The Case to Elect Sadaharu Oh

1
The Case to Elect Sadaharu Oh to the Hall of
Fame Submitted to The National Baseball Hall of
Fame in Cooperstown, NY August, 2002
2
The Case for Sadaharu Oh

• Contents

• The Case for Sadaharu Oh - at a glance 3
• Policy and Politics whats keeping him out and
  why he should be let in 5
• The Statistical Record - proving his greatness as
  a player 10
• The Subjective Record - what MLB players thought
  of Oh 17
• The Proofs - Oh was banned from MLB 19
• HOF Evolution another rule change please ? 23
• Baseballs Greatest Foreign Players the best
  thirty ever 31
• Proposal where from here? 34
• Credits ok, take your bows! 35
• Contact Info 36

3
The Case for Sadaharu Oh

Back to Contents

• The Case for Sadaharu Oh

He sure hit me. He was a superb hitter. He hit
consistently, and he hit with power. - Tom Seaver
4
The Case for Sadaharu Oh at a Glance

• Sadaharu Ohs overwhelming qualifications...
• Here is all you need to know about Sadaharu
  Wan-Chan Oh, to make an informed decision about
  his qualifications
• He is the worlds all-time home run king with
  868, achieving international fame as a result.
• He won 9 MVP Awards,
• 18 Best Nine awards as the leagues best first
  baseman,
• two consecutive Triple Crowns in 1973 and 1974,
• the first 9 Gold Gloves awarded in the last nine
  years of his career, and
• was a 20 time All-Star.
• He led his team to 14 Japan Series and won it 11
  times, nine of them consecutively. 

Sadaharu Oh
5
Policy and Politics

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• Policy and Politics

If Sadaharu Ohs accomplishments on the field did
not get him elected to the Hall of Fame in
Cooperstown, whats keeping him out and why he
should be let in.
6
Policy and Politics

• Whats keeping him out and why he should be let
  in
• Since Oh never played in the MLB or the Negro
  Leagues he is ineligible.
• A ban on Japanese players (see exhibits A B)
  prevented Oh from playing in the MLB.
• There are many players, who were ineligible, and
  are now in the Hall of Fame.
• Since the Japanese leagues were dismissed as
  inferior, the statistics accumulated by its
  players were deemed suspect.
• The Japanese statistical record has not been
  readily available to English audiences, hindering
  wide spread awareness of Japanese players
  exploits. Those records are included in this
  report.
• Sabrmetric methods of converting stats from
  foreign leagues into relative MLB equivalents has
  only been recognized within the past 15 years or
  so. Ohs converted MLB equivalents and are
  presented in this report and show him to be HOF
  caliber.
• Recent successes by Japanese players in the MLB
  have bolstered opinions. Hideo Nomo won the NL
  Rookie of the Year and MLB all-star in 1995. Kazu
  Sasaki, followed up as AL Rookie of the Year in
  2000. Then, Ichiro Suzuki won the AL Rookie of
  the Year and MVP in 2001.
• Since there may not be enough other foreign
  players qualified for the HOF, it was not deemed
  worthwhile to expand the Hall to an international
  scope.
• Oh qualifies under the national scope, so this
  objection is moot. But, had he not qualified,
  make an exception for him. It would be unfair to
  Oh, not to consider him for HOF standing, because
  he towers above the other Japanese all-stars.
• Though it should be irrelevant to Sadaharu Ohs
  case, a list of the thirty greatest foreign
  players is provided in this report. To be sure,
  the future holds names too.

7
Policy and Politics

• Sadaharu Oh Satisfies the Halls Stated
  National Mission
• The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is
  a not-for-profit educational institution
  dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the
  historical development of the game and its impact
  on our culture by collecting, preserving,
  exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a
  global audience, as well as honoring those who
  have made outstanding contributions to our
  National Pastime. www.baseballhalloffame.org
• Acknowledge that in addition to Ohs great
  achievements on the field, he impacted our
  culture and made outstanding contributions to our
  National Pastime
• His international fame captured the imagination
  of players, adult fans and aspiring boys in
  America.
• He Inspired a generation of Japanese youth,
  resulting in players like Nomo and Ichiro, who
  impact the MLB and our culture.
• 1977, NY Daily News - As the undisputed home run
  king of baseball crazy Japan, Oh swings the
  fastest, meanest bat in the East. He is a
  genuine national hero and the living idol to
  every Japanese boy old enough to say Yomiuri
  Giants," the name of his team."
• He directly impacted MLB. Players, such as Steve
  Garvey (10-time all star and 1974 MVP), learned
  from Oh through exposure in his 110 exhibition
  games against Major Leaguers.
• "Power is important to me. I need drive I need
  torque. I learned a lot about torque from
  Sadaharu Oh. I spent some time with him during
  spring training in 1971, and again in '75 and
  '79. He always talked about the use of his legs
  as the single biggest asset to his power...
  Garvey

8
Policy and Politics

• Adherence to the Halls Charter and to the
  mandate of its Leadership, requires Oh be
  enshrined
• Through its mission, one of the National Hall of
  Fames stated commitments is Honoring, by
  enshrinement, those individuals who had
  exceptional careers
• The Hall of Fame already displays a Japanese
  exhibit and includes Oh in the 500 Home Run
  Room. This signifies that the HOF acknowledges
  the fact that Oh represents a significant part of
  baseball's history.
• Recall that for a while, Roy Campanella, who
  admitted Josh Gibson was better than him, was in
  the main room, while the non-MLB Negro Leaguers
  were relegated to an exhibit in a separate room.
• Through its leadership, Jane Forbes Clark,
  Chairman of the HOF said, "The National Baseball
  Hall of Fame and Museum has the unique
  responsibility of preserving baseball's rich
  history and honoring its greatest heroes. from
  Forward of "Baseball As America
• Therefore, considering Ohs accomplishments on
  the field, and with regard to his impact on
  American culture and our national pastime, it is
  not enough to rely on the Japanese Hall of Fame
  to honor him.

9
Policy and Politics

• Reasons to reconsider Oh for the Hall of Fame
  now
• Due to Ichiros MLB success, it has become
  apparent that eligibility rules must be revised
  (see exhibit F), regardless of opinions about Oh
• Candidates need to play in the MLB for at least
  10 years to get elected under the current rules.
  Since Japanese players must remain in Japan for
  at least 9 or 10 years before they can play in
  the MLB, it is not reasonable to assume that such
  a player will last long enough to qualify for the
  HOF. Therefore, the eligibility rules need to be
  revised, regardless of the case for Sadaharu Oh.
• The recent Japanese migration reduces the quality
  of the Japanese leagues and hastens the need for
  the MLB to return some good will.
• Electing foreign players to the Hall of Fame in
  Cooperstown will boost international interest in
  American baseball.
• Sadaharu Oh is a safe first choice.
• The beneficial side-effect is that it leads to
  more new players in the future (fans often play
  the games they enjoy).
• Politically, electing players from foreign
  countries to the HOF in Cooperstown demonstrates
  respect to players from leagues long disrespected
  in America.
• Opportunity to enhance the prestige for current
  Hall of Famers by labeling them the Worlds
  Greatest rather than Americas Greatest.

10
Ohs Statistical Record

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• The Statistical Record

Theres no question hed have been a great
player in the United States, that he was a super
talent. - Greg Luzinski
11
Ohs Regular Season Batting Record

Regular Season Stats in Japan

• Batting statistics
• Best known as the all-time home run king with 868
  in his career. This mark was 211 ahead of the
  next best Japanese total.
• He was also first ever in runs (by 311), RBI (by
  182), total bases (by a whopping 547), SLG (by
  .043), and walks (by 915).
• Ranking of career on base percentages in Japan
  was not available at the time of this review.
  But, Ohs mark of .445 was likely first, too.

BOLD FACE indicates he led the league during
that season.
12
Ohs Japan Series Batting Record

Japan Series Stats

• Key Findings
• Led his team to 14 Japan Series and won it 11
  times, nine of them consecutively.
• Mr. October look out! In Ohs whopping 77 Japan
  Series games, he belted 29 home runs. That is
  better than his regular season average. Clutch.

13
Ohs Batting Record Versus MLB

Stats Versus MLB

• MLB Pitchers Oh Homered Off
• Hank Aguirre, 1962
• Nick Willhite, 1966 (2) 
• Alan Foster, 1966
• Jim Brewer, 1966
• Joe Moeller, 1966
• Steve Carlton, 1968 - HOF
• Dick Hughes, 1968
• Nelson Briles, 1968
• Ray Washburn, 1968
• Larry Jaster, 1968
• Wayne Granger, 1968
• Frank Reberger, 1970
• Frank Linzy, 1970
• Pat Dobson, 1971
• Jim Palmer, 1971 - HOF
• Dick Hall, 1971
• Jerry Cram, 1974 (2)
• Jerry Koosman, 1974

• Key Findings
• The MLB teams Oh faced in these exhibition games
  had a combined .575 winning record. Weighted to
  162 games, Oh typically faced a team that was
  92-70.
• The games were played in Japan either after the
  regular season (October or November) or during
  spring training.
• Even against this strong representation of MLB
  teams, Ohs HR was .074. Using his career 9,250
  at bats in Japan as a benchmark, he would have
  his 684 homers as a MLB player.
• Note that larger MLB parks would reduce the HR
  total, but play against average MLB teams offsets
  it somewhat.

14
Ohs Projected MLB Batting Record

MLB Projected Stats with the Five Most Similar
MLB Players

• Key Findings
• Ohs regular season batting records were
  converted to MLB equivalents above. (details and
  the complete yearly projections will follow).
• Applying Bill James similarity scores to these
  projected MLB stats and against all players with
  at least 300 career home runs in the MLB, Oh was
  revealed to be somewhat similar to Eddie
  Murray.
• Compared to Murray, Oh had more home run power
  and a lower batting average. Oh was the better
  fielder as judged by his Gold Gloves.
• Oh was vaguely similar to Mel Ott, Reggie
  Jackson, Frank Robinson and Dave Winfield. All of
  whom, are in the Hall of Fame.
• Applying Bill James Hall of Fame Standards
  method, Ohs score is 57, which ranks him ahead
  of the average Hall of Famers score of 50 and
  well ahead of the average HOF first basemans
  score of 45.

15
Ohs Projected MLB Batting Record
MLB Projected Stats Note Ranks are through the
end of 2001. The RBI rank is a tie for 9th with
Willie Mays

• About the projections
• Ohs first three seasons were dropped, because he
  would not have been old enough to be a credible
  U.S. MLB player until 1962, when he was 22 years
  of age.
• A Japanese season is typically 130 games, so
  season totals were factored up to 162 games to
  reflect MLB seasons. Notice that he rarely missed
  a game.
• Season totals were then factored down, to account
  for the weaker quality of opposition and smaller
  ballparks were derived from players who played in
  both the MLB and the CL during Ohs time.

16
Ohs Fielding Record

• Sadaharu Ohs fielding qualifications
• The Japanese Gold Glove award was introduced in
  1972. Oh won it the first 9 times from 1972 to
  1980, the year he retired. Presumably, he would
  have won it in the years before 1972 had the
  award existed.
• Oh won 18 consecutive Best Nine awards as the
  leagues best first baseman from 1962 to 1979.
  Now thats consistency!
• Davey Johnson, the only man to have been a
  teammate of both Oh and Aaron, said, You
  couldnt find a better fielding first baseman.
  Defords Sports Illustrated article, August 15,
  1977

17
Ohs Subjective Record

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• The Subjective Record

What MLB Players thought of Oh.
18
Ohs Subjective Record

• What did MLB players of his time think of him?
  Unless otherwise noted, these quotes come from
  an appendix in Ohs autobiography.
• Tom Seaver He sure hit me. He was a superb
  hitter. He hit consistently, and he hit with
  power. If he played in the United States, he
  would have hit 20-25 home runs a year, and whats
  more, hed hit .300. Hed be a lifetime .300
  hitter. He had tremendous discipline at the
  plate. He knew the strike zone extremely wellHe
  could pull your hard stuff, and you couldnt fool
  him off-speed.
• Hal McRae Oh had tremendous patience as a
  hitter . . . He had good power. I dont know how
  many he would have hit here . . . start with 20
  (a year) . . . at least. He was a great
  all-star. Hed have been a Hall of Famer.
• Don Baylor Oh could have played anywhere at
  any time. If he played in Yankee Stadium, being
  the left handed pull hitter he is, I have no
  doubt hed hit 40 home runs a year.
• Frank Howard You can kiss my ass if he
  wouldnt have hit 30 or 35 home runs a year and
  hit anywhere from .280 to .320 and drive in up to
  120 runs a year. The point being, he rates with
  the all-time stars of the game.
• Frank Robinson Im sure he would have hit in
  the 30s (of homers per year) and probably in the
  low 40s. . . . Thirty home runs a year add up
  to over 600 home runs, and hed do that if he
  played the same number of years here that he
  played there.
• Don Drysdale He would have hit for average and
  power here. In a park tailored to his swing,
  theres no telling how many he would have hit. .
  . . He was always ready for anything we threw
  him. We were all impressed.

19
The Proofs

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• The Proofs

The following evidence demonstrates 1) Oh was
banned from MLB 2) Long after Oh retired,
Japanese players are still partially banned from
MLB 3) American baseball has become an
international game
20
The Murakami Case - Exhibit A

• Proof that Japanese players were banned from MLB
• In 1964, a young pitcher named Masanori Murakami,
  was sent to the U.S., to get seasoning in the SF
  farm system. The SF Giants brought him up at the
  end of the year and he pitched 9 games with a
  1.80 era. This made him the first Japanese player
  to ever play in the MLB.
• So, the SF Giants decided to sign him for the
  following season. But Japanese baseball officials
  objected, creating an impasse. With pressure from
  the U.S. state department, the SF Giants agreed
  give up their rights to him after the 1965
  season.
• He did well for the SF Giants in 1965, pitching
  in 45 games and compiling a 4-1 record with eight
  saves and a 3.75 era.
• At the end of the season he chose to return to
  Japan.
• The de facto Japanese ban resumed as a result of
  this tense incident. No Japanese player played in
  the MLB for the next 30 years.
• Note that the MLB ban on blacks was de facto
  too, not formal. It ended when the L.A. Dodgers
  Branch Rickey bravely defied the will of the
  other fifteen owners and objections from white
  players.

Mashi Murakami
21
The Nomo Case - Exhibit B

• Proof that long after Oh retired, Japanese
  players are still partially banned from MLB
• From WWII forward, no Japan players came to the
  U.S.
• Murakami broke the silence in 1964. When he
  returned to Japan in 1965, many believed that he
  would be the first and only Japanese player to
  play in the MLB.
• But, in 1995, Hideo Nomo broke the Japanese ban
  by retiring and then coming out of his retirement
  to play in the MLB for the Dodgers.
• Why didnt Japan demand his return like they did
  with Murakami?
• There were no contractual limitations limiting
  him anymore.
• Nomo was not well liked by the Japanese owners
  before coming to America, because he tried to
  organize a one day strike to protest the
  treatment of Japanese players.
• His 1995 success made him Japan's conquering
  hero.
• To protect themselves against further migration,
  the NPB instituted a rule requiring players
  drafted in Japan to remain in Japan for up to ten
  years before they can leave to play elsewhere.
• Gyaku Shimei -The Japanese draft allows players
  to designate before the draft, which team he will
  sign with. Under this scenario, he can leave
  Japan after ten years.
• When a player is drafted without specifying a
  team he becomes eligible after nine years.

Hideo Nomo
22
The Modern Game

• Proof that American baseball has become an
  international game
• In 2002, about half of all minor leaguers were
  from outside of the 50 U.S. states. This has
  driven the MLB ratio of foreign born players up
  every year.
• In 2002, nearly 25 of MLB players were born
  outside of the 50 U.S. states, representing 17
  countries.
• Players born outside of the 50 U.S. States make
  an big impact on the quality of MLB. 128 of them
  were MLB All-Stars through 2001, winning six
  MVPs and three Cy Young Awards just in the last
  six years
• 2001 - Ichiro Suzuki, AL (Japan)
• 1999 - Ivan Rodriguez, AL (P.R.)
• 1998 - Juan Gonzalez, AL (P.R.) and Sammy Sosa,
  NL (D.R.)
• 1997 - Larry Walker, NL (Canada)
• 1996 Juan Gonzalez, AL (P.R.)
• Cy Young Award 1997, 1999 and 2000 Pedro
  Martinez, AL (D.R.)
• Nine members of the Hall of Fame were born
  outside of the U.S. 50 states
• England Pioneer, Harry Wright and Umpire, Tom
  Connolley Dominican Republic - Juan Marichal
  Puerto Rico - Roberto Clemente and Orlando
  Cepeda Panama - Rod Carew Venezuela - Luis
  Aparicio Canada - Fergie Jenkins Cuba -Tony
  Perez and Martin Dihigo (who played mostly in
  foreign leagues, never MLB)

23
HOF Evolution

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• HOF Evolution

The Hall of Fame has a history of evolution, And
a pattern of including the worlds best
players, Some of whom were ineligible at one
time.
24
HOF Evolution

• The HOF has been willing to change, bend and
  rewrite its rules in the past to best serve its
  mission
• The original rule (1936) was that a candidate
  must have played at least ten seasons in the
  majors and been retired for at least five years
  but no more than twenty years to qualify.
• To allow consideration for managers, umpires,
  executives, and players not eligible through the
  BBWAA, such as, pre-1920 players and Negro
  Leaguers, some of whom never played in the MLB,
  modifications were made.
• Because CASEY The Old Professor STENGEL was
  ill, a special exception was made to allow him
  early election (1966) without having to wait the
  normal five years. He lived until 1975.
• To allow Roberto Clementes to enter the HOF
  immediately after his tragic death, the five year
  rule was amended (1973) to allow consideration
  six months after a players death.
• To keep Pete Rose out of the HOF, in 1991 an
  amendment was added to say that Any player on
  Baseballs ineligible list shall not be an
  eligible candidate.
• To allow some players in the HOF, the twenty year
  rule has at times been ignored.
• To allow consideration for Sadaharu Oh, an
  amendment should be made adding the words, or
  any national major league to the bit about the
  ten MLB or Negro League seasons requirement.
• Otherwise, make a special exception.

25
HOF Evolution

• The evolution of rules for HOF eligibility, shows
  a progression of including the worlds best
  players rather than keeping them Ineligible.
• 1936 Included first members, all were players
  and all were Caucasian (Ruth, Wagner, Cobb,
  Johnson and Mathewson), by means of a pole of 226
  members of the Baseball Writers Association of
  America (BBWAA).
• 1937 Inducted first non-players Connie Mack and
  Little John McGraw as managers and Ban Johnson
  and Morgan Bulkeley as pioneers/executives, by
  means of newly established 78 member Veterans
  Committee.
• 1939 Inducted first player passed up by the
  baseball writers by means of the old timers
  committee (a.k.a., V.C.), Cap Anson.
• 1971 Inducted first African American, Satchel
  Paige, by means of newly established Negro League
  Committee.
• 1973 Inducted first player born in a foreign
  country, Roberto Clemente.
• 1973 Inducted first players to not play in MLB,
  Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson (see exhibit C).
• 1977 Inducted first player born in a foreign
  country and did not play in MLB, Martin Dihigo
  (see exhibit D).

26
HOF Evolution - Exhibit C

• Details on 18 Hall of Famers, who were once
  ineligible and played in foreign leagues
• The HOF has elected players, who played in
  foreign leagues.
• As of 2002, there were 17 players, who made it
  based on careers outside of the MLB.
• The HOF elected a player (Martin Dihigo), who was
  born in Cuba and played primarily in foreign
  leagues (see exhibit D).

Foreign League Hall of Famers
Eligibility limits will continue to be
tested Japanese players are required to play 19
years in pro ball, rather than 10, due to a
partial Japanese ban. Ichiro, will test these
limits (see exhibit F).
27
The Dihigo Case- Exhibit D

• Proof that the Hall of Fame is increasingly
  International and has a history of choosing to
  include the worlds best players rather than
  keeping them Ineligible
• Dihigo was the first player, who was born in a
  foreign country and did not play in MLB, to be
  elected to the National Hall of Fame
• The HOF reversed an earlier decision by President
  Paul Kerr (1976), that Dihigo was ineligible
  despite, in Kerrs words, a very impressive
  record. A year later (1977), the HOF rethought
  the case and chose the path of inclusion for this
  foreign player. Why not choose the path of
  inclusion for Oh?
• Martin Dihigo was a likely the greatest Cuban
  player ever, proving himself primarily in foreign
  leagues. Though he played in the Negro Leagues,
  he never played on the American side in games
  against other countries
• While his political beliefs are his own business,
  he was a Communist by his own admission. This was
  evidenced political comments he made supporting
  rebel leader, Fidel Castro during radio
  broadcasts in the 1950's.
• This demonstrates that the HOF has already
  admitted a foreigner with politically
  anti-American sentiment. As a result, it should
  lower resistance to admitting other foreigners,
  who are stars in their respective national
  major leagues.

Martín Dihigo
28

HOF Evolution

• Who Gets In? History of Change, continued
• The HOF will inevitably continue to make firsts
  in electing foreign born players under diverse
  circumstances and will have to continue to change
  its eligibility requirements to fulfill its
  mission
• Inevitable Future HOF Inducts first foreigner
  elected to the HOF without ever playing on an
  American team (see Vladimir Guerrero Case
  Exhibit E)
• Inevitable Future HOF Inducts first player
  elected to the HOF without playing for 10 years
  in the U.S. Major Leagues or Negro Leagues. (see
  Ichiro Case Exhibit F)
• Inevitable Future HOF Inducts first player who
  was born in a foreign country and did not play in
  MLB or Negro Leagues , Sadaharu Oh.

29
The Guerrero Case - Exhibit E

• Proof that the HOF will inevitably continue to
  make firsts in electing foreign born players
  under diverse circumstances
• Vladimir Guerrero was born in Nizao Bani,
  Dominican Republic. He is one of the growing
  minority of foreign born U.S. Major Leaguers.
• He joined the Majors in 1996. Through 2002, the
  only MLB team he ever played for the was the
  Montreal Expos.
• If he remains in Montreal for his entire career,
  which must last through the 2006 season, he will
  qualify for Hall of Fame consideration without
  ever having played for an American team.
• This would make him the first foreigner elected
  to the HOF without ever playing on an American
  team.
• How close is this to becoming a reality? Its
  inevitable that it will happen for some player.
  If the Expos can afford him, they remain in
  Canada, and Vlad maintains his numbers, it will
  be him.

Vladimir Guerrero
30
The Ichiro Case - Exhibit F

• Proof that the HOF will have to continue to
  change its eligibility requirements to fulfill
  its mission
• Ichiro Suzuki was born in Kasugai, Japan. In
  2001, he initiated the migration from the NPB to
  the MLB among non pitchers.
• In his first U.S. Major League season, the
  perennial NPB batting champ did not disappoint
  Japanese or American audiences.
• Won the AL Rookie of the Year Award
• Won the AL Batting Crown, batting .350
• Most stolen bases in the AL with 56
• Won the Gold Glove Award for Right field,
  although he has a CFs range.
• He played 9 seasons in Japan due to the partial
  MLB ban. Must he play 10 more seasons in the MLB
  to qualify for the HOF?
• Denial would be an outrage. It would also
  discourage future attempts by players to abandon
  their national major league in favor of the
  American one.
• This would make him the first player elected to
  the HOF without playing for 10 years in the U.S.
  Major Leagues or Negro Leagues.

Ichiro Suzuki
Career Stats in Japan
31
Baseballs Greatest Foreign Players

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• Baseballs Greatest Foreign Players

Not that this should be a requirement for Ohs
candidacy, but here are thirty foreign players
for HOF consideration...
32
Baseballs Greatest Foreign Players
The thirty best based on various sources,
including McNeil's Baseball's Other Stars,
using his All-World All Star Team. (Note BOLD
indicates first team)
Infielders C  Katsuya Nomura-Japan 1B 
Sadaharu Oh-Japan Tetsuharu Kawakami-Japan
Hector Espinosa-Mexico Julian
Castillo-Cuba 2B  Morimichi Takagi-Japan 3B 
Shigeo Nagashima-Japan Canena
Marquez-P.R. SS  Yoshio Yoshida-Japan
Perucho Cepeda-P.R. Silvio Garcia-Cuba

• Outfielders 
• Cristobal Torriente-CubaFrancisco Pancho
  Coimbre-P.R.Bernardo Baro-CubaYutaka
  Fukumoto-JapanTetelo Vargas-D.R.Alejandro
  Oms-CubaIsao Harimoto-Japan
• Managers
• Kazuto Tsuruoka -Japan's all time winningest
  manager with Nankai for 24 seasons.

• Pitchers   
• Jose Mendez-CubaMasaichi Kaneda-JapanEusatquio
  Pedroso-CubaLuis Padron-CubaTetsuya
  Yoneda-JapanDiomedes Olivo-D.R.Ramon Arano
  (1959-95)-MexicoAlfredo Ortiz (1963-87)-Mexico
• Kazuhisa Inao-Japan
• Masaaki Koyama-Japan
• Sun Dong Yol-Korea
• Victor Starfin-Japan

• Future players, who are not yet eligible Koji
  Yamamoto, OF (Japan) - 536 homers (4th), .290
  career avg.and .923 OPS 10 Gold Gloves, and
  Hisashi Yamada, P (Japan)- 284-166 3 MVPs in a
  row.
• Special International Contribution Lefty
  ODoul, OF and Manager - Credited with initiating
  pro baseball in Japan (1932). The first U.S.
  Major Leaguer to be elected by Japans HOF
  (2001). Played in the inaugural MLB all-star game
  in 1933. MLB lifetime batting average .349 in
  brief career.

33
Baseballs Greatest Foreign Players
Descriptions of some of the 30 best

• Katsuya Nomura, C - 4 time MVP, 657 HRs (2nd in
  Japan behind Oh)
• Sadaharu Oh, 1B - 9 time Japanese MVP
• Tetsuharu "God of Hitting" Kawakami, 1B Won 3
  MVPs in Japan .313 lifetime average (5th )
• Shigeo Nagashima, 3B - 5 time Japanese MVP
• Isao Harimoto, OF all time Japanese hits leader
  with 3,085 and .319 lifetime avg. (3rd) 504 HRs
  (6th) and 4th in career RBIs
• Yutaka Fukumoto, CF - all time Japanese SB leader
  with 1,065 (safe 78.1) hit 208 HRs won 12 Gold
  Gloves
• Cristóbal Torriente, CF and LHP .352. Lifetime
  average in Cuba and roughly .334 in the Negro
  Leagues. Great fielding range and arm. Led in SBs
  3 times and HRs 4 times. Batted .402 in 1916.
• C.I. Taylor, longtime manager and Negro League
  executive, said, "If I should see Torriente
  walking up the other side of the street, I would
  say, there walks a ball club.'"
• Masaaki Koyama, P 3rd in Wins 320-232 record
  in Japan 3rd in strikeouts with 3,061

• Masaichi Kaneda, P - Japans greatest pitcher,
  400 game winner (1st), 2.34 era, 3,388 Ks (1st)
• Victor Starfin, P - 303 wins in Japan with 2.09
  career era (5th)
• Kazuhisa Inao, P 1.98 era, .668 pct, 2,574 Ks
• Sun Dong Yol, P - ERA ranged from 1.70 to 0.78
  before he switched to relief and led all Koreans
  in saves. Five-time leader in Ks.
• Alejandro Oms, OF RHP .351 lifetime avg in
  Cuba and roughly .325 in Negro Leagues. Won three
  batting crowns in Cuba and once led in SBs. Top
  defensive Venezuelan OF in 1943. Played in
  championships for 4 different teams.
• Jose Mendez, RHP, Infielder and playing Manager
  In 1909, he was 44-2 for the Cuban Stars (some
  games were against semi pro teams). Led the
  Monarchs to 3 straight Negro National League
  pennants (1923-25) as a player manager. His was
  20-4, with 7 saves over that span. John Henry
  Lloyd said he never saw a better pitcher.

34
Proposal

• In a nutshell
• It is not necessary to change the Hall of Fames
  Mission from National to International in
  order to accommodate players, who did not play in
  America, as long as those players impacted our
  culture and made outstanding contributions to our
  National Pastime, as Oh clearly did.
• But, given the reality that American baseball has
  become an international game, changing the
  official scope from National to International
  is well advised.
• Whether the mission remains National or changes
  to International, establish a Baseball Hall of
  Fame Committee on Foreign Baseball Leagues
• Candidates are to have served at least 10 years
  in any national major league from any foreign
  country and/or the American Major Leagues.
• At a minimum, this addresses Ichiros predicament
  of having to play at least nine years in Japan
  before he can prove himself in America.
• At best, it allows for the consideration of the
  worlds greatest baseball players, many of whom
  were not free to play in America.
• The first ballot should contain Sadaharu Oh.
• In absence of this proposed new committee, make
  an exception for Oh.

35
Credits

• Special thanks and credit are due to the
  following people
• Jim Albright - assembled nearly all of the
  numbers presented, which he collected from
  various sources. Jim was also responsible for all
  of the Sabrmetric calculations used. His
  calculations and logic were confirmed for
  accuracy and presented to scores of baseball
  researchers before presentation in this document.
  And, he inspired us all.
• John B. Holway - a noted historian of the
  Japanese and Negro leagues, served as a guide,
  and was the primary source for the Dihigo case.
• Gary Garland - the Japanese baseball columnist
  for BaseballGuru.com, filled in important gaps in
  understanding current players and Japanese policy.

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36
Contact Information
CONTACT INFORMATION
Craig Tomarkin 2333 Congress Street Fairfield, CT
06430 203-259-0621 (Phone) 419-858-8545
(fax) Craig_at_BaseballGuru.com