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FuzzyRussianHat · 10-29-2024, 06:11 AM

2017 marked the fifth and sixth inductees into the African Association of Baseball Hall of Fame. OF Mohau Sibiya was a no-doubter at 98.4% in his debut, while SP Joel Mwasesa snuck past the 66% requirement with 67.3% on his third ballot. Three others topped 50% with 1B Abebe Chekol at 57.4% for his fifth try, 1B Boubacar Mavinga with 56.6% on his sixth go, and SP Hendrik Jongman at 55.4% on his tenth and final chance.

For Jongman, he was hurt by having his official debut at age 29 and only eight years of stats. He was a big part of Kinshasa’s early dynasty and posted a 127-60 record, 3.17 ERA, 1755.1 innings, 1374 strikeouts, 470 walks, 128 ERA+, and 43.7 WAR.

Jongman also was 11-6 with a 2.85 ERA over 142.1 playoff innings with 117 strikeouts and 4.0 WAR. As of 2037, he’s third in playoff wins, fourth in strikeouts, and third in WAR. Despite that, Jongman wasn’t around long enough to get the tallies a lot of voters wanted. He debuted at 35.7% but climbed as high as 59.5% in 2013 before ending at 55.4%.

Similarly dropped after ten failed ballots was Ahmed Hussen Rooble, who peaked at 50.0% in 2012 but ended at only 6.8%. Rooble also had only an eight-year official career and was part of both Cape Town’s and Kinshasa’s early titles. He won two Pitcher of the Year awards and had an 117-58 record, 3.06 ERA, 1644 innings, 1553 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, and 38.6 WAR. Rooble had a 2.75 ERA over 75.1 playoff innings as well.

Mohau Sibiya – Center/Right Field – Brazzaville Blowfish – 98.4% First Ballot

Mohau Sibiya was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting outfielder from Durban, South Africa’s third-most populous city. Sibiya had tremendous home run power with 40+ homers each year from 1998-2007 and five years with 59 or more dingers. He was also great at drawing walks, but was a below average contact hitter and struck out at ton. Sibiya could also find the gap with 27 doubles and 8 triples per his 162 game average.

Unlike the traditional slugger archetype, Sibiya was very quick and was a fantastic baserunner. He made around 2/3s of his career starts in center field, where he ranked as a solid defender. The other 1/3 came in right where Sibiya was excellent, winning three Gold Gloves in right. He had decent enough durability and was appreciated for his loyalty and leadership. That plus his exciting combo of power and speed made Sibiya one of AAB’s first megastars.

The first AAB rookie draft was 1995 and Sibiya was arguably the top prospect. He was picked second overall by Brazzaville and was a full-time starter immediately with great results. Sibiya led the Central Conference in triples (13) and stolen bases (94) with 6.7 WAR for Rookie of the Year honors. He did also lead in strikeouts at 205 and while he always had trouble with whiffs, that was his career worst.

Sibiya led with 100 stolen bases in 1997, a career best. This was also his first of nine straight seasons worth 8+ WAR. Sibiya became even more dangerous soon as he found his home run power. 1998 started an 11-year streak of 40+ homer seasons. During that run, Sibiya also had an OPS above one ten times. All three of Sibiya’s Gold Gloves came with Brazzaville (1997, 1998, 2002) and he won his first four Silver Sluggers three (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002).

1998 saw a third place finish in MVP voting, leading for the first time in slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. Sibiya then topped it with an all-timer in 1999 with conference bests in runs (143), home runs (69), RBI (142), total bases (413), OBP (.445), slugging (.838), OPS (1.283), wRC+ (241), and WAR (13.1). The runs, triple slash, OPS, wRC+, and WAR would all be career highs, winning his first MVP. He also smacked 69 home runs with 142 RBI.

In the young AAB, Sibiya’s runs, slugging, OPS, RBI, homers, and WAR all set single-season records. The WAR mark by position players would only get passed once in 2009. As of 2037, the OPS and slugging both still ranks fourth, Sibiya maintained similar paces the next two years, but missed about two months to injury both years. He was third in 2000’s MVP voting and second in 2001 and still led in WAR (10.0) in 2001 despite playing 111 games.

Sibiya smashed his own home runs (76) record in 2002 for his second MVP. This also tied the then world record for homers. He lost the single-season home run crown in AAB four years later, but his 76 still ranks sixth as of 2037. He also had a career-best 158 RBI, which fell one short of the new record., and led for the third time in OPS, slugging, and wRC+. This was Sibiya’s fourth time as the WARlord and third time with 10+ WAR. He also scored 134 runs and had 78 stolen bases, becoming the only player in world history with a 75-75 HR/SB season.

Despite this dominance by Sibiya, Brazzaville was stuck in the middle to bottom of the standings, averaging 78.4 wins per season over his seven year tenure. Knowing Sibiya was due a big payday with free agency coming soon, the Blowfish traded him across the river to Kinshasa for three prospects. In total with Brazzaville, Sibiya had 859 hits, 763 runs, 152 doubles, 343 home runs, 741 RBI, 623 walks, 546 stolen bases, a .270/.395/.676 slash, 183 wRC+, and 66.9 WAR.

Sibiya was already a megastar in African baseball and the fans on the other side of the Congo River were pumped to have him. Kinshasa was the first AAB mega dynasty, winning five Africa Series titles from 1997-2002. Sibiya won his third MVP and fifth Silver Slugger in his one year with the Sun Cats, leading again in runs, homers, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. The 11.8 WAR and 1.144 would be his second-best season for his career.

Kinshasa set a new franchise record at 108-54 and won their sixth title in seven years, beating Antananarivo in back-to-back Africa Series matchups. Sibiya’s playoff debut was okay with 11 hits, 7 runs, 2 home runs, and 3 RBI. He ended up being a rental, as Kinshasa couldn’t secure him long term. Sibiya entered free agency for the first time before his age 31 season.

Sibiya switched conferences and went to Madagascar with a six-year, $17,200,000 deal with Antananarivo. He was third in MVP voting in 2004 and 2005, then won the award for the fourth time in 2007 and got his sixth Silver Slugger. Injuries slightly dulled his pace in 2005 and 2006. Sibiya led in homers in 2004 and 2007. In 2007, he also led again in runs, RBI, and WAR.

Antananarivo narrowly missed the playoffs in 2004 and 2006. In 2005, they won their first Africa Series and got revenge on Kinshasa. The Eagles were upset in the 2007 conference final by Durban, then won the 2008 pennant over Johannesburg. They would fall in the 2008 Africa Series as the Addis Ababa dynasty had begun. Sibiya was a strong playoff performer winning finals MVP in 2008 despite the loss. In 33 starts, he had 30 hits, 29 runs, 18 home runs, 25 RBI, a .250/.328/.750 slash, 192 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR.

In total for the Eagles, Sibiya had 625 hits, 519 runs, 119 doubles, 249 home runs, 556 RBI, 315 stolen bases, a .260/.366/.647 slash, 159 wRC+, and 41.0 WAR. To his surprise, Antananarivo bought out the final year of his deal, making him a free agent after the 2008 season heading towards age 36. Sibiya ended up returning to his native South Africa on a two-year, $8,320,000 deal with Johannesburg.

Despite playing elsewhere on the continent to that point, Sibiya had still represented South Africa in the World Baseball Championship. From 1996-2001, he had 138 games and 137 starts, posting 106 hits, 85 runs, 17 doubles, 50 home runs, 95 RBI, 54 stolen bases, a .215/.306/.575 slash, 150 wRC+, and 6.6 WAR.

Sibiya still looked good in 2009 despite losing two months to a strained groin, but had easily his worst season to that point in 2010. The Jackalopes had fallen towards the bottom of the standings at that point, but the run was still notable. While in Johannesburg, Sibiya became the first in AAB history to reach 700 home runs, 1500 runs scored, 1500 runs batted in, 1000 stolen bases, and 1000 walks.

As of 2037, the only other player in all of pro baseball history to breach each of those milestones was Abderrazak Zouari; who joined the Arab League Hall of Fame in 2017. With Johannesburg, Sibiya had 7.7 WAR over two seasons. Ndjamena gave him a one-year deal for 2011, but Sibiya was terrible with a .551 OPS over 77 games and 17 starts. He retired that winter at age 38.

Sibiya ended with 1872 hits, 1604 runs, 346 doubles, 107 triples, 727 home runs, 1585 RBI, 1222 walks, 2317 strikeouts, 1075 stolen bases, a .263/.377/.649 slash, 171 wRC+, and 126.7 WAR. He fell from the top spot on leaderboards quickly as AAB grew and offense exploded. Still, as of 2037 Sibiya is third in WAR for position players, ninth in homers, 14^th in RBI, ninth in runs, 58^th in hits, 11^th in steals, 11^th in walks, and sixth in strikeouts.

Among all AAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his OPS (1.026) ranks 12^th and slugging ranks ninth. Among all Hall of Famers and future locks in world history, his OPS is 25^th best. Sibiya was a huge superstar for good reason and is both an inner-circle AAB Hall of Famer and someone worth a mention in GOAT-level conversations. At 98.4%, he headlined the 2017 class.

Joel Mwasesa – Starting Pitcher – Lilongwe Lightning – 67.3% Third Ballot

Joel Mwasesa was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Kolwezi, a city of 573,000 in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mwasesa had very good stuff and solid movement, but his poor movement gave him issues with allowing home runs. A 97-99 mph fastball was his top pitch while he mixed in a changeup and curveball.

Mwasesa’s stamina was solid and he had great durability, giving you plenty of innings each year. He was a good defensive pitcher and was respectable at holding runners. Mwasesa was smart and calculating, but also selfish and you couldn’t call on him for a leadership role.

In AAB’s first rookie draft in 1995, Mwasesa was picked third overall by Lilongwe. He was a full-time starter right away and ate innings, but struggled to a 5.00 ERA. Mwasesa’s ERA was closer to average the next three years, but he started a six-year streak of leading the Southern Conference in strikeouts. Despite his efforts, the Lightning didn’t post their first winning season until 2003 at 87-75. Mwasesa had the most losses (19) in 1999 even with a 7.2 WAR season.

In 2000, Mwasesa won his lone Pitcher of the Year, leading in WAR (8.9), WHIP (0.97), strikeouts (319), and quality starts (23). All but the K mark would finish as career bests. Mwasesa also had a career best 2.87 ERA, 149 ERA+, and 16 complete games. The 319 strikeouts set the single-season record for the new league. He topped it two years later with 328 in 2002, which was the top mark until 2011. It ranks 19^th as of 2037.

Mwasesa also led in WAR at 8.4 in 2002. He had 2.97 ERA in both 2001 and 2002, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting both times. Mwasesa would regress a bit in 2003, giving up a conference-worst 42 home runs. It wasn’t the best look for a contract year, but Mwasesa still opted for free agency heading towards his age 31 season.

In total for Lilongwe, Mwasesa had a 110-107 record, 3.61 ERA, 1918.2 innings, 2285 strikeouts, 551 walks, 112 ERA+, and 49.3 WAR. The Lightning would later retire his #9 uniform for being a reason to come to the ballpark during their weak early years. Mwasesa ended up moving to Burundi, signing a six-year, $15,500,000 deal with Bujumbura.

Mwasesa never played for the teams in his native country, but he did represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the World Baseball Championship from 1997-2008. His stats were unremarkable with a 3.78 ERA over 152.1 innings, 5-11 record, 205 strikeouts, 44 walks, 94 ERA+, and 1.9 WAR.

He could never reach his previous strikeout highs with Bujumbura, but did lead in WHIP in his debut year. Mwasesa topped 4+ WAR in his first two seasons for the Bighorns, but struggled in 2006 and 2007. He allowed a conference-worst 46 homers in 2007. Bujumbura was generally mid-tier, but did earn a playoff berth that year. Mwasesa struggled in his one career playoff start, allowing four runs and two homers in 3.1 innings.

Mwasesa did bounce back for 5.1 WAR in 2008, his best of the Bujumbura run. In total, he had a 56-55 record, 3.92 ERA, 1073 innings, 1154 strikeouts, 105 ERA+, and 18.4 WAR. Mwasesa did also throw a no-hitter for the Bighorns on April 15, 2005 with 14 strikeouts and 1 walk against Lubumbashi. Bujumbura would buy out the final year of his six year contract.

In 2009, Mwasesa signed with Dar es Salaam and posted below average results over 191.1 innings. He did notably cross 3500 career strikeouts, becoming the first in AAB history to do so. Mwasesa wanted to play in 2010, but no teams were interested. He retired that winter at age 37.

Mwasesa finished with a 175-175 record, 3.78 ERA, 3183 innings, 3583 strikeouts, 901 walks, 460 home runs, 104 complete games, 25 shutouts, 108 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 68.4 WAR. He was the strikeouts leader at retirement and still ranks third as of 2037. Mwasesa sits seventh in pitching WAR, 11^th in wins, fifth in complete games, second in shutouts, and sixth in innings. On the bad end, he retired with the most losses and home runs allowed. Mwasesa is tied for the most losses and fifth in homers as of 2037.

Mwasesa’s resume was a tough one for the voters to handle. Being the strikeout leader and the longevity were major plusses, but the traditionalists noted a .500 record and unremarkable ERA. His better FIP- than ERA+ does suggest being on bad Lilongwe teams dented his tallies. Mwasesa missed the cut at 56.4% and 59.2% in his first two years. He would get the slight bump just beyond the 66% requirement on his third ballot. At 67.3%, Mwasesa secured his spot in AAB’s 2017 Hall of Fame class.

10-29-2024, 06:11 AM	#1744
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,978	2017 AAB Hall of Fame 2017 marked the fifth and sixth inductees into the African Association of Baseball Hall of Fame. OF Mohau Sibiya was a no-doubter at 98.4% in his debut, while SP Joel Mwasesa snuck past the 66% requirement with 67.3% on his third ballot. Three others topped 50% with 1B Abebe Chekol at 57.4% for his fifth try, 1B Boubacar Mavinga with 56.6% on his sixth go, and SP Hendrik Jongman at 55.4% on his tenth and final chance. For Jongman, he was hurt by having his official debut at age 29 and only eight years of stats. He was a big part of Kinshasa’s early dynasty and posted a 127-60 record, 3.17 ERA, 1755.1 innings, 1374 strikeouts, 470 walks, 128 ERA+, and 43.7 WAR. Jongman also was 11-6 with a 2.85 ERA over 142.1 playoff innings with 117 strikeouts and 4.0 WAR. As of 2037, he’s third in playoff wins, fourth in strikeouts, and third in WAR. Despite that, Jongman wasn’t around long enough to get the tallies a lot of voters wanted. He debuted at 35.7% but climbed as high as 59.5% in 2013 before ending at 55.4%. Similarly dropped after ten failed ballots was Ahmed Hussen Rooble, who peaked at 50.0% in 2012 but ended at only 6.8%. Rooble also had only an eight-year official career and was part of both Cape Town’s and Kinshasa’s early titles. He won two Pitcher of the Year awards and had an 117-58 record, 3.06 ERA, 1644 innings, 1553 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, and 38.6 WAR. Rooble had a 2.75 ERA over 75.1 playoff innings as well. Mohau Sibiya – Center/Right Field – Brazzaville Blowfish – 98.4% First Ballot Mohau Sibiya was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting outfielder from Durban, South Africa’s third-most populous city. Sibiya had tremendous home run power with 40+ homers each year from 1998-2007 and five years with 59 or more dingers. He was also great at drawing walks, but was a below average contact hitter and struck out at ton. Sibiya could also find the gap with 27 doubles and 8 triples per his 162 game average. Unlike the traditional slugger archetype, Sibiya was very quick and was a fantastic baserunner. He made around 2/3s of his career starts in center field, where he ranked as a solid defender. The other 1/3 came in right where Sibiya was excellent, winning three Gold Gloves in right. He had decent enough durability and was appreciated for his loyalty and leadership. That plus his exciting combo of power and speed made Sibiya one of AAB’s first megastars. The first AAB rookie draft was 1995 and Sibiya was arguably the top prospect. He was picked second overall by Brazzaville and was a full-time starter immediately with great results. Sibiya led the Central Conference in triples (13) and stolen bases (94) with 6.7 WAR for Rookie of the Year honors. He did also lead in strikeouts at 205 and while he always had trouble with whiffs, that was his career worst. Sibiya led with 100 stolen bases in 1997, a career best. This was also his first of nine straight seasons worth 8+ WAR. Sibiya became even more dangerous soon as he found his home run power. 1998 started an 11-year streak of 40+ homer seasons. During that run, Sibiya also had an OPS above one ten times. All three of Sibiya’s Gold Gloves came with Brazzaville (1997, 1998, 2002) and he won his first four Silver Sluggers three (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002). 1998 saw a third place finish in MVP voting, leading for the first time in slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. Sibiya then topped it with an all-timer in 1999 with conference bests in runs (143), home runs (69), RBI (142), total bases (413), OBP (.445), slugging (.838), OPS (1.283), wRC+ (241), and WAR (13.1). The runs, triple slash, OPS, wRC+, and WAR would all be career highs, winning his first MVP. He also smacked 69 home runs with 142 RBI. In the young AAB, Sibiya’s runs, slugging, OPS, RBI, homers, and WAR all set single-season records. The WAR mark by position players would only get passed once in 2009. As of 2037, the OPS and slugging both still ranks fourth, Sibiya maintained similar paces the next two years, but missed about two months to injury both years. He was third in 2000’s MVP voting and second in 2001 and still led in WAR (10.0) in 2001 despite playing 111 games. Sibiya smashed his own home runs (76) record in 2002 for his second MVP. This also tied the then world record for homers. He lost the single-season home run crown in AAB four years later, but his 76 still ranks sixth as of 2037. He also had a career-best 158 RBI, which fell one short of the new record., and led for the third time in OPS, slugging, and wRC+. This was Sibiya’s fourth time as the WARlord and third time with 10+ WAR. He also scored 134 runs and had 78 stolen bases, becoming the only player in world history with a 75-75 HR/SB season. Despite this dominance by Sibiya, Brazzaville was stuck in the middle to bottom of the standings, averaging 78.4 wins per season over his seven year tenure. Knowing Sibiya was due a big payday with free agency coming soon, the Blowfish traded him across the river to Kinshasa for three prospects. In total with Brazzaville, Sibiya had 859 hits, 763 runs, 152 doubles, 343 home runs, 741 RBI, 623 walks, 546 stolen bases, a .270/.395/.676 slash, 183 wRC+, and 66.9 WAR. Sibiya was already a megastar in African baseball and the fans on the other side of the Congo River were pumped to have him. Kinshasa was the first AAB mega dynasty, winning five Africa Series titles from 1997-2002. Sibiya won his third MVP and fifth Silver Slugger in his one year with the Sun Cats, leading again in runs, homers, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. The 11.8 WAR and 1.144 would be his second-best season for his career. Kinshasa set a new franchise record at 108-54 and won their sixth title in seven years, beating Antananarivo in back-to-back Africa Series matchups. Sibiya’s playoff debut was okay with 11 hits, 7 runs, 2 home runs, and 3 RBI. He ended up being a rental, as Kinshasa couldn’t secure him long term. Sibiya entered free agency for the first time before his age 31 season. Sibiya switched conferences and went to Madagascar with a six-year, $17,200,000 deal with Antananarivo. He was third in MVP voting in 2004 and 2005, then won the award for the fourth time in 2007 and got his sixth Silver Slugger. Injuries slightly dulled his pace in 2005 and 2006. Sibiya led in homers in 2004 and 2007. In 2007, he also led again in runs, RBI, and WAR. Antananarivo narrowly missed the playoffs in 2004 and 2006. In 2005, they won their first Africa Series and got revenge on Kinshasa. The Eagles were upset in the 2007 conference final by Durban, then won the 2008 pennant over Johannesburg. They would fall in the 2008 Africa Series as the Addis Ababa dynasty had begun. Sibiya was a strong playoff performer winning finals MVP in 2008 despite the loss. In 33 starts, he had 30 hits, 29 runs, 18 home runs, 25 RBI, a .250/.328/.750 slash, 192 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. In total for the Eagles, Sibiya had 625 hits, 519 runs, 119 doubles, 249 home runs, 556 RBI, 315 stolen bases, a .260/.366/.647 slash, 159 wRC+, and 41.0 WAR. To his surprise, Antananarivo bought out the final year of his deal, making him a free agent after the 2008 season heading towards age 36. Sibiya ended up returning to his native South Africa on a two-year, $8,320,000 deal with Johannesburg. Despite playing elsewhere on the continent to that point, Sibiya had still represented South Africa in the World Baseball Championship. From 1996-2001, he had 138 games and 137 starts, posting 106 hits, 85 runs, 17 doubles, 50 home runs, 95 RBI, 54 stolen bases, a .215/.306/.575 slash, 150 wRC+, and 6.6 WAR. Sibiya still looked good in 2009 despite losing two months to a strained groin, but had easily his worst season to that point in 2010. The Jackalopes had fallen towards the bottom of the standings at that point, but the run was still notable. While in Johannesburg, Sibiya became the first in AAB history to reach 700 home runs, 1500 runs scored, 1500 runs batted in, 1000 stolen bases, and 1000 walks. As of 2037, the only other player in all of pro baseball history to breach each of those milestones was Abderrazak Zouari; who joined the Arab League Hall of Fame in 2017. With Johannesburg, Sibiya had 7.7 WAR over two seasons. Ndjamena gave him a one-year deal for 2011, but Sibiya was terrible with a .551 OPS over 77 games and 17 starts. He retired that winter at age 38. Sibiya ended with 1872 hits, 1604 runs, 346 doubles, 107 triples, 727 home runs, 1585 RBI, 1222 walks, 2317 strikeouts, 1075 stolen bases, a .263/.377/.649 slash, 171 wRC+, and 126.7 WAR. He fell from the top spot on leaderboards quickly as AAB grew and offense exploded. Still, as of 2037 Sibiya is third in WAR for position players, ninth in homers, 14^th in RBI, ninth in runs, 58^th in hits, 11^th in steals, 11^th in walks, and sixth in strikeouts. Among all AAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, his OPS (1.026) ranks 12^th and slugging ranks ninth. Among all Hall of Famers and future locks in world history, his OPS is 25^th best. Sibiya was a huge superstar for good reason and is both an inner-circle AAB Hall of Famer and someone worth a mention in GOAT-level conversations. At 98.4%, he headlined the 2017 class. Joel Mwasesa – Starting Pitcher – Lilongwe Lightning – 67.3% Third Ballot Joel Mwasesa was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Kolwezi, a city of 573,000 in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mwasesa had very good stuff and solid movement, but his poor movement gave him issues with allowing home runs. A 97-99 mph fastball was his top pitch while he mixed in a changeup and curveball. Mwasesa’s stamina was solid and he had great durability, giving you plenty of innings each year. He was a good defensive pitcher and was respectable at holding runners. Mwasesa was smart and calculating, but also selfish and you couldn’t call on him for a leadership role. In AAB’s first rookie draft in 1995, Mwasesa was picked third overall by Lilongwe. He was a full-time starter right away and ate innings, but struggled to a 5.00 ERA. Mwasesa’s ERA was closer to average the next three years, but he started a six-year streak of leading the Southern Conference in strikeouts. Despite his efforts, the Lightning didn’t post their first winning season until 2003 at 87-75. Mwasesa had the most losses (19) in 1999 even with a 7.2 WAR season. In 2000, Mwasesa won his lone Pitcher of the Year, leading in WAR (8.9), WHIP (0.97), strikeouts (319), and quality starts (23). All but the K mark would finish as career bests. Mwasesa also had a career best 2.87 ERA, 149 ERA+, and 16 complete games. The 319 strikeouts set the single-season record for the new league. He topped it two years later with 328 in 2002, which was the top mark until 2011. It ranks 19^th as of 2037. Mwasesa also led in WAR at 8.4 in 2002. He had 2.97 ERA in both 2001 and 2002, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting both times. Mwasesa would regress a bit in 2003, giving up a conference-worst 42 home runs. It wasn’t the best look for a contract year, but Mwasesa still opted for free agency heading towards his age 31 season. In total for Lilongwe, Mwasesa had a 110-107 record, 3.61 ERA, 1918.2 innings, 2285 strikeouts, 551 walks, 112 ERA+, and 49.3 WAR. The Lightning would later retire his #9 uniform for being a reason to come to the ballpark during their weak early years. Mwasesa ended up moving to Burundi, signing a six-year, $15,500,000 deal with Bujumbura. Mwasesa never played for the teams in his native country, but he did represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the World Baseball Championship from 1997-2008. His stats were unremarkable with a 3.78 ERA over 152.1 innings, 5-11 record, 205 strikeouts, 44 walks, 94 ERA+, and 1.9 WAR. He could never reach his previous strikeout highs with Bujumbura, but did lead in WHIP in his debut year. Mwasesa topped 4+ WAR in his first two seasons for the Bighorns, but struggled in 2006 and 2007. He allowed a conference-worst 46 homers in 2007. Bujumbura was generally mid-tier, but did earn a playoff berth that year. Mwasesa struggled in his one career playoff start, allowing four runs and two homers in 3.1 innings. Mwasesa did bounce back for 5.1 WAR in 2008, his best of the Bujumbura run. In total, he had a 56-55 record, 3.92 ERA, 1073 innings, 1154 strikeouts, 105 ERA+, and 18.4 WAR. Mwasesa did also throw a no-hitter for the Bighorns on April 15, 2005 with 14 strikeouts and 1 walk against Lubumbashi. Bujumbura would buy out the final year of his six year contract. In 2009, Mwasesa signed with Dar es Salaam and posted below average results over 191.1 innings. He did notably cross 3500 career strikeouts, becoming the first in AAB history to do so. Mwasesa wanted to play in 2010, but no teams were interested. He retired that winter at age 37. Mwasesa finished with a 175-175 record, 3.78 ERA, 3183 innings, 3583 strikeouts, 901 walks, 460 home runs, 104 complete games, 25 shutouts, 108 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 68.4 WAR. He was the strikeouts leader at retirement and still ranks third as of 2037. Mwasesa sits seventh in pitching WAR, 11^th in wins, fifth in complete games, second in shutouts, and sixth in innings. On the bad end, he retired with the most losses and home runs allowed. Mwasesa is tied for the most losses and fifth in homers as of 2037. Mwasesa’s resume was a tough one for the voters to handle. Being the strikeout leader and the longevity were major plusses, but the traditionalists noted a .500 record and unremarkable ERA. His better FIP- than ERA+ does suggest being on bad Lilongwe teams dented his tallies. Mwasesa missed the cut at 56.4% and 59.2% in his first two years. He would get the slight bump just beyond the 66% requirement on his third ballot. At 67.3%, Mwasesa secured his spot in AAB’s 2017 Hall of Fame class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)