OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-04-2025, 07:17 AM

3B/1B Warren Biloa stood alone for induction in 2036 for the African Association of Baseball at a near unanimous 98.6%. 1B Lifa Moyo fell painfully short of the 66% threshold with 64.5% on his tenth and final try. Also above 50% was CL Labama Nkurunziza at 57.4% on his second ballot, SP Teo Tokala with 55.1% for his fourth go, and 1B Herve Otepa with 52.0% on his seventh attempt.

For Moyo, he was above 60% four times and had a low of 49.7%. In a 15-year career with four teams, he won one Silver Slugger with 2027 games, 2228 hits, 1082 runs, 543 doubles, 448 home runs, 1301 RBI, 577 walks, .293/.344/.552 slash, 143 wRC+, and 47.3 WAR.

Moyo had three batting titles and ranked 13^th in doubles and 35^th in homers. However, he was stuck mostly on bad teams and had an abrupt decline, out of the game at age 34. Moyo still came painfully close to induction, but needed either a few more years of accumulations or more dominance and accolades to make the cut.

SP Anton Berger also made it ten ballots, peaking at 50.0% in 2034 with a bottom of 15.1% in 2035 and finish of 44.9%. Berger had an unusual path to AAB, as the Dutchman pitched his first five seasons in the European Second League. He was in AAB from 2011-21 between Maputo and Dar es Salaam and led in WAR thrice, although he never claimed Pitcher of the Year.

In AAB, Berger had an ERA title, 141-77 record, 2.71 ERA, 2006.1 innings, 1820 strikeouts, 386 walks, 149 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 68.7 WAR. His short tenure got him to 6^th in the WAR leaderboard for pitchers, but he lacked the tenure needed for the traditional counting stats. Berger needed either a few more seasons in Africa or more accolades to cross the line.

Also dropped after ten ballots was P Augustine Ugwu, who peaked at 25.6% in 2028 and ended at only 3.4%. He won two Reliever of the Year awards and led in saves thrice in his first three years with Antananarivo. Ugwu was a good starter after that, but multiple torn rotator cuffs quickly derailed his career. Ugwu had a 79-94 record, 187 saves, 3.23 ERA, 1239.2 innings, 1294 strikeouts, 357 walks, 125 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 34.0 WAR. He was quite good in his brief prime, but it was far too brief to have a real HOF shot.

Warren “Meter Man” Biloa – Third/First Base – Bujumbura Bighorns – 98.6% First Ballot

Warren Biloa was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Bangui, the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. Nicknamed “Meter Man,” Biloa was a great contact and power hitter in his prime with equal potency against both right-handed and left-handed pitching. His 162 game average got you 47 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. Biloa had six different seasons with 50+ home runs. Relative to other AAB batters, he was average to below average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

On the basepaths, Biloa’s skill and speed were above average in his prime. His career starts were split roughly 2/1 between third and first base. Biloa graded as a poor defensive third baseman, but was delightfully average at first. His durability was mostly good over a 19-year career. Biloa was a true fan favorite known for his loyalty, work ethic, and team-first attitude. He emerged as the first real superstar player to come from the Central African Republic and was the nation’s first Hall of Famer.

As he grew up, the CAR didn’t have a pro team and its baseball infrastructure was limited. Biloa’s home city Bangui would earn a major franchise with the 2018 debut of the African Second League. Still, news of Biloa’s potential made its way to Burundi as a scout for Bujumbura signed him to a developmental deal in August 2009. He spent around five years in their academy, debuting with eight at-bats in 2014 at age 22.

The Bighorns named Biloa as a full-time starter from 2015 onward, although he ran into injury issues in his first few seasons. A sprained ankle and sprained MCL kept him out almost half of 2015, but Biloa still earned Rookie of the Year honors. He had similar production in 2016 and lost another chunk to a sprained ankle. A strained MCL cost Biloa six weeks in 2017, but that year was the jump from a good starter to a bonafide stud.

Even in only 120 games, Biloa was second in 2017’s MVP voting and won his first Silver Slugger at 3B, leading the Central Conference in batting average (.332), slugging (.702), OPS (1.095), and wRC+ (203). Bujumbura finished 99-63 to end a nine-year playoff drought, but they fell 4-1 to Mogadishu in the conference final. Biloa was 9-19 in the series with 3 homers, 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 7 RBI.

After running into the initial injury woes, Biloa would be good for 140+ starts each year from 2018-29. 2018 was his first MVP win and his second Slugger, securing a Triple Crown with 56 homers, 134 RBI, and .309 average. Biloa also led in total bases, slugging, OOS, wRC+, and WAR. He would have five consecutive seasons with the best slugging. Biloa’s Triple Crown win is one of only five in AAB history by a batter. Despite that, Bujumbura had a middling 84-78 record.

Biloa repeated as MVP and a Slugger winner with his finest season, posting career and conference bests for runs (126), homers (56), RBI (146), total bases (406), slugging (.710), OPS (1.132), and WAR (10.4). His .348 average and .422 OBP were both career bests as well, but Kigali’s Matheus Mabanza denied him a repeat Triple Crown by five points. Bujumbura tied their franchise record at 104-58, but were second in the standings to 107-win Brazzaville and lost 4-2 to the Blowfish in the conference finals. Biloa was 4-18 in the series with -0.1 WAR.

Bujumbura fell into perpetual mid-ness for the next six seasons. Apart from a poor 69-93 mark in 2022, the Bighorns won between 81-84 games each year from 2020-25. Biloa continued to roll with MVPs and Sluggers in 2020-21, becoming the first in AAB history to win four consecutive MVPs. He led in RBI and slugging in 2020, then led in runs, homers, RBI, total bases, slugging, wRC+, and WAR in 2021. In May 2021, Bujumbura signed Biloa to a seven-year, $61,300,000 extension.

Biloa wouldn’t be a conference leader after the 2021 season. He remained a solid power hitter, but he hovered in the 4-5 WAR range from 2022-26. The Bighorns became a contender again at 101-61 in 2026, second by one game to Nairobi. They upset the Night Hawks 4-2 to win their first-ever conference pennant, then defeated Cape Town 5-3 in the Africa Series.

In the playoffs, Biloa had 15 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, 1.014 OPS, 147 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. The Bighorns finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Biloa posting 15 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 5 homers, 10 RBI, .740 OPS, 117 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

At age 35 in 2027, Biloa looked like his old self with a 1.061 OPS, 7.0 WAR, 54 home runs, and 135 RBI. He won his sixth Silver Slugger (his only one at 1B) and was second in MVP voting. Bujumbura led the conference standings at 93-69, but lost the Central Conference Championship in a seven-game war with Mogadishu. Biloa was below average for the series at .769 OPS and 0.1 WAR. For his playoff career in 28 starts, he had 35 hits, 17 runs, 8 doubles, 9 homers, 23 RBI, .312/.358/.625 slash, 150 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.

Biloa regressed back to what he had generally done in his 30s in 2028 at 4.2 WAR and the Bighorns extended their longtime superstar for a two-year, $48,400,000 deal. He then had career lows in 2029 with 1.2 WAR, 25 homers, and 98 wRC+. Bujumbura had fallen below .500 in 2028, but just missed the playoffs in 2029 at 90-72. The Bighorns would be a losing team for the next four years and eventually got relegated.

In 2030, Biloa had a decent pace and reached the 2500 hit and 1500 run milestones. However, a fractured foot kept him out most of the summer. He did notably hit for the cycle on August 30 against Mombasa. Bujumbura didn’t re-sign their longtime icon, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 39. He remained beloved though and Biloa’s #27 uniform would soon be retired.

Biloa wanted to still play, but most AAB teams didn’t want to pay a high figure for an aged star. He ended up in the Arab League on a two-year, $9,360,000 deal with Jeddah. Biloa was a part-time starter with the Jackals in 2031 with decent results, getting 20 homers, .863 OPS, 121 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR in 108 games. He was set to play in 2032, but suffered a ruptured MCL in spring training that effectively ended his career. Biloa missed all of 2032 and retired that winter at age 41.

In AAB with Bujumbura, Biloa had 2294 games, 2554 hits, 1525 runs, 481 doubles, 68 triples, 674 home runs, 1738 RBI, 733 walks, 1723 strikeouts, 517 steals, .301/.365/.613 slash, .978 OPS, 154 wRC+, and 83.5 WAR. Biloa ranks 21^st in games, 15^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 9^th in total bases (5193), 30^th in doubles, 11^th in homers, 10^th in RBI, 59^th in walks, 38^th in strikeouts, and 12^th in WAR among position players. Among those with 3000+ plate appearances, Biloa is 25^th in OPS and his triple slash ranks 43^rd/65^th/20^th.

Biloa easily is viewed as a top 20 batter for the African Association of Baseball’s relatively brief history and his biggest fans might even place him in the top 10. He was universally beloved and helped grow the game both in Burundi with the Bighorns and back home in the Central African Republic. Biloa stood alone for induction at 98.6% for AAB’s 2036 Hall of Fame class.

10-04-2025, 07:17 AM	#2484
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,146	2036 AAB Hall of Fame 3B/1B Warren Biloa stood alone for induction in 2036 for the African Association of Baseball at a near unanimous 98.6%. 1B Lifa Moyo fell painfully short of the 66% threshold with 64.5% on his tenth and final try. Also above 50% was CL Labama Nkurunziza at 57.4% on his second ballot, SP Teo Tokala with 55.1% for his fourth go, and 1B Herve Otepa with 52.0% on his seventh attempt. For Moyo, he was above 60% four times and had a low of 49.7%. In a 15-year career with four teams, he won one Silver Slugger with 2027 games, 2228 hits, 1082 runs, 543 doubles, 448 home runs, 1301 RBI, 577 walks, .293/.344/.552 slash, 143 wRC+, and 47.3 WAR. Moyo had three batting titles and ranked 13^th in doubles and 35^th in homers. However, he was stuck mostly on bad teams and had an abrupt decline, out of the game at age 34. Moyo still came painfully close to induction, but needed either a few more years of accumulations or more dominance and accolades to make the cut. SP Anton Berger also made it ten ballots, peaking at 50.0% in 2034 with a bottom of 15.1% in 2035 and finish of 44.9%. Berger had an unusual path to AAB, as the Dutchman pitched his first five seasons in the European Second League. He was in AAB from 2011-21 between Maputo and Dar es Salaam and led in WAR thrice, although he never claimed Pitcher of the Year. In AAB, Berger had an ERA title, 141-77 record, 2.71 ERA, 2006.1 innings, 1820 strikeouts, 386 walks, 149 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 68.7 WAR. His short tenure got him to 6^th in the WAR leaderboard for pitchers, but he lacked the tenure needed for the traditional counting stats. Berger needed either a few more seasons in Africa or more accolades to cross the line. Also dropped after ten ballots was P Augustine Ugwu, who peaked at 25.6% in 2028 and ended at only 3.4%. He won two Reliever of the Year awards and led in saves thrice in his first three years with Antananarivo. Ugwu was a good starter after that, but multiple torn rotator cuffs quickly derailed his career. Ugwu had a 79-94 record, 187 saves, 3.23 ERA, 1239.2 innings, 1294 strikeouts, 357 walks, 125 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 34.0 WAR. He was quite good in his brief prime, but it was far too brief to have a real HOF shot. Warren “Meter Man” Biloa – Third/First Base – Bujumbura Bighorns – 98.6% First Ballot Warren Biloa was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Bangui, the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. Nicknamed “Meter Man,” Biloa was a great contact and power hitter in his prime with equal potency against both right-handed and left-handed pitching. His 162 game average got you 47 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. Biloa had six different seasons with 50+ home runs. Relative to other AAB batters, he was average to below average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. On the basepaths, Biloa’s skill and speed were above average in his prime. His career starts were split roughly 2/1 between third and first base. Biloa graded as a poor defensive third baseman, but was delightfully average at first. His durability was mostly good over a 19-year career. Biloa was a true fan favorite known for his loyalty, work ethic, and team-first attitude. He emerged as the first real superstar player to come from the Central African Republic and was the nation’s first Hall of Famer. As he grew up, the CAR didn’t have a pro team and its baseball infrastructure was limited. Biloa’s home city Bangui would earn a major franchise with the 2018 debut of the African Second League. Still, news of Biloa’s potential made its way to Burundi as a scout for Bujumbura signed him to a developmental deal in August 2009. He spent around five years in their academy, debuting with eight at-bats in 2014 at age 22. The Bighorns named Biloa as a full-time starter from 2015 onward, although he ran into injury issues in his first few seasons. A sprained ankle and sprained MCL kept him out almost half of 2015, but Biloa still earned Rookie of the Year honors. He had similar production in 2016 and lost another chunk to a sprained ankle. A strained MCL cost Biloa six weeks in 2017, but that year was the jump from a good starter to a bonafide stud. Even in only 120 games, Biloa was second in 2017’s MVP voting and won his first Silver Slugger at 3B, leading the Central Conference in batting average (.332), slugging (.702), OPS (1.095), and wRC+ (203). Bujumbura finished 99-63 to end a nine-year playoff drought, but they fell 4-1 to Mogadishu in the conference final. Biloa was 9-19 in the series with 3 homers, 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 7 RBI. After running into the initial injury woes, Biloa would be good for 140+ starts each year from 2018-29. 2018 was his first MVP win and his second Slugger, securing a Triple Crown with 56 homers, 134 RBI, and .309 average. Biloa also led in total bases, slugging, OOS, wRC+, and WAR. He would have five consecutive seasons with the best slugging. Biloa’s Triple Crown win is one of only five in AAB history by a batter. Despite that, Bujumbura had a middling 84-78 record. Biloa repeated as MVP and a Slugger winner with his finest season, posting career and conference bests for runs (126), homers (56), RBI (146), total bases (406), slugging (.710), OPS (1.132), and WAR (10.4). His .348 average and .422 OBP were both career bests as well, but Kigali’s Matheus Mabanza denied him a repeat Triple Crown by five points. Bujumbura tied their franchise record at 104-58, but were second in the standings to 107-win Brazzaville and lost 4-2 to the Blowfish in the conference finals. Biloa was 4-18 in the series with -0.1 WAR. Bujumbura fell into perpetual mid-ness for the next six seasons. Apart from a poor 69-93 mark in 2022, the Bighorns won between 81-84 games each year from 2020-25. Biloa continued to roll with MVPs and Sluggers in 2020-21, becoming the first in AAB history to win four consecutive MVPs. He led in RBI and slugging in 2020, then led in runs, homers, RBI, total bases, slugging, wRC+, and WAR in 2021. In May 2021, Bujumbura signed Biloa to a seven-year, $61,300,000 extension. Biloa wouldn’t be a conference leader after the 2021 season. He remained a solid power hitter, but he hovered in the 4-5 WAR range from 2022-26. The Bighorns became a contender again at 101-61 in 2026, second by one game to Nairobi. They upset the Night Hawks 4-2 to win their first-ever conference pennant, then defeated Cape Town 5-3 in the Africa Series. In the playoffs, Biloa had 15 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, 1.014 OPS, 147 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. The Bighorns finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Biloa posting 15 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 5 homers, 10 RBI, .740 OPS, 117 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. At age 35 in 2027, Biloa looked like his old self with a 1.061 OPS, 7.0 WAR, 54 home runs, and 135 RBI. He won his sixth Silver Slugger (his only one at 1B) and was second in MVP voting. Bujumbura led the conference standings at 93-69, but lost the Central Conference Championship in a seven-game war with Mogadishu. Biloa was below average for the series at .769 OPS and 0.1 WAR. For his playoff career in 28 starts, he had 35 hits, 17 runs, 8 doubles, 9 homers, 23 RBI, .312/.358/.625 slash, 150 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. Biloa regressed back to what he had generally done in his 30s in 2028 at 4.2 WAR and the Bighorns extended their longtime superstar for a two-year, $48,400,000 deal. He then had career lows in 2029 with 1.2 WAR, 25 homers, and 98 wRC+. Bujumbura had fallen below .500 in 2028, but just missed the playoffs in 2029 at 90-72. The Bighorns would be a losing team for the next four years and eventually got relegated. In 2030, Biloa had a decent pace and reached the 2500 hit and 1500 run milestones. However, a fractured foot kept him out most of the summer. He did notably hit for the cycle on August 30 against Mombasa. Bujumbura didn’t re-sign their longtime icon, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 39. He remained beloved though and Biloa’s #27 uniform would soon be retired. Biloa wanted to still play, but most AAB teams didn’t want to pay a high figure for an aged star. He ended up in the Arab League on a two-year, $9,360,000 deal with Jeddah. Biloa was a part-time starter with the Jackals in 2031 with decent results, getting 20 homers, .863 OPS, 121 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR in 108 games. He was set to play in 2032, but suffered a ruptured MCL in spring training that effectively ended his career. Biloa missed all of 2032 and retired that winter at age 41. In AAB with Bujumbura, Biloa had 2294 games, 2554 hits, 1525 runs, 481 doubles, 68 triples, 674 home runs, 1738 RBI, 733 walks, 1723 strikeouts, 517 steals, .301/.365/.613 slash, .978 OPS, 154 wRC+, and 83.5 WAR. Biloa ranks 21^st in games, 15^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 9^th in total bases (5193), 30^th in doubles, 11^th in homers, 10^th in RBI, 59^th in walks, 38^th in strikeouts, and 12^th in WAR among position players. Among those with 3000+ plate appearances, Biloa is 25^th in OPS and his triple slash ranks 43^rd/65^th/20^th. Biloa easily is viewed as a top 20 batter for the African Association of Baseball’s relatively brief history and his biggest fans might even place him in the top 10. He was universally beloved and helped grow the game both in Burundi with the Bighorns and back home in the Central African Republic. Biloa stood alone for induction at 98.6% for AAB’s 2036 Hall of Fame class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)