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Rasaq Kadir – Center Field – Douala Dingos – 85.3% First Ballot

Rasaq Kadir was a 6’2’’, 210 pound left-handed center fielder from Eruwa, Nigeria; a city of about 118,000 in the country’s southwest. Kadir was best known for his excellent gap power with 49 doubles and 14 triples per his 162 game average. He also had respectable home run power with 27 per 162. Those totals though came almost exclusively from facing right-handed pitching with a career .969 OPS and 141 wRC+. Kadir was actively bad facing lefties with a .749 OPS and 87 wRC+.

Even with his lefty struggles, Kadir graded as a rock solid contact hitter that regularly hit it hard in play. He was subpar at drawing walks and middling at avoiding strikeouts. Kadir had very good speed, but his baserunning ability was average-at-best. He was a career center fielder and a reliably great defender, grading just a notch below Gold Glove level.

Despite the physical demands of CF, Kadir had excellent durability and started 120+ games in each of his 17 full seasons. He was quiet and humble, but still knew how to lead by example. Kadir was very popular amongst teammates and fans in Douala, where he spent the vast majority of his career. After an impressive amateur career, the Dingos drafted Kadir fourth overall in the 2015 WAB Draft.

Kadir only played 14 games in 2016, then was a full-time starter from 2017 onward. Although he had only 1.6 WAR and 100 wRC+ in his rookie season, he led the Eastern League with 63 doubles; which would be a career high. In world history, this is one of only 41 seasons in any league of 63+ doubles. Kadir was a much more well-rounded bat after that and some of those doubles turned into triples and homers in later seasons.

From 2018-26, Kadir was good for 5+ WAR each year. In this run, he won Silver Sluggers from 2019-23 and 2025. In 2021, Kadir won Eastern League MVP with career bests for WAR (8.0), OPS (1.042), wRC+ (161), slugging (.668), hits (220), triples (26), and total bases (420). Douala had been historically inept and had never made the playoffs in their first 46 seasons. 2021 finally ended that, although they were an 88-74 wild card with a first round exit.

The Dingos felt Kadir could bring them regular contention for the first time ever and gave him an eight-year, $118 million extension in April 2022. He held up his end, but the franchise plummeted right back to the bottom with only losing seasons for the rest of the decade. Kadir stayed loyal and did his job, taking third in 2022’s MVP voting. He led that year with 55 doubles and led in triples again in 2025 with 26. In 2023, Kadir hit for his lone cycle on May 4 facing Niamey.

Although he didn’t get much big game experience with Douala, Kadir was a regular for his native Nigeria in the World Baseball Championship from 2018-32. In 151 games, he had 124 hits, 63 runs, 35 doubles, 9 triples, 22 homers, 65 RBI, .243/.301/.476 slash, and 3.3 WAR. Although he struggled to negative WAR in the run, Kadir was a starter on the 2022 Nigerian squad, which was the first-ever African team to win the World Championship.

2027 saw his first notable injuries with elbow and foot troubles limiting him to 123 games and only 2.3 WAR. Kadir was still a capable starter, but his final seasons with Douala saw half the WAR of his peak. The Dingos were going nowhere fast and Kadir was entering the last year of his contract in 2030 at age 35. In the offseason, he was traded to Dakar for five prospects.

With Douala, Kadir had 1979 games, 2409 hits, 1222 runs, 631 doubles, 189 triples, 327 home runs, 1298 RBI, 365 walks, 370 steals, .321/.352/.585 slash, 133 wRC+, and 65.6 WAR. He was very popular for his loyalty even with some truly putrid Dingos teams. Kadir’s #22 uniform would be retired at the end of his career.

Dakar was the defending WAB champ and had won three pennants in five years. They hoped Kadir could continue their dynasty run. He posted 3.5 WAR, 42 doubles, 11 triples, 28 homers, .879 OPS, and 120 wRC+ in his lone season, which did earn another Silver Slugger. The Dukes repeated as Western League champs, but lost in a 4-3 classic to Cotonou in the West African Championship. Dakar had beaten the Copperheads the prior year with Cotonou winning in their 2027 encounter.

Kadir’s playoff results were okay with .877 OPS, 109 wRC+, but 0.0 WAR in 10 starts. Dakar qualified for the Baseball Grand Championship and Kadir struggled to .639 OPS, 69 wRC+, and -0.2 WAR. His struggles against lefties really stood out when facing top teams that had more southpaws on offer. The Dukes finished 9-12 in the event.

He ended up a rental for Dakar, becoming a free agent for 2031 at age 36. Kadir signed a three-year, $58,200,000 deal with Abidjan and won his eighth Silver Slugger in his debut with 4.9 WAR and 129 wRC+. He had the WAB position record for Sluggers and joined the exclusive 700 career double club. At induction, Kadir is one of only 22 players in world history to reach that mark.

Abidjan made the playoffs in 2031 at 101-61, but shared a division with 111-win Freetown. The Athletes were upset in the second round by Nouakchott. They dropped to 80-82 the next year with Kadir posting 2.7 WAR and 109 wRC+. In two seasons for the Athletes, he had 286 games, 333 hits, 172 runs, 75 doubles, 18 triples, 52 homers 168 RBI, .299/.329/.540 slash, 119 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR.

Kadir didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year and was back to free agency for 2033. Lagos was confident there was still juice left and gave him a three-year, $43,800,000 deal. Kadir fell off a cliff in his one year with the Lizards with an abysmal -2.3 WAR, .637 OPS, and 51 wRC+ over 135 games. He did cross the 3000 hit, 1500 run, and 750 double milestones; but the season was otherwise miserable. Kadir retired that winter at age 39.

The final stats had 2554 games, 3033 hits, 1531 runs, 771 doubles, 223 triples, 425 home runs, 1618 RBI, 451 walks, 1912 strikeouts, 454 steals, .312/.343/.568 slash, 127 wRC+, and 74.5 WAR. Kadir ranks 13^th in games, 24^th in runs, 12^th in hits, 15^th in total bases (5525), 4^th in doubles, 17^th in triples, 59^th in homers, 24^th in RBI, and 17^th in WAR among position players. Kadir’s slugging is 80^th among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances.

On the world leaderboard, Kadir is 10^th all-time in doubles. Of course, the rate stats show how West African Baseball’s high-offense environment inflates those totals. Kadir lost a few voters for the lack of team success with bad Douala teams, but that certainly wasn’t his fault. Plenty gave him the deserved first ballot nod at 85.3%, joining the three-man 2039 Hall of Fame class for WAB.



Rio “Bishop” Ogbonna – First Base – Ouagadougou Osprey – 83.6% First Ballot

Rio Ogbonna was a 6’1’’, 205 pound right-handed first baseman from Ilorin, Nigeria; a city of around 908,000 and the capital of the country’s Kwara State in the western region. He was nicknamed “Bishop” for his religious work in the offseason. Ogbonna was known for raw power, posting 52 home runs, 141 RBI, and 44 doubles per his 162 game average.

He also hit for a good average, but rarely drew walks despite the power and had a subpar strikeout rate. When he made contact though, Ogbonna hit it hard and made it count. He was a bit better facing right-handed pitching (.987 OPS, 147 wRC+) but was only marginally worse facing lefties (.951 OPS, 138 wRC+). On the downside, Ogbonna was cartoonishly slow and an abysmal baserunner.

Despite that sluggishness, Ogbonna was a reliably solid defender as a career first baseman, winning two Gold Gloves. He managed an 18-year career, but had to power through some major injuries to do it. Ogbonna’s intelligence and adaptability helped him stick around longer than many others would have with the same ailments. He wasn’t a team leader, but he was very popular since chicks dig the long ball.

Even as a teenager, Ogbonna’s power potential was obvious and had scouts drooling. He was picked #1 in the 2014 WAB Draft by Ouagadougou, but they knew he’d still need some development. Ogbonna only played 38 games with 20 starts in his first two years and struggled in the small sample size. He got 122 games and 113 starts in 2017, but still wasn’t there with a lackluster 94 wRC+ and 0.2 WAR.

Ogbonna put things together in 2018 with 47 homers, 169 wRC+, and 5.7 WAR. That ended a five-year playoff drought for the Osprey, although they were a wild card with a second round exit. They made it back in 2019 but had a first round exit. It was a tough year for Ogbonna with a fractured ankle that knocked him out all summer and most of the fall.

He bounced back in 2020 and led the Eastern League with 63 home runs and 167 RBI, both career bests. The RBI mark still ranks as the eighth-best single-season in WAB history. Ouagadougou got the top seed at 104-58 but lost 3-1 in the ELCS to Conakry. Ogbonna did struggle in his limited playoff sample size for the Osprey with 13 games, 19 strikeouts, .518 OPS, 34 wRC+, and -0.3 WAR.

Still, Ouagadougou was generally happy with him and signed Ogbonna to a four-year, $22,560,000 extension after the 2020 season. He won a Silver Slugger in 2021 and stayed powerful, but the Osprey were just short of the playoffs in 2021-22. Ogbonna opted out of his contract early, entering free agency for 2023 at age 28.

With Ouagadougou, Ogbonna had 794 games, 947 hits, 495 runs, 219 doubles, 16 triples, 235 home runs, 662 RBI, .313/.340/.628 slash, 143 wRC+, and 23.1 WAR. Although a brief run, it was his longest tenure and Osprey fans remembered him typically fondly. Ogbonna’s #20 uniform would eventually be retired.

Although he had been in Burkina Faso, Ogbonna had still regularly played in the World Baseball Championship back home in Nigeria. He wasn’t always a starter with 70 games and 51 starts from 2019-33, competing in 11 different WBCs. Ogbonna had 43 hits, 35 runs, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 20 homers, 38 RBI, .226/.287/.600 slash, 154 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. Although a reserve in 2022, Ogbonna was there for Nigeria’s triumph as world champs that year.

Ogbonna joined Freetown on a five-year, $90,200,000 deal for 2023. He had two solid seasons there and won a Gold Glove in 2023. The tough competition at first base kept him from a Silver Slugger that year despite 63 homers and 153 RBI. The Foresters earned back-to-back wild cards with Ogbonna, breaking through in 2024.

That year, Freetown knocked off Abidjan 3-1 to win the Western League Championship Series; their first pennant since 2011. However, they were promptly swept in the West African Championship by Port Harcourt. Ogbonna was merely okay in the playoff run with 01 WAR in 10 games with 11 hits, 3 runs, 3 doubles, 2 homers, and 7 RBI. In two season for Freetown, he had 304 games, 371 hits, 200 runs, 87 doubles, 105 homers, 280 RBI, .306/.331/.642 slash, 143 wRC+, and 9.5 WAR.

Again, Ogbonna decided to opt out of his deal early, going back to free agency in 2025 at age 30. Lagos inked him at $69,500,000 over five years, but the deal was snake-bitten at the start. 15 games into the 2025 season, Ogbonna’s season ended with a ruptured MCL. He had a remarkable bounce-back though as 2026 was arguably the best season of his career.

Ogbonna won a Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, and was second in MVP voting. He led the Eastern League in RBI (144), total bases (407), slugging (.698), OPS (1.076), and wRC+ (173). The OPS, triple slash (.355/.378/.698), wRC+, and WAR (7.4) would all be career bests. Lagos got a wild card at 93-69 and made the ELCS with a valiant 3-2 effort, but fell to a 112-win Cotonou that was starting up a dynasty run. This was Ogbonna’s best playoff effort with a .973 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR in 11 starts.

Unfortunately, he missed much of 2027 between a broken hand and strained back. Ogbonna was back healthy in 2028 and won a Silver Slugger with 62 homers and 6.0 WAR, although Lagos was 80-82. With one year left on his contract, the Lizards traded Ogbonna in the winter to Kumasi for three prospects. In four years for Lagos, Ogbonna had 372 games, 488 hits, 279 runs, 98 doubles, 132 homers, 343 RBI, .324/.349/.658 slash, 153 wRC+, and 14.8 WAR.

Ogbonna’s one year with the Monkeys was solid with 53 homers, 139 RBI, 190 hits, 100 runs, 1.035 OPS, 157 wRC+, and 5.5 WAR. Kumasi earned a fourth consecutive wild card, but like the other years of the streak failed to advance beyond the second round. Hamstring tendinitis kept Ogbonna out of the postseason, but he finished second in MVP voting and won his fourth and final Silver Slugger.

Now 35, Ogbonna signed for 2030 to a three-year, $76,200,000 deal with Bamako. This was just before the Bullfrogs had their 2033-34 dynasty. They were above .500, but outside of the playoffs in Ogbonna’s three seasons. He was solid and consistent when healthy, but ran into some back issues. In 377 games, Ogbonna had 458 hits, 231 runs, 101 doubles, 119 homers, 327 RBI, .305/.338/.619 slash, 138 wRC+, and 10.3 WAR.

Ogbonna joined Nouakchott on a two-year, $13,200,000 deal for 2033. He spent most of the year hurt and struggled when healthy to -0.2 WAR over 30 games with 72 wRC+. Ogbonna decided to retire that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday.

In total, Ogbonna played 2026 games with 2473 hits, 1318 runs, 551 doubles, 31 triples, 649 home runs, 1763 RBI, 316 walks, 2058 strikeouts, a .312/.340/.636 slash, 144 wRC+, and 62.9 WAR. Ogbonna ranks 84^th in games, 47^th in runs, 52^nd in hits, 25^th in total bases (5033), 32^nd in doubles, 13^th in homers, 15^th in RBI, 49^th in strikeouts, and 49^th in WAR among position players.

Among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Ogbonna is 13^th in slugging and his .976 OPS ranks 36^th. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Ogbonna’s slugging is 34^th. Certainly his ability to hit the ball hard made him a valuable asset. Ogbonna’s weaker playoff stats and other deficiencies keep him from being an inner-circle type Hall of Famer. Still, his power was plenty for a first ballot nod at 83.6% to cap off a three-man 2039 class for West African Baseball.