top seed Karachi 3-2 in the first round, while Lahore topped Bishkek 3-1. The Grasshoppers had their first East League Championship Series berth since 1991. They couldn’t pull off the big upset twice, as the defending champs Lahore repeated with a 4-1 ELCS victory.



Istanbul had the top seed in the West League at 102-60 to earn a fourth straight playoff appearance. Defending Asian Baseball Federation champ Shiraz was second at 100-62 for a third playoff berth in a row. Mashhad (94-68) and Isfahan (93-69) got the other playoff spots. The Mercury ended an 11-year playoff drought and the Imperials ended a two-year skid. There was an 11-game gap between fourth and fifth place.

Two lengthy playoff streaks did come to an end. After winning 106 games in 2005, Bursa collapsed to 73-89. The Blue Claws ended a nine-year playoff streak and had their first losing season since 1995. Meanwhile, Ankara dropped from 90 wins to 68, snapping their six-year playoff run.

Shiraz CF Rahman Polat repeated as West League MVP. The 26-year old Turkish lefty was the WARlord (8.7) and led in walks (84). Polat added 114 runs, 44 home runs, 123 RBI, and an 1.004 OPS. Pitcher of the Year was Istanbul’s Lakhani Mustafa. The 30-year old Pakistani righty led in wins (20-8), K/BB (7.0), and quality starts (26). Mustafa added a 2.30 ERA over 254.2 innings, 265 strikeouts, and 7.5 WAR.

The top seeds prevailed in the first round with Istanbul sweeping Isfahan 3-0 and Shiraz edging Mashhad 3-2. The Ironmen were back in the West League Championship Series for the first time since 2003, but couldn’t snap their pennant drought ****** back to 1989 despite home field advantage. The Suns took the WLCS 4-2 over Istanbul to repeat as WL champs.



The 22^nd ABF Championship was a rematch between Shiraz and Lahore with the Suns looking to repeat. The Longhorns got revenge on the Suns, coming out on top 4-2 to earn their first-ever overall title. 1B Kleifawi Abdul was a playoff beast, winning finals and ELCS MVP. The 22-year old Pakistani had 17 hits, 13 runs, 8 home runs, and 20 RBI over 15 playoff starts. This set the ABF playoff record for RBI and tied the homers mark.



Other notes: Gujranwala’s Rida Kakakhel tossed ABF’s 12^th perfect game, striking out nine against Tashkent. Hakim as-Salam became the fourth to 2000 hits. Shiraz pitcher Jamal Hakami walked 16 batters in the playoffs, an all-time ABF postseason worst. LF Qalander Hadjilzou won his seventh Gold Glove.

Hasan Afshin became the first pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts. He finished with 5151 and was the career Ks leader until 2036. Rami Naqvi became the second to 4500 Ks, retiring with 4638. Both joined Yazeed Anwari as ABF pitchers with 200 career wins with both retiring after the 2006 season with 203.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in SAB

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Ahmedabad returned to the top of the Indian League standings in 2006, taking the West Division at 109-55. This gave the Animals a 22^nd consecutive playoff appearance, the second longest streak in any world league behind only EPB’s Minsk at 24. Ahmedabad’s streak of division titles grew to 19 seasons. The wild card also came out of the West again but this time with 94-68 Pune. The Purple Knights ended an eight-year playoff drought and snapped the five-year wild card streak of Mumbai. The defending IL champ Meteors were seven games away at 87-75.

Jaipur won the Central Division for the third consecutive season at 105-57. The Jokers also earned their ninth playoff appearance in 11 years. Meanwhile, Chennai took the South Division at 86-76. It was the Cows’ second-ever playoff berth, joining the 1987 campaign. Bengaluru’s four-year division title stretch ended. The Blazers were three back at 83-79 and Visakhapatnam was five back at 81-81.

Although Mumbai missed the playoffs, 1B Basava Sanjahay repeated as Indian League MVP. He set a single-season WAR record at 14.74, which still stands as the SAB all-time best as of 2037. Sanjahay also led in runs (124), home runs (68), RBI (156), walks (77), total bases (452), slugging (.804), OPS (1.226), and wRC+ (279). He also had a .338 average and 55 stolen bases. The Meteors locked him up with a massive eight-year, $36,800,000 deal the prior winter.

Pitcher of the Year was Pune lefty Sarthak Patil. The 25-year old led in wins (22-6), innings (248.1), and complete games (10). Patil also had a 2.07 ERA, 336 strikeouts, and 7.0 WAR. The Purple Knights gave him a five-year, $10,220,000 extension in September.

Jaipur topped Chennai 3-1 in the first round and Ahmedabad edged Pune 3-2. This gave the Animals their 20^th Indian League Championship Series appearance in 21 years. The Jokers made it for the seventh time in 11 years, but were 0-6 in those appearances with five losses to Ahmedabad. Jaipur was also 0-9 all-time in the ILCS, having also lost thrice in the 1980s. The Jokers finally reversed the trend, upsetting the Animals in a seven-game thriller.



Ho Chi Minh City’s playoff streak grew to 20 seasons as the three-time defending South Asia Baseball champs again had the top record in the Southeast Asia League. The Hedgehogs at 116-46 won the South Division for the 18^th straight season. No one else in the division was above .500.

In a top heavy North Division, Yangon (108-54) edged Hanoi (104-58) for the top spot. The Green Dragons grew their own impressive playoff streak to 12 years with a fourth straight division title. The Hounds earned repeat wild cards, as did Dhaka. The Dobermans at 94-68 took the second spot, sitting 14 games ahead of their next closest foe Mandalay.

It was the Mammoths with the SEAL MVP Ratan Canduri. He posted the second-ever Triple Crown season by a SAB hitter, joining Thang Huynh’s 1989 campaign. The 29-year old LF had 65 home runs, 139 RBI, and a .367 batting average. Canduri also led in total bases (428), OBP (.486), slugging (.806), OPS (1.292), wRC+ (238), and WAR (13.2).

Ho Chi Minh City’s Van Khang Nguyen won his second Pitcher of the Year. In his fourth season with the Hedgehogs, the 34-year old Vietnamese righty led in ERA at 2.38. He added an 18-3 record over 227.1 innings, 273 strikeouts, and 6.7 WAR. HCMC’s Taj Kaikaraja also made history as the first five-time Reliever of the Year winner in SAB history. He won them consecutively and led in saves for the fourth time in five years.

Ho Chi Minh City survived a five game first round battle against Dhaka, while Yangon outlasted Hanoi in five. The Green Dragons made it back to the SEAL Championship for the fifth time in their playoff streak, while the Hedgehogs had their 13^th straight appearance. HCMC’s four-peat hopes were dashed as Yangon pulled off the upset 4-1. This was the sixth pennant for the Green Dragons (1980, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2001, 2006).



For the first time since 1993, the SAB Championship didn’t feature either Ahmedabad or Ho Chi Minh City. For the first time since 2001, the finals needed all seven games. Jaipur outdueled Yangon to give the Jokers their first-ever title. This also dropped the Green Dragons to 1-5 in their finals appearances.



2B David Rusli was finals MVP, helping his Jokers finally win it all in his 14^th year with the team. In 18 playoff starts, he had 25 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 10 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. The 18 steals set both a SAB and world record for most steals in a single postseason. Rusli impressively was perfect on his attempts, going 18-18.

Other notes: Tirtha Upadhyaya became the second player to 700 career home runs. He finished the season with 740, passing Amoda Shah’s 729 to become the all-time home run king. Upadhyaya and Manju Abbas both crossed 1500 RBI, making it four to reach the mark. Upadhyaya also won his 11^th Silver Slugger, the second SAB player to reach that mark.

Abbas became the first to 3000 career hits. As of 2037, he’s still the all-time hit king, playing until 2012 and finishing with 3897. Na Thinn became the fourth pitcher to 3500 strikeouts and the third to 200 wins. He’d pitch two more years and end with 225 wins, which sits sixth as of 2037. Quang Huy Canh was the fourth to reach 300 career saves. SS Aftab Alam won his eighth Silver Slugger.

Lucknow had a team OBP of .255, which stands as SAB’s all-time worst as of 2037. Jaipur’s Atamjit Camaraja struck out 34 times in the playoffs, an all-time worst in SAB. It is one short of the world record for most whiffs in a postseason behind MLB’s Martin Barbosa’s 35 Ks in 1987.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in WAB

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Defending Western League champ Monrovia absolutely obliterated their competition in 2006, taking first by 26 games. The Diplomats set a franchise record at 111-51 and were the first WL team to win 110+ since Abidjan in 1981. They had the most runs scored in all of West African Baseball at 835 and led the WL with only 623 allowed. They had been building up their young core, as Monrovia players had won the last four Rookie of the Year awards.

There was a big traffic jam for the other two playoff spots. Abidjan got second at 85-77 to earn a repeat wild card berth. The third and final spot had a tie at 84-78 between Kumasi and Nouakchott. The Monkeys won the tiebreaker game to return to the postseason after seeing their three-year streak ended in 2005. Freetown (80-82), Conakry (79-83), and Bamako (78-84) were also in striking distance for much of the season.

Monrovia 1B Rob Santillan was the Western League MVP in his lone season with the Diplomats. The 33-year old American had come to WAB in 2003 after a forgettable MLB tenure, playing three seasons with Nouakchott before coming to Monrovia. Santillan had 55 home runs, 142 RBI, 108 runs, a .297/.383/.647 slash, 171 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR.

Santillan managed to beat out Abidjan’s Shahnawaz Ikram for the top award despite the latter becoming WAB’s new single-season home run king. The 36-year old Pakistani DH was in his second year with the Athletes and smacked 66 home runs, passing Mo Reda’s record of 64 from 2003. This would be WAB’s top homer mark until 2022. Ikram also led in RBI (148) and total bases (406).

Monrovia also had the Pitcher of the Year Razak Glele, who pulled it off despite missing a few starts to injury. In his second full season, the 24-year old Beninois lefty led in ERA at 2.59. Glele also had an 18-6 record, 187 strikeouts, and 4.6 WAR over 184 innings. His Diplomats teammate Emanuel Tuhair also won Reliever of the Year, marking a rare occurrence where the same team had the MVP, POTY, and ROTY.

Kumasi upset Abidjan 2-1 in the wild card round for their fourth Western League Championship Series appearance in five years. Top seed Monrovia was far too powerful though, taking the series 3-1 to repeat as WL champs. It was the Diplomats’ third pennant, as they also won back in 1980.



Kano looked to continue its dynasty as the nine-time defending Eastern League champs took first in the standings at 104-58. The reigning WAB champion Condors extended their postseasons streak to 12 seasons, tying 1990-01 Ibadan for the second-longest streak in WAB history. It was their eighth time getting first in the regular season standings. Kano had been a wild card the prior two years despite taking the pennant anyway.

Lagos finished second at 98-64 to grow their playoff streak to four seasons. Niamey took the third place spot at 91-71 to end a two-year playoff drought. Their closest foes were Ibadan (86-76) and Ouagadougou (85-77). Although they missed the playoffs, the Iguanas did set an EL record with 421 stolen bases as a team. That held as the top mark until 2019.

Kano shortstop Darwin Morris continued to make history by winning his 11^th Eastern League MVP. The only player in world history with more MVPs was OBA/MLB legend Jimmy Caliw with 12. This would be Morris’ last MVP despite playing for another decade at a high level, as injuries would begin to give him some trouble.

In 2006, the 34-year old Liberian led with 9.5 WAR, taking WARlord honors for the 13^th year in a row. He also led in OBP (.404), OPS (1.058), and wRC+ (191). In 130 games and 123 starts, Morris also had 37 home runs and 103 RBI. He earned a WAB-record 13^th consecutive Silver Slugger. Morris also became WAB’s new career home run leader, passing Vincent Langat’s 584 to become the first member of the 600 homer club.

Pitcher of the Year and Reliever of the Year both went to Lagos righty Francis Koomson. It was the third straight Reliever of the Year for the 28-year old Ghanaian, who also became the first reliever in WAB history to win POTY. Koomson had a 1.22 ERA over 88.1 innings, 38 saves, 133 strikeouts, a 310 ERA+, and 4.5 WAR.

Niamey upset Lagos 2-1 in the wild card round, giving the Atomics their first Eastern League Championship Series appearance since 2002. They were a major underdog against Kano, who was entering a 12^th straight ELCS with a shot at a 10^th consecutive pennant. Niamey would shock the Condors, winning the series 3-2 to dethrone one of the all-time great dynasties. It was the second-ever pennant for the Atomics, who won it all in 1987.



In the 32^nd West African Championship, Monrovia won its first-ever overall title, topping Niamey 4-1. Third-year LF Julius Ayuba was the finals MVP, posting 17 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 9 RBI, and 4 stolen bases over nine postseason starts. Ayuba would later become best known as a 13-time Gold Glove winner, winning his first in 2006.



At 111-51, the Diplomats finished tied for the third-best record by an eventual WAB champ with Kano’s 1997 squad. Monrovia also became the 12^th different WAB franchise to win it all. The Diplomats would be a top WL contender for the rest of the 2000s, but their 2006 squad would still stand alone clearly as the franchise’s best-ever and one of WAB’s best-ever.

Other notes: 2006 didn’t see a single no-hitter in WAB, the first time that had happened since 2001. SS Tchiressoua Yao won his seventh Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in CLB

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The Chinese Northern League had a major shift in 2005 with all three playoff teams ending significant droughts. Nanjing was first at 97-65, earning their first playoff spot and winning season since 1997. Zhengzhou was second at 94-68, snapping a postseason skid back to 1995. The biggest drought was third place Qingdao at 88-74, ending a 13-year streak ****** back to 1992. That had been the longest active drought in the Northern League and the second longest in all of Chinese League Baseball.

There was a six game drop from the Devils in third to fourth place Hangzhou and Jinan at 82-80. Each of last year’s playoff teams fell below .500 with Tianjin at 77-85, Dalian at 79-83, and Shanghai at 71-91. For the Jackrabbits specifically, that was their first time with a losing record since 1997.

Despite Tianjin’s general misfortune, SS Baogang Tian still repeated as Northern League MVP, winning the award for the third time. The 29-year old led in WAR (12.7), wRC+ (202), hits (204), total bases (330), slugging (.543), and OPS (.915). Dalian’s Cheng Song won Pitcher of the Year for the second time in three years. The 30-year old righty led in ERA (1.39), strikeouts (320), WHIP (0.71), K/BB (13.3), complete games (19), shutouts (7), FIP- (42), and WAR (9.4). Song had a 14-9 record over 233.2 innings.



The Southern League also had a shakeup with two of the three playoff teams breaking their own lengthy droughts. Xiamen was first at 99-63, getting their first berth since 1994. The lone returning playoff team was two-time defending CLB champ Changsha in second at 90-72. The Cannons grew their playoff streak to four seasons.

In third was Shenzhen at 87-75, ending what was the longest active playoff drought in CLB. The Spartans hadn’t earned a postseason appearance in 14 seasons, ****** back to 1991. Macau, the China Series runner-up the past two years, took fourth place at 83-79, four games behind Shenzhen. Wuhan was fifth at 81-81, ending their five-year playoff streak.

Changsha’s Feng Du earned Southern League MVP. The 25-year old first baseman led in hits (208), doubles (34), total bases (334), average (.338), OBP (.373), OPS (.917), and wRC+ (220). Du added 9.1 WAR and 26 home runs. He had won China Series MVP in the prior two years, earning an eight-year, $28,320,000 extension after the 2005 season. Du would play three more years for Changsha, then opt out and leave for Europe.

His Changsha teammate Lei Li won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year, as the 26-year old righty led in WHIP (0.67), shutouts (6), and FIP- (36). Li added a 1.29 ERA over 202.2 innings with 292 strikeouts, 8.4 WAR, a 16-4 record, and 16 saves. He beat out the unrelated Yihe Li of Wuhan for the honor despite Yihe’s 0.98 ERA. That was only the fifth time in CLB history that a qualifying starter had a sub-one ERA. Yihe Li also led in wins (21) and WAR (8.8).

Changsha swept Qingdao and Zhengzhou swept Shenzhen in the first round of the playoffs. The Cannons outlasted Nanjing in a seven-game classic, becoming the first team to earn three straight China Series berths since Dalian’s six-peat from 1989-94. On the other side, Xiamen topped Zhengzhou 4-1 to earn their second-ever finals berth, having taken runner-up in 1981.



In the 37^th China Series, Changsha had a shot to be only the second-ever squad to take three straight CLB titles. The series was an all-timer and became only the second in CLB history to need an extra-innings game seven to decide it (1974). After 12 innings, Xiamen came up the 4-2 winner to deny the three-peat.



Finals MVP and semifinal MVP went to 1B Xiaofei Su. Nicknamed “Ironfist,” the 27-year old in 12 playoff starts had 17 hits, 9 runs, 1 double, 6 home runs, and 15 RBI. The Mutts became the 15^th of CLB’s original 24 franchises to claim the China Series crown.

Other notes: 2006 was notable for having three perfect games, making 37 in CLB’s history to date. It wasn’t the first time there had been three in a season in the dead ball Chinese League, as it had also happened in 1997, 1990, and 1981. The first was Chongqing’s Sheng Zhou with 11 Ks versus Macau on June 11. On July 7, Harbin’s Zihao Xu fanned 15 versus Hangzhou. Then on September 19, Zhengzhou’s Jun Hu had 6 Ks against Dalian. For all three guys, it was the only no-hitters of their careers.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in APB

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Reigning Austronesia Champion Davao had the top seed in the Taiwan-Philippine Association. At 97-65, the Devil Rays cruised to repeat Philippine League titles. Davao had the most runs (593) and fewest allowed (473) in the TPA. Tainan took the Taiwan League for the fifth year in a row, a streak that only Kaohsiung had previously pulled off from 1973-77. The Titans were 92-70, besting Taoyuan by four games.

Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP was Kaohsiung DH Yu-Ting Tsai. In his fourth season, Tsai led in WAR (8.7), total bases (355), slugging (.575), and OPS (.928). He added 37 home runs, 102 RBI, and a 183 wRC+. The Steelheads would give him a mammoth seven-year, $80,000,000 extension in June 2008. Fourth-year righty Komalat Sawaengsri won Pitcher of the Year from Taoyuan. A Thai/Taiwanese dual citizen, Sawaengsri led in wins at 23-8. He added a 1.80 ERA over 264.2 innings, 369 strikeouts, and 9.8 WAR.



The top records in the Sundaland Association again were fighting for the Java League title. Surabaya took it at 102-60, edging out an 100-62 Jakarta squad. The Sunbirds ended a six-year playoff drought. Last year’s JL winner Semarang dropped to a distant third at 86-76. In the Malacca League, Medan (86-76) outlasted defending SA champ Palembang (82-80). The Marlins ended a three-year postseason drought.

Jakarta’s Angga Budiono won Sundaland Association MVP. The 26-year old center fielder was the WARlord (10.1) and led in hits (190), triples (23), total bases (305), triple slash (.310/.340/.498), OPS (.838), and wRC+ (198). Budiono would play two more years for the Jaguars before leaving for MLB, grabbing a massive seven-year, $93,000,000 deal starting in 2009 with Houston.

Medan’s Afiq Parker made history as the first-ever seven-time Pitcher of the Year winner in APB. The 32-year old Singaporean lefty led in ERA (1.19), FIP- (48), and WAR (6.9). Because of surgery for bone chips in his elbow from the prior year, Parker only had 188.1 innings, posting 237 strikeouts and a 14-4 record. 2007 would be his last year in APB, getting traded to Cebu in the summer. Parker would pitch six seasons after between the EBF and AAB.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association rematch saw Davao prevail again over Tainan, this time 4-2. The Titans have the misfortune of being 0-5 in the final in their 2000s appearances. Surabaya swept Medan in the Sundaland Association Championship, earning their first pennant since winning it all in 1999. Both the Sunbirds and Devil Rays earned their fifth pennants.



Davao became the first Filipino team to repeat as Austronesia Champion, winning a seven-game thriller over Surabaya. For only the third time in 42 championships, the series ended with a game seven walk-off. 1B Ignatius Handayani ended it with a solo home run in the ninth, giving the Devil Rays a 3-2 game seven win.



2B Abel Cristales was finals MVP, having himself hit a huge 3 RBI walk-off double in game one for a 6-5 win in 10 innings. The 33-year old in 13 playoff starts had 16 hits, 2 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 5 RBI. This was Davao’s third APB ring, having also won back in 1995.

Other notes: Despite going 76-86, Zamboanga’s offense had 455 stolen bases, the second most in a season by any APB team. Dedi Dewi became the 14^th pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in OBA

Expansion became all the range in the 2000s across professional baseball. The Oceania Baseball Association wanted to get in on the fun and certainly had the popularity to grow. At 16 teams, it was even with Eurasian Professional Baseball for the fewest teams of any of the Global Baseball Association leagues. The main challenge for OBA was finding suitable markets to expand to, as it didn’t have many options in its small orbit.

The ultimate plan was to add two teams to both the Australasia League and the Pacific League, bringing both to ten teams. In the AL, the capital Canberra (the Centurions) was an obvious choice as the country’s eighth-largest city. Joining them was Hobart, which was a significantly smaller city than the other AL teams. However, the hope was that the squad would be the team for the entire island state of Tasmania, hence the Tasmaniacs mascot name.



The PL was tougher as most of the remaining independent island nations had very small populations. Although the PL and the Caribbean League had shown that you could get small island teams to show out and support, the options were limited. Vanuatu would secure the first expansion team known as the Wizards.

The second spot would be the Timor Tapirs, based out of East Timor. It had only become a country in 2002, breaking away from Indonesia. It was an incredibly new market, but one OBA officials hoped would only grow as the country gained its footing.



OBA didn’t make any other major changes to its structure, keeping a division-less format but now with 10 teams in each league. The top finisher from each league still advanced to a best-of-seven for the Oceania Championship.



Melbourne’s Australasia League dominance continued with a fourth consecutive pennant. The two-time defending OBA champs finished 106-56, the best yet during their 2000s run. Christchurch was a distant second at 94-68, followed by Auckland at 92-70. The Mets set a new AL record for team OBP at .341, which still stands as the top mark in 2006. Interestingly enough, 89-win Brisbane set the second-best OBP at .335 and set a new league record for hits at 1610.

Auckland 1B Jacob Crotchett won Australasia League MVP, leading in hits (201), RBI (153), average (.339), slugging (.656), and wRC+ (172). His 51 home runs were six behind Hobart’s Mahmoud Bourabia, denying the Triple Crown. Crotchett was only the second to ever reach 150+ RBI, joining Hall of Famer Vavao Brighouse (161 in 1995). He had signed a six-year, $24,400,000 extension before the 2005 season with the Avengers.

Pitcher of the Year was Melbourne’s Gavala Rahim in only his second full season. The 25-year old Australian righty led in wins (25-8), ERA (2.70), WHIP (0.98), and shutouts (3). Rahim added 244 strikeouts over 287 innings with 7.2 WAR.



The Pacific League had an intense battle for the top spot with Fiji dethroning Tahiti. The Freedom won it at 103-59, beating the three-time defending champ Tropics by one game at 102-60. Fiji had been the last team to win the PL since Tahiti’s streak started with the 2002 pennant. That was the Freedom’s only other title to date. New Caledonia was a very distant third at 90-72.

For the second time in three years, Honolulu 2B Kalos Ryniker won Pacific League MVP. The 26-year old Solomon Islander led in runs (107), homers (45), RBI (110), and total bases (356). His .316 average left him one point by Joel Patu for a Triple Crown. Ryniker also had 6.7 WAR and a 168 wRC+.

New Caledonia’s Crow Xue won his third Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old from Hong Kong led in wins (25-13), ERA (2.03), innings (337.2), WHIP (0.89), quality starts (32), shutouts (6), and WAR (11.1). He added 349 strikeouts, finishing fourth in the league. Xue would pitch three more seasons for the Colonels before leaving to embark on a MLB tenure.



Melbourne mauled Fiji with a sweep in the 47^th Oceania Championship, becoming the second OBA franchise to three-peat. Only Honolulu had previously pulled it off, doing it twice in their great dynasty run (1982-84, 88-90). 3B Max Costantini was finals MVP, a 31-year old Brazilian who joined the Mets after nine years with Fortaleza of Beisbol Sudamerica. Costantini was 7-17 with 4 runs, 2 homers, and 8 RBI. This was Melbourne’s fifth overall title (1967, 1969, 2004, 2005, 2006).



Other notes: Samoa’s Austin Jong tossed OBA’s 10^th perfect game on August 22, striking out 15 against Guadalcanal. New Caledonia’s Tony Charles struck out 21 on September 10 against Guadalcanal, setting a new OBA record for Ks in a regulation game. The overall top mark was Jack Nix’s 23 from 1983, but he did that in 9.2 innings. Scott Webster became the 12^th pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. SS Woody Bolling won his ninth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in EPB

With the expansion of the Oceania Baseball Association, Eurasian Professional Baseball now was the smallest big league at only 16 teams. They still needed a few more years before their next expansion could match it. EPB officials were worried about its prestige sinking further and wanted to do something to pump up popularity. They ended up making some rules adjustments designed to increase the scoring.

EPB had been considered low to very low offensively on the grand historical scale. With these changes, the European League’s batting average went from .221 in 2005 to .239 in 2006, while the ERA went from 2.63 to 3.00. In the Asian League, the average went from .230 to .244, while the ERA jumped from 2.94 to 3.29. EPB would still be considered below average to low scoring offensively, but kept them from inching closer to the “dead ball” territory of APB or CLB.



St. Petersburg and Moscow tied for the European League title at 99-63. No tiebreaker game was used with the formula favoring the Polar Bears for first place officially. They repeated as the #1 team and the Mules repeated as the #2. Minsk (93-69) and Kazan (90-72) were both in the hunt. For the first time in EPB’s 52 year history, the Miners missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Winning European League MVP for the third consecutive season was St. Petersburg RF Jov Sakharov. The 28-year old Russian made history with 14.18 WAR, the single-season EPB record by a non-two way player. That mark still holds as of 2037. Sakharov also scored 126 runs, breaking the previous record of 122 held by three players. That would remain the runs record until finally passed in 2036.

Sakharov also led in hits (207), doubles (35), triples (18), home runs (47), total bases (419), average (.329), slugging (.665), OPS (1.019), and wRC+ (219). His 110 RBI fell eight short of a Triple Crown. St. Petersburg locked up their superstar in May with an eight-year, $32,760,000 extension, one of the richest in EPB history.

Markiyan Konoplya also made history as the second in EPB history to win Pitcher of the Year six times. After a decade of dominance in Minsk, Konoplya had signed a five-year, $27,000,000 deal for 2006 with St. Petersburg. The 32-year old Ukrainian righty led in wins (25-9), innings (290.2), strikeouts (332), WHIP (0.83), complete games (22), and shutouts (7). Konoplya had 9.2 WAR and a 2.07 ERA, falling eight points from a Triple Crown.



Yekaterinburg dominated the Asian League standings at 101-61, earning a third straight playoff berth and sixth in seven years. The Yaks were blazing it on the basepaths, setting a new AL record with 420 steals. They also had allowed the fewest runs in EPB with 445. Yekaterinburg was 16 games ahead of second place, finishing first for the fifth time in the 2000s.

It was a four-time battle for the second playoff spot. Irkutsk (85-77) edged defending EPB champ Krasnoyarsk (83-79), Omsk (83-79), and Novosibirsk (82-80). That ended an eight-year playoff drought for the Ice Cats ****** back to their 1990s dynasty run. The Cossacks saw their five-year postseason streak snapped.

Krasnoyarsk 3B Boxuan Long won his third Asian League MVP in four years. He posted the ninth Triple Crown in EPB history by a batter with 43 home runs, 114 RBI, and a .337 average. The 31-year old Chinese righty was also the leader in runs (100), total bases (350), OBP (.406), slugging (.677), OPS (1.083), wRC+ (214), and WAR (11.7). With this effort, Long became an eight-time Silver Slugger winner.

Yekaterinburg’s Matvey Ivanov also made history with a historic eighth Pitcher of the Year win. The 31-year old Russian lefty posted his third Triple Crown in four years with a 21-7 record, 1.37 ERA, and 365 strikeouts. He’s the only EPB player to earn three Triple Crowns. Ivanov also led in K/BB (11.8), quality starts (28), complete games (23), shutouts (7), FIP- (38), and WAR (13.5). It was his seventh straight season with 10+ WAR and his sixth as the ERA leader. Ivanov also took second in MVP voting. With his continued dominance, the Yaks gave him another five years and $19,600,000 the following spring.

The European League Championship Series rematch had the same result as the prior year, #2 seed Moscow upsetting #1 seed St. Petersburg. The Mules won it 4-2 for their fifth pennant overall. Yekaterinburg didn’t want to suffer an upset like they had seen the prior year, as the Yaks topped Irkutsk 4-2 in the Asian League’s final. Yekaterinburg earned its third pennant in four years and its fourth in six years. The Yaks became seven-time AL champs.



In the 52^nd EPB Championship, Moscow won a classic in seven games over Yekaterinburg. This was the third title for the Russian capital, which had also won it all in 1974 and 1975. 3B Ivan Mushailov was finals MVP in his tenth season with the Mules. In 13 playoff starts, he had 13 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 4 homers, and 10 RBI.



Other notes: Ulaanbaatar’s Wolfgang Lind had a 33-game hitting streak, passing Maksim Shantanov’s 31 from 1980 for the EPB record. This remains EPB’s longest streak as of 2037. Pitcher of the Year winners Matvey Ivanov and Markiyan Konoplya both crossed 200 career wins in 2006, making 52 pitchers to reach the mark. Konoplya also became the 53^rd to 3500 strikeouts, a mark Ivanov would meet in 2007.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in EBF

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The Northern Conference was very competitive in 2006 with only seven wins separating the top division winner from the weakest. Luxembourg was a shocking #1 seed, as the Lancers hadn’t been a playoff team since 1982. They won the Northwest Division at 97-65, beating Paris by five games and Rotterdam by nine. At 92-70, the Poodles very narrowly took the first wild card, earning a second playoff berth in three years.

The battle for the #2 seed and the second wild card was in the North Central Division. Last year’s conference finalist Kyiv took first at 93-69 to repeat as division champ and earn a fourth playoff berth in five years. Hamburg and Warsaw both finished at 91-71, two behind the Kings and one back on Paris for the first wild card. The Hammers took the tiebreaker game and the second wild card to end a three-year playoff drought. That also snapped a three-year playoff streak for the Wildcats.

Dublin repeated in the British Isles Division at 90-72. Glasgow was 88-74, two off the division title and three from the second wild card. Meanwhile, two-time defending European Champion Copenhagen earned an eighth straight Northeast Division title. The Corsairs were 90-72, besting Stockholm by three games.

There was a tie for the worst record between Krakow and London at 60-102. The tiebreaker formula meant the Canines were to be relegated. The Monarchs were lucky as it would be the next year that the rule was changed so that any 100+ loss team would be demoted. Prague was also in danger for much of the year, but survived at 64-98.

Northern Conference MVP was Kyiv’s Nick Hudson. The 29-year old American had been an eight-year MLB veteran who surprised many by leaving for Ukraine in the offseason on a five-year, $34,400,000 deal. In his EBF debut, Hudson led in runs (121), RBI (135), total bases (415), OBP (.443), slugging (.745), OPS (1.188), wRC+ (229), and WAR (11.3). His .373 average was eight points from first and his 56 home runs fell one short of the top spot.

Pitcher of the Year was Dublin’s Kazimierz Lipinski. The 25-year old Polish righty led in wins (18-5), ERA (2.04), quality starts (27), and shutouts (5). Lipinski had 215 strikeouts over 246.2 innings and 6.5 WAR. This would be his one standout season in a journeyman career that spanned 14 teams between EBF, CABA, and OBA.

Paris swept Copenhagen in the first round, ending any chance of a Corsairs three-peat. Dublin edged Hamburg on the other side of the bracket, but dropped their second round series 3-1 to Kyiv. Meanwhile, the Poodles upset Luxembourg 3-2 in round two. The Kings were making a repeat appearance in the Northern Conference Championship, while Paris was making its second in three years. Kyiv won the series 4-1 for its first pennant since joining EBF. Counting their EPB days, it was their 12^th subleague title and first since 1992.



Barcelona and defending Southern Conference champ Vienna dominated the field, easily getting the first round byes. The Bengals repeated as Southwest Division champs at 111-51, setting a franchise record. The Vultures won a fourth consecutive East Central Division at 104-58 and posted a fourth consecutive 100+ win season. Barcelona won its division by 23 games and Vienna took its by 17. The Bengals had 291 doubles as a team, a conference record that held until 2028.

The South Central Division had an intense battle with four teams within three games of first and all six at .500 or better. By one game, Munich extended its division title streak to six seasons, finishing 90-72. Naples and Zurich were both 89-73, while Malta was 87-75, Rome was 83-79, and Zabreb was 81-81. Ultimately, the Mountaineers and Nobles got the two wild cards, giving Zurich its third straight wild card and Naples its second in three years.

Also right behind Naples and Zurich in the wild card race was Milan at 88-74, Bratislava at 87-75, and Budapest at 86-76. Tbilisi’s bid for a fourth straight Southeast Division was thwarted with a 75-87 finish. Yerevan won the weak group at 83-79. It was the only second-time the Valiants have ever been a playoff team, joining their 1977 division title from EPB.

Thessaloniki and Valencia were the first teams to have earned promotion the prior year. For the Tritons, they were immediately relegated right back at 62-100, finishing two games worse than Sofia and four worse than Odessa. The Vandals had a respectable debut at 75-87. Also at 75-87 was Madrid, which ended a seven-year playoff streak for the Conquistadors. It was their first losing record since 1996.

Malta fell two games short of their first-ever playoff appearance. Leading their effort was Southern Conference MVP Fabian Lindauer, who joined the Marvels in a 2004 offseason trade with Hamburg. The 25-year old Swiss third baseman led in home runs (60), RBI (153), total bases (412), slugging (.701), OPS (1.073), and wRC+ (195). Lindauer added 8.5 WAR and a .333 average. Sadly, later knee troubles would plague him in his 30s.

Vienna’s Steffen Neumann won his third straight Pitcher of the Year and earned a second Triple Crown. The 27-year old German had a 22-8 record, 1.99 ERA, and 318 strikeouts over 248.1 innings. He joined legendary aces Jean-Luc Roch and Lindsey Brampton as the only multiple-time Triple Crown winners in EBF. Neumann also led in WHIP (0.90), FIP- (48), and WAR (10.6).

Yerevan swept Zurich and Munich edged Naples 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Barcelona cruised to a sweep of the Valiants in round two, but the Mavericks shocked Vienna 3-2. It was the Bengals’ first Southern Conference Championship berth since winning it all in 1996, while the Mavericks were making a repeat appearance. In a seven-game thriller, Barcelona won it in dramatic fashion. Game seven finished 2-1 on a walk-off solo home run by Per Berg. The Bengals became seven-time conference champs.



In the 57^th European Championship, Kyiv defeated Barcelona 4-2 to win their first EBF title. The Kings were no strangers to the throne, having won the EPB crown eight times, although this was their first overall ring since 1992. Conference MVP Nick Hudson was also finals MVP, posting 19 hits, 13 runs, 6 home runs, and 12 RBI in 15 playoff starts. The Bengals are now 4-3 in their finals berths.



Other notes: Cologne’s Nat Lecomte became the second-ever EBF player to record a seven hit game, going 7-8 against Krakow on April 12. He was the 11^th player in any world league to achieve the feat. Budapest’s Jiri Lebr had 246 hits, the third-most in a season. That would be the best single-season for the eventual hit king, whose later longevity eventually made him EBF’s only 4000 hit club member. He also had a 27-game and 25-game hit streak during the summer. For the first time since 1990, there wasn’t a no-hitter thrown all season.

Villum Kleist became the sixth member of the 700 home run club, while he and Roberto Baccin became the ninth and tenth to reach 1500 runs scored. Remy Morel, Mattias Stole, and Giordano Dupuis all reached 2500 hits, making 23 batters to do so in EBF. Elias Blomqvist became the eighth reliever to 300 saves. Two-way player Atanas Kalkanov won his seventh Silver Slugger and sixth as a pitcher.

Promotion/Relegation: Thessaloniki and Krakow were both relegated into the Second League’s Eastern Conference. Palermo was switched from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference to maintain the balance. Riga went right back into its Northeast Division slot, replacing the Canines.

For Seville, it reclaimed its spot in the Southwest Division. Valencia, who took the Stingrays place in 2006, remained in the division with their fellow Spanish clubs. Milan was switched from the Southwest to the South Central, reuniting with the other Italian teams. Zagreb was shifted out of the South Central to the East Central, taking up the spot vacated by Thessaloniki.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in EBF

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The top three records in the Bolivar League all came out of the Colombia-Ecuador Division. Two-time defending Copa Sudamerica winner Bogota won the division and the top seed at 93-69, but they were only two games from being out of the playoff entirely. Regardless, the Bats extended their postseason streak to four seasons and they earned their 14^th playoff appearance since 1991.

One game back was Quito at 92-70, followed by Guayaquil at 91-71. The Thunderbolts got the wild card and a repeat playoff berth, while the Golds had to stay home. At 90-72, Caracas won the Venezuela Division for the fifth straight season and the 11^th time in 12 years. No one else in that division was above .500.

Santa Cruz was the lone team from the 1974 expansion that had never earned a playoff berth. The Crawfish changed that in 2006, wining the Peru-Bolivia Division at 89-73. Santa Cruz edged Lima by only one game. La Paz had won a terrible division the prior year at 75-89. The Pump Jacks pitching staff set BL worsts with only 919 strikeouts and a 5.79 K/9.

Guayaquil’s Hector Correa made history as the first five-time Bolivar League MVP. Only home run king Valor Melo in the Southern Cone League had won MVP five times in Beisbol Sudamerica. The 33-year old Ecuadoran LF led in runs (125), RBI (142), total bases (424), average (.360), OBP (.422), OPS (1.131), wRC+ (187), and WAR (9.6). Correa also had 49 home runs and 215 hits. This would conclude his run with his hometown Golds after 11 seasons, leaving for MLB in the offseason and signing a five-year, $61,500,000 deal with Atlanta. Correa would return to BSA though for his final six seasons from 2011-16.

Pitcher of the Year and Reliever of the Year went to Caracas’ B.J. Ward. The only other time a BSA reliever won POTY was Pedro Heredia in 1979. The 29-year old American lefty had merely been a decent MLB reliever for nine seasons with four teams. Ward came to BSA in 2005 with Brasilia, then joined the Colts for 2006. He had 110 innings, 36 saves, a 1.79 ERA, 121 strikeouts, 224 ERA+, and 4.3 WAR.

Wild card Quito knocked out Bogota 3-1 in the Divisional Series, ending the Bats’ three-peat bid. This was the Thunderbolts’ first Bolivar League Championship Series berth since winning Copa Sudamerica in 1994. Caracas outlasted Santa Cruz 3-2 on the other side, giving the Colts their third BLCS in five years. Caracas claimed the crown 4-1 over Quito for their second pennant in four years. It was the 13^th BL title for the Colts, which leads all teams.



Rio de Janeiro earned the #1 seed in the Southern Cone League at 99-63. The Redbirds won a third straight Southeast Division title and a fourth straight playoff berth. Buenos Aires, last year’s wild card, dropped to 78-84. After a shocking 64-win 2005, Asuncion reclaimed the South Central Division at 87-75. The Archers were eight ahead of Santiago, earning their eighth playoff berth and seventh division title in a decade. The Saints fell short despite having a payroll worth $100 million more than Asuncion.

Belo Horizonte won a stacked North Division at 97-65, ending a four-year playoff drought. Salvador was one back at 96-66 for their fourth wild card in six years. Brasilia at 93-69 and reigning league champ Fortaleza at 91-71 both missed the cut.

After 11 seasons with Brasilia, 1B Bernaldo Lagasse signed a four-year, $29,600,000 deal with Rio. His Redbirds debut saw him earn his third Southern Cone League MVP. The 32-year old Brazilian switch hitter led in runs (125), doubles (41), walks (98), OBP (.470), slugging (.725), OPS (1.195), wRC+ (234), and WAR (11.2). He added a .371 average, 46 home runs, and 109 RBI.

Belo Horizonte’s Juliao Costa became the sixth pitcher in BSA history to win Pitcher of the Year five times. The 30-year old Brazilian righty led in ERA (2.25), K/BB (13.9), shutouts (5), and FIP- (42). Costa added 10.1 WAR, 305 strikeouts, and a 16-6 record with 13 saves over 224 innings.

Rio de Janeiro survived 3-2 over Salvador and Asuncion upset Belo Horizonte 3-1 in the Divisional Series. The Redbirds earned repeat appearances in the Southern Cone Championship and their third in four years. The Archers hadn’t made it since their four pennants from 1997-01. Rio was the favorite, but Asuncion earned their fifth title 4-2. It was an impressive bounce back from a shocking 64-98 in 2005.



In the 76^th Copa Sudamerica, Asuncion defeated Caracas 4-2 to earn their second-ever overall title (2001). The Colts have now lost in their last five Cups and sit at 4-9 all-time in the championship. Catcher R.J. Noriega was finals MVP in his second season. In 16 playoff starts, the Paraguayan had 18 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, and 3 RBI.



Other notes: Caracas slugger Milton Becker had just passed Valor Melo the prior year as the all-time RBI leader in BSA. In 2006, he became the first BSA player to cross 2000 RBI. He’d retire after the 2008 season with 2226, holding the top spot until 2027. Becker would pass Melo as the home run king in 2007. Becker also became the seventh member of the 3000 hit club in 2006 and won his 11^th Silver Slugger.

For the first time in BSA history, back-to-back seasons passed without a single no-hitter. Mefisto Rodrigues was the 13^th pitcher to 250 career wins and the 28^th to 4000 strikeouts. 1B D.J. Del Valle won his 13^th Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in EAB

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After seeing their playoff streak snapped the prior year, 2003 and 2004 Japan League champ Niigata had the top seed in 2006 at 101-61. They rolled to the North Division as Saitama fell to 75-87. The Green Dragons picked up their fifth division title in six years. They were one game ahead of Hiroshima for the top overall seed.

The Hammerheads extended their West Division streak to eight seasons, but it did not come easy. Hiroshima was 100-62, two games better than 98-64 Kumamoto and five better than 95-67 Fukuoka. With no wild card spots in the JL, the Monsters and Frogs are both stuck at home again despite having 10+ more wins than the other two division champs. Fukuoka has the longest active playoff drought in East Asia Baseball at 26 seasons.

Tokyo won the Capital Division at 84-78 for a second berth in three years. Chiba, who won 97 games the prior year, was a distant second at 74-88. Defending JL champ Osaka narrowly won the Central Division at 84-78, edging Nagoya by one game. The Orange Sox picked up their fifth division title in six years.

Despite Chiba’s struggles, their two-way star Junichi Muto was Japan League MVP. The 29-year old lefty on the mound led in innings (283.2), and complete games (18), adding a 15-13 record, 2.95 ERA, 309 strikeouts, and 8.6 WAR. At the plate and in the outfield he had 123 games and 108 starts with 5.4 WAR, a .312/.335/.577 slash, 171 wRC+, and 29 home runs. Muto played one more year for Chiba, then was traded to Tokyo.

Kawasaki’s Soo Moon became a four-time Pitcher of the Year winner. He led in wins (20-7), strikeouts (356), WHIP (0.81), K/BB (14.2), FIP- (44), and WAR (10.3). The 29-year old also had a 2.23 ERA over 241.2 innings. Moon had two more years with the Killer Whales before leaving for MLB and a five-year, $63,000,000 deal with Toronto. Injury would knock him out of the game after the 2011 campaign.

Niigata downed Osaka 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, while Tokyo upset Hiroshima 3-2. The bad times continued for the Hammerheads with no pennants and six first round exits in their eight-year playoff streak. The Tides hadn’t gotten to the Japan League Championship Series since 1995. They couldn’t keep the upset magic going against the Green Dragons, as Niigata took the JLCS 4-2. The Green Dragons won their third pennant in four years and their fifth overall (1990, 1991, 2003, 2004, 2006).



Last year’s Korea League runner-up Yongin again had the top overall seed and the South Division title. The Gold Sox were 100-62, 14 games better than second place Changwon. Incheon won the North Division at 94-68, earning their fifth playoff berth in six years. Two-time defending EAB champ Seoul was one back at 93-69, picking up a third straight wild card.

For the second wild card, Changwon (86-76) edged out Busan (85-77), Gwangju (85-77), Ulsan (83-79), Daegu (82-80), and Suwon (82-80). Entering the season, the Crabs were tied with the JL’s Fukuoka for the longest active playoff drought, ****** back to 1980. This was only the third winning season in the last 20 years for Changwon. Seongnam was 79-83, which ended their playoff streak at five seasons.

Incheon 1B Kyu-Seong Lee won his second Korea League MVP. The 29-year old led in runs (116), total bases (392), slugging (.658), OPS (1.049), and WAR (8.5). Lee added 51 home runs, 121 RBI, and a .332 average. Like many others, the allure of MLB money would be too great for Lee, as he’d leave the Inferno in the offseason. He would ink a seven-year, $84,900,000 deal to join the Detroit Tigers.

Seoul’s Dan-U Lim won Pitcher of the Year honors. The 28-year old righty led in quality starts (23) and innings (264). Lim had a 19-10 record, 2.59 ERA, 240 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR. This effort earned him a nice six-year, $33,400,000 extension in the offseason with the Seahawks, although he’d be merely mid throughout that run.

Changwon shocked top seed Yongin 3-1 in the first round, sending the Crabs to the Korea League Championship Series for the first time since 1965. Seoul outlasted Incheon 3-2 to earn a third straight KLCS berth. The Seahawks completed the three-peat, downing Changwon 4-2. They’re the first team to win three straight Korean titles since Daegu in the 1970s. Notably unique for Seoul is that they’ve done it as a wild card each year. It was their seventh title overall.



The 86^th East Asian Championship was a rematch of 2004, which saw Seoul win 4-3 in dramatic fashion over Niigata. The Seahawks were now looking to win a third straight title, but the Green Dragons ended up spoiling that hope in six games. This was Niigata’s second title, joining their 1991 sweep over Goyang. 2B Jae-Min Hwang was finals MVP in his ninth season for the Green Dragons. In 16 playoff starts, he had 23 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 11 RBI.



Other notes: SS Tokuei Kato won his 12^th and final Gold Glove, holding the EAB record for the position.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in CABA

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The power in the Mexican League was concentrated in the North Division. Defending ML champ Juarez took first at 98-64, extending their playoff streak to five years. The Jesters set a new league record offensively with 1701 hits, which still stands as the top mark as of 2037. Still, they only won the division by one game over Hermosillo at 97-65. The Hyenas ended a 16-year playoff drought ****** back to 1989.

For the second wild card, Mexicali (93-69) just beat out Monterrey (92-70), and Torreon (89-73). The Maroons ended their own 21 year playoff drought and brought an end to the Matadors’ historic streak. Monterrey had made the playoffs a CABA-record 18 consecutive seasons, although they had been a wild card and one-and-done in six straight years. Still, this was a changing of the guard after the Matadors had dominated throughout the 1990s.

Another massive change was Ecatepec falling to 80-82, ending their South Division title streak at ten years. The Explosion had been the ML’s powerhouse in the 2000s with six straight titles from 1999-04. Winning the division was Merida, whose playoff drought dated back to 1982. The Mean Green hadn’t been a division champion since 1977.

Mexicali’s Iwan Valen became a three-time Mexican League MVP. The 29-year old lefty from Curacao won his eighth Gold Glove in center field and led in WAR (11.5), total bases (407), slugging (.679), and OPS (209). Valen also had 48 home runs and 126 RBI with a .331 average. He finally ended a playoff drought for the Maroons, but they knew they couldn’t keep their superstar. Valen would sign one of the richest deals in baseball history in the offseason, heading to MLB’s Cincinnati Reds at seven years and $95,900,000.

Pitcher of the Year was Hermosillo’s Simon Leal. The 29-year old Mexican led in wins (20-9), and strikeouts (312). He added a 2.50 ERA over 244.1 innings and 6.9 WAR. The Hyenas were able to keep him locked up, inking a seven-year, $66,500,000 extension in May 2007.

Juarez survived 3-2 over Mexicali in the first round, while Hermosillo outlasted Merida 3-2. The Hyenas hadn’t gotten to the Mexican League Championship Series since their 1989 title. They took the Jesters to the limit, but Juarez repeated as ML champs after a seven game war. Juarez was now 11-time Mexican League champs.



Haiti again was the top seed in the Caribbean League, taking the Island Division at 106-56. The Herons grew their playoff streak to a decade with nine division titles in that run. Over in the Continental Division, Honduras took first at 98-64 to grow their own playoff streak to nine years. It was also the 15^th playoff berth since 1990 for the Horsemen.

Defending CABA champ Salvador was second at 95-67, taking the first wild card. The Stallions’ playoff streak was at four with and they saw a 12^th berth in 13 years. There was a big gap to the second wild card with Santo Domingo and Nicaragua tying at 84-78. Havana was right behind at 83-79, as was Santiago (81-81), Costa Rica (80-82), and Guatemala (80-82). The Dolphins beat the Navigators in the tiebreaker game, ending an eight-year playoff drought for SD.

Salvador LF Darion Gaudi won Caribbean League MVP with historic power, tying CABA’s single-season home run record of 72 set by Yohnny Galaz in 1988. No one would top this mark in CABA until 2034. Gaudi also had 159 RBI, the third-most in a season. The 25-year old Jamaican switch hitter also led in total bases (461), and slugging (.752) while adding a .336 average and 8.2 WAR. Gaudi would earn a six-year, $48,900,000 extension before the 2008 season largely from this season. Knee issues ultimately kept Gaudi from excelling beyond this one remarkable season.

Salvador also had the Pitcher of the Year in second-year lefty Mateo Ramirez. The 23-year old Dominican led in strikeouts (340), innings (265.1), WHIP (0.99), quality starts (21), and WAR (9.1). Ramirez also had a 2.61 ERA and 19-7 record. Also of note, Haiti’s Alejandro Valadez became CABA’s first five-time Reliever of the Year winner, earning them consecutively. He would leave for a relatively unremarkable MLB run the next year.

Division champs won in round one 3-1 with Haiti over Santo Domingo and Honduras over Salvador. Despite the playoff streaks for both, it was only the third time in that run that the Herons and Horsemen met in the Caribbean League Championship Series. Haiti cruised to a sweep to reclaim the throne for the first time since the 2000-02 three-peat. The Herons became seven-time CL champs.



In the 96^th Central American Baseball Association Championship, Juarez seemed on their way to a sweep initially. The Jesters won the first three games, but Haiti made the stunning comeback to win the series 4-3. The only other time in CABA Championship history to see a 3-0 rally was the very first final in 1991 with Merida over Havana.



The Herons became four-time CABA champs and won their third title of the 2000s. (1938, 2001, 2002, 2006). Finals MVP was 1B Ivan Moran with the 26-year old Honduran making 14 starts with 25 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, and 14 RBI.

Other notes: Mexicali’s Ernesto Rincon had 246 hits, the second most in a CABA season to date. Only Prometheo Garcia’s 252 from 1949 were better. Havana had 294 doubles as a team, the second-most in CL history to that point. Honduras’ Jose Cardenas had a 32-game hit streak and Trinidad’s Augusto Jaen had a 31-game one.

Hugh Boerboom became the fifth to reach 2000 career RBI. He would retire after 2006 with 2008 RBI, fifth on the all-time chart. Boerboom would also finish at 866 home runs, easily holding the top spot there until Noah Breton passed him in the late 2020s. As of 2037, Boerboom is still second in CABA homers and seventh in RBI.

Maikel Loya became the 13^th member of the 600 home run club and the 13^th to reach 1500 runs scored. Loya played three more years, getting to 689 dingers and 1796 runs. SS Rafino Piloto won his tenth Gold Glove. David Davila won his 11^th Silver Slugger at shortstop. Davila also became the 43^rd player to cross 2500 career hits.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2006 in MLB

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Last year’s National Association Championship Series runner-up Quebec City had the top seed in 2006 at 102-60. This was a franchise record for the Nordiques, who won the Northeast Division. The #2 seed went to Winnipeg at 99-63 atop the Upper Midwest Division. It was the second division title in three years for the Wolves, who won the pennant in 2004. They fended off tough competition from Cleveland (95-67), Detroit (93-69), and Minneapolis (90-72).

The Cobras ended up getting the first wild card for their third playoff berth in four years. The Tigers tied with Boston for the second wild card at 93-69, while the Moose fell three games short. The one-game tiebreaker went to the Red Sox, giving them their second berth in three years. In the Lower Midwest Division, Indianapolis ended a three-year playoff drought by taking it at 91-71. It was their first division title since 2000. Columbus was second, four back at 87-75.

In the East Division, Pittsburgh prevailed at 91-71, edging Brooklyn by three games. While the Pirates were a wild card in 2003, this was their first division title since 1967. Reigning National Association champ Philadelphia fell off hard, dropping to 74-88. The Phillies had won the division four of the last five years and hadn’t posted a losing season since 1998.

Boston 1B Joran Mallery won his second National Association MVP in three years. The 24-year old from New Hampshire led in doubles (41), and WAR (9.4) in only his fourth season. Mallery added 35 home runs, 93 RBI, a .334/.402/.585 slash, and 206 wRC+. The Red Sox wanted him as the face of the franchise long term and signed him after the 2007 campaign to an eight-year, $98,700,000 deal.

Louisville’s Joshua Williams won his second Pitcher of the Year in only his third season. The 23-year old righty from Raleigh, North Carolina led in ERA (1.87), innings (270), strikeouts (327), walks (98), quality starts (30), FIP- (48), and WAR (11.4). His WAR total was the 15^th highest single-season by a MLB pitcher.

The first round of the playoffs had Cleveland sweep Pittsburgh and Indianapolis sweep Boston. The Cobras rolled on, upsetting top seed Quebec City 3-0. This gave Cleveland its first National Association Championship Series since winning it all in 2000. Winnipeg stopped the Racers 3-1 to set up a shot at their second pennant in three years. The Wolves took the series 4-1 over the Cobras to earn their second pennant.



The fight for the top seed was intense in the American Association with the top three teams all within one game of each other. Nashville ended up taking it at 101-61, bouncing back after only 76 wins in 2005. The Knights earned their fourth Southeast Division title in six years. For the other bye, Northwest Division champ Salt Lake City and South Central Division champ Austin both finished 100-62. The tiebreaker gave the Loons the bye.

For SLC, this was a third straight playoff berth. They were 10 games ahead of Portland in the division. Defending World Series champion Seattle was a distant third at 82-80, missing the playoffs for only the second time in nine years. For the Amigos, it was their second berth in three years. They had to fend off a fierce challenge from 98-64 Houston. The Hornets earned the first wild card and extended their playoff streak to five seasons.

Albuquerque and San Diego tied for the Southwest Division title at 95-67. The tiebreaker game went to the Isotopes for back-to-back division titles. Albuquerque’s playoff streak grew to six seasons, the longest active streak in MLB. The Seals were the second wild card, five games better than their closest foe Portland. San Diego ended a two-year playoff drought.

Salt Lake City CF Morgan Short won his third consecutive American Association MVP. He won his second Gold Glove as well, leading in WAR (11.9), doubles (48), average (.378), OBP (.449), and OPS (1.061). This was Short’s fourth straight batting title and third straight year with 11.9 WAR, giving him the fourth, fifth, and sixth best single-seasons by an MLB position player. Short also added 20 home runs and 102 RBI. The Loons had given Short an eight-year, $76,800,000 extension the prior winter.

Austin’s Archer Calloway won Pitcher of the Year in his fifth season. The lefty from San Antonio led in wins (23-7), quality starts (25), and shutouts (5). Calloway added 2.52 ERA, 288 strikeouts, and 7.2 WAR over 268 innings. He would sign a five-year, $41,280,000 extension with the Amigos in the offseason.

Houston edged Albuquerque 2-1 and San Diego upset Austin 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The Hornets went onto shock Salt Lake City 3-1 in round two. Despite their playoff streak, Houston hadn’t gotten to the American Association Championship Series since 1995. On the other side, Nashville survived 3-2 against the Seals. The Knights last played in the AACS in 2002 and won the pennant in 2001. Nashville cruised to a sweep of Houston to become five-time AA champs (1944, 1947, 1954, 2001, 2006).



The 106^th World Series saw Nashville defeat Winnipeg 4-1, giving the Knights their second MLB title of the 2000s. It was their third overall, as they also won back in 1954. World Series MVP was SS Mohammed Mohamed. The 32-year old Saudi was a five-time Arab League MVP with Mosul who signed with Nashville in 2005 at six years and $67,000,000. Mohamed missed almost all of 2005 with a torn PCL, but had a Silver Slugger 2006 season. In 14 playoff starts, he had 17 hits, 10 runs, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI.



Other notes: MLB’s 20^th Perfect Game came on May 20 from San Diego’s Johnny Aschenbrenner, who struck out 10 against Oakland. Cincinnati’s Ivor Schneider had a 30-game hit streak. Bryson Wightman became the 55^th member of the 3000 hit club.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2007 MLB Hall of Fame

Major League Baseball’s lone Hall of Fame inductee in 2007 was SS Bernd Sprenger, who earned a first ballot nod at 73.6%. RF Brian Ostrovskaya came close to the 66% requirement, but missed it with 61.5% on his third try. Five other returners were above 55%, but short of 60%. CL Alex Cantos had 59.5% on his ninth try, CL Brendan Gordon got 58.9% for his second, CF Will Kemme had 57.2% on his third, RF Mike Castaneda had 56.9% on his sixth and SP Ollie Husband was at 56.0% on his ninth.



Just above 50% was CL Christopher Fournier on his second ballot, CL Isaac Porter on his third, and RF Xavier Chojnacki on his fourth. The second best debut on the ballot was CL Jordan Neveau at a mere 32.2%.

The only player dropped after ten ballots was 1B Roy Cote, who played 19 seasons for Calgary. He had 3157 hits, 1639 runs, 550 doubles, 478 home runs, 1775 RBI, 997 walks, a .290/.351/.480 slash, 123 wRC+, and 57.0 WAR. Cote’s longevity got him some key accumulations and he won two World Series rings with the Cheetahs.

However, he had only one Silver Slugger and the advanced stats suggest he was an above average guy with tenure. Poor defense and baserunning meant he had surprisingly low WAR when considering his finally tallies. Still, Cote remains 12^th all-time in doubles, 38^th in RBI, and 46^th in hits. Cote got as high as 60.1% on the 2004 ballot, but was usually in the 40s, ending at 46.8%.


Jayden Slater also notably fell off after nine ballots, falling below 5% and peaking at 19.2%. He had 2116 hits, 1230 runs, 304 doubles, 564 home runs, 1441 RBI, a .252/.328/.493 slash, 129 wRC+, and 52.5 WAR over 16 years. Slater was at that point the fourth guy to miss the MLB HOF despite having 560+ dingers. He also only had one Silver Slugger and largely played for subpar teams.



Bernd “Noodle” Sprenger – Shortstop – Denver Dragons – 73.6% First Ballot

Bernd Sprenger was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting shortstop from Badbergen, Germany; a small town of around 5,000 in Lower Saxony. He was nicknamed “Noodle” for his love of pasta. Sprenger was the rare shortstop who was excellent at hitting both for contact and power. Eight different seasons, Sprenger hit 40+ homers. He could find the gap too with around 30 walks per 162 game average. Sprenger’s eye for walks and avoiding strikeouts were both average. He was a smart baserunner, but his speed was lousy.

Despite poor straight line speed, Sprenger had solid range and glovesmanship. He was a career shortstop and graded out as above average to good, even winning two Gold Gloves in his early years. Sprenger had some nagging elbow, knee and back troubles, but held up pretty well at a demanding position for 23 years. He was a great leader and became a beloved international baseball figure.

Sprenger holds a very unique distinction as being a Hall of Famer in MLB despite beginning his career in a different league. Growing up in Germany, he caught the attention of a scout from Belfast. In June 1976, he signed a developmental deal and moved to Northern Ireland. Sprenger also was a rare player to debut at age 19, seeing only a few appearances in 1979. He was a full-time starter the next six years with the Brewers, although he did miss some time in 1981 and 1983 with elbow injuries.

In his third full season, Sprenger emerged as an absolute stud. From 1982-85, he posted four straight seasons with 11+ WAR, leading the Northern Conference in 1982, 1984, and 1985. Great defense played a role, winning Gold Gloves in 1982 and 1983. Sprenger also won Silver Sluggers each of those four seasons. He led in batting average and OBP in 1984 with career bests at .363 and .424, respectively. Sprenger also smacked 37, 44, 54, and 57 home runs in those seasons.

Even stuck on some abysmal Belfast teams, Sprenger was hard to miss. However, the Brewers’ best season during his tenure was 75-87, which may have kept him from winning MVP. Still, Sprenger took second in four consecutive seasons from 1982-85. He soon became a national hero back in Germany from the World Baseball Championship. Sprenger had started with the squad in 1981 and played 212 games and made 207 starts over the next two decades.

In 1983, Sprenger led the Germans to their first-ever world title, defeating Ukraine in the championship. He won tournament MVP with 33 hits, 20 runs, 15 home runs, 28 RBI, a .314/.342/.790 slash, and 2.0 WAR over 25 starts. Germany made it back to the 1991 final, falling to Canada. Sprenger was second in MVP voting that year with 30 hits, 16 runs, 8 doubles, 9 homers, and 17 RBI over 25 starts.

In total for the German team, Sprenger had 210 hits, 143 runs, 46 doubles, 78 home runs, 166 RBI, a .263/.325/.619 slash, 164 wRC+, and 10.5 WAR. As of 2037, he’s played more games than anyone for Germany and sits second in WAR by position players, first in hits, first in RBI, second in runs, and second in homers. Among all position players, Sprenger is 30^th in WAR as of 2037, as well as 17^th in homers, 16^th in RBI, and 26^th in hits.

With that, Sprenger was known across the baseball world and was a very hot commodity entering free agency at only age 26. Belfast showed no signs of climbing from the cellar and likely had no chance of matching his expected offers. Thus ended Sprenger’s EBF run after only seven seasons. As a Brewer, Sprenger had 1016 hits, 500 runs, 170 doubles, 223 home runs, 571 RBI, a .323/.376/.609 slash, 179 wRC+, and 55.2 WAR.

It would be Denver who signed Sprenger to an eight-year, $12,500,000 deal to start his MLB run in 1986. In this era, the Dragons reached out to a number of international stars, including EAB Hall of Fame arm Aiya Kodama and former Chinese League MVP Haojian Yu. The signings paid off, as the Dragons became a regular American Association contender in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Injuries cost Sprenger almost half of his debut season of 1986, but he was still so good that he won a Silver Slugger anyway. He won the Slugger in all eight of his Denver seasons, giving him 12 total counting the Belfast run. All of his seasons had 5.5+ WAR with two being worth 9+ WAR. Sprenger led in WAR in 1987 with 9.4. His MLB best was 9.6 in 1990, which also saw an AA-best 142 RBI, 392 total bases, and .624 slugging. He hit 40+ homers five straight years from 1987-91. Sprenger’s 52 homers in 1990 was his MLB best, leading him to his lone MVP.

From 1988-93, Denver had five playoff appearances and four division titles. The Dragons won the American Association in 1989 and 1991 and fell in the 1993 AACS. In 1989, Denver defeated Hartford in the World Series with Sprenger getting 19 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, and 13 RBI in the playoff run. His Dragons career playoff stats were surprisingly underwhelming though with 47 starts, 48 hits, 23 runs, 11 home runs, 30 RBI, a .257/.281/.481 slash, 105 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR.

Regardless, Sprenger was a beloved superstar in the Mile High City and his #7 would be the first-ever uniform number retired by the Dragons. His contract expired after the 1993 season, becoming a free agent at age 34. Sprenger would sign a four-year, $12,600,000 deal with San Francisco.

Sprenger was less dominant in this stage of his career, but was still a very solid starter. He stepped up and won AACS MVP in 1994, helping the Gold Rush to a World Series title over Cleveland. In that run, he had 19 hits, 13 runs, 8 doubles, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI. San Francisco earned first round byes the next two seasons, but went one-and-done in the playoffs. Sprenger missed big chunks of 1996 to a knee sprain and to a dislocated shoulder in 1997.

He was a free agent again at age 38 and Denver brought him back for two years and $8,400,000. He had a resurgence with 5.2 WAR in the 1999 season. Between the two Denver runs, Sprenger had 1535 hits, 849 runs, 239 doubles, 383 home runs, 995 RBI, a .295/.345/.568 slash, 144 wRC+, and 63.7 WAR.

After that, San Francisco brought him back for $13,000,000 and two years. Elbow troubles kept him out much of 2000, although he was unremarkable when healthy. Sprenger was relegated to a bench role in 2001, struggling to a .189 average and -0.6 WAR.

Between the runs with the Gold Rush, he had 482 hits, 290 runs, 85 doubles, 104 home runs, 311 RBI, a .250/.302/.461 slash, 109 wRC+, and 13.9 WAR. Sprenger hoped to play in 2002, but was clearly cooked at this point. He retired that winter at age 43.

For his MLB career, Sprenger had 2017 hits, 1139 runs, 324 doubles, 487 home runs, 1306 RBI, a .283/.334/.539 slash, 135 wRC+, and 77.6 WAR. Starting off in Europe did lower his grand accumulations a bit within MLB, which did distance some voters. His immense popularity and role in World Series wins for two franchises though got him across the line for most voters.

Sprenger earned 73.6%, enough for a first ballot nod as the lone MLB Hall of Famer in 2007. For his full pro career, he had 3033 hits, 1639 runs, 494 doubles, 710 home runs, 1877 RBI, a .295/.347/.561 slash, 148 wRC+, and 132.8 WAR. Those combined totals and his WBC heroics prove that for much of the 1980s and 1990s, there were very few better shortstops in the world than Bernd Sprenger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2007 CABA Hall of Fame

Only LF Luis Martinez earned induction into the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2007. He barely did it too, just crossing the 66% requirement with 67.0% on his fifth ballot. The only debuting player above 50% was RF Dion Juarez at 56.3%. CF Manuel Rodriguez was the one other guy above 50% with 50.6% on his fifth try.



The ballot got purged a bit with four players getting dropped after ten failed tries. SP Simon Pech led this group, ending at 14.2% and peaking at 26.6% in 1999. He had only 11 years and won 1981 Pitcher of the Year, posting a 163-117 record, 3.20 ERA, 2687 innings, 2566 strikeouts, 113 ERA+, and 51.9 WAR. He lacked the longevity or dominance beyond one strong year to get any traction.

Fellow SP Jeronimo Talavarea pitched 15 years and got as high as 47.8% in 2006 before plummeting to a low of 13.0% in 2007. His CABA run was all with Nicaragua and saw a 178-126 record, 3.09 ERA, 2797.2 innings, 2691 strikeouts, 118 ERA+, and 50.9 WAR. Another fairly firm “Hall of Good” type guy.

Likewise was SP Sergio Mendoza, who had 12 seasons with six teams. He had a 156-102 record, 2.91 ERA, 2528 innings, 2245 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, and 44.3 WAR. He debuted at 18.0% and never got higher, ending at 9.2%.

Lastly was Tonto Lorenzo, who was at least notable for winning six Gold Gloves and titles with both Juarez and Monterrey. In 11 CABA seasons, he had a 135-110 record, 2.84 ERA, 2365 innings, 2107 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, and 44.5 WAR. Lorenzo peaked with his debut ballot at 15.1% and ended at 7.3%. Each guy had fine careers, but was correctly kept outside of the Hall of Fame.



Luis Martinez – Left Field – Ecatepec Explosion – 67.0% Fifth Ballot

Luis Martinez was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting left fielder from Mexico City. At his peak, Martinez had a strong bat that could reliably get you 30+ home runs and 25+ doubles a season. He was an above average contact hitter with a decent eye for walks, but his strikeout rate was subpar. Martinez was a much stronger bat against righties (172 wRC+, .936 OPS) compared to lefties (114 wRC+, .726 OPS). Martinez’ speed was abysmal, making him struggle as a baserunner and a defender.

He was a career left fielder and graded out as a lousy defender. Martinez had a cannon arm that graded as a 10/10, but his range and glove work were hot garbage. He was an ironman though and played in 150+ games each year from 1985-96. Martinez was scrappy and always gave it his all, making him a very popular player with Ecatepec.

Although nearly his entire career was with the Explosion, many fans forget that Martinez started his career elsewhere. In the 1981 CABA Draft, Leon picked him with the ninth overall pick. Martinez only saw six at-bats in 1982, then played 30 games with six starts in 1983. In June 1983, he was traded along with prospect SP Vicente Zafra to Ecatepec for veteran SP Carlos Xochitl and $1,710,000.

Martinez remained in primarily a pinch hitter role for the rest of 1983 and through 1984. He earned a starting spot in 1985 for Ecatepec and held it for the next 12 years. In 1986 and 1988, he led the Mexican League in both RBI and total bases, winning Silver Sluggers both years. 1986 had a career best 8.6 WAR. 1988 also saw a league-leading .597 slugging, .947 OPS, and 197 wRC+. In both seasons, Martinez was second in MVP voting.

Ecatepec gave him a four-year, $5,080,000 extension after the 1987 campaign. They had three straight playoff appearances from 1986-88, but lost in the wild card round each time. The Explosion fell into the mid-tier for the next four years. Martinez was reliably solid, but didn’t provide quite as much power as they’d hoped in those middle years. Still, he was well liked for his work ethic and grit, which earned him a seven-year, $10,640,000 extension in May 1991.

1993 marked the start of Ecatepec’s dominance of the South Division, winning 12 division titles from 1993-2005. The Explosion won the Mexican League pennant in 1994, but lost in the MLCS in 1993, 95, and 96. Although well liked, Martinez’ playoff numbers weren’t good. In 50 games and 36 starts, he had 29 hits, 17 runs, 5 doubles, 5 home runs, 15 RBI, a .209/.257/.381 slash, 78 wRC+, and 0.0 WAR.

Martinez would be gone before Ecatepec’s true dynasty began in the early 2000s. He did have an impressive resurgence in 1996 at age 34, socking a career best 48 home runs with a .326 average. That got him his third Silver Slugger. Martinez was relegated to a bench role though in 1997 and the team bought out his final year in 1998. After going unsigned that season, Martinez retired at age 37.

Martinez finished with 2085 hits, 1077 runs, 333 doubles, 436 home runs, 1249 RBI, a .293/.348/.533 slash, 157 wRC+, and 61.6 WAR. His tallies were definitely borderline at best and he debuted on the 2003 ballot at 43.5%. Martinez did slowly climb up to 53.4% in 2005, but seemed to plateau at 53.0% in 2006.

2007 was a very weak Hall of Fame ballot for CABA with only one debut getting above 50%. Those that didn’t want to leave a ballot blank gave Martinez another look. He was a reliably solid power hitter for a decade and helped Ecatepec become a regular playoff team, even if he wasn’t the main piece. That got him the bump to 67.0%, crossing the line by one percent for a fifth ballot nod as 2007’s lone CABA inductee.