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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Two-way player Lewis Miranda was the only player elected as part of the 1982 Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame class. Miranda only barely got in with 67.9% on his second ballot. Five others were above 50% with SP Franklin Flor at 62.6% on his fifth try, SP Raimundo Rodriquez at 62.0% on his tenth and final attempt, 1B Ryan Azambuja at 58.6% for his seventh ballot, closer Jaguare Maia at 53.9% in his eighth ballot, and SP Manuel Gonzalez at 51.4 for try #2.



For Rodriquez, 62.0% was tantalizingly close, but just short. He had been at 39.6% the prior year and typically was in the 40% range. In 16 years primarily with Guayaquil, Rodriquez had two Gold Gloves along with a 214-182 record, 3.03 ERA, 3695 strikeouts in 3552 innings, and 81.1 WAR. He also won a title with the Golds in 1955, but without big playoff numbers or major accolades, Rodriquez never got over the hump despite good totals.



Lewis Miranda – Pitcher/First Baseman – Buenos Aires Atlantics – 67.9% Second Ballot

Lewis Miranda was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher and first baseman from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a two-way player who as a pitcher was known for excellent control, good movement, and above average stuff. His velocity peaked in the 94-96 mph range with a mix of slider, curveball, changeup, and cutter. At the plate, Miranda had an excellent eye for drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was still weaker than you’d expect. He was a solid contact hitter with good home run power, averaging around 20-25 home run runs per year when healthy. Miranda was a very slow baserunner and made basically all of his non-pitching starts at first base. Defensively, he was delightfully average. Most thought Miranda was a better pitcher than hitter, although his hitting career would last longer thanks to later injuries.

Miranda’s two-way efforts got attention and his hometown team Buenos Aires in particular took notice. The Atlantics picked Miranda 26^th overall in the 1960 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. He saw limited action in his first season, then was a part-time starter in year two. By 1963, Miranda was a full-time starting pitcher with his offensive use varying a bit. On the mound, Miranda had six seasons worth 5+ WAR with another two added at the plate. He’d win seven Silver Sluggers for easily being the top hitting pitcher in Liga Cono Sur (1964, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71).

In 1963, Buenos Aires won Copa Sudamerica with Miranda making three starts on the mound with a 2.35 ERA over 23 innings. This would be his only playoff experience for his entire career despite his success. The Atlantics would often be just short of winning the South Division and Miranda’s Buenos Aires run ended right before they found sustained success in the later 1970s. He did to play on the world state for Argentina in the World Baseball Championship. He pitched from 1964-72 and hit from 1964-79. On the mound, Miranda had a 2.93 ERA, 7-8 record, 116.2 innings, and 110 strikeouts with 2.6 WAR. At the plate he had 76 games, 63 hits, 41 runs, 25 home runs, 5 RBI, and 3.8 WAR.

Miranda twice won MVP. In 1964, he had 8.3 WAR on the mound with a 2.58 ERA, 20-9 record, and 274 strikeouts, while adding 5.3 WAR, 27 home runs, and a .311 batting average. In 1968, he won it again with a career-best 1.78 ERA and 23-8 record, 284 strikeouts over 272.1 innings, and 8.3 WAR pitching along with 4.8 WAR at the plate. Miranda never won Pitcher of the Year, but did take second in 1968 and saw a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts and one walk against Fortaleza. He also was third in 1969’s MVP voting. When healthy, he was one of the most valuable players in South American baseball.

Unfortunately, injuries took their toll throughout his career. 1967 saw shoulder inflammation to put him out in the second half. In 1970, bone chips in his elbow required surgery. In 1972, it was ulnar nerve entrapment costing him 1972. Miranda missed almost all of 1973 between a torn labrum and shoulder inflammation. The big one came in September 1974 with a torn rotator cuff, which put him out 13 months. This would ultimately mark the end of both his Buenos Aires career and his pitching career. Miranda would remain a popular figure with fans as a hometown hero and would see his #44 uniform retired.

With the rotator cuff tear, Buenos Aries released Miranda and the 36-year old’s baseball career was in serious jeopardy. His arm was wrecked, but Miranda felt he could still hit. In late 1975, MLB’s Nashville signed him, but he never took the field with the Knights. In 1976, Jacksonville would give him a shot. He be a full time starter at first base and was a solid starter, proving he still had value. Miranda signed with Memphis for 1977, then spent 1978-80 with Omaha. He was solid in his first three MLB seasons, although he dropped below league average in 1979 and was a bench piece by the end, retiring with the Hawks after the 1980 season at age 42. For his MLB career, he made 621 starts with 599 hits, 325 runs, 89 home runs, 326 RBI, a .255/.340/.413 slash, and 9.2 WAR.

It was his Buenos Aires run that he was judged on for Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame candidacy. On the mound, he had a 145-108 record, 2.71 ERA, 2380.2 innings, 2221 strikeouts, 217/310 quality starts, an 83 FIP-, and 51.0 WAR. At the plate, he had 1040 hits, 503 runs, 158 doubles, 192 home runs, 525 RBI, a .285/.359/.498 slash, 160 wRC+, and 33.6 WAR. Miranda was a tough case for voters as the injuries kept his accumulations on both sides lower than would normally get the nod. Even the combined 87.6 WAR wasn’t a lock and in his first ballot, he only received 57.9%. With a weaker 1982 class, enough voters gave Miranda the bump to sneak across the line at 67.9% for a second ballot induction.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The 1982 voting for the European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame didn’t have any strong newcomers with the highest first ballot option getting 24.4%. It was almost an empty class, but closer Ringo Barros managed to barely cross the 66% threshold, receiving a fifth ballot induction at 66.3%. RF Paul Schlacher was close on his fifth try, but short at 64.3%. Only one other was above 50% with SP Pedro Varela at 55.3% on his ninth ballot. No one was dropped after ten ballots.



Ringo Barros – Closer – Dublin Dinos – 66.3% Fifth Ballot

Ringo Barros was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right handed closer from the capital of Portugal, Lisbon. He’d be the first Portuguese Hall of Famer, known for having great stuff along with average control and movement. Barros had a 95-97 mph fastball, but he mixed it expertly with a stellar 10/10 curveball. He was a durable and reliable reliever who was also praised for his loyalty. Barros also was considered a pretty good defensive pitcher.

He was spotted as a teenage amateur by a scout from London and signed in 1954 to their academy. Barros spent three years developing with the Monarchs, but he’d never play a game for them. In the summer of 1957, the then 20-year old was traded with another prospect to Dublin for SS Luke Linnane. Barros would go onto play all of his EBF games with the Dinos with an impressive 15 year tenure.

Barros debuted in 1958, but was primarily an unremarkable middle relief type guy for his first five seasons. He actually got more attention initially playing for Portugal in the World Baseball Championship. Barros tossed 141 innings from 1959-76 in the WBC with a 3.38 ERA, 141 innings, 211 strikeouts, and 2.7 WAR. In 1962, he won Best Pitcher award with 11 scoreless innings and 19 strikeouts. 1962 also saw a 1.47 ERA in 43 innings for Dublin and a 1.12 ERA in the postseason, helping the Dinos win the European Championship.

Barros was moved to the closer role in 1963 and would hold that spot in nine of the next ten seasons. He led the Northern Conference in saves with 42 in 1967 and 40 in 1969. In 1970, Barros earned his lone Reliever of the Year with a career high 117 strikeouts in 80.2 innings. He finished second in 1963, third in 1965, second in 1967, and second in 1969. Dublin would make it to the European Championship again in 1967 and 68, winning the title in 1967. For his playoff career, Barros had a 3.78 ERA over 33.1 innings with 49 strikeouts, but a negative -0.3 WAR. Still, his longevity earned him a lot of respect and his #31 uniform would be retired at the end of his career.

Barros struggled in his last year in Dublin with a 4.15 ERA and -1.0 WAR. The Dinos let the 36-year old go, but he’d still find work with middling results. Barros signed with CABA’s Mexicali in 1973 on a two-year deal. The Maroons traded him to Guadalajara for the 1974 season. After that, he spent his final two seasons in Australia with Adelaide. Although he wasn’t used in the final, Barros received a ring as the Aardvarks were 1976 Oceania Champions. He’d retire at age 40 after the 1976 season.

Barros final EBF stats were all with Dublin with 313 saves and 406 shutdowns, 2.52 ERA, 943.2 innings, 1206 strikeouts to 269 walks, a FIP- of 77, and 20.5 WAR. He was the fourth EBF closer to 300 saves, although the advanced stats had him as less dominant than other Hall of Fame relievers around the world. His 20.5 WAR total is the lowest of any EBF Hall of Famer as of 2037, but his tenure with one squad and multiple rings helped his candidacy. Barros saw 38.1%, 34.0%, 50.8%, and 43.2% in his first four ballots, leading most observes to think he’d miss the cut. But with a very weak 1982 field, enough came around on Barros to put him in just narrowly as a fifth ballot Hall of Famer at 66.2%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

There were three first ballot additions in 1982 to the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, each getting in the 80% range. At the top was SP Sebastian Weiss at 87.6%, followed by fellow SP Vladimir Hora at 85.1% and 1B Zina Gigolashvili at 82.6%. SP Eryk Wozniak almost joined them on his fourth ballot, but his 62.4% just missed the 66% cut. Closer Joachim Kohut had 58.7% on his second try and SP Artyom Rudasev received 52.5% for his fourth attempt.



Dropped after ten failed attempts was SP Inal Brezhnev, who had a 15 year career between Minsk and Budapest. He was as high at 60.1% on his second ballot and as low as 15.8% on his ninth, ending in the middle at 32.9%. Brezhnev had a 182-111 record, 2.61 ERA, 2693 strikeouts in 2760.1 innings, and 83.1 WAR. Impressive totals and he won two rings with the Miners, but the lack of major awards ultimately kept him looking from the outside.



Sebastian Weiss – Pitcher – Bratislava Blue Falcons – 87.6% First Ballot

Sebastian Weiss was a 5’8’’, 180 pound right handed pitcher from Waldsassen, a town of around 6,000 people in the southeastern German state Bavaria. Weiss was known for having stellar movement, great control, and respectable stuff. His most deadly pitch was a cut fastball with 98-100 mph peak velocity, mixed with a great changeup and an okay curveball, leading to an extreme groundball tendency. Weiss was viewed as very durable and reliable in the front end of his career.

Weiss was drafted 99^th overall in the first Eurasian Professional Baseball rookie draft in 1955. This was the first pick in the fourth round, belonging to Bratislava. Weiss debuted and split time between the rotation and bullpen as a rookie, struggling with a terrible 5.61 ERA. He’d find his rhythm the next year and be a full time starter for the rest of his time as a Blue Falcon.

Weiss had seven straight seasons with 5+ WAR, although he wasn’t a statistical leader and didn’t get much attention as Bratislava was a bottom tier team. He did have an impressive 1963 that saw a no-hitter on April 7 against Prague, followed by a perfect game on June 24 versus Kazan. Weiss joins a very small group of players in any pro league with multiple no-hitters in a season. His perfecto was the eighth in EPB history. Weiss also pitched for Germany in the World Baseball Championship from 1958-76. Primarily as a reliever, he had a 2.02 ERA over 84.2 innings with 115 strikeouts and 3.1 WAR.

For his Bratislava tenure, Weiss had a 132-118 record, 2.97 ERA, 2199.1 innings, 1988 strikeouts, and 53.8 WAR. As one of the only redeeming things from that era of Blue Falcons baseball, his #41 uniform would later get retired. Still struggling and not expecting to get a long-term deal from Weiss, Bratislava traded him before the 1965 season to Minsk. The Miners had won the European League the prior year and had been a consistent contender since EPB had started.

Weiss’ debut season with Minsk would see career bests in wins (23-5) and ERA (2.12), earning him his lone Pitcher of the Year. He also had a 2.16 ERA over 13 playoff starts in his Miners tenure with 81 strikeouts in 100 innings, helping Minsk to the Soviet Series title in 1966 and 1969. The third no-hitter of his career came on August 10, 1969 against Warsaw. Weiss had a career best 9.1 WAR as well in 1968 at age 34. In total with Minsk, Weiss had a 92-49 record, 2.36 ERA, 1278 innings, 1291 strikeouts, and 39.1 WAR.

After being quite durable for much of his career, Weiss suffered a torn labrum in April 1970, putting him out 10 months. Minsk let him go, but the now 37-year old found a home for 1971 in Yekaterinburg. Weiss made 17 starts, but was used more as a reliever with iffy results. He’d be a reliever for the rest of his career with limited action and success. Minsk re-signed him for 1972, followed by Asgabat for 1973-74. Weiss tore his UCL in May 1974, but was determined to come back. In 1975, he briefly pitched with Ufa before getting traded to finish the year back with Minsk. Weiss returned to the Alphas in 1976, but was traded and ended the season and his career with Tbilisi, retiring at age 42.

The final stats for Weiss: 236-190 record, 85 saves, 2.80 ERA, 3727 innings, 3534 strikeouts to 633 walks, 328/463 quality starts, FIP- of 74, and 95.8 WAR. He quietly put together very strong totals despite rarely being in consideration as the top pitcher in the league. The Minsk run helped get him some attention and playing a solid role in their late 1960s title runs certainly helped with many voters. Weiss picked up the first ballot induction with 87.6%.



Vladimir Hora – Starting Pitcher – Yekaterinburg Yaks – 85.1% First Ballot

Vladimir Hora was a 6’0’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Sedlcany, a town of around 7,000 people in the Central Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. Hora was known for having incredible movement on his pitches, mixed with solid control and above average stuff. His velocity peaked in the 95-97 mph range with a five-pitch arsenal of curveball, screwball, forkball, changeup, and cutter. Not only were screwballs and forkballs fairly rare on their own, but almost never did a pitch throw both and did so as effectively as Hora, who was a master at drawing groundballs. He also loved going deep into games with excellent stamina.

Hora was spotted as a teenage amateur by a scout for Yekaterinburg. He signed in 1955 with the Yaks and developed for many years in their academy, finally making his debut in 1962 at age 23. Hora was iffy as a starter in his rookie year, but improved and settled into the ace role for Yekaterinburg over the next decade. From 1965-71, he had seven straight seasons worth 8+ WAR and led the Asian League in WAR four different times.

In 1965, Hora won Pitcher of the Year for the first time, leading in wins (25-11) and innings (304.1) with 28 complete games. He’d finish second in voting in 1968, then win the award for the second time in 1971 with career bests in ERA (1.90), strikeouts (358), and WAR (12.7). Hora also was second in MVP voting in 1971. During this run, he also pitched for the Czech National Team in the World Baseball Championship. From 1962-76, he had 170 innings with a 3.76 ERA, 183 strikeouts, and 4.6 WAR.

Yekaterinburg was a contender during Hora’s best years, making the playoffs nine straight years from 1964-72. The Yaks won the Asian League title in 1968 and 1970 and took home the Soviet Series title in 1970. In the playoffs, Hora had a 6-7 record, 2.99 ERA, 141.2 innings, 157 strikeouts, and 4.0 WAR. He signed a big four-year, $852,000 contract extension before the 1971 season as the Yaks expected more great things into the 1970s. However, things would start to go south for Yekaterinburg with a playoff drought from 1973-84.

Hora had his first major setback in April 1972 as shoulder inflammation knocked him out almost the entire season. He bounced back in 1973 at age 34 with a full respectable season, although it was notably weaker than his previously high standard. In May 1974, a torn flexor tendon ended his season and ultimately his time with Yekaterinburg. In total with the Yaks, Hora had a 213-128 record, 2.67 ERA, 3129.2 innings, 3194 strikeouts, and 84.8 WAR. A few years later, the Yaks retired his #10 uniform.

Hora wasn’t ready to call it quits at age 36, but Yekaterinburg let him go. He signed for 1975 with Moscow on a three-year, $626,000 deal with the defending EPB champion Mules hoping he’d return to form. He missed two months and the playoff run to various injuries, but gave Moscow some decent innings in 1975 en route to a Soviet Series title. Hora could rarely crack the lineup and mostly saw relief in 1976 with poor results and he retired after the season at age 38.

Hora’s final stats: 223-142 record, 2.73 ERA, 3383.1 innings, 3427 strikeouts to 663 walks, 280/396 quality starts, 226 complete games, and 86.2 WAR. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Sebastian Weiss, Hora almost quietly put together an excellent resume, although he did get more attention thanks to his great run with Yekaterinburg. This earned the first ballot induction for Hora with 85.1% of the vote.



Zina Gigolashvili – First Baseman – Tbilisi Trains – 82.6% First Ballot

Zina Gigolashvili was a 6’0’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Ozurgeti, a town of around 14,000 people in western Georgia. He was a prolific home run hitter who smacked 40+ in 12 different seasons and 50+ thrice. Gigolashvili was also very good at drawing walks, but he did strike out a lot and was often viewed as a subpar contact hitter. He was very slow and didn’t double very often with his power often being homer-or-bust. Gigolashvili exclusively played at first base in his career and was slightly below average defensively, but not atrocious. He was also considered an ironman, playing 140+ games in all 17 of his full seasons.

Gigolashvili quickly drew tons of attention as an amateur in the Caucasus region and his home country team Tbilisi took notice especially. The Trains were terrible in their first few seasons and had the #1 overall pick in the 1958 Eurasian Professional Baseball Draft, which allowed them to select Gigolashvili. He served in a bench role in his rookie season as Tbilisi didn’t want to rush him. He took over the starting job in year two and was a starter for the rest of his career. With the Trains, this would be a nine season tenure. Gigolashvili also played for Georgia in the World Baseball Championship when they qualified, which was five times. He posted 20 hits, 14 runs, 12 home runs, and 19 RBI in 28 games.

Gigolashvili’s power became evident right away as he smacked 56 home runs in 1961, setting the EPB record through its first seven seasons. With the competition at first base and his other deficits, Gigolashvili would only win Silver Slugger twice; in 1962 and 1971. Being with Tbilisi also made him often overlooked in the MVP conservation. Although the Trains improved in his run, they only made the playoffs once with a first round exit in 1965. Still, Gigolashvili led the Asian League four times in home runs. In total with Tbilisi, he had 1107 hits, 697 runs, 365 home runs, 781 RBI, a .242/.311/.521 slash and 37.1 WAR. The Trains would later retire the #18 uniform for their home country favorite.

Entering 1968, the 32-year old Gigolashvili had only one year left on his contract and Tbilisi seemed unlikely and unable to match his forthcoming free agent demands. The Trains traded him to Tirana for three prospects, one of which was 1990 Hall of Fame inductee Sergiu Onisie, who would be an excellent closer for Tbilisi and others. His one year with the Trojans actually had the worst homer output of his career at 34, but Gigolashvili did help Tirana to a division title. They went one-and-done and he entered free agency, inking a four-year, $560,000 deal with perennial power Minsk.

Gigolashvili had four strong seasons with the Miners, but 1971 was something special. Despite being a career .236 hitter, he put it all together for a Triple Crown season with a .309/.383/.706 slash, 65 home runs, 139 RBI, and 11.1 WAR. This destroyed his home run record and stood as the EPB high mark until 1986. Gigolashvili’s 1.088 OPS was also a single season record and that stood until 1984. Unsurprisingly, this earned him his lone MVP. Minsk made the playoffs each of his four years and took the 1969 Soviet Series title. In total with the Miners, Gigolashvili had 548 hits, 345 runs, 189 home runs, 410 RBI, a .250/.329/.545 slash and 24.1 WAR.

He fell back to his more typical stats the year after the Triple Crown in 1972 and became a free agent at age 37. Moscow signed him to a three-year, $664,000 deal and although he wasn’t quite as dominant, he still delivered solid power. Gigolashvili got two more rings as the Mules won it all in 1974 and 1975. He had a solid 1974 postseason with 5 home runs and 11 RBI in 15 starts. For his career, Gigolashvili’s playoff numbers were 82 games, 54 hits, 27 runs, 18 home runs, 37 RBI, and 1.3 WAR. In total in Moscow, he had 352 hits, 223 runs, 117 home runs, 255 RBI, and 10.2 WAR.

Gigolashvili also became the first EPB hitter to 700 career home runs and the first to 1500 RBI in his last year with the Mules. He became a free agent again at age 40 and signed with Yekaterinburg, but age finally caught up and he struggled to a 15 home run season with the Yaks. He opted to retire after this season at age 40.

Gigolashvili’s final stats: 2230 hits, 1398 runs, 279 doubles, 720 home runs, 1559 RBI, 967 walks, 2901 strikeouts, a .236/.312/.501 slash, 143 wRC+, and 76.1 WAR. Despite the prolific power, the advanced stats aren’t remarkable due to his high strikeout rate and low contact ability. Still, he retired as EPB’s home run king and still sits third all-time as of 2037. Gigolashvili was also the RBI leader at retirement and fourth in runs scored; still sitting in the top ten for both decades later. He also retired with the most strikeouts of any EPB batter and would be third among Hall of Famers as of 2037. Some voters still poo-poo’d him for his flaws, but you couldn’t leave this guy out and he earned the first ballot induction at 82.6%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Pitcher Sakeo Rasalato was the lone inductee into the Oceania Baseball Association’s 1982 Hall of Fame class. He was a first ballot nod at 94.3%. Fellow pitcher Te Paoro Rangi barely missed the 66% threshold with 65.8% on his fifth ballot. Two others were above 50% with closer Neemia Tala’apitaga at 54.7% on his tenth ballot and RF Danny Carrott at 51.9% for his second.



Tala’apitaga was dropped from the ballot with his peak at 55.3% on his eighth attempt, usually hovering between 30-50%. The right-handed Samoan began his career at age 28 and only had eight seasons, hurting his totals. Still, he had 189 saves, a 1.89 ERA, 724 strikeouts, and 21.7 WAR in that stretch with two rings and a Reliever of the Year. He needed a few more years of production though get in.

A similar fate was suffered by SS Vae Afatia, also dropped after ten tries. The American Samoan peaked at 29.2% on his debut though. His OBA run was eight seasons with Perth, followed by three poor years in MLB’s Montreal. With the Penguins, he had 1000 hits, 494 runs, 180 home runs, 599 RBI, 60.1 WAR, two Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers, and one MVP. With a few more seasons to add the tallies, Afatia also might have gotten in, but his peak was too short to earn a real look.



Sakeo Rasalato – Starting Pitcher – Guadalcanal Green Jackets – 94.3% First Ballot

Sakeo Rasalato was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Nemby, part of Fiji’s Central Division which includes the capital Suva. Rasalato had an interesting skillset with excellent control, solid stuff, but terrible movement that led to giving up home runs. His velocity peaked at 92-94 mph, but he was excellent at changing speeds with his fastball, slider, changeup combo. Rasalato had an extreme flyball tendency, but his control was good enough to still get a lot of strikeouts. He also had terrific stamina and durability and led the Pacific League in innings pitched five straight seasons, tossing 300+ in seven seasons. The knock on him was that he was disloyal and unmotivated, which led to Rasalato bouncing around later in his career.

Rasalato was picked 12^th overall by Guadalcanal in the 1963 Oceania Baseball Association Draft and would be best known for his time there. He immediately was the ace of the rotation, winning 1964 Rookie of the Year and taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Rasalato would led the PL in strikeouts four of the next five seasons and post three 10+ WAR seasons. In 1966, he earned a Triple Crown with a 26-8 record, 1.50 ERA, and 374 strikeouts. His 13.9 WAR was a single-season record at the time as well. Rasalato won Pitcher of the Year in both 1966 and 1967, while taking second in 1965.

Guadalcanal would win the Pacific League title in 1964, 66, and 68. In 66 and 68, they were the Oceania Champions as well. Rasalato was 5-1 in the playoffs, but had an iffy 3.66 ERA over 51.2 innings with 47 strikeouts. For his Green Jackets tenure, he had a 135-89 record, 2.41 ERA, 2221 innings, 2502 strikeouts to 376 walks, and 61.4 WAR. After his stellar first four seasons, Rasalato saw his issues allowing home runs increase while his strikeout tallies fell off a bit. His final season with Guadalcnal in 1970 was statistically his weakest, although he certainly still was worthy of a rotation spot.

Personality clashes and diminishing production with free agency looming meant the Green Jackets would trade Rasalato before the 1971 season, moving the 30-year old to Christchurch for prospects. He had one iffy year with the Chinooks, then signed a three-year, $504,000 deal with Sydney. Rasalato stunk with the Snakes though and was traded before the 1973 season to Samoa. He was more effective with the Sun Sox, but was limited to a more part-time role. Rasalato would earn an OBA ring with Samoa in 1973, but his OBA run would end after the 1974 season.

Rasalato would play another seven seasons of pro baseball, although he’d bounce around as a spot starter and reliever mostly in Central America. He spent 1975 with Puerto Rico, then was traded for 1976 to Mexico City. Rasalato signed in 1977 with Haiti, but was moved midseason to Jamaica. He pitched for Havana in 1978, then returned to PR in 1979. Rasalato signed with Nicaragua in 1980, but was sent to the Aztecs at the deadline. In 1981, MLB’s Denver gave him a shot, but he was cut after three relief appearances. He’d finish the year in minor league Birmingham and retire at age 40. For his entire post OBA tenure, he had only 5.9 WAR over 1050.1 innings with a 4.09 ERA in CABA.

For his OBA run, Rasalato had a 182-142 record, 2.62 ERA, 3155.2 innings, 3545 strikeouts to 533 walks, 292/394 quality starts, 122 complete games, FIP- of 81, and 72.5 WAR. In his first few seasons with Guadalcanal, he was historically dominant. Even with his OBA run only lasting a decade, the numbers caught the voter’s eyes. That, plus helping the Green Jackets get two rings sold most of the detractors and Rasalato was inducted on the first ballot at 94.3%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Austronesia Professional Baseball wouldn’t induct anyone into the Hall of Fame with the 1982 voting. The only guy who really got somewhat close was SP Vitorio Pinga, receiving 54.0% on his third ballot. Only three others were narrowly above 1/3s of the vote. No one was dropped after ten ballots.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The 36^th World Baseball Championship was the second to be hosted by an African nation with Accra, Ghana serving as the primary city. In Division 1, Colombia took first at 7-2, edging out 6-3 efforts by Paraguay and Belarus. It is the 10^th time advancing to the elite eight for the Colombians, snapping a drought back to 1973. The defending champion United States picked up Division 2 at 8-1, topping 6-3 runs from New Zealand and Nicaragua. The Americans have now been a quarterfinalist 32 times. In D3, Nigeria and Sweden tied for first at 7-2, while China, France, and Ghana were each 6-3. The tiebreaker went to the Nigerians for their second division title. The result also snapped China’s title streak at five years.

Division 4 was an absolute mess with seven nations finishing at 5-4; Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Niger, and Norway. After a very complex tiebreaker, the unexpected winner was Niger, earning it’s first-ever division title. This also marks the first time that two African nations have made it to the quarterfinal. D5 saw a three-way tie at the top with Australia, South Korea, and Ukraine all at 7-2. The Australians moved forward on the tiebreaker for only their third division title, joining their 1978 and 1962 efforts.

Defending runner-up Mexico cruised to the Division 6 title at 9-0, the only nation to go undefeated in the group stage. It is the 17^th time the Mexicans have been in the elite eight. In Division 7, three nations were 6-3 with Indonesia, Northern Ireland, and the Philippines. The Indonesians moved forward on the tiebreaker for their fifth division title. Lastly in Division 8, Brazil prevailed at 8-1, topping a solid 7-2 Singapore. The Brazilians have 18 elite eight appearances, third most of any country behind only the US and Canada.

In Round Robin Group A, Colombia, Mexico, and Australia were all 4-2 while Niger was 0-6. Again, tiebreakers were needed to decide who advances and it was ultimately Australia and Colombia pushed through, while Mexico was denied. This gave the Colombians their seventh semifinal berth and the Australians their first. In Group B, the United States and Indonesia advanced each finishing 4-2, while Brazil was 3-3 and Nigeria was 1-5. The Americans earned a 30^th semifinal appearance and the Indonesians earned their fourth.

In the semifinals, the US held off a feisty challenge from Colombia 3-2, giving the Americans their 26^th championship appearance. Australia defeated Indonesia 3-1 to send the Aussies to their first finals berth. Colombia officially was third; their fifth time finishing there; while Indonesia was fourth for the second time.



The Australians were the 16^th unique country to earn a spot in the World Championship. However, the United States continued its dominance, taking the 36^th World Championship 4-2. The Americans now have 23 world titles to their names. Australia LF Neville Ryan was the Tournament MVP. The 26-year old defending Australasia League MVP with Gold Coast played 25 games with 35 hits, 26 runs, 19 home runs, 36 RBI, a .376/.454/1.011 slash, and 2.8 WAR. Ryan fell one short of Connor Neumeyer’s 1972 homer record. Best Pitcher went to Niger’s Salifou Souley, a third-year pitcher with Dakar who ultimately had a journeyman career. He had a great tournament though with 15.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts four walks, and seven hits.



Other notes: Niger became the 55^th different country to advance to the elite eight. Canada’s Jojo Quevillon had a 22 strikeout performance in only eight innings against Croatia. It is the ninth time in WBC history that a pitcher had 22+ Ks in a game. American Cade Parker became only the second player to hit for the cycle in the WBC, doing it in the semifinal against Colombia.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The Indian League in its third season saw the exact same playoff teams from the second season. Defending league champ Pune picked up the West Division title at 102-60, while Ahmedabad at 92-70 was once again the wild card. Their closest wild card competitor was Visakhapatnam at 89-73. The Volts finished well behind 102-60 Bengaluru for the South Division title. In the Central Division, Jaipur prevailed at 85-77, six ahead of second best Delhi. The Blazers, Jokers, and Purple Knights have made the playoffs in each of the first three seasons of South Asia Baseball.

Pune had the MVP and Pitcher of the Year as Al-Amin Kundu and Sankar Sundaram both repeated as the award winners. For Kundu, he’s been the IL MVP in all three seasons so far. The Bangladeshi shortstop was the leader in home runs (54), RBI (126), slugging (.658), OPS (1.029), wRC+ (201), and WAR (12.2). For Sundaram, the 28-year old Indian was the strikeout leader (366) with the best WHIP (0.85), FIP- (53), and WAR (9.0). He added a 2.34 ERA over 238 innings with a 17-9 record. Also of note, Pedro Heredia won his third Reliever of the Year with his third team since joining SAB. The 32-year old Argentine has won the award an unprecedented nine times when adding his six trophies in Beisbol Sudamerica.

Both first round series went all five games with Pune edging division foe Ahmedabad and Bengaluru surviving against Jaipur. The Blazers pummeled the Purple Knights in the Indian League Championship Series with a sweep, giving Bengaluru its first IL title.



The top three records in the Southeast Asia League were in the North Division. Yangon won the division at 100-62 and is the only SEAL team to make the playoffs each of the first three years. Defending SAB champ Dhaka took the first wild card at 97-65, while Kathmandu earned their first playoff berth with a 89-73 record for the second spot. Kuala Lumpur won the South Division at 88-74, three ahead of Ho Chi Minh City. For the Leopards, it is their first playoff berth.

Dhaka CF Rolando Nitikarn was the Southeast Asia League MVP. The 31-year old Thai lefty led in WAR (8.0) and won his second Gold Glove. He also led in stolen bases with 84 and added 38 home runs and 93 runs scored. Kuala Lumpur’s Anukarsa Mahajan was the Pitcher of the Year. The 30 year old Indian righty led in ERA at 2.14, adding a 16-12 record over 257 innings, 278 strikeouts, and 6.6 WAR.

Yangon survived in five games over Kathmandu in the first round, while Dhaka dominated Kuala Lumpur in a sweep. The Green Dragons downed the Dobermans 4-1 in the Southeast Asia League Championship Series, becoming two time league champs.



However, Yangon would still have to wait for their first overall SAB ring. Bengaluru bounced the Green Dragons 4-1 to take the third South Asia Championship. 1B Arseni Logofet was an unlikely finals MVP. He was a 26-year old Russian who joined the Blazers in 1980 after washing out of Eurasian Professional Baseball and had been primarily a backup. He made 14 playoff starts though and picked up 16 hits, 6 runs, 5 home runs, and 12 RBI.



Other notes: Kuala Lumpur’s Raul Abeyta pitched 21 complete games, which still stands as the SAB season record as of 2037. Hanoi’s Kelsey Vo struck out 19 against Johor Bahru, setting the record thus far in SAB.

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Defending Western League champ Abidjan had the top record in the WL for the fifth time and earned their eighth playoff berth in West Africa Baseball’s first eight seasons. The Athletes dropped from their 112 win seasons in the prior two years, but still had the top spot firmly at 103-59. Kumasi and Monrovia again were the wild cards with the Monkeys getting their fifth straight playoff berth and the Diplomats their fourth. Kumasi finished second at 96-66, while Monrovia was 90-72. The Diplomats narrowly took the final playoff spot with Nouakchott one game behind and Bamako five back.

Western League MVP was third year Kumasi RF Austin Massaquoi. The 23-year old Sierra Leonean had 7.2 WAR, a .291/.390/.536 slash, 36 home runs, and 101 RBI. Pitcher of the Year went to Abidjan’s Albert Kamara for the second time in three years. The 25-year old righty also from Sierra Leone was the leader in wins (24-8), ERA (2.09), WHIP (0.81), K/BB (11.4), quality starts (28), FIP- (65), and WAR (8.5). He pitched 267 innings and was second in strikeouts at 320.

In the wild card round, Monrovia upset Kumasi in three games, sending the Diplomats to the Western League Championship Series for the third time in four years. Abidjan would defeat Monrovia 3-1 to give the Athletes back-to-back WL titles. They’ve also won four of the first eight WLCS.



Benin City earned a third straight playoff berth and their fifth overall, but 1982 saw their first time atop the Eastern League standings. The Blue Devils were 98-64, allowing the fewest runs in the EL at 570. 1980 champ Port Harcourt, who dropped to below .500 in 1981, earned the second place spot at 94-68. Ouagadougou finished third at 91-71 in an impressive turnaround for a franchise that had been cartoonishly bad and hadn’t won more than 69 games in a season prior. Lagos, who had won the EL four of the last five seasons, missed the playoffs for the first time at 80-82. With the Lizards’ down year, Abidjan is the only WAB team left to have made the playoffs in each season.

Helping Ouagadougou’s turnaround was second year LF Oparaku Stone, who won Eastern League MVP and became WAB’s first Triple Crown winning batter. The 24-year old Nigerian had a .330/.389/.688 slash with 59 home runs, 147 RBI, 123 runs, 426 total bases, a 1.077 OPS, 197 wRC+, and 9.5 WAR. Stone had a strange career as he’d post 21.9 WAR in his first three seasons, then only 8.1 total for the next decade. Pitcher of the Year was Port Harcourt’s Marcus Nyathi, winning it for the third time in his career. It was a great comeback season for the 30-year old Motswana after a torn UCL ended his 1981 after two starts. In his return, Nyathi was the ERA leader at 2.78 and leader in WHIP (0.98) and FIP- (64). He added 7.3 WAR, 230 innings, 279 strikeouts, and a 17-4 record.

Port Harcourt swept Ouagadougou in the wild card round. In the Eastern League Championship Series, the Hillcats would upset Benin City 3-2, giving Port Harcourt its second title in three years. PH couldn’t hang with Abidjan though in the eighth West African Championship. The Athletes took the finale 4-1 to take their first overall ring after failing in their three prior finals appearances. SS Amin Elamin was the finals MVP with the 35-year old Sudanese righty had six hits, four runs, and one home run in nine playoff starts.





Other notes: Kumasi’s ninth Perfect Game was thrown by Kumasi’s Issaka Camara on April 8 with 11 strikeouts against Freetown. Power Bonou became the first pitcher to 2500 career strikeouts. LF Arafat Soumah won his seventh Gold Glove.