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Six teams ended up within eight games of the top spot in the African Association of Baseball’s Southern Conference. Dar es Salaam took first at 92-70 for both their first playoff trip and winning season since 2020. It was also the first time since their 2004 Africa Series win that the Sabercats finished first in the standings. Defending conference champ Cape Town was second as they finished 90-72. The Cowboys allowed the fewest runs in AAB at 665.

Missing out on the wild card by three games were both Harare and last year’s first place squad Lusaka at 87-75. The Lake Monsters were the top scoring team in AAB at 904. Antananarivo (85-77) and Johannesburg (84-78) were both in the mix as well. Maputo at 66-96 ended up relegated, finishing just behind 68-94 Gaborone in the battle at the bottom. This was the second demotion for the Piranhas, although they had bounced right back as African Second League champ in 2023.

Repeating as Southern Conference MVP was Lusaka CF Noel Malama. The 25-year old Zambian lefty led in home runs (58), and WAR (8.8). Malama added 131 RBI, 106 runs, 50 stolen bases, a .372/.473/.870 slash, 1.344 OPS, and 224 wRC+. He didn’t qualify barely for first in the rate stats as his 492 plate appearances fell short of the 502 requirement.

Had he qualified, Malama would’ve had the second-best OPS and third-best single-season slugging in world history. He missed more than two months between a torn abdominal muscle and strained back. Malama was in the ballpark of Mwarami Tale’s world record .885 slugging and 1.375 OPS from the 2009 AAB season. Malama would finally sign a mammoth eight-year, $245,100,000 extension with the Lake Monsters in March 2029.

Gaborone’s Simon Kayongo became the sixth in AAB history to win Pitcher of the Year three times and the second to do it consecutively. The 26-year old Ugandan righty led in WAR (8.0), quality starts (22), and FIP- (65). Kayongo had a 3.45 ERA over 240.1 innings, 13-12 record, 240 strikeouts, and 137 ERA+. This was his final full season with the Golden Bears, as he’d be traded at the deadline in 2028 to Cape Town for five prospects.



Defending Africa Series champ Bujumbura took first in the Central Conference at 93-69. Despite being the reigning champ, this was only the second time the Bighorns had finished first in the standings (1997). Bujumbura allowed the fewest runs in the conference (696) and scored the second most (819).

After getting promoted out of the African Second League the prior year, Mogadishu took the wild card at 90-72. The Mighty Mice earned their first AAB playoff appearance since their lone Africa Series crown in 2017. Close behind were Brazzaville (88-74) and Kinshasa (86-76). Last year’s first place finisher Nairobi was tied for sixth at 78-84.

The stunning fall came from Kampala, who had posted a dynasty run to start the decade. The Peacocks had been just below .500 the prior two years, but a drop to 69-93 put them in last for 2027 behind 72-90 Ndjamena. This was another example of how quickly fortune can shift. Kampala had taken second in the Baseball Grand Championship in both 2021 and 2022. Only five years later, the Peacocks were now to be relegated down to A2L.

Addis Ababa was fifth at 80-82, but led the conference in scoring with 821 runs. Leading that charge was Central Conference MVP Dagne Mersha, who took the top spot in runs (146), homers (71), RBI (163), total bases (449), slugging (.734), OPS (1.139), wRC+ (183), and WAR (8.2). The 28-year old Ethiopian DH’s efforts were the second-most runs, tenth-most homers, sixth-most total bases, and fifth-most RBI in an AAB single-season to that point.

Pitcher of the Year was Bujumbura’s Fetra Rakotonarivo in his fifth season. The 25-year old Malagasy righty repeated as ERA champ (2.38) and led in wins (21-4), WHIP (0.94), shutouts (7), FIP- (61), and WAR (8.7). Rakotonarivo’s seven shutouts were an AAB single-season record with two of them being one-hitters. He had 268 strikeouts in 246 innings and 192 ERA+. The Bighorns would sign him to a six-year, $92,200,000 extension in September 2028.

For the first time since 2015, both conference championships needed all seven games. Both defending champs came out on the losing end in 2027. In the Southern Conference Championship, Dar es Salaam outlasted Cape Town, while Mogadishu bested Bujumbura for the Central Conference title. It was the second pennant for both the Sabercats (2004) and the Mighty Mice (2017). Both teams also won the Africa Series those years.



Mogadishu capped off their impressive rebound from relegation by winning the 33^rd Africa Series 5-2 against Dar es Salaam. The Mighty Mice became the sixth different AAB champ in as many years. Hometown hero Hassan Salaad was the star of the postseason, winning MVP of both rounds. The 26-year old Somali 2B had 24 hits, 13 runs, 9 doubles, 5 home runs, 14 RBI, 1.470 OPS, and 1.4 WAR in 13 playoff starts. The nine doubles set an AAB playoff record.



Other notes: Johannesburg’s Stewart Khumalo had a 41-game hitting streak, destroying the previous AAB record of 30. He’s only the 16^th player in world baseball history with a hitting streak of 40+ and the first to do it since CABA’s Sandile Nyambi set the world record of 54 in 2018. 2027 joined 2008 as the only AAB seasons with zero no-hitters.

In milestones, Rio Manuel became the 7^th AAB pitcher with 3000 strikeouts. Regis Mugabo and Warren Biloa became the 21^st and 22^nd batters to 2000 hits. Catcher Destin Kette won his 11^th Gold Glove, the most by any AAB player. Despite his outstanding defense, Kette finished with only 6.4 career WAR thanks to a putrid bat (.583 OPS, 55 wRC+). P Noel Kembo won his 7^th Gold Glove. Djibrilla Ousseini won his 9^th Silver Slugger and his first at second base, as the previous eight came at shortstop.

Promotion/Relegation: Maputo and Kampala were the two teams relegated in 2027. Comoros replaced the Piranhas in the Southern Conference and Djibouti took the Peacocks’ spot in the Central Conference.