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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-21-2024, 08:39 AM

Three players were added into the West African Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, each on their first ballot. Leading the way were pitchers Pomeyie Mensah at 89.8% and Antonio Akinyemi at 78.7%. Joining them was LF Benedict Collins at 74.8%.

1B Daouda Kadri only barely missed the 66% requirement with 65.0% on his seventh try. It was the third straight year that Kadri was within a mere one percentage point. Two other debuting players were above 50% with SP Angelo Costa at 58.6% and 2B Hamza Seidu with 57.3%. No one was dropped from the ballot in 2009 after ten failed tries.

Pomeyie “Digger” Mensah – Starting Pitcher – Kano Condors – 89.8% First Ballot

Pomeyie Mensah was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. Mensah was known for having excellent stuff, good movement, and average control. His fastball was solid despite peaking in the 95-97 mph range and was mixed with a great changeup and good slider. Mensah’s stamina was subpar, but he stayed healthy in his early seasons for good innings. He was a smart pitcher who knew how to pick his spots.

Ahead of the 1991 WAB Draft, Mensah was highly touted as a prospect. Kano had the #1 overall pick and grabbed Mensah, who spent his entire career with the Condors. Kano was great in WAB’s first decade, but had bottomed out at 49-113 in the 1990 season. Mensah would help them start their historic dynasty run. The Condors were still terrible in 1992, but had winning seasons in 1993 and 1994, then started a 12-year playoff streak in 1995.

Mensah was a full-time starter immediately and looked delightfully average in his first season. He was better in his second two seasons, leading in 1994 in both wins and quality starts. It was also his first of four seasons with 300+ strikeouts. It would be 1995, the year Kano’s playoff streak started, that Mensah fully emerged as a true ace.

His 1995 saw an ERA title (2.20) and league-best 0.96 WHIP, earning Pitcher of the Year honors. Kano signed Mensah to a five-year, $6,060,000 extension in the winter. The Condors were defeated in that season’s Eastern League Championship Series. They fell in the 1996 ELCS as well, although Mensah’s stats were solid.

Despite plaing his whole career in Nigeria, Mensah did return home to Ghana regularly for the World Baseball Championship. From 1993-2002, he tossed 149.2 innings with a 2.04 ERA, 6-6 record, 198 strikeouts, 175 ERA+, and 4.6 WAR. Mensah finished third in 1997’s Best Pitcher voting.

Mensah was third in 1996 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award for a second time in 1997. This was his crown jewel season, leading with career bests in wins (24-7), ERA (1.33), WHIP (0.79), FIP- (50), and WAR (9.6). The ERA mark was a WAB single-season record and still stands as the best mark as of 2037. 1997 also saw Mensah’s career high of 332 strikeouts.

That effort helped Kano officially start their dynasty, as they won the WAB Championship over Nouakchott. The Condors would dominate the Eastern League with nine straight pennants from 1997-2005. Kano three-peated as WAB champs from 1997-1999 and again from 2001-2003. In his playoff career, Mensah had a 2.83 ERA over 108 innings, 8-3 record, 122 strikeouts, 26 walks, 136 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR.

Mensah would take second in 1999 Pitcher of the Year voting, which was his lone season leading in strikeouts. He also led in WHIP in 1998. 1997 would be notable for a perfect game with 11 strikeouts against Port Harcourt on May 6. Kano gave Mensah another six years and $12,440,000 in April 2000. His ERA did balooon up to 3.54 that year, although he stil went 20-3 and struck out 277.

Entering his age 32 season in 2001, Mensah suffered his first major setback. In June, he suffered from ulnar nerve entrapment, knocking him out 3-4 months. He would make it back for the postseason to earn his fourth WAB ring. Mensah would miss all of the 2002 season though with a torn rotator cuff suffered in spring training.

Mensah made his comeback in 2003 at age 34 and saw very mixed results with a 4.15 ERA and 95 ERA+ (although he had a 75 FIP-). However in July, Mensah tore his rotator cuff again, putting him on the shelf for 15 months. This effectively ended his career as although he was on roster in 2004, he never pitched again. Mensah officially retired from the game at age 36 and Kano retired his #14 uniform.

Mensah finished with a 174-75 record, 2.76 ERA, 2165.2 innings, 2879 strikeouts, 523 wwalks, 200/319 quality starts, 138 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 58.3 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 25^th all-time in pitching WAR. Mensah’s ERA is among the better ones compared to other WAB Hall of Famers, although he didn’t have the longevity or innings to feature prominently on the leaderboards.

His accolades were undeniable though; two POTYs, a perfect game, multiple rings for Kano’s dynasty, and the single-season ERA record. Even if he didn’t live up to his final contract due to injury, it is hard not to be satisfied with that resume with their #1 pick as a Kano fan. Mensah received 89.8% for a first ballot induction as the headliner of WAB’s 2009 Hall of Fame class.

07-21-2024, 08:39 AM	#1446
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,993	2009 WAB Hall of Fame (Part 1) Three players were added into the West African Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, each on their first ballot. Leading the way were pitchers Pomeyie Mensah at 89.8% and Antonio Akinyemi at 78.7%. Joining them was LF Benedict Collins at 74.8%. 1B Daouda Kadri only barely missed the 66% requirement with 65.0% on his seventh try. It was the third straight year that Kadri was within a mere one percentage point. Two other debuting players were above 50% with SP Angelo Costa at 58.6% and 2B Hamza Seidu with 57.3%. No one was dropped from the ballot in 2009 after ten failed tries. Pomeyie “Digger” Mensah – Starting Pitcher – Kano Condors – 89.8% First Ballot Pomeyie Mensah was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. Mensah was known for having excellent stuff, good movement, and average control. His fastball was solid despite peaking in the 95-97 mph range and was mixed with a great changeup and good slider. Mensah’s stamina was subpar, but he stayed healthy in his early seasons for good innings. He was a smart pitcher who knew how to pick his spots. Ahead of the 1991 WAB Draft, Mensah was highly touted as a prospect. Kano had the #1 overall pick and grabbed Mensah, who spent his entire career with the Condors. Kano was great in WAB’s first decade, but had bottomed out at 49-113 in the 1990 season. Mensah would help them start their historic dynasty run. The Condors were still terrible in 1992, but had winning seasons in 1993 and 1994, then started a 12-year playoff streak in 1995. Mensah was a full-time starter immediately and looked delightfully average in his first season. He was better in his second two seasons, leading in 1994 in both wins and quality starts. It was also his first of four seasons with 300+ strikeouts. It would be 1995, the year Kano’s playoff streak started, that Mensah fully emerged as a true ace. His 1995 saw an ERA title (2.20) and league-best 0.96 WHIP, earning Pitcher of the Year honors. Kano signed Mensah to a five-year, $6,060,000 extension in the winter. The Condors were defeated in that season’s Eastern League Championship Series. They fell in the 1996 ELCS as well, although Mensah’s stats were solid. Despite plaing his whole career in Nigeria, Mensah did return home to Ghana regularly for the World Baseball Championship. From 1993-2002, he tossed 149.2 innings with a 2.04 ERA, 6-6 record, 198 strikeouts, 175 ERA+, and 4.6 WAR. Mensah finished third in 1997’s Best Pitcher voting. Mensah was third in 1996 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award for a second time in 1997. This was his crown jewel season, leading with career bests in wins (24-7), ERA (1.33), WHIP (0.79), FIP- (50), and WAR (9.6). The ERA mark was a WAB single-season record and still stands as the best mark as of 2037. 1997 also saw Mensah’s career high of 332 strikeouts. That effort helped Kano officially start their dynasty, as they won the WAB Championship over Nouakchott. The Condors would dominate the Eastern League with nine straight pennants from 1997-2005. Kano three-peated as WAB champs from 1997-1999 and again from 2001-2003. In his playoff career, Mensah had a 2.83 ERA over 108 innings, 8-3 record, 122 strikeouts, 26 walks, 136 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR. Mensah would take second in 1999 Pitcher of the Year voting, which was his lone season leading in strikeouts. He also led in WHIP in 1998. 1997 would be notable for a perfect game with 11 strikeouts against Port Harcourt on May 6. Kano gave Mensah another six years and $12,440,000 in April 2000. His ERA did balooon up to 3.54 that year, although he stil went 20-3 and struck out 277. Entering his age 32 season in 2001, Mensah suffered his first major setback. In June, he suffered from ulnar nerve entrapment, knocking him out 3-4 months. He would make it back for the postseason to earn his fourth WAB ring. Mensah would miss all of the 2002 season though with a torn rotator cuff suffered in spring training. Mensah made his comeback in 2003 at age 34 and saw very mixed results with a 4.15 ERA and 95 ERA+ (although he had a 75 FIP-). However in July, Mensah tore his rotator cuff again, putting him on the shelf for 15 months. This effectively ended his career as although he was on roster in 2004, he never pitched again. Mensah officially retired from the game at age 36 and Kano retired his #14 uniform. Mensah finished with a 174-75 record, 2.76 ERA, 2165.2 innings, 2879 strikeouts, 523 wwalks, 200/319 quality starts, 138 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 58.3 WAR. As of 2037, he’s 25^th all-time in pitching WAR. Mensah’s ERA is among the better ones compared to other WAB Hall of Famers, although he didn’t have the longevity or innings to feature prominently on the leaderboards. His accolades were undeniable though; two POTYs, a perfect game, multiple rings for Kano’s dynasty, and the single-season ERA record. Even if he didn’t live up to his final contract due to injury, it is hard not to be satisfied with that resume with their #1 pick as a Kano fan. Mensah received 89.8% for a first ballot induction as the headliner of WAB’s 2009 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)