Africa is not a continent known for baseball. True, South Africa did produce one big-leaguer in Gift Ngoepe who played briefly in Toronto, but no other African nation has produced even one major leaguer. However, there is one African nation that is looking like it can not only change that reality, but become a respected baseball hotbed, consistently producing pro and even MLB level talent. Uganda is a small central African nation that is best known for the Entebbe Raid and for producing fantastic distance runners. Soccer is the most popular sport as it is in many African nations. And yet, there is impressive baseball talent starting to come out of there, even with the limited resources these players grow up with.
The senior national team has no major successes aside from a couple of African Cup medals. It has never attempted, much less achieved, qualification for WBC or Olympic baseball. 44th is their WBSC ranking at the time of writing. At the Little League level, Uganda has fared better historically though. With support from the US Embassy and MLB to finance playing fields and equipment, Uganda has become a serious player on the Little League circuit, even achieving qualification to Williamsport for the LLWS in 2011, only to miss out over issues producing players’ birth certificates. Ugandan baseball at all levels has been shortchanged not by a lack of talent, but by corruption and a lack of support from the local authorities.
Now, about the talent. Here are some of names you want to keep on your radar in the coming years.
David Matoma
David Matoma made the rounds last year online after videos surfaced showing him cranking out upper 90’s fastballs and even touching triple digits. He has also shown the goods in game situations though, impressing in the Dominican Summer League and more recently, earning plaudits in the Florida Complex League, where he’s put up an 11.5/9 K rate. At the time of writing, Matoma is the 14th ranked prospect in the Pirates system, with a good possibility of cracking the top 10 soon. He does struggle with command though, with a 25 rating on the 80 scale, but he masks it well with pure stuff. His fastball is already a 65 on the 80 scale. It has great carry on top of the overwhelming velocity, which will probably even tick up a bit more as the 18 year old’s 6’0”, 154lb frame fills out. He has a slider to complement the fastball, but it needs work, especially in getting it over for strikes. I see him as a reliever should he make the bigs, and I should add, the potential to be a dominant one if he can overcome the high walk rate and improve the slider to the point where it becomes a good ‘put away’ pitch. Watch this space, he has the goods to make it, and time is on his side given his young age.
Dennis Kasumba
If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the Dennis Kasumba workout clips online, where he’s doing drills with improvised equipment. Well, people noticed the hard work and dedication that is finally taking him a long way from the slaughterhouse he worked at as a 14 year old. His first big break was the MLB Draft League in 2023 (and again in 2024) where he did struggle at the plate but impressed with his strong receiving skills, no doubt polished by having worked with former MLB catcher Rene Rivera. He also had an opportunity to play in the Baseball United showcase and most recently, he has moved to the Asahikawa Be Stars, an independent league team in Japan. His road to MLB affiliated ball will likely be a complicated one, mainly because his bat needs to catch up to his glovework, but I don’t doubt he has the tenacity to put in the work required to make those improvements.
Ben Serunkuma
The 22 year old has been in the Dodgers system for a couple of years now. Like with David Matoma, his journey began in the DSL. Currently, he has spent most of his minor league career in the Dodgers Arizona Complex League team with brief stints in A ball at Rancho Cucamonga. Like with Matoma, the key to his further advancement will be limiting walks, especially since he lacks overwhelming stuff. One thing he has done well is limit the long ball, and keep a healthy ground ball rate. His ERA and WHIP have also suffered a bit more than expected due to being BABIP’d a fair bit. His K rate is a solid 7.7/9.
Others To Watch
Other Ugandan prospects looking to find their way to the bigs include catcher/outfielder Umar Male who spent 2022-23 in the Dodgers organization, and pitcher Shewali Sherikan, who joined Dennis Kasumba at Frederick in the MLB Draft league in 2024. Male made it as far as AA Tulsa before being released, and Sherikan is getting his first reps on the mound in Frederick. To keep their eyes and ears on the ground for more talent, the Dodgers are running an academy in Uganda similar to the highly successful Dominican Academy system. Baseball is still a relatively new thing in Uganda, and establishing the game at a grassroots level continues to be a challenge. And yet, Uganda is fast becoming a beacon of hope that baseball can conquer the African frontier. Once one guy makes it to the bigs, everyone else will want to become him; and that breakthrough may come soon.
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