[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The 2027 voting for the Oceania Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame didn’t have any debuts of consequence as the top newcomer got a whopping 12.4%. The ballot very nearly ended up blank, but also came close to having three returners cross the 66% threshold. SP Joel Wilson ended up being the lone selection by just crossing the line at 66.7% on his third ballot.



Fellow third ballot pitcher George Hudson was a near miss at 64.1%. 3B Marlon Russell was the best position player at 60.3% for his fifth try. Two second ballot guys crossed 50% with SP Raj Marple at 59.8% and LF Samson Gould with 51.4%. No players fell off the ballot after ten failed attempts.



Joel Wilson – Starting Pitcher – Guam Golden Eagles – 66.7% Third Ballot

Joel Wilson was a 6’8’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Newcastle, Australia; a city of around 169,000 in New South Wales. Wilson had excellent movement on his pitches with good stuff, but his control was incredibly erratic. His fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range with a slider, curveball, and splitter in his arsenal. Wilson had an extreme groundball tendency and didn’t allow many homers, but walks would get him in trouble at times.

Wilson’s stamina was below average relative to the typical ace in the four-man rotation world of OBA. However, Wilson’s durability was generally solid and you’d regularly get a full workload. He had an excellent pickoff move with decent defense. Wilson was a pretty basic teammate and would never cause trouble, but you couldn’t look to him for leadership.

He was first eligible for the 2002 OBA Draft and was picked 16^th overall by Brisbane. Wilson couldn’t come to terms with the Black Bears and spent another season in the college ranks. For the 2003 OBA Draft, he was picked eighth by Christchurch and ultimately signed with the Chinooks. Wilson was used as a part-time starter in his first three seasons, finally earning a full-time rotation slot in 2007.

Wilson posted 7+ WAR in each of his first three full seasons with the Chinooks. He took third in 2007’s Pitcher of the Year voting. Wilson led the Australasia League in WAR in 2008 (7.5) and quality starts (32), but also had the most walks at 105. Still, he won Pitcher of the Year for that effort. Wilson was arguably better in 2009 with career bests in WAR (9.6) and strikeouts (286), but he wasn’t a finalist that year.

During Wilson’s brief run, Christchurch was in the middle of the standings with Melbourne’s AL dynasty in full effect. For the Chinooks, he had a 70-50 record, 2.76 ERA, 1091 innings, 1040 strikeouts, 363 walks, 20 complete games, 141 ERA+, and 29.1 WAR. In January 2010, the 30-year old Wilson was traded to Guam in a four player deal, beginning what would become his signature run. After a nice debut effort, the Golden Eagles gave Wilson a four-year, $20,800,000 extension.

Wilson never was an awards finalist or league leader for Guam, but he gave them fairly reliable production. He posted his career best ERA of 1.77 in 2016, although he was used for fewer innings than prior years. The Golden Eagles returned to the top spot of the Pacific League in 2016 at 107-55 and pulled off the shocking Oceania Championship upset over 126-36 Christchurch. Wilson gave up only one unearned run over his two starts in the series with 12 strikeouts over 15.2 innings.

He then had a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship with Guam taking the top spot at 13-6. That winter, the Golden Eagles gave Wilson a two-year, $15,800,000 extension. Guam repeated as OBA champ in 2017 by beating Brisbane. Wilson’s one series start saw three runs over seven innings. He was lackluster in the 2017 BGC with a 4.78 ERA over 26.1 innings as the Golden Eagles this time were in the middle at 10-9.

Wilson regressed hard in 2018 with a 5.56 ERA and Guam fell to 82-80. The team bounced back for a second place 95-67 in 2019 with Wilson rebounding somewhat. However, his season ended in mid-July with a fractured elbow. He opted to retire that winter just past his 40^th birthday and the Golden Eagles quickly retired his #28 uniform. For Guam, Wilson had a 154-119 record, 3.38 ERA, 2328.2 innings, 2065 strikeouts, 725 walks, 105 ERA+, and 43.8 WAR.

The final stats had a 224-169 record, 3.18 ERA, 3419.2 innings, 3105 strikeouts, 1088 walks, 310/475 quality starts, 50 complete games, 16 shutouts, 114 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 72.9 WAR. As of 2037, Wilson is 21^st in wins, 31^st in innings, 46^th in strikeouts, 2^nd in walks, and 30^th in pitching WAR. His rate stats weren’t elite, but certainly weren’t completely out of place compared to other OBA Hall of Fame aces.

Detractors felt Wilson wasn’t dominant enough and lacked the black ink expected of a great ace in the Oceania Baseball Association. Supporters pointed to his nice accumulations and important role in two championship wins for Guam. Wilson missed the cut in his first two ballots with 60.4% and 55.7%, respectively. With only weak debuts and a wide open 2027 field, Wilson got the push just across the line at 66.7%. He earned a third ballot induction barely and was OBA’s lone inductee for 2027.