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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2020
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2039 WAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)
Three players secured first ballot inductions for West African Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2039 with 3B Jonah Moiseiwitsch the clear headliner at 97.4%. CF Rasaq Kadir and 1B Rio Ogbonna both made it in firmly at 85.3% and 83.6%, respectively. Two others barely missed the 66% induction threshold with LF Mohamed Khammas at 63.9% in his second try and LF Kevin Serville debuting at 63.6%. No one else was above 50%.

SP Douba Abdramane was dropped after ten failed ballots, peaking with his debut at 43.6% and ending with 7.0%. He had a 16-year career with all but one season with Yaounde, playing a big role in their 2018-21 dynasty run. Abdramane had two Gold Gloves and finished with a 215-174 record, 4.13 ERA, 3490.1 innings, 3369 strikeouts, 641 walks, 77 complete games, 18 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 67.6 WAR.
Abdramane ranks 3rd in wins, 4th in innings, 12th in complete games, 16th in strikeouts, and 12th in pitching WAR. However, WAB voters tend to be harsh on pitchers for not having comparable numbers to other world league’s aces. It is an unfair standard since WAB is the highest-scoring league and WAB pitchers are also generally called upon for fewer innings relative to other leagues.
However, Abdramane was viewed by many as a compiler despite his top 15 rankings in the big counting stats. He was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist and was never a league leader in the big stats. It’s hard to believe a guy with his spots in the rankings missed the cut, but Abdramane was on the outside.
Also dropped was SP Dawud Bin Rahman, who debuted at 49.5% but dropped to 4.1% on the tenth try. He had a 16-year career and had better rate stats than Abdramane, but lower totals. Bin Rahman had an 180-119 record, 3.64 ERA, 2686.2 innings, 2994 strikeouts, 17 complete games, 7 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 58.0 WAR.
Bin Rahman ranks 28th in pitching WAR, 25th in wins, 32nd in innings, and 32nd in strikeouts. He did have an ERA title and was thrice a POTY finalist, but bin Rahman wasn’t part of a dynasty like Abdramane. Bin Rahman spent most of his career with Ouagadougou and stunk in his playoff starts. Chalk another guy up for the Hall of Pretty Good.

Jonah “Lucky” Moiseiwitsch – Third Base – Kano Condors – 97.4% First Ballot
Jonah Moiseiwitsch was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Ramana, Israel; a northern village with 1,400 inhabitants. Nicknamed “Lucky,” Moiseiwitsch was best known for his impressive durability and longevity. He had a 22-year career and started in 140+ games each year from 2014-32.
At the plate, Moiseiwitsch hit for a high average, although he did strike out a lot and was subpar at drawing walks. His gap and home run power were both reliably solid with 32 home runs, 41 doubles, and 10 triples per his 162 game average. Moiseiwitsch was strongest facing left-handed pitching with a .966 OPS and 142 wRC+ compared to his .872 OPS and 120 wRC+ against righties.
Moiseiwitsch’s speed was above average-to-good with very good baserunning skills. He was a career third baseman with excellent defensive metrics. Moiseiwitsch would’ve likely won more than two Gold Gloves if he hadn’t shared a league several years with Seidath Boni, who won the award 12 times. Boni is the WAB career leader for zone rating at 3B while Moiseiwitsch is #3.
The “Lucky” moniker paid off for Moiseiwitsch as a teenager as he happened to attend an international prospects camp monitored by a scout from Bamako. WAB scouts very rarely went as far away as Israel, but Moiseiwitsch stood out even as the Bullfrogs scout had come for other talents. They convinced Moiseiwitsch to come to Mali, signing a developmental deal in March 2009.
Moiseiwitsch spent the better part of four years in their academy and was a rare 19-year old debut in 2012, although he struggled in his 23 games and 13 starts. He started most of 2013 with a merely okay 0.7 WAR and 101 wRC+ in 114 games, but that was still good for Rookie of the Year against a weaker field. Moiseiwitsch was the full-time starter after that, although he didn’t emerge as an elite starter until 2016. After the 2015 campaign, he inked a five-year, $20,920,000 extension with Bamako.
2015 marked the beginning of a seven-year playoff streak for Bamako, who finished first in the standings at 95-67. They won the Western League Championship Series 3-2 over Dakar for their first pennant since 2003. However, the Bullfrogs were denied their first WAB title 4-2 by Port Harcourt. Moiseiwitsch was merely okay in his playoff debut with 0.2 WAR and 120 wRC+ in 11 starts.
Moiseiwitsch won his first Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in 2016 with a third place in MVP voting. He had 7.6 WAR, 40 home runs, and 143 wRC+. It was his first of seven seasons with 6+ WAR and he’d be reliably good for 4+ WAR from 2015-30, showing his remarkable consistency. Bamako was a 94-68 wild card and was ousted in the second round.
The Bullfrogs had WAB’s best record in 2017 at 109-53 and beat Kumasi in the WLCS. Moiseiwitsch was series MVP and won a Silver Slugger for his regular season efforts. Bamako fell again in the WAB Championship, this time 4-1 to Kano. Overall, Moiseiwitsch had a lackluster 83 wRC+ and 0.0 WAR in the playoffs. He was also mid in the Baseball Grand Championship with a .706 OPS, 103 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR.
Bamako earned the at-large bid into the event and surprised many by finishing in a three-way tie for first at 12-7 with Concepcion and Juarez. However, the head-to-head tiebreakers put the Bullfrogs third, Jesters first, and Chiefs second. Moiseiwitsch was second in 2018’s MVP voting, leading the league for the first time with 130 runs. Bamako was the #4 seed at 91-71 and lost in the first round.
The Bullfrogs returned to the top perch in 2019 at 109-53, Moiseiwitsch’s best year by many metrics. He led in runs (143), hits (230), total bases (442), and WAR (9.7); all career highs. He also had his peak for homers (47), triple slash (.356/.399/.684), OPS (1.083), and wRC+ (178). Moiseiwitsch won another Silver Slugger, but was second in MVP voting behind Conakry slugger Ibrahim Sani. 2019 also had his lone cycle on July 21 facing Monrovia.
Bamako won its third pennant in five years with a sweep of the Coyotes in the WLCS. However, they lost a seven-game thriller to Kano, making the Bullfrogs a painful 0-7 all-time in the West African Championship. Moiseiwitsch was okay in the playoff run (0.2 WAR, 129 wRC+) but was terrible in the BGC with -0.5 WAR, .527 OPS, and 46 wRC+. The Bullfrogs qualified again as an at-large, but struggled to 8-11.
Moiseiwitsch was second once more in 2020’s MVP voting, his final time as a finalist. Bamako went 96-66 and lost in the second round, although Moiseiwitsch had five good playoff starts. His overall playoff stats for the Bullfrogs had 41 starts, 51 hits, 30 runs, 7 doubles, 6 triples, 7 homers, 23 RBI, .305/.361/.545 slash, 128 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.
He had also become a World Baseball Championship regular by this point returning home to represent Israel. Moiseiwitsch played 124 games from 2018-29 with 132 hits, 68 runs, 22 doubles, 33 home runs, 77 RBI, .266/.303/.517 slash, and 4.8 WAR.
Moiseiwitsch’s Bamako contract expired after 2020 and his stock was quite high as an MVP finalist and extremely popular star that was still only 28-years old. For the Bullfrogs, Moiseiwitsch played 1203 games with 1584 hits, 901 runs, 305 doubles, 87 triples, 274 home runs, 795 RBI, 216 walks, .317/.347/.577 slash, 133 wRC+, and 45.0 WAR.
His most dominant seasons came with Bamako, but he’d be better known for his longer tenure with Kano. Still, Bullfrogs fans generally remember Moiseiwitsch fondly for his role in the 2010s pennants. Some were upset he left specifically for the Condors, since they had thwarted Bamako twice in the finals.
Moiseiwitsch joined the Condors on an eight-year, $106,400,000 deal. He would be a reliable starter for Kano, but never reached his Bamako peaks and never won a Silver Slugger for the Condors. Kano had a wild card and second round exit in 2021, the final year of a six-year playoff streak.
The Condors did rebound in 2023 at 96-66, upsetting Port Harcourt 3-2 in the Eastern League Championship Series. However, they were promptly swept in the WAB final by Abidjan. Moiseiwitsch couldn’t shake a reputation as a poor playoff performer with a .679 OPS, 68 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR in the run. His later playoff starts for Kano would be worse, finishing with a -0.3 WAR and 55 wRC+ in 25 games.
Kano spent the next three years as a mid-grade team with a lone wild card and first round exit in 2026. They bottomed out in 2027 at 61-101 and were sellers with one year left on Moiseiwitsch’s deal. While they were generally happy with his results, they needed new blood and shipped him to Lagos in the winter for five prospects. One was catcher Chuck Koffie who would win seven Gold Gloves, although the Condors lost him after two years because of an expansion draft.
Moiseiwitsch had his usual production in 2028 for the Lizards with 5.6 WAR, .934 OPS, 135 wRC+, 30 homers, 89 RBI, and 102 runs. This did earn him his fourth and final Silver Slugger. Lagos finished 80-82 and Moiseiwitsch returned to free agency at age 36. Kano was happy to bring him back in on a three-year, $73,800,000 deal.
Kano did return to the playoffs as a division champ in 2030 at 98-64 and a wild card in 2031, but lost in the second round both years. Moiseiwitsch was his usual self the first two years and won his second Gold Glove in 2030. That September, he also joined the short-list of players in world history with 3500 career hits. The #1 spot was out of reach with his contemporary Fares Belaid becoming the WAB and world leader with 5083 after the 2032 season.
However, Moiseiwitsch wasn’t unreasonable in shooting for 4000 hits, which had only been met six times in baseball history to that point. That goal took a hit as he struggled in 2031 with .743 OPS, 84 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. Still, he crossed another major milestone with his 2000th run. At induction, Moiseiwitsch is one of only 38 in world history to hit the mark. He had also breached 700 doubles, a mark hit by only 22 in baseball history.
Between tenures with Kano, Moiseiwitsch played 1532 games with 1897 hits, 999 runs, 394 doubles, 85 triples, 290 home runs, 1010 RBI, 268 walks, 433 steals, .312/.340/.547 slash, 123 wRC+, and 50.0 WAR. Although his tenure came in a relatively weak era for the Condors, Moiseiwitsch was extremely popular and his #4 uniform would later be retired.
Now 39-years old, Moiseiwitsch signed for two-years and $9,200,000 with Touba, one of the expansion teams from 2030. They were abysmal at this point, but Moiseiwitsch was a passable starter in 2032 at 99 wRC+ and 2.7 WAR. He was reduced to a reserve role in 2033 with 70 games and 52 starts. With the Twins in 222 games, Moiseiwitsch had 258 hits, 127 runs, 52 doubles, 27 home runs, 105 RBI, .302/.338/.477 slash, 108 wRC+, and 4.3 WAR.
Moiseiwitsch considered hanging on to chase milestones, but retired after the 2033 season shortly after his 41st birthday. He fell 71 hits shy of the vaunted 4000 hit club. Moiseiwitsch also was only one RBI away from 2000 and 11 doubles from reaching 800.
In total, Moiseiwitsch played 3103 games with 3929 hits, 2129 runs, 789 doubles, 188 triples, 621 home runs, 1999 RBI, 544 walks, 2812 strikeouts, 883 steals, .314/.343/.556 slash, 127 wRC+, and 104.9 WAR. On the WAB leaderboards at induction, Moiseiwitsch is 3rd in games, 2nd in at-bats (12,513), 6th in runs, 3rd in hits, 4th in total bases (6957), 2nd in singles (2331), 2nd in doubles, 27th in triples, 16th in homers, 8th in RBI, 16th in steals, 9th in strikeouts, and 7th in WAR for position players.
On the world leaderboards, Moiseiwitsch ranks 12th in at-bats, 11th in hits, 19th in runs, 4th in doubles, and 76th in RBI. He also makes the top 100 for games played and strikeouts. Despite the tallies, the 127 wRC+ suggests he was a big beneficiary of West African Baseball’s high-scoring environment.
Moiseiwitsch doesn’t usually get rated in the absolute highest of echelons from world scholars compared to peers with similar hit and run totals. His weak playoff stats also keep him from being a true immortal in the eyes of some. Moiseiwitsch doesn’t make the top 100 for OPS among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances.
Still, his consistency and totals were quite remarkable and Moiseiwitsch was easily an inner-circle Hall of Famer for WAB. He led the way for the three-man 2039 class at 97.4%. Moiseiwitsch is also often cited as the most successful batter to come out of Israel and arguably the country’s best-ever player overall.
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