2060/2061 Season - January
Hall of Fame
The AUNZBL had spoken last season of changes to the Hall of Fame induction process, and the Commissioner unveiled those changes during the offseason. However, they did so while everybody was enamoured with the
Baseball and Betting saga, perhaps with the hope that the changes would detract from the other issue. That, unfortunately, didn't happen and at the time of its initial announcement the media coverage of the new induction process was limited and perfunctory.
On further inspection, however, this new process was a gigantic shift away from the previous method, and much more transparent. Before now, a committee selected by the Commissioner’s Office, and usually consisting solely of ex-players, made a decision behind closed doors on whether players would qualify for the Hall, doing so as soon as a player had been retired for 5 years.
The objectiveness of these committees had been stressed ad nauseam by the Commissioner, but there were plenty of sceptics among media and fans.
Now the committee had been abolished in favour of a voting system, and the organization responsible for the Hall of Fame had also changed, even if it was more a shift than anything else. The Australasian Baseball Society (ABS), sponsored by the AUNZBL, had been in existence since 2024, with a general warrant to expand baseball consciousness, stimulate baseball discussion, and preserve baseball heritage. That sounded like a lot of hooey, and it basically was. Prior to this, ABS members got together every 3 months for a liquid lunch with the odd bit of baseball talk included on the periphery. The ABS did work to some extent as an historical society, but even that was less objective record-keeping and more subjective fan fluff pieces.
Suddenly, however, the ABS became an important cog in the AUNZBL machine, and its members just as much so. Now anybody who was a paid member of the ABS could cast their vote on who would enter the Hall. Each member was allowed 5 votes. Not all votes had to be used, but each vote had to be cast for a different player. Any players included on at least 80% of the voting sheets would be inducted into the Hall. Any players receiving less than 5% of the vote would be dropped from subsequent ballots or would, in other words, become ineligible for future Hall of Fame classes. Players receiving between 5% and 79.99% would not enter the Hall but would remain eligible for the next ballot. If a player remained on the ballot for 10 years without meeting the 80% threshold, they would then become ineligible. As before, players needed 10 years of major-league service time to be eligible for the Hall.
Voting opened on January 2nd and closed on January 19th, with the results announced and subsequent inductions, if any, carried out on the 20th. The process changes were announced again on January 1st, and the ABS reported a sharp increase in memberships sold immediately following, with membership numbers having more than quadrupled by the time voting closed.
The idea that the fans could have a say in who got into the Hall resonated with all and sundry, especially after the president of the ABS assured everybody, “All votes are equal. Even my vote has the exact same value as 12 year-old Johnny Australasian’s does.” As an aside, 12 years of age was the youngest a member of the ABS could be, with parental or guardian approval also required.
From a market dominance perspective, this move by the AUNZBL was pure genius. In giving fans the opportunity to contribute to the legends of baseball the AUNZBL in turn gained something that no rival league would probably ever be able to equal: entry into the mainstream consciousness. Having the general fan ensconced in the ‘process’ meant the AUNZBL didn’t even need to acknowledge the ABC. For all intents and purposes their rival league was nothing more than any of the numerous semipro competitions that dotted the Australasian baseball landscape: they helped grow the game without the AUNZBL having to spend a cent, and anybody who stood out above the rest would inevitably end up in Australasia’s premier league, because that was where the money and the glory were.
The initial Hall of Fame ballot included a lot of players who’d retired more than 5 years ago, the ABS stating they felt it would be unfair if the rule change applied only from such a recent point in history. They also mentioned that there might be “veteran’s committees” formed from time-to-time to review any players who might’ve failed to make the Hall but were of “very high calibre.”
2060 Results
Voting numbers were “far higher than expected,” according to the ABS president, with “nearly all paid members getting in on the action.” Even so, nobody made it into the Hall, with Brodie Backhouse garnering the most votes, finishing up being on the list of 54.5% of respondents.
Here is the full list, not including players who received less than 5% of the vote:
CL Brodie Backhouse - 54.5
2B Mike Wurfel - 51.1
SP Joshua Cheadle - 42.9
2B Bill Bransington - 31.2
SP Dylan Cully - 17.7
SP Luke Bodkin - 15.8
SP Edward Delaney - 15.0
SP Sterling Dunlop - 13.2
C Danny Goodwin - 13.2
1B Patrick Gulledge - 12.0
SP Xing-hua Ling - 9.8
SS Gavin Liddell - 7.9
CF Maurice Downes - 7.9
SP Takashi Takeuchi - 7.5
SP Richard Avery - 7.1
RF Zachariah Hutchinson - 6.0
Notable Performances
1 Jan: In a tight contest, the NZ & Overseas All Stars triumphed 9-8.
6 Jan: Nick Aston led Wellington to a 6-0 shutout victory over the Cavalry. Aston allowed just 4 hits, walking none and fanning 7 in a 108-pitch outing. This was the 1st shutout of Aston’s big-league career, in his 53rd start.
8 Jan: Brock Lawless threw his 2nd shutout in 3 starts, taming the Aces 4-nothing, on the back of 7 hits, 0 walks, and 8 strikeouts.
9 Jan: It took over half the season, but finally someone made it to a 20-game hit streak. That player was Martin Boston, who went 2-4 in Canberra’s 3-2 loss to Wellington. This was the 5th 20+ hit streak of Boston’s career. Along with Stefan Ballard, he held the record for longest streak, putting together a run of 33 games in 2055.
9 Jan: Kununurra’s Blair Norris was at a loss to explain his skipper’s decision, only able to mumble when interviewed in the changing sheds, “Well, I was running on fumes, I guess.” Skipper Cameron Hutcheon, generally known as a laidback figure around media and in the clubhouse, eventually stormed out of the aftermatch presser, growling, “I don’t have to explain my decision to you lot, that’s for sure!”
Why the uproar? Perhaps a brief review of the game will shed some light on things. Norris looked good from the get-go, striking out the 1st batter he faced. He hit a batter an out later but was in another league other than that, dominating the Roos’ lineup to such an extent that the hometown commentator laughingly said in the 6th, after Norris struck another hitter out flailing, “The poor guy looks shellshocked, like he hopes he’s dreaming and is gonna wake up any moment, safe in his bed.” In the 8th, Norris lost his chance at a no-no with a 1-out walk but still struck out 2 of the 4 hitters he faced.
To make the game even more of a spectacle, neither team had yet scored going into the 9th. Kununurra rectified that, however, batting around to bring home 5 and break Newcastle’s back.
Visibly tired, Norris took the mound in the 9th, the crowd on their feet and chanting ‘Bulldozer, Bulldozer’ in between pitches. The first hitter ground out firmly to the shortstop. The next hitter struck out watching a pitch nick the corner. Next up, Aaron Gilleland somehow poked a cut-fastball wide of the shortstop and into left. Single and the no-hitter was broken up! The entire crowd groaned as one, Norris dropping to his knees and staring heavenward. After a few moments, he hauled himself to his feet, took a few deep breaths and prepared to face the next batter. Except it wasn’t to be, Hutcheon making his way to the mound while signaling to the bullpen. Norris couldn’t believe it. Neither could the crowd, and neither could the various commentary teams.
Unbelievably, Norris was done. While he wouldn’t have notched up a no-hitter, he was still within sight of a remarkable 1-hit performance. But no, Hutcheon’s mind was made up and Norris left the mound, the look on his face resembling the look on the face of the hitter the home commentator had joked about earlier. 8.2 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts, no earned runs, 1 runner on-base, the opposition 5 runs behind. It would take Hutcheon some time, and possibly only a Championship victory, to live that one down.
10 Jan: John Foreman hadn’t missed a beat since arriving in Cairns, winning PotW with a .433/.452/.900 performance. His 13 hits included 2 doubles and 4HR.
11 Jan: With Diaz - still over .400 - dominating headlines, another 1B doing impressive things was mostly getting ignored (which was probably just the way he liked it). Ronald Aitken got top billing on the sport shows tonight, however, his 4-4 with 4 runs, 5RBI and 1 walk in Cairns’ 8-2 trampling of the Cavalry punctuated by 3 exclamation points. In the 3rd he crunched a 2-out 2-run HR into the RF bleachers. In the 6th, again with 2-outs, he delivered another 2-run homer, also over right if not quite as far. And in the 8th he made it 3, blasting another fly over the RF fence, this one a solo effort. The 3-time All Star, hitting .327, currently led the league in OBP (.466) and walks (85).
11 Jan: Melbourne accounted for Darwin 11-3, but Kent Okolita still had a right to smile after the game, logging 5 hits for the 1st time in his career.
12 Jan: Boston’s hit streak came to an end after 22 games. He went 0-4 in Canberra’s 6-5 extra-innings win over Cairns.
12 Jan: 24 y/o Kununurra CF Domenic Guerin achieved a feat that hadn’t been seen since the 2057 season, when it happened 3 times. In a 9-1 thumping of lowly division rivals Brisbane, Guerin doubled to lead off the bottom of the 1st, singled in the 4th, tripled in the 7th, and finally homered in the 8th to cap off a cycle. “I hadn’t given it any thought until that triple,” he said, “but I knew how unlikely it was, so I put it out of my mind, and then wham! I got a pitch and I managed to hit it far enough.”
13 Jan: Diaz went 0-5 in Adelaide’s comfortable 8-2 victory over Sydney, seeing his BA drop to .397. He’d maintained a BA above .400 since the 27th December.
15 Jan: Cody Watts threw his 7th career shutout, keeping Melbourne in the doldrums. He allowed just 6 hits and 2 walks, and rang up 6 strikeouts. Sydney cruised to an 11-0 win.
17 Jan: Matthew Utting snared PotW, the 29 y/o mustachioed Cowboy hitting .522/.519/.957, with 3HR.
18 Jan: Joshua Angwin’s confidence in signing a 2-year deal with Wellington, with the 2nd year being a vesting option based on PA, was paying off. He was their regular DH, and today slogged Cairns’ pitching around, going 5-5, including a HR. He scored 3 runs and collected 3RBI in the 12-3 riot.
18 Jan: Eddie Rayner kept things tight versus Whangarei, scattering 7 hits but no walks and, more importantly, no runs, to help Kununurra run out 9-0 winners. Rayner struck out 4 in his 2nd shutout of the season and the 8th of his career.
21 Jan: 30 y/o Nick Waterson was having a career season. Today he notched up his 12th win, doing so in style with a commanding 1-hit, 1-walk shutout of Kununurra. He struck out 2 as the Venom destroyed the Pioneers 14-0.
24 Jan: Young Darwin SS Rod Albury announced himself on the major-league stage, winning PotW with a .563/.563/.906 stat-line. His 18-32 included 6 doubles, 1 triple and 1HR. He only struck out once in 33PA.
24 Jan: Rowan Kimpton could hit dingers, no doubt about that. He had 36 so far on the season, 4 more than anybody else. That he could hit for power despite his unusual stance, swing and plate approach always got the experts chattering. Today he showed he wasn’t just a power guy, though the fact he was hitting .302 before this outing might’ve already clued a few people in on that one. In Kununurra’s blowout 17-8 win over Melbourne he went 5-6, all singles.
25 Jan: Whangarei fought their way past Newcastle 6-5, winning in the bottom of the 11th via a walk-off single. The winning run was scored by Rory Auty, whose leadoff single marked his 5th hit of the night. He was 5-5, with 1 double, 1HR, 3RBI and 3 runs.
25 Jan: Matt Juhl had Adelaide all in a sweat, conceding just 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9, to see his Cowboys shut out the vaunted Venom 3-0.
25 Jan: Central Coast were having an incredible month, rising from below .500 to now hold the division lead by 2 games. Their 6-2 victory over Auckland today gave them 10 wins in a row. Edwin Hayes tonked his 32nd HR of the year in the victory, moving him into a four-way tie for 2nd on the HR board. He’d hit 5HR in his last 4 games.
26 Jan: Cairns downed the Prospects 5-4 in front of a sell-out Hobart crowd. In the 1st inning, as he’d done so often in his career, Aguirre caught the pitcher napping, driving the 1st pitch he saw 410 feet and off the upper leftfield deck. It was Aguirre’s 30th HR of the season - putting paid to the analyst who’d said that ‘Tumbleweed’ would struggle to even reach that mark in 2060 - and 14th of the month. The blast also constituted his 1995th runner batted in, putting him on equal pegging atop that career leaderboard with the redoubtable Alastair Mildren.
30 Jan: Blair Norris finally got that shutout. It wasn’t quite as flashy as his 1-hitter on the 9th might've been but it got the job done. He allowed 7 hits and 2 walks, fanning 6, as Kununurra eased to a 5-0 defeat of Auckland.
31 Jan: Rory Auty had a week to remember, scattering AUNZBL pitching with a .619/.636/.857 stat-line and winning PotW in the process.
31 Jan: 37 y/o Trent Allan reached 2000 career hits with his 3rd-inning RBI-single in Sydney’s 5-0 win over Wellington.
31 Jan: It took until the 8th inning for Kununurra to push ahead and even then it wasn’t a sure thing, Auckland fighting to make it a 1-run game. The Pioneers managed to finish it off, winning 3-2 and serving the Metros their 10th loss in a row.
31 Jan: “So this is what losing feels like?” Justin Auger said after Central Coast fell 7-2 to Canberra. He didn’t look too disappointed, full of confidence that the Thunder would bounce right back. It was confidence he had a right to. They’d won 14 in a row before tonight and finished the month atop their division.
Notable Injuries
1 Jan: Dean Brewster (.319/.390/.391, 0HR from 272PA) had torn his hammy again. He’d be on the DL another 3 weeks.
3 Jan: A sheepish Ed Geoghegan (.295/.375/.545, 21HR) fronted media to tell them he’d be sidelined for at least 4 weeks with a sprained elbow. How had he hurt it? Nobody in the press scrum remembered him leaving yesterday’s game injured. As it transpired, last night he’d turned out as a guest bull-rider at a local rodeo event. He’d lasted all of 4 seconds before falling off and hurting his elbow in the landing. GM Santiago Rodriguez said, face stern, “Yes, we’re very disappointed Ed would do something so silly. But we’re sure he’s learnt his lesson, so this period on the disabled list should be punishment enough.”
6 Jan: Tomas Zartuche (.336/.373/.419, 0HR) would be on the DL for about 4 weeks after he suffered an ankle sprain.
8 Jan: Perth’s Fei-hsien Chang (.283/.354/.493, 7HR from 158PA) had caught the injury bug again. This time it was a torn hamstring. Best estimates were 6 weeks recovery time.
18 Jan: Cairns took a hit, ace Damian Flemming (11-4, 3.37 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.20 WHIP) going down with the 1st significant injury of his career. The 31 y/o had a strained hamstring and would definitely not be back again this season.
22 Jan: Veteran, but AUNZBL newcomer, Keiran Southey (.275/.360/.374, 6HR) would spend the next 6 weeks on the DL with elbow inflammation.
26 Jan: Wellington would have to do without Rick Roughley (.276/.339/.414, 10HR) until the end of February after he was diagnosed with a strained ribcage muscle.
26 Jan: Melbourne’s Luis Cuesta (.287/.322/.415, 8HR) had post-concussion syndrome. While it was very difficult to give a recovery time for an injury like this, best bets were around 2 months, according to the Aces’ team trainer, as Cuesta’s symptoms “didn’t present as severely as in some cases.”
29 Jan: Keiran Cooper (.316/.343/.477, 4HR) would miss the next 6 weeks of Adelaide’s campaign with an oblique strain.
30 Jan: “It’s like a morgue around here,” said Hobart skipper Martin Chapple, in a frank response to questions about how the clubhouse felt in the wake of news that Ismael Aguirre (.296/.362/.551, 30HR) wouldn’t be back this season. Aguirre had fractured an elbow lunging for a grounder in yesterday’s game and wouldn’t be swinging a bat competitively again for at least 5 months. “Look,” Chapple continued, “we’re still more than confident we can get the job done, so it’s not like we think the season’s gone or anything like that. But we all love Ismael to pieces and we’re hurting for him, bad. He’s had rotten luck the last few seasons and it looked like he was just about hitting top form again, too. And at his age, injuries like this are even more worrying. Still, he’s a pro, so I’m sure he’ll get through it, and we’ll make sure he gets all the support he needs.” This was the 1st season since 2048 that Aguirre had hit less than .300.
Notable Trades/Signings
4 Jan: 30 y/o John Foreman (.266/.345/.452, 11HR from 275PA) cut both a dejected and happy figure when intercepted by press at the airport before boarding a plane heading for Cairns. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get more game time,” the slugger said, referring to his having only started 65 of 88 games for the Thunder this season, “but at the same time I’m pretty gutted to be leaving this team. I’ve won 2 Championships here, got a lot of friends in the clubhouse and I was hoping we’d work this out because I’d have liked to play out my career in a Thunder uniform. But that’s not going to happen now, so on to the Crocs and let’s bring home a trophy or two!” To get Foreman, the Crocs gave up 2 minor leaguers, one a 28 y/o four-A baller originally from the NABA, and the other a 22 y/o pitching prospect. Cairns’ GM Julio Sousa couldn’t contain the grins when asked about the deal. “I’m ecstatic, to be honest. To get a hitter of Foreman’s caliber at so cheap a price, well, the Thunder must have some screws loose!” Word from anonymous sources around Central Coast reported that Foreman was another player who'd fallen afoul of fiery manager Reginald Reddick.
9 Jan: 31 y/o OF Adrian Stuart (.299/.344/.471, 1HR from 93PA) had struggled to break into Newcastle’s big-league lineup this season. Now he would have to fight to get on the field in Hobart, the Roos sending him to the Prospects in return for 28 y/o 2B Rich Atteridge (.261/.305/.313, 1HR from 267PA) and a good pitching prospect.
25 Jan: Kununurra, battling it out with Central Coast in the East-West, made what some labelled an ‘unusual’ move, sending 25 y/o SP Roy Blake (10-5, 4.56 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) and cash to lowly division rivals Brisbane in exchange for 32 y/o journeyman OF Randall Butcher (.219/.242/.406, 2HR in 33 major-league PA) and a strong 1B prospect.
30 Jan: Starting pitching was something Wellington, holding onto a 1-game lead in the NZ, weren’t currently overflowing with, and today they shortened their stocks even further, dealing 29 y/o Nick Aston (8-6, 4.21 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.28 WHIP) and cash to Christchurch - who were that 1-game back - in return for 26 y/o Vic Collins (.228/.299/.348, 4HR from 174PA), the #1 overall draft pick of 2055 who’d jumped straight into the majors but would now suit up for his 3rd big-league team.
Month Awards
Rookie of the Month: Rich Downes scooted to his 3rd RotM Award, hitting .381/.427/.540, his 43-113 punctuated by 9 doubles and 3HR. He also scored 18 runs, drove in 17 runners and walked 9 times. His .358BA saw him sitting 2nd behind Diaz, and he was tied with the same man at the head of the doubles ladder, having stroked 40 so far this season.
Hurler of the Month: Eddie Rayner had lost only 1 game since the 1st of November. He went undefeated in January to snare another HotM award. His 5-0 from 6 starts was complemented by a 1.80 ERA, a 2.78 FIP, and a 1.11 WHIP. He struck out 24 in 45 innings and currently led the league in BB/9, with a mark of 1.65. He was also tied for the league lead in WAR, with 4.3.
Slugger of the Month: Jorge Diaz ‘only’ hit .339/.380/.702 in January, but that was still enough for him to win his 3rd consecutive SotM gong. The slugging percentage is what would’ve done it for him, his 42-124 including 9 doubles and 12HR. He scored 22 runs, drove home 38 runners and walked 10 times. While it seemed .400 was likely out of reach, Diaz was now a Triple Crown threat. His stat-line read .388/.436/.701 for the season, his 36HR only 2 behind the leader, and his 119RBI six ahead of the pack. He also led the league in SLG, OPS, wOBA (.477), hits (186), runs (105), ISO (.313), XBH (77), total bases (336), and WAR (6.7). If he maintained his BA he'd easily set a new season record, the current record being the .3796 Stewart Warwick had hit in 2022.
Media Watch
Ismael Aguirre: The burly veteran roared back into form in January, hitting .320/.360/.767, 14 of his 33 hits granting him the right to do the 4-bag waltz. It was easy to see why his injury was so devastating, both for him and his teammates. Now that he wouldn’t be back this season, talk shifted to where he’d play next year and whether an elbow fracture might finally be the thing that really did slow down his swing. Aguirre needed 1 more RBI to own that leaderboard, 25 more hits to reach 3500, and 33 more homers to make it to 700.
Last Year’s Top Players Watch
2059’s Top Rookies
2059 Rookie of the Year, Jason Hewitt: See notes for Top Hitters, below.
Cain Donaldson: Not garnering the same headlines as in 2059, but the Blue Sox were happy with his output at the top of the lineup. .311/.400/.423, 137-440, 86 runs, 26 doubles, 4 triples, 5HR, 38RBI, 64BB, 30SB (from 50 attempts), 519PA, 116 OPS+, +7.2 ZR in LF.
Bert Allan: Enjoying life in a competitive Kununurra team. .270/.326/.489, 111-411, 57 runs, 31 doubles, 1 triple, 19HR, 74RBI, 32BB, 448PA, 110 OPS+.
2059’s Top Pitchers
2059 Brodie Backhouse winner Aaron Fingleson: Pitching out of the bullpen as a setup man for the Venom and not particularly enjoying it. 4-4, 1 sv from 44 games, 4.67 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 64 strikeouts from 52.0 IP, ERA+ 100.
2059 Hurler of the Year, Barry Dean: An undisputed ace doing his best to haul Perth out of the mire of last place. 14-4 from 24 starts, 3.46 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 151 strikeouts from 163.2 IP, ERA+ 134. Led the league in wins, FIP, and tied for the lead in WAR (4.3).
Damian Flemming: Tracking along very nicely before a season-ending injury. 11-4 from 21 starts, 3.37 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 105 strikeouts from 120.1 IP, ERA+ 138.
Lance Ralston: Should be back pitching in the majors by March and boy would Wellington need him. 1-1 from 3 starts, 3.38 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.63 WHIP, 12 strikeouts from 16.0 IP, ERA+ 138.
2059’s Top Hitters
2059 Slugger of the Year Jason Hewitt: Wasn’t having quite the same impact his 2nd year in the league, but was doing what he needed to do as clean-up man in a struggling Cavalry lineup. .259/.343/.501, 97-375, 55 runs, 16 doubles, 25HR, 74RBI, 42BB, 429PA, 117 OPS+.
John Foreman: Traded by the Thunder to the Crocs and looking a much happier camper. .292/.359/.507, 99-339, 52 runs, 19 doubles, 18HR, 49RBI, 36BB, 379PA, 123 OPS+.
Vern Bull: The rock in a disappointing Melbourne lineup but rarely seen on the highlight reels. .279/.398/.518, 92-330, 62 runs, 10 doubles, 23HR, 63RBI, 65BB, 400PA, 137 OPS+.
Other Notes
Coastal Division: Adelaide (15-13) were good without being great in January, but Cairns (11-17) were awful and found themselves 13 games behind heading into Killer February, tied with Darwin (16-12), who'd picked themselves up to .500.
East-West Division: Central Coast (23-5) got their second wind in January, surging past Kununurra (19-9), though the Pioneers were no slouches either, finishing the month on a 5-game streak to be just 1 game behind.
NZ Division: Christchurch (19-9) rose from 3rd to 1st in the NZ, overtaking a struggling Wellington (11-17) and a consistently average Whangarei (13-15). The Cowboys were 1 game ahead of the Fury and 4 games ahead of the Sluggers heading into February.
Southern Division: Hobart (17-11) continued to truck along, despite their offense having the 2nd-worst BA (.255), 3rd-least hits (997), and most strikeouts (875). They led the Blue Sox (13-15) by 10 games.
Wildcard: Kununurra and Sydney were well out in front in the wildcard race, the Fury next-best, 5 games adrift of the Blue Sox. Cairns and Darwin were a further game behind.
#
Alan Sneddon (.345/.450/.507, 8HR) led the league in OBP.
Rowan Kimpton (.312/.345/.597, 38HR) topped the HR board by 2.
Ronald Aitken (.299/.440/.524, 22HR) had drawn 97 walks, 14 more than anybody else.
Teammate Stephane Lecomte (.303/.364/.381, 2HR), who was only 22 y/o but nearing 5 years in the bigs, led all-comers in steals with 50. This meant he’d stolen at least 50 bases every season he’d been in the league.
Brock Lawless (6-3, 2.71 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.03 WHIP) wasn’t getting that many decisions, as his Prospects seemed to leave it late to fire in his games on the mound, but he was still having a decent season, leading the league in ERA, WHIP, and K/BB (4.20).
Teammate Marcello Thornton (12-4, 2.72 ERA, 5.15 FIP, 1.11 WHIP) was also benefiting from Hobart’s sharp defence, leading the league in H/9 (6.98), and OAVG (.216).
Greg Ahern (12-8, 4.00 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.22 WHIP) now led the league in punch-outs, ‘Buzzard’ having danced on the mound 161 times thus far. However, it was Marty Okolita (9-6, 3.96 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.37 WHIP) who had the best K/9 rate among qualified pitchers, fanning 9.94 hitters every 9 innings.
Sterling Boston and Isaac Canavan were tied atop the saves board, with 32 each.
ABC Wrap-up
Brisbane’s lead in the Northern had been cut to 3 1/2 games, Alice Springs closing fast. Melbourne extended their lead in the Southern to 5 1/2 games, while Kalgoorlie were still comfortably in charge in the Western, 11 games up. Jakarta were unstoppable in the Overseas, their 22-6 month pushing them 12 1/2 games clear.
Jakarta’s Kapali Hokuaonani won the monthly Golden Arm Award, his figures for the season thus far 11-4, 3.62 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.23 WHIP).
Sydney’s Bob Crawford (.263/.299/.381, 6HR), who’d come across to the ABC from the NABA last season, wasn’t doing quite so well this campaign, chasing a lot of pitches and grounding into a lot of double plays. On the bright side, he led the league in doubles, with 35.
AUNZBL Standings, Feb 1