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The lone addition into the West Africa Baseball Hall of Fame for 2000 was pitcher Issaka Camara. Making his fourth appearance on the ballot, Camara earned a large bump up to 79.5%. Only one other player was above 50% with pitcher Elodie Belem at 52.1% on his third try. The top debut was 3B Moussa Naba at only 25.6%.



Dropped after ten ballots was reliever Kent Chibuike. He was certainly well traveled, playing for 13 teams between his MLB and WAB careers. In WAB, he had 201 saves, a 1.39 ERA, 503.2 innings, 702 strikeouts, a 267 ERA+, 26.3 WAR, and one Reliever of the Year. Chibuike was dominant in a small sample size, but definitely lacked the longevity needed for the Hall. He still got as high as 42.0% on his sixth ballot and ended at 38.5%.

Starting pitcher Paulo Nasciemento also fell off after ten ballots. He was also well traveled, playing on 11 teams between WAB and CABA over 20 years. In WAB, Nascimento had a 138-116 record, 3.07 ERA, 2261 innings, 2672 strikeouts, 118 ERA+, and 58.7 WAR. He was steady and reliable, but lacked the accolades needed to get much traction. Nascimento peaked at 28.8% in his second ballot and ended at 14.5%.



Issaka Camara – Starting Pitcher – Kumasi Monkeys – 79.5% Fourth Ballot

Issaka Camara was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Bamako; the capital and largest city of Mali. Camara would be the first Malian to earn induction. His biggest strength was pinpoint control, mixed with above average stuff and movement. Camara had a 97-99 mph fastball mixed with a splitter and a cutter. He had good stamina early in his career, although that regressed to average. Camara was also graded as an excellent defensive pitcher, winning Gold Gloves in 1977, 79, and 90.

Camara just missed out on being eligible in the first WAB amateur draft. He joined the fledgling league at age 22 in 1977, signing a four-year deal with his hometown team Bamako. The Bullfrogs had taken league runner-up the prior season. Camara had already shown potential in his semi pro exploits prior and had an excellent debut with the Bullfrogs. He finished third in Rookie of the Year and Pitcher of the Year voting in the 1977 season. Camara had a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 playoff innings as Bamako fell in the WLCS to Freetown.

The Bullfrogs wouldn’t make the playoffs again during Camara’s tenure, but he gave them five strong seasons in total with a 73-60 record, 2.90 ERA, 1206 innings, 1376 strikeouts, 202 walks, a 123 ERA+, and 31.0 WAR. Bamako wasn’t sure they’d be able to afford the big contract Camara likely was going to soon get, as 1982 was his last year under team control. The Bullfrogs traded him in spring training to Kumasi for pitcher Omonefe Olatunji and catcher Dylan Rosario. Although gone from Mali, Camara did continue to pitch for his home country in the World Baseball Championship. From 1978-93, Camara tossed 227.2 innings with a 3.28 ERA, 236 strikeouts, 114 ERA+, and 4.2 WAR.

The Monkeys gave Camara a four-year, $1,188,000 extension and were immediately rewarded. On April 8, Camara threw a perfect game with 11 strikeouts against Freetown. He took second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1982, the closest he came to the top award. This began his signature run, as he played for Kumasi for a decade.

Camara’s tenure came in the midst of Kumasi’s historic playoff streak with 14 straight appearances from 1978-1991. The Monkeys made it to the championship thrice with Camara, but never were able to win it all. His playoff stats were a mixed bag with a 3.52 ERA over 46 innings, 48 strikeouts, and a 102 ERA+. Camara remained a steady part of the rotation, but he was never a league leader. Kumasi was still happy with his efforts, giving Camara a four-year, $1,388,000 extension after the 1986 season.

Injuries started to become an issue as Camara entered his 30s. He notably missed five months in 1989 to a torn back muscle. Kumasi still gave him another two years at $780,000 after the 1990 season, but he failed to meet the vesting criteria after the 1991 campaign. This ended his time with the Monkeys with a 123-83 record, 3.26 ERA, 1759.1 innings, 1971 strikeouts, 110 ERA+, and 36.0 WAR. Kumasi would eventually retire his #36 uniform.

At age 37, Camara managed to land a two-year, $4,000,000 deal with MLB’s Las Vegas. However, he was cut before making an official debut with the Vipers. Los Angeles had him for part of spring training, but cut him before the season. Camara spent two days employed by Charlotte before eventually landing with Quebec City. He made 19 starts for the Nordiques with below average results. In 1993, Camara made one start with Ottawa and a few appearances in Washington. He retired after the 1993 season at age 39.

For his WAB career, Camara had a 196-143 record, 3.11 ERA, 2965.1 innings, 3347 strikeouts, 465 walks, 255/395 quality starts, 115 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 67.0 WAR. At induction, he was eighth in WAR among WAB pitchers and still sits 14^th as of 2037. Camara had nice totals from longevity, but didn’t have the black ink or big awards. This kept him out narrowly on his first three Hall of Fame ballots with 56.6%, 65.0%, and 64.1%. A weak 2000 group allowed Camara’s resume to stand out more, getting the bump to 79.5% to earn a fourth ballot induction as the lone 2000 inductee.