A (belated) Midseason Update on Baseball in Uganda

With it being past the All-Star break and well into the dog days of August, it’s past time for a check-in on everything Ugandan baseball.

First, let’s check in on what’s happening in Uganda. The biggest news is that Baseball, along with Softball and Baseball5, made their debuts in the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) Ball Games. These games are an annual gathering of many secondary schools, where they compete in various ball games, including soccer, netball, and baseball. This year, over 9,000 students participated in the event.

The inclusion of baseball in the USSSA Ball Games shows just how far the sport has come within Uganda and the amazing potential for growth it has. The best way for the sport to grow is by exposing youth to it and giving them the opportunity to play throughout their childhood.

Right now, many of the best Ugandan players don’t even start playing until their later years. Even if they do start earlier, there’s little competition against whom they can better their game. That’s why it’s so important that baseball is played from an early age. Look at basketball in the U.S., soccer in Brazil, baseball in the Dominican Republic. These countries produce so many players because every child in the country is exposed to their sports at such an early age. They’re played every single day in school, during recesses, and afterschool.

Kaboggaza Ibrahim, the head coach of the national team, has expressed similar sentiments, saying, “Having baseball officially recognized under USSSA will accelerate growth in both the sports sector and UBASA (Uganda Baseball and Softball Association)”. It’s a symbiotic relationship between the two organizations. USSSA will develop the players with the necessary skills to compete for the national team and on the international stage. In return, international success will inspire more kids to pick up and continue to play baseball.

Chrispus Baluku here has a great article that I got a lot of information from, which goes into more detail about the tournament itself, as well as a great interview with Ibrahim. Please check out his article and give him a follow.

Now let’s shift to see what’s happening with Ugandan players around the minor leagues.

Allan Ajoti has played in 31 games in the Dominican Summer League with a slash line of .200/.294/.432. Although he only played in 8 games last year, he’s come back with more power this year, slugging 6 home runs and raising his slugging percentage from .267 to .432. He’s still 19, young in the grand scheme of baseball prospects, but on the older side of prospects in the Dominican Summer League. Look for him to get moved up to the Arizona Complex League next season.

Muhoozi Armstrong is playing in his first year of professional baseball as an 18-year-old (he turned 18 in July). In 34 games he’s hit .239/.341/.321. The most impressive part of his game is his speed. He’s stolen 22 bases and has only been thrown out four times. Since he’s so young, he could repeat next season in the Dominican with an eye on being promoted to the Florida Complex League.

David Matoma has spent this season in Bradenton playing for Pittsburgh’s Single-A affiliate. The stuff has stayed electric for Matoma, his fastball reaching triple digits at times. However, his control issues have popped back up, which has led to his walk rate and WHIP shooting up. Still, he’s sporting a 4.66 ERA, very respectable for a league in which he’s three years younger than the average pitcher.

I want to do a deeper dive into Matoma’s season at the conclusion of the year, but I’ve made it a point to watch every one of his outings. He’s got the electric fastball, but his slider throughout the season has been inconsistent. He’s also tried to add a cutter, essentially a version of his slider with more velocity added, but he’s struggled to locate it effectively. My belief is that he needs to add a change-up at some point, just to keep batters off balance. At times, he’s had to overly rely on the fastball, leading batters to sit on that speed, and even with his electric velocity, when professional batters are able to sit on one speed, it’s bad news.

The good news is that Matoma has a fastball you can’t teach. If he gets his command right, he has one of the highest ceilings among pitchers in the Pirates organization.

One shoutout I do want to make is Abel Kisa, a 15-year-old infielder from northern Uganda. He’s got a sweet swing. Look out for him in the next year or so.