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In 1991, pitcher Axel Kouacou became the third member of the West African Baseball Hall of Fame. In his debut ballot, Kouacou received 94.8%. Only one other player was above 50% with SP Adul dos Santos at 58.5% on his third try. No players fell off the ballot after ten tries.



Axel Kouacou – Pitcher – Benin City Blue Devils – 94.8% First Ballot

Axel Kouacou was a 5’10’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Sinfra, a city with around 137,000 people in the central part of Cote d’Ivoire. Kouacou had only two pitches, but knew how to masterfully switch between them. He had a 96-98 mph cutter and an incredible changeup. Changing speeds was Kouacou’s calling card, making up for having subpar control and okay movement. He had solid stamina and was considered a good defensive pitcher.

When West Africa Baseball was formed for the 1975 season, Kouacou was already 26-years old and established on the Ivory Coast. He went to Nigeria to start his WAB career, signing with Benin City. Kouacou was a starting pitcher for his first five seasons as a Blue Devil and an effective one, leading the Eastern League in strikeouts from 1976-78. In 1977, Kouacou won Pitcher of the Year with a league-best 26-3 record and 10.9 WAR. He took third in POTY voting in 1978.

Benin City was solid in the early days of WAB, but were knocked out in the wild card round in both 1975 and 1978. Kouacou struggled a bit in 1979 with a career worst 3.86 as improved hitters were able to figure out his two pitches. At this point, it was decided that the 31-year old Kouacou would be moved to the bullpen. For the rest of his career, he was a closer. The Blue Devils got to the ELCS in 1980, but fell to Port Harcourt.

Kouacou pitched for the Ivory Coast from 1977-85 in the World Baseball Championship, making some starts but primarily as a reliever. He posted a 3.94 ERA over 75.1 innings with 112 strikeouts and 1.4 WAR. 1980 would be his final year with Benin City, finishing with a 103-55 record, 40 saves, 3.05 ERA, 1350 innings, 1845 strikeouts, and 39.3 WAR.

Kouacou became a free agent at age 32 and signed with Kumasi. He excelled in the closer role in his first year with the Monkeys, posting a 1.07 ERA. This earned Kouacou Reliever of the Year and a third place in Pitcher of the Year. The Monkeys made the playoffs all three years he was there, but couldn’t get beyond the WLCS. Kouacou was second in 1983 Reliever of the Year voting as well. In total with Kumasi, he had 95 saves, 1.73 ERA, 244.2 innings, 419 strikeouts, and 10.9 WAR.

Before the 1984 season, Kumasi traded Kouacou to Lagos for three prospects. He spent two seasons with Lizards and was a huge part of their 1985 championship season. In 15.1 playoff innings, Kouacou struck out 28 with a 0.59 ERA, three saves, and five shutdowns. He was still only 36 years old after this season, but Kouacou decided that was a good time to retire.

Kouacou’s final stats: 138-82 record, 206 saves, 2.82 ERA, 1785 innings, 2551 strikeouts, 470 walks, 235 shutdowns, 116/117 quality starts, FIP- of 67, and 54.9 WAR. He had a very unique accomplishment in baseball history, having won Pitcher of the Year as a starter and also later winning Reliever of the Year. With his split career and late official start, it is hard to evaluate Kouacou’s stats. It was also tougher considering the still relative newness of WAB and its unique environment. The Hall of Fame voters were easily swayed though by Kouacou’s resume, putting him in on the first ballot at 94.8%.