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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-02-2024, 01:01 PM

Ajiboye Okemmiri – Center Field – Abidjan Athletes – 74.0% First Ballot

Ajiboye Okemmiri was a 6’0’’, 185 pound left-handed hitting center fielder from Idanre, Nigeria, a city with nearly 130,000 inhabitants in the country’s southwest. Okemmiri has very good home run power with average contact kills and an above average to good eye. He was especially strong against right-handing pitching with a .920 career OBP and 150 wRC+, while posting a lackluster .671 OPS and 90 wRC+ versus lefties.

Okemmiri did struggle with strikeouts, but he hit the ball hard when he made contact. His power was mainly focused on homers, topping 40+ six times and 30+ 13 times. Okemmiri didn’t find the gap too often, only averaging around 20-25 doubles/triples per season. Despite playing center field, his running speed on the basepaths was merely average.

His range in center was weaker than you’d like, although his arm and glove work were okay. Okemmiri graded as firmly below average defensively, but played almost his entire career in center. He handled the physical demands of the position fairly well for the most part. Some did criticize Okemmiri for a lack of hustle, but his natural talent carried him a long way.

Okemmiri was noticed by a scout from Abidjan and brought to the Ivory Coast in September 1984 as a teenage free agent. He officially debuted in 1988 at age 20, but only saw 24 games and three starts in his first two seasons. Okemmiri was a part-time starter in 1990 with a nice effort, earning the full-time gig from 1991 through 2004.

In 1991, Okemmiri led the Western League in home runs (50) and RBI (132) with career bests in both, earning a Silver Slugger. He would earn additional Sluggers in 1992 and 1993 as Abidjan began their dynasty run. The Athletes knew Okemmiri was going to be a big piece of that run, giving him a five-year, $3,878,000 extension after the 1992 season.

In 1993, Okemmiri snagged his lone MVP, leading in runs scored (102) and homers (46). The runs mark was a career best, as was his 166 hits, .290 average, .947 OPS, and 7.3 WAR. From 1992-2001, Abidjan made the playoffs each year but 1997. They won the WLCS four straight seasons from 1992-95 and won the WAB Championship in 1994.

Okemmiri was a strong playoff performer in the 1992-95 run with 1.5 WAR over 42 starts. He was less impressive in the middle runs, but was strong again in 2001. Abidjan won WL pennants from 1999-01 and won the WAB title in 2000 with a huge upset over 125-win Kano. In his playoff career, Okemmiri had 69 starts, 66 hits, 40 runs, 9 doubles, 5 triples, 16 gome runs, 38 RBI, a .256/.323/.516 slash, 130 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR.

He also played from 1991-2000 in the World Baseball Championship for Nigeria with mixed results. Okemmiri had 81 games and 59 starts in the WBC, recording 45 hits, 28 runs, 10 doubles, 16 home runs, 31 RBI, a .210/.309/.481 slash, 128 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR.

1994 and 1995 were down years because of injuries. Okemmiri missed parts of 1994 to a fractured thumb and a bone spur in his elbow, then lost a bit of 1995 to a fractured foot. He actually opted out of his contract following the 1994 season, but inked a new four-year, $5,740,000 deal with Abidjan.

Okemmiri was good and steady in his late 20s and early 30s, although he wasn’t a league leader. He did win Silver Sluggers in 1999 and 2003, giving him five for his career. The final one in 2003 came at right field and not center. Abidjan rewarded him after the 1998 campaign with a six-year, $13,680,000 extension which carried him through the 2004 campaign.

After the 2001 WL pennant, Abidjan fell towards the middle of the standings and missed the playoffs from 2002-04. Okemmiri chugged along, becoming the third WAB batter to 500 career home runs and the eighth to 2000 hits. Okemmiri was heading towards age 37 when his deal expired after a decent 2004 campaign. That would mark the end of his time in WAB.

Okemmiri wanted to keep playing, but had trouble finding anyone interested in his asking price. The newly formed European Second League was looking for experienced veteran players and Okemmiri ended up in France. He signed a three-year, $14,280,000 deal with Toulouse for one last final major payday.

Once the bag was secured, Okemmiri stunk it up for the Toads. He was only a part-time starter in 2005 and 2006 and mediocre when he did play. Toulouse eventually benched him and he saw only three games in 2007. With Toulouse, he posted -1.0 WAR, a .186/.283/.366 slash, and 93 wRC+. Okemmiri retired after the 2007 campaign at age 39.

Abidjan remembered him fondly though, retiring his #41 uniform that winter. Okemmiri finished his WAB career with 2036 hits, 1264 runs, 289 doubles, 559 home runs, 1393 RBI, 743 walks, 234 stolen bases, a .263/.334/.533 slash, 138 wRC+, and 63.6 WAR. Many of the accumulations would be dwarfed in later years, but Okemmiri was second in homers at retirement.

As of 2037, he’s 21^st in homers and 40^th in WAR among position players. Okemmiri didn’t have big eye-popping numbers, but he was a strong reliable contributor during a decade of success for Abidjan. That was enough for 74.0% of the vote in 2010, giving Okemmiri a first-ballot nod.

Daouda Kadri – First Base – Ibadan Iguanas – 72.1% Eighth Ballot

Daouda Kadri was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. Kadri was a solid power hitter with a very good eye for drawing walks. His strikeout rate was poor though and he was a merely above average contact hitter. Kadri averaged 34 home runs and 33 doubles per his 162 game average. While great at finding the gap, he wasn’t going to leg out extra bases as he was laughably slow and clumsy.

Kadri never played anywhere else defensively than first base, although he did make a few starts as a designated hitter. Despite his general sluggishness, Kadri graded out as a reliably average gloveman. He had very good durability and started 140+ games each year from 1988-2001.

Kadri drew plenty of notice dominating the amateur scene in Benin, becoming a top prospect ahead of the 1984 WAB Draft. He was picked third overall by Freetown, beginning his pro career in Sierra Leone. The Foresters used him sparingly as a rookie with 96 games and 48 starts, seeing mixed results. Kadri was the full-time starter from then after, but he missed part of 1986 to a strained MCL and part of 1987 to a concussion. Kadri would look like an ironman after that, playing 145+ games in each of his remaining WAB seasons.

Freetown wasn’t a particularly competitive team during Kadri’s run and didn’t make the playoffs. By the end of his brief run though, he was drawing plenty of attention. Kadri won Silver Sluggers in 1990 and 1991. In 1990, he was the Western League’s leader in RBI and total bases. He posted three straight 5+ WAR seasons to end his run with Freetown and was becoming a popular player.

In total for the Foresters, Kadri had 926 hits, 514 runs, 194 doubles, 210 home runs, 603 RBI, a .264/.325/.507 slash, 135 wRC+, and 24.7 WAR. He would be 29 years old when he hit free agency after the 1991 campaign. Ibadan won the sweepstakes for Kadri with a seven-year, $7,720,000 deal. The Iguanas had been a wild card in back-to-back seasons and hoped to get over the playoff hump.

Kadri helped them do that, earning three straight Eastern League Championship Series berths to start his run. They lost in 1992, but won the pennant in 1993 and 1994. In 1993, Ibadan earned their first WAB Championship, beating Abidjan in the final. The Athletes got revenge in the 1994 rematch. Kadri was ELCS MVP in the 1994 run.

1992 was Kadri’s best individual season and the closest he came to winning MVP, taking second. He earned his third Silver Slugger, leading the league in runs, doubles, homers, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, and wRC+. This also saw a career best 8.7 WAR and .315 batting average. Kadri in 1993 had career highs in homers (46) and RBI (148). He remained quite solid in the following years, but wasn’t a league leader or award winner.

The Iguanas lost in the wild card round in 1995, then won another EL pennant in 1996 before losing the WAB final to Accra. 1997 was Kadri’s last year and saw another wild card round defeat as Kano began their dynasty. In his playoff career, Kadri had 45 starts, 50 hits, 24 runs, 6 doubles, 14 home runs, 39 RBI, a .278/.305/.556 slash, 144 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR.

That marked the end of his career in Africa, although Kadri still had five more years of baseball ahead. The 35-year old free agent ended up finding a home in Ukraine, signing for three years and $5,620,000 with Kharikiv. Kadri was okay in 1998, but was quite solid in 1999 and 2000 with 4+ WAR in both years.

Kadri played a big role in a dynasty run for Kharkiv. The Killer Bees won the Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship in 1998 and 1999, then moved to European Professional Baseball in the great 2000 exodus. In their EBF debut, Kharkiv won it all for a third straight title. Kadri was the ELCS MVP in 1999 and brought his overall ring total to four.

In 48 playoff starts, he had 42 hits, 17 runs, 8 doubles, 6 home runs, 21 RBI, a .241/.311/.391 slash, 109 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. In total for Kharkiv, Kadri had 406 hits, 228 runs, 65 doubles, 74 home runs, 242 RBI, a .254/.345/.440 slash, 140 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. He served his purpose well and was now a free agent again at age 38.

Having proven himself on the EBF stage, Zurich gave Kadri a one-year, $2,880,000 deal. He was decent with a 2.8 WAR season starting for the Mountaineers. After that, Kadri ended up in Australia for OBA’s Gold Coast on a one-year, $1,860,000 deal. He fractured his tibia and missed part of the spring, but still mustered 2.0 WAR in 116 games. Kadri opted to retire that winter at age 40.

For his entire pro baseball career, Kadri had 2552 hits, 1415 runs, 530 doubles, 552 home runs, 1683 RBI, 1001 walks, a .267/.338/.504 slash, 141 wRC+, and 73.8 WAR. His final WAB tally though missed out on five years of accumulations, making Kadri more borderline. He had 1909 hits, 1063 runs, 411 doubles, 437 home runs, 1310 RBI, 694 walks, a .270/.338/.524 slash, 144 wRC+, and 57.2 WAR.

Most voters thought Kadri’s resume was as borderline as you could get and he bounced around for eight ballots. He debuted at 54.9%, then dropped to 49.8% in 2004. Kadri was in the upper 50s the next two years, then suffered repeated heartbreak. From 2007-2009, he was within 1% thrice of breaching the 66% requirement. On his eighth go in 2010, Kadri finally bumped up to 72.1% as the third player in the 2010 WAB Hall of Fame class.

08-02-2024, 01:01 PM	#1483
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,905	2010 WAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Ajiboye Okemmiri – Center Field – Abidjan Athletes – 74.0% First Ballot Ajiboye Okemmiri was a 6’0’’, 185 pound left-handed hitting center fielder from Idanre, Nigeria, a city with nearly 130,000 inhabitants in the country’s southwest. Okemmiri has very good home run power with average contact kills and an above average to good eye. He was especially strong against right-handing pitching with a .920 career OBP and 150 wRC+, while posting a lackluster .671 OPS and 90 wRC+ versus lefties. Okemmiri did struggle with strikeouts, but he hit the ball hard when he made contact. His power was mainly focused on homers, topping 40+ six times and 30+ 13 times. Okemmiri didn’t find the gap too often, only averaging around 20-25 doubles/triples per season. Despite playing center field, his running speed on the basepaths was merely average. His range in center was weaker than you’d like, although his arm and glove work were okay. Okemmiri graded as firmly below average defensively, but played almost his entire career in center. He handled the physical demands of the position fairly well for the most part. Some did criticize Okemmiri for a lack of hustle, but his natural talent carried him a long way. Okemmiri was noticed by a scout from Abidjan and brought to the Ivory Coast in September 1984 as a teenage free agent. He officially debuted in 1988 at age 20, but only saw 24 games and three starts in his first two seasons. Okemmiri was a part-time starter in 1990 with a nice effort, earning the full-time gig from 1991 through 2004. In 1991, Okemmiri led the Western League in home runs (50) and RBI (132) with career bests in both, earning a Silver Slugger. He would earn additional Sluggers in 1992 and 1993 as Abidjan began their dynasty run. The Athletes knew Okemmiri was going to be a big piece of that run, giving him a five-year, $3,878,000 extension after the 1992 season. In 1993, Okemmiri snagged his lone MVP, leading in runs scored (102) and homers (46). The runs mark was a career best, as was his 166 hits, .290 average, .947 OPS, and 7.3 WAR. From 1992-2001, Abidjan made the playoffs each year but 1997. They won the WLCS four straight seasons from 1992-95 and won the WAB Championship in 1994. Okemmiri was a strong playoff performer in the 1992-95 run with 1.5 WAR over 42 starts. He was less impressive in the middle runs, but was strong again in 2001. Abidjan won WL pennants from 1999-01 and won the WAB title in 2000 with a huge upset over 125-win Kano. In his playoff career, Okemmiri had 69 starts, 66 hits, 40 runs, 9 doubles, 5 triples, 16 gome runs, 38 RBI, a .256/.323/.516 slash, 130 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR. He also played from 1991-2000 in the World Baseball Championship for Nigeria with mixed results. Okemmiri had 81 games and 59 starts in the WBC, recording 45 hits, 28 runs, 10 doubles, 16 home runs, 31 RBI, a .210/.309/.481 slash, 128 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. 1994 and 1995 were down years because of injuries. Okemmiri missed parts of 1994 to a fractured thumb and a bone spur in his elbow, then lost a bit of 1995 to a fractured foot. He actually opted out of his contract following the 1994 season, but inked a new four-year, $5,740,000 deal with Abidjan. Okemmiri was good and steady in his late 20s and early 30s, although he wasn’t a league leader. He did win Silver Sluggers in 1999 and 2003, giving him five for his career. The final one in 2003 came at right field and not center. Abidjan rewarded him after the 1998 campaign with a six-year, $13,680,000 extension which carried him through the 2004 campaign. After the 2001 WL pennant, Abidjan fell towards the middle of the standings and missed the playoffs from 2002-04. Okemmiri chugged along, becoming the third WAB batter to 500 career home runs and the eighth to 2000 hits. Okemmiri was heading towards age 37 when his deal expired after a decent 2004 campaign. That would mark the end of his time in WAB. Okemmiri wanted to keep playing, but had trouble finding anyone interested in his asking price. The newly formed European Second League was looking for experienced veteran players and Okemmiri ended up in France. He signed a three-year, $14,280,000 deal with Toulouse for one last final major payday. Once the bag was secured, Okemmiri stunk it up for the Toads. He was only a part-time starter in 2005 and 2006 and mediocre when he did play. Toulouse eventually benched him and he saw only three games in 2007. With Toulouse, he posted -1.0 WAR, a .186/.283/.366 slash, and 93 wRC+. Okemmiri retired after the 2007 campaign at age 39. Abidjan remembered him fondly though, retiring his #41 uniform that winter. Okemmiri finished his WAB career with 2036 hits, 1264 runs, 289 doubles, 559 home runs, 1393 RBI, 743 walks, 234 stolen bases, a .263/.334/.533 slash, 138 wRC+, and 63.6 WAR. Many of the accumulations would be dwarfed in later years, but Okemmiri was second in homers at retirement. As of 2037, he’s 21^st in homers and 40^th in WAR among position players. Okemmiri didn’t have big eye-popping numbers, but he was a strong reliable contributor during a decade of success for Abidjan. That was enough for 74.0% of the vote in 2010, giving Okemmiri a first-ballot nod. Daouda Kadri – First Base – Ibadan Iguanas – 72.1% Eighth Ballot Daouda Kadri was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. Kadri was a solid power hitter with a very good eye for drawing walks. His strikeout rate was poor though and he was a merely above average contact hitter. Kadri averaged 34 home runs and 33 doubles per his 162 game average. While great at finding the gap, he wasn’t going to leg out extra bases as he was laughably slow and clumsy. Kadri never played anywhere else defensively than first base, although he did make a few starts as a designated hitter. Despite his general sluggishness, Kadri graded out as a reliably average gloveman. He had very good durability and started 140+ games each year from 1988-2001. Kadri drew plenty of notice dominating the amateur scene in Benin, becoming a top prospect ahead of the 1984 WAB Draft. He was picked third overall by Freetown, beginning his pro career in Sierra Leone. The Foresters used him sparingly as a rookie with 96 games and 48 starts, seeing mixed results. Kadri was the full-time starter from then after, but he missed part of 1986 to a strained MCL and part of 1987 to a concussion. Kadri would look like an ironman after that, playing 145+ games in each of his remaining WAB seasons. Freetown wasn’t a particularly competitive team during Kadri’s run and didn’t make the playoffs. By the end of his brief run though, he was drawing plenty of attention. Kadri won Silver Sluggers in 1990 and 1991. In 1990, he was the Western League’s leader in RBI and total bases. He posted three straight 5+ WAR seasons to end his run with Freetown and was becoming a popular player. In total for the Foresters, Kadri had 926 hits, 514 runs, 194 doubles, 210 home runs, 603 RBI, a .264/.325/.507 slash, 135 wRC+, and 24.7 WAR. He would be 29 years old when he hit free agency after the 1991 campaign. Ibadan won the sweepstakes for Kadri with a seven-year, $7,720,000 deal. The Iguanas had been a wild card in back-to-back seasons and hoped to get over the playoff hump. Kadri helped them do that, earning three straight Eastern League Championship Series berths to start his run. They lost in 1992, but won the pennant in 1993 and 1994. In 1993, Ibadan earned their first WAB Championship, beating Abidjan in the final. The Athletes got revenge in the 1994 rematch. Kadri was ELCS MVP in the 1994 run. 1992 was Kadri’s best individual season and the closest he came to winning MVP, taking second. He earned his third Silver Slugger, leading the league in runs, doubles, homers, RBI, total bases, slugging, OPS, and wRC+. This also saw a career best 8.7 WAR and .315 batting average. Kadri in 1993 had career highs in homers (46) and RBI (148). He remained quite solid in the following years, but wasn’t a league leader or award winner. The Iguanas lost in the wild card round in 1995, then won another EL pennant in 1996 before losing the WAB final to Accra. 1997 was Kadri’s last year and saw another wild card round defeat as Kano began their dynasty. In his playoff career, Kadri had 45 starts, 50 hits, 24 runs, 6 doubles, 14 home runs, 39 RBI, a .278/.305/.556 slash, 144 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. That marked the end of his career in Africa, although Kadri still had five more years of baseball ahead. The 35-year old free agent ended up finding a home in Ukraine, signing for three years and $5,620,000 with Kharikiv. Kadri was okay in 1998, but was quite solid in 1999 and 2000 with 4+ WAR in both years. Kadri played a big role in a dynasty run for Kharkiv. The Killer Bees won the Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship in 1998 and 1999, then moved to European Professional Baseball in the great 2000 exodus. In their EBF debut, Kharkiv won it all for a third straight title. Kadri was the ELCS MVP in 1999 and brought his overall ring total to four. In 48 playoff starts, he had 42 hits, 17 runs, 8 doubles, 6 home runs, 21 RBI, a .241/.311/.391 slash, 109 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. In total for Kharkiv, Kadri had 406 hits, 228 runs, 65 doubles, 74 home runs, 242 RBI, a .254/.345/.440 slash, 140 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. He served his purpose well and was now a free agent again at age 38. Having proven himself on the EBF stage, Zurich gave Kadri a one-year, $2,880,000 deal. He was decent with a 2.8 WAR season starting for the Mountaineers. After that, Kadri ended up in Australia for OBA’s Gold Coast on a one-year, $1,860,000 deal. He fractured his tibia and missed part of the spring, but still mustered 2.0 WAR in 116 games. Kadri opted to retire that winter at age 40. For his entire pro baseball career, Kadri had 2552 hits, 1415 runs, 530 doubles, 552 home runs, 1683 RBI, 1001 walks, a .267/.338/.504 slash, 141 wRC+, and 73.8 WAR. His final WAB tally though missed out on five years of accumulations, making Kadri more borderline. He had 1909 hits, 1063 runs, 411 doubles, 437 home runs, 1310 RBI, 694 walks, a .270/.338/.524 slash, 144 wRC+, and 57.2 WAR. Most voters thought Kadri’s resume was as borderline as you could get and he bounced around for eight ballots. He debuted at 54.9%, then dropped to 49.8% in 2004. Kadri was in the upper 50s the next two years, then suffered repeated heartbreak. From 2007-2009, he was within 1% thrice of breaching the 66% requirement. On his eighth go in 2010, Kadri finally bumped up to 72.1% as the third player in the 2010 WAB Hall of Fame class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)