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G-Force · 05-10-2018, 10:06 AM

ABL Around the Horn: August 2021

Ty Cobb is making his run at the ABL hitting streak mark of 30, held by Ryan Braun. The Denver centerfielder has hit in 25 straight games and leads the entire ABL in batting with a .369 clip as we head into the season's final month. Cobb batted .417 in August and, barring something unforeseen over the season's final month, should bring home his first Most Valuable Player award.

So much of the focus has been on Denver and Louisville terrific seasons that some other team stories have gotten lost. One of those is the San Antonio Stallions, who after three straight seasons in the cellar are poised for their first winning season - and maybe more. The Stallions are 69-62 and 5 1/2 games behind Phoenix in the Western League South. That lead was trimmed to 1 1/2 a little more than a week ago. San Antonio's free agent commitment last offseason has paid dividends, as they made Elmer Flick the league's highest paid player and he has responded, batting .339 (second to Cobb) and playing his usual superb defense that should net him his third Gold Glove award. Bob Robertson, signed to a minor league deal after Boston didn't pick up his contract, has hit 15 homers in part-time duty for a lineup that leads the Western League in homers. But the big story has been Kevin Mitchell. Taken as the Stallions' first-round pick in the inaugural draft, to the shock of virtually everyone, Mitchell has been invisible for three seasons. This season, the 27-year-old leftfielder has smacked 21 homers and driven in 71 runs, good for fourth and third in the league, respectively.

Perhaps "Around the Horn" jinxed Steve Carlton last month, saying he would likely break Smoky Joe Wood's ABL ERA record of 2.47. Carlton posted a 4.26 ERA in August to raise his season mark from 2.05 to 2.42. He still holds the best mark in the entire ABL, however.

After an injury-plagued 2020 season in which he posted a .265 average with 10 homers as a pending free agent, Will Clark decided to take a one-year deal to stay in New York and try to regain the form of his first two seasons in which he averaged .324-26-96 and took home the 2018 Eastern League Outstanding Hitter Award. His bet on himself looks like a smart one, as he's third in the league in batting at .325 with 13 homers and 68 RBI. He'll get a nice long-term deal somewhere this offseason when he re-enters the market. Whether it will be from New York or not remains to be seen.

05-10-2018, 10:06 AM	#400
G-Force All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 1,264	ABL Around the Horn: August 2021 Ty Cobb is making his run at the ABL hitting streak mark of 30, held by Ryan Braun. The Denver centerfielder has hit in 25 straight games and leads the entire ABL in batting with a .369 clip as we head into the season's final month. Cobb batted .417 in August and, barring something unforeseen over the season's final month, should bring home his first Most Valuable Player award. So much of the focus has been on Denver and Louisville terrific seasons that some other team stories have gotten lost. One of those is the San Antonio Stallions, who after three straight seasons in the cellar are poised for their first winning season - and maybe more. The Stallions are 69-62 and 5 1/2 games behind Phoenix in the Western League South. That lead was trimmed to 1 1/2 a little more than a week ago. San Antonio's free agent commitment last offseason has paid dividends, as they made Elmer Flick the league's highest paid player and he has responded, batting .339 (second to Cobb) and playing his usual superb defense that should net him his third Gold Glove award. Bob Robertson, signed to a minor league deal after Boston didn't pick up his contract, has hit 15 homers in part-time duty for a lineup that leads the Western League in homers. But the big story has been Kevin Mitchell. Taken as the Stallions' first-round pick in the inaugural draft, to the shock of virtually everyone, Mitchell has been invisible for three seasons. This season, the 27-year-old leftfielder has smacked 21 homers and driven in 71 runs, good for fourth and third in the league, respectively. Perhaps "Around the Horn" jinxed Steve Carlton last month, saying he would likely break Smoky Joe Wood's ABL ERA record of 2.47. Carlton posted a 4.26 ERA in August to raise his season mark from 2.05 to 2.42. He still holds the best mark in the entire ABL, however. After an injury-plagued 2020 season in which he posted a .265 average with 10 homers as a pending free agent, Will Clark decided to take a one-year deal to stay in New York and try to regain the form of his first two seasons in which he averaged .324-26-96 and took home the 2018 Eastern League Outstanding Hitter Award. His bet on himself looks like a smart one, as he's third in the league in batting at .325 with 13 homers and 68 RBI. He'll get a nice long-term deal somewhere this offseason when he re-enters the market. Whether it will be from New York or not remains to be seen. __________________ LEGENDS SPORTS UNIVERSE - WHERE LEGENDS PLAY...FOREVER YouTube and the Web Check out my Dynasty Threads The Alltime Hockey Association The Alltime Baseball League Austin James: Playing For His Life (a Vietnam-era baseball drama) The Pastime Boxing Association