OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 02-25-2025, 01:28 PM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

02-25-2025, 01:28 PM	#2103
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,261	2026 in AAB The players of the African Association of Baseball scored in a win a labor negotiations for 2026. AAB announced it would limit the service time required for free agency from eight years down to seven. AAB had started at seven years, but had bumped it up to eight for 2006. This puts them among the bottom half of leagues for service time requirements. Defending Baseball Grand Champion and Africa Series champ Lusaka clobbered the Southern Conference in the regular season with a franchise record 108-54 season. The Lake Monsters set numerous offensive records, including the highest team batting average in AAB history at .297, the highest slugging percentage at .530, and the most hits with 1639. Lusaka’s 990 runs scored and .370 team OBP were the second-highest in AAB history behind only Johannesburg’s 1003 runs from 1999 and .371 OBP from 2000. The Lake Monsters also set a conference record with only 996 strikeouts offensively. Additionally, the Lusaka bullpen had 56 saves, which was one shy of Durban’s conference record from 2009. 15 games back in second place was 93-69 Cape Town, who allowed the fewest runs in the conference at 646. This ended a 26-year playoff drought for the Cowboys. Gaborone was the only near competitor for the wild card at 88-74. The Golden Bears notably were the first team that started in the African Second League to post a winning season in the top tier. The five-year playoff streak ended for Antananarivo, who fell to sixth place at 79-83. It was their first losing season since 2018. The bottom spot and relegation was Lilongwe at 62-100. The Lightning fell fast as they were a playoff team only two years prior and won the pennant in 2021. Lilongwe was five games away from Johannesburg, who had just made it back after one year in A2L. Leading Lusaka’s high-powered offense was Southern Conference MVP Noel Malama. The hometown hero was in his fourth season starting in center field for the Lake Monsters, leading in runs (130), RBI (141), total bases (401), OBP (.449), OPS (1.204), wRC+ (189), and WAR (9.4). Malama added 61 home runs and a .354 average, taking second in both starts. Teammate Destin Mpika beat his average (.356) while Harare’s Maninho Magaia led with 70 homers. Gaborone’s Simon Kayongo repeated as Pitcher of the Year and posted only the third-ever Triple Crown pitching season in AAB history. He joined Henry Kibirige (1999) and Michael Wakachu (2008) in achieving the honor. The 25-year old Ugandan righty had a 22-5 record, 3.02 ERA, and 269 strikeouts over 232.2 innings. Kayongo had 159 ERA+ and 6.3 WAR. Nairobi and Bujumbura pulled away for the top spots in the Central Conference, both ending lengthy playoff droughts. The Night Hawks used the CC’s top offense (948 runs), while the Bighorns allowed the fewest with their pitching and defense (608 runs). Nairobi ended up narrowly taking first at 102-60 with Bujumbura at 101-61. For the Night Hawks, they posted their third-ever playoff berth (2013, 2014) and took the top spot for the first time. It was the sixth playoff trip for the Bighorns and ended a six-year drought. There was a double-digit drop to the next closest teams with defending conference champ Addis Ababa (91-71) and reigning A2L champ Kinshasa (90-72). It was a triumphant return for the once powerful Sun Cats, who had spent the prior three years stuck in the African Second League. Kinshasa oddly enough set a new league all-time low with only 15 saves recorded all season. Last year’s first place team and 2024 AAB champ Lubumbashi fell to 79-83, their first losing campaign since 2018. In their third year in the top tier, Mombasa was relegated with an abysmal 49-113. They had been just above .500 in their first two seasons before the wheels came off in 2026. The Bisons had the third worst record in AAB history and set conference pitching worsts with a 5.71 ERA and 963 runs allowed. Brazzaville was a non-factor at 75-87, but their second-year center fielder Asa Ngoie won Central Conference MVP. The 25-year old Congolese lefty led in OBP (.424), slugging (.737), OPS (1.162), wRC+ (193), and WAR (8.4). Ngoie added 55 homers, 115 RBI, 110 runs, 60 stolen bases, and a .324 average. He had won Rookie of the Year and a Silver Slugger the prior year for the Blowfish, emerging as an up-and-coming superstar. Kinshasa’s Aziz Mussa earned Pitcher of the Year in his first season in the top tier, bouncing back after an injury filled 2025. The 25-year old Djiboutian set a new single-season AAB strikeout record with 388, passing Fasika Mulatu’s record 369 from two years prior. Mussa’s mark held as the top one until the mid 2030s when Abdullahi Ali beat it thrice. Mussa also led in innings (272), quality starts (23), complete games (19), and WAR (8.3). He had a 17-12 record, 2.75 ERA, and 165 ERA+. Also of note was Addis Ababa’s Patrick Koech winning his third Reliever of the Year in four seasons. The 29-year old Kenyan had the lowest ERA of his career at 1.24 over 79.2 innings with 37 saves and 97 Ks. In the Southern Conference Championship, Cape Town pulled off the shocking upset 4-2 over the reigning Grand Champion Lusaka. The Cowboys earned their second-ever pennant, going back to their 114-48 effort in 1996 to win the second African Series. The Lake Monsters at 108-54 had the second-highest win total for an AAB team that didn’t win its conference title. Only 2015 Kinshasa at 109-53 was above them. The Central Conference Championship also had the #2 seed beat #1, although at least those two teams had been separated by only one regular season win. Bujumbura bested Nairobi 4-2 to send Burundi’s largest city to the Africa Series for the first time. This left Kigali as the only charter AAB team without a single pennant since the league started in 1995. The 32^nd Africa Series was only the second finale to not feature one or both of the #1 seeds, joining the 2014 battle between Harare and Nairobi. Bujumbura became the 15^th different franchise to win it all, defeating Cape Town 5-3. The Bighorns were the fifth different champ in five years, the longest streak of parity for the top spot in AAB history. SS Eusebio Mutandwa was finals MVP in his second season. The Zimbabwean was known for having great defense with a generally terrible bat, but he stepped up in the playoff run with 17 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, and 7 RBI over 13 playoff starts. Pitcher Iggy Fellows also notably set an AAB playoff record for wins at 4-0, posting a 2.23 ERA and 202 ERA+ in 32.1 playoff innings. Other notes: Harare’s Maninho Magaia hit 70 home runs and made world history as the first player in any professional league to have four seasons with 70+ dingers. Magaia had hit 73 in 2022, 72 in 2023, and 71 in 2025. AAB’s Kaunda Kalinga, ALB’s Ali Jassem, SAB’s Majed Darwish, and BSA’s Valor Melo had each smacked 70+ homers in three seasons. Magaia and Warren Biloa both joined the 500 home run club, making 13 to reach the mark in AAB. Ermeyas Chekol was the 8^th to 2500 career hits. Chekol and Patrick Babila both reached 1500 runs scored, a mark achieved by ten. SS Djibrilla Ousseini won his 8^th straight Silver Slugger. Catcher Destin Kette became the first ten-time Gold Glover in AAB history. The Southern Conference had the quirk of only first-time Gold Glove winners, which had never happened apart from the inaugural season. Promotion/Relegation: Lilongwe and Mombasa were relegated to the African Second League. Port Elizabeth replaced the Lightning in the Southern Conference and Mogadishu reclaimed their Central Conference slot from the Bisons. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)