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Two players earned inductions for West African Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1998. Pitcher Addise Assefa was nearly unanimous at 99.7%, while RF Vincent Langat picked up a first ballot induction with 74.5%. SP Issaka Camara was one percentage point short of joining them, getting 65.0% in his second ballot. CF Stephen Tshukudu received 57.3% in his ninth try, a new high in his slow climb. SP Moussa Sidi was the other player with more than half of the vote, getting 51.0% in his second go.



Dropped after ten ballots was LF Mario Duc, who was hurt by having his official WAB career start when he was already 31 years old. In nine seasons, he won one MVP, four Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and helped both Port Harcourt and Lagos win WAB titles. Duc had 948 hits, 776 runs, 136 doubles, 87 triples, 361 home runs, 817 RBI, a .228/.318/.563 slash, and 50.9 WAR. The low accumulations and high strikeout rate hurt him, although Duc would’ve probably been a lock had he been able to record stats in his 20s. He got as high as 44.4% on his sixth ballot and ended at 31.8%.



Addise Assefa – Starting Pitcher – Bamako Bullfrogs – 99.7% First Ballot

Addise Assefa was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Boditi, Ethiopia; a small city of around 60,000 in the country’s southwest. Assefa had very good stuff with solid control and above average movement. His fastball regularly hit 99-101 mph and was part of a five-pitch arsenal featuring a slider, curveball, slider, and splitter. Pitchers in WAB typically don’t go as deep in games as other leagues, but Assefa bucked that trend. He led his league in innings pitched five times and complete games thrice. For much of his career, Assefa was viewed as very durable. He was a fan favorite, popular for his intelligence and work ethic.

When Assefa was growing up, the baseball scene in his native Ethiopia was very limited. It wouldn’t be until the African Association of Baseball was formed in 1995 that his country had affiliated pro baseball. His skill was obvious though, so he went westward for his amateur career. Assefa quickly established himself as a top prospect and was picked ninth overall by Bamako in the 1978 WAB Draft. He was kept on the reserve roster in 1979, then made his debut as a full-time starter in 1980.

There were some growing pains, but quickly Assefa emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in West Africa. From 1982-88, he led the Western League in strikeouts each year. That stretch also saw him lead in wins thrice, innings four times, WHIP four times, quality starts thrice, ERA once, shutouts three times, and WAR three times. Assefa had a stretch of eight consecutive seasons worth 6.5 WAR or more.

Four times Assefa won Pitcher of the Year, taking the award in 1983, 84, 87, and 89. He finished second in voting in 1985 and 1986 with a third place in 1988. Assefa was also second in MVP voting in 1984. He was the first WAB pitcher to strike out 400+ batters in a season. Since 2037, there have been seven such seasons; three by Assefa. His 427 strikeouts in 1984 remains the single-season record. That season also saw a 22 strikeout game against Accra, which was the WAB record until 2022. .

Assefa was a huge reason Bamako was a contender in the mid 1980s. He signed a six-year contract extension to stay in Mali in April 1985 worth $3,580,000. The Bullfrogs had five playoff berths in a row from 1983-87. They took the Western League pennant in 1983 and 1986, although both times they were defeated in the WAB Championship. Assefa was excellent in his 11 playoff starts for Bamako with a 1.90 ERA over 85.1 innings, 5-2 record, 125 strikeouts, 182 ERA+, and 2.8 WAR. The 1986 run saw 51 strikeouts and 1.43 WAR, which are still WAB playoff records.

Bamako’s era of success ended as the 1980s closed, dropping to 65-97 by 1990. Assefa remained solid, but suffered his first major setback with a torn rotator cuff in April 1990. He decided to decline his contract option that winter, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 34. Assefa remained popular with Bullfrogs fans and his #1 uniform would be retired later. With Bamako, Assefa had a 184-105 record, 2.57 ERA, 2701.1 innings, 3599 strikeouts, 553 walks, 138 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 73.3 WAR.

Assefa went to Nigeria with a two-year, $1,660,000 deal with Lagos. He won his lone Gold Glove in 1991 with the Lizards and pitched solidly, although not as dominantly as before. Still, Assefa played a big role as Lagos won the WAB Championship in both of his seasons there. He was terrific again in the postseason, posting a 0.89 ERA in 30.1 innings with 38 strikeouts. In total with Lagos, he had a 24-21 record, 3.18 ERA, 463.2 innings, 548 strikeouts, 115 ERA+, and 9.8 WAR.

Notable milestones were also reached during the Lizards run. Assefa became the third WAB pitcher to pass 200 career wins and was the first to 4000 strikeouts. For his playoff career, he had 3.56 WAR, which is still the career high in WAB as of 2037. He had an 8-3 record, 1.63 ERA, 115.2 innings, 163 strikeouts, and a 213 ERA+. Assefa is second all-time in playoff Ks, behind only Power Bonou’s 173.

This would be the end of his WAB career, as he received MLB offers as a 36-year old free agent. Assefa joined Columbus on a three-year, $5,820,000 contract. A ruptured finger tendon cost him three months of the 1993 campaign, which saw below average production. He rebounded and looked respectable in 1994 for Columbus. Assefa had a 3.38 ERA in 16 playoff innings as the Chargers got to the National Association Championship Series. In total with the Chargers, he had a 3.05 ERA, 20-12 record, 318.2 innings, 192 strikeouts, 117 ERA+, and 4.7 WAR.

1995 marked the first time his native Ethiopia qualified for the World Baseball Championship, with Assefa pitching for them in 1995 and 1996. Columbus cut him in 1995 and he ended up signing with Tampa. He still gave you innings, but with very middling production as his velocity had dropped off significantly. Assefa pitched poorly in one final season with Phoenix in 1996. He retired at 40 after going unsigned in 1997. For his MLB run, Assefa had a 34-37 record, 3.67 ERA, 672.1 innings, 331 strikeouts, 103 ERA+, and 7.6 WAR.

For his WAB run, Assefa had a 208-126 record, 2.66 ERA, 3165 innings, 4147 strikeouts, 613 walks, 288/397 quality starts, 109 complete games, 134 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 83.2 WAR. His ERA is among the best for any eventual WAB Hall of Famer. As of 2037, he’s still second all-time in strikeouts, sixth in wins, first in shutouts (34), and third in pitching WAR. Assefa certainly deserves a mention when considering who WAB’s GOAT pitcher is, especially when you look at his postseason dominance. He was nearly unanimously inducted into the 1998 class with 99.7%.



Vincent Langat – Right Field – Cotonou Copperheads – 74.5% First Ballot

Vincent Langat was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting right fielder from Lamu, Kenya; a small town of 25,000 inhabitants on the southeastern coast. Langat was an excellent power hitter who averaged around 40-45 home runs and 25-30 doubles per season. He was great at drawing walks, but he was a subpar contact hitter and had a horrible strikeout rate. Langat was one of the first “three-true outcomes” guys in West African Baseball. He was very slow on the basepaths, but still was intelligent about picking his spots.

Langat was viewed as an ironman, starting 147+ games in all but his rookie season (where he still started 136). He was a career right fielder and viewed as a mediocre defender. He had an incredibly strong arm, but lousy range. Langat was a team captain, becoming of the most respected players in the league with his work ethic and leadership. That personality, plus dingers, made Langat extremely popular and one of WAB’s first superstars.

Like his Hall of Fame classmate Langat, he had to move west to chase an amateur career. Langat’s native Kenya didn’t have much in the way of organized baseball in the 1970s and would not have proper pro teams until AAB’s formation in 1995. His big frame and power earned him plenty of attention, getting picked sixth overall in the 1978 WAB Draft by Cotonou. Langat made his debut in Benin and struggled with strikeouts quite a bit early on. He got marginally better as he aged at avoiding Ks, but he improved greatly at making hard contact.

Langat was third in 1979 Rookie of the Year voting. He won three Silver Sluggers with the Copperheads (1981, 82, 84). 1984 was his first time leading the league in home runs with 43, although it was his third straight season with 40+. From 1982 through his final season in 1992, Langat hit 40 or more homers each season. 1984 also saw him lead the Eastern League in slugging for the first time.

Despite Langat’s best efforts, Cotonou was terrible during his tenure, rarely sniffing a winning record. Langat entered 1985 with one year left on his contract and Copperheads officials weren’t expecting him to stick around beyond that. They opted to trade him to Kano in exchange for four prospects. With Cotonou, he had 771 hits, 486 runs, 228 home runs, 531 RBI, a .238/.342/.502 slash, 137 wRC+, and 24.1 WAR. Langat was inducted in the Copperheads hat as it was his longest run, although many fans would remember him in different colors.

1985 saw Langat win his fourth Silver Slugger. The Condors were ousted in the wild card round, but it was Langat’s first postseason experience. He had 47 home runs and 4.9 WAR in his one year there. Langat became a free agent for the first time at age 30. Abidjan ended up being the buyer, bringing Langat to the Ivory Coast on a five-year, $3,150,000 deal.

It ended up being a weak era for the Athletes sandwiched between two eras with multiple pennants. Abidjan didn’t make the postseason in Langat’s tenure, generally hovering around .500. His best season was 1989, which saw a Silver Slugger and a third place in MVP voting. Langat smacked 62 home runs this year to tie the single-season record, which held until 2003. It was his third time leading in homers and his only time also leading the league in RBI, OPS, total bases, and wRC+.

For his time with Abidjan, Langat had 639 hits, 493 runs, 226 home runs, 519 RBI, a .232/.324/.527 slash, and 20.1 WAR. While there, he also became the career home run leader and the first to reach 500. Langat also was the first to 1000 runs scored and the second to 1000 RBI. A free agent again at age 35, he signed a two-year, $1,820,000 deal with Port Harcourt.

Langat led in runs and homers in his first year with the Hillcats, winning his sixth and final Silver Slugger. Port Harcourt would make the playoffs in both of his seasons there, but were unable to advance both times. In two years, Langat posted 265 hits, 189 runs, 83 home runs, 200 RBI, a .233/.321/.511 slash, and 7.3 WAR. He was also the first player to reach 1000 walks drawn in a career. Langat’s bat still seemed respectable, but he went unsigned in 1993 and retired that winter at age 37.

For his career, Langat had 1815 hits, 1254 runs, 371 doubles, 584 home runs, 1351 RBI, 1068 walks, 2765 strikeouts, a .236/.332/.516 slash, 139 wRC+, and 56.4 WAR. At retirement, he was the all-time leader in the young league in runs, homers, RBI, walks, and strikeouts. Langat fell down those leaderboards into the 21^st Century, especially as offense exploded in WAB. He does remain ninth in walks and strikeouts as of 2037. Advanced stats aren’t too favorable and he ranks low on later comparisons due to his high strikeout rate, poor average, lack of team success, and lousy defense. However, Langat was one of the first great sluggers of West African Baseball, worthy of his Hall of Fame spot. The 74.5% isn’t high, but it was enough to get him in on the first ballot with the 1998 class.