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

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2026 CLB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Wei Huang – Starting Pitcher – Shenzhen Spartans – 80.1% First Ballot

Wei Huang was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Chongqing, China’s largest municipality by urban population with nearly 23 million people. Huang had great stuff, very good control, and good movement. His 98-100 mph fastball was impressive and was his most dangerous offering, although his knuckle curve was quite good as well. Huang also had a decent regular curveball and a rarely used changeup in the arsenal.

Huang’s stamina was average relative to other CLB aces. Injuries were a recurring issue that greatly limited his career. Huang was excellent at holding runners and was a strong defensive pitcher. He had a steady and reliable work ethic which allowed him to get the most out of his abilities and opportunities.

Unlike most eventual Hall of Famers, Huang wasn’t at the top of the draft lists. He wasn’t picked in the 2009 CLB Draft until the fourth round’s 13^th selection, the 108^th overall pick. Huang stands as the latest pick to later earn induction in CLB, besting Class of 2005 Pengju Xue who went 69^th. Shenzhen selected Huang and kept him in their developmental system for 2010.

He was moved up to the rotation in 2011 and immediately produced with a 6.1 WAR season over 186 innings, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. Shenzhen finished first in the Southern League standings, but were ousted in the round robin with Huang allowing one run in his one inning of playoff relief. This started a seven-year playoff streak for the Spartans with four first place finishes.

However, Shenzhen never got over the hump in the playoffs. Their deepest runs were semifinal defeats in 2012 and 2015. Huang held up his end with a 1.80 ERA over 85 postseason innings with 119 strikeouts, 13 walks, 136 ERA+, and 2.9 WAR. A lack of run support though gave him a 2-6 record. He also pitched in three editions of the World Baseball Championship for China with a 2.28 ERA over 23.2 innings and 34 strikeouts. Huang earned a world championship ring with the 2016 Chinese squad, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings of relief with 12 strikeouts.

In his second season, Huang led in strikeouts (345) and WAR (9.1), finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He would lose the front end of 2013 to a partially torn labrum, but did notably toss a 16 strikeout, two walk no-hitter on September 18 against Qingdao. In 2014, Huang lost the first few months to a torn triceps. He was still effective enough to prompt Shenzhen to sign him on a six-year, $37,540,000 extension in the winter.

Huang was full strength in 2015 and won his first Pitcher of the Year with a league-best 1.32 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, and 35 FIP- along with 9.0 WAR and 297 strikeouts. Huang won POTY again in 2017 with his career bests in strikeouts (355), WAR (9.8), and wins (22-6). Injuries popped back up in 2018 with forearm inflammation costing him part of the spring. Shenzhen’s playoff streak ended this year and they spent the next few seasons below .500.

In 2020, Huang suffered a rotator cuff tear in late August that put his career in doubt. The timing was also awful as this coincided with the end of his Shenzhen deal, entering free agency at age 32. The recovery time was an estimated 13-14 months, putting him out for all of 2021. Huang was determined to come back, but teams were skeptical he could recover from such a major injury. He wasn’t signed until June 2022 when Jaipur of South Asia Baseball gave him a one-year, $1,920,000 deal.

Huang only made four starts for the Jokers with mixed results as a ruptured finger tendon ended his season in the fall. He stayed in SAB and signed with Vientiane in 2023, but his control was significantly diminished by the rotator cuff tear. The Vampires only used him for three innings of relief, although they were scoreless. With seemingly no one wanting to give Huang a shot, he retired that winter at age 35.

With Shenzhen, Huang had a 135-60 record, 1.80 ERA, 1967.2 innings, 2525 strikeouts, 303 walks, 202/241 quality starts, 68 complete games, 27 shutouts, 145 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 67.5 WAR. Even with the incredibly short career, Huang ranks 26^th in pitching WAR as of 2037. He also sits 69^th in wins and 53^rd in strikeout, which are solid rankings considering he falls outside the top 100 for innings.

Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Huang’s ERA ranks 22^nd. His 0.81 WHIP is 24^th and .509 opponent’s OPS is 31^st. Huang’s triple slash of .187/.225/.284 ranks 48^th/30^th/40^th. He also ranks 46^th in H/9 (5.90) and 22^nd in K/9 (11.55). Huang’s career 55 FIP- also ranks 18^th among all Hall of Fame starters as of 2037. Certainly his rate stats show that for his brief peak, Huang was quite dominant.

There were some voters leery of the low accumulations, but most were sympathetic to the injury issues. Many felt his resume was comparable to Hall of Fame classmate Yuandong Wang, who had almost universal agreement as a lock. Both had similar successes over short time frames, although Wang’s brief stint was because he left and not due to injury. Huang was below Wang with 80.1% of the vote, but it was still plenty for a first ballot slot in the 2026 class for Chinese League Baseball.



Liangyi “Boot” Shi – Nanning Nuts – Starting Pitcher - 79.4% First Ballot

Liangyi Shi was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Nanding, China; a city of around 85,000 people. Nicknamed “Boot,” Shi had solid stuff and control along with above average-to-good movement. His fastball regularly hit 97-99 mph and was part of a three-pitch arsenal along with a slider and changeup.

Shi’s stamina was considered quite good for most of his career and he avoided the major arm injuries that have ruined many other careers. He was better than most at holding runners, although his overall defense was below average. Shi was very intelligent and knew how to perfectly pick his spots with his three pitches, becoming one of China’s best strikeout pitchers in his prime.

In the 2009 CLB Draft, Shi was picked fourth overall by Nanning. The Nuts had just played their first season as one of the six expansion teams introduced earlier that year. Shi was used as a full-time reliever in his first two seasons with mixed results. Nanning made him a full-time starter in his third season, a role he maintained for the rest of his Nuts tenure.

Shi emerged as a great ace with 6+ WAR seasons from 2013-18. He led the Southern League in strikeouts in 2013, 2015, and 2016. Shi was second in 2015’s Pitcher of the Year voting and signed a five-year, $44,800,000 extension that winter with Nanning. 2015 had his career high WAR (9.8) and strikeouts (346) and gave the Nuts their first playoff berth in only their seventh season.

Nanning surprised many by going all the way to the China Series in 2015, falling to Xi’an in the final. Shi was outstanding in the playoffs with a 0.50 ERA and 3-0 record in 35.2 innings with 42 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 1.8 WAR. The Nuts got back to the playoffs in 2016 but fell in the round robin. Shi gave up four runs (three earned) in 8.2 playoff innings in 2016. They would hover around the middle of the standings for the rest of Shi’s run.

Shi’s lone Pitcher of the Year win came in 2016 as he posted only the fifth pitching Triple Crown in CLB history to that point. He had a 21-9 record, 1.76 ERA, and 335 strikeouts with 7 shutouts and 9.7 WAR. Shi had another 9+ WAR season in 2018 with a career and league best 0.78 WHIP that year. 2018 also had his lone no-hitter in a six strikeout performance versus Macau on June 23. In 2020, Shi finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting.

His deal expired with Nanning after the 2020 campaign, becoming a free agent at age 33. Shi opened his search worldwide and ended up in Germany on a five-year, $54,400,000 with Frankfurt of the European Baseball Federation. Nanning was grateful for his efforts as the team’s first ace and a dominant force in their first finals appearance. Shi’s #22 uniform would later be retired and he was the first Hall of Fame inductee wearing Nuts red and gold.

Shi was delightfully average in his debut season with Frankfurt. He was on an excellent pace in his second season, but missed the entire second half to a torn meniscus. Shi was back to middling in 2023 and was reduced to a bullpen role in 2024. A hamstring strain also cost him two months in 2024. Shi didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year with the Falcons, finishing with a 35-26 record, 3.52 ERA, 573 innings, 522 strikeouts, 92 walks, 109 ERA+, and 9.3 WAR.

He still wanted to pitch in 2025 and signed a one-year deal with EBF’s Valencia, but the Vandals never used him during the season. Shi retired that winter at age 38, posting a combined pro career with a 173-132 record, 2.37 ERA, 2917 innings, 3451 strikeouts, 487 walks, 245/310 quality starts, 109 complete games, 33 shutouts, 118 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 77.5 WAR.

With Nanning, Shi had a 140-106 record, 2.08 ERA, 2344 innings, 2929 strikeouts, 395 walks, 206/249 quality starts, 99 complete games, 33 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 68.2 WAR. Like his HOF classmates, Shi’s career didn’t have the longevity to soar up the counting stats. Still as of 2037, he ranked 24^th in pitching WAR, 53^rd in wins, 64^th in innings, 77^th in shutouts, and 21^st in strikeouts. Among those with 1000+ innings, Shi’s ERA was 89^th and his opponent’s OPS of .534 was 64^th.

Shi’s WAR in China was similar to his classmates Yuandong Wang and Wei Huang, although he was certainly less dominant compared to them. Voters had already decided that the shorter careers weren’t going to hinder those two and thus it didn’t hinder Shi. Even with less dominance, he still had a POTY, Triple Crown, and a key role in Nanning’s finals berth. Shi got to 79.4% for a first ballot induction as the third member of Chinese League Baseball’s 2026 class.

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2026 WAB Hall of Fame

West African Baseball nearly had a blank Hall of Fame ballot for 2026 but closer Christopher James barely scraped in on his third ballot at 69.6%. 3B Ogunfeyimi Udoka barely missed joining James with a 65.2% debut, less than a point from the 66% requirement. Two other debuts were above 50% with 2B Kevin Ge at 58.6% and SP Zeb Onyedika at 57.5%. On their sixth tries, 1B Ikechukwu Onyia received 52.4% and CL Francis Koomson got 51.3%. RP Emma Markson also cracked the midway mark with 50.2% on his ninth attempt.



No players were dropped after ten ballots, but catcher Okoro Otene was worth mentioning. He fell below 5% on his ninth try and peaked at 24.1%, meaning WAB’s HOF still didn’t have a catcher. Otene was an elite defender with nine Gold Gloves, but his below average bat hurt his case. Over 17 years, Otene had 1885 hits, 844 runs, 549 doubles, 267 home runs, 1016 RBI, 2320 strikeouts, 378 walks, .240/.274/.421 slash, 90 wRC+, and 44.8 WAR.

As of 2037, Otene leads WAB catchers in WAR, runs, games, doubles, homers, RBI, and strikeouts. He’s possibly WAB’s best-ever catcher, but admittedly the bar hasn’t been set too high. Still, it was frustrating for many observers to see multiple world leagues fail to induct a single catcher while adding multiple relief pitchers, considering the far greater importance of the former over the latter.



Christopher James – Closer – Niamey Atomics - 69.6% Third Ballot

Christopher James was a 6’2’’, 205 pound relief pitcher from Zaria, Nigeria; a city of 736,000 and the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council. James was known for having filthy stuff along with rock solid control and above average movement. He had an incredible 97-99 mph fastball that overpowered even the best hitters that was joined by a nice slider.

James’ stamina was respectable for a reliever, although he did run into some injury issues with his forearm specifically. He had a decent enough pickoff move and was a strong defender. You would be hard pressed to find someone more dedicated and loyal than James. His work ethic and selflessness garnered immense respect from his peers over a 13-year career.

In the 2005 WAB Draft, James was selected with the 13^th pick of the second round, 34^th overall, by Niamey. The Atomics made him their closer right away, a role James held for seven straight years. He led the Eastern League in saves in 2008 with 32, although his high would be 41 in 2012. 2009 had his best WAR total (4.6) and strikeout tally (163), while 2010 had his best ERA for Niamey (2.03). James finished second in Reliever of the Year voting in 2008 and 2010 and took third in 2009.

In James’ rookie season of 2006, Niamey won the EL pennant, falling in the WAB Championship to Monrovia. The Atomics repeated in 2007 and avenged the earlier loss to the Diplomats for the franchise’s second title. Niamey also had playoff trips from 2009-11, but never got beyond the second round. In 14 playoff appearances, James had 5 saves, a 3-1 record, 2.45 ERA, 25.2 innings, 42 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, and 0.4 WAR.

James also was a regular for Nigeria in the World Baseball Championship, although he was used primarily as a starter in the WBC. From 2006-15, James tossed 93 innings with a 3.48 ERA, 9-4 record, 140 strikeouts, 34 walks, 103 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. The Nigerians would earn a third place finish in 2009 and fourth place in 2011.

After the 2012 season, James became a free agent heading towards age 30 and signed a three-year, $12,960,000 deal with Kumasi. He won his lone Reliever of the Year in his 2013 debut with the Monkeys, leading in saves (40) and games (71) with a career-best 2.02 ERA. He also passed Johnson Madu’s 246 to become the new WAB career saves leader. James had one scoreless playoff inning as Kumasi fell in the first round.

He was merely average in year two as the Monkeys missed the playoffs, but he became the first to 300 career saves. In the offseason, Kumasi traded him back to Niamey for three players. With the Monkeys, James had 69 saves, 126 games, 145 innings, 2.54 ERA, 216 strikeouts, 184 ERA+, and 5.7 WAR.

James struggled in his return season to the Atomics with a 4.76 ERA and became a free agent again for 2016. Between stints with Niamey, James posted 262 saves over 506 games, 618.2 innings, 2.89 ERA, 1028 strikeouts, 167 walks, 146 ERA+, and 24.0 WAR. For his role in their two pennants and one championship win, the Atomics would eventually retire James’ #34 uniform.

Soon to be 33-years old, James signed a three-year, $13,800,000 deal with Port Harcourt. He was good in middle relief in 2016, but struggled early in 2017 in a return to the close role. James posted a 3.88 ERA over 99.2 innings with 20 saves, 132 strikeouts, and -0.1 WAR for the Hillcats. In July 2017, Port Harcourt traded James to Dakar for two prospects.

He stunk in limited use in 2017, but missed the end of the season to a torn meniscus. James returned to the closer role for most of 2018 for the Dukes with okay results, finishing his time there with a 3.95 ERA over 84.1 innings, 26 saves, 97 strikeouts, and an even zero WAR. He decided to retire after the 2018 campaign at age 35.

James finished with 777 games, 947.2 innings, 377 saves, 407 shutdowns, 72-90 record, 1473 strikeouts, 261 walks, 144 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 29.6 WAR. He remained the WAB saves leader until finally passed in the mid 2030s by Guillaume Mbimbiangoye. James also retired with the most games pitched and ranks fourth as of 2037.

To that point, there hadn’t been much support for relievers in West African Baseball’s Hall of Fame, especially compared to some of the other closer-friendly HOFs. Johnson Madu had been the only true closer inducted and he was far more dominant, but only had 660 innings, 246 saves, 983 Ks, and 29.0 WAR. Axel Kouacou also had 206 saves, but he also had a significant amount of time as a starting pitcher.

James wasn’t the overwhelmingly dominant force either that a lot of other HOF closers were in other leagues, plus he only won ROTY once. However, being the undisputed saves leader and having a championship ring was enough for the majority. James barely missed the 66% requirement with 64.0% and 65.8% in his first two ballots. Third time was the charm with a weak field, finishing at 69.6% as the lone WAB inductee for 2026.

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2026 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

South Asia Baseball added three into the Hall of Fame for 2026, captained by strikeout king Jay Singh at a near unanimous 99.1%. OF Prajwal Adhikari also received a first ballot pick, although his 72.8% made it by a much thinner margin beyond the 66% requirement. CL Viaan Govindraj joined them both with 71.8% for his third ballot. Two others were above 50% with CL Khon Aye Ko at 56.0% for his third try and CF Chris Saandeep debuting at 55.4%.



Dropped after ten ballots was SP Brahma Karim, the 2008 Pitcher of the Year with Yangon. He had two ERA titles in his 13 year career with a 181-69 record, 3.25 ERA, 2343 innings, 2462 strikeouts, 678 walks, 117 ERA+, and 43.3 WAR. Karim was more impressive in the playoffs, winning SAB titles with the Green Dragons in 2001 and Dhaka in 2011. Karim posted a 2.59 ERA over 156.2 innings, 9-4 record, 164 strikeouts, 148 ERA+, and 2.4 WAR in the postseason.

Despite the playoff heroics, most voters felt his accumulations simply weren’t high enough. Karim also didn’t have the big sexy strikeout tallies with detractors arguing he was an above average pitcher who benefited by being on elite teams. Karim peaked at 46.1% in 2023 and generally hovered in the 40s before ending at a low of 16.7%. Although not in the HOF, Karim did see his #23 uniform retired by Yangon for his role in their world record playoff streak.



Jay Singh – Starting Pitcher – Jaipur Jokers – 99.1% First Ballot

Jay Singh was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Bengaluru, India. Singh had impressive overpowering stuff along with above average-to-good movement and control. He threw fire and his 99-101 mph fastball was one of the best. Singh had a diverse six pitch arsenal though with each pitch as an equally viable option. He knew how to mix between the fastball, slider, curveball, forkball, changeup, and circle change to frustrate batters to no end.

Although Singh retired as SAB’s leader in innings, his stamina and ability to go deep in games was surprisingly average at best. Strong longevity and durability though meant you’d always get a nice workload from him regardless. Singh also had an impressive work ethic, becoming one of the most reliable arms ever in SAB. He also had an outstanding pickoff move and was great at holding runners, although his overall defense was merely decent.

Singh’s professional career began in Malaysia as he was signed to a developmental deal by Kuala Lumpur in December 1999. He spent most of three years in their academy, debuting in 2002 at age 20 with six relief appearances. Singh was a full-time starter after that with respectable results, including a third place in 2003’s Rookie of the Year voting. KL earned a wild card that year, falling in the first round. Apart from that, Kuala Lumpur was largely mediocre in the 2000s.

Singh first got major league-wide attention when he led in strikeouts with 303 in 2006. By this point, the Leopards were considering leaving the Southeast Asia League for Austronesia Professional Baseball. KL and fellow Malaysian squad Johor Bahru ended up making the jump for the 2008 season. Singh was entering his last year under contract for 2007 and let Kuala Lumpur know he preferred to stay within the SAB sphere. In January, the Leopards traded Singh to reigning SAB champion Jaipur for three prospects.

For Kuala Lumpur, Singh had a 46-47 record, 3.36 ERA, 834 innings, 1091 strikeouts, 265 walks, 110 ERA+, and 17.9 WAR. The move to Jaipur brought Singh back to his native India. He did sporadically pitch for his country in the World Baseball Championship with appearances from 2006-08, as well as 2012, 14, and 19. Singh did well with a 2.17 ERA in 54 innings, 5-1 record, 77 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, and 1.3 WAR.

Singh’s time with Jaipur would be his most famous run, debuting as 2007 Pitcher of the Year with league bests in ERA (1.98) and wins (20-3). Off that, the Jokers gave him a four-year, $13,120,000 extension. Singh repeated in 2008 with another ERA title (2.24) along with 335 strikeouts and a league best 6.8 WAR. He was second in 2009’s POTY voting with four of his five seasons with Jaipur being worth above 6.5 WAR.

Jaipur’s playoff streak continued with berths from 2007-09. They had the top seed in 2007, but were upset in the first round by Kanpur. The Jokers were a wild card in 2008 and fell in the Indian League Championship Series to Mumbai. Jaipur again was the wild card this year and this time took the ILCS crown over Kolkata. They would be denied the SAB Championship by Ho Chi Minh City. Singh was a mixed bag in the playoffs with a 3.38 ERA over 58.2 innings, 1-3 record, 78 strikeouts, 107 ERA+ and 1.6 WAR. The Jokers began a rebuild after that and were below .500 from 2010-15.

Overall for Jaipur, Singh was impressive with a 2.41 ERA over 1085.2 innings, 77-35 record, 1544 strikeouts, 223 walks, 151 ERA+, and 32.3 WAR. He entered free agency for 2012 at age 30 with plenty of offers. Singh went back to SEAL on a four-year, $18,120,000 deal with Dhaka, the defending champ. For the second time, Singh’s new team was fresh off winning it all.

He took third in Pitcher of the Year voting in his Dobermans debut in 2012. Singh was second in 2013 despite league and career bests in strikeouts (365), K/BB (13.0), quality starts (26), FIP- (46), and WAR (10.5). He also had his career-best 1.94 ERA, but still lost the top honor to Vientiane two-way star Huynh Pham.

Dhaka had first round playoff losses both years as a wild card with Singh having a poor start in 2012 and a good one in 2013. Singh won his third Pitcher of the Year in 2014 with his third ERA title (2.28) and a career best 0.81 WHIP. However, the Dobermans’ nine-year playoff streak still ended in 2014 with an 85-77 finish. The Dobermans signed Singh to a five-year, $46 million extension in April 2015 with the hope of extending their competitive window.

It became clear that a rebuild would be necessary after a poor start to 2015 with an eventual 70-92 finish. Dhaka began a fire sale including a trade in late June sending Singh and $4,700,000 to Hyderabad for three prospects. With the Dobermans, Singh had a 51-32 record, 2.49 ERA, 753 innings, 1053 strikeouts, 127 walks, 152 ERA+, and 25.4 WAR. The Hippos had just missed the playoffs the prior year and hoped Singh could solidify them for a run.

It worked as Hyderabad won the South Division to end a seven-year playoff drought, although they lost in the first round. The Hippos made it to the ILCS in both 2017 and 2018, but both years were denied a pennant by Kanpur. Singh was rock solid in the regular season, but struggled in the playoffs for Hyderabad with a 5.58 ERA in 30.2 innings. For his whole playoff career, Singh was a lackluster 3-9 in 109.1 innings with a 4.20 ERA, 151 strikeouts, 20 walks, 87 ERA+, and 2.8 WAR. Hyderabad hovered around .500 for the rest of his run

Singh began hitting milestones with his longevity. He was the third in SAB to 4000 strikeouts in 2016 and the fifth to 200 wins in 2017. In 2018, he passed Zainal bin Aziz’s 4483 Ks to become the SAB all-time leader. Singh’s velocity started to dip and he fell to a 3.77 ERA and 3.3 WAR in 2020, his worst since his rookie year. He did finish the year with exactly 5000 strikeouts and his 249 wins were only 10 away from Arvind Lal’s record 259.

2020 was the end of Singh’s Hyderabad deal finishing with a 73-58 record, 2.96 ERA, 1117.1 innings, 1312 strikeouts, 223 walks, 124 ERA+, and 26.7 WAR. He pitched the most innings for the Hippos, but only by a few over Jaipur. Singh’s stronger performances with the Jokers led to his induction in Jaipur black and white. He considered sticking around to chase milestones, but Singh ultimately decided to retire that winter at age 39.

Singh finished with a 249-152 record, 2.79 ERA, 3790 innings, 5000 strikeouts, 838 walks, 378/542 quality starts, 23 complete games, 7 shutouts, 132 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 102.3 WAR. Singh remains SAB’s strikeout king as of 2037 and is one of 44 pitchers in world history with 5000 Ks. He also remains the all-time SAB leader for innings pitched.

As of 2037, Singh is 4^th in wins and 3^rd in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, his ERA ranks 56^th and his 1.02 WHIP is 48^th. Singh’s .611 opponent’s OPS is 53^rd with his .219/.268/.343 triple slash ranking 64^th/53^rd/62^nd. He also is 47^th in K/9 (11.87) and his H/9 is 62^nd (7.20).

Most scholars list WARlord and eight-time POTY Zainal bin Aziz as SAB’s GOAT pitcher with several fighting over the next spots in the top ten. Most place Singh somewhere in the top five with some listing him as high as #2. His weaker playoff numbers hurt him on some lists and he didn’t have the peak raw dominance of some of SAB’s other great aces. However, Singh’s longevity and consistency was both top shelf. In any case, he was a slam dunk Hall of Fame headliner, leading South Asia Baseball’s 2026 class with a near unanimous 99.1%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Prajwal Adhikari – Center/Right Field – Kathmandu Chaparrals – 72.8% First Ballot

Prajwal Adhikari was a 6’2’’, 205 pound right-handed outfielder from Baglung, Nepal, a city of around 260,000 inhabitants. Adhikari was a solid contact hitter who was great at putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts, although he was below average at drawing walks. His gap power was his biggest strength as a hitter with 36 doubles and 20 triples per his 162 game average. Adhikari never topped 20+ home runs in a season, but he did usually get you more than 10 each year.

Adhikari speed and baserunning were both pretty good, but his stealing ability was merely above average. His combined offensive skills commonly placed him into the leadoff spot. He started in right field primarily in his first few seasons, but shifted later to center, the inverse of most career trajectories. Adhikari ultimately had around 2/3s of his starts in CF and the rest in RF. He graded on the whole as an excellent defender in right and passable in center.

He had some recurring back troubles later in his career, but Adhikari was generally quite durable across a 17-year career. From 2005-17, he played 145+ games in all but one season. The one main knock teammates had about Adhikari was that he was a bit of a mercenary. He wasn’t going to cause trouble and wasn’t lazy, but you didn’t look to Adhikari for leadership or loyalty.

Adhikari was viewed by many to be the best prospect out of Nepal since the legendary Tirtha Upadhyaya, who was SAB’s lone Nepali Hall of Famer prior to Adhikari. This excited folks in the capital Kathmandu, who hoped to find a Nepali superstar to lead the franchise. The Chaparrals picked Adhikari seventh overall in the 2003 SAB Draft. He struggled with limited use as a rookie with -0.6 WAR over 43 games. Adhikari earned a full-time starting job after that, although it took a bit to reach elite status.

With Kathmandu, Adhikari led the Southeast Asia League thrice in triples and had two 6+ WAR seasons. He didn’t win any awards though and the Chaparrals remained a bottom-tier franchise for most of his run, averaging 74.4 wins per season. Things finally seemed to be trending upward in 2010 at 85-77, their first winning season since 2001. However, Adhikari left after that for free agency seeking a big payday at age 29.

For Kathmandu, Adhikari had 963 games, 1064 hits, 442 runs, 200 doubles, 108 triples, 92 home runs, 526 RBI, 220 steals, .297/.334/.490 slash, 123 wRC+, and 25.3 WAR. It was his longest tenure and thus the team he was inducted with, although his Delhi stint would be certainly his most productive. Adhikari wouldn’t really be upheld as a franchise icon in later years in Kathmandu, although he did remain broadly popular with Nepali baseball fans.

Adhikari signed for $20 million over five years with the Drillers and delivered right away with a career best 8.7 WAR season. He led the Indian League in hits (211), triples (29), and batting average (.356), with career bests in triples, triple slash (.356/.391/.590), OPS (.980), and wRC+ (190). Adhikari won his first Silver Slugger (at CF) and was third in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. In 2013, Adhikari won his second Slugger with league and career bests in runs (119) and hits (219). In 2014, he hit for his lone cycle of his career.

Delhi generally stunk while Adhikari was there apart from a surprise wild card in 2013, ending a nine-year playoff streak. The Drillers made it to the ILCS after upsetting 111-win Kolkata, but fell to Visakhapatnam. Adhikari had a strong playoff run with 1.309 OPS, 24 hits, 8 runs, and 10 extra base hits in 12 starts. In total over five years with Delhi, Adhikari played 743 games with 925 hits, 468 runs, 187 doubles, 93 triples, 64 home runs, 309 RBI, 211 steals, .323/.360/.520 slash, 160 wRC+, and 31.7 WAR.

Adhikari was now 34 years old and returned to free agency for 2016, joining Hyderabad for $34 million over four years. He won his third Slugger in his debut and led in triples twice. Adhikari became the SAB all-time leader in triples, leading his league six times in the stat. Adhikari had .877 OPS in the postseason as the Hippos lost in the first round in 2016 and the ILCS in 2017. Hyderabad also fell in the 2018 ILCS, but Adhikari missed the playoff run with a herniated disc.

In three years for the Hippos, Adhikari had 435 games, 522 hits, 247 runs, 99 doubles, 59 triples, 43 home runs, 233 RBI, .324/.362/.539 slash, 162 wRC+, and 17.9 WAR. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fourth year of the contract and returned to free agency at age 37. Adhikari’s production had remained quite steady, which earned him a three-year, $26,700,000 deal with Visakhapatnam..

Adhikari was on a good pace in 2019, but lost around two months in the fall to another herniated disc. He then declined sharply with -1.0 WAR and .647 OPS for the Volts in 2020 over 110 games. Realizing he was cooked, Adhikari retired that winter just after his 39^th birthday. For Visakhapatnam, he played 217 games with 2.8 WAR and .761 OPS.

The final tallies had 2358 games, 2711 hits, 1241 runs, 525 doubles, 284 triples, 212 home runs, 1136 RBI, 461 walks, 1254 strikeouts, 571 stolen bases, .308/.346/.505 slash, 141 wRC+, and 77.7 WAR. Adhikari retired the triples leader and only finally got passed in the mid 2030s by Gunavati Candrajita. As of 2037, Adhikari ranks 21^st in hits, 53^rd in runs, 27^th in doubles, 91^st in RBI, 88^th in stolen bases, and 54^th in WAR among position players.

Adhikari was rarely dominant or considered a top five level player, but he had remarkably consistent and reliable production for 17 years. Being the triples king and hitting 2500+ hits, 1000+ runs, 500+ doubles, and 1000+ RBI were all important milestones for many voters. Some still were skeptical by the lack of big accolades, power stats, and team success. Adhikari debuted with 72.8%, enough to cross the 66% threshold for a first ballot induction with South Asia Baseball’s 2026 Hall of Fame class.



Viaan Govindraj – Relief Pitcher – Visakhapatnam Volts – 71.8% Third Ballot

Viaan Govindraj was a 5’9’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Visakhapatnam, India. The stocky Govindraj had strong stuff and great control along with above average-to-good movement. His one-two punch was a 97-99 mph fastball along with an outstanding circle change. Govindraj expertly changed speeds and fooled batters with which pitch was coming.

Govindraj didn’t have the stamina to go too many innings, but his ironman durability meant he was already ready to come out of the bullpen. He did struggle with holding runners and was below average defensively. Govindraj was quiet and humble, keeping his head down while working his butt off.

Pitchers projected to a career of relief didn’t generally get drafted high, but Govindraj was picked in the late first round. As a Visakhapatnam native, his hometown squad had kept tabs throughout his amateur efforts. The Volts took Govindraj 21^st overall and made him a full-time part of the bullpen right away with immediate results.

Govindraj was third in 2005 and 2006’s Reliever of the Year voting, then took second in 2007. His lone award win came in 2008 with career bests in ERA (1.32), innings (102), strikeouts (166), and WAR (4.8). Govindraj was third in 2009’s voting as he led the Indian League with 45 saves. 2009 was Visakhapatnam’s first winning season or playoff berth since 2001, although they had a first round exit. Govindraj gave up three runs over 5.1 playoff innings.

That marked the end of Govindraj’s first stint with his hometown team as they couldn’t come to terms. It was also his final year pitching for India in the World Baseball Championship. Govindraj pitched from 2004-09 for the Indians with unremarkable results with a 5.59 ERA over 29 innings, 49 strikeouts, and -0.2 WAR. He didn’t leave the Indian League though, joining Mumbai on a one-year deal worth $2,040,000.

Govindraj was second in ROTY for the Meteors with league and career bests in saves (48) and games (79). He tossed 1.2 clean playoff innings, although the Meteors lost in the first round. Govindraj was moved out the closer role and saw limited middle relief use in the next two seasons. He pitched in 2011 for Pune and started 2012 with Delhi. The Drillers traded him in the summer to Yangon, who went on to win the SAB Championship. Govindraj allowed one run over 4.2 playoff innings and four appearances. He then gave up two runs in 4.1 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship as Yangon took tenth at 10-9.

Coming up on age 33, Visakhapatnam brought Govindraj back on a two-year, $7,920,000 deal. The Volts were coming off an Indian League pennant in 2012 He returned to the closer role in 2013 with 41 saves in 72 games, becoming the eighth in SAB to earn 300 career saves. Visakhapatnam repeated as IL champs in 2013, losing the SAB Championship to Hanoi. Govindraj tossed 16 playoff innings with 6 saves, a 2.25 ERA and 27 strikeouts.

He was moved back to middle relief for 2014 as Visakhapatnam fell to Kolkata in the ILCS. Between his two stints with the Volts, Govindraj had 261 saves and 317 shutdowns, 2.09 ERA, 730.2 innings, 1179 strikeouts, 149 walks, 162 ERA+, and 26.2 WAR. The hometown boy would see his #24 uniform eventually retired by the Volts.

Govindraj bounced around as a serviceable middle relief guy for the rest of his career. He had second stints with Mumbai in 2015 and with both Delhi and Yangon in 2016. Govindraj went to Colombo for 2017 and finished up with Hanoi in 2018. He retired that winter at age 38 after 16 seasons.

The final stats for Govindraj saw 871 games, 1127.2 innings, 326 saves, 428 shutdowns, 80-86 record, 1681 strikeouts, 243 walks, 144 ERA+, 62 FIP-, and 35.7 WAR. He ranks 18^th in saves as of 2037 and among pitchers with 1000+ innings Govindraj ranks 16^th in ERA, 18^th in opponent’s OPS (.581), 9^th in K/9 (13.42), and 30^th in H/9 (6.85). His .208/.257/.324 triple slash ranks 25^th/21^st/23^rd.

Govindraj ranks 7^th in WAR and strikeouts among the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame relievers as of 2037. He wasn’t as dominant as some of those peers which kept him off the ballots of the more reliever-stringent voters. Govindraj still had the milestones that the majority looked for though. He just missed the 66% requirement at 65.1% and 62.8% in his initial two ballots. Third time was the charm for Govindraj at 71.8% to take the third and final slot in the 2026 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 ABF Hall of Fame

For back-to-back seasons, the Asian Baseball Federation didn’t add anyone into its Hall of Fame. The closest to the 66% requirement in 2026 was debuting closer Sadri Delkashi who just missed at 64.7%. 1B Aayush Pereira was the only other player above 50% with a 55.6% debut. SP Wepa Khan was the top returner with 48.4% on his second try.



Two-way player Tomas Pataki fell off the ballot after ten failed
tries, peaking at 52.9% in 2025 before falling to a low of 29.8% at the end. He won three MVPs and was a seven-time Silver Slugger with five as a pitcher and two at third base. He did lose some tallies by playing his final four seasons between CABA and EPB and because of injuries.

Pataki was better as a hitter with 1295 games, 1139 hits, 562 runs, 266 doubles, 181 home runs, 572 RBI, 420 walks, .292/.361/.513 slash, 166 wRC+, and 47.5 WAR in 13 seasons between Bishkek and Mashhad. Pitching, Pataki had a 110-87 record, 3.20 ERA, 1863.2 innings, 1615 strikeouts, 450 walks, 103 ERA+, and 23.3 WAR. This gave him a combined ABF WAR of 70.8.

Although recognized in his time, many voters felt his stats weren’t nearly impressive enough even when you combined them together. Pataki was definitely just above average at as pitcher and might have gotten more traction if instead dedicated his time to third base. The rate stats showed he could’ve gotten there with more at-bats and tallies. Pataki was hard for some traditionalist voters to grapple with, leaving him on the outside despite three MVP wins.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 ALB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

The 2026 Hall of Fame class for Arab League Baseball had three players headlined by SP Hazem El-Morsy at 96.1%. DH Mohamed Mansour also was a first ballot pick at 80.6% while second ballot Ziyad bin Mostafa narrowly breached the 66% requirement at 70.6%. LF Abduwali Suleiman was the only other player above 50%, getting 59.4% on his sixth try.



CL Wael El Baba was dropped after ten failed ballots, ending at only 5.2% while peaking at 29.4% in 2018. He led in saves and won Reliever of the Year in both 2009 and 2011 for Casablanca. El Baba’s ALB totals were hurt by spending his final five years in MLB. In ALB, he had nine seasons with 197 saves and 264 shutdowns, 2.06 ERA, 602.2 innings, 903 strikeouts, 183 ERA+, and 24.0 WAR. It was an impressive short burst, but not nearly a long enough run to earn any serious consideration.



Hazem El-Morsy – Starting Pitcher – Giza Goats – 96.1% First Ballot

Hasem El-Morsy was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Ismailia, Egypt; a city of around 1,400,000 in the west bank of the Suez Canal. El-Morsy had solid stuff, excellent movement, and very good control. His fastball peaked in the 97-99 mph range, although it was his stellar splitter that caused hitters the most trouble. El-Morsy also had a decent curveball as a third option.

El-Morsy’s stamina was better than most ALB aces with decent stamina, posting 200+ innings in 11 of his 15 seasons. His defense and ability to hold runners were just below average. El-Morsy was a high character player known for his selflessness, work ethic, and intelligence. His character and talent helped him become one of Egypt’s favorite baseball players.

In the 2005 ALB Draft, El-Morsy was picked 15^th overall by Giza, where he’d spend his entire career. He was a full-time starter immediately and earned 2006 Rookie of the Year honors with a 5.4 WAR season. El-Morsy also posted a 1.59 ERA over 22.2 playoff innings with 23 strikeouts as a rookie as the Goats earned their first-ever playoff berth and Western Conference title. Giza ultimately dropped the Arab League Championship to Basra 4-3.

That started a five-year streak for Giza as Nile Division champs, although they didn’t get beyond the first round from 2007-10. El-Morsy won Pitcher of the Year in his second year, leading the WC in 2007 in ERA (2.41), wins (20-7), and WAR (8.5). This was his lone ERA title and a career low and one of three seasons with 300+ strikeouts, fanning 314. 2007 also featured a 20 strikeout game on April 14 versus Amman. El-Morsy was second in 2008’s POTY voting and that winter signed a seven-year, $13,330,000 extension with Giza.

2009 had a setback with bone chips in his elbow in May that kept him out five months. El-Morsy bounced back though with 7.5+ WAR in the next four seasons. He took second in 2010’s POTY voting off a 9.6 WAR effort, then won the award for the second time in 2011. El-Morsy had his career bests in strikeouts (324), WHIP (0.86), quality starts (28), and WAR (10.2). He would finish third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 2014.

El-Morsy declined the option year of his contract, becoming a free agent officially for 2015 at age 31. He came to terms with Giza on a new massive six-year, $80,400,000 deal. After making $11.39 million to that point in his career, El-Morsy now would have an annual $13.4 million salary. Part of this also was due to the general rise in salaries and popularity in Arab League Baseball.

He was happy to stay with Giza and to stay home in Egypt. El-Morsy remained a strong regular in the World Baseball Championship for the Egyptians, tossing 195.2 innings from 2006-20. El-Morsy posted a 2.62 ERA with 206 strikeouts, 57 walks, 138 ERA+, and 4.7 WAR. Egypt would post its best-ever effort to that point with a fourth place finish in 2014.

El-Morsy lost a month in 2015 to an elbow strain, but stayed healthy for the next three years. He led in wins at 21-6 in 2016 despite it being a weaker year by WAR for him. After missing the playoffs from 2011-15, Giza took the top seed in 2016 at 101-61. They were ultimately ousted by Damascus in the conference final as El-Morsy had a lackluster 4.91 ERA over 14.2 innings.

His playoff career stats were a mixed bag outside of the strong 2006 run, finishing with a 3.47 ERA over 59.2 innings, 57 strikeouts, 107 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR. The Goats remained above .500 for the rest of his run, but Cairo would assume control of the Nile Division with a nine-year division title streak. El-Morsy had one more great year in 2018 and took second in Pitcher of the Year voting with 8.0 WAR and 2.48 ERA.

In late June 2019, El-Morsy was again diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow and required surgery. He returned in 2020, but saw diminished skills along with missed games between elbow tendinitis and a bone spur. El-Morsy opted to retire that winter at age 37 and saw his #17 uniform immediately retired by Giza.

El-Morsy finished with a 205-119 record, 2.90 ERA, 3101.2 innings, 3477 strikeouts, 515 walks, 287/423 quality starts, 71 complete games, 23 shutouts, 131 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 94.0 WAR. As of 2037, El-Morsy is 15^th in wins, 15^th in innings, 12^th in complete games, 6^th in shutouts, 16^th in strikeouts, and 7^th in pitching WAR.

Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, El-Morsy’s ERA ranks 22^nd and his 1.00 WHIP is 15^th. He also posted a .623 opponent’s OPS that ranks 20^th. El-Morsy’s triple slash of .228/.265/.357 ranks 43^rd/21^st/27^th. He also is 56^th in BB/9 (1.49) and 45^th in H/9 (7.55).

El-Morsy is universally considered one of Arab League Baseball’s top 20 pitchers all-time, although he misses the top 10 for many scholars. Regardless of where you might rank him in the grand scheme, El-Morsy was clearly a Hall of Fame headliner. At 96.1%, he took top billing in an impressive three-player 2026 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 ALB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Mohamed Mansour – Designated Hitter – Giza Goats – 80.6% First Ballot

Mohamed Mansour was a 5’11’’, 195 pound left-handed designated hitter from Cairo, Egypt. Mansour was known for having an outstanding eye for drawing walks along with reliably strong home run power. He was dangerous facing right-handed pitching with a career .970 OPS and 161 wRC+. Against righties, Mansour was an above average to good contact hitter with a decent strikeout rate. He was actively bad though for his career facing lefties with .647 OPS and 82 wRC+.

Mansour’s power was concentrated on dingers with a 162 game average of 37 homers, 19 doubles, and 1 triple. His baserunning speed was subpar at its best, but Mansour was a remarkably skilled and crafty baserunner. Few players were ever better at timing his jumps, stealing successfully on 86% of his attempts despite his lackluster top speed. This also was a source of endless frustration for pitchers considering how often Mansour drew walks.

He was one of the few Hall of Famers in world history to make it as a pure DH, as most of the others who played DH at least had some chunks defensively. Mansour never started a game in the field and only played 23 innings defensively his entire career. He did run into some recurring injury issues with his left leg, but he was still good for a 20 year career. Some coaches said Mansour’s work ethic was a bit lacking and he wasn’t one to want to learn new things. But he exceled at enough specific things to earn a roster spot for two decades.

In June 2000, Mansour was signed to a developmental contract with Giza. He officially debuted in 2004 at age 20 with 40 plate appearances and one start. The Goats gave him a starting job after that and by his second year in the lineup, he led the Western Conference in walks. Mansour led in walks four times with Giza and six times in his ALB run.

2006 also marked the start of a five-year playoff streak for the Goats, who won their lone Western Conference pennant over Algiers before dropping the ALB final to Basra. Giza wouldn’t get beyond the first round in the next four years with Mansour posting an unremarkable .222/.394/.426 slash and 107 wRC+ over 16 playoff starts for the Goats. He was an important reason they had their run atop the Nile Division though.

2007 was Mansour’s finest season, leading the conference with 117 runs, 118 RBI, 102 walks, a .342 average, .443 OBP, 1.046 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 8.1 WAR. He won his lone Silver Slugger and took second in MVP voting. The runs, RBI, triple slash, OPS, wRC+, and WAR would be career highs as would his 190 hits and 29 doubles. Mansour was on a similar pace for 2008 but missed the final three months to a fractured ankle.

Mansour took third in 2009’s MVP voting with 40 homers, 107 RBI, and 7.0 WAR. Sharing a conference with Tarek Abdel Rahman and later Adham Abdallah though kept Mansour from winning another Silver Slugger. He had another injury setback with a ruptured Achilles tendon in late September 2010. Mansour missed the playoffs and wasn’t back until the summer of 2011. 2012 would be his final season with Giza, leading yet again in walks.

For the Goats, Mansour had 1168 games, 1151 hits, 686 runs, 155 doubles, 255 home runs, 694 RBI, 690 walks, 173 steals, .290/.394/.524 slash, 155 wRC+, and 39.8 WAR. The franchise liked him enough to eventually retire his #23 uniform. Mansour entered free agency for 2013 at age 29 and left Egypt for the first time. He would still come home for the World Baseball Championship, but he was mostly a backup with 66 games and only 16 starts from 2006-18.

Mansour joined Baghdad on a seven-year, $69,300,000 deal. He led in walks twice with the Brown Bears with steady power, posting six seasons with 30+ homers and three with 100+ RBI. Mansour’s home run high came in 2017 with 55 dingers. He also thrice had above 5+ WAR from the DH spot. Baghdad had been a terribly run franchise, but Mansour did help them to their first-ever playoff trip in 2014. The Brown Bears were ousted in the first round and still haven’t been back to the postseason since as of 2037.

With Baghdad, Mansour played 1061 games with 989 hits, 674 runs, 138 doubles, 270 homers, 647 RBI, 597 walks, 162 steals, .269/.370/.532 slash, 141 wRC+, and 30.7 WAR. In the last year of his deal, Mansour was traded at the deadline to Mecca for four prospects. The Marksmen mostly used him as a pinch hitter to close out 2019 and Mansour’s ALB run. A free agent again at age 36, he opened up a worldwide job search and found a new home in the Oceania Baseball Association.

Mansour moved to Australia on a three-year, $12,960,000 deal with Canberra. He could still hit righties, but his troubles with lefties were worsening, so he was used in a platoon role. Mansour had 2.5 WAR over 114 games and 85 starts for the Centurions in 2020. Canberra traded him after one year to Melbourne in the offseason for two pitchers.

He was a full-time starter both years for the Mets and led twice in walks drawn, posting a .245/.360/.452 slash, 118 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR. Mansour signed a three-year, $16,800,000 deal with Auckland for 2023. He was iffy over 113 games in 2023 and was a backup in 2024 with only 23 games. Mansour was let go and unsigned in 2025, retiring that winter just after his 42^nd birthday. In OBA, he had 541 games, 421 hits, 303 runs, 41 doubles, 103 home runs, 261 RBI, 322 walks, .244/.355/.447 slash, 118 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR.

In the Arab League, Mansour played 2268 games with 2153 hits, 1374 runs, 294 doubles, 14 triples, 531 home runs, 1350 RBI, 1304 walks, 1636 strikeouts, 337 steals, .280/.383/.528 slash, 148 wRC+, and 71.1 WAR. As of 2037, Mansour ranks 43^rd in games, 72^nd in hits, 40^th in runs, 35^th in homers, 52^nd in RBI, 63^rd in total bases (4068), 3^rd in walks, and 36^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, he ranked 21^st in OBP and his .911 OPS was 94^th.

Mansour’s power tallies were impressive enough to outweigh the penalty of being a career DH for most voters. For his combined career, Mansour played 2806 games with 2574 hits, 1677 runs, 335 doubles, 634 home runs, 1611 RBI, 1626 walks, .272/.378/.513 slash, 142 wRC+, and 80.1 WAR. As of 2037, Mansour ranks 19^th in all of pro baseball history in walks drawn. He received 80.6% for the first ballot induction into the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame for 2026.



Ziyad “Wonder Boy” bin Mostafa – Starting Pitcher – Damascus Dusters – 70.6% Second Ballot

Ziyad bin Mostafa was a 6’4’’, 205 pound left-handed pitcher from Amman, the capital of Jordan. Nicknamed “Wonder Boy” for his childhood successes and potential, bin Mostafa had good-to-great stuff and movement. His control was lackluster early in his career, but he managed to get it to around average in his later years. Bin Mostafa’s 99-101 mph sinker was easily his best pitch, but he also had a splitter, slider, and changeup in the arsenal.

When healthy, his stamina was considered pretty good, but his innings were severely limited due to injuries in his career. Bin Mostafa was excellent at holding runners, but weak defensively otherwise. Few were more respected in the clubhouse as bin Mostafa was a team captain. His leadership, loyalty, work ethic, and intelligence were all top tier.

By the 2006 ALB Draft, bin Mostafa was one of the highest rated pitchers on most boards. He went tenth overall by Damascus, where he’d spend his entire career. Because of early control issues, bin Mostafa had limited use early in his career with only 14 relief appearances in his first two years. He was moved to the closer role with okay results in 2009. 2010 saw 11 starts, but bin Mostafa still was primarily a reliever.

He finally became a full-time starter in 2011 and led the Western Conference in wins at 20-6, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Damascus gave bin Mostafa a six-year, $13,400,000 extension that winter. The Dusters hoped he was finally that ace to lead them to their first successes. Damascus had been one of ALB’s worst teams to that point with no winning seasons from 1994-2013.

In 2012, bin Mostafa won Pitcher of the Year with conference and career bests in strikeouts (308) and WAR (8.1). He took second in 2014 and Damascus earned their first-ever playoff appearance. The Dusters won the Western Conference at the top seed, but lost to Jeddah in the Arab League Championship. Bin Mostafa missed the playoffs though as he suffered a rotator cuff strain in late September.

This began a six-year playoff streak for Damascus, but sadly bin Mostafa didn’t make a playoff appearance until 2018. In 2015, he was out from late July onward with a ruptured disc in his back. In 2016, bin Mostafa won his second Pitcher of the Year with a career and conference-best 1.99 ERA. Sadly on September 14, he suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow that kept him out a calendar year. Damascus did win their first ALB title in 2016 with bin Mostafa earning a ring. Many of his teammates credited his captaincy and leadership for their championship win.

Because of the flexor tear, bin Mostafa made it back for one start at the end of 2017. The Dusters gave him a two-year, $1,680,000 mostly out of respect, a major pay cut. His stuff was diminished and he spent the next two years in middle relief. The leadership ultimately was more valuable then his ability at that point. In 2018, he made his lone career playoff appearance, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings in relief. After the 2019 campaign, bin Mostafa retired at age 35 and Damascus quickly retired his #18 uniform.

The final tallies for bin Mostafa saw a 124-64 record, 59 saves, 2.53 ERA, 1687.2 innings, 1906 strikeouts, 348 walks, 150/196 quality starts, 26 complete games, 7 shutouts, 150 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 46.9 WAR. He obviously didn’t pitch enough to factor in on the leaderboards, although bin Mostafa was still 60^th in pitching WAR as of 2037.

The rate stats were impressive for bin Mostafa, whose ERA ranked 5^th among those with 1000+ innings. His 1.01 WHIP was 21^st and .611 opponent’s OPS was 13^th. The triple slash for bin Mostafa was .222/.273/.338, ranking 29^th/38^th/7^th. His 7.26 H/9 also ranked 25^th.

While bin Mostafa’s rate stats were Hall of Fame worthy, his accumulations were way on the low end. As of 2037, he still has the fewest wins, innings, strikeouts, and WAR of ALB HOF starters. Bin Mostafa’s tallies are among the lowest of any starter in any league’s Hall, but supporters gave him some grace for the injuries and seeming misuse early in his career.

Two Pitcher of the Year awards go a long way and in that 2011-16 prime, bin Mostafa was easily a top five level pitcher in Arab League Baseball. His leadership and captaincy also really went a long way in getting him across the line. Bin Mostafa barely missed the 66% cutline in his debut ballot with 65.8% in 2025. He got the bump up to 70.6% in 2026 for a second ballot selection as the third member of the 2026 crew.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 AAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

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The African Association of Baseball had a historic record five-player Hall of Fame class in 2026. Each player was first ballot as well, co-headlined by CF Mwarami Tale (99.1%) and 2B Fani Ngambi (98.2%). Joining them was C Steve Isaac (85.5%), CF/1B Ronny Safari (80.5%), and 1B Jose Santarem (74.9%). The only other player above 50% was CL Deon Westerveld debuting at 53.4%. RF Hamad Ali was the top returner with 46.6% on his second try. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Mwarami “Silky” Tale – Center Field – Luanda Landsharks – 99.1% First Ballot

Mwarami Tale was a 6’1’’, 185 pound left-handed center fielder from Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. Tale was one of the true legends of the game with incredible home run power, excellent contact skills, and a solid eye for drawing walks. The nickname “Silky” was in relation to Tale‘s incredibly smooth and beautiful swing.

Few if any players in baseball history wrecked right-handed pitching like Tale, who had a career 201 wRC+ and 1.140 OPS against RHP. He was plenty dangerous facing lefties too with a career 139 wRC+ and .878 OPS. Tale’s 162 game average got you a staggering 54 home runs along with 27 doubles and 4 triples. He had nine seasons of 50+ homers and topped 60+ six times. His strikeout rate was just below average.

Tale had pretty good speed, but his baserunning instincts were surprisingly poor and he was caught stealing more than he succeeded. His speed did give him plenty of range as a career center fielder. Tale graded as a reliably above average-to-good defender on the whole, even winning a Gold Glove in 2004. While he did run into sporadic injury troubles, Tale held up remarkably well over 23 years at a very demanding position. He was one of the first worldwide megastars to come out of AAB and is considered by many to be the league’s greatest player ever.

It was obvious early on that Tale’s potential was seemingly limitless. Luanda managed to land him to a developmental deal in June 1997, bringing Tale from Tanzania to Angola. He debuted in 2000 at only age 19, although he wasn’t quite ready yet. Tale played 152 games and started 75 in his first two years, but posted -0.6 WR total. He started most of 2002 with promising results, earning the full-time gig after that.

By 2003, Tale discovered his legendary home run power with a 56 dinger effort, leading the Southern Conference in total bases at 406. He had his first of five seasons above 10+ WAR, earning his first Silver Slugger and a second place in MVP voting. From 2003-19, Tale would hit 40+ homers in all but two injury-shortened seasons. He would also reach 7+ WAR in all but three seasons during that stretch and had an OPS above one each year except 2007.

Tale was even better in 2004 with conference bests in runs (140), homers (64), and OPS (1.129) along with 143 RBI and 11.2 WAR. He won his lone Gold Glove and his first MVP, although he shockingly lost out on the Silver Slugger to Arsenio Baroso. Luanda earned their second-ever playoff berth, but fell to Tale’s hometown Dar es Salaam in the Southern Conference Championship. This did start a six-year streak of winning seasons by the Landsharks.

In April 2005, Tale inked an eight-year, $20,320,000 extension with Luanda. He had his first major injury setback that summer with a ruptured finger tendon knocking him out for the fall. Tale bounced back with an all-time season in 2006, setting new single-season records for runs (146), homers (77), total bases (454), slugging (.852), and OPS (1.293).

The home run mark edged the then single-season record of 76 by AAB’s Mohau Sibiya, which was the world record to that point. Tale’s reign atop the world lasted two years before eventual world homer king Majed Darwish smacked 85, 91, and 85 from 2008-10. Tale’s 77 homers rank 14^th in world history as of 2037. He missed the Triple Crown by one point with a .341 average and his 12.5 WAR was the second-best in AAB history to that point. Unsurprisingly, Tale won his second MVP and Silver Slugger.

As of 2037, Tale’s 2006 still ranks as the third-best in WAR for a position player, fourth in homers, fifth in runs, third in OPS, and second in slugging. His hold as the AAB home run king wasn’t passed until 2028, although it was matched once in 2012. This got Luanda back to the playoffs, one game behind Durban for first place. Tale had a forgettable playoff series as the Landsharks were defeated 4-1 by the Deer in the Southern Conference Championship.

Tale had a shockingly poor 2007 by his standards, although he was still good for 5.6 WAR and 45 homers. Luanda stayed above .500, but missed the playoffs in 2007 and 2008. Tale was back to form with his third MVP season in 2008 and third Slugger, leading in homers (63), OPS (1.096), and wRC+ (190). Then in 2009, he managed to somehow best his record-setting 2006 to win his fourth MVP and Slugger, posting the second hitting Triple Crown in AAB history.

With a 1.3748 OPS, Tale set a single-season world record that still stands as of 2037. He had a triple slash of .382/.489/.885, which were all AAB records with new world records for on-base percentage and slugging. As of 2037, the slugging still ranks second in world history and the OBP is third. Tale’s OBP and SLG hold as AAB records while the batting average is third. He also posted 14.4 WAR, which remains the AAB position player record as of 2037 and ranks 23^rd in world history by a position player.

Tale also shattered the previous AAB RBI record with 180, which was the fourth-best in world history to that point. As of 2037, it ranks 11^th in world history and fourth in AAB. He broke his AAB total bases record with 464 and held that mark for two decades before eventually shuffling down to seventh. Tale smacked 71 homers and had career bests in hits (200) and doubles (35). He was one of only five in world history to that point to reach 70+ homers in multiple seasons. Tale also hit for the cycle for the first time in 2009.

Luanda finished first for the first time and defeated Durban for their first-ever Southern Conference pennant. They were dispatched in the Africa Series 5-2 by Addis Ababa for the Brahmas’ second straight title. Tale won conference finals MVP, but stunk up the Africa Series. He graded as surprisingly mediocre in the playoffs on the whole with a .194/.310/.444 slash, 80 wRC+, and zero WAR.

Shortly after the series, Tale shocked the continent by opting out of his Luanda contract early, entering free agency for 2010 headed towards age 29. With the Landsharks, Tale played 1317 games with 1329 hits, 898 runs, 248 doubles, 39 triples, 438 home runs, 1015 RBI, 661 walks, 184 steals, .304/.402/.680 slash, 183 wRC+, and 69.5 WAR. While many Luanda fans hated the abrupt ending, Tale was still beloved overall for his dominance and role in their first pennant. His #3 uniform would be retired once his playing days were over.

Some wondered if this meant Tale would be leaving for a big MLB deal, but he shocked Africa further by signing an eight-year, $29,640,000 deal with Addis Ababa in March 2010. The Brahmas were already amidst a dynasty led by eventual six-time MVP Felix Chaula, Marlin Kimwaki, and three-time Pitcher of the Year Michael Wakachu. Now with Tale, Addis Ababa was primed to be absolutely unstoppable.

In Tale’s debut, Addis Ababa staked their case for AAB’s best-ever season with a 120-42 record and Africa Series win over Harare. That remains the AAB record and the 2010 Brahmas are one of only ten teams in world history as of 2037 to win 120+ games and their league’s title. AA would go 104-58, 113-49, and 105-57 in the next three years and win it all each time, giving them a six-peat overall and four straight with Tale.

Tale overcame his earlier playoff woes with Luanda and was a beast with Addis Ababa, starting 49 games with 59 hits, 40 runs, 17 doubles, 18 home runs, 42 RBI, .333/.443/.746 slash, 1.189 OPS and 3.9 WAR. He was the Africa Series MVP three straight years from 2011-13.

The Brahmas became a staple of the early Baseball Grand Championship events, which started in 2010. They went 6-3 in a tie for second in the initial two-division format in 2010. Addis Ababa was 10-9 in 2011, 11-8 in 2012, and 10-9 in 2013 with official finishes of tenth, seventh, and seventh. Over 66 games, Tale had 2.7 WAR with 39 runs, 57 hits, 6 doubles, 25 home runs, 49 RBI, and 35 walks.

In the regular season, Tale led thrice in WAR, twice in runs, twice in RBI, and once in total bases, OPS, and wRC+ with the Brahmas. He won MVP in 2010, 11, and 13 with a second place in 2012. Tale was the first-ever seven time MVP in AAB, passing the six MVPs by teammate Chaula. Tale also won a Silver Slugger in all five seasons with AA. He still managed it in 2014 despite losing more than a month to back injuries. With Addis Ababa, Tale also became the fourth to 700 home runs and the seventh to 2000 hits.

For the Brahmas, Tale finished with 683 games, 737 hits, 530 runs, 108 doubles, 266 homers, 579 RBI, 415 walks, .310/.414/.699 slash, 197 wRC+, and 40.9 WAR. He’d be beloved in Ethiopia as well for his role in putting the Addis Ababa dynasty over the top. Tale opted out of the final year of his deal to become a free agent for 2015 heading towards age 34. He ended up signing with Johannesburg for $46 million over four years.

Although his career was split between Angola, Ethiopia, and South Africa, Tale did still represent his native Tanzania in the World Baseball Championship from 2001-22. He played 170 games with 140 hits, 86 runs, 18 doubles, 58 home runs, 122 RBI, 88 walks, .236/.342/.563 slash, and 6.1 WAR.

Tale maintained a high level of play with the Jackalopes with 7+ WAR, 40+ homers, 100+ RBI, and 1.000+ OPS in each of his seasons there. He spent six years with Johannesburg, eventually inking a three-year, $33,300,000 extension after the 2018 season. Tale won Silver Sluggers in 2016, 17, 18, 19, and 20. He was second in MVP voting in 2015 and 2017 and third in 2019.

The year prior to signing Tale, Johannesburg had ended a five-year playoff drought. They would finish first in the Southern Conference standings in 2015, 16, 18, 19, and 20. The Jackalopes claimed the pennant in 2015, 16, 18, and 20; although they never could win the Africa Series. Johannesburg fell to Brazzaville in 2015 and 2016 and to Kampala in both 2018 and 2020.

Tale was respectable in the playoffs over 51 starts with 46 hits, 25 runs, 11 doubles, 11 home runs, 22 RBI, .243/.338/.476 slash, 124 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. He stepped up huge though in the 2015 Baseball Grand Championship as Johannesburg made it in as the at-large. Tale posted 19 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 9 homers, 19 RBI, 1.185 OPS, 200 wRC, and 1.4 WAR in 18 games. The Jackalopes shocked the world by finishing 15-4 with the tiebreaker over Denver, becoming the first Grand Champion out of Africa.

In 2020, Tale missed almost two months between a knee sprain and sprained elbow. Still, he led in WAR (7.3) in only 111 games, earning his record eighth MVP. Tale also became a 15-time Silver Slugger winner, a mark reached by only 13 players in world history as of 2037. Tale is the only of those players to do it as a center fielder. In these later years with Johannesburg, he was also battling the likes of his former teammate Felix Chaula and Luke Tembo for the top spots on AAB’s leaderboards.

Tale was the third to reach 800 homers behind Chaula and Tembo, but ended up passing both for the top spot. By the time he was done, Tale was AAB’s all-time leader in homers, RBI, WAR, hits, runs, total bases, games, and OPS. Over six seasons with Johannesburg, Tale had 771 games, 831 hits, 554 runs, 135 doubles, 264 home runs, 658 RBI, 440 walks, 131 steals, .309/.409/.665 slash, 190 wRC+, and 45.5 WAR.

He was soon to be 40 years old and was a free agent fresh off his eighth MVP. Feeling he had done it all in AAB, Tale made his way to the United States on a three-year, $67,800,000 deal with MLB’s Baltimore Orioles. He was far less dominant in 2021, but still managed 3.6 WAR and 33 homers in his MLB debut. This year allowed him to pass 1000 home runs, 2000 runs, and 3000 hits for his combined pro career. Tale became only the fourth in baseball history with 1000+ dingers over a combined pro career.

Age finally caught up to him and he was benched in 2022, playing 83 games and starting 29 for the Orioles with -0.1 WAR. Tale retired from baseball that winter at age 41, giving him MLB tallies of 231 games, 169 starts, 144 hits, 88 runs, 14 doubles, 38 home runs, 93 RBI, .226/.324/.443 slash, 122 wRC+, and 3.6 WAR.

In AAB, Tale played 2771 games with 2897 hits, 1982 runs, 491 doubles, 63 triples, 968 home runs, 2252 RBI, 1516 walks, 6418 total bases, 2173 strikeouts, 410 steals, .307/.407/.680 slash, 189 wRC+, and 155.8 WAR. As of 2037, Tale is still AAB’s all-time leader in runs, total bases, homers, RBI, and WAR. He also ranks 3^rd in games played, 2^nd in hits, 25^th in doubles, 4^th in walks, and 11^th in strikeouts.

Among AAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances as of 2037, Tale’s 1.087 OPS ranks 3^rd with his triple slash ranking 26^th/8^th/4^th. Tale is also the only eight-time MVP winner and one of two with 15 Silver Sluggers. Along with that was a Triple Crown, four seasons leading in homers, six as the WARlord, four Africa Series titles, three Africa Series MVP wins, and nine conference titles.

It shouldn’t come as a shock that Tale is widely considered as the GOAT for the African Association of Baseball. Felix Chaula is generally the only one close, but Tale has him bested in basically every stat. It’s shocking someone voted against him for the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot, but with 99.1% he deservedly headlined a loaded five-player class. But where does Tale rank on the world leaderboards?

Counting the two years in Baltimore, Tale’s grand totals saw 3002 games, 3041 hits, 2070 runs, 505 doubles, 68 triples, 1006 home runs, 2345 RBI, 1609 walks, 2336 strikeouts, 6700 total bases, .302/.402/.665 slash, 1.067 OPS, 184 wRC+, and 159.4 WAR. As of 2037, Tale is 7^th in home runs, 25^th in runs, 12^th in RBI, and 21^st in WAR for position players.

Among world Hall of Famers, Tale ranks 33^rd in OBP, 4^th in slugging, 4^th in OPS, and 43^rd in wRC+. Against all players ever, he’s 29^th in WAR and ranks 2^nd among all African-born players behind West African Baseball GOAT Darwin Morris of Liberia, who is 5^th at 194.4. It is of course hard to rank players across different leagues and eras. Detractors argue Tale’s tallies were inflated somewhat by a higher-scoring AAB which was perceived by some to be a weaker league than its older counterparts.

Tale’s accomplishments and accolades are remarkable in any context though, making him one of baseball’s true immortals. His incredible run crucial in the huge popularity and prestige boost for AAB and baseball throughout all of Africa. Most scholars have him somewhere on the top 50 list for all baseball players ever and many place him #2 just behind Morris for the best-ever from Africa.

Tale also is considered a top five center fielder in world history by most, ranking only behind MLB WARlord Morgan Short and CLB’s Zhen Zhang for the most WAR at the position. While his exact spot among the world’s elite is up for fierce debate, almost all agree that he is AAB’s greatest player of all time.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 AAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Fani “Stretch” Ngambi – Second Base – Harare Hustlers – 98.2% First Ballot

Fani Ngambi was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed second baseman from Somerset West, South Africa; a town of 55,000 within Cape Town’s metropolitan area. Nicknamed “stretch” for his ability beat foes to the bag, Ngambi was one of the all-time great leadoff men. He was a fantastic contact hitter that put the ball in play with excellent frequency, rarely striking out. Ngambi was also one of AAB’s best at drawing walks.

He was extremely dangerous from first base with stellar speed and base stealing ability in his prime. Ngambi’s gap power was good with 39 doubles and 7 triples per his 162 game average. He wasn’t going to hit many home runs, reaching double-digits in only one season.

Apart from playing designated hitter in his final three years, Ngambi was exclusively a second baseman. He won a Gold Glove in 2013, but on the whole graded out as reliably average defensively. Ngambi was incredibly scrappy and intelligent with an impressive work ethic. However, he wasn’t someone to take on a leadership role. Ngambi had some injuries here and there, but held up pretty well for a 22-year career.

In March 1997, Ngambi signed a developmental deal with Dar es Salaam. He became one of the very few in baseball history to make his pro debut at age 18, playing 38 games with 3 starts in 1999. He wasn’t ready for the full-time gig obviously, but saw 199 games and 66 starts from 1999-2001 for the Sabercats. They were a contender at this point, falling to Johannesburg in the Southern Conference Championship in both 2000 and 2001.

Ngambi became a full-time starter from 2002 onward and won his first Silver Slugger in 2003, his first of ten seasons worth 5+ WAR. Dar es Salaam missed the playoffs in 2002, then lost the 2003 conference final to Antananarivo. Ngambi was iffy in his 10 playoff games for Dar with -0.1 WAR and .506 OPS. In 2004, the Sabercats finally broke through with a then-league record tying 114-48 season, upending Kinshasa’s dynasty for their first Africa Series title. Unfortunately for Ngambi, he was out from early May onward with a broken bone in his elbow.

He stayed healthy the next three years for Dar with three straight Silver Sluggers. Ngambi led in steals and walks in 2005, then led in on-base percentage for the first time in 2007. The Sabercats couldn’t follow up their championship season and were down just below .500 by the end of Ngambi’s tenure. He left after the 2007 campaign at age 27 for free agency. With Dar es Salaam, he had 969 games, 959 hits, 569 runs, 211 doubles, 53 triples, 21 homers, 311 RBI, 464 walks, 452 steals, .299/.395/.418 slash, 125 wRC+, and 28.7 WAR.

Ngambi signed a three-year, $9,240,000 deal with Harare initially, starting what would be his signature run. He eventually signed a seven-year, $28 million extension in September 2010. Ngambi won Silver Sluggers with the Hustlers in 2008, 09, 10, 12, 13, 15, and 16. He led thrice in OBP, thrice in steals, and had two batting titles. Ngambi led in runs (135) and steals (139) in 2009, setting a steals record that held for a decade in AAB. It still ranks eighth best as of 2037 in AAB and 19^th on the world leaderboard.

2008 was Ngambi’s best WAR effort at 8.4 along with his best OPS (.939) and wRC+ (167). He is the only AAB player with multiple seasons above .450 OBP as his .453 from 2010 ranks sixth and his .450 from 2012 is 10^th as of 2037. Ngambi also stole 100+ bases in four different seasons. He and Hall of Fame classmate Jose Santarem were the first AAB players to steal 120+ bases in three seasons.

Ngambi helped Harare to their first-ever playoff berth and first place finish in 2010. The Hustlers beat Lusaka for the Southern Conference title, but ran into a 120-win Addis Ababa buzz saw in the Africa Series. After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2011-12, Harare was a wild card in both 2013 and 2014. In the latter, they upset Johannesburg for the conference pennant and downed Nairobi for the franchise’s first AAB title.

He was unremarkable in the first two runs, but Ngambi was the hero in 2014. He won MVP of the Africa Series and the conference final, starting 15 games with 25 hits, 15 runs, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homer, 14 RBI, 7 walks, 18 steals, .424/.471/.678 slash, 191 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. Ngambi tied the world record for postseason steals, which remains 18 as of 2037. He also set the AAB playoff hits record with 25 which would only be passed once in the following season.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, Ngambi had 18 hits, 8 runs, 5 extra base hits, 9 steals, 119 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR over 18 games. Harare shocked the field with a 14-5 finish, tying for first with MLB’s Phoenix. The Hustlers officially were second as they had lost a 17 inning battle to the Firebirds 6-4. To that point, an African franchise hadn’t finished in the top two.

Ngambi never played for one of the teams in his native South Africa, but he was a regular for them in the World Baseball Championship from 2001-19. He played 132 games with 116 hits, 73 runs, 25 doubles, 52 steals, 75 walks, .250/.368/.360 slash, and 2.7 WAR. In 2005, Ngambi helped South Africa to its first-ever elite eight finish.

Harare just missed the playoffs in 2015, then plummeted to 62-100 the next year to start a six-year stretch of losing seasons. With a rebuild looming, Ngambi was traded after the 2016 season straight up to Maputo for prospect 1B Luzayadio Kalumba. Kalumba notably would be a strong starter for the Hustlers in the early 2020s and won an MVP in 2022.

Ngambi finished with 1264 games, 1406 hits, 841 runs, 337 doubles, 51 triples, 36 home runs, 461 RBI, 762 walks, 909 steals, .318/.426/.442 slash, 136 wRC+, and 51.9 WAR for Harare. Between nine years of solid service and a key role in their lone championship, Ngambi’s #15 uniform would later be retired.

The Piranhas had finished second in the Southern Conference the prior year. In 2017 with Ngambi, they took first in the standings for the first time and won their second pennant. Maputo was ultimately beaten by Mogadishu in the Africa Series with Ngambi struggling in the playoffs to -0.1 WAR in 13 starts. Apart from his awesome 2014 run, Ngambi struggled in the playoffs with a career .255/.353/.385 slash, 100 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR in 54 games.

Maputo would ultimately sign Ngambi to a three-year, $28,500,000 extension after the 2017 season. He was never elite with the Piranhas, but Ngambi was a passable starter four years. He did lose a chunk of 2017 to an elbow strain and more than two months in 2019 to a torn groin muscle. Ngambi was in a DH role in his final seasons and was competing for the top spot on the AAB leaderboards in hits, steals, doubles, and walks.

Ngambi did retire as AAB’s doubles leader at 655, passing Negue Rouillard’s 625 for the top spot. Ngambi also retired with the best on-base percentage at .4125, just ahead of Felix Chaula’s .4122. He ultimately retired second in hits to Mwarami Tale, second in steals to Jose Santarem, and third in walks behind Luke Tembo and Chaula. He retired after the 2020 campaign at age 39. In four seasons for Maputo, Ngambi had 480 games, 459 hits, 225 runs, 107 doubles, 21 triples, 191 RBI, 330 walks, 214 steals .283/.410/.378 slash, 126 wRC+, and 6.7 WAR.

The final tallies had 2713 games, 2824 hits, 1635 runs, 655 doubles, 125 triples, 59 home runs, 963 RBI, 1556 walks, 1162 strikeouts, 1575 stolen bases, 611 caught stealing, .305/.412/.422 slash, 131 wRC+, and 87.3 WAR. As of 2037, Ngambi ranks 4^th in games, 4^th in hits, 7^th in runs, 3^rd in doubles, 8^th in triples, 80^th in RBI, 3^rd in steals, 3^rd in walks, and 8^th in WAR among position players. Ngambi also was caught stealing more than anyone in AAB. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Ngambi is 30^th in batting average and still 3^rd in OBP.

The argument is usually between Ngambi and Santarem for AAB’s top leadoff guy. Santarem had him just beat in contact, power, and speed, but Ngambi’s penchant for walks gave him a much better OBP. Ngambi also ended up with far more WAR with longevity and as a reliable defender at second, while Santarem was a lackluster defensive first baseman. Both earned spots in the impressive 2026 Hall of Fame class for the African Association of Baseball, but most do give the edge to Ngambi.

Ngambi notably ranks 33^rd in walks drawn and 16^th in steals among all players in world history as of 2037. Among all Hall of Famers, he has the 12^th best on-base percentage. Ngambi is widely considered AAB’s best-ever second baseman, leading in WAR, games, hits, runs, singles, doubles, steals, and walks as of 2037. His 12 Silver Sluggers also lead all 2B in AAB. He’d be a clear headliner in almost any other class, but of course he’s in the 2026 group with the GOAT Mwarami Tale. Ngambi ‘s 98.2% certainly solidified his status though as an inner circle pick.



Steven “Pop” Isaac – Catcher – Nairobi Night Hawks – 85.5% First Ballot

Steven Isaac was a 6’3’’, 185 pound right-handed catcher from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Nicknamed “Pop” in his later years as an elder statesman, Isaac was a great contract hitter with strong power, especially for a catcher. His 162 game average got you 38 home runs and 40 doubles, making Isaac a legit threat in any lineup. He was below average tough when it came to drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. As you might expect from a catcher, Isaac was painfully slow and sluggish as a baserunner.

Isaac had pretty strong durability at a very demanding position, playing 129+ games in all but one year from 2009-22. The downside is that he was a mediocre defensive catcher. Although longevity was part of this, Isaac did retire with the most errors and passed balls of any AAB catcher. It was worth it though to have a legit force and not a liability at the plate. Isaac also was one of the hardest working guys in the game, becoming a beloved figure in Nairobi.

His entire African career came with the Night Hawks, who picked him fourth overall in the 2003 AAB Draft with little college experience. Isaac spent a lot of time training at their academy in Kenya with limited action in his first five years. From 2004-08, he played 218 games and started 145 with unremarkable results. Nairobi decided Isaac was ready for the full-time gig in 2009 and he’d hold the job for more than a decade.

2009 started a seven-year streak of Silver Sluggers for Isaac. He missed it in 2016, but won four more from 2017-20 to finish with 11, an AAB position record. In 2010, Isaac won a batting title with a .348 average and had his career best OPS (1.061). His second batting title came in 2012 at .327 along with his career best OBP at .401. Isaac was above a one OPS four times, hit 40+ homers thrice, and had eight seasons above 6+ WAR.

In 2013, Isaac posted his career best WAR (8.6), wRC+ (196), and runs scored (104), taking second in MVP voting. In the midst of that season, Nairobi signed Isaac to a historic eight-year, $100,200,000 extension. They earned their first-ever playoff berth that year, falling in the Central Conference Championship to the Addis Ababa dynasty.

Isaac was the WARlord at 7.4 in 2014 and this time won MVP, pushing Nairobi to repeat playoff berths. They ended the Brahmas’ six-year reign as AAB champ and eight-year reign as Central Conference champ with Isaac taking series MVP. The Night Hawks were denied in the Africa Series by Harare. In 15 playoff starts, Isaac had 19 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, .921 OPS, 162 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR.

It was a one-off success for Nairobi, who wouldn’t post another winning season until 2021. Isaac carried on though and took third in 2017’s MVP voting and second in 2018. In 2020, he missed six weeks to a strained PCL. Isaac ultimately declined the option year of his contract and entered free agency at age 36. That marked the end of his playing career in Africa, although he’d be forever loved in Kenya for his 17-year run and role in Nairobi’s first-ever pennant. Isaac’s #24 uniform would later be retired.

Although he left for the European Baseball Federation, Isaac would represent his native Uganda from 2021-24 in the World Baseball Championship. Before that, he had only played one game for them back in 2007. Isaac played 45 games with 32 hits, 17 runs, 6 doubles, 8 home runs, 20 RBI, .203/.259/.392 slash, 86 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR.

Isaac’s next home was Switzerland on a three-year, $40,300,000 deal with EBF’s Zurich. He won a Silver Slugger in his debut season, giving him 12 for his career. As of 2037, Isaac is one of only four catchers in baseball history to win the honor 12 or more times. He was a solid starter in 2022 as well for the Mountaineers, posting a two-year total of 11.5 WAR over 261 games, 278 hits, 117 runs, 52 doubles, 48 home runs, 146 RBI, .320/.365/.556 slash, and 158 wRC+. Isaac didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year and was back to free agency in 2023 at age 38.

He still showed he had plenty of value and was signed by Ljubljana for three years and $60,800,000. He was an all-star once more, an honor he received 14 times in his career. Isaac had a good 2003 despite losing two months to injury. Age caught up and he was reduced to a part-time role in 2024. For the Juggernauts, Isaac had 166 games, 3.8 WAR, and .815 OPS.

Isaac felt he could still contribute somewhere, but he went unsigned in 2025 and retired that winter at age 41. For his four year EBF tenure, Isaac played 427 games with 421 hits, 183 runs, 77 doubles, 75 home runs, 231 RBI, .304/.348/.534 slash, 146 wRC+, and 15.3 WAR.

With Nairobi, Isaac finished with 1770 games, 1889 hits, 984 runs, 432 doubles, 15 triples, 421 home runs, 1131 RBI, 512 walks, 1497 strikeouts, .299/.359/.572 slash, .931 OPS, 151 wRC+, and 76.3 WAR. Being a catcher limits accumulations, but as of 2037 Isaac still ranks 16^th in WAR among position players. He’s also 53^rd in hits, 73^rd in runs, 52^nd in doubles, 45^th in homers, and 42^nd in RBI. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Isaac is 49^th in OPS and his triple slash ranks 52^nd/99^th/49^th.

Among AAB catchers, Isaac is the career leader in batting average, slugging, OPS, at-bats, hits, runs, total bases, singles, homers, RBI, and WAR. He’s considered AAB’s best hitting catcher by a good margin and usually is cited as the best to play the spot when factoring in total value. Isaac would be the first catcher into the African Association of Baseball’s Hall of Fame and is still the only one as of 2037. He was a first ballot pick at 85.5%, the third-highest mark among the loaded five-player 2026 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 AAB Hall of Fame (Part 3)

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Ronny Safari – Center Field/First Base – Kigali Guardians – 80.5% First Ballot

Ronny Safari was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting outfielder and first baseman from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Safari was a rock solid contact hitter and was great at avoiding strikeouts, although he was mediocre at drawing walks. He had nice gap power with reliably steady home run power, posting a 162 game average of 26 home runs, 33 doubles and 6 triples. Safari was good to occasionally great in terms of speed and baserunning.

Around 60% of Safari’s career starts came in center field, mostly in the front end of his career. He was a firmly mediocre defender in CF and was moved to first base in his later years with above average results. Safari also bizarrely got some use at shortstop near the end of his career with truly abysmal defensive production. He was one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse and showed strong durability across a 21 year career.

Safari was the top prospect for the 1998 AAB Draft even as a teenager and was picked first overall by Kigali. He wasn’t quite ready, playing only 11 games and starting three in 1999 at age 19. Safari saw more use in 2000 with 74 games and 70 starts, then became a full-time starter after that. From 2001-07, Safari posted 5+ WAR each season. He led the Central Conference with 52 doubles in 2001 and led again in 2006 with 51.

He also earned batting titles and led in hits in both 2005 and 2007. Safari also led in runs in 2007, a year with career highs in runs (119), homers (41), triple slash (.334/.404/.627), OPS (1.031), and wRC+ (164). His best WAR in AAB was 6.5 in 2003, but he did finish above 6+ WAR five times. 2003 also saw his lone cycle in a game against Kampala. Safari was third in 2003’s MVP voting, second in 2005, and third in 2007. While he never won the top award, Safari did earn Silver Sluggers in CF in 2002, 04, 05, 06, 07, and 08 for Kigali.

The Guardians had been abysmal in AAB’s earliest years with their best season from 1995-02 being a mere 64-98. Safari helped give them their first winning seasons from 2003-06 and their first playoff berth in 2003, although they fell in the conference final to Kinshasa. Safari signed a five-year, $8,900,000 extension after the 2006 season. Kigali made the playoff again in 2008 but were denied by the Addis Ababa dynasty. Safari had a forgettable .773 OPS in seven playoff starts.

With Kigali, Safari had 1622 games, 1938 hits, 1057 runs, 426 doubles, 58 triples, 558 home runs, 1041 RBI, 436 walks, 450 steals, .304/.353/.549 slash, 138 wRC+, and 51.0 WAR. His production waned in his later years for the Guardians with Safari declining his contract option after the 2010 season. He was still very popular as the franchise’s first star player who helped them to their first success, which got Safari’s #21 uniform later retired.

Coming up on age 31, he signed a two-year, $6,560,000 deal with Brazzaville, where he joined the 2000 hit club. Safari had 2.3 WAR and .824 OPS in 2011 for the struggling Blowfish in his one year there. At the time, the African Association of Baseball and European Baseball Federation had an agreement that trades between the leagues could happen. Safari was sent to Zaragoza of the European Second League in the offseason for four prospects.

This temporarily ended his time in Africa, but Safari did still usually play in the World Baseball Championship for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He played from 2002-11, 13-15, and 2019 with 98 games, 88 hits, 42 runs, 16 doubles, 18 home runs, 44 RBI, .285/.321/.524 slash, and 2.7 WAR.

Safari was definitely too good for the E2L with 7.0 WAR in his one year with Zaragoza. He was an important rental as the Gold Hawks earned a promotion to the EBF Elite as E2L runner-up. Safari was now a free agent for 2013 heading towards age 33 and ended up staying in Europe. This time he was in the EBF Elite tier on a four-year, $35,600,000 deal with Lisbon.

For the Clippers, Safari was used almost exclusively as a pinch hitter, but did decent enough to earn a fifth year. He played 515 games and started 97 with 210 hits, 96 runs, 33 doubles, 18 triples, 23 home runs, 98 RBI, 34 steals, .281/.318/.465 slash, 106 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR. Safari’s run in Europe ended for 2018 as a 38-year old free agent, going back to AAB on a one-year, $800,000 deal with Kampala.

Safari played shortstop for the Peacocks and won a Silver Slugger with a .848 OPS in 118 games, although his terrible defense meant only 1.4 WAR. Still, it plugged a hole for Kampala, who finished 111-51 for their first-ever playoff berth. The Peacocks went all the way and won the Africa Series over Johannesburg. Safari had only seven plate appearances in the playoffs and 14 in the Baseball Grand Championship, where they finished 10-9.

He joined Luanda in 2019 in a backup role, but hit very well over 100 games and 38 starts with .992 OPS, 173 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. Safari went 9-25 in the playoffs with 6 runs, 2 homers, and 5 RBI, helping the Landsharks to an Africa Series win over Brazzaville. Safari played 12 games and started 3 in the Baseball Grand Championship as Luanda went 9-10. Safari was one of a small group to have played in consecutive BGC events but with different teams.

Safari joined the Blowfish in 2020 for a second run, but couldn’t replicate the prior year’s offense with 0.2 WAR and .734 OPS in 84 games and 55 starts. He had one pinch hit double in the playoffs as Brazzaville lost the conference championship. Safari retired that winter at age 40.

For his AAB career, Safari had 2082 games, 2323 hits, 1236 runs, 507 doubles, 75 triples, 390 home runs, 1242 RBI, 545 walks, 1073 strikeouts, 544 steals, .301/.352/.539 slash, 136 wRC+, and 57.0 WAR. As of 2037, Safari is 35^th in games, 19^th in hits, 33^rd in runs, 22^nd in doubles, 35^th in triples, 58^th in homers, 35^th in RBI, 62^nd in steals, and 33^rd in WAR among position players. Safari’s .890 OPS is 90^th among AAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his batting average is 42^nd.

Safari’s tallies aren’t at the tip-top, but were pretty solid compared to his peers. Voters noted accolades like seven Silver Sluggers, two batting titles, and three times as a MVP finalist as huge plusses. The two championship rings at the end helped too, even if he was a mere role player by then. Most voters were sold even in a loaded five-player Hall of Fame class for 2026. At 80.5%, Safari was a first ballot inductee and joined the African Association of Baseball’s greats.



Jose “Boxy” Santarem – First Base – Mogadishu Mighty Mice – 74.9% First Ballot

Jose Santarem was a 6’4’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Ndalatando, Angola; a city of around 161,500 in the country’s northwest. He would become the second Angolan Hall of Famer, joining class of 2020 OF Arsenio Barroso. Santarem was the traditional leadoff man with excellent contact ability and blistering speed. He was outstanding at putting the ball in play with a 5.4% career strikeout rate. Santarem was also decent at drawing walks.

Santarem was a nightmare for pitchers to hold once he got on base as he was one of the best-ever base stealers and runners. Most of his batting success came versus right-handed pitching with a career .333 average, .891 OPS, and 138 wRC+. He had no power against lefties with a .268 average, .677 OPS, and 83 wRC+. His gap power was excellent on the whole with 41 doubles and 11 triples per his 162 game average. Santarem didn’t hit many dingers, but he did crack double-digits thrice in his career.

He had the unusual profile as a speedy leadoff guy who played first base exclusively on defense. Santarem graded as a firmly mediocre defender he simply lacked grace with his glove. He did also make just under ¼ of his starts as a designated hitter, mostly in his later seasons. Santarem was adaptable, but also a bit of a dummy. Being an ironman helped prolong his career, playing 148+ games in all but the first and final season of a 16-year career.

Santarem was signed by Mogadishu to a developmental contract in April 2001. He spent most of five years in their academy in Somalia, debuting in 2005 at age 20 with 20 games and 8 starts. Santarem became a full-time starter the next year and led the Central Conference in batting average (.352), hits (210), and triples (13), earning 2006 Rookie of the Year honors. This also started a streak of ten consecutive seasons with 100+ stolen bases. Santarem would get 100+ steals in 13 seasons overall.

From 2007-11, he was the leader in steals, peaking with 134 in 2012. At the time, that was the second-best AAB season behind his Hall of Fame classmate Fani Ngambi’s 139 from 2009. During that stretch, he also won two more batting titles and led trice in both hits and triples. Santarem’s 228 hits in 2008 set an AAB single-season record that held until 2025. It still ranks ninth as of 2037. Santarem also had career highs in runs (112), doubles (60), triple slash (.362/.418/.537) and OPS (.955) that year.

Santarem also set an AAB record in 2009 with 19 triples, which would only be passed twice. Despite his efforts, his lack of home run power at a powerful spot like first base or DH meant Santarem never won a Silver Slugger. Mogadishu was just below .500 in his earliest years, but they did earn playoff trips in 2009 and 2010. Both years, they were summarily dispatched by Addis Ababa’s dynasty in the Central Conference Championship.

The Mighty Mice fully collapsed with a 65-97 record in 2012 and began a fire sale during the season. At the trade deadline, Santarem was sent to Maputo for three prospects. His contributions were enough though that Mogadishu eventually retired his #14 uniform. For the Mighty Mice, Santarem had 1068 games, 1357 hits, 702 runs, 309 doubles, 82 triples, 61 home runs, 428 RBI, 443 walks, 781 steals, .333/.398/.494 slash, 137 wRC+, and 32.6 WAR.

Santarem had a nice second half with Maputo, who had been the Southern Conference champ the prior year. The Piranhas got back to the conference final, but were denied by Lusaka. They didn’t make the playoffs the next three years, but also didn’t have a losing season. Maputo kept Santarem around, signing him to a six-year, $52,200,000 extension in March 2013.

For the Piranhas, Santarem led in steals four times, triples twice, and doubles once. He won his fourth batting title in 2016 with a .336 average and was the OBP leader for the only time in 2018 at .412. Maputo made it back to the playoffs with a conference finals loss in 2016 to Johannesburg.

In 2017, Maputo finished first in the standings and defeated Luanda for their second pennant with Santarem taking conference finals MVP. They would be denied the Africa Series title against Santarem’s former team Mogadishu. In 13 playoff starts, Santarem had 13 hits, 7 runs, 3 doubles, 3 RBI, and 7 steals. The Piranhas would be just above .500 for the next two years.

With Maputo, Santarem played 1154 games with 1305 hits, 669 runs, 267 doubles, 75 triples, 43 homers, 523 RBI, 406 walks, 808 steals, .305/.365/.433 slash, 116 wRC+, and 23.3 WAR. At the time, he was racing his HOF classmate Fani Ngambi for the most steals in AAB history. They were the first two to reach 1500+ for their careers. Santarem ended up edging out Ngambi by 27 and also retired as the AAB leader in triples.

Santarem’s bat had fallen off to a mere .688 OPS and 1.9 WAR in his last year with Maputo, making it unlikely that he might chase the 3000 hit milestone. Santarem signed with Lilongwe for 2020, but struggled to -0.1 WAR and .623 OPS over 67 games and 21 starts. He was unsigned in 2021 and retired that winter at age 37.

The final tallies had 2289 games, 2690 hits, 1387 runs, 581 doubles, 159 triples, 105 home runs, 964 RBI, 859 walks, 513 strikeouts, 1602 stolen bases, 518 caught stealing, .318/.380/.461 slash, 125 wRC+, and 55.8 WAR. As of 2037, Santarem is second in both steals and triples as Djibrilla Ousseini would pass him for both top marks in the mid 2030s.

Santarem also ranks 22^nd in games, 12^th in hits, 21^st in runs, 8^th in doubles, 33^rd in total bases (3904), 79^th in RBI, 2^nd in caught stealing, and 39^th in WAR among position players. Santarem’s batting average ranks 14^th among AAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his OBP is 28^th. He also notably ranks 14^th in steals for all of professional baseball as of 2037.

Although he had better stealing success and a higher batting average, most still ranked Ngambi above Santarem as a more valuable leadoff man for the era because of his high walk rate and much better defensive value. Santarem didn’t have the big awards, but he had enough statistical notables to get a strong look. Four batting titles and a boatload of steals get you some prompts even if people expect big power from the position.

His incredibly low strikeout rate was especially impressive and as of 2037, he’s the only AAB Hall of Famer to have 2000+ hits with less than 1000 strikeouts. Santarem was the weakest in a loaded five-player Hall of Fame class, but he still got 74.9% to secure a first ballot induction. This capped off the historic 2026 group for the African Association of Baseball.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 World Baseball Championship

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The 2026 World Baseball Championship was the 80^th edition and this time was hosted in Valencia, Spain; the first time hosted in Europe since 2005. In Division 1, Italy took the top spot at 10-1, fending off Australia (9-2) and Greece (8-3). It was the second division title in four years for the Italians and their 20^th overall. Italy has advanced more times than any other European country.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo earned their first-ever division title at 10-1 atop Division 2. Cameroon at 8-5 was their only close competitor. The United States finished 5-6, which was the first time ever that the Americans had posted a losing record in division play. It was only the 20^th time in 80 WBCs that the USA didn’t get to the elite eight. Last year’s world champion Spain was also a non-factor in D2 at 4-7.

Austria and Israel tied for Division 3 at 9-2 with the Austrians advancing via the head-to-head tiebreaker. It was the fifth division title for Austria and their third in a decade. France took Division 4 at 9-2, edging out Ukraine (8-3) and Bulgaria (7-4). The French got their second division title in three years and their 15^th overall.

Hungary secured a tight Division 5 at 8-3 for their first-ever division title. Right behind were India (7-4), Iran (7-4), Turkey (7-4), Nigeria (6-5), and Serbia (6-5). Division 6 had a three-way tie for first at 7-4 between Vietnam, South Korea, and the Czech Republic. Five were one back at 6-5 (Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Romania). The tiebreaker sent the Vietnamese forward and earned their third division title (1999, 2010, 2026).

Division 7 also had a first-time winner with 8-3 Tajikistan on top. Last year’s runner-up Brazil finished 7-4 as did Uzbekistan and Venezuela. Lastly in D8, Germany clobbered the field at 10-1 for their 14^th division title and second in three years. No teams from the 2025 elite eight made it back in 2026. With the Tajiks, Hungarians, and Congolese earning their first division titles in 2026, 83 unique nations have now advanced to the elite eight at least once.

The 2026 elite eight was also notable as the second without a single team from the Western Hemisphere (2012). The group had five from Europe, two from Asia, and one from Africa. Round Robin Group A had France first at 5-1, advancing along with 3-3 Austria. Vietnam and Italy both were ousted at 2-4. The French earned their second semifinal trip in three years and their sixth overall. The Austrians secured their third berth in the final four (2017, 2023).

The DR Congo topped Group B at 5-1, followed by both Hungary and Germany at 3-3 and Tajikistan at 1-5. The Hungarians advanced on the tiebreaker, sending two newcomers to the semifinal. With that, 50 countries now have earned a final four appearance over the history of the event.

Both newcomers were ousted in the semifinal, although both forced all five games. France survived Hungary and Austria outlasted the DR Congo. Officially, the Congolese finished third and the Hungarians were fourth. The French earned their second championship berth in three years. The Austrians became the 33^rd different nation to make it to the title.



Austria then became the 20^th different World Champion in event history, winning 4-2 to deny France a second title in three years. This continued the historic parity for the top spot with nine different world champs in nine years. It is also the third straight title for a European nation. Austria set a WBC team record with 53 doubles in their victory.

Tournament MVP was Austrian SS Ernst Scheuermann. The 28-year old four-time Gold Glove winner with Dublin posted 24 hits, 20 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 7 homers, 15 RBI, 22 walks, 15 steals, .242/.395/.545 slash, 173 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. The Austrians also had the Best Pitcher in Viktor Friedl, a journeyman closer signed with EBF’s Zaragoza for 2026. The 33-year old righty pitched 12 games with a 0.33 ERA over 27.1 innings, 7 saves, 2-0 record, 52 strikeouts, 14 walks, and 1.2 WAR.



Other notes: For the first time since 2016, zero no-hitters were pitched in the event. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats. 2026 was unique as the top nine nations all-time in team scoring each missed the elite eight. It was the first time ever that the round robin didn’t have at least one of the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, and/or Russia.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 in A2L

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The African Second League’s Southern Conference had a tie for the top spot at 98-64 between Port Elizabeth and Windhoek. The Elephants won the won the tiebreaker game to win the title and their first-ever promotion. The White Sox posted a franchise-best record still in defeat. Also of note recently demoted Luanda continued to stink with a last place 69-93 in their A2L debut.



Meanwhile in the Central Conference, Mogadishu dominated at 100-62 to escape after two seasons in A2L. Mwanza was a distance second at 87-75, 13 games back.



In the ninth Second League Championship, Port Elizabeth edged Mogadishu 5-4.



Other notes: Mogadishu’s Abel Teklemariam set an A2L record with 77 doubles and Asmara’s Simon McGraw set a record with 172 singles. Windhoek’s Simon Walusimbi won his third straight MVP, becoming the second three-time MVP in A2L. Bahir Dar’s Daniel Isangula won his second MVP.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 in E2L

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The Western Conference was top heavy with Nantes (107-55) and Stuttgart (103-59) well ahead of everyone else. Both earned repeat playoff berths with the Trappers taking first in the standings for the first time. Nantes set new European Second League records for hits (.257) and hits (1435) and had the best slugging (.422) in conference history. Both teams were hoping to earn their first-ever promotion.

The remaining playoff berths went to Barcelona (93-69) and Brussels (91-71). Just missing out were Lyon (90-72), Liverpool (89-73), and Turn (85-77). Both the Bengals and Beavers picked up their first E2L playoff berths since getting relegated to E2L beginning in 2022.

Barcelona ran the table at 6-0 in the Round Robin, advancing to the Western Conference Championship along with Nantes (3-3). Brussels (2-4) and Stuttgart (1-5) were both ousted. The top seed Trappers then rolled to the pennant 4-1 over the Bengals for their first-ever promotion.



The Eastern Conference was an incredibly competitive field with only nine wins separating first place from ninth. Dnipro took first for the first time at 94-68, getting their first playoff berth since returning to E2L in 2024. Bratislava was second at 92-70 for their first postseason trip since their brief 2019 promotion.

There was a three-way tie for the remaining two playoff spots at 89-73 between Helsinki, Vienna, and Lviv. Both the Honkers and Vultures defeated the Lunkers in one-game playoffs to advance. Just missing the cut were Yerevan (88-74), Gothenburg (86-76), Cluj-Napoca (85-77), and Vilnius (85-77). Helsinki had their first playoff trip since 2020 while the Vultures earned back-to-back berths.

The Honkers led in the Round Robin at 4-2 to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship. Vienna and Dnipro tied at 3-3 and Bratislava was 2-4. The tiebreaker favored the Vultures, who went on to roll 4-1 over Helsinki for the pennant. Vienna finally earned promotion after spending a decade in the European Second League.



The Second League Championship needed all seven games with Nantes defeating Vienna in a classic. There would be a third promotion spot available based on the results in the European Baseball Federation Elite Tier. Barcelona (93-69) had a better record than fellow semifinalist Helsinki (90-73), giving the promotion to the Bengals. Barcelona got the bump back up after a five-year run in E2L.



Other notes: With Nantes earning their first-ever promotion, that leaves Liverpool, Turin, Stuttgart, and Lodz as the only original E2L teams yet to get promoted at least once. Bratislava’s Rene Pittet set a single-season record with 56 saves. Silver Sabres ace Alexander Hamann became a three-time Pitcher of the Year winner.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 in AAB

The players of the African Association of Baseball scored in a win a labor negotiations for 2026. AAB announced it would limit the service time required for free agency from eight years down to seven. AAB had started at seven years, but had bumped it up to eight for 2006. This puts them among the bottom half of leagues for service time requirements.



Defending Baseball Grand Champion and Africa Series champ Lusaka clobbered the Southern Conference in the regular season with a franchise record 108-54 season. The Lake Monsters set numerous offensive records, including the highest team batting average in AAB history at .297, the highest slugging percentage at .530, and the most hits with 1639.

Lusaka’s 990 runs scored and .370 team OBP were the second-highest in AAB history behind only Johannesburg’s 1003 runs from 1999 and .371 OBP from 2000. The Lake Monsters also set a conference record with only 996 strikeouts offensively. Additionally, the Lusaka bullpen had 56 saves, which was one shy of Durban’s conference record from 2009.

15 games back in second place was 93-69 Cape Town, who allowed the fewest runs in the conference at 646. This ended a 26-year playoff drought for the Cowboys. Gaborone was the only near competitor for the wild card at 88-74. The Golden Bears notably were the first team that started in the African Second League to post a winning season in the top tier.

The five-year playoff streak ended for Antananarivo, who fell to sixth place at 79-83. It was their first losing season since 2018. The bottom spot and relegation was Lilongwe at 62-100. The Lightning fell fast as they were a playoff team only two years prior and won the pennant in 2021. Lilongwe was five games away from Johannesburg, who had just made it back after one year in A2L.

Leading Lusaka’s high-powered offense was Southern Conference MVP Noel Malama. The hometown hero was in his fourth season starting in center field for the Lake Monsters, leading in runs (130), RBI (141), total bases (401), OBP (.449), OPS (1.204), wRC+ (189), and WAR (9.4). Malama added 61 home runs and a .354 average, taking second in both starts. Teammate Destin Mpika beat his average (.356) while Harare’s Maninho Magaia led with 70 homers.

Gaborone’s Simon Kayongo repeated as Pitcher of the Year and posted only the third-ever Triple Crown pitching season in AAB history. He joined Henry Kibirige (1999) and Michael Wakachu (2008) in achieving the honor. The 25-year old Ugandan righty had a 22-5 record, 3.02 ERA, and 269 strikeouts over 232.2 innings. Kayongo had 159 ERA+ and 6.3 WAR.



Nairobi and Bujumbura pulled away for the top spots in the Central Conference, both ending lengthy playoff droughts. The Night Hawks used the CC’s top offense (948 runs), while the Bighorns allowed the fewest with their pitching and defense (608 runs). Nairobi ended up narrowly taking first at 102-60 with Bujumbura at 101-61.

For the Night Hawks, they posted their third-ever playoff berth (2013, 2014) and took the top spot for the first time. It was the sixth playoff trip for the Bighorns and ended a six-year drought. There was a double-digit drop to the next closest teams with defending conference champ Addis Ababa (91-71) and reigning A2L champ Kinshasa (90-72).

It was a triumphant return for the once powerful Sun Cats, who had spent the prior three years stuck in the African Second League. Kinshasa oddly enough set a new league all-time low with only 15 saves recorded all season. Last year’s first place team and 2024 AAB champ Lubumbashi fell to 79-83, their first losing campaign since 2018.

In their third year in the top tier, Mombasa was relegated with an abysmal 49-113. They had been just above .500 in their first two seasons before the wheels came off in 2026. The Bisons had the third worst record in AAB history and set conference pitching worsts with a 5.71 ERA and 963 runs allowed.

Brazzaville was a non-factor at 75-87, but their second-year center fielder Asa Ngoie won Central Conference MVP. The 25-year old Congolese lefty led in OBP (.424), slugging (.737), OPS (1.162), wRC+ (193), and WAR (8.4). Ngoie added 55 homers, 115 RBI, 110 runs, 60 stolen bases, and a .324 average. He had won Rookie of the Year and a Silver Slugger the prior year for the Blowfish, emerging as an up-and-coming superstar.

Kinshasa’s Aziz Mussa earned Pitcher of the Year in his first season in the top tier, bouncing back after an injury filled 2025. The 25-year old Djiboutian set a new single-season AAB strikeout record with 388, passing Fasika Mulatu’s record 369 from two years prior. Mussa’s mark held as the top one until the mid 2030s when Abdullahi Ali beat it thrice.

Mussa also led in innings (272), quality starts (23), complete games (19), and WAR (8.3). He had a 17-12 record, 2.75 ERA, and 165 ERA+. Also of note was Addis Ababa’s Patrick Koech winning his third Reliever of the Year in four seasons. The 29-year old Kenyan had the lowest ERA of his career at 1.24 over 79.2 innings with 37 saves and 97 Ks.

In the Southern Conference Championship, Cape Town pulled off the shocking upset 4-2 over the reigning Grand Champion Lusaka. The Cowboys earned their second-ever pennant, going back to their 114-48 effort in 1996 to win the second African Series. The Lake Monsters at 108-54 had the second-highest win total for an AAB team that didn’t win its conference title. Only 2015 Kinshasa at 109-53 was above them.

The Central Conference Championship also had the #2 seed beat #1, although at least those two teams had been separated by only one regular season win. Bujumbura bested Nairobi 4-2 to send Burundi’s largest city to the Africa Series for the first time. This left Kigali as the only charter AAB team without a single pennant since the league started in 1995.



The 32^nd Africa Series was only the second finale to not feature one or both of the #1 seeds, joining the 2014 battle between Harare and Nairobi. Bujumbura became the 15^th different franchise to win it all, defeating Cape Town 5-3. The Bighorns were the fifth different champ in five years, the longest streak of parity for the top spot in AAB history.

SS Eusebio Mutandwa was finals MVP in his second season. The Zimbabwean was known for having great defense with a generally terrible bat, but he stepped up in the playoff run with 17 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, and 7 RBI over 13 playoff starts. Pitcher Iggy Fellows also notably set an AAB playoff record for wins at 4-0, posting a 2.23 ERA and 202 ERA+ in 32.1 playoff innings.



Other notes: Harare’s Maninho Magaia hit 70 home runs and made world history as the first player in any professional league to have four seasons with 70+ dingers. Magaia had hit 73 in 2022, 72 in 2023, and 71 in 2025. AAB’s Kaunda Kalinga, ALB’s Ali Jassem, SAB’s Majed Darwish, and BSA’s Valor Melo had each smacked 70+ homers in three seasons.

Magaia and Warren Biloa both joined the 500 home run club, making 13 to reach the mark in AAB. Ermeyas Chekol was the 8^th to 2500 career hits. Chekol and Patrick Babila both reached 1500 runs scored, a mark achieved by ten. SS Djibrilla Ousseini won his 8^th straight Silver Slugger. Catcher Destin Kette became the first ten-time Gold Glover in AAB history. The Southern Conference had the quirk of only first-time Gold Glove winners, which had never happened apart from the inaugural season.

Promotion/Relegation: Lilongwe and Mombasa were relegated to the African Second League. Port Elizabeth replaced the Lightning in the Southern Conference and Mogadishu reclaimed their Central Conference slot from the Bisons.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2026 in ALB

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In the Arab League’s Western Conference, seven wins separated the five playoff teams. The Mediterranean Division was particularly loaded with Algiers on top for the fourth straight year. The Arsenal earned the top overall seed at 97-65, surviving against 95-67 Tripoli and 94-68 Tunis. Those teams got the wild card spots, ending a five-year playoff drought for the Privateers.

The Thunder Cats had been the only original team without a playoff berth since ALB’s founding in 1990. Tunis and Amman tied for the most runs in the conference at 850 while Tripoli allowed the fewest at 666. The three-time defending conference champ Aviators had their four-year playoff streak snapped. Jerusalem won the Levant Division at 94-68 followed by Amman at 86-76. The Jets grew their playoff streak to three, although it was their first division title since 2021.

A competitive Nile Division finished tied at 89-73 between Alexandria and Cairo. The Astronauts won the tiebreaker game to snap the nine-year reign of the Pharaohs. It was a speedy division as Khartoum (494) and Cairo (485) set the highest marks for stolen bases in Western Conference history. The Pharaohs also set a conference record with 87 triples.

In his fourth year with Alexandria, first baseman Gilon Bassman won Western Conference MVP. The 23-year old Israeli righty led in hits (230) and total bases (471). Bassman added 127 runs, 50 doubles, 63 home runs, 153 RBI, 55 steals, a .372/.393/.761 slash, 192 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR. His more complete season landed him the MVP despite historic power from Algiers left fielder Wissam Magdy.

Magdy smacked 82 home runs, tying Mohamed Ali Mansour’s ALB record from 2023. He became the third player in world history with an 80+ dinger season, joining world home run king Majed Darwish of SAB who did it thrice. The 27-year old Libyan also led with 158 RBI, but he didn’t even win a Silver Slugger thanks to Suez LF Mohamed Neen. He and Bassman both were better than Magdy in WAR, as was the leader CF Kamal Qasim of Amman with 10.4.

Pitcher of the Year went to veteran journeyman Muhammad Fadel at age 39. He signed with Tripoli for 2026 after a 17-year run between Mosul, Sulaymaniyah, Algiers, and Casablanca. The Iraqi righty had posted some decent seasons in the past, but his main notoriety had been becoming the first ALB pitcher with 200+ career losses.

In 2026, Fadel led in quality starts (23) while posting a 2.99 ERA over 237.2 innings, 17-7 record, 228 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, and 7.4 WAR. He was one of the oldest players in any world league’s history to win a major award. Fadel became the ninth to reach 3500 career strikeouts and the 13^th to 200 wins in 2026. Fadel pitched two more solid seasons for the Privateers before retiring.

Also notable was Jerusalem’s Aaron Buber winning his fourth Reliever of the Year in five seasons. He became the fourth in ALB history to win the award four times, posting 42 saves and a 2.74 ERA over 95.1 innings with 133 strikeouts. Buber joined Khemais Khalid as the only ALB closers to record 40+ saves in four seasons.

Tripoli swept Tunis in the wild card round, leaving the Thunder Cats without their first playoff win. The Privateers were then edged 2-1 by top seed Algiers in the second round, sending the Arsenal to their fourth consecutive Western Conference Final. Jerusalem swept Alexandria on the other side for their first conference finals trip since 2021.

After losing in three straight seasons, Algiers finally earned their first pennant by sweeping the Jets 3-0 in the WCF. This left Tunis as the only original team in the Western Conference without a pennant through ALB’s first 37 seasons. Baghdad, Riyadh, and Mecca had also never done it over in the Eastern Conference.



Bahrain surprised many by posting the Arab League’s best record at 104-58, taking the Eastern Conference’s top seed and the Gulf Division crown. This was the first-ever playoff berth for the Blitz, who joined ALB in the 2016 expansion. Bahrain also outperformed their expected win/loss by 12 games.

The #2 seed went to reigning ALB champ Basra at 98-64 atop the Mesopotamia Division, extending their division title streak to nine years. Kuwait was a close second at 95-67, earning a wild card for the third straight year. Medina rolled to the Arabia Division at 97-65, finishing 14 games ahead of second place Mecca. The Mastodons earned repeat playoff trips, but their first division title since 2010. Last year’s top seed Riyadh was third in the division at 82-80. Medina and Basra were tied for the fewest runs allowed in the conference at 674.

The race for the second card was in the Gulf Division with Abu Dhabi (91-71) beating Muscat (89-73). The Destroyers earned their fourth playoff trip in five years with the result. The Threshers were the highest scoring team at 888 runs and set a new ALB single-season record with a team .356 on-base percentage.

Abu Dhabi 3B Khali Allawi repeated as Eastern Conference MVP in his fifth year starting for the Destroyers. The 25-year old Yemeni lefty had 223 hits, 124 runs, 50 homers, 50 doubles, 137 RBI, a .369/.412/.706 slash, and 8.7 WAR. Allawi was a rare MVP winner not to lead in a single stat, although he was second in WAR, wRC+ (189), OPS, slugging, hits, and total bases (427).

Riyadh’s Diyar Abbas won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it back in 2020. The 31-year old Iraqi righty posted the ninth pitching Triple Crown in ALB history with a 22-9 record, 2.82 ERA, and 305 strikeouts. Abbas also led in innings (265.1), WHIP (0.93), quality starts (25), complete games (12), shutouts (3), FIP- (61), and WAR (9.6). He had remained committed to the Rats by signing a seven-year, $180 million extension back in June 2023.

Abu Dhabi edged Kuwait 2-1 in the wild card round, then was ousted 2-1 in round two by top seed Bahrain. Basra outlasted Medina 2-1 to earn an eight consecutive Eastern Conference Final appearance. Their repeat bid was dashed by Bahrain 3-2, making the Blitz the first expansion team to win a pennant. This also guaranteed a first-time winner in the 37^th Arab League Championship.



The finale was anticlimactic as Algiers swept Bahrain 4-0 to become the 16^th franchise to win the Arab League Championship. LF Mohammad al-Imad was finals MVP in his fourth season with the Arsenal. It was his first as a starter, although he did lose time to a hamstring injury. In 10 playoff starts, al-Imad had 12 hits, 2 runs, 6 doubles, 1 homer, and 5 RBI.



Other notes: Ahmed Hussain became the 4^th pitcher to 4000 strikeouts and passed the other three to become ALB’s new strikeout king at 4228. Abdullah Al-Tamtami previously had the high mark at 4035, which held for a decade. Hussain also became the 2^nd to 250 wins, finishing the year at 251. The top mark to chase was Rashid Tariq’s 285 and Hussain had a shot having just turned 35. Hussain also joined Tariq (125.5) and Mohamed Wael (101.9) as the only pitchers with 100+ WAR in ALB history, getting to 106.4 in 2026.

Mohamed Hassan became the 4^th member of the 800 home run club. Omar Abdel Rahman was the 29^th to reach 500 homers. Omar Azim became the 16^th to 1500 RBI and Amar Rasmi became the 11^th to 1500 runs scored. Tzidkiel Monnish was the 20^th to 2500 hits. Khamis Sheik was the 12^th pitcher to 200 wins.

SS Ayoub El Taib won his 11^th Silver Slugger, becoming the third at any position in ALB with 11. 3B Makik Zouaoui and DH Omar Abdel Rahman both won their 7^th Silver Slugger. Abu Dhabi 2B Younis Ahmed set a playoff record .714 OBP over 21 plate appearances (20 required to qualify). Oran’s Faysel Najem had a 31-game hitting streak, the third-longest in ALB history.