View Single Post
Old 11-26-2025, 10:07 AM   #2585
FuzzyRussianHat
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 3,499
2038 WAB Hall of Fame (Part 2)



Koku Omouroun – Starting Pitcher – Freetown Foresters – 98.0% First Ballot

Koku Omouroun was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Lome, the capital and largest city in Togo. He was the first Togolese player to earn Hall of Fame induction. Omouroun had excellent stuff along with impressive control and very good movement. His 98-100 mph fastball was strong, but his knuckle curve was his most dominant pitch. Omouroun also had a rock solid changeup, forkball, and curveball in the arsenal.

West African Baseball pitchers already threw far few innings relative to other world leagues. But even by WAB standards, Omouroun did have below average stamina. Back and elbow injuries also limited him, only breaching 200+ innings twice in 14 seasons. Omouroun was excellent at holding runners, but weak defensively otherwise. He was an adaptable hard worker, emerging as a popular star both at home in Togo and with his adopted home in Sierra Leone with Freetown.

Omouroun was a clear franchise ace as he came up in the college ranks and was the #1 draft pick by the Foresters in 2018. He was a full-time starter right away and an immediate success, winning 2019 Rookie of the Year honors. Omouroun did lose some innings the next two years to injuries, but Freetown was very impressed with the results. After the 2021 season, they signed Omouroun to a six-year, $36,540,000 extension.

In 2022, Omouroun won Pitcher of the Year with only the tenth pitching Triple Crown in WAB history with an 18-6 record, 2.53 ERA, and 300 strikeouts. He also led in WHIP (0.95), quality starts (22), FIP- (61), and WAR (7.2). Freetown ended a seven-year run of losing seasons as a wild card, although they went one-and-done. The Foresters had a similar result in 2022, but they were out of the gutter and would be a regular contender for the rest of the decade.

Omouroun lost two months in 2023 to elbow tendinitis, but still led the Western League in pitching WAR. He made it three straight years in 2024 and led in wins (19-10) and strikeouts (296), taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Freetown was a 97-win wild card, but they shocked 114-win Abidjan 3-1 in the WLCS. The Foresters were ultimately swept by Port Harcourt in the WAB Championship, but Omouroun had a 2.61 ERA and 38 Ks in 20.2 playoff innings.

In 2025, Omouroun was second in POTY voting and had his career best 315 strikeouts. Freetown got back to the WLCS as a 97-65 wild card, but fell to top seed Dakar. 2026 would be a huge setback for Omouroun with only 34 innings thanks to bone chips in his elbow. The Foresters missed the playoffs at 86-76, which would be their only miss from 2022-32.

Omouroun was back and seemingly as strong as ever in 2027 with a career high 7.7 WAR and a second place in POTY voting. That summer, Freetown gave the 31-year old lefty a six-year, $105,800,000 extension. The Foresters made another WLCS trip, but again were denied by Dakar.

They would get their revenge on the Dukes in 2028. Freetown finished first at 97-65, beat Dakar 3-2 in the WLCS, then swept Cotonou to win the WAB title. They would struggle to 6-13 in the Baseball Grand Championship, although Omouroun had an impressive 2.64 ERA over 30.2 innings with 43 strikeouts. For his playoff career, he had a 3.08 ERA over 96.1 innings, 5-3 record, 134 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 2.2 WAR. Omouroun is 7th in playoff strikeouts in WAB history.

Omouroun remained effective over the next few years, but was less dominant than his peak and missed a few starts each year to injury. Freetown finished second and lost in the 2029 and 2030 WLCS, both times victims again of Dakar. They broke through once more with a franchise-best 111-51 season in 2031. The Foresters topped Nouakchott 3-1 in the WLCS and Ouagadougou 4-1 for their second WAB title in four years.

Unfortunately for Omouroun, a herniated disc kept him out for the entire 2031 postseason run. Freetown was one of five teams tied in seventh at 12-9 in the BGC. Omouroun made one start but was pulled in the second inning with a strained shoulder. These injuries had started to take a toll on his velocity, as he was now peaking in the mid 90s range after being near triple-digits during his prime.

Omouroun had a career worst 4.35 ER in 111.2 innings for 2032, but was still worth 2.2 WAR. Various injuries bothered him, but it was finally a torn triceps that ended his season. Freetown got a wild card and a one-and-done, but this essentially concluded their run as a top contender. Omouroun retired in the winter at age 36 and immediately had his #27 uniform retired.

In total, Omouroun had a 176-72 record, 3.02 ERA, 2244.2 innings, 3039 strikeouts, 341 walks, 191/331 quality starts, 12 complete games, 5 shutouts, 153 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 72.7 WAR. Omouroun ranks 28th in wins, 64th in innings, 27th in strikeouts, and 9th in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Omouroun is 40th in ERA, 41st in BB/9 (1.37), 80th in H/9 (7.87), 22nd in K/9 (12.18), and 31st in WHIP (1.03). His .641 opponent’s OPS is 50th and his .233/.266/.375 triple slash is 72nd/28th/73rd.

Certainly the injuries kept Omouroun from getting to the tip top spots on the West African Baseball leaderboards, but few starters were ever more efficient. Among world Hall of Famer starters and retired locks, Omouroun ranks 26th in ERA+. That effectiveness and role in making Freetown a contender again got Omouroun a no-doubt first ballot induction at 98.0% as part of a loaded 2038 class.



Donatien “Hurricane” Nda – Designated Hitter/First/Second Base – Ouagadougou Osprey – 73.7% First Ballot

Donatien Nda was a 5’11’’, 180 pound switch-hitting designated hitter and infielder from Katiola, Ivory Coast; a city of 91,000 in the center of the country. Nicknamed “Hurricane,” Nda was known for a powerful bat despite not being a huge guy. His 162 game average got you 40 home runs, 37 doubles, and 9 triples. More than half of his career hits went for extra bases. When he made contact, he always hit it very hard with a career .341 BABIP.

However, Nda was merely above average at making contact and had a terrible 30.1% strikeout rate. He did draw walks at a rock solid clip and was a highly skilled baserunner when he got aboard with good speed. Nda fared better facing right-handed pitching (.944 OPS, 132 wRC+) compared to lefties (.840 OPS, 111 wRC+).

He was a treasured team captain and his high character was above reproach. Just over half of his career starts came as a designated hitter. The rest were split fairly evenly between second and first base. Nda graded as a terrible defensive 2B, but had above average results at 1B. His durability was mostly good in a 17-year career. Between his hard hitting and impressive leadership, Nda was a popular figure across his various stops.

Nda quickly emerged as not only the Ivory Coast’s top amateur prospect, but arguably the best in the entire region. Ouagadougou picked him first overall in the 2015 WAB Draft and he won 2016 Rookie of the Year over 121 games and 98 starts. Nda was a full-time starter after that and won a Silver Slugger in 2017 at 2B and 2018 at DH.

The Osprey climbed out of the cellar with playoff berths from 2018-20, although they weren’t able to win the pennant. Their best effort was 2020, taking first in the Eastern League standings at 104-58, but falling to Yaounde in the ELCS. This was Nda’s lone MVP season and a Slugger win at DH, leading in walks (71) and posting career bests for runs (135), hits (196), doubles (41) homers (54), RBI (140), triple slash (.328/.404/.705), OPS (1.109), wRC+ (168), and WAR (7.4).

In Nda’s limited playoff sample size with Ouagadougou though, he went 4-26 with 12 strikeouts in 8 games. The Osprey were above .500, but outside of the playoffs in 2021-22. Nda saw notable regression as he led the league in strikeouts both years. With concerns that the MVP season was a fluke, Ouagadougou let him leave for free agency after the 2022 season at age 29.

For the Osprey, Nda played 1058 games, 1080 hits, 740 runs, 232 doubles, 55 triples, 282 home runs, 693 RBI, 442 walks, 1370 strikeouts, 228 steals, .277/.354/.581 slash, 131 wRC+, and 26.9 WAR. It was his longest stint and he was well liked in Burkina Faso, but he didn’t stay long enough or win enough to get his number retired. Around this time, he did play for his native Ivory Coast from 2022-25 in the World Baseball Championship with 44 games, 31 hits, 18 runs, 4 doubles, 15 homers, 23 RBI, .195/.264/.516 slash, and 1.0 WAR.

Nda ended up in Niger next on a five-year, $69 million deal with Niamey, the defending Eastern League champ. The Atomics missed the playoffs at .500 in his 2023 debut, but had a six-year postseason streak after that. Nda wasn’t award winning, but he put up reliable power averaging 34.4 homers and 102 RBI per season with Niamey.

He did miss the final part of 2025 to a broken bone in his elbow, including the playoff run. This was the Atomics’ top season of his tenure with a first place finish at 105-57, but they were defeated in the ELCS by Ibadan. The other playoff trips were wild cards with first or second round exits. Nda’s strong 2026 gave him good playoff stats in a small nine game sample size with a 1.086 OPS.

Overall for Niamey, Nda had 733 games, 760 hits, 584 runs, 181 doubles, 49 triples, 172 home runs, 510 RBI, 324 walks, 971 strikeouts, 265 steals, .273/.353/.558 slash, 126 wRC+, and 20.2 WAR. He was back to free agency for 2028 at age 34 and moved to another contender on a four-year, $21,620,000 deal with Cotonou. The Copperheads were amidst a dynasty run having won back-to-back WAB titles and a third place in 2027’s Baseball Grand Championship.

A bruised wrist and fractured hand cost him part of 2028, but he had his usual production when healthy. Nda was a pinch hitter for the playoffs but went 4-10 with two doubles, one homer, and four runs. Cotonou won a third straight Eastern League title, but Freetown denied them the WAB title three-peat. In 2029, Nda had a resurgent year and led the league with 127 runs, winning his fourth and final Silver Slugger as a DH. That year, he also reached 500 homers, 1500 runs, and 2000 hits.

Cotonou claimed a fourth straight ELCS win, but lost to Dakar in the West African Championship. The Copperheads went 107-55 in 2030 and got back to the top spot, winning a finals rematch with the Dukes. Nda had a strong playoff run with 13 hits, 12 runs, 8 extra base hits, 8 RBI, and 1.059 OPS. He did have a lackluster .630 OPS in the BGC, which saw a 9-12 finish for Cotonou.

In 2031, Nda reached 600 career homers and 1500 RBI. Cotonou’s bid for a sixth straight EL pennant was denied by Ouagadougou 3-1. For the Copperheads, Nda played 571 games with 574 hits, 431 runs, 130 doubles, 22 triples, 146 home runs, 363 RBI, 294 walks, 698 strikeouts, 170 steals, .264/.356/.546 slash, 123 wRC+, and 13.5 WAR.

Now 38, Nda signed to a three-year, $18,600,000 deal with Kumasi. He missed a month in 2032 to a sprained knee and struggled even when healthy, posting 85 wRC+ and .728 OPS over 111 games and 71 starts for 0.1 WAR. Nda opted to retire in the winter at age 39 instead of playing out his contract, as he likely would’ve been a bench piece at best.

Nda finished with 2473 games, 2475 hits, 1803 runs, 559 doubles, 130 triples, 613 home runs, 1589 RBI, 1112 walks, 3153 strikeouts, 681 steals, .270/.353/.560 slash, 126 wRC+, and 60.6 WAR. He ranks 20th in games, 11th in runs, 48th in hits, 19th in total bases (5133), 27th in doubles, 67th in triples, 15th in homers, 24th in RBI, 7th in walks, 2nd in strikeouts, and 56th in WAR among position players. On the downside, he has the 12th most strikeouts of any player in all of baseball history.

Among WAB batters with 3000+ plate appearances, he is 97th in slugging and 99th in OPS (.913). The lower average, terrible strikeout rate, and the DH penalty all hurt Nda on the Sabermetric charts and Hall of Fame voters that favored those metrics were skeptical of Nda’s resume. For as many runs and extra base hits he had, his rate stats were pretty underwhelming relative to some of the other all-time greats.

Still, in a league with 60+ years history, Nda was a top 25 batter for homers, runs, walks, and RBI; marks that were hard to ignore. He also had an MVP to his name and was on winning teams, including the back-end of Cotonou’s dynasty. Those tallies and Nda’s high character got him across the 66% threshold for induction. At 73.7%, Nda was a first ballot pick to cap off an impressive four-man 2038 class for West African Baseball.
FuzzyRussianHat is offline   Reply With Quote