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The African Association of Baseball’s 2029 Hall of Fame voting was wide open as no debuting players cracked 50%. Five finished above 60%, but only SP Natnael Seyoum crossed the 66% requirement for induction with 70.2% on his third ballot. RF Anthony Chongo was the closest miss at 63.2% on his seventh try. SP Valentine Hategekimana saw 62.5% for his fifth ballot, CL Deon Westerveld got 61.3% on his fourth go, and 1B Lifa Moyo received 61.0% in his third shot. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Natnael “Nimrod” Seyoum – Starting Pitcher – Maputo Piranhas – 70.2% Third Ballot

Natnael Seyoum was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Despite his talent, he got the nickname “Nimrod” as Seyoum was a bit dumb and at times lazy. Still, he had great movement along with good-to-great stuff and movement.

Seyoum’s velocity peaked at 96-98 mph with a sinker as his best pitch. He also had a splitter, slider, and curveball which were each solid in their own right. Seyoum’s stamina was strong early in his career, but tanked after some significant injuries. He was good at holding runners, but weak defensively otherwise.

Scouts rated Seyoum highly ahead of the 2008 AAB Draft and he was picked first overall by Maputo. He was split between starting and relief as a rookie and took third in 2009’s Rookie of the Year voting. Seyoum emerged as an ace by his third year and won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards in 2011-12. Both seasons saw Seyoum atop the conference in strikeouts, WAR, and quality starts.

2012 was Seyoum’s finest effort with career bests in ERA (2.38), strikeouts (263), WHIP (1.00), and WAR (8.5). In 2011, he had his lone career no-hitter with seven strikeouts and three walks facing Lilongwe in April. These efforts also sent Maputo to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, taking wild cards both years.

In 2011, the Piranhas upset Lusaka for their first Southern Conference Championship, falling in the Arica Series to Seyoum’s hometown Addis Ababa amidst their dynasty run. Seyoum had a 2.28 ERA and 18 Ks over 23.2 playoff innings. Maputo lost in a conference finals rematch in 2012 with the Lake Monsters with Seyoum posting a 3.60 ERA in 15 innings.

Also his pro career thrived in Mozambique, Seyoum did return home to Ethiopia regularly for the World Baseball Championship. From 2010-21, he tossed 148.2 innings with an 8-13 record, 3.57 ERA, 158 strikeouts, 42 walks, 102 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR. In 2013, the Ethiopians had their strongest-ever WBC finish with a third place finish.

An elbow strain kept Seyoum out around half of 2013. He bounced back to take third in 2016’s Pitcher of the Year voting and second in 2017. Maputo missed the playoffs from 2013-15, but got back in 2016-17. The Piranhas lost in the 2016 conference final, but won it in 2017 and finished first in the standings for the first time. Maputo would again be denied their first Africa Series win, this time because of Brazzaville.

For his playoff career, Seyoum had a 3-4 record, 2.61 ERA, 69 innings, 64 strikeouts, 20 walks, 158 ERA+, and 2.0 WAR. He was a big reason the Piranhas had their first-ever pennants and Seyoum’s #35 uniform would later be retired. However, he opted to leave for free agency after the 2017 season at age 32. With Maputo, Seyoum had a 121-71 record, 2.94 ERA, 1874.2 innings, 1909 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, and 55.5 WAR.

Seyoum secured the bag on a six-year, $67,900,000 deal with Harare, who was a bottom-tier team at that point. He had a weak debut season with a 10-16 record, 3.76 ERA, and 3.9 WAR. Disaster then struck in June 2019 with a torn flexor tendon, putting Seyoum on the shelf for more than a calendar year.

He made it back in late 2020, but struggled in a relief role. Seyoum looked only marginally better in 2021 and retired that winter at age 35. He was a bust with Harare, finishing with a 20-31 record, 3.62 ERA, 380.1 innings, 375 strikeouts, 104 walks, 108 ERA+, and 8.1 WAR.

Seyoum finished with a 141-102 record, 3.06 ERA, 2255 innings, 2284 strikeouts, 598 walks, 194/290 quality starts, 45 complete games, 13 shutouts, 135 ERA+, and 63.6 WAR. As of 2037, Seyoum ranks 37^th in wins, 39^th in innings, 39^th in strikeouts, but 13^th in WAR among pitchers. His .660 opponent’s OPS ranks 23^rd among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Seyoum also ranks 11^th in ERA despite never winning an ERA title.

The rate stats certainly paint Seyoum as elite, but many voters thought his tallies were simply too low. Supporters gave him some grace for having the injury derail his run, although Seyoum looked to be declining even before then. He had two big things in his favor; two Pitcher of the Year awards, and his playoff success. Seyoum had stepped up in big games and was a big reason Maputo won their first pennants.

Seyoum missed the Hall of Fame cut in his 2027 debut at 56.1%. He didn’t get much better in 2028 at 57.7%. The African Association of Baseball’s 2029 group lacked impactful debuts and Seyoum’s resume popped a bit more among the returners. He got across the 66% requirement at 70.2% for a third ballot selection as AAB’s lone 2029 inductee.