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Two starting pitchers secured first ballot inductions for the 2001 West Africa Baseball Hall of Fame. Both made it easily as well with Paul Akpan at 92.3% and Bijou Kalumbu at 91.3%. 2B Endurance Jacob came close to the 66% requirement, but fell short on his tenth and final try at 60.1%. The other player above 50% was Elodie Belem at 57.0% on his fourth try.



For Jacob, his last try was his best effort after usually hovering in the 30-50% range. He was hurt by officially debuting at age 27, limiting his accumulations. In only five years, he won two Silver Sluggers and had 1249 hits, 880 runs, 229 doubles, 111 triples, 403 home runs, 978 RBI, a .219/.297/.509 slash, 127 wRC+, and 33.2 WAR. Jacob was the third guy to reach 400 career home runs, but he also struck out a ton and was a terrible defender. He was part of three championship teams with Lagos and had 18 home runs in 65 playoff starts, making him worth a look.

LF Arafat Soumah also fell off the ballot after ten tries, although he never got higher than 15.1%. He had an 11 year career, winning seven Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger with 1707 hits, 748 runs, 295 doubles, 127 home runs, 696 RBI, a .311/.361/.468 slash, 137 wRC+, and 51.8 WAR. Soumah was a great defender and good leadoff man, but lacked the power numbers and longevity needed to get more attention. He did also win two titles with Lagos.



Paul Akpan – Starting Pitcher – Lagos Lizards – 92.3% First Ballot

Paul Akpan was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Konduga, a small town of around 13,400 in northeastern Nigeria. Akpan was a fireballer with 99-101 mph velocity on a stellar fastball. He had great stuff generally as he also boasted a good changeup and okay curveball. Akpan had solid control, but his movement was below average. His stamina was quite solid with good durability and defense. Akpan was also praised for a strong work ethic.

He threw hard even from a young age, drawing attention from Nigerian scouts as a teenager. In December 1980, Kano ended up inking him to a developmental deal. Many fans don’t realize he started with the Condors organization, since he never threw a pitch for them. After spending time in their academy, he was part of a four player trade in November 1985 to Lagos.

Akpan was called up by the Lizards in 1986 with nine relief appearances at age 21. He was used as a reliever in 1987 and struck out 100 in 77 innings, earning Reliever of the Year honors. Lagos moved Akpan to the rotation the next season, where he remained for the rest of his African run. He ended up being a critical piece of the Lizards’ sustained success. Akpan also pitched well for Nigeria in the World Baseball Championship from 1988-98, tossing 92.2 innings with a 2.72 ERA, 137 strikeouts, 130 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR.

Lagos would be the West African Champion in 1988, 1991, and 1992. Akpan was a tremendous playoff pitcher with 82 innings, a 7-3 record, 1.87 ERA, 109 strikeouts, 199 ERA+, and 1.8 WAR. The Lizards extended him after the 1989 season for five years and $3,576,000. From 1989-94, he had six straight seasons with 300+ strikeouts; not an easy feat in WAB.

Akpan’s best year would come in 1991 with a Triple Crown season with a 23-8 record, 1.64 ERA, and 346 strikeouts. He also led in WHIP, complete games, and WAR. Not only did Akpan win his lone Pitcher of the Year, but he secured Eastern League MVP as well. He is believed to be the only player in baseball history to have won an MVP, Pitcher of the Year, and a Reliever of the Year in a career.

Akpan was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1992 and third in 1993. He fell off a bit in 1994, but was still a solid starter. That wrapped up his WAB career, as Akpan opted to test out free agency at age 30. He had international suitors and ended up heading to Major League Baseball with a hefty four-year, $13,080,000 deal with Houston.

Akpan looked good with Houston, posting a 17-2 record and 3.02 ERA over 21 starts. However in a stunning move, the Hornets cut him in the summer of 1995. Many observers wondered what the true behind-the-scenes motivation for this move was, as it certainly wasn’t a performance issue. Akpan was also a well-liked guy generally and not one you’d think would be fired as a malcontent. Either way, he was picked up in mid August and finished the season with Calgary.

A free agent again at age 31, Akpan signed a two-year, $7,360,000 deal with Philadelphia. He ate innings for the Phillies, but was only marginally above average there. For his MLB tenure, Akpan had a 46-30 record, 3.29 ERA, 731 innings, 572 strikeouts, 111 ERA+, and 8.8 WAR. After the 1997 season, he was 33 years old and looking for his next home. Akpan didn’t return home to Africa, instead ending up the European Baseball Federation. He signed a four-year, $13,000,000 contract with Vienna.

He looked good in his first season with the Vultures, but ended up having elbow troubles. In mid July, he was diagnosed with a stretched elbow ligament, costing him 11 months. Akpan wasn’t the same pitcher when he returned with a notable drop in velocity. He was below average in 1999, then had a rotator cuff strain in 2000. Akpan was only used in two relief appearances, retiring after the season at age 36. While in Austria, he had a 16-13 record, 3.52 ERA, 271 innings, 242 strikeouts, 110 ERA+, and 5.5 WAR.

For his entire pro career, Akpan had a 204-110 record, 2.80 ERA, 2816.1 innings, 3229 strikeouts, 133 ERA+, and 60.8 WAR. For his WAB run with Lagos, he had a 142-67 record and 47 saves, 2.49 ERA, 1814.1 innings, 2415 strikeouts, 162/212 quality starts, 63 complete games, 149 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 46.6 WAR. It was impressive dominance, although he’s not high on the leaderboards since he only had seven seasons as a starter for the Lizards. Akpan was dominant in that stretch and a beast in the postseason, which led to Lagos retiring his #4 uniform. The voters were won over easily, putting Akpan in at 92.3% as a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2001.



Bijou Kalumbu – Starting Pitcher – Kumasi Monkeys – 91.3% First Ballot

Bijou Kalumbu was a 6’2’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kalumbu had excellent control with very good movement and solid stuff. He had a terrific 97-99 mph fastball, a great curveball, and an okay slider. Kalumbu had respectable stamina, but his defense and ability to hold runners were lackluster. He was very well liked in the clubhouse, considered to be loyal, intelligent, and a hard worker.

The DR Congo didn’t have a developed baseball scene at that point, not getting major teams until the African Association of Baseball started in 1995. Growing up in the capital though, Kalumbu was still able to get some attention from crafty WAB scouts. At age 16, Kalumbu signed a developmental deal with Kumasi, bringing him up to Ghana.

He’d spend nearly his entire WAB career in Ghana, making his official debut in 1980 at age 19. He only made two relief appearances that year and one the next. Kalumbu became a full-time starter from 1982 onward and was viewed as the Monkeys’ ace for a decade. He came up during the middle of what was a record 14-year playoff streak for Kumasi.

Kalumbu had a stellar 1984, posting career bests in ERA (1.89), FIP (43), and 10.9 WAR. He was second in Pitcher of the Year voting, but earned a five-year, $1,492,000 contract extension. Kalumbu led in ERA the next year, suffered a ruptured finger tendon that cost him the second half of the season. He also missed the postseason run as Kumasi won the Western League pennant, falling in the WAB Championship to Lagos.

Kumasi ultimately never won it all during their playoff streak. They did make it to the WAB Championship thrice (1985, 1987, 1991) and twice more got to the WLCS. Kalumbu was respectable in his playoff appearances with a 3.38 ERA in 98.2 innings, a 6-3 record, 113 strikeouts, only 9 walks, a 106 ERA+, and 3.1 WAR. A fractured shoulder blade cost him much of the early part of 1986, but Kalumbu stayed healthy for the following three seasons.

In 1988, he led the WL in innings and posted a career-best 346 strikeouts and 28 quality starts, along with 8.9 WAR. This earned Kalumbu his lone Pitcher of the Year. In June 1989, Kumasi committed to a six-year, $5,280,000 extension. He lost a chunk of 1990 to a strained hamstring, but was steady and solid generally throughout that extension. In 1993, he became WAB’s seventh pitcher to reach 3000 career strikeouts,

Kumasi’s playoff streak ended with a 79-83 record in 1992 and by 1994, they bottomed out at 67-95. The Monkeys were sellers and looked to get trade value from Kalumbu in the final year of his deal. He was sent to Ibadan for three prospects in July 1995. Kalumbu reached 3500 strikeouts in his brief stay with the Iguanas, the fourth pitcher to hit the mark. He kept good relations with Kumasi officials and his #8 uniform would get retired.

Ibadan was the two-time reigning Eastern League champ, but fell in the first round in 1995. Kalumbu was middling in his brief stay there and struggled in his one playoff start. The Iguanas didn’t re-sign him and he was a free agent for the first time at age 35. He also pitched for the first time in 1995 in the World Baseball Championship as the DR Congo finally qualified. Kalumbu pitched for them from 1995-97, but struggled with a 5.84 ERA in six starts.

Kalumbu made an unexpected move to New Zealand, signing a three-year deal starting in 1996 with OBA’s Christchurch worth $4,460,000. He gave them very average results in 1996. Then in 1997, Kalumbu struggled before suffering a torn UCL. That effectively ended his career, retiring that winter at age 37.

In WAB, Kalumbu had a 191-128 record, 2.86 ERA, 2960 innings, 3514 strikeouts, 437 walks, 267/423 quality starts, 45 complete games, 128 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 85.6 WAR. He retired only 0.3 behind Power Bonou for the pitching WARlord in WAB history and still sits second as of 2037. Kalumbu is also ninth in strikeouts and 16^th in wins as of 2037. Advanced stats show that Kalumbu was perhaps underappreciated in his time. The Hall of Fame voters though acknowledged him without much prodding, giving him 91.3% and a first ballot induction in 2001.