[FuzzyRussianHat]

It was a weak Hall of Fame ballot for the African Association of Baseball in 2037 with the best debut barely cracking 20%. The open field allowed SP Labama Nkurunziza to get a big bump up to 81.8% on his third ballot, making him the lone inductee. Only two others were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement. 1B Herve Otepa got 56.9% on his eighth try and SP Teo Tokala saw 55.4% for his fifth go.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was LF Roddy Mukeshimana, who peaked at 32.7% in his debut and ended at 8.3%. His totals were hurt by playing his final five seasons with poor results in MLB for Birmingham. His AAB career was 12 seasons with Johannesburg, winning eight Silver Sluggers. Mukeshimana was twice conference finals MVP and won four pennants with the Jackalopes, although they never could win the Africa Series.

With Johannesburg, Mukeshimana had 1685 games, 1426 hits, 1119 runs, 309 doubles, 53 triples, 452 homers, 1097 RBI, 1026 walks, 2014 strikeouts, 519 steals, .252/.377/.565 slash, 151 wRC+, and 57.8 WAR. Despite his success, he was never an MVP finalist and the lack of longevity kept his accumulations lower than what most voters required. Mukeshimana was a very solid Hall of Pretty Good guy and a popular figure still with Jackalopes fans.



Labama “Catfish” Nkurunziza – Starting Pitcher – Antananarivo Eagles – 81.8% Third Ballot

Labama Nkurunziza was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kigali, the capital and largest city of Rwanda. He earned the nickname “Catfish” as that was his regular meal of choice prior to a start. Nkurunziza had very good stuff along with above average-to-good movement and control. He had a 98-100 mph fastball along with a slider and forkball and each offering was potent.

In his prime years, Nkurunziza had solid stamina compared to most AAB aces. His durability was generally strong prior to some major injuries in his 30s. Nkurunziza graded well defensively, but was subpar at holding runners. He was a sparkplug type with a scrappy work ethic and high adaptability. Those traits were very important in helping Nkurunziza become the second Rwandan Hall of Famer and the first pitcher.

In September 2011, a teenaged Nkurunziza left for Madagascar on a developmental deal with Antananarivo, where he would spend his entire African career. He debuted in 2015 at age 20 with poor results in five starts. Nkurunziza had a split starting/bullpen role in 2016, then was a full-time starter after that. It wasn’t until his sixth season that he put it altogether and became a true ace.

Nkurunziza was third in 2020’s Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Southern Conference with a career high 282 strikeouts. It was also his only time leading in WAR (6.6) and his best ERA at 2.88. In 2021, Antananarivo ended a 12-year playoff drought, although they were defeated in the conference final by Lilongwe despite Nkurunziza’s quality start in the series.

In 2022, the Eagles finished 100-62 for the top seed and won the pennant by beating Harare. They would fall to Kampala as the Peacocks completed an Africa Series three-peat. Although Nkurunziza struggled in the playoffs, Antananarivo gave him a six-year, $80,500,000 extension in the winter.

Antananarivo repeated as conference champ over the Hustlers in 2023 at 107-55 and dethroned Kampala in an Africa Series rematch. Nkurunziza had his career best WAR at 6.8, although he was lackluster again in the playoffs with a 5.29 ERA in 17 innings. He was okay in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.32 ERA in 25 innings, although he did strike out 38. The Eagles finished last in the event at 6-13.

The Eagles had their best record yet in 2024 at 111-51 and Nkurunziza led in wins at 21-10, winning Pitcher of the Year. He also led with career bests for quality starts (21) and complete games (10). Antananarivo three-peated as Southern Conference champs by beating Lilongwe, but fell to Lubumbashi in the Africa Series. The Eagles got the at-large bid into the BGC and finished 7-12 with Nkurunziza posting a solid 2.93 ERA in 27.2 innings.

On the whole though, Nkurunziza’s playoff results were surprisingly mediocre. In 89.1 innings, he had a 5.32 ERA, 94 strikeouts, 3-5 record, 31 walks, 81 ERA+, 110 FIP-, and 0.8 WAR. Some speculate that the weak playoff numbers are why Nkurunziza’s #88 uniform was never retired despite his tenure. Antananarivo made the playoffs once more in 2025, missing first place by one game to Lusaka. The Lake Monsters eliminated them in the conference final. Nkurunziza was second in 2025’s POTY voting and led in wins, innings, and strikeouts.

The Eagles hovered around .500 to finish out the decade. Nkurunziza had a decent 2026, but was very average in 2027. He made it only two starts into 2028 before suffering his first major injury, a torn labrum that sidelined him nine months. Nkurunziza bounced back with a solid effort in 2029, but bone chips in his elbow ended his season in mid-August. This also ended his time in Africa, as Antananarivo let him leave for free agency at age 35.

Nkurunziza opened up an international job search and found a home in Pakistan with Rawalpindi of the Asian Baseball Federation at $30,900,000 over three years. The bone chips from the prior year tanked his stamina and Nkurunziza was used as a reliever. He was a decent closer in 2030 for the Red Wings and had nice long relief in 2031. Rawalpindi was the East League runner-up the latter year with Nkurunziza giving up one run in five playoff innings.

For Rawalpindi, he had a 2.45 ERA in 146.2 innings, 13-12 record, 45 saves, 170 strikeouts, 29 walks, 144 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 2.5 WAR. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year of the deal and was a free agent for 2032. Nkurunziza stayed in ABF with Shymkent who split him between starting and relief, but he struggled to a 4.89 ERA and -0.7 WAR in 106.2 innings. He was under contract all year for Tashkent in 2033. Nkurunziza had a herniated disc in spring training, then wasn’t used all season even when healthy. He retired that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday.

In AAB with Antananarivo, Nkurunziza had a 177-140 record, 3.68 ERA, 2831.2 innings, 3124 strikeouts, 914 walks, 206/371 quality starts, 71 complete games, 12 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 56.0 WAR. Nkurunziza ranks 9^th in wins, 12^th in innings, 31^st in complete games, 31^st in shutouts, 7^th in strikeouts, and 24^th in WAR for pitchers. His ERA is 78^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings while his 1.16 WHIP is 63^rd, 7.56 H/9 is 58^th, 9.93 K/9 is 42^nd, and .697 opponent’s OPS is 78^th.

Despite that resume, Nkurunziza’s bad playoff numbers hurt him with several Hall of Fame voters. The African Association of Baseball’s pitchers see far fewer innings than other world leagues, but some voters also hold their pitchers to standards more appropriate for other leagues. Thus, Nkurunziza missed the cut on his first two ballots at 65.2% and 57.4%. He got the boost up to 81.8% with a weak field in 2037, going in as the lone selection.