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FuzzyRussianHat · 01-12-2026, 07:10 AM

Three joined the African Association of Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2039 with RF/DH Menzi Maketa headlining. He was the lone first ballot selection at 84.7%, while the other two were returners who just barely breached the 66% threshold. On his tenth and final chance, 1B Herve Otepa snuck in at 68.4%. SP Teo Tokala joined them at 66.6% with his seventh try.

SP Vally Nzamba came very close in his eight ballot, but fell short at 62.3%. SP Fasika Mulatu debuted at 52.8% and SP Miracle Rukundo saw 50.9% in his seventh go. SP Rio Manuel was the only other guy above 1/3 of the vote with 44.5% for his fifth attempt. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots in 2039.

Menzi Maketa – Right Field/Designated Hitter – Kampala Peacocks – 84.7% First Ballot

Menzi Maketa was a 5’10’’, 205 pound left-handed right fielder and designated hitter from Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital. When facing right-handed pitching, Maketa was an all-around excellent bat with a career .975 OPS and 153 wRC+. He had decent results facing lefties with a .800 OPS and 106 wRC+. On the whole, Maketa had good-to-great grades for contact and power. He was better than most in AAB at avoiding strikeouts, but below average for earning walks.

Maketa’s power wasn’t prolific, but he got you 35 home runs, 43 doubles, and 2 triples per his 162 game average. He’d occasionally pick his spot for a stolen base, but Maketa was terribly slow on the basepaths generally. He had a cannon arm, but his range and glove work were abysmal as a right fielder. Maketa made just over half of his starts in RF and almost all of the rest came as a designated hitter. His durability was generally good in his prime, but Maketa did get criticized for a weak work ethic and selfishness.

In October 2011, Maketa moved to Uganda on a developmental deal with Kampala. At that point, the Peacocks had been one of the less successful AAB teams and hadn’t yet made the playoffs. Maketa spent four full years in their academy before debuting in 2016 at age 20. He saw only occasional use in his first three seasons and had to bounce back from a torn ACL in late 2018. That kept him out for the postseason as Kampala finished 111-51 for their first-ever playoff berth, eventually defeating Johannesburg in the Africa Series.

Maketa got a full-time starting job in 2019 and remained a starter for the rest of his career. Kampala missed the playoffs at 96-66 in 2019, but began their historic dynasty run after that with four consecutive Central Conference titles. The Peacocks won three straight Africa Series titles from 2020-22, but lost in 2023 to Antananarivo in a rematch of the prior year. Maketa emerged as a key part of the dynasty run.

Thrice (2020, 22, 23) Maketa earned MVP honors of the conference finals. In 49 playoff starts for Kampala, he had 56 hits, 25 runs, 9 doubles, 16 home runs, 46 RBI, .304/.347/.614 slash, 161 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. He won Silver Sluggers as a DH in 2020-21 and in RF for 2022-24. Maketa was second in 2021’s MVP voting, won the honor in 2023, and was third in 2024. He twice led in RBI and in total bases and consistently put up strong stats in the middle of the lineup.

Maketa’s great playoff production continued to the Baseball Grand Championship. Over 56 starts, he had 28 runs, 65 hits, 13 doubles, 18 homers, 42 RBI, and 3.1 WAR. Kampala was ninth at 10-9 in the 2020 edition, but then took runner-up in back-to-back years. In 2021, the 14-5 Peacocks were behind only 15-4 for the Grand Championship. The next year, Kampala and Caracas were even for the top spot at 13-6, but the Colts had won the head-to-head encounter 4-1.

In March 2024, Maketa signed a seven-year, $169,400,000 extension to stick with the Peacocks. The dynasty run ended abruptly though with middling seasons from 2024-26. Maketa himself fell off hard in 2025 with 0.3 WAR and .783 OPS, but returned to his usual good production the next two years. He won his sixth and final Silver Slugger in 2026.

Maketa won his lone batting title in 2027 with a .357 average, but Kampala finished last at 69-93. Only four years removed from one of the all-time great dynasties, the Peacocks were now relegated to the African Second League. Maketa opted out to stay in the First League, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 32. He remained popular for his role in the dynasty and Kampala fans certainly understand why he didn’t stick around into A2L.

For Kampala, Maketa finished with 1614 games, 1831 hits, 984 runs, 458 doubles, 21 triples, 366 home runs, 1180 RBI, 408 walks, .314/.368/.589 slash, 152 wRC+, and 46.0 WAR. He ended up signing for five years and $58,500,000 with Djibouti, who were looking to make a splash. The Berserkers had just won the A2L title to earn their first-ever promotion. They were competitive right away with 80 and 88 win seasons, although they dipped to 71-91 in 2030.

Maketa never came close to his Kampala production with Djibouti and settled into being an annual 1.5 WAR-level guy. In 2031, the Berserkers stunned AAB with a conference title at 108-54, eventually beating Port Elizabeth for the Africa Series crown. Maketa didn’t have the playoff heroics of old with -0.2 WAR and 31 wRC+. He was passable in the Baseball Grand Championship with 98 wRC+ and 0.3 WAR. Djibouti had a strong showing at 13-8, one win short of the top spot and tied with three others for the third-best record. They officially earned the #3 spot after tiebreakers. They just missed the playoffs the next year at 97-65.

In five seasons, Maketa had 722 games, 762 hits, 376 runs, 158 doubles, 144 home runs, 438 RBI, .286/.354/.512 slash, 115 wRC+, and 7.5 WAR. He was back to free agency for 2033 and signed for the minimum with Mogadishu. Maketa did see a bump from his Djibouti production with .925 OPS, 134 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. Despite that, he went unsigned in 2034 and eventually retired that winter at age 39.

Maketa had 2480 games, 2735 hits, 1430 runs, 653 doubles, 532 home runs, 1685 RBI, 682 walks, 1552 strikeouts, .306/.364/.564 slash, 140 wRC+, and 56.2 WAR. Maketa ranks 11^th in games, 21^st in runs, 8^th in hits, 12^th in total bases (5040), 4^th in doubles, 22^nd in homers, 13^th in RBI, and 42^nd in WAR for position players. He just makes the world leaderboard ranking 47^th in doubles among all players ever.

Among AAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Maketa’s triple slash is 32^nd/75^th/66^th and his .928 OPS is 58^th. He’s not quite an inner-circle type Hall of Famer, but his totals and role in Kampala’s historic dynasty made him an easy choice for the majority of voters. Maketa’s 84.7% earned him a first ballot nod to headline a three-man 2039 class for the African Association of Baseball.

01-12-2026, 07:10 AM	#2664
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,092	2039 AAB Hall of Fame (Part 1) Three joined the African Association of Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2039 with RF/DH Menzi Maketa headlining. He was the lone first ballot selection at 84.7%, while the other two were returners who just barely breached the 66% threshold. On his tenth and final chance, 1B Herve Otepa snuck in at 68.4%. SP Teo Tokala joined them at 66.6% with his seventh try. SP Vally Nzamba came very close in his eight ballot, but fell short at 62.3%. SP Fasika Mulatu debuted at 52.8% and SP Miracle Rukundo saw 50.9% in his seventh go. SP Rio Manuel was the only other guy above 1/3 of the vote with 44.5% for his fifth attempt. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots in 2039. Menzi Maketa – Right Field/Designated Hitter – Kampala Peacocks – 84.7% First Ballot Menzi Maketa was a 5’10’’, 205 pound left-handed right fielder and designated hitter from Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital. When facing right-handed pitching, Maketa was an all-around excellent bat with a career .975 OPS and 153 wRC+. He had decent results facing lefties with a .800 OPS and 106 wRC+. On the whole, Maketa had good-to-great grades for contact and power. He was better than most in AAB at avoiding strikeouts, but below average for earning walks. Maketa’s power wasn’t prolific, but he got you 35 home runs, 43 doubles, and 2 triples per his 162 game average. He’d occasionally pick his spot for a stolen base, but Maketa was terribly slow on the basepaths generally. He had a cannon arm, but his range and glove work were abysmal as a right fielder. Maketa made just over half of his starts in RF and almost all of the rest came as a designated hitter. His durability was generally good in his prime, but Maketa did get criticized for a weak work ethic and selfishness. In October 2011, Maketa moved to Uganda on a developmental deal with Kampala. At that point, the Peacocks had been one of the less successful AAB teams and hadn’t yet made the playoffs. Maketa spent four full years in their academy before debuting in 2016 at age 20. He saw only occasional use in his first three seasons and had to bounce back from a torn ACL in late 2018. That kept him out for the postseason as Kampala finished 111-51 for their first-ever playoff berth, eventually defeating Johannesburg in the Africa Series. Maketa got a full-time starting job in 2019 and remained a starter for the rest of his career. Kampala missed the playoffs at 96-66 in 2019, but began their historic dynasty run after that with four consecutive Central Conference titles. The Peacocks won three straight Africa Series titles from 2020-22, but lost in 2023 to Antananarivo in a rematch of the prior year. Maketa emerged as a key part of the dynasty run. Thrice (2020, 22, 23) Maketa earned MVP honors of the conference finals. In 49 playoff starts for Kampala, he had 56 hits, 25 runs, 9 doubles, 16 home runs, 46 RBI, .304/.347/.614 slash, 161 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. He won Silver Sluggers as a DH in 2020-21 and in RF for 2022-24. Maketa was second in 2021’s MVP voting, won the honor in 2023, and was third in 2024. He twice led in RBI and in total bases and consistently put up strong stats in the middle of the lineup. Maketa’s great playoff production continued to the Baseball Grand Championship. Over 56 starts, he had 28 runs, 65 hits, 13 doubles, 18 homers, 42 RBI, and 3.1 WAR. Kampala was ninth at 10-9 in the 2020 edition, but then took runner-up in back-to-back years. In 2021, the 14-5 Peacocks were behind only 15-4 for the Grand Championship. The next year, Kampala and Caracas were even for the top spot at 13-6, but the Colts had won the head-to-head encounter 4-1. In March 2024, Maketa signed a seven-year, $169,400,000 extension to stick with the Peacocks. The dynasty run ended abruptly though with middling seasons from 2024-26. Maketa himself fell off hard in 2025 with 0.3 WAR and .783 OPS, but returned to his usual good production the next two years. He won his sixth and final Silver Slugger in 2026. Maketa won his lone batting title in 2027 with a .357 average, but Kampala finished last at 69-93. Only four years removed from one of the all-time great dynasties, the Peacocks were now relegated to the African Second League. Maketa opted out to stay in the First League, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 32. He remained popular for his role in the dynasty and Kampala fans certainly understand why he didn’t stick around into A2L. For Kampala, Maketa finished with 1614 games, 1831 hits, 984 runs, 458 doubles, 21 triples, 366 home runs, 1180 RBI, 408 walks, .314/.368/.589 slash, 152 wRC+, and 46.0 WAR. He ended up signing for five years and $58,500,000 with Djibouti, who were looking to make a splash. The Berserkers had just won the A2L title to earn their first-ever promotion. They were competitive right away with 80 and 88 win seasons, although they dipped to 71-91 in 2030. Maketa never came close to his Kampala production with Djibouti and settled into being an annual 1.5 WAR-level guy. In 2031, the Berserkers stunned AAB with a conference title at 108-54, eventually beating Port Elizabeth for the Africa Series crown. Maketa didn’t have the playoff heroics of old with -0.2 WAR and 31 wRC+. He was passable in the Baseball Grand Championship with 98 wRC+ and 0.3 WAR. Djibouti had a strong showing at 13-8, one win short of the top spot and tied with three others for the third-best record. They officially earned the #3 spot after tiebreakers. They just missed the playoffs the next year at 97-65. In five seasons, Maketa had 722 games, 762 hits, 376 runs, 158 doubles, 144 home runs, 438 RBI, .286/.354/.512 slash, 115 wRC+, and 7.5 WAR. He was back to free agency for 2033 and signed for the minimum with Mogadishu. Maketa did see a bump from his Djibouti production with .925 OPS, 134 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. Despite that, he went unsigned in 2034 and eventually retired that winter at age 39. Maketa had 2480 games, 2735 hits, 1430 runs, 653 doubles, 532 home runs, 1685 RBI, 682 walks, 1552 strikeouts, .306/.364/.564 slash, 140 wRC+, and 56.2 WAR. Maketa ranks 11^th in games, 21^st in runs, 8^th in hits, 12^th in total bases (5040), 4^th in doubles, 22^nd in homers, 13^th in RBI, and 42^nd in WAR for position players. He just makes the world leaderboard ranking 47^th in doubles among all players ever. Among AAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Maketa’s triple slash is 32^nd/75^th/66^th and his .928 OPS is 58^th. He’s not quite an inner-circle type Hall of Famer, but his totals and role in Kampala’s historic dynasty made him an easy choice for the majority of voters. Maketa’s 84.7% earned him a first ballot nod to headline a three-man 2039 class for the African Association of Baseball. __________________ 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)