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1B Ali Jassem was the lone inductee for Arab League Baseball’s 2029 Hall of Fame voting with a near unanimous 98.5%. LF Abduwali Suleiman came very close on his ninth ballot at 62.4%, just missing the 66% requirement. The only other player above 50% was 1B Faqi Al-Thakur at 57.5%. No one was removed after ten failed ballots.

Oddly, Suleiman wasn’t on the ballot in 2030 for a tenth and final shot. He had started at only 34.2% and had grown from there. He was hurt by spending his final seasons in MLB and A2L with little luck. In ALB with Abu Dhabi in 11 seasons, Suleiman had one Gold Glove, a league title, 1863 hits, 1018 runs, 448 doubles, 95 triples, 320 home runs, 973 RBI, 714 steals, .309/.359/.574 slash, 152 wRC+, and 70.2 WAR. Suleiman ended up relegated to the Hall of Pretty Good.



Ali “Happy” Jassem – First Base – Khartoum Cottonmouths – 98.5% First Ballot

Ali Jassem was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from as-Suaybah, Kuwait; a port town of around 27,000 people. Jassem was known for socking dingers at a remarkable rate, hitting 45+ home runs each year from 2011-22. He had 60+ in eight of those seasons, vaulting Jassem to superstardom through the Arab world. He was also good for 30 doubles per his 162 game average.

He had good contact numbers, but struggled with strikeouts and drew far fewer walks than you’d expect from a big slugger. When Jassem made contact though, it was going to be hit hard with 1/3 of his career hits being homers. His power was far more pronounced against right-handed pitching with a career 1.008 OPS and 168 wRC+. Jassem was no pushover though against lefties with .843 OPS and 131 wRC+.

Jassem’s speed and baserunning were absolutely abysmal, but he scored plenty of runs on dingers alone. Despite that clumsiness, he graded as a serviceable defender as a career first baseman. Jassem showed excellent durability, starting 150+ games each year from 2010-22. He was also known as one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse. Jassem was a true fan favorite and was both the first major superstar and first Hall of Famer from Kuwait. The nickname “Happy” came from Jassem simply being a happy and likeable guy.

He’d be best known for his time in Sudan, but Jassem’s professional career actually started in Morocco. Few know that Casablanca inked him to his first developmental contract in February 2004. Jassem spent five years in the Bruins’ academy, but never played for them. After the 2008 season, he was sent to Khartoum in a three-player trade. The 21-year old Jassem played 12 games and started two in 2009, then became a starter in 2010.

Jassem was merely okay as a rookie, but still got third in Rookie of the Year voting. He found his power in year two with a Western Conference leading 65 home runs. With the Cottonmouths, he led in homers in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018; smacking 60+ each of those seasons. Jassem smacked 70 in 2014 and 2018, falling just short of the league record. With Khartoum, he also led thrice in RBI, four times in total bases, twice in runs, twice in OPS, twice in slugging, and twice in WAR.

2013 saw Jassem win MVP as a DH with 66 homers, 142 RBI, 1.028 OPS, and 7.5 WAR. He repeated in 2014 back at first base with career bests in triple slash (.343/.385/.764), OPS (1.149), wRC+ (219), and WAR (10.2). Jassem won Silver Sluggers for Khartoum in 2011-14 and 2016-18. After the 2015 season, Khartoum gave Jassem an eight-year, $74,600,000 extension. He took second in 2016’s MVP voting and third in 2018.

Despite Jassem’s efforts, Khartoum never made the playoffs in his run. They were generally mid-tier, averaging 81.8 wins per season during his run. It was hard to compete in the Nile Division in that era, especially with Alexandria winning two pennants then. After a nine-year run, Jassem surprised many by opting out of his contract and leaving for free agency at age 31.

Khartoum still loved Jassem and his #25 uniform would be retired at the end of his career. With the Cottonmouths, Jassem had 1446 games, 1603 hits, 941 runs, 255 doubles, 539 home runs, 1139 RBI, .288/.329/.632 slash, 165 wRC+, and 55.9 WAR. He had a surprising second team, signing with Oran at six years and $87,600,000. The Rattlesnakes were a 2016 expansion team still trying to find their footing. They were a bottom-tier team during Jassem’s brief run.

Jassem was still impactful, leading in homers and RBI in both Oran seasons. He won a Silver Slugger in 2019 and was second in 2020’s MVP voting despite becoming ALB’s new single-season home run king with 76. As of 2037, Jassem’s mark is tied for fifth in ALB history and his 163 RBI ranks ninth. He also became only the fourth player in world baseball history to that point with three 70+ homer seasons.

With Oran, Jassem had 373 hits, 225 runs, 68 doubles, 140 homers, 311 RBI, .314/.362/.728 slash, 170 wRC+, and 14.4 WAR. He opted out again of his contract and at 33-years old signed a new five-year, $73 million deal with Damascus. Jassem quickly reached 700 career homers and 1500 RBI with the Dusters, making some wonder if he’d be able to make a run at Nordine Soule for ALB’s power records.

Unfortunately, the decline came quick for Jassem. He had a nice debut with Damascus, but started starting out even more with only 1.7 WAR and .861 OPS in 2022. Jassem was moved to a part-time role in 2023 and got only 32 homers and 1.1 WAR. That did allow him to join the 800 home run club, only the third in ALB history to that point.

The Dusters were decent during his tenure, but Jassem would never get to participate in the playoffs in his career. With Damascus, Jassem had 445 games, 442 hits, 257 runs, 87 doubles, 134 home runs, 311 RBI, .271/.306/.578 slash, 124 wRC+, and 7.1 WAR. He retired after the 2023 season shortly after his 36^th birthday.

Jassem ended with 2203 games, 2418 hits, 1423 runs, 410 doubles, 813 home runs, 1761 RBI, 393 walks, 2592 strikeouts, 5325 total bases, .288/.329/.635 slash, 158 wRC+, and 77.3 WAR. As of 2037, Jassem ranks 46^th in games, 47^th in hits, 31^st in runs, 17^th in total bases, 6^th in home runs, 14^th in RBI, 14^th in strikeouts, and 23^rd in WAR among position players. Jassem ranks 19^th in slugging among those with 3000+ plate appearances and his .965 OPS is 37^th.

On the world home run list as of 2037, Jassem sits 47^th. Among world Hall of Famers, Jassem’s slugging ranks 28^th. When you think of the best pure power hitters in the game’s history, Jassem has a seat at the table. He wasn’t well-rounded enough though to make Arab League Baseball’s true inner-circle. Still, few guys in Jassem’s era were more fun for many fans knowing how often he sent balls into orbit. At 98.5%, he was an easy Hall of Fame headliner and stood alone for ALB’s 2029 class.