Baseball: The World's Game - Page 134

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-09-2026, 06:49 AM

The Asian Baseball Federation’s 2039 Hall of Fame ballot didn’t have any inner-circle inductees, but three pitchers crossed the 66% induction threshold. SP Khairi Qaderi led this group with 76.0% in his debut. CL Raghid Yazdani finally made it in at 68.5% in his ninth ballot and SP/1B Saleh Naimatullah was a narrow first ballot nod at 66.8%.

Two returners were above 60% but short of induction with 3B Quraishi Lalak at 62.1% for his sixth ballot and LF Ramin Abilov with 60.1% on his seventh go. CL Yasar Khatter debuted at 58.7% and 3B Timur Tyan had 51.2% with his eighth ballot.

Three fell off the ballot after ten failed attempts, most notably 3B Eser Haspolatli who peaked with a 58.4% debut and ended at 45.4%. He was known as one of the best-ever defensive third basemen as one of 19 in world history with 14+ Gold Gloves. Only two AFB players have 14+ GGs and only two other 3B in the world have more than Haspolatli. He had a 20-year career mostly with Asgabat and won two Silver Sluggers with 2927 games, 2713 hits, 1355 runs, 436 doubles, 95 triples, 494 home runs, 1389 RBI, 568 walks, 2033 strikeouts, 565 steals, .260/.303/.462 slash, 129 wRC+, and 99.5 WAR.

Haspolatli is 5^th in games, 20^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 15^th in total bases (4821), 26^th in homers, 27^th in RBI, and 19^th in WAR among position players. However, he was never an offensive league leader and many voters felt he wasn’t a strong enough hitter to belong. His incredible defense and longevity wasn’t enough, although Haspolatli certainly has to be one of the more notable snubs you’ll find.

SP Dabir Arif lasted ten ballots, peaking at 40.1% in 2031 and ending with only 18.8%. He had a 20-year career, but was hurt by spending his final few seasons between MLB and CABA. In ABF, Arif had a 188-178 record, 2.99 ERA, 3277.1 innings, 3920 strikeouts, 711 walks, 111 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 60.8 WAR. Longevity got him to 26^th in wins, 21^st in Ks, and 34^th in WAR for pitchers. However, Arif never was a Pitcher of the Year finalist and had limited black ink, banishing him to the Hall of Pretty Good.

A similar story was SP Aleksei Ahmadov, who debuted at 41.3% and finished at 7.5%. In an 18-year run, he had a 199-198 record, 3.13 ERA, 3601.2 innings, 3971 strikeouts, 102 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 60.9 WAR. Ahmadov also was never a POTY finalist and almost never led the league. Neither had the dominance or prominence to get noticed against some of their more impressive peers.

Khairi Qaderi – Starting Pitcher – Dushanbe Dynamo – 76.0% First Ballot

Khairi Qaderi was a 6’3’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Mahmud-e Raqi, Afghanistan; a city of 200,000 and the capital of Kapisa Province. Qaderi was the third Afghani added into ABF’s HOF. His raw stuff was incredible and he had above average movement, but “effectively wild” was an apt description of Qaderi. Still, he was able to thrive in spite of lackluster control.

Qaderi’s arsenal was three pitches; a 98-100 mph cutter, curveball, and changeup. Each was top shelf and he was a master at changing speeds, even if the pitches rarely ended up in the right spot. Qaderi’s stamina was below average relative to most ABF aces and earlier in his career he split time between starting and relief. He did manage to avoid major injuries in a 14-year career. Qaderi struggled with holding runners and defense. He was a bit dumb, but raw talent powered him to success.

Because of his control woes, many scouts were leery of Qaderi ahead of the 2018 ABF Draft. He was picked late in the second round, 58^th overall, by Dushanbe. Qaderi spent all of 2019 in developmental, then spent the next four years splitting time between starting and relief. He caught the tail-end of a decade-long playoff streak by the Dynamo and missed out on their pennants, as they had first round defeats from 2020-22.

Dushanbe fell into the middle-tier after that for the next five years with a lone playoff trip and one-and-done in 2025. Qaderi earned a full-time starting role in 2024 and had his best season, leading the East League in WAR (8.3), FIP- (57), wins (20-10), and strikeouts (356). He also had a career-best 2.52 ERA, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Qaderi never matched that production in his later Dushanbe run with inconsistent results. The Dynamo gave him a four-year, $38,700,000 extension after the 2025 season. They fell towards the bottom of the standings by the end of the 2020s. Qaderi concurrently pitched in the World Baseball Championship with good results for his native Afghanistan. From 2021-33, he had a 2.90 ERA over 124 innings, 5-10 record, 187 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 2.8 WAR. 2030 was notably one of his weaker runs, but it was notable as Afghanistan’s first-ever division title.

With Dushanbe going nowhere and Qaderi in the last year of his deal, he was traded in July 2029 to Bishkek for two prospects. One was SS Khalid Amanzholov, who would win 2033 Rookie of the Year and later win two Gold Gloves for the Dynamo. Qaderi with Dushanbe had a 105-88 record, 3.28 ERA, 1680.1 innings, 2458 strikeouts, 558 walks, 16 complete games, 5 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 38.7 WAR. His efforts over a decade were enough to get his #12 later retired by the Dynamo.

Qaderi was impressive to end the year for the Black Sox with a 1.39 ERA over 71.1 innings, 103 Ks, and 2.5 WAR. However, Bishkek missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. A free agent for the first time at age 31, Qaderi moved to Iran on a four-year, $49,900,000 deal with Mashhad. The Mercury were on a nine-year playoff streak and had won West League pennants in 2025-26 with an ABF title in 2025.

Mashhad’s playoff streak continued with Qaderi with three division titles and 100+ win seasons in 2032-33. Unfortunately, this run coincided with Baku’s historic dynasty, as the Blackbirds won the ELCS from 2029-33 with four ABF titles. Qaderi accounted well for himself in the playoffs with a 2.69 ERA in 67 innings and 82 strikeouts, but Baku was untouchable at this point.

Qaderi was more consistent with Mashhad and took second in 2032’s POTY voting, leading the league with a 23-7 record and 28 quality starts. He had his second-best WAR of 7.5 that year and had 340, 340, and 341 strikeouts in his first three seasons. Qaderi finished with a 75-36 record, 3.17 ERA, 995 innings, 1317 strikeouts, 297 walks, 125 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 21.4 WAR. His final season saw 4.7 WAR and 296 Ks, so he certainly could’ve kept going. However, Qaderi decided to retire after the 2033 campaign at age 35.

In total, Qaderi had a 185-127 record, 3.19 ERA, 2746.2 innings, 3878 strikeouts, 870 walks, 235/356 quality starts, 49 complete games, 11 shutouts, 116 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 62.7 WAR. Qaderi ranks 29^th in wins, 40^th in innings, 23^rd in strikeouts, and 28^th in pitching WAR. His 12.71 K/9 is 14^th among pitchers with 1000+ career innings and his 6.99 H/9 is 82^nd.

Qaderi’s rate stats fit in with some of the lower-end Hall of Fame pitchers for the Asian Baseball Federation, but he did lack the Pitcher of the Year award. His accumulations weren’t overwhelming, but supporters argued he could’ve stuck around a few more years believably and reached those milestones. With no major standouts on the 2039 ballot, Qaderi’s resume popped out a bit more than the others. He received 76.0% for a first ballot nod to lead the three-man crew for 2039.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-10-2026, 07:52 AM

Raghid “No Neck” Yazdani – Closer – Gujranwala Grasshoppers – 68.5% Ninth Ballot

Raghid Yazdani was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed closer from Karachi, Pakistan. Yazdani had otherworldly stuff despite peaking in the 94-96 mph range along with good movement and average control. His one-two was fastball/slider and they looked exactly identical out of his hands until it was too late for most hitters. Even by reliever standards, his stamina was subpar, but he mostly stayed healthy in his 13-year career.

Yazdani was an excellent defensive pitcher and average at holding runners. His baseball IQ was top notch and his work ethic was tireless, allowing him to excel as a closer. Yazdani was picked 43^rd in the second round of the 2012 ABF Draft by Gujranwala. He was a full-timer right away with promising results, moving into the closer role by his third season with the Grasshoppers.

From 2016-18, Yazdani won three consecutive Reliever of the Year awards, twice posting a sub-one ERA. His 2017 campaign was an all-timer with an 0.64 WAR over 84.2 innings, 188 Ks, and 7.5 WAR. That is the WAR record for an ABF ROTY winner and one of only 16 seasons in world history of 7.5 WAR or better by a ROTY winner. 2018 has his career high 48 saves, his only time leading in saves. From 6/25/17 to 4/4/19, Yazdani had an incredible 68-save streak. He also tossed 15.2 consecutive no-hit innings from 7/15/16 to 8/4/16.

They weren’t easy to come by despite his dominance, as the Grasshoppers were generally in the 70s win range. 2018 saw an 88-74 record, their first winning season since 2006. However, Gujranwala fell back to 75-89 the next year. Yazdani opted for free agency after that heading towards age 30. With the Grasshoppers, he had 209 saves and 288 shutdowns, a 1.57 ERA, 560.2 innings, 1108 strikeouts, 154 walks, 195 ERA+, 36 FIP-, and 29.1 WAR.

Yazdani left Pakistan for Afghanistan on a four-year, $20,280,000 deal with Kabul. He still regularly returned home for the World Baseball Championship, where he occasionally was a starter. One of those starts in 2019 was a 20 strikeout, three walk no-hitter against Hungary. He was third in 2019’s Best Pitcher voting and second in 2020, posting 29 scoreless innings between the efforts with 54 strikeouts. Pakistan notably finished second in 2021 and had a division title in 2020.

Overall from 2014-23 in the WBC, Yazdani had a 1.21 ERA over 104.1 innings, 12-2 record, 1 save, 205 strikeouts, 294 ERA+, 25 FIP-, and 5.8 WAR. Among all pitchers with 100+ WBC innings, Yazdani ranks 3^rd in ERA, 6^th in opponent’s OPS (.412), 23^rd in K/9 (17.68), 11^th in H/9 (3.54), and his .121/.197/.215 triple slash ranks 13^th/14^th/4^th.

Yazdani was second in Reliever of the Year voting in both 2020 and 2022 for Kabul and again had a sub-one ERA in 2020. The Black Knights were a struggling expansion team from 2009 and showed some life with 84 wins in 2019-20, but they dropped back to the bottom in the 2020s. Saves again were hard to come by for Yazdani, who remained dominant. In June 2022, he notably struck out 17 consecutive batters.

In three years for Kabul, Yazdani had 81 saves and 106 shutdowns, 1.14 ERA, 229.2 innings, 490 strikeouts, 375 ERA+, 20 FIP-, and 15.8 WAR. After the 2022 season, the Black Knights traded him to Faisalabad for SP prospect Halawani Ahmad. The Fire gave Yazdani a three-year, $19,500,000 extension prior to his debut there. He was finally on a contender, as Faisalabad had won the ABF title in 2021 and been the East League runner-up in 2022.

Yazdani won his fourth Reliever of the Year in 2023 and is one of four in ABF history to win the honor four times. That year saw a 0.66 ERA over 81.1 innings and immediate dominance. Yazdani had 63 straight scoreless appearances from 4/26/23 through 4/2/24. Faisalabad won the division for the fifth straight year at 94-68, but lost the ELCS to Bishkek. Yazdani made only one playoff appearance with 0.2 scoreless innings, as he suffered elbow tendinitis that kept him out.

In early 2024, Yazdani suffered a forearm strain keeping him out almost season with only 14 total innings. He did toss three scoreless innings in his lone playoff appearance as Faisalabad against lost the ELCS to Bishkek. The injury absolutely cratered his velocity and he wasn’t a flamethrower to begin win. Yazdani couldn’t get above the upper 80s in 2025 and was limited to only 8.2 innings all year. He retired that winter at age 35, finishing the Faisalabad tenure with 37 saves, 1.12 ERA, 104 innings, 166 strikeouts, 313 ERA+, 38 FIP-, and 5.2 WAR.

Yazdani ended with 327 saves and 440 shutdowns, a 69-44 record, 1.41 ERA, 894.1 innings, 1764 strikeouts, 239 walks, 235 ERA+, 32 FIP-, and 50.1 WAR. He ranks 4^th in saves and 51^st in WAR among all ABF pitchers. He doesn’t meet the 1000 innings to qualify on the rate stat leaderboards, but his ERA, opponents OPS (.440), WHIP (0.76), K/9 (17.75), and H/9 (4.41) would each be league records by a healthy margin if he was included.

He ranks very highly amongst the world leaderboards for relievers, ranking 11^th in ERA, 42^nd in strikeouts, 44^th in WAR, 7^th in ERA+, 13^th in FIP-, and 8^th in opponents OPS. By any metric, Yazdani was one of the most dominant and efficient relief pitchers in the history of the game. But he didn’t have many saves, which is what many Hall of Fame voters hyper-fixated on when evaluating closers. The Asian Baseball Federation had also been less closer-friendly than other leagues in prior ballots with only two prior inductees.

Yazdani also had the misfortune of playing almost exclusively on bad teams, thus many of his accolades were under-covered by media and fans. He debuted on the 2031 ballot at 53.1% and never dropped below 50%, but he only broke 60% once in his first eight ballots. A quieter 2039 ballot finally allowed Yazdani to get a bump up to 68.5%, just crossing the 66% threshold in his penultimate chance.

Saleh Naimatullah – Pitcher/First Base – Peshawar Predators – 66.8% First Ballot

Saleh Naimatullah was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher and first baseman from Lahore, Pakistan. On the mound, he had absurdly good stuff at his peak with some scouts rating it an 11/10. Naimatullah also had excellent movement on his pitches, but the downside was mediocre control. His arsenal was a 96-98 mph fastball along with a curveball and changeup. In his prime, few knew how to change speeds better.

Along with the control issues though, Naimatullah’s stamina was below average for a starting pitcher. When you add the wear-and-tear of being a two-way guy, Naimatullah had to deal with multiple major injuries that limited his pitching career. He was strong at holding runners, but otherwise had below average defensive metrics pitching. Naimatullah was a first baseman when playing the field and was a lackluster defender there as well.

At the plate, Naimatullah had impressive power despite not being a huge guy with 37 home runs and 27 doubles per his 162 game average. The downside was unremarkable contract ratings and a terrible 34.1% strikeout rate. When he hit the ball though, he hit the crap out of it. He graded excellently overall facing right-handed pitching (.896 OPS, 156 wRC+) but had weak marks facing lefties (.674 OPS, 95 wRC+). Naimatullah was better than most at drawing walks and his baserunning ability was average, although his speed was putrid.

Scouts weren’t quite sure what to make of Naimatullah as a teenager, as he clearly had raw potential in either role. He was considered selfish by some for insisting on being a two-way player. Peshawar picked him out of high school in the third round of the 2017 ABF Draft; 64^th overall. He spent three full years in their academy before debuting in a limited role in 2021 with 91 at-bats, five starts, and seven relief appearances. Naimatullah was made a full-time two-way starter in 2022 and won a Silver Slugger as a pitcher, hitting 35 home runs.

In 2023, Naimatullah on the mound led the East League in WAR (7.4) and FIP- (58) while also posting 32 homers, 154 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR at the plate. He won another Slugger, but surprisingly wasn’t a finalist for the top awards. Naimatullah was underappreciated at times playing for a struggling Peshawar club which had a playoff drought back to 1993. They would finally string together winning seasons from 2025 through 2031, but didn’t break the drought until 2027.

Hamstring strains limited Naimatullah in both 2024-25, but the latter he led in pitching WAR (7.7) and FIP- (51) for the second time. From this point, Naimatullah didn’t start quite as often in the field and focused more on his pitching. In 2026, he only started 42 games at the plate and played 95, but he had his career-best 7.8 WAR and a 1.67 ERA on the mound. This ranked as the 38^th-best qualifying ERA in ABF history, earning a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting. Peshawar gave Naimatullah a six-year, $110,400,000 extension in April 2027.

Naimatullah took second in 2027’s Pitcher of the Year and MVP voting with his best combined WAR season of 12.3. He led all pitchers with 329 strikeouts and a 0.81WHIP while posting 6.9 WAR and a 2.06 ERA in 200.2 innings. In 105 games at the plate, he smacked 35 homers with a 1.042 OPS, 210 wRC+, and 5.4 WAR. Peshawar’s playoff drought ended as a 98-64 wild card and they made the ELCS, but lost a seven-game classic to Hyderabad. Naimatullah had mixed results in his playoff debut with a 3.52 ERA in two starts and .717 OPS.

It was his playoff debut, but he had seen some World Baseball Championship play for Pakistan. Naimatullah participated in nine WBCs from 2023-35 mostly as a pitcher with a 2.49 ERA over 79.2 innings, 137 strikeouts, 145 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR. He only had 27 plate appearances with six hits and three homers. Naimatullah sadly missed out on the 2029 World Championship win for Pakistan due to injuries.

2028 was the big one for Naimatullah, a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in May that knocked him out ten months. Peshawar again made the ELCS without him and again was thwarted by the Horned Frogs. With worries about future arm injuries, Naimatullah was done as the ace for the rest of the Predators career, limited to a smattering of relief appearances from 2029-32. He was still quite effective in that role, but Peshawar’s coaches opted to try him full-time at first base.

In 2029, Naimatullah had 48 home runs, 122 RBI, 105 runs, .958 OPS, 185 wRC+, and 5.9 WAR as a full-time 1B. Peshawar went 99-63 and again encountered Hyderabad in the ELCS, this time upsetting the 110-win Horned Frogs by a 4-3 margin. That denied Hyderabad’s four-peat bid and was the first Predators pennant since 1992. They would fall 4-1 in the ABF Championship to Baku, who was just starting their historic dynasty run. Naimatullah had a .838 OPS, 153 wRC+, 0.6 WAR, and 6 homers in the playoff run and was MVP of the ELCS.

Naimatullah was a capable starter the next three years, but his high strikeout rate limited him to the 2-3 WAR range. Peshawar made the ELSC once more in 2030 and were defeated by Lahore with Naimatullah struggling to -0.2 WAR in the playoffs. The Predators dropped to 85-77 in 2031 and it looked like a rebuild could be in order. With one year left on Naimatullah’s deal, he was traded in the offseason to Ankara for three prospects and a draft pick.

With Peshawar on the mound, Naimatullah had an 84-45 record, 36 saves, 2.57 ERA, 1290 innings, 1864 strikeouts, 317 walks, 138 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 42.5 WAR. At the plate, he had 1349 games and 1022 starts with 939 hits, 612 runs, 239 doubles, 295 homers, 707 RBI, .244/.320/.542 slash, 152 wRC+, and 31.1 WAR. The Predators would later retire his #24 uniform for his efforts.

The Alouettes had finished 101-61 the prior year and hoped Naimatullah could put them over the top. Much to his chagrin, Ankara didn’t want him pitching at all or playing the field. The 34-year old Naimatullah started 127 games as a designated hitter with 46 home runs, 90 RBI, .900 OPS, 138 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR. He missed the final weeks of the season to a sprained ankle. Ankara missed the playoffs at 86-76 and left for free agency at age 35.

It was important to him to return to the mound full-time, both because he loved pitching and because he was convinced he could still do it at an elite level if given the chance. He got that chance in Major League Baseball, but had the culture shock of moving to Alaska on a two-year, $15,600,000 deal with Anchorage. His bet on himself paid in the short-term, stunning MLB by winning Pitcher of the Year in his debut season.

Naimatullah won the American Association’s ERA title at 2.09 and led with 25 quality starts, striking out 219 in 250.1 innings with a 21-5 record and 7.7 WAR. This ranks as a top 100 qualifying ERA in MLB’s century-plus history. He also had 303 plate appearances with 28 homers, .846 OPS, 119 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR offensively. Anchorage finished 90-72, missing a wild card by three wins.

However, the concern for his longevity that the Peshawar coaches had if Naimatullah returned to pitching full-time also proved correct. He missed much of spring 2035 to elbow inflammation, then suffered a torn labrum in late July that knocked him out 12 months. The Avalanche were still optimistic that Naimatullah could come back and contribute, giving him a two-year, $56,800,000 extension in the winter.

Naimatullah made it back in late 2036 for eight starts with a 3.71 ERA and 1.5 WAR, although he was abysmal at the plate going 3-41 with -0.6 WAR. Anchorage won their first-ever division title at 93-69, but were ousted in the second round. Naimatullah was 5-10 in the playoffs and had a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings. That would prove the last hurrah in Alaska as he developed bone chips in his elbow in 2037 that kept him out basically the entire season.

With Anchorage, Naimatullah had a 36-9 record, 2.49 ERA, 422.2 innings, 352 strikeouts, 158 walks, 171 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 12.6 WAR. At the plate in 145 games and 97 starts, he had 77 hits, 67 urns, 36 homers, 76 RBI, .197/.284/.508 slash, 107 wRC, and 1.6 WAR. He attempted an MLB comeback in 2038 with Milwaukee, making one relief appearance and 42 plate appearances. Naimatullah retired that winter at age 40.

For his combined pro career, Naimatullah had a 121-54 record and 36 saves, 2.55 ERA, 1714 innings, 2217 strikeouts, 475 walks, 159/236 quality starts, 20 complete games, 8 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 55.2 WAR. Naimatullah’s ERA+ just misses the top 50 among the world’s Hall of Famers and retired locks, showing how impressive he was when healthy. At the plate, Naimatullah had 1665 games, 1247 starts, 1135 hits, 759 runs, 275 doubles, 380 homers, 880 RBI, 485 walks, 1810 strikeouts, .239/.315/.544 slash, 146 wRC+, and 35.8 WAR. His combined 91.0 WAR is 29^th all-time among two-way players.

His candidacy for the Asian Baseball Federation’s HOF was trickier since the voters would put little or no stock in his MLB stats. His pitching stats with Peshawar were the full numbers and although he is 83^rd in pitching WAR, he misses the top 100 for other stats. Naimatullah did have 341 homers, 1050 hits, 686 runs, 263 doubles, .866 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 34.2 WAR at the plate and he ranks 77^th in homers. His .548 slugging is 60^th among batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his .866 OPS is 84^th. That was powered purely by his power considering his subpar batting average.

If you’re looking just at counting stats, Naimatullah obviously didn’t come close to the benchmarks expected by a pure batter or pure pitcher. But on top of being top 100 for OPS, his ERA was 46^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Naimatullah’s .569 opponent’s OPS was 25^th and his .202/.257/.313 triple slash was 27^th/51^st/18^th. He was also 25^th in H/9 (6.52), 10^th in K/9 (13.00), and 52^nd in WHIP (0.97).

Voters really weren’t sure how to evaluate Naimatullah, but in any case he was one of the more unique talents in ABF’s history. He did notably help Peshawar end their playoff drought and win a pennant, accomplishments that won over some of the fence-sitters. Naimatullah received 66.8% to barely cross the 66% threshold for a first ballot nod to cap off a three-man 2039 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-11-2026, 07:10 AM

Two sluggers made their way into Arab League Baseball’s Hall of Fame for 2039 on their debut ballot. OF Sami Sayed led the way at 91.6% and 1B/DH Lyes Adel joined him at 79.2%. SP Muhammad Fadel was the best returner on his sixth ballot, but missed the 66% cut at 59.7%. Also above 50% was SP Ahmed Essa at 57.4% in his third go and 1B Mohamed Ali Mansour at 54.4% on his fifth try.

The lone man dropped after ten ballots was 2B Sgahier Yaakoubi, who peaked at 44.2% in 2032 and ended with 23.5%. He had a 20-year career with five Silver Sluggers and one Gold Glove and was a three-time ALB champ; winning twice with Casablanca and once with Jeddah. Yaakoubi played 2745 games with 2780 hits, 1234 runs, 699 doubles, 157 triples, 312 home runs, 1321 RBI, 484 walks, 1802 Ks, 453 steals, .283/.322/.482 slash, 121 wRC+, and 68.7 WAR.

The longevity got Yaakoubi to 7^th in games, 9^th in doubles, 20^th in triples, and 21^st in hits, but he’s only 64^th in runs, 56^th in RBI, and 45^th in WAR for position players. He is 5^th in WAR at 2B, but enough voters dismissed him as a compiler since his rate stats were unremarkable and he almost never led the league. Yaakoubi did notably play his final year in MLB and got two doubles for 701 total in his pro career, making him one of only 22 in all of world history in the 700 club,

Sami Sayed – Left/Center Field – Cairo Pharaohs – 91.6% First Ballot

Sami Sayed was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Beni Suef, Egypt; a city with around 294,000 inhabitants. Sayed was known for his power stats with more than half of his career hits going for extra bases. His 162 game average got you 43 doubles, 10 triples, and 40 home runs; although he was only a conference leader once with triples. Sayed’s stats weren’t overwhelming in any one year, but were remarkably consistent over a 19-year career.

Sayed also generally graded well as a contact hitter, but he was below average for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His numbers were slightly better facing left-handed pitching (1.019 OPS, 159 wRC+), but he was plenty good against righties (.937 OPS, 142 wRC+). Despite his large frame, Sayed had above average speed and was a good baserunner.

His speed was far too poor though for center field, putting up terrible defensive metrics in his limited starts there. Around ¾ of Sayed’s starts came in left and he graded as reliably solid there. His durability was largely strong, starting 139+ games in all but one year from 2017-31. Sayed was very intelligent and adaptable to his situation, but he wasn’t one to take a leadership role.

Sayed joined Cairo on a developmental deal in December 2010 and spent almost four full years in their academy. He debuted with one at-bat in 2014 at age 19, then saw limited use with 47 games and 5 starts in 2015. Sayed was rostered full-time but a part-time starter in 2016 with promising results. The Pharaohs gave him the full-time gig in 2017 at age 22 and he held it for them for nine years.

2017 also started what would be a nine-year division title streak for Cairo, ending a 13-year playoff drought. Sayed wasn’t used in the playoffs as the Pharaohs lost the Western Conference Final to Casablanca. 2018 was Sayed’s best season by WAR (8.4) and wRC+ (176), earning his first Silver Slugger and a second place in MVP voting. He also hit for the cycle in June facing Beirut. Cairo got the top seed at 100-62, but lost to Tripoli 3-1 with Sayed struggling to 3-15 in the series.

Cairo set a franchise record at 111-51 in 2019, but again fell in the conference final to Tripoli. Sayed missed the series with a sprained wrist in late September. He won his second Slugger in 2020 (and first at CF) and made up for the prior playoff whiffs. The Pharaohs were the #2 seed at 93-69 and got revenge on the Privateers, beating them 3-1 for Cairo’s first pennant since 2000. They ultimately fell 4-1 to Basra in the Arab League Championship. Sayed had 14 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 12 RBI, and 0.8 WAR over 11 starts.

The Pharaohs repeated as conference champ in 2021 at 100-62, knocking out Jerusalem in the WCF. They lost a 4-3 classic to Jeddah in the ALB Championship. Sayed missed the entire playoff run with a fractured finger in mid-September, but he was back for the Baseball Grand Championship as Cairo earned an at-large. The Pharaohs went 8-11 with Sayed posting 21 hits, 15 runs, 6 doubles, 5 homers, 13 RBI, .878 OPS, 137 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR.

Sayed led with a career high 51 doubles in 2022 and also posted his bests for runs (122), average (.348), slugging (.702), and OPS (1.082). He won his third Slugger (second at CF) and was third in MVP voting. That May, he inked a four-year, $52,800,000 extension with Cairo. They won the Nile Division by one game at 88-74 and were ousted in the first round by Casablanca.

2023 had Sayed’s highs for home runs (50) and RBI (132). Cairo’s division title streak continued through 2025 but they couldn’t get back to the conference finals. Apart from the strong 2020 run, Sayed’s playoff stats were notably weak. Over 24 starts for the Pharaohs, he had 23 hits, 12 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 6 homers, 13 RBI, 35 strikeouts, .240/.275/.521 slash, 98 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. His overall production remained steady through the end of his deal after the 2025 season when he declined his contract option.

For Cairo, Sayed played 1557 games with 1787 hits, 1028 runs, 425 doubles, 108 triples, 410 home runs, 1105 RBI, 274 walks, 1519 strikeouts, 456 steals, .311/.353/.636 slash, 158 wRC+, and 55.8 WAR. Sayed remained popular for his role in the Pharaohs’ playoff run and his #3 uniform would later be retired. Now 31-years old, Sayed went to divisional rival Alexandria on a four-year, $60,200,000 deal.

This kept him in Egypt as he had already been a regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2018-29 and in 2032, Sayed played 126 games with 98 hits, 61 runs, 14 doubles, 6 triples, 28 homers, 65 RBI, .223/.291/.474 slash, and 2.5 WAR. The Egyptians notably had a division title in 2027, their first since 2015. They also made it back in 2032, although Sayed had a limited role that year.

Alexandria took over the Nile Division throne from Cairo with Sayed in 2026-27, but both years saw second round exits. His playoff results were poor going 3-19 over five starts. The regular season results were in-line with his expected production and he won his lone Gold Glove in 2027. For the Astronauts, Sayed played 304 games with 343 hits, 199 runs, 87 doubles, 20 triples, 77 homers, 200 RBI, .300/.357/.613 slash, 141 wRC+, and 8.3 WAR.

He opted out of his contract and returned to free agency in 2028 at age 33. Sayed ended up with Casablanca on a four-year, $60 million deal. It was a rebuilding era for the Bruins, who averaged 73 wins per season over Sayed’s three seasons there. He was down from his prior peaks, but was still a capable starter with good power. In 419 games, Sayed had 451 hits, 235 runs, 113 doubles, 18 triples, 94 homers, 273 RBI, 96 walks, 116 steals, .287/.336/.562 slash, 125 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. While there, Sayed earned his 2500^th hit and 1500^th RBI.

Sayed declined the fourth-year option and went to Baghdad for 2031 on a three-year, $18,300,000 deal. He got his 600^th homer and 1500^th run in June 2031, but it was an otherwise forgettable run. Sayed had his standard tallies in 2031, but injuries kept him out for two months in 2032 and his production dipped. He was also reduced to a part-time role in 2033, but was able to breach 700 career doubles; a mark met only 22 players in all of baseball history.

Baghdad was firmly mid-tier while he was there, playing 338 games with 357 hits, 191 runs, 77 doubles, 20 triples, 66 homers, 195 RBI, .284/.341/.534 slash, 127 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR. Sayed hoped to still play somewhere in 2034, but teams figured he was past his shelf life. After going unsigned all year, Sayed officially filed for retirement just after his 40^th birthday.

Sayed finished with 2618 games, 2938 hits, 1653 runs, 702 doubles, 166 triples, 647 home runs, 1773 RBI, 535 walks, 2630 strikeouts, 758 steals, .302/.349/.608 slash, 147 wRC+, and 80.7 WAR. He ranks 13^th in games, 13^th in runs, 13^th in hits, 6^th in total bases (5913), 8^th in doubles, 16^th in triples, 21^st in homers, 17^th in RBI, 10^th in strikeouts, and 22^nd in WAR among position players. On the world leaderboard, he is 21^st all-time in doubles.

Among Arab League Baseball hitters with 3000+ plate appearances, Sayed’s slugging is 37^th and his .957 OPS is 40^th. He’s a guy who maybe didn’t get as much attention as his total would suggest since he was steady and never had any bonkers single seasons. Sayed’s Hall of Fame candidacy though was quite firm with those tallies and he headlined a two-man 2039 class for ALB at 91.6%.

Lyes “Gonzo” Adel – First Base/Designated Hitter – Suez Sabres – 79.2% First Ballot

Lyes Adel was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting first baseman and designated hitter from M’Rirt, Morocco; a town of 35,000. Nicknamed “Gonzo,” Adel was a very well-rounded batter facing right-handed pitching with strong grades for contact and power. He had a career 153 wRC+ and .989 OPS against RHP, but the downside was mediocre results against lefties with an 88 wRC+ and .733 OPS. On the whole, he was better than most in ALB at avoiding strikeouts, but below average at drawing walks.

Adel never had prolific power, but he got you plenty of extra bases with 32 home runs, 40 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. He had rock solid speed and was an excellent baserunner and thief. Adel made just over half of his starts as a first baseman with subpar defensive metrics. He generally was a designated hitter otherwise with occasional use at second, but he was atrocious at 2B. Adel’s durability was generally good over a 19-year career. He wasn’t disruptive, but he was considered a bit self-centered and greedy by some peers.

In January 2012, Adel left Morocco for the United Arab Emirates on a developmental deal with Abu Dhabi. He spent two-and-a-half years in the Destroyers academy, but never played a game for them. In June 2015, Adel was part of a four-player trade with Riyadh. He debuted with 19 plate appearances for the Rats that fall. Adel saw part-time use and occasional starts the next two years, although his results were unimpressive.

Adel saw a platoon role in 2018 with better results, then was a full-time starter after that in Riyadh. He was a steady starter and notably led the Eastern Conference in doubles (57) and total bases (392) in 2021; both career highs. Adel’s lone Silver Slugger (at 2B) and a third place in MVP voting came in 2022, his only time as an MVP finalist. He led in average (.395), slugging (.754), OPS (1.185), wRC+ (204), and WAR (8.3). Those would all be career highs along with his .431 OBP and 18 triples.

Riyadh was generally above .500 during this tenure, but were stuck in a division with Jeddah’s dynasty run. The Rats set a franchise-record 100-62 in 2019, but the Jackals won the division at 104-58 and left Riyadh out of the playoffs. They hovered around the .500 mark the next few years. With his big 2022 effort, Adel was now a hot property as he was due free agency. He left the Rats to test the market heading towards his age 28 season.

Adel’s longest tenure by games was with Suez, signing an eight-year, $179,400,000 deal for 2023. He led in hits in 2023 at 222 and posted his career high 123 runs and 136 RBI. In 2026, Adel had his career best 43 home runs and hit for the cycle a second time. His numbers were steady and solid, but he never came close to that 2022 run. Adel did notably struggle to 0.7 WAR and 105 wRC+ in 2027, but bounced back in 2028. However, he was back to around league average his final two years with the Sabres.

Suez was an expansion team from 2016 and largely struggled. Adel helped them to their first winning season in 2026 at 83-79, but they collapsed to 53-109 the next year. The Sabres wouldn’t be back above water until after he departed. Still, he was reliable and Adel’s #7 uniform would later be retired by Suez. For the Sabres, he had 1239 games, 1480 hits, 771 runs, 301 doubles, 54 triples, 267 home runs, 776 RBI, 496 steals, .313/.347/.568 slash, 132 wRC+, and 27.5 WAR.

Now 36, Adel went back to Riyadh in 2031 on a one-year minimum deal. He missed two months to a torn hamstring, but had a decent year with 2.3 WAR and 125 wRC+ in 106 games. The Rats got a wild card and lost in the second round, but Adel finally got to see a postseason game. Between Riyadh runs, Adel had 1047 games, 854 starts, 1180 hits, 631 runs, 276 doubles, 70 triples, 196 homers, 682 RBI, 304 steals, .326/.364/.604 slash, 153 wRC+, and 30.9 WAR.

Adel joined Dubai in 2032 with 0.6 WAR and 106 wRC+ over 119 games, missing time to another hamstring tear. He then finished with Sulaymaniyah in 2033 with 0.8 WAR and 115 wRC+ in 113 games, missing part of the spring to a fractured tibia. With the Sultans, he did cross the 500 home run and 1500 runs scored milestones. Adel retired after the 2033 season at age 38.

In total, Adel played 2518 games with 2882 hits, 1522 runs, 614 doubles, 134 triples, 505 home runs, 1587 RBI, 532 walks, 1589 strikeouts, 865 steals, .315/.352/.577 slash, 138 wRC+, and 59.8 WAR. Adel ranks 24^th in games, 23^rd in runs, 16^th in hits, 22^nd in total bases (5279), 21^st in doubles, 36^th in triples, 49^th in homers, 26^th in RBI, and 62^nd in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Adel’s average is 64^th, slugging is 76^th, and his .923 OPS is 77^th.

A few Hall of Fame voters shunned Adel between the lack of awards and team success, along with the DH penalty. But most saw 2500+ hits, 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, 600+ doubles, and 500+ homers and checked “yes” with little hesitation. Adel received 79.2% for a first ballot nod as the second member of Arab League Baseball’s 2039 class.

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.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-13-2026, 06:39 AM

Herve Otepa – First Base – Lubumbashi Loggerheads – 68.4% Tenth Ballot

Herve Otepa was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Mbandaka, a city of 1,187,000 citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Otepa was a consistent hitter who was never amazing at any one thing, but was generally above average-to-good across the board. He did have better stats facing right-handed pitching (.896 OPS, 139 wRC+) compared to lefties (.809 OPS, 119 wRC+). Otepa’s 162 game average got you 29 home runs, 30 doubles, and 9 triples.

Offensively, Otepa’s most standout quality was excellent baserunning and stealing ability, although having merely good speed kept him from bigger steal totals. He was a career first baseman and a top notch defender, winning eight Gold Gloves. Otepa’s durability was generally solid and he had a top notch work ethic. He was the definition of a team player, but wasn’t a guy to take the leadership mantle. Still, Otepa’s loyalty and consistency made him a fan favorite.

Otepa signed a developmental deal with Lubumbashi in December 2002 and spent four full seasons in their academy. He debuted in 2007 at age 21 with 34 games, then took on a full-time starting job from 2008 onward. Otepa was the 2008 Rookie of the Year in the Central Conference, then won Gold Gloves from 2009-13. After the 2013 season, Otepa signed an eight-year, $42,840,000 extension with the Loggerheads.

Despite his loyalty and efforts, Lubumbashi was mostly mediocre in his tenure. They hovered mostly in the 70s wins range in Otepa’s early years, but fell toward rock bottom from 2016-18 with 61.6 wins per season. Luckily for the Loggerheads, the promotion/relegation system wouldn’t start for a few more years. Those bad years were Otepa’s best offensively, winning his only Silver Sluggers in 2016 and 2018. He also won two more Gold Gloves in 2017-18. Otepa never was a conference leader though or an MVP finalist.

Otepa did get to play on the tournament stage for his native DR Congo from 2009-23, although they never advanced during his years. He played 111 games and started 92 with 94 hits, 45 runs, 14 doubles, 20 homers, 62 RBI, .272/.345/.499 slash, 140 wRC+, and 3.7 WAR.

With Lubumbashi, Otepa had 1824 games, 2003 hits, 1110 runs, 338 doubles, 108 triples, 348 home runs, 1085 RBI, 583 walks, 1208 strikeouts, 661 steals, .296/.357/.531 slash, 141 wRC+, and 55.1 WAR. In his last year there in 2019, the Loggerheads did finally rebound to 91-71, although they wouldn’t crack the playoff picture until after Otepa was gone. He opted out of his contract after the 2019 season, becoming a free agent for his age 34 season.

Otepa ended up in Mozambique on a five-year, $43 million deal with Maputo. The Piranhas had won a pennant in 2017 and had remained just above .500 to end the decade. They hovered in the 70s win range in Otepa’s first two years as he was still a capable starter, although his bat was weaker than his Lubumbashi standard. Maputo would collapse to last place at 65-97 in 2022 and unfortunately for them, that was the first year of promotion/relegation with the African Second League.

He didn’t opt of his deal and played 2023 in A2L with similar results. Maputo did win the A2L title, getting promoted right back up. However, injury kept Otepa from the postseason and he never had a playoff game in his career. The Piranhas were a solid 89-73 in their 2024 return to AAB’s top flight, but Otepa was limited to a part-time role.

For his five years with Maputo (including the A2L year), Otepa had 643 games, 667 hits, 383 runs, 125 doubles, 32 triples, 95 home runs, 357 RBI, 191 walks, 225 steals, .282/.344/.482 slash, 114 wRC+, and 11.2 WAR. He hoped to still play somewhere in 2025, but went unsigned all year and retired that winter at age 39.

Not counting the A2L season, Otepa finished with 2331 games, 2500 hits, 1385 runs, 426 doubles, 133 triples, 416 home runs, 1336 RBI, 724 walks, 1575 strikeouts, 848 steals, .290/.352/.516 slash, 135 wRC+ and 64.6 WAR. Otepa ranks 18^th in games, 25^th in runs, 17^th in hits, 24^th in total bases (4440), 58^th in doubles, 6^th in triples, 53^rd in homers, 28^th in RBI, 20^th in steals, 66^th in walks, and 26^th in WAR for position players.

For many Hall of Fame voters, those totals and Otepa’s tenure got him across the line. However, he had a lot of doubters who dismissed him as a compiler who was merely above average for a long while. Otepa never was a conference leader, never an MVP finalist, and never part of a playoff run. For some, that meant he was, at best, a Hall of Pretty Good-er.

Otepa debuted at 54.1% on the 2030 ballot, then dropped to what would be his low of 41.4% the next year. He oscillated between the 40s and 50s, but didn’t seem to be making the progress needed to cross the 66% induction threshold. 2039 was Otepa’s last chance and his popularity and affable personality meant there was a campaign by fans to boost his profile. That plan worked, getting Otepa to 68.4% to join the African Association of Baseball’s 2039 HOF class. He was the third player to make it into AAB’s Hall on the last chance, joining 2021 inductee Boubacar Mavinga and Abebe Chekol from 2022.

Teo Tokala – Starting Pitcher – Brazzaville Blowfish – 66.6% Seventh Ballot

Teo Tokala was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tokala was known for having excellent control and movement along with good stuff. His fastball peaked in the 99-101 mph range and was joined by a slider, splitter, and changeup. Tokala had significant splits with a fantastic 2.69 ERA, 150 ERA+, and 61 FIP- against right-handed bats compared to a lackluster 4.28 ERA, 95 ERA+, and 107 FIP- facing lefties.

Compared to other AAB aces, Tokala had solid stamina when healthy. However, a series of major injuries greatly limited his final output. Tokala was above average at holding runners but weak defensively. The main knock on him was his lazy and selfish personality. Growing up as a prospect in Kinshasa drew attention on the other side of the Congo River in Brazzaville. The Blowfish signed Tokala to a developmental deal in March 2008.

After five years in the academy, Tokala debuted in 2013 with a mostly full load, although he had subpar results as a rookie. He was a full-timer after that and a legit ace by his third year. In 2015, Tokala was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with what would be a career-best 2.47 ERA. Prior to this, Brazzaville had never made the playoffs or won more than 88 games.

The Blowfish finished 102-60 to make the playoffs, but finished behind their cross-river rival Kinshasa at 109-53. Brazzaville upset the Sun Cats in a 4-3 classic in the Central Conference Championship. The Blowfish then outlasted Johannesburg 5-4 to claim the Africa Series. Tokala had mixed playoff results with a 3.24 ERA in three starts with 10 Ks in 16.2 innings.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had a mediocre 4.91 ERA with 32 Ks in 29.1 innings as the Blowfish finished 8-11. 2015 also was Tokala’s first year in the World Baseball Championship pitching for the DR Congo. From 2015-26, Tokala had 123 innings, 3.15 ERA, 10-4 record, 131 strikeouts, and 3.3 WAR.

Tokala was the WARlord at 7.3 in 2016, taking third in POTY voting. Brazzaville improved to 104-58, but again was second in the standings to Kinshasa by three games. Yet again, the Blowfish upset the Sun Cats in the conference finals, this time 4-2. Brazzaville beat Johannesburg in an Africa Series rematch 5-3 to repeat as champs.

This time, Tokala had an excellent playoff effort with a 0.95 ERA over 19 innings with 18 Ks and 0.9 WAR. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn labrum in the game eight finale that knocked him out of the BGC. Tokala was back by the 2017 season and had three straight 6+ WAR seasons. Brazzaville at 98-64 fell one win short of the playoffs in 2017. They were a 97-65 wild card in 2018, but lost 4-1 to 111-win Kampala in the conference finals.

For the first time, Brazzaville took first in the standings at 107-55 in 2019. The Blowfish topped 104-58 Bujumbura 4-2 in the conference final, but lost 5-2 to Luanda in the Africa Series. Tokala had another strong playoff run in defeat with a 1.90 ERA over 23.2 innings. He also won his lone Pitcher of the Year in 2019 with a career best 21 wins and 22 quality starts.

Tokala’s best WAR was 8.0 in 2020 and he led in wins again, although he was second in POTY voting. That May, he signed a five-year, $36,320,000 extension with the Blowfish. Brazzaville had their final playoff trip of the run, falling 4-3 to Kampala in the conference final. He struggled in his one playoff start, but finished with strong numbers in his Blowfish career with a 2.69 ERA over 73.2 innings, 49 Ks, 152 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 2.1 WAR.

He saw a dip in production in 2021 as Brazzaville dropped to 80-82. They fell off a cliff to 64-98 in 2021, but luckily promotion/relegation wouldn’t start until the next year. Tokala was back to better results in 2022, but ended the season with forearm inflammation. Then in May 2023, Tokala suffered a partially torn UCL that ended his time with the Blowfish.

In the winter, Brazzaville traded Tokala to Lubumbashi for three prospects. With the Blowfish, he finished with a 147-98 record, 3.21 ERA, 2297 innings, 2107 strikeouts, 73 complete games, 19 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 57.4 WAR. For his role in Brazzaville’s great dynasty, Tokala’s #45 uniform was retired. The Loggerheads were just outside of the playoffs at this point and hoped Tokala would bounce back from the injury.

2024 was snake-bitten for Tokala with a strained hamstring in the spring, followed by a torn labrum in September. Lubumbashi went onto win the Africa Series as a 94-win wild card, but Tokala watched from a sling. Despite the back-to-back big injuries, the Loggerheads gave Tokala a five-year, $50 million extension in April 2025. This was a poor choice, as he never pitched another full season and had merely above average results.

Various smaller injuries plagued him in 2025. In June 2026, Tokala suffered a damaged elbow ligament with a 12 month recovery time. This also tanked his velocity from a previous triple-digit peak to the low 90s for 2027. He was decent in 20.1 innings in his 2027 return, but Tokala opted to retire in the winter at age 35. For Lubumbashi, he had an 18-19 record, 3.92 ERA, 305.1 innings, 241 strikeouts, 115 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 6.1 WAR.

Tokala finished with a 165-117 record, 3.29 ERA, 2602.1 innings, 2348 strikeouts, 543 walks, 202/345 quality starts, 75 complete games, 20 shutouts, 123 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 63.5 WAR. He ranks 25^th in wins, 26^th in innings, 38^th in strikeouts, 25^th in complete games, 5^th in shutouts, and 14^th in WAR for pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Tokala is 29^th in ERA, 22^nd in opponent’s OPS (.653), 14^th in WHIP (1.07), 76^th in H/9 (7.71), and 22^nd in BB/9 (1.88).

The rate stats were certainly elite for Tokala and he had a Pitcher of the Year win along with an important role in a dynasty. However, his totals were lowered greatly with his last full season at age 30. Many voters felt Tokala simply didn’t have enough longevity. His personality also didn’t win him adoration from certain Hall of Fame voters.

Tokala debuted at only 48.4% in 2033 and went to 53.3%, then 47.2% in the following years. He then held firm at the 55% mark for the next three years, which made some observers think that was his peak. For his seventh try in 2039, Tokala got the boost to 66.6%, sneaking by the 66% threshold. With that, he capped off a three-man 2039 class for the African Association of Baseball.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-14-2026, 08:40 AM

There were three free agents who got eight-year deals worth more than $300 million in the offseason. The highest of these was RF Kadhiri Sassou, who was a West African Baseball MVP in 2035 with Libreville. The 29-year old Nigerian righty stayed in WAB on an eight-year, $322,500,000 deal with Nouakchott. This made Sassau the second-highest paid player in WAB behind only Douala’s Ram Lengani, whose $374,500,000 deal is the second-biggest in the world.

Former Merida LF Kenneth Armstrong had a lot of attention as he interested the market at only age 25 coming off an 8.4 WAR, 51 homer season. The Jamaican left CABA for Major League Baseball on an eight-year, $312 million deal with Chicago. Another big move to MLB came from LF James Pham, who had won a Southeast Asian League MVP with Colombo in 2035. The 27-year old Vietnamese righty moved to San Francisco at $304 million over eight years.

Four-time American Association MVP Alair White left Vancouver after an eight-year run and ended up with San Diego on a seven-year, $245,500,000 deal. He and SS Paulo Constancia were the two batters rated as five-star players on the market. Constancia left Havana on a seven-year, $283 million deal with MLB’s Houston.

Another CABA stud who left for MLB was 1B Alton Reinoso, the reigning Mexican League MVP with Tijuana and a three-time MVP. The 31-year old Nicaraguan lefty joined Baltimore at six years and $186 million. The reigning Indian League MVP R.C. Gutta left his hometown club Patna and came to Cleveland with the 31-year old LF joining at $135,600,000 over five years.

Some famous names were also on the move late in their career. 42-year old Grenadan 3B Jamel Forsyth remains in MLB after a three-year run with Houston on a one-year, $44 million deal with Grand Rapids. Six-time Japan League MVP Masanori Fukuoka moved on after15 seasons with Niigata, as the 37-year old LF inked a two-year deal with Hiroshima. A fractured ankle kept him out most of the prior season.

Five-time Southern Cone League MVP Paco Amorim joined La Paz for a two-year deal after an epic 20-year run with Arequipa. Six-time APB MVP James Yuwono joined for two years with Batam, which will be his fourth team. He was most recently with Medan and Bandung, but had become a star with Pekanbaru. With a good season, Yuwono could crack the world top 100 for WAR. And veteran 1B Yossoupha Diop signed for one year with Yaounde at age 42 as he chases a number of big statistical milestones in WAB.

The biggest name on the pitching free agent list was Mohammed Otu, winner of three straight Pitcher of the Year awards in WAB for Accra. He made the jump to MLB with Charlotte at $154,800,000 over six years. The biggest overall deal for a pitcher was Japan’s Atsuo Sugaya, twice the WARlord with Sendai. The 29-year old left for Hamamatsu at $266 million over seven years. The other big new deal was SP Tommy Nunn, who ultimately returned to Brooklyn after testing the market for a month. The 32-year old got a new six-year, $237,500,000 deal with the Dodgers. Two-time Bolivar League POTY Orlando Cepeda left for America on a five-year, $146,800,000 deal.

By star rating, Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu was the lone five-star pitcher on the market, but the 35-year old was coming off a torn labrum. Reigning Baseball Grand Champion Kampala gave him a shot on a two-year deal in hopes the two-time POTY could return to form.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-14-2026, 07:11 PM

Below are the top-rated batters in the world entering the 2039 season. The highest total value contract is Hiroshima 1B Hyung-Gwang Sohn in the last year of his $391,500,000 deal. Sohn and Douala’s Ram Lengani have the highest yearly mark for 2039 at $53 million.

Below are the top-rated pitchers in the world. Omaha’s Callum McGonagal still has the richest deal in the final season of a $349 million contract. The highest yearly salary for a 2039 pitcher is Semarang’s Yuchi Jiang at $45 million.

MILESTONE WATCH

Seattle’s Milton Ramirez is chasing the elusive 4000 hit milestone, entering the season at 3858. Ramirez is also at 1148 stolen bases, close to passing Bill Tan’s 1177 for the MLB career record. Former MLB star and current WAB player Mark Johnston has an outside shot of 4000 combined pro hits, entering the season at 3797. Johnston also is only 14 runs from the 2000 club.

Jackson Brafford enters with 846 home runs; only two others in MLB have breached 850. The 38-year old Orlando 1B has an outside shot to get to 900, as he has smacked 40+ in all 17 of his seasons. In CABA, LF Benedetto Rodriguez is at 3309 hits. Only five in CABA have gotten to 3500 previously. CABA wins (346) and strikeouts leader (5934) Israel Montague is on the doorstep of two major milestones. Only five in world history have 350+ wins only five have 6000+ Ks. The 41-year old is at 159.1 WAR and could pass Ulices Montero for the leader among CABA pitchers (165.6).

BSA’s Paco Amorim is now with La Paz after 20 seasons with Arequipa. He is at 2070 runs, in striking distance of Niccolo Coelho’s league-record 2133. Taoyuan’s Wei-Yin Wang has 3409 hits, giving him a shot to pass Junior Sanchez’s 3564 for the APB record. Former APB legend Binh Tang continues in MLB with Washington at age 39. He has a combined 195.9 career WAR with a chance of being only the fifth in world history with 200+.

Medina’s Kamal Qasim has 3316 hits and should easily move into the Arab League’s #2 spot. Ahmed Yasser Basha is the only one in ALB with 3500+, entering his 20^th season with 3597 hits. ABF home run king Sultan Han is eight away from the elusive 900 club. He’s also chasing Hakan Mocuk (2132) for the ABF RBI record, entering at 2019. Han also has 1809 runs with a shot at Mehmet Fatih Canaydin’s record 1880.

Youssoupha Diop joined Yaounde at age 42 with 3953 hits, 2397 runs, 774 doubles, 958 homers, and 2615 RBI; giving him a shot at numerous all-time milestones. WAB’s Junior Jose also notably enters with 839 home runs. EPB’s Dmitri Khoadakovsky is 12 dingers from being EPB’s fourth with 700 homers. He could conceivably reach Konrad Mazur’s record 740 with a monster year, but he needs to bounce back from a career-worst 2038 to do so.

CLB’s Syamsul Azzahari is the league leader for homers and runs. He is only 12 RBI away from claiming that top spot and 30 total bases from that one. It is less likely reachable in 2039, but Azzahari is also only 221 away from becoming CLB hits king. ALB’s Hassan Shanshol is set to become the world leader in stolen bases barring a major setback. He signed with Tripoli for 2039 at age 37 with 1991 career steals, four from Carsten Dal’s world record and nine short of becoming the only man with 2000 swipes.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-15-2026, 09:31 AM

The 2039 World Baseball Championship was the 93^rd edition and the primary host city was Algiers, Algeria. In Division 1, the Dominican Republic ended on an eight-game winning streak to finish first at 15-3, pulling away from both Scotland and Poland at 13-5. It was the DR’s fourth playoff trip and first since 2025.

The five-time defending world champ United States looked to keep its dynasty run alive, claiming D2 at 15-3. South Africa was the only close foe at 13-5 and did split their pair with the US. The Americans have moved on 70 times in tournament history and did it for the entire 2030s. The USA’ s+78 run differential was the second-best of all division champs for 2039.

China nearly blew their Division 3 lead as they lost their final three, while Angola had a five-game winning streak to close and Malaysia a six-game run (both including wins over China) The Chinese and Angolans finished tied at 13-5 while the Malaysians were 12-6. China’s loss to Angola was 7-5 in 10 innings, but their 5-2 win earlier gave them the differential tiebreaker by one run. The Chinese advanced for the 32^nd time overall and the fifth time in the 2030s.

Japan dominated Division 4 at 15-3, four wins better than last year’s third place finisher Austria and Bangladesh. The Japanese advanced for the 29^th time overall and since 2027 have moved forward nine times. India at 14-4 outraced 13-5 Thailand to secure Division 5. The Indians earned 7-1 and 5-2 victories over the Thais when they met. It was India’s 17^th playoff berth with more than half coming in the last 15 years.

Division 6 saw South Korea (14-4) hang on against the Netherlands (13-5) and Egypt (12-6). The Koreans picked up their 23^rd playoff appearance and fourth of the decade. They had split with both the Dutch and Egyptians in their pairs. It was only the second miss in eight years for Egypt, who had emerged as a regular contender in recent years.

Somalia at 13-5 won Division 7 in a tight fight over Mexico (12-6) and last year’s fourth place squad Spain (11-7). They earned their spot by beating the Spanish 3-2 and the Mexicans 1-0 in their final two games. The Somalis have four berths total, coming over the last seven years.

Division 8 had a tie at the top with Saudi Arabia and Argentina at 13-5, while last year’s runner-up Brazil was 12-6. The Saudis had the differential tiebreaker with a 6-0 win and 4-1 loss against the Argentines. Saudi Arabia became the 94^th unique nation to earn a playoff trip. The Brazilians had a better differential than both, but went 1-5 in one-run games. They split with Argentina, but lost both games to the Saudis by 3-1 and 7-6 margins. The latter game had a six-run eighth inning rally by the KSA.

Venezuela took Division 9 at 13-5, finishing two ahead of Paraguay, Belgium, and North Macedonia. The Venezuelans earned back-to-back playoff trips and their ninth overall. Indonesia cruised to 15-3 in Division 10 with Libya a distant second at 12-6. The Indonesians ended on a ten-game winning streak to earn their 34^th playoff trip and fourth consecutive. Since 2028, Indonesian has missed the next round only thrice.

Russia rolled to the D11 crown at 14-4 with the Democratic Republic of the Congo next at 12-6 and three others at 11-7. The Russians at +81 had the best run differential of all teams in the divisional stage. Russia picked up its 21^st playoff trip and fifth of the decade. Bosnia and Herzegovina was an abysmal 1-17, becoming the first team in event history to lose 17 games. Iraq finished strong securing Division 12 at 14-4 ahead of the Philippines at 13-5. It was the Iraqis’ second playoff trip joining the 2036 effort. They split their pair with the Filipinos with a 7-5 win and 6-4 loss.

Division 13 had a tie for first at 12-6 with Haiti and Ethiopia, while the Czech Republic was 11-7 and three others were 10-8; Switzerland, Sweden, and Pakistan. The Haitians advanced having swept the Ethiopians on 7-6 and 5-3 wins. Haiti ‘s 4-0 mark in one-run games and a five-game winning streak to close propelled them forward. The Haitians advanced for the sixth time and first since 2031.

France and Taiwan were even atop Division 14 at 13-5 while Croatia and Chile were next at 11-7. The French had the tiebreaker on differential over the Taiwanese with a 5-2 win and 3-2 loss. It was the 18^th playoff trip for France and the second in five years. Germany had an impressive 15-3 run in Division 15 with only Vietnam (13-5) staying competitive with them. The Germans picked up their 18^th berth and fourth of the decade. Germany swept their pair over the Vietnamese 2-1 and 3-2, taking the latter on a two-run walkoff homer.

Lastly in Division 16, Australia (15-3) emphatically won their finale 10-2 over Kenya, putting the Kenyans second at 13-5. Their earlier meeting had been an 18-inning marathon win for the Aussies. Australia advanced for the third straight year and 11^th time overall. Them, the USA, and Venezuela were the only teams from the 2038 playoff field to advance again in 2039.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-15-2026, 07:37 PM

In the Double Round Robin Group A, India (5-1) and the United States (4-2) advanced while Haiti (3-3) and South Korea (0-6) were ousted. Group B had Japan (5-1) advanced along with 3-3 Venezuela while both France and the Dominican Republic were 2-4.

Group C had a three-way tie at 4-2 with China, Indonesia, and Germany; while Saudi Arabia was 0-6. It was a rock-paper-scissors of splits between the three, so it came down to run differential. The Germans (+4) and China (0) moved forward with the Indonesians (-4) the odd team out.

Australia was the best in Group D at 4-2, while both Iraq and Somalia were 3-3. Russia, despite having the best run differential in the divisional round, fell at 2-4. The Somalis had the differential tiebreaker over the Iraqis as their win was 9-1, while the defeat was 5-4. Notably, all six populated continents were represented in the elite eight, which had only happened previously back in 1998.

The quarterfinals were all 2-0 sweeps, only the second time that has happened since the format switch in 2031. Venezuela won the opener 5-1 over India, then survived a 15-inning game two with a 4-3 score. Desmond Cantu ended it with a leadoff solo homer. It was only the third time the Venezuelans had gotten to the semifinal, joining their 2016 runner-up finish and fourth place in 1951. The United States held on 7-6 in game one over Japan, getting all of their runs in the fifth inning. The Americans took game two 7-3 for their 62^nd semifinal berth. Every year in the 2030s fans 2033 saw the US in the championship.

Somalia won an opening pitcher’s duel 1-0 over Germany with a two-hitter by Abdullahi Ali. A 4-3 result in game two sent the Somalis forward for the second time, joining their shocking 2036 runner-up campaign. Australia meanwhile earned 3-1 and 11-3 wins over China, sending them to their fourth-ever final four. The Aussies had taken fourth two years prior and in 2012, while their lone finals berth was 1982’s runner-up finish.

The Americans opened the semifinal with an explosive 15-4 win over Venezuela. The US grabbed game two 6-1, but the Venezuelans avoided the sweep with a 6-2 result in game three. In game four, the Americans got cushion with a solo homer in the top of the ninth. Venezuela matched to lead off the bottom half, but the next three batters struck out for a 4-3 result. The US earned its 58^th trip to the World Championship.

Australia started with a strong 8-4 win over Somalia, but the latter took control on the mound after that. 5-1, 6-1, and 4-1 Somali wins gave them the series, setting up a rematch of the 2036 finals. It was a shock when they made it the first time, but now the world was aware of the likes of Abdullahi Ali. He had a one-hit victory in the clincher with 19 strikeouts. Venezuela officially finished third and Australia fourth.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-16-2026, 05:45 AM

The United States was on another historic run as they looked for a sixth straight world title and their eighth in nine years. One of the wins came 4-1 over Somalia in 2036. The Somalis were back for the 93^rd World Championship and trying to become the third African nation to take the top prize.

The Americans started with 7-3 and 2-1 wins, benefiting from Ali still needing to rest up from the prior series. With Ali, Somalia took game three in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel. Game four was another epic duel that went 13 innings. In the top half, Dave Pacini had a leadoff single, then was knocked in on a triple by Brandon McElveen in route to a 1-0 US win.

The bats were back in game five as the United States clinched with a 9-4 victory, putting the Americans at an incredible 49-9 all-time in the finale. It was the second-longest title streak in WBC history, as the US had seven straight from 1971-77. It is the first time that a team won eight titles over a nine year stretch. The Americans set event records for hits (324), doubles (63), and walks (137) while their 216 runs were third-most.

Pittsburgh 3B Uriah Easton led the way for the American offense, leading the way in WAR (2.8), hits (43), runs (36), steals (35), and walks (29). The steals and walks were both single-event records. The runs were second-most behind Thomas Rich’s 39 in 2031 and the hits were fourth-best. The 25-year old Chicago native also had a .983 OPS, 8 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers, and 13 RBI. Las Vegas’ Mason Dixon led the pitching staff with a 0.72 ERA over 49.2 innings with 67 strikeouts and 2.0 WAR.

Somalia’s Ali had an all-timer effort pitching, yet somehow finished second in Best Pitcher voting. He set event records for wins (8-0) and strikeouts (118), while posting a 0.75 ERA and one save in nine appearances with 60.1 innings, seven quality starts, 490 ERA+, 5 FIP-, and 4.54 WAR. Ali’s WAR was the second-best by any player in WBC history, behind only Nick Hedrick’s 4.66 on the mound for the US in 1957.

The 27-year old Kampala ace posted maybe the best-ever 12 month stretch a pitcher ever had. Ali won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in 2038 with a 377 K, 2.47 ERA, 10.7 WAR season. In the playoffs, he had a 1.06 ERA, 34 innings, 58 Ks, and 2.5 WAR as the Peacocks won the Africa Series. Kampala then won the Baseball Grand Championship with Ali posting 3.3 WAR and 83 Ks in 44 innings. Adding those all up saw 21.0 WAR over 360.1 innings, 636 strikeouts, a 30-9 record, 10 saves, and a 1.90 ERA.

On the reverse side, his Somali teammate Osman Sheikh set bad event records going 0-7 with 64 hits allowed, both new worsts. Sheikh had a 6.79 ERA over 50.1 innings and -0.8 WAR. The lack of depth ultimately doomed the Somalis against the American juggernaut.

Beating out Ali somehow for Best Pitcher was Australia’s David Sherman, a 31-year old closer for Tahiti. In 23.2 innings, he had a 0.38 ERA, 43 strikeouts, 3-0 record, 1 save, 974 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. France’s Elias Daniel also deserves a mention as he became the first in WBC history with three shutouts in one event. The Naples lefty had a 0.33 ERA over 27.2 innings with 29 Ks and 1.4 WAR.

Tournament MVP was Russia’s Maksim Krutov, the four-time EPB MVP with Nizhny Novgorod. The 33-year old LF is entering his second year with Vladivostok in 2039. Krutov in 23 games had 33 hits, 23 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homers, 18 RBI, 1.199 OPS, 245 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR.

Other notes: North Macedonia’s Kristijan Bozhinovski set a new event record with five triples. The 2039 event had three no-hitters coming from Senegal’s Ibrahima Ndaw, Nicaragua’s Bret Poblano, and Belgium’s Mika Persoons. 2039 also bizarrely had four players hit for the cycle; Armenia’s Azgush Kotanidy, Hungary’s Laszlo Kiss, Peru’s Roberto Villanueva, and Slovakia’s Bohuslav Vlasko. Prior to that, there had only been 23 total cycles in event history and never before had multiples happened in the same year.

Japan’s Masanori Fukuoka and American Alair White both reached 100+ career homers in the event. The Philippines’ Jimmy Caliw is the event leader with 121, while American Connor Neumeyer has 111, Vietnam’s Binh Tang has 104, White has 103, and Fukuoka 101. Amazingly, White has done it in only seven tournaments, getting the extra at-bats with the USA’s current dynasty run. White also became the 7^th in event history with 200+ RBI.

Below are the updated all-time tournament stats:

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-16-2026, 10:32 PM

Riga looked to make an immediate escape from European Tier Three after getting relegated there for 2039. The Roosters succeeded at 102-60, running away from the rest of the field. For the remaining three promotions, eight teams realistically had a shot entering the final month.

Gdansk and London had built up the largest cushions of this group as both were 57-37 at the all-star break. This put them four wins ahead of the rest of that crew, but five behind Riga. Next was Ostrava and Bilbao at 53-41, Bordeaux at 52-42, and both The Hague and Newcastle at 50-44. Despite being 47-47 at the break, Lviv also threw itself into the fight with the best second half at 45-23. The Blue Angels and Hackers also won 40+ games in the back-end.

The Gunners’ cushion narrowly got them the #2 spot at 94-68 to earn their second-ever promotion, as they were the 2030 ET3 champ. There ended up a three-way tie for the remaining two spots at 93-69 between London, Bordeaux, and The Hague. Both Lviv and Ostrava finished one win short at 92-70, while Bilbao (88-74) and Newcastle (87-75) both faded.

Two tiebreaker games would be needed to decide the final two promotions. The Hague had ended the season on a six-game winning streak, while the Monarchs were 7-3 in their last ten. The Blue Angels dropped four of their last five, including losing a three-game series to last place Ruhr.

The first tiebreaker game would see London hosting The Hague, which was scoreless entering the eighth inning. The Hackers went ahead with two runs in the eighth, but the Monarchs ended it on a dramatic walkoff grand slam by Brady Arthur. London escaped ET3 after a two-year stint.

The Hague would get a second shot to advance, but Bordeaux bested them 3-2 in the second tiebreaker game. A pair of seventh inning homers put the Blue Angels ahead. Bordeaux is promoted for the third time having just finished a three-year run in the European Second League.

Bordeaux upset top-seeded Riga 3-2 in their semifinal while London knocked off Gdansk 3-1. The Tier Three Championship went all seven games with the Blue Angels knocking off the Monarchs. Bordeaux is the first franchise to win the ET3 title twice, having also done it in 2035.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-17-2026, 10:13 AM

The African Second League’s Southern Conference had five teams in the hunt for the two playoff spots. At the all-star break, Pretoria and Maseru were tied for first at 53-38 while Eswatini was 51-40, Bloemfontein was 50-41, and Blantyre was 49-42. Each of those teams kept relatively the same pace into the second half of the season as well.

By the start of September, the Mad Dogs had first place at 81-55 while the Engineers were 79-57, Purple Rage 76-60, Black Wolves 75-61, and Beagles 73-63. Pretoria would go 19-9 in September, including a nine-game winning streak early in the month, pushing them into the #1 spot at 94-68. The Purple Rage earned back-to-back playoff trips, although this was the first time taking the top spot. They had the conference’s best run differential at +148. Pretoria had a 4.82 team ERA, 852 runs allowed, and 775 earned runs; all-time conference bests in the ultra-high scoring A2L.

Maseru nearly choked away their playoff spot, going 2-8 in their last ten games. However, the cushion they built allowed them to survive for second place at 92-70. Eswatini and Blantyre each finished 90-72 and Bloemfontein was 89-73. It was the Mad Dogs first playoff trip since returning to A2L in 2034.

Bukavu set the A2L team record with 333 home runs, propelling them to first place in the Central Conference at 97-65. It was back-to-back berths for the Bluefins, but their only previous time finishing first was their lone promotion from 2028. Bukavu had been back in A2L since 2036 and led A2L in 2039 with a +212 run differential. At the all-star break, the Bluefins were 57-34 with only Juba also above 50 wins at 52-39. The Jungle Cats absolutely collapsed going 27-44 on the back-end, tying for seventh at 79-83.

Of the logjam of teams around .500 at the break, Mbuji-Mayi was the standout in the second half. Their 45-26 record post-break was the best of all teams, allowing the Millionaires to claim second at 90-72. Bujumbura (84-78), Kisangani (83-79), and Kisumu (83-79) were the closest foes. Mbuji-Mayi earned its second playoff trip in three years.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-17-2026, 07:56 PM

The Central Conference Championship had plenty of drama. Bukavu started with the built-in game advantage and took the opener 6-4. Mbuji-Mayi used a three-run homer in the top of the ninth to win game two 7-6, followed by a 9-4 victory in game three. The Bluefins battled back 9-7 in game four, but a 13-5 rout by the Millionaires forced the decisive sixth game.

In the finale, Mbuji Mayi mauled Bukavu 12-5 to pull off the upset over Bukavu. The Millionaires earned their second-ever promotion to the African Association of Baseball’s First League. M-M earned the bump up in 2030, but lasted only two years in the top flight.

The Southern Conference Championship lacked the same drama as top-seed Pretoria got 3-2, 7-3, and 4-1 wins to sweep Maseru. The Purple Rage became the first of the eight expansion teams from 2029 to earn a promotion. In the Second League Championship, Pretoria opened with 7-2, 10-9, and 5-3 wins. Mbuji-Mayi took game four 7-2, followed by a 8-4 Purple Rage victory. The Millionaires battled back 5-1 in game six and 6-3 in game seven. However, the Purple Rage clinched 10-5 in game eight to take the series 5-3.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-18-2026, 07:01 AM

Lisbon and Nantes dominated the European Second League’s Western Conference field all year. The Clippers narrowly got the #1 spot at 102-60 while the Trappers were next at 101-61. It was Lisbon’s fourth consecutive playoff trip as they try to end their 12-year E2L stint. Nantes earned their first playoff berth since getting relegated back for 2036.

Solid back ends for Rome (95-67) and Stuttgart (93-69) gave them the other playoff spots. The Red Wolves got their second playoff trip in four years, while the Silver Sabres earned back-to-back. Geneva was a distant fifth at 86-76, notably outperforming their expected win/loss by ten games. The Gold Tigers became the first of the charter European Tier Three teams to post a winning season in E2L.

Sheffield was by far the worst in the WC at 50-112, dropping them to ET3 for the first time. The Steelhounds had been in the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier from 2029-37, but their fall was fast. Nottingham at 67-95 ended up with the second demotion, while 68-94 Turin narrowly escaped. The North Stars would’ve had the tiebreaker had they ended even, but the Tanks won their season finale 3-2 in 18 innings over Luxembourg. Nottingham had gotten demoted to ET3 in 2036 as well, but escaped after one year.

At the all-star break in the Eastern Conference, Brno and Tirana were tied for first at 57-42, while both Sarajevo and Copenhagen were one back. The Corsairs was a lousy 28-35 on the back-end, ultimately dropping to seventh at 84-78. The other three did well enough to hold onto playoff spots. The Bandits notably ended on an 11-game winning streak to claim first at 97-65, earning repeat playoff berths.

The Salukis were second at 93-69 and the Trojans third at 91-71. Tirana had just gotten relegated to E2L for 2039, while Sarajevo was trying to end a six-year run. It was a big rally for Ljubljana to take fourth place at 90-72. The Juggernauts were one below .500 at the break, but went 41-22 to close the year. They were in their second season back in E2L. The first teams out were Dnipro and Vilnius both at 86-76.

By far the worst in the east was Kyiv at 52-110, who had only just climbed out after three years in ET3. It remains a brutal era for the Kings, who won ten titles between EBF and EPB between the 20^th Century and early 2000s. Dresden’s 21-42 finish dropped them to 66-96 for the second demotion slot, eight games behind their closest foe Bratislava. This was the Diesel’s second time in E2L, but once again they were relegated right back to ET3.

FuzzyRussianHat · 01-18-2026, 06:47 PM

#4 seed Stuttgart was the top team out of the Western Conference’s Double Round Robin at 4-2, finally guaranteeing their first-ever promotion in 35 years of trying. The Silver Sabres had been the only charter European Second League franchise that still hadn’t gotten promoted to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier at least once.

The top two seeds Nantes and Lisbon both finished at 3-3 and Rome was 2-4. The Trappers beat the Clippers 3-2 in their first meeting, but the rematch in the final game of the event went to Lisbon 7-2. The run differential tiebreaker guaranteed a promotion for the Portuguese capital, returning to the top tier for the first time since 2027.

For the Eastern Conference, Brno and Ljubljana both advanced at 4-2 while Tirana (3-3) and Sarajevo (1-5) were both stuck for another year. The Bandits were promoted after a three-year stint back in E2L, while the Juggernauts escaped after only two years.

Lisbon opened the Western Conference Championship on a 6-4 win, followed by a Stuttgart 9-0 result in game two. The Clippers rolled after that with three straight shutouts to clinch with 4-0, 4-0, and 3-0 results. Brno started the Eastern Conference Championship on a 3-1 win. Ljubljana got a 7-6 walkoff win in 11 innings for game two, then cruised from there to 5-1, 6-0, and 5-3 wins.

The Second League Championship began on a 5-2 Lisbon win, followed by Ljubljana matched 2-1 the next night. The Clippers reclaimed the edge 6-2 in game three, but the Juggernauts took game four 4-0. Lisbon rolled 9-1 in game five, then returned home to win a dramatic game six 6-4 in 12 innings. Ljubljana had scored twice in the top of the 12^th, but the Clippers’ Stefano Bertetto clinched the series in six with a walkoff grand slam on the first pitch he saw.

Other notes: Nuremburg’s Dejan Panic tossed E2L’s 17^th perfect game, doing it on June 6 with nine strikeouts facing Turin. Stuttgart’s Stanislav Iliev became the 3^rd to 500 homers. Lisbon’s Zsolt Radan won his third Pitcher of the Year, becoming the fourth E2L ace to achieve the feat.

FuzzyRussianHat · Yesterday, 09:05 AM

Dar es Salaam’s dominance in the Southern Conference continued with a 112-50 finish, 19 games better than second place. The Sabercats had already built up an 11-game lead by the all-star break going 66-28 to start the year. Their +343 run differential was the best in the African Association of Baseball. It was their fifth straight year finishing first in the SC with 100+ wins.

The Sabercats scored 1003 runs, tied for the second-best in AAB history and only the third season-ever with 1000+ runs in AAB. Their 660 runs allowed also were the best in the conference and was second in all of AAB. Dar es Salaam also set a new AAB season attendance record at 2,350,752 tickets sold as people flocked to see their dominance and a historic power run by Ferdinand Rajerison.

Luanda was second at the break at 86-76, but a lackluster 31-37 finish dropped them to sixth at 86-76. Durban’s 41-27 run after the break pushed the Deer to the #2 slot at 93-69. Johannesburg was 42-26 after the break, but a weaker first half kept them third at 91-71. The Deer were 16-8 in September, although they did drop two of three to the Jackalopes. Windhoek (88-74) and Gaborone (87-75) were the next closest competitors. Durban earned its second wild card in five years, although those are notably their only berths in the last 30 years.

It ended up a two team fight to avoid relegation to the African Second League. Antananarivo lost their final four games, while Lilongwe managed to sneak a win from Dar es Salaam in the final series and had a sweep of Windhoek just before that. The Lightning also took two of three over the Eagles in mid-September, putting them at 62-100 at the end to Antananarivo’s 61-101.

The rollercoaster continues for the Eagles. They spent 2031-36 in A2L, then earned a promotion back up for 2037. Antananarivo immediately was relegated back after a 58-104 mark in 2037, but earned another promotion as an A2L conference champ in 2038. For Lilongwe, they’ve averaged an abysmal 63 wins per season in the last four years, but managed to avoid the demotion. Their pitching in 2039 notably had a 1.678 team WHIP; the worst in AAB history.

Southern Conference MVP unanimously was Dar es Salaam 1B Ferdinand Rajerison, his third in four years. The 29-year old lefty from Madagascar reached a mark many figured would never happen again; a 200+ RBI season. Majed Darwish in South Asia Baseball had his absurd 2008-10 run with 220, 209, and 200 RBI while also hitting 85, 91, and 85 home runs. Since that time, the next highest RBI mark was the AAB record of 189 by Dagne Mersha in 2028.

Rajerison knocked in 212 for the second-most in world history. “Shooter” also smacked 81 homers, two short of Martin Kulatilaka’s AAB record 83 from two years earlier. It is one of 13 seasons in world history of 80+ homers, a mark Rajerison himself had met with 80 in 2036. He, Darwish, Kulatilaka, and the Arab League’s Wissam Magdy each have multiple 80 homer seasons.

In addition, Rajerison also led in hits (212), total bases (503), slugging (.823), OPS (1.215), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.8). He had 129 runs, 42 doubles, and a .349 average. The total bases ranked third-best in AAB history and was tied for the ninth-best in world history. His slugging was also a top 20 season in world history and the sixth-best in AAB. Rajerison’s OPS ranked as 13^th on the AAB leaderboard. He’s signed through 2045 with the Sabercats.

Gaborone’s Mert Seyoum won Pitcher of the Year with 14 first place votes and 138 points, while Windhoek’s Godwin Mkandawire was a close second at 10 first place votes and 126 points. Mkandawire notably won the ERA title at 2.23, but Seyoum was second at 2.52 and would’ve had a Triple Crown if not for him. The lower ERA was the 18^th-best qualifying season in AAB history.

It was the second POTY for Seyoum, who also won back in 2031. The 32-year old Ethiopian lefty led in wins (19-5), strikeouts (320), WHIP (0.88), K/BB (9.4), shutouts (5), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.8). It was Seyoum’s eighth time as the conference leader for Ks. During spring training, he signed a five-year, $90,800,000 extension to stick with the Golden Bears.

Dar es Salaam was the heavy favorite to win a fifth consecutive Southern Conference Championship, being 19 games better than Durban and having won the season series 9-6. They also had the one-game advantage that came with the top seed in AAB. The Sabercats opened the series with a 6-2 win and a complete game effort by Mariano Pera.

In game two, Dar es Salaam’s offense won the race for a 13-8 result. The Sabercats then clinched with a 4-3 win in game three, getting the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by the two-way man Pera. Series MVP was SS Karel Vacek, a Czech journeyman making his AAB debut at age 35. He had won four Gold Gloves in his previous stints, but had a terrible career 62 wRC+. In the series though, Vacek was 3-9 with two homers and four RBI.

With the win, Dar es Salaam now has eight Southern Conference titles (1997, 2004, 27, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39). They’re only the second franchise in AAB history to earn five consecutive Africa Series trips, joining Addis Ababa’s epic eight-year run atop the Central Conference from 2006-13.

FuzzyRussianHat · Today, 09:15 AM

The defending Baseball Grand Champion and African Association of Baseball champ Kampala dominated the Central Conference field at 107-55. At the all-star break, they were 46-29, even with Mombasa and one behind Djibouti for first. The Peacocks had an all-time second half going 61-26 to pull away from the field, taking first by 13 games.

The Peacocks repeated as the #1 seed and earned a third straight playoff trip. Led by perhaps the best season yet by ace Abdullahi Ali, Kampala allowed AAB’s fewest runs at 624 and had the conference’s best run differential at +231. The Peacocks’ staff had 1674 strikeouts and a 10.39 K/9, both the second-best in conference history. They also set a conference season attendance record of 2,159,629 tickets sold.

The Berserkers and Bisons still battled for the #2 playoff spot in the fall. A key moment was their mid-September series which saw a three-game home sweep by Djibouti. The Berserkers also won two extra innings games over Asmara in their final series to hold onto second at 94-68. Djibouti had a +192 run differential, under-performing their expected win/loss by five games. The Berserkers ended a five-year playoff drought. They had 66 team triples, the second-most in AAB history.

Mombasa ended up third at 91-71, while the Anteaters were fourth at 88-74. Asmara had a strong 51-36 back-end, but getting swept late by Djibouti and their 37-38 start kept them on the outs despite having a conference-best 916 runs. Mogadishu and recently promoted Mwanza were both 83-79, while last year’s wild card Lubumbashi was 81-81.

Suffering relegation was Nairobi at 56-106, unable to climb from a 27-48 hole at the start of the year. Bangui at 59-103 only narrowly lived to fight another day. It was an abrupt fall for the Night Hawks, who were the AAB and Grand Champion as recently as 2032, and conference champs in 2035. Two years prior, Nairobi was 94-68, but dropped to 71 and then 56 wins after that. It is their first demotion to the African Second League. Only five original teams remain that have never been relegated: Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Lusaka, and Addis Ababa.

Central Conference MVP had a crowded field with 1B Martin Kulatilaka taking it in his debut with Djibouti. He had 11 first place votes and 264 points, followed by Asmara 2B Rajah Bhagwan at 213 points and two first place votes. Pitcher of the Year Abdullahi Ali had nine first place votes and 209 points, plus his Peacocks teammate Alexis Alvarez had two first place nods and 172 points.

It was the fourth MVP for Kulatilaka, who won from 2035-37 with Kinshasa. He left for Djibouti in 2039 on a six-year, $241 million free agent deal. “The Big Train” was the leader in batting average (.340), slugging (.722), OPS (1.146), and wRC+ (178) in his Berserkers debut. The 31-year old Seychellois righty added 196 hits, 124 runs, 46 doubles, 58 homers, 153 RBI, and 7.4 WAR.

As for his hitting competitors in the MVP race, Bhagwan notably was the hitting WARlord at 8.2, followed by Kulatilaka. He also led in runs scored at 138. Alvarez crushed 81 home runs, making him one of 12 in world history with 81+ homers in a season. The AAB record remained Dagne Mersha’s 90 from 2028; which is second in world history. Alvarez however was also the leader in strikeouts at 224. Mogadishu’s Toichi Kumura also had a huge power year with 74 homers and 171 RBI.

The bias against pitchers for MVP placed Ali third despite arguably the greatest single-season by anyone in AAB history. He somehow posted his best year yet coming off an absurd year that included leading Kampala to the Grand Championship last fall and his native Somalia to the World Baseball Championship finals. Ali won his fifth consecutive Pitcher of the Year and is the first AAB ace to win the award five times.

It was the third Triple Crown win for the 27-year old Somali lefty, who broke his own AAB single-season records for strikeouts, K/9, and WAR among all players. Ali led with a 24-3 record in 258 innings, 1.95 ERA, 466 Ks, 0.79 WHIP, 7.8 K/BB, 16.26 K/9, 23 quality starts, 15 complete games, 236 ERA+, 27 FIP-, and 15.7 WAR. 400+ Ks have only happened four times in AAB; all by Ali, who also has six of the top seven strikeout seasons in league history.

His 466 Ks are tied for the 27^th-best in world history for any league and it is the first top 30 season on the world leaderboard in the last 20 years. Ali’s K/9 is also the 10^th-best in world history. It is the first 15+ WAR season by any AAB player and ranks as the 30^th-best in world history. On the AAB leaderboard, Ali’s 2039 also was the sixth-best qualifying ERA, third-best WHIP, fourth-best H/9 (5.02), and third-best opponent’s OPS (.503). The .163/.222/.264 triple slash ranks 3^rd/2^nd/5^th among qualified seasons.

Many consider Ali as the best pitcher in the world considering his incredible dominance of the 2030s. In six AAB First League seasons, he had a 131-33 record, 2.35 ERA, 1467.2 innings, 2492 strikeouts, 198 ERA+, 39 FIP-, and 75.4 WAR. Ali has only one year left under his original contract with many expecting him to test free agency for a record deal somewhere else.

Kampala was a big favorite with the 13-win advantage over Djibouti and the one-game bonus that comes with the top seed in the Central Conference Championship. However, the season series was 8-7, so the Berserkers had been competitive with the Peacocks in the regular season. Kampala opened the series with an 8-3 win with Ali on the mound.

The Peacocks had to rally to claim game two by a 2-1 margin. In the bottom of the ninth, Leonard Kette had a leadoff triple and was scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1 and force extras. Marlon Muianga led off the tenth with a double and Shabani Luboya followed with an RBI walkoff double. The series shifted to Djibouti and the Berserkers grabbed a 9-7 victory at home in game three.

The defending champs would clinch in game four though, narrowly fending off a rally bid. Kampala had a 5-1 lead entering the bottom of the ninth. Djibouti got three runs back, but no more and the Peacocks escaped the 5-4 victor. Veteran 3B Freddie Chirambo was series MVP as the 34-year old Kenyan went 5-16 with three homers and 6 RBI. Chirambo had started with Gaborone, but joined Kampala the prior year on a five-year, $130 million free agent deal. With the back-to-back pennants, the Peacocks are now seven-time Central Conference champs (2018, 20, 21, 22, 23, 38, 39).

FuzzyRussianHat · Today, 06:21 PM

The 45^th Africa Series was a rematch of the prior year, which saw Kampala prevail in a 5-4 classic over Dar es Salaam. It is the fifth straight finals trip for the Sabercats, who won in 2035 over Nairobi, lost in 2036 to Mombasa, and defeated Kinshasa in 2037. It’s the first finals rematch in the African Association of Baseball since Kampala’s 2020s dynasty, facing Antananarivo in 2022-23.

Dar es Salaam had home field advantage with a remarkable 65-16 record at home in the regular season. The Sabercats on paper were the favorite, but you couldn’t discount the reigning Baseball Grand Champion Peacocks. It was clear that both would qualify for the 2039 BGC regardless of result.

Kampala opened with a 3-0 road win thanks to Abdullahi Ali’s five-hit shutout with 18 strikeouts. The Sabercats used a five-run first inning to claim game two 7-4. Dar’s offense kept rolling to a 10-3 win in game three, giving them the edge as the series shifted to Uganda for the next four games. The Sabercats then surprised Kampala with a 6-1 result in game four to assume the 3-1 series lead.

With Ali back on the mound for game five, the Peacocks prevailed 4-3. A big shift though came as Dar es Salaam MVP 1B Ferdinand Rajerison took an errant pitch to the knee, suffering a broken kneecap with a five month recovery time. Even without him, the Sabercats routed Kampala 17-5 in game six, putting them one win away from taking the best-of-nine series.

The Peacocks wouldn’t go down without a fight as two pitchers combined for a 3-0 two-hitter in game seven. The series moved back to Tanzania with a lopsided 8-1 Kampala road win in game eight, forcing the decisive finale. The Peacock offense unloaded with five homers, including two from Freddie Chirambo. Ali gave up four runs on the mound, but set the playoff record with 19 strikeouts. He didn’t need to be perfect in a 12-5 Kampala win, repeating as AAB champs.

Chirambo was series MVP, going 12-37 with 3 homers, 6 runs, and 8 RBI. Ali set playoff records for strikeouts (61) and K/9 (16.47) while also becoming the second with four wins in a playoff run. He won all four starts with a 2.70 ERA over 33.1 innings and 1.7 WAR.

Kampala is the first repeat AAB champ since their 2020-22 three-peat and are now six-time champs, having also won in 2018. The six titles are tied with Addis Ababa for the second-most, while Kinshasa leads all teams with seven. Dar es Salaam falls in nine for back-to-back years. The Sabercats are 2-3 in their five-year finals streak and 3-5 all-time.

Other notes: Dar es Salaam’s Edzai Jeke drew 141 walks, which ranks as the 7^th-most in any world league for a single-season. Five of the six seasons ahead of him were also in AAB. Zenzele Mnisi became the 16^th member of the 600 home run club and Lebogang Ntuka was the 29^th to 500 dingers. Abel Teklemariam was the 20^th to 1500 RBI.

In pitching milestones, Lawal Deffallah was the 6^th to 200 wins and the 4^th to 3500 strikeouts. Mert Seyoum was the 13^th to 3000 Ks. 2039 was the final season for SP Bernard Burger, finishing in AAB with a 210-149 record, 3.84 ERA, 2264 Ks, 120 ERA+, and 65.0 WAR. He ranks tied for 2^nd in wins and 13^th in pitching WAR. 2B Kassim Nour won his 8^th Gold Glove and 1B Michael Bobb got his 7^th. Nour is now tied for the position record.

Promotion/Relegation: In the Southern Conference, Antananarivo was relegated to the African Second League to be replaced by Pretoria. In the Central, Nairobi moved down and Mbuji-Mayi replaced them.

The 2030s were the highest-scoring decade in African Association of Baseball history and among the highest in any world league ever. Both conferences saw around a 4.61 league ERA and .261 batting average. The ERA ranks as very high on the historical scale and the batting average is above average. Both are peaks for AAB, which had around a 4.42 ERA and .255 average in the 2020s. Although AAB’s batting averages are lower than the other top-scoring leagues, AAB has far more walks drawn.

01-09-2026, 06:49 AM	#2661
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 ABF Hall of Fame (Part 1) The Asian Baseball Federation’s 2039 Hall of Fame ballot didn’t have any inner-circle inductees, but three pitchers crossed the 66% induction threshold. SP Khairi Qaderi led this group with 76.0% in his debut. CL Raghid Yazdani finally made it in at 68.5% in his ninth ballot and SP/1B Saleh Naimatullah was a narrow first ballot nod at 66.8%. Two returners were above 60% but short of induction with 3B Quraishi Lalak at 62.1% for his sixth ballot and LF Ramin Abilov with 60.1% on his seventh go. CL Yasar Khatter debuted at 58.7% and 3B Timur Tyan had 51.2% with his eighth ballot. Three fell off the ballot after ten failed attempts, most notably 3B Eser Haspolatli who peaked with a 58.4% debut and ended at 45.4%. He was known as one of the best-ever defensive third basemen as one of 19 in world history with 14+ Gold Gloves. Only two AFB players have 14+ GGs and only two other 3B in the world have more than Haspolatli. He had a 20-year career mostly with Asgabat and won two Silver Sluggers with 2927 games, 2713 hits, 1355 runs, 436 doubles, 95 triples, 494 home runs, 1389 RBI, 568 walks, 2033 strikeouts, 565 steals, .260/.303/.462 slash, 129 wRC+, and 99.5 WAR. Haspolatli is 5^th in games, 20^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 15^th in total bases (4821), 26^th in homers, 27^th in RBI, and 19^th in WAR among position players. However, he was never an offensive league leader and many voters felt he wasn’t a strong enough hitter to belong. His incredible defense and longevity wasn’t enough, although Haspolatli certainly has to be one of the more notable snubs you’ll find. SP Dabir Arif lasted ten ballots, peaking at 40.1% in 2031 and ending with only 18.8%. He had a 20-year career, but was hurt by spending his final few seasons between MLB and CABA. In ABF, Arif had a 188-178 record, 2.99 ERA, 3277.1 innings, 3920 strikeouts, 711 walks, 111 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 60.8 WAR. Longevity got him to 26^th in wins, 21^st in Ks, and 34^th in WAR for pitchers. However, Arif never was a Pitcher of the Year finalist and had limited black ink, banishing him to the Hall of Pretty Good. A similar story was SP Aleksei Ahmadov, who debuted at 41.3% and finished at 7.5%. In an 18-year run, he had a 199-198 record, 3.13 ERA, 3601.2 innings, 3971 strikeouts, 102 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 60.9 WAR. Ahmadov also was never a POTY finalist and almost never led the league. Neither had the dominance or prominence to get noticed against some of their more impressive peers. Khairi Qaderi – Starting Pitcher – Dushanbe Dynamo – 76.0% First Ballot Khairi Qaderi was a 6’3’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Mahmud-e Raqi, Afghanistan; a city of 200,000 and the capital of Kapisa Province. Qaderi was the third Afghani added into ABF’s HOF. His raw stuff was incredible and he had above average movement, but “effectively wild” was an apt description of Qaderi. Still, he was able to thrive in spite of lackluster control. Qaderi’s arsenal was three pitches; a 98-100 mph cutter, curveball, and changeup. Each was top shelf and he was a master at changing speeds, even if the pitches rarely ended up in the right spot. Qaderi’s stamina was below average relative to most ABF aces and earlier in his career he split time between starting and relief. He did manage to avoid major injuries in a 14-year career. Qaderi struggled with holding runners and defense. He was a bit dumb, but raw talent powered him to success. Because of his control woes, many scouts were leery of Qaderi ahead of the 2018 ABF Draft. He was picked late in the second round, 58^th overall, by Dushanbe. Qaderi spent all of 2019 in developmental, then spent the next four years splitting time between starting and relief. He caught the tail-end of a decade-long playoff streak by the Dynamo and missed out on their pennants, as they had first round defeats from 2020-22. Dushanbe fell into the middle-tier after that for the next five years with a lone playoff trip and one-and-done in 2025. Qaderi earned a full-time starting role in 2024 and had his best season, leading the East League in WAR (8.3), FIP- (57), wins (20-10), and strikeouts (356). He also had a career-best 2.52 ERA, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Qaderi never matched that production in his later Dushanbe run with inconsistent results. The Dynamo gave him a four-year, $38,700,000 extension after the 2025 season. They fell towards the bottom of the standings by the end of the 2020s. Qaderi concurrently pitched in the World Baseball Championship with good results for his native Afghanistan. From 2021-33, he had a 2.90 ERA over 124 innings, 5-10 record, 187 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 2.8 WAR. 2030 was notably one of his weaker runs, but it was notable as Afghanistan’s first-ever division title. With Dushanbe going nowhere and Qaderi in the last year of his deal, he was traded in July 2029 to Bishkek for two prospects. One was SS Khalid Amanzholov, who would win 2033 Rookie of the Year and later win two Gold Gloves for the Dynamo. Qaderi with Dushanbe had a 105-88 record, 3.28 ERA, 1680.1 innings, 2458 strikeouts, 558 walks, 16 complete games, 5 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 38.7 WAR. His efforts over a decade were enough to get his #12 later retired by the Dynamo. Qaderi was impressive to end the year for the Black Sox with a 1.39 ERA over 71.1 innings, 103 Ks, and 2.5 WAR. However, Bishkek missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. A free agent for the first time at age 31, Qaderi moved to Iran on a four-year, $49,900,000 deal with Mashhad. The Mercury were on a nine-year playoff streak and had won West League pennants in 2025-26 with an ABF title in 2025. Mashhad’s playoff streak continued with Qaderi with three division titles and 100+ win seasons in 2032-33. Unfortunately, this run coincided with Baku’s historic dynasty, as the Blackbirds won the ELCS from 2029-33 with four ABF titles. Qaderi accounted well for himself in the playoffs with a 2.69 ERA in 67 innings and 82 strikeouts, but Baku was untouchable at this point. Qaderi was more consistent with Mashhad and took second in 2032’s POTY voting, leading the league with a 23-7 record and 28 quality starts. He had his second-best WAR of 7.5 that year and had 340, 340, and 341 strikeouts in his first three seasons. Qaderi finished with a 75-36 record, 3.17 ERA, 995 innings, 1317 strikeouts, 297 walks, 125 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 21.4 WAR. His final season saw 4.7 WAR and 296 Ks, so he certainly could’ve kept going. However, Qaderi decided to retire after the 2033 campaign at age 35. In total, Qaderi had a 185-127 record, 3.19 ERA, 2746.2 innings, 3878 strikeouts, 870 walks, 235/356 quality starts, 49 complete games, 11 shutouts, 116 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 62.7 WAR. Qaderi ranks 29^th in wins, 40^th in innings, 23^rd in strikeouts, and 28^th in pitching WAR. His 12.71 K/9 is 14^th among pitchers with 1000+ career innings and his 6.99 H/9 is 82^nd. Qaderi’s rate stats fit in with some of the lower-end Hall of Fame pitchers for the Asian Baseball Federation, but he did lack the Pitcher of the Year award. His accumulations weren’t overwhelming, but supporters argued he could’ve stuck around a few more years believably and reached those milestones. With no major standouts on the 2039 ballot, Qaderi’s resume popped out a bit more than the others. He received 76.0% for a first ballot nod to lead the three-man crew for 2039. __________________ 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)

01-10-2026, 07:52 AM	#2662
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 ABF Hall of Fame (Part 2) Raghid “No Neck” Yazdani – Closer – Gujranwala Grasshoppers – 68.5% Ninth Ballot Raghid Yazdani was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed closer from Karachi, Pakistan. Yazdani had otherworldly stuff despite peaking in the 94-96 mph range along with good movement and average control. His one-two was fastball/slider and they looked exactly identical out of his hands until it was too late for most hitters. Even by reliever standards, his stamina was subpar, but he mostly stayed healthy in his 13-year career. Yazdani was an excellent defensive pitcher and average at holding runners. His baseball IQ was top notch and his work ethic was tireless, allowing him to excel as a closer. Yazdani was picked 43^rd in the second round of the 2012 ABF Draft by Gujranwala. He was a full-timer right away with promising results, moving into the closer role by his third season with the Grasshoppers. From 2016-18, Yazdani won three consecutive Reliever of the Year awards, twice posting a sub-one ERA. His 2017 campaign was an all-timer with an 0.64 WAR over 84.2 innings, 188 Ks, and 7.5 WAR. That is the WAR record for an ABF ROTY winner and one of only 16 seasons in world history of 7.5 WAR or better by a ROTY winner. 2018 has his career high 48 saves, his only time leading in saves. From 6/25/17 to 4/4/19, Yazdani had an incredible 68-save streak. He also tossed 15.2 consecutive no-hit innings from 7/15/16 to 8/4/16. They weren’t easy to come by despite his dominance, as the Grasshoppers were generally in the 70s win range. 2018 saw an 88-74 record, their first winning season since 2006. However, Gujranwala fell back to 75-89 the next year. Yazdani opted for free agency after that heading towards age 30. With the Grasshoppers, he had 209 saves and 288 shutdowns, a 1.57 ERA, 560.2 innings, 1108 strikeouts, 154 walks, 195 ERA+, 36 FIP-, and 29.1 WAR. Yazdani left Pakistan for Afghanistan on a four-year, $20,280,000 deal with Kabul. He still regularly returned home for the World Baseball Championship, where he occasionally was a starter. One of those starts in 2019 was a 20 strikeout, three walk no-hitter against Hungary. He was third in 2019’s Best Pitcher voting and second in 2020, posting 29 scoreless innings between the efforts with 54 strikeouts. Pakistan notably finished second in 2021 and had a division title in 2020. Overall from 2014-23 in the WBC, Yazdani had a 1.21 ERA over 104.1 innings, 12-2 record, 1 save, 205 strikeouts, 294 ERA+, 25 FIP-, and 5.8 WAR. Among all pitchers with 100+ WBC innings, Yazdani ranks 3^rd in ERA, 6^th in opponent’s OPS (.412), 23^rd in K/9 (17.68), 11^th in H/9 (3.54), and his .121/.197/.215 triple slash ranks 13^th/14^th/4^th. Yazdani was second in Reliever of the Year voting in both 2020 and 2022 for Kabul and again had a sub-one ERA in 2020. The Black Knights were a struggling expansion team from 2009 and showed some life with 84 wins in 2019-20, but they dropped back to the bottom in the 2020s. Saves again were hard to come by for Yazdani, who remained dominant. In June 2022, he notably struck out 17 consecutive batters. In three years for Kabul, Yazdani had 81 saves and 106 shutdowns, 1.14 ERA, 229.2 innings, 490 strikeouts, 375 ERA+, 20 FIP-, and 15.8 WAR. After the 2022 season, the Black Knights traded him to Faisalabad for SP prospect Halawani Ahmad. The Fire gave Yazdani a three-year, $19,500,000 extension prior to his debut there. He was finally on a contender, as Faisalabad had won the ABF title in 2021 and been the East League runner-up in 2022. Yazdani won his fourth Reliever of the Year in 2023 and is one of four in ABF history to win the honor four times. That year saw a 0.66 ERA over 81.1 innings and immediate dominance. Yazdani had 63 straight scoreless appearances from 4/26/23 through 4/2/24. Faisalabad won the division for the fifth straight year at 94-68, but lost the ELCS to Bishkek. Yazdani made only one playoff appearance with 0.2 scoreless innings, as he suffered elbow tendinitis that kept him out. In early 2024, Yazdani suffered a forearm strain keeping him out almost season with only 14 total innings. He did toss three scoreless innings in his lone playoff appearance as Faisalabad against lost the ELCS to Bishkek. The injury absolutely cratered his velocity and he wasn’t a flamethrower to begin win. Yazdani couldn’t get above the upper 80s in 2025 and was limited to only 8.2 innings all year. He retired that winter at age 35, finishing the Faisalabad tenure with 37 saves, 1.12 ERA, 104 innings, 166 strikeouts, 313 ERA+, 38 FIP-, and 5.2 WAR. Yazdani ended with 327 saves and 440 shutdowns, a 69-44 record, 1.41 ERA, 894.1 innings, 1764 strikeouts, 239 walks, 235 ERA+, 32 FIP-, and 50.1 WAR. He ranks 4^th in saves and 51^st in WAR among all ABF pitchers. He doesn’t meet the 1000 innings to qualify on the rate stat leaderboards, but his ERA, opponents OPS (.440), WHIP (0.76), K/9 (17.75), and H/9 (4.41) would each be league records by a healthy margin if he was included. He ranks very highly amongst the world leaderboards for relievers, ranking 11^th in ERA, 42^nd in strikeouts, 44^th in WAR, 7^th in ERA+, 13^th in FIP-, and 8^th in opponents OPS. By any metric, Yazdani was one of the most dominant and efficient relief pitchers in the history of the game. But he didn’t have many saves, which is what many Hall of Fame voters hyper-fixated on when evaluating closers. The Asian Baseball Federation had also been less closer-friendly than other leagues in prior ballots with only two prior inductees. Yazdani also had the misfortune of playing almost exclusively on bad teams, thus many of his accolades were under-covered by media and fans. He debuted on the 2031 ballot at 53.1% and never dropped below 50%, but he only broke 60% once in his first eight ballots. A quieter 2039 ballot finally allowed Yazdani to get a bump up to 68.5%, just crossing the 66% threshold in his penultimate chance. Saleh Naimatullah – Pitcher/First Base – Peshawar Predators – 66.8% First Ballot Saleh Naimatullah was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher and first baseman from Lahore, Pakistan. On the mound, he had absurdly good stuff at his peak with some scouts rating it an 11/10. Naimatullah also had excellent movement on his pitches, but the downside was mediocre control. His arsenal was a 96-98 mph fastball along with a curveball and changeup. In his prime, few knew how to change speeds better. Along with the control issues though, Naimatullah’s stamina was below average for a starting pitcher. When you add the wear-and-tear of being a two-way guy, Naimatullah had to deal with multiple major injuries that limited his pitching career. He was strong at holding runners, but otherwise had below average defensive metrics pitching. Naimatullah was a first baseman when playing the field and was a lackluster defender there as well. At the plate, Naimatullah had impressive power despite not being a huge guy with 37 home runs and 27 doubles per his 162 game average. The downside was unremarkable contract ratings and a terrible 34.1% strikeout rate. When he hit the ball though, he hit the crap out of it. He graded excellently overall facing right-handed pitching (.896 OPS, 156 wRC+) but had weak marks facing lefties (.674 OPS, 95 wRC+). Naimatullah was better than most at drawing walks and his baserunning ability was average, although his speed was putrid. Scouts weren’t quite sure what to make of Naimatullah as a teenager, as he clearly had raw potential in either role. He was considered selfish by some for insisting on being a two-way player. Peshawar picked him out of high school in the third round of the 2017 ABF Draft; 64^th overall. He spent three full years in their academy before debuting in a limited role in 2021 with 91 at-bats, five starts, and seven relief appearances. Naimatullah was made a full-time two-way starter in 2022 and won a Silver Slugger as a pitcher, hitting 35 home runs. In 2023, Naimatullah on the mound led the East League in WAR (7.4) and FIP- (58) while also posting 32 homers, 154 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR at the plate. He won another Slugger, but surprisingly wasn’t a finalist for the top awards. Naimatullah was underappreciated at times playing for a struggling Peshawar club which had a playoff drought back to 1993. They would finally string together winning seasons from 2025 through 2031, but didn’t break the drought until 2027. Hamstring strains limited Naimatullah in both 2024-25, but the latter he led in pitching WAR (7.7) and FIP- (51) for the second time. From this point, Naimatullah didn’t start quite as often in the field and focused more on his pitching. In 2026, he only started 42 games at the plate and played 95, but he had his career-best 7.8 WAR and a 1.67 ERA on the mound. This ranked as the 38^th-best qualifying ERA in ABF history, earning a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting. Peshawar gave Naimatullah a six-year, $110,400,000 extension in April 2027. Naimatullah took second in 2027’s Pitcher of the Year and MVP voting with his best combined WAR season of 12.3. He led all pitchers with 329 strikeouts and a 0.81WHIP while posting 6.9 WAR and a 2.06 ERA in 200.2 innings. In 105 games at the plate, he smacked 35 homers with a 1.042 OPS, 210 wRC+, and 5.4 WAR. Peshawar’s playoff drought ended as a 98-64 wild card and they made the ELCS, but lost a seven-game classic to Hyderabad. Naimatullah had mixed results in his playoff debut with a 3.52 ERA in two starts and .717 OPS. It was his playoff debut, but he had seen some World Baseball Championship play for Pakistan. Naimatullah participated in nine WBCs from 2023-35 mostly as a pitcher with a 2.49 ERA over 79.2 innings, 137 strikeouts, 145 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR. He only had 27 plate appearances with six hits and three homers. Naimatullah sadly missed out on the 2029 World Championship win for Pakistan due to injuries. 2028 was the big one for Naimatullah, a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in May that knocked him out ten months. Peshawar again made the ELCS without him and again was thwarted by the Horned Frogs. With worries about future arm injuries, Naimatullah was done as the ace for the rest of the Predators career, limited to a smattering of relief appearances from 2029-32. He was still quite effective in that role, but Peshawar’s coaches opted to try him full-time at first base. In 2029, Naimatullah had 48 home runs, 122 RBI, 105 runs, .958 OPS, 185 wRC+, and 5.9 WAR as a full-time 1B. Peshawar went 99-63 and again encountered Hyderabad in the ELCS, this time upsetting the 110-win Horned Frogs by a 4-3 margin. That denied Hyderabad’s four-peat bid and was the first Predators pennant since 1992. They would fall 4-1 in the ABF Championship to Baku, who was just starting their historic dynasty run. Naimatullah had a .838 OPS, 153 wRC+, 0.6 WAR, and 6 homers in the playoff run and was MVP of the ELCS. Naimatullah was a capable starter the next three years, but his high strikeout rate limited him to the 2-3 WAR range. Peshawar made the ELSC once more in 2030 and were defeated by Lahore with Naimatullah struggling to -0.2 WAR in the playoffs. The Predators dropped to 85-77 in 2031 and it looked like a rebuild could be in order. With one year left on Naimatullah’s deal, he was traded in the offseason to Ankara for three prospects and a draft pick. With Peshawar on the mound, Naimatullah had an 84-45 record, 36 saves, 2.57 ERA, 1290 innings, 1864 strikeouts, 317 walks, 138 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 42.5 WAR. At the plate, he had 1349 games and 1022 starts with 939 hits, 612 runs, 239 doubles, 295 homers, 707 RBI, .244/.320/.542 slash, 152 wRC+, and 31.1 WAR. The Predators would later retire his #24 uniform for his efforts. The Alouettes had finished 101-61 the prior year and hoped Naimatullah could put them over the top. Much to his chagrin, Ankara didn’t want him pitching at all or playing the field. The 34-year old Naimatullah started 127 games as a designated hitter with 46 home runs, 90 RBI, .900 OPS, 138 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR. He missed the final weeks of the season to a sprained ankle. Ankara missed the playoffs at 86-76 and left for free agency at age 35. It was important to him to return to the mound full-time, both because he loved pitching and because he was convinced he could still do it at an elite level if given the chance. He got that chance in Major League Baseball, but had the culture shock of moving to Alaska on a two-year, $15,600,000 deal with Anchorage. His bet on himself paid in the short-term, stunning MLB by winning Pitcher of the Year in his debut season. Naimatullah won the American Association’s ERA title at 2.09 and led with 25 quality starts, striking out 219 in 250.1 innings with a 21-5 record and 7.7 WAR. This ranks as a top 100 qualifying ERA in MLB’s century-plus history. He also had 303 plate appearances with 28 homers, .846 OPS, 119 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR offensively. Anchorage finished 90-72, missing a wild card by three wins. However, the concern for his longevity that the Peshawar coaches had if Naimatullah returned to pitching full-time also proved correct. He missed much of spring 2035 to elbow inflammation, then suffered a torn labrum in late July that knocked him out 12 months. The Avalanche were still optimistic that Naimatullah could come back and contribute, giving him a two-year, $56,800,000 extension in the winter. Naimatullah made it back in late 2036 for eight starts with a 3.71 ERA and 1.5 WAR, although he was abysmal at the plate going 3-41 with -0.6 WAR. Anchorage won their first-ever division title at 93-69, but were ousted in the second round. Naimatullah was 5-10 in the playoffs and had a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings. That would prove the last hurrah in Alaska as he developed bone chips in his elbow in 2037 that kept him out basically the entire season. With Anchorage, Naimatullah had a 36-9 record, 2.49 ERA, 422.2 innings, 352 strikeouts, 158 walks, 171 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 12.6 WAR. At the plate in 145 games and 97 starts, he had 77 hits, 67 urns, 36 homers, 76 RBI, .197/.284/.508 slash, 107 wRC, and 1.6 WAR. He attempted an MLB comeback in 2038 with Milwaukee, making one relief appearance and 42 plate appearances. Naimatullah retired that winter at age 40. For his combined pro career, Naimatullah had a 121-54 record and 36 saves, 2.55 ERA, 1714 innings, 2217 strikeouts, 475 walks, 159/236 quality starts, 20 complete games, 8 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 55.2 WAR. Naimatullah’s ERA+ just misses the top 50 among the world’s Hall of Famers and retired locks, showing how impressive he was when healthy. At the plate, Naimatullah had 1665 games, 1247 starts, 1135 hits, 759 runs, 275 doubles, 380 homers, 880 RBI, 485 walks, 1810 strikeouts, .239/.315/.544 slash, 146 wRC+, and 35.8 WAR. His combined 91.0 WAR is 29^th all-time among two-way players. His candidacy for the Asian Baseball Federation’s HOF was trickier since the voters would put little or no stock in his MLB stats. His pitching stats with Peshawar were the full numbers and although he is 83^rd in pitching WAR, he misses the top 100 for other stats. Naimatullah did have 341 homers, 1050 hits, 686 runs, 263 doubles, .866 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 34.2 WAR at the plate and he ranks 77^th in homers. His .548 slugging is 60^th among batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his .866 OPS is 84^th. That was powered purely by his power considering his subpar batting average. If you’re looking just at counting stats, Naimatullah obviously didn’t come close to the benchmarks expected by a pure batter or pure pitcher. But on top of being top 100 for OPS, his ERA was 46^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Naimatullah’s .569 opponent’s OPS was 25^th and his .202/.257/.313 triple slash was 27^th/51^st/18^th. He was also 25^th in H/9 (6.52), 10^th in K/9 (13.00), and 52^nd in WHIP (0.97). Voters really weren’t sure how to evaluate Naimatullah, but in any case he was one of the more unique talents in ABF’s history. He did notably help Peshawar end their playoff drought and win a pennant, accomplishments that won over some of the fence-sitters. Naimatullah received 66.8% to barely cross the 66% threshold for a first ballot nod to cap off a three-man 2039 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)

01-11-2026, 07:10 AM	#2663
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 ALB Hall of Fame Two sluggers made their way into Arab League Baseball’s Hall of Fame for 2039 on their debut ballot. OF Sami Sayed led the way at 91.6% and 1B/DH Lyes Adel joined him at 79.2%. SP Muhammad Fadel was the best returner on his sixth ballot, but missed the 66% cut at 59.7%. Also above 50% was SP Ahmed Essa at 57.4% in his third go and 1B Mohamed Ali Mansour at 54.4% on his fifth try. The lone man dropped after ten ballots was 2B Sgahier Yaakoubi, who peaked at 44.2% in 2032 and ended with 23.5%. He had a 20-year career with five Silver Sluggers and one Gold Glove and was a three-time ALB champ; winning twice with Casablanca and once with Jeddah. Yaakoubi played 2745 games with 2780 hits, 1234 runs, 699 doubles, 157 triples, 312 home runs, 1321 RBI, 484 walks, 1802 Ks, 453 steals, .283/.322/.482 slash, 121 wRC+, and 68.7 WAR. The longevity got Yaakoubi to 7^th in games, 9^th in doubles, 20^th in triples, and 21^st in hits, but he’s only 64^th in runs, 56^th in RBI, and 45^th in WAR for position players. He is 5^th in WAR at 2B, but enough voters dismissed him as a compiler since his rate stats were unremarkable and he almost never led the league. Yaakoubi did notably play his final year in MLB and got two doubles for 701 total in his pro career, making him one of only 22 in all of world history in the 700 club, Sami Sayed – Left/Center Field – Cairo Pharaohs – 91.6% First Ballot Sami Sayed was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Beni Suef, Egypt; a city with around 294,000 inhabitants. Sayed was known for his power stats with more than half of his career hits going for extra bases. His 162 game average got you 43 doubles, 10 triples, and 40 home runs; although he was only a conference leader once with triples. Sayed’s stats weren’t overwhelming in any one year, but were remarkably consistent over a 19-year career. Sayed also generally graded well as a contact hitter, but he was below average for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His numbers were slightly better facing left-handed pitching (1.019 OPS, 159 wRC+), but he was plenty good against righties (.937 OPS, 142 wRC+). Despite his large frame, Sayed had above average speed and was a good baserunner. His speed was far too poor though for center field, putting up terrible defensive metrics in his limited starts there. Around ¾ of Sayed’s starts came in left and he graded as reliably solid there. His durability was largely strong, starting 139+ games in all but one year from 2017-31. Sayed was very intelligent and adaptable to his situation, but he wasn’t one to take a leadership role. Sayed joined Cairo on a developmental deal in December 2010 and spent almost four full years in their academy. He debuted with one at-bat in 2014 at age 19, then saw limited use with 47 games and 5 starts in 2015. Sayed was rostered full-time but a part-time starter in 2016 with promising results. The Pharaohs gave him the full-time gig in 2017 at age 22 and he held it for them for nine years. 2017 also started what would be a nine-year division title streak for Cairo, ending a 13-year playoff drought. Sayed wasn’t used in the playoffs as the Pharaohs lost the Western Conference Final to Casablanca. 2018 was Sayed’s best season by WAR (8.4) and wRC+ (176), earning his first Silver Slugger and a second place in MVP voting. He also hit for the cycle in June facing Beirut. Cairo got the top seed at 100-62, but lost to Tripoli 3-1 with Sayed struggling to 3-15 in the series. Cairo set a franchise record at 111-51 in 2019, but again fell in the conference final to Tripoli. Sayed missed the series with a sprained wrist in late September. He won his second Slugger in 2020 (and first at CF) and made up for the prior playoff whiffs. The Pharaohs were the #2 seed at 93-69 and got revenge on the Privateers, beating them 3-1 for Cairo’s first pennant since 2000. They ultimately fell 4-1 to Basra in the Arab League Championship. Sayed had 14 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 12 RBI, and 0.8 WAR over 11 starts. The Pharaohs repeated as conference champ in 2021 at 100-62, knocking out Jerusalem in the WCF. They lost a 4-3 classic to Jeddah in the ALB Championship. Sayed missed the entire playoff run with a fractured finger in mid-September, but he was back for the Baseball Grand Championship as Cairo earned an at-large. The Pharaohs went 8-11 with Sayed posting 21 hits, 15 runs, 6 doubles, 5 homers, 13 RBI, .878 OPS, 137 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR. Sayed led with a career high 51 doubles in 2022 and also posted his bests for runs (122), average (.348), slugging (.702), and OPS (1.082). He won his third Slugger (second at CF) and was third in MVP voting. That May, he inked a four-year, $52,800,000 extension with Cairo. They won the Nile Division by one game at 88-74 and were ousted in the first round by Casablanca. 2023 had Sayed’s highs for home runs (50) and RBI (132). Cairo’s division title streak continued through 2025 but they couldn’t get back to the conference finals. Apart from the strong 2020 run, Sayed’s playoff stats were notably weak. Over 24 starts for the Pharaohs, he had 23 hits, 12 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 6 homers, 13 RBI, 35 strikeouts, .240/.275/.521 slash, 98 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. His overall production remained steady through the end of his deal after the 2025 season when he declined his contract option. For Cairo, Sayed played 1557 games with 1787 hits, 1028 runs, 425 doubles, 108 triples, 410 home runs, 1105 RBI, 274 walks, 1519 strikeouts, 456 steals, .311/.353/.636 slash, 158 wRC+, and 55.8 WAR. Sayed remained popular for his role in the Pharaohs’ playoff run and his #3 uniform would later be retired. Now 31-years old, Sayed went to divisional rival Alexandria on a four-year, $60,200,000 deal. This kept him in Egypt as he had already been a regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2018-29 and in 2032, Sayed played 126 games with 98 hits, 61 runs, 14 doubles, 6 triples, 28 homers, 65 RBI, .223/.291/.474 slash, and 2.5 WAR. The Egyptians notably had a division title in 2027, their first since 2015. They also made it back in 2032, although Sayed had a limited role that year. Alexandria took over the Nile Division throne from Cairo with Sayed in 2026-27, but both years saw second round exits. His playoff results were poor going 3-19 over five starts. The regular season results were in-line with his expected production and he won his lone Gold Glove in 2027. For the Astronauts, Sayed played 304 games with 343 hits, 199 runs, 87 doubles, 20 triples, 77 homers, 200 RBI, .300/.357/.613 slash, 141 wRC+, and 8.3 WAR. He opted out of his contract and returned to free agency in 2028 at age 33. Sayed ended up with Casablanca on a four-year, $60 million deal. It was a rebuilding era for the Bruins, who averaged 73 wins per season over Sayed’s three seasons there. He was down from his prior peaks, but was still a capable starter with good power. In 419 games, Sayed had 451 hits, 235 runs, 113 doubles, 18 triples, 94 homers, 273 RBI, 96 walks, 116 steals, .287/.336/.562 slash, 125 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. While there, Sayed earned his 2500^th hit and 1500^th RBI. Sayed declined the fourth-year option and went to Baghdad for 2031 on a three-year, $18,300,000 deal. He got his 600^th homer and 1500^th run in June 2031, but it was an otherwise forgettable run. Sayed had his standard tallies in 2031, but injuries kept him out for two months in 2032 and his production dipped. He was also reduced to a part-time role in 2033, but was able to breach 700 career doubles; a mark met only 22 players in all of baseball history. Baghdad was firmly mid-tier while he was there, playing 338 games with 357 hits, 191 runs, 77 doubles, 20 triples, 66 homers, 195 RBI, .284/.341/.534 slash, 127 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR. Sayed hoped to still play somewhere in 2034, but teams figured he was past his shelf life. After going unsigned all year, Sayed officially filed for retirement just after his 40^th birthday. Sayed finished with 2618 games, 2938 hits, 1653 runs, 702 doubles, 166 triples, 647 home runs, 1773 RBI, 535 walks, 2630 strikeouts, 758 steals, .302/.349/.608 slash, 147 wRC+, and 80.7 WAR. He ranks 13^th in games, 13^th in runs, 13^th in hits, 6^th in total bases (5913), 8^th in doubles, 16^th in triples, 21^st in homers, 17^th in RBI, 10^th in strikeouts, and 22^nd in WAR among position players. On the world leaderboard, he is 21^st all-time in doubles. Among Arab League Baseball hitters with 3000+ plate appearances, Sayed’s slugging is 37^th and his .957 OPS is 40^th. He’s a guy who maybe didn’t get as much attention as his total would suggest since he was steady and never had any bonkers single seasons. Sayed’s Hall of Fame candidacy though was quite firm with those tallies and he headlined a two-man 2039 class for ALB at 91.6%. Lyes “Gonzo” Adel – First Base/Designated Hitter – Suez Sabres – 79.2% First Ballot Lyes Adel was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting first baseman and designated hitter from M’Rirt, Morocco; a town of 35,000. Nicknamed “Gonzo,” Adel was a very well-rounded batter facing right-handed pitching with strong grades for contact and power. He had a career 153 wRC+ and .989 OPS against RHP, but the downside was mediocre results against lefties with an 88 wRC+ and .733 OPS. On the whole, he was better than most in ALB at avoiding strikeouts, but below average at drawing walks. Adel never had prolific power, but he got you plenty of extra bases with 32 home runs, 40 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. He had rock solid speed and was an excellent baserunner and thief. Adel made just over half of his starts as a first baseman with subpar defensive metrics. He generally was a designated hitter otherwise with occasional use at second, but he was atrocious at 2B. Adel’s durability was generally good over a 19-year career. He wasn’t disruptive, but he was considered a bit self-centered and greedy by some peers. In January 2012, Adel left Morocco for the United Arab Emirates on a developmental deal with Abu Dhabi. He spent two-and-a-half years in the Destroyers academy, but never played a game for them. In June 2015, Adel was part of a four-player trade with Riyadh. He debuted with 19 plate appearances for the Rats that fall. Adel saw part-time use and occasional starts the next two years, although his results were unimpressive. Adel saw a platoon role in 2018 with better results, then was a full-time starter after that in Riyadh. He was a steady starter and notably led the Eastern Conference in doubles (57) and total bases (392) in 2021; both career highs. Adel’s lone Silver Slugger (at 2B) and a third place in MVP voting came in 2022, his only time as an MVP finalist. He led in average (.395), slugging (.754), OPS (1.185), wRC+ (204), and WAR (8.3). Those would all be career highs along with his .431 OBP and 18 triples. Riyadh was generally above .500 during this tenure, but were stuck in a division with Jeddah’s dynasty run. The Rats set a franchise-record 100-62 in 2019, but the Jackals won the division at 104-58 and left Riyadh out of the playoffs. They hovered around the .500 mark the next few years. With his big 2022 effort, Adel was now a hot property as he was due free agency. He left the Rats to test the market heading towards his age 28 season. Adel’s longest tenure by games was with Suez, signing an eight-year, $179,400,000 deal for 2023. He led in hits in 2023 at 222 and posted his career high 123 runs and 136 RBI. In 2026, Adel had his career best 43 home runs and hit for the cycle a second time. His numbers were steady and solid, but he never came close to that 2022 run. Adel did notably struggle to 0.7 WAR and 105 wRC+ in 2027, but bounced back in 2028. However, he was back to around league average his final two years with the Sabres. Suez was an expansion team from 2016 and largely struggled. Adel helped them to their first winning season in 2026 at 83-79, but they collapsed to 53-109 the next year. The Sabres wouldn’t be back above water until after he departed. Still, he was reliable and Adel’s #7 uniform would later be retired by Suez. For the Sabres, he had 1239 games, 1480 hits, 771 runs, 301 doubles, 54 triples, 267 home runs, 776 RBI, 496 steals, .313/.347/.568 slash, 132 wRC+, and 27.5 WAR. Now 36, Adel went back to Riyadh in 2031 on a one-year minimum deal. He missed two months to a torn hamstring, but had a decent year with 2.3 WAR and 125 wRC+ in 106 games. The Rats got a wild card and lost in the second round, but Adel finally got to see a postseason game. Between Riyadh runs, Adel had 1047 games, 854 starts, 1180 hits, 631 runs, 276 doubles, 70 triples, 196 homers, 682 RBI, 304 steals, .326/.364/.604 slash, 153 wRC+, and 30.9 WAR. Adel joined Dubai in 2032 with 0.6 WAR and 106 wRC+ over 119 games, missing time to another hamstring tear. He then finished with Sulaymaniyah in 2033 with 0.8 WAR and 115 wRC+ in 113 games, missing part of the spring to a fractured tibia. With the Sultans, he did cross the 500 home run and 1500 runs scored milestones. Adel retired after the 2033 season at age 38. In total, Adel played 2518 games with 2882 hits, 1522 runs, 614 doubles, 134 triples, 505 home runs, 1587 RBI, 532 walks, 1589 strikeouts, 865 steals, .315/.352/.577 slash, 138 wRC+, and 59.8 WAR. Adel ranks 24^th in games, 23^rd in runs, 16^th in hits, 22^nd in total bases (5279), 21^st in doubles, 36^th in triples, 49^th in homers, 26^th in RBI, and 62^nd in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Adel’s average is 64^th, slugging is 76^th, and his .923 OPS is 77^th. A few Hall of Fame voters shunned Adel between the lack of awards and team success, along with the DH penalty. But most saw 2500+ hits, 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, 600+ doubles, and 500+ homers and checked “yes” with little hesitation. Adel received 79.2% for a first ballot nod as the second member of Arab League Baseball’s 2039 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)

01-12-2026, 07:10 AM	#2664
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	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)

01-13-2026, 06:39 AM	#2665
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 AAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Herve Otepa – First Base – Lubumbashi Loggerheads – 68.4% Tenth Ballot Herve Otepa was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Mbandaka, a city of 1,187,000 citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Otepa was a consistent hitter who was never amazing at any one thing, but was generally above average-to-good across the board. He did have better stats facing right-handed pitching (.896 OPS, 139 wRC+) compared to lefties (.809 OPS, 119 wRC+). Otepa’s 162 game average got you 29 home runs, 30 doubles, and 9 triples. Offensively, Otepa’s most standout quality was excellent baserunning and stealing ability, although having merely good speed kept him from bigger steal totals. He was a career first baseman and a top notch defender, winning eight Gold Gloves. Otepa’s durability was generally solid and he had a top notch work ethic. He was the definition of a team player, but wasn’t a guy to take the leadership mantle. Still, Otepa’s loyalty and consistency made him a fan favorite. Otepa signed a developmental deal with Lubumbashi in December 2002 and spent four full seasons in their academy. He debuted in 2007 at age 21 with 34 games, then took on a full-time starting job from 2008 onward. Otepa was the 2008 Rookie of the Year in the Central Conference, then won Gold Gloves from 2009-13. After the 2013 season, Otepa signed an eight-year, $42,840,000 extension with the Loggerheads. Despite his loyalty and efforts, Lubumbashi was mostly mediocre in his tenure. They hovered mostly in the 70s wins range in Otepa’s early years, but fell toward rock bottom from 2016-18 with 61.6 wins per season. Luckily for the Loggerheads, the promotion/relegation system wouldn’t start for a few more years. Those bad years were Otepa’s best offensively, winning his only Silver Sluggers in 2016 and 2018. He also won two more Gold Gloves in 2017-18. Otepa never was a conference leader though or an MVP finalist. Otepa did get to play on the tournament stage for his native DR Congo from 2009-23, although they never advanced during his years. He played 111 games and started 92 with 94 hits, 45 runs, 14 doubles, 20 homers, 62 RBI, .272/.345/.499 slash, 140 wRC+, and 3.7 WAR. With Lubumbashi, Otepa had 1824 games, 2003 hits, 1110 runs, 338 doubles, 108 triples, 348 home runs, 1085 RBI, 583 walks, 1208 strikeouts, 661 steals, .296/.357/.531 slash, 141 wRC+, and 55.1 WAR. In his last year there in 2019, the Loggerheads did finally rebound to 91-71, although they wouldn’t crack the playoff picture until after Otepa was gone. He opted out of his contract after the 2019 season, becoming a free agent for his age 34 season. Otepa ended up in Mozambique on a five-year, $43 million deal with Maputo. The Piranhas had won a pennant in 2017 and had remained just above .500 to end the decade. They hovered in the 70s win range in Otepa’s first two years as he was still a capable starter, although his bat was weaker than his Lubumbashi standard. Maputo would collapse to last place at 65-97 in 2022 and unfortunately for them, that was the first year of promotion/relegation with the African Second League. He didn’t opt of his deal and played 2023 in A2L with similar results. Maputo did win the A2L title, getting promoted right back up. However, injury kept Otepa from the postseason and he never had a playoff game in his career. The Piranhas were a solid 89-73 in their 2024 return to AAB’s top flight, but Otepa was limited to a part-time role. For his five years with Maputo (including the A2L year), Otepa had 643 games, 667 hits, 383 runs, 125 doubles, 32 triples, 95 home runs, 357 RBI, 191 walks, 225 steals, .282/.344/.482 slash, 114 wRC+, and 11.2 WAR. He hoped to still play somewhere in 2025, but went unsigned all year and retired that winter at age 39. Not counting the A2L season, Otepa finished with 2331 games, 2500 hits, 1385 runs, 426 doubles, 133 triples, 416 home runs, 1336 RBI, 724 walks, 1575 strikeouts, 848 steals, .290/.352/.516 slash, 135 wRC+ and 64.6 WAR. Otepa ranks 18^th in games, 25^th in runs, 17^th in hits, 24^th in total bases (4440), 58^th in doubles, 6^th in triples, 53^rd in homers, 28^th in RBI, 20^th in steals, 66^th in walks, and 26^th in WAR for position players. For many Hall of Fame voters, those totals and Otepa’s tenure got him across the line. However, he had a lot of doubters who dismissed him as a compiler who was merely above average for a long while. Otepa never was a conference leader, never an MVP finalist, and never part of a playoff run. For some, that meant he was, at best, a Hall of Pretty Good-er. Otepa debuted at 54.1% on the 2030 ballot, then dropped to what would be his low of 41.4% the next year. He oscillated between the 40s and 50s, but didn’t seem to be making the progress needed to cross the 66% induction threshold. 2039 was Otepa’s last chance and his popularity and affable personality meant there was a campaign by fans to boost his profile. That plan worked, getting Otepa to 68.4% to join the African Association of Baseball’s 2039 HOF class. He was the third player to make it into AAB’s Hall on the last chance, joining 2021 inductee Boubacar Mavinga and Abebe Chekol from 2022. Teo Tokala – Starting Pitcher – Brazzaville Blowfish – 66.6% Seventh Ballot Teo Tokala was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tokala was known for having excellent control and movement along with good stuff. His fastball peaked in the 99-101 mph range and was joined by a slider, splitter, and changeup. Tokala had significant splits with a fantastic 2.69 ERA, 150 ERA+, and 61 FIP- against right-handed bats compared to a lackluster 4.28 ERA, 95 ERA+, and 107 FIP- facing lefties. Compared to other AAB aces, Tokala had solid stamina when healthy. However, a series of major injuries greatly limited his final output. Tokala was above average at holding runners but weak defensively. The main knock on him was his lazy and selfish personality. Growing up as a prospect in Kinshasa drew attention on the other side of the Congo River in Brazzaville. The Blowfish signed Tokala to a developmental deal in March 2008. After five years in the academy, Tokala debuted in 2013 with a mostly full load, although he had subpar results as a rookie. He was a full-timer after that and a legit ace by his third year. In 2015, Tokala was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with what would be a career-best 2.47 ERA. Prior to this, Brazzaville had never made the playoffs or won more than 88 games. The Blowfish finished 102-60 to make the playoffs, but finished behind their cross-river rival Kinshasa at 109-53. Brazzaville upset the Sun Cats in a 4-3 classic in the Central Conference Championship. The Blowfish then outlasted Johannesburg 5-4 to claim the Africa Series. Tokala had mixed playoff results with a 3.24 ERA in three starts with 10 Ks in 16.2 innings. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had a mediocre 4.91 ERA with 32 Ks in 29.1 innings as the Blowfish finished 8-11. 2015 also was Tokala’s first year in the World Baseball Championship pitching for the DR Congo. From 2015-26, Tokala had 123 innings, 3.15 ERA, 10-4 record, 131 strikeouts, and 3.3 WAR. Tokala was the WARlord at 7.3 in 2016, taking third in POTY voting. Brazzaville improved to 104-58, but again was second in the standings to Kinshasa by three games. Yet again, the Blowfish upset the Sun Cats in the conference finals, this time 4-2. Brazzaville beat Johannesburg in an Africa Series rematch 5-3 to repeat as champs. This time, Tokala had an excellent playoff effort with a 0.95 ERA over 19 innings with 18 Ks and 0.9 WAR. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn labrum in the game eight finale that knocked him out of the BGC. Tokala was back by the 2017 season and had three straight 6+ WAR seasons. Brazzaville at 98-64 fell one win short of the playoffs in 2017. They were a 97-65 wild card in 2018, but lost 4-1 to 111-win Kampala in the conference finals. For the first time, Brazzaville took first in the standings at 107-55 in 2019. The Blowfish topped 104-58 Bujumbura 4-2 in the conference final, but lost 5-2 to Luanda in the Africa Series. Tokala had another strong playoff run in defeat with a 1.90 ERA over 23.2 innings. He also won his lone Pitcher of the Year in 2019 with a career best 21 wins and 22 quality starts. Tokala’s best WAR was 8.0 in 2020 and he led in wins again, although he was second in POTY voting. That May, he signed a five-year, $36,320,000 extension with the Blowfish. Brazzaville had their final playoff trip of the run, falling 4-3 to Kampala in the conference final. He struggled in his one playoff start, but finished with strong numbers in his Blowfish career with a 2.69 ERA over 73.2 innings, 49 Ks, 152 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 2.1 WAR. He saw a dip in production in 2021 as Brazzaville dropped to 80-82. They fell off a cliff to 64-98 in 2021, but luckily promotion/relegation wouldn’t start until the next year. Tokala was back to better results in 2022, but ended the season with forearm inflammation. Then in May 2023, Tokala suffered a partially torn UCL that ended his time with the Blowfish. In the winter, Brazzaville traded Tokala to Lubumbashi for three prospects. With the Blowfish, he finished with a 147-98 record, 3.21 ERA, 2297 innings, 2107 strikeouts, 73 complete games, 19 shutouts, 124 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 57.4 WAR. For his role in Brazzaville’s great dynasty, Tokala’s #45 uniform was retired. The Loggerheads were just outside of the playoffs at this point and hoped Tokala would bounce back from the injury. 2024 was snake-bitten for Tokala with a strained hamstring in the spring, followed by a torn labrum in September. Lubumbashi went onto win the Africa Series as a 94-win wild card, but Tokala watched from a sling. Despite the back-to-back big injuries, the Loggerheads gave Tokala a five-year, $50 million extension in April 2025. This was a poor choice, as he never pitched another full season and had merely above average results. Various smaller injuries plagued him in 2025. In June 2026, Tokala suffered a damaged elbow ligament with a 12 month recovery time. This also tanked his velocity from a previous triple-digit peak to the low 90s for 2027. He was decent in 20.1 innings in his 2027 return, but Tokala opted to retire in the winter at age 35. For Lubumbashi, he had an 18-19 record, 3.92 ERA, 305.1 innings, 241 strikeouts, 115 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 6.1 WAR. Tokala finished with a 165-117 record, 3.29 ERA, 2602.1 innings, 2348 strikeouts, 543 walks, 202/345 quality starts, 75 complete games, 20 shutouts, 123 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 63.5 WAR. He ranks 25^th in wins, 26^th in innings, 38^th in strikeouts, 25^th in complete games, 5^th in shutouts, and 14^th in WAR for pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Tokala is 29^th in ERA, 22^nd in opponent’s OPS (.653), 14^th in WHIP (1.07), 76^th in H/9 (7.71), and 22^nd in BB/9 (1.88). The rate stats were certainly elite for Tokala and he had a Pitcher of the Year win along with an important role in a dynasty. However, his totals were lowered greatly with his last full season at age 30. Many voters felt Tokala simply didn’t have enough longevity. His personality also didn’t win him adoration from certain Hall of Fame voters. Tokala debuted at only 48.4% in 2033 and went to 53.3%, then 47.2% in the following years. He then held firm at the 55% mark for the next three years, which made some observers think that was his peak. For his seventh try in 2039, Tokala got the boost to 66.6%, sneaking by the 66% threshold. With that, he capped off 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)

01-14-2026, 08:40 AM	#2666
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2038-39 Offseason (Part 1) There were three free agents who got eight-year deals worth more than $300 million in the offseason. The highest of these was RF Kadhiri Sassou, who was a West African Baseball MVP in 2035 with Libreville. The 29-year old Nigerian righty stayed in WAB on an eight-year, $322,500,000 deal with Nouakchott. This made Sassau the second-highest paid player in WAB behind only Douala’s Ram Lengani, whose $374,500,000 deal is the second-biggest in the world. Former Merida LF Kenneth Armstrong had a lot of attention as he interested the market at only age 25 coming off an 8.4 WAR, 51 homer season. The Jamaican left CABA for Major League Baseball on an eight-year, $312 million deal with Chicago. Another big move to MLB came from LF James Pham, who had won a Southeast Asian League MVP with Colombo in 2035. The 27-year old Vietnamese righty moved to San Francisco at $304 million over eight years. Four-time American Association MVP Alair White left Vancouver after an eight-year run and ended up with San Diego on a seven-year, $245,500,000 deal. He and SS Paulo Constancia were the two batters rated as five-star players on the market. Constancia left Havana on a seven-year, $283 million deal with MLB’s Houston. Another CABA stud who left for MLB was 1B Alton Reinoso, the reigning Mexican League MVP with Tijuana and a three-time MVP. The 31-year old Nicaraguan lefty joined Baltimore at six years and $186 million. The reigning Indian League MVP R.C. Gutta left his hometown club Patna and came to Cleveland with the 31-year old LF joining at $135,600,000 over five years. Some famous names were also on the move late in their career. 42-year old Grenadan 3B Jamel Forsyth remains in MLB after a three-year run with Houston on a one-year, $44 million deal with Grand Rapids. Six-time Japan League MVP Masanori Fukuoka moved on after15 seasons with Niigata, as the 37-year old LF inked a two-year deal with Hiroshima. A fractured ankle kept him out most of the prior season. Five-time Southern Cone League MVP Paco Amorim joined La Paz for a two-year deal after an epic 20-year run with Arequipa. Six-time APB MVP James Yuwono joined for two years with Batam, which will be his fourth team. He was most recently with Medan and Bandung, but had become a star with Pekanbaru. With a good season, Yuwono could crack the world top 100 for WAR. And veteran 1B Yossoupha Diop signed for one year with Yaounde at age 42 as he chases a number of big statistical milestones in WAB. The biggest name on the pitching free agent list was Mohammed Otu, winner of three straight Pitcher of the Year awards in WAB for Accra. He made the jump to MLB with Charlotte at $154,800,000 over six years. The biggest overall deal for a pitcher was Japan’s Atsuo Sugaya, twice the WARlord with Sendai. The 29-year old left for Hamamatsu at $266 million over seven years. The other big new deal was SP Tommy Nunn, who ultimately returned to Brooklyn after testing the market for a month. The 32-year old got a new six-year, $237,500,000 deal with the Dodgers. Two-time Bolivar League POTY Orlando Cepeda left for America on a five-year, $146,800,000 deal. By star rating, Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu was the lone five-star pitcher on the market, but the 35-year old was coming off a torn labrum. Reigning Baseball Grand Champion Kampala gave him a shot on a two-year deal in hopes the two-time POTY could return to form. __________________ 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)

01-14-2026, 07:11 PM	#2667
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2038-39 Offseason (Part 2) Below are the top-rated batters in the world entering the 2039 season. The highest total value contract is Hiroshima 1B Hyung-Gwang Sohn in the last year of his $391,500,000 deal. Sohn and Douala’s Ram Lengani have the highest yearly mark for 2039 at $53 million. Below are the top-rated pitchers in the world. Omaha’s Callum McGonagal still has the richest deal in the final season of a $349 million contract. The highest yearly salary for a 2039 pitcher is Semarang’s Yuchi Jiang at $45 million. MILESTONE WATCH Seattle’s Milton Ramirez is chasing the elusive 4000 hit milestone, entering the season at 3858. Ramirez is also at 1148 stolen bases, close to passing Bill Tan’s 1177 for the MLB career record. Former MLB star and current WAB player Mark Johnston has an outside shot of 4000 combined pro hits, entering the season at 3797. Johnston also is only 14 runs from the 2000 club. Jackson Brafford enters with 846 home runs; only two others in MLB have breached 850. The 38-year old Orlando 1B has an outside shot to get to 900, as he has smacked 40+ in all 17 of his seasons. In CABA, LF Benedetto Rodriguez is at 3309 hits. Only five in CABA have gotten to 3500 previously. CABA wins (346) and strikeouts leader (5934) Israel Montague is on the doorstep of two major milestones. Only five in world history have 350+ wins only five have 6000+ Ks. The 41-year old is at 159.1 WAR and could pass Ulices Montero for the leader among CABA pitchers (165.6). BSA’s Paco Amorim is now with La Paz after 20 seasons with Arequipa. He is at 2070 runs, in striking distance of Niccolo Coelho’s league-record 2133. Taoyuan’s Wei-Yin Wang has 3409 hits, giving him a shot to pass Junior Sanchez’s 3564 for the APB record. Former APB legend Binh Tang continues in MLB with Washington at age 39. He has a combined 195.9 career WAR with a chance of being only the fifth in world history with 200+. Medina’s Kamal Qasim has 3316 hits and should easily move into the Arab League’s #2 spot. Ahmed Yasser Basha is the only one in ALB with 3500+, entering his 20^th season with 3597 hits. ABF home run king Sultan Han is eight away from the elusive 900 club. He’s also chasing Hakan Mocuk (2132) for the ABF RBI record, entering at 2019. Han also has 1809 runs with a shot at Mehmet Fatih Canaydin’s record 1880. Youssoupha Diop joined Yaounde at age 42 with 3953 hits, 2397 runs, 774 doubles, 958 homers, and 2615 RBI; giving him a shot at numerous all-time milestones. WAB’s Junior Jose also notably enters with 839 home runs. EPB’s Dmitri Khoadakovsky is 12 dingers from being EPB’s fourth with 700 homers. He could conceivably reach Konrad Mazur’s record 740 with a monster year, but he needs to bounce back from a career-worst 2038 to do so. CLB’s Syamsul Azzahari is the league leader for homers and runs. He is only 12 RBI away from claiming that top spot and 30 total bases from that one. It is less likely reachable in 2039, but Azzahari is also only 221 away from becoming CLB hits king. ALB’s Hassan Shanshol is set to become the world leader in stolen bases barring a major setback. He signed with Tripoli for 2039 at age 37 with 1991 career steals, four from Carsten Dal’s world record and nine short of becoming the only man with 2000 swipes. __________________ 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)

01-15-2026, 09:31 AM	#2668
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 World Baseball Championship (Part 1) The 2039 World Baseball Championship was the 93^rd edition and the primary host city was Algiers, Algeria. In Division 1, the Dominican Republic ended on an eight-game winning streak to finish first at 15-3, pulling away from both Scotland and Poland at 13-5. It was the DR’s fourth playoff trip and first since 2025. The five-time defending world champ United States looked to keep its dynasty run alive, claiming D2 at 15-3. South Africa was the only close foe at 13-5 and did split their pair with the US. The Americans have moved on 70 times in tournament history and did it for the entire 2030s. The USA’ s+78 run differential was the second-best of all division champs for 2039. China nearly blew their Division 3 lead as they lost their final three, while Angola had a five-game winning streak to close and Malaysia a six-game run (both including wins over China) The Chinese and Angolans finished tied at 13-5 while the Malaysians were 12-6. China’s loss to Angola was 7-5 in 10 innings, but their 5-2 win earlier gave them the differential tiebreaker by one run. The Chinese advanced for the 32^nd time overall and the fifth time in the 2030s. Japan dominated Division 4 at 15-3, four wins better than last year’s third place finisher Austria and Bangladesh. The Japanese advanced for the 29^th time overall and since 2027 have moved forward nine times. India at 14-4 outraced 13-5 Thailand to secure Division 5. The Indians earned 7-1 and 5-2 victories over the Thais when they met. It was India’s 17^th playoff berth with more than half coming in the last 15 years. Division 6 saw South Korea (14-4) hang on against the Netherlands (13-5) and Egypt (12-6). The Koreans picked up their 23^rd playoff appearance and fourth of the decade. They had split with both the Dutch and Egyptians in their pairs. It was only the second miss in eight years for Egypt, who had emerged as a regular contender in recent years. Somalia at 13-5 won Division 7 in a tight fight over Mexico (12-6) and last year’s fourth place squad Spain (11-7). They earned their spot by beating the Spanish 3-2 and the Mexicans 1-0 in their final two games. The Somalis have four berths total, coming over the last seven years. Division 8 had a tie at the top with Saudi Arabia and Argentina at 13-5, while last year’s runner-up Brazil was 12-6. The Saudis had the differential tiebreaker with a 6-0 win and 4-1 loss against the Argentines. Saudi Arabia became the 94^th unique nation to earn a playoff trip. The Brazilians had a better differential than both, but went 1-5 in one-run games. They split with Argentina, but lost both games to the Saudis by 3-1 and 7-6 margins. The latter game had a six-run eighth inning rally by the KSA. Venezuela took Division 9 at 13-5, finishing two ahead of Paraguay, Belgium, and North Macedonia. The Venezuelans earned back-to-back playoff trips and their ninth overall. Indonesia cruised to 15-3 in Division 10 with Libya a distant second at 12-6. The Indonesians ended on a ten-game winning streak to earn their 34^th playoff trip and fourth consecutive. Since 2028, Indonesian has missed the next round only thrice. Russia rolled to the D11 crown at 14-4 with the Democratic Republic of the Congo next at 12-6 and three others at 11-7. The Russians at +81 had the best run differential of all teams in the divisional stage. Russia picked up its 21^st playoff trip and fifth of the decade. Bosnia and Herzegovina was an abysmal 1-17, becoming the first team in event history to lose 17 games. Iraq finished strong securing Division 12 at 14-4 ahead of the Philippines at 13-5. It was the Iraqis’ second playoff trip joining the 2036 effort. They split their pair with the Filipinos with a 7-5 win and 6-4 loss. Division 13 had a tie for first at 12-6 with Haiti and Ethiopia, while the Czech Republic was 11-7 and three others were 10-8; Switzerland, Sweden, and Pakistan. The Haitians advanced having swept the Ethiopians on 7-6 and 5-3 wins. Haiti ‘s 4-0 mark in one-run games and a five-game winning streak to close propelled them forward. The Haitians advanced for the sixth time and first since 2031. France and Taiwan were even atop Division 14 at 13-5 while Croatia and Chile were next at 11-7. The French had the tiebreaker on differential over the Taiwanese with a 5-2 win and 3-2 loss. It was the 18^th playoff trip for France and the second in five years. Germany had an impressive 15-3 run in Division 15 with only Vietnam (13-5) staying competitive with them. The Germans picked up their 18^th berth and fourth of the decade. Germany swept their pair over the Vietnamese 2-1 and 3-2, taking the latter on a two-run walkoff homer. Lastly in Division 16, Australia (15-3) emphatically won their finale 10-2 over Kenya, putting the Kenyans second at 13-5. Their earlier meeting had been an 18-inning marathon win for the Aussies. Australia advanced for the third straight year and 11^th time overall. Them, the USA, and Venezuela were the only teams from the 2038 playoff field to advance again in 2039. __________________ 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) Last edited by FuzzyRussianHat; 01-15-2026 at 09:34 AM.

01-15-2026, 07:37 PM	#2669
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 World Baseball Championship (Part 2) In the Double Round Robin Group A, India (5-1) and the United States (4-2) advanced while Haiti (3-3) and South Korea (0-6) were ousted. Group B had Japan (5-1) advanced along with 3-3 Venezuela while both France and the Dominican Republic were 2-4. Group C had a three-way tie at 4-2 with China, Indonesia, and Germany; while Saudi Arabia was 0-6. It was a rock-paper-scissors of splits between the three, so it came down to run differential. The Germans (+4) and China (0) moved forward with the Indonesians (-4) the odd team out. Australia was the best in Group D at 4-2, while both Iraq and Somalia were 3-3. Russia, despite having the best run differential in the divisional round, fell at 2-4. The Somalis had the differential tiebreaker over the Iraqis as their win was 9-1, while the defeat was 5-4. Notably, all six populated continents were represented in the elite eight, which had only happened previously back in 1998. The quarterfinals were all 2-0 sweeps, only the second time that has happened since the format switch in 2031. Venezuela won the opener 5-1 over India, then survived a 15-inning game two with a 4-3 score. Desmond Cantu ended it with a leadoff solo homer. It was only the third time the Venezuelans had gotten to the semifinal, joining their 2016 runner-up finish and fourth place in 1951. The United States held on 7-6 in game one over Japan, getting all of their runs in the fifth inning. The Americans took game two 7-3 for their 62^nd semifinal berth. Every year in the 2030s fans 2033 saw the US in the championship. Somalia won an opening pitcher’s duel 1-0 over Germany with a two-hitter by Abdullahi Ali. A 4-3 result in game two sent the Somalis forward for the second time, joining their shocking 2036 runner-up campaign. Australia meanwhile earned 3-1 and 11-3 wins over China, sending them to their fourth-ever final four. The Aussies had taken fourth two years prior and in 2012, while their lone finals berth was 1982’s runner-up finish. The Americans opened the semifinal with an explosive 15-4 win over Venezuela. The US grabbed game two 6-1, but the Venezuelans avoided the sweep with a 6-2 result in game three. In game four, the Americans got cushion with a solo homer in the top of the ninth. Venezuela matched to lead off the bottom half, but the next three batters struck out for a 4-3 result. The US earned its 58^th trip to the World Championship. Australia started with a strong 8-4 win over Somalia, but the latter took control on the mound after that. 5-1, 6-1, and 4-1 Somali wins gave them the series, setting up a rematch of the 2036 finals. It was a shock when they made it the first time, but now the world was aware of the likes of Abdullahi Ali. He had a one-hit victory in the clincher with 19 strikeouts. Venezuela officially finished third and Australia fourth. __________________ 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)

01-16-2026, 05:45 AM	#2670
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 World Baseball Championship (Part 3) The United States was on another historic run as they looked for a sixth straight world title and their eighth in nine years. One of the wins came 4-1 over Somalia in 2036. The Somalis were back for the 93^rd World Championship and trying to become the third African nation to take the top prize. The Americans started with 7-3 and 2-1 wins, benefiting from Ali still needing to rest up from the prior series. With Ali, Somalia took game three in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel. Game four was another epic duel that went 13 innings. In the top half, Dave Pacini had a leadoff single, then was knocked in on a triple by Brandon McElveen in route to a 1-0 US win. The bats were back in game five as the United States clinched with a 9-4 victory, putting the Americans at an incredible 49-9 all-time in the finale. It was the second-longest title streak in WBC history, as the US had seven straight from 1971-77. It is the first time that a team won eight titles over a nine year stretch. The Americans set event records for hits (324), doubles (63), and walks (137) while their 216 runs were third-most. Pittsburgh 3B Uriah Easton led the way for the American offense, leading the way in WAR (2.8), hits (43), runs (36), steals (35), and walks (29). The steals and walks were both single-event records. The runs were second-most behind Thomas Rich’s 39 in 2031 and the hits were fourth-best. The 25-year old Chicago native also had a .983 OPS, 8 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers, and 13 RBI. Las Vegas’ Mason Dixon led the pitching staff with a 0.72 ERA over 49.2 innings with 67 strikeouts and 2.0 WAR. Somalia’s Ali had an all-timer effort pitching, yet somehow finished second in Best Pitcher voting. He set event records for wins (8-0) and strikeouts (118), while posting a 0.75 ERA and one save in nine appearances with 60.1 innings, seven quality starts, 490 ERA+, 5 FIP-, and 4.54 WAR. Ali’s WAR was the second-best by any player in WBC history, behind only Nick Hedrick’s 4.66 on the mound for the US in 1957. The 27-year old Kampala ace posted maybe the best-ever 12 month stretch a pitcher ever had. Ali won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in 2038 with a 377 K, 2.47 ERA, 10.7 WAR season. In the playoffs, he had a 1.06 ERA, 34 innings, 58 Ks, and 2.5 WAR as the Peacocks won the Africa Series. Kampala then won the Baseball Grand Championship with Ali posting 3.3 WAR and 83 Ks in 44 innings. Adding those all up saw 21.0 WAR over 360.1 innings, 636 strikeouts, a 30-9 record, 10 saves, and a 1.90 ERA. On the reverse side, his Somali teammate Osman Sheikh set bad event records going 0-7 with 64 hits allowed, both new worsts. Sheikh had a 6.79 ERA over 50.1 innings and -0.8 WAR. The lack of depth ultimately doomed the Somalis against the American juggernaut. Beating out Ali somehow for Best Pitcher was Australia’s David Sherman, a 31-year old closer for Tahiti. In 23.2 innings, he had a 0.38 ERA, 43 strikeouts, 3-0 record, 1 save, 974 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. France’s Elias Daniel also deserves a mention as he became the first in WBC history with three shutouts in one event. The Naples lefty had a 0.33 ERA over 27.2 innings with 29 Ks and 1.4 WAR. Tournament MVP was Russia’s Maksim Krutov, the four-time EPB MVP with Nizhny Novgorod. The 33-year old LF is entering his second year with Vladivostok in 2039. Krutov in 23 games had 33 hits, 23 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homers, 18 RBI, 1.199 OPS, 245 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. Other notes: North Macedonia’s Kristijan Bozhinovski set a new event record with five triples. The 2039 event had three no-hitters coming from Senegal’s Ibrahima Ndaw, Nicaragua’s Bret Poblano, and Belgium’s Mika Persoons. 2039 also bizarrely had four players hit for the cycle; Armenia’s Azgush Kotanidy, Hungary’s Laszlo Kiss, Peru’s Roberto Villanueva, and Slovakia’s Bohuslav Vlasko. Prior to that, there had only been 23 total cycles in event history and never before had multiples happened in the same year. Japan’s Masanori Fukuoka and American Alair White both reached 100+ career homers in the event. The Philippines’ Jimmy Caliw is the event leader with 121, while American Connor Neumeyer has 111, Vietnam’s Binh Tang has 104, White has 103, and Fukuoka 101. Amazingly, White has done it in only seven tournaments, getting the extra at-bats with the USA’s current dynasty run. White also became the 7^th in event history with 200+ RBI. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats: __________________ 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)

01-16-2026, 10:32 PM	#2671
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 in ET3 Riga looked to make an immediate escape from European Tier Three after getting relegated there for 2039. The Roosters succeeded at 102-60, running away from the rest of the field. For the remaining three promotions, eight teams realistically had a shot entering the final month. Gdansk and London had built up the largest cushions of this group as both were 57-37 at the all-star break. This put them four wins ahead of the rest of that crew, but five behind Riga. Next was Ostrava and Bilbao at 53-41, Bordeaux at 52-42, and both The Hague and Newcastle at 50-44. Despite being 47-47 at the break, Lviv also threw itself into the fight with the best second half at 45-23. The Blue Angels and Hackers also won 40+ games in the back-end. The Gunners’ cushion narrowly got them the #2 spot at 94-68 to earn their second-ever promotion, as they were the 2030 ET3 champ. There ended up a three-way tie for the remaining two spots at 93-69 between London, Bordeaux, and The Hague. Both Lviv and Ostrava finished one win short at 92-70, while Bilbao (88-74) and Newcastle (87-75) both faded. Two tiebreaker games would be needed to decide the final two promotions. The Hague had ended the season on a six-game winning streak, while the Monarchs were 7-3 in their last ten. The Blue Angels dropped four of their last five, including losing a three-game series to last place Ruhr. The first tiebreaker game would see London hosting The Hague, which was scoreless entering the eighth inning. The Hackers went ahead with two runs in the eighth, but the Monarchs ended it on a dramatic walkoff grand slam by Brady Arthur. London escaped ET3 after a two-year stint. The Hague would get a second shot to advance, but Bordeaux bested them 3-2 in the second tiebreaker game. A pair of seventh inning homers put the Blue Angels ahead. Bordeaux is promoted for the third time having just finished a three-year run in the European Second League. Bordeaux upset top-seeded Riga 3-2 in their semifinal while London knocked off Gdansk 3-1. The Tier Three Championship went all seven games with the Blue Angels knocking off the Monarchs. Bordeaux is the first franchise to win the ET3 title twice, having also done it in 2035. __________________ 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)

01-17-2026, 10:13 AM	#2672
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 in A2L (Part 1) The African Second League’s Southern Conference had five teams in the hunt for the two playoff spots. At the all-star break, Pretoria and Maseru were tied for first at 53-38 while Eswatini was 51-40, Bloemfontein was 50-41, and Blantyre was 49-42. Each of those teams kept relatively the same pace into the second half of the season as well. By the start of September, the Mad Dogs had first place at 81-55 while the Engineers were 79-57, Purple Rage 76-60, Black Wolves 75-61, and Beagles 73-63. Pretoria would go 19-9 in September, including a nine-game winning streak early in the month, pushing them into the #1 spot at 94-68. The Purple Rage earned back-to-back playoff trips, although this was the first time taking the top spot. They had the conference’s best run differential at +148. Pretoria had a 4.82 team ERA, 852 runs allowed, and 775 earned runs; all-time conference bests in the ultra-high scoring A2L. Maseru nearly choked away their playoff spot, going 2-8 in their last ten games. However, the cushion they built allowed them to survive for second place at 92-70. Eswatini and Blantyre each finished 90-72 and Bloemfontein was 89-73. It was the Mad Dogs first playoff trip since returning to A2L in 2034. Bukavu set the A2L team record with 333 home runs, propelling them to first place in the Central Conference at 97-65. It was back-to-back berths for the Bluefins, but their only previous time finishing first was their lone promotion from 2028. Bukavu had been back in A2L since 2036 and led A2L in 2039 with a +212 run differential. At the all-star break, the Bluefins were 57-34 with only Juba also above 50 wins at 52-39. The Jungle Cats absolutely collapsed going 27-44 on the back-end, tying for seventh at 79-83. Of the logjam of teams around .500 at the break, Mbuji-Mayi was the standout in the second half. Their 45-26 record post-break was the best of all teams, allowing the Millionaires to claim second at 90-72. Bujumbura (84-78), Kisangani (83-79), and Kisumu (83-79) were the closest foes. Mbuji-Mayi earned its second playoff trip in three years. __________________ 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)

01-17-2026, 07:56 PM	#2673
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 in A2L (Part 2) The Central Conference Championship had plenty of drama. Bukavu started with the built-in game advantage and took the opener 6-4. Mbuji-Mayi used a three-run homer in the top of the ninth to win game two 7-6, followed by a 9-4 victory in game three. The Bluefins battled back 9-7 in game four, but a 13-5 rout by the Millionaires forced the decisive sixth game. In the finale, Mbuji Mayi mauled Bukavu 12-5 to pull off the upset over Bukavu. The Millionaires earned their second-ever promotion to the African Association of Baseball’s First League. M-M earned the bump up in 2030, but lasted only two years in the top flight. The Southern Conference Championship lacked the same drama as top-seed Pretoria got 3-2, 7-3, and 4-1 wins to sweep Maseru. The Purple Rage became the first of the eight expansion teams from 2029 to earn a promotion. In the Second League Championship, Pretoria opened with 7-2, 10-9, and 5-3 wins. Mbuji-Mayi took game four 7-2, followed by a 8-4 Purple Rage victory. The Millionaires battled back 5-1 in game six and 6-3 in game seven. However, the Purple Rage clinched 10-5 in game eight to take the series 5-3. __________________ 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)

01-18-2026, 07:01 AM	#2674
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 in E2L (Part 1) Lisbon and Nantes dominated the European Second League’s Western Conference field all year. The Clippers narrowly got the #1 spot at 102-60 while the Trappers were next at 101-61. It was Lisbon’s fourth consecutive playoff trip as they try to end their 12-year E2L stint. Nantes earned their first playoff berth since getting relegated back for 2036. Solid back ends for Rome (95-67) and Stuttgart (93-69) gave them the other playoff spots. The Red Wolves got their second playoff trip in four years, while the Silver Sabres earned back-to-back. Geneva was a distant fifth at 86-76, notably outperforming their expected win/loss by ten games. The Gold Tigers became the first of the charter European Tier Three teams to post a winning season in E2L. Sheffield was by far the worst in the WC at 50-112, dropping them to ET3 for the first time. The Steelhounds had been in the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier from 2029-37, but their fall was fast. Nottingham at 67-95 ended up with the second demotion, while 68-94 Turin narrowly escaped. The North Stars would’ve had the tiebreaker had they ended even, but the Tanks won their season finale 3-2 in 18 innings over Luxembourg. Nottingham had gotten demoted to ET3 in 2036 as well, but escaped after one year. At the all-star break in the Eastern Conference, Brno and Tirana were tied for first at 57-42, while both Sarajevo and Copenhagen were one back. The Corsairs was a lousy 28-35 on the back-end, ultimately dropping to seventh at 84-78. The other three did well enough to hold onto playoff spots. The Bandits notably ended on an 11-game winning streak to claim first at 97-65, earning repeat playoff berths. The Salukis were second at 93-69 and the Trojans third at 91-71. Tirana had just gotten relegated to E2L for 2039, while Sarajevo was trying to end a six-year run. It was a big rally for Ljubljana to take fourth place at 90-72. The Juggernauts were one below .500 at the break, but went 41-22 to close the year. They were in their second season back in E2L. The first teams out were Dnipro and Vilnius both at 86-76. By far the worst in the east was Kyiv at 52-110, who had only just climbed out after three years in ET3. It remains a brutal era for the Kings, who won ten titles between EBF and EPB between the 20^th Century and early 2000s. Dresden’s 21-42 finish dropped them to 66-96 for the second demotion slot, eight games behind their closest foe Bratislava. This was the Diesel’s second time in E2L, but once again they were relegated right back to ET3. __________________ 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)

01-18-2026, 06:47 PM	#2675
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 in E2L (Part 2) #4 seed Stuttgart was the top team out of the Western Conference’s Double Round Robin at 4-2, finally guaranteeing their first-ever promotion in 35 years of trying. The Silver Sabres had been the only charter European Second League franchise that still hadn’t gotten promoted to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier at least once. The top two seeds Nantes and Lisbon both finished at 3-3 and Rome was 2-4. The Trappers beat the Clippers 3-2 in their first meeting, but the rematch in the final game of the event went to Lisbon 7-2. The run differential tiebreaker guaranteed a promotion for the Portuguese capital, returning to the top tier for the first time since 2027. For the Eastern Conference, Brno and Ljubljana both advanced at 4-2 while Tirana (3-3) and Sarajevo (1-5) were both stuck for another year. The Bandits were promoted after a three-year stint back in E2L, while the Juggernauts escaped after only two years. Lisbon opened the Western Conference Championship on a 6-4 win, followed by a Stuttgart 9-0 result in game two. The Clippers rolled after that with three straight shutouts to clinch with 4-0, 4-0, and 3-0 results. Brno started the Eastern Conference Championship on a 3-1 win. Ljubljana got a 7-6 walkoff win in 11 innings for game two, then cruised from there to 5-1, 6-0, and 5-3 wins. The Second League Championship began on a 5-2 Lisbon win, followed by Ljubljana matched 2-1 the next night. The Clippers reclaimed the edge 6-2 in game three, but the Juggernauts took game four 4-0. Lisbon rolled 9-1 in game five, then returned home to win a dramatic game six 6-4 in 12 innings. Ljubljana had scored twice in the top of the 12^th, but the Clippers’ Stefano Bertetto clinched the series in six with a walkoff grand slam on the first pitch he saw. Other notes: Nuremburg’s Dejan Panic tossed E2L’s 17^th perfect game, doing it on June 6 with nine strikeouts facing Turin. Stuttgart’s Stanislav Iliev became the 3^rd to 500 homers. Lisbon’s Zsolt Radan won his third Pitcher of the Year, becoming the fourth E2L ace to achieve the feat. __________________ 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)

Yesterday, 09:05 AM	#2676
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 AAB Southern Conference Dar es Salaam’s dominance in the Southern Conference continued with a 112-50 finish, 19 games better than second place. The Sabercats had already built up an 11-game lead by the all-star break going 66-28 to start the year. Their +343 run differential was the best in the African Association of Baseball. It was their fifth straight year finishing first in the SC with 100+ wins. The Sabercats scored 1003 runs, tied for the second-best in AAB history and only the third season-ever with 1000+ runs in AAB. Their 660 runs allowed also were the best in the conference and was second in all of AAB. Dar es Salaam also set a new AAB season attendance record at 2,350,752 tickets sold as people flocked to see their dominance and a historic power run by Ferdinand Rajerison. Luanda was second at the break at 86-76, but a lackluster 31-37 finish dropped them to sixth at 86-76. Durban’s 41-27 run after the break pushed the Deer to the #2 slot at 93-69. Johannesburg was 42-26 after the break, but a weaker first half kept them third at 91-71. The Deer were 16-8 in September, although they did drop two of three to the Jackalopes. Windhoek (88-74) and Gaborone (87-75) were the next closest competitors. Durban earned its second wild card in five years, although those are notably their only berths in the last 30 years. It ended up a two team fight to avoid relegation to the African Second League. Antananarivo lost their final four games, while Lilongwe managed to sneak a win from Dar es Salaam in the final series and had a sweep of Windhoek just before that. The Lightning also took two of three over the Eagles in mid-September, putting them at 62-100 at the end to Antananarivo’s 61-101. The rollercoaster continues for the Eagles. They spent 2031-36 in A2L, then earned a promotion back up for 2037. Antananarivo immediately was relegated back after a 58-104 mark in 2037, but earned another promotion as an A2L conference champ in 2038. For Lilongwe, they’ve averaged an abysmal 63 wins per season in the last four years, but managed to avoid the demotion. Their pitching in 2039 notably had a 1.678 team WHIP; the worst in AAB history. Southern Conference MVP unanimously was Dar es Salaam 1B Ferdinand Rajerison, his third in four years. The 29-year old lefty from Madagascar reached a mark many figured would never happen again; a 200+ RBI season. Majed Darwish in South Asia Baseball had his absurd 2008-10 run with 220, 209, and 200 RBI while also hitting 85, 91, and 85 home runs. Since that time, the next highest RBI mark was the AAB record of 189 by Dagne Mersha in 2028. Rajerison knocked in 212 for the second-most in world history. “Shooter” also smacked 81 homers, two short of Martin Kulatilaka’s AAB record 83 from two years earlier. It is one of 13 seasons in world history of 80+ homers, a mark Rajerison himself had met with 80 in 2036. He, Darwish, Kulatilaka, and the Arab League’s Wissam Magdy each have multiple 80 homer seasons. In addition, Rajerison also led in hits (212), total bases (503), slugging (.823), OPS (1.215), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.8). He had 129 runs, 42 doubles, and a .349 average. The total bases ranked third-best in AAB history and was tied for the ninth-best in world history. His slugging was also a top 20 season in world history and the sixth-best in AAB. Rajerison’s OPS ranked as 13^th on the AAB leaderboard. He’s signed through 2045 with the Sabercats. Gaborone’s Mert Seyoum won Pitcher of the Year with 14 first place votes and 138 points, while Windhoek’s Godwin Mkandawire was a close second at 10 first place votes and 126 points. Mkandawire notably won the ERA title at 2.23, but Seyoum was second at 2.52 and would’ve had a Triple Crown if not for him. The lower ERA was the 18^th-best qualifying season in AAB history. It was the second POTY for Seyoum, who also won back in 2031. The 32-year old Ethiopian lefty led in wins (19-5), strikeouts (320), WHIP (0.88), K/BB (9.4), shutouts (5), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.8). It was Seyoum’s eighth time as the conference leader for Ks. During spring training, he signed a five-year, $90,800,000 extension to stick with the Golden Bears. Dar es Salaam was the heavy favorite to win a fifth consecutive Southern Conference Championship, being 19 games better than Durban and having won the season series 9-6. They also had the one-game advantage that came with the top seed in AAB. The Sabercats opened the series with a 6-2 win and a complete game effort by Mariano Pera. In game two, Dar es Salaam’s offense won the race for a 13-8 result. The Sabercats then clinched with a 4-3 win in game three, getting the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by the two-way man Pera. Series MVP was SS Karel Vacek, a Czech journeyman making his AAB debut at age 35. He had won four Gold Gloves in his previous stints, but had a terrible career 62 wRC+. In the series though, Vacek was 3-9 with two homers and four RBI. With the win, Dar es Salaam now has eight Southern Conference titles (1997, 2004, 27, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39). They’re only the second franchise in AAB history to earn five consecutive Africa Series trips, joining Addis Ababa’s epic eight-year run atop the Central Conference from 2006-13. __________________ 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)

Today, 09:15 AM	#2677
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 AAB Central Conference The defending Baseball Grand Champion and African Association of Baseball champ Kampala dominated the Central Conference field at 107-55. At the all-star break, they were 46-29, even with Mombasa and one behind Djibouti for first. The Peacocks had an all-time second half going 61-26 to pull away from the field, taking first by 13 games. The Peacocks repeated as the #1 seed and earned a third straight playoff trip. Led by perhaps the best season yet by ace Abdullahi Ali, Kampala allowed AAB’s fewest runs at 624 and had the conference’s best run differential at +231. The Peacocks’ staff had 1674 strikeouts and a 10.39 K/9, both the second-best in conference history. They also set a conference season attendance record of 2,159,629 tickets sold. The Berserkers and Bisons still battled for the #2 playoff spot in the fall. A key moment was their mid-September series which saw a three-game home sweep by Djibouti. The Berserkers also won two extra innings games over Asmara in their final series to hold onto second at 94-68. Djibouti had a +192 run differential, under-performing their expected win/loss by five games. The Berserkers ended a five-year playoff drought. They had 66 team triples, the second-most in AAB history. Mombasa ended up third at 91-71, while the Anteaters were fourth at 88-74. Asmara had a strong 51-36 back-end, but getting swept late by Djibouti and their 37-38 start kept them on the outs despite having a conference-best 916 runs. Mogadishu and recently promoted Mwanza were both 83-79, while last year’s wild card Lubumbashi was 81-81. Suffering relegation was Nairobi at 56-106, unable to climb from a 27-48 hole at the start of the year. Bangui at 59-103 only narrowly lived to fight another day. It was an abrupt fall for the Night Hawks, who were the AAB and Grand Champion as recently as 2032, and conference champs in 2035. Two years prior, Nairobi was 94-68, but dropped to 71 and then 56 wins after that. It is their first demotion to the African Second League. Only five original teams remain that have never been relegated: Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Lusaka, and Addis Ababa. Central Conference MVP had a crowded field with 1B Martin Kulatilaka taking it in his debut with Djibouti. He had 11 first place votes and 264 points, followed by Asmara 2B Rajah Bhagwan at 213 points and two first place votes. Pitcher of the Year Abdullahi Ali had nine first place votes and 209 points, plus his Peacocks teammate Alexis Alvarez had two first place nods and 172 points. It was the fourth MVP for Kulatilaka, who won from 2035-37 with Kinshasa. He left for Djibouti in 2039 on a six-year, $241 million free agent deal. “The Big Train” was the leader in batting average (.340), slugging (.722), OPS (1.146), and wRC+ (178) in his Berserkers debut. The 31-year old Seychellois righty added 196 hits, 124 runs, 46 doubles, 58 homers, 153 RBI, and 7.4 WAR. As for his hitting competitors in the MVP race, Bhagwan notably was the hitting WARlord at 8.2, followed by Kulatilaka. He also led in runs scored at 138. Alvarez crushed 81 home runs, making him one of 12 in world history with 81+ homers in a season. The AAB record remained Dagne Mersha’s 90 from 2028; which is second in world history. Alvarez however was also the leader in strikeouts at 224. Mogadishu’s Toichi Kumura also had a huge power year with 74 homers and 171 RBI. The bias against pitchers for MVP placed Ali third despite arguably the greatest single-season by anyone in AAB history. He somehow posted his best year yet coming off an absurd year that included leading Kampala to the Grand Championship last fall and his native Somalia to the World Baseball Championship finals. Ali won his fifth consecutive Pitcher of the Year and is the first AAB ace to win the award five times. It was the third Triple Crown win for the 27-year old Somali lefty, who broke his own AAB single-season records for strikeouts, K/9, and WAR among all players. Ali led with a 24-3 record in 258 innings, 1.95 ERA, 466 Ks, 0.79 WHIP, 7.8 K/BB, 16.26 K/9, 23 quality starts, 15 complete games, 236 ERA+, 27 FIP-, and 15.7 WAR. 400+ Ks have only happened four times in AAB; all by Ali, who also has six of the top seven strikeout seasons in league history. His 466 Ks are tied for the 27^th-best in world history for any league and it is the first top 30 season on the world leaderboard in the last 20 years. Ali’s K/9 is also the 10^th-best in world history. It is the first 15+ WAR season by any AAB player and ranks as the 30^th-best in world history. On the AAB leaderboard, Ali’s 2039 also was the sixth-best qualifying ERA, third-best WHIP, fourth-best H/9 (5.02), and third-best opponent’s OPS (.503). The .163/.222/.264 triple slash ranks 3^rd/2^nd/5^th among qualified seasons. Many consider Ali as the best pitcher in the world considering his incredible dominance of the 2030s. In six AAB First League seasons, he had a 131-33 record, 2.35 ERA, 1467.2 innings, 2492 strikeouts, 198 ERA+, 39 FIP-, and 75.4 WAR. Ali has only one year left under his original contract with many expecting him to test free agency for a record deal somewhere else. Kampala was a big favorite with the 13-win advantage over Djibouti and the one-game bonus that comes with the top seed in the Central Conference Championship. However, the season series was 8-7, so the Berserkers had been competitive with the Peacocks in the regular season. Kampala opened the series with an 8-3 win with Ali on the mound. The Peacocks had to rally to claim game two by a 2-1 margin. In the bottom of the ninth, Leonard Kette had a leadoff triple and was scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1 and force extras. Marlon Muianga led off the tenth with a double and Shabani Luboya followed with an RBI walkoff double. The series shifted to Djibouti and the Berserkers grabbed a 9-7 victory at home in game three. The defending champs would clinch in game four though, narrowly fending off a rally bid. Kampala had a 5-1 lead entering the bottom of the ninth. Djibouti got three runs back, but no more and the Peacocks escaped the 5-4 victor. Veteran 3B Freddie Chirambo was series MVP as the 34-year old Kenyan went 5-16 with three homers and 6 RBI. Chirambo had started with Gaborone, but joined Kampala the prior year on a five-year, $130 million free agent deal. With the back-to-back pennants, the Peacocks are now seven-time Central Conference champs (2018, 20, 21, 22, 23, 38, 39). __________________ 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)

Today, 06:21 PM	#2678
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,075	2039 Africa Series The 45^th Africa Series was a rematch of the prior year, which saw Kampala prevail in a 5-4 classic over Dar es Salaam. It is the fifth straight finals trip for the Sabercats, who won in 2035 over Nairobi, lost in 2036 to Mombasa, and defeated Kinshasa in 2037. It’s the first finals rematch in the African Association of Baseball since Kampala’s 2020s dynasty, facing Antananarivo in 2022-23. Dar es Salaam had home field advantage with a remarkable 65-16 record at home in the regular season. The Sabercats on paper were the favorite, but you couldn’t discount the reigning Baseball Grand Champion Peacocks. It was clear that both would qualify for the 2039 BGC regardless of result. Kampala opened with a 3-0 road win thanks to Abdullahi Ali’s five-hit shutout with 18 strikeouts. The Sabercats used a five-run first inning to claim game two 7-4. Dar’s offense kept rolling to a 10-3 win in game three, giving them the edge as the series shifted to Uganda for the next four games. The Sabercats then surprised Kampala with a 6-1 result in game four to assume the 3-1 series lead. With Ali back on the mound for game five, the Peacocks prevailed 4-3. A big shift though came as Dar es Salaam MVP 1B Ferdinand Rajerison took an errant pitch to the knee, suffering a broken kneecap with a five month recovery time. Even without him, the Sabercats routed Kampala 17-5 in game six, putting them one win away from taking the best-of-nine series. The Peacocks wouldn’t go down without a fight as two pitchers combined for a 3-0 two-hitter in game seven. The series moved back to Tanzania with a lopsided 8-1 Kampala road win in game eight, forcing the decisive finale. The Peacock offense unloaded with five homers, including two from Freddie Chirambo. Ali gave up four runs on the mound, but set the playoff record with 19 strikeouts. He didn’t need to be perfect in a 12-5 Kampala win, repeating as AAB champs. Chirambo was series MVP, going 12-37 with 3 homers, 6 runs, and 8 RBI. Ali set playoff records for strikeouts (61) and K/9 (16.47) while also becoming the second with four wins in a playoff run. He won all four starts with a 2.70 ERA over 33.1 innings and 1.7 WAR. Kampala is the first repeat AAB champ since their 2020-22 three-peat and are now six-time champs, having also won in 2018. The six titles are tied with Addis Ababa for the second-most, while Kinshasa leads all teams with seven. Dar es Salaam falls in nine for back-to-back years. The Sabercats are 2-3 in their five-year finals streak and 3-5 all-time. Other notes: Dar es Salaam’s Edzai Jeke drew 141 walks, which ranks as the 7^th-most in any world league for a single-season. Five of the six seasons ahead of him were also in AAB. Zenzele Mnisi became the 16^th member of the 600 home run club and Lebogang Ntuka was the 29^th to 500 dingers. Abel Teklemariam was the 20^th to 1500 RBI. In pitching milestones, Lawal Deffallah was the 6^th to 200 wins and the 4^th to 3500 strikeouts. Mert Seyoum was the 13^th to 3000 Ks. 2039 was the final season for SP Bernard Burger, finishing in AAB with a 210-149 record, 3.84 ERA, 2264 Ks, 120 ERA+, and 65.0 WAR. He ranks tied for 2^nd in wins and 13^th in pitching WAR. 2B Kassim Nour won his 8^th Gold Glove and 1B Michael Bobb got his 7^th. Nour is now tied for the position record. Promotion/Relegation: In the Southern Conference, Antananarivo was relegated to the African Second League to be replaced by Pretoria. In the Central, Nairobi moved down and Mbuji-Mayi replaced them. The 2030s were the highest-scoring decade in African Association of Baseball history and among the highest in any world league ever. Both conferences saw around a 4.61 league ERA and .261 batting average. The ERA ranks as very high on the historical scale and the batting average is above average. Both are peaks for AAB, which had around a 4.42 ERA and .255 average in the 2020s. Although AAB’s batting averages are lower than the other top-scoring leagues, AAB has far more walks drawn. __________________ 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)