[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Two players were added into the Chinese League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. Right fielder Mingqi Dai was the star of the ballot with 86.1% and a first ballot nod. Closer Huyi Gao joined him with 72.6%, making the cut in his fifth ballot. Fellow closer Junwei Zhu was close in his debut, but short at 59.5%. Also above 50% was RF Zhengyu Peng at 55.1% for his second go.



Dropped after ten ballots was SP Guicaho Li, who was a three-time Pitcher of the Year winner with Xi’an. Injuries derailed his career with two torn labrums and a partially torn UCL, giving him roughly six or seven full seasons worth of production in 13 seasons. Li had a 109-48 record, 1.92 ERA, 1591 innings, 1877 strikeouts, 146 ERA+, and 57.4 WAR. His rate stats were certainly HOF worthy, but the injuries meant Li just didn’t have the totals. He debuted at 44.8% in 1989, but was down at 9.1% by his last chance.

Also dropped was Wei Gao, who won seven Silver Sluggers at third base and an MVP. He played 12 seasons with Macau, retiring surprisingly early despite being in good health and still being a top player. He had 1832 hits, 778 runs, 347 doubles, 264 home runs, 893 RBI, a .269/.320/.449 slash, 154 wRC+, and 89.2 WAR. By WAR, he’s one of the more notable snubs, still leading all CLB third basemen in career WAR as of 2037. However, he peaked with 37.3% in his debut and plummeted to 4.1% by the end. The CLB voters remained particular harsh against batters with the deflated stats in the low offense environment.



Mingqi “Bumblebee” Dai – Right Field - Tianjin Jackrabbits – 86.1% First Ballot

Mingqi Dai was a 6’0’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from Tai’an, a city of around five-and-a-half million people in East China’s Shandong Province. Dai was a very solid contact and power hitter with an above average eye. He had a tremendous pop in his bat, averaging 28 doubles, 13 triples, and 30 home runs per 162 games. Dai had good speed and was an intelligent baserunner who knew how to stretch out for extra bags. He was considered an ironman, playing 145+ games in all but his final season. Dai was a career right fielder and considered reliably above average defensively. His impressive talent and work ethic made Dai one of the most beloved figures of Chinese baseball.

Dai’s talent was unmistakable during his amateur career ahead of the 1979 CLB Draft. Tianjin picked him fourth overall and he would be a full-time starter for the next 13 years for the Jackrabbits. Dai had some growing pains as a rookie, but was very good by his second year and elite by his third. 1982 would be the first of six seasons with double-digit WAR and the start of nine straight seasons of 7+ WAR.

During his remarkable career, Dai led the Northern League five times in runs scored, once in hits, once in doubles, twice in home runs, thrice in RBI, five times in total bases, once in batting average, thrice in OBP, five times in slugging, five times in OPS, five times in wRC+, and once in WAR. In 1983, he was one RBI short of a Triple Crown season. That season also had career bests in runs, hits, total bases, triple slash, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. Remarkably, his 13.3 WAR was second to Libo Li that season. It sits as the 12^th best as of 2037.

Dai became the second player in CLB history to win four MVPs. As of 2037, only nine players have reached that mark. Dai took the top honor in 1983, 86, 88, and 90. Dai was second in 1984 and 1985 and third in 1989. He won eight Silver Sluggers (1982-86, 88-90). After the 1984 season, the Jackrabbits locked him up long term with an eight-year, $5,142,000 extension.

The mid 1980s in Chinese League Baseball was defined by the rivalry between Tianjin and Beijing. These two teams won the CLB title thrice each between 1983-88. The Jackrabbits made the playoffs six straight seasons in that stretch with finals berths in 1983, 84, 86, and 88. Tianjin won it all in 1983, 86, and 88; beating the Bears in 1986 and falling in 1984. Dai was a two-time China Series MVP, taking the award in 86 and 88. In his playoff career, Dai had 60 starts, 63 hits, 40 runs, 8 doubles, 11 triples, 15 home runs, 48 RBI, a .284/.355/.622 slash, 221 wRC+, and 4.3 WAR.

Dai continued to look great into his 30s, but Tianjin would fade as the 1990s dawned. 1990 was their first losing season in a decade and they hovered around .500 in his last two years. In his last season with the Jackrabbits, Dai posted 9.2 WAR. With Tianjin looking to rebuild for the immediate future, he and the franchise opted to part ways. Dai would remain a beloved franchise icon for decades to come and his #13 uniform would be retired after the 1996 season.

His dominance in China was noticed worldwide, despite Dai not participating in the World Baseball Championship outside of the 1994-95 editions. Dai left for Major League Baseball with a four-year, $9,120,000 contract with Calgary. The Cheetahs had just won the American Association pennant the prior season and wanted to start a new run of dominance comparable to their 1980s success.

Dai had an excellent debut season in MLB with 6.7 WAR and 34 home runs. Calgary won the pennant again, this time winning the World Series over Toronto. Dai was solid again in 1994 and the Cheetahs won 106 games, but suffered an upset loss in the second round. Age started to catch up to Dai, as he had below average offensive numbers in 1995. For 1996, Dai was only a part-time starter. As his Calgary contract expired, he opted to retire at age 38. For his MLB run, Dai had 541 hits, 358 runs, 93 home runs, 290 RBI, a .265/.328/.478 slash, 116 wRC+, and 14.0 WAR.

For his Tianjin and CLB career, Dai had 2009 hits, 1065 runs, 359 doubles, 177 triples, 389 home runs, 1095 RBI, a .278/.338/.539 slash, 194 wRC+, and 114.7 WAR. As of 2037, Dai is eighth in hitting WAR, 12^th in runs scored, and 11^th in RBI. For his entire pro career, Dai saw 2550 hits, 1423 runs, 458 doubles, 206 triples, 482 home runs, 1385 RBI, a .275/.336/.525 slash, 176 wRC+, and 128.7 WAR. Dai was one of the finest players not only in China in the 1980s, but in any world league. The strict CLB voters gave him only 86.1%, but he still easily secured his deserved first ballot induction.



Huyi Gao – Pitcher – Xi’an Attack – 72.6% Fifth Ballot

Huyi Gao was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Mingqi Dai, Gao was also from Tai’an. He had excellent stuff with terrific control, although his movement was subpar. Gao had a dangerous 99-101 mph fastball and an incredible changeup, along with a great screwball and a decent curveball and knuckle curve. His stamina was terrible though, which led to him being primarily a reliever even though five-pitch guys usually were effective starters. Gao was a good defensive pitcher as well. He often clashed with teammates though and was viewed as a mercenary type.

Gao was signed as a teenage amateur in 1973 by Xi’an. The Attack brought him up in 1977 at age 21, where he largely struggled in relief. He would toss four scoreless innings in relief, although the defending champ Xi’an fell in the semifinal. The Attack would make the playoffs again the next two seasons with Gao posting a 1.97 ERA over 32 playoff innings, but they were unable to advance. Xi’an remained good into the 1980s, but not good enough for playoff berths.

In his second season and third seasons, Gao was used as a starting pitcher. He had nice results, leading the league in WHIP both years. Gao was a starter again to start 1980, but suffered a torn flexor tendon in late April, knocking him out nine months. The next year in spring training, a torn triceps cost him three months. These injuries also took a huge toll on his already iffy stamina. Thus, the decision was made that Gao would be a reliever for the rest of his career.

Gao was respectable in middle relief in 1981, then was moved to the closer role for his remaining three seasons with the Attack. He led the league with 45 saves in 1983. Then in 1984, Gao finished third in Reliever of the Year voting. Xi’an struggled though in 1984, posting their first losing season since 1971. The Attack looked to rebuild and in the process traded Gao to Beijing for 3B Zhifeng Li and SP Qing Hu. For his Xi’an tenure, Gao had a 52-43 record, 135 saves, 2.14 ERA, 1206 strikeouts, 836 innings, 124 ERA+, and 24.2 WAR. The franchise would later retire his #31 uniform as well.

Only a few weeks after acquiring Gao, Beijing gave him a three-year, $1,414,000 extension. The Bears were the defending China Series champion and in their arms race against Tianjin. Gao spent four years as Beijing’s closer, earning his lone Reliever of the Year in 1986. He took second in 1987 and 1988.

The Bears made it to the championship each year from 1985-87, winning the title in 1985 and 1987. In 21 playoff appearances for Beijing, Gao had a 1.36 ERA, 8 saves and 15 shutdowns, 33 innings, 48 strikeouts, and a 187 ERA+. For his Beijing tenure, Gao posted 158 saves and 204 shutdowns, a 1.57 ERA, 400.2 innings, 591 strikeouts, a 161 ERA+, and 13.0 WAR.

Gao’s contract expired after the 1988 season and the 33-year old became a free agent for the first time. No team in China would match the money or contract length Gao was looking for, so he opened up his search internationally. He found a buyer in the Oceania Baseball Association, signing a three-year, $1,860,000 deal with Auckland. Gao was decent with the Avengers, but his one season saw shoulder bursitis and a partially torn labrum plague him.

Auckland decided to move on, trading Gao to Tahiti in November 1989 for two prospects. He was alright in two seasons with the Tropics, but he missed notable time in both seasons to injury. He posted a 2.48 ERA and 119 ERA+, 116 innings, 149 strikeouts, and 2.8 WAR with Tahiti. Gao decided to retire that winter at age 35,

For his entire pro career, Gao had a 110-94 record, 353 saves, 2.04 ERA, 1423.1 innings, 2038 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, and 41.5 WAR. For just his time in China, he had 293 saves and 370 shutdowns, a 91-72 record, 1.96 ERA, 1236.2 innings, 1797 strikeouts, 187 walks, 134 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 37.2 WAR. Gao’s accumulations were somewhat comparable to other CLB Hall of Fame relievers, but a good chunk of his value was in his initial stint as a starter. Removing or minimizing those innings made his case much more borderline. Gao’s playoff success with Beijing helped him though, keeping him above 50% for his entire run on the ballot. He narrowly missed out on his third try with 64.2% in 1996. Gao dropped to 59.3% in 1997, but made it across the line in 1998 at 72.6% for a fifth ballot induction.