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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-06-2024, 01:10 PM

For the 2010 season, West African Baseball lowered its active roster size from the default 25 down to 24. Many leagues had lowered to 24, feeling it promoted more strategy. Teams still had their hefty reserve rosters which didn’t have a limit, allowing them to hold onto prospects and specialists.

Defending WAB champ Abidjan and Cape Verde tied for the top spot in the Western League at 96-66. The Vulcans earned first place with the tiebreaker for their first playoff berth since 2002. It was Cape Verde’s first time leading the standings. The Athletes extended their playoff streak to six years. Monrovia’s playoff streak also grew to six, taking third place at 90-72.

The fourth place spot and final wild card went to Conakry at 85-77. The Coyotes edged Nouakchott by one game, Dakar by two, and Accra by four. Conakry ended a four-year playoff drought. Bamako and Freetown, wild cards last year, both fell below .500.

Leading Cape Verde’s success was Western League MVP Abdoulaye Sissako. The 26-year old designated hitter from Mauritania led in runs (104), hits (200), home runs (48), RBI (156), total bases (388), and slugging (.610). Sissako also had a .314 average, .980 OPS, and 6.8 WAR. It was one breakout season in an otherwise unremarkable career.

Abidjan’s Arthur Boateng earned a third consecutive Pitcher of the Year and earned back-to-back Triple Crowns. He joined Kouadio Diao as the only multiple-time Triple Crown winners in WAB. The 26-year old Ghanaian lefty had an 18-7 record, 1.61 ERA, and 326 strikeouts. Boateng’s ERA mark still ranks as the fourth-lowest in WAB history as of 2037 by any pitcher with 162+ innings. He also led the league with 257.1 innings and 7.0 WAR with a 229 ERA+.

Monrovia beat Conakry 2-0 in the first round, then lost to #2 seed Abidjan 2-0 in round two. That was the first time in their six-year playoff streak that the Diplomats didn’t make it to the Western League Championship Series. The Athletes earned a third consecutive berth, while top seed Cape Verde was making their second-ever berth. The Vulcans’ last appearance was their lone pennant in 2002.

Cape Verde had home field advantage from the tiebreaker, but Abidjan prevailed 3-1 in the WLCS. The Athletes repeated as WL champs and won their 12^th pennant. That was the most of any WL team and second in all of WAB’s 36 years behind only Kano’s 13.

Cotonou had never finished first in the Eastern League standings and their only previous playoff berths were in 1987 and 2001. The Copperheads looked to reverse their fortunes, taking first in the EL standings in 2010 at 101-61. Cotonou took the top spot by eight games.

Four teams were in a fierce fight for the remaining three playoff spots. Ibadan and Niamey tied at 93-69, Lome was 92-70, and Port Harcourt went 88-74. The tiebreaker gave the defending EL champ Iguanas the #2 seed over the Atomics. The Atomics earned their fourth playoff appearance in five years.

For the Lasers, they ended a seven-year playoff drought by taking fourth. Ouagadougou, who went 111-51 in 2009, dropped to sixth at 81-81. The Osprey saw their playoff streak ended at three seasons. Despite finishing .500, Ouagadougou’s pitching staff set an Eastern League record with a 11.34 K/9. That stood as the top mark until 2023.

Douala was seventh at 80-82, but they had the Eastern League’s MVP in 2B Bright Abubakar. The 27-year old Nigerian led in runs (128), home runs (49), RBI (132), total bases (445), slugging (.749), OPS (1.173), wRC+ (206), and WAR (10.7). His .365 batting average fell nine points shy of a Triple Crown.

Lome’s Nana Villars earned Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old righty from Ghana was in only his second season as a full-time starter and led in wins (18-7), innings (256), strikeouts (364), WHIP (0.83), K/BB (9.6), quality starts (24), FIP- (60), and WAR (9.0). Villars had a 162 ERA+ and 2.43 ERA, taking second to Ouagadougou’s Zeb Onyedika at 2.12. This effort earned Villars a five-year, $15,700,000 contract extension after the season.

Niamey won 2-0 over Lome in the first round, then lost 2-0 to Ibadan in round two. The Iguanas were going for repeat titles and were making their 12^th Eastern League Championship Series appearance in 20 years. Cotonou’s only prior ELCS was a defeat in 1987. In 2010, the Copperheads prevailed 3-1 over Ibadan, becoming the sixth EL franchise to win a pennant.

In the 36^th West African Championship, Cotonou denied Abidjan’s repeat bid and won the series 4-2. The Copperheads were the 13^th franchise in WAB history to win it all. Finals MVP was DH Fares Belaid in his second full season. The 21-year old Tunisian in 10 playoff starts had 15 hits, 9 runs, 1 double, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 9 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. This was the introduction to the big stage for Belaid, who would retire 23 years later with more hits than any player in pro baseball history.

Other notes: Ouagadougou’s Charles Compaore threw WAB’s 17^th perfect game on September 15, striking out 15 against Lome. Luc Mariam became the seventh to 500 career home runs. Ibrahima Bah was the fifth to join the 2500 hit club. Zachary Owusu became the 13^th to 3000 career strikeouts.

SS Tchiressoua Yao won his ninth Gold Glove. 2B Sambegou Toure and C Okoro Otene both became eight time Gold Glovers. 1B Ahamad Mathew won his ninth Silver Slugger.

08-06-2024, 01:10 PM	#1495
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,807	2010 in WAB For the 2010 season, West African Baseball lowered its active roster size from the default 25 down to 24. Many leagues had lowered to 24, feeling it promoted more strategy. Teams still had their hefty reserve rosters which didn’t have a limit, allowing them to hold onto prospects and specialists. Defending WAB champ Abidjan and Cape Verde tied for the top spot in the Western League at 96-66. The Vulcans earned first place with the tiebreaker for their first playoff berth since 2002. It was Cape Verde’s first time leading the standings. The Athletes extended their playoff streak to six years. Monrovia’s playoff streak also grew to six, taking third place at 90-72. The fourth place spot and final wild card went to Conakry at 85-77. The Coyotes edged Nouakchott by one game, Dakar by two, and Accra by four. Conakry ended a four-year playoff drought. Bamako and Freetown, wild cards last year, both fell below .500. Leading Cape Verde’s success was Western League MVP Abdoulaye Sissako. The 26-year old designated hitter from Mauritania led in runs (104), hits (200), home runs (48), RBI (156), total bases (388), and slugging (.610). Sissako also had a .314 average, .980 OPS, and 6.8 WAR. It was one breakout season in an otherwise unremarkable career. Abidjan’s Arthur Boateng earned a third consecutive Pitcher of the Year and earned back-to-back Triple Crowns. He joined Kouadio Diao as the only multiple-time Triple Crown winners in WAB. The 26-year old Ghanaian lefty had an 18-7 record, 1.61 ERA, and 326 strikeouts. Boateng’s ERA mark still ranks as the fourth-lowest in WAB history as of 2037 by any pitcher with 162+ innings. He also led the league with 257.1 innings and 7.0 WAR with a 229 ERA+. Monrovia beat Conakry 2-0 in the first round, then lost to #2 seed Abidjan 2-0 in round two. That was the first time in their six-year playoff streak that the Diplomats didn’t make it to the Western League Championship Series. The Athletes earned a third consecutive berth, while top seed Cape Verde was making their second-ever berth. The Vulcans’ last appearance was their lone pennant in 2002. Cape Verde had home field advantage from the tiebreaker, but Abidjan prevailed 3-1 in the WLCS. The Athletes repeated as WL champs and won their 12^th pennant. That was the most of any WL team and second in all of WAB’s 36 years behind only Kano’s 13. Cotonou had never finished first in the Eastern League standings and their only previous playoff berths were in 1987 and 2001. The Copperheads looked to reverse their fortunes, taking first in the EL standings in 2010 at 101-61. Cotonou took the top spot by eight games. Four teams were in a fierce fight for the remaining three playoff spots. Ibadan and Niamey tied at 93-69, Lome was 92-70, and Port Harcourt went 88-74. The tiebreaker gave the defending EL champ Iguanas the #2 seed over the Atomics. The Atomics earned their fourth playoff appearance in five years. For the Lasers, they ended a seven-year playoff drought by taking fourth. Ouagadougou, who went 111-51 in 2009, dropped to sixth at 81-81. The Osprey saw their playoff streak ended at three seasons. Despite finishing .500, Ouagadougou’s pitching staff set an Eastern League record with a 11.34 K/9. That stood as the top mark until 2023. Douala was seventh at 80-82, but they had the Eastern League’s MVP in 2B Bright Abubakar. The 27-year old Nigerian led in runs (128), home runs (49), RBI (132), total bases (445), slugging (.749), OPS (1.173), wRC+ (206), and WAR (10.7). His .365 batting average fell nine points shy of a Triple Crown. Lome’s Nana Villars earned Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old righty from Ghana was in only his second season as a full-time starter and led in wins (18-7), innings (256), strikeouts (364), WHIP (0.83), K/BB (9.6), quality starts (24), FIP- (60), and WAR (9.0). Villars had a 162 ERA+ and 2.43 ERA, taking second to Ouagadougou’s Zeb Onyedika at 2.12. This effort earned Villars a five-year, $15,700,000 contract extension after the season. Niamey won 2-0 over Lome in the first round, then lost 2-0 to Ibadan in round two. The Iguanas were going for repeat titles and were making their 12^th Eastern League Championship Series appearance in 20 years. Cotonou’s only prior ELCS was a defeat in 1987. In 2010, the Copperheads prevailed 3-1 over Ibadan, becoming the sixth EL franchise to win a pennant. In the 36^th West African Championship, Cotonou denied Abidjan’s repeat bid and won the series 4-2. The Copperheads were the 13^th franchise in WAB history to win it all. Finals MVP was DH Fares Belaid in his second full season. The 21-year old Tunisian in 10 playoff starts had 15 hits, 9 runs, 1 double, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 9 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. This was the introduction to the big stage for Belaid, who would retire 23 years later with more hits than any player in pro baseball history. Other notes: Ouagadougou’s Charles Compaore threw WAB’s 17^th perfect game on September 15, striking out 15 against Lome. Luc Mariam became the seventh to 500 career home runs. Ibrahima Bah was the fifth to join the 2500 hit club. Zachary Owusu became the 13^th to 3000 career strikeouts. SS Tchiressoua Yao won his ninth Gold Glove. 2B Sambegou Toure and C Okoro Otene both became eight time Gold Glovers. 1B Ahamad Mathew won his ninth Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)