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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-20-2025, 05:55 AM

The African Association of Baseball came close to zero Hall of Fame inductees for 2032 as the best debut got a measly 34.2%. This left it up to returners to cross the 66% requirement, which reliever Deon Westerveld narrowly did with 69.5% on his seventh ballot. 1B Lifa Moyo came close on his sixth go, but fell short at 61.8%. Also above 50% was 1B Herve Otepa at 59.6% for his third ballot and RF Anthony Chongo at 54.0% in his tenth and final try.

For Chongo, he got as close as 63.2% in 2029 and 60.5% in 2027. He had a 15-year career between Kigali and Johannesburg with two Silver Sluggers, 1783 hits, 1114 runs, 419 doubles, 492 home runs, 1233 RBI, 832 walks, .278/.362/.579 slash, 146 wRC+, and 51.1 WAR. Chongo was visible since both teams made the playoffs numerous times, although he had a lackluster .727 OPS and 91 wRC+ in the postseason. He needed either more accumulations or a couple big dominant seasons to get across the line. Chongo’s accolades and black ink simply weren’t impressive enough, banishing him to the Hall of Pretty Good.

Deon Westerveld – Relief Pitcher – Kinshasa Sun Cats – 69.5% Seventh Ballot

Deon Westerveld was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Now known as Gqeberha, it is South Africa’s sixth-largest city with around 967,000 inhabitants. Westerveld had strong stuff with excellent control and above average movement. His one-two punch was a 97-99 mph fastball and a circle change, effectively changing speeds to get many of his outs.

Westerveld’s stamina and durability were good earlier in his career, but became more of an issue in his 30s. He graded as a good defensive pitcher, but he struggled at holding runners. Westerveld’s pro career started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, getting selected in the 2007 AAB Draft by Kinshasa. He was the sixth pick of the second round, 28^th overall.

He saw limited use in the back of the bullpen for his first two seasons before earning the closer role in 2010, taking third that year in Reliever of the Year voting. Westerveld was relegated back to a setup spot in 2011, but reclaimed the closer job in 2012 and held it through 2016. Kinshasa had been the first great AAB dynasty with six Africa Series rings and nine Central Conference titles from 1995-2005. They were firmly in the rebuild phase in Westerveld’s early years, generally stuck around .500.

Westerveld helped them turn things around, winning three consecutive Reliever of the Year awards from 2014-16. 2014 had his career high 1.50 ERA, while 2015 had his bests for innings (93.2), strikeouts (145), and WAR (4.5). Westerveld also led the conference in saves and games for the first time in 2015.

The Sun Cats returned to the playoffs with a first place 109-53 finish in 2015, but lost in the conference final to their cross-river rival Brazzaville. 2016 had a similar story, taking first at 107-55 but again losing to the Blowfish in the playoffs. Westerveld had thrown 2.2 scoreless innings in the 2015 playoffs, but gave up a run in two innings in his lone 2016 appearance, suffering a torn back muscle in the process.

Westerveld had been generally viewed as a good big game guy since making his World Baseball Championship debut for his native South Africa. He tossed 58.2 innings from 2009-23 in the WBC with 25 saves, a 6-3 record, 2.61 ERA, 79 strikeouts, 26 walks, and 1.2 WAR.

After the 2016 campaign, Westerveld was a free agent for the first time at age 31. For Kinshasa, he had 202 saves and 240 shutdowns, 2.31 ERA, 561.1 innings, 790 strikeouts, 133 walks, 175 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 22.3 WAR. Westerveld returned to his home country for 2017 on a one-year, $5,100,000 deal with Johannesburg. The Jackalopes had won back-to-back Southern Conference titles at that point. They ultimately fell one win short of the playoffs in 2017.

Westerveld was reduced to a partial role, but was still effective with a 1.53 ERA over 47 innings with 2.1 WAR. For 2018, Kampala gave him a three-year, $15,300,000 deal with plans to return him to the closer spot. The Peacocks had never been a playoff team to that point, although they had come close with back-to-back 90+ win seasons.

Kampala stunned Africa with an explosive 111-51 season in 2018, going all the way to the Africa Series where they beat Johannesburg for the title. Westerveld won his fourth Reliever of the Year award, leading the conference with career bests for saves (42) and games (71). He did struggle though in the playoff run with a 6.35 ERA over 11.1 innings and didn’t look any better with a 7.71 ERA in 4.2 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Peacocks finished 10-9 in a tie for seventh.

Westerveld was third in 2019’s Reliever of the Year voting, then was reduced to a part-time role in 2020. Kampala missed the 2019 playoffs, but started a dynasty by winning the 2020 Africa Series in a rematch with the Jackalopes. Westerveld had only 1.2 innings between the playoffs and BGC, although they were scoreless. The Peacocks again were 10-9 on the world stage, this time tied for eighth.

With Kampala, Westerveld had a 20-13 record, 82 saves, 2.63 ERA, 191.2 innings, 277 strikeouts, 156 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 6.7 WAR. He wanted to get back to closing, but AAB teams didn’t see him in that role. Westerveld opted for Arab League Baseball to seek it out, signing for two years and $9,120,000 with Abu Dhabi. Despite only 49.1 innings in 2021, Westerveld was second in ROTY voting with a 1.64 ERA.

Westerveld was the full-time closer in 2022, but had a 3.84 ERA. For the Destroyers, he had 45 saves, 2.98 ERA, 126.2 innings, 158 strikeouts, 149 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 3.4 WAR. Now 37-years old, Westerveld was still a searching free agent when he pitched in the 2023 WBC for South Africa. Unfortunately, his lone appearance ended with a torn rotator cuff that effectively ended his career, retiring that winter at age 38.

Westerveld’s combined pro career had 330 saves and 390 shutdowns, 91-65 record, 2.43 ERA, 777 games, 926.2 innings, 1291 strikeouts, 200 walks, 170 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 34.4 WAR. Just in AAB, he had 285 saves and 340 shutdowns, 81-56 record, 2.34 ERA, 800 innings, 1133 strikeouts, 181 walks, 173 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 31.0 WAR. As of 2037, Westerveld ranks 10^th in saves.

His rate stats were comparable to a few of AAB’s more borderline Hall of Fame closers, but those guys had the benefit of that magic 300+ save number. Many detractors felt Westerveld simply didn’t have the tenure or raw dominance needed to make it in. Supporters pointed to the four Reliever of the Year award wins, something only three others had done in the African Association of Baseball.

Westerveld debuted at 53.4% in 2026 and never dropped below 50%. He got above 60% thrice in the leadup with 60.5% in 2027, 61.3% in 2029, and 63.2% in 2030. In 2031, Westerveld had a new low of 50.5%, making some wonder if he had peaked. With no impactful debuts and a wide open 2032 ballot, Westerveld’s resume popped out enough to get the bump across the 66% requirement at 69.5%. While he’s definitely on the low-rung of inductees, Westerveld has his spot regardless in AAB’s HOF as a seventh ballot pick.

07-20-2025, 05:55 AM	#2334
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,812	2032 AAB Hall of Fame The African Association of Baseball came close to zero Hall of Fame inductees for 2032 as the best debut got a measly 34.2%. This left it up to returners to cross the 66% requirement, which reliever Deon Westerveld narrowly did with 69.5% on his seventh ballot. 1B Lifa Moyo came close on his sixth go, but fell short at 61.8%. Also above 50% was 1B Herve Otepa at 59.6% for his third ballot and RF Anthony Chongo at 54.0% in his tenth and final try. For Chongo, he got as close as 63.2% in 2029 and 60.5% in 2027. He had a 15-year career between Kigali and Johannesburg with two Silver Sluggers, 1783 hits, 1114 runs, 419 doubles, 492 home runs, 1233 RBI, 832 walks, .278/.362/.579 slash, 146 wRC+, and 51.1 WAR. Chongo was visible since both teams made the playoffs numerous times, although he had a lackluster .727 OPS and 91 wRC+ in the postseason. He needed either more accumulations or a couple big dominant seasons to get across the line. Chongo’s accolades and black ink simply weren’t impressive enough, banishing him to the Hall of Pretty Good. Deon Westerveld – Relief Pitcher – Kinshasa Sun Cats – 69.5% Seventh Ballot Deon Westerveld was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Now known as Gqeberha, it is South Africa’s sixth-largest city with around 967,000 inhabitants. Westerveld had strong stuff with excellent control and above average movement. His one-two punch was a 97-99 mph fastball and a circle change, effectively changing speeds to get many of his outs. Westerveld’s stamina and durability were good earlier in his career, but became more of an issue in his 30s. He graded as a good defensive pitcher, but he struggled at holding runners. Westerveld’s pro career started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, getting selected in the 2007 AAB Draft by Kinshasa. He was the sixth pick of the second round, 28^th overall. He saw limited use in the back of the bullpen for his first two seasons before earning the closer role in 2010, taking third that year in Reliever of the Year voting. Westerveld was relegated back to a setup spot in 2011, but reclaimed the closer job in 2012 and held it through 2016. Kinshasa had been the first great AAB dynasty with six Africa Series rings and nine Central Conference titles from 1995-2005. They were firmly in the rebuild phase in Westerveld’s early years, generally stuck around .500. Westerveld helped them turn things around, winning three consecutive Reliever of the Year awards from 2014-16. 2014 had his career high 1.50 ERA, while 2015 had his bests for innings (93.2), strikeouts (145), and WAR (4.5). Westerveld also led the conference in saves and games for the first time in 2015. The Sun Cats returned to the playoffs with a first place 109-53 finish in 2015, but lost in the conference final to their cross-river rival Brazzaville. 2016 had a similar story, taking first at 107-55 but again losing to the Blowfish in the playoffs. Westerveld had thrown 2.2 scoreless innings in the 2015 playoffs, but gave up a run in two innings in his lone 2016 appearance, suffering a torn back muscle in the process. Westerveld had been generally viewed as a good big game guy since making his World Baseball Championship debut for his native South Africa. He tossed 58.2 innings from 2009-23 in the WBC with 25 saves, a 6-3 record, 2.61 ERA, 79 strikeouts, 26 walks, and 1.2 WAR. After the 2016 campaign, Westerveld was a free agent for the first time at age 31. For Kinshasa, he had 202 saves and 240 shutdowns, 2.31 ERA, 561.1 innings, 790 strikeouts, 133 walks, 175 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 22.3 WAR. Westerveld returned to his home country for 2017 on a one-year, $5,100,000 deal with Johannesburg. The Jackalopes had won back-to-back Southern Conference titles at that point. They ultimately fell one win short of the playoffs in 2017. Westerveld was reduced to a partial role, but was still effective with a 1.53 ERA over 47 innings with 2.1 WAR. For 2018, Kampala gave him a three-year, $15,300,000 deal with plans to return him to the closer spot. The Peacocks had never been a playoff team to that point, although they had come close with back-to-back 90+ win seasons. Kampala stunned Africa with an explosive 111-51 season in 2018, going all the way to the Africa Series where they beat Johannesburg for the title. Westerveld won his fourth Reliever of the Year award, leading the conference with career bests for saves (42) and games (71). He did struggle though in the playoff run with a 6.35 ERA over 11.1 innings and didn’t look any better with a 7.71 ERA in 4.2 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship. The Peacocks finished 10-9 in a tie for seventh. Westerveld was third in 2019’s Reliever of the Year voting, then was reduced to a part-time role in 2020. Kampala missed the 2019 playoffs, but started a dynasty by winning the 2020 Africa Series in a rematch with the Jackalopes. Westerveld had only 1.2 innings between the playoffs and BGC, although they were scoreless. The Peacocks again were 10-9 on the world stage, this time tied for eighth. With Kampala, Westerveld had a 20-13 record, 82 saves, 2.63 ERA, 191.2 innings, 277 strikeouts, 156 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 6.7 WAR. He wanted to get back to closing, but AAB teams didn’t see him in that role. Westerveld opted for Arab League Baseball to seek it out, signing for two years and $9,120,000 with Abu Dhabi. Despite only 49.1 innings in 2021, Westerveld was second in ROTY voting with a 1.64 ERA. Westerveld was the full-time closer in 2022, but had a 3.84 ERA. For the Destroyers, he had 45 saves, 2.98 ERA, 126.2 innings, 158 strikeouts, 149 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 3.4 WAR. Now 37-years old, Westerveld was still a searching free agent when he pitched in the 2023 WBC for South Africa. Unfortunately, his lone appearance ended with a torn rotator cuff that effectively ended his career, retiring that winter at age 38. Westerveld’s combined pro career had 330 saves and 390 shutdowns, 91-65 record, 2.43 ERA, 777 games, 926.2 innings, 1291 strikeouts, 200 walks, 170 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 34.4 WAR. Just in AAB, he had 285 saves and 340 shutdowns, 81-56 record, 2.34 ERA, 800 innings, 1133 strikeouts, 181 walks, 173 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 31.0 WAR. As of 2037, Westerveld ranks 10^th in saves. His rate stats were comparable to a few of AAB’s more borderline Hall of Fame closers, but those guys had the benefit of that magic 300+ save number. Many detractors felt Westerveld simply didn’t have the tenure or raw dominance needed to make it in. Supporters pointed to the four Reliever of the Year award wins, something only three others had done in the African Association of Baseball. Westerveld debuted at 53.4% in 2026 and never dropped below 50%. He got above 60% thrice in the leadup with 60.5% in 2027, 61.3% in 2029, and 63.2% in 2030. In 2031, Westerveld had a new low of 50.5%, making some wonder if he had peaked. With no impactful debuts and a wide open 2032 ballot, Westerveld’s resume popped out enough to get the bump across the 66% requirement at 69.5%. While he’s definitely on the low-rung of inductees, Westerveld has his spot regardless in AAB’s HOF as a seventh ballot pick. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)