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FuzzyRussianHat · 09-14-2025, 07:44 AM

West African Baseball had two first ballot Hall of Famers in 2035, albeit by very different margins. RF Clarence Cole was nearly unanimous at 99.3%, while SP Nazifi Zakaria scraped by the 66% requirement at 66.2%. SP Joseph Masuta came painfully short with 65.2% on his fourth ballot. Three others were above 50% with CL Nwaneri Victor at 55.9% on his third try, LF Lovemore James with 52.4% for his second go, and SP Sabado Balde at 50% exactly in his debut.

Dropped after ten failed ballots was 3B Lamin Sowe, who had a 20-year career between six teams. He peaked at 45.9% in 2031 and was never below 35%. Sowe won three Silver Sluggers and played 2419 games with 2850 hits, 1569 runs, 571 doubles, 273 triples, 162 home runs, 989 RBI, 718 walks, 973 steals, .298/.349/.465 slash, 119 wRC+, and 75.9 WAR.

It is often difficult for leadoff guys to get much traction for the HOF with low power stats and Sowe was very rarely a league leader. He does rank 22^nd in doubles, 5^th in triples, 19^th in hits, 19^th in runs, 11^th in steals, 25^th in games, and 15^th in WAR among position players. Still, Sowe was dismissed by many voters as a compiler who just hung around and was consistently above average. The Gambian was still appreciated by Niamey fans, helping them to their 2007 title. With some of the flashy stats from contemporaries, Sowe was relegated to the Hall of Pretty Good.

SP Gregory Asso deserves a quick mention despite dropping below 5% on his sixth ballot. He had won two Pitcher of the Year awards by age 27 with Conakry and helped them to the 2020 title. Sadly, Asso had five full or partial labrum tears and was out of the game entirely by age 31. He had 39.4 WAR and 1924 Ks in 1370.2 innings with a 3.37 ERA, 94-51 record, 134 ERA+, and 70 FIP- and goes down as one of the “what ifs?” in WAB lore.

Clarence Cole – Right Field – Bamako Bullfrogs – 99.3% First Ballot

Clarence Cole was a 6’4’’, 200 pound switch-hitting outfielder from Freetown, the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. He joined Class of 1996 SP Albert Kamara as the only Sierra Leoneans in WAB’s HOF thus far. Cole’s eye was world class and would be among the best ever at drawing walks. He also was better than most at avoiding strikeouts in WAB.
Against right-handed pitching, Cole was a very strong contact and home run hitter with a career 1.060 OPS and 169 wRC+. Facing lefties, he was merely decent with a .809 OPS and 113 wRC+. Cole’s 162 game average had 33 homers, 36 doubles, and 11 triples for a very steady diet of extra base hits, although he only led in any of those stats once. Cole’s speed and baserunning skills were good-to-great, but he would get caught stealing more than anyone else in league history.

Cole made around 70% of his starts at right field and was considered an excellent defender there, winning four Gold Gloves. He was a true utility man though and started games at all of the infield and outfield slots in his career. Cole started a season or more worth of games at 3B, SS, and LF. He was respectable in LF, but was poor at 3B and atrocious at SS. Cole didn’t quite have the speed or range for the middle infield or center field, but it was nice to have someone to plug-in in a pinch.

That team-first attitude and impressive work ethic made Cole absolutely beloved across the continent. While he had occasional injuries issues mainly with his knees, Cole held up quite well over a 21-year career. He was signed as a teenage amateur in April 2004 by Bamako and spent almost five full years in their academy. Cole debuted with six games and one start in 2008 at age 20.

He was a full-timer from 2009 onward, debuting as the 2009 Rookie of the Year although he did struggle in his first postseason going 4-27. The Bullfrogs had a second round exit, which was a nice bounce-back after four straight losing seasons. They’d spend the next five years generally a notch below .500 as Cole started to find himself as a pro. 2011 was his first of seven seasons as the league leader in on-base percentage. That winter, Bamako gave him a six-year, $22,900,000 extension, which proved to be a huge bargain.

Cole won his first Silver Slugger in 2012 in RF and was second in MVP voting, leading in OBP (.412), slugging (.616), OPS (1.028), and wRC+ (175). He led in both walks and OBP in 2013-14 while also leading in slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR in 2014. Cole won Sluggers both years and was second in 2014’s MVP voting.

The 2014 rate stats were historic with a .371/.465/.757 slash and 1.222 OPS. Cole was the first player in WAB history with an OPS above 1.200, beating Darwin Morris’s record 1.934 from 1997. Cole’s .465 OBP was also a new league best ahead of the old mark of .459 in 2004 by Kely Ballard. Through 2036, Cole’s 2014 ranks as 4^th in OBP and 5^th in OPS in WAB history.

Cole was third in 2015’s MVP voting with a league best 132 runs. Bamako ended the playoff drought and narrowly got the Western League’s top seed at 95-67. Cole was WLCS MVP in their win over Dakar for the pennant, but they came up short to Port Harcourt for the WAB title. In 11 playoff starts, Cole had 16 hits, 6 runs, 6 extra base hits, .985 OPS, and 162 wRC+. This started a seven-year playoff streak for the Bullfrogs.

In 2016, Cole won his first MVP and was a Silver Slugger winner again, leading in OBP, wRC+, and WAR. Bamako would finish third in the standings with a second round defeat. In April 2017, the Bullfrogs gave Cole a seven-year, $94,300,000 extension. They were immediately rewarded as Cole had an all-timer season and pushed the Bullfrogs to a franchise record 109-53. He won his second MVP and another Silver Slugger as he earned only the fifth hitting Triple Crown in WAB history.

Cole’s 2017 had league and career bests for runs (147), hits (233), homers (60), RBI (171), walks (100), total bases (458), triple slash (.400/.483/.786), OPS (1.268), wRC+ (213), and WAR (11.6). The OBP and OPS both remain WAB single-season records through 2037 and rank 9^th and 19^th in all of world history among qualified seasons. He technically just missed the true .400 season as that was rounded up from .3997.

The RBI also ranked as the as 3^rd best in WAB and 26^th in any world league. The run tally is tied for 6^th in WAB and 21^st in world history. Cole’s total bases are 8^th in WAB and his WAR mark was 10^th-best by a WAB position player. It was the third-best single-season by a WAB position player if you remove the GOAT Darwin Morris, who holds the top seven spots.

Bamako used this run to earn their second WL pennant in three years, but were again denied the WAB Championship, this time by Kano. The Bullfrogs earned the at-large spot into the Baseball Grand Championship, which saw one of the tightest fields ever with 12 teams within two wins of first place. Even at the top at 12-7 was Bamako, Juarez, and Concepcion; however the Bullfrogs officially were third having lost their head-to-head matchups against both the Jesters and Chiefs. Cole had 20 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 5 homers, 15 RBI, .994 OPS, 193 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR for the event.

Cole never had anywhere close to that level of power again after the 60 homer season, but he still got 30+ for the next five seasons. He won additional Silver Sluggers in 2019 and 2021 for Bamako and earned his four straight Gold Gloves from 2019-22.Cole was limited by some injuries, including a 2020 concussion and 2023 knee sprain.

In 2018, Bamako was the #4 seed and had a first round exit. They rebounded in 2019 by matching their franchise record at 109-53. The Bullfrogs earned their third pennant in five years, but again were denied the top prize by the Condors. That was Cole’s one real weak postseason for Bamako with a .661 OPS and 0.0 WAR. However, he was second in BGC MVP voting with 25 hits, 15 runs, 3 doubles, 8 homers, 14 RBI, 1.189 OPS, 217 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. Even with that, the Bullfrogs finished 8-11.

Bamako had a second round exit in 2020, then returned to the top seed in 2021 at 98-64. The Bullfrogs won the WLCS for the fourth time with Cole, but yet again still couldn’t win that first WAB Championship, this time due to Yaounde. Bamako was now a frustrating 0-8 all-time in their finals trips and didn’t get the at-large to return to the BGC. Across 63 playoff starts for the Bullfrogs, Cole had 72 hits, 45 runs, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 12 homers, 35 RBI, 29 walks, 24 steals, .300/.376/.521 slash, 136 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR.

Cole’s numbers started to dip into his mid 30s, but he was still a capable starter. Bamako missed the playoffs in 2022, then had a second round exit in 2023 as their final gasp of their excellent run. The Bullfrogs fell below .500 in 2024 for their first losing season since 2014 and wouldn’t get back into the W column until 2030. Cole would hit some milestones in these later years such as 1500 runs, 1500 RBI, 2500 hits, and 500 home runs.

After the 2024 season, the now 37-year old Cole became a free agent for the first time with a mutual parting. He remained beloved by Bamako fans and later got his #14 uniform retired. Cole played 2382 games with 2828 hits, 1744 runs, 492 doubles, 152 triples, 535 home runs, 1644 RBI, 1241 walks, 1144 strikeouts, 757 steals, .323/.406/.597 slash, 158 wRC, and 96.8 WAR. Cole was inching towards top ten and top five leaderboard spots, but was overshadowed by his contemporary Fares Belaid; the eventual world leader in hits, doubles, and triples.

For 2025, Cole signed a two-year, $33,200,000 deal with Niamey, who had won a pennant in 2022. The Atomics had a franchise-best 105-57 mark in 2025 as the Eastern League’s top seed, but got upset by Ibadan in the LCS. Knee and shoulder issues kept Cole out almost half of the season, although he did notably hit for the cycle in September against Ibadan; his second cycle.

Cole was healthy and led in walks in 2026 with Niamey at 100-62, although they were upset in the second round by Lagos. He became the 5^th WAB batter in the 3000 hit club and got a new three-year, $30 million extension to stick with the Atomics. At age 39, Cole shocked many by looking like his old self, leading in walks, average, OBP, OPS, and wRC+. He won his eighth and final Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting. Cole also joined Morris and Belaid as WAB’s only players with 2000 career runs.

Niamey’s playoff streak continued through 2029, but they didn’t get beyond round two as a wild card. Cole’s playoff stats were underwhelming in 16 starts with a .767 OPS, 96 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. He couldn’t replicate the magic in 2028 and had a knee sprain cost him a month, but did join the 600 home run club. In four seasons for Niamey, Cole had 510 games, 575 hits, 381 runs, 138 doubles, 34 triples, 74 homers, 272 RBI, 290 walks, 285 Ks, 200 steals, .307/.399/.536 slash, 137 wRC+, and 15.4 WAR.

Now 41 and a free agent again, Cole joined Cotonou on a three-year, $57,600,000 deal. The Copperheads were on a dynasty run with three straight EL titles and WAB rings in 2026-27. It was possibly Cole’s last chance to get that vaunted WAB ring. He had a respectable 2029 and crossed 3500 career hits, getting 150 hits, 102 runs, 42 doubles, 13 triples, 17 homers, .276/.368/.495 slash, 121 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR over 149 games.

Cotonou got the #1 seed at 97-65 and won their fourth straight pennant, beating Port Harcourt in the ELCS. Alas, the WAB Championship again eluded Cole as they were defeated by Dakar. In 9 playoff games, he had .785 OPS, 86 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. Instead of further ring chasing, Cole retired that winter at age 42.

Cole’s career playoff stats in 88 games had 94 hits, 61 runs, 13 doubles, 19 homers, 49 RBI, 34 walks, 29 steals, .282/.353/.511 slash, 124 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. Not bad stats by any stretch, but probably lower than you’d expect from a guy of his caliber. Cole ranks 6^th in playoff games, 5^th in runs, 6^th in hits, 6^th in homers, 14^th in RBI, and 3^rd in steals. He is also the playoff leader in times caught stealing at 20.

The final overall numbers had 3041 games, 3553 hits, 2227 runs, 672 doubles, 199 triples, 626 home runs, 1969 RBI, 1605 walks, 1523 strikeouts, 1011 steals, 673 caught stealing, .318/.403/.582 slash, .985 OPS, 152 wRC+, and 114.6 WAR. Cole ranks 3^rd in games, 3^rd in runs, 5^th in hits, 7^th in total bases (6501), 8^th in doubles, 23^rd in homers, 8^th in RBI, 2^nd in walks, 9^th in steals, 1^st in caught stealing, and 3^rd in WAR among position players. He also ranks 13^th in OBP, 51^st in slugging, and 25^th in OPS among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances.

Cole makes several appearances on the world top 50 leaderboards, ranking 10^th all-time in runs, 29^th in doubles, and 23^rd in walks drawn. He’s 31^st in on-base percentage among World Hall of Famers, one of 38 above the .400 mark. Cole is just outside the top 50 for both hits and RBI. Still, his impressive tallies were often overshadowed by Fares Belaid, who concurrently went onto become the first-ever player with 5000 pro hits.

Still, Cole is 3^rd behind only the GOAT Darwin Morris and Belaid in WAR and you could definitely make the case for him as a top three player in West African Baseball history. Rarely is Cole ranked outside of the top five and he’s basically always considered a top ten player. He was one of the game’s true immortals and the pride of Sierra Leone. Thus, Cole was a near unanimous inductee at 99.3% to headline the 2035 HOF ballot.

Nazifi Zakaria – Starting Pitcher – Nouakchott Night Riders – 66.2% First Ballot

Nazifi Zakaria was a 6’6’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Ede, Nigeria; a city with around 160,000 people in the country’s southwest. Zakaria had rock solid stuff along with above average-to-good control in his prime, although his movement was average at best. His ability to change speeds made him thrive despite his velocity peaking in the 94-96 mph range. Zakaria had a three pitch arsenal of fastball, changeup, splitter; and knew how and when to choose the right one.

Zakaria’s stamina was very strong relative to your typical WAB ace and his durability was excellent, avoiding significant injuries in his entire run. He was effective with his glove defensively, but was terrible at holding runners which especially plagued him early in his run. Zakaria ended up as a bit of a late bloomer, offering his best production after improving his control after a few seasons.

In November 2009, a teenaged Zakaria left Nigeria for Mauritania on a developmental deal with Nouakchott. He spent most of four years in their academy, debuting in 2013 with 22 terrible innings. Zakaria got a full-time spot in 2014 and had mixed results over the next few years. Control issues hurt him initially, leading the Western League in walks as a rookie, but he was still third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Zakaria signed a four-year, $19,220,000 extension in April 2017 which immediately looked like a mistake. That year, he even got demoted to a bullpen and long relief role in 2017 after a terrible 6.03 ERA for the season. Zakaria broke through with arguably his best season though in 2018, leading the league in wins (20-5) and quality starts (20) along with a career best 5.2 WAR.

Nouakchott had been terrible to start his run, but would earn wild card slots in 2017 and from 2018-21. Only once would the Night Riders win a playoff series, falling in the 2020 WLCS to Conakry. Zakaria’s limited playoff results were poor with a 7.82 ERA over 12.2 innings. They moved him back to a long relief role in 2019 and 2020 after iffy results.

Zakaria was back to the rotation in 2021 and had a 3.35 ERA, which would be his career best. He was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his first time as a finalist, raising his stock as was headed to free agency at age 31. With Nouakchott, Zakaria had an 89-84 record, 4.48 ERA, 1488.1 innings, 1624 strikeouts, 375 walks, 93/188 quality starts, 36 complete games, 6 shutouts, 104 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 23.2 WAR.

Because they gave him his first shot, Zakaria opted to get inducted with Nouakchott, who later retired his #10 uniform. He narrowly spent the most innings there, but his most impactful tenure would come next with Ibadan. Zakaria returned to his home country on a seven-year, $63,700,000 deal with the Iguanas.

Although he was now back in Nigeria, he had been a World Baseball Championship regular since 2017 and remained rostered through 2029. Zakaria had a 3.77 ERA over 145.2 innings with a 10-6 record, 169 strikeouts, 53 walks, 92 ERA+, 122 FIP-, and 0.6 WAR. His overall stats were subpar, but he notably had four quality starts of six in 2022 with a 3.32 ERA, 55 Ks, and 19 walks over 40.2 innings. Ever inning helped as the Nigerians defeated Poland for the 2022 world championship, the first African nation to claim the top prize.

In his 2022 debut with Ibadan, Zakaria was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with a league and career best 307 strikeouts and 21 quality starts. He wasn’t a finalist after that as he still had some problems allowing home runs, but Zakaria would be a reliable innings eater through 2027. Ibadan started a four-year playoff streak from 2022-25, each year as a wild card.

The Iguanas got to the 2022 Eastern League Championship series, but lost to Niamey. They had a second round exit in 2023, then had another ELCS loss in 2024 to Port Harcourt. Ibadan finally broke through in 2025 at 94-68, upsetting 105-win Niamey to take the pennant. They were denied the WAB Championship ring by Dakar. The Iguanas would miss the playoffs by one win in 2026.

Ibadan had their best record of this run in 2027, taking first place at 107-55. However, defending WAB champ Cotonou downed them in the ELCS. Zakaria’s playoff stats were middling with a 2-4 record, 3 saves, 48.2 innings, 52 strikeouts, 9 walks, 92 ERA+, 95 FIP-, and 0.8 WAR. He would have a weak start to 2028, which ultimately ended the Iguanas’ run of winning seasons. That June, he was traded to Niamey in exchange for three prospects.

With Ibadan, Zakaria had a 96-65 record, 3.97 ERA, 1456.2 innings, 1732 strikeouts, 243 walks, 99/193 quality starts, 31 complete games, 7 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 24.8 WAR. While there, Zakaria had become the 24^th WAB pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. He was effectively used in an opener role for the Atomics with 33 games and 28 starts, but only 75 innings with a 3.12 ERA, 95 Ks, and 2.2 WAR. Zakaria had a 3.18 ERA in 11.1 playoff innings, but Niamey suffered a second round defeat.

Zakaria was now a free agent again at age 38 and signed a two-year, $11,300,000 deal with Kano. He had a respectable effort with the Condors with a 4.30 ERA over 220 innings, 12-12 record, 238 Ks, 38 walks, 107 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 4.0 WAR. That year, Zakaria became the ninth in WAB with 3500 strikeouts and also the ninth with 200 wins. He decided to retire that winter at age 38.

The final stats had a 201-161 record, 4.21 ERA, 26 saves, 3240 innings, 3689 strikeouts, 676 walks, 208/438 quality starts, 68 complete games, 13 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 54.3 WAR. Zakaria ranks 10^th in wins, 7^th in losses, 7^th in innings, 3^rd in homers allowed (439), 4^th in hits allowed (3264), 6^th in strikeouts, 16^th in walks, and 41^st in pitching WAR.

West African Baseball is the world’s highest scoring league and pitchers don’t go nearly as deep into games as other leagues. But even with that in mind, Zakaria’s resume was borderline for many Hall of Fame voters. There had never been an inductee in any world league who had a career ERA above four. Rate stats suggested more above average levels of production and his career 5.20 playoff ERA didn’t help the cause either.

However, many WAB voters appreciated tenure and Zakaria hit the 200 win and 3500 strikeout milestones; rare feats in the league. 200 wins hadn’t been a guarantee, as 215-174 Douba Abdramane still hadn’t gotten inducted through eight ballots (and hadn’t gotten particularly close). He had Zakaria beat on WAR (67.6) but not strikeouts (3369).

To that point, anyone with 3500 Ks eligible had gotten in. You could certainly call Zakaria one of the weaker HOF additions in any league, but the raw tallies was exactly enough. In his 2035 ballot debut, he crossed the 66% requirement thinly at 66.2% to secure his spot.

09-14-2025, 07:44 AM	#2444
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,285	2035 WAB Hall of Fame West African Baseball had two first ballot Hall of Famers in 2035, albeit by very different margins. RF Clarence Cole was nearly unanimous at 99.3%, while SP Nazifi Zakaria scraped by the 66% requirement at 66.2%. SP Joseph Masuta came painfully short with 65.2% on his fourth ballot. Three others were above 50% with CL Nwaneri Victor at 55.9% on his third try, LF Lovemore James with 52.4% for his second go, and SP Sabado Balde at 50% exactly in his debut. Dropped after ten failed ballots was 3B Lamin Sowe, who had a 20-year career between six teams. He peaked at 45.9% in 2031 and was never below 35%. Sowe won three Silver Sluggers and played 2419 games with 2850 hits, 1569 runs, 571 doubles, 273 triples, 162 home runs, 989 RBI, 718 walks, 973 steals, .298/.349/.465 slash, 119 wRC+, and 75.9 WAR. It is often difficult for leadoff guys to get much traction for the HOF with low power stats and Sowe was very rarely a league leader. He does rank 22^nd in doubles, 5^th in triples, 19^th in hits, 19^th in runs, 11^th in steals, 25^th in games, and 15^th in WAR among position players. Still, Sowe was dismissed by many voters as a compiler who just hung around and was consistently above average. The Gambian was still appreciated by Niamey fans, helping them to their 2007 title. With some of the flashy stats from contemporaries, Sowe was relegated to the Hall of Pretty Good. SP Gregory Asso deserves a quick mention despite dropping below 5% on his sixth ballot. He had won two Pitcher of the Year awards by age 27 with Conakry and helped them to the 2020 title. Sadly, Asso had five full or partial labrum tears and was out of the game entirely by age 31. He had 39.4 WAR and 1924 Ks in 1370.2 innings with a 3.37 ERA, 94-51 record, 134 ERA+, and 70 FIP- and goes down as one of the “what ifs?” in WAB lore. Clarence Cole – Right Field – Bamako Bullfrogs – 99.3% First Ballot Clarence Cole was a 6’4’’, 200 pound switch-hitting outfielder from Freetown, the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. He joined Class of 1996 SP Albert Kamara as the only Sierra Leoneans in WAB’s HOF thus far. Cole’s eye was world class and would be among the best ever at drawing walks. He also was better than most at avoiding strikeouts in WAB. Against right-handed pitching, Cole was a very strong contact and home run hitter with a career 1.060 OPS and 169 wRC+. Facing lefties, he was merely decent with a .809 OPS and 113 wRC+. Cole’s 162 game average had 33 homers, 36 doubles, and 11 triples for a very steady diet of extra base hits, although he only led in any of those stats once. Cole’s speed and baserunning skills were good-to-great, but he would get caught stealing more than anyone else in league history. Cole made around 70% of his starts at right field and was considered an excellent defender there, winning four Gold Gloves. He was a true utility man though and started games at all of the infield and outfield slots in his career. Cole started a season or more worth of games at 3B, SS, and LF. He was respectable in LF, but was poor at 3B and atrocious at SS. Cole didn’t quite have the speed or range for the middle infield or center field, but it was nice to have someone to plug-in in a pinch. That team-first attitude and impressive work ethic made Cole absolutely beloved across the continent. While he had occasional injuries issues mainly with his knees, Cole held up quite well over a 21-year career. He was signed as a teenage amateur in April 2004 by Bamako and spent almost five full years in their academy. Cole debuted with six games and one start in 2008 at age 20. He was a full-timer from 2009 onward, debuting as the 2009 Rookie of the Year although he did struggle in his first postseason going 4-27. The Bullfrogs had a second round exit, which was a nice bounce-back after four straight losing seasons. They’d spend the next five years generally a notch below .500 as Cole started to find himself as a pro. 2011 was his first of seven seasons as the league leader in on-base percentage. That winter, Bamako gave him a six-year, $22,900,000 extension, which proved to be a huge bargain. Cole won his first Silver Slugger in 2012 in RF and was second in MVP voting, leading in OBP (.412), slugging (.616), OPS (1.028), and wRC+ (175). He led in both walks and OBP in 2013-14 while also leading in slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR in 2014. Cole won Sluggers both years and was second in 2014’s MVP voting. The 2014 rate stats were historic with a .371/.465/.757 slash and 1.222 OPS. Cole was the first player in WAB history with an OPS above 1.200, beating Darwin Morris’s record 1.934 from 1997. Cole’s .465 OBP was also a new league best ahead of the old mark of .459 in 2004 by Kely Ballard. Through 2036, Cole’s 2014 ranks as 4^th in OBP and 5^th in OPS in WAB history. Cole was third in 2015’s MVP voting with a league best 132 runs. Bamako ended the playoff drought and narrowly got the Western League’s top seed at 95-67. Cole was WLCS MVP in their win over Dakar for the pennant, but they came up short to Port Harcourt for the WAB title. In 11 playoff starts, Cole had 16 hits, 6 runs, 6 extra base hits, .985 OPS, and 162 wRC+. This started a seven-year playoff streak for the Bullfrogs. In 2016, Cole won his first MVP and was a Silver Slugger winner again, leading in OBP, wRC+, and WAR. Bamako would finish third in the standings with a second round defeat. In April 2017, the Bullfrogs gave Cole a seven-year, $94,300,000 extension. They were immediately rewarded as Cole had an all-timer season and pushed the Bullfrogs to a franchise record 109-53. He won his second MVP and another Silver Slugger as he earned only the fifth hitting Triple Crown in WAB history. Cole’s 2017 had league and career bests for runs (147), hits (233), homers (60), RBI (171), walks (100), total bases (458), triple slash (.400/.483/.786), OPS (1.268), wRC+ (213), and WAR (11.6). The OBP and OPS both remain WAB single-season records through 2037 and rank 9^th and 19^th in all of world history among qualified seasons. He technically just missed the true .400 season as that was rounded up from .3997. The RBI also ranked as the as 3^rd best in WAB and 26^th in any world league. The run tally is tied for 6^th in WAB and 21^st in world history. Cole’s total bases are 8^th in WAB and his WAR mark was 10^th-best by a WAB position player. It was the third-best single-season by a WAB position player if you remove the GOAT Darwin Morris, who holds the top seven spots. Bamako used this run to earn their second WL pennant in three years, but were again denied the WAB Championship, this time by Kano. The Bullfrogs earned the at-large spot into the Baseball Grand Championship, which saw one of the tightest fields ever with 12 teams within two wins of first place. Even at the top at 12-7 was Bamako, Juarez, and Concepcion; however the Bullfrogs officially were third having lost their head-to-head matchups against both the Jesters and Chiefs. Cole had 20 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 5 homers, 15 RBI, .994 OPS, 193 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR for the event. Cole never had anywhere close to that level of power again after the 60 homer season, but he still got 30+ for the next five seasons. He won additional Silver Sluggers in 2019 and 2021 for Bamako and earned his four straight Gold Gloves from 2019-22.Cole was limited by some injuries, including a 2020 concussion and 2023 knee sprain. In 2018, Bamako was the #4 seed and had a first round exit. They rebounded in 2019 by matching their franchise record at 109-53. The Bullfrogs earned their third pennant in five years, but again were denied the top prize by the Condors. That was Cole’s one real weak postseason for Bamako with a .661 OPS and 0.0 WAR. However, he was second in BGC MVP voting with 25 hits, 15 runs, 3 doubles, 8 homers, 14 RBI, 1.189 OPS, 217 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. Even with that, the Bullfrogs finished 8-11. Bamako had a second round exit in 2020, then returned to the top seed in 2021 at 98-64. The Bullfrogs won the WLCS for the fourth time with Cole, but yet again still couldn’t win that first WAB Championship, this time due to Yaounde. Bamako was now a frustrating 0-8 all-time in their finals trips and didn’t get the at-large to return to the BGC. Across 63 playoff starts for the Bullfrogs, Cole had 72 hits, 45 runs, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 12 homers, 35 RBI, 29 walks, 24 steals, .300/.376/.521 slash, 136 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR. Cole’s numbers started to dip into his mid 30s, but he was still a capable starter. Bamako missed the playoffs in 2022, then had a second round exit in 2023 as their final gasp of their excellent run. The Bullfrogs fell below .500 in 2024 for their first losing season since 2014 and wouldn’t get back into the W column until 2030. Cole would hit some milestones in these later years such as 1500 runs, 1500 RBI, 2500 hits, and 500 home runs. After the 2024 season, the now 37-year old Cole became a free agent for the first time with a mutual parting. He remained beloved by Bamako fans and later got his #14 uniform retired. Cole played 2382 games with 2828 hits, 1744 runs, 492 doubles, 152 triples, 535 home runs, 1644 RBI, 1241 walks, 1144 strikeouts, 757 steals, .323/.406/.597 slash, 158 wRC, and 96.8 WAR. Cole was inching towards top ten and top five leaderboard spots, but was overshadowed by his contemporary Fares Belaid; the eventual world leader in hits, doubles, and triples. For 2025, Cole signed a two-year, $33,200,000 deal with Niamey, who had won a pennant in 2022. The Atomics had a franchise-best 105-57 mark in 2025 as the Eastern League’s top seed, but got upset by Ibadan in the LCS. Knee and shoulder issues kept Cole out almost half of the season, although he did notably hit for the cycle in September against Ibadan; his second cycle. Cole was healthy and led in walks in 2026 with Niamey at 100-62, although they were upset in the second round by Lagos. He became the 5^th WAB batter in the 3000 hit club and got a new three-year, $30 million extension to stick with the Atomics. At age 39, Cole shocked many by looking like his old self, leading in walks, average, OBP, OPS, and wRC+. He won his eighth and final Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting. Cole also joined Morris and Belaid as WAB’s only players with 2000 career runs. Niamey’s playoff streak continued through 2029, but they didn’t get beyond round two as a wild card. Cole’s playoff stats were underwhelming in 16 starts with a .767 OPS, 96 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. He couldn’t replicate the magic in 2028 and had a knee sprain cost him a month, but did join the 600 home run club. In four seasons for Niamey, Cole had 510 games, 575 hits, 381 runs, 138 doubles, 34 triples, 74 homers, 272 RBI, 290 walks, 285 Ks, 200 steals, .307/.399/.536 slash, 137 wRC+, and 15.4 WAR. Now 41 and a free agent again, Cole joined Cotonou on a three-year, $57,600,000 deal. The Copperheads were on a dynasty run with three straight EL titles and WAB rings in 2026-27. It was possibly Cole’s last chance to get that vaunted WAB ring. He had a respectable 2029 and crossed 3500 career hits, getting 150 hits, 102 runs, 42 doubles, 13 triples, 17 homers, .276/.368/.495 slash, 121 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR over 149 games. Cotonou got the #1 seed at 97-65 and won their fourth straight pennant, beating Port Harcourt in the ELCS. Alas, the WAB Championship again eluded Cole as they were defeated by Dakar. In 9 playoff games, he had .785 OPS, 86 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. Instead of further ring chasing, Cole retired that winter at age 42. Cole’s career playoff stats in 88 games had 94 hits, 61 runs, 13 doubles, 19 homers, 49 RBI, 34 walks, 29 steals, .282/.353/.511 slash, 124 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. Not bad stats by any stretch, but probably lower than you’d expect from a guy of his caliber. Cole ranks 6^th in playoff games, 5^th in runs, 6^th in hits, 6^th in homers, 14^th in RBI, and 3^rd in steals. He is also the playoff leader in times caught stealing at 20. The final overall numbers had 3041 games, 3553 hits, 2227 runs, 672 doubles, 199 triples, 626 home runs, 1969 RBI, 1605 walks, 1523 strikeouts, 1011 steals, 673 caught stealing, .318/.403/.582 slash, .985 OPS, 152 wRC+, and 114.6 WAR. Cole ranks 3^rd in games, 3^rd in runs, 5^th in hits, 7^th in total bases (6501), 8^th in doubles, 23^rd in homers, 8^th in RBI, 2^nd in walks, 9^th in steals, 1^st in caught stealing, and 3^rd in WAR among position players. He also ranks 13^th in OBP, 51^st in slugging, and 25^th in OPS among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances. Cole makes several appearances on the world top 50 leaderboards, ranking 10^th all-time in runs, 29^th in doubles, and 23^rd in walks drawn. He’s 31^st in on-base percentage among World Hall of Famers, one of 38 above the .400 mark. Cole is just outside the top 50 for both hits and RBI. Still, his impressive tallies were often overshadowed by Fares Belaid, who concurrently went onto become the first-ever player with 5000 pro hits. Still, Cole is 3^rd behind only the GOAT Darwin Morris and Belaid in WAR and you could definitely make the case for him as a top three player in West African Baseball history. Rarely is Cole ranked outside of the top five and he’s basically always considered a top ten player. He was one of the game’s true immortals and the pride of Sierra Leone. Thus, Cole was a near unanimous inductee at 99.3% to headline the 2035 HOF ballot. Nazifi Zakaria – Starting Pitcher – Nouakchott Night Riders – 66.2% First Ballot Nazifi Zakaria was a 6’6’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Ede, Nigeria; a city with around 160,000 people in the country’s southwest. Zakaria had rock solid stuff along with above average-to-good control in his prime, although his movement was average at best. His ability to change speeds made him thrive despite his velocity peaking in the 94-96 mph range. Zakaria had a three pitch arsenal of fastball, changeup, splitter; and knew how and when to choose the right one. Zakaria’s stamina was very strong relative to your typical WAB ace and his durability was excellent, avoiding significant injuries in his entire run. He was effective with his glove defensively, but was terrible at holding runners which especially plagued him early in his run. Zakaria ended up as a bit of a late bloomer, offering his best production after improving his control after a few seasons. In November 2009, a teenaged Zakaria left Nigeria for Mauritania on a developmental deal with Nouakchott. He spent most of four years in their academy, debuting in 2013 with 22 terrible innings. Zakaria got a full-time spot in 2014 and had mixed results over the next few years. Control issues hurt him initially, leading the Western League in walks as a rookie, but he was still third in Rookie of the Year voting. Zakaria signed a four-year, $19,220,000 extension in April 2017 which immediately looked like a mistake. That year, he even got demoted to a bullpen and long relief role in 2017 after a terrible 6.03 ERA for the season. Zakaria broke through with arguably his best season though in 2018, leading the league in wins (20-5) and quality starts (20) along with a career best 5.2 WAR. Nouakchott had been terrible to start his run, but would earn wild card slots in 2017 and from 2018-21. Only once would the Night Riders win a playoff series, falling in the 2020 WLCS to Conakry. Zakaria’s limited playoff results were poor with a 7.82 ERA over 12.2 innings. They moved him back to a long relief role in 2019 and 2020 after iffy results. Zakaria was back to the rotation in 2021 and had a 3.35 ERA, which would be his career best. He was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his first time as a finalist, raising his stock as was headed to free agency at age 31. With Nouakchott, Zakaria had an 89-84 record, 4.48 ERA, 1488.1 innings, 1624 strikeouts, 375 walks, 93/188 quality starts, 36 complete games, 6 shutouts, 104 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 23.2 WAR. Because they gave him his first shot, Zakaria opted to get inducted with Nouakchott, who later retired his #10 uniform. He narrowly spent the most innings there, but his most impactful tenure would come next with Ibadan. Zakaria returned to his home country on a seven-year, $63,700,000 deal with the Iguanas. Although he was now back in Nigeria, he had been a World Baseball Championship regular since 2017 and remained rostered through 2029. Zakaria had a 3.77 ERA over 145.2 innings with a 10-6 record, 169 strikeouts, 53 walks, 92 ERA+, 122 FIP-, and 0.6 WAR. His overall stats were subpar, but he notably had four quality starts of six in 2022 with a 3.32 ERA, 55 Ks, and 19 walks over 40.2 innings. Ever inning helped as the Nigerians defeated Poland for the 2022 world championship, the first African nation to claim the top prize. In his 2022 debut with Ibadan, Zakaria was second in Pitcher of the Year voting with a league and career best 307 strikeouts and 21 quality starts. He wasn’t a finalist after that as he still had some problems allowing home runs, but Zakaria would be a reliable innings eater through 2027. Ibadan started a four-year playoff streak from 2022-25, each year as a wild card. The Iguanas got to the 2022 Eastern League Championship series, but lost to Niamey. They had a second round exit in 2023, then had another ELCS loss in 2024 to Port Harcourt. Ibadan finally broke through in 2025 at 94-68, upsetting 105-win Niamey to take the pennant. They were denied the WAB Championship ring by Dakar. The Iguanas would miss the playoffs by one win in 2026. Ibadan had their best record of this run in 2027, taking first place at 107-55. However, defending WAB champ Cotonou downed them in the ELCS. Zakaria’s playoff stats were middling with a 2-4 record, 3 saves, 48.2 innings, 52 strikeouts, 9 walks, 92 ERA+, 95 FIP-, and 0.8 WAR. He would have a weak start to 2028, which ultimately ended the Iguanas’ run of winning seasons. That June, he was traded to Niamey in exchange for three prospects. With Ibadan, Zakaria had a 96-65 record, 3.97 ERA, 1456.2 innings, 1732 strikeouts, 243 walks, 99/193 quality starts, 31 complete games, 7 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 24.8 WAR. While there, Zakaria had become the 24^th WAB pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. He was effectively used in an opener role for the Atomics with 33 games and 28 starts, but only 75 innings with a 3.12 ERA, 95 Ks, and 2.2 WAR. Zakaria had a 3.18 ERA in 11.1 playoff innings, but Niamey suffered a second round defeat. Zakaria was now a free agent again at age 38 and signed a two-year, $11,300,000 deal with Kano. He had a respectable effort with the Condors with a 4.30 ERA over 220 innings, 12-12 record, 238 Ks, 38 walks, 107 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 4.0 WAR. That year, Zakaria became the ninth in WAB with 3500 strikeouts and also the ninth with 200 wins. He decided to retire that winter at age 38. The final stats had a 201-161 record, 4.21 ERA, 26 saves, 3240 innings, 3689 strikeouts, 676 walks, 208/438 quality starts, 68 complete games, 13 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 54.3 WAR. Zakaria ranks 10^th in wins, 7^th in losses, 7^th in innings, 3^rd in homers allowed (439), 4^th in hits allowed (3264), 6^th in strikeouts, 16^th in walks, and 41^st in pitching WAR. West African Baseball is the world’s highest scoring league and pitchers don’t go nearly as deep into games as other leagues. But even with that in mind, Zakaria’s resume was borderline for many Hall of Fame voters. There had never been an inductee in any world league who had a career ERA above four. Rate stats suggested more above average levels of production and his career 5.20 playoff ERA didn’t help the cause either. However, many WAB voters appreciated tenure and Zakaria hit the 200 win and 3500 strikeout milestones; rare feats in the league. 200 wins hadn’t been a guarantee, as 215-174 Douba Abdramane still hadn’t gotten inducted through eight ballots (and hadn’t gotten particularly close). He had Zakaria beat on WAR (67.6) but not strikeouts (3369). To that point, anyone with 3500 Ks eligible had gotten in. You could certainly call Zakaria one of the weaker HOF additions in any league, but the raw tallies was exactly enough. In his 2035 ballot debut, he crossed the 66% requirement thinly at 66.2% to secure his spot. __________________ 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)