Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

West Africa Baseball didn’t add any players into the Hall of Fame in 2013 for the first blank ballot since 2007. The top performer was RF Ada Nwankwo at 59.2% on his fourth ballot. The top debut was 3B Yakubu Odiye at 53.7%. SP Alusine Sadiq also topped 50% with 52.9% for his fifth ballot.



Dropped after ten failed ballots included LF Ferdinand Chihana, who had a 14-year career between Lome and Port Harcourt. The Malawian switch hitter was MVP in 1989 and won six Silver Sluggers while also helping the Hillcats win the 1995 title. Chihana had 1848 hits, 1027 runs, 392 doubles, 112 triples, 382 home runs, 1096 RBI, 507 stolen bases, a .275/.305/.538 slash, 136 wRC+, and 47.9 WAR.

Advanced stats weren’t kind to Chihana, who struck out a lot and played terrible defense. Injuries also cost him some potential longevity. Chihana debuted at 38.2% and never fell below 30%. He peaked with 48.3% on his final shot, getting banished to the Hall of Pretty Good.

SP Akeem Adeniran also fell off after ten ballots, peaking at 31.9% on his second ballot and ending with a mere 13.8%. He was hurt by leaving for CABA in his final four seasons with Monterrey. With Kumasi in ten WAB seasons, Adeniran had a 133-102 record, 3.09 ERA, 2057 innings, 2611 strikeouts, 410 walks, 124 ERA+, and 55.9 WAR. As of 2037, he still ranks 35^th in pitching WAR.

With his four seasons in Mexico, Adeniran had a 197-133 record, 3.03 ERA, 3007.2 innings, 3634 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 75.6 WAR. That full line probably gets him in, but his WAB run just didn’t have the accumulations. Adeniran also the lacked black ink and awards that could’ve gotten him in despite low final tallies.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

South Asia Baseball had back-to-back blank Hall of Fame ballots for the first time since their first inductee in 1992. SP Raja Ahmad Saari barely missed the 66% cut with a debut at 63.8%. 1B Sunil Lamichhane was close as well on his fifth try at 62.3%. Also cracking 50% were C Kumar Patel at 58.4% on his sixth ballot, RF Han Kywe Khant debuting with 56.4%, and RF Teerapat Siriyakorn with a 51.4% second try. No players were dropped after ten failed tries.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The Asian Baseball Federation had a four-player 2012 Hall of Fame class, but that left them with an empty group in 2013. Only two got close to the 66% requirement, led by a debuting catcher Alireza Omidvar at 64.8%. S Sa’id Farahani had 62.8% in his third attempt. No one else topped 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

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SP Ahmed Khandour was the lone addition into the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. On his third ballot, Khandour reached the 66% requirement with a nice 69.3%. SP Nacerdine Rahim was the next closest with 58.3% on his eighth ballot. 2B Ahmad Abbas was the other player above 50% with a 53.9% third try. The top debut was SP Ali Al-Shakal with 42.6%. No players were cut from the ballot after ten tries.



Ahmed Khandour – Starting Pitcher – Alexandria Astronauts – 69.3% Third Ballot

Ahmed Khandour was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Talkha, Egypt, a city of 413,000 located about 120 kilometers northeast of Cairo. Khandour was a balanced arm with above average to good stuff and movement along with average control. He reached 97-99 mph peak velocity with an arsenal of cutter, splitter, curveball, and slider.

Although complete games are less common in ALB than other leagues, Khandour very rarely went the distance relative to his peers. He was one of the most respected guys in the game, known for excellent leadership and adaptability, plus an excellent work ethic.

Khandour quickly emerged as one of the top overall prospects for the 1993 ALB Draft. The other Egyptian teams took notice of their countryman with Alexandria selecting him ninth overall. Khandour’s entire pro career came with the Astronauts. He also regularly represented Egypt in the World Baseball Championship from 1994-2003, posting a 3.23 ERA over 122.2 innings, 7-8 record, 124 strikeouts, 47 walks, 112 ERA+, and 2.1 WAR.

Khandour was a full-time start immediately and had an excellent rookie year with a 2.62 ERA, 20-7 record, and 6.9 WAR. He finished third in both Rookie of the Year and Pitcher of the Year voting. Khandour was more efficient in 1995, but missed nearly two months to injuries. Alexandria won their first-ever Egypt Division title, but lost in the Western Conference Final to Casablanca. Khandour had a 2.02 ERA over 13.1 playoff innings. Alexandria was solid in the next seven seasons with an average of 88 wins per season, but they couldn’t crack the playoff field.

Khandour’s lone Pitcher of the Year came in 1996, winning an ERA title at 2.13 and leading in quality starts at 28. This also saw Khandour’s career best WAR at 8.1. He would top 6+ six times in his career. Khandour placed second in 1997 and 2000’s POTY voting. 2000 saw another ERA title with a career-best 2.02. Khandour also led with a career-best 0.91 WHIP, 196 ERA+, and 31 quality starts while also posting 7.9 WAR and 306 strikeouts.

2001 saw a career-best 310 strikeouts, taking third in POTY voting. Alexandria gave him a four-year, $9,220,000 extension with that. Heading into his age 31 season, the Astronauts figured their ace would continue to roll on. However, 2001 proved to be his final full season.

Khandour had 25 starts in 2002 with decent results, although his 3.24 ERA was his first time above three. The season ended with rotator cuff inflammation in late July. Alexandria would take the top seed and win the conference title, falling in the Arab League Championship to Dubai. Khandour had to watch the festivities in a sling.

2003 started with a strained oblique in spring training, then a strained abdominal muscle in May. In June, Khandour tore his rotator cuff, knocking him out 12 months. When he returned in 2004, he only saw nine relief appearances in the regular season. Khandour did make a quality start in the playoffs as Alexandria lost in the conference final to Beirut.

Khandour’s control was ruined by the rotator cuff tear, but he still tried to make it work in 2005. A ruptured finger tendon kept him out almost the entire season. Khandour only had four relief appearances, allowing six runs in 3.1 innings. He was unsigned in 2006 and retired that winter at age 35. Alexandria would honor him by retiring his #31 uniform; the first to be taken out of circulation by the Astronauts.

The final stats saw a 152-72 record, 2.60 ERA, 2011 innings, 2345 strikeouts, 412 walks, 213/307 quality starts, 14 complete games, 148 ERA+, and 59.8 WAR. The rate stats show how excellent Khandour was and even though he only won Pitcher of the Year once, he was a regular finalist in his prime. As of 2037, he ranks ninth in ERA among any pitcher with 1000+ innings. Khandour also ranks 15^th in WHIP and even sits 28^th in WAR despite the injuries.

However, the overall accumulations were on the low-end, sitting 41^st in wins and 65^th in strikeouts. Some voters felt he just didn’t have the required longevity, thus Khandour got 57.5% and 65.1% in his first two ballots. His brief dominance and his respected leadership was enough for the majority of voters though. Khandour got 69.3% on his third ballot, earning his spot as the lone ALB Hall of Fame inductee of 2013.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The African Association of Baseball still didn’t add its first Hall of Famer in 2013, but they got as close as they ever have. On his third ballot, CL Jaures Ibara received 65.6%, less than a full percent short of the 66% requirement. CF Bawaka Ngoie also had 61.3% on his fourth ballot, slightly down from the 62.0% the prior year.



1B Abebe Chekol was the top debut at 60.7%. SP Hendrik Jongman had 59.5% in his sixth ballot and 1B Boubacar Mavinga saw 50.9% on his second ballot. No one else cracked 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots. The next year would finally see someone break the AAB HOF seal.

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The 67^th World Baseball Championship was hosted in Nanning, China. Division 1 saw Guatemala emerge from a very competitive field at 7-2, finishing one game ahead of last year’s runner-up Italy, the DR Congo, and Taiwan. This was the fifth division title for the Guatemalans, who last did it with a fourth place overall finish in 2009.

England and the United States tied at 7-2 in Division 2, while Sweden was 6-3. The English had the head-to-head win to advance for the eighth time. This was only the third time in WBC history that the Americans missed the Round Robin in back-to-back WBCs, joining 1986-87 and 1969-70.

Myanmar secured D3 at 7-2, edging host China and Spain at 6-3. This was the second-ever division title for Myanmar, who took fourth in 2001. The defending world champion Romania struggled to 3-6 in D3. Ethiopia went 8-1 atop Division 4 with both Afghanistan and Kazakhstan their closest foes at 6-3. It was the third division title for the Ethiopians, who most recently had finished fourth in 2008.

Division 5 had a three-way tie for first at 7-2 between Canada, India, and Australia. The Canadians took the tiebreaker, advancing for the 37^th time and the first time since 2010. D6 went to 8-1 Ukraine with their nearest foe being 6-3 Czechia. That gives the Ukrainians nine division titles with their last coming in 2007.

All ten teams were within two games of first in Division 7. Scotland prevailed at 6-3, followed by Malaysia, Nigeria, and Slovakia at 5-4, then everyone else at 4-5. The Scots grabbed their fourth division title, ending a drought dating back to 1977.

In Division 8, Poland tied with Russia at 7-2, followed by Iran at 6-3. The Poles had the tiebreaker for their sixth division title; their first in 44 years going back to 1969. No teams were unbeaten in divisional play in 2013 and eight different teams advanced compared to 2012. The last four years had seen significant parity with the 32 division titles claimed by 27 different nations.

England took first in Double Round Robin Group A at 4-2. Ethiopia and Canada were 3-3, while Scotland was 2-4. The Ethiopians had the tiebreaker to advance to their second-ever semifinal, joining the fourth place from 2008. The English moved to the semifinal for the fourth time (1963, 1975, 2011, 2013).

Group B was dominated by Ukraine at 5-1. The Ukrainians earned a third trip to the final four, having taken runner-up in both 1958 and 1983. Guatemala advanced as well at 3-3, topping 2-4 efforts by Myanmar and Poland. This was the third semifinal for the Guatemalans, who took third in 1968 and fourth in 2009.

England cruised to a semifinal sweep of Guatemala, while Ukraine outlasted Ethiopia 3-2. The Ethiopians officially took third, their highest-ever finish. The 67^th World Championship was guaranteed to crown the 14^th unique nation as champ. Both countries had been there before with the English losing two years prior to the United States and Ukraine losing to the US in 1958 and to Germany in 1983. It was also back-to-back finals between two European nations and the third all-Europe final.



For the first time since 2002, the finale needed all seven games. England edged Ukraine for the title, led by Tournament MVP Harvey Coyle. The 25-year old shortstop had won four straight EBF Northern Conference MVPs with Oslo. In 25 games, Coyle had 33 hits, 20 runs, 4 doubles, 14 home runs, 30 RBI, a .333/.383/.798 slash, and 2.0 WAR.

England also had the Best Pitcher winner in Leo Bhagwan, a 24-year old closer in the Second League with Liverpool. He had 13 appearances with a 0.76 ERA over 23.2 innings, 5-1 record, 7 saves, 11 shutdowns, 47 strikeouts, and 9 hits allowed for a 502 ERA+ and 1.5 WAR.



With the loss, Ukraine joins Italy at 0-3 in their finals appearances; the most defeats by a nation without a world title. Their top performer was LF Anatoliy Kucherenko, twice a Second League MVP with Odessa. In 27 starts, he had 25 hits, 23 runs, 13 home runs, 21 RBI, and 14 stolen bases.

Other notes: Japan’s Heihachiro Okasawa struck out 22 over 8.1 innings against Kazakhstan. It was the 12^th time in WBC history that a pitcher had 22+ Ks in a game and the third time it had happened in fewer than nine innings. Greece’s Stefanos Emmanoulidis became the 15^th player to hit for the cycle in the WBC, doing it against Peru.

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Rome took the top spot in the European Second League’s Western Conference at 109-53. Valencia gave them a run at 105-57 with the Vandals earning a third straight playoff appearance. The other two spots went to Cardiff (95-67) and Stuttgart (89-73). The Crew bounced back after a lousy 69-93 the prior year. The Silver Sabres earned their third playoff appearance in four years. Berlin (82-80), Turin (81-81), and Toulouse (80-82) were just short in the wild card mix.



Four wins separated the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. Tirana took first at 100-62, besting Tbilisi by one game at 93-63. Both Brno and Ljubljana were next at 96-66. It was repeat playoff appearances for all but the Bandits, who had their first-ever winning season. Dnipro (91-71) and Odessa (89-73) were the only other teams that were competitive with that group.

Advancing from the Round Robin in the Western Conference were the top two as Valencia went 5-1 and Rome was 4-2. Stuttgart finished 2-4 and Cardiff went 1-5. The Vandals then upset the Red Wolves 4-3 in a classic for the conference title and a guaranteed promotion. Valencia had been the first Second League champ and spent four seasons in the EBF Elite before getting relegated back for four seasons.



Brno and Tirana advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship with 4-2 Round Robin records, while Tbilisi and Ljubljana both were 1-5. The Bandits then downed the Trojans 4-1 to earn their first-ever promotion. In the Second League Championship, Valencia defeated Brno 4-2, making the Vandals to first franchise to win the E2L title twice.



Ultimately, five EBF Elite teams had 100+ losses, which enabled five promotions out of the E2L. Semifinalists Rome and Tirana both were promoted as was Tbilisi as the top performer of the remaining playoff teams. The Red Wolves and the Trains return to the top tier after four seasons in E2L. The Trojans’ Second League stay lasted three seasons.

Other notes: Turn’s Christopher Goddard set still-standing E2L records for batting average (.369), hits (232), and singles (171). Valencia’s Felipe Macias set the OBP record at .476. The Vandals’ Odon Torgyan set the E2L playoff record for wins, going 5-0 in his five starts. He had a 0.88 ERA with 32 strikeouts. His Valencia teammate Spencer Matebwe set the playoff saves record with 8. He had a 0.81 ERA over 22.1 innings with 32 strikeouts.

Sheffield’s Don Ransom had the ninth Perfect Game in E2L history, striking out six against Palermo on August 15. Stuttgart’s Dieter Launhardt tossed his fourth no-hitter, a mark no one else has reached. He also won his third Pitcher of the Year award for the Silver Sabres. Odessa’s Yannick Thomas repeated as POTY in the Eastern Conference. Cardiff’s Charlie Gray won his second MVP.

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Defending Southern Conference champ Lusaka took first place in the standings for the third straight season and earned a fourth playoff berth in a row. The Lake Monsters finished 102-60 for a comfortable eight-game lead over second place. That went to Harare at 94-68 for their second-ever playoff berth, joining their 2010 pennant season. The Hustlers had seen back-to-back third place finishes since then.

Harare had the fewest runs allowed (594) while Lusaka scored the most (881) in the SC. Johannesburg was a close third at 91-71, ending a four-year stretch of losing seasons. Maputo, who had been second in 2011 and 2012, dropped to fourth at 89-73.

Lusaka RF Hamad Ali won Southern Conference MVP and broke AAB’s single-season runs scored record with 153. Mwarami Tale had the previous record with 146 in 2006. At the time, Ali also had the fourth-most in a season in any world league, only behind the bonkers 172, 167, and 167 by SAB’s Majed Darwish. Ali’s mark would hold in AAB until 2028 and still ranks second as of 2037.

The 28-year old Tanzanian lefty also led with 68 home runs, 155 RBI, 192 hits, 438 total bases, .711 slugging, 1.121 OPS, 192 wRC+, and 9.4 WAR. Ali would have a few more good years, but would decline sharply in his early 30s. Still, the 2013 effort was definitely one for the record books.

Pitcher of the Year went to Durban’s Amari Yimer. The 26-year old Ethiopian righty won the ERA title at 2.54 and had a 162 ERA+ and 58 FIP-. Yimer had 7.3 WAR over 208.2 innings with 255 strikeouts and a 14-5 record. Sadly, Yimer never had 100+ innings in any season after, falling off hard after a torn elbow ligament in early 2014.



Addis Ababa at 105-57 looked to continue the dynasty in the Central Conference. The five-time defending Africa Series champs finished atop the conference standings for the eighth consecutive season. This Brahmas pitching staff was historic, setting AAB team records for ERA (2.88), runs allowed (512), earned runs (474), and WHIP (1.047). Each of those remains AAB all-time bests as of 2037. AA also allowed 1123 hits with a 6.83 H/9, both ranking third in conference history.

They would see a new challenger as Nairobi took second at 94-68, earning their first-ever playoff berth. This left Lilongwe, Brazzaville, and Kampala as the only AAB teams without a playoff appearance. The Night Hawks finished five ahead of Bujumbura (89-73) and six ahead of Kinshasa (88-74). Kigali, who had been second in the prior two seasons, dropped to eighth at 70-92.

Mwarami Tale took the Central Conference MVP to become the first (and as of 2037, only) seven-time MVP in AAB history. In his fourth season with Addis Ababa, the 32-year old Tanzanian led in runs (121), RBI (138), total bases (394), slugging (.714), OPS (1.117), wRC+ (207), and WAR (10.2). Tale also smacked 64 home runs with a .308 batting average, earning his eighth Silver Slugger.

Kinshasa’s Paulin Pongo repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old Congolese righty led in wins (20-8), quality starts (23), shutouts (3), FIP- (63), and WAR (7.6). Pongo also had a 2.61 ERA, 148 ERA+, and 269 strikeouts over 231 innings. In the offseason, Pongo signed a five-year, $32,300,000 extension with the Sun Cats.

Lusaka repeated as Southern Conference Champion, defeating Harare 4-2. On the other side, Addis Ababa downed Nairobi 4-2 for an eighth consecutive Central Conference pennant. The Brahmas joined WAB’s Kano, SAB’s Ahmedabad and OBA’s Melbourne as the only teams in any world league to win 8+ consecutive subleague titles.



In the 19^th Africa Series, Addis Ababa claimed their rematch with Lusaka 5-3 for an unprecedented sixth straight title. Conference MVP Mwarami Tale won Africa Series MVP for the third straight season and is believed to be the only player in any world league with three consecutive finals MVPs. In 13 playoff starts, Tale had 14 hits, 16 runs, 4 doubles, 7 home runs, 15 RBI, 12 walks, 263 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.



The Brahmas became the first team in any world league to six-peat. A couple of the other great dynasties had won six in seven, including Kinshasa in AAB from 1997-2003, but AA’s six-peat stands alone in history as of 2037. It is a fair debate on if Addis Ababa or Kinshasa had the better run, since the Sun Cats also had 10 finals appearances in 11 years compared to the Brahmas’ eight straight. Regardless, it stands as one of the finest runs in baseball history.

2013 would also mark the end of their great dynasty. Addis Ababa would fall in the conference championship in 2014, then go on a decade-long streak without a playoff berth. Six-time MVP Felix Chaula left after the 2013 season for Mogadishu and Tale would leave in free agency for Johannesburg after the 2014 season.

Manager Orville Sneddon also joined former Kinshaha manager Alimayu Kiros with six championships. Only seven managers in world history have six or more titles. The Scotsman had a unique path to Ethiopia after an unremarkable pitching career from 1985-92 in Europe. Sneddon was Kigali’s bench coach from 2000-02 before taking over the Brahmas job in 2003. He won Manager of the Year seven times and would retire after the 2015 season with a 1271-835 record.

Sneddon’s .604 winning percentage is the best among any AAB manager with 1000+ games. Kiros would have him beat in total wins at 1359-909 and remained the AAB’s winngest manager until passed by Hakim Grant in 2027.

Other notes: Bujumbura 1B Luke Tembo set the AAB record for most strikeouts in a season with 241, a mark he still holds in 2037. Despite that, Tembo smacked 65 home runs in 2013, leading the conference for the seventh time. It was also his seventh 60+ homer season, which led all AAB players. It wasn’t a world record though, as the all-time home run king Nordine Soule had ten 60+ dinger seasons in his Arab League career.

Kinshasa’s Reginald Ulengo set a single-season AAB record that still holds with 4.85 hits allowed per nine innings. He allowed only 98 hits over 182 innings. However, Ulengo’s ERA+ would only be 117, since he also walked the most batters in the conference at 133.

Brazzaville’s Augustin Garba threw AAB’s second-ever perfect game. Most impressively, he did it against the champs with 14 strikeouts versus Addis Ababa on August 24. The only other perfect game had come back in 2002 by Seth Zoontjes. Ndjamena’s Simpson Ndebele had a 30-game hit streak, besting Arsenio Barroso’s record of 29 from 2004. Ndebele’s wouldn’t be passed until 2027.

Felix Chaula became the first to reach 800 career home runs. Mwarami Tale and Marlin Kimwaki both passed 1500 RBI, joining Chaula and Mohau Sibiya as the only AAB guys to do so. Chaula also became the first 12-time Silver Slugger winner. It was his first as a left fielder with the previous 11 in right field. 2B Fani Ngambi won his ninth Silver Slugger.