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

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2025 OBA Hall of Fame

The Oceania Baseball Association’s 2025 Hall of Fame class had two players, both getting in on their third ballot and both best known for runs with Tahiti. SP Julian Albright led the way at 80.9%, while DH/3B Ueli Nakanelua scraped by the 66% requirement at 68.6%. The best debuts were pitchers Joel Wilson at 60.4% and SP George Hudson at 57.1%. No one else cracked 50%.



RF Asaeli Ali was removed from the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 31.7% in 2017 and ending at 11.9%. He had a 15-year run between Fiji and Perth with four Silver Sluggers, 2086 hits, 1047 runs, 375 doubles, 113 triples, 439 home runs, 1192 RBI, .279/.314/.536 slash, 136 wRC+, and 51.5 WAR. Ali generally wasn’t a league leader and he didn’t have the longevity to overcome the lack of black ink. Still, he was a fine power hitter for a bit over a decade, but in the Hall of Pretty Good territory.

Also dropped was RF Miakele Primo, who peaked at 18.3% in 2017 and ended at 5.3%. Injuries derailed him as despite having an 18-year career, he only played 130+ games in three seasons and 100+ games in seven. Primo won two Silver Sluggers with 1666 hits, 764 runs, 269 doubles, 91 triples, 187 home runs, 791 RBI, 338 stolen bases, .321/.360/.516 slash, 154 wRC+, and 41.7 WAR. Primo might have had a chance if he stayed healthy, but alas.



Julian Albright – Starting Pitcher – Tahiti Tropics – 80.9% Third Ballot

Julian Albright was a 6’1’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from Melbourne, Australia. Albright wasn’t amazing at any one thing, but he had above average to good stuff, movement, and control. His velocity peaked in the 94-96 mph range with a five-pitch arsenal of slider, curveball, cutter, circle change, and knuckle curve.

Albright’s stamina was average relative to most OBA aces. His durability was off-and-on as he managed a 19-year career, but also lost chunks of a couple seasons to injury. He was a solid defensive pitcher with a decent pickoff move. Albright was one of the good guys in the game as a respected team captain with a strong work ethic along with great leadership, loyalty, and adaptability.

In January 1995, Albright was signed to a developmental deal and moved to Samoa from Australia. He spent five full seasons in their academy, then saw limited action in 2000 and 2001. Albright started most of 2002 at age 23 with passable results, earning a full-time rotation spot after that. In 2004, he looked like a legit ace for the first time with an 8.7 WAR, 2.93 ERA effort. Albright had a big setback in 2005 with shoulder inflammation costing him four months.

Albright was healthy in 2006 and 2007 with above average results. Samoa was just above .500 for most of his time there, but they were unable to get beyond that. The 29-year old Albright decided to leave the Sun Sox for free agency after the 2007 season. With Samoa, Albright had a 90-88 record, 3.39 ERA, 1577 innings, 1515 strikeouts, 352 walks, 107 ERA+, and 29.5 WAR.

Tahiti signed Albright to a three-year, $9,840,000 deal. The Tropics had won the Pacific League title from 2003-05 and again in 2007, going 1-3 in that stretch against Melbourne in the Oceania Championship. Tahiti won the PL again in 2008 and this time bested the Mets for the title. Albright had a solid regular season, but only saw one relief appearance in the playoffs.

Albright’s production stayed steady and Tahiti gave him a two-year, $7,600,000 extension in April 2010. The Tropics took third in 2009 and second in 2010, then returned to the Pacific League throne in 2011. Tahiti won the OBA title again over Melbourne with Albright posting a 4.85 ERA over 13 playoff innings. He fared better in the World Baseball Championship with a 3-1 record in five starts, 3.45 ERA, 31.1 innings, and 29 strikeouts. Tahiti finished second in the BGC at 13-6 behind only 15-4 Tampa.

With his consistency and leadership, Albright earned a four-year, $16,420,000 extension in April 2012. He again stayed steady, but he was never a league leader or a Pitcher of the Year finalist. Tahiti fell short to Guadalcanal in both 2012 and 2013, then returned to first place in 2014 and 2015. The Tropics lost to Christchurch in the 2014 final, then got revenge over the Chinooks in 2015.

Albright missed two months in 2014 for a rotator cuff strain, but was back for the stretch run. He allowed one run in nine playoff innings, but he struggled in the BGC with a 6.37 ERA over 35.1 innings. The Tropics finished 9-10 in the 2014 event. Albright was healthy for 2015, but was relegated to a bench role with only 68.1 innings. He didn’t pitch in the Oceania Championship and had only 2.2 scoreless relief innings in the BGC. Tahiti ended up 10-9 in the 2015 Baseball Grand Championship.

He remained a part-timer for two more years with Tahiti with subpar results. Tahiti was still above .500, but their time at the top had ended. With the Tropics, Albright had a 149-79 record, 3.39 ERA, 2107.2 innings, 1984 strikeouts, 393 walks, 107 ERA+, and 36.3 WAR. He was well liked and appreciated enough by Tahiti ownership to get his #28 uniform eventually retired.

Albright wanted to still pitch somewhere, but most teams weren’t interested. He had to settle for the newly formed African Second League with Gaborone on a three-year, $13,840,000 deal. In April 2019, Albright suffered a stretched elbow ligament that knocked him out a calendar year. He decided to retire with that age 41.

In OBA, Albright had a 239-167 record, 3.39 ERA, 3684.2 innings, 3499 strikeouts, 745 walks, 318/484 quality starts, 115 complete games, 21 shutouts, 107 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 65.8 WAR. As of 2037, Albright ranks 14^th in wins, 18^th in innings, 26^th in strikeouts, and 41^st in WAR among pitchers. By advanced stats, Albright was merely an above average pitcher. There was never a point where he was considered a top three level pitcher and he was never a league leader.

Working in his favor though was good longevity and excellent leadership skills. Albright ranked higher in the counting stats than you might expect and was above some other guys who had earned Hall of Fame nods before him. Being part of a dominant run with three titles for Tahiti also gave Albright some points.

He narrowly missed the 66% requirement for induction at 64.6% in his 2023 debut. Albright fell to 50.3% in 2024, but got the benefit of a weak group for 2025. The respect Albright had amongst his peers got him across the line with a big boost up to 80.9%. Albright won’t be considered an inner-circle level guy, but he earned a third ballot induction as part of the 2025 class for the Oceania Baseball Association.



Ueli Nakanelua – Designated Hitter/Third Base – Tahiti Tropics – 68.6% Third Ballot

Ueli Nakanelua was a 6’3’’, 200 pound switch-hitting third baseman and designated hitter from Satapuala, Samoa; a small village of just under 2000 people. Nakanelua was famous for having an incredible eye for drawing walks, leading the Pacific League in walks ten times in his career. He had a decent strikeout rate and had steady home run power. However, Nakanelua graded as an average at best contact hitter.

Nakanelua’s hitting success primarily came against right-handed pitching with a 164 wRC+ and .924 OPS. He was subpar against lefties with .654 OPS and 92 wRC+. Nakanelua’s 162 game average got you a solid 34 home runs, but his gap power was limited with only 17 doubles and 2 triples per 162. He was also a painfully sluggish and clumsy baserunner, which did limit the value of the walks he drew.

He had a respectable arm, but Nakanelua’s glove work and range were lousy. Around 20% of his career starts came at third base with terrible metrics. Thus, he posted more than 3/4s of his starts as a designated hitter. Nakanelua did have iron man durability and never missed time to injury. He was never the star of Tahiti’s 2000s dominance, but became an important part of their run.

Few fans realize that Nakanelua wasn’t drafted by Tahiti, especially since he never played a game for anyone else. He wasn’t a highly touted prospect, going 52^nd overall to Guam in the middle of the third round in the 1997 OBA Draft. Nakanelua developed slowly and was traded by the Golden Eagles after the 1999 season in a three-player deal with the Tropics. Nakanelua spent the next two years on the reserve roster for Tahiti.

Nakanelua debuted in 2002 at age 24, a fairly late introduction. He had respectable results over 110 games and 32 starts, earning a full-time gig from 2003 onward. Nakanelua’s first full year saw a league-best 92 walks along with 6.3 WAR and 42 home runs, winning a Silver Slugger as a DH. 2003 marked the start of Tahiti’s return to contention, winning their first Pacific League title in 27 years. The Tropics finished 106-56 and won the Oceania Championship over Melbourne.

Tahiti won additional Pacific League pennants in 2004, 05, 07, 08, 11, 14, and 15. They lost the Oceania Championship to Melbourne in 2004, 05, and 07; then got wins over the Mets in 08 and 11. The Tropics lost to Christchurch in the 2014 final, then defeated the Chinooks in 2015. Nakanelua was there the whole time, although his playoff stats were underwhelming. In 46 games, he had 33 hits, 15 runs, 8 doubles, 7 homers, 20 RBI, 14 walks, .208/.272/.390 slash, 85 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR.

However, Nakanelua was outstanding in his Baseball Grand Championship appearances with 45 games, 33 starts, 34 hits, 31 runs, 4 doubles, 19 home runs, 35 RBI, 29 walks, .296/.449/.826 slash, 1.275 OPS, 245 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. Tahiti finished second in the 2011 WBC at 13-6. The Tropics finished 9-10 in 2014 and 10-9 in 2015.
Nakanelua won additional Silver Sluggers in 2005, 2007, and 2012 as a DH and in 2014 at third base. He took second in 2005’s MVP voting and third in 2007 and was a ten-time all-star. Nakanelua led the league with 118 runs in and had the best OBP in 2012 at .392. 2005 had his career best triple slash (.299/.404/.611), OPS (1.016), wRC+ (189), and WAR (6.7). He had five seasons with 5+ WAR and nine seasons worth 4+ WAR.

He stayed loyal through the run, first inking a five-year, $13,140,000 extension in October 2004. In April 2009, Nakanelua inked a six-year, $34,800,000 extension. He added another two years and $19 million after the 2014 season. He had a six-hit game in 2007 against Port Moresby and hit for the cycle in 2005 against Guam. As of 2037, Nakanelua is the only OBA player to have a six-hit game, three HR game, and hit for the cycle in his career.

Nakanelua kept fairly steady production into his mid 30s, but he started to struggle against lefties and saw his power drop as he aged. He was relegated to a platoon role in 2016 with iffy results, then was mostly a backup in 2017. Nakanelua retired after the 2017 campiagn at age 39. Tahiti immediately retired his #23 uniform for his efforts.

In total, Nakanelua played 2286 games with 1971 hits, 1219 runs, 240 doubles, 485 home runs, 1239 RBI, 1220 walks, 1262 strikeouts, .263/.367/.495 slash, 148 wRC+, and 61.6 WAR. As of 2037, Nakanelua ranks 4^th in walks, 41^st in runs, 87^th in hits, 24^th in homers, 41^st in RBI, and 65^th in WAR among position players. His OBP ranks 10^th among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances, which was impressive considering a weaker batting average. His .862 OPS ranks 65^th.

His tallies put him on the borderline compared to other Hall of Fame inductees. Nakanelua’s grand tallies were relatively underwhelming and he had being a DH working against him. His big game reputation was mixed as his Oceania Championship stats were underwhelming, but his Baseball Grand Championship stats were great. In his favor was five Silver Sluggers and four championship rings, accolades that were big plusses for many voters.

Nakanelua missed the cut in his first two ballots with 60.4% in 2023 and 58.1% in 2024. He didn’t get monumental gains in 2025, but a weak set of debuts allowed growth up to 68.6%. That got Nakanelua across the 66% line for a third ballot induction into the 2025 Hall of Fame class for the Oceania Baseball Association.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 APB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

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Three players earned Hall of Fame inductions on their ballot debuts for Austronesia Professional Baseball in 2025. OF Paola Baptista was the clear headliner at a nearly unanimous 99.3%. Joining him were relief pitchers Evan Yanizar at 76.5% and Metta Adam at 73.9%. The best returner was another RP with Kyle Oliveira at 58.8% on his second ballot. Also above 50% but short of the 66% threshold was SP Bagus Ranga at 57.7% in his fourth go and 3B Yu-Ting Tsai with a 52.9% debut. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries.



Paolo Baptista – Outfield – Zamboanga Zebras – 99.3% First Ballot

Paolo Baptista was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting outfielder from Manolo Fortich, Philippines; a city of around 113,000 inhabitants in the Bukidnon province. Few players in his era in the low-scoring APB were better at getting extra base hits. Baptista’s 162 game average got you 34 home runs, 20 doubles, and 14 triples. He was especially strong facing right-handed pitchers with a career 179 wRC+ and .905 OPS. Versus lefties, Baptista had 120 wRC+ and .673 OPS.

On the whole, Baptista was an above average contact hitter with a good eye for walks and a below average strikeout rate. His baserunning skills were excellent, although his speed was merely good and not great in his prime. Just over half of his career starts came in center field, almost all in the first half of his career. Baptista graded as reliably average in center.

As his speed and range diminished in his early 30s, Baptista spent the second half of his career bouncing around between left field, right field, and designated hitter. His metrics suggested solid defense in RF and around average marks in LF. Baptista stayed mostly healthy in his 20s, but his later years were plagued by various major leg injuries. Still, he gutted out a 21-year career using his impressive work ethic, intelligence, and adaptability to survive the grind. Baptista became one of the most beloved and famous Filipino players ever and had a key role in two separate dynasty runs for Zamboanga.

The Zebras banked their future on Baptista by picking him second in the 1998 APB Draft. They had posted six straight losing seasons and hadn’t been a playoff team since 1981. To that point, Zamboanga and Depok were the only teams in APB that had never won a pennant. Baptista would play a big role in reversing that trend. Although they were only 75-87 in his rookie year of 1999, he had a stellar debut with 7.1 WAR, although Baptista surprisingly took only second in Rookie of the Year.

The playoff drought ended in 2000 with Zamboanga winning the Philippine League in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004. The Zebras lost in the Taiwan-Philippine Association final in 2000 to Kaohsiung. However, they earned their first TPA pennants in the other three seasons, besting the Steelheads in 2001 and Tainan in both 2003 and 2004. Zamboanga still didn’t win their first Austronesia Championship yet, falling to Semarang in 2001, Bandung in 2003, and Jakarta in 2004. Baptista was impressive over 43 playoff starts in this run with 3.1 WAR, 51 hits, 26 runs, 5 doubles, 13 home runs, 31 RBI, and 19 stolen bases.

Baptista had brought the Zebras their first sustained success, leading the TPA in WAR in four of those five seasons with a combined 48.8 WAR for the stretch. In that run, he led four times in OPS, slugging, and total bases, while leading thrice in wRC+, home runs, and RBI. Baptista also led in walks in 2003 and led in runs and triples in 2004. His sophomore season 2000 had his career-best WAR at 11.4, closely followed by 10.8 WAR in 2001. Baptista won MVP in 2000, 01, 02, and 04 with Silver Sluggers each of those years. He also finished second in 2003’s MVP voting.

2005 was a setback year with a torn groin muscle knocking him out close to two months. Still, Baptista won another Silver Slugger despite playing only 93 games. Zamboanga fell to 82-80, but hoped their competitive window was still open. That winter, the Zebras gave Baptista an eight-year, $73,700,000 extension. Unfortunately, they were below .500 for the next six years as Davao took control of the Philippine League with their own dynasty run.

Although Zamboanga faltered, Baptista won additional Silver Sluggers from 2006-08 in CF, followed by a 2009 win in RF and one in LF for 2010. Baptista won his fifth MVP in 2009 with career and TPA highs in homers (42), slugging (.602), OPS (.960), and wRC+ (198). Baptista was only the third APB player to that point to win five MVPs and is one of one six to do it as of 2037. He was also second in MVP voting in both 2006 and 2010. Baptista also hit for the cycle in 2006 against Taichung.

At age 34, Baptista began to have a series of major injuries that greatly limited his play. He missed all of 2011 with a broken kneecap suffered late in spring training. Baptista then lost almost all of 2012 with a ruptured Achilles tendon. But by this point, Zamboanga had reloaded. Ching-Chen Yao would lead the way, winning ten Pitcher of the Year awards from 2012-23. They took second in 2012 at 92-70 to end a streak of losing seasons.

Baptista would only play 208 games from 2012-15 due to various injuries. When healthy, he was still a solid starter, although he was also down from his prime peaks. 2013 saw a fractured tibia and strained hamstring keep him out most of the year. But he was back for the playoff run as Zamboanga won their first-ever APB Championship over Bandung. Baptista had 0.2 WAR over 11 playoff starts, but was much better in the Baseball Grand Championship with 0.9 WAR and 168 wRC+ in 19 games. The Zebras finished 13-6 in the BGC, second only to Denver at 15-4.

Concerned about his health, Zamboanga gave their beloved star only a qualifying offer for 2014. The season featured a torn abdominal muscle and strained hamstring in the regular season. Then in the playoffs, Baptista suffered his second Achilles tear, this time in the other leg. The Zebras won the TPA pennant again, but lost the APB Championship to Pekanbaru. It was unclear if the soon-to-be 38-year old Baptista could even come back from another huge injury like that.

Baptista was briefly a free agent, but Zamboanga brought him back on a one-year deal in 2015. He played 64 games, but at a high level with 188 wRC+ and 3.8 WAR. He was unremarkable in the playoffs, but the Zebras again got to the APB Championship, this time losing to Bandung. Baptista earned another one-year deal for 2016 and managed to avoid massive injuries, playing 124 games with 3.9 WAR. Zamboanga missed the playoffs, but gave Baptista a two-year conditional deal.

The 40-year old Baptista had his healthiest season in ages with 131 games and 3.0 WAR. He was okay in the playoffs as Zamboanga won their fourth pennant in five years, getting upset in the APB Championship by Johor Bahru. Baptista’s playoff stats for his career were quite solid, although that was largely carried by his great runs in his 20s. In total, Baptista had 81 playoff games with 73 hits, 38 runs, 10 doubles, 3 triples, 19 home runs, 50 RBI, 13 walks, 28 stolen bases, .247/.283/.493 slash, 153 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR.

Baptista didn’t meet the vesting criteria after the 2017 season and became a free agent again, this time leaving Zamboanga for good. He played 2209 games with 2018 hits, 1144 runs, 280 doubles, 206 triples, 479 home runs, 1251 RBI, 731 walks, 613 stolen bases, .259/.324/.532 slash, 168 wRC+, and 113.7 WAR. Before Baptista, the Zebras had only four playoff berths and no series wins over their first 35 years. During his run, Zamboanga won six Taiwan-Philippine Association pennants and one APB title. He was a beloved hero and his #3 uniform would quickly be retired.

He wasn’t ready to be done though and spent the next two years with Manila. Baptista had limited success with 234 games, 149 hits, 88 runs, 22 doubles, 27 homers, 81 RBI, .205/.286/.371 slash, 110 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. Baptista wanted to play in 2020, but had to retire that winter at age 43 after finding no interest from other teams.

Baptista finished with 2443 games, 2167 hits, 1232 runs, 302 doubles, 215 triples, 506 home runs, 1332 RBI, 810 walks, 2094 strikeouts, 655 stolen bases, .254/.321/.518 slash, 163 wRC+, and 116.0 WAR. As of 2037, Baptista ranks 9^th in WAR among position players, 12^th in runs, 45^th in hits, 14^th in total bases (4417), 94^th in doubles, 12^th in triples, 15^th in home runs, 9^th in RBI, and 23^rd in walks. Among APB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Baptista’s .839 OPS ranks 25^th. He also ranks 85^th in OBP and 19^th in slugging.

If not for the injury-laden later years, some argued that Baptista might have made a case as APB’s greatest position player to that point. Even with the injuries, he cracks many top ten and top five lists despite the grand tallies being lower than some of his competition. Five MVPs and ten Silver Sluggers is an impressive haul.

Most importantly, Baptista helped turn Zamboanga from a lower-rung franchise to into one of the top contenders in the Philippines. He was certainly an inner-circle level talent and deservedly headlined a solid 2025 Hall of Fame class for Austronesia Professional Baseball with a near unanimous 99.3%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 APB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Evan Yanizar – Closer – Bandung Blackhawks – 76.5% First Ballot

Evan Yanizar was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Plumbon, Indonesia; a district with around 73,000 people in West Java. Yanizar had electric stuff with strong movement, although his control was average at best. His one-two combo was a 97-99 mph fastball and a curveball, both of which were equally dangerous.

Yanizar’s stamina was low for giving you multiple innings in an outing. However, his durability was excellent for most of his career, so he was usually ready to go whenever. Yanizar had a good pickoff move and strong defense. He was a very harder worker and wasn’t selfish, but wasn’t one to take on a leadership role.

Bandung picked Yanizar 29^th overall in the 2006 APB Draft, the third pick of the second round. He immediately was thrown into the closer role with mixed results as a rookie. Yanizar still got 30 saves, a mark he’d top each of the next seven years for the Blackhawks. He took third in 2008’s Reliever of the Year voting. Yanizar won the award for the first time in 2009 with a blistering 0.75 ERA, 125 strikeouts, 5.0 WAR, and career-best 42 saves.

Yanizar won Reliever of the Year again in 2011 for Bandung with second place finishes in 2012 and 2013; posting 5+ WAR in each of those years. He had another sub-one ERA in 2011 and topped 150+ strikeouts four times in that run. In 2013, Bandung ended a nine-year playoff drought and won the Sundaland Association pennant, falling to Zamboanga in the Austronesia Championship. Yanizar was dominant in the playoffs with 7.2 scoreless innings, 14 strikeouts and 4 saves.

The Blackhawks made the playoffs again in 2014, but lost to Pekanbaru in the association final. Yanizar allowed two unearned runs over four innings, finishing his playoff career with a zero ERA over 11.2 innings. He also had impressive numbers in the World Baseball Championship from 2010-18 with Indonesia, where he also made some starts on the mound. In 90.1 innings, Yanizar had a 7-1 record, 1.79 ERA, 153 strikeouts, 28 walks, 205 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR.

After the 2014 season, the 31-year old Yanizar left Bandung and signed a one-year, $5,400,000 deal with Medan. He had his finest season in 2015 with his third Reliever of the Year win with career bests in ERA (0.49) and WAR (7.3) with a bonkers 512 ERA+ and 0 FIP-. As of 2037, the WAR mark was the third-best by an APB ROTY winner. The Marlins rewarded Yanizar with a two-year, $11,400,000 extension after this.

Medan had gone 82-80 in 2015, but plummeted to 63-99 in 2016. Yanizar had an ERA above two for the first time since his rookie year, but still was third in Reliever of the Year voting. Looking to rebuild, the Marlins traded him to Bandung for three prospects. With Medan, Yanizar had 63 saves, 1.34 ERA, 137 games, 182 innings, 285 strikeouts, 46 walks, 192 ERA+, and 9.3 WAR. The Blackhawks were excited to have their former closer back, giving him a two-year, $8,880,000 extension in spring training 2017.

Yanizar returned to form in his Bandung return, winning his fourth Reliever of the Year in 2017. He became the sixth APB closer to win the award four times. Yanizar’s 41 saves enabled him to pass Afriza Bachdim’s 365 saves to become APB’s all-time leader. The Blackhawks were around .500 for his final years. Yanizar had a respectable 2008 and was the first APB closer to reach 400 saves. He only held the top spot briefly as his Hall of Fame classmate Metta Adam passed him in 2019.

Unfortunately in September 2018, Yanizar suffered a partially torn UCL, knocking him out nine months. He made it back for 22 innings in 2019 in mid-relief with a 1.23 ERA. However, Yanizar tore his labrum in September 2019 and decided to retire that winter shortly after his 36^th birthday. Between Bandung stints, Yanizar had 354 saves, 1.27 ERA, 851 innings, 1347 strikeouts, 213 walks, 195 ERA+, and 41.0 WAR. The Blackhawks would quickly retire his #27 uniform.

All said, Yanizar finished with 417 saves and 536 shutdowns, an 85-65 record, 1.28 ERA, 846 games, 1033 innings, 1632 strikeouts, 259 walks, 194 ERA+, 38 FIP-, and 50.3 WAR. Yanizar is APB’s all-time ERA leader as of 2037 among pitchers with at least 1000 career innings. He also is the leader in career opponent’s slugging percentage (.235).

Yanizar still ranks 5^th in saves and 7^th in games pitched. His .452 opponent’s OPS ranks 3^rd, .158 average is 3^rd, and .217 OBP is 12^th. Yanizar’s 14.22 K/9 ranks 6^th and his 4.90 H/9 is 3^rd. Among Hall of Fame relievers worldwide, his ERA ranks 7^th. Yanizar ranks 41^st in WAR among all closers and 34^th in shutdowns. His ERA+ is 28^th among world HOF relievers, his FIP- is 21^st, and his opponent’s OPS ranks 8^th.

Even when acknowledging the very low offense environment in APB compared to other leagues, Yanizar’s stats rank favorably among the great closers in world history. His WAR is fourth among APB HOF closers as of 2037 and a few do have a better ERA, although they didn’t have the 1000+ innings to qualify as the overall APB leader.

It isn’t easy to rank APB’s all-time relievers with Yanizar usually making most top ten lists. He hits a lot of top five lists and some might even put him in the #1 spot. Yanizar wasn’t on prominent championship teams and never led the league in saves, which lowered his stock with some voters. Yanizar only got 76.5% on his ballot debut, but it was enough for a first ballot selection as part of Austronesia Professional Baseball’s 2025 HOF class.



Metta Adam – Closer – Taipei Tigercats – 73.9% First Ballot

Metta Adam was a 6’2’’, 195 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Bogor, Indonesia; a city of nearly a million people within the Jakarta metropolitan area. Adam had filthy stuff and excellent control, but his movement could be shaky and he could get burned on a hanging breaking ball. His curveball was usually excellent along with a 98-100 mph fastball, but the extreme flyball tendency could make you nervous.

Especially for a reliever, Adam’s stamina and durability were outstanding. He was essentially never injured and he’d lead in his league in games pitched six times. Adam had a respectable pickoff move and great defense. He was also notorious for being the clubhouse’s class clown who loved coming up with elaborate pranks and tricks. Once on the mound though, he was all business.

A teenaged Adam happened to catch the attention of a scout from Taipei, who signed him to a developmental deal in April 2001. He spent around six years in the Tigercats academy before debuting in mid-relief in 2007 at age 22. After decent results, Adam was moved into the closer role in his second year and held it for six seasons with the Tigercats.

Taipei emerged as the class of the Taiwan League in 2009, ending a ten-year playoff drought. They went 110-52 in 2010, but both years lost to Zamboanga in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship. After missing the postseason in 2011, the Tigercats started a nine-year playoff streak from 2012-20. They were notorious early in that run for never winning the pennant despite multiple 100+ win seasons. Indeed, Taipei was 0-4 in the association finals during Adam’s tenure.

His playoff stats were a mixed bag with a 4.08 ERA over 17.2 innings in nine appearances, 0-3 record, 2 saves, and 28 strikeouts. Adam’s 66 ERA+ is quite poor, but he also still managed 1.3 WAR and 3 FIP-, suggesting he was a victim of bad luck and defensive woes. Adam had similar stats in the World Baseball Championship from 2009-20 with Indonesia with a subpar 91 ERA+, but solid 77 FIP- and 1.7 WAR. In the WBC, Adam had a 4.08 ERA over 70.2 innings with 115 strikeouts and 21 walks.

Adam got plenty of save opportunities though with Taipei averaging 107 wins per season from 2009-13. He had five straight seasons leading in both saves and appearances, including 50 saves in 2010 and 53 in 2013. 53 set the APB single-season record and he’s the only player to reach 50+ twice. Adam’s ERA was less impressive than people like Hall of Fame classmate Evan Yanizar. Adam never won Reliever of the Year with Taipei, taking third in 2008 and second in 2010, 2012, and 2013.

With Taipei, Adam had 271 saves and 303 shutdowns, 47-47 record, 1.87 ERA, 495 games, 609.2 innings, 987 strikeouts, 107 walks, 146 ERA+, and 26.7 WAR. He left for free agency after the 2013 season at age 29 and signed a two-year, $10,900,000 deal with Medan. Adam led again in saves with 49 in 2014 for the Marlins, posting a 1.99 ERA over 95 innings, 151 strikeouts, and 4.1 WAR. However, they would finish second in the Malacca League. In the offseason, Medan traded Adam to Semarang for two prospects.

Adam got 35 saves with the Sliders, but he had a 2.64 ERA and a career-worst 0.5 WAR and 90 ERA+. Now 31-years old, Adam was a free agent again and put out feelings worldwide. Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs gave him a shot on a one-year, $8,100,000 deal. He was okay in middle relief with 48 innings and 0.8 WAR for the Cubs and allowed one run in three playoff innings.

Wanting to return to a closer role, Adam came back to APB in 2017 on a three-year, $17,700,000 deal with Depok. For the mid-level Demons in 2017, he had 39 saves, 1.98 ERA, 86.1 innings, and 2.7 WAR. Adam would get traded again in the offseason, starting a second stint with Semarang. He had limited use in 2018 with 46.2 innings, 3 saves, and 1.0 WAR.

In 2019, Adam returned to the closer role and led in saves (40) for the seventh time in his career. He was second in Reliever of the Year voting again and joined Yanizar as the only APB closers with 400 saves. Adam passed him for the top spot at 437. Between his Semarang stints, Adam had 78 saves, 2.15 ERA, 222.1 innings, 331 strikeouts, 112 ERA+, and 4.8 WAR. This marked the end of his APB run, although he had three more pro seasons. Now 35, Adam ended up in the European Baseball Federation on a two-year, $13,400,000 deal with Frankfurt.

Adam had a strong start in Germany, taking third in ROTY voting in 2020 with conference bests in saves (48) and games (82). He ultimately never won the top award in any league despite his efforts. Adam allowed three runs in 5.1 playoff innings as the Falcons took a second round loss. Adam was removed from the closer role after a sluggish start in 2021 with a 3.99 ERA and 0.2 WAR.

He did get 14 saves that year, which game Adam 500 career saves over his combined career. He was only the eighth reliever in all of pro baseball history to reach 500 saves and ended up with exactly 500. For Frankfurt, he had 62 saves, 3.08 ERA, 138 games, 160.2 innings, 179 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, and 1.0 WAR.

For 2022, MLB’s Oakland Owls gave him a look. He had one appearance, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings. However, Oakland cut him in late April to free up roster space. Calgary signed him in May, but he only made one MLB appearance for the Cheetahs while spending two months in minor league Regina. Adam was cut in July, then finished the year at New Orleans’ affiliate in Lafayette. He retired from the game that winter at age 38. Between brief MLB stints, Adam had a 2.93 ERA over 55.1 innings and 1.0 WAR.

In APB, Adam finished with 437 saves and 508 shutdowns, 72-79 record, 1.95 ERA, 1013.1 innings, 1607 strikeouts, 183 walks, 133 ERA+, 53 FIP-, and 38.2 WAR. He remained the saves leader until finally passed in the mid 2030s by Taryono Putra. As of 2037, Adam is 2^nd in saves and 8^th in games. Among all pitchers with 1000+ innings, his ERA ranks 34^th. Adam’s .512 opponent’s OPS is 18^th while his .173/.217/ .295 triple slash is 9^th/11^th/43^rd.

While Adam had his HOF classmate Yanizar beat in saves, he was below him in the rate stats and just behind in the counting stats. Among APB’s Hall of Fame closers, Adam ranks 10^th in WAR and 5^th in strikeouts. His non-APB run did boost him on the world leaderboards for longevity. Combined, Adam had 500 saves and 586 shutdowns, 90-91 record, 2.15 ERA, 1009 games, 1229.1 innings, 1839 strikeouts, 218 walks, 131 ERA+, and 40.2 WAR.

As of 2037, Adam ranks 13^th in the world in pro saves, 12^th in shutdowns, and 27^th in games pitched. He’s one of only 29 pitchers to appear in 1000+ games. Adam’s rate stats are way too weak to make the top 50s even with the built-in lower offense of APB.

Still, Adam’s longevity was impressive and that resonated with many voters. Being the saves leader was a clincher by itself for most, even if the advanced stats suggested he was far less dominant than most of the true elite closers. Like with Yanizar, it isn’t easy for APB scholars to rate the top closer lists with no slam dunk standouts. Regardless of where you’d rank him, Adam earned his Hall of Fame spot in 2025 with a debut at 73.9%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 CLB Hall of Fame

Chinese League Baseball continued to lack worthy Hall of Fame candidates in the minds of the voters. 2025 was the third consecutive year with no players added and the fourth in five years with no inductees. It was exceeding rare in world history to have a three-year stretch of no selections apart from the inaugural voting years prior to the first inductee. The best debut for the 2025 group got only 34.0%.

1B Peng Wang came incredibly close on his second ballot with 65.3%, less than a point away from the 66% requirement. SP Liqiang Yang had a solid third ballot at 60.4%. Four others were above 50% led by 3B Gongsun Yang at 54.5% on his eighth go. CL Jingxing Zhang received 53.7% for his seventh ballot and fellow seventh balloter SP Jing Htet got 53.4%. Meanwhile RF/1B Minghui Ruan finished with 52.6% on his tenth and final try.



Ruan was a prime example of how harsh CLB voters were against batters, often not accounting for the far lower stats that come from CLB’s incredibly low offense world. Ruan won eight Silver Sluggers and one MVP and led in home runs twice and OPS thrice over 14-years between Shenzhen and Qingdao. He was hurt in the final tallies by spending his final five seasons in MLB.

In CLB, Ruan had 2028 games, 1798 hits, 905 runs, 246 doubles, 404 home runs, 1014 RBI, 848 walks, .263/.348/.490 slash, 185 wRC+, and 88.0 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 19^th in homers, 18^th in RBI, 57^th in hits, 39^th in runs, 9^th in walks, and 43^rd in WAR among position players. Ruan had a strong playoff run in 2008, helping the Devils to a runner-up finish. Otherwise, he was generally hurt by being on forgettable teams and lost points for being a poor defender.

2025 was actually Ruan’s lowest percentage at 52.6% as the weak ballots didn’t give him any boost. He finished above 60% four times, peaking with his debut at 61.1%. Ruan’s #21 uniform would be retired by Shenzhen and he remained one of China’s most popular baseball figures years later. However, he was sunk by tough standards and is often cited by CLB observers as one of their more notable snubs.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 WAB Hall of Fame

Two players were slam dunk Hall of Fame inductees for West African Baseball in 2025 with SP Arthur Boateng at 94.4% and 1B Mohamed Elsheikh at 93.7%. CL Christopher James barely missed the 66% requirement to join them, receiving 65.8% in his second ballot. Fellow CL Francis Koomson was next with 59.5% on his fifth ballot. Also above 50% was SP Isaac Appiah debuting at 56.1%, RP Emma Markson with 52.8% in his eighth go, and 1B Ikechukwu Onyia with 51.8% for his fifth ballot.



C Roy Clark fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 22.7% in his debut and ending at 6.6%. He won four Silver Sluggers and one Gold Glove over 17 years with five teams with 1939 hits, 700 runs, 394 doubles, 197 home runs, 827 RBI, .281/.305/.428 slash, 105 wRC+, and 44.5 WAR. Catchers have trouble with the low tallies that come with the position, but even accounting for that, Clark’s hitting was only slightly above average.

Also dropped was SP Kennedy Chisanga, who peaked at 18.5% in 2017 and fell to 4% on his tenth try. He had a 20-year career with 16 seasons in WAB, winning Pitcher of the Year in 2001. Chisanga won two titles with Kano and finished with a 185-137 record, 3.49 ERA, 2815 innings, 2539 strikeouts, 611 walks, 112 ERA+, and 44.8 WAR. Apart from the POTY season, Chisanga lacked dominance and his tallies weren’t quite high enough to make up for that.



Arthur Boateng – Starting Pitcher – Abidjan Athletes – 94.4% First Ballot

Arthur Boateng was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Ghana, Accra. Boateng had strong stuff and good movement, although his control was average at best and did give him problems at points. His fastball peaked in the 97-99 mph range and was easily his strongest pitch. Boateng also had a nice slider and changeup along with an okay curveball.

He had an extreme groundball tendency, but also was one of the strongest strikeout pitchers of his era in WAB. Boateng had strong stamina relative to most WAB aces and his durability was generally rock solid. He had an excellent pickoff move and was a good defensive pitcher. The main critique of Boateng was of his personality, as he was considered by many teammates to be a bit selfish and lazy.

Boateng’s potential was known quickly by many scouts and Abidjan in particular took an interest in him. In May 2000, the Athletes inked him to a developmental deal and he made the move to the Ivory Coast. Boateng debuted officially in 2004 at age 20, struggling in 23.2 innings total. He was a full-time reliever in 2005 with 29 saves and a 2.64 ERA in 75 innings. Boateng struggled in his two relief appearances as Abidjan had a first round playoff exit. That ended a three-year postseason drought though with the Athletes having posted a dynasty run from 1992-2001.

Abidjan started an eight-year playoff streak in 2005, but they initially couldn’t make any ground against a dynasty run by Monrovia. Boateng was split between starting and relief in 2006, then earned a full-time starting job from 2007 onward. He struggled in 2007, but emerged as a top ace in 2008. That year, Boateng started a five-year streak leading the Western League in strikeouts. During that run, he also led in WAR thrice, innings pitched thrice, and wins four times.

Boateng was Pitcher of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. He’s one of seven WAB pitchers as of 2037 to have won the award four times and was the first to do it consecutively. Boateng also had a second place finish in 2012’s voting and was third in MVP voting for 2010. In May 2008, Abidjan gave Boateng a four-year, $12,240,000 extension.

2009 saw his first ERA title for the seventh pitching Triple Crown in WAB history with a 21-10 record, 2.41 ERA, and 305 strikeouts. He repeated with the Triple Crown in 2010 with what was widely viewed as the best effort of his career. In 2010, Boateng had a 1.61 ERA, which stands as the fourth-best qualifying season in WAB history. He had an 18-7 record and posted career highs in strikeouts (326), ERA+ (229), FIP- (71), WHIP (0.87), and WAR (7.0).

Boateng struggled in his initial playoff appearances. Abidjan in 2008 lost in the WLCS to Monrovia despite having the top seed at 106-56 with Boateng allowing nine runs in eight innings. He fared better in 2009 with a 3.03 ERA over 29.2 innings with 33 strikeouts. The Athletes returned to the top spot, upsetting the top-seeded Diplomats in the WLCS and beating Ibadan in the West African Championship.

In 2010, Boateng was dominant with a 1.09 ERA over 24.2 innings and 27 strikeouts. Abidjan repeated as Western League champs, but lost the WAB title to Cotonou. The Athletes had WLCS exits despite the top seed in 2011 and 2012. They missed the playoffs in 2013, then saw second round exits in 2014 and 2015. On the whole, Boateng’s postseason stats for Abidjan were underwhelming with a 3.94 ERA over 93.2 innings, 5-6 record, 107 strikeouts, 21 walks, 99 ERA+, and 1.6 WAR. His World Baseball Championship stats for his native Ghana were similarly unremarkable. From 2006-18, he pitched 75.2 innings with a 2-5 record, 5.11 ERA, 95 strikeouts, and 1.1 WAR.

Abidjan was still quite satisfied by Boateng and gave him a seven-year, $41,640,000 extension in March 2012. However, he struggled in 2013 to a 5.03 ERA. Boateng rebounded to a merely okay 3.82 ERA in 2014; far from his POTY peaks. He had been taken out of the full-time rotation 2015 with a 4.53 ERA and 1.3 WAR over 153 innings. Detractors argued that Boateng stopped trying once he had secured the bag.

Frustrated by the lack of production and effort, Abidjan traded Boateng after the 2015 season with a prospect to Dakar for 1B Javier Gutierrez. For the Athletes, Boateng had a 160-99 record, 3.18 ERA, 2361 innings, 2576 strikeouts, 600 walks, 131 ERA+, and 46.9 WAR. Although the run ended poorly, Boateng’s peak dominance was important enough to get his #20 uniform eventually retired for his efforts.

While still far from his peak dominance, Boateng had a solid 2016 despite missing six weeks to a strained shoulder. The Dukes had the best record at 112-50 and won it all, defeating Libreville for the WAB title. Boateng did struggle though with a 7.94 ERA in his 11.1 playoff innings. He fared better with a 3.46 ERA over 26 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship. Dakar would finish last in the BGC at 4-15.

Boateng led the league in wins in 2017 and took second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He allowed three runs over 5.2 innings in the playoffs as Dakar had a second round exit. For his whole playoff career, Boateng had a 4.33 ERA in 112.1 innings, 6-7 record, 132 strikeouts, 32 walks, 93 ERA+, and 2.2 WAR. The Dukes narrowly missed the playoffs in 2018 with Boateng missing more than half of the season from an arthritic elbow.

With Dakar, Boateng had a 42-12 record, 3.23 ERA, 491 innings, 553 strikeouts, 135 walks, 143 ERA+, and 11.5 WAR. He declined the final option year of his contract, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 35. Ouagadougou felt he still had plenty to offer, signing Boateng to a four-year, $35,100,000 deal. Boateng only pitched in 2019 for the Osprey with a 4.44 ERA over 219 innings and 3.2 WAR. He decided to retire after that shortly after his 36^th birthday.

Boateng finished with a 214-122 record, 3.27 ERA, 56 saves, 3071 innings, 3303 strikeouts, 788 walks, 236/382 quality starts, 88 complete games, 20 shutouts, 130 ERA+, and 61.6 WAR. As of 2037, Boateng ranks 4^th in wins, 20^th in strikeouts, 11^th in innings, 6^th in complete games, 8^th in shutouts, and 22^nd in pitching WAR. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Boateng’s ERA ranks 75^th.

Between his final tallies and iffy playoff stats, Boateng probably falls just outside of the “inner circle” level of Hall of Famers despite his two Triple Crowns and four Pitcher of the Year wins. Those accomplishments are clinchers on their own generally for induction. Boateng received 94.4% for the first ballot selection in West African Baseball’s 2025 class.



Mohamed “Flash” Elsheikh – First Base – Cotonou Copperheads – 93.7% First Ballot

Mohamed Elsheikh was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from the capital of Sudan, Khartoum. Elsheikh was a very good contact hitter with reliably steady all around power. While he wasn’t a league leader, his 162 game average got you an impressive 35 home runs, 33 doubles, and 16 triples. Elsheikh graded as average to below average at drawing walks, avoiding strikeouts, and baserunning.

Elsheikh was a second baseman as a rookie, but was historically putrid in that role. He was moved to first base exclusively after that and was merely lousy there. About 20% of his career starts were as a designated hitter. Elsheikh’s stellar durability made him valuable in spite of his flaws, playing 150+ games in all but the last year of his 15 season career. Elsheikh was also one of the smartest and hardest working guys in the game, which endeared him to teammates, fans, and foes alike.

Nicknamed “Flash,” Elsheikh was a highly touted prospect even out of high school. He was picked fifth overall by Douala in the 2001 WAB Draft, but declined to sign and entered the college ranks. Elsheikh was next eligible in the 2004 draft and was again picked by the Dingos, this time going fourth overall. He signed and was a full-time starter immediately, winning 2005 Rookie of the Year honors. Elsheikh led the league in hits (207) and doubles (47, a career high) as rookie. He also won a Silver Slugger, his lone as a second baseman.

In year two, Elsheikh won a Slugger at first base and was second in MVP voting, leading in hits (204) and total bases (378). He maintained a solid pace, but nothing could get Douala out of the cellar. The Dingos had been generally WAB’s worst team historically and were especially bad in the 1990s and 2000s. During Elsheikh’s short run, they averaged an abysmal 58.25 wins per season.

In July 2008, Douala opted to trade Elsheikh to Lagos for three prospects. For the Dingos, he had 559 games, 737 hits, 33 1 runs, 144 doubles, 62 triples, 97 home runs, 354 RBI, .333/.371/.585 slash, 161 wRC+, and 18.1 WAR. Elsheikh helped the Lizards make a playoff push, winning the Eastern League pennant but falling to Monrovia for the West African Championship. He won ELCS MVP and in 14 playoff starts had 19 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 15 RBI, 7 walks, 1.219 OPS, and 1.4 WAR.

Elsheikh remained solid for the Lizards, but Lagos collapsed for a 65-97 finish and was only marginally better at 75-87 in 2010. With the Lizards, Elsheikh had 390 games, 489 hits, 243 runs, 70 doubles, 38 triples, 92 home runs, 279 RBI, .318/.360/.592 slash, 158 wRC+, and 14.3 WAR. Now 29-years old, Elsheikh opted to test out free agency instead of staying with Lagos for a rebuild. He signed with the reigning WAB champion Cotonou for $19,200,000, beginning what would become his signature run.

In his 2011 debut, Elsheikh had his finest season with career and league bests in hits (220), RBI (155), total bases (440), slugging (.698), OPS (1.080), and WAR (8.8). He also had his personal highs for homers (48), and wRC+ (190), winning his lone MVP and third Silver Slugger. Elsheikh fell only six points and four dingers shy of a Triple Crown season.

Cotonou had an impressive 114-48 season and repeated as WAB champ, defeating Freetown in the final, although Elsheikh’s playoff run was unremarkable with .776 OPS, 113 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. He also was surprisingly iffy in the Baseball Grand Championship with 19 games, .592 OPS, 62 wRC+, and -0.1 WAR. The Copperheads would finish in the middle of the standings at 10-9.

Elsheikh never replicated the MVP level season, but he settled back into his reliably solid production that he posted before arriving in Benin. He had an OPS above one thrice more and won additional Silver Sluggers in 2014 and 2017. Elsheikh also snagged third in 2013’s MVP voting.

The Copperheads were ousted in the second round of the 2012 playoffs, but won their third title in four years in 2013. Elsheikh was the star of that postseason run, taking MVP in the ELCS win over Ibadan and in the West African Championship win over Dakar. In nine starts, Elsheikh had 15 hits, 9 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 12 RBI, 1.430 OPS, 267 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. He maintained his success through the BGC with 18 starts, 24 hits, 13 runs, 3 doubles, 7 homers, 15 RBI, 1.065 OPS, 202 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. Cotonou finished sixth with an 11-8 record.

The Copperheads gave Elsheikh a four-year, $44,400,000 extension in May 2014. Cotonou made five more playoff appearances, but their deepest runs would be ELCS defeats in 2014 and 2017. For his playoff career, Elsheikh had 60 games, 81 hits, 35 runs, 12 doubles, 8 triples, 15 home runs, 55 RBI, 14 walks, .358/.390/.681 slash, 1.072 OPS, 180 wRC+, and 3.3 WAR. As of 2037, Elsheikh ranks 8^th in playoff RBI, 18^th in homers, 9^th in hits, and 27^th in runs.

Elsheikh did also return home to Sudan for the World Baseball Championship, although his stats in that event were merely decent. In 102 games, he had 92 hits, 40 runs, 14 doubles, 21 homers, 60 RBI, .244/.278/.464 slash, and 2.1 WAR. Sudan would earn their first-ever division title in 2017 with Elsheikh posting 1.418 OPS in a part-timer role.

After the 2017 season, Cotonou gave Elsheikh another three years and $18,900,000. His power and production started to wane into his mid 30s, although he was still playable until 2019. Elsheikh was benched in that final year with onlt 105 wRC+ and 0 WAR over 75 games. He was released and went unsigned in 2020, retiring that winter at age 38. With Cotonou, Elsheikh had 1323 games, 1707 hits, 838 runs, 248 doubles, 128 triples, 302 home runs, 1052 RBI, .326/.360/.595 slash, 144 wRC+, and 37.1 WAR. For his role in the dynasty, the Copperheads retired his #17 uniform.

Elsheikh finished with 2272 games, 2933 hits, 1412 runs, 462 doubles, 228 triples, 491 home runs, 1685 RBI, 552 walks, 1940 strikeouts, 205 stolen bases, .326/.363/.592 slash, .955 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 69.4 WAR. As of 2037. Elsheikh ranks 14^th in hits, 32^nd in runs, 65^th in doubles, 14^th in triples, 34^th in homers, 16^th in total bases (5324), 17^th in RBI, and 26^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Elsheikh’s OPS ranks 45^th with his average 64^th and slugging 43^rd.

He isn’t quite at the inner circle level, but Elsheikh was one of the most reliably solid batters of his era. He also was a clutch playoff performer with three EL pennants and two WAB titles between Cotonou and Lagos. Elsheikh easily earned first ballot induction honors at 93.7% with West African Baseball’s 2025 Hall of Fame class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

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For the third time in South Asia Baseball history (2016, 2014), the 2025 Hall of Fame class added four players. Each guy was a first ballot pick in the impressive group with three earning above 90% of the vote. 3B/1B Jatinder Chowdhary led at 99.3% with RF Vicharleen Anasuri at 97.5% and 1B Asim Anuha at 92.6%. C Lance Tong was the fourth pick with his own respectable 74.7%.

The best returner was CL Viaan Govindraj with a 62.8% second ballot, narrowly missing the 66% threshold for induction. Fellow reliever Khon Aye Ko was close behind at 58.9% in his second go. No one else was above 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Jatinder Chowdhary – Third/First Base – Yangon Green Dragons – 99.3% First Ballot

Jatinder Chowdhary was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Mumbai, India’s most populous city proper. Chowdhary was a rock solid contact hitter with an outstanding eye for drawing walks and very good power. He also knew how to find the gap with a 162 game average of 43 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. Nearly half of Chowdhary’s career hits went for extra bases, making him one of more efficient bats of his time.

His strikeout rate average compared to most SAB hitters of the era. In his younger days, he had average to above average speed and baserunning ability. Chowdhary mostly played third base in the first 2/3 of his career, although was a terrible defender there. He moved to first base in his final seasons and was a bit better there, but was still a poor gloveman. Chowdhary also saw sporadic time as a designated hitter.

Chowdhary’s durability was impeccable in his 20s, but his body was a wreck for much of his 30s. Despite some major injuries, his sparkplug work ethic and adaptability allowed him to still play at a high level in his later years. That “never say die” attitude and his remarkable hitting ability made Chowdhary an extremely popular player in the 2000s and 2010s in South Asia Baseball.

Growing up in a megacity like Mumbai, Chowdhary’s potential spread to scouts beyond India. One of them from Myanmar convinced him to move to Yangon, signing a developmental deal in September 1995. That year would mark the start of the Green Dragons’ eventual world record 29-year playoff streak. Chowdhary would end up as a big part of continuing that run.

Chowdhary officially debuted with four pinch hit at bats in 1999 at age 19. He played 70 games and started 21 in 2000, but was awful in his limited use. Chowdhary put things together in 2001 and was named a full-time starter, a role he held for the next decade with the Green Dragons. Chowdhary won a Silver Slugger in 2001 at 3B and led the Southeast Asia League in batting average (.324), OBP (.392), and OPS (1.014). He led in OBP four straight years and this started a run of nine straight 1.000+ OPS efforts.

2001 was also Yangon’s first-ever SAB Championship win, dethroning Ho Chi Minh City for the SEAL title and knocking off Ahmedabad in the final. Those two teams had been claimed all but one SAB title from 1986-2000, but the Green Dragons wanted to insert themselves into the mix. Those wouldn’t be removed from power quite yet, as the Animals won it all again in 2002 and the Hedgehogs three-peated from 03-05. Yangon had an LCS loss in 2003 and first round exits in 2002, 04, and 05.

Chowdhary led with career highs in RBI (146) and walks (126) in 2002. That winter, he signed an eight-year, $17,960,000 extension with Yangon. He had the most runs in both 2003 and 2004. Chowdhary’s lone MVP win came in 2004, as he led with career bests in the triple slash (.355/.468/.755), OPS (1.223), wRC+ (227), and WAR (12.5). All of his full seasons with Yangon were worth at least 7+ WAR with 100+ runs and 100+ RBI. Chowdhary also led again in walks in 2005 and OBP in 2007. In 2009, he had his career highs of 57 home runs and 139 runs.

From 2001-10, Chowdhary won ten consecutive Silver Sluggers. Eight were as a third baseman with the 2002 and 2007 wins as a DH. It was hard to get MVP consideration though with the absurd stats from the likes of Majed Darwish in the era. Chowdhary did take second in 2007’s voting and third in 2010.

Yangon beat HCMC to win the SEAL title in 2006, but lost to Jaipur for the SAB title. The Green Dragons then lost three straight years in the LCS, falling to a rising Hanoi dynasty in 2007-08 and to HCMC in 09. Yangon then lost in the first round of 2010. Chowdhary’s playoff stats on the whole were merely okay with 89 career games, 80 hits, 51 runs, 15 doubles, 15 homers, 53 RBI, 39 walks, .248/.334/.446 slash, 114 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR.

Chowdhary’s contract expired after the 2010 season and he was a free agent for the first time at age 31. He couldn’t get the long-term deal he wanted, settling in spring training to a one-year, $5,800,000 deal with Surat. Chowdhary led in OBP (.424) for the sixth time in his career and walks (92) for the third while posting 6.5 WAR and 1.003 OPS over 127 games. However, his season ended in mid-August from a torn PCL with an expected recovery time of 8-9 months.

Back to free agency, Chennai signed him to a five-year, $30,700,000 with the expectation that he’d be mostly ready by the start of the season. Chowdhary had a setback though in February with the PCL tear and needed another surgery, costing him the entire 2012 season. Injuries plagued him in the next three years for the Cows, playing 109, 45, and 79 games in those seasons. A fractured ankle was the big issue in 2014 followed by a broken bone in his elbow in 2015.

Chowdhary was at least efficient when healthy for Chennai, playing 233 games with 254 hits, 140 runs, 70 doubles, 58 home runs, 161 RBI, 138 walks, .320/.419/.640 slash, 1.058 OPS, 205 wRC+, and 13.1 WAR. He didn’t meet the criteria for the fifth year of his deal, becoming a free agent again at age 36. Still a beloved favorite for Yangon fans, the Green Dragons brought him back on a one-year deal for 2016.

A severely strained hip muscle and quadriceps strain led to only 76 games played for Chowdhary, but he did still post 3.1 WAR. Yangon had won SAB titles in 2012 and 2015 with a SEAL title in 2014, but lost in the first round of 2016. Between stints with the Green Dragons, Chowdhary had 1713 games, 1857 hits, 1281 runs, 355 doubles, 474 home runs, 1300 RBI, 1061 walks, 287 steals, .321/.425/.650 slash, 184 wRC+, and 96.1 WAR. Yangon would later retire his #3 uniform for his efforts.

Chowdhary joined Kolkata for 2017 and stayed healthy with 141 games, 6.8 WAR, 207 wRC+, 1.047 OPS, and a league-best 90 walks. That year, he became the 12^th member of the 600 home run club and the 13^th to score 1500 runs. He signed a conditional two-year deal for 2018 with Visakhapatnam, playing 111 games with 4.0 WAR. Chowdhary still lost a month to a torn hamstring and didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year. For 2019, Chowdhary returned to his hometown and signed with Mumbai. He lost about a month to a fractured finger with 117 games, .828 OPS, and 2.2 WAR. Chowdhary was unsigned in 2020 and retired that winter at age 41.

The final totals for Chowdhary were 2442 games, 2577 hits, 1699 runs, 514 doubles, 77 triples, 648 home runs, 1747 RBI, 1505 walks, 1750 strikeouts, 319 steals, .314/.419/.631 slash, 1.050 OPS, 186 wRC+, and 128.8 WAR. As of 2037, Chowdhary is SAB’s all-time leader in on-base percentage among batters with 3000+ plate appearances. He also ranks 43^rd in average, 10^th in slugging, and third in OPS.

In counting stats, Chowdhary is 30^th in hits, 10^th in runs, 34^th in doubles, 17^th in total bases (5189), 14^th in home runs, 12^th in RBI, 5^th in walks, and 10^th in WAR among position players. He’s on the edge of many top ten lists for SAB scholars, but might have been considered a top five level guy if not for the injuries in his 30s. The weaker playoff stats do hurt him in those discussions, but Chowdhary is still generally considered “inner circle” level or close to it for South Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Chowdhary’s hitting efficiency was certainly world class by any metric. Among all of the world’s Hall of Famers in 2037, Chowdhary’s OBP ranks 4^th, his OPS is 12^th, and slugging ranks 40^th. SAB’s higher offense environment helps his stats, but even when normalizing stats with wRC+, Chowdhary still is tied for 36^th among Hall of Famers. He also ranks 42^nd in walks drawn on the world leaderboard. Even with a loaded four-player 2025 class for SAB, Chowdhary stood out as a headliner with a near unanimous 99.3%



Vicharleen Anasuri – Right Field – Chittagong Commandos – 97.5% First Ballot

Vicharleen Anasuri was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Gobindgarh, a city of 73,000 in the India’s Punjab state known as the state’s “steel city.” Anasuri was a great contact hitter with reliably strong power. He also had an above average eye for walks with a just below average strikeout rate for the league. Anasuri’s power wasn’t ever league-leading, but he had 40 home runs and 32 doubles per 162 games. Anasuri did fare noticeably better facing right-handed pitching (1.020 OPS, 176 wRC+) compared to lefties (.803 OPS, 127 wRC+).

His baserunning and stealing instructs were both excellent, but he was still limited by terrible running speed. A strong arm served him well defensively in right field, where he made around 85% of his career starts. On the whole, Anasuri graded as reliably above average defensively. He had some recurring knee and back troubles, but generally avoided major injuries over a 20-year career.

Anasuri was another promising Indian prospect that got signed by one of its neighbors. Chittagong spotted and inked Anasuri to a developmental contract in December 1995, bringing him east to Bangladesh. He spent most of four years in the academy, although he did officially debut in 1999 with five at-bats. Anasuri was a full-time starter in 2000 with below average results. He posted positive results in 2011, then was elite from 2002 onward.

2000 was the first of 11 consecutive seasons worth at least 5 WAR with seven of those worth 7+. Anasuri’s production was very reliable and steady, but he never was a league leader in his 11 years with Chittagong. Still, he was above one OPS four times, 40+ homers four times, 100+ runs four times, 100+ RBI seven times, and above a .300 batting average nine times. With the Commandos, Anasuri won Silver Sluggers in 2002, 2009, and 2010. After the 2002 season, Chittagong gave Anasuri an eight-year, $16,160,000 extension.

Chittagong was generally a bottom-tier team amidst a top-heavy era. Their lone playoff berth during Anasuri’s run was a wild card first round loss in 2002. The Commandos averaged 73.5 wins during his tenure with only three winning seasons. In 2010, they had their first winning season since 2002 at 86-76. However, a now 31-year old Anasuri opted to leave for free agency to the chagrin of Chittagong’s management.

For the Commandos, Anasuri had 1660 games, 1853 hits, 992 runs, 337 doubles, 386 home runs, 1065 RBI, 602 walks, .311/.378/.569 slash, 153 wRC+, and 23.4 WAR. As of 2037, his #5 uniform is the only number retired by Chittagong for his reliable production. Anasuri began the next chapter by signing a five-year, $23,200,000 deal with Yangon. The Green Dragons had been one of the main teams holding Chittagong down and were in the midst of what would be a world record 29-year postseason streak.

2011 was on pace to be the best season of his career, but he missed a big chunk to injury. Still, Anasuri had 6.8 WAR and 1.133 OPS in 105 games to win a Silver Slugger. Yangon suffered a first round loss, making five straight seasons without a pennant. The Green Dragons ended that drought in 2012, winning the SAB Championship over Visakhapatnam. Anasuri won his first batting title at .333 and had 8.0 WAR, earning his fifth Silver Slugger.

In the playoffs, Anasuri posted .942 OPS, 0.7 WAR, 13 hits, 7 runs, 5 homers, and 9 RBI over 13 starts. Then in the Baseball Grand Championship, he started 18 games with 18 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 RBI, .905 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. Yangon was alone in tenth place at 10-9. The next year, the Green Dragons had a first round exit and Anasuri missed around half of the season between a fractured foot and torn thumb ligament.

Anasuri was healthy in 2014 and won another Silver Slugger. He was iffy in the playoffs with .708 OPS, 92 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR; but Yangon returned to the top spot in the Southeast Asia League. They would lose to Kolkata for the SAB Championship. In four years for the Green Dragons, Anasuri played 511 games with 588 hits, 327 runs, 115 doubles, 134 home runs, 385 RBI, .321/.376/.607 slash, 169 wRC+, and 24.6 WAR.

He was a free agent again heading towards age 36 after Yangon bought out the team option year for 2015. Anasuri returned home to India and signed a three-year deal with Mumbai at $25,800,000. Although his career to that point had been exclusively in SEAL, Anasuri had been an impressive regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship from 2003-17.

Anasuri played 167 games and started 155 with 169 hits, 118 runs, 24 doubles, 54 home runs, 136 RBI, 59 walks, .286/.360/.607 slash, .968 OPS and 9.1 WAR. As of 2037, he leads all Indian hitters in WAR and RBI. Anasuri ranks 9^th in games, 4^th in runs, 3^rd in hits, and 4^th in homers.

In 2009, he finished third in MVP voting as India defeated the United States for their first-ever world championship. Anasuri had 12 homers, 28 hits, 21 runs, 30 RBI, 1.135 OPS, and 1.7 WAR in that run. India would finish fourth in 2010 and earn elite eight trips in 2004 and 2007. Among all position players, Anasuri ranks 63^rd in WAR, 38^th in RBI, and makes the top 100 in runs, hits, and homers.

While Anasuri had been reliably good, he had never been an MVP finalist in his first 15 years. He shocked the Indian League at age 36 by winning MVP with Mumbai, leading the league in runs (110), hits (196), RBI (130), total bases (405), average (.343), slugging (.708), OPS (1.111), wRC+ (233), and WAR (10.5). Anasuri also smacked a career high 61 homers, missing the Triple Crown by one. Before that, his career best was 48 with only five seasons above 40 homers. His homers, total bases, slugging, OPS, and wRC+ would be career bests.

With this effort, Mumbai made a surprise run all the way to the Indian League pennant, although they lost to Yangon in the SAB Championship. Anasuri had a stellar playoff run with 17 starts, 28 hits, 16 runs, 6 doubles, 7 homers, 23 RBI, 1.180 OPS, 248 wRC+, and 1.6 WAR. He set an SAB playoff record for RBI that still holds as of 2037 and he was one run short of the then-playoff record 17.

Anasuri showed it wasn’t a fluke, winning MVP again in 2016 along with his eighth and final Silver Slugger. He led with career highs in RBI (139), and WAR (10.6) and also led with 1.080 OPS and 217 wRC+ along with 58 home runs. Mumbai repeated as IL champ, but this time were denied the SAB title by Hanoi. Anasuri was merely good in this playoff run, but had solid numbers for his career with 78 games, 88 hits, 46 runs, 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 57 RBI, .285/.336/.515 slash, 145 wRC+, and 3.0 WAR.

A sprained knee and fractured finger cost him roughly half of the 2017 campaign and his production fell significantly from his MVP runs. The Meteors won a fourth consecutive division title, but lost in the first round. Anasuri’s three years were Mumbai was impressive though with 410 games, 471 hits, 257 runs, 69 doubles, 137 home runs, 313 RBI, .324/.378/.657 slash, 208 wRC+, and 23.4 WAR.

Hanoi hoped that Anasuri’s MVP production was still possible and gave him a three-year, $18 million deal for 2018. Age finally caught him though and he was terrible in his limited action in 2018 and 2019 with 97 games, 37 starts, .596 OPS, 64 wRC+, and -0.7 WAR. Anasuri retired after the 2019 season at age 40.

Anasuri finished with 2678 games, 2954 hits, 1594 runs, 524 doubles, 666 home runs, 1795 RBI, 881 walks, 178 stolen bases, .313/.375/.586 slash, .960 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 115.3 WAR. As of 2037, Anasuri ranks 16^th in games, 10^th in hits, 15^th in runs, 29^th in doubles, 12^th in home runs, 9^th in total bases (5536), 10^th in RBI, 25^th in walks, and 16^th in WAR for position players. Among SAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Anasuri’s OPS ranks 32^nd and his triple slash is 49^th/33^rd/40^th.

Until the Mumbai MVP wins, Anasuri was an almost underappreciated player in an era with some eye-popping numbers by contemporaries. He was undoubtedly one of the finest sluggers of his era and right on the border of the inner circle depending on how strict ones’ definition is. Anasuri misses many top ten lists, but was a key figure in playoff success for both Yangon and Mumbai. He was also a strong banner man for Chittagong despite their franchise ineptitude. Anasuri was a slam dunk first ballot inductee at 97.5% within the loaded four-player 2025 Hall of Fame class for South Asia Baseball.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 SAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Asim Anuha – First Base – Ahmedabad Animals – 92.6% First Ballot

Asim Anuha was a 6’3’, 215 pound left-handed first baseman from Delhi, India. Anuha was known for his prolific hone run power, hitting 50+ dingers eight times and 40+ in all but his final year. His contact and eye skills were both average to above average, but he struggled significantly with strikeouts. Anuha’s power was focused on homers with only 24 doubles per his 162 game average. Anuha fared noticeably better facing right-handed pitching (.951 OPS, 175 wRC+) compared to against lefties (.776 OPS, 127 wRC+).

He was a very skilled and intelligent baserunner, but still was limited by terrible speed. Anuha played exclusively at first base and was a reliably average defender on the whole. He was an ironman who never missed a game to injury, playing 152+ games in 14 consecutive seasons. Anuha was scrappy and known for his impressive work ethic and adaptability. The sparkplug personality and towering home runs made him one of the Indian League’s most popular players of the era.

Anuha wasn’t a tip-top prospect though and he wasn’t picked until midway in the second round of the 2004 SAB Draft. With the 45^th overall pick and 14^th of the round, he went to Pune. The Purple Knights only used him for seven pinch hit plate appearances in 2005. Then in February 2006, Pune traded Anuha to Ahmedabad in a four-player deal. This started his signature run as he started immediately for the Animals.

He had one of the best Rookie of the Year campaigns in 2006, taking third in MVP voting with 55 home runs, 185 wRC+, and 6.8 WAR. All seven of his seasons with Ahmedabad had at least 49 homers and 110+ RBI. Anuha never won MVP, but he finished third in 2008 and second in 2009. He won a Silver Slugger in 2009 and a Gold Glove in 2008.

In 2009, Anuha led the Indian League in homers (61) and total bases (380) as well as with a career-best 125 runs. His best power stats came in 2010 with 63 homers, 144 RBI, 407 total bases, and 1.008 OPS. Anuha’s best WAR marks were 8.0 in both 2008 and 2009. He also was the homer leader and RBI leader again in 2011 with 49 dingers and 127 RBI. Anuha’s overall production was lower in his last two years for Ahmedabad, but he still was worth 4.6 WAR in both seasons.

Anuha’s tenure was around the end of Ahmedabad’s epic dynasty. They lost in the ILCS in 2006 and 2012, while suffering first round defeats in 2007, 2009, and 2011. 2008 marked the end of their 23-year playoff streak while they also narrowly missed in 2010. Anuha was great in the 2006 run, but merely decent in the other years. For the Animals, he had 32 playoff starts, 30 hits, 16 runs, 5 doubles, 7 homers, 18 RBI, .250/.318/.467 slash, 137 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR.

In total for Ahmedabad, Anuha played 119 games with 1156 hits, 730 runs, 170 doubles, 390 home runs, 876 RBI, 408 walks, 1434 strikeouts, .279/.324/.606 slash, 178 wRC+, and 46.7 WAR. They had signed him to an eight-year, $24,640,000 extension after the 2008 season, but Anuha opted out of the deal after the 2012 campaign. Now 30-years old, he secured the bag with a six-year, $54,800,000 deal with Jaipur.

Anuha still had good power in his first two years, but had a career-worst 228 strikeouts in 2014 and a then-low 2.5 WAR. He bounced back in 2015 with an IL-best 62 homers, his third time smacking 60+. The 7.1 WAR effort gave Anuha his second Silver Slugger and a third in MVP voting. 2016 also saw a Slugger, a third in MVP voting, and a league-best in homers with 59. Jaipur ended a six-year playoff drought, but were swept in the first round with Anuha going 1-13 in the series.

He had two more solid seasons, leading in homers for the fifth time in 2018 but also in strikeouts for the second time. Jaipur fell back out of contention, but Anuha still gave them good value over six seasons. In 950 games, Anuha had 903 hits, 577 runs, 138 doubles, 305 home runs, 638 RBI, .257/.319/.565 slash, 154 wRC+, and 30.2 WAR. While there, he became the 17^th to reach 1500 career RBI and the 11^th to reach 600 homers.

Kolkata gave Anuha a one-year deal in 2019 and he became the seventh member of SAB’s 700 home run club. However, he had career lows in homers (30), RBI (87), OPS (.738), and WAR (1.7) while striking out 200+ times for the tenth time. Anuha decided to retire that winter at age 37.

Anuha finished with 2234 games, 2186 hits, 1379 runs, 337 doubles, 725 home runs, 1601 RBI, 780 walks, 2872 strikeouts, .266/.329/.577 slash, 163 wRC+, and 78.5 WAR. As of 2037, Anuha is 8^th in homers, 19^th in RBI, 84^th in hits, 42^nd in runs, 26^th in total bases (4744), 41^st in walks, 3^rd in strikeouts, and 51^st in WAR among position players. Among those with 3000+ plate appearances, his .906 OPS is 73^rd and his slugging is 51^st.

He played in an era which had some world record shattering home run power that overshadowed what would be considered outstanding power by most metrics. Anuha’s other deficiencies keep him out of the inner circle level, but getting 700+ homers and 1500+ RBI is a clincher for most voters by themselves. At 92.6%, Anuha earned a first ballot selection as the third of four members in a loaded 2025 South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class.



Lance Tong – Catcher – Hanoi Hounds – 74.7% First Ballot

Lance Tong was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed catcher from Lao Cai, Vietnam; a city of around 130,000 people on the northern border with China. At the plate, Tong was an above average to good contact and power hitter. He had a decent eye for walks and was better than most at avoiding strikeouts compared to other SAB players. Tong’s gap power was his biggest asset offensively with 37 doubles per his 162 game average despite having terrible speed and baserunning. He was also good for 21 homers per 162.

Tong was a far better hitter than most career catchers, but he was one of the weaker defensive catchers that saw regular play. Tong’s arm was especially subpar and he was easy to steal on. Still, he was passable enough to be worth starting because of that bat. While he had some recurring small injuries, Tong managed to play 22 seasons, an impressive feat at such a demanding position. You weren’t going to outwork Tong and he was a strong leader, making him a popular figure at each of his career stops.

In the 1997 SAB Draft, Tong was picked 8^th overall by Johor Bahru. He was a part-time starter mostly for his first three years with the Blue Wings. Tong was named the full-time starter in 2001, but missed the final two months to a fractured hip. He missed about two months in 2002 as well to a hamstring strain. Tong was healthy though for back-to-back Sluggers in 2003 and 2004, recording 6.4 WAR in the latter. He also had a career best 43 doubles in 2004.

Johor Bahru had first round exits in the 1999 and 2000 playoffs, then were below average after that. The Blue Wings would also soon leave SAB for Austronesia Professional Baseball along with Kuala Lumpur. With that move imminent, Tong decided not to re-sign and entered free agency for 2005 at age 29. With Johor Bahru, Tong had 722 games, 713 hits, 296 runs, 172 doubles, 91 home runs, 337 RBI, .303/.340/.494 slash, 136 wRC+, and 22.2 WAR.

Tong moved to the Indian League on a five-year, $10,760,000 deal with Bengaluru, who had won back-to-back IL pennants. His debut for the Blazers had career highs in WAR (6.8), wRC+ (177), homers (29), and RBI (82). Tong surprisingly missed the Silver Slugger in 2005, but won in 2006. Bengaluru won a weak division at 85-77 and lost in the first round. Little did they know, that would be their final playoff trip for more than three decades.

Tong didn’t hit those peaks again, but still had positive value. Tong did notably miss about two months in 2009 to a hamstring strain. For Bengaluru, he had 611 games, 602 hits, 259 runs, 105 doubles, 91 home runs, 306 RBI, .282/.335/.468 slash, 146 wRC+, and 22.6 WAR. Now 34-years old, Tong signed a one-year, $2,200,000 deal with Hanoi for 2010, returning home to Vietnam.

Although he hadn’t played for a Vietnamese pro team to that point, Tong was a regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2000-19, he played 114 games with 91 hits, 40 runs, 11 doubles, 17 home runs, 41 RBI, .262/.317/.447 slash, and 2.4 WAR. Tong’s biggest notoriety would come with Hanoi, although 2010 would be a one-and-done. Led by Majed Darwish’s world record power, the Hounds had won the SAB title in 2007 and 2008.

Tong posted a nice 4.2 WAR in 2010 and Hanoi won the Southeast Asia League at 121-41, although they were upset by Kolkata in the SAB Championship. His playoff numbers were unremarkable as were his stats in the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship, which saw the Hounds finish 3-6.

He then switched sides of that finals matchup and played for the Cosmos in 2011. He won a Silver Slugger despite losing a month to a fractured finger with a 3.9 WAR season. Kolkata again won the Indian League, but lost the SAB Championship to Dhaka. Tong had a mere 0.2 WAR and 110 wRC+ over 16 starts. Now 36-years old, Hanoi brought him back on a three-year, $14,040,000 deal. This started his signature run as he’d ultimately spend the next eight seasons starting for the Hounds. Tong got another three years and $25,900,000 after the 2014 season and three more years at $29,000,000 after the 2016 campaign.

Tong won Silver Sluggers in 2013, 2014, and 2016. He won the award nine times, more than any other SAB catcher as of 2037. Tong lost some time to sporadic injuries, but played at an impressive level in his late 30s and early 40s. He even mustered a 6.2 WAR and a career-best .909 OPS in 2016. It was rare enough for any catcher to play to age 40 and even more incredible for them to post a 6+ WAR season.

Hanoi’s playoff steak continued through 2017 with appearances in the SEAL Championship each year from 2010-17. The Hounds won the SAB Championship in 2013 over Visakhapatnam and 2016 over Mumbai. Tong had good results specifically in the 2015 and 2016 runs. For his playoff career with Hanoi, he had 76 starts, 79 hits, 26 runs, 17 doubles, 8 homers, 35 RBI, .285/.332/.433 slash, 119 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR.

The Hounds finished tied for seventh in the 2013 Baseball Grand Championship at 10-9. Hanoi then was 12-7 in 2017, one win short of Guam for first with an official finish of third place after breaking a three-way tie. In 39 career BGC games, Tong had 26 hits, 26 runs, 4 doubles, 10 homers, 17 RBI, .188/.253/.435 slash, and 0.4 WAR.

Hanoi fell to around .500 for his final two seasons. Tong started a career-high 140 games in 2019 at age 43, but had a career-low 0.4 WAR. He retired that winter at age 44, an age rarely reached by any pro and a near impossibility for a catcher. Between runs with the Hounds, Tong had 488 runs, 1122 hits, 264 doubles, 130 home runs, 554 RBI, .300/.351/.484 slash, 134 wRC+, and 34.0 WAR. It was a rare case of a player’s signature run starting in his mid 30s, but the Hounds were appreciative enough to retire his #17 uniform for his role in their dominance.

Tong played 2467 games with 2542 hits, 1079 runs, 564 doubles, 31 triples, 323 home runs, 1245 RBI, 592 walks, 1455 strikeouts, .297/.345/.483 slash, 139 wRC+, and 82.7 WAR. As of 2037, Tong ranks 32^nd in games, 36^th in hits, 15^th in doubles, 65^th in RBI, and 46^th in WAR among position players. Among catchers, he is the career leader in runs, hits, total bases, RBI, and WAR.

By many metrics, Tong is the best catcher in SAB history. However, the bar always is so tough for catchers with many voters shunning them for the lower offensive numbers that come with the position. To that point, only Class of 2003 Krish Balvinder had been inducted into South Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame as a catcher. He had also gotten a big bump for being part of Ahmedabad’s historic dynasty run.

The voters were still tough on Tong due to the lack of black ink and because he was admittedly a mediocre defensive catcher. But his longevity and bat, along with his role in Hanoi’s dynasty, couldn’t be overstated even by the harsh standards for catchers. Tong received 74.7%, which got him across the 66% requirement for a first ballot induction and the final spot in SAB’s impressive four-player 2025 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 ABF Hall of Fame

The Asian Baseball Federation didn’t induct any players into the Hall of Fame in 2025 for the first empty group since 2020. Only two were above 50% with SP Laith Saleh at 55.7% on his third ballot and 3B Tomas Pataki with 52.9% on his ninth try. The best debut was SP Wepa Khan with 44.3%. No other debuting players even cracked 15%.



1B/RF Atlaf Aslam was notably dropped after ten failed ballots, ending at 43.9% after barely missing the 66% requirement in his 2016 debut at 62.5%. He hovered around the 40-60% range for the rest of his run. Aslam had towering power as a three-true outcomes guy, but was actively bad at most non-slugging tasks. He also lost some accumulations as he spent four years in the middle of his career in MLB.

In ABF, Aslam had three Silver Sluggers and an MVP, 1273 hits, 884 runs, 262 doubles, 519 home runs, 1046 RBI, 639 walks, 2092 strikeouts, .229/.318/.558 slash, 176 wRC+, and 57.0 WAR. Aslam was a league leader five times in homers, including an impressive 66, 64, 69 run from 1999-2001 with Rawalpindi. He also came back to win the ABF title with the Red Wings in his final year of 2010. Aslam was the third member of the 500 home run club, but he was considered too weak at the other parts of the game and didn’t quite have the longevity that the voters wanted.

LF Ramazan Olcay also fell off after ten ballots, ending at only 11.0% with a peak of 49.8% in 2020. He had a 14-year career and had the rare feat of winning three championships with three different teams (2004 Bursa, 2007 Istanbul, 2009 Karachi). Olcay was a solid playoff performer with 4.6 WAR and 132 wRC+ over 120 games. He was reliably steady in the regular season, but never won a Silver Slugger and generally wasn’t’ a league leader.

Olcay had 1968 games, 1978 hits, 1171 runs, 442 doubles, 100 triples, 312 home runs, 993 RBI, 465 walks, 735 stolen bases, .282/.341/.506 slash, 149 wRC+, and 83.1 WAR. As of 2037, he is 37^th in WAR among position players. Olcay was a great all-around talent who advanced stats recognize, but he wasn’t quite amazing enough at any one thing to get the voters’ attention.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 ALB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

For the first time in its history, Arab League Baseball had a four-player Hall of Fame class for 2025. All four players were first ballot picks with a co-headlining pair of RF/DH Farouk Adam at 97.7% and IF Mohamed Mustafa at 96.2%. CF Hassan El Zamek (84.6%) and SP Mostafa Nabil (72.7%) joined them in the impressive group. It was very nearly a five-player group as debuting SP Ziyad bin Mostafa got 65.8%, barely missing the 66% cutoff. No other players were above 40%.



SP Jameleddine El Baraka fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 17.7% in his debut and ending with 5.0%. He won Pitcher of the Year and an ERA title in 1999 for Jeddah, but lost some accumulations between a brief MLB run and due to major injuries. El Baraka in ALB had a 145-91 record, 2.94 ERA, 2086 innings, 2127 strikeouts, 540 walks, 129 ERA+, and 47.7 WAR. The pace was certainly there had he been able to post a couple more healthy seasons, but his final full season was at age 32.



Farouk “Kingfish” Adam – Right Field/Designated Hitter – Basra Bulldogs – 97.7% First Ballot

Farouk Adam was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Chandra, a village of around 6,000 in the Comoros. He joined his long-time teammate Nordine Soule as the only Comoron Hall of Famers. Along with Soule, HOF classmate Hassan El Zamek, and Mohamed Hassan; Basra in the 2000s had perhaps the most impressive collection of outfielders ever assembled.

Nicknamed “Kingfish,” Adam was a stellar contact hitter who graded as a 10/10 at his peak. He was very good at avoiding strikeouts and respectable at drawing walks. Adam’s splits were noticeable though with an excellent career 1.005 OPS and 173 wRC+ versus right-handed pitching compared to a .773 OPS and 112 wRC+ against lefties. The difference in power between RHP and LHP was quite pronounced.

Gap power made Adam especially dangerous, but he also gave you a solid clip of home runs with a 162 game average of 26 homers, 44 doubles, and 11 triples. He was a world class baserunner with very good speed in his prime, causing fits for pitchers once he was on base. Despite that baserunning speed and power, those skills didn’t translate into the field.

Adam had shockingly poor defensive range and graded as a terrible right fielder, where he made around 60% of his starts. He occasionally played first base and wasn’t any better there. Around ¼ of his starts came as a designated hitter. Adam’s offensive skills though definitely warranted a prominent spot in the lineup. He did miss some time in injury, but was usually reliable over a 19-year pro career. Adam became very popular for his exciting play style.

Basra had unique inroads into the limited baseball scene throughout the islands of the Comoros. The same scout that had discovered the eventual home run king Nordine Soule was the one to discover Adam. The Iraq-based Bulldogs were becoming popular because of Soule and he helped convince Adam to sign a developmental deal with Basra in October 1997. He spent four years in their academy, officially debuting in 2001 with 12 games and 1 start at age 20.

Adam’s full-time debut came in 2002 and he’d be a fixture in the Basra lineup for the next 16 years. He won Rookie of the Year in 2002 and won his first Silver Slugger in 2003 as a DH. That year, Adam was second in MVP voting behind Soule and led the Eastern Conference in hits (236), doubles (60), and total bases (396). Adam also posted a 30-game hitting streak, becoming the first ALB player to do so. That would be his career best, although he’d have a 20+ game hitting streak four more times in his career.

This also marked the start of Basra’s ten-year playoff streak. Despite Soule’s efforts, they hadn’t been able to get around Mosul in the division as the Muskies posted a late 1990s dynasty run. The Bulldogs fell in the first round in 2003 to Dubai. In August 2004, Basra locked Adam up on an eight-year, $10,980,000 extension.

Adam won another Silver Slugger in 2004 and won Arab League Championship MVP despite Basra losing to Beirut in the final. In the playoff run, Adam started 8 games with 16 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, 5 steals, 1.339 OPS, and 1.0 WAR. In 2005, he won his first batting title at .377 and led with 232 hits and 139 runs, setting a new ALB record for runs scored. Adam won a Silver Slugger at first base and was second again to Soule in MVP voting, posting his first-ever 10+ WAR season. Basra would fall in the conference final to Medina.

2006 was a major setback with a torn PCL in mid May, knocking Adam out for 10 months. He still earned a championship ring on crutches as Basra defeated Giza to win their first-ever ALB title. Adam lost a chunk of 2007 to a strained oblique, but won a Slugger in RF with 7.9 WAR over 103 games. Basra again fell to Medina in the conference final.

2008 was Basra’s finest season at 109-53, ousting the Mastodons for the conference title and winning their second ALB title over Casablanca. It was also Adam’s finest season, winning MVP and his fifth Silver Slugger. He broke his own runs scored record of 144 and posted career highs in hits (251), RBI (147), triple slash (.404/.442/.691), OPS (1.133), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.7).

The hits and average would’ve both been single-season ALB records if not for teammate and HOF classmate Hassan El Zamek, who posted his own staggering 261 hits and .407 average. At the time, El Zamek’s 261 hits broke the world record of 257. Adam’s marks rank 6^th in average and 7^th in hits as of 2037. He matched his runs record the next year and held the top spot until 2027. Adam’s 144 runs remain the 4^th-best ALB single-seasons as of 2037.

Adam three-peated as MVP as he was also the WARlord with 10.4 in both 2009 and 2010. He won the batting title and Silver Sluggers both years as well and posted two 110+ stolen bases efforts. Basra was upset in the 2009 conference final by Kuwait. The Bulldogs won the 2010 pennant, but lost the ALB Championship to a 116-win Amman squad.

In 2011, Adam’s production dropped noticeably from the MVP years, but he still had 5.6 WAR and a conference-best 123 runs. He stepped up in the playoffs and won finals MVP again with Basra defeating Alexandria for the third and final ring of their run. In 13 starts, Adam had 1.035 OPS, 20 hits, 12 runs, 10 steals, and 0.8 WAR. The Bulldogs went 10-9 in the Baseball Grand Championship in a tie for eighth. In 19 starts, Adam had .944 OPS, 174 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.

Basra gave the now 31-year old Adam a six-year, $36,300,000 extension in spring training 2012. He never again posted his MVP level seasons, but remained a good starter. Adam won two more Silver Sluggers in 2012 and 2017, earning nine total. The Bulldogs had the top seed in 2012, but were upset by Abu Dhabi in the conference final. This was the last hurrah for Basra’s exciting run, as they’d miss the playoffs from 2013-17.

Their exciting offense gave Basra and Adam three ALB rings and five conference titles. For his playoff career, Adam had 66 starts, 108 hits, 47 runs, 20 doubles, 5 triples, 11 homers, 51 RBI, 44 steals, .404/.430/.640 slash, 1.070 OPS, 190 wRC+, and 5.0 WAR. Although Soule’s historic power got most of the publicity, Adam’s production was especially impressive in the playoffs.

As of 2037, Adam is ALB’s playoff leader in hits and singles. Posting a .404 average of 267 playoff at-bats is also a remarkable feat. He ranks 9^th in batting average but with the caveat that only 40 plate appearances are needed to qualify. Adam ranks 6^th in playoff runs scored, 9^th in doubles, and 4^th in steals. Another impressive accomplishment is that Adam hit for the cycle four times in his career. He was the first to achieve that in ALB with only one other eventually matching that. As of 2037, only ten players in all of baseball history have achieved four cycles.

Basra bought out the remainder of Adam’s contract after the 2017 season, sending him to free agency at age 36. For the Bulldogs, he had 2254 games, 2988 hits, 1688 runs, 622 doubles, 151 triples, 384 home runs, 1418 RBI, 503 walks, 1319 stolen bases, .344/.382/.583 slash, 163 wRC+, and 104.0 WAR. Adam’s #23 uniform would quickly be retired at the end of his career and he remained a very popular figure both in Iraq and back home in Comoros.

Adam wasn’t done yet and signed a one-year deal for 2018 with Medina. His production dipped notably with only 0.9 WAR over a full season, but he did reach 3000 career hits, joining Soule as the only players to reach the mark to that point. There was a thought that he might chase Soule’s top spot of 3339. At this point, Adam had also passed El Zamek as ALB’s stolen bases leader. He went to Suez in 2019 but was forgettable as a part-time starter with 1.0 WAR and 103 wRC+. Adam decided to retire that winter at age 38.

The grand totals for Adam were 2539 games, 3266 hits, 1817 runs, 689 doubles, 169 triples, 406 home runs, 1547 RBI, 540 walks, 1187 strikeouts, 1386 stolen bases, .337/.375/.569 slash, 157 wRC+, and 106.0 WAR. As of 2037, Adam is 20^th in games played, 3^rd in hits, 5^th in runs, 4^th in singles (2002), 9^th in doubles, 13^th in triples, 77^th in homers, 12^th in total bases (5511), 29^th in RBI, 3^rd in steals, 86^th in walks, and 6^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances in ALB, Adam’s batting average ranks 13^th, his OBP is 30^th, slugging is 83^rd, and his .944 OPS is 53^rd. Among all world Hall of Famers as of 2037, Adam’s batting average ranks 38^th. He also has the 30^th most steals of any pro. Adam certainly was an inner-circle level great on some historic offenses but was overshadowed by playing with Soule, who is widely viewed as the GOAT of Arab League Baseball.

Still, Adam makes many of the top ten lists for ALB’s best-ever position players and cracks the top five in a few. Few guys in baseball history were as impressive contact hitters, especially on the playoff stage. Not only that, but he hit plenty of extra base hits and was one of the most dangerous baserunners of his era. At 97.7%, Adam had the highest percentage in a loaded four-player class for ALB in 2025.



Mohamed “Frolic” Mustafa – Infielder – Abu Dhabi Destroyers – 96.2% First Ballot

Mohamed Mustafa was a 6’1’’, 190 pound right-handed infielder from Ad Du’ayn, Sudan; a city of around 300,000 in the country’s southwest. Mustafa was an excellent contact hitter with a reliably strong pop in his bat, posting 35 home runs, 40 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. He wasn’t often a conference leader, but Mustafa regularly was in the top 10 in the big counting stats.

He was merely average at best in terms of drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. On the basepaths, Mustafa was reliably above average to good. He spent his first few seasons mostly at shortstop, but struggled defensively there without the needed range or arm strength. Mustafa started about half of his career games at second base and was below average there, but was serviceable enough with a bat far better than usual for the spot. He also started off-and-on at first base and graded as a solid defender there.

Even if Mustafa wasn’t an amazing defender, he was versatile enough to be plugged in when needed and often played a little bit at all three spots each year. His adaptability and ironman durability also played a big role in his utility, starting 140+ games in all but his first and final seasons. Few guys in Mustafa’s era had a more well-rounded skillset.

A scout from Abu Dhabi discovered Mustafa down in Sudan and signed him to a developmental deal in November 1997. Although nearly his entire pro career came in the United Arab Emirates, Mustafa regularly represented Sudan in the World Baseball Championship. From 2006-18, he played 118 games with 115 hits, 58 runs, 16 doubles, 29 home runs, 62 RBI, .260/.318/.502 slash, and 3.8 WAR. In 2017, Mustafa helped Sudan earn its first-ever division title.

Mustafa didn’t immediately crack the lineup for Abu Dhabi, spending the better part of seven years in their academy. He debuted in 2003 at age 22 but was unremarkable over 64 games and 43 starts. The Destroyers didn’t use him at all in 2004, but decided he was ready for the full-time gig in 2005. Mustafa won Silver Sluggers at shortstop in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Abu Dhabi signed him to a seven-year, $24,040,000 extension in June 2010. That year, Mustafa joined the short list of players with a four home run game, going it on 5/19/2010 against Basra.

He was moved to second base and really started to thrive, beginning a seven-year streak of seasons worth 7.5+ WAR. Mustafa won Silver Sluggers at 2B in from 2010-16, giving him ten total. This also started Abu Dhabi’s first ever sustained success. The Destroyers ended a 16-year playoff drought in 2010, falling to Basra in the Eastern Conference Championship. AD missed the playoffs narrowly in 2011, then started a six-year streak from 2012-17.

In 2011, Mustafa won MVP honors with conference and career bests in hits (222), total bases (450), batting average (.368), and WAR (11.2). Mustafa also posted his bests in homers (56), RBI (141), triple slash (.368/.405/.746), OPS (1.151), and wRC+ (202). Each season from 2011-16 saw OPS above one, 100+ runs scored, 40+ homers, and 110+ RBI. Mustafa finished third in 2012’s MVP voting and was again WARlord (9.5), but more important was the team result.

Abu Dhabi won their first (and only as of 2037) Arab League Championship in 2012, beating Tripoli in the final. Mustafa was the MVP of the conference finals win over Basra, starting 13 playoff games with 20 hits, 8 runs, 3 homers, 6 RBI, .966 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. He was merely decent in the Baseball Grand Championship with a .218/.279/.500 slash and 0.5 WAR over 19 starts. Abu Dhabi finished in the bottom half at 7-12.

The Destroyers had a first round exit in 2013, then fell in the conference finals in 2014 and 2015. Mustafa won his second MVP in 2013 with a conference-best 54 homers along with 10.2 WAR. He finished third in 2014’s MVP voting and second in both 2015 and 2016. Mustafa also picked up a Gold Glove in the 2016 run, leading the conference in WAR for the third time at 9.6. 2016 had his career best in runs scored (119) while he led in hits (213) and average (.356) in 2015.

Abu Dhabi was an impressive 114-48 in 2016, but still was the underdog in their conference championship win over 117-45 Jeddah. Mustafa was MVP of the series, but the Destroyers would fall to Damascus in the ALB Championship. Abu Dhabi won the pennant again in 2017, but dropped the final to Casablanca. For his playoff career, Mustafa had 56 starts, 64 hits, 24 runs, 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 36 RBI, 11 walks, .303/.338/.521 slash, 129 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

Mustafa’s WAR fell to 4.3 in 2017, then down to 2.4 in 2018. 2018 marked the start of a rebuild as Abu Dhabi plummeted to 71-91. He had signed a conditional two-year extension after the 2017 season at $27,400,000, but the Destroyers decided to blow it up after their 2018 struggles. Their long-time star Mustafa was traded in the offseason to Damascus for three prospects.

He had a part-time role with limited success for the Dusters in 2019 with 102 games, 94 starts, .775 OPS, 98 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR. Mustafa decided to retire that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. Abu Dhabi immediately brought him in to retire his #31 uniform and he remained a celebrated franchise icon and ambassador for many years to come. The 2010s are generally looked at as the “good ol’ days” for Destroyers fans as it was their longest run of sustained success.

Mustafa finished with 2337 games, 2825 hits, 1378 runs, 575 doubles, 130 triples, 500 home runs, 1577 RBI, 504 walks, 1528 strikeouts, 555 stolen bases, .318/.354/.581 slash, 154 wRC+, and 94.9 WAR. As of 2037, Mustafa is 35^th in games played, 38^th in runs, 18^th in hits, 29^th in doubles, 31^st in triples, 46^th in homers, 23^rd in total bases (5160), 25^th in RBI, and 10^th in WAR among position players.

Among those with 3000+ plate appearances, Mustafa ranks 53^rd in batting average, 69^th in slugging, and his .935 OPS is 62^nd. He’s also one of only seven players in ALB with 10+ Silver Sluggers. Most scholars would place Mustafa among the top 20 position players in league history and a few even put him into the top ten. He was a Hall of Fame lock at 96.2% and co-headlined an impressive four-player class for Arab League Baseball in 2025.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 ALB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Hassan “Super” El Zamek – Center Field – Basra Bulldogs – 84.6% First Ballot

Hassan El Zamek was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city. The nickname “Super Hassan” generally came from his exciting baserunning and base stealing ability. El Zamek was the perfect traditional leadoff man as an excellent contact hitter with outstanding speed who very rarely struck out. He was often the one being brought in from RBIs by the likes of Nordine Soule and Hall of Fame classmate Farouk Adam with Basra.

El Zamek’s gap power was quite good with 40 doubles and 11 triples per his 162 game average. He wasn’t going to go yard often and never had a double-digit home run season. El Zamek also very rarely drew walks, but his ability to put the ball in play combined with his speed still led to plenty of opportunities on base. His top speed also gave him pretty good range playing the outfield.

Defensively, he spent the vast majority of his time in center field and graded as average to above average. El Zamek played some left field later in his career with similar results. His durability was fairly good in his 20s, but he ran into some injuries in his 30s. El Zamek’s skillset also wasn’t the type that typically aged gracefully once that contact rate diminished. Still, he worked very hard and was one of the smartest guys in the game.

El Zamek left Egypt for Iraq in April 2000 on a developmental deal with Basra. He was a rare teenage call up, playing 67 games and starting 60 in 2003 at age 19. El Zamek struggled and definitely wasn’t ready yet and was sent back into the developmental system for all of 2004. He returned to the lineup as a full-time starter from 2005 onward.

After an iffy 2005, 2006 started a five-year run of 7+ WAR seasons and an eight-year run of 5+ WAR efforts. El Zamek won his first Silver Slugger in 2006 despite losing a month to elbow tendinitis. He was subpar in the playoffs, but Basra won their first Arab League Championship of their 2003-12 playoff streak, besting Giza in the final.

El Zamek found his groove from 2007-10, leading the Eastern Conference all four years in hits and stolen bases with Silver Sluggers each year. In 2008, El Zamek was behind only teammates Adam and Soule in MVP voting with his record-breaking 261 hits, .407 average, and 138 stolen bases. To that point, 261 hits was a world single-season record that held until 2014. As of 2037, it ranks second in ALB history and ninth in world history. El Zamek also had his career highs in 2008 for OBP (.428), slugging (.537), OPS (.965), wRC+ (168), and WAR (10.7). After the 2008 season, El Zamek signed an eight-year, $20,880,000 extension with the Bulldogs.

In 2010, El Zamek scored 142 runs, only two behind the ALB-record set the prior two seasons by Farouk Adam. El Zamek also broke his own stolen bases record with 141, which held as ALB’s top mark until 2018 and ranks sixth as of 2037. 2010 also saw a 34-game hitting streak to set the new top mark in ALB which wasn’t passed until 2024.

Basra made the Eastern Conference Championship each year from 2004-12. They won the pennant in 2004, 06, 08, 10, and 11; and won the ALB Championship in 06, 08, and 11. El Zamek was an important part of the high-powered offense, although his playoff stats weren’t incredible. In 65 starts, he had 92 hits, 54 runs, 21 doubles, 7 triples, 2 homers, 19 RBI, 48 steals, .323/.350/.467 slash, 119 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR.

El Zamek did retire as the ALB playoff leader in steals, although he would be passed by one player. As of 2037, he ranks 5^th in hits, 4^th in runs, 14^th in games, 6^th in doubles, and 2^nd in triples. El Zamek had a nice run in the 2011 Baseball Grand Championship with 19 starts, 27 hits, 15 runs, 3 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBI, 14 steals, .325/.367/.434 slash, 133 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR. Basra finished in the top half of the standings at 10-9.

He did also have experience in the World Baseball Championship, regularly returning to play for his native Egypt. From 2007-16, El Zamek had 73 games, 82 hits, 34 runs, 18 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, 33 RBI, 40 steals, .303/.349/.439 slash, and 2.5 WAR.

Injuries cost him part of 2011 to end his league leading streak, although he won another Silver Slugger. El Zamek led in hits for the fifth time and had his second batting title in 2012, along with his sixth and final 100+ steal season and seventh Silver Slugger. The season ended with a broken hamate bone in his wrist, missing what would be the final year of Basra’s playoff streak.

Now 29-years old, El Zamek surprised many by opting out of the remainder of his Basra deal and entering free agency. He had a longing to return to his home city, joining Alexandria on a five-year, $70,500,000 deal. The Astronauts had been the Western Conference champ two years prior.

El Zamek moved to left field and won his final Silver Slugger in 2013 despite losing the autumn to a broken bone in his elbow. He missed the playoff run, but Alexandria went 107-55 and won the pennant, dropping the ALB final to Jeddah. 2014 was also a somewhat injury shortened year, but still got 4.5 WAR. The Astronauts had a first round playoff exit in 2014 and would start a nine-year playoff drought after that.

He only played two years in Alexandria before opting out of his deal in search of a larger bag. El Zamek played 219 games for the Astronauts with 329 hits, 154 runs, 63 doubles, 15 triples, 5 homers, 93 RBI, 161 steals, .360/.386/.478 slash, 142 wRC+, and 10.9 WAR. He was able to convince Basra to sign him to a massive seven-year, $73,300,000. The Bulldogs hoped to recapture the magic of their playoff run, as they had posted back-to-back losing seasons since El Zamek left.

El Zamek still stole 93 bases with 3.0 WAR, but his overall batting value dropped to a subpar 85 wRC+. Basra showed little improvement and realized this contract was possible going to be a huge albatross. After only one year, they traded El Zamek to Medina for one veteran and one prospect infielder. The Bulldogs still had a decent relationship with El Zamek after his career was over and would retire his #14 uniform.

Between Basra stints, El Zamek had 1346 games, 1937 hits, 1009 runs, 345 doubles, 101 triples, 53 homers, 460 RBI, 1042 steals, .338/.360/.461 slash, 125 wRC+, and 59.7 WAR. Medina had been just above .500 in the couple years before El Zamek’s arrival and had hoped to compete with a now dynasty run from Jeddah in the Saudi Division. Unfortunately for the Mastodons, they finished out the 2010s at the bottom of the standings.

El Zamek’s contact ability and strikeout rate had both worsened at this point. He was still a reliable enough defender to have some value starting in 2016, but he was reduced to a bench role in the next three seasons, starting only 29 games and playing 109. With Medina, El Zamek had 252 games, 225 hits, 88 runs, 45 doubles, 78 steals, .292/.311/.371 slash, 84 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. He retired after the 2019 season shortly after his 36^th birthday.

The final stats had 1817 games, 2491 hits, 1251 runs, 453 doubles, 124 triples, 58 homers, 615 RBI, 222 walks, 912 strikeouts, 1281 steals, .336/.358/.454 slash, 123 wRC+, and 71.2 WAR. As of 2037, El Zamek ranks 4^th in steals, 40^th in hits, 56^th in runs, 70^th in doubles, 38^th in triples, and 34^th in WAR among position players. El Zamek’s batting average ranks 14^th among all ALB batters with 3000+ plate appearances.

Advanced stats show that a profile like El Zamek is a bit over-rated compared to traditional wisdom. However, he still hit some nice benchmarks despite being done as a starter by age 33. El Zamek won eight Silver Sluggers, set two single-season records, and was a key starter in a decade of dominance for Basra. That got him across the line firmly at 84.6% for a first ballot induction. El Zamek joined former teammate Farouk Adam as the third member of Arab League Baseball’s four player Hall of Fame class of 2025.



Mostafa Nabil – Starting Pitcher – Medina Mastodons – 72.7% First Ballot

Mostafa Nabil was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Shubra-El-Kheima, Egypt’s fourth largest city with 1,240,000 people within Greater Cairo. At his peak, Nabil’s stuff was absurdly impressive with some scouts rating it as an 11/10. He also had very solid control, but his movement could go flat at times. The extreme flyball tendency made Nabil liable for home runs if he was off his game. However, the pure stuff made him one of ALB’s best-ever strikeout pitchers when he was on.

Nabil had a three-pitch arsenal with a 99-101 mph fastball, curveball, and changeup. Each was equally dangerous and often looked the same to batters out of his hand. Nabil’s stamina was good in his 20s when healthy, but he ran into tons of injury issues. Even though he played in 21 seasons, Nabil only had 150+ innings in seven of them. His pickoff move and defense both graded as subpar. Nabil was respected by teammates as a humble operator that never drew attention to himself.

In December 1998, he was spotted and signed to a developmental contract by Medina, making the move from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. Nabil spent five full years in their academy before debuting in 2004 at age 21, but he stunk with a 5.81 ERA over 83.2 innings. Nabil only made one start in 2005’s regular season because of severe shoulder inflammation. He was back by the playoffs and made three starts with a lackluster 5.17 ERA over 15.2 innings. Despite that, the Mastodons earned the Arab League Championship over Casablanca.

Nabil’s first full season was 2006 and was stellar, leading the Eastern Conference in ERA (2.32), strikeouts (383), quality starts (25), complete games (6), and shutouts (4). One of those shutouts was an 18-strikeout no-hitter against Doha on June 1. He won Pitcher of the Year and gave up only two runs in 8.2 innings for his one playoff start. Despite having the #1 seed, Medina was upset by Basra in the conference finals.

2007 saw a repeat Pitcher of the Year win and many career bests for Nabil, including wins (21-5), ERA (2.06), strikeouts (398), WHIP (0.76), ERA+ (195), FIP- (42), and WAR (10.4). He posted the fifth Triple Crown pitching season in ALB history and set a new single-season K/9 record at 16.38 which still stands as of 2037. It also still ranks as the eighth-best qualifying K/9 in any world league. Nabil also had to that point, ALB’s third-best single-season WHIP and third-highest strikeout total.

Nabil tossed his second no-hitter on September 7, 2007 with 13 Ks versus Doha. He also set the ALB single-game strikeout record with 21 Ks versus Sulaymaniyah on July 12. Nabil had another 21 K effort in 2013 against Alexandria, which is still the regulation game ALB record (Abdelmalek Kamal would get 23 in 11 IP in 2015). Medina was again the top seed in 2007 and this time won it all, avenging the Basra loss in the conference final and beating Jerusalem in the ALB Championship. Nabil had a stellar postseason with a 1.29 ERA over 21 innings and 39 strikeouts.

After that 2007 effort, the Mastodons gave Nabil a six-year, $10,360,000 contract extension. His pace was still good in 2008, but he missed part of the spring to a partially torn labrum. Nabil was strong again in the playoffs with 1.12 ERA and 31 Ks in 16 innings with Medina losing to Basra in the conference final. Nabil’s postseason stats in total for the Mastodons saw a 2.35 ERA in nine starts, 61.1 innings, 3-2 record, 104 strikeouts, 171 ERA+, and 2.8 WAR.

Medina fell to 77-85 in 2009, but Nabil earned his third Pitcher of the Year and ERA title. He did it despite only making 29 starts with a few small injuries. Nabil led in WAR, wins, and WHIP in 2010 to claim his fourth Pitcher of the Year, a feat claimed by only four others in ALB as of 2037. 2010 saw a 16.02 K/9, the second-best ALB single-season still behind only Nabil’s own 2007 effort. The Mastodons had a first round playoff exit in 2010 with Nabil missing the final weeks to a herniated disc.

Nabil was third in 2011’s Pitcher of the Year voting and led in strikeouts in both 2011 and 2012. Medina remained above .500 for the next few years, but their playoff run was done. Nabil surprised them by declining his contract offer, leaving for free agency at age 30. With the Mastodons, Nabil had a 108-57 record, 2.95 ERA, 1520.1 innings, 2534 strikeouts, 296 walks, 137 ERA+, and 51.2 WAR. For his role in their mid 2000s success, Medina would later retire his #7 uniform.

He returned to his home country Egypt on a seven-year, $90,300,000 deal with Alexandria. It was his first real time home apart from playing in the World Baseball Championship from 2006-08, posting a 2.80 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 45 innings. Nabil’s deal was part of a big spending push from the Astronauts that included his Hall of Fame classmate Hassan El Zamek.

Nabil was quite effective in 2013, but lost half of the season to herniated discs in his back. Most importantly, he was a beast in the playoffs with 50 strikeouts over 23.2 innings and a 1.52 ERA, tying the then-ALB playoff Ks record. Alexandria won the Western Conference title, but lost to Jeddah in the ALB Championship. The Astronauts lost in the first round in both 2014 and 2015, then spent the next three years just outside the playoff field.

For his combined playoff career, Nabil had a 5-3 record in 13 starts, 2.03 ERA, 93 innings, 162 strikeouts, 9 walks, 196 ERA+, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, Nabil ranks 4^th in strikeouts and 4^th in pitching WAR, deservedly earning the reputation as a big game pitcher.

Nabil lost most of 2014 between more back troubles and shoulder inflammation and struggled even when healthy. He would stay healthy and bounce back for 2015, leading in strikeouts for the fifth time and WHIP for the fourth. Unfortunately in spring training 2016, Nabil suffered a partially torn UCL that kept him out the entire season. More back problems and an oblique strain bothered him for 2017 and 2018. Nabil also saw a significant drop in productivity in those years post UCL-tear.

With Alexandria over six years, Nabil had only 629.2 innings with a 39-27 record, 3.33 ERA, 901 strikeouts, 99 walks, 115 ERA+, and 11.4 WAR. Some argued that the 2013 playoff run made the big deal worth it, but most agreed that Nabil underperformed expectations. He was now a free agent again at age 36 after failing to meet the vesting criteria for the seventh year of the Astronauts deal. This marked the end of his time in the Arab League, although Nabil still hoped his resume could land him work.

It did in South America primarily as a reliever with merely okay results. Nabil spent 2019 with Santiago, 2020 with Belo Horizonte, 2021 with Cordoba, 2022 with Concepcion, 2023 with Rio de Janeiro, and 2024 with Buenos Aires. With the limited use, he mostly avoided injuries until suffering a labrum tear in 2023. Nabil retired after the 2024 season at age 42. In Beisbol Sudamerica, Nabil had a 3.82 ERA over 242.2 innings, 13-9 record, 244 strikeouts, 42 walks, 97 ERA+, and 1.9 WAR.

Nabil’s Arab League stats saw a 147-84 record, 3.06 ERA, 2150 innings, 3435 strikeouts, 395 walks, 208/324 quality starts, 130 ERA+, 33 complete games, 11 shutouts, and 62.6 WAR. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Nabil is the ALB career leader in K/9 (14.38) as of 2037 and ranks 33^rd in ERA, 6^th in H/9 (6.85), and 4^th in WHIP (0.95).

The injuries lower Nabil’s counting stats, but he still ranks 18^th in strikeouts, 23^rd in pitching WAR, 51^st in wins, and 71^st in innings. There were a surprisingly loud contingent of voters who felt Nabil simply didn’t pitch long enough to deserve the Hall of Fame spot. The fact that he was quiet and didn’t loudly advocate for his case might have emboldened them.

However, the majority pointed to his raw dominance in his prime, four Pitcher of the Year wins, three ERA titles, five strikeout titles, his playoff success, and two championship rings. 72.7% feels too low for Nabil’s debut ballot, but it still was enough to breach the 66% requirement for first ballot selection. With that, Nabil capped off an impressive four player Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame class for 2025.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 AAB Hall of Fame

For the first time since 2013, the African Association of Baseball had no Hall of Fame inductees for the 2025 voting. The closest to the 66% threshold was 2B Gedeon Bukasa with 61.6% for his seventh ballot. RF Hamad Ali was the top debut at 58.3%. RF Anthony Chongo was the only other guy above 50% with a 57.4% mark for his third attempt.



The one player to fall off the ballot after ten failed attempts was 3B Jamal Sakar, who peaked at 21.5% in 2016 and ended at 15.3%. He notably led the conference eight times in walks and ranks 5^th in walks drawn as of 2037. Sakar also led five times in doubles and ranks 10^th all-time. However, he didn’t have the home run power or batting average most voters looked for.

Sakar won three Silver Sluggers over 14 years mostly with Johannesburg posting 1971 games, 1734 hits, 1124 runs, 569 doubles, 30 triples, 209 home runs, 921 RBI, 1488 walks, 1814 strikeouts, 166 steals, .258/.393/.445 slash, 134 wRC+, and 60.9 WAR. Sakar also had .826 OPS, 133 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR over 62 playoff starts. It was a fine career and he still ranks 27^th in WAR among position players, but Sakar just never got much traction with the voters.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 World Baseball Championship

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The 2025 World Baseball Championship was the 79^th edition of the event and returned to the United States, this time centered around Orlando. In Division 1, the Dominican Republic won a competitive group at 8-3, edging Australia, Mexico, and Norway each by one and Italy and Singapore by two. It was the DR’s fourth time advancing and their first since way back in 1994.

Spain won a top heavy Division 2 at 10-1, fending off the US and Malaysia at 9-2 and an 8-3 Slovakia. It was the tenth division title for the Spanish and the first since 2020. It was also a rare miss for the Americans, who had been runner-up the prior two events. The United States has only missed the elite eight 19 times and the early exit guaranteed five straight years without a title; the longest-ever drought by the Americans. Paraguay clobbered the D3 field at 10-1 with the next closest teams at 6-5. It was an unexpected run for the Paraguayans, whose only prior division title was way back in 1981.

Ukraine at 10-1 claimed Division 4, beating out Japan (9-2), South Africa (8-3), and defending world champ France (7-4). Last year’s fourth place finisher Ethiopia was also in this group at 6-5. The Ukrainians got their 13^th division title and first since 2020. D5 went to 9-2 India with both Turkey and Nigeria second at 7-4. The Indians would ultimately be the only elite eight team from 2024 to get back in 2025, earning their ninth division title overall.

A very tight Division 6 had Serbia and South Korea both at 8-3, followed by 7-4 efforts by Argentina, Israel, and Pakistan. The tiebreaker sent the Serbians forward for the fifth time and ended a ten-year drought. D7 was also a fierce battle with Brazil (8-3) outlasting 7-4 Egypt, Hungary, and Portugal. Brazil advanced for the 35^th time and was the only real “traditional power” to advance. They hadn’t won the division since taking the world title in 2021.

Lastly in Division 8, Germany and Peru tied for first at 8-3 with Puerto Rico at 7-4 and three others at 6-5. The Peruvians advanced on the tiebreaker for their fourth division title and first since way back in 1997. For the first time since 1989, three South American nations made the elite eight. The 2025 group also had three from Europe, one from North America, and one from Asia. It is the first time since 2016 with only one Asian quarterfinalist.

That team India would fare the best in Round Robin Group A at 5-1, advancing along with 3-3 Ukraine while Serbia and Peru were ousted at 2-4. The Indians earned their fourth-ever semifinal and first since 2010. It was the fifth time in the final four by the Ukrainians, who last pulled it off in 2016.

Group B had Brazil on top at 4-2 for their 21^st time in the semifinal; third most behind only the USA and Canada. Spain and the Dominican Republic both were 3-3 and Paraguay was 2-4. The Spanish advanced over the Dominicans on the tiebreaker for their fourth-ever trip to the semifinal, having last done it with a third place in 2015.

Spain ousted India 3-1 in one semifinal, becoming the 32^nd unique nation to earn a finals berth. Brazil outlasted Ukraine 3-2 on the other side for their ninth shot at the world title. The Ukrainians were officially third for the first time and the Indians had a fourth place finish for the second time.



In the 79^th World Championship, Spain rolled to a 4-1 series win over Brazil to become the 19^th different country to win it all and the eighth from Europe. It also continued the historic run of parity in the top spot with eight different champions in eight years. The Brazilians are now 4-5 all-time in their finals trips.

Spain’s offense was led by Tournament MVP Kevin Juarez, the reigning American Association MVP with Major League Baseball’s Calgary Cheetahs. In 26 starts, the 28-year old first baseman had 35 hits, 22 runs, 8 doubles, 9 home runs, 23 RBI, .365/.470/.729 slash, 241 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR.

Best Pitcher was also a Spaniard with Alberto Marentes, an off-and-on closer for EBF’s Lisbon Clippers. The 32-year old righty made 15 appearances with only one run allowed over 27.2 innings, 0.33 ERA, 6 saves, 10 shutdowns, 52 strikeouts, and 1.8 WAR.



Other notes: Ukraine’s Eduard Yurkov tied a bad tournament record by getting caught stealing 15 times. He did at least successfully steal 17 bags. South Korea’s Chong-Su En became the 13^th player with a four home run game, doing it against Angola. Hungary’s Gyorgy Pap had the event’s lone no-hitter of 2025 with nine Ks and two walks against Saudi Arabia.

Below is the updated all-time tournament scoring. With their second place finish, Brazil now stands alone in third place after being previously tied with Mexico. Spain’s win also launched them into the top 20.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in A2L

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The African Association of Baseball scene was stunned in 2024 when two traditional powers, Johannesburg and Kinshasa, ended up relegated to the African Second League. Both quickly escaped though and reclaimed their spots in the top tier. It was especially tough for the Jackalopes in the Southern Conference at 91-71. They edged out Comoros only by three, Blantyre, Lubango, and Port Elizabeth by six, and Windhoek by seven.



Kinshasa had a more dominant performance in the Central Conference at 100-62. Bukavu was a distant second at 90-72, followed by 88-74 efforts by Juba and Pointe-Noire.



They had met four times previously in the Africa Series back in 1995, 1998, 1999, and 2000. In the 2025 Second League Championship, Kinshasa defeated Johannesburg 5-2. Both hoped they could reclaim momentum and return to glory back in the top tier.



Other notes: Kinshasa allowed 827 runs, which was a new team low for the incredibly high scoring A2L. Their 4.69 ERA and 749 earned runs were the second-best to that point. Bulawayo’s offense had 482 doubles, setting a new A2L record. Windhoek’s Simon Walusimbi became the third player in league history to repeat as MVP.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in E2L



The European Second League’s Western Conference was quite competitive with the top four teams finishing within three games of each other. Luxembourg took first at 97-65, repeating as the top team in the standings. Nantes and Stuttgart were both next at 95-67 and Marseille was 94-68. The Trappers earned their first playoff try since 2019 and the Silver Sabres earned repeat trips. Both were among the few teams that have never been promoted once before. The Musketeers also earned repeat playoff berths.

Brussels was the first team out at 89-73, falling five games short of the last wild card. Close behind were Toulouse (88-74) and Cardiff (86-76). The Beavers earned their first winning season since getting relegated for 2022. The Toads notably bounced back after an abysmal 51-111 in 2024. The Crew now have six straight winning seasons with nothing to show for it.

Luxembourg and Marseille advanced out of the Double Round Robin both at 4-2, while Stuttgart (3-3) and Nantes (1-5) remained stuck. The Lancers then cruised to a Western Conference Championship sweep of the Musketeers to earn their promotion back to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier. Luxembourg had been down in E2L since 2015 and hadn’t gotten back above .500 until 2023.



Tbilisi led all E2L teams at 105-57 atop the Eastern Conference, earning repeat first place finishes. The Trains allowed the fewest runs in all E2L at 472 and led the conference in runs scored at 711. Vienna was a solid second at 96-66 for their first playoff trip since getting relegated for the 2017 season. It was then a tight three-team battle for the remaining two spot

Advancing were Kyiv (91-71) and Sofia (90-72), while Bratislava (89-73) was the first team out. The Kings hadn’t posted a winning season since 2017 and were in their third year back down in E2L. The Spikes grabbed their first playoff berth since their relegation for 2019. Although short, the Blue Falcons did end a five-year run of losing seasons. The next nearest contenders were Gothenburg at 84-78 and Vilnius at 83-79.

Sofia took first in the Round Robin at 4-2, while Kyiv and Tbilisi were both 3-3 and Vienna was 2-4. The Kings advanced over the Trains to the Eastern Conference Championship via the tiebreaker. In a seven-game classic, the Spikes outlasted Kyiv 4-3 to guarantee Sofia’s return to the EBF Elite for the first time since 2018. In the Second League Championship, Luxembourg defeated Sofia 4-2.





However, the EBF Elite in 2025 had the rare instance of five teams losing 100+ games, meaning five teams were promoted/relegated. This meant that the conference champs Luxembourg and Sofia would advance, as would the semifinalists Marseille and Kyiv. The fifth spot went to Tbilisi as the top record among the remaining playoff teams. For the historically solid Musketeers, they earned promotion after a seven-year stint in the Second League. The Kings spent three years in their second run in E2L. The Trains escaped after their second E2L stint took eight seasons.

Other notes: Western Conference Pitcher of the Year Alexander Hamann of Stuttgart had a 19-6 record, 1.58 ERA, and 283 strikeouts; posting only the second Triple Crown pitching season in E2L history. Vienna set an E2L team record with 208 stolen bases. Kyiv pitcher Andrej Andrejko set a bad record by allowing 42 home runs. Lyon’s Steed Garcia became the first pitcher with 3000 strikeouts in E2L.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in AAB

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The African Association of Baseball’s Southern Conference had four teams within striking distance of first place. Lusaka narrowly took the top spot at 97-65, leading all of AAB with 930 runs scored. The Lake Monsters ended a nine-year playoff drought, having taken third last year. Lusaka set a team record with a .520 slugging percentage and their .288 batting average was the second-best in conference history to that point.

For the second spot, three-time defending conference champ Antananarivo and Maputo finished even at 95-67. The Eagles won the tiebreaker game over the Piranhas to extend their playoff streak to five seasons. Harare was a close fourth at 93-69 with Cape Town in the mix as well at 89-73. Maputo allowed the fewest runs in the conference at 744.

Last year’s wild card Lilongwe collapsed to 65-97, but they avoided relegation with a historically abysmal Luanda at 41-121. The Landsharks’ record remains the worst in AAB history as of 2037. Luanda’s pitching staff set all-time worsts in runs allowed (1011), hits (1661), H/9 (10.37), ERA (5.91), and earned runs (946). All of those remain AAB worsts with the exception of the ERA and earned runs, which would be topped in 2036.

Last year’s African Second League champ Gaborone debuted at 76-86 and surprised many by having the Southern Conference’s MVP and Pitcher of the Year. The former was 1B Thabiso Mlambo who missed out on a Triple Crown by the fourth decimal in his batting average. The 25-year old South African smacked 72 home runs with 184 RBI and a .347 average. Mlambo broke Mwarami Tale’s AAB RBI record of 180 from 2009 and posted the fifth-highest tally in world history to that point.

It was the 12^th season of 70+ homers in AAB, five behind the record 77 set by Tale and Kaunda Kalinga. Mlambo also led in total bases (462), slugging (.786), OPS (1.187), wRC+ (189), and WAR (8.9). The Golden Bears ultimately would only get two more years out of Mlambo. They traded him to Antananarivo in 2028, then he left for MLB. Harare DH Mainho Magaia also had a notable power effort in the MVP race with 71 homers and 158 RBI.

Pitcher of the Year went to Simon Kayongo in his fourth season for Gaborone. The 24-year old Ugandan righty led in ERA (2.81), WHIP (1.07), and WAR (7.1). Kayongo added a 14-10 record, 240 innings, 255 strikeouts, and 168 ERA+.



The Central Conference had the same two playoff teams as the prior year, but they switched spots. Lubumbashi was the reigning Africa Series champ, but was second last year. The Loggerheads finished first in 2025 at 97-65, taking first place for the first time since 2001. Lubumbashi led all AAB teams with 700 runs scored.

Addis Ababa was a close second at 93-69 and narrowly held off 92-70 Nairobi. The Brahmas had the conference’s top offense at 905 runs. Even though they missed the playoffs, the Night Hawks’ pitching staff set new AAB records for fewest walks (356) and best BB/9 (2.17). There was a hefty drop down to fourth place Bujumbura at 81-81. In their second shot at the top tier, Bangui again failed to adapt and was relegated right back to A2L with their 60-102 record.

Ndjamena was ninth at 75-87, but their first baseman Trevor Zhou won Central Conference MVP. The 28-year old Zimbabwean lefty led in OBP (.445), and WAR (9.4). Zhou had 110 runs, 49 doubles, 57 homers, 137 RBI, 1.215 OPS, and 211 wRC+. He signed a three-year, $32,500,000 extension before the season with the Magic. Zhou also had to fend off epic power from Addis Ababa DH Dagne Mersha in the MVP race, as Mersha smacked 72 homers with 151 RBI.

Nairobi righty Noel Kembo secured Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (22-8), innings (262.1), complete games (12), and shutouts (7). The 27-year old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo won his fifth consecutive Gold Glove and added a 3.71 ERA, 238 strikeouts, 122 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. Among Kembo’s shutouts was a no-hitter on July 6 with 10 Ks and 1 walk against Lubumbashi. He signed a four-year, $34,440,000 extension prior to the season with the Night Hawks.

Lusaka dethroned Antananarivo 4-1 in the Southern Conference Championship to win their third pennant (2012, 2013, 2025). The Central Conference Championship rematch again had the #2 seed upset the #1 with Addis Ababa defeating reigning champ Lubumbashi 4-2. The Brahmas became nine-time conference champs with their first pennant since the 2006-13 dynasty run.



During Addis Ababa’s dynasty run, they won the Africa Series against Lusaka in both 2012 and 2013. The 31^st Africa Series saw the Lake Monsters get revenge to become the 14^th AAB franchise to win it all, defeating the Brahmas 5-3. 1B Shamiel Moloto was the playoff star, winning MVP in both rounds for Lusaka. The 28-year old South African in 12 playoff starts had 15 hits, 13 runs, 5 doubles, 7 homers, 12 RBI, and 1.147 OPS.



Other notes: 2025 was the final season for SP Ermias Tadele, who retired as and remains AAB’s all-time leader in wins (239-150), innings (3530.1), starts (455), hits allowed (3182), and pitching WAR (112.7). Over 16 years, the Ethiopian lefty had a 3.20 ERA, 128 ERA+, 3471 strikeouts, and three Pitcher of the Year awards. Tadele ranks 4^th in strikeouts as of 2037 and is still nearly 40 WAR points ahead of the next best pitcher, solidifying his spot as the league’s GOAT for many.

Addis Ababa’s Sayyid Pius drew 15 walks in the postseason to set a new AAB record. In a bad record, Luanda SP Frank Kandulu allowed 193 walks on the season. This was an all-time worst for all of pro baseball history, beating his own 183 walks from the prior year.

In milestones, Patrick Babila became the 7^th member of the 700 home run club. Babila (at first base) and C Destin Kette both won their 9^th Gold Glove. This joined shortstops Joaquim Artur and Didrik Borgstrom as the only nine-time winners to that point in AAB. SS Djibrilla Ousseini won his 8^th Silver Slugger. Alister Masalila became the 6^th pitcher with 3000 strikeouts.

Promotion/Relegation: Storied franchises Johannesburg and Kinshasa earned promotion back to the top tier after one year in the African Second League. The Jackalopes replaced Luanda in the Southern Conference and the Sun Cats replaced Bangui.