We’re past the All-Star Game and into trading season. July always has a way of showing who’s going for it and who isn’t. There have been no changes to our division leaders since June. Newtown (despite a six-game losing streak heading into August) and Fitzroy (helped by a six-game winning streak) both have strong holds on their divisions.
Over in New Zealand, things are tighter: Bay of Plenty and Manawatu are clinging to slim leads. Worth noting is the Tasman Suns, who have jumped into second place in the NZ South thanks to a 16–8 record in July. New Zealand’s shaping up for an interesting finish.
In other news...
- Newtown 1B Jeremy Mason stole his 100th base on the 26th of July against the Parramatta Rebels. In the top of the 6th, he worked a two-out walk and promptly stole second. The Jets would go on to lose that game 4–3.
- Hawkes Bay RF Ernest Garraghan, who’s had a pretty unremarkable season so far, quietly pulled off something impressive: from June 6th to July 17th, he got a hit in every single game -- a 30-game hitting streak. In that time, he boosted his OPS from .675 to .756.
- St Kilda 1B Graham Till has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn calf muscle. He was hitting .305/.448/.379 (132 wRC+).
- Preston 3B Hayden Sams will also miss the rest of the year with a broken kneecap. He’d been hitting .282/.393/.385 (117 wRC+).
- And finally, Manly C Warley Bolen has caught his last game of the season. He’s been diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon — so sincere apologies to the Warley Warriors out there. He was hitting .292/.392/.423 (127 wRC+).
Notable trades…
- The day after the All-Star Game, the first deal dropped: the Otago Penguins sent All-Star SP Alexander Naysmith to the Newtown Jets for 17-year-old relief pitcher Rob Daly (#57 prospect). Naysmith had gone 5–10 with a 4.30 ERA (96 ERA+) for the Penguins and will slot in as Newtown’s #3 starter. He’ll be a free agent next season.
- The Counties Manukau Stallions shipped Home Run Derby winner 2B Leon Irving to the Newcastle Steelers for promising OF Harri Holmes and a couple of pitching prospects. Irving is hitting .285/.433/.504 (156 wRC+) with 14 homers and 53 RBIs -- and he walks as much as he strikes out. The 30-year-old will hit free agency at season’s end. He slots straight into cleanup for a Steelers team pushing for a wildcard.
- The Auckland Sharks sent RP Mark Leaf to the Manawatu Vikings for two prospects, including 17-year-old pitcher Lou Kay (#95 prospect). Leaf will step in as the Vikings’ closer. He’s also a free agent after this season.
- The Waitakere Spiders firmed up their rotation, trading SS Callan Russell (#40 prospect) to Penrith for SP Scott Sweeney. Sweeney has gone 6–8 with a 3.56 ERA (115 ERA+) and has two CGSOs to his name. The 27-year-old hits free agency after this season.
- The Hawthorn Phoenix traded 26-year-old CF Jeff McLean for… not much. McLean is hitting .257/.364/.469 (126 wRC+) with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs -- and just five days before the trade, he hit a 2-run walk-off homer in the 14th inning against Manly. He’ll slot into the cleanup spot for the Waikato Morepork.
- Fitzroy shored up their bullpen by acquiring Hawkes Bay All-Star closer Louis Crowley for a pair of prospects outside the top 100. Crowley has 15 saves and a 1.59 ERA (258 ERA+), thanks to one of the nastiest sliders around.
- Auckland dealt closer Mitchell Bartlett to the Canterbury Knights for 21-year-old Elroy Hibbert. Bartlett has 17 saves with a 2.98 ERA (138 ERA+) and will take over as Canterbury’s closer. All-Star Torrin Hanna slides down to a setup role after giving up walk-off hits in back-to-back outings.
And on the final day of trading...
- Auckland sent All-Star SS Andrew Conroy across town to the Waitakere Spiders for two low-level prospects. Conroy’s hitting .321/.381/.483 (135 wRC+) with 11 homers and 54 RBIs.
- The Otago Penguins secured the biggest prospect moved at the deadline: 3B Alexander Fernandez (#24 on the Prospect Pipeline). They sent 1B Austin Poll to the Manawatu Vikings to get him. Poll’s hitting .253/.343/.367 (95 wRC+) with 6 homers and 43 RBIs and will slot second in Manawatu’s lineup.
- In the final trade of the night, the Bay of Plenty Magic picked up LF Remington Gallagher from the Northland Dolphins for 18-year-old catcher Will Bell (#63 prospect). Gallagher’s hitting .293/.353/.415 (107 wRC+) with 8 homers and 46 RBIs. He’ll come off the bench.
A few All-Stars and a handful of top-100 prospects changed hands -- but nothing truly earth-shattering. The Waitakere Spiders look like the biggest winners, adding Andrew Conroy and Scott Sweeney for their push. Their final series is against division leader Bay of Plenty -- maybe we’re in for a dramatic finish.
Meanwhile, the Otago Penguins grabbed two top-100 prospects by moving expiring deals. Interestingly, they kept hold of LF Tane Reke -- who’s hitting .345/.411/.528 (154 wRC+) with 10 homers, 55 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases. His contract is up at the end of the year. Maybe Penguin management just didn’t see an offer worth pulling the trigger on -- but will this be a missed opportunity?